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Unfortunately, IRL has taken a turn that means I need to end my games on here. I'll mark these as inactive soon, but want to give a chance to see the message. I'm sorry to hear that and hope everything, at least eventually, is alright. Thank you for giving me my first PbP opportunity! It's been fun and inspired me to get involved in a few more games. Thanks and take care!
Arda agrees and starts looking around as well, even though she isn't really sure what would work best.
Arda blinks back to consciousness and groans. Seeing the bugbears right next her shocks her back to alertness. Grabbing her scimitar and growling, she angrily strikes at one of the creatures.
"Oof!" Arda blinks for a moment at the opening, and then smiles to the rest of the group. "Hey, fellas, I found a hidden door. You see, growing up on the streets and running from the law, you learn how to uncover these sortsa things." Drawing her sword, she looks inside.
Arda searches around the eastern wall for anything unusual about that to indicate why it's seems so different.
"I don't have nothing that would help. Maybe Marcus could use a big stick or something to push it up?" Arda also looks around to see if there are any beams overhead they might be able to loop a rope over.
"There's someone crying in here, fellas!" Arda checks this door for traps and then sees if it's locked.
"Dinkerdoo!" Arda gives the dead ogre a swift kick just for spite. Living on the streets, she lost many friends, so she knows that death awaits us all. That doesn't make her any happier about it. She spits on the corpse and moves on to listen at the large oak door.
Arda joins Glyph in examining the chest for locks and traps as she starts fishing around in her pack for her tools.
She hunches over the chest next to Glyph and just stares at it, scratching her head.
Arda resumes her humanoid form and draws her scimitar, ready to attack but waiting to see what Glyph's spell does.
The swarm of beetles flows away from the zombies to gather next to Grimm.
The Arda beetle swarm skitters along to the zombies, crawling all over and into the rotting flesh of one of them.
Take care! Many of us know those problems all too well.
"Little lady?!! And you call me a liar? You insolent worm! We were sent for but received no welcome - only you two useless creatures. Now assist my... minions, or your flesh will feed the... Dread Arda!" Arda glares at them intently. Then her skin and clothing darken and crack for a moment, before she crumbles into a swarm of hundreds of beetles. The mass skitters along the wall to line up with Marcus before stopping. Arda worries that this was not one of her best plans, but readies her new crawling form to scurry towards the one called Nob. Several beetles start to scurry up and then back up to rejoin the mass as if it is eager to attack the bugbear and is barely held in check.
Arda looks up from working on the second lock. Growing up on the streets, this wasn't her first time hearing that while working on a lock. She remembered her mentor and took a deep breath. Then abruptly standing up, Arda pointed at the bugbears, "There you idiots are! What in the hells did you do with the key?!" She was never very good at talking her way out of things, but maybe someone better at it could join in. If nothing else, it could maybe buy them some surprise.
Arda quickly works on the second lock, nervously eyeing the stairs as well. "Hopefully we should be able to take them, but if we get swarmed and it gets too ugly, then I say we torch their supplies so they can't ambush anyone else, k? Only if it comes to that, tho."
"Gladly, Grimmer. There's enough nasties in this place that I'd rather take them one at a time as well!" Arda rummages around in her backpack until she finds the loose assortment of what could be considered lock picks, although obviously gathered over time and some apparently improvised and then kept with the others.
Arda rushes up to them and shudders, "Yuck! Is everyone alright?" She follows Glyph's gaze up. "Any idea what that was? See any more of it?"
"Thanks, Grimmer! I can heal some up, too, since I don't seem to have much prepared that would help. Some days, ya'know?"
Arda swings her scimitar around wildy, trying to get the bats away. She tries to shout over the flapping wings, "I can blast them away if a'need be! But it might hit us hard or even bring the roof down again! Or if I can find a clear spot, I could burn 'em!!"
Arda tries crouching down to see if that helps get away from the worst of the bats or at least allows her to see if there's a clear spot nearby.
Sorry, my posting rate dropped off. Still here and I will make an effort to post more regularly (including this afternoon)!
Arda heals Marcus further, "We need everyone in top shape."
"We also better get moving, I don't want anyone else trapped under this rock!" Unless there is something else of note, she then starts back the way they came.
