For Xanos, Ardeth Bran, and Temur
Xanos, when you reach the top of the stairs, you find they open up into another hallway. Peering into the hall, you can see that it is dimly illuminated by a few torches two of which are on the ground at near your feet. It is even longer than the hall you were just in down below, and you suspect that it is running back deeper into the hillside. The hall is also much narrower than the one down below; it is only about 5' wide and your head scrapes on the ceiling if you don't duck a little. You detect the smell of Lotus smoke up here. The far end of the hall is dark because the torches that you presume were lighting it are now on the ground burning at your feet. In the darkness at the end of the hall you can make out three shadowy figures and possibly a fourth one on the ground.
A couple of tense moments have passed, as you wait for everyone to gather together. The four of you are in the hall upstairs together now. Presumably Juma is on his way, not too far behind.
Juma
Juma are you coming back to join your companions or are you staying back to keep clearing out the collapsed tunnel?
Ardeth vehemently motions Bran and Xanos back towards the lighted end of the hall. Especially Bran, pointing at his bandaged wounds. Looking at Xanos, he waves his hands about imitating arcane gestures and points through the curtain. Then he holds his right hand flat, like a floor and walks his left hand over it on two fingers indicating the doorway. Once his fingers reach the back of his hand, he makes a pouncing motion and points at Temur and himself. Then he draws his finger across his throat to mime slitting it.
Agility:
Everyone in the hallway:
Ardeth, Xanos and Temur
You hear voices in the room behind the flap.
"Captain, the lookout says that the camp is secure. The I'mallah believes that the sacrifices have somehow escaped the labyrinth."
Another voice:
Be ready then. The I'mallah must be protected.
As Juma hear's the sorcerer's rumbled message he grunts, picks up his sword and the lit torch, pokes the torch and his head through the hole he has made to see what might be seen beyond, and then jogs back towards the others, making his way as quickly and quietly up the stairs as he can.
Stealth (Agility+Barbarian? Or Slave?):
As Juma hear's the sorcerer's rumbled message he grunts, picks up his sword and the lit torch, pokes the torch and his head through the hole he has made to see what might be seen beyond, and then jogs back towards the others, making his way as quickly and quietly up the stairs as he can.
Stealth (Agility+Barbarian? Or Slave?): 2d6+1+1
Juma
Peering through the gab in the rocky rubble with a torch you can see that the long narrow tunnel continues, but it curves to the right a little ways up, and you can't see beyond. However, you do detect a hint of a fresh breeze, suggesting that it might lead to an exit.
Xanos, Ardeth, Temur, Bran
Suddenly the hide curtain at the end of the hall is flung aside; light from the room beyond the curtain floods into the dark part of the hallway. You can't really see into the room because of the hulking guard standing in the doorway blocking you view. He's pretty much right in front of Ardeth, and Temur, who have their backs against the wall in the hall, and are doing their best to conceal themselves
The guard holds the curtain in one hand, and a scimitar in the other. He seems to first see Bran and Xanos who are further down the hallway, and then he realizes Temur and Ardeth are almost right in front of him. It looks as though he's about to shout out, but it might be too late for him.
Ardeth will attempt to slam his dagger hilt deep up through the guard's chin and into his brain.
Xanos simply watches the ambush keeping out of the way of the warriors, his face impassive.
Bran stays back in reserve, mindful of his wounded condition and ready to jump in if the remaining guards prove too much for the assassin and bandit.
You pull off the maneuver, sliding your sharp dagger up through the soft flesh under his chin and deep into his skull. He slides off your knife and his body slumps back through the doorway. There are shouts in the room beyond.
The heathens are here protect the I'mallah!
Suddenly an armed guard leaps in front of Ardeth and tries to jam a spear into him.
Armour check:
Damage (double weapon damage due to the natural 12. I'm only doubling the dice of the weapon not the bonus for the crit):
Ardeth the spear hits your girdle, causing only a minor wound.
There is another guard in the doorway, standing over the bodies of his fallen allies. He is wielding a spear. There are certainly more guards in the room beyond him, but it is hard to tell how many because you can't see the details of the room with this fellow clogging up the doorway.
If Juma is now hearing sounds of combat, he picks up his pace towards the others.
Temur will step in close to the guard inside the reach of the spear, stabbing for an unarmored spot.
If Temur's attack doesn't put him down, Bran steps in and attacks with his scimitar.
Scimitar:
If Temur's attack doesn't put him down, Bran steps in and attacks with his scimitar.
Scimitar: 2d6+2+2+1;1d6+3
Bran
Armour check for Temur's target:
Temur you lunge in at the spear wielder with your dagger. He backpeddles into the room behind him and tries to fend you off with the tip of his spear. You still manage to get in past the spear and land a strike with your dagger, but it is partially deflected by his girdle, though it still causes damage.
Bran if you wish to attack the man you need to go into the room. Otherwise you can hang back in the hallway. Let me know.
Juma:
As you make your may down the large hall towards the spiral stairs, you hear shouts coming from outside.
Bran will stay back and let the guys without grievous injuries tackle this one.
There's a scimitar on the ground.
