Thorvald the Black Shield |
"The dead can also be attributed to Kobolds, but what if someone saw the fireball my mistress?"
Thorvald checks his blade to see if it is glowing.
"I suppose taking the fight to her is the best option if she knows we are here. A pack of winterwolves will not be an easy thing. Trust me on that."
Zethyris |
"It will be good if we can ambush her. That sled she rides may make her hard to catch, and if she's ready we might end up chasing her throughout the hills while she rains arrows back at us. If she suspects nothing, we might be able to surround them before revealing ourselves."
Skallangbiorn |
Peasants...would you have me kill peasants, Great Lord? Skallingbiorn listens to the plans distantly, his focus still inward. There are many questions he possesses for Gorum... the need to hone his understanding is a powerful grip in his guts. Perhaps it is towards this Verise you would aim me, my Lord? Your servant had to wade through his own short-sightedness to find the true challenge?
As they begin planning an ambush, Skall loss back towards the gathering of common folk. There was no honor in the killing this night...a slaughter of sheep. He turns back at the mention of winter wolves. "Fire... fire will kill them faster than anything..." The cleric offers. "The Blackravens had their share of run ins with the beasts. Intelligent, dangerously so. If they've allied themselves with this Jawidga, then she must be powerful indeed."
He looks towards the rocks leading back to the cavern system where the kobold leader stands. "Should we engage with this foul witch, we turn aside from our goal in the mountain. If Gnasher thinks we've satisfied our end of the bargain, we could have the crown in our hands and be clear of this place before the witch arrives." Skallangbiorn states it plainly but holds up a gauntleted hand as he continues. "I say this simply because of our discussion outside the wraith's den. Our mission is the crown. Not this fight. There is a chance we may find our last battle in this witch infested land, will your spirits find their satisfaction as well?"
He looks back at the peasants in the dark distance out of earshot. Siding with lizards before my own kind, just fir the sake of expediency for a foolish crown. I should have known better instead of shaming my weapon. "I will stay. I cannot go to Gorum with the blood of non-combatants staining the very sword He put in my hands."
"For an ambush, I agree the best time is after her worgs return. Their message of a clear hunting ground will provide us an invaluable advantage; her complacency." He folds his arms. "We should decide soon on a strategy. Then convince Gnasher to go ahead with the subterfuge of the hunt. Once we are prepared I will need time to commune with Gorum..and prepare for the coming battle."
Anastasiya |
"The dead can also be attributed to Kobolds, but what if someone saw the fireball my mistress?"
"Yes, we could blame their death on the kobolds. But if the wargs have any experience with battle, they will not mistake a man cloven in half by you for one that succumbed to kobold bites. So we should dispose of the bodies anyway. Or at least let the kobolds play with them for a while."
"The flash of light will be hard to explain indeed. People must have seen it for miles - but maybe they weren't able to pinpoint its source exactly. Why not say these people here saw the flash, but have no idea what caused it? These lands are full of magic - it might have been something completely unrelated to the hunt."
"It will be good if we can ambush her. That sled she rides may make her hard to catch, and if she's ready we might end up chasing her throughout the hills while she rains arrows back at us. If she suspects nothing, we might be able to surround them before revealing ourselves."
"Yes, indeed. She would probably try to escape while the rest of her army engages us in battle. Our first surprise action should be to immobilize her. Maybe a fireball dropped on the animals drawing her sled?"
"Fire... fire will kill them faster than anything..." The cleric offers. "The Blackravens had their share of run ins with the beasts. Intelligent, dangerously so. If they've allied themselves with this Jawidga, then she must be powerful indeed."
"We are powerful. Don't forget, the Jadwigar are ruling this country - and the wolves have been allied with them for almost as long as Irrisen exists."
With a mischievous smile Anja adds: "But fire I can do.""Should we engage with this foul witch, we turn aside from our goal in the mountain. If Gnasher thinks we've satisfied our end of the bargain, we could have the crown in our hands and be clear of this place before the witch arrives." Skallangbiorn states it plainly but holds up a gauntleted hand as he continues. "I say this simply because of our discussion outside the wraith's den. Our mission is the crown. Not this fight. There is a chance we may find our last battle in this witch infested land, will your spirits find their satisfaction as well?"
"In hindsight, we should have just waited till that hunt is over. If Gnasher is afraid of a couple of peasants with bows, what remains of him and his kobold tribe after Verrise's hunt would not have been any challenge for us..."
