The door opens to a stocked kitchen. It's clear the Shadow Lodge stores, cooks, and serves their food here. The kitchen and the adjoining pantry are impeccably clean and orderly, with fresh food and barrels of fresh water.
Perception DC 20:
You're pretty certain there is nothing of interest to find here.
As you open the door south of the dining room, you find youselves in the hallway you saw when you first entered. The is a portcullis blocking progress to both the east and west.
Mercutio listens at the doors, and hearing nothing, gestures his friends to open it.
The double doors open wide to reveal ... another set of double doors.
You're in an entryway, a small waiting room to the doors further to the south. There are two single doors in the east and west walls, behind which are small 10-foot-by-10-foot rooms piled high with garbage, wood scraps, and chunks of broken masonry from around the prison.
Mercutio listens again, and Varian tests briefly for a hint of the arcane. (Assuming standard door procedure.) Still seeing nothing of interest, and no hint of sound beyond, you open the inner set of doors.
Please place yourselves outside the inner-most room. I've attempted to guess what you may prefer.
You open the inner doors and reveal a cramped office. The office proper has a rug laid out on the floor over rotted carpet, two salvaged bookshelves, and a small desk with a simple wooden chair behind it.
There is a man sitting behind the desk, with silver hair at his temples and a bit of a squint. His quill is poised mid-sentence. “Who is it?” he calls to you. You suspect that because of the layout of his office, it was impossible for him to hear commotion you caused in the rest of the prison.
The silver-haired man moves before you can react, and reaches under his desk and pulls a lever. He advances slightly around his desk with a smug look on his face, and his rapier leveled at Mercutio, who is closest to him.
You hear the sound of large metal gears and moving counterweights from the hallway behind you. Doodle and Taklinn see the portcullises rise, slowly and loudly. There is a loud "Whoop!" from the eastern hall made by a small, evil-sounding voice.
With a worried glance over his shoulder, Varian casts a spell, coating the man's rapier in bacon Grease.
DC 19 Reflex save, or he drops his weapon. If he fails the save, every time he attempts to use, or pick up the weapon, he needs to make the same save, or drop it again.
I am also now officially tapped out in terms of spells :-/
The air smells wonderfully of bacon, then of rancid bacon grease, as Varian's spell finishes. The rapier slips from the man's fingers, and he curses in a guttural language that seems well designed for it. (anyone speak Goblin?) Ref:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Mercutio steps forward and misses, while Renedar introduces himself, half-orc style.
Taklin pauses, and hears excited noises and shuffling from down the hallway, but it's too far away to tell what it may be.
Sorry, I have been out so posting it sporadic, but Taerel would have given Mercutio the +1 rapier from the rogue we defeated, in case he can make use of it. There was also 1 studded leather.
Taerel tries to understand what is spoken.
Linguistics:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
Taerel casrts Daze on the guy, not yet sure they want to kill him.
Doodle's wand shoots a bolt of force at the man's chest.
Taerel tries to daze him, and is surprised when the man pushes through the spell's effects with little trouble.
He has more than 4 HD, and thus is not affected.
Seeing his rapier still covered with rancid (bacon) grease, the gentleman steps back toward his desk, grabs the wooden chair he was sitting in, and attempts to bash Renedar with it. The green monk is too nimble, and easily avoids the hit.
improvised club, 2H:1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 7 - 4 = 10
You hear general commotion from the end of the hall, but nothing identifiable, yet.
Taklinn and Mercutio don't connect. Taerel seems to have trouble as well.
Renedar smacks the man upside the head, causing him to grunt with pain.
No confirmation, sorry.
The gentleman continues to press his attack, but move his back to the corner to keep from being flanked. "You must be Pathfinders, eh? You'll fall the to Shadow Lodge, villains!" He swings at Mercutio, but misses.
improvised club, 2H:1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 7 - 4 = 15
Doodle smiled as she pressed teh attack. "All you Shadow Lodgers have been icky people! I didn't want to have to fight you...I hoped we could talk, but your group doesn't understand parley! You're bad!"
The battle is barely won when a pair of goblins runs around the corner, and begin complaining about the dropped portcullis in their crude language. One of them shakes the bars futilely.
Mercutio's search of the office is a bit hasty, and he finds nothing of interest except some coded messages on the desk. Varian notices the man's fallen (and now, un-greased) rapier radiates faint magic.
+1 rapier
On of the two goblins tries climbing the inside of the portcullis, as if he could go over it. The second tries several times to put his large head through the bars, but can't seem to make his head fit. As they work, two more goblins arrive, singing a foul goblin song.
"Shadow Lodge is really neat!
Gives us humans-es to eat.
Sussworth showed his teeth with joy
When we shared our scorpion toy. "
They give a cheer, and dance and wave their dogslicers on the other side of the portcullis.
Mercutio draws his bow and starts firing arrow into the goblins.
shortbow:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12 shortbow:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20 dmg:1d6 ⇒ 4
His second arrow strikes, piercing a goblin in the leg. Somewhat surprisingly, the goblins do not retreat after the strike, but draw bows of their own and return fire.
Init:
I'm going to use the same init as from before, so all of you, then all of them. I'll call Mercutio's action the 'surprise round', so he can act again.
The four warrior goblins look eager to take on the two Pathfinders in the hallway. Especially with the red-robed goblin behind them, leading (as much as anyone can 'lead' goblins).
This looks much like the same size war band you fought on your way in to Kaer Maga on the Halflight Path. It appears to be four warriors and a cleric of Zarongel.
—COMBAT—
Varian
Doodle
Mercutio
Renedar
Taerel
Taklinn
* Goblins (blue -4)
Y'all can go first.
Mercutio and Varian both miss as the goblins dodge your attacks.
Although they'd miss anyway, I feel obligated to point out that if you're not firing from a position adjacent to the portcullis, your (armored) targets get partial cover (+2 AC) from the portcullis.
Taerel readies a spell.
I'll give Taklinn and Renedar a few more hours, unless someone wants to bot them.
