White heat burning at his core, Qhude barely feels it as his leg is opened. He spins on the spot, his rope flashing out...
Raging Cestus Power Attack: for
...to crunch heavily into the Bandu's trunk.
The threat of his closest foe ended Qhude turns back to the battle at the caravan's head. Seeing the melee joined in earnest, Qhude whoops at the top of his lungs and moves over to stand before Ansha...
Climb:
Tebati emerges from the smoke far to the south and quickly looks around the battlefield to find her allies. "" she calls urgently, taking off at a magically-enhanced jog toward the action. She hops up on the driver's seat of the third wagon, skips across, and drops down at Kieran's shoulder. "Told you I'd catch up," she breathes with some relief.
As soon as he hears Tebati's voice, seeing the Mwangi woman beside him, he smiles at her, though his pain is not as well-hidden as he would have liked. "That you did, love," he agrees softly, at the same time reversing the grip on his sword and attempting to run one of the men flanking him clean through.
N'bellocq is heartened by the appearance of Tebati and that things must not be as dire to the north for her to come to their aid.
Still falling back from the onslaught N'bellocq fires two more arrows, point blank. This needs to end. The passengers will NOT be carried off. This world has gone mad that they prey upon their cousins to sell to the Sargavans.
Flurry 1st shot
2nd Shot
[b]"Cousin!" N'bellocq calls out. [b]"They have grabbed a woman from the wagon. I will try to save her, if I can, with a shot or we will have to track him once we kill the rest of these slavers."
Seeing the dire straits of the western fight Jakob scrambles south to where his longspear lies unattended. Lifting the weapon he prepares to meet the charging warriors.
Albert's fall before the slaver's axe horrifies Jakob. Ignoring the threat to his own life Jakob extends his arms overhead and issues a loud chittering call. Instantly centipedes, beetles and long millipedes boil out of the blood soaked ground surrounding Albert. The incests stream through the opening the pole-arm left in his armor and climb into his wounds. Once inside Albert the bugs grab bleeding veins and hold them closed. They wrap themselves around broken bones to add support. Their thousand sharp legs grip his muscle ans skin as the incests sacrifice themselves to pull his wounds closed and keep his spark of life from fading.
Qhude finishes off his last immediate foe, moving to stand a little in front of Ansha as the Bandu approach.
Jakob's own brand of nature magic stems Albert's bleeding, but its still unclear whether hes already beyond Jakob's ability to save him, his soul already soaring to the boneyard...
Tebati arrives to the mess of a battlefield, rushing past the fleeing hirelings and expedition staff and arriving at Kieran's side. N'bellocq cannot see either of the two of them with the caravan in the way, but with his wounds adding desperation to his considerable skill as he retreats, blood pouring from a stomach wound, and sends two arrows into the respective throats of both his assailants.
Kieran switches to a more defensive style of swordplay but is hard pressed to even make an offensive strike due to the constant need to parry the savages clubs.
Round 8-
Ordered Initiative-
Ansha- 19
Allied Soldiers + Jeggare- 17
Bandu Slaver- 15
Stephanie, Unwe, Thenjiwee- 14a
Bandu Warriors- 14b
Qhude- 14c
Tebati- 9a
Kieran- 9b
N'bellocq- 7
Jakob- 6
Active Effects-
Shield on Ansha
Mage Armour on Ansha.
Longstrider on Tebati.
Bless on Tebati, Jakob, Jeggare, Unwe, Albert, Nolwazi and Stephanie.
Unused Guidance on Unwe
Maps-
West Side Caravan ONLY
Notes-
Action-
Tebati is in fact in D18, after some clarification after a map error by myself.
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Finishing the famous Sleep enchantment so favoured by the Elven race, three Bandu warriors succumb to it while one struggles to shrug it off, eventually succeeding as the magic leaves his mind.
Ansha follows up by conjuring grease onto the slaver's weapon- or at least beginning to. The Bandu leader's quick reflexes save his polearm from being covered in the nasty looking substance and he looks at Ansha with vehemence written all over his face.
Saved VS Sleep
Saved VS Grease
Albert continues to lie in the dirt, no longer actively bleeding but still lying in a pool of his own blood. Jeggare, apparently seeing little reason to leave his perch on the caravan seat, reloads his heavy crossbow and fires at the immensely tall Bandu slaver- but the agile man easily dodges the shot.
