68: You're a fool if you dare!

[Ebiris]

[12:17] <@Ebiris> After the arduous battle that finally concluded in scouring the supposedly haunted lighthouse of all life and unlife, the battle-fatigued foursome choose to take cover in the former stronghold of their enemies, ignoring the sooty smell as they take the chance to rest in a semblance of cover while searching for any clues left behind to reveal why such a strange assortment of people would defend the remote beacon so ferociously. Aside from some useful equipment and spells, it's Rudy who finds the first real clue on a desk partway up the tower where the stairs pause...
[12:19] <@Rudy> "Hey, check this out!" announces Rudy, tapping the desk before skimming over the paper. His nose wrinkles in disgust. "Wow, but did those guys not die painfully enough."
[12:21] <@Henrietta> "Why does this sort of thing keep on happening here?" Henrietta asks, once she had a chance to do likewise at Rudy's prompting.
[12:21] <@Ebiris> Liamae comes up the stairs at Rudy's shout, having cleaned the blood from her face but still looking rather unfortunate despite the magical healing... she's going to end up with a wicked scar at this rate. "What is it?" she asks nonetheless peering over before her eyes widen. "It's a whole damn conspiracy!"
[12:23] <@Rudy> "Yeah, see? It's just like that other place where they were trying to make more Summoners," replies Rudy, dropping the paper and spitting to the side. "I'll bet you this is bankrolled by the government, too."
[12:24] <@Ebiris> "You'd think the former owner would have told Lady Vanderboren when she bought the land..." Liamae frowns, accentuating her forming scar, "Hopefully the meteorite will blast them all away, anyway."
[12:25] <@Lucie> "What makes you think that, Rudy?" Lucie asks, taking a seat on the desk. "Don't have to be paid from on high to do terrible things. Anyway...anything in here sound familiar? 'Havenstead' ring a bell, maybe? Sounds like a town."
[12:26] <@Rudy> "Instinct," replies Rudy. "It just makes sense to me. If I was researching a secret weapon, why just have one? You can set up a lot of smaller places, each working on their own weird magic project. If one fails, so what?"
[12:27] <@Ebiris> "Yeah, it's on the map," Liamae nods, "On the other side of the lake, that way," she points South despite the lighthouse walls blocking the view.
[12:27] <@Henrietta> "Just one more thing to ask the treasurer when we return, don't you think?" Henrietta asks. "But for now, what should we do? It seems we might have a chance to strike at these people again before they prepare for it."
[12:27] <@Lucie> "Yeah, well, I don't see anything to prove it right now. Do see other places mentioned. 'Buried temple,' 'abandoned fortress,' 'beastman village.' Guess we can ask the locals if anything around here sounds a likely fit for those."
[12:28] <@Lucie> "...And Henri, I'm not fighting anyone or anything again 'til I've had a week in a soft bed."
[12:28] <@Rudy> "Myra saw the fortress, and I think the temple is near the town," replies Rudy. "But I think we have two choices if we want to catch them." He pokes at the paper. "They're going to attack the beastmen, but they've got something going at the fortress."
[12:29] <@Ebiris> "If we know where the fortress is it's our best bet. Even odds on whether the townsfolk can point us towards anything else correctly," Liamae opines.
[12:29] <@Lucie> "Occurred to me too, if they're having trouble with local beastmen, why not see if we can make that our advantage. Not that I *want* to deal with their ilk again, but common enemies and all..."
[12:30] <@Henrietta> "It might have been just a feeling at first, a hunch, but it bore out extensively, would you not agree?" Henrietta asks. "And now I feel that waiting a week might be too long. We need to wait a day to plan, perhaps even rest another, but we should not drag it out."
[12:30] <@Rudy> "Don't we have that magic healing stick? Wand? Thing? Can you use it, Henri?"
[12:31] <@Henrietta> "I was hoping you could, really."
[12:31] * @Lucie fixes her gaze on Henri. "Henri, I can barely walk. You want to go anywhere out of town tomorrow, you're doing it without me."
[12:31] <@Rudy> "I could try?" replies Rudy, uncertainly.
[12:34] <@Henrietta> "In any case, how about setting camp here, right in this tower? Returning to town may well be a bad idea, if they have any spies in it, and my feet need quite a bit of time before I could step on them with any degree of comfort."
[12:35] * @Lucie takes the purported healing wand, shrugs, tries it on her own wounds first.
[12:36] <@Rudy> "I'm with you on that one. Just, they might show up here again, and they'll know something's up just by looking at the burned-out bit," replies Rudy. "I hate to say it, but someone's gotta keep an eye out. But the good news is that they can do it out a window."
[12:44] <@Lucie> roll 1d8+1 healing R
[12:44] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d8+1 healing R and gets 9." [1d8=8]
[12:45] <@Lucie> roll 1d8+1 healing R
[12:45] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d8+1 healing R and gets 7." [1d8=6]
[12:45] <@Lucie> roll 1d8+1 healing H
[12:45] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d8+1 healing H and gets 5." [1d8=4]
[12:45] <@Lucie> roll 1d8+1 healing H
[12:45] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d8+1 healing H and gets 7." [1d8=6]
[12:45] <@Lucie> roll 1d8+1 healing L-chan
[12:45] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d8+1 healing L-chan and gets 3." [1d8=2]
[12:45] <@Lucie> roll 1d8+1 healing L-chan
[12:45] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d8+1 healing L-chan and gets 4." [1d8=3]
[12:45] <@Lucie> roll 1d8+1 healing L-chan
[12:45] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d8+1 healing L-chan and gets 4." [1d8=3]
[12:45] <@Lucie> roll 1d8+1 healing me
[12:45] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d8+1 healing me and gets 3." [1d8=2]
[12:45] <@Lucie> roll 1d8+1 healing me
[12:45] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d8+1 healing me and gets 4." [1d8=3]
[12:45] <@Lucie> roll 1d8+1 healing me
[12:45] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d8+1 healing me and gets 8." [1d8=7]
[12:49] <@Rudy> roll 1d10+5 healing Myra in the morning
[12:49] * +Hatbot --> "Rudy rolls 1d10+5 healing Myra in the morning and gets 6." [1d10=1]
[12:49] <@Rudy> roll 1d10+5 healing Myra in the morning
[12:49] * +Hatbot --> "Rudy rolls 1d10+5 healing Myra in the morning and gets 9." [1d10=4]
[12:50] <@Ebiris> roll 1d100
[12:50] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d100 and gets 66." [1d100=66]
[12:50] <@Rudy> roll 1d10+5 healing Myra in the morning
[12:50] * +Hatbot --> "Rudy rolls 1d10+5 healing Myra in the morning and gets 7." [1d10=2]
[12:54] <@Ebiris> The two days of resting pass without incident, plenty of provisions in the lighthouse to sustain the group. In a quiet but sollemn ceremony, Val is consigned to the flames, while Rudy takes some time to care for Myra, perhaps heartened and more aware of her value after seeing the dog's sacrifice? Only he knows, but in any case on the morning of the second day, the group proclaims itself ready to set off...
[12:55] <@Henrietta> "How far is the fort Myra saw?" Henrietta asks, once she is done paying her respects to her faithful companion.
[12:58] <@Rudy> Myra seems to have lost her wings, and instead has mangaed to grow an imposing-looking horn out the stump where her head should be. Periodically, her claws drip an inky black fluid that sizzles on the ground before her. Rudy himself seems to be stepping gingerly around Henri this morning, and this would be the first time he has something to say other than pleasantries. "Probably a day's walk,"
[12:58] <@Rudy> he replies, glancing at Myra with some bemusement. "I really wanted something that'd take apart those skeletons. Looks like she's responding."
[12:58] * @Henrietta nods curtly. "We should get going, then."
[12:59] <@Ebiris> "That's helpful despite the creepiness," Liamae chirps brightly, seemingly not at all perturbed by the ragged gash of much paler skin running down the left side of her face.
