Wilds - Hard-headed

Start Date: August 29, Year of the Badger, mid-morning
Start Status: Where there's fire...
Start Location: Blackpool Maze

The Turn

[Round Four] - Party Initiative

"With me lads! Let's use the statue!" Raúguey leaps to the statue's side, and starts pulling to topple it over. Mordikarr sees what he's doing and joins him.

"Come on Tesso!" calls Maro as the statue tilts forward. The pair moves up and lends their strength as well, slowly the statue tilts, then CRASH! hits the floor, evoking cries of surprise from within the arrow slits.

"Well that'll draw every one and everything to us," mutters Durego, keeping watch at the door. He strains to hear any noise from the far side, but the clash of mail and crash of stone obscure any sound.

Meanwhile, Ingvild has moved to the east doorway, "Dagmarten! Are you all right?" he calls, peering through the black smoke.

"Fine, just a little scorched!" calls the cleric. "Be careful!"

Ingvild shrugs and crosses to the nearest arrow slit in the hall, where more smoke has appeared. He ducks low and peeks in, trying to spot any defenders inside. Flames cover the entire back wall of the slit, and a burning figure twitches on the floor. He tries to make sense of things, then realizes the wall is actually a heavy curtain. The flames provide enough light for him to see that the creature is a kobold.

Those on the stairs, unwilling to risk the flames, can do little but wait. Ohwatoo and Dagmarten keep watering eyes on the stairs up, leaving Locky and Rawon to watch the landing. "Looks like it's dying down a bit," says Locky.

[Round Five] - ?? Initiative

"What's that!" says Durego, more to himself than anyone else. Beyond the door, there's a hoarse yell in the distance, and a dim thud of a door or doors slamming open or shut. "Might be getting company!" he calls as Raúguey, Mordikarr, Maro, and Tesso move up with the statue.

"Let's get swinging then!" cries Raúguey, "Swing! Swing! Swing!" he shouts the time as the foursome sways back and forth, slamming the statue's helmeted head into the door. *CRACK* A plank splits. *SNAP* Something metal gives way. *CRUNCH* The left side of the door splits asunder, and a bracket and bar within go skidding across the floor! Flickering orange light shows between a row of pillars to the right, while on the left a single door hangs open.

In the stairwell, the flames have died, and Locky leads the way, darting across the landing to the door, his path illuminated by the still-burning flames within the arrow slit. The other three follow at a more cautious pace, and Rawon takes a parting shot into the slit with a burning ichor arrow, which streaks through the opening and impacts... something. No one catches fire on the way, and once in the hall, Rawon takes up rearguard at the door, while the others head for the far end.

[Round Six] - ?? Initiative

"Let's dump this in front of the arrow slit, then in!" The statue-luggers put this plan in action, leaving Durego to mind the door. As the group hefts the statue back to vertical, Ingvild loops past, joining the cleric. "Anything?"

"I heard something, but with all the banging I couldn't tell what."

He's about to say more when Raúguey impetuously takes the lead. "Let's go!" he cries, ducking through the door and to the right. Mordikarr follows more cautiously, eyes on the left door, sword ready. Durego moves in behind Raúguey and Ingvild follows Mordikarr, leaving Maro and Tesso at the door.

Several kobolds duck out of their hiding places behind the pillars, two firing crossbows, and one hurling another clay pot! Two bolts strike near Mordikarr and Ingvild, but do no damage. The clay pot, well, the clay pot strikes the wall right next to Raúguey, but instead of breaking, it bounces and then shatters at the feet of the kobold that threw it!

Raúguey doesn't hesitate, he throws his lantern at the newly created pool, and WHOOM! Fire again! The kobold screams and dies, and so does the nearest crossbow-kobold, who was splashed with oil.  Locky, has his sling ready, and hurls a stone at one of the kobolds. Thwack! Dead! [3 HP]

Meanwhile, in the short hall beyond the left door, Mordikarr and Ingvild spot several kobolds hiding beyond the doorway that marks the far end. They're about to charge when a shaggy, almost ape-like brute charges through the door at the far end headed straight for them! With a roar it closes, swings a broad-bladed halberd at Mordkiarr, then howls in frustration as the blade catches on the door frame. Mordikarr uses the opening for a swing of his own, but his heavy two-handed blade also has trouble in the confined opening. "There's another!" calls Ingvild, peering past the hairy form almost filling the door.

OOC - Final status

Miraculously, no one has caught fire yet.

Ingvild and Mordikarr are at the doorway leading west into the stubby hall there. There's a big shaggy humanoid, thick-bodied but agile, facing off against them. There's another coming forward and several kobolds clustered at the far doorway. The creature is definitely not a gnoll or ogre.

Durego and Raúguey are along the south wall of the chamber, either side of the pillars. Raúguey sacrificed his lantern to put an end to at least two kobolds. Locky killed another. At least one is hiding behind the pillars to the north, near the altar. Raúguey's lantern will certainly be destroyed in the blaze.

Locky, Maro, and Tesso are just outside the chamber in the east-west hall there. Ohwatoo has been distracted by the scribbled writing on the west wall, and Rawon and Dagmarten are guarding the rear.

Ohwatoo can translate the Goblin scrawl, which reads "Blood for the Wolf!" It appears to have been written with a charred stick dipped in blood.

End Date: August 29, Year of the Badger, mid-morning
End Status: There's smoke!
End Location: Blackpool Maze

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