Episode 1

Snapped into action by Ivor's call breaking the silence, Laoise fires an arrow when the light rises up.


Laoise R1
Attack v. Glaakieou 1 (G1): Ranged, shortbow
Advantage, target Restrained condition trying to squeeze through narrow crack in door.

Result: Hit

Review of Front (South) Defensive Position at the great Seal Double Door

For the spacing and distance, desire to defend the door within a lane the width of the double-door threshold (20' across). Plus requirement to stay outside of the runic floor circles. To sum it up: That is roughly a 20' x 20' Battle Box that has to be defended.

So...

1) Rhone sits on the ground just outside of the widest runic floor circle. She is the furthest in the "back" of the defense. She then is about 20' from the door. Laoise is kind of hanging back here with the shortbow as well
2) 5' forward is secondary support line, they are about 15' from the door. This is kill-specialist Brynn plus Boann and Doirind.
3) 5' forward is the primary front line defense. That then is only about 10-12' feet from the big double door. This is a line covering the 20' width spread that goes out to the side rune stone aisles (that Thorn and Rhone laid down during prep, not to be confused with the permanent carved rune circle lines in the floor that are in the back of this defensive box). Ivor and Thorn on the outside edges of the front line, Kray and Maeriks in the middle.

So this puts everyone pretty close up to the front, 10-12', the length or width of a lot of normal IRL household bedrooms.

That makes me visualize that in these early moments, it is tempting to just take about 4 steps forward and thrash and stab these first guys coming through the door crack while they are Restrained. Come to think of it: the Lotus Locust Swarm Spear can even make that stab out to the door with one good single step forward.

Up to you guys though, send descriptions of Action that help me keep the visuals straight on what is going on.

The visual and audio backdrop is that the whole scene is, supernaturally apparently, bouncing back and forth between soft fire light and total darkness, while sound is going back and forth between complete unnatural silence and the screaming and moaning of bloodthirsty madmen whose mouths are partially covered with crude leather and animal-skin masks. Sicko?

The wildman is doing all he can to force himself through the break in the door. He is now stuck in the damage crack in the wood. The rough edges and splinters are tearing into his skin as he pulls through. The narrowness stops his progress at his hips, so his torso hangs out into the air exposed. His arm muscles bulge as he presses with all strength back against the inside of the door.

He has no weapons in hand and his leather mask hides all emotional expressions that might be visible otherwise, but he looks like a horror tearing through in the fire light that rises and falls, back and forth between low orange light and complete darkness.

Thorn
R1

Javelin Attack: Hit
Hand Axe Attack: Miss

The crazed masked man swats at the weapons as they hurl towards him. His arms waving wildly as he tries to push through and also reach out in rage towards the group.

Boann is called to action after Thorn's throw. She heaves a javelin, yelling out in fury, "Eyaaaa!"

Boann R1
Attack: Javelin, Ranged v. G1
Result: Hit

Maeriks watches the man rip his way through the door.
Do I know him? It is hard to tell. Looks like Fellic, son of Gan Rach.

Memories, unbidden and unwanted stream before Maeriks' mind. Fellic was nice to Maeriks on several occasions. One of the few Maeriks thought to call a "friend". One night, after Maeriks had prepared supper as he usually would, Fellic approached after everyone else had gone off to their huts for the evening and Maeriks was still cleaning up. "Thanks, Maeriks, that was one of the best tasting gators I've ever had"

Maeriks visualizes his spear sliding into the crazed Fennic's chest. He would do this for his friend, rather that than let the man live as the monster he is now.

Maeriks readies the Lotus Locust spear for an attack against whatever gets closest first.

Ivor
R1

After the other arrows and javelins pepper the crazed shirtless masked man stuck in the breach of the door, Ivor's hand axe slams into his skull with a loud "THUCK" sound, cutting into his crude mask and then into the bone and brain.

The man heaves back for a moment, arching his back rigid and then holding with arms outstretched.

