Beltzer continues to leg it alongside the others.
Frowning, Lys draws the arrow stuck in her jacket. "Well that's just plain rude.", she mumbles, continuing to run away from the orcs. "Not the friendliest of hosts.", she continues her rant, as her boots splash mud under her fast stride. Ingrahild follows behind.
So, the companions withdraw.
Ingrahild rockets away from flying faster than Wulfrum can run.
Ten more orcs get to the walls with longbows. Sixteen orcs fire another volley of longbow arrows. Beltzer takes an arrow in the back.
1=B, 2=A, 3=L
So, the companions withdraw again.
Sixteen orcs fire another volley of longbow arrows. Three arrows get near Arlan.
1=B, 2=A, 3=L
Usual Twisted Nail AC 14
Arlan = AC 27 & 76/76+11
Beltzer = AC 16 & 58/52-10=42
Lys = AC 21 & 66/62
Nerak = AC 14 & 48/48
Wulfrum = 60/60 & AC 23, 10ft Reach, DR 5/Evil.
Ingrahild = AC 18 & 55/43
Those idiots can't hit the broad side of a barn! We should've stayed and killed more. Hey, dwarf! You alive? He yells to the surrounding area.
Once the threat of arrows and orcs passes and the armor's spell wears off, Wulfrum starts to slow down and begins to huff and puff a bit. "Alright alright, enough with the running. We can take it a bit easier yea? Dwarves aren't meant for long distance runnin." he said as he paused for a moment to hold his side.
He soon started walking again shortly after catching his breath a bit.
A wide grin on her face, Lys ends up next to Arlan and Wulfrum, hands on her knees. "Wooah!", she lets out, panting, as she leaps onto a nearby boulder. "That was fun! Haven't been shot at for a while, now.", she lets out, wiping her brow and unstringing her crossbow. As Wulfrum ends up next to them, she giggles. "Yup. Short and medium distance running too, Wulfy. Pretty much all running that isn't downhill and towards someone's shins.", she stands in front of the dwarf, clearly ecstatic at the situation. Placing her hat on the dwarf's head, she jumps back onto her boulder, giving Ingrahild and Umlo a wave.
"Well, welcome!", she says to the newly rescued dwarf. "I'm sorry for rescuing you from the glamourous life of bear-wrestling gladiatorial combat, but we figured it's a dying business.", she says, untying her hair and shaking her head, lying back on the boulder, pointing at Ingrahild. "Too little time for family, methinks."
"So, I'm Elize Brokenshield, but you can call me Lys." She smiles. "I also answer to 'Torag-damn you, shut up!' We're from Trunau, and we're here to take care of a certain giantess trying to organise the orcish clans against us." Pausing to stare at the others arriving. "We've got a campsite nearby, you're welcome to join us for as long as you'd like. I think we'd like to kick out the fort's current tenants, but we decided we'd help you out first."
Picking out a silver-tipped bolt from her boot and starting to twirl it around her fingers, she starts staring at the sky. "So, what's the plan now?"
After a few minutes, Ingrahild joins you at your secure camp that was created by Varin and introduces her older brother Umlo. She has been crying tears of joy. If you could see him, he is very wounded. He thanks you profusely for saving him and his sister and for reuniting them. They are in your debt.
He doesn't know much about the fort. An orc patrol captured him weeks ago and threw him in the pen. Every day at sundown the orcs gather to watch the four bears tear him apart. Then, their orc healer cures him, so he fight again the next day. His only weapon is his mithral skillet; his only armor are bloody rags.
"What could I know that could help you?" he asks.
Beltzer cocks his head at Arlan, then turns around showing the two arrows in his back. "Are you saying I am bigger or a more juicy target than a barn I wonder?" Beltzer asks before taking out the arrows slowly.
"Erm, I guess to start do you know much of this area. I'm guessing you didn't originally set up next to a fortress of orcs." Beltzer asks.
"Erm, I guess to start do you know much of this area. I'm guessing you didn't originally set up next to a fortress of orcs." Beltzer asks.
"-Fraid not. I was cursed insane like Hildy. The healer cured me in the pen to make me a better bear fighter." Umlo replies.
Wulfrum listened silently for a bit till the words mithral skillet was meantioned. He shortly seem to fly into a tirade "What kind of ostentatious pompous jackass went and crafted a bleeding MITHRAL SKILLET!" he said snatching up the frying pan and looking it over for any markings, symbols, or defining quirks.