Jeggare miss
The slaver steps confidently into battle, stepping a little to the left so as to threaten all three soldiers. He mercilessly targets the already wounded Thenjiwee- and seems to read the soldier's movements perfectly, relentlessly putting him on the defensive with swift lunges before sweeping aside Thenjiwee's terbutje and burying the hook of his Guisarme in his shoulder in one cunning slash. Thenjiwee crumples to the ground like Albert before him.
Unwe and Stephanie waste no time, using Thenjiwee's sacrifice to step in close to the warrior and swinging their Terbutje in furious strokes hoping to avenge their comrades and prevent him from bringing down another. Unwe uses the minor blessing Jakob placed upon her to fuel her fury and the Bandu slaver struggles in the much closer quarters-Stephanie cuts through the Bandu's studded leather to open a nasty wound on his collarbone while Unwe's terbutje buries itself in his stomach! The slaver manages to shove her back with the haft of his polearm but seems to be barely standing after her powerful blow. Unwe hisses in fury, her bestial snarls and furious eyes promising further pain.
Stephanie
Unwe
Guidance, Crit confirmed!
Mengak and Nolwazi continue to fight as a skillful pair, the former not managing to press his advantage while the latter simply side-steps a hopeful lunge from the Bandu facing him, spinning on one foot and using the momentum of the dodge to land a powerful blow to the Bandu's neck; beheading him in a single swift blow.
Nolwazi Crit Threat
Nolwazi Crit Confirm
Mengak Miss
You hear a clear, long note blown by some kind of signal horn to the north of the caravan.
The Bandu's ears perk up upon hearing the horn and they look to their leader as though waiting for a decision. His face grey with pain from Unwe and Stephanie's powerful cuts, he says in Polyglot-
You heard the signal. Wake the others and go!
The Bandu swiftly wake those enchanted by Ansha and melt away into the mist conjured by Tebati earlier in the fight, leaving the slaver looking suddenly very isolated. He leans heavily on his Guisarme before straightening up, wincing in pain. He looks at Qhude, noting the scars on his body and calls to him-
Allow me the honour of fighting for my life in single combat, ibutho? If you will not grant me my right, in Angazhan's name, I swear I shall slay this one before any can stop me he declares confidently, holding his blade over Thenjiwee's fallen body.
Unwe seems like she herself is spoiling for a one-on-one fight with him, but looks to Qhude for direction, realising a false move might lead to Thenjiwee's death.
The remaining Bandu seem to react swiftly to the sound of the signal horn- those fighting Mengak and Nolwazi quickly disengaging and joining their two comrades moving south, having both acquired a captive from the middle-front wagon.
Another Bandu emerges from the middle-rear wagon with another captive while the Bandu N'bellocq is most worried about has almost disappeared behind two huge boulders with his.
Qhude noted the hunger in Unwe's eyes, and the fear in the slaver's. To kill him now would be an easy thing... but there was no honor in that. Responding in Polyglot "No steel, flesh on flesh, to the death... Accept and I will safeguard your life... until I take it..." remaining at the ready, and eyeing the Bandu for sign of acceptance of terms...
The slaver nods in acceptance, allowing his Guisarme to drop to the ground and beginning to remove his spiked metal gauntlets.
No support from your allies, and a guarantee of safe passage when I best you.
Tebati is in fact in D18, after some clarification after a map error by myself.
As the tribesmen attempt to flee in response to the signal, they step away from Kieran's flashing blade, but the one to the east is unable to slip completely out of reach of Tebati's trident; she jabs awkwardly, distracted by the sounding horn and her attempt to keep her eyes on the hirelings being carried away. With her companions no longer in danger, she takes off at a run toward the nearest Bandu with a captive, shouting, "Cousin, take your shot!" Jabbing the tines of her trident into the kidnapper's flesh, she taunts, "You are fast, but I am faster. Leave what you have taken, and I will let you go!"
Under my breath in Slyvan "Posturing idiots."
To the slaver, polyglot. "Get out of my way dead man."
Too Many! Just too Many!
N'bellocq tries to save those taken to the south. Bleeding from several wounds, he is no shape to chase, so he sends more arrows after those carrying passengers.
Flurry 1st shot
Confirm
2nd Shot
Jakob confirms that Albert still breathes after his quick stabilisation spell, and uses further healing on him. Although it noticeably improves his condition as the horrific wound begins to magically knit itself back together, Albert remains unconcious, although he is now stable.
Nearby, Thenjiwee's condition may still be critical.
