Elebrin brightens, Oh Jym does! and then she turns a brilliant red color, I uhm mean to say, he is clever that way it has seemed to me...perhaps?
The elf offers Jym and apologetic smile and shrug.
"Ha ha, yes, okay, but we still need time! We need to get out of here, and I'm still waiting on any insight from my streetwise check!"
Jym indicates the "Streetwise = 22" in green text floating above his text that will hopefully give him some idea about where they could go to hide Lady Vanderboren.
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Jym thinks for a moment and then snaps his fingers.
"Ok! I know where we can go. We need to head to the Azure district. But first we need to get out of here!"
Jym looks at the others expectantly.
Jym thinks for a moment and then snaps his fingers.
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Uro nods. "Works for me. Let's get Ixotl and get out of here." The orc runs up to the dor and kicks it open, quickly heading to wherever he can see up to the roof.
Ixotl:
Ixotl lies motionless on the roof and wills his winged companion to swoop down for a closer look, using his spiritual link with the sacred bird to share its sight. He tries to get an accurate count of the invaders and then slips away, dropping off onto a balcony and intercepting Uro.
"We have company. An armored enemy approaches, wading upstream. Several companions swim beside him. They will be upon us in minutes. I will snipe them from the roof, and you can ambush them once the bullets fly. Good hunting!"
Warning given, he returns to his perch, waiting and studying the leading figure. He watches his target carefully, preparing to deliver a killing blow.
The wader, you see, is an orc in pirates' attire (attire that is now mostly torn, matted with mud, and ragged). He looks incredibly mean and really tough, as if Uro took a bite of porridge to find that one of his birds had left a dropping in the bowl. He wears a curved sword, similar in shape to a seaman's cutlass, but you're certain it would require both your hands just to swing it. Seeing the archways of the manor walls ahead, he points that way to the others; the frog-man supervisor surfaces, nods, and goes underwater again.
"Looks like there are some enemies moving up the stream toward us. Anyone have anything that we could throw in the water to make their trip less pleasant?"
"Well, the murder-carnies just gave us four bottles of alchemist's fire, which I believe can still burn because the oil floats on top of the water. Just don't use this oil with vinegar because it will ruin your salad."
"Nice of them. Luckily one of them is in metal armor. The glass vials should smash nicely on it."
Once they are within chuckin range, Uro will start lobbing alchemists fire vials at the one in armor.
Once they are within chuckin range, Uro will start lobbing alchemists fire vials at the one in armor.
Even Uro's mighty arm will have a hard time lobbing a flask from the manor roof, past the tree limbs on the grounds, over the outer wall of the estate, and then down into the stream. Even Ixotl, with his sling, is resigned to getting in maybe a shot or two before the outer wall blocks his sight.
However, there is a small stretch where the intruders will pass across the grounds -- inside the outer wall, but not yet into the basement (see map). It would be trivially easy to just empty 4 vials there and light them (preferably before the current carries them under the manor!).
"Ixotl, are there any blind spots for the estate wall that you can't see from up here? Even if those guys in the canal didn't know you're here, they could be a decoy."
"I can see behind the wall from above. There are none hidden against it. The swimmers in the stream don't look like a decoy. There are a handful of frog-men, and an orc pirate with a mean disposition. We can strike after they swim under the wall."
Elebrin instinctively pulls at her ring and activates the magical armor enchantment it contains. She then pulls her sword, So it seems like we are probably fighting then?
"They are six. We are six. They expect to surprise us. We will surprise them. Let them come and be destroyed."
They are within slinging distance, outside the outer wall. The frog-men are swimming, and thus harder to hit; the wading orc is armored. Assuming Ixotl holds fire, they pass under the outer wall and attempt to cross quickly to the manor, obviously hoping to enter the basement undetected.
As they pass under the wall, Jym throws an alchemist's fire at them.
Ixotl strikes as the last frog-man clears the gate. His sling blurs into action, lashing out like a scorpion's tail. The ceramic sling bullets whines through the air with lethal accuracy.
Uro lobs a flask straight down at the bank of the stream, hoping to spread the fire across the top of the water.
