Grod reaches over Izzy's head and snatches the dagger out of the air. He turns it over in his hand for a minute and says "Careful with this, little lady. Don't poke your eye out. Wouldn't make for a good tale, and it'd be a shame to lose one of those pretty eyes." he rumbles, before handing it back to her, hilt first, with a smile.
She smiles "Thanks, Grod." She takes it back, "If anyone else wants it, let me know really. I'm not able to do a lot of 'oomph' in my throws or blows." Clearly remembering how her weapons did not work well on the demon "But it is neat."
.........Then they find two more of the things.
Grod draws his axe, careful to hold it high enough not to hid Izzy on the head with it.
"Right. More or those nasty things. I thought the demon was summoning them. We gotta see if we can destroy that summoning pool."
He steps in and to the right, examining the floor. Just how 'rickety' is it?
Ancient Prison - Round 1
24 Ari
21 Green Sinspawn
19 Blue Sinspawn
19 Tot
15 Izzy
13 Garen
11 Grod
The wooden platform appears ancient and as a result unstable, but when Ari steps on it, it holds his weight easily without shifting, creaking or falling.
Ari thinks about trying to use daze on one of the creatures. But if he remembers right they won't be affected, so he draws his rapier and backs out of the way for now.
Ancient Prison - Round 1 - continued
24 Ari
21 Red Sinspawn
19 Blue Sinspawn
19 Tot
15 Izzy
13 Garen
11 Grod
Ari sees the bickering sinspawn, draws his rapier, and backs away from the steps on their side of the landing, hoping one of the martial types from behind will step into melee instead of him.
Red and Blue Sinspawn both react to the new arrivals, moving at rapid speed to attack. Blue bounds up the stairs at an inhuman speed, and attacks Ari with its bite and claws but none of the flurry of attacks does any damage.
Red runs right behind, but goes to block the doorway, attacking Garen who is next in line. One claw gets through the holy warrior's armor, carving flesh for a minor wound.
Seeing Ari trapped on the other side and that Garen has taken a wound, Tot grits her teeth and hopes that she can substitute finesse with ferocity and push past the sinspawn facing Garen to help take some of the pressure off both him and Ari.
Unfortunately for her ambitions, she's simply too slow and gets knocked back, almost tripping over Izzy in the process. Seeing that she can't get past the sinspawn, she starts looking around in desperation. She sees the statue's empty hand and wishes that they'd left the ranseur it held as she steps back.
"Make room for Garen to step back," she says more loudly than is her wont as she moves to one side. "We need to draw it in so Grod and I can get at it!"
Tot bites down on a retort, knowing that her fear for Ari's wellbeing is causing her temper to run hotter than is her wont. Seeing Garen trying to bully his way through, she wonders if he'll have any more lucky than she did.
Garen, move!" Grod shouts as he hurdles Izzy and pushes forward, slamming a shoulder into the first sinspawn in an atempt to knock it back into the room.
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"Rah Rah Let's go team, smack em hard and treat em mean; this is a foe we know we can beat! Ra Rah, team supreme , let's turn their bones into cream!" She begins singing and inspiring.
Ancient Prison - Round 1 - concluded
24 Ari
21 Red Sinspawn
19 Blue Sinspawn
19 Tot
15 Izzy
13 Garen (18/22hp dmg)
11 Grod
Tot tries to force the issue rushing past both Garen and the Red Sinspawn, but the gap closes, and she is squeezed backwards.
Garen also tries to get into the room, pushing the adjacent sinspawn, but he cannot get sufficient leverage, and the creature bites back jaws snapping on thin air as its stands it ground.
Grod follows on with a punishing charge that does in fact move the sinspawn off its base, sliding it back 5'.
Izzy starts her bardic performance once again, inspiring her allies to greater feats of prowess.
End of Round 1
Ancient Prison - Round 2
24 Ari
21 Red Sinspawn
19 Blue Sinspawn
19 Yellow Sinspawn
19 Tot
15 Izzy
15 Orange Sinspawn
13 Garen (18/22hp dmg)
11 Grod
As Ari realizes he is in the room alone with two of the aberrant horrors, one of the cells down below opens, and two more sinspawn head into the melee at the doorway.
"Crap! There's more! What is summoning them?
He steps into the corner to try and stay where he at least won't be flanked.... and jabs at the monster (red) with his rapier.
Ancient Prison - Round 2 - continued
24 Ari
21 Red Sinspawn
19 Blue Sinspawn
19 Yellow Sinspawn
19 Tot
15 Izzy
15 Orange Sinspawn
13 Garen (18/22hp dmg)
11 Grod
Ari moves adjacent to Grod and at a place where the growing number of foes can't get behind him, and makes a vicious attack against the nearest sinspawn, and causing serious damage to his target.
