"Aye, Jorzan that looks much better than running down the hill. Without a way for most of us to stay on top of the snow if we can move up in the cover of the shadows under the trees maybe we can get surprise or at least not take some extra fireballs getting down there. Hopefully by the time we get to the bottom Kelne will have figured which side needs to get dead first. Any idea whose side the caravan is on? Are they our enemy? Are the snow elves our allies?
When he sees the shape of the battlefield, Justahl will motion the others towards the left side, the aft end of the wagon train.
Sir Justahl will select [J,17] as his starting square.
As they approach the battle, hidden even further by magical darkness, Jorzan asks his companions "Can any of you indetify the leader of the Red Dragonflight?"
Nasmarra silently and eerily trails through the trees, phasing in and out of sight as she does so. Her feet drift aimlessly as she flies, giving her even more the appearance of a spectre. She collects the mana to shimmer and become more transluscent. She takes a moment to feel the hum of the minsd before her, deciding which of them she will seize control of first.
Kelne had taken advantage of his speed to get into position early, waiting only on te others or some sign they'd been spotted to kick off the mayhem. He had his anarchic longsword in hand, figuring he'd be surprised if the red dragonflight weren't lawfully inclined.
"Difficult to say who's in charge," he said softly, "We'll have to hit them and see who starts shouting orders."
Red Dragonflight Arctic Specialists:
AC: 20/12/18 HP: 40
Saves: F/R/W - 6/8/3
CMD: 22
Mercenaries (Caravan Guards)
AC: 26/14/23 HP: 110
Saves: F/R/W - 10/13/5
CMD: 30
Snow Elves (Arctic Rangers)
AC: 22/16/16 HP: 60
Saves: F/R/W - 7/13/2
CMD: 24
As some of the others begin the assault ahead of him, Jorzan, once more berating himself for not securing appropriate magical winter footwear, simply slogs through the snow towards the closest Red Dragonflight soldier, carrying his aura of Darkness with him as he moves.
Meanwhile Zan, unhindered by the conditions of the ground, floats forward until he is right behind one the same enemy his master is heading towards.
Kelne wasted no time in darting out of cover, moving to flank the nearest of the Red Dragonflight troops and aid the beleaguered snow elf.
"So," he said loudly, addressing his question to the world at large, "Who does the caravan belong to?"
The arrival of a fourth group on the scene was bound to stir up still more confusion, through which a small, compact group could slice with ease.
Nasmarra floats silently above the fray, moving from the snow-capped canopy to the next tree. She makes no noise, simply appearing and floating above the conflict. She gazes upon them, choosing them and feeling the minds laid out before her. She sets her eyes on one of the Red Dragonflight soldiers as she floats a few feet from the top of the next tree. He begins to feel the touch of her whisper pressing against the back of his mind, clouding and fogging it. She has not seized control yet, and he likely doesn't notice the mental probing, but she has settled on making him her unwilling puppet.
Sir Justahl considered briefly starting off by unlimbering his bow and shooting once or twice before charging, but rejected it. The switching back and forth between weapons would just take too long and lead to daring lady luck to make him fumble. No, it was best to keep the plan simple. Once he saw everyone had kicked off, he began his heavy slogging through the snow to the melee in progress...
Correction; Taking a single Move action to [K,15].
As you move into view, many heads turn. The red dragonflight soldiers look determined and start shouting information back and forth to each other, but in a disciplined and terse shorthand; the battle has changed yet again. The mercenaries eye you all warily, but say nothing. The snow elves speak up in reply; "Comrades! Help! One of our own is in one of those giant gems and they will not give her back!" to which a couple red dragonflight officers reply "No, that is our situation! The snow elves lie; they seek not the gems but the full coffers in the wagons! Help us!" The mercs just fight.
Moving forward as swiftly as possible, his eyes murderous daggers at his Red Dragonflight target, Jorzan yells back "Never would we help the evil Red Dragonflight! Perhaps though once they are dead, we might all converse civilly. But now we fight! Death to the Red Dragonflight!"
Moving to space M13 attacking red dragon flight fighter.
My ac is 26 because I am two handed.
