"Gdzie są ludzie, których ukradłeś ze statku?" Yash didn't know if the bugbear understood him, but it was worth a try. "Zwróć je, a może jeszcze przeżyjesz...
Yash didn't wait to hear the bugbear response. He swung the greataxe low, bringing it up towards the bugbear's knee.
"Where are the people you stole from the ship? Return them, and you may yet live."
Shield of Faith - 26 rounds remaining
Divine Favor - 7 rounds remaining
By the Cliff…
The bugbear either ignores or doesn’t understand Yash’s words… but it fully comprehends that the axe the half-orc buries in its shoulder is BAD news. It struggles on, yelling to its allies.
At the Gate…
Even while withdrawing, Xing’s claws are dangerous. She rakes two sets of claws across the nearest bugbear’s face but it is not enough to down the 7’ monstrosity. The bugbear howls and wipes the blood from its eyes.
Sable tries to finish the wounded the beast with a skillful thrust but she slips in the (now copious) pools of blood that stain the grass a deep vermilion.
While luck has turned her fickle favor from Lady Sable… it seems she continues to smile on the archer. Senna advances a few feet more and fires on the bugbear with the shredded face. Her first arrow goes wide but her second arrow enters the monster’s flayed face and only stops when the fletching is buried in its skull. The bugbear keels over bonelessly.
Arrows: xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xx
Blunts: xx
Perfect Strike (3):
Ki Pool (4): xxx
1st Spells (6):
Blood Intensity (1):
Dancing Lights (3):
Inspired (1):
Effects:
Bless = +1 on ATTs and Fear Saves
Cookie internally bemoans her failure to protect Yash and decides to act more directly, stabbing her spear at the wounded bugbear's face.
Cookie steps away while successfully smacking the bugbear across the skull.
At the Gate…
One bugbear snatches his morningstar off the ground and then moves to flank Xing with his cohort. With the numbers turned against them, they need a kill quick. Unfortunately, Xing ducks beneath the whistling spiked iron head of the weapon.
By the Cliff…
Yash and Cookie face a nearly defeated enemy. He moves close to both heroes and attacks in desperation. Yash easily sidesteps the blow from his rapidly weakening opponent.
Round 6
ORDER: Xing, Yash, Cookie, Sable, Senna, Buggies
HPs
Cookie: 32
Sable: 36
Senna: 31
Xing: 19/30
Yash: 13/30
Frustrated with her recent fortunes, Lady Sable stands her ground and lunges with a thrust at the bugbear that has strayed between Xing and her.
"Just die already!"
"Wkrótce udasz się na spotkanie z przodkami. Powiedz im, że Yashnarz cię przysłał."
His momentum carrying him into a spin, Yash's axe came streaking back down towards the bugbear's shoulder.
"You go to meet your ancestors soon. Tell them Yashnarz has sent you."
Shield of Faith - 25 rounds remaining
Divine Favor - 6 rounds remaining
"You should do as the lady says," Xing growls, falling into a combat rhythm with her battle-sister. She gives a grim smile, "She will continue until she gets her way, anyway."
By the Cliff…
Yash’s axe claims the life of yet another bugbear before he sprints toward the remaining enemy. Cookie can barely see over the pile of bodies surrounding her.
At the Gate…
Sable’s luck returns as she delivers an elegant stab to a bugbear’s liver. The bugbear turns on her with a snarl. The snarl is cut short as Xing delivers two punches to the wounded liver, killing the bugbear where he stands.
And then there was one…
Senna finds a clear lane of fire and puts two arrows into the remaining bugbear’s chest. His thick armor slows the arrows, reducing their impact.
Arrows: xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xx
Blunts: xxxx
Perfect Strike (3):
Ki Pool (4): xxx
1st Spells (6):
Blood Intensity (1):
Dancing Lights (3):
Inspired (1):
Effects:
Bless = +1 on ATTs and Fear Saves
Round 6
ORDER: Xing, Yash, Cookie, Sable, Senna, Buggie (singular)
Cookie can barely climb over the bugbear corpses, and certainly not fast enough to catch Yash. Ancestors guide you! she urges, and they do.
