"Beidh muid bás le chéile!"
Rehil sprints across the base of the tower. His curve blade flies overhead, and slashes down at the neck and shoulder of the righthand warforged.
[ ...
As the magus to zap him with electricity, Vaard attempts to step out of harms way.
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instant
DESCRIPTION
With a twist of his body or a nimble hop, the disciple of the Broken Blade avoids a blow with a practiced step. The initiator makes an opposed Acrobatics check against an attacker's melee attack roll. If successful, the initiator may make an immediate 5 ft. step to a location that is not being threatened by his attacker without provoking attacks of opportunity. If no such square exists, then this counter cannot be used.
But he isn't fast enough to avoid being hit.
Rehil slashes across the warforged's chest, slicing through woody fibres beneath its chest plate.
Nalverren places the flaming sphere in AG27, and lets it burn as he moves to retreat.
I hate to harp on it, but you didn't say anything in reply when I mentioned it a while back.
With the way cleared, Vaard runs in to the east tower and attacks the nearest creature he can reach, hoping to stagger his target.
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Next melee attack or ranged attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: Fort negates
By focusing his ki onto a weapon, the disciple readies a spiritual poison which dizzies and confuses the minds of his foes. After initiating this boost, the next melee or ranged attack that the disciple makes staggers his foe for 1 round. In addition, if the target fails a Fortitude save (DC 11 + initiation modifier), the target also suffers 2 points of Wisdom damage. This is a supernatural ability.
Vaard dashes southeast, towards Wultram and the others.
The human officer backs away from Ashshar and Eshsheth, heading for the distant towers.
Seizing the opportunity, Ashshar follows suit and runs to the water again.
As Rehil pulls his blade free from the wound he has inflicted, the warforged staggers back. Both raise their bows to fire point blank at the elf.
The skeleton's arrow sinks into the woody area just below the warforged's breastplate. It makes a strangle warble as it staggers in a quarter-circle before partially recovering itself.
Cole rams his shield at his opponent again to create space for his withdrawal. He backs swiftly toward the trees, warding Wultram's retreat.
Cole hits the warforged so hard its head nearly comes off and it sprawls on its back, unmoving.
The ballista is somewhat lost for clear targets, so it swivels to the only enemy in plain view - Vaard.
Rehil steals a glance over his shoulder. The field seems to be clearing fast.
"Remember I did not kill you." The elf steps back, flips a quick salute to the warforged with his sword and dashes for the woods.
There are few of you left now, the millennia of warfare with the rakshasa rajas having devastated the lands of your people and left only a tiny rump of kasathas still alive. But the slaughter has left the survivors hardened and determined. Your unit was in the vanguard, cutting down the rajas' foot soldiers.
And now, if the rumours are true, the end to war is in sight. Here, where the rakshasa general E'arch made his stand, is a nexus of power. Beyond the lip where the outpost stands, the volcano's crater plunges into the darkness until it reaches Kyber. Foul toxins seep up from the depths, filling the basin with poisonous vapours.
Geer'Ar'Jarsh, you commander, walks towards you. One of her arms is broken and strapped up, but the others are still free.
"Come," she says, "We need to keep watch while the ritual takes place."
Nocht nods, and draws gladi, his arms moving in the breastplate with practiced ease. He attaches the weapon cords to the swords one by one as he follows along. When done, he draws the darkwood shield from his back and straps it on with one hand, gladius dangling. By the time they arrive at the ritual site, he's armed with three weapons and defended by the shield. He had four gladi, a week ago, but the fourth had shattered in the skull of a Rakshasa sorcerer in the final battle.
"Vaard, hurry!" Rehil shouts to the last party member exposed on the battlefield.
Wultram looks over the situation and decides they are better served by conserving energy against possible pursuers and and strides further into the jungle.
Vaard runs southwest after the others.
Nalverren will leave the flaming sphere to damage the arcane ballista as best he can, in case they need to return. He then moves toward the other retreating allies.
The group (with the exception of the lizardfolk who plunged into the lake to escape) flee into the forest. After a few minutes in the dark amongst the trees, they manage to regroup. Ashshar and Eshsheth arrive soon afterwards. There are shouts from the site of Da'sheth, but no evidence of pursuit. Weary and wounded, but thankfully all live, they retreat to their earlier campsite.
As the sun rises, it reveals a scene of intense activity below. Warforged are carrying crates and sacks up the gangplank and into the airship. Shelters are being disassembled. The mercenaries are pulling out.
The lizardfolk wakes early to set up another security perimeter, patrolling the improptu camp and its surroundings.
As he returns, Ashshar sits in a log and tends to his wounds to the best of his abilities "Attack now... bad idea. They fend usss off easssily, magic isss hard to overcome... Scouting when they leave, that's better."
".I doubt we scared them off. They must have gotten what they came for," Rehil stares toward the enemy camp. "If Otto's right the world ends soon."
"I agree, if they are leaving it is because they have what they want. The only idea I can think of at this very moment would be to try to sneak in again while they are occupied, and train the ballistae on the ship to scuttle it."
Cole is silent as they limp back to camp, and equally silent—other than his tools pinging and spanging on his frame—as he sits vigil for the night.
When the group begins to stir, and the activity is revealed below, Cole simply nods along with the group. Despite his non-human features, an internal struggle is obvious in his every motion.
“Yesterday was a disaster. And it seems I am unfit to give orders in combat.”
Then he goes back to his work, preparing his body for whatever ordeal yet lies ahead.
The elf scowls. Too many of them. Not enough of us. And surprise was lost. At least no one died."
"I do hate to have lost our one ticket out of here, but at this point, I think Wultram and Ashshsar are right. If it's going to take them a while to clear out, do I need to go searching for fuel for everyone? I can help hunt for the group."
The elf shrugs. "We could make a last try if they don't leave by tonight."
[ooc]
"I will accompany you, Cole." says Ashshar before parting to hunt.
The elf shrugs. "We could make a last try if they don't leave by tonight."
Cole looks up at Rehil, "Got a plan brewing?"
"Keep the team together. Sneak close. If we see a weakness prepare ourselves and pounce."
"It was my sneaking that got us caught last time, I think. But if we can work around that, I'm in."
Vaard follows along with Cole and Ashar.
The group clamber down the crater once more and head towards the site, trying to remain unobtrusive amongst the trees. As before, it is a tough scramble along steep gullies choked with vegetation and takes about an hour. As they arrive near the site of the battle, they are rewarded with the view of the airship ascending gracefully into the sky. Beneath it, suspended on heavy chains, hangs the inert form of the warforged titan. It swings out over the lake, gaining height before turning east. It crosses the lip of the crater and disappears.
Whereas before Da'sheth was an encampment, now it is just a deserted morass of churned earth littered with scraps of wood, paper and metal from the occupation. The towers stand empty and the various temporary shelters the mercenaries brought with them are gone.
With one notable exception. The strange fretwork tower and the metallic hut beside it are still in place. Lights of red, blue and green - possibly the glow from a large number of dragonshards of different types - wink in unintelligible patterns up and down the length of the structure. And seemingly trapped inside the tower, though hard to see from here, some sort of large creature droops unresistingly.