Kellan sees the blow coming at his halfling companion and somehow puts his thumb on the scales of fate, There's more balancing for you yet friend. As he sees the blow miss he reloads his crossbow and fires another bolt.
Phineas can’t believe he’s still standing. He returns fire at the rogue who whiffed his swing:
Ukufa moves forward as the crush of melee lessens, shifting directly to engage their foes;
She slashes at the nearest rogue;
Phineas and Ukufa combine their attacks to drop another enemy, but Kellan's bolt flies wide.
The remaining two rogues gain up Ukufa trying to use their positioning to their best advantage:
One looks like he's about to land a fearsome blow, but the winds of fate are against him, and he slips on a slick cobble.
Phineas is emboldened by the slip of their foe. He strikes the nearest rogue:
Spinnaker Jon rolled around a body bag into flank with another rogue...
...and lunged to the attack!
for a possible piercing and precision damage.
Bhru swings away at the target dummy
Kellan finds himself stuck behind his allies who appear to have the two remaining dummies well in hand. Another bolt can't hurt, why not...
As the others repeatedly strike the rogue, Ukufa stays her hand as she recites a eulogy;
"The Stern Lady welcomes you. Go."
With brutal efficiency, the group dispatches the remaining foes. The sturdy door in the eastern wall is well made and very much locked. Locked doors in a thieves guild are really more of a suggestion than a real deterrent, and it doesn't take Jon much time to by-pass the mechanism.
The room beyond is little more than a small office / storage room. A wooden table and a pair of chairs rest against one wall and a few more actual training dummies stand in one corner. Another closed door faces you on the opposite wall.
The door has no lock, but from behind it you can hear the rattle of a chain and the clatter of movement on the stone floor.
Jon quickly went to the door and tried to throw it open, hoping to surprise whoever was behind it.
Phineas limps his way into the small room.
“Ah finally…a wee reprieve from this endless violen…”
Seeing Jon burst open the door, Phineas heads to his side, ready to return to the trenches.
Kellan trudges doggedly forward, hoping his healing powers won't be called upon yet. Nerves alight with stress he strains to catch any sign of danger as he scans the room and listens for indications of danger from the room ahead. He readies himself to put his thumb on the scales of fate again.
Bhru tries to catch his breath as the party advances. Hoping he's ready for what is next he readies himself.
Swinging open the door reveals a plain room with a closed door opposite you and a small tunnel in to the north. Out of the rough tunnel emerges a chain at the end of which is a Rhagodessa, which noses about the room.
Combat.
21 Kellan
20 Baddies
17 Jon
16 Ukufa
15 Bhru
5 Phineas
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Kellan instinctively backs up a step into the previous room and almost as quickly fires a shot hoping to buy the party some time to move freely into or out of the room .
Jon slammed the door shut.
"They look busy, we can come back later..." He said, trying to shoo his crew back through the north door.
Ukufa stands blades drawn... then the door slams shut.
She eyes Jon curiously;
"Why do you close the door?"
The divine huntress gestures toward the closed portal with a knife;
"Do not fear death. Welcome it should it come."
"Rhagodessa" Jon said quietly, waiving his arms about to mime large size, multiple legs and fangs.
Ukufa looks at Jon, then eyes Bhru;
"A Worthy foe. What about you dwarf?"
The Jasdian almost smiles;
"Care to add some more scars?"
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Bhru weighs the comments of the team looking to both Ukufa and Jon. The dwarf manages a small grin,
'Aye, glory 'n death...'
The old dwarf kicks the door in and charges the beast,
'For the Mountain Lords!'
As the creature meets steel Bhru puts his weight behind the momentum attempting to mash the creature into the wall,
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Kellan plugs the creature right in the head with a bolt, as Jon slaps the door shut. Bhru, not having any of it, burst through the portal, smashing into the thrashing creature and pummeling the last vestiges of life from it. Cackling with glee and covered with gore, he wave you in to follow.
The door to the next room is unlocked. A large hexagonal table made of oak, surrounded by six chairs, takes up the majority of the next room. The north wall bears a huge map of Sasserine, on which dozens of tiny flags have been placed. To the south, a five-foot-tall and ten-foot-wide slate bears a tangled mess of chalk scribblings. A winch handle protrudes from the northwest corner, which you deduce was use to adjust the length of the Rhagodessa's leash. Another door lead deeper into the complex.
The flags on the back come in three colours, red, blue and gold. They are scatter throughout the city, but several pop out at you: a gold flag protrudes from the Vanderboren estate and two other noble estates are also marked. A red flag protrudes from the Islaran estate and a blue one from the Kellani estate. A few of the city watch garrisons also contain both blue and gold flags.
The primary piece of information currently on the slate seems to be tracking the comings and goings of ships in the harbor, as well as notations of which ones have been (or are scheduled to be) "holed." A note in the lower left corner is in an unusual script
In the upper right corner, you see your names listed inside a box, alongside a note in big letters that reads, "VANTHUS ! FIX THIS NOW!"
"'ey Dwarf, be sure to bring your Lords everytime we fight one o'these nasties!" Kellan makes to slap him on the shoulder but thinks better of it as proximity reveals just how drenched with gore the dwarf is.
