Late at night.
Waking from trouble sleep Jakob roots through his pack and removes the box containing the deed and medal.
He takes some time contemplating the paper and the speck of silver. He knows they are important but he can no more understand why than he can understand the mute wax figure wearing his hat.
Briefly he considers simply giving the land to Qhude or Albert. But the one would see it as an insult and transferring the legal claim to Albert would likely prove impossible.
With a sigh Jakob slips on some clothes and leaving the box and medal walks to a quiet area of the camp, deed in hand. With a few words of Sylvan a large dun colored bird emerges from the dark forest. (casting Summon Nature's ally I) The young man hands the paper to the bird and points to the west.
The sound of wings barely troubles the sleeping camp.
Kamishah was finishing cleaning the cooking tent, hard at work with his staff. Ansha realised quickly that the perceptive man was completely aware of her watching him. The charismatic and handsome Mwangi made a beeline for her as the work was finished.
I do not know you, but I assume you have kitchen business. What are you here waiting for?
Ansha reacts in feigned surprise when Kamishah approaches. Attempting to disguise her voice to match the illusory disguise she wears, she replies, "I-I...No, no! I was just--The others, they were talking about you, and I wanted to see--see what they were t-talking about," she stammers shyly.
The chef scowled.
The woman of this camp talk too much. Gossip, gossip, gossip. This place is obviously too enclosed. But I have a prior engagement this evening, at any rate. Have a care that you are not manipulated by these treacherous women. They likely hold a grudge about something or other. Off with you, girl.
Ansha gives the man a crest-fallen look. "Okay," she says timidly, lingering in the obvious hope that he changes his mind.
Kamishah did not change his mind.
Qhude-
Night fell and a few hours passed. Other than the diminished guard patrolling the walls of the camp while most slept, Qhude seemed to be the only one still awake, sat outside the smith; occasionally ducking inside to make use of some of the tools and the facility itself.
The Bas'o was focused upon his work; but at his position facing the kitchen he was the first in the camp to see a bizarre and threatening sight; an especially large, primal and vicious looking ape, its size more in common with an ogres than any normal jungle beast. The ape had just wandered out of the kitchen tent and into the centre of the camp- which only had a single exit and entrance. Its eyes were sharp and focused and it seemed intent on walking over to the sleeping members of the camp gathered around the central fire...
Seeing that Kamishah won't budge, Zenj-Ansha mopes and departs. Too observant for his own good, she thinks as she ducks out of sight and dismisses her illusory disguise. Now wearing her own skin, she makes her way back to the Umkhaya's tent. Pushing the flap aside, she observes with a raised eyebrow that her oily double was wearing a hat.
A wry half-smile slowly spreads across her features, and she approaches the golem to quietly speak a command in Azlant. The construct unceremoniously removes the hat and other clothing it had been burdened with, and moves to stand vigilantly by the entrance to the tent.
That accomplished, she settles in to rest before preparing new spells for the coming day.
Qhude stills his breath as he regards the beast moving through the camp. Unconsciously his mind shifts through the reflective thoughts he had put to his work and into the warrior's mindset. His guisarme was by his bedroll... and his fist was unwrapped by rope... if blows were needed then he would rely upon only that which Shimye-Magalla gave him.
Already in a half-warriors crouch, Qhude positions himself to get a clear line of engagement towards the ape... and primes his muscles for action...
Qhude was able to stalk to a better position from which to engage without endangering those sleeping. The 9 foot tall Ape was strangely quiet as it moved; but it noticed the Bas'o readying himself to attack. Just as the fight between the two mammals commenced, four more apes emerged from the kitchen tent. These were normal sized, but nevertheless muscular and dangerous gorillas.
These gorillas are unnaturally muscular. It looks like magic might be bolstering them in some manner, because you know that gorillas with this kind of strength are generally freaks of nature. There is no way you would see more than two of them at a time...
Gorillas-
Qhude-
Round 1:
Qhude sees the inkawu-khulu notice him... and in that time gives himself over fully to the ibutho's instinct within him. Not yet turning to rage, Qhude begins a loping run towards the ape with his hands held low and wide to the side. As he strides he calls at the top of his lungs in polyglot
In the last few steps before he comes upon the great ape, Qhude leans to the right as though he were to attack from that side... before planting his right foot and spinning off it to his left. Feet leaving the ground his left arm aids the turn while his right tenses and it's elbow is driven hard at the inkawu-khulu's ribs...
