If this is the initial position:
ooY
oXo
ooZ
then Y could step up and ready to strike X after Z acted.
oYo
oXo
ooZ
then Z steps into the flank, attacks(with flank boni), ends turn.
Then Y attacks(with flank boni), end of ready.
oYo
oXo
oZo
But it was more of a chaotic flow, what with the backside attack and all. Heck, because Lia 'forgot' about the wound from Tsuto's retaliatory strike, she entered battle with 16 HP or so - I'm definitely not pushing people to min-max tactics :) I just meant to showcase that together with Bless and the Bardic Performance, it could have made a significant difference, so it's good to be aware of the boosts supportative party members provide - I myself often overlook them in games, focusing too much on what my options are to consider effects currently active :) Apologies if it was somehow worded offensively.
Abadar may have heard his pleas as an arrow rushes in to finish of his foe. Raising his head despite his pain, he manages a half wave towards Jil, as he moves in towards the woman who just brought him more excruciating pain from that energy wave she had unleashed.
Raising his axe, he pushes himself with a roar as he fights to move his body to deal a blow!
"This has to end....I know she's your friend younglings but I don't see much of a choice here..."
With a powerful swing, Drasven smashes his axe in even as he feels his fingers numbing...
Jili casts Cure Light Wounds on Kharmid.
"No Drasven, she's just somebody we used to know" Rojava answers bitterly.
Come on, come and get me Nualia. You're finished but you want to take me with you.
Give me just another minute or two Desna.
Matrim just lies on the ground, slowly bleeding out.
Thistletop
Ro lunges at Nualia but misses with her sword.
Edgar's strike at Nualia flashes against her magical protection and breaks through striking her demonic arm!
From her opposite side, Drasven's axe crashes in and draws more blood from this wicked foe!
Kyrie smiles weakly at Lia, "I have a potion, you look like you need it. Take it and don;t hold my bad decision here against me, ok?"
Nualia snarls, "Top to bottom fools!" She swings her bastard sword one-handed at Drasven while raking at Ro with her claws!
She overextends herself missing both attacks.
Orik stands up and starts to head up the stairs and yells back, "Nice knowing you, ya evil wench!"
Bastard Sword Attack - Drasven - Damage
Claw Attack - Ro - Damage
Fall, creepy lady, fall! Uldar's singing reaches a natural crescendo as he weaves his hands to launch another pair of force missiles.
Feeling Jiliana's touch yet again invigorating him in more ways than one, Karmid gets up and chases after the annoyingly armored foe. He gives the fire-haired girl a quick smile as he moves away.
"Lia?! Look out!"
Ro ducks Nualia's clawed hand as she charges her sword with magic and sweeps at her with the blade.
Lia smiles back at Lyrie as she takes the potion: "Why would I hold decisions against you? You had reasons to make them and could not know they would turn out bad. That is what makes life exciting. Now we need to get to know each other! A sailor went to sea? I'll drink up afterwards!"
Jili blushes at Karmid, and then turns and casts Stabilize on Matrim.
Drasven leans backwards to avoid the attack and in doing so makes sure to step back giving him ample room to swing his axe in! Singing through the air powered by sheer desperation as the dwarf mutters a silent prayer to his patron to heal his wounds, he brings the axe back in a wide swing utilizing both the weight and length of his weapon.
Thistletop
Uldar's missiles strike Nualia in the shoulder and she grunts in pain. Her eyes fill with hate as Ro's blase sweeps in, piercing her defenses and dropping her low!
She falls, breathing shallow, she is not dead, but she is dying.
Meanwhile, Orik pushes up the stairs past the ladies making his way out, "Nice working with you Kyrie, maybe we'll see each other around sometime!?"
Ro backpedals away from Nualia her mouth agape. Then she turns and runs to aid Matrim.
She places her hands on him, sending healing magic into his wounds.
Seeing the man push his way past Lia and the strange enemy lady, Karmid curses and stops. Angrily, he barks at Lia.
"What are you DOING? We're dying down here and you're...discussing your FEELINGS?"
He then turns, almost stumbling down the stairs in pain and anger as the adrenaline of the situation begins to wear off.
Approaching Nualia, he sneers and hefts Angela (his earthbreaker) in both hands.
"Ro, just give me permission. The witch deserves justice to all we lost in the goblin raid on Sandpoint!"
Matrim sits up. ”What did I miss?”
Without stopping her clapping game with the confused Lyriekyrie (who kind of simply went along - a reaction often found in utterly surprised humanoids confronted with propositions they did not expect), Lia answers Karmid:"None of us die." - while continuing the rhythm and not missing a single clap, Lia looks over at the large Shoanti, adding an ominous :"Not yet." with a disarming smile that sends him back down the stairs.
Ro doesn't respond to Karmid immediately. Now the immediate danger has passed she feels very tired, and sad about the whole thing again.
Maybe it would be better for everyone, even Nualia, if this were all just over.
"No Karmid. We're not finished here yet. We have to figure out what Nualia was trying to do here, and make sure nobody else can do it either. We have to try to get some answers from her. Tie her up. I doubt she'll live long past a trial in Magnimar anyway."
Uldar has an arrow nocked in his bow, pointed at Nualia. "As much as I'm a fan of live and let live, she is extraordinarily dangerous. Please make sure she has no access to her holy symbols. I've had quite enough of her necromantic energies."
Jili calms down. "We won. I think." she moves up and heals Karmid again. "The jail in Sandpoint is going to be very full for the next little while."
"Come on Lyrie, lets share the potion!", Lia insists on splitting the vial in a short break.
Drasven stirs and begins searching the body after attempting to staunch her wounds....
Doing so and removing all of her holy symbols, pouches and suspicious looking items, only then does Drasven bind up with rope.
"We should ensure this place is cleared and then head back...." he says wearily though he glances too see if Orik would be giving them any trouble and seeing none relaxes abit.
Thistletop
Lyrie shares the potion and sits on the stairs, "So what is your story, Lia right?"
Ro looks down the hallway from where Nualia came, the tunnel is dark and has a alcove both north and south about 20' in, it runs another 20' or so thereafter where she can see doors that head both north and south. At the end of the hall is yet another ruined statue.
Drasven finds with magical sight that Nualia's Bastard Sword, Armor (Breastplate), and Medallion glow with magic. Her longbow is likely compound and masterwork. Her holy symbol is solid gold. She has no other belongings upon her except a quiver with 19 arrows, none of which are magical.
Karmid will confiscate the MW Longbow if no one else wants it.
"Can anyone wear that breastplate? I'm not sure its shaped for my...chest."
Ro relaxes when she sees Matrim will be alright. Karmid's comment about the breastplate as he and Darsven strip Nualia of her gear even elicits a guffaw from Ro. "You sure about that Karmid?"
Ro rejects the breastplate as well though "definitely not my style."
She uses the last of her magic to heal herself up a little.
It's about then when Ro notices Lia's absence, which sends a new stab of panic through her. "Where the hell has Lia gotten off to?" Ro mutters as she starts up the stairs to find her.
Lia sits down at the stairs next to Lyrie: "I am Lia, yes. This here is Flutter, a friend Desna sent to me. My story? I think most of that is in the future...say, what do you know about Runelords?", Lia answers Lyrie's question with one of her own.
Absentmindedly playing with the Wand, she suddenly holds it out towards Lyrie:"I think that is yours, but I needed to have taken it from you or you would have been stabbed and bleeding out so I think this way was better?"
When Ro comes upon Lai and Lyrie sitting on the stairs she could just about laugh.
Instead she opts for sarcasm. "Pardon me, I'm sorry to break up your chat. But could I have both of you join us downstairs? We need to decide what's next."
Jili takes the Breastplate and holds it up. "It will fit me just fine."
She does a spellcraft check on it and the other two items.
Let's finish this area before we leave. I don't think we'll get the goblins to let us back in without a fight later. As for her? I don't know her so I can't say what her fate should be in this situation."
Karmid snorts and points at the unconscious woman with his hammer.
"Goblins respect strength. We bring that witch's head as we come out, then they will more than likely scatter in front of us. We come out with her alive? They MAY try to stop us and rescue her for all we know."
"But they can see that we stopped her. That maybe enough for them not to stop us." Drasven points out as he shoulders the woman onto his broad shoulders...not gently though.
Uldar nods to Jill. "I was kind of hoping we WOULDN'T be returning. I believe I've had about enough of this place."
Thistletop
Lyrie takes her wand back and grins weakly, "Nice to meet you Lia, I am sorry about hurting you...
Runelords? Well, I am a Thassilonian scholar but of arcana and architecture. So less about the Runelords themselves and more about what they created via their power". Lyrie nods to Ro and stands up heading down the stairs.
Lyrie looks down the hall, "I've not been down there but whatever down there is not good that I can tell you".
Uldar takes up a rear guard position.
Drasven is slightly miffed that he has to shoulder the unconscious girl. However it might be for the better since they had already taken a beating and he would be covering the rear and it seems that the others have managed to find a new friend.
