You did that perfectly Wulfgang. And as such...

Wulfgang and Emrys, the night starts to drag a bit.  Your own eyes feel a little heavy.  Even the snoring and sweaty-man smell from all your fellow travelers in the front room isn't helping.

Wulfgang, something catches your ear...

---

Karl blinks at you Calliope, clearly not sure what to say to any of that.

Felix coughs politely into his fist and says, "Uhm...Miss.  Should we get Master Emrys for ya?"

Before you can respond Calliope, you notice something about the door latch.

Wulfgang reached with one hand, his head never moving, tapping Emrys on whatever limb he could reach first. He needed to draw the man's attention to what was happening without breaking the spell of silence draped over the moment.

All of a sudden, the preternaturally alert Calliope bolts upward and becomes alert. Thankfully, what she was about to say wasn't prophetic but instead was "merely" the result of the more passive perceptiveness her blessing provided her.

"Karl. The door! Look! Someone's trying to wedge the bolt open with a dagger!" the pointed suddenly.

"Get over there and hold the door bolt down! Now! Don't think, Karl, just act! Go!" she commanded suddenly! She knew that physics would make it much easier for Karl to push down on the larger, longer bolt than it would be for dagger-man to push up with a thin, small knife.

Calliope then also sprang into motion! She took the knife off of her own belt and decided to try something. She took her own knife, and stuck it through the space in the door under the dagger, and angled upward though so that the end of her blade would cut into the hand of whoever was on the other side who held the dagger, while keeping her own hand safe! since she's do it all in one sudden, thrusting stab motion before pulling her own knife back. While certainly she was trying to harm the perpetrator on the other side to dissuade them, her real goal was to get them to cry out in surprise and increase the chance of Emrys noticing.

After that, while Karl held down on the bolt, either way as part of an effort to generate noise and attention she would start pounding on the door to her room to cause a commotion and further try and attract Emrys!

Emrys looks over to Wulfgang from the touch on his arm wonder what is the matter.

Wulfgang subtly directs Emrys' attention towards six men skulking down the hallway, crouched over, knives out. The first one was trying the door of the room the others were sleeping in, which was apparently not opening.

Emrys careful moves and seemingly stops for a moment.  A look of annoyance crosses his face as he seems to concentrate a second and just briefly shimmers.

Felix reacts much faster than Karl, who still seems a little hobbled.

Felix pushes down on the bar as you launch yourself forward <purple>Calliope...

Certainly a chance that will work.  Let's leave it to the dice.  Make me a combat roll Calliope.  Let's see how well you do

---

You had just made contact with one of the men Wulfgang.  Sorry for the confusion. 

As you concentrate Emrys, three of the men in the hall launch themselves towards you, Wulfgang,and Evzen, apparently intent on taking care of you before you try to stop them from doing whatever they are doing at the door to your rented room.

We are in combat.  So we are on Init.  Let me know what your Init. is please.  The three goons are closing on your table Emrys and Wulfgang.  But you can all get in one round of action before they arrive.

If one of you wants to roll attacks for Evzen, please feel free to do so.


Let me know if there are any questions ya'll

Emrys tries to move defensively.


Evzen attacks-

00:12, Today: Emrys rolled 9 with the Ars Magica stress die.  Evzen attacks with the pointy end +10 polearm
This message was last edited by the player at 05:13, Sat 13 Jan.

Calliope angles her knife, and slices upward in a quick and sudden motion through the door crack, trying to cut at the enemy's hand...

00:49, Today: Calliope Podarces rolled 8 with the Ars Magica stress die.  Stress Die

So dex 1 + brawl 1 + knife 1 = +3. 8+3= 11

Calliope, you feel something solid through the knife.  Then there's some cursing and the dagger that was coming through the crack falls.  Felix looks down at you as, behind you, Karl picks up a bow.

You all hear someone on the other side of the door shout out, "Break it down!  We don't have time to fuck about!"

---

Emrys, you do your thang as Evzen and Wulfgang move to bottle up the hallway.

Two of the three rush forward, while one of the hangs back.  He raises a bow.  Fires!

And manages to shoot through the air the false "Emrys" is standing.

Evzen thrusts forward with his poleaxe.  This causes the two rushing forward with knives and cudgels to falter.  Actually stagger back a step.  They didn't seem to expect you guys to be so well armed.

Also, they botched their init.  So yeah.

The three by the door seem to be about to try to bash it in.  You hear one of them yell, "Break it down!  We don't have time to fuck about!"

You can hear the other occupants of the room rousing themselves...

So to summarize:

One attacker has a bow and would have nailed Emrys if not for Wizard's Side Step.

The two on Wulfgang and Evzen botched their Init.  So they lost a round of actions.  Wulfgang, when you post, you may post two actions.

Calliope, you know there are some guys outside who seem to be planning to kick in the door.  Or bash it in.  If you wish to, you may take actions for Felix and Karl (see their entries in Grog Pool) and make any rolls you deem fit to.

