"Is there a sword pointing in there? If not, it's just a distraction. You want to be stuck in a small room if the Hellknights come up behind us?" Freya votes to continue on.
"If we can continue on, I think we should do so. As Freya says, it's not a good idea to get trapped in a small space with a lot of hellknights."
Sarien nervously turns to look into the darkness behind him.
Tao will continue on to the bend in the passage, make the turn, and continue on cautiously looking for signs of a marker. Before the turn is too far back to see, he'll return to the group and advise of his findings.
"Yes, because this shield does such a good job of 'camoflauging' the opening, we all saw it thirty feet away," Freya snaps. "She said 'follow the swords'; she didn't mention anything about a rusty shield."
Tao will continue on to the bend in the passage, make the turn, and continue on cautiously looking for signs of a marker. Before the turn is too far back to see, he will return to the group and advise of his findings.
Tao disappears around the corner and returns after a moment, advising the group that about 55 feet from the corner, he could make out a large room ahead of him which looked like a convergence of pipes and tunnels. From a quick glance, he did't see any guide markers, but he didn't want to go too far without the rest of the party.
"All right, this room? Neither safe nor a house," Freya insists. Moving up the passage to the bend, she summons four dancing balls of light into existence
[ooc]Perception
Tao will stay close to Freya, when she begins to cast, he will move past her to the junction room ahead, and take a closer look at the passages leading from this room.
Kael looks longingly into the gated room, his curiosity beginning to get the best of him.
"Have you no imagination? Someone has set this shield here for a reason, as this is a most conspicuous location. Certainly it deserves closer scrutiny. I doubt a scant minute or two to give the room a once over will cost us much in our escape... I don't see how anyone could find us in this maze, much less a group of dimwitted soldiers."
"We can always come back again later when the danger has passed. I have no desire to have them bumble into us while we're stirring up whatever trouble is waiting us in there."
Sarien follows after Freya and Tao.
On the approach to the junction room, the first item of interest is a large runoff pit that the walkway must deviate around. As Freya's light hits the pool, it begins to foam. Within seconds, three Skeletons rise out of the cesspit, pieces of mostly rotting robes clinging to their filthy bones.
Initiative Order:
Kael - 28
Skeletons - 19
Tao - 14
Freya - 11
Sarien - 4
Rauno - 3
"I think we should hold this position. Use the narrow passage to bottle neck and let them come at us one by one."
"Walking skeletons?" Sarien whispers in disbelief. "What am I supposed to stab on those?"
He looks at his star knife, shakes his head and returns it to his pocket. Then he grabs his rapier, though its ordinarily comforting weight in his hand doesn't make him feel any better.
"Good plan, Tao. I'll be right here. Ruseff's Fifth Rule of Survival states: 'No sense rushing into trouble when trouble's rushing into you.'"
The skeletons shamble forward , the first of them lashing at Tao with fingers that have been eroded to razor-sharp blades. Raw sewage drips from it's slimy bones.
- Hit Flatfooted AC 11 (15-4)
Tao draws his greatsword and attacks
Cursing viciously under her breath, Freya mutters some arcane syllables and backs away as far as she can before running into Sarien. "If you can hit something with that thing, why don't you come up here and use it?" she hisses back to Rauno.
Round 1 Summary
The closest skeleton delivers a nasty slash to Tao along his forearm. Tao retaliates by chopping the skeleton in half through it's spine; pieces of bone and muck fly everywhere. The rest of the party jockeys for position, leaving Rauno as the rearguard. Rauno warns that company is possibly coming up on the group from behind.
Round 2
Initiative Order:
Skeletons - 19
Tao - 14
Kael - 12
Freya - 11
Sarien - 4
Rauno - 3
The next skeleton in line steps up to Tao, clawing for his throat. Tao easily bats the feeble attack away, however.
Skeleton Attack: Miss
Tao attacks again
Tao disintegrates the skeleton in S17 with another mighty blow.
"What do you hear back there, half-elf?" Freya mutters, straining her own ears.
Unsure of how he can help in such confined conditions, Sarien took the club from Rauno. "Is this supposed to help somehow? Well, I guess I can give it a try."
He looks at the club and rapier in his hands, glances again at the skeletons and then puts the rapier away. "I don't really see much I can poke on those things. Maybe bashing will work better," he mutters to himself.
To Tao he says, "You're doing a great job! Keep up the good work! I'm right here if you need anything."
Seeing that Tao has things well in order, Kael will move to the rear of the party and assist Rauno.
"Hold the line, Tao! I'm going to back up Rauno!"
"You hear that?" Freya calls forward to Tao and Sarien. "Smash that last skeleton and look for the chalk mark!"
Round 2 Summary
Tao swings his Greatsword powerfully through the air, making quick work of the second skeleton. Sarien takes Rauno's club from him, and moves into position to hold the line should Tao fall. Freya, keen to be on her way away from the Hellknights, encourages Rauno to gather intel on their pursuit, and Rauno and Kael slip closer to the corner in order to do just that.
Round 3
Initiative Order:
Skeletons - 19
Tao - 14
Kael - 12
Freya - 11
Sarien - 4
Rauno - 3
The remaining skeleton shambles into Tao's reach, attempting to add him to the ranks of the vengeful dead inhabiting Westcrown's sewers.
Skeleton Attack:
Tao blocks the feeble attempt with one hand, however, and his rejoining swing shatters the skeleton into many small pieces.
Tao's Attack (w/Power Attack):
Damage:
Acrobatics:
"Come on!" Freya calls as the shattered bones fall into the sewage. "Find that swordpoint and see which way we're supposed to go!" She directs her 4 orbs of light against the walls in the junction room, hoping to illuminate the chalk drawing she is looking for.
Sarien pats Tao's shoulder. "You handled that very well. Thanks for taking point on the battle. Skeletons...not exactly my preferred purse to cut."
Turning to the wall, he searches for the mark with the others.
"I can't see anything of use here."