(OOC: Oh, well, as Forrest Gump reminds us, 'shit happens')
"You must have taken us for idiots, man!" laughs a voice from the other side of the door "Your voice resembles Akhil's as much as the pigsty I was born in resembles Evermeet!"
A chorus of laughter follows. And the door doesn't open.
Mangy, annoyed by hearing voices clearly unwelcome to him again, begins to growl loudly, but stays by Daisy's side, looking at her trustingly with his feral yellow eyes.
(OOC: If you’ll be as merciful and generous a dungeon mistress as I hope and allow a short verbal interaction as a reaction from Nim, he says the following. If not I bow courteously and respect our venerable Mistresses decision and Nim will keep quiet!)
Nim look towards Daisy with a look of disappointment and stress and in a hushed tone says…
”Shit… sorry, performance anxiety i guess. Maybe pretend to use me as a hostage?”
Tarysaa moves up to the door and tried to hear what she can hear... hoping to get a count of how many may be in the room. PERCEPTION: 5
Unfortunately, with Mangy growling and perhaps, the wooden door being too thick, she is unable to detect anything of note.
Suddenly a sly smirk crosses her lips as she leans in as close as possible to the tight seam of the door.
PRESTIDIGITATION (You create an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, faint musical notes, or an odd odor.)
Tarysaa conjures up the worst mix of rotting swamp cabbage stink + major skunk spray + the worst body ordor she's ever encountered -- and tries to work it into the barricaded room.
With a satisfied nod of her head, she slips back to her previous tactical position.
Although initially Tarysaa hears nothing, after creating her own deadly mix of unpleasant smells, the wizard distinctly hears a voice, just behind the door, complaining: "What the hell... What are they doing there now?! It seems almost as if they killed Mangy, left him to decompose for a few days in his feces, then tried to boil it all together with some cabbage..."
Daisy, perplexed, awaits the development of events, ready to intervene, both in person and directing her new four-legged friend (OOC: Letting the others act, in the meantime, but if you come here to post before the end of Round 6 feel free to take your turn).
Who knows what the Zhentarim are doing behind the door meanwhile?
Clas, Ardana and Ilwhyte can take their turn for round 6! Any order!
Clas bursts into the room, kicking the door wide open, and charges forward. He unsheathes his sword 'Ale,' ready to use it at the first opportunity, while holding his shield 'Barrel' before him. Laughter fills the air as he makes this grand and lively entrance, and there's no doubt that he's fully energized and ready for action! Hahahaha!
Game Log STR Check 1 Hahahaha! Clas steps back from the door with a smile and gets ready to barrel rush it again! Hahahaha!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Never underestimate the power of a finely crafted barrel, my friend! It is both a vessel of strength and a symbol of resilience.
Clas' impetus is unfortunately not sufficient to defeat the sturdy wood of the door; but our hero takes a running start and prepares for a new attempt.
Meanwhile Ardana tries to break the door with hammer blows, initially with limited success (OOC: In fact, an attack roll is required even to hit inanimate and immobile objects - I suppose the interpretation is related to their hardness, in the sense that too low a shot simply fails to damage them appreciably).
Nim, who is exactly in front of the hated door, is now busy moving to one side to make room for Clas' attempt to break through, now moving to the other side so as not to hinder Ardana's hammer blows... He is probably evaluating if it is really the case to remain in that position...
(OOC: Waiting for Daisy and Ilwhyte to post their action for this round, I'll leave Nim free to act too. After all, in these last rounds the actions of the characters are somewhat disconnected from those of the enemies)
Now Daisy, Ilwhyte and Nimblestep can take their turn for round 6! Any order!
Nim shrugs off his piteous attempt at identity fraud, clears the air bubble in his throat that likely impeded his previous attempt and uses his skills gained in song, poetry recital and general bardic performance to once more attempt to replicate what he can remember as the voice of the bald man.
(OOC: Performance/deception check? 13 for performance or 11 for deception.)
”Get your hands off me! My Zhentarim brethren, don’t listen to their deceptive impressions of me. But heed my words we cannot win this fight. They’ve killed us all and taken me hostage while barely lifting a finger. The magic and strength they yield is enough to bring this hillside to rubble. What we did to those wretched goblins they could do to us tenfold. I beg you to yield and accept our defeat lest we take our early graves. Open the door and surrender our weapons and mayhaps we may live to see the sun once more.”
After some hesitation, someone yells from inside: "Hey, you, outside the door... nobody of us wants to die for that grandeur-mad half-orc Mhurren Flick. Just let us out, okay? Leave the way out free for us, no surprises, we exit... and you'll never hear from us again. We'll be free to go, while you'll be free to do whatever you came to do! We all win! How about that?"
(OOC: Guess is not a fight anymore, at least for now... so everybody is free to partecipate to the discussion, no need to keep acting in turns)
"I've got nothing that can get us through a door. Why don't two of you stronger folks team up and try to push it open?" Daisy looks to Illwythe, Ardana and Clas.
The dwarf steps into the hallway Nimblestep emerged from and wait with a rock ready should the Zhentairm appear. While waiting, she notices the door behind her and gives it a couple of bumps with her shield. "Anyone in there?"
(Move: Step north of Cl. Action: Ready rock attack. Object interaction: Knock on the door.)
Clas is ready to try to force open the door again saying, "Hahahaha! Those Zhentarim slavers, they're a cunning bunch. They'll turn to banditry or march straight to the nearest Zhentarim keep they know about. We might not hear from them again, but mark my words, some poor soul will!"
STR check 15 bardic inspiration 3 for 18 to kick open the door. Clas rushes in as far as he can, unsheathes Ale with Barrel ready and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Tarysaa notes Daisy stepping into the corridor just as a person inside the barricaded room starts speaking.
Before she can blink, Clas makes another run at the barricaded door and seems to be doing better than last time when he bounced backward from the stout barrier. Chaos seems to be in effect...
Tarysaa just tries to keep her sense of self balance and keep vigil along all the avenues of potential attacks.
While someone seems to be evaluating the Zhentarim proposal, Daisy goes to knock on the new door, followed by Mangy.
After a while, a weak and hesitant voice replies: "W-who is it?"
And another voice, sharply sarcastic, replies: "Good fairies who come to offer us treats and gifts! Isn't it obvious!?"
This is followed by the sound of a door shattering - the classic sound of wood giving way under the weight of a powerful, bardic-inspired kick.
"And now what the f..." exclaims the well-known Bearded Man (Bm), overwhelmed by the door (and by Clas) and forced to retreat in order not to fall.
In the room, Clas notices three other Zhentarim, in addition to Bearded Man: a Boy with bowl-shaped red hair (Rh), a Big-headed man (Bh) and a Pointy-nosed woman (Pn). All three were trying to put on their respective leather armor… but under the circumstances, of course, they stop holding their weapons, forced to fight wearing the meager clothes they were sleeping in.
As for the room, it is a large one, with simple and (once) comfortable beds; now they are ruined by time (some parts of the wood have given way and the mattresses rest on the ground) but still usable. the beds cover the entire perimeter of the room (there are ten in total). In the center of the room, there is a large wooden tub (7' in diameter) empty.
Once more into the breach! Is Ardana blocked from moving through Ni and Cl squares to the open square next to Bm, then one more square to be next to Bh? Would like to do that and make a hammer attack on Bh.
Ardana manages to make her way through friends and enemies, to reach the depths of the melee to order surrender, to underline the concept with a heavy blow of the hammer... but, once again, the narrow spaces in which the warrior is not all used to betray her! The hapless large wooden tub finds itself in the path and absorbs the impact instead of the designated Zhentarim. The wood shatters with a thunderous crash.
Big-Headed Man, wincing at his narrow escape, tries to strike back with a swing of his mace!
The blow comes from the right side of the paladin, the side from which she would usually parry with her weapon... but the arm is still slightly numb from the unexpected impact with the tub and it is too slow: the head of the Zhentarim's mace comes heavily to mark on upper arm; the armor prevents the bone from breaking, but there's definitely a good bruise underneath...
Ilwhyte, inspired by the example of Ardana and Clas, also bursts into the room, swinging a handaxe in each hand. In order to make room for more allies to enter, the barbarian first tries to get rid of Bearded Man!
Round 5
(OOC: Oh, well, as Forrest Gump reminds us, 'shit happens')
"You must have taken us for idiots, man!" laughs a voice from the other side of the door "Your voice resembles Akhil's as much as the pigsty I was born in resembles Evermeet!"
A chorus of laughter follows. And the door doesn't open.
Mangy, annoyed by hearing voices clearly unwelcome to him again, begins to growl loudly, but stays by Daisy's side, looking at her trustingly with his feral yellow eyes.
Now Round 6 starts and Daisy is up!
Combat Stats (those interested can peek):
Initiative Name Status
18 Daisy Undamaged
? ? ?
17 Clas Undamaged (d6 Bardic Inspiration)
16 Ardana 1 Damage (d6 Bardic Inspiration)
? ? ?
13 Ilwythe Undamaged (Ready to attack)
12 Tarysaa Undamaged
? ? ?
7 Nimblestep Undamaged
7 Wolf Undamaged (Abused)
4 Bearded Man 8 Damage
(OOC: If you’ll be as merciful and generous a dungeon mistress as I hope and allow a short verbal interaction as a reaction from Nim, he says the following. If not I bow courteously and respect our venerable Mistresses decision and Nim will keep quiet!)
Nim look towards Daisy with a look of disappointment and stress and in a hushed tone says…
”Shit… sorry, performance anxiety i guess. Maybe pretend to use me as a hostage?”
Ok for the reaction; Nim spesks to Daisy as you narrated. Now let's see what your fellow adventurers want to do...
Tarysaa moves up to the door and tried to hear what she can hear... hoping to get a count of how many may be in the room.
PERCEPTION: 5
Unfortunately, with Mangy growling and perhaps, the wooden door being too thick, she is unable to detect anything of note.
Suddenly a sly smirk crosses her lips as she leans in as close as possible to the tight seam of the door.
PRESTIDIGITATION (You create an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, faint musical notes, or an odd odor.)
Tarysaa conjures up the worst mix of rotting swamp cabbage stink + major skunk spray + the worst body ordor she's ever encountered -- and tries to work it into the barricaded room.
With a satisfied nod of her head, she slips back to her previous tactical position.
Round 6
Although initially Tarysaa hears nothing, after creating her own deadly mix of unpleasant smells, the wizard distinctly hears a voice, just behind the door, complaining: "What the hell... What are they doing there now?! It seems almost as if they killed Mangy, left him to decompose for a few days in his feces, then tried to boil it all together with some cabbage..."
Daisy, perplexed, awaits the development of events, ready to intervene, both in person and directing her new four-legged friend (OOC: Letting the others act, in the meantime, but if you come here to post before the end of Round 6 feel free to take your turn).
Who knows what the Zhentarim are doing behind the door meanwhile?
Clas, Ardana and Ilwhyte can take their turn for round 6! Any order!
Combat Stats (those interested can peek):
Initiative Name Status
18 Daisy Undamaged
? ? ?
17 Clas Undamaged (d6 Bardic Inspiration)
16 Ardana 1 Damage (d6 Bardic Inspiration)
? ? ?
13 Ilwythe Undamaged (Ready to attack)
12 Tarysaa Undamaged
? ? ?
7 Nimblestep Undamaged
7 Wolf Undamaged (Abused)
4 Bearded Man 8 Damage
Clas bursts into the room, kicking the door wide open, and charges forward. He unsheathes his sword 'Ale,' ready to use it at the first opportunity, while holding his shield 'Barrel' before him. Laughter fills the air as he makes this grand and lively entrance, and there's no doubt that he's fully energized and ready for action! Hahahaha!
