Ami leans in to whisper his thanks to his brother, grabbing two of the pots for himself.
"Thank you, brother. See? This wasn't go bad."
Ami stows the pots in his pouch, confident he'll need them soon enough.
"Time for us to go kill some gnolls, Brother? Unless she has other wares that might help us?" Ami looks around for anything that might be useful in killing gnolls.
Mahdi forces his way through Undrella's 'attentions' with a smile fixed on his face.
"If your friends can see the profit of mutual trade, following your own wise example, then there is no need for violence between them and us," he says.
His smile falters slightly at the long list of potential enemies that remain for them. Mahdi is silent in thought for a little while, as negotiations over alchemists' fires are conducted.
"You have been most helpful, my clever lady. I shall return as quickly as I may... and bring some token of my affection," he says with a low bow, and a kiss to the harpy's hand. He holds his breath while doing so, and does his best not to gag.
Fortunately, dissecting frogs for spell components has given him a strong stomach to the stink of the harpy's filth-crusted hands.
Once they're out the door, Mahdi hurriedly snatches up his waterskin and rinses his mouth off, thoroughly. Ech.
"...I am really going to have to think of what to do once we are victorious," he mutters. The thought of enduring her attentions in truth.... Mahdi winces at the idea of those clawed hands on his tender bits.
"However, that is a conditional, isn't it? We still have quite a list of foes that stand between us and command of Kelmarene. I suggest we try slipping in from one of the other entrances she mentioned; what say all of you?"
"I suggest we try slipping in from one of the other entrances she mentioned; what say all of you?"
Ami looks at his brother to see what he thinks before deciding.
My brother is a great at leading. He'll make the right choice. He knows how we can kill the most gnolls.
Pent walks with the others towards the Battle Market. "'Token of my affection', yeah, right. We already had her at 'Almah's alright allowing altruistic allies'. But you had to go and promise her your token." Pent looks across at their destination.
"Let 'em think we're tackling them by the south entrance, yeh. Take use of the keys, and weasel our way in, whittling them down to a more reasonable size, yeh. Don't let them leverage their legion against us, yeh." Pent waits for the others to decide what makes their kind of sense.
"I suggest we try slipping in from one of the other entrances she mentioned; what say all of you?"Ami looks at his brother to see what he thinks before deciding.
"Mahdi's right, let's go in through an unexpected direction. Maybe we can catch a few of the groups in smaller numbers and we can thin the herd - or fall back as needed between bouts."
"There are a large number of forces arrayed against us, so be careful and take your opponent down quickly and cleanly. If we need to fall back, I'll take up the rear as I can heal myself as we fight and so might last longer. With luck" he winks at his brother.
"I suggest we go up the hill the way we did last time - over those bridges. Hopefully they haven't discovered they're stable now and won't be watching in that direction. From there, let's follow along the ridge staying out of site until we reach the backside of the market and we'll try these keys from there."
Aldebert thinks a moment. "Oh, if we need to retreat, try to take the bridge route again and destroy the bridges after you pass, but before I do. I have that ring of feather fall - I can just jump off the side of the hill after buying a little time for you to wreck the bridges."
"Sarah sets her Light in the West, so I suggest we secure that door as our entrance." Pent makes his way closer to the doors, taking the precaution of listening around before the clunkier member of the party rolls up. His eyes keep roaming back to the sentry post, and his fallen comrade. He squeezes his thighs together, enjoying the fur, and gains a brighter step while he loses his nostalgia.
Pent can't hear anything through the door, nor does he spot anything unusual in its immediate vicinity.
Pent looks over the two keys. Trying to get a sense of which one he needs to use, he puts the key ring in his mouth, and starts pounding his fist three times, his hand exploding one finger outward. He does it again, this time two fingers produced. He shakes his head, slamming fist to palm a third time...
Pent moves to unlock the door with the first key. He looks to the hinges, hoping that as he swings the door open, he will be behind it. If not, he turns the key(assuming it works, otherwise he tries the second key), then steps out of the way, letting others access the newly unlocked door. He flourishes encouragement, but keeps silent.
