"Rush 'em? We got a plan fer that door?"
"Let me through when we reach it... I can likely see it opened"
The dwarves lead the way over the old dry wood of the planked bridges. Once the second bridge is safely crossed, Chitleen steps forward to inspect the great door.
Lockjaw scans the area, ready to put his shield over Chitleen if somebody decides elf heads are more easily smashed than dwarves.
Chitleen steps to the door and begins to seek the means of opening it...
Disable Device:
Tararr, likewise, maintains an overwatch for fiends of any sort.
Chitleen looks at the expanse of the wood portal not seeing any means of unlocking it, but noting that the wood appears to have suffered from dry rot over the centuries. His inspection is rudely interrupted however by the scent of burning pitch detected by his acute sense of smell. Tararr glances around as he smells it as well.
Brow furrowing for an instant before his eyes fly wide, Chitleen blurts as he makes to flee across the bridge "Run, make for cover."
Tararr reacts in an instant, his hand lashing out to snag Lockjaw's armor in an effort to save them.
Seeing the others flee the door Lockjaw puts his shield over his head and covers the retreat.
Without a second thought, the adventurers race back from the door as the gritted stone teeth of graven dwarf above the door grind down and a torrent of burning tar inundates the bridge below. Chitleen easily outdistances the dwarves as Tararr lingers to pull Lockjaw along as he seeks to shield their retreat. The gooey tar splatters over the bridge and the retreating dwarves.
A quartet of shabby human archers pop up in the galley above the bridge to fire at the lead member of the party. A hail of arrows fly around Chitleen, most miss widely, but one strikes the elf alchemist.
Chitleen
Karrak
Lockjaw
Tararr
ManBats
HP = 38/44
AC = 21/10/21
SR = 9
Weapon Equipped = Mwk Cold Iron Dwarven Waraxe
Speed = 20'
Lay on Hands/day = 4/5 (2d6)
Channel/day = 2/2 (2d6)
Smite Evil/day = 2/2 (+2 hit, +4 damage, +2 deflection AC)
Status Effects = En Fuego
Feeling mighty put out that somebody has lit him on fire after almost crushing his head earlier the paladin of Torag turns and keeps his shield towards the archers while patting out a few of the fires. He scans the galley for evil.
Now singed and battered the barbarian enters a mighty rage. Grasping the small boulder he has been carrying with both hands he spins two arcs before letting it fly at the human archers.
Burning pitch clings to Tararr and Lockjaw igniting their ragged clothes and threatening their beards! Tararr becomes enraged and tosses a shield sized boulder at the offending humans thirty feet away. The boulder falls short but smashes into the wall with a frightening crash.
Lockjaw mends some of his burns with divine aid and scans the gallery for evil. Although likely to be tainted by their unnatural disease, the men are not powerful enough to detect as evil.
Round 1:
Chitleen hisses with pain at the strike of the bow and spins, answering it with a hurled flask of alkahest...
Bomb: for 4 splash DC 13
...the flask breaking across the face of one of the mannish archers and the foul acidic fluid eating through flesh with startling alacrity.
Chitleen's bomb flies true leaving the victim screaming and clawing at his face as he topples over the wall to his death. His neighbor manages to duck the worst of the spray with minor burns.
Reflex save
Fire
Karrak brings up the rear, not managing to avoid the splatters of tar.
"My beard!"
He chants in Dwarvish and a deluge of water pours over him, extinguishing the flames.
HP 24/30
Channel Energy 4/4 remaining
Deflection Aura 1/1
Touch of Good 6/6
Level 0 (5/day):
Create Water
Resistance
Light
Guidance (touch: +1 competence 1 roll)
Detect Magic
Level 1 (4/day + 1 domain):
Prot. from Evil (Domain slot) (touch: 1 min/level, +2 deflection AC, +2 resistance saves; extra bonus against compulsion and evil summoned creatures)
Summon Monster I
Sanctuary
Liberating Command
Bless
Level 2 (3/day + domain):
Barkskin(Domain slot) (touch. +2 natural armor. 10 min/level)
Spiritual Weapon
Silence
Summon Monster II
Karrak follows the others in retreat while summoning water to extinguish the burning pitch that threatens his beard. The three remaining archers focus on the elf. Chitleen is struck again by a near range shot.
Lockjaw and Tararr continue to burn from the smoldering pitch that has splattered over them.
Round 2
HP = 33/44
AC = 21/10/21
SR = 9
Weapon Equipped = Mwk Cold Iron Dwarven Waraxe
Speed = 20'
Lay on Hands/day = 4/5 (2d6)
Channel/day = 2/2 (2d6)
Smite Evil/day = 2/2 (+2 hit, +4 damage, +2 deflection AC)
Status Effects = En Fuego
Lockjaw continues to burn while sheathing his war axe. Pulling a throwing axe from his belt he tosses it to Tararr.
"'ere."
