RQG 4 - Fire and Pianos

## Summary

The party continue to evacuate the diplomats from Edison's burning mansion, whilst fighting the Arsonists.

## Synopsis

*[Meta note: most of this episode is in combat time]*

The party continue to fight the two waiters after the huge explosion in the mansion house. The scene itself is incredibly grisly, with numerous holes in the walls and floor, fire starting to spread throughout, and bodies littering the floor.

Hamid, Bertie, and Sasha are mostly fighting the waiters, while Zolf is using his stepping stone to help the trapped diplomats escape the fire. The waiters attempt to flee into the cellar below Edison’s. Bertie drops a piano on one, and the final one flees. Sasha begins her chase after the fleeing arsonists.

Meanwhile, the fire begins to spread through the house, moving quickly. As Hamid drops down into the cellar, he notices a number of bodies on the floor; many people seem to have fallen through the floor. A few bodies are moving, and he can see someone thrashing in the distance.

Sasha also jumps down into the cellar, chasing the people who have been fleeing. The timbers holding the floor up has broken, and it's about a 30 foot drop. There a lot of broken casks, broken metal, and masonry. In the basement, there's a gaping hole along the back leading into a dark hole.

Zolf continues attempting to get the diplomats out of the fire; some are passed out and unconscious, and get thrown across the gap for Zolf to catch. Others join them on the floating disc, and some help him as well. The Japanese diplomat nearly doesn’t make it; Zolf needs help from one of the diplomats and Bertie to eventually get him up.

As Sasha checks around the basement, she realises that the other waiter has run off; she can hear calls from elsewhere in the building that come from a door above her. She can also hear the French diplomat crying out and a few other people, but cannot recognise anything else. Instead of attending to the people in the basement, electing to leave it for Zolf or others, she follows the arsonist.

The fire is also continuing to spread, and is threatening Zolf and the rest of the diplomats.

## Quotes

**Alex**: "What characters are we playing?"
**James**: "I am Sir Bertrand “Bertie” MacGuffingham, a posh idiot who hits things with sticks in a flashy way."
**Bryn**: "I am playing Hamid the halfling sorcerer, who is currently slightly singed."
**Ben**: "I’m playing Zolf Smith, a dwarven cleric who is currently bemoaning only having one leg."
**Lydia**: "I am playing Sasha Racket, who is really not getting any use out of her antique appraisal skills at the moment."
―Character introductions

"Colgate and Byron. One of them likes toothpaste. The other likes keeping geese on his person."
―**James**

"Ohhhh, never let it be said that Sir Bertrand MacGuffingham does not leave his enemies slightly wonky!"
―**James**

"Not such a grand piano now, are we, eh?"
―**Bertie**
## Dice rolls and Mechanics

* Sasha makes a Sense Motive check on two of the arsonists: 19
* Bertie makes a Perception check to see how rickety the stage is: 9
* Sasha makes a Perception check, hearing explosions down the corridor: 25
* Hamid makes a Perception check to look around in the wine cellar: 23
* Sasha makes a Perception check to hear if anyone is coming: 21
* Sasha makes a Stealth check: 21

## Combat Breakdown

**Combat continued from previous episode.**

**Initiative:** Hamid (19), arsonist 1, Bertie (9), arsonist 3, Zolf (5), Sasha (4), diplomats

**Round 3**

* Hamid: Casts magic missile on arsonist 1, dealing 5 damage.
* Arsonist 1: Backs up 10ft and gets up onto the stage. He draws another flask and throws it at Sasha, but misses.
* Bertie: Swings at the guy he’s facing and hits on an 18, dealing 6 damage.
* Arsonist 3: Takes a 5-foot step back from Bertie, moves to the stage, and climbs up onto it. He draws a flask of oil.
* Zolf: Readies his action to help the diplomats jump across the pit and to the floating disk.
* Sasha: Goes up to one of the arsonists on the stage, draws a knife, and stabs him. She misses with a 6.
* Diplomats: Retroactively throw the injured Japanese diplomat toward Zolf.

**Round 4**

* Hamid: Casts magic missile on arsonist 1. It swerves around Sasha, dealing 5 damage.
* Arsonist 1: Jumps into the pit.
* Bertie: Uses Power Attack on the piano and hits on a 5, he carves the legs off of the piano and it collapses to the ground. The floor under the piano cracks but does not collapse.
* Arsonist 3: Lobs a flask at Bertie, but misses, and the flask lands near Zolf. He also jumps into the pit and lands among the barrels on his back.
* Zolf: Makes a Reflex save to catch the diplomat; 11. He successfully grabs the injured diplomat and they hang over the gap. He rolls a 9 on his Strength check and can’t pull them across the gap.
* Sasha’s turn is accidentally skipped.
* Diplomats: Jump across the 5ft gap, but the French diplomat misses. As they fall, Zolf reaches out to grab them but only rolls an 8 on the Reflex save. The French diplomat falls 20ft.

**Round 5**

* Hamid: Sprints toward the stage and climbs up, rolling a 19 on Acrobatics. He the drops down the hole, rolling another 19 on Acrobatics to land well.
* Arsonist 1: Stands up in the pit and sees Hamid. Moves a short distance across the broken casks.
* Bertie: Shoves the piano into the hole, rolling a Strength check of 18. It falls on arsonist 3 in the pit, killing them.
* Zolf: Tries to pull the Japanese diplomat up, but fails on a Strength check of 8.
* Sasha: Jumps down into the pit and attempts to land on arsonist 1. She’s able to jump down without issue but fails on the attack, only rolling a 10.
* Diplomats: One of them grabs onto Zolf’s belt to try and help him pull the Japanese diplomat up, but fails to assist.

**Round 6**

* Hamid: Casts acid splash on arsonist 1, but misses with a roll of 8.
* Arsonist 1: Dives through the hole behind him, and withdraws.
* Bertie: Goes over to try and help the diplomats up, but fails, rolling a Strength check of 10.
* Zolf: Holds his action until the diplomat can help him.
* Sasha: Stealthily runs after arsonist 1.
* Diplomat: Helps Zolf pull the Japanese diplomat up. Zolf only rolls 4 to assist but the diplomat succeeds anyway. The diplomat moves 30ft away from the fire.