Elleross watches the melee unfold before him, his skills with a bow are not sufficient given the close quarters and so he moves forward toward Greyston and calling out the words of power he conjours a small ammount of arcane acid and flings it at the half Orc bearing down on sapphire.
Success
One of the bandits is torn to pieces by shards of razor sharp glass whilst the other is able to turn his head at the last moment.
for and a
Thorn darts in under the bandit's guard and chomps down hard into his thigh. The wolf tries to swing his prey around, but his teeth slip their grip at the last moment.
Nasrin spins around and steps past Sapphire into the doorway where the half-orc is standing. With a snarl she brings her scimitar down into the apron clad orc cutting her deeply just above the elbow.
Sapphire stares grimly at the apron-clad half-orc
No quarrel with you?! You freely cook to fill the bellies of the folk that chained me up and left me to die, AFTER they kidnapped someone... you have a quarrel with EVERYONE of good moral character!
With her packmate joining the fray and distracting her opponent with her well-timed slash, Sapphire thrusts her blade forward, looking to skewer the cook and finish her off
Despite your warning, the sick bandits hobble forward and slash at you desperately.
The half orc staggers back, bleeding from a multitude of wounds but remains standing, though barely.
Corum feels a stab of pain inhis side as the sickened bandit attacks him. He spins around andhammers his sword into the mman's ribs.
Dam
[Ooc] hp5/17. Rage 3/6 [/dice]
Even in his sickened state, the man is able to deflect Corums wild slash thoigh the shock of doing so sends reverberations along his arm.
I was nothing to do with that caravan! the girl in the Doorway replies, clutching at her severe wounds.
She backs away hastily and says:
Don't killed me, please! I was never really part of this lot.
Glaring at the cook, Sapphire is unsure of the truth of her words, however the shifting battle had already made her decision for her. With the half-orc retreating and asking for quarter, the other bandits moving in on an already wounded Corum were the higher priority.
If that's true then lay down your weapon and stand fast!
she shouts over her shoulder as she spins in place, feet moving rapidly across the stone floor as she moves to engage the nearest pale-looking bandit with a savage horizontal slash.
Greyston again unable to get a clear shot again preps a bomb and throws it over the bandits.
Getting it to explode behind them again as it cuts and burns into them.
Elleross hears the half orcs plea as she retreats from sapphire and weighs up the truth behind her words.
The half Orc seems willing to lay down her arms and so Elleross turns his attention to the other bandits and again he chants the words of the simple spell and another sphere if hissing bubbling acid flies across the room.
As Greyston's bomb explodes behind the line of sick bandits, Sapphire strides forward and cuts one of the men down.
Nasrin tries to keep up the momentum and swings at a bandit. They were offered quarter!
Nasrin cuts another down but the others stand fast.
J..just hold em till the boss gets here..
Corum stands defiant, blood streaming from several deep cuts. The adrenaline aurhes through him and he feels no pain. He is caught up in the red mist, the songs of his amcestors singing in his blood as he rides the crest of his white hot rage. His burning eyes fix on the nearest bandit and a grim smile spreads across his face. He steps forward and with no thought of defence raises his sword and brings it down with tremendous force. The wild slash aiming for the juncture of neck and shoulder.
Dam
Crit confirm
Dam
Standing side by side as they have on so many occasions, Corum and Nasrin cut through the men before them like wheat, leaving only one of the sickly bandits standing.
The half-orc girl stumbles back and slumps against the counter behind her, groaning softly and holding her multiple wounds.
Greyston takes a step forward taking out a silver coloured vial and drinks it in one as a shimmering translucent shroud begins to take affect around him. "Put him down more will be coming down from up stairs soon."
His crossbow forgotten Elleross again conjours a ball of acid and once more hurls it toward the last of the bandits.
Nasrin moves to outflank the remaining bandit.
Trusting her companion's combined assaults to take down the remaining bandit, and noting Corum's wounds, Sapphire moves back from the front line but still next to the frothing barbarian. Incanting an almost familiar arcane phrase she reaches out and dabs blood on the half-elf's cheek.
The remaining sickly Bandit, realising he is outmatched tries to back away from the fight. He is barely able to stand and leaves himself wide open to attack as he does so.
Meanwhile, the sound of footsteps upstairs becomes more urgent.
With the red mist on him his bloodlust runs high. Corum mercilessly attempts to cut down the retreati g bandit. His boot slips in a pool of blood though and his slash misses.
Dam
Taking two quick steps to close the distance, Sapphire's longsword flicks out almost lazily to slice across the bandit's turned back, causing a deep wound.
the structure of her spell is disturbing, it is not a power to call forth lightly I wonder if she is aware of what she uses and it's effect upon her, It is not something I would willingly utilise. I will speak with her about it if we get out of this alive he thinks as he recognises the spell and it worries him that she would cast it .
Hearing the footsteps from above he knows his companions are already hurt and so hustling forward as fast as his snow shoes will allow he moves across the room and faces the stairwell and prepares himself to unleash a spell upon whoever shows their face.
