Lucan says, "We should bring this gear with us. It looks like it might have belonged to one of the Black Arrows, and they might want it back."
However, he can't help but eye the Belt of Giant Strength greedily....
He sheathes his sword. "Come," he says to anybody still hesitating, and follows the bear.
He shrugs. "Ye' don't pick what animal ya form a bond wit' boy. I don't know tha story, but if'n I had to guess, some of 'em may've." he says, following the bear accordingly. "I dinnae know who's is'n is, 'owever." he continues.
"So, looks like this savage brute has somehow managed to wound or capture this bear's master? Given that the Black Arrows' whole purpose was to eradicate ones like him, it doesn't bode well. We should be wary for a trap of some sort."
After a couple of attempts Andras finally gets back on the horseback and follows the party (and the bear's) lead.
You follow the bear into the forest and he leads you to a clearing were a giant decaying farmhouse covered in moss slumps drunkenly at the edge of the damp forest clearing.
Rickety stairs crawl up to a porch covered by a huge eave held aloft by thick pillars of pine. These timbers are decorated with crude carvings of manticores impaling children with their tail spikes and women being ripped apart by wolves. The carvings look like a child’s work, but the subject matter grows more gruesome and depraved from one depiction to the next. An unsettlingly large rocking chair of lashed wood and bone sways erratically in the breeze at the far end of the porch under a vast menagerie of wind chimes composed of decidedly humanoid bones. The house's windows have all been boarded up with thick timbers, although it’s unclear if this was done to keep intruders out or imprison whatever unspeakable things make their home within.
"Horrible. And yet fascinating." Lord Zohan utters upon recognizing what his eyes don't want to acknowledge. "These crude creatures feel the need to decorate their lair. And you say that can make traps, Andras? They must possess a mean sort of rudimentary intelligence. And obviously they have evolved enough to use language. Or perhaps that's the result of the cross-breeding with others species. It's hard to imagine they built this house; more likely they ate the previous owners or they found it abandoned. Are they farming the land? Can anyone tell when it was last tilled or sown?"
"I'd rather say they have not devolved enough to quit using language."
"But from the tactics point of view, we have to decide now: is it better to get ambushed in the house with reinforcements from the barn or vice versa? Don't look at me like that, I'm just trying to plan for the worst-case scenario."
Standing about, looking around the area, Zadderk cringes. "This's so close to town... Keep yer' voices down you lot. Ogres're stupid, but they can 'ear ya' just fine... Surprisinly well, I might add..." he says as he primes his weapons. "If'n I had a suggestion, boys, it'd be to circle around and start wit' the farmhouse. Plain and simple, yeah?" he asks as he begins to head that direction, staying in the outer forest.
"Well, can anyone communicate with the bear and ask it if it knows where its humanoid companion is? In one of the buildings? In a tornado shelter? A nearby cave? Maybe the bear can smell the woman or man. Zadderk, you seem pretty fluent in animal tongues. Is that just birds or does it extend to Ursidae? Don't look at me like that, as Andras said. I have a head full of trivia."
"I also have a temporary trap that will last an hour or two if someone can help me camouflage this rope. It should give us some warning if reinforcements come from outside whatever building we enter."
Lucan regards the carvings. "Charming," he muses, quietly.
A small voice to his left says, "Charms for Manitocres!"
"Shhh," Lucan quietly admonishes his invisible familiar.
He says quietly, "Let's follow Zadderk's plan and circle around to the farmhouse first, but let's also set up Lord Zohan's trap. I can help you with that, if you need, but I have no particular skill with traps myself."
"Perhaps it's easiest if I just cast a little message spell on the six of us and Withers. He can watch the horses and my mule and alert us to any shenanigans happening outside the edifice. It will work up to about 57 yards, as long as we don't close any doors behind us. Bear in mind, though, that I am the relay, so please keep the whispered chatter to a minimum... at least while I'm concentrating."
Removing a small piece of copper wire from his pouch, he gesticulates with one hand and points the wire at Withers and the six of you, mumbling his arcane formula. He turns his back to you and whispers, "I assume you can hear me clearly enough? Then I shall improve my defenses and I'm ready." The copper wire is replaced by a scrap of cured leather and he surrounds himself with a glow that quickly fades.
"Good idea. But we should not linger inside, we can do a thorough search after we made sure both buildings are clear. I can put a protective ward on Withers, but it will only last for a few minutes."
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Hopping down off the horse, he looks at the two buildings and speaks softly. "I would suggest, warrior of spell and sword, that we go into the house first. I find it more likely that any antagonists we are like to find would he housed there and we may lose our element of surprise if we don't seize our opportunity. We could easily split into two groups, at least while we check the perimeter?"
"The fire idea occurred to me, too, but what if there are Black Arrows within? I think we cannot chance it." Lord Zohan whispers. "We would lose the element of surprise, but we could tear open the boarding covering the windows. As ramshackle as this place looks, perhaps coming in through the roof is an option? If you're worried about traps, I could perhaps summon something from another plane to go up onto the porch and open the door. While it would certainly feel the pain of any trap, there is no risk of it being killed, should that be your concern. However, that, too, would eliminate any element of surprise. Stealthy creatures I could summon, but subtlety is not their strong suit. If no traps stopped it, it would tear open the door and rush headlong into the house to kill whatever threatens me."
