Drow in the sewers of Beetlesberg have always been a problem, the small town sits directly atop and more than five miles above a major drow metropolis. Usually it's enough to send a bunch of expendable idiots into the sewers to mop up every once in a while.
However, things have recently taken a turn for the worse. A trio of sewer drow have stolen away into Fat Jack's Alehouse, a popular watering hole for the merchant class, and "annexed" it in the name of the drow empire. That was three days ago. They have since seceded and declared the tavern a city state, and have been using it as a base to launch midnight raids on other businesses.
The local merchants, as well as Fat Jack himself, have pooled their money to offer a 1,000 GP reward for the heads of each of the drow conquerors. Additionally, Fat Jack is offering an additional 1,000 GP, less an damage done to the bar in the fight, as an incentive not to just burn his place to the ground. Obviously you'll also be able to keep whatever spoils you can cut off the fingers of the corpses, you delightful people you.
You come to Fat Jack's Alehouse during the day. The drow have boarded up all the windows so they can keep it as dark as they like inside but this is the only time when you'll have even a chance of neutralizing that advantage.
You all stand in front of the door to the Alehouse. You know the drow are all inside (or at least you hope they are) but you don't know their exact position yet.
Darin greets his new "buddies" heartily, and waits for the others to prepare. "Hello, comrades! Let's cause a bit of mayhem today, shall we?"
Assennato takes in the group and their surroundings. Anyone have a light? He takes a quick sip of his Baijiu. Preferably a non flammable one.
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"The only light I need is the dim, slightly wavering light of the Shattered Smile." The bard chuckles a little, then turns slightly more serious. "So, what's the plan so far? Rush in and cut them? Sneak in and cut them? Oh! I know! We'll come in with a peace treaty, and become mutual friends and allies. Then cut them."
Assennato rolls his eyes slightly, I don't need one either, but I figured something, like drow, that lives in the dark wouldn't exactly like the light.
Assennato ponders his own statement for a moment. Then again, nothing says, Here I am. like a bright light. Ah well, guess we're just all charging in the door? or is their another we can use to attack from two sides?
While the alehouse itself is too tall for the sorcerer to climb on his own, Max is able to pull himself up the nearby stone city wall. Using the top of the wall to access the back of the alehouse, Max pulls himself somewhat unceremoniously up to the roof with a "thud".
Darin fidgets a little. "I say we charge the door. Here's my idea: I'll stay in the back and play music, while everyone else breaks Dark Elf face. Then, I go in and steal their stuff, we get paid, and we all live on liquor and pork for the next few weeks. Does that sound agreeable?"
I think thats more or less the plan. Unless anyone has a better idea? Assennato looks at the half-orc. You ok with breaking faces?
The door is, predictably, locked and so summoning the will of his half-orc forebearers, HEY YOU smashes the door but good. It goes flying off it's hinges.
At about the same time Max attempts to shimmy down the chimney. This proves to be a more difficult procedure than he anticipated, and he slips.
Max scrambles down the chimney, breaking his fall as best he can, and lands on the ground without falling prone. He does, however, take non-lethal damage.
Inside it is dark, the only light coming from the kicked-in door. Those of you whose eyes can pierce the blackness can see the location of the three Drow. One is meditating in front of the fireplace where Max just burst in. One is sitting in the far corner at a bar table, attended to by two skeletons. The last is sitting at her own table with two skeletons, drinking. Many empty bottles tell a story of prolonged debauchery. The skeletons can't so much drink themselves, but they pour the liquid into their mouths and it drips down their bones.
They all react with shock when you suddenly drop in on them from both sides, and start to scramble to their feet.
Darin moves into the tavern and, ignoring the lute strapped to his back, starts singing about anarchy and dead slavers.
Assennato, taken unprepared by the door giving way, jumps to join the group as fast as he can.
As the door bursts open, Adanel will chuck the stone and it's luminescent enchantment into the room.
Max comes banging down the chimney, covered in soot. He has just enough time to leap to his feet, kicking up even more soot, before unleashing a magical missile of force at the closest Drow. It slams into her chest and blasts through her robes, leaving a nasty force burn.
HEY YOU, Darin and Nox charge into the room, but stop just outside the door to assess the situation. HEY YOU begins to grow larger, and before long he is so tall that he has to hunch over to keep from tearing the roof off the alehouse (that would have cost you...)
Adanel takes that opportunity to chuck in the stone he enchanted, lighting up a large section of the room. The areas outside the spell's radius are still cloaked in darkness.
"Staaaab the noooble, buuurn his hoooooouse~"
Still singing his lovely, increasingly goblin-esque song, Darin draws his bow, and puts his guard up for the inevitable barrage of crossbow bolts/arrows.
Still unable to make out much of what lies in the room, Adanel will take cover outside the doorway while casting light on the bolt loaded in his crossbow.
quick question? would the room be considered difficult terrain? or normal? just trying to see if I can engage anybody/anything
Assennato Doesn't waste a beat moving into strike the lit up skeleton.
