Nakoma quickly retrieves her starknife then turns to examine her team's wounds. Seeing Grauk is hurt, she pulls out her wand and uses it one him.
Then she clutches her starknife in hand and stares at the tower.
This is where they died...
"Ready?" she asks aloud.
Nakoma holds her star knife before her and casts her eyes to the smoky skies.
Desna, guide my hand.
Her starknife begins to glow with a crisp white light.
Azen looks over the downed orcs and the equipment wagon on the way to the tower to see if there is anything that looks useful. She uses Detect Magic. If there isn't anything magical, she sees if there are some arrows or anything else that looks immediately useful.
Acacius sees the tower and feels as if a stone is weighing down his stomach.
He bulls through the sensation and advances purposefully towards the tower, glaive once again in his hands.
"Thank you." Grauk smiles... or is it a sneer?
He looks over the pile with detect magic hoping for something of immediate use but anything registering with a magical aura will catch his eye. Potions, scrolls or wands would all be helpful especially if they have restorative magic but a magic axe for one of the others to wield is also useful.
There is nothing magical in the orc's cart full of gear. Mainly its orc weapons, but Azen's careful review finds a few valuables as well. Here is what's inside:
- 3 doses of armor ointment
- bundle of 20 tindertwigs
- golden bird cage
- 4 bottles of fine wine
- masterwork lute
- MW flail
- 2 orc double-axes
- 6 broken falchions
- 3 suits of leather armor
- 1 heavy wooden shield
- 2 climber's kits
- 2 grappling hooks
- 100ft of hemp rope
- 1 longbow
- 20 arrows
Seeing that her party member is taking the arrows she was looking for, Azen bypasses the cart and continues, following Nakoma, albeit more slowly.
Zeke picks up the crossbow he had dropped.
Zeke glances in the buildings looking for survivors as the group moves towards the tower.
Zeke presses his holy symbol to his forehead. “May Arqueros watch over us.”
He secures his shield and draws his morningstar ready for close combat.
Having gathered up their dropped gear, and grabbed some new things from the orcs' loot cart, the heroes move towards the tower where the first wave fell. The door is ajar and the incessant drum pounding resonates from atop the stone structure.
Nakoma blesses her weapon, which glows with white intensity, and Zeke provides an orison of divine virtue on each of his fellows as they enter the tower.
Three orc warriors are stationed on the ground floor of the tower. They move to engage the heroes as they enter. They are all armed with spiked chains, rather than the standard falchions.
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 1
23 Acacius
23 Grauk
21 Azen
18 Zeke
15 Red Orc
13 Nakoma
8 Yellow Orc
3 Blue Orc
Grauk does an amazing job of sending a burning glob against the far wall, his face scrunching up in annoyance.
In a flash, Acacius considers his options.
Ranged? The orcs will close too swiftly. Hang back? No, the orcs will assail his allies.
Advance? Yes!
Acacius marches into the centre of the room, glaring at each orc directly for just a fraction of a second as he turns, swinging his glaive at the one closest to his allies and shouting:
"Face me, you wretches! Face a man of Lastwall!"
Azen shoots blue from the doorway.
(point blank)
She is disappointed in her shooting, remembering that this is where Zirelle was killed, and she tries to put that out of her mind and focus.
"Get out of my town!"
Zeke moves in to attack the blue orc with his morningstar.
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 1 - continued
Acacius notes that these are indeed the same orcs who slew his allies before, and charges into the room, spearing Blue Orc with his glaive-guisarme, and giving the orc warrior a lethal blow, even if the ferocity of the orc keeps it upright for a while longer.
Grauk lobs more lava-like fire into the room, but cannot hit his intended target.
Azen's shooting from the doorway misses uncharacteristically.
Zeke also plows into the room, but his assault with his morningstar fails to wound the Blue Orc.
Red Orc takes a 5' step forward and attacks Acacius with his spiked chain, but as the chain unfurls it winds up just short of the armored fighter, and clangs to the ground harmlessly.