Jym nails one of the swimmers as it comes up to breathe. The vial shatters and flames quickly scorch the exposed head, forcing the frog-man to submerge again, but it's likely too slow to get out of the way before you follow up. What was supposed to be an easy takeover of an unguarded manor just got a lot more difficult for these things!
Something warns the big orc, somehow, or a mosquito bite nearly spoils Ixotl's aim -- maybe just a stray breeze -- but whatever it is, it's not enough. The orc's head snaps back and away -- so fast! -- but the sling bullet is faster still, too unexpected, and it catches the side of the pirate's head instead of striking dead on. The results are still... unpleasant to see. The orc's body drops like a sack of meal and lies there bonelessly, shifting only when the current catches it, what's left of its head mercifully underwater.
Uro's flask shatters and leaves a burning film on top of the water. All of the swimmers take splash damage, and seem none too pleased about it. Again, having been taken aback, they are slow to respond.
The swimmers' supervisor croaks a barking laugh at Drevoraz' fate, then seems to chide itself for delaying, and slowly submerges to avoid being the next victim.
Guessing this is probably a proper combat now eh?
Elebrin holds off of flinging anything, having firmly established to all that know her that she is not the paragon of dexterity that many assume of her people. She holds for now, waiting for the engagement terms to shift.
Jym will start to inspire courage on the round that it becomes apparent melee combat will start.
Melee combat is hardly imminent, as you've thus far been dropping projectiles from the window or roof down on the invaders. Unless interrupted by someone with a faster initiative, it looks like the frog-people will swim into the basement.
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Ixolt grins wickedly and keeps his stomach planted on the cold clay roof. He watches the frogmen, waiting for another opportunity to strike.
His grin sours as the slimy buggers squirm toward the basement entrance.
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Jym looks around nervously.
"So... so I guess we're, um, just going to fight them up here, then?"
Yes, since you've already opened a window -- if you don't mind taking a little bit of falling damage, or use a frog-person to break your fall...
I'm going to assume that everyone has a 10-ft. drop (or 20 ft., if you prefer to be on the next floor up), except Ixotl, who is still on the roof.
Elebrin looks over at Uro, If you plan to jump I think I will move to the basement door? Anyone else care to join me? The elf languidly looks at Jym as she speaks.
"See you down there!" Uro leaps into action
The orc swings over the window sill and uses whatever hand holds available to climb down.
If he needs to drop
Elebrin looks over at Uro, If you plan to jump I think I will move to the basement door? Anyone else care to join me? The elf languidly looks at Jym as she speaks.
Jym quikcly nods and follows Elebrin.
If he needs to drop [Dice=Acrobatics] = 1
Uro clambers out the window and down the wall, finding drainpipes and mortar protuberances and gaps in the brick almost without looking, so that he seems almost like great ape descending a tree.
Unfortunately, the baddies aren't willing to let him go that easily. Two of them stay submerged, obviously intending to swim into the basement; the other two hang back, readying spears against Uro's descent.
"Wagggggghhhhhh!!" Uro flies into a rage, then leaps at the frogmen from the wall, his greataxe flashing in a deadly arc.
The frog-men are unprepared for the sheer ferocity of Uro's attack, but the orc's slow reflexes allow them a chance to get their licks in first:
Their attacks all miss, and the spearman goes down in red ruin under the edge of the orc's axe.
With Uro taking several turns at once for simplicity, I'm envisioning:
Ixotl has two turns, then round 3 begins.
What is Bal doing during all this?
Ixotl is staying hidden on the roof, studying the swimmers. With Uro in the fray, there might be a chance for him to break another skull soon.
After a brief period of furious activity in the armory, Bal re-emerges, and, smiling at Lady V in passing, rushes towards the same window Uro clambered out of, inwardly impressed at Uros evident derring do. Leaning precariously out, Bal flings a javelin energetically at the remaining swimmer now approaching Uro, if nothing else to attempt to distract the attacker.
Following his throw, Bal will charge downstairs in an attempt to meet the remaining swimmers as they emerge in the basement.