Yes, let's move!
I'm coming for you my love.
As you start down the bridge you hear a signal horn sound out behind you. As you move you see a guard step out of the guard house before dashing back in when. Seconds later you see a portcullis start rising from the ground. Making it halfway across the bridge the portcullis stops.
The portcullis looks climbable or you could jump into the water and try to swim to dry land.
As the party nears, Lazarus says, Climb or swim, do as you will! The blessings of Lorcan are with us!
"Why do either? Let's kill the ones in the guard house and lower the portcullis."
Let's go! Before they catch up! Lazarus urges.
Seeing that there was no entrance on this side, and not being particularly interested in swimming, Casius says, "Let's climb the gate. Move!"
He suits action to words by running up to the gate, dropping the chest, and preparing to climb it.
Having helped to carry the tables, Baolo worked to shift it to his back once they are in the bridge with archers on their back. Through all this, arms bulging, he continues to move, dropping the table as they neared the portcullis gate and leaping up to scale the gate itself. Though part of him thought he could leave the slower climbers behind, he also begrudgingly had to admit that he only made it this far because he worked with the others here. So should he reach the top of the gate before someone else, he lends a hand up to the next person behind him.
Saulric charges forwards with the rest of the party intent on being done with this place.
Lazarus calls for divine blessings on Casius as he climbs.
As Baolo and Saulric climb over the gate the guardhouse door opens with a barking dog charging out followed by two guards.
Casius, on the other hand, fails to get over the gate as he impaled himself on a spike on top.
Araton & Katherina, meanwhile, decide to throw the table they’re carrying off the side of the bridge. Araton then climbs on the table that Baolo and Saulric were carrying and draws his stolen longbow.
Katherina picks up the—once again—discarded chest while speaking to Grumblejack. “Grumblejack, use the table as a shield against any guards coming across the bridge.”
Lazarus once again gives Casius the favor of his god and then makes the climb himself.
Casius cries in pain as he impales his hand on the gate. Seeing the guards and the guard dog appear in front of them, however, he decides he's better off waiting here until they either flee or die.
He fixes the one of the guards with a stare, then attempts to overwhelm the guard's senses and freeze him.
His booted foot thumping on the ground, Baolo give a toothy grin as he sees the enemies approaching. "Looks like we got a bit of meat looking to get trimmed!"[/b] He shouts as he draws his weapon and uses its reach to swing at the advancing dog.
Baolo Tizden's initiative: 21
Katherina Woods's initiative: 6
Araton Fal's initiative: 15
Lazarus the Rat's initiative: 19
Saulric The Black's initiative: 6
Grumblejack's initiative: 10
Prison Guard's initiative: 14
Prison Guard's initiative: 20
Guard Dog 's initiative: 10
Prison Guard 1 HP 11/13
Prison Guard 2 HP 13/13
Guard Dog's HP 0/13
With a single swing Baolo is able to take down the dog leaving it twitching on the ground whining in pain. One of the guards charges at Baolo with a swing of his own longsword but Baolo is able to parry.
The other guard is affected by Casius’ magic which Araton tries to take advantage of by shooting him through the gaps in the gate, but the arrow bounces off his armored head.
Casius manages to extricate himself from the spike and attempts to climb down the other side of the portcullis, maintaining his stare on the guard.
These guards possible the only barrier remaining to there escape, a fury seems to take hold of Baolo. His muscles tensing and his eyes lighting up with anger, he roars You are in my way!!" as he steps back, swinging his glaive around in an rage filled attack on the guard.
Double post to roll for crit.
The glaive head almost whines with the speed and strength of the Baolo's swing. Indeed, though the guard tries to parry the blade, he does not have time to plant his feet before the weapon cleaves into the man, chopping clean through his arm. Before the man can even let out a scream of pain however, the glaive continues, biting into the guard's ribs, blood and air from the man's lungs mingling with that spewing from his arm. The force of the blow slammed the guard's body against the gate, shaking it fiercely as the half-orc wrenched the weapon from the now limp corpse. Turning his head to the other guard, Baolo simply gave a menacing grin as he hissed, "Your next!"
Lazarus makes his way down the opposite side of the street from the guard house, but doesn't engage. He knew his place in combat, and the front line wasn't it.
Saulric steps up to the guard and swing his sword down at the man's skull.
The last remaining guard seeing monstrous half-orc mutilate and murder his companion decides that sticking around for a fight he can’t win is a bad idea. Unfortunately, before he can run away, Saulric strikes him down. His last thoughts before he closes his eyes is in question of if he will ever open them again.
Lazarus doesn't stop moving at from the prison. Please tell me that person you met told you you were were too go after we got out.
Saulric walks into the guardhouse to see if there's anything that might be useful.
Casius goes into the guard house and says to Saulric, ”Help me lower the gate so we can grab the chest.”
He then lowers the gate.
Right Saulric nods before walking over and helping to turn the wheel.
Looking back towards the prison and then out towards the swamp, the half-orc mutters, "Why we going back to the prison? If we know where we need to go next, then we should run while we can."
"We aren't - we're taking some coin as recompense for our most unreasonable imprisonment. We're also letting Grumblejack, Katherina, and Araton out."
Come, let's do it, quickly! Less talk, more escaping!
After finding in turning the obvious mechanism for raising and lowering the gate as much as you could Araton runs into the guardhouse. “Raise the portcullis it will slow them down.”
As soon as our guys are out, I agree!
Once all three and the chest have been retrieved, Casius helps raise the portcullis, then says, "Now, into the moor!"
Saulric charges forward intent on getting away from Brandescar.
You run into the moors with arrows chasing you briefly as you escape their range.
The moors outside of Varyston are far from hospitable. These dark, brackish salt marshes teem with mosquitos and other buzzing pests. The good news is that the ever present shallow brine pools and streams will make tracking difficult. The bad news is that these trackless moors are a great place to get lost.
Gazing out towards the surrounding area, the half-orc tried to guess the best direction to head in order to navigate their path forward.
After escaping Branderscar Prison the forsaken branded escapees wandered the moors in search of the old Moor Road. It is Casius Flann, after two hours of searching, who finds the road.
After escaping the prison and crossing the moors with guard patrols at your heels, finding the house on the Old Moor Road pales beside your other accomplishments. As promised, a lonely lantern burns in the upper story. The place otherwise shows little sign of habitation. Old but well-appointed, the house is large, imposing and alone on its hill. Painted a dark green and surrounded by barbed wrought iron fencing, nothing about this place seems inviting or a sanctuary. Still, it is your destination. Where will you go if not here? You have an appointment to keep. Best not to keep your nameless benefactor waiting…
Saulric walks up to the door and knocks. His heavy handed strikes cause a booming sound from the aged wood.
After 2 hours of searching through the moors, Casius was tired, wet, muddy, and irritated. Having lived in the city all his life, he knew nothing of roughing it in the wilderness like this. It was quite miserable. Thinking it might not be so bad to be caught, he noticed a glimpse of light through the trees. Leading the others in that direction, he emerged to find a road, and on the other side, a large manor house with a lone lantern burning in the upper story. Somehow, they'd made it through the moor to emerge exactly where they needed to be.
Following Saulric up to the door, his hands full with the chest, he waits for someone to open the door at Saulric's knock.
Oh how the mighty have fallen! Lazarus was used to better than this. Or, rather, he used to be used to better than this. Grand parties, fine wine, nice beds. All that felt like another world. Now he was traipsing through a swamp with nothing but the clothes on his back and a makeshift holy symbol.
The shelter, such as it was, looked... disappointing. Maybe it was better on the inside.
After a moment of silence the door opens, there waiting for you is a hauntingly beautiful woman in a diaphanous white gown that makes her look almost angelic. Her hair is so platinum as to almost be white and her eyes are a vibrant almost unearthly green.
“Dearest, you took long enough,” she says pitilessly. “We were beginning to wonder if you’d ever make it. Oh, and you brought friends. The master commands all of you to appear before him but before that, you must be made presentable. Slaves!” She claps her hands. A dozen young attractive men and women all wearing very traditional servant’s livery appear quickly, their heads bowed. “These people are our guests,” she commands imperiously. “See them to their rooms. I want them cleaned, dressed and refreshed. Quickly.” There is something in that last word that sounds like a threat. Certainly the slaves take it that way, hustling to perform their duties.
When she sees Grumblejack she looks disapprovingly at the ogre. “You seemed to have gained a pet, dearest,” she says snidely.
“Grumblejack not pet. Grumblejack fearsome monster!”
“A monster? Hah! Get in my way, little ogre, and I’ll show you what a real monster looks like. Now, my slaves will show you to your rooms. And maybe we’ll even find a place to cage up your pet ogre.”
Grumblejack watches her leave and leans over and whispers in Casius’ ear, “Grumblejack not like her. Someday, Grumblejack eat her.”