Rogar pulls on the metal weapons of the hobgoblins lying around him, and a cloud of dust surrounds him and slashes through the hobgoblin's leader.
Sia bites at the other wolf.
Eustoma fires three arrows at the leader.
Rogar's metallic blast slices clean through the hobgoblin's neck! Blood flies as his head rolls of his body, and his decapitated corpse slumps in the wolf's saddle. Eustoma drives a pair of arrows into the big wolf, while Sia grabs it by the neck and drags it to the ground. From there, it's a simple matter for Sia and Wulfram to finish it off!
As the chaos of the battle fades, you can hear the prisoners in the cages shouting for help. A lone whimper comes from the gnome in the main tent.
The driving sleet dissipated and Wulfram asked Karla to dismiss the Entanglement spell. "Don't worry, we'll get you out," he reassured the captives. He flew over to the tent to investigate the sounds coming from within.
As the sleet dissipates and the grass retracts, Wulfram stoops down to peer inside the command tent. A large locked chest stands here, and a female gnome is chained to a table. "Help, please! Get me out of here!" she whines.
The gnome's eyes suddenly widen and she points behind Wulfram. "Look out!" Turning to look in the direction she is pointing, you can see five feral women with taloned feet and tattered wings swooping down from the sky--harpies! They perch atop the posts holding the prisoners' cages to the south--the prisoners promptly cease their cries for help and huddle in their cages.
"I am Wenda," says their leader, "prime hunter of the Carrion Brides. We lay claim to these prisoners. You will tell us what business you have trespassing on our land!"
The 13ft tall shaman rose into the air and brandished his massive spear. "I am Wulfram the Mighty! These people are citizens of our land, who where captured by the vile Ironfang Legion. We have slain their captors, and declare them free!"
Rogar slowly allows dust to coalesce around himself, gathering energy around him as much as an intimidation tactic as a preparing for a fight.
Eustoma turns quickly at the harpies. "They are not yours they are ours. Back away or face our wrath."
The harpies seem like a steely bunch, but faced with a giant flying shaman, a plucky halfling archer, a stone dwarf and fey sorceress gathering power around them, and two enormous animals, they flinch.
"Very well. We will relinquish your claim on these humans, but we will not serve you. And we will take this squealing rodent with us." Wenda points to the naked hobgoblin trapped inside one of the cages. "We have seen from afar his people and yours embroiled in a great conflict. The cow has made many generous offers to persuade our tribe to join in her war. We might have accepted, too, until this wretch insulted me. The soldiers slew three of my sisters in the ensuing melee."
The hobgoblin rattles his cage. "I did nothing more than reject the unwanted advances of these repugnant beasts!" he cries. "These harpies are hideous monsters! Don't leave me to their depradations! I'll give you anything you want if you save me from their wrath!"
"Quiet, rodent!" Wenda shrieks.
"We will decide the fate of this criminal!," Wulfram responded. He flew over to have a closer look at the hobgoblin. "What do you have that you can give us? It better be something good!" The creature had, no doubt, done terrible things to the captives, but he didn't like the idea of turning him over to the Harpies. Did the hobgoblin have information that could help them against the enemy?
The harpies bristle when Wulfram flies near. They raise their javelins, but Wenda holds up a hand to forestall their attack--for now.
"Information!" the hobgoblin cries. "I am a sergeant of the Ironfang Legion, and privy to Lieutenant Kosseruk's plans for the region. Free me, and I will tell you everything I know about troop compositions, movement, and attacks plans!"
Wulfram gets the sense that the hobgoblin is saying anything he can to get you to protect him. He doubts he will be a cooperative prisoner if rescued.
"The rat goes with us," Wenda snarls. "That part is not negotiable. Hand him over, and you can take the humans, and you will have free passage through our lands."
"We are but one scouting party," Wenda says, narrowing her eyes. "There are dozens of us in the Hollow Hills. You do not want to make an enemy of the Carrion Brides."
Eustoma gives the hobgoblin a look, "Let them have him. It's a gesture of good faith, and he did do them wrong."
"I have doubts about the value of your information," Wulfram replied to the hobgoblin. He pondered the situation. The hobgoblin was, no doubt, guilty of crimes; his own journal detailed as much. He suspected that a terrible fate awaited him if he was handed over to the harpies.
He conferred with his comrades, "I would prefer that he die a quick death, instead of what the harpies probably have planned for him. But I will bow to the will of the majority. Karla and Rogar, what are your wishes?"
Wulfram is unsure if Wenda is being truthful or not.
"Ah wouldn't mind findin' out a bi' more abou' tha Ironfang Legion. If tha hob will talk, ah think tha we shoul' question 'im abou' wha ta expect." Rogar says, eyes fixed on the lead harpy, earth swirling around him.
Wulfram listened to his colleagues, before replying, "That's one vote to give the hobgoblin to the harpies, and three votes to keep him ."
He spoke to the harpy leader, announcing the group's decision, "The hobgoblin is our prisoner — we will not turn him over to you. Begone!"
"If you will not give him to us, we will take him by force!" -Wenda shrieks. The other harpies cry out as well and prepare to attack!
"That will be your death!", Wulfram roared, as he thrust his giant spear at the harpy leader.
Eustoma fires at the second from the left Harpy. "That was a bad decision."
Sia snarls and readies to attack if a harpy comes in range.
Wenda is ensnared by the sticky webs, but the other two harpies manage to avoid being caught.
Despite the cover provided by the web, Wulfram is able to stab Wenda twice, badly wounding her.
Eustoma skewers a second harpy with a trio of arrows.
The leftmost harpy swoops down at Rogar, taking a hit from Wulfram's spear in the process. She swings her morningstar at the dwarf, but the light hit doesn't hurt him. The rightmost harpy pushes out of the web. Sia bites her as she emerges. She tries to retaliate, but misses her swing.
The Carrion Bride outside the web shrieks and dives towards Wulfram. She dodges his spear and rakes at him with a talon, but misses badly!
Wenda breaks out of the web. With powerful flaps of her wings, she extricates herself from the sticky strands, flying up higher to get out of Wulfram's reach.
The other Carrion Bride pushes out of the web as well. Sia bites her, but she dodges Wulfram's attack and
Worried that his concentration might be broken with the harpy's attack, Rogar is relieved when the weak attack doesn't so much as give him a scratch. Smiling, he steps in between the two harpies closest to him and unleashes a massive spike of metal at the three harpies currently attacking his friends, but the shot goes far wide, narrowly missing Wulfram.
The harpy's weapon bounces harmlessly off Rogar's armor as he unleashes his blast.
Wulfram backed up and breathed fire on the two harpies attacking him. A hungry spectral flame danced around his body.
Pele poke her head up briefly. *Spicy!*
Eustoma fires three arrows at the harpie closest to Sia.
Eustoma fires three arrows at the harpie closest to Sia.
Sia bites at the closest harpie she can reach.
Karla begins to concentrate on a lenghty spell, focusing on Wenda.
Wulfram breathes fire on the two Carrion Brides attacking him. Both manage to leap aside and avoid the worst of the flames, though they are still singed.
Eustoma shoots the harpy near Sia, landing two hits. The big wolf snaps at the same harpy, but she avoids her jaws.
Nik'o assaults the harpy fighting her, but misses with all three attacks!
One harpy continues to attack Rogar while the other focuses on Nik'o, moving a bit to get out of the dwarf's line of fire. Neither one manages to land a good hit.
Wenda warily circles around the fight, staying out of Wulfram's reach. She swoops down from behind Karla, raking the sorceress to try to disrupt her concentration.
The other two Carrion Brides follow Wulfram and continue to assault the shaman, each one scoring a hit.
Despite her injury, Karla maintains concentration on her spell. As she completes it, Wenda suddenly slumps to the ground, snoring soundly!
Wulfram continued to back up, and stabbed at the harpy assaulting Rogar. "You are foolish to think you can do as you wish in our lands!"
Sia takes a step and bites at the harpie that's now next to her.
Eutsoma takes a step and fires at the harpie menacing Karla. "Move away if you can Karla."
Karla casts haste on the group, then Nik'o tears into the harpy next to her. As the creature falls, she whirls and eviscerates the sleeping Wenda, taking vengeance on the one who would dare hurt her mistress.
Rogar hesitates as Wulfram attacks the harpies surrounding him. His first thrust takes down the lesser harpy, then he lands another good hit on the one near Sia.
Eustoma finishes off that harpy with a pair of arrows. Sia lands a good bite on the remaining foe.
Rogar now steps back and unleashes a torrent of metallic spikes that impale the last harpy, tearing her to shreds. It's quite gruesome!
The human prisoners let out a ragged cheer as you defeat the harpies. The hobgoblin grunts in satisfaction.
"Very well. My name is Mahrzan," the hobgoblin says. "Lieutenant Kossruk is planning a major offensive against your human town of Longshadow. The attack will happen 12 days from now. She was hoping to recruit those vile harpies as aerial scouts. Our forces have been making preparations for the assault across the Hollow Hills. We have a dozen minotaurs training scores of warbeasts to bolster our forces. Archers are readying their wyvern mounts to rain death on your people from above. Our siege engineers are bringing in a hundred catapults to batter down your walls, and our forces in the town of Ecru are busy preparing alchemical supplies and explosives to finish you off. Longshadow will fall, and soon all of southern Nirmathas will belong to the Legion!"
Rogar moves to free the prisoners, metal buckling and shattering as he directs it to break. He keeps the hobgoblin captive, though, just to be on the safe side. He does throw some spare clothes to the hobgoblin, though.
"Ah wouldn't be so sure of yerself there. If ye say we have twelve days, tha's plenty o' time. Ye have no chance- we've fought back an' drove off yer precious Leigon afore, and slain dragons, fey kings, troglodytes an' beasts. We put ta rest ghosts an' slain trolls. Nirmathas shall return ta tha humans, and ye shall visit tha Boneyard." Rogar is incredibly matter-of-fact throughout it all, not boasting, intimidating, or bluffing. He's simply stating the facts.
"So. Ta Longshadow, then?" he asks.