"Jarlgur, I gots an idear. In my backpack there's a couple pounds o' pepper...I'll be sorry to see it go, but you kin throw the pepper packages at 'em and maybe distract them so's we can run across. I'll keep my shield up and try an' give yeh cover."
That is a fine idea friend, but I don't think we can throw the pepper far enough. Let us follow Barrin, the balcony should provide cover once we get under the goblins. Jarlgur says to Toren, while reloading his crossbow. Jarlgur stands up and fires another shot at a goblin on the balcony.
Barrin "sprints" along the edge of the room, keeping to cover as best he can. He thinks he can see a coil of rope up near the goblins, but other then that the only ways he sees are forwards, backwards or trying to climb a pillar.
Toren keeps his shield up while repositioning slightly. The goblins seem to be jeering in his general direction now, something about being a big dirty stinking cheater and some arguments about how best to set it on fire for those of you who speak goblln.
Between natural goblin agility, leather armor, small size and a railing to hide behind Jarlgur's shot is not good enough to connect. I took the liberty of stepping Jarlgur to remain behind the shield wall, please let me know if you'd rather be exposed to unprotected goblin fire
Kardak sprints back to shield land while Aleister and Arryn both take shots and miss.
The goblins up top spread out a bit one, one moving for a clear shot on Barrin, who fortunately still misses.
Another shoots at Jarl and can't penetrate the shield wall. While the 3rd manages another shot around the pillar at Arryn for 4 more damage.
Hrmph. I was just over there and now they want me back? Oh bother. Maybe I can frighten one of these creatures out of their skin first.
Goblin:
To G4: "You there...when I get up there I'm going to kill you, bring you back to life, skin you alive and devour your flesh. So sit tight!"
Intimidate (Demoralize):1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Afterwards Aleister returns to the safety of Toren's shield wall. (J39)
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Demoralize: You can use this skill to cause an opponent to become shaken for a number of rounds. This shaken condition doesn’t stack with other shaken conditions to make an affected creature frightened. The DC of this check is equal to 10 + the target’s Hit Dice + the target’s Wisdom modifier.
Success: If you are successful, the target is shaken for one round. This duration increases by 1 round for every 5 by which you beat the DC. You can only threaten an opponent this way if it is within 30 feet and can clearly see and hear you. Using demoralize on the same creature only extends the duration; it does not create a stronger fear condition.
Toren: The pillars appear to be defaced and scrapped up, but structurally sound.
Aleister with the 15 feet high balcony I think the closest Goblin is technically 35 feet away, but I'll allow it anyway, also if you want to end up behind the new shield wall instead of the old shield wall I'm happy to move you there.
Barrin finally trudges to the far side of the room while Kardak makes good time despite his armor.
Aleister taunts the goblin and the goblin responds "Ya, well uhhh... not if I eat myself first. Ahhhh!"Shaken for 2 rounds
Toren waits a moment before crossing the room to bring the rest of the party with him.
Initiative
Jarlgur Flamnord
???
Arryn Wildblood
Toren "Stand" Still [Delaying to move the shield with people]
Blue Goblins
Barrin Ironhite
Kardak, the Feared
Aleister Marlowe
Aleister with the 15 feet high balcony I think the closest Goblin is technically 35 feet away, but I'll allow it anyway, also if you want to end up behind the new shield wall instead of the old shield wall I'm happy to move you there.
Rather than play out another round or 2 of whiffing I'm going to narrate how the last few rounds of combat play out,
You lose sight of the shaken goblin as he scampers out of sight, followed several seconds later by a loud crash.
Light cover fire is provides as the shield wall makes its way around the edge of the room.
Heading up the stairs in the SE leads you to a platform, the passway doubles back, but your hopes of easily reaching the goblins this way is quashed when you see the next passageways is a steep set of narrow stairs going back down and then apparently doubling back again. You are beginning to understand why some call these the Accursed Halls.
You are granted at least a brief respite as the goblins do not appear to be following you at the moment.
"Blast and damn! Barrin curses. "Enemies and unopened doors both left behind us."
