"I don't trust this..."
Sicaria motions for the other miscreants to stay while she sneaks toward the door and see inside for any danger.
Wolfgang casts mage armor well before they get near the ruined fort. He watches, bemused, as Sicaria scouts ahead, then winces when she steps on a dry stick.
Hopefully with some distance and what's left of the walls, nobody heard that.
Wolfgang stays concealed in the woods as long as he can and peers at the gate from the shadows, straining for any sign that the gatehouse is occupied or that the gate is guarded from elsewhere.
Marcianus uses the wand of mage armor on himself and Zeke, and hangs back with Wolfgang, pointedly covering his yawns with a gloved hand.
Zelicia strains to see anything from behind the men in front of her, jumping quietly a few times to no avail. She then pulls out her wand of mage armor and casts it on herself. Since she can't see what's going on with the fort, she waits in the back, twirling her new wand in her hand.
Wolfgang bows sardonically in Zelicia's direction, then silently gestures that she would be welcome to stand in front of him to provide him with soft cover get a better view, if she'd like to.
Sicaria does step on a particularly loud, dry twig. She freezes for a moment, but nothing happens because of it.
Wolfgang looks around, but all he sees are relatively deep cart tracks heading into the fort through the gate, a small puddle of mud gathered almost directly beneath the gate only serves to emphasize this.
Although the fort's walls have largely kept their shape, the structures within have fared far worse. The rubble of two collapsed towers spills into the courtyard, as do the moldy heaps of smaller wooden structures. Rickety stairs rise to a partially collapsed wooden walkway to the north and east that follows the remaining ramparts and leads to the door of the mostly intact gatehouse. Nothing appears to be moving in the courtyard.
The human scowls. I don't like how quiet this is... She then motions for the others to follow suit as she goes in.
With the sneaky miscreants in place, Zeke and Marcianus walk calmly up to the main door, with Marcianus careful to shield himself behind the large Janni.
Gripping the door, Zeke attempts to swing it open.
If nothing appears, they will begin making their way toward the stairs, while staying close to the rubble in case they need to find cover.
Only the open wooden gates and a few narrow windows suggest that the heap of rocks ahead was once something more.
"Hold on a moment." Wolfgang leans over to examine the portcullis.
Is this still working, even though more than half of the walls have tumbled down? Hrmmm.
Wolfgang inspects the gate and surrounding area for traps and alarms (including the possibility that the gate just squeaks loudly).
The Portcullis does indeed still seem functional! To the point where Wolfgang doesn't even detect it as a Trap. It's manually controlled from somewhere within the fort. Several pieces even look freshly repaired.
The portcullis quickly slams closed behind Zelicia (in the surprise round) before, well, nothing. Except for Wolfgang, that is...
Wolfgang hears the shrill screech of some super-high-pitched whistle. Only his tiefling ears pick it up, though the sound is so shrill and so high that he's unable to really pinpoint it. (that was main round)
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects:
-----------------------------------------------
??? - 1
Wolfgang
Zelicia
Sicaria
Marcianus
??? - 2
Hammer poised, Zeke rushes across the courtyard heading for the stairs, assuming the enemy will be on the ramparts.
"An ambush? How predictable." Heading toward the middle of the courtyard, Marcianus turns his palms face up and raises them as if lifting something out of the ground.
Smoke begins seeping from the ground and quickly fills the courtyard, obscuring all vision.
Wolfgang snarls in discomfort and annoyance at the high-pitched alarm. "Damnation! Get ready, people; these bastards had an alarm that triggered when we came through the gate!"
The tiefling casts magic weapon on his cold iron rapier, then moves stealthily through Marcianus's conjured mist to the wall of the gatehouse, and waits next to the doorway in the edge of the fog for someone to come out.
Sicaria grits her teeth as the portcullis slams closed. Well, time to make or break.
She pounds her own chest then moves over toward the rubble for cover.
Zelicia calmly skips through the mist to a more central area, happy to see some action. She will stand next to Wolfgang and cast Guidance on him.
Zeke heads for the stairs. Marc puts up some mist (curse you). Wolfgang move to try and ambush. Sicaria buffs and gets in a better position. Zelicia buffs wolfgang's attempted ambush.
Just then, the courtyard fills with the bass-y sound of a large creature flapping its wings as a large shape bursts to the sky from the rubble to the southeast. It stays aloft above the rubble between Zeke and Sicaria long enough for the miscreants to see and hear the snap of its spiked scorpion tail. The lion's head offers a roar as its draconic wings flap slowly.
Sicaria manages to quickly find cover against the spikes coming her way, and while Zeke manages to deflect one, another pierces his thigh.
Meanwhile, on the ramparts, the door bursts open quickly, but nothing seems to come out.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects: Lion-thing is 20 feet in the air
-----------------------------------------------
???
Wolfgang
Zelicia
Sicaria
Marcianus (Z: -7)
Lion-thing
Sicaria looks up in horror and awe at the monstrosity that just suddenly swooped down.
”I was not prepared for this!”
The woman retreats into the mist and casts shield of faith on herself.
