"No reason to think they don't," growls Sarusa. "I always assume danger first. If I'm wrong, we all have a good laugh and share a story with fellow travellers. If I'm right..." She loads her sling.
"We can split the difference. Weapons ready and hail them."
Tekk nods and loosens his mattock. "Better to be cautious out here..."
He lays his weapon across his shoulders and drapes his arms over it, turning it so the head of the weapon isn't readily visible from a distance.
Karo sends Corvus to fly ahead and see who or what is coming.
Karo sends Corvus to glean any information on who is coming up the road, then fly back and report what he has seen.
|
"Hmm, sounds like it's two voices, not one. So we're not necessarily heading for someone who chats with his donkey. No reason to think they mean us any harm, unless it's an especially bloodthirsty donkey, and I'd hate to startle anyone by coming upon them with a bunch of weapons drawn. Let's carry on and see who we see."
Corbyn leaves his bow in place.
"Do we have any reason to take an aggressive stance? Really? I'm going to agree with Morin on this one. We're only going to draw attention to ourselves with weapons drawn. Besides, if there are only two of them they'd be clearly outmatched. It would be idiotic to take on six well armed individuals like ourselves..."
Corbyn lifts his hood over his head again, covering his visage.
Chloe doesn't seem overmuch for arguing one way or the other, and simply sits in the saddle, waiting for an agreement to be reached or for Morin to signal that it is time to move forward.
"You've got some sense in ya, Corbyn. Let's greet these folks civil-like, and hail 'em from a bit of a distance. That'll leave us some sea-room if we don't like the cut of their jib and we decide to draw weapons after all."
Corvus flies noisily down the road, quorking as he goes. He disappears around the bend in the road and is out of sight for several moments.
Corvus feels inquisitive and a little bit hungry.
Eventually the bird comes back into view and alights on Karozekas' shoulder, where it loudly caws, Men! Bushes! Road! Men! Donkey! Cart!
Karozekas listens to Corvus, then turns to the others, rolling his eyes. Well, my feathered friend has succeded in stating the obvious. Nothing left but to wait and see, seems benign enough, but with those buildings up the road, this could be an ambush spot for brigands. Let us be wary none the less.
Karo reaches into a pouch and gives Corvus a tidbit a food.
There's a good raven, Corvus
"Well, at least we know more than we did. Good work, bird."
Tekk pulls a piece of jerky from his pocket, tears off a piece, and tosses it to Corvus.
After a moment's thought, he turns and throws the rest to Gellig.
"Let's go introduce ourselves. Chloe, if trouble breaks out, stay close to the cart if you can."
"...Very well," Chloe lifts up the reins to continue once more.
"-but be careful... please. Don't stray too far..."
As you come around the bend in the road, the source of the braying and speaking quickly becomes apparent. A tall and spare man with dark hair, eyes and complexion of middling years is trying to goad a lone donkey into pulling a heavily laden wagon out of the muddy ditch between the road and the hedgerows. A much younger man, smaller and slighter, but dressed in the same baggy roughspun and with the look of a relative, perhaps a cousin or younger brother, is attempting to drag the wagon from one side at the same time without much to show for it. Wizened potatoes and other root vegetables are scattered about the sides of the wagon. Between the wagon and the mule, the road is completely blocked except for the ditch on the donkey’s side, a tight squeeze for your cart, if it could pass at all.
At the youth’s prompting the man turns around, and seeing you, knuckles his forehead by way of a greeting. Pardon me friends, but the storm’s made a right hash of these roads as you can plainly see. When he sees your horse and mules, his eyes light up. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to lend your hands, or more rightly your hooves? If we hitched up your horse and mules to the traces, I’m sure we could get this cart arighted in no time!
"Funny, the first thing I thought when I heard the crow's take on things was that there were men in the bushes as well as the road, and that Sarusa was right about having weapons ready. Let's go into this carefully."
With this thought in mind, Morin peers carefully into the bushes on either side of the road, moving Dodi to the edges of the road to get a better vantage point if necessary.
"We'd be happy to help. What brings you out this way? And we may not need to hitch--enough hands lifting behind your cart might do it."
Chloe squints beneath the goggles, never having left Dodi's back.
"Anything suspicious, Morin...?"
As Morin speaks, Tekk taps the side of his nose with his finger.
-----
Tekk looks around, waiting for his companions to react. Clearing his throat loudly, he speaks, "My comrades are always eager to help out those in need. I'm not."
He takes a couple of steps forward, "Before anybody does anything, why don't you explain why you're trying to get that wagon out of the mud without unloading it first?"
He tilts his head and looks at the wagon and the mule, then points with one hand, allowing the head of his mattock to show, "And how did your wagon get stuck in that ditch, at that angle?"
Morin leans back against Chloe and says quietly over his shoulder, "Nothing yet, but we've all got our hackles up a little bit. Looks like a couple of farmers stuck their wagon in the mud, but it doesn't all add up, as you can tell from some of our friends' questions. I've got Dodi moving around a bit so's I can take a peek off the road, in case someone's hidin' off to the side with bad intentions. If summat happens, I'll let you know what's what right off. Meantime, you listen close to their answers. You're good with people, maybe you can tell if something's amiss."
Morin continues to scan the sides of the road while his crewmates talk with the muddy farmers.
Tekk looks around, waiting for his companions to react. Clearing his throat loudly, he speaks, "My comrades are always eager to help out those in need. I'm not."
He takes a couple of steps forward, "Before anybody does anything, why don't you explain why you're trying to get that wagon out of the mud without unloading it first?"
He tilts his head and looks at the wagon and the mule, then points with one hand, allowing the head of his mattock to show, "And how did your wagon get stuck in that ditch, at that angle?"
At Tekkis' words, the older man's affable smile turns into ugly sneer. Take them! Now!
"...Oh, dear,that didn't...didn't sound good..."
Your smarter than I am Corvus, I was too dense too understand you.
Karo draws back his longbow, ready to fire it.
Morin turns quickly to Chloe and says in a fierce whisper ”Six or so men hiding in the bushes, stay on Dodi and maybe back away a bit, ‘less you need to be close to use your magic. I’m gonna give them a little surprise.”
With this, Morin drops off the horse’s back and vanishes into the bushes, drawing his shortswords as he does so.
Chloe watches Morin until he leaves her small band of sight carefully, taking note of the direction. She has three life links active, and knows that they might demand her attention soon, but for now, she lifts up a prayer of blessing on her companions, assuming they're close enough to take advantage of it.
Karo fires his bow at the older man.
Sarusa snorts. "Figures it would be ambush." She draws a scimitar and attacks the nearest target.
"Redeep."
Gellig explodes out of the mud to leap at an assailant, revealing small razor sharp teeth in his mouth.
Morin turns to Chloe and says quietly ”Six men or so hiding in the bushes, who mean us no good, and their boss man posin’ as a farmer. Can you scoot backwards a bit on Dodi? I aim to put some arrows in ‘em and I’ll need a little room.”
Morin pulls his shortbow over his shoulder and nocks and fires an arrow at the older man by the wagon, calling out, "Ye're gonna regret this, ya lamprey!"
Sarusa looks at the tall grass surrounding or adjacent to the men. "Your day is so full of mistakes, gentlemen."
She draws upon the ley lines of the land and utters words in Druidic.
She inclines her head at Morin. "Lampreys are peaceful creatures and undergo great river migrations. The Arcadians rely upon them as food in some places and consider them holy. That being said, watch yourself around a giant lamprey. We can talk more about oceanic and estuarine life after we roust these roustabouts."
Heeding Morin's request, Chloe shifts slightly backwards on the horse's back.
"-and let your spiritual doves guide our hands... against those whose impurities...lead them to devour.. the livelihoods of others, that they harm.. harm no one, and the path... of redemption... be opened for... those who look up and-"
For a non-cleric, the young woman prays very earnestly.
Tekk moves diagonally northwest, stopping on the square immediately SE of "V" (15' foot total move).
Round 1!
Karozekas pulls out his bow and sends an arrow at the older man. It grazes his arm, leaving a thin stripe of red against the hairy flesh and lodges in the wagon behind him.
At the man's shouted words, a motley crew of dirty men spring up from behind the bushes that hem the road. They quickly throw javelins at your group, most of them aimed at Tekkis' armored form.
The remaining javelins fly towards Karo and Morin.
Brushing off most of the thrown barbs, except for one particularly well thrown one, the half-orc slogs through the mud until he is within striking distance.
Morin's arrow strikes where Karo's merely grazed, and remains lodged in the meaty part of the man's arm.
Corbyn’s arrows find their mark, and one of the men behind the hedges falls out of view, the shafts buried deep in the man’s chest.
Gelig bounds forward in a mighty leap, clearing nearly thirty feet of mud before landing in a sloppy splash on the roadway. His tongue whips out at the younger man, the sticky blob on the end grasping for purchase.
His tongue sticks to the young man and pulls him five feet closer to the frog.
Sarusa’s spell extends over the fields and hedges, as the grasses and shrubs come alive, wrapping weedy tendrils around the formerly hidden bandits, leaving only the road as a haven of relative safety.
With practiced motions, the old man, seems to skate through the mud, flanking Tekkis with his younger companion. A dagger seems to appear out of nowhere in his right hand.
However, his dagger is unable to penetrate the orc's thick armor.
The younger man tries frantically to free himself from Gellig's tongue.
but finds himself unable to do so.
Chloe’s spell heartens her allies.
The older man's eyes grow wide at the uncanny movements of the plants and he cries out, Witches! The women are witches! Kill them first!
Chloe shudders as her body takes in some of her companions' wounds, opening a few gashes.
"W-witches...?! Kill us... first? That's..."
As an already vulnerable target, the order makes Chloe blanch.
Morin sees and feels the gash left by the javelin begin to close up and looks at it in amazement. He then twists around towards Chloe, handing her his bow and saying quickly ”You're a wonder, lass! Hold this for me, willya? Don’t want to shoot Tekkis by mistake. If you're hurt, probably best to ride back a bit the way we came. And don't fret - no one's killing ya with us around.”
Morin continues the turn of his body and rolls off Dodi’s back and onto the ground.
Hitting the slick mud, his feet shoot out from under him, his small size making it possible for him to do a near-complete backflip before crashing to the ground on his stomach.
Chloe winces as she hears Morin's clumsy landing.
"-you alright...?"
"A reasonable error, but I am the servant of the Green, not a patron, all due respect to my eldritch cousins. I'll explain to you the difference once you are beaten and bleeding."
Sarusa advances.
Gellig reels in his tongue and gives the fellow a good bite.
One of the scoundrels manages to get free of Sarusa's viney allies and move into a better position to hurl his javelin at her, but the other two are barely able to move five feet closer. All the men advance as best they can and send a second fullisade of throwing spears at Sarusa and Chloe.
Most sail over your heads, the brigands accuracy severely hampered by the distance and the entangling plants. One of the javelins sinks deep into the meat of Chloe's thigh. The blood and the jolt sends Morin sprawling into the mud as the normally placid Dodi rears up on her hind legs.