With the others closing into melee, Brand drops his short bow and draws his twin short swords while moving around the outer kobold facing Hakram and Joden, hoping to use his allies's to gain an advantage.
The kobolds manage to parry Hakram and Brand's attacks, snarling and spitting at them.
The third kobold takes a poke at Brand...
...failing miserably. All in all, this has been a very gentle assault so far.
Meanwhile, to the north, a kobold hustles towards the battle around Zelkor's Ferry...
Joden attempts to maneuver his position to keep pace with the halfling rogue and take advantage of any distraction he provides. Assuming he doesn't have to move far, he does a quick combo of hack 'n' bash with ax and shield.
Unfortunately, the little buggers seem to have read his moves and adroitly dodge his attempts to finish them.
Bites Ears continues his assault on the nearby kobold while Chases Moonlight advances into melee with the other group.
The kobold rearguard has proven itself to be, if not formidable... persistent? Persevering? Persnickety? Per-something, for certain.
In the distance, the party hears a booming, inhuman hunting horn--and an answering roar (if something so squeaky could be called a roar...), as if dozens of kobold voices answered the call of the clarion with their peeping battlecries.
The kobold fighting Bites Ears takes heart and lunges at the wolf once more:
But, as usual, nothing happens.
Tragershen slips a hand into his pouch and pulls out a small vial. He doesn't open or throw it, but merely clutches it as he concentrates. A moment later he utters an arcane syllable and flicks his finger at the nearest kobold. A small green glob appears and sails toward the little creature.
Move action to ready an acid vial to use as a focus for acid splash.
Standard action, ranged touch attack against nearest kobold.
To hit
Damage
The kobold screeches in pain as Tragershen's acid eats into its flesh. While it maintains its footing, it doesn't look likely to last for much longer.
Aurora narrows her gaze in distaste at the surprising skill of these wily little buggers, then swings her quarterstaff at the nearest.
"Nehaj se premikati!" she snarls as the staff sweeps through the air where the kobold's head had been. Perhaps a change of tactics would be in order, soon.
The kobold in melee with Brand takes another poke at him:
Truly, the defensive skills displayed by both sides of this fight have been such as are rarely seen in these woods...
Tired of the cat and mouse game he had been playing with the opposing kobold, Brand lashes out with both his blades.
With a flickering whirl of steel, Brand acrobatically eviscerates one kobold before deftly stepping forward and decapitating another.
Only one kobold remains in the main group, and it's standing right in front of Hakram, who looks like he's ready to do something...
Hakram scowls at the sound of the horn. Oh well, they were supposed to help the town, maybe pulling some attackers away would take the pressure off a little. He swings his sword at the nearest kobold.
,
Hakram's giant sword seems to carry through the kobold through sheer momentum--a blow that would have merely injured the lizardman at normal size instead smites it to the ground.
Only one kobold remains--and he is locked in combat with Bites Ears.
Bites Ears snaps at the kobold again.
Bites Ears again proves that he can handle biting creatures with mostly-internal ears. In fact, his earbiting might be all the more lethal in this situation.
None of the kobolds are currently capable of fighting back. The party considers the carnage--the twisted bodies of the lizardfolk, strewn across the field where they fell.
Aurora gestures for everyone to fall back into close quarters, motioning with both of her hands. "We can chase the one who ran to get reinforcements, or we can wait for them to come back. Regardless of which plan we choose, I can enhance our abilities best when I am near you all."
Brand cleans the gore from his blade on the tattered remains of one of the dead kobolds. Turning to the others, he smirks, "So, do we chase down the runner an' kill 'im, follow 'im to his friends an' kill 'em all, or dig in an' hide here, then ambush 'em?"
"We should fall back to the town. Our flanking maneuver's element of surprise is gone now, and we risk being swarmed. If cowardly kobolds are going to return against such an effective resistance, they are going to return in greater numbers. Much greater numbers."
