"I am no ranger--so a good map would be appreciated. Any information about Tarrin and gang? Any arcane magic - users in the group?"
Drusellia clears her throat softly. "I am skilled in the Art."
Addressing Luther, "Indeed you aren't a ranger, for if you were you would know that the Spire Glen is a short trek to the north east from here. The trails into the Echo Woods are well signposted...if travellers to the area can make their way there to gawp at the ruins then I'm sure you should be able to manage it"
"We know something if Tarrin's gang, they have built in strength over the last year...we think they number about twenty at the moment, petty thieves and thugs for the most part...but Tarrin is a bit of a mystery to us...rumours abound that she is a sorceress and that she has bewitched her gang...others claim to have evidence that she isn't human but but some denizen ascended from the depths of the spire...as to the veracity of those rumours, I really couldn't say"
"A word of warning...it won't be just Tarrin and her band that you find at the Spire...you will encounter other dangers along the way...many have tried to explore the ruin in years gone past, few have returned..."
"I have much to attend to, do you have any further questions...or requests? If not then I bid you farewell. The next time we meet, I hope that you bring me Tarrin...in chains"
It is clear that, as far as the Lady Commander is concerned, this meeting has come to an end.
Luther nods.
"We're ready!!"
Mary cocks an eyebrow
"And what if we can only return with her corpse?"
"Well, I'm for trying to bring her back alive. But, if not, I'm not lugging a corpse around. In that case we'll just bring back her head."
"I can guide us to the spire, though I'm no Ranger either. It's a route travelers and merchants sometimes take. They like to see the ruins, albeit from a 'safe' distance. I think some caution is in order though. It's not likely that we'll run into all of them at once, but even half of these bandits is more than twice our number."
"Well the only thing I share with rangers is an uncanny sense of my surroundings. I tend to notice the smallest details."
He looks around.
"Symon, you and Conner can take point. The fair elf and I will go next. Marian can watch our backtrail and with her speed quickly move up as needed. As people get hurt I may adjust our formation to more efficiently heal."
He decides to talk some tactics.
"I try to draw people to me, so after Marian rushes forward, I will try to make an enemy blindly rush past her to me."
Scratching his beard, Mary leers at Luther
"Call me a girl again, clergyman"
Before you take your leave of the Lady Commander, she tells you that, even though her preference is for a live prisoner, a reduced bounty may be negotiated for a corpse...if that is unavoidable...
Leaving Fort Inevitable through the North Gate, the Hellknights on guard acknowledge your passing...clearly they have been made aware of your eclectic party and the job that you have been contracted to do.
The road takes you past the vineyard just outside the city gates and, running along the border of the Echo Wood, northwards for about three miles before you come to a clearly signposted train heading north east into the forest. Stepping into the woods, the temperature drops significantly with heaps of snow drifting against the trees and icicles hang from the branches...the sun glistens on the snow and it is as much as you can do to follow the path whilst avoiding snow blindness.
The path, even with the snowdrifts, is easy to follow and it isn't more than three hours before you arrive at the edge of what is known as the Spire Glen. The glen is almost perfectly circular and is centered on the green structure standing 500 yards from you; as if some unseen hand had long ago drawn a border around the old tower.
The structure itself is a ruined keep guarding a broken central tower, all made of smooth, green glass. It's obvious that a grand battle took place here many years ago, and the clearing around the ruin lies barren, with sickly weeds struggling to rise from the blasted earth. Despite the damage, however, the glass of the keep itself seems to have avoided the ravages of time, with those pieces that survived the initial cataclysm unmarred by pitting or cracking, clean of moss and other clinging debris.
At the top of a steep dirt path winding up through the rubble, a doorway opens onto darkness, its entrance seeming to steal lights into its inky depths.
Drusellia carefully picks her way among the rubble and debris to the opening.
More at home in the depths of the underdark than in the light of the surface world, she can scarcely contain her enthusiasm as she peels back the hood of her cloak, welcoming the familiar feeling of darkness on her face.
By the gods, that feels wonderful! After several weeks of hiding my face from the light of the sun, I was beginning to feel homesick. But here, I can be...
She turns, suddenly remembering that she is not alone.
Then let them learn who they have chosen as their companion.
"I am Drusellia Malacore, of House Malacore, of the city of D'Terrelion. I make no apologies or excuses for my heritage, but know this, I am not like my kin. I judge by the actions one takes, not by their racial heritage or the color of their flesh. So long as you are loyal to me, then so shall I be to you."
Marian watches the dark elf, not that he knows that yet, tromp up to the open doorway, taking a sip from his wineskin.
"Kind of the 'look before ya leap' type, ain't she? I can't imagine these thugs leaving the front door wide open with no guard, no dogs, no nothin'...keep on yer toes."
He begins trudging through the debris, following after Drusellia.
"What's that you say?"
" Lady wait. It may be dangerous....Ahh. Nevermind."
Conner follows Drusellia toward the ruins, drawing his cold iron shortsword and looking around as he does so.
" There may be guards or scou....."
He stops as she removes her hood. Speechless.
Wow. She is beautiful. Elven? Such skin...
Symon watches the reaction of his comrades to the Drow's revelation. He is not surprised by the looks they give her, but is surprised by the lack of hostility. Remembering when he first revealed himself to humans, he shudders and keeps his eyes open.
Perception:
[spoiler=GM Only]
[spoiler=Symon and Drusellia]There is a figure hiding within the ruins...your darkvision, coupled with an astute perception, allows you to shout a warning to your comrades
You make it about halfway up the path when a high-pitched voice starts to taunt you from within the darkness of the ruins...
"Longshanks coming up the path...
Longshanks wanting in our spire...
Cut the biggest ones in half...
Then they'll fit into our fire..."
...followed by fits of giggles
"Goblins, I recognize that evil giggle from when I was robbed on the trail."
Conner says with a trace of anger in his voice.
He grips his sword tightly as it is surrounded by a bright green aura.
From out of the darkness, an arrow flies towards the party...but it is high and wide.
"Come up here then...I'll stick you with my pointy thing...fill you all full of holes..."
(Lighting will be an issue, yes?)
Marian stoops down low as he toddles up through debris, lighting a torch. Sending just to the left of the inky passageway he draws a wickedly long dagger, complete with a faux jeweled hilt.
Drusellia points at the goblin (not it's mount) and speaks a word of arcane power. A glowing arrow launches from her fingertip and unerringly strikes the creature.
Symon moves up behind Marian and fires his crossbow at the mounted goblin.
Attack-Ranged:
Damage:
There is a yelp as Drusellia's arcane bolt fizzes into the ruins...followed shortly by what can best be described as a raspberry as, at the last moment, the Goblin ducks beneath the bolt fired by Symon.
" Crap. They have us ranged with the high ground to boot."
Conner says as he moves forward and takes a combat stance.
Round 1 Luther--Level 1 Spire Luther moves up quickly and waits on the other side of the doorway.
"We can still resolve this peacefully before someone is fatally injured by violence. There is much money to be had, you can get some."
"We'll be taking your money longshanks...and putting you in the stew"
The goblin's blow clatters to the floor as it grabs a crudely made polearm from the flank of it's mount...whilst the mount, a horrible hairless doglike creature, moves forward...close enough to Luther that the goblin can slash at him with his horsechopper.
The dog creature stands with it's teeth bared...ready to attack...
From his position, Luther can see another three goblins within the ruins...clearly stationed to protect the northern entrance, they yelp, turn and wildly fire arrows towards the western entrance...one arrow, more by luck then judgement, hits Luther in the shoulder.
"Fools!" Drusellia shouts, moving forward. "Do you not realize who you face? I am Drusellia Malacore, of the drow! You will kneel before me!"
Conner will move up near Luther, and cast acid splash at the dog.
" Filthy Vermin!"
Marian stares at Drusellia for a few seconds, mouth agape. Tearing his eyes from her pure white hair he accentuates her command with a bloodcurdling roar. He has no fear of horsechoppers and goblin dogs, only a deeply rooted need to prove that he's the toughest goblin of all, a need forged during his long years with the tribe.
