Realizing she is about to be cut off, Vel moves toward Kia and the others, recovering her breath.
[/bigger]
Anarak steps over the prone Eladrin. He looks at him with curiosity but quickly re-focuses on the more important task of stalking the Duergar.
Kobold 2 fires a sling bullet at Anarak wrecking further havoc on the fighter. It snickers at its own success and moves prudently out of range. "You mark me, now I mark you. My mark hurts."
Actually, that's a miss. My defenses are at +2 until my next turn since I used my second wind. Who's laughing now, ko-blob?
Kobold 2 fires a sling bullet at Anarak wrecking further havoc on the fighter. It snickers at its own success and moves prudently out of range. "You mark me, now I mark you. My mark hurts."Actually, that's a miss. My defenses are at +2 until my next turn since I used my second wind. Who's laughing now, ko-blob?
Insensed that anyone could bind and blindfold any one of her kind Kia moves up to 017 and strikes at the Duergar in an attempt to use her warlord's favour power.
Whack the Duergar (1d20 6=24, 2d8 3=13)
Screaming at the Duergar she admonishes him for his lack of understanding of how things should be.
"And don't let me ever catch you tying up an eladrin again!".
If untying a blindfold is a minor action, she will remove his blindfold so that at least he can teleport out of danger if he needs to.
"I'll untie you as soon as I can, but just let me deal with these extremely rude creatures first!"
The snickering kobolds at the far end of the circle are too much for Baldrech. Sprinting towards them, he attacks Kobold 2 with both longswords.
His usual expertise is missing however and neither blade strikes home.
Baldrech's attack on Kobold 2: (1d20 6=12, 1d8 3=5, 1d20 6=7, 1d8 3=5)
He swears unintelligibly.
Kia's brutal and unexpected attack on the duergar clearly shocks him. He spins to look at his latest assailant, hatred flaring in his eyes.
"How many of you there are and how few of me. Truly Zemeboh has given us greatness."
He lashes viciously with his warhammer at Anarak.
"You may think yourself powerful. Meet my wrath."
The blow, fueled by pain or fanaticism or both crunches into Anarak's chest.
Impelled by some force he doesn't understand Kobold 7 jabs his spear at Gobi. The dwarven armour holds firm however and the kobold chitters, glares and scampers away, looking for easier targets.
Duergar attack on Anarak: (1d20 12=30, 1d10 3=13) He's going down with a bang at least. 13hp damage to Anarak, who is bloodied again.
Dragonborn do not use the term bloodied. Instead, they refer to themselves as "suspiciously healthy" or "unglorified" on the rare occasions they have more than half of their maximum hit points.
Insensed that anyone could bind and blindfold any one of her kind Kia moves up to 017 and strikes at the Duergar in an attempt to use her warlord's favour power.
"Heee. Next time I go for the eyes, yes?" Then it darts away.
Did you say Kobold 1? The one standing next to may and in my spot at P17! The one shooting a ranged weapon AND then moving away from me?
He may have struck Baldrech, but in return for playing with fire, please bestow upon him the following opportunity attack:
Opportunity Attack on Kobold 1: 1d20+8 = 18 vs AC for 1d12+4 = 9 damage.
Unfortunately, this was before I became bloodied and received Kia's bonus, but hopefully it's still good enough.
If he survives, I think I will let him scamper away without being marked. Things are getting a little dangerous, even for a Dragonborn.
Things are getting a little crowded in the center of this grove, and Anarak is determined to ease the population by 1.
He shifts to a flanking position in the now-vacated P17 and, inspired by Kia's favour and his renewed bloodiness, makes a determined effort to end this Duergar's life.
Comeback Strike on Duergar: 1d20+14 = 21 vs AC for 2d12+4 = 15 damage.
I believe that enables my axe to carve a nice-sized chunk out of his shoulder, and allows me to use a healing surge. At 16 of 31, I am once again unglorified. How's the Duergar looking?
For reasons of space ...
"Heee. Next time I go for the eyes, yes?" Then it darts away.Did you say Kobold 1? The one standing next to may and in my spot at P17! The one shooting a ranged weapon AND then moving away from me?
He may have struck Baldrech, but in return for playing with fire, please bestow upon him the following opportunity attack:
Opportunity Attack on Kobold 1: 1d20+8 = 18 vs AC for 1d12+4 = 9 damage.
Things are getting a little crowded in the center of this grove, and Anarak is determined to ease the population by 1.
He shifts to a flanking position in the now-vacated P17 and, inspired by Kia's favour and his renewed bloodiness, makes a determined effort to end this Duergar's life.
Anarak's glorious vengeance takes the form of a vicious swing at the duergar. As the great axe whirls above his head, the renegade seems to accept his fate.
"Zemeboh calls me. I go to my master. He will take vengeance."
The blade scythes through armour, flesh and bone and he falls, the flames dying in his eyes. The four remaining kobolds exchange glances as the fanatic falls and look very much as if their next move may well be simply to run away.
Insensed that anyone could bind and blindfold any one of her kind Kia moves up to 017 and strikes at the Duergar in an attempt to use her warlord's favour power.
Well, this sounds like an ending fit for the theatre... sound and fury signifying not much at all...
With the dwarf dead and the kobold fleeing, Whiteclaw takes a moment to check her wounds and catch her breath.
Gobi takes a moment to look around and decide on his next action
Kobold 1 has enough sense to realise that things are going badly. His options look limited; there's a steep drop behind him and the clearing is full of enemies. He takes a deep breath and runs towards the exit.
Kobold 2 cowers back from the lean form of the shifter towering over him. Taking his courage and his sling in both hands, he unleashes another lead pellet, snickers happily as it thuds home and darts out of the way.
Kobold 3 is no braver than the others. Firing a final slingshot at the mage, he shrugs and runs when it misses, heading for the exit.
Kobold 7 watches his departing companions and wishes his own reflexes were quicker.
Kobold 1 has enough sense to realise that things are going badly. His options look limited; there's a steep drop behind him and the clearing is full of enemies. He takes a deep breath and runs towards the exit.
Kobold 1 is at Q9
Kobold 2 is at T20
Kobold 3 is at H4
Certainly the trussed-up hares of Angharradh have more liberty than I!
Vel sees K1 moving toward the escape and smiles as he places himself near one of his fellows. With a now-familiar gesture, flames erupt through the trees, scorching K7, though missing K1. She then moves to try to aim at her fleeing tormentor.
Scorching Burst vs. K1, K7 vs ref (including concealment); damage (1d20 2=4, 1d20 2=21, 1d6 4=7)
Kobold 7 screams as Vel's flames run up his legs.
"Bully. That hurts."
Kia sees the fleeing kobolds and, torn between her desire to get rid of them and her need to help the eladrin, she opts for the latter as she spends her turn undoing his bonds. (Or as many of them as she can in one turn).
"I am so sorry that you have been reduced to this, you must tell us what happened when this is over and, if I have any say in the matter, you shall be revenged. In the meantime, you are free to move and even join in if you wish to."
Then, turning to the rest of the party she shouts: "Try not to let the Kobolds escape!" Rather obviously and rather uselessly too.
His shifter blood rousing him to uncontainable fury, Baldrech hurtles towards Kobold 2, both longswords at the ready and slices into his scaled foe. Both blades strike, leaving appalling gaping wounds in the creature. It goggles down up at the shifter, unable to move or apparently believe the tornado of fury that just struck it.
Kobold 7 gallops across the open space towards Vel and tries to jab her with his spear. Hampered by the trees and distracted by his own burns he misses completely.
"Eeek. Mistake. Should be running. Running next time."
Gobi sees a nearby kobold's movement and heads over to say hello on behalf of Avandra.
Kobold 7 reels under Gobi's blow and the compulsion the Divine Challenge lays upon him.
"Ah sweet lady, my revenge is my own to take, but your offer is a noble one." Arianwyn says winningly, whilst bowing in a courtly manner (something he still is able to do rather well, despite being naked).
Without any embarrassment, the skyclad fey spies his sword and picks it up. "My old friend, now we shall dance." he murmurs with a worrying grin.
Attack (1d20+3=23) Warlock's Curse (1d6=1)
His blue eyes blazing with a wild glee, the stranger heads for the wounded kobold. White flames lick his free hand as he points at the creature. The lizard-like foe finds flames of ice streaming from his eyes, ears and mouth, searing him.
The eladrin laughs with triumph, "Thou'rt lucky, small one; that is but a taste of the heat of the Muspelheim, the chill of Nifleheim! Not tender are the mercies of the fey-kin!"
With that, he seems to be wreathed in a chill mist that renders his already pale form and white-blond hair even more icy and ethereal.
Wrapped in hideous white flame the hapless kobold clutches frantically at his throat, staring at some horror only he can see before exploding in a mist of fey-fire.
"Thy blood will feed this grove, lizard-things! Too long have you kept me in the halls of your masters!"
Anarak stands over the body of the fallen Duergar and scans the battlefield. A few kobolds still mar the area with their scampering and hissing, but none seem able to mount a significant threat. He visibly relaxes and begins to wipe the blood off the blade of his axe. He finally relinquishes his mark on Kobold 2 as the creature falls to Baldrech's sword.
He does not see any point in chasing down the kobolds and allows his companions to achieve their own glory in that respect, his appetite having already been sated. He watches the ensuing hunt with a smile on his face.
Whiteclaw
With a roar of mingled rage and joy, Whiteclaw bares her teeth and stalks towards Kobold 1. Her flail makes the now familiar shrieking whine as it whirls over her head and wraps itself around the small menace.
The kobold gasps and jumps sideways, unable to dodge fast enough to avoid the gnoll's opportunistic second blow.
The creature backs away, and finds that it is trapped between the triple evils of a fire-blasting mage, a vengeful dwarf and a rampaging gnoll.
Kobold 3 simply ducks and runs.
Vel grimaces at the kobold's escape, and turns her frustration on the hapless creature that has entered her sights. A ray of sickly green energy catches it full on the chest.
The kobold crumples into a sickly heap as its limbs give way. As it expires, it just manages to gasp out,
"Should have run, should have hid."
Whipping out her crossbow, Kia loads and fires at Kobold 7 almost on instinct.
Despite the trees, her aim is good enough and the kobold is barely even aware of where the blow that fells comes from.
You gaze triumphantly around the stone circle, looking only upon the desolation of your enemies.
Now that you have an opportunity to look more closely you can see that this is a sacred place. The trees surrounding the circle are all ash and before they were allowed to grow at will must have been planted deliberately. Looking at the pool near the entrance to the circle, you realise it is not a natural feaure, but a deliberate one. Possibly a cleansing pool for worshippers and priests to walk through before approaching the stones themselves.
There are three stone remaining in their original positions and gaping and inconguous holes where two have been forcibly removed. This is desecration of a high order. Even the least sensitive of you are aware of a sense of unnatural stillness and silence about the circle.
It is plain too that the altar has been used recently. There are brown blotches on it, made all too obviously by spilled blood.
"Liberty! I thank thee, sweet lady and thy friends." the eladrin says with a beam, "I am Arianwyn, if not at your service then at least honoured to be counted amongst your company."
He strides to the centre of the grove (again blithely unclothe), "This would be the disruption to the weave that I felt..." he says to no-one in particular. "And my blood would have acted as the catalyst for yet more desecration. Intriguing..."
Gobi looks down at the deceased kobold in front of him with a protruding arrow from his body and then over to Kia,
"I would have gotten 'im ya know?" Gobi shrugs it off and begins searching the kobolds for anything useful or interesting.
The kobolds have little of value. They have their weapons consisting of the following.
2 slings and 14 sling bullets
3 useable javelins
1 functional spear
2 daggers
"Mostly junk, but I'll take this spear unless anyone wants it? With the luck we've had, I think it's best we stock up on as many weapons as we can get"
Gobi says as he examines the spear and moves it about in his hands as if fighting some invisible beast.
"What's the plan then?"
Whiteclaw cleans her weapons, grooms her fur, and rests a bit after the fight. She's quiet, but seems satisfied with how the battle went.
Vel briefly acknowledges the eladrin's introduction. "Vel."
As she inspects the area, she asks, without looking up, "You -- Arianwyn. How did you come to be here? This island is more populous all the time."
Religion -- anything useful about the old or new rites here. (1d20 9=19)
"It is a tragic tale, milady Vel, but in brief I am exiled to the middle world from the land of Faerie - that is the short of it. Mayhap, I may be indulged the lengthier version at a later date," he says suggestively, "As to how I am here on this isle; I tarried long in the nether realm you call the Underdark, and I sensed that there was a great disruption in the arcane fabric of this location. My haste led me to be captured by the dark ones here, the duergar, and their kobold lackies."
He turns to the group and looks from person to person, "And for what purpose are you come here? Not that I am ungrateful that you have..."