Zeke says a prayer to Arqueros after the last raider falls. He presses the holy symbol at his wrist up to his forehead.
Zeke goes to help his fallen companions back up on their feet.
"Come, let us get those wounds cared for at the barricade."
Nakoma drags herself to her feet. She picks up any of her gear that might have fallen, and shuffles her way out of the tower. She spares a glance back at the the tower as they retreat to the barricade.
"We need to hurry."
Zeke's commune with his deity provides enough healing power for everyone to get to their feet, even if just barely. The wounded return to the first-aid station at the barricade.
As you approach you see the body of a priest from the Sanctuary of the Trunau Countinghouse lying dead in the street, his body bristling with orc javelins.
At the first-aid station, the towns clerics work overtime, but are able to restore the full vitality once again to Nakoma and Acacius.
Azen sees a wand on the body of the priest and snags it. She is sad that the priest was unable to save himself with it, but knows that he would want his belongings to be used for the good of the community.
Once everyone is healed up at the aid station she asks her companions
Back to the Tower? It will be tough, but taking out those drummers might be the best thing that we can do for the town.
"I suppose setting fire to the tower and boarding up the door will take too long." Grauk said glibly before nodding to Azen.
"The tower it is."
Acacius has a horrible sense of deja vu, but this time it is the orcs who lie dead in this tower. At least on this floor.
"Healing, then we finish the job.", he says, ruefully looking back at the tower, glaive-guisarme in hand.
Seeing the priest's body, Acacius begins praying to Iomedae for his soul, then the warriors' eye fixates on something on the man's belt. He sees Azen spot it too, and leaves her to search the slain priest.
At her words, he nods. "It should be used to protect the town."
Once healed at the station, Acacius turns to the others:
"As much as the orcs deserve a slow and horrible death, our townsfolk do not. We must silence those drummers as soon as we can."
Nakoma nods. "Yes. Back to the tower. We need to end this."
Before heading up the stairs inside the tower, Nakoma prays to Desna.
As they go in Azen whispers to Nakoma Don't get yourself killed.
"Yes, we have work to do."
Zeke says a prayer over his companions as they prepare to cleanse the tower.
After having wounds tended to by the first-aid station, the heroes then determine to finish with the war-drummers atop the Eastern Lookout. Preparing with spells, and readying weapons they re-enter the tower, heading for the stone stairs that circle the outer wall.
The second floor is a barracks or guardhouse of some kind, but it has been completely ransacked by the marauding orcs. Broken furniture, ruined weapons, and other debris litters the floor. There is a wooden ladder that leads up to a hatch on the roof of the tower. The hatch is in the far northern side and leads to the roof. The hatch is open, and the reverberation of drums pounds in your heads as you stand just below.
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"May we all be so lucky," Nakoma replies to Azen.
Azen whispers
I say Zeke and Acacius go up first. You guys have the best armor. Maybe go total defense and just keep moving up. Make sure there is space for us to join you. Then, when we are all up there, we can take them down. Does that sound good or does someone else have a better idea?
"If some come to assail you while you approach the hatch I might be able to offer some discouragement."
"That is fine by me. With my armour I should be at the frontline."
My arms strengthen. Perhaps soon, I can pull off the shield and polearm stance...
"Yes, I will follow behind Acacius." Zeke kisses his holy symbol.
Acacius puts his foot on the ladder and begins to climb to the open hatch followed quickly by Zeke, while the others wait at the bottom for their turn.
At the top of the ladder, the hatch opens onto the flat stone roof of the tower, which has crenelated battlements that look down over the burning Inner Quarter, and out over the expanse of orc warriors who are still besieging the city. Closer at hand, a trio of orc warriors awaits and behind them, banging on the drums is a single orc, with almost blue skin, that is banging away with both hands on a massive war-drum. The orcs here are fired up into a savage rage, and move to attack as soon as Acacius shows himself in the hatchway.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 1
20 Red Orc
18 Azen
17 Blue Orc
16 Acacius
15 Kagak (raging song, 1 round)
14 Zeke
8 Nakoma
4 Grauk
2 Green Orc
Red Orc moves first, lunging to attack against the fighter coming up the shaft shield first. The powerful blow by the enraged orc slams into Acacius shield with a shuddering clang, but no harm comes to the hero as a result.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - continued
Azen shifts impatiently, waiting for her turn to get on teh ladder, but she must wait for the heavy armor types and then Nakoma before she can act.
