Both Zartana and Kazz let their arrows fly at Kressle, while she is still in the process of coming to terms with the attack
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Regardless of where she was Zartana's arrow misses.
Kazz' arrow strikes Kressle in the abdomen. She howls in pain and rage, bloodied (forgive me purists) but not downed. She yells to her men, "Get them you useless sacks of kobold shit!"
The two archers above your heads fire their arrows. The one in the west platform fumbles his shot (not his day), no effect on the fumble table. The one on the east platform just plain misses.
That one does hit Kazz, for 5 damage
The bandit on the west tower hollers: "There are others over here!"
Group B is up
Dregan moves east though the brush to the edge of the other path in, which gives him a clear shot on Kressle. Targeting her with my ranger's focus (+2 to hit and damage) he fires.
Alexio moves rapidly to the south
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Shift click is for re-sizing, you should be able to just drag and drop.
Alexio double moves to the south.
Dregan moves east and fires an arrow at Kressle. She takes the arrow square in the chest and falls to the ground.
Zoufbal is the only one left in group B. Since Kressle is down Raven may as well act as well.
Keneniah fires an arrow at the bandit on the west platform. It hits and damages him but he does not drop.
After Zoufbal and Raven round 2 will start again and Group A will start again.
The bandits do not appear as though they plan on throwing down their weapons, rather they seem like they will try to make a run for it. You may have noticed they do not have any horses, it seems the group that went north to Oleg's took all the horses.
After the signal from Kazz and her companions, Raven slips off into the forest, carefully determining a path that will lead her to the western watchtower unobserved.
Cursing the fact that her leather armor happened to brush a branch at the exact wrong time, drawing the attention of the bandit at the top of the tower so that he would see her companions, Raven was more determined than ever to bring him down. She makes a beeline for the tower and begins to climb it.
Kazz shouts over his shoulder, "Now Zoufbal!"
Updated the map with Dregan and Alexio's moves, hope I got the right.
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A ball of pale blue fire appears over the fallen form of Kressle. Perhaps a foot in diameter it floats about chest height off the ground. Within the flames the shape of a skull can vaguely be distinguished.
As it floats above Kressle tiny pin pricks of light, like cinders, seem to rise up out of her and are drawn into the strange light.
Once Zoufball posts Group A can go. If he does not post by 6pm EST, I'll skip him and we'll move through.
She fires another arrow at one of the bandits close to them, but as the sun rises, she realizes her vision is starting to blur more
That's a hit.
Round 2
Cursing both the bandit in front of him and the Gnome behind, Kazz steps away from the bandit that attacked him and reaching forth with his hand he clenches it and draws it towards himself as though pulling something to him.
In between the two nearest bandits, what appears to be a tear into darkness appears in the air and spills forth a dark creature on shadowy wings. This creature lets loose a piercing shriek and unleashes an assault on the bandit that struck Kazz.
As the eagle attacks, he calls to Zoufbal, "Any time master gnome!"
Ammanas swivels quickly as his master is wounded and starts in that direction but quickly stops and sticks with his charge Kenaniah.
Kazz :
Eagle : HP 5 / 5 AC 14
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The map looks good as you posted to it. I'll add the eagle.
The only issue is that summon monster takes a full round to cast, so it will appear at the beginning of round three. If you like I'll hold over its attacks until then.
Unless something from your archetypes let's you do it as a standard? If you can summon the eagle that quickly it will shred that guy's face, but not drop him.
Having lost their leader the bandits are going to engage in what is called a withdraw. The six on the ground are going to double move 60ft to the southeast, this effectively takes them off the map.
The two in the raised platforms, jump form their perches. The one on the western platform jumps and lands in a roll, but having been injured by Kenaniah's arrow in the previous round passes out from non-lethal damage, he is unconscious. The bandit on the eastern platform fails his landing and takes 7 damage from his fall. He lands prone as a result, he gets up, his leg clearly broken and tries to hobble away.
You may opt to chase the bandits thought the woods but that would create more of a skill challenge type of situation (again, purists have mercy) Those choosing to leave the battle to do so, simply remove yourself form the map and explain how you plan on chasing the bandits down, and what skills apply. Perception, survival (with track), acrobatics, knowledge: geo, knowledge: nat all come to mind, but really you make the case to me and then roll. If your speed is 20 take a -2 penalty to your roll.
The map now looks something like this
Alexio and Dregan are up. Only one bandit is left standing and he is very clearly injured, but a creepy ball of fire is hovering over Kressle's remains, apparently doing something to her.
Alexio chases after the bandit with a limp. When he catches the man, he pushes the bandit down, waves his sword in a dramatic display and puts the sword's point to the bandit.
"Stay down or I take your pitiful life!" threatens Alexio.
Swearing loudly, Kazz looks to the others, "Zartana, Dregan lets see if we can't track this lot down. With any luck they'll stay together!"
He shouts back at the others as he starts to run after the Bandit's, "Secure the camp in case they come back, watch over the prisoners, we'll be back soon!"
Kazz will have to rely on the skills of the others giving chase in order do most of the actual tracking.
