"Nivel, come here for come healing."
Everyone, get your healing potions ready. We are about to have a real fight.
Morg, you got any fancy spells to throw at the charging bull?"
rapier=16 init:14+2=16
Merkava and Griswald deal the finishing blow to their opponents almost at the same time. Griswald does take another hit from the cultist's rapier.
Nivel and Morg fire at the big charging cultist with well placed arrows. The cultist yells in rage and keeps running forward wildly swinging his greatclub at Firyin, bruising his left arm.
Firyin hits back with a clawed hand, creating a bleeding wound near the cultist's ribs.
The large cultist shouts: "You will pay with your blood for desecrating our temple! You will know the wrath of Razmir!"
Next round he starts raging and will attack twice with his greatclub.
Behind him several cultists in white robe, armed with rapier and shield run forward. Those who can will enter melee next round. (see map)
Despite the cover his friends provide, Nivel fires another arrow at the raging cultist!
for
Fall back, use your wits... And, you! Shut your Raz-Hole!
Kyra loads a bolt and fires from her position at grey cultist at I6.
"Move! I want a challenge...."
Option 2 works. When Firyin attacks and moves Friswald 5' and takes the spot.
The gray cultist brings down his club heavily on Merkava's shield and the force of the blow damages his arm. Two more arrows hit the cultist, Firyin launches a quick punch before retreating and Griswald steps in to strike twice with his claws, making the enemy drop to one knee and finally Merkava delivers a perfectly placed blow with his axe near the neck. The large cultist falls down, blood flowing from multiple wounds and barely breathing.
As in shock, one of the white cultists shouts: "KRANT!!"
Another one steps forward to attack Griswald, but his sword fails to penetrate the armor. Griswald immediately retaliates, tearing flesh from his opponent's right arm with his teeth, making him scream in pain.
All the white cultists in the hallway switch to defensive fighting and will retreat with a 5ft step. (see map)
Nivel fires at the cultist as E6, wishing this battle would just end somehow.
for
Merkava! Attack and fall back!
Kyra moves to position F5 and readies her attack action.
Why must it always come to... DARKNESS?
Frustrated, Morg moves to the southwest door.
I'm losing control... I can't hold on much longer. There are still enemies to fight
The beast continues to attack the cultist in front of him and takes a 5' if he falls and attacks the nearest.
Griswald is quicker than Merkava to put down the white cultist in front of them .
Hearing Morg, Merkava hesitates about what to do and decides to let Griswald continue the assault by letting him step in front of him, while he backs down into the south doorway.
Nivel's arrow hits one of the retreating cultists.
Morg sends forth a weave of shadows towards the enemy group. Although it fails to catch any of them, it still has an intimidating effect, as you can notice from their defensive reactions.
One of the cultists shouts: "Retreat! We can't win this!"
All the cultists will do a withdraw into the corridors, running up the stairs, and one of them towards the prison cells. (see map)
"We are going to need a place to rest. I have very little divine energy left as I need some time to commune with the Bright Lady."
Merkava, clear that room! Fiyrin with him.. Morg opens the door.
Kyra, Nivel... Clear the room!.
Nivel will move to H9 and shoot the cultist at B9!
for
"I love when they run...
Kyra prepares a bolt and fires towards the cultist on K6.
init:15 att:9+5=14
init:8 att:1+5=6
init:11+2=13 att:9+8=17
init:5+4=9 att:14+7=21
Kyra had her attack readied and manages to hit the closest retreating cultist, who falls down.
The others quickly flee through the corridors, north, south and east. Griswald realizes he won't be able to catch up with them right away.
Nivel manages to hit one of the cultists in the south room before he moves out of sight. The cornered acolytes try to head for the other door but are stopped by Merkava and Firyin.
Griswald collapses with fatigue, the beast has fled. After a moment he struggles back to his feet but is visibly spent.
"That was the longest I've let the beast take over.." he mutters to himself. He scrounges up his axe and sword that he dropped over the course of the battle and checks on the others.
Check them for anyrhing useful, weapons, armor, magic... gather the ammunition. This is a war of attrition.
Morg then begins to do exactly as he's suggested. He checks the black first the Krant, then the greys.
Nivel searches for arrows, potions, anything the party could use. He also takes in his surroundings. [b]We need to be quick, they'll probably regroup and come for us again.
