The banging at the southern door intensifies and some kind of inhuman screaming pierces through from the other side. Not quite like the vargouille; something bigger and... different. Obviously not a person.
Merlin searches the trapdoor and finds a delicate trigger mechanism attached to it that probably connects to some kind of spring or device on the other side. It could perhaps be disabled from this side, though ?
Merlin sighs.
I would step away from this trap door. It is trapped. I shall attempt to disable it.
Merlin searches the tables for any nails, twine, wire; or anything that he can use.
Having found some workable "tools", the 1/2 elf begins to attempt to disable the trap.
Guidance, if you please.
Merlin carefully slips a planing tool under the wire attached to the trapdoor, then snips it with a pair of leather shears. There's a loud KTHUNK as something below slams into the trapdoor, but the door shakes and holds.
Hefting his shield in front of him, Merlin opens the trap door.
Azura trots over to Sario and says, "That looks painful. Let me help."
Sario smiles up at Azura, "Thanks, it hurts like hell. I am just going to stay seated for another minute just to let the graces of your god flow all the way through me."
She keeps the loaded cross bow trained on the door.
Luci gestured to the southern door. "Whatever's in there doesn't sound too happy, guys. And I don't like the idea of letting something like that dwell so close to the Heart."
Iomenna turns to look warily at the southern door. Let's leave that be for the moment. That's got to be some sort of beast, and I don't like the idea of letting it loose in here without knowing what it is ahead of time. Maybe the person who was here before knows what it is."[/b] She points back to the trap door that Merlin had so capably disarmed. Gathering the others around the door, she gestures for someone with a shield to block the door, so that any surprise bolts flying out wouldn't do any harm. She then moves behind the door so that she will be on the side opposite the opening; she finds the lever/handle to open the door, and pulls it slightly ajar, just wide enough so that they might see inside without giving someone space to shoot or stab at them through the opening.
"Look," she calls to whomever is hiding within. "Look out here at us. You can see that we're not here to harm you. Promise to come out peacefully, and we will get you to safety. We are all staying at the Defender's Heart, just across the road. Come out and we can get you there. There's even a priest there who can help tend to any wounds you might have."
Ready to interpose herself before any attacker, Darya holds her sword ready in both hands.
There's a shuffling sound below the trapdoor, then a woman's voice says, "Hello? What's your name? Who are you? Where did you come from? I have a crossbow and I'm not afraid to use it!"
Though she sounds confident, the fact that she's asking where you came from when you already said you were at Defender's Heart gives you the impression that she's a bit rattled.
Iomenna nearly drops the door in her surprise that someone actually answered. [i]This might work after all! We might actually save someone![/ooc]
"H-hello! I'm Iomenna bet-Melkiel. I'm a new recruit to the crusades, and several of my friends here are also crusaders in their own rights. We've just come from the Defender's Heart, the inn right across the road from your...workshop? And - uh - we're here to help. We're trying to gather together as many survivors as we can to make sure we can all survive together and maybe start rebuilding the city. Will you come out and let us help you?"
"How do I know you're not a horrible demon pretending to be a crusader?" comes the woman's voice.
"We're going to open the trapdoor, and I promise you, you'll understand." Darya says sheathing her blade.
"If we were demons we probably wouldn't have cut the trip wire and talked to you, from my experience." Sario says loud enough to be heard.
Merlin grins at Sario's comment.
Agreed. I will take look out position, Iomenna.
Hefting his shield and scimitar, the youth stands by the entrance facing the Heart.
Kelly stands by, letting the big folk handle the negotiations while she keeps an eye on the noisy door.
"Well I'm a tiefling, so I'm kinda demonic, but I think some people would argue that point. Plus; y'know, paladin."
Iomenna looks around at the others, trying her best to work out how to solve this situation without anyone else getting hurt. Finally, she lets out a sigh and begins to sing a hymn commonly known to the crusaders. Her voice trembles at first, but it grows stronger and clearer, and she looks to the others, inviting them to join in.
When the world was rent asunder and the demon filth did fly
When the darkest powers of Hell came forth and men began to die
When the noble folk of Sarkoris were forced out from their land
The Crusaders dared to stand
Now we fight to stem the tide of death and save our precious world
Now we live beneath the light of goodness in our banners all unfurled
And if we die we die together all against the powers of Hell
Shall we win? Time will tell.
Iomenna takes another breath and calls out to the woman, "If that doesn't prove who we are, I don't know what will."
As Iomenna's voice rings out through the room, Darya smiles, closing her eyes as she listens along, her halo pulsing slightly as the ambient light around her slowly increases building to emanate all around the area.
"Go ahead and open it."
After the ragged rendition of the crusader's song, there's a hurried shuffling and then three people emerge from the cellar under the trapdoor - a portly middle-aged woman with a crossbow (whom you presume has been doing the talking), a young man with tousled hair, and a freckled teenaged boy. All of them are a little bit dirty and smelly, though that's not really anything new.
"Thank the heavens! We've been stuck in the cellar since the invasion. I figured that eventually the monsters would move on somewhere else. It's good to know that other people have survived," she says.
"This was a leatherworker's shop - my husband's, but he never came back after he went out to try to find more supplies and survivors. Lucas here -" - she points to the young man - "- set up traps in case the demons returned, and we have a few supplies in the cellar, but it was getting dicey."
The teenaged boy mutters, "Nothing left but prunes and dried shoe leather."
"Anyway, it sounds like you have some defenses set up. I'm relieved." She lets out a heavy sigh. "Our neighbors weren't so fortunate. There was some kind of horrid screaming for hours from that building next door. Cackling, too. I... wouldn't lay odds on finding more survivors there."
I suggest that we escort them to the Heart; and then clear neighbors house.
"Agreed, Merlin. Why don't you and Sario take them back to the Heart. While you're there, Sario, have the priest patch you up a bit more. That wound still looks pretty rough." Iomenna turns to the woman and the two younger men with her. "Thank you for being reasonable. I'm glad the gods have kept you safe. Now perhaps you can help us do the same. Gather up as much of your materials here as you are able and take it back to the Heart. If you don't mind, I'm going to take one of your crossbows here while we continue our search for today."
Behind Iomenna, the pounding and growling reminds her that some beast is still trapped behind the other door. She catches the woman's arm before she lets her go to get her belongings and head back to the tavern, "What is in that room? Did you see it before it was trapped in there?"
Sario will get back to her feet, lowering the crossbow and taking the bolt out. She will then slowly move over to where the people have emerged from the underground storage room.
"Good day, that crossbow trap really packs a punch. What can we take with us that will be of use? We really need anything and everything that will help us rebuild and to defend ourselves."
She will then lean on the table.
"Ach, that's some kind of demon. It chased Jamin - one of the apprentice boys - in there and no doubt did something terrible. Lucas rigged up a bottle of holy water that we had, put it inside of a shelf over the door with a line that will cause it to drop out if someone opens the door. Figured it was the best we could do if the demon got out."
She turns to Sario and says, "Take whatever you can! It's not going to do any good here. Heck, this was our livelihood, we might as well take it with us! We'll help carry it back to the Heart."
"And by the way Lucas, nice work on the trap....it worked pretty well." Darya says giving the young man a wry grin.
Merlin takes point, peering outside at their route back to the Heart.
"Are we just going to leave it here?" Kelly gestures to the rattling door, "What if it breaks out after we leave and jumps us from behind?"
She turns back to the door, eyeing it warily. "Just sayin', I think we can take it, all together."
"I'm with Kelly. I also don't like the idea of this thing breaking free and heading for the Heart, either."
"While I do agree with not leaving it behind, I am not feeling up to it taking a swing at me. I will stay and help put it down though whatever it is."
"No, you and Merlin should get the civilians back to the Heart, the rest of us'll take care of it."
"I agree, let's put this thing down. Darya says once again drawing her blade.
Merlin nods to Luciana.
He hefts his scimitar and shield, muttering a prayer for guidance, before heading out.
Sario will help the Woman and boys take down and move all the equipment they can to clear out space for the others to fight as needed.
Once they cannot carry any more they will head back to Defender's Heart to drop the new gear off and for Sario to get some healing.
Iomenna sees Merlin and Sario off as they head out from the workshop, their arms loaded with various supplies. "Thank you for doing this, my friends. Be swift, and return to us once you have dropped off the supplies and gotten the aid you need. We will deal with the beast here." Once they have gone, she closes the doors leading out of the building, doing her best to ensure that the beast will remain contained, even if they should fail. She then unslings her hammer from across her back and takes up a position beside the door. "We'll need to be swift to strike as it comes out. Sounds like the trap that Lucas set up may help, but I doubt one vial of holy water will put down whatever is in there. Let me know when you're set, and I'll open the door."
Before reaching for the door, Iomenna takes a look to see if she can confirm that the holy water trap is still set to spring when the door opens.
Kelly moves to the wall beside the door, across from Iomenna, and drops into a low fighting stance. She readies her blade, then nods to Iomenna.
The holy water trap ready, Iomenna forces the door open.
Inside the closet is some kind of barely-humanoid monster, a wretched blobby thing with puke-green skin covered in sparse, short, wiry black hairs with dead eyes. Its arms are overlong and hugely muscled, almost like an ape. It leaps forward with surprising speed.
The holy water falls out of the trap...
...and misses the creature as it lunges out, though the monster is splashed with a small sizzling sound where a few droplets land.
...and the party's readied attacks go off!
Iomenna swings her earth breaker in an overhead slam and a prayer that she connects.
The blobby creature takes Iomenna's hit from the earthbreaker. A blow that would splatter a common human causes the creature to ripple in an unsettling fashion, but does not smash it.
Kelly slashes at the noxious creature!
Her blade scratches ineffectively at its tough hide.
The creature's blobby hide repels Kelly's attack.
Luci charged in with the others, bringing her sword down from above.
Charging in at the same moment as Luci, Darya finds the cramped space as limiting as her fellow paladin does her swing awkward.
The paladins rush the creature, but in the crowded space near the doorway they have trouble landing any significant blows.
A general melee erupts!
Kelly takes another stab at it.
It seemed like a good hit, but the demon doesn't really react. She steps back to let a heavier hitter take over.