[12:59] <@Rudy> "Hey, they want some fucked-up walking weapon, right? Well, I'm prepared to give them one," replies Rudy, giving Liamae his most evil of grins before stepping out the lighthouse.
[13:00] <@Ebiris> There's no sign of spikes on the way out, the way now clear. "Are we going to go through Lessmus on our way there or go around?" Liamae asks.
[13:01] <@Henrietta> "I want to avoid the town if at all possible," Henrietta responds. "All it would take is one traitor working with these-- these people, and then they would know about our plans."
[13:02] <@Rudy> "Yeah, I think we're better safe than sorry," adds Rudy. "But I wish there was some way to let them know what's up."
[13:03] * @Henrietta shakes her head. "If they did know what was going on, and decided to band together and take care of the problem themselves, there would be a lot of innocent deaths. I don't want to live with that."
[13:04] <@Rudy> "Yes, and if we fail and die, there will also be a lot of innocent deaths? Over a six-month period, maybe, but with a bonus payout when they finish their mutant berserkers and sic them on someone."
[13:04] * Joins: Konfused_Ko (WinNT@ip68-110-145-89.hr.hr.cox.net)
[13:04] * Joins: Nerem (NeremWorld@75-174-96-229.bois.qwest.net)
[13:05] <@Ebiris> roll 1d100
[13:05] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d100 and gets 75." [1d100=75]
[13:06] * Quits: @Ko-VsTyrantNitori (WinNT@ip68-110-145-89.hr.hr.cox.net) (eraniss.tx.us.lunarnet.org obsidian.ab.ca.lunarnet.org)
[13:06] * Quits: NeremWorld (NeremWorld@75-174-96-229.bois.qwest.net) (eraniss.tx.us.lunarnet.org obsidian.ab.ca.lunarnet.org)
[13:06] * Quits: @Henrietta (~corwin@bzq-79-177-202-27.red.bezeqint.net) (eraniss.tx.us.lunarnet.org obsidian.ab.ca.lunarnet.org)
[13:07] <@Ebiris> The first leg of the journey goes without incident, but while circling around to avoid the town, the party begins to notice a decent amount of spiderweb adorning the nearby trees as they go, seeming to thicken with every step.
[13:07] <@Rudy> "Getting creepy," voices Rudy. "Did anyone bring a sword?"
[13:08] * Joins: Henrietta (~corwin@bzq-79-177-202-27.red.bezeqint.net)
[13:08] * ChanServ sets mode: +o Henrietta
[13:08] <@Lucie> "Who do you think you're talking to, Rudy?"
[13:10] <@Henrietta> "I have a pick," Henrietta voices, retrieving one from her backpack. "Would that do? And if not, the spear might work perfectly as well with its extra reach."
[13:10] <@Rudy> "Adventurers? They always had swords in the stories, you know? But the only swordsman we actually know is Tobin, huh?"
[13:11] <@Henrietta> "Flails have a perfectly valid and time-honored history as adventuring tools of the trade, I will have you know!"
[13:11] <@Lucie> "Doesn't matter what you hit the uglies with as long as they wind up dead," Lucie concurs.
[13:11] <@Rudy> "Nah, they're a villian weapon," replies Rudy. "Some guy in black plate mail swinging a flail, that's iconic villany."
[13:12] <@Ebiris> "I thought flails were for farmers. You know, for threshing grain?" Liamae interjects into the budding debate.
[13:12] <@Lucie> "So what makes a sword more heroic, huh?" Lucie challenges.
[13:13] <@Ebiris> "Compare the wounds someone gets from a sword with what they get from a flail?" Liamae suggests with a shrug, unconsciously fingering the side of her face.
[13:14] <@Rudy> "It's a nobility thing. Back in the day, when you couldn't buy them from any old shop for a weeks wage, you had to be a noble to have a sword," replies Rudy. "So all the Anowian stories have sword-wielding heroes, because who writes them?"
[13:14] <@Henrietta> "W-Well, farmers can certainly use them," Henrietta admits, stumbling over her words. "But they are nowhere near heroic when swinging them!"
