Otis puts his shoulder to the northern door only to find it doesn't budge. "Stuck. If the trapdoor lock won't pick, open the south door and use a grappling hook and rope to get up to the roof." He gestures to one reeled on his backpack should other folks not have such.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:18, Mon 02 May 2022.

Cassandra briefly considers opening the South door, swinging out and up using the coachman handles and rails on the side of the coach to clamber quickly up to the top of the coach to retrieve the Paladin’s halberd, but then decides it’s probably in the best interest of the party (and a bit safer for her) to open up another escape route in case the coach begins to sink more quickly.

Instead, Cassandra maneuvers under the trap door, studies the padlock, and inserts her two pick tools into the lock to see if she can sense or feel the locking mechanism.

21:26, Today: Cassandra rolled 13 using 1d100 with rolls of 13.  Pick lock percentile.

As she starts testing the interior locking pins inside the keyhole, to her surprise, the lock suddenly pops open. She lets out an inadvertent gasp, as she didn’t expect the lock to pop open so quickly or easily.

“Yay!  It’s open!” she announces proudly to no one in particular, as she removes and pockets the padlock.

“So who wants to go up and out first?” Cassandra asks, as she steps out of the way.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:41, Tue 03 May 2022.

Ornwin says, "Unless someone has a better idea, I'll go out with my ax.It should chop frog flesh."

"Well done, Cassandra!" encourages Otis. "Who ever goes out, don't block the way for others."

"You and me together dwarf." Lotti says, not actually knowing the chaps name.  She looks to the others,"That's the plan, and I'm so scared I'm probably going to piss myself, but we don't have time to squawk this out further, let's cover each other and get this done."

I'm not sure if the seats of the carriage are upholstered, but if they are Lotti will use one of her hand axes to very quickly strip the material, ripping and yanking it without ceremony and quickly wrapping it up into a ball.

"If you can, take something with you.  Either we use it to distract, or we'll throw it on the swamp to form some sort of makeshift path to help disburse our weight as we run across."

She is very clearly shaking with fear now but seems quite resolute.

”Well done,” Trevion said to the young woman who picked the lock, thankful that one among them had possessed the ability to get it open.

His expression grew grim at the noises from outside. Crossbow still in hand, Trevion nodded in acknowledgment of the half-elven woman’s plan, making ready to follow the others up to the top of the coach as soon as the opportunity arrived.

Since Ereth was just staying out of everyone's way, as soon as he heard Lotti's words, he spoke up so everyone could hear, "I happen to have just enough torches in my pack for anyone who wants one."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:39, Tue 03 May 2022.

As long as she can get a leg up Lotti will follow Ornwin onto the roof and take a torch from Ereth to wave about as soon as she is above.  (She's only 93 pounds or 42 kg's if you're that way inclined, so easy enough to give a leg up, or throw up even wearing chain mail.). She is still visibly shaking, but seems to be keeping control of her bladder, or does she?  :o)  Whose lifting her again?

Atop the coach, Lotti and Ornwin breathe in the fetid swamp vapors in ragged gasps while beholding the panoramic expanse of Derfingel Marsh for what else could it be called. The frogs, those with splendidly developed vomerine teeth and those without, register their arrival with a tender projection of their tongues -- all except for the largest among them who continues to ingest the coachman, his one visible arm still feebly jerking about.

Three of the frogs, one toothy, two not so much, leap into the night sky and describe incredible arcs before landing atop the carriage. One shoots out its tongue an obscene length, before it lassoes Lotti, and pulls her towards its open maw. Another chooses to bite her right from the get go (2 dmg). The third, the one with certain genetic advantages, rips at the dwarf (hits once for 2 dmg). Able to deflect one claw with his axe, he avoids being drawn within reach of its slavering jaw.

Orwin boosts Lotti on to the roof the carriage and then Lotti helps Ornwin clamber up to the roof.
Ereth lights a torch.
The trapdoor has been unlocked and opened.
The road-side door must be forced.
The bog-side door can be opened.
The casement windows cannot be fully opened.
17:28, Today: Secret Roll: The Host rolled 19,15,2 using d20+4,d20,d3.  2 small frogs attack Lotti.
17:34, Today: Secret Roll: The Host rolled 13,14,1,2 using d20,d20,d3,d3.  killer frog attacks Ornwin.
17:38, Today: Secret Roll: The Host rolled 5,1 using d6,d6.  Init: Guests/Residents R#3.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:46, Wed 04 May 2022.

