Chapter 3: The Lord's House

[drpete]

Round 1

The cat, a feral orange tabby missing one eye and its left foreleg leaps down to attack Raamiz, but slips on the step and begins slipping, only to catch itself one step lower down. As it scrambles to catch its footing, Fiemar and Shmekh cast their spells. Shmehk's spell fizzles, but Fiemar's spell causes a lullaby to drift across the stairs. This lulls the slipping cat to sleep, and it slides another step down, knocking the trap over and triggering it. The trap, which flies up when it snaps shut, bounces down the stairs, but does not catch the cat, unfortunately.

The gigantic cat is splayed out, asleep, on the stairs near you. Fiemar estimates that it ought to be asleep for a bit under an hour. What next?

Claw: [1d20+2] = 1+2 = 3 dam: [1d6] = 6
Fumble!
Fumble [1d4] = 3
Reflex Save [1d20+5] = 19+5 = 24
Smooth Recovery! This means the cat doesn't end up prone, but a trip going down stairs seems like a good chance to roll down a few stairs... call it d6-d6 stairs.
[1d6] = 1-[1d6] = 2 Down 1 Stair
Will Save: [1d20+3] = 5+3 = 8 <-- Falls asleep
fall into trap? [1d20] = 13 <-- Luck roll, to see if it triggers the trap
Trap: [1d20+4] = 8+4 = 12 [1d10] = 5 Trap misses the cat!

[Sapperzz]

Saal looks astonished at the splayed out cat, and speaks softly in low Lankhmarese:

"should...should we kill it, or... just move on?"

[AureoBuendia]

Just to clarify, where exactly am I? I think my imagination has been adding and subtracting the number of stairs each time I go over things. My original plan was to stay close to the trap setter, and then I decided to get close to the person in trouble.

With the sleeping cat we should be able to close in on it easily enough if I understood correctly.

"Animals think first of self preservation first. Not all of them are of the vengeful sort. Cutting a piece of its tail and giving it an escape route should make it flee."

[drpete]

Well, this all happened fast, but you can be on the stair that had the two, or the step above it?

I figure the cat is splayed out over 2-3 stairs a bit below the group, at this point, and the trap is at the bottom of the stairs.

[shaidar]

Shmehk takes in the sight of the sleeping cat.

"Nice casting!! I'd rather not harm it unless there is no other option. If we wake it by harming it and it decides not too flee but to attack then that would be a shame. We have a reasonable amount of time before we need to take any decision. Perhaps we should take a closer look at this door first, and decide once we have an idea how long it might take to get past it"

[Sapperzz]

Saal begins to calm down from all the excitement, and start to make his way up the stairs to the rest of the group:

"I am very quick with the proper tools, and with the aid of Raamiz, and the tool Fiemar was able to grab for us, we should make short work of the door. We shouldn't tarry, that is a magical sleep, and I hold little confidence in that which I do not know myself."

[Marullus]

Fiemar remains notably silent, offering no inkling for or against the cat's demise.

[Wintermute]

Hlalf watches with an equal mixture of fear and delight on his weather beaten face as the giant cat tumbles directly over his location.

Cold Speak:

No kill?

[drpete]

I should add that Raamiz totally gets a fleeting luck for that stunt...

[Marullus]

Fiemar nods politely, accepting the compliment from Schmenk.

He then replies to Hlalf in Coldspeak, his appearance remaining neutral. "That choice is yours."

As Saal and Raamiz begin up the stairs to address the lock, Fiemar repeats his words to Aurs in Low Lankhmarese, his expression still guarded. "The fate of the cat lies with you and Hlalf. It is not fit for Schmenk and I to decide."

He hooks his thumbs in his belt and watches for their decision.

[Enoch]

"Why are those of this city so eager to destroy these beautiful creatures? I was the one in danger from it; I say we leave it be."

[Wintermute]

Cold Speak:

Large, too large to kill cleanly. Might wake. Leave it.

[shaidar]

Fiemar nods politely, accepting the compliment from Schmenk.

He then replies to Hlalf in Coldspeak, his appearance remaining neutral. "That choice is yours."

As Saal and Raamiz begin up the stairs to address the lock, Fiemar repeats his words to Aurs in Low Lankhmarese, his expression still guarded. "The fate of the cat lies with you and Hlalf. It is not fit for Schmenk and I to decide."

He hooks his thumbs in his belt and watches for their decision.

Shmehk frowns at Fiemar and replies in Low Lankhmarese

"I'm very interested in why you think I don't get a say in what happens to the cat, and why you think you have the authority to make such statements for other people in the first place. You seem to have assumed some kind of authority over this group that has not been granted, or earned "

[Marullus]

Fiemar doesn't seem to notice the social cue of Shmehk's frown. He replies instructionally in Low Lankhmarese. "Because you and I both attempted magic - we used our power to change the course of the cat's life. Magic wrought to slay disrupts the loom, it tears the fabric, and is forbidden. Even in this case, where our magics brought about the situation that leads to death, but not the death itself, we walk a narrow blade... who knows what snarls, what tangles, what ripples we could cause?" He shakes his head, assuming the horrible ramifications are self-evident. "No, The decision to slay is done with the sword. It is these two swordsmen who remain unpolluted to make that choice just now." He smiles without guile and reaches out to clap Shmehk on the upper arm in a friendly gesture. "But no worries! They decided. And now you know. Shall we climb?"

[shaidar]

Shmehk brushes off Fiemar's attempt to clap him on the arm and looks him squarely in the eye

"Believe what you will, but do not force your beliefs on me, speak for me, or attempt to take a decision away from me again. I use my magic as I wish and I make my own decisions. Have I made myself clear?"

[Marullus]

Fiemar is taken by surprise by the rebuff from this city-wizard. He takes a step back and his look of confusion shows on his face. "As you wish..." he replies, his tone one of concern for Shmehk rather than retort.

Sorry, just realized that Aurs hasn't posted yet.

He looks back to Aurs, waiting for him to make the final pronouncement on the cat's fate.

[AureoBuendia]

"I see no reason to kill the animal. My brother had a cat when we were younger. Hated the damn thing and it hated me back. But that was no reason to kill it. My concern is that this is the only scenario in which we have an advantage, and magic has a habit of failing at inopportune moments. I would prefer a more permanent way to make sure it chooses against pursuing us."

[shaidar]

Seeing Fiemar's confusion the look on Shmehk's face softens slightly. He looks from Fiemar to Aurs and back again

He replies in Northspeak:
"Would binding the creature awaken it? If getting past the door doesn't take long then perhaps it won't matter."

[Marullus]

As the conversation turns to the art of trussing large predatory animals, Fiemar visibly relaxes. This is much more in his comfort zone, it seems. "Aye, it might wake him, but it is possible to try. If the Thie... locksmiths could work on the door, I think Hlalf and I can manage this. Do you have a rope?"

[shaidar]

Shmehk shakes his head

"Unfortunately I don't. I have a spell to summon some, but it would last less than the cat will sleep. None of you have any?"the