Theorising that the goblin (goblins) G14 are still climbing the wall? If so, can Tyrus throw Torble at/near them? And then Torble grapple while they are weaponless and cannot AoO? it's actually a pretty crappy attack (1 damage a round) but it seems very cinematic to have a gobbo running around screaming while a blob of sentient acid eats his face.
If possible and this is true, what rolls should Tyrus and Torble make?
As the moment of sickness swept over them, the stone warriors began hammering away at the foes by the front gates. Once their sickness passed, they ought to do much better about mashing the vermin into paste. The Sagari, meanwhile, shot westward and let out another scream. Those that had already suffered from its effects - successfully resisting or not - wouldn't suffer from this beast's cry again... and in the few moments it had before it disappeared, it seemed determined to mess with the new group of foes approaching from the northwest. It also let out another type of cry, in Aklo this time, as it noticed one bugbear that seemed a bit different from the others.
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Meanwhile, Luca herself began focusing on her summoning ability once again, reaching back to the Void to call up another stone servant. She needed more warriors to pound the goblins to the east, and the ones she had to the north would have to be enough to deal with the new enemies her Sagari had reported seeing in the northwest.
The pirates rally to defend the walls, one abandoning the platform now that goblins are swarming over. Dante rushes over and skewers a goblin as it attempts to leap down from the wall.
Luca's summoned creatures do their thing, trying to beat the invaders into pulp. A goblin falls before their falling fists, and one of the bugbears takes a severe beating. Then the sagari issues forth its cry once more...
The entourage of the noteworthy bugbear all fall victim to the effect, though the chieftain itself seemingly does not.
Out of his usual offensive options, but still wishing to deal a blow to the attackers, Tyrus turns to a last resort - his trusty toxic Torble. He hurls the little creature at the goblin's face - but sadly his aim is poor and instead Torble bounces off the logs of the palisade and drops (unharmed) to the dirt.
No additional damage to party.
Grease At Gate: 4/20 Rounds
Logan Embiggenation: 2/20 Rounds
Goblin Morale: +4. Pirate Morale: +0
Pirates
Dante (2 damage)
Luca
NPC Logan (Embiggened)
Tyrus
Goblins (G14, 1 Damage; B3, 15 Damage)
A roaring from the bugbear chieftain is answered by more from within the forest - it is obvious he is rallying more warriors for another wave of the siege!
A fifth Vilstrak rose out of the ground, to the east instead of the north this time, even as Luca continued her channeling to bring forth the minions necessary to help protect the others. The latest soldier began lumbering off to the east, heading to join the defenses there.
Meanwhile, freed of their Shaken effects, the stone warriors began to hammer at the foes near the gates as the Sagari disappeared into thin air. It couldn't remain in this world nearly as long as the others, and with Luca's powers still so undeveloped, she couldn't use those creatures at their full effectiveness anyway. They might be far more dangerous in a larger swarm...
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"I think we can clear out the ones by the front gates soon!" Luca called. The real question was whether or not they could clear the enemy out fast enough to let the defenders catch their breath before more arrived... her beasts would still stick around for a bit, assuming they weren't all destroyed before then, but they weren't permanent defenders the way others were.
Too much power. Need to conserve strength for more waves.
Torble scuttles up the wall towards the Goblin, but to no avail.
Terrified of hitting Torble, Tyrus aims acid at the filthy - and distracted - goblin.
"Logan" shouts the Wizard "they're getting through! Do something!"
Blows land and fall, with Luca's Vilstrak's notably beating up on the bugbears at the gate, who turn to face the new threat...
No additional damage to party.
Grease At Gate: 5/20 Rounds
Logan Embiggenation: 3/20 Rounds
Goblin Morale: +4. Pirate Morale: +0
Pirates
Dante (2 damage)
Luca
NPC Logan (Embiggened)
Tyrus
Goblins (B1, 12 Damage; B3, 15 Damage; G4, 5 Damage)
Norren's voice rises over the din of battle, calling more fighters to the river front - apparently a concerted attack is underway at the water's edge. The camp is surrounded - but this far, at least there have been no attacks on the hill. More arrows rain down from the bowmen there.
The sixth stone warrior rose from the ground and lumbered forward to smash at one of the goblins, even as the others continued their furious assault. Luca finally let go of her powers, gasping for breath - she'd been connected to the Void for more than half a minute more-or-less non-stop, and that was taxing in ways few people could realize. As for her warriors...