Otis opens the bog-side door and tries to clamber round towards the road side via whichever rouute seems easiest. "Shoot the bog-side frogs"
If he can't help thoe on the roof then he will go for the road frog and try to kill it.

======
OOC:
09:19, Today: Otis rolled 19 using 1d20+5.  Longsword v frog THAC0 20.
09:20, Today: Otis rolled 10,10 using 1d8+7,1d12+7.  LS damage v M, L.
Hits AC1 for 10 slash damage
09:22, Today: Otis rolled 15 using 1d20+5.  Longsword v frog THAC0 20
09:22, Today: Otis rolled 10,19 using 1d8+7,1d12+7.  LS damage v M, L.
Hits AC5 for 10 (S/M) or 19 (L) slash damage

This message was last edited by the player at 08:24, Wed 04 May 2022.

While Otis exits the carriage on the bog side, Ereth makes his own effort at forcing open the road side door... And he succeeds!!!

20:24, Today: Ereth rolled 2 using 1d6.  Minor test of strength (road side door).
This message was last edited by the player at 00:27, Wed 04 May 2022.

In reply to The Host (msg # 41):

Ornwin puts full power into what was originally a defensive deflection and sinks his ax deep into the frog's arm which ended in the claw he had deflected.

OOC: Ornwin rolls 23 on d20+4 to strike the frog, and then 6 on d8+4 for damage.

Like a Banshee Lotti begins screaming a high pitch hysterical scream of pure terror as the tongue sticks to her, wetting herself in the process.  "GET IT OFF!  GET IT OFF!  GET IT OFF!!" Her arms, each hand holding a tomahawk hack down desperately at the tongue in an attempt to cut it from the creatures mouth and off her body.

16:31, Today: Lotti rolled 19 (hits AC 1) using 1d20.  1st attack to hit.
16:32, Today: Lotti rolled 4hp using 1d4+3.  1st attack hand axe damage.

16:31, Today: Lotti rolled 11(hits AC9) using 1d20-1.  2nd attack to hit.
16:31, Today: Lotti rolled 2 using 1d20-1.  3rd attack to hit.

Ornwin I'm not sure if you've chosen to take specialisation with your axe, but if you have the rules state the extra attack occurs on the 1st round.  Furthermore and I'm sorry if this is me telling you how to suck eggs, if you don't take specialisation at the inception of your character you never get to have it.  Just in case you are unaware.

OSRIC Page 13:

A partial additional attack (e.g. 3/2 attacks) means that the extra attack is taken on odd-numbered rounds in the combat sequence, hence two attacks on the first round, one on the second, two on the third and one on the fourth, if applicable.

If weapon specialisation is not selected dur- ing character generation, it remains forever unavailable to the character, barring some magical or divine intervention.

Lotti has taken double specialisation with the hand axe so is at +3/+3 for her attacks, which offsets the negatives she gets for a low dexterity and fighting with a weapon in both hands.  You might want to consider double specialisation as well for the extra bonus to hit and damage it gives.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:19, Wed 04 May 2022.

Cassandra heads toward the now open North door and says “I’m following you, Paladin.”

Cassandra gives Trevion a few segments to head out the North door and preferably follows him out. If the Paladin does not react and charge valiantly out the North door, Cassandra will proceed on her own out the North door. As she follows Trevion, she carefully steps over and avoids tripping over Trevion’s halberd, currently in the middle of the floor of the cabin. At the sill of the North door, she quickly assesses whether she can step down to solid ground from the door step, whether she needs to jump and leap out to clear the bog to reach solid ground, or whether it is necessary to clamber along the side of the carriage first (whichever is the easiest/shortest direction) to get to a better vantage point from which to leap from the carriage to solid ground to clear the bog.

09:21, Today: Cassandra rolled 9 (vs Dex of 15) using 1d20 with rolls of 9.  DEX roll for leap from coach to solid ground over bog if necessary.

Once on solid ground on the road side of the carriage, Cassandra will determine her next action, depending on what direction Trevion, Ereth and Otis go, how things appear to be going on top of the carriage, whether she is attacked, and depending on the state of the horses and carriage (i.e. can the horses be unhitched and led out of the bog, does it look like the coach can still be pulled out of the bog by the horses or are the wheels too submerged in the bog to salvage the coach, and/or is the large, coachman-munching frog effectively blocking the horses and/or carriage from being moved out of the bog).
This message was last edited by the player at 19:20, Wed 04 May 2022.