As the man flees, Sapphire mercilessly cuts him down, the thoughts of the carriage and the relentless moaning of the zombies, too raw in her mind.
With the lull in battle, Sapphire simply rests for a moment, glancing down to check her armor is in good repair with no obvious weaknesses, and quickly cleaning her sword on the shirt of a fallen bandit.
She then resumes a guard stance, ready for whatever is coming down the stairs to meet the rescue party.
"Stop he was retreating he stopped fighting! " Greyston shouts out as he sees the other swing at the injured man. "More are coming down down stairs let's get ready to fight them! Go stand by the stairs and block them off." He steps into the room bomb at the ready.
As the heroes ready for themselves for another wave of bandits, something entirely different begins stalking down the stairs toward them.
A pair of brittle, frigid skeletons mount the stairs and with their ever-grinning skulls staring at you, begin rushing down. The air around them steams with cold air and even looking at them sends a shiver up your spine.
Elleross expecting more bandits to rush down the stairs has only scant seconds to realise his mistake as the undead move toward him.
The cold surrounding them hits him like a fist and he gasps in pain as his chest seizes up and he grabs at his heart even as skin turns a pale blue from the unearthly chill.
As he spins around and lurches backwards the last thought that runs through his mind before the cold blackness engulfs him is that his heart has given out, the intense cold too much for his body to bear.
Clutching at his chest, his face wracked with pain he falls to his knees briefly before he slumps forward to the floor.
Hp 1/7
Non lethal 1
Corum comes out of his rage as they wait for more foes. Feeling the inevitable fatigue from his exertions he sheaths his sword and moves to the fire, taking a flask of oil from his pack as he moves.
Sensing the dire circumstances this ne pack has found itself in, Nasrin charges the nearest skeleton.
Thorn growls and snaps at the skeleton the girl missed.
"... What are they!?" He stares at the something from a nightmare, a frozen skeleton animated for evil. I never expected this Watching Elleros go down, Greyston focuses on the skeletons in front of him and lops his bomb behind them.
Damage?
Thorn snaps at one of the skeletons, his teeth biting deep into the bone and then with a twist of his powerful neck he rips the leg clean out of its socket. He feels the deep cold sink into him, as if he had bitten a lump of dirty ice and a shudder runs through his entire length.
Seeing her friend and hunting partner in trouble, Nasrin dashes forward and smashes her sword into the ribs of the second Skeleton before Greystons bomb explodes behind them and sends the pair into fiery oblivion. They explode in shards of ice and bone and shower Nasrin and Thorn as they go.
Sapphire moves up to support Nasrin and Thorn, standing closest to the stairs to guard them from anything else coming down it until they are ready to move up.
Well thrown Greyston, that made things rather less painful than I was initially expecting
Sparing a backwards glance away from the stairs she is intent on, she calls back
How is Elleross? Can you try and wake him?
Flash of light, the girl is safe... Thorn collapses from the biting cold unleashed from the destroyed skeletons.
Still reeling from the exploding skeletons and the wounds suffered so far, the party is dismayed to hear the voice of a gruff human from atop the stairs.
You shouldn't have come 'ere, this is our place now! Still, you done me a favour with this mob, at least I don't have t' split the take now!
The man, dressed in furs over studded leather, levels his crossbow at Greyston but, upon seeing Sapphire, exclaims in surprise;
Wrong choice to come back, girly! You shoulda stayed dead! and switches his aim to her.
Hit
Nasrin bares her teeth, agonizing over whether to go to Thorn or challenge the man with the crossbow. If I fall, he is surely dead. This one will not wear our furs!
Nasrin whispers a prayer. Her hand begins glowing and she touches it to her own wounds, and they close up, some at least.
After her prayer, she moves to begin the climb up the stairs.
Greyston flinches as the skeletons explode in an icy shower. "I have nothing to heal but that potion i gave you Sapphire." He then turns to look at the stairs. "Nasrin wait, we hold the bottom floor they have to come to us at least wait till at full strength."
At the sound of the man's voice, Sapphire grits her teeth in fury, THIS was the man who'd ordered her chained and left to die, THIS was the man who was going to pa...
the world suddenly stopped as Sapphire felt a tug at her chest, and everything went quiet around her, though she could still see her companions moving and shouting, making ready for battle. Staring at the quarrel embedded in her, she sees the floor moving to meet her in slow motion and she gently lays her head upon it, sword tumbling from numb fingers as red pools underneath her and fills her vision.
She can just make out Greyston mouthing about the potion he had given her, but her eyelids were so heavy, and the floor so soft, her vision fades to black...
Corum puts the oil in his pack. Whatever spell Sapphire cast on him begins working . he can feel one of his wounds itching as it begins to close up. He hears the voice from above taunt Sapphire and suddenly a bolt slams into her chest and drops her like a stone.
The barbarian raises his shield above his head and rushes to aid her. He attempts to staunch the wound with a rag, the girl's blood covers his hand as he clumsily tries to pack the wound around the bolt. He can tell she still lives but is hanging on by a thread.
Heal
He shouts to the others. Get under cover. He has us pinned down!