Kendren watches as the others disable and tie up the sleeping mongrelmen, even as Iolaire checks to see how badly she has hurt one of them. He then whispers, "Once we're sure they can't escape, shall we continue on?"
"I think that wise," Uldir murmurs from his self-appointed post. "I suspect they won't awaken anytime soon, so they won't be able to raise any alarm that we wont be setting off ourselves when we push forward."
Carefully stepping towards the door to the next room, the stony boar presses an ear up against the (wood?).
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Arianna allowed the others to argue without adding any input into the debate about the morality or necessity of killing the sleeping mongrelmen, the decision to take them alive had been made and acted upon. At Iolaire's urging she moved quietly towards one of the doors and after a brief inspection for traps pressed an ear to the door to listen to the other side. If it sounded clear she'd move to stealthily open it just wide enough for a sliver of light from their room to make it inside before sliding the mirror from her pack to use it to investigate the room beyond, hopefully without alerting anyone to her presence.
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Iolaire soon find, that the skull is broken at the point she hit it. The mongrelwoman is breathing lightly but steadily, and her pulse goes regularly, so she doesn't seem to be in immediate danger of dying. Still she is in severe need of healing, because who knows if internal bleeding might not damage her brain eventually.
In the meantime, Arianna has taken a look at the door in the northern wall and did find no traps, so she goes on and opens the door as carefully and silently as possible. Her heartbeat stops for a moment when she hears a whispered conversation as soon as she does so, but it seems that whoever is in the next room, didn't hear her actions, becusue the whispering does not even stop for a moment.
Using her mirror, Arianna finds that the next room must be something like a trophy hall. She can't see too much, but there are shelves on the wall, displaying what might be the bodies of different animals, that probably fell prey to the mongrelmen's hunting skills. And at the other side of the room, Arianna can make out two human-shaped figures talking with another in hushed voices, luckily turning her back to Arianna's position.
At the same time, Uldir turned his attention to the northern door in the east wall, listening for what might be behind it. He presses his ear against the wood , only to hear someone or something rummaging through the room behind it.
Leaning away from the door, Uldir whispers, "At least one in here, doesn't sound like they're aware of us."
Kendren points at the door Arianna had just opened and whispered back, "Let's start here. We can circle around."
Iolaire lays her hands gently on the mongrelwoman she hit. whispering to Shelyn as she does so. "Lady of Beauty, grant this soul some small portion of your grace." That done she rises, takes her glaive and positions herself near the door.
Looking around to catch the eyes of the rest of the group she counts down on the fingers of one hand. 3...2...1...
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Arianna returns the mirror to her pack and shifts out to her bow quietly lifting a pair of fingers to the rest of the group to indicate that there were two inside and directed them towards which side of the room the two were located.
She nodded as Iolaire began the countdown to when they'd burst through the door and steeled herself as the last finger fell Arianna would surge through the open door and rapidly fire an arrow off at one of the two talking figures.
But with such little time to sight down the arrow her shot veered to the right of the target impacting into the wall between the two of them...
...shattering the arrow head on impact.
Kendren moves to get a better view of the area from his location.
Iolaire, moving just behind Kendren and Arianna charges straight into the room, putting herself in halberd range of both mongrelmen.
Alfred moves in eager for some slightly more alert foes.
Morning Star
holes and bruises
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When Alfred has gone through the door, Rianne steps near the doorsteps to get a better picture of the situation in the next room. Meanwhile, the breaking of the arrow at the wall has made the humans aware of the unexpected foes behind them. "Overworlders!" snaps the first one, then he immediately starts what sounds like a prayer in a harsh, fiendish language. For a moment, he is surrounded by an evil reddish glow, then he turns his glaive - a weapon very similar to the one Iolaire formerly took from one of the dead cultists against his opponents.
Kendren looks at the two enemies and decides that Alfred is already adjacent to the one, so he decides to target the other by casting a spell to hopefully make them slip and fall.
A grease spell covers a solid surface with a layer of slippery grease. Any creature in the area when the spell is cast must make a successful Reflex save or fall. A creature can walk within or through the area of grease at half normal speed with a DC 10 Acrobatics check. Failure means it can’t move that round (and must then make a Reflex save or fall), while failure by 5 or more means it falls (see the Acrobatics skill for details). Creatures that do not move on their turn do not need to make this check and are not considered flat-footed.
The spell can also be used to create a greasy coating on an item. Material objects not in use are always affected by this spell, while an object wielded or employed by a creature requires its bearer to make a Reflex saving throw to avoid the effect. If the initial saving throw fails, the creature immediately drops the item. A saving throw must be made in each round that the creature attempts to pick up or use the greased item. A creature wearing greased armor or clothing gains a +10 circumstance bonus on Escape Artist checks and combat maneuver checks made to escape a grapple, and to their CMD to avoid being grappled.
Seeing her opponent wielding a weapon to match her own Iolaire side-steps to face off against him. Disdaining speech she simply attacks, feinting low before whirling her glaive up to take him in the head.
Uldir plants himself by the door he's guarding, head low and ears straining to hear whomever is on the other side.
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When Kendren's spell takes effect, the ground around and beneath the cultist begins to shimmer as if covered by a thin layering of oil. And the movement of setting his glaive against the attackers is enough to let him lose balance. For a second, his arms are helplessly flailing around. Then gravity wins, and while he falls to the ground, he can do nothing but make sure that he doesnt fall into his weapon's blade.
