Nikki will nod along to Cains suggestion, trusting the experiance of people who have survived the place. Nikki will make a point of explaining that one should not expect any kindness from the local rodentia just because she herself is a ratfolk.
"De vone rule I heard vas don't go down the vell. Ve need to muv fast, but de gargoyle entrance ve know." Vuzi will agree with Cain's suggestion.
Simon will participate eagerly in the chit-chat with their company.
Proverbially asking them holes into their bellies. Where do they come from? What do they do if they don't guard some fancy nobleman? Were they ever in or near the dungeon before? Do they have family?
As Nikki approaches the subject of the other rats may be hostile to her as well, Simon cannot hold his tongue anymore.
"Mhhh, Nikki-miii?
What exactly are you-purriii?
I never met a ratfolk like you before.
You smell so different than those others-meow.
Plus you have funny scales, like a quickrunner lizard I once ...
At this point he suddenly stops, his cheeks are blushing red which makes fir a interesting contrast with the still-not-entirely regrown fur covering them.
It is not hard to guess how the sentence would have continued.
+++ Later, Approach discussion +++
Simon will agree as well but adds a question.
"Do we fight them this time-miii?"
The party makes their way down into the Graveyard and toward the Mausoleum. You can almost feel the gargoyles watching your progress.
A few rats show their faces, but they are quickly dispatched by either you or the tagalong's guards and pose no real threat.
Simon, the entire group seem to carry remarkably few contacts outside their group. The sheriff serves at the pleasure of the wealthy "noble" house that runs most of the large scale commerce far from here, but doesn't seem to be in contact with said nobles beyond a semi-regular report he has to file. His crew is nothing more than particularly loyal mercenaries. None of this comes out at once, of course, but a curious cat can infer a lot after several days of incessant badgering. The lieutenant and the orcs just scowl at you (one less clearly than the others), but the Sherriff himself let's things slip occasionally.
Vuzi will try to make conversation with the half-orcs only because they are her "people". She won't ask about families since most half-orcs don't have good relations with theirs. She will ask who they have worked for in the past to see if they have mutual acquaintances.
The two orcs turn out to be reformed pirates. They were sentenced here by the "nobles" that the Sherriff pledges loyalty to as community service for their crimes.
Once they get near the entrance to the dungeon, Simon will halt halt the group and explains to their new comrades what is awaiting them.
"So basically, flying statues with stone-hard hide, able to hit you hard-meow!
Magsi told us that magic will cut through their hides just fine though, so if you have fancy weapons or magic up your sleeves, you should be good.
If not ... better keep yourself covered than exhaust yourself with useless attacks-meew."
The party buffs up and makes a run for it. The gargoyles, all EIGHT of them track you as you move and begin to stir. You reach the gate and yank....
It doesn't open. It's locked again! You search your pack for where you know the key you picked up last time was... It's GONE!
It was in the dwarf statue last time, you remember, but you didn't put it back, right?
A quick look at the lock causes Simon to emit an audible hiss.
"This will take long without the right key-frch!"
"I haf an idea. I am not sure it vill vork. Simon please do not hate me." She begins to cast a spell. As close to the dwarven statue as possible a mound of dust and dirt start to gather resulting in a skeleton. "Get the key out of the drawer and bring it to me."
The skeleton nods, but has to take a moment to look and locate the drawer.
Nikki will snap her head around at Simon and huff loudly. Nearly hissing in a manner very unlike what most would come to expect from her normally very polite demeaner "I would have thought that your sister coming after me would of made it obvious what I am." she will turn her head back to look out to the challenge ahead. On the softer side she'll mutter "I'm one of a kind."
Miss Tempest watches the skeleton form and the gargoyles closing in. Real battle is finally upon her. "Miss Vuzi... how fast can your friend move?
Nikki will nod in understanding, "Then if you wouldn't mind please ask him to hand the key to me, and I will return shortly." The small wings on her back would confound most any who understood flight, but there is more than nature at work. Her feet will leave the ground. In the first moment she will hover, and in the second later she will be gone, ideally arriving at the statue as the skeleton works.
Vuzi responds to Nikki with a sigh, "Not fast enough. Ve need to hold dem off for a little vile."
Seeing a plan being set in motion, Simon calls out to Cain and their new comrades.
"Right, let's busy them-groarchhh!"
A quick shift will bring the two cats into screening position, both bodies tensed, ready to slash and bite the moment a gargoyle gets into range.
Cain psionically enhances his weapons and launches two bone bolts at the oncoming gargoyles when they get into range
Cain psionically enhances his weapons and launches two bone bolts at the oncoming gargoyles when they get into range
1d20+12
1d2012
1d6+1d6+6
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The Gargoyles descend as Nikki darts away, a skeleton comes into being, and Cain starts providing AAA fire, nearly bringing down on of the monsters. Two break off and race after Nikki while the other six close.
