Having dealt with the dogs, you manage to swing the main gates open and set foot outside Branderscar prison, only a bridge and a guard house separates you from freedom now. Somehow the air seem purer on this side of the massive walls. You begin to make you way down the path cut out in the rocked island towards the bridge.
Lyrysa keeps her bow up as the group begins to make their way towards the bridge.
Randu answers, "I understand your reasoning, I'm just not sure it was as needed as you claim. Either way, it's done." As he sees the bridge getting closer, he remembers what the servants said.
And he slips the bulky green cloak about his shoulders.
Drogan and Grumblejack will advance in the cover of darkness a good 100' in front of the party.
The two small groups make their way down the road carved into the bedrock. At the beginning of the bridge Grumblejack looks questioning at Drogan, but as he moves a head the ogre follows. The visibility is fair and no shadow hinder their vision. The guard house and the portcullis soon becomes clear and a quick glance reveals that there is no door on this side so the way seems to be blocked.
Is there anything from keeping us from sneaking past the tower?
we are going to sneak up the the guard house and use the window on the cloth on the wall to get in.
A fresh gust of wind blows across the bridge as Drogan and Grumblejack makes their way towards the lonely guard tower. They reach the building wall without any alarm being raised. There is no openings in the wall, which makes the task harder but protects against unwanted sound like a sneaking ogre.
Pressed up against the wall Drogan takes the cloth and rips the window from it. It behaves like an ordinary piece of cloth until he places it against the wall. First a ripple passes through the stone, then it slowly begins to move and transform, leaving a window in place. Looking inside Drogan sees two men sitting by a fireplace warming themselves, a dog lies by their feet. Shortly after the window has been placed something disturbs the dog, a smell perhaps, it causes the beast to investigate. It leaves the fire closing in on the window. You can hear a low growl.
Randu moves to the window and tries to throw just a bit of food, and to calm the dog without being seen.
Sorry I was thrown by Randu's post as well and was waiting.
@Grumblejack whispering.
Ready yourself to take the beast if he charges us.
Drogan with a look of concentration causes a thick cloud of smoke to cover one of the guards.
The captain and all the other guards are dead. If you want to live subdue your dog and surrender. By Asmodeous I swear your lives to be spared if you cooperate.
Drogan calls for the others to come up as well.
The first response to Drogan is coughing, aggressively increasing panicked coughing. A panic filled voice is then heard through the smoke: "They're... they're poisiong me Thmoas, help!" That somehow sets the dog off and it launches itself at you. The ogre is just a bit to slow and fails to harm the dog as it charges through the window. He must however had done something right for its jaws snaps in the thin air failing to catch either man or ogre. Completely surprised by events the other guard does nothing.
Randu will race towards Drogan
Round 1
Lyrysa charges behind Randu, moving towards the gate.
Thinking he might be able to do something to help his friend the other guard graps his sword and shield and moves to the window. "Let him go scum!" he yells.
Initiative:
Guards 21
Randu 17
Lyrysa 8
Dog 6
Drogan 3
Grumblejack 3
The two targets confuses the dog shortly before it decides the ogre is the most prudent target. Its jaws tear Grumblejack's left calf to pieces.
Drogan steps to the flank of the beast calling up the fury from hell he smashes his mase and tears at the dog with his own maw.
Swift action Fury of the Abys
Drogan turns to stare in at the guard in the window.
Now throw down your weapons and surrender. Or I will taste your blood and send another soul to the abys for my dark prince to torment.
Flanked the two assailants the dog looses a little focus and while the mace just flies over it head the bite tears a hole in its neck. The dog begins to whimper and tries to run away. Grumblejack blocks its way and as the ogre slams his fist at the dog's back, it goes for his Achilles tendon causing a grasping wound, toppling the monster, but sadly it lends force to the ogre's attack and he breaks the poor creatures back.
The first guard is now mumbling incoherently as he drops to his knees and crawls away from the smoke. The second guard is stopped by Drogan's word but doesn't obey. He knowingly stays inside the room and yells: "Matthew sound the horn alert the others!" Looking out the window directly at Drogan he taunts: "Your move demon spawn."
Matthew is it. Take a look, even with your smoked filled eyes you will see I'm wearing guards clothes and armor. If the others you intend to summon are those dead inside the keep then stay on the floor and cry and pray that I spare you as your insolent friend here has forfitted his life. Asmodeous rewards the loyal Matthew.
Drogan stands with a sinister grin as blood from the dog runs down his chin.
