"Give me a moment.." the elf concentrates as she slowly surveys the towers and buildings, before her gaze finally settles on the north-eastern corner of the main complex.

"That way," Alasha'an advises, raising her arm to point a finger in that direction.  "At least that's where the bastards put my sword."

Hamin grins, his one eye glistening.   "Suits me." Someone, soon, is going to feel the full extent of his annoyance and frustration.

You make your way over to the door to the eastern building, cautiously picking your way past the bodies of the fallen Sentinels.

Yetta is first to get there, lithely leaping up through the opening, rather than slowing for the two steps that lead up to the entrance, and by the time the rest of you cross the threshold, she is already kneeling by a steel reinforced door at the upper end of the room, examining the lock. 

The room itself is completely bare, save for rows of prayer mats and several bronze incense burners.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Brugar just glances around the room quickly before hurrying forward to join Alasha'an at the steel-bound door. He runs his eye over the stonework around the door looking for anything that doesn't look right (although not really expecting to see anything amiss) and stands ready with his heavy hammer in case it might be needed.

OOC: Brugar Armbuster rolled 7 using 1d20+1.  Search (stonecunning).

Hamin shepherds everyone else into the building before him, and the lounges by the door, keeping an eye on whatever is going on outside.  After all, he isn't going to be much help with  the door, but he is an excellent rear-guard.

Yetta sighs, standing up.  "Isn't there supposed to be some rule about how after the prisoners have fought their way through the tower of guards, their stuff is kept in a clearly marked box in the middle of the floor or something?" she asks.  "That's a really good lock - way beyond me, even if I had the right tools."

Hamin shrugs, it was never going to be that straightforward.  "Have you still got the hammer and chisel?" The old warrior asks Brugar, "Going through the wall might be a better option ..."

"Aye, bit noisy an' slow, though," Brugar mutters. "Keys tend to be quicker an' quieter. Reckon as one of them sentinels'd 'ave the key for this 'ere locked door."

He jerks his thumb in the general direction of the fight out in the courtyard.

"Worth a try." Hamin agrees, and makes his way outside to pick over the bodies - starting with any that look as if they might be senior, and working his way down the pecking order.

"I had a key," Alasha'an grinds her teeth, glowering at the solid door. "It'll be in there.."

"Give me that wire," the elf asks Yetta, "I'll give it a go. Might get lucky."

She stoops to examine the lock for herself.  "Very lucky!" she mutters, resignedly.

"I might be able to blast it open," Ayas suggests. "But that would be noisy too."

Alasha'an' tries the lock, but soon gives it up as a bad job, acknowledging with a grim nod that Yetta had the right of it. Given long enough and luck enough the Elf might manage to finesse the mechanism, but the look she gives the door indicates she instead favours the brute force approach that Hamin suggested.

Though now the one-eyed warrior bows to Brugar's wish to keep things quiet.  While he's big and not much given to creeping around, there are none still living in the courtyard to see as Hamin strides over to the nearest corpses, merely sparing a glance at the northernmost building where the Sentinel you freed and the two of his former comrades that yet stand trade kicks and punches.  But his gaze does not linger long before he squats down to search the bodies.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Hamin glances up, looking at the outside of the tower, to see if there is another way in, before moving across to the next set of bodies.

Brugar joins Hamin outside to assist with the search.

"Ah recall summat what Karl said a while back - the new abbot would have the key. Used to be second in command. Reckon as 'e'd be one of them fellas kickin' the shite outa each other over there. D'ye reckon we oughta go 'elp the one who called ye brother?" he asked.

"I am getting fed up with this corpse searching ..." replies

"Try blasting it open, then," Alasha'an tells Ayas as she jumps down to the ground to join Hamin and Brugar. "I don't think the noise will matter much now!"

"You coming or staying?" she asks Yetta.

The elf eyes the dagger in her hand with resignation.

"Let's go kill someone.." she suggests to her friends with a grim smile as she heads towards the north building.

