Kazmir nods then points to the circling ravens. 'Looks like they are headed out to patrol. Stay low, in case they pass overhead. Perhaps when they leave, it will be a good time to attack."
He nods to Nadya, 'Have the ropes ready, we may have to hurry to get tot he wall quickly."
Nadya nods and pulls a rope from her pack.
The ravens move on, and for the time the skies look clear.
Clear skies and no obvious problems?
Time to go.
"Let's hurry to the base of the wall, on the opposite side of the main gate." With Bizzk alongside, the druid and Nadya hurry to the gate, trying to avoid detection.
The little group arrives, as far as they can tell, undetected. From here, Kazmir can see the Pale Tower, rising like a jagged icicle with spiky protrusions. He is near the walled courtyard to the east.
Kazmir sees no guards, though he hears laughter from somewhere to the southeast, on the other side or perhaps on top of the wall.
Kazmir fears the foe may be on top of a wall. He looks at Nadya, 'Can you climb one of these trees? Bizzk can fly up without problem but he may be seen and can't report what he sees."
Nadya considers the trees. She frowns a bit. "Yes, but if they look they will see the shaking of needles," she states.
The druid frowns, "You are probably right. I suppose we had best risk it. Let's throw up the hooks and ropes and start climbing, the faster the better."
Nadya climbs her rope quickly, but Kazmir struggles somewhat with his. Above, you hear a voice speaking urgently, though you can't make out what it's saying, if it's even in a language you understand. You manage to crest the wall just as the guards are making their way over to see what's going on.
Kazmir glances at the courtyard. A large ice sculpture of a dragon on a pedestal ringed with spikes of ice dominates the center, and several small outbuildings line the walls. No one moves in it right now, though he thinks he hears something large grunting from one of them.
Probably the troll
"Bizzk, come up here. Straight up, over there."
"Bizzk will help, think you can take these two?" Kazmir asks Nadya, and lets fly a sling stone.
Kazmir's rather weak shot just bounces off the guard's armor. Nadya runs forward and attacks the front guard with her handaxe while Bizzk attacks from the air.
Unfortunately, neither attack strikes home. The guard attacks back with his sword, while the other fires a crossbow at Kazmir.
Their attacks strike for much more effect, wounding both Nadya and Kazmir.
Kazmir grunts as the crossbow bolt slashes his arm. It hurts and he watches red blood well up, but he had been hurt worse falling off a rock or tree branch.
He takes a step back, and still wanting to save his spells for the troll below, throws another stone.
Bizzk, armed more seriously, attacks the leading guard.
The guard cries out in pain as Bizzk's beak draws blood. Nadya attacks with axeand pick to finish him off.
Her ax finds his neck, and he falls to the ground bleeding his life out.
The other guard falls back, shouting something in his native language as he fires at Bizzk.
But his bolt goes wide.
His shout brings a complaining grumble from the outbuilding nearest Kazmir, but nothing emerges just yet.
We are taking too long.. Kazmir frets but there is little to do now.
Bizzk nicks the guard, but not seriously. Nadya steps up to attack, as well.
Her ax gashes his arm, but does not fell him. He draws blade and attacks back.
Nadya manages to sidestep his swing.
Below, in the courtyard, an ice troll squeezes her way out of the outbuilding she'd been sleeping in. She grumpily hefts and ax of her own as she looks at the intruders up on the battlements.
Bizzk caws loudly and attacks the man again, a flurry of feathers and beak.
It misses though, the man dodging the furious bird.
Ignoring the hopefully, soon to be dead man, Kazmir casts a spell at the troll. Reciting the words of power in his mind, the dwarf throws a [flaming sphere[/i] at the troll.
The churning fall of yellow flame leaps into being right on top of the troll.
The troll manages to dive aside as Kazmir's sphere of fire rolls towards it.
Nadya attacks with her pick and ax.
She strikes a simultaneous blow with both weapons, and he tumbles from the battlement to the courtyard below.
The troll growls at Kazmir and charges up the ramp near him, awkwardly keeping her feet on the human-sized ramp while slashing at him with her ax.
She slips on the slick ramp, and ends up just notching the icy wall instead of Kazmir.
Kazmir curses. So far the assault had gone poorly and they had barely begun. He hoped luck would soon turn toward them.
But right now, he needed to avoid getting split in half by an angry troll.
The dwarf takes a five foot step away, feeling quite secure on the icy walltop.
As he does so he commands the Flaming Sphere to bound up the ramp and attack the troll from behind.
At a safe distance now, Kazmir puts away his sling and pulls out a vial of alchemist's fire.
"Bizzk!" The dwarf shouts and the bird flys over, attaking the troll as well.
The troll roars in rage and pain as the sphere of fire scorches it. By comparison, Kazmir's flask of alchemist's fire sails past, splashing only a little bit on her leg as it shatters on the courtyard flagstones. She swipes at Bizzk as he flies in with her free claw.
But her anger at Kazmir is too great for her to pay proper attention to aiming at Bizzk.
Nadya, seeing the troll distracted, runs up behind it and slashes with her ax.
But her little ax doesn't make a dent in the troll's tough hide.
Enraged, the troll throws her ax at Kazmir.
It nicks his bone breastplate hard enough to knock the wind out of him, but does not penetrate. The troll, meanwhile, hauls herself up to a precarious perch on the battlements.
Bizzk attacks again, poking at the awkward creature.
For his part, the druid takes another step back and directs the flaming sphere to crash into the ice troll.
This time the troll is ready and handily dodges the flaming sphere.
Nadya keeps up the pressure on the troll.
Her ax manages to kit into its hide, but her pick does not.
The troll slashes at Kazmir and snaps with her teeth.
One of her claws finds its mark, drawing blood on Kazmir's arm.
