IC VIII

[Alethan]

Rhys the Traveler

Rhys presses the attack...

[Bouv]

Tratiln will continue to engage with the druegar he is fighting

Masterwork Sword 1d20+4, dmg 1d12, -2 AC vs. 1

[riftstone]

Thordin the dwarf, eyes grim with death, inexorably marches on into the duergar using his sword with deadly intent.

Thordin is using his rowan shield with the magic sword in his main hand, bringing his AC down to 0. +7 to hit, 1d12+3 damage, -2 AC bonus vs. 1 opponent, 1 deflection attempt/round at a 7 or better chance. He is attacking whichever is closest. There is no mercy here.

[Finglas]

Innana the Fighter:

Innana yells to Bregalad, and Thordin "Fighters, would you like to fight back to back?" Innana looks to Bregalad since he is near her height and fighting closest to her. Innana turns her back to Bregalads back, and swings her sword at the next closest Duerger that advances on their small formation. "Do you think that These Duervens dirtbags will reconsider their views on jewel making before the loose their heads completely? I did not realize Thordin felt so strongly about jewel making or mathematics!"

Bregalad the elf

"Aye! A sound tactic, Innana!"

Bregalad likes Innana's suggestion, considering the numbers. He will stay close to the warrioress, doing his best to keep any duergar from attacking them from behind.

Spear (Skilled): 1d20+5, 1d6+3

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

With the spells cast, the invisible Lanny picks up his visible sword and advances towards the evil dwarves. He eyes the duergars in plate mail and advances on the one that is still moving. He moves into melee range and faces the duergar leader directly, twirling his sword in front of him.

"Fight me if you dare!" he shouts to him in challenge.

Lanny will not attack this round, preserving his invisibility, but will try to draw the attack from the duergar leader, using his shield and agility to repel and dodge any attacks.

Lanny gets a -4 bonus to AC as an "Unseen Target" (DD Rulebook, page 138), bringing his total AC to -3.

[thirdkingdom]

Round Two

Both Lanny and Marodin advance into the fray, stalking towards the remaining active duergar in plate. The dwarf seems flummoxed by the floating sword, allowing Marodin to land a glancing blow whilst the duergar swings ineffectually at the blade's wielder. Innana and Bregalad fight back to back, but neither are able to land telling blows. Innana's opponent thrusts forward and nicks the swordswoman's arm. Rhys continues to fight from his position flanking the dark dwarves; his stroke goes wild and the blade becomes entangled in a backpack laying on the ground; pots and pans spill out onto the ground, but it will take some time to disengage his blade.

Other than the blow Marodin is able to land Thordin is the only adventurer able to do any serious damage. He beheads another one of the dark dwarves with a single stroke of his blade.

Okay, more low rolls all around. Marodin does 3 hp to the leader, Thordin rolls another natural 20; I will be making a morale check for the duergar in the upcoming round. Innana takes 2 hp damage, I rolled a 1 for Rhys and the result of the critical fumble was a stuck blade, which takes 1 round to disentangle. There aren't any duergar actually attacking him, and even if there were he could pretty much kick butt and take names with bare hands.

I'm going to try and roll out the rest of the combat in one post, so please let me know actions for two/three rounds if possible.

[sulldawga]

Marodin will continue to engage the leader until dead; then take out any minions within range.

Semele will continue her support vigil.

Masterwork Warhammer (specialized, vs armed opponent) +5, d6+2

[zebediah]

Drudsa the dabbler
Drudsa will cast sleep on the dark dwarves.

I refer to my question in the OOC thread.

I assume, though, that Frobozz is right so TK, please disregard the action above.

If any of the dwarves tries to retreat and disengages Drudsa will shoot the retreating dwarf with his sling.

[Alethan]

Rhys the Traveler

*sigh* Rhys untangles his blade...

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

Drudsa the dabbler

Drudsa will cast sleep on the dark dwarves.

If any of the dwarves tries to retreat and disengages Drudsa will shoot the retreating dwarf with his sling.

Sleep is an area effect spell, so given that we are already intermingled in melee with the duergar, it is quite possible that more good guys than bad guys could be affected by this!

Lanny catches a glimpse of Thordin lopping off heads left and right. He invites the dwarf to continue his rampage against the duergar leader.

"Two heads are better than one, but three heads are better than two! How about this one?"

Lanny will remain on the defensive for the duration of the combat, aiding the other fighters already engaged in melee by distracting the duergar with his twirling sword and verbal taunts in an effort to draw their attacks.

Lanny gets a -4 bonus to AC as an "Unseen Target" (DD Rulebook, page 138), bringing his total AC to -3.

If Drudsa's Sleep spell puts any PCs to sleep, Lanny will immediately stop what he is doing and kick awake the sleeping PCs.

[Bouv]

Tratiln will continue to attack the nearest druegar, seeing how they are falling to at least one of his commrades!

Masterwork sword, 1d20+4, dmg 1d12, -2 AC vs. 1)

[riftstone]

Thordin the dwarf breaks out of his fury, hearing Lanny's voice, and directs his lustful slaying towards the duergar leader. He speaks with him, before engaging.

(dwarven) "Know this, Grey-One, you meet Thordin, son of Grymm, son of Bhazal, Dwarf of Rockhome. Life is a gift, one which you will be losing soon. What is your name and is there anything you want me to tell your family?"

Thordin is using his rowan shield with the magic sword in his main hand, bringing his AC down to 0. +7 to hit, 1d12+3 damage, -2 AC bonus vs. 1 opponent, 1 deflection attempt/round at a 7 or better chance. He is attacking whichever is closest. Again, there is no mercy here.

[Innana]

Innanathe Fighter:

Continues fighting back to back with Bregalad. Innana does not even notice the nick on her arm.

Sword (Basic): +1, 1d8

[Alethan]

Rhys the Traveler

*sigh* Rhys untangles his blade...

Can I redact this? If so...

Feeling just as comfortable attacking without his sword, Rhys aims for a pressure point on the dark dwarf's temple as he spins into a roundhouse kick.

Unarmed Attack (Mystic Ability): +1 To Hit (+1 BAB); 1d4+1 Damage

[thirdkingdom]

Round Three

Rhys stops trying to free his blade and lashes out with a foot, catching his foe on the chin. The duergar backs up. As one the duergar throw their blades down and begin speaking rapidly. Those fluent in dwarfish understand they are attempting to surrender.

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

Lanny watches as the duergar drop their weapons in almost perfect unison. He calls out to his companions.

"They are defeated! Hold your attacks..."

Lanny glances around to make sure everyone in the group is ok. He can't help but notice the intense hatred burning in Thordin's eyes for these dark dwarves. Lanny walks over and speaks quietly to Thordin.

"My friend, I can see that your hatred for these dark dwarves is deep-seeded... But if indeed there are more of these humanoids dwelling in the lower levels, and if indeed they have entered the castle from passages even deeper than this one, then we need to know about it. If you are loathe to speak to them, I would certainly understand... Bregalad speaks the dwarvish tongue and could address them if needed. But you know these creatures better than all of us... Tell me your thoughts, my friend."

[Alethan]

Rhys the Traveler

Rhys glances down at his foot in amazement, awed by its power to compell surrender in the evil dwarves.

"Like the dog that finally catches the wagon wheel, what do you plan on doing with them if we let them live?"

Rhys takes the opportunity to retrieve his sword from the jumble of packs.

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

Lanny pauses in thought before responding to Rhys's question.

"Allowing an enemy to live is not a requirement when an enemy surrenders. If Thordin knows the nature of these creatures and deems them unfit to be released, then they should not be released, it is that simple. But their presence here in this castle does merit some important questions. For example: Why are they here? What are they looking for? Are there more of their kind nearby? How did they get in here in the first place? Are there passages from below that connect to this basement? How deep do these passages go? If they do not cooperate with the questioning, then they forfeit their right to live and may be immediately dispatched. If they do cooperate, we still reserve the right to inform them that we have considered their request for surrender and have refused it, and then we give them a moment to pick up their weapons, if they so choose, so that we may rightly finish the battle..."

[Bouv]

Tratiln agrees with Lanny, "Information is always nice to have. However, I feel we shouldn't jeopordize the partry or area if Thordin feels that they will be an even bigger threat.

[Alethan]

Rhys the Traveler

Rhys shrugs, "I'm not so sure killing captives after interrogation is something I'll participate in... but I won't stop you from carrying out your plan."

If the party accepts their surrender, Rhys will drag the collection of backpacks away from the dark dwarves and rifle through them, looking for anything of value or worthy of note.