Initiative :
William will maintain his concentration on the illusory fog and move forward to P9 with his bow drawn.
Perception :
Initiative Order:
William
Gendo
Auric
Opponents
Jon
Round 1:
William keeps his fog in place as he trudges across the snow-laden bridge, falling behind the others as they move on. There are sounds of voices coming from the higher levels of the tower, definitely inhuman, but none of you can make out the actual words. The arrow fire stops, the illusory fog having stymied their attempts at aim.
Auric slogs through the snow as quickly as he can, running for a position next to the barricade on the ground floor.
I will move to stay with William, readying an action to defend him from an attack.
William curses his short legs as he labors through the snow while trying to maintain his illusion.
Round 2:
William keeps up the concealing fog and continues across the bridge, as Gendo moves back to the bard's side. A couple of arrows fly out from the fog-shrouded tower, but come nowhere near the two of them.
Auric moves up to left of the doorway this round, with Jon following suit and moving to the right of the door.
In a low voice to Auric "Should we light it up? Is it a trap for us or a misstep by them?"
"I'd say a trap. Let's do them a favor and spring it for them..."
Auric pulls a smokestick from his belt pouch and lights it, dropping it in front of the door in the hopes of catching the barricade on fire. Then steps back 10 feet to B9.
William continues to trudge forward through the snow, while maintaining the fog.
I continue to stay with William, ready to defend him (as much as I am able) against incoming attacks.
Round 3:
William continues to trudge across the bridge, maintaining the concealing fog, as Gendo keeps pace, guarding him.
Auric lights the smokestick, dropping it on the pile of wood, rubbish and hay. It is quickly hidden by a thick cloud of smoke. A sudden flash of heat and crackle of flames indicates the barricade has indeed caught fire. Auric hustles back away from the expanding cloud.
Inside, Auric and Jon hear cackles of glee, followed by confused mutterings and coughing.
Jon moves back from the doorway, escaping the cloud of smoke and staying alert for the enemy.
William huffs as he struggles through the deep snow while keeping his focus on the tower.
Auric pulls out a throwing axe and stands ready to attack any goblins fleeing the smoke- or, failing that, waits for the barricade to burn down.
I continue to stay with William, my crossbow at the ready for any threat.
Round 4:
William and Gendo continue to make their way across the bridge as William keeps his illusory fog up to conceal them.
There seems to be much coughing and confusion on the other side of the burning barricade. While Auric and Jon are unable to determine exactly what is happening, given the cloud from the smokestick, it's likely that the goblins did not anticipate the effects of the smoke from the burning barricade.
Auric is alerted by a grunt, and sees a goblin squeeze his way through a crack in the wall on the west side of the building.
Gendo notes a goblin, with strange purplish blotches on his face and head, crawl from a hole in the cliff face onto a small ledge about 15 feet below the bridge.
Jon continues to stand by at the edge of the smoke, ready for any goblins that get through the barricade.
"Gotcha, you little squirt!", Auric exclaims as he hurls his throwing axe at the escaping goblin.
Throwing axe:
Confirm!:
Jon raises his scythe, readying an attack for any goblins that come within a five foot step of him.
Attack:
Damage:
Crossbow Attack:
Damage:
Crit confirm (if needed):
Crit damage (if needed):
Round 4 results for readied actions:
Auric's axe slams home in the side of the goblin's face and there is a sickening crack as the weapon breaks the goblin's jaw. It falls into the snow.
Gendo looses his crossbow bolt which hurtles down and strikes the blotchy goblin in the face, piercing his cheek at a downward angle. The goblin rips the bolt out with a soundless shriek, glaring up at Gendo. Then he waves his hands, gesticulating and making harsh utterances, blood running from his injured mouth. However, these seem to have no effect. Shaking his fist angrily at Gendo, the goblin retreats back into cave in the cliff.
"I'll head 'em off on this side!", Auric says as he circles the side of the tower toward the crack where the fallen goblin emerged.
