Sarada follows in behind Kreagor and Garri.
"Um, if it would be okay." Sarada sheepishly says.
"I thank you, Friend Garri."
Lialda shook her head at Garri's question and said, "No Gari, I'm fine."
Not too much farther on, the cavern opens up again to a large chamber, the roof completely out of sight of your limited vision range. Ledges and stairs are carved into the stone walls of this wide-open, high-ceilinged natural cavern. Embedded in a fifteen-foot-tall spire of centuries-old bones stands the skeleton of a massive armored warrior. Though its flesh has long since rotted off its frame, the skeleton still stands proud and regal amid the trappings of battle and mounds of gleaming treasure. The skeleton’s battered halfplate and scarred helmet hint at its many battles, and the warlord’s hands are clenched around a massive stone hammer. Beneath the helmet, a thick, round rock has been embedded in one of the skeleton’s otherwise empty eye sockets.
Standing on the floor of the cavern, his face screwed up in a posture of anger, is a half-orc. Swirling tattoos cover a face that stands out from an uneven shock of light brown hair. It is clear that none of you have ever seen this particular half-orc before. You would have remembered.
"YOU!" he shouts in common. "You've caused me much grief, meddling in my affairs!"
Accompanying the half-orc are two enormous wolves. The half-orc growled a command, and you didn't need to speak his tribe's version of orcish to know it was a command to attack! The wolves are faster to act then your party and collapse on Sarada before you have a chance to move much past the choke area. The wolves snarl and rip into the gnoll, tearing at his flesh and sending bits of blood flying behind him. The second wolf follows the lead of the first and grabs a hold of the Sarada and tears at his legs. Both creatures grab a hold of him and trip him, sending him sprawling prone to the ground.
This is not good...
"Get back!" Kreagor barks at the wolves as he steps forward and swings at the wolf in front of him.
Renliat quickly invokes a spell, causing a crackling shroud of energy to appear on the half orc.
Garri's flame comes close but just misses as it singes the coat of the top of the large wolf.
Kreagor's battle axe finds its mark though, the blade burying deep into the midsection of this beast. Despite the vicicious wound, the creature seemingly pays no attention to the hobgoblin and continues to stare down at the fallen prey before it.
When Renliat's energy attack blasts at the orc, he is ready for it. The orc sidesteps to his right as the electrical attack shoots past him into the darkness beyond.
Staring up at the fellow canid face Sarada snarls before swinging his sword at his attacker.
Seeing Sarada viciously attacked by thewolves Lialda moved up and pulled on her ties to winter then reached out and touched him, a feeling of winter's cold washing through him and numbing the pain as some of his wounds healed up.
Despite Sarada being on the ground before the two very large wolves, neither seems to be able to find purchase in their snarls and biting attacks at him. Taking advantage of the distraction, the orc in the rear withdraws a flask from his belt and lobs it down overhead from up on the ledge. The flask sails towards the group and ignites in a fiery explosion when it hits Lialda's shoulder with a fireball spreading to all those around her.
The cloud stays on the half orc for a second pass.
As it lands Renliat gives an ear-shattering scream, causing the half orc to react to it.
Wincing at the pain form the fire, Kreagor heaves his axe into the wolf again as he mutters a chant.
Garri's ray singes the hind quarters of one of the beasts, causing a smell of burnt hair to waft through the cavern.
The orc is not a quick to react the second time due to closing the distance between himself and the party. The orc's body shakes from the current as the full course of electricity passes over him this time. Screaming in pain as it happens as the sonic damage blasts into him, the orc narrows his gaze at the wizard and plots his revenge.
Kreagor's strike comes close, but not close enough as it whooshes past the head of the beast.
"I tire of this." Sarada grumbles from the floor before thwacking the wolf that smelt well done.
Lialda feels things heating up and is able to move out of the way before her clothes catch on fire from the explosion. Having dealt with that problem, she takes aim with her crossbow at the orc and fires a bolt into his midsection. Unfortunately her shot is long and sails overhead of the bomber.
Sarada's blade cuts into the burning and bleeding wolf, tearing open a significant hole in its chest; but still it persists. The wolf responds in kind by grabbing a hold of the prone warrior and shaking him vicisiouly back and forth on the ground . The other wolf just misses grabbing Sarada's feet, barely coming up short.
The bomber takes aim at Renliat this time and lobs another concoction towards him. He misjudges the distance however the vial comes up short and splashes before Lialda's feet instead, exploding all around her.
Orc: 9+2
oD1: 4+13+11
yD2:
Sarada, now bitten and singed, steadies his mind and soul and strikes again. Murmuring a prayer to Smiad to protect Lialda.
Seeing Sarada getting savaged by the wold, Kreagor swings his axe again trying to free her. "We will slay these beasts yet." Kreagor says before muttering to himself and something embueing his weapon.
Lialda didn't know what possessed her to try and shoot the orc with her crossbow but she knew, as she felt the pain of the second bomb wash over her, that she was going to pay for it dearly. The flames washed over her body and drew a scream of pain as the near miss knocked her into unconsciousness and left her on the ground, singed and bleeding out.
Lialda didn't know what possessed her to try and shoot the orc with her crossbow but she knew, as she felt the pain of the second bomb wash over her, that she was going to pay for it dearly. The flames washed over her body and drew a scream of pain as the near miss knocked her into unconsciousness and left her on the ground, singed and bleeding out. Then she felt a sudden wash of healing energy come over her as she felt a furry hand on her and awoke again. She realized that she needed to back away but didn't have the time to stand and so she scuttled away in a quick crawl before sending cooling energy through her body that caused the worst of her wounds to knit closed.
Renliat continues the thundercloud on the orc, but the orc is ready this time around and dodges the electrical attack. Firing at the foe with his crossbow ends up missing as well, the bolt flying too high.
Both wolves continue to rip, tear, and shake at the fallen gnoll, yet somehow he is agile and dexterous enough to make both large wolves continually miss him.
From afar, the orc moves closer to get within range and lobs another concoction towards the rear of the party. Taking aim at your goblin companion Garri, the bomber lands another direct hit which causes another fiery explosion!
Sarada focuses on his prayers to Smiad as he continues to bob and weave and strike back at the wolves from the cavern floor.
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Sarada's first strike is too awkward and the wolf manages to dodge it, but it places the creature at a disadvantage for the second strike which finds its mark. Bloody and battered, the large wolf finally gives way and collapses to the ground before Sarada.
Renliat continues his magical storm over the orc, but once more the orc is easily able to move out of the way of the strike. Taking aim with his crossbow he once more launches a bolt towards the enemy. Renliat's shot is dead on the mark and a bolt should have slammed into the chest of the creature, but something odd happens. Though the arrow strikes him it doesn't seem to pierce some magical barrier around him and the strike is negated.
Orc: 9+2
oD1: 4+13+11+10+5
yD2:
Kreagor takes a swing with his axe then steps through the gap.
I need to get to the orc...
"Garri help Sarada with the wolf!"
Kregor's axe bites into the second wolf, opening up first blood on the beast. When he tries to leave the wolf slides back with him to try and keep him in sight. Turning his attention back to the fallen prey however, the wolf continues to gore the gnoll with his sharp jaws .
The orc throws another bomb at the group in the back, targetting Garri again. The volley falls short and explodes on the ground between Garri and Sarada, damaging the goblin, the gnoll and the witch . After lobbing his assault he panics at the hobgoblin who tries to make his way forward and retreats back thirty feet.
Orc: 9+2
oD1: 4+13+11+10+5
yD2:6
Bitten and on fire Sarada doesn't strike so much as flail at the wolf above him.
Either I shall be free of it, or Sarada will be free to stand...
Kreagor attacks the wolf again and tries to open up a gap.
Both Kreagor and Sarada's attempts to strike the wolf come up quite short. The wolf looks between Kreagor and Sarada as it tries to decide which prey it will pursue.
Angered by the bomb throwing maniac and hoping that she could make this work Lialda began to chant. Her magic pulled around her with a cold chill and her words were dark. While she normally healed and threw snowballs there were other things she could do and right now she decided it was time to use it once more. When she was done she pointed at the bomb thrower and released necromantic magic at him. The spell reached out to his eyes and began to eat away at his ability to see in an effort to blind him forever to the light of day.
Renliat fires another bolt at the orc.
Renliat's shot is taken a little too hastily and flies off target into the rear of the cavern somewhere. When Lialda attempts to blind the bomber, it's all he can do to turn away and fight and strain against the spell. He screams in frustration when he spell first sets in, but luckily for him he is able to do resist the effects of the spell.
Once the spell fades he take notes of the hobgoblin who has slipped free and is quite clearly intent on stopping his bombing run. Turning his attention towards Kreagor he launches another fire bomb which catches the hobgoblin just outside of the range of the fallen gnoll's protection. When the bomb hits Kreagor's left shoulder it explodes in a bout of fire all over him which a large whoosh! (11 damage, DC15 reflex or catch on fire)[/i].
The wolf seems to lose interest in Kreagor and continues to struggles to find purchase on the flailing gnoll who amazingly still avoids being completely mauled while laying on the ground before the beast.
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Sarada and the dire wolf continue their flailing of ineptness dance once more, neither able to get good position on the other. Garri the goblin god good however, can. Utilizing the distraction of of Sarada the Sarenrite smacks the wolf in its hind quarters with his scimitar.
oD1: 4+13+11+10+5
yD2:6+4
Kreagor charges the bomber swinging his battle axe with all his might.
With little else she could do Lialda cast a quick spell and sent a ray of cold at the remaining wolf. It had to weave through her allies, and she knew it likely wouldn't hit, but it was the best she could do at the moment.
While both Kreagor and Lialda had excellent intentions of striking their foes, neither of their intent translate directly into action.
The wolf comes extremely close to ripping a portion of Sarada's forearm off, but the gnoll rips its out of its jaws at the last second.
Kreagor's ploy works as the orc decides to switch to melee combat instead of tossing another bomb. Drawing out his falchion, he swipes it across Kreagor's chest . As Kreagor engages with the orc in combat, he can clearly see that the orc an intricate tattoo that covers the his face in thousands of hair-fine lines of ink and carefully incised scars. While looking at his face he realizes that the blade of his assailant must have been coated in something as he chest begins to burn terribly.
While the wolf recovers from it's last snap Sarada tries to stand and swing at his nemesis.