Blue Hawk
Hawk has an answer ready, as he had pondered the question himself already.
“Hard to know. I told bug to bite and come back out if it found meat. It has not come out. Maybe no meat, maybe it died, maybe it is not smart enough to understand ‘if.’”
Ranar Bolijyr
“Who uses giants with pole arms to guard a confined space?!” Ranar asks derisively. “Do ye want to try another name? Maybe duck under them? They didn’t follow back out, but they might follow us in…”
Nicolas de Courcy
De Courcy watches the shaman’s approach and retreat, evaluating the vault guardian’s attacks.
He considers what he knows of his companion’s skills, playing out a series of fights in his head as the other’s discuss the nature of the guardians.
“It’s not as stupid as it seems. Polearms don’t need much room either side, and with their reach they can start hacking away before you can. The space channels attackers in together, right into their blades.”
He pauses, glancing at Ranar and Thwip.
“Now, maybe one of the names his lordship suggested will get us in. But, it should probably be someone who hasn’t identified themselves yet who tries. Just in case they remember that sort of thing.”
He looks down the hall at the guardians blocking the entrance.
"That doesn’t work, then we fight.
“They’re slower than an Anglish serf, I’ll skip right past them. Ranar and Jibril follow close behind, getting inside their reach as they swot at me and pinning them in place.
Blue Hawk, you’d go in the second rank - if you use both hands, your spear will give you the reach to thrust through any gaps. Between the cover of the front rank, and your magic slowing attacks down, you can probably do without a shield.
Thwip, you stay back. They’re big bastards, should give you a clear enough angle to hit them without hitting us.”
De Courcy briefly considers the prospect of being hit by a stray shot.
“If you’ve good aim of course,” he shrugs.
“Any objections or refinements?”
Thwip
“Any objections or refinements?”
“Tis isn’t much, but ifin tey’re anny-mated metal ten t’ spell might lose its anny-matin’ power if tey’re not solid. Try t’ cut t’ straps on tere plate ifin yir able t’ go hand t’ hand.”
Thwip unslings his rifle. He does not feel the same fear and disgust at the thought of shooting the automatons as he did shooting at the centaurs. Presumably there aren’t any little armor suit children running around the vault wondering when dad is coming home.
“Before we haff t’ fight, I wan t’ try one last ting.”
He speaks to Jabril as he takes the rifler’s kneeling position, “Do y’ haff inny idea bout famous wizards of yir history? And do y’ tink y’ can do a passybul imitation off t’ voice tey spoke to us wit a minnit ago? Yir t’ only one off us wittout 'n Anglish acksent.”
Blue Hawk
The shaman considers for a moment.
“I do not know much of fighting metal-men, so I have nothing to suggest. I have been stabbed once on this journey, though, and I do not want it to be again. I will keep the shield.”
Jibrīl Al-Las’as
Jibrīl racks his brains for famous names from his childhood.
At last one comes to him, dragged up from his memory of old history lessons.
He steps forward confidently and announces in a loud voice (in as archaic an accent as he can manage):
I am Sulaymān Al-Minkhar, Grand Magi of Hadadon. You will stand aside and let us pass.
@nimelennar @Daaksyde @Mitchell @William_George @daneel
GM POST
As Jibrīl approaches the guards, they again raise their halberds into striking position. They remain in that pose, but do not otherwise react to his declaration.
Thwip
The goblin lets out a Goblinese curse word unfit for the people around him to understand.
“Yis feykin hawlsis fira mei dookhawl. Doll hedz yit mandun. Gittin outtawei yi rook-kookin changmunlikkas!” he hisses due to lacking the deep vocal chords required for effective growling.
He takes aim at the sentinel on the left and waits for whatever happens next.
Nicolas de Courcy
"Patience, Thwip. We still have a couple of Arron’s Caliphs to try, then we can try an kill the magic armour."
De Courcy cocks his head quizzically.
