Yup. There are three pigs running around the yard, but there is so much smoke they can't see anything. The door into the hall/hill though appears to be barred from the inside...
[color=blue]"Wilhelm, can you tell if there's anyone on the other side?"
Wilhelm listens intently at the door. ((Per 2 + Awareness 3 + Sharp Ears 3 + die roll of 0 (botch check comes up a 3 = 8.))
Regardless of what Wilhelm says, she will ask Marcus, [color=blue]"Do we want this door saved for anything?"
If not, she will spont a PeHe on the door; if there are people on the other side, she will add a Rego requisite to make it explode and send shrapnel into the room beyond (her Rego and Perdo are the same, so it shouldn't affect her casting total). Looks like it's Base 4 to destroy an amount of wood, R: Touch (+1), D: Momentary, T: Individual, for a Target Level of 5. Sta 3 + Pe/Re 5 + He 10 + Aura 10 + die roll of 4 = 32, halved is 16.
If he does, then she will simply Rego an opening in the door, long enough for them to get to. ReHe is base 3 to control an amount of wood, R: Touch (+1), D: Concentration (+1), T: Individual, for a Target Level of 5. Casting Total is as above, with a die roll of 5, for a total of 33, halved is 16.
Fiona is prepared to pigify more giants (or normal-sized persons) once the door is open.
"Off the top of my head, no. Would you like to lay down a suppressing fire in the event someone is on the other side?
Wilhelm doesn't hear anything.
[color=blue]"Why not?"
She stands to one side of the door as she straight Perdos the thing, and motions the others to as well, so they don't get in Marcus's line of ignem.
After the door is blown a wall of fire goes down the hallway for a ways. No one is behind the door, and Marcus quickly extinguishes the flames. There is a hallway that goes deep into the mountainside, a room with a close door to the left and on the right there is a stairwell going up and down.
Hunh. Prying Eyes is only a Level 5 InIm. So, she will spont that bad boy on the room with the closed door. Sta 3 + In 5 + Im 5 + Aura 10 + die roll of 2 = 25, halved is 12.
Meanwhile, she has Wilhelm check the stairwell. His Seeing and Hearing Awareness are the same (+8). Hearing is 8 + die roll of 0 (botch check comes up a 6) = 8. Seeing is die roll of 1 (followed by die roll of 4, for an 8 ) = 16.
The door is to a room with a table and some weapons and armor. The stairwell is clear.
Okay, rest for a couple of minutes, while Fiona and Wilhelm relay what they find.
[color=blue]"The stairway up, I'm thinking, just goes to the next level. Down goes..." She finishes with a shrug.
[color=blue]"I'm thinking it would be better to go straight on, but the hallway just feels too...open, exposed. Like we'd be outsized fish in a barrel. What do you think?"
I tend to agree. Up or down... It's a gambler's choice. However, I'm going to want to go the other way, eventually, especially if we don't find anything interesting.
[color=blue]"I'm inclined to go down. Is it possible to close off the stairway up so we don't have any unpleasant surprises behind us?"
"Smoke and fire?" Marcus says in something that Fiona is not quite sure is mock seriousness.
[color=blue]"I was thinking something a little more...daunting," Fiona says with a smile. She is going to CreHe a full-sized block of wood up the stairs to fill it up complete. ((Base 3 to create wood in an unnatural shape, R: Touch (+1), D: Sun (+1), T: Individual, for a target level of 10. Her CT is Sta 3 + Cr 6 + He 10 + Aura 10 + die roll of 3 = 32, halved is 16.)) If all goes according to plan, the stairway up should be completely plugged by a solid block of white wood.
"So, how do we get down the stairs?"
((Maybe I misunderstood. I thought that we had a set of stairs that went up and that went down...with us basically at a landing. Fiona closed off the stairs going up, but there are still the stairs going down. If that's not right, then she wouldn't have closed us in.))
Well, it's an entire stairwell is what I meant, but we'll say that there's a landing...
"That will work, however, that will effectively last a year."
[color=blue]"It what now? I had intended it to only last until sundown."
"Durations are different here. Almost everything that lasts more than a few minutes is effectively a year."
[color=blue]"That's good to know." She pauses and looks at Marcus.
[color=blue]"That is only while we're here, right? The Sun-duration spells that I've cast won't last a year when we return home, will they?"
[color=blue]"Want to keep the same order going down?"
"Sure." Some sounds of hushed voices and quick footsteps can be heard from down below as Marcus says that.
Roll for initiative, declare first round actions. The party isn't presently organized for combat, as Fiona is closest to the stairwell and Marcus is not far from her, the grogs and Wilhelm are back and a bit out of the way.
Fiona's Initiative is Qui -1 – Encumbrance 2 + die roll of 0 (but not a botch) = -3.
Wilhelm's Initiative is Qui 1 – Encumbrance 2 + die roll of 3 = 2, or -1 if his Anchored to the Forest kicks in.
Fiona will, if the coast is clear, head down the stairs; if not, she will clear the stairs with Charge of the Angry Winds.
Wilhelm will try to maneuver into a position where he can get a shot off if he has to, and just be aware.