Gwydion
Rather than risking a fall, Gwydion scans the area for a stool or make-shift ladder while urging, “Call back your dog!”
Kaul
Keeps wating with his bow ready and calls:
"Cinys back with me!"
Masov
reviewing my position, I am now under the impression I'm at the corner of the building, and in front of me along the wall is a window, the door, another window, then Aria? That being the case, I'll ready for a ghoul to pop through the window or door in front of me to take a swing at it.
You have moved in from the corner towards Kerrick, directly beside the door, which is in the middle of the south wall (more or less where Kerrick is on the image). I'll update after this round.
[quote="Gwydion"] Rather than risking a fall, Gwydion scans the area for a stool or make-shift ladder... [/quote]
The only thing you could clearly clamber up on is Dagmar. Seeing your search, she points at the top of the palisade near the building, then cups her hands into stirrup.
[quote="Gwydion"] ...while urging, "Call back your dog!" [/quote]
[quote="Kaul"] Kaul keeps wating with his bow ready and calls:
"Cinys back with me!" [/quote]
With a low, growling, "Whuff!" the hound turns and bounds back to its master. As it does so, the door lurches closed, untouched by the ghastly elves. As it swings to, you hear a body hit it from the inside, followed by chanting in a language you are unfamiliar with, the voice strangly lilting. As the chanting falls silent, there is a brief flash from the door itself, followed by speaking, also in an unknown tongue.
Masov readies himself, looking to the shuttered window nearby.
[quote="Kerrick Helmsworth"] Assuming space is available, Kerrick will move forward to join Cynis in elf-slaying. [/quote]
Too slow to react, Kerrick sees the door slam in his face, the gaunt elves looking equally perplexed as it swings shut before them. He sees a strange shimmer flash across the door after it closes.
Thinking better of touching the possibly enchanted door, Kerrick steps in front of Masov, over to the other window on his right, and begins smashing his way through the shutters. Aria then gracefully sidles up to Hengist, dropping her glaive at his feet. She then grasps the frame of the broken-in shutter on either side with her hands, before nimbly leaping through the opening in a single bound, landing catlike on the floor of the cottage.
Two gaunt and pale elves wielding large elven greatswords stand a dozen paces away, looking back and forth between a window on the front of the cottage in the midst of having its shutter destroyed, and the one Aria just leapt through. Standing and half-leaning against the door as if catching his breath is a more ordinary looking elf in flashing scale armor and holding a bow. Near the middle of the cottage stands another elf wearing a chain hauberk, his hands outstretched in the air in front of him, and carrying two swords at his hips. He lowers his hands and frowns slightly at Aria's sudden appearance, before speaking a brief phrase in the musical language of the elves. Both of the gaunt elves turn on Aria and advance...
Actions and Initiative for the next round, please!
Andrew
Andrew will throw another dart.
Hengist
l'll follow Aria through the window, and spear one of the phantom elves if I'm able to do so after clambering through.
...except not so much. "Dagmar!"
Kaul
Not wanting to get to close to the fight and unable to send my attack dog i will remain behind and pretend to be usefull.
In case new enemies apear outside the cabin i will shot an arrow at them and orden cinys to attack.
Gwydion
“They will defend the building. Why fight on their terms?”
If the hands remain proferred, Gwydion accepts Dagmar’s aid to climb the palisade.
Aria
I will draw my swords and charge the elves! If possible, I would like to attack the spellcaster who controls the phantom elves. If the phantom elves block my path to the spellcaster I will attack them.
[AMMONAR my luck sucks. I'm doomed.]
As Aria hits the floor of the building, the elf beside the door darts towards the back of the cottage, raising his bow and turning as he leaps a chair, firing an arrow back towards the other window. He lets loose with what can only be a curse in Elven as it shatters against the frame near Kerrick's head.
