Module: In Search of Adventure (The Hall of Rock)

 

In Search of Adventure – The Great Escape

"Threshold! The northernmost town in the Duchy - and your last stop before your adventures begin. Threshold, the gateway to mysterious castles, lost temples, deadly caves and caverns. You have heard the stories and legends, now you wish to see for yourself."

Characters:

                Anastasia Vorloi:  Anastasia Vorloi is a fairly attractive 15 year old. She stands about 6 foot and is approximately 145lbs. She has long red hair that falls in loose waves down to her waist, and eyes that look like pools of ink. Her smooth skin glistens like bronze in the noonday sun.
                Around the city she wears fitted black pants that lace up the sides of her legs, a red linen blouse; a black bodice wraps around her waits and laces up on either side. Black leather boots come up just past her knees and fitted black leather gloves adorn her hands. On her back a cloak, the color of her hair, falls down almost to her ankles where it ends in a rather ragged and torn edge. She seems to wear this cloak with the utmost of pride. There is a throwing axe and a sword on her left hip.
                Anastasia carries herself in a proud and dignified manner. She seems confident in all she does. Her father, Lord Vorloi, a general in Duke Stefan's army, taught her swordplay since shortly after she could walk. While no one expected her to go through the shearing, her father was only too proud to cut her cloak, give her a sword and watch her go out to prove herself truly a Vorloi.
                Since the shearing a few weeks ago she has traveled to the neighboring city of Specularum, to begin to truly earn her family name. She spends much of her time talking to people and learning more about the current goings on, and trying to glean small bits of information that might be useful to her.
                In the evenings she has a room at a local tavern, and spends the evenings socializing with the locals, sharing in a few drinks, and then quietly retires to her room for the night.

                Gurv Mohr:  Gurv was born the son of a soldier and tried his hand at it for awhile.   He chaffed under the yoke of the discipline and decided to go freelance as a sellsword.  Nothing too risky, just an occasional bit of caravan escorting and bully beating.  When he was in his mid-20s, he settled down with a young barmaid he met at his favorite tavern.  He thought about opening his own inn and having a few kids.  This plan fell apart when his wife left him for a younger, handsomer, adventuring type.  Now, to prove to his estranged wife and himself that he's worth a damn, Gurv has taken up his sword for real riches and real danger.

                Gurv is a solid, 6' tall human man in his early 30s.  He has brown, thinning hair and a thick beard.  His face is of average appearance, but jovial and usually smiling.  Gurv is a bit soft and heavy around

his middle, but has wide shoulders and powerful build.

                Krayven:  Krayven is a short, frail young lad of about twenty winters. At first glance he is physically unimpressive and quite clumsy. His hair is a greasy, an almost faded black, as if the very strands themselves had given up on him. His sleepy eyes look out from their perch amid dark circles above a boring nose. He is neither ugly nor attractive; he merely is. He is only slightly sullen and withdrawn, and his presence often invokes feelings ranging from mild pity to slight annoyance in those around him. Unfortunately, one glance reveals much of this man.
                Krayven grew up among a group of woodsmen and trappers who lived within the outer reaches of the Riverfork Forest north of the Black Eagle Barony. When he became a man (as measured by years, not manhood) his ineptitude with a bow or snare and his physical shortcomings made his continued presence among the clan impossible. Not even his mother would continue to support someone viewed as an invalid.
                Krayven was often told during his younger years that he was named after his father, a fool of a man who had the courage to carry on with an affair, but never to own up to the bastard child that resulted. His step-father was a cruel man who raised him with no shortage of disgust or rage. His mother, in turn, raised with a detached care; she saw Krayven as an obligation rather than a son.
                Krayven was not unintelligent and was eventually able to find patronage in the character of Marsden the Magnificent, a petty showman and even pettier merchant. The young man traveled with and worked for Marsden in exchange for food, a bedroll, and a few magic lessons. When the indignity of his position became too much for him to handle, Krayven set off to make his own way in a world that seemed determined to ruin him. Not long after, he found himself where he is now: much worse off.

Nahawen:

Shayesti: Shayesti grew up in the Alfheim town of Shieldtree. Her mother was a wizardess of respectable stature. Her father was a great warrior and had been gone for the last several years since becoming one of Duke Steffan's first Homeguards. Despite her parents attempts to steer her towards a career similar to one of theirs, Shayesti (Shay to her few friends) never felt comfortable pursuing either weapons training or the magical arts. She liked hiding in the shadows among the tree branches, listening to people's conversations and seeing how close she could approach them before they noticed her.

She also enjoyed playing with mechanical things like locks and traps.

Unfortunately, this cost her dearly once when the lock she was trying to pick had a needle trap she failed to find. That incident cost her an eye and the respect of her parents. In hindsight, she probably shouldn't have been playing with the lock on her mother's magical laboratory doors.

Soon after that, her mother left Shieldtree on a voyage to Glantri. Her whole caravan dissapeared without a trace one night as they camped on a misty hillside. After that, Shayesti decided she should be the one to inform her father of the dire news. So she took what supplies she could carry and set out to the south on a journey to Karameikos. Eventually, she found herself in the town of Threshold with very little money left. Needing more funds to continue her journey, she decided to seek employment in this place.

Virilyth: Virilyth is a Callari Elf being held prisoner in the Black Eagle Barony.  He traveled to Specularum intending to enlist in the Elvenguard, but was found entirely too average for that elite unit.  Determined not to return to the Callari lands a failure, he set out with a sword, bedroll, and a couple of days’ provisions with no real set goal but to find adventure.  He quickly found it, being set upon by the Baron’s agents and held prisoner as a suspected spy.

               

Introduction: 

               

Date:                  Nytdain, Yarthmont the 19th, AC 1000

 

Location:  Town of Threshold, Grand Duchy of Karameikos

                            You have met a man named Anton Turino, a spy for Duke Stefan, who has enlisted your help with trouble in Luln.

 

WANTED: RENEGADE CLERIC ELWYN

See Patriarch Halaran

 

PACKAGE DELIVERY NEEDED TO SELENICA

See Merchant Sindar at the Stalwart Glass Tavern

 

The following “news” items are also posted on what seems to be a current events/ gossip parchment;

 

“Goblins raiding along the Black Eagle barony border.  The Baron is suspected”

 

“Foreign nobleman who owned a whole fleet of ships was assassinated Flaurmont 22, AC 1000 in Specularum.  The Iron Ring is suspected.”

 

“Renowned fighter Rogahn the Fearless, long missing, is believed alive and working for Baron Hendriks.”

 

“Gnomes are smuggling gems down the river in hollowed logs.”

 

“The Black Eagle border raids must be getting worse.  A mysterious messenger from there arrive in Specularum on Yarthmont 1, AC 1000.”

 

“A small hamlet only a day’s ride to the east was overrun by hobgoblins on Yarthmont 4, AC 1000.  Everyone was killed.”

 

“The frost giants in the Altan Tepe Mountains have been too quiet.  Reinforcements are being sent to Castellan Keep.”

 

                            You travel for the better part of the day before you see Anton Turino step from behind a tree and wave you down.  “Good, good!  You came!  You service shall be noted.  Come, follow me to my camp.  We need to ride hard tomorrow, but tonight we can rest a bit.”  He leads you a way off the road to what appears to be a defensible position that cannot be seen from the main path of travel.  He starts a small fire and prepares some recently caught game.  It being high spring, the air is comfortable and the ground soft.  The moon is ¾ waning from the full.

                            Anastasia secures her horse, and settles into the camp.
                            "Can you tell us any more of what is going on? Forewarned is forearmed after all, and I do prefer to be prepared for all occurrences."

                            “Well of course you know that Baron Ludwig von Hendriks is Duke Stefan Karameikos’ cousin, and from his capitol of Fort Doom he has been plotting to take over the Grand Duchy of Karameikos.  And, of course, the Baron’s only law is, obey the Baron or die.  Not a pretty situation.  He employs a powerful sorcerer, and will stop at nothing to gain control of all the surrounding area.  Luckily, his numbers are small, and he prefers to work by subterfuge.  We are merely going to Luln to accept evidence that his hand has been in some recent goblin uprisings.  This will give Duke Stefan recourse to implicate the Baron.  But enough of this.  Anything more specific that you know will only serve to put you in danger.  I am tired and need to rest.  I suggest you do the same as we have a long distance to travel tomorrow.  Our camp is quite safe.  I’ve become very good at scouting out the best areas in which to hide.”

