Hess continues his assault on the Orc who had the audacity to attack him earlier.
Eldritch Blast
Hexed Eldritch Blast.
"Come Back Cowards"!
Garret charges forward to help relieve the pressure on Baern, drawing a blade as he approaches and aiming to plunge it into the Orc taking Shianni.
We're not letting you take another one of us!
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Baern takes a swing at the retreating orcs, managing to score a hit on the one that grabbed Shianni and sending it sprawling. With the orc dragging Shianni away downed, Baern and Hoddy focus their attention on others. Baern clobbers the orc nearest to his left, while Hoddy sends a bolt into the one to the far right. Hess blasts the orc that attacked him earlier, sending it to the ground as well. Garret hits the one nearest him, putting it down.
With only one orc remaining beyond the barricade, the three that had disappeared to the right come back around the corner, cutting off your escape!
Baern wore a smile of grim satisfaction as the orcs fell around him, mewling before the death rattles began to escape their throats. The smell of bloody copper tinged the air and it brought back the memories of his monastery and the battles against the orc threats there.
"Do not lose hope, lads! The All-Father is with us, we have His iron in our heart and His fury in our wills!" The cleric of Moradin cheered, that magical confidence and competence still swelling through himself and his allies. Turning to the last Orc on this side of the barricade, Baern swung with all his might to put the beast down.
The Orc, perhaps emboldened by the death of his compatriots, dodges out of the way and a curse escapes Baern's lips.
"Archers! Over the wall! Garret, help me kill this one!" The battle hung in a precarious balance but they were not yet out of the dirt yet. Yet there was a chance to not let a dark cloud truly hang over all things. Teasag could be avenged and Shianni might be saved.
Maybe it was the Orc getting dropped, maybe it was the will of the gods, but Shianni begins moaning, coming to as the battle rages above her!
Hess moves into the room, and spots more incoming bogeys. "Look out more enemies coming this way".
Eldritch blast at the first orc entering the room, moving my hex to his smelly butt.
After the ill aimed blast he slips around the corner out of thrown spear range.
Hoddy moves back towards the barricade, but he fires his bolt before he clambers over the table.
Attack:
Damage:
Garret replies to Baern's order:
With pleasure!
He then dives toward the remaining orc, drawing a second dagger in his left hand and bringing the both down side by side at the orc's flank.
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Baern checks Shianni and is relieved to find that she is alive and breathing normally, though walking will still be a problem. Hess attempts to blast one of the incoming orcs, missing by mere inches. He then ducks around the corner to avoid spear attacks. Hoddy fires at the wounded orc and, thanks to Baern's blessing, manages to drop it! Garret dives for the remaining orc, slamming both daggers home and slaying the creature.
The two orcs that remain down the hall withdraw back around the corner, apparently reduced to a single spear each. Hoddy hears a noise from behind the party and can see the outline of a sleeping creature further back in the cavern.
Baern catches sight as the two remaining orcs flee back down the hallway and around the corner. Reaching down, he puts away his warhammer and lifts Shianni up and onto his shoulder, keeping his shield arm free to protect himself.
"Let us get out and regroup by the cart. We'll come back for Teasag soon enough. Keep my flanks covered."
Cautiously now, Baern moves back down the cavern and towards the entrance once more. Never had the light of the day ever felt so welcoming.
"I can walk...ohh, hello ground." mumbles Shianni into Baern's back as he hauls her away.
Trying to clear her head, she will call upon the power of nature to speed her healing.
Jumping back over the barrier, Hoddy moves forward to protect Baern as he recovers Shianni's body. He smiles in relief when he hears the druid speak but suddenly stops as an orc appears at the edge of his vision. He takes aim and fires at the beast..ready to protect the dwarf and elf from the creatures.
Attack:
Damage:
Hess follows the others out of the chamber keeping his eyes peeled on the rear as they retreat. He is a bit unnerved by the recent events.
The sunlight washes upon Baern's face in that glorious moment and it is like a weight is lifted from his being. The smell of blood and sweat clings to him though, keeping him from truly detaching himself from the moment.
"Regroup by the cart. We'll plan there." The dwarf states, as calmly as he can. Yet for the insightful eye, there was a clear tension still lingering in his frame as he looked back down the cave that they had assaulted. One of their own was still within there. He knew in his mind that Teasag was dead, even though his heart clung to whatever impossible situation that could make that untrue.
"Over a hundred years of experience, knowledge, and life, gone in seconds..." Baern thought to himself as he saddled up beside the cart, lost in his thoughts. What could he have done better himself in there? How could he have protected his comrades more?
The cleric looked among the survivors, studying them for a moment to see how they were faring. For some of them, it may have been their very first encounter with death in such a violent manner. They would need his guiding hand to keep them on the righteous course. They would all need to maintain the course.
Looking back at the cave, Baern's eyes could only narrow. He would retrieve his friend's body, ensure a proper burial for him. It was the least he could do for failing the elf.
"Well now we know what's in there anyway. Should have scouted things out better I think. I wonder how many over-eager groups like ours have perished by making the same mistakes"?
Baern was lost in focus for just a few moments, almost missing the words of the warlock. His attention snaps back to reality though and he shakes his head mournfully.
"There may have been details missed but we did the best we could. Orcs are cunning, deadly foes. I have witnessed many friends perish under their blades." He turns back to the party, stepping in closer and moving from one to the other. As he speaks, his sorrow is swallowed down and a strong, proud voice emanates from him instead.
"Teasag's death is not your fault. Remember that. It is your fault. The life of an adventurer is not for the meek, the curious, and those of weak will...". Memories of home began to return to Baern at that moment, the combat drills that had taken place within the monastery's walls to prepare them for war. Every strike of a switch at an ill-placed fitting left a reminder of pain but it also gave preparation for moments like before.
"There are things that could have been done better, on of our parts. Yet we cannot let sorrow cloud our hearts, pain steal our minds, and guilt destroy our will..." As he circles amongst his party, a hand is placed on each one's shoulder. The grip is firm but comforting, not painful or too much. The dark eyes of the cleric hold a sadness in them but even moreso, a fiery determination. He studies each compatriot at a time, looking for weakness within their will. Baern is a cleric of Moradin, chosen to stoke the forge of the All-Father. The men and woman before him are unshaped iron, strong but not yet made perfect. He would shape them, harden them, let their natural strength be tempered and perfected until they were the perfect blades that his great God would have wished them to be.
"Each one of you fought admirably, with courage that few possess..." Baern said earnestly, finishing his circle amongst his comrades and standing before them. "...you fought as any dwarf would and even fiercer than some. Though we have suffered today, we will be stronger, wiser, and more formidable the next. For those who do not wish this life, do not be ashamed. It is not for everyone.". Baern would let those words hang in the air for a moment. The men and woman before him were not soldiers, warrior-priests dedicated to fighting the menaces of the world. Yet that also meant that their world was unique, their skills unlike anything he would have witnessed. A unique combination meant untold potential.
"For those of you who would stay, I would gladly have you. We have spilled blood together today, marking us as brothers and sisters of a most unique covenant. I wish to cleanse this dark land, to bring Moradin's unwavering justice on those with wicked intentions. Will you help me?"
"No one gets to kill someone travelling with me and not pay the price." says Shianni, murder in her eyes.
Hoddy growls his agreement with Shianni.
"I agree with ya lass, but we may be needing a wee bit o' rest afore we head back in...or are ye all ready now to face the beasties??"
"I think I'll be OK if we can rest for a bit before going back in. Maybe make some strategic plans as well"?
Garret rushes out behind Baern, taking a wistful glance up the passageway on the way past. They'd lost one already, and although he barely knew Teasag, the feeling of losing a companion so soon shook him to the core.
Outside the cave, Garret simply collapsed onto his knees, unsure what to think. It was only Baern's hand on his shoulder that snapped him out of his stupor.
"I will stay" he manages, though his voice has lost the carefree edge of earlier that morning.
"I hate to think what those... Things... will do to Teasag's body. I say we need to at least rescue his remains. He may have had some loved ones back home, they at least deserve to know he faced death admirably, and died with dignity. We should see that his remains are treated with that same dignity."
He stands, a new fire in his eyes. As the others wait, he seems impatient to go back in, but he isn't suicidal.
"Take a short rest if you need it. I can keep watch
Baern smiles at the halfling's fierceness, seeing the light snap back into his eyes. As much as the dwarf loved the tales of the bards that would come to and from the taverns, he despised the way that they romanticized adventuring. Only the glory was usually spoken of, never the dirt and the blood, the pain and the loss.
"I am of the same mind. I will not let those beasts desecrate our comrade's body any longer than needed." Sitting upon the cart, he would take out a cloth and begin cleaning the blood, bone, and brain matter off of his warhammer. "Let us take a rest, regain what power we can, and then we'll enter back in. Alas, I have used all my divine power for today, only the simplest of prayers will answer me now."
"Orcs are strong and mean. Hoddy, I want you in the back watching our flank. Hess, you stay in the middle and do your best to focus down targets. Garret, the same goes for you. If you think you can get in close and end one of our foe's life, take it. Just don't risk yourself."
His attention turned to Shianni and Baern would smile for a moment. It was a small smile, a moment of pride for himself. He saved one of them, at least.
"Shianni, I don't know much of what you're capable of but I'll need you in the front and being a medic. I'll try to take the blunt of things, hold them off." Putting away the bloody rag, he'd hop off of the cart and nod to them all.
"Let us take a rest, see how we're feeling, and then we'll go back in if we're ready for it. Teasag wouldn't want us to die for him, so don't let your anger control your mind. We'll fight smart and together. Now, I'll keep watch with you Garret."
There is a crunch of heavy boots coming from the direction of the road, a gruff voice from that direction in hushed tones
"Cousin Baern? Is that you?"
I dwarf warily parts some brush with his shield. Two things draw the eye at first sight there is a large scar in his forehead, still in the process of healing, and his beard is short, and sparse. He grim expression lightens when he sees the Cleric.
"Finally, I have been looking for you for weeks"
As Baern kept watch beside Garret, his ears pricked up at the sound of heavy boots crunching over rocks and the shifting of even heavier armor.
"Get down..." He whispered to the group, crouching behind the sparse vegetation and trees that they had hooked their cart and supplies beside. It was that whispered voice that would bring a puzzled look to Baern's face, just moments before his eyes laid upon Rurik's face.
"By Moradin's beard..." Baern would murmur, standing up and quickly embracing his younger cousin. He had expected to never see any of his family for quite some time; decades at the most, while he worked on his venture of discovering a new stronghold to the South. "Rurik, my boy! Last I saw you was guarding the tunnels at Mithral Hall!" The sorrow of the last hour seemed to fade away with his cousin's arrival, though the look of merriment slowly turned to one of stern consternation.
"What are you doing out here? And what are you doing out here alone?" He would slap the dwarf lightly in the back of his head, peeking at the healing scar upon his head. "Your head? What had happened? Did you come here alone?" It was easy to tell to anyone who ever had a family that this was the kind of questioning a parent would give a child. "You shouldn't be here, its incredibly dangerous..." Yet the smile wouldn't fade from his face at having his own kin beside him.
Garret was clearly more tired than he wanted to let on. He'd been watching the cave entrance idly daydreaming about home, and the people that make it home, and totally failed to notice the newcomer's approach.
When Baern suddenly moved he darted one way then the other, before taking refuge by the cart. Seeing Baern's reaction however, he quickly came to join the two dwarves.
Baern! You didn't say you'd sent for reinforcements! Not that I'm complaining. If this one's half the fighter you are... well, you know.
Garret stops himself for a second, before trying again, in a less excited tone.
Garret Goodbarrel. Travelling entertainer and recent companion of your... uhm... Father? Uncle?
”It’s yer brother..” he exclames and seems to see the others for the first time and takes a moment to calm himself. He reaches down to his belt and pulls off a half melted badge from the Mythrill Guard.
He clears his throat ”I was Adrik’s partner and he, he told me not to… He closes his eyes for a moment.
”Yer brother died saving me, there was a Durregar raid and I was where I should not have been. Adrik came after me, and died because of it.”
He hands Baern the badge, ”I owe Adrik a life, ye'r his brother. I pledge my life to you. I’ll stand by yer side until I fall”
He turns to Garret, I am Rurik, worry not little friend all Holderheks are made from the bones of the earth and born with a war hammer in there hand.
Hess jumps to his feet at the noise, and is halfway towards summoning up an Eldritch Surprise, when he sees that the new arrival is not some rampaging Orc, but another Dwarf, and one that seems to know the one he was at the moment tolerating.
He relaxes a bit... but only a bit, and simply nods at the new arrival when he meets his eye and mumbles an introduction... "Hess" It's obvious the loss of Tesag has had an effect on the normally stoic half-elf. He the returns to staring intently at the mouth of death cave.
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At the mention of his brother, a pained look seems to spread across his face. Reaching out and taking the badge from his younger cousin's hand. He stares down at it hard with his dark eyes, his grip tightening as he feels the melted metal around it. Durregar, their darker selves wielding weapons that spit fire like the breath of a dragon.
He took a shuddering breath, the emotional toll almost battering down the cleric's will, before he collected himself. Adrik was always an eager dwarf, running around the foundries with his friends, pretending to be a great hero of old. The melted badge was slipped into his pocket, a barely-heard whisper leaving Baern's lips as he prayed to Moradin to keep his brother's soul safe and waiting for him. The words did not come easy as both sorrow and anger welled within him. Why send him South when his brother died in need? He should've been there! He could've protected them both. Despair threatened to take hold for a moment, its steely grip tightening around his heart. Yet he heard Rurik's words, that Holderheks had the bones of the earth. Like adamantine, he would have to make his heart if they were to prevail.
Turning back around, Baern's face was stern but a small smile spread upon his face. It didn't contain much warmth but it wasn't full of malice either. Reaching out, he would grasp Rurik upon the shoulder tightly and pull the young Dwarf in closer.
"My cousin, my brother died to keep you safe. You carry a terrible burden now; the dreams of my dear Adrik as well as your own. You are young, mistakes are made. Like molten steel, our failings that we survive are burned from us...making us stronger. We are Holderheks, we have bones made of rock and hearts made of iron. I will gladly call upon you, we need you." There were more words spoken afterwards, spoken softly in Dwarvish to the young man.
Turning to the others, Baern would put his arm around his cousin and nod. "This is Rurik, my cousin. He has sought me out with somber news but his arrival breathes fire into my heart." Pointing out his fellow comrades, he would name them off one by one.
"That is Shianni Fadrick, a druidess. Capable of powerful druid magic. Beside her is Hoddy Fonkin, a tracker and slayer of goblinoids. Deadly with the crossbow in hand." Turning to the right, he'd point out Hess who leaned against one of the withered trees, taking the shade as best he could. "That is Hess Grimlock, a practitioner of strange magics. Of course, this is Garret Goodbarrel, a cunning halfling if I've ever met one." Pointing further up the ravine, he'd gesture to the dark cave mouth.