From our of nowhere seemingly in response to Mama's call, Lady comes blitzing across the battlefield! She yips and sharks at the bugbear, staying just put of reach out his weapon!
Her threatening noises cause the bugbear to glance her way!
In the Yard…
Cookie rallies the troops as Lady proves a yipping distraction. The last bugbear embraces the simplest of calculations: Five and a half on one are really bad odds.
Decision made, he turns and flees back towards the building on the north side of the yard, yelling in his foul tongue.
Round 7
ORDER: Xing, Yash, Cookie, Sable, Senna, Buggies
HPs
Cookie: 32
Sable: 36
Senna: 31
Xing: 19/30
Yash: 13/30
Without any assured means of overtaking the last bugbear, Lady Sable doesn't pursue. She doubts the survivor will be able to warning anyone in the building even more than they already are.
Instead she quickly searches the bodies, asking the others to do the same.
"I doubt they have anything worthwhile, but it would be most irritating to find locked doors or similar obstacles after leaving the keys we need for them with one of these brutes."
Xing can't let it go so easily. She speeds after her prey, long legs eating up the distance. As the bugbear gets closer, she summons Iro-Shu's granted power, letting it build in her throat before roaring out a single word.
"STOP!"
Sable begins searching the body while Xing pursues their fleeing enemy and attempts to stay his progress.
The archer doesn’t know what allies the bugbear has left… but erring on the side of caution, she sees the value in ending this particular threat. She steps forward, looking for a gap in the hedge that will make her shots a shade easier. As Xing draws the bugbear’s attention, Senna takes a moment to steady her aim before firing.
Both arrows slam into the bugbear’s back. The second one only stops when the broadhead hits the bugbear’s frontal armor. The monster drops, joining its allies in death.
Arrows: xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xx
Blunts: xxxxx x
Perfect Strike (3): x
Ki Pool (4): xxx
1st Spells (6):
Blood Intensity (1):
Dancing Lights (3):
Inspired (1):
Effects:
Bless = +1 on ATTs and Fear Saves
Yash hurried past the hedge and on to the path. Seeing Xing near the body of the fleeing hobgoblin, and no other immediate threats, he takes a moment to ask his grandfather to heal his wounds.
Shield of Faith - 24 rounds remaining
Divine Favor - 5 rounds remaining
Mama grunts as she hauls herself up onto the chest of a dead Bugbear with the help of her spear. Phew! They just keep makin'em bigger, don't they? She slides down the other side and proceeds to help Sable search through their pockets.
A thorough search of the bugbears yields no items of interest more than the few coins they each carry. And no additional bugbears attack you during the few minutes it takes to conduct your search.
Xing: 19/30
Yash: 17/30
Trying to control her breathing, Xing scans their surroundings for further attackers. Then she quickly rifles through the nearest bugbear's gear, looking for anything useful ... but specifically keys or anything that might help them enter the structure.
"We should keep moving, since that they know we are here."
Putting her suggestion to action, she carefully lopes forward, stopping at the wall to see if there are alternate ways to enter the structure.
There is nothing of note in the bugbear's gear. The only entrances to the building that Xing sees is the doorway she is standing in at present and a collapsed section of wall on the left side.
There also appear to be two doorways that lead deeper into the building.
Xing detects no enemies and no beasties spring out of the darkness for her.
Lady Sable jogs up to join Xing and look around.
"Now what do you think?"
I think it's time for a patch up! Xing, Yash, come! Mama waves them over and starts tapping their boo-boos with her feel good sick.
Xing gives a small bow to Mama, testing out her previously-injured hip. "Thank you." She smirks, "Though I do not know how I feel about being called like an animal."
She looks over at Sabelina's question. "We have lost any surprise we had. So I think we use what powers we have to protect ourselves, and move in."
She looks over at Senna, "How much magic resources do you have left? I would not mind one of those magical protection spells, if you can spare it."
