Reacting quickly, Ash rushes into the room as quickly as he move and then reaches out with his hand and winces as he touches his brother to give him a bit more defense.
The troglodyte targeted by Piper's spell easily shrugs off his magic. And luck doesn't seem to follow the rest of the adventurers. Perhaps the air is too thick with the stink of lizard musk.
And speaking of musk, while Alara is the only one badly affected by it, you can all feel at least a little burn in the eyes and nose. You can even taste it, it's so strong.
The troglodytes grab up their clubs to vigorously try to repel the home invaders.
The first takes a swing at Masamune, but the samurai is far to quick to be caught with that blow.
The second scrambles partly around, partly over, the conference table to get at Ash but has no better luck.
Masamune lashes out with his blade hoping to catch the troglodyte of balance as it recovered from swinging.
A still retching Alara tries to tumble into position to flank the beast without leaving herself wide open...
...then strikes!
Unfortunately, her swing goes wide again.
Piper stops his inspiring tune, all out of its magic for the day. He sheen of sweat is on his forehead from the stress that the tune put on his body. He decides to switch to a dazing tune, aiming for the troglodyte being flanked by Masamune and Alara.
The eyes of the troglodyte between Masamune and Alara glaze over.
Masamune and Alara are unable to tag their scaly opponent.
Being assaulted by the putrid stench of the strange creatures, Rawnie once more gathers electricity into her palm, then steps into the room and...
Shocks the creature.
Ash will once again step away from the combat quickly, he thinks about going on the offense until he sees Rawnie's attack and decides to let her have her time to shine.
Instead, he prepares himself to heal his brother if he takes another hit.
Rawnie does more than merely shock the creature, she lays it out. It convulses on the floor a few times before falling completely still.
The remaining troglodyte is dazed and can't fight back. He shakes his head to clear it.
Masamune now flanking the troglodyte tries to cut it down with his blade.
A hit! But just a glancing blow. The remaining troglodyte seems to have some fight remaining in him.
Piper stops playing his flute and holds it in his off-hand. He then draws his rapier and moves to Masamune's side.
Alara tries to attack the troglodyte again...
...but she's interrupted by a bout of coughing that throws off her aim.
Rawnie shoots a ray of frost at seemingly nothing in particular.
The remaining troglodyte starts hissing in a higher pitched tone as he fights back.
He swings his club at Masamune, but the samurai deftly defends himself.
Then he backs off to try to keep his enemies more in front of him than surrounding him.
Piper's eyes widen as the troglodyte calls for help. He decides to help finish this. Running up, he tries to stab it with his rapier.
Still coughing, Alara tries to swing her nunchaku again...
...unfortunately, her aim is completely and utterly thrown off as her stomach finally demands the rest of her attention. She staggers backwards, clutching her stomach with one hand. Her face turns very pale.
Ash steps up and prepares another action.
Masamune moves forward to strike at the troglodyte.
Masamune badly injures the yelling troglodyte, but the ruckus he is making bears fruit. The door behind him opens and a couple more troglodytes, brandishing clubs can be seen beyond the threshold.
Rawnie will move over to the far side of the room, and attempt to strike one of the creatures with a ray, but misses horribly once more.
The thick stench of troglodyte musk disrupts Rawnie's aim just enough to send the ray wide. The arriving trogs, buoyed by the party's relative lack of success, finish their moves into the room, one of them even hopping up on the table to get to Piper. The injured troglodyte (marked with a heart shape) has a moment of hubris and, rather than retreat, presses an attack against Masamune... but utterly fails to hurt the well-armored samurai.
Seeing the perfect spacing, Ash winces as he draws the heat from his hands and pushes it forward at the lizardmen...
The fan of flames may give Piper and Rawnie a bit of a start, but Ash's targeting is sufficiently precise to scorch the two troglodytes that have just entered the room. The one further back manages to partially duck the flames but his compatriot takes the full brunt. And the troglodyte Rawnie electrocuted is well beyond being saved by a last ditch rescue.
Piper stares in shock as two more troglodytes come in. However, his morale increases as they seem to be faltering under the fire. He tries to stab the troglodyte on the table.
