"Yuuuuck! Eeeewww, blood!", complains the elf, as the blood from the dead cultist sprays on her. She ignores the fleeing enemies and uses prestidigitation to clean the blood before walking towards everyone else.
"The mill should be close, do you think this fight has alerted them?"
Yes... if not now then when those two report. Lets hurry
Saying so he drinks his potion of Cure Wounds.
Venali's hand had moved to grab another arrow but as everyone else seemed to linger rather than give chase he let it fall to his side. "Perhaps, but it is more likely that they are running off to lick their wounds and report to one of those dragonclaws." He sloshes out of the water towards the two dead lizards. No sense in not taking a few samples from these two as well. He bends down and, using one of the discarded weapons on the ground, tries to pry loose a few scales. After placing those he manages to get loose intact in his component pouch he stands back up to face the party, absent-mindedly removing the mud from his boots and warming them to speed the drying process with a few quick motions.
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Sophie frowns and throws another few bolts at the retreating figures, just to give speed to their heals.
She would continue to harass them to the horizon, but as Venali demurs, she too loses appetite.
But she grins as the blasts, horned through long use, and many souls reaped, seem to have gained a hardened edge, and the baleful forces they channel appear more potent.
As Hutch approaches, her face splits into a wide grin of red lips and white teeth. "Mmmmm, indeed, the most dangerous parts of the most dangerous beasts make the most succulent of jewelry!"
Her look softens, hearkening back to long cold days and long cold nights spent under thick covers by dying fires. But alas, the ravages of war leave no time to explore a softening heart.
"Is everyone well? Grim, I thought we lost you for a moment, but I'm glad to see you still among us!
Let us take the briefest pause and search these corpses for bounty and intelligence. Take all that pleases you, but soon we should be marching on."
She puts proof to her words and begins rummaging the dead scattered about.
As sophie steps up to get a view of both fleeing enemies, she hurls a bolt after each one, the arcane energy impacting heavily sending each one slamming to the ground, lifeless.
Venali makes quite a mess of thinks as he attempts to harvest the creatures' skins. Collecting intact drake scales and palm-sized scraps of giant lizard skin.
Sophie finds a pouch containing 9 silver pieces, aside from the usual equipment on the first cultist.
"Well, maybie they'd be afraid of punishment for fleeing, or something..."
Zillyanna cleans her blade, sheathes it and picks up her bow once again, she doesn't seem interested in looting the corpses...For now.
"The dead aren't going anywhere, but the mill might, lets go!"
She leads the way, trying to disappear in the terrain.
Of course Sophie Hutch says with a smile.
He cleans his Halberd and walks up to Sophie, and inspects the corpses. He grabs a handful of coins from the corpses, then sighs, ready to go.
More to kill atleast, he says to Sophie.
To the Mill!, Evendur says picking up the pace.
The group rounds another bent in the moat and the mill's waterwheel comes into view ponderously turning in the current. The orange light of fires glints off the wet wood and dimly illuminates the exterior of the building resting there on the brow above the stream.
You can hear voices and see a kobold or a robed cultist move along the building's side, but from below, in the moat, it is difficult to make out the extent of activity around the barn-like structure. You would have to find higher ground on either side.
To your right there is a brow covered in woods, which would provide a good view of the building, as well as excellent cover, but the mill itself would cover most of the activity around it. To your left cover is more sparse, but you can hide around the other buildings to get a view of the situation while remaining undiscovered.
"Don't think we'll see much if we keep following the woods, this way.", Zillyanna goes towards the left, using the buildings as cover and trying to get as close as possible while remaining undetected.
Grim follows the expert.
Hutch follows Zillyana, his halberd ready.
Ambush or charge?
Venali walks towards the rest of the group and nods as Zillyanna suggests heading towards the buildings. As the group seems to have made a conscious, he moves across after her, attempting to remain unseen, an arrow already nocked in case an alarm is raised. Whispering in response to Hutch, "Perhaps a bit of both."
Under Zillyanna's lead, you climb out of the moat and round the tall building just south east of the mill, finding some cover behind a large cart parked next to the building you can get a good view of the raiders working.
You count six kobolds, instructed by three humans in cultist attire. One of them appears to be wearing a horned headdress and you can spot a large medallion depicting what looks like a with five points curving counter-clockwise.
"Just some kobolds and cultists, maybie they have some winged beast hidden somewhere...", her grip tightens around the bow while she waits for the others to devise a strategy.
You can see the raiders stacking wood and hay to create fires in a similar fashion as they were doing at Chauntea's temple.
Worshippers of Tiamat - the 5 headed dragon god... interesting considering the dragon attacks here. My thoughts? The man in headdress with the amulet is likely important... if Sophie, Venali and Zillyanna all focus attacks on him? Hutch and I can charge in while they are still confused and get the benefit of surprise. If the headdress is still up? They can hit him again while we carry the fight - agreed?
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Payn smiles an evil smile. "Why so hasty? Methinks we have already destroyed their main containment force, and these are but workers burning the rear areas. What say we put Zilly's bow to work? She, and I, and thee, I think, can engage them at range, about 120 feet, I'd think. Then they can charge us and die under our fire. Or they can run and hide, wherein we can dictate the terms the battle, then.
At the very least, to engage from so far out we can be guaranteed the first strike. Perhaps we could even take out Mr. Headress, if we are lucky.
What say you to that?"
If they take cover they have superior numbers and can hold us off until potential re-enforcement arrives... or light the fire. We need to actually capture the position and fortify against any attempts to burn it down rather than just snipe away.
Hitch looks at the two bickering, and sighs loudly. The priest is right. And I doubt we could bluff our way in this time. I would be more than happy to charge in, kill them and take thebuilding. Use their blood to paint on their cloaks and use them as flags. Or we find sticks to place their heads on. Or just kill them,and any others who dare approach.
I understand what you mean Sophie, but there is a lot we don't know about this situation. We should try to be careful. A well timed strike is more effective than just blasting at them. If they fear us they are more likely to make mistakes and that is what We should want. Besides, it is no fun if you get kills and I don't.
Hutch laughs. You are right. Priest let us get in closer. Sophie, let's be smart and time this together. The quicker we kill them the better
Zillyanna starts aiming with her bow at masked cultist, ready to shot when Hutch and Evendur are about to get the jump on the enemies.
You may be right about this being a trap - those fires look placed for show, not to seriously burn the place down, the priest says as he approaches the position with Hutch.
He braces to charge in (possibly to meet Kelemvor, definitely to help others meet Him) as Zil and Sophies attacks target the man in the headdress.
Grim, you are right, it is a trap. Dammit, we need to tell Sophie!
Hutch readies his halberd, looking around for any hiding reserves.
I'm going to look for any other foes. They will bleed for trying to trick us.
Hutch can't spot any further threats. The dragon is still circling lazily near the center of town and no other raiders that would be close enough to intervene or even notice your attack are in sight.
She looks at Hutch and Evendur, confused as to why they haven't charge before.
"...W-what, a trap?"
Venali nocks an arrow and takes aim at one of the cultists, preparing to loose it in tandem with Zillyanna.
Bring it on you Cowards!! Hutch yells as he charges across the battlefield, towards the man wearing the horned headdress. He stops A halberd swing away from him and smiles.
It will take more than a simple trap to stop me! Beg for your life now and I will give you the mercy of a quick and painless end!
As hutch steps up to the masked cultist yelling, the assembled raiders turn toward him drawing knives and scimitars.
"Don't allow them to enter the mill!", the masked individual shouts as he reaches for the symbol on his neck.
That moment an arrow whizzes past hutch and narrowly misses the masked cultist, only to be followed by a missile of arcane energy which slams into the man's chest, sending him lifeless to the ground.
Venali's arrow hits the nearest cultist in the chest, staring wide-eyed at the projectile lodged between his ribs, the man manages to barely stay on his feet.
Initiatives
Initiative order
- Sophie, Zillyanna, Evendur, Hutch
- Cultists, Kobolds
- Venali
"Tch, maybie i should've gotten another bow.", Zillyana prepares another arrow and aims at the cultist in front of Evendur before releasing the string.
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"Or you could sell your soul in exchange for mastery of arcane arts?" Payn quips at Zilly hardships. "We've ah, we've got a sale going on right now. And I'd get a paid trip to the Pleasure Domes! Seriously, honey, you should see the pools in that place!"
Sophie follows this by launching a demon of greenest lost-hope with a shade of purple un-met desire at the kobold nearest to Grim, trying to protect him as long as she can.
The Hex-demon of Eternal Hunger senses the new target and launches to it, getting there just in time to meet the eldritch bolt.
It appears that the bolt will miss, but then unnatural forces bend it impossibly....
...and the bolt strikes true!
Hutch smiles as the arrogant cultist falls dead. He moves himself ten feet away from two Kobolds and gives them an evil grin.
I have to ask, because the last one didn't tell me anything, is there any way to cook you lizards that wont make me sick to my stomach? Or will I just have to deal with it!
Hutch spins his Halberd swinging at one Kobold.
Evendur advances on the wounded cultist to the right, while Zillyanna and Sophie cover him with more fire. Another arrow from the elf's bow, poised to finish the cultist off, narrowly misses its mark while sophie's arcane bolt collides with the kobold behind and sends it stumbling backward, collapsing against the mill's wall.
Hutch steps up toward the two kobold near the felled masked cultist. His blade arcs toward the kobold to the left and bites deep into its skull. As he withdraws the heavy halberd he swings it around to catch the other reptilian, but the imbalance as the first kobold slides off the blade causes the swing to go wide.
The heavily wounded cultist gathers himself and takes a swing with his scimitar at Evendur.
The cultist cuts a vicious gash across the cleric's face!
The remaining raiders close in around Hutch. The mercenary quickly finds himself surrounded by one cultist and three kobolds, two more of the reptilians close behind.
Hutch sets his halberd to recieve the advancing cultist and with a singular swing cuts the assailant down!
The remaining kobolds squawk angrily waving knives and jabbing at hutch.
Initiative order
- Sophie, Zillyanna, Evendur, Hutch
- Cultists, Kobolds
- Venali