The gaunt and shimmering elves then move towards Aria, their greatswords raised. Neither shows any hesitation or fear, their expressions hollow. The first elf slashes at the woman, almost mechanically. The nimble Bladedancer leans in as he does so, as if opening herself to the strike, then suddenly throws herself back at the waist, allowing the hasty slash to pass harmlessly above her. She then drops a heel back to stand, spinning with swords outstretched as she does so.
As Aria rises in a whirl of steel, the second gaunt elf draws his blade back to guard, easily fending off her swords. He then lunges at her legs, catching Aria off-balance and opening a gash in her left thigh that begins to bleed freely.
Aria takes 3hp damage.
[quote="Hengist"] l'll follow Aria through the window, and spear one of the phantom elves if I'm able to do so after clambering through. [/quote]
There is a clatter on the floor behind the Bladedancer as Hengist tosses his spear inside the cottage, clambering through the shattered shutters after it. He drops heavily to the floor, grasping his weapon as he does so, but manages to do little more than point it at the elves as he rises to his feet.
[quote="Kaul"] Not wanting to get to close to the fight and unable to send my attack dog i will remain behind and pretend to be usefull.
In case new enemies apear outside the cabin i will shot an arrow at them and orden cinys to attack. [/quote]
Back out side, Kaul knocks another arrow, but without a clear target, hesitates behind the tree. His war dog, Cinys, crouches beside him, growling.
[quote="Gwydion"] "They will defend the building. Why fight on their terms?" If the hands remain proferred, Gwydion accepts Dagmar's aid to climb the palisade. [/quote]
Accepting Dagmar's aid, Gwydion hauls himself to the top of the palisade, bracing against the rear wall of the cottage to avoid falling. While the height on the inside of the barrier is less than twice that of a person, an overgrown ditch around the outside of the palisade means the drop is half-again as high. Ahead of him, Gwydion can see the mossy growth on the wood of the palisade where water runs off the thatched roof has been disturbed below a single window at the rear of the cottage, as if trampled underfoot.
[quote="Hengist"] "Dagmar!" [/quote]
A slightly muffled cry rings out from somewhere around the front of the building. Dagmar looks up at the Elven Enchanter, biting her lower lip, face creased with worry...
"I'm sorry!" she blurts out, then turns to run towards the front of the building, leaving Gwydion alone atop the palisade.
[quote="Andrew"] Andrew will throw...[a]...dart. [/quote]
Andrew moves up to the window Aria and Hengist entered, a scene of deadly combat visible within. Drawing forth a dart, he hurls it at the unengaged elves towards the rear of the building, but the hurled missile strikes the ceiling, then falls to the floor short of its intended target.
There is another clatter as a second spear is tossed unceremoniously to the cottage floor, and Kerrick begins a slow and ungainly climb through the narrow opening of the other window at the front of the cottage. He tumbles from the sill, then clambers to his feet, spear in hand. At the rear of the cottage he sees a tall elf wearing a fine chain hauberk lift a leather pack from the floor, handing it to a second elf in gleaming scale armor, "Goheno nin. Êl síla erin lû e-govaned vîn. An ngell nîn, drego!"
The elf in scale armor looks distraught, hesitating. Finally, he lowers his bow and takes the pack, looking back towards the battle at the front of the building.
"Noro!" his taller companion shouts at him.
Initiative and actions, please!
Kerrick Helmsworth
Kerrick will toss his spear through the window, then awkwardly attempt to clamber through it, after checking that there are no elves close enough to stab him while he is so occupied.
Hengist
I'll try to spear a ghostly elf. [Only hits AC 1.]
With a grin for my foes, I'll shout "come on in Dagmar, the water's fine!"
Kerrick Helmsworth
Kerrick will attempt to charge the elf in scale, yelling “He’s trying to flee with evidence!”
(Possible conditional modifiers to attack roll:
I’m not sure if they’re actually far enough away (20’) to get a mechanical charge off, which would give me +2.
If there is someone blocking my path, I will attempt to overrun them, which would give me -4.)
Masov
...will pick his crossbow back up, and get to an open window to assess what elves can be shot at, with a priority of ones that look like they're alive.