"Is ‘kill’ even the right word when you’re talking about armour?
“Either way, I’d like to try something once they go back to guard position…”
Thwip
The goblin lowers his rifle and waits to see what the next plan is. The sentinels seem to be too stupid to be tricked. Yet he knows the value of letting fresh eyes have a crack at a problem.
Jibrīl Al-Las’as
Jibrīl turns to Lord Arron.
Who built this place?
@nimelennar @Daaksyde @Mitchell @William_George @daneel
GM POST
“It was built by and for the Wazifi army. Exactly who did the brickwork, that I don’t know” replies Aronn.
Nicolas de Courcy
After Jibril backs up far enough for the guardians to cross their halberds, de Coury walks back out the door the party entered from, closing the doors behind them.
He counts to ten under his breath, then re-enters.
@nimelennar @Daaksyde @Mitchell @William_George @daneel
GM POST
Watching the scene play out, Aronn comments “This is getting a bit repetitive.”
“Is there anything I can do to hurry things along? Would it be helpful if one of the guards was to, for example, trip and fall down? Or if one of you were somewhat less visible?”
Thwip
Swallowing his irritation with his impatient employer, “Wit all due respekt, we don know wat magiks tey have. Since we left t’ city wittout are wizard we nevir will unless tey tell us temselfs”
Thwip looks to the sentinels. He’s a decent sneaker, but all the soft stepping in the world would mean nothing if they’re detecting him via his aura. “We don know how tere detectin us. Magical life d’teckshun would be t’ most likely. None off us issa zombie. Floor pressha? None of us issa spider. T’ door bein’ open fir a period off time? Guess we kin try closin’ it b’hind us to I don like tat idea. Mebbe ifin we left wonna us behind t’ watch what happins after t’ otters leaf?”
Thwip furrows his brow with the effort of trying to discern their functions.
“Yir right toh. Guessin t’ names tey want isin’t doin us inny good. Tere is a good idea in wat yi said. Tey’re slow. Tey may haff limited actions built in becuss simple magicks work better. Mebbe tey can’t git back up ifin yi knock im down? But I’m notta soulja. I’d haff no idea how t’ knock over a pikeman.”
“We kin study tem more or we kin get physikal. But fightin’ isin’t up t’ me since I’m not t’ one on tat has t’ 'rassle tem.”
Jibrīl Al-Las’as
Jibrīl mutters under his breath. “Kess Ikhtak!”
Enough of this!
He steps quickly towards the halberdier in front of him, swiftly closing within the reach of the halberd, and aims a telegraphed cut at the shoulder of the armour, where it meets the breastplate (if there’s any obvious leather straps or something he aims at that).
Thwip
Thwip stops in mid speculation.
“Physikal it is”
He is certain that a bullet will do nothing to the sentinels. He takes quick aim on the partner to Jabril’s opponent and fires in the hope of preventing him from being double teamed.
Ranar Bolijyr
Mind wandering as the guards continued not to move, Ranar was surprised to see sudden action by the others. But that was exactly what he needed to take action himself. Hunkered down behind his shield, he moves rapidly up the left side of the corridor toward the guard on that side.
(He’s attempting to duck under the halberd and then under or around the guard to get behind it. If he gets beside/behind but it doesn’t turn to face him, he’ll try to pry the armor off/apart starting at the knees. If it does turn to face him, he’ll try to hold its attention and bash at it up close. If he can’t get past it, he’ll try to grapple one of the legs and pry at the armor while clinging on as well as he can.)
@nimelennar @Daaksyde @Mitchell @William_George @daneel
GM POST
As Jibril swings, Thwip lets fly. His bullet punches a neat hole in the centre of the right-hand guard’s breastplate; beyond that, it seems to have little effect.
@nimelennar @Daaksyde @Mitchell @William_George @daneel
GM POST
Jibrīl’s blow lands cleanly on the guard’s pauldron…and glances off with no apparent damage.
