(004) The Dunjon Door

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:

OOC: For clarification, are there 4 exits from the fountain room? Or just the 2 we've used?

Yes, there are four exits from the fountain room.

[waysoftheearth]

makofan wrote:
Caine shouts for all to retreat

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
In the middle of the passage, Caine calls for a general retreat, but it's not clear who is listenting...

Dieter turns and prepares himself for battle as Rodrick forcibly helps Olaf shove by in the cramped passageway. By the time Olaf has taken up a flanking position in the intersecting passageway, Dieter is ready behind Rodrick. All this is accomplished not a moment too soon, for despite their awful, stumbling gait, at least four of the appalling enemy have broken into a grotesque, staggering trot, their decrepit arms and bile-raising stench reaching out of the dark toward you.

Initiative is rolled (Dieter 1d6=4(+1), Rodrick 1d6=5(-1), Olaf 1d6=3, the enemy 1d6=1).

Dieter finds himself frustratingly (or thankfully?) shielded behind Rodrick, who hastily thrusts his burning torch into the hideously withered face of first enemy that staggers into reach. The aurulent torch light fails momentarily, then flares again as Rodrick punches the firey instrument (1d20=17) directly into the monster's drawling mouth cavity, splitting brittle teeth and engulfing its face in a gout of sparks and flame for (1dd=5) 6 hit-points. Even this terrible blow evokes no cry nor anguish from the hideous monster, which simply strains clumsily to reach Rodrick as its withered face burns.

As the monster strains after Rodrick, Olaf finds himself ideally placed to its flank and lunges deeply with his sword (1d20=10) puncturing its rotting chest cavity and driving his blade through almost to the hilt for a further (2dd=4,2) 5 hit-points!

A second horror pushes eagerly behind its impaled mate and claws madly at Olaf (1d20=5) with its ghastly talons, but he pulls back swiftly to avoid contact. A putrid wheeze of foul air escapes the stricken first monster as Olaf tears his blade free, and it collapses in an awkward pile of rotten flesh and bone. The remaining three monsters press forward in unabated, silent loathing...


Meanwhile, in the fountain room Taines and Victor persist in their assault, but Taines only succeeds in lodging his axe solidly in the serpentine statue with a hefty splash (1d20=1), and Victor is unable to connect with anything but air (1d20=3).

Mads charges into the room swinging his cold iron axe in a dealy arc and joins the fray, connecting (1d20=19) with the monstrous, watery trunk surrounding the fountain statue for (2dd=2,3) just 1 hit-point of damage. His blade seemed to slide too easily through the water, causing the monster little harm.

At the same time Ulric's eyes are afire with a baleful coppery glow as he utters the ancient, reptilian verse while cantering around the perimeter of the room. When he is wide of the fountain he flings his hand before him and fills the air between himself and the fountain with a sudden brightness of roiling green and blue fire. The flames engulf the horrible, watery tentacle and create a billowing hiss of steamy vapour, inflicting (1dd=3) only 2 hit points.

Across the chamber, the water tentacle that was questing after Anwyn falls suddenly from the air as she scampers out of reach, splashing down across the floor as would any volume of mundane water. But at the fountain another great leering tentacle of animate water churns up from the basin with frightening speed and swipes widely at Taines, Victor and Mads, (1d20=7) but all three have their wits about them and dodge the wild sweep.

Anwyn is breathing heavily in a dark, cobwebby passage... ahead, through the gathering web and gloom, she can just barely make out another intersection...

Gentlemen, your intentions for next round please.

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:

Caine shouts for all to retreat

Olaf wonders to himself......but then he's too busy trying to stay alive while fighting said monsters to think much more about it.

[img]images/smiley/smiley.png[/img]

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:

Dieter finds himself frustratingly (or thankfully?) shielded behind Rodrick, who hastily thrusts his burning torch into the hideously withered face of first enemy that staggers into reach. The aurulent torch light fails momentarily, then flares again as Rodrick punches the firey instrument (1d20=17) directly into the monster's drawling mouth cavity, splitting brittle teeth and engulfing its face in a gout of sparks and flame for (1dd=5) 6 hit-points. Even this terrible blow evokes no cry nor anguish from the hideous monster, which simply strains clumsily to reach Rodrick as its withered face burns.

"Keep it up Rodrick!" Olaf shouts encouragement, "These monsters don't like your flame!"

As the monster strains after Rodrick, Olaf finds himself ideally placed to its flank and lunges deeply with his sword (1d20=10) puncturing its rotting chest cavity and driving his blade through almost to the hilt for a further (2dd=4,2) 5 hit-points!

"Have at thee!" Olaf shouts as he twists his blade deep within the stinking monster.

A second horror pushes eagerly behind its impaled mate and claws madly at Olaf (1d20=5) with its ghastly talons, but he pulls back swiftly to avoid contact. A putrid wheeze of foul air escapes the stricken first monster as Olaf tears his blade free, and it collapses in an awkward pile of rotten flesh and bone. The remaining three monsters press forward in unabated, silent loathing...

Olaf pauses for a bare second to gather himself then steps forward again to attack this new monster, "Hold them here, men!", he shouts and does his best to accomplish that by thrusting his blade at the creature before him and shouting, "Turn back you undead monsters!"

Olaf continues to thrust and stab at the monsters as they present themselves.

[waysoftheearth]

tombowings wrote:
Rodrick, seeing none of his companions injured, uses the torch to make a fiery attack in the general direction of one of the horrors.

[waysoftheearth]

danhem wrote:
Ulric, hearing the familiar sound of combat in the corridor behind them, smiles. Such is the fate of the foolhardy, he thinks to himself.

His mystical flames seem to have only slightly injured the strange watery creature; but he doubt his sling stones will do much at all. Ulric takes a moment to concentrate and tries to remember the words of the Anthracite Sufferance so that he may strike the beast with fire again.

OOC: Ulric is attempting to recast the Anthracite Sufferance. I believe I need to roll a 16+ to do so?

[waysoftheearth]

TheMyth wrote:
Anwyn will kneel in the dark, pull a torch from her pack and light it so she can see what's down the passageway.

(OOC: I assume this will take a whole round.)

[waysoftheearth]

coffee wrote:
Dieter remains on the defensive behind Roderick, but should his comrade fall, he will be avenged.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
In the relative quiet dark of the far passage, Anwyn pulls a torch and a tinderbox from her pack and begins striking flint to steel in search of a spark...