Bernard's first arrow grazes one of the creatures, the second misses by several inches.
Morgrym and Lyraesel have time to enter the fray before the creatures do!
Glaring through the doorway at the foul lizard creatures, Lyraesel's body language takes on a slightly more predatory posture as she lets loose a blood curdling howl that echoes through the stone chambers, her golden eyes boring holes of malice in the creatures.
Morgrym rushes into the fight after the two arrows are shot into the fight.
Vivnick charges into the room!
She gags at the stench, however tries to suck it up, moving to attack the first of the rancid smelling creatures.
Morgrym rushes in and smashes the injured one before it can react!
The lizardoids move to engage! The one that Morgrym rushed lashes out with claws and teeth!
Its savage attack causes Morgrym some consternation and presses hard against his defenses!
Lizardoid #1 leaps onto the table...
...and moves to box in Morgrym from the north, slashing with a claw as it closes.
The last one moves into the space between the other two and similarly attacks with a claw.
Fortunately Morgrym manages to hold his ground!
Viv manages to get into the room, though not until after the creatures have surrounded Morgrym. She takes a shot at the one she can get to, and manages to drive it back away from the dwarf with a dangerous attack.
Shalelu moves to take straight shots into the room.
She hits with both arrows...
...which is enough to finish off the one that Viv attacked.
Spivey moves up by Kenji and looks for an opening. She seems to be waiting on the chance to cast a spell.
Kenji runs into the room, but the 'stank' shoots up his nose and he gags as he stumbles to the right, turning his charge into a move to a supportive position for Morgrym.
[dice=FORTIDUTE!]1d20+5
Kenji runs into the room, but the 'stank' shoots up his nose and he gags as he stumbles to the right, turning his charge into a move to a supportive position for Morgrym.
[dice=FORTIDUTE!]1d20+5
Kenji runs into the room, but the 'stank' shoots up his nose and he gags as he stumbles to the right, turning his charge into a move to a supportive position for Morgrym.
Yeah I know, I think I'll just get in the way of our two primary meleeists so I'll stick with what I did.
Bernard fires two arrows into the enemy straight ahead of Vivnick, shooting over her head.
Convenient.
Looking at the two remaining as he grins, Morgrym swings hard in a crossways fashion at the one he hit before.
Ug ya smelly beast, ave you not heard of a bath
only to stumble slightly on the fallen one, and nearly drive his axe head into Vivnick.
The remaining lizard-like humanoids continue to focus their attacks on Morgrym.
The creatures barely even give the dwarf pause!
Shalelu fires twice again:
Not much help there.
Spivey flits up past Viv and takes up a spot to one side, looking to get around to where she might be able to help Morgrym if he keeps getting pressed by the monsters.
Unable to get to the creatures with the others in her way, Lyraesel fires at the one who's fear now emanated along with it's stench.
Vivnick moves to the next target and attacks.
Lyraesel's arrow misses; the creatures continue their assault on Morgrym, as he's still at the front.
Though their attacks are not particularly strong, their continued strikes keep battering on Morgrym's defenses.
Viv pushes forward and lands a blow on #2. Shalelu fires her bow twice at that same one.
Her arrows don't kill it, but continue to wear it down.
Spivey moves into the spot where Viv was, and touches Morgrym with a healing spell.
Kenji moves to the other side of Vivnick, gagging the entire time while doing so. He tries to kick the creature but his watering eyes makes his aim off.
Bernard moves to the head of the table and starts shooting.
Bernard precisely feathers the creature at the other end of the table, and it collapses with an arrow sunk to the feathers in its abdomen.
The last one lets out a horrid screech and keeps clawing at Morgrym.
Shalelu fires twice again as well.
She nicks the standing one, but doesn't take it down.
The northeastern door opens and two more of the five-foot-tall slimy lizard-creatures arrive. One holds the door open as the other moves into the room with a screech, and then skitters along the northeast wall past the table to close with Bernard.
Morgrym swings his blade hard, in an attempt to put the last one down hard and fast.
Viv, I have this one, stop that one.
True to his word, Morgrym smashes down the creature at the end of the table, leaving just the two that just entered the room.
Vivnick moves up to stand beside Bernard, slashing at the creature still threatening him.
