Tyranny of the Bird King IC

[Doublebat]

Midnight -- just hours ago, you returned from yet another hard day’s labor to the squalid slave pens where you’ve spent the last two years. From the tolling of the morning bell, you have labored to the point of exhaustion, always under the eyes of Xo Kung tengu guards. Yet again, you find yourselves sharing one of the iron-barred cells lining the three cardinal wings of this prison. Archers and guards on the walkways above have kept all hope of escape from your mind. Silence is enforced; speaking after ten bells is forbidden.

But tonight, screams fill the underground hallways below you. From the depths of this wretched place, a sudden cacophony has forced the attention of your guards and fellow slaves. In the moonlight, the tengu hustle into formation in anticipation of a riot. The air is deathly still, and then, in an instant, all hell breaks loose.

The below-ground doors of all three wings burst open with a teeming mass of rag-covered bodies. The guards closest to the gateways are overwhelmed in a howling fury of attackers, while other rioters spill across the open courtyard towards the main gate. In a hail of arrows from the archers above, they break like a wave against a great cliff. Warning bells sound frantically, and the cruel-looking spire of the watchtower begins to glow; an antimagical defense system with which you are familiar.

Slaves scatter, taking shelter from the archers or rushing into combat with their captors. The guard outside your cell -- one who has taunted and beaten you almost daily -- is cut down by a particularly skilled warrior. He recovers from his killing blow, his shaven head and piercing eyes illuminated in the moonlight.

“Help us! Please, we haven’t much time!” he cries, taking cover from the arrows whizzing overhead in the outer archway of your cell. From elsewhere, more slaves of every race join the warrior in slinging heavy ropes through the door of your cage. With their combined strength, it is wrenched off its hinges, and suddenly, you are free once more.

Yet another freed captive throws down a burlap tarp carried on her shoulders, and its contents clatter to the ground before you; makeshift weapons of broken timbers and loose stone, now fair game for anyone within arms’ reach.

“Hurry!” the unnamed warrior pleads again. Four more tengu appear at the end of your wing, cutting down the poorly-equipped slaves in their path with well-sharpened steel blades In moments, they will be upon you.

The slave pen is cross-like in structure, with one floor below ground and one above. The north, south, and east wings are lined with identical cells, each containing several prisoners. The western wing houses the main gateway, a massive pair of doors operated by the guardhouse sitting atop them. The walls of the slave pens are smooth stone, twenty feet high, and accessible by a pair of staircases flanking the eastern gateway. Each wall includes a walkway with a chest-high edge.

A tower sits in the northwestern corner, where the west and north wing walkways meet. Opposite this tower, on the southwestern corner, is the tengu barracks where the guards eat and sleep. It houses a large bronze bell used to alert the prison guards to danger.

The center of the pen is an open courtyard, about 100 feet square, adorned with a stone statue in the center depicting a trident-bearing tengu lord.
The slaves have clearly been stockpiling these weapons for some time, and though they are not perfect, they are more serviceable than average. You do not incur a -4 penalty while using one of these weapons (assume there are 3 of each available):

Shiv: a simple dagger made from a stone or glass spike wrapped with leather. 1d3, x2, Light, Piercing
Iron Bar: a portion of a cell door bar cut down to manageable size. 1d4, x2, One-handed, Bludgeoning.
Lumber Spike: a hefty length of timber with a sharpened tip. 1d6, x2, Two-handed, Piercing or Bludgeoning.
Sling: a simple ranged weapon made from a strap of cloth. 1d4, x2, Ranged, Bludgeoning.
One of the more insidious facets of the slave pen is this ornate device, a glass ampule held in a cage-like structure of bronze, filled with a magically-energized mixture of iron filings. It sits in the turret of the lone watchtower in the northwestern corner of the pen. While it is intact, it produces two suppressive effects that blanket the area:

Spell Failure: The antimagic spire’s aura causes a 75% spell failure chance for both arcane and divine spells of any variety. This can be overcome with a concentration check vs. DC 18.
Wink-Out: Summoned creatures in the spire’s aura have 50% concealment, but also treat all other creatures as having 50% concealment as well. This includes their summoner.

[Phasm]

Hikari may not have to toil in the mines or fields like most slaves, but acting the part of the captive succubus is exhausting in its own way. One slip of the tongue, one stumble that breaks her false wings, and she knows that her master would beat her within an inch of her life for breaking the charade. So she smiles seductively at Kezzack's guests, poses on the cushion provided as best she can with the chain and iron collar around her neck, and breathes a sigh of relief when the wings, chain and collar are removed at the end of the day. To think that a ninja of the Dark Moon would be reduced to this! Her clan no doubt believes her dead, but one day... one day she will escape. And the tengu will learn why all of Goka fears the Dark Moon.

Screams and the clatter of combat awake the tiefling from a restless sleep. Her heart rises in her chest; could it be? Oh, I hope this isn't another dream! Hikari pinches herself with clawed nails. No, she's awake. Here they come, a mob of raggedy slaves, and down goes the guard! "YES! Come on, get me out!" The ninja pulls up her thin futon to reveal a hole dug in the earth, an inch at a time at night with her clawed fingers and toes. Within is a belt pouch and a backpack, worn but serviceable, plump with stolen goods. Nothing truly valuable, but they might just help in the escape.

By the time Hikari has the belt pouch in place and the pack on her back, brawny slaves have wrenched her door open. "Thank you!" She leaps out of the cell and surveys the offered prison weapons. Nothing spectacular in the way of melee weapons, the Dark Moon trains their ninja to kill bare-handed if necessary. She'll leave those for other slaves. The sling, though, that could come in handy. Hikari leans down and scoops up a sling along with a pouch of nicely rounded slingstones.

"Right, let's go. If somebody could give me a flank when we get up there, that would be great." Tucking the sling and stone pouch into her belt, the ninja races toward the fight. She's never been the best at shooting into melee, better to let others do that for now.


Now I feel kind of silly for investing in unarmed combat. :smalltongue: Ah well, c'est la vie, it's thematic if nothing else. Pick up sling and ammo and move toward the tengu guards, stopping short of AoO range.

