You bash through the hastily reinforced door with a hellish clamor, sending splinters and bent metal clattering into the next room, a fifteen-foot square chamber with an open doorway across from you which leads into a long, single file hallway.
In the middle of the room is a bulky oaken table surrounded by a half dozen chairs, one for each side. Covering the north wall is a stunning topographical map of Sasserine, out of which poke at least a score of red, blue, and gold flags. Directly across from the map (and to your right) stands a five by ten chalkboard plastered by a tangle of scribbling.
The Beast pads forward to the map, looking closely at the details and trying to ascertain it's function. "Puuurrrrrrrrr..."
Marius can't help moving over to examine the chalkboard. He doesn't intend to linger here, but this represents a potential insight into the thought process which has led them to this juncture.
Tyndal moves to block the hallway door, while the rest of the party figures out the maps and chalkboard.
As Terin studies the map dotted with the tiny tinted flags, Penkus relates the color scheme to him: Blue for allies, Red for enemies, Gold for income producing ventures. You note several places you have visited or passed by within the city have flags affixed to them, including the Islarin estate (red), the Kellani estate (blue), several of the watch garrisons (blue and gold), and the Vanderboren estate (gold).
Attempting to make sense of the chalkboard, Marius notes a detailed log of harbor activity, including footnotes detailing which ships are scheduling for “holing.” Written in Aquan (which Marius understands) in the lower left corner is a small note which translates to, “Make sure to pay Ixitxs by month end!” Sequestered within a boxed off section in the upper right of the board are the names: Anders, Eldin, Harven, Seann, Terin, and Tyndal, accompanied by a notation reading, “VANTHUS! FIX THIS NOW!”
“Well. That is interesting,” muses Eldin, looking at the chalkboard over Marius’ shoulder. He then looks to the long passageway.
“I’m not an expert in combat tactics – but would that narrow passage by a good place to make our stand – or perhaps a wider room I hope may be at the end of it?”
*shifts to elf*Penkus related the color scheme to me: Blue for allies, Red for enemies, Gold for income producing ventures. I see several places we have visited or passed by within the city have flags affixed to them, including the Islarin estate (red), the Kellani estate (blue), several of the watch garrisons (blue and gold), and the Vanderboren estate (gold).
*Shifts back to beast-form*
Marius blinks, "Penkus? I'd thought he was either dead or - come to think of it, I'm not sure what the alternative was after so long." Nor is there much point in speculating when Terin or somebody else can simply give him the answer.
Marius has no trouble matching names to the chalkboard; it seems his new friends have already made an impression on the higher-ups. Nor are at least three of the flags on the board a surprise. With knowledge of the colour-coding system, Marius takes a closer look at the map, putting his knowledge of the noble houses of the city to good use. It will be interesting to see just how far the guild's reach extends.
Not that any of it will hold up in court, of course. The various allies will simply deny any involvement and go on about their business.
Listen Check
1d20-1=4
Taking a few moments to track down the locations of the major players in Sassarine’s noble council, Marius notes the following:
Arabani - Red
Draktus - Blue
Kellani - Blue
Knowlern - Red
Lidu - Red
Lorchester - Blue
Meravanchi - Gold
Toregson - Gold
Taskerhill – Red
Tyndal tilts his head to the side at something he thought he heard, but the party’s excited conversation rides overtop of whatever it might have been.
The Beast nudges Tyndal's leg and motions with it's head to move on before beginning to pad softly and slowly down the unexplored hall.
Ardan quirks an eyebrow slightly upon seeing the map, but is clearly more interested in maintaining the party's forward momentum, following the beast onward...
The Beast nudges Tyndal's leg and motions with it's head to move on before beginning to pad softly and slowly down the unexplored hall.
The tight confines of the hallway will only allow you to traverse single file. It is murky here, but your new eye allows you to pierce the veil of darkness. The farther down the passage you travel the less uncomfortable and damp it becomes, though there is a smell here like cured meat. A room is ahead; big enough for the group, but just barely. The door is ajar.
Though covered in mug stains and graffiti, the table is otherwise bare.
"Let's roll"
Tyndal readies his shield and flail and moves on down the hall.
Marius swiftly falls in, not wishing to be left behind.
Eldin nods and follows. He brings up the rear, crossbow ready and constantly glancing behind, keeping an eye and ear out for signs of pursuit.
Seann takes his usual position slightly behind Tyndal, spear at the ready.
Eldin does not spot any pursuit at this time, but he does hear a peculiar shuffling sound coming from up ahead.
The wary group moves farther down the hallway. Alert as they are and with weapons at the ready, none of them demonstrates any particular surprise at the appearance of a guardian in the subsequent area.
A pair of malevolent crimson points materialize at the end of the hall as a hairy, ample bodied man-beast stumbles into view. A creature the size and mean of a grizzly but possessing human hands and figure lumbers its bulk between you and the next door to the right and back of this chamber. Settling in place, the pseudo ursine raises a wicker heater shield illustrated with the Lotus Dragon emblem and a blackened steel morning star, awaiting your next move. Glowing red eyes aside, something is not right with the way this creature looks, smells, and moves.
