Dolleen rides to the right side of the caravan, and scans the area - as well as the terrain beyond. Jimbli stays near her side.
Halvor rides with the caravan on the opposite side of Dolleen.
Spear in hand, Kaelaah remains on the wagon he was riding in…standing, he surveys the scene before him.
...what happened here? Where are the bodies?...
I stand up in the wagon I am riding in, and look over the scene...
I open my holy book...May the Dawnflower protect me... raise my free hand toward the sky, and then touch myself. A shimmering field surrounds me.
Noticing that Malin really wants to have a chat about past experiences, Fernand indulges him, as well as everyone else, in a tale from the southern front, before the Battle of the Ford which broke Taldan momentum. The story involves a time when Fernand and his company used the cover of darkness to liberate a border village and all its people from Qadiran captivity. Naturally, he embellishes the details a bit, in order to provide a rousing tale of chivalry and proper heroics.
"We keep using our heads and following our hearts, and we'll win this thing," he concludes. "They'll regret their envy of the light of the world."
***
Fernand looks around from atop his horse, considering who or what would have caused this...
"Probably those lizardmen we were warned about," he comments, after noticing that the cargo was not taken. "Dolleen, does your pet smell anything slimy?"
"Mmm... good question. See what you can sniff out, Jimbli."
She gestures to the wreckage for her cougar to get a scent.
Jimbli walks over and sniffs. He then lies down and begins cleaning his paws.
"I swear... we just worked on this."
Fernand, Dolleen, and Halvor all notice nine bodies scattered under a small copse of nine evergreen trees. The mystery of the caravan personnel is solved. As you carefully approach, one of the figures in face down with a dagger protruding from his back with crimson handle. There appears to be an empty container in the hilt.
Gwendolyn notices the bodies as well as the tracks of orcs leading into the woods.
As the body is rolled over, Jasmalus gasps.
Malik has the caravan workers begin to collect the scattered goods. Bolts of materials, hides, and papyrus. He grimly produces a few shovels and hands them to Halvor when the bodies are discovered, and resumes directing the teamsters to collect the goods.
Emerald and Jasmalus grimly examine the dead in the thin trees.
Jasmalus insists on burying the bodies and comments about the man stabbed in the back.
"This is Jetero, a merchant who frequents this area. He was a great source of information about the outer lands and Kelesh."
Malik wants to hurry up, and tells Jasmalus so.
I move over to the location of the bodies and try to determine their cause of death:
Heal:
Survival:
Sense Motive:
"I'll lend a hand with the shovelin'."
After Dolleen gets to work, she pauses and points to the dead man, Jetero.
"Fellow looks a fair bit like Jasmalus." After a glance to Jasmalus, she leans in to Amarisa as she inspects the injuries... "Don'tcha think so?"
She shrugs it off since Jasmalus surely would have said as much if they were kin.
...it is right to honour the dead in this way...to afford them a burial...quiet reflection of their passing into the next life...rather than leaving them as carrion...
Lost in his thoughts, Kaelaah assists with the burial in any way that he can; when Malik tries to hurry things along he flashes the man an angry scowl...
...and when the time comes for you to leave your mortal remains behind, would you not want them interred away from the wolves, crows and other beasts who would feed upon your flesh?
...and continues with the cold task of burial.
"There's what look like orc tracks here y'all!" Grendolynn announces. She shows them to anyone who's interested. My father's folk being about never's a good omen. Wonder how many of us are going to die out here? "Reckon we ought to go after 'em?"
I with to offer a last rite for these unfortunate souls.
Sarenrae teaches temperance and patience in all things. Compassion and peace are her greatest virtues, and if enemies of the faith can be redeemed, they should be. Yet there are those who have no interest in redemption, who glory in slaughter and death. Before us lie the cruel results of such evil actions.
The Dawnflower abhors the cruelties born in the hearts of mortals, and therefore her doctrines preach swift justice delivered by the scimitar's edge. May she grant a peaceful repose upon those who met such a cruel and heartless fate, and may she grant us the will and patience to bring their murderers to justice!
Amarisa performs a touching ceremony as Jasmalus and a teamster help the group bury the dead.
As the burial proceeds in earnest.......
Head bowed in silent contemplation...
...Kaelaah finds himself lost in thoughts of his old tribe; of life in the Mindspin Mountains of Varisia... a happy life but one that was never far from duties to the dead brought to his tribe's burial grounds...
Grendolynn rides after the orc, drawing her sword.
Initiative
Order of Action
Fernand
Halvor
Kaelah
Amarisa
Gwen
Orc
Entire Party
Orc
Jasper announces: "I will guard the wagons!!"
Perception:
I point off into the woods, There's an Orc over there!
I raise my holy symbol on high and cast bless! Courage comrades!
"On it!" Grendolynn cries, leaping onto her mount.
Fail
Fernand is inspecting the dagger when he hears the news about an orc in the distance. He draws his rapier and crouches behind a tree to get a closer look.
"Any more out there, Gwen?" he asks.
Amarisa casts a blessing, and the Dawnflower's power fills the air.
"Hey wait up!" Dolleen grunts and groans trying to mount quickly.
"Ain't no Gwenn here! Call me Lynn," Grendolynn growls over her shoulder. "Anyway, nah, just the single sumb%#%!. That's gonn' change real fast we don't cut him down, though!"
"I'll wager that you and your boneslicer are in a great position for that, Lynn," he responds.
Kaelaah, with no horse to ride, stays with the wagons.
...someone ought to stay behind to make sure that there aren't other orcs hiding in wait...
Recap -- Encounter 1 -- Burial in the Pines
The grisly burial detail was almost wrapping up as the cleric was saying some words of power and consecrating the ground and the spirits of the interred. It seemed fitting to bury each of bodies under an evergreen tree in the scattered copse of trees. Jasmalus, obviously moved, seemed to control some strong emotions, his face a grim mask of determination.
