Ziomarra Callinovo |
Taking out her manacles, Zee binds the unconscious Tower Girl, and then gags her, making sure that she's breathing through her nose.
She whispers, "Let's stash her in one of the alcoves for now. We should creep up on the one who's asleep and tie her up as well."
Zee also takes this opportunity to rifle the bound Tower Girl's pockets, especially looking for keys, maps, or other clues as to what's ahead in The Crow.
Teldon Moore |
"That went well," Teldon whispers with a smile, "if we're going to tie the other one up too instead of killing her we should coordinate two or three people to do it... She'll need to be gagged right away to keep her from shouting, but she'll need to be restrained as well... and I know you all have very noble ideals about life and death, but if we're going to work so hard to spare as many people as possible we're going to have to find some more ropes and manacles..."
Briana Kaddren |
"That went surprisingly well," Briana agrees. "Teldon's right though, we're going to need a lot of rope at this rate. But for now yes, same plan for the other woman," she nods at Nalathi. "You, Zee, and Teldon can probably move the quietest," she indicates the heavier armor that she and Joanna wear, "but Joanna is probably the strongest if we end up having to wrestle with her."
GM Zed |
Will move things along as subduing / capturing the sleeping Tower Girl is just a formality
Sneaking up on the sleeping Tower Girl, you put your plan to wake, subdue and restrain her into action...the Sczarni, who was clearly sleeping off a dreadful hangover, has no time to put up any resistance and is soon enough tied and gagged next to her companion.
Searching through the belongings of your captives, you find:
- 2 Short Swords
- 2 Hand Crossbows
- A Hooded Lantern with Oil
The fountain in the room is providing a continuous flow of fresh water...yet with no obvious hole in the fountain bowl, the water is not overflowing...indeed it stays at a constant level, only dropping briefly as water is drawn from it.
Looking ahead, your passage on this level of the Crow appears to be unimpeded. The corridor leads 80 feet or so to the north before arriving at a set of stairs leading downwards. Listening at the top of the stairs, you can't hear anything...however a soft light is shining from somewhere down below.
To the right of the passage that leads to the stairs is a partially collapsed room. The eastern wall of this room is buried under an ancient pile of rubble. Sitting near the entrance is a wooden crate and a dull gray amphora.
Teldon Moore |
Teldon careful checks for traps before opening the chest and examining the contents...
"Nalathi, do you want to scout down the stairs and see what that light is?" he quietly asks while carefully packing the coins and other treasures into his backpack.
Nalathi Estrid |
"Sure!" Liking to feel useful, Nalathi sets off with enthusiasm toward the stairs-- too much, in fact, to notice the pebble she accidentally kicks along the way.
Stealth: 1d20 + 14 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 14 + 2 = 17
Perception: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 2 = 8
Briana Kaddren |
"I'm surprised that they've let this sit here," Briana comments as Teldon packs away the spoils from the crate and the amphora. "Though maybe they just hadn't gotten around to carrying it all back out to find buyers yet."
While they wait for Nalathi to see what lies ahead of them, Briana entertains herself by examining the strange fountain. "It must have some sort of magical enchantment on it since it isn't overflowing...but where does the water come from, I wonder?"
GM Zed |
Briana - there don't appear to be any pipes or sources of water feeding the fountain...clearly it's way of creating / draining water is arcane.
The stairs turn around on themselves a few times before arriving at a large room with corridors heading to the north, the east and the south. A warm light, from a couple of lanterns hooked to the walls, bathes the area such that you are able to see the frescos painted on the walls; these are intact however the rest of the room appears to have been stripped of any other items of furniture or decoration.
To the south and to the north, you can hear the sound of voices…all of which are female; the corridor leading to the east is dark and quiet.
Teldon Moore |
In response to Briana's comment about the items not being sold yet, Teldon says, "Maybe these ones are cursed... I'm Not able to detect magical auras..."
Ziomarra Callinovo |
Zee casts a spell, holding a card up to one eye. "I don't see any auras of magic on these things."
* * *
As the party enters the large room at the bottom of the stairs, Zee glances north, south, and east. Hearing the voices, she whispers, "Do we confront them now, or see what's down that way first?"
Teldon Moore |
i think Nalathi was scouting ahead... So we're probably having this conversation up on the stairs or even at the top of them...
