William fires at the dwarven zombie yet again, hoping to do some lasting damage.
Shortbow :
Damage :
Wincing, he tries to at least encourage the others, "Keep fighting lads, we've almost got these blasted things!"
Round 10:
William fires another shot, seeing it penetrate the armor but do no debilitating damage to his target.
The dwarf zombie in the grease flails about ineffectively at those hacking away at it, while the one entangled tears loose this round. The human zombie fights its way through the grasping plants towards Jon, only to hit the grease and lose its footing, sprawling at his feet.
Gendo, remembering the blade in his hand, slashes at the prone dwarf zombie. However, its mail turns aside the blade.
Auric drives the axe down into the dwarf zombie's head a final time, hearing a satisfying crunch beneath the ringing of metal on metal, and the undead thing finally lies still.
Jon, not to look a gift zombie in the mouth, swings down at the zombie below him. The blow slices deep into the zombie's neck, and Jon comes away looking rather triumphant, feeling a surge of morale for felling the thing in a single stroke.
William cries in triumph as Auric and Jon down two more of their attackers, "Excellent work! Just the last one to topple now, and man is he an ugly one..."
He then fires another arrow at the zombie before his companions move in.
Shortbow :
Damage :
Auric runs down to the last dwarf zombie, using a more careful swing.
Throwing axe:
I follow Auric , where I jump into the air, executing a short, quick forward flip through the air to build extra momentum as I slam my leg down atop the dwarf with as much force as I can muster.
Attack:
Damage:
Round 11:
The grasping, twisting vegetation stills as Jon's spell comes to an end.
William fires a shot and catches the zombie in the neck, rocking it back a bit with the force of the shot.
The zombie shambles forward in a rush, lashing out at Auric with an armored forearm. The blow catches Auric hard in the chest.
Gendo steps around Auric and executes a forward flip, bringing a kick down across the zombie's temple, knocking it aside but doing no injury.
Auric strikes back with his axe, the blade impacting with the mail and doing no damage.
Jon moves around the grease and presses the attack on the dwarf zombie while momentum is still on his side. He strikes down into its shoulder, parting chain links and slicing flesh and bone in a deep cut.
Recovering his breath, Auric swings again at the dwarf zombie.
Throwing Axe:
I quickly return to my feet and deliver a couple of rapid axe kicks to the dwarf, driving the heel of my foot as hard as possible into the dwarf zombie.
attack 1:
damage if hit:
attack 2:
damage if hit:
Jon steps to F8 to flank with Auric. He swings his sickle, aiming to cut the foul thing's unlife short and return it to its proper cycle!
Attack:
Damage:
Round 12:
William maneuvers around the group, attempting to get another clear shot on the zombie. Attack Roll: Damage Roll: The arrow thuds into the zombie's side, doing no significant damage.
The zombie lashes out at Auric again, but he manages to get his shield up and block the strike.
Gendo's kicks thud down on the zombie, bowing it slightly with each impact but not harming the thing.
Auric brings his axe down on its head, but the blade is turned by the steel cap.
Jon maneuvers around the thing, slicing crosswise with his sickle. The blade catches the zombie in the side of the neck, slicing in deeply. When Jon wrenches the blade away, the zombie teeters slightly, and then collapses to the snowy ground, ending the battle.
"And stay dead this time!", Auric says, kicking the dwarf's booted foot.
"Everyone in one piece? Let's say we check over the bolthole for anything useful and dispose of anything incriminating before another patrol comes to look for this one."
"Agreed. Let's be quick."
Perception to search the area and bodies:
"And stay dead this time!", Auric says, kicking the dwarf's booted foot.
"Everyone in one piece? Let's say we check over the bolthole for anything useful and dispose of anything incriminating before another patrol comes to look for this one."
Auric's words appear to be prophetic. As the party begins to pick amongst the bodies, they are alerted to the jangle of mail and the clank of armor as a group of six heavily armed and armored dwarves round the rocks to the south. Their leader is clad in wickedly spiked full plate, with a crest of spikes atop his full helm. He carries a dwarven waraxe studded with polished black onyx and red sard. The five chainmail clad dwarves hold loaded heavy crossbows.
Seeing three humans and a halfing picking over the bodies of dead dwarves, the leader raises his axe in your direction.
"Rebels and murderers! Drop your weapons and surrender."
Auric drops his axe.
"Thank Baal you finally arrived, my lord! Not a moment ago were all these dead men at our throats, risen as horrors from beyond the grave! More could easily be wandering through these very passes!"
Diplomacy:
Jon groans low in his throat. 'Of course. The walking dead are not enough, there would have to be dwarves, too.' He drops his sickle to the ground, and slowly tucks away his mistletoe, not moving threateningly in any way.
William gently lowers his bow to the ground and calls out to the dwarves, "He speaks the truth my lords, I have no idea what carnage claimed their lives but they arose with murderous intent as we arrived."
Diplomacy (Either to aid Auric or vice versa) :
"Why bother proclaiming the truth of what has occurred, we are not dwarves, regardless of the fact that one amongst us is an annointed faithful of Baal. Be that as it may," I drop the dagger to the ground, before gesturing to the refallen dwarves.
"We came across these savaged and slain warriors only a few minutes ago. When it became apparent that there was no movement, we chose to investigate and see if anyone was in need of help. No sooner than we started to look amongst the fallen, that they arose and attacked us. That is the truth of what occurred."
As I finish I step back away from the dagger, sit down in lotus position, and meditate.
The spike-armored dwarf listens to your explanations. If he has any visible reaction to your claims, it is hidden beneath his helm. When you are done speaking, he puts his axe up over shoulder.
"You spill the lies of desperate men. As captain of the Jarl's guard, I name you murderers and enemies of the lawful order. Execute them."
His soldiers move to fulfil his command.
Initiative:
Auric's face hardens as he readies his shield once more.
"You will live to regret your choice, thick-headed, stunty, maggot sucking, bastard son of an orc."
Initiative Check:
Jon, feeling the urge to trust the voice, shouts, "No! This way!" He bolts for the west, not bothering to collect his sickle.
Init:
William looks at Jon with fear in his eyes, "A sound plan!"
Careful to collect his bow first, William quickly withdraws.
Init :
I follow Jon.
Auric stands firm, determined to hold the rear.
"Go! I'll catch up!"
Initiative Order:
Dwarven soldiers
Jon
Gendo
Dwarven captain
William
Auric
The dwarves raise their heavy crossbows and unleash a volley into the party. Auric watches the head of one bolt splinter through his shield before taking a hit in the thigh. Gendo deftly dodges a bolt, hearing it whiz past his head to splinter on the rock face behind him, when a second takes him in the shoulder.
And poor William can only stare in shock as he suddenly finds a finned shaft protruding from his belly.
At this point, Jon runs, urging the group to follow him as he tears off to the west.
Gendo, after initially preparing for battle, takes off after Jon, falling in just behind him.
Their leader watches the crossbow fire tear into the group, then strides his way across the field of fallen, stepping over bodies as he heads for Auric.
Wincing in pain, William bends down and retrieves his fallen bow, then moves in the direction Jon and Gendo went.
Auric stands his ground, giving his companion time to make good on his retreat before following, keeping his shield raised against further fire.
Auric lags behind, his wounds almost overcoming him.
"Runty bastards.",he coughs.
Jon glances over his shoulder, then comes to a stop as he sees Auric lag behind and William's wounds. [b]"Curse the stunted legs and morals of dwarves!" He begins invoking the Green, calling upon the forces of Nature to save his friends.
William hugs his stomach and winces in pain as he yells to Jon, "Look after the big man, I'll be fine!
Turning back to Auric and the advancing dwarves, "Take the pony and get behind me you fool!"
William delays until Auric has moved and then slips back 20ft along the rock face before invoking a spell. As he incants, a large 50ft wall of rock, 10ft high appears to rise from the ground in front of William. The wall extends out from the rock face and across the field, cutting his companions off from the dwarves.
EDIT : If Auric is unable to move behind William, he creates the rock wall just in front of Auric, rather than himself.
Auric clumsily climbs onto the pony's back.
"Well pardon me for being valiant!"
William calls back to the blacksmith, "Oh yes, I'm certain your corpse will be capable of many valiant acts in the future."
Disabled: A character with 0 hit points, or one who has negative hit points but has become stable and conscious, is disabled. A disabled character may take a single move action or standard action each round (but not both, nor can he take full-round actions, but he can still take swift, immediate, and free actions). He moves at half speed. Taking move actions doesn't risk further injury, but performing any standard action (or any other action the GM deems strenuous, including some free actions such as casting a quickened spell) deals 1 point of damage after the completion of the act. Unless the action increased the disabled character's hit points, he is now in negative hit points and dying.
Round 2:
The soldiers begin cranking the windlasses on their crossbows, rearming them and loading new ammo for another volley.
Jon finishes casting this round, as a shaggy pony appears. He slaps it on the rump, sending it galloping towards Auric.
Gendo delays at this point, standing guard near Jon.
The captain stands calmly, leaning on his axe. "The lanky one is a spellcaster. You two, advance and fire on him," he says, indicating the two soldiers nearest him.
Auric, arms wide, slows the pony to a stop. He clambers atop it, leaving streaks of blood on its hide, then kicks it into movement again. The pony trots off towards Jon again.
As Auric moves closer to safety, William casts his spell and brings a large rock wall into existence, blocking off sight of the attacking dwarves. Without missing a beat, the captain redirects his men. "You other three concentrate fire on the halfling. I don't want to see a single bolt not targeting him or the tall, skinny one. Flank around to the southwest and don't let them get away."
Jon hears the threats and scowls. He spends the round searching quickly to find berries to enchant!
Perception or Know: Nature:
Brilliant, now I'm public enemy number 1..."
With Auric moving to safety and the wall in place, William bolts towards the others as fast as he can, angling to end up near some trees if possible.
"Hey, is it true dwarves will hump a hole in a stone wall to avoid sleeping with their beastly wives?", Auric calls back while clinging to the pony for dear life.
Jon looks around desperately for berries, finding naught but barren brush and grass in the area.
Meanwhile, William runs to catch up with the druid and Gendo, who still stands guard over Jon.
Last round, the pony was able to get the paladin within ten feet of Jon and Gendo. Auric, throwing insults behind him to the dwarves, is startled when his pony suddenly disappears out from under him as Jon's spell runs its course, dumping him uncermoniously to the ground. In his condition, it takes all of his strength this round just to hobble to his feet this round.
The dwarves are still out of sight behind William's illusory wall, but the party can hear the clank and jangle of armor as they hustle to circle around it coming from the south and east.
William continues to maintain his focus on the wall as he backs away. Now looking for a suitable place to duck behind next round.
He yells to the others, "Get yourselves out of here, I'll catch up!"
Jon runs forward and grabs Auric, throwing him over his shoulder. "Curse their eyes! We must be gone!" He runs as best he can, holding the wounded warrior and hustling to get away from the dwarves.
I help Jon with Auric.
Jon moves up and grabs Auric, and Gendo moves to assist, grabbing his legs. The two then begin hustling off with him to the west.
William keeps the wall up another round, moving over to a rocky outcropping that he figures should block the dwarves line of sight when they come around the high ground to the south.
The dwarves continue to hustle around the illusory wall and intervening high ground. William manages to catch a quick glimpse of one between rocks. His best bet is that they'll emerge about 60 feet south of his location, giving them shots at the others once they move north toward his position.
"Once we get our second wind, you stumpy bastards'll be sorry! We'll see how fast you can waddle off when the tables are turned!", Auric calls back while slung between Gendo and Jon.
William sports a small grin at the blacksmith's taunting, he mutters to himself, "Just so long as you live to get that second wind. Run faster you damn fools, what else are those long legs good for?"
William maintains the wall's appearance for now but prepares to drop as soon as the dwarves clear the far end. Hopefully he will be able to slip away at this point and meet up with the others.
He searches for an escape route that will keep him out of the dwarf's sight.
Perception :
William and Gendo continue to hustle along bearing Auric as he yells taunts and insults behind them at their pursuers.
The dwarves manage to make it around the high ground that abutted William's illusory wall.
William heads for a number of stones jutting from the ground, intending to use them as cover to get ahead of the soldiers and try to catch up with his companions. He's startled when a thin outcropping of rock near his head suddenly shatters under the impact of a crossbow bolt. Looking up, he notes that one of the dwarves has spotted him. Luckily, the dwarf doesn't take the time to reload and simply chugs along in pursuit. William bolts. The others continue to cut northwest, working on gaining a clear line of sight to the others.
Given the already considerable lead Jon and William have, they feel fairly confident about staying ahead of their pursuers, even with Auric as baggage...right up until they hit the gorge.
The ground drops out under them as a spectacular ravine cuts through the mountainside, dropping for a few hundred feet to a blue ribbon of river below. A few stunted pines cling tenaciously to the rocky sides of the gorge. You're not certain you'd be able to do the same; the cliff face is a sheer drop and a challenge to any experienced climber. The sound of dogged pursuit still echoes from behind you.
"Curse it! William, I don't suppose you have any more clever illusions at the ready? We must head south. Hurry!" Jon begins to hustle southward (assuming the dwarves are coming from the north).