Grumblejack's mouth widens to an enormous grin as he see's Anton approach.
Sion, seeing Anton go to free the ogre first, focuses on the chains at his feet.
But his all too recent use of strength to free his hands had left him momentarily weak. "Look out behind you!" he calls to Anton.
As the young guard passes behind Mordesel, he takes the opportunity to strike. He pivots, one leg streaking towards the man's side.
Then without missing a step, he dodges around the other man's sword, striking with his fist, then pivoting and bringing the elbow back around to strike again.
Mordesel strikes out at the guard rushing past him, injuring but not dropping the man. He cries out in pain but continues his pursuit of Anton.
The other guard is not so fortunate and is pummeled by a barrage of punches. The man groans as he crumples to the stone ground.
FEELING HUNGRY OGRE? THIS GUARD LOOKS TOO HAPPY TO OBLIGE!
I could actually go for a bit of a meal myself... Perhaps Grumblejack would be so kind as to rip an arm off for me...
Donovan appears to be chuckling to himself.
Anton moves towards the door to Grumblejack's cell, unlocking the door with a set of keys and throwing it open for the beast. "There should be a decent meal for you, good man," he says to the ogre, glancing back at the pursuing guard.
Turning to the others in the cell he smiles, "Never fear. You will be free soon enough."
The ogre laughs heartily and rushes at the lone guard. He is too far away to reach his target however.
"Come 'ere ya little runt!" Grumblejack snarls gleefully.
Terror grips the heart of the sole guard. Seeing the monstrous Grumblejack bearing down on him and realising he's now alone, he turns and flees.
... And is stopped in his tracks by Mordesel with Grumblejack in hot pursuit.
Anton sees that the guard is in good hands and moves over to the enclosure to begin unshackling his former cellmates.
Mordesel stands, arms tense and ready, Your friend is not so lucky, but if you drop your weapons and give us the information we need, you may live through this night. Otherwise . . . He gives a meaningful look in the ogre's direction.
The guardsman is in too much of a panic to listen to reason, and in any case, Grumblejack looks unlikely to show restraint.
Still yelling for help, he attacks Mordesel in a desperate attempt to escape.
Mordesel attacks.
The lumbering ogre attempts to crush the terrified guard. He leans over to attack but the guard attacks first.
The guard slashes across the ogre's arm, injuring the already wounded Grumblejack. For his part, the ogre tries to crush his opponent, but the guard dodges the punch.
Sion struggles against his bonds, impatient to be unlocked.
Mordesel clutches at his side in pain. His eyes burn with hatred. Mordesel spins kicking at the man in quick succession, no longer bothering to keep the man alive.
Momentarily distracted by the lumbering ogre, the guard suffers a barrage of kicks from the enraged monk.
There is a sickening crunch as Mordesel's kick fractures the guard's skull and he drops his sword to the floor. Crippled, bloody and beaten the man falls to his knees and begins begging for his life in a slurred sob.
Grumblejack sees his opportunity and mercilessly lays into the defeated guard.
The guard hits the floor hard from the strike. The ogre continues his assault, pausing only to feast on the kill.
"He called out for help. Other guards may be on their way. Free us quickly."
The cells are mostly quiet. It's difficult to be sure, but you suspect no one is coming.
Mordesel limps past the feasting ogre. Quickly let's free everyone and get prepared, it doesn't seem that help is coming, but I'd rather be prepared. He begins helping Anton unshackle the others.
Once everyone is unshackled Mordesel speaks up again. I think it is time to see what else is in that veil.
Working quickly, Anton and Mordesel unshackle their companions before inspecting the Veil.
Grabbing the items in the veil you find:
- Hempen rope (50-foot coil).
- A Sack full of needed spell components (worth less than a 1 gp) and common clothes ideal for 6 medium sized individuals.
- Unholy Symbol of Asmodeus
- 100 gold pieces (which was what the 'pyramid' was)
- A Potion of Cure Light Wounds.
Once free from his restraints, Dane sighs contentedly, glad to have spared his wrists from being used as a pry bar. Nodding thanks to his rescuers, Dane works his way quietly past Grumblejack, taking little heed of the grisly display of his feast. Stepping into the guardhouse, Dane grabs a shield off the wall, and a sword from fallen guardsman in the room. Taking a quick glance, Dane realizes that [ooc]most likey the guard's mail is much too small to fit himself, and leaves it.
