Corentin moves forward, unable to attack but putting himself in a position to defend the man being assaulted. Johan quickly steps into position and fires an arrow at his clearest target, the female half-orc. The missile, off target, skips off the side of the building and disappears into the darkness beyond. Gizsmith doubles back, circling the building from the other side in attempt to flank their enemies. Szacha moves into view of the attackers, weaving an arcane spell and sending it towards the half-orc woman, appealing to her sense of humor with his magic. The woman, unable to control herself, doubles up and falls to the ground, laughing hysterically at some unknown joke. Her companion and the threatened human both stare at her for a moment, obviously not getting the joke at all. Sasha holds her attack, calling out to the two assailants to let the man go.
The orc, realizing his companion will be of no use to him, calls out in a sharp voice in orcish and takes a swing at Corentin with his greataxe. The weapon tears into the cavalier's armor, cutting a deep wound into the man's shoulder. The woman on the ground shakes her head several times while laughing loudly, finally clearing her head but finding herself on the ground in the face of an enemy. From inside one of the homes, the shouts of orcs can be heard.
The human, having seen enough of this, flees back into the alleyway and away from the attackers. This gives Sasha and Galor the opening they were hoping for, and they charge into battle, tearing at the woman on the ground. Both Sasha and Galor score solid hits against the woman, ripping through her armor and wounding her severely.
Doing his best to use the orcs momentum to his advantage Corentin swings with his own axe.
Sasha and Galor press the attack against the prone woman, slashing and biting.
|
... Johan quickly steps into position and fires an arrow at his clearest target, the female half-orc. The missile, off target, skips off the side of the building and disappears into the darkness beyond. Gizsmith doubles back, circling the building from the other side in attempt to flank their enemies.
** spoiler omitted **...
Gizsmith pokes around the building and readies his crossbow, incase any of the orcs try to make a run for it.
Matching swing for swing, Corentin brings his own axe slamming into the orc, tearing through his armor and into the soft tissue beneath. The wound wouldn't be fatal, but he had scored a hit against the attacker, and that was something after the last fight! Johan sends a pair of arrows towards the woman on the ground, but her low profile coupled with Sasha and Galor taking up most of the narrow alleyway, didn't leave him much of a target, and both shots miss their mark. Sasha and Galor continue to tear into the woman on the ground, both of them ripping into her with their attacks, a pool of blood underneath the half-orc quickly spreading as great torrents spill from her wounds. The man, hearing Szacha's command, moves away to cower near the rear of the alley, but does not continue his flight. Leaving the human under Johan's watch, the skald charges in behind Sasha and takes a swing at the orc facing Corentin. The aim of his bardiche is true, and the weapon cuts deeply into the orc's arm.
The orc on the ground makes a lame attempt to stand and scramble away, opening herself up to a number of attacks from the party, blows raining down on her from every angle and taking her life in an instant. The orc, seeing his companion fall, screams in rage and puts every ounce of his strength into an attack aimed at the cavalier. The blow is poorly aimed, and Corentin deflects its force with his shield, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Gizsmith swings around behind the orc and fires his crossbow:
and parks his illusory wolf behind him, in case of an ambush
The flash of Szacha's bardiche is both a familiar and welcome sight. Working in tandem with the skald Corentin shifts and swings his own weapon as the orc ducks his friends blade.
With the immediate foes dealt with, and having heard the orcs call for aid, Corentin moves to the other side of the alley and takes a defensive position.
Sasha and Galor barely pause in their relentless attack, turning against the remaining foe in a well-rehearsed pattern.
Szacha continues his attack, the swing going wide and missing the orc. Gizsmith fires off his crossbow, burying a small bolt into the orc's backside and drawing forth a yelp of pain. Corentin and Sasha bring their weapons to bear, both landing hits, however the large orc continues to make a stand, the fight not out of him yet. Johan, not having a line of sight on the orc, begins to circle around the building, following in Gizsmith's path.
From the west, a number of orcs begin to pour out of the building further along the row of homes, some ducking into an alley and heading north while three others charge forward to join the fight. The orc with the greataxe, suffering some several wicked looking wounds, continues to fight on, stubbornly refusing to die. The axe connects, tearing through shield and armor to rip a critical looking wound across the cavalier's chest, his life's blood spilling out in waves as the weapon rends his flesh.
Sasha and Galor attack the orc again, determined to put him down.
Corentin's vision swims from the orcs strike. Shaking his head to try and regain his focus he swings again.
Gizsmith loads and fires his crossbow, but the bolt files wide.
Combining their attacks, Sasha and Galor put down the orc with the wicked axe, while Corentin and Szacha hammer on the corpse once for good measure to insure it is good and dead. Gizsmith targets one of the approaching orcs but fails to land his shot, the bolt streaking off into the night. Johan steps from around the corner and fires two arrows at the approaching orc, hoping for a quick kill. The first arrow tears through the approaching orc's eye, blasting out of the back of its head to impact with the orc behind it, dropping that one as well as the two bodies crash to the ground.
The remaining orc to the south blinks at his dead companions before charging towards the halfling on the wolf, but his swing goes wide. The orcs heading north converge on the human cowering near the wall, their axes falling upon him and inflicting horrid wounds, his form going limp under the assault as he falls to the ground motionless.
Team Sasha-Galor tears into the newcomer.
Gizsmith fires another bolt,
"Let's see how you cowards do against an armed man!" he taunts in orcish.
The team makes short work of the orc to the south, arrows, bolts, and melee strikes hammering the poor creature into the dirt. Hearing the scream of pain and the howls of the orcs, Corentin moves back into the alley to find the body of the human slumped against the wall, the orcs standing over it triumphantly. Approaching, he takes a defensive stance, preparing for their charge.
The two orcs, seeing the battered and beaten cavalier, both charge, screaming and howling in a bloodrage. Corentin stands firm against the charge, his shield at the ready as the axes ring off of steel with no effect.
Having weathered the orcs opening attacks Corentin responds in kind.
Sasha and Galor move to engage the newcomers.
Szacha swings his bardiche around and nearly decapitates one of the orcs attacking Corentin, the weapon slicing deeply into the creature's neck. Johan moves from behind the warriors and fires off a single shot which pierces the remaining orc's heart and sends it crashing to the ground at the cavalier's feet.
Searching through the bodies you discover a total of four potions. You also notice that the woman's studded leather armor and warhammer are both of masterwork quality. The half-orc female also wears a cloak which detects as magical. On the orc with the greataxe you find a masterwork breastplate and a fine gold necklace worth 100gp. Mundane gear found includes 2 flasks of alchemist fire, a thunderstone, and a light crossbow. A total of 127gp is found on the bodies.
Despite his own state Corentin's first thought is for the fallen man. Stepping over he checks for signs of life.
"Is everyone ok? Anyone hurt?"
While Szacha makes with the healing, Gizsmith will take a minute to inspect the goods salvaged from the last couple of fights.
If he gets a minute, Gizsmith will try to get a look at the scrolls they've picked up as well.
The man on the ground is barely clinging on to life, and Corentin is unable to help stabilize him.
"Not well, his wounds are beyond me. Let's get him stable with magic and then to the blockade."
The wand stabilizes the man enough for transport, although he does not regain consciousness. Quickly sorting through the discovered items, the party tucks them away and hauls the civilian off to the barricade where he can be tended to further. As they arrive they notice that many of the wounded have already been carted off in the direction of the upper quarter, likely taken to the longhouse for protection. Activity in the area has died down a bit, as most of the attacking orcs have been routed from the inner quarter, thanks entirely to the group's ability to deal with the pillaging and attacking creatures. Calls from the western gates go up, as a mass of orcs is seen moving through the lower quarter, fighting their way through the city.
As you prepare to make an immediate departure for the gates, you are approached by one of the healers currently stationed at the barricade...
Once back at the barricade Corentin takes a moment to scan the area as best he can from their vantage.
"We've broken their initiative, Let's push to the lower city before they can regroup. " Corentin pauses when he sees the healer approaching. "What news friend? Quickly though, the lower gate calls."
The priest who approaches you is definitely an interesting character. Among the other wearing light white clothes he stands out, looking like a mighty crusader! Except for the fact that he's the same size of Gizsmith, and his out of proportion head denounces he's gnome, although he is wearing a full plate armor, one fit for a child, you could say! He's covered in metal head to toe, which is highly unusual for his race, and even has a couple of weapons hanging from his belt. Image for reference.
He may have called your attention one of this days, wandering around the city doing different tasks, but Jo might specially remember him, since he came into town with his clan. He nods to the ranger and addresses the group, so far imagining Szacha is the leader. "I am coming with you! I mean, can I come with you? This way we could help more people in the battlefield, and you would have to return less times to this place, being more effective. I can provide some good support for you. Is that a problem?" He is serious enough, but seems anxious to get some more action.
"Any help is appreciated friend. You seem well equipped enough but know that we're headed into the heart of the orc forces. True introductions will need to wait but I'm Corentin."
From under his helmet he grins, excited to be among the enemies for a change. He haven't been helping much since he got here, but now it's the time for some adrenaline. "The more the merrier! Call me Jaghal."
|
|
Johan's face lights up with recognition and some pleasure. Jahgal you little rascal! I wondered where your armored butt had gotten off too. Glad to see you're still kicking and your company is mighty welcome, provided you can limit the practical jokes til after the fighting. he adds with a smile. Turning to the others Johan says I can vouch for this one. He traveled with us on the way into town. He is as brave as any gnome I ever met. He is good company and a good healer to boot.
He nods to Johan and Szacha. "Thank you for your trust! A righteous call demand righteous seriousness, until combat finishes, of course!" He turns to Szacha. "Fair enough, as god's blood flow through my veins, shall it help you when you need it the most!" Jaghal creates an invisible connections between the two, and Szacha might feel some light incoming vitality right now.
Corentin grabs a few vials from those found on the orcs while quick introductions are made. Once everyone seems set he leads the group due West towards the gate to the lower town hoping they aren't coming to late.