Part 2a: The Village Contingent: Pig-napping Most Foul!

[Pulpatoon]

The pig-nappers are closing in on you!

Actions!

[zebediah]

The pig-nappers are closing in on you!

Actions!

How far are them from us, and how far are the pig and Hag Sal?

[Pulpatoon]

The pig-nappers are closing in on you!

Actions!

How far are them from us, and how far are the pig and Hag Sal?

The pig and Hag Sal are at the pig pen, which is about 90 feet from you. The two men are between you and the pen, closing the distance linearly. You have one round before they reach you. So, if you are looking to catch them at any particular distance between 90 and 0 feet, you may do so.

[KingOfCowards]

Simon calls upon the power of his gods and shouts at one of the men, "FLEE" while pointing in the opposite direction.

Honestly surprised that Hag Sal betrayed us. But I am cool with the call on confronting these guys. So don't worry if things turn out badly for us. Are the men drawing weapons? That would determine my next move.

[Pulpatoon]

Simon calls upon the power of his gods and shouts at one of the men, "FLEE" while pointing in the opposite direction.

Honestly surprised that Hag Sal betrayed us. But I am cool with the call on confronting these guys. So don't worry if things turn out badly for us. Are the men drawing weapons? That would determine my next move.

Mystery man's saving throw: [1d20] = 4 Failed.

One of the two figures stumbles in mid-stride, then turns around and flees to the northwest. The second man pauses to see what his companion is doing, but then continues forward. Moonlight catches on a knife in his hand.

Hag Sal utters a curse, and begins stumping towards your hiding spot, as well.

[zebediah]

Jonas keeps the shield raised and commands it to shout for the damaging effect. If the man and Sal are not within reach Jonas will move forward before activating the shield.

[Pulpatoon]

Jonas keeps the shield raised and commands it to shout for the damaging effect. If the man and Sal are not within reach Jonas will move forward before activating the shield.

Bearing his shield before him, Jonas runs out to meet the mystery man and Hag Sal. When the man is nearly upon Jonas, and Sal is still about thirty feet behind, the face carved in Jonas' shield suddenly becomes animated! It opens its impossibly wide and bellows a terrible shout. The Man and Hag Sal both fall down, clutching their ears. Behind them, Tatter Helga's animals panic and bleat, battering the sides of their enclosures, desperate to get away. Every dog in the village is barking like mad, babies are crying, and candles are being lit in houses all around you.

"WHAT THE BLOODY CLOT IS GOING ON OUT THERE?" someone yells from a nearby house.

zeb, please roll 2d8 damage for both Hag Sal and the mystery man.

[KingOfCowards]

Simon impulsively covers his ears from the blaring sound of Jonas' shield.

[zebediah]

PbP Forum code: [2d8] = 6

Can I spend a fortune point to reroll or is this enough to take them out of combat?

[Pulpatoon]

PbP Forum code: [2d8] = 6

Can I spend a fortune point to reroll or is this enough to take them out of combat?

That should do it.

The mystery man is flung backwards by the noise, gushing blood from everything likely to allow blood to gush out of it. He falls limp and lifeless to the ground.

Hag Sal, thirty feet farther back, screams in pain and clutches her ears. She staggers a step or two and collapses.

Lantern light begins to splash over the scene as concerned neighbors gather themselves to investigate the racket.

[KingOfCowards]

Simon will look around for the man that fled, then check after Sal and the dead man. Is he anybody we recognize? When people make it to the scene he'll call for someone to get the Reeve.

[Pulpatoon]

Rolling the dead man over, you do recognize him. You don't know him well, but you think his family name is Dunn. He's a farmer's son, in his mid-twenties, and works and lives at the lumber camp.

You hear people beginning to shout, but you can't quite make out what they are saying because you have a terrible ringing in your ears.

A man comes up and grabs Jonas roughly, yelling through his tinnitus: "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?"

A woman begins to sob and scream, "It's ol' Sal! They attacked ol' Sal!"

Simon calls out for someone to fetch the Reeve. The man holding Jonas says, "Damned right, we will!"

[zebediah]

Not understanding what they are saying, but wondering what they must be making out of the whole mess, Jonas shakes his head negatively and points his finger first to the knife the man was carrying and then to the pig.