"At least tell me the blasted Orcs didn't craft this. I could see some idjit like them finding precious ore and thinking it just crap to slap together and make damned kitchen items. Honestly, the amount of work folding mithral all for the sake of a skillet that probably still has food stick to it iffin you aren't careful....bloody ridiculous." he said practically foaming at the mouth at what effort and goods wasted to create the monstrosity before him.
Beltzer cocks his head at Arlan, then turns around showing the two arrows in his back. "Are you saying I am bigger or a more juicy target than a barn I wonder?" Beltzer asks before taking out the arrows slowly.
"Erm, I guess to start do you know much of this area. I'm guessing you didn't originally set up next to a fortress of orcs." Beltzer asks.
Ah, hell, did you catch one, Bel? I got caught up in the run and didn't see ya. You ok? he asks sheepishly.
Then, after the dwarf's introduction Arlan laughs heartily at Wulfrum's indignation.
I don't know about you, but I wanna cook some eggs or somethin' on that thing and see if it tastes better! But in the meantime, what now? The orcs are all stirred up like a hornet's nest, now.
After handing the skillet to Wulfrum, Umlo lapses into Dwarven, "Our grandmother made the skillet on a bet. She was an accomplished smith.
"And no. Nothing sticks to the skillet or gets burned on. You can clean it with a leaf." Umlo replies. There probably is a long story there, which is usually shared over lots of beer.
So, you sleep through the night in watches inside Varin's hideaway. Someone of you are more concerned than others at the many patrols of orcs, ogres and giants throughout the night. You are fully healed, rested and fed and ready to go.
It's near dawn.
Usual Twisted Nail AC 14
Arlan = AC 27 & 76/76
Beltzer = AC 16 & 58/58
Lys = AC 21 & 66/66
Nerak = AC 14 & 48/48
Wulfrum = 60/60 & AC 23
Ingrahild = AC 18 & 55/55
Umlo
Lys wakes up, images of bears and other beasts from her dreams slowly disappearing from the waking world. Leaping up a moment later, she ties her hair once again, throwing on her hat. Looking around the camp and checking for targets of either bolts or quips, she makes her way to Nerak, who seems to have just finished his... weird magical writing.
"Morning, Grand Marshal!", she chirps, appearing behind the man and ruffling a hand in the bison's hair. "So, are we attacking the fortress, or are we going to move past it? I am, as always, willing to run away from problems, only to have them bite us in the ass later.", she mentions in a chipper sarcastic tone. "I'd suggest we go out and try and bring down a patrol, regardless. Let the orcs hide in there, while we make haste towards the next orc-infested hell-hole." Sitting down on the ground, she picks out a blade of grass and bites it, sending a look towards the bison. "If you wanted it, you'd have eaten it already."
Wuflrum snorts. "We ain't leaving it standing...or at the least in the hands of ta Orcs and Giants. They are a treat to our home and other towns and villages. Iffin we learned one thing, it's the bastards are a cruel and vicious bunch of a&***+#!s who find fun in torturing a person only to heal them back up so they can do it again." he said snorting at the idea of leaving them be.
"I ain't sure we can destroy the whole fortress but I'm sure there has to be some leadership structure here right? We won't be able to take them all down, not just with the few of us. We should be able to scatter them to the winds though. We have already seen that the orcs aren't too happy with their predicament would it be that we could get rid of their leader.. or that of the giants? Orcs nor giants are the most organised of creatures. If we manage to stop whoever is leading them now I doubt they will be able to muster again soon." Beltzer chimes into the conversation.
Ronan snorts, sending a glob of mucus at Lys. It lands squarely on her lower lip. The bison eyes her in challenge. Nerak still looking through his spellbook even after finishing his memorization speaks without looking up.
"We are not here to wage war against all the orcs of the hold, their are plenty of bones and wisp for that matter that tried and failed. Also we simply don't have the man power to hold the fortress even if we wanted it, which I don't see why we would. As for tearing it down, if we could do that we would not have had problems back home with that orc warband. I agree with Beltzer, it's best if we cut the head. At worst they will fight each other choosing a new leader, at best they scatter. But we need information so again Beltzer has a point, we pick up a patrol. Make them talk and see where we go from there."
Wiping the mucus with a sleeve, Lys stares at the bison, eyes squinting as she chews on the blade of grass. "Oh, you are on, you walking carpet-covered steak.", she hisses, then plops down.
"So, we know what we're doing, then.", Lys comments, taking a sack from her saddlebags and starting to fit boltheads to bolts. "Go and get a patrol. I'd be willing to scout on ahead, see when and where they're doing them. I imagine the bulk of the patrols would be during the day, rather than night, since they're both nocturnal creatures...", she starts scratching her head. "Right? Either that, or we can see about sabotaging their food and water supplies, then picking them off as they set on getting some."
So, it's either sabotage or assassination, after we find out what information the patrol has. If we mess with their supplies, we'd need to spend a bit more time around the encampment to make sure they go around and get more, and don't send a messenger.
If we want to get the head, we need to make sure we know where they are, and find a way to sneak in, kill them, then get out.
I don't think we'll have to do anything like that to rile 'em up. They already wanna find us. Best we can do is find a spot that's hidden and has good lines of sight, try to see 'em before they get too close.
"I disagree. The orcs only saw us go after the dwarf and leave soon after. We didn't kill any of them or even make the attempt. For all they know we came solely to rescue him, which we did. They have no reason to look for us or think we will be coming back. I can use my magic to let one of us fly unseen above the fortress. We can get details of it's proper lay out as well as see the patrol routes from the air. Once we have that information we can plan an ambush for a patrol. As well as consider what to do about the fort."
He takes a draw of water from the skin before continuing.
"If we ambush a patrol, we can not allow any to flee alive. While our goal is to capture, it's better no information makes it's way back to the fort. Better they think some danger or misfortune brought down a patrol rather then us. The longer we remain hidden, the better."
Wulfrum snorts "Aye, and it'd be better if we give them reason to pause and consider than to just possibly run first chance. They seemed to like having a dwarf around for entertainment. I'd imagine if they found another unconscious dwarf, they'd give pause and attempt to capture him to replace their lost one. Shame if that dwarf could suddenly be armed and with friends." he said snarling a bit.
You're about a half mile away, so you have a way to collect your companions and lay ambush them with a couple of minutes of preparation.
Usual Twisted Nail AC 14
Arlan = AC 27 & 76/76
Beltzer = AC 16 & 58/58
Lys = AC 21 & 66/66
Nerak = AC 14 & 48/48
Wulfrum = 60/60 & AC 23
Ingrahild = AC 18 & 55/55
Umlo
Upon spotting the patrol, Lys tosses her hat back on her head, spitting out the blade of grass. Alright. They don't seem happy that they're out of dwarves. Let's give them some., she smiles to herself, slowly crawling out of the bush she's set in. Upon making some headway while prone, she leaps up and starts running towards the campsite.
Arriving several minutes later, she grabs a nearby waterskin, and points towards the road. "Four green ones, one gray one. None of them in a particularly pleasant mood. Probably not morning people, I imagine." Taking a long drink, she grabs her quivers and shoulders them. "About half a mile that way. Let's go and ruin their day a bit more, shall we?"
Wulfrum nods "Alright then, what plan we going with. Drunk Dwarf passed out in the brush or sudden hell from every direction?" he asked making sure everyone was on the same page.
"I would rather not have you face a giant on your own. A standard ambush would be better in my opinion. Remember we want captives, besides the giant try not to kill the orcs outright. Nothing personal against giants we just can't hold one and their noticeable."
Alright, let's test this thing's edge, shall we? Arlan draws steel, hoping to put Gorum's Thorn to good use.
I just need a quick drink first, he says, again drawing forth his smoking concoction.
Lys whistles a cheerful tune as she makes her way through the crossed terrain. "Sure! You have yours now, we'll have some more later.", she chirps at Arlan, frowning at the concoction's smell. "Oooh. Is that troll toes I smell? What exactly is in that...", she raises an eyebrow, "...stuff?"
Wulfrum nods and readies his warhammer and shield. "I reckon I can take the giant's attention, ain't like dwarves haven't been taming mountains for millennia." he said looking at the warhammer and giving the head a smack against his gauntlet covered hand.
"I can provide cover for confusion though I know Lys is not partial to my clouds. Likely though I will make sure the giants blows end up more of a tickle. Anyone want skin like trees?" Beltzer asks.
Wulfrum nods "Aye, I suppose I shouldn't say no. Since we likely not storming the Fort tonight or sabotaging them. I gotta few prayers before facing this giant anywho."
You get into position ahead of the giant and orcs where they will stumble into your ambush.
Usual Twisted Nail AC 14
Arlan = AC 27 & 76/76
Beltzer = AC 16 & 58/58
Lys = AC 21 & 66/66
Nerak = AC 14 & 48/48
Wulfrum = 60/60 & AC 23
Ingrahild = AC 18 & 55/55
Umlo
Beltzer readies his spells to shield his companions for the coming storm.
Lys skulks next to Nerak, throwing a glance at the giant. Winking maliciously at Lorn, she throws a raspberry at the ioun wyrd, then nods at Nerak. "Will fire when you do the wizardy thing!", she hisses, taking aim at the giant's chest.
Distance should be about 100 feet.
With everyone in place and ready. Nerak cast his spell to start the ambush.
With everyone in place and ready. Nerak cast his spell to start the ambush. Both giant and the first orc turn sparkly and cry out in blindness.
Lys skulks next to Nerak, throwing a glance at the giant. Winking maliciously at Lorn, she throws a raspberry at the ioun wyrd, then nods at Nerak. "Will fire when you do the wizardy thing!", she hisses, taking aim at the giant's chest.
Usual Twisted Nail AC 14
Arlan = AC 27 & 76/76
Beltzer = AC 16 & 58/58
Lys = AC 21 & 66/66
Nerak = AC 14 & 48/48
Wulfrum = 60/60 & AC 23
Ingrahild = AC 18 & 55/55
Varin if NPC
Umlo
The bolt from The Messenger is quickly followed by three more as Lys continues her barrage against the giant. "Why is everything so sloooow!", Lys blurts out, as the giant is now a bearer of many bolts. The bolts land into the giant's massive torso with resounding thuds, as Lys puts on a devilish grin.
Varin, having drawn Aggrimosh, thunders forward, the barrel-sized head of the hammer swinging and crashing towards the already wounded giant. "Get 'im!", shouts Lys.
Grit 3/4
@GM - I'm not sure if becoming large is a standard or a swift/free action for Varin's hammer. I'd imagine him using the thing now, and then charging forward.
If it's a swift/free, he'll be charging and trying to hit the first target he can see. If it's not, maybe he got the chance to do that in the surprise round? I'll roll the attack just in case, but you judge.
Wulfrum plants his shield in front of him and charges in hot at the Orc.
Arlan ushers Belter forward, then moves up with the others, bounding quickly towards the giant. He tries to kick the giant in the nether regions, but it's too tall and he misses badly.
Nerak closes the distance before hitting the enemy with another spell. Aiming to catch as many as he could
The bolt from The Messenger is quickly followed by three more as Lys continues her barrage against the giant. "Why is everything so sloooow!", Lys blurts out, as the giant is now a bearer of many bolts. The bolts land into the giant's massive torso with resounding thuds, as Lys puts on a devilish grin.
Varin, having drawn Aggrimosh, thunders forward, the barrel-sized head of the hammer swinging and crashing towards the already wounded giant. "Get 'im!", shouts Lys. Aggrimosh knocks the giant unconscious.
Wulfrum plants his shield in front of him and charges in hot at the Orc.
Arlan ushers Belter forward, then moves up with the others, bounding quickly towards the giant. He tries to kick an orc in the nether regions, but it's too green and he misses badly.
Nerak closes the distance before hitting the enemy with another spell. Aiming to catch as many as he could
The orc facing Wulfram draws his falchion and drops unconscious.
The three other orcs slowly draw their falchions with their eyeballs flicking around faster than their head realizing that their end is near.
Usual Twisted Nail AC 14
Arlan = AC 27 & 76/76
Beltzer = AC 16 & 58/58
Lys = AC 21 & 66/66
Nerak = AC 14 & 48/48
Wulfrum = 60/60 & AC 23
Ingrahild = AC 18 & 55/55
Varin if NPC
Umlo
Wulfrum turns a bit, spies the next group and uses his warhammer to slide the first Orc off his shield spikes. He lets out a guttural roar before charging forwards one more in an attempt to slam into another Orc.
"We need them alive remember!"
Lys nods at Nerak, as she aims her crossbow towards another orc. Judging the distance, the contraption lowers as she lets out a bolt in the direction of the orc's shin. The bolt flies, wounding the orc deeply, as indicated by his shriek, as she smiles, reaching into her belt to draw another set of bolts.
GRIT: 2/4
Beltzer moves up nearer Arlan and sends out an evil eye toward one of the orcs making it harder for him to attack. "I'll try to weaken one heavily so it'll make it easier to capture."