Over a meager breakfast Perfire again opens the discussion of what their next course of action is. 'I still haven't thought of a way further into the spire aside from the spider-pit. I think our best course of action, for now, is to go face Grulk. He's too much of a threat for us to leave him to ambush us at some point from the dark when we're at our weakest.'
"There's still rooms Colcille hasn't examined. Let us show her them first. As for betraying this Grulk..." Lilika tilts her head to the side then back again, in a clear gesture of indifference.
"He's held up his end o' the bargain so far, Perry. Though a bugbear he may be, if'n we attack him, WE'RE the ones breakin' our word, an' Erastil don't have truck with word-breakers," Wymond replies. "I agree with Lili that we should show Colcille the other spots down 'ere. Maybe there's a way down in one of 'em we couldn't get to without her. If not...well, we got rope. We could always climb down into the pit if that's the only way down."
"There's also the matter of the darkness up there. It's stronger than my torch, which can usually fight even magical darkness, we aren't equipped to deal with it. Let's go see what's around here."
With Lilika showing where the traps they already detected are, Colcille starts methodically looking for any other secret door on the walls.
Colcille finds a few more secret doors, but they all lead to places you've explored.
"Down the pit we go, then? Perry, do you mind lighting up a stone and dropping it, so we see where this is going?"
"Well, good thing we've got this place all cleared out. It'll make a good fall-back point as we descend further. We're all rested an' recovered, I imagine we'll be able to finish off that lot down below once an' for all."
Perfire finds a loose stone and suffuses it with magical light before dropping it down the large pit.
Lilika watches to see how far it falls...
The web-filled shaft descends about forty feet (there is an iron ladder) to a landing. From there, stairs lead downward.
'Well, at least we won't need to tie off a rope. Who wants to lead the way?' Perfire asks, crouching at the edge of the pit.
Lilika checks for traps and other dangers...
...if the ladder is sturdy and stable...
...and how recently used the spider webs are...
It all looks very ancient, but still solid. The only recent cobwebs are the smaller sort.
"Want me te go first?" Wymond asks the others.
"No problem, I'll scout ahead first. If everything's quiet, you can follow, and if it's not, well, please do it anyway."
Colcille moves down the ladder, stopping one step before touching the ground and scanning for any traps.
The ladder is untrapped and leads down to a wide landing. From there, a wide staircase descends into darkness.
"Safe as safe can be! Come one, come all, and welcome to another level of the Emerald Spire!"
Wymond makes some space in his backpack and then puts Triath inside, his head poking out of the top as Wymond dons the backpack anew and begins his own descent, the ladder creaking a bit under his heavily armored bulk.
Broad stone stairs open into a small, irregularly shaped chamber lit by oil lamps. To the east, a short flight of steps leads up to a sturdy door set in the middle of a wall and flanked by arrow slits. To the north, a wide gate of iron bars blocks an archway leading to a larger chamber filled with the eerie green glow of the Emerald Spire.
Colcille flips a silver coin, snatching it out of the air and pressing it against the back of her other hand.
"Tails! I welcome the challenge of yet another iron door." she announces, moving to examine the northern gate.
Lilika follows the others. At the sight of the flickering lamps and arrow slits she takes a few steps back, being sure to stay out of sight.
Hidden from view of the arrow slits she waits silently for Colcille to open the way forward.
Perfire wipes his hands on his leggings and squints into the darkness ahead.
"Hold it!" A voice rings out from the right. It's coming from the arrow slits. "Who goes there?"
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"By the Bloody Bones of St. Gilmorg, who wants to know?!" Wymond bellows back.
"The guy with an arbalest pointed at your friend's skull," comes the reply. "Now just who in the hell are you?"
Colcille's mouth starts moving as quickly as her thoughts, improvising an explanation that is also technically not a lie. "Ah, serendipitous to find other souls around here. As we Elves say, je pense que ce sont les malfaiteurs d'hier, right, Lili? We are just explorers of the Spire, by the by, and I myself would have no problems with just passing through and being on our merry way. Whatcha think o'that?"
Lilika remains still and silent...
There is silence from behind the wall for nearly twenty seconds. Maybe a bit of whispering. Then...
The whispers are warning enough to Colcille, who steps back into cover. "Back, back, back, folks. Not a great engagement."
Wymond nods at Colcille's words, taking up a position at the corner, ready to wallop anyone who comes around said corner.
