The small giant follows the slow female half-human.
Ferit steps out of the tiger's way and swings his mace at the tower rat. He smashes her shoulder with a gleeful chuckle.
Radyx continues his sprint towards the action.
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”Ah, f%$! you!” The tower girl nearly edges off the cliff before her as Ferit and Hoosible close in. ”Sasha? SASHA? What are you doing?!” Unable to see, the girl pulls out her shortsword and lashes blindly where she can smell and hear Ferit. The blade widely misses its mark, however, and the girl swears in frustration.
In response, the rat simply squeaks. While the tower girl had been yelling at it, the rat wasn’t moving and had its eyes closed, focusing inwards. However, nothing happened and the rat loses its concentration as its fellow yells at it.
Hoosible stabs as the tower girl but misses. Anxious to give Strawflower a chance to play, the pallid gnome says, "Ahem. Ferit. Can you make a bit of room here?"
As the pallid gnome speaks he nudges Strawflower, who leans forward, crowding in close enough to Ferit that the smell of rotting tiger gets notably stronger...and there's a palpable lack of what (if this were a living tiger) should be hot breath on his shoulders and neck.
Alexin skips forward (like a 5 year old), his giggling suddenly stops as he fixes the tower girl with an intense, maddening stare. Moments later, he begins giggling again.
Tarrana pushes forward to get in the middle of the fight.
The small giant follows the slow female half-human.
Gods, how did they get THAT far ahead?!
The drow finally crosses the threshold into the room where the others are fighting. Still not close enough yet he continues to make his approach.
Ferit steps out of the tiger's way and swings his mace at the tower rat. He smashes her shoulder with a gleeful chuckle.
Radyx continues his sprint towards the action, all while Valko continues to berate and annoy him ten feet behind.
<< | | | >>
With the tower girl on the ledge unconscious and dying due to Ferit’s brutal beating, only the dire rat - whose name is apparently Sasha - remains. As the group watch, over on their ledge, they can see the rat change form, growing in stature and becoming humanoid before their very eyes. Even with Hoosible’s attempt at misfortuning her, she is finally able to turn into a monstrous half-rat, half-woman creature; She is indeed, a wererat as they can all tell.
Although still unable to see, she can obviously smell the group, and she takes a short step away from them to the opposite edge of the platform she’s on to get as far away from the group as she can.
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Tarrana keeps moving quickly. "Do all your carefully made plans end up like this!"
Unwilling to risk losing his new toy -- or his own life -- Hoosible signals for Strawflower to back up and make room for the others.
The undead tiger moves it's nose as though it could still smell, and gives a disappointed "Gaurrrruuughng" but complies.
Ferit hops nimbly across the demolished rope bridge and onto the platform, like the great ape he resembles so much. "Thot ye might get away, eh dovey?" he asks the rat-b@!#%. "Nobody gets away from th' Skuller!"
Soooo glad I became a Cyphermage! I haven't had this much fun since the winter of '10 in that elven village... He swings his silvered mace at Sasha with two hands like a baseball bat.
Charbonardent keeps following the group as fast as he can hustle.
Alexin continues to giggle as he skips to the edge of the ledge, then fixes the rat woman with his maddening stare.
With the tower girl on the ledge unconscious and dying due to Ferit’s brutal beating, only the dire rat - whose name is apparently Sasha - remains. As the group watch, over on their ledge, they can see the rat change form, growing in stature and becoming humanoid before their very eyes. Even with Hoosible’s attempt at misfortuning her, she is finally able to turn into a monstrous half-rat, half-woman creature; She is indeed, a wererat as they can all tell.
Although still unable to see, she can obviously smell the group, and she takes a short step away from them to the opposite edge of the platform she’s on to get as far away from the group as she can.
Valko and Radyx continue their run, trying to catch up.
Tarrana keeps moving quickly. "Do all your carefully made plans end up like this!"
Unwilling to risk losing his new toy -- or his own life -- Hoosible signals for Strawflower to back up and make room for the others.
The undead tiger moves it's nose as though it could still smell, and gives a disappointed "Gaurrrruuughng" but complies.
Ferit hops nimbly across the demolished rope bridge and onto the platform, like the great ape he resembles so much. "Thot ye might get away, eh dovey?" he asks the rat-b**~@. "Nobody gets away from th' Skuller!"
Soooo glad I became a Cyphermage! I haven't had this much fun since the winter of '10 in that elven village… He swings his silvered mace at Sasha with two hands like a baseball bat, cracking her upside the head with it.
