Shoe Thief

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 15 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: Town Square Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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To Kathryn's surprise, the net had actually worked. She had full intentions of taking advantage of the constables restrained state. Hoping to unleash heavy punishment to the constable, she began to draw her new hammer. It was hard to think of it as hers, but she was now responsible for making sure it was no longer used for malicious purposes. So she figured that made it hers. By the time the shaft had cleared her belt, the deed had been done by the party's Cleric. Cavendish found himself choking at the party's hand and powerless to stop it. Marita had taken a magical spiritual blade, and had opened up the constable like a piece of meat. Kathryn watched. Not in horror, nor with sympathy or malice. This was not the justice she had in mind for the constable, but with his evil deeds, it was still justice. She did wonder how the Sheriff would take the party killing his cousin. And, this would likely be the end of the biggest problems this quiet little town would face. "Conniving Bastard." Kathryn mumbled as he choked.

She almost regretted opening her mouth not long after. When the voice spoke, Kathryn froze. She felt small in her ill fitting armor, as if she was shrinking, and the weight of all of the metal threatened to crush her. There was no outward Malice, but the tone held a sort of... undertone to it. As if every word was a threat and promise. As if saying, you do not want me as your enemy. You do not want me to show what I do to people who are not my friends. Kathryn had seen some pretty gruesome events. The razing of her home ranking high up there. But even the cruel fate that many in her family keep saw failed to compare to what she saw now. The way Cavendish seemed to rot away before their eyes, experiencing all of it. What she was witnessing, was a fate that seemed far worse than death. The way his flesh melted from his bones, eroded to dust, and broke down to be one with the dirt between the stones.

Then... The offer came. A potential arrangement. There was nothing such a creature of evil could offer Kathryn that she couldn't either get herself, or would be worth siding with something so... Vile. The thought of Cavendish passing through her mind. His corruption to the monster he became. She would never want to live a life such as that. That would be too much for her. But... she still found herself listening. Listening to the words this being spoke. She couldn't get them out of her head. She wasn't weak willed?! And she wasn't desperate for anything! She hoped... There were... temptations though. The way it brought up Ser Lucas. And those who had stabbed her and her family in the back. Last time they came... She had a fortress, knights, veterans of a hundred battles to protect her. Magic far past her comprehension even. She had her parents who spent their lives to buy her time to flee. Her uncle who fought to fend off those who would pillage her home. She had Ser Lucas, and the other veterans of many wars by her side. And Ser Lucas, being by her side until mere weeks ago. Fallen only to time itself. There were those from the Codswealth family who could care less of her state. And others who would gladly take her head. Some for petty revenge, others to make sure there was no contesting the ownership of her family lands. She remembered the mercenaries Ser Lucas had fought. One of them being the previous owner of the armor she wore now shy of her old colors. The ill fitting, body filled husk of metal. One of the few things that make her feel safe, and sick at the same time. She was still scared. Not as much as she used to be, but the thoughts lingered. It had been nearly two years since any sign of tracking had been seen. And so much distance was covered. But two years was nothing compared to the time she had fled. And the distance was nothing compared to how far she had come. What could this vile creature offer that had any chance to improve her situation, or to lessen her fear? She had almost responded such a question, when she noticed Kosara.

She was on the ground, scared. Kathryn moved to assist her friend, but found herself unsure what to do. What terrified her even more... Was how quickly the tiefling bounced back. As if nothing seemed to have happened. It made Kathryn worry about how much Kosara was pushing down. "Are you okay Kosara? That looked... upsetting." She took a moment to pause, and looked at the rest of the party with a worrying gaze. One thankfully not visible through the visor of her helm. She rested the hammer on the ground, shaft up, blunt end resting comfortably on the stone. She unstrapped her shield, and attached it to her belt. And began work on her helm. The dented, scratched, and beaten mess of steel putting up a fight again. But it was off before too long. She looked at the rest of the party, now wonder on her face. They had banded together, rather messily, and defeated the evil over the town. But there were still questions to be answered. Some old, some only coming to light in the last few moments. She wondered how many others considered this power. How many thought that their abilities were not up to the par they needed them to be. How many of them were considering that extra kick to get what they wanted. And in that curiosity, there was concern. Firstly, becyause she worried who would take that offer. And secondly, because she was considering it. A chance to hurt the Codswealth's like they hurt her. For stealing her home, taking her family away from her. For refusing her a life outside of that of fear, and worry. Everything had been taken from her, except an old man who had spent his dying years trying to hold out a little bit longer in a slim hope to prepare her for the real world. With no hope to ever return home. Let alone restore her family name.

