KHAZUUL

Sow watches in shock as violence erupts inside the building, and as blood is spilled and one of her friends falls! The girl's heart is in her throat as she closes and joins the fray, her shield and spear gripped tightly. The man who downed Freki -- she targets his exposed throat and thrusts, trying to strike from a distance!

"Agh, ya bastard!" Flint absorbs some of the short sword impact but feels the edge of it slip in past his clothing. With adrenaline still coursing through his veins, Flint wheels and lunges his sword into the man that had tried to run him through.

Quickly he looks to Freki to make sure he's alright and notices Sow doing them all proud. Cutwell going in with arm and knife makes him smile despite the madness swirling around them.

Saffron stays near Sow, moving easily through the remains of the barricade that Freki and Flint shattered. As Freki falls to the ground, she yells like a banshee, and draws the odd, shimmering blade. The sound of it leaving the scabbard rings out loudly, and she levels a huge swing at Freki's assailant.

The henchmen try to hold as the company storms the barricades and swarms them with attacks! As Flint cleaves into the first henchman with enough force to break his bones, he manages to get one last thrust at the Marchguard. While being peppered with attacks, the second one takes a swipe at Sow, but she bats it away with her shield.

Falco cries out as one of his men fall. His voice cracks as he yells, and you are reminded of his youth. "You fucking bastards! We could be rich! Why don't you understand?! TO HELL WITH YOU!"

He fires another bolt at you with hate burning in his eyes, but the bolt goes astray, much like his plan to get rich.

Cutwell, starting to breathe heavy with all the swinging, clambers over to Falco. He brings his fist and knife up high and together before breaking bring them both down on the bastard at once!

He answers the man’s angry cry with a frustrated grunt!

Shouts of pain fill the air as two more people are stuck down in the vicious combat — one of the traitors is impaled on Flint’s sword, but he lashes out as he dies, taking the long-haired fighter down with him.

Saffron joins the fray with her singing blade, and when Cutwell leaps towards Falco… Sow bares her teeth in a quite growl and rushes the other man, her shield up in front of her as she strikes over the top of it with her spear!

"Agh! Ya slimy bastard!" Flint struggles to his feet and tries to run his sword through the man Sow was attacking.

Dancing into place after Flint, Saffron wheels her scimitar in a smashing downward strike

The company slams into the remaining traitors. Their foemen's advantage of the barcade evaporates to the company's superior numbers.

Cutwell pounds Falco into the dust, his bones making a sickening crack under the his metal fist and cruel dagger. The others surround the henchman and bring him down with a coordinated attack, with Saffron finishing the job.

Falco groans a final curse at Cutwell with his dying breath. His face is twisted in pain, both physical agony and the stab of realising a fatal miscalculation.

He spits out through gritted teeth: "I hope the Dreadwings burn you alive, Iron fist!" and then stops moving. The lock pick falls out of his hand, onto the floor boards, and his blood spreads over the locked, iron-band trapped door, seeping between the cracks and dripping below.

Outside of the building, other Black Skulls are arriving on the scene, but seem to be waiting on Iron Fist's company for direction. Tunny's voice booms in the distance.

Freki is out cold on the dirty floor, the hilt of the henchman's sword having caught him right on the button. Using his shield, the blade had been deflected away from his heart, the intended target, but not without the hilt bashing into his jaw and the blade leaving a small gash bleeding on his neck where it had sliced as he collapsed.

Cutwell punches the floor with frustration, as the bloodlust settles and the scrum ceases. It didn’t have to come to this. At least not right at this moment. There was more fighting to be done tonight too. Worst of all… he understood Falco.

He stands, leaving the dead man behind, he cocks an eye at Freki’s sliced neck. He grabs the man by each side of his head, and holds his face up to the most light, trying to check how deep the thing went.

"Lets get some fresh air on that." he says, meaning to patch the man up outside, in the daylight!

Thinking only of Freki and not of his own wounds that were light in comparison, Flint helps Cutwell bring their friend outside.

"Good idea to get the clean air on it. Nasty gash that. I'm glad he had that shield..."

"Hard to know what’s in that sitting water, ain’t it?" Cutwell sighs, thinking of all the badness that can pool in places like that. Freki would be dead in days if the wound got infected.

"You alright?" he calls to Sow, as he guides Freki out with Flint. He had seen the woman stab with some ferocity in the scrum. She had even jumped onto the breach before Cutwell!

As Freki comes to, he seems pretty confused initially babbling through a swollen lip, "What ... Where am I ... Who ... Oh Cutll ... I don't feel so good ... Where'd those rascals go ... Falco and his thugs ... Those bastards ... They came at me with SWORDS ... I showed them ... I ... Well, I ... I don't really remember ... But ... Ow, my neck really hurts." His fingers find the bandage and more awareness lights his eyes as he holds still and silent for a few moments before carefully asking without moving his head or neck, "How bad is it Doc?"

Sow lingers in the doorway as the men carry Freki outside and treat his injuries; she nods in the affirmative at Cutwell, then disappears back inside the building, intending to pick up the lockpicks and anything else she finds of value or interest on the traitors...

"Ah you're fine, Freki." Flint kneels on one knee beside him as he offers his moral support.

Flint sees Sow disappearing back inside after a quick glance at Cutwell. "What's Sow up to? I just saw her go back in. I have to say she equipped herself well in the fray, didn't she?"

As Cutwell binds Freki's wounds in the night air, the other Black Skull hunters begin to arrive. There are whispers among them as they find out what's happened - shocked that Falco is dead, but also awed that he and his henchmen were dealt with so quickly. They were known for their toughness and skill, as you surmised from the hesitation of the Hunters to rush to intercept them.

Tunny isn't far behind. After confirming the fate of the traitors, Tunny addresses Cutwell and the others of the Iron Fist company.

"I only wish we could have put them up on the pole," he spits. As the whole camp has gathered, the grizzled leader takes advantage of the moment.

"This is what happens when you stand against the Black Skulls! Tonight, Iron Fist has a plan. He's leading his crew up the hill. Quiet-like. Gonna blow up their fucking fire flinger. We'll set their goddamn feathers ablaze! Ain't that right?"

As the Hunters cheer, he gives the crew the stage. You're not used to Tunny treating you like an equal.

---

While Tunny stokes the Black Skull morale, Sow begins the grim task of examining the traitors' bodies. Flies have already started buzzing around the pools of blood on the floorboards, and their faces are still twisted with anger and agony. Saffron joins you, placing her hand on your shoulder. Her face has the look of somebody who has no more tears left to cry. She goes about helping you with the task in silence.

On Falco, you find:

* His lockpick
* A Union Flatbow (d10 damage, bulky)
* 6 bolts
* A mirror that, when you look into it, you see an older man's face than your own - black skin, bald head, scarred, and one-eyed. When you look into the mirror, something tickles at the edges of your mind, the same way the shrinking sanctum does.
* A pouch with 10d10 gold pieces.

The henchmen have:
* Two shortswords (d6 damage)
* Pouches with 6d6 gold coins each

You'll have to pry these off the dead bodies with a little more effort, but the three bodies are each clad in Chainmail (2 Armor, bulky).