"You lot realize we're not just gonna go away, right? That's what always happens with bad eggs like you. Ye may have success robbin' a few merchants who don't 'ave the steel te fight back, but eventually ye get too infamous an' start attractin' would-be-heroes lookin' te take ye down. We may just be the first, but we ain't gonna be the last. Yer days in the Spire are numbered!"
"Big talk from a guy hidin' around the corner," comes the response. "Come on out here and make your speeches where we can see you."
"Yeah," says another voice. "Or send back your girlfriend. Her, we'll let in."
Clearly, they're not buying what you're selling, Wymond.
"I'm not your mother, you'ven't got gold enough to afford me!" quips back Colcille, before heading back towards the iron ladder.
"I've a smokestick if we want cover, or we can take the other way around. Perry, d'you know useful tricks? Lili, please, take the hint if I'm trying to pass a secret message. Maybe we should all learn a bit of Halfling, eh?"
'Most of what I've been able to do I'd need to be able to see them to make happen. I could maybe try to distract them by levitating a small stone or torch out there' He offers
"Big talk from a guy hidin' around the corner," comes the response. "Come on out here and make your speeches where we can see you."
"Yeah," says another voice. "Or send back your girlfriend. Her, we'll let in."
Clearly, they're not buying what you're selling, Wymond.
"And open myself up to a flurry o' crossbow bolts? No chance! We paladins are honorable, not stupid!" Wymond retorts with a snort.
"We seem to be at loggerheads," he says to the others.
Lilika raises an eyebrow at Colcille. "I didn't deem it important enough to risk letting them know I was here. Better they think there's less of us than there are," she whispers.
She pulls out a smokestick and nods at Colcille. "I've got the cover. You handle the gate."
When Colcille looks ready Lilika cracks the smokestick and tosses it into the hallway. Then she draws another, moves behind the smokecloud, cracks it, and tosses it a little further forward.
Thieves' tools in hand, Colcille moves behind the cover of the smoke, twisting and turning to make herself a slippery target. As she gets to the door, she sets to work on the lock.
"Hey! Why you little..." The crossbowmen open fire when Lilika tosses her smokesticks, but they're not trigger-happy, so the first one lands and begins smoking before they get off a shot. Fewer people can see her by then and only one takes a shot at her. The quarrel hits her a glancing blow off the shoulder, its impact deflected by her armor.
Other quarrels emerge from the smoke, swift messengers of death, but miss the half-elf druid and smash into the far wall.
When the arrow slits are obscured by smoke, Colcille runs lightly across the killing ground to inspect the northern gate. It is heavy and without a lock. It must be operated by a chain or rope from elsewhere. Colcille knows that Wymond is quite strong, but wonders whether he'd be strong enough to bend these bars enough to let her slip through.
"Hey! Why you little..." The crossbowmen open fire when Lilika tosses her smokesticks, but they're not trigger-happy, so the first one lands and begins smoking before they get off a shot. Fewer people can see her by then and only one takes a shot at her. The quarrel hits her a glancing blow off the shoulder, its impact deflected by her armor.
Other quarrels emerge from the smoke, swift messengers of death, but miss the half-elf druid and smash into the far wall.
[dice=Light Crossbow v. Lilika]1d20+5;1d8
When the arrow slits are obscured by smoke, Colcille runs lightly across the killing ground to inspect the northern gate. It is heavy and without a lock. It must be operated by a chain or rope from elsewhere. Colcille knows that Wymond is quite strong, but wonders whether he'd be strong enough to bend these bars enough to let her slip through.
Wymond grips his bardiche firmly, awaiting the tactical advice of his friends.
Perfire inches up towards Wymond. 'Can you see what's happening?' He whispers to his friend.
Wymond coughs.
"O'course not! How would I, she just threw a smokestick?!" he whispers back. "But it sounds like they just tried shootin' an' missed."
Colcille curses in Sylvan between her teeth, then moves quietly behind the cover of the smokescreen.
Arrows continue to fly out of the smoke, aimed at nothing but making life difficult. Colcille manages to sidle up to the door. At this point, she is dimly visible to the defenders of the gate. "There's one! Shoot!"
An crossbow quarrel comes very close to Colcille, but flies past her into the smoke.
Under the cover of the smoke, Colcille sets to work on the bandits' door, trying to open the lock.