Charging Power Attack Elbow: for
The groggy camp began to rapidly stir at Qhude's shouts, taken up by sentries along the walls who also spotted the apes. The cause of alarm was not immediately apparent to many, with the kitchen tent blocking line of sight from some parts of the camp.
Qhude surged into the fight, hitting the great ape mid-leap and using all his momentum to strike his elbow into its ribs; a well executed strike that would likely knock down most humans. It certainly broke some of the gorilla's many sets of ribs.
The massive beast lashed out with its mighty jaw and huge limbs; the ends of said limbs far more dangerous than a less primal gorilla's fists. This primal, savage age sported claws instead of fists, which was typical for the deadly Gigantopithecus. Qhude was brutally bitten and clawed before he could disengage from the sheer mass of muscle and fur; his punishment for tangling with the deadly brute.
The other apes, a little strangely, ignored the fight entirely, giving Qhude and his foe a wide berth. Either they were acting out of some form of deference to the dominant gorilla, or they had other orders; for their behaviour was quite unusual. They split up in different directions- one of them savaging a stirring camp follower near Qhude and the other narrowly missing another as he rolled towards the fire. Two more moved to nearby tents and tore open the flaps...
Four more apes emerged from the kitchen tent and the cries of alarm were taken up in the camp as panic began to sink in amongst the camp followers...
Round 2-
Ordered Initiative-
Jakob-
Ansha-
Kieran- +2 with sword in hand
Tebati-
N'bellocq-
Morvius-
Camp Followers-
Soldiers & Albert's Squad-
Jakob- 22
Qhude- 22
Camp Followers- 18
Tebati- 15
Kieran- 14
N'bellocq- 8
Morvius-6
Ansha-
Gorillas- 4
Soldiers & Albert's Squad-
Active Effects-
Map-
Notes-
Action-
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The youthful, dark-skinned man pressed his lips to hers, and a wicked smile played on her lips. "Ohhh, Kamishah," she moaned, reaching her hands out to caress his bare chest as her eyes fluttered shut. Her fingers danced across his muscular torso, and she felt the swell of charm magic at her fingertips.
"Ansha," pale, aged Utilinus said, breaking off their kiss. He grasped her by the shoulders and set her at arms' length. His eyes met hers with intensity, and he opened his mouth to say...
"Ansha...Ibutho-vuka!" Utilinus said with Qhude's voice.
Utilinus spoke again, with urgency, as Ansha looked at the Grand Custodian in horror--the juxtaposition of Qhude's harsh voice and Utilinus' urbane features was just too much. "Ibutho-vuka! Izikhali ezilungileyo!"
He grew more agitated, repeating the phrase as she stared at him, dumbfounded. Suddenly, he shoved her away. A black pit opened up behind her to swallow her, and she fell into its inky embrace...
Ansha startles awake, flailing at her surroundings for a second before realizing where she was. "What--?" she says, confused. Then, hearing the clash of arms outside, the enchantress scrambles out of her bedroll. Grabbing her belt and its attached scrollcases, potions, beltpouches, longsword and dagger, she runs out of the tent, incongrously nude but for the elegant choker at her throat.
Sizing up the situation quickly, she orders her waxy double, "Entluco ashdod!"
The golem charges toward the apes engaging Qhude, and Ansha moves to follow.
Round 2:
Qhude roared as the ape's jaws clamped shut and rolled with it's powerful clawed strike. But he was not unbowed... bellowing as he let conscious thought give way and gave himself over to the umgiyo. White heat flooded from his core to fuel his limbs and he assaulted the dire ape with renewed ferocity...
Round 2
"Holy F***!"
The unusually succinct statement seems to be pulled unwillingly from the groggy oracle.
"Move! Qhude is dying out there."
Grabbing his long-spear and fumbling a grab at a cloak suddenly tangled in bedclothes and strangely slippery with wax, the nearly naked oracle runs out of the tent.
(current gear: Long-Spear, smalls, signal whistle worn around neck, possible shield cloak if AK feels generous.)
