The halfling waves his hand in the air to get the dwarf's attention. When Dorn glances over to him, he points ahead inside the building and to the left.
The dwarf nods at the halfling and then slowly makes his way in that direction, hoping to be the first to catch sight of what or whoever is within.
Vhailor catches a stray thought and furrows his brow, before raising an eyebrow and being distracted by the feeling of opening and closing his mouth in a silent 'pop'. Air tasting a bit strange he pokes his tongue out a couple of times before shrugging and resuming his stoic vigil. Then his ear starts to itch... a couple of moments pass as the gnome attempts to figure out how to scratch it with both hands full, before he puts the butt end of his staff forward and leans it's upper section against his non-becatted shoulder. Hand thus freed he engages in a short but vigorous digital investigation of the itch, before resuming his hold upon his staff.
Dorn and Kaleb continue slowly to advance into the dark farmhouse. The halfling's eyes must strain to distinguish shadow from shadow in the dim light, but the dwarf's sight is unhindered. The middle of the long room is a mass of dirty and rotting hay, and empty troughs, feedboxes, and crates are arranged around the perimeter. It would seem that the largest part of this building was used as an animal pen, maybe for sheep or goats.
Vhailor remains pensive at the priest's side.
Dorn looks to the halfling and points in the direction of the blue curtain. He then makes his way there as quietly as possible.
Marikel continues his count to a dozen, ready to charge in at the first sign of trouble.
Kaleb produced and lit a torch from his pack, with the intention of carrying torch in one hand and rapier in the other.
Marikel and Vhailor wait more or less patiently outside, with the gnome's cat and the dwarf's bird. The roc is taller than Vhailor and fixes the flameheaded gnome with a curious glance of its avian eyes.
Kaleb finishes lighting the torch.
The halfling's torch sputters into life, illuminating the eastern end of the room. A door in the northern wall can now be newly seen by those without darkvision, but the western side of the room is still in shadow. From within that darkness, a hoarse cry rings out, "Indringers!"
"I FOUND YER ORCS! AND THEY KINDA KNOW WE'RE HERE!" he yells to the others as he heads toward the blue curtain.
Cursing silently, Alicia quietly moves into a position next to the curtain and prepares to stab whomever pokes their head out with her hopeknife.
Alicia readies her hopeknife, balancing it in her hand so that she can throw it as soon as a target presents itself. With her free hand, she draws the hand crossbow from her belt.
A sound of movement is heard from the darkness, then a woman's voice shouts, "Daktani! 'N dwerg! Neem dit eers!"
Kaleb hustled after the Dwarf, softly cursing the larger humanoid's impatience.
The halfling hustles in, carrying his torch, revealing the dwarf engaged in battle with Urnsul. The black-haired woman is now fully dressed and armored. Kaleb and Alicia can now see, along the north wall, an entrance draped with a blue curtain, which a male half-orc is holding half-open as he peers out.
As Kaleb advances with the torch, Alicia takes the first chance to throw her hopeknife at the duplicitous half-orc, but the blade pings loudly as it rebounds off a metal stud in her leather armor and clatters to the floor.
A middle-aged male half-orc with a weathered face and gray at the temples pushes out past the younger man at the curtain, wielding a morningstar. "Skiet die meisie," he snarls as he passes, joining Urnsul in facing down Dorn. His swing doesn't have as much muscle behind it as hers did, but it is more accurate; the dwarf has to interpose his shield to deflect it.
The other half-orc steps forward into the room, and the curtain falls closed behind him. He draws a crossbow from his belt and slides a bolt into it.
At the sound of commotion, Marikel charges in, sword and shield at the ready.
"Follow me troops," he shouts over his shoulder as he does so.
"That might throw them."
Stomping hard to try to sound like a platoon of soldiers, Vhailor follows Marikel into the farmhouse, Carb on his shoulder.
"It's okay! They just want ta kill the dwarf fir... oh wait. Ya know, you could be a tad nicer, lass, you'll never make any friends with that kind of attitude," he tells her as a matter of fact as he steps to the side to give any others room to fight, bringing forth an animal instinct within himself as he swings at the hulking half-orc woman. "REAVER! MYND I ANGEN EICH HELP, FI FFRIND!"
The dwarf's swing comes no closer to hitting Urnsul than her attempt did to him.
Answering the dwarf's call, the roc follows Marikel and Vhailor toward the interior of the building.
Urnsul steps around the dwarf in turn and attacks again. This time she takes a bit more time lining up her swing, and the warhammer hits Dorn solidly.
Kaleb continued his movement into the room by somersaulting gracefully onto a table behind Urnsul. His exquisite rapier darted out in a swift jab, easily piercing the half-Orc's leather armour in the square of her back.
Alicia loads a bolt into her hand crossbow, lines up a shot and pulls the trigger. When she hears the crack of the bolt against stone walls rather than half-orcish flesh, the rogue curses and ducks around the corner of the door.
Skyreaver flies past Vhailor and Marikel into the farmhouse.
Alicia takes a precarious shot around the edge of the doorframe, then ducks back under cover before the half-orc can return fire.
Kaleb deftly hops atop a rickety animal crate and and stabs Urnsul square in the back, eliciting a squeal of protest.
Another half-orc pushes his way through the curtain with a loaded crossbow and quickly scans the room. "Waar is die meisie?" he demands. His fellow nods him to the western door. He is almost in the doorway when he spies Alicia in the corner. He steps back to get a clear shot and fires, but his aim is off and the bolt buries itself, quivering, in the wooden doorjamb between them.
Daktani backs away from Skyreaver and circles around to flank Dorn. "Wat is die storie oor die groot voël? Ons moet hier uit te kom!" He swings his morningstar at the back of the dwarf's head, but Dorn again manages to raise his shield to intercept the blow.
The half-orc at the curtain aims his crossbow at the roc that just flew into the room and fires, but the nimble bird swerves to avoid the bolt. He presses another bolt into place and steps toward the south.
What's with the huge bird? We need to get out of here!
Marikel rushes into the room and, seeing the battle before him, calls out to Iomedae.
Marikel charges in and calls on his goddess to bless his allies.
Vhailor enters on the priest's heels, drawing the wand he used on the rooftop spiders, and points it in the direction of the half-orc woman. The glowing force bullet deftly swerves around Kaleb and impacts Urnsul.
"Amgylchynwch yr un yma, Reaver, and attack!" he tells the bird, motioning toward Daktani.
Skyreaver does as instructed and flies on the opposite side of the male half-orc and attacks.
Darnak takes a swing at Urnsul and steps out from between the half-orcs after he does.
Skyreaver makes a wide swing through the western end of the room, swooping past the two half-orcs with crossbows in their hand, who can only duck and cringe as he passes. Daktani, however, attempts to swat the oversized bird out of the sky with his morningstar but mistimes his attack and misses badly. Skyreaver returns the favor with a snap at the half-orc, but Daktani just manages to weave out of the way of the closing beak.
Dorn swings his hammer at the injured woman, connecting solidly, before stepping out of his vulnerable position between the two half-orcs.
Urnsul takes a step to keep pace with Dorn and swings at the dwarf once again, but her grip on the weapon slips on the blood on the haft and she fails to injure him further. "Dit is net dat inmenging priester uit die huis van Broer Hond en sy volgelinge," she snarls. "Die dood van die dwerg, en die res sal maklik verslaan."
Dropping her hand crossbow and drawing her rapier, Alicia closes with the nearer of the two half-orcs. Taking advantage of his lack of a melee weapon, she stabs him.
Dropping the empty hand crossbow, Alicia darts through the doorway, drawing her rapier, and stabs at the half-orc who shot at her. Unfortunately, however, the deceptive shadows frustrate her aim, and the thin blade finds only empty air rather than the half-orc's flesh.
Irritated that the woman perceived Dorn as a greater threat than himself, Kaleb followed her, continuing to hound Urnsul as the half-Orc tried to defend herself from two attackers. His anger clouded his skill and the lunge was clumsy, although swift. His rapier left a second bloody wound as he once again pierced her guard and armour.
The woman should fall. The woman must fall, surely, given the grievous wounds on her blood-slick body, but somehow, against all reason, she remains on her feet.
The half-orc facing down Alicia grins and drops his own crossbow, drawing a short sword from his belt. "'Skiet die meisie.' 'Steek die meisie.' Geen verskil." He tries to stab Alicia, but without even poor visibility to blame, his attempt comes nowhere near harming her.
Daktani steps to complete the flank around Dorn and attacks once again. This time, the morningstar connects viciously, rattling the dwarf's very bones.
Looking for a likely target, the half-orc with the crossbow steps back toward the curtain and fires at Marikel. The well-aimed bolt finds a infinitesimal gap between the overlapping plates of his armor and draws blood.
As Dorn is struck solidly from behind, his eyes go wide, "Yep, that one smarts," he manages through pained breath before falling in a heap to the ground, motionless.
Seeing Dorn fall, Marikel charges the nearest opponent, bringing his longsword to bear on the unfortunate foe.
The priest charges up beside Kaleb, dealing Urnsul a wicked slash that opens her flank bloodily, but she somehow stays on her feet.
Vhailor follows more judiciously, bringing his wand to bear on the woman.
The bird lets out a shrill cry as Dorn falls and it moves with the half-orc, continuing its attack.
Seemingly angered by the dwarf's injury, this time the roc attacks viciously; both beak and claws come away bloody.
Urnsul turns, grievously wounded, and finally pays Kaleb the compliment of attacking him. Her eyes seem to have a hard time focusing on the halfing, however, seeming half-wild and half-glazed, and the warhammer swings harmlessly over his head. At the end of the swing, she falters, her fingers twitching on the haft, then collapses in a bloody heap.
Alicia's mouth thins into a grim line as Dorn falls. She stabs at the half-orc once again, this time finding her mark.
The tip of Alicia's rapier finally finds its target, piercing the half-orc's shoulder.
Moving smoothly under the war-hammer's clumsy arc, Kaleb was already moving as Urnsul fell in his wake. Stood protectively over Dorn's fallen form, Kaleb's rapier jabbed out to stab Daktani in the back of the thigh.
Kaleb flanks with the fallen dwarf's roc and drives the point of his rapier deeply into the half-orc's thigh. Along with the ravaging he just received at the beak and talons of the bird, Daktani succumbs to his injuries.
Sensing the tide of battle turning against him, the half-orc facing Alicia tries hurriedly to strike down the young woman, but his clumsy stroke fails to connect.
The other half-orc releases another bolt which defeats Marikel's scale mail before ducking back behind the curtain, which falls to conceal him from view.