[13:14] * @Lucie snorts. "So they're a heroic weapon because only rich folks had them?"
[13:15] <@Ebiris> As the party converses, they can see ahead and somewhat to the left, a curving dip in the land bare of trees and covered in web, familiar at least to Henrietta and Rudy.
[13:16] <@Rudy> "Oh, god! It's one of them spider-holes!"
[13:16] <@Henrietta> "I don't need any more souveniers like that!"
[13:17] <@Rudy> "We need to run!"
[13:17] <@Ebiris> Liamae doesn't need to be told twice, promptly picking up her pace into a run that steers her well clear of the spider-hole!
[13:17] <@Rudy> Rudy is right there with her, fleeing at top speed!
[13:18] <@Henrietta> "But--!" Since her allies are fleeing, however, there is little Henrietta can do but follow them and keep up.
[13:18] <@Lucie> "What the--" Confused but not to be left behind, Lucie follows.
[13:20] <@Ebiris> A few moments of panicked sprinting later and the webs are thankfully left behind, replaced with much more innocuous woods on a rise up one of the hills surrounding Lessmus.
[13:21] <@Lucie> "What was that?" Lucie pants once she catches up to the others.
[13:21] <@Henrietta> "A spider large enough to eat large predators," Henrietta fills Lucie in. "Very hideous!"
[13:21] <@Rudy> "We had a run-in with a spider like what lives down there once," replies Rudy, before slapping himself. "Fuck, I'm talking like a hick."
[13:22] <@Lucie> "Well, you're in the right part of the country for it, Rudy."
[13:23] <@Ebiris> Liamae stifles a laugh at that.
[13:24] <@Rudy> "Great. At what point do I start wanting to marry my cousins?"
[13:24] <@Henrietta> "Oh, please don't! I'm certain there is a nice woman out there for you, Rudy!"
[13:25] <@Ebiris> "She could still be his cousin, though," Liamae adds with a grin.
[13:26] <@Rudy> "You're certain? Have you seen her for yourself?" replies Rudy, crossly.
[13:26] <@Lucie> "No. We missing something for that?"
[13:28] <@Rudy> "What, you're all affronted, now? You?"
[13:28] <@Lucie> "Nah, just curious. I haven't got any. That I know of."
[13:30] <@Rudy> "I got some. I think one's a seamstress," replies Rudy. "And the other one's great! He runs a pub."
[13:30] <@Henrietta> "So do I! Only one, and he is a merchant. Reasonably successful, I believe. He ends up traveling a lot."
[13:31] <@Rudy> "That seems to be a theme in your family, huh?"
[13:32] <@Ebiris> "I've got two, but they're both just kids," Liamae adds for herself since they're all on the topic.
[13:32] <@Henrietta> "Traveling is a great way to understand yourself," Henrietta asserts.
[13:33] <@Rudy> "Y'think? So what've you learned?"
[13:34] <@Lucie> "Nothing I didn't already know," Lucie contributes for her own part.
[13:35] <@Henrietta> "I am afraid of a great many things, some of which I even had no idea existed until I left home," Henrietta responds, starting to frown. "I also learned how to kill all the things that scare me, and I even scare myself a bit at how good I became at that sort of thing. But losing someone close to you is just not something magic can deal with. Not my kind of magic, at least."
[13:36] <@Ebiris> Liamae awkwardly pats Henrietta's back.
[13:37] <@Rudy> Rudy shuffles his feet, and chooses to study Myra very intently.
[13:38] <@Ebiris> Is Myra preening herself? Some things are better left unanswered.
[13:41] <@Ebiris> roll 1d100
[13:41] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d100 and gets 83." [1d100=83]
[13:48] <@Ebiris> Continuing onwards, the group leaves the woods behind to travel over rocky scrub-covered hills. The pass leading to the fortress is ahead, assuming the climb down can be navigated, or else they could continue North overlooking the pass and see what they get once the fortress comes into sight. However, as they get closer they can see a dark-furred animal laying amidst a sparse patch of long grass, its wheezing audible from a distance.
