Ardana nods, "but we want to catch them by surprise so if they don't immediately come down we initiate combat, I can step underneath the tunnel and throw a javelin. Is there space enough to do this, or do we need a spell?"
Yes, there's room for practically everyone to attack; at most, some of the guards may not be in full view but have some degree of cover.
Since Tarysaa has by now had all the time to describe the area well, I'll draw it for you (square size is 5' ):
You come from the southeast tunnel. The colored area is the part with the debris and the remains of the insectoid; the tunnel ends there... from the west wall, 20' higher up, the stone blocks have detached and crushed the poor vermin - therefore there is still a hole in the wall (probably the stone wall that delimits the 'beautiful den'). In the area beyond the hole (the two white squares east of the colored area) should be the guards that Tarysaa heard (and partially saw).
So, if the guards lean out from their area to get down or just to look from the hole, you can certainly try to hit them... as I wrote, depending on the situation, they could benefit from some degree of cover.
Tarysaa nods as she positions her bow, quiver and backpack along the north/south left hand wall. Taking a torch, she planted it in among the rubble below the ceiling 'hole'. 'Now the fun part,' she thought as she took some water and made a meandering trail to simulate 'blood or body fluid from around the last bend to the rubble strewn area. Tossing the water bag on top of her pack, she slowly lowered herself to the ground and crawled forward to the rubble; making certain to whisper her Prestidigitation cantrip to further soil her clothing. Once in her final spot, she began her Damsel in Distress performance.
*cough cough* Help... help me. Oh gods above, please let someone hear me. *cough cough with a little throaty gurgle added in for flair* oh... oh.. it hurts so bad. Why? Why did they do this to me? HELP .... can anyone hear me? Can .... anyone.... please...... help.
Another Prestidigitation to send the 'odd smell' of a dying creature (kind of blood, kind of decay) up to the hole.
Insert sporatic moans and coughs while waiting for a response...
Tarysaa tries to keep her eyes on the opening above her; her eyes closed to slits.
[ combat log: Performance = 9 ]
(( Okay, so I didn't join the drama club while at 'magic college' ))
(OOC; Well, it was deception, not Performance - because yes, you are 'acting', but with the intent to bluff the others, not to entertain -anyway, bonus was the same so sitll 9 it is)
For a couple of moments nothing happens, but then Tarysaa, thanks to her darkvision, sees a scruffy-looking youngster appear, with a rudimentary headband that tries in vain to bring some order to a chaotic brown hair. He narrows his eyes... but of course, like any human, he can't see anything in the dark!
"Do you see anything?" asks a voice behind him - and a second face appears, that of an older but neglected man with untidy gray hair and beard.
"And how could I?!" the young man replies "Can't you see that it's pitch dark?"
"Who are you, girl? Why are you in the dark?" the man asks (it's clear he means to address the 'damsel in distress', but it's equally clear he's not selling her - he's a human too) "What happened to you? How did you end up here?"
"Wait," the boy has an idea "I'll take a candle, light it and throw it down..."
(OOC: If Tarysaa wants to answer or someone wants to do something, please post. I'll quietly leave you some time, of course. Otherwise I'll proceed with the narration - and the young man will probably do what he announced ...)
Tarysaa will moan a few more times and haltingly say, " ... help please. The goblins robbed me. Dragged me somewhere and pushed me off a ledge. *cough cough... with some added wheezing* oh gods it hurts. I must have blacked out. I awoke to pitch blackness and have been crawling for so long... help me, please."
[ Any light source that is thrown down will last but a moment or two before Tarysaa uses Prestidigitation to snuff the flame out... thus frustrating their efforts to 'get a clear view' of the situation ]
"Goblins!" the boy worries "Did you hear?! There are still some of those worms..."
"But they're not close!" replies the other "Or they would have finished her! Didn't you hear? They pushed her off a ledge..."
"Let me see ..." the boy lights a candle, as he had announced. The dim light is only enough to illuminate the two villains, so the boy drops the candle down; but it has barely the time to illuminate the vague shape of the damsel in distress on the ground, who moves strangely for a moment, muttering something, and lo!...
"Imbecile!" curses the man "You let it turn off!"
"I?!" the young replies "But I just dropped it! She went off by itself! Wait, I'll try another one..."
"Forget it... Another one, you'll give it to me as I go down" the man says. "We had time to see that she's alone, there... I'm going to get a rope. And you" he turns towards the darkness, looking towards the position where shortly before he had seen Tarysaa "wait there and don't worry! Your troubles with the goblins are over! We'll take care of you".
"Yes," the boy smiles (a bit wickedly?) "don't be afraid. It's as my friend said, we'll take care of you. Good care".
(OOC: So now the situation is that those with darkvision can see the boy and man, which partially protrude from the hole - but apparently the man wants to go get a rope. Those without darkvision can't see anything, because the candle 'accidentally' went out. If someone wants to act, please post. If not, I will continue narrating what happens when the man goes away to get the rope...)
(OOC: This might be a good question but just remember you all that the man is about to leave... so you all have only a few moments to decide what to do before he actually leaves. Each character will have the time for a quick reply to Ardana, but after that... either you act, or the man just goes out of sight to do... whatever he intends to do.)
Engelhart, nervous and with the arrow already nocked to her longbow (so as to be ready to draw and shoot as soon as she has light to do so) whispers back: "I can't know... Either we're waiting to find out... or we get this party started".
"Time to take them out. Is our Sleep Spell ready?”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Helper of Create a World thread/Sedge is Chaotic Neutral/ Mega Yahtzee High: 34, Low: 14/I speak English, je me parle le Francais, agus Labhraim beagan Gaeilge
"It's ready!" assures Tyrgram "But I have to be able to see in order to cast it..."
(OCC: But from what Kol_Drake wrote in the OOC Thread, Tarysaa doesn't light the torch, but allows the man to go... he so leaves undisturbed)
In the meantime, the boy, perhaps bored, tries to make conversation with Tarysaa: "My name is Bjorn, anyway. Nice to meet you! What's your name, girlie?" ... "Does it hurt a lot? Anyway, you still did well! When you meet goblins, you always can be sure you end up badly! Those worms... They are not civilized people like us..." ... "Where did you say you're from? I'm from Westbridge. Nice place, you know? Maybe, after I've made my money, I'll go back there... Would you like to see it?"
...
(OOC: Up to Tarysaa if she responds and what)
In the end, the man comes back... and, it seems, he came back alone... with a rope and a lit torch: "With this we'll see better!" and he puts the torch right at the edge of the hole, so he has light to go down. Tarysaa is in dim light so...
"Hold the rope, I'm going down" the man passes the rope to the boy.
"No, wait... I'll go down!" Bjorn counter-proposes "Now the girlie over there and I are friends... I'll help her".
The man looks at him seriously: "No nonsense, though, huh? Bring her up! We have to take care of her..."
"Of course!" assures the other "I can't wait! We'll be with you in a moment!"
Bjorn begins to descend, while the man holds the rope...
(OOC: Is it during the descent, if I understand correctly, that Tarysaa wants to act? Among other things, for the moment you can all see the two Zhentarim, thanks to the torch the man brought)
Helper of Create a World thread/Sedge is Chaotic Neutral/ Mega Yahtzee High: 34, Low: 14/I speak English, je me parle le Francais, agus Labhraim beagan Gaeilge
(OOC: Well, guys... I could have Engelhart start the fight by attacking, but I'd rather not... Such an important decision is best left to the party. So, if someone wants to start the fight by attacking, now that the boy is climbing down using the rope held by the other, go on and post the attack. If nobody attacks... I'll go on narrating what happens as Bjorn finally reaches the bottom)
(OOC: Well, guys... I could have Engelhart start the fight by attacking, but I'd rather not... Such an important decision is best left to the party. So, if someone wants to start the fight by attacking, now that the boy is climbing down using the rope held by the other, go on and post the attack. If nobody attacks... I'll go on narrating what happens as Bjorn finally reaches the bottom)
(OOC: my biggest question is.. who has the torch? The kid climbing down or the older guy up in the hole?)
(OOC: Well, guys... I could have Engelhart start the fight by attacking, but I'd rather not... Such an important decision is best left to the party. So, if someone wants to start the fight by attacking, now that the boy is climbing down using the rope held by the other, go on and post the attack. If nobody attacks... I'll go on narrating what happens as Bjorn finally reaches the bottom)
(OOC: my biggest question is.. who has the torch? The kid climbing down or the older guy up in the hole?)
Nobody has; the man brought it and placed it at hole's edge (his hands are busy holding the rope). It is near the man, anyway. The torch provides bright light in a 20' radius, plus dim light for an additional 20'... It is enough to allow the boy to see Tarysaa.
Engelhart, with a sudden decision and a soft grunt of effort, extends her Longbow and lets loose an arrow at the man above, the one who is holding the rope.
Tarysaa hears the twang of the longbow string and goes into motion. Rolling upright she looks at the young man on the stone rubble and casts Ray-of-Frost .
(Combat Log: Ray of Frost = 10 oof... that was a baaaad roll, sorry folks)
Glancing up toward the hole, she readies another spell.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Ardana nods, "but we want to catch them by surprise so if they don't immediately come down we initiate combat, I can step underneath the tunnel and throw a javelin. Is there space enough to do this, or do we need a spell?"
Yes, there's room for practically everyone to attack; at most, some of the guards may not be in full view but have some degree of cover.