Attack:
base with the Axe of thanes+17(base attack+9, Str+5, focus Waraxe +1, axe magic bonus+1, axe training+1), -3power attack +2 charging and I have boots of the north so I can charge.
Damage:
Two handed 20 str +5+2, axe +1 magical bonus, +2 specialization Waraxe, power attack two handed+9, +1 fighter weapon training axes
"Yipee Kiyahee Mother-BLEEP!"
"We'll I guess no one wants to answer a dwarf's questions, but I know for sure that the Red Dragon bastards are not on our side and those a$%#*$~s destroyed my house . . . Well I guess in a long round about way they are responsible for me breaking out of my funk. Eh, they are still a$#%@*+s, they get it first. <Sigh> Sir Justal takes for frigging ever to move around without that horse, better not tell him that though. . . . Come on, come on, the caravan is going to pass if we don't get down to ass kicking soon. Ok wait for it wait for it. "
Kelne makes himself visible and Hurin begins his charge running easily over the snow wearing his well worn and much loved enchanted Adamantium hobnailed boots. The Axe of Thanes, a mighty Adamantium waraxe with it head, ensorcelled and engraved, held in two hands above Hurin's head as his beard braids fly to either side of his face. Just before Hurin brings his axe down on his selected Red Dragon minion he bellers out, "Yipee Kiyahee Mother-BLEEP!" shearing through his armor like a herder shearing a sheep delivering a brutal hack of a wound. "Thats for my last clean pair of socks you guys destroyed!"
Astar didn't so much charge through the snow as he did trudge, keeping his scimitar low and out to his side. This was a battle on a scale quite larger than what he was used to. It would be good, he felt, to take caution.
Kelne - 19
Mercenaries - 18
Nasmarra - 17
Astar - 16
Jorzan - 11
Red Dragonflight - 10
Hurin - 5
Justahl - 2
AC: 20/12/18 HP: 40
Saves: F/R/W - 6/8/3
CMD: 22
Mercenaries (Caravan Guards)
AC: 26/14/23 HP: 110
Saves: F/R/W - 10/13/5
CMD: 30
Snow Elves (Arctic Rangers)
AC: 22/16/16 HP: 60
Saves: F/R/W - 7/13/2
CMD: 24
Not having anything immediate to gain from switching tactics, all of the elves stay where
they are and/or maintain their current course of action. The feel of the battle
has clearly changed, though; the Red Dragonflight, now honestly outnumbered and badly
outmatched, are digging in for a duel to the death, while the mercenaries and snow elves
fight with renewed vigor, but an air of caution as neither group knows exactly how you
lot will play your cards, should the Dragonflight Arctic Specialists be defeated.
One elf sees Jorzan's enveloping her and lets out a startled "Yip!"
like a fox cub before a short distance away to avoid the inky black.
Kelne went for the direct approach, pressing the advantage of his unexpected arrival on the scene and directing a couple of solid blows at the already wounded man. The brief clash saw the man bleeding out on the ground, while Kelne moved on to menace a fresh target.
The mercs keep fighting, not paying much attention to any of you outside of sidelong glances. As sellswords they're used to dealing just with the problem in front of them.
Nasmarra floats to the next treetop, barely gaining any notice up in the canopy. She reaches out and points at one of the Red Dragonflight's soldiers, currently battling one of the mercenaries near the last wagon of the caravan. She reaches into his mind with her magic and seizes control of his body by poisoning his thoughts. Her terrible whispering voice echoes through his mind. 'Kill your ally. He is a traitor. Kill him!'
MA: Move to K13
SA: Lunge, tripping RDF at K11
Reining in his view of the battle to seize upon the dragonflight trooper before him, Astar felt his mind making connections. Even with the darkness obscuring things, he could figure the precise amount of steps needed to close modified by his current level of exertion and the depth of the snow. The response time of the intended foe, attenuated by the estimated weight of their armor and weapon. Accounting for the locking of eyes, and the autonomic response to heaping violence upon a stranger (something he was not attuned to, truly), there were only so many outcomes for this. He didn't need to use his mind to its fullest for this.