"I think we need to take a moment, an enjoy this victory." She spoke softly to the party. "Even if things are a bit... weird. This is a good win. Afterwards, we should sit down and talk over a few things." She needed to know where the party stood on the patron. She needed to know what they meant by those deep words. The ones that cut into her, like how they likely cut into the other members. And they needed to figure out the last few puzzle pieces to this mystery. There were still missing people. There were still the goblins. Even if they were only a minor piece. There was what Cavendish said about the beasts. Kathryn turned to the closest one, the one Cavendish had stabbed and killed. She was trying to figure out what the constable meant by the creature being familiar. She took a couple steps, her steel clad feet landing on the ground with thoughtful intent. As she stepped closer, she couldn't place it. She couldn't put her thumb on it. She looked down on the burning husk, and couldn't place what the constable meant. Was it some sort of mind fuck he had presented to the party as a distraction? With her hands free, she grabbed an arm from the beast with both of hers, and began to drag it out of the inferno. She had to drop it a couple times to avoid getting burned herself. "Including these." Kathryn said with a strained voice with a final tug, pulling the creature free of the flame. And jumping back to avoid the loose burning tar like substance that aimed to catch her feet.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 15 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: A11 Action: Super Net Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Kathryn was used to taking punishment to some degree or another. That didn't change the fact that getting stabbed hurt like hell! Though she had been distracted on the constables comment. "I am going to pry you open." She figured that was a comment regarding her armor, and she also figured she had a pretty solid chance of not letting that happen. Kathryn opened her mouth to reply. "You should at least buy a lady dinner before making such Bold comments to her." She retorted to the constable. He couldn't see it, but she grinned at her own joke, that was until he made his move. She attempted to block with her shield, and found that his blade had already passed it before she could properly deflect it. In it went, and quickly back out. "Shite Fucking Bitch Fucker!" Kathryn blurted out as she and the constable separated again. Sure, she could take a punishment, but she had been caught off guard. And she had been struck with a wicked looking blade. It wasn't a pretty wound, but she hoped it wasn't too bad. With the shock quickly passed Kathryn moved to quickly block his following attacks. Blow after blow, he struck with such speed as if he was going for the finishing blow and the kill right in this moment. She felt the blade press against her armor the second attack, but she was pretty sure it didn't pierce. She hoped it didn't...

The blow that struck her helm spooked her. But between the helm that protected her head, and just her arms being longer, the blow could do little more than scratch an already dented and scratched helmet. She had been forced to back peddle, and she was beginning to regret putting away the hammer. But she was committed now. The clunk against her shield was a relief. Sure, good armor made everything nice. But an armor was still attached to ones person, and all it needed was a gap, or a weak point to fail. A shield could take punishment with far less risk to the user. But now, she had a window to attack. Now she had a window to strike back! She briefly debated grabbing the hammer again, striking him down and keeping him down. Though he was a better swordsmen, and he was far faster than she was. She needed to stay committed to her plan, and hoped it paid off. She took a step back as the rats began to swarm the constable. No... not rats. Rat corpses. She shivered at the thought, but she let them do their work. She pulled the net died down to her back, releasing the pull string and letting it go free.

Swinging the net above her head she gave it a few twists, building momentum as the rats kept the constable busy. Blackberry making sure to get his fair share of hits in himself, Cavendish had to drop any moment now... Right? She hoped. She hadn't taken note of the crossbow users in a hot moment. But she hoped that they would back off until the fight was over. Maybe even outright surrender! But she couldn't plan for that. She let loose of the net, letting it fly a few feet in front of her onto the constable. With the weights on the end spinning it and wrapping the constable into a nice and rather uncomfortable looking bundle of ropes. With the weight and force she put behind her throw, Cavendish had been pulled off balance, and sent face first into the cobblestone roadway. Now was her chance! "He's down! Get him!" She would be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to giving back some of the punishment he had given out.

@Sigil Cavendish may attempt his net check now. Or anything else should he choose to do so.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 21 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: C11 --> A11 Action: Whack a Law Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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That Bastard. That fucking Bastard. Kathryn was going to make him regret that choice. He had a short window of opportunity to dish out punishment to Kathryn before she was in striking range of the bastard. AND! He went and targeted Victoria! Even when she was trying to get shot Victoria took the hit instead! She hoped the bard was okay... She really did. But she needed to pull Cavendish's attention off the small woman. The Thwack of a crossbow bolt could be heard. It appeared that maybe Kathryn's attempts to isolate Cavendish were not as successful as she hoped. She hoped that her luck would improve with experience. She saw it was Kosara who got hit this time. She had already taken such a beating and she worried about her too. She worried that the party didn't have the ability to take punishment as much as she hoped. The beasts had already dished out more than a fair share of punishment to much of the party. And Cavendish's and the guard's skirmishing abilities were going to be a problem.

