Tracks In The Desert

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus

"Alright. I'll wait here just in case. Let's wait for the others to come, whatever they're doing.

[OGRE MAGE]

Battle In The Covered Stables?
Ruined Warlords Palace

Xenos excitedly shows the others the pair of magic stones now floating around in mid air, slowly orbiting the death soldiers head. Oddly, neither of them seem too impressed at his recent find, making no comments about them at all. Valkrina continues to hold the group where they are while she sings, giving anyone behind the door plenty of time to do whatever it is they are currently doing. The aging wooden portal remains tightly closed.

Cyril rubs his distorted forehead, stepping around the pit containing Drest's now dead scorpion in order to remove the bar from the inside of the front doors. The trio in the hallway can hear their bard singing in the nearby stables, wondering what their distant companions are up to now.

Actions?

Xenos AC:6 10/12 1st:2/2
Akhilleus AC:4 20/32
Drest AC:7 3/16
Cyril AC:8 4/5 1st:1/3
Snorri AC:4 5/11
Valkrina AC:7 12/16 1st: 1/2 IA:60

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus' eyes open wide in surprise as he realises Xenos has two stones floating around his head!
"Wha-what is that Xenos. Are you alright?" He doesn't move from his position though.

[Rex]

Drest

"Any idea what those stones are doing Xenos?"

Drest will try and keep watch as they talk.

[shaidar]

Xenos

"I found them in the chest. I went to pick them up and they did this. I feel fine, in fact I feel a little better, somehow, it's hard to describe. Anyway we need to get through this door in one go and quickly too, or we'll be overwhelmed. No doubt they are ready for us now. "

[Bluetongue]

Valkrina

Carries on her chant, rallying her fellows to come and burst the door down and take on the brigands inside.

[shaidar]

Xenos turns to Akhilleus

"How about we kick this down together and then duck to the side, as I think they'll have a volley of something ready"

[Rex]

Drest

Drest will try and set himself up where he isn't in the path of anything coming through the door.

[OGRE MAGE]

Cyril?

[The_Wanderer]

Cyril
Cyril jogs back to join the others and says, "Ok - we have a quick exit prepared. Just mind the pit on the way to the front door. Now what do we have here...?"

He readies his sling again and gains at least 30' and whatever cover he can from the doorway. "Out of curiosity, what is our goal here? Kill them all? I know that is what Azathoth is whispering to me...but I do not know if that is the best approach."

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus

"I like that. Let's do it." He raises his shield and gets ready.

[shaidar]

Cyril

He readies his sling again and gains at least 30' and whatever cover he can from the doorway. "Out of curiosity, what is our goal here? Kill them all? I know that is what Azathoth is whispering to me...but I do not know if that is the best approach."

Xenos

"I don't want to kill them if we don't have to. But they've not given us much choice, despite being given the opportunity to end this peacefully. They're in some kind of rage, but not quite like Tuurma"

[Rex]

Drest

"I agree Xenos, I would rather not have to fight them at all. But I think it may be some sort of madness instead of rage, strange indeed."

[OGRE MAGE]

The Macabre Stables
Ruined Warlords Palace

Xenos and Akhilleus straddle the door, ready to kick it in.

The others scatter around the disgusting interior of the stables, the stench of burnt flesh and human waste nearly unbearable at this point.

Valkrina continues to sing her tunes and wave her hollow tube around, bolstering the spirits of her allies as they prepare for what is likely to be another vicious battle.

Snorri grunts like an animal, ready for more combat despite his injuries.

Cyril informs the group about his hard earned victory at the front doors, suddenly questioning the logic of their kill-them-all strategy.

As they discuss the concept, a man’s voice from somewhere beyond the blood strewn door let’s out a horrifying death scream, complete with throat gurgling death throes the seasoned killers among you have heard many times before.

Immediately kicking in the door releases no swarm of enemy from beyond as expected. Instead, heavy pungent smoke pours through the doorway, laced generously with the stench of burnt flesh. Two darts fly through the smoke next, but with no target in front of the open portal, they sail across the room harmlessly.

As the smoke begins to clear, you see the makings of a blood splattered room beyond. Another scream rings out through the haze, this one female and even more terrorizing to behold.

A third mans labored voice mumbles from somewhere beyond. “Is….someone there? For the love of the gods…..HELP US!”

The sounds of ripping flesh and heavy chewing can be heard through the smokey veil, though from the vantage point of the doorway, only a few shadowy shapes are seen within the chaotic soup.

Actions!

Xenos AC:6 10/12 1st:2/2
Akhilleus AC:4 20/32
Drest AC:7 3/16
Cyril AC:8 4/5 1st:1/3
Snorri AC:4 5/11
Valkrina AC:7 12/16 1st: 1/2 IA:59

[shaidar]

Xenos looks at Akhilleus "Let's stick together"

Assuming he gets an affirmative from Akhilleus, he'll move into the room with the fighter. He is ready to use a command spell "run" on any threat jumping out on them as they enter the smoky room.

[Rex]

Drest

Drest will bring up the rear, heading in last.

[Bluetongue]

Valkrina

Puffs a dart from her newly acquired blow-dart flute but seems to hit a low note rather than a figure.

Valkrina Blow-dart attack: [1d20+1]=10+1=11

= 12 with +1 from IA.

She hopes for better from the others, adding another verse or two to her continuing chant and foot stomped beat.

[The_Wanderer]

Cyril
"Right. That does not sound wholesome. We keep going." He starts swinging his sling slowly in preparation, following his allies into the melee.

[OGRE MAGE]

What A Lovely Room Of Death
Ruined Warlords Palace

With the stench of death, burning flesh, and acrid smoke assailing their senses, Xenos and Akhilleus charge into the dark cloudy room as the haze continues to clear. The carnage they discover inside nearly freezes their very souls. A dull orange glow can be seen from what looks like a furnace or fire pit of some kind in the center of the room, complete with 2 humans tied to spits currently roasting over the top of it. One of them still moans as his skin crisps. A large wooden table is covered with bloody gore and guts, scattered with knives, scalpels, and other horrible looking tools. 2 more humans are tied to trusses in the corner, each has an enraged slave currently chewing upon random body parts as they scream out in pain.

Valkrina fires her blowgun into.....nothing, unable to see any targets from her position in the stinky stables.

The missing blowgunners (B) stand across the room and fire another volley of darts at the attackers, one of them hitting Akhilleus right in his cheek. 1 dam and a Save vs. Poison, please 2 more of the crazed slaves step in to intercept the fighters with axes, one of them shaking off the command to run given to him by Xenos. They step out from the chaos and attack the pair of invaders, hitting Xenos and nicking him slightly. 2 dam

At the back of this blood splattered room, standing at the top of a steep stairway that disappears into darkness below, are a final pair of humans dressed in orange priestly robes. They both stand there harmlessly, unmoving, with heads cocked to one side, taking in all the carnage of the battle and cannibalism through squinting eyes with clear interest.

Actions!

WP.jpeg (228.82 KiB) Viewed 408 times

Xenos AC:6 8/12 1st:2/2
Akhilleus AC:4 19/32
Drest AC:7 3/16
Cyril AC:8 4/5 1st:1/3
Snorri AC:4 5/11
Valkrina AC:7 12/16 1st: 1/2 IA:58

[shaidar]

Xenos strikes at the slave (on the left on the map)

Initiative: [1d6]=1

Scimitar (long): to-hit [1d20+4]=12+4=16, damage [1d8+3]=2+3=5