Then he falls forward limp. Blood pours out onto the floor from the wound, running first down the handle of the axe still stuck in the skull.

The light of the fire continues to pulse. Light and then darkness, and back again, at no regular interval.

In a glimpse of light, the body jerks, heaving up and arms flopping lifelessly. The body is getting pulled back through the door, an obstruction that must be removed. The man's torso and arms scrape along the coarse wood as it flops back through with irregular surges. The last pull through nearly tears his head off as it catches on the lower opening of the wood and the door brace that makes the bottom border of the opening. A javelin is broken on the way, and Ivor's hand axe rattles to the ground, though strangely with no sound.

In a quick glimpse from a pulse of firelight, a huge scaled snout flashes into view between the crack. The great mass of reptilian flesh cannot get through, the opening is too small, but the rugged black scales of the armor-like flesh are unmistakable.

Just as quickly as it came, the dragon skin disappears back behind the door. In its place, several axe heads are seen cracking into the wood, violently breaking a widening horizontal crack, spreading wider and wider.

Suddenly, another masked madman heaves through the gap. He has an axe in one hand. He leans through, again stuck at the torso like the previous, but this time the gap is wider. He is pulling through, dragging forward, scraping his body in, pressing with all his might against the door with his free hand.

Other hands can be seen gripping the edges of the opening. Another masked head begins to peel itself through the crack at a higher climb, pouring through like a festering growth rupturing from a wound in the great door.

The fire light rises and falls. The screams sound and then fall away.

"They are coming through. The Slug assaults us! Hold the Line!!!" The voice is intermittent, falling in and out.
It is Rhone's voice. Or is it Rutcranna's?
Or is it another?

G2 and G3 available as Ranged Targets, with Restrained condition.

Laoise
Round 4 (Some no-Action time passed with no targets, I'm tracking time pretty closely for other things)

"Daghda!" Laoise mutters in a shaking voice as she fires another arrow.

Attack: Shortbow shot v. G2, Restrained.

Total darkness falls over the entire scene. Then a flash of light, but only from Rhone's candles that are right behind the team. The group sees their own long shadows stretching forth onto the floor and then stretching up looming on the door ahead of them, but the details of the door are much more cloudy. The light source much weaker.

Then there is a feeling that the floor itself tilts clockwise on some axis from below. There is a feeling of falling to the side, and then stabilization.

Now the scene at the door in the throne room is gone. Above is a night sky. The ground cannot be seen. It is only blackness. No one can see one another. No sound. You cannot see your hand in front of your face.

"Come back.....Come back!..." It is Rhone's voice. Very quiet. She is far away, or maybe down in a tunnel.

"Come back. Thorn! Maeriks! Don't fall away." Now it is slightly louder, but still quiet.

"Come back! You are here with me! Hold to my voice! WATCH OUT!"

Reality pours back in. The front line is under direct attack. Opponents in close combat range, a flood of shirtless Glaakieous with axes spears and knives, their leather masks muffling their moans and screams.

Only the light of candles behind you. You can no longer see the door.

Initiative for bad guys below.
Someone roll group Initiative. Average of only the PC party.
If you win it, proceed with Actions as desired.

Round will be called: "X1". PC Perception of time is unraveling and may be unreliable.

Group initiative

Edit, sorry forgot new d10 rule.

Solid.
PCs win Initiative.
Control Top of Round X1 (TRX1)

Ivor
TR X1

In the confusion of the furious assault, Ivor's hand axe swings wide. He tries to get his free hand around one of the madmen who attacks him.

Thorn
TR X1

Thorn's first stab cuts through off center, spinning the masked man around off balance. Seeing a rare opening, Thorn arcs the sword back and around high for a powerful downward follow-through strike.

Thorn's aim is true. His heavy steel crashes directly into the barb spine on the man's back, shattering it and tearing the bulk of it completely out of his flesh in a gory chop.

The madman drops to the ground, surging in convulsions.

Kray
TR X1

Kray crashes his shield against the crowd of wild barbarians and slashes out with his Murmaran blade.