Reaching for the front door, the gnome pauses in mid reach as the voice comes from outside it.
Do we invite them in? Duck out the back? Prepare another plate for supper?
Anticipation seems to be voting for the 3rd option....
"Nadia, mind turning us in? Or B, at least? Maybe we escaped but you caught her. Think we can get him to lead B away and we can just follow him?" Frank suggests.
"Hym no bait." Broulnindre protests.
"Just for a little bit." Frank explains as he casts Unfetter on her.
"Please?"
"I'm sure they know about the rest of us, we haven't been subtle and everyone saw us coming out of the pub. And Nadya could have turned us in any time before now...but if they want a villain, we can oblige."
She motions Dawrbrun towards the door and pulls her axe out and holds it menacingly toward Nadya with her best sneer on her face. She whispers, "Sorry love, we'll see you through this."
"So, what's the play, fight the constabulary or feign a hostage crisis?" Dawrbrün asks. "Just want to make sure we're all playing the same game before we draw our cards."
Anticipation begins to chitter while looking up Barnaby 's sleeves....
The gnome just smiles.
We could sneak out back and distract them while everyone escapes?
Alethea grimly draws her falcata from its sheath.
"Say we convince them we're hostages. What's the next step?"
"Get em to leave. Or kill em all."
Frank sighs, giving up on at least delaying the bloodshed; Hekla made a good point.
"B. I know you want to jump on 'em." he says.
Broulnindre nods enthusiastically and then looks around for a window or door to sneak out of.
The banging on the door transcends violently until you feel as though it is about to be busted down at any moment.
Dawrbrün holds his position just a pace inside the room in front of the door. He raises his shield in a defensive stance.
Hekla continues to wave her axe menacingly but vaguely in Nadya's direction. "Stay out or the family pays for your mistakes!"
Alethea stands next to the door, falcata raised and ready to swing over Dawrbrün's head at anyone trying to rush him.
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With a crash the door is busted down revealing six armed guards with no training in deescalation.
"Anyone want to be smaller?" Frank asks.
He begins casting Reduce Person.
Broulnindre holds her breath before climbing up the smoke infested chimney with unbelievable speed.
The guards who don't deescalate soon see a sooty but grinning Broulnindre above them.
"Oh, blast it."
Hekla concentrates with mild consternation and a blast of glittering ectoplasm erupts amongst the guards.
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Seeing the blast of magical glitter engulf the men just outside the door, Dawrbrün drops out of his defensive stance and begins a battle chant.
"We're dwarves of the mountain, born of stone
May the day of my ascent
Be the one that leads to the final stand
Taking my last breath
I will serve your command
May the axe held in my hand
Be the cause of wounds against the ones who stand
Here in front of me!"
Both Barnaby and Ant wave to the impetuous guardsmen.
Lyudmilla's sulking gave way to amusement over Dawrbrün's lyrical mastery. She focused on the music instead of panicking over the door being beaten down with impending guardsmen just beyond the threshold. Jumping around the table and back away from the window, the kitchen witch hits Alethea with some good fortune and prepares to unleash lady luck's blessings to the rest in short order.
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Broulnindre scrambles up the chimney and onto the roof menacing any guard that happens to look her way.
All but one of the guards are unable to avoid the glow up, but two of them can still see.
One of the guards swings their sword awkwardly at the dwarf around the door frame but only manages to damage the finish. The remaining guards either rub their eyes or sheath their swords and draw crossbows while trying to load them hastily.
Perhaps Hekla’s ruse didn’t work because Nadya still had her bow strung over her shoulder. An incidental arrow wedges itself in the top of the cabin’s ceiling.
The guard that took a swing at Dawrbrün appears to be wrestling with their sword but manages to hold onto it.
Frank smiles as it occurs to him that Hatch might be helping.
He releases his magic upon the least fabulous guard before he moves to the fireplace and pulls out his crossbow.
Broulnindre hops down off the roof and doesn't quite stick the landing. She swipes a claw at the guard trying to blink out the Glitterdust.
