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Cerin motions for everyone to gather round him and whispers "What do you think about the idea of all but one of us staying out of sight (as best they can in here), and that one opens the door and acts as an enticing victim to draw the goblins in here so that we can surround and cut them down? Hopefully we can restrict how many of them enter at a time and take out several before they figure it out."
Lynnda smiles at Cerin's suggestion, and whispers. "I like it! If we can get a bunch of them together, I can take 'em all out at once." She pauses, looking at everyone. "Who's gonna be the bait?"
"I also like your plan, Cerin. I don't mind being the bait...but maybe one of you ladies would look more enticing?"
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With a broad smile, Cerin lets out a quiet laugh.
"Yes, I think you are more likely to scare them away! I think the best choices for 'bait' would be either Krissina or myself. Krissina is a lot more formidable than she looks and would most likely be able to hold her own while the rest of us surround them, but they would be more likely to swarm me as I am closer to their size and not as threatening as one of you big 'uns." he whispers with a sly grin.
"I can be bait - I'm not afraid of a few goblins" Krissina glares fiercely, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice.
Krissina will move up to the door when everyone's in position, after opening it she'll scream to get their attention and do her best scared young woman impression (assuming she sees any goblins in there...
Lynnda hides behind the crates north of the door with her crossbow cocked.
The group conceals itself as best they can and when all is in preparation, Krissina flings open the doors. A blast of warm heat washes over you as you reveal a large room. This is evidently the main work area of the Glassworks. Along the Eastern wall are several openings that lead to the burning furnace. There are numerous marble and wooden tables here which are adorned with numerous tools of the glass making trade. As you look into the room you are presented with a gruesome display of goblin butchery. Scattered around the room are the dismembered bodies of several people. Blood and gore are splattered throughout. Charred limbs lie splattered with molten glass. In the centre alcove there is a grisly display. The body of a man is propped up in a chair and covered in runny sheets of hardened glass.
You only have a moment to take in the ominous surroundings before the creatures within confront you. Several goblins (11) were busy carrying out their gleeful destruction when they stop and look towards you. A lone Half-elf stands near the central alcove. He is not wearing armour but is armed with a composite short bow. It is apparent that he is the leader as he quickly sizes you up and issues a rapid series of orders to the Goblins. In response the Goblins grab hold of whatever lethal implement that is within reach and charge towards you.
Krissina deduces that this is likely Tsuto Kaijitsu. She also determines that he has ordered most of the Goblins headlong towards the party while sending a smaller contingent of Goblins to sneak around behind the party to outflank (critical success on sense motive).
Krissina screams and runs towards the back of the room, and out of sight of Tsuto's bow. Trying her best to appear as a hapless young woman and get them to give chase.
Halvor restrains himself from jumping out when Krissina retreats, holding until Cerin jumps out before he springs at one of the nearby goblins, blade singing through the air, shield ready.
Lynnda waits for goblins to approach, so she can either catch some in a spell or fire her crossbow at them.
At Krissina's shriek, a shout of alarm and glee erupts from the goblins. They chatter wildly and several rush at the seemingly-frightened young woman. About half of them are weilding tongs dripping with glowing molten glass! The half-elf barks some orders, and a few of the goblins suddenly become completely silent and slip out the far door.
The gleeful expressions of the two goblins that make it into your room quickly turn to alarm when they realize that Krissina is backed by several well-armed people.
Cerin and Halvor spring at the first goblin...
Cerin slashes the goblin across the gut, and the goblin drops his glass tongs to clutch the gaping wound. Distracted by its near-evisceration, he doesn't even notice Halvor's blade as it neatly slices through its neck.
The other goblin pokes its tongs of molten glass at Cerin...
...but Cerin dodges the glowing honey-colored glass.
Lynnda casts a spell at the goblin who tried to burn Cerin...
...the goblin stares at her, mouth agape, for an instant, but then shakes out of it and grins balefully at the sorceress.
Kyrian grabs his bow and looks down the hall, eyeing several different possiblities. Drawing back an arrow, he finds his target and opens his mouth. "Well look at this... It's almost like it's open season!" and lets loose the arrow at the goblin on the table.
It's a tough shot, but Kyrian manages to thread the needle-- the arrow lands with a sickening THWOK into the goblin's shoulder.
Shrieking in pain, it drops its tongs dripping with molen glass onto the table. Unfortunately for the goblin, the glass lands on rags covering the table, which immediately burst into flames!
It flails and shrieks, jumping off the table. This, however, merely fans the flames and the goblin keels over just a few feet from the table. Several other goblins break off their attack to laugh at their smoldering ex-comrade.
Disgusted, Tsuto barks more orders in Goblin, and lets loose an arrow at Crein.
