Also, I share your concerns about the inhabitants of the fortress.
"Hello up there! Were we supposed to have booze? We just wanted to come on in; we're tired and hungry. We'll be out first thing tomorrow morning!"
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What was it that Fahn used to always say?
"Yeah, yeah, keep your shirts on,"Jana retorts, twirling his fingers in a 'lets keep it moving' sort of gesture. "Th' shipment was set upon by a handful of wannabe do-gooders," Janna says, spitting on the ground in a manner he hoped showed significant disrespect. "Also, it looks like one of th' patrols met their ends out on the road- -probably ought to send a few guards out that way. We skirted them; last thing I want it th' boss mad at me for his missing drink. As to not keep th' boss waiting for his booze any longer than he needs t'be, where's he at now?"
There is a bit of conversation, and the gate creeks open forboding, revealing the interior of the keep. A skinny man with a wicked grin, and a massive, dim-witted man that looks like he has some giant blood in him are there to greet you. "You've got the booze?" Boss is in a right bloody funk. Let's see the goods, then we'll raise the boss."
Beyond the gates, you can see that there are two stories with a ruined wall, and several arrow towers connected by bridging. Aside from the two men you see, there are signs of at least a half dozen others.
As she steers Heimdall through the gate, Franka looks around and tries to look surprised. "Not many people here, are there? I thought there'd be more. How many are left?" Just play it cool, light banter...
Both of the bandits seem better equipped than you've seen previously; one has leather armor and a club, looking almost comical in his massive hands, the other in tightfitting leather with a rapier at his hip.
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"Well, if he's mad already, I think we'll just duck out and let you guys handle it, then," Janna goads the guard. "Better let him know he lost another 5 guys on th' outskirts of his fort. Or, if'n you want him to calm down a bit, we can get him th'booze. Your call, rook."
Looking to the other, obviously bigger and hopefully dumber guard, Janna pries a bit. "Whaddaya think? Let th'boss stay mad and be your problem or let us take care of th'job he sent us on?" For effect, Janna pulls out the amulet and pendulums it to be seen. "You do know he's expectin' us, right? Hate to hafta mention that it was the delay here that kept us."
The two men share nervous glances, then both quickly shake their heads, the bull-necked one giving a gap toothed smile, the other man wrinkling his nose. "Ah, no. Please, bring him the drinks. It's the only thing that's been keeping him manageable..." Turning back behind him deeper into the keep, the weasel-faced man shouts out, "Hey, Boss! Your booze has arrived!"
Moving further in, you see a handful of bandits lining the watch posts, though they seem to be scanning the outer perimeter.
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You venture deeper into the Stag Lord's lair! The large brutish man (you catch him being referred to as "Auchs") busies himself by closing the main gate and talking in a sing song voice to a small tin soldier he draws from his pouch. Clearly he doesn't have all of his facilities... though he definitely is dangerous, as you watch him smash a small butterfly with a massive swing from his club.
The weasel faced man remains behind a bit, pretending disinterest as you move in (though a touch of laziness may be there as well.) Up close, you can see the keep is in extreme sign of dis-repair, and crumbling masonry is shored up by beams and rubble. One of the more solid looking pieces of stonework is enclosed by a heavy wooden gate, from which you can hear feral noises; a strange growl mixed with an avian sound.
Beyond the strange growling noise, you move to what appears to be a storage room, in relatively decent repair. A gray-haired man and scarred man with the dirty livery of Erastil looks you over intently, before a strange, massive man wearing a helm crafted from the skull and antlers of a stag bursts forth. You can see that the newcomer has bits of acid scarring peeking from the cover of the mask, and he shouts out in a surly drunken drawl (despite your closeness) "You, men! You have my drink! Give it here!" He turns to the other man. "Akiros! Pay these loyal vassals for their service to their Lord."
[spoiler=Sense Motive DC 25]The gray haired man seems a bit despondent, and clearly isn't happy with his current position. He might be convinced to turn on his former companions.
