Relieved that she stopped whatever spell the drummer was attempting to cast, Azen takes a moment to heal herself so that she can continue to fight.
Still wounded, but no longer near death, Azen breathes a little bit easier and draws another arrow.
Nakoma sends another quick burst of healing magic through her body then hurries over to the drummer, staying close to the wall and out of the blue orc's reach. Then she lunges at the drummer, driving her brightly glowing starknife towards his shoulder.
Grauk continues to try to harass the orc warrior with his magic but in the whirling melee misses him.
Acacius shakes off the fell orc sorcery, and continues his sword work against the foe next to him.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 4 - continued
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
Nakoma charges her self with some divine healing and circles around Blue Orc to approach the drummer himself. Her lunging stab with her starknife is dodged by the orc spellcaster.
Azen takes a moment to heal herself, restoring most of her lost vitality before she closes in on the last few orcs in the tower.
Grauk lobs another glop of lava at the Blue Orc, but misses.
Acacius shakes off the fell orc sorcery, and continues his sword work against the foe next to him.
[dice=Short Sword vs Blue Orc]1d20 + 6
[dice=Damage]1d6+4
"Stay strong Acacius!"
Zeke casts a spell of healing and steps forward touching Acacius.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 4 -concluded
Zeke knows he must have his team at better strength to win the fights ahead, so he calls forth divine healing and brings up the lagging vitality of Acacius.
End of Round 4
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 5
17 Blue Orc (raging, -7hp)
16 Acacius (SoF, 16 rounds, 7hp dmg)
15 Kagak (raging song -5 rounds, 4hp dmg)
14 Zeke (8hp dmg)
8 Nakoma (5hp dmg, SoF, 16 rounds; starknife blessing)
18 Azen (3hp dmg)
4 Grauk
Blue Orc is unsteady on his feet, but he staggers back a step and attacks Nakoma who has made melee attacks against his superior, but his wounds cause the attack to be half-hearted.
Acacius drives his shortsword into Blue's belly as his attention becomes focused on Nakoma. The orc looks as surprised as anyone, but then drops in a heap, leaving just the drum beater.
Kagak continues his thunderous drumming. With Nakoma atop him in melee, and no allies left, the orc seems unfazed. He takes a step back from the priestess' assault and with a few quick motions, sends a spell her direction. A soundless scream resounds In Nakoma's head, and while it hurts her, she is able to stay in the fight.
Grauk turns his attention towards the drummer knowing the man wouldn't last too long against them.... but becomes overconfident and hits the wall with his spell.
Azen, feeling a little better, shoots again at the drummer.
Unfortunately, her shoulder wound isn't healed fully and she isn't as careful with it as she should have been. It causes her to flinch and muff the shot.
Occupied for a moment with retrieving his sword from the orc's belly, Acacius turns his attention to the drummer.
If the drums are not yet silent, I will correct that.
Nakoma steps forward after the drummer and stabs at him with her starknife!
But with the strange sounds still ringing in her head she misses!
Zeke stalks in for an attack.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 5 - concluded
Zeke steps in and connects a glancing blow with the orc skald's shoulder. It's not the most powerful hit ever, but it causes some damage.
The shrill shriek in Nakoma's head hurts her, and throws off her next attack, which misses.
Azen tries to worm an arrow between her allies and strike the lone orc foe, but the shot is beyond her skill, and it flies wide of the mark.
Grauk's next glob of lava also misses, ending up on the flagstone floor of the tower.
End of Round 5
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 6
16 Acacius (SoF, 15 rounds, 7hp dmg)
15 Kagak (raging song, 6 rounds, 7hp dmg)
14 Zeke (8hp dmg)
8 Nakoma (7hp dmg, SoF, 15 rounds; starknife blessing)
18 Azen (3hp dmg)
4 Grauk
Pulling his shortsword from the belly of the dead orc, Acacius strides forward to attack the remaining foe - the drum beater. His initial attack, though, does not score a hit.
Now surrounded by foes, the wardrummer stops his beating, and in his continuing fury, he unlimbers his battleaxe and attacks. The blade caroms off Acacius breastplate with a whine.
This time Grauk got a better opening and hoped to perhaps hit the orc.
Seeing the foe surrounded, Azen decides the best thing she can do is help the fighters. She walks up behind her allies and casts a healing spell on Nakoma.
As Azen's healing magic flows through her body, healing her wounds, Nakoma's lips curl up in a slight smile. She grunts something in a foreign language, then lunges at the orc with her starknife!
Zeke attacks the orc.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 6 - concluded
Zeke swings at the orc boss, but his morningstar cannot connect with anything, besides thin air.
Nakoma continues pressuring the skald/drummer, this time her starknife connects, stabbing the orc in the shoulder.
Azen uses her magic to grant Nakoma more healing, restoring all the damage taken and closing all her wounds.
Grauk does indeed hit the orc musician with his fiery lava glob, burning him slightly.
End of Round 6
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 7
16 Acacius (SoF, 14 rounds, 7hp dmg)
15 Kagak (raging song, 7 rounds, 16hp dmg, on fire!)
14 Zeke (8hp dmg)
8 Nakoma (SoF, 14 rounds; starknife blessing)
18 Azen (3hp dmg)
4 Grauk
Grimly, Acacius states :
"You have silenced your drumming. Now we shall silence you."
He slashes, trying to get past under the reach of the orc.
Eastern Lookout - Round 7 - continued
Acacius drives his stabbing sword into the belly of the orc drummer who slumps obviously quite hurt from the series of wounds taken.
The orc skald tries to smother the flames that are consuming him from Grauk's lava. IN the meantime, he takes burn damage. He cannot abate the fire, and continues to be immolated atop the tower.
Grauk smiles as the the orc catches fire and decides to add more fuel fire to the fire. Quite content to add to the wretched invaders poor fate.
Nakoma presses the attack! She stabs at the many with her starknife again!
Azen doesn't think that she will be able to get a good shot off without endangering her own party, so she instead starts rifling through the already-fallen foes' bodies to see if any of them had any healing potions.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 7 - continued
Nakoma's starknife can't penetrate the armor of the burning orc, and her attack fails to damage him.
Azen searches the bodies of the fallen orcs, looking for healing potions or other valuables, but so far finds none.
Grauk hits the smoldering orc with another ball of fiery lava, adding to his fire injuries.
Zeke attacks the orc.
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 7 - concluded
While attacking a flaming orc bard sounds easy, Zeke finds it harder to hit the target than it sounds and his attack misses.
End of Round 7
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 8
16 Acacius (SoF, 13 rounds, 7hp dmg)
15 Kagak (26hp dmg, on fire)
14 Zeke (8hp dmg)
8 Nakoma (SoF, 13 rounds; starknife blessing)
18 Azen (3hp dmg)
4 Grauk
Acacius wordlessly stabs the orc in the gut, desiring to finish with this tower for good.
Azen, without any healing magic left to help her fellows, continues to search for potions or other helpful items.
Zeke attacks the orc again.
"Arqueros help us."
Eastern Lookout - Top Floor - Round 8- concluded
Acacius is once again able to score a hit against the wounded orc skald. The cut should probably drop him, but like the rest of the orcs, his ferocity keeps him in the fight after others might have fallen.
Disabled and bleeding, Kagak is finally able to put out the flames that have immolated him for the last few seconds but he cannot act besides that.
Zeke is able to step in and mash the disable drummer upside his head. The blow splits the cranium of the orc leader, and he falls to the ground, cold dead. '
End of Combat
Grauk sets about lootings bodies "They really didn't want to go down did they? We might be best served doubling back for some healing."
Agreed. Let's get healed up.
Azen helps to loot, especially examining the drums the orc was using to see if they are in good shape.
Zeke quickly strips the hobgoblins of valuables and equipment, before following the others back to the healers.
Nakoma nods. She helps the others take the enemy's gear and then heads back out to the barricade.
The orc warriors have no treasure to speak of. The leader, the skald, is another matter. He wears masterwork chainmail, a masterwork light steel shield, a masterwork battle axe, 5 throwing axes, a dose of antitoxin, a single thunderstone and the wardrums (which are a standard instrument).
Additionally he has 1 potion, 1 wand, and 8 scrolls -- all of which detect as magical.
Once they get to the healing area, Azen goes through the magic items, trying to identify them.
<--Success
<--Success
Unfortunately, she has very limited success.
Grauk examines the items "The potion is a cure moderate wounds and I think I understand some of these scrolls."
"Someone with a quick eye and accurate throw should take the thunderstone. And aye, we need healing."
While he waits for healing, Acacius keeps a javelin and shield ready, in case orcs move on the barricade.
"Thank you Arqueros."
Zeke kisses the holy charm on his wrist.
"Well done everyone. Yes let's head back and collect ourselves."
The scroll that is identified by Azen is a Scroll of Cause Fear.
Grauk correctly identifies the potion as Cure Moderate Wounds and he looks at a few scrolls able to make out the writing on them. The first is Scroll of Charm Person the other is a Scroll of Grease
The group works their way back to the first-aid station where any injuries are quickly patched up. The battle still rages and the need to light the last beacon still exists, even if the new orders were to clear the Inner Quarter. Beyond the strangely flaming trees, orcs still await.
"That scroll could be very useful, if orc minds break before their bodies. We should push into the buildings to the west of that tower, in the northwest of the Inner Quarter."
"I'll hold onto them for now. The northwest sounds as good as any spot to continue."