Despite getting stabbed deeply by Ari, Red Sinspawn keeps its attention on the well-armored Grod, attacking with bite and claws. The bite hits, while the claws scrape harmlessly off armor. A minor wound is delivered but the bite also fills Grod's head with all the angry feelings he's ever felt before.
Blue Sinspawn slips to the side, also attacking Grod. This creature's bite misses. Yellow Sinspawn rushes from the back of the room, up the stairs, and into line with the others, but cannot attack this round.
hit
Still singing, Izzy breaks out her dagger, Fed Cat, and she meditates during her singing Fed Cat, you have never failed me, mostly because I have never used you before. Fly fast, fly true... and do not hit one of my allies in the ass if I miss! And she flings the dagger.
Seeing an opening, Tot rushes through the door and slips to Grod's right, doing her best to avoid leaving an opening in her haste. She attacks the sinspawn in front of her as she cries out to the embattled scholar.
"Get behind Grod and let Garen take your place, Ari!"
Ancient Prison - Round 2 - continued
24 Ari
19 Blue Sinspawn (4hp dmg)
19 Yellow Sinspawn
19 Tot
15 Izzy
15 Orange Sinspawn
13 Garen (18/22hp dmg)
11 Grod (15/18hp dmg)
Tot pushes to the frontline. She avoids being hit by a reaction bite from Blue, and then stabs that same foe, doing minor damage.
Izzy uses her new magic dagger, throwing it true, and hitting Red directly between the abhorrent eyes. The blade kills the Red Sinspawn, then flies back unerringly into the little gnome's hands.
Orange Sinspawn is able to rush across the prison floor and get back into the gap in the line, but cannot attack in this turn.
miss
Grodcasts a quick spell and then, as the orange sinspawn arrives, Grod meets it with his axe!
Ancient Prison - Round 2 - concluded
24 Ari
19 Blue Sinspawn (4hp dmg)
19 Yellow Sinspawn
19 Tot
15 Izzy
13 Garen (18/22hp dmg)
11 Grod (15/18hp dmg)
Garen throws his own dagger into the melee, still hitting Orange for a minor wound.
Grod casts a spell beseeching the divine favor of his patron, and he must have it, as the greataxe cleaves the sinspawn in front of him clean in two with one blow.
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Knowing that he isn't the fighter that the others are it is still disappointing to hear Tot's call for him to get out of the way.... But, it is the best strategy, so he does as directed. "OK. Moving back!"
success
Ancient Prison - Round 3
24 Ari
19 Blue Sinspawn (5hp dmg)
19 Yellow Sinspawn
19 Tot
15 Izzy
13 Garen (18/22hp dmg)
11 Grod (8/18hp dmg)
Ari is able to withdraw from the frontline successfully without taking any further damage.
The remaining Sinspawn then move to attack Grod, both making bite and double claw attacks. The warpriest fights off most of the attacks but scrapes by Yellow's claws do cause some damage.
hit
hit
Grod retaliates against the sinspawn that attacked him, ripping through it in one mighty strike. Then he moves to encircle the other one, vhaneling some healing energy into his flesh as he does so.
Ancient Prison - Round 3 - continued
24 Ari
19 Blue Sinspawn (5hp dmg)
19 Tot
15 Izzy
13 Garen (18/22hp dmg)
11 Grod (9/18hp dmg)
Grod slices a second sinspawn to ribbons, then steps behind the last remaining aberration to give a flanking bonus to Tot, while healing himself in small amounts.
With Ari out of harm's way and Grod moving to divide the last sinspawn's attention, Tot lunges forward to ram her sword through one of its lungs.
Unable to get line of sight on her foe easily, the gnome dives past the legs of friends and goes to the far corner so next time she'll have a better chance.
Ancient Prison - Round 3 - concluded
24 Ari
19 Tot
15 Izzy
13 Garen (18/22hp dmg)
11 Grod (9/18hp dmg)
With just one aberration remaining, Tot and Garen both move to attack the beast, and both score hits. The combined damage is enough to kill the last of the sinspawn (in this room at least) and the fight is rather quickly over.
End of Combat
The gnome looks at their defeated foes, and mimes blowing smoke off her dagger edge, "Some fiends just need killing."
Tot looks around for any more threats before her hands begin to shake. She looks to Garen and Grod and notices that they've both been hurt, Grod somewhat seriously.
I should have been faster. I should have been better. If I was, maybe then no one would have gotten hurt.
She looks away, her cheeks burning dully with shame as she walks back to where Ari and Izzy are.
"I-Izzy, c-can you help mend Grod's and Garen's wounds," she asks the gnome before turning to Ari. She looks up at him for a moment, trying to find something, anything, to say before looking down at the toes of her own boots.
