The reinforcements (those surviving, that is) hesitate briefly, but moves in to deal with Antonius and Kyras. In both cases, one of them circle around, while the other attacks head-on. The one who took a shot-gun blast to the chest drops his sword to drink a potion first, however.
,
,
There's the stomp of feet as the invisible cleric closes in with Inara, and comes into your vision, just as he is about to whack her upside the head with a heavy, flanged mace.
,
stupid things... Kyras mutters as dodges the wild swing, once again thankful he had received monk training. He takes a fluid backstep as part of the dodge and fires again. Catching the remaining foes.
All vs touch
There's the stomp of feet as the invisible cleric closes in with Inara, and comes into your vision, just as he is about to whack her upside the head with a heavy, flanged mace.
The cleric is an hobgoblin? Or what? What knowledge I should use to identify him?
"You will never again attack travelers. By the power of Abadar I will bring you to justice!"
possible +2 with flanking
He screams a battlecry at you as your blade impacts on his armor, but your slash doesn't penetrate.
Kyras will shout take the leader alive if possible! He speaks of a slayer of gods.
As he shouts he hesistates a moment and casts a cautious glance to the musket at his feat, then he moves away from the attackers to a position where he can catch both of them with his shot.
to avoid AoO
Pelius moves away from the cleric that suddenly poped on his face, and again, from the silver medal with Asmodeus symbol, a wave of life-ravaging energy comes.
Sorry Kyras, I know he can be useful, and I hope he survives somehow, but now I fear for our lives.
Kyras' Shotgun knocks one of them down, and Pelius' red-tinged dark waves cause most of the remaining hobgoblins to collapse. The cleric is made of tougher stuff, and simply wipes the blood off of his face with the back of his arm.
Round 6
Antonius groans as the hobgoblins blade cut across his back; not quite pain, not quite satisfaction. He glares at the two vagrants and raises his sword. Suddenly a flash of negative energy washes over them, causing one to retch horribly before collapsing.
Never one to question good fortune Antonius turns to face the remaining warrior. He drops the tip of his sword as a distraction, giving him an opportunity to quickly kick out the legs of the warrior. He follows it up with a brutal stab aimed straight for the heart.
Antonius over-shoots the crack of his beastwood blade, but drives his estoc clean through the hobgoblin's body, his fish-scale mail cracking under the pressure of the sword's point.
"You want him alive? Okiedokie! Hey, I see you drinking that, sneaky! " She points at one of the 'dead' hobgoblins.
Inara hops backwards. As she moves her shortbow melts away. Her empty hands darken as she summons a creature for the second time; now the form of a giant snake appears. "Wrap him up!" Inara gestures and the snake follows her command. It bites at the cleric and tries to grapple him.
Meanwhile the shortbow appears back in Inara's hand
The snake slithers across the forest floor, and squeezes the life out of the hobgoblin.
"Clear the other guys and keep yourself alive and I will get the cleric alive for interrogation. But then he should be tried for higway robbery and, I suspect, murder."
Eyes zeroing in on Pelius' holy symbol, he snarls, furiously, and closes in, apparently with every intention of killing the priest, even if it's the last thing he'll ever do. In the process, he leaves himself wide open for attack by Johannes, turning his back on him, even.
,
Meanwhile, the last warrior standing rushes Kyras in a desperate last ditch effort, bashing at him with his shield.
,
,
The hobgoblin barely manages to get his shield in there as he passes - the flat of your blade impacts on the metal-bound edge of his shield, causing the steel to vibrate in your hands.
Kyras shouts a warning too johannes
watch out! The swing is more powerful than normal!
Kyras using his determination ability to force the goblin to re-roll his attack role.
However his concern causes him to let his guard drop slightly and he feels the bite of steel moments later. He stumbles back another step while jamming the shells into the barrel before firing again.
The shots impact, and the hobgoblin falls to the ground as a bloody mess. A good deal of his face is missing.
The timely warning let's Pelius duck out of the way - instead of a bash to his skull, he takes a hit to the shoulder. Painful to be sure, might even be broken, but at least he isn't dead.
Pelius strides to get into a safe position, and chants a spell to vanish again; Then, the wonded priest looks for protection behind Antonious, while wondering what kind of spell has casted the old hunter on himself to shape change.
"I am your enemy, follower of chaos."
Johannes move to interpose himself between the last position where he saw Pelious and the cleric, not caring if that action expose him.
Noticing the how Pelious holy symbol caught the cleric attention and his anger he tries to draw his fury away from his companion and on himself.
"Abadar, guide my hand"
,
The cleric tries in vain to bash your head in, and your riposte is swift.
The flat of your blade hits his helmet, and he collapses to his hands and knees, heaving.
He's probably not getting ready to face you any time soon.
And there you are. The forrest path is littered with corpses, and the dust of the road is mixing with the copious amounts of blood, creating a red, thick, and above all sticky substance that cover your boots, at the very least.
The flies are thick in the air, although they have yet to move in on the corpses. Instead they swirl about the farmhouse where the leaders and one of the hounds were lying in wait.
Kyras pulls out a small metal rod from a small pocket on the inside of his cloak and mutters a trigger word and the wound on him slowly knits itself together.
He then walks towards the group collecting his musket as he shoulders the shotgun.
looked like y'all could use the help. Figured so many reinforcements would put things into danger levels. But never fear, the hero's here.
He smiles then looks at the hobgoblin cleric.
lets tie him up then. I want to know who this "slayer of gods" is. I doubt its what he claims him, but it could prove dangerous at any rate. Also, I saw some type of wolf riders in the distance, I couldn't make out what race they were, or if they were friendly or not, but they certainly heard this commotion. So I suggest we don't stay long to find out. Salvage what you can, mayhaps they have something useful on them, but we can't take too long. Someone help me with this thing.
he moves towards the cleric gobo with whoever helps to tie him up. Then he search's the bodies of the others.
The soldiers carry a longsword, an oaken shield, a longbow, and a couple of arrows each. Quite a few of the mails show some impressive damage from the blows and shots they've taken. The weaponry generally fares better. None of them carry personal items, jewelry being an exception. One carries a woven armband, another a necklace with a big tooth in it, from some sort of canine beast. There's also a few vials of
The leaders carry gaer of higher quality, but they don't have personal items either. The closest they get is your prisoner who has this symbol on a chain around his neck.
The warrior with a glaive has the imprint of a red gauntlet painted on her breastplate, against a backdrop of a yellow disk, giving the impression of a red hand grasping the sun.
12 longswords
12 heavy wooden shields
5 vials of blue fluid
12 longbows
53 arrows
Masterwork Breastplate with red gauntlet symbol
Masterwork Pistol
Masterwork Glaive
Masterwork Banded Mail
Masterwork Heavy Mace
Masterwork Heavy Wooden Shield
Holy Symbol (k. religion is appropriate here)
Unreadable sheat of paper, with two paragraphs written on it. None of you can make out what they say. There's room for another paragraph above the two, but there's no text there.
If they've waylaid other travelers apart from you, they don't keep the loot on their bodies, at least.
The cleric offers little resistance as you tie him up, still too dazed from the blow.
It looks like they used that shack as a base.
What about making a quick search, just in case?
We are at the entrance to the town, how is that they dare to make ambushes that near?
Being unseen, Pelius moves to the building, gesturing swiftly while his holy symbol glows faintly. Before he gets to the farmhouse, his shoulder looks totally restored, and the arrow in his stomach drops leaving a small wound.
Antonius sits down almost immediately after the battle has finished. He'd had the wind taken from him, certainly. It had been a long while, indeed, since he had had to move like this.
After he has caught his breath he gets up and starts to take his pick of their winnings. He grabs the pistol and slides it into his belt - firearms were always valuable in this line of work. The arms and armor were less to his liking, however, though he does grab the unreadable paper for later. . He checks the corpse of the hobgoblin leader for any extra cartridges.
He also takes up one of the vials, examining it for a moment before tasting it experimentally.
"Where did the second wave come from, Kyras? did you follow them back here, or did you just happen to be nearby?"
Antonius' wounds itch something dreadful just after he sips at the liquid. As is the case with such things, it was not mixed for its flavour, but for the effects of the ingredients, and that leaves it with a somewhat... Musky taste, is the best way to describe it.
The woman has a powder horn on her belt, and a small pouch of bullets.
Pelius enters the ruined building. There's a foul stench about it, and it only grows worse as you approach. It's divided into two rooms - the first one is half collapsed, and has some marks in the dirt floor where you suppose the hell hound must have lain in wait, out of sight from the road. The flies are thick here. There's a waterskin sitting discarded on the floor too.
In the second room, the stench is unbearable. There's a half-butchered horse carcass in there. Apparently, once the hobgoblin had taken what they wanted, they just left the rest of it in there to rot. And rot it has, what with the summer heat and all. Probably for weeks. Or maybe shorter, it's hard to tell.
Besides that somewhat macabre sight, the structure is otherwise empty.
The soldiers carry a longsword, an oaken shield, a longbow, and a couple of arrows each. Quite a few of the mails show some impressive damage from the blows and shots they've taken. The weaponry generally fares better. None of them carry personal items, jewelry being an exception. One carries a woven armband, another a necklace with a big tooth in it, from some sort of canine beast. There's also a few vials of
The leaders carry gaer of higher quality, but they don't have personal items either. The closest they get is your prisoner who has this symbol on a chain around his neck.
The warrior with a glaive has the imprint of a red gauntlet painted on her breastplate, against a backdrop of a yellow disk, giving the impression of a red hand grasping the sun.
** spoiler omitted **
If they've waylaid other travelers apart from you, they don't keep the loot on their bodies, at least.
The cleric offers little resistance as you tie him up, still too dazed from the blow.
"Wait a movement before touching their goods"
In sequence:
1) Quick scan of the field to see if someone is still alive beside the cleric.
If I notice someone still alive, I will cast stabilize on him.
"Someone need some urgent healing?"
2) Johannes recognize the holy symbol?
"Or tasting it. Damn, Antonius you want to die by carelessness after surviving the battle?"
3) He cast detect poison and sweep the area, then Detect magic.
If something is magic he try to identify it.
4) Detect evil and then detect chaos, good, law on the cleric (obviously if he is positive to one he won't try the opposite).
You get the impression that that Johannes is following some mental checklist.
"We should appraise the value of the items and make a list before taking them. Some of them can be stolen gods and everyone should get his fair share."
"We can put most of that stuff on my horse and mule, I will walk. but we should be careful not to burden them too much."
I was on my way back when I stumbled on a camp where those came from, I believe the ones that originally ambushed you were their as well. As it seems to have more sleeping arrangements than what few came with me. It's quite possible they put most of their Ill gotten gains there. I say we leave the armors, take the weaponry and other things we can carry from here. Let us check the camp in a hurry and move on from here before night sets in.
Kyrus does pick up a bow however, along with 20 arrows.
perhaps the subtlely of this will serve me well at some point. I would also like to find a good spot to question this hobgoblin cleric. If their is another war lord in this area, we need to know of it. And if that is the case, we may need to use these weapons for impromtu miltia depending on the size of the threat.
He will show the others to the camp he saw before the fighting as he speaks. Then looks down to observe the symbol on the necklace.
Pelius seeks the exit of the building while holding his breath, just to exale loudly once out. *GASP* Then, the priest amuses himself watching Panzer proceed.
Heh, soldiers and his fun methodic way of life. I have seen this a lot, back in the day.
You need someone to book it all for you?
Two of the foot-soldiers are still alive, but bleeding out fast. They're some of the ones that Kyras shot.
As for magical gear, the paper, or rather the writings on it, are magical. The potions, too, of course, The two masterwork suits of armor, and the glaive.
You spend a couple of minutes going over the various items. You don't know what the scroll does, or how powerful the weapon and armor are, but you can tell that the vials are potions of Cure Light Wounds.
As you work, the cleric is just about coming awake again. He sits up, and stares daggers at Pelius in particular, but is otherwise silent.
Inara snaps her fingers and the snake comes to her. "Honestly. I meant wrap up the cleric guy, not the sneaky potion guy! Good help is so hard to find." She pauses for a few seconds before heaving out a sigh. "No, no I understand. I should have been more specific. It's alright."