He often wondered how he would fare at the head of a brigade, or army, as a commander. He knew that his ability to accumulate and leverage raw information would suffer to the point of relying on the same set of statistically-effective maneuvers and tactics. No, if he was to engage in battle, he'd always prefer to in the field.
He sped towards the enemy, raising his curved blade up and out to his side. He utilized the mental math he'd done before, calculating just the amount of distance he'd need to close. He slammed the flat of the blade downwards at his foe's ankle with all of his momentum behind it.
With only a minor course correction required (surely to be blamed on the darkness and uneven terrain!), Astar torqued the trooper's foot out from under him, sending him crunching into the snow.
Slogging through the snow, Jorzan moves to the soldier just downed by Astar. Thrusting with both his short swords, despite his enemy being prone, only one of Jorzan's blades strikes flesh.
Attack Poisoned Blade:
Attack Acid Blade:
Poisoned Blade Damage:
As the poisoned blade sinks in, the Poison Master triggers the release of both poison vials into his enemies system, causing the man to fall into instant unconsciousness.
RD soldier Fort save1 vs Drow poison DC13:
RD soldier Fort save2 vs Drow poison DC13:
As his enemy suscumbs to the poison Jorzan calls out to his allies "This one's down!"
Meanwhile, denied his previous target, Zan floats on to the next, and reaches out to touch the nearest RD soldier. But the the soldier's terror on seeing the shade approach allows him the extra speed to just barely avoid the Shadow's paralyzing touch.
Zan touch attack on RD[O,10]:
MA: to [N,10]
Most of the Red Dragonflight soldiers are engaged in fierce melee, but a few are able to break away and adjust to your appearance. The one threatened by both Zan and Kelne, for example, back to a place of safety, dangerously close to one of the gorgons, but also by his fellow soldier. Judging by his movement, Kelne and Jorzan are alike able to make the guess that these troops all have some kind of enchantment or Item that lets them move through snow as if were smooth, flat streets. Not surprising considering their specialty.
The soldier whose mind is overthrown by Nasmarra immediately turns on his associate, who cries out in pain and confusion as he is cut. Another takes advantage of your appearance to dash around a tree and hurt an elf that was hiding there. Most troubling of all, however, is the lone Red Dragonflight warrior who takes off at speed into the trees and heads back up the way you came, towards Gray...and towards Cassandra.
"Seriously, who are you working for?" Kelne asked the nearby mercenary conversationally, "We may be able to mediate your dispute, but I would like to know that first."
The runner was a concern, but Gray ought to be able to look after himself. If they could broker some kind of arrangement, they could deal with him and all his friends in short order.
To hit with the Axe of Thanes
Damage with Axe
Hurin seeing that Kelne has ended the misery of the Dragon Flight Warrior he had slashed previously set his sights on the Dragon Flight Warrior who had moved into position next to the rearmost Gorgon cart. Hurtling along he brought his axe up in a backhanded blow. Though not the most solid of blows the dwarf could deliver it was none the less a devastating blow.
"Shell my city with rocks will ya! Here's a little payback!"
Breathing heavily, Sir Justahl surges forward through the heavy snow and into the darkness. His eyes able to penetrate the darkness, he momentarily pauses as he sees the straggler head towards Grey... and Cassandra. He agonizes for a moment, but his actions were set. Without magical help, there was simply no way to intercept him, or get back in time to affect the fight there. He surges forward.
With the first of the dragonflight down, he moved towards the last known position of the trailing dragonflight soldiers. He ignores the elf as a possible ally as he moves alongside.
"Jorzan! Nasmara! Can you get that one thats running or send your pet!?"
Noticing the Red Dragonflight soldier dash off back the way they came, his thoughts instantly flashing to concern of the most important person in the world to him, Jorzan has already turned towards Zan and is sending his metal message by the time Hurin's voice rings out.
Then, as the shadow begins to move off, and knowing that he is sending a piece of himself to seek after her protection, the shadow rouge turns to the dwarf and answers with iron conviction "She shall come to harm."
