Round 1 - First NPCs:
As you begin to come out of the stable, you can see Andrus and Dashki standing by the bridge. Dashki is recovering from firing an arrow down the south-pointing street street, and Andrus is running across the intersection toward the south.
You cannot see where the demon is from the door of the stable.
Initiative:
Schir: 22
Dashki: 21
Andrus: 20
Solomon: 19
Erizi: 17+
Alexander: 17-
Rukn: 14+
Kilarra: 14-
Zhalet: 10+
Felliped: 10-
Solomon took off at a dead run, out the door and down the road, slamming his back into the wall of a ruined building and looking around the corner.
Even though she was headed to the door already, Kilarra is stunned for a moment as she did not think the demon would return so quickly, she thought she would have time to set up the ambush. She is brought out of her surprise and spurred into action by her allies rushing past. As she rushes to catch up she calls to Alexander, "Are we still trying to stay at ranged or are we doing the 'give it everything you got' approach?!?!"
When she exit's the building she sees Solomon out in front, tightens her grip on her kukris and runs to back up her ally. ...I guess it is the maximum effort approach...
When she hears the sounds of the confrontation beginning outside, Zhalet grabs Felliped's hand and pulls at it "Hurry, it's beginning!"
She releases his hand and runs for the door. Zhalet sprints to join Rukn and Alexander, knowing her magic will be of more use than her blade in this case.
Round 1: Final
The Schir, in an effort to make Andrus choke on his words, begins to summon an ally.
Andrush rushes forward, closing as much distance as he could but unable to reach the demon this round. Dashki fores an arrow at the demon in an attempt to interrupt his summoning, but the arrow lands a bit short.
Alexander, Rukn, and Zhalet rush out to join Andrus and help him, while Solomon, Kilarra, and Erizi rush further forward to where the demon seems to be.
Felliped Rushes out from the stable, stopping just outside the door. After a quick wave at Andrus, he begins to chant the Lay of Orris Fellsworn, a rousing tale of martial prowess against the forces of the Abyss. His narration raises the spirits of all who can hear.
Initiative:
Schir: 22
Dashki: 21
Andrus: 20
Solomon: 19
Erizi: 17+
Alexander: 17-
Rukn: 14+
Kilarra: 14-
Zhalet: 10+
Felliped: 10-
Round 2: First Half
The first schir finishes its attempt to summon an ally, and another schir steps through a sickly purple portal that appears just beside it. The first shir roars again and charges Andrus, lowering its head and slamming into him with its heavy horns and drawing blood as they score deeply. The second schir locks its eyes on Solomon, bellows a challange, and charges him. Its lowered horns slam into Solomon gouging deeply into his flesh.
EDIT: As the first schir charges past Erizi, fixated on its target, he swings at the demon with his earthbreaker. Unfortunately, he mis-times the swing and the fiend escapes unscathed. Timing his swing to the beat Felliped's chant, Erizi connects with the charging fiend and it leaves some blood behind on the sand.
Dashki looses an arrow at the closer schir, then drops his bow in the dust and moves forward, drawing his finely crafted scimitar as he goes. Though the arrow hits home, it does only superficial damage.
Andrus swings mightily at the schir, wielding his huge blade easily in one hand, but the pain of his fresh wound throws off his aim and the swing misses wildly.
Initiative:
Schir: 22
Dashki: 21
Andrus: 20
Solomon: 19
Erizi: 17+
Alexander: 17-
Rukn: 14+
Kilarra: 14-
Zhalet: 10+
Felliped: 10-
Schir #2: Unharmed
Andrus: 13 damage
Dashki: Unharmed
Felliped: Unharmed
Kilarra circles around the schir facing Solomon staying just out of reach until moving in behind him "Let's see if you pugwampi kin can bleed!!"
Two demons, now. What to do?
The second demon seems very well surrounded by the strong melee fighters. With a bit of luck, it won't be a problem for more than a few seconds. So Rukn decides to focus on the other, now that Andrus is engaged and having its attention.
Alexander stays out of immediate melee range, and starts to chant under his breath, his voice reaching out into distant realms beyond sight.
Erizi grunts, and swings his mighty hammer, rage fueling his swing.
Warhammer (Raging, Inspired, Power Attack:+1 if target is larger.)
Total to hit is 21... forgot I could get flanking.
Bang (Raging, Power Attack, Inspired, 2-H)
Zhalet jogs forward to get within range. She takes hold of her holy symbol and calls upon the Dawnflower to invoke the same magic as the day before, gesturing toward the demon's shadow.
Solomon grunted and snarled at the pain of the blow from the demon and tried to dodge clear, his tattoos erupting in gold light as he moved.
Round 2: Final
With a grunt of pain, Solomon steps back, getting out of range of the schir's halberd and getting room to wield his longspear. He stabs the longspear into the demons chest with a snarl, the bladed end biting deep.
Erizi steps into the space vacated by Solomon, taking advantage of the distraction provided by an ally on the opposite side of the demon. His rage-fueled swing hits in the exact spot where Solomon's spear just opened a wound in the demon's chest, tearing the wound larger.
Staying out of reach of the other demon, Alexander's arcane words beckon beyon the bounds of the Material Plane, calling for an ally in this fight.
Aiming carefully, Rukn releases two arrows into the second schir, both shafts drawing blood.
"Lets see if you pugwampi-kin can bleed!" Kilarra's shout is followed up by a wild swing that fails to connect with the demon.
Zhalets trots forward closing the distance to the first schir, calling upon Sarenrae's power to fix its shadow in place and thus prevent it from moving. A bright beam of light, visible even against the daylit sky, shines down on the demon and his shadow stops shifting against the sand. The demon snarls at Zhalet, promising retribution soon.
Felliped moves forward, standing behind Alexander. He mutters a swift spell, gestures with a small feather, and the summoned demon falls to the ground erupting into the most disturbing gales of laughter any of you have ever heard.
Initiative:
Schirs: 22
Dashki: 21
Andrus: 20
Solomon: 19
Erizi: 17+
Alexander: 17-
Rukn: 14+
Kilarra: 14-
Zhalet: 10+
Felliped: 10-
Schir #2: 13 Damage
Andrus: 13 damage
Dashki: Unharmed
Felliped: Unharmed
Round 3: Start
The first schir slashes Erizi with its halberd, and follows up with a toss of its horned head that catches him along the side of the head.
The second schir simply lays there and laughs. And laughs.
Andrus takes advantage of the fiend's vulnerable position, his blade biting into the schir's shoulder. He follows the slash with a heavy punch from his spiked shield, bouncing the demon's head off the sand.
Dashki rushes around the prone fiend and slashes into it with his scimitar.
Initiative:
Schirs: 22
Dashki: 21
Andrus: 20
Solomon: 19
Erizi: 17+
Alexander: 17-
Rukn: 14+
Kilarra: 14-
Zhalet: 10+
Felliped: 10-
Schir #2: 29 Damage
Andrus: 13 damage
Dashki: Unharmed
Felliped: Unharmed
S1 G:
E F:
S2 W:
A B:
A SB:
D:
Seeing the schir is assaulted by someone's spell - as there seem to be no other reasonable explanation - he tries to capitalise and finish the beast off b efore it can cause further damage.
Zhalet remains in place, holding her holy symbol aloft and calling on Sarenrae for protection against the demons that she fights in her name.
"Die stupid demon thingee"!
Mighty hammer
Swing for the fences
Alexander finishes his incantation and the air to the left of the schir closest to him darkens, swirls, brightens.... and a golden0furred spider the size of a man appears. Training its silver eyes on the schir, the spider chitters angrily and spits webbing at the thing in an attempt to fix it in place.
Meanwhile, Alexander takes a deliberate step forward, trains his pale eyes on the demon and mutters an incantation under his breath. There is no visual effect, but inside the demon's head, a horrible screaming noise starts up -- a wailing only it can hear.
With Erizi flanking with Kilarra, Solomon said a quick benediction to Saranrae. "By the light of dawn I shall purge the darkness."
His obsidian darts glowed with pure light.
Round 3 - Final
Solomon incants a prayer to Sarenrae, filling his darts with the puryfing light of the goddess.
Erizi's powerful swing slams into the demon and the cracking of bones can be heard over its howl of pain.
As Alexander finishes his long incantation, a huge, golden-furred spider appears, pivots to face the schir, and sprays webbing all over the prone, laughing demon. As it does so, Alexander incants a shorter spell, attempting to harm the demon directly. The fiend twitches and lies motionless and silent for a few seconds.
Rukn fires two arrows at the prone demon, and one finds its corrupted flesh with a solid, smacking sound.
Kilarra slashes at the demon with a blurring pair of strikes. Though the first kukri misses entirely, the demon dodges directly into the path of the second blade. Her perfectly placed cut opens the demon's throat to its spine and rotting blood and maggots spill out of the mortal wound. It falls to a heap on the sand and decays in a writhing pile of corruption.
Nothing remains of the first demon aside from a quietly bubbling black stain on the sand, and a slightly gnawed and wicked-looking halberd.
Felliped cheers as he notices the first demon fall under the relentless attacks of the other group. He moves around the demon, coming at it directly across from the spider, and stabs at it with his spear, drawing a thin line of blood from its prone form.
Initiative:
Schirs: 22
Dashki: 21
Andrus: 20
Solomon: 19
Erizi: 17+
Alexander: 17-
Rukn: 14+
Kilarra: 14-
Zhalet: 10+
Felliped: 10-
Schir #2: 42 Damage
Andrus: 13 damage
Dashki: Unharmed
Felliped: Unharmed
K 1
K 2
K 2C
K 2D x2 = 20 += 28
F
F D
Round 4 - Start
Dashki slashes at the prone demon with kukri and scimitar, and his kukri scores a tiny wound on the fiend.
Andrus cuts into the schir's side, drawing more blood, and the spikes on his shield punch into the side of its face.
Initiative:
Schirs: 22
Dashki: 21
Andrus: 20
Solomon: 19
Erizi: 17+
Alexander: 17-
Rukn: 14+
Kilarra: 14-
Zhalet: 10+
Felliped: 10-
Schir #2: 58 Damage
Andrus: 13 damage
Dashki: Unharmed
Felliped: Unharmed
D K
A
A
Solomon ran past Zhalet and let fly with a glowing white dart wreathed in flames..
-See, the other demon didn't last. Now to try to finish this off before it's ready to fight again.
Round 4 - Final
Solomon rushes back toward the other demon, stopping short and hurling a dart at the prone fiend. As if fate had decreed it, the dart smashes into the demon's face. The holy light blackens and burns away the demon's flesh, and the dart, as if far more massive than it truly is, smashes through the schir's forhead to pulp the brains inside. The demon dies in writhing, screaming agony as the pure light lodged in its skull burns it to ash.
Combat is over!
A preternatural hush falls over Kelmarane as the companions, both new and old, look about at each other and the last echoes of Felliped's chant die away.
Alexander limps up to Andrus -- and cuffs him in the back of the head.
"Stupid!" he upbraids the adventurer. "Brash! You knew we were here, making ready to move in on the city and free your friends! Moving in like this, attacking that thing with just the two of you? What were you thinking? And you!"
The angry Wizard rounds on Dashki.
"You're supposed to be a master hunter of Gnolls! Two men, moving into a den of the things? Even a 'cosmopolitan' den like this? What kind of cover were you supposed to have? And what possessed you to take on a demon with just the two of you?"
Still fuming, Alexander scrutinizes both Andrus and Dashki.
"Did that thing cut you? Its weapon carries disease. We should get out of sight, before a Gnoll patrol comes to see what made their sentry shout out like that, and then you both need to be checked for signs of the sickness. Felliped?"
Alexander nods to the Dhampir Bard.
"You did well, lad. My compliments. Timely spellcasting and good support. Now. Let's move."
Andrus' temper flares with the head-slap, and continues to build as Alexander berates him. When he finally does speak, his voice is tightly controlled fury, "First, I am not your child, apprentice, or trainee. You do not treat me as if I am your charge to discipline as you see fit. Second, we were sent to you by your employer with a message. We saw you enter the village and followed your trail in, cautiously, thinking you would have the sense to clear enemies as you entered rather than leaving them wandering about to come up from an unexpected direction. What were you thinking, expecting a Demon to behave predictably?! Third, we did not attack the demon, it spotted and attacked us because you advanced into the city and left it alive to so."
He takes a deep breath, tamping his anger down slightly, "I was charged with delivering a message to you to inform you that last evening the monastery was visited by five gnolls from the Three Jaws tribe who came in professed peace; indeed, they did not present any hostile actions to any at the monastery and left after speaking to Dashki, Lady Almah, and myself. The Three Jaws tribe wishes to join forces with us to eradicate the Kulldis tribe. Dashki claims we can trust their animosity of the Kulldis to cause them to abide by their offer. Lady Almah leaves the decision to you." So saying he holds out a sealed scroll to Alxander, "Lady Almah sends this to you as well. I know what it says, and I agree with her words."
After Alexander takes the scroll, he jabs a finger in Alexander's direction, the fury rising in his voice once more, "You owe me an apology, old man. I appreciate the action of you and your people for saving my life, but I will not be treated with such appalling disrespect."
Alexander,
Andrus will have informed you of the approach of gnolls to the monastery yesterday evening. We readied an attack as the gnolls approached, and Dashki very vehemently insisted that we not engage them.
"Do not attack! These are not the gnolls of Kelmarane! They come with a proposal of peace!"
His words. The leader of the gnoll force, Hargk, claimed to bear a message from Narg, his chieftan. He called Dashki "our brother" and offered to assist in destroying the gnolls of the Kulldis tribe. To the best of my ability to read the foul creature, he was sincere, though disgusted by the message he was ordered to speak.
Dashki has always offered good council, so I am hesitantly willing to acccept this alliance. I will not tolerate the creatures near the monastery, and any such cooperation must happen within the confines of Kelmarane.
I may trust Dashki, but I do not trust these gnolls. When your job in Kelmarane has ended, I want you to kill them. Dashki seems to have some association with these creatures, and my command means that Dashki must also fall to the sword, so be it.
I have given to Andrus a scroll with which you can alert me as to your decision to confirm the alliance or not. Please target the guard position outside my quarters as the destination of the spell, as there is always at least one person there.
Keep Dashki and Andrus with you, or send them back as you wish.
With my regards,
Lady Almah Roveshki
Felliped is about to respond to Alexander, a smile on his face, when Andrus' anger spills over. The smile dies on Felliped's face, and a grim expression replaces it.
Dashki simply stands aside, watching the interaction with interest.
-Nice to finally find you, Andrus, but I agree with Alexander. It was a brash move, and we shopuld get moving.-
"Ah. Clearly I misunderstood, young man," Alexander says after having read the scroll, his voice sober and calm, almost monotonous.
The Wizard rolls up the scroll and tucks it into his coat's inner pocket, his motions stuffy and oldfashioned, his shoulders slumping as his eyes cloud over and his fingers start to twitch.
"Yes. I misunderstood. And I apologize for the mistake that flowed from that misunderstanding."
"But now, we must get under cover. The Kulldis Gnolls could be here any moment!"
Alexander glances at his teammates and points at them in turn, lips moving as he mumbles to himself; the very image of a doddering old man.
"Yes, all here. Hurry along now, people. Hurry along. Oh me, oh my...."
I won't do it. Solomon whispered through the message link. Dashki is an ally. He does not deserve this. These other gnolls are offering peace. They should not be judged for the actions of the tribe we face now.
By the time Zhalet has prepared to enter the battle with the demons, it is over.
She had wanted to strike a blow, just one blow would have satisfied her, against such hated, despoiling fiends. But it would not happen now.
I could have gone sooner but I hesitated. I wanted the extra protections. I didn't want to be poisoned again. I was afraid.
She stands still and watches as the others recover their weapons and theirselves from the fight.
She turns her head to watch the acrimony between Alexander and Andrus when she hears it break out. But, feeling embarrassed by the scene, she moves away feigning something else requires her attention.
When the group begins to move away seeking cover Zhalet joins them.
Nor will I. Zhalet adds to Solomon's response. It is a vile order. If the gnolls have come in peace, they must also be allowed to leave in peace. How can Lady Almah cite Dashki's trustworthiness and good counsel, and in the same missive order his death? I will not act as Lady Almah's assassin.
Andrus' anger pours out of him like an upturned bucket, and he bows slightly to Alexander, "I accept your apology, Alexander, and I, too, apologize for my words spoken in anger. Such hasty words often cause more problems than they solve" He then addresses the rest of the group as a whole, "Should we leave the halberds here in the open? Are they safe to touch?"
Felliped chimes in with a voice much more confident and steady than he used earlier, "While we should get in out of the open - and the sun - the demon howled like that regularly over any creature it found. It is unlikely that the gnolls will investigate unless they heard Andrus shouting right at the beginning."
Now that the excitement has mostly ended, you can see that Felliped seems to be shrouded in a bit of shadow as if he were standing in the shade of a large tree, though none such are in sight.
Kilarra swiftly cleans and sheaths her kukris, then collects the halberd from the ground and rejoins the the others, beckoning for Erizi to follow.
-Okay, let's get out of here now. Everyone had their reasons to do what they did.
When receiving the message from Alex, Rukn stays in place for a moment, assessing the implications with a serious face. Then he starts to move again while replying. -It is to my understanding that she meant to slay Dashki only if he puts himself in the way trying to protect the gnolls. However, I don't agree with betraying the alliance that we apparently have now with these gnolls. That seems ruin and ominous. We rather exterminate them now or accept their help and respect them as allies, I don't care. What do you think, Alexander?- he asks lastly, knowing that the old man is the one who will probably have more problems dealing with gnolls.
Feeling that there needs to be no further discussion Kilarra takes one last look around to try and spot anyone that may have noticed them before leading the group back to their 'shelter', moving quietly as she goes.
None of their enemies seem to have noticed that the group has killed their demon, and everyone makes it inside the stable without incident, though Kilarra manages to find every buried stick to snap and every pebble to kick around on their way.
'We should discuss this at greater length.... Privately.'
Once in the stables, Alexander gives the others a look.
"Do we push ahead further today, or do we hole up in here and wait for evening or the next dawn?"
Solomon said a short prayer to Sarenrae and his grievous wound knitted almost completely.
"I am concerned about disease." he said. "Anyone struck by the demon's weapons needs treatment."
None of their enemies seem to have noticed that the group has killed their demon, and everyone makes it inside the stable without incident, though Kilarra manages to find every buried stick to snap and every pebble to kick around on their way.
Solomon spends some time putting together a curative concoction for the disease that schirs typically transmit, though none of the three who were wounded are yet showing signs of being afflicted.
Rukn speaks softly. -Well, I'm fine, I could go on today, but I don't know about you lot. How are your spells? If you think we need a break...
"I am ready for whatever you decide... however my injuries might slow me down a bit. Perhaps a rest would be better, and some healing if any of you have some to offer".
"Some rest might be good," Alexander agrees. "I still have sufficient magic if anyone should try to disturb us."