Caius will attempt to open the door in front of him and leave this yawning cesspool behind. What does he see?
And does he think he can get through the wall of this building to the shed where the fight is underway?
The thug (red) is tripped by Khalid as he emerges from the shed. He then stands up, which would triggers Khalid's AOO.
19 - Green G
19 - Verilich
6 - Khalid
19 - Red Thug
18 - Blue G
18 - Gundar
16 - Ghaernan
13 - Green G
13 - Blue Thug
12 - Caius
The thug (red) is tripped by Khalid as he emerges from the shed. He then stands up, which triggers Khalid's AOO. The thug is hit and takes substantial damage. Red raises his hands in a surrendering motion.
19 - Green G
19 - Verilich
6 - Khalid
19 - Red Thug - Surrendered
18 - Blue G
18 - Gundar
16 - Ghaernan
13 - Red G
13 - Blue Thug
12 - Caius
Right, so the AAO would go off as he was standing in that square (with blue), which is 10' away and within reach of the horse chopper.
Standing though, he would need to move somewhere or be squeezing. Wouldn't he take a 5' step somewhere to surrender?
Ghaernan's demeanor appears to shift swiftly and dramatically with the turn of the encounter to violence, and his voice grows more menacing with each stride towards the thugs, until the Bard stands beside Khalid while openly speaking arcane words of seeming might and gesturing powerfully...
"Matters did not have to resolve this way. Refusing us shows you to be no friends of Natalya. Surely, therefore, she will not mind if I make an example of one of you - perhaps your fighting arm, slowly blackened and burned to ash; look to it now... Surrender, and save yourself..."
Gundar will move up to the others and keep an eye out if any of his friends are wounded.
Gundar continues to Delay.
@Caius end - another of the creatures (Red) crawls forth from the southern tube and moves across the room to hurl a handful of muddy slime at you.
That will hit Caius' Touch AC!
Caius, please roll a Fort Save, DC 12.
Back at shack -
The Blue Thug feels the warmth, but disregards it.
The Blue Thug swings his morningstar at Verilich...
Caius is up!
Caius, please roll a Fort Save, DC 12.
Caius moves out of the sludge ball impact area to join the fray in front of the shed.
"There are three goblins tossing filth from the sewers through the door to the south. The building floor is collapsed inside and gives way to a filth pit. There is a crawl space above but the ladder to it is unstable," he expostulates as he chases muck from his face and chest with a flick of his hand.
Khalid will let Verlich go first.
"I'm giving you a chance to end this peacefully. If you try to strike me again, it will not go well for you." Verilich 5'steps to clear the cover and attempts to pin his opponent.
Khalid will take out his rope and tie up blue.
Khalid has no trouble with his action.
Verilich cannot 5' step though, because he is grappled. Want to do something else, or go ahead with the pin attempt?
So one opponent has surrendered and is tied up, the other is still defiant, but pinned.
Gundar and Ghaernan?
Seeing how the situation is under control, Gundar will examine Caius to see if he might suffer any ill effects from the 'sewer mud'.
Ghaernan spares one glance in annoyance at the thug inexplicably unfazed by his masterful spell performance and bluff, and lets the prestidigitation subside. Upon Caius’ arrival, he looks with great consternation upon his sewer-slimed state, then rapidly and without ceremony beyond the elegant casting itself he manifests yet another Prestidigitation Spell, this one focused upon the gradual, magical removal of all traces of the soiling of his companion…
The red Guard attempts to become un-pinned...
...and fails. Recognizing the futile nature of his plight, he surrenders.
Works for me.
"Take us to Natalya" Khalid orders.
Red responds, "No way! It's bad enough for us that we didn't get you out of here. She will kill us if we take you to her!"
Blue, likewise, shakes his head to the negative.
"Do you really want to piss off him?" Verilich points at the bloodied horse chopper.
After studying the struggling captive briefly, Caius peers intently at his question-answering performance.
He is unsure what to make of the obviously fearful response. Natalya is not known to be a killer of associates.
Ghaernan reflects with similar concern regarding the thug’s fearful response, observing that neither diplomacy nor bluffing have substantively altered their mindset…
”Friends, I think these two brutes are actually terrified of our Natalya, for some reason - more terrified of her than the threat of grave injury or death at our hands, it would seem. This concerns me greatly; something is very wrong with the manner in which this search has evolved…”
The Bard turns a baleful, glowing gaze to the thugs, then…
”You are now our prisoners, your lives in our hands, not Natalya’s. Tell us now, why do you fear her wrath to the piteous extent you do? What is she now capable of, and what threats await us inside this wreckage of a building?”
