Rendered invisible by the magic of the potion, Aladir tries to sneak around behind the guards, moving as silently as he is able to, carefully picking his steps so he doesn't aurally alert the guards to his otherwise unknown presence.
Ezro watches the event, tensed and ready for combat just in case their ruse is unsuccessful. As the guards speak in a language he does not recognize, his pulse quickens.
"This is not good if they expect us to reply in the same language. Hopefully Quinn can stare them down..." he thinks.
As he steps towards the sentries and they start speaking in a language he doesn’t understand, Hyram will cast a stern look at them. Speak the common tongue or don’t waste my time. We bring important news of that traitorous scoundrel Sull! If this opportunity for his destruction passes, it will be on your heads!
Hyram continues to gaze hard at the sentries hoping they buy the bluff.
Hopefully my not-so-friendly personality will be an advantage and they will buy this whole charade! Hyram thinks to himself.
Alikia waits patiently with the rear guard as she watches Hyram and Quinn advance. Hearing the garbled sound of an unknown language, Alikia winces. Of course with the lack of contact with the surface, civilizations underground would speak their own dialect. She should have planned for that. As Hyram and Quinn attempt to intimidate their way past the guards, Alikia holds her breath.
The two mongrelmen hear Quinn and Hyram gruff speech and look at each other. Responding to both, but mostly to Hyram, "yes sir. News of the traitor Sull and his destruction will be welcomed by Lady Hosilla. You and your party may pass."
Aladir manages to step over the debris and place himself behind the two guards without incident.
Hyram is pleased at how well this has worked but he is careful not to show it. He keeps his gaze stern (which for him is easy to do). Excellent! And where may we find Lady Hosilla today? I want to deliver her this news on that scoundrel Sull as soon as possible. Hyram says as he motions for the rest of the party to approach. When is the next scouting party due back? I am afraid that they might run into Sull's rabble and Lady Hosilla should know if they are late. Hyram adds trying to determine that if these two guards had to be ...uh...dispatched, when it might be discovered.
Ezro stays silent, allowing Hyram to speak for everyone. Knowing he is not good at all in lies, he finds it prudent to stay silent, and keep a neutral expression.
His hand grips the glaive firmly though, in case Hyrams honeyed words do not convince.
Quinn had given some thought to lying, but hesitated before actually putting out the words. He settled for telling the sentries the truth about their battle with the crazed dwarf. Fortunately they took his story at face value, and Hyram's semi-bluff followed suit.
With the guards properly cowed, Quinn hesitated at the bend in the cavern. The ruse was likely up as soon as they caught sight of his face, but was surely over the moment they saw Lann. They might have bluffed a few more of their party behind the barricade, but everyone who went would be in danger. Best it was left to those who had shown a propensity for combat.
Once Hyram was next to the guards, Quinn steps around the corner, morningstar in hand. "Thank you for your cooperation. Now, if you would kindly surrender, things will go much easier on you..."
Hyram continues to cower the mongrelmen, and one of them responds "Lady Hosilla is in her quarters" however he starts to look at Hyram with a quizzical eye at the question. When Quinn comes around the corner and moves next to the barricade in front of them and demands their surrender, they both yell loud enough to be heard for some distance in both directions "Zitha. Ababulale."
Ezro UP
Hyram sighs when it looks like the guards are going to put up a fight. You should have surrendered. It would have gone easier for you. Hyram states matter-of-factly. Holding the glaive in both hands he will thrust it into the guardsman in front of him .
Ezro sighs,"Oh dear..."
Retrieving his holy symbol of Iomedea, he holds it aloft and calls out a blessing to his party.
From behind their foes, to this point entirely unseen, Aladir slashes his blade at the nearest foe's back, clearly having no qualms about backstabbing or anything that a person like Quinn would abhor as dishonorable.
Quinn reaches across the barricade to take a swing at the nearest mongrelman. "I wish you would have believed me. Now, this will go badly for you..."
Sighing heavily as she hears the mongrelmen call out in a language she doesn't understand, Alikia does not assume that things have gone south until the sound of combat comes. "Wonderful. You four please stay here. Hopefully we can take care of this quickly. If the five of us don't return, go inform Chief Sull that we have angered the hornets nest."
Moving forward past Lann, Alikia concentrates on creating a small acidic ball, before chucking it at the mongrelman closest to the door.
Wincing as her shot goes far, Alikia frowns as she probably should waited to take aim before firing.
Ezro moves quick up behind Quinn, and touching him, says a short prayer of good fortune.
"May The Inheritor guide you!"
Ezro UP
Seeing how well the strange weapon worked in his hands, Hyram feels that Iomedae is truly with him. Gripping the weapon tightly in both hands, Hyram again thrusts it at the guard.
Aladir will try once again to hit the enemy in front of him and take advantage of the flank he still has with Quinn.
"Well that didn't work." Alikia grumbles, while aiming her crossbow at the nearest mongrelman and firing.
Quinn follows through with a second swing against the mongrelman.
Ezro UP
Quinn clambers over the barricade, straddling the prone remains of the fallen mongrelman, and swings Chieftain Sull's morningstar into the remaining sentry.
Aladir says something in Elvish that sounds very frustrated, turning his longsword against the same mongrelman once again. Third time is the charm, perhaps?
Frustrated that his last attack missed the guard in front of him, Hyram again attempts to aim the glaive right at the guard's midsection.
Loading and firing agian, Alikia, hopes that at some point, her bolt will connect.
Readying himself, he continues to yell out blessings of Iomedea, dropping his glaive and drawing his longsword.
"Fight well, and bring divine retribution to these evil creatures my friends! Iomedeas will is with us, strengthening us!"
He prepares himself to attack if any of the enemies moves towards him.
Quinn leans over the staggered mongrelman. "Would you kindly keep quiet?" Quinn punches the man hard across the jaw. "Thank you."
Hyram UP
Quinn chokes back up on the morningstar, as Aladir calls out the warning. He nods to the elf, and as the door swings wide, he moves through quickly to engage the attackers.
Aladir will drop his sword and draw his bow, quickly nocking an arrow to the string and letting fly at the mongrelman directly in front of him at M-17. If he and the others can manage to fell both the minions before engaging the larger lizard, it would make success a great deal more likely by giving them a single target to focus on rather than dividing their attention between two or three of them.
Hearing that they have lost the element of surprise, Hyram will leave the glaive imbedded in the unconscious guardsman and draw his longsword . You can keep that horrible weapon! he thinks to the guardsman. He will then open the door and with a sweep of his arm say to Quinn, After you.
Ezro waits, prepared to move in after the action begins.
Moving up to stand next to Ezro, Alikia reloads her crossbow, hoping that they will run out of enemies before she runs out of bolts. "Well, that could've been executed better." she mumbles to herself, hoping that whatever reinforcements that the enemy has, it would be manageable.
Alikia moves up to just behind Lann, and reloads her crossbow.
Aladir drops his sword, drawing his longbow and shoots the creature directly in front of him, wounding it slightly.
Quinn, thankful the door is opened, moves to the other mongrelman and with a very well placed blow, kills the creature outright.
Ezro seeing that the front is getting crowded, waits on an opportunity to do more.
The mongrelman, visibly shaken that his companion was killed so easily tries to attack Quinn with his club but misses horribly. The lizard, moves up and bites Quinn and the Paladin falls to the ground, barley conscious.
Hyram UP
Hyram sees Quinn go down and realizes that his own wounds do not put him in a better shape. He knows that he must save Quinn before the Mongrelman or the lizard send him to Iomedae's side. He will move through the door and calling upon Iomedae's healing powers he will cast a healing spell on Quinn.
and pronounce a protection judgment on himself for the onslaught that he knows is coming. Come on foul beasts! Today I might find myself by Iomedae's side but you will find yourself in some foul pit indeed!
Quinn breathes more easily as Hyram's spell knits up the worst of the lizards savaging. From his position on the ground, with the reptile and the mongrelman still looming over him, Quinn doesn't try to stand. Instead he takes a leaf out of the lizards playbook and lunges at the second mongrelman, biting down.
Seeing Quinn gravely wounded, Ezro moves up and calls out to Iomedea, emitting her positive energy into the area, selectively abstaining the foes within reach.
"Iomedea! I pray you, heal your soldiers!"
Hyram UP
Hyram, seeing Quinn lying prone before the lizard will grab his shield and take a five-foot step . I must distract that lizard so Quinn can stand if he chooses.
Why don't you pick on someone who can look you in the eye!
Small sparks fly as Quinn's first bite clamps down on empty air. With a growl, Quinn lunges again, this time tearing huge pieces from the mongrelman.
Taking the time to reload, Alikia frowns as her past shot only nicked the creature. Taking another shot, her brows furrow as she hopes that the bolt finds its way true after all the chaos that is going on.
Seeing little other option, Ezro moves over and passed Quinn, attracting the attention of the creatures, and slashing at it with his blade defensively.
"Fall beast! Quinn! Rise while you can!" he roars.
Aladir takes a five-foot step north and east to get into the square above Ezro then takes another shot at the beast next to the lizardman.
Aladir deftly catches the bottle and removes the cap with a soft popping sound. "Just let me know when we're about to go. Don't want to start using up the magic before we're ready to go."
against humans no +2 on others
Hyram UP