[drayen]

The Taldan girl huddles on her ratty futon trying to sleep. Two years on and she still suffers nightmares of her capture. She quietly murmurs in her sleep, tears slowly rolling down her cheek. The cries of the rioting slaves is slow to penetrate her dark dreams and she wearily lifts her head at the harsh metallic squealing of the door being pulled off of it's hinges. Startled by the sudden recognition of the commotion, she quickly rises clutching the slender scroll case to herself. Moving with the rest of the cell's occupants she stoops to grab up one of the slings and stones which she stows in the sleeve's pocket of her badly worn kimono.

Hearing the plea from one of the rioters, Amara begins to recite an old Tian poem of common people struggling against the tyranny of an evil ruler. Her voice, pitched low, only penetrates several feet out, but it is a steady call to arms for those nearest her. At her inspirational urging, the rioters noticeably improve in their efforts to overcome their oppressors.


Inspire Courage - 15' out from her for the first round; +1 competence bonus to atk/dmg and +1 morale bonus to saves vs. charm and fear. 8/9

[Battlemage]

Arcos Volarion

Arcos had been sitting in the corner of the pen as always, unable to sleep, silently brooding about his ignoble fate. The heir to house Volarion, clothed in rags, living in filth and squalor. It was unacceptable! And yet, despite his high birth, his inborn magic, he was just as helpless as anyone else here to change his circumstances. It was infuriating!

Screams, shouts, and the sound of steel and death snap him out of his, endlessly-circling, thoughts. He almost cannot not believe what he sees, and for a moment he wonders if he had fallen asleep after all. But this was real, and the time to act was now! The tall, slim Chelaxian stands up, slicking back his blond hair, matte and dirty from nights of sleeping on the floor. He reaches into his secret stash inside a garbage heap, pulling out the old sack that contains the meagre belongings he had managed to hide from his captors. In a gesture of defiance he puts his signet ring, bearing the dragon crest of House Volarion, onto his finger. His golden eyes scan the room, taking in the situation.

A tiefling woman is the first out the door, enthusiastic in her dash for freedom. He manages to look at her in a way that is only very slightly tinged with contempt. He had been forced to learn humility in his years here. Still, she is a tiefling, if a pretty one, and as a pureblood Chelaxian he has a hard time not seeing her as a natural inferior.


"Right, let's go. If somebody could give me a flank when we get up there, that would be great."

Arcos expression changes to that of a man who found something dirty on his shoe.
"A... flank? As in... melee combat? I think not!" he says, mostly to himself. That was best left for guards and other people of that sort.

He gives the jumble of cudely-made weapons a examination, before deciding that there is nothing useful for him among them. He shoots a venomous look at the anti-magic spire towering above them. He wouldn't need any weapons if not for this thrice-cursed thing. If only they could break it, he would show these foolish birds the fury of a dragon!

On his way to leave the cell he notices Amara standing close-by, bolstering the will of those around her with her performance. He still had a hard time getting a handle on his thoughts and feeling about the Taldan girl. One hand she was clearly naive, treating common men no different than nobles. On the other hand, she had helped him navigate the infuriatingly strange ways of this continent, and watching her made Arcos feel a vague desire to change. Which was silly of course. There was nothing wrong with his behavior after all, was there? Amara was very attractive, though...

Keeping somewhat toward the back of the mass of slaves, Arcos makes his way out of the cell.

[Starbin]

Skitters lay huddled in the corner, eyes darting left and right throughout the night. He had grown accustomed to his cage in the inn - while still a cage, it had at least been warm and snug, unlike this open pit with frightening sorts all about. He tried to close his eyes and sleep, but a cough here, or shift there would bring his eyes flying wide open. He knew why he was here - he had overstepped his bounds. Sure, the little rat was okay to help put away items, measure out ingredients, take inventory ... but actually messing with the ingredients, mixing them together to produce gods knew what? THAT was over the line. Never mind the fact the elixir would have heal almost any wound; it was the principle of the thing - slaves don't mix regents! And the corollary was that slaves should be more adept than their owners ... at anything! Of course, he did manage to slip out the other elixir he had been working on into his pants ...

As the night continued one, Skitters eyes eventually drooped lower and lower, until he finally fell asleep. In his dream, he was working in Tahn's laboratory, mixing something together that would shrink a cow to a calf, when Tahn burst in and started yelling. Suddenly, he was surrounded by family members, visitors, even strangers, all yelling at him to get up, to run, to help ...

Skitters leapt to his feet, whiskers twitching, as the gates fell with a mighty crash. On the ground was a pile of make-shift weapons, mostly being ignored by those who were rushing forward to their freedom. He was focused on these seemingly free items! Slipping forward with his own small pack, he rummaged through the pile, eyes widening with every find. Glancing around furitively, he pulled free a tiny shard dagger, one of the smaller bars from the door, and a sling with a handful of stones. Then, before anyone took it, he darted forward to grab the sack, placing his newly claimed weapons into it and throwing it over his shoulder. He peered at three others who seemed intent on gather weapons as well ... two humans, and a half-devil. His bright eyes met theirs for a moment, as he realized someone was speaking about tactics. He shook his head for a moment, knowing martial combat was not his strong suit.

But ... for some reason, he was feeling inspired, encouraged, as if this were a simple matter of walking out of the pits. His eyes came to rest on the human girl - she was reciting some poetry that seemed to fill the air. He began to believe they could actually win against all odds. Smiling, he tried to stay close to these armed big ones, sure that they would attract any attention first ... but on the chance he ran into trouble, they at least had weapons.

With the decision to move out, he focused on the tower, trying to figure out how they might attack it ...

Okay, shifted one KS from Geography to Engineering, just because I had meant to do that before. Grabbing the burlap sack and three weapons. Need to know if we have all of our 'stuff' first, or not. Answered in OOC

Checks: [roll0] + [roll1] to figure out how to disable the tower.
[roll2] to find ways out or see threats coming in
[roll3] to keep a low profile.

Game on!

Status
AC: 14 HPs: 14/14
F +1 R +6 W +4
Extracts: Heightened Awareness
Effects: inspire courage (+1 att/dam, +1 vs fear/charm [morale])
Per +8, S. Motive +7, Stealth +11

[Doublebat]

The first slaves brave enough to grapple with their wardens are not fortunate enough to reach their weapons first; the natural gifts of tengu sword training prove more than a match for an unarmed opponent. While two guards work their grim talents against a dwarf and orc nearest the courtyard, two more surge forward and meet you head-on.

To the left, a squawking guard armored in simple leather scales takes a vicious swipe at the tiefling racing towards him. The other, seeing the warrior nearby, attempts to take vengeance for his fallen ally with a mean thrust of his shortsword.

Out in the courtyard, you can see the rest of the riot is not faring well; pinned down by the archers above, most slaves have resorted to using their slings to keep the tengu from advancing down the staircases of the main gate. Those trying to scale the walls or reach the second-story door of the watchtower are made into pincushions before long. Still, their morale remains unbroken for now, fueled by all-or-nothing desperation.


Your warrior pal needs to beat a DC 13 attack or take [roll0] damage from the tengu:
Defense Roll: [roll1]

You get to try the first defense roll of the party! Roll 1d20 plus your AC bonuses vs. DC 13 to avoid taking [roll2] damage.

Perception: As far as you can tell, the only -- or best -- escape is through the front gates, which are operated by two pegged wheels in the guardhouse above, one for each door. They are too heavy to open by hand.
Engineering: Your clever ratfolk mind sees the immediate weakness in the antimagic spire; it is more decorative than protective. The glass ampule inside is easily reachable, and without the suspended iron filings inside, the antimagic field would be broken. Glass has hardness 1, 10 hp.

[drayen]

Staying behind Arcos, Amara does not immediately notice the Tengu guards in the courtyard rush them. She does see the hail of arrows crashing into the revolting slaves. Maintaining her recitation; pitching her voice to carry throughout the courtyard, she places a stone into her newly acquired sling twirling the leather thongs to build up speed before launching a missile towards one of the archers overhead.

[roll0]
[roll1]

Maintaining Inspire Courage 7/9

[Battlemage]

Arcos Volarion

With the anti-magic spire blankening the area with its oppressive aura, Arcos feels quite useless. Nevertheless, he tries to focus and force a spell through. After a split-second he manages to push his spell past the barrier, sending a dart of acid at the tengu fighting the tiefling woman. Exhilaration filled him as he got to flex his magical muscle for the first time in two years.

You will pay, bird scum!


Trying to cast Acid Splash at tengu in combat with Hikari [roll0] = success
If concentration check not successful [roll1]
If spell goes through [roll2] (includes -4 for shooting into melee)
[roll3]

Nice, crit confirm roll in OOC

[Starbin]

Skitters slipped through the shadows, staring at the gate for a moment, before glancing back up to the spire. After a moment, he almost laughed aloud. They made it out of glass, the sillies! he thought to himself. Hearing a sizzle from the mass melee going on, Skitters turned to see one of the guards being burned by acid. Looking back, one of the big ones seemed particularly satisfied with itself, so the small ratkin thought it was probably responsible.

Slipping over to the man, he tugged at the human's leg and whispered, "If you can do that again at the globe, you might make further spell casting easier for all! It's only glass ..."

Still keeping a low profile, so let's do this!

Status
AC: 14 HPs: 14/14
F +1 R +6 W +4
Extracts: Heightened Awareness
Effects: inspire courage (+1 att/dam, +1 vs fear/charm [morale])
Per +8, S. Motive +7, Stealth +11

[Doublebat]

The din of combat is broken, momentarily, by the combined sound of the tengu guard shrieking in agony and the fizzling of its own flesh. It collapses in a heap, killed instantly by the acid flung across its skull.

Its fellow guards have no time to notice the tiny rat-creature skulking in their midst, instead turning their attention towards the taller folk -- clearly the most dangerous of the unleashed horde, thus far. Above, an archer is struck across the beak with Amara’s well-aimed sling bullet, and screeches with pain. It fires a quick shot in her direction, hoping to alert more guards to the ongoing melee in the southern wing.

The remaining guards nearest your position, having finished with their quarry, encroach on you with venom in their eyes; one steps over the body of its fallen ally to face down Hikari, the other speeding past her to lash out at the sorcerer responsible for the gruesome death.

Beyond the opening of the hallway, you hear another distressing sound; more guards emerging from their barracks, and the distant barking of orders in the familiar clicking of tengu language. Somebody out of sight on the walkways is issuing direct orders and organizing the usually unhurried guardians of the slave pen…

If you’re so inclined, make me a Knowledge Local roll (or a raw INT roll, if you don’t have that skill).
After you make your defensive roll from the last round, take an AoO at the guard that moved to Arcos’ position. You’ll still have a move and standard action to use up, too.
Gettin’ shot at! Make a defensive roll vs DC 12 or take [roll0] damage.
Tengu’s a-swinging! Make a defensive roll vs. DC 13 or take [roll1] damage.

[Phasm]

Hikari twists away from the tengu guard's blow with fluid grace that speaks of training and practice. She straightens up and delivers a vicious kick to its knee. As another guard tries to get past her, the ninja whirls and delivers a knife-hand blow to its feathered neck, receiving a screech of pain in return. Ahh, music to her ears. Tempting though it is to crow her victory, such unprofessional behavior was trained out of her long, long ago. Cold red eyes scan her opponent and the other guards nearby, watching for another opportunity to strike.

Okay, my first rolls with this rolling all dice system...

Defense: [roll0] vs DC 13

AoO: [roll1]

AoO damage: [roll2]

Attack: [roll3]

Damage: [roll4]

[Battlemage]

Arcos Volarion

Arcos looks down at the acid-burned corpse of his foe with satisfaction. And that's just the beginning... he thinks, with grim determination on his face.

When Skitters adresses him, he is taken out of his thoughts and, for a moment, just stares at the ratkin. Then the actual words make it through. It wasn't a bad idea. Provided he survived the next moments. "I'll get right onto that, as soon as these gods-damned birds stop trying to kill me!", he hisses back in a whisper.

The conversation is interrupted when another tengu charges the sorcerer, swinging his weapon in a deadly arc. Arcos manages to throw back his head just in time, feeling the rush of air as the blade misses his face by the fraction of an inch. Burning rage wells up inside him, the culmination of every time the slavers had mistreated him during the past two years. Back home, raising a hand against the heir of the house would have carried the penalty of death, but these miscreants had no respect for Chelaxian nobility!

"I will make you show respect!" the gold-eyed human shouts with fury as liquid fire pools in his hands. With an aggressive movement he thrusts his arms forward, a geyser of flame bursting from his fingers in a violent eruption.


[roll0] Phew, barely made it! Gotta wait 'til level 3 to get mage armor from my bloodline :smallwink:
Taking 5' step away from the tengu attacking me.
Trying to cast Burning Hands at the tengu in front of me. CL is 3 thanks to Varisian Tattoo. Trying to angle the cone to catch Hikari's enemy as well (without hitting her), if possible.
[roll1] = success
if unsuccessful [roll2] (76+ goes through)
[roll3]

[Starbin]

After whispering to the mage, Skitters continued to hug the shadows as he made his way towards the spire. While he might not be good at combat, perhaps he could make himself useful in other ways.

Still keeping a low profile, moving towards the towers, if accessable. If they are not, then he'll head to the gatehouse, to see what he can do about opening the gate.

Status
AC: 14 HPs: 14/14
F +1 R +6 W +4
Extracts: Heightened Awareness
Effects: inspire courage (+1 att/dam, +1 vs fear/charm [morale])
Per +8, S. Motive +7, Stealth +11

[drayen]

Amara clenches one hand into a fist as her sling stone smashes into the beak of the archer. Her eyes grow big as the tengu responds by shooting at her! It's snap shot went wide and she stayed in close behind the others as she continued to recite her poem while reloading the sling. Spinning the leather pouch about her head, she loosed another stone at the same tengu archer hoping to score another hit.


Inspire Courage 6/9
Defense: [roll0]
Ranged Attack: [roll1]
Ranged Damage: [roll2]

[Doublebat]

As Amara trades fire with the tengu archers, neither scoring a hit, the dimness of the hallway is suddenly illuminated by a sorcerous burst of flame. It cuts close to Arcos’ allies, but deviates just enough to leave them unscathed.

Simultaneously, the guard crossing to Hikari’s right is stopped short by her iron-handed strike. He yelps his last, lethally clotheslined, before tumbling back to earth in a heap. His ally, wounded by the ninja’s furious fists, stumbles backward only to be caught in the ensuing blast of fire, burned to a crisp in seconds.

For a moment, silence is restored, before your warrior ally and the slaves behind him erupt into a chorus of amazed war cries. They charge towards the end of the hallway, steeling themselves afresh for combat, inspired by Amara’s bardic song and their newfound saviors’ abilities.

Skitters, however, sees the fate awaiting them. The ratman manages to escape the brawl early and reaches the archway of the hall, glimpsing a gory scene; the courtyard is littered with fallen slaves, either pierced by arrows or cut to ribbons by tengu guards. The feathered warriors have formed a defensive position at the base of the gateway’s stairs, raising shields to protect themselves from errant slings and makeshift javelins. A hundred feet away, the watchtower’s door - where the tower’s base meets the yard - is undefended, save for the three archers in the turret, who are still eagerly searching for targets.

The slaves’ wills are faltering, and they have been pushed behind every available piece of cover. Five of the shielded guards begin a slow march across the courtyard, looking for weakened prey...

Tengu guard: [roll0]

[Phasm]

Hikari allows herself a grim smile as the two guards go down, one to her strike and one to a fan of flames produced by an eye-catchingly tattooed human. She gives him a nod of respect, then steps over the smoking corpse and slinks toward the gate to the courtyard, flattening herself against the wall to present a smaller target to any archers outside...

That's a lot of bodies. She may be a killer, but Hikari prides herself on killing neatly, quietly. A blade or a garotte in the dark, and then away. This wholescale slaughter is completely foreign to her. Swallowing, she makes the sign of Pharasma's Spiral while she tries to think of some way to get out of this mess alive and free. "Does anyone know what that thing is in the watchtower? I'm sneaky, I might be able to get up there if breaking it would be bad for the enemy... a distraction would definitely make that easier though." She frowns, going over her supplies. Rope, grappling hook, waterskin, oil... oil! And a flint and steel.

A slow, wicked smirk spreads over her face as she turns to the other slaves. "Anyone want to start a fire somewhere? I've got two pints of oil and a flint and steel."

[Battlemage]

Arcos Volarion

Arcos gives the tiefling a nod back, impressed by her fighting ability.
She might be a tiefling, but at least she's a useful tiefling.

In response to her question, he speaks up: "The spire makes it hard to use magic in here. It's the reason I haven't started roasting birds before now. I got lucky before, but any of my spells have good chance to fail with that thing up."

He gives Amara, who had suprised him with her competent use of a sling, an appreciative look.
Hadn't figured her as the fighting type...

When Hikari suggests arson, Arcos' golden eyes light up. "I like how you think, tiefling!"

[Starbin]

Seeing the death waiting for them all down the hallway, Skitters slipped back to the others. While most of the freed slaves were dirty and feeble-looking, a handful stood out ... perhaps as this lots only hope. Slipping up to the slinger, the tiefling and the mage, Skitters held up his hands to forestall their continuing on. He caught the last question about oil and paused for a moment. Waving to the three, he practically squeaked with excitement. "Hold, heroes of the pens ... the guards are waiting and prepared, hunkered down, if you will. Rushing that way would be death. If you wish to use your oil, have a care ... we are still locked in here and fire can easily burn out of control. But perhaps it would be useful to trap the five that come to route us out! Best to call the others back to rally, then catch the guards where they least expect it!

Also, I wonder if the spire might not work for us, too ... if only I could get up there to study it ..."

First option - spill some of the oil on the floor, where the five guards are advancing (mixed with the blood of the slai ). Light it once the group is close enough, then attack.

Option two: makeshift Molotov cocktails thrown at the entrenched guards, and a mass swarm ahead in the confusion.

Third option: leave the slave and looke for other ways out (like to the east).

[roll0] + [roll1] = 30
[roll2] + [roll3] = 33
[roll4] + [roll5] = 29
All to see if Skitters could reconfigure the spire ... and turn those iron fillings into a magic magnet!
EDIT: Wow - nice rolls!

Status
AC: 14 HPs: 14/14
F +1 R +6 W +4
Extracts: Heightened Awareness
Effects: inspire courage (+1 att/dam, +1 vs fear/charm [morale])
Per +8, S. Motive +7, Stealth +11

[Doublebat]

Halted by the ratman’s warning, the warrior and his band stop short in their hasty charge. Seeing the massacre unfolding in the courtyard, your new ally grits his teeth in a pained expression. He addresses you as a group.

“They need my help,” he insists. “Our leader is still below the north wing - if she dies, this will have been for nothing.”

He points to the archway of the eastern wing; slaves there have had some success in fortifying their position with overturned crates and various debris, allowing them at least partial cover from the tengu’s arrows. But the marching guards will prove more than a match for their weakened opponents soon enough.

“We will draw their attention if we can. Whatever you have in mind, don’t dally.” He prepares his gang for a short run across the courtyard, pausing to give the tiefling a pensive glance. “And if it involves fire, try to keep it away from us.”

He gives his men a one-two-three count, and they’re off: they sprint to their destination, avoiding another hail of arrows. The tengu, seemingly convinced that they now face only the group of slaves in the east wing, focus their attention in that direction.

As you’ve studied the antimagical spire, you have discerned more about its function. A small charge of electricity keeps the iron filings suspended, rather than settling at the bottom of the glass ampule. Undoubtedly, the magnetic charge could be modified, but there’s no telling what would happen if you erred in that process.

[Battlemage]

Arcos Volarion

The flame-tattooed sorcerer thinks for a moment before he speaks. In truth, he did not care much about the other slaves' fate, nor about their leader. What he did care about was his own survival and escape from this place. And he wouldn't be able to do it alone.

Adressing Amara, the tiefling and the ratkin, he speaks: "We are not going to get out of here on our own. There's too many guards blocking the way. The revolt is our only chance. We need to get to the north wing, free the rest of the slaves and their leader. With numbers and organization on our side, we can force our way out!"

He looks out into the carnage ahead as the warrior that freed them charges forward.

"We need a way to get across the courtyard. If noone has a better plan, wait until our warrior friend here has drawn their attention, then move north as fast as possible, using any cover you can find along the way." Arcos doesn't seem to worry much about the fact that their "friend" will be used as a sacrifical distraction.

"We can set a fire behind us as we leave. It wouldn't hinder us much, as we don't have a reason to return to this wing." He looks up at the guard barracks above them."Hopefully the birds will set aside some men to prevent their barracks from burning down."

He didn't mention the option of the tengu just leaving and locking every slave inside the prison to burn. If they were willing to take the loss of the prison and all slaves, they could have already left and waited for everyone inside to starve.


I hope I got it right that the north wing slave pens are still locked. Are the 5 guards crossing the courtyard going toward the slaves in the east wing or toward us in the south wing? I understood they are going for the slaves fortifying the east wing.

[drayen]

Amara cringes at the ratkin's warning. How are we supposed to escape with heavily armed troops blocking the way? She silently wonders.

At the lead slave's comments and directions, the Amanandoran looks nervously about. Their chances of escape were dwindling.

When Arcos addresses her and the others, she nods, "Anything to get out of here." Pointing to the remaining sling on the ground, she suggests, "We can at least try to whittle down the number of archers they have as we move."

[Phasm]

Hikari gives the ringleader a sober nod. Playing distraction out there is tantamount to suicide, and these people have to know that. "Are all the slaves out of this building? Other than us here, I mean. If they are, no reason not to light it up. A fire might take some of the attention off of your group as well."

[Doublebat]

A sharp snapping rings over the courtyard as a new volley of arrows finds its way into the slaves’ ranks. The shielded guards approach the eastern corridor with steely determination, crossing the halfway point between the western gate and their intended prey. The slaves attempt to whittle down the guards with their slings, equally determined to stay alive.

The bell outside the guardhouse rings anew, but this time in a lower tone, struck from a different side perhaps. The archers halt their volleys, allowing their footsoldiers to proceed safely. Through the stale smell of blood and the damp cold of early morning, another frightening revelation; the sound of heavier footsteps on the walkways.

“Slaves of Xo Kung!” announces a cold, screeching voice. Above you, on the walls of the slave pen, a particularly weathered and cruel-looking tengu emerges -- most likely from the guardhouse. Dressed in finer leather armor, and wielding a carefully-wrought, claw-like trident, it is none other than the master of the pit himself, a figure of torment you know all too well: Overseer Yag Chakka.

“Your insolence has cost your fellow servants dearly,” he cautions the eastern defenders, sweeping a taloned hand over the scene of carnage. “Surrender yourselves, and perhaps my mercy will spare your lives. You have worn thin my patience already…”

[Starbin]

Skitters watched as the warrior moved to aid the others, looking back to the remaining three slaves here. They seemed inclined to help the prisoners to the north ... but perhaps there were more options than that. Before he could say anything, however, Yag Chakka, the hated master of the pits, arrived and issued his ultimatum. Any offer of leniency had to be a cruel joke ... but some of the less ... committed might be prone to accepting such false promises. Looking back to his new companions, he whispered, "Do we help the ones to the east by attacking the armed band? Do we try to slip to the north and find this ring leader? Or should we slip to the spire, which is currently unguarded?

My recommendation for the use of fire will depend on the course of action we select ...""

Skitters looked to the others, whiskers quivering expectantly.
Let's see, [roll0] vs the overseer - is he confident? Is his offer true? Is he a lover of fine wines? Inquiring minds want to know!

Status
AC: 14 HPs: 14/14
F +1 R +6 W +4
Extracts: Heightened Awareness
Effects: inspire courage (+1 att/dam, +1 vs fear/charm [morale])
Per +8, S. Motive +7, Stealth +11

[drayen]

Amara looks to the north before answering. "If getting that ringleader out means adding more bodies to our side, then perhaps it would be the best course of action."

[Battlemage]

Arcos Volarion

Arcos looks somewhat incredulous at the arrival of the overseer. Give up? Mercy? Not likely... you better hope I never get the chance to pay you back for the last two years!

"The other slaves planned this whole thing, if they think they need their leader to succeed, let's get her free. If she organized things so far, she might have a way out too. Seems our best chance to succeed. Let's burn this place down behind us and get across the yard!"

[Phasm]

Hikari nods sharply, retrieving a pair of small ceramic jugs from her pack. "Agreed, then. I would feel much more comfortable with more allies, hopefully even someone who has a plan and better supplies." She uncorks one and looks at Arcos. "Can you set these alight without using up your larger spells? I know a sorcerer who can light tinder with a thought, but I also know that all sorcerers have different powers. It would be faster than the flint and steel."

[Starbin]

Skitters nodded, rubbing his paws together. "Very well, it's a game of following the leader then. We could either use one of the flask for a smokey diversion or to help against that closing warrior patrol. If forbabsime distraction, drop it on the smoldering remains - their clothes will generate more than enough smoke to distract anyone on the upper levels ... perhaps long enough for us to slip to the north. Perhaps just a little oil to start the process and save the east for later. I might require it for an attempt to repurpose the anti-magic spire ...""



Status
AC: 14 HPs: 14/14
F +1 R +6 W +4
Extracts: Heightened Awareness
Effects: inspire courage (+1 att/dam, +1 vs fear/charm [morale])
Per +8, S. Motive +7, Stealth +11

[Doublebat]

The five warriors edge closer to their targets, but not before coming under a second hail of slingshots. Your new ally -- obviously some lower-ranking member of the slave army -- holds his ground against two of the tengu, fighting alongside his brethren. Yag Chakka looks on with leering eyes and a satisfied grin, pacing back and forth behind a wall of his guards' shields.


Your pal makes two saves vs DC13:
[roll0] or [roll1]
[roll2] or [roll3]

And an attack on his nearest enemy: [roll4] for [roll5]


With your knowledge of Yag Chakka and his current mood, you sense he is confident in himself, but probably so confident that he hasn't planned for failure; he is most likely banking on winning a battle of attrition against poorly-armed opponents.

He is also probably lying about his offer. There are hundreds of slaves in Wen Xo Kung's empire, more by the day, and the thirty-something remaining here are not a necessity.

[Phasm]

"Hmm, yes. Feathers are quite flammable. There's some straw in the cells as well." Burning feathers also stink like nothing else, but Hikari has greater concerns than that. She runs over to the tengu corpses and starts dragging one over to a nearby wooden truss. "Help me out here, people, we need to get this done fast."


Once they've got their feathery corpses next to a wooden structure, Hikari will pour one flask of oil so it touches both the wood and the makeshift kindling, then light it with her flint and tinder.

[drayen]

Amara rolls her eyes at the others before grabbing one of the dead tengu's legs. "Whatever is the plan, let's just get it going and get out of here." The bard pulls the corpse towards one of the buttresses in aid of Hitari.

[Battlemage]

Arcos Volarion

With a faint air of distaste, Arcos helps the women in their task. Physical labor, how demeaning. Not that he had much dignity left after two years of slavery, but still, it was the principle.

[Doublebat]

The puddle of oil mixes into a thick paste when combined with the straw and feathers; it crackles when lit, quickly growing into a smoldering cloud which, as expected, is as pungent as it is scalding. Soon, flames are licking at the wooden trusses, creeping towards the wooden ceiling.

You are wise enough to give the fire a wide berth, and this is fortunate. Once the fire begins, it crawls steadily outward and upward. Outside, Chakka is busy enjoying the ongoing battle with the slaves, when suddenly, a plume of smoke catches his sunken eyes. He turns his attention to the southern wing, shrinking when he recognizes the smell of burning straw.

"Guards!" he exclaims, striking his trident against the flagstone. "Put that flame out, at once!" Two of the nearby tengu put away their blades and rush to the guardhouse, the closest structure to the encroaching fire.

[Starbin]

Skitters nodded at the success of the fire, whispering rapidly to his companions, "That should serve us well ... onward to the north, yes?" Without further ado, Skitters slipped along to the northern corridor, keeping low and close to the walls as he moved. Eyeing any threats, he tried to move as quickly as possible without alerting the guards ... specifically any archer types.

Alrighty ... [roll0], [roll1]

Status
AC: 14 HPs: 14/14
F +1 R +6 W +4
Extracts: Heightened Awareness
Effects: inspire courage (+1 att/dam, +1 vs fear/charm [morale])
Per +8, S. Motive +7, Stealth +11

[drayen]

Amara grabs one of the short swords dropped by the tengu slavers. Hefting the unfamiliar weapon in her hand, she shrugs, Too heavy. Maybe one of the others could use it.

Moving north with the others, she asks, "Can any of you wield this sword? It is of little use to me."

[Battlemage]

Arcos Volarion

Arcos follows the others as they make their way to the courtyard. Despite not having any experience with it, he tries to draw as little attention as possible as he moves. He shakes his head at Amara's offer of the sword. He preferred to stay out of arms reach of his enemies.


[roll0]
Edit: That's two natural 20s for stealth, can the rest of you keep the streak up? :smallbiggrin:

[Phasm]

"Ahh... beautiful." Hikari almost never gets to set things on fire, it's unprofessional. Those rare occasions when a fire is an acceptable form of distraction are moments to be treasured. Grinning, she turns to see Amara offering a short sword. "And a sword as well! This day gets better and better. Thank you." The tiefling takes it with an obvious air of long practice and slinks into the shadows on silent feet.


Hurray, a real weapon!

Stealth: [roll0]

[drayen]

Handing over the sword to the tiefling, "You're welcome. As for myself, I will stick to the arts." Amara smiles sweetly as she holds up her iron brush.

[Doublebat]

Thick smoke begins to billow from the southern wing, followed shortly thereafter by a gout of flame as the guardhouse itself begins to come alight. The two guards -- reduced to battling a fire with little water on hand -- are joined by others as it becomes apparent the fire won't extinguish itself anytime soon. The smoke provides you more cover under the already dim night skies -- you successfully reach the halfway point of the northern wall.

This, however, has put you near the ongoing battle between the shielded guards and the slaves, who continue to hold out despite the steep odds against them. These tengu are busied with the combat, but are close enough to potentially see you. Your allies fight valiantly, led by their apparent captain, who has been emboldened upon seeing the sudden panic of the tengu on the walls.

"Be strong!" he shouts to his followers. "Don't give them a single step forward!" He strikes down one of the nearby guards himself, but is caught by another with a grisly slash across his exposed shoulder.

Meanwhile, Yag Chakka's smug grin has soured into an irritated scowl. With the blunt end of his trident he strikes a nearby archer, who tumbles from the wall and crashes to the courtyard below. "Kill them! Kill them all, or not even you molting whelps will be spared my wrath!" he shrieks, clearly offput by the turn of events.

Assuming everyone has used a double-move to get the maximum distance out of their stealth rolls. At half speed, that's roughly 30 feet for everybody along a 50-ish foot wall.


Your friend makes two more saves vs DC13:
[roll0] or [roll1]
[roll2] or [roll3]

And one more attack: [roll4] for [roll5]

[drayen]

Amara keeps low and slow as she makes her way north past the ruckus, trying for all she's worth to keep herself hidden from notice by anyone on any side.


Stealth: 1d20+6

[Starbin]

While the others exchanged weapons, Skitters continued to move forward, avoiding the ensuing melee to the east. Best to not get involved for now. Besides, he wanted to hurry so he could check out the spire ... the challenge called to him.

Movin along, but if we need one for now [roll0] and [roll1]

Status
AC: 14 HPs: 14/14
F +1 R +6 W +4
Extracts: Heightened Awareness
Effects: inspire courage (+1 att/dam, +1 vs fear/charm [morale])
Per +8, S. Motive +7, Stealth +11

[Phasm]

Hikari casts a quick glance at their savior, now being swarmed by angry tengu with weapons. We'll make your sacrifice worthwhile. Charging in to help him will most likely result in one or more of the escapees being killed. No, stealth is their best friend right now. She turns away and keeps walking as quickly as she dares, sticking to the shadows.

[Doublebat]

It doesn't take long to reach the other side of the wall, with the battle boiling over in the eastern hall and the fire rapidly consuming the floorboards of the guardhouse. Its roof has quickly caught flame, and the tengu are losing their nerve in the face of the flames creeping towards them.

Nonetheless, Yag Chakka remains steadfast, urging his warriors onward. His archers prepare a new volley, in case the shielded guardians fall to the rebels' weapons, and he clicks his tongue impatiently.

Your party, however, is meeting with success; without much trouble, you are within spitting distance of the doorway to the northwestern spire. The door itself, a wooden slat studded with brass, is only held closed by an external lock looped around its circular handle and the doorjamb. The tower itself is only twenty-some feet high, and at its peak, you can hear the magic-dampening device humming and crackling.

[drayen]

Amara nervously looks about, fearing they will be discovered any second. She silently curses the locked door even as she continues towards it. "Use the sword to pry the lock from the door or jamb." She furiously whispers to Hikari.

[Starbin]

OOC - Well, we can proceed from here ... I'll just go with it ..

Skitters moved up to the lock, peering at it for a few moments. Then he reached into his pack and pulled out a long needle and one of the shivs. After a few moments, he started working on the lock, trying to get it opened.

so I think it's -2 for using makeshift tools, so [roll0]. He'll roll for inspiration if the roll is over 15, otherwise don't add it. [roll1]

Taking 20 would require 2 min, so if we want to do that, maybe Skitters stays and works on the lock while the rest of you save the leader?

Status
AC: 14 HPs: 14/14
F +1 R +6 W +4
Extracts: Heightened Awareness
Effects: inspire courage (+1 att/dam, +1 vs fear/charm [morale])
Per +8, S. Motive +7, Stealth +11

[drayen]

Amara continues moving to the north entryway to check for additional guards, gates and locks.


Not much else to do at the moment, but at least it will get us a description of what's to come so we can make an educated decision about which to tackle first.

[Battlemage]

Arcos gives Skitters a dubious look as the rat-man gets to work on the door lock. "You just carry on with that. Take the spire out if you can, we'll be back after we've freed the slave leader."

With that he follows the bard to the north-wall gate.

[Phasm]

Well, if the sorcerer and the bard are willing to pass up the antimagic spire, who is Hikari to argue? She turns to the cunning ratfolk. "They are correct. Who knows what is happening to the leader as we speak? We can come back after we have made sure she is safe." With that she follows Amara and Arcos, sword at the ready.

[Doublebat]

At his first attempt, Skitters finds the lock to be just a bit more stubborn than it first appeared. Thankfully, there is little activity above him -- the archers are still working to bring down the remaining slaves, who have given up the cusp of the eastern corridor and pulled inward to protect themselves from the continuing shower of arrows.

Another phalanx of guards begins to close in around the courtyard, but they are somewhat distracted by the growing thread in the south; none of the tengu have managed to stop the raging fire which has, at this point, consumed the guardhouse to the halfway point. Yag Chakka has assigned around half his guards to, instead, take up picks and hammers to chop down the already-aflame lumber, sacrificing the guardhouse to prevent the spreading flames from engulfing the whole prison.

Those of you in the northern wing see the likely hiding place of the rebellion leader; like the other halls of prison cells, this one ends in a thick doorway which once held an equally imposing door, now lying on its side having been torn off its hinges by the freed slaves. A spiral staircase descends downward steeply, at an angle designed to make just such escapes more difficult. You can see, even from here, the glimmer of torchlight on the stone steps. Somebody is waiting just downstairs, out of sight of the ongoing mayhem up above.

[Phasm]

Hikari flattens herself against the wall to make herself a smaller target. On the one hand, the movement down there could be more tengu. On the other hand, it could be the leader, and chucking a flask of flaming oil down there would be Bad. Only one way to find out.

The tiefling edges her way down on silent feet, sword in hand.


Still trying to be stealthy, just in case the other party is looking the other way. :smalltongue:

[Battlemage]

Arcos Volarion

Arcos gives the tiefling a good amount of space before he follows her down the stairs. Creeping around in dark places was very much in their fiendish nature after all. Not so much in his. Being connected to the element of fire lent itself more to showy and dramatic devastation than it did subtlety and stealth.

[drayen]

Amara followed the tiefling and chelaxian through the hall and down the stairs, moving as quietly as possible. This had better be worth it. All of the others could already be dead. She thought to herself as the sounds of slaughter faded behind her.

[Doublebat]

As the clashing of swords and the shouting of warriors fades into a din overhead, you descend into the lower wing. Down here -- as you might recall from your own time in the prison -- there is little but crushing silence and pitch darkness, a purpose-built structure meant to capitalize on the low-light vision of a tengu while torturing the mind of most other slaves.

The rocky steps make a half-revolution before meeting the lower floor, a simple path dug into the ground itself, lined with yet more cages. The bodies of unfortunate guards and slaves are still slouched against the walls or lying prone in your way, but the guards are in far worse condition as they were clearly overwhelmed during the escape.

And then, far down the tunnel, you spot your ally; an older woman, perhaps in her fifties, shrouded in a mixture of ragged clothing and burlap shawls, her hands tightly wrapped in gauze-like linen. At her sides are a pair of curious guardians; one, a half-orc, stands nearly seven feet tall, wielding a thick club of discarded timber. Black hair hangs around his shoulders. The other is a halfling woman with copper hair and matching eyes, clutching a dagger in one hand.

When they register that none of you are tengu, they relax only slightly. "It sounds like we're almost out of time," muses the halfling.

[drayen]

Amara ignores the halfling's obvious observation as she squats down to begin rifling through the tengus bodies looking for anything of value.

[Battlemage]

Arcos Volarion

Arcos gives the old woman a doubtful glance. She sure didn't look like much. Nevertheless, they weren't exactly spoilt for choice here. Dubious allies were preferable to no allies.

The sorcerer, despite being clad in nothing but a loincloth, stands straight-backed and proud, displaying his swirling fire tattoos in their full splendor. He adresses the prospective leader of the resistance with a confident voice, golden eyes blazing with self-righteousness:

"I am Arcos Volarion of the dragon's blood, scion of Cheliax and heir to my noble house, and I will see these birds burn for their impudence! I was told you had a plan that will help this endeavor."


Yes, Arcos is a bit full of himself. :smalltongue:

[Phasm]

Hikari rolls her red-orange eyes at the sorcerer's grandstanding and gives the older woman a shallow bow. "Name's Hikari, glad to see you're all right. The man who let us out of our cells told us that the leader of the rebellion was down here, I take it that's you?" She pauses slightly. "If he's a friend of yours... I'm sorry, but he's probably dead by now. Last we saw he was up against a bunch of tengu guards. We set the south wing on fire to provide a diversion, looked like it was burning pretty well, but I'm not sure how much of the guard force that's taking up."

The tiefling jabs a thumb in Arcos' direction. "We got us a sorcerer, and the ratfolk over there is pretty sure he can deactivate the antimagic spire if we can get up there. Me, I'm a ninja." She flashes a sharp-toothed grin. No point in being coy about it now; in a life or death situation, knowing your allies' abilities is crucial.

[Starbin]

Skitters looked up as the others ignored his efforts and left him behind. "Well, I certainly did not anticipate them leaving me alone ... Best work quickly, or I'll be guard bait ..."

Skitters continued to work on popping the lock, his fingers and skill up to the task, even if his tools were less than optimum.

Hanging out during the narrative time :smallsmile:

Status
AC: 14 HPs: 14/14
F +1 R +6 W +4
Extracts: Heightened Awareness
Effects: inspire courage (+1 att/dam, +1 vs fear/charm [morale])
Per +8, S. Motive +7, Stealth +11

[Doublebat]

The woman, peeking out from beneath her hooded disguise, reveals a resolute expression, her steely eyes finding each of yours. "We understood the risk when we began," she explains briefly. "Their lives will not be in vain, if I can help it."

The orc gives a grunt as he listens to the din of combat slowly dimming, suggesting the upstairs fight is nearing its end. "If we don't move soon, we'll be joining them." He points to the doorway, hefting his club in the other hand. "We can still make it through the front gates, or over the walls. But the tengu will be looking for survivors before long. If they spread out, we're done for."

The woman speaks again, surprisingly calm despite the dire circumstances. "We have a way to safety, if you can get us out of this place. And we might have something to help you," she adds. The halfling beside her nods in confirmation, revealing a pair of smokesticks concealed in her tiny hand.


Upstairs, Skitters is the lone witness to the dwindling fight; the remaining slaves have been pushed into the eastern corridor, farther back than he can see. Tengu have spread across the courtyard to begin cleaning up their attack, finishing off the wounded and dragging the corpses of their comrades away from the carnage. Others begin scouring the walls almost immediately, at the direction of the smug and satisfied Yag Chakka.

"Find the last of the instigators," he commands, clacking his talons against the side of his trident. "Wen Xo Kung would applaud your courage, warriors!"

With a take-20, you have an immediate success with the door. It's open, and inside is a narrow spiral staircase leading up to the top level. There is a flat landing between the ground floor and the plane where the walkways intersect with the middle of the tower. You know there are only two archers on the top floor, where the device sits.

[Phasm]

Hikari nods sharply, taking one of the offered smokesticks. "Right. Is there a back door to this wing of the building? Do you know how high the walls are? I've got a rope and grappling hook if we can find a quiet place to put them. And what should I call you?"

[drayen]

Amara looks up from the corpse she is currently searching. "Fine, let's just get out of here, shall we?" Her exacerbation becoming even more pronounced as the "jail break" carries on ever longer.

[Starbin]

Skitters nodded to himself once the door was unlocked. Above, he heard Yag Chakka start ordering the soliders to sweep the wall. Frowning, he glanced around and realized the battle was starting to turn in the guards favor. With a gulp, he slipped into the door, closing it behind him. To a casual observer, it would appear locked, but anyone looking closely would know otherwise.

Once inside, the small ratkin took stock of his surroundings, before slipping quietly up the stairs. He moved as quietly as he could, trying to get to the device unobserved. He knew there were archers, but hopefully they had either moved to get a better angle on the prisoners, or had left their post to help with the clean up. Either way, Skitters was relying on them not expecting anything from behind, and the distractions of the fire and fighting below would keep the guards attention elsewhere.

Slipping up the steps quietly. Taking 10 initially up the stairs (total of 21). Then at the top, [roll0] plus [roll1] Total: 27

Status
AC: 14 HPs: 14/14
F +1 R +6 W +4
Extracts: Heightened Awareness
Inspiration: 3/4
Effects: None
Per +8, S. Motive +7, Stealth +11

[Battlemage]

Arcos Volarion

Arcos nods toward the tiefling. "Sounds like a plan. Find a hidden spot along the wall, provide some cover with the smoke sticks, and then go over with the grappling hook. I won't even ask how you got that into the prison." He grins.

Internally, he wasn't sure at all if he could make it over a wall, even with the help of a grappling hook. Physical strength had never been his forte. But he would be damned if he actually said that.

"We should probably try and collect our rat friend outside, he seemed to have useful skills."

[Phasm]

Hikari smirks at Arcos, looking quite smug. "Ninja, remember? We have our ways." It wasn't at all easy to steal and hide her motley assortment of equipment, but she managed. Red eyes widen as the sorcerer mentions the ratfolk. "Oh no... don't tell me he went up the tower alone!" She lets out a few pungent curses. "Right, I suppose we have to go collect him. At least it'll make your spells easier if we can break the antimagic thing."