                            Gurv listens gravely.
                            "Well, this little mission sounds straight-forward enough, but if the man deals in subterfuge, there's a good chance he might know about this meeting. We all need to be extra careful, I think."
                            With that, he starts taking off his new armor, clumsily fiddling with the unfamiliar buckles.

                            Anastasia moves over to Gurv. "Let me give you a hand with that, I've been helping people into this armor since before I could walk. You really need another person to help with this stuff."

                            You drift off to sleep, full and comfortable.  Anton tells you he’ll wake you when he gets tired so you can change watch.

                            You are wakened eventually, but not by Anton.  In the cold light of dawn you see that you are surrounded by a horde of goblins.  Anton is there, apparently commanding them.  Your gear is taken (that which was on your horses is already gone).  Your are certain that if you were to resist, you would die.  Anton gloats “Would-be agents of the Duke.  What a pretty prize you make!”

                            The goblin soldiers bind you and roughly search you, taking anything of value or use.  You are left with only your clothing.

                            Your are force marched several days to an out post of the Black Eagle Barony.

Date:                  Nytdain, Yarthmont the 26th, AC 1000

 

Location:  An Outpost of the Black Eagle Barony

 

1. Prison Cell

                The flickering torchlight barely illuminates the prison cell that you have occupied for these past two days.  Talking quietly amongst yourselves, you have pooled a pitifully scant amount of information about your plight.  You were captured by goblins and brought to this outpost, somewhere just beyond the Black Eagle border.  You were blindfolded, herded through corridors and finally shackled in leg irons in this narrow cell.

                It is important that you escape, and quickly.  You have learned that a large raiding force of goblins, backed by the Black Eagle Barony, will soon descend on Luln.  The town must be warned.

                Once you were securely shackled, your blindfolds were removed, and you could see your surroundings.  Your prison cell is about 20 feet wide and 80 feet long.  Iron double doors, securely locked, are along one of the long walls.  The leg irons are attached to each other with a sturdy chain, about five feet long.  The chain passes through a ring that is securely embedded in the floor of the cell.  The torches that light the room are in brackets high on the wall – too high for you to reach.

                You have heard human voices from time to time, but until this morning, the only creature you have seen is a large humanoid who bears a strong resemblance to a hyena.  He has brought you food and water three times each day.  He is armed with a dagger and a mace, and carries a large key ring with several keys on it.  He has muttered and complained in the common tongue because the commander has not let him torture you.

                This morning, the human commander of the outpost and a visitor, a female officer from another Black Eagle unit, came into your cell and bragged about the trusted Black Eagle agent, Anton Turino, having captured you.  He told the visitor that instead of being slain as spies, you are about to be taken to the slave markets of Fort Doom.  There, you will have no hope of escape.

                If you are ever to see your home again, you must act soon.  Soon, it will be time for your noon meal.

                What will you do?

                When we are brought meals does the gnoll come into the room or is it slide through the bars?

                He comes into the room.

                "Go ahead Ambrose, you can say it. Please get your I told you so out of the way."
                Speaking in hushed tones, Anastasia motions for a huddle. "Now our best chance to escape is when our lunch is brought in, there are a few ways we can go about this. We can fake illness to get them to come in close, we can try to antagonize the gnoll into an attack, or we can just go for brute force and attempt an escape that way. The gnoll obviously wants a fight, so that might be the easiest course. I doubt much that they would care if we fell ill, might mean they wouldn't make their money, but it might lead to them just trying to kill us outright."
                Anastasia looks to the others "What say all of you?"
                "And when we get out of this, we never leave a stranger alone on watch again. I can't believe we made that kind of a rookie mistake."

                Ambrose only nods grimly.  “I could have been wrong anyway.  He did say he was a spy, and they traffic in deceit.  Even ours.”

                Shayesti squirms, trying to find a comfortable position that no longer exists. Moving her arms and legs as much as possible, she trys to get some more blood pumping in them to ready herself for the coming difficulties.
                "I agree Anastasia, we must act at the next meal. The creature must be brought in close. Perhaps angering him would be the easiest method, if not the safest. If we antagonize him about not getting the chance to torture us perhaps? Whatever way it happens, we must all grab him to bring him down and within better reach for pummeling.
                Of course, we must be as quiet as possible as well. If he raises the alarm, all is lost. Then our only trouble will be in finding our weapons and gear to have a hope of escaping."

                You hear heavy footsteps approach, and the sound of a key turning in the door.  It is your jailer, coming with your noon meal.  He enters alone, grumbling about something under his breath.  He appears distracted.

                Anastasia stands up "Aww whats the matter smelly? Not getting a chance to show us how big and tough you are."
                With that Anastasia lunges for him trying to take his legs out from under him and bring him to the ground.
                "Now!"

                I’m going to consider that a wrestling move, with you party gaining a free round of actions (surprise) on an unarmed opponent (he’s carrying your food).

                Anastasia rolls a 15 for her wrestling roll, adding her wrestling rating of 17, plus 5 for each other member who is assisting in trying to bring the gnoll down.  As the total beats the jailer’s wrestling roll by more than 20, you instantly pin the gnoll to the floor.  I assume you’re all trying to inflict damage on the gnoll, but it makes its save and takes none.

                Anastasia is next.  Assuming you’re trying to take the gnoll out, I’m also going to assume a group effort of trying to damage the pinned creature.

                Anastasia’s next wrestling roll is a 12 (Anastasia has the highest wrestling roll, so her roll is used, with an additional +5 for each other party member assisting).  The gnoll fails its save and takes 4 points if damage.

                The gnoll tries to break the pin but fails (your wrestling roll was a 5).

                Your next wrestling roll is a 16, easily beating the gnoll, who fails its save, takes 4 more points of damage, and stops moving.  You have defeated your jailer.

                Gurv, surprised at how fast this is all going down, has not a chance to act before it's all over. He jumps forward and examines the gnoll, looking for any weapons as well as the keys.
                "We better move quick. Who knows who heard that."

                "Indeed, Gurv. Excellent moves, Anastatia." Shayesti helps Gurv search for the keys, not to mention any weapon the creature may have carried.

                The gnoll was armed with a dagger and a mace.  Just let me know who takes what.  He also carried a key ring with six keys.  You find that one opens your leg shackles, and the other unlocks your prison door.

                As you carefully peer out the door of your cell, you see corridor stretching to the left and right.  You hear the sounds of conversation and laughter coming from the left.  In both directions you see branching corridors and several doors.

                Shayesti will take the dagger and whispers "We should head away from the laughter. Maybe one of the nearby rooms hold our equipment." While the others ready themselves, she throws some dirty straw over the gnoll to hide it from view.

                Gurv lifts the mace, feeling some degree of comfort from the weight of it. He moves toward the door and hears the voices beyond. Waiting for the rest of the party to be ready to move, he waits at the door for more trouble.

                Anastasia take the lead, and the ring of keys, carefully closing the cell and locking it behind the group, so the gnoll is trapped when he comes too.
                Quietly Anastasia begins making her way down the hall away from the voices. She motions the others to stay close.

                You carefully make your way down the hall.   After several minutes, you can turn to the right where you see a door and a dark opening, go in a door almost straight ahead, or turn left, where there are several doors and light coming from an opening.

                Anastasia listens carefully for any sounds coming from any of the areas.
                If none are heard she will head to the door to the right. Motioning for Shayesti to come listen at the door she stps back from the door. Once Shayesti gives the all clear Anastasia will try to quietly open the door.

                No sounds are heard and Shayesti finds nothing.  The door opens easily but the room is pitch black.  Anastasia grabs a torch from a sconce in the hall and peers in.

                16.  Wine Storage Room

                This room contains barrels and kegs of various sizes.  Several racks around the room are filled with bottles lying on their sides.

                Anastasia does a quick search of the room, taking care to make no sound.
                After doing so she will move back into the hall and take a closer look at the dark opening.

                To do a thorough search of a room takes 10 minutes per 10x10 area.  If you all searched this room it would take 30 minutes.  A quick visual search turns up nothing beyond what was described.

                14.  Torture Chamber

                The straw on the floor of this next room is discolored.  A number of strange devices line the wall to your left.  In the middle of the wall is a shallow pit.  There is another dark opening to the right and a closed door on the far wall.

                Shayesti will listen at the far door and check it for traps before quietly opening it a crack to peek through if it seems safe.

                13.  Armory

                Shayesti hears nothing at the door and determines it to be untrapped.  She also discovers that it is locked.  None of the keys carried by Anastasia fit the door.

                Anastasia carefully looks into the shallow pit, and then moves over to the darkened opening to see what lies beyond.

