Lysander slips in the front door of the house, hoping to come up on the shop from behind.
The hobs look up in surprise as Iteb approaches, and - recognizing her as a local - reach for their blades.
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Finishing the opening of the door, Iteb is disappointed about their lack of surprise, but at the same time it was in response to a giant Orc. Can't be that stealthy. Feeling the weight of the longsword, she stabs forwards to the upper portion of the door before slashing downward at the goblin in range.
Blade in hand, Lysander steps up behind one of the hobgoblins and slashes at him.
Gareth stands up from his position and, trying to use from the element of surprise, reaches with his hammer towards the enemy.
Die, ya' green maggot! - says the Dwarf, swinging the longhammer.
The three warriors all strike home on their unprepared opponents, but none manages a lethal blow. Surprised, their enemies nonetheless leap into action, weapons slashing at Phaendar's heroes. Caught off-guard, though, none has the skill to counterattck, as their moves are easily blocked or dodged.
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Recruit #1 7/17 hp
Recruit #2 10/17 hp
Recruit #3 13/17 hp
Gareth took a five-foot-step back and tried again to hit the enemy. Although the Dwarf considered simply headbutting him with his boulder helmet, this movement was advantageous as to make difficult for the enemy to pursue him.
Gareth missed, though, and let out some unintelligible curses in Dwarven.
Lysander lashes out again, knowing his foe is likely to be more ready this time.
Gareth catches his hammer on the wall, and Lysander's blade is blocked by his foe - Iteb, however, manages to get her oversized sword past the smaller warrior's blade and shield, piercing deep. The hob staggers, barely keeping his feet; one last desperate attack barely draws blood from Iteb, and the Ironfang warrior collapses from his wounds. Lysander's foe probes Lysander's defenses but finds them impenetrable; Gareth's target drops her sword, readies her bow and fires a shot at the dwarf, missing wildly.
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Oy, 'ya sneaky son of a frog! Trying to throw these toothpicks at my leather, aren't 'ya?
After attacking, Gareth approaches the window again. Although the Dwarf uses his longhammer most of the time, he had his boulder helmet in case someone wanted to get more up close and personal.
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Iteb grunts a bit in pain from the stab in her thigh, but forces herself to step forward to continue to follow through. She won't be satisfied until she's put the blade through each one here. Trying her best to fight through the hindrance of the door, she slashes at the one she is (flanked?) with Lysander.
Even through the window, Gareth's hammer is unstoppable, bludgeoning the woman to the ground in a spray of blood and bone. Only one of the hobs remains, and although he is doing a remarkable job of defending against both Iteb and Lysander at the same time, the giant-sized orc manages to smash her shield into him once, hard enough to knock a snaggled tooth loose.
Lysander attacks again, but with little effect.
The lone survivor deflects Lysander's blow again, then moves to try to cut his way past Iteb. This time he strikes true, and Iteb feels the blade go deep.
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Gareth reaches inside, trying to position himself to help, but he misses. His attack was quite reckless, as he was particularly confident his companions would get rid of the hobgoblin soon.
Crit:
With his focus on the huge orc warrior outside the building the Ironfang legionnaire slips up enough to allow Lysander to stab him in the upper back, but he still keeps up a defense strong enough to block all of Iteb's and Gareth's attacks. Clearly still deeming Iteb the largest threat , the legionnaire continues to slash at her with his longsword. He feints an attack toward her knee, then drives his blade upward - right into the orc's heart.
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His triumph is short-lived, however, for Iteb does not fall; there is steel in the blood of orcs, and she calls on it now.
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Iteb cries out in a roar of pain as the blade of the hobgoblin strikes cleanly through her stomach and downwards on its way out, a fountain of blood gushing out. Shortlived, however, as in a reaction to the extreme level of pain she suddenly feels, she clenches every muscle she can and forces her consciousness not to fade, though it visibly drains her. Holding the sword in her right arm, she tries for a single last swing at the hob.
[dice=SwordDmg[2d6 +4[/dice]
Iteb's retribution is much more final than the Ironfang warrior's. He drops in a pool of blood, and there is silence now in the house, save for the labored breathing of the dying orc.
Dashing out the door, Lysander shouts for the cleric. "Aubrin, we need you in here!"
It takes a few moments for Aubrin to arrive , but when she does, she gasps at the sight of Iteb's injuries. "How are you..." She doesn't finish the question, just reaches out with one hand, her other gripping the handle of her tankard, and murmurs a prayer to Cayden Cailean. Healing energy flows through the orc, closing the worst of the wounds . Studying the orc's hurts, she shakes her head and produces a potion from her satchel, offering it to Iteb.
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Iteb sits against the side of her home with slow breaths as she keeps herself conscious. They're still half-way from getting out of town, and then they need to work on the bridge... There's no reason to slow them down and be a useless body to be dragged around. Lifting her hand over to see her worst wound again, she continues to clench her muscles to hold it in as best she can.
Thankfully, she does so. Soon, Aubrin arrives and seems distraught over her condition. Honestly, she's felt this bad before, but usually takes days to recover, and so is surprised as the healing magic she felt earlier overwhelms her, and she doesn't even feel the need to clench her body tight anymore. In relief, she drops the sword and visibly relaxes. Seeing the offer of a potion, she seems to be urging Iteb to drink, Iteb takes the small vial and downs its contents.
Then straining to stand up, the magical healing having her feel immensely better, sheathing the sword at her side as she does, she looks in through the door. "Must quickly find real weapons." She offers, taking a deep breath and giving her neck a loud pop as she strains her neck to the side. "No time for rest."
Aubrin dismisses the enlarge person so Iteb can more easily search what's left of her house.
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Iteb enters her home, and quickly searches it, finding what she can from what's left unbroken by the Hobgoblins' search of the place. She's frustrated with how little they left for her to take with her, but grabs her crafting kits, armor which she quickly adorns after removing the inferior studded garb, as well as ten different weapons consisting of light picks, kukri, warhammers, and clubs made of primitive materials such as stone, obsidian glass, and bronze.
After a couple minutes, satisfied with the weapons now littering her body, she steps back out of the home hoping for the others to be done with the animal slaughter for added provisions. "Good to go. Anywhere else, or bridge next?" She asks, echoing her question to the much larger group when they all meet up once more. She's somewhat exhausted from nearly falling unconscious earlier, but tries her best to put on a strong enough front.
Aye, we shoulda' go to tha' bridge next. I have these plans here with me to try to rig it down aftah' we pass to tha' other side. - says the Dwarf, re-reading the plans he found at the blacksmith - We should make haste.
"Not yet on the bridge," Bunko says, his face sweaty and soot-streaked. "I have my weapons and armor back at my bunk. If we're taking that bridge, I want my hooked hammer in hand. This sword is well-made, but it's too cumbersome for me."
Negan's smile is robust and intense as he sees Iteb return, whole and at her usual size, and there might be a hint of tears as he accepts the mementos she recovered. Mako is more reticent at first, as teenagers are, but he suddenly hugs his mother fiercely before just as suddenly pulling back.
The group regathers, and following Bunko's lead, starts making its way toward his small house on the village's southeast edge. Shortly before arriving, though, the group's leaders catch sight of a potentially deadly standoff. They hear snuffling and a low growl coming from a darkened alleyway as they pass the entrance - glancing down the alley, they see an Ironfang-trained battle wolf sniffing around a cart at the alley's far end.
Bunko spots the wolf, and is about to caution the group to move on, when he spies the wolf's prey beyond the cart. "Archers," he whispers, pointing at the foe and backing out of the way.
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Iteb looks to the others and pulls out the bow she's carrying and draws back on it. Unless she sees others getting ranged weapons out as well, she'll loose the arrow to try to draw its attention away from the other potential prey. Otherwise, she'll wait and release her arrow with the others' if they seem to be nocking their bows as well. She hopes it'll come to them, but wouldn't hold it against the others to charge it.
Jeb adds her crossbow fire to the volley.
Gareth follows the others and tries to clumsily shoot an arrow as well. Seeing the untalented characteristics of his shoot, he drops the bow to the ground, angry, and pulls back his longhammer.
Lysander draws Aubrin's bow, nocks an arrow, and fires.
Lysander readies his bow alongside the others and fires as well.
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The volley isn't terribly effective; only Jeb's crossbow bolt manages to hit the wolf, while all around arrows bury themselves in the cart or ricochet off of the walls of the nearby houses. Still, the wound the Jeb inflicts is deep, and the wolf cries out in pain before whipping around to face the group.
Gareth moves towards the wolf and attacks it with his longhammer.
Proving that his abilities in wolf-crushing have not waned since the Shrine, Gareth quickly puts down the animal. After a brief pause, two middle-aged dwarves carefully raise their heads over the edge of the cart to peek out. They give a cry of relief when they see Jeb and, a moment later, Ragam. "Oh, Creator of All, thank you!" the woman cries. She runs to Jeb and gives her a hug, and the older man does the same, albeit somewhat more reserved, with Ragam. After a few brief seconds, Jeb has introduced them to the group as her parents, and you have also located some additional supplies in the cart to take with you.
Jeb had had her parents gnawing in the back of her mind, trying not to think about her and Ragam having to leave them behind. To find them here was a shock, to say the least, and she feels almost fatigued with her sense of relief.
Somewhat unsettlingly, by the time you reach your next stop, the town has begun to quiet, and you realize most of the town's resistance is spent. It's been much less than half an hour since the attack even began, but the speed and thoroughness of the Ironfang's assault has been relentless, and left almost no opposition alive... except for you. So far.
Oreld’s Fine Shop — labeled with a small shingle hanging out front — is one of the few buildings in town made entirely of stone. Mortared white blocks form the walls of this odd-shaped cottage. Scorch marks that shift in color from black to dark blue to glimmering violet mar one wall. The door to the shop stands open and bloody footprints lead inside. Out in front, the torn and bloodsoaked signs proclaiming "Stop By and Say Hi to Phaendar's Own WEE PATTERSON!" are all that remains of the Tiniest Aurochs or his paddock.
Just beyond Oreld's Shop, Bunko's hovel awaits. It is a single-room shack, with a small loft. The door hangs open ominously...
The group moves forward, approaching the open door of Oreld's Shop. A single hobgoblin in a bandolier rifles through the shelves for anything valuable, and holds a chain connected to an iron collar around the unmoving body of a middle-aged Taldan man. The body is curled convulsively around a javelin buried deep in its stomach. Bunko, who has long been his neighbor, is fairly sure that the unmoving figure is indeed Vane Oreld, alchemist and owner of the shop.
Jeb follows the orc with her falchion raised.
Jeb runs up to the hobgoblin, and slashes at his back.
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Jeb and Iteb make short work of the Ironfang warrior. As he drops, he lets go the chain he was holding, and the body on the ground slumps a little further as well. It is most definitely Vane Oreld, and he is most definitely dead.
The alchemist’s shop is neatly organized, its shelves filled with jars, bottles, and paper envelopes. Much has been destroyed or looted, but you can still find three vials of antiplague, five bottles of bloodblock, a bottle of fire ward gel, and two flasks of defoliant, all neatly labeled. A well-used marble mortar and pestle, no doubt worth a decent sum, sits on the desk. Behind the desk, there is a door, currently closed, that the locals know leads to Oreld's workspace and personal chambers.