"Shouldn't ever trust words stolen from person's head and trapped on wall. Probably doesn't mean anything."
"Waste of time," scowling at the lack of inherent value this room presents, Keil looks to Brok and jerks his head towards the next door. Scratching his chin a little he scans the edges then fetchling quietly consults with Brok, "Perhaps this one? What do you think?" before stepping up to listen carefully to what might be within.
"Most likely we will never know whatever it is this means" - Grezzor adds with pragmatism - "Not much point in wasting time with it"
Leaving behind the room with the enigmatic message, you turn your attention to the other door in the east wall.
Keil places his ear against the stone door and hears a faint noise on the other side, what sounds like a faint scratching or rustling noise mixed in with an occasional yip or bark.
"Last time we here rustling behind door was right before Vargrenz tried to feed himself to rats." Brok says as he recalls the encounter on the previous level.
"Now we deeper, so rats probably bigger and hungrier."
"Arlok hungrier. Bigger rats sound like more food for Arlok. Open door already."
Brok will check if the door is locked.
Brok checks the door and sees it is indeed not locked.
Brok will tug open the door so that Arlok can see what's inside for dinner.
Not wanting to startle whatever is on the other side, Keil attempts to put a dark hand on the door cautioning, "Quietly!" Unfortunately he fears the damage has been done and readies his bow.
Brok pulls the door open and is greeted by an unpleasant sight; A pair of hyenas stand near the door growling at you. As the door swings open wider their growls turn to excited yips.
A further glance in the room shows the hyenas are not alone...a group of furred, hyena-headed humanoids stand arrayed against you. It does not take a genius to determine these are gnolls!
With a short yipping bark, one of the gnolls points at you and the hyenas, jaws slavering in anticipation, prepare to attack!
"Hairy dogs!!!! Keil shoot!!! Arlok chop!!!" Brok chitters out excitedly as he peers around the door from where he tugged it open.
Shooting over Brok's head, Keil rolls his eyes then looses an arrow into the room, grazing one of the hyenas' ears. Cursing himself for his poor archery skills, the fetchling steps back out of the way to allow the more skilled members take care of business.
Keil's bow-shot does wing the hyena, drawing a startled yelp. The hyenas growl loudly at him clearly eager for his blood.
The gnolls maneuver into position and loose a volley of arrows at Brok...
yes
no
While the gnolls are not known for their archery skills, two of the arrow strike the goblin solidly and one penetrates deeply into his shoulder.
Arlok stands there leaning heavily on his glaive.
"That foolish. Door unlocked. Dog men set ambush. Now they load more arrow."
He simply states knowing they could have entered the room at any time while we have been searching the other doors.
"Ouch..." Brok says weakly as he tugs at the gnoll arrow embedded in his shoulder.
"Tanks..." he says to Malzii in a raspy breath.
Brok pulls his sword out and readies himself.
"I have one spell that may be of use against a large group of enemies, though... Only through an open door" - Grezzors ponders - "Though now that they know what they are up against, mayhaps they can be... Coaxed into surrendering?"
Perhaps surprised at the level of resistance encountered, the rest of you pause to plan your next move after Vargrenz closes the door. The duergar finds he needs to brace the door as the hyenas slam against the door trying to free themselves from the room.
Malzii takes the opportunity to impart some of her healing powers on Brok, which does not close up as many wounds as she had hoped.
"Was there another exit to the room?" Grey asked the scouts as he opened his satchel and pulled free a mallet and a piton.
"I say we seal them in and come back in a few days."
Raaz approaches the orc witch-doctor, his longspear at the ready. Glancing at the closed door he shakes his head. Lowering his voice and speaking in the infernal tongue he says, "That will take time...and make noise. I don't want to fight on two fronts here. Either we fight these gnolls...or we don't. Leaving an enemy alive and behind you is foolishness."
"Let doggy come play then."
Arlok backs away and prepares to attack anything that comes into the room.
Keil's blackened teeth flash at the idea of only letting a few loose, "Hmmm, a few at a time? Sounds fun. Varg, let out a couple, Arlok and the rest, ready your weapons."
Grey nodded "Ready, then." he said and pulled the door open, then shut it again quickly, bracing his body against it.
After positioning yourselves for the oncoming attack, Vargrenz opens the door. As expected the hyenas rush through the opened door...but not before a hail of arrows sails above their heads.
;
;
;
;
;
None of the arrows come close to hitting their target. The hyenas burst through the door as planned, and Vargrenz slams the door shut behind them. The hyenas, maddened by the smell of blood, attack savagely....
; miss.
; miss.
Grey gestured at one of the hyenas and leaned against the door.
"Close Door!" Brok yells as he ducks away from the arrow storm.
He steps in and chops at a hyena.
Moving according to Varg's suggestion, Keil first stores his bow and retrieves a more personal weapon, that of his short sword. Ready, he nods to the Duegar. The drum of half a dozen arrows landing harmlessly away from their intended target gets the fetchling's adrenaline pumping and as the two hyena's burst through the doorway, the shadowy man's blade lashes out.
Arlok smiles as the doggies come through. The one bites at his legs attempting to take a chunk out of him.
"Bad doggy."
w/ guidance
saved.
The first hyena through the door staggers briefly as Praetor's magic washes over it but manages to shake off the effects thanks to its bloodlust. However it has no protection against Arlok's massive blade as it crashes down on the hyena, which collapses to the ground in a rapidly spreading pool of its own blood.
Kiel steps forward and lunges at the remaining hyena, drawing blood, while Vargrenz's blow finishes it off.
From the other side of the closed door you hear a commotion along with the sound of angry yipping. Raaz calls out, "Get ready here, the gnolls look like they want to join the fun here!"
|
Varg looks to the others:
Lets toss the dogs back in. Should get then enraged so they charge us.
With that, the grey dwarf picks up the bloody corpse of the hyena, carefully opens the door so that he is covered from any shots, and then tosses the dead hyena back in, closing the door immediately after.
|
|
Varg shakes his head.
By the door means they can shoot. We can open the door and I charge to take shots. Arlog and the rest follow and dismember the archers before they can switch weapons.
If all agree, someone can open the door, then Varg will use Total Defense (AC21) to move adjacent to the archers and hopefully draw as many shots as possible. Then the less defensed can follow with weapons out.
Smiling devilishly, Keil nods in agreement to Varg's suggestion, "I will man the door."
As Vargrenz opens the door to deposit the the hyena corpse inside, he can see the gnolls readying their spears and moving toward the door before he closes it again. Howls of rage soon emanate from the room as the rest of you prepare to attack.
On Vargrenz's signal the fetchling yanks open the door...
Arlok follow Varg. He lifts his massive hammer and looks to crush the first dog man he sees.
"Arlok make room. Smash doggy man heads."
Grey stayed in the doorway after everyone else rushed past, and gestured toward the gnoll who wasn't getting bum-rushed by a giant gosling and and angry grey dwarf.
The gnolls are caught off guard and barely have time to react to the sight of their dead pets before you take the battle to them. While Vargrenz takes a more defensive posture, Arlok smashe one of the gnoll's face in with a mighty blow. The gnoll collapses to the ground wordlessly, its face a mangled pulp of flesh.
Malzii hangs back, readying a flame spell for combat, whilst Praetor sends his otherworldly spirits at another gnoll...
fail.
...and it slumps to the ground, spear clattering to the floor.
Grezzor moves forward to aim a ray of pure coldness at one of the gnolls.