"This actually sounds good to me - if there is a trap, it won't harm us, and if an enemy shows up, we'll turn it into a porcupine from here. Unless someone is willing to sneak up on the porch first?"
After some hesitation, he turns to Zadderk. "Perhaps we could also get Dasher to scout out the perimeter and check for any roof entrances?"
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"They aren't known for taking prisoners but I would hazard that one of us might be able to find any traps present and, perhaps, even quietly open the door. He or she, may even be capable of sneaking around unseen. It is very possible that, whoever this intriguing and dashing person is, that it's the very reason they were provided a large sum of gold to be here. ...I could be wrong, though, except about the dashing part. That bit is for certain.
By all means, though, let's rip the door loudly out of the frame."
"Roof entrances, aye. Prefer ta' know if any ogres're about." he says, having the bird perch on his arm. He makes some quick yips and noises under his breath, and then lets the bird go rather forcefully into the air, watching as it flies off.
"Give'm a minute." he says as he looks way above. "'e'll be back in just a moment." he says, looking towards Zohan. "If'n ye summon sum'tin like a badger, or bear, what have ye, it'd cause a ruckus. Ogre's don't like range weapons at all. They prefer'em hooks of there's. I figure they also aren't gonna attack from inside... Just aren't smart enough, ya know?" he points out.
"Understood. I'm fine with waiting. It will give our trapfinder more time to delve into his irony."
You hear one long screech from above as Dasher spots an ogre.
"Seems like they ain't all indoors. If 'ere's just one, we could bring it down before 'e can alert the rest." he says, priming his crossbow. "Anyone got anytin' in the way of high damage? I've heard tales of flamin arrows and bolts and the like, and believe you me, if earlier was any bit'o info, we can do it, but a little extra punch Ne'er hurt, right?" he asks, trying to find the ogres, while also slipping on his goggles.
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"Lord Zohan, I'm offended. Sarcasm? Possibly. Self-aggrandizement? Potentially. But Irony? Alright, maybe, but not this time. Perhaps, we should take care of this particular known threat prior to our future escapades inside?" Out comes the bow, out comes an arrow. He looks around for signs of danger. Readied action to attack any ogrishness that comes within range. I can kill a man well enough but this bow is not the way I do it. This is just for a little love tap before I move in for the kill. I'm thinking about getting a crossb...Oh, and regarding our mystery man. Intriguing. That part is also undeniable. I wonder who he is. I bet he has beautiful blue eyes. No, Grey. Like fresh steel.
Perception:
Bow attack:
Bow damage:
"I'll be happy to add fire to your powerful ammunition, young Zadderk. Bear in mind this effect will only last about a minute and a half" . Lord Zohan's fingers dance over Zadderk's weapon as he holds the metamagic rod in one hand and he quietly chants his arcane formula. When he is done, he explains, "The command word to activate this flaming ability is 'Auf-flackern'. To deactivate it, say 'Er-lushen'. That's all you need to know." When he says the command word, Zadderk's weapon is wreathed in silvery flame that doesn't harm him. The flame flickers out when he gives the deactivation command.
Lucan whispers to the other, "For high damage, I do much better up close and personal."
The ogrekin is behind the house, none of you can see him yet.
If you go around to find him he is somewhat alert. [He spots at 21]
If you manage to sneak up on him you can get a surprise round.
Otherwise he attacks. Post your actions and roll init.
Lucan will wait to see if somebody more stealthy wants to try to get a first shot. Once the ogrekin has recognized our presence, he will run up to the beast. If he can get to it in a single move, he will run to it and attack. If he can't he will do a full move, stopping five feet distant from the ogrekin (intending to do a step and Spell Combat full attack next round).
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"I will start this. If you hear anything besides the fall of a body, I suggest you move quick because it's about to become loud anyway. In the slim hope that it doesn't, any noise I make will be quick in the hopes of not attracting much attention from inside. I wouldn't deign to tell anyone their business on the battlefield but if you distract him I might suggest I could do a lot more damage from behind. Offer a man a flank, ay?"
Dropping to stealth, Serra takes point. Nobody need ask twice. It will be fairly clear from watching his movements that he is capable of performing in this arena.
If the ogre or ogrekin still stands when the arrow strike, the rogue barks out a single note. He drops his bow and unsheathes his blades.
Lord Zohan does not get further involved unless it appears that the others are having trouble with the ogrekin.
The closest you can without being seen is about 40 feet.
Serra sneaks up on the ogrekin in the back (The fellow you saw in the image before)
Serra attacks catching him off-guard and shoot him form the corner and while he howls in surprise and anger he certainly doesn't look like he is about to die from that injury.
Andras fires after Serra and another arrow strikes the ogrekin.
Before he can recover Karla and Lucan charge him.
Lucan misses but Karla lands a powerful blow.
The ogrekin still stands but now he seems to realize how much trouble he is in and he seems more interested in running than fighting.