Nakoma dashes into the room and lunges at the yellow orc with her brightly glowing star knife...
As she plunges her blade into it's shoulder she says, "This time its you who falls."
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 1 - concluded
Nakoma's blessed weapon slashes Yellow Orc disabling him but not, as you have learned, putting him out of the fight.
Yellow Orc counters swinging his spiked chain in a windmill patterns before casting it at Nakoma with a hard smash upside the head.
Blue Orc takes a small step forward and crashes his chain into the side of Acacius, bruising his ribs and side.
End of Round 1
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 2
23 Acacius (9hp dmg)
23 Grauk
21 Azen
18 Zeke
15 Red Orc
13 Nakoma (11hp dmg)
8 Yellow Orc (-2hp, disabled)
3 Blue Orc (-2hp, disabled)
Zeke attacks the blue orc with his morningstar.
Grauk decided to aim a little lower this time as he hurled lava at one of the orcs.
Acacius sees the orc who felled Zan on his left and the orc who brought himself down on the right.
But it is the orc in the middle whom he can strike without risk to his companions, and that it whom he attacks, once he has stepped back.
Azen moves and shoots at Blue.
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 2 - continued
Acacius swings his polearm at the orc in the middle, but Red Orc seems ready for that attack and is able to bat the weapon away before it injures him.
Grauk is able to throw is lava ball at Red Orc, and this time it hits the target, burning him slightly, and possibly catching him afire.
Stepping around her allies for a clear line of fire, Azen successfully skewers Blue Orc with an arrow, adding to the damage that foe has taken so far.
Zeke continues to engage the mortally wounded Blue Orc in melee combat, but he cannot land a blow with his morningstar.
Red Orc manages to avoid most of the flaming lava, so as not to catch fire. He strides forward attacking Acacius with is spiky chain. The fighter catches the worst of it again, and for the second time in just a few seconds, takes a heavy injury.
"Desna, light my way," she mutters to herself. There's a glowing deep inside her open wounds, which then begin to heal.
She spins her starknife and drives it towards the yellow orc.
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 2 - concluded
Nakoma uses her power of divine fervor to provide herself some healing. Then without hesitating she turns and plunges her knife into the chest of the wounded Yellow Orc, damaging him further, but not finishing him off.
Yellow Orc counterstrikes at Nakoma, swinging its length of chain in an arc before smashing it into Nakoma's head. The priestess has no choice, but collapses on the ground where her friends died not long ago.
Blue continues to press the attack on the seriously hurt Acacius, busting the chain across his neck and back. The polearm fighter also has taken all he can, and falls face first in the dirt.
End of Round 2
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 3
23 Acacius (-2hp, unconscious and bleeding)
23 Grauk
21 Azen
18 Zeke
15 Red Orc (2hp dmg)
13 Nakoma (-3hp, unconscious and bleeding)
8 Yellow Orc (-8hp, disabled)
3 Blue Orc (-7hp, disabled)
Azen sees that Nakoma is down and shoots over her fallen comrade at Yellow, trying to thin the opposition.
Grauk tries to set another one of the orcs on fire as the orcs begin to overpower them...
Acacius draws back his polearm to strike again - and the same orc who felled him last time lashes out.
And Acacius is knocked senseless to the ground.
Nakoma continues to bleed all over the floor.
"No!"
Zeke desperately attacks the blue orc.
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 3 - concluded
Acacius falls, but the bleeding stops almost immediately and he lies there unconscious waiting for a healing hand.
With a pair of his new allies down, Grauk really needs a great conjuration, but it kind of fizzles as the pressure starts to build.
The normally sure-shot Azen also fires at the wounded orcs, but cannot hit the target this time.
His patron lord of warfare is of no help to Zeke as he continues to miss on his attacks against the orc trio.
Nakoma's wounds are greater and she continues to bleed out, slipping farther towards a meeting with Pharasma.
Red Orc turns his bloody spiked chain on the cleric now, hoping to knock another paleskin from the fight. But his attack is turned aside by Zeke.
Yellow Orc steps around the fallen Nakoma and flings his chain at Azen, but the bard is able to just avoid the heavy, rusty weapon as it clatters to the ground at her feet.
Blue Orc, dizzy from his wounds, is able to hit Zeke with his chain, but the cleric's breastplate dulls the impact so that Zeke is unharmed.
End of Round 3
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 4
23 Acacius (-2hp, unconscious)
23 Grauk
21 Azen
18 Zeke
15 Red Orc (2hp dmg)
13 Nakoma (-4hp, unconscious and bleeding)
8 Yellow Orc (-10hp, disabled)
3 Blue Orc (-9hp, disabled)
Glad that Yellow is attacking her rather than hurting Nakoma further, Azen steps back and fires point blank at Yellow again.
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 4 - continued
Stepping back from the melee attacks, Azen shoots Yellow Orc right in the face. Already seriously hurt, the orc cannot overcome this last attack and falls face first to the stone floor of the tower, clearly dead.
Grauk smiles as he hits the orc straight in the chest.
Zeke grits his teeth and attacks the blue orc.
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 4 - concluded
Grauk's fiery orb strikes the Blue Orc dead center, and when it explodes on him, he goes down hard.
Zeke turns his attack on the remaining orc warrior, but he nearly drops his weapon instead of making an effective attack with it.
Nakoma continues bleeding out on the floor while the battle rages around her.
Red Orc slides over and unloads his heavy chain at Zeke, but once again the heavy armor of the war-cleric allows him to absorb the blow without damage.
End of Round 4
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 5
23 Acacius (-2hp, unconscious)
23 Grauk
21 Azen
18 Zeke
15 Red Orc (2hp dmg)
13 Nakoma (-5hp, unconscious and bleeding)
"Arqueros!"
Zeke attacks the red orc with determination.
Worried about Nakoma, Azen leans down and touches her head, casting a spell over her and hoping that she isn't beyond help.
Just one more orc, we can do this.
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 5 - concluded
Grauk launches another burning glob, which strikes the remaining orc a glancing blow but still manages to burn him slightly. And he manages to avoid being engulfed in a bigger conflagration.
Watching Nakoma bleed out is just too much for Azen, so she foregoes the bow and instead focuses on saving her injured friend. After using some of her bardic magic, Nakoma may not be conscious, but at least she's stable.
With his deities war-cry on his lips, Zeke finally manages to hit his melee opponent, striking him hard enough to disable and wound the orc warrior.
Red Orc returns the attack against the priest of Arqueros, but his wounds prevent him from making much of an attack this round.
End of Round 5
Eastern Lookout - Ground Floor - Round 6
23 Acacius (-2hp, unconscious)
23 Grauk
21 Azen
18 Zeke
15 Red Orc (-2hp, disabled)
13 Nakoma (-5hp unconscious)
Acacius is still breathing and mercifully currently unaware of how close the fight became.
"Just die already!" Grauk continues to assail the orc.
Happy that her new friend seems to be stable, Zakoma fires at Red.
Eastern Lookouot - Ground Floor - Round 6 - continued
Grauk lobs another fiery mess at the remaining orc. Despite throwing into the middle of the melee fight with Zeke, the sorceror is able to hit the big target, and the lava burns the orcs skin.
Firing her bow once again, Azen is also able to score a hit on the Red Orc. The orc, already disabled, staggers once, then twice, then crashes to the floor clutching the arrow sticking from its chest.
End of Combat
With the combat over, the upright heroes catch their breath and begin to tend to their unconscious brethren. The pounding of drums from above seems to change tenor and rhythm and you hear the bellowing roar of more than one orc from above change in time with it. Whatever is happening, the drums seems to be driving the orcs into a blood-thirsty fury.
A circular stair against the outer wall leads to the second floor of the tower, but the noises above seem to be coming from the roof above.