He will however use his skill at remaining hidden to try to identify willow thickets and other areas the bandits might flock towards for concealment.
Ammanas speaks to Kenaniah in his unnatural voice, "Follow, quickly..."
The eidolon slides through the trees after his master, leaving Kenaniah as soon as they are next to the rest of the group, "Wait here...", before continuing after Kazz.
"Drop your weapons and go back to your families. This is your chance to get out of being bandit alive, take it." Dregan says to the fleeing and then to Mass "We've won let them go."
Dregan go quickly to the leader to try to save her from bleeding out.
Kazz halts at Dregan's words, letting his bow drop to his side and sighing deeply, "I suppose you are right. I just fear any of their number will be foolish enough to return to this Stag Lord and warn him of our efforts..."
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Kenaniah runs east, towards the bulk of the party, yelling "Don't attack it!" as he does.
When he gets a little nearer, it is obvious he is pointing to the fire floating over Kressle. As he arrives, however, the fire winks out, suddenly and totally disappearing.
He visibly relaxes once it disappears. "Thank the gods," he says.
Out of initiative.
After battle summary. One unconscious bandit, one surrendered bandit with broken leg, one bandit dead of eagle wounds a little ways off, one dead Kressle, five escaped bandits. You have captured the Thorn River Ford bandit camp and all it's treasures.
The eagle is more than capable of following, harassing and potentially killing a few more bandits, the only limit is the duration of it's summons. Since, correct me if I'm wrong, it's summons lasts minutes, not rounds, it could potentially hunt down and kill all five bandits, they might be able to stop and fight it with their bows, but they are not actually that organised, each one would continue running, in the hopes that he would be safe, until there were none left.
"What was that?" He asks Kenaniah as he moves over to Kressle and tries to stabilize her bleeding. Once it's clear he was too late he strip her and turning back to Kenainah "Is there a spade around? I don't feel like digging a six foot hole with my sword.
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Kenaniah says, "people in these parts call them bog lights, or corpse candles. They try to lure people out into the darkness at night, those people do not come back alive. Odd to see one in the light, but regardless they are dangerous. I knew a man who ran into one when he went out for a piss one night. Tried to put an arrow through it, and it threw lightning back at him, he never grew hair on his head again. He died with the nickname Scarred Bob, because of all the burns."
Kressle is not just dead, here eyes are burned out and collapsed, her tongue is black and shriveled. She is barely a husk of what she was in life.
Kenaniah explains there are a few shovels for digging latrines and the likes, which is more than this lot deserves. He explains he would not waste a minute digging a grave for Kressle or any of the others.
Instead he offers to show you the loot.
To Kazz "Not sure them going back to the Stag Lord is that bad. Won't be good for moral, and if the rest of his underlings know there is another force standing for what is good some might just desert. Either way he will learn early enough that we around."
Then to Kenaniah "I don't want to leave this one out for Erastil's creatures to eat and seems like you and the other bandits are decent types. I could make a pyre I guess. But you are right that can wait lets see what you lot stole off the locals first. If you can remember who you took it off that would help with righting your wrongs." Dregan says forcing a smile.
Kazz will dismiss the eagle as soon as he gives up the chase, he has no interest in killing a couple of them out of spite. One getting away is just an dangerous as five.
He nods at Kenaniah's description of the bog light, "I fear this one followed me here. It kept to the outskirts of camp last night, unwilling to come any closer."
He gives the man a hard look, "From what I've heard I can understand Kressel but these others are much like you and the others back at Oleg's, no? A little care is warranted."
Moving closer he speaks to Kenaniah in a low tone, "What can you tell me of these two we've captured? Cruel men or merely down on their luck?"
Interesting way to come down.. Raven thought as the bandit in the tower jumped down, twisted his ankle and fell prone. He could have waited for me to get up there.
Raven climbs back down and makes her way over to the burnt out corpse of the one they called Kressle and begins to rummage through her things as she speaks. "We should find out where this Stag Lord is from one of these men and go make a show of ourselves. Then we will see what kind of men the rest of those that ran off are."
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Kenaniah leads you over to the platform at K2, beneath it are supplies such as tents and other gear, he moves it all aside to expose a hollow dug into the ground, hidden by planks.
He begins hauling things out and setting up where you can go through them. There's a bag of silver and one of gold. An expensive pair of silver earrings in a velvet bag. A wooden music box. Three crates of furs and pelts.
While doing this unloading Kenaniah explains there's no man among the bandits he would trust his life with. Now that he's betrayed them any one of them would kill him if they got the chance.
Last is a polished case containing 8 bottles of potent greenish herbal liquor. "That's for the stag lord, they say he's a drunk."
Raven begins stripping the gear off kressle. She had a potion of cure light, studded leather armour, two masterwork handaxes, four daggers and a pouch of gold.
Raven tosses her find into the pile of things to be sorted out. "I have plenty of daggers myself," she comments.
Alexio keeps his sword on the bandit who surrendered. "He may be wounded, but I would still tie him up," he says to the group.
As they are looking over the loot and Kenaniah mentions the stag lord, Alexio picks up on the reference. He the starts to interrogate the bandit, "What else do you know of this stag lord? How were you planning on delivering these bottles to him? How many other men does he have?"
Agreeing with Raven, Alexio says to everyone else," Take what you want of her gear. I don't think I have use for much of it."
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In either case the result is the same.
The stag lord is a monster of a man. Calls himself the stag lord because of that creepy helmet he keeps on. Some say he ain't got not face underneath, some say the helm is his face. He's a deadeye with the bow and I saw him crush a prisoner's hand to mush in one fist.
He is a bloody drink. All that booze is for him. They say he's half of what he used to be, and ain't never been right in the head. Even drunk out of his mind no one would dare challenge him.
"Can I have a quick look at the pin." Dregan asks pondering if it looks similar to his father's ring.
"The rest of the loot should be returned to who ever it was stolen from, as best as we can."
Kazz sets the crate of spirits off to the side, "That's knowledge we may well be able to make use of. Where does the Stag Lord make camp? Is it much like here or does he have a permanent base?"
He nods to Dregan, "What we can certainly. I would hazard a guess that the furs are from Oleg's. I'm sure he will be happy to have them back and if anyone knows where the rest came from it will be him and Svetlana."
"Those axes will fetch a fine price to help outfit us once we get back. On that topic, lets fetch the horses, load the lot of this, and our prisoners up and get going. Hopefully the Brevish soldiers will have arrived by the time we make it back."
He takes a moment to speak to Kenaniah on his own, "You did well today, Kenaniah. You are fast proving yourself a trustworthy man."
Raven shows Dregan the pin, at the same time pulling out the other one to compare them. "They are all afraid of him so he can easily bring these men to heel, but if we bring him down, they will have no direction and it should significantly reduce the banditry in this area."
Alexio nods at Raven, "Agreed, removing this Stag Lord will likely break the organization and cohesiveness of the group at large. We should look into toppling him."
Then he asks to the group at large, "What about those two?" nodding his head to the other bandits. "Kenaniah might have some usefulness, but those two have shown no such redeeming qualities."
Alexio would also like to take some time looking around the rest of the camp to see if there are other clues or things they have missed.
Zartana looking around pipes up
What if, when we remove the Stag Lord or what ever, we put our friend here, she points to Kenaniah into a governing position?
Kazz considers Zartana's suggestion, "Possibly, but I think that's the sort of decision best left for later down the road. For the moment we have to find a way to remove the unbalanced drunk from his well defended fortress."
Glancing at the two prisoners he looks at Kenaniah, "What can you tell me of these two?"
"To be fair neither has had much chance to show any redeeming qualities. One is unconscious and the other in a lot of pain. They should get the same punishment as the rest. If you are sure they'll be hung for the crimes then we can do it here and now but if not lets bring them back for the magistrate to decide."
Dregan starts to head off into the trees "I'll get the horses so we can go, someone might want to destroy the watch towers to stop them using them again. Once we are gone."
Kazz shrugs, "There is no magistrate here Dregan, the decision falls to us."
With Ammanas falling in tow with the kayal he moves over to the two prisoners. Crouching down he speaks to the conscious bandit, "You understand your situation I take it? You are convicted of banditry under Brevish law. The punishment for such is death, now we here have it within our power to suspend that sentence if we feel there is merit to keeping you alive. My name is Kazz and this is your one chance to convince me of your worth. What is your name and how did you come to join this band? What of your unconscious friend?"
Raven helps gather up the furs and other goods so that they will be easy to transport on the horses. "I'm not too sure about allowing another person to lead another group of bandits is such a wise idea. However, if we could get them to work for us as maybe, lookouts of a sort, then perhaps that might be of some merit." She pauses, brushing a wayward hair out of her face.
"As for these two, they didn't ask for much quarter when they fought us. Your charter specifies dealing with banditry and I agree that they should be dealt with in the same manner. As a matter of fact.." She drops what she is doing and walks over the one Kazz was talking to. As she nears him she leans in very close, as if she was going to show him her womanly side, but instead, an eight inch blade appears in her hand and is pointed at his throat.
"I suggest you dispense with the lying. As of this moment, you have no rights and your life is in our hands. Think about the next words to come out of your mouth carefully."
As the man talks, Ammanas circles him and Kazz slowly, considering his words. The bandit's tale coming to a close, Kazz's gaze shifts to his companion, who offers him what seems to be an insubstantial shake of the head.
As Raven moves in to threaten the man, Kazz speaks softly but certainly, "It's of little use, this man is no victim. It would seem Kenaniah has the right of it. Either make use of that blade or we shall fashion a pair of nooses."
Withdrawing herself and her blade, Raven stands and looks at Kazz. "The law of the land is death by hanging, so that is what we shall do."
Kazz nods, looking at their other companions, "So be it. Are there any objections?"
She pulls her bow out and knock it, moving into the face of the one bandit
No objections, just that hanging will take too long and we don't have all that time at our disposal. How about i just end it now?
