Rauusk saw the glint of metal behind the trees, and nodded to the others. Prey! But while some of them rushed ahead, he moved more slowly, methodically pacing to find advantageous terrain. Once he had an unobstructed view of the fight, he drew a cruel black arrow to his cheek, then fired at what he thought to be either a spellcaster, or the leader of the humans. Cut off the head, kill the serpent. Feast on its remains.
His arrow arced down into the melee, expertly avoiding his companions.
The tiny kobold wiggles her toes excitedly at the sight of humans and hops off Bitey, making a signal with her arm. The sleek warcat creeps silently toward the humans, crouched low.
Can't let them get away, nope!
Ak'iss waves her arms in an almost silly fashion and drones out something that sounds draconic, but is not. Her spell complete, the grass and trees around the humans reach out and grasp at them.
Initiative order:
Rauusk -- 15
Agatha -- 16
Grumbar -- 11
Gorthug -- 9
Thorjo -- 7
Ak'iss -- 6
Okay, just because your initiative order says so, you can post out of order and I'll respond. Humans go last, for now. I'll roll initiative for humans on their next battle.
With a roar Grumbar spurs his warg to charge with his great axe in hand. He swings down on the first target cutting cleanly through him. He eyes the next humans hungrily.
Thorjo swings the spiked ball on his flail swiftly above his head before bringing it down on on solidly on one of the humans' head.
With his other hand he tries to cast a spell at the same target, but his spell fizzles.
Being unused to fighting mounted, especially with a weapon as cumbersome as a butchering axe, Gorthug spurred his mount forward and dismounted, ready to fight the human scouts.
Bitey sneaks up on the nearest human and does as expected. Ak'iss dismounts and takes a shot with her crossbow.
Agatha moves forward, and stares at Thorgo's foe.
Curse of the mother on you. May you strike but not hit
Agatha's left eye glows with a red, unnatural light, which envelops her target.
Human 1 save
Bitey sneaks up on the nearest human and does as expected. Ak'iss dismounts and takes a shot with her crossbow.
Bite vs flat footed: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7Bite damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Crossbow: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7Crossbow damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Miss. Don't worry, its par for the course.
[dice=Initiative]1d20+4
Rauusk saw the glint of metal behind the trees, and nodded to the others. Prey! But while some of them rushed ahead, he moved more slowly, methodically pacing to find advantageous terrain. Once he had an unobstructed view of the fight, he drew a cruel black arrow to his cheek, then fired at what he thought to be either a spellcaster, or the leader of the humans. Cut off the head, kill the serpent. Feast on its remains.
[dice=comp.longbow]1d20+5+1
[dice=dmg]1d8+1His arrow arced down into the melee, expertly avoiding his companions.
The attack did hit. You didn't see any spellcasters, but they do have a leader. He's in the back of the scouting party.
"Their leader hides in the back! Capture him, and we will have plenty of knowledge of their patrols," Rauusk growled to the other orcs (and kobold).
The humans are entangled. And lose initiative for one round as they hack themselves out of the entangling vines and grass.
I'm not sure where we are in the initiative, but on his next turn, Rauusk will fire at the leader again unless something changes drastically. Did we establish that the wargs are not combat trained?
You are correct in the initiative order, Rauusk.
Rauusk -- 15Agatha -- 16
Grumbar -- 11
Gorthug -- 9
Thorjo -- 7
Ak'iss -- 6
Humans -- 4
It is your turn. And your bow missed. Agatha is next up. No, the wargs are combat trained.
Having dismounted, Gorthug ran towards the nearest human with murderous intent
You hit and killed him in one swipe.
Grumbar steers his warg through the grasping plants towards the next closest victim and chops down hard.
Five.
Leader's dazed for 1 round.
The kobold and her companion continue cheerily 'contributing' to the battle at hand.
If the last guy Thorjo hit is still up, Thorjo attacks him, again. If not, he'll move to a new target (that's not the human leader).
With his other hand he tries to cast a spell at the same target (assuming it's still alive)...
...and this time he manages to cast the spell.
But his aim is completely off. Thorjo snarls in annoyance.
Both of you miss.
Oh and the humans are now hiding behind trees, giving them cover from your attacks. Especially that butchering axe.
Rauusk rode up to the bewildered human leader with his sword drawn, threatening to cut his throat if the other humans continued their attack. Glory shone in his red eyes at the risky move.
Yep, you managed to take him hostage.
"The gods smile on us this day! HUMANS! FALL BACK, OR YOUR LEADER DIES!" Rauusk roared, dragging the human back toward the orcs with his sword to the man's throat.
The humans all look at each other, and then shrug as they hide behind their cover. Was he their leader?
His axe dripping with gore, Gorthug rushes up to the next human. He grunted as axe met bone. While not as devastatingly powerful as his first swing, it was still enough to stop a raging barbarian dead in his tracks. He pulled it out, spraying blood as he did so, and roared "Gruumsh! All glory to the one eyed lord!"
Another one dead. One captured, and two dead. Three humans are left. Boy that butchering axe is brutal.
Confused by the humans' less-than-enthused reaction to his words, Rauusk nevertheless dragged the human back behind the other orcs, keeping his sword at the man's throat. Leader or not, he consoled himself, they would have someone to interrogate.
Impressed by Gorthug's prowess with his axe, he yelled as he passed, "Gruumsh's strength flows through you, Gorthug! Mighty power for mighty deeds!"
Both of you miss.
Oh and the humans are now hiding behind trees, giving them cover from your attacks.
Somewhat aware of the prisoner Rauusk has taken, but much more aware of the human still in front of him, Thorjo attacks, again, this time only focusing on hitting with his flail, rather than also trying to bring a spell to bear.
But his flail catches on the branch of a tree, foiling his attack.
Thorjo casts burning hands at the cowering men, moving after his attacker, if necessary. If he can get more than one human in the cone of fire that he releases, he will. And this has the added benefit of catching the trees that they hide behind on fire, maybe even providing cover from their arrows.
Grumbar looks up with a suprised expression as the fire shoots out from Thorjo. Turning back to the task at hand he guides the warg to another target but it seems unnerved by the fire and gives him trouble. Once by the human he hops off his mount and swings his axe.
Thorjo casts burning hands at the cowering men, moving after his attacker, if necessary. If he can get more than one human in the cone of fire that he releases, he will. And this has the added benefit of catching the trees that they hide behind on fire, maybe even providing cover from their arrows.
[dice=damage]1d4+1
They are ten feet away from you.
Two of the humans that are left get burned.
Grumbar looks up with a suprised expression as the fire shoots out from Thorjo. Turning back to the task at hand he guides the warg to another target but it seems unnerved by the fire and gives him trouble. Once by the human he hops off his mount and swings his axe.
ride: 1d20 ⇒ 3
greataxe: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
damage: 1d12 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Based on your ride totals, your warg doesn't go anywhere. Hopping off your warg to attack another target is feasible, and you kill another human. Two are left, and one of them is not burned by the burning hands spell.
The human is afflicted with the evil eye hex.
Finally, the kobold and her friend stop fumbling around and start doing something. Just in time too...
you kill a human. Leaving the hexed and burned human and the human who is captured by Rauusk. The bodies are there, waiting to be looted.
Thorjo closes in on the final human, swinging his flail above his head in a tightly controlled circle before trying to slam it down onto the man's head.
Running up after Thorjo, Gorthug swung his axe with brutal force. He bellowed with hatred, bloodlust, and zealousness, in equal amounts.
The humans are dispatched, their bodies dead and waiting to be looted.
"Let's grab anything worth grabbing and find out from this sack of meat where the rest of his group is."
Grumbar begins looking through packs and pockets to search for anything worth taking.
You find ten coin sacks, each has twenty gold coins in them. The 'sack of meat' clamps his mouth shut. The rest of the group were armed with daggers and covered in leather armor.
Speaking in the human tongue, Rauusk dragged the man closer by the front of his armor.
"You think you are the lucky one, to have survived? We like our meat fresh," he grinned down at the poor guy, showing off his fangs. "Your death will be slow, meat... unless you give us reason to show you mercy. You see her?" He pointed at Agatha. "She speaks to powers you can't imagine. She will curdle the blood in your veins. And she is the kindest of us."
He tossed the man back to the ground, taking his weapons from him. "Talk, or suffer," he promised, glowering with eyes like banked coals.
Thorjo stands behind Rauusk and growls at the prisoner.
Gorthug goes from corpse to corpse, stabbing out an eye from each. As he does so he says prayers to the One Eyed God, entreating him to eat the souls of the slain.
Once he's finished looting the bodies, Grumbar paces back and forth, axe in hand, glaring at the prisoner.