The other (blue) thug responds, "she got herself all magicked up! You wouldn't believe some of the things she can do. When she ran with the Tower Girls, she wasn't so different from the rest, but now she's more terrible than ever, and she don't take advice from anyone!"
The first (red) thug nods, "he ain't lying. You fellas shouldn't oughta want to mess with her. I mean, we was really doing you a favor by stopping you from seeing her, if you ask me!"
"There be gobbos in there, a bunch of 'em. They ain't too tough on their own, but teamed up they can be a real b*%&@ to deal with!"
"She tends to hide up in the rafters near the old chimney. But really, don't go in looking for her, you'll regret it!"
"She turned Gorbald into a snake! Watch out for that snake! It's as mean as any snake, but smarter."
"Them enormous skeeters hide where they can't be seen, until they're ready to drink you whole!"
"Right enough on the goblins! I'd have gotten three if you didn't need my help out here..." Caius remarks modestly. "However, they throw filth as if their life is worth the jest. And do not use the ladder that lies within that door, lest it crumble beneath your weight."
Ghaernan turns his glare from the thugs and smiles faintly at Caius' modesty, even as the magical removal of all traces of the filth covering Caius continues to spread gradually down him...
"Needed help...of course. I might need the same to eventually get that filth off of you, but in the interim perhaps you can now lead the way back to them - it appears our path takes us there, if there's no other way in through this shed.
The Bard then turns back towards the thugs, while also reaching with the folds of his copper greatcloak to draw forth an ominous-looking black, leather-covered sap from his harness, and hands it to Khalid...
"As for the two of you 'fellas', congratulations - your candor with us has now earned both of you your lives. That said, I and my friends cannot entirely overlook your earlier attempts upon our own, in response to rather civilized inquiry, Verilich's approach perhaps excepted...but he's working on it. Therefore, while we seek out Natalya to learn the full truth of what has become of her, we'll be leaving both of you here bound securely in ropes, to opposite sides of your shed. You'll also have a bit of mandatory rest-time to keep you quiet and compliant for a stretch, courtesy of my exceptionally strong companion here - far better than the alternative. Khalid, if you would do the honors - some sap-induced unconsciousness is sufficient this time, I think..."
The (red) thug says, "when she kills you and finds us tied up out here, she'll kill us next!" And Khalid thumps him out.
The (blue) thug says, "be sure and watch out for the," but never finishes his warning before being sapped.
"Since it seems like the straightforward approach is best, do any of you spell casters have any of those useful buffing spells?"
"We need to take weapons and anything of use to us from these thugs." Caius enters the shed from whence the two thugs emerged and searches about. He is particularly interested in the structural integrity of the wall that adjoins the building.
Caius is pretty sure he has found several weak spots in the wall that would make for easy entry.
Who is searching the thugs and taking their gear?
Khalid will help Caius search the walls.
Khalid is equally convinced of the permeability of the walls, and thinks he has found another "soft" spot missed by Caius.
Ghaernan will search the shed and the thugs themselves...
The Bard considers Khalid's question on spells...
"Nothing that will serve you well in the opening moment of a fight, Khalid, although when true battle breaks out, I can inspire a supernatural courage in all of you that will enhance your combat prowess."
Ghaernan then casts a Message spell between himself and each member of the company...
Ghaernan finds the following on each thug: chainmail, light wooden shield, light crossbow with 20
bolts, morningstar, 12 gp
Ghaernan's investigations disagree with those of Khalid and Caius. He thinks the wall is plenty solid all around.
As they move towards the shed, Gundar will whisper to Caius, Caius, my friend, I think you might have been exposed to filth fever!
"Filth Fever! Damnation! No fever will deter me... but is there a cure?"
"If you insist the wall is impermeable, wise Ghaernan, I say we walk the perimeter and look for an alternate way into this ramshackle of a building that does not have us walking a plank for goblins. Failing that, I shall lead the charge into her breach, for battle will surely ensue."
I believe Verilich already flew around and looked for alternative entrances.
Hearing we have identified the only entrance, Caius will move back toward the door he recently exited. Taking a deep breath in anticipation of the stench and looking over his shoulder for a signal all are ready, he prepares to reenter.
Let's leave them in the shed.
Let's leave them in the shed.
Ghaernan relieves the unconscious thugs of their morningstars, crossbows, quivers of bolts, and 24 gold coins, in total. He offers the morningstars to any of his companions who might carry them, securing them to his pack, if not. The Bard then belts on both quivers and arms both crossbows, strapping one from his weapons harness pointing down, and readying the other.
"Supporting fires while a few of you deal with the dirty work, friends," Ghaernan speaks, with a smile at his own word play. "Unfortunate timing, with Caius already halfway clean again, but yet another reason, of course, to keep your grateful artist out of the fight..."