Sentis is revolted by the scene and doesnt see much reason to stick around.
Tracks are fresh Sunny. Do you want to follow them?
Grusk sweeps a wide arch ahead setting up a forward perimeter....waiting for the others to continue forward....
Following the trail left from the carnage it takes only a half hour before you can spy your quarry upon the horizon. From this distance you can't see much beyond that it appears to be a similar profile to your own. Unbowed you continue to follow and anticipation and unease grows as you near... Holmburg, unsettled by the churned remains is assured by Doc and lead into the head of your strange wagon - given comfort in control of some of the weaponry.
Another ten minutes or so and you see the vehicle ahead of you stop... and begin a slow circle to one side. The figures are still small, but Sentis can make out some of the finer details. It is an open carriage drawn by a team of four draft horses, and the carriage bears but a single occupant... red tinged and seeming to stand upright in a crucifix pose. There are also a half dozen outriders near to the wagon on horses - mwangi, and similarly tinged with red.
Whatever they are they seem to have noticed you, and are turning to meet you... preparations for engagement would seem prudent.
Grusk stays on the ground
"Seems they done spotted us."
Grusk looks for a good place to hide and watch as the wagon approaches.
Stealth
Perception
+2 monsterous humanoids
Initiative
Sentis quickly relays what he sees going on as he dons the Tolokoshe mask. He took up the reigns and prepared to drive the War wagon into battle for the first time...hopefully it doesn't show too bad that I have no idea what I'm doing... The druid banished the unsure thoughts and asked Doc.
Any advice?
Noting the enemies, Blaze starts to issue orders "Grusk, sneak around behind them and help us spring an ambush. Sentis, pull us close and then join me on the ground to help Grusk. Doc, you and Holmburg man the weapons and cover us."
He smiles at his second "Uh, unless you have a better idea. I want to get on the ground and at least attempt some diplomacy"
Sentis nodded at the orders and started moving the war wagon closer.
I have a feeling that diplomacy isn't going to work this time. That man standing in a such a strange pose in the wagon is creeping me out.
There isn't too much to the ground that would lend itself to ambushing per se... given that it is mostly flattened plains. However there is enough brush and rise and fall in the terrain that Grusk is confident he can hide himself away from sight if he stays reasonably still. Circling around behind them would be difficult... not impossible, but challenging.
As the carriage draws closer, you can make out more of the opposing figure's features. The outriders seem to hang limp in their saddles, and their heads loll about as they ride... but you see them move enough to note that they are actively guiding their horses. Their chests are not just reddened, but have been torn open in similar manner to the Bas'o you saw earlier.
The figure on the carriage is slightly different. The red tinge that you saw from afar starts at it's mouth and spills down it's front... though there are no wounds upon him. It's hands are also tinged red with blood and you see that the floor of the carriage is awash with it. There are no evident reins, so he must be controlling the horses via some other manner. It is a mwangi man though - you are reasonably sure of that.
All of the horses you see appear to be mortal and mundane, though their movements are slightly more lethargic than you might expect. As the morbid and macabre procession grows closer, the outriders being to sweep out in a circling motion - three to each side of you like pincers ready to pounce... while the carriage plows directly for you.
Horrified at the sight; Sentis stared wide eyed for a second.
How, and even why; would we talk with that? We will be doing the world a favor by destroying whatever it is.
The half elven druid called to mind one of his most powerful spells and looked around hoping for rain clouds.
Let me know when I am needed on the ground Captain. Else I will just blast them with lightning from here.
Blaze smiles at the druid "When you're right, you're right. Didn't realize how bad it was. Grusk, belay that order and get your butt back in here, double time! Blast these abominations straight back to whatever hell they sprang from!! "
"Yuck. That fellow def'nitly looks like he'd be better off dead." Doc says. "Pack wagon field-test one, here we go."
"Holmburg! Line up the sights down the nose with the hand levers. The thumb buttons trigger the bolt-throwers!"
Doc lines up his own shot and fires the Trident-Launcher.
The two missiles streak towards their target. A ratcheting sound inside the packwagon's head starts the auto-reloading process for the left-eye bolt thrower. The Trident collapses into ash and smoke, reforming in the cannon tube once again.
Being sure he has not been spotted yet Grusk takes aim at the figure on top the wagon....once it closes within range (30).....
Composite Shortbow Attack
+2Monsterous humanoids
Damage +2Monsterous humanoids
Sneak attack +
"We got trouble!"
The bolt thrower's action releases with a hefty thunk and the large quarrel sails through the air to strike on the carriage... but the structure shrugs off the blow without being overly damaged. The trident misses by a small margin due to the range, but you seem to have garnered it's attention.
You can hear chanting begin to emanate from the carriage with the crossed man, deep and sonorous and carrying across the plain... a mwangi dialect that you don't fully understand, but catch snippets of meaning. Something about child gods... strength of flesh... and burning.
The riders continue to circle around, while the carriage ploughs straight towards you once more.
With the very impressive war wagin seeming to be in good position; Sentis thought about jumping down to the ground...but first, lets see what this thing is made of... The half elf had had a deeper connection to nature now and called upon one of its most destructive forces. A bolt of lightning struck down from a clear sky to strike the macabre being in the wagon.
Grusk utilizes fast stealth
Stealth
Slings his bow across his back and makes a dash for the pack wagon, using acrobatics and the idea he has had for more than a few days, he uses the mounts to enter the front of the wagon....
Acrobatics check
Blaze will man one of the shoulder launchers.
Dog presses a lever down and engages a foot pedal. Rack and pinion gear mechanisms spin the payload selector and bring up a canister with a red stripe painted around it.
"Mortar mark III, standard shot. I call that a successful test." Doc says to himself with a grin.
"How you doin' Holmburg?"
Holmburg fires again, apparently doing fine.
The left thrower locks into it's armed state ready to be fired again. The right mechanism engages, bringing a new bolt down and ratcheting back the firing springs.
The sky parts and a thunderous cascade of lightning strikes the mwangi atop the chariot. You see a flicker of pain and a grimace, but the strike is endured with little pause.
Grusk moves with stealth low to the ground and rejoins the ankheg battle wagon, slipping into the interior.
Blaze moves within the wagon to a shoulder launcher and awaits the rider's approach.
A mortar shot explodes atop the crucified mwangi, though as the smoke clears the damage sustained does not appear to match expectation. The carriage is singed and the woodwork is damaged, but the mwangi itself has but light scratches and bruises.
Holmburg unleashes antoher bolt at the crucified target, striking along a flank and leaving a torn gouge in it's side.
The carriage then stops in place as the ankheg continue to move forward towards it. The riders upon the flanks charge towards the carriage, drawing alongside. As they do so the chest cavities of the mwangi tear further open and the ribcage looks to almost be as a oversized jaw, jagged edged and biting. All six riders leap from their saddles and attempt to get a grip upon the exterior of the ankheg wagon...
Acrobatics:
Acrobatics:
Acrobatics:
Acrobatics:
Acrobatics:
Acrobatics:
...though none of the macarbe figures manage to get decent purchase and instead tumble to the ground.
The mwangi atop the carriage though begins to chant in a dark tongue and his eyelids flutter. Based on the words and intonation it would appear that some kind of summoning spell is being attempted...
The young wolf growled and bolted from where he had hidden with Grusk and snapped at one of the outriders ankles.
Absolutely horrified at the sight of what used to be a man in the carriage and more so for the chanting issuing forth from it; Sentis called upon nature again to strike with lightning.
The chanting figure seems to be up to no good.....
Composite Shortbow Attack
Damage
Doc raises his eyebrow in amazement as the smoke slears around the other wagon and shows the unexpected lack of damage.
"Tough Sonofab!~%!."
With nothing much to do but keep firing, Doc adjust his aim on the Trident Launcher and fires...
Holmburg continues to fire the bolt-throwers at the gruesome Mwangi.
Blaze launches a trio of bolts made of pure energy at the chanting Mwangi
Concentration Checks:
The chanting figure shrugs off the worst of your attacks with only momentary pause - Blaze's magical missives making some impact, but unable to disrupt it's summoning. The words come to a close, and a figure appears on the right flank of the wagon... a great hunched giant, akin to those that ply the hills as bandits... though covered with a black fur and bearing four arms that end in sharp and elongated claws. The giant charge the wagon, thumping into it's side with a heavy weighted arm...
Claw attack on wagon: for
The six dehorsed creature converge upon Baran, and seek to wrestle the wolf into submission...
Grapple:
The mwangi atop the wagon pauses for a few moments, though it is now bloodied and surveys how you react.
Grusk takes aim at the spellcaster hoping to catch him unawares.....
Composite Shortbow Attack
Damage
Sneak attack +
Sentis draws his scimitar as he calls down another bolt of lightning at the horridly posed creature in the wagon.
The mwangi shrugs off another of the lightning strikes as Baran is buried under enemy flesh just to the wagon's rear.
Grusk's arrow flies true once more and sinks into the flesh of the crucified man, who is now seeming to become more haggard and drawn with the force of injuries incrementally mounting up.
The ankheg come to a stop, but are clearly in some distress given the force of battle. They seem to be fighting impulses to either charge forward or wheel to face the newly arrived giant.
Holmburg kept the trigger held down, letting the mechanism discharge as soon as it was ready, throwing bolt after bolt into the flayed mwangi.
Doc spat out the butt of his cigar and adjusted the mortar's aim a bit, firing another bomb toward the terrible wagon opposite them.
Looking to his right at the giant that had suddenly appeared next to them, he cursed.
"Blaze, git those bugs attackin' or buried! We need all the help we c'n git!"
The young wolf struggles to free himself from the press of enemies bearing down on him. He growled and yipped in frustration and fear.
Sentis didn't know what to do but thought that the cross posed figure in the wagon was the key to it all. He could feel the power of nature right there waiting for his call so call on it he did.
"Sentis, I need you to take the reigns here! We need the ankhegs to assist us!"
With that said, Blaze jumps out of the driver's seat and joins Grusk on the ground.
"Grusk, let's take it to that four armed freak, Wolfpack style!"
"Sure thing Blaze, Ill lead the way!"
Greataxe Attack
+2 vs Monsterous humanoids
Damage
+2 vs Monsterous humanoids
Precise strike +