"Aye, I can. Make room." The centaur heads down the staired tunnel. When he gets adjacent to Kaia he grabs her and backs out.
Hi guys going to have to retcon some actions here. Kaia is not dying she still has 4 HP. 1st attack 6 pts, 2nd attack 9 HP. PLEASE read the posts more thoroughly. We have to spend an inordinate amount of time retconning.
As far as burning the door / temple... Only one way to find out :-).
Coronus While your action is brave it's really not possible. The stairs are difficult terrain for you, and you have to move through multiple characters to even get too Kaia. 40' of movement would get you to the square just behind Lysander in the latest map. In addition Kaia is still stuck to the door, and still alive. So pulling her out would only offset the disadvantage to the grapple check she would need to pull away. If she were dead it would take an opposed STR Check to pull her free, and retreating with her would evoke an AoO if you had any movement left to do so.
Kaia You are not dead, just grappled. If you wish to attack with a light weapon you may. If you wish to try to escape the grapple you may. Or you could hold action, and hope someone with movement left can offer you assistance so you don't roll with disadvantage to escape.
Seeing Kaia still moving, Coronus stays in the temple.
@Aristieds, Mateo, and Coronus>> Stand around and look at the surroundings, nodding at Proteus as he emerges to tell you that there is no door at the bottom of the stairs.
@Novyn>> Pulls forth a flask of oil, and tinderstick, starts to hand it down the stairs, and realizes there is nobody to hand it to be taking it from her.
@Kaia>> I'll use your first roll as an Acrobatics check for a total of 15. Acrobatics check to pull free. With a sudden lurch Kaia is able to pull free of the Doors adhesive touch. The door snaps at her again as she tries to retreat, but only snaps at the air. Kaia escaped the clutches, then used her move to retreat up the stairs.
The creature then sends out an adhesive pseudopod at the only character still in reach... Lysander. Pod attack but is unable to score a hit on the armored warrior.
I've better things to do tonight than get eaten by a door." Lysander says, mostly to himself then calls out. "Novyn, think you can light some of your arrows on fire?"
With some effot in the close quarters, the big man attacks the seeking tendril of Definitely-not-a-door as an obvious target.
Ready for the NotADoor's next attack, Lysander lifts his shield to take the brunt.
Aristeides thinks carefully about the fire idea. He slowly tries to show his head and get a glimpse of the animated door or the place nearby, and waits patiently to do so. When he finally achieves it, he quickly conjures a puddle of oily substance right under the Notadoor.
With Kaia out of the way, Mateo moves in closer to strike at the attacking door with his blade in hand. Lysander's spear keeps it distracted as he aims for one of the wounds upon it, striking at the mimic's weakened points.
Whether he hit or not, the scout pulls back, clearing the way and ensuring that his allies cpuld move in to replace him.
Coronus looks around the temple for some large fuel that can be leaned against the NotADoor and set on fire steadily burning, like wooden furniture. If he cannot find anything, he'll ask Proteus.
@Aristiedes>>: Aristiedes holds action to cast grease if the opportunity presents itself. {Not sure where you're planning on casting it as you don't have Line of site. Please clarify}.
@Mateo>>:
Mateo quickly dashes down the stairs dodging past Kaia, and Lysander to score a nasty oozing wound adjacent to Kaia's arrow wound. He then nimbly darst back behind Lysander.
@Novyn>> Novyn pulls forth her oil trying to decide how to get to a place to light a fire.
@Coronus>> Coronus questions Proteus about flammable objects and learns that short of any wood outside, the only other nearby source of wood is the furniture in the Acolytes chambers... which if he feels is necessary to rescue the Oracle is freely offered.
Kaia UP then the door
I'm not usually a stickler for movement and position in PbP, but the environment is a major part of this encounter in this case.
Coronus thanks Proteus and heads toward the Acolytes chamber to find the best fuel for the fire.
Kaia will just get out of the way.
@Kaia>> Bloody, bruised and covered in acidic blisters, Kaia stumbles up the rest of the stairways, and reclines against a wall in the upstairs hall. She arrives just in time to see Coronus gallop down the hallway and disappear into another door, followed closely by Proteus.
@Novyn and Aristiedes>> .
Novyn and Aristiedes both start for the closer spot on the stairways as the blooded Kaia passes them by on her way to safety. Novyn is just a little quicker, and is able to reach the area just behind Mateo and Lysander. "Duck". she screams, as she tosses the oil to the floor directly in front of the door where it lands shattering and coating the whole area with oil.
The door robbed of it's delicious morsel turns it's attention to the armored bug diagonal to it, and slings out another pseudopod.
Slam attack on Lysander... but as it moves a shattering glass sound appears, spoiling it's oily aim. Lysander is up with his oil coated shield. (No Mechanical Effect).
@Aristides>>You realize that the grease spell would also coat the square that Lysander is currently combating from. Do you wish to still cast the spell?
@Coronus>> You gallop down the hall closely pursued by Proteus. As you round the corner into the open door of the acolyte chambers, you are greeted by a door directly in front of you and a hallway off the the right with 6-other closed doors. To your left is a display area with a set of keys hanging on a hook, flanked by two fancy longswords on either side.
"Proteus! Which way to the best furniture?" He tries to open the door in front of him.
Lysander strikes out with his Makhaira at NotADoor's pseudopod before bracing behind his shield to give the others a chance to move behind him.
"We're too tight in here. Novyn, Kaia, can you shoot down some flame to where the oil struck? I'll leave my shield behind if needs be. The rest of us, let's clear the stairway so we can maneuver in and out."
With the oil covering the door finally, Aristeides sees no point in using his spell, which might also be dangerous for Lysander. Instead, he shoots a fiery bolt at the oil, wishing it helps sprout flame.
@Lysander>> Lysander strikes out at the door, once again leaving a deep bleeding wound in it's surface.
@Coronus>>
"Well I'm not sure why you would want our best furniture, but it is all equal. Only the doors, the bedframes, and a chest in each room is made of wood".
After you sling open the first door, right in front of you, to a simple 10' x 10' square chamber, you see a simple wooden bedframe bed, and a chest at the foot of the bed.
"This is my room. You are welcome to anything in it".
@Aristiedes>>:
@Aristiedes>> Aristiedes squeezes down the staircase, and releases a fire bolt hoping that it will strike true in the oil splashed area... and with a whoosh fire erupts in the space between Lysander and the door. The heat nearly singes Lysanders eyebrows, as it ignites.
The cursed rogue dashed back up the stairs faster than flame.
Once the for has catch on fire, Aristeides retreats back again to leave room for the m corps-a-corps oriented fellas. After all, it's now a matter of time before the door turns into ashes.
Coronus moves to the chest and tries to spill the contents on the floor, "This chest will do nicely, but I wouldn't want to deprive you of your possessions."
Once empty he shuttles the chest to the top of the stairs. "Got more fuel for the fire."
Unsure of what to do or where to go, Kaia just pulls security in the hallway, preparing to fire at the first hostile face she sees.
Mateo stands back a bit, watching the coordination of his fellows in a more difficult circumstance. The mimic was wisely placed; only a few could actually engage it at all. With flames in front of the door now, the rogue stays behind Lysander's shield, ready to assist.
@Novyn>>: The crafty rogue smiles for just a moment as she sees her carefully thrown oil flask set alight by Aristiedes, then as she feels the heat blast forth decides to leave the staircase... just in case.
@Aristeides>>: The wiley mage is happy that his firebolt was able to do the job of lighting the fire, and rubbed his hands in delight as the flame took hold. When Novyn passed him leaving the staircase, he decided that might be a good idea, and left as well.
@coronus>>: Coronus spilled out Proteus's meager possessions onto the floor, and took the chest in both hands, leaving the room and headed back towards the staircase. As he approached he saw everybody but Lysander and Mateo standing in the hallway, and saw a few whiffs of smoke starting to emerge. The others all see the big quadruped approach with a medium sized wooden chest dangling empty from his arms.
@Kaia>>: After taking a breath, Kaia climbs back to her feet, and putting her intense pain aside draws forth an arrow and places it upon her bow. As Coronus appears her head and arrow swivel in his direction, but she quickly recognizes this is not an enemy, and loosens her tension on the bowstring.
@Mateo>>: The brave soldier stands ready to support Lysander, and ducks down behind the man's shield as the heat of the burning oil fills the space at the bottom of the stairs. He crouches with his xiphos held ready if the opportunity presents itself.
@Not-a-door>>> Lysander sees the Mimic take on it's blob like natural form, and disappear into the opening. DEX Save. Lysander and Mateo catch the smell of something burning before the door disappears behind a cloud of oily black smoke.
You can no longer see the creature, and the smoke is drifting up the staircase. You can't enter the opening without passing through the flaming square.
The big man smirks at his friend. "What's the worst that could happen?" then immediately charges through the flaming doorway into the room beyond, sword in hand to apply judiciously to NotADoor before Mateo can respond.
Ow, ow, burning burning burning. Also ow!
"By the gods, Lysander, you can't just-" Before he could even finish saying 'jump through the fire', the warrior hopped through the flaming doorway after the strange monstrosity. Not willing to let his friend get separated from him, Mateo took a deep breath and plunged into the fiery smoke.
Aristeides is not willing to play the Sun in the school play this year, so he skips jumping through the flames.
Coronus arrives with a medium sized wooden chest dangling empty from his arms. "Found some firewood to burn it out. What's going on?"
Lysander sprint/leaps through the flames despite the burns he suffers he enters into a large cavern with a bleeding amorphous blob of something with many cuts and an arrow sticking out of it. The creature was awaiting an attack and swung mightily with a pod at the charging warrior.
Attack
Bludgeoning damage
Plus 5-damage from fire.
Total Damage: 11-points (5-Fire, 6-bludgeoning)
Lysander is assailed by both fire and... something hard, but overcomes the damage, and strikes deep into the beasts hide. He can now sense desperation in the beast.
Beyond the flaming entrance
@Mateo>>: Mateo is surprised when Lysander avoids the flame and jumps through the flame into the other room. He freezes for just a second, then shrugs, and follows the warrior through the flaming area. He bears the heat of the flame with bravery, and steps though quickly assessing the situation, and dealing a vicious wound to the Not-a-door, which slumps to the ground unmoving.
Take 5-points of fire damage for passing through the square.
.....For now anyway.
Lysander and Mateo
Liquid blue light shimmers and refracts across the slick walls of this rocky grotto. The room is lit by torches and filled with the vaporous mist of steaming hot springs. You can hear water cascading into an underground river at the rear of the cave.
Meanwhile back up top.
@Kaia>> Kaia continues to keep watch in the hallway, occasionally taking a cloth and wiping blood from her wounds, or patting at some of the blistered areas.
@Aristeides>>: The wise mage continues to look down the hallway his vision partially obstructed by the smoke filling the area. To his surprised he sees both Lysander and Mateo brave the flames and leap through the opening where the creature laird. He can hear cries of pain then no more.
@Coronus>>: Coronus arrives at the top of the stairs with the others, the smoke now thickening in the hallway as something causes the smoke to suddenly take direction and head up the stairs. He carries a wooden chest and inquires about the situation.
@Novyn>>: You saw the same thing as Aristeides... so you can still act this round... then we are out of initiative.
Kyrah steps into the hallway and looks to the source of the smoke.
"Are you trying to burn down the temple of the Oracle for some heroic reason"?
Lysander slumps down for a moment next to the deceased Notadoor. ”Well, that sucked. Also, ow. Teo, remind me not to do stupid things.”
The big man looks over his burns and gashes before sheathing his sword for a moment. ”And remind me to hire us a priest when we can.”
He looks back at the burning entryway. ”I think I lost a dory in that door,” he mused. ”It’s probably long burned up by now. Good thing it wasn’t the silvered one.”
Kaia looks at Kyrah, shrugs, and then goes back to watching for enemies.
We are now out of combat... It takes the fire another few seconds to die down (1-Round) with no further fuel. Mateo and Lysander are in a large chamber with a stream running through it. There is an island with some carpets and blankets lying on it in the center of the chamber. Mists, and vapor rise at random points in the cave. There is a dark opening on the South side of the chamber that the stream disappears into.
The remainder of the party waits at the top of the stairs, except for Aristeides who's about 15 feet from the opening that Lysander and Mateo jumped through. The slowly clearing smoke in the stairway keeps him from seeing anything beyond the opening.
Actions?
Once the fire extinguishes, or at least diminishes enough to allow safe passage, Aristeides crosses the doorstep and joins Mateo and Lysander.
His xiphos strikes true and deep, hitting one of the already injured parts of the amorphous blob. It shudders and seems to flatten, the life fading out of it. A sigh of relief escapes Mateo's lips as he looks back at his friend, stepping closer to look over his wounds.
"You were badly burned my friend. It doesn't look like it was anything too permanent except..."" He would lean in closer for a moment before slapping the mighty soldier on the side of the head. "Jumping through fire? Is your might only countered by your dim-witted nature? Thankfully the creature choose to imitate the door; if it had taken your form its mind would've blanked out!" With his scolding done, the slightly smoldering warrior would sit beside his friend, looking at the ruined thing. "...well...I can't say much. I jumped in after you."
"The way is clear, the thing is dead!" Mateo shouts back up, hissing lightly as he moves his burnt elbow. Next time he'd let the godblooded burn, he lied to himself. Pushing himself up and off of the ground, he looked at the room ahead of them.
"The fight isn't over yet. Unless you're too tired now after being so heroic." Mateo teased, rolling his shoulders before getting back into the mindset that they were still in enemy territory.
Lysander grins as he stands back up and resettles his shield on his arm. "You know better than that. There's scores of dumb things I haven't tried yet."
When Aristeides starts down the stairs, Coronus sets the chest down and follows the scholar into the cavern.
He breathes deep when he reaches the open cavern inhaling the additional space more than anything else.
Kaia waits and the follows the rest of the group down the stairs.