IC XV

[thirdkingdom]

Weapons readied, the adventurers continue through the north passage, and down the stairs to where they encountered the phlegmatic beetles. The sound of combat has grown louder, and comes from a large, arched opening at the far end of the hall. From where the adventurers stand, at the foot of the stairs, they can see the insides of a dimly lit room. It looks as though there are at least eight combatants within; without getting closer, it is impossible to tell what manner of man or monster they be, although all are united by some undefinable similarity. A kind of lumbering awkwardness, perhaps?

The hallway is 80'. The room at the opposite end of the hall, where the fighting is taking place, is dimly lit, allowing you to see some of what is going on. Other than that, and the light the party is carrying, the hall is dark.

[Atlictoatl]

Tev Meren, Fighter

Tev turns to the others. "Do we let them fight it out and pounce on the winners, or do we throw a torch down there now and see what we're up against? That might turn into both groups uniting to fight us off."

[Wyzard]

"They might be Ogres," Severi says. "Let's let them fight for another few moments, see if we can discern if one side has the upper hand, and then approach slowly."

[Alethan]

Sir Rhys the Traveler

Rhys sheathes his sword, "I'll scout ahead and see if I can get a better look at what is going on without being seen."

Without waiting for a reply, Rhys starts forward, trying to use the shadows to cover his movement.

[phil285]

Vanco is in agreement with a strategy of waiting to see who is victorious rather than uniting them against the party; he waits to see what Rhys reports on his return.

[MonsterMash]

Thurgan, dwarf

Thurgan agrees to wait till Rhys can see who is fighting before intervening.

[Wyzard]

Severi is willing to wait on Rhys.

[thirdkingdom]

Rhys sneaks forward, clinging to the shadows, until he is able to more clearly observe the combatants. The two groups are so involved in killing one another that they pay no attention to the sly mystic. He notes that they appear to be the very same creatures the party encountered earlier -- much as the human race as a primitive analog in the brutish caveman, it seems that adventurers have uncovered a primitive orcish ancestor. The fighting seems to be between a half-dozen of the original ur-orcs and three similar, but much larger brutes. All wield weapons forged from some sort of dark metal, but the three larger ones sport curious, thorn-like growths on their arms and legs; and their skin is thick and leathery. The spurs seems to catch the thrusts and slices from the smaller ur-orcs and throw them off guard. As Rhys watches, one of the smaller creatures crumples to the ground from a devastating swing.

[Wyzard]

Severi has an inexplicable yearning for the taste of popcorn.

Yeah, I'm willing to let them fight it out and pick off the survivors.

[Alethan]

Rhys returns to the others to report what he saw.

"Might be best to let them hack it out. I don't think the ur-orcs are going to fair well, though..."

[phil285]

Vanco hunkers down to wait....

[Koren n'Rhys]

Quint Kacie
"Very well," whispers Quint. "Let them slaughter each other. Less risk for us that way."

[thirdkingdom]

Severi's longing for sweet, buttery popcorn only grows as the fight continues. Slowly, however, the larger creatures batter the living shit out of the smaller, 'til only two of the smaller are left, and they turn to flee.

[Wyzard]

Severi indicates he is now ready to march forward and slaughter everything still standing.

[Atlictoatl]

Tev Meren

Tev nods. "Throw an extra torch into the room. Missile weapons first. Aim for the closest one. Stay near the doorway, so we can fall back to a controlled position and hold a front line when they engage."

Tev readies his crossbow as he watches the others prepare.

[MonsterMash]

Thurgan, dwarf

Readies his sword and shield. "Not sure there is time to fire missiles then get ready to fight close up for me".

[phil285]

Vanco Basou
Vanco looks for a spot where he can send a pellet from his sling, while not being in the way of his companions.

We've got space for a round of missile fire, haven't we...?

[thirdkingdom]

Vanco Basou
Vanco looks for a spot where he can send a pellet from his sling, while not being in the way of his companions.

We've got space for a round of missile fire, haven't we...?

Yeah, the hallway is 80' long. You guys have had plenty of time to position yourselves . . . shoot, if you want to spread out you could probably all get a shot in. However, onlyhttp://orokos.com/roll/236418: 1d3 3 of the creatures are visible through the archway (so, all of them), and it looks like they're starting to drag the bodies towards you all.

[Alethan]

Rhys readies his bow. He will hold his first arrow until the casters do their thing, then will launch a volley at whatever is standing.

[Wyzard]

Severi doesn't have a bow, but he's in favor of everyone who does have one pincushioning the monsters.