William ignores the threats around him and continues to push through the snow while maintaining his illusion.
Round 5:
William moves on, Gendo keeping pace to shield him from any threats coming from the cliffside below.
Auric moves near the crack, readying his weapon. He notes that entry will not be possible here without further widening the hole in the wall. Peering in, he notes a bulbous goblin head poke into view. Upon seeing the paladin, it gives a shriek and pops back out of sight.
Jon stands ready near the burning barricade, noting the sounds of coughing and choking goblins appears to lessen in volume as if they're moving away.
I continue maintaining cover for William. Keeping an eye out for any threat, taking a moment to reload the crossbow.
Jon is going to move around the edge of the tower and see if there are any alternate ways of getting in (or out!)
Seeing little other alternative besides simply letting the goblins hole up, Auric takes a powerful swing at the cracked wall.
Power attack vs. wall:
Round 6:
William and Gendo continue to advance, nearly over the bridge and under the line of fire from the fog-shrouded side of the tower.
Jon takes a mighty swing at the side of tower, landing a forceful blow. Despite the crack, the construction still seems fairly solid. A few chunks of masonry crack off.
Jon moves away from the burning barricade, hopping the bridge railing and moving alongside the east wall of the tower. So far, he sees no other areas of access into (or out of) the building.
The goblins continue to show no signs of offense...
William and Gendo continue to advance, nearly over the bridge and under the line of fire from the fog-shrouded side of the tower.
William finally drops his illusion as he moves to the corner of the tower so he can watch both sides with his bow at the ready.
His attempts to widen the hole seemingly pointless, Auric trudges toward the back of the tower to meet up with Jon.
I say we stoke the flames even further, force them out of the tower. I move to the base of the tower, next to William, ready for trouble.
Jon will join Auric in widening the hole.
Jon will join Auric in widening the hole.
Jon will join Auric in widening the hole.
Jon runs into Auric on their respective ways to do the thing the other one was doing.
"I'm stumped. What do we do now?"
We'll go ahead and step out of combat mode for now. The lot of you reassemble before the smoke cloud obscuring the burning barricade. The smoke from the Auric's smokestick seems to be dispersing somewhat. The barricade, consisting of a few bales of hay piled with broken furniture, is burning fiercely. It doesn't seem likely to last long. Jon figures he could use his scythe to start clearing it away--knock the remnants of the furniture down, then either drag or push the burning bales away from the doorway.
Jon uses his scythe in the way he figured he could, humming a happy tune as he does.
Jon carefully demolishes the barricade, his efforts aided by the hungry fire as it consumes the wood and hay, and manages to provide the group safe passage into the building. Peering through the doorway, the first floor appears to be one open room, with stairs leading up to the second floor, as well as a set leading down. The room is hazy with smoke . Despite the overpowering scent of the smoke, there is still a discernable sour odor present, probably from the occupants.
"Pfagh! Gross!",Auric says as he wafts some of the stench away from his nose. "Let's say we take a look downstairs first?"
Auric takes a second to listen for anything that may have stuck around to attack under the cover of smoke.
Perception:
Auric hears nothing but the crackle of flames.
"Hold your breath. Let's go inside!" Jon takes a deep breath, then plunges into the foul tower, his scythe at the ready.
I nod and follow.
Auric heads down the stairs, ready for some goblin hunting.
With Auric in the lead, the group descends the steps, out of the smoke and into a basement containing a few scattered barrels and crates.
The room is dimly lit, the illumination filtering in from the tunnel at the far side of the room. The smell of goblin is prevalent here.
Perception:
Perception
Jon will cast light on his scythe if he has the chance.
Perception:
William step warily into the basement with his bow at the ready.
Perception :
As Auric reaches the bottom of the stairs, both Jon and Gendo spot goblins hidden behind barrels on the far side of the room. They shout warnings and spoil the ambush.