Tragershen's assessment of the situation seems reasonable, and this is no time for dithering--the party catches its breath, and then hustles north towards the sounds of combat. It takes about a minute to get there…
A seething sea of kobolds draws itself into the kobold equivalent of battle order. There must be about a hundred of them. Beyond them, a wall made of the same cyclopean stones of the bridge that the Laughing Dolphin passed under seems to have been the scene of deadly fighting—the wooden gate, clearly of a younger vintage than the walls, is battered, but seems to be holding yet. Some kobolds are swinging a rough-hewn battering ram against it, while other teams of kobolds are launching flurries of slingstones at anyone who pokes their head over the wooden battlements (again, seemingly built onto a much older fortification). Despite their covering fire, there are a few kobolds on the ground, unmoving.
The kobolds appear to be preparing for your arrival—slinger teams are drawing away from the wall and positioning themselves to defend the rear. Spearmen in ill-disciplined platoons rush to form a battle line between the main force and the forest. Frightened voices in yell strange phrases in the lizard tongue: “Oblikujte črto! Devica volka je izdala nas! Volkovi prihajajo! Morava iti od tu!”
One deeper voice booms out across the battlefield, drawing the party’s attention to its source: a huge ogre with a massive greatclub seems to be rallying the kobolds—he approaches one of the kobolds who was advising his friends to flee and:
...pulps the kobold. You can make out his words now (well, some of you can): "Ubil bom vse, če boš pobegnil! Kurba v gozdu me ne prestraši! Spustite se v gozd in se borite, ti liličasto gnezdo! Ne pozabite, v teh stenah je večerja in zaklad!"
As the party hustled towards the battle, they found a road and followed it. The road leads to the walls of Zelkor’s Ferry, but before you reach the walls, you find yourself confronted by a battle line of kobolds. Two wings of ten each, in a single rank, flank either side of the road. An ogre is positioned in the road, waiting for you to approach. The total breadth of the line is about 125 ft, and pretty much fills up the neck of the peninsula that holds the town of Zelkor’s Ferry. Its defensible nature is currently working against you. There are tons of kobolds beyond the battle line.
Each of you can decide how close to get to the battle line—we will roll initiative either when someone attacks the kobolds, or when someone approaches within fifty feet of the battle line. I assume that you’ll have communicated your approach to each other, so that if one person decides to hang back and shoot a bow, they’ll probably hold off on starting combat until the melee folks get into position.
I’ve fought two rounds of combat for the defenders, who have been pretty well peppered by kobold slingstones and a few javelins; but as you’ve seen, kobolds aren’t very good at doing damage. The townsfolk managed to take out eight kobolds with their motley assortment of crossbows, thrown daggers, spears, and longbows.
Summary:
Position yourself wherever you'd like to be on the battlefield just prior to initiative.
If the party lingers without engaging, I’ll continue fighting rounds of combat between the townsfolk and the invaders.
Chases moonlight nods at the rout of a combat and speaks. "Lizardmen, always some survive. We protect people." She gives a more assertive nod at Tragershen's words and moves to quickly cast a few spells before heading toward the town.
When the companions find themselves facing off an ogre, the tall shoanti takes on a determined expression and moves forward with confidence, Bites Ears at her side.
When approaching, Tragershen will cast mage armor on himself (from a scroll) and drink a potion of shield of faith. He will also ready his whip.
As the group closed on the town, he told them "I will need to get close to use any of my spells on them. When we do get close, I will try to disarm the ogre. I will follow your lead."
Quarterstaff still in hand, Aurora takes up a position alongside Chases Moonlight with a firm nod to her follow combatant as the group prepares to move towards the sea of things seeking to kill them. Lowly, she says, "The ogre keeps them in line with threats of death... and again, they speak of some wolf-maiden in the woods they have aligned with. You and Bites Ears scare them very much, I think. Perhaps we can use that to our advantage when the ogre is dealt with."
Hakram is content with Chases Moonlight's approach. They'll go for the ogre, and try to outlast the horde of small lizardfolk from there, if they fail to rout. He offers up a short prayer, setting his blade to shining and steeling his own resolve.
"Seek the thick of the fighting, when we close. Getting caught out by sling volleys is the worst outcome here. So long as you're in the thick of it, they'll have to watch out for their allies."