"Or we're goin' to drink your blood, elf-kisser!"
Dropping his tacky dagger to the ground he draws a javelin from his pack, bounding a few steps backwards sneering wickedly at the cavalier, he casts his missile with brutal force.
Symon moves forward to stand beside the Drow Sorceress, but without a clear shot is unable to assist his comrades.
Marian's javelin fizzes past the Goblin's ear and embeds itself in the wall behind it...
"Gots to do better than that Girly Longshanks"
The taunting of the Goblin is quickly drowned out by the howling of it's mount, Conner's gout of acid burning it viciously.
"You not scaring nobody Spider Lady...Spider Bones is Lovely and Crunchy", and with that, the mounted goblin slashes at Luther again
Moving back into the ruins, it snarls "Get Them!!!!...and a flurry of arrows precedes the arrival of a runty Goblin charging at Luther...those with Darkvision see the three Goblins moving from within the ruins...
...and, in true goblin fashion, get in each others way...
While the goblin's attention is on the fighters up front, Symon melds into the darkness and silently move to a better firing position. Once his aim is clear, he fires from his stealthy position, taking the goblin by surprise.
Attack-Ranged:
Confirm Crit:
Damage:
Sneak Attack:
Before the charge....
Luther delayed.
After the charge.
Luther strikes at the goblin that attacked him and steps back to allow the other to hit him too.
Luther steps to the right to stay under cover.
"Get that first one out of the way!!"
"Then you will die," the dark elf replies, a mock hint of sadness in her voice.
" I really hate goblins. Die crazy runt."
Conner steps forward and swings at the goblin with his charged blade.
Luther's riposte against the charging goblin is clumsy, the cleric caught off balance somehow...yet Luther's miss is of little consequence as Conner steps forward and slices the Goblin's head clean off it's shoulders....
In the same instant, a crossbow bolt juddered into the torso of one of the bow-wielding goblins within the ruin...it looks downwards, sees the bolt and mutters, "oh?", before falling backwards stone dead...
Marian scoffs at the meager goblin warrior, sprinting towards the cavalier with a crazed bloodlust in his eyes. Drawing his rusted greatsword in a fluid motion he dives into the darkness, swinging wildly.
Edit: Oh wow, Critical threat, rolling to confirm
As Marian, directed by Luther, plunges into the darkness, he instinctively ducks beneath the swipe of the Goblin Commando's Horsechopper...
Marian's blade arcs in a perfectly weighted swing...lethal enough to instantly despatch whatever it catches...sadly, it catches only air within the pitch black of the ruins...
Confounded by Marian being 'up close and personal' the Goblin Commando can't bring it's cruel weapon to bear upon the Barbarian...so it growls at it's mount to savage Marian instead...
The other remaining goblin drops it's bow and moves to attack Marian
Neither the goblin nor the vile goblin dog manage to hit Marian...indeed, the attacks were so poor and the darkness so encompassing, that it may well be that Marian remains blissfully unaware of having been attacked...
Map has been edited.
" Crap! I can hear them jangling around but I can't see anything..."
Conner casts light on his sword and advances cautiously into the dark, until he can see something..
Luther delays until just before the goblin commando to allow the others a chance to dispatch him first. If the goblin commando is still up, Luther grabs his holy symbol and commands the goblin commando to 'Approach'.
School enchantment (compulsion) [language-dependent, mind-affecting]; Level cleric 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one living creature
Duration 1 round
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
You give the subject a single command, which it obeys to the best of its ability at its earliest opportunity. You may select from the following options.
Approach: On its turn, the subject moves toward you as quickly and directly as possible for 1 round. The creature may do nothing but move during its turn, and it provokes attacks of opportunity for this movement as normal
He encourages Simon to move to a good ambush spot and ready an attack if the spell succeeds. {Just inside the doorway to the far right would be good}
As a space opens up by the entrance, Symon takes advantage of it and stealthy moves forward.
Stealth: