Everyone is more around the 'A' and the double doors
Ruisxys is a bit off the map, and that orc archer is at the very southern tip of the map.
Which I mentioned has partial cover.
Orne dropped that orc, Archer is still unharmed.
If approaching the archer, do you go between the wall and the boulder pile, or the other way around?
you already had to move to attack that orc, so only Ghur, Ayla and Ryx can go at the moment.
Ghur charged forward, going between the wall and the boulder
Ayla will move in from the front, as Ghur goes for the back to flank and prevent escape. But is using defensive fighting to protect herself.
Ruisxys arrow bounces off the boulder.
Ayla moves near the spot
Ghur can't charge, boulder in the way as Ghur run between
Ghur notices another Orc hidden behind one of the large boulders that takes a swing at at him.
Crit
Nope
That Orc's hit really Winds Ghur, though he's still standing.
And the Orc archer is sucking at hitting targets he sees....
Orne seeing Ghur and Ayla go left and right... opts to follow Ayla.
The Boulder pile is high and more like a wall with patches of snow and ice on it meaning acrobatics checks as well, do we wish to continue?
Their first exchange proving ineffectual, even as another arrow from her counterpart flies wide of its mark, Ruisxys scrambles to follow the others as closely as she can while still keeping the orc archer in sight - and hopefully keeping that unwelcome attention away from her friends.
When she finds the best spot she can, she completes the second pair of duelling arrows.
Ghur Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
Ghur notices another Orc hidden behind one of the large boulders that takes a swing at at him.
Hidden Orc: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 Crit
Hidden Orc: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14 Nope
Hidden Orc: 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (3, 3) + 4 = 10
That Orc's hit really Winds Ghur, though he's still standing.
There are many places that one should not want to be. Standing in front of Ghur when he was angry was certainly one such place. Raising his axe over his head, he brought it down with enough force to shatter bones.
Oh, crap, I saw the crit, then added your perception to not be flat footed above it as I was making the post...
and it moved the rolls around...you should gotten a 16 perception...
so hmm...
I'll let the hit still stand as that Orc is about to be dead...
At least then an Orc that dies in this fight can say, I injured one..
Ayla moves to an attack position and swings
That orc is dead
Both Orcs have been killed
Ghur notices the passage that was hidden behind the boulder wall from the other side as does Ayla.
There are two paths, the Double Doors and the small passage.
Perhaps the passage is best... less obvious, less ceremony?
Any noise should be attributed to these orcs.
Ruisxys catches up as a grim silence from behind the screen of boulders suggests that her friends have put an end to the threat of more arrows coming her way in the next few moments.
"Far be it for me to object to ceremony, under ordinary circumstances," she nods to Orne, "but I suspect you're right."
She takes a look around the group, her brief levity past already. "Is everyone alright? I can go ahead with shield braced, if anyone's wounded. And, would anyone find a use for that barbarian's bow? Keeping foes from closing, if possible, is a welcome thought."
Ayla takes some time to think before adding her voice
"Hmm.. Yeah passage might be better. Though only wide enough for one at time."
I can go first if you... trust my luck.
Shrugging and feeling grateful for his half-breed nature and darkvision, Orne starts down they passage - chained sickle in hand.
So you want to be first.....
As this passage as a few twists allowing only a about 10 feet at a time of seeing.
Ghur clutched his side. He was breathing heavily. The orc’s axe would have cut down an average human, though a trained warrior might have been able to fight through it. Ghur was neither of those things. He tried to control his breathing and to force the battle haze to fade.
”Let’s…just…let’s just keep moving. Those bastards back in town want us dead. Let’s hurry up on disappointing them.”
Ayla looks at the group; one's cold* and one's hurt. Only Ruisxys and her are fine.
"Hmm, might be better if Ayla or Ruisxys go first."
I... certainly. I am not feeling as well as I should. He acquiesces.
Ghur grunted, unwilling to admit to such weakness. However he made no motions as towards taking point.
“Please, allow me,” Ruisxys says. “And once we get under cover, if there aren’t any more surprises lurking for us, we can light a fire and warm up before exploring further.”
She moves to lead the way, swapping out her bow for sword and shield. Behind the protection of the latter, she murmurs a brief prayer in Elven before forging boldly ahead, trying to keep all her senses alert for anything amiss: both the physical, and the spiritual. The latter won’t help with an average orc or the like, but it might catch out a witch or shaman, or if anything in this place that should be dead isn’t.
Can anyone help bind Ghur up? That was a nasty blow, tough as he is.
I perhaps ask selfishly as, it would improve our odds.
Admittedly, I do not possess healing arts.
Ayla thinks a bit
"Ayla think it might be better to look at it, in warmer place.
