A poisonous cave lizard sounded problematic. Ardriel moves to where he can see the lizard, drawing out his bow as he goes, leaving the Morningstar for a moment, and fires an arrow at the lizard.
Ardriel sinks an arrow into the lizard causing some damage.
Round 5 Enemy
The mongrelman looks barely on his feet, he shakes his head and advances forward a step and then swings his club at Petsha. The club swings through the air causing the mangrelman to spin around and drop to the ground.
Round 6
Party Up
Seeing the mongrelman fall, Ian steps back into the doorway, hugging the wall, he eases past the wounded lizard, then steps forward and swinging the hammer, tries to strike it's head.
So much for drawing it out...
Leothar follows Ian into the room and attacks the lizard, though it is too fast and it dodges.
Petsha follows the others into the room, heading south along the wall before moving to the center of the south portion to open up a nice line of fire on the lizard. Taking aim with the longbow he releases an arrow at the beast.
As Ian steps up to the lizard it attacks him, but only gets his shield.
The attack was enough to throw off Ian's aim and put him in Leothar's way causing him to miss as well.
Petsha manages to get a clear lane at the lizard an puts an arrow into it.
The cave lizard is starting to look dangerous. Poison is no joke. But that doesn't stop Fley. He's no longer a coward.
He'll move in and try to distract the lizard. It's tail is swishing back and forth. Fley aims for it.
Get him Leothar!
As the commotion continues, after making sure the creature was stable Donnen moves inside as fast as his short legs would allow.
Shrugging, "Sorry Leothar" Ian disentangles his shield from the dwarfs, "The hammer is a little top heavy." Resetting his feet, he shifts his weight slightly and swings at the lizard again, this time planting the hammer in the dirt behind the lizard.
Still able to see the cave lizard, but now seeing it surrounded by his allies, Ardriel picks up the morningstar from where he dropped it and moved into the fortress, staying behind the front line.
Fley tries to distract the lizard while Ardriel and Donnen move into the room.
Round 6 Enemy
The cave lizard attacks Ian again but is getting confused by the number of targets and misses him.
Round 7
Ian attacks the lizard again and misses it.
Rest of the party up.
With Fley distracting the lizard, Leothar swings his axe at it.
The report of the animal's poison doesn't worry him overly much, but he would rather not put his Dwarven fortitude to the test.
With his path to the lizard still open, Petsha draws back the bowstring once more and tries to find a weak spot in the creature's hide to pierce.
Donnen circles his giant-sticker and lets it drop in a piercing movement against the creature. The attack comes strong against an enemy his companions already damaged.
Fall, creature! Find yar' peace!
Ardriel carefully looked over the room, trying to determine if there were any signs of other foes.
Leothar steps up and cuts the lizard badly and it falls to the floor twitching. Not wanting to test the poison Petsha puts an arrow in it and Donnen cuts it in half; though both pieces still twitch.
Silence falls upon the room. The lingering smells of cooked meat and rank bodies hang in the air. Twelve bedrolls, each piled with coarse blankets and animal furs, surround a fire pit filled with glowing goals. Tanned hides hang stretched on the walls, each crudely painted with scenes of deformed humanoids hunting giant vermin in caves.
Three doors exit the room. The one on the north wall is closed, as is the southern one on the east wall. The northern one on the east wall is wide open. A rack of hooks hangs from the ceiling, cured slabs of meat dangling from them and filling the room with a smoky aroma. A group of barrels appears to hold other preserved foodstuffs.
Putting his hammer away Ian nods to Leothar "well struck Leothar, you and Donnen did well holding your own as we approached."
Moving to the open door, Ian enters the pantry and looks around, "We should inform Lann that these food stuffs are here, so they can come get them."
Stepping out of the pantry, drawing the hammer, he asks, "North or South?"
"Twelve bedrolls. Could be a lot of these demon-serving traitors, then.
North is fine with me, Ian, but there is another decision to make first.
It would not have been my decision to stabilize the wounded and take prisoners.
Chief Sull specifically asked us to split their skulls. So I don't think they get an impartial trial if you hand them over. I think you have only drawn out their inevitable demise.
Fley, you tried to encourage them to surrender. Donnen, you kept one alive who should have died. I think you two should decide what to do with the one who lives before we move on.
Do you just leave them unconscious here? Hand them over to the Chief? Free them and hope they find redemption? End their lives now?
I will not take a role in that decision. Do what you think best.
And consider for the future what we will do with any who do decide to surrender. Can we guarantee them a fair trial? Or should we decline to give quarter?"
Ardriel says, "Perhaps we should listen at each door and try to see which door has any foes behind it to make a decision. I don't think we should rush through any of these. We are in their fortress, after all. They likely know it better than we do."
Donnen scratches his beard, looking at Leothar.
Ya' know, boyo, I think you're reading tae' much on what people do, or what people asked. - he says, as he chuckles, before continuing - I just kept this guy breathing so he could tell us a little more 'bout their forces and this place and be useful.
He walks around, thinking. While he wasn't particularly fond of excessive mercifulness, he'd for sure respect his fellow paladins as he reckoned their callings probably would drive them this path. He just ignored the other enemies who were bleeding around him as he really just needed one alive, but it was important to maybe talk a bit about pragmatism.
Tae' be honest, some enemies just choose their path like that. There's an old say... 'If you're out in the rain, you're gonna get wet'. They knew an early death could be their fate when they chose tah' follow evil ways, as I know this could be mine as I chose to fight for Torag. 'Tis not a matter of being heartless when I say ah' wouldn't feel bad with their fall.
He finally stopped and crossed his arms.
I will show no mercy for the enemies of mah' people, and if someone raises their blade against any of me' guarded allies, they can expect no hold back on my wrath.
