Drazek takes a position on the wall above the door, a nasty surprise for anything that comes charging out of it.
Initiatives rd 3:
Mr. Swire: 28 [door-Perception]
Merle: 24 [Obscuring Mist]
Karrin: 23 [Kick in the door!]
Justin: 23 [door-?]
Drazek: 23 [positioned-hold action]
Ishmael: 23 [atk-hit]
Naridre: 23 [mind push?]
Issac: 23 [door-?]
Bethany: 23
Ekuur: 20 [stuck fast]
Archers: 15
Ballista krewe: 7
break free by making a DC 17 Strength check or by dealing
15 points of damage to the goo with a slashing weapon. A
creature trying to scrape goo off itself, or another creature
assisting, does not need to make an attack roll; hitting the
goo is automatic, after which the creature that hit makes
a damage roll to see how much of the goo was scraped off.
Once free, the creature can move (including flying) at half
speed. If the entangled creature attempts to cast a spell, it
must make concentration check with a DC of 15 + the spell’s
level or be unable to cast the spell. The goo becomes brittle
and fragile after 2d4 rounds, cracking apart and losing its
effectiveness. An application of universal solvent to a stuck
creature dissolves the alchemical goo immediately.
Mr. Swire doesn't see anything obvious for a trap. In his experience, most 'high traffic' doors don't usually get a trap unless they are protecting something really valuable.
Karrin's large boot kicks the iron door, splintering the wooden cross bar holding it closed. It swings open, hitting the wall with a deep *bonnng* chime. Three humans with longbows are revealed.
Ishmael grins and runs in, whirling his two blades
"Any day your last day may come,
You can't hide and you can't run."
His shortsword draws blood form one of the archers.
Ekuur groans and tries to burst free of the sticky strands.
Str check
EDIT: With a mighty effort, fueled partially by the sacred flame around him, he manages to free himself. Those around notice that some of the material actually appears scorched.
The slender elf maiden's eyes glow golden and a bolt of sizzling molten fire wraps one of the ballista crew in flame
The chainmailed human screams and topples off the cylindrical building, tumbling down the jagged black rock cliffs of the floating asteroid. His broken, smoking body disappears into the inferno below.
"Drop the bows or I drop you," Karrin snarls as she burst into the room. Not that she expects anyone to listen to her, but it is better for the conscience (later after the fighting is over) if you gave your potential victims the option of surviving.
Karrin knows that Axe vs Bow always goes to axe at close range.
Isaac starts unsheathing the icey greatsword "liberated" from one of the guards... until Ekuur bursts his bonds himself.
"Well, heh, reckon you didn't need my help, then."
He keeps the greatsword out and runs toward the door that Karrin just busted in.
Justin peeks around the frame of the now open door as Isaac dashes in. Seeing the reception committee, he stays where he is, sword at the ready, in case they come out, but leaving the doorway clear for the brawlers.
Judging from the poetry and cry of pain from the other side of the door, at least one person is enjoying himself. Two if you count an usually chipper and powerful Ekuur.
The three archers drop their longbows to the floor and unsheathe their longswords. They advance to attack Karrin's bulky form and the leather-clad Xaosman.
The attack on Ishmael leaves a nasty gash across his cheek
Meanwhile the ballista crew has seemed to disappeared from the top of the building after the flaming of their comrade.
Bethany:
Merle standing a safe distance behind Karrin watches the men draw blades and charge "Well they did drop there bows."
When it's Karrin's next attack:
attack:
Damage: +1 cold damage
"everyone's a wise guy," Karrin grumbles.
Swire dashes into the room and stabs his rapier deep into the flank of one of the archers.
Initiatives rd 4:
Mr. Swire: 28 [stabbity]
Merle: 24
Karrin: 23 [AoO pending-hit on main atk-kill]
Justin: 23
Drazek: 23 [positioned-hold action]
Ishmael: 23
Naridre: 23
Issac: 23
Bethany: 23
Ekuur: 20
Archers: 15
Ballista krewe: 7
The cylindrical room is faorly large and open, with military-looking double bunks along the curved wall in neat rows. Armor stands on trees near the center, along with sword stands and racks of bows. A stairway leading downwards is on the side, and there is a railed demi-balcony above with a ladder descending to the ground.
Karrin will continue the smack downs on her turn (unless there's no baddies left)
attack:
Damage: +1 cold damage
"You know," Karrin grumbles, "just once I'd like to have someone surrender. I have no idea what's wrong with people. I think I'd surrender if I was facing me . . . I think."
