Chapter 3: The Glittering Tower

[Pulpatoon]

At the first sign of activity within the room, the head begins to retreat, but the Princess swings the door further open. Held torches reveal a group of six rough humans dressed in the peculiar rag-and-patchwork assemblage that is the universal habiliment of pirates.

There are some comments of alarm in an unfamiliar language. The group looks alert and anxious. They are armed with curved swords and a few spears. They hold these defensively before them.

Jake raises his voice and calls out.Move careful, friend. There's a lot of weapons on this side of the door.

One of the men in the back pushes forward and, eyeing Deet's musket, cobbles together a few words in your language. "Putting weapons down. Noise bringing Eld." He gestures imperatively at the floor. He and his companions make no move to put their own weapons down.

Actions!
More Monday!

[Rowenn552]

Basil Day

Spinning about and struggling to remove his prop Excalibur from its scabbard, damned paint must've dried up inside of the thing, Basil decides to just look intimidating with hand on handle as the men emerge from the shadowy door.

In his most commanding voice, which isn't so at all, Basil had only played a small role in this play, "Name yourself sir and mayhap you and your men sheathe your weapons as well. Also...", then in a more squeaky voice, "...what is this 'Eld' you speak of?"

[Starbeard]

The Princess is not alarmed. She stares the leader down and continues where Basil left off. "Yes, your weapons are both rude and useless here. If you are friends you shall find friends amongst us, but if you are enemies you shall hang from the gallows beneath my palace window. You look like a seafaring man: what is your ship and under which flag do you sail?"

[coil23]

Horton gestures to the others where the pirates cannot see him. He mimes slamming the door, quickly moving the space tapestry to lie on the floor right in front of the door, and then allowing them to force the door open again (by calling to them?) and hopefully coming in fast to fall into space. He shrugs as if to offer this as an option.

Horton is sure they will need something to skew the odds in their favor. As is, they will not fare well in a front battle.

[Pulpatoon]

The spokesman takes a moment to parse the questions asked in a language he is only haltingly familiar with. "We being Ondrj's... We being of Ondrj. Not friends. We taking." He gesticulates towards you. "Better than Eld doing."

Does the party act on Horton's plan?

Actions!
More on Wednesday!

[ChubbyPixie]

Wikerus, instantly getting the drift of Horton's arcane and mysterious hand motions, jumps forward, slams the door and bracing himself against it. "I'll hold the door. Who wants to initiate part two of Horton's plan?" he says, gesturing towards the void tapestry. "You'll never get in!" he yells through the door then smiles and winks conspiratorially at the others.

[kensanata]

Splinter takes cover behind the reed ship and loads his musket, ready to shoot anybody coming through, specially marauders.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Flintlock pulls out his gavel and knocks it on the door once it is closed. He is incredibly pleased to have a magical item and to put it to use. Move the thingy-thing and then I'll unlock it.

[Urson]

Jake has finally connected the dots enough to understand what is intended. He helps pull the tarp into position- being VERY careful to only handle it from the back side.

[Starbeard]

The Princess stays well clear of the violent shenanigans, but watches with interest. "I do hope you know what you are doing. Make sure it is quite close to the door."

[Rusty Tincanne]

Maybe lay it on the floor?

[mb.]

Deet blinks rapidly at all of the action, and steps back from the door, keeping his musket pointed in the general direction of it. Schroff gives the door one determined bark. Both wait, shifting slightly from foot to foot and paw to paw.

[coil23]

Of course we don't know what we're doing, mutters Horton distractedly as he helps with carefully getting the tarp into position. Whispering, we need a dramatic distraction once we open the door- something that will grab their attention and make them want to rush inside. What would make them forget their caution, or think there is no longer any need for it? Most of us on the far side of the room seemingly giving ourselves up? Something else?

[ChubbyPixie]

"Vicious taunting?" suggest Wikerus moving to the far side of the tapestry and preparing to taunt viciously.

[Starbeard]

The Princess touches her wand experimentally against the side frame of the space canvas, to see whether the whole of it becomes invisible. If it works, she respectfully volunteers to hide behind the door as it is opened, keeping the trap invisible as they rush in.

[Pulpatoon]

Wikerus slams the door shut in the face of the pirates, and Flintlock gives it a quick rap with the Gavel of the Unbreakable Seal. Jake and Horton pull down the portarpaulin and carefully position it in front of the door.

The Princess Dormillon tests the effect of her wand upon it—she can turn the canvas side invisible, but the void proves too vast.

Splinters and Deet prepare their muskets, and set their sites on the door.

There is audible scuffling and swearing beyond the door as the pirates try to break through, but the Unbreakable Seal proves worthy of its name.

When everything is ready, Flintlock taps the door again, and jumps back as it bursts open, with several pirates tumbling after it.

[1d6] = 2

Three pirates are carried forth by their momentum, and fall into the portal, their surprised yelps turning in to anguished cries and then abrupt silence as they pass into the void. Unfortunately, one pirate's foot kicks up the edge of the tarp as he stumbles in. With the canvas side caught on his boot toe, he drags it into the void with him. The tarp is being pulled into itself, and is diminishing in size rapidly.

The remaining pirates look stunned by this sudden turn of events.

[1d20] = 7

While some look ready to flee, one of their number, a man whose horribly-scarred mouth is twisted into a crooked crocodile smile, urges them forward with a few barking words in their rough language.

Due to their surprise, the pirates will not initiate combat until next round.
The portal's size and shape are diminishing, so the pirates will be able to maneuver around it and enter the room with little hinderance.
The portal will disappear within itself by the end of next round, if nothing is done to prevent it.

Actions!
More on Friday!

[mb.]

Deet takes a careful step forward, and stomps on a corner of the portarpaulin, to anchor it in place. If the pirates have cleared the door enough for it to close, he nods at the Princess to do so, before picking up the corner and attempting to lift the tarp up between himself and the pirates, portal side out (of course).

Maybe a DEX roll is in order?
DEX 11 [1d20] = 13
Oops.

Schroff launches himself at Crocodile Smile, sinking his teeth into the pirate's calf!
Schroff – Bite [1d6] = 1
Buh.

[coil23]

And that's only our first trick, Horton announces, hoping it sounds confident. We weren't the ones who wanted a confrontation.

Disappointed they will not be able to put the wonderful plan of vicious taunting into effect, Horton seizes on the second that is begun. Trying to pick up the tarp and hold it up (even walking it toward the pirates) seems like their best hope now. He will try to scoop up from underneath on an opposite corner than Deet so he can get ahold of the back and then pick up the tarp. He wants to hold it between the pirates and the rest of their party, moving it towards the pirates if possible.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Flintlock looks on with disappointment as Horton and Deet attempt to stop the canvas from imploding. He had never seen the likes of it before and it intrigued him. He attempts to help shut the door and knock it with the gavel of the unbreakable seal.

[ChubbyPixie]

Wikerus, suddenly afraid that their only means of return to the "real world" will shrink away to nothing, forgets the pirates and in a panic picks up the discarded silver suit, jams his left hand into, hopefully, the left glove, and then grabs the edge of the diminishing tarp, sticking his fingers through, to prevent it from closing up completely.