Kaul
Imitating Masov i will go to the window and try to find a target.
Aria will flee out the window (full retreat).
[quote="Aria "] Aria will flee out the window (full retreat). [/quote]
Realising the hollow elves spell her doom, Aria spins again and lunges for the window through which she entered. Before they have time to take advantage of her retreat, she has leapt to the sill of the window, and hopped past a surprised Andrew to the ground outside. She takes several further, shaky steps...
[quote="Kaul"] Imitating Masov i will go to the window and try to find a target. [/quote]
...and sees Kaul hustling over with his bow. Miska stands back by the nearest building, alternately eyeing the commotion the party has caused, and the seemingly empty street.
Back inside the cottage, the elf in scale armor takes the pack he was given and bounds up a rough ladder on the left of the room, disappearing through a hole in the ceiling. His companion steps forward, a determined look on his face, and snatches up a scrap of parchment from a pile on a simple wooden table nearby. He holds the slightly crumpled parchment in his left hand, barely looking at it as he gestures with his right, chanting in a tongue none of you recognise. As he finishes intoning his words, he grasps at the air behind him with his right hand. A moment later, a chill vapour swirls around his rigid fingers, falling to the floor and spreading across the room. Where it lands, a frozen barrier of ice rises up, building upon itself and rising in height until it touches the ceiling. The entire process takes but a few seconds, and leaves the far end of the cottage, including the ladder, cut off by a barrier of solid, translucent ice.
[quote="Masov"] Masov will pick his crossbow back up, and get to an open window to assess what elves can be shot at, with a priority of ones that look like they're alive. [/quote]
Moving to the shattered window Kerrick clambered through, Masov sees one of the elves appears to have conjured some kind of sorcerous barrier of ice across the inside of the dwelling, but trapped himself in with Masov's companions! Raising his crossbow, Masov looses a bolt past a charging Kerrick at the elf. His aim is true, and he hits the elf in the midriff! While the elf staggers slightly under the impact, the bolt simply falls to the floor, unable to pierce his chain hauberk.
[quote="Kerrick Helmsworth"] Kerrick will attempt to charge the elf in scale, yelling "He's trying to flee with evidence!" [/quote]
Seeing the impossible conjuration before him, Kerrick pulls up slightly, slamming into the spellcasting elf with his spear! Its iron blade pierces the elf's chain armor, puncturing his side. The elf cries out, staggered by the impact, and the icy barrier disappears!
Hissing as Kerrick rips the spear free, the elf drops the parchment he held, grasping at the grievous wound he has been dealt. He glares at Kerrick as he whispers around his pain, "....you'll not destroy...this place...pawn of oblivion."
The elf coughs out a spray of blood as he reaches for his swords...
[quote="Hengist"] I'll try to spear a ghostly elf. With a grin for my foes, I'll shout "come on in Dagmar, the water's fine!" [/quote]
An arrow strikes the floor near Hengist's feet, as Kaul fumbles his bow in an attempt to get a shot off.
The gaunt and ghostly elves close on Hengist as Aria flees, swinging their elven greatswords as they come. The first trips on Kaul's arrow, embedded into the dirt floor, stumbling into Hengist's spear as the warrior thrusts. His weapon pulled out of position, Hengist lurches to the side as the second elf slashes at him, taking a deep slice along his forearm as he attempts to free his spear.
Hengist takes 4hp damage.
His hands slick with his own blood, Hengist manages to rip his spear free, raising the point against his deadly attackers.
There is a thump at the front door, as Dagmar arrives from the rear of the building and throws her shoulder against the sealed portal.
At the rear of the building, Gwydion sees the shutter on the rear window fly open. There is a brief pause, and then an elf in bright scale armor, carrying a leather pack and a bow, clambers out the window and starts lowering himself down the outside of the palisade, dropping the pack and bow to the ground as he does so. He seems not to have noticed Gwydion...
Actions and Initiative, please!
The Damage roll is doubled on a Charge, so 1d6+4 rolling a 4 yields 12 Damage!