Ant moves just in front of Barnaby, as the Hunter begins casting.
Inspired by Dawrbrün's resolve and tactics to funnel them through the door, she slings a fluke his way to better his odds. She loudly croons mournful backup vocals regarding honey to compliment the bearded vocalist's angry anthem and taps her tasting spoon on the table to keep beat.
Alethea's falcata snaps out through the doorway, seeking the arm of the guard who tried to stab Dawrbrün.
Franky’s magic makes one of the guards the size of a child. While Broulnindre claws at their very surprised squad mate. Alethea cuts down the one standing in front of the door.
Dawrbrün steps up to the doorway, and strikes his blade against the edge of his shield.
"Shadooby, Shatter! Shadooby, shatter, SHATTER!"
Hekla steps into the danger zone to the beat of Dawrbrun's song and swings at a blind guy.
The shattered music carves into the assembled guards as Dawrbrün music reaches a crescendo. Two of the guards drop to the ground bleeding to death from their injuries.
Hekla steps up and nearly bisects one of the remaining guards.
The two left look at each other, drop their weapons and turn to flee.
"No you don't, coward!"
"Vat she said!" Broulnindre adds.
With a flash of claw and steel the remaining guards fall, broken, bleeding.
Nadya walks up behind you, "Nazhena and Radosek won't overlook this when they learn of it. You will need to take the Pale Tower and soon."
She speaks in a resolute tone, "Hatch. Now's the time to help."
A hairy old man barely a knee high appears out of thin air and kicks a moat of dust into air in frustration, "A pox on their souls."
Barnaby and Anticipation both look proudly at the short old man.
Are you our guide to the Tower?
”It seems Fate has ordained our intervention,” Dawrbrün says. ”But even if it didn’t, I don’t think I could allow such ruthless despotism to persist here.”
Frank finishes loading his heavy crossbow.
"Think we should dress up as guards and sneak in?"
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Barnaby and Anticipation both look proudly at the short old man.
Are you our guide to the Tower?
The fey shakes his tiny head causing his beard to undulate, "Used to work there. To get around the tower you use teleporters, but you need to know the command phrases."
Hatch holds up one bony finger, "A gathering within the hall, take one, take us all." On his other hand he holds up another finger, "Spiral downward to the ground, every ounce and every pound." The fey man lifts up a toe one one foot and says, "Take wing, soar and fly, let me view the winter sky." And finally raising a toe on his final limb but instead of falling over just floats there, "Down a level, to the halls, leave this cage without walls."
Barnaby looks at the fey with a bit of confusion on his gnome face.
Anticipation seems to be taking notes on the words that are coming out of the fee's mouth....
Helka considers Frank's suggestion. "Between these uniforms and the phrases, we might be able to get further into the tower before they realize what we're up to. Maybe."
She squats down as close as she can get to Hatch's level. "And thank you, little sir. That'll be very helpful."
"Yeah. Thanks Hatch." Frank adds appreciatively.
Frank turns to Hekla.
"I figure we can at least get past the first door so they can't just pelt us with bolts from afar." he shrugs.
"Or at least to the door," Alethea says, rubbing at her sore eyes once again.
"I'm thinking I wouldn't pass for one of these guards no matter how much frippery you put on me. Perhaps I should pose as a prisoner instead? If I layer a bunch of these winter coats over me, it might mask my armor and weapons from at least a first glance. Once we're spotted, I'll throw off the furs and start swingin'."
Dawrbrün starts rearranging his clothing to see if he can pass as an unarmed and unarmored prisoner, hoping that will be an easier task.
Barnaby and Anticipation both look at everyone with wonderment. They both begin laughing.
We either March through the front door, or sneak in. Disguise? A gnome, an Ant, a changling, a skald, a Ronder walk into a tower. Stop me if you already heard this one?
They both begin rolling on the floor, laughing.
He looks up at the witch and summoner.
You two would be fine.
Frank sighs.
"Well, from far away we might pass as guards that suffered losses, anyway."
He tries to copy the way the guards wear their uniforms.