>>5381967The response is halting, with dwarves peering warily over battlements and out from under helmets fit more for miners than for warriors. Eventually, the gate rolls open, and a sizeable group of dwarves march forward, armed with pickaxes, war-axes, and kitchen utensils. All are male, while crossbow-wielding dwarves of either sex stand behind them, hands steady but faces pale. At the head of them all: an old, wizened dwarf male. Behind him, you see a disgusted and disgruntled-looking younger specimen, a female, holding a sizeable bag.
>19“We have little gold,” the old dwarf says croakily, “but if you release your captievs and leave us in peace, you can have what wealthw e have—gems, ore, heirlooms.”
You tip the spikes upon your chin with a claw, as if considering…
>19 vs. 5…But ACTUALLY as a signal for the Hunter, Oluwadamilare, and the other archers and slingers of your forces to unleash all the Hells upon these would-be diplomats. They scream in horror, pain, and anger, and their crossbowmen turn upon your forces. They scarcely manage to lick off a shot before the concentrated fire manages to slay most, and send the remainder scrambling for cover.
Those survivors of the assault—about a half-dozen, in fighting form, from the original twenty-odd dwarves—begin to move back towards their gate. Those inside are already, in a prudent-but-merciless fashion, sealing it shut as swiftly as they can.
What do you do?
>Use your Firebreath and your bow to mop up the survivors outside the fortification, and then settle in for a prologed siege>Use a horizontal <Jump> to leap in under the descending gate, and wreak havoc in a glorious solo charge>Attempt to freeze the mechanism with your Ring of Elemental Command [negligible mana cost, higher DC]>Try to wedge the gate ajar with a Wall of Stone [higher mana cost, lower DC]>Blast the dam gate off of its hinges with a Moonblast! [higher mana cost, higher DC, but if successful there will be no barring your forces]>Write-in 