She bites down on the mangy hide of her opponent and rips away a hunk of nasty fur. The cur weals in pain and rounds on Cha's dog.
The woman's remote gestures, echoed wildly in shadows on the wall behind her, and the rhythmic chanting alert you to the casting of a spell. At the end of the enchantment she tosses a tiny cloud of dust or sand.
As soon as the spell is complete she moves out of sight to the left.
Sari is thinking about a hot sudsy soak, when she is rudely distracted by the idiotic spell caster. She's female, she should understand these things better!
I attack 31,51 with a 16+8=24. Not sure if that hits the armor clad fellow or not. But to save you a post, here is my damage if it hits. 9+4=13. Er... why so much armor you big wuss
Eberk blade deflects off the man's shield and brains him on the side of the head, knocking his helmet off and sending it clanging off the wall. He goes down to one knee and drops his sword - clearly staggered by the shot to the noodle.
"Quarter," he calls.
Shal takes a step back and tries to fire an arrow into combat, but has to pull the shot to avoid Cha fighting in front of her. It thuds into the wall by the dog's head.
The dogs press on with their maniac attack. One squeezes by on Cha's flank and attacks Shal. This time the ranger is alert and blunts the attack with a well-timed punch to the mutt's nose. The second dog, the one with the huge gash in his hide dives at Ishah and the two become a ball of snarling canine aggression.
Sari gathers her magics and sends some energy the doggy's way.
Sari's missiles slay the dog attacking Cha.
I'll move to 30,51 and try for the last dog
5+7=12 if that hits dmg 7+7=14
Yod's attack misses. Cha's turn.
"Die, you cur!"
I yell for Ishah to attack once more and point down the hall.
Sari just plastered this poor mutt with twin bolts, now Cha skewers it into the ground, then tears after the departed caster. As he round the corner, Ishah is right at his knee. The yard is a muddy mess filled with dog s+@& and cavernous holes, and the caster with the lamp and her image twin are picking their way across it towards a far door that stands ajar. Ishah bolts across the yard, easily outstripping the pair and cuts off their escape. Ishah bars her teeth and growls for all she's worth. You're pretty sure she means it this time.
The woman screams, pulls up short and drops her lamp. She finishes mumbling some barely-heard incantation, holds her hands level in front of her and wriggles her fingers. Suddenly a fan of flames erupts from her hands leveled directly at the dog.
"You b!tch...you'll surrender or die."
The flames singe patches of Ishah's long hair, leaving a sour burnt-dog smell (). The caster attempts to take advantage of her pain to slip by (provoking an Attack-of-opportunity from Ishah).
Ishah flinches from the flames and the woman and her twin are able to vault past the dog and through the open doorway, leaving their flickering lamp forgotten in the dung.
Eberk finds himself faced with a staggered and surrendering adversary. It is the dwarf's turn.
Surrender? What an idiot.
I call to the females in our party. Hey Shal, Sari, come take a look at what I have here. To the guy I say, start talking because Sari hates it when I kill people in cold blood. Yod, ask him something important like if he has a flask of ale. I leave the questioning to Yod and the gals and move a double move to get to 28,48 in case Cha needs help. Man, it smells like burning dog over here.
Yo' staggered guy, nice sword and shield. Hand them over!
Shal rounds the corner to cover Cha and Ishah.
The sword already lies on the ground. He gives over the shield and sits down against the wall, head in hands. Blood runs freely from his torn scalp.
Cha, are you giving chase?
Yep...and I'm assuming Ishah is as well.
Cha bounds across the yard in pursuit of the wizard. Beyond the open door is a short hall with another ajar door at the end on the right. Ishah gets enough of a jump that she squeezes by her in the hall and rounds on her again. The shoanti is right on her heels.
Left to his own, the fighter at Yod's feet rummages in a pouch at his waist and comes up with a stoppered vial. He drinks the potions and the bleeding seems to slow as the head-wound partially closes. His eyes clear a little but he evidently still has a pounding headache and a gash where Yod smacked him.
Set me on fire will you?
"This is your last chance. Give up."
Ishah's attack hits the wizard in the chest and drives her back into the wall. Her head hits with a deep thud and she slides down to lay unconscious on the floor.
In the post-combat silence Cha hears the soft wicker of a horse coming from behind him in the yard.
I nudge Shal and ask her to help me with the large male on the ground. lecherous laughter....
As I point my spear at his important parts, I encourage him to tell all. "Start with the basics...who, from where, and why, and we'll go from there."
If he's amenable to speaking with me, I'll ask Yod to check out the last room we haven't surveyed....if he's a jerk, I'll ask Yod to stay around to help "encourage" him to answer.
Ok I'll check the room with the door at 35,51
"Good girl Ishah. Come." I put my sword away and examine the woman.
If she's bleeding out or dying, I'll move to stabilize her.
Once she's stabalized (if necessary) I'll hoist her over my shoulder, pocketing the wand and any visible weapons first.
On the way back through the courtyard I look for the horse. Can I tell anything about it, such as if it's a warhorse or something more suited towards the warrior or wizard?
"Eberk, see what you can do about that door." I point down the hall towards where the woman was heading.
The man on the ground answers Sari.
"The name's Orik. I'm a traveler... and a sell-sword." He mops blood from his face with a bandage as he answers and watches Yod as the half-orc pads over to the unopened door in the hall.
"I hired into this band of misfits back in Magnimar. Nualia brought us to this gods-forsaken place."