"There's some big lion-headed, dragon-winged, spiky-tailed monster flying above us. I don't know what it is. Oh, and there might be something invisible approaching on the palisade."
Moving back through the mist to come at the creature from concealment, Zeke releases the hammer with one hand and draw a javelin, throwing it at the flying beast.
"Sounds like some kind of magical beast." Marcianus calls out. "Maybe we can lure them into the mist to remove the aerial advantage."
Marcianus draws his crossbow and loads it.
What in the Hells is that thing?
Wolfgang snarls and sheaths his rapier, then draws his bow.
Zelicia's eyes sparkle as she looks up at the creature. Wanting a closer look, she walks around to the staircase. Being wary of the potential invisible enemy, she stays at the edge of the mist.
Sicaria buffs and takes some cover.
Zeke chucks a javelin at the flying Manticore, just barely managing to skewer into one of its legs!
Marc draws his crossbow and loads it.
Wolfgang sheaths his rapier and draws his bow, sharing that the creature flying overhead is a Manticore. They're known for their spike attacks from their tail, but they may only launch two dozen spikes in a day. They're also known for their uncanny knack of staying in the air and relying on said spikes.
Zelicia moves closer, hoping to get the manticore in range of some of her abilities.
The manticore flicks another group of spikes from its tail.
The creature then lands atop the pile of rubble. (It's now only 10 feet up)
Zelicia suddenly feels an arrow fly from above into her shoulder as a halfling woman pops out of invisibility wielding a bow. She says nothing as she knocks another arrow.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects:
-----------------------------------------------
Jexxi
Wolfgang
Zelicia (-8)
Sicaria (-8)
Marcianus (Z: -7)
Manticore (-8)
Sicaria looks up as a halfling suddenly materializes. "Sonuva...! Zeke! The Lion! I've got the archer!"
Sicaria jumps up the stairway and moves into position as she accosts the halfling archer.
"So, that your pet there? Nice."
The human then swipes at the halfling before she has time to respond!
Restoring his grip on the hammer as he moves to a good spot at the bottom of the rubble, Appearing once again through the mist Zeke slams at the manticore, bit the blow skitters along its scales.
Hearing the the manticore has come closer, Marcianus brings up flame around his hands and moves to the edge of the mist, sending a jet of flame at the manticore.
Wolfgang moves quickly and quietly through the mist and out into the clear, then fires a cold iron arrow at the lion-headed beast.
Zelicia grimaces at the arrow in her shoulder, taking a small step away from the source to get closer to the bigger threat. She will cast Misfortune on the lion-headed beast and do her signature spin to Ghostwalk and become invisible.
Sicaria lands a solid hit on the halfling!
Zeke swings and just misses the manticore, but Marc follows it up with flames!
Wolfgang disappears into the mist, only for the manticore to spot him as he pops out again.
Meanwhile, the manticore finds itself horribly unlucky.
The manticore roars in rage as it takes flight once more, provoking from Zeke as it flies close to try and bite him before heading towards the gatehouse.
Zeke manages to duck in time; only a few strands of his hair end up in the Manticore's mouth. It just barely can't reach the wooden platform it wishes to perch on, so it remains flying.
Jexxi takes a step down the stairs before shouting "In the name of the inheritor!" as she pulls out an arrow with a decorated sword and shield as the arrowhead (the symbol of Iomedae), "You will go no further."
She looses an arrow directly into Sicaria's chest. "You die today," the halfling adds. "For all the pain you have caused and will cause in the future."
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects:
-----------------------------------------------
Jexxi (-10)
Wolfgang
Zelicia (-8)
Sicaria (-15)
Marcianus (Z: -7)
Manticore (-13)
Zeke connects once with the manticore as it flies at him, then chases after it to take another swipe.
Marcianus follows after him, sending out another blast of flame.
Sicaria glares at the halfling as she steps toward her, both sabres brandished.
”The f*ck did ya just say, b*tch?!”
Wolfgang fires another arrow at the manticore, but when he sees the damage Zeke and Marcianus are doing to the hybrid beast he decides to join Sicaria (and, without knowing it, Zelicia) near the entrance to the Reclamation's encampment and runs back into the mist.
Zelicia smirks at the woman on the stairs in response to her exclamation. She then sees the state that Sicaria is in and casts Hold Person on Jexxi in an attempt to give Sicaria a break. She quietly steps back, hiding further in the mist.
Zeke smashes into the Manticore as it leaves, chases is down, and smashes into it again! Marc follows it up by quickly adding a portion of fire!
Sicaria completely misses, healing quickly before the inevitable arrow.
Wolfgang lobs an arrow at the halfling, who quickly ducks out of the way as the arrow flies by, clattering somewhere in the woods beyond the fort walls.
The halfling's body seizes for a moment, but she quickly regains control from Zelicia's spell.
The Manticore growls before lifting into the air. It flies up above the gate (20 feet up) before launching another volley of spikes, splitting them among its attackers.
One spike lands in the floor between Marc and Zeke, but each other spike finds its mark.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Jexxi takes another step down the stairs while knocking another arrow. "No tricks. I repeat: you die today."
