With his smirk in place, Iacobus continues his advance. When he gets close enough to attack the guards he notices that Arthur is not there. He takes a quick glance around and notices the confused fighter.
"Get over and do your job, Arthur, or so help me I will hurt you.
With that, he turns back to the guard.
"Now where was I? Oh yes, I was about to make your life miserable."
Once again his malicious smile is back, and, with his final words, he swings the item he picked up earlier and attacks the poor guard.
"Then stop offering pardons," Arthur mumbles as he closes the distance to the guard and lashes out with his dagger.
Not wanting to waste a more powerful spell with their enemy so outnumbered and bemoaning the lack of a better option, Lucetta again relies on flinging droplets of acid at the remaining guard.
Hp 5/5; AC 12/12T/10FF; CMD 12
-1F/+2R/+2W (+5 v charm/compulsion)(+2 v enchantment)
Buffs: none
Iacobus visibly twictches at Arthur's mumbling, but says nothing more.
Zurn goes for a strike at the next guard, curious to see the results.
Grumblejack reaches out and envelops the wounded and panicking guard.
the guard tries to break free from the ogre's powerful arms, but fails.
Male human warrior 2 LG Medium humanoid
Init +1; Senses Perception +2
DEFENSE
AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16 (+4 armor, +2 shield, +1 Dex)
hp dead/13. 10/13 (shaken)
Fort +4, Ref +0, Will -1
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft. Melee longsword +5 (1d8+2/19–20); club +4 (1d6+2; 1⁄2 non-lethal)
Seeing the guard poses no threat whilst GrumbleJack has him in a clinch, Lucetta chooses to aid her allies, scooping up the longsword from the fallen guard and offering it hilt first to Iacobus, she'll also kick the horn in to the corner if she gets the opportunity.
Hp 5/5; AC 12/12T/10FF; CMD 12
-1F/+2R/+2W (+5 v charm/compulsion)(+2 v enchantment)
Buffs: none
With the guard in the ogre's arms, there is also little Iacobus can do. He gladly takes the proffered long sword, but instead of using it he offers it to Arthur, motioning to trade weapons and mumbling something about it being 'too heavy.' He also takes a glance around the room for any useful items... .
Zurn pulls his left arm back. Making a fist, he swings his arm forward to try to make contact with the guard's face.
Gladly accepting the offered weapon Arthur turns to the remaining guard the ogre has subdued. He tries to stab the man but fails as the ogre partially shields him, in fear of hitting the ogre he lets the swing go wild.
With no one able to land a mark on the Grumblejack takes the puny dagger and slides it across the guard's throat, spraying hot, red blood literally everywhere. Panting, the ogre let's the guard's limp body fall to the floor and licks the blood from his wet dagger. "Mmmm. Nice fight."
2x Chain Shirt
2x Heavy Steel Shield
2x Longsword
2x Cudgel
2x Longbow
40x Arrows (in 2 quivers)
2x Signal Horn
2 keyrings, each with two keys (each ring has a key that matches one on the other ring, each ring also has a unique key)
2x Belt Pouches (24gp total)
Mostly empty flask of bad smelling liquor
Set of Marked cards
Folded hand-drawn picture of a woman with the name Bazlin written on it
None of this is any good to me
She gestures at the armor and weapons.
I suggest you don anything you need now then we quickly change in to appropriate garments, we stick out rather dreadfully in these
she indicates the prison issue rags.
Pulling at the tab with the sack from the veil, she opens the bag that appears and pulls out the set of clothes for her and anyone else who wants theirs. Turning around for modesty she quickly dons the new threads and throws the rags on the brazier.
That done she scoops up the belt pouches, cards and picture, stuffing them in the sack, then moves over to listen at the door to ensure there's no-one within.
"Arthur and GrumbleJack should probably take the long swords. I will keep a dagger and, if he wants it, Zurn should probably take the other. As for armor, Arthur should definitely have a sheild and the chain shirt. As for the second pair, I can use the shirt but the shield is beyond my abilities. I could care less about the rest of the weapons."
After Lucetta thes out the clothes, Iacobus, reluctantly thanks her and tries to get most of the mud and dirt out of his hair. He then proceeds to use the clothes the guards had to bind his cut wrists. After a chance to freshen up, he turns his back as well and changes out of his rags. When everyone has changed, he aslo heads to the door and listens.
"Good thinking," Arthur says approvingly and begins to strip one of the corpses. Discarding the prison rags he puts on the clothes of the guard. "A wee bit to small, but they'll do," he smiles before donning the chain mail and the blood stained blue cloth over it. Picking up a sword and a shield he smiles grimly. "I am ready to leave."
Scavenging what useful items you can, a quick search of your immediate area finds the adjacent interview room empty. The room's commically large fireplace is unlit and poking around inside finds the chiminy to be made of rough stone blocks . Looking down, you can see the glow a fire and an empty spit. Looking up, you see that the sky is dark and studded with stars. Creeping down the stairs you find another door and peeking through the key hole you see that it adjoins to a long hallway that ends in the front door. At the very end of the hall, two bored guards stand watch, one to each side of the main entrance.
"We might be able to convince the guards in the hall way to come up here or some place we could ambush them, but this has some variables that are not in our favor. Or, if we find some water, we might be able to climb down the chimney and get out that way, but we would be giving ourselves away to anyone down there. Another option could include climbing up the chimney, taking the guards on the battlements out and climbing down the outside, but I'd rather not find out the sides of the building are impossible to scale... Finally we could wait here for the next shift, but that gets us nowhere."
After taking a momnet to.pause and let the different ideas soak in Iacobus continues, "Any other ideas, suggestions, or should we try one of those? We might be able to combine some as well..."
Good ideas, though I'd venture to say with only the one coil of rope we may struggle to get down once we make the roof if we exit that way as you say. Indeed, waiting for the shift change gets us nowhere, we're best off escaping whilst it's dark anyway.
she muses for a moment before continuing
It might be possible for a subtle man to sneak down that corridor, but that still leaves the problem of taking down those two men before they can raise the alarm.
She raises an eyebrow
The only other thing I can think is the old 'prisoner transport', we put the ogre in manacles again and two of you dressed as guards march him down the corridor plain as day. The ruse only has to last long enough to get in striking range, it could work...
she turns to GrumbleJack
The manacles would not be locked, you could strike at will she reassures him.
If you don't want to risk them being on alert with the ogre coming near, you could always use me, if you get me close enough I can call on the shadows to blind them or knock them unconscious. Drag me on my knees like I'm unconscious so they don't think much is amiss perhaps?
she sighs and adds
It does mean changing clothes again, but anything for the cause she winks.
Iacobus, after the Zurn's apparent lack of interest in the armor decides to.don the remaining chain shirt.
The prisoner transport idea.has some merit, but it might work better if instead of moving the prisoner we are removing her.
With this he turns to Lucetta and continues, "We might be able to pull off the concept you died in the cell, whether by our hands, disease, or what have you."
Pulling at the tab with the sack from the veil, she opens the bag that appears and pulls out the set of clothes for her and anyone else who wants theirs.
"Thank you, my dear," Zurn responds with a polite tone to Lucetta's gesture and takes his clothes.
He takes off the prisoner clothes , not really caring about any modesty. His body has a abundance of scars from lacerations.
Zurn feels better after redressing himself with appropriate wear. No longer clothed as a criminal brought some comfort.
Zurn stays quiet, glancing at the pile of possessions.
With this he turns to Lucetta and continues, "We might be able to pull off the concept you died in the cell, whether by our hands, disease, or what have you."
"Perhaps... We lead them to us with a silver tongue. We need only one perception trick, hearing on their part."
With no pause at all, Lucetta swaps her new clothes back in to her prison rags. With a moment of concentration, her features darken with grime and dirt, her hair tangles and rags become sordid and stained. She reaches down and scoops up the guard's blood, smearing it on her face, hands and feet.
Looking the very picture of a miserable half-dead prisoner, she adds
The only danger with getting them to come to us, I suppose us going to them too, is keeping them still so they don't immediately call for any help. I'm prepared to play the part regardless, we should get a move on.
She dashes back to the cell and grabs a pair of manacles, closing them around her wrists without locking them.
Ready she states the obvious.
With the planing going fast Arthur looks to the others. "It all sounds good, but what am I suppose to do?" Looking down at the mostly clean guards uniform he shakes his head and says: "I am not very convincing."
It's ok Arthur, just put the uniform on and keep your mouth shut, let Iacobus do the talking.
she turns to Iacobus
So you need to call for their guards' help with one of the prisoners, don't sound too panicked, but do sound authoritative so they obey without thinking for themselves. We want them to come but not to call for help from anyone else!
Lucetta does her best to coach Iacobus with his bluff, crossing her fingers he'll be able to masquerade as a guard successfully.
GrumbleJack, you'll have to hide in the room next door, if you hear us shout 'Contact' then come running in with your fists swinging ok?
Ready with her disguise as a dead prisoner, Lucetta slumps in the middle of the floor and looks to all the world like a corpse.
Iacobus listens to Lucetta's advice, nodding with some of what she says. after a moment he then turns on Arthur and pulls on his outfit and armor.
" If you stand up a little straighter and don't look too intent it might help you pass for a guard."
Seeing that Arthur is in workable condition, though he helped very little, Iacobus re-adjusts his armor and grabs a long sword, hiding his dagger in a readily accessed place.
Iacobus takes a look around the room and a moment to think. He then heads over to where one of the horns was kicked earlier, picks it up, and heads over to Lucetta.
Bending over her he whispers,"I know you are all ready, but it would be more realistic if we had a better setting. Could you use that magic-acid-splash-thing again? A few on the walls or floors and the horns would make our story, at least at first glance, seem more realistic."
With that accomplished, he hands Zurn and GrumbleJack the veil, the bag, and any other items that were not in the room earlier and ushers them out of the room.
"I will try and lure them upstairs, but we don't have enough outfits or the right size ones. However, as Lucetta said, we will call 'contact' and you can come rushing out."
That's an excellent point Iacobus, good reason why the horn wasn't blown
Lucetta happily goes about throwing acid on the walls, floor and the horn. The room is positively awash with the acrid smell of burning stone when she is done.
With his eyes watering from the acrid fumes in the room, Iacobus takes one last check to ensure everyone and thing is in place.
Remind me never to get on her bad side...
He stops for a moment and takes a deep breath before opening the door to the lower levels and heading down the stairs. At the bottom the man opens the second door and gives a sharp whistle and a gesture, as one might treat a dog.
"You two there, come up here and clean up this body. Well, come on get over here," he states before turning and heading back up the stairs...
Assuming the guards follow him, Iacobus continues up the stairs.
"The witch got out of her cell somehow and burst into the room completely surprising us. She got a few lucky shots of acid off and destroyed our signal horns before we killed her. We just need you to stand guard and start cleaning her up while we go and make sure the rest of the prisoners are still locked up. Oh, give us your horns and we'll call if we have any trouble."
With that accomplished, he hands Zurn and GrumbleJack the veil, the bag, and any other items that were not in the room earlier and ushers them out of the room.
Zurn walks out with the items, hoping he is leading out Grumplejack as well.
Happy with the instructions Arthur does his best to follow them and tries to emulate how he has seen the guards stand and behave. Hearing Iacobus' bait he thinks to himself Not that convincing, but keep his mouth shut and plays along.
When Iacobus calls out, the two guards look askance at each other. The confer quietly before one of the two heads down the hallway. He gives Iacobus the once over,
"What is this nonsense about a dead prisoner"
Seemingly convinced for the moment, the guard waves up the other guard.
Well are you coming or not? I don't have all night.
Lucetta waits patiently on the floor, her carefully placed blood-slicked hair masks her face and yet let her see the top of the stairs. She waits patiently for the guards to appear as she goes over the plan in her head again.
Our disguises will not hold up to long-term scrutiny, as soon as they are both in range I will unleash my magic, let's hope Iacobus remembers to stand to the side!
Lucetta speaks a word of power and gestures towards the guards, hundreds of tiny, dark and oily tentacles of shadow erupt from her hands, slithering across their bodies and faces with lightning speed before dissipating against the far wall.
Hp 5/5; AC 12/12T/10FF; CMD 12
-1F/+2R/+2W (+5 v charm/compulsion)(+2 v enchantment)
Buffs: none
The two guards clomp up the stairs after Iacobus. Reaching the top, they see Lucetta sprawled out in the centre of the room. "What in damnation happened up here?" Just as they begin to approach, Lucetta springs into action and Iacobus barely has time to clear her line of sight, before she unleashes a burst of brightly coloured light.
"Huh?" is all that escapes the guards as they topple lifeless to the ground.
rounds.
You have to love a plan with flawless execution! grins Lucetta, oblivious to the guard's suspicion at the bottom of the stairs. She nods at Iacobus in approval both of luring the guard's successfully and getting out of her way of her spell.
She grabs a dagger and cleanly stabs the guards in the base of the skull, quick and painless, minimum blood.
She cleans up and quickly changes clothes again, happily tossing the prison rags in to the brazier before getting GrumbleJack and Arthur from the adjoining room.
So let's very quickly see what is held in the rooms below off the downstairs corridor, we'll need supplies to make it over the moor
She prefers someone else to lead the way, but will encourage the others to move as quickly as possible, time is ticking away after all. She suggests starting with the for to room 14.
Iacobus takes a moment to breathe after the close escape.
Not a flawless plan, but the usual hiccup was... minimal.
The man returns Lucetta's nod and then takes the time to move the guards over into the interrogation room.
Exploring the he nearby rooms sounds like a good move forward. Hopefully we can find some useful items. Now if no one has any better or useful ideas, shall we get going?
While having seen magic before Arthur is always impressed by it and is left a little flabergasted when the guards suddently fall to the floor. "I like this," he says smiling and continues: "The escape is comming closer and closer." Looking at the others he asks:"So where do we go now?"
Ever since escaping the cell, Poki has stayed quiet, perfectly content to let the big ones do the talking and the fighting while she skulks along beside them. But with escape getting so close, the cherub-cheeked gnome can no longer contain her excitement.
"Out! We go out the door they were guarding." She puts her hands on her hips in exasperation. "Poki not care about what's in other rooms. Stupid things for stupid guards. She just wants to go home. Or..." The gnome pauses, as she remembers something Iocabus said earlier. "Or go see tricky one's friend. But we get out of here."
Noticing the brightly colored Gnome has started talking again, Iacobus gives a small smile before quickly resuming his scowl.
"We need to try prevent the alarm being raised by any guards we leave behind, little one... and storming the gates or climbing the walls ill-prepared would not be a good idea. Though I can understand your sentiment. we will be out of here soon."
Iacobus sneaks downstairs and tries to listen at the eastern door.
"It is not that I don't like my new clothes, but couldn't there be something interesting in here?" Arthur asks. Gesturing towards Grumblejack he says: "Perhaps more allies like him. I wouldn't mind that."
Not hearing anything, Iacobus eases open the door a crack and peers in. It appears to be the guard's mess hall. Tables and benches fill the hall and a banner emblazoned with the emblem of Branderscar prison hangs on the eastern wall. A closed door can be found on the northern wall. To the south, murmured voices and the clatter of pans can be heard coming from a half-opened door that streams light and steam.
Iacobus gebtly tries the northern door and sees what he can hear from the southern door.
Lucetta responds to the gnome
Poki, we'll need food to see us across the moor, and any other supplies that might be useful putting tracking dogs off our trail
seeing Iacobus, GrumbleJack and Arthur are well served with weapons, Lucetta offers Poki one of the guard's clubs.
Creeping downstairs with Iacobus, Lucetta follows right behind, ready to back him up if he goes through one of the doors.
She whispers
If that's the kitchen there'll be food, and likely little resistance...
A rumbling escapes from Arthur's stomach. "Food would be good, hopefully something better than what they have been feeding us."
"Poki can find food on the journey for all of us. Or if big folk are hungry now, Poki can start butchering the kills."
Seeing the wrinkled noses of disgust, Poki thought back to the times she had scouted for the Red Feather gang, and remembered the silly big people were squeamish and had delicate stomachs. They wouldn't eat worms, beetles, mold, or humans.
Poki sighs. "Whatever shadow lady wants."
Holding the oversized club in both hands, Poki follows close behind Iacobus and Lucetta, staying as much in the shadows as possible.
"I am not eating other humans," Arthur states and continues: "I know you are good and can find food for us, but I would like to have some with if possible, just to be on the safe side." Looking to Iacobus by a door Arthur smiles and nods indicating he is ready.
Having worked his way back to the group in the hall, Iacobus shares, "There's a possible kitchen to the south of that room and another room with people ro the north. Let's see about raiding the kitchens for food, like Lucetta suggested. Sorry liite firecracker but cannibalism is not good for us usually."
"I'm thinking sending in GrumbleJack with a sword would be the best idea for hitting the kitchens. Shall we?"