Once the Sleepless Suns return Jack proposes rest. "We shouldn't spread out, just in case." He points out, "But if the Norgorberites found us this easily then there will be more attempts."
Three of the Sleepless Suns have to live up to their name and take first watch!
You settle down in the vault to rest while the Sleepless Suns keep an eye on Flakfatter and the hunting lodge. You are just waking up and finishing your daily preparations the next morning when you hear shouts of alarm from the room outside. Rushing out, you see the Sleepless Suns agents fighting against a trio of clockworks with rapiers in place of hands! They are keeping one of the constructs occupied, but the other two slip past them and head towards you!
Devon moves to intercept the clockworks, raising his shield and slashing at one.
Jack joins Devon - teamwork being their specialty after-all!
"Stop the clocks!" Dani calls out, striking up the familiar tune to accompany her front-line duo.
Dora realising theres a bigger issue this time, draws in the static energy from the air around her and releases it towards the nearest clockwork, willing it to bounce to the other two in succession.
You discharge a powerful bolt of lightning at the target, dealing 8d12 electricity damage. The target must attempt a basic Reflex save. The electricity arcs to another creature within 30 feet of the first target, jumps to another creature within 30 feet of that target, and so on. You can end the chain at any point. You can't target the same creature more than once, and you must have line of effect to all targets. Roll the damage only once, and apply it to each target (halving or doubling as appropriate for its saving throw outcome). The chain ends if any one of the targets critically succeeds at its save.
The clockworks dodge some of Dora's chain lightning, but it wreaks havoc with their delicate gears--they are weak to electricity!
Jack moves in alongside Devon, and as the paladin strikes a clockwork, Jack reacts with two critical strikes of his own! The clockworks are resistant to physical damage, but Jack's attacks are quite well-placed!
The less-damaged clockwork fires a smoke bomb from its chest, exposing itself to an attack of opportunity from Devon. It accepts the hit, then the bomb detonates, filling the hall with a cloud of smoke. The assassin moves through the smoke to flank Devon, then both clockworks try to take down the champion, seemingly unhindered by the smoke. Devon takes two hits, blocking one with his shield. Dani's song protects him from two more hits.
Devon accepts the hits, keeping his shield up as he focuses on the more damaged of the clockworks.
Jack does likewise, trying to take down the first clockwork.
Dora steps back into the corridor with Dani and unleashes another bolt of crackling electricity.
Seeing that her song is helping her allies, Dani continues to play her harmonized song.
This time, the first clockwork critically succeeds at avoiding the chain lightning, ending it before it can jump to its companion.
Devon lands one hit on the damaged clockwork and Jack lands two, but it's not quite enough to finish off the construct.
The clockworks catch Devon in their deadly flank, stabbing him again and again! Only Dani's song saves the champion from going down!
Devon shouts defiance as he slices the damaged clockwork's head off its body!
As the construct falls in a shower of sparks, the champion lays hands on himself before turning to attack the second assassin.
Jack switches his attention as Devon fells the first clockwork.
Unfortunately his opportunistic strike misses. Turning his attention to Devon the Doctor attempts to close some of his wounds, before turning to the attack once more.
Dani drops her defensive ditty and switches to a lingering performance for inspire courage, moving up behind Devon to heal him next round.
With only one immediate target Dora abandons her chained lightning and instead calls a bolt downwards onto the remaining clockwork.
The clockwork avoids Dora's lightning again, but Jack lands two hits. The construct only lands one hit on Devon.
Devon raises his shield and strikes back, landing one hit.
Jack's blow sneaks into a construct's leg joint and he follows up with a similar blow, since there is nothing else he can do for Devon.
When the construct dodges Dora's lightning with ease, she tries to bolster the Champion instead.
Dani patches Devon up with some salves and before switching to magical healing.
The clockwork lands one hit on Devon again, though Dani’s healing far outpaces the damage he is taking!
Devon lands two powerful strikes!
Dani picks up a piece of rubble nearby and flings it at the construct, making the most of her lingering song.
Jack takes advantage of Devon landing powerful blows and adds attacks of his own even though landing blows in the smoke is still tricky.
Then he strikes again, figuring that taking the clockwork down is the best way to heal his friend.
And with several lucky strikes, you destroy the second clockwork assassin. The Sleepless Suns agents finish taking down the third one!
"Nice work, everybody," Devon says. He lets Dani and Jack patch up his lingering injuries. "Let's regroup and remain vigilant. I'm sure there will be more attacks to come."
"Indeed." The Doctor agrees, moving to bar the front doors once more. "I wonder what sort of thing they'll try next." He goes into the 'prison' room too, just to check no-one has excavated a new secret tunnel or anything similar.
Flakfatter remains safely in his cage. He yawns theatrically. "Good morning. Might I trouble you for a cup of tea?"