Tebati manages to wound a tribesman as he flees and charges after the closest captor to the north, jabbing him with her Trident and threatening him. The Bandu snarls at her but looks as though he is willing to comply.
N'bellocq drops one of the captors with an expertly placed arrow into his back but his second shot completely misses.
As a statement of fact Qhude intones "You bleed..." And by acknowledging the wounds of the slaver giving the opposing ibutho an honorable opening to make an issue of them...
"Leaving so soon?" His voice is tinged with sarcasm, the smile on his face more than a little mocking.
"Stop trying to undo my work!"
Jakob hurries to Thenjiwee mutttering in slyvan as he approaches. Opening the wounded warriors armor Jakob sees thick pads of moss covering and filling the worst of the wounds. In places flowers seem to have grown from the cuts and their fallen petals given the blood a matrix to clot to.
Kieran chases after one of the fleeing captors with Tebati and cuts the man down, the pair finishing him off together. N'bellocq manages to save the second southern captive with a well-placed arrow as the Bandu flee into the badlands, which means only a single captive was taken by the swift tribesmen. Tebati thinks better of pursuing the last captive with Kieran after hearing the howls of dozens more Bandu to the north- apparently the caravan put up too stiff a resistance for them to commit to a full attack.
The smoke slowly clears as the group make each other out once more- Jakob is tending to a fallen Thenjiwee and Albert, Qhude is stripping down out of his armour, as is the Bandu leader (watched hatefully by Unwe) while Jeggare begins to inspect losses to the caravan. Stephanie is anxiously watching Jakob work his magic while Ansha appears to have avoided taking any wounds herself. A small pile of bodies has accumulated in two locations in particular- atop the rocky outcrop where Qhude scored two kills and on the slope where Jeggare's steady marksmanship claimed the lives of a handful of Bandu without return fire ever hitting the surprisingly agile, portly caravan master.
On the west side, there are several hirelings milling about, a few covered in dirt and dust where they fell from their dying captor's arms. Nolwazi and Mengak slump to the roadside, badly wounded and surrounded by at least four Bandu they slew single-handedly. Several dead Bandu lie just behind the middle-rear caravan, each slain by a well-placed arrow from N'bellocq's bow.
Unwe finally speaks up, but to Jakob rather than Qhude.
Jakob, do you have any reservations about us ending their miserable lives? I understand that you could consider the previous attackers to be misguided or just following orders, but these Bandu are demon-worshipping cannibals and slavers that will have no remorse and no qualms about sacrificing innocents to their foul gods or even eating or selling them! If we allow any to live, others will surely pay for our mercy...
Tebati looks down at the dead man she just promised his life with no apparent remorse. "I said I would let you go if you left your captive," she remarks coolly. "He," she nods to Kieran, "makes his own decisions."
"Cousin," she cries, turning to N'bellocq, "I'm sorry; I could not save her." Through the clearing smoke, she catches sight of the downed soldiers, and her eyes widen. "Follow me to the front; I will heal you there," she calls to the others on the west side of the caravan. "They look to have need of me. Go well around where the smoke was; there are scattered caltrops, in the south at least."
Still under the effects of her magically-enhanced speed, she follows her own advice, circling around wide in the north and jogging up to those waiting at the front. With a flick of her wrist, she dismisses the pillar of cloud she conjured, the mist melting away into clear air. "What is going on here?" she demands, eyeing the Bandu leader distrustfully.
Ansha hustles around the cloud of mists cautiously, apparently hoping to catch the fleeing Bandu warriors before they escaped. She thinks better of pursuing after a few seconds, instead returning to the caravan's eastern end, where she gives the Bandu leader a baleful look. Whether Qhude wins or loses, he'll not make it out of here alive, she promises silently--the elf had no love of demon-worshipers.
Qhude's eyes do not move from their vigil upon the Bandu slaver. As he unwinds the protective rope from his lead leg, Qhude replies to Tebati in an even tone "He has chosen to die by my hand.... and mine alone" focused as he is upon his quarry and leaving any detailed explanation to Unwe or Stephanie.
"And his choice is what matters, does it?" Tebati's eyes narrow danagerously. Turning her back deliberately to the preparing Bandu, she approaches within inches of Qhude, trying to draw his focus away from his opponent. "And so, while your brothers' fates are still unknown to you, while Kieran and N'bellocq could be being carried away as sacrifices or slaves, your sun stops in the sky to fight a battle of honor? How long would you take to ungird yourself and prepare the ring, as this one buys with his life and your delay time for his tribe to carry those you have sworn to protect further from your reach?"