Túrante looks momentarily startled at the outburst, but she continues to let Janna take the lead. She glances at the lieutenants, taking in their armaments.
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So, we're surrounded. Not great. But maybe whatever is growling gets to stay in its cage if we attack now...and maybe this guy is too drunk to defend himself?
Janna glances to the back of the convoy, looking for a nod or other approval, shouting brusquely, "Don't keep th'boss waiting, Audsley! Give th'man his drink!"
Emil dismounts and walks in along with his companions, taking it all in. So he begins to think nervously this is the keep of the Stag Lord... Definitely in bad shape, but maybe we could spruce it up. Use it as a base of operations. Careful Emil, don't go selling the beast's hide before skinning it.
The subtle noises of sleeping people shifting around upstairs makes him draw his neck back to look up at the dirty, cobweb-laden ceiling. Two up there, plus the servant, plus weasel-face, plus the brute outside... Abadar willing, maybe there's a chance we can pull this off?
He shakes his head in disbelief at the entire situation, before glancing at Janna with admiration. Damn he's good at this. I wish I knew how to lie. And this... if it works, its a whole lot better than assaulting the castle. If it works. Gods on high, Abadar, Shelyn, Iomedae... Hear my prayers, and don't let me let them down. And let us bury ten inches of steel into this bastard."
Franka dismounts when they enter the keep, leading Heimdall by the reins. She looks around, trying to figure out what to do in case the situation turns to a fight.
Lots of archers with high ground, but at least we'll be protected by the floor above us, where it hasn't collapsed. Her eyes glaze over as she tries to sense a weak spot in the Veil, knowing that that will be her best help in case of a fight.
The growl from her right immediately draws Franka's interest, and she can't hide her amazement. "Wow, is that an owlbear?! Err... Sir? I've never seen one before!"
The bandit gives a gruff laugh. "Caught the beast during a hunt and we've kept it as sort of a pet. Doesn't seem too happy, but we toss it food and we get it water."
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Audsley is at the back of the group, sweating profusely and trying to keep each bandit in his direct line of sight. A feat which requires his shooting startled glances in just about every direction. When Janna gives his command, Audsley blanches, for a moment thinking for all the world that he's supposed to be carrying liquor.
Then it clicks, he nods, and stepping forward pulls out a flask shaped bomb.
"Here... ah, here your Stagness. Your Lordship Stag. Ah. Your drink!" And he throws the bomb at the Stag Lord!
Franka's eyes go wide as saucers when she notices the bomb. Wasn't he supposed to give the Stag Lord some booze? I thought Audsley would always have some bottle of fine wine or brandy tucked away. Oh, Gods have mercy... May Gorum favor us this day...
Túrante's hand falls to her sword, but with painful slowness as she tries to decide which enemy to engage.
The Stag Lord's eagerness to see the promised alchohol turns to shock and dismay as Audsley's thrown explosive detonates in his face. He recoils in shock and alarm, shouting! All the bandits seem slow to react, however, apparently having grown careless.
"Huh? Audsley?!"
"What the... HOLY SH..." exclaims Emil, taken by surprise, yet again.
After the Audsley Cocktail goes off, the entire keep seems almost stunned and caught off-guard. The weasel faced bandit lieutenant Dovan reacts the quickest, tumbling past Turante and Franka towards the fray, his back to the Owlbear cage.
The rest of the bandits begin shouting in surprise, but are unable to react before the party!
"What?" Audsley's voice creeps up in panic. "Janna said - he told me to - !"
But then events start to spiral out of control, and Audsley lobs another bomb at the Stag Lord.
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Well done, Audsley. Now it's time for the rest of us to keep at it.
"Stand together! We cannot be broken!" Janna shouts, drawing a sword, and urging Preven to attack.
(for Shake it Off)
Preven rears back and attacks the enemy that Audsley has been targeting.
for
for
for
Spurred on by Janna's words, Túrante quickly steps up next to Franka and rips her blade free to swing on the lanky-haired bandit standing there.
