Human Fighter (Soldier)/2; HP: 16/21; AC: 16 (17 Dual Wielding);Init:+2; Passive Perception 12; SW 1/1; AS 0/1
Conner too, takes a load off.
Definitely ordered sentries will be present. We are chasing a military leader. I suggest you arcane types prepare whatever magic is necessary to cause them problems in an area of effect while we martial types run in after.
"Speaking of watches," Larissa replies, "I'll take second. First I need to rest and replenish my magic, which I can achieve in only a few hours."
I'll do my four-hour trance, then keep watch. Unless something changes, I'll then cast mage armor an hour before we're scheduled to leave and then take a short rest.
Larissa has the highest stealth, Leosin's help means Conner's disadvantage is negated.
Larissa and Jassim readied their supplies in preparation of the assault on Langderosa's camp giving the opportunity to move out quickly and efficiently. Getting close to the campsite, Jassim takes the horses while the rest of you sneak along the grassy hills. There's not a lot to hide with, but you manage to find a blind spot in the watch to move single file into the circle of people.
They show no sign of realizing you have approached, but everyone is awake and preparing their gear to move out. If you attack now you will have surprise on your side.
What do you do?
Larissa:
You take time to identify the items you took from the keep with Jassim's help.
You have:
5 potions of healing
keoghtom's ointment with 4 uses
1 1st level scroll of identify
a driftglobe
Let me know if you don't have access to the DMG and I'll tell you what they do.
Amber looks to the other two, and motions to the camp.
She makes a pounding motion with her fists, without actually hitting them together, followed by a thumbs up, thumbs down, and asking expression on her face.
I just need to know who you attack first. No one is sleeping, but no one has detected you either.
There are 2 cultists on watch in dark leather armor with distinct purple cloaks, 3 more are preparing the camp for travel, 2 are discussing something heatedly with a 7ft tall blue scaled humanoid with gilded purple robes similar to Mondath. He has a huge curved sword stuck in the ground dramatically that you can see, and appears to be a larger than average dragonborn - except that his draconic features are more extreme and he has a long tail that is twitching side to side.
The three talking are in the center of the camp, and the others on the periphery. The entire camp is a circle about 30ft across.
Going for a clean surprise, Larissa casts a spell in hopes of dropping the other guard.
Sleep:5d8 ⇒ (5, 5, 5, 7, 4) = 26 So if the uninjured guard has 26 HP or less, he's asleep.
Conner's sword lands a heavy blow, cutting the cultist's thigh. As he cries out Conner's flail knocks his head clean off and launches it a dozen feet before it rolls out of sight.
The shock of the sight distracts Amber who attempts to take down one of the cultists preparing to leave, and her axe strikes the ground completely missing.
Larissa rises and casts the sleep spell knocking the other cultist unconscious.
Leosin and his men rush into the camp striking the remaining cultists in the outer circle of the camp.
He strikes the leg of the cultist causing a good deal of harm, but it doesn't fall over so he strikes their jaw with his palm knocking them unconscious.
Galinndan sticks with him, throwing a dart at the final cultist on the outskirts of the camp.
You rage as a bonus action, so you can do it after the attack too.
Larissa finishes off the cultist injured by Nesim, and Conner reaches the cultists in the center of camp near Langderosa. Conner's attack was anticipated by the reflexes of these cultists that seem more experienced, but his flail's more erratic movement still lands catching the hip of one of these cultists.
Amber leaps into the fray as well, but can't land a blow.
Nesim kills the sleeping cultist, and Leosin orders Galinndan to stay behind him, away from the obviously more veteran set of cultists and their leader. He charges forth to attack the other cultist with a dizzying array of strikes.
The final kick trips the cultist who falls prone to the soft ground.
In response, Langderosa acts first pulling his sword from the ground and speaking, I should expect no less than the dirtiest tactics from mere humans, we had an arrangement! We held up our half of the deal and yet you hunt us down anyways. If you wish to die than so be it.
The two cultists sprout leathering wings from their backs and leap into the air away from the melee, and Langderosa breaths deep before releasing a stream of lightning.
Leosin stretches out in from of the blast to protect his apprentice, but it's to no avail as the lightning moves through Leosin burning his flesh before striking Galinndan and stopping his heart. He falls to the ground lifeless.
But Langderosa is not done, he lurches forward with his sword.
Larissa moves first, but her strike scrapes impossible hard scales, but Leosin sees an opportunity for a brutal strike as he attempted to tear Langderosa's sword from his hands.
Conner lands two blows but overextends himself and Langderosa recovers his stance parrying the third strike and stopping Amber's powerful blow just in time.
Conner is saved by his gear, but feels the hairs on his arm stand up and there is a blue glow behind Langderosa's eyes. He speaks, An ambush and ganging up on a single soldier? I would expect nothing less from savages attempting to stop mother from returning from the hell she has been sealed in. It's hardly sporting.
He pauses and looks around, I don't wish for unnecessary deaths. Let us fight with honor! I can kill you all where you stand, or we can agree to some simple terms. Let us duel one on one, stopping before the deathblow. If I defeat you all, you will wake up in a few hours with us completely gone. If you defeat me, my men escape but you do what you wish with me - I will even agree to confess everything I know to your acknowledged authority.
If you refuse, I will kill you - hopefully slowly and at my leisure... if I can even hold back.
The one remaining flying cultist is engaged with Nesim, and Langederosa is engaged with Larissa, Amber, and Conner. They are about 30 feet apart.
Langderosa is barely standing after taking a vicious beating, oddly colored blood is striking a bold contrast to his blue scales. He roars, As long as I breath, I will never surrender!. His sword swings wildly.
Langderosa parts Larissa's head from her body in a bloody display, but it also gave Amber time to strike his blade with her axe stopping the arcing strikes dead for a moment.
Only players get death saving throws. NPCs live or die as I see fit, unless you (as the players) declare you want to knock them out instead of killing them.
Conner isn't able to land a solid enough blow to drop Langderosa, but the strike with his flail drops Langderosa's guard allowing Amber to sink her axe into his stomach nearly cutting him in two - but instead causing his insides to become outsides in a messy blow.
From behind you, Nesim shouts out as he fires a bolt, Bastard! Bring him back!
You look up to see the last remaining cultist flying away with his leathery wings holding Leosin - who you now know is deeply involved with the Harper's spy network.
Combat is over, you have reached level 4 once you take a short or long rest.
The cultist shifts to let the axe hit Leosin and cackles as he flies out of range of further throws.
Jassan runs up from over the hill towards the camp as Nesim waves at him. Waiting until he's close Nesim says, Follow that man at a distance with your familiar, we need to know where he goes. It's probably to their camp.
Jassan nods and lets his hawkish familiar go into the air.
Nesim digs through the cultist's supplies and finds a bolt of stolen linens, Let us deal with the dead. I won't be able much use in my current state, and I see you are also injured Amber.
The only thing of true value on Lagderosa's person is a gold holy symbol of tiamat that must be worth a couple hundred gold pieces. He has his curved greatsword, splint mail, and several spears as his gear aside from the purple robes we wears. In the packs nearby Conner finds 6 platinum pieces and 8 electrum pieces, all marked with foreign coinage and not likely from Greenest. It looks like they were extremely low on supplies and didn't have rations for more than one more day.
The camp has about 100 feet of rope, and several bedrolls - but these supplies are not meant for more than a night or two. The lowest ranking cultists had 108 copper pieces in their packs with mixed coinage.
Near the goods Nesim found there are a few bolts of linen bleached white, some silver holy symbols of Nephthys and Vergadain that must have been from the Greenest market (worth a hundred gold or more). There are several empty vials in the camp.
The period of searching through the camp and recovering from the bloody fight takes some time, but with the dead put to rest a sense of ease falls over. The bloodstains have less impact on the mind without the viscera.
Do whatever recovery you want, did you have an idea of what you wanted to do next?
Human Fighter (Soldier)/2; HP: 16/21; AC: 16 (17 Dual Wielding);Init:+2; Passive Perception 12; SW 1/1; AS 0/1
I agree, and I think we need to track the remaining one to a larger force, if it exists. Ya know, take the fight to them. I think Jassan's hawk is following, right?
Jassan says, I can't communicate with my hawk at this distance, but I did instruct it to follow him. Unfortunately, unless it comes back we can't follow it so directly as we did before.
Nesim says, This one fight cut our forces in half, maybe it's best to return to town and wait for the hawk - unless you know where their camp may be.
On horseback, it only takes a few hours to return to Greenest. Nesim says, I don't know what your plans are, but I need to take care of some business with Jassan.
Jassan quickly adds, Yeah, but if you want to find us we will be at the Inn by the evening's meal.
Is there anything you wanted to do once you got there?
Amber pats her horse goodbye and turns to address Conner. The ride back has given her time to calm down considerably, but this pyrrhic victory isn't sitting well with her.
"Larissa dead, Aemon gone. Seems like its just down to you and me, eh?"
