Nodding, Hoddy quietly slinks back to the entrance of the cave. He looks for the head that he saw move last time, and if it is there he fires his crossbow at it!!
Perception:
Stealth:
"Oh sure, use the short ones as gobbo fodder!" Garret jokingly rolls his eyes at the dwarf. He draws a dagger in one hand and sticks close to Hoddy, struggling a little in the darkness of the cave and ready to strike at anything that rushes out at them.
Teasag readies his spear, should he need to rush the cave or receive a charge.
"A prayer to your god might be in order" he says to his new friend.
Attack:
damage:
At Teasag's murmur, a wry smile spread across Baern's face. His mind was still concentrating upon the spell cast on Hoddy, his god's guidance willing to aid the ranger when he called upon it. He would begin to speak low and softly; a battle-hymn leaving the dwarf's lips.
"King Under Mountain, King of all Kings, From the depths of stone, we call."
"Heed our song and fill our hearts, In the name of Moradin All-Father we call."
"Harden our armor, strengthen of blows, as from the mountain hills we call."
"For ahead is the test, plentiful times are past, in the name of Moradin All-Father we call."
A calm breath would leave the cleric just as the sound of the crossbow bolt went off in the dark. Hefting his warhammer, Baern would growl low and soft.
"Let the beasts come."
That's not normally how Gobbo's work is it?
Garret clutches his dagger and draws a second one with the other hand, constantly looking around for an ambush.
Hess lets out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding and giggles under his breath. "Well I'm not getting any younger. Let's move in, but keep our eyes open for trouble or traps. Shianni... do you or Hoddy feel comfortable leading away? How about you Baern. I'll be glad to be second in line ready to lend support".
Hess starts forward, and if nobody else jumps in to lead the way he'll do so, checking out where the supposed goblin stood first.
Hoddy reloads his crossbow and enters the cave. He keeps his eyes peeled for anything out of place.
Perception:
Baern seems to mumble for a moment, the concentration upon his spell coming to an end. Putting the Warhammer away for the moment but keeping out his shield, he'd give a nod to Hess.
"Aye. I'll take the lead if either Hoddy or Garret will walk beside me. I'm not the best at catching sight of things but I am better than most."
The dwarf will begin to enter in, taking a moment to turn to Garret.
"It seems that you would be the only one that needs light to see. Perhaps someone would like to carry a torch for the fellow or summon some light, if they can." The brave dwarf would head deeper in, his shield raised and eyes peeled for danger.
"I was thinking I might just stay in the dark. Much easier to sneak about that way." Garret says this while gesticulating with his daggers, nearly catching at least three people. "but if you insist..."
He grins, and resheathes one of his daggers to draw and light a torch from his pack. He holds it down low and falls into step beside Baern.
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Creeping forward, Hoddy can see that about 20 feet in, the passage splits three ways, going left, right, and straight ahead. To the left, he can hear the low murmur of voices and can see the corner of an overturned table blocking the corridor. The passage straight ahead is just across the intersection to the left. To the right, there is only darkness and silence.
Hoddy checks the head he shot to see if it is actually attached to a goblin or not. He then asks if anyone has any pots of oil...
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Hoddy starts to examine the niches where the heads are, but suddenly shrinks back into the entranceway. The niches are across the corridor and as he starts to cross, Hoddy notices several orcs to the left, behind an overturned table.
INITIATIVE
Shianni
Orcs
Hoddy
Garret
Hess/Teasag
Baern
Seeing his companion riveted by fear, Hess steps to the side, using any available cover. If none is available he'll go prone and unleash a whooshing, dark velvet blast of eldritch energy at the most visible orc.
Eldritch Blast
Hurtful intentions
Once Hody relays what he saw, Garret will sidle up to the wall closest to the passage the orcs were in, and throw his burning torch down the passageway to better light their enemies.
Taking aim, Hoddy fires at the orcs behind the makeshift barricade.
Attack:
Damage:
"Orcs!?" Baern growled out, hefting his warhammer and shield upwards. "I'll lead the way!" The dwarf would begin moving down the passageway towards the orcs. Keeping his shield high, he tries to use his armor and protection to the best of his advantage.
Shianni had been following the group, making notes in a series of rolled pieces of parchment. She would stop to investigate the weirdest things: roadside flowers, clusters of rocks, wagon tracks...none of it made much sense, but she would fastidiously record notes, then rejoin the group. As they stood outside the caves, Shianni spent time drawing both of them, while the scouting was done.