                The pit is a fire pit.  A branding iron sits in cold ashes.  You also notice a rack and two wicked-looking whips. 

                15.  Jailer’s Quarters

                The dark area is a messy bedroom, containing a bed, a table, a chair and a lot of ragged clothing.

                OOC: Can she even try to unlock the door before finding her thieves tools? If so, she tries. If not, it'll wait for later.

                She cannot until she retrieves a set of thieves’ tools.

                Gurv walks over to the locked door. Turning to Shayesti, he slaps the heavy mace head against his palm.
                "Well...we do have other options, noisy as they may be."

                Ambrose, finding the trappings of the room with torture devices particularly uncomfortable, joins Anastasia is the smaller room and begins looking around.  Nothing of use is immediately visible.  It would take 10 minutes to search the smaller room, if everyone helped, or you could move on, or batter down a door.  A thorough search of the larger room would take over an hour.

                Ambrose suggests everybody help search the smaller room, in the hope of finding more keys.

                Under the bed the party finds some loose floorboards.  Under the floorboards is a large chest.  Shayesti searches it and declares it free of traps.  Ambrose volunteers to open the chest.  Just as he opens the chest he pulls back his finger sharply.  A trickle of blood is coming from the tip of one finger.  Ambrose’s eyes go wide.  Inside the chest can be seen hundreds of gold pieces.  But the cleric doesn’t seem to be looking at them.  He doesn’t seem to be looking at anything.  Within a second he falls over.  A quick check reveals Ambrose to be dead.

                "NOOO!!" Shayesti moans in remorse. "I didn't see it. Why didn't I see that trap!? Ye gods, tis all my fault." Kneeling down beside the body of their faithful companion, she whispers "Forgive me, Ambrose. Never again shall another die for my failings. Never again."
                OOC: From now on, Shayesti will open any door/chest/anything which she does the check for traps on. She'd rather die herself for missing it than have another do it in her place.

                Gurv looks down at Ambrose's body gravely, then looks over at Shayesti.
                "This is not your fault. You didn't bring us here or put us in this situation. That fault lies on our betrayer and his allies. I hope to pay them back soon."
                Gurv lifts his mace and waits for his companions to finish with this room.

                "Well, I would liberate this gold to help pay for Ambrose's funeral, but there is too much for us to move right now. We have no sacks to carry it in and we cannot stealthily lug around the whole chest. So I vote that we put it back in its hiding spot for now and attempt to return later for it if we're able. After all, if we're dead then all the gold in the duchy will be useless to us." Shayesti says with a wistful look at all the gold in the chest.

                "Agreed, we must mourn him later. For us all to fall would not be his wish. We hide the coin, and we will hide him so we might come back for him once we are better armed to do so. While there is breath in me we will leave no one in this wretched place. His final rest will be in the land he loved. I swear it on my honor."
                Anastasia looks about the room for a suitable hiding place for Ambrose.
                "Come now Shayesti, there are others with whom fault for this lay, and we shall see this score rightfully settled, but for now we must keep our heads about us."

                You are able to put Ambrose in an inconspicuous corner, but beyond that you have seen no good hiding places.  Your options now are to press on to another location or batter a door down.

                "Let us remain stealthy while we can and search another place rather than trying to batter down this door. Our chances are better that way I fear." Shayesti says quietly.

                "Yes stealth is key, we can not risk bringing the entire complex down on our heads or all of our plans will have been for naught. We try the next passage."
                Anastasia moves to the lead and begins making her way carefully and quietly to the next door or opening.
                ooc(I forget what there was next)

                You double back toward the corridor that runs up to your old cell.  Continuing past it you have a series of closed doors, and further down light streams from an opening in the corridor.

                Gurv looks over at the other doors.
                "Maybe there are other prisoners. Maybe we can free them, even the odds a bit?"

                "Sounds good.", Shayesti whispers. "Let's see what we can find."

                "Indeed, the more we can find to aid in the escape the better. Let's keep moving."

                40.  Male Warrior’s Quarters

Opting to check one of the closed doors, Shayesti listens and searches and declares it safe.  The door opens without difficulty.

This room is almost 30 square feet.  Set apart from the rest of the room in the left corner is a low table surrounded by four comfortable chairs.  There is a desk in the far left corner, and a sword and a shield hang on the wall beside it.  Bound and gagged on the bed is an unconscious male elf.

"Interesting." whispers Shayesti. "I say we leave him bound and gagged, but awaken him with one of my daggers at his throat just in case. After that initial warning, we can ungag him and if he can convince us he's on our side, we'll see about cutting his bonds. What do you two think?"

"Lets rouse him, without the dagger to his throat and remove the gag I will place my hand over his mouth. He's going to need to talk if he's to convince us to free him. Odds are good he's at least temporarily on our side, after all I'd hate to think this is how they treat their friends."
                Anastasia moves over to the sleeping elf and carefully checks to see if he is still unconcious or mearly faking. If she finds him to indeed be unconscious, she carefully removes the gag and covers his mouth with her hand and begins trying to rouse the elf after making sure everyone is in position.

Eyelids fluttering, Virilyth begins to squirm and takes in his surroundings. He shakes his head and peers up at the group with wild, unfocused eyes. Oblivious to the hand over his mouth, he begins ranting.
                "Mmmph, mmm, mmgggh!"

"Shhhhh."
Anastasia gives him a warning look.
"I'll not have you rousing the whole place and ruining our chances to escape. And

if you are real nice and can tell us what your doing here, we might even let you come with us. But anything above a whisper and the hand goes back over your mouth. Just give me a nod if you got all of that."
                Anastasia waits for some acknowledgement before saying or doing anything else.

                More composed now, Virilyth's eyes widen with sudden understanding and he nods vigorously.

                Anastasia slowly removes her hand from the elf's mouth.
                "Now if you please, who are you and how did you come to be in this place?"

                The Elf eyes Anastasia and the others suspiciously and replies "I, I, I was brought by goblins, many of them, led by humans. I don't know where "here" is, to tell the truth".
                "They accused me of spying for the Duke, then clubbed me. I am a simple traveler from the Callari lands, nothing more. I have no involvement with the Duke."
                "You, too, are prisoners then? What is your plan, have you an escape route?"

                Gurv looks at the elf sheepishly.
                "Um...we don't have a plan, so much. We're thinking of freeing the other prisoners and...well, we're making it up as we go along. We still don't understand the layout of wherever we are. We don't know enemy numbers. But we are out of our cells, which is a start."
                The big man shrugs, still holding his mace with two hands.

                "Right now we are trying to find our gear. Once we find our equipment we will be in a much better situation. Until then we move as quietly as possible through the complex, taking out whatever resistance we find as quickly and quietly as possible. Once we are equipped we come back for the body of our friend, free any remaining prisoners, and we do our best to ensure that no one else ever finds their way into this place again. That sounds like a plan to me. It has a few holes but all plans need room for adjusting to the situation.
                ...
                Oh and we get a little payback for a friend of ours along the way, he was worth at least a hundred of these cowards, so lets hope we can get payment in full."
                Anastasia seems to be regaining a bit of the commanding presence that seemed to have faded from her during this time of captivity. The glimmer of combat and justice glints in her eyes once again.

                Does anyone take the sword and shield?

                I'll grab the sword and shield if no one else wants too.

                "It's just as well" Virilyth shrugs, "Unbound and awake is a fine start, let's be off then".
                Virilyth scans the room for anything that can be used as a weapon (torches, table legs, etc.)
                "Should we check my jailer's desk for keys, maps, or weapons that may be of help"?

                Anastasia straps on the shield and takes the sword, but someone else will have to hold the lit torch.  Searching the desk and (previously unmentioned wardrobe) you find no keys, but you do find a suit of chain mail armor, 8 gold pieces and 20 silver pieces.

                "You can hand me that torch if you wish, you all seem to be armed and my hands are free" says the Elf.

                "Hmm, this chainmail is too heavy for my liking. Anyone else want to try it on?" Shayesti asks quietly while eyeing the new elf. For some reason she finds herself attracted to elves. Must be their cute pointy ears, or maybe she was an elf in a past life!

                "I will fight as well as I can with whatever we find. I am not a seasoned warrior, but have spent many seasons in the wild. I can swing a sword reasonably well when it's called for."
                The slender Elf looks thoughful for a moment and adds "I can read magic and I did learn a Sleep spell before leaving the Callari lands, that may be of some use as we are undoubtedly outnumbered. I have been able to put a few people to sleep at once before."
                "If the mail fits me I will gladly wear it, but whoever is taking the lead should have it. Will it fit the big fellow?" Virilyth asks, gesturing towards Gurv "Between his size and that mace, I would guess he'll be in the middle of any trouble we find."
                "I'm sorry, I don't know your names, I am called Virilyth."