[KingOfCowards]

Simon will try to explain to the angered crowd what had happened. "Sal and her two thugs drugged the pig, and were trying to steal it. When Jonas confronted them they drew knives and we were forced to defend ourselves. It was his dad's shield that did for Dunn. The other man has fled. Check the pig, check its food, if you think I'm telling it false."

[Pulpatoon]

Several men secure Simon and Jonas while the Reeve is sent for. There is considerable mumbling about killing two people to save a pig, although in an agrarian community, where your herds are your livelihood, that isn't considered wholly unreasonable. When someone else mentions "That's that boy's talking pig!" the muttering becomes quieter. They search the man, revealing the knife in his hand, and then there is a cry of shock. Pulling up his tunic, it is revealed that his chest is incised with a regular pattern of circular cuts. The cuts look a few days old—they have just begun to heal.

An inspection of Hag Sal reveals that she is not dead. Her breathing is shallow, and she is unconscious. A discrete inspection by one of the women in the crowd reveals that she bears similar cuts across her body. Someone begins poking through the feed sack in her hands, revealing honeyed oats cut with some herb.

The pig is also alive, although deeply asleep.

Simon's ears have recovered from the shield's bellow, but Jonas is still suffering from a terrible ringing.

[KingOfCowards]

Simon does not resist while they wait for the Reeve to arrive. He's still somewhat in shock from witnessing the events of the night, and he wears are sorrowful look for the man who died. When the scars are mentioned, he asks permission to inspect the wounds himself.

[zebediah]

Jonas sees the crowd quiet down as they analyse Sal and the dead guy, apparently Simon managed to explain what happened. He approaches Simon and says very loudly I cannot hear a thing! Tell them we did not even draw our blades, the shield protected us! What?

[Pulpatoon]

The Reeve arrives, a sallow, bookish man of middle years with a high forehead and protuberant eyes. He looks tired and annoyed to have been woken up and dragged into the fish-scented end of town.

He reviews the bodies, examines the sleeping pig and bag of oats, and gets several garbled descriptions from the neighbors of how they were woken up by an ungodly noise.

He finally makes his way over to the two of you and says, “Boys, you’ve found yourselves in a right pickle.”

He asks one of the neighbors if there’s anything hot to drink. A ceramic pitcher of steaming oat brew is brought out, and mugs are passed around among those who have chosen to linger. The Reeve hands you each a drink, and says, “Tell me everything. From the beginning.”

[KingOfCowards]

Simon will give the Reeve a somewhat edited response, leaving out some of the adventures at the Millers house.
"My apologies sir. My friend here is having trouble hearing you, if you'll allow I can try to explain to the best of my knowledge. Jonas and I spent the day helping Missus Miller clean out her kitchen. Ernt Miller was paying us 3 coppers a piece for our help. When we finished the day's work, it was I that saw Hag...err...Ole Lady Sal walking down Fisher Row on my way home. My curiosity got the better of me and I followed her...a lot of weird happenings around town and all, and Hag Sal is an odd a lady as there comes. So I was walking after Sal when she starts talking with Abel's pig down past Tatter Helga's. Now I knew Abel was gone up river with Burs, so he weren't home. He's pretty protective of his talking pig, so I don't know who Sal thinks she is, giving his pig some kind of food or whatnot. I didn't know what else to do, so I went and asked Jonas for his help. I led him back this way and before long we see Sal coming back with two big lads with her. We were frightened so we hid, and those two men grabbed up Abel's pig and tried to make off with it. Jonas must have decided he had seen enough so he yells at those two to drop the pig. That's when those two ruffians pulled out their daggers and came towards us. I cast a spell at one of them and he ran off. Jonas had his magic shield out but never unsheathed his blade. The next thing I knew the shield bellowed at the other man and Sal and knocked them both down. The noise woke near everyone around and Jonas was stricken deaf from the sound. When I took a look at those two, I saw Dunn was hurt bad and asked someone to call the Reeve. That's where we are now, sir. I feel real bad about that farmer's boy, but they should not have been stealing Abel's talking pig or came after us with knives neither when we caught 'em red-handed."

[Pulpatoon]

The Reeve scratches his head, chewing over what you've said.

After a moment, he says, "So, you boys need swords an shields to do housework at the Millers'?"