Charbonardent keeps following the group as fast as he can hustle.
Remiandiv finally comes around the last corner and gets his first glimpse of a live target. Still too far away to engage the creature directly, the drow move up next to his companions and pulls a card from the bandolier on his chest.
The Big Sky. Lets hope we can stay on the platform....
Alexin continues to giggle as he skips to the edge of the ledge, then fixes the rat woman with his maddening stare.
<< | | | >>
”Screw you! I can’t see you but I’m going to f**!ing kill you!” Sasha charges Ferit, trying to bullrush him off the edge. However, before she can do so, the orc takes another swing at her with his silvered mace, two-handed style, and cracks it against her jaw, knocking most of her teeth out and her consciousness with it. She falls down onto the platform, narrowly avoiding falling off the edge.
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As Charbonardent finally gets to the combat, he asks "What's all the rush about?"
Radyx turns the corner, panting as he finally catches the others.
"DAMNIT!" he yells. "Why you takin' all the fun outta this, Snots!?"
Valko rolls his eyes and spares a knowing look Ferit's direction. "Did we get all of them? None made it further in?"
Ferit throws Sasha's body onto the floor of the tower proper, and then leaps back over himself. "Anyone get hurt? Iffin not, we need ter keep goin'. Give 'em time and they'll set up an ambush," Ferit comments.
"Keep goin' where? Who'll set up an ambush?" the small giant asks trying to catch up more than physically.
Ferit squints at the giant. Is he trying to make a joke?
"The rest of the Tower Girls you lumbering fool! Do ye have the memory of a gerbil or something?"
The orc shakes his head, as he wanders over to the spot where there is obviously a secret door where Natalya told them the secret door was. Namely, back on the platform where he fought Sasha. He begins looking for the mechanism in the ceiling.
Although at first glance, Ferit is unable to locate the door, he takes a few minutes to look harder and closer and eventually finds it. Upon closer examination, a small hooked piton has been wedged into the door from the other side, allowing it to be opened easily; hanging from one of the ropes is a long boat hook that can reach and grab the piton to open the door.
Tarrana keeps her own council letting the men bicker and fret like young children. Instead she finds the other tower girl and more out of curiosity and decides to search her as well.
Activating detect magic
search
Ferit grabs the pole and opens the door. "Don't see yeh getting a tiger up this thing, but good luck, bucko!" he quips to Hoosible. "Let's go," he says, clambering up into the next chamber quietly. "An' this time, wait for my all clear, Felston!" the orc demands of Radyx.
Examining the newly-made corpses, the group find all sorts of roguish gear; Studded leather armor, shortswords, hand-crossbows, a few vials of magical liquid on each girl, not to mention thieves’ tools, rope, and a fair number of alchemical weapons.
Ferit finds the handle and, using the boat hook, hooks the piton and opens the trapdoor. Luckily, its a very easy climb to get up into the secret tunnel and the orc leads the group through it.
After a short tunnel, the group step down into a short passageway that bears murals showing strangely dressed Thassilonian priests placing bodies into crypts along the walls. The various niches in the passageway are the likely crypts, although the bones no longer sit in their resting places; instead, the bones of all the skeletons are in a pile near the secret entrance. It appears the Tower Girls took care of these guys since Natalya had last been here.
With everyone up on the next level, Ferit sneaks forward to the first intersection to have a peek about. He motions for the others to hang back, or be quiet if they come forward. Well, wot 'ave we got here then?
Ferit finds that the intersection is in reality, not an intersection; instead, numerous niches in the wall are present, each having held one or more corpses at one time. Continuing forward, he finds the passageway ends in a larger room that curves northwards.
In the northern hallway, however, he spots a light coming from within.
Ferit continues creeping forward, keeping his eyes peeled for trip wires, pressure plates or anything else that might kill him.
As Ferit moves forward, he ends up tripping a trip wire he missed, and although he steels himself for pain, instead all he hears is a chime of a bell further forward, near where the light is coming from.
With a bell being rung, Ferit waves the other forward, and rushes on knowing time is of the essence.
"HA!" Radyx laughs at the orc botching the sneaking plan. Once he catches up to his position, he says, "How about we do this my way now, eh?"
Moving forward at the speed of the slowest member of the group this time, the group follow Ferit's lead to the next room.
A hooded lantern sits on the lip of a fountain in the west wall, whil ea tinkling rill of water runs from a demon-shaped mouth on the wall into the fountain. A pair of bedrolls and serveral bags of what appears to be rations sit on the floor just around the fountain. Of any tower girls, none are seen.