Yetta gives an almost identically resigned look to the small chisel in hers.  "I'd really hoped to have our stuff back first," she grumbles.  "I miss my swords."  She starts walking alongside Alasha'an.  "The whole time we've been here I kept thinking, who am I going to stab first when I get my swords back?  And it turns out by the time I do, we'll already have stabbed them all."  She sighs melodramatically.  "They're missing out on all the fun," she says, finally, having talked her way round to a better mood, or at least the semblance of it.

Ayas exchanges a glance with Varl, then shrugs reaching into the pocket of his rags for a handful of small stones that he's hidden there.  Selecting a few, the young man reaches for the gift that is his birthright as he throws the stones towards the solid door..

OOC: Magic Missile

With no other way in revealing itself, Hamin crosses to where another pile of broken bodies lie.  Brugar joins him, but even with the Dwarf's help, the one-eyed warrior finds nothing on the corpses save for their robes and sandles.

As Brugar looks towards where the Sentinels are fighting, Alasha'an and Yetta head purposefully towards them, neither woman happy with the weapons they hold, but ready and willing to use them.

There is a crack as a power blow from the Sentinel you rescued finally fells one of his opponents, though he in turn growls like the beast he has become, as he reels from a kick to his ribs delivered by the remaining Sentinel, assumedly the one named Rao Chang that he sought.

The stones that Ayas hurls towards the locked door are transformed mid-air by his magic, becoming glowing balls of pure mystical energy that slam into the portal.  Despite the young man's concerns about the noise, there is precious little ... and barely a scratch on the metal as the magic fades.

In the northern building, the beast-like Sentinel manages to dodge another punch from his rival ... though it is a close thing, making it now obvious that his victories have come at a price while his opponent is as yet unharmed.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

"Shall we?" Hamin grins at Brugar, "It would be rude to let the ladies dance alone ..." although he doesn't wait for a reply and just sets off after Yetta and Alasha'an.

Brugar is hot on Hamin's heels.

"'Ope 'e don't mind sharin'," is the only comment he offers as he heads for the fight with heavy hammer in hand.

And battle is joined once more.

Alasha'an and Yetta are closer and arrive first, the Elf circling around to the rear to lunge at Rao Chang with her dagger, but trips over the corpse at her feet, and barely manages to keep her footing.  Yetta is more cautious, but finds herself having to duck under the claws of the beast-Sentinel as he slashes wildly at his foe, careless of any harm to those now joining in the fight, and her chisel too fails to find its mark.

Hamin and Brugar draw close, but hang back a moment, just out of range as they look for an opening.

The beast-Sentinel, despite his injuries, unleashes a flurry of blows, landing two solid punches that rock Rao Chang, his claws opening up a bloody cut on the man's head.  His opponent looks about him, but sees no escape and resignedly continues to fight, concentrating his punches and kicks at the man who was his predecessor, ignoring Alasha'an and Yetta for the moment, though the beast-Sentinel seems to find renewed strength now he faces the one he hates above all, and manages to either avoid or shrug off the blows.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ... the Beast-Sentinel stands to the south, between Brugar and Yetta, while Rao Chang is north of Yetta with the black outline (and you can move into the square with the fallen body)

Hamin frowns. "Move round." he urges Alasa'an and Yetta, knowing full well that both women understand the advantages of flanking an opponent.  After all, he taught one of them, himself!

OOC:  Hold action  until the Alasha'an attacks and steps 5 feet forwards, to leave good space.

Brugar follows Hamin's lead and waits for the right moment to attack Rao Chang. Hopefully space will open up to allow both of them to enter the fight.

Brugar Armbuster rolled 22 using 1d20+14.  Attack #1 with hammer.
Brugar Armbuster rolled 28 using 1d20+9.  Attack #2 with hammer.
Brugar Armbuster rolled 14 using 1d8+7.  Hammer damage #1, two-handed.
Brugar Armbuster rolled 15 using 1d8+7.  Hammer damage #2, two-handed.

Alasha'an complies, forgoing the sarcastic remarks for the moment, as she stabs at Rao Chang's back with her dagger.