With the snapping of a twig, the lone orc spying on them was spotted, and he quickly tried to retreat down a game trail into the dense forest. The multicolored leaves in the forest providing a varied background that has made the retreat of the orc easy to follow. On alert, each of you with horses kept them close by, having grown accustomed to the instant mobility they provided.
The ranger reacts quickly and begins chasing down the lone orc. Fernand draws his rapier and looks for more orcs by the trees; Kaelah by the wagons does the same. Amarisa's blessing inspires all as Dolleen mounts up and prepares to move out too.
As the ranger plunges into the forest, she shouts a curse. It appears the wily orc has set up defenses.
The ranger ducks a nasty log trap triggered as the horse passes, ducking close to the horse as it passes over her head and moves to avoid a nasty pit trap.
A nasty log trap triggered as the horse passes, swings to strike you a glancing blow. Your horse falls into a nasty spiked pit. Ride DC10 to stay mounted.
Order of Action -- bold yet to go std surprise + full round
Fernand
Halvor
Kaelah
Amarisa
Lynn
Orc
Entire Party
Orc
I jump down from the wagon and begin moving toward the forest (end movement at I-30).
Halvor sees the orc and goes to chase the orc down while affixing his shield and drawing his weapon.
The ranger notices a log and pit trap on the trail and skillfully maneuvres the horse of the trail to avoid it. The orc continues to withdraw, but more pressing threats emerge.
A group of four orcs moves to the front of road with flaming arrows on their shortbows and lauch a volley at the wagons. The four orcs manage to hit each of two forwadmost wagons once. One of the arrows fail to catch, but one wagon begins to burn profusely and two teamsters rush to try to beat out the flames. The orcs seem to have a brace of fire arrows to fire.
Emerald seems calm, Malik screams like a girl as one of his wagons burns.
Party is up round 2
end of Round 1
Dolleen urges her mount around the little copse of trees, and up beside Kaelaah. She growls to steel herself.. preparing to charge forward.
Jimbli gets a few feet ahead - only slightly entranced by the flying balls of fire.
"Archers! Flamin archers! Lets 'em down!"
Grendolynn continues to chase the orc down the path, then veers off slightly into the tree line to follow it. She swings her heavy blade down at the orc's head as she rides up behind it. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAr!"
The ranger follows the orc off the trail, and a large hundred square foot net with rocks for counterbalance appears under her mount. Capable of completely engulfing a lone figure, it yanks the forequarters of the horse off the ground.
It appears the forest is laced with traps and pitfalls.
Recap -- Encounter 1 -- Burial in the Pines
Halvor and Lynn continue to pursue the orc into the woods. Pitfalls and trap abound in this woods. The ranger has avoided two nasty traps, the old swinging log and the pit, but a net trap tries to dismount her from her horse as she lines up a lethal swing at the orc fleeing her wrath.
Dolleen moves to confront the archers while the caravan team prepares to put out fires from the orc fire archers.
Kaelaah curses under his breath and, moving forwards, dives to the floor and loads his crossbow.
…too far away and too many of them…
Fernand emerges from the patch of trees and quickly takes cover behind another tree, watching both the north and the east for any signs of more orcs.
Fernand quickly emerges from the patch of trees and resumes a mounted position, ready to ride towards the archers.
- so it's a move action.
In a massive display of horsemanship, the ranger watches her horse flipped in the air, spins it around without losing her saddle and keeping her horse from falling using centrifugal force, and unheads the astonished orc with a single swipe of her blade.
The only down side is the orc archers are not there to witness such an incredible display of riding. Horse and rider are unharmed and unentangled.
Kaeleh positions himself on the ground with his crossbow while Fernand realizes the trip to the difficult forest is slower, and mounts his horse. Dollen moves her mount and animal friend into a better position.
ORDER
Amarisa
Halvor
Orcs
I run east, drawing my scimitar (double move to U-31)
Diplomacy:
You still have time to flee, worthy foes...you bring destructive flames, but I bring the Healing Flame! Turn now and run, before you endure our swift justice!
"Excellent maneuvering, Lynn!" Fernand announces as he settles into the saddle of his own horse.
The orcish fire archers continue to fire their shortbows at the wagons. Two fire arrows hit the rear wagon and one burns out of control and sets it ablaze. Two more groups of four orcs converge on the rear of the wagons. These eight orcs rush from the way you came wielding falchions, greatswords, and greataxes. The ones on the forest side of the road pause to take cover behind the trees. Jasper points out four more on the other side of the road attacking the caravan. The cunning and timing of the ambush become quite apparent as the orcs are operating in three groups with a decoy, now dead.
Malik shouts: "To the caravan!!"
Party to go
12 active orcs
From his prone position, Kaelaah lets loose with a bolt towards the gathering orcs…but, with the smoke from the wagons starting to obscure vision, it falls well short.
Halvor moves around the pit and tries to keep up with the fleeing orc
end of Round 2
Dolleen and Jimbli advance on the orc archers. Dolleen drops from the horse, and uses it for cover. With an intense frown of concentration, she begins imbuing her staff with the force of nature. She tests its "pow" against her palm, and peeks around her mount's rump.
After what he had already been through, there was no way Fernand was going to be brought down by a band of orc bandits.
"Gwendolynn, Halvor, over here!" he shouts, before making a quick decision and placing himself between one of the groups and the caravan, hoping that his horse felt the same way...
to get the horse to attack - fail
for - ugh.
I continue to advance on the group at the front of the wagons, doing a double-move to AG-31.
I can sense your evil...prepare to receive the punishment for your wrongdoings!