Round 2

(OOC: Taking Spira's and Aidwyn's turn)

Spira enters the room and positions herself so that she can take perfect aim at Mustache Man. As the man, surrounded by so many opponents, looks away from her for a moment, her tiefling pulls the trigger...

Spira's Light Crossbow attack: 17 Damage: 5 (piercing)

Round 2

Unfortunately, the bolt strikes the Zhentarim's leather armor at an unfavorable angle and fails to penetrate far enough to cause a deep wound. Mustache Man however lets out a cry of pain—he must have received at least one bruise or flesh wound.

Aidwyn takes the opportunity to attack in turn, striking blows with both sword and shield leaning over the improvised barrier!

Sword attack: 7 Damage: 9 (slashing)

Shield shove: 23

Mustache Man Athletics to resist the shove: 18

Round 2

The overturned counter hinders the warrior, who still hits with both sword and shield... but who is unable to push the blade deep enough to close the fight.

Mustache Man protests: "Damned coward!" while he receives a piercing wound to the upper arm and, thrown off balance by the blow of the shield, falls to the ground. The Zhentarim really likes badly hurt...

Now Roxana is up!

Combat Stats (those interested can peek):

(Library is about to close and won't be able to post until tomorrow ... if its OK I'll post for Spira now and ask you to patch any changes that need to be made in)

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Stepping diagonally forward so she is looking the remaining Zhentarim directly in the eyes, Spira aims her crossbow at his left eyeball.

"Your choice.  Surrender now, or I feed your fresh, warm carcass to my pets downstairs."

If he takes her up on her offer, well and good.  If he moves to do anything other than a commonly understood gesture of surrender, she shrugs regretfully and sighs, "You're too much of a threat to us then.  Sorry.", as she pulls the trigger.

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Intimidation 13

(Crossbow attack: 23)

(...and please, do tell us more about your dice rolling tool, it sounds most useful...)

Roxana takes careful aim at the mustached man as she draws back the arrow knocked on her bowstring. Ready to fire, she pauses to speak. "Where is your leader? Help us and you live." Shot ready to fly, she awaits an answer. 
(READY ACTION - Shortbow Attack: 20, Damage: 6, Sneak Attack Damage: 2 - due to enemy within 5ft.; TRIGGER: If the man states his refusal to help or tries to flee or attack.) 

Mustache Man looks around... he looks at the three dead comrades lying in a pool of their own blood... he looks at you, of which no one has fallen yet and you have your weapons ready to strike again...

"You know what, cutie?" he smiles at Roxana, theatrically opening her right hand to drop his mace and bringing it to his mustache to tidy the tips a bit. "You know how to be convincing".

"My 'leader', if you want to call him that," the Zhentarim continues, "is in the room he is so proud of, the throne room" he nods to the west doluble door. "You know? I think he might get offended if you just call him 'leader'... Since he found that room, I think that in his head he thinks he's a king..." he laughs "While instead he's just a half-orc with delusions of grandeur... and a whip always ready to spring. Well, really, even the his Battleaxe is always ready to spring... but I see that you are also quick with weapons! So... we're good to go, aren't we?" he raises an eyebrow wryly "Of course now you'll let me go with a pat on the back" from his expression it's clear that he doesn't believe at all that things will go like this...

(OOC: Of course, combat over. Now you can post freely again, instead of taking turns)

"You live. You're not going free," Roxana says.  She still hasn't released her hold on the knocked arrow.  "Obidiah?" She looks at the man standing right next to the Zhentarim. "Perhaps you can assist him? Just remember, we did agree to let him live." 

Aidwyn tried to move away the improv barricade so they can move freely between the corridor and the chamber 

As Roxana asks Obadiah to assist the remaining zhent, the white-haired warrior turns and simply strikes the zhent with his mighty fist, knocking him out cold. "He'll live." Obadiah mutters, then turning to face the western double doors, ready to dethrone this deluded half-orc king.

Unarmed attack: 18 non-lethal damage: 5

The woodsman delivers a sudden hook to the jaw, and down goes the prisoner. Yes, he's out cold.

Aidwyn, in the meantime, displaying a strength one would not expect in a young girl, manages to move away the improvised barricade. Now the passage is free.

(OOC: So now? Are you going through the western double door?)

"Thank you Obidiah," Roxana says briefly as she focuses on the double doors to the west. "This Zhent is probably expecting us. Think we can get him to surrender? Or just go in fighting?"

"If he considers himself a king I doubt he will surrender to peons like us, but as you say, he is likely expecting a visit now so there is no element of surprise to be lost by trying to talk him down." The white-haired warrior says grimly, waiting for the others to give him the go ahead.

Rash climbs over the barrier and looks around at the mess.

"Was it really necessary to kill so many of them?" he asks, poking one of the dead bodies with his staff.

"Well, I guess we're not going to do anything about that now. Can someone go retrieve the goblin while I go get the two from the tunnel? Now that we've taken out their friends, I don't want to worry that they'll get eaten by some bugs or something."

Spira walks over to the others, wiggling her fingertips wryly.  "Just dawned on me how silly we were to expect only ten Zhentarim simply because Wumgu told us there were 'ten', without stopping to reflect how likely it was the life he'd led with his past tribe was to teach him mathematical as opposed to other skills ... but yes, I suppose we'd better get ready for what I'd hope is the final battle.  And we'd better start looking around for beads ... remember the second prophecy said those were somehow significant.  More likely with the leader, yes, but let's keep our eyes out from now on."  She begins to examine the room much more thoroughly now that the battle is done.  "Just a quick sweep ... don't want our 'royal' friend getting impatient with us and descending to the level of paying us  a call."

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Investigation 23

Spira's quick sweep doesn't reveal anything of importance...

The counter no longer contains anything, it was just reused by the Zhentarim as a barrier... if it ever contained anything, who knows where it is now. Next to it are some unlit torches and a tinderbox, which the Zhentarim probably would have used in case of need to shed light.

Nothing else... but it's probable, however, even just for the shape of the counter, that this place mustn't be of recent construction at all - so in the course of its history it could very well have undergone looting or transformations.

Rash will check on the two captives in the tunnel to make sure that the goblin hasn't found them yet.

OK... The conscientious half-orc finds the two captives still unconscious, but otherwise in good health... and no sign of Wumgu (he seems to have kept his resolution never to set foot again in the 'Beautiful - But Dangerous - Den').