After examining the map Kellan ponders out loud, "Well it seems we're a well known entity, forget surprise in this town. I doubt Miss Vandorboren would enjoy having a gold flag very much, whatever that indicates."
Phineas is momentarily awestruck by the Rhagodessa’s swift undoing.
“…Well, praise be to the bleeding Mountain Lords then! It appears our tale of glory, death and scars does not end here.”
Phineas scans the room for signs of further trouble:
Embarassed, Spinnakr Jon dropped the broken doorknob he still held in his hand.
"Eh, sorry me lads and lassies. Yon bestie looked a lot bigger from the doorway." He said.
Looking at the map and the board, Jon took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Olidammara's Mask! These be an ambitious crew..." He muttered aloud.
With hands on knees Bhru tries to catch his breath. He motions aimlessly to the map as he coughs up a bit of goop.
'D' we want t' keep any of this?'
He points to the door,
'Can someone else open that one?'
"Ye sure laddie? Our crew be carryin' some damage an I be out of healin'." Jon said doubtfully at Bhru.
Just in case, he approached the far door and put he ear to it.
Ukufa eyes the smashed carcass of the Rhagodessa, then gives a nod toward Bhru and Kellan.
She returns her attention to the map and markers, brow furrowing as she takes in the colours and locations;
"Gold could mean literally wealth. A source?"
"Blue? Allies? Where they have spies?"
"Red? Blood? Perhaps foes or those to be killed?"
Bhru sits and listens,
"Not sure to be honest, seems tactical. I 'ave nothin' to make note of this. Lady 'vinia might be interested 'n it."
Taking in Jon's warning the old dwarf brushes his beard aimlessly,
"Just don't know that backwards is the way forwards is what im sayin lad."
"How long ye all want to rest? Don't hear nothin' at the door." Jon said, cocking an eye.
"Is days an option Jon?" Kellan winks at Jon before continuing, "Bhru may be right, power through, hope we find a way out afore further healing is required."
Spinnaker Jon arched and eyebrow sceptically.
"Alright mateys, jest makin' sure we're rowing ta the same drumbeat." He commented.
Moving to the next door, he took a hold of the knob and looked back to his crew.
"Ready?"
His spirits reinvigorated, Phineas is ready to continue on:
“Lead the way, friends! And should we eventually find a suitable resting spot, perhaps we erect a shrine—or possibly a sacrificial altar—in honour of the Mountain Lords, that their blessings upon us may continue unfettered.”
The door opens on a short hallway, which leads to, you guessed it, another door. This one is also unlocked. From beyond you catch a whiff of corruption mixed with the floral scent of lavender.
With a quick glance to the rest of the party to make sure that they are ready, Jon opens the door.
The room beyond is fairly small and devoid of furnishings. The sole feature of the room is a decrepit, rotting figure of a bugbear that stands guard before the only other exit from the room. Bundles of lavender have been tied to the zombie to try, and mostly fail, to mask the smell of decay that radiates off it.
At the opening of the door, it turns its red glowing eyes towards you.
Combat
20 Zombie
13 Jon
11 Kellan
8 Bhru
4 Phineas
4 Kellan
The zombie shuffles up towards Jon.
"Move 'ur butt lad!"
Bhru steps around Jon and attempts to back the zombie up,
Once contact is made Bhru bullies the Zombobugbear back into the wall,
"Get in here lads n lasses, i ain't got much more in the tank!"
The old dwarf strains through exhaustion to perform the feat.
Squeezed by the corridor, Jon switches to Total Defense stance while drawing his cup-hilt dagger. (AC becomes +4+1=23)
Then he tumbled/dove Acrobatically over the zombie Bugbear to get behind him.
Kellan moves up and while shooting into an engagement seems dangerous his shot at the Rhagodessa has him feeling confident.
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Phineas draws his sword and charges in the wake of Bhru's dauntlessness.
“You are ever the inspiration, Master Bhru—”
He swings for the fences:
“—and no easy act to follow!”
Ukufa moves forward, drawing her blades as she goes;
"A necromatic abomination!"
Bhru barrels the monstrosity backwards, but its spongy undead tissue absorbs the impact with no effect. Kellan bolt strikes true, but again the creature barely notices.
The creature brings a rusty morningstar to bear against Bhru:
"Let's go me boy!" Jon grinned, flashing his cup hilt dagger about as he attacked.
for a possible slashing damage.
Phineas grits his teeth, getting in the mix with his longsword:
With little room to maneuver Kellan simply reloads his crossbow and waits to back up his companions with healing if need be.
Bhru continues his brutal close quarters style and headbutts the zombie,
The party rushes the rotting bugbear, but only Ukufa's nimble blades manage to find purchase, cutting through the rotting flesh with ease.
33/42
Round2
Jon shifted back and forth, trying to lash out and not be hit by rotting flesh. He is out of sorts at just not quite getting a flank solution.
for a possible slashing damage.
Seeing her blades carve into the risen goblinoid, Ukufa presses home with another dual stab of her blades:
As is the way with dwarves, Bhru continues his stubborn bull headed assault,
... but clearly his luck has run out.
Phineas follows-up with sword, praying his strike lands true: