Perrin lets out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, then steps forward and swings his arm through the spot where the orc is standing for good measure. "Okay, we're okay, it's all okay."
He turns and listens to Mel's outburst, waiting curiously to hear any response.
A figure appears at the end of the tunnel and barks back to Mel. In the dim light, it is somewhat hard to tell but it looks to be an orc warrior.
You will never know my might!
The accent in Orcish is a bit off.
The warrior waves his hands and speaks in strange syllables. He steps sideways and you lose sight of him.
He just cast invisibility.
"He turned invisible!" The darkness in Perrin's eyes grows deeper still as he scans the tunnel.
If that illusion is gone (for Vors) after the swipe, then disregard the below. If not...
Vors is utterly confused when Perrin gets dangerously close to the lead orc, and nearly cries out when his arm goes to touch the savage warrior until the arm goes straight through the orc...
...and snaps his halberd to attention, desperately hoping that he can survive this fight and just go home.
"Invisible, eh? Also, your orcish accent is lousy. Sounds like the reason we'll never know your might is that you're never going to stop hiding like the puling coward you are!"
"Vors, it's a trick. They're not real," Mel says. "See?" She waves her arms through some of the illusionary orcs.
Hmph. Hirda takes a tentative step into the tunnel entrance. Not seeing the orc or any other enemies right away, she focuses on the floor, walls, and ceiling immediately in front of her, looking for any telltale signs of traps.
If she doesn't see anything suspicious, she takes another step forward.
Given ample evidence of the illusion, Vors shakes his head to clear his mind and sees through the deception.
You hear more strange words coming from inside the cave.
Hirda moves forward, looking around carefully. But even her sharp, dwarven vision fails to notice the trap in front of her.
The steel jaws of the trap bite deep into Hirda's leg, making it much harder for her to move.
Hearing the snap of the trap and Hirda's grunt of pain, Mel speaks quietly, pitching her voice to be heard only by the group. "This is foolish. If we go in there, we're fighting on his terms in cramped, dark quarters. Hirda, come back! We'll get you out of that and check for other exits. Hirda and Vors can guard this entrance while Perrin and I check for other exits. If he's only got one exit, he's trapped -- we can start a fire in the cave entrance and blow smoke inside to flush him out. Or collapse the stupid tunnel and let him rot in there since he likes hiding so much."
Perrin winces in sympathy as Hirda's leg gets chomped. "Yeah, I think maybe let's not go in there?" He instead starts clambering up the side of the hill, making his way to the top. "But we can't let him sneak out under our noses. These tunnels could lead anywhere, and I'm sure he's got all sorts of tricks up his sleeve." When he reaches the peak of the hill he surveys the surrounding slopes carefully with both mundane and magical vision, checking for anything unusual.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Humph. Walked right into that one!
Don' worry fellas, I found th' trap!
Hirda backtracks to the cave entrance, if able.
No sounds are heard from inside the cave. Hirda limps out to the entrance. Mel and Perrin move 30 feet away from the entrance but find nothing.
"I'll check all around," Mel says. "I'll yell if I need help -- and you call if you need me to run back!"
Moving quickly but not running, Mel circles the entire hill, checking for entrances. Mindful of the illusion that hid the first entrance, she trails her fingers through the tall grass and across any large rocks or trees, checking for illusions.
And here are a couple of Will saves in case there's an illusion to disbelieve.
Mel's investigations don't turn up an alternate entrance. But a sound arises as she is investigating around the hill.
An orcish figure becomes visible in the cave. Vors and Hirda feel something tugging at their minds.
Strange lights flash around you in a horribly confusion pattern. An orc suddenly appears in the middle of your vision and slashes you in the side.
Hirda stands motionless, gazing off into the distance at the entrance to the cave.
Suddenly, you are surrounded by images of orcs all around you.
Vors lunges toward Hirda and strikes quickaly at her with his halberd.
Having just started to make his way down from the top of the hill, Perrin enters into a sprint when he sees Vors' inexplicable aggression. "Mel, we need you!" he calls over his shoulder. "Vors, Hirda, Halak, it's just another trick! Get the caster!"
As he runs and shouts, Perrin raises his unholy symbol high and lets Haagenti's power flow through his body, hitting his companions like a splash of cold water.
What the hell are you talking about, doctor - it's going to kill us all!
When the wave of energy hits him, he looks suspiciously at his halberd, then at the wounded (but healing) Hirda. Deadeye's love, Hirda, I'm sorry! I swear there was another orc there, threatening us! These illusions'll be the death of you, but by my hand! Doctor, should I leave?
Perrin's magic enables Vors and Hirda to shake off the effects of the spell temporarily.
You hear another spell being cast from inside the cave. Hirda can make it out but Vors has trouble seeing what's going on in there.
You see the orc standing where he was before (square marked X).
Perrin looks panicked at Vors' question. "I... I don't know." He glances around as though expecting someone else to be giving orders, but no one appears. "Um... yes. Let's say yes. Drop your weapon and get back, it's not safe!"
Hearing Perrin's call, Mel turns and rushes back to the area.
"What is it? What's happened?" She asks, her breath coming quickly from the exertion of the run.
No 'arm done, lad, but by gum, 'tis mos frustratin'. Ah'm seein' all sorts o' odd things meself. Right now, looks like an orc standin' there in the tunnel. Pretty sure that's the real thing this time, but who kin be sure?
Hirda makes a futile attempt to open the trap that's digging most painfully into her leg.
The orc appears out of the tunnel, attempting to force his way past the Brooksiders. Confusingly, it seems as if there are seven identical orcs all trying to occupy the same space.
Hirda and Vors strike as the orc tries to rush past them
Hirda barely manages to land a blow on the dodging orc but Vors can't quite seem to as the orc is dodging as actively as he can. But Vors does pass his halberd through one of the identical orcs, revealing it to be an illusion and destroying it.
6 images left.
No 3rd level slots left. No 2nd level slots left.
39/47 hp.
Oh, 'e's tryin' t' make a break fer it! Wait, only one o' them's real, I betcha. But which? No matter, jus' put 'em all down an' that'll take care o' it.
Hirda takes another wild swing at a random orc, doing the best she can as the trap's teeth dig into her leg with every movement.
Hirda destroys another false orc!
5 images left.
No 3rd level slots left. No 2nd level slots left.
39/47 hp.
"Eep!" Mel says. She fumbles for an arrow and lofts it at the confusing profusion of orc images.
Mel's shaft misses all of the orc images!
As his companions chip away at the illusory orcs, Perrin briefly searches for a clever plan to figure out which one is real. Then he gives up and decides to torch them all. Darting down the hillside to just above the tunnel entrance, the doctor pulls out one of the flasks found on Ukar's body, growls an incantation, and unleashes a cone of flame that envelops the remaining images.
The images of the orcs, looking around themselves very warily and trying to dodge every incoming attack, attempt to duck under the sheet of flame coming from Perrin's hands
and barely manage to do so, taking some damage. Vors moves forward and strikes in anger at the strange, images.
Vors cuts down another one of the images.
The orc images then attempt to flee to the west.
Hirda's glaive sweeps through the air, crushing another false image of the orc.
3 images left.
No 3rd level slots left. No 2nd level slots left.
32/47 hp.
"He's getting away! Halak, can you make the grass come alive like you did before?"
Perrin spins on his heels, scrambling back up the hillside in pursuit of the fleeing figure. "Get back here!" he shouts, and his words are filled with that strange power that sent an orc leaping from the walls of Brookside.
The orc looks over his shoulder at Perrin and winces at his hard words. He tries to turn his head back west to flee
but then his head snaps back toward Perrin, locking eyes with him.
Halak nods at Perrin's words. Can. Tell when, where. Halak waves his arms and speaks some words then holds a green glow of energy in his hand, ready to release it at a word from Perrin.
"Cast it just past where I'm standing, so it catches him but not us. When I say 'Now'."
Mel mutters "Samperi sentään," under her breath, and nocks a fresh arrow to loft towards the fleeing orc.
Then she hears Perrin's voice rise in an imperious command, sees his hair flutter -- in a breeze? Or something else? The orc stops, turns, and starts to head back towards the normally unassuming doctor, each of the multiple faces staring in fixed hatred upon Perrin's face as Halak begins the spell of entanglement.
An involuntary shiver runs down Mel's spine. She lowers her bow. "Paska, that creeps me out," she says, and watches to see what develops.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The madness begins creeping back into Vors' and Hirda's minds. But thanks to Perrin, they know it's a trick. They struggle to hold onto that fact with their minds
and succeed!
I'm gittin' mighty confused. Jus' keep things simple and stab at 'em orcs, I guess. It be a might difficult wit this contraption clamped on me leg. Finish this'un off, then we kin try t' pry it loose.
Hirda trudges painfully up the hill towards Perrin.
Enraged, Vors rushes toward the enemy.
The orc, fear in his eyes, drags his feet toward Perrin and ends up right next to the good doctor but pulls out a rapier as it advances.
Perrin takes a careful step back toward Hirda and reaches over to her, doing his best to repair her injuries.
"Now!" he calls out to Halak.
Halak unleashes his magic, calling up vines on the opposing orc.
Neither Vors nor the orc are entangled by the vines but it seems like it will be very hard to run through this new undergrowth. A look of concern briefly flashes across the orc's multiple faces.
(to notice the rapier that hasn't been drawn yet)
Taking note of the sword sheathed at the orc's side, Mel remarks "A rapier? What kind of orc fights with a rapier?" She keeps an arrow trained on the "orc", watching intently for any sign of spellcasting.
Hirda moves up and addresses the group of identical orcs, before bringing her glaive down on one at random. Look, ye've 'ad yer tricks, but yer fun's over. Now, we'll 'appily kill ya, but we'd rather ask ya some questions. So when ye've 'ad enough, raise yer 'ands n' say so, n' mayaps y'll be spared.
The orcs cry out in pain as Hirda strikes them and looks around uncertainly, considering the entangling vines behind and the belligerent villagers in front.
No 3rd level slots left. No 2nd level slots left.
26/47 hp.
Vors moves forward and strikes at the orc.
Another image fades under Vors' blow.
But the vines continue grasping. Both Vors and the orcs try to avoid becoming entangled.
They both manage to pull their ankles out of the way of the grasping vines. The orc begins casting a spell to help him out of this difficulty. Mel seizes the opportunity and sends a shaft straight into him, despite nearly all her allies being partially in the way.
Her aim holds true, striking the real, breathing enemy beneath the illusions.
Vors and Hirda also swing at the hostile orc.
His halberd goes wide but ends the last illusion.
The halberd blow and the shaft in his side draw sweat from the orc's brow as he attempts to bring his spell into existence regardless.
But the strange enemy cannot bring the spell forth and it fizzles in his frustrated hands. He moves away as fast as he can in the entangling undergrowth.
The "orc" attempted to cast expeditious retreat.
No 3rd level slots left. No 2nd level slots left. 1 st level slot spent (expeditious retreat)
17/47 hp.
"Get back here, pelkuri! We've got questions that need answers!" Mel shouts at the fleeing figure.
Frustrated at the prospect of losing him, Mel draws and looses another shaft.
Though the shaft appears to strike true, she rushes forward to close the distance anyway.
Perrin draws a small pinch of wool from his pouch and mutters an incantation, giving his friends what he hopes is a reassuring look. Suddenly, heavy footsteps and muffled human shouts can be heard approaching from around the hill.
Perrin jogs forward around the edge of the vines, calling out to the fleeing figure. "It's no use running - our reinforcements are here, and we've got you surrounded!"
Hirda limps further down the hill, to stand next to Perrin.
Ye've been bested! Jus' give up!
The orc cries in pain as another shaft hits him. He curses something you can't quite hear under his breath. Then turns and drops his rapier, holding his hands up.
Mel readies another arrow but doesn't shoot. "That's right," she says. "Vors, could you ...?"
She shoots the orc a wary look.
Vors strides through the wriggling vines towards the orc, and kicks the rapier away. Now listen here - enough of the games and illusions. You talk, now. Who are you, and what are you doing here? Speak!
Halak stalks forward next to Vors with an extra deep scowl on his face, trying to help get to the bottom of what killed his clan...
The orc curses again under his breath then speaks a word you don't understand. The appearance of an orc fades rapidly away leaving a handsome man with pointed ears wearing a flowing robe. He bows calmly and states in an incredibly smooth voice I am Elrin. My business here is not something I can share but I assure you, if you escort me back to my homeland, you will be compensated most generously. He gestures politely toward Mel. She can verify this, of course.
Perrin hesitates, wanting to trust the kind man. "But... there was that evil aura in the tunnel. Not to be judgy or anything, but what was that all about?" He turns to Mel, uncertainly. "Do you know this guy?"