And, what's that other door?. Morg indicates the door at the end of the hall. Then he tries to listen at it.
Aside from a bunch of ordinary weapons, masks, robes and armor, you gather the following loot from all the bodies:
234 gp
1x potion of cure moderate wounds
4x potion of cure light wounds
1x potion of invisibility
4x masterwork rapier
1x masterwork light crossbow
1x +1 greatclub
4x +1 studded leather armor
1x +1 light steel shield
3x masterwork light steel shield
3x smokestick
8x sunrod
4x thieves tools
Listening at the west door (A5), you hear nothing.
The hallway where you are standing contains a simple carpet, stained and worn, running down the center. At the west end is the symbol of Razmir, crudely painted on the wall.
The south room contains six wooden double bunks, each outfitted with simple straw mattresses and a thin blanket. A communal table sits in the center of the room, flanked by four chairs. An everburning torch rests in a cloth-draped frame hanging from the ceiling above the table.
The north room contains two long, wooden tables, with chairs arrayed on either side. Scraps of the morning meal litter the floor and the smell of stale wine hangs heavy in the room. A green everburning torch provides light.
At the moment you don't notice anything special about this whole area.
Seems quiet.. Morg shrugs, opening the door.
Morg opens the door and sees what looks like some kind of kitchen.
Sacks, barrels, crates, and other cooking supplies and utensils dominate much of this room, and the stench of dirty pots is almost overwhelming. In the corner, a few dying coals smolder in a simple cooking hearth. There's a locked cabinet under the table. (see map)
Seeing the locked cabinet, Nivel tries to open it.
Nivel manages to unlock the cabinet. There are no traps.
It contains a variety of meats, cheeses, fresh bread, fruits and vegetables.
Nivel will take a few of the food stuffs with him, just in case. He looks inside for anything hidden, since he wonders why simple food would be locked.
You notice that the food is of good quality. Aside from that, there seems to be nothing special about this cabinet.
"Guys....everyone grab a set of cultist robes and tie up the survivors. Lets see if we can hide among them."
Also, I hate to be a killjoy but I need some rest if I am going to continue to heal you all. I need about 1 hour to replenish my divine magics. We need to find a spot to rest temporarily."
Kyra casts Detect Magic on the food of good quality.
Well, we were supposed to be initiated. I guess we can just skip orientation and take a few robes... if they don't have too much blood on them, that is.
Detect magic reveals nothing on the food.
All of the robes are more or less damaged and have some blood on them but not much, because the bleeding affected mostly the armor and clothing worn underneath.
Four cultists are still alive and unconscious. The others have died.
Kyra begins to remove the robes from the fallen cultists and asks Morg Do you have the magical means to clean up these robes?"
Morg gives a gruff "no". Should tie those up, I ain't no murderer. We going offensive?
Kyra gets the gray robes, the one wielding the club, and handd it over to Griswald. "Here take this. You should try to impersonate their big guy."
"Let's see if we can impersonate these cultists. We can were the masks and hopefully persuade them that the intruders have been dealt with."
Push me in front like a prisoner. I'll cast a spell to knock them out... If we bring two wounded, they will pick them up. Everyone saw the grey guy fall so give back his club.
Griswald shrugs and puts on the robes. "I am not a very good actor.. but I'll do my best." he hold the club the cultist uses in both hands.
Merkava wonders where the second group with the big cultist suddenly came from. "We didn't see more than one way out of the prisons area right?" He also asks if there shouldn't be any more healing before confronting the opposition again.
The white cultists that fled the battle have seen all the bodies lying around and they saw Krant being defeated. They fled up the stairs L2, L10 and one of them fled towards the prison cells. There's little doubt they will have informed the other cultists in the temple about this. The black cultist mage who launched a spell at Nivel had already left the scene earlier.
Brace yourselves! (heal yourselves, npc/pc, use up potions, whatever) If there is still an arcanist or priest among them, they are the primary target. Punch a hole and get to them.
This nonsense tactics and loss of control will get us killed and I didn't survive decades in drow slave pits to die for stupidity's sake. Let archers have a lane, don't stopper the front line.
Morg doesn't wait for a response, his criticisms were as evident as day in the previous scrum. He seems to cast a spell upon himself, ethereal armor appears to wrap itself around him... and seeming fades, its outline barely visible and only if you're looking for it.