The warlock keeps his left hand raised, fingers splayed, as he maintains the connection between Kijiri and Yargin . His right hand barely flinches as he tucks the blade back away and points directly at the grenadier. His remaining focus shifts solely to this target and his head tips downward slightly, forcing his right eye to look through his brow at Yargin. His face wearing his mind's dark intent, Rienas begins speaking strangely under his breath, lowering his bestial hex over their common foe .
The half-elf's right-hand lowers, his speech returns to common, and he grips the barbarian's massive shoulder. I don't think we need to be able to question both of them.
"As much as I hate to say this," Camber whispers, "We should probably leave this as is and join the rest of our group. We're not prepared for stumbling into the dark."
"We've opened an escape route for the villains.", Daesra whispers back. Signing heavily, she continues, "Victory favors the bold."
Front Room - Round 2 - continued
Daesra carefully pushes open the now-unlocked door. The stink coming from this room, a mixture of fish and sweat, is enough to make the eyes water. The room is completely dark, not even the moonlight gives enough to see anything inside. The flicker of light under a door gets your attention from the opposite wall. The splish-splash of water is heard, but can't be seen unless some form of illumination is used.
Even Camber's low-light vision can't see in this fully dark room.
Steeling her nerves and taking a deep breath of fresh air, Daesra cautiously advances towards the light leaking from under the door, checking each step forward and holding her sword out to warn of anything in her path, to avoid bumping into anything that would cause a sound that would give away their position.
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Camber shrugs and follows closely, listening intently for any clue about the surroundings.
Front Door - Round 3 - concluded
Morganne shouts at Yargin, pointing out his inevitable defeat and she sees the man frown and start to look worried. "Others?" he asks out loud with a tremor in his high-pitched voice. She then casts her mental dazing spell at the remaining guard dog, who yelps in pain as the magic hits it internally.
Laijiri does not enjoy kicking dogs, but sometimes he has to do what needs to be done. With a pair of well-placed kicks, he also damages this dog enough that it falls unconscious in a heap, joining its canine partner.
Rienas keeps his warding spell on Laijiri, hoping to protect him if the thin man throws any more bombs. He tucks his dagger back away, and then give one of his warlock curses to the gnomish fellow who just intruded. The witch magic has no effect on the gnome this time however.
Daesra and Camber move slowly and carefully across the darkened room to the door where a strip of dim light is just visible. Though the squelchy sound of wet and gooey things is heard beneath their feet, they don't hit any barrier or encounter any foe. The smell in this room is very very foul making the slow progress that much more difficult.
End of Round 3
Fail
success
Front Door - Round 4
22 Yargin (forbidding ward vs Laijiri; frightened 1)
16 Nox (13/16hp remain)
16 Hookshanks Gruller
15 Daesra
13 Laijiri (tangled; 25/26 hp remain)
13 Morganne (14/15 hp remain)
4 Rienas (15/16 hp remain)
18 Camber
"Hookshanks, there are others..." Yargin says out loud with a worried look. But despite his fear, he again reaches into his robe, taking out another glass orb which he tosses at Laijiri. The orb shatters on impact, and the orc is doused in a flaming petrol jelly that burns his skin, and threatens to keep burning. Bits of the flaming goo ends up on Morganne, Nox, and Rienas as well.
Hit, even with the warding spell
Camber tests the handle on the door to see if it can be opened.
Camber tests the handle on the door to see if it can be opened.
This interior door is not locked.
Nox casts Shield yet again and follows it up with a Daze spell against Yargin.
Camber reaches out and quietly opens the last door, allowing the sounds of combat, spellcasting, and an ongoing struggle to be heard in the darkened room where the halfling awaits.
Front Door - Round 4 - continued
Nox recasts this protective shield, hoping to not take any direct hits from the melee around him. He then tries to mentally confuse the bomb-throwing foe. Yargin cries out in pain, grabbing for his throbbing skull as the spell causes non-lethal damage.
The half-crazed looking gnome grins and rushes forward, glad to see someone his own size. He stabs his kukri at Nox twice after joining the melee. "Take that, you invading bastard!" he cries, almost joyfully as the blade slices into Nox's shoulder causing a serious wound.
"Thanks Camber," Daesra whispers to her stalwart companion. "Here we go."
Pushing open the door, the lithe warrior strides across the shabby room, leaving a noxious trail of fish goo on the floor. Raising her shield as she nudges the chair out of her way, Daesra turns on her heel upon reaching the far wall and faces the horrid man to her left, saying, "Time to pay your debts, villain!"
She lunges forward with her pristine long sword, her helmet covering the grim smile that forms on her face.
Action #3:
Front Door - Round 4 - continued
Daesra pushes the door open and takes in the scene quickly. She strides across the room, and attacks the robed man with her blade, scoring a hit that causes significant damage. The thin man is now bleeding heavily and looking quite a bit worse for wear.
Cast afire by the alchemy bomb, Laijiri drops his maul and spends time smothering the flames before they fully immolate him. Successfully dousing the flames, he turns his thoughts to doling out some pain. With a fierce growl, he reaches out a beefy arm and snatches the small, crazed-looking gnome, holding him fast.
