Zan moves after Acacius to help get the survivors out of the burning house.
Staginsdar Household - Round 6 - concluded
Getting to her feet, groggily but with increasing steadiness, Nakoma calls forth a divine spell from Desna which mends a few of her wounds, and lets her continue in the action.
End of Round 6
Staginsdar Household -Round 7 - continued
18 Zan
8 Zirelle (4hp dmg, 4 NL; needs DC 18 Fort)
5 Acacius
10 Nakoma (6hp dmg)
Zan hurries as fast as he can across the debris and into the burning house. As soon as he enters the smoke threatens to overwhelm him, but he does hear the slowly weakening coughs of Zirelle next to him, as she points farther in where Agrit and Sarah are.
Unable to form clear words, Zirelle can only point and cough, dramatically motioning for them to go in the house and find Sara and Agrit.
Acacius throws down more weapons and his shield, and hurries to door, but his heavy armor slows him a bit and he can only make it to the doorway, as smoke billows out and Zan slips inside.
Acacius will immediately move towards where Zirelle pointed, seeking people, but inhales a big lungful of smoke for his trouble.
Zan will move to help Agrit and Sarah knowing Acacius is not far but that time is of the essence. "Where are you?"
Nakoma has a sudden feeling of lightness overcome her, while one of her hideous burn scars on her legs begins to glow from within, its shape now looking something like a butterfly.
She dashes off across the rubble, brushes past Acacius and Zan, and ends up inside the first room in the house.
She looks around for any sign of Sara and Angrit.
Thankfully--for the moment--she's managed to resist the smoke.
Staginsdar Household - Round 7 - concluded
Moving swiftly through the difficult terrain, Nakoma shoulders her way past the others unaffected by the smoke so far. In the inside room, she finds Sara Morninghawk unconscious and pinned under a large timber beam from the destroyed ceiling of the house. Nearby, Agrit sobs and chokes, her skin an alarming blue color. The beam is incredibly heavy and AGrit cannot remove it by herself.
As Nakoma surveys the scene and grabs Zan to help him locate the situation, another great timber falls in the back of the house, the entire roof collapsing with a great rush of flames and sparks. The house is clearly no longer stable. Time is running out!
Staginsdar Household - Round 8
18 Zan (made DC 16 Fort)
8 Zirelle (4hp dmg, 7 NL, unconscious)
5 Acacius (needs DC 16 Fort
10 Nakoma (6hp dmg, needs DC 16 Fort
Zan still is unaffected by the smoke and with Nakoma's aid he surveys the situation, moving to one end of the beam, while Agrit gets the other side.
Acacius is overcoming with coughing and wheezing and cannot help lift the beam.
Zirelle is slumped on the ground, losing another HP from smoke damage.
Zan starts coughing, the smoke finally getting to him.
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Ignoring the smoke, Nakoma helps Agrit and Zan lift the beam.
Acacius continues to hack and choke on the fumes. He is not overcome, but he is not doing well.
(Zirelle remains unconscious.)
Staginsdar Household - Round 8 - concluded
Knowing it all comes down to her, and even though her lungs burn with the searing smoke, Nakoma overcomes the urge to cough and retch and helps Agrit and Zan lift the beam from Sara's unconscious form.
As she does so, one of the outer walls, gives way, in a hellish display of rushing flame and falling timber. The lack of support brings the burning ceiling down another foot or so, threatening to drop in the entire roof on anyone caught inside.
Staginsdar Household - Round 9
18 Zan (needs DC 17 Fort)
8 Zirelle (5hp dmg, 7 NL, unconscious)
5 Acacius (coughing, needs DC 17 Fort
10 Nakoma (6hp dmg, needs DC 17 Fort)
Agrit starts dragging the unconscious Sara towards the door, screaming at the rest of you. "The whole building is coming down. Get out of here, NOW!"
Acacius continues to be overcome by the smoke, taking some damage as the smoke inhalation burns his lungs and mucus membranes.