Zadderk shoots and takes him down.
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This ogrekin has little on him. A large rusty steel ogrehook and some tattered rags and a tunic. He does have a magical amulet however.
There is another entrance to the farmhouse at the back.
You check and finding no traps you open the door. Beyond is a filthy room contains little more than a lumpy mattress heaped with twigs, mud, and hopefully little else, although the stink of sewage in the room would seem to indicate otherwise. Dozens of vaguely humanoid fetishes crafted out of bits of leather, straw, corn husks, twigs, and bones hang from cords throughout the room. Another door on the other end of the room leads further into the house.
Aye... best be gettin' used to 'is, friends. Ain't ever pretty, I'll guarantee ya' that." he points out, walking around wearily with his crossbow primed. "Oye, Zohan. Could ya give me a scroll of that, later? If'n ye' make it? Mighty useful." he points out, somewhat missing the firepower.
As they move about, Dasher is still in the air, and makes it a point to screech should he see an ogre at any point.
beyond the door is a long hallway with several doors on each side and a staircase to the second floor.
After making sure Withers has received the protective spell Andras follows the group into the house, taking the magic amulet from the dead ogrekin's deformed body as he passes by.
Seeing no more enemies apparent, he takes a few moments examining it while Serra is busy scouting ahead.
Unable to identify the item at a quick glance, he moves next to Lord Zohan and quietly passes the amulet to him.
Lord Zohan nods first at Zadderk and whispers that that is something he could do as soon as he finds the time. He acknowledges the item in Andras's hand, accepts the amulet and examines it, suspecting it must have offered the ogrekin some sort of protection... though clearly not enough.
He shrugs and whispers, "I'll need to cast a spell on this amulet to know what it can do. Let's wait a moment to make sure the coast is clear of enemies before I start casting again."
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Serra will follow back, still stealthily, and whisper to his companions what he has found when he sees them. We can proceed forward. You can likely come to the edge of the hallways safely enough while I check the doors. I will be in your sight if you come with me. Once we've finished down here, we can move upstairs.
He'll lead them to the hallway entrance, indicate to the party to stop there and watch, and check the doors.
Every party I've ever been in has been impatient about rogues. I can only imagine that is magnified in pbp. In the interest of expediting things, I am going to put down all of my rolls for a large series of actions. If I am attacked or trigger a trap, or something else, please cut my actions short.
First, I'm perceiving for any noise upstairs.
Second, I'm going to check for any traps in the doorway or the hallway. I will be checking the doorway and the space in front of any door as well as the bottom of the stairs. I'm assuming 4 doors and a long enough hall to accommodate them. Including the entrance and the base of the stairs that's 6 checks. Please ignore any extra perception checks in this list if my imagination is incorrect regarding the number of doors.
Each series of checks is to perceive anyone on the other side, check for traps, disabling of the trap, and unlocking. I will also be including a stealth roll for each step. If this is unnecessary, please only use the first stealth roll.
If there are any traps or creatures present, I will indicate to the party to follow me, go further towards the way we came in, and whisper the knowledge to them.
Outside, Lucan says, "Can I take a look at the amulet?"
He keeps his sword drawn as others scout the interior of the house, ready to quickly react.
"Of course, Lucan." Lord Zohan hands him the amulet to examine.
First door on the left (no traps): This simple room is strewn with “toys,” some of carved wood or bone, while others appear to be little more than partial animal carcasses. Old bloodstains mark the walls, some in patterns that resemble crude child-like paintings featuring images of dismembered horses, a ridiculous grinning horned devil tossing children off a cliff, and a big lake with a black reptilian monster sprouting tentacles from its back. Bookshelves rest on the wall, but instead of tomes they hold skulls of all shapes and sizes.
Two young ogrekin are in the pen.
First door on the right (no traps) : This closeted chamber is filled with stinking pits where the ogrekin are expected to relieve themselves
Second door on the left: This door is trapped, a hidden switch on the doorknob needs to be pressed to open the door without activating it.
This dark room stinks of putrefying flesh. Eight wooden chairs with grinning bleached skulls crowning their backs circle a monstrous four-foot-high oak dining table covered with a crude tablecloth of crinkly human leather. The centerpiece of the dining table —a rotting human head, its stringy red hair thankfully draped over its mutilated face -serves as a gathering place for a host of buzzing, bloated flies.
Two ogrekin sit at the table eating.
Second door on the right: You check it and finding no traps you open it to peek inside. However it seems you missed something this time. Three long blades swing down from slits in the ceiling.
And Seras finds himself getting impaled in the back.
The sound seems to have alerted some nearby ogrekin.
Also in the room were Seras was trying to peek into when he activated the trap, you the bodies of three horribly deformed men dressed in ragged finery are propped up in huge open coffins against the far wall, their mouths sewn tightly shut with lengths of hair. They animated as the trap activates.
You have 1 round to prepare I will post a map tomorrow.
"So much for stealth", Andras quips as he hears stirring in the rooms occupied by the ogrekin. He quickly utters a ritual formula asking for Abadar's favor.
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