END OF ROUND 1, BEGINNING OF ROUND 2
Initiative Order:
Snow Elves - 21
Kelne - 19
Mercenaries - 18
Nasmarra - 17
Astar - 16
Jorzan - 11
Red Dragonflight - 10
Hurin - 5
Justahl - 2
AC: 20/12/18 HP: 40
Saves: F/R/W - 6/8/3
CMD: 22
Mercenaries (Caravan Guards)
AC: 26/14/23 HP: 110
Saves: F/R/W - 10/13/5
CMD: 30
Snow Elves (Arctic Rangers)
AC: 22/16/16 HP: 60
Saves: F/R/W - 7/13/2
CMD: 24
The Snow Elves speak little, seeming to communicate with each other more through gesture and eye contact, but they are effective fighters, and with the new distraction of your arrival forcing the Red Dragonflight on the defensive, a couple of the pale-skinned northern elves take advantage of things and drop a few more soldiers, who crumple to the ground with a dull thud and a *poof* of snow.
@Kelne: The mercenary doesn't look at you, not wanting to take his eye off the tactical situation before him, but he does favor you with a deadpan reply; "We're under contract to protect this caravan at all costs. You here to rob it, too? 'Cos I'd hate to have to kill so well-mannered a fighter." He grimaces, as if the thought of running you through really does pain him.
"Perish the thought," Kelne responded, playing up the well-spoken aspect for humour, "No, so long as you're not working for Ormir or the like, we'll get along fine. What do you say? Willing to gang up on the Red Dragonflight first, then stand down and try to talk things out?"
As he waited for a response, he moved on to his next target, intending to take some of the pressure off the nearest elf. Hurin was well placed to aid the mercenary in any case. A nasty blow opened up a wound in the man's side, leaving him hurt and beset from two sides.
The mercenary trudges through the snow, away from Jorzan's darkness. "I hope I'll be able to take you up on that." he says cautiously to Kelne. "For now we concentrate on the task at hand, and we see where everone stands -- " he grunts with effort as he takes a chunk out of an ill-prepared dragonflight warrior's side " -- then we'll see how negotiations proceed."
A couple of the mercenaries dispatch the red dragonflight warriors that were near them, then immediately turn their lethal attention to the snow elves, badly slashing the rare beings' delicate flesh.
Nasmarra floats forward through the cloud of darkness, emerging from the other side. Not only is she significantly faster through the air than those trudging through the snow, her magic lends far more speed than even a man running at full speed. The Red Dragonflight warrior darts across the ground, heading towards their greatest treasure. She reaches out with her mind, pointing a ghostly finger at the soldier. Her actions are not subtle; there is no whisper touching the back of his mind. She simply seizes control of his mind and body in their entirety, causing him to stiffen up and nearly fall to the ground. She tears at his mind savagely, but he continues running forward. She rends a memory from his mind - a quiet, happy moment with a woman that he loved - that he sacrifices to gain enough strength to fight off her magic. Nasmarra frowns and redoubles her efforts to force her will upon him.
Hurin stares down the Dragonflight warriors as they dance the blades, the humans blood staining the snow like a cherry snowcone gone wrong, "Why do you serve the Dragonflight?! Why do you side against your own race! Do you seek the worlds destruction? Or are you just in it for the damn gold?!"
Hearing the oddly civil seeming conversation between Kelne and one of the brutally efficient mercenaries, Jorzan spares a glance at the man, thinking to himself 'That's a dangerous liaison Kelne, those mercs are Not our allies' As he looks, the canny rogue tries to discern the mercenary's true feelings and motives regarding the newcomers or any potential alliance with them.
Sense Motive:
Then, about to send Zan after the Red Dragonflight soldier heading towards Cassandra and Gray, Jorzan catches sight of Nasmarra streaking after him. Figuring that the cleric and the strange woman should be more than a match for a single soldier, the Shadowdancer sends his Shadow after another target instead. Ghosting across the battlefield, Zan reaches out to touch one of his master's enemies, the touch of the Shadow creature causing the the man's muscles and bones to begin to slow down and seize up.
MA: Fly to [O,4]
SA: Zan touch attack:
Dex Damage:
Meanwhile Jorzan himself, gritting his teeth in frustration at his slow progress through the snow, nevertheless manages to slog close enough to get a telling hit in on one of the soldiers nearest him. Swiftly poisoning his blade before driving it into the man's flesh, the master poisoner grins in satisfaction as he observes the concoction take hold and cause the soldier to slump into unconsciousness.
MA: Move to [L,8]
Swift: Poison with Blue Whinnis
SA: Attack with Keen blade:
Damage:
Soldier save vs poison DC14:
@Hurin: One of the dragonflight soldiers snorts and shouts over to you; "'Traitors'? Master dwarf, we will be our race's saviors and champions! When Kalaroth comes -- and he will come -- humans will be spared thanks to us! Elves will be spared thanks to us! Same for half-elves and anyone else we choose to place under our banner. So your people better fall in line, or when the Dragon King returns, they will fall into ruin."
MA: Move to K10
Astar trudged forwards, hoping to get a word in amongst Hurin and his foe.
"Really? Join or die? That's hardly an effective argument. Even if you're viewing the matter from pure pragmatism, the truth claim that all races will fall to ruin is one I simply don't find to be inherently plausible- at least, not as an instantaneous repercussion.
I'm forced to the conclusion that you're behaving out of fear, more than anything else."
Round 2, Initiative 2
HP: 111/111 AC/T/FF: 29/11/28 SAVES: F/R/W - 16/11/12
BUFFS: Bless Weapon (on Hammer), Divine Favor (+3/+3)
DOUBLE MOVE ACT: Move to [I,8]
Grimly determined, Sir Justahl surges forward through the heavy snow. His eyes able to penetrate the darkness, he closes on the next Dragonflight enemy.
He focuses on the dragonflight enemy at the moment; ignoring the elf as a probable ally.
But at the back of his mind, he wondered about the mercenaries. Sparing a glance at the nearest merc, he opened his senses to the presence of Evil, hoping against hope that the decision would be taken out of his hands. If they were not actually Evil, could he strike them down to get to the prisons on the wagons?
Kelne drew in a deep breath at the sight of bloodshed being inflicted on the snow elves. This was hardly the outcome he'd been aiming for.
"ENOUGH!" he shouted, "I don't care who started this or why! We are going to deal with the common enemy, and then we are going to step back and discuss this like civilised people! As opposed to bleeding each other dry for when this lot's large, scaly friends show up!"
Gods knew what the odds of dragons turning up in support of the Dragonflight troops were, but that was one threat which might cut through the mutual antagonism.
Whether he'd get any backup from his newfound friend on calling a halt to the bloodshed was an open question, but he certainly didn't intend to stand idly by and watch while the two groups butchered each other.
"obviously you pretty much suck at history. And THIS dwarf will never capitulate. If you succeed at your plan your life would be one of slavery at best, but more likely you would be dragon toe jam, mortar in one of their walls or like a piece of corn in their shit! So I tell you what in the process of fighting for my freedom let me help you get a more open minded about your part in the dragon's plan!"
full attack two handed with Waraxe and power attack
damage
second attack for full attack
damage
Hurin delivers two horrendous blows to the already half dead warrior severing his head and right arm from the corpses torso before splitting it ribcage to hip. The ruined body falls to the ground in a heap. "If anyone else needs a history lesson step right up! because this dwarf is never going to be kept in chains! And if the big man is offering a truce and anyone here wants to live I suggest you take up his offer!!
The caravan guard with whom Kelne had just been speaking replies to his outburst; "The only common enemy here before me, northman, are those who would seek to rob this caravan that we are charged to protect, which currently includes both the crimson-and-silver-clad buffoons falling to ruin around us as well as the pointy-eared cutthroats hiding in the trees and dancing past the ends of our blades."
One of the snow elves cries out "You have our friend in there! This is a rescue, not a robbery!"
"If your friend is our cargo, then the worse for you; you can attempt to buy him or her back from our client, same as anyone else, but we will not let you remove anything from these wagons as long as we draw breath." comes the retort.
"Then we shall hasten the ceasement of your breath!" spits back the elf.
The red dragonflight warriors have their hands full with their existing opponents and stay mostly focused on them, drawing fresh blood from caravan soldier and snow elf alike.