Round 3, Init 15
Aeronniell watches as the worg snacks on Ialda, concern quickly dispelling any look of confidence she wore earlier.
"Ialda!"
Leaping forward, the elf juggles the wand into her left hand and aims it at her fallen companion.
Lying on the ground, Ialda tries to summon some magic to use versus the hulking monster. She utters a scream, soundless to all but Cruncher.
Concentration check
Ear Piercing Scream damage
Kowaru's calm demeanor is momentarily shattered as Cruncher finishes savaging Ialda. "Damn you, beast!", the monk cries. "Leave the woman alone!" He ceases trying to grab the beast, and launches a barrage of elbow smashes and knee strikes at the wolf.
Flurry of blows on Cruncher, nonlethal, of course!
The dice, they hate me.
Cruncher saves vs. the scream, though Ialda does see some blood trickle down its ear.
The worg seems wobbly due to its many wounds and it cries out, breathing heavily, "Hold them off, I'll be back with reinforcements!"
The two remaining rogues share a look of panic.
Round 4:
Baolo
Baolo groans as the worg disappears down the hall too quick for him to get another shot off. "Not nice o' ya furry friend ta run!" Baolo shifts focus to the man in front of Chez and attempts to thread the needle with another arrow.
Attack (Composite Longbow +1, Point-Blank, Bless)
Damage (Composite Longbow +1, Point-Blank)
The man in front of Chez gets an arrow in the neck and he falls. The last remaining rogue drops his weapon and throws his hands up.
Ialda climbs up from her position on the ground, grabbing her flail. "Damn that wolf was tough. Can anyone heal me before it comes back? I'm still pretty woozy!"
Xarethi takes her spear and moves towards the others. She moves to assist Ialda. "I fear I have nothing that will help you, Ialda. But I'm hoping someone here does."
The fire beetle vanishes, returning to the celestial spheres.
Kowaru looks at the man that remains. "Kneel down and allow me to restrain you. If you do, then no further harm will come to you from us." He removes a length of rope from his pack and begins to tie up the man.
"Kowaru, how 'bout we just send him out o' here? If he returns, he's going ta be at the wrong end of a lot o' pointy sticks." Baolo pauses for a moment to listen for sounds approaching from the doorway and hall.
"Aero, let's hurry and heal Ialda and Kowaru before de wolf returns!"
Chez looks relieved as he sees Ialda being tended to. His first instinct is to run after the wolf. He resists the urge. He then looks at the man surrendering in front if him, and his next instinct is to punch him in the gut. Chez breathes in deeply, and exhales in a slow, calm manner.
A look of calm comes over Chez again. "I sort of like Kowaru's plan. I'd like to think this man was smart enough to know to get out when the getting is good, but if he was a smart man he probably wouldn't be here to begin with. This means that he follows this crew out of either loyalty or fear. Either way, he may feel compelled to get help. My vote is to bind him for now."
With the wand still in hand from it's recent use on Ialda, Aero administers healing swiftly to seal the most grievous of wounds.
"If the wolf's warning the entire guild, we may want to hurry. Every second we wait is a second they have to better prepare their defense!"
Aeronniell looks to the passage ahead with urgency.
Chez nods at Aeronniell's words, and looks to Ialda to set the pace for advancing.
Ialda, after two charges from the wand, feels much better. "I agree, let's go. It might be smart to consider etreating if we get too outnumbered though. That wolf alone is trouble, let alone if he has similar friends.".
Xarethi nods in agreement. "Agreed. Speed is of the essence."
Once Kowaru is healed, Uraisa again takes the lead, hoping to guide the others and not to completely face the entire mustered force inside the tunnels.
After healing and leaving the bound rogue behind, you push forward easily seeing Cruncher's blood trail from the many wounds inflicted on him. The corridor goes 30 feet North before turning to the East. You see a 10' wide corridor extending 80', with various rooms to the North and South, a total of 6 each. From your angle, you cannot see into the rooms. At the end of the corridor are open double doors extending the corridor another 15' before ending in wall. The room beyond the door seems to open up but its features are out of your line of sight currently. The corridor is quiet and dusty but Cruncher's blood trail is clear and easy to follow.
Ialda changes from her flail to her Longspear, hoping to use reach to her advantage As she moves forward 15', not wanting to rush into the trap she was sure was waiting for them.
Ialda moves up and looks at both rooms along the 14 column and finds them empty, though the cots she sees there appear recently slept in.
Ialda continues her steady creep to the 16 column, peeping into the rooms at the 17'column. "We can't let anything sneak up behind us and cut off our only exit. We have to check these rooms as we go," she whispers, more to calm her own nerves than to relate any actual information to the others.
Exactly as before, literally, Ialda finds empty cots in the room along the 17 column. She is now 30' ahead of the closest party member, Chez.