Again the heron tries to defend his friend, but the bite slices uselessly off the troll's thick hide.
Kazmir moves away, knowing staying close to the raging troll will get him killed. He wonders if Nadya and Bizzk can handle things, without wasting more spells. They still have many foes to fight.
Kazmir looks around, but doesn't see any more enemies coming at present. The doors of the Pale Tower remain shut.
Nadya continues her attack.
She fails to land a solid hit with her pick, but she manages to chop between the troll's ribs with her ax, and it coughs up blood and collapses.
But wait... were its wounds healing?
Regrenration! Remembering what happened witht he last troll, Kazmir runs over, holding a vial of alchemist's fire.
"It'll re-heal if we let it!"
Startled by the druid's action Bizzk, pecks at the prostrate creature.
Kazmir smashes his flask on the troll before it wakes back up, and its wounds stop healing as the flames scorch it.
Nadya steps back as Kazmir smashes the flask, making certain to stay clear of any splash.
"Well... we are in courtyard now," she comments, looking over at the gates of the Pale Tower.
Kazmir refuses to think of killing two men and troll and instead focuses on the problem at hand, like it was just a tricky crag to climb.
He moves toward the gate, keeping eyes peeled.
Kazmir sees no signs of arrow slits or other means for those within to fire into the courtyard, oddly enough. It seems the Pale Tower has little real consideration for defense.
The gates are not particularly large, but there's no way for him to tell if they're locked from a distance.
Delay could be deadly so Kazmir nods to Nadya, 'Are you all right to go on?"
Together the three of them scurry across the courtyard for the main doors.
The room beyond is surprisingly warm and steamy. A bubbling pool sits in the middle of an ornate hall, four fogged mirrors on the wall behind it. Ice sculptures of armored warriors finish the decor.
Kazmit looks at the magical teleporters. He wished there was a direct way to Radosek but that was impossible. Then the druid has an idea.
"The ravens will be a problem when we make a break for it. Perhaps we can wreak the aerie?"
Leading everyone to the correct mirror he says, trying to match Hatch's higher voice, " 'Take wing, soar and fly, let me view the winter sky'
[ooc] Paizo has eaten this post twice AND my power went out once during it. Argh![/ooc[
Kazmir looks at the magical teleporters. He wished there was a direct way to Radosek or even the rookery but that was impossible.
"Let us go up. And remember what Hatch said, beware the cook."
Gathering everyone together, the druid recalls the magic words.
' 'A gathering within the hall, take one, take us all'"
As soon as Kazmir speaks the words, ice races up to surround him and the others with him. He scarcely has time to react before suddenly, he is elsewhere, the ice melting off as swiftly as it formed. This room is roughly wedge-shaped, with the 'point' instead being a hallway, and a door along each straight wall. A large curved table dominates the room, and in one of the seats sits Mierul, the odd blue-skinned bard you had met earlier.
She stops playing her song for her audience of a single atomie as soon as you appear, narrowing her eyes. "What are you doing here?" she demands.
'Um, we are here to turn ourselves in as traitors to Irrisen. You win!"
While she is confused at this non-sequitur, Kazmir casts a spell.
The atomie disappears from sight on hearing Kazmir's transparent bluff. Mierul, however, is too slow to react before being pelted with stones.
Bizzk, flapping his wings, charges right at Mierul.
Bizzk's beak stab's Mierul's shoulder, and she cries out in pain. She steps back and casts a spell, summoning a blade of blue flames in her hand. Nadya fires an arrow at her.
Unfortunately, her shot goes wide.
Suddenly the atomie appears, scowling as its tiny rapier scrapes off of Kazmir's armor instead of slipping between the seams like he'd been aiming for.
Kazmir takes a five foot step away from the sudden atomie, trying to avoid getting cut.
As he does so, he pulls out a vial of alchemist's fire. Dangerous to use indoors but...
Bizzk focuses on Mierul, the large heron squawking loudly.
The atomie tries a quick jab at Kazmir as he's distracted with the vial.
It stabs the dwarf in the leg... which feels rather like being pricked by a needle. A frigid needle, but Kazmir easily shrugs off the cold.
The fire from Kazmir's flask, on the other hand, burns quite hot. The Atomie shrieks, darting back and vanishing from sight.
Bizzk's beak finds Mierul is armored, failing to injure her. She slashes at the heron with her blade of flame.
She scores a solid hit, her blade somehow simultaneously burning and freezing Bizzk.
Nadya sidles over slightly and lines up another shot.
She's too nervous about hitting Bizzk, however, and fires too far to the other side of Mierul.
Kazmir bares his teeth at the small stab but it is minor, so far.
As the atomie vanishes into fiery nothingness (soon to return, probably), Kazmir shouts to Mierul, "Surrender, we have you outnumbered three to one.".
The beak misses but the threat remains.
Mierul, clearly frightened, looks back and forth at the three of you... then shouts, "Not for long!"
She sprints towards one of the doors down the hall.
Nadya swears under her breath and fires an arrow at the fleeing bard.
Yet again, her arrow misses its mark.
All but unnoticed in the whirl of battle is the sound of a small body hitting the floor.
"After her!"
Bizzk charges after the fleeing enemy.
Kazmir also hurries behind, waving to Nadya.
Bizzk's beak strikes home, and Mierul stumbles. She raps once on the door, then turns and faces you, dismissing her flaming blade. "Wait! I surrender!" she pleads.
Nadya runs up beside Kazmir, arrow nocked, but she doesn't yet fire, looking to Kazmir instead.
Kazmir nods, 'Keep the bow up."
Then the druid turns to Mireul, "All right, we can do this without any more bloodshed. Tell us everything you know about who is where in this Tower. Defenses and the like. And hurry up, the longer you take, the more likely I let Bizzk finish the job and we move on, advice or no."