                The chainmail will fit Gurv, or anyone else in the party.

                "Welcome to our group, Virilyth. I am Shayesti. Shall we continue and see what else we can find around here?" Shayesti asks while searching the desk as Virilyth suggested.

                38. Male Veteran’s Quarters

Nothing further is found in the current room.  You opt to move on to the next closed door down the hall.  Shayesti listens at it and searches it for traps, hearing no indication of anyone inside and finding no danger.  The room is 20’ square and contains a bed and a wardrobe.  There is a short sword hanging on a rack on the wall.  Opening the wardrobe reveals another suit of chainmail.

Gurv will don the original suit of mail. This, along with the mace, makes him feel more comfortable. He looks to the elf.
                "I agree that I am probably best equipped for getting into the middle of things, combat-wise. I feel like before all this is over, however, we'll all be mixed up in the middle. I have a feeling this mess won't end peacefully."
                Despite the recent casualties and impending danger, Gurv seems to be making the best of it.

Virilyth equips himself with the new found mail and short sword, moving the torch to his off-hand.
                "I fear you are right, my friend." He replies to Gurv.
                "It appears it is time to find a way out of this place, shall we press on and see if there are more prisoners being held in these rooms?" He asks the party.

Anastasia who has been keeping quiet and keeping her ears open for any signs of trouble takes to the front and keeping low and with a light foot, checks the next path for any signs of danger before motioning to the others.
                She looks quickly at Virilyth, and giving him a rather obvious sizing up. He definitely looks nothing like the elves of the Duke's army as she is accustomed, but she nods with an almost he'll do quality.
                "Anastasia, at your service. Glad we could let another out of this pit of despair, but as you and Gurv are well, a bit on the noisier side now, I'll take point so we can still have some element of surprise. If we can find some others and maybe our stuff, then we'll be in good shape to take on this lot."

6. Men’s Exercise Room

Across from the next closed door is an opening with light streaming from it.  Peering in, Anastasia sees what looks like a work-out room.  There are mats on the floor, weights, and other equipment.  A man dressed only in short pants is doing push-ups near a rack in the near left corner of the room.

The man jumps up, catching you by surprise and grabs a weight, moving forward and striking at Anastasia, but the weight whooshes by just above her head. 

We are in initiative in the following order: Anastasia, Shayesti and Gurv simultaneously, and then Virilyth.

Please send me a message of your general intent for the next three rounds of combat. It should be as inclusive as possible to cover any possibility you can think of.

Also specify your character's combat mode for that three-round
period:
                * Conservative melee: The character closes for melee combat but does so cautiously, ensuring he does not expose himself to unnecessary risks. He will quickly retreat if things seem too dangerous.
                * Standard melee: The character engages in melee, not taking any excessive risks, but not in a particularly cautious manner either.
                * Aggressive melee: The character rushes into battle, attacking regardless of risk to personal injury.
                * Defensive. The character avoids melee combat completely, retaliating only when attacked.
                * Ranged: The character relies on ranged weapons and stays out of melee, if possible.
                * Magic Defensive: The character casts spells only to protect himself in an emergency.
                * Magic standard: The character casts spells as and when the situation dictates but with regards to economy, taking care not to use up all his spells.
                * Magic aggressive: The character uses magic liberally, regardless of economy.

Gurv will engage in standard melee, attacking this foe until he drops. If any other foes enter the battle, Gurv will move to engage the new threat.

Gurv steps forward, attempting to smash the man with his mace.

Anastasia springs up from her position at the door and swings the sword in her hand down with all her might at the man.
                Standard melee if you please.

Virilyth draws his short sword and readies to enter the fray as soon as there is an opening. He stays at the opening to the passageway for now and watches for other enemies alerted by the noise of combat.
                Standard melee
                Shayesti will move in cautiously to attack with her daggers and trying to get behind the foe where able.
                Cautious Melee

Round 1

Shayesti maneuvers behind the man while Gurv and Virilyth move into melee positions.  Anastasia attacks, hitting (16 rolled) for 2 points of damage.  The man swings back with his weight, hitting her for 4 points of damage.

Round 2

Again Anastasia strikes, (16 rolled) doing 4 points of damage.  Shayesti, Gurv and Virilyth all strike at once.  Shayesti deals 2 points of damage (10 rolled to hit from behind).  Gurv misses (1 rolled).  Virilyth hits (14 rolled) for 3 points of damage.

The man slumps to the ground.

Virilyth quickly scans the room for weapon racks, cabinets, or chests.

Other than the mats, weights and exercise equipment, there is only a curtain at the back of the room.  The weights could be used as improvised maces (as your opponent used one.)

Anastasia drags the man so he is out of sight from the door and quickly surveys the hall for any sign of activity.

From the distance ahead comes the urgent whisper of "Hey--pssstt--hey!" Leaning halfway out from around a corner in the passage ahead is a dark and rail-thin young man hopping up and down and waving frantically in your direction. He seems to be reluctant to leave his position of momentary safety and enter into the hallway proper.

Shayesti sneaks up to the curtain and peeks around the edge of it to see what hides behind it.

5. Men’s Dressing Room

Shayesti ignores the voice.  Behind the curtain is a long narrow room.  The wall opposite the curtain is lined with pegs.  One of the pegs has some clothing on it.  There is a basket at the near end of the room that has some cloth things on it.  Otherwise the room appears to be empty.  At the far end is a swinging door.

Gurv moves towards the waving man cautiously, looking for any threat he has not noticed yet. He hopes to get close enough to speak with him.

"Everyone stay here and hide. Until we know more of what this person wants or who they work for it isn't safe to let him know just how many of us there are. Gurv has gone to speak with him, I"m going to go and watch his back. If something happens and we don't get back here keep trying to find your way out of here."
                With that Anastasia quietly moves out of the room into the hall and pulls the door mostly shut so the others are not visible.

Virilyth withdraws behind the curtain in the workout room to hide. While waiting for Anastasia and Gurv to return, he takes the opportunity to rummage through the clothes hanging in the dressing area, looking especially for any keys, coins, documents, or weapons.

Virilyth finds a suit of leather armor and a belt with a dagger hanging behind the clothes, but nothing else on the peg.

Virilyth calls to Shayesti in hushed tones to show her what he has found.
                "Here is more armor and another dagger, they may be useful to arm more prisoners" He whispers.
                The slender Elf stacks the armor and dagger he has found on the floor and motions towards the swinging door at the end of the dressing area.
                "We should sneak a look beyond that door so we are not ambushed, do you agree? I think your skills may be superior to my own in that regard." He adds with a hint of a grin turning up the corners of his mouth.
                OOC: How large is the workout room? The dressing area?

The workout room is roughly 20’ deep x 50’ wide, and the dressing room area is 10’ wide x 40’ long.

Seeing the man with the mace stalking to wards him, the newcomer shrinks somewhat back around the corner, a look of disappointment on his face.
                "You don't much look like a rescue party! If you're in league with the goblins I'll strike you down where you stand!" he warns, with false bravado.

Gurv stops, a look of confusion on his face.
                "What? Oh...sorry."
                As Gurv realizes what he must look like to the other man, he drops his hands to his sides in a non-threatening manner.
                "Hey, we're no rescue party. You could say we're rescuing ourselves. We were captured but now we're busting out."

"I could use that leather armor, if you don't want it." Shayesti whispers to Virilyth.
                OOC:If none other wants it, she will take and don the leather armor. (Unless she already found some elsewhere, but I didn't remember any so I thought I'd try staking a claim.)

The newcomer seems pleased that he was able to halt the larger man.
                "Likewise! I've been wandering around, keeping out of trouble. I might as well let you take care of the guards. At least until I locate my things and can head safely off on my own."
                With a hurried look behind him, the young man steps out into full view.
                "I'm Krayven. Who're you?"

Gurv takes a moment to look around to make sure it is safe to make introductions.
                "My name's Gurv. We kinda got ambushed and betrayed by someone who we thought was giving us a job. Stupid, right? People in my line of work often get gullible when offered work. Take things at face value, you know?"
                Gurv looks back at his companions scavenging for equipment.
                "Well...you're welcome to tag-along. We can use all the help we can get right now. So, how did you get stuck here? You know the way out or the layout at all?"