Aldebert quickly steps through the open door and scans for evil as per Detect Evil unless he sees a Gnoll in which case he attacks immediately if he can reach it.
Amiamble follows his brother, excited for the possibility of more gnoll killing. His excitement transfers to Yeenoghu, who quivers and jumps at every sound.
At the west door, Ami will move up to his brother and cast Barkskin on him.
"This will protect you, Brother. You will slay many gnolls today. I'm sure of it."
As the door is opened, Ami will load his slingstaff. He awaits the chance to bring Sarenrae's cleansing judgement.
Mahdi stays in the back, holding his breath as the door is tested. He readies one of his simplest-- yet effective-- spells: a simple dazing cantrip, in case a hostile foe waits on the other side of that door.
At the west door, Ami will move up to his brother and cast Barkskin on him.
"This will protect you, Brother. You will slay many gnolls today. I'm sure of it."
"Thank you brother!" Aldebert hisses, whispering back to his brother with pride just before he leaps through the door.
Kul suppresses a cough and shifts his Falchion from hand to hand, ready to spring into action as soon as the door opens.
Pent flicks Kul in the arm , and waits for Madhi to enter, before passing into the Battle Market, and taking in the interior as best he can.
We leave your light, Sarah, but only for a little while. Know that I carry it close, and am ready to serve You, by protecting these eager beavers. Our enemy hides within the bowels of this building, afraid of Your judgment, but we'll bring it to them quickly enough, don't You worry none.
The largest of the two keys easily fits in the lock, but the hinges of the rarely used door screech as Pent pulls the door towards him.
Stepping inside, Aldebert sees a door almost immediately to his right , while to his left there's a staircase leading to an upper floor. Next to the staircase is a raised platform, on which Aldebert can see a table surrounded by four chairs, none currently occupied. Noises of tankards and drunken laughter, as well as food smells, suggests that this table may be part of some sort of bar or tavern.
Directly ahead is a huge, arena-like room dominated by a massive circular wooden stage, its surfaced stained by something that may be dried blood. Several rows of terraced benches surround this stage, which is bathed in natural sunlight coming from above. Further east, Aldebert can just make out a number of market stalls illumined by torches.
About twenty feet above is a large, open balcony circling the battle market, although from where he stands Aldebert can't see what might be up there.
The evil-detection produces no results; if something or someone nearby is evil, it's not strong enough to detect.
***
Kul moves up to R5 and readies an attack on the first enemy to approach.
"This is a big room, prepare to defend this entrance. Worst case scenario, we fall back and take a stand at the doorway."
Aldebert nods to Kul, "Got it."
He then takes a 5' step to S3 and listens at the door.
If he doesn't hear anything, he'll open it as quietly as he can and peer inside. He'll stop detecting evil as it's slowing him down.
Pent wanders in, expecting to hear gnashing of teeth and clashing of metal. When he smells of gnoshing and clinking instead, he moves closer to confirm the merriment. Men with tankards in hand won't have ticklers at hand.
Amiamble follows his brother into the battlemarket, moving to Q4.
He and his cat try to keep quiet.
Perception
He awaits instructions from Kul or Aldebert.
Pent's attempts at a stealthy approach to the tavern are somewhat ruined by Kul moving up behind him, and the nearest of the gathered guests all look towards you as you come within sight.
A massive ogre sits on a large chest by one corner of a long bar counter (behind the counter, a gnoll sporting an eyepatch seems to function as bartender and cook), while a trio of bugbears sit on ordinary barstools nearby, all four with tankards in hand. Several morningstars, shields, and javelins lie on the floor behind the bugbears.
The ogre grins, nods towards the central stage, and says in very broken Common, "You come, fight Hurvank?" It doesn't rise from its chest-stool, awaiting an affirmative answer or motion to that effect.
Further away, three humans that you recognize from your earlier reconnaissance sit around a table, eating, drinking, and talking quietly among themselves. Each seems to keep an eye on the various market stalls spread out along the eastern half of the battle market, and don't appear to have noticed you yet.
