Cockburn Harbour

[Zhym]

Zoggrot shrugs. "Szmodics was gone when I got back here, but I did hear a couple of people make some noises about going around back of the tavern to get him. Maybe to retrieve something? Maybe we should check that out. I throught it might make sense to wait for you to get back instead of running off on my own."

[Spearmint]

Zoggrot noticed the 'heavy' and another fellow leave a few minutes before through a back passage and curtain. Rico sensing trouble says he'll exit and check out any back entrances, suddenly this smoky jazz club feels a bit too much, an atmosphere like 'something is going down'

Rico, "okay, Mr Blonde' use your silky smooth tongue and keep the 'wide boys' occupied at the table, distract them a little while me and Zog see what's up with Smalldick'."

He nods at Holden, indicating the gamblers at the dice table.

Zoggrot goes down the back corridor, past the curtains, some floozy girl passing you on the way, "Hi honey," she says barging your shoulder to illicit a response. Ignored she goes to seat herself next to a fat merchant twice her age, bedecked in filigree chains and sovereign rings. Zoggrot watches her go then moved the curtain aside. On the other side a flat nosed dwarf with his beard tied with bones and shark teeth stands barring your way. Beyond him a flight of stairs go up.

"Couples only this way pal," he insists. "though I doubt your ugly mug sees much company." he smiles a toothless grin, though half you size he looks equal in weight. He is not armed as you can spot.

actions please

[thesniperknight1]

Holden nods before trying to figure out what would keep the men occupied and oblivious, he grins and whispers to himself, "Women, pride and gold". He scouts the bar quickly for the most beautiful woman who looks like she wouldn't bed anyone for coin, a classy lady.

He approaches the table and circles around them as if speaking to each one individually but addresses them all, "Gentlemen, gentlemen. You have been swinging dice non-stop staring as cubes roll generating numbers based on luck and I know how fun that can be but", he pauses, "There is a thrill that cannot be found in the simple hand gesture of throwing, a game based on the most instinctive parts of us men", he stops and smiles, "To get the girl", he points at the lady he spotted earlier, "Do you see her? A vision of beauty, who wouldn't want to be with such a woman but she isn't the kind to be swayed by gold you see, so shall we bet on who can get the girl? Say a gold each? Unless fine gentlemen like yourselves don't think that you are capable of basic manly requirements"

[Spearmint]

Holden, give me two [4d6] skill checks vs your charisma please

[Zhym]

Is Zoggrot alone with the dwarf?

[Spearmint]

The corridor leading to the toilets is a narrow passageway leading off from a corner of the tavern main room, away from the stage and bar areas. At the end, perhaps 40'ft is the curtain and stairs beyond. Looking over you shoulder you don't see folk watching you in the corridor and no one has visited the toilets for the last few moments.

So yeah, you and the dwarf are presently alone.

[thesniperknight1]

Charisma(15): [4d6] = 10

Charisma(15): [4d6] = 14

[Spearmint]

Holden, looks around the room for a sassy lady and settled his eyes on some dame, sweetly perfumed and twirling a necklace of gilded pearls while sucking seductively from a long cigarette. She leans in to one of the jazz players squeezing his arm and stroking his back. Holden suggests gambling for her affections to the men by the slate table hoping to be enough of a distraction to enable Zoggrot to sneak away unnoticed.

He does get a reaction but perhaps not the one he anticipated. One of the waistcoats merchants grab him by tge nape if his neck dangling like a scolded pup.

" Hey, that's my woman you are talking about. Perhaps we ought to thrill ourselves with you instead you scrawny honeypot. So you want us to play do you. Who is game loads, who is up for some sport?"

Plonking Holden on the slate bed he rolls a set of dice down the board.

Dice roll[1d6] = 5[1d6] = 3[1d6] = 2[1d6] = 2[1d6] = 2

Dice roll[1d6] = 3[1d6] = 5[1d6] = 2

Dice roll[1d6] = 6


He growls, a little disappointed in the result."Two pair with a six high, anyone want to beat that to get a slice of his silver tongue or plum ass."

A few men laugh and one interdicts, the halfling fellow who introduced himself earlier.

"Say, kid what you worth. If I save you skin, what can you do for me? "

Holden you feel a hand go into your pockets but slapping it away you find no physical hand at all, as if a ghost was picking your pockets and turning your belongings into the table. The concertina makes a squeak as it is cushioned.

A shaker is out in your hands and five dice placed inside it."Do you want to roll against him kid or shall I?" he asks.

[Zhym]

Where's Rico during all this?

[Spearmint]

Rico, has gone out the front and slipped down behind the building to check out any back doors, figuring after you told him Szmoducs left with a couple of shifty looking characters following later, there might be trouble brewing.

[Zhym]

So what do you have Zoggrot doing? The point of waiting was so that everyone wasn't off doing separate things.

[Spearmint]

Zoggrot noticed the 'heavy' and another fellow leave a few minutes before through a back passage and curtain. Rico sensing trouble says he'll exit and check out any back entrances, suddenly this smoky jazz club feels a bit too much, an atmosphere like 'something is going down'

Rico, "okay, Mr Blonde' use your silky smooth tongue and keep the 'wide boys' occupied at the table, distract them a little while me and Zog see what's up with Smalldick'."

He nods at Holden, indicating the gamblers at the dice table.