Since Tarysaa has by now had all the time to describe the area well, I'll draw it for you (square size is 5' ):
You come from the southeast tunnel.
The colored area is the part with the debris and the remains of the insectoid; the tunnel ends there... from the west wall, 20' higher up, the stone blocks have detached and crushed the poor vermin - therefore there is still a hole in the wall (probably the stone wall that delimits the 'beautiful den'). In the area beyond the hole (the two white squares east of the colored area) should be the guards that Tarysaa heard (and partially saw).
So, if the guards lean out from their area to get down or just to look from the hole, you can certainly try to hit them... as I wrote, depending on the situation, they could benefit from some degree of cover.
Tarysaa nods as she positions her bow, quiver and backpack along the north/south left hand wall. Taking a torch, she planted it in among the rubble below the ceiling 'hole'. 'Now the fun part,' she thought as she took some water and made a meandering trail to simulate 'blood or body fluid from around the last bend to the rubble strewn area. Tossing the water bag on top of her pack, she slowly lowered herself to the ground and crawled forward to the rubble; making certain to whisper her Prestidigitation cantrip to further soil her clothing. Once in her final spot, she began her Damsel in Distress performance.
*cough cough* Help... help me. Oh gods above, please let someone hear me. *cough cough with a little throaty gurgle added in for flair* oh... oh.. it hurts so bad. Why? Why did they do this to me? HELP .... can anyone hear me? Can .... anyone.... please...... help.
Another Prestidigitation to send the 'odd smell' of a dying creature (kind of blood, kind of decay) up to the hole.
Insert sporatic moans and coughs while waiting for a response...
Tarysaa tries to keep her eyes on the opening above her; her eyes closed to slits.
[ combat log: Performance = 9 ]
(( Okay, so I didn't join the drama club while at 'magic college' ))
(OOC; Well, it was deception, not Performance - because yes, you are 'acting', but with the intent to bluff the others, not to entertain -anyway, bonus was the same so sitll 9 it is)
For a couple of moments nothing happens, but then Tarysaa, thanks to her darkvision, sees a scruffy-looking youngster appear, with a rudimentary headband that tries in vain to bring some order to a chaotic brown hair. He narrows his eyes... but of course, like any human, he can't see anything in the dark!
"Do you see anything?" asks a voice behind him - and a second face appears, that of an older but neglected man with untidy gray hair and beard.
"And how could I?!" the young man replies "Can't you see that it's pitch dark?"
"Who are you, girl? Why are you in the dark?" the man asks (it's clear he means to address the 'damsel in distress', but it's equally clear he's not selling her - he's a human too) "What happened to you? How did you end up here?"
"Wait," the boy has an idea "I'll take a candle, light it and throw it down..."
(OOC: If Tarysaa wants to answer or someone wants to do something, please post. I'll quietly leave you some time, of course. Otherwise I'll proceed with the narration - and the young man will probably do what he announced ...)
(( Deception would have been that same 9 :( ))
Tarysaa will moan a few more times and haltingly say, " ... help please. The goblins robbed me. Dragged me somewhere and pushed me off a ledge. *cough cough... with some added wheezing* oh gods it hurts. I must have blacked out. I awoke to pitch blackness and have been crawling for so long... help me, please."
[ Any light source that is thrown down will last but a moment or two before Tarysaa uses Prestidigitation to snuff the flame out... thus frustrating their efforts to 'get a clear view' of the situation ]
"Goblins!" the boy worries "Did you hear?! There are still some of those worms..."
"But they're not close!" replies the other "Or they would have finished her! Didn't you hear? They pushed her off a ledge..."
"Let me see ..." the boy lights a candle, as he had announced. The dim light is only enough to illuminate the two villains, so the boy drops the candle down; but it has barely the time to illuminate the vague shape of the damsel in distress on the ground, who moves strangely for a moment, muttering something, and lo!...
"Imbecile!" curses the man "You let it turn off!"
"I?!" the young replies "But I just dropped it! She went off by itself! Wait, I'll try another one..."
"Forget it... Another one, you'll give it to me as I go down" the man says. "We had time to see that she's alone, there... I'm going to get a rope. And you" he turns towards the darkness, looking towards the position where shortly before he had seen Tarysaa "wait there and don't worry! Your troubles with the goblins are over! We'll take care of you".
"Yes," the boy smiles (a bit wickedly?) "don't be afraid. It's as my friend said, we'll take care of you. Good care".
(OOC: So now the situation is that those with darkvision can see the boy and man, which partially protrude from the hole - but apparently the man wants to go get a rope. Those without darkvision can't see anything, because the candle 'accidentally' went out. If someone wants to act, please post. If not, I will continue narrating what happens when the man goes away to get the rope...)
Ardana whispers, "Will he bring back others?"