Once the door is opened, you look in on a long, curved hallway with several closed doors along the inner wall. You both hear sounds of muffled movement from behind the nearest of these doors, as if multiple individuals are trying to move without making noise.
In addition to the noises coming from the nearest door within the curved hallway, from further along that hallway you hear a noise similar to that of someone using a whetstone to sharpen a blade.
From the tavern-area, you hear someone unseen saying "You come, fight Hurvank?" after Kul and Pent move forward in that direction.
***
Pent chuckles as he looks up at the massive creature. "Hoo, hoo! You talking to me, master Ogre? I wouldn't bring even a drop of sweat to your forehead, for all the work you'd make of me. I heard there was... entertainment in and around here." Pent keeps his crossbow lowered, trying to look as small as possible.
"Oh, but you weren't talking to me, were you?" Pent looks over at Kul. "What do you say, Yaki? This one wants a fight, center stage. You feeling well enough, with your pox and all?" Pent chuckles again, this time awkwardly.
Amiamble looks to his brother, wondering what to do next.
My brother understands these things.
On hearing Pent speaking for the party to some unknown ogre, Aldebert reflexively shudders. Getting a hold of himself, he closes the door as quietly as he opened it. He looks around for something to wedge it shut, but finding nothing he shrugs and looks at his brother.
He puts his finger to his lips in a 'shushing' motion, but says nothing. He takes a 5' step to R4 and listens - ready to leap into combat at a moments notice. For now, he awaits Kul's comments.
Ami nods to his brother, smashing his tiny fist into his tiny palm, making the 'whatfor' gesture. It's clear that battle is about to begin and many gnolls will be killed this day.
Ami reflexively pets Yeen, keeping the cat quiet until it is time to pounce.
Mahdi closes his eyes briefly in pained frustration at hearing the loud voice bellowing its simple phrase. So much for stealth, it seems.
He glances at Aldebert and Ami in their waiting-to-join-the fray poses, then strides past them with a swish of his robes.
He takes in the motley assembled brutes with a quick eye, mind racing. Not open war yet, but by the big voice's words, a challenge...? Fighting one, even a brute of a brute, is better than fighting everyone. Simple mathematics.
And judging by the expectant look of the (dear gods) ogre... that must be Hurvank.
"Yes," Mahdi says crisply, talking loudly as one tends to when one thinks that volume is the way to get through to a dumb person. "We have heard of your mighty strength as a warrior! But do you fight only one at a time, or is Hurvank strong enough to fight many?"
Kul says under his breath to his companions, "I'm not fighting anyone in an arena. I'm no trained monkey. If we're fighting, it's going to be strictly barroom rules and I say we start with the ogre."
After hearing Kul, Ami casts Divine Favor, channeling it to Yeenoghu.
Time for the whatfor!
By now the three humans at the other end of the bar have also taken an interest in the commotion, although they too remain seated (and continue looking towards their market stalls at regular intervals).
The ogre smiles broadly as Mahdi lauds his mighty strength, but the smile falters somewhat as the wizard speaks of fighting many. The ogre quickly finds his bravado once more, thumps his chest and takes a huge swig of his tankard, then bellows "Hurvank fight anyone! One, two, many!"
Kul hisses, "Fine!" and springs across the bar, readying his Falchion, and swinging it at the ogre as he moves.
***
Current Initiative order:
21 - Kul and Mahdi (delayed from 22)
19 - bugbears
11 - Amiamble (w/Yeenoghu)
9 - gnoll
8 - ogre
6 - Aldebert
3 - Pent
***
Leaping across the bar, Kul easily sinks his falchion into the ogre's flesh along his way, opening up a huge gash in the creature's side.
***
Mahdi's eyes open wide as Kul lunges into the fight. Nethys's black-and-white balls.
Well. Clearly they are fighting now. He can only hope that the other inhabitants of the bar will treat this as the challenge combat rather than a free-for-all.
"Then we accept your challenge!" he yells, for the benefit of the 'spectators', and he quickly snatches a tiny bit of mica out of his belt-pouch and tosses it up into the air, fingers sketching symbols.
He hesitates a fraction of a second, deciding where to will the cloud into being-- focus only on the ogre, or risk involving all the others...? Dammit, planning-- ah, devils take it. A cloud of brilliantly-shiny little flakes of gold dust settles around not only the ogre's head, but the bugbears and gnoll as well.
Two of the bugbears and the gnoll bartender find themselves blinded by the golden dust trickling into their eyes, while the ogre and one bugbear resist the blindness.
***
The sighted bugbear yells a curse, both at seeing his champion already wounded, and at the fighting happening right there at the bar rather than in appropriate forms on stage. He gets off his barstool, and spends several seconds gathering his weapons and shield from the floor where he'd left them.
The two blinded bugbears spend their entire turns rubbing at their eyes in the hopes of getting rid of the dust.
But neither is successful in doing so.
***
Round 1, Init 11
Ami moves to R8 fires his slingstaff at the not-blind ogre.
to hit; (melee)
damage.
Yeen will ready to claw any baddies that come close:
to hit; (claw, div favor)
damage. (div favor)
Ami:
HP 27/27
F +3/R +5/W +5
AC 18 (4 armor, 3 dex, 1 size)
Lvl 2: 3/4 left
Lvl 1: 4/7 left
Yeen:
HP 28/28
F +3/R +8/W +5
AC 22 (+4 NA, +4 Dex, +4 mage armor)
Amiamble's slingshot strikes the ogre as easily as Kul's falchion, leaving the big brute looking decidedly less-than-healthy.
***
The gnoll bartender, blinded on both eyes as opposed to the usual one, shouts as loudly as he can while cowering down behind the bar counter.
***
The ogre, already close to falling as a result of its injuries, looks stupidly at the huge gash in its side and the big bump resulting from the slingshot. Shouting "No fair! Cheaters!", it attempts to close its huge hands about Kul's neck, hoping to strangle the life from its foe.
Barely succeeding, it then rises from its bar-stool-chest, intending to use the increased leverage for even more powerful neck-squeezing.
***
Seeing Kul grabbed, Mahdi shouts quick words in Ignan. "Free-as-flame!"
Round: 1, Initiative: 6, Location: R4->O6
Weapon Equipped = Guisarme
Conditions = Endure Elements, Barkskin (+2 natural AC) (1 of 40m)
Smite Evil = 2/2 (+2 attack, +4 damage, +2 AC)
Lay on Hands = 4/4 (2d6 healing +1d6 if not fatigued)
Spells (caster level 1, concentration +3)
1) Hero's Defiance
Aldebert rushes into the room after his brother, turning before the table and pressing to the Ogre.
***
Aldebert's guisarme provides even more bloodflow from the already severely injured ogre, but it doesn't yet succumb to those injuries.
***
Round 1, Init 3
AC = 13
HP = 30
Weapon Equipped = Light Crossbow
Condition(s) = Quite impressed
Pent watches Kul launch at the ogre, and frowns. "Hey!! I coulda taken bets on you, Yaki!! Now we gotta deal with them all at the same time, you lunk!!"
The gnome levels his elbow on the table, bringing his holy symbol to bear, and his middle finger to ambiguously flip off both Kul and Hurvank. A brilliant scimitar, similar to the force blade that produced no effect whatsoever on the demon, blinks into being right next to the ogre, and swings mightily.
Seeing the brilliant scimitar strike the ogre, Ami smiles at the gnome. He smashes his tiny fist into his tiny palm, making the 'giving the whatfor' gesture. His eyes gleam with happy battlelust.
Immediate Action Round 1 -- Liberating Command
Kul manages to extract himself from the ogre's clutches just as Pent's spiritual scimitar cuts the massive creature down. The ogre crashes down on the chest it sat on, its limbs sprawling onto the floor.
***
The three humans, figuring now's as good a time as any to vacate the makeshift battleground, quickly rise from their meals and make their way towards their respective market stalls (although only one actually makes it that far in this round). Even so, they keep much of their attention on the battle at hand.
***
AC = 18 (16 if Grappled)
HP = 40
Weapon Equipped = Mwk Cold Iron Falchion
Condition = Diseased w/ Gray Pox & Filth Fever (remission for 2 days). 2 STR Damage
Round 2 -- Initiative 21
Kul moves farther into the bar () and takes an overhead chop on the bugbear on his right ().