She waves her hand and the snake disappears. While the others look around Inara takes the time to summon Arock. Slowly her shadow separates from her body and forms into a black velociraptor. The creature gives Inara a look. Inara nods at it. "I know. No more traveling with you incorporeal"
The fetching walks to Antonius and looks at the paper "Can I see that? I want to try something"
To her vision, the letters on the scroll warp, becoming perfectly legible. The purpose of the scroll is clear to her, although some of it will require either a cleric or some finagling on the part of the caster to get to work
Johannes moves further down his checklist, scanning the prisoners to determine their moral outlook.
Pelius moves to the group, and examines the magical properties of the different items with help of his spells.
They are quite well prepared, for a band of robbers.
Inara hands the paper to Pelius. "Here. I think you should hold on to this."
The Fetchling walks over to the cleric. "Hi! You know, it's not very nice to ambush people on the road. Luckily for you I'm a pretty nice person. See, I don't understand why you attacked us. Would you tell me why? If you answer our questions and cooperate with us we'll treat you good. Maybe you thought we were somebody else?"
As the cleric captive comes to Kyras speaks to it in its tounge.
so, you follow tiamat? The one who pretends she killed a god? Tell me, what misguided you so to follow such a lowly being? You have a leader don't you? One you take orders from? Who is he? Why do you follow him?
"Or tasting it. Damn, Antonius you want to die by carelessness after surviving the battle?"
"Feh heh, it would take more than a motley bottle of sick to do me in. Besides, these fellows do not seem the kind to be carrying poison around. In fact, I suspect this is the liquid that the survivors had tried to imbibe earlier."
As wounded as he is, Antonius drinks three of the potions and stores the rest in his bag.
Afterwards he assists the rest of the group with their identifying.
"Or tasting it. Damn, Antonius you want to die by carelessness after surviving the battle?"
"Feh heh, it would take more than a motley bottle of sick to do me in. Besides, these fellows do not seem the kind to be carrying poison around. In fact, I suspect this is the liquid that the survivors had tried to imbibe earlier."
As wounded as he is, Antonius drinks three of the potions and stores the rest in his bag.
Afterwards he assists the rest of the group with their identifying.
Johannes look appalled wen Antonius drink the potions so nonchalantly.
"What are you doing, those potions should be saved for the time of need, not consumed needlessly. I can use some healing magic and I am sure Pelius is more adept than me at that. We will count what you have taken as part of your share!"
To identify the gauntlet
As Inara speaks to him, the cleric throws her a blank stare, before resuming his murderous glare at Pelius. He responds when Kyras questions him, however.
"Oh aye, we follow the Dragon Below. Insult her all you like - soon all you barefaced kneelers will be dead. Especially the old weakling and his god. We'll see who's 'lowly' then, won't we?"
It's a particular tribal variation of goblinoid, there's probably hundreds of them, but it's close enough to what Kyras is used to that they can talk just fine.
"Or tasting it. Damn, Antonius you want to die by carelessness after surviving the battle?"
"Feh heh, it would take more than a motley bottle of sick to do me in. Besides, these fellows do not seem the kind to be carrying poison around. In fact, I suspect this is the liquid that the survivors had tried to imbibe earlier."
As wounded as he is, Antonius drinks three of the potions and stores the rest in his bag.
Afterwards he assists the rest of the group with their identifying.
Johannes look appalled wen Antonius drink the potions so nonchalantly.
"What are you doing, those potions should be saved for the time of need, not consumed needlessly. I can use some healing magic and I am sure Pelius is more adept than me at that. We will count what you have taken as part of your share!"
Antonius offers a shrug. "To be honest, after tasting it I'd rather you two saved your own powers rather than relying on these. If you're concerned with funds then deduct it how you will. I am here on behalf of the Andorans, not for want of coin."
You need someone to book it all for you?
"Yes, thanks, if there is something left when you start writing."
Johaness give an irritated look to Antonius."Actually there is something more urgent that you can do. Several of us are still wounded, even after drinking the healing potions. You can call again the wave of positive energy you used earlier?
Getting all of us in top fighting shape can be a good idea and channelling the positive energy is more efficient than using several spells. Possibly it could even put on their feet the two hobgoblin I stabilized."
A pause of a second.
"I will tie them up before you heal them, obviously. I want to bring them to the city for a trial."
I fear I've burnt through them, sorry. And I mean it literally.
Says Pelius showing a withered hand.
It will cure, but will take a while.
I can manage to cast some healing, however. -Offers the priest.
Oh, and about the potions, they are mean to be drinked. They can heal, but thats all. Spells, however, can be more useful in other ways.
Just take ease on us, someday, with luck, you will be our old.
Says finally Pelius, trying to appease the young Andoran.
With a bit of a smirk Antonius jingles his bags "There's always the potions, Johannes."
"Thank you Pelius, but you should save your magic for now. I am healed enough at the moment, I will try and hold out until we make it to town."
Kyrus will offer some healing to those that need it, even the asmodoean priest, before stowing his wand away again. Before responding to the goblin
oh? Perhaps, and to say I'd care would be a bold lie, I'd more likely approve of that, at least his dieties death, wait, which diety would that be again precisely? he nods at the goblins threat. Perhaps showing a common ground would loosen his tounge, and I can't even say its a lie.. Any diety that can channel shadow energy like that is usually bad news... But as long as it is used to aid us..
now then, please do tell me, what mortal being do you serve? Hobgoblins so rarely work of their own accord or ideas. You seem to detest the freedom to choose for yourselves, I'll never understand it. He, or it, must be powerful no? For such a strong one as yourself, and so well equipped I might add, to serve?
Kyrus attempts to remain civil with the hobgoblin.
"Pelious, thanks for the healing, but it wasn't needed, I can cure myself and would have gladly cured Antonius. My point is that the spells are a resource that we can recover daily, potions require time to be crafted and, in an emergency, can be used by people without the ability to cast healing spells."
He look Pelious thoughtfully a moment.
"Speaking of recovering spells, that can be a touchy subject in the way in which we organize ourselves. I recover mine during my morning prayers. Can I ask when you recover yours? If we do that at different times it can generate some problem."]
Seeing that Kyras too is casting some healing magic:
"You too can cast healing spells? Good. You have some limit on when you recover them? Seeing how the area is fairly dangerous we should think about organizing our watch and do that in a way that will not interfere with our ability to recover our magic.
And good job warning Pelious away from that blow. Go on soldier ... Ahem, Kyras."
Johannes military training show in the way in which he tries to organize things.
Turning to Inaria:
"You need healing?"
With Pelious healing, 51/52 hp.
Resource used: 2/5 rounds of bane, Agile feet 2/6, Judgment 1/2, spells: 2nd level 1/3 1st level 0/6.
this healing comes from a wand friend, and it still has plenty left to spend. As for the watch, I have a spell that will let me, or another, keep watch through the night, but be rested in the morning, so long as nothing of note happens that is. Also, that'd be Major, if you want to get formal and military minded. Though I don't often keep to military form, too regimented. he gives a grin
but, as for my magic, Cayden Cailean seems fit to provide them to me, though I need only 3 hours of rest to replenish them. I'll leave you to get everything organized.
"What good's your 'freedom' done you? Look around. You've been out of danger for scarcely a minute, and already you're squabbling." He spits out some blood. "Freedom is three tribes in a burning forrest, warring over who should put out the fire." He smiles at you. It's fairly menacing, what with all the blood from Pelius' channeling, and his teeth probably weren't pretty in the first place. "I will say this: My leader is Wyrmlord Koth, a powerful sorcerer. You have won today, but this battle matters little. You'll be dead soon enough."
our freedom has formed a nation that not only broke away from the iron rule of cheliax and its slave driving god, but now stands against it and challenges it at every turn. Freedom is the ability of those goblin tribes realizing that each one is better suited to a different task, and thus working together to save their forest. Or, the freedom to fight and squabble amongst themselves while it burns down around them, either way it is their choice to make. As for in our differences, in them we can find strength. Better we argue about our differences now, then fight amongst ourselves during a battle no?
Kyras smiles that, that is information I can work with.
oh really? If this powerful sorcerer has not but rank and file hobgoblins, with not but one leader so sparsely about, what threat could he really be? This battle will simply be an example of others to come. Surely he has no more than a couple hundred followers. No?
Kyras takes out a velvet wrapped waterskin and takes a swig.
ahh, nothing like a good ale, kept fairly cool by this nifty wrapping I might add. Would you care for some my little green friend?