The dwarf rummages in his pack for a moment and brings out an ivory wand with a rune of healing inscribed upon it. He holds it out to Arryn, "You can use this, yes? To tend to all of us who've been wounded?"
Barrin's spiffy new wand of cure light wounds has 50 charges, but of course he can't use it himself.
"Now, what are we going to do? Follow these stairs? Go back to the first staircase and investigate that door? Open the doors in the chamber below or even climb the pillars up to where those thrice-damned gobbos were shooting from?"
Sorry about the mixup with where those doors were.
No worries, I get really confused as a player regarding maps in pbps. If there's anything I can do to help keep things straight please let me know.
Here's a summary so far to help out:
The first room had stairs down in the middle of the room and a bricked over door against the back wall.
Down those stairs led to the pig/centipede room with debris on the edges.
South from there led to the columned room. Anchored to each of the columns was a marred demonic statue. The only obvious exit (besides the one you came in) was stairs up in the SE, which you have now followed.
The ceiling in the middle of the columned room is about 15ft high and was open in the middle, with a balcony over looking it around the edge. Looking up from down below it was hard to see what was going on up there other than goblins leaning over the low railings to shoot at you, but there appeared to be the top of a doorway in both the SW and NW corners. You think the shaken goblin ran to the SW before the crash, but you can't be sure. There may also be other things up there that you couldn't see from down below.
You are currently on the landing to the SE of the columned room. Your travel options from here appear to be go back to the columned room or take the other switchback further into the unknown.
Also have a wand of CLW here, so feel free to use mine as well!
"We made enough noise comin' in ta this place. I ain't sure if'n them gobbos heard us comin' and scrambled up to attack us...or if they'd been waitin' in general. If'n they were a'waitin' then there must be somethin' they think is valuable in there."
The dwarf scratches his beard for a moment and then says, "Welp...we ain't got much choice. We either go back to that room or open these doors."
Barrin shudders as the wave of magical healing roils through his body, then looks from the half-orc to the others. "Agreed. Once everyone is healthy we should follow these steps. Keeping a sharp eye out as we go, of course."
Alester, if there's anything I can do to help with the map confusion please let me know, that lost feeling is one of the things I dislike most about pbps.
Also would people prefer I start a new map file so that there's less scrolling around or would they prefer I keep adding to the current file so it's easier to see how things line up?
I'm fine with the scrolling as well. The map is complicated, but I've (mostly) been able to follow it looking at it in conjunction with your narrative descriptions. The one mistake I made was from me simply not reading closely enough. And onward, I say!
Helaman mentioned work being busy so here's moving on.
1d4 ⇒ 2
Arryn is down 7 HP and will take a charge from Aleister's wand
1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
and will follow up with a charge from Kardak's wand.
1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
1d100 ⇒ 8 Hmmm 08, lets say Arryn was able to grab his pole-arm on the way out.
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Back in formation the party cautiously advances down the new set of stairs, wary of danger on all sides. The passageway makes another switchback and heads to the southeast once again. Fairly quickly the passageway turns slightly to east.
Ahead, the passage widens out into a room here before continuing.
Piles of sand and rubble fill the corners of the room, and the sound
of splashing water can be heard from the east.
The mustard colored squares represent the sand/rubble piles and are difficult terrain.
"The floor in the center looks like it might give way. Not sure if its a trap, faulty construction or or just a result of the age of this place...but we should be cautious."
Spending a few minutes examining the floor it does appear to be an ancient pit trap. Drawing a chalk outline around it is no problem and you would guess the debris in the corners of the room once belonged beneath the floor.
Rhythmic splashing continues to echo from the east, possibly a fountain of some sort.
"I've got some rope, if'n anyone feels brave enough to tie it around themselves while the rest of us hold onto it. I'll volunteer myself if anyone wants to watch over me gear whilst I tread over that crumbly floor section."
According to our placements on the map we've already made it across the room successfully, right? Or is Toren advancing into the hallway beyond tied to a rope?
Once the trap is spotted there is no challenge crossing the room and with Jarl taking several minutes to carefully draw a line around edge of the pit trap in chalk I moved everybody into the room so something vaguely resembling formation was preserved.
My apologies if I jumped the gun and moved people up further than expected.
