The tug in your mind leads through the mist just for a few minutes before you come upon a huge structure. Looming in the mist, a crumbling castle appears ahead of you. It is similar in style to all the buildings you have come across. A set of wide stairs leads up an awning gate. Stone walls extend far into the mist beyond your sight. The once grand structure is perforated with holes and collapsed sections. Just over the stone walls that ring th structure inside, you can see crumbling and desolate towers. A chunk of the ceiling has fallen and partially crushed the stairs. Flanking the stairs are two robed statues clutching spears in their grasp. Strangely, the mist that you have become accustomed to is much thinner here, and the feelings of loathing have stopped. In a whisper in Aimon's mind, the voice says, "Look for the tapestry. Beware, she is awake."

Oak snorts and his ears flick back and forth. “My goodness!... A real life castle...”, he observes in his deep slow voice, as they approach. “And your frightened woman is in there??”.

He chuckles to himself (but with a little fire in his big black eyes too), “Next you’ll be saying she’s being guarded by a dragon or something! ..Ha!.. Or she’s being held in the tallest tower!... Ha... Ahah ha!....”.

Oak is off in his own little fairytale world for a second, “Ha, and the minotaur saves the girl for once! Oh my! Ahah... ha...”.

((Did Trill notice anything different about the Tear of Sorrow?))

Aimon pauses and looks at Oak for a moment. Might have bitten off more than we can chew with this one, he thinks.

"She's in here somewhere, but not in a high tower," Aimon says. "We're looking for the opposite. She's trapped in a tomb. And there's something about a tapestry. Maybe hiding the entrance."

He bounds up the stairs, lightly stepping around the fallen rubble, looking for an entrance down to whatever was a basement for the castle or any sign of a tapestry. Then he stops and turns back the others.

"Not sure how to explain this, but whoever this person is scared of was sleeping but is now awake."

Oak notices Aimon looking over, and makes an effort to stop chuckling and look serious again. “Ahem... right... tomb, tapestry, got it...”. He sticks close to the half elf as he bounds up the stairs; Oak taking two or three stairs at a time.

@Trill

 Just as Aimon begins to ascend the stairs, the robed statues suddenly spring into motion and slam their spears into the stairs to form a large 'X' that blocks your path. In a voice that echoes ominously, they both say, "None shall enter."

Aimon dips and slides under the crossed spears, now paying more attention for traps and tripwires and the like.

Dimir:

Trill, upon seeing Aimon intent on disregarding the warning, calls out an encouraging ditty to him (Bardic Inspiration). 

"♫ You can do it, put your back into it! ♫"

Oak pulls up short just before the “X” of the spears.

With a rough snort, he glares at one statue and then the other. Then with a growling “Rawr!...” he swings his greataxe round at the left statue, aiming to glance down and along the spear itself into the statue’s hands and arms:

Attack: 8 Damage: 13 (magical slashing damage).

Roll initiative.

Both of the statues rip the spears out of the stone stairs and swing them smoothly at Aimon's back.

Attack: 23 Damage: 9

Attack: 12 Damage: 5

If one of those hits, it pierces you through the leg and into the floor and stops your movement . You are considered Grappled.

Oak's ax cleaves a section of its arm off, and it clatters to the ground.

Statue Initiative: 10

Caelynn stands at the bottom of the stairs, watching worriedly as her companions rush into the building. Something is... off about the place, and she'd rather spend time scouting and planning.

It becomes evident that she won't get that time when the statues start attacking Aimon. She sighs, but pulls out her crossbow, preparing to attack.

Initiative: 16

Seeing the statues react to Aimon, Oak would have taken the same action as described above but would have probably focused on the one grappling his friend.

Initiative: 21 

((all Oak’s greataxe-damage counts as ‘magical’))

((Note: the statues are resistant to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing. I swear everything in Oota is tanky af))

Initiative: 11

((OOC: Ooh... still learning minotaur, can I also follow up with a Hammering Horns bonus action?!... To try and push the grappling statue off Aimon?! ie Strength saving throw (DC 14), to push the statue up to 10 feet away... Away from Aimon?... Off the stairs?!))

Quote from Grwobert >>

((OOC: Ooh... still learning minotaur, can I also follow up with a Hammering Horns bonus action?!... To try and push the grappling statue off Aimon?! ie Strength saving throw (DC 14), to push the statue up to 10 feet away... Away from Aimon?... Off the stairs?!))

Hammering Horns

Immediately after you hit a creature with a melee attack as part of the Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action to attempt to shove that target with your horns. The target must be no more than one size larger than you and within 5 feet of you. Unless it succeeds on a Strength saving throw (DC 14), you push it up to 10 feet away from you.

 

 

 Yes, but you have to hit with an attack first.

@DM

Aimon sees the statues moving again as he hops through the spears. He rolls quickly to one side avoiding one of the spears but is just caught by the other as it stabs into his leg. With both hands still free, he quickly sheaths the rapier and heaves with all his strength to lift the spear out.

(Initiative: 24 ) 

@Oak

 Topsy: 15

Jimjar: 6

Eldeth: 17

Sarith: 21 

The party goes first.

 ((Also, everyone tell me their relative positions please))

If needed, Caelynn moves up the stairs so she's 30 feet from the statues. She fires a glowing crossbow bolt at the one grappling Aimon.

Attack: 28 Damage: 16 magical piercing + 5 psychic