(+1 inspiration)
(+1 inspiration)
Franka anxiously looks around. "Weasel-face is going for the owlbear, stop him!" Not heeding her own warning, she steps back and looks to her right. She makes some smacking noises with her mouth, then sweeps an arm in front of her and makes a pushing motion to the doorway. Content with her spellcasting, she grabs a spear from Heimdall's saddlebags.
Emil turns Flora around and forward a few paces to block the cage door.
"I've got it Franka! shouts Emil, and looks at the weasel-faced one all the while drawing his sword. "Hey you, a+~%$!$! That's my horse you're trying to hurt! Come at me dirtbag!"
Meanwhile, Flora Attempts to bite the offender.
Another Audsley Cocktail goes whizzing into the bandit duo, exploding on the snarling stag lord and subordinate, then Preven adds injury to insult. The combined efforts of Turante, Emil, and Flora fail to score on the lithe bandit near the cage.
You hear several shouts and the movement of various bandits on the second floor; their defensive positions were better suited to external threats and not attacks from within. There is also a wet thud as Franka's grease apparently did the trick in delaying the bull-necked Auchs.
The Stag lord, enraged at the impudence displayed, roars an attack, swinging at Janna with a pair of wicked looking attacks, one of which clangs against the cavaliers heavy armor, nearly striking true.
At the owlbear cage, the lithe bandit fiddles with the lock on the gate, giving Emil and Turante a chance to attack! (Assuming the attacks don't kill him), the bandit slides a key into the lock on the gate, and gives a vicious grin as there is an audible <click>
The Bandit closest to the Stag Lord, having already received two splashes of bombs, makes a halfhearted feint at Janna, then pulls back.
Audsley pulls free his last remaining bomb, and sanctifies it with a shivering kiss. As the chaos begins to unfold around them, as the sounds of the monster within its pen redoubles and death looms just over the horizon, he hurls the bomb right at the Stag Lord, lobbing it up on high in an ally-oop manner, pitching it just right so that it won't splash on anybody but rather contain itself to the Stag Lord and Stag Lord alone ()
"Hah!" Franka gives a triumphant laugh when she sees the big guy going done, secretly relieved that she managed to stall him just a little.
With that done, she moves around Túrante to help Emil deal with the weasel-faced man. Getting help from the Other side will take too long! Hopefully we're not too late... She takes her spear and both hands and takes a lucky stab at the bandit.
Túrante smashes into the weasel-faced man with her shield, trying to knock him down.
(+1 inspiration)
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Emil thrusts his sword at the man.
And misses. Flora in the meantime attempts to bite the key-wielding man.
The Stag Lord cries gives a hoarse cry as Audsley's last bomb explodes. "Impudent fools! I will rule these lands! She has said it would be so!" His grip on sanity clearly appears to be slipping somewhat. The foppish Dovan manages to evade most of the assault, though Franka strikes true, causing him to grimace in pain.
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"Rule this land?" Janna asks, leveling his longsword in a call to attention. "You can't even defend this keep from five disorganized glory-seekers," Janna unabashedly downplays. "So ends the reign of the Stag Lord, today, on this, the 11th day of Desnus, 4710."
Janna punctuates his boast with a wave of the sword, and directs Preven to press the advantage.
for
**Includes +1 from Inspire Courage
Janna and Preven both miss in their attacks.
The Stag Lord continues his frenzied swings, striking out at Janna.
The bull-necked Auchs takes to his feet, and more from luck than skill manages to bypass the Greased area.
Dovan manages to finish unlocking the Owlbear gate, and there is a tremendous crash against it. Left unchecked, the beast will break free!
Behind the Stag Lord, one of his lieutenants shows an array of emotions flash through his face: Surprise, anger, fear, determination. Hearing the sound of the Owlbear crashing against the gate, he raises his sword and with a strong stride, brings it down on his previous Leader.