Kathryn was surprised to see the flaming pole fly past her and into the constable. The party may be taking a beating, but Cavendish wouldn't be able to take much more either. But he was still putting up too much resistance. Kathryn, doing what she did best, was determined to cave his chain mail into his chest, knock him flat on his back, and make him yield, or send him into the dirt. Through rats both dead and alive she stormed up to him, hammer drawn, and out stretched as she prepared to strike him down. With a wide swing she gave it all she had, and had she taken a moment to calm down and take more control of her situation, she may have made her ploy less obvious. As the hammer was about ready to strike, his short blade came up to meet her. Parrying the blunt weapon, and for a brief moment, holding more control over it than she did. Though she didn't let go, the hammer was almost gracefully forced to bypass the constable. Kathryn regained her footing and made sure her visor was locked to his face. She had to remind herself that Cavendish was not only well trained, but he held experience that she likely could never comprehend. This would not be as easy as inverting what direction a goblins face is supposed to be pointing.

Deciding that maybe direct hits against the man may not work, she figured control was her best option. With her shield strapped too tightly to quickly remove, she stowed her new hammer on her belt and reached her arm behind her back for one of the nets she had purchased the day before. But she kept her shield facing the constable as she prepared her next stage of attack.

@Sigil Cavendish is up! May his dice rolls be comparable to ours. And may his go drop faster than ours…

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 21 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: E13 --> C11 Action: Contested strength Check against Rats Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Kathryn wouldn't say she disliked rats in particular before the events of this quest. Sure, rats tore into pantries, and bold rats would steal from any fool not paying attention to their belongings, but as this quest went on, she was developing a distaste for the creatures for sure. She caught Cavendish complaining about something, reminded her of villain monologues from her old storybooks. She wasn't here to feed his ego though, she was here to save people. As he sword and broke out, Kathryn heard the ticking and scratching before she felt it. Taking a moment to bend over and look down, a feat of its own with how her helm rested on her head, she couldn't believe her eyes at first. Then it clicked as the rats began to tear at her through the gaps in her armor. "No! Shite Shite Shite fucking Shiteheads! Fucking shite fuck shite fuck." Kathryn wouldn't say she was panicking, but she wasn't far off. She didn't know if it was the feeling of something breaching her armor, or the fact that is was something so small and that she would normally consider inconsequential. But she was spooked none the less. In a moment of clarity, she realized that maybe trying to whack the creatures off herself with the hammer was a poor idea.

Taking her shield, she pressed it to her chest before forcefully sliding the shield down her person, forcing off the rodents and sending them to the ground. She needed another push or two to make sure they got off her legs, but seemed to have cleared them up rather fast before too much damage could be done. Once she cleared herself of the infestation, she prepared to give the cage another blow, only to stop when the distorted sound had come about. It sounded like the world was falling apart, ready to collapse and cave in on itself. Magic was truly an impressive feat, but it was also a terrifying one. Kathryn taking a moment to look about, she saw the carnage caused, and almost wanted to pity the former constable. Almost. Taking note of Victoria being exposed again, she realized that they were very close to a recreation of the goblin encounter. Only this time it was a crazed power hungry warlock. With trained knowledge of how to kill.

Kathryn deciding the best course of action was to prevent just that, she kicked off a rat still clinging to her boot and pushed her way tot he constable to apply pressure against him. Practically bouncing off the tree next to her as she moved around the barrels, and stomped through the piles of rats both living and dead to bring herself closer. If he wanted to dish out a blow, he would be hard pressed to get a shot off around the half giant warrior. And a damn fool. The distance was nearly closed, and given the chance, she would begin to pound into him as if he were some sort of carnival game. She hoped his ability with a short sword was less than that of the blast he gave Kosara... She also found, her boot was back ontop of more rats. A thought that very much did not please her. But she made sure to lock eyes with Cavendish, and make sure he knew wish wish was granted, and he had her full attention.

