Old Ways IC

[Matthew]

Nathros readies himself to advance after Brandon, "Plenty of work to be done yet, I would wager."

[Frivolous]

Nathros readies himself to advance after Brandon, "Plenty of work to be done yet, I would wager."

Brandon Bor

Brandon nods pensively and silently. To the older and more experienced dwarf, he looks nervous. Just a boy, really, although he has whiskers and the muscles of an adult man. He's holding the hilt of his sword too tightly.

Then he licks his dry lips and manages to get enough saliva in his mouth to say softly, "We'll give our comrades a bit to gather up the coin and so on, then we'll proceed."

He frowns. "Maybe even better than mere treasure. That goblin that tried to whip you looked like an overseer. He might have had keys or a map."

[Roland St. Jude]

The goblins each have a small knife and dirty goblin clothes. The overseer also has a short sword, axe, and a belt pouch with twenty gold and fifty silver. He's dressed more like the goblin patrol in oversized but quality clothing that is cut off to fit and dirty from lack of care. He does carry a single iron key.

[jmbrown]

"I may be able to put them to sleep again if we get overwhelmed. Who's taking point?"

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor

Brandon's eyes brighten and he nods when the iron key is discovered. Once all the bodies have been searched, he starts to cautiously move forward again.

He quietly replies to Jeanne, "Been lucky so far, so I am."

[Altair_the_Vexed]

Talsarios, feeling that he'll be less useful in the close confines of the keep's corridors, offers to carry the light source.

Spoiler

Show

He'll keep to the back of the party, and have his dagger and sling handy.

[Sterngir]

Gregaros followed the others, walking just a few paces ahead of the torch-bearer. He kept his sword ready in his hand, the blade dipped toward the ground.

[Matthew]

Nathros stalks the hall, axe in hand.

[Valameer]

Stefan cautiously advances with the group.

[Roland St. Jude]

Brandon advances at the vanguard and travels about fifteen feet before reaching a single wooden door, worn but seemingly sturdy, closing off the passageway ahead.

[Matthew]

Nathros checks for murder holes in the walls and ceilings of the passage.

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor

Brandon checks under the door for light, then takes off his helmet and puts his ear to the door to listen for sounds.

While he does this, he whispers to his companions, "I hope they don't put pit traps in their own keep the way they do outside. You don't think they do, do you?"

[Roland St. Jude]

Nathros notices the murderholes along each wall on both sides of the passageway. Beyond the door there is light and some muffled sound of talking.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

Talsarios whispers: "We should be ready to back out of this passage quickly if a fight starts - we could easily get flanked in here."

Gregaros moves up to the door and looks it over, examining it closely for trip wires and hidden catches.

Spoiler

Show

Gregaros searches for traps on the door:
10% chance of Finding Traps (easy!)...
"Find Traps" - (1d100)[31]

[jmbrown]

Jeanne whispers, mostly to herself "Now this is enjoyable. Stalking through ancient corridors, putting arrows in goblin skulls. I'm glad I left the homeland. Other elves are so dour when hunting you'd confuse them for dwarves pounding stone."

[Roland St. Jude]

Gregaros finds no traps on the door, but does notice the old but well-made lock on the heavy looking door.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

Drawing out a bundle of long, toothed steel rods, Gregaros sets to picking the lock.

Talsarios snorts quietly. "Hmph! Where did you learn to do that?"

Spoiler

Show

Gregaros's open locks chance is 15% - bound to be successful...
"Open locks" - (1d100)[48]

[Valameer]

Stefan pipes up while the lock is being picked, "And if that doesn't work, we can always try the key."

He smiles guilelessly.

[Matthew]

Nathros worries about the murder holes, and tries to stay out of their view.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

"Key? Oh, yes!" Talsarios fishes the key out of his belt pouch and passes it to Gregaros. "Try that," he says.

Gregaros glowers and fits the key quietly to the lock.

Spoiler

Show

If the key feels like a good fit, Gregaros will nod to the fighter types in turn, wait till he's sure he's got their agreement, then unlock the door and step back.

Talsarios will ready his sling and hold back.

[Roland St. Jude]

Gregaros' lock picks are impressive but ineffective, the key however does the trick, and he pauses with the door unlocked but closed, waiting for the others' assent.

A few arrows begin entering the hall through the arrow slits, seemingly at random, and fortunately they don't strike anyone.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

As the arrows fly, Talsarios stifles a shriek and ducks out of the hallway to the courtyard.
Mastering himself, he hefts his sling and looks about.

Spoiler

Show

Is the courtyard still deserted? If so, Talsarios will focus on covering the door at the end of the hall - from the outside. Otherwise, he'll tell the party they are flanked!

Gregaros remains crouched by the door, ready when he gets the nod to throw it open.

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor

Brandon hisses in alarm at the sudden rain of arrows. He relaxes only a little as he notices the arrows are all missing them.

Then he grins as he sees the key unlock the door. He squares his broad shoulders and whispers, "On my mark, we open the door. Three. Two. One. Mark."

Then he nudges the door open with his booted foot, sword and shield already in his hands.

[Matthew]

Nathros prepares to rush in after Brandon.

[Valameer]

Stefan takes cover behind his shield and gets ready to rush in behind Brandon and Nathros.

[Roland St. Jude]

Talasaros runs headlong back toward the entrance and manages to avoid the errant arrows.

Brandon edges open the door to see what looks like the staging area for a small goblin army. With the door only half open, the right half of the room has maybe a dozen goblins armored and wielding spears. A half-dozen scarecrow-like dummies rest against the far wall.

As the door opens further, it seems the other side of the room holds the same.

At a glance the room appears to be forty feet deep and running the whole width of the keep.

Arrows continue to pour forth irregularly through the murderholes in the entry tunnel.

[Matthew]

"That is a lot of goblins awake and fully armed in the daytime... spells?"

[Altair_the_Vexed]

Gritting his teeth, Gregoras follows up his new cohorts and strikes out at a goblin with his sword.

Spoiler

Show

Gregoras, Thief 1
AC 7; HP 1, max 1; THAC0 19
Attacking a goblin on the left of the room.
Sword - (1d20)[13]
Damage - (1d8)[7]

Seeing the fighters and his friend rush in to fight the goblins, Talsarios plucks up his courage again. He dashes back through the hail of arrows to the relative shelter of the threshold, swinging his sling as he goes. He is white with fear but determined...

Spoiler

Show

Talsarios, Magic-User 1
AC 9; HP1, max 1; THAC0 19
Attacking a goblin on the right at the far end of the room, past his fellows...
Sling - (1d20)[16]
Damage - (1d4)[4]

[jmbrown]

"Spells? Yes." Practicing her breaching tactics, Jeanne edges up to Brandon and casts sleep at the largest cluster of goblins.

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor

Brandon, mindful of being in an enemy fortress, controls his urge to shout a battle cry and simply steps forward and chops with his sword at the nearest armed goblin.

If possible, he aims at a big one, trying to kill the leader and break their morale.

Spoiler

Show

Hit Points: 6/8.

Attack: (1d20+1)[20]
Thac0: 19
Damage: (1d8+1)[3]