Eyes still on the slaver he responds in hushed tones to Tebati "He also stood astride Thenjiwee and threatened to end his life before I could kill him. He requested an inselelo to spare him, I chose to risk my life over Thenjiwee's and have given my word that terms will be honored."
She glances over her shoulder at the Bandu disdainfully. "And so this man who steals defenseless women to kill or enslave demands a warrior's death? Very well. If he wants death, deliver it to him, but I will not see you exult in your victory. There is a woman in the hands of his people who will soon awake to wretchedness and no hope of rescue. Will you crow in triumph as she weeps in despair? What honor is to be found in the scars that she will earn?"
Unwe meets Tebati's narrowed eyes with her own cold stare.
I was under the assumption the rest of us would be of one mind on this particular issue- that Jakob would be the only one who needed convincing.
The soldiers begin to busy themselves tending to their fallen (under Unwe's supervision if Jakob isn't forthcoming) and getting the caravan back in order. Unwe has one last long glance at the slaver before departing from the front of the caravan.
"Unwe, wait," Tebati bids her. "Many are hurt, Mengak and Nolwazi among them. Wait for all to gather here at the front, and I can heal everyone; I will not spend my goddess' graces until all can benefit." Moving closer, she murmurs, "If I wake Albert, will he allow Qhude's challenge to continue, or do you think he will object?"
Unwe responds to Tebati after nodding her assent.
I don't know for sure... it just happened so fast. We all thought Albert had been killed by the blow until Jakob saved him. I don't think Albert gives Qhude orders though, it caused too much tension last time. He might enjoy watching his would-be murderer suffer at Qhude's hands now I think about it... Make sure hes healed first.
"I will do what I can," she offers a lopsided smile. "Unwe," she glances back at the area cleared for combat. "If Qhude falls... the Bandu does not walk away. Be ready."
Unwe finally speaks up, but to Jakob rather than Qhude.Jakob, do you have any reservations about us ending their miserable lives? I understand that you could consider the previous attackers to be misguided or just following orders, but these Bandu are demon-worshipping cannibals and slavers that will have no remorse and no qualms about sacrificing innocents to their foul gods or even eating or selling them!...
"We can argue politics later Unwe. Right now we have someone to rescue."
Louder "Come on! Everyone who is bleeding get to Tebati! Unwe, help me with Albert and Thenjiwee."
Jakob helps the others gather the caravan wounded near the priestess.
"Tebati, are they close enough? Let's get these folks back on their feet and get us after those slavers."
N'bellocq limps after Tebati, toward the collection of wounded and survivors. In a soft hurt voice that Tebati has to strain to hear, "There were too many. I couldn't stop them taking her."
N'bellocq feels the warmth of healing from Tebati, but it does not do much for his anguish until he hears Jacob's words. His head snaps up and there is a fire in his eyes, "I will need more arrows....many, many arrows."
"Cousin," Tebati ventures, hesitation in her eyes, "where they have her now, there will be even more Bandu...." While upset over the woman's kidnapping, Tebati had clearly not envisioned a rescue mission against overwhelming odds.
Jakob loops his crossbow over his shoulder and gestures towards his long-spear.
"Hand me that please."
The spear rises from the ground and floats to Jakob's hand.
"Thank you"
He turns to Tebati.
"They are still on the trail and will not expect us. Most of their warriors are dead. Their leader is wasting time with Qhude comparing their relative manhoods.
We can catch them."
Kieran approaches the group of wounded, wiping his blade with a piece of cloth as he does so. Once Tebati administers her magical healing, the half-elf sheathes his sword and turns his eyes towards the fight between Qhude and the Bandu leader, a sigh of relief escaping his lips as he feels his wounds no more. His attention, however, is given to the discussion about the woman their attackers managed to get away with.
"I am not comfortable with letting a defenseless woman to their not-so-gentle hands," the rogue offers, his serious tone uncharacteristic of his usual demeanor. "What if it had been you, Tebati? Though you are far from defenseless, I know with certainty that I would rush to your side, odds be damned."
"It very nearly was I, when I was caught in the smoke," she admits, her eyes on the ground, remembering her fear. "If you are all going, I will go with you. Leave the soldiers here to guard those left behind. The Bandu are faster than all of us but Qhude and I," she warns, "and my healing is at its ebb. If anyone falls...." She trails off, shaking her head. "Unwe," she turns to the Sargavan woman, "remember what I said. I leave it to you and Stephanie."
