Uriel makes his way to the bottom of the hill, coming up alongside Arloric. He slashes out at the aurochs with Radiance.
The sword cuts into the beast's flesh, and it howls in response. It lashes out at Uriel with teeth and horns.
The paladin doesn't even break a sweat, easily avoiding the ferocious attacks.
Up above on the bridge almost directly above Arloric, a humanoid figure emerges from the south guard tower onto the battlements. He is chanting as if casting a spell.
A tiefling exits behind him, readying a crossbow to fire down at Uriel and Arloric.
You hear the dog snap and snarl up above.
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>>> Map <<<
Crossbow bolts whizz by Darya, neither finding their target. You hear more running along the bridge deck and at least one door being opened.
The tiefling closest to Uriel and Arloric descends the hills slowly, careful to keep her distance as she approaches.
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Alexa stabs the auroch she's flanking!
Seeing the aurochs unimpressed with his song, Arloric shuts up and stabs at the one before him instead!
Alexa sinks her blade into the beast's hide. Arloric tries to do the same, but he can't get close enough to the enraged beast to land a blow.
You hear the dog yelp in pain up above.
Bleeding heavily from its wounds, the aurochs next to Alexa and Darya lashes out at both of them.
It manages to sink its teeth into the paladin.
From up on the bridge you hear more shouting, and look up to see figures running, apparently giving up on their crossbows.
Grunting in pain at the creature's teeth sink into her, Darya slips into her extreme combat focus, seeing the beast's weakest points and calling the same out to Alexa and Telerin as she launches a pair of quick strikes.
The aurochs collapses, dead, under Darya's assault.
From the far side of the bridge, the two aurochs pull hard against their chains, once again yanking at the bridge piles. You see and feel the northeastern one shudder, but the structure holds.
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Uriel slides forward and continues to attack the nearby aurochs.
Telerin gestures with her hand and as she speaks, three missiles shoot from her fingertips and strike the aurochs next to Uriel. It shudders, then crumples to the ground, dead. She moves under the bridge deck, staying close to the now-safe piles.
From the bridge, you hear the spell cast swear, loudly, as the aurochs falls. Then, again, as a single dretch appears on the riverbed near Uriel. He yells out, "Get down there, you fools! They're using the bridge deck as cover!"
He follows this up with a spell, sending two beams of intense light and heat at Uriel. One goes wide, while the other strikes true.
The dretch steps towards Uriel and follows this up by lashing out with teeth and claws.
You see teiflings swarm from the south end of the bridge, and at least one emerges from the north. They start racing down the hill towards you.
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"Heyyy, you finally figured it out!" Alexa calls back with a condescending voice. "Good for you! Gold stars for you all!"
At that point, mythic power floods into her body and she races over to the other auroch, lunging with her gladius!
Arloric raises his seax and lets out a whoop as the aurochs falls.
With the bridge now secure, he turns his attention to the approaching tieflings, moving up and striking at the one behind Uriel so the paladin may focus on the dretch.
The tiefling falls under Arloric's blade. She is dead before she hits the ground.
Others continue to swarm down the hillside, though the ones closest to Arloric and Uriel approach warily.
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Darya races across the distance, to strike the other aurochs and secure their side of the bridge.
Darya slams into the aurochs, and it responds by lashing out.
Her hurried attack leaves her vulnerable, and she's clipped by one of the beast's giant horns.
The other aurochs rears back and, once again, surges against its chain.
The chain snaps hard, but the bridge pile seems unaffected.
___________
Uriel looks derisively at the dretch blocking his path, and swings his mighty sword.
The dretch falling in bisected halves, Uriel takes off toward the other auroch on this side of the bridge.
The dretch is cut in half and pops out of existence. Telerin heads towards the center of the riverbed, but not before conjuring a ball of ice and snow, which she hurls at the tiefling closest to her.
It impacts her square in the chest, and she collapses to the ground.
Up above, the sorcerer sends another pair of scorching rays at Uriel and Arloric.
The tieflings scramble down the hill on both sides, closing in on the crusaders.
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Focusing on the objective, Alexa darts around the approaching tiefling...
...and tries stabbing the auroch in its flank!
Arloric grunts in anger and pain as the ray strikes him, but he turns around and bolts towards the second aurochs, getting out of Uriel's way.
"COME ON!!!" he bellows.
Alexa tries to tumble past the Aurochs, but it swings its head around and one of its horns slams into her, stopping her in her tracks.
Alexa wheezes as the wind gets knocked out of her and she stabs the beast!
Alexa tries to return the favor with a swipe at the aurochs, but fails to connect.
Tieflings scramble down the southern bank. One of them reaches Uriel and slashes at him with their shortsword.
The blade is deflected by the paladin's armor.
___________
Darya presses the attack, bringing her blade to bear on the tainted beast with a pair of well aimed strikes.
Darya slashes into the aurochs, leaving it visibly wounded.
It rages back at her in response, but the wounded beast is not able to find its target.
On the opposite side of the bridge, the other aurochs surges against its chains.
You feel the bridge shake, but the pile holds.
___________
Uriel attacks the tiefling fighting him.
He then quickly channels divine power into one of his wounds, healing the damage.
Seeing tieflings converging on her, Darya, and Alexa, Telerin pulls a shaving of licorice root from her pouch and castes a spell.
The tieflings closest to Alexa and Darya draw their weapons, step up beside, the aurochs, and attack.
Alexa feels the impact of the sword.
Another tiefling enters the riverbed and approaches Alexa from behind. On the other side, a tiefling warily descends the hill towards Uriel but stops short and draws his sword.
___________
Alexa growls and turns her ire on the tiefling that just struck her, trusting Darya to finish off the beast in her stead.
"You REALLY want to do this?! Fine!" She stabs at the man!
Arloric dashes in front of the aurochs to prevent it from running forward and strikes!
Alexa's blade leaves a nasty wound behind as she cuts into tiefling.
Arloric similar strikes at the aurochs. He definitely makes contact, but large beast has a lot of fight left in it.
One of the tieflings closes in on Telerin and attacks.
It's a wile swing that the elf easily dodges. Another rushes up behind Alexa and Darya, obviously trying to flank both.
Another tiefling appears on the north bank, descending the hill towards Arloric.
___________
Darya presses the attack on the aurochs, trying to take it down before focusing on the soldiers.
Alexa's second blow sends the tiefling reeling. She stumbles backwards, just barely clinging to life.
Darya cuts into the aurochs twice, leaving nasty wounds in its hide. It's a tough beast, however, and it withstands her assault.
It surges at her, snapping with its teeth and whipping its horns, but she manages to stay just out of its reach.
The other aurochs rages at Arloric.
Its horns catch the bard and nearly knock the wind out of him.
With tieflings converging on the scattered party, Uriel dashes up towards the injured Arloric.
Telerin steps back and loads a bolt in her crossbow. She takes aim at the tiefling confronting her and fires.
The bolt penetrates the tiefling's armor with a dull thunk.
The tiefling spell caster appears in the riverbed, near the south bank. He shouts, "Go!" to the tielfling descending that hill, and they dash past him up towards Arloric.
Two more dretches also appear in the center of the riverbed. One moves in to flank Arloric, and the other to flank Uriel.
If you succeed, you are shaken for 1 round.
The tieflings surrounding Darya and Alexa lash out.
In the chaos, Alexa feels a short sword connect, though just barely.
Arloric resists the wave of fear coming over him. Seeing they're surrounded, he strikes at the aurochs, trying to take it down as quickly as possible.
Noticing how badly injured their auroch is, Alexa turns her blade on the beast in the hopes of bringing it down!
Arloric delivers a mighty blow against the aurochs and it screeches in pain.
The tiefling flanking Daryua lunges, more confident now that help has arrived.
Darya feels the sword connect, bruising her beneath her armor.
Undeterred by Telerin's crossbow, the tiefling threatening her advances again and brings her sword around.
Darya lays about her with furious intensity,, her first blow cutting down the wounded aurochs to end the threat to the bridge, her second and third strikes focusing on the tiefling wriior beside it
With a slash from Darya's sword, the injured aurochs falls to the ground, dead. She then turns her ire on a tiefling, and with two more slashes does the same.
The sole, remaining aurochs attacks both of its foes.
It gores Arloric with its horns, then delivers a nasty bite to Uriel.
"FINISH IT, URIEL!" Arloric calls.
Uriel nods and, seeing the state that Arloric is in, decides that the beast needs to die now. He calls upon the spark of mythic power within himself and, with amazing speed, moves around to the massive creature's side, splitting its attention with Arloric.