"Are you sure the bird will find us in here? After all, we are basically inside a mountain." Ana asks Rutilux.
Then, to the dwarfs: "Don't leave the tunnels undefended. Just because they didn't attack there yet doesn't mean they won't do it in the future. Of course we offer our support in defending your town until our lord Savol arrives, Is there any place here where I can replenish my crossbow bolts? Hobgoblin bane bolts would be perfect - but ordinary bolts will do as well."
I was running through the forests near my home, exhilarating in the bright summer sun beating down upon me through the gaps in the trees. I felt strong and knew that this was my forest, my trees. I came upon my river, full to bursting with fresh salmon and trout, a bounty of food and just what I needed to stay strong to hold my lands from any who would dare to claim it. Leaping into the waters I surfaced with a glistening trout flapping with futility in my muzzle before I tossed it to the rocky bank to wait for another. This time my paws caught my meal as a mighty swipe sent a shower of water and a large salmon through the air to splash down upon the rocks.
It was kind of nice being a real bear . . .
As I settled down to eat my fill a familiar smell wafted through the trees towards me. Following it I saw a beautiful woman, it was you! Almost as good looking as you are in person, standing between two boulders in a clearing beckoning me to you. You bent over at the waist and gave me an inviting smile, you curled your hands towards yourself drawing me nearer and nearer. Heh, i cant resist you even in my dreams.
Something seemed odd but I knew I was safe with you so I let my paws take me where you wanted me to go.
Just before I reached you, a flicker of movement caught my eye and suddenly I felt a tightness around my throat, then again and something was pulling me back. I was snarling and trying to turn to face whatever it was, I was shuffling in hopes of placing my muscled bulk between you and our attackers who resolved themselves as two men. They were holding my throat with ropes attached to thick poles of wood. So I stood up to your full height, as tall as Savol since I was a bear, and begin to drag them towards my waiting paws when I felt your gentle hand upon my shoulder. You said, "Do not resist my love, we need you strong and healthy for what we have in store for you."
Almost immediately I felt my strength slipping away as a chill radiated from your hand across my body until I felt weaker than a kitten. . . Can you actually do that!?
Time passed in a blur before resolving itself again and I was inside a cave, not a human building, in a pit surrounded on all sides by smelly, stinking humans. . . My brain was really playing up on the bear senses thing. . . .They were yelling and throwing rotten foodstuffs at me. I felt stiffer than before and it took awhile before i remembered I had been slowed down by all of these wounds. My coat was all matted and greyish, missing all together in some places. Replaced by old scars and half healed wounds. I began to put weight on my left paw but stopped as the pain reminded me that I hadlost much of it against a giant long haired cat. Somewhere above me I could hear your voice as you crooned to me and promised to take care of me as soon as I beat theses beasts who threaten you.
Maybe I should have been worried, but memories of your smiles, soft touch, and um, anyways, my hackles were set on end. I remember feeling like, how dare something threaten my Ana while I still breathe, so I turned to face these beasts, confident that my injuries are not enough to stop me from protecting you.
From the other side of the pit dogs, rushed at me and circled around, nipping at my hide and paws then jumping on my back. As I turned to batter one dog with a mighty paw another jumps on my back and it's teeth sink into my neck. I was snarling and trying to pull it off but another leaped inside my guard and tore a deep chunk out of my knee causing me to fall. Try as I might I just could not keep up with the faster dogs and eventually my stamina faltered or my wounds caught up to me and I collapsed, everything went dark.
As I drifted off I heard "What a pity, it seems my pet doesn't have any fight left in him, I guess I'll just have to find some other way for him to entertain me."
Next I found myself standing atop a small pedestal, a strange itchy item, a hat?, was strapped atop my head as I tried to balance upon a ball with my mnfeet and spin about to make the dress cinched about my wasting frame twirl and spin, but my leg, the knee that the dog got to soon gave out and I fall off.
The laughter that filled the background until now picks up then stops and I heared the angry clacking of a woman's shoes moving towards me. Turning my head I saw you, glaring down at me as you tried to drag me up off of the floor but I was just too weak to stand and fell back down several times before you give up. Then you said, "So you've finally given up Thorvald? I knew you couldn't keep me happy for ever. I guess it's time for me to find a new toy." Then you turned and began walking away but stopped and said, "But first I really should deal with you." A spear of crystal clear ice manifested in your hand and you made me watch as you thrust it deep into my chest, the pain was excruciating as you twisted it back and forth and then . . . I woke up with a start in the bed you're sharing with you in the dwarven inn. Luckily I didn't wake you, you were seemingly unaware of my outburst."
