The black-armored hobgoblin raises his blade and strikes out at Rhavenna...
His blade slashes across the Centauress's flesh with practiced ease. "Ya bleed easy slave 'taur, but..." His tail whips around as he taps his Mounts sides. "... I have what I need now." One of the creatures tentacles reach out and recover the dropped lance as it growls in anger. It's eyes begin to glow and Wallace barely has time to avoid being thrown off as Rhavena lashes out with a hoof aiming for the tentacled horrors head before it finished what it was doing...
Her hoof met no resistance as they vanished completely...
Appearing far closer to the ruined fortress and abandoning their companions completely...
The last Hobgoblin screeches at the disappearance of the Hobgoblin leader as it nocks another arrow and prepares to fight to the death...
Updated Ini
Livain Your Up!
Enemy Hob/Wolf 1 (down -1 Stabilized) - Hob 1 on foot - 120 ft away
Hobgoblin Garrison Siege Engineers
Something Vile
Hobgoblin Garrison Archers
Wallace
Rhavenna
Mai
The Hobgoblins black tentacled beast casted Dimension Door, allowing it to rapidly escape the battle...
Livain drops from her perch and uses her wings to gently glide to the ground. Upon landing she fires her bow and smiles as the remaining goblin receives another present.
Wallace takes the moment provided to seek the black wolfs flesh with an open palm.
Wallace frowns as the creature vanishes. "He fled with the magic, retreating to regroup with his allies. We should regroup with ours."
The human states as he looks to the retreating wolf.
"Unless you feel you can hit him from here Rhavenna. I doubt that Hobgoblin is in any fit state after the damage we dealt him. One good shot could likely end him."
The goblin archer jerks as the arrow drives them tot he ground alongside their beaten mount. The sound of combat over where Xiang Yu and his companions are still fighting continues, as does the beating of drums and the growing chorus of Hobgoblin chants.
Ini Updated
Finally the chanting ends with the appearance of a large beast that pushes its way partially through the collapsed front opening of the ruins. Its white scales glint lacklusterly in the sun as it looks around, surveying the area before it before pressing more out onto the open field. As it emerges it reveals it draconic nature as it has a pair of leathery wings which it spreads wide and, despite their torn look, give a powerful rush of air as it tests them with a powerful wing beat...
The retreated Hobgoblin commander sits astride his war-beast as the creature looks to him for direction. He waves his bloodied blade in the direction he had retreated from and the creature let loose another tree shaking roar.
"Dammit!!" Rhavenna shouts stomping a hoof in anger. "That @#$%^er just took my #$%^ing lance as a trophy!" she says as the roaring drowns her out.
"A @#$%$##ing dragon??!!?"she says incredulously, resheathing her blades and going for her bow.
Maiathreen feels the scales on the back of his neck shift much like the hair on a dog at the sight of the dragon. His red and gold eyes shift like fire as he speaks out in draconic to who he can only assume is Dresskel. He stands still with Soul Taker out to his side a red and black aura swirling around it.
"Kii tir wux faestir nomenoi nurilt drekimi?"
:Master...please tell me you know what your doing?:
As she stomps her foot in frustration she finds her lance suddnely oking out of the muck around her hooves. the same muck that had consumed one of the downed pairs of foes...
The Lance though appears unharmed, in fact it appears to be refreshed, its wooden stock appearing more vibrant as if it had been allowed to sit and feed...
"It looks draconic but I doubt it is a true dragon like Aradacemorn. Such a creature would not have escaped the silvers attention were it truly what it appears to be." Wallace states after an intake of breath and a repressed urge to facepalm. I am going to tear Hawk a new one after this, if men of ours aren't dying already there is a good chance letting that thing past us will assure it. The human thinks darkly as he looks to the beast.
" Regardless we are going to find out soon enough, its coming for us now. Livian, Rhavenna pelt the thing with arrows. Try to avoid clustering if you can, keep trees between it and you. It might shoot fire or some other elemental death at us depending on how much of a dragon it is. Maiathreen, go after it in the air. If you can keep it occupied with you we can chip at it from range until it is weak enough we either drive it off or it is set up for a death blow." Wallace states quickly looking to his various allies.
"I'll do my best to get your wounds healed, whatever that thing is I fear Hawk and Xiang-Yu are under enough pressure just dealing with the brunt of the hobgoblin forces. If we can do it bringing this thing down would break the Raiders morale in half and lead to a decisive victory."
Wallace looks to the crumbled keep and the wounded commander.