[ooc][/ooc]
Yod moves over and finds the door locked. As you search through the key ring you pick up the sweet smell of rot in the vicinity of the door. A peek inside reveals the source. This room must be the meat storage for the goblins. Its filled with poorly cured, half eaten hanks of meat - some of which are only too recognizable as humanoid. You surmise this from one peek - if you want to go into this room you'll need to make a fortitude save.
[ooc][/ooc]
Cha's caster was briefly in danger of dying but Cha stabilizes her . At rest she is a lean, attractive woman with skin the color of Churlwood mahogany. She's wearing a thin and expensive-looking dress and a fine cloak. She hoists lightly over the shoulder. Her evident possessions are a leather satchel, a wooden scroll tube fixed to her belt, and the wand. There's also an unremarkable dagger.
Stepping back into the yard and the dim but increasing light of morning, it's obvious that the horse sounds are coming from the shed to Cha's right. It sounds like a large, weak animal from the stamp and snort he gets as he approaches the door.
Yeh I'll pass on inspecting the meat room and go back over to the others
"Easy boy, I'm not here to hurt you." Cha curses to himself about goblins and traitors and animal abuse. I carry the girl back to the others and set her down away from Orik a bit. I remove the satchel, scroll, wand and dagger and hand them to Sari for inspection. "She's unconscious but alive."
I take a moment to cast CLW on myself and share it with Ishah.
"Shal, how are you doing?" I move in and make a heal check not really waiting on an answer.
"Okay, buddy boy, who's your friend, what are you doing here, and why did Nualia need your help? Talk fast because I'm cranky and Cha needs a bath."
OK I'll check the room with the door at 26,48
and the area at 26-28,54-58
So we found a horse, do we recognize it? It's not the sherrifs horse or anything is it? Or were they just gonna eat it?
Orik reaches over and recovers his hopelessly dented helm as he answers Sari.
"Her name is Lyrie. She traveled with us from Magnimar. Nualia hired her too, I guess. Though she's here for the ruins below as much as the gold, I think."
"There's old tunnels below this place - and even older ones below that. Anyway, that's what we're here for." He returns his hands to his bruised noggin, feeling out his injury.
Ruins and Gold, sounds like fun to me. Got to be some good equipment to be had in them I bet, and I can always carry more gold!
What were you two getting as hired help until you ran into us?
So what was Lyrie expecting to find in the tunnels anyway?
I remove the satchel, scroll, wand and dagger and hand them to Sari for inspection.
Her cloak is long and black and probably bears examination if you're looting her, though taking it will leave her practically naked. The scroll tube contains five scrolls, all by the same looping hand. The satchel holds a stoppered vial, a small book of drawings and handwriting in a language none of you recognizes. There's also a pouch containing 6 gold pieces and a pearl earring.
"Shal, how are you doing?" I move in and make a heal check not really waiting on an answer.
While Sari questioned the prisoner, the elf drank a potion and staunched her remaining wounds. Both her forearms were gashed badly and are now wrapped. She smiles at the concern.
She nods towards the captures, "What do you want to do with these two?"
I go ahead and cast CLW on Shal.
"No idea. Let's figure out our plans first. I'll see what I can do to bring her around in a minute after we decide. We'll need to question her as well. First things first, let's get this place secure. No more suprises...where's that dwarf?"
Although, we probably have Orik subdued, at no point will he be left alone without at least two of us in the room. She can keep the cloak. I'll leave the items for Sari to work on. I'm low on spell points.
"Orik, cooperation is your best friend here. Give us your story. How and when did you meet Nualia? When and where were the last time you saw her? What was your role in the attack on the town? Lastly, let's have what you know about the ruins beneath this place? Surely the goblins have rooted out all of the holes in their own attic. What else would there be to find down there? And while you talk, please empty out your pockets."
In the door from the yard that Yod opens he finds a tool-shed and rabbit warren. The rabbits are scrawny, terrified little things. The tools are worthless. There's also a tattered whip and and several crude saddle rigs (presumably for the dogs you slaughtered).
The horse is locked in the shed across the yard and is clearly upset. It kicks once and rattles the door of the shed as Yod and Eberk stand there. Yod and Eberk can see clearly in the darkness beyond the far doorway (26,53). The hall makes a right-hand turn at its end.
Orik speaks.
"She retained my services through a mutual business acquaintance in Magnimar at the beginning of the summer - three months ago. Nualia said this place was held by goblins, but that she could control them and we wouldn't have to fight them. And she was right. They think she's some kind of high priestess or consort to their god. I sat through one of her services once and that was enough for me. Her business with these beasts hasn't really been my concern as long as they've not attacked her and she isn't giving away my share of the haul."
"As to the town... look, I've got no hard feelings for Sandpoint. She said the attack was to let the goblins blow off some steam. I didn't like it, but I'm not really the one calling the shots here."
"And she was right about the older ruins. They are down there. The first day we were here she walked right to where the passage was concealed. Said it had been 'revealed' to her. Guess the trap Jagen sprung that killed him a little later was one of those details the revealer left out."
"After that... and her sending away the half-elf? She isn't paying enough to become trap fodder so I stayed out of the deeper tunnels. I've been trying to convince her," with a gesture to Lyrie, "to leave with me for days now."
"But she's here for the messages scratched on the walls. Nualia's here for something darker. She has her little chapel below and I think she rather liked playing mother to the beasties here, but what she's really after is in the lower tunnels. I don't know, and I don't think I want to."
"She might know," again indicating the slumbering wizard.
Yeh I'll go explore