"You can't be serious," Ansha says dubiously as the topic of conversation turns to mounting a rescue. "There are six of us, and that many warriors escaped through the mists, let alone whatever other Bandu attempted to strike us from behind. We're risking all of our lives to rescue one girl? That's not exactly a good return on the investment here."
She shakes her head, looking between Jakob and Kieran. "By the Unquenchable Fire, you're both insane. I can understand the situation she may be in--slave at best, sacrifice at worst--but I would not be surprised if they split up into smaller groups to avoid pursuit. Can we even track the group that took her?"
"Normaly faster yes, but they are carrying a prisioner and loot. If we hurry we have a chance."
"I saw her being carried away," Tebati responds to Ansha. "He ran between two boulders before escaping my sight; I can find the place again, but I have no skill at tracking a quarry." She looks to the men, unsure if any of them have been trained in that skill. "They're right," she tells the elf more quietly. "If it were me taken -- or you -- they would not give us up for lost so easily. And if it were one of them," she lets her gaze linger on Kieran and her cousin in turn, "I would chase after them if I had to go alone. Better to die with them than to live without them."
Turning her attention back to Jakob, she shakes her head. "I saw him carry her away. He was unencumbered by her weight and ran at full speed. But they will not expect a pursuit, not for one woman and a few armsful of supplies. Once out of range of N'bellocq's arrows, he will not have run all the way back to his tribe. Jakob, would you lend me your wand?" she asks. "When my spells are gone, I have little worth as a warrior, but I am quick and can hope to keep the rest of you alive."
"No one came for me and my brothers when we were taken from our boat. But then no one was there that could. But I am here now, I saw what happened, and I do not mean to stand by and watch that that be repeated. Not with blood still pumping in my veins."
He looks back at the rear of the caravan, "I have slain...what...many of them already." Not bothering to count but pointing toward the corpses in the dirt. "I just want to show them that they made a mistake. When they give her back, I will stop killing them."
To Tebati.
"Here you go. I hope you don't have to use it. And don't sell yourself short, you ran into that smoke without a second thought. The act of a warrior if you ask me."
To Ansha
"Maybe we will find her and maybe we won't. They might be bright enough to split up but I'm betting their brain is about to be pulped by Qhude. In any case it is worth a try. If you don't think so I am sure the caravan will be happy to have an extra set of eyes until we get back."
"We should get moving."
Tebati offers Jakob a quizzical smile as she accepts the wand and tucks it away for safekeeping. "Bravery and competence are two different things. I hope always to display the former but have yet to attain to the latter."
"Ansha," she turns back to the elf, "you needn't come. There is no reason to put yourself in unnecessary danger, when there is no guarantee it won't come to find you if you stay at the caravan. Jeggare," she calls to the caravan master, "are there arrows among the supplies or only bolts for crossbows?" She appeals to some of the hirelings who have gathered for healing and curiosity. "The woman they took, what is her name?"
As the words unfold to the North of him, Qhude bares his teeth and hisses - though maintains his watch upon the slaver. He completes the disrobement of his armor, leaving him wearing only his blood stained shorts and wielding nothing but his callous hardened fists. Stretching a few times to loosen up, he awaits the slaver showing a sign that he is ready...
Ansha throws her hands up in exasperation as she finds that she is in the minority on the issue. "Has the whole world gone mad?" she mutters, glancing around at her companions. "You're splitting the caravan's force in half to go chasing after one raider in hostile territory teeming with more demon-worshiping slavers to save one nameless servant-girl. They showed intelligence enough to set the ambush to begin with, and given that signal horn we heard to the north, this one isn't their only brain," she says, hiking a thumb at the Bandu slaver about to square off against Qhude. "This is incredibly reckless."
She takes a deep breath, as if to continue her argument. Instead, she releases it in a sigh, saying softly, "No one came for me when the cutthroats of Crown's End murdered my..."--she hesitates a moment--"my parents, and took me for a slave, either. I'd feel safer as a less visible, more agile target with you all, anyway." Mind, they weren't likely to sacrifice me to Our Lady in Shadow or any other demon lord, and I did repay that particular debt owed to my ex-lover....
"Mark my words, though. If you lot get me killed while we're off playing hero, I will haunt you from beyond the grave."
She pauses for a moment. "Does anyone know how to get to Freehold from here? Or for that matter, from wherever we end this chase at?"