"I want that commander alive at the end of all this. There is much more than meets the eye to what is happening here and I want to find out what before the proverbial trap finds our leg. It will be much harder to do if we need to find a caster to speak to his corpse. I can get far more out of a living creature anyway. Perhaps I can even find the commands he uses for that mount of his, magicking out of battle like that seems a highly useful trick to have." The human states with an appraising edge to his words as he examines the commanders war mount.
As Wallace finishes speaking a hooded figure drops from the canopy above. Using the squishy tentacle wolf corpse to break their fall. She pulls back her hood and reveals herself as one of Hawks party. Some of you know here as Yalanda the combat healer. "Captain sen..."
The beast gives another roar as Maiathren addresses it, the roar was dripping with mockery...
... its eyes quickly scanned the woods, honing in right on the area where the insect was in the trees as it bellowed in response.
A large fog cloud expanded outward around the creature. Obscuring it from your sight and enveloping the recently escaped Hobgoblin commander and its black beast as well.
As the fog billows outward the hobgoblins chorus dies down, leaving an eerie silence to prevail over the clearing. Broken by the sounds of combat winding down from where Xiang Yu and his party were fighting. In the quiet the twanging sound of bows from somewhere in the trees.
Yalanda clears her throat, as unnerved as the rest of you. "The Captain sent me to heal ya if needed and by the look of it ya need it."
"Who else is injured?"
Ini
Hobgoblin Garrison Siege Engineers
Something Vile
Hobgoblin Garrison Archers
Yalanda
Wallace
Rhavenna
Mai
Livain
As Yalanda works on the group a second fog cloud expands in front of the first, further obscuring the clearing...
The sounds of combat were indeed winding down over where Xiang Yu and the rest were fighting...
The Hobgoblins remain quiet and don't appear to be making the first move this time...
Livain quickly checks the corpses for any quivers or useable equipment that might help them.
"well unless you happen to have a means to banish fog I think we will be retreating now." Wallace states toward the advancing mist.
"I have a trick I can use to get rid of it once but I doubt it will do much if this thing can summon fog repeatedly."
"Yeah, running into that would be suicide." Rhavenna says in frustration.
"It's unfortunate we can't summon the attentions of the dragon who showed us how to get here. A dragon that would stoop to helping Hobgoblins would likely be enough of a threat for him to aid us."
swiveling his head Wallace glances at the group as a whole
"Any objections to retreating at this point? Regrouping with Hawk and Xang Yu seems like the best option unless someone has a plan for how to deal with that fly death wall over there."
Maiathreen lets out a growl of irritation as he steps back to speak with Wallace. "Retreat?! This filth doesn't deserve to call its self a dragon. I want its hide for a bed roll so it may spend the rest of eternity on the ground!" He says as fire flickers across his fingertips and smoke wafts from his mouth as if he wished to breath fire like a true dragon.
Wallace looks to his ally one eyebrow rising, before lowering his voice some to avoid the dragons attention "Well I did have the thought of taking all the alchemist fire we happen to have. With something clearing the way to see, allowing someone to go about body checking the dragon, igniting all the vials which they would be carrying." The cleric states as he looks casually at the vials on his hip.
"It would however be suicidal for anyone not highly resistant to fire, and likely still have the person in question die on the dragons claws even if they were to include a smoke stick or two as a getaway smokescreen. But as the dragon in question would be clever it would realize it could just breath a cone of death into the general area and kill whatever was hiding in the smoke. What a shame it would be were at that exact moment a tanglefoot bag were to enter its windpipe. Why with that sort of surprise distracting such a creature I imagine it might not notice a group of warriors beating on its hide between the asphyxiation and burning."
The human states with a lazy half grin on his face, an disturbing hungry glint to his eye.
" But that is all hypothetical as my opinion of this encounter is that we are heavily outmatched by the creature we face. At most the dragon would likely recover and slaughter anyone who enacted such a plan. It would however have a much larger chance of success than just growling at it ferociously and trying to kill it with your sword"
The plans audacity matched only by Wallace's terrible effort at appearing anything but interested in the possible results of such an action.
Livain
Scouring over the bodies of her opponents she is able to scrounge up 56 black shafted arrows, a dark wood longbow of exceptional craftsmanship (despite the filth that clings to it...), an unidentified vial and a pouch with 38 gp in it.
The rest
As Livain is scrounging items off the corpse of a nearby hobgoblin. Yalanda flinches as the fog bank increases again. The fighting dies off completely where Xiang Yu and his party was last heard as the twang of multiple bows are answered by the pained cries of hobgoblins and their mounts alike.
