"Hsst! Terri, quietly. need to get closer. Come with me," Lisa says and carefully moves closer to the bars, part crouching part crawing.

Lisa feels for Terri then tugs gently on her top towards the bars.
Not rushing, she moves quietly as she can to the bars to see (or hear) what she may.

======
OOC: 09:58, Today: Lisa Rufbin rolled 10 using 3d6 with rolls of 5,2,3.  Stealth 10.
10:02, Today: Lisa Rufbin rolled 10 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,4,3.  Perception 13.

"Right!"  Terri whispers back, letting Lisa move first and then following along with the sound of her movement.

As it turned out though, the sound is more than Lisa intended.  Only a few crawling steps on, she puts a hand down and feels the damp weave of a bloodied bandage.  Though she didn't put down any real weight, only briefly brushing the wound, she never the less hears Erwin's low groan and fitful attempts to return to sleep.

Though the darkness makes things more than difficult, Lisa's slow pace and careful maneuvering get her to the iron bars quickly enough.  In the room beyond, Niall and the other's continue to converse.

"Right!  I'm off now."  The first voice says, and Lisa can hear heavy and swift footfalls like booted feet hurrying up a flight of stairs.

"Willson!"  Niall continues.  "Get you damned club man!  Are you even paying attention?  Macchus, you're in charge here.  If the prisoners start a ruckus, start shooting.  Willson, come on!"

Beside her, Lisa can hear Terri's slow hand over knee crawling as she catches up, her hand briefly at the side of her calf and knee before she pulls up next to her at the prison door.

"Ok, I'm ready!  Terri whispers urgently.  "What's the plan?"

From off in the darkness, Lisa can hear the hurried footsteps...  More boots on stairs.  From here at the edge of the prison, she thinks she can just barely make out reflections of light from the rooms ahead, marking the walls of the tunnel, though it doesn't make much difference as there isn't really a whole lot to see apart from brown-grey stone.

Several moments pass with only Terri's quiet breathing beside her, then, from somewhere off in the distance.

"Fucking do it you shits!"  Niall's voice reverberates back in an echoing shout.

"What's happening?!"  Terri moans from beside Lisa.

OOC:  Apologies for the quick turn around without your input here.  I think I'll be able to start picking up the pace a little here and I want to do my best to keep things moving.  However, since the timelines are now dependent on each other, that means that I either have to wait on everyone or I have to keep moving even when all the input isn't in.  For this particular moment I chose the latter to keep things on track.

Lisa searches her hair for a hair clip or wired underwear or anything else that she might use to try and pick the lock (quietly asking Terri if necessary).

======
OOC: 23:36, Today: Lisa Rufbin rolled 10 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,2,5.  Scrounging 11.
It's been a while since Lisa treid casting a spell so has she regained any FP, please?

The specifics of the previous day lost in a darkened haze, Lisa reaches up to her hair, uncertain as to whether or not she had pinned it up.  Still, she has the sneaking suspicion, even before she confirms it by brushing her loose shoulder length hair with an empty hand, that even if she had one of her long pins in place, that it was likely stolen along with the rest of her gear when she had been carted to this forsaken place.

Lisa is about to ask Terri if she has anything, when the twang of a bowstring rings out, shortly followed by a man's scream.

"Magnus!  We're here!"  Terri shouts at the top of her voice.

"Shut up!  Shut up!"  A man from the next room responds in a fervent cry, and Lisa can already see the glowing orb of a torch bobbing closer, slowly turning the room around her from black to a dim orange.

Her mind and eyes racing with the additional light, Lisa spies a fallen masonry nail on the cave floor just beyond the bars.  In a feverish grab, she throws her whole left arm out of the cell and clutches the lengthy bit of iron just as two of the guards lumber into sight.

One holds a crossbow and has a club dangling from his belt.  The other holds an axe in their right hand and a torch in their left.

They both have looks of utter madness on their faces.

"One more word and you all die!"

