Seeing the wound his halfling friend has taken, Vael uses his shamanic energy to move Whistle Pig behind him.
"Hold her, someone! She's nae well."
Vael gets the greviously injured halfling to safety!
Round 1:
Raen: Ray
Dwarf: ATK
Hamilton: Go
Whistle Pig: Go
Ushyle: Go
Doxon: Go
Vael: HL
With Raen's spell, Ushyle moves quickly — though not quickly enough to prevent the halfling from being clobbered by the woman's axe. He reaches out and attempts to grapple her, reappearing before her eyes as he does!
Ushyle appears just as his leg hits the dwarf's sturdy, low to the ground, leg.
He bounces off.
She screams louder than ever, "GREEEEEEEEN!"
Round 1:
Raen: Ray
Dwarf: ATK
Hamilton: Go
Whistle Pig: Go
Ushyle: Oops
Doxon: Go
Vael: HL
Doxon will try and tackle her.
The mad dwarf woman fights the party off as she goes into a berserker rage. She swings hard at Doxon.
Round 1:
Raen: Ray
Dwarf: ATK
Hamilton: Go
Whistle Pig: Go
Ushyle: Oops
Doxon: Miss
Vael: HL
Whistle Pig's wounds close as the party begins to close in on the dwarf....
Round 1:
Raen: Go
Dwarf: TBD
Hamilton: TBD
Whistle Pig: TBD
Ushyle: TBD
Doxon: TBD
Vael: TBD
That's... a lot of blood, Raen thinks, aghast. She thumbs through her scroll collection as quickly as she can. "Argh, nothing useful!"
Down the path, the dwarf lifts her axe again. "Ooh, wait!" She summons a magical reserve to conjure a slippery animal fat on the axe itself.
Her grip tightens on the axe "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!"
Ushyle is DEFINITELY the worst of the orcs attacking her. for
but that misses
Round 1:
Raen: Grease
Dwarf: ATK
Hamilton: Go
Whistle Pig: Go
Ushyle: Go
Doxon: Go
Vael: Go
Round 1:
Raen: Grease
Dwarf: ATK
Hamilton: Go
Whistle Pig: Go
Ushyle: Go
Doxon: Go
Vael: Go
Doxon goes low and tries to wrap up her feet a bit for Ushyle's takedown.
Ushyle nods as Doxon Tries to aid the half-orc. Let's do this, he thinks, and hopefully we don't need to hurt here...
Ham! Vael! Lend a hand here, like Dox! Ushyle moves deliberately, hoping to get her to swing her axe and put herself off balance for the grapple . Then, once he's in a flanking spot with Doxon, he reaches out to grab her, hoping she can't react properly.
Add whatever he gets from the other two.
EDIT: Man, f*ck this dicebot. >.<
Vael steps in and tries to shove the dwarf in the right direction.
She freaks out even more, and swings AGAIN at Ushyle, and the greased axe slips from her hands. It gives the party enough time and they gang up on her! Pinned down there's little she can do to fight back except spit at this point.
Move action to study, Standard to pin.
Through gritted teeth, Ushyle barks Raen! Now would be a good time for that potion!
Um... Go Team while we wait for Raen?
"I have it!" Vael corrects Ushyle. He pulls out the vial out of his backpack, unstoppers it, and forces the contents into the dwarven woman mouth. "Keep her head tilted," he adds, forcing her mouth shut. When she finally has to swallow the potion, Vael steps back and waits...
"Better your digits than mine," Raen chuckles. "You alright, Whistle Pig?"
The dwarf takes the potion after being force fed. Her eyes alternate between crazy, closed, open, and too open. After a few moments she calms down and pats Vael on the arm.
Once you release her, she doesn't speak.
She fights you off.
She pushes towards Whistle Pig.
She pulls out a foul smelling vial.
...and she says, "Drink this. It'll moderately cure your wounds."
She then turns to you, "Torag's Beard I thought you were orcs. I... I'm so sorry."
----------------
She introduces herself as Ingrahild Nargrymkin, and between apologies and making you a meal, she tells her story...
A few weeks ago Ingrahild and her brother Umlo, entered Ghostlight Marsh in search of the tomb of their ancestor, the giantslayer Nargrym Steelhand. Unfortunately, they were hundreds of miles away from the real location of their kin’s final resting place in the Mindspin Mountains— "perhaps we were confusing stories of the Vault of Thorns with those of Nargrym’s tomb." Accompanied by a pair of hired mercenaries, the dwarves stumbled upon a druidic circle of standing stones, and were ambushed by a coven of green hags and their marsh giant bodyguard. The two mercenaries were killed and the dwarf siblings were driven insane by a curse cast by the coven. They did manage to kill two of the three green hags, effectively destroying the coven. The surviving hag, Ewigga, retreated, while the dwarves wandered off into the swamp and became separated, leaving Ingrahild alone in Ghostlight Marsh, aimlessly searching for her lost brother.
"And things kept get blurrier, like tarnish on a silver fork. Until just now when you set me straight."
Well, in my case, Ushyle says, still breathing heavily, you're half right. The half orc gives a wry smile as he turns to pick up his greataxe.
"I ain't got no grudge against you. I've known a few good half orcs in my day."
"Aye. I can find the circle no problem. When I'm not insanity-cursed, I'm a solid trailblazer. I'll guide you there meself even. It's the least I can do. We're not far actually. It's probably a mile from here."
And we're likely to run into the last... Hag? Did you say? Like a witch? I know only bedtime stories.
Ham looks to Raen and to Ingrahild for more details.
"I'm not sure. She ran off when she was the last one. If I had to guess I'd say she's off to find a new coven."
It's also rather late at this point in the day.
If we're looking to tackle the Vault next, I'd prefer a to go after a good night's rest. Hammer and Tongs, Proverbs, "Strike only when your medium is ready. Do not cold work plate." It is late and after fighting the hydra and wrestling with the missus here, I would be better prepared in the morning after prayers.
|
After spending some time in Vael's capable hands, WP feels more like himself. His right shoulder still aches a bit where the axe did it's dirty work. There is a new scare to mingle with the many smaller ones that mark his back. This one feels different. He's proud of this one. He EARNED it.
"i'm going to need a new set of armor when this is all over. No matter how good the tanners are in Trunau, they just can't make something to stand up to a dwarven axe."
he sets to making the repairs need to make the set of studded leather serviceable again.
"We should set a watch tonight." Pig says after completing his work. "I'll take first watch. That way Vael and Raen can get their beauty sleep" he quickly exits the hut before Vael desks him.
Ushyle good-naturedly nods at Ingrahild's apology, giving a small but warm smile to her as the party makes preparations to camp for the night.
Old habits die hard; the half-orc makes a perimeter sweep and plots out various spots more vulnerable than others. Satisfied with the reconnaissance, he offers to take the first watch with Whistle Pig, chuckling as the halfling drops his barb and following him out. Well played, Ushyle says, grinning in spite of himself.
"It is not 'beauty sleep;' rest is required to replenish the arcane energy carefully built up --" Raen starts indignantly, but she catches the halfling's raised eyebrow and curled smile. She lets the rest of her protest go with little more than a grumble and finds a quiet corner to sleep.
* * *
The first rays of sunlight find Raen's fingers crushing her last tea leaves pilfered from Rabus (with his permission) into an earthen mug of boiling water. She hoists her spellbook onto the table and takes the first scalding sip. "Why seek the tomb of a giantslayer, Ingrahild? News from the west?" Raen asks, spying the dwarf rising from her slumber across the room.
Vael uses what spiritual energy he has left in him to heal Ingrahild and his allies
When they settle down for the night at the hut, the shaman spends some time talking to the dwarven woman in an effort to get to know her and her brother. He asks probing questions throughout the night.
After she tells the story of what happened to her and her brother, Vael asks, "That's a big mix-up between tha two places. I'm sorry that it's cost ye so much. With any luck, we'll find him. If he's as hardy a ye, then he's out thar. Any idea what tha date was when ye fought tha hags?"
While having dinner, the brewer chats about Trunau and some of the brews he's concocted since going there. He's careful to omit details about him sharing the family recipe with a human. Eventually he asks, "Searchin' for tha history of yer ancestor be a good goal. Sometimes we git so spread out, it's hard ta keep tha tales goin'. Tell me about Nargrym Steelhand."
Finally, as the night drags on, Vael feels he's built enough of a rapport to ask a personal question, with the idea of getting her to open up. "Tell me more about yerself. Where's home for ye? Why come out ta this gods-forsaken place?"
Vael also offers up a cure spell to anyone who needs it (probably Whistle Pig?)
Hideously ugly, marsh giants dwell in the most desolate of swamps—preferably those that share a sodden border with the sea. Marsh giants typically use a hooked club called a gaff (wielded in both hands) in combat—treat these weapons as flails, save that they do piercing damage. Marsh giants are hateful thugs bound together by a common zealotry. Powerful opponents and beasts are the most prized of meals, though many marsh giants are also cannibals—they often attack fellow tribe members just to gorge on a particularly fearsome or delicious-looking relative. They are strong and tough like most giants. They also have the ability to summon an obscuring mist as well as weak augury abilities.
Ingrahilde, "No news. We were just looking for adventure and a link to our past. It's hard to know exactly, but I'd say we fought them 2-3 weeks ago."
Any leads on your brother? Any thoughts as to where he may have gone?
"I confess that part of why I'm offering to be your guide is so that I can start tracking him. I have no idea... The events are... fuzzy."
After breakfast, as the group prepares to depart, Raen imparts some portentous advice. "When we encounter a marsh giant -- not if, on this trip I expect -- beware the mists. Stay tight together as a group. Marsh giants have a habit of... eating their opponents. Or anything, really."
As the party rests the night passes peacefully. In the morning you head out to find Weapons of Weal with which you can save Trunau!
After spending his morning in shamanic communion with the spirits of Life and of the Heavens, Vael is ready.
The quickly recovering dwarf gives Hamilton a warm smile, "You're too kind. I'll not give up on me brudder. Let's see what clues we uncover on your own business whatever that is. We can take it from there."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As the dawn arrives, Doxon will plant his warhammer head down on the ground facing the rising sun and begin his daily prayers to Torag. Once he has completed his morning affirmations, he'll ready himself to leave.
|
|
WP wakes before the sun rises. He's a bit slower than usual. The battle with the crazed dwarf has left him stiff. He inspects the wound quickly. stratified that Vael's healing magic has done it's job, he starts making breakfast for the group. It's not much, but it's better than the half-orc or dwarfs can do!
The group can hear Pig whistling a toon to himself as he works.
Though Ingrahild's comfort with the wilderness inspires confidence, Raen does her best to anticipate upcoming hazards to ease progress.
Anticipating peril, Vael will ask Tulia to keep a good 50ft above him, acting as an aerial lookout.
He'll also try keep pace with Ingrahild, supporting her in tracking the way as best he can.