Alara, having not yet heard the sounds of imminent disaster, starts tiptoeing through the snow.
Morgrym unfurls a scroll and after a false start he carefully intones the enchanted words, which vanish as their power is expended.
A quick glance at the lion-headed ward shows that whatever magic it once held has been dismissed.
You advance cautiously, Bernard taking the first chance through the border line in case he needs to make a quick escape, but nothing responds - the magic having been dissipated.
You get closer to the house and you can hear the sound of raucous conversation. Some kind of loud dinner party or festival celebration is going on - not uncommon for the Ulfen people; hosting such parties is a tradition among the wealthy patrons, a way to gain favor from one's huscarls and to show off social standing. Curiously, there don't appear to be any guards posted outside the house.
Morgrym whispers I guess they thought the wards would be enough
He crouches near the wall of the house, and remains as still as he can.
Preparing for what would likely be a vicious battle, Lyraesel begins a low chant, her skin darkening and taking on a dull metallic appearance.
”Ah, so I take it you’re not one of those long range casty types.” Kersey says as Lyraesel begins to shift.
Bernard flashes a cheeky grin and hops up to grab the edge of the roof and climbs up.
"Can if I need to, but I rather up close." Lyraesel answers.
”Nice.” Kersey replies, a chuckle escaping his helmet.
Bernard hauls himself atop one of the side walls and finds that the roof is, indeed, thatch.
Teasing apart a few of the strands of thatch, he wiggles his fingers through the layers until he can peek an eye into the rooms below...
Bernard pokes his hand slightly through the roof and uses a mirror he pulls out of his pocket to look around the entire room.
The room beneath is a large feasting-hall, and the people inside are in the depths of a raucous feast. You see numerous Ulfen warriors, served by a variety of thralls. One thrall juggles for amusement, another pantomimes pretending to be different kinds of animals. A few huscarls stand guard at the doors, but others are weaving drunkenly, or passed out.
The long chamber has a sunken floor with 3-foot-high raised platforms along the sides for sleeping and sitting. The platforms are currently crowded with trestle tables and chests used for extra seating. A fire pit dominates the center of the floor.
The floor itself is covered with hay, and dug down three feet below ground level outside.
A good fourteen warriors are carousing in the hall (and you can hear that there are others in other parts of the building), served by the thralls. Several are drunk, and some are passed out.
Morgrym waits patiently for Bernard to come back and pass on the information.
He asks Kersey
So what do you think he will find ?
As they wait, Lyreasel stands with the stillness of a stalking predator, the only movement, a momentary glace back at the equally focused Shalelu, and a flicker of a smile passing at the corner of her lips for a moment as a stray thought passes through her head.
Bernard hops back down and informs the group of what he sees inside.
"Way I see it we could hit them hard and fast out of nowhere right now, most of the huscarls are drunk, and we can outmaneuver them if we hit the sober ones hard. Or we could wait for the party to wind down, everyone to sleep and we" he gestures to himself, Lyraesel, and Shalelu "can slip in and try to smuggle him back out and we simply ask him where our guide can be found, and then convince him to pay reparations or apologize to Uksahkka."
"Second way is risky." Lyraesel says tersely.
Morgrym waits patiently for Bernard to come back and pass on the information.
He asks Kersey
So what do you think he will find ?
”People, hopefully. Otherwise I have some concerns.” Kersey replies.
When Bernard returns and offers plans the Chelaxian nods with Lyraesal’s statement. ”Even passed out drunk Ulfens are rearing for a fight, the moment they hear something we’ll have to deal with a whole bunch of angry pointy objects in our faces. Be best to hit them now while they’re preoccupied.”
Morgrym quietly responds.
Aye, though I am not happy with the idea of dealing with Drunken Ulfen's, that might be for the best.
He then pauses.
Let us hear the whole plan before we go piling into a life or death situation.
