Once the dragon gets to the horses Katrina starts to take her time to remove the arrows from the beast's side. Once Kevros asks for more healing she looks to him blood upon her chest, much of it her own but also that of others. "Here Kevros," she says with pain in her voice as she summons up some more healing, . "Do we, what..." she begins to say before she falls after healing Kevros.
Quince leads Scram away. He goes to speak but the tangle of celestial on his tongue gives him pause enough to hold his tongue.
Quince joins Kevros and Katrina, he sees Katrina and begins to pray.
He looks about for Angeus. "Are you hurt?"
So whats going to happen here Stag Lord. Shall I train your men how to properly fight or am I just to be killed. I only as so that I may prepare myself.
With Quince's healing Katrina only has a moment of dizziness being caught by Kevros or falling to the ground.
The Stag Lord looks at Tristan, and disregards his question, instead asking one of his own, "For now you will be our prisoner. Are you part of the group that dispersed the Thorn river camp? Where is Kessel?"
@Akiros, So your here out of choice then? That is even worse. You may have had no hand in the crime but you were the symbol and work for the man that does. My familly was slaughtered by men with the stag symbol. It doesn't matter what life has done to you. Those that choose baditry are weak and choose to prey on those weaker because its the easy choice. You should be ashamed. I can't believe you speak of honor. There is always a choice and you and these men have made the wrong one.
@ Stag Lord Like the rest of your men, she too thought she was a gifted warrior. She fell to my blade like others. She knew nothing of honor either forcing her men to fight to the death out of fear she would kill them.
The Stag Lord seems to pause a moment, then in more of an angry tone he responds, "That is too bad for her and for you. Knock him out boys." His anger obviously takes over his actions over anything else.
The Stag Lord steps in and strikes Tristan as well slamming his sword on his shoulder leaving a nasty wound, .
Akiros stands to the side obviously thinking hard on Tristan's words.
All the monks including Nightwing are with the group now. Nightwing looks to the others. "Do we run for the ruins and hope it is or is not the bandit's base of operations? If it is we can have the advantage of having walls, if it isn't we could have the same. It will be far less defended at the moment and we could have a surprise for them once they return. We should not return to their party now even though Tristan is likely a prisoner now."
The other +2 is only against humans, which I think all these guys are but I don't know :)
"I suppose so, I had hoped for a more entertaining fight. Drag him back. FALL BACK!" The Stag Lord says and then yells to his other men.
"Abil, Thoiak, and Burn, go collect what you can with the archers. Thistle and Boar take our new prisoner back to the camp. Don't inflict any more pain on him yet, we want him to feel it when he wakes up in the fort. Its too bad to hear they ended Kressel." The Stag Lord continues issuing orders.
Well plan good or bad, looks like I will get to see their fort. I hope the others can come up with a plan of attack. That Akiros may prove useful, he didn't attack me back even after I was helpless. I need to find out his deal.
He continues pondering things to himself as the two drag him off.
"Can someone help me with this trap on Scram's leg I don't think I can get it by myself. "
The trap has already been pulled off by Nightwing in a previous post.
Nightwing looks to those around him for input or other ideas.
Now that everyone is around she channels to heal the group with the wave of green energy spreading over them all.
in a concerned voice she asks, "Kevros how are you doing?"
Kevros smiles, "Thank yo..." Kevros rushes to catch Katrina and either lets her catch her feet or slowly brings her to the ground.
Kevros looks at Nightwing while tending to Katrina to see if she can stand on her two feet again, "That is a good idea Nightwing, we should have stealthy scouts check it out first. In addition, we need scouts to find Tristan. We need to retrieve Tristan as soon as possible!"
Kevros gives Katrina a warm smile and makes sure she can stand, "Thank you again Katrina but please save your strength."
"Thank you Kevros and Quince, I didn't know I was that hurt." She says as Kevros helps her fully to her feet after Quince heals her.
"It looks like the ruins are our next stop. I believe I can handle healing a couple times more depending on need."
The group is now around their horses, not all of the equipment from camp was able to get to the horses before you were attacked. The monks were able to get to more packs of gear but still not all of it.
The bandits seem to not be in pursuit of your group. They are now about 400 feet away from you.
Quinces glances back toward the bandits but catches view of Angeus he looks toward her to verify she is okay.
Angeus seems to have calmed down not that she sees the Quince made it out of the ambush. Seeing him looking her way, she gives him a wan smile then looks back at the bandits.
Perception
"I don't see Tristan, but they must have him." she says with a great sigh of frustration "We need to re-group. Let's get to this monastery and then get on with getting Tristan back."
Kevros looks back in the direction of the bandits, and does not notice anything nor anything before them.
Kevros looks at Angeus, "Angeus are you healthy enough to scout the ruins before going there?"
"I won't be able to check you fast enough, please tell me if you are still hurt." She says a bit frustrated and channels again.
"Thank you Katrina. We should get moving. We may still be watched or worse stalked."
Quince 19/19
Scram 18/24
Angeus 19/22
Katrina 12/18
Saren ?
Tristan 19/26
Dragon ?
Monks - healed
Now on your own horses and heading North, who takes the forward position of scouting, as the rest of the group takes a farther trip away from the hill?
Angeus turns to Kevros, "Yeah, thanks to Katrina." she favours the cat-lady with a smile [b]"Lets get going...."[b/]
She mounts up and leads the group onward, staying a bit ahead....
Perception
Survival
Kevros nods and smiles to Katrina, "Thank you again for the heal but really, you need to rest."
Kevros checks the equipment he has remaining to make sure it is secure so he will not lose any more. Then checks his repeating crossbow to make sure it is loaded. Then he mounts up and follows Angeus, but makes sure everyone else is following.
The group follows Angeus' lead.
It takes you about 10 minutes to get to the ruins really not that far off. You can see a path that leads up to the ruins from the West. It looks like a wooden wall has been constructed around the ruins to help defend it.
"I will rest as we ride." She says with a thin smile nodding at Kevros for his support.
As he rides Quince's attention seems to be aimed at assessing Scram.
Still angered about the many costs of the surprise attack, Kevros seems to be more on alert. He quietly whispers to everyone, "There are few guards on the Ruin Walls that I can see two on this side." He then quietly spurs his horse into a canter which is more quieter and faster than a trot, and pulls along Angeus to whisper, "Just in case you overlooked the guards on the ruin walls and there are two on our current side."
When Quince hears Kevros' words he asks, "Do we recognize them, Do they look like the Stag Lord's men."
Quince looks toward the ruins trying to see what the hullabaloo is about. "I got a bad feeling about this."
Perception
Angeus smiles at Kevros, "Yeah, I'd noticed. There's another on the gate, and if I'm not mistaken, they've raised an alarm but are trying to pretend otherwise. Well, the element of surprise is gone. Shall we bluff our way in, or attack or be more sneaky?"
"If its the same group we just fled. They had the best of us in the open field we'll have less chance trying to storm defenses."
Quince looks back the way they came and to the sides. Looking for ambush or to see the enemies they just fled circling around.
"If the enemies we just fled are allied with this group here . . . we are about to be smashed like iron on the anvil." He continues to try and look about.
It took the group a good half hour to get to the ruins and that was on horseback, the group that ambushed you would probably take at least an hour to catch up.
Quince circles with Scram growing anxious. "We have only 20 minutes or so if those we just fled are returning here. Can't say for sure if they are coming here or not. If they are we do not want to be caught between the defenders of those ruins and those we just left. How many do you think you see? 2 it sounds like and whoever they are communicating with. Lets talk to them. Who knows perhaps they are worried we are servants of the Stag Lord."
The fort has an obvious path leading up to gates on the West side, though the other three sides have slanting ground up to the fort proper.
Kevros is in a hurried but cautions mode, and whispers, "They look like bandits to me Quince because they look more rough than you." Kevros states with a playful smirk and continues, "We either need to assault now and quickly, pulling no punches or retreat to a safer location until they calm down. Let's not over think this because we do not have time and we are letting them get into better positions, nor make a horrible decision and all die tonight."
The gates are closed, and with the walls around the ruins to climb would be a DC 15 at least.
The group collects at the west side of the walled ruins behind some shrubbery and trees. Nightwing offers his suggestion, "I say we move forward and take the ruins, it is likely the monastery we have been looking for. Does anyone have a way to bluff our way in, or at least some of us? Or do we charge?"
Saren takes a few moments to calm his mount down and to make sure the wounds are taken care of, listening to the group and waiting for a decision to be made.
She walks among the group looking to their wounds and tending them the best she can. "Anyone still hurt?"
"There doesn't seem to be that many manning the walls. If we all climb up at once, we'll probably overwhelm who's on wall nearby and then can deal with the others after..." Angeus suggests.
Kevros looks down at his armor and thinks for a moment.
Quince looks at Angeus, "Could you buff us in. If we fail we are at the gate and ready to climb. No reason to pick a plan when we can try them all in rapid desperate succession."
Angeus looks at the walls then the gate, then gives Quince a steady look. She then shrugs, gives him a smile and says "No harm in trying..."
Leading the group back in front of the gates, she rides up in all confidence and hails the guards there.
"All hail the Horned Lord! Let us in, we're new recruits to his cause!" she cries.
Bluff