Before Acacius can get off the ladder, Blue Orc also attacks, but his sword stroke cannot connect with Acacius.
Acacius has a silent word of thanks for Zeke's blessing, as he steps off the ladder and swings his polearm.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 1 - continued
Acacius is able to spring from the hatch, polearm in hand, and swing the weapon effectively, hacking a serious wound into Red Orc, who continues its display of rage despite the damage taken.
While continuing his inspiring song, the drummer seems to cast a spell on the Acacius, the first hero onto the rooftop.
Zeke casts a spell on Acacius.
“Let’s do this.”
—
Zeke climbs up the ladder and moves besdie Acacius. Zeke attacks the blue orc.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 1 - continued
Acacius is able to spring from the hatch, polearm in hand, and swing the weapon effectively, hacking a serious wound into Red Orc, who continues its display of rage despite the damage taken.
While continuing his inspiring song, the drummer seems to cast a spell on the Acacius, the first hero onto the rooftop. The spell causes Acacius to become amused, giggling first then laughing a bit, but his mind is able to focus on the task at hand, and he recovers before the laughing fit incapacitates him.
Taking his turn to get up the ladder and into the melee, Zeke piles out and is able to take a swing at Blue Orc, clubbing him mightily.
Azalia jumps from the top of the ladder, tumbling past Nakoma and red and blue orc, and landing cattycorner to Red .
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Nakoma hurries up the ladder and tumbles into the room, past Acacius and Zeke.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 1 - concluded
Nakoma hustles to the top of the ladder, and uses her forward momentum to tumble past the lumbering orcs, successfully bypassing them for now and getting a firm footing on the rooftop.
Right behind the priestess, Azen does the same maneuver the other direction. She also ends up behind the aggressive orcs.
Grauk is no acrobat and he climbs the ladder, but stays well below the rooftop level this turn while the others soften the beachhead.
Green Orc is slowest to react, but ready to take on the pink-skins. He steps forward, around Nakoma's reach and tries to smash his falchion through the defenses of Zeke, but the martial cleric is able to deflect and parry the blow.
End of Round 1
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 2
20 Red Orc (raging, 6hp dmg)
17 Blue Orc (raging, 5hp dmg)
16 Acacius (SoF, 19 rounds)
15 Kagak (raging song, 2 rounds)
14 Zeke
8 Nakoma (SoF, 19 rounds; starknife blessing)
18 Azen
4 Grauk
2 Green Orc (raging)
Red Orc moves a short step to square up a better stroke against the bard that just rolled past him. He is able to hurt Azen, but not as badly as it first appeared, but still the girl is seriously hurt.
Blue Orc also takes a step back from the hatch, imposing himself between the humans and the drummer. He then swings into the side of Zeke, splitting his armor and wounding the priest.
Acacius steps between Grauk and Zeke, drawing his shortsword as he does so, and grins when he sees the orc now caught between him and Azen. He slashes at the greenskin, aiming to clear a path to the drummer and quickly.
Azen, seriously wounded but knowing that it is too dangerous to cast a healing spell on herself, decides to die fighting. She drops her bow and lashes out with her morningstar at the Red orc.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 2 - continued
Acacius changes to his shortsword and with a violent stabbing motion, he skewers Red Orc on his blade. The orc is cut deeply and moves to hold his guts in while Acacius withdraws the blade.
Continuing to pound the drums that bring the orcs to raging fury, Kagak also begins weaving a magical spell that is long and complex enough to continue the entire round.
Azen, hurt badly, turns on her attacker, dropping the bow and attacking with her morningstar. She catches the already badly hurt orc unprepared and bashes his skull in, killing him.
Nakoma takes a nimble step to the side, draws her starknife and lunges at the green orc.
Zeke steps forward and attacks the green orc.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 2 - continued
Zeke steps forward to attack Green Orc, but his swing misses the big brute.
