Jut pinches his knocked arrow between two fingers and rapidly draws a second arrow, putting both to the string, drawing to his cheek and loosing both simultaneously...
Before the paired shots land he's already knocked and loosed once more...seeking the same target of the two.
"Quit your fightin', bub... 'fore I gotta put ya both down..." He hisses and shifts a couple feet to his right to try and find cover.
Jut savagely riddles one cultist with arrows. The other screams in terror, then scream in pain and is clearly interested in running...
Reflex:
Pinocchio weaves a spell out of the darkness around them. The shadows form arcane symbols before vanishing. The remaining man collapses in a sudden fit of creepily forced laughter.
Off in the distance the second figure drops to the ground screaming and undulating in a way that seems practically uncontrollable. Cam knows the spell well and proceeds to sprint towards the downed archer, clearly attempting to work at binding them.
Meanwhile a small bit of chaos erupts at the campsite as various foliage bursts alive and attempts to entangle the resident wizard, barbarian and oradin. Sayniek and Vidar are nimble footed enough to escape immediate issue but Kithian is quickly bound up. To make matters worse a pair of smoke sticks are thrown at the group quickly generating smoke that obscures the campsite though offering a momentary glimpse of three adventuring types before the smoke cuts off line of sight.
[ooc]Group is up. Actions in order as you post...
Jutmerlum does a quick perimeter check to confirm it's clear...
...then gestures with his chin to Cam then the tied up enemy. "Let's get back and see what this palooka has ta say. Ya mind luggin' him back ta camp so I can keep my hands free?" Of its ok he'll start heading back with the others.
"They had the same idea - they've attacked the camp. Go help the others while I take care of Chuckles here."
"Pinnochio, come help me with this. You don't have to hit him hard, but hit him. Here, use the butt of my dagger."
Jutmerlum knuckles his below and dashes off at a run back to the camp, leaving the bard and the puppet to handle the prisoner.
As soon as Jut gets within striking distance he'll pull up short of the camp, go to a knee and search for threats...
Hoping to help Within break out of whatever is binding him, Sayniek points at the big man causing him the grow in size.
Cast Enlarge Person
Pinocchio takes the oversized dagger in two hands and swings it like a sword because, for him, it essentially is.
"This is a fine mess..."
Kithian curses in orc and attempts to free himself from the clutches of mother nature.
Jut will take three rounds or so at a run to get back within target acquisition distance, this is round one.
Pinnochio and Cam pummel at the laughing and writhing cultist. He continues to laugh through the beating but is still concious...
Pinocchio swings again
Sayniek will move out of the entangle, but stay near Vidar to make sure that the big wizard does not get himself into any more trouble.
If needed,
Str:
Cam and Pinnochio continue to batter the laughing caster and succeed at getting him to consciousness.
"We don't want to leave him where his friends will find him if they retreat. Did that guy have anything useful on him?" He points at the dead cultist, "Other than a lot of Jut's arrows?"
"Let me have that dagger back, we need to get back to the camp." He gets the cultist up on his shoulders and moves back toward their camp.
Unable to see a foe to target, Vidar instead focuses on preparing for combat by giving his comrades a burst of magical speed.
The main camp scatters and then reform on the other edge of the smoke outside of the area of the entangle. In chaos Vidar casts his spell of haste on the paladin and barbarian. There is only quiet as the smokes stick hisses and sputter pouring out the last of its alchemical smoke. The haze hangs over the camp obscuring sight and little in the way of sounds offers any idea of what might come next.
Jut continues to run through the woods while Cam takes a quick survey of the downed cultist. Noting nothing of consequence and eager to move on, the bard hefts the unconscious cultist up and over his shoulders so he can move as swiftly as he can.
Pinocchio takes off back to camp as well.
Vidar kneels down, trying to shift position as quietly as possible, not wanting someone to pinpoint him inside the smoke and turn him into a pincushion.
Jutmerlum continues his run back to the camp...
As soon as Jut gets within striking distance he'll pull up short of the camp, go to a knee and search for threats...
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25
Stealth: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
Camillo mutters as he hustles back toward the camp. "You'd better have something to say, Giggles, or I'll mount you on my darkwood shield for the next fight with your idiot friends."
Sayniek stays near the wizard, prepared to defend him if anyone, or anything, approaches.
Perception:
Kithian attempts to locate a target in the smoke...
Perception:
Jutmerlum finally gets close enough that in the distance (about 120 feet or so) the fighter can see the smoke billowing from the campsite as well as the slow movmements of his new comrades as they seem to be contending with something on the other side of the smoke.
Pinnchio and Cam work their way back towards the camp, the bard moving a bit slower than normal having to contend with the adult person over his shoulder.
Meanwhile the camp group shifts uneasily and tries to listen and look for targets but even as the smoke starts to gain a modicum of transparency, there is no obvious movement or noise to orient against...
Pinocchio keeps running.
Camillo keeps carrying.
I swear, if someone steps out and proclaims this to be some grand test of our abilities...there is only ONE person that does not risk an instant retaliation by way of fire.
Keeping an arrow knocked, Jutmerlum races around the perimeter of the camp to try and get a bead on who might be starting the flames or might be hiding in the Smoke.
Sayniek continues to scan the area:
Someone is here. Question is who, and why?
Perception:
The smoke begins to dissipate in earnest and reveals little in the way of foes. Pinnochio and Cam continue to hustle back while the camp party whispers and searches. Jutmerlum approaches between the two groups...
Jut steadied his breathing and draws a second arrow, knocking them both to his bow in a single move and letting fly on his first target...
...as rapidly as he can muster he pulls a third arrow and looses...but he curses as the arrow slams into a tree trunk, shattering on impact...
..."Enemies in the treetops! Look upon look up! Wearin' camouflage!" He shouts towards the camp and draws a fourth arrow and looses...
"Camp, Pinocchio! Watch yourselves! Bushwackin' from the treetops!"
Following the arc of the arrows, Vidar sends a small ember of fire soaring towards the treetops.
At the opportune time he snaps his fingers, making the unstable substance burst into a fiery explosion.
Jut pauses in his approach, knocks, draws and loose. Yells erupt from the treetops as arrows pincushion a camouflaged attacker and he falls to the ground. Jut yells from the ground warning the camp of danger and Vidar responds by lighting the treetops on fire in a cacophony of sound and light. Two more yells end as flaming bodies meet the ground...
All seems quiet.
Pinocchio finally arrives. He busts through the brush into camp like the little running machine he is. Is everyone ok? Besides those guys, I mean. They are definitely not ok.
Kithian walks over to one of the treetops assailants and turns the body over with his booted foot.
Perception:
"Most efficacious, unfortunately that could easily have been spotted from faraway.
We should most likely relocate to somewhere safer."
Camillo finally hustles into view, unconscious baggage still on board. He dumps the fellow onto the ground near the campfire. He gestures at the tree and it's still-smoldering leaves, "Effective. I assume that was your work, Vidar."
He nudges his cargo with the toe of a boot, "This one and his dead friend had cultist masks on, so we obviously missed a few in Magnimar. We're definitely going to have to be on the lookout for more."
"I was half-afraid if I took the time to tie him up, I'd miss on the fun here and I didn't want to leave him there and have him escape. I guess he didn't escape, but I still missed the fun. Now we have time to truss him up properly..."
Vidar strokes his beard slowly before turning to Camillo.
"Well now master Duin, if you were to see something set alight, an easy way to find out who is responsible is to do approach master Darlock.
find out the level of current inebriation (by smelling his breath for example) and compare it to the handy mental sheet you no doubt have devised.
Should his current level be below the fifth stage then yes, it is indeed most likely my handiwork."
Jutmerlum leaves them to their joking and strides to the fallen figure garbed in now bloody camouflage and toes him over. Stooping low he checks his arrow grouped in the man's chest. Pulling then free he frowns at their condition and tosses then aside. The he sets about going thru the dead man's clothing for evidence. If they're mercenaries they might have info on who sent them...