POVERO

[ewancummins]

THE FIGHT AT THE OLD WINERY, cont.



Fild quickly recovers from the surprise

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--or is he surprised by another risky bit of archery?--

of the arrow slamming into the doorpost above his head and the thug escaping into the house.
The Gnome stands ready near the now-closed door with sword and shield...but what will he do?

The shutters of the remaining windows in view of Fild and his companions all clatter closed.
Some leak light through loose and missing sections.
Something bumps and scrapes behind the door near the gnome.

Tom remains hidden, for now, in the stall, holding his bow and arrows.

Alfonse, hidden behind the stall, hears soft footsteps behind him. A hiss from the vines. Damien's face appears.
"Gertie's climbed over the roof to the far side. I think she's breaking in."


...

[ewancummins]

GERTIE

Inside the Old Winery

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She slips in through the open window and rolls from the table to the floor, soft as a cat flopping from a cushion. Then, slides under the table, making herself small in the shadows.

The man at the central table stands and turns toward the window she came through.
She can't see his face, because it's blocked from view by the table she hides beneath. But she hears him say,
''Wind blew open the window.''
He walks over to the edge of her hiding spot. Leans.
She hears shutters rattle. A click like the noise the latch made when she popped it open.

The man hustles back toward the larger table in the middle of the room.

Another robber, out of her view on the far side of the fireplace, says in a high whisper,
''We'd better grab the loot and get down the cellar. I think those nutters really mean to burn us out.''

Footsteps sound from elsewhere in the house, and dragging noises.

[Adam]

"We'd better do what we can to cover for her, then," Alfonse responds. He runs up to the front door, ducking down near Fild. "Is it locked?" he whispers to the gnome, "Because I have a solution for that..."

[ewancummins]

"We'd better do what we can to cover for her, then," Alfonse responds. He runs up to the front door, ducking down near Fild. "Is it locked?" he whispers to the gnome, "Because I have a solution for that..."

The door proves to be locked.

[alhoon]

"Tom! Will you keep guard? Jern, Kiron? Prepare the oil. If they don't come out within 3 minutes, have the Pyromaniac do what he does best... " Fild shouts.
Then he whispers to the wizard "Beware the half-elf. keep cover, as he's deadly. Our half-elf that is. If you have a plan, no need to wait the three minutes"

[VAN]

Playing along with the gnome Tom says first in elven:

"Sure thing boss."

Then changing his voice says in common.

"Right on!"

[alhoon]

Fild is initially confused by what the half-elf said in his strange, woodland language. As Alfonse takes cover next to the door, Fild stands right in front of it, sword and shield in hand and nods to the mage to open it.

[ewancummins]

Fild is initially confused by what the half-elf said in his strange, woodland language. As Alfonse takes cover next to the door, Fild stands right in front of it, sword and shield in hand and nods to the mage to open it.

THE "BLADES"

OLD WINERY


The door swings open before Alfonse does anything.

But instead of a robber, Gertie appears in the open doorway, backlit by a low glow from the fireplace at the far end of the main central chamber.

Footfalls sound from someplace within the building, diminishing by the second.

[alhoon]

"What the... Out of my way human!" Fild says and rushes in, without asking how many or how well armed the enemies are.

[Adam]

Alfonse begins to chant and point the pinky on his right finger at the lock, preparing to unlock it, when the door swings wide. Looking almost disappointed, he lowers his hand.

"After you, then," Alfonse says, "I'll keep a look out, in case anybody makes a break for it or, you know, if the authorities show up."

[VAN]

Tom sees Gertie and really happy she is ok says:

"Gertie! What the...Are you alright? where are the thugs? Have they escaped from another exit?"

Turning to the labrador he gets him the torn trousers part and says:

"Where are the bad guys Gem? Take me to them."

[steveflam]

"They're downstairs." She tells them what she heard them say. "So they are definitely the right people we are looking for." She moves to where the thugs went below.

[ewancummins]

Those entering (or in Gertie's case, already within) the house find signs of recent use of room: bedsheets tossed on the floors of side rooms, drag marks in the dust, cheap crockery laid out on a table, and a blood spatter near the south door, and a low fire still burning in the hearth.

BUT NO ROBBERS.

Fild discovers steps that lead down from a round masonry on the left side (as he enters) of the building, through an open trap door in the wooden floor. The boards here creak and groan at even his fairly light weight.

Gem shoves past the gnome, sniffing about the top of the flight of descending stairs.

It's dark down there, but Fild and Tom can

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see heat coming from bodies and from a very small fire--too small to spoil their special vision. A candle, maybe. Or a slow match. Something that size).

All the parts of the building not lit by the fireplace remain gloomy.

(See map)

[VAN]

"They are down there! Lets get them before they escape!"

Tom follows Gem downstairs.

[alhoon]

"Why? Where are they're going to go?" Fild says ... as he prepares his Arquebus for a shot.