{Move action to grab long-spear. Assuming exit to PC tent on AV,6 side. Standard action converted to move puts Jakob at BB,5}
Knowledge nature to ID the beasties? . Obviously some kind of Celestial Dire Marmots. (though the 15 total with Nat Div may make a difference)
Tebati wakes to the clamor outside the tent and rolls over to exchange alarmed glances with Kieran beside her. She reaches out to place a ward on him before seizing her trident. "Go with Shimye-Magalla's protection," she urges him.
Qhude slammed his fist into the ape with incredible strength, shattering bone and flesh with his bare hands, the white heat of his anger flowing through him. The fury in his eyes was evident and the primate was suddenly less certain of its dominance as it beheld his fearsome visage.
Inside the tent, Jakob grabbed his spear and got up to his feet. Outside it, the camp began to react to the simian attack. A confused looking onlooker stumbled out of the workers tent, eyes widening at the scene before him. Those unlucky enough to be sleeping under the night sky in bedrolls scrambled to their feet, fleeing towards the smithy and barracks. A few were struck by the savage apes, chased down for a few paces only to be viciously struck by animals far stronger than humans.
Tebati grabbed her trident and cast a spell of protection on her lover, who was in the process of...
Kieran rolled to his feet, grabbing his sword, while N'bellocq grabbed his bow and quiver.
A few of the gorillas were moving towards the workers quarters with purpose, only to be met by Ansha's wax golem. They slammed their fists against the tough construct and despite its natural toughness, the golem was almost destoyed outright by the savage primates.
Another camp follower was struck from behind as he fled towards the smithy, the gorilla's meaty fist slamming him to the ground with a heavy blow. Two apes moved towards the barracks and armoury; while two more seemed to be maneuvering to the tied animals and horses.
Qhude's mighty foe lacked his usual confidence and a brief hesitation cost the animal a chance to latch onto Qhude with both claws and rend his flesh. Nevertheless, its savage bite and claw left brutal, bloody wounds on Qhude's upper body before he again twisted free.
Another ape stumbled out of the kitchen through the large flap, eyes intent on Qhude.
The soldiers atop the walls had heard Qhude's cries of alarm and took in the carnage beginning to take place inside the camp. Armed with longbows, the soldiers fired from the watchtowers and walls, focusing mostly on those apes that seemed intent on slaughtering civilians; including Ansha's golem. The four soldiers on the west side of the camp all shot at one of the ape's approaching their fellow soldiers and the four on the east side fired at the apes attacking Ansha's golem. For the most part, the arrows fired had little effect on the gorilla's; the range and difficulty of the shots on the moving targets preventing many arrows from finding their marks.
Cries of alarm and shouts ran out from inside the soldier's barracks; but no soldiers yet emerged. It was likely they were hastily donning arms and armour...
Round 3-
Ordered Initiative-
Jakob- 23
Qhude- 22
Camp Followers- 18
Tebati- 15
Kieran- 14
N'bellocq- 8
Morvius- 6
Ansha- 5
Gorillas- 4
Soldiers & Albert's Squad- 4
Active Effects-
Shield of Faith on Kieran
Maps-
Link (Combat Focus with Token Names (Messy))
Notes-
Action-
Round 3:
The blows of the great ape weigh heavier upon Qhude, as further wounds are opened upon him. As the jaws of the beast clamp down upon him again, Qhude seeks a grip with his left hand in it's fur to use as fulcrum to deliver a neck breaking uppercut with his right hand...
...but the ape is strong enough to bend slightly in the clinch, and Qhude's fist is deflected off the side of it's hide.
Round 3
Jakob dashes nearly naked from the tent. As he runs his skin darkens, roughens and seems to sprout the odd leaf?
Tebati gets to her feet and rushes out into the chaos of the camp. She is viscerally alarmed by the sight of Ansha's golem surrounded by three apes before she reminds that she just left the real elf inside the tent. Disregarding the wax replica and its likely fate, she moves out into the open to gain an overview of the battlefield.
Kieran moves to stand with Tebati, feeling quite eager to test the new blade in his hand, even if it is against beasts of the jungle. "Monkeys," he exclaims as he takes in the surrounding chaos, especially the fight between Ansha's wax golem and three of the large apes happily pounding away at it. "Alright, big monkeys," he corrects himself with a shrug. If he had shown a more serious side mere hours ago, it seems to have fled in the face of imminent battle.