[13:49] <@Henrietta> Instincts born out of fearing and respecting the wilderness have Henrietta cast Mage Armor upon herself before even thinking of doing anything else.
[13:51] * @Lucie follows suit with her own magical armor, before approaching to try and get a better look at the beast. They've had nothing but ill luck with animals recently, but it *is* in their way.
[13:51] <@Rudy> "Wait, is that thing dangerous?" asks Rudy, who was all set to just walk past it.
[13:52] <@Henrietta> "It might be one of those experiments," Henrietta says quietly, distaste clear in her voice. "Don't you think so?"
[13:52] <@Rudy> "Oh. Maybe? Can you throw that thing on Myra, too, then?"
[13:53] <@Henrietta> Wary of the dripping ichor, Henrietta does so.
[13:53] <@Rudy> Myra purrs cheerfully, and then romps towards the beast to get a better look alongside Lucie.
[13:54] <@Ebiris> At all the talking, the animal rolls over and pushes itself up on wobbly legs. It's face has bloody red fur, giving it a similar colouration to Val's killer, though it's significantly smaller and... wrong. Its lower jaw extends too far, giving it a horrendous underbite that would make eating anything troublesome. That seems evidenced by the creature's emaciated form, seeming too skinny by far despite the occassional distorted clumps of muscle. As Myra and Lucie approach it lets out a low-pitched growl, slimy drool starting to drip from its mouth.
[13:55] <@Rudy> Rudy winces. "Killing it would be a favor," he mutters.
[13:56] <@Henrietta> "Mutants. It's always the mutants," Henrietta mutters, holding tightly onto the handle of her flail.
[13:58] <@Lucie> It only takes a glance for Lucie to assume the creature as being yet another reject from magical experimentation. "Looks like you've seen a few rounds in someone's lab, haven't you?" she says offhandedly as she circles around the creature, sounding almost sympathetic (for Lucie). "Don't you worry, we'll be taking care of them, all of them."
[13:58] <@Ebiris> OOC: roll empathy?
[13:59] <@Lucie> roll 1d20+8 I assume my usual CHA penalty applies
[13:59] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d20+8 I assume my usual CHA penalty applies and gets 14." [1d20=6]
[14:01] <@Ebiris> The creature doesn't seem pleased with Lucie's approach, and its growls continue while filmy black eyes stare up at her, before...
[14:01] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20-1
[14:01] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d20-1 and gets 11." [1d20=12]
[14:02] <@Ebiris> Opening its deformed mouth wide, the creature lunges as if to take a bite out of Lucie! However just as the lunge starts it lets out a strangled yelp full of pain and collapses, twitching and foaming at the mouth!
[14:03] * @Lucie stands firm, glancing to her companions. ""Someone put this thing out of its misery. I can't really lift my mace right now."
[14:05] <@Rudy> Myra is always happy to dole out some violence, and reaches down to tear out the thing's throat.
[14:06] <@Ebiris> Its easily done, a quick claw through the throat stilling its struggles and silencing it forever.
[14:07] <@Rudy> "This is a promising start," notes Rudy. "Anyway, let's keep going north? We can get a good look at the fortress up ahead, I think."
[14:07] <@Lucie> "Doesn't look like it immediately involves climbing," Lucie says, taking her eyes off the deformed corpse. "Good enough a start right there."
[14:08] <@Henrietta> "It has my vote as well," Henrietta agrees, looking away from the ruined corpse.
[14:11] * @Lucie nods and moves on to the north.
[14:11] <@Ebiris> Heading up along the edge of the pass, it takes a little while for the fortress to be made out, being made of similar coloured rock as the local stone and buried into the pass as it is. Indeed, 'fortress' is perhaps a bit overly-generous, since it only constitutes a small tower and courtyard with a wall stretching across the pass and blocking it off with a set of enormous doors. Outside the tower are also large cages which look like the contain animals in them.
[14:12] * @Lucie takes a long look at the structure to assess possible entrances.
[14:13] <@Ebiris> OOC: roll perception
[14:13] <@Lucie> roll 1d20+15
[14:13] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d20+15 and gets 26." [1d20=11]
[14:15] -> *Lucie* Most obviously there's a door into the tower, but there's also a trap-door on the top of it, if that could be reached. From the other side of the pass it would take a decent jump and some climbing, but from this side it's nothing but a long climb with the door being conveniently nearby anyway.
[14:15] * Konfused_Ko is now known as Kotono
[14:15] * ChanServ sets mode: +qo Kotono Kotono
[14:17] <@Rudy> "I can't see any guards outside," voices Rudy, staring down at the tower.
[14:17] <@Lucie> "Trap door on top of the tower," Lucie notes. "Nice job if we could get there. Wouldn't see it coming, would they? Assume these mooks are all hostile, we don't want to give them a chance to see us coming like last time."
[14:17] <@Rudy> "I've still got a potion of spider-" Rudy frowns. "Spider climb. But just the one."
[14:18] <@Henrietta> "I can fly," Henrietta chooses to share with the rest. "I think. I had this breakthrough while we were resting! And I can also turn invisible."
[14:18] <@Lucie> "Looks like--" Lucie pauses to assess distances. "Looks like we could get to it more easily from the other side of the pass?"
[14:20] <@Henrietta> "What if I helped Myra fly over there, and we used Feather Fall to just jump all the way down and approached the cages?"
[14:21] <@Ebiris> "The animals in the cages would probably make enough noise to warn anyone inside if we got close to them. Getting in through the roof would be much more surprising," Liamae offers, "Assuming we can make it across."
[14:21] <@Lucie> "We approach the cages, I bet those animals make a racket and suddenly everyone knows we're here. It'd be tricky, but we get up on the cliffs opposite and we could make jump on top the tower."
[14:22] <@Rudy> "I'd rather keep Myra with us this time, if it's all the same to you," replies Rudy. "I'm worried about what weird shit they've got in there and might throw at us. I want her between us and that.
[14:22] <@Rudy> "
[14:22] <@Henrietta> "Feather Fall will let us jump to the roof just as well, if we manage to circle around," Henrietta agrees. "Is there a good path we can take?"
[14:22] <@Rudy> "Oh, really? Then let's do that, sure."
[14:23] <@Ebiris> There's no real path, one would just have to descend into the valley and them climb up the other side. Or go back all the way to Lessmus and circle around for a leisurely walk up along the other side.
[14:24] * @Lucie nods, satisfied that everyone's seeing reason for once, and sets off to find a way around to the other side of the cliffs. Even if it involves some backtracking should be worth the bother.
[14:27] <@Rudy> "I think going away and coming back around the other side will take too long," voices Rudy. "I dunno, can't you just carry us, Henri?"
[14:28] <@Henrietta> "Maybe one of us," Henrietta says, glancing at Liamae. "Oh, but, well, I could carry my rope along as well?"
[14:28] <@Lucie> "One person getting a rope up top for the rest of us is a decent start, I guess."
[14:32] <@Henrietta> Deciding to give ferrying people a try, Henrietta casts her Fly spell and takes a few moments to fly through the air to get used to it, before starting to ferry people over into position!
[14:34] <@Ebiris> Liamae seems to quite enjoy flight, declaring that she has to learn this spell for herself, and in short order everyone is relocated on the Eastern side of the valley.
[14:35] <@Lucie> "Wasn't so bad," Lucie agrees. "Could get used to that myself. Now..." Lucie checks out their new surroundings and scouts for the closest approach to the tower. It looked like they'd have to make a bit of a jump to it even from this side.
[14:35] <@Rudy> "How do you learn spells?" asks Rudy, once Liamae is on-side with him.
[14:36] <@Henrietta> "It is quite delightful, isn't it?" Henrietta asks her excitedly, casting her retinue of defensive spells in preparation. To Rudy, she responds with, "With me, it is a matter of focusing on what I want to do really hard. I suppose it doesn't sound very helpful?"
[14:37] <@Henrietta> roll 1d4+2 MI
[14:37] * +Hatbot --> "Henrietta rolls 1d4+2 MI and gets 3." [1d4=1]
[14:37] <@Rudy> Rudy absently adds his own, causing Myra to be almost unassailable (and he's alright, too.)
[14:37] <@Henrietta> roll 1d10+6 FL
[14:37] * +Hatbot --> "Henrietta rolls 1d10+6 FL and gets 10." [1d10=4]
[14:37] <@Ebiris> "Practice and visualisation," Liamae replies. "Some just come in moments of inspiration, but most I know about from stories or seeing other spellcasters, and playing about with my magic to try and form the desired result. That thing I did with the guy who gave me this scar? That was pure inspiration, I'm not even sure how I did it myself."
[14:38] <@Lucie> "Never gave it much thought myself," Lucie admits with a shrug. "I need to do something, eventually I find a way to do it."
[14:38] * @Henrietta glances over at that scar, and resolves to prevent Liamae from really coming into danger again. "Are we ready to jump down?" she asks to change the subject.
[14:39] <@Ebiris> "We better walk up to the tower first, we're still a ways off," Liamae points out, starting to head North towards the fort.
[14:39] <@Rudy> Rudy keeps pace! "I guess it's because you were all fucked up!" suggests Rudy. "So you needed a solution fast, and- there you go."
[14:41] <@Ebiris> A couple of minutes later and everyone is at last at the fortress, the squat angular tower rising up where the pass dips down, only a short jump required to scramble onto the roof.
[14:43] <@Henrietta> "On three," Henrietta says quietly, starting to count. "One, two--" The moment they jump and are all in the air, Feather Fall will slow their descent down and help them land properly. And should anyone go off course, Henrietta could catch that unfortunate person before her Fly spell expires.
[14:43] <@Ebiris> OOC: roll acrobatics if you're jumping
[14:43] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+1 L
[14:43] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d20+1 L and gets 6." [1d20=5]
[14:44] <@Lucie> roll 1d20+4 uh oh
[14:44] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d20+4 uh oh  and gets 8." [1d20=4]
[14:44] <@Rudy> This is the first time a woman has driven him to jump off a cliff, and not for the first time, Rudy wonders how he got here.
[14:44] <@Rudy> roll 1d20+10
[14:44] * +Hatbot --> "Rudy rolls 1d20+10 and gets 21." [1d20=11]
[14:44] <@Rudy> roll 1d20+2 m
[14:44] * +Hatbot --> "Rudy rolls 1d20+2 m and gets 22." [1d20=20]
[14:45] <@Henrietta> OOC: I'm flying, do I need to help catch someone?
[14:46] <@Ebiris> OOC: make a dex check to see if you're quick enough on the mark
[14:46] <@Henrietta> roll 1d20+3 (+12 if it's acrobatics due to 60ft base speed?)
[14:46] * +Hatbot --> "Henrietta rolls 1d20+3 (+12 if it's acrobatics due to 60ft base speed?) and gets 12." [1d20=9]
[14:47] <@Ebiris> Myra and Rudy make it over with plenty of room to spare, while Lucie almost falls short, just grabbing onto the ledge and hauling herself up! Liamae stumbles and falls well short, floating down the short drop into the space between the walls and the cliff without much injury even without Henrietta needing to grab her.
[14:49] <@Henrietta> Since they have decided to all go together, Henrietta picks Liamae up and flies her to the roof.
[14:49] * @Lucie drags herself onto the roof and heaves a deep breath. "Could've gone better, could've been worse," she mutters, standing and casting another round of magical protection if the previous one has worn off.
[14:49] <@Ebiris> That's easily done, the group having made it safely into position hopefully without advertising their presence to the enemy within! At the edge of the tower's roof lies a weathered black-wood trapdoor, inviting the way within...
[14:50] <@Rudy> "Ok, Myra, start going down," orders Rudy, and the eidolon bends down to pull up the trapdoor.