(012) Beneath the Gatehouse

[waysoftheearth]

makofan wrote:
Caine brings the arbalest to Padrig

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
At the passage crook, Mads, Padrig and Ulric hear the door battered down and the din of several somethings passing over the obstacles set there, but their eyes cannot penetrate the darkness and the thick fumes both. Something unknowable bounds toward them...

Michele and Padrig hastily place their torches down in the passage; Pelenwin picks up a fist sized stone as Padrig bends his short bow ready to let fly an arrow, and Caine presses up the passage to retrieve the loaded arbelast left behind by Michele. Michele, meanwhile, grasps his staff grimly in both hands and pushes past Thorgrim to join the fray, and not a moment too soon, it would seem...

Initiative is rolled (1d6; Dieter=6(+1), Olaf=2, Gustave=2, Ogre1=3, Ogre2=6)

The first Ogre (dices for its target, 1-3=Gustave, 4-6=Olaf; 1d6=5) lunges with brutal swiftness, knocking aside Gustave's initial feint with its bulky shield and then (1d20=18) thrashes through Olaf's defenses with terrible force and bludgeons him for (4dd=5,3,5,3) a concussive 10 hit points! Olaf is smashed senseless before he can counter, and in smote unto a gangly heap of limbs upon the floor.

"Run?!" Gloats the foul Ogre, "Not afore I rip the meat from yer bones, runt!" But
Gustave has already siezed the moment to counter and (1d20=19) makes a deep and deadly lung with his bright blade (2dd=2,5) gouging out a bloody rent in the Ogre's fat belly for 6 hit points -- causing it's eyes to buldge wide.

Meanwhile Dieter carries his angry assault against the second Ogre, matching the huge brute blow for blow in the confines of the low and cramped passage, catching sparks from the ancient cobbles with his steel blade (1d20=16) and fiercely cutting through the monster's defenses again, this time (2dd=1,3) dealing 5 hit points and opening a bloody slash across its knotted shoulder.

"Hell's Irons won't save yar now!" rants the beast, splaying rank spittle widely as it flings both club and shield in a maddened attempt to lay Dieter low (1d20=12) but only raising clouds of dust from the old flags as it clangs about.

At the last, Michele steps up and strikes out with his staff (1d20=3) but cannot find purchase nor opening to effect his attack.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
The situation is thus:

##.......#
##.......#
####..################ Double
####..################ Door
####..################===#####
####..################...######
####M.################...#########
####@p###########O.GX.........######
####U..P.C..A.@T...m.D.X............ <-- passage
######################===###########
######################=a=#########
###################### Stair
###################### Down
X Ogres
a Anwyn (slain)
D Dieter (sword, shield)
G Gustave (sword)
O Olaf (incap)
T Thorgrim (war-hammer)
P Pelenwin (hand-axe)
A Andaros (mace, shield)
m Michele (staff)
C Caine (shortbow, Michele's arbelast)
p Padrig (shortbow)
M Mads (shortbow)
U Ulric (lantern)

@ Torch


Olaf is incapacitated on -1 of 10 hit points (dead at -2).

Your intentions for next round?

[waysoftheearth]

mushgnome wrote:
Michele smashes the nearest Ogre with his quarterstaff.

[waysoftheearth]

verhaden wrote:
Mads the Fair

Knowing that the torture chamber isn't very wide, Mads steadily fires an arrow into the smoke filled room, then drops to a knee anticipating cross-fire.

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:
Olaf lies there and tries to stay alive...

[waysoftheearth]

danhem wrote:
Ulric holds his ground waiting for a target to incinerate.

[waysoftheearth]

Valandil wrote:
OCC: Sorry guys, been away for the weekend.

If Andaros has enough room to strike any of the ogres, he will do it. If it isn't possible, he will stand next to Olaf's body and defend it.

[waysoftheearth]

heartless wrote:
Padrig stands firm, ready to attack the coming foe. When I shot my arrow it will be beside or over the kneeling Mads, only if I can get a clear shot not to hit Mads. If I can't take the shot I will wait for Ulric's spell to go off and with spear and shield ready to support Mads.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Leaving The Torture Chamber

Mads, Padrig and Ulric are startled to see not one, nor two, but three great sized wolves, with thick, wiry pelts as black as night and eyes of fiery hellsent green, come bursting out of the infernal mist at full tilt! They verily scramble over one another to be the first to snap their enormous, salivating fangs and huge lolling tongues around your pale necks!

The pack gallops at terrible speed, allowing Mads, Padrig and Ulric but one stroke afore a perilous melee be joined!

Padrig has time yet to utter a syllable of an Old Elvish prayer ere he releases his arrow with lighting speed (1d20=10) but his missile only scoures the tough pelt of the leading monster, deflecting then harmlessly into the fume-cloud. Mads, kneeling in front of the other two, relies only upon his own fair eye and judgement, releasing his arrow as the tyrannical monsters bound into the neck of the passage as a thick group (1d20=15) and marking the left-most monster (1dd=2) with a ripping red slash down its flank for 2 hit points.

All this while has Ulric been ruminating upon the Draconic verses that mark The Rite of Anthracite Sufferance. As the beasts leap forth, so too do the decripit rasping and hissing syllables arise to his tongue, themselves demons yearning to burst unbidden from his unsuited lips. Not a moment after Padrig and Mads' arrows fly into the dark Ulric punches his splayed hand before him as he spits the final mote off his tongue and ignites the whole of the confined passage ahead of him in a red-blue infero that fully engulfs the onrushing monsters for one terrifying moment before it is suddenly spent! The monsters are each tormented by (1dd=4) 5 hit-points of cruel burns, and their black pelts are left a-smouldering and filled with a hundred sparks and embers!