@Sigil Kathryn is all good to go! No problems whatsoever! Setting up for a perfectly safe turn! Cavendish may cower in fear now. c:

Call of Cthulhu - Talbott's Investigators of Mysteries Enlightened

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Margarete O'Bryon

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Location: Dodge Brothers' office, Gamwell Massachusetts.
Hit Points: 13 Sanity Points: 46 Luck: 75
Mental State: Sane
Skill:

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The heavy footfalls that could be heard as Margarete stepped into the office could be mistaken for heavy combat boots to an untrained ear. In actuality, they were a nice, well built, durable, and very solid dress flats. Her determined stepped and her shear size had put a lot of force into each and every step. Each step more sure of itself than the last. Stepping into the office, it was much what one could expect from Lawyers. It was organized. Enough so at least. There were things that could have been done better, but nothing her eyes had locked onto. But she was on guard. When she had stepped out of her vehicle she had taken note of who she presumed were the Dodge brothers looking down on her. Three of them. She couldn't read their facial expressions from this distance. But she also knew that they were here to get the same job done. Though, she feared ulterior motives. Though without any reasonable suspicion she would not need to go at this like they were at ends. But she needed to keep enough control of the situation so that way anyone thinking of trying anything would think twice about it. She did debate taking her grandfather's service revolver with her. But she also worried that would send the wrong message. She wanted to be imposing, not intimidating. She was here as an intellectual, not a hired gun. So she'd leave the .45 in the glovebox. She supposed if worse came to worse, there was always the brass knuckles that sat in her purse.

Stepping up the stairs made a comparable sound. The heavy footfalls approaching closer and closer to the office as she stepped forward. Stepping into the office, she realized that trying to be imposing without intimidating would be a challenge. Not because there were three of them making it harder, but because they came across as rather timid. She'd need to be careful. But much like herself, they were apart of the intellectual community. Even if Lawyers were... well Lawyers. As Margarete stepped forward to the desk, the brother in the middle had offered his hand to shake. This was already going poorly. She had no idea where this man's hand had been, but there was no one else to shake it. She could reject the gesture. Ignoring how rude such a reply would be it came with other complications. These men came across as men who would buckle the moment she gave a stern tone towards them. She needed to keep things as professional and as civil as possible. That would mean sucking up her pride and touching whatever this man had touched since he last washed his hands. She hoped to god this town had running water.

Margarete reached out with her own hands, hiding her reservations and giving a firm handshake before speaking. "Gentlemen.". She spoke in a deep and professional tone. Then she quickly withdrew her hand to straiten her blouse. As well as to subtly rub her hand against her it. She really hoped this town had running water, she would need to do laundry while she was here. She sat in her chair and listened closely as the brothers explained their situation. Making sure to not interrupt, or to miss too many notes. She was far from the best listener though. She had near crippling focusing problems growing up, problems her parents had aggressively hammered out of her with the help of various education systems. But remnants still stayed.

As she listened, she took note of Walter seeming to imply she was little more than a tool to be guided. Her smile grew at the comments. She wouldn't mention it though. Maybe he didn't mean it that way? Maybe he actually thought of her that way. It didn't matter. Margarete showing her disdain wouldn't help anyone. Her forced smile would hide that well enough. The job seemed pretty strait forward, but as a whole there was so much still unknown. But that is where the big dollars came in. And if she was lucky, answers. And though she was by far not the smartest lass of the bunch, she had a decent skill for asking questions and collecting information. Even if she couldn't always utilize it. Margarete leaned in on her seat as Walter finished talking. Her emotionless scared face locking onto his almost as if she was a haunting dream. When he did finish speaking she eventually leaned back, seemed to mentally pause a moment as she pondered the situation, the questions asked and the offers given.

The imposing force of a woman stood, walked to a bookshelf along the side of the room, and swiped her finger across it, pulling off the dust with a hint of annoyance. "I'll make this work. But you will need to meet all of my requests. Any that fall short will hinder the investigation." She turned back to the brothers, standing tall and proud with her arms behind her back as she spoke. "The very first thing I will need are two lists of Mr. Cornthwaite's financial dealings for the last six weeks. One list for anything $50 or more, and the other for everything else." She figured the big ticket items would draw be the biggest hints, but she didn't want to leave anything to chance. "I will want to know what the transaction was for, when it happened, who was getting paid, the more details the better. If you don't know, mark it so. Unknown is still important information." Margarete began pacing across the office, as if walking helped her focus on her thought process, and helped keep her thinker working up to par. As she walked and talked, one of her hands would break free from her grasp behind her back, and seem to go about in front of her and move as she spoke. As if guiding her words as she spoke. "As well gentlemen. I will need a record of all known locations for the last month. Days and dates would be best, but if you are unsure, mark it so."