"Of course. This mail will do for now and you can't very well be clanking about" answers the Elf.
                He sticks the dagger in his belt and waits for Shayesti to don the leather armor, glancing around nervously and listening intently for sounds of trouble.

"I'm afraid not. I escaped my cell easily enough, but I've spent most of the time since lost in thought. Thoughts of revenge. Lead on, I'll follow behind and let you folks do what I'm certain you do best."

You now face a couple of possibilities: the swinging door in the back of the dressing room, or more closed doors in the corridor outside the exercise room.

Shayesti, deciding to be flirty with Virylith, quickly takes off her shirt happening to show off her undergarments. Taking her time, she dons the armor and then replaces her shirt over it.

Virilyth averts his eyes with an uncomfortable look on his face. His thoughts wistfully drift to the Elven maiden he left at home with a promise to return after his service in the Elvenguard. His melancholy quickly turns to a burning humiliation as he recalls being turned away by the Duke's men as unfit for service.
                Absentmindedly brushing a lock of lank blond hair from his face, he seems to return to the present. Upset by his lapse into daydreaming with danger all around, he looks around vigilantly and strains to hear voices or footsteps.
                "Very good, then." he states flatly, "Shall we have a peek through those doors while we wait for the others to return?"

Right.

The torch Virilyth is carrying burns out, but there is light here provided by bracketed torches. 

4. Men’s Bath

Beyond the swinging door is another swinging door directly across from the first and a short corridor that turns to the left.  Peering around the corner of the corridor you see a long, narrow room with an open doorway at the far end.  There are several wooden tubs on the floor, and what looks like a stove in the middle of the room.  The floor is wet, and there is a soap smell.  The room appears to be empty.  The only source of light in here is the low fire under the stove, and the open doorway at he far end is dark.

Virilyth returns to the main workout area to wait for Gurv and Anastasia.

"Ok Mr. Krayven, lets not linger here in the hall. If you stick close to us and pull your weight, we will all be able to make it out of here. The Name is Anasasia, at your service. Come now lets get into the room with the others and see what they have found."
                Anastasia then heads back to the room with the two men.

Krayven follows tenderly behind, still keeping some distance between himself and the others. He is unarmed and unarmoured, his steps are awkward and unsure, but he seems ready to follow along.

The others fill you in (see previous description).  Do you continue into the dark hallway or turn around?

"Here, take this" Virilyth says to the newcomer, handing him the dagger hilt first.

Krayven takes the offered weapon and studies it in the torchlight a moment.
                "Thanks. I'll try not to stick it in anyone's back..." the young lad says, cringing at his own unfortunate attempt at humor. "I mean, uh... that I will do what I can. Thanks."

Gurv looks into the darkness beyond.
                "I, for one, cannot see much of anything in that direction. I say we double-back and stay where we can see our hands in front of our faces."

34. Empty Quarters

You exit the exercise room the same way you came in and continue to the next closed door in the corridor.  Shayesti hears nothing and says it’s not trapped.  The door opens into a dark room.  You can make no details out inside.

OOC: Does my Infravision help to determine if there are any living things in the room?

(Elves, Mr. Frodo! – I forgot we had elves, sorry gents.)

Virilyth sees nothing alive in this room and can also see that it is appointed like the previously closed rooms, but with no weapon on the wall.

Anastasia moves along at the front keeping as quiet as possible, and listening intently for any signs of trouble.

Virilyth turns to the group as they set out down the corridor, whispering "I should stay near the front, I can see much further into dark spaces."
                OOC: Do we send "marching" order when moving? Can we remove the torches from the walls?

Couldn’t hurt.  If I don’t have one I extrapolate positions based on most recent posts.  You can remove the torches.

Ignoring the seemingly empty room, you head on to the next door.  This one is straight ahead instead of on the right, and the corridor turns to the left in front of it. 

39. Male Warrior’s Quarters

This room is also dark.  Virilyth can see a low table surrounded by four comfortable chairs set apart from the rest of the room and in the left corner.  There is a desk in the far left corner, and a sword and a shield hang on the wall beside it.  There is also a wardrobe.

Gurv heads over to the sword and shield, checking them for their quality.

Anastasia will go and check the wardrobe to see what is concealed within.

Unless someone grabs a torch, only Kraven and Virilyth can see in the room.

Anastasia will grab a torch in her shield hand.

You cannot hold anything else in a shield hand.  Someone else would have to grab a torch.

Krayven stays outside the room, staring out into the gloom and fidgeting.

Shayesti will grab a torch in the hand not holding a dagger and bring it into the room. While illuminating, she checks around the room for anything else of interest. If she sees anything with a lock on it, she'll check it for traps and try to unlock/open it.

Now that light is in the room, you all see the sword and shield.  Shayesti checks the wardrobe before Anastasia opens it.  It contains a well-made set of chain mail.  Anything else would require a thorough search (which would take an hour (less if everyone pitched in).

Gurv will now go examine the combat-readiness of the sword and shield.

The weapon is a short sword and both it and the shield appear to be of normal make.

Gurv, preferring the size of the mace, has little interest in the sword but he eagerly dons the shield. He turns to his companions.
                "Anyone need a blade?"

Anastasia will done the chainmail.
                "Thats better, now I feel more like my old self again. What's say we find our gear and dish out some retribution? Not necessarily in that order."
                Anastasia has her usual gleam in her eye again and is once again standing tall and proud like a true soldier.

Anastasia feels that the chainmail is lighter than those suits she is used to wearing.

Virilyth exits the room with his sword drawn, checking straight ahead in the direction the party came from then to the right where the corridor continues.

You head out of the door and take the corridor that turns to the right.  The next closed door is on your right.

31.  Male Veteran’s Quarters

Shayesti hears nothing and detects no traps. The door is unlocked.  Inside you see a sword hanging on a rack on the wall, a bed and a wardrobe.

Really wanting to get his hand on a good sword, Gurv checks on the specifics of the blade on the wall of this room.
                "This mace is better than nothing, no doubt, but I consider myself a swordsman."

The sword is a short sword, of seemingly normal make.

Anastasia will enter the room and check the wardrobe to see if the luck on finding armor will continue.

The wardrobe contains chainmail armor.

Virilyth walks to the weapon rack to look at the sword. If it is a normal or larger sword, he will ask the others "If there is no objection, I would feel better with a larger blade in my hand. Is everyone armed adequately?"

Krayven continues to follow along, saying little and staring away at nothing.

OOC: Missed lot's post
                Seeing the large fighter making way for the same sword he was eyeing, Virilyth nonchalantly slinks to the side feigning interest in the furnishings of the room.

Shayesti will check anything in the room with a lock and try to disarm it if needed before opening it.

There is nothing that appears to be locked.  A thorough search of the room would take 40 minutes (less if more than 1 person helped.)

Anastasia looks about at the makeshift crew to see who is not currently armored.

Anastasia and Gurv each are wearing chainmail and carrying shields.  Virilyth is wearing chainmail.  Shayesti is wearing leather and Krayven is unarmored.

"Krayven, can you wear armor? If so let get this on you."

"No, no, thank you. Wearing a big dress of metal is likely to do me more harm than good, I assure you. I would very much like to find... my possessions, however," he says, offering a weak smile.

Virilyth looks from Gurv to Krayven. "Are you content with that dagger, or can you swing a sword if need be?" He asks Krayven.
                "Let's bring any weapons we can carry, other prisoners we free may be what tips the odds in our favor" He reasons to nobody in particular.

Virilyth slides the spare short sword into his belt.

"I've grown up using a dagger, though I've trained using a staff. I'd rather, if I may, stay behind you all should we encounter any... of our guards."

"Alright if there is nothing else of use in here, lets get moving. Sooner or later someone is going to notice our cell empty. I'd rather we find our real gear before that happens. Lets move out, two armored in the front. Krayven, stay to the middle and the other two armored in the rear. We don't know from which direction we could find our enemies so lets protect our flank."
                Anastasia moves to the door, and looking quickly out into the hall to check for danger. Gives the all clear.
                "Krayven why don't you carry the torch, that will give Shayesti both her hands free for fighting and for doing what she does best. With any luck most of the attacks will come from the front, but as we have no way of knowing where in this complex we are or how big it is, we need to keep an eye in all directions. Gurv, Virilyth we need a strong rear guard if they come from behind they are going to try to use surprise, are you up for it?"
                Anastasia seems far more at ease then she was even moments ago, seeming to fall back into the stride of her military upbringing.
                "If everyone is set we move out."

Krayven willingly takes up the torch and mooves into the centre of the group. The dagger remains at his side, tucked carefully into a belt.

