The arena was being set up. The heroes awaited their chance to prove themselves.
Initiative
Oranna walked out into the arena, now slightly rested and prepared for the fight ahead. Hoisting her great sword over her shoulder, she looks around at the other competitors. Sure, fighting them was an option, but that would more so be hindering to her. Easier to just kill the bugbear with aide of others rather than having to fight it and others.
Of course she knew what she was doing, but what of the others? Oranna mentally made sure to watch her back while she was fighting this thing. She wasn't going to let someone take her out easily.
A stout dwarf with wild hair and beard Steps through the opening. His bare arms showing a tracery of scars on his leathery hide, beneath the thick dark hair. In spots you can see fresh scabs in what appear to be small bite marks. His shiny new breastplate gleaming in the light of the arena, a greatsword across his back and a polearm in his hands.
He raises his weapon and shouts. "I be Malgrim Habrak of the Iron Mountain clan. I fight f'r the honor of Gerund and will take all comers. I will nae fall!"
A half-elven girl steps through another portal, with a trident in one hand and a short sword in another, an enchanted breastplate covering her torso. She glances at the other would-be heroes, and then focuses on the bugbear in front of her. She drops into a fighting stance and attacks!
In her eagerness, she oversteps and swings wildly at her opponent...
A feral looking half-elf steps warily through another portal, his claws grasp a guisarme tightly and he carries a large hammer on his back. Blood has recently dried down either side of his body,where his breastplate sections meet, but the wounds appear to have mostly healed. Ignoring the others, he drops into a crouch, guisarme extended and waits for the bugbear to come to him.
The doors opened with a quick 'Snap'. The heroes found themselves each facing a bugbear with an ogre in the middle on a raised pedestal.
Lanarial and Malgrim the quickest to react. The ogre waited patiently on his pedestal, a two handed hammer in his hand and a brace of light hammers across his chest. He was wearing a hood and waiting for an attack as he was chained to a central pillar. Each bugbear carried a Morningstar and javelins. Above the heroes, the rows of seats in the impromptu arena seemed empty, but occasionally the dwarf forgemaster, the old man, a knight in gleaming armor, and a few others could be seen viewing the fight for a bit.
Making it up on the pedestal will take some effort (successful DC15 climb check twice with heavy armor, once with medium or light armor).
Initiative
Lanarial
Malgrim
Bugbears
Oranna
Maedhros
Malgrim steps forward and stabs at the bugbear in front of him. "I be hope'n ye'll drop faster'n those skeletons back there."
The half-elf misses the bugbear, but the dwarf lands a blow with sickening force. The bugbear is hurt badly.
Each hero is attacked by their evil bugbear opponent. Oranna and Maedhros find themselves charged (-2ac for bb).
Not a single bugbear attack lands!!
Heroes up -- charging bugbears adjacent
Malgrim takes a step back to make room for his polearm and brings the head down towards the injured bugbear.
Roan takes a swing at the bugbear that charged her.
Lanarial engages in an all-out fight with the bugbear, blades whirling and clanging, but none actually hitting their intended target...
Trapped in the doorway and unable to bring his polearm to bear, Maedhros steps to the side of the ugly brute, fending of his attacks with his buckler and slashing with his claw.
Oranna hits hard with a sword while the dwarf misses, leaving their opponents very injured. Lanarial misses with two swipes while Maedhros cuts to lightly wound his opponent. The bugbears retaliate.
Malgrim and Oranna take heavy shots from the bugbears, the evidence of a few broken ribs from direct hits to their torsos. Lanarial and Maedhros continue to dodge their opponents.
Initiative
ROUND 2
Lanarial
Malgrim
Bugbears
Oranna
Maedhros
ROUND 3
Lanarial
Malgrim
Bugbears
After Oranna successful swing, she didn't see the one coming at her. Taking a shot to her stomach she was launched backwards, stumbling. She backs up from the wound, and grabs a vial of the healing potion.
"More than that to take me!" she yells.
Taking a brutal blow from the bugbear, Malgrim roars as he drops his polearm. Drawing his greatsword as he steps to the side, he slashes at the beast.
Lanarial was getting frustrated. She was not pleased with her performance thus far, and so she concentrated on her next attack. Feinting with the short sword, she lands a solid stab with her trident!
The combat becomes desperate as Malgrim and Oranna take brutal shots and enter a massive rage. Both the dwarf and half orc fight desperately against the bugbears.
As Oranna drinks a potion, Malgrim swings at the bugbear, but his studded leather jerkin and tough hide turn his swing aside. Lanarial strike with her trident, missing any vital areas (8 damage) while the short sword misses.
Initiative
ROUND 2
Lanarial
Malgrim
Bugbears
Oranna
Maedhros
ROUND 3
Lanarial
Malgrim
Bugbears
Stepping back Maedhros eschews his buckler to be able to bring his guisarme to bear and then tries to trip the brutish goblinoid, but struggles against such a large creature.
Maedhros fails to trip the bugbear. Stepping closer, the bugbears strike.
The bugbears step to engage at five feet swinging their morningstars. Oranna takes a nasty hit (8hp damage), the other three bugbears miss.
Initiative
ROUND 3
Lanarial
Malgrim
Bugbears
Oranna
Maedhros
ROUND 4
Lanarial
Malgrim
Bugbears
Now the young half-elf was feeling better about herself. The last hit was solid, and this one also landed well. Plus, the bugbear had not been able to touch her yet! So while Theris would tell her to make her blows count better, at least Cyndi would appreciate her dodging ability.
And with one last mighty swing she takes, Oranna goes down, falling flat on the ground of the arena ground of the arena. She coughs a little blood as she holds her stomach in pain.
Malgrim takes a step back and downs his first healing potion.
His irritation building at his missed trip attempt, Maedhros steps back and tries once more.
Maedhros misses tripping the bugbear as he barely keeps his feet. Malgrim drinks a curative. Oranna takes a brutal hit, and retaliates before collapsing. Her hit puts the bugbear down and bleeding at her feet. Lanarial finishes the bugbear with a trident swing, it collapses to the ground.
The last two bugbears close and swing.
Both bugbears hit their opponents (Lanarial takes 4/Malgrim 7).
The warriors, except for Oranna, react. Lanarial, her bugbear defeated, weights her options.
Initiative
ROUND 4
Lanarial
Malgrim
Bugbears
Oranna
Maedhros
ROUND 5
Lanarial
Malgrim
Bugbears
"BAH!" Malgrim roars in frustration and swings madly at the bugbear.
With her bugbear down, and Oranna safe for the moment, Lanarial sheathes her short sword and switches the trident to her left hand. Pulling a javelin from her back, she takes a step and releases it at the ogre!
The bugbears attacked and hit Maedhros and Malgrim hitting them each. Maedhros avoides a shot to the neck, twisting to keep the Morningstar from biting deep.
Stepping back once more, Maedhros grabs and downs another potion.
The blind ogre is hit by the javelin as Malgrim swings mightily missing and Maedhros steps back to drink a potion.
The two bugbears swing, missing their targets, but the ogre moves to the edge of the platform and takes a swing at Lanarial. Although the ogre knew where Lanarial was, his mighty blow passes over her head. He bellows in anger as he tugs at his javelin wound. It is obvious the ogre has been fighting with a hood over his head before, and he appears to be familiar with using his other senses to help out. Currently he is focused on Lanarial.
Heroes up again
Malgrim takes another step back, unfastens the pouch on his sash that holds his last healing potion and drinks it.
Lanarial wasn't expecting the ogre to have such a reach! She draws her second javelin as she takes a 5' step back and hurls it, hoping to inflict as much damage as possible before she got any closer...
Infuriated by his inability to take down the ugly goblinoid, Maedhros drops his guisarme and lashes out with his claws.
"Enough backing up"
A heavy feint with his left, almost opens up a space for his right, but the bugbear manages to block with his arm at the last minute.
"Irori, what are you teaching me here? Must I be on my knees before I can hurt my enemies?"
The two bugbears miss their opponents, and the ogre misses the elusive elf as he jumps down from the platform.
From one of the doorways, the old man seems to be watching. He smiles and looks at the fight.
Heroes to go
Malgrim takes a desperate swing at the bugbear.
The half-elf watched the ogre leap from the center platform at her, and knew it was time to dance. Shifting the trident back to her right hand, she drew the short sword in her left hand and took a 5' step towards the brute, focusing on her attacks. The short sword was an easily dodged feint, but her trident hit true, drawing more blood!
"Theris guide me!" growls Maedhros before slashing again with his claws, but again his blows are pushed wide by the goblinoid.
Only Lanarial seems to making progress, striking the ogre again while missing with her light weapon.
The heroes dodge another series of attacks!!
Heroes up
His right claw swings high and is blocked, but that makes an opening for Maedhros to stab his left hand claws into the bugbear, but he struggles to pierce the beast's armour.
The old man begins talking with the dwarf forgemaster. "I think we can give them ten more seconds or so."
Malgrim gets hit by the clever second arc of the morningstar and is staggered. The dwarf forge master interrupts his conversation with the old man and declares in a booming voice: "This dwarf can take a beating. I like that."
A healing aura surrounds Malgrim as his wounds mend.
Malgrim's amulets are both glowing faintly.
With no remaining healing potions, he knows this is his last shot. He takes a moment and prepares for a mighty swing.
As his vision fades to red and he slumps unconscious, you hear him mumble. "Got ye, ye bugger."
Malgrim drops his opponent (+4 to confirm) and passes out as he slowly heals.
Malgrim drops his opponent (+4 to confirm) and passes out as he slowly heals.
Lanarial is completely absorbed in her battle with the ogre, knowing this creature could flatten her with one wrong step. Once again, she feints with the short sword to score a hit with the trident, which only causes a small scratch. But a hit is a hit in this dance, and so far she was leading!
As Malgrim recovers, the lone bugbear attacks and misses badly.
The last ogre swings blindly at Lanarial, and the strike is true and manages to pierce her magical protection versus evil creatures.
As Malgrim staggers to his feet, the old man waves his hands: "Enough!! I have seen enough. These four will do."
A burst of healing energy fills the room, and it is sufficient to close all wounds and stop all aches as the sound of keys jingling fill the air.
The old man steps forward with the dwarf forgemaster.
"We do not idly sit by while events around the world unfold. We take our influence to the outside world. Select three potions from the alchemist, you will be visiting a nasty group of bandits that prey on the weak and defenseless. We will see how they handle real heroes."
His wounds sealing up Maedhros moves more easily and collects his polearm. His general ineffectiveness in combat has left him with doubt in his mind and he voices this to the old man.
"Why do you believe in me? what have I done for you to believe that I will do? my fellow combatants have all felled their opponents even if it is at heavy cost. Mine still stood and I struggled to break its defences. I seek to learn and to improve myself, but at what point is that not enough? I will try to be better in the next fight and for that I will take one potion to heal me and two to enlarge me."