- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] The Stairs
Live in Infamy
- Thread starter Maugan Ra
- Start date
- Fantasy
Vote closed
- Location
- London, England
Omegahugger
Inattentive Idiot
Always aim for the Stairs. Even if you miss, you'll run into a Wall.
V - We Have an Ogre
- Location
- London, England
Grumblejack, as the ogre apparently names himself, hefts a wooden bench onto his shoulder and coughs awkwardly. Everyone looks at him, half again as tall as a full-grown man and twice as broad, then at the fireplace and the narrow chimney behind.
"Stairs it is!" Lisara says cheerfully, testing the weight of a looted shortsword in one elegant hand, "Let's go kill some people."
In a ragged mob your little band of escapees makes their way down the stairs, moving as quietly as possible. At the bottom there is a thick wooden door, doubtless to thank for the lack of response to your assault of the two guards above, and a torch burning fitfully in a sconce. Dorgo pauses halfway down the stairs, laying both hands on the stone wall and closing his eyes.
"Metal…" he grunts, the air tingling with magic as he lifts one hand from the wall to point, "Two piles there… scattered pieces all over… then many to the left."
"Our guards and the armoury," Lisara says with a satisfied nod, "Alright, everyone in position. The second the door opens, we rush them."
The others nod, descending the stairwell to take up positions around the door, but you hesitate… then nod, reaching out to grasp the weave of the world once more. Circumstances deny you your more potent magics, but it is a simple thing to bleed coloured light from another world and stain the door a vivid red. The others are surprised, then Lisara smiles and nods at you in approval, and a few moments later you hear the muffled sound of footsteps on the other side.
"What the hell is that?" Someone says, his voice muffled by the thick wooden door, "Some kind of… magic thing?"
"Dunno," another replies, "But maybe we should get the warden? Might be his little games are…"
The sound of enemies so close is apparently too much for Grumblejack to stand, and with one massive foot he kicks open the door, letting loose a roar of fury that sends the guards staggering back, pale and shaking. You drop the enchantment on the door and try to work a more practical offensive spell, but everything is moving too fast and your spell goes awry. Lisara with her sword, Dorgo with his hands becoming claws, Mikael with bare fists shining with light… and, of course, Grumblejack the ogre, wielding a looted bench like lesser men might a club.
By the time you adjust for your error and can weave the magic properly, the two guards are broken heaps on the ground, weapons still sheathed at their belts. You let your hands drop and brush idly at the folds of your new dress.
"Well," you cough, stepping awkwardly into the corridor and over the mangled bodies, "good job, all."
Lisara snorts at that, and even the stoic Mikael cracks a brief smile. Before anyone can respond, however, one of the doors along the side of the corridor opens and another man peers out.
"What the hell is…" he says, before falling silent as his brain catches up with his eyes. You see the food stains on his tunic, the hall full of benches behind him, and realise you've caught someone at their lunch. "Oh. Shit."
"Oh, good," Grumblejack chortles nastily, hefting his improvised club again, "Food."
The Ogre's first swing is stymied by the narrow width of the door, rebounding from the stone with a hideous crash, but with a snarl he adjust and thrusts the bench into the hapless guard's chest. The human reels backwards, choking, and before anyone else can react Lisara quite literally dives between Grumblejack's legs and rolls to her feet in the mess hall beyond. Her sword flashes brightly as she rises to her feet, opening the guard's throat to the bone, and that is that.
Beyond her you can see more soldiers arriving, rising from their tables or entering from the adjacent barracks, but this time you are ready. You flex your fingers, lay hands on two adjacent strata of the material plane, and twist ever so slightly. Thirty paces distant, an armed man screams like a child as every joint on the right side of his body is suddenly three inches from its socket. His comrade tries to help him, lifting his sword and stepping between his injured friend and the escaped prisoners before him, but it is pointless. Mikael slips into the room like a wraith, running across tables and leaping from chairs, and before anyone inside can react he delivers a pair of bone-shattering kicks that end the fight before it can even properly begin.
"Whoo!" Lisara yells, punching the air and doing a little spin, "Hell yeah! Anyone else want some?"
Distantly, you hear the sound of doors banging open and feet pounding on stone, but they are headed away from you. The servants, most likely, hearing the carnage from the kitchen and running for their lives.
"Hah. Little ones running scared," Grumblejack chortles, setting down the bench and rolling his shoulders. Then he bends down to pick up one of the corpses, and before anyone else can say anything, takes a bite out of the dead man's torso. You stare, unable to tear your gaze away, and with a bashful little shrug the ogre holds the corpse out towards you in turn. "Mm. Is good. You want some?"
