Falcon stance +2 to speed

Crawl to Oleg and drag him towards the door with me.

Athletics to drag 17+3=20

Phone posting. No fancy formatting.

Seeing that everybody else is, if not free, at least free enough to escape, I head for the exit, lifting the journal into the air and carrying it out with me. Not a whole lot else left I can do to help, really.

[How fast can Val hop in manacles, incidentally?]

Falcon stance +2 to speed

Crawl to Oleg and drag him towards the door with me.

Athletics to drag 17+3=20

Phone posting. No fancy formatting.

I throw blankets over the pair of them to protect them from the flames.

And I spend my last healing surge.

[What constitutes an encounter? I'd like to turn into a bat again.]

[You can recharge encounter powers by having a short rest.]

I take a deep breath, my head close to the floor, and wriggle my way over to the door.  Done what I could for the other two when I'm still chained up like this, and I gotta get out before I pass out.

[Endurance: 11+10=21!]

Astra wriggles out the door!

Falcon stance +2 to speed

Crawl to Oleg and drag him towards the door with me.

Athletics to drag 17+3=20

Phone posting. No fancy formatting.

Oleg and Pepper escape!

[8 successes (6 moderate, 2 hard) - 1 failure
Astra:  Athletics, Endurance
Pepper:  Acrobatics, Athletics
Mari:  Thievery
Oleg:  Heal
Val:  Acrobatics, Athletics

Victory!]

Oleg, Pepper and Astra spill out into the yard in front of the now blazing roadhouse, struggling to reach a safe distance as they gasp for air, followed by Mari with the journal.  Val has a small problem, though - he's caught between the inferno of the fire, and the destructive power of the sun.  He hesitates in the doorway.  [Aden, what do you want to do to not die?  lol]

A passing pair of drovers and a House Orien courier, attracted by the conflagration, rush up to the group.  "Is anyone still trapped inside?" asks the courier urgently.  "What HAPPENED?"  asks one of the drovers, staring at the manacles on Oleg and Astra.

"Just a cooking fire that got out of control!" the innkeeper says immediately.  "Nothing unusual!"

"But - " protests the drover, eyes narrowing.

"JUST A COOKING FIRE," the innkeeper says, determined to stick to his I don't know nothing about nothing stance.

"Is that a...ghost?" the other drover says, aghast. 

"Shut the fuck up," I snarl at the innkeeper before turning to the newcomers and making an effort to calm myself.  "Can any of you three pick locks?  Or got a crowbar, maybe?"

"Yeah, I got tools in the...seriously, is that a GHOST?" the drover asks.  She makes a sign of warding.

"Yeah, I got tools in the...seriously, is that a GHOST?" the drover asks.  She makes a sign of warding.

"You know that doesn't actually do anything, right?"

I gasp for air. Cough up a wad of soot colored phlegm. Relieved I check on Oleg to make sure he is still breathing. Satisfied I stand and scan the situation.

"Why is he standing in the doorway?" I ask no one.

My mouth twists as I consider telling the woman that one good stab'll probably drive it away for a couple hours if she's worried, but it feels vaguely disloyal after the recent events.  Disloyal, I think incredulously.  Disloyal to a godsdamned ghost of all things.  Watch it, woman.

"Yeah, it's a ghost, but it aint currently attacking anyone, so how about we get me and the dwarf outta these chains so we can keep you safe if it starts attacking, yeah?" I suggest.  My eyes flick to the vampire still hovering in the doorway of the inn, his own manacles back now that he's no longer a bat, and add, my tone a polite suggestion and my eyes on the captain, "Just you and me, if you like?"

I turn my back on the others briefly so I'm facing Pepper, then let my eyes slide to Valenae as I mouth VAMPIRE at her.  After a moment I bare my teeth to show off the pointy ones and make little claw hands, too.

I raise an eyebrow in response to the pantomine.

"Huh."

I grab Oleg's blanket and my own and stride quickly to the doorway.

"Here."

[Carriage?]

[My brain says the courier is riding a carriage.  Maybe do not listen to my brain.]

[Fast horsie only, sorry, lol.]

*post changed*

"Yeah, I got tools in the...seriously, is that a GHOST?" the drover asks.  She makes a sign of warding.

"You know that doesn't actually do anything, right?"

Both drovers double down on the warding gestures.

"Yeah, it's a ghost, but it aint currently attacking anyone, so how about we get me and the dwarf outta these chains so we can keep you safe if it starts attacking, yeah?" I suggest.  My eyes flick to the vampire still hovering in the doorway of the inn, his own manacles back now that he's no longer a bat, and add, my tone a polite suggestion and my eyes on the captain, "Just you and me, if you like?"

"Yeah, we could do that," the first drover says, more cautious now that the first rush of emergency adrenaline has passed.  "Only thing is, are you prisoners or the like? I only ask because that guy is really upset.  And also, you know, you're in chains."

I raise an eyebrow in response to the pantomine.

"Huh."

I grab Oleg's blanket and my own and stride quickly to the doorway.

"Here."

I gratefully wrap it around my head and inch out to a patch of shade.

"Thanks boss."

I look at the drovers.

"We were ambushed by brigands. Could you please take these bloody things off?"

I raise an eyebrow in response to the pantomine.

"Huh."

I grab Oleg's blanket and my own and stride quickly to the doorway.

"Here."

I gratefully wrap it around my head and inch out to a patch of shade.

"Thanks boss."

I look at the drovers.

"We were ambushed by brigands. Could you please take these bloody things off?"

"Why are you hiding under a blanket?" asks the more inquisitive drover. The other one is still gawping at the ghost. [They're suspicious at this point, so a good speech check would help a lot.]

"Cause I just walked out of a fire mate, and I feel a little bit singed," I say companionably. [Diplomacy 13+12=25]

"Now, about these irons...

"Er, Pepper, remember that woman we knew, tough as an old boot and twice as pretty? I saw her recently. Small world isn't it?"

[Bluff 5+12=17 so the drovers don't twig]

"Huh.  Very small."

I take Val's manacles in hand.

"There's a trick to these things.  Hold on."

[Thievery 12+8 = 20]

"Hey," I shout furiously, glaring at Pepper as she takes hold of the manacles.  "Aint your call if those come off him or not.  Or you decide you just dont gotta do nothing our employer says no more but what you like, huh?"

I ignore the girl and roll my eyes at Val, silently saying, "Children."

[If my attempt to free Val of his manacles is a success, then Pepper will silently move to Oleg and make an attempt to free him of his manacles.  Thievery: 10+8 = 18.  Eh.  Maybe not.  Pointedly Pepper will ignore the please or protestations of Astra.]