His lungs on fire Zan grabs Acacius forcefully around the waste and starts dragging the heavily armoured man forcefully towards safety. Desna, help clear our path so we may walk beneath the stars once more. He says the impromptu prayer in his mind and somehow it all seems easier for just a moment.
As Nakoma lets go of the beam and the roof shudders above her, she begins to cough and hack.
Staginsdar Household - Round 9 - concluded
Zan seems untroubled by the heavy, acrid smoke as he pushes Acacius back into the relatively fresh air of the orc assault. Both men breath easier here, clearing their lungs in case they have to go back inside.
Agrit kneels in the dirt near the ruined house, trying unsuccessfully so far, to revive Sarah Morninghawk.
Back inside, Nakoma sucks in a lungful fo the burning smoke, and bends over retching and coughing hands on knees, looking at the unconscious Zirelle as she struggles to regain her breath.
End of Round 9
Staginsdar Household - Round 10
18 Zan
8 Zirelle (6hp dmg, 7 NL, unconscious)
5 Acacius
10 Nakoma (6hp dmg, needs DC 18 Fort, coughing)
It is barely more than a minute since you first started the fight with the orcs near the burning house, and while it seems like an eternity, the house cannot take it much more. You feel it shudder under the pressure of the flames filling it, but with Zirelle and Nakoma still inside, Zan and Acacius look at each other, knowing what they must do.
Acacius has not time to thank Zan, before they must rush back inside.
He does not relish the smoke, but abandoning sisters in arms is not an option he considers.
Zan takes a deep lungful of fresh air before charging back into the building looking for survivors.
STaginsdar Household - Round 10 - concluded
With fresh air re-energizing them, the boys are able to dash into the smoke filled house, grab one of the women, and make it back out again.
Just as Acacius, carrying Zirelle, leaves the doorway, the whole building collapses in a rain of fiery debris and sparks.
End of Combat Rounds
Acacius moves to where he dropped his sword and shield, gently placing Zirelle on the ground. After looking around to make sure there are no immediate threats, he will try to resuscitate her.
Nakoma, coughs and hacks inside the smoky building, overcome with memories of another fire... The screams.... The smell.... The pain... The scars that blaze left weren't just on her twisted flesh. She coughs as the building sways above her.
But then someone's got her, and then she's outside. As Zan puts her down she coughs and hacks the smoke out of her lungs. She raises a hand at him in thanks, as she catches her breath.
Finally back to her senses, she looks at the others--Sara, Angrit, and Zirelle. Were they alright?
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Acacius quickly retrieves his polearm and stows it on his back.
"Let's get the wounded back to the aid station."
He then hoists the heaviest of the unconscious in his arms and makes for the barricade.
His gear covered with soot Zan starts helping people to their feet and along if he can help it. Fighting orcs was one thing but running into burning buildings was new. "As Acacius says."
Nakoma opens her mouth to speak, but only a dry croak comes out. Instead she nods, and helps the others along to the healers.
Bringing the wounded to the acolytes at the aid station near the barricade, everyone is pleasantly surprised when the clerics heal everyone, including Sara and Agrit. The town leaders effusively thank the heroes, and head back up to the Longhouse to help prepare for the defense even after the complete destruction of their home.
Zan thanks the clerics before he moves to the buildings to the South West first wanting to properly check them out for enemies or civilians in need of rescue.
Acacius gives thanks to the healers for their work, and follows Zan, trying to coordinate with him so as to search the buildings most efficiently. He grasps his polearm tightly; he will have need of it again soon, perhaps very soon.
Nakoma sighs in relief to find Sara's alright, then follows Zen back past the barricade and up to the next building.
Zirelle wakes up to find that everything is okay and she feels great. She thanks the healers for helping her, and her companions for pulling her from the burning building, and she hugs Agrit and Sara, very relived that that they are okay.