Isaac dives through the enemy's ranks, staying light on his feet and maneuvering over, under and around the soldiers' hacks and stabs. He lashes out with the frosty greatsword, doing his best to effectively wield the unfamiliar weapon.
Acrobatics:
Greatsword (not modified for a possible flank):
Bethany flies up to the two men
Perception:
Still standing at his post next to the door with his blazing sword at the ready, Justin looks up to Drazek, standing on the wall over the doorway.
"Step right up! There's plenty for everyone!" he quips, motioning to Drazek in an 'after you' gesture.
The three archers turned bowmen fall under the onslaught of the party. Ish runs to the ladder and climbs swiftly
On the demi-balcony, two more humans in chainmail have appeared from a trapdoor. Lady Bethany's shadow follows them like a dark raptor. They look down on their slain compatriots and the rapidly advancing form of Ishmael. They screech:
"We yield!"
Bethany:
"Smart berks, aren't they?" Swire climbs up and advances on the archers.
Ekuur comes in, furious after the tanglefoot bag. "We should question them; find out what they are doing here. Maybe bring them back outside; if they do not answer us, they can become sacrifices to the Sacred Flame!!"
Ekuur comes in, furious after the tanglefoot bag. "We should question them; find out what they are doing here. Maybe bring them back outside; if they do not answer us, they can become sacrifices to the Sacred Flame!!"
"Now now, Ekuur, no need to give everything away." Swire turns back to the archers with his rapier drawn. "Now, I recommend you three give us the chant on all this, or neither of us are going to like what's going to happen next." Of course, his body language doesn't quite agree with that. That says he's going to enjoy what comes next much, much more than the people it's being done to.
Ish gets to the balcony and relieves the two men of their weapons and chivvys them down the iron ladder. They and the odd Xaosman land in front of the party. The two look suitably cowed, especially surrounded by hostiles
"Where in Hades did you lot come from?" One pipes up. wide-eyed
K(Local) DC15:
Ish looms over them, cigarillo in mouth
"Spill the beans, spill 'em all.
The precipitation filled Spring from Fall. "
The two look at each other in confusion
"What'd you say?"
Ekuur comes in, furious after the tanglefoot bag. "We should question them; find out what they are doing here. Maybe bring them back outside; if they do not answer us, they can become sacrifices to the Sacred Flame!!""Now now, Ekuur, no need to give everything away." Swire turns back to the archers with his rapier drawn. "Now, I recommend you three give us the chant on all this, or neither of us are going to like what's going to happen next." Of course, his body language doesn't quite agree with that. That says he's going to enjoy what comes next much, much more than the people it's being done to.
Swire's contribution is enough to get their boneboxes wigwagging
"What chant do yeh need? We're just namers, cutter, we gots no deep dark. We'll spill what we know."
Know: local -
"Guess you wouldn't be lanned to many Chaosmen in yer berg, eh? Straight chant, berk: what do the Illuminated want with the barmies comin' in through the gate? What's yer angle? And how do they turn 'em around before sendin' 'em back?"
Know: local -1d20+6
"Guess you wouldn't be lanned to many Chaosmen in yer berg, eh? Straight chant, berk: what do the Illuminated want with the barmies comin' in through the gate? What's yer angle? And how do they turn 'em around before sendin' 'em back?"
The two look at Issac. The mouthy one pipes up:
"Look, blood, The high-ups are running some sort of scam with the barmies an' some Cage factions. Yeh hear bits, but we don't sit at the high table, yeh ken that? Bein' nosy is bad for yer health. Everyone is parnoid of Green Marvent and Shadowknave. Even that barmy priestess Toranna and her bumboy Brandal."
"Which factions? Give us some dark on this Shadowknave berk too."
The two look at Issac. The mouthy one pipes up:"Look, blood, The high-ups are running some sort of scam with the barmies an' some Cage factions. Yeh hear bits, but we don't sit at the high table, yeh ken that? Bein' nosy is bad for yer health. Everyone is parnoid of Green Marvent and Shadowknave. Even that barmy priestess Toranna and her bumboy Brandal."
"Did we kill a Brandal?" Karrin wonders out-loud, "I know we killed a Toranna. That was messy."
Karrin casually reaches into her bag of never ending rations and starts eating.
"Which factions? Give us some dark on this Shadowknave berk too."