The arrow lands in the doorframe. Tsuto curses.
Round 2
Cerin, Krissina, and Halvor should take their actions.
Note: The square with the barrels north of the goblin and west of Cerin counts as difficult terrain; moving into that square will provoke an AOO from the goblin.
Halvor steps up and lets loose on the next goblin, stepping over the creature's fallen companion.
Krissina draws her morningstar, but confined in the small room, there's little more she can do.
Cerin and Halvor each swing their blades at the goblin, but it seems to anticipate your attacks, and ducks out of the way at the last minute with an uncanny agility.
Not seeing an opening to engage the goblin with her morningstar, Krissina utters a call to the spirits of flame and gesticulates with her free hand, mimicking picking something up and throwing it. Sparks and embers from the flaming tabletop erupt at the goblin standing next to the table, showering it with flaming debris.
Tsuto moves closer to the door as he nocks another arrow, aims at Cerin, and lets it fly, but as he releases the string, he trips over some broken glassware on the floor, and his shot is wild. The arrow strikes the brick wall and bounces harmlessly on the floor.
"Damnit! Kill them!"
Two of the goblins ignore their orders as the surround their fallen (and still smouldering) ex-comrade. One of them pokes at it with a rusty dogslicer while the other tries to wake him up by dripping molten glass on him. Neither seems to have any effect.
Another goblin stands in the doorway holding an armful of expensive-looking glassware of various sorts, which he begins hurling at Halvor. Another stands behind him and tries the same.
The glassware shatters against the walls and floor, showering you all with shards, but doing no damage.
It grins evilly at Cerin, and chatters something in its high-pitched croak.
"Mmmm! Gohbah drakhey nom-nom!"
Meanwhile, the goblin in melee with Cerin and Halvor swings its glassmaker's tongs dripping with molten glass at Cerin again...
...catching the druid on the side of the face! His cheek sizzles like a steak on the grill, and some of the hot glass sticks to the burn. The pain is searing.
Kyrian chuckles at Cerin's comment. "I've got no problem with that for sure, but see if you can clear me a path to the guy in the back, I can't get a clean shot from here with these bastards all over the place!" he says as he lets an arrow loose at the goblin just behind the door.
Kyrian's arrow bounces off a brass buckle on the goblin's armor.
Lynnda casts another spell at the goblin...
The goblin stops bouncing around and stares blankly into space for a moment.
Seeing an opening, Lynnda scambles over the barrels next to Cerin. The goblin standing in the doorway swings the jagged end of a broken glass vase at her, but she nimbly avoids getting scratched.
Round 3
Krissina, Cerin, and Halvor can take their actions.
"Cerin, are you OK?"
Lynnda's cat leaps onto a barrel just behind her.
"Cerin!" Krissina reaches out for the small Aasimar, and on her touch flicking orange shield spreads across him.
Halvor growls in frustration, swinging yet again at the diminutive creature in front of him.
Enraged that the goblin tried to melt Cerin's face off, Halvor's blade slices through the goblin's shoulder, nearly severing its right arm. Blood pours out of the wound, and the goblin slumps to the floor.
While Krissina and Cerin tend to Cerin's wound, the two goblins armed with broken glass press into the room. One unsuccessfully tries to smash a pane of window glass over Halvor's head, while the other hurls a cracked wine goblet at Lynnda, which shatters on her arm when she tries to knock it away.
Lynnda stabs at one as it passes her, but it nimbly dodges the point of her shortspear.
Tsuto screams at the other two goblins, who reluctantly leave their dead comrade alone, draw dogslicers, and close.
Tsuto fires another arrow, this time at Lynnda, who presents a slightly more obvious target. His aim is still off, however, and another arrow hits the wooden frame of the door.
Lynnda attempts to cast a spell...
...and a cone of scintillating colors bursts from her hand. The effect engulfs the two goblins in the room.
Both goblins collapse to the floor.
Kyrian's action, then new round.
Map updated, and now also linked from the top of the thread.
"Oww! You little f@&%er! Take that!"
Lynnda casts a spell, and the goblins both go down.
"Anyone else hear that? Or am I just hearing things?" Kyrian says as he lets loose another arrow.
Halvor nods in confirmation to Cerin's warning, stepping forward to continue the goblin-slaying at hand, hoping to break the little creatures' spirits and send them running.
Round 4
Halvor steps over an unconscious goblin and in one fluid motion skewers another through the gut. It slides off his blade, dead.
Lynnda moves past Halvor into the larger glass studio.
She nimbly sidesteps the goblin's dogslicer, but then she looks around the room. Taking in the sights, she puts her hand over her mouth and makes a gagging sound. Looking at Tsuto, she exclaims, "By the gods! What kind of monster are you??