You turn right out of the room and pass a swinging wooden door on your left.  A quick look verifies that this is the same door you saw after investigating behind the curtain in the exercise room.  Just beyond, on your right, is another door.  Shayesti verifies that it is neither trapped nor locked, nor can she hear anyone inside.

30. Male Veteran’s Quarters

This is a 20’ x 20’ square room with a bed, a wardrobe and a sword hanging on a rack on the wall.

Anastasia makes sure everyone is in the room.
                "Lets give this room a quick search and then continue on."
                Anastasia looks over the wardrobe to see what it contains.

Keep in mind that a quick search will not find anything hidden, but only takes about 1/10th the amount of time as a detailed search. 

The wardrobe contains a suit of chainmail armor.

Gurv looks over the room, but looks to the way out quickly.
                "I would love to strip this place down to the foundations but I think our escape is of greater concern. And need to catch the traitor who put us here."

These seem to be quarters of some type." remarks Virilyth. He continues hesitantly "I agree with Gurv, let us grab what we can quickly from these rooms and move down the corridor. I can carry a couple more weapons for others we may release, and I would like a larger blade myself, but finding my pack and seeing sunlight are what I most desire."
                The Elf looks at each party member briefly, seeming to gain a little confidence, then asks "Are we in agreement that our plan is to continue this way looking for our belongings and an exit, releasing any prisoners who we find along the way? As for revenge, I'll gladly join you in any thrashing you give these vermin"
                He looks expectantly from face to face, suddenly realizing that adventuring with these new companions is exactly what he was seeking in his wanderings.

It would seem the decision is to move on.  There is another door on the right side of the wall some 20 feet up.  Shayesti hears nothing and finds no traps.

29. Male Veteran’s Quarters

Opening the door you see a 20’ x 20’ square room with a bed, a wardrobe and a short sword hanging on a rack on the wall.  This room also contains a table.

"Let's move in and take what we need."
                Anastastia steps in and gives the room a quick going over looking to see if there is anything of interest on the table.

There is nothing on the table but it does have a drawer.  Shayesti determines that it is not trapped.  Anastasia opens it and finds 1gold piece and 3 silver pieces.

Virilyth quickly retrieves the short sword and sticks it in his belt.
                "Grab every weapon you see" he tells the others "every sword we carry leaves one of our enemies empty handed. We can dump them later if need be."
                OOC: I am now carrying two short swords in my belt and one in my hand.

Shayesti continues as before. Searching anything with a lock and trying to unlock/open it herself before moving to the next room. "I agree. We should take what we can to deny it to our enemies. Unless we find a convenient well to dump them down, I guess we'll have to carry what we can without making too much noise."
                OOC: I'm not sure what weapons I am now carrying or can use for that matter now that I switched to Thief class. If I don't already have a short sword ( I think I just have a dagger or two) I could take one of them from Virilyth.

Shayesti currently only has a dagger for a weapon.  She may use any missile weapon or any 1-handed melee weapon.  Updated character sheets can always be viewed at the link below and by selecting the characters button on the left:

http://www.paintedknights.com/dungeonsanddragons.html

Agreed, take what you can carry, we will dispose of what we do not need. Now let's keep moving."

"Virilyth," Shayesti asks, "might I take one of those short swords you are carrying? I could use something better than a dagger."

"Of course, of course!" Virilyth hands her a short sword hilt first.

28. Male Veteran’s Quarters

This next room is identical to the previous.  A short sword hangs on a rack on the wall and a suit of chainmail hangs in the wardrobe.

From here the corridor turns leaft and right.  To the let you see two open doors, a dark one to the left and a lit one to the right, from which can be heard many voices.  To the right you see a dark open area across from a closed door.

"If we move past the open door we will undoubtedly be seen. I say it's time we meet our foe on our terms. Those that can fight move to the front, those less confident in their hand to hand abilities to the rear. It will be your job to warn us if anything is coming up behind us. What say you all?"
                Anastasia sounds just like a general rallying her troops for the final push to victory and looks at each person and gives a slight nod, as if proud of how far they have all come.

"I will follow along, but that sounds like an awful lot of people up ahead, and perhaps it would be wise to have a look first?"
                The young man seems more than a little unsure about committing to a pitched battle.

OOC: Do we have a rough guess how many people we are hearing?
OOC: I forgot the whole Spell Book thing during character creation, may I assume I have one in my gear since I know a spell?
                "I can attempt to lull them to sleep, I've learned a bit of Elf magic" Virilyth whispers.

You hear more than five voices.  Beyond that you cannot tell from here.  Your spellbook is with your gear.  You have one sleep spell prepared.

Gurv prepares for the coming action, gripping his new mace nervously.
                "If you can lull 'em to sleep, that would be great. If we need to put 'em to sleep in less gently... Well, that's an option too."

"I could try to sneak up to the doorway and get a peek at how many of them there are..." Shayesti volunteers.

((OOC: As I understand it, Virilyth and I are both without our spellbooks, but can still cast our prepared spells. Is this so?))

That is correct.

"It sounds like more than a few. If everyone stays 15 paces back from the door, I can cast from here."
                Virilyth looks at Shayesti "Knowing where to cast to affect as many as possible would help, but it may be too risky to peek. You will be in the affected area if you are noticed and I have to cast my spell in haste." He puts his hand to his chin and thinks momentarily.
                "If all are in favor, I believe I shall cast Sleep from here and focus it a few paces inside that door." Virilyth continues, looking about at the party. "If we alert them by attempting to scout the area, it will be too late to try without affecting some of you."
                "We are in desperate straights regardless and this may leave us with weak resistance in that space. I'm guessing there are weapons and armor aplenty to be had and possibly clues to help us escape this dreadful place."

"You try your best to put them to sleep, if not we'll do it the hard way. Everyone give Virilyth any back up he needs and keep his spell from being stopped. We have one shot to do this without bringing this whole place down on top of us. Let make this good. If we can get them to sleep, we can bind them and rouse them at our convenience for a little game of twenty questions."
                Anastasia gives a nod and gives the sword in her hand a quick spin.
                "Lets do this."

Virilyth considers the young woman giving the orders.
                "She has seen less summers than my belt, but already seems a seasoned leader" he thinks to himself, a slight smile of admiration crossing his plain features.
                "Very well, 15 paces back from the door everyone."
                The Elf begins muttering and tracing symbols in the air, a look of intense concentration on his face.
                ((OOC: My spell focus is my best estimate of the center of the room - 15ft inside the door, directly aligned with the door. I only cast when everyone has backed at least 30ft down the corridor from the door))

Anastasia moves back from the door as instructed, knowing little of magic she knows when to heed the advice of those with more expertise.

Gurv backs away as well, ready to move forward to attack when the signal is given.

Before Virilyth casts his spell, his proximity and attention to the area alert him to the fact that it now sounds more like ten to twenty people are conversing in the area in question.

Virilyth stops his motions suddenly and stands completely still, his keen ears trained on the room down the corridor.
                "There are many" he whispers "It must be a Great Hall or dining room. I'm reluctant to guess the size of the room, it may be large"
                He looks at the others and sets his face in a look of determination. "I'll have to cast from the corridor in front of the door or risk wasting my only magic. I have lost my book of spells and can only do this once."
                "There are ten or more men in that room, I have to try to even the odds." He states grimly "If the room is too small, I can't risk being affected by my own spell and we will have to fight."
                "Shayesti, a peek may be in order, we will bloody our swords soon enough either way."

Shayesti nods silently and moves forward as quietly as possible to peek around the corner of the room. If possible, she will ascertain the approximate number of people in the room and the size of the room.

2.  Kitchen and Common Dining Room

Shayesti slowly moves into position.  She peers in and sees a very large room, some 30 feet deep and 80 feet in length, with an entrance directly across form the one at which Shayesti is.  There are many tables and benches.  About 18 people are sitting at the tables; they are laughing, talking and eating, but many appear to be finishing up.  Both men and women are present; all are dressed in leather armor and seem to be soldiers.  There is an open kitchen in one section of the room.  A door leads out of the kitchen.

Shayesti will quietly return down the hall to the group and tell them what she's seen of the room and it's occupants. "Truth be told, I'm not sure we can take on so many of them at once. Even if some of them are put to sleep. But I'll follow the decision of the group in this."

"How many in all did you see? Are they clustered together?" Asks Virilyth.
                "What say the rest of you, how shall we proceed?"

