"He's a vampire, dumbass!  What kind of sucktastic necromancer are you?"  B shouts.  "You ought to be fighting on our side!"

"I aint a necromancer and you're talking bullshit," I snarl back reflexively, tempted to do what she said more than I'd like to admit.  "Besides, you attacked - who the fuck even are you people?"

The commander, A, reflexively strikes back at Valenae, doing 14 damage.  He then shifts away from Val, and continues to concentrate on Mari for the moment.  He draws a deep breath, and while the gore from his wounds remains, before your eyes much of his injuries heal.  Then he swings hard at Mari with his greatsword, a deafening thunderclap sounding as his blow connects, for 33 thunder damage (Martin, adjust for ghost). 

"Andri!" shouts C2.  With an uncharacteristic snarl he lunges for Oleg, but it's just to clamp on the fetters - this time successfully.  He  shifts toward Astra.  "Andri is down," he calls to their commander.



Mari, Astra!

"I aint a necromancer and you're talking bullshit," I snarl back reflexively, tempted to do what she said more than I'd like to admit.  "Besides, you attacked - who the fuck even are you people?"

B grins a pointy smile.  "We're on a mission," she says, brandishing her spear. 

"Hush, Atrelioth," calls her commander, and she rolls her eyes.  "Do you wish to put down arms and surrender?" he calls to Astra.  "You will be treated decently."

[Because he's in my defender's aura, A takes two lots of 6 radiant damage; once for attacking Val, once for shifting.]

[Because he's in my defender's aura, A takes two lots of 6 radiant damage; once for attacking Val, once for shifting.]

Yup.

I hesitate a long moment, wavering, as I glance between the commander and my chained up captain flailing around on the floor.  "What about - what about him, if we did?" I ask, nodding to Valenae.  "You could be - and even if you was right, he's still our..."  I trail off.  Does the army hang you if you let the enemy put down a - a vampire superior? I wonder.  If he is one of those things, there's no way they know, right?

I hesitate a long moment, wavering, as I glance between the commander and my chained up captain flailing around on the floor.  "What about - what about him, if we did?" I ask, nodding to Valenae.  "You could be - and even if you was right, he's still our..."  I trail off.  Does the army hang you if you let the enemy put down a - a vampire superior? I wonder.  If he is one of those things, there's no way they know, right?

The commander looks at Val with distaste.  "I suppose we could restrain it and provide due process," he says.

"And the people that work here?" I ask.  "If they aint already dead."

He waves dismissively.  "Non-combatants.  We have no interest in them."

I look to Olegov, wanting his opinion at least, if maybe not his order.  "Sir?"

Astra's voice snaps me out of my fit of flailing and speaking in tongues to survey the situation.

"Alas, the market is bearish," I murmur, dropping my weapon next to me. "Kol Korran gives and Kol Korran takes. We surrender."

I steel myself, blanking my face, then turn and let my sword's blade drop, holding it out to Atrelioth by the hilt.  If you gloat, I'm punching you, surrendered or not.

Atrelioth takes it, rather professionally, actually.

"Right," the commander says, not sheathing his own weapon yet.  "Weapons on the ground, kick them away from you, then place your hands atop your heads, fingers folded.  We'll check you for hidden weapons, bind the unholy creature, and then we'll talk.  And if your ghost tries anything, or begins skulking about, the deal is off.  Remain in clear view at all times, away from the living, and no sudden movements, ghost," he commands Mari.

[Since Oleg is the highest ranked of the PCs, I'm going to take his surrender, absent a bluff check as it is, lol, as the end of combat time.  If any of you choose to keep fighting or resume fighting, or the NPCs are triggered to violence, we will roll again for new initiative and start new combat time   ]

With a sigh, I pull out my handaxes, my dagger, and my sling, and drop them on the ground, kicking them away, before putting my hands on my head.  "It aint ours," I say as I do so, none too hopefully.  "You ever tried getting a ghost - a human ghost - to do what you want if it don't want to?  Don't usually end that well."

I slowly lower my whip, then coil it up and fix it back into place by my belt. "I'm not their ghost, buddy," I say. "But hurt any of them, and I'll haunt you for the rest of your days. Which won't be many."

With a sigh, I pull out my handaxes, my dagger, and my sling, and drop them on the ground, kicking them away, before putting my hands on my head.  "It aint ours," I say as I do so, none too hopefully.  "You ever tried getting a ghost - a human ghost - to do what you want if it don't want to?  Don't usually end that well."

The commander ignores Mari, replying to Astra in a rather clipped tone, "I have not tried to compel the undead, no."

Atrelioth gathers up Astra's weapons.   C2 goes to the body of C1, crouches beside him, feeling for breath and life.  He sighs.  "God welcome you home, brother."  He pulls the body away from the fire and gently closes C1's eyes.  "Watch over us until we meet again."

[If anyone tries to conceal weapons rather than dropping them, please do a bluff check ]

[Friends.  WE DID SIX ROUNDS OF COMBAT IN SIX DAYS.]

I pass my sword to the commander.

"Whatever your backwoods prejudices, I am still a person. You should remember that when you're dealing with people like me."

I pass over the rest of my weapons, all of them.

"Are you okay Astra? Good fighting there. Nice work. How about you Mari? You look like you could use a lie down. I'm sure we can arrange that, we're at an inn after all.

"Commander man, we need a rest. All of us. Sorry about your barbeque boy by the way. He should have surrendered though."

"You saying they're right?" I choke out disbelievingly, feeling at my hip for a weapon no longer there.

"Pardon? Right about what?"

"Oh, the vampire thing. Right, yes. Legacy of a misspent youth I'm afraid. Stay in school kids."

I look at her stricken face.

"Look Astra, I've been living like this for a couple of hundred years now. I've clearly got it under control, otherwise I'd have eaten all of you back in the barn. To me it's just another aspect of me, like my love of Cyre poetry and Valenar waistcoats."

"And you aren't binding me, mate," I say, "I'll cooperate, but you aren't tying me up."

[Pepper does *not* surrender. I dont think they are even aware of Pepper. I will post more when I get to my desk.]

[One of them got shot by Pepper, so they know she's around.]