(OOC: This might be a good question but just remember you all that the man is about to leave... so you all have only a few moments to decide what to do before he actually leaves. Each character will have the time for a quick reply to Ardana, but after that... either you act, or the man just goes out of sight to do... whatever he intends to do.)
Engelhart, nervous and with the arrow already nocked to her longbow (so as to be ready to draw and shoot as soon as she has light to do so) whispers back: "I can't know... Either we're waiting to find out... or we get this party started".
"Time to take them out. Is our Sleep Spell ready?”
Helper of Create a World thread/Sedge is Chaotic Neutral/ Mega Yahtzee High: 34, Low: 14/I speak English, je me parle le Francais, agus Labhraim beagan Gaeilge
Dream of Days Lore Bard 9/Wizard 4 Baulder's Gate: Descent to Avernus (In Person/Over Zoom)
Saleadon Morgul Battle Smith Artificer 11 Tyranny of Dragons (In Person/Over Zoom)
Hurtharn Serpti Ghostslayer Blood Hunter 7 Spelljammer (Over Zoom)
Ex Sig
"It's ready!" assures Tyrgram "But I have to be able to see in order to cast it..."
(OCC: But from what Kol_Drake wrote in the OOC Thread, Tarysaa doesn't light the torch, but allows the man to go... he so leaves undisturbed)
In the meantime, the boy, perhaps bored, tries to make conversation with Tarysaa: "My name is Bjorn, anyway. Nice to meet you! What's your name, girlie?"
...
"Does it hurt a lot? Anyway, you still did well! When you meet goblins, you always can be sure you end up badly! Those worms... They are not civilized people like us..."
...
"Where did you say you're from? I'm from Westbridge. Nice place, you know? Maybe, after I've made my money, I'll go back there... Would you like to see it?"
...
(OOC: Up to Tarysaa if she responds and what)
In the end, the man comes back... and, it seems, he came back alone... with a rope and a lit torch: "With this we'll see better!" and he puts the torch right at the edge of the hole, so he has light to go down. Tarysaa is in dim light so...
"Hold the rope, I'm going down" the man passes the rope to the boy.
"No, wait... I'll go down!" Bjorn counter-proposes "Now the girlie over there and I are friends... I'll help her".
The man looks at him seriously: "No nonsense, though, huh? Bring her up! We have to take care of her..."
"Of course!" assures the other "I can't wait! We'll be with you in a moment!"
Bjorn begins to descend, while the man holds the rope...
(OOC: Is it during the descent, if I understand correctly, that Tarysaa wants to act? Among other things, for the moment you can all see the two Zhentarim, thanks to the torch the man brought)
Ilwythe‘ll look at the others “Ready?”
Helper of Create a World thread/Sedge is Chaotic Neutral/ Mega Yahtzee High: 34, Low: 14/I speak English, je me parle le Francais, agus Labhraim beagan Gaeilge
Dream of Days Lore Bard 9/Wizard 4 Baulder's Gate: Descent to Avernus (In Person/Over Zoom)
Saleadon Morgul Battle Smith Artificer 11 Tyranny of Dragons (In Person/Over Zoom)
Hurtharn Serpti Ghostslayer Blood Hunter 7 Spelljammer (Over Zoom)
Ex Sig
Tyrgram nods: "Whenever you want... just strike, then I'll try my sleep spell".
(OOC: Well, guys... I could have Engelhart start the fight by attacking, but I'd rather not... Such an important decision is best left to the party. So, if someone wants to start the fight by attacking, now that the boy is climbing down using the rope held by the other, go on and post the attack. If nobody attacks... I'll go on narrating what happens as Bjorn finally reaches the bottom)
(OOC: my biggest question is.. who has the torch? The kid climbing down or the older guy up in the hole?)
(OOC: Engelhart starting is ok with me, probably our highest hit percentage only issue is no darkvision)
Nobody has; the man brought it and placed it at hole's edge (his hands are busy holding the rope). It is near the man, anyway. The torch provides bright light in a 20' radius, plus dim light for an additional 20'... It is enough to allow the boy to see Tarysaa.
(OOC: Engelhart taking the first shot is fine. I take it, that will be the fellow up in the hole?)
Tarysaa tenses as she hears and sees the figure slowly making it's way down the rope onto the top of the stone blocks and other rubble.
Engelhart, with a sudden decision and a soft grunt of effort, extends her Longbow and lets loose an arrow at the man above, the one who is holding the rope.
Attack: 9 Damage: 14 (piercing)
Tarysaa hears the twang of the longbow string and goes into motion. Rolling upright she looks at the young man on the stone rubble and casts Ray-of-Frost .
(Combat Log: Ray of Frost = 10 oof... that was a baaaad roll, sorry folks)
Glancing up toward the hole, she readies another spell.