The two half orcs fire crossbows and Felrara a magical shortbow, but only Felrara's shots hit, chipping of a bit of stone from the wounded monster!
The gargoyles charge in and immediately start grabbing at people!
Simon is grappled by two, Cain by one, and Vuzi by two!
Vance and his twins charge in with unearthly battle cries and try to get them off!
But only one makes it through they monster's stone-hard hide! By some luck that particular monster had already taken two spines and an arrow. This extra damage is enough to break it, and the troll tosses the rapidly dying gargoyle down the steps! Cain is free!
Nikki, on the other hand is in a bit of a spot. The Skeleton summoned by Vuzi opens the compartment and finds the key! It starts shambling back as fast as it can go, but, without orders, it won't had it over! Nikki must either take it and fly, for Vuzi must give the commandto hand it over! While that problem appears, so do two gargoyles who immediately dive-bomb her!
The first misses wih its claws, but the second takes advantage of your dodge and lands an effective blow!
Simon is surprised by this new tactic of the things and gets quickly overwhelmed by the massive creatures, despite a quick strike with the magic dagger against the first one getting close!
"Get off me-frch!"
But the nimble cat's strength doesn't hold against the powerful creatures.
"Emily, arghs, I can need a paw here-meew!"
With a roaring hiss that is quite frightening, Emily throws herself against the Gargoyles holding down her companion.
Every hit causes strange vines to sprout from the hit locations, causing the stoney skin of the creatures to crack and crumble .
Simon's attack hurts the gargoyle. Emily's less so. In the end, simon is still held.
One is entangled by Emily's last strike!
"Let the small one have the key." Vuzi yells at the skeleton. She tries to shake loose of the grapple.
Cain takes a five foot step to the side, out of the gargoyle's immiediete reach and fires two more flaming bone bolts at the ones grabbing their caster
Vuzi just barely manages to wrest herself free of one, then Cain takes a step back and calmly murders the other.
Nikki speeds through the air and starts circling the skeleton "Hey! Listen! I need that key, gimmie the key, come on give it! Hey!” Once Vuzi gives the order she snatch the key and get blindsided by the gargoyle. She'll turn and hiss. She begins to chant but remembers she's holding the key. "consider this a warning"
She flies back toward the entrance and sees her companions in distress. She pauses for just a moment, and after some dramatic gestures and hissed words, Simon's fur will begin to get oily and slick.
A quick look behind her is all she needs to be reminded of the danger. With more speed then most mortals could summon she will blitzs forth in a burst of speed to the door.
One gargoyle slips off the freshly greased Simon, but the other just holds on tighter and pins the Cat to him!
The gargoyles try to regrapple Vuzi and Cain, but fail!
Just then Nikki comes flying back like a bat out of hell with two gargoyles hot on her heels!
Cain brings his bone sword to bear on the gargoyle, shaping the end to look like a hammer as he strikes him with a straight on blow to the ribs, the attempted grapple preventing him from putting his full power into the blow
Vuzi withdraws out of the range of the gargoyles.
For a short moment, Simon is as surprised about his sudden oily, slippery fur as the gargoyles, then the cat starts to twist and bend in ways that should not be physically possible but that comes so naturally to cats.
The black continues her onslaught on the already damaged gargoyle, clawing and biting at the hard stone - which causes sounds that pains the ear!
Miss Tempest flies about to find a spot for the key, with every intent to open the door and get inside!
Nikki flies over to the door and easily finds the key hole. The door clicks when the key is turned and the doors are easily opened inward!
Archibald and his guard are the first to retreat through the door! To their credit, the Sheriff forms up on the door to cover your retreat!
Greasy Simon slips free of the Gargoyle as Emily scratches away at the monster. Cain also gets a good thwack in, but the Gargoyles seem much more resistant to his sword then they were to his darts.
Vance also falls back with the Twins.
The gargoyles generally fail to snatch Cain and Slippery Simon. Vuzi, however, gets caught!
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"I'm not dat kind ov girl" She tries to break free of the gargoyles hold.
Vuzi fails to break free on her own!
"Hah, take some of this-meorch!
Emily, fall back-purrurr!"
After a quick stab'n'twist with the magic dagger, the cat takes a backflip to get away from the gargoyles and into the dungeons.
Cain growls, frustrated that he was starting to get surrounded and lashes out in an explosion of psychic energy when his bone hammer strikes
Cain destroys his target with the second blow!
Tempest finds a way into the opening for cover, waiting to push the door shut as soon as her party is inside. She lifts a hand and stares at the gargoyle. She waits til it catches her eye, and she looks hard into the beings stony essence.
One of the Gargoyles attempts to pin Vuzi while another steps in between her and Cain and joins in!
Vuzi is pinned! But the second gargoyle doesn't get a hold on her, so there's that.
Cain is now cut off from the group! Two gargoyles attempt to snatch him!
Both get their stony claws on him!
The leftmost gargoyle is taken out by Simon and Emily as they retreat!