The Blues have proved themselves to be ruthless opponents, hampering and harming the Black Company in any way they can. From open conflict to stealing resources to secret attacks -- including poisoning. Croaker, the Company physician has put two and two together -- a popular tavern in the old city is poisoning members of the Black Company. It's almost certain that there are spies among the new recruits, but Monkey and Gopher squads have proved themselves reliable in a fight, and as Croaker and the wizard Silent put together a quick force to attack the Mole Tavern, members of both squads are drafted on the spot to help.



The physician and the wizard enter the tavern first and a short while later, men come bursting out of doors and windows, beset by hornets. These escapees are captured and tied up, but now it is time to enter the tavern and flush out whoever may be hiding within.

The interior is dim and shadowy with many small rooms and twisting corridors.



"Down there!" Silent the wizard points down a steep flight of stairs and motions the recruits to go down. "I saw men duck down there. Go get 'em!"

Beyond the door is a short flight of steps descending to another door, thrown open, that gives way to the wine cellar.







Looking around by the light of a handful of flaring torches in sconces on the walls, the place seems empty.

Frost left Pitch on the roof of the tavern, it seemed prudent.  She considered calling him in, but decided against it for now.

She opted to do two things.  Though it wasn't exactly dark in here, the flickering flames and errant shadows of torchlight could still conceal things.  She draw one of her arrows, tapped it, and it glowed brightly in her hand.

Cast light, mostly to help with this:

That problem solved, she concentrated.  She would let others into the cellar first, after the order to go inside was issued, but she moved in quickly, looking around with The Talent.  For now she could look at the doorway and the stairs.

Casting detect magic.  Frost will methodically scan the entrance and then around the room, this isn't ideal because it's slow and range is limited, but this room isn't THAT big and it might turn up any static illusions, etc.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:56, Tue 23 Feb 2021.

Doc stays back shield in hand ready to help and heal as he normally does.

01:00, Today: Doc rolled 12 using 1d20+2.  Perception.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:00, Thu 25 Feb 2021.

Blackfinger flows into the cellar along with the rest of the troop. He joins the search by sliding between the kegs and checking the south walls for any anomalies.

20:56, Today: Blackfinger rolled 12 using 1d20+5 ((7)). Perception for Wall

Can anyone tell if there's telltale boost-sign near the Casks? Orville asks.

ooc anyone with tracking or similar skill?

Things were different now since the Gate Incident.

Bent kneed and bow loaded, Moonface waited for a couple of Company members to flood in before following. Since the incident, he'd been...quieter than usual. They hardly got much in the way of downtime lately, but when he wasn't making the occasional crack or curse at someone, he could be found in the yard, late into the night, early into the morning. Even now, he felt the dregs of fatigue, yet from the muscles tensed in his forearm, his draw on the string looked stronger than ever.

It must have been a special kind of stupid for these idiot Blues to run into a cellar with a one-way ticket to Black Company Hell. Unless there was another door the Company wasn't already aware of, the sorry sops were probably expecting to make a last stand kind of plan. Looked like a trap. Smelled like a trap. Too stupid to be anything but one. Not like they were going to say no to Silent. Didn't want stingers in his unmentionables.

"Best if you kept an eye on the ass of us," Moonface whispered to Doc, though it was just loud enough for Frost and Rat to hear. There was none of his usual acridness; it was sterile, business-like even. Ever since the Blues had tried to take them all, Moonface had allowed some of his pride to drop away. They had all saved each other's limbs and lives enough by now to not let politics get in the way. He was still more than ready to assume command when it was called for...he just wasn't as quick to grasp for it. The ex-Kvill needed to train his speed to reach different heights now.

He spat at the door before passing within, creeping close to the door and scraping along the same wall for any shadows to be found He would have told Orville to keep it down; it would have been preferable if they were all more light-footed about it, maybe even more aware of the fact that Moonface had never been shy about his "decorated" past as a verifiable street tough. No use now, with them stomping in and not using the hand signals they'd learned. Still didn't absolve Moonface of his duty from keeping a dagger out their asses.