Joden shakes his head as his companions prepare to run into what is clearly a suicidal assault. Clearly, the 'lunacy' was worse than he had feared.
"You said to fall back to the town, Tragershen. I had just assumed you meant via the boat and the river. On those walls we each are worth ten of them. Out here, maybe three. and they have all the advantage. We engage now, and if someone has a horn or whistle, even twenty more of their troops pulled from that siege could end us."
Joden does not understand why everyone is already ready to lay their lives down attacking nigh headlong.
The party, reasonably daunted by the prospect of being outnumbered fifteen to one, decide to hail their longboat and get to the town by water. The old sailors pull hard against the current, but after only a few minutes the party arrives alongside the Laughing Dolphin, and after tense moment when Bourse and her bodyguards seem ready to fill the boat with crossbow bolts, they haul themselves onto the docks.
Zelkor's Ferry. You're finally there. But there's no time to look around: you all rush toward the walls. The good news is that the sailors seem to have reinforced the town. The defenders are up on the walls, matching stones with crossbow bolts.
Captain Lamb roars at you, “What the hells are you doing over here? They seem nervous all of a sudden, they keep looking into the woods… you probably could have scattered ‘em. Get up here and help.”
As you approach the ladders lashed onto the ancient fortifications, the gate suddenly crumbles. You happen to be the only ones on the ground at the moment, and look with horror as a wave of kobolds first hesitates as a booming voice commands, “Vse skupaj zdaj! Počakajte, da ste vsi pripravljeni in se premaknite kot en!” Soon the tide will break and surge towards you…
The party is between 20 and 30 feet of the now-open gate. The ten kobolds who had been swinging the ram are gathering themselves for an attack. Just behind them stands a massive ogre whose hide armor is shaggy with crossbow bolts--he seems mostly unscathed.
Stay tuned: I'll get the Glorious Charge going tomorrow in the morning (Pacific time).
A quick reminder:
Tragershen's assessment of the situation seems reasonable, and this is no time for dithering--the party catches its breath, and then hustles north towards the sounds of combat. It takes about a minute to get there…
A seething sea of kobolds draws itself into the kobold equivalent of battle order. There must be about a hundred of them. Beyond them, a wall made of the same cyclopean stones of the bridge that the Laughing Dolphin passed under seems to have been the scene of deadly fighting—the wooden gate, clearly of a younger vintage than the walls, is battered, but seems to be holding yet. Some kobolds are swinging a rough-hewn battering ram against it, while other teams of kobolds are launching flurries of slingstones at anyone who pokes their head over the wooden battlements (again, seemingly built onto a much older fortification). Despite their covering fire, there are a few kobolds on the ground, unmoving.
The kobolds appear to be preparing for your arrival—slinger teams are drawing away from the wall and positioning themselves to defend the rear. Spearmen in ill-disciplined platoons rush to form a battle line between the main force and the forest...
Joden has voiced his concerns--will any of his new companions respond to them?
Prepare yourselves for a moment that, regardless of its outcome, will be spoken of around the hearthfires of Zelkor's Ferry for generations! I mean, if the town isn't burned to the ground.
As soon as someone answers Joden and takes charge (heh) of the situation, the combat will begin. I'll roll initiative as soon as someone breaks the tension with some sort of offensive action (or if someone wanders too close to the kobolds).
See the discussion for the doodle map.
I will allow two medium characters to charge the ogre on the first turn, initiative permitting--everyone else will have to work their way up to him.
Joden shakes his head as his companions prepare to run into what is clearly a suicidal assault. Clearly, the 'lunacy' was worse than he had feared.
"You said to fall back to the town, Tragershen. I had just assumed you meant via the boat and the river. On those walls we each are worth ten of them. Out here, maybe three. and they have all the advantage. We engage now, and if someone has a horn or whistle, even twenty more of their troops pulled from that siege could end us."
Joden does not understand why everyone is already ready to lay their lives down attacking nigh headlong.
"I doubt they are that organized. If we fail to fell the ogre within a dozen seconds or so, we can withdraw. If too many try to break away from the wall, the defenders will likely take advantage."
Tragershen will delay until at least after Aurora and Brand.
"Joden, it is the ogre keeping them in line; if he dies, we can scatter the rest easily enough, I am sure of it. And we will hardly be taking him out from the wall if he is back here, now will we?" Aurora idly adjusts her grip on her quarterstaff as she speaks, looking over her shoulder to Joden. Her cool gaze shifts back to the army ahead of the group. "Remember, we ought to try to stick together. Don't let them break up our group and cut us off from each other."
If nobody else has prep to do, I'll start things up a little later today. Getting through a pile of work.
Brand knocks an arrow in his bow, and takes up a flanking position to Chases Moonlight. He smiles, looking up at the vastly taller woman. "Soon as ye break for the big 'un, I'll pop a stinger into 'is gut to take a bit o' wind out of 'im."
Brand’s plan sounds as good as any—the spur of the moment pricks the party into action.
Hakram’s still Large for a few moments yet (three rounds), his confidence surging due to the tangible protection that Iomedae has offered in response to his prayer and blessing.
The towering ogre yells, "Deluj kot en! Deluj kot en!"
The kobolds begin chanting the same phrase, and appear to be looking to their neighbors, readying themselves to fight in a somewhat cohesive manner.
Brand’s arrow whistles through the air and strikes the ogre mid-speech. The ogre winces, but holds his position in the army.
Tragershen will delay until one of our warriors have advanced.
How far are we from the ogre?
Everyone can be as close or far as they'd like, as long as you start more than 50 ft away (or they'd have started slinging at you).
Bold in the face of adversity, Aurora lofts her holy symbol into the air and utters a prayer; an infinitesimal spark of divine power flows into her, and from her a burst of energy arcs towards the allies closest to her.
She lowers the icon of Nethys as the sparks of black and white energy finish suffusing her and, standing 55ft. away from the swarm of kobolds and their ogre master, she starts the dangerous trek forward—doubtlessly to be left in the dust by her charging compatriots—with a retort to the ogre howling from her lips, "Deluj kot en in umreti kot enega!"
A ripple of uneasiness flows through the kobolds...
As his arrow flies off the end of his bowstring, he looks to his dwarven companion. "Joden, are ye telling me that a mighty, noble dwarf is afraid to fight an ogre? Don't yeh people train yeh entire lives to slaughter such things? An' kobolds, aren't they like pests to yeh clanholds? Kill the big 'un an' their spirits will break! Ye an' Chases Moonlight charge the beast, an' giant Hakram can swing over yeh heads!"
Joden eyes the halfling strangely. "Aye, many of my kinfolk indeed train to fight such mongrels. My strengths lie in other directions, and as lightly armored as I am, I still need more time to reach the bastard ogre then his lizards' slings and arrows would afford me. Once our 'larger' friends move in, I should be able to follow more safely."
Alright, let's get this party started! Here’s what’s happened so far, as well as stuff I’m adding as I go.
After setting up the plan, Aurora casts her spell, grants her boon (don’t forget about your Divine Vessel +2, folks!), and moves forward.
Meanwhile, Brand has loosed his arrow that caught the ogre mid-order.
It strikes me that the demands of charging into melee with the ogre will fall most naturally upon Chases Moonlight and Bites Ears. They are the ones with the move speed to get there in one charge. Since Chases Moonlight hasn’t posted on the discussion since warning us that she might be absent, and has given me permission to bot her, I will go ahead and have them charge the ogre immediately after Brand’s arrow strikes the big guy.
Chases Moonlight and Bites Ears streak across the field of battle, her usual clumsiness suddenly melting away in her ferocious attack, Aurora’s godly power surging through her and her canid companion. As they approach the ogre, they also enter the greatest danger that they have, perhaps, ever faced: there’s no way to sneak up on the king of the kobolds. The ogre sizes up the fools streaking towards him, and decides to take a swing at...
...the wolf. Best to settle his rattled troops by killing the wolf first.
Bites Ears is smushed by an almighty blow that nearly knocks him out completely. But he holds. The bloodied wolf leaps for the ogre's ankles:
...sinking his teeth deep through the disgusting hide armor of the beast, drawing a copious flow of blood.
Chases Moonlight swings her mighty earth breaker at the ogre:
The magic of Nethys gives Chases Moonlight a split-second's insight into how to place her hammer such that it will shatter the skull of the monster, and her momentum carries her forward as well... (edited from earlier draft, I'd forgotten to add +2 for the charge) The mighty ogre totters and falls.
A hundred squeaky voices squeal in horror and despair! But beyond them, a roaring cheer pours forth from the throats of the town's defenders!
Hakram, also currently botted, follows on their heels, double moving in his heavy armor. He places his currently-massive bulk protectively adjacent to the wounded wolf.
Joden is close behind, double moving in the wake of the attackers.
At this point, only Tragershen's turn remains. The elf sees a tight group of fighters who have succeeded in slaying a mighty beast in a single, well-executed move. Chases Moonlight and Bites Ears stand before the unconscious bulk of the mighty ogre. Hakram looms behind them, with Joden by his side. Brand's standing nearby, bow in hand--and Aurora has scampered up in the wake of the charge.
Tragershen closes some of the distance as well, staying close behind his warrior allies. When the massive ogre falls, the elf can't help but smile. To make sure that the kobolds know the end of the ogre isn't the end of the fight, Tragershen puts the tips of his thumbs together and splays his fingers wide. With an arcane word, a gout of flame shoots out, engulfing several of the tiny reptiles.
Move and cast burning hands, catching as many kobolds as he can in the area of effect. Damage , DC 16 reflex save for half damage.
Tragershen either:
a. Misjudges the distance slightly, shooting a gout of flame that nearly reaches the lizardfolk, terrifying the kobolds but not harming any of them...
or
b. You have a way to move 30 feet and shoot a 15 foot cone to hit enemies that are 50 ft away? In which case, you can hit three kobolds.
If you'd like you can hold your fire (heh) till next turn.
At any rate, the kobolds, deeply shaken by the defeat of their leader and confronted by dangerous magic, waver. One last push and they will likely flee.
Before that, though, they attempt to finish off the party. The twenty kobolds that had formed the rearguard rushes in to the attack, stabbing with their stabby little spears!
Hakram makes an AOO:
But alas, he barely misses with his enormous sword, despite the efforts of multiple deities on his behalf.
One manages to prick Hakram for a single point of damage (HP 21)
Two rush up to Joden, and much to his frustration, stab him for a massive (by kobold standards) 6 damage.
Meanwhile, Brand, Aurora, and Tragershen get charged by the eight kobolds who couldn't reach the melee with the others.
Tragershen takes three damage.
Brand does too: three points.
Aurora gets walloped for eight damage!
Each of you is now adjacent to at least two kobolds.
In the distance, the walls of the town are actually opening, and a force of warriors begins to push back the kobolds from their battering ram. If you had time to look that way, you'd see that the sailors have taken over the crossbow positions on the walls, and the locals are making this sally under their covering fire. They are led by an enormous man who is wielding an incongruously elegant long blade in his thick hands, a wickedly-curved saber that emits an eerie violet glow...
Joden feels the points of two spears that managed to get past his defense. Snarling, he raises his battleaxe to cleave some lizardfolk in two.
Joden's axe/shield one-two are both powerful hits but he misses true grandeur by a hair.
Dazzlingly accurate strikes from the dwarf send one kobold to the ground, and the other reels in anguish, barely hanging on...
Aurora hisses in pain as the thrusts of the kobolds break skin and send trickles of blood oozing from her wound. She adjusts her grip on her quarterstaff only slightly before swinging a solid blow towards one of the ugly little reptiles.
"Pojdite zdaj in morda še živite!"
"Pojdite zdaj in morda še živite!"
** spoiler omitted **
Alas, for one lil' kobold, Aurora's warning came too late: he's dead.
As the three kobolds rush Brand, he deftly dodges the first two blows, but can't quite evade the third. "Oy, I'm gonna gut each one o' ye... startin' wit YE!"
Trusting in his innate sense of luck, he draws his short sword and lunges at the kobold who just stabbed him.
Crit Threat!