Choking back bile, she casts a spell. A cone of blinding scintillating colors erputs before her outstretched hands, engulfing the half-elf.
As the colors ebb, Tsuto merely grins. "You'll have to try harder than that!"
Halvor wears a grim smile as he sends another goblin to the boneyard, boldly stepping into the room. His eyes rest on the massacre that has happened, in particular the Kaijitsu patron's final glass tomb. His stomach leaps into his throat, and he consciously works to keep the bile from spewing forth.
Moving up, Kyrian notches another arrow, this time aiming a little further towards the man who seems to be yelling out commands.
Krissina weaves her way through the corpses and around the goblin flailing
...rounds
Kyrian and Cerin both fire at Tsuto, but both misjudge the arc of their shots, which are deflected by the frame of the doorway into the glass studio.
Krissina moves past Halvor and swings her morningstar at the remaining goblin in the room. She smashes it across the chest. It grunts in pain, and also stops giggling, at least for the moment.
With a look of anger Tsuto tosses his bow aside and steps toward Lynnda. He strikes a defensive pose and balls his fists.
"After what this town did to us, you dare call me a monster?"
...hit
...miss
With the grace of a striking serpent, he strikes at the sorceress with his fists: first with his right and then his left. His right fist punches her square in the face, and Lynnda reels backward. Blood pours out of her nose.
...miss
...miss
...hit
...hit
...miss
The goblin stabs at Krissina but its badly-forged blade is deflected by her armor.
Meanwhile, in the glassworks loading room, Kyrian and Cerin see the door to the south open, and four more goblins burst into the room, all brandishing dogslicers! Two attack Kyrian, and the other two attack Cerin. Finding it difficult to defend against two combatants simultaneously, one goblin slashes deep into Cerin's forearm, while the other manages to stab Kyrian between two plates of his armor.
Round 5
Everyone please declare your actions.
His stomach churning from the sights in the room, Halvor's eyes widen as more goblins come streaming into the room he just left, sorely pressing both Kyrian and Cerin. Torn, he nods for Krissina to go help Lynnda as he attempts to hack at one of the newcomers, his stomach in knots.
Kyrian yells out after being pierced through his armor in pain. "Gah, what in the abyss is up with these little bastards and sharp rusty things!" He drops is bow and pulls out his short sword in an upward motion while trying to hit one of the goblins in front of him.
"Gods, thats... " Krissina shudders at the sight, and nearly drops her weapon before resolving to bring down Tsuto. Trying to force her way past the goblin in front of her.
Goblin's AOO- ...yikes!
Taking in the horrific sights of the glassworking studio, Krissina feels light-headed and a wave of nausea coming on. Glaring at Tsuto, she steels herself to push past the goblin, who grins evilly, but steps aside. Krissina moves past it with unexpectedly little resistance. However, it sticks out its leg as she moves by. Off-balance by both her unsuccessful bull rush and her queasiness, she stumbles over the goblin's outstretched leg, and falls face-first to the floor in an undignified manner.
Cerin and Kyrian are surprised by the sudden appearance of four goblins, and are unable to land a blow on them.
Halvor chops his sword downward at the goblin, but he still feels a bit woozy from sight of the the gruesome carnage. He shakes off that feeling as he focuses his attention on the fight.
Lynnda staggers backward, her grimace of rage supplanted by one of fear. She raises her hands and casts another spell at the half-elf.
"Wait, we're old friends! Let's put all this behind us and talk this out!"
...hit
...at -4 hp and dying.
Tsuto's eyes lose focus for a moment, but he shakes his head and his face then turns red with fury. "Old friends--what? You b!%¢#! You tried to enchant me!"
He strikes another odd defensive pose as he steps forward, and his left leg arcs upward as he pivots on his right. His sandal-clad foot connects with Lynnda's jaw, and the sorceress' head snaps hard to the right. She fall backward, landing on the floor with a dull thud, and lies motionless. Blood continues to pour from her nose and mouth, and it starts to pool around her head.
From out of the shadows, Lynnda's pet cat Shadow leaps at Tsuto's face, surprising the half-elf. It claws and bites him, scrambling over the man's head and shoulders. He curses in frustration.
Hearing the cat's yowling and Tsuto's curses, several of the goblins stop and laugh at their leader struggling with a cat!
Meanwhile in the storeroom, three goblins press their attacks against Kyrian and Cerin. This time, the adventurers are ready, and none of the goblins' blades get through their defenses.
Round 6
Your turn.
Halvor shakes off the revolting sights before him in time to see Lynnda sent heavily to the ground. A sharp intake of breath, and the warrior within takes over, the battle slowing down as he picks his mark carefully, swinging his longsword in a sidearm slash at the goblin threatening the prone redhead.