Margarete paused mid stride, her train of thought stumped. She began to look frustrated as she attempted to regain some semblance of a thought process, soon taking a deep breath, and began a mental recap of the points she covered. She took another breath and continued pacing. "We will need keys, and a list of all known valuables in the house. If something is missing, or is present we were unaware of, it could be a clue to his location or his thought process before he went missing. As well, any locked doors we should have access too. If we have unobstructed access, I would like to know if we should be concerned finding a room we don't have access towards." She paused, remembering the firearms she kept in the car, and remembered how jumpy she would get after she came home from the war. "Does Mr. Cornthwaite keep any firearms in his home? I'd like to know if there is a risk of getting shot by a man who thought he was hiding if he gets found in some sort of half hidden room." She had gotten better. She still slept with a loaded gun by her side, but she was nowhere near as jumpy as she was when she got home. If this whole thing turned out to be some rich asshole who got spooked into hiding in his basement, Margarete would be thoroughly pissed. She'd still get paid, but she wouldn't get any answers. And crazy loons with guns were very low on her priority list to meet.

Margarete took another look around the room before looking at the brothers again. "And if I were in your shoes, I would hire a maid. This place needs to be touched up. These are no conditions for a professional environment." Her tone was serious, but apart of it almost seemed like a desperate plea. "How soon can you get everything I requested? I shall be meeting with the others soon enough." She could have let them think she was the only one, but alas, apart of her enjoyed keeping and air of mystery about her person.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 27 / 31 Armor Class: 22 Conditions: N/A Location: F11 -->E13 Action: Attack action against Right most Cage Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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"KOSARA!" Kathryn would call out seeing her friend getting blasted. The blow looked bad, very bad. One that would outright kill many. The quick glance that Kathryn got, the blow looked near lethal on its own. To Kathryn's relieved surprise, Kosara began healing up rather fast. Magic? Must have been. How else would one recover from such grievous woulds so rapidly?! She took note to see what she could learn of magic. But even as Kosara healed, Kathryn saw a rage within the small tiefling that spooked her as well. She hoped Cavendish knew just how much trouble he was in. Though thinking of it, maybe better he didn't. Kathryn really didn't want to give chase if she didn't have too. Once her thoughts cleared of the danger present, Kathryn took a split second to look about. Marita and Blackberry were working on dismantling one cage with those trapped inside. She pondered if she should help there, but the two of them likely had that in hand. Looking behind her she noticed the second cage. They had made some progress with the short sword they had been given, but they still had a ways to go. Kathryn hoped that getting the hostages out would maybe make it harder for Cavendish to cause as much damage as he could. If Cavendish wanted to land blows, he would need to do so in self defense.

Kathryn made a beeline for the right most cage. Through her battered and beaten helm Kathryn's voice was muffled by steel as she spoke. "Nice ta see ya again Daisy. Now, stand back." She gave a glance to everyone else in the cage as well. "The rest of you lot as well! Step back!" Kathryn tried to put her step behind her blow as she whacked the hammer into the bars. There was an audible crack, and she she could see the bar visibly splinter as she withdrew the blunt weapon. "Fuck." Kathryn mumbled. Albeit, sharply. It was rare anything not made of metal didn't just bend or break to her will, and when she really needed it to for once it failed to do so. She turned to keep an eye on Cavendish, only to see him fighting his own rats?! Then upon a closer look, saw that they weren't his own. They were the ones that had been squashed, burned, and otherwise had faced rather gruesome deaths. Her first thought was Victoria, and taking a glance back to her, she saw that was very much true.

It took Kathryn a moment to completely process that the necromancer she had met who had a walking undead pig with her could reanimate the dead. In that moment, she felt like a fool for not putting that together sooner. "Oi! Victoria, can ya please clear a path to the Bastard? Or just keep him pinned?" Kathryn said in her most polite tone. As least as polite as one could muster in the heat of the moment while their head was encased in steel. She also had no idea what the extent of the abilities their lovely bard had. Seeing how Cavendish was reacting though? She hoped that the former constable wouldn't be able to do to much more damage before Kathryn got a go at him.

@Sigil OKAY! Got some Kathryn stuff's in, time for our lovely Constable to return the favor!

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 27 / 31 Armor Class: 22 Conditions: N/A Location: G11 --{Swapped with Victoria}--> F11 Action: Bait and Switch/Attack Action X2 Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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The moment the beast lashed out at Victoria Kathryn was reminded of the battle with the goblins. This thing however, would hit considerably harder. She saw Marita already taking place to block the path as Cavendish had ordered the beast to take revenge against the princess. Kathryn once again, found herself sidelined while several other party members found themselves in the line of fire. This would not do, this would not do at all. Though she appreciated the thought from Marita, Kathryn needed to make sure that they didn't take too much more of a beating. And she hoped that the beast would have a considerably harder time dishing out punishment to her than the others. Kathryn was already in action by the time the beast had finished its second strike against Victoria, and was determined to give the beast as much of a punishment as she could muster.