Ian takes a look around the pantry and doesn't find anything other than dried meat. You do wonder what some of this stuff is though.
I will show no mercy for the enemies of mah' people, and if someone raises their blade against any of me' guarded allies, they can expect no hold back on my wrath.
"I do not consider that any we fight against automatically become 'enemies of our people.' The words of Torag reach you through different echoes in the stone. We do not hear them the same way."
"I did not understand your reasoning for sparing the Mongrelman, Donnen. Now I see. While I find it uncomfortable to spare a foe only to kill them later, I see the strategic value in information. I leave it to you to question and dispose of your prisoner."
Leothar - you are right. These mongrelmen are traitors to our allies. Fley takes a breath, thinking of what the Aurulent Eye would do. Before this whole ordeal, I had never even hurt another person, let alone kill one. But my vision is clearing. Tanagaar would not have asked them to surrender. Their ways are wicked - working with those vile cultists. I will not hesitate to strike them down in combat.
Like an owl tearing apart a mouse, my kukris will tear apart any enemy.
Fley walks in to the pantry with Ian to inspect the dried meat. What kind of meat is? More cave lizards?
Lann ...... if I don't see you in an hour or so I will head back to Neatholm. Good Luck!" He shakes each of your hands and heads back.
'Curious, a theological discussion between theologians of different theologies.' Considering entering the conversation, Ian decides to avoid the topic and asks, "Can't we fetch Lann and let him take the live one back to Chief Sull for judgement?"
Nodding his head in agreement Fley, "I have no fear of striking evil down in combat but I am a warrior of light, not an executioner. There are courts and laws for dealing with prisoners. Let us send this one back to the chief." Shrugging, "As for the food, I don't know what it is, but I don't think I'll be that hungry, ever."
Turning to Leothar, "You said north, Shall we continue before we lose any surprise we may have gained? He then moves closer to the northern door, and listens carefully.
That meat looks like dire rat.. Fley points out some meat hanging on some hooks. No thank you. Not going to eat rat even if my life depended on it.
Fley then goes over to some other meat. Hmm.. could it be? It can't! This meat is from mongrelmen. They're cannibals.
Whether the mongrelmen meat is from the traitors or from the 'good' mongrelmen, Fley starts to feel a rage build deep inside him. He'll go back out and kick one of the recently deceased mongrelmen.
These mongrelmen are abominations. We need to eliminate them.
Ardriel goes slightly pale at the notion of these mongrelmen being cannibals. "That is disgusting."
He listens at the southern door, just in case.
Ian approaches the north door and sees that when he gets to it, it's not shut fully, almost as if some didn't want it to make noise when they opened it and then closed it.
Stepping back from the door, Ian steps back turning to the others, "This door is cracked open a bit." Looking to Leothen then Donnen, "Shall we try it first?"
"They're expecting us, I presume."
Leothar opens the door and goes ahead.
Donnen makes a movement of agreement with his head, then follows with his weapon drawn.
Fley will follow close behind. Kukri drawn.
Drawing his hammer as he follows behind the dwarves, Ian keeps a keen eye out.
As the door opens you can see the worked stone walls of this large room hold a number of shelves, each of which display the preserved bodies of dire rats, bats, rock vipers, cave lizards, and other creatures that pose in eerie stillness. A pair of bedrolls have been laid out to the southeast. Waiting for you are two men, one with a glaive (blue) and one with a scythe (red).
Round 1
Party up
When the doors open, Fley will run on in. Wish his kukri drawn, he'll try to distract the scythe wielder (red).
Wicked mongrelmen. We will eliminate you.
Donnen tries to act fast, before his enemies, but carefully tumbles his last step trying to avoid being attacked as he passes by.
As the Dwarf positions himself, he attacks the same target with a scythe.
His attack came out weird, so he just hoped the unprepared enemy wouldn't be able to block it.
Fley runs past the humans and distracts the red one. Donnen attacks the scythe wielder and just misses him.
Leothar strikes at the scythe-wielder. The door is in the way so he tries for accuracy rather than power.
Unsuccessful, he steps aside to let his fellows try.
As Leothar opens the door and reveals the scene inside, Petsha grits his teeth. Ah ha! The fallen crusaders. One even wielding a glaive, just like the bodies. It's time to put an end to their corruption. The paladin moves to the side of the cavern to try to find a good line of sight through the doorway before firing an arrow at the one with the glaive.
Seeing Donnen and Fley, move into the room, Ian shakes his head, "Can't leave those two alone." Seeing Leothar attack then make room, he shifts past the dwarf, "Say a prayer for me." as he whispers a prayer himself, stepping past Fley, shield held high, he swings his hammer at the armored man with the scythe.
Ardriel takes a deep breath and a risk. Hefting the Morningstar, he moves into the room to strike at the scythe wielder.
Leothar attacks and misses the cultist and moves to allow someone else in. Petsha fires an arrow at the cultist and misses as well. Ian move in and puts a devastating strike on the scythe wielder. At this moment Ardriel moves into the room and swings his morningstar and the cultist drops.
Round 1 Enemy
The remaining cultist's jaw drops when she sees the fate of her companion. She drops her glaive and withdraws to the north, trying to escape from the room. Donnen, Ian and Ardriel have a chance to stop her before she climbs out of here.
Seeing the cultist run toward the ladder, Ian turns, "We cannot let her warn others, she must be stopped." stepping, he swings the hammer again.
As the cultist attempts to move away from Ian, he manages to connect with her.
Donnen tries to trip the cultist that decided to run, hoping to stop its movement before it's too late.
Donnen manages to trip the cultist as she tries to move toward the ladder.
Ardriel still has an AoO.
Ardriel swings the morningstar at the next cultist before she can run away and either alert others or get reinforcements.