Randu continues to move forward hoping to get a glimpse of this horn.. the better to stop it being sounded
The words causes Randu to search for what horn the guards might be talking about. Nothing can be seen at first but suddenly he sees it, hanging on the back of a chair just past the guard standing focussed on Drogan.
Randu curses and attempts to leap through the window to get to it first. He can only hope that he survives the retaliation.
What follows Randu fast movement towards the window isn't pretty. As he tries to leap the window, his foot catches the lower part of the windowframe and he stumbles in to the floor. Luckly just outside of the guard's reach.
HP 6/6
AC 13 FF10 T13
F/R/W 0/3/1
Beguiling Touch 7/7
Arcane Bond 1/1
Spells
0th - Daze, Mage Hand, Message, Prestidigitation
1st - Charm Person, Sleep, Color Spray (cast)
Lyrysa moves forward and summons arcane energies to cloud Matthew's mind.
Still stricken with fear the poor man on the floor keep on crawling towards the horn unfaced by Lyrysa's magic or simply to scared to stop.
Lets see how pure of heart you or your friend Matthew are.
Drogan holds up the Symbol of Asmodeuous sending a wave of energy toward the guards.
DC 13 save. Heals Grumble Jack for the damage amount.
If they are good and save fails Rounds
If Grumblejack can't squeeze through he will just read to attack any that enter his threat.
Here's the releveant section from the PRD.
Squeezing: In some cases, you may have to squeeze into or through an area that isn't as wide as the space you take up. You can squeeze through or into a space that is at least half as wide as your normal space. Each move into or through a narrow space counts as if it were 2 squares, and while squeezed in a narrow space, you take a –4 penalty on attack rolls and a –4 penalty to AC.When a Large creature (which normally takes up 4 squares) squeezes into a space that's 1 square wide, the creature's miniature figure occupies 2 squares, centered on the line between the 2 squares. For a bigger creature, center the creature likewise in the area it squeezes into.
A creature can squeeze past a creature while moving but it can't end its movement in an occupied square.
To squeeze through or into a space less than half your space's width, you must use the Escape Artist skill. You can't attack while using Escape Artist to squeeze through or into a narrow space, you take a –4 penalty to AC, and you lose any Dexterity bonus to AC.
The unholy energy hits Thomas first and in the the blink of an eye his fairly healthy appearance is gone. His skin takes a sicken palor, his eyes become bloodshot, his lips turn slightly blue. The energy wave continues and poor Matthew is struck by the might of Asmodeus, he crumble like dry wood to a flash fire. The coughing increases again this time mingled with blood, panic flashes in his eyes as he supports himself to breath.
"Bad men," Gumblejack mumbles as he passes Drogan and Randu to the window. Tilting his head the ogre looks thoughtfully at the small opening in the wall and then he presses on. it is not a pretty sight as the lump of ogre squeezes through an opening clearly to small for him. But nobody told him that and with a great deal of effort he enters.
Fairly unfaced by the scenery Thomas attacks the ogre. But alas it must have gotten to him as he can't even hit an ogre squeezing through a window. Matthew manages to crawl to the chair and grap the horn. His first attempt to blow the horn fail miserably as he coughs blood instead of blowing air.
Lyrysa retrieves the bow she had acquired and puts an arrow to it. "Surrender now and mercy will be considered. This is the most that can be promised."
"You heard her, didn't you?" Randu adds in a deep growl
At first nothing happens, then Matthew stops trying to blow the horn an it just clatter to the ground, shortly follow by Matthew. A flash of resistance crosses Thomas face, but somehow Matthew's surrender is to much for him and he follows the example letting his sword fall. "Mercy," he says in a tired voice.
Go on Grumblejack you can mame and kill that one however you wish, his insolence to not heed my request will be punished. For Matthew though I think we can let him survive. Drogan looks to Randu and Lyrysa.
Do you have any objections?
"I offered the consideration of mercy. If you feel one must be killed, then make it quick so he doesn't suffer. After all, we are not savages. Randu, please help me bind the other." No anger or malevolence is in Lyrysa's voice, but the tone of one conducting business.
"None," He answers Drogan and takes the horn first before aiding Lyrysa with Matthew's binding. "Now, Matthew is it. How many forces might yet be in our way to freedom?"
Grumblejack might be a bit distracted by the discussion as his attack sails high above the unsuspecting guard, who withdraws and draws his dagger.
Ah it seems he wishes to make it sporting. Grumblejack go ahead and pick up his sword. See if you can take his head in one blow.
Drogan will do standard action intimidate to demorlize the guard.