Tania stays out of melee. She's never seen such a creature and that abomination looks terrifying to her, to the point that she thinks the others in the front might be under some magical charm that makes them drop their guard.
"Wake up! This thing wants to kill us!" she warns as she raises her bow and lets fly an arrow at the orb.
Talliree's grin grows as she shrugs off the beams.
"Yeah, It's tryin' ta kill us," she replies to Tania's warning, "but 'tain't doin' a good job o' it!"
Ellena flattens against the wall. "Hey ugly!" she shouts. "They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but you just look all-around disgusting!"
The globular creature shrieks at the pain inflicted by Ellena's mockery, it's eyestalks all pivoting to regard Ellena balefully.
It is at that moment when Tania's arrow pierces it's mottled side. Another shriek of pain and rage erupts, "Disgusting" it says in Ellena's voice, then "kill us" in Tania's voice.
With multiple opponents that have hurt it, it's eyestalks swivel and move about randomly, as if it can't decide who to attack next.
Hob hops from foot to foot hurling fire at the creature trying to stay out of the creatures gaze. "Hey stop being so creepy!"
Hob's firebolt misses, splashing against the wall behind the orb. One eyestalk briefly favors him with its attention before returning to those it deems more menacing.
Mitch begins to move towards the thing stopping to release a Javelin at it before closing next round.
Javelin
Point
"What is that? I'm sure it's terrible and needs to die".
All of the creature's eyes widen as the javelin speeds towards it, but it is too slow to fly out of the way. The javelin pierces the large central eye, pinning the creature to a nearby wall. With a plaintive wail, it dies, it's eyestalks falling limp.
After a few moments, it begins to dissolve, sliding around the javelin to fall with a splat onto the platform .
Talliree lets out a yelp of surprise as the javelin sizzles past her and impales the odd little beastie.
"Uh, alright? I guess we go up? Did anyone get hurt," Talliree asks as she comes down off the adrenaline rush.
Talliree shakes her head and narrows her eyes at the mark.
"Or we could just ignore the idiot half-elf and go thattaway," she says while pointing down the marked tunnel.
Tania smiles and says in hush tone: "Yellow all the way, and that thing probably means we’re drawing near, so hush everyone..."
Ellena prods the muck that was a monster with the tip of her rapier. "It looks sort of like the marks, yes? I do hope it doesn't have an angry mother to come after us. That, and what's up with mimicry? First the kenkus, next this thing, everyone is copying voices like it's a fashion."
Taking the passage marked by the yellow chalked sign, the group slogs forward.
After around 5 minutes, the main sewer tunnel expands into a circular hub with a pair of arrow slits carved into its outer walls, directly
across from each other. Two passages continue on to the
north and south. A stone door is set into the back wall of
a stone ledge to the west.
From both sets of arrow slits you can hear the tell-tale sounds of someone snoring.
Talliree's grin grows wide as she hears the sounds of guards not being mindful of their duties. She points out the skits and mimes falling asleep to the others. She looks to Tania to see what the woman would do with that information and makes sure her cloak's hood is up.
Tania nods at Talli, showing she understood and signals the heavy fighters to rush forth to catch the guards off-guard.
Talli nods, and begins to quietly make her way to where the guards are sleeping.
Hob slinks up beside the opposite arrow slit to appraise the room from this angle. He then casts minor illussion to make a false unmoving image of the far wall and field of view without anyone present.
Sleeping guards would make things rather nicer, without need for spells or bloodshed. Ellena moved slowly behind Talliree, trying to prepare a cover story in case they were suddenly found out.
Mitchell steps close behind the others, knowing he's not the silent type.
If we can get past without bloodshed... good, but I'll be ready if needed.
Stealth
Stealth (Disadvantage)
And is very glad that he oiled his armor thoroughly just this morning.
Hob uses minor illussion of a blanket about the northwest arrow slit... if the guards heard them they wouldn't be able to get a clear idea of their numbers and gear.
Tania closes the rear as the group sneaks forward, keeping an eye towards the rear.
Talliree determines that the door is unlocked and untrapped. Moving forward she finds a corridor to the right, at then end of which is another arrow slit.
Moving stealthily forward, she reaches a corner to the left and sees another door barring the way.
It is a this moment that Ellena, moving to follow, bumps the first door causing it to hit the wall with a loud thump.
All hear a muffled, "Wuzzat?!" come from the North West arrow slit. The now wakened sentry grumble and grunts as it rises from its slumber to take a look out and see what's going on.