Taking a moment, Dane stops and listens for any approaching guards from this point.
Amazingly, the area is still quiet. You figure that the cells must be very good at deadening sound.
In the guardroom can be found the following:
- 2 sets of chainshirts (from dead guards)
- 2 longswords (from dead guards)
- 2 leather clubs (1d6 nonlethal dmg)
- 2 heavy steel shields
- 2 bows
- A total of 40 arrows
- 2 small keys
Nikita shrugs into a suit of mail and picks up one of the shields despite having no idea how to use them. She'll grab a dagger where possible and a the spell components needed for her spells.
"If either of them are still alive, someone please drag these men into the cells before we leave. I've no desire to kill them unless there is some benefit to it."
Dane raises an eyebrow at Nikita's request, and just goes about his business, adjusting the other suit of chain to fit himself. "I see little enough reason we'd benefit from putting this one in a cell, seeing as 'Jack 'ere has eaten the other." Now armed, shielded, and armored, Dane marches back into the prison and inspects the "window" in the door, seeing if he can somehow remove it from the door and take this magical hole with him.
"Well, good work lads. We're free from the cell, we're free from our chains, and the guards don't seem to have raised an alarm. I believe it's time we get out of here."
Grumblejack finishes his meal, picking up both the savaged carcass and body of the other guard (who had died from his wounds). With a grin he carries away and hurls them into a vacant cell, misunderstanding Nikita's statement.
"Anyone else want some, dere's plenty left." he says as he wipes his mouth.
He coughs a bit, bringing up some blood. Clearly, he is badly injured.
"Right then." He says as he grabs a shackle chain.
"We gunna go down there and knock some 'eads together?"
Dane ponders for a moment.
Dane smiles up at the larger creature, and replies. "Of course my friend, we'll kill a great deal more before we escape I suspect! Though you don't look so good, perhaps I should lead, and you swing that big chain of yours over my head and kill the bastards, eh?"
Mordesel dresses in one of the common set of clothes, trading out his worn down dirty rags. He moves gingerly and as he removes his top, a long shallow gash can be seen on his side.
Once he finishes changing, he puts the rope, gold, Asmodean symbol and anything not picked up from the guards by his companions in the sack. After all that he reaches for the potion. If no one can find any objections, I will take that.
Pausing only for a moment, with nobody stopping him, Mordesel drinks the potion. He lifts his shirt to look at the wound, now disappearing.
He then goes and joins Dane in the main room. There he waits for the others to get what gear they want and join them to continue planning.
Nikita will stop putting the armor on to hand it to Sion. She has no intention of getting near combat if she can help it and has fairly good protection regardless.
Shaking her head at the barbarism of some of her colleagues, Nikita prepares to head out, sticking to the shadows and watching her companions as closely as the halls around her. She keeps a dagger with her, to finish off attackers if need be.
Sion nods to Nikita and puts on the armour then grabs a longsword. "I'm ready. Someone give that potion to grumblejack before he falls over. I don't want our biggest asset to die on us."
Unshackled at long last! Brilliant work friends! You too mister Grumblejack, spectacular performance.
As he stretches out his arms and legs, Donovan bends down to pick up the two small keys. Holding them up close, he scrutinizes them, trying to figure out id they unlock the same door. All this demand for swords and daggers! Who needs them when one of you turn out to be our greatest weapon. After pocketing one of the keys , Donovan then picks up one of the clubs. Still, I suppose it is better to be prepared... Now, to begin the escape in proper!
Donovan joins the others in the main room.
Sion rolls his neck, his joints cracking and takes a few practise swings through the empty air in front of him. He takes the rope and looks into the fireplace(?), wonderingif it led somewhere.
Anton moves over to the ogre. "It isn't much, but perhaps this can help you in the short term." He then reaches out to touch the creature while muttering Sduow Thgil Eruc
"Consider attacking from little further away to prevent a retaliatory strike."
The fireplace, while not lit, radiates a fair amount of heat from below that keeps the guardroom warm. Clearly, it is connected to another fireplace on the lower level. Judging by the amount of warmth, you suspect that the fireplace below is lit.