Aero nods to Ialda, following the group down the hallway, but lingering at each room to ensure no unseen occupants await them from behind, and no secret doors allow surprise access to the rooms.
She continues to hold her bow ready, her mind seeing a dozen different angles for the retributive strike she suspects is just a matter of time from "Cruncher".
"Be careful... especially you, Chez..."
Baolo falls into line. He nocks a gold and orange arrow and proceeds cautiously behind Ialda, looking into the niches and listening for trouble ahead.
Ialda performs the same motions for the next set of rooms, once she sees the others following her.
Perception
Kowaru quietly treads behind Ialda and Chez, keeping alert for any signs of ambush or subterfuge.
Xarethi follows the others, her spear at the ready.
The party catches up to Ialda and she moves to S19 and looks into both rooms and finds them empty as well, same as the previous ones.
"Hrmph. All empty. You'd think there'd be more of these Lotus Dragons about. And that they could possibly decorate their rooms with a little more enthusiasm."
Aeronniell continues, fondly recounting memories, oblivious to the danger of the situation, her voice revealing her enjoyment of reminiscence.
"I remember ol' Klem - he was the cook on the Stargazer. His quarters were decorated with all sorts of exotics from the Mwangi Expanse. Why he even had..."
The elf silences herself at the disconcerting looks from Ialda and Baolo, lips pursed mid-sentence and thought.
Ialda 5' steps forward to row 20, holding up her hand as a warning to the others to hold steady.
The sharp-eyed swashbuckler tries to keep up with Ialda's pace to stay beside her.
"Trouble past de doors. Left." Baolo murmurs a short prayer to Shimye-Magalla.
AC 19/16/15
Xarethi holds still, holding her breath as she waits for events to unfold.
Kowaru nods silently to Baolo's warning, arming himself with his sling for the moment.
Suddenly, two Lotus Dragons appear in the doorway, one appearing from the North and one from the South, armed with shortbows in their hands and they let fire their arrows! Unfortunately, in their enthusiasm they fire too early and the arrows bounce harmlessly off the wall!
Initiative Order:
Lotus Dragons
Baolo
Xarethi
Kowaru
Chez
Ialda
Aero
Round 1:
The 2 archers who shot notch arrows again and shoot both at Chez, one arrow finding its mark in the folds of his shoulder pad:
Then the 2 archers move back through the doorway and out of line of sight of the rest of the party. Then 2 different archers appear and shoot again at Chez, again one of the arrows finding its mark in the left ribcage:
Round 1
Xarethi moves forward and flings her spear at the Lotus Dragon .
Baolo takes a quick step up behind Ialda and fires at the archer on the left.
Xarethi's spear and Baolo's arrow get deflected by the doorway, as the Lotus Dragons smile, believing luck has turned in their favor!
Round 1
Ialda charges forward 15' and stabs at the thug in front of her with her longspear.
Attack
Damage
Round 1, Init 8
Wincing at each arrow impaling itself into Chesley, Aeronniell then watches as Baolo, Ialda and Xarethi attack and miss wildly.
Chesley has potions, hopefully he remembers to use one.
Expecting the attack to come from the flank, Kowaru is surprised to find out the Lotus Dragons were waiting ahead of them. His eyes widen as Chez takes a pair of arrows, and the half-orc is on the move. He spins around the man, rushing headlong into battle alongside Ialda. Finally, he comes face to face with one of the Lotus Dragons. Despite his training and divine intervention aiding him, Kowaru telegraphs his moves to the Lotus Dragon, and the other man easily sidesteps his punch.
Move: Move in a straight line from where I'm at to -R24.
Standard: Attack the Lotus Dragon with nonlethal damage.
When Kowaru moves up and misses, he sees 2 rogues inside waiting for him and they move to flank before Chez, Ialda, and Aero can react! The monk is caught completely unaware and both rogues slice into him with their short swords with such precision and skill, gashing his ribs and back. Kowaru screams in pain as his blood sprays over the floor and walls and he crumples to the floor!
A sharp breath escapes Baolo as Kowaru goes to the ground. "If he's not dead, I'll bring a kiss from Shimye-Magalla to save him."
Chez feels the heavy thump of the arrows and coughs out in pain. He side steps into the alcove and retrieves and consumes a potion.
Round 2 Initiative:
Lotus Dragon Thieves (4)
Baolo
Xarethi
Kowaru
Chez
Lotus Dragon Thieves (2)
Ialda
Aero
The archer rogue in R25 shoots Xarethi and misses poorly. He then moves to Q26:
The archer rogue in R26 shoots Xarethi and hits her in the chest. He then moves to Q25:
The archer rogue in S26 moves to R26 and shoots Xarethi and hits her in the chest.
Finally, the archer rogue in S25 moves to R25 shoots Xarethi and hits her too, causing her to gasp in pain, as she falls with 3 arrows in her chest. "Die at the hands of the Lotus Dragons!"