---

Totaled 10 to stealth along wall (same wall as door, "North" of the picutre).
Totaled 15 to check for traps (Couldn't ambushes technically count as traps? I doubt it...)

Readied Action to fire on hostile individual.

Stitch, seeing no obvious exit, move to each wine barrel. He taps them with the hilt of his weapon and listens for a hollow sound. He explains "these large barrels are man-sized. Wouldn't take much to empty one and use it as a disguised entrance to an escape tunnel."

20:32, Today: Stitch rolled 9 using 1d20+7.  Perception .

20:32, Today: Stitch rolled 20 using 1d20+10.  Survival/Tracking.

Noting the others actions Orville gave a shrug then moved back to the doorway. Stepping out of the cellar he scanned the passage and cellar for signs of threat.

It takes a while, but there must clearly be another exit from the wine cellar, and though none of the troopers seem to have any clever insight into where it might be hidden, they find it between two of the barrels by dint of effort. A section of the wall swings away as false, revealing a dark set of steps descending to a lower, open area.

OOC: Please provide me with an order of march and tell me what light sources you plan to use. You are entering the steps at the top, coming on to the map from the left hand side



This is what I have for your combat matrix right now. Please let me know if I have anything wrong. I have not heard from Rat or Tyrell, but they posted recently so I don't want to count them out yet.

                     INIT     LOC         AC/TH/FF      H.P.      Notes                Class
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BLACK COMPANY
*************
Blackfinger          +3                   22/13/20      20        Sword +7 (1d6 + 2)   Mountebank
Doc                  +2                   19/10/15      20        Sword +1 (1d6)       Cleric
Frost                +2                   15/12/10      18        Longbow +2 (1d8)     Witch
Moonface             +3                   16/13/13      22        Spear +3 (1d8 + 4)   Unchained Rogue
Orville              +0                   19/11/19      24        Sword +5 (1d6 + 2)   Paladin
Rat                  +2                   15/12/13      16        Longbow + 2 (1d8)    Sorcerer
Sticth               +2                   21/12/19      22        Sword  +5 (1d6 + 4)  Slayer
Tyrell               +2                   15/13/10      18        Longbow +2 (1d8)     Alchemist

Didn't expect to be play a game of Black and Blues.

Once they found them, the Company'd make them all look just like that.

Moonface felt like all of them must have looked like a bag of bumbling assholes tossed in a barrel; no amount of fuckery seemed to reveal the hidden passage they were looking for. That was, until it did. Though he didn't know how.

Fortunately, the group seemed considerably more graceful when it came to falling in to formation. Frost's light, his lantern, and the illumination of the others made the pink-white patches on his arm and neck glisten, like dew on darkwood. He held his own lantern in one hand, oblivious to how his own form naturally seemed to sink closer towards the ground in an odd shamble/march/skulk. Sandwiched between the Stitch, the witch, and wielded lights, it was futile to search for shadows to slink into, but his body seemed to miss the memo.

Moonface tried to shake the unease he felt by imagining they were in an alley. It still felt more like a tomb.

---

OOC suggest a pair of swordsman fore & aft, archers between thus being able to provide supporting fire if/when needed.

Tyrell takes to the whole affair with the same wary weariness he tends to have in all things. Even the serious, tense nature of the raid seems to break against him as if among so many other trivialities. He keeps his bow light in his hand, though in the cramped confines of the area it might do less good than hoped.

He's spent what little free time he had training and studying, sometimes speaking with Croaker, and though he carries himself no differently, strapped to the outside of his left vambrace are a pair of iron vials, which he picked up and strapped on from under a loose brick on the way to the tavern.

He eyes the proceedings with neutral caution, though he cleaves to the squad-formation of his teammates with surprising alacrity.