Expedition - Varas/The Dragon's Hoard - May 20, 1 VC

[Starbeard]

Odium waits tensely as Varas and Deliah attempt to neutralize the threat from the guard room above. He peers cautiously through the portcullis, looking for movement.

[Marullus]

Deliah shakes her head and redirects to Odium. "For today, he puts them to sleep, I make them our friends. If we want to enlist them as guides and vanguard to fight for us after they're tied up, I'm your gal."

[Keehnelf]

May 26, 1 VC - 4:20pm

(a bunch of secret rolls, assuming Odium will agree to cast his Sleep spell)

The unpleasant wizard makes his incantations, directing his magical energies toward the open window above, and then nodding to Varas once the act is complete. The thief shimmies back up the rope as quickly as he can before the enchantment ends, and slips as quietly as he is able through the window. The scabbard of his sword catches on the narrow sill as he passes through, and the hilt shifts unexpectedly against the stone, making a slight scraping noise and a clack as the scabbard strikes the far side. He freezes in place, ready to leap back out and descend should this stir the group to wakefulness, but thankfully either the spell worked or the group are sound sleepers.

How does he deal with them?

[AleBelly]

Assuming Odium does cast the sleep spell.

Varas finds climbing the rope much easier than the rocky face. He winces as his sword tings the frame of the window. Still not convinced they are asleep, the thief moves as quickly as possible. He slits the throats of the following in order - the stronger-looking gnoll, the other gnoll, then the orc. We can befriend another he thinks to himself, recalling Deliah's earlier statement. He never did trust that spell...

If successful, he waves the others up, a smile on his face.

[Keehnelf]

As Varas leans out the window, he notices once again how narrow it is. Dorvar, he thinks, is never going to squeeze through this opening.

[AleBelly]

Varas looks about. He first listens at the barred door for clues as to what lies on the other side. Then he carefully examines the murder holes. Can he fit through one? If so, would it allow him to descend on the other side of the portcullis?

[Keehnelf]

May 26, 1 VC - 4:30pm

None of the murder holes appear large enough to squeeze down through, and they drop forty feet to the passage floor below--seemingly outside the portcullis.

He hears nothing at the door.

[AleBelly]

Varas climbs down the rope again. "Your round dwarf ass isn't going to fit through that window" he says pointedly to Dorvar. "It looks like that was a guard room. There's a barred door up there, which makes me wonder what they were barring against. Were they expecting an attack? I suppose it doesn't matter. It's getting late, and we need shelter for the night.

Can all of you climb a rope? I think those of us that can fit through that window should find out what's behind the barred door and see if we can make our way back down here to the other side of the gate. Then we can let Dorvar in. Odium, not sure you'd be much help either unless you have spells left. Who's with me?"

[Marullus]

Deliah nods, shimmying up the rope with Frent and Alfric. Hermes flaps up and perches on the window, cawing an all-clear before she reaches the top.

[Starbeard]

Odium grumbles something that can't be heard and follows Deliah up the rope. 'If they were already asleep, what kept you from slaying them the first time? Sleep is sleep,' he wheezes as they reach the window, '—and climbing ropes is too much for my old bones!'

Once in the room, he looks around. 'Well, then. Let's find whatever contraption is keeping that portcullis shut, so that we do not have to come back this way.'

[Scott308]

Dorvar Thduum

Mustard and I will wait out here. Dorvar will lead the trusty steed over near the portcullis, hoping to be able to make themselves less conspicuous should anyone approach.

[AleBelly]

Varas helps the old man up and over the sill.

'
Sleep is sleep,' he wheezes as they reach the window, '—and climbing ropes is too much for my old bones!'

"Not so. But you already knew that. Your spell served us well. Now hush so others aren't alerted to our presence" he replies testily.

The thief waves down to Dorvar confidently. He checks the barred door carefully for traps, looking for any triggering mechanism when the bar is lifted...he'll also look around the edges of the door. If he finds nothing untoward, he will light a torch, remove the bar and open the door slowly. If he sees nothing, he will throw the torch into the hallway outside.

[Keehnelf]

May 26, 1 VC - 4:50pm

Varas makes a thorough inspection of the door, around its edges as well as where the various mechanisms interact with one another. Eventually, he seems satisfied that there are no hidden traps and he slides the bar away from the door into an upright resting position, then opens the door a crack to peer into the hall beyond.

The door opens directly into a corridor of some kind, though from his current vantage Varas can't get a good look, since about ten feet away from the door a small mass of writhing foot-long centipedes seems to be scouring something from the passage floor. They appear not to have noticed Varas at this point, or to be unconcerned with him if they have spotted him.

[AleBelly]

Varas relays to the others what he has found. A flask of oil should take them out. "But I don't have one. Do any of you?"

[Marullus]

Deliah shudders at the bugs, producing a flask from her pack and handing it over. "Four hours of light in this dark hole is a fair trade for a mass of bugs...", she whispers.

-1 oil flask, 9 remaining

[AleBelly]

Varas accepts the flask with a nod. He pulls a scrap of cloth from one of the dead humanoids and stuffs it into the flask. He lights it with his torch and steps into the hallway, tossing it at the writhing mass.

Oil toss [1d20+1] = 3+1 = 4

DAMMIT!

[Keehnelf]

Varas tosses the oil toward the bugs, and winces inwardly as he realizes too late that he's used far too much force. The flask smashes against the floor on the far side of the mass, and now frightened by the burning oil the churn of centipedes begins rushing toward the half-opened door!

(Actions and initiative!)

[Marullus]

Deliah drops back, a thin-bladed knife appearing out of her bodice's ribbing into her hand. She flings it at the approaching horde hoping to skewer one in the mass.

Initiative [1d6+1] = 3+1 = 4
Throwing knife [1d20+1] = 8+1 = 9 [1d4] = 2

(Keehnelf - do I roll for Alfric and Frent or do you?)

[Keehnelf]

I do, including dictating their actions, though you can issue commands to them during your action as well.

[AleBelly]

Varas curses under his breath as he slings his bow from his shoulder and fires an arrow at an approaching centipede.

Attack with long bow under 70' (THAC0 19) [1d20+2] = 17 + 2 = 19, damage [1d8] = 8

If he has time, he steps back into the room and over a humanoid body, keeping it between him and the centipedes in hopes that they choose to feast on its flesh.