Gjoren sighs as Stone moves, and says, "Well, I suppose we'd best get into position. Incidentally, I don't suppose anyone's given any thought to how we're supposed to breath when we go inside for the kids?"
"In my version, the smoke would encourage them to come out so we don't have to rush in there. Of course, they may not be aware of my cunning plan!"
Bron grins inanely.
Gjoren sighs once more, and heads about a hundred yards from the building's entrance. He nocks an arrow, and prepares to loose at the first enemy to walk through the door.
Stone smiles and gets into a fighting stance a few feet away from the door, out of the path of Gjoren's arrow.
"Aim well my friend," Stone whispers, "my spirit will haunt you in shame if I die here half-naked!"
Bron stands in a combat ready stance, his warhammer gripped in both hands - its head shoulder height.
Daegan continues reciting the beginnings of his incantation in his head, waiting for the moment to release the magic upon Bron's warhammer, gripping his holy symbol hard enough to cause his knuckles to whiten, in his state of concentration.
Myvannuii grins as Stone puts Bron's plan into action, then turns to cast mage armour on herself, calmly speaking the words as she unties a knotted leather thong taken from one of her belt's many pouches, concentrating on transferring the force of the binding to her own person. For an instant, a translucent shirt of loops like glittering mail appears over her clothing, fading from sight - but not touch - the moment after. Happy with her added layer of protection, Myvannuii scrambles down to where Gjoren stands bemused, nocking her own bow beside him. She shrugs, joking, "Mighty and cunning heroes are we! At least - if Bron's stratagem succeeds in drawing our quarry out."
Daegan's prayers are answered by Iomedae and Myvannuui's spell takes effect as well, while Stone nimbly climbs up the side of the stone building.
The monk disrobes and holds his robe over the smoking chimney-hole. A brief time passes tensely before he hears some shouting:
"[unintelligible]! Prickles, go see what's happening with the chimney! [unintelligible] And quit yer crying and choking, ye brats! If this were the Plane o' Fire, ye'd really have something to cry about!"
"Yes, master," a gruff voice replies, dripping with insolence. "[unintelligible]," it mutters in a language Stone doesn't recognize.
The door slowly opens, and a sweaty gnoll slinks out, armed with a bow and wearing a fine chain shirt.
The blessing cast upon Bron's warhammer, Daegan invokes the goddess of valor once again, for a more widely-affecting blessing upon these champions against the unrighteous. "Ciente Invictus."
OK, you get a surprise round. Roll for initiative!
Here's a link to the map: http://sites.google.com/site/hogarthsshackledcitycampaign/Home/draktharsway
Let me know if you want to be somewhere else on the map.
Initiative
Initiative
Bron will advance on the hut at normal speed, keeping a clear line of sight for the archers to the doorway.
Twitching her head in annoyance at how far askew her haste has knocked her aim, Myvannuii tries to calmly correct it, watching for the movement of the men closing in on the entrance and ready to switch to her spells if she's at risk of hitting one of them with an arrow.
OK, you get a surprise round. Roll for initiative!
Surprise round:
18: Bron moves towards the building.
16: Myv pokes her head out from behind a rock and fires at the gnoll, missing badly.
15: Daegan casts Bless and the adventurers are blessed by the grace of Iomedae.
8: Bron stops covering the chimney and moves over to the other end of the roof.
?: Gjoren fires at the gnoll. Caught flat-footed, the hyena-man howls in pain and surprise. (10 dmg)
1: Flask the guardsman fires his crossbow and also misses badly.
Round 1:
18: Bron...?
16: Myv...?
Bron covers the remaining distance to the doorway with a few strides and attacks the gnoll, swinging his warhammer with two hands and aiming squarely for the creature's head.
Seeing that Bron has closed the distance between the gnoll and himself, Myvannuii decides that it would be best to contribute a spell, and not to miss. She casts magic missile with a wild surge: As the missile streaks from her pointed finger, she starts trying to collect her thoughts and energies for her next spell.
Surprise round:
18: Bron moves towards the building.
16: Myv pokes her head out from behind a rock and fires at the gnoll, missing badly.
15: Daegan casts Bless and the adventurers are blessed by the grace of Iomedae.
8: Stone stops covering the chimney and moves over to the other end of the roof.
7: Gjoren fires at the gnoll. Caught flat-footed, the hyena-man howls in pain and surprise. (10 dmg)
1: Flask the guardsman fires his crossbow and also misses badly.