Xanos moves slowly, as if unconcerned, stooping to pick up the fallen weapon. Sweeping his gaze around the room he looks for anything else of intreats, a bastion of calm in the storm of violence.
As the sounds of battle up above and possibly reinforcements from up ahead reach his ears, the ex-gladiator grins hugely rumbling to himself "Ah, it seems the sport is not yet at end today!"
Quickly assessing what the best defensive position would be, he begins to ascend the stairs, first poking just his end over the floor. Seeing no immediate foes about he ascends all the way and then turns back to guard the spiral staircase, shouting to the backs of his new found companions he sees ahead "Looks like some more of these vermin are coming out to play."
Readied action to lop off the first head the pops itself up from the stairwell.
Juma the spiral stairs would be very defensible. You would more hear the sounds from outside than upstairs because the stairs go up quite a ways and there is a lot of rock between you and the rest of the party that would muffle the sounds. Once you get to the top of the stairs you would hear and see the action fine.
Now that the spear wielding guard has backed into the room more, you can all see it more clearly. It is circular and about 20' in diameter with a doomed ceiling that is about 12' high. There is a wooden table with 5 stools around it in the centre of the room. On the opposite side of the room from you is another doorway covered by a hide curtain that presumably leads to another room or hallway. Two braziers on iron stands flank the far doorway.
In addition to the one with the spear there are 3 more guards in the room. All three have scimitars. You also hear shouts that suggest more guards are coming from the beyond the hide curtain.
Currently Ardeth and Temur in at the doorway to the room. Temur is engaged in a fight with the spear wielding guard, who is trying his best to defend the doorway.
Xanos has picked up a scimitar and is behind Ardeth and Temur. Bran is a little further back down the hall, and Juma is now at the top of the spiral stairs ready to defend it.
Round #2 can begin.
Temur the one with the spear thrusts back at you, trying to stick you like a pig.
damage:
There's a scimitar on the ground.
There's actually two scimitars on the ground, so there is one more if anyone wants it.
Ardeth will step back out of Temur's way, shoving Brand and Xanos to make room if necessary. He will drop the dagger and draw the bow. "Xanos, trap them in the floor with sorcery! Temur, after you drop him fall back and make them come to us."
Temur will strike again, then fall back, sweeping up the last scimitar from the floor if possible, flattening against the wall outside the curtain to give the others room to shoot.
Armour check for Ardeth's target:
Ardeth hastily launches an arrow from his bow, but it glances off the guard's girdle inflicting minimal damage.
Armour check for Termur's attack:
The wounded guard twists in such a way that Temur's attack also catches his girdle, but Temur manages to thrust the dagger through the leather and into flesh. The guard crumples to the ground, gasping for air as he bleeds out on the stone floor.
Meanwhile, the other three guards in the room flip the table over, and using it for cover they start pushing it along the floor towards the doorway to block it up.
Two more guards enter the circular room from the doorway on its opposite side.
From somewhere beyond that doorway you can hear screams of agony; then you feel a gust of cold winter air and smell death.
Juma remains guarding the stair, listening and watching closely for signs of advancing enemy
Bran grabs a lit torch from the wall, snatching down the curtain between the hallway and the guardroom. He lights the curtain with the torch and throws it at the flipped table.
The curtain doesn't light that well since it is made of hide not cloth, but there must be a bit of oil or grease on it that catches. When you throw it, it drapes over the edge of the the overturned table, and one of the guards panics a little, causing him to stop pushing.
Juma:
You hear sounds from the stairs; something is coming is coming up, but the noise you are hearing sounds more like a growling, barking dog than a man.
Consequently, he is even more dead.
Temur, since you would have seen the arrow take that guy out and not needed to make the knife attack, feel free to take another action this round.
Regardless of what approaches, Juma is ready to put an end to it's menace.
As Juma waits at the top of the stairs with his scimitar, a big, slathering, black hound comes charging up the stairs and leaps at the massive Kushite in an attempt to tear his throat out.
Round 3
Location: Next to door
Ardeth will launch another arrow from his bow at one of the two guards who just entered the room.
As his arrow misses, he curses and moves back a few paces from the doorway.
Xanos looks at the floor with a raised eyebrow and then back up at the fight. "I will act if it seems necessary. At the moment all seems well in hand."
No action for now, other than to take the scimitar in one hand, keeping the dagger in the other. I'm not ready to jump 5 of them on my own.
Whispering: "We've got to get them before they can block the doorway. We'll have to rush them. Are you with me?"
"I'm trying to kill them. I'll be right behind you."
The table is wide enough to block the width of the doorway, but it isn't big enough to also block the height of the doorway.
The two guards that had just entered the room rush forward. One of them picks the spear off the ground and takes cover behind the table. The last one charges Ardeth, trying to gut him with a scimitar while he is reloading his bow.
Attack on Ardeth:
The four guards now behind the table finish pushing it forward. It isn't quite right against the door way. There is about a foot of space between the table and doorway.
So that last guard, who attacked Ardeth, is on this side of the doorway and the table?
If so, Temur will attack him, feinting with the dagger and striking with the scimitar.
Ardeth dodges deftly below the scimitar swipe.