An arrow pierces Sicaria's neck, leaving her gasping for breath, but conscious, if only barely.
The halfing stares in bewilderment at the assassin in front of her that just...won't....die!
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects:
-----------------------------------------------
Jexxi (-10)
Wolfgang (-11)
Zelicia (-8)
Sicaria (-21; Staggered [from damage])
Marcianus (M: -10; Z: -13)
Manticore (-39)
Wincing in pain, Marcianus casts a spell to heal Zeke and moves into the mist.
Connecting with the hammer again, Zeke grunts away the pain of yet another spike.
"Your magic doesn't seem very effective against this thing."
Dropping one hand from the hammer, he pulls another javelin and tosses it at the manticore before taking a quick step back into the mist.
Sicaria coughs up an unhealthy amount of blood as the arrow pierces into her! She wobbles considerably but manages to grin at the archer before her. ”Some aren’t meant to fall before their time.”
Sicaria moves forward down the steps before immediately turning heel as she leaps off of the stairs to the ground! She immediately rushes into the mist for cover.
Where is she? Where is she?! The assassin finally bumps into Zelicia as she manages to spurt out ”No healing left. Help…”
Wolfgang winces as he pulls out the spike that the manticore managed to tag him with just as he darted into the mist. Snarling at the wound, he pulls a potion from his belt and gulps it down as he takes one more step towards the stairs.
The tiefling cringes against a pile of rubble as a figure materializes in the mist behind him and moves past him. He chuckles quietly in relief when he recognizes Marcianus.
“Your fog is useful, again,” he murmurs. “Can Zeke hold off the beast long enough for us to come up with a plan?”
Zelicia calmly looks at the barely conscious assassin, assessing her wounds. She refocuses her magic to heal Sicaria and casts Cure Moderate Wounds .
"What kind of plan, other than pound them into the ground. Isn't that the usual plan?" Zelicia whispers to herself, checking over the assassin again.
Zeke slams into the Manticore as it flies away, but the javelin whiffs right past it.
Marc heals his companion almost back to full.
Sicaria retreats into the mist.
Wolfgang likewise retreats, but heals a bit as he does so.
Zelicia heals Sicaria.
The manticore sloppily lands atop the gate, back within reach of a reach weapon, before launching another volley of spikes at Zeke.
Zeke jumps into the air as the spikes approach, quickly avoiding three of the spikes, but he still takes one to his thigh.
The halfling woman gasps in exasperation as everybody has retreated, but the miscreants are unaware of what she does aside from that, as nobody can see her.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects:
-----------------------------------------------
Jexxi (-10)
Wolfgang (-7)
Zelicia (-8)
Sicaria (-9)
Marcianus (M: -10; Z: -9)
Manticore (-49)
"Zeke is tough, he'll take that thing down if any of us can, but it seems from the look of Sicaria that the enemy on the other side is quite another thing."
He lowers his voice to a near whisper and leans in to Wolfgang. [smaller]"Are you any good at climbing? Perhaps you can climb up to the guard room from the cover of the mist and take her by surprise?"
Marcianus moves over to the palisade, using the raised walkway as cover, while prepared to dodge out of the way of any incoming arrows, to call out the location of the archer.
"The Hells consume this giant flying beast!" Zeke bellows as he rushes out at the manticore, charging with The Bargain flashing through the air.
”Got any more? That slip packs a punch.”
Sicaria moves out of the fog toward Jexxi’s last known position. If the halfling has moved and is within a single move action of Sicaria, then she’ll move next to her and attack…
…If Jexxi is too far away, then Sicaria will double-move to be adjacent to her (preferably in a position where Jexxi can’t step out of my reach without stepping off of the platform, if that is a possible position).
Marc peeks through the mist and sees the archer halfling has stowed her bow and switched to a spear, seemingly waiting for someone to run up the stairs (which Sicaria does after Zelicia's turn)
Hrmmm. Much as I might like to, I can’t stay in this fog forever.
After a moment of hesitation, Wolfgang sprints through the mist and up the stairs behind Sicaria. He takes a looping path on the platform, ending to the halfling’s side. Just before he steps into reach of her spear, he drops his bow and draws his rapier , aiming it at Jexxi’s neck.
“Sorry I’m late, Sicaria. Did I miss anything important?”
BEEP BOOP
Zelicia uses Healing Hex on Sicaria.
She then skirts to the edge of the fog, but stays out of sight.
BEEP BOOP
Zeke brings the hammer towards the beast and knocks it straight on the head where it's body falls limp and tumbles off the gate, sending dust into the air as the body hits the ground.
Zelicia heals. Sicaria and Wolfgang double move.
The halfling curses under her breath as she attacks at the recently healed sicaria.
And as the halfling misses, she takes the opportunity to run, trying desperately to avoid getting flanked.
Initiative - the BOLD may act!
Active effects:
-----------------------------------------------
Jexxi (-10)
Wolfgang (-7)
Zelicia (-8)
Sicaria (-5)
Marcianus (M: -10; Z: -9)