Arianna uses the opportunity to light-footedly move between the enemies, bringing the second one between her and Alfred. Her aim strikes true, and her rapier cuts deep into his shoulder, causing a loud cry of pain. Angrily, he steps away from her, turning around and letting the tip of his scythe speedily strike against her.
Standing in the greased area makes it impossible for Arianna to avoid the blow and the scythe's tip pierces her armor and sinks into her flesh.
At the same moment, Iolaire's feint proves unnecessary, as her opponent just fell to the ground, making him into an easy target for her attack.
Lann gives the fallen enemy no quarter and rushes to him, his club coming down hard.
But he's to hasty in his attack, so the blow glances of harmlessly from the enemy's armor.
Alfred grunts, and swings his magical weapon as hard as he possibly can.
Swing
Spiky ball
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Alfred 's attack meets it's goal and his opponent staggers under the impact. Severely hurt, he somehow is able to stay on his feet and readies his next attack against Arianna.
Rianne steps between Lann and Iolaire and unleashes a ball of heavenly fire against the cultist lying on the ground.
Cursing the cultist rolls to the side, thereby evading the attack and getting out of the greased area.
Lann uses the opportunity and hits the cultist with another hard blow from his club.
But again, the movement of the opponent is to fast and his attack glances off the armor.
While Uldir is guarding the one door,the other, unguarded door opens and one of the mongrelmen steps out of it, looking after the commotion she must have heard. Her eyes widen in surprise when she sees Uldir, but instead of attacking she retreats back into the room she came out before.
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Arianna cried out as the tip of the scythe pierced through her armor and glared spitefully at the cultist who was responsible for the crimson stain growing on her tunic. Throwing caution to the wind she dove forward possibly leaving herself open to an attack as she tried to slide in opposite of the fighter.
More focused on the standing cultist Iolaire is slow to react and misses the cultist as he rolls away.
Determined to end this quickly, before more enemies join the fray, Alfred steps around to flank the foe he just injured, and swings again.
Morningstar of fury (+2 if flanking achieved)
Previously mentioned fury.
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Iolaire's attack fails as Lann's did, giving the still lying cultist the opportunity to swing his glaive trying to hit the paladin another time without even trying to get up from the ground.
But Iolaire sees the blow coming and with a little jump easily evades the attack. Arianna ducks under the other enemy's weapon and closes distance to make it harder for him to hit her another time. Still, her counterattack fails, so he still stands on his feet.
Kendren hears a noise behind him. Turning, he sees a mongrelman come out of the room before quickly going back to the other. Thinking his companions have the other fight well in hand, he prepares to cast a spell should the woman come back out.
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Seeing that his scythe is'nt of much use in narrow quarters, the cultist drops it towards Arianna in the hope of confusing her enough, so that she might not see the dagger he suddenly holds in his hand, striking at her with lightning speed.
He barely misses, but to ignore Alfred behind him proves as the more fatal fatal mistake when the spiked ball of Alfred's weapon crashes his skull, making an end to the opponent. In the meantime, Rianne makes her way towards Arianna and bathes her in another of her heavenly fires, trying to mend some of her wounds this way
@Iolaire: your last attack made was the AoO you were granted by the enemy standing up, so you still have your regular attack to make before the next round starts.
Iolaire, rebuking herself for missing the opportunity as the cultist stood, strikes again - aiming for his leg.
Uldir whirls just in time to see the door opposite re-close. "Kendren, whoever that was saw us! We might have company soon! There's someone in here too." the boar tosses his head to indicate the door he's guarding.
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In the meantime
"Where's Aravashnial?" Anevia suddenly breaks the silence that had fallen upon the little group after they had been given food and water and then had returned to their temporary home to get a nap and relax a bit. The room was full of simple, but comfortable beds, with surprisingly soft pillows. It had only taken minutes before the children had fallen to sleep again and Anevia nearly had followed their example before she perceived that someone was missing.
Horgus Gwerm looks surprised than falls into his typical arrogant demeanor. "Oh, he can't be far. He's probably pestering some of the villagers with stupid questions about their culture and their progenitors. I just hope he isn't his usual self and tries not to offend the people here too much. At least, the young boy is with him, so at least his companion has an actual brain to use."
Anevia shakes her head. "What is it with you, Horgus? Wasn't it enough that he openly apologized? And did he not pay you a generous restitution to make up for his mistake?Why are you still so angry at him?"
"Not that this would be any of your business, but don't you know how harsh public opinion can turn against you just because of false claims made by others? I lost customers about this, people I considered friends, and no amount of money brings me those friends back. I'll never forgive the elf for that. And he will pay one day, I swe..."
A sudden commotion outside of their hose interrupts him. "Oh, well, he did it and offended someone he had better not. Come, Anevia, let's find out if we can do something to save him."
...to be continued
"I know, Uldir! Everyone, we have foes to our rear. Hurry out here!"
Seeing no-one else a threat in that room Iolaire spins on her heel and hurries across to Uldir, stopping short of the door she holds her glaive ready and give Uldir a nod to clear the way.
Uldir, glancing down at his hooves then up at the door handle, gives the paladin a skeptical look.
Momentarily distracted Io misses the skeptical look from the boar and takes a moment to piece together why he wasn't moving. She reaches out, counts down from 3 on her fingers and yanks the door open.
Once Iolaire starts counting, Kendren prepares to fire an acid splash at who- or whatever lies behind the door.
Uldir's door, I think
Alfred moves into position to dash into the room if necessary, his new toy held with appreciation as to it's effectiveness. Hmm. Now that I've become accustomed to it's weight, this weapon feels most effective.