It might be possible to drop down, but would require some dexterity to avoid being injured from the hard fall (10ft drop) and evade the fire.
"This might lead to a kitchen or eating area of the prison. It is lit so there may be people down there. I will lower someone down with the rope to look and see who may be down there. If several of us go this way we can come at any guards down stairs in the hall from two sides."
If any volunteer he ties the rope round their waist and lowers them down slowly, telling them to signal when to stop by tapping on the rope, and once they have surveyed the room below to tap again and he will pull them up.
Mordesel, comes over to look at the fireplace as well.
I don't know about being lowered, with the fire giving off as much heat as it is, it may be too dangerous. But I believe I could make the jump safely. Mordesel pauses for a moment, then he turns to the rest of the group.We do have some decisions to make though. Before surprising these guards, I heard them talking about a card game tonight. It also appears they were unsuccessful in raising the alarm. Which means that for a time, likely until their shift would have ended, Mordesel nods towards the cell now containing the two corpses, this place is secure. We can continue now, and likely have every guard available try to stop us, but for sure have an element of surprise against them. Or we can wait, surprise the replacement guards, and possibly get them to tell us more information about locations of patrols and how to escape. Then continue the escape, informed and with several guards drunk and occupied. He ends and looks in the face of each of his new companions. Whatever course we choose, we should choose it together. I think we will all be needed to make this escape.
Sliding up to Mordesel, the half-naked fetchling draws one nailed finger down his jawline. With a wry smile, she purrs.
"Such a handsome young man you are, fit and in such a hurry to leap into the fray. And smart as well? Impressive. Tell me, would you say that you are indicative of our other companions?"
Stepping away, her legs join the shadow beneath the table in feeble, flickering light. In a flash, her teasing mood shifts to anger and scorn.
"I'd rather hope not. Our sole source of healing, gone. Our captives and only sources of information on what awaits us below, gone. Our lantern, with gods know what possible magical properties, gone. And the window, an item able to open a hole in a solid wall, gone."
"If we are to make it out of here alive, we will need every possible resource rather than simply frittering them away. Dane is strong enough to have broken those chains and between the chains and the rope, we no doubt could have bent those bars." With a withering look, Nikita then traces one of her multitudinous scars. "And I certainly hope that your arm feels better now that your scratch is gone."
Once again, her mood changes in a split-second. Sliding back up to the young monk, the shadow woman again purrs. "Such a strong young man. You don't need weak crutches such as those. Your body is the only weapon you need to storm the halls of destiny and seize that which you desire. Come, show us your true abilities, guide us with your great intellect that we may follow you, worship you!"
Breathless, Nikita once again steps back into the shadows.
Sion raises his left eyebrow.
Mordesel looks down the fireplace but can see nothing of further interest. The heat coming from the fire below makes him wince but he does see a fire burning below. A small pot hangs just over it.
Someone must be cooking something.
Donovan watches the exchange between Mordesel with amusement (and at times barely concealed laughter), then chimes in to address Mordesel.
While I hate to interrupt you two lovebirds I'd just like to say that if you are willing to climb down the chimney I'd be more than happy to join you in your little expedition. A bit of fire doesnt scare me as I am capable of rapidly 'healing' myself in a sense. The two of us could nip down there, learn what we can, and then put out the fire so as to let the others climb down via rope. In this way we could avoid confrontation too, as we'll likely only have to deal with a servant or two. And besides, Donovan continues, placing a rather unsettling emphasis on his next words, the thought of fresh food is making me ever so hungry.
So what say you, friend?
Dane thinks for a moment, then asks aloud "All this talk of diving down the chimney is fine, but why not take the stairs?"
Mordesel listens to the fletchling's concerns, frowning. Finally he shrugs, turning back to the others before she is completely done. It is something we could do. Though I am with Dane on wondering why take the chimney when the stairs are available. He pauses.
Mordesel turns to look around the room. But my previous question still stands. Do we wait to escape tonight, when the card game is happening or finish the escape now?
Sion puts the rope back in the sack. The fire was too dangerous. "Stairs it is. Let's not wait. Let's try and find an armoury to arm us all." He heads for the stairs.