Linus readies an action for when the guards come though the door.
Red/Blue Guards: 3pts damage
[spoiler=GM Rolls]
The first guard to step through the kitchen door is hexed by Zyxtyvia, nicked by Hal, and skewered through the throat by Linus. There's another man right behind him, but the falling body throws off his sword swing. To the north, one brave (but singed) guard navigates around the flames, dodges Erik's attack, and slashes the criminal across the chest .
New Round
Red: 3pts damage
Blue: 3pts damage
Green: 22pts damage, evil eye (AC + attacks)
Zyxtyvia takes a step back and targets the next guard that comes through the doorway who aims to face Erik...
Celestine exhaled softly as she continued to channel her powers over those she was making this escape with. They seemed to be doing well enough so far, but it was far too soon to relax her guard, and she planned to keep her aura of power up for awhile yet.
Marvin took a moment to rest and wait for the guards to force themselves into an exposed position.
Sholano ducks down into a defensive posture, blade flashing at the next guard in line.
Unfortunately, the falling bodies throw him off wildly, and he barely manages to keep the blade moving in the right direction, let alone hit his target.
Linus' eyes light up as he blocks the blow. "So you both want to die today? I'll gladly arrange that." She quickly dispatches the first guard and laughs. "What a shame, I thought this was going to be fun, yet you all seem to die after one hit." He goes after the second guard and slits his throat effortlessly.
"And thats why I needed a rapier so bad. I told you I was good."
Linus speedily dispatches a pair of guards, clearing the way to the eastern exit. The other three soldiers continue to advance but slow as the see the carnage you've reaped.
Red: 3pts damage, evil eye (attacks, AC)
Blue: 3pts damage
"Quick through the door to the east!" Zyxtyvia shouts out and then moves through the door herself...
Celestine made a quick cutting motion with her hand, collapsing the aura of luck and reshaping her magic into a bolt of energy that shot through the air and towards the closest guard.
for
Once that had been taken care of, she darted over through the eastern door (even while Erick did something that looked... less than wise for the group), but she could probably call up an aura to hold it shut once everyone was inside...
Sholano darts through the door before Erick slams it shut , his mouth already moving even as he made a dash for the southern door. "Decision time, people! We can bar the door and run for it, or try and take them out first. Me, I'm all for the better part of valor!"
That many of them, organized in a flanking attack...flaming hells, the general alarm's been raised. Time to scarper!
"Let the ogre through and then bar the other door leading to the hallway. There must be another way out" Zyxtyvia says as she walks to the next door to the south...
Not wanting to be left behind, Marvin rushed through the door just before Erick slammed it shut. "Doesn't look like there's much choice where to go. Let's hurry before they get through."
Linus follows the group.
Once everyone was inside, Erick slammed the door shut just as the guards arrived. It shuddered under a heavy blow but held ... for the moment.
"Grab some furniture and start barricading that door!" Zyxtyvia says to the others and grabs the closest bench or stool.
"Jack, push that table in front of the door, then the mean men can't get you!" Marvin ordered, as he slid the heavy tables into place with him.
"Linus! Sholano! See what awaits us to the south!" Zyxtyvia yells out as she grabs another chair to throw on the barricade pile, not that it is much but that is the extent of her physical prowess...
A full barrier would... probably be less than helpful here, since they wanted to escape to the south. Shrugging slightly, Celestine didn't bother to repeat the trick from earlier. Instead, she simply made her way towards the southern door, to see what help she could offer.
The southern door leads to the kitchen. One thing is different from the last time you were here: the eastern door is wide open. Clearly, this is how the two cooks fled. Outside, you can see a large garden, although one shrub is separate from the other plants. To the north is a courtyard that with another building blocking the way out. To the east and south are prison walls - solid stone that's approximately 80ft high.
Celestine followed at a more leisurely pace, perfectly content to let Erick run ahead - and straight into any ambushes that might have been set by other guards. Better him than her...
Zyxtyvia follows Erick as well...
As you cross the courtyard, you can't help but notice the distinct lack of guard patrols. Most likely, they were the soldiers you just finished fighting. As you move northward, you see a small fountain. Its centerpiece is of the Mitran patron saint of law and order: St. Dothan the Just. In his outstretched hand is a sword that points to the Great Hall. At the statue's base is an inscription, "Thus is justice done."
North of the fountain, your way is blocked by a three-story stone gatehouse. A locked door stands closed on the westernmost point, but a stout set of double doors can be opened. To the right is a wooden kennel that houses a pair of guard dogs. As you approach, they begin to bark loudly.
As soon as the dogs began to bark, Marvin pushed forward and stood tall before the kennel. A low growl began deep in his chest, but changed in pitch to a series of short yips. As he vocalized, his face began to stretch slightly, and his nose and mouth formed into a short canine muzzle.
"We should have checked the kitchen for any food or drink to take with us... ah well...hopefully one of you can forage in the wild as we go..."
Celestine watched with some amusement as Marvin barked at the dogs, but kept most of her attention on the gatehouse. They didn't have very far to go, and it would be foolish to let their guards down now... "Open those doors for us." she told the hulking brute they'd picked up, gesturing to the gatehouse doors.
Linus readies himself to fight the dogs if needed.
Sholano stood up straight and fixed his profile in a bored air, getting into character for when someone from the gatehouse inevitably heard the racket. He paused as Celestine ordered Grumblejack towards the doors.
O...kay...Violence it is, I guess.
By the time Grumblejack has the doors open, the dogs have quieted and are wagging their tails at Marvin. Inside the gatehouse, you see a hall with another set of double doors to the north. These are barred from the inside. There's a murder hole in the ceiling and a trio of arrow slits adorning both the east and west walls.
the witch moves along the wall and gets behind Erick clutching her dagger in her hand...
Barriers were good, but could also make one a target. That would be bad, and Celestine chuckled slightly as she lowered her hand, allowing the others to enter first. It was best to be free of this place as quickly as possible, and there was no point in wasting time. "Charge straight through and break through the other doors...?" she mused thoughtfully.
Linus hesitates, watching the others carefully. Once everything seems fine, he quietly joins the covered trek to the double doors, ducking the arrow slits as best he can.
With the exception of a ladder leading upward, the west room is empty.
Zyxtyvia moves across the room to the double doors as fast as she can not wanting to be left behind b the others...
With assistance from Grumblejack, Erick is able to lift the beam and open the doors. Outside is a winding path along the edge of a cliff. After about 250ft, the path becomes a wide stone bridge with a two-foot guardrail. Below is the ocean, although the sea is calmer here than by the castle. On the other side of the bridge (80ft), you see a small gatehouse that guards the entrance to the mainland.
Zyxtyvia asks the others "Are there any guards at the guardhouse?"
Celestine joined the others once it became apparent that the way through the building was safe enough. "Probably." she told the elven witch. "The whole point of a guardhouse for a prison is to be manned at all times, after all. Not much to do but rush as best we can... although we can stay behind him to hide our numbers a bit." she added thoughtfully.
"Or pretend he is chasing us to give the guards there pause before we overwhelm them..."
Linus sighed. "Whatever gets us out of here and towards a nice warm bed the fastest. Kill then for all I care."
"A long open bridge... ample time to shoot us with crossbows before we can make our way across. It'd be nice if there was something we could do to avoid that... Anything left in that handkerchief that would help?" Marvin mused.
Sholano shrugged at Martin. "Not so you'd notice. The window might give us a convenient way to slip through a wall, with a bit of wriggling, but that's all I could think of."
"Here's how I see it," he went on, eyeing the bridge from just behind the final bend in the path. "We've got three options I can figure."
"First, we could just rush the gate and try and force our way through. 'Jack might give us an edge there, and it's definitely the fastest way, but it's risky and none too subtle."
"Second, we could try and stay out of sight. If anyone's a decent climber or swimmer, we do have a bit of rope we could use to get underneath the bridge, and sneak up out of sight." He shook his head. "That seems like a losing proposition - someone's likely to lose their grip or slip under, and I doubt we're in such good shape that we can stand to lose anyone before taking on the gatehouse. Still, if we pulled it off, we'd have a nice surprise advantage."
"Third, two or three of us can try and set up a diversion - pose as guards or some such long enough to get inside and try an ambush while keeping the door open for the rest to barrel in. If we wanted to try bringing a few of us who are obviously prisoners along for the initial assault, we could claim we're escorting them to their final sentence - although that might a hard sell, I admit."
He spread his hands in a 'that's it' gesture. "Me, I think we've got the best shot with that last one. Probably myself, Linus, and..." he cocked his head, considering. He finally gestured to Celestine. "Sorry, love, don't think I caught your name. Plenty of time for that later - either way, I think the three of us in the initial play if we try things that way."