She follows the rest of the party.
The first two large buildings NW of the barricade are abandoned homes which have been damaged by the siege engine missiles, but not set alight yet. The third building, which is smaller, is the Killin' Ground, a popular bar in Trunau which has a retractable canvas roof and walls built around the wooden floor, so that the owner, a roughneck named Rabus Clarendon wants to clean the place, he cah simply open the roof and walls, and let the rain wash the place clean.
There seems to be some sort of ruckus going on inside the bar, sounds like deep, thrumming singing.
Nakoma holds up a hand for everyone to stop at the sound of the singing. She mutters a prayer over herself and then the others.
Gripping her starknife, she gives the group a nod.
"Ready."
Acacius nods back to Nakoma, his polearm ready.
"Ready."
Zirelle opens the door, but stands aside, allowing the toughest group members to enter first.
Acacius rushes for the door, his polearm out so as to strike down anyone counter-charging the group.
The door opens into a dark room, lit by a few smoky lanterns hanging from the rafters. Inside, it appears is a slaughterhouse. Blood spatters the canvas walls and pools on the floor from a dozen or more slain townspeople, including, you see, the former proprietor Rabus Clarenston, who has an axe-wound in his chest.
Standing at the bar, drinking and singing merrily are a pair of thugs with longspears, long braided beards, and red-hair. The tattoes and clothing identify them as Freedom Town thugs.
Behind the bar, a half-orc with a greataxe and bottle of Clarenston's homemade moonshine. The trio have killed all inside the bar, and have stayed to drink the contents of the place, rather than join in the bigger raid outside. The all turn to look at you, when you barge, in eyes glassy, and a little unsteady on their feet.
The Killin' Ground - Round 1
17 Yellow Thug
16 Rishika
14 Acacius
14 Nakoma
8 Zirelle
5 Zan
1 Red Thug
Despite his bleary looks, Yellow Thug acts quickly stepping forward and skewers the unwary Acacius with his longspear, piercing a serious wound in the fighter's side.
From behind the bar, the half-orc brute roars a challenge, smashes the bottle in his hand, and hurries to join the fight.
Acacius rushes in and is struck by both *humans* on the side of the invaders - and then by the spear rammed into his side.
Yelling wordlessly, then in rage, he strikes back with his polearm.
Zan recalls how tough the previous raiders were so decides to combine his blows with Acacius. Moving forward he swings his scimitar at the same thug as Acacius.
Nakoma hurries into the bar, tumbling past the reach of the bearded man and stabbing at him with her starknife.
Zirelle spits acid at yellow.
The Killin' Ground - Round 1 - concluded
Acacius' attack versus the killers inside the bar is foiled by the stab wound he takes, which causes him to flinch with pain and turns aside the point of his own polearm.
Nakoma tries to avoid an attack from the thug who is blocking the door with his longspear, but she is not shifty enough to pull it off and he stabs at her as she enters. The point of the spear hits Nakoma in a vital place and she goes down with one hit, bleeding heavily as the spear-point protrudes from her back.
While Yellow is taking care of Nakoma, Zan is able to slip inside the building and cut the man in his own side, dealing a painful blow.
From behind, Zirelle spits a stream of acid at the bad guys, but it does not hit anyone.
Red Thug moves up and attacks Zan, but his drunken stab misses badly.
End of Round 1
The Killin' Ground - Round 2
17 Yellow Thug (5hp dmg)
16 Rishika
14 Acacius (10hp dmg)
14 Nakoma (-4hp, bleeding, unconscious)
8 Zirelle
5 Zan
1 Red Thug
Yellow steps back, taking another lunging stab at Acacius with his longspear, but this time the stab misses.
The half-orc laughs at the fallen Nakoma. "Weak humans! Die like these others!" and he slashes at Zan with his axe, but this attack is also a bit wobbly from too much drink and instead of taking Zan's head off, it merely slices through air.
Nakoma stabilizes.