Mikos hustles over and grabs his bow. He lets fly just as the Splinter guard is coming back over his cover. The man grunts, falls, an arrow through the eye.
Mikos gathers and secures his weapons and checks for anything of interest on the fallen. "Well, Rodi. You able to get that door unlocked now?" he calls over his shoulder.
"Who need healin', eh?" The Keg starts inspecting his companions wounds.
"Who need healin', eh?"
Mikos raises the hand of one of the corpses. Then drops it. "I think it's too late for this one, but I could use a bit of patching. We might want to think about heading up soon. I could use a little rest. I think I'm still shaking off spider venom."
The Keg quaffs some divine brew and chants a prayer to his god, healing everyone. He starts tending to Ben's more-serious wounds.
"Yeh, let's see if we can open some access 'ere and then head back for a bit of rest."
The Keg finishes working on the door with Rodi.
Mikos searches the bodies of the two Splinters on this side of the barrier. They each wear padded armor and wield a shortsword, dagger and light crossbow with 10 bolts. They also carry a couple of small vials each, and 30 total coppers.
"We've got 30 copper and a couple vials. Can you tell if these vials have anything magical, Ben?" He hands them to Ben.
"Just use your crowbar, Keg. And hope it's less delicate than Rodi's tools. Come on, Rodi. See if your eyes are better than your picks." Mikos goes to figure out how to open the secret door.
Rodi sighs and drops his poor broken picks into his pocket. "I suppose."
The Keg is still applying first aid to Ben.
Rodi checks over the wall space where the secret door is. Knowing where its at he finds the subtle outline easily enough, but does not see a latch or switch.
After a minute, he hears a number of footsteps approaching from the far side.
Mikos puts a finger to his lips as a warning to Rodi and prepares to force his way in if the door opens.
Rodi steps to the side, his rapier ready to stab when the vile lock pick breakers show up!
Mikos and Rodi bracket the doorway and make ready. The panel slides open a few moments later, with a half-orc brigand trundling through just after.
The Splinter who escaped earlier comes around the corner in the room beyond the barricade, wielding a new crossbow. "They're still here!"
Several more Splinters are following these two.
Rodi stabs the half-orc!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
Mikos is a little slower than his stabby friend, but quickly draws the warhammer, smashes, and throws the orc to the floor.
Rodi and Mikos hit the surprised half-orc just as he comes through the sally port. Mikos plants his foot and shoves, knocking him to the floor.
Ben drops to the ground, taking cover.
The half-orc tries to stand... He growls and stabs at Mikos with his blade.
;
;
Another bandit comes up right behind the half-orc, stabbing a dagger around the corner at Rodi. A third moves into the room beyond and loads a crossbow.
;
;
From behind the arrow slit, the Splinter raises his crossbow and fires at the Keg. He quickly reloads the fires again.
;
;
Another Splinter archer runs into the guard room, moving to another arrow slit. She aims and fires at the Keg, then reloads.
;
"Oh no, you don't," Mikos tells the orc as he hits the nail on the head.
Rodi stabs again!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
"It's rude to hit a dwarf while he's tending to the wounded. Down right unethical. Nearly as bad as spilling yer beer."
The Keg moves away from tending his dwarven brethren. His chainmail deflects two of the bolts but the third catches him under the arm.
Her raises his shield and moves to stab through the arrows slit and disarm the archer.
The half-orc hits the ground hard, breaking a long tooth on the stones. Mikos attacks as he tries to rise, but misses by a hair. Indeed, his slice shaves some of the half-orc's sideburns. His eyes goggle as he fights back.
A second later, Rodi runs the half-orc through. Spitting blood, the bandit falls back to the floor.
The Keg runs up and stabs through the arrow slit. He knocks the crossbow aside, and although the Splinter keeps hold of it, he is off-balance.
Ben summons an animated broom on the far side of the barricade. It swishes at the wounded Splinter, but the man ducks aside.
The creep slips inside Mikos' hammer swing and jabs the warrior a few times before Rodi perforates him. Mikos drops the bulky hammer on the corpse and draws his preferred weapon just in time to slash at the newcomer.
Mikos swaps to his falchion and attacks. He has trouble slashing the big blade around the edge of the sally port but still clips the wirey man.
The Splinter stabs back at Mikos, then tries to slip around him with a feint. He bumps into the door, killing his momentum.
;
;
The Splinter in the room beyond fires his crossbow into the fray, trying to stick Rodi. The man reloads.
;
In the guard room, the woman backs away from the slit, regains control of her weapon, then finishes reloading.
The other Splinter draws his blade and attacks Ben's animated broom. He destroys it with a single blow and chuckles. He sheathes his blade and reloads his crossbow.
;
Through the room beyond the sally port and another doorway, Mikos and Rodi see another man watching the battle unfold. He has a pale, pasty complexion. At his side is a mechanical cobra.
Mikos grits his teeth at the indignity of suffering another Splinter wound and then redoubles his efforts with the heavy curved blade.
Rodi takes a guarded step to stand over the body of the half-orc and stab the next Sphincter.
for damage!
for damage!
Stride/raise shield or stride/stride as required.
The Keg will go that.
Mikos attacks aggressively and chops down the Splinter in the sally port. Rodi nimbly hops over the man as he falls, closing on the archer in the room beyond: an armory of sorts. Rodi circles around an armor stand which the bandit is using for cover and stabs him in the calf.
The Keg shifts to the south corner, stabbing through the arrow slot. The bandit blocks the attack with his crossbow, hissing a curse.
Still lying on the steps, Ben completes another summoning spell. A fiery mephit appears in a puff of black smoke, flanking from behind the Splinter, across from Keg. The small elemental rips into the man with burning claws, setting his armor alight and taking him down.
; plus
; plus
; plus
The woman to the north finishes reloading and fires on the mephit. The elemental makes a diving dodge, laughing at the Splinter. She reloads as quickly as she can and fires again, but her hasty shot is even worse. The mephit cackles with glee.
In the armory, the Splinter retreats out the door and down the hall to the east. He sprints past the other man and his iron cobra. "Dammit, Jaris. Do something!"
The man Jaris chuckles grimly, stepping back and taking something from his satchel.
"Splinter or Sprinter?" Mikos laughs at the retreating man. His eyes narrow at the sight of the Jaris and his metal snake. "Careful there, Rodi. I'm sure this one has nasty surprises. Remember Clanky and that crazy goblin cultist." He calls around the corner. "Where are you, Keg? We've got the door open this way." Mikos moves into the armory, but takes cover behind the wall waiting to see what Jaris does.
The Keg stumps around the corner with his shield up, muttering to himself, "Ya can take this running battle and shove it."
Rodi strides twice and attacks the Sphincter woman.
for damage!
Mikos moves up cautiously and watches, while Rodi races out and around the corner. As soon as he leaves the doorway, Jaris hurls the grenade in his hand at the halfling. He misses high, but the grenade impacts the wall just above Rodi and he is caught in the edge of the explosion.
Rodi continues on, running up and stabbing at the woman. She uses her crossbow to block his rapier.
Ben hits the Splinter in the chest with an acid arrow and his mephit cackles as it flies up and finishes her off.
The Keg runs around to the sally port.
Mikos spots Keg lumbering along behind him. "You coming, Keg?" he asks with a grin and advances to hack at the metal snake.