Spot DC 10:
Spot DC 15:
Spot DC 20:
Knowledge Arcana DC 13:
Knowledge Arcana DC 20:
Knowledge Nature DC 12:
Knowledge Nature DC 15:
Knowledge Religion DC 10:
Knowledge Local DC 12:
Knowledge Local DC 20
I think that’s Zhanther, the lady’s bodyguard. He looks like hell!
"Zombie! Bugbear, and it appears to have some sort of additional necromancy imbedded in its flesh! We must be careful!"
Marius raises his crossbow for a shot at the creature. He's not sure how effective it will be, but it's better than anything else he might muster.
Initiative (1d20+2=19)
Spot: 1d20+1=3, Knowledge: Arcana: 1d20+7=9
"And I thought the last abomination smelled bad..."
"Zombie! Bugbear, and it appears to have some sort of additional necromancy imbedded in its flesh! We must be careful!"
“Far traveler, lend me a measure of your light and grace against this undead menace that here we face,” prays Eldin, reaching for his holy symbol, and :
Marius (crossbow)
Zhanther
Terin
Tyndal
Seann
Eldin (turning)
Ardan
Shifting slightly to make sure he has a clear line of fire, Marius takes a shot at the zombie. There's a certain satisfaction to be had in breaking the guild leader's toys.
Leaning to the left side and hugging the carved cavern wall, Marius takes careful aim at the eyesore before them, snapping off a bolt from his light crossbow. The bolt sails just to the right of the thing’s raised shield and punctures into what should be the stomach. A low groan escapes, not from the mouth of the beast, but from the wound as an accumulation of rotten air and putrefied organ oozes around the bolt’s shaft.
Responding to the attack in accordance with its preprogrammed commands, blue light dances along the hide of the creature, arcing, sizzling, and burning off even more patches of desiccated hair. A horrific shower of pork fat and greasy oil rain down from above, pooling around Terin and Ardan and coating the stone floor with a layer of slippery slime as the two men fight to remain upright.
MAP!
"Gah!" Ardan barely maintains his footing in the disgusting slime. "What kind of sick creep thought up grease lobbing zombies?!" Reflex 1d20+4=17, Balance 1d20+6=9
"What kind of sick creep thought up grease lobbing zombies?!"
1d20 7=12 Reflex, 1d20 3=4 balance. The Beast spends the round falling and fumbling around in the grease.
MAP!
Seann attempts to push past TeAM STyE into closer range.
"Aim for the head!"
Tyndal crouches and attempts to leap past the greased area.
Jump Check (Needs 20) (1d20 4=12)
Will finish pushing on through with final move action. Will get as close to zombie as possible.
Pelt matted with glossy oil, the beast’s legs splay and drop Terin to the cavern floor without grace or warning. Tyndal attempts to leap past the fumbling force of nature, but finds the ceiling too low and his armor too heavy to cover the distance. Fortunately, he manages to recover his footing and moves through the doorway, just beyond the dangerous gloss.
Seann puts his head down and attempts to push through, but trips over the flailing Terin, causing him to slide down the slick cavern wall and onto the floor. His attempts to recover find Seann making slow, laughable revolutions in a mock backstroke.
Reflex, Balance (1d20+4, 1d20+2=[1, 4], [14, 2])
Eldin issues a brazen challenge to the menace, backed by the power of his God. The decomposing man-bear’s glowing red eyes dim for a moment as its countenance wavers, the creature visibly shrinking away. Shaking with the effort of throwing off Eldin’s positive energy wave, the zombie’s eyes glow bright again, and it raises shield and weapon without a sound.
Ardan manages to maintain traction in the slippery chaos by stepping on Seann, but is unable to make any forward progress using this unique method, for Wizards make dismal surfboards.
That's the problem with turn undead (from a DM perspective); it's either all or nothing, particularly when you're dealing with only one critter.
"Be warned friends," calls the priest, "the vile magic that holds this mockery together is strong indeed. I feel that I have weakened it little, if at all."
Deciding that traversing the grease would only end badly for him, Marius reloads and fires again, aiming high so as to avoid any chance of skewering one of the people now struggling to regain their footing (and also hopefully to strike the head).
Marius strikes with a second bolt, but only manages to graze the zombie’s temple. A line of dark fluid seeps from the late bugbear’s forehead before congealing in the open air.
Flaring to life a second time, the runes now blaze yellow, allowing Tyndal a split second to react before the zombie discharges its unclean magics.
Concentration check to remain casting:
AoO 2pt PA (1d20 4=12, 1d8 5=6)
"Its going to take more than roadkill to make me run" Tyndal growls.
1d20 3=21 balance.
The beast carefully crawls through the slippery area and moves to engage the zombie-thing.
Eldin moves forward to the edge of the grease, holding his holy symbol up again and calling on the power of his god to this time send the abomination back to its grave.
It does not work.
It does not work.
It does not work.
It would probably help if I noted them on my character sheet ... It's 5 at 2nd level, isn't it? Not sure how many I've used ... I'll assume 2.[/ooc]
Ardan manages to move through the grease Reflex 1d20+4=17, Balance 1d20+6=14 to engage the gruesome creature, but apparently it's still hindering his grip on the cutlass... 1d20+3=11 1d6+1=3