scotland ♔ yet how the wind revives us here

[untethered]

♬ Presentiment - Manami Kiyota

WHO || Belle, Gold, Emma, Hook, Lila [closed]
WHAT || Several Knights take a secret journey to try to help Amara...
WHERE || Oakhurst, Scotland
WHEN || January 15th, 2014 [forward dated]
HOW || Actionspam

It's probably a very good thing that Gold sweet-talked them a car in the nearby tiny Scottish village of Oakhurst, because it is freezing cold out and snow blankets almost everything around. Walking the seven miles up the Old Road to the ruins would be a bitch and a half.

Instead, they comfortably drove past rocky downs, near stands of old-growth oak covered in snow, and past two farms that looked abandoned. No other travelers were visible on the lonely road, which finally curves, passing east of a narrow ravine. Belle signals for them to pull over here, where, at the road's closest approach to the cleft, several broken pillars jut from the earth where the ravine widens and opens into something akin to more of a deep, but narrow, cavern. Two of the pillars stand straight, but most of them lean against the sloped earth. Others are broken and several have apparently fallen into the darkness-shrouded depths. A few similar pillars are visible on the opposite side of the ravine.

Comments

[uncurse]

[ emma's been hanging back and pacing a little anxiously, clearly trying to just keep moving in order to keep discomfort from settling in. but she finally stops and speaks up. her voice all but cracks with uncertainty. ]

I think I've got an idea. [ sorry to interrupt ur romantic moment with MAGIC and shit. she turns her gaze to lila, hand remaining out and expectant towards her teacher. ] Do you know which door it is? [ maybe if she keeps talking and demanding things then ... she won't be anxious and uncomfortable about performing magic. ]

[unhand]

[Hook comes up next to her. He doesn't know she can do magic or have any idea what she's planning (wis 2), but he doesn't like the anxiety she's showing. Still, he'll back her play, whatever it is. She's pretty competent.]

What'll you do?

[uncurse]

With any luck? [ she looks over at hook, then down the hall towards the doors. ] Scare the shit out of them. [ that's the best you're getting you will see when she gets started. which will be as soon as she knows which door it is. ]

[bittersweeter]

[ lila nudges the goblin to stand in front of the right door. BECAUSE POINTING WAS TOO MUCH EFFORT, I GUESS. ]

[untethered]

[ the goblin takes the first door to the right, hugging the wall, rather than heading down towards the end of the hall. he leads them into another dusty sort of back hall, all the way down to the very end.

this is it. this is the door to the hall of the goblin chief. ]

[undealt]

[Gold catches onto Emma's plan and smirks knowingly, adding in a whisper:] The trick is convincing them that there are more of us than there are. They won't fight if the odds aren't in their favor and they're not bright enough to send for reinforcements. They'll clear the hall and we'll have a straight shot to the grove.

[Ideally.]

[bittersweeter]

Shit for cover. [ she grouses, almost to herself, looking around in case she missed something. that she is going to miss again with her 6 spot check. useless. ] And we might be screwed if this is the way they come out, they'll bottleneck and then we'll have to climb over them to get into the hall. And we don't exactly want them fleeing toward the grove. [ she huffs out a sigh, pushing her hair back under her hat. ]

[sternshield]

Are we sure this is the best idea, and not, well... suicide?

[uncurse]

Look, if you've got a better suggestion, I'm all ears. [ and emma will ... try to think of something and offer an alternative at least instead of just being defensive she gestures to one of the other doors. ] If you can do your ... thing remotely, we can hide in another room and send the goblin through to tell them to flee. But, there's no guarantee they will, and all that'll do is warn them to prepare. No matter what we do, there's a chance it could screw us. But we have to do something.

[bittersweeter]

I can. It's at least 50 feet. [ as that is the distance from the roof of a four story building and the ground. the distance between lilacat and cassel sleep walking to his (not) death. and that was when she was a cat. being sure of that actually calms her some, since its pretty much the only thing she's sure of. ] I'm not sure I can actually make him talk though? I can try to convince him there is way more than us and wake him up then send his ass through the door, but I've never tried to make anyone sleeptalk.

[uncurse]

There's no telling that wouldn't send them pouring back into the grove, too. And that can't happen. The last thing we need is a whole horde of goblins and an evil druid on top of it. [ charming hips. ] Are we sure there's only two ways out of that room? [ she nods up ahead to the hall in question. ] if it's this hallway or the grove, we're screwed, but if they're terrified of the druid, and of us, it could push them to a third option. [ she backs off a bit, working her jaw, then turns to the door on their left. ] Let's take a look in here before we jump into anything. If it's got an adjoining door that direction, we might just be in the clear. [ because she'd spotted one at the end of the last hall they'd been in that had to also filter into this room, and if they all connect, the goblins might just think they can slip right on by them and flee that way. ]

[untethered]

[ as emma gets closer to the door on her left, it becomes very easy to hear something beyond it... it doesn't even require a listen check. there's the burble of many, many guttural voices beyond, distinctly goblinoid. ]

[uncurse]

[ her voice drops, because if she can hear them, there's like a 30% chance they can hear her. she turns back to the others. ] We got goblins. [ she rests a hand on the door, looking back to consider it. she nods. ] This room opens in to the next hall. If we manage to spook them, we'll be able to avoid a fight entirely.

[untethered]

It sounds like... quite a lot of them through there. And you think there are thirty more through the other door, as well?

[unhand]

[Hook draws his sword.] If it doesn't work, we'll simply have to fight. But all this deliberation does is offer them the chance to hear us coming, and not on our own terms. Best prepare your weapons and your healing potions. And get on with it.