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"Hit hard, hit fast, find Ukshakka's friend, get out." the druidess says in a deadly tone, her body language reminiscent of a wolf ready to pounce.
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Shalelu whispers while checking the tension of her bowstring, "Now is a better time than later. Drunken Ulfen might be tough, but not-drunken raging Ulfen are likely worse. Plus it's nighttime. If we draw some of the fighting outside they may have trouble in the dark, at least compared to some of us."
"We could set the roof on fire to make them come out? Or are there a bunch of servants in there?" Kersey asks Bernard. Probably is, being a party and all.
Nay on the roof fire. but I agree. Lets draw the fight outside if we can. Anyone think we can thin the herd by bringing one or two out at once?
"...that sounds like an idea. Maybe with a noise or an interesting sight?"
"Do we still have any of those fireworks we found back in Sandpoint?" asks Shalelu.
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Aye, there is still one of the skyrockets left.
Morgrym chuckles quietly
I see where you are going with that
Morgrym pulls his pack off and starts rooting in it, and then pulls out the skyrocket
"Fireworks? Won't that start a fire?"
"A small one. And make everyone run out. Different from burning the roof. Shoot it in a window." Lyraesel replies.
Morgrym settles the pack again and pulls out flint and steel.
It may cause a fire, but this way, the innocents have a chance and can run or put it out.
But the ones we want will come out to see what caused it, and those are the ones we want.
He then lines it up at the window that Bernard points out as having the best chance at hitting the Jarl.
Lets start this party with a bang.
He strikes the fuse, grabs hus axe, and watches the rocket fly.
Kersey chuckles. ”I like y’all. Now this is a party.”
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The skyrocket slams into the side of the building, hissing and whistling! The wooden window shutter quickly catches fire, and sparks and flames leap up onto the roof thatch as well. It takes a few moments for people inside to even realize that something is amiss, then there's shouting and disorganized slamming and banging, before people come stumbling out of doors!
From Bernard's perch he can see people rushing about inside, servants going for cover while huscarls stagger for the doors. The lord of the house stands, quite tall, and starts shouting for his warriors to check outside, while his wife simply raises her eyebrows and remains calm.
Many of the warriors are quite drunk, and even as the alarm is raised, they simply moan on the floor or vomit.
I think he looks like he can take some damage
Bernard quickly launches two arrows into the lord's back.
The tall man howls as Bernard's arrow finds a home in his back, but the second arrow bounces off of his chair.
His wife stands and makes a quick arcane gesture.
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Alara breaks stealth, and drawing on her inner reserves of energy, flashes a smile at the doorman. She pictures a bright flash, and the man falling down, covered in rainbow splotches...
...and a burst of kaleidoscopic light leaps from her eyes to engulf him!
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Shinrin rushes closer to the door and a coruscating blast of colors erupts from her outstretched hands.
He resists the spell momentarily, then doubles over and vomits violently, falls to the ground and curls into a ball.
Warriors rush past him, grabbing weapons as they weave drunkenly toward the doors with angry shouts. One closes on Shinrin and chops at her.
He wobbles and his axe sinks into the ground, where he pulls it free after a few tries.
Thralls rush for the corners and other rooms, while shouts call out from other parts of the house that you can't see.
Moving up alongside Shinrin in a predatory crouch, Lyraesel hooks her sickle around the drunken attacker's ankle, yanking his leg out from under him to take him to the ground.
Down he goes!
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Kersey strides up alongside those on the front to take a swing at the drunk, who appears to be a lucky drunk. As he moves up his allies fill a slight agitation fill their minds, a want to throw themselves into the fight to end their foes most violently, moreso than before, but not to the point of outright recklessness.
Alara yelps as the battleaxe whistles past her. "Hey! That swing came close to my head! You could've killed me, you know that?!"
She hops away from him and pictures a strong shield before her, catching future incoming axe swings. It then materializes before her--a translucent grey disk of force that puts itself between her and the house.