As it still cold outside."
Ayla then follows Ruisxys in entering the passage.
As Ruisxys and Ayla go down the passage
She finds a small room with a small fire place that is warming up the whole room.
”Fine. It is a scratch.” Ghur said with gritted teeth. He was very obviously not fine, from the way he walked to the red on his hand from where he had held his wound. Marching forth into the room he stood by the fire to warm himself up. Turning away from the group he pulled out a flask of water and lifted up his armor, so that he could pour said water over the wound to clean it.
”Can’t stop to play nurse.” He said. ”May be more orcs. Need to get what we came for. Can get this stitched up when we get back. The bastards will probably be more than happy to put me in debt for it when they find that they failed to get us killed.” The bitterness dripped off of his voice as he thought about the town. His anger, mixed with the bloodlust from killing the orcs, was a potent mix. He tried to force himself to breathe normally so as to let the anger go. It was, afterall, only hurting himself.
Ayla returns to the injured and tells them there is a warm room at the end of the passage.
"No Orcs, just a warm room with a fire place"
Orne follows cautiously, entering the chamber.
Seeing the flames, he moves closer to them and avails himself of their warmth. Though, he does not move close enough as to prevent others from partaking.
A little better.
"Ayla find this room a bit warm.
But good room to start looking at Ghur's cut.
Use poker to seal wound."
Orne's eyes go wide at the mention of the smith's poker. Hot, no doubt.
He chuckles to himself, his laughing filled with mirth.
Truly delightful to have made your acquaintances. His genuine smile beams.
“We are much more pleasant than either these fellows or the average Consortium creature,” Ruisxys agrees, glad to be out of the cold, but worried about the gentlemen more than for herself and Ayla, at the moment.
She throws a surreptitious glance in Orne and Ghur’s directions, eyeing up the potential for stitching up tears in the coat of the one and the flesh of the other. As the half-minotaur puts a rumbling, brave face on how he’s faring, she accepts his demurral for now.
“I’m afraid that at this point anything I could do would likely have to wait until we can take a longer rest, unless I had a few more healing herbs, or some help,” the paladin concedes. “Probably not a poker, I’m sure you’ll be relieved to know.”
Although, thinking of poking about – her gaze sweeps across the small chamber. Is it just a nook out of the wind for some sentries, or is there a concealed postern?
Ayla looks at Ruisxys and Ghur
"Hot poker good at seal wound, Ayla can't remember right word.
But it stop bleeding. Saw papa use hot poker to seal wound after fight with large bear."
after a moment
"Oh right, hot poker crazy hurt, but do job.
If use poker best to clean wound first."
seems this room is more a nook for keeping the front guards warm.
Ruisxys does find a lever in the corner of the room,
but no hint as to what it does.
"Cautery," Ruisxys says vaguely but encouragingly, distracted by her findings. "I think it will also keep a wound clean if caught early, but far be it for me to ask anyone to start with such harsh treatment. Pure water and bandages to begin with, I'm sure."
"Anyway, what do we think this does?" she asks, putting her hand to the lever she's discovered. "Any objections to the direct approach?"
If there aren't any, she'll flip it.
”Flip it.” Ghur said, wanting to get the conversation away from sticking burning hot iron into his wound. Bandages and water sounded far better.
Hot oil... spiked pit, poisoned arrows. Orne shrugs.
“Goddess be with us,” Ruisxys says, and flips the switch, figuring that 2/3 are better odds than some she’s seen, all else being equal, and she doubts that’s the case. It’s a weird place for a defence mechanism, so her guess is it’s either nothing, or something that needs to be handled to get inside.
Ayla puts out "Could be the lock for Doors?"
"I suppose we're about to find out," Ruisxys says, brows furrowing at the thought as she prepares to check the main entrance again. It's strange, unless it sends a signal between here and there. Hopefully, I haven't just unleashed a pack of slavering mastiffs into the courtyard.
Ayla goes with Ruisxys to the tall double doors outside and pulls them open.
"Best be together with other, if trouble."
Ayla opens the tall double doors to see a find a big hallway ahead, that has another set of tall double doors, with a more normal door on the left side.
Once she’s made sure that everyone that needs to has warmed up a bit, Ruisxys pauses on the way down the hall from the main entrance at the side door, not wanting to get cut off by anyone lurking in a guard post as she and her friends go by. She cocks her head to listen at the door for sounds of movement.
She hesitates only a moment, though, since she and her friends will have to get to the bottom of this place anyway, and boldly sets her hand to the first door to see what's what before continuing down the hall to the next.
Doing his best not to walk with limp, Ghur paced alongside the paladin. He reasoned that if any more orcs were present then they would have come already.