OOC:  I went back and forth on the ruling for your scrounging roll.  The negative modifiers would normally be significant (darkness first and foremost) and the prospect of conveniently having, but forgetting about until now, the very tool you've been looking for the whole time seemed rather silly to me.  Ultimately, I ended up giving you the roll.  You have a long masonry nail (allows a -2 roll against lock picking for having an improvised tool) in your left hand and your small stone you found earlier in your right.  You can see the two men approaching from the right side of the bars, but you think they haven't seen you yet.

"Hsst, guards, Terri. Roll away," whispers Lisa almost feverishly and then does so herself.

***
If nothing untowards happens and the guards depart again, Lisa hands the stone to Terri and then tries to pick the lock*.

======
OOC: Above actions assume there's little chance of either picking the lock before the pair of guards arrive nor of magically setting fire to one of them without them noticing the act of casting.

*Does the GM roll for Lockpicking? (Skill is 12, but -2 for the nail = 10)
This message was last edited by the player at 12:57, Fri 22 Apr 2022.

Lisa jabs a whisper before rolling away from the bars, though Terri doesn't appear to move away from the bars with her.  Instead, the commotion from the rooms beyond only seems to intensify.

A beastial roar echoes so loudly that the very walls of the prison seem to reverberate with the sound.

Then, a woman's shrieking voice in the tongue of the southern Muslims ”ALLAHU AKBAR! ”DAENI ‘ASTAHIMU BIDIMAYIHIM!!!!”

"Good god."  Rudyard murmurs from the side, his head picking up slightly from the wall.

Lisa cannot see the pair of guards anymore, though she can now see quite clearly Terri silhouetted by the warm orange reflections of the guard's torch.  Terri stands, still pressed closely against the iron bars of the cell.

"They're coming."  Terri says, her voice no longer a shriek but a forced, slow calm.  "I wonder if the minotaur will eat you?  I've never seen him do it, but they say they do..."

"Shut up!"  The guard responds back, and suddenly the warming torch begins to come closer again, bathing the room in an orange glow.

"Shut up!"  The crossbow man repeats as he face appears from around the corner, his weapon leveled straight at the girl, though his face is stretched thin and his eyes snapped open in fear.

OOC:  You are at range 3 from the guard, and still hold the stone and nail in your hands.  It doesn't seem that Terri is down with your plan for the moment, though remember if you had planned on picking the lock when the guards were not here, not only would you have the -2 due to improvised materials, but you would also have the lighting penalty which would be stiff.

The crossbowman is also about 3 yards from Terri. 

Lisa notices a set of keys at the crossbowman's hip and she tries to sneak a yard closer.

She tries casting apporttation on the keys and bring them into the dark to her undetected.

======
OOC: Failed the stealth roll by 3 unless modifiers for darkness and ongoing noise and Terri's distraction are sufficient to overcome that.

Wow natural 4 on the spell. I do believe that's my first critical since last Christmas.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:27, Thu 28 Apr 2022.

There is a tense moment as Terri stands up to the crossbowman, not backing down, though neither speaking out again as she stares down the chamber of the crossbow.  Lisa imagines that she can see both Terri and the man shaking, and she uses the moment of standoff to creep a step closer in order to see off one of her spells.

Out from around the corner, another man, this one with an axe and a torch approaches, his face bathed in a pale orange from the flames.  Lisa starts at the sight, and her boot scrapes against the floor midstep...

For the briefest of moments, Lisa is sure that they will see her approaching, that they will shoot either her or Terri.  But before her awful premonition comes true, the moment is interrupted by a skidding, repetitive thunk! that sounds from behind them.

Another tense moment of silence passes.

"Is that one of your friends?"  Terri asks, her face drained of color though it is set and resolute.  "Perhaps you should go check on him?"

"Damnit!"  The man shouts in frustration, turning abruptly as he begins to walk away.

Lisa does not let the chance go to waste.

"Venire!"  Lisa whispers as she gestures with her hands towards the keyring, which jiggles free from the belt and motions slowly towards her as the two guards walk away.  As the room plunges back into darkness, Lisa feels the keyring press against her outstretched hand!

Lisa's heart flutters in her chest, she pulled off her spell without anyone being the wiser!

"Willson!"  One of the guards calls just a moment after retreating from the cell, his voice strained with anxiousness.  "C'mon!"  He adds after just a moment and Lisa can now hear the sounds of booted feet on stairs retreating away...

OOC:  Nice work with the critical success at the moment you needed it most.  Because you got the crit, you used no fatigue on the spell, and you also earned a hero point, which can be used as a single instance of luck, or any other 15 point advantage you wish.

Despite your failure on your stealth, you still weren't noticed as the guards also failed their perception checks.

I also got a little paranoid when you rolled against a 9 for apportation.  I didn't realize that you had already reduced the spell -2 for range, and if 9 had been your base skill the spell would have required much more noise.  I noticed as I was checking that we did the math wrong for your skill level in all your spells, we should have added your magery level, so all your spells actually have a base skill of 12 rather than 11.  That doesn't change anything in the past or for the critical success, but it will help you out going forward and it's been fixed on your character sheet.

If you wish to use the keys to open the cell door, it will take a roll against Lockpicking +1.  While this may sound odd, it really comes down to the fact that you have to use the key, reaching through the bars with your hand to get to the other side, and do it all by feel (since your in near complete darkness).  This doesn't affect the end result of getting the door open, but it will affect how long it takes you to get the door open.

Lisa sidles up to Terri, pulls her close and whispers in her ear, "You've a brass neck! And I love you for it. Feel this!" Being careful not to let the keys chink together, she finds Terri's hand and guides it to her feel the keys. "Ooops," with an accidental handling of Terri's curvy bits Lisa maneuvres to try and unlock the gate.

======
OOC: 20:47, Today: Lisa Rufbin rolled 12 using 3d6 with rolls of 2,6,4.  Lockpicking 13.

"I can't believe that worked!"  Terri exhales as Lisa pulls her close.  Lisa feels the other woman's skin and her sweat dampened undershirt, the feel of her body, even discreetly makes the emotional rush of her successful spell all the more exhilarating.

"I just wanted to let the others know we were down here,"  Terri continues as Lisa feels for her hands to show her the key ring.  "...and that was simple enough, but I didn't know how to keep them from...  wait you got the keys?"

Immediately, the cell seems to warm ten degrees and Lisa can feel the eyes of a half dozen men upon her as murmurs pick up in the surrounding cell.  "What!?"  Rudyard blurts from a few steps away.  "Well get us out of here lass!"

Lisa hastens to do just that, brushing intentionally, though making it seem an accident, against Terri's shirted breast as she pulls away.  Terri recoils away from the contact, but Lisa relishes the momentary touch as she feels her way to the cell door, wrapping her arms around the door, and finding the keyhole with her left hand, as she attempts to unlock the cell with her right.

After several moments of trial and error, Lisa eventually gets the right key to fit within the lock, turning it with the groaning sound of metal on metal, and the door begins to slowly push open as she brings her hands back from around the bars...

OOC:  'Picking' the lock took you about 30 seconds, which may seem pretty quick, but actually puts your timeline fairly far ahead of the other group.  Feel free to post again here as you see fit, but note that it's still almost completely dark, just realize that it may be a while before I move you ahead while I figure out what's going on with the others.

"Ssshhh!" Lisa hisses to Rudyard. "And damn well stay where you are. Call you when you should come."

She whispers to Terri, "Don't let anyone through yet."

Not seeing anything much from where she is, lisa tries to quietly open the gate slightly and slip through hoping to find things that'll seve as better weapons than a stone.

======
OOC: 18:36, Today: Lisa Rufbin rolled 15 using 3d6 with rolls of 6,6,3.  Perception 13.
18:41, Today: Lisa Rufbin rolled 7 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,3,1.  Stealth 10.