Round 1:
18: Bron charges the gnoll and smashes it with his warhammer! (7 dmg) The gnoll looks badly hurt and is beginning to panic
17: A roaring voice comes from inside the smithy. "Prickles! Get your mangy ass back in here! We're being attacked!" You hear some clattering of metal and the crying of children.
16: Myv casts her spell and the gnoll staggers back, on the brink of passing out. (4 dmg, gnoll is staggered)
15: Daegan casts (Bless? I thought you cast Bless already) and moves towards the door
8a: Prickles the gnoll staggers back a step inside the building and closes the door.
8b: Stone...?
7: Gjoren...?
1: Flask the guardsman rushes forward
Round 2:
18: Bron...?
17: Prickles...?
16: Myv...?
Daegan will move up to the door and attempt to assist Bron in busting it open.
Not pleased that their quarry is willing to risk stifling in smoke rather than face the party outside, putting the stolen children in even greater danger, Myvannuii darts forward towards the door, keeping clear of Gjoren's sighting. From there, heart pounding, she lines herself up with the door again, in case the occupants plan to rush out when they think they have an advantage, and so that she's closer to support the rest of the party advancing to help Stone force the door.
Daegan will move up to the door and attempt to assist Bron in busting it open.
1d20+2
Bron shakes his head and wonders how his cunning plan failed. "Oh well, it looks like Plan B then."
With a grin, Bron looks at Daegan and prepares to break the door down.
Surprise round:
18: Bron moves towards the building.
16: Myv pokes her head out from behind a rock and fires at the gnoll, missing badly.
15: Daegan casts Bless and the adventurers are blessed by the grace of Iomedae.
8: Stone stops covering the chimney and moves over to the other end of the roof.
7: Gjoren fires at the gnoll. Caught flat-footed, the hyena-man howls in pain and surprise. (10 dmg)
1: Flask the guardsman fires his crossbow and also misses badly.
Round 1:
18: Bron charges the gnoll and smashes it with his warhammer! (7 dmg) The gnoll looks badly hurt and is beginning to panic
17: A roaring voice comes from inside the smithy. "Prickles! Get your mangy ass back in here! We're being attacked!" You hear some clattering of metal and the crying of children.
16: Myv casts her spell and the gnoll staggers back, on the brink of passing out. (4 dmg, gnoll is staggered)
15: Daegan casts (Bless? I thought you cast Bless already) and moves towards the door
8a: Prickles the gnoll staggers back a step inside the building and closes the door.
8b: Stone drops down off the room and tries to force the door open with his brute strength. The door is forced open and the wounded gnoll barks in alarm.
Inside is a somewhat smoky blacksmith shop. Shields, armor and weapons line the walls, and along the sides of the building are some cots and other signs of inhabitation. Two children -- a dwarf boy and a human girl -- are cowering miserably, but another child -- a human boy -- perks up enough to say: "Nyah, nyah! Now you're going to get it, you buttfaces!"
Also in the room are two strange beings. One looks like a dwarf at first glance, but his skin is the color of steel and his hair is like bronze. Next to him is an bonfire that burns without fuel and moves as if alive.
"Attack my smithy, will ye? You'll die before you take a single copper piece from my fist!" he roars as he shakes a warhammer in challenge.
7: Gjoren doesn't have a clear shot because Stone is in the way. He (?) waits for an opportunity to act.
1: Flask the guardsman rushes forward
[Does anyone want to revise their action now that the door is open?]
Round 2:
18: Bron...?
17: Prickles...?
16: Myv...?
Daegan will attempt to move in front of the blonde dude (yeah, great directions, there) and see if he can hurl a dagger at the gnoll that will be diagonally across from him through the door.
If so
Damage
Bron will step into the building and take a two-handed warhammer swing at the closest bad guy.
Hearing the crack and swish as Stone throws himself at the door, bursting it open, Myvannuii starts off again, getting as close as possible without getting in Gjoren's way, frowning as she's delayed by the rocky outcroppings that the party used to conceal their approach. She presses ahead as quickly as she can, balancing the need for haste with the knowledge that she will only be a hindrance until she can get a clear bowshot in or regain the focus necessary to cast something more powerful than a cantrip.
Bron will step into the building and take a two-handed warhammer swing at the closest bad guy.
1d20 + 6; 1d8 + 4
18: Bron charges the gnoll and smashes it with his warhammer! (7 dmg) The gnoll looks badly hurt and is beginning to panic
17: A roaring voice comes from inside the smithy. "Prickles! Get your mangy ass back in here! We're being attacked!" You hear some clattering of metal and the crying of children.
16: Myv casts her spell and the gnoll staggers back, on the brink of passing out. (4 dmg, gnoll is staggered)
15: Daegan casts (Bless? I thought you cast Bless already) and moves towards the door
8a: Prickles the gnoll staggers back a step inside the building and closes the door.
8b: Stone drops down off the room and tries to force the door open with his brute strength. The door is forced open and the wounded gnoll barks in alarm.
Inside is a somewhat smoky blacksmith shop. Shields, armor and weapons line the walls, and along the sides of the building are some cots and other signs of inhabitation. Two children -- a dwarf boy and a human girl -- are cowering miserably, but another child -- a human boy -- perks up enough to say: "Nyah, nyah! Now you're going to get it, you buttfaces!"
Also in the room are two strange beings. One looks like a dwarf at first glance, but his skin is the color of steel and his hair is like bronze. Next to him is an bonfire that burns without fuel and moves as if alive.
"Attack my smithy, will ye? You'll die before you take a single copper piece from my fist!" he roars as he shakes a warhammer in challenge.
7: Gjoren doesn't have a clear shot because Stone is in the way. He (?) waits for an opportunity to act.
1: Flask the guardsman rushes forward
Round 2:
18: Bron elbows his way past Stone and drops "Prickles" the gnoll with one mighty blow of his hammer! The human boy (who must be Terrem) chortles with glee at the gruesome sight.
17a: The "dwarf" roars with rage. "You know how hard it is to find an apprentice? Even one as worthless as that mangy mutt?" He charges forward, hammer swinging in a deadly arc. It clangs off of Bron's armor, but he feels the power behind the blow.
17b: The living bonfire also rushes forward and attacks Bron. An "arm" slams into the warrior, and it is as if he were pummelled by a flaming tree trunk (1d6+1 damage -- make a Reflex save, Bron).
16: Myv moves towards the building as fast as she can.
15: Daegan tosses a dagger at the steely dwarf, but he misses.
7: Gjoren...?
1: Flask...?
** spoiler omitted **
Round 2:
17b: The living bonfire also rushes forward and attacks Bron. An "arm" slams into the warrior, and it is as if he were pummelled by a flaming tree trunk (1d6+1 damage -- make a Reflex save, Bron).
Bron whips his sleeve away before it can light on fire.
Round 2:
18: Bron elbows his way past Stone and drops "Prickles" the gnoll with one mighty blow of his hammer! The human boy (who must be Terrem) chortles with glee at the gruesome sight.
17a: The "dwarf" roars with rage. "You know how hard it is to find an apprentice? Even one as worthless as that mangy mutt?" He charges forward, hammer swinging in a deadly arc. It clangs off of Bron's armor, but he feels the power behind the blow.
17b: The living bonfire also rushes forward and attacks Bron. An "arm" slams into the warrior, and it is as if he were pummelled by a flaming tree trunk (1d6+1 damage -- make a Reflex save, Bron).
16: Myv moves towards the building as fast as she can.
15: Daegan tosses a dagger at the steely dwarf, but he misses.
8: [oops, missed Stone] Stone throws a pair of punches at the flame monster, but he flinches away from the creature's heat.
7: Gjoren fires an arrows into the mob of combatants, on the off-chance it will hit the metal dwarf, but it fails.
1: Flask elbows his way through and over to the boy Terrem, moving very quickly all of a sudden. To everyone's surprise, he begins chanting words in the language of magic.
Spellcraft DC 16:
His voice changes to a silky purr as he says: "Terrem, my boy -- hold my hand and let's leave this place."
Terrem looks transfixed and stammers out, "Oh...yes. Let's leave..." As he grabs Flask's hand.
The dwarf growls, "Who are ye, and what do ye think ye're doing, stealing my slave boy? Not that he's worth the money I paid for him, dammit!"
Round 3:
18: Bron...?
17a: Dwarf...?
17b: Fire monster...?
16: Myv...?
15: Daegan...?
Spellcraft
Daegan moves next to Stone and takes a swing at the living flame creature, shouting over the din as he does, "Flask! What treachery is this? Release your enchantment on the boy, or face justice with the other slavers!"
Attack
Damage
Bron scans the room and as troubling as the situation with the boy is, his fighter training kicks in and he targets the nearest threatening foe.
Bron faces the talkative dwarf, shouting, "Slave!...Slave!...By Caden, I'll give you 'slave' you little..." and with that he swings his warhammer double-handed straight at the dwarf's skull.
Peering through the smoky smithy and the press of combat, Myvannuii spots the group's foes through the door and tries to place them, piecing together lore she read ages ago. As Flask suddenly forces his way to Terrem's side, his words calling up unexpected magic that Myvannuii can feel rising in the room, she diverts her attention to the guard's work, trying to figure out what's happening.
"Magic's sake, man! If you're going to charm anyone, turn one of our foes! The children aren't troubling us!" she exclaims in exasperation, her annoyance cutting into her effort to be heard over the sound of the fighting. As the dwarf and the living flame continue their attack, she squeezes past Daegan and breaks right, hugging the wall to make sure the cleric can get past and bring his sword to the battle. Unsure of Flask's plans, Myvannuii decides to press the assault on the roiling flame, flinging a conjured glob of acid towards it.
Round 2:
18: Bron elbows his way past Stone and drops "Prickles" the gnoll with one mighty blow of his hammer! The human boy (who must be Terrem) chortles with glee at the gruesome sight.
17a: The "dwarf" roars with rage. "You know how hard it is to find an apprentice? Even one as worthless as that mangy mutt?" He charges forward, hammer swinging in a deadly arc. It clangs off of Bron's armor, but he feels the power behind the blow.
17b: The living bonfire also rushes forward and attacks Bron. An "arm" slams into the warrior, and it is as if he were pummelled by a flaming tree trunk (1d6+1 damage -- make a Reflex save, Bron).
16: Myv moves towards the building as fast as she can.
15: Daegan tosses a dagger at the steely dwarf, but he misses.
8: [oops, missed Stone] Stone throws a pair of punches at the flame monster, but he flinches away from the creature's heat.
7: Gjoren fires an arrows into the mob of combatants, on the off-chance it will hit the metal dwarf, but it fails.
1: Flask elbows his way through and over to the boy Terrem, moving very quickly all of a sudden. To everyone's surprise, he begins chanting words in the language of magic.
Spellcraft DC 16:** spoiler omitted **
His voice changes to a silky purr as he says: "Terrem, my boy -- hold my hand and let's leave this place."
Terrem looks transfixed and stammers out, "Oh...yes. Let's leave..." As he grabs Flask's hand.
The dwarf growls, "Who are ye, and what do ye think ye're doing, stealing my slave boy? Not that he's worth the money I paid for him, dammit!"
Round 3:
18: Bron's warhammer bounces off of the dwarf's shield.
17a: The dwarf (azer) smashes back with his own warhammer. It crashes into Bron's shoulder, and the pain from the searing-hot weapon is excrutiating! (13 dmg, 20 so far...)
17b: The fire monster (elemental) also attacks the sorely wounded Bron and almost knocks him senseless (2 dmg -- Bron has 1 hp left! Bron, make another DC 14 Reflex save).
16: Myv identifies the two combatants as an azer and a fire elemental, two creatures from the strange Plane of Fire. She slightly scalds the elemental with a splash of acid. (1 dmg)
15: Daegan hits the elemental with a solid blow, causing its odd flaming form to quiver in distress (5 dmg, 6 dmg total).
8: Stone...?
7: Gjoren...?
1: "Flask"...?
Noting multiple blows converging on Bron, Daegan says loudly, "Shielde high warriors!" hoping that the message is conveyed.
8: Stone hits the flame elemental with one fist (7 dmg, 13 dmg total).
7: Gjoren moves forward a bit and fires at the elemental as well. The arrow streaks in between the combatant and neatly sticks into the monster, causing it to flicker in even greater distress (8 dmg, 21 dmg total).
1: "Flask" ignores the adventurers and speaks only to Terrem. "Good lad. Now hold on tightly; we're going to go for a little trip." He speaks some more magical words...
Spellcraft 18:
...and he and the boy rise up through the chimney-hole in the roof, brushing aside Stone's cloak as they ascend higher and higher.
...and he and the boy rise up through the chimney-hole in the roof, brushing aside Stone's cloak as they ascend higher and higher.
"Stop - he's kidnapping the boy!"