Ukufa follows in Jon's wake, pressing onward to engage the frogman directly opposite. In a blur of blades she stabs and slices at her ampibefoe:
Jon and Ukufa rush into the fray and quickly dispatch one of the creatures before they have time to register what is happening.
The two remaining enemies step forward swinging clubs at Ukufa:
but both fail to connect.
From Jon's position up on the staircase, he would like to jump to a chandelier to swing down behind a frog-man (swinging reposition), flanking with Ukufa...
for a possible
piercing and precision damage.
Troy moves and draws his crossbow. He then loads his crossbow.
“More foul things that long for our steel!"
Phineas and Lloyd join the fray, charging the nearest frogman:
Jon leaps acrobatically off the stairwell to land behind one of the bewildered frogmen and cleanly runs the creature through. In his wake Phineas comes charging in, His lance connects soundly with the remaining foe, bursting out his back in a gory rain of blood.
"Damn lads, save some balancin' for Troy'n'I next time!" He moves to give Jon a clap on the shoulder, "A flippin'flip an Run through? Nicely done bucko! Yer gonna hafta show me that sometime, HAH! Upwards is onwards?" Kellan barely waits to toss out the wink before making for the stairs, some shifting shadows wafting ahead of him.
"Aye laddie, let's move quick! I'll circle around northeast on this floor!" He said, then took off in a double move North, eagerly looking for more foes.
“After you, Master Jon!”
Phineas and Lloyd follow behind Spinnaker Jon, readying themselves for the possibility of more baddies.
“I’m right behind you all!!“
Ukufa too moves silently forward, blades drawn;
Moving out of the entry way, you enter into the library. Row upon row of bookshelves filled to bursting with tomes on all manner of subjects line the walls. A hearth sits against the north wall, embers glowing softly within. A reading table sits near the fireplace.
An old musty diary written in a strange archaic language rests on the reading table, the initials "L. of G." burned into the cover. The diary's current page is marked with a strange card of flexible gray material with bumps and holes along its surface.
Troy cautiously approaches the table, and du riosity piqued, he gently opens the diary.
His time at the House of Dragons Academy had taught him a thing or two about various languages and he checks the card.
Lifting the card with the bumps and holes, he examines it carefully.
“Could this be some kind of cipher or key? Maybe it's used to decode the content in this diary!“
Kellan turns from a few steps up the stairs to follow his mates into the library. "Huh, good thought, but it's beyond me Troy. I'd try detecting magic but..." he gestures at his trailing shadows, "I've got my hands full here." Kellan wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead as he continues to concentrate on the shadows, and because of course, winks at Troy. The shadows move about the room slowly. [ooc]Check for any hiding humanoids as they sweep towards the door to 5 please, perception below.
Phineas and Lloyd enter the library.
“Hmm, a secret decoder you say! Might we have some way of testing your theory, Master Troy?”
Phineas glances around for further clues:
Hearing nothing suspicious, the party moves to the next room. The dismal excuse for a gallery obviously once held dozens of works, but now most of the frames stand empty, save a few exotic landscapes and a portrait of Lavinia's parents. The contents of the room obviously were one of the first casualties of Lavinia's initial financial hardships following the death of her parents.
A spiral staircase in the corner leads to the second floor and another door exits to the east.
"Tried to say it before, onwards is upwards aye? I'll check the room first." Kellan gestures to the shadows that move ahead of him up the staircase to check the landing.
Troy nods to Kellan.
Troy briefly examines the remaining landscapes, his eyes lingering on the portrait of Lavinia's parents.
With a sympathetic sigh, he gestures towards the spiral staircase and moves.
Padding your way cautiously up the stairs, you enter into upper floors of the manor that you have not been privy to. The stairs take you to a large open room is devoid of furniture, save a weapons rack containing several quality weapons, including three longswords, an axe, two daggers, four rapiers, a strange-looking crossbow, a ranseur, and a spiked chain. The floor is thickly carpeted to absorb the shock of a fall or takedown. Signs of a vicious fight are everywhere and bodies of four froglike humanoids lie sprawled on the floor. Several closed doors exit this training room.
Kellan eyes the crossbow, thinks better of operating its uniqueness in combat that the bodies scattered about suggest may be coming. He does take a dagger, unable to resist the free lunch or potential throw away option it presented. He continues to move cautiously to the next door, shadows perched above ready to enter ahead.
Troy slowly ascends the stairs. As he emerges into the open space, his eyes immediately scan the room.
"Frogmen? Here? What in the Nine Hells happened?" Troy muses quitely.
Taking cautious steps towards one of the creatures, he nudges it with the toe of his boot.
His gaze sweeps over the signs of combat.
He starts to search the area and the bodies of the fallen creatures.
Ukufa pauses beside Troy, trying to discern if the combat still rages elsewhere;
"What indeed Master Gol..."
Phineas and Lloyd follow cautiously behind their allies, scanning for clues of how the frogmen came to be here.