[Game Thread] Welcome to Belhaim

[Avelestar]

Raufinius The trap door seems safe, but takes a bit of strength to open and screeches horribly. The hinges clearly haven't been oiled in a very long time. From the first floor you can see dirty stone floor leading towards a closed doorway about 40ft away. The ladder leads to a small alcove that blocks off most your peripheral view but you can see that the room also continues to the left and right. Pausing for a moment you breathe in slowly and smell dust, damp and something...musty?

Alun After dismissing the deputy Alun takes his time analysing the front of the house. The doormat and frame have faint traces of low powered Abjuration magic, perhaps some sort of alarm system. The door handle and lock still have traces of Evocation magic, but only a residual amount. Its likely that's where the spell that killed the kobold came from but it appears to be inactive now. The windows perplex you, the magic in their making is far beyond your current knowledge. Still, the doorway seems safe for now unless the alarm system sets something else off.

OOC: Alarm spell on the doorframe and doormat, assumed to be linked to Hunclay. If he's within a mile he'll know as soon as you touch either one. You're very confident that the doorknob is safe now, if the trap reset itself automatically you would be able to pick up a much larger magic aura from it. As for Raufinius, you can't put your finger on it but the musty smell is familiar to you. Not quite what you'd expect an empty dirty room to smell like.

[zevonian]

"Everyone smile, let him know we're friendly."

Alun, after making sure no one was standing right next to him, tapped the doorknob with his walking stick.

"Hunclay. Witch's Tower fell. Are you well?"

[Avelestar]

There is no reaction from the house, but you hear a gasp from behind you and piggy nose is several feet back from where you last saw him. He breathes out heavily "Uhhh I guess he's in a good mood today?"

[zevonian]

"You sir have done your due diligence in alerting us we need to be elsewhere..." Alun still had a smile on as he turned just enough to where he could address the guard, whilst someone from behind the door could still read his lips. "After allowing us to check in on him. Well done, might want to have a couple lackeys do something about that dead body."

He looked to Rone and Dania. "Should we accompany this man to the Baroness?"

[Coelubris]

Dania nodded, and said "I think so. After all, we cannot do more than we have if Hunclay does not wish to speak with us."

[DoverianDragoon]

After several long moments of no response from the manor, Rone relaxed. Unfortunately, the appearance of the guard set him back on edge. He opened his mouth to tell him -- and his baroness - off... but then it became obvious that there wasn't much else they could do here, anyway. Well, not without attempting to break into a wizard's manor... and for what?

He deflated with a snort, then stormed off for the tower, his frustration etched on his face.

[Khalil]