Questions?

OOC: Okay...gonna change things up a bit. It looks like Felix has no combat ability what so ever (although has some decent armor as does Karl) unless I am mis-reading his character sheet, while Karl has no bow nor bow skill but instead is great at polearms. I can still use Felix though as another body though. So going to adjust tactics accordingly.

Calliope had to act fast. She wasn't sure how much the door would be able to resist a concerted effort to kick it down or bash it in, but with the bolt in place again since she got the one attacker to drop their dagger, it meant the door could hold at least a bit.

And a bit was plenty enough to quickly cook up and implement a plan.

"Felix? Karl? Listen to me and get ready." Calliope commanded quickly.

Both of you move the bed that's to the left of the door (ooc: the one down below the door, so left from her perspective) to the right, so that its fully blocking the door. They won't be able to just kick it down easily that way. Then Karl, get your polearm, and get ready to attack any of them that become visible if they try to break the door down instead, or that may try to clib ot even trip on themselves and fall onto the bed!" she said.

"Felix? You will be on the side of the opposite the door (ooc right of the bed on the map which will be right of the door once they pull it up to block the door), and simply push against the bed and thus, against the door in the process to make it harder for them, and hopefully stall them for more time for Emrys. I, meanwhile, will grab the larger of the blanket or sheet off the bed and will be waiting to the left of the beed after you guys move it to block the door (so where the bed originally was) and if somehow one of them manages to break through the door enough where they can climb onto the bed, or the tip onto it not knowing its there, I'll throw the sheet onto them to make it act as a makeshift net and bind them up and blind them while Karl hacks away at them. Once the bed no longer helps, you will switch to using your dagger, Felix."

OOC: Ok, so on the picture...things go in this order:

1.) Karl and Felix (and Calliope will do what she can to help if able, otherwise she will begin to get the sheet off the bed meanwhile) will move the bed that is in the lower-ledt part of the room under the door up a bit, sao it blocks the door.

2.) After the bed is moved up a bit in front of the door...

-Calliope will move to the "bottom" of the bed where the bed initially was, and will be waiting with her sheet ready.
-Felix will move to the right side of the bed and use his Athletics to push the door leftward, helping further brace the now re-bolted door. This should buy at least a round or three, but regardless we're trying to stall for Emrys.
-Karl will be on the North-East corner of the now moved bed, using a ready action with his polearm to strike the first enemy that becomes visible through the door if they damage it so badly the enemy can be seen. Calliope is fully taking advantage of the length of his weapon to offset the bed being there, where as the bed will be a hindrance to the enemy still.

3.) Later, once the enemy breaks through and tries climbing or crawling onto the bed from the hallway, she will throw the sheet onto the first enemy who comes through onto the bed which will bind/blind/confuse them, hopefully stall their movement, and make them a sitting duck for Karl's polearm attacks.

Emrys touches one of the slats of wood he gathered earlier and sends it flying at the bowman.

02:57, Today: Emrys rolled 16 with the Ars Magica stress die.  Piercing shaft of wood 10 (+6)

22 casting total

Piercing Shaft of Wood hits automatically, not sure on size of shaft he was able to gather.  2 ft piece of firewood or branch is +8 dam and a staff sized is +10.  If he has to rely on his satchel of whittled sticks those are +5

Evzen steps in with his polearm trying to keep the attackers at bay.

03:27, Today: Emrys rolled 8 using 1d20.  ezven polearm +10

Attack total 18

Defense 6
Damage +10

Felix and Karl move like men on a mission.  On the other side of the room, Leonard rolls out of bed.  He blinks, but picks up his sword and shield.

Calliope, see my note on the OOC thread.</purple>

You can hear some shouts and a bloodcurdling scream come from the other side of the door.  And it stops shaking.  The two fellows get the bed in front of it during that respite.

---

You send the shaft of wood hurtling through the air and into the bowman's chest, Emrys.

<orange>You would have been able to get some wood for the fire.  So +8 on damage.  I rolled it. Trust me.  You want me to keep my roll

The bowman screams in agony and falls over.  One of the others takes the brunt of Evzen's poleaxe.

From behind, the three attacking the door stop in horror at what happened to the bowman.

"This is gone to hell!"  shouts one of them.

"We have to hurry!  We get no coin if we don't come back with her!"

From behind you Emrys, you can hear the other men in the common room scrambling to their feet, pulling out weapons, and demanding to know what's going on.

OOC: Thank you GM for the clarification! I will have Felix stand on the "bottom" part of the where the bed gets moved to, next to Calliope. If they break down the door, she will throw the sheet onto them and them step directly backward out of melee range, while Leonard will interpose himself between the attackers and her and while he will try to attack the intruders, his primary objective is to protect Calliope as her bodyguard and he will use his shield and turtle if he has to.

