This turn brought to you by coffee and a half-hour of peace to write it in. Coffee. It's what's for breakfast. I also highly doubt anyone will get the turn-title joke.
Zealots and Demons, Turn 15: T. Furrows the GuardMove forward with the party.
Feeling in a pensive mood, Aegnor followed the party to the doors, and waited patiently while Nepthym and Mordekhai tried to walk through the left hand door at the same time and got stuck. Mordekhai stepped back with a sarcastic bow and allowed 'Jacelyna' through while the elf watched Tikan listen at the right hand door. After a few moments and some loud thumping, Mordekhai and Nepthym came back and went through the other door. Aegnor followed, of course, remaining in the back behind Shruick for maximum protection.
Listen through the wooden doors, help whoever goes through.
Shruick listened at the first door, then the second. (4, 4) The door on the left was silent. Either it was empty or it was populated by extremely skilled assassins, and the Draconian wasn't feeling in a goofy enough mood to believe it was the latter. He heard distant footsteps through the door on the right; it sounded like they were going upstairs. It looked like Nepthym and Mordekhai were wanting to go through the (Coin flip for lack of specification, heads = left tails = right: heads) left door, so he moved to the side opposite the knob, turned it, and pushed it open, ready to jump in after them if anything happened. When they went through the other door a little bit later, Shruick found himself fourth in the marching order. Or third, since Mordekhai and Nepthym were both trying to vanguard.
Scout stealthily forward a bit ahead of the party
Move on ahead of the group.
Nepthym and Mordekhai headed off together to - apparently - look for a room (and I'll keep making these allegations as long as both of you keep acting Slap Slap Kiss Kiss and constantly trying to one-up each other
). (N: 4, M: 2.) Nepthym continued to blend fairly well with the shadows, though her ability to do so was somewhat hindered by the big guy in heavy armor blatantly following her. They entered the left room after Shruick graciously opened the door for them and took a look around. (2, 5) Nepthym saw nothing but moldy crates and half-rotted barrels. Mordekhai, on the other hand, noticed a familiar glint behind some of the crates and pushed them away to get it. It appeared that this was once the armory back when it was a warship, and someone had left a buckler behind. Not one to let military equipment go to waste, he picked it up. (Mordekhai gains: Rusty Iron Buckler! It doesn't look like it's in great condition...)
With nothing else to do in that room, they leave and go through the right door.
Tikan moves to the doors, listens for any signs of danger, moves through the doors with the group, about 3rd through and then keeping to the sides if possible.
Tikan listened to the doors as well. (5, 2) The door on the left was silent until the guard and thief duo entered and started looking around. The door on the right sounded like there was some kind of giant damn king centipede or something crawling around and it really wasn't a very pleasant noise at all. She shuddered and stepped back with a 'bleh' type sound, allowing the others to go first but taking what should have been the third position in the marching order.
Upstairs on the double!
The party headed upstairs and onto a landing. As they rounded the corner, they came across three guards. One was pacing around anxiously, the other two were apparently talking about fishing judging from all they heard of the conversation ("...and it about pulled me out of the boat, it was this big'...) and the accompanying hand movements as if to indicate size. (Guard perception vs. Nepthym & Mordekhai: 6-1 6, 3-1 2, 1-1 1) The pacing guard saw the thief and the soldier at the same time and started hollering about prison breaks and how they were all going to die. The talking guards - who could not see the party from where/how they were standing - paid no attention for a few seconds before one said "shut the hell up, Corman, and go take a nap."
Apparently this guard has always been high-strung... which could work out in the party's favor...
Character StatusInventory: Portable Alchemy Equipment, Traveler’s Staff
Health: 20/20
Mana: 17/30
Status: None
Inventory: Spiked Flail, Sanctified Plate Mail, Rusty Iron Buckler
Health: 25/25
Mana: 1/5
Energy: 15/15
Status: None
Inventory: Steel Sabre, Small Toolkit.
Health: 19/20
Energy: 4/4
Fatigue: 20/20
Status: None
Inventory: Concealed Knife, Basic Writing Equipment (several sheets of parchment, quills, ink)
Health: 16/20
Energy: 17/20
Status: None
Inventory: Tattered White Crows Banner, Dagger, 1 Filled Canteen (water), 3 silver coins
Health: 20/20
Energy: 20/20
Fatigue: 6/6
Status: Blood-stained: Diplomacy actions receive -1 to rolls until cleaned.