"It is certainly worth a try. But I don't think Gnasher is that gullible. We killed a few of the hunters - but now we are letting the rest of them continue to prepare for the hunt. Why would Gnasher think we fulfilled our part of the deal?"
Thorvald the Black Shield |
"The Kobolds will help us get to the crown. The know these hills and warrens, we do not. There is more to Gnasher than meets the eye. I think we should uphold the deal. We will have to fight the witch either way, might as well have allies."
Rutilux |
The silence spell ending, Rutilux looks a bit disturbed as he realizes they were not warriors he fought, at least not worthy of the title. We come to liberate these lands from the Winter Witches and I end up butchering people who live in fear of them. I may rightly claim ignorance, but tell that to the widows and orphans Ana spoke of.
Once alone, he looks to Ana, "You were right to offer recompense as you did. Thank you, it was a fine mix of kindness and cunning."
As to the plan, he says, "It seems a plan forms already, and a good one. Cutting off her means of escape is best. We may yet be outed should the warning of the gemstones not be enough."
Thorvald the Black Shield |
"The peasants will feel doomed either way. They will be killed if they don't tell their master. It is important that they see us as stronger than the alternative. We may need to watch them closely."
Skallangbiorn |
Cleric Abilities - (CL 6th; concentration +9)
☩ Special Attacks
➣ Channel Positive energy (6/6 - DC 17, 3d6)
➣ Alignment Channel (vs. Evil)
➣ Destructive Smite (+3, 6/6)
➣ Ferocious Strike (+3, 6/6)
☩ Domain Spell-Like Abilities - (CL 6th; concentration +9)
➣ Touch of Glory (3/6)
☩ Spells
➣ Level 3 (3+1+1/day)
Dispel Magic
Daylight
Invisibility Purge
Searing Light (Domain)
Rage (Domain)
➣ Level 2 (3+1+1/day)
Protection from Evil, Communal
Consecrate
■Silence■
Bull's Strength (Domain)
Shatter (Domain)
➣ Level 1 (4+1+1/day)
Detect Evil
■Detect Undead■ (CLW-Sunfire)
■Deadeye's Lore■ (* In Effect 6 hours)
Know the Enemy
True Strike (Domain)
Enlarge Person (Domain)
➣ Level 0 (4 at will)
Detect Magic
Purify Food & Drink
Light
Stabilize
■Used■
♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟
The big cleric signals to Gnasher, a firm call for him to come out and meet. Then he grips Rutilux's shoulder. "Come, let's deliver the bad news to the lizard." With that Skallangbiorn strides towards Gnasher in order to meet the kobold warrior halfway.
To Gnasher he says, "We're letting them set their traps, so that we..." he points to Gnasher then back to himself and then to the rest of the party back by Ana. "...so that we can set a trap of our own. You have cave spiders here, yes? Think of the nasty lady that bosses these people as the spider. Then think of these people as the web." He gestures towards the peasants and trappers.
"Destroying the web only means that the spider can come back and build it again." He waits a moment for the metaphor to sink into the lizard's brain. "...but if we kill the spider, then the web can no longer be built." He stops for a moment and points to the trappers again. "We kill the nasty boss lady, we stop them from coming back. We kill nasty lady and her dogs."
Figure Rutilux can aid another on this? Or jump in if what is said is over the kobold's head.
Action(s) List
☩ Activate Touch of Glory once more...
☩ Diplomacy: 1d20 + 5 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 5 + 8 = 17 ...looking to best convey the message to the kobold.
☩ Sense Motive: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13 ...studying Gnasher's reaction and adjusting the message as needed
Zethyris |
"I don't think we'll want to let them know we're here. Best to let them report unmolested, so we can spring the bigger trap later."
Anastasiya |
"We should wrap things up here: hide the dead and cover our tracks. Dogs are good at picking up scents, aren't they? Is there anything we can do to cover our smell?"
Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
"Gnasher, can you make these dead bodies disappear in your warrens?"
Anja looks to the warrens, thinking of her familiar.
Change of plans, rat. Come back to me. We have to leave.
(sending a vague feeling of remorse and urgency via the empathic link)
DM - ARC |
Within minutes Gnasher and a few more kobolds are rapidly dragging the dead off to the warrens while casting wary glances at the humans. At the same time the surviving trappers set out continuing their work, or at least to outwards appearances, ensuring that the Wargs will find their task done.
Less than an hour before dawn when the sky is just beginning to lighten you hear the sounds of snarling. Peering into the fading darkness you can barely make out the shapes of animals moving across the ground. You hear the sound of several large animals snorting and sniffing as well as chuffing to each other before a form as large as a horse slips into view. The dark eyes glow red as the moon and star light catches on it, illuminating a black muzzle and bright white fangs, as it walks right up to the old man and snorts loudly in his face, (A low, deep reverberating voice)"Human, where are the other men that came with you? She will not be pleased if they ran off."
(the old man)"they, they didn't run off. Kobolds took them. I, I swear."
(the worg)"Hmmmm, kobolds you say?" the horse-sized worg slowly begins making circle around the man while licking its lips, "then why do we smell horseflesh?"
Zethyris |
"... Lucky Drunk, that's bad. I hope that man can come up with something clever, or we might need to step in and rescue them." Zethyris whispers.
How far away are we?
DM - ARC |
Considering that your enemy are Worgs you've probably tried to stay back at least 100 feet to minimize the chances that they smell you.
(Old man)"Huh... H, horses? What do you mean? Wait! Some soldiers came by questioning us about travellers before leaving. I don't know who they were, I didn't recognize them."
(Worg)"Soldiers? Where did they go?"
(old man)"west, back the way they came."
with an in audible command several of the worgs move of towards the west.
(worg)"I trust you humans managed to complete your task?"
(old man)"Yes"
(worg)"Good, She will begin the hunt tonight at dusk make sure none escape beforehand."
The large Worg begins turning away but stops and lifts its muzzle to the sky sniffing excitedly.
Skallangbiorn |
Cleric Abilities - (CL 6th; concentration +9)
☩ Special Attacks
➣ Channel Positive energy (6/6 - DC 17, 3d6)
➣ Alignment Channel (vs. Evil)
➣ Destructive Smite (+3, 6/6)
➣ Ferocious Strike (+3, 6/6)
☩ Domain Spell-Like Abilities - (CL 6th; concentration +9)
➣ Touch of Glory (6/6)
☩ Spells
➣ Level 3 (3+1+1/day)
Prayer
Inflict Serious Wounds
Agonizing Rebuke
Searing Light (Domain)
Rage (Domain)
➣ Level 2 (3+1+1/day)
Protection from Evil, Communal
Spear of Purity/smaller]
[smaller]Spiritual Weapon
Bull's Strength (Domain)
Shatter (Domain)
➣ Level 1 (4+1+1/day)
Shield of Faith
Murderous Command
Deadeye's Lore
Sanctuary
True Strike (Domain)
Enlarge Person (Domain)
➣ Level 0 (4 at will)
Detect Magic
Purify Food & Drink
Light
Stabilize
■Used■
♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟
Has he caught our sent?
The big cleric eases his weapon in his hands to rest across his knees and lifts a prayer to Gorum that he see victory in this battle. But more importantly he seeks guidance if this is the right time to fight.
"I suggest Rutilux and Thorvald ready themselves to ride, we will need speed if this fight is now. You two will need to remain mounted in case one of these worgs decides to bolt and warn their mistress."
[smaller]"Ana, you and the archers can provide ranged cover. Jediah and I can take the fight to them." Skallangbiorn, puts on his helm and waits. "If the fight is now, then glory to us all. At the onset I shall grant Gorum's blessing to you all to aid in combat."
Action(s) List
☩ [b]Held Action: Cast Prayer in surprise round | All allies in 40 ft radius
Anastasiya |
"I was hoping we could sneak away from the wolves and follow their tracks back to their mistress - without them here noticing anything is amiss. But if we have to fight the wolves, I can provide ranged cover, yes."
DM - ARC |
The large Worg turns back onto the old man snarling, "You're people aren't the only ones here!" the Worg turns to face towards the broken ground where most of you are hiding, "Come out now. If you surrender I promise not to feed you to my pack mates."
When the large Worg turns around it casts or activates an ability similar to the Displacement spell which grants a 50% miss chance
Skallangbiorn |
Cleric Abilities - (CL 6th; concentration +9)
☩ Special Attacks
➣ Channel Positive energy (6/6 - DC 17, 3d6)
➣ Alignment Channel (vs. Evil)
➣ Destructive Smite (+3, 6/6)
➣ Ferocious Strike (+3, 6/6)
☩ Domain Spell-Like Abilities - (CL 6th; concentration +9)
➣ Touch of Glory (6/6)
☩ Spells
➣ Level 3 (3+1+1/day)
■Prayer■
Inflict Serious Wounds
Agonizing Rebuke
Searing Light (Domain)
Rage (Domain)
➣ Level 2 (3+1+1/day)
Protection from Evil, Communal
Spear of Purity
■Spiritual Weapon■
Bull's Strength (Domain)
Shatter (Domain)
➣ Level 1 (4+1+1/day)
Shield of Faith
Murderous Command
Deadeye's Lore
Sanctuary
True Strike (Domain)
Enlarge Person (Domain)
➣ Level 0 (4 at will)
Detect Magic
Purify Food & Drink
Light
Stabilize
■Used■
♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟
”Caution, the beast has cast a spell of some sort, I’m unable to fathom it’s nature…” He grasps his sword hilt and calls for glory from his god, gesturing to all present. ”There, receive the Lord in Iron’s blessing and go forth to take hold of glory.”
Prayer: Lasts 6 Rounds. Provides +1 to Attack, Damage, Saves and Skill Checks. Also imposes a -1 to all the same rolls for our enemies.
In response to Jediah’s suggestion, he nods. ”Perhaps misdirection is in order...” Skallangbiorn whispers the chant of divine might that summons his god’s weapon to battle. He removes his helm and slips a peek above cover, casting the Spiritual Weapon down on the worg in front of the old man.
Action(s) List
☩ Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8 …nope
☩ Casts Prayer on all allies in 40 ft radius
☩ Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
☩ Stealth: 1d20 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 + 1 = 19 …covering up location from which the Spiritual Weapon is cast
☩ Casts Spiritual Weapon on the worg in front of the old man
Spiritual Weapon: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 7 + 1 = 20
Damage: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 1 = 6
DM - ARC |
Considering distance it's probably better to hold back prayer until you've reached melee but you can start with it up if you wish
Initiative Order:
Julian 23
Jediah 22
Alpha Worg F 21
Anastasiya 19
Worgs 17
Zethyris 14
Alpha Worg M 12
Thorvald 8
Rutilux 7
Skallagbiorn 5
Despite being able to see the worgs clearly Julian isn't close enough to target any vitals so he cautiously advances closer as he lines up a better shot. Jediah moves forward to draw the Worgs away from Ana, Zethyris and Julian. One of the two larger worgs rushes headlong at Jediah who skillfully levels his glaive between him and the Worg. The glaive slices I long gassy in the Worgs face and neck but it keeps coming and bites down on Jediah's armour. The hardened plates hold out and the Worgs teeth find no purchase.
too be continued...
AoO Jediah: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24damage: 1d10 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
alpha Worg power attack: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (9) + 14 = 23damage: 2d6 + 22 ⇒ (5, 3) + 22 = 30
Anastasiya |
Ana searches for a spot to ignite a fireball. Somewhere amidst a group of worgs, where the blast won't cause any colateral damage among the hunters or her own people. (If she doesn't find any other suitable spot, she will ignite the fireball among the worgs that started moving west)
fireball: 6d6 ⇒ (1, 4, 2, 4, 4, 2) = 17
Skallangbiorn |
Not sure what's happening. I'm assuming we didn't have a chance to surprise the big beastie. I was going for a long shot considering the range if spiritual weapon. I'll amend and just carry my original roll from above to here.
Seeing Jediah head into battle, Skallangbiorn whispers the chant of divine might that summons his god’s weapon to battle.
☩ Cast Spiritual Weapon on the big worg attacking Jediah.
》Spiritual Weapon: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 7 + 1 = 20
》Damage: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 1 = 6
He heaves himself over the lip of the rock outcropping and moves to join Jediah. "For Gorum!!"
I'll cast Prayer when we move. Any chance of a map or distances? At first I thought we were far off (100 ft), but then Jediah is almost mauled by a worg. Sorry, I think I missed something.
Zethyris |
Zethyris slips Clarise from her sheath and moves forward to engage with the worgs, tumbling for a flank once he gets close enough. Expecting that won't happen this turn - just moving up for now.
Rutilux |
Rutilux waits for the others to act first, not that this will be hard. The others move so quickly he almost feels slow. Then he charges forward on Sunfire in a burst of speed at last, attacking the nearest worg
Cavalier's Charge, +4 to hit, -0 on AC rather than the usual +2/-2
To hit: bonus included 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17
Dmg: 2d8 + 12 ⇒ (2, 5) + 12 = 19
He stabs with the lance again should the foe not fall
Second attack
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Dmg: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Oh, confirm crit maybe?
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
I don't think that made it. Ah well