"Right. Ambush it is. Shalelu, you and Vidar take up a hidden position over there. Pinocchio, you and I will take up a hidden position over there. Kithian and Sayniek, you wait for them to enter the clearing. We will wait to see if Sayniek can talk any sense into them and will attack with ranged fire if necessary. Quickly thrown together, but this may be nothing, after all."
Camillo tries to assist the barbarian in opening the trap.
Hmmm, draw them and and strike from two places at once, like an anvil and two hammers.
Could work, unless the hounds scent the hidden teams out and go for them instead of the bait.
Despite the possibility of failure, Vidar nods to Shalelu and heads to a good place to launch a sneak attack from.
Kithian, Cam and Shalelu manage to pry the trap open while Shalelu talks t ot the cat, He says they are large then men not like giants but ogres? I think he means ogre-kin. He has been running for some time. He seems to weak to move quickly if we want to run unless he is carried...
There are, luckily, a fair number of older growth trees and thick shrubbery. The clearing is circular and the dogs seem to be headings from the the north west.
Pinocchio hides in the brush
He then weaves a image of the cat in the trap, struggling to get free.
He then adds the appropriate noises.
"Shalelu, tell the cat I will carry it if necessary. I would prefer your bow was available." He sings a soothing song and strokes the wild animal's back, causing some of its wounds to close up.
He reaches toward the cat in an offer to pick it up,waiting to see if it allows. One way or the other, he heads to the side of the clearing to join the wooden boy.
Once his hands are free, he readied his bow for an ambush shot.
Vidar motions for Shalelu to climb the tree.
"Even should they spot me, they may very well focus so exclusively on me that they do not see you."
Sayniek, knowing that she has no skills in either stealth or climbing, instead stands on the side of the clearing near a tree where she will hopefully not be seen when the ogres arrive.
Stealth: <-- well she is quiet, and wasted a really good roll
Kithian grins and walks to the middle of the clearing and hoist the trap over his shoulder and draws his rather large sword.
Shalelu gestures to the bard and utters some words and the cat moves forward to accept the healing, content to move off under its own power once healed.
For her own part the ranger actually pats the barbarian on the shoulder as she steps into the brush as she moves about the site with a branch and some various plant materials apparently obscuring the sent of the dogs, It is true. Vidar. They will certainly see you before me. The elf winks at the wizard as she seems to almost magically blend in to the brush, obscured from all but the most focused of gazes.
With the party obscured it just a matter of minutes. The barking gets louder and louder until a large "man" leadinga pack of chained dogs breaks into the clearing. The dogs seems very disoriented and pull in a myriad of directions. The large human man, dressed in soiled common clothes, armor and furs has almost orange skin and strong non human shapes to his face and black hair.
Sixing up Kithian the man looks around and sees the empty trap, You stealing my catch?
Pinocchio hides in the brush
[Dice= stealth]1d20+12
He then weaves a image of the cat in the trap, struggling to get free.
He then adds the appropriate noises.
Camillo holds his action, waiting to give Kithian a chance to talk to the newcomer. However, he has a readied bow and a spell on his lips, waiting to see which will be more useful.
Kithian grins at the newcomer and shakes gis head. "Not your catch today. I think you and your girlfriends should run on back to what ever rock you crawled out from and try to catch something a little more your speed...like a skunk or maybe a blind possum. If not, things around here may have to get as ugly as your reflection."
Intimidate:
Sayniek chuckles softly as Kithian uses his most eloquent barbarian diplomacy in an attempt to woo the hunter.
Hmmmph, I shall give them one chance, precisely ONE, and then I shall introduce them to the concept of horribly fiery death at the hands of an irritable north-man."
The ogrekin rocks on his heels slightly suddenly unsure of himself, Look here that cat is uh...trouble...but...if you gunna get rid of it thats fine yeah? I just don't uh...want it around no more.
The half orc grins a toothy and humorless smile and shakes his head again. "Listen up ya ugly bastage, the cat is going with me. But you are going to tell me why you don't want it around any more, and what happened to its master. If you dont, well then I guess I am just going to have to nail your dork to that tree over yonder and beat you to fargin death with your icehole girlfriends."
The ogrekin blanches at the half-orc but summong a modicum of spine, This is my family's territory and we kill who we want. That cat's master is me and mine's. I don't want trouble but I ain't gunna be threatened.
Its clear he is on the precipice of dropping the leashes on his dogs or turning to go...
Sayniek, seeing the impasse between the two bastions of diplomacy, steps forward from where she was standing beside a tree.
Perhaps I can assist in this discussion. You seem to have met my friend Master Darlok. Currently he is using his best manners. I should let you know that the last person who decided that facing Master Darlok with steel rather than words is still attempting to find several of his limbs.
She pauses for effect for a moment.
The choice is yours. Walk away with your limbs and a slightly damaged honor. Or crawl away with no legs or honor.
Diplomacy : <-- if Intimidate is more appropriate, subtract 1
The dogs pulse and pull at the ogrekin and his eyes widen at the arrival of the newcomer. Whether it was the surprise of the arrival or a sudden instinct to flee, regardless the creature drops the chains on his dogs and turns to run back the way he came...
Kithian frowns as he readies his sword. He hated killing animals espescially good dogs just doing what they do.
Power attack:
Damage:
Pinocchio puppets his kitty illusion so that it seems to break free from the trap and charge after the Ogrekin!
Let's hope that draws some away...
Hmmph, I will not deplete my spells if this is all we face.
Instead of using magic, Vidar aims carefully at one of the dogs charging Kithian.
Naturally the larger group goes for the bigger meal. Or have they perhaps mistaken the smell and intend to try and mate?
Camillo draws back and lets fly at the ogrekin.
He then drops the bow and moves to aid the paloracle.
Dogs surge into the clearing. One seems absoultely convinced the cat is on the move and breaks from the group while two head to Kithian and the others head towards Sayniek.
Kithian cuts one down while the other gnarsl and ganshes but cannot seem to find flesh. The other two simply careen off Sayniek to the point where it seems the jostling will do more to hurt her than anything else. Vidar lands a blow on the remaining dog on Kithian.
Cam's arrow flies true and a breath later so too does one from Shalelu. The ranger moves to follow the ogrekin as Cam moves to the melee. The ogrekin continues to move off...
Sayniek growls as the dogs foolishly bounce off her armor.
Try to knock the hounds out, not kill them. They are not evil, just their cowardly master.
With that, Sayniek reverts to a defensively posture, hoping that the others and knock the dogs unconscious while they attack her.
Total Defense:
AC33
Kithian swings his swrd at the remaining dog.
Attack:
Damage:
Camillo will cast sleep to affect the dogs and not his allies.
No! Do not split up!
Frustrated, Vidar growls in the back of his throat.
His analytic mind quickly realizes that between Kithian and Sayniek, a few dogs will pose no problem, but the ogerkin might be too much for Shalelu alone.
The best thing to do is to help both her AND make sure this battle ends as quickly as possible.
And luckily, there is a spell that can do just that.
There! Now WE can catch up to the ogerkin, and the digs will fall swiftly.
Vidar then uses his magically enchanted speed to follow Shalelu.
Pinocchio realizes that the dogs are a distraction, if a rather bitey one. He takes of after the ogrekin. What he's going to do when he catches up... well that can be decided later.
Pinnochio and Shalelu are boosted in magical power by haste while Vidar grits his teeth that the party has split.
Cam's decision to sleep the dogs becomes easier when Kithian fells his remaining animal. Cam then targets the two that snap at Sayniek's armored body and the animals suddenly quiet and slump to the ground.
Unhinderd by the terrain unlike her prey, and boosted by magic, the Ranger closes to but a few feet and is still able to let loose and arrow that buries deep into the ogerkin's leg. He howls in pain and looks over his shoulder with a look of considered violence but the rapidly moving Wyrwood boy seems to unnerve the monster and he decided to keep his pace.
As he runs Pinocchio conjurs another image, this one an identical copy of the elven beauty that just put an arrow in the ogrekin's leg. He is hoping to at lease cause him to pause in confusion.
Kithian is run-naing!
All this running is unbecoming. I am really much more of a...stalker.
Vidar huffs in irritation and then takes off after Shalelu.
Sayniek limps along behind the rest of the group, not huffing or puffing, unlike the overgrown Ulfen child that somehow learned to cast spells.
Running, I think she moves 80' with haste.
Camillo stays with Sayniek, not wanting her to get ambushed with everyone way ahead.
|
WOW!
The ogrekin, now seeing that running is unlikely an option turn to fight. He move in a lumbering arc and brings a spiked club down on top of Shalelu with incredible force...and then smashes the ground as Pinnochio's silent illusion wavers.
The real Shalelu takes a hard tack from the combat and moves into the brush, looking as though she is taking a wide arc around the creature to cut him off if he runs again...
Pinocchio casts another spell to make the fake ranger grunt and dodge to the side. If he was lucky the illusion would keep the Ogrekin distracted.
Hmmph, he is not likely to escape now, so, let us just get into position...
Vidar forgoes any action besides moving for the moment.
Camillo continues to stride at Sayniek's pace. "Sounds like they might have treed him."
Sayniek looks over at Cam as she continues to limp along.
You think he is smart enough to know how to climb a tree?
Double move following behind.
He grins back, "I'm not sure, to be honest."
Charge!:
Damage:
I do not believe this will take up too much of our time, so I may as well bend part of my magnificent mind towards considering the next step...
Kithian slams into the ogrekin and elicits a strong yell from the creature as it is clearly unready for this fight. The combat is cut that much shorter as an arrow sinks deep in the ogre's side and then the large cat, once a victim of this hunter's trap, stalk from the brush and rends his foe apart from the back.
Shalelu, having emerged to shoot bob her head in satisfaction as the ogrekin sinks to the ground in death.
Pinnochio makes his copy of Shalelu turn a little dance spin and bow before winking out of existence. That was fun! he chirps.