"I'm sure, if you're coming from the Keep, that you've heard of this place. The Caves of Chaos, they call it. Full of wicked creatures; orcs, goblins, and other beasts. We lost a comrade in that cave there, it was filled with orcs. We hope to retrieve his body once we finish resting and kill a few more of the bastards for what they've done." Baern would look back at his cousin and stare for just a moment. Having family here was a blessing yet it was also a curse. Could he suffer the loss of his own blood and kin? Those dark thoughts were pushed away for the moment, Baern's voice returning to him. "Will you help us, cousin? Your hammer will be a welcome addition in crushing these monsters."
Hoddy greets the newcomer with a nod and smile, then goes back to watching the cave entrance.
Yay! thinks Shianni More Dwarves.
After the rest, Baern will rise up with a stretch and nod to the others.
"Time to get back to it. We have a friend we need to find. Everyone ready to head out?" Once everyone was set and ready to head out, Baern would take the lead with his cousin beside him and once more approach the cave. He could feel the tension begin to return to his body as the darkness ahead of them grew closer and closer.
Trying as silently as he could, Baern would stalk back up to the scene of the battle. He wanted to see if the orcs had removed their dead, if there were any trails they led off to, and if there was anything else awaiting them within the cave's tunnels.
Hoddy cringings as Baern tramps into the cave once again. He follows in the wake of the priest with his crossbow at the ready.
Cunning? I'll take that. Usually it's "deceitful" or "sly" or "lock up your daughters". Another Holderhek is certainly a welcome addition
Garret lights a second torch, draws a dagger and falls into line behind Baern.
Back in the darkness of the cave, Baern's eyes flicker back and forth. The bodies still remained upon the floor and the smell of blood filled the air around them.
"We'll check the right passageway first, that is where they dragged our comrade's body."
Advancing slowly, Baern would keep an eye out for any possible ambushes or attacks coming their way as he moved to the right. Before he left though, he'd place his hand upon his cousin's shoulder.
"Remember. The All-Father watches us. We are in his home." The touch would resonate with the young dwarf's confidence, gifting him a boost from the divine.
Rurik reaches into his pack, as the group gets to the cave, and pulls out his helm and puts it on his head. It is obvious that he was wearing this healm when he took the wound that left the scar in his head. If you look close at the repair you can see that a badge much like the one Rurik gave to Baern was used to make the patch.
As they creep forward he keeps his eyes open looking for threats.
Hess follows closely behind the Dwarf cousins, his eyes and ears hyper alert, and cringing a bit at the noisy dwarves attempts at stealth.
I wonder if they're being this loud on purpose, itching for a fight...
Perception
Hoddy keeps to the shadows at the edge of the tunnel, his keen senses honed by years of tracking and killing goblinoids and orcs. He look around, trying to discover anything that might give him a clue as to what to expect from their enemy.
Perception:
Tracking:
Adv. Tracking:
Shianni cringes at the very form and idea of Dwarven "sneaking", but does her best to ignore the sounds and listen for an ambush.
As the group enters the cave proper, Shianni also begins moving from cover to cover, keeping quiet.
The sound Rurik's boots make on the hard floor are all he hears. The hobnail Guard boots he wears make perfect sense in the streets of Mythril Hall, where the trod of a company of guardsmen make a distinct noise that lets civilians know to make way, but here they are likely to let the Orc's know Dwarves are on the way.
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The party creeps around the corner into a small guardroom that is currently empty save for the body of an orc that they killed earlier. Teasag is nowhere to be found.
Hess urgently taps Baern on the shoulder, and whirls to the sound. He leans over and whispers in the Dwarves ear."I heard a clicking sound over that way...". he then moves towards the wall motioning the others to do the same, and stares towards where he heard the clicking noise coming from.
Seeing Hess and Baern converse, Hoddy looks over to where the latter was indicating to see if he can hear/see anything out of the norm.
Perception:
Garret moves to the wall with Hess, conscious that the torch he's carrying makes a pretty good target. He keeps an eye out in the same direction as the half elf.
Sitting in a good hiding position, Shianni will take a moment to check the room again.