(078) A Second Expedition

[heartless]

Dopey draws the hobgoblin's knife to determine whether it is nicer than his own.
...
"Try inside his vest, Kianna," suggests the hobbet. "This greedy goblin would keep his money nowhere else."

Noticing Dopey didn't take the money and been short of coin herself, Kianna takes the hobgoblins purse.

Sorry this post is a few days old in game time.

[heartless]

As much as The Herald hates non-humans, he hates seeing Men needlessly fall in battle even more. Reluctantly, he follows the others. He will guard the rear this time, making sure their line of retreat is clear.

Before he leaves the room, he digs out his three flasks of oil from his pack and lays them on the desk. He also lights a torch and places it on the stone floor near the desk, but not so near that the desk would catch fire while they're gone.

Watching the others leave for battle Kianna draws her sword and joins The Hearld in the rear in the coming battle, praying to her God for protection and victory against the evil hobgoblins.

[ehiker133]

Leudigar motions for everyone to stay still and not make a sound, hoping the hobs will go back to doing whatever it is they were doing... but he has his crossbow leveled in case they don't.

[sully]

The Herald stands still, as quiet as he can be.

[acodispo]

Wetzel takes the hint, and stays stock still.

[doctorx]

Arian is still, silent and, as far as any expression can be made out from beneath the forbidding mask of her war helm, quietly amused by all the goings-on.

She holds her spear ready and maintains a careful watch to the rear.

[The Red Baron]

Dopey scrambles down the stairs and catches up to Leudigar within earshot of the hobgoblins.

When he sees the ranger's gesture, Dopey stands still, and hopes his new, well oiled armor is sufficiently muted.

[Eris]

Freid frowns, but stands still and waits. He expects a Snork to stick his head out into the corridor to see what is going on. He plans to chop that Snork's head off!

[waysoftheearth]

After a short pause there are a few rough grunts culminating in an unintelligible remark followed by a sound something like a sharp cuff over the back of a head. Then the general ruckus resumes...

The ref dices to see how the non-players will react: 2d6 → 9, so that's a positive reaction. The ref interprets a positive reaction as: reacting in the players' favour.

The company are (mostly) crammed up in a narrow passage that's almost wide enough for two abreast, about 30ft beyond the cusp of a room just around the bend...

What now?

[waysoftheearth]

| Here is a mudmap of the approximate scenario: |

  Code:

       ???   +\
               + 
            \   |
            | O \ <-- Fried
            | O  \ <-- Leudigar
            \ Oo | <-- The Herald/Dopey
             -\ O \ <-- Wetzel
               | O| <-- Karl
               | o* <-- Zem
               + o| <-- Faengol
              * O | <-- Arian
              | o/ <-- Kianna
         -----+  |
       |||||     | <-- Stair 
         -----+  |     down
            +/  /+
            |   |
            |   |
            *   + <-- Torch
          /    +
          |    |
          |    |
          |    |
          +   /
         +   * 
         |   |
         |   |
         |   |
         |   |
         |   |
         |   |
         |   |
     /---`   `-+
    /*        b| <-- Bell
    +---####---+ <-- Gate
    |          |
    |       o  |
    |       T  | <-- Hobgoblin
    |       ^  |
    |     [__] | <-- Desk
    |         *|
    |          |
    |*         | <-- Torch
    |          |
    |     O    | <-- Akbar
    \    o     / <-- Zax
     \-\    /-/
        |--|
        |--|  <-- Stair up

(Marching order in them middle may not be precise... but it isn't going to matter overly).

Remember that surprise, if achieved, will win you one free turn segment which is effectively saying: one free opportunity to move, or to shoot/cast, or to attack (if already within melee distance, which is 1").

Also note that 3" is the distance at which any figure can choose to automatically (outside its normal move allowance) close to melee, and the distance at which spell casters are considered "meleed" and thus cannot cast spells.[/ooc]