Calliope sticks to the plan, and quickly commands Leonard to wake his butt up and look alive, and to follow a bodyguard plan that she had incidentally prepped him of beforehand. So he was ready to go at a moment's notice and geared up, despite having woken from a Catnap. Because that's all it was, was a recharge rather than them truly sleeping normally.

"Leonard? It's time. Get your large rear over here and make sure they don't get away with their ungentlemanly behavior towards me! The ones I warned you all about are here! But we'll show them!" she said firmly as she got her sheet at the ready.

"Erm? Yes yer um...ladyship? Mistressness? Um...getting to it Miladyness!" Leonard said as he forced himself to alertness quickly. He had his armor on already had the shield and sword right by his bed, so he grabbed them and quickly came across the room to stand near Calliope protectively. Once she threw her sheet and stepped back, he would become her human wall...on his honor and on his life!

The other two grogs were already in position. They had been travelling with Calliope now for a short while now, and had begun to get used to her presence in the party as a sort of "protected noble guest," even if she was kind of weird at times. It did help though that she was really pretty and intelligent and interesting, when she wasn't being feisty or weird of course. And they too would not suffer the dishonor of letting either her or Emrys come to harm before they did! And so Karl and Felix waited determinedly at their positions with as much stoic anticipation as Leonard did.

With his temper up the short Czech shouts, "Kidnappers!" as he viciously swings again.

01:53, Today: Emrys rolled 9 with the Ars Magica stress die.  Ezven polearm +10 attack.

Attack total 18

Defense 6
Damage +10

The magus stays behind his comrades in a defensive stance but stays aware of the other men in the common room behind him.

The door to their room looks faintly silvery but fades in but a moment.

Your fellow lodgers seem to react to the word "kidnappers" Evzen.  They start to cry out and rush towards the hall, at least some of them.

The scoundrels who were attacking you lose heart and start to rush backwards, except for the bleeding bowman and one whome Evzen just poleaxed unto his keester.

Calliope, the door flashes silver a moment.  You can hear what sounds like the sounds of retreat in the hallway.  Then other men's voices.  Whatever's going on out there seems to be moving away from the door...

Two of the scoundrels have been captured.  The other four are trying to rush back into the kitchen.

Letting them get away?

Calliope is unsure if it is safe yet for them to move, but so far it seems like the Oracle Counter-Ambush plan was working really well! She'd have to praise Emrys and the grogs later, when things settled down. Maybe even buy them some drinks or something.

The safest thing to do was to stay put for the time being. At least for a little bit more. She silently motioned for the grogs with her to hold steady for now.

OOC: Not going to second sight the door, because I and Calliope recognize that silver flash as Emrys' magic. I recall he had silvery themes going on last time when she was inspecting him and am wondering if that's a sort of "tell" or "resonance" his magic takes. Something to ask him about later. As for the present, the Calliope-portion of the party is going to remain turtled for now. Next round, if it isn't obviously safe like Emrys knocking at the door or something, she'll use premonition or something to try to "re-scan" for her immediate safety. But for this next round, we're staying turtled. She doesn't want her group caught up in tall the sudden movement in the hallway either.

Emrys looks down the corridor as he follows the rush to the kitchen.  He stops if he spies the kitchen door and stares a moment.

Furious at the scum Evzen stalks forward with his polearm at the ready.

05:03, Today: Emrys rolled 6 with the Ars Magica stress die.  Evzen attacks with the pointy end +10 polearm.

Attack total 16

Defense 6
Damage +10

OOC: Okay, if this is still accurate, Wulfgang has a fellow in front of him and buddy is too close for archery, so knife it is!

Sweat beading on his brow as he stared down his opponent, the diminutive Wulfgang brandished his knife. Tucking low into a stable crouch, he sized up the man in front of him and waited for the opportune moment before lashing out like a viper with a vicious blow!

In reply to Emrys (msg # 50):

So noted on the turtling Calliope

Your foe cries out in pain and then falls over completely Evzen.

Wulfgang, you make what you think will be a brilliant lunge.  But one of the roused fellows in the common room who is rushing forward manages to bump you from behind and throws off your aim.  Your opponent scuttles backwards.


That offending bumper and four other men go charging down the hall, trampling the downed bowman and slipping on the bloody spot that Evzen has made of his opponent.

The other scoundrels hit the kitchen door, trying to pull it open.  Which they can't for some reason....

Emrys...

You suddenly feel someone grab you from behind and spin you around.  It's one of the few lodgers from the common room who didn't charge forward.  A disheveled looking merchant and two other similar looking merchants behind him.

They've spun you around Emrys and are peering at you suspiciously.

"You look like you're one of those bastards.  You bastard."

"I'm a lodger with the men fighting the thieves!" he says in a higher surprised tone than he hoped to.

01:31, Today: Emrys rolled 2 with the Ars Magica stress die.  Charm (com +3, -3 for Gift) who me?>.

With other patrons involved Evren takes a bit more care with his polearm at guard as he approaches the interlopers with menace, "Which one of you kokot want a poke next?!  Why are you after Calliope?"