Senna has the good sense to look sheepish. "I have energy to spare. If I'd been thinking, should've warded us before we crested the cliff." She quickly weaves energy around both Xing and herself.
The inside of the room is spartan but seems well-built. But the peeling plaster shows that the site has been abandoned for some years.
"Our minds were elsewhere," Xing mutters, then nods her thanks as the energy encases her fur.
She looks left, then right, then at the crew, then shrugs, then stalks to the left.
Lady Sable goes along with Xing.
As his wounds had closed, Yash placed a hand on Cookie's shoulder and nodded. He followed the rest down the path, his greataxe still in hand, even as he felt some of his magic slip away. Yash wanted to follow after Xing, or even approach the other side to flank with her, but he decided to stay near Mama. He had benefitted greatly from her magics, and he suspected they were not yet done.
Our heroes advance toward the left-hand room. Xing and Sable lead with Senna following closely behind, and Yash and Cookie bringing up the rear, keeping an eye on the other doorway.
The scouts creep into the room. It is empty save for a couple likely lice-ridden rag-piles that passed for 'beds' and a large stone doorway in the floor. There once was an oak door that covered it but only some rotted timbers remain. A quick look reveals it is a stairway descending into the utter darkness below...
Lady Sable is just about to start downward, but reconsiders for the sake of comradery.
"What do you think? Down? Or do we look everywhere up here first?"
Mama looks at the stairs and sighs. I recommend we look around up here first. Wouldn't want something sneaking down the stairs after us and trapping us in here with our Travel date set and all.
Not that I hate stairs or anything. She adds with a little grunt.
Our heroes search the other room in the structure and find it empty aside from another couple 'beds'. They find no other enemies on the grounds of the keep either.
Our heroes descend the stairs into the stygian depths…
You halt briefly on the stairs as you see the staircase end at the extreme range of your lights. Peering into the darkness, you believe the corridor continues on but possibly onto a stone bridge, as you note a drop on either side of the path? You also hear what you think is the sound of water.
When the bridge is close Lady Sable halts the party so she can take a close look at the bridge.
"A narrow place like this with only one route to follow is a prime location to trap."
Xing tries to peer into the darkness, straining with eyes and ears.
"I have some rope," she whispers, "We could tie together in case someone slips or is knocked off."
At the base of the stairs, you find yourself standing near a bridge that continues as far as the light lasts. It is a high narrow corridor roughly 30’ wide. On either side of the 10’ wide bridge is a fall of perhaps 40’ to the seawater below. The ceiling is arched along the entire length of the corridor, roughly 40’ above you. In the near distance you see a bridge crossing above the one on which you stand. This bridge is about 20’ above you. If it weren’t for the suffocating darkness, dizzying bridges and water, this corridor is quite reminiscent of a church because of the soaring walls and arched ceiling.
Yash peeks his head around the corner briefly and spots an alternate route. It is a side corridor that quickly transitions into a couple sets of stairs leading downward.
Yash looks back at the others and points to the side corridor. "Stairs", then shrugs.
Cookie looks at the people near the front and shrugs. This place turned into quite the maze really fast. Wanna go bottom up?
"I like the stairs better."
Xing squints into the darkness, then shrugs. "The stairs are as good a place to start as anything."
Xing does not recognize this as a church she is familiar with. It is more that the high, buttressed, and arched ceiling of the large gallery seems cathedral-like.
Our heroes venture down a couple flights of stairs. Their lights reveal two things: a sizable pool of sloshed blood on the floor in the near distance and a bugbear blinking at the bright lights a little further away.
Our heroes have the advantage on the bugbear as it blinks at the bright lights in its face.
Round 1
ORDER: Sable, Yash, Xing, Senna, Cookie, Bug
HPs
Cookie: 32/32
Sable: 36/36
Senna: 31/31
Xing: 30/30
Yash: 30/30
Yash slowly crept ahead, careful of the blood pool on the floor. As he closed in on the bugbear, he let out a mighty bellow.