Game Log STR Check 1 Hahahaha! Clas steps back from the door with a smile and gets ready to barrel rush it again! Hahahaha!
Never underestimate the power of a finely crafted barrel, my friend! It is both a vessel of strength and a symbol of resilience.
I'm assuming the door is made of wood? Ardana will take a swing at the door with her hammer to try to break it open.
(OOC: don't know if she needs a roll to hit - but if she does, nat 1. damage 11)
Round 6
Clas' impetus is unfortunately not sufficient to defeat the sturdy wood of the door; but our hero takes a running start and prepares for a new attempt.
Meanwhile Ardana tries to break the door with hammer blows, initially with limited success (OOC: In fact, an attack roll is required even to hit inanimate and immobile objects - I suppose the interpretation is related to their hardness, in the sense that too low a shot simply fails to damage them appreciably).
Nim, who is exactly in front of the hated door, is now busy moving to one side to make room for Clas' attempt to break through, now moving to the other side so as not to hinder Ardana's hammer blows... He is probably evaluating if it is really the case to remain in that position...
(OOC: Waiting for Daisy and Ilwhyte to post their action for this round, I'll leave Nim free to act too. After all, in these last rounds the actions of the characters are somewhat disconnected from those of the enemies)
Now Daisy, Ilwhyte and Nimblestep can take their turn for round 6! Any order!
Combat Stats (those interested can peek):
Initiative Name Status
18 Daisy Undamaged
? ? ?
17 Clas Undamaged (d6 Bardic Inspiration)
16 Ardana 1 Damage (d6 Bardic Inspiration)
? ? ?
13 Ilwythe Undamaged (Ready to attack)
12 Tarysaa Undamaged
? ? ?
7 Nimblestep Undamaged
7 Wolf Undamaged (Abused)
4 Bearded Man 8 Damage
Nim shrugs off his piteous attempt at identity fraud, clears the air bubble in his throat that likely impeded his previous attempt and uses his skills gained in song, poetry recital and general bardic performance to once more attempt to replicate what he can remember as the voice of the bald man.
(OOC: Performance/deception check? 13 for performance or 11 for deception.)
”Get your hands off me! My Zhentarim brethren, don’t listen to their deceptive impressions of me. But heed my words we cannot win this fight. They’ve killed us all and taken me hostage while barely lifting a finger. The magic and strength they yield is enough to bring this hillside to rubble. What we did to those wretched goblins they could do to us tenfold. I beg you to yield and accept our defeat lest we take our early graves. Open the door and surrender our weapons and mayhaps we may live to see the sun once more.”
Insight: 6
After some hesitation, someone yells from inside: "Hey, you, outside the door... nobody of us wants to die for that grandeur-mad half-orc Mhurren Flick. Just let us out, okay? Leave the way out free for us, no surprises, we exit... and you'll never hear from us again. We'll be free to go, while you'll be free to do whatever you came to do! We all win! How about that?"
(OOC: Guess is not a fight anymore, at least for now... so everybody is free to partecipate to the discussion, no need to keep acting in turns)
"I've got nothing that can get us through a door. Why don't two of you stronger folks team up and try to push it open?" Daisy looks to Illwythe, Ardana and Clas.
The dwarf steps into the hallway Nimblestep emerged from and wait with a rock ready should the Zhentairm appear. While waiting, she notices the door behind her and gives it a couple of bumps with her shield. "Anyone in there?"
(Move: Step north of Cl. Action: Ready rock attack. Object interaction: Knock on the door.)
Clas is ready to try to force open the door again saying, "Hahahaha! Those Zhentarim slavers, they're a cunning bunch. They'll turn to banditry or march straight to the nearest Zhentarim keep they know about. We might not hear from them again, but mark my words, some poor soul will!"
STR check 15 bardic inspiration 3 for 18 to kick open the door. Clas rushes in as far as he can, unsheathes Ale with Barrel ready and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Never underestimate the power of a finely crafted barrel, my friend! It is both a vessel of strength and a symbol of resilience.