"Wha- what happened? I thought there were skeletons or ... hyenas??" Arda staggers to her feet, clearing her mind from the near death experience. "Thanks, Grimmer, for - wait, Marcus is under there?! No, we can't lose someone else! Hold on, Marcus, we'll get you!" Arda studies the fallen stone carefully, and then says, "I think I can move this, but I have to be careful not to hurt him further. I sure hope you have more healing, Grimmer." She closes her eyes and murmurs to herself, and then stares intently at the stones as she casts her spell.
The arrows are unable to catch Marcus off-guard, but one arrow hits Arda in the hallway. "Danggit!!" Arda grumbles, and gets ready to blast the skeletons that shot at her, but catches herself. The magic she has ready can either only harm one, or would also harm her friends. "Danggit again!" Arda turns and calls a massive fiery ball into existence near the large gnoll and rolls it into him.
Arda follows along, with torch and sword ready, watching for Tisk and hoping no one else vanishes.
It's all about the fun! So I have no problem with it.
"They're getting away!"
Arda stumbles into the doorway startled at their appearance. She clumsily draws her sword and starts to chase after them. "Stop and talk or I'll blast ya!"
"Just a moment, fellas. If Glyph's spell is pretty loud, lemme have a try at it." Arda passes the torch to anyone who is willing to hold it for a moment, and then rummages around in her pack. A few bug scurry out, but she manages to produce a set of actual lock picks - even if they are mismatched and far from fancy.
"Why stop at slippers? Dink, you should have an entire outfit of reptiles once we are done!" "Wouldn't be needing much lizard for that!" Arda winks at Dink and follows the group, keeping the light near the front if necessary.
Arda follows Marcus and looks as well.
FYI - Next Wednesday through Friday are my PhD comprehensive exams and I am crunching for them between now and then (and trying not to freak out). I should be able to check things, but if I'm quiet, presume Arda is following along and agrees with everyone else. Thanks!
Bring the light. I will do it. Arda steps up behind Marcus with her torch and scimitar ready.
OK, who wants what? Arda looks inside the chest. She grabs some coppers and then shakes her head, "Nothing I need. Can't go wrong with some extra coins in the pockets, though."
Seeing Marcus step back, warning about a trap, Arda starts to move forward. "Dunno about the others, but I could take a crack at it. I can be handy at that sorta thing." Then seeing Glyph pointing out Marcus's miscalculations, Arda is now unsure of her help is necessary. "So, uh... do we wanta just open it? Want me to get a look for another opinion? What's the plan?"
"Well, I thought that would have worked better, and I fed it my dinner!" Arda charges forward with her scimitar and , slashes away at the giant snake. She hopes together they can take it down quickly, and if nothing else, with multiple targets, the harm it can cause is lessened.
If Grimm is right and it would go for a dead rat, perhaps we could poison the rat first? Combine one part dead rat with one part dead spider poison gland. "Wow, Dink, you were right! And I like that plan, Glyph. I have a smoked rat I was saving for later, I can offer to it. Might keep 'im occupied while one of you can get a fresher one poisoned up for it. OR lure it away." Arda slowly reaches into her pack and pulls out a desiccated, smoked rat and tosses it on the ground right by the snake. "If this doesn't work, I can blast it back with some magic if some of you are ready to shoot it as well. Just not sure how much to save up for anything else that might be in 'ere."
Arda nods at Dink and keeps hacking away at the rats. They seem to be slowly but steadily falling, so she keeps her magic in reserve.
Arda continues slashing away at the rats.
"Ick! I hate rats!!" Arda swings her torch around to keep some of the rats back while trying to skewer others.
Marcus smiles at Arda, and motions with his head to follow along. She can see he has a shield in one hand and his rapier in another. Whoops! Forgot to check - no, I mean, Arda couldn't see that his hands were full until she approached with the torch. Yeah, that's the ticket! :)
"Nah.. bugs are better than alotta people I've met, Grimmer. And you'd be surprised how nice and freeing it feels to be a buncha bugs rather than just having these two dopey arms and legs." She holds her arms out awkwardly as if they don't even belong to her. "These two windows look clear. No baddies that I see," Arda says to the rest of the group, and then back to Grimm, "And being a bug, you can go into so many little hidey-holes even Dinkerdoo couldn't fit... and flying... ahhh, I can't wait until I can fly!"
Arda lights a torch and brings it up to Marcus, her scimitar ready.
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