"Well, there they are. Definitely akatas. Everything closed up tight down below? I can probably drop a few of them into a pit, but I don't know if that's going to be enough to kill them. A couple of magic missiles too. What else do you have in the tower?" Pluck begins looking around for potential weapons.
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Downstairs, the barricades are well-made and placed, clearly suitable to stand against an attack.
The tower itself is bare, even of the seams that Setzer was looking for earlier. The few supplies around were mostly gear brought by the Cyphermages to the island. Some heavy picks sit, unused, in a crate and a few empty boxes stand around as well.
With the tower windows closed tight, the tower is dark and silent, even though it is the middle of the day. Sam mutters a few arcane words and moves her hands in a well-practiced pattern, summoning a light. The flickering light doesn't quite reach the outer edges of the tower, leading to a shadowy ring near the wall.
The monsters outside make no noise; they don't howl or bark. Rather, a strange scratching noise echoes around the tower, as though the dozens of monsters were climbing over its body.
Sam smiles in the dim room, and reaches out a hand with which to squeeze Nel's for reassurance.
"Pluck," she says somewhat gravely, "I don't think a pit is going to be of use against creatures that can climb like this. We weren't equipped for a fight and what few resources we had, well, we used it up when Fenella and the others died. We've been desperate and waiting out here, hoping someone would realize it's been too long and save us."
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Won't stop them for long, but might slow a couple down. But I see your point. I think we're going to need to create a choke point and see if we can keep them from bringing their full numbers against us. Either that or wait for a miracle. If we concede a small gap for them to come to us, Tamiro and Nel can hold the gap while the rest of us hit them as they come in."
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Setzer considers Pluck's idea, scratching his chin as the gears turn (or idle?) in his head, "That may be our best course of action. I can blast them as they come in or..." He gives the rest a wry smile, "I could drop some furniture on their heads." He deflates somewhat as he realizes how ludicrous that idea sounds, "If only we had a few more bodies in here, we could use those pickaxes to break off some large chunks of stone. Now those would do some damage."
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She nods and pulls out a few scrolls. "I've cast a few of my spells today and mostly prepared defensive wards or flashy, showy magic I could use to signal others. I still have, hmm, a levitate, a scorching ray, feather fall and two magic missiles left."
She kneels down on the floor and empties her bag out. Two wands, a writing set, an abacus, a magnifying glass and some flint and tinder clatter on the floor.
Picking up a bronze wand carved like a raven, she says, "This one's going to be useless; it's for identifying magic items. However, this one," she says as she picks up a silver-handled wooden wand, "has magic missiles in it. It's the cheapest one I could pick up before coming out here, so it only has 18 charges left. Do you want to hold on to it?"
Setzer, that's not a bad idea. I have a feeling this tower was stone shaped into being, so it's magically reinforced stone. Would be good to have some to throw down on them."
"Well, if you're willing to have me wield it, I can definitely make use of that magic missile wand."
As Samaritha goes into detail about their failed expedition, Nel's expression darkens. As the akatas rush the tower, Nel makes her way to the lower floor, intending to cut down at least some of the strange species before they can zerg rush the injured above. "It's going to be fine, Sam. As long as we can survive this night, our ship is coming back in tomorrow morning." Squeezing Sam's hand back in reassurance, Nel turns her attention to the door. "Alright everyone, I want at least one person in the room with the injured. It won't do us any good to have everyone down here, if they burst through the window." Tightening the straps on her shield, Nel draws her longsword and waits for the first beast to break down the door.
Nodding Tamiro moves to one of the open windows, or closed windows, and prepares to strike any of the creatures that come through.
"Alright everyone, I want at least one person in the room with the injured...."
"Alright everyone, I want at least one person in the room with the injured...."
Pluck heads down after Nel shaking his head, "Don't wait for them to break the door or burst through a window. We should control where they enter. Better to face them one at a time at a location we choose instead of having them come in multiple places."
