As you approach the body and the buildings, you notice that small footprints dot the landscape. They lead from the body north towards the barn structure and stop abruptly outside out of southern wall. Suddenly, shouting breaks the calmness in the immediate area.
"WATCH OUT! THEY'LL KILL YOU!!" shouts a female voice from within the house to the west.
You definitely feel like you are being watched from the north.
"That is not entirely correct. I have no intention of killing anybody unless forced to do so.", Warden responds loudly, completely misinterpreting what had been said, and holding position.
Droviz looks around, sword and shield at the ready.
Ragnar knew better than to stay int he open against a foe they could not see. With a wave of his hand a dense fog rose up from the ground
Drawing his favourite weapon, the impressive hand-and-a-half sword, Havelock does his best to overcome his impulses and get ready for combat.
He quickly shuffles over to Droviz and stands back to back.
Stepping into view out of thin air is a small humanoid.
"Well well well, what do we have here? Giant, ugly fools and their pets I see. Well, we'll just have to kill the lot of you. I think we'll save you" he says, pointing at Krystae "for last. Yes. We'll kill the others and you get to watch. Then, just before you breath your last, you'll watch me kill the b&*@@ in the house."
The small fey is a quickling, one of the fastest creatures in existence. They are resistant to all weapons except those of cold iron.
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Krystae does not recognize the little humanoid, but recognizes its contempt for her and assumes its working with the witches of Irrisen. Her heart fills with fury as her eyes begin to blaze with a bright green fire. She draws an arrow, takes aim, and lets it fly towards the creature. "Feel free to try, little man!"
Droviz frowns at the eerie creature - which suddenly appears to be wreathed in violet flame!
"Bring it, you ugly little toadstool," the Drow says, mockingly.
Threats. They made decisions so easy. "Kill that creature," he said quietly.
With a powerful leap, Ragnar crossed the water and landed on the opposite bank with a plume of snow.
The undead followed Ragnar. They moved right into the water caring nothing for the cold. They crawled out the other side and waited.
Havelock holds his position, guarding Droviz's back, not ready to commit to any action at the moment.
Krystae's arrow pierces the shoulder of the small humanoid, missing it's throat by less than an inch. The wound is not deep but draws blood nonetheless. "WHORE!" it screams in outrage.
"You'll pay for that" it says coldly. Before it even moves, Krystae's arrow falls quietly into the snow; the wound almost fully healed. It pays no heed to the giant and charges the four-legged plant. Ragnar's spear strikes down at the small fey as it dashes across through the fog, only Droviz's magical faerie fire indicating where it's going. The quickling narrowly avoids the spirit walker's spear and strikes out with it's own claw, tearing away at the mold and sticks covering Fang like fur.
Springing out of the bushes next to the fallen priest, a tiny wooden humanoid lunges at the huecuva with a small spear. It stabs it's pointy spear right through a hole in the huecuva's gut, unaware that the hole was already there.
Droviz charges into the fray. Passing mere inches by Fang, cold iron longsword already on the backswing, the Drow warrior does not bother wasting any breath on pretty words; he just sights on the glow of his faerie fire and chops at the offensive little creature!
Ragnar did not like the skinny creature's words to Krystae.
The fallen priest was smart enough to redirect it's attention to the new threat. It would continue carrying out it's orders once it wasn't being attacked anymore.
The fallen ranger took a shot at the Quickling.
Warden steps away from the Quickling, focusing on the other one:"This one shall not be able to hide, either.", then casting a greenish glow over the second one.
Fang snaps at the agile little enemy in front of him, but the previous hit he took made him a bit too defensive, not willing to take the necessary risks...
Havelock, ever cautious, remains behind, scanning the surroundings for any further foes that might try to circle around the party, or otherwise ambush them while their attentions is focused on the foul-mouthed little bastard.
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Outwardly Krystae did not appear to be moved by the vile words of the strange creature, but as it moved rapidly across the battlefield she began to worry it might be able to make good on it's threat. Especially after she watched her arrow make very little lasting injury. She moves back a few paces to get a better line of sight on her target, takes aim and lets another arrow fly!
Droviz's longsword opens a slash along the quickling's back almost cutting the little fae in half. Ragnar's spear slams down into the quickling, piercing it through the chest and pinning it in place. The quickling doesn't even twitch anymore, at least not until Krystae's arrow piercing it's skull and Fang sets upon it, ripping the remains to shreds.
Havelock, his senses on edge, hears the creaking of wood from the north, as if someone was walking across an old wooden floor.
The wooden, doll like creature backs away from the undead priest and vanishes into the bushes.
"Keep your guard up!" Droviz cautions. "There'll be more of them. Littlefolk always use numbers to wear down big enemies!"
Warden started a summoning spell, with Fang ready to intercept any threat coming from the direction the Twigjack had vanished to.
"Find it." Ragnar rumbled.
His two minions fanned out, sweeping for signs of the vanished foe.
"I heard something moving to the north, across a creaking floor."
Havelock remains in position, scanning the area, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise.
As the barn door opens, a glow that could only be described as the faerie fired twig-jack becomes visible again.
Another voice screams out. "YOU! YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED FAERNIP! I'LL KILL YOU ALL! I'LL RIP THE FLESH FROM YOUR BONES!"
In the blink of an eye that only the undead and their keeper can see, a quickling darts between the two buildings and rakes a clawed hand across the legs of the skeletal ranger. Blood would have fallen to the snow if it had had any. The twigjack discards it's little spear and claws at the undead ranger too, ripping it's other leg apart. The skeletal ranger topples to the ground, now only a pile of bones.
"Howdie-do!" Droviz calls out to the new arrival. "Let's have a better sight of you, turnip!"
Violet flames flare to life on the quickling's diminutive body.
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Now unable to view any enemies, Krystae looks behind and around her to gauge the distances she is working with before taking a few steps backward. She uses the wall to push herself into a running and then leaps across the water, just barely landing on the other side. She uses her forward momentum to rush up near Droviz.
Annoying little pests, and such foul mouths...
Quickly drawing forth one of his smaller phials, he holds it out to Droviz.
"Here, have a draught to lend you power."
"Much obliged!" Droviz says, accepting the phial.
The summoning spell coming to an end, seemingly nothing happens. But as Warden throws the short spear it wields at the quickling, the very ground in front of the target rises up to assail the creature as well, it's muddy form clearly trying to entrap the agitated Fey.
Fang moved to attack the chosen enemy, as well. Biting at the Quickling, Fang actually managed to take advantage of the surprise caused by the summoned attacker.
Warden's shortspear sails over the little quickling's head before the ground in front of it erupts. Even the ground tries to smash the quickling but it proves too quick, dodging out of the way at the last second. Fang proves to be more successful as it's thorn-like teeth sink into the quickling's arm, nearly ripping it off.
The skeletal ranger burst into a rain of bones and fragments, leaving a translucent shape behind for a moment, which quickly faded from view.
The fallen priest descended on the twig creature with claws a moment later.
Ragnar lunged forward, thrusting his spear over the head of the earth elemental and toward the twigjack.
While not nearly as fast as the quickling, the twigjack is quicker than expected and is able to dodge behind the building just enough to avoid the priest's claws and the spirit walker's spear. The barn is not so lucky as the forceful blows send splinters flying.
The quickling focuses it's attention on the canine-like mound and attempts to tear into it with both claws but is distracted by the battle raging around it. The twigjack tries to rip into the undead priest with it's own claws but again, it's the barn that suffers the worst of it.
"Well, time for the metal to meat the uh, wood," Droviz says as he starts plodding forward, sword on the backswing as he goes.
Be the time he stops next to Ragnar, his cold iron blade … is coming down.
Ragnar brought his ancient spear down again.
Even with his skill growing, Havelock still does not feel completely confident in toe to toe combat without some kind of edge.
Which is why he begins to loop around the building, intending to come upon the enemy from behind.
Without the reach of Ragnar's longspear, Droviz's longspear doesn't even come close to connecting with anything besides the barn. As Havelock stalks through the snow and around the bar, he catches a glimpse of movement from inside the barn. The twigjack continues to be a difficult target as Ragnar's longspear misses again.
Warden watches, moving closer to Krystae - with obstacles in the way, it's chance to hit was almost zero...better to save the spears-
But the Mud Elemental, ALMOST having managed to strike the enemy in front of it before, attacks with a mixture of joy and optimism.
Fang snaps at the creature again.
The little ball of mud seems to leave half of itself covering the irate quickling which only serves to enrage it more. Fang continues it's fervored assault and again sinks teeth into the quickling.
The quickling attempts to return the favor and strikes at Fang again and again, but the mud makes it's movements just slow enough that Fang is able to avoid the blows.
The twigjack, using the barn for cover, unleashes a spray of splintered wood fragments that streaks towards those gathered near it.
"Agh! You splintery little-" Droviz curses.
Giving the twigjack up for a bad job, the masked warrior instead jogs over to join the fight with the quickling.
"Looks like someone got a little muddy! Serves you right for having such a dirty mouth," the Drow taunts the faerie creature as his cold iron longsword swings around.
Ragnar was peppered with spines. He bellowed like a wounded bear and decided he'd had enough.
He snagged the twig thing with his spear and lifted it, then slammed it back down to the ground.
The dead flesh of the huecuva proves too slow to avoid the barrage of splinters. Krystae sends two of her own splinters into the quickling, leaving in dead on it's feet. It takes one last swipe at Fang but the strike is slow with nothing behind it. Ragnar's spear almost cleaves the twigjack in two and the subsequent bashing leaves it broken like a fractured stick.
Within seconds the door to the house opens up and a woman comes rushing out. "GAREN! GAREN, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? MOMMA'S COMING!" the woman shouts. She makes a bee line straight for the barn, still clutching a frying pan in one hand.
The woman throws open the barn doors and scans the stalls. She hurries over to a corner where a human-sized faun is tied up. She glances around looking for something to sever the ropes with.
'Momma?' Droviz thinks. "Lemme help out with that, missus," he offers out loud, using his butterfly sword to cut the Faun's ropes.
Ragnar swayed on his feet, and then fell forward face first into the snow like a felled tree.