Teldon considers Nalathi's report and Zee's and Briana's comments for a moment then offers, "The more efficiently we isolate enemies, the easier they'll be to subdue... We could try the same ruse and see if we can lure just one of the groups up here? Or, we could interrogate our most recent captive and see if we can gleam useful information for constructing a new deception? Or if there's too much concern that we might attract the attention of both groups we could proceed into the darkened tunnel and look there for a better opportunity to separate and ambush the groups?"
GM Zed |
Creeping to the south, Nalathi moves along a long, poorly lit corridor towards the sound of voices. About thirty feet from the room where the rest of the group await, the stealthy wayang comes to the entrance to a large room...and the source of the voices...
Two tables of planks and trestles have been set up in here, and a large alcove holds the ashes and soot stains of many recent fires, along with the stone statue of a beautiful woman wielding a ranseur. Three lanterns upon the tables illuminate the room and help to pick out / accentuate the striking features of the statue...
Seated upon benches at the tables are three Tower Girls taking a meal of porridge and bread washed down with jacks of a reddish liquid. On the table between them, a deck of cards is being used to construct an elaborate tower.
Tower Girls Perception (Distracted): 1d20 + 5 - 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 - 5 = 11
Nalathi, as far as you can tell, you haven't been spotted.
Beyond this chamber, the corridor heads south for another thirty feet before cutting eastwards and into darkness.
Teldon Moore |
"Is it worth the risk for Nalathi to scout the north passage as well before we decide?" Teldon asks, staring off at nothing as he considers a variety of scenarios.
do the tower girls all dress alike? or have like a symbol or emblem they were? or a signature cloak or something? (or, do they all wear pink on wednesdays?)
GM Zed |
Teldon - there doesn't appear to be a particular dress-code or uniform being worn by the Tower Girls; although there are a couple of common themes...they have all been wearing dark clothing, their hair has always been tied back in a practical style and they have all favoured mobility over heavier armour. The exception to this being Terisha who was wearing chainmail...and a gaudy golden coloured breastplate...
GM assumption that Nalathi will scout north to give you a bit more scouting information and to allow you to plan your next move
At Teldon's suggestion, Nalathi moves to the north of the room; again looking out for traps, hidden doors and guards...
The northern heading corridor quickly reaches a T-junction that heads east and to the west. Daylight pours in through a window in a room to the west, a window that you certainly didn't notice in your approach to the piling; whilst, to the east, the corridor proceeds for sixty or seventy feet before coming to a room. It is from this room that the voices originate... several women are taking it in turns to taunt and then feed two dog-sized rodents, a cacophony of squeals and laughs fills the air...
Map update to follow
Teldon Moore |
Nalathi's report snaps Teldon out of his deep contemplation. "I've had two significant thoughts... one of which could be rather good, and the other of which is almost certainly bad..." he begins, "the girls are all Varisians in dark dress with their hair pulled back and little to no armor... it would not be hard for Zee to match that appearance- she could walk into the doorway of the chamber with the 3 eating girls, announce that Terisha needs their assistance upstairs, and walk away before they have a chance to question her. That's the potentially good thought; the unfortunate realization was of a critical flaw in our current method of operation... When Terisha does return with her two lackeys they will begin untying everyone we've left bound behind us... most of them are injured to one degree or another, but we've left three in here so far which means a party of 6 coming up behind us."
Briana Kaddren |
"Well, bluffing did work last time and I suppose even if they didn't believe Zee, the three of them would be running right into whatever ambush we set. Other than that, it's either waltz in and deal with them that way, or..." Briana pauses, obviously turning something over in her mind. "I could try and put them all into a magical sleep, but there's no guarantee that it would affect all of them or any of them. And it's something I can only do once today." She looks back toward the direction they came from. "And if Terisha does come back tonight like Nayven said, we might need it even more then than we do now."
Ziomarra Callinovo |
Zee seems a bit doubtful at Teldon's suggestion, but brightens at Briana's read of it. "I'd be willing to give that a try."
At the talk of Terisha's return, she adds, "Well, if we're concerned about her untying our prisoners while we're still here, let's plan to gather them up, take them out of here, and hand them over to the town guard just after dark. We could leave before Terisha arrives. And we could take one of their boats, if they won't all fit in one."
Teldon Moore |
"If we are committed to keeping them alive that may be our only option..." Teldon replies tentatively, "of course, once they realize that several of their number have disappeared whoever is left will be much more vigilant... We had better reduce how many are remaining by as much as possible before leaving..."
Nalathi Estrid |
"Well the ones with the big rats were being pretty noisy. If we do something with them, that might get noticed. If we can take care of the ones to the south it'll be longer before anyone notices."
Briana Kaddren |
"Let's see what we can do about the southern group, then," Briana whispers. "I'm okay with returning to Magnimar at sundown, with the prisoners we have...and wouldn't we have to do that anyway? We can't try to sleep anywhere nearby with all of these other Tower Girls roaming around - and we'll have to sleep at some point."
Ziomarra Callinovo |
"Okay, we're in agreement: we will deal with the girls to the south first. One other thing to consider-- I could try to hypnotize them into surrendering to us. It's risky-- it might not work as well on people as it does on goblins! If you don't think that's a good idea, I'll try to convince them that I'm one of them and draw them into our ambush, as Teldon suggested."
Briana Kaddren |
"That might work better than me trying to put them to sleep. I'll save that trick just in case we draw attention from the group to the north or if Terisha shows up earlier than expected."
Though after what happened to her two friends, I hope Nayven would refuse to tangle with us any further...
Briana then smiles encouragingly at Zee. "We've succeeded well enough so far. Whichever plan we go with, I believe you can pull it off."
Teldon Moore |
"My fear is that if it fails they may call out for assistance while giving chase and we may have a confrontation with both groups at once..." Teldon reasons aloud, "although, we can't stand here and discuss things forever either- it's only a matter of time before someone notices something..."
Nalathi Estrid |
"I have an idea. Everyone get behind this corner, up against the wall. And be ready for those Tower Girls to come to you." Nalathi indicates the wall just east of the corridor. (The wall to the immediate right of the hallway that leads south.) When everyone is in position, she holds her breath and disappears. Using vanish.
She sneaks down the corridor until she's just past the opening to the room where the other girls are eating. Quietly she releases her breath. Okay shard, she thinks to the artifact around her neck. You've done this once before. Can you do it again? Nalathi concentrates on the girl she and Ziomarra had shot down, focusing on the image of her. Instantly, a copy of the girl shimmers into view in the hallway close to where her friends now hide. Concentrating, Nalathi tells the Tower Girl-image to walk quickly into the room where the others are. "Girls!" the image whispers. "I think someone found us and is on their way here. Get out here quietly and we can get the jump on them." The image turns around and heads back toward the main room.
That should keep them from raising an alarm, Nalathi thinks to herself as she draws her trident and presses herself against the other wall, hoping to blend into the shadows.
Stealth: 1d20 + 14 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 14 + 2 = 32
Teldon Moore |
were you signaling for us hide closer to the other group than if jumped the girls where they were? The point of the deception was not just to surprise them, but to move them far enough away from the other group that they wouldn't hear the combat...
As Nalathi scampers off, Teldon contemplates their apparent miscommunication... "up the stairs quickly," he whispers emphatically to the others, "and let us hope she sends them this way, or that they come this way naturally..."
Teldon Moore |
that plan places much more faith in our combat ability than I have, lol. we can try it though (my biggest fear with that approach is that the other party might just hear the combat even if its fast enough that they don't get to call for help).
GM Zed |
Awesome, I like the idea of Nalathi getting bored / confused by the endless planning and just doing something kind of impulsive!!!
Nalathi's ruse works well, the Tower Girls, as one, slam down their drink and run towards the stairs...an impressive tower of cards folding and tumbling behind them...
"I told you they'd underestimate Natalya, Terisha is a damned fool for going with out us..."
"Ayala is going to go crazy if something bad has happened to her...say? where'd Embyr go?"
Running at full pelt into the main hall, they ignore Nalathi behind them nor do they notice a heavily armoured Joanna standing to one side of the doorway...a mural of a storm giant above her echoing the steely determination in the paladin's eyes.
I'm not sure whether you guys are on the stairs or hiding where Nalathi suggested...feel free to place yourself on the map wherever you like
Everyone can have a surprise action
Initiative for Party / Enemy
Nalathi, Initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Briana, Initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Ziomarra, Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
Teldon, Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
Joanna, Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
Tower Girl, Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Initiative Order
Nalathi, Briana, Ziomarra, Joanna then
Tower Girls then
Teldon
Nalathi, Briana, Ziomarra and Joanna may take a Surprise Action and their turn now
Teldon may take a Surprise Action now
Teldon Moore |
Teldon had started up the stairs... If the others went (or are going) up the stairs with him, I'll use my surprise round to attack at an appropriate location; if they didn't I'll use it to move back down to them...