The two captives shrug. The mouthy one pipes up again:
"They didn't let us into the dark of that cutter. Like I said, just overheard bits is all, I knows they was going to report to Shadowknave in the Cage. He's a dark stone-cold hende blood, cutters, a spell slinger and shadowdancer."
"Did we kill a Brandal?" Karrin wonders out-loud, "I know we killed a Toranna. That was messy."
Karrin casually reaches into her bag of never ending rations and starts eating.
They both start when Karrin mentions killing Toranna.
"You penned HER into the dead book? The zombie queen? That's rorty bladework fer certain blood. Brandal's her acolyte. He's up at the temple there."
He points southwards uphill. Through the busted iron door the party sees a ramp leading up the slope and ending in a white Grecian temple that is nestled in a small crater slightly above the cylinder.
"I guess this means were heading up there next?" Merle asks whilst inwardly sighing "Now what do we do with these two?"
The two captives shrug. The mouthy one pipes up again:
"They didn't let us into the dark of that cutter. Like I said, just overheard bits is all, I knows they was going to report to Shadowknave in the Cage. He's a dark stone-cold hende blood, cutters, a spell slinger and shadowdancer."
"I guess this means were heading up there next?" Merle asks whilst inwardly sighing "Now what do we do with these two?"
"Same thing we do with all the others." Swire takes out his sap and quickly beats the guards into unconsciousness.
"Same thing we do with all the others." Swire takes out his sap and quickly beats the guards into unconsciousness.
A quick cosh to the brainbox sends the two berks to the ground. Swire feels the darks they gave out weren't ful yark, but it weren't stype either. At least they lanned them the chant about a godblabber in the temple.
"Same thing we do with all the others." Swire takes out his sap and quickly beats the guards into unconsciousness.A quick cosh to the brainbox sends the two berks to the ground. Swire feels the darks they gave out weren't ful yark, but it wern't stype either. At least they lanned them the chant about a godblabber in the temple.
Ekuur looks down at the two unconscious guards. "They should be sent to the Sacred Flame. Proper sacrifices for blaspheming this place."
Looking up at the temple above, he comments, "We should first clean out this dark place. Remember the room below we could not access ..."
"Same thing we do with all the others." Swire takes out his sap and quickly beats the guards into unconsciousness.A quick cosh to the brainbox sends the two berks to the ground. Swire feels the darks they gave out weren't ful yark, but it wern't stype either. At least they lanned them the chant about a godblabber in the temple.
Ekuur looks down at the two unconscious guards. "They should be sent to the Sacred Flame. Proper sacrifices for blaspheming this place."
"Hey no one is throwing Unconscious people into flames sacred or not."
Ekuur looks down at the two unconscious guards. "They should be sent to the Sacred Flame. Proper sacrifices for blaspheming this place.""Hey no one is throwing Unconscious people into flames sacred or not."
"Yes. There is no need to be bloodthirsty. Enough of these people are dying already." Her tone was quiet and matter-of-fact. Her body language clearly showed that this was the not timid Nari. She scanned her surrounding continually, keeping an eye out for more enemies.
Karrin's hackles rise at Ekuur's second insistence of sacrificing the prisoners (the first Karrin could chalk up to anger). Karrin nods at Merle and Naridre's comments but plants herself between the two and directly addresses the priest.
"I don't kill unconscious people," Karrin says to the priest, "and just so there's no misunderstanding I don't allow other people to do that either . . . I don't know about where you came from Ekuur, but that sort of thing isn't proper here. Only evil gods demand humanoid sacrifices on this side of the portal. I'd ask that you remember that for everyone's benefit. Other then that you're free to worship and honor your god in whatever way you choose."
Karrin's features soften after her stern warning.
"Now Ekuur," Karrin says extending her hand to the priest, "I don't want us to be anything but friends, let's continue our quest together."
Karrin's hackles rise at Ekuur's second insistence of sacrificing the prisoners (the first Karrin could chalk up to anger). Karrin nods at Merle and Naridre's comments but plants herself between the two and directly addresses the priest."I don't kill unconscious people," Karrin says to the priest, "and just so there's no misunderstanding I don't allow other people to do that either . . . I don't know about where you came from Ekuur, but that sort of thing isn't proper here. Only evil gods demand humanoid sacrifices on this side of the portal. I'd ask that you remember that for everyone's benefit. Other then that you're free to worship and honor your god in whatever way you choose."
Karrin's features soften after her stern warning.
