Pulling at the Root of Evil

[Magnus]

Date: Autumn, 432 ca., Campaign Day 4
Time: 09:11
Weather: 45 degrees; drizzling
Location: Steading; Upper Level
Magic in Effect:

Antheris:

-- Obscurement: Expires in 4 rounds
-- Protection from Fire
-- Speak with Animals, expires in 8 rounds
-- Summon Insects: 3 rounds left

Hollis

-- PfE: 3 rounds

[Time is as of start of action this turn]

***************************************************

Antheris smartly makes his way into a corner of the cell, away from the potentially prying eyes of the hornfeet or wildlings. He reverts back to human form and hands the potion and note to the Valyerian.

1 round passes

Lorath takes the potion from Antheris and takes a long look over the druid. He then reads the note, smiling subtly - no doubt in recognition of the use of his native tongue and the party's clever plan. Lorath then nods and consumes the potion. Within seconds, his body begins to dissapate into nearly transparent gas. Allthewhile, Antheris transforms back into chameleon form.

1 round passes
Antheris is out of transformations

Antheris begins to scurry back through the cloud of obscurement. He makes it halfway across the room. Meanwhile, Lorath drifts to the prison door and just into the cloud.

1 round passes

Antheris continues to scurry across the room, his eyes bobbing to either side and odd two-toed feet kicking up dust from the dungeon floor. He reaches the stairs, and makes it almost all of the way up. He continues to hear the giants argue, but the tones have dropped somewhat, likely due to the fire giant having a lick of common sense, and not wanting to go 3 on 1 with the hill giants. Through one crooked eye, Antheris sees the hornfeet continue to poke at bodies and sniff the air.

Lorath drifts through the cloud at a maddeningly slow pace (30'). He reaches approximately the halfway point of the room.

1 round passes - obscurement down!

Lorath stands in the middle of the room as the obscurement falls. He continues to drift forward.

Upstairs, the party holds their breath, taking the relative quiet as a promising sign. That promise is shattered, however, with a scream from below. "KILL IT" -- a gruesome hornfoot shouts as it points to Lorath's faint gaseous form (which Antheris can see from the stairs).

The hornfeet ready their weapons. The party cannot see the giants, but they hear the argument stop.

Ouch! Gave them a 10% chance to see it, and they rolled a 93! (Higher is always "better", except initiative.)

DECLARE ACTIONS!

[Eulalios]

Kjelti (25+/56)

The warrior woman, with her swordhand, pops one piece of healing mushroom into her mouth and chews. She passes the other piece to Hollis, then picks up her sword, and stands ready to kill things...

if needed:
Kjelti THACO 14 (+2 Claymore, spec) atk [1d20+5] = 1+5 = 6 dmg SM [2d4+6] = 5+6 = 11 / L [2d8+6] = 9+6 = 15 ouch
Kjelti THACO 14 (+2 Claymore, spec) atk [1d20+5] = 13+5 = 18 dmg SM [2d4+6] = 5+6 = 11 / L [2d8+6] = 13+6 = 19 'sbetter

"Wait - how long does that gasbody last? Could he just drift up the steps and all the way to the trees?" she asks as she waits for the coming clash. "If we went outside the door and spiked it, could he slip under? Damn, druid, get UP here."

[Zhym]

As soon as chameleon-Antheris is through the door, Gaerys shuts it and starts spiking it closed. "Come on," he says to the others as quietly as he can while still being heard, "shove anything that's heavy against the door. Except Antheris, once he's shifted back to human form."

[NJWilliam]

Antheris, Druid

Antheris sends the insects down to engulf Nosra, and returns to human form at the top of the stairs, remaining as still as possible and putting his faith in his cloak of elvenkind, the cover from the flying insect swarm, the distraction of the cloudform Valyrian, and the poor angle of sight into the stairwell (hopefully), to remain undetected by the giants.

[Eulalios]

Even under a Valyerian cloak, it's hard for Kjelti to miss the swirling transformation from a newt to a hulking man. With the flat of her shield she attempts to haul Antheris back from the head of the stairs: "C'mon, we're barring the door now."

[Zhym]

"Come on," urges Gaerys to the druid. "The Valyerian will be fine. But we won't be if you don't get your arse to this side of the door!"