With the way they have had friends and enemies dropping in on them, the old dwarf was thinking if there might be a pattern.....
Frowning, Karmid waves suddenly.
"Whoa everybody. I don't know about you, but that was a close one. We NEED to rest soon. I'm barely still on my feet. Are we going up or down? Out? What? There is still a bucket-load of goblins up there...and embarrassing as this is to admit, I'm not looking forward to fighting our way out right now."
Once Lia and Lyrie have rejoined the main group back in the (very bloody and gross) downstairs room, Ro wants to take a couple of minutes to work through some things with everyone. While things are looking much brighter than they were about 10 minutes earlier, she still has some worries.
She's kept Nualia alive, but she's not sure how popular the decision is, even with herself. But the most immediate subject to tackle is Nualia's erstwhile henchwoman Lyrie. She heard the mage's comment about not having been down here before, but Ro's not sure she buys it.
Ro addresses everyone gathered in the room.
"I'm of the same mind as Karmid. We need to recover some before we do anything else. I'd like to find a more secure place to rest though."
Turning to Lyrie, Ro tries to get some definite statement of purpose from her.
"Since you haven't taken off like your pal in the armor, would we be right to think you're willing to throw in with us to get out of here? By now the armored guy has probably clued the goblins up top in that there' something going on down here, and that Nualia's no longer in control. My guess is whatever deal she had with them is off the table without her, so if I were you I wouldn't count on much goodwill up there. So, what do you say? Can we work together?"
"If so, we need to know what you know about whatever Nualia was doing down here. What did she hire you for? You said you've never been down here? What does this place have to do with Runelords? That's some really ancient stuff."
"Nualia never mentioned to you at all what's down here? We need a safer place to rest. Is there anything, a room maybe, close by where we can hole up for a while? I don't know if the goblins would come down here looking around, but this room might be gory enough to keep them from coming farther in. Any ideas?"
Ro pays very close attention to Lyrie's answers to detect omissions or lies.
Thistletop
Kyrie shrugs, "Nualia was not one to divulge.
There is a lot of documentation in these ruins written in Thassilonian that she needed me to decipher. You likely passed on it upstairs when you went through the document room. That's why I was hired. As far as what is down here, again I do not know. Nualia or no Nualia, I do not believe the Goblins come down here.
I would not worry about Orik talking to any Goblins, he is a mercenary and probably just walked the hell out of this place, once he has packed his gold of course.
As far as a safe place to rest I suppose the document room could be safe, all doors could be barred but I would set a watch.
True enough about Nualia and the Goblins though, without her they would likely just attack us if they thought they could beat us..."
"Beat Us."
Whether it's a good idea or not, Ro seizes on Lyrie's use of "us" as an indication she's on board.
"Document room? That's the one up at the top of the stairs? Alright, are we agreed on holing up there to rest?"
Ro looks around at the others' faces, trying to figure out their state of mind.
Nodding emphatically at Ro's words Karmid grins.
"Damn straight. Give me a few hours sleep and I'll take on every goblin up there! Although I worry what Nualia was after down here. Should we try and interrogate her? At the least we should manacle her or something right? We may have disarmed her, but she's a priestess right? She doesn't need much to summon her power OR use that nasty claw of hers. I still say we should finish her now. She CAN"T be trusted."
"Why do we need a watch?", Lia seems genuinely confused, "Gugmurt said he'll advise Ripnugget to not fight with us? And we get the horsie! I think they wouldn't want to risk the meat you promised them for not eating Lyrie and Orik and Nualia!"
Turning to Lyrie, she asks:"Where did you sleep? And Orik? I like Thassilonian documents but I think beds are better for sleeping?"
, then turns to Karmid:"To get new spells, she'll need an hour of quiet prayer or contemplation or supplication. For channeling her power, she needs the symbol. Also, she can't aim many spells if she can't see. So keeping her blindfolded and tied up and poking her every half hour will keep her angry but mostly powerless. I think you want to do the poking?"
Head snapping up at Lia's statement he looks shocked. Blushing heavily Karmid glances around quickly looking embarrassed...
"WHAT? No...I...would never...poke HER?...She's EVIL and tied UP...ARE YOU KIDDING ME LIA?!"
He then glances at the others and goes out of his way to avoid Jiliana's gaze. Then realizes he overreacted to the simple statement. Badly.
Oh. OH! You mean with my Klar or something? Ummm...yeah I can do THAT."
Nearly cherry red under all the splattered blood, Karmid wanders over towards the door.
"Let's get her tied up...you KNOW what I mean. Ahhhgg. Gozreh kill me now."