Max does need to be able to see in order to stumble forward a step and let loose another inerring bolt of force. Again it smashes home into it's target.
The Drow Max has been magically attacking returns fire with a spell of her own. Preferring a more subtle Drow form of magic, she seizes the darkness lingering at the back of Max's mind and fondles it.
All of Max's deepest more repressed fears leap to the surface, and seem to lurk on the periphery of his mind. Overwhelming terror seizes Max.
Brother continues to sing and dance in the middle of his makeshift spotlight.
HEY YOU isn't able to maneuver himself close enough to the Drow to attack her, but he slams his hammer into a skeleton with such force that he reduces it half to powder. The remaining bones crumble to the ground.
The drow at the back of the room steps forward to the edge of the light, and unleashes a burst of black magic that weighs down on your souls.
Nox and HEY YOU are overcome with fear and doubt, the darkness seeming to press in on them. Both take -1 to attack rolls and saves against fear effects.
Adanel takes cover while working a minor enchantment on one of his crossbow bolts.
The drow who was drinking at the table with the skeletons stands, visibly drunk. She climbs up onto the table and draws her blade, pointing it at HEY YOU.
The two skeletons who were drinking with her come charging at HEY YOU, scrambling over tables and chairs.
HEY YOU parries the attack from the one remaining skeleton with his massive hammer. Another skeleton that I forgot was dead also attacks from the after-afterlife, which is the afterlife for skeletons. Too bad because it looks like he'd have hit.
Meanwhile, the skeletons at the back start to advance, stopping just in front of the light-stone.
Nox leaps forward and delivers a devastating kick that pummels the skeleton's torso into dust. It crumbles to a pile of bones.
Darin's song has almost ceased to be a song at all, having already devolved to a furious rant.
"Breaaaak their freaking aaaaaaaarms! Baaaash their flimsy cave-elf skulls iiiiiiin~!"
He then creeps in just a little bit more, once again attempting to cover his weak spots.
Assenato steps over the dust that once was a skeleton. Shaken, he pushes his fear down and lays into the skeleton that still stands.
Your hubris shall be your downfall.
Adanel will move into the room, to the right of Darin, and take a shot at the drow standing at the edge of the light.
Max raises his hand to cast the spell, but loses his nerve and flees blindly along the side of the wall.
Max's Drow casts some kind of spell on herself in the darkness.
Old Sicklegrin continues to melodically scream about violent revolution, and it really makes you all feel like kicking more ass.
HEY YOU Bashes the skeleton into dust as soon as it gets near him, then whirls it around and slams it full on into the drow on the table. The force of the blow from the weirdly specific polearm knocks the drow swordmistress unconscious even through her armor. She falls from the table in a heap.
The drow priestess double moves across the bar.
Anadel fires at her as she runs, but misses.
The remaining Skeleton jerkily strikes out at Nox with his Scimitar.
The monk easily dodges the attack, and counters with a flurry of martial arts strikes that reduces the skeleton to a pile of dust.
At this point, what Darin is doing can't legally be called "singing", although his voice is certainly singsong.
"ANARCHY! ANARCHYYYYYYY! A dead spider-b**** for every slave taken by their matriaaaaaarchs~!"
He takes a step to the left, and, once again, tries to cover his weak spots.
Adanel will take some time to reload his crossbow before once more casting light upon the newly loaded bolt.
Eager to get at the drow, Assennato jumps through the mess of tables thrown aside by HEY YOU in an attempt to block any route of escape for the drow.
Max continues to run.
Max's drow next reaches out to the mind of HEY YOU, looking for repressed fears (roll got eaten).
The half-orc is far too large and smashy at this point to be afraid of mere existential horror, and he continues to lumber towards her through tables. He is still unable to get within range of his big hammer, however, even with his tree-trunk sized arms.
The strange acapella punk rock song continues to degenerate into a rant.
The priestess leaps over the bar and casts a healing spell on her fellow (roll got eaten).
Nox moves up with HEY YOU, ready to corner the drow.
Adanel prepared another crossbow bolt.
"Seeeet their pets on fiiiiiire! Maaaaaake them watch them buuuuurn~!"
Darin doesn't even bother moving at this point, as it will probably make no difference to the outcome. He does attempt to shore up his defenses, though. Just in case.
"Where are they?" Adanel would shout while steadying his crossbow across his arm.
Assennato continues moving forward. with HEY YOU. Unable to reach anyone though, the prepares to swing should they come within range.
Max still can't work up the nerve to do anything but flee, but HEY YOU is able to wade through the table and messily bash the drow mage's brain in with his hammer, all to the tune of Darin's songish rant.
Meanwhile, Nox positions himself to attack the last drow while Adanel gapes blindly at the darkness.
HEY YOU's hammer blow staggers the drow priestess, who manages to keep her footing just long enough to stagger forward and vomit blood. She falls to the ground, unconscious but bleeding out.