[sulldawga]

Hollis will help with pushing heavy stuff against the door once it's spiked shut.

[Magnus]

Antheris remains at the top of the stairs outside of the door. He transforms back into human form and remains hidden in his cloak. He is frustrated to see his summoned insect cloud disperse in all directions.

Antheris fully healed based on transformations. Summoned insect spell expired.

Kjelti gobbles a mushroom. Her collarbone snaps back into place and the laceration around it closes. She moves to, ahem, encourage the Druid into getting into the Storeroom. Gaerys joins in the encouragement.

Kjelti +15 Hp

The three party members see the hornfeet fixed on the valyerian, swinging their weapons hopelessly at the cloudy mass. The four giants untangle from their argument and draw weapons.

The valyerian begins to drift upward towards the high vaulted ceiling, rather than towards the stairs. All hostile eyes follow him, While the move seems odd for a moment, the party realizes that it is, in fact genius, as he has drawn the attention of the hostiles and bought the party more time!

The two freed prisoners remain with the party, obviously not very trusting of the two members who abandoned their companions. They do their best to push a heavy barrel over and begin to roll it to the door. Hollis joins in their effort and manage to gets another heavy barrel ready to pin against the door.

It will take 1d2 rounds to finish the blockade of the door.

Declare actions!

[Eulalios]

Kjelti (40/56)

sets down her sword and shield in easy reach, and with both hands wrestles massive objects to block the giant door.

[sulldawga]

Hollis keeps on blockading and stuff.

[Zhym]

Gaerys wonders why the druid is dawdling. "Why the blazes are you dawdling?" he asks. "Perhaps being so attuned to nature makes you think of time in terms of seasons, making you oblivious to the importance of minutes and seconds?"

"We have no more time to wait," he decides. "Get up here or join the giants."

Gaerys will give the druid a few seconds, but only a few seconds, to get out of the stairwell and into the storeroom. Then he'll close the door as quickly as he can do so quietly. He doesn't want the sound of a slamming door to draw the giants' attention. As soon as the door is closed, he will start spiking it.

[NJWilliam]

Antheris, fully healed druid

Antheris lets himself be hustled and hauled out of the stairwell.
He looks about and says, "Well, it worked, got the potion to the Valyrian and he drank it!"
Antheris then pitches in moving barrels, hogsheads, and whatever else may be about to block the door,
"But my plan in the stairwell, Ranger Gaerys, was to bend the evil-hearted creatures to my will and defeat them!"

[Zhym]

"A great idea," admits Gaerys as he closes and spikes the door, "if it worked. You should try it when we make our next foray into this place at full strength."

[Magnus]

The party, taking the initiative, scrambles to pile into the storeroom. Gaerys then spikes the door, and the remainder of the party manages to blockade the door with three heavy barrels.

The noise downstairs continues, but obviously the party cannot see what is transpiring.

Do they flee now or wait for their new friend?

[sulldawga]

Hollis will wait. He is going to cast Dispel Magic on the Valyrian as soon as he emerges from behind the door, assuming the giants haven't bashed it down yet.

[Zhym]

Gaerys waits, sword at the ready, looking for the Lorath mist coming through the door and listening for the sound of feet running up the stairs.

[Eulalios]

Kjelti regains her sword and shield. "mayhaps, our new friend knows how to wield that axe," she says with a grin and a nod to the corner. "first thing he's solid, let's have him grab it; then we run like giants want to eat us."

[Magnus]

The door shakes with the force of giant strength. The spikes hold fast as the barrels rattle about.

The Valyerian is nowhere to be seen...

[Zhym]

Gaerys waits, Giantbane in hand. He moves to interpose himself between the door and the spellcasters. "You may get a chance to charm some of them after all," he tells Antheris. "The Valyerian should be here in another minute. Maybe two."

To Tanner, he says, "Stand by the other door and keep watch. If anything starts to come at us from that side, call out—and get out."

Assuming Antheris wants to try to charm anything that breaks through, Gaerys will take a defensive stance.

[Eulalios]

Kjelti takes position alongside the door with her shield edge just next the door jamb, sword ready for a knee-capping blow at whatever first comes through. She has no faith in magic charms, having so recently watched the results of Vorsyin's potion.