RiseOfTheMilar part 1

[next: TheShadowWaterWarehouseVolumeTwo]

10/06/06

Rac, L'saam, Ta'nac, and Shaz. These four men stand together in the lamplit room. Sjer has just left them to determine a course of action. They eye one another, uncertain of what skills each brings to the attempt. The goal is the search of a warehouse reportedly run by Jerezal and the Shadow Water Circle. There are items there apparently waiting to be moved out of the city. The warehouse has a private dock on which is moored a 60ft boat. The boat was sabotaged by another member of our group. Sjer had informed us that this would buy us one more night in order to carry out the mission. The mission is to bring back information on the items, or even the items themselves if possible.

L'saam quickly takes a lead role in organizing a plan. Rac is in favour of an attack of the boat, but the other three seem concentrated on the warehouse itself and it going in stealthily. After a rather lengthy discussion we decide to have a wagon pulled by Ta'nac's horse stationed 300 yards away and then go in by boat upriver from the warehouse. We will then come down and attempt to enter the place.

We begin by coming upon the warehouse that was identified to us by Sjer.

I loosely hitches his horse to a wagon and positions him about 5-10 minutes north of the warehouse. The others get out of the boat just a few hundred feet north of the place and take to the streets.

We rendevous and wait under an archway while L'saam walks past the front and checks out the place. He comes back and tells us that there are two sets of double doors with no guards. The locks are nice. There are no windows, but there is a crane up there on the river side.

We get boosted up on the neighbouring building by Rac. We get him up with some rope. Shaz scouts out the situation. There are two men on the boat and they seem alert. Twice people have come up to relieve the men for dinner. So there are probably more people on the boat. The house may be less guarded. We confer for some minutes about the best approach. L'saam and Shaz will attempt to gain entry by stealth. I will wait with my bow at the corner of this building to offer cover. Rac waits at the edge of the building above the gate that spans the alley between the buildings. This alley runs downhill as a ramp to the loading dock at the water's edge.

Both L'saam and Shaz go across the top of the gate and find a trap door on the roof of the warehouse. Shaz tries to open it and gets some needles stuck in his hand for his troubles. He managed to stifle a yell, but the men watching from the boat heard something and become suspicious. Ta'nac hears them conferring and then one of them loudly calls for reinforcements. At this point I rise up from hiding and put two arrows that L'saam had poisoned for me into one of the watchmen.

Rac jumps down into the alley and heads toward the boat while I put a third arrow into the same fellow. Four more men pile out onto the boat from below decks to make the number 6. Shaz gives up on the trap door and crawls out on the boom that is the crane that juts out over the boat. L'saam also heads down to the wharf.

Rac boldly races down to the boat with the intention of untying it and pushing it away from the docks. He begins untying the rear rope when 4 indivuals descend down upon him. They are attacking him over the railing of the boat and one jumps onto the wharf beside him. I shoot one more arrow, but I have begun feeling like things are unraveling.

I know I have to get down and give Rac some support or he will be facing more than 6 enemies as two more have since come on deck. I jump down from the building top, hurting my ankle in the process, pull my sword and join the fray. Rac is a large bear of a man an I pull into his shadow and engage two of the five men surrounding him. Rac bashes away with his club, but although he is waging a titanic struggle and taking a horrendous amount of damage, his blows do not seem to be affecting our adversaries. A cloaked figure on the boat points a finger at me and says "Drop your weapon." My sword falls from my nervless fingers and I stare at her in horror as I am cut by those around me. As I retrieve my sword and continue the strugge, I manage a glance up to see Shaz crawling out along the boom that extends from the roof of the warehouse out over the boat. He must be heading to surprise them from the rear. Judging from their reactions, I don't believe he will be successful. Suddenly the man to the left of me collapses. I see L'saam bloody dagger slipping out of his back. Well, at least that's one down.

Suddenly things turn grim. Rac collapses in front of me. I step backward to put a wall at my back and continue fighting. Although I have dealt many wounds, our foes seem to be made of hardy stock. My injuries are beginning to slow me down and Shaz who moved off the boat followed by three more of them has fallen to my left. L'saam is no longer anywhere in sight and I am alone, surrounded by eight of the Shadow Water Circle. Finally a bit of luck comes my way and I down the man to my left with a side cut and down the man in front of me with the reverse. Two are now fallen and I feel that it is still possible to make an escape when I see the cloaked mage again point at me. I believe my ears actually heard the word "sleep" before I ...