PERCEPTION 15
Tarysaa notes Daisy stepping into the corridor just as a person inside the barricaded room starts speaking.
Before she can blink, Clas makes another run at the barricaded door and seems to be doing better than last time when he bounced backward from the stout barrier.
Chaos seems to be in effect...
Tarysaa just tries to keep her sense of self balance and keep vigil along all the avenues of potential attacks.
Round 7
While someone seems to be evaluating the Zhentarim proposal, Daisy goes to knock on the new door, followed by Mangy.
After a while, a weak and hesitant voice replies: "W-who is it?"
And another voice, sharply sarcastic, replies: "Good fairies who come to offer us treats and gifts! Isn't it obvious!?"
This is followed by the sound of a door shattering - the classic sound of wood giving way under the weight of a powerful, bardic-inspired kick.
"And now what the f..." exclaims the well-known Bearded Man (Bm), overwhelmed by the door (and by Clas) and forced to retreat in order not to fall.
In the room, Clas notices three other Zhentarim, in addition to Bearded Man: a Boy with bowl-shaped red hair (Rh), a Big-headed man (Bh) and a Pointy-nosed woman (Pn). All three were trying to put on their respective leather armor… but under the circumstances, of course, they stop holding their weapons, forced to fight wearing the meager clothes they were sleeping in.
As for the room, it is a large one, with simple and (once) comfortable beds; now they are ruined by time (some parts of the wood have given way and the mattresses rest on the ground) but still usable. the
beds cover the entire perimeter of the room (there are ten in total). In the center of the room, there is a large wooden tub (7' in diameter) empty.
Now Ardana is up!
Combat Stats (those interested can peek):
Initiative Name Status
18 Daisy Undamaged
18 Red Hairs Undamaged
17 Clas Undamaged
16 Ardana 1 Damage (d6 Bardic Inspiration)
15 Big-Headed Man Undamaged
13 Ilwythe Undamaged (Ready to attack)
12 Tarysaa Undamaged
8 Pointy-Nosed W Undamaged
7 Nimblestep Undamaged
7 Wolf Undamaged (Abused)
4 Bearded Man 8 Damage
Once more into the breach! Is Ardana blocked from moving through Ni and Cl squares to the open square next to Bm, then one more square to be next to Bh? Would like to do that and make a hammer attack on Bh.
"Surrender, and we will spare your lives."
(OOC: Attack roll: nat 1, thats 3 in a row!)
Round 7
Ardana manages to make her way through friends and enemies, to reach the depths of the melee to order surrender, to underline the concept with a heavy blow of the hammer... but, once again, the narrow spaces in which the warrior is not all used to betray her! The hapless large wooden tub finds itself in the path and absorbs the impact instead of the designated Zhentarim. The wood shatters with a thunderous crash.
Big-Headed Man, wincing at his narrow escape, tries to strike back with a swing of his mace!
Attack: 23 Damage: 5 (bludgeoning)
Round 7
The blow comes from the right side of the paladin, the side from which she would usually parry with her weapon... but the arm is still slightly numb from the unexpected impact with the tub and it is too slow: the head of the Zhentarim's mace comes heavily to mark on upper arm; the armor prevents the bone from breaking, but there's definitely a good bruise underneath...
Now Ilwythe is up!
Combat Stats (those interested can peek):
Initiative Name Status
18 Daisy Undamaged
18 Red Hairs Undamaged
17 Clas Undamaged
16 Ardana 7 Damage (d6 Bardic Inspiration)
15 Big-Headed Man Undamaged
13 Ilwythe Undamaged (Ready to attack)
12 Tarysaa Undamaged
8 Pointy-Nosed W Undamaged
7 Nimblestep Undamaged
7 Wolf Undamaged (Abused)
4 Bearded Man 8 Damage
Round 7
(OOC: Taking Ilwhyte's turn)
Ilwhyte, inspired by the example of Ardana and Clas, also bursts into the room, swinging a handaxe in each hand. In order to make room for more allies to enter, the barbarian first tries to get rid of Bearded Man!