Kosara being the amazing tiefling she was made sure to remind Cavendish that this was not a fight he would be able to sit out until he was ready. Making sure to continuously pound him with magical blasts. She knew there were other things going on in the battle, such as Cavendish killing his own beast, and Blackberry backing off a bit to give a helping hand to those trapped within the cage still. Though she couldn't afford to pass more than a glance to him, she was glad to see him getting a moment to not be beaten into a pulp. She wondered how he had taking such a beating, and wondered if monks were able to take punishment far better than she thought? But again, these were background thoughts as Kathryn slid into place in front of Victoria.

Kathryn's hammer had been placed in front of Victoria as Kathryn's shield took the lead, the hammer gently nudging Victoria into safety behind the half giant fighter as if a concerned parent was directing their child away from the stranger who may have had ill intention. As the shield was brought close to the beast Kathryn's stance in a smooth transition that would take less than a second in real time would switch from a run into a stance that would plant her boots firmly into the stonework as the once gentle hammer that had guided Victoria to safety behind her had begun to speed up in the other direction, giving a wide arc off to Kathryn's side as Marita finished dishing out her share of punishment. And with a fleshy crunch sound Kathryn's hammer made contact with the beast's head causing a violent jerk, and causing the beast to finally stumble. One step, two steps, and a third to correct itself. Then as it fell to its knees, otherwise just as motionless as it had been after every other blow it had taken. The party would have been able to have a great look at the back of the beast's head now that it's orientation had changed, and Cavendish would be able to should he have chosen so be able to look once final time into the beast's eyes as it's massive form fell over between the party, and this town's villain.

Kathryn was speechless. The last of the beasts were dead, and the goons were nowhere to be see. Kathryn felt like forever had passed since she stopped looking at the now dead monster, and her head had quickly turned. The visor of the dented, scratched, and blood stained helm locking with Cavendish in a flash of a moment. In reality, between the killing blow, the beast falling, and Kathryn locking eyes with the former constable, barely a few seconds have passed. Kathryn had no offer of surrender this time. She had given the man three chances now. And the third, he had elected to target the locals. He made his views clear on how much he valued his life, and if he wanted to live to see a trial, that would have to be his choice. Kathryn had given him plenty of chances to back down before things escalated. And she hoped the rest of the party felt the same way. Kathryn returned to her fighting stance, shield up, hammer ready to swing.

@Sigil Ready for our next challenger!! Unless Cavendish is out of cards.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 27 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: F8 --> G11 Action: A little Push Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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As Cavendish continued to speak his strange tongue Kathryn thought of all the ways she would plant him into the ground for his attempt at cursing her. What gave the half giant comfort, he seemed to be having a pretty rough day himself. And they hadn't even gotten into melee range of him yet. She was hopeful for how the battle could turn out. When the order came to have Kosara killed and her horns removed, Kathryn prepared to put herself between the beast and the tiefling. Thankfully, the beast had other ideas and had decided to strike out against it's former master. At least temporarily. That meant that the party only had one monster to worry about instead of three. It seemed with that strike against Cavendish, she felt a feeling of weightlessness come over. She took a moment to adjust, but quickly realized that her strength had returned to her! She was ready again to dish out some punishment against Cavendish and what remained of his band of criminals. As the party dog piled against the last beast, Kosara with her sword set aflame, Marita positioning the beast that she was unable to move, and Blackberry opening up with... Kathryn paused trying to process this. In the last few days alone she had seen more magic take place than every day since she left home. Kathryn watched in shock and awe as Blackberry opened up with a lightning blast hitting both creatures AND Cavendish. She wanted to cheer out, and almost did.

Kathryn booked her way over way over as fast as she could once she saw things were not playing out as well as they needed too. Under better circumstances, she would have chuckled along to the monk's quips, but the beasts began to heal. The tanky monsters were recovering. "It was worth a shot Baronfjørd. You did well, and now we know. We'll learn and move on from there." She paused a moment before getting into position to assist with the beast. "I'm sure Cavendish felt it." Kathryn said in a reassuring tone. Soon Victoria rejoined, taking her own shot at the beast. Kathryn thought it was comical in a way how the beasts had begun beating down on the party and how the party was on the back foot to start things off. Forcing themselves to react to whatever the beasts did. Now? The five of them had the thing surrounded and backed up against a wall of fire. A wall of fire Kathryn was hoping to exploit. And maybe, even get the beasts to pound on each other like Marita had originally planned. Kathryn did a vertical swing of her newly acquired hammer, bringing it a little closer than she wanted to towards Marita, but letting it still strike true as it made contact with the beast's chest and sending it back into the cracked barrel full of fire.