"Now Ekuur," Karrin says extending her hand to the priest, "I don't want us to be anything but friends, let's continue our quest together."
Ekuur looks at Karrin, and his eyes flash the color of slow-burning embers. "I did not ask for permission; if I was to throw them to the flame, I would. Whether you 'let' me or not.
"Elemental Flame is not one of your 'gods'; it is not a pretender trying to force people to worship them. It is beyond such concerns as 'good' or 'evil'. It does not demand sacrifices; those who follow give them (in whatever form) as a show of respect. It represents life, death, cleansing, healing, energy, much more than any one 'god'."
Ekuur's stare intensifies for a moment. "Now, I do not know what, if any, 'god' you worship. But think for a moment. Say you have spent most of your life in service to it. The priests have become your family, and that god has given you the power that allows you to survive in a world where death is an hourly occurrence. Your life is dedicated to that deity's service. Then, fate thrusts you to visit your god's actual home. But you are horrified when you get there - your god's enemies have not only desecrated his actual home, but have set up a fortress and brought in weapons that blaspheme his very name. Your god contacts you directly, and tasks you alone to cleanse away the blasphemers. How would you act? Would you still be so quick to judge and lecture?
"I will not touch these prisoners, and I am no murderer. But I was given this task, and I will complete it. I believe that it lies along the same path as our original goals, so it serves us all to continue together. But keep your lectures to yourself, as it has been some time since I was a child."
With that, Ekuur turns and begins heading towards the newer set of double doors, wanting to get a good look at them.
Bethany's head pokes down through the trap door above. "I understood less than half of what they said, but I don't see a problem with Ekuur's solution. That being said, we should probably get a move on if we're looking to go inside. I saw movement through the arrow slits earlier, so you can be sure whover's in there knows we're coming."
"Can we stop with the godtalk and get on with finding the rest of these berks already?" Swire moves up to the double doors and begins to search it for traps.
"A fine notion, cutters. Rattlin' yer bonebox on religion in the Temple District or, better, a bubhouse is a much finer plan. Might could have gotten the dark on the case from these berks 'fore they got coshed, but we'll have the dark of it soon enough. Once we take their kip apart, here, I reckon they can give this place the laugh on their own."
" 'sides, we got plenty to do: there's Toranna's bumboy still, the Shadowknave in Sigil and these nutters in Plaguemort. One o' those cross-traders aught to be lanned to the darks."
The smile never leaves Karrin's face and she withdraws her hand only after Ekuur turns without clasping it. Karrin shrugs.
"I grew up in a monastery Ekuur," she says quietly to herself, "I do know quite a bit about self sacrifice and piety. I have, in my own way, given my life over to my god. He has given me plenty of gifts. He has made me strong. Father always said I had the greatest capacity for love and forgiveness that he'd ever seen. I studied Rao's books and teachings as diligently as any acolyte. If my god had ask me to serve him in the same role you serve your god Ekuur I would have done so in a heart beat. My god had other plans for me though and I work as a mercenary. Death is a constant companion.
"but you mistake my words friend Ekuur, I don't expect you to ask my permission before you do anything vile, I wouldn't expect these illuminated to ask my permission before attempting to hurt my friends or companions, but I will stop them none the less. I would never presume to tell you how to worship or honor your god. I can only tell you how we do things here in the cage away from your hard and cruel world. I was telling you because I don't want you to discover the ways of our world the hard way.
"I forgive you though Ekuur, for that is the power of my god, he turns enemies to friends and sinners into saints, he allows us to get past our anger and our hurt, and I hope that soon you will understand who I am and forgive me too."
Merle turns to Seph "Now stuff like this is why I decided to be an atheist"
The cylindrical building has a barracks feel to it. A double tier of bunks are built along the wall. Under the bunks are what look to be footlockers.
The humans both dead and unconcious on the floor are accoutered in plain but well-made chainmail, with longswords and longbows. They wear the pyramid and eye tabards the party has seen before. Chain, swords and bows for at least a dozen others are racked in the center of the room.
A descending stairway spirals down into another, lower, level. It looks like some sort of storage is held down there, a few boxes can be seen from the top of the stairs.
Other than the ladder leading to the upper demi-balcony, the only way out is the double doors Karrin kicked in. The white temple wavers in the heated air in the distance through the doorway, backlit by the multi-colored flames in the sky.
"Hmm may as well have a quick look downstairs" Merle says whilst heading down the stairs to have a look. "Someone have a peek in those lockers as well."