"Lets go to the right and wait for the crowd to clear some. If we can take them in more manageable numbers that would be for the best. If there are so many, we may risk some escaping and alerting the rest of the compound. We must wait for now until the time is right. Let us go to the right for now and check the darkened area for anything we might be able to use and we can also check the door to that side before we return here."
                Anastasia look determinedly at the door with all the voices within, but then looks at the people around her and looks down the hall to the right away from the commotion.
                "We will be sure to make each pay a price for the friend we have lost and for what they have done both to us and our kingdom, but for now we must show prudence."

                "I understand a little of the limits of magic. Even with your spells and mine combined we face a fight that may end us, and would gain little from it. We should listen to this woman," he points at Anastasia, "and hold back a moment."

                "Agreed, against so many it would be a desperate measure to be sure." replies Virilyth.
                "A dozen normal men may fall under the sway of my sleep magic, but against trained fighters the number is often many less."
                "And, as you say, the arcane powers are a fickle servant." He tells Krayven, nodding thoughtfully.
                "What powers do you have at hand?" he asks the young man.

                As you converse you turn and head away from the dining area.  You pass an intersection, down which can be seen a door almost 100 feet down, and a large open area the other direction.  Continuing on you come to the open area across from the door you spotted earlier.

                18. Commander’s Dining Room

                This appears to be a dining room.  There is a large oval table in the middle of the room surrounded by straight chairs.  The floor is carpeted.  A closed cabinet is in the near left corner.  Two large windows are on the far wall, showing a porch and the area around the outpost.  No guards can be seen outside.

                Gurv looks at the window, trying to get an idea of the outside layout of the facility.
                "This may our way out. Unless you want to look around some more. I say we get while the getting's good"

                Krayven responds to the other hesitantly: "I... well when they captured me I had a minor spell of binding prepared. A charm spell, to be blunt. It can be quite handy when you travel mainly alone."

                "Without our provisions we will not make it a day. Also without their spellbooks, our new found friends will have a hard time continuing their trade. We know our way out, but we still need to know more. We do not know how far we were taken, or even a direction in which to set off. We must press on, we have little choice, if we leave now we will certainly die be it at the hands of our enemy or the hands of starvation. Here we have at least for now a fighting chance and if we can cripple one of the enemies outposts all the better."

                Shayesti speaks up, "I agree with Anastasia. We cannot risk setting out till we know more or have more resources. Not unless it is a life or death emergency at the least. Besides, we may just make a bit of profit out of this crazy mess!"

                "Let's make use of our time while we wait for the dining hall to clear." says Virilyth.
                "We can explore the room across the corridor and the door we saw from the intersection we just passed. This cabinet may hold more weapons as well."

                Turning to Shayesti, Virilyth continues "The soldiers you saw in the dining hall, were they all armed and armored? All the quarters we have seen have arms and mail in them, as if our captors feel safe in their stronghold and go about unarmed."

                "Agreed, we check the areas nearby and we make sure this area is secure. This is our way out and we know where we are in the complex now, that is more information then we had 10 minutes ago and it is vital information. We set out from here and work methodically clearing out each area as we come to it. If we get tired we'll make our way back here and find a place to camp outside the compound."

Virilyth opens the cabinet and finds a set of silverware and fine china.
                Shayesti crosses to the door and checks it for traps, finding none. She listens and hears nothing.
                Opening the door you find yourselves looking at what seems to be a living room. There are some tables and a number of comfortable chairs around the room. The floor is carpeted. There is a window along the left wall and a door in the far wall directly opposite the entrance. There are three people seated in chairs around a table across form the door through which you entered. You recognize two of them as the commander and the visiting officer. They are wearing leather armor. The third person is a woman dressed in ordinary clothes. Each holds a glass of wine.
                Neither party is caught by surprise.
                Your party has won initiative.
                Please send me a message of your general intent for the next three rounds of combat. It should be as inclusive as possible to cover any possibility you can think of.
Also specify your character's combat mode for that three-round
period:
                * Conservative melee: The character closes for melee combat but does so cautiously, ensuring he does not expose himself to unnecessary risks. He will quickly retreat if things seem too dangerous.
                * Standard melee: The character engages in melee, not taking any excessive risks, but not in a particularly cautious manner either.
                * Aggressive melee: The character rushes into battle, attacking regardless of risk to personal injury.
                * Defensive. The character avoids melee combat completely, retaliating only when attacked.
                * Ranged: The character relies on ranged weapons and stays out of melee, if possible.
                * Magic Defensive: The character casts spells only to protect himself in an emergency.
                * Magic standard: The character casts spells as and when the situation dictates but with regards to economy, taking care not to use up all his spells.
                * Magic aggressive: The character uses magic liberally, regardless of economy.

Anastasia will move in for standard melee, hoping to engage the commander.

                (Defensive. Krayven is no use in a fight, and his currently prepared spell can be used only to the poorest effects in this situation.)

                Gurv steps foward with his mace at the ready. He will do his best to keep the visiting officer busy, using a standard melee stance. If any enemy makes a run for it, Gurv will move to intercept before they can escape.

                Virilyth will usher in the rest of the party with hand motions and whispers if they are not in the room, then shut the door behind them.
                "Come, come! Guard this door, I'll block the other." he says, rushing across the room toward the far door, drawing his sword.
                ((Standard Melee))
                Actions:
                Attack anyone trying to escape from the far door
                Attack anyone who enters from the far door
                Rush to aid any of the party who is being obviously defeated

                Shayesti will move into the room and towards the three at the table to attack the woman there.
                Conservative melee for her and any chance to use a backstab, she will.

                Round 1

                All party members move into their respective positions.

                Anastasia attacks the commander, (17 rolled) dealing 4 points of damage with her shortsword.

                Shayesti attacks the woman, (12 rolled) striking her for 1 point of damage with her shortsword.  You may only attempt a backstab if you can sneak up on a victim, completely unnoticed, and you are using a one-handed melee weapon.

                Gurv attacks the visiting officer, (7 rolled) but misses.

                The commander stands, drawing a dagger.  “:How dare you enter here and attack my guest and my wife!”  He slices at Anastasia but misses.

                The officer likewise draws a dagger as she stands and attacks Gurv, strking him for 3 points of damage.

                The woman stands and backs away from Shayesti, her hands flailing in fron of her to ward off any blows.  It is clear she is not trained to fight.

                Round 2

                The party wins initiative again.

                Anastasia continues her attack, but misses (4 rolled).

                Shayesti, seeing the one woman act in a non-combative manner changes her target to the officer, (19 rolled) dealing 3 points of damage to her.

                Gurv also attacks (6 rolled) and misses again.

                The commander lunges at Anastasia again, hitting her for 6 points of damage.  Anastasia falls to the ground, dying (but not yet dead, 17 rolled for save vs death ray).  A glint of triumph appears in the commander’s eye and a cruel smile plays across his lips.

                The officer slashes at Gurv again, and misses.

                The woman continues to cower.

                Round 3

                The party loses initiative

                The commander attacks Gurv, dealing 4 points of damage with his dagger.  Gurv is down to 2 remaining hit points.

                The officer shifts her focus to Shayesti, but misses her attack.

                The woman cowers.

                Virilyth moves to take Anastasia’s place in the combat.

                Shayesti strikes at the officer, (16 rolled) hitting him for 1 point of damage.

                Gurv attacks the officer, (20 rolled) dealing 2 points of damage with his mace.

                Virilyth attacks the commander (17 rolled) dealing 1 point of damage with is shortsword.

                What are your actions for the next 3 rounds?

                Virilyth regards Anastasia's bleeding figure with horror as he rushes to place himself between her and her attacker. Turning to Krayven as he runs, he shouts "Help her! Staunch the bleeding."
                Enraged at his friend's condition, he hurls himself at the commander recklessly.
                ((Aggressive Melee))

                (Virilyth with go blow for blow with the commander until he or his opponent are dead.
                He will then move to assist anyone still fighting, or rush to prevent the commander's wife from sounding the alarm.
                If everyone is defeated or secured, he will look for secret doors and begin to search the room.)
                Seeing their numerical advantage dwindling away, Shayesti steps up her attacks on the officer. (Aggressive melee!) "Hasten to live, or hasten to die! For Anastasia!!"

                Seeing a fellow prisoner fall, Krayven enters the fray with his dagger.
                Cautious melee, if you please.
                ((OOC: Charm is useless while we attack this group, but I'll see what I can't do with my small knife.))

                Round 4

                The party loses initiative

                The commander again attacks Gurv and misses.  He yells, “Go, woman!  Get help!”

                The officer hits Shayesti for 2 points of damage.

                The commander’s wife moves to the door on the opposite side of the room an opens it.