Seeing the humans migrating out, Mahdi calls out to them in faux-cheerful tones, "Gentlemen! We've no quarrel with you. In fact, I should love to talk business..."
He strides forward and gestures, flame roiling up from his fingertips.
"....when I am not otherwise occupied."
A burst of fire washes out from his hands, over the two blinded bugbears.
***
Kul fells the only sighted bugbear with a single vicious chop of his falchion, the fire-wreathed Mahdi sets the nearest blind bugbear on fire, while the last bugbear somehow manages to evade the worst of the flames.
***
Both bugbears, unseeing, unarmed, and generally unhappy, attempt to run away as quickly as bugbearedly possible, but they both stumble and fall among the assorted barstools and their own discarded weapons.
***
Round 2, Init 11
Ami moves to M13 fires his slingstaff at the human #2.
to hit;
damage.
"On your knees, humans!"
Yeen will ready to claw any baddies that come close:
to hit; (claw, div favor)
damage. (div favor)
Ami:
HP 27/27
F +3/R +5/W +5
AC 18 (4 armor, 3 dex, 1 size)
Lvl 2: 3/4 left
Lvl 1: 4/7 left
Natural Divinations:
+4 Init: 1/1 left
+10 competence 1 skill check: 1/1 left
[ dice]1d20+8
[ dice]1d6+2
Yeen:
HP 28/28
F +3/R +8/W +5
AC 22 (+4 NA, +4 Dex, +4 mage armor)
[ dice]1d20+5[/ dice] to hit; (bite)
[ dice]1d6+2[/ dice] damage;
[ dice]1d20+5[/ dice] to hit; (claw)
[ dice]1d4+2[/ dice] damage;
[ dice]1d20+5[/ dice] to hit; (claw)
[ dice]1d4+2[/ dice] damage;
Amiamble's stone easily hits the merchant, nearly bringing him to his knees by the sheer force of impact alone. All three of them look wide-eyed and gape-jawed at Amiamble following the unprovoked attack, before they all decide that keeping an eye on the battle wasn't such a great idea after all, and run even faster towards their respective market stalls, far too terrified to even consider heeding Amiamble's command.
***
The blinded gnoll bartender/chef continues cowering behind the bar counter, whimpering in fear.
***
The door at U8/9 is suddenly flung open, and several armed gnolls emerge to take on the intruders, the first three flinging spears at the most obvious combatants as they approach.
All three spears fly harmlessly past or over their targets.
***
Round: 2, Initiative: 6, Location: O6->R7
Weapon Equipped = Guisarme
Conditions = Endure Elements, Barkskin (+2 natural AC) (1 of 40m)
Smite Evil = 2/2 (+2 attack, +4 damage, +2 AC)
Lay on Hands = 4/4 (2d6 healing +1d6 if not fatigued)
Spells (caster level 1, concentration +3)
1) Hero's Defiance
Aldebert, pleased at the Ogre’s swift felling, reverses course to face the new enemies. He swings his Guisarme down upon the Gnoll (#4).
"Brother, watch your back! Gnolls!"
Round 2, Init 3
AC = 13
HP = 30/30
Weapon Equipped = Light Crossbow
Condition(s) = a little titillated, to be honest
Pent casts his hearing to the higher floor.
If he hears more approaching troops, he calls upon Sarah to gird all loins.
Pent watches the tall oak of an ogre fall to the might of Sarah, and regrets what would have been outstanding returns on the odds, Kul looking so sickly at the moment. He turns to the new front of foes, as he watches Aldebert bound past him. He decides to carry the Saratar over to join him.
Aldebert's guisarme and Pent's saratar nearly combine to cut their targeted gnoll down, but the creature remains on its feet.
You don't hear anything resembling more approaching troops.
***
The humans dive into their market stalls, staying as far out of sight as they can. On his way, the one who was struck by Amiamble's stone stops long enough to shout "Haleen!! Haleen!! They're attacking !!"
***