"Dunno what ya have planned but the Captain is getting everyone patched up, he's sent for reinforcements as well. I'll be nearby if you need me." With that she dashed off towards where Xiang Yu and his companions were.
__________________________________________________________________________
The trees shift as a couple figures move towards the billowing fog cloud. "In position Captain."
"Don't fires unless it advances."
The others nod and raises their bows, aiming arrows with glowing runes at the fog cloud at the center of the clearing.
__________________________________________________________________________
Xiang Yu pulls his blade from the downed Hobgoblin before quickly beheading it. He limps along, anger etched into his features as he reaches the next Hobgoblin on the ground. "Yu you have to stop."
He reached the downed enemy, raising his Naginata high he gives a low grunt as he brings it down on the unconscious creatures throat. Cutting half way through its neck and ensuring it did one thing. Die. "Yu your injured Sir, stop moving."
The hobgoblins beasts were just as defenseless, however they were far away. He stabbed his Naginata in the ground and drew out his bow and ended them with several swiftly shot arrows. The beasts roar from the direction of the fortress draws the Samurai's ire as someone shouted at him from behind to stop again. Yu never looked back as he shouldered his bow and spoke coldly to whoever it was that was distracting him. "They crippled her and now I will cripple them."
He recovered his Naginata before marching off towards the source of his rage.
His party, battered and bleeding watch him leave as someone works furiously on his downed mount. "Godfrey stop him."
Godfrey turned towards the person addressing him as he ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair. "Are you mad? He's not gonna stop until they are dead or he is. However I am betting on him and I sure as hell don't want him turning that blade on me."
___________________________________________________________________________
Moments later~
Xiang Yu approaches with Naginata across his shoulders, its blade dripping with blood as he marches his way in the direction of the fog clouds. However he isn't quite past your group yet...
"He's not able to see past the fog of rage he's in...caught up in avenging his beloved companion and mount." Rhavenna says while nocking an arrow and training her bow on the center of the fog.
Wallace, having been halfway finished with his impromtu plan shrugs. "With Xaing Yu here the plan just gets easier. Maiathreen, here's my alchemist fire, lamp oil and a smoke stick. try to get behind the dragon and use it so you don't block sight for Xaing yu. Livain, a tanglefoot bag. Wait for an opportune moment and it. Rhavenna, back up Xaing Yu and go after the dragon. If we had something to keep it on the ground with I'd suggest using that but all we hve is easily broken rope far as I can tell. I'm going to use my lords blessing to open a door for us, consider that the signal for all this." The human then tilts his head and glances to the approaching Tian man "And if it all fails we still have the option of trying to beat the thing to death while holding out for the reinforcements that are supposedly coming."
"And with that I have nothing else to tilt this in our favor. The fact that we went into this unaware is something I am going to give Hawk an eyeful for." The human says as he continues to prepare his spell. " If we survive this that is." Wallace mutters biting back a deep anger as he glares toward the previous battlefield. "But just like last time we can't outrun that thing and hoping it gets hungry and flies home isn't going to help when we are on its door step already. We have no path but forward. He shrugs and looks to the centaur of the group " Rhavenna I have some rope, if you can grab a limb and keep it distracted. I'm going to run back to my mount and try to do the same, I don't think there is anything else I can do but I have some powerful acid that might at least burn the thing. Take it if you feel like it will help."
Hawk bites back a curse as Xiang Yu breaks the woodline and enters the open field. "Cover him." Is all he mutters as he raises his bow, aiming at the fog bank.
The fog bank billowed outward, providing a decent amount of cover from the ruined fort and the hobgoblins therein as Xiang Yu strode out about twenty meters from the tree line. By the time he had reached the spot another fog bank was billowing upward and on top of what was already there. Undaunted, Xiang Yu leveled his naginata towards the cloud and called out powerfully. "Lái ba Dresskel ràng wǒ de liángyuán liú mǒu jǐyǔ nǐ tōngguò dìyù!" He swung the weapon around and displayed his profound skill with it as his challenge rang across the clearing.
In response the fog bank burst outward and standing in the midst of the fog was Dresskel. The large creature looked arrogantly down on the smaller creature challenging it. It's mocking laugh didn't affect the angry samurai a bit as Xiang Yu stood poised with his Naginata in his hands.
" Alright, that will do as a distraction. Maiathreen start moving over the fog cloud to get in position to flank the dragon. Livain move up so you can use that tanglefoot bag, Or fill it full of arrows. Whatever seems more useful at the time. Rhavenna if you could do the same thing you did to that war dog to the dragon over there it would be great. Once I get rid of the fog that is."
"You must be out of your @#$%ing mind if you think I'm attacking a dragon with rope." Rhavenna says, her eyes trained on Dresskel as the monster emerges from the fog, her bow ready to fire. ”I’ll take a shot and then charge him.”
Wallace gives a tight lipped grimace, and releases a single predatory exhalation as he looks at the dragon ahead " I think that anyone seeking to even get near that thing after all we've experienced at the hands of its kin is on the wrong side of sanity."
The human smiles at the centaur, though it does little to hide the tremors in his hands.
"But then I don't believe I've ever said I was sane, and it seems like I'm in good company."
"At your service!"
She gives a nod at Wallace then winks at her husband with a small smile.
"Let me help you get that bed roll you wanted mi amor."
She steadies herself and locks eyes on the dragon. She nocks an arrow to her bow and swiftly draws back. With the images of those slain children in her mind she releases an arrow with a promise of revenge. As quickly as one was released another was nocked then fired right after. She continued to do this each time more furiously than the last. The color in her eyes gave way to the black and her once kind demeanor shifted into something primal and predatory. It was the look of an angry mother out for blood. Every time an arrow released her lips curled into a vicious smile. The white dragon in her was present and she did not hold it back anymore.
Having married a white dragon~ You can tell near instantly that this one is a white dragon, although far less intimidating with its tattered wings and battered scales...
Dresskel is the name of a young white dragon that was a scourage across Northern Iobaria. It destroyed several villages, ransacked outposts, plus it ruined multiple major logging and mining operations. However it was supposedly killed by warriors from Veka decades ago and its sizeable horde at the time was ransacked and made Veka into what it is today. It's the reason that weapons from Veka are remembered historically as being the best in Iobaria around the time you and Livain were fleeing that plague ridden land.
"Dresskel...strange I've been thinking this over and the name sounds familiar. Wait Dresskel, that was the name of a dragon that had raided along northern Ioberia only he was supposedly killed years ago. Also while this Dresskel is a true dragon he seems lessened notice his wings and scales both are battered." Maiathreen says as Wallace is handing out the alchemical items.
As Liv unleashes her barrage, Rhavenna sends her shot streaking towards Dresskel as well.
Maiathreen spreads his wings as Livain and Rhavenn both launh their arrows at Dresskel. He takes off into the sky a red streak. At the appex of his ascent he throws one of the bottles of alchemists fire at the white dragon.
Dresskel roars in anger as two arrows pierce his hide, he looks around in rage for those attacking him as several more arrows streak out of the trees...
... another set of small streaks of blood start to run as Dresskel rages. He inhales as the fog clouds dissipate. Revealing the twin Ballista glistening in the distance as the Hobgoblin's appear to have readied siege weapons!
Two arrows launch skyward, one releasing an ear piercing scream while the other reach's the highest point of its arc and explodes with a dense cloud of dark smoke that hung heavily in the sky like a shadow.
Dresskel
He inhales, so much that its belly distends momentarily, its scales slide apart enough to show what appear to be blue cracks running along its chest and underbelly. Glowing with a baleful dark blue like that of mountain water for a moment before the dragon released a blast of blistering cold breath that covered the ground in ice crystals and slammed into the defiant Xiang Yu. As the dragon Exhales Xiang Yu started to run forward, into the blast, headlong towards the dragon. His injured leg didn't slow his stride any longer as his battle spirit drove him onwards!
The Hobgoblin's do not fire their ballista's, appearing to be waiting for a clear shot...
Ini
Hobgoblin Garrison Siege Engineers 500 ft away 60ft high- Done
Something Vile - 250 ft away - Done
Hobgoblin Garrison Archers 500 ft away 60ft high - Done
Xiang Yu - 80 Feet away Running
Hawks Party
Other Party
PARTY IS UP!
Yalanda
Wallace
Rhavenna
Mai
Livain
Hawks Group
The arrows called to his other fighters, many cursed as they were fighting Hobgoblin skirmishers and knew that the signal was a call to regroup. They continued to struggle against the enemy in the brushes...
The fight was near dead even, the only reason they were prevailing is because they had superior tactics and magic to draw upon while the enemy was using strength of numbers and explosive vials...
Party
Aside from the smoke in the sky, several more smaller explosions sound in the distance. Smoke and even some flame rise some distance away as a struggle continues elsewhere...
Yalanda continues to keep up her singing but casts spells to bolster your party...