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The battle seemed, to the warlock, we'll in hand now that all of his companions were in the mix. Unfortunately, not everyone was doing as well as Kijiri who seemed to be in his element; even while technically unarmed!
Though not everyone was built for the front line. Nox did not hesitate to breach the front entry with the huge barbarian, however, the gnome was not able to endure damage like his towering counterpart.
With little time, and quick reflexes, Rienas begins a series of planned actions. First, his left hand drops, letting the ward he had placed on Kijiri fade. With his hands free, the half-elf uses them to trace an intricate pattern in the air while speaking words that were not in a common language. Still tracing the invisible lines on the air in front of him, Rienas takes a few careful steps backward .
"Lets get you some space!" Rienas calls to his companion as he finishes his patterning and extends one hand, palm open, towards the gnome. A split second d later, a tendril of pure magical energy extends from the casters palm and winds its way to Nox; pulling tight between them as the magic anchors itself to the sorcerer. The warlock hollers to the gnome as he feels his spell anchor . Hang on tight!" was the only warning Nox would get before the arcanist gave a sharp tug on their magical tether, instantly sending the singed, bleeding target flying across the ground to stop, gently, beside Rienas. "That should give you a little space".
Letting Daesra earn the attention, Camber stays in the darkness, pulls out his dagger, and throws it at the thin robed man.
Front Door - Round 4 - continued
Rienas moves back, drops his protective spell on the orc wrestler, and then casts another spell that picks Nox up and magically moves him to a spot beside the warlock.
From the dark doorway, Camber throws a quickly drawn dagger at the thin bomb-throwing man. Unfortunately, the man moves just in time for the dagger to catch his robe, ripping it a bit, but causing no damage.
Front Door - Round 4 - concluded
Having tried her dazing spell a couple times already, Morganne summons the divine energy and casts it once more, targeting the bomb-throwing man once again. Yargin grabs his head in agony once again, as the mental pain jolts him. This time he wavers on the edge of collapse, and is stunned for several seconds. Having enough time, the caster then grants divine guidance to Laijiri, making his next attack just a little more accurate.
End of Round 4
Critical Fail
Front Door - Round 5
22 Yargin (10hp dmg, 8 non-lethal dmg; stunned 1)
16 Nox (5/16hp remain)
16 Hookshanks Gruller (grappled)
15 Daesra
13 Laijiri (tangled; 20/26 hp remain)
13 Morganne (13/15 hp remain)
4 Rienas (14/16 hp remain)
18 Camber
The thin man, Yargin, is hurt from Daesra's attack, and Nox's spell attack, but now Morganne's spell has him stunned as well. He spends a few seconds merely blinking, and then draws out his dagger and stabs Daesra, drawing a line of blood along her arm and shoulder.
Nox chooses to delay, not wanting to get involved into close range melee again.
Seeing her wounded opponent reaching for something, presuming a weapon, Daesra prepares for his attack. When the dagger darts at her, she relies on muscle memory (honed during many training sessions) to position her shield to deflect his strike away from her.
Front Door - Round 5 - continued
Wounded pretty badly, Nox just takes a beat, seeing how things play out before jumping back into the fray.
Rather than taking the stabbing wound from Yargin's dagger, Daesra is able to interpose her shield and turn the blade aside. She takes no damage.
Caught up in the meaty hands of the orc wrestler, the small gnome struggles to free himself. His small size allows him to twist and slip away easily, and he also gets at least 5' away, hemmed in a bit by the desk. The gnome then slips through the legs of Daesra who is concentrating on Yargin. Finally the slippery little fellow stabs at the helmeted maiden, but this last attack clangs off Daesra's shield.
Critical success
Camber leaps out of the shadows to stab at Yargin with his rapier.
"Not so brave when you face someone who can fight back, huh?", Daesra growls at the thin man as she swings her now-blooded sword at her target.
Changing her attention to the smaller rogue, she stabs twice in quick succession while accusing, "Only tough and brave when terrorizing children - Cowards!"
Front Door - Round 5 - continued
Camber leaps from his hiding place in the darkened room next door, covers the distance to Yargin in a few seconds, and then stabs the thin man, who has been hurt with lethal and non-lethal damage. The wound he takes is enough to drop the first foe you came across in the fishery.
With Yargin down, Daesra turns all her attacks on the gnome. She strike him once and scores a hit, then she backswings as the forms in her training taught her, and even though it misses, she still perfectly balanced to strike a third time, stabbing the gnome in the midsection. Hookshanks looks pretty hurt by the time Daesra is done with him.
Nox reached within his pouch and pulled his lesser exilir of life and chugs it down.
Healing
Nox reached within his pouch and pulled his lesser exilir of life and chugs it down.
Healing 3d6+6
Nox reached within his pouch and pulled his lesser exilir of life and chugs it down.
Healing 3d6+6
Damage healed
Morganne moves beside Laijiri's left side and casts daze on the gnome.
Front Door - Round 5 - concluded
Morganne continues inflicting mental spell damage on her foes, this time taking aim at the wounded gnome. An anguished cry escapes the lips of the gnome, and his crazy-looking eyes roll back in this head. The invisible magic from Morganne is enough to defeat the last foe in this room.