So Zoggrot went down the interior corridor and Rico round the back, principally to check on these heavies and if they are leaning on Szmodics. Zog may presume the girl he won at the gambling table took him upstairs somewhere. Behind the dwarf is a narrow set of wooden stairs which follow up and back across the corridor below, there is another door beyond the dwarf with 'pantry' written on it in faint letters. At the bottom of the stairs a chaise lounge and a small mirrored cabinet decked with women's stuff, gloss, hair braids, etc.

[Zhym]

Zoggrot glowers down at the dwarf. "You might want to reconsider"—he starts, then cuts himself short. He realizes that he can count on zero hands the booty he's gotten since signing on with Captain Lazarus. And now he's protecting the backside of some dumb-arse who isn't smart enough to do it for himself. There must be better jobs out there. Maybe he can find another captain. One who still has a ship. Maybe even one who pays more than nothing.

"Sorry to bother you," he tells the dwarf as he leaves. "Have a nice day."

With that, Zoggrot wanders off in search of other adventures.

[thesniperknight1]

Holden smiles awkwardly as he apologizes to the man, "I am sorry, you have quite the dame there, a vision of beauty", he laughs awkwardly.

He continues laughing as he is placed as a bet and being laughed at. He replies to the halfling, "You sound like a man who needs something done, I am sure wether you save me or I save myself, we can work out some kind of deal"

Holden gets a bit tense and serious when the concertina is removed from him, he doesn't value much in this world but instruments, he considers holy.

He takes the dice and instead of replying, he simply rolls.

Dice roll[1d6] = 4 , [1d6] = 4 , [1d6] = 6 , [1d6] = 1 , [1d6] = 6

Dice roll[1d6] = 4

A four shows up, a full house. A good score and a challenge for folk to overcome if other folk dare a wager.

[Spearmint]

Holden rolls a good set of dice, good enough to cause a few counter wagers and stave off any threat of being molested for insulting one guys' doll. His bardic encouraging and taunting skill used in equal measure to cause the gamblers to roll and re-roll. The distraction keeps the amusement of the folk, particularly the loudest, brashest merchant who lost to Szmodics.

Where is Szmodics ? Zoggrots' attempts to watch his back getting short shrift from the tavern mobster. Zoggrot, shrugs and leaves to follow Rico who has gone behind the building. His urchin lookout waves to him from the top of the alleyway behind some gardens. Behind the tavern you hear a sudden distsnt breaking of glass and then a thump as a body of a man is thrown from a second floor balcony to land at Rico's feet. Turning over the body it is not Szmodics. Looking up you see a young lady in dressing gown looking down. She hurriedly backs away from the balcony and throws over the side a short makeshift rope of bed linens from which Szmodics lowers himself to the next level. A successful climb walls roll enables him to land on the ground. "He attacked us, self defence though it would fall in deaf ears in this place. Let's go someplace else."

Holden at the table sees a blooded heavy come charging through the tavern, clutching a gaping forehead wound gashed from a bottle. "Little Sid's out there boss, did for Jake. Reckon we should more than rough him and his mates up." The heavy pulls a curved dagger from his waist but as he makes it too the door, the room is filled instantly in a darkness so impenetrable that folk can't even see their hands in front of their eyes.

"Go young fellow, my card and coin in your pocket," whispers a halfling voice which pushes you Holden towards the door.

Next actions please.

[thesniperknight1]

Holden whispers, "Thanks", back to the halfling as he bolts out the door, he follows Rico and the others down the street

[Zhym]

With all obvious threats gone, at least for the moment, Zoggot gives Rico a look. "When's this gig start paying?" he asks. "So far I have saved a crewman's life, crawled into a leech-filled bilge to fix holes in the ship, and wandered around this town, all at risk to my own neck, and all I've got to show for it is that silver piece the Captain gave me when I signed on. That's not much of a deal. Why shouldn't I walk away and find a ship that can actually pay for my skills?" The half-orc closes a fist and flexes his considerable bicep to make his point.

[Spearmint]

Rico, "because you signed on less than a week ago for an equal share of treasure and trove when the plunder and dividends get divided. Sure it's less stress to work for a gold a day, stevedoring in the warehouse or double that to crew with a merchant. But you ain't retiring on Lord Grimguts estate, being made rich trading coconuts and tobacco leaf. You want to be a privateer sailing the high seas, Captain your own brig under a flag if your design? men will follow who they respect, outlaws or naval fleet officer. You want to flex muscle and hit something? Try that oaf behind you."

Out of the dark entrance to the Matador and Bull comes Holden, who sees you guys and dashes into the back alleyway to join up. There is a confusion of noise behind him until a couple of 'heavies' appear in the doorway looking for someone. The tall one bleeds from a head wound, glassed with a wine bottle. "Is that little Haldane rat down there? that one's his drinking buddy."

Szmodics , half dressed but still clutching a loaded crossbow is himself attacked in the alley by a large earthen jar which smashes to smithereens a few feet away. Looking up to the balcony you descended from you see the third shadowy figure pointing down at you."He jumped down boss." the crony says before picking up the second plant pot to drop on you.


actions please.

[Zhym]

"An equal share of zero is zero," retorts Zoggrot. "Seems like a pretty bad deal to me."

[thesniperknight1]

Holden doesn't stop to chat as he passes by them with a grin he says, "Once again, it's time to run away, ah how I missed being chased out of bars and taverns".