Talliree swallows a curse and tries to hide against the wall next to the arrow slit looking right at her.
"Dun' get yer stuff in a bunch, guv." drawls Ellena, fishing in her memory for Waterdevian street talk. "Jus' getting to movin' the shinies from upstairs. We'll be out of yer hair fore yer full awake."
There's a pause as the sentry considers Ellena's gambit, then a sour grumbing, "Yeah, well , stop with yer bumping and thumping...or Grum'shar'll hear about it..."
With a few more grumbles, you hear the sentry settle down again and the soft buzz of a snoring sentry greets your ears.
Hob walks into the corridor with the others trying not to make too much noise. He mentally recounts how to cast sleep to knock any guards out that are more vigilant than that one.
Once everyone is in the corridor he takes out his new crowbar and wedges it against the under side of the door as a make shift door stop, not wanting gang members to return unnoticed behind them.
Tania looks at Talli at the front to see if she needs help with the second door, waiting for her signal to approach if needed.
Mitchell nods in approval at the diplomatic approach.
I'll take care of them on the way out.
Talliree lets out a long, slow, silent sigh fo relief before quietly moving to check the door.
Ellena sighs in relief as her ruse is accepted, then lets Tania and Talliree take point for the next part.
Talliree checks the door and finds , like the other, no locks or traps.
Easing it open , she sees to her left a room, its floor covered with piles of what looks like clothing and rusty weapons.
To her right a passage opens up into another room, from which she can hear the now familiar sound of the sentry's snores. Beyond, the passage descends...
Talliree slips through the door and does her best to sneak up on the guard, her sword ready to lop off his head.
Though Talliree manages to knock some over some junk on the floor, she finds herself crouching over the sleeping form of the sentry....a goblin!
She can easily dispatch the unfortunate cur...
Talliree thanks Tymora for blessing her with a little luck and takes in a breath to steady herself before driving her sword down into the goblin.
The goblin's lip was curled into a cruel smirk as it enjoyed a particularly vicious little dream. As Talliree's blade found its heart, his eyes flew open in surprise , before he slumped back into his stinking blanket....dead.
Tania nods at a job well executed. She clings to the shadows and lets Talli do her thing, keeping the rear once more, wondering what lays forward and whether their ward was still breathing...
Hob creeps around into the corridor and looks at Talliree before pointing south with a questioning look.
Ellena bites her lip, a bit squeamish at the sudden violence.
Mitchell starts to shout out, then clasps his hand over his mouth at the murder taking place before him.
Really! killing while they sleep. Do we lack any honor!!!
With the sentry's shift cut short, all is quiet.
Renaer pokes about in the room to the south, muttering, "Just a bunch of rubbish...".
Your initial impressions of the room is confirmed by the noble. It seems to be a dump for discarded clothing and gear by the denizens of this place.
The sentry's possessions are revealed to be a stinking bedroll and blanket, some dirty dishes and a servicable shortbow and dagger.
The stairs to the north descend steeply for 20 ft , then level off, the passage continuing to the north.
Talli shudders as she pulls the blade free. She hated acting like an assassin, but she also knew that they'd likely be swamped or ambushed if the alarm had gotten out. She takes in a deep breath and cleans the blood from her blade. Besides, the little runt was a goblin. Not many of those around that were kind-hearted. Having no need of the bow or dagger, Talliree climbs the stairs to see what lay ahead.
Talliree leads the way downward, down the damp stairs, where the passage turns right towards the east.
Slowly the party advances. At one point the quiet gurgling of the sewer can be heard above.
The passage ultimately opens up into a room, obviously a sleeping area.
The room is illuminated by a half dozen lamps , currently set to a low flame.
As the group moves into the unoccupied room, they can hear sounds of activity coming from beyond the door to the south...
"I don't think I can bluff my way past them, if they're awake. Blades or negotiation?" whispers Ellena, pointing her thumb at the door. "Because if we go for the quick and deadly strike, I can try the sleeping trick again, but we'll throw diplomacy out of the way."
Tania replies in hush tones, suggesting: "If they kidnapped someone, diplomacy is already out of the way. First step should be to try to find our quarry without raising an alarm. Talli is front, she can try to sneak up on them and have a look to see if our man is here."
"I think we should see what's happening first. We may be best served by being patient," Talliree says before slinking up to the door.
"If they get angry we'll just send them back to sleep with magic."