As Ferit and Radyx move forward in tandem, neither of them spot the tripwire.. nor the hand-crossbow the tripwire was attached to. It fires as the tripwire is pulled, but the crossbow bolt flies by Ferit's head, missing him.
Beyond, another hallway looms, where they can see it extend for nearly a hundred feet.
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(Miss)
After setting off another trap, and dodging the crossbow bolt that flies at him, Ferit walks over to grab some rations. Now, with snack in hand, he continues forward, waiting for the slower armored people to catch up.
Seeing the bolt fly by, Radyx decides to raise his shield in a defensive posture as they advance, in case anymore random sharp bits come flying out.
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Charbonardent considers throwing the orc into the water for his comment. But the orc seems to be the most active person of the group. He'll eventually trip a deadly trap and take care of himself. Otherwise, he will have to learn manners the hard way.
Following after the predicted and unfortunately not deadly alarm, he sarcastically observes, "Wow, nasty ambush, orc. Look at all those Tower Girls surrounding us."
Ferit farts noisily in reply. "It'll come. Oi'd bet me tusks on it."
<< | | | >>
The group continue to move forward, Radyx at the ready with his shield, all wary of attack. Following the hallway until they come across another corridor to their right, they find bits of cheese and meat scattered upon the ground recently. It is then that they notice the squeaking of a huge multitude of rats coming their way from the end of the short hallway.
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10
15.1
Ferit darts across the hallway, calling "Rats!" to the other cyphermages. He positions himself with his back against the corner, ready to smash any vermin that come within his reach.
Seeing the huge wave of rats, Radyx mutters, "Aw, s~+@!" He then braces himself for the wave, and tries to hack down and smash as many as he can before they overwhelm him.
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Tarrana moves forward with a pint of oil in hand and hurls it amongst the rats. "Set them on fire!"
Oil toss.
Hearing swarm, Charbonardent pulls out his alchemist fire and tosses it at the swarm assuming LOS.
aye
Hoosible pokes his head around the corner and sees all the rats. He pulls his own rat, Nibbles, out of his pocket and says, "Those rats don't look so friendly, do they? Better send the kitty to deal with them."
Hoosible climbs off of Strawflower's back and waits for the fire to be thrown, ready to send in his zombie tiger as cleanup if necessary.
Strawflower's tail switches back and forth. Grrrrooowwllluuurrrrggghhl
The group continue to move forward, Radyx at the ready with his shield, all wary of attack. Following the hallway until they come across another corridor to their right, they find bits of cheese and meat scattered upon the ground recently. It is then that they notice the squeaking of a huge multitude of rats coming there way from the end of the short hallway.
Ferit darts across the hallway, calling "Rats!" to the other cyphermages. He positions himself with his back against the corner, ready to smash any vermin that come within his reach.
Seeing the huge wave of rats, Radyx mutters, "Aw, s~&$!" He then braces himself for the wave, and tries to hack down and smash as many as he can before they overwhelm him.
Tarrana moves forward with a pint of oil in hand and hurls it amongst the rats. "Set them on fire!"
Grumbling to himself that he is again at the back of the group, Remiandiv finds himself yet again unable to do much with a threat looming. The woman's plan is a good one, simple and effective, but the drow finds himself without even the most basic cantrip memorized that would help.
With few choices, he twirls the card between his fingers and prepares for the swarm's advance.
Hearing the oncoming rats and the warnings of his allies, Charbonardent draws forth a flask of alchemist’s fire and moves into position to throw it.
Hoosible pokes his head around the corner and sees all the rats. He pulls his own rat, Nibbles, out of his pocket and says, "Those rats don't look so friendly, do they? Better send the kitty to deal with them."
Hoosible climbs off of Strawflower's back and waits for the fire to be thrown, ready to send in his zombie tiger as cleanup if necessary.
Strawflower's tail switches back and forth. Grrrrooowwllluuurrrrggghhl
Meanwhile, Valko pulls out a flask of alchemist’s fire himself in preparation, and Alexin giggles and mutters to himself about the situation.
As the rats swarm the group, both Radyx and Ferit launch an assault against the swarm. Ferit swings at them with his silvered mace, scattering and smashing rats with his strong stroke, and Ferit slashes and cuts at them with his bladed shield. Between the two of them, they kill enough of the rats to cause the swarm to scatter to the three tunnels. Some return to where they were, others run past the group back towards the way the group came, and more run foward into the darkness unseen.
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