Rellios continues his mad dash, not stopping and hoping he can retrieve the head and and sword. If it's possible, he'll pull the last two oil flasks he has. Just beyond the head and sword, he'll throw the oil down - at best the monsters will slide across it like ice; at worst it should act as hinderance to allow him to grab the sword and head. Then, it's back to running for the doors.
Rellios makes it to the sword and head, throws the oil, and turns to retreat. The goblins begin to run towards you but the hobgoblins draw their bows and fire, which was, after all, the plan if anyone were to come across the bridge.
Confirm critical (1d20+2=22, 1d6=5)
The goblins, pushing and shoving, slipping and sliding begin to pursue across the bridge but they break off pursuit when one of their huts goes up in flames and Quarrel, who has been watching with disbelief as Rellios ran across the bridge, leaps to his feet and roars at his captors, resisting them for the first time.
Even as he's pincushioned, Rellios continues his mad dash back to the doors, hoping he can outrun anymore shots for the door. The first shot seems to wedge itself in his shoulder blade - causing some furious agony down his back. The other two hits hurt, but that first shot! Ouch!
"Get ready on those doors, damnit!," he shouts - as much wanting to cry out than anything else.
He glances back with some sadness, looking at the noble efforts of Quarrel, and thinking that the bugbear will never see another sunrise. Gods bless you, Quarrel, for your sacrifice.
Rellios manages to leap through the door before the hobgoblins can get another arrow off. The goblins do not pursue across the bridge.
On the other side of the bridge, Quarrel is being tackled again but much more violently than before.
Hru turns just realizing something happpened, at Rellios' cry and readies to slam the doors in case of goblin assault. His arms hang slackly a product of the spider venom still coursing thru him.
"Don't be closin' the doors just yet," I say to Hru with a grin, and peering around the edge of the door, I motion with my hammer and send the flaming sphere on a course through the oil and then around and towards a second hut, knowing that the flammeable oil will go up like a shot as soon as the sphere touches it.
"I wonder if they are after 'avin' more o' that rotgut in their 'uts?" I ask with a grin.
As the bridge and the second hut goes up in flames and the bugbear continues to struggle, the majority of the goblins and hobgoblins are engaged with either putting out the fire in the huts, putting out the goblins who have ran into the flaming huts to retrieve treasured knicknacks, or shooting arrows at the flaming sphere. Three of the hobgoblins shoot wildly at the opening in the doors.
hru, rellios, klyndak (1d20+2=8, 1d20+2=13, 1d20+2=19)
Ignoring the pain from the arrow, I send the flaming sphere towards a third hut and then ducking out of the way and fully behind cover, I tell Hru, "Alright, ye can be shuttin' them again, unless ye want me ta be 'elpin' that wierd lad a little bit more."
Hru squints to see if the bugbear can make it out of there, and seeing the chaos caused by the arcanist causes a smile to crack across his sullen features. "By Gorum, that's good! HOO!HOO!" Then Hru kneels mutters off a quick prayer.
As Hru cast a bless, I draw upon my hammer's energy and send another of the flaming sphere's towards the group attacking the bugbear, aiming for the largest of his foes.
The commotion on the opposite spire is intense. The four huts burn thick with smoke. Three of the hobgoblins and several goblins try to put out the flames while the other goblins attempt to fan the flames and chant and sing as their houses burn.
Three disciplined hobgoblins spray arrows at the opened door. None of them attempts to cross the bridge.
The last you see of Quarrel, he is free and bounding down the stairs towards the long "Stair of Kings" that you ascended to the spires by.
This damage to the bonebreaker camp is a temporary annoyance but has allowed Quarrel to escape.
"Well that gave 'im a chance anyway! Hooo!" Now Hru can barely contain his prodigious canines at the flaming mess of the goblin camp and once they are safely inside he calls the divine might of Gorum to aid the heroes and the familiar tingle of positive energy fills the area in an emanation from his greatsword
As Rellios dashes past the doors, he slumps to the ground - running exhaustion and pain taking its toll on his frame. Through rough breath, he places the dwarf's remains and the sword down.
The healing burst gives him enough energy to carefully pull two of the arrows free. The third is still agonizing, however, and so through gritted teeth he asks, "Any chance I can get one of you to pull this free?" - pointing toward the arrow still lodged in his back.
Bolstered by both the sight of Quarrel running down the stairs and the energy the priest unleashes, I heave the doors shut and drop the bar into place.
"Never thought I would be grinnin' ta see a bugbear runnin' free," I say with a grin.
"Are ye goin' ta be tendin' ta the elf's arrow or should I?" I ask Hru.
"Good job wit' that runnin' lad," I say to the elf, "Though it was a daft thing ta be doin'."
Being smarter than I look, I refrain from adding anything about an elf's propensity for running away. :)
"Never thought I would be grinnin' ta see a bugbear runnin' free," I say with a grin.
"Good job wit' that runnin' lad," I say to the elf, "Though it was a daft thing ta be doin'."
"That's good to hear - I had thought him a goner when he rushed those hobgoblins."
"Thanks! I figured it was foolish gamble, but...," he says with gritted half-smile. "I figured we've seen enough dying and torture these last few days; I was hoping that rescuing Dareg - even in death -might boost our spirits a bit. Now we can give them both a proper, honorable burial."
Hru says "I agree heartily, now let me see that arrow, this won't hurt a bit!"
heal ck to remove the arrow painless and intact (1d20+8=11)
"ooooh! Sorry that was tougher than I thought, and thanks for retreiving my sword." says Hru sheepishly as he extracts the arrow clumsily.
^_^
After a few days of much needed rest and training, marred only by the sad business of burying both Clareg and the head of Dareg at the foot of the spire, you are ready to brave whatever challenges await.
Rellios is armed with two daggers of astounding quality collected from one of the spider's victims.
Hru is armed with two well-made spears and two holy symbol embossed great swords.
Klyndak has advanced in his studies and prepared new spells.
"Shall we be goin' up once more my friends?" I ask when all seems ready.
"We are missin' a comrade, but per'aps we can gain victory in 'is 'onor and be truly claimin' this spire fer ourselves."
As we head up in the elevator, I cast Mage Armor on myself.
"Shall we be goin' up once more my friends?" I ask when all seems ready.
"We are missin' a comrade, but per'aps we can gain victory in 'is 'onor and be truly claimin' this spire fer ourselves."
As we head up in the elevator, I cast Mage Armor on myself.
Hru cracks a grim smile at the mention of their fallen comrades. "Those that stand against the might of Gorum will be as leaves before a gale....none will remain."
2nd - Flaming Sphere, Scorching Ray, Bull Strength
1st – Magic Weapon, Mage Armor, Shield, Magic Missile
0 - Light, Detect Magic, Guidance, Disrupt Undead
"Do ye think there might be bein' more o' them critters in the room wit' the webbin'. Best be walkin' careful like."
I have my crossbow loaded and my hammer ready.
"Agreed. Let's proceed, and honor the efforts of those who have fallen."
Rellios will take the lead, and check along the stairs as they ascend - looking for spiders or traps as need be. Perception (1d20+9=20)
The smell of rotting spider carcass assaults your nostrils.
Other than the nauseating stench, you reach the stairs without consequence. The stairs spiral up and around the spire to an entrance 20' from the top of the spire. The door to this room is slightly ajar but webs prevent you from gaining access directly. Webs block the entire door.
"Agreed. Let's proceed, and honor the efforts of those who have fallen."
Rellios will take the lead, and check along the stairs as they ascend - looking for spiders or traps as need be. Perception (1d20+9=20)
The smell makes me sick and it takes me a moment to recover my decorum. When I have I look up at the webs over the door.
"I suggest we burn those webs away," I say, "Any other suggestions afore I be followin' through wit' such a plan?"
Despite the stench, Rellios manages to move away from it enough not to hurl. "I thought these things smelled bad...on the outside."
"I agree with the burning suggestion. Obviously I'd like to be a bit farther away from the doors when they light up." At this point, he'll go ahead and switch to his bow - in case anything charges them from within the doors or along the web.
A 20' corridor leads out from just the other side of the web to a large throne room. Shrouded in webs -- much older and drier webs than the ones you encountered outside -- is an enormous central throne. The throne is made of the same coloured stone as the spire and, from here, it almost appears to be carved out of the spire itself. You can barely make out the shape of a dwarf upon the throne but the webs prevent you from clearly viewing the figure. Beyond the figure, you can see large statues of what appear to be dwarven warrior kings.