Ari looks through the door, then advances back into the room. Seeing the last monster fall he nods at the bodies. "Good job. Those things are dangerous, and fast. I should have delayed once the door was open. They would have come to us and they would have been bottled up in the doorway. Sorry for my mistake. I was worried that the surface here might have been weak, but it doesn't excuse my mistake."
Seeing Tot glance at him he quietly says "Good hit! And Grod finished it. Grod's hit wouldn't have been enough without yours." He pushes one of the bodies off of the platform, then carefully goes down the stairs checking them for safety.
He walks around the room checking what appear to be cells. ??
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"We gotta find a wand or something," The gnome says, and puts a hand on Grod's leg because it is what she can reach then she sings an oldie but goodie, "Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you"
|
"Don't bother with mine. I'm fine for now. And yes, Izzy, you are right. We need a wand for this." Garen replies as she heals Grod. "Grod, when you and Tot are ready we can go downstairs and oh fires of heaven." Garen says as he hurries to catch up with Ari. Catching up he says, "My goodness man, you need to be more careful. We should have come down together. I don't want to see you swallowed up by some giant spider without the opportunity to at least whack at it."
"Oh. Thanks very much." Grod says to Izzy as his wounds reknit themselves. "A wand would be a good idea, yes."
Before Tot can think of anything to say to Ari, he's already down the stairs along with Garen. She nods her thanks to Izzy as she passes the gnome and runs to catch Ari.
"Ari, wait! I-I can--"
Can do what? Be a burden on everyone else? Put everyone else into danger? Fail to do the one thing your family thought you were good for?
Her eyes fall to the toes of her boots again. After all, it wasn't her ability or skill that had carried the day before. It was everyone else's.
"I-I can go first. My eyes are keen enough," she says, though given how well everything else has gone for her in this nightmarish ruin, she isn't so certain of that.
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Ari hears the others and nods. "Right. I don't have armor like you Garen. But I doubt we'll run in to any giant spiders down here. They need to eat. I mean, think of what we have encountered. A demon, summoned creatures, and an undead thing. Dangerous yes, so I shouldn't be rushing ahead so much. But it's all so curious to me. This seems very much a Thassilonian place. I wish Zorlen had been able to stay with us. He knows more about them than I do."
When Tot comes up beside him he takes her hand. "I really wish there were some surviving documentation, wall writings, or something proving it. The statue is almost good enough. But I'd really like something more, better information!" He hears her words and smiles. "Right. Your eyes are fine, and pretty too. And I'll stay back if some giant spider does jump out. I don't like bugs!" He squeezes her hand a little and continues directing Dancing Lights around in the small cells. While he could see in the dark, the details that could be seen with light might be important....
"A healing wand would be nice. We should ask Father Zantus next time we see him. The temple might have one they could sell to us?"
Ari's examination of the rickety-appearing wooden platform is that, despite how it appears, the platform seems to have some form of low-grade enchantment on it that holds it in place, despite the seeming age and brittleness of the wood. However much he tests it, the wooden platform holds firm.
Ari looks around at his friends. "Once we finish clearing this place I'm sure there are some folks that would want to come down and examine everything here. They built for longevity. Even enchanting this platform to endure."
He moves over toward what appeared to be an opening, "There's more this way, does anyone want to precede me? I think stealth at this point hardly matters. Anything this way surely heard the battle." He runs the Dancing Lights ahead to light up the way, and waits so he isn't ahead of the group.... again.
There are many cells in this room, but all are empty save some old and brittle looking bones that remain in a few. The bones seem to have the same preservation quality of the wooden platform, and likely should've crumbled to dust by now but have not.
One of the cells on the southwest side of the jail has a trapdoor in the floor that can be used to lower a small sized creature (or smaller) down to the natural cavern below. A medium-sized creature may be able to squeeze through but it would be very tight. You saw this trapdoor from below earlier in your explorations.
The only viable exit from the room is along the raised wooden walkway that extends to a doorway in the eastern wall.
The wooden walkway leads into more stone halls and then that opens into a small room with a door on the south wall and a door on the east. This room contains several ancient relics of what appear to be torture implements, although the function and style seem strange and archaic. In one corner sits a spherical cage with spikes protruding inward from its iron bars. In another stands what appears to be a star-shaped wooden frame, its surface studded with hooks. And in the center of the room is a long table covered with leather straps and a number of cranks that seem designed to rotate and swivel.
While these devices may have seen a lot of use in ancient times, they all appear to rusted or decayed to be of much use now, even if you had a mind to.
Tot does her best to keep an eye out for trouble, but she has a bit of trouble given how much broader and taller Garen is than she is.
Nothing besides the door in the south wall are apparent from looking more closely in this area. The rest is simply as described above.
Unsure why the group has stopped, Ari quietly calls out, "Why have we stopped? Is there something dangerous or interesting ahead? Want me to come and check the area or the door for traps?"
"Why have we stopped? I don't claim to know, in my defense I'm rather scatter brained."