"Unfortunately I neglected to bring my kettle." Jack replies with an equal amount of faux courtesy. "You will have to wait until you reach your new accommodation."
Dani looses her patience and levels her finger at Flakfatter and warns "Whatever you think is going to happen here, it's not going to happen. Do you hear me? You're not going anywhere but behind bars for the rest of your life unless they determine that you should die for your crimes!"
"Well, I suppose we'll see, won't we?" Flakfatter responds calmly, unfazed by Dani's threats.
Dani growls, frustrated. "So cocky. I can't wait to drag you in manacles to face justice for what you have done. You can't escape, it's inevitable."
The bard stomps away from the prisoner to check their defenses again, making sure they didn't miss something the first time around.
Devon goes after his wife to try to calm her down. He lays a strong hand on her shoulder. "Hey. You okay? Don't let that a$%$$@~ get to you."
Dora stays put as Devon tries to console Dani. Theres not much point trying to intervene if she is one of those moods, one extra person just makes for a mess.
"Jack, you got any plans rather than just waiting her like sitting ducks?"
"I can go and scout around a little." The Doctor replies, leading Dora out of the room again. "Otherwise I do not think there is much we can do. We put him in there so there was only one way in and out, so logically the best use of our resources is to concentrate them at the only egress. I keep remembering the bank job though which is why I keep checking on him. This 'lower level' worries me. Still..."
He shrugs. "Would you mind opening a window for me?" As the sorceress does so Jack changes shape - shrinking down into a small rodent with large wings. He chirps at Dora and then flaps his way out of the open window to do a little scouting trip.
"Jack!" Dora exclaims in surprise at his sudden shape change. "You've been holding out on us!"
She looks around nervously, keeping close watch and hoping nothing else happens in the meantime.
Dani blows out a long breath and lets her chin sag to her chest, "Sorry. I'm fine, I'm fine."
She takes another deep breath and shakes her head "I just don't like the fact that he thinks he's getting out of this. It makes me concerned there is something bigger coming. He's so confident. Like this was planned all along. I can't stand that cocky attitude. Bad people shouldn't be able to get away with heinous crimes that inflict pain and death on so many people."
"He won't get away with it," Devon says firmly. "In Cayden's name, he will be tried for his crimes and face the full justice of Absalom's laws. And we will make sure that happens." The champion gives his wife a warm hug of encouragement.
***
Jack doesn't notice anything in his initial sweep of the hunting lodge's exterior. The rest of you take some time to eat breakfast and rest a bit while you watch and wait. Jack continues to make scouting trips in bat form once an hour, and four hours after the clockwork attack, he notices a quartet of black-robed men in women with staffs made from poison oak approaching the building. They split up, moving around the structure to try to enter from as many different directions as possible...
"Four of them, trying to come in from different directions." Jack says, returning to his companions. "We need to take the first one as they enter and move on the others quickly before they can join up."
He commands the Sleepless Suns to stay in position at the entry to Flakfatter's prison and keep a visual eye on the man at all times. Then he leads his companions to where the nearest black robe was trying to get in.
The four of you take up positions in the sunroom moments before one of the Norgorberties picks the lock and pushes the doors open. The mage curses to see you waiting for her, raising her staff.
Rain continues to pour outside, and thunder booms in the distance. But then, the entire lodge shakes as a massive explosion occurs from somewhere upstairs, the thundering crash louder than the storm!
Jack has absolutely no compunctions about jumping someone who isn't ready for an attack, although he does wait for a fraction of a second in the hopes that Dani will start up some of her magical music.
Dani tries to help Jack's stabbities with some inspirational musical accompaniment.
Jack stabs the mage twice. She curses in pain before intoning a spell, filling the room with a poisonous cloud!
Devon shrugs off the poison as he moves to aid Jack, finding the mage easy to hit!
Dora splutters and coughs as she inhales the poisonous gas as she attempts to impale the mage, keeping them in place.
Success The target is struck by the spike and takes half damage.
Failure The target is impaled through a leg or another non-vital body part. The creature takes full damage and, if it's standing on solid ground, becomes immobilized. It can attempt to Escape (the DC is your spell DC). While it remains impaled, it takes damage from any weakness to cold iron it has at the end of each of its turns.
Critical Failure As failure, but the creature is impaled through a vital organ or its center of mass, taking double damage, and it is flat-footed as long as it's impaled.
She then tries to rush back to the hallaway to get out of the cloud.
Jack also finds himself spluttering as the poison gets into his lungs, but that isn't enough to stop him!
After a flurry of blows Jack does his best to mitigate the poison somewhat.
Between Dora's spike and Jack's attacks, the mage falls. But you know there are three more out there, in addition to whatever caused that explosion upstairs!
"Pull back!" Jack says, spluttering. "If they're coming in from different angles we need to be with the prisoner!"
Dani also inhales the poison and starts coughing, staggering backwards as she sends a healing burst out among her allies.