When the group finally made a decision, Shianni rolled up her writing materials. By the time she had them put away, the group had entered the tunnel, and what's worse, she could hear the sounds of combat ahead.
Rushing forward, Shianni drew her scimitar and moved into combat.
Teasag dashes around the corner, seeing that he will not make it to the Orcs he draws forth a dart and casts it at one of the the Orc furthest to Teasag's left.
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Hoddy sends a crossbow bolt towards the orcs behind the barricade, but it merely embeds itself in the table. Garret tosses his torch down the corridor to further illuminate the foe. Hess steps out into the corridor and immediately drops prone as a pair of spears come towards him. One spear skitters off the floor, but the other finds its mark! Undeterred, Hess sends an arcane blast back at the orcs, but it falls short against the overturned table. Shianni fearlessly draws her scimitar and moves to engage the orcs, but cannot reach the barricade. Teasag steps out and hurls a dart towards the orcs, striking one of them in the chest. The orc staggers but does not fall.
The orcs behind the barricade shout hoots and catcalls, trying to lure the party closer. Then it becomes apparent why as orcs appear behind the party, catching them between the two groups! The new arrivals strike at Teasag and Hess, both spears stabbing deeply into their targets!
/
Shianni finishes her move towards the barricade, sheathing her blade as she does. Once she arrives, she swipes her hand towards the barricade itself, attempting to destroy it. As her hand falls, it changes to the massive paw of a dire bear.
Seeing Hess go down, Garret's pulse quickens as he leans around the corner to defend his fallen comrade.
Teasag, keep them busy!
The Monk Jabs with his Spear at the Orc that Garret stabbed.
And snaps a kick at it's knee
"An ambush! Curses!" Baern thinks to himself. The orcs fight savagely and he watches the spellslinger fall in the back ranks. Looking beside to Shianna, he gives a nod. "Hold them as best you can! Hess needs me!"
The orcs seem gleeful in the success of their attack so far, the one to the left of Baern saying something particularly heinous in Orcish. Unable to understand the words, the dwarf understands their intent.
"Filthy beasts! Fall before your betters!" The warhammer swings outward, aiming for the orc that Teasag had previously hit before.
Whether or not he crushes the orc's impressively large head, the cleric begins to make movements to the back line to protect the more vulnerable members of the party.
Hoddy drops to a knee and fires at the orcs suddenly attacking them from the rear.
Attack:
Damage:
First roll to stabilize. +1/-0
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Shianni slams the barricade with a bear's paw. Acid deeply scores it, but the barricade holds! Garret manages to wound an orc, but Teasag is unable to get past its armor. Baern clobbers the nearest orc and turns, without even waiting to see the results of his attack. The orc that he hit crumples and the other stabs at him but misses. Hoddy turns and fires a bolt at the one that Garrett hit, dropping it!
The orcs retaliate, with others moving into the spot vacated by the ones that Hoddy and Baern killed. Two of them attack Shianni. Though only one gets through, it is enough and the druidess drops to the ground. The two orcs in the rear attack Teasag, putting him to the ground as well!
Death Save +0/-1
Things were going from bad to worse. As Baern moved away, he caught sight of Shianni being taken down by a spear thrust to the gut. As he rushed over to his party, he watched as Teasag was struck right through the neck. The elven monk toppled over onto the ground, the life faded from his eyes before he hit the floor.
"Damn it! Damn it all!" Baern shouted, gritting his teeth as his mind raced. They needed to hole up for a moment, the find a way to at least be able to hold the enemy back. Reaching downwards, he'd place his hand upon the warlock's chest and whisper softly.
"All-Father, give me strength. Please, let me save this one." His hand would seem to glow as his prayer was answered and positive energy flooded through the injured warlock's being.
"Hess! Get up and get away from them. We need to form a line!" Baern would fall back now, standing beside Garret as he drew his warhammer once more.
"Garret or Hoddy, beside me! Hess and whoever is left, get behind us. We have to hold a line to fend them off!" The dwarf would shout, banging his warhammer on his shield as he roared at the orcs before him. "Come on, you green-skinned bastards! Let Baern send you to your maker!"
"Oh gods, this is not what I signed up for"
Garret is visibly shaking, though he pulls it together enough to follow Baern's orders, he draws a second dagger in his off hand and readies himself to strike at whichever orc crosses his path first.
