Chocolate Destiny: Famous Amos

Divergence from: https://churchofproz.forumotion.net/t1340p450-chocolate-destiny#26178

You arrive at the west gate to see the nearby stable half burned down. What few guards you see are helping to douse the remaining flames.

A chestnut-haired woman clad in brown and gray leathers approaches you.
"Are you looking for your lady friend? I know where she is."

"The androgynous one? Where did she run off to?"

The woman smirks. "Trellis brothel house. I think she likes girls, you know? I can take you there."

"Sure sure lady, but for some reason I'm not inclined to believe you."

Amos heads out the gate towards the nearby slum.

You hear the telltale sound of arrows from behind.

The member 'Corenat Rovarnus' has done the following action : Dice Roll\'d

#1 'fudge' :


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#2 'fudge' :


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#3 'fudge' :

Fortunately, they all miss. The woman clacks her tongue and shoots.

The member 'Corenat Rovarnus' has done the following action : Dice Roll\'d

'fudge' :

A small bolt strikes you in the shoulder.

Amos dives for cover behind barrels a little bit ahead of him. He grits his teeth and lets out a muffled cry of pain as the bolt flies into his shoulder. Upon landing he rolls into a kneeling position, draws his sword and glances around the barrel to assess the situation.

On the rooftops on both sides of the street, you spot an archer nocking an arrow to his bow. The building to your right(facing the gate) is a single story fortune teller's shop, the left is a two story residence.

Amos yells out:

"Woah woah now! ergh (wincing from pain) ... What issue do all of you archers have with me!?"

Then Amos bolts for the gate to get behind cover behind the sturdy gate walls trying his best to run through nearby groups of civilians.

You hear the woman's voice in response. "I hate to hear you wince in pain, but you've got a bounty on your head and we're taking you in."

("This town is rich in mysteries. Even the answers just bring up more questions ... Now's not the time to worry about questions! I need to get out of here and patch up m-")

Amos realizes the arrow tore a hole into his jacket.

"Sons of BITCHES! First you set monsters on the gates and now you are trying to abduct soldiers to grow your unholy ranks?! Guards, anybody, we need to do something about them!"

(Attempt at Bluff/Social Skill)

[failure]
There are very few people on the other side of the wall, and they keep clear of you and your strange ramblings. You hear the woman's voice again, closer. "Just surrender and come with us. We won't try to kill you if you do."

Amos clutches at the tail end of the arrow boring into his shoulder, snaps it off and pulls the remainder out of the other side.

"Ha .... ha .... and who is so interested in someone as plain as me? My previous traveling companions have a greater wealth of power, prestige and monetary assets."

Amos glances through the gateway to watch for encroaching headhunters. He grips his sword and prepares to cut at foes crossing through the gateway.

You peer around the corner to see the woman with a hand crossbow pointed in front slowly approaching your position. "We're hoping you can help us find those companions, but if not then your bounty alone's better than nothing."
A man's voice follows. "So whassit gon' be, tom? The easy way...or the haard way?"

Amos picks up a dusty piece of shrapnel from the explosion earlier this morning and holds it firmly. He waits for the hunters to step across the boundary of the gateway. With each passing moment pain shoots from his wound to his mind and the anticipation of the violence soon to happen feeds his rage.

(When one of the hunters passes through the gate he will lob the shrapnel at their head and go for them with his sword.)

You feel the cool stone of the wall against your back. The shrapnel has a bit too many sharp edges, but you won't be holding it for long.
"Stop reliving your days in prison and go earn your keep."
"Okay." A man jumps out through the gateway facing your direction, shouting "BOO!"
You throw the shrapnel.

The member 'Corenat Rovarnus' has done the following action : Dice Roll\'d

'fudge' :

The shrapnel pierces through his nose into his head. "AUUGH!" he screams clutching his permanently disfigured face. He falls to the ground, and you rush forward to deliver the finishing blow with your longsword.
The woman from before is on the other side of the gateway and is pointing her crossbow at you.

Amos slides and grabs the man trying to push the shrapnel a little deeper into the foe's face before holding him up as a human shield.

"A crossbow can definitely still pierce through this mutilated fellow and poke me a little but it might not have the stopping power you would hope for."

Amos steps a little closer to the woman, angling the human shield towards the gateway pass and the woman as much as possible.

"I will GUT you if you don't call your headhunters off."

Amos continues forward as safely as possible.

The woman bites her lip. "Damn it, you won't get away with this." She holsters her crossbow and walks away.

"NO U!"

Amos charges at the woman trying to impale her on his sword.

She breaks into a run back into town.
"Noa....auurrrgh..." the man feebly grabs at you, slowing you down briefly.'
"He's coming! Fire at will" she shouts.
As soon as you pass through the gateway you are beset by arrows.

The member 'Corenat Rovarnus' has done the following action : Dice Roll\'d

#1 'fudge' :


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#2 'fudge' :


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#3 'fudge' :

All three narrowly miss.

Amos retreats back to the pass and peels the chunk of sharp metal out of his prisoner's face. He tosses the man down on the other side of the wall and kicks him in the ribs.

"YOU BETTER RUN BITCH!"

He checks if anyone is charging through the gateway and if he confirms no one is pursuing him further he turns to confront his prisoner.

The woman faces you with crossbow redrawn. She takes one step back...two...three...then turns and runs. Your prisoner has fallen unconscious from the pain and blood loss.

"...He needs some fixing."

Amos tears off a cloth rag from the man's clothing and ties it around the bleeding, cutting small holes as necessary to provide ventilation. Amos then sits down with his back against the gate wall and his sword still at the ready. He sighs.

"I thought life would be less brutal out here ..."

Several minutes pass, and the man remains unconscious. The space between the outside wall and slums seems to be deserted.

Amos picks himself up and slings the man over his back. He sets off to the slums to search for anyone who can administer emergency aid to this man.

You enter the slums, but they also seem to be eerily devoid of people.

("Normally it'd be smart to yell for a doctor or any sort of medicine man but these unnatural emptiness concerns me.")

Amos stares at the battered man slung over his shoulders and takes in distinctive features of whatever portions of the man's face are still visible. Remorse for the brutality he inflicted on this man wracks his mind.

"I'm sorry guy, I truly wanted to save you but ..." Amos drops the man to the ground "You're kind of heavy and I'm not doing too well myself." Amos eyes his shoulder wound and checks under his jacket to gauge the severity of the gore.

Amos props the man up on the side of the street and finds a suitably sized object to put under the man's back to allow him to recline somewhat comfortably.

"Good luck bro."

Amos skedaddles out of the slums while heading for the main road out of Enarou. He tries to scavenge resources from the streets as he rushes along.

You head northeast to the road out of Enarou, hugging the outside of the town wall. Suddenly you hear what sounds like thousands of footsteps coming from behind you. The source is initially obscured by the slums, the pressure building. A chorus of growls sound out, and a massive horde of ghouls emerges from the shantytown, all running towards the open west gate.

For a moment Amos stumbles at the sight of the shambling army flowing forth from the slums. He snaps out of his terror induced stupor and bolts for the gate desperately trying to find a horse.

A group of ghouls breaks off from the main mass and gives chase. You jog for a tense minute constantly looking to your back until the pursuers fall out of view. The north gate lies just up ahead, where a steady stream of horse drawn wagons is emerging.

Two of the wagons are accompanied by the Spectacular Coterie.

Divergence ogre: https://churchofproz.forumotion.net/t1340p450-chocolate-destiny#26292

Amos rushes up to the Coterie and urgently calls out for their attention:

"ALI! SKULD! YO WAIT THE FUCK UP!"