Still retching, Alara stumbles forward and swings her nunchaku...
...and as is rapidly becoming usual, misses completely.
...why? Just why? Come on...
Masamune attempts to kill the wounded troglodyte to help even the odds.
Not having witnessed Rawnie taking down one of the troglodytes with her shocking grasp, the trog from the back takes a risk and clambers over the table to get at the source of the burning hands, Ash.
He squarely hits but for a relatively weak blow (3 hit points).
The one facing off against Masamune, as badly hurt as he is, presses on. But fails to connect.
The third and final troglodyte, deciding between Alara and Piper, takes a swing at Alara because she looks a little more dangerous (sorry, Piper). His blow comes too slowly for the ninja, who deftly keeps away.
With two of the Troglodytes now positioned in a good formation, Rawnie decides to let loose a burst of fire from her hands.
Both take the full brunt of the flames and die (well, one may be dying, but you get the picture) and the odor of burnt lizard flesh grows stronger.
Alara staggers forward and swings her nunchaku again...
After a surprisingly lengthy struggle, Alara's blow finally takes the last of the fight out of the last troglodyte standing and measure of quiet returns to the room.
The table that dominates the center of the room is in a bit more disarray for having troglodytes scrambling across it in the fighting, and quite a few bits of paper and old documents and maps have been kicked up by the struggle.
A few of you have a good vantage point into the next room, from which the two other troglodytes emerged. It appears to have been a barracks in its past as several ruined beds like in states of disrepair and moldy-looking mattresses are piled in a heap against the far wall.
Ash feels pain wash over him again as he touches his brother and takes a large majority of his wounds.
Then Ash lets his healing magics wash over him.
"I am willing to continue pushing on. I have a little left before I feel we should retreat, though I fear we won't get another chance at this." As he says that he begins to search the now cleared rooms.
Piper pants as the battle ends. He sheathes his rapier. He writes on the chalkboard: 'I'm out of bardic performances and my high level spells. I only have my basic spells and my rapier.'
Alara leans against the table and coughs before covering her mouth.
Ewwwww... smells like someone died in a rotten meat locker.
Well, now we know where all the good die rolls are going.
Pretty much everybody hears something - a high-pitched cackling laughter, that sounds like it echoes a bit, can be heard from beyond the door in the southeast corner of the conference table room.
Piper quickly writes: 'Guys. I heard the squawk of a dire corby before the laughter. It came from the barracks. Odd, considering that there's no other door out of that room.'
Shaking his head, "If we leave, it is only going to get harder, right? We can head back if you feel it necessary, though, Piper," he says quietly as his eyes scan around.
Masamune nods his thanks to Alara for taking down the troglodyte. After feeling the wounds transfer to his brother Masamune moves over to Jacen's side.
"Are you okay? I don't want you to push yourself too hard."
Listening to the choice of leaving or staying Masamune keeps quiet willing to accept either option. At the sound of laughter Masamune takes up a defensive position.
"There might be more enemies in the barracks, or a hidden door. Do you want to scout it Alara, or should we just rush the room?"
Ash flexes his fingers a few times and gives a nod, "I am fine, brother. I do not wish everyone else to push too hard, but I still a couple of fights left in me."
Piper shakes his head at Ash's question. He writes: 'No. I can keep going. I still have some fight left.'
Alara coughs, then meekly nods at Masamune. "Lemme check it out. Get ready for trouble."
She moves forward to scout out where the laughter is coming from.
The sound of laughter breaks out again, even louder for a moment, helping Alara find the object of her search. Right at the pile of smelly mattresses against the far wall, she finds the tell-tale sign of a hidden door. Partly obscured by the mattresses, it looks like it may not have seen use in years. It appears to be designed to open out away from your side and into whatever chamber lies beyond.
Piper carefully sneaks into the room. He signs to Alara, 'Do you see anything?'
Alara coughs and starts waving her hands about.
'There's a hidden door. Right there.' She points behind the mattress pile.
Ash hangs back, very concerned about his lack of stealth...
Piper nods and head back to the others, relaying the message on his chalkboard.
Alara shoulders up to the hidden door and tries to open it quietly. She opens it a crack and peeks through.