** spoiler omitted **
"Are you sure the bird will find us in here? After all, we are basically inside a mountain." Ana asks Rutilux.
"Truthfully? No, I can't say I'm utterly sure, but it hasn't failed us yet," Rutilux says after thinking on it, "Herald has been a wonderful gift."
"He can find anyone, we just need to go topside so that we give him the opportunity."
"Stone Lords can you give us an estimation of the forces against us? How many monstrous units do they have and have you any idea who is leading this siege?"
"We've counted over two thousand plus maybe a dozen ettin and assorted giant kin. There are at least thirty different sets of markings which means either they've allied against us or worse, one of them is strong enough to subjugate multiple tribes. We can take a look at their forces and you can look for your bird out this way."
Ruam leads you out an adjoining door and onto a covered balcony high above the conflict. Reaching into his robe he draws out a spyglass. "See those different clusters? Each one sports slightly different gear and wears differently coloured clothes beneath."
With Ruam's help you are able to make out the different groups within the horde. You are able two count twenty three different clusters.
Several of the clusters appear to actively hate nearby groups but whenever you witness trouble forming other hobgoblins break it up. There's something that they're afraid of so much that its stopping rival tribes from fighting.
In then distance, almost out of sight is a small cluster of tents that don't match the rest. There is an oversized tent similar to the rest of the hobgoblin tents partially hiding three or four dark black or purple tents that are a very different shape. While the hobgoblins are simple tents with two slanting sides these tents have frames shaping a conical roof and straight vertical sides.
There are no hobgoblins anywhere within at least fifty feet of these different tents and the giant-kin keep looking and then fearfully averting their gaze.
"With fresh eyes do any of you see anything we could use to turn this?"
Perception
"Well we can always count on hobgolins acting like hobgoblins. Several of the tribes appear to actively hate nearby groups but whenever it looks like trouble forming other hobgoblins break it up. There's something that they're afraid of so much that its stopping the rival tribes from fighting. I just can't tell what it is . . . Here someone else have a look. Anyone have a way to enhance what we can see? Any mantras of observation there Isham?
Rutilux leans forward to see, and is lucky he doesn't trip, "Pardon, it would appear, 'fresh' or not, my eyes are not doing well in this. Still, from what Thorvald says, it does seem like there must be some more dangerous authority the normally independent forces are united by and fearful of. If we can pull the heart out of this particular hydra, maybe the heads will turn on each other."
Julian nods. "We shoukd find the head. A quiet assassination will crumble their will while giving them no definite enemy."
She pauses when she suddenly remembers something. Then she continues, more agitated than before:
"It already happened. Remember when we travelled through cold weather and Dagmar was attacked by ice elementals? I had a nightmare that night, and when I woke up there was an icicle in my hand. She must have produced it while I was dreaming. By Desna and Lamashtu - she could already manifest in the real world back then... Thorvald, you must not sleep next to me anymore! Don't let her hurt you while I sleep!"
"Uhh ... how can you even tell they are hobgoblins from this distance? They look like ants from up here. But assassinating their leader does sound like a good idea. How do we find the leader?"
Rutilux frowns a a bit at the phrasing folks are using, "I wasn't thinking assassination so much as a tactical strike done quickly and abruptly, but I suppose I can see the similarities."
"Taking out their leadership would definitely sow chaos and most likely cause this horde to disperse within a matter of days or maybe a week or two. But how do you propose to do it? Which one in this mass of trouble is the head we need to sever?"
You can hear another dwarf walking up from inside.
"It's not like we haven't thought of that. But how do you get through this entire army to do that? We can't just open the gates and ask them nicely to let us see their leader. Hobgoblins don't negotiate, they just invade and take what they want."
"We show patience and we watch." Julian takes twenty and examines the hoarde.
As you settle down to it and watch, scanning the horde for patterns or weaknesses exploitable by your training you slowly begin to see something happening within the horde. You can the the hobgoblins are getting excited about something as they start clashing their swords on rocks and their armour
For the next hour or two you sit down and discuss many fruitless and somewhat suicidal plans to get to the head of the horde.
Just as everyone is about to take a break for lunch a dwarf in dark grey and brown robes comes bursting in in a panic. "Our defences are down! Someone has torn them down and monsters are appearing inside the city itself."
Rutilux immediately puts down the food he was about to devour and grabs his shield and weapon, "Details, and hurry as we move. How did the defenses go down, and you say monsters 'appearing' inside the city itself. Do you mean popping into thin air?" He gives Ana and Dagmar a glance, for it sounds like magic to him if so and they would certainly know more.
To Rutilux: "We better take a look ourselves."
To the dwarfs: "What is the closest way from here to a place that overlooks the city?"
While walking, to the dwarf in grey and brown robes: "How did this happen?"
Jediah grabs his equipment and heads out with the others.
"We should be aware that they might strike for the head of the adder as well."
Thorvald prepares for battle and moves towards Ana's side fearing that the White Witches may be coming to claim his princess from him.
"Dagmar before we fight do you have any more healing magics for the poison, Julian is still worse off than me.".
"Our mystical barriers."
"My order, with the help of our clergy have been maintaining a barrier against magical incursion into the city since the siege started. I didn't think the hobgoblins had the capability but i feared someone or something would use the siege to get past our vigilance. You," pointing to the dwarf, "Gather as many of our order and protect the vault. Tell Drummand to active ALL of our defenses. I am going to track down any invaders and deal with them personally." he then turns to all of you, "I trust you're amenable to that?"
"Of course Thorvald. I'm sorry I did not think to restore your vitality as soon as we all awoke. I must have still been distracted from last night."
Dagmar will cast her spell on Thorvald and then Julian. She still has no idea what to say to Julien though.
[b]"Thank you," Julian says. He keeps watching the hobgoblins looking for a leader.
"Gather as many of our order and protect the vault. Tell Drummand to active ALL of our defenses. I am going to track down any invaders and deal with them personally." he then turns to all of you, "I trust you're amenable to that?"
"Quite," Zethyris responds with a slow smile, fingers drumming on the hilt of his rapier. "Lead on."
"Indeed," Rutilux is clearly of accord with Zethyris in this.
"Lets go find whoever has the gall to force their way into this city uninvited." With that the fiery bearded dwarf casts a quick spell and leads you back down through the fortress as quick as you can. As soon as you pass through the gates you can tell something is terribly wrong. The temperature is incredibly cold, much colder than the winter outside the mountain and the streets are empty. Walking farther in you start seeing strange ice formations. With something inside them and you can hear screaming farther away. Running towards the commotion you can see several dwarves battling a group of dire rats but before you can move to help you hear alarms sound behind you from the fortress. "Great. Now they've started another attack, was this their plan all along?" Split between the attack at the fortress and the trouble in the city itself you hear a terrible roar from farther to the south and dwarven screams.
"We should check that out, forgive me for belaboring what might be obvious," Rutilux says in the stinging cold.
Jediah looks at the ice formations to see what might be inside them.
Is that the Mother of Spiders, roaring for my blood?
Thorvald whispers to Ana, "Do think this is the work of your former sisters? If so please stay close to me my sweet."
[b]"Where you lead I will follow, for it matters not which way we run, for trouble lies in all directions. The is your city Stonelord, please direct us."[b],
Ana whispers to Thorvald: "I don't know. The cold certainly suggests it is them."
She pauses to identify the source of all the magic mayhem.
She casts detect magic and, if necessary, waits for the three round it takes to pin down the aura.
Then she starts running to catch up with the others again.
"If it can leap through space and create pillars of ice, I think that is where we need to be. Let us crush one threat, and trust to the defenses that have held so well and so long." Hefting his spear, Isham hastens toward the original alarm.
"Onward, into the city. We should fight the enemy at our backs before the enemy at the gates."
Several of you start running down the joining street but Jediah's yell, "There's people in these!" stops you in your tracks. Looking around you, there are dozens of ice formations, each with a dark shape inside. More screams, closer this time, break your shock as you see three commoners run around the corner yelling, "Drag..." but a wave of cold and ice overtakes them freezing them solid. Rounding the corner after them a slim reptilian head with long yellow teeth an long, slender horns darts out as its lips pull back in a rictus snarl, greyish white scales cover the majority of the monster as its large body follows it around the corner. Spotting all of you it rises up on its hind legs, extends its wings and roars down the road at you.
"You've gotta be kidding me! How'd they get a dragon in here?"
The dragon is forty feet away and is large. There's no surprise round.
Initiative and actions please.
Isham shouts, "That! That is what we need to do now! Scatter so that it can not freeze us with one breath!"
Get under cover!
Jediah moves so a building or significant mound of rubble provides ocver from any cold breath, his plan being to lunge out when the dragon passes by.
"I really miss my horse," Rutilux says as he looks at the distance where every foot counts. "Isham, we may need your rallying tales now more than ever. Anyone with protective magics against the cold may want to cast them while they can." A dragon, the mythical creatures that can make a knight's legend... or destroy him. As for myself, I am a cavalier of the sword. I must try to show courage in the face of danger, and I must uphold my liege's honor as well as my own. This thing is killing dwarves by the score. I really don't have much choice but to draw it's attention from them, whatever the cost. "Sorry, Jediah. I can't risk it killing any more dwarves."
"For the Kodiakborne!" Raising his shield and magic flail, Rutilux charges the dragon on foot, cutting the distance in his haste to make sure no more dwarves die while he still lives.
Given the nature of dragons, his terms may be easy enough for the dragon to accommodate, but not in a way the young noble would like.
Zethyris draws his rapier and follows Rutilux, advancing toward the dragon. Heeding Isham's recommendation, he works his way around to the side of the dragon, rolling to avoid the dragon's attacks.
Julian's eyes go wide as he dives for cover.
Oh geez, I really wish Savol was here to kill this thing!
Seeing Rutilux charging the dragon, Dagmar hurriedly casts her Ward Hex upon him. She then moves up about another ten feet and off to the side a bit and looks for some cover.
Ward (Su): A witch can use this hex to place a protective ward over one creature. The warded creature receives a +2 deflection bonus to AC and a +2 resistance bonus on saving throws. This ward lasts until the warded creature is hit or fails a saving throw. A witch knows when a warded creature is no longer protected. A witch can have only one ward active at a time. If the witch uses this ability again, the previous ward immediately ends. A witch cannot use this ability on herself. At 8th level and 16th level, the bonuses provided by this ward increase by +1.
"How cute, a baby dragon!" Ana jeers.
She kisses Thorvald and says: "Have fun with it, honey."
A film of magical energy surrounds him, radiating from the spot where she kissed him.
Then she dives for cover.
Anastasiya casts her spell and delivers it with a quick peck on Thorvald's cheek before ducking behind one of the unfortunate frozen dwarves for cover. Nellens mutters several unflattering and definitely unprintable things abut the dragon's mother before releasing two quick bursts of magic, one upon himself while the second blankets all of you.
The wound is fierce, another such bite, and Rutilux knows he may die, instead he spits out at the creature, "You may kill me this day, but I know my friends will avenge me. Whether I live, whether I die, you will be no more before this fight is done! I challenge you, butcher of Winter's breath! And win or lose, I will fight!"
He whips his flail around again, hoping to make the beast know pain!
Zethyris finishes moving behind the dragon and strikes while it is distracted by Rutilux.
Jediah sighs and levels his glaive and charges hard at the dragon, hoping that it's attention from Rutilux is diverted.
-2 AC
Werewolf lords axe power attack and freebooters bane.
axe damage
bite.
[b]"
Ana peeks out of her cover to fire a pair of magic missiles at the dragon.
She is visibly shocked to see what big bites the dragon has taken out of Rutilux and Thorvald.
Dagmar lets out an ear-piercing scream at the dragon.
[dice=Spellcraft]1d20+4
Ana peeks out of her cover to fire a pair of magic missiles at the dragon.
She is visibly shocked to see what big bites the dragon has taken out of Rutilux and Thorvald.
Anastasiya peeks out of cover long enough to zap the dragon in the muzzle with twin bolts of force, unfortunately the dragons natural resistance nullifies the spell. Nellens moves up within fifteen feet of the dragon and casts another spell, [/b]"Hurry up and kill it."[/b] . Zethyris shifts position slightly before plunging his magic rapier through the dragon's hamstring eliciting a terrible roar. Rutilux stands defiantly looking at the dragon as he lifts his shield in challenge. Long rivulets of blood flow down his other arm, across his gauntlets and roll across the brightly polished finish of his three headed flail as his own blood turns one of the heads bright red. In a flourish, he brings his flail up scattering droplets of his blood in a wide arc as the three heads smash against the dragon's skull and a resounding boom echoes through the area as the dragon's head is snapped backwards, the wound partially wreathed in blood red flames which can also be seen climbing Rutilux's arm from one of the flail's heads which now glows an angry blood red. Roaring in pain, the dragon's eyes are dilated in fury as it rushes forward to silence the spell casting dwarf, "I don't think so little dwarf." as its teeth close down on Nellens but his arcane defences blunt most of the blow . Dagmar lets loose an ear piercing scream that manages to pierce its magical defences but it shakes off her yell. Moving to follow the dragon Thorvald drags his great axe along the monster's hide, cutting deeply. Julian pokes his head out long enough to fire off two arrows, one bouncing. Uselessly off of the thick hide, while the other sinks into its soft underbelly . Jediah rushes forward, sinking his glaive into the monster's flagging body.
Jediah stab stab stabs