Trevion nodded at Cassandra and headed through the door, his crossbow shouldered. Although he wanted to take hold of his halberd at the earliest opportunity, he did not know how quickly he would be able to reach it. Stepping out onto the marshy ground, he took aim at the first of the frogs he sighted, loosing a bolt in the creature’s direction.

10:03, Today: Trevion rolled 17 using 1d20.  Attack - Light Crossbow.

10:03, Today: Trevion rolled 3 using 1d4+1.  Damage.

As the last one remaining in the carriage, Ereth quickly scanned the compartment to see if there were any of the party's personal items remaining. Seeing nothing other than Trevion's halberd on the floor, he retrieved it and followed Cassandra through the road side door.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:15, Wed 04 May 2022.

Four up-jumped batrachians learn a fatal lesson about the ladder of evolution. The one that had jumped up on to the roof nips the curiously diffident ranger (1 dmg). A fifth, the one between the half-orc and the road, leaps into the sky and away. As for the seventh, thought by some to have been the eighth, with a little twitch of its gullet, slurps a wayward limb all the way into its mouth, gives a contented belch, and also ascends majestically into the blackness above before disappearing from view.

Two draft horses strain with equal parts might and futility against their reins, sure to suffer the same fate as the carriage, itself more than half-submerged within the mire. It's much easier to hear their horse sounds after the rout of the frogs.

19:01, Today: Secret Roll: The Host rolled 2,2 using d6,d6.  Init: Guests/Residents R#4.
19:00, Today: Secret Roll: The Host rolled 16,1 using d20,d3.  giant frog attacks lotti.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:21, Wed 04 May 2022.

Seeing Lotti and Ornwin still in danger, Ereth drops the halberd at Trevion's feet and launches a magic missile at the frog on the carriage.

17:02, Today: Ereth rolled 4 using 1d4+1 ((3)).
This message was last edited by the player at 05:17, Fri 06 May 2022.

Cassandra turns toward Otis and says, “Hey Otis!  You made it out the South door!  Can you unhitch and try to rescue those horses?  I’ll stand guard for you and keep an eye out for any new or returning frogs.”

Cassandra pulls out her war hammer and heads toward the front of the horses, while at the same time steering clear of the bog.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:00, Fri 06 May 2022.

With one frog still on the carriage roof, Lotti continues her attacks, her hand axes whirling about in a storm of exhilaration and fright.

16:03, Today: Lotti rolled 1 (miss) and 19 (hits AC1) to hit using 1d20,1d20-1

16:05, Today: Lotti rolled 7hp damage using 1d4+3.

This message was last edited by the player at 04:09, Fri 06 May 2022.

"Sure, Cassandra," replies Otis with an alarmingly tusky grin.  He cleans his blade and reshethes it.

When he sees that Lotti's already on the case with the horses Otis passes her one end of his rope suggesting, "If you can fasten this onto their harnessing then we can use that to help them out of the bog."

Retaining his end of the rope, the half-orc adss offhandedly, "Good idea about posting torches in an arc around the us!"

While Lotti is working away with horse fastenings, Otis eyes the coach, trying to assess whether they, with help from the horses (if rescued) can pull the coach out. As an afterthough he adds, "Anything useful, or any equipment left of the coach?"

Trevion scoops up the halberd, grateful to the mage for retrieving it. Hearing the melee atop the coach, he moves closer to the vehicle, uncertain if his weapon can reach the remaining enemy, but unwilling to loose a crossbow bolt in that direction for fear of striking a fellow traveler.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:35, Fri 06 May 2022.

While the others are working to free the horses, Ornwin, whose equine skills barely include ponies, is alert for any further frog attacks, or anything else that might come out of the swamp.

With the last of the batrachians silenced, the mosquitoes can be heard, the heat felt, and the sludgy swamp bottom feared. With swamp water up to their knees (or higher), Cassandra and Otis work to free the horses (Dex check for Otis to free one horse from its reins; Str check for Cassandra to help the horse reach the road), they themselves in swampy peril.

The coach descends further into the Derfingel, water now sloshing against its windows, sure to find its way in (major test of strength to save the carriage if rope is attached and a puller is on the road).

Combat is over. All who wish may safely gain the road.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:25, Sat 07 May 2022.

22:02, Today: Otis rolled 15 using 1d20.  DEX check; is successful
This message was last edited by the player at 21:03, Fri 06 May 2022.