Uttering a druidic chant, Lyraesel's skin begins to harden, taking on a darker rough metallic cast as she rushes into the room, standing on the table as she prepares to engage one of the incoming lizard creatures.
Vivnick moves up to stand beside Bernard, slashing at the creature still threatening him.
Vivnick lashes out at one of the creatures but is unable to slow it down.
The one near Bernard presses the attack on him.
The other one rushes Lyraesel and swipes at her.
None of the creatures are able to penetrate the party's wall of defensive skills.
Morgrym walks over the fallen body, and moves up beside the one facing Lyraesel, and attempts to drive his axe into the critter facing her.
Morgrym drives his axe straight into the sternum of the creature attacking Lyraesel. There's a burst of blood and stinking oils, and when he kicks the monster off chunks of flesh spatter outward as it recoils and crashes to the ground, leaving only one of its compatriots alive.
Vivnick looks frustrated as she misses the creature, shuddering at the smell. She swings again.
Momentarily surprised by the sheer violence of Morgrym's strike, Lyraesel dashes across the table at the other creature, her foot slipping in the viscera now painting the table.
Bernard takes a quick step back and launches his usual two arrows.
Bernard lands an arrow just as Shalelu fires at the same time.
Neither of her arrows manages to strike the creature, though.
Kenji jumps up onto the table...
...then lashes out with a flaming kick...
(-2 sickened, +1 high ground)
...but misses.
The lizard-thing claws at Vivnick again.
Luck for the team turns as the creature manages to sink its claws and teeth into the small but fierce paladin!
Kenji tries to take out the one on Vivnick, lashing out with a pair of flame-tracing kicks.
And continues to miss.
Lyraesel moves closer, trying to strike the vile lizard cre3ature.
Bernard fires his last two durable arrows at the one attacking Viv.
Shalelu joins Bernard in firing arrows at the menace.
The combination of Bernard and Shalelu's arrows manages to fell the beast!
While you'd normally take a moment to catch your breath, the smell in this room is so foul that it makes it difficult to do so. Eventually your nose becomes somewhat numb to the stench.
Shalelu sets about collecting her salvageable arrows. She tosses one of Bernard's durable arrows back to him and says, "Interesting. Alchemical glue? Smart."
Spivey flits about, checking party members for their injuries, then decides to channel energy for those who've been bumped and scraped.
"We probably shouldn't stay here!" says Spivey a bit breathlessly. "I don't know how we avoided being heard with that battle, but I don't think we're in a good condition to stick around for another fight!" She buzzes over to the table and wrings her hands nervously.
"We should move, further in or back out. Who feels like they can keep going?" Lyraesel asks.
"I'm fine," says Shalelu.
"I can keep going, but... with no sign of the other dire corbies, where did they all go? Are they all in one place deeper in the keep? How many could we fight at once?" asks Spivey.
Momentarily flashing Shalelu a brief smile, Lyraesel nods, becoming serious again. "Probably deeper in, maybe a cellar?"
"They're pretty terrible, especially once they're mortally wounded. But, they're manageable in small numbers." Kenji answers. "I'm thinking they're probably tending to whoever these things report to."
I could push on, but if others need a break, it would not be amiss.
Morgrym cleans his axe, looks around at the smelly lizards, and then takes a drink from a canteen.
Ah, these things are not so bad, a goblin privy, however.
He looks at Spivy. My thanks.
I don't think we can afford to pull back out this early and lose the rest of the afternoon. I know Ameiko isn't getting worse but I don't know whether we can assume that will continue to be the case.
He cracks his fingers.
Those of us who can move unseen can check ahead. See if there's anything worth investigating in detail without fighting.
Shalelu says to Lyraesel, "Still intact in spite of all these hazards. We must be doing something right." Then she nods to Bernard and adds, "Shall we sneak ahead and see what we can find? Which door? The one that the other creatures came through is still open - it appears to be a barracks, perhaps?" Sure enough, you can see at least one moldy mattress from here.
Spivey says, "Let's give this room the once-over first. Look, there are papers all over the tables." Sure enough, it looks like the table was used as some kind of planning area - where people would stand and discuss strategy or demonstrate their ideas with maps or whatnot. Of course, with the castle in disarray, it is now mostly a scattered mess covered in lizard-blood.