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The first of Luca's Vilstraks attempted to navigate through the grease... but had no luck at all doing so, and crashed to the ground instead. The others were having varying degrees of success in their own right.
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Hopefully, they'd be able to break the morale of the enemy soon - she didn't have the ability to summon too many more warriors, and there wasn't much else she could do to contribute to the defense of the camp. They had many traps and plans, but more importantly, they still wanted to slay as many goblins as they could - the more they killed now, the fewer they'd need to face later.
Glad to see the little horror dropped away after being hit, Tyrus hustles comically towards the thickest combat; for that is where the injured will be.
The pirates manage to down another pair of goblins, thinning their ranks further and clearing the right flank of attackers.
Luca finally let's go of her connection to the Void, and the near-permanent rift in reality that had carried so many of her minions through fades away - for now. The already-summoned companions continue to make good use of their time upon the Material Plane. They kill another of the bugbears at the main gate and one of the goblins who made it over the wall. The remaining foes in the center suddenly realize they are outnumbered by the strange creatures before them, and fear breaks through their rage...
... and when the huge, greatsword-wielding human warrior vaults the palisade screaming like a lunatic, they break. The attack on the left side, however, is still going strong.
No pirates fall, but the wall section has taken quite a battering from the bugbears on the other side. However, both the center and the right flanks are free of attackers for now, and Logan has taken it upon himself to bring the fight to the beseigers...
3 Damage to Logan.
Grease At Gate: 6/20 Rounds
Logan Embiggenation: 4/20 Rounds
Goblin Morale: +4. Pirate Morale: +0
Pirates
Dante (2 damage)
Luca
NPC Logan (Embiggened, 3 damage)
Tyrus
Goblins (B1, 12 Damage; B2, 8 Damage)
Finally an arrow from the hill fort finds its mark: spitting a goblin directly through the eye and piercing through the skull to the ground behind, before the goblin corpse had begun to fall.
This sudden death, combined with the poor fate of many of their ilk on the attack, has visibly shaken the goblin force even more.
But the goblinoids are still hungry for blood, and numbers are still heavily on their side; as even now another group comes dashing out of the forest to renew the assault!
They appear at the already beleaguered left side, intent on pushing their advantage and breaking through the wall once and for all...
Finally managing to finish the goblin before him with a chop over the rock summon, Dante moves around the pirates to help engage with what is left on this side of the wall.
A bellowing shout in Aklo came over the front gates, and Luca relayed information on their positions to the rest of the defenders. This was a major assault, but hopefully her summoned minions would be enough for now. If things started to turn for the worse, she could still conjure up a few more, so at least there was that...
Meanwhile, the first two stone creature's she'd summoned lumbered northwest, towards the interesting-looking goblin, though only one of them was able to get into range and lash out at a goblin.
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The other two Vilstrak north of the gates headed in the other direction, marching towards the bigger group of foes and taking up defensive positions after heading thirty feet away from where they'd been.
The fifth Vilstrak sunk into the ground, then moved beneath the walls, heading up to be ready to pop out and brutalize the enemy.
The last of the Vilstrak moved further east to swing at once of the goblins there, but...
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...it still seemed a bit disoriented by its summoning, and its attack wasn't a particularly good one.
Luca herself waited where she was - this place wasn't in immediate danger, and more importantly, she could easily send reinforcements in whichever direction needed it - which, in this case, was probably the east... and she made no move to command the pirates. She was just a child, even if they were probably a bit freaked out by the horde she'd summoned... best leave the commanding to those they'd actually want to listen to.
Tyrus leads the pirate reserve in a spirited charge against the remaining goblins - only to realise that somehow he's at the front! Desperately he waves the others forward.
The new defenders rush to help prevent a breach, but the blood-mad goblins manage to hold their ground for the time being - though for how much longer remained an open question, as Luca's creatures sink into the very dirt to flank them. A pair of her minions seem to intuit Logan's purpose, and move to help his charge at the bugbear commander.
For his part, Logan drives directly for the large bugbear who seems to be in charge, swinging his greatsword in a murderous arc, intent on catching both the commander and one of its cronies...
Unable to move quickly enough and without armor even remotely capable of standing up to the huge warrior's assault, Logan's blade removes the commander's head from its shoulder in one clean blow, and continues around to cut the second bugbear nearly in half. Logan's shout of triumph echoes through the forest, ringing momentarily over the cries of the multitude of foes.
Despite Logan's successful charge, the concerted attack manages successes of its own, downing several pirates and putting six little arrows into the warrior himself, which only brings more fearsome cries of wrath from the now battle-drunk Logan. Perhaps with fear lending them speed, a veritable wave of Goblins manages to scrape and scrabble up the walls and poise to leap over the edge.
By the suddenly-abandoned gate, the lone goblin attacker lands a lucky fatal blow on his pirate foe - and then looks with sadistic eyes upon the only figure in its sight - a young girl, standing alone.
10 Damage to Logan.
7 Damage to Vilstrak 4
Grease At Gate: 7/20 Rounds
Logan Embiggenation: 5/20 Rounds
Goblin Morale: +2.
Pirates
Dante (2 damage)
Luca
NPC Logan (Embiggened, 13 damage)
Tyrus
Goblins (B1, 12 Damage; B2, 8 Damage)
With the commanders dead or scattered for the time being, the ranged support switches to the masses of attackers near the walls.
There is more roaring from the forest, some it ringing with a savage note of authority. Logan's victory has shaken the foe, but that bugbear was not the only one to command the horde...
The first two summons moved eastward, heading along at a rapid pace to close in on the enemy and box them in. Luca moved at the same time, running eastward to hide behind Tyrus and the pirates.
The third Vilstrak, meanwhile, abruptly found itself alone as its companion shattered into hunks of rock under the force of the blows. That didn't stop it from raising both arms to slam at the closest Bugbear...
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Luca's fifth summon stepped out of the ground below and also swung its arms at a Bugbear, clearly determined to batter it down and stop it from threatening the <Hafh'drn>... perhaps even catching it by surprise by attacking from somewhere it hadn't expected a foe to be?
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The sixth Vilstrak also swung in a furious barrage, trying to wear the goblins down and make them realize how badly they'd erred in their attack.
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Seeing the mass of enemies, Luca was starting to get the feeling that summoning up more allies would be wise - though she wouldn't have much power at all for later if she did so.
Round 9
As the pirate to Dante's left sways left to dodge the goblins dogslicer, Dante's blade takes the opportunity to pass through the vacated space over the pirate's head and flies towards the goblin. Since it was in the middle of an attack it has no time to get out of the way as blade cleaves its head off and mortally wounds the one next to it.
Avenging, somewhat, their fallen comrades, the pirates give back some pain of their own, with a skillfully thrown knife knocking a goblin off the wall just as it tries to jump down. Dante joins in with good style, the elegant sweep of his blade moving seemingly beyond natural reach and cutting down another pair.
Luca's monsters have opened up a battle beyond the wall itself as well, keeping bugbear and goblin alike busy thinking about more than just ruining the wall. Logan's thundering footsteps follow the Vilstrak's in a charge for the flank of the enemy.
Unable to see the changing tide in time, the next wave of goblins leaps down into the melee only to land next to the bodies of their slain fellows. Still they strike out, no doubt hoping to buy some few more moments of life if they can rob it from another...
Their flagging spirits manifest in pitiful swings and an inability to gain the top of the wall - save for their archers in the trees, who feather Logan with another round of arrows. The warrior's rage flags as now a veritable forest of shafts have sprouted from his flesh. He shudders and his charge flags... and then a mighty thump is heard as he falls to the ground.
11 Damage to Logan - Logan is now down at -3 HP!
5 Damage to Vilstrak 3.
2 Damage to Vilstrak 5.
Grease At Gate: 8/20 Rounds
Logan Embiggenation: 6/20 Rounds
Goblin Morale: +2.
Pirates
Dante (2 damage)
Luca
NPC Logan (Embiggened, 23 damage, Unconscius)
Tyrus
Goblins (B7, 12 Damage; B5, 12 Damage)
How quickly the tides of battle shift: arrows from above claim another goblin, and the swirling melee inside the wall is all but decided, with only a small group of goblins still giving battle for their very lives.
The mighty warrior Logan, however, has fallen and lies bloody in the dirt - and though the enemy outside the wall still have Luca's powerful creatures to contend with, the din from the forest proves that the goblinoids have not spent all their strength yet.
One by one, the monstrous attackers fell, their bodies piling up on the ground as Luca's minions simply howled in rage and continued their vicious assault.
The first Vilstak, however, seemed like it had yet to recover from its dart across the battlefield, and its swings utterly failed to connect with its target.
The second Vilstrak, on the other hand, stepped five feet towards the giant, fallen man... and bent down over him, showing a surprising degree of skill in the healing arts as it stopped his bleeding. He was still in danger, but less immediately so, at least for now... they just had to see what they could do about the rest of the enemy, too.
The third stone warrior swung out at the foe it had already injured, clearly intent on finishing the job and moving on despite the injuries it had suffered.
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The fifth warrior looked a bit lonely in its current position, but that wasn't stopping it from continuing its own assault, swinging out at the foes surrounding it. Had it really only been half a minute since it had arrived...?
More to the point, would it actually manage to hit anything else before it was banished? Perhaps not... And its fellow on the inside of the walls resolutely smashed out at the goblins there, determined to protect the Void Caller.
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Luca herself remained behind the pirates, trying to huddle down and make herself as small a target as possible as the carnage built up nearby. She was... she was probably going to be sick in a moment, here.
Tyrus points to two pirates and a lone attacker
"You two: get that goblin!"
Then points to the first pirate and stabs a finger at the goblin near the gate .
"Stop him getting through"
Orders given Tyrus moves quickly to one of the downed pirates and started dragging him out from the melee.
The spate of hectic bloodshed having apparenty tired them, none of the remaining humans are able to land a blow. Luca's creatures, on the other hand, seemingly do not tire: several goblinoids fall to their relentless assaults. Oddly enough, the stone monsters seem able to help as well as harm - one manages to halt the bleeding in Logan's enlarged form for a time.
Tyrus, true to his professional calling, drags one of the fallen pirates free of the melee. The man is badly injured with a major gash in the flesh of his thigh, and the blood loss has rendered him unconscious.
Another roar from the forest, and suddenly the goblins start to break away and make for the treeline again, even as one is cut down by a Vilstrak as it attempts to run by. Several of the bugbears retreat as well, though some are too blood-mad to heed whatever orders they are receiving in their foul tongue.
The goblins inside the walls, of course, have no escape - they continue to fight with the desperate ferocity of the already-doomed.
5 damage to Vilstrak 2.
7 Damage to Vilstrak 5.
Grease At Gate: 9/20 Rounds
Logan Embiggenation: 7/20 Rounds
Goblin Morale: +2.
Pirates
Dante (2 damage)
Luca
NPC Logan (Embiggened, 23 damage, Unconscious, Stable)
Tyrus
Goblins (B7, 12 Damage; B5, 12 Damage, B6, 6 damage)
"They're regrouping," shouts the lone pirate still manning a platform. "It's not over yet, lads!"
Once the last goblin is slain, assuming at least one of the pirates can handle it, he shouts some orders, "This is the weakest part of the wall and likely where they will attack. Get the archers back into the watchtowers. Form a semi-circle here. No one gets through."
The stone soldiers roared as one of their own fell, and the two furthest away from the walls moved back towards them before swinging out at one of the remaining bugbears. The injured one didn't seem to care about the harm it had suffered, only destroying its enemies, and they attacked with a single-mindedness few mortals could match.
Yet single-mindedness was not a good substitute for skill, and neither of the beasts managed to land a blow. Fortunately for them, they had another friend there...
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The last of the warriors didn't stay behind the gates, apparently quite willing to leave those goblins to the pirates as it sunk into the ground and headed north, ready to step out of the ground and swing at the remaining foes once they arrived.
Luca herself managed to stagger closer to Tyrus, retching as she did so, even as the creatures out front called out the enemy's formation. Darkness was not a problem for the rocky men.
The pirates immediately move to follow Dante's confident commands - some head for the platforms, snatching up discarded bows or javelins, while the rest gather by the damaged section of the wall.
Luca sends mental commands to her minions, hoping to gather information. The limited intellect of the Vilstraks doesn't allow for a count, but the calls that come back over the wall are clear enough.
Enemy gather! Many!
"There are many more goblins coming from the north!" Luca warned as she focused her powers and the Void took hold of her once more.
"Luca: are you alright?" Gods, she's just a child. We shouldn't be using her like this.
Blood spattered and red handed, Tyrus does his best to save the dying pirate.
A flash of white as he works: not grinning, but baring his teeth at Death. Tyrus has lived a loser's life, but he has acquired a newfound hatred of the opponent who is besting him now.
Dante and the pirates nearly finish off the goblins behind the walls, while Luca's vilstrak's continue to work down the bugbears in front of them. With gore dripping down his arms, Tyrus manages to save yet another life inches away from death.
One of the bugbears lands a crushing blow and one of the three Vilstraks crumbles to dust. The other bugbear continues frantically at its original mission, bashing away at the timbers of the wall.
5 damage to Vilstrak 6.
Grease At Gate: 10/20 Rounds
Logan Embiggenation: 8/20 Rounds
Goblin Morale: +2
Pirates
Dante (2 damage)
Luca
NPC Logan (Embiggened, 23 damage, Unconscious, Stable)
Tyrus
Goblins (B7, 12 Damage; B5, 12 Damage, B6, 11 damage)
The thunder of footsteps rings under the darkened canopy. They are coming.
The first Vilstrak - somehow outlasting many of its brethren - stepped closer to the wall to help flank the bugbear there before swinging out with a pair of punishing blows, even as a stone warrior crumbled beside it. The third Vilstrak stayed where it was, but joined the efforts to try and -thoroughly- ensure the demise of their target.
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That left the sixth Vilstrak as the only remaining one that had been summoned, and it stepped out of the ground right next to the fifth Bugbear, swinging out to punish its foe.
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Yet another stone soldier rose from the ground in front of Luca, then promptly sunk back into it and burrowed beneath the gates, hiding in the ground to wait for the best moment to strike.
"No." the girl croaked out in response to Tyrus' query, her voice hoarse and her eyes unfocused after all the power she'd just channeled. With four warriors outside the gates, though, the Void seemed content for the moment, and didn't immediately force another of its servants through - it would give at least a few more moments to see how things played out, but there was no telling when it would seize control of her again.
"If you have a torch toss it over. Give the archers something to shoot," he adds grabbing his own.
"No."
Tertius worries about burning out this poor girl. He raises a hand to her to comfort her, and sees the blood on it.
The sound of the Bugbears fighting her friends registers, and he realises that's what is turning the tide.Tyrus thinks: We can't afford not to user her up. Her 'gifts' far outpace my own in turning this battle.
The Bloody Hand drops and he offers what comfort he can
"Shouldn't be long now" one way or the other
"Can you help me with the wounded?" he asks, moving to the next downed pirate.
The pirates finally manage to kill the lone living goblin behind the wall, who had lived longer than it had any right to. The others set about preparing for the next charge according to Dante's instructions. One lights a spare torch and throws it beyond the wall to illuminate a patch of ground. Another drags his now-stabilized fellow a ways beyond the wall, hopeful that it will keep the man out of danger so long as they are able to prevent a breakthrough.
Despite Luca's flirtation with the edges of her power, her creatures put down the rest of the bugbears. The battlefield is clear of enemies for a fleeting moment...
Elsewhere in the camp the din of battle still sounds, but a sudden triumphant roar rises from human throats, somewhere by the river. It seems that the defenders have managed to hold onto the other fronts as well - for the time being.
Grease At Gate: 11/20 Rounds
Logan Embiggenation: 9/20 Rounds
Goblin Morale: +2
Pirates
Dante (2 damage)
Luca
NPC Logan (Embiggened, 23 damage, Unconscious, Stable)
Tyrus
Goblins
The horde finally enters the light, dashing out from the forests' edge. They seem to have been whipped up into a frenzy, and are making a final all-out charge to break through the wall and destroy the camp. At least some among them seem to have a tactical mind - they are splitting their attentions between the two sides, and ignoring the be-greased gate entirely.
The warning from the enemies was clear, and the Void took hold of Luca again, drawing forth more and more from the girl in order to use as it saw fit, and a trickle of blood ran out from below her left eye as the channeling resumed. "Many... foes..." she croaked out.
Luca's currently-summoned minions, on the other hand, sunk into the ground instead of meeting that charge directly - it seemed like they were trying to pin the foe between their bodies and the gates, even as... other things... took place. Luca was rapidly approaching the end of her ability to call forth minions, but there was no question at all for their priorities. If this place needed to be abandoned, so be it - they would grab her (and perhaps her closest allies) and flee...
Far removed from the battle, however, the Void seethed. Luca was not yet strong enough to call forth the minions that could truly wreak havoc on such mortal beings... and its intense dislike only put further pressure on her already-strained mind as the rifts between worlds were opened once more.