Your gorge rises, and with an act of will you turn away, breathing rapidly through clenched teeth as you force your stomach to settle. The noises as Grumblejack returns to his feast makes it harder than you would like.
"No one else inside," Dorgo grunts, looking around you cautiously, "All out on the walls?"
"There can't be that many left," Mikael comments, frowning, and you notice that he is breathing far more heavily than the rest of you. Those martial techniques of his must really take it out of a man. "Two upstairs, five more here… even if we discount these ones as part of a previous shift, staying to be fed on the King's silver…"
"We could do it… shit, we are doing it," Lisara says in a tone of wonder, "Most secure prison in Talingarde, apparently, and we're doing it…"
"Stairs it is!" Lisara says cheerfully, testing the weight of a looted shortsword in one elegant hand, "Let's go kill some people."
In a ragged mob your little band of escapees makes their way down the stairs, moving as quietly as possible. At the bottom there is a thick wooden door, doubtless to thank for the lack of response to your assault of the two guards above, and a torch burning fitfully in a sconce. Dorgo pauses halfway down the stairs, laying both hands on the stone wall and closing his eyes.
"Metal…" he grunts, the air tingling with magic as he lifts one hand from the wall to point, "Two piles there… scattered pieces all over… then many to the left."
"Our guards and the armoury," Lisara says with a satisfied nod, "Alright, everyone in position. The second the door opens, we rush them."
The others nod, descending the stairwell to take up positions around the door, but you hesitate… then nod, reaching out to grasp the weave of the world once more. Circumstances deny you your more potent magics, but it is a simple thing to bleed coloured light from another world and stain the door a vivid red. The others are surprised, then Lisara smiles and nods at you in approval, and a few moments later you hear the muffled sound of footsteps on the other side.
"What the hell is that?" Someone says, his voice muffled by the thick wooden door, "Some kind of… magic thing?"
"Dunno," another replies, "But maybe we should get the warden? Might be his little games are…"
The sound of enemies so close is apparently too much for Grumblejack to stand, and with one massive foot he kicks open the door, letting loose a roar of fury that sends the guards staggering back, pale and shaking. You drop the enchantment on the door and try to work a more practical offensive spell, but everything is moving too fast and your spell goes awry. Lisara with her sword, Dorgo with his hands becoming claws, Mikael with bare fists shining with light… and, of course, Grumblejack the ogre, wielding a looted bench like lesser men might a club.
By the time you adjust for your error and can weave the magic properly, the two guards are broken heaps on the ground, weapons still sheathed at their belts. You let your hands drop and brush idly at the folds of your new dress.
"Well," you cough, stepping awkwardly into the corridor and over the mangled bodies, "good job, all."
Lisara snorts at that, and even the stoic Mikael cracks a brief smile. Before anyone can respond, however, one of the doors along the side of the corridor opens and another man peers out.
"What the hell is…" he says, before falling silent as his brain catches up with his eyes. You see the food stains on his tunic, the hall full of benches behind him, and realise you've caught someone at their lunch. "Oh. Shit."
"Oh, good," Grumblejack chortles nastily, hefting his improvised club again, "Food."
The Ogre's first swing is stymied by the narrow width of the door, rebounding from the stone with a hideous crash, but with a snarl he adjust and thrusts the bench into the hapless guard's chest. The human reels backwards, choking, and before anyone else can react Lisara quite literally dives between Grumblejack's legs and rolls to her feet in the mess hall beyond. Her sword flashes brightly as she rises to her feet, opening the guard's throat to the bone, and that is that.
Beyond her you can see more soldiers arriving, rising from their tables or entering from the adjacent barracks, but this time you are ready. You flex your fingers, lay hands on two adjacent strata of the material plane, and twist ever so slightly. Thirty paces distant, an armed man screams like a child as every joint on the right side of his body is suddenly three inches from its socket. His comrade tries to help him, lifting his sword and stepping between his injured friend and the escaped prisoners before him, but it is pointless. Mikael slips into the room like a wraith, running across tables and leaping from chairs, and before anyone inside can react he delivers a pair of bone-shattering kicks that end the fight before it can even properly begin.
"Whoo!" Lisara yells, punching the air and doing a little spin, "Hell yeah! Anyone else want some?"
Distantly, you hear the sound of doors banging open and feet pounding on stone, but they are headed away from you. The servants, most likely, hearing the carnage from the kitchen and running for their lives.
"Hah. Little ones running scared," Grumblejack chortles, setting down the bench and rolling his shoulders. Then he bends down to pick up one of the corpses, and before anyone else can say anything, takes a bite out of the dead man's torso. You stare, unable to tear your gaze away, and with a bashful little shrug the ogre holds the corpse out towards you in turn. "Mm. Is good. You want some?"
Your gorge rises, and with an act of will you turn away, breathing rapidly through clenched teeth as you force your stomach to settle. The noises as Grumblejack returns to his feast makes it harder than you would like.
"No one else inside," Dorgo grunts, looking around you cautiously, "All out on the walls?"
"There can't be that many left," Mikael comments, frowning, and you notice that he is breathing far more heavily than the rest of you. Those martial techniques of his must really take it out of a man. "Two upstairs, five more here… even if we discount these ones as part of a previous shift, staying to be fed on the King's silver…"
"We could do it… shit, we are doing it," Lisara says in a tone of wonder, "Most secure prison in Talingarde, apparently, and we're doing it…"
Article: How do you intend to proceed?
[ ] Break Out
You have the initiative, but it may not last for long. Head for the gatehouse and leave this place behind you, the sooner the better.
[ ] Take Over
If you hit the Warden's tower and pick off any remaining guards before they can rally and regroup, you could take this whole castle for yourselves.
Regardless of the above choice, do you spend time looting the Grand Hall (the central building you have just secured) before moving on?
[ ] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [ ] The Armoury and Storeroom
- [ ] The Kitchens
- [ ] The Sergeant's Office and Archives
[ ] No. You cannot spare the time to loot an empty building. You must press on.
Rolls for initiative! In Pf2, there are no "surprise rounds". However, getting the drop on an enemy may allow you to use stealth for your roll, and of course if the enemy does not know you are there when a combat begins, they cannot target you.
Grumblejack - 21
Valka - 10
Dorgo - 9
Mikael - 7
Lisara - 17
Guard One - 25
Guard Two - 23
Round One
Guard One and Two - Marvel at the doorway, talk among themselves, consider going to get the Warden
Grumblejack
Grumblejack - 21
Valka - 10
Dorgo - 9
Mikael - 7
Lisara - 17
Guard One - 25
Guard Two - 23
Round One
Guard One and Two - Marvel at the doorway, talk among themselves, consider going to get the Warden
Grumblejack
- Opens the door
- Swings the table (improvised greatclub) at Guard One. 19, hit. D10+5 = 12 damage.
- Roars at Guard two, making a demoralise action. Intimidate is d20+9, DC is 15, roll is 23. Success. Guard Two gets Frightened 1.
- Strides into corridor and past the enemy, Tumbling Through them with her acrobatics. She has the Assurance feat for acrobatics, so sets her result to 17, success. Gains Panache.
- Makes a Confident Finisher against guard one, who she is now flanking. Attack is d20+7, result 20, hit. Damage is d6+1+2d6 = 4, the worst possible result, ouch.
- Duelist's Parry, giving her +2AC until her next turn.
- Spends two actions to cast Phase Bolt, ignoring the cover from the odd angle as she aims at guard one. Spell attack is d20+7, roll is natural 1, miss.
- Strides to reposition behind Grumblejack.
- Strides into position in corridor before Guard Two
- Spends two actions to cast Gouging Claw. Attack is d20+6, result 20, hit. 7 slashing damage, plus two persistent bleed.
- Strides into corridor before Guard One
- Adopts Dragon Stance
- Uses Ki Strike on a flurry of blows, directs one attack at each guard. Attack on guard one is 15, bare hit due to flanking. 9+4+4=17 damage, kills guard one. Attack on guard two is 23, hit. Damage is again 17, kills Guard Two.
Party Members keep existing initiative. Three more guards enter combat, one in the mess hall and two in the adjourning barracks. None have armour, because they were off duty, so their AC is 13.
Grumblejack - 21
Valka - 10
Dorgo - 9
Mikael - 7
Lisara - 17
Guard Three - 14
Guard Four - 15
Guard Five - 25
Guard Five
Grumblejack - 21
Valka - 10
Dorgo - 9
Mikael - 7
Lisara - 17
Guard Three - 14
Guard Four - 15
Guard Five - 25
Guard Five
- Rises from his bed
- Grabs his weapon
- Strides into the mess hall
- Strides next to Guard Three, in entrance of the mess hall
- Strikes at Guard Three. Roll is 12, bare miss.
- Strikes at Guard Three again, taking -5 penalty. Roll is 15, hit. 12 damage.
- Strides into the mess hall, again using Tumble Through to get behind guard three. Gains panache.
- Makes a confident finisher. Roll to hit is 26, critical hit. Total damage is 28, kills guard three.
- Turns to next guard, adopts Duelist's Parry.
- Stands up
- Grabs weapon
- Strides into mess hall, taking up position next to guard five
- Strides into a place where she can see Guard Five.
- Casts Phase Bolt, ignoring cover benefit again. Roll is 27, critical hit. Inflicts 18 damage, guard is still alive but only barely.
- Moves into the Mess Hall.
- Casts Acid Splash at Guard Five, catches guard Four in the blast. Rolls 2 damage, reflex save DC is 16. Guards four and five get results of 11 and 19, so guard four perishes to the acid, guard five takes half damage (2)
- Strides twice to get into the mess hall and then up to the remaining guard. Due to dragon stance, he ignores the difficult terrain of going over the tables.
- Makes a Flurry of Blows. Rolls to hit are 16 and 23, one hit and one critical. First is 9 damage, second is 18. Guard Four is killed.
- Location
- London, England
Your current companions are the only prisoners being held in Branderscar at the moment.
Obviously a normal jail would have a great many more people in it, but Branderscar is meant to be for the Worst Of The Worst, and more importantly is only used for prisoners who are slated for execution, so it never really needed to hold more than a dozen or so people at a time.
Varder
Tired Cultist
- Location
- Hell
This is terrifying. Focus-less, silent casting, without a projectile to dodge or see, does lethal damage. Can our enemies do the same? A mage from an ambush can apparently one shot us.
[X] Break Out
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [X] The Kitchens
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- Location
- Diamond City
[X] Take Over
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [X] The Sergeant's Office and Archives
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [X] The Sergeant's Office and Archives
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[X] Break Out
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [X] The Sergeant's Office and Archives
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [X] The Sergeant's Office and Archives
Lexica
Persevere
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Take Over
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [X] The Sergeant's Office and Archives
Absolutely this. Currently we're a wizard with no spell book, only able to cast cantrips. We desperately desperately want whatever the warden has, and we're not going to get another chance at getting access to proper magic this easily for a while. Our benefactors might be willing to help us out, but definitely with strings attached.
Everyone here can take a few minutes to loot armor and weapons and then we need to go loot the Warden's stuff.
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [X] The Sergeant's Office and Archives
Absolutely this. Currently we're a wizard with no spell book, only able to cast cantrips. We desperately desperately want whatever the warden has, and we're not going to get another chance at getting access to proper magic this easily for a while. Our benefactors might be willing to help us out, but definitely with strings attached.
Everyone here can take a few minutes to loot armor and weapons and then we need to go loot the Warden's stuff.
[X] Break Out
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [X] The Armoury and Storeroom
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [X] The Armoury and Storeroom
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Break Out
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
-[X] The Armoury and Storeroom
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
-[X] The Armoury and Storeroom
Lexica
Persevere
- Pronouns
- She/Her
To elaborate a bit more on my thought process here for voting to take over instead of getting out asap-
Remember that we're soon going to be fugitives on the run. Things don't actually get easier once we're out of here. If anything it gets significantly harder, because there will be people actively hunting us, instead of this completely unprepared bunch of guards who were expecting another lazy shift.
We should be taking this opportunity for all its worth before we leave, which means thoroughly looting this place for anything of value. At least one of the two people running this prison is embezzling a ton of money, which would be really great for us to find and get a hold of, even leaving aside the spell book. The time to leisurely and thoroughly loot without needing to rush means we can also properly pack supplies for our escape long term like food, water, medical supplies, and the other kinds of things that we might be able to grab a bit of if we're in a hurry, but we'll be wanting more of pretty soon if we don't reeeeally stock up now.
Remember that we're soon going to be fugitives on the run. Things don't actually get easier once we're out of here. If anything it gets significantly harder, because there will be people actively hunting us, instead of this completely unprepared bunch of guards who were expecting another lazy shift.
We should be taking this opportunity for all its worth before we leave, which means thoroughly looting this place for anything of value. At least one of the two people running this prison is embezzling a ton of money, which would be really great for us to find and get a hold of, even leaving aside the spell book. The time to leisurely and thoroughly loot without needing to rush means we can also properly pack supplies for our escape long term like food, water, medical supplies, and the other kinds of things that we might be able to grab a bit of if we're in a hurry, but we'll be wanting more of pretty soon if we don't reeeeally stock up now.
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[X] Take Over
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [X] The Sergeant's Office and Archives
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [X] The Sergeant's Office and Archives
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [X] The Armoury and Storeroom
Yeah no, they know this place better then we do, and it's not meant for long term control. It's basically Death Row. Not gonna hold off a proper attack, and worse come to it, they seal it off and leave us to rot.
[X] Take Over
[X] Yes. The possible supplies and resources on offer are too important to pass up. Choose one room for Valka to focus on personally
- [X] The Sergeant's Office and Archives
Turns out take over here means 'kill and loot the palce to the bedrock', so I got no issues with this.
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