Talon slips back to the group.
There is a door up ahead, possibly several creatures beyond it. unsure of the numbers but they have the tell-tale signs of being rather large he says quietly to everyone.
"Big creatures? Door is only big enough for one of them to get to? Sounds like a tough area to fight if we have to."
Sandrion readies his bow, "They must be other tribesmen of the City. It will be a tough fight regardless. If it is a guard room, then luring them out here to fight will not be possible. I seem to have misplaced my sword in that pond so I will stay back and cover the rest of you."
Well nothing for it but to go in. I will open the door. I will push in 5 or 10 feet to give you room to follow. We will need to set up a beachhead to give everyone enough room to engage. If anyone has a better plan speak up. If not sound off and we will head in.
Sandrion, I have a spare rapier, if you would like to use it.
Vardlon readies his own bow as well.
Sandrion accepts the rapier with a nod of thanks. "This will prove useful in these tight quarters." He hooks the rapier on his belt and again readies his bow.
"If you have spells then prepare them. Talon did you mean large people or larger like ogres? I shall go behind and give covering fire. May I suggest that we aim to take them down one at a time if we can."
Milhar uses his wands on himself when the party are ready to break in, first the iron rod of mage armour and then the shield.
If anyone has healing it would be appreciated.
Talon look Milhar maybe I should go back and ask, I seem to have forgotten the x-ray vision ability bhe sya s a little sarcastically and a little jokingly.
Talon nocks an arrow in preperation for a fight. By my best estimation, the door was not trapped.
Milhar smiles delicately at the response.
Ok it seems we are as prepared as we can be.
William draws his sword and moves down the passageway as quietly as he can.
Pulling it off better than he expected. Perhaps being 1/2 water logged helped.
At the door he glances behind to make sure the others are ready and giving a nod opens the door and moves into the room beyond leaving a 5 ft gap behind him to let the others come through if he can.
William opens the room and finds six nasty creatures packed into a ten by ten foot room. This guardpost must have been there to guard this chokepoint.
William catches the bugbears completely by surprise.
Bikmalu strains to see what is happening in front, but as the door is forced open and the group begins to rush forward, he moves forward with the rest, looking for a target for a spell.
Sandrion's eyes flash as he sees his hated enemies. His bow twangs as he fires at the closest bugbear.
;
William leaps forward pressing the advantage of surprise attacking the first Bugbear.
Vardlon fires an arrow at a bugbear (at the one William is attacking, if it's still up).
;
Milhar takes a shot at the first target he sees, using a green fletched arrow. One of his best.
Talon takes advantage of the surprise firing off an arrow at an unsuspecting bugbear
(2d6 sneak attack)
Skirros' bow twangs as she targets the nearest bugbear.
William and a flurry of arrows brings down two bugbears. Two others take their place squeezing in the narrow room. The door is opened by one of the bugbears to a larger room.
This chokepoint seems to be guarded by this room.
The three bugbears up front attack Wil.
A single Morningstar connects for
Party to go
Bikmalu stretches a hand toward the bugbears. "Like lava from the mountain help me call fire forth against these beasts." A giant ball of coruscating flames appears behind the bugbears and rolls toward the pair squeezing together to get to Wil.
Sandrion utters a curse under his breath as his first shot misses. Gotta clear a path for the others to get in there. Erastil guide my shot...
He aims and fires at the lead bugbear again...
;
"There may be more coming down the corridor, any way we can cut off their way in?" Skirros shouts to her companions as she targets the bugbear closes to her group, trying not to hit the people in front of her.
William attacks the bugbear in front of him.
Milhar aims for the leading bugbear that still fights. He pulls out a redwing feathered arrow and shoots for an eye, watching for the moment that William and the others all line up out of the way.
Vardlon thinks to himself, (We all seem to have this well in hand for now. Still, I can send in a little bit of help.) A simple word, a gesture, and a glob of acid sails past the others and towards the nearest bugbear.
I'm not sure how cover works here, so I didn't account for that.