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With barely any time to plan, the windows begin shuddering under pounds from the beasts outside. The windows hold tight for nearly half a minute under the pounding, until the near the front door spinters open, an akata eagerly whipping its tentacles through.
Round 1 - The Tumbling Tower
Party Acts!
Akata
"Nevermind. I guess we have a window to defend. I suppose that might be better than a door. Watch out!" Standing back from the window so the stronger fighters can get to the akata, Pluck takes the wand just provided by Sam and points it at the creature, sending a shimmering ball of force flying into it.
"Stand firm if they force their way in we back up to the next choke and so on! We will wear their numbers down as the wind and sea wear at the earth!" She snaps her whip in the frighteningly cramped fighting space.
Once the creatures break through their defenses, Setzer drops the silly facade and immediately sets to action. He takes up position behind Nel and slings a card - the eight of diamonds - into the air before blasting it towards the tentacled beast.
Temporary hit points: 8
Non-lethal damage: 8
Pluck waits for the next akata to slip through, ready to hit it with another magic missile.
Moving up towards the hole, Nel points her sword at the blue faced lion. "Hold the line! We can't afford for a single one of these abominations to breech." Slashing out at the clawing monster Nel manages to make a clean cut across the blue lion's face.
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The entire tower shakes slightly and a loud crack echoes from the base of the building. Nel, Tamiro and Rilia fall to the ground and the tower trembles and settles again. From near the door, a wooden spool the served as part of the barricade rolls from the north to the south wall.
Under your feet, a strange whining sound continues.
Outside, the akatas recover from the tremble and return to their feet.
Round 2 - The Tumbling Tower
Party Acts!
Akata and Friends!
"Wa-wa-was this part of the p-p-plan."
Nel hits the ground with a loud thump and a groan. "All according to plan." she groans out as she takes a swipe at the akata still in range. The swipe goes wide however and doesn't connect to the blue skinned foe.
"That didn't sound good. Did another rock from the sky hit the island? That felt like an earthquake...or maybe something coming up from under the tower." Pluck braces for more violence and looks for another akata trying to come through a gap. As soon as he sees one, he uses the wand to magic missile it.
Setzer can't help but laugh as he dances out of the way of the rolling spool while a few of the others stumble and fall, "If an entire tower crashing down upon our heads is part of the plan in the future, I'd prefer that the rest of us know about it, haha!"
Reveling in the thrill of the moment, Setzer spins a metal-tipped dart in the air and blasts it towards the newly presented akata.
Temporary hit points: 8
Non-lethal damage: 8
"Nani?!" yells Tamiro in surprise, scrambling up off the ground.
"Plan? What was that??"
He steps and strikes at the akata trying to push through the window.
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The akata trying to push through the window squishes under the assault, it's body seeping a strange green blood.
The akatas continue to silently crawl up the sides of the building, standing on each other to climb easier. As their weight grows, the whining grows louder until its is more a groan.
A second tremor shakes the build, the groan escalating into a terrible noise like endless thunder.
"Nani?!" yells Tamiro in surprise, scrambling up off the ground.
"I think her name is pronounced, Lani. And I don't know where she is either."
"Nani, not Lani elf!" Tamiro growls, looking around at the walls as the akata begin crawling up the tower. The sudden tremors and shaking knocks him to the ground.
"What are these demons doing? Are they trying to bring the entire tower down?!" he yells over the trembling and groaning of the tower.
Standing, he looks over to Nel, "What should we do? Go out and meet them?"
"Setzer! Can you still the tower?"
She whips an akata if she can.
"Everyone hold on! Hold on...."
Setzer struggles to maintain his footing as the tower shakes even more.
To Rilia, "Haha, I am sorry my dear for even my substantial abilities have their limits!" Setzer cranes his neck up the winding stairs, eyeing the windows where the akatas seem to be searching for an entrance.
"Brace yourselves in the stairwell. I don't think they are looking for a way in! I think they are more interested in breaking the eggshell."
It is harder this time, but Pluck manages to keep his feet. The half-elf braces for further impact. "I'm thinking Tamiro might be right. Maybe we can force our way out." The second an akata appears, Pluck uses the wand to fire another magic missile at it.