End of Combat
Morganne flinches a bit when Laijiri brings his maul down on the two helpless men. You could have at least kept one of them alive for questioning. She frowns and moves to inspect the dogs to see if they still breathe.
Seeing Morganne's intent, Daesra takes a moment to assess the situation and listens for sounds further in the warehouse.
Sheathing her sword and setting her shield on the desk, she advises the sorcerer, "They probably won't appreciate being put into that foul-smelling room. It's covered in dead fishy bits."
After the magics are done on the fallen dogs, Daesra lifts each and carries them outside the loading doors, nestling them by the front corner of the building. Once that task is complete, she closes the double doors and rearms upon rejoining the group in the main room.
”Thanks everyone. I’m going to have to remember to not be in the front line when violence occurs,” he says, more to himself than anyone else. Nox begins searching the bodies of the two men, hoping there was some gold or some useful trinket, to make the pain almost worth it.
Nox gives extra thanks to Rienas for getting him out of immediate answer and to Morganne for the wonderful healing!
Laijiri crushes the skulls of the two humanoid foes, making sure they never fight again. Morganne finds the two dogs are both still alive, just unconscious. She drags them through the door on the north side, closing it to hold them back if they regain consciousness. She then gets in the center of the group and sends a diving healing spell that slightly warms all wounds, mending and closing them, for the entire group.
Nox searches the bodies of the fallen and comes up with these items: (from the gnome) kukri, small studded leather, a disguise kit, a key on a leather thong. From the man: 2 lesser acid flasks, 1 lesser alchemist's fire, 2 minor elixir of life, a dagger, a small garnet amulet with a silver chain worth 10gp, and a parchment sheet with runic writing on it. There is a total of 15sp (1.5gp) between them.
Daesra strains to listen over the noise of the others but cannot hear any sounds. Either no one else is home, or they are staying quiet. The one front door won't close fully after nearly being knocked off its hinges by Laijiri.
As the dust settles, Rienas steps past Morganne to enter the building, nodding his thanks for the restoration as he passes. Taking a single step inside was enough to take in the scene, Laijiri had decided that this time there would be no opportunity for questions and answers. In a different part of the room, Nox's search was yielding several items and the warlock studied them intently for a moment before asking the returned pair of their findings. "Anything to note in the other rooms you two came through... besides the 'fishy bits'?"
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Camber rests a moment, cleans off his rapier, and says, "We're not even sure yet what was in the room we came from."
He looks around to see what's lighting the front room. He takes a candle or rushlight or whatever and heads over to the darkened fishy room. "Just need to be sure we aren't missing anything. It's a way in or out, we need to know what to expect."
Daesra takes a moment to wipe her blade clean on the robe of the fallen thin man while remarking to Camber, "Good idea, we should check all escape paths behind us."
She steps towards the door on the right wall and puts her ear to it, straining to hear any sounds beyond the portal.
The front room is lit by a hooded lantern that rests on the desk. The desk in the front room is empty, but underneath it is a large pile of filthy furs and rags, obvious sleeping place for the now-unconscious dogs.
Camber grabs up the light and looks in the side room that he and Daesra entered by. The dogs are now laid out there but the rest of that room is wet and foul-smelling. To the east, a large wooden trough holds a hideous mound of half-rancid fish, seaweed, and brine. Filthy river water and fish blood cover the floor around this trough. A pair of wooden chutes leads from the trough through holes in the eastern wall into a room beyond. To the west, a desk and chair sit in one corner, while a tall cabinet sits in the other.
Well seeing as how the gnome came from here, this room should be empty.
As Camber grabs a light and heads back to the room he and Daesra came through, the warlock follows. Before entering the next room Rienas asks aloud, "How many of you, besides me, can see in the dark? It might not always be a good idea to open a door with a torch in hand."
Rienas enters the room behind Camber and takes a look around, not immediately picking up on anything suspicious . He waits for the halfling to head to either the desk or the cabinet before approaching the other to begin a thorough investigation .
Morganne opens the door on the south side of the front room, and finds a dormitory of some kind. Two sets of bunkbeds line the walls, and single window in this narrow room is heavily boarded over. There does not seem to be any threats or loose items here but its clear all four beds are regularly used.
In the workroom, Rienas stifles the urge to vomit from the foul smells and goes to investigate the furniture with Camber. The desk looks like a place where some simple business records are kept, mostly, it appears inventory and documents related to acceptance of fish deliveries and outgoing barrels of chum, made from the revolting pile in the trough nearby.
The cabinet is locked.
Rienas looks to Camber, "Care to give this a try before I ask Laijiri to try his lockpicks?"
Rienas uses his magic to investigate magical dweomers on any of the items found on the fallen thugs. Only the parchment which has arcane writings on it gives forth a magical aura.
”Remember we found a key. Betcha a copper that key opens the cabinet,” the gnome offers helpfully. He doesn’t take the time to read the scroll right now, as the group needed to be in and out relatively quickly.
Good call Nox, let give it a try. Rienas backs up from that cabinet making room for the key to be tried.