After Terri agrees to Lisa's direction, the hedge witch and guard quickly spirits herself through the open cell door then slows her pace to a crawl as the prisoners behind her quiet into silence.

Somewhere not far, sounds of combat were still ringing out...  Shouts of pain, a woman's scream of glee, the crashing and clanking of weapons smashing on bodies and blades.

"Runt! RUNT! COME HITHER, LITTLE ONE!"  A woman's voice calls out.

Lisa's feet inch ahead, and slowly the walls shift from a dim orange where she can only tell her hand from the black silhouette, to a dim and flickering yellow, to a stronger light, where she can almost see her own features again.

Lisa comes to a stop as she turns a corner, craning her neck around to see the room beyond.

There is a sort of makeshift table, and a few meager chairs.  Here and there too are small stacks of straw and grass, packed close enough to make a comfortable seat on the floor, though not large enough for a bed.  Two wall sconces are nailed in, one on each side of the room, holding a bracket for torches.  The one on the far side of the room is empty, though on the near side, just around the corner from where Lisa stands, there is a torch still burning, though it seems to be reaching its last limits of endurance as the cloth burns low and dim.

Across the room, another hallway leads directly away, while to the left there is a stairway that leads upwards.

At the bottom lies a single body.  A man in leathers that Lisa does not recognize, though a wooden club lies on the floor next to his body...

Though Lisa stares upon the scene ahead, of the unconscious bandit and his loose weapon, she cannot pluck up the motivation to take the immediate initiative.  Instead, she waits for a moment, indecisive and nervous... and the moment passes her by.

"Shit!"  The voice calls from up ahead.  "C'mon!"

Lisa tucks herself behind the corner again, for she can already hear the approaching boots upon the stairs.  In mere moments, she sees the last two guards to leave, one with an expended crossbow, the other holding his axe.

"There's no other way out of here."  The crossbowman says, his voice low and dry, cracking upon the words.  The other man, the one with an axe is following close behind, a dimly lit torch in his other hand which licks a meager light upon the two.

Lisa didn't notice much of the two men before, though she can see clearly now their pale complexions and rough and unkempt beards.  The crossbowman is by no means thin, though his face appears hollowed, sunken, or even haunted as the shadows of the dim flame flicker across his face.

"They're blocking the only way out."  He grabs the string of his crossbow with two fingers, heaving it back to the catch.

"Think they'll let us go if we surrender?"  The axe man asks, his own features mostly hidden from Lisa as he has turned around, facing the stairway beyond the two.

The man with the crossbow shakes his head, perhaps in answer, or perhaps in disbelief as he loads another bolt in his weapon.

”The boy is gone!”  The woman's shout echoes from beyond again, and both the men turn their attention to the stair behind them.  ”Runt! RUNT! Where in Allah's name ARE you, Little One!”

OOC:  Roll vs. Stealth.  If you do not move, you may add a modifier of +1 to your roll.

Lisa moves back to the others, quietly as she can, "Hsst back. Two come."
She tries to chivvy them back, closing the gate behind her but not locking it.

OOC: 09:42, Today: Lisa Rufbin rolled 7 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,1,3.  Stealth.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:51, Tue 17 May 2022.

Lisa slowly makes her way backwards towards the cell, gripping the keyring hard in her hands to make sure that the metal does not clink together and give away her position while guiding herself along the wall with her other hand.

"No.  It's a fucking Minotaur.  I don't think they're going to let us go."

Lisa hears the hushed voice of one of the men from the other room, perhaps reminded of their company by the woman's shouts from up the stairs.

"So what do we do then?"

Lisa attempts to hold her breath as much as she can, straining her ears to hear the conversation.

"As I see it we got two options," the first man continues.  "We try and take em out when they come down, or else we bargain our way out using the prisoners...  Maybe we'll find one they care about."

Lisa finally feels the cold iron of the bars and quickly feels her way towards the door, slinking back within as she pulls the door shut.  Though the iron hinges make a low moan of protest from the movement, Lisa doesn't hear any immediate recognition from the guards in the other room.