The force and mass Kathryn felt as the beast attempted to resist her blow was intense. Had she not applied as much force, or if the creature had gotten a better foothold, she wouldn't be sure the blow would have struck as well as it did. Though close, the force she applied herself came true. She sent the beast back with enough force to begin rupturing the barrel, and the beast clambering over it only destroyed it more as it the creature. The barrel shattered to pieces, the creature burned as if it were the source of the fire itself, and Kathryn had regained some of her lost pride after failing to manhandle the beast not too long ago. She made sure not to follow the beast to it's doomed fate as it burned. She hoped the beasts would follow into Marita's original plan and battle it out between themselves. Leaving whatever was left of Cavendish to themselves. He had crimes he needed to answer too, and she felt that even though the beasts could dish out punishment, that they were not qualified to serve justice to a goon such as Cavendish.

@Sigil Let the punishments ensue!!

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 27 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: F8 Action: Attempted Grapple Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Kathryn's visor locked with Cavendish's eyes as she spotted him past the fire barrels. She took note that the guards were not present. She hoped they backed off, but she couldn't bet on that. She had to assume they were still a threat until proven otherwise. Between herself and the constable, was a rather large swarm of rats. Many had burned to bits from the exploding barrel, though most seemed to remain. Had the rats and the fire not been in the way, Kathryn was pretty sure she could close the distance to Cavendish and send him into the floor. But not only were those obstacles in the way, one of the beasts was between them as well. On fire and in a frenzy, and lashing out at everything around it. There was the second beast too, which Kathryn turned just in time to see it give another heavy blow into Baronfjørd. The hit looked brutal. Kathryn couldn't risk going after Cavendish just yet. Deal with the beasts, keep her team alive, keep the hostages safe, then they could go after Cavendish. Thankfully, Kosara was on the case, sending a blast into Cavendish now that he was exposed. It looked like it hit true. "Great work Kosara." Kathryn gave her approval to the tiefling as she hopped back into her very dramatic pose. Kathryn thought it was silly, but a hit like that how could she place any judgement? Plus, it was a good hit. And a cathartic hit at that.

Baronfjørd worked on trying to get the hostages out, or at least gave them tools to do so. Kathryn also liked Marita's plan to get the beasts to fight each other. Sure, the party could dish out a fair amount of punishment. But it didn't seem to be going fast enough. If they were busy on each other they would have more time to reorganize, replan, and maybe even get another shot at Cavendish. At the very least, approach the next stage of this fight how they wanted too, instead of just reacting to the beasts ahead. The complication that now faced Kathryn personally, was Cavendish. Though she couldn't strike him, he had his own abilities to strike out at her. She briefly saw him beginning to whisper, and his eyes go dark. Kathryn struggled to process what was going on. Stunned at first at what could be happening. Then she felt it. Her limbs felt like they were made of stone. And for a moment she wondered if she could stand much longer. She corrected her posturing in an attempt to counter the magical effects. But this wasn't something she could just tough through. She could still stand, she could still walk, she could still fight. But it was going to be a lot harder for the time being.

Kathryn would still do her best to assist in Marita's plan. And she did her damnedest to make sure that the weakness she was feeling wasn't showing. "Just get that creature to me, I'll do the rest." Kathryn said with confidence in her tone. She wouldn't let the weakness she felt show. She wouldn't let her party down. She wouldn't allow such a cruel and inhuman person like Cavendish win. She looked over in time to see Victoria by her side reassuring her that she wouldn't be doing this alone. As the creature approached, Kathryn gripped her shield to use like a lever. Just like with the last one, the beast would be heavy. Kathryn dropped to one knee and lifted her shield into the creature's gut to begin the lifting process. Her free hand had gripped the beast around the neck, but she struggles to get her grip. She could feel the leverage but still she couldn't get it to budge. She felt the push from Victoria, and for a split second, Kathryn thought she could still pull the maneuver off. The moment her foot shifted to attempt to lift the beast, she could tell it was already too late. Her strength had been tapped and her leverage was lost. If she didn't disengage she could be crushed. In a split second she pushed the beast off herself. Not moving it at all, not even sure if she got it off the ground. "I- I can't..." Kathryn said weakly while catching her breath. But she wasn't crushed, and it still would have to go through her to attack the cage.