Ansha follows out after the rest of the Umkhaya into the chaos of battle. Seeing that her double is in trouble, she stops and begins to incant a spell. Words falling from her lips drowzily, a hand extends to sweep lazily in the direction of the three apes. The three apes waver and sway as the magic begins to take hold.
Meanwhile, her golem doubles up its waxy fists and lets fly with a haymaker at one of its still-conscious assailants.
Those camp followers still out in the open continued to scramble for the protection of either the worker's sleeping tent, or the smithy. The inhabitants of the former were already hastily grabbing simple weapons from among their possessions.
N'bellocq exited the tent, following Tebati and Kieran; nocking an arrow as he moved. He saw the badly wounded Qhude facing down an equally terribly wounded ape and decided to intervene rather than try to save Ansha's golem. With unerring accuracy, the deadly archer put an arrow through the ape's skull just as it raised its claws to strike Qhude down. Rather than collapsing to the ground however, the animal simply faded away as it left the material plane entirely...
General Morvius surged out of the senior staff tent with a two-handed sword held over his shoulder. He built up momentum as he ran, dressed only in his smallclothes, at the closest ape- grunting with the effort of swinging the greatsword as he hacked into its body with a fury. The ape was severely wounded but remained standing nevertheless.
he called out towards the barracks, before refocusing on his fight with the ape.
Ansha's spell was cast, but to no apparent effect as the ape's seemed to shrug off her magic, too focused on destroying her double; whose own counterattack seemed feeble as the three gorilla's tore the golem apart, reducing it to a loose ball of wax as the magic that held it together unravelled.
With the golem destroyed, one of the apes moved to engage Kieran and N'bellocq while the third ran at Jakob. Both men wounded their would-be attackers, with Jakob's scratch knocking the gorilla off-balance before it swung at him, growling the whole time.
With his hefty sword still embedded into animal flesh and struggling to pull it free, Morvius was savagely mauled by the ape he had harmed. He winced in pain as his chest was battered by powerful fists, but did not let go of his blade, eventually yanking it loose with a loud grunt of effort.
The two apes moving towards the horses moved out of sight of the group, their activities unknown to them. On the far side of the camp, the two apes sprinted for the southern wall, clearly intending to climb it. The newcomer ape that had emerged from the tent flap engaged the Bas'o in front of him- but the warrior ducked underneath the beast's swing, even as his eyes spied another ape emerging from the tent in much the same manner as the former.
The soldier's continued to fire their longbows into the fray below. At Morvius' shouted direction, they concentrated fire on those about to climb the south wall, with this particular volley proving far more effective than the former. Between five arrows that found their mark, another of the apes faded away from the wounds taken.
Round 4-
Ordered Initiative-
Jakob- 23
Qhude- 22
Camp Followers- 18
Tebati- 15
N'bellocq- 8
Morvius- 6
Ansha- 5a
Kieran- 5b
Gorillas- 4
Soldiers & Albert's Squad- 4
Active Effects-
Shield of Faith on Kieran
Maps-
Link (Combat Focus with Token Names (Messy))
Notes-
Action-
Round 4
Spinning the spear as a distraction Jakob steps back and to his left.
A series of soft grunts mixed with Sylvan issues forth from the oracle. His attention and the words focused on the more distant ape.
The farther ape from Jakob was compelled by his command of nature, lowering its fists as it seemed eager to regard Jakob as its new friend.
Round 4:
In the depth of his umgiyo Qhude does not know how close he came to death... all he feels is the incandescence of rage and frustration at the fact his opponent vanished into thin air. When the smaller ape presents itself as an easy target Qhude grabs at it's head and drives his knee up towards it's chest...
Qhude's wounds were telling and although his fist made contact, it lacked the power to harm the next ape facing him any more than superficially. His ferocity did shaken the ape's will to fight though.
Detached from melee combat and with a clearer picture of the battlefield, Tebati and Ansha saw what Qhude, the other men, General Morvius and the soldiers firing into the compound did not- five dark men, their exposed flesh painted almost black over their normal dark skin, finishing a climb of the southern wall at staggered points. They moved well and were lightly armoured, in studded leather. Each swiftly tied a rope to the top of a stake upon the wall and tossed the remaining rope down below. They were obviously paving the way for further attackera. They seemed to be equipped with spears, javelins and blow guns...
The camp followers were now almost all clear of the fighting; General Morvius' intervention having shaken off the most persistent of the ape pursuers.
Tebati's eyes widen as she realizes the summoned apes are only a distraction from the real enemy. "" she shouts a warning before taking a pinch of dirt between her fingers. "Shimye-Magalla, lend me your swiftness ... like a cloud before the storm," she beseeches, before taking off with divinely-enhanced speed toward the south.
Seeking to free up the others to aid Qhude, N'bellocq fired at both the ape attacking Kieran and the non-charmed ape moving aggressively towards Jakob. His aim was precise as an arrow slammed into both the ape's chests, but the wounds inflicted did not stop them.
General Morvius finished off the ape assaulting him with a more precise cut of his greatsword and it too disappeared. He looked up at the south wall and barked orders, both to the camp generally and then to Tebati.
Perhaps not trusting that the group would heed his words, Morvius himself limped towards the kitchen tent; and Tebati.
If Ansha seems at all concerned at the loss of her wax golem, she does not show it. Without any apparent regard for its fate, and only a twinge of irritation at Morvius' orders, Ansha weaves her hands in a complex pattern, her image growing blurry as she does so. Intoning a few words of magic, the blurry quality surrounding her splits off into multiple images as everyone around her sees quadruple. Defensive magic in place, she rushes off to the south toward the kitchen.
Wasting no time, Kieran slashes at the large ape in fropnt of him, quickly ending the creature's life as a horizontal wound opens across its midsection. With his foe dispatched, the half-elf starts moving towards the south of the camp, at the same time keepin an eye at Jakob and how he seems to fare against his own opponents.
Kieran's foe faded away; the animal's connection to the material plane severed by his sword and N'bellocq's arrow.
Along the southern wall, the surviving gorilla quickly scaled the stockade and clambered over; attacking the beleaguered soldier there as he turned to see the new threat. The soldier cried out in alarm and fear as he found a gorilla attacking him in melee, but his armour held. The soldiers on the wall were fully armed and armoured; in scale mail and with heavy shields strapped to their backs, their defence was formidable.
The screams of panicked and dying horses was apparent from the eastern side of the camp. Jakob was attacked by the non-charmed ape; his hardened skin did not prevent him from being wounded by the vicious, wounded animal; its blood up. Jakob's charmed animal was hesitant until it saw its new friend harmed. The gorilla owed nothing to the other animal, and whatever orders it had seemed to be forgotten. It surprised the other animal with a vicious attack on its back and the animals fought only briefly before Jakob's gorilla emerged victorious, the other animal fading from the material plane like all the others.
Tebati's run across the camp was not unnoticed by the gorillas emerging from the kitchen and she found herself met by one of the animals. Her forward momentum provided a perfect opportunity for the strong gorilla to wound her with a powerful swing of its arm.
Qhude's foe was shaken, but would not relinquish its survival instincts. Its trepidation at fighting the formidable Bas'o gave him the extra split seconds he needed to dodge aside from the ape's attacks as the man found his rhythm.
However, yet another ape had emerged from the kitchen tent.
But reinforcements from the soldiers finally emerged from the barracks. Clad in hastily donned chainmail and with swords and shields locked together, twelve soldiers marched out and made a beeline for the walls. Likely the other twelve or so soldiers, as well as Albert's squad, were still preparing inside. It was unlikely that these twelve could have donned their own gear so fast without help.
[i]Spells effecting: Barkskin 397 Rounds Left. Bless 40 Rds lft. Charm animal (ape) 2398 r. l.
Pale green blood and dark red sap flowing from his ripped flesh. Jakob runs towards the center of the camp.
"The Horses!" Jakob shouts following the shout with a word in sylvan the rings the camp like a bell.
Trusting that the situation inside the Camp could be contained by Tebati's group, the soldiers along the walls did their best to try and hold the walls. Three of the soldiers from each side fired arrows at the western most Mwangi- and the man managed to dart aside from two of them while the third clipped his leather; justifying the light armour they bore. The soldiers upon the eastern wall followed suit- and one of them managed to fire a well placed arrow into the chest of one of the attackers, badly wounding him. The soldiers all moved closer to the assailants as they fired their bows.
Dropping his bow, the soldier being attacked by the ape stepped back and readied sword and shield, calling for the soldier to his east to aid him, to stand together. His fellow heeded the call, firing his bow and missing once more before tossing it aside in favor of unsheathing his longsword as he moved.
Round 5-
Ordered Initiative-
Jakob (acted)- 23
Qhude- 22
Attackers- 21
Tebati- 15
N'bellocq- 8
Morvius- 6
Kieran- 5a
Ansha- 5b
Gorillas- 4
Soldiers & Albert's Squad- 4
Active Effects-
Shield of Faith on Kieran
Charm Animal on Jakob's Ape
Longstrider on Tebati
Barkskin on Jakob
N'bellocq 1 perfect strike used.
Bless on party
Maps-
Link (PC Focus with Token Names (Messy))
Notes-
Action-
Round 5:
Qhude's frustration grows and he pounds at the ape's chest with hands linked and with bone cracking force...
Qhude wounded his fresh foe with linked hands, but a single blow, even from one as strong as Qhude, was very unlikely to down one of the tough Gorillas.
The five attackers on the wall surged into action, having secured passage for an unknown number of attackers below. The most wounded of these men engaged a soldier descending from the south-east watchtower with a spear, but the archer's scale mail and a quick step back prevented a wound.
Two more of the attackers surged to attack tone of the wall guards while he was still fumbling with his shield, forcing him to try and parry blows with his sword as he was caught between the two. To the Mwangi's surprise, the soldier proved quite adept at melee combat as his skillful swordplay kept both spears at bay with his back to the stockade's edge.
The archer who had come down from the south-western watchtower did not fare nearly so well. His attacker ran at him and leapt into the air with spear in both hands, adding weight to the power of his lunge as he stabbed the spear right through the man's scale mail. The soldier staggered back from the powerful lunge; but not before the syringe attached to the spearhead delivered a toxin straight into the man's chest...
In a move so brave as to perhaps be foolhardy, the remaining attacker on the wall moved to block the ramp leading up to the stockade walls from the six approaching soldiers; holding out his spear defiantly as he shouted war cries in Polyglot at them.
With a rope to brace against the wall, the rest of the attackers were quick to begin to appear on the walls, clambering over and fanning out over the south wall like a swarm, spears and blow guns in hand. If they seemed perturbed by the presence of the ape on the walls, they did not show any sign of it. In all, twenty five more men had scaled the wall, five from each secured rope. And the man standing alone against the approaching soldiers suddenly had an ally on either side of him.
Thats a lot of targets... N'bellocq whispered as he slowly began to stride south, firing arrows rapidly at Tebati's attacker in order to clear her a path, firing between a narrow gap between Kieran and Jakob...
The many Anshas run for the entrance to the kitchen tent.
"So much for them 'just warning' us!" One of the elves calls as she withdraws a scroll from a case at the belt in her fingers.
Tebati has barely had time to bridle at Morvius's command before she finds herself reeling from the ape's assault. Glowering at the beast, she dares it, "Try and strike the wind!" as she calls on Shimye-Magalla's grace. Flowing as smoothly as water around a stone, she continues unhindered toward Qhude. Glancing around at those injured in the initial assault, she grips her holy symbol and positive injury shimmers out around her, going dead and inert in the air around the gorilla Qhude is fighting.
Tebati's channel helped to stem the bleeding and seal the wounds of several camp followers, who may have died in the carnage otherwise; as well as healing herself and Qhude.
N'bellocq's two arrows wounded the gorilla Tebati left behind but it did not fall- at least not until General Morvius marched up resolutely, feinted high and rammed his greatsword into the ape's stomach. The blow was enough to send it from the material plane.
Kieran quickly makes his way to his next simian opponent, the half-elf sprinting to his target and then delivering a powerful vertical slash, cutting across the large beast's chest and stomach. There is no mistaking the look of exhilaration on his face as he shoots a look towards Qhude, his fellow warrior heavily wounded but standing his ground all the same. And somewhere in his mind he thinks of his new weapon, 'This is proving to be a remarkable blade.'