"They're coming?"  Terri says in surprise as Lisa makes her way back within the cell.  "What's the plan?"

"Minotaur terrifies them. Take these," says Lisa and gives her friend the masonry nail and stone. "Go for an eye if they try to take you."

She moves carefully back, away from the bars, arm around Terri to guide her. On reaching the edge of the cave Lisa crouches and presses the keys into some dark place behind her.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:44, Thu 19 May 2022.

Ever so carefully in the darkness, Lisa maneuvers her way towards the back of the cell, while handing over the nail and stone to Terri.

"Thanks."  Terri whispers, moving back a little herself, though she stays somewhere near the center.

With as many people as are held here, the going is slow, though helpfully, just as Lisa makes it to where the thickest pocket of people sit, the darkness of the cell starts to fade to the warming orange of reflected torchlight.  Lisa has just sat to the floor, stuffing the cell keys behind her, when the two guards walk out in front of the bars.

Terri is still standing.

"That one."  The man with the axe gestures with the torch towards Terri, the other guard holding his crossbow by the stock as he begins to fumble around his waist.

"Yeah, that's right, I remember them bringing her in...  where...  Where the fuck are the keys?"

The man with the crossbow pats himself frantically near his waist belt.  "Do you have them?"  He shifts his gaze hurriedly towards the man with the axe.

"Why the fuck would I have them?"

"I don't know!"  The guard answers back in annoyance, turning his gaze down to his waist, as if perhaps looking for the keys will make them reappear.  "Shit!  I must have dropped them...  Oh god I hope their not upstairs...  Fuck!"

With a meaty thunk! the crossbowman slams the iron rod door with his forearm and the gate door creeps slowly open with a squeal.

"What the fuck?"

The guard with the crossbow stares as the door inches inward towards the prisoners.  A few steps in front of Lisa, Terri stands stock still.

OOC:  A pause here in case you want to take any action or say anything.  You are in a sitting position at the back of the cell, so you aren't really in a good spot to get the jump on somebody, though you can prep yourself for such an action if you wish.  Just let me know what you want to do or if you want to do nothing and just wait.

Lisa whispers, "Tell them you need to pee."
She pulls her feet under her so that she can stand up more quickly if need be.

======
OOC: Can a spell , such as Create Fire, or maybe Fireball, be cast under these circumstances and probably not be noticed?

The moment rises to a crescendo of tension as the guard with the crossbow raises his weapon, his eyes darting from face to face in the cell as if expecting some impending attack.

The surprise however, comes from the outside.

"Terri!"  Calls a deep, baritone voice from somewhere close in the caves.

"Rudyard? Baker? Peter?  It be Runt."  Follows a youthful soprano.

Then, several things all happen at once.

"Magnus!"  Terri shouts, stepping back a half of a step, her eyes peeled on the crossbow before her.

"It's the kid!"  Rudyard gasps.  Lisa too, recognizes the second voice and name together as those of the young scamp who had hidden in one of their wagons on the trip southward, an unwitting member of the caravan who had paid his way through song and entertainment.

There isn't much time to reminisce however, for the guards too, seem to be moving things into action.

"Grab her!"  The crossbowman shouts.

The man with the axe stuffs the weapon back in his belt and lunges at Terri, though he trips somewhere along the way and stumbles forward, stepping past Terri as she sidesteps around to the side.

Lisa shuffles upwards to her knee, ready to dive forward if the chance presents itself...

OOC:  Combat map presented for scale.  You are in a kneeling position (the best I can do within the scope of the rules for getting your feet under you).  Terri is over 10 feet away, not to mention there's a lot going on, so it's possible that Terri just didn't hear you when you whispered to her.

Both bandits are facing your direction.

It's my fault for not fully fleshing out all the other NPC's though it should be clear to you that all of them are either simple merchants (not fighters) or are significantly injured.  Most of them are trying right now to look very small as there is a crossbow pointed their way.