When her strength failed Kathryn had remind herself to stay focused. The failure to pull off her duty hit her hard. But she was still standing, and still had a job to do. And if that job just consisted of keeping herself between this creature and those that it would want to hurt that would be enough for now. She drew the hammer and raised her shield to prepare for another blow.

@Sigil Ready for all the retaliation as we prep Plan B!

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Battle Master, Level 03 HP: 27 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: H10 --> F8 Action: Grapple [Action Surge]: Attack Bonus Action: Second Wind (9hp) Reaction: Opportunity of Attack

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Kathryn felt the wind forced out of her like a melon squished to the point of exploding to bits. Despite her attempt to block the force that hit her she found the wind knocked out of her. What she could surmise from this brute force? The creature was damn strong. Damn strong. And worse? It was damn fast to boot. Once the party established itself into defensive positions against the creatures, they pushed passed the party without a care in the world. Though not without taking punishment for it. But the creatures seemed either ignorant, or uncaring to the punishment they were taking. Despite blow after blow, it seemed until the creatures were flattened into mush they would keep crawling on to follow their orders. The goons have bought themselves more time then Kathryn thought they would. Cavendish's remark pissed Kathryn off more. Giving her a second wind of sorts as her motive to absolutely flatten the bastard increase. "You're running out of time Cavendish!" Kathryn replied to the taunt. Sure, she would deal with these beasts first. But then Cavendish. She was unsure how they could deal with such monsters. Especially before they got to the hostages.

Kathryn began to book it to face off against the creatures. She had a brief moment of consideration as she debated which to take on first. Watching Kosara blast one of them with her Celestial blast was something both terrifying and amazing to watch. But as she approached the creature, Kathryn realized the arguably most likely to get eaten member of the party was attempting to face off against the beasts head on. "Oh shite..." Kathryn mumbled under her breath. Kathryn thought it brave the tiefling would attempt to use herself as bait, but it still worried Kathryn. Kathryn approached the creature looking for a good opportunity to dish out some punishment to it. Supporting words from Blackberry were reassuring. She wouldn't feel like she was leaving members of her party out to dry. But they needed something fast if they were to even the odds. Maybe they had some sort of weakness? Some sort of gimmick to make them tic? Or... untick? Kathryn didn't know those terms too well either, she was a warrior, not a scholar. "On It!" Hearing Marita do another one of her abilities was also reassuring. Until it seemed not to work... How could they not be undead? "If they're not undead then what in the fourteen hell's are they!?" Kathryn said disappointed that Marita's ability didn't give them their needed leverage, and worried. Then she said it. Fire...

Kathryn knew she was far from the smartest, the wisest, the most socially adept person of the party. And her ability to physically punish things though useful, was limited to solely those situations. Kathryn saw an opportunity to carry her own weight and then some. And maybe even deal with Cavendish and his goons. Kathryn paused a moment, getting ready to redirect her strike when seeing Cavendish appear near Kosara and the beast she so graciously wanted to dance with. The pause was long enough to notice Victoria, and Kathryn hoped that this was some sort of magic trick she was doing. Putting herself between the beast and where she last saw the Constable, Kathryn prepared to try and protect herself and the people trapped inside. But this also gave her an opportunity to strike, and strike hard.

Putting the hammer back in her belt Kathryn freed up her hand and pulled herself alongside Kosara. Kathryn bent her knees down, pressing the top of her shield into the creatures gut and pressed it inwards. With her free hand she grabbed the creature by its arm. Extending her knees in a split second motion after her shield made contact she grunted as the large heavy beast left this planet to briefly join the heavens. Passing over Kosara, away from the cage, and soon over Kathryn. Held in the sky by The Noble Lady of the VanEmbar family Kathryn attempted to not only move the beast as far away as she could from the cage, but from Kosara, and to bring it down as hard as she could towards the Constable. Maybe she'd even hit him in the process? One could hope. She felt her strength waiver for a moment. The creature was heavy, and had the full means to not only fight back, but cause her serious harm. A single slip of the boot and she'd be crushed, and likely killed afterwards. "AAAAHHHHHHH" Kathryn let out the violent cry as the weight of the creature was released from her shoulders, and sent plummeting against the barrel with her full strength behind it. Sending it and the barrel toppling as she regained her footing, preparing to dish out whatever punishment she could to it should it still want to face her.

@Sigil OKAY! Ready for the next round of retaliations!