Round 2:
Choking back the pain, Chitleen unleashes another vial of alkahest...
Bomb: for 4 splash DC 13 @ the 2nd bottom foe
...before dropping to the deck and trying to shield himself from further arrows.
Karrak drenches Lockjaw in water to extinguish him, while continuing to move away from the archers.
Tararr switches up tactics drawing his sling and getting it loaded.
Tararr continues to smolder in spots as he loads up his sling. Lockjaw switches weapons while a cloud of stream rises after Karrak's deluge washes over him. The dwarf priest retreats beyond Chitleen who drops to the ground to avoid any further arrows shot fired his way.
The pitch painfully burns out on Tararr. The filthy men in the shooting gallery continue firing. One launches an arrows off into space high over the low profile elf. The others shoot at Tararr, but miss by a wide margin.
Round 3:
Chitleen rolls from his front to his back and applies a restorative attar...
CLW:
...before maintaining his low profile.
Round 3
HP = 33/44
AC = 21/10/21
SR = 9
Weapon Equipped = Throwing Axe
Speed = 20'
Lay on Hands/day = 4/5 (2d6)
Channel/day = 2/2 (2d6)
Smite Evil/day = 2/2 (+2 hit, +4 damage, +2 deflection AC)
Status Effects = Soaked
"Beh, dammit boy ye got me wet!"
Taking out his anger at this impromptu bath on the cause of the fire, Lockjaw hurls his axe.
Not feeling the pain of the flame in his fury induced state, Tararr gives his sling quick jerk rocketing the bullet toward the archers then reloads another bullet.
EDIT:
Tararr's sling bullet takes the head right off another archer. Lockjaw's throwing axe falls far short bouncing off the wall below before clattering into the jagged metal shards in the pit. The wooden platform that the two dwarves are standing on creaks as the fire continues to burn through the far end. It also spreads up the doors consuming the old dry wood.
Karrak takes aim at one eith his crossbow.
Karrak fires at a bad angle and his bolt glances off the battlements. The lone bowman takes a parting shot, hitting Tararr before he retreats into the armory and out of sight.
Chitleen's immediate response is to slowly find his feet and apply a second restorative attar...
CLW: -
Left with the burning bridge, he shrugs and nocks an arrow to bow before calling on Karrak "Best you see if your devotion outweighs the force of flame... I cannot stop the fire"
Karrak invokes Torag's gift again to try to put out the burning bridge.
Karrak summons a large quantity of water to douse the burning flames. The fires hiss and steam rolls upward as the water is called and poured eight gallons at a time cooling and beating back the heat and flame until only blackened boards are left before the yet crackling gate.
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Chitleen nods a sort of satisfaction as the fire is quenched, then looks pointedly at the bearded members of the party, wordlessly implying that what is to follow is their work.
Once the water has finished moving Lockjaw will briefly mourn the layer of protection he lost to Karrak's spell before moving to the door and drawing his axe, preparing to chop it down.
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With the fire quenched, Tararr rushes the weakened door not taking into account the weakened bridge...
Str check
The warped black planks groan dangerously under his weight as the dwarf berserker runs over them, but they hold. The same cannot be said about the doors which crack and splinter as Tararr barrels into them. A hole somewhat larger that the dwarf's outline is punched through the charred wood and Tararr enters the upper armory.
Lockjaw follows with his axe drawn.
He cautiously tests the boards as he crosses and safely enters the breached gate.
If the bridge proves sturdy enough for dwarf flesh, then Chitleen sees fit to risk his own upon it.
bridge check
Karrak crosses next and his boot punches through a charred board. Gasping, he struggles to pull his leg out of the hole without falling through. He is able to extract himself and upon regaining his feet, he continues nervously. The bridge groans threateningly though he safely finishes his crossing.
Chitleen is the last to cross picking his way cautiously despite the witch's curse that has undermined his sense of balance and fine motor skills. He manages to stagger across as several remaining boards crack and fall behind him to clatter on the sharp metal fragments below. Certainly it will be much more difficult crossing the burned and broken bridge next time.
The quartet now find themselves in the gatehouse beneath ominous rows of murder holes. The floor is speckled with guano and the musk of bats is detected from above. Fortunately, the portcullis ahead is up allowing quick passage beyond.
Tararr calms his adrenaline fueled state and says, "Whaddya think,elf. Trapped?"
Chitleen narrows his eyes and sniffs the air as he looks around "Unlikely, this is where they live and sh1t." but casts his eyes around all the same...
Perception:
Karrak helpfully hands Chitleen a piece of chalk lit with a cantrip so that it glows like Torag's hearth. The phosphorous filled guano gleams around the edges of the murder holes and in small piles around the floor. The elf looks around dismissively, but sure enough finds a few guano-free and suspicious blocks in the floor near the portcullis.
Pointing out the suspicious blocks to the others "There" Chitleen assesses if the trap can be bypassed or must be disarmed...