It's highly possible that you could cast a spell right now without being noticed based on the darkness/shadows and the distractions.  However, that doesn't mean that they won't immediately notice a fireball that springs to life in your hand.  Note that ignite fire has all the normal distance penalties (-1 per hex away from you, each grid square is 10 feet or roughly 3 hexes) if are casting it on something you can't touch.

Lisa raises a hand, rising to her feet, "Please, sir, is there..", and tentatively taking a pace forwards, "..a toilet here? I need a pee."

Lisa stands up with her hand raised, hoping to inject a moment of calm, or else at least distract from the immediate tension.  She barely even has a word out of her mouth however, before the stumbled man locks eyes with her, his fear and uncertainty painted across his face.

"They're fighting!"  The man shouts, and Lisa is horrified as he continues his step forward, lurching his axe at Lisa's unarmored chest!

"Terri!"  The shout comes from outside the cell again, eager and determined.

"No!"  Terri shrieks as she steps with the man, swinging the stone hidden in her hand at the back of his head!

Lisa feels the disturbed air as the axe cleaves the space between her chin and her chest, the blade missing her by the narrowest of margins!  Terri seems to connect with her own swing, though the guard does little more than wince at the blow.

The room descends into chaos!  Shouts echo off the walls and Rudyard rumbles to his knees to the side of Lisa.

Twang!

The crossbow thrums from across the prison and Terri screams and falls!

Lisa is now alone, the guard bearing his axe and readying for another swing!

"Shit!  They're coming!"  The other guard shouts from the door of the cell.  "Stop right there or we kill them all!"

OOC:  Multiple things happening here that has resulted in the combat.  If you want to try and talk the guard down, roll vs. diplomacy, though note that there will be an unknown penalty to your roll.

Please post 2 seconds worth of action, with appropriate active defenses.

Note that I changed the icon for Rudyard, the rest of the friendly NPC's are either injured or unmoving as of yet.

"Hey! please don't kill me. I only wanted the toilet. A bush wound do," says Lisa, arms raised.
She opens the top of her vest, "We can, you know, have fun?"

If still alive and the bloke is trying to damage her, she shouts, "Terri's in here! Hurry!! She's dying!" and skuttles away from the axeman as far as she can. Lisa frantically does everything she can to avoid any incoming attack.

======
OOC:
16:09, Today: Lisa Rufbin rolled 12 using 3d6 with rolls of 2,4,6.  Diplomacy 12.
16:13, Today: Lisa Rufbin rolled 8 using 3d6 with rolls of 1,1,6.  Dodge with Retreat 12

16:18, Today: Lisa Rufbin rolled 12 using 3d6 with rolls of 6,5,1.  All out defence dodge with retreat.

Lisa redoubles backwards as the guard approaches her with his axe, opening her blouse at the front in an effort to use all of her scant resources...  Though her words are drowned out by a shriek from the hallway beyond.

"ei… ei… Ei … Ei … EIIIII!!!  KUNT MAYITAN LIDHALIK!”

The guard seems unable to process all of the information, his eyes are wild and he does not even look upon Lisa's exposed chest.  Instead, he hurls his axe forward again, forcing Lisa to turn and stumble backwards away from the blow!

Lisa shouts to what she assumes are Terri's friends, sparing a glance to Terri herself who is awake but writhing on the floor, holding her leg which is pierced deeply by a protruding crossbow bolt.

Something is happening at the door of the cell, clashes and shouts echo off the walls!

After another wild swing from the guard (which Lisa again manages to evade), the man turns his head back, looking to see how his partner fares.  Though instead of the other bandit coming in through the cell door, two wolves spring in through the door!

Bedlam ensues!  The guard shouts in horror, slashing his axe out wildly again, though the blow is well off the mark, and the twin beasts lunge forward with happy murder dancing in their eyes.  One of the wolves darts in low, sinking his teeth into the leather of the man's boot, the other darts to the other side, flanking the guard and crouching low, readying for a strike of his own!

Lisa Rufbin joins the main thread