Nakoma has better luck. She steps sideways and plants her holy weapon the chest of Green Orc. The damage from the wound might kill a lesser creature, but this brute stands it and stays in the fight.
Grauk tries to hit one of the orcs but in the whirling melee finds it hard to hit his mark.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 2 - concluded
Grauk gets to the top of the ladder and flings his usual lava blob at the nearest orc, but their engagement in melee makes hitting one harder, and it pivots out of the way of an attack by Zeke, it also accidentally avoids the fiery mess.
Green Orc steps to the side to keep the heroes from turning his flank and then swings a big arc at Nakoma. Despite her divine warding spell, the falchion slices a big chunk out of the priestess' shoulder.
End of Round 2
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 3
17 Blue Orc (raging, 5hp dmg)
16 Acacius (SoF, 18 rounds)
15 Kagak (raging song, 3 rounds)
14 Zeke (8hp dmg)
8 Nakoma (12hp dmg, SoF, 18 rounds; starknife blessing)
18 Azen (10hp dmg)
4 Grauk
2 Green Orc (-6hp, disabled, raging)
Blue Orc attacks Acacius who left his companion with a mortal wound last round. The human warrior is able to shift his weight out of the way of this mighty blow.
Acacius responds swiftly, his right arm and sword moving to slash at the orc in front of him.
Eastern Lookout - Round 3 - continued
Acacius' attack against Blue Orc is parried by the raging monster with a flick of his massive wrist.
The spell started by the orc drummer last round fires now. Zeke and Nakoma feel their eyes growing heavy as a magical drowsiness set in. Yawning, both struggle to stay awake. The magic is less powerful or the willpower of the pair is strong, but they both fight off the [i]Sleep[i] spell and remain in the fight.
Continuing to beat the drum and drive the orcs to rage, he also reaches into a scroll case,takes out a rolled up sheet of vellum, and begins to read the magical symbols attached up on it. Again the spell is too complex to finish quickly.
Nakoma gasps in pain. She send a burst of healing energy into her wounds, then lunges at the green orc.
Zeke attacks the green orc.
Grauk tries his hand at setting a different orc on fire.
Surprised that she is still alive and the Orc is down rather than the other way around, Azen realizes that she has a chance at their real target. She drops her Morningstar and picks up her bow, then shoots at the drummer.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 3 - concluded
Zeke cannot prosecute his attack on Green Orc successfully. His morningstar cuts through the air with a swish of air.
Looking for a quick blessing from Desna, Nakoma heals herself than attacks her enemy, stabbing him in the neck with her starknife. The knees of Green Orc buckle and he slumps to the side, dead.
Dropping her melee weapon and rearming herself with the dropped bow, Azen finds enough space to launch a shot at Kagak, the drummer. The arrow finds the target, skewering the orc in the leg.
Grauk tosses another fiery lump and this time successfully scores a hit on Blue Orc singeing him as it hits but not fully immolating the target.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 4
17 Blue Orc (raging, -1hp)
16 Acacius (SoF, 17 rounds)
15 Kagak (raging song, 4 rounds, casting dmg)
14 Zeke (8hp dmg)
8 Nakoma (8hp dmg, SoF, 17 rounds; starknife blessing)
18 Azen (10hp dmg)
4 Grauk
Despite being burned last round, and now seriously outnumbered, Blue Orc stands his ground against Acacius stabbing with his falchion at exposed rib. The attack succeeds, and Acacius is hurt again.
Acacius yells in pain but does not allow his gaze to waver from his opponent.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 4 - continued
The battle rages on with the tide turning towards the guardsmen. Acacius is able to land another telling blow on Blue Orc who continues to bleed out.
The warrior-bard orc was casting a spell from a scroll when the arrow from Azen struck him. The wound and disruption from the attack causes the caster to lose his place, and as he reads from the scroll, the spell fizzles.
Instead of casting, the orc bard continues to pound his drum, and then begins a dirge-like singing that ends up as a magic spell, which starts to affect Acacius' mind. As the noise and confusion build up, the fighter shakes his head to clear it, keeping the spell effect away.