Bugsby weathers the night buried in a smothering nest of clothing and blanket, popping up with the morning feeling renewed with magical energy. When on the trail he grins as they bypass the tripwire, appreciating the craftiness of their enemies. "Ohthisisgoingtobefun!" he squeaks as they approach the building.
Coming up behind Sven Bugsby holds up six little fingers, mimics sitting down at a table and playing cards, in order to communicate to the others what they face. He holds up a single finger and smart-marches southward, pointing the direction the single bandit exited the room. Seeing Sven ready to open the door, Bugsby makes sure the overly large (to him) crossbow is loaded, and nods his readiness, taking a spot just behind the huge Ulfen.
As Sven rumbles, stomps and clanks his way to the window, Kalt thinks, Oh, yeah. That's why I don't usually suggest that the big man go first. But at least no one appears to have heard him. And if they do, there's no one better to have them run into.
Kalt moves quietly to where Sven waits to pull the door open. Crouching down by Bugsby, he whispers, "If you've got something to make it tougher for them to fight us, like that magic grease you tried to use on the guy's bow yesterday, now's the time to start thinking about it. Maybe you could grease up the floor under them?"
He then stands and moves next to Sven. "Ready when you are, Bjornson. You thinking the direct approach here? You yank open the door, we charge in and cut 'em down?"
Bugsby nods emphatically to Kalt, already thinking much along the same lines. Knowing they're about to be in the thick of it, he quietly rubs his hands together, gathering a green magic between his palms, and then wipes the gathered magic over his body. When he's done a shimmering green magical armor covers him from head to toe, and then fades mostly from view.
"Are we certain they are bandits?" Avora whispers. "I seem to recall hearing that these lodges are used by local youths to stop bandit aggression in the region."
Bugsby regards Avora after her statement, then his shoulder slouch heavily, clearly disappointed they aren't going to be in what was sure to be an exciting battle! "I guess I'll ask if they're bandits..." he says sadly, and shuffles morosely towards the door, hand raised to open it.
As Sven yanks open the door, the bandits explode into action. Three of them grab the weapons off the table, while the other three flip it over, the table falling at an angle and providing those behind with decent cover from any ranged attacks. From the room to the south, everyone hears the sound of swords leaving scabbards.
Coming up behind the trio at the door, Ankih is appalled to see the large Ulfen grab the door and belt out a warcry.
" May Sarenrae guide your arm, big man."He says a quick prayer as he casts a spell on the warrior. Then ducks behind the wall.
Avora scoops a handful of snow from the ground, shaping it into a ball. "Liathróid beag de oighir agus sneachta, a aimsiú do rian agus reo mo namhaid."
With that, she flings it at one of the bandits.
She mutters in disgust as the snowball smashes against the far wall.
Their barricade set, some bandits disappear deeper into the lodge. The sound of running up stairs can be heard, as well as that of breaking glass. The ones you can see grip their swords tightly and don a few small shields as they wait for the group to invade their home.
Bugsby looks at the organized commotion inside, "Idonotthinktheyaresurprised..." then shrugs as he gathered the magics from the air around him, spits grotesquely into the center of it, and hurls the magical, oily concoction at the patch of floor he can see on the south side of the table.
Bugsby casts his spell and grease forms on the floor under two of the bandits. One of them wobbles unsteadily, but manages to stay up, while the other one goes down in a crash, his feet visible for a moment over the table.
At the sound of breaking glass, Avora says, "Be wary! They may be trying to surround us!"
As Sven charges in, bashig the table back, one of the quicker thinking bandits leaps up, allowing it to flash past underneath him. His slower witted companion gets bowled over by the table. The table skids to a halt a few feet past him, flat edge down.
Bugsby takes a second to clap appreciatively of Sven's impressive strength and quick-thinking manuever.
"Thanks fer that, lad," Lachna calls to Sven as the table goes flying. She wades in past the gnome to stand next to the gruff Ulfen and takes a swing at one of the bandits who is still standing, considering him more of a threat than his prone compatriots to either side.
She lets out a mighty roar as she swings, and hopes that the blow does more than graze her opponent.
As Lachna rushes in, the bandit lashes out with his short sword, hoping to catch the dwarf unawares. Lachna easily deflects the off balanced strike and thumps the bandit on the head. He waivers a moment, trying to stay up, but consciousness escapes him and he collapses.
Avora clasps her hands together and chants, "Biotáille na tine, chuala mo ghlao, a ligean earrach lasair amach, ó mo pailme!"
As she does so, and unclasps her hands, her hands are wreathed in flames! She moves to stand beside Sven, striking at the prone bandit with her fiery fists.
On the back porch, using the wall as cover, Ankih reaches out to Kalt and once more offers a blessing.
" May Sarenrae guide your shot, Ice-man."
It sounds as if there is a lot of them. This may be a mistake. Let your light guide us and blind our enemies, Milady.
Avora strikes down hard at the prone man. Unfortunately for her, he rolls out of the way and she sticks her hand directly onto the cards the bandits had been playing with. They go up in a whoosh and cause the floor to begin smoldering.
As Sven knocks the heavy table out of the way, Kalt says quietly, "Ah, the direct approach is successful again." He then steps to Lachna's left and, as her opponent drops to the ground, he comments, "Nice shot, Lachna! Let's put these fools down!"
He raises his sword high and brings it down on the bandit still on his feet, driving him to the ground with a single, powerful swing.
The party does well, slaying two of their foes in the first real engagement in this battle for the lodge. Avora's prediction comes to fruition as some of the bandits appear on their flanks and rush in to engage Bugsby and Ankih. The prone bandit tries to wiggle away from Kalt and Lachna, but slips again on the grease and remains where he is. Two bandits appear from behind the central fireplace, and seeing three people in metal armor and one in leathers, take their shots on Avora. The prone bandit looks between Lachna, Sven, and Avora, and stabs out at the druid as well. A bandit appears in the side room, thrusting out at Kalt from behind the doorframe
Having the bandit rush upon him, Ankih drops the crossbow and draws his scimitar.
Damn. Shields inaccessible on my pack. Now I remember why the Prelate trained us in the use of javelins.
"Ware the foes behind, Bugsby. " He gives the gnome a heads up.
" Feel the Burn of Sarenrae's servant."
Kalt is startled by the appearance of the bandit at the door, and the sharp stab of pain as the tip of the bandit's blade pierces his side. He lashes out at the man, but the doorframe interferes with his strike and he misses. As he does so, he says in a calm, focused voice, "Sven, try to take out those archers, we'll finish these two and help the casters at the door. We've got to clear one or two of these flanks or we're dead."
Avora gasps in pain.
This is getting monotonous.
The flames having faded from her hands, she flicks her wrist at the bandit nearest Kalt (the one that is still standing) and shouts, "Solas, dall!"
The bandit shrugs off the druidic magics, seemingly unfazed.
"Eeep!" the gnome squeaks as they're rushed by bandits. Bugsby attempts a tumble around the southern bandit, coming up on his left, just southwest of Ankih. When he stands from his acrobatic maneuver he is clutching another glowing green ball of energy, which he tosses at the feet of the two bandits outside the door, "Takethisyoumeaniefaces!" he says and sticks out his tongue at them.
The grease causes the bandits to slip and slide. The one nearest Ankih remains up, while the one further away falls over.
Bugsby sticks his thumbs in his ears, opens his fingers wide, and waggles them back and forth at the bandit on the ground, "Nehnehneh!"
Lachna cackles with glee as the bandits continue to fall and brings her hammer down on the one on the ground in front of her.
The prone bandit rolls out of the way of Lachna's strike. Outside, the group of bandits rise and assault Ankih, their blades striking home with deadly accuracy. As one bandit dashes by Bugsby, he tries to smack him, but should have paid more attention as another bandit hot on the firsts heels cuts a deep gash in the gnomes shoulder.
Inside, multiple arrows bounce of Sven's shield as he protects his wounded companion, and the door frame continues to stalemate the duel between Kalt and a bandit. The one laying on the ground takes this opportunity to slide away on the grease and away from the combat.
And the bandit tries in vain to put his entrails back where they belong as he falls to the floor.
Bugsby spins with the sudden violence of the attack to his shoulder, yelping in pain and gazing down with wide, frightened eyes at the blood leaking from his shoulder. Clutching one hand to his wound, he grabs at the magic around him to form a third and final spell, taking a step back and lobbing the magical mess under the feet of the two at the door. Turning back towards those in the room, he snaps his fingers at the grease inside the room, dismissing his magic in an instant.
Wincing in pain, Ankih steps into the lodge hoping to dodge further attacks. He uses the door frame to foil stabs as he dons his shield.
He then casts cure light wounds on himself.
" My friends, I can ask for divine aid to heal us, but in her mercy, it will heal all true sons and daughters of Golarion. They may be evil, but they are human."
Seeing more bandits falling and or running, Lachna continues to cackle. She swings her hammer at the next bandit.
"If the people need healin', do the healin', but I'd be waitin' as long as ye kin. If'n ye start healin' the ones we're fightin', might be we get more hurt in the long run."
The bandits slip and fall, causing their aim to go awry when trying to strike Ankih for healing himself. Lachna ignores trying to strike around the door and just hammers the bandit through the window, causing both glass and blood to rain down upon the snow.
Bugsby, so caught up in the heat of battle and his own wounded shoulder, can't help but stare in fascination as the sparkling glass of the shattered window cascades outside when Lachna strikes it, his mouth forming a little 'O' of interest in all things sparkling.
Avora crawls to the door to H12. If it is unlocked, she opens it and, if the rooms is empty, crawls inside, closing the door. In either case, she lays a hand upon her wound, closes her eyes, and chants, "Mar an cas séasúir, mar sin in iúl mo gar fhoirceannadh."
Kalt once again attempts to reach his longsword past the doorframe and into his opponent, and once again he fails. Damn! I hope Sven is having better luck with those archers! This man should be on the ground bleeding out by now, while I cover Ankih and Bugsby. He glances quickly over his shoulder, his sword held out in front of him. Though it looks like Lachna may have that in hand.