CF - Volo's Adventurers' Guild - PbP Campaign

"Umm... I could talk to them," Livia agrees, then opens the door and slips through to the other side. She doesn't close the door behind her, but she doesn't leave it completely open either, so that the others can quickly follow but should hopefully stay hidden behind the door, for the moment.

"Uh, excuse me?" Livia rather shyly calls for attention when she enters the room. Hopefully, even the most agressive creatures shouldn't find a young woman in a white dress to be particularly intimidating and attack on sight.

Livia steps out into an open area that is overhung by the cave entrance. Shallow steps lead up through a steep fissure to the south and turn east into the mountainside. Here, a broad entranceway has been carved out of the stone. Marble steps cracked with age and veined with green moss lead up to a strong double door of carved stone, eight feet wide and almost ten feet tall.

The large, double stone-door is shut.

Arrow slits high on the north side where Livia came from and also on the south wall command this area.

There is no one else here.

Livia steps out into an open area with a narrow ledge overlooking a deep, dark crevasse that cuts the room in two.  and dangerous-looking rope bridge, frayed and thin, spans the gap to the east. Water gurgles and rushes somewhere far below. Two copper braziers burn brightly on either side of the door, which is shut, illuminating the western half of the room. She realizes the door was the source of the slamming noise. Another ledge is barely visible on the other side of the chasm. 

She can barely discern some movement on the other side.

Serena quickly moves after Livia. "I'm sorry Livia, I was unclear, I think they just passed outside the door. We'd have to look inside for them." She says softly in an apologetic tone.

(Is it possible to get a new map to get our bearings again? :-)

Quote from Oberon99 >>

Serena quickly moves after Livia. "I'm sorry Livia, I was unclear, I think they just passed outside the door. We'd have to look inside for them." She says softly in an apologetic tone.

(Is it possible to get a new map to get our bearings again? :-)

 ((Map... Yes! Oh shoot! coming right up... good call... need to retcon that last description... the door Livia comes out is on the otherside from what I was imagining... ))

((Retconed above and here: 

Livia steps out into an open area with a narrow ledge overlooking a deep, dark crevasse that cuts the room in two.  and dangerous-looking rope bridge, frayed and thin, spans the gap to the east. Water gurgles and rushes somewhere far below. Two copper braziers burn brightly on either side of the door, which is shut, illuminating the western half of the room. She realizes the door was the source of the slamming noise. Another ledge is barely visible on the other side of the chasm. 

She can barely discern some movement on the other side.

((Is Livia being stealthy at all? If so, please roll Ack, batting a thousand to day... Livia is not being stealthy... but rather attempting to be unthreatening... roll Persuasion or Deception check.))

Persuasion: 23.

Amplified by the acoustics of this cavern, Livia detects the creaking strain of bows being drawn. However, no arrow is loosed. Instead, a gruff voice from the other ledge calls out in broken common "What you want?"

Livia coughs once, clearing her throat. If she messes up, she might not have a chance even to call the others before arrows strike her body. "I was sent here to inform you that this place has been conquered just recently by powerful mages and warriors. Even your leader, the Ogre, has fled this place in fear of them and has gone far away. While the conquerors of this cave could have ended your lives before you even knew it, they decided to be merciful and give you a chance to leave this place, and the nearby town, without resisting. If you do, they will not harm you, and you can start your lives anew elsewhere." 

This may have been full of lies and inaccuracies, but it seemed like the only way to convey the message without getting attacked... maybe. If she already did her best to appear unthreatening, attempting to suddenly appear threatening, alone, would probably be close to impossible. Especially, before losing her life to the arrows. Playing as a proxy, a messenger, sent by someone of greater power, might be believable, though. At least, that is what Livia believes.

Performance/Deception (same bonus): 5. +2 if it's Persuasion.

A nasty laugh responds to her entreats. The voice in orcish says:

 This cruel sounding missive is followed by the flight of several arrows at Livia:

Arrow 1: Attack 9 Damage on Hit: 5

Arrow 2: Attack 7 Damage on Hit: 3

Arrow 3: Attack 8 Damage on Hit: 9

Arrow 4: Attack 11 Damage on Hit: 6

"NOOOOO, LIVIA!" Serena cries out, calling upon her fey powers to create an illusion of a fiery wall, blocking off the sight of the archers, protecting her protegé and trying to get her back into the hall they came from.

"Ah, don't worry," Livia's voice comes out weak from below. "I'm not dead yet." She struggles to stand back up. Her previously white dress is stained by a growing red spot, though it's not even large enough to raise concern... had it been anyone other than Livia. When the arrows began flying, Livia raised her magical defences to deflect some of the shots, but one of them still broke through and hit her. Her shoulder was pierced, and while it does not seem life-threatening on its own, Livia's frail body might not do well with blood loss. The force with which the arrow hit her knocked her to the floor, but she was still alive and conscious.

Livia walks, leaning on Serena, towards the door and to cover. "The Orcs chose violence," is all she has to say.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Livia, I never should have left you like that." Serena says, trying to help Livia to safety of cover in the hallway with the others, helping her to sit down. "The wound, it looks bad." She says, clearly worried now. "Tesvar, hurry!" She says, motioning for the dragonborn to put her divine powers to use. "You're safe now Livia, we will take care of the orcs, they will regret choosing violence." She says grimly, readying herself for the orcs to eventually figure out the fiery wall is an illusion.

Perception to notice when orcs come closer: 8 Stealth if time enough to hide: 24

"Those rapscallions!" Banjo exclaims, not the slightest bit amused.  He peers through the doorway.  "Well, this is no good at all.  We'd have to cross a rickety bridge over an indeterminate drop, under heavy missile fire the entire time."

Banjo looks back at his sketchings of the ruins the have investigated thus far.  "Perhaps there is some way to double back and come up on them from behind..." he murmurs to himself.

(Back from my extended hiatus- did we take a short rest prior to this?  I’ll assume yes Because Tresvar wasn’t ready :)).
Tresvar looks at Livia with concern and places a clawed hand on the wound.  (It heals for 4hit points,”). “” I don’t have more”, the Dragonborn says grimly,   surveying her own blood soaked armor.    “Let’s get this over with and we can get to safer places” 

Short rest 15 

((Assuming all of you who wish to take a short rest do so, where do those who don't need a rest position yourselves?))

(Assuming the orcs don't follow us immediately Serena also would like a short rest :-)

(Hold on, do you all remember we took a short rest just a moment ago? Nobody cast any spells, and only Livia took any damage. Livia doesn't really gain anything from a short rest now. Are you all sure we should spend our time on that? I think Tresvar should just roll the hit dice she couldn't because they were busy.)

Livia thanks Tresvar for her help, although she feels like the healing was better used to heal herself, who stands at the front to take hits all the time.

"We climbed up using a hidden door before, so maybe if we go the proper path instead we could reach the other side," Livia answers Banjo. "There was also a another door to our right when exiting this door, while the bridge is to our left. I suppose that other door was the main entrance, if the Orcs who surrendered were supposed to guard it."

Quote from FireCat5 >>

(Hold on, do you all remember we took a short rest just a moment ago? Nobody cast any spells, and only Livia took any damage. Livia doesn't really gain anything from a short rest now. Are you all sure we should spend our time on that? I think Tresvar should just roll the hit dice she couldn't because they were busy.)

 

 ((This seems entirely reasonable - make it so.))

(Okay, honestly forget about the short rest, it was some time ago it seems. Are we still poisoned though?)