The flaming sphere coupled with two deadly arrows take two bugbears down. Afraid to step up, two bugbears hang back waiting. A single bugbear swings around a corner.
The bugbear misses Wil.
Party all up again
The bugbears seem to be frustrated more than you by the close quarters as deadly missiles and spells pick off their numbers.
Sandrion hears Skirros's cry and nods in reply, "As you command!"
;
Will targets the nearest bugbear.
If that sphere can reach the far bugbear send it there to try and hold the room once this one falls!
Talon readies for another shot. looking for the right opportunity to fire.
Will hits the bugbear behind cover!!
Two times dropping him to the ground bleeding.
Talon fires through the sphere hitting a bugbear with a flaming arrow!!!
He is hurt badly.
Vardlon will toss another acid splash down the hallway, preferably at a wounded bugbear.
Hopefully, that didn't hit a party member instead. Oops.
Skirros growls deeply in frustration as her arrow fails to find its mark. "Come on!" she bellows. After her attack seems to strike true, she yelps in triumph, dropping her bow and drawing her shield.
"I think I can get two of them with my sphere again." Bikmalu rolls the ball of fire into the two bugbears.
The bugbears burn one is burned worse and an arrow takes him out. Before the last bugbear can flee, he is cut down by the party.
The victorious party strides into the large room and discovers 20pp and 40gp searching the fallen creatures.
Advancing farther down the five foot wide passage, the party comes to another doorway. Carefully checking the door is opened to reveal a 40'mby 50' room.
This is a large vaulted room with arches rising from the corners. The floor is partially covered by rice straw mats while the rest of the floor is hard stone. In the ceiling in the center is a small chest resting upside down. On the far wall is a door with a large keyhole.
Starting by both doors are a set of rungs two feet apart that stop short of the chest by five feet.
William steps aside to let Talon and others check out the room.
I will let you give a sweep for traps before I start wandering about.
"My eyes are good, but I have little ability to disarm anything but the most rudimentary hunting snares. Do any of you with more ability need help looking?"
Skirros picks up her bow and moves into the room, briefly stopping to make sure all of the bugbears are dead. She then takes a quick look around to see if she can find anything else interesting.
Sandrion stays near the door and nocks an arrow, ready to fire on anyone entering through the opposite door. "That chest hanging there...bothers me for some reason."
Skirros agrees with Sandrion, giving the chest a wide berth as she searches the rest of the room.
"This might also be a good room to perform my ritual. It seems defensible enough."
"Probably a good plan Skirros. Let's make sure its safe. That chest bothers me as well." Bikmalu stays outside for now waiting for the all clear.
Talon moves to investigate but finds that is trap searching is probably not necessary.
he does a cursory check before entering though.
Talon takes the time to check the outer walls by the door in more detail after the cursory check
Out of curiosity as to whether the chest is stuck to the ceiling, or there's something more mystical going on, Vardlon casts detect magic and scans the room.
Milhar sees the chest and ladder too late for anything than to follow up and stand just behind Vardlon.
"We may need a rope."
Talon searches around the door, and looks closely at the long fifteen foot rungs in the wall going to the ceiling. They seem to be pounded into the wall. The chest on the ceiling does not appear to be trapped from Talon's vantage point, but he is curious as nothing seems to be securing it to the ceiling.
A quick spell is cast, and an area about five feet around the chest is found to radiate magic of a considerable nature.
Hey, folks; there's a magical field around the chest. Vardlon studies the magical aura, to see what he can find out about it.
Milhar calls on his unnatural powers, and bespells the area looking for whatever Vardlon is busy with. He expects to find magic to reach the chest, like levitation.
examining the floor then the cieling, he tkaes a few stones and the first one he tosses toward the floor under the chest. the next few, he continues toss one at a time, each one a little closer to himself.
Talon discovers the stones tossed near the chest stay on the ceiling! Those not five feet by the chest return back down.
Milhar watches and the stone demo convinces him it is a reverse gravity field.