That smell... almost the same as the area, yet somwhat different. Raufinus wondered if the kobold had encountered some sort of resistance on their way into the tower. But what had been in the tower he still did not know. At that point he realized that the deputy had fallen silent. Mr. Mulle? Raufinus said as he craned his neck around to look up. He seemed not to see him at first. Did he just leave without saying anything. That would be quite rude. Raufinus looked back down into the hole. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a vial of sicky yellow substance, with some Most of it biproducts of his components.specks of brown. The apprentice chirurgeon did not enjoy using the mutagen as it had some unwanted side effects. One of them being that he seemed to lose some of his ability to reason. It wasn't like regular drug or medicine where it would just make you drowsy or silly. Litterally the mutagen seemed to form another entity inside alchemist, and it always seemed to be fighting for control. As if the spirit of the components themselves wanted to take back what he had taken from him. Sometimes he wondered if other alchemists had the same experience, or if it was just the side effects of using insects as part of his ingredients... Disgusting really, but Raufinus saw he had no other alternative. Having to spend the majority of his life in the same building really dwindled the number of options he could have used. Except one... which always seemed to be in abundance in the clinic. His father hadn't discovered Raufinus secret and the half-orc never dared to tell him. It had been an accident the discovery, a by-product of a search for better cures, healing potions, and a need to enhance the soldiers of Lastwall so they would have a better chance at not falling in battle. They would have never understood... Raufinus himself had only tested the thing once, he himself verily appalled by the compound and its effects. But in a certain way it had been a success and it did have some usefull effects. So he kept it... never knowing when it could come in handy again. Mr. Mulle? His hand that held the vial had begun to sweat. Mulle, you are still there right? I think there is someone down here. They might be hurt. In the back of his mind he knew there wasn't anyone to save down there. He knew that whatever the tower had contained then or now was probably no helpless child in need, or some ailing wizard. He had dealth with enough wounds and corpses before, to know that not all stories ended well. That not all rescue attempts were successful... and that not everyone came back. I'm going down now... if anything happens. His thumb quickly rubbed against the stopper, and it popped off with an audible *POP*. Don't come down... There in the darkness he brought the magically infused chemical compound to his lips and quaffed it. He doubled over in pain as the serum semed to burn as it travelled down his throat. He quickly stuffed the empty bottle into the satchel as he was brought to his knees. Forgive me Iomedae! He had just done what his father would have considered unethical, possibly even creating an abomination that none could understand. Some people saw glory in death. At this moment all Raufinus wanted was death... an end to his misery and misfortune. He saw the stopper on the floor and launched for it, there in his grasp he could already see the mutagen taking effect in his skin. His hairs had begin to raise up and grow somewhat thicker. He quickly stuffed it into his trusty bag. His other hand reached for the scabbard and when his right hand was free he drew the falchion out. He looked up momentarily to see if Mulle had seen anything. He hoped the darkness still covered him, but the sunlight through the opening might have given the man a sight to the horror. Not wanting to scare the man any more than he already was, Raufinus jumped into the trap door trying to Dice Acrobatics: 1d20+4 (3)+4 Total = 7 land on his feet on the ground. He feared the height and it was something he'd usually not have done, but inside something was telling him that he could do that... like an instinct. The momentum of the jump drove him to the ground and again his body was wracked with pain. This time he could not suppress the groan of pain that overcame him. GrAAAhhh! He looked around, and everything seemed somewhat clearer. In his mind he made notes Still the same just more... focused. His knees and elbows hurt and his face felt as it was on fire. Yet at the same time the pain did not affect him, the opposite. It seemed to give him an edge that he hadn't had before. He felt excited, he felt alive... Is this how the knights feel when they go meet the orcan hordes? Is this why they really do it over and over again, even after the loss of comrades?

 

Drink Mutagen: +4 Dex, -2 Wis, +2 AC
Draw Falchion and jump down.

[Avelestar]

Raufinius Mulle nods at Raufinius and then walks to the rubble mount, calling down to the lady below "We got trouble milady, kobolds" The lady cringes and any nearby could hear her call out "Keep it down you fool!" as she glances down the hill at the gathered townsfolk. With Mulle's back turned Raufinius takes his chance to try out his alchemy without being observed. As the chemicals race through his body he finds himself compelled to fling himself into the darkness. He lands roughly, falling to his knees with an audible *oof* though he keeps hold of his falchion. Before he has time to recover he is hit from the side knocking him further off balance. Rolling with the hit Raufinius absorbs most of the force of the blow and is unharmed. As the dust settles he sees a long creature charging at him again, so many legs and a pair of madly gnashing mandibles. It rears up and strikes at his arm, but the half-orcs toughened skin seems to block the bite completely. He feels another shape strike him from behind, mandibles latching on his boot. With a grunt he kicks it loose, shakes off the other and finds himself with half a second before they recover to attack again.

Alun, Dania & Rone Piggy nose breathes a sigh of relief as the trio agrees to follow him back to the tower. They find a regal looking woman waiting for them a frown on her face that she tries to change as you approach. "Hello, I am Baroness Origena Devy and I apologise for your arrest yesterday. If you haven't been told this tower is all that remains of Castle Cantelcure lost during a rebellion against the Grand Prince long ago." She turns to look down the hill, checking that the townsfolk are still out of earshot, quite a crowd has gathered now. "Your friend is already inside the tower and I'm afraid we have a problem. Mulle and Hodd can't do anything with the Sheriff holding their hands and I've been told there are at least two dead kobolds inside. I want you to go in and look through the rubble. Find out what happened and why there are kobolds in my town and I'll pay the four of you five hundred gold split as you choose." Origena turns her gaze to Hunclay's manor. "No answer from him? What?! More kobolds?" she asks with a gasp as one of you informs her of what you found. "Please keep an eye out for Hunclay within the ruins, he has been asking me to knock down that tower for years. Said it blocked a region of sky he wanted to study from his observatory. I expected to find him out here dancing on the rubble." She looks at the tower and sighs "I'm going to miss seeing that old tower on the horizon."

OOC Failing the acrobatics check left you surprised and flat footed against the centipedes. You can now act as normal! Initiative order is Raufinius -> Centipede 1 -> Centipede 2. Timewise Raufinius is a little behind everyone else, but not by much as it took some time to clear the rubble to get the trapdoors open and examine the corpses. Remember climb checks if you're heading up the rubble mount. Does anyone else have a picture they want me to use for their token? Here is a great source of fantasy images. No map just yet, I need to recreate it in another program to make it a higher quality image I can actually edit and stretch out.

[Khalil]

Raufinus had to restrain himself from letting instinct takes over. That's why the smell was familiar! He thought as he linked the smell of the centipede looking creatures to the mutagen he just drank. Being alone and not expecting any aid, he decided he could use extra protection. With one hand still in his falchion the other dove into his satchel and quickly found the bottle he was looking for. He put the bottle to his lips and uncorked it with his mouth, then quaffed it down.

Actions 5-foot step away from both of them, drink potion of shield. +4 AC Deflection. 21 AC total.

[Avelestar]

Raufinius Raufinius moves quickly, taking a large step away from the creatures and quaffing a mixture from his satchel. The effect is immediate and he feels sturdier, emboldened, ready to take on anything. Including the two large centipedes that were rushing forwards again, the musty scent now overpowering the half-orcs sensitive nostrils. A half step to the side is enough to dodge the bite of the first. The second attempts latch onto an exposed forearm but appears to clamp the air around the arm instead and slides off.

OOC Oh god the picture, I love it so. Feel free to roleplay the shield spell however you wish, I went with the mini forcefield around your body for now. Anyway combat stuff: you're not flanked they are standing side by side assaulting you...but are now between you and the ladder back up.

[zevonian]

The Baroness was actually apologetic. So this is how she wins people over. Kinds words and money. Might as well cooperate while she's making the effort to be nice.

When there was a pause, Alun spoke up. Two dead kobolds you say? There's a third outside of Hunclay's place."

Alun said nothing more, thinking it was enough, and listened for a response. Seconds later, his memories of meeting Hunclay were triggered once again as the Baroness spoke. So that's why he asked me how to knock down a Witch's Tower. Not that I had any proper advice on siege warfare. He must've sorted it out anyway.

Another pause from the regal one. "Look through the rubble for Hunclay and anyone or anything else. I think I can do that." Alun didn't agree to the rest of the offer, or speak for everyone in the room. He just said enough so as to appear to be cooperating.

Wait...if he did that one thing I....it might've...oh dear.

[Coelubris]

Dania nodded, agreeing with Alun, and said quietly "We can certainly look for Hunclay or any other survivors. If we find anything to indicate danger of any sort to the town, or sabotage, then we will let you know, certainly." Dania wasn't above taking the Baroness' money, and since Alun had already agreed, well, it was no harm to agree to be paid for it as well.

[Khalil]

Raufinus watched as the insect tried to bite at his arm. He leaned his head in to examine the creature's attack method. 'Nteresting... Magnificent specimen! If only I had my lab or my equipment. The thought brought back the reminder of his recent misfortunes. Raufinus suddenly realized that had he not been protected, the creature's possibly poisonous bite would have contributed to more misery. He hissed and snarled and shook the thing off as he brought the falchion down, as he tried to Dice To hit with falchion: 1d20+2 (7)+2 Total = 9 Dice Damage: 2d4+3 (2, 4)+3 Total = 9 pierce its chitinous hide.

[Avelestar]

Raufinius The half-orcs blow glances off the centipede's hide, sliding down its back and clanging on the floor loudly. Both creatures strike at him again, sending him reeling but the magical barrier is holding...just.

[Khalil]

The centipede like insects kept trying to get at Raufinus. He could feel a moistness on his skin, and he was unsure if it was from the mutagen's effect or the fact that he may be getting what he asked for. Angry he stepped to strike out but one quickly came at him and tried to bite his arm, throwing him off balance and pinning his arm down. Raufinus's eyes widened even as the magical protection crackled with force. The chirurgeon made the only attack he was able to at the time. He moved his head forward trying to Dice Natural Bite Attack Mixed with Weapon Attack: 1d20+2-5 (1)+2-5 Total = -2 Dice Damage: 1d4+1 (3)+1 Total = 4 bite the creature to free his arm. The risky maneauver freed him of the weight of the creature, and he quickly lifted the falchion and Dice Falchion to hit: 1d20+2 (18)+2 Total = 20 Dice Damage: 2d4+3 (3, 1)+3 Total = 7 hacked down on it.

OOC Well there is a fumble and a... Dice Crit Confirm?: 1d20+2 (6)+2 Total = 8