Temporary hit points: 8
Non-lethal damage: 8
Looking around the room, Tamiro looks to the door leading to the smaller attached section. "Should we get everyone into that smaller room? Or go higher into the tower?"
Setzer stills as he hears the seething mass of beasts crawling up the seamless stone, "I can use my powers to clear one of the barricades to create a choke point, but that might put the injured at risk. Should we move them down here since the beasts seem so adamant about getting to he top of the tower?" He waits to act until the party offers up their thoughts on the matter.
"We should have made them come in down here one at a time. Maybe it's not too late. Let's open one window or door down here and try to get them to all come in it."
Finally dragging herself to her feet, Nel frowns heavily. "This tower is our best bet at survival. If we leave now, those damn blue lions with rend us limb to limb. If you don't feel safe here, move up to the room with the injured." As she speaks, Nel pulls herself up on her mount.
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A Nel pulls herself onto Gibraltar, the tower moves with a lurch, throwing everyone about the room turns ninety degrees. The former west wall now serves as a floor. From the window the akatas broke through, you can see the edge of the cliff the tower stood on and the steep slope below. A few akatas tentacles emerge from beneath the tower, unmoving. However, as another window cracks open from the shock of hitting the ground and a trio of akatas fall into the building.
Screams echo from the higher floors, followed by a faint sobbing.
The tower itself isn't moving, but seems to be treacherously balanced.
Brace: As a move-equivalent action, a creature can attempt to brace itself in a stairwell, doorway, crack in a wall, or support timber by making a DC 15 Climb check. Succeeding at the Climb check by 5 or more allows the creature to brace itself with one hand free. A braced creature takes no damage from the rolling of the tower. A creature that braced itself during a previous round gains a +4 circumstance bonus on this Climb check.
Ride: A creature can attempt to ride along with the tower, moving and jumping along with the rolling motion to prevent itself from being battered. Riding the tower requires a move action and either a DC 15 Acrobatics (Balancing) check (if the creature isn’t trying to move to a particular area) or a DC 15 Acrobatics (Tumbling) check (if the creature is attempting to end up next to a specific target). Akatas make Tumble checks to attack PCs on their turns.
Escape: A creature can attempt to escape the tower entirely if it’s adjacent to an open window, door, or hole in a wall by making a DC 15 Acrobatics (Jumping) check as a move action. Success indicates that it leaps free of the tower, but unless it can fly, it is immediately swept up by the surrounding landslide. With a DC 15 Reflex save, the escaping creature grabs a dangling root or a solid ledge of rock and halts its fall, but otherwise it is carried down to the bottom of the slope by the landslide.
Additional things that may happen:
Magic: Spells such as fly, levitation, meld into stone, and spider climb allow a character to brace or ride automatically. Such a character can leave both hands free if he chooses in order to attack or cast spells. Feather fall grants a character a +20 circumstance bonus on Tumble or Balance checks made to ride. Spells such as entangle and web cast outside the tower slow the tower and grants everyone within a +4 circumstance bonus on attempts to brace or ride. Alternatively, a web spell cast inside the tower automatically braces any creatures caught in the area. A hasted character gains a +20 haste bonus on any attempt to brace or ride, while a slowed character takes a –20 penalty on such checks.
Spellcasting: The rolling tower constitutes extraordinarily violent motion—spellcasting in the tower requires a DC 20 Concentration check. A flying creature with at least good maneuverability that chooses to ride is not considered to be under violent motion and need not make this check.
Jostled: A character who fails to brace, ride, or escape (or a character who chooses to do nothing) becomes jostled by the tower and takes 2d6 points of damage each round (DC 15 Reflex for half ) and is knocked prone. Unconscious characters are automatically considered jostled.
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
"This is....not good." Tamiro states rather matter of factually as he sheaths his blades and goes to brace himself on the tower.
"Those up the stairs! Brace yourselves!"
"" Rilia yells back down.