"Shit!"

Rissa hissed, barely hanging onto the ladder.  She lowered it into the pit, giving Three Elks a means to extract himself from the trap.  As she did, the orb about her neck began to glow with a divine light.

"Ar'Hannoran."
"Ar'Hannoran!"

The second voice, even at a whisper, was not what the half-elf had heard before.  It resonated with a confidence and arrogance that filled him with warmth and surety of purpose.  Indeed, no sooner had the spikes withdrawn from his pierced flesh, then the Tiefling's healing magic closed the bloody wounds.

Lathan fires another arrow, praying that he can take out the guard before he rings that bell.

Attack Guard. Hits AC 20 for 9 piercing damage.

09:48, Today: Lathan Swiftstrider rolled 5 using 1d6.  Hunter's Mark.
09:47, Today: Lathan Swiftstrider rolled 1 using 1d8.  Colossus Slayer.
09:47, Today: Lathan Swiftstrider rolled 3 using 1d8+1.  Damage.
09:38, Today: Lathan Swiftstrider rolled 20 using 1d20+4.  Attack.

Three Elks grunted as he lifted his leg off the spike that had penetrated his calf.  His eyes were wide, and his palms wet with shock. He heard the Tiefling chant in her strange double tongue and the wound healed.  He began to climb the ladder with a bit of a limp still aching from the fall.  "Your magic I presume.  I thank you," he said to Rissa, giving her an appreciative look.  "I feared the field would be trapped," he said with a shake of the head.  To survive the wilds of the north one had to trust one's instincts, he had started to go soft already.  He had only been travelling with the southerners for a short time, and he'd already begun to acting the fool.  Their rush, did not allow him to properly stalk their foe; but now the raid had begun, there was no more time he had to either continue or retreat.  He helped pull up the ladder and moved once more for the wall, but at half the speed and with keener attention to the ground in front of him.

Lathan's arrow finds its mark, dropping the lookout before he can grab the lever and sound the alarm.

On the other side of the keep, Three Elks climbs out of the pit, his leg wound now healed.

Everything is quiet in the clearing.

End combat.

Terminax will climb up to the dead lookout, search him and the area while sending his familiar to see where everyone is at, including the bandits, along with whatever else might be in the area.

Rissa moved up with the ladder when Three Elks was ready.

Lucien ties the remaining length of his rope to a grappling hook he pulls from his pack and then hands the implement over to Terminax. In a low whisper, the elf relays his plan. "I think you'll be able to give it a better throw than I can. See if you can catch it on the ramparts."

Terminax eyed it skeptically, and then, after summoning a floating hand, had attempted to arc the grappling hook onto the ramparts.

Three Elks set the ladder in place and began to climb.

Lathan carefully follows Lucien and Terminax into the clearing, putting away his bow and drawing one of his swords. "We should meet up with Rissa and Three Elks on the other side."

"Might be better to get your bow up by the lookout over there and setup an ambush by the gate. I can keep track of Rissa and Elks with my familiar, and if they run into trouble, you can pull the lever, and send them running to the gate like last time. Then, Lucien and I can hit them from behind. I can hit them with some fire, and then knock them back with a spell, while you pick them off, and Lucien will have a trick or two if I don't miss my guess." he whispers back.

Lucien nods in agreement. "We'll be of the most help from the top of the ramparts. Terminax, while you climb, I will check on them." With that said Lucien sends a mental command to his owl to fly to the far side of the keep and observe Rissa and Three Elks. While the bird flies, he steps into the shadow of the tower and lets his eyes roll back to see what his familiar sees.

Three Elks squatted once reaching the top of the ramparts, slowly retrieving his warhammer.  He looked around to make sure there were no threats, to make sure he and Rissa weren't spotted.  There was no alarms, and there was no silhouette of an enemy archer in the distance.  The others must have succeeded.  Three Elks didn't move until Rissa could reach the top as well.  While her magics failed her against the bugbears, he would be bad shape if not for her healing.  Three Elks saw value in her now.

Unaware of the thoughts circling his head, Rissa clambered up the ladder after Three Elks.

After scouting the situation with his familiar, Lucien has the owl grab the grappling hook and secure it, with the rope trailing below, to the battlements of the keep. He the ascends as silently as he can to the top of the wall. From the top, he spies Three Elks and Rissa in the distance as well as the guard near the gate.

Before doing anything else, he pulls a piece of wire from a pocket and casts message at Rissa. Rissa, this is Lucien. We've taken out the tower guard and climbed the wall on the far side. I only see one other guard down below by the gate. I am going to climb the rest of the way to the top of the tower, but then we should all try to take out the gate guard silently if we can."

Once Terminax and Lathan have climbed up behind him, he uses his familiar to move the grappling hook to the top of the tower and climbs the rope up to where the slain guard lies.

Three Elks dropped prone and crawled to the edge to peek into the court yard.  He was trying to spy guards, doors, shutters, threats and possible ways in.

Lucien climbs up to the watch platform, which is covered in bird droppings. The wood of the floor is rotted and does not appear to be wholly sound. The dead guard lies next to a metal lever. A descending spiral staircase illuminated with oil lamps is the only other feature of the watchtower.

Three Elks spots seven closed doors from the courtyard, as well as three chimneys. Smoke rises from the chimney on the eastern edge of the keep, but not from the two nearer the tower. One guard, wearing leather armor and a shield and with a short sword at his hip, stands near the gates on the western side of the keep.

Terminal sends the bat to scout through a window near the smoking chimney.

From his vantage point at the top of the top, Lucien feels confident in eliminating the guard. He once again casts message, this time to Lathan. "I am ready to deal with the next guard. Take the shot when you are prepared and I will follow." He then knocks another arrow to his bow and sights along the shaft at the guard by the gate, holding his shot until he sees Lathan let fly.

Three Elks set his hammer down and drew a javelin as he crept towards the edge of the wall towards the guard at the gate.  He hesitated, just long enough for the archers to make the first move.

Lathan nods and draws his bow while maneuvering to a good position to take a shot at the guard. He concentrates on the guard for a moment then raises his bow and takes aim before finally releasing the arrow.

Attack guard. Hits AC 15 for 12 piercing damage.

15:27, Today: Lathan Swiftstrider rolled 4 using 1d6.  Hunter's Mark.
15:27, Today: Lathan Swiftstrider rolled 8 using 1d8+1.  Damage.
15:26, Today: Lathan Swiftstrider rolled 15 using 2d20+4, dropping the lowest dice only.  Attack (advantage).

With the advantage of height, Lucien's shot this time is far more accurate than his last one. As soon as he hears the hiss of Lathan's arrow, he looses his own.

Shot at the guards hits AC 20 for 13 damage.

Lucien Nailo rolled 20 using 2d20+5, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 15,11. Longbow attack w/advantage.
Lucien Nailo rolled 7,6 using 1d8+3,2d6 with rolls of 4,5,1.  Damage.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:13, Sun 26 May 2019.

Rissa clambered up after Three Elks, pulling herself up onto the ramparts and taking her first look around.

Lathan and Lucien fire their arrows at the lone guard by the gate. Both arrows strike him, dropping him instantly.

The courtyard remains quiet.

Terminal continues searching with the bat.