Briana Kaddren |
I'll say that Briana probably went to where Nalathi indicated and is currently standing next to Joanna.
SURPRISE ROUND
Wow, Nalathi's ruse worked really well!
As the Tower Girls begin pouring into the room, Briana reaches out and places a hand on Joanna's shoulder. "იყოს ძლიერი!"
Casting Guidance.
"Be strong!"
ROUND 1
Before the girls have a chance to react, Briana calls upon the same incantation as before, pointing her finger at the nearest one.
"ჯერ კიდევ..."
Casting Daze, DC 13 Will.
"Be still..."
Teldon Moore |
Teldon shakes his head at the sounds of commotion downstairs and the realization that nobody had followed him... He turns and runs back down to the party.
Well, let's hope that other group and their goblin-rats are making enough noise that they don't overhear us...
[ooc]using my surprise round to get back to combat[/i]
Nalathi Estrid |
Nalathi smiles as the girls come rushing out, heedless of her or her friends. Thank you, shard. She moves in behind the last of the girls and wills her magic into her weapon.
Surprise round: move to close.
Round 1: swing!
Trident (flat-footed): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Damage: 1d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 1 = 6
GM Zed |
Nalathi's trident catches the Tower Girl totally unawares...she almost trips over herself in surprise coupled with the agony of the trident...
Whilst the lead Tower Girl, suddenly registering the strangers in the room, suddenly slows - her sword hand stopping as she absent-mindedly plays with the hilt of her short sword...
Tower Girl 1, Will Save vs Daze: 1d20 ⇒ 3, Will Save failed, Tower Girl 1 is Dazed for 1 round
GMPC for Joanna
As the second Tower Girl nears the entrance to the room, Joanna springs into action...a glimmer of steel precedes the sickeningly wet sound as she fells the flat-footed Sczarni with a single blow.
Surprise Action
Joanna, Longsword vs Tower Girl 2 (Charging / Cover): 1d20 + 6 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (20) + 6 + 2 - 4 = 24, Critical Threat
Confirming Critical (Charging / Cover): 1d20 + 6 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (18) + 6 + 2 - 4 = 22, Critical Confirmed for 2d8 + 6 ⇒ (5, 4) + 6 = 15
Stepping over the crumpling form of the Tower Girl, Joanna takes a back handed swing at the girl attacked by Nalathi...she too falls under the sudden onslaught...
Round 1
Joanna, Longsword vs Tower Girl 3: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24, hitting for 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Ziomarra may take her Surprise Action / Turn now...in fact, with only one dazed Tower Girl left, you may all take a Turn now
Teldon Moore |
I'll give Zee a little more time to post her surprise round and round 1 actions before I post my round 1 action, mostly because it may effect the dazed girls AC (and I can use any help I can get)
edit:that didn't take long :)
Ziomarra Callinovo |
Surprise Round
Ziomarra raises the drawn Harrow card to her temple, closes her eyes a moment, then opens them. The card glows faintly, and then she flings the card toward the standing Tower Girl. The card spins through the air, trailing white sparks.
Swift action: Arcane strike
Standard action: attack
Ranged attack with Harrow card: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Round 1
Drawing another card, she repeats the action.
Ranged attack with Harrow card: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
EDIT: Adjusted hit rolls & damage for Point-Blank Shot.
Teldon Moore |
Teldon finishes closing and attempts to stab the final tower girl with his longspear.
attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11, for: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
- end of round 1 -
GM Zed |
Ziomarra's cards hit in quick succession...the girl's face becoming a grimace as she struggles to respond to the stinging attacks...
But Teldon's thrust with his spear catches the floor and misses...
...importantly, the fight has passed in hushed quiet...thus far...
Ziomarra, Nalathi, Brianna and Joanna may take their second round turn now
Nalathi Estrid |
As two of the Girls-- including the one in front of her-- quickly drop, Nalathi charges toward the one remaining.
Trident charge (-2 AC for one round): 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 6 + 2 = 27
Damage: 1d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 1 = 7
Darn, a shortsword would've made that a possible crit. :-)