[sternshield]

[ erky draws his sword, as meepo squints at them. ]

"Don't understand. Should be taking Calcryx back to kobolds first! If they take humans, will take dragon again!"

[ idek who's carrying the dragon rn but that sure... limits what they can do right now so we should be aware of whose hands are encumbered by bb dragon. ]

[uncurse]

[ yeah it is not emma. that little fucker freeze-blasted her. ]

Yeah, and once you've got what you want, you'll head back to your dragon cage and do nothing to help us get past these goblins. I don't think so. [ did you think that was an accident, meepo. it wasn't. you are being dragged kicking and screaming into battle with a house-cat dragon as blackmail. ] We helped you get your dragon back. And when you've helped us in return, we'll bring the both of you back to your people.

[ she moves towards the door at the end of the hall, raising her hands. ] Get ready. Once the noise starts, you should get loud by the side door. Make sure they're forced out the right direction.

[ as emma's eyes shut and she takes a moment to focus, the sound of banging begins at the door, though the door itself doesn't shake. like a group of people (approx 8) is suddenly banging on it, trying aggressively to knock it in. there's chattering to go along with it - none of it can really be distinguished or understood because it's like sim-speak or charlie brown's teacher, but it's like their party has doubled in size. (concentration 24??? do i have to roll that?? who knows. spell used: ghost sounds.) ]

[unhand]

[Hook quickly starts banging his own hook against the door and shouting (intimidate 16) to try and help along the effect. He'll have to ask Emma about the magic later.]

[undealt]

[Yep. Just gonna... contribute to this madness with rhythmic cane tapping with the aid of a Ventriloquism spell to make the sound come from whatever other place they DON'T want the goblins going to ensure they go the right way.]

[untethered]

[ despite his earlier reservations, meepo joins in, banging his short spear on the wall and yelling what sound like obscenities in the kobold language, as belle joins in the clamoring and erky lets out some gnomish racket or other. beyond the door to the south, there's a great deal of noise in response, mostly panicked sounding, and even some crying. ]

[uncurse]

[ well now seems as good a time as any to head in the west door, glancing around for signs that some of the goblins stayed behind (spot 10). the sound of the fleeing goblins is pretty promising right .... ]

[untethered]

[ the goblins in the other room may have scattered to the four winds but unfortunately the goblins in this room were immediately ordered to cover this door. that emma just tossed open. which means le goblins get a surprise round.

a circular shaft pierces the floor of the 40-foot diameter domed chamber. dim violet light shines out of the shaft, revealing the sickly white and gray vines coating the shaft's wall. the light from the shaft is supplemented by four lit wall torches set equidistant around the periphery of the chamber. a crudely fashioned throne of stone sits against the curve of the northwestern wall. a large iron chest serves as the throne's footstool. a sapling grows in a wide stone pot net to the throne.

on the throne sits a goblin-like creature, who appears to be larger and more menacing looking than the little guys. on either side of the door are stationed four goblins total, and three of them stab at her with readied actions instantly, two of them striking her with javelins (atk 6, 17, nat 20, dmg 6 total). the cleric standing by the chief on the throne waves a hand to cast a bane spell. EVERYONE must make a will save (DC 11) or be filled with a sudden feeling of fear and doubt upon seeing the room beyond and the enemies within. if affected, they take a -1 on attack rolls and a -1 on saving throws vs. any fear effects that may come up. belle and meepo totes failed. several other of the larger hobgoblins heft their weapons, stationed around the room, and as emma watches, the sapling in the pot in the center of the chamber uproots itself and climbs out - a 3 1/2 foot tall sapling whose leafless branches interlock to create a sinister almost humanoid shape. ROLL FOR INIT, BITCHES, new plurk incoming. ]

[uncurse]

[ since her sword was the last weapon out i GUESS THAT'S WHAT SHE'S ATTACKING WITH. so she jabs it forward and drives the blade into goblin one (atk 24 - critted on 19, so 26 penetration damage). she pulls it free and lets the goblin's corpse drop in front of her, then turns to swing her blade for goblin 3 while she shouts. ]

We've got company! And a lot of it. [ her blade strikes true (atk nat 20 (25 total) - dmg 14) in a horizontal slash, and the 5-foot step in the goblin's direction moves her clear of the door to give the others room to enter. ]

[untethered]

[ goblin two stands his ground, and as she turns to fell his pal on the opposite side, he gets a critical strike into emma's side (6 dmg). the nearest hobgoblin lumbers over in front of her and brings down his longsword viciously (another nat 20... 6 more dmg). meepo dives forward eagerly, slipping past the others to squeeze in the door behind emma, all too ready to spill goblin blood. his attack whiffs through the air, however as he lets out a shriek of fear upon seeing the bigger hobgoblin. erky moves up behind emma, and lays a hand on her shoulder, replenishing 7 hp. the twig creature fills the final gap blocking the door and tries to get its claws on emma but its too crowded up here and it misses both times. the cleric holds her action, staying close to the chieftain's side and looking up to him for instructions, while belle moves closer and does something magnificently distracting targeted at the hobgoblin. i'm too tired to figure out what her trick is. if you'd like to imagine she flashes it, go right ahead. either way her attempt is successful and it is dazed for a round staring at her! woo! ]

[undealt]

[Gold crit failed his will save, so for a moment, he's completely paralyzed with fear that this is the worst idea and they're all going to die and goblins are actually terrified, but he finds his resolve again once Emma barrels into it and he moves beside her, casting another Burning Arc spell on the tree for 21 fire dmg and another 10 dmg on the third hobgoblin.]