                Shayesti his the officer (18 rolled) for 2 points of damage.

                Gurv continues his assault on the officer, hitting (15 rolled) for 1 point of damage.

                Virilyth misses (3 rolled).

                Krayven moves to the commander and strikes him with his dagger (20 rolled) dealing 3 points of damage.

                Round 5

                The party wins initiative

                Shayesti misses the officer (10 rolled).

                Gurv (20 rolled) deals 2 points of damage to the officer.

                Virilyth misses (2 rolled).

                Krayven misses (1 rolled).

                The commander thrusts his dagger hard at Gurv, dealing 6 points of damage and Gurv goes down.

                Encouraged by the fact that they seem to be gaining control of the battle, the officer strikes Shayesti for 3 points of damage and the thief falls.

                The commander calls out, “Never mind, my dear, shan’t be necessary.”

                Round 6

                The party loses initiative

                The commander turns his attention to Virilyth but misses.

                The Officer turns and attacks Krayven but misses also.

                Krayven calls out, “Virilyth, hold your attack!” sheathes his dagger and casts Charm Person on the commander.

                The commander looks confused for a moment, looks at the weapon in his hand and the bodies on the floor, then looks at Krayven.  To his officer he barks, “Stand down!”  He puts his hand out to Krayven, “Are you all right?  There must have been some terrible mistake here.  My good wife, this is a dear friend of mine, I don’t know how I didn’t recognize him.”

                His officer glares at him.  “Sir?!”

                "It has been some time since we last met, but to forget the face of Krayven so easily is almost insulting. We were captured and imprisoned on our way to offer our services to you. You can see that I had to break free of my cell in order to let you know the truth of our identities," Krayven quickly explains.
                Krayven gravely studies the wounded surrounding him as he continues: "Things have been so tense lately, for all of us, and it seems we let this argument get quickly out of control."
                The young man's face breaks out into his best smile, and lunges forward, throwing his arms around the commander. "Ah, but how have you been? Things seem to be going well for you. And a wife?! You never told me you were married." He pauses for a moment before continuing. "But before we celebrate, I think it may be wise to fetch a healer before your newest recruits all die around you..."

                Virilyth sheathes his sword and looks around slowly, amazed at the situation they are in. His eyes stop on the frail looking young man who has just saved their lives, and he stares in slack jawed amazement.
                Quickly regaining his composure, he surveys the room rapidly looking for linens, napkins, or anything he can use to bind wounds before Anastasia and Gurv bleed to death.

                The commander beams at Krayven.  “Yes, things have gone well.  Moving up in the ranks, you know.”  His informal attitude vanishes.  He snaps his head round at the visiting officer.  “Fetch healing potions, immediately!”  His tone indicates he is not to be questioned in this.  The officer returns in a few moments and administers a potion to each of Anastasia, Gurv and Shayesti.  Anastasia is healed of 7 points of damage.  Shayesti is completely healed.  There seems to be no effect on Gurv.  The officer puts her head to his chest, slowly raises it and casts here eyes down as she shakes her head.

                The commander clasps Krayven’s arm.  “I am so sorry, friend.  This is a dangerous business we’re in, what with the Duchy at our doorstep.”

                Stunned by Gurv's death, Virilyth steels himself and turns to Krayven "We will need our equipment to be of maximum service to the Baron, wouldn't you agree?"

                "He's right of course. Once we are squared away here we will need our equipment back. I suppose, now that we are finally working under you, that I should start calling you 'sir.'" Krayven smiles in spite of the situation.
                Turning to the commander's wife, he continues. "I am sorry, madame, that you were involved in this. Things have been hard for us lately, and we took this wrongful imprisonment a little too personally. And we have certainly paid for our mistake," Kayven says with a quick glance at Gurv's body.

                Shayesti's eyes snap wide open as the cool healing draught closes her wounds with its magic. Staring around in confusion, she sees their companion chatting nicely with the one who was just attacking them. Turning the other way, she learns that Gurv has fallen in battle. Feeling like she has awoken to a nightmare and unsure if they have been betrayed again, she holds both body and tongue still and quiet as if afraid to break the dream and find a worse reality...

                Virilyth moves to Shayesti's side and kneels beside her. "You were badly hurt, all is well now, let Krayven deal with our new friends." he says.
                Leaning over, he pulls her to close to his chest as though comforting her and whispers as softly as possibly into her ear "Trust us."
                Turning his face up towards Krayven, he smiles widely and speaks in a cheerful voice. "Krayven, dear friend, this seems a lovely opportunity to collect our equipment and continue our journey to find news of the Duke's troop movements. Tomorrow may not be so enchanting a day for travel."

                The commander all but ignores anyone save Krayven.  “Your equipment, of course!  I shall have it brought to you immediately.  And mounts as well, for your journey.  Be careful however.  The town of Luln is close by to the east.”

                At the risk of being anti-climactic, at this point the party will be able to escape the outpost with all their gear and, if they make forced travel, get to Luln.  Is that the party’s goal?

                ((While we may gain something from exploring this fort a little more, it hardly seems worth the risks. Krayven votes for leaving.))

                OOC: While leaving, might it be possible that we could get away from the commanders prying eyes to return and gather some of that treasure we found earlier but stashed? If not easy enough to do, then Shayesti votes for escaping since dead people can't spend gold anyway like we said earlier.

                Exchanging glances with Krayven, Virilyth senses that his message was understood.
                To Krayven, he continues "Perhaps our Lord the Baron would send a Lieutenant to accompany us part of the way. We must leave forthwith, but could be briefed while travelling. The more we understand of his designs, the more valuable intelligence we can gather."
                "A day's ride at most, and I will personally ensure his man gets a good night's sleep before we send him back."

                Anastasia rises from the ground her eyes fixed on the commander, in an emotionless glare. Not sure of what has transpired, but seeing Gurv on the ground, she clenches her jaw for a moment and listens. Seeming to understand what is going on, she speaks.
                "We should need an extra horse as well I think to return our comrade to his family. His kin will want to know of his fate. It is the least they deserve."
                Anastasia's icy stare does not leave the commander as she says this.

                As before the commander looks expectantly at Krayven, almost dismissing all others in the party.

                Krayven has become visibly nervous. Arms held tight to his sides and his jaw clenched, he again addresses the commander. "Ah, as you can see, sir, my comrades out pace me. We would indeed appreciate the chance to return this man to his family, if you can spare the horse. After all, we have to set ourselves apart from those devils in Karameikos."

                Virilyth sees Krayven beginning to look uncomfortable and uneasily eyes Anastasia until seeing she understands the situation they are in.
                He decides to table his kidnapping plan and settle for escaping with their lives, not wishing to complicate the precarious situation further.
                Turning away from the conversation he attends to Shayesti, making sure she can get to her feet steadily and is not still too badly hurt to travel.

                Rapid arrangements are made to provide you with your gear, mounts, and a mount for the bodies of both Gurv and Ambrose.  Alarms begin to be rung in the complex as various bodies are discovered (your jailer, Ambrose, one of the soldiers) but the commander quells them quickly, explaining to his senior staff what occurred.  But some eyes appear doubtful, and ambitious.  You determine that an escape at this point would be well-timed.

                Once out of view of the outpost, you make your way straight toward the nearest Karameikan settlement, the town of Luln, two days away.  Luln is a frontier town about the size of Threshold, but much more crowded and its living conditions are slightly more primitive. 

After telling your tale, you are introduced  to the Townmistress, Sascia (a high-level fighter).  She listens to all you have to say and decides to organize a stealth attack with her guards.  You are invited to accompany the force or stay behind, as is your desire. 

                En route to the keep, a very large force of goblins is encountered, apparently making for Luln to sack it.  Not expecting to meet an organized force out in the open, the goblins are driven off with heavy losses.

                Sascia determines not to press her luck this day and proclaims it a victory (and one greatly aided by the party, for without their information the battle would have been fought under far different circumstances and townsfolk’s lives could have been lost.)

                The situation remains tense, however.  Sascia makes out a full report, asking for the assistance of nearby Radlebb Keep.  She asks you to deliver the report to the scribe Franz Dubloi in Specularum.    You will be given a small sack of gold to cover all traveling expenses.

                Do you undertake the journey?

                Regardless, thus ends the adventure “The Great Escape”

                Anastasia earns 289 XP, Krayven earns 171XP, Shayesti earns 183 XP and Virilyth earns 253 XP.

                All wounds have been healed and all equipment restored.

                Congratulations to all, and especially to Shayesti who has achieved level 3!