"If it comes to that......I'll do what needs to be done. It's better if it's....If the person doing it won't be....haunted by having to make the final choice." Darya says solemnly as she studies her companions
"Let us pray it doesn't come to that." Kelly says, turning her gaze back to the afflicted man in the room. She then turns back to the group, adopting a brighter tone. "I can go with the foraging team. I know what to look for in food."
I will, of course, volunteer for the scouting party also.
"I'll go with the team headed for the Eagle Watch," Luci volunteered.
"Alright. So Sario, Kelly, and Merlin can go scouting for supplies, and Luci is planning on trying to locate the Eagle Watch. Darya, if you think you could handle the choice of when to make the call on this fellow, then you can remain here. Dragz can stay with you so the two of you can keep an eye on things here and protect the Heart." Iomenna scans their group once again, counting out who has volunteered for which duties and which ones still need to be filled.
"I'll go with Luci to find some help, but we still need one more person with us. Azura, do you think you are well enough to join us? I know you had some pretty serious injuries when you arrived yesterday."
Merlin looks at the gathered group, as Iomenna assigns duties.
Uh, excuse me, Ma'am. If I may make a suggestion?
He Points at each one.
I don't think that sending out groups of three or two be a good idea.
With all the demons and undead roaming around looting and killing,
I would only chance two groups at most with at least four per group.
.That's how they did it in the army anyways.
He looks at the bandages around those who were injured yesterday.
I would also recommend a healer and a warrior for each group.
Merlin then blushes, shifting his eyes to the floor.
I am developing some tricks and abilities that would be of use in either category.
Iomenna winces at Merlin's "Ma'am," but does not object to it. If she is going to be the leader for the survivors, she might as well accept some form of hierarchy. After considering Merlin's suggestion for a moment, she turns to the warrior and nods her head.
"I see your point, Merlin, and as the head of our military efforts, I must acknowledge your wisdom in this matter. Very good. Let's follow that plan. We'll send out two groups of four." She begins to count off the parties as she looks around the circle of wardens.
"In the scouting party, we'll send out Merlin, Kelly, Sario, and Dragz. The four of you will scout out the neighboring buildings for survivors and supplies. Food and a source of clean water would be ideal, and should be our first priority after rescuing any survivors you come across. Aside from that, armaments and supplies to improve our forge would be excellent. Just run a quick search of the immediate neighbors, working your way out as you clear the nearer buildings."
She then turns to the others, "Darya, Azura, Luciana, and myself will travel further abroad. Luci, I heard you mention the Eagle Watch, and I think it would be a great boon to find them if we can, but I think our first priority should be to find the Temple of Sarenrae and rescue any of their priests that we can. We need some more powerful healers here, and that seems like the best place to start. We'll do our best to head straight there and back as quickly as possible, but we'll keep an eye out for survivors as well of course."
Once she has laid out her plans, she scans the crowd again, "If any of you have further suggestions, I'm all ears, but bear in mind that we're wasting daylight, not to mention the fact that more people are falling to the demonic filth every minute. We have to get started sooner or later, and I'm thinking sooner would be best."
Sario nods at Iomenna between bites, once she is done she will gather up her gear, say tell the children she is going out and will return later.
Sario arrives back in the dining room, her pack only containing the few items she think she will need.
"I am ready when ever everyone else is, how far out do we plan to go? Just basically house to house and retrieve any items we find that will prove useful?" She looks a little anxious but ready to help out.
Azura says, "I can help out a little, but all my things were left behind when I was evacuated with my injury. I've been fixed up now so I'm ready to go but I don't have any weapons or armor or even any torso coverage." She gestures to her torn-up corset, more annoyed than embarrassed.
"I can still do a little healing magic, and I can support your efforts with my singing - there's a little enchantment woven into that too."
Merlin quickly grabs a bite to eat, while readying for their incursion into madness.
He nods in acceptance at his orders.
Absently saluting, the youth says,I suggest that we have some communication signal at an agreed upon time,
say 4 hours after we split, so that we know either group is doing well?
Merlin looks down at the floor.
Perhaps, a simple cantrip or orison from each group, just like a flare.
I do think that we should clear the surrounding buildings here first, before heading out.
"Mmm. Securing the surrounding buildings is a really good idea," says Azura. "We don't want to go out and then come back only to find that all kinds of horrible things have crawled out to form a wall between us and home."
"Okay. Sounds like a plan." Darya says with a nod. "As Iomenna said, daylight's a valuable commodity right now so we sweep the area and clear these buildings as quickly as we can. Also, the transformation to the point where he dies and there's another of those things loose in her takes 24 hours. We've lost 12. We need to be back here before that to save either his life, or everyone else's."
"Lets head out then" Grabbing her short spear from the table she heads out the door into the stable.
With a smart salute, Merlin follows behind Sario.
"Right then. Our groups will secure our perimeter first. We'll split here and head in opposite directions around the neighboring structures until we meet up again. We'll start at the south end and work our ways around to the north. Once we meet up, we'll head toward the Northgate Market. Our scouts will remain there to find supplies while our rescue team heads to the Temple. Let's get moving." Iomenna grabs a chunk of bread to gnaw on while they begin their search and leads her team to the south side of the building. Once there, she heads toward the first building west of the southern point to begin their search.
You advance to one of the nearby buildings. It looks like a simple stone structure that might be a workshop or a meeting room of some sort - hard to tell from the outside; any signage that might've existed once upon a time is long since destroyed. The stones themselves are slightly singed but the structure is mostly intact.
Looking at her companions, Darya places one hand on the doorknob, the other on the hilt of her sword. "Everyone ready?"
On the other end of the building, Iomenna stands ready by the door, in almost the same posture as Darya. She looks to each of the members of her team and raises her hand to count down to their entry. 5...4...3...2...
Merlin looses his scimitar up, giving it a quick twirl.
He also raises his shield, nodding to Darya.
Whomever you are, some guidance in this moment would be nice., the soldier whispers.
Kelly grips her blade tightly, watching Iomenna's countdown. She crouches down, preparing as best as one can to step into unknown danger.
Luci's sword had been in her hand since they'd left the Heart and readied herself for the breach.
Sario will open the door for Iomenna to go in then go in after Dragz, she will have her short spear ready and her shield on her arm.
...1!
As Sario opens the door, Iomenna dips around the door frame and enters the building, her hammer held at the ready. As soon as she enters the room, Iomenna eyes scan the room, looking for threats first, then any survivors or victims, then any supplies that the building might offer.
Darya throws open the door, releasing the tiny bit of concentration that usually suppresses her halo, the golden ring of light flaring to life above her head as she steps to the side, clearing the doorway for the others to enter.
You open the doors on either side of the structure. There's a distinct k-chunk sound and a rigged crossbow fires out of each door as they're opened - Iomenna spots the end of the tripwire looped around the inside of the door post just seconds too late .
Both ladies are hit by crossbow bolts!
Light floods into the room from outside, and it looks like this is a workroom of some sort. Chunks of leather are scattered on the large table in the middle of the room near the eastern door, and the southeast table holds and assortment of boots and shoes. The northeast table bears a large rack with harnesses and belts.
There is a net hanging from the middle of the ceiling, with some kind of blobby humanoid demon in it. It is filled with crossbow bolts and not moving.
You can hear angry thumping and growling coming from the door in the south.
Iomenna shouts in alarm and terror as the bolt slams into Sario's chest. "Sario," she calls out as blood begins to darken the woman's clothes. "Ah, this is all my fault! I should have opened the door. Sario, are you alright?" The panic in Iomenna's voice is equally reflected in her face. She knew there was a risk of her or her fellow survivors getting hurt in this expedition, but on the very first door they open? This is not starting off well. She offers to remove the arrow and bind the wound with a few strips of cloth she had brought from the tavern.
Once Iomenna has done what she can to help the druid, Iomenna turns and enters the workroom, silently giving indication of the sights and sounds she detects as she finds them. She points toward the boot prints around the trapdoor and signals that she is going to check if anyone is inside. The others should keep their weapons at the ready in case they are ambushed from whoever or whatever is hiding underneath. She walks over, careful not to disturb the bootprints too much, and taps on the trap door with the butt of her hammer's heavy wooden handle.
Merlin quickly grabs a loose stone off the ground.
Light, please., he whispers as he steps into the doorway.
He peers into the receding gloom.
Merlin's light, combined with the sunlight streaming in the doors, allows you to see the whole room. This is obviously a workshop for a successful leatherworker. It looks like at least one person who works here is a cunning trapmaker as well, due to the dead demon in the net hanging from the ceiling and the presence of the crossbow traps pointing at the doors.
Iomenna steps in carefully and knocks on the trapdoor. There is no response.
Banging continues to emanate from the door on the south side.
Merlin makes his way toward the pounding.
He tosses the lit stone on to the table as he passes it.
As Merlin closes in on the southern door he notes that it seems to be shuddering under the force of the blows striking it. A very thin line is rigged to a small picture situated just above the door, in the space between the top of the doorjamb and the ceiling, and it looks like it is out of place there (i.e. probably another trap).
Apparently the craftspeople here decided that trapping everything was how they would survive the incursion of demons!
"Oww" Sario mutters as she sinks down a bit, the crossbow bolt sticking out of her armored chest. She smiles up at Iomenna thanking her silently for stabilizing the bolt and removing it.
"I didn't expect that my shield was down, no time to worry secure the room and I will get inside too."
With that she slowly gets up and walks into the room. Sitting down in a chair once she enters safely.
Merlin looks over the trap.
He then looks over the two tables for any tools that would allow him to disable it.
I would wager to guess that something not fun is trapped in there., he whispers.
Darya utters a pained curse as she looks down at the bolt, grunting in pain as she pulls it out. Looks like we....have survivors...hnn...handy ones at that."
Azura gently places a hand on Darya's back. "We'll have that taken care of in no time," she says.
@Merlin: There are a few leatherworking tools scattered about the workshop, but nothing of the kind that you'd use for disabling traps. You'd guess that whoever made the traps probably took their tools with them.
Merlin inspects the tools, shaking his head.
Nothing for me to further jam that door. I just hope that whenever is in there, stays there.
With a sigh of relief, Darya flashes Azura a smile. "Thanks." she whispers, looking around the area, her halo casting a golden glow around her.
"Well, other than the traps, that was a pretty well-executed door breach. Except for the fact that it's an effectively-empty building," she wryly remarked after she was sure Darya and Sario were fine.
"We probably don't want to do it now, but we'll have to clear this place out properly eventually. For now, let's grab whatever we can use. Those crossbows that were rigged up could be useful for a start." She gestured to the traps that had been set off by their entry.
Kelly follows close behind Iomenna. Her attention is taken immediately by the noise behind the door. "What's in there?" she asks, more thinking out loud than expecting someone to answer. Whatever it is, it can't be too big and strong if it can't get through a closet door.
Sario manages to stand back up, she stands behind everyone else, hoping to not get shot again.
"What can I help carry out? We should move stuff quickly and move on to the next couple of buildings."
Iomenna looks around at the others as light begins to flood the workshop. She notices Darya's wound and curses herself yet again for failing so badly on their first outing. Next time we'll be more careful, she thinks to herself.
As Sario enters and begins looking around at the various equipment and supplies, Iomenna nods in agreement, "Sario's right. We should start moving some of this stuff out. BE CAREFUL, though. Check everything before you move it. I don't want anyone else getting shot or trapped or stabbed for a few scraps of leather. Now, someone help me over here. Kelly, I don't think we want to open that door. Maybe you could help me with this one."
With that, the young woman kneels down next to the trap door and raps on it gently with her knuckles. "Hello! Is somebody down there? My name's Iomenna bet-Melkiel. I'm a new recruit to the crusades, and several of my friends here are fellow crusaders, too. We've been staying in the Defender's Heart, just across the street there. If you come out, we could help get you there and you could join us as we work on restoring the city. Please open the door, but don't shoot, okay?"
Darya moves over to where Iomenna kneels at the trapdoor and puts a hand on her shoulder. "You're our leader, I'd rather you didn't take the next nasty surprise. Let one of us open it."
Merlin approaches the trap door.
If I may?
He then searches it for any further traps.
Merlin moves his head in the direction of the banging.
Anyone willing to take care of that?
Kelly steps up near the door, stopping about 10 feet away. She leans forward and hesitantly calls out quietly, "H-hello? Who's in there? Do you need help? We're here to help." She holds her big knife ready, in case it's not friendly, and doesn't need help.
"Before we open that door maybe we should load those cross bows and have them ready to fire?"
Sario will take one of the cross bows and load it, then sit down on the floor bracing it against the way, that way the kick back doesn't hurt her already aching chest.