As battle commences, you hear from the top of the tower a woman's scream, cut ominously short.
Meanwhile, those of you outside the tower observe that the mists have all but engulfed the tower in a short span of time. It is close in all directions.
The guards, focused as they are on the guy with the axe, underestimate the little gnome. The three closest to the door fall into a magical slumber.
Erfan cackles and raises his spear in triumph. "Nighty-night mortals! Don't wake the babies!"
Seeing the warrior in front of him slump to the floor, Nathaniel does not miss a beat. He charges across the room towards the second crossbowman and attempts to vault up onto the table, swinging his axe overhead, down at the guard cowering behind it!
Nathaniel is oblivious to the mist outside, but the scream from above sends him into a rage. He leaps up onto the table without missing a step, although his haste and anger make his blow unsteady (if furious).
Angalia hears the scream and moves like lightning to follow Nat into the tower.
"This is going to get worse very fast. Talk. Quickly. Who screamed?"
Nathaniel vaults across the room and cuts down the crossbowman with a savage blow.
"Please don't kill me!" the guard cries out. "My name is Sevrin, and I have a family. My lord's a terrible master, you see... Depraved! He's got that girl up there with him, and it's going to be something awful. It always is. I wouldn't have helped him, but once he's got you in his service, you never leave. I have children..." and he breaks down sobbing.
"Can we get upstairs without being seen, Sevrin? We need to get the girl out of there, right now."
"Can we get upstairs without being seen, Sevrin? We need to get the girl out of there, right now."
"The stairs lead up to a trap door to his study. He doesn't usually lock it, but I don't know how you could flip open a trap door without him noticing."
"If you find him, kill him. Don't let him live. He'll come after me..."
"You're not going to be here Sevrin. You're going home. Opening the trapdoor is our problem. Just make sure everyone in Breden knows about this and don't come back without some proper backup."
The naked gnome trundles in behind the others, grinning. He looks down at the slumbering guards and shakes his head.
"If not being seen is the objective, I may be of some use... but only briefly. I know a faerie charm to hide someone from sight, but the glamor is only fleeting. Perhaps the span of 3 breaths or so... and only one person at a time."
The gnome begins collecting the weapons off of the sleeping guards. "Disarm them quickly. They'll wake up soon. Perhaps they'll have the wisdom to flee rather than assuming the foolish courage of steel."
Quickly she snatches the recently fired weapon from the guard in front of her, Give me you bolts, and bolt. If I ever lay eyes upon you again I'll make it so piss sitting down, are we clear?" she says still wearing that same innocent expression that has charmed so many marks in the past.
Whatever we're doing- let's make it quick. Someone sounds like they're in trouble.
Erfan hastily ascends the stairwell, his tiny legs straining to ascend the slope designed for creatures larger than himself. "Come! We have no time for planning, only action!"
He reaches the trapdoor and braces his spear against it, ready to throw it open the instant the others are beside him. "Quickly!" the gnome hisses.
Tif looks at her friend 'Kani and cuts a sardonic grin, "Well, we've tried everything else under the heavens, shall we add hero to the list?".
With that she turns on her heel and follows the gnome up the steps holding her new weapon loaded and ready.
And is followed swiftly by Angalia, her hand already on her dagger.
In a raspy whisper, Erfan speaks to those assembled atop the stairs. "Whoever enters first shall receive the glamor. Who shall it be?" He looks to Angalia. "Perhaps you? Let him see the others approach, but you shall be the knife in the dark!" the gnome's countenance takes on a decidedly sinister leaning as he glances down to Nathaniel and Kani, then back up to the door. "Steel yourselves..."
"If Tiff doesn't mind playing helpless victim again, that could work. If my feet behave," she whispers back.
Nathaniel vaults across the room and cuts down the crossbowman with a savage blow.
Nathaniel grits his teeth and yanks the crossbow bolt from his upper arm with a sharp hiss of in-drawn breath, tossing the bloody arrow across the room, then jumps down from the table. “Go,” he growls to the remaining guards. “Now.”
He stalks across the room towards the stairway, following Erfan and Angalia up, drops of blood dripping from both the edge of his axe blade and his wounded shoulder, and splattering onto the floor as he walks. He nods to Erfan’s suggestion of casting his glamour on Angalia. Then prepares himself to leap through the opened trapdoor (or help shove it open himself if needed).
Eliva drew her bow and got out an arrow. "I'll have a shot aimed at him as soon as I see him. We can talk all we want, but I'm thinking a threat will be needed with one like this too." Her face grim, she waited at the base of the stairs, ready to run up with the others.
"I will follow the group up. I'll cast Sanctuary on myself when we find your sister so that I can get to her quickly in case she is in dire need of some healing. Also, If things go badly, I can selectively channel my healing energy to aid those in need. Finally, if things get dire, I still have my trusty great sword. May the gods shine favorably upon us all."
Res is in the back of the line ready to follow the mad dash through the trap door.
As the party ascends the stairs, Sevrin makes for the door, looking to get as far away as possible from Lord Gilbraith. As he reaches the threshold, however, he stops cold. Beyond the door is little more than a wall of swirling mists, and tendrils have reached in across the floor, enveloping the sleeping guards. The fear is plain on Sevrin's face as he backs up and presses himself, shuddering, against the wall.
As you get higher on the stairs, you can plainly hear a commotion from above. There is a series of thuds and clatters, as of someone throwing or smashing things. Vocalizations are few, but one that is clear is a man's voice, heavy with desperation, yelling, "Why isn't it working?"
As soon as everyone appears to be at least roughly ready, Nathaniel helps Erfan push up the trapdoor and, if and when it opens, leaps up the remaining steps into the chamber above. He pays little attention to the mists by the door, his mind focused on (what he believes are) more important things.
As Nathaniel assists him in heaving open the door, he immediately casts his illusion upon Angalia as she follows in Nathaniel's wake. With a whisper and a gesture, she vanishes from sight.
Too occupied by the sudden disappearance of her own body, Angalia has no time to take in the depths of Severin's predicament.
Tif spares a glance over her shoulder at the mist through the open door before turning to her task, "This is becoming more like bad dream with each passing moment." she thinks to her self. As they prepare for the attack she watches the small man weave his magic rendering the other woman invisible,"Neat trick, you'll have to teach that to me some time..
begins chanting in a quiet tone , while tapping a strong beat against his leg, a beat that mimics an adrenaline charged heart
Initiative:
'Kani throws open the door, revealing a scene of unspeakable carnage. Much of the chamber is cluttered with debris from an apparent rampage. On the floor lies the bloody corpse of a young woman - it's Lenna.
Lord Gilbraith stands nearby, covered in blood. His appearance is utterly wild: blood is smeared all over his wide-eyed face, particularly around his mouth. He is clearly shaken and desperate, and looks at the intruders with a predatory glare.
From the windows, trails of mist stream in and creep across much of the floor.
Res, his great sword still drawn, races up the steps to either try to heal poor Lenna, or reek divine retribution on the perpetrator of her scream.
Eliva charges up the stairs into the room and takes in the horrific scene with an angry gasp.
"Gilbraith! Don't you move a muscle, you monster, or I'll put an arrow right between your eyes!"
Eliva charges up the stairs into the room and takes in the horrific scene with an angry gasp.
"Gilbraith! Don't you move a muscle, you monster, or I'll put an arrow right between your eyes!"
"Foolish peasants! This doesn't concern you."
Needless to say, Gilbraith is unimpressed.
Angalia holds her breath and hopes that Eliva and Res are holding Gilbraith's attention.