The last thing he remembered was seeing the Orc spear travel... almost in slow motion and enter the top of his shoulder near his collarbone. The impact sent him spinning away only to see another spear tossed from the opposite direction catch him near his left hip. He remembered tearing the spears from his body, just as darkness overtook him.
With a start and an intake of breath the Warlock returned to consciousness for some reason. He was still in great pain, but for some reason he was alive, and as he returned to awareness the smells and sounds of combat returned as well. From somewhere he heard the gruff voice of Baern commanding him to step in line behind him. He might live through this fiasco yet. With a start the young half elf lurched to his feet, surprising the stinky Orcs beside him, and lurched forward spinning and dodging to hopefully confuse any attacks, and stepped into the rank behind his still standing comrades, whispering a quick word of gratitude to his stalwart companion.
He takes a quick look behind him as he passes between his two allies to make sure that nothing is surprising them from their rear flank.
Hoddy moves back with the others and reloads his crossbow on the way. Once in line with Baern he fires at one of the threatening orcs.
Attack:
Damage:
Crit:
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Baern heals Hess and gets him to the rear, even as he taunts the orcs. Garret pulls a second dagger and readies himself to attack if necessary. Hess does as instructed, scrambling to the back line, and Hoddy also rejoins his companions, taking a shot at one of the orcs and scoring a hit with a bolt to the throat. The orc lives, but is too busy trying to stem the bleeding to do much else.
The orcs to the right withdraw, taking the body of Teasag with them. Chancing a peek down the corridor, Baern sees that the body of Shianni has also been drawn over the barricade.
Baern waited for three breathes, expecting the onslaught of orcs to crash against his shield. Yet while there was noise, there was no sight of them. Looking around the corners, he saw the orcs take his wounded and dead and skirt off into the darkness with them. Internally, his hatred for orcs deepened a thousand-fold and he muttered under his breath in Dwarven some of the most obscene words one might ever hear from a priest.
Turning to the group, Baern would look each of them over before whispering. "Teasag...is dead. Shianni may still yet live. We save her, we escape from here. Understood?". Putting away his warhammer, he'd grip his holy symbol with steady hands and spoke a prayer.
"All-Father, give us strength. May our weapons strike true and our forms be as unbending as the mountains." A resonating warmth would begin to spread within the chest of Baern, Hoddy, and Garret. A confidence that could not be denied despite the awful circumstances.
With a stern look upon Baern's face, he'd give each one of them a nod before moving around the corner with his shield raised. He would not be seen as a coward to others and to his God. With Moradin's blessing, he'd try to take back that which was theirs.
With a roaring charge, Baern moved towards the line of orcs behind the barricade, hoping to catch them off-guard.
Feeling the blessing of Baern's god flow through him, Hoddy picks another enemy and fires.
Attack:
Damage:
Hess steps forward, but stops a bit back from Baern... remembering the sting of orc spear points, and casts "Hexblade Curse" as a bonus action on the orc diagonal to Baern.
He follows that up with an Eldritch blast... I bet that's the one who hit me from behind... I hate him.
Eldritch Blast... cursing his ability to focus on his enemy targets.
But just in case
Visibly shaking, Garret's resolve hardens instantly as Baern's spell takes effect. Snapped out of his stupor by Baern's roar he charges forward, rounding the bend and throwing a dagger straight at the orc separating Baern from Shianni.
Get your stinkin' paws off her you damn dirty Orc!
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Baern casts his spell, then charges the barricade, hoping to catch the orcs off guard. Perhaps surprisingly, he does so, and none of them attack him. Hoddy peeks around the corner and launches a bolt towards the foe, sailing it over the barricade and into an orc. Hess targets the same one with a hexblade's curse and sends an eldritch bolt in that direction, but the attack is stopped by the makeshift barricade! Garret suffers no such impediment, however, with his attack. It flies true and a dagger strikes the orc in the chest, burying itself to the hilt!
"Отступать! Отступать!" comes the cry from the orcs! Even as they shout this, the two at the barricade stab at Baern before stepping back. Neither of them manages to get past his armor. One of them grabs Shianni as it goes.
As the Orcs seem to retreat, Baern swings his warhammer at one of the retreating orc's backs.
The orcs grab the elf and begin to pull her away deeper into the cave, eliciting a growl of anger from the dwarven cleric. He would hop over the barricade, shouting in a rage-filled voice.
Baern would come in swinging, the warhammer aiming to take down the orc that was carrying Shianni.
Hoddy takes aim at the orc trying to drag Shianni away.
Attack:
Damage: