The rushing river and the distance should mask the sounds of conversation.
"Thoughts? I expect more lie in ambush.
We could have one of our gnomes create a distraction with Dancing Lights, appearing as a group of torches, to draw them off in a different direction.
We could have Rhyna try her Sleep spell; any other soldiers watching could just awaken the guard, but it would draw them out.
We could start sniping from here, while they are lit by the torches and we are too far for them to see. Focus fire on the wolf.
Once the battle is joined I would suggest Aubrin turn Grum into a giant.
The smokesticks, tanglefoot bags, and alchemist's fire may also be useful."
Benedict will take the composite longbow, one +1 arrow, and 5 normal arrows. If nobody else wants the buckler, he will take that and offer his heavy wooden shield to Jie. He'll also take one of the alchemist's fire.
"Thank you, Benedict." Jie says as she takes the wooden shield and secures it to Feng's left side in an easy position for her to reach. She stores her short bow, loads the Heavy Crossbow, leaving it in her right hand. She then gets ready to quickly mount when the time comes. "I think we should open with the sleep first, followed by archery fire to anything left standing. I hate to say it, but the wolf is a valid target."
Aubrin and Rhyna spend a couple moments conferring, so they get their timing right, then Aubrin begins chanting. It is indeed a longer process than you might have expected otherwise, but after several longs seconds, Grum slowly expands to twice his size, a giant now crouched next to you. After a moment to catch her breath, she goes on to cast bull's strength on Amkarang, just as Rhyna begins to cast the sleep spell. Finally, Rhyna finishes chanting and Aubri proclaims that the group has Cayden Cailean's blessings. If that's the case, though, you can't really tell by the wolf, which not only does not fall asleep, but suddenly stands and begins to growl into the darkness.
While Grum expands, Jie quaffs one of the potions of guidance. When the wolf growls, with a silent prayer of apology to the spirits of the wolves she lets fly with a masterwork crossbow bolt, relying on the potion to guide its flight.
Lissa's shot falls short, and she drops the bow, reading her glaive.
"Go Grum"
As the arrow and crossbow bolt fly toward her out of the shadows, the lone warrior on the bridge raises a whistle to her lips and blows it in a short pattern - it echoes shrilly through the darkness. From the south, toward the center of town and the dark onyx tower that now rises there into the night, the same pattern can be heard repeated back.
That done, she aims her crossbow in the general direction of where the projectiles came from, releases the chain around the wolf's great neck, and begins shouting in Goblin.
"Healers, stay with Grum! Archers, ready!"
Benedict looses an arrow at the wolf, drops the bow for a follower to grab, and moves forward 20' drawing his sword.
Jie, unhappy with her shot, stores the crossbow on Feng as she vaults into the saddle.
and gets her shortbow out. She keeps Feng with the civilians, and directs the archers to begin firing.
Amkarang moves into position, ready to receive the charge of the wolf as well. It obliges, but it does not run at him - instead, the massive canine snarls and leaps for the oversized figure of Grum. The half-orc's reflexes are too quick, however, and Grum's gigantic falchion slices between the wolf's open jaws, ending its threat once and for all.
Amkarang readies himself to intercept the hobgoblin brute, getting his meteor hammer in position to trip her.
Jie orders tells the citizens. "Fire and advance at the hobgoblin, you need to get over the bridge. Kining and I are going to try to take out the bridge." She extends a hand to help Kining onto the back of Feng.
Kining growls, "I hate horses," but accepts Jie's hand up. In just a few moments' space, she's awkwardly dismounting, heading toward the crane and scaffolding with determination. On the south side of the bridge, the archers raise their bows uncertainly, and one, Mershan, aims to cover Jie.
Lissa and her glaive make their way up to stand next to Grum.
The hob warrior on the bridge keeps shouting, even as she levels her crossbow at Grum and looses a bolt. The shot is too fast, though, and goes far wide of him.
,
"For Phaendar! FIRE!"
One of the archers looses a shot at the hobgoblin.
Although it falls short, Benedict cheers the archer nonetheless as he moves to join his comrades.
They are taking a role in their own survival, not just depending on us. Good.
Jie rides along Kining, providing protection. "Just to be on the safe side, let me have your keys." she asks the dwarf. "I'll unlock the crane, in case we need to use it."
Grum's roaring charge lands heavily, and the Ironfang warrior staggers under the blow but does not fall. Kining quickly tosses the keys to Jie before going back to her work.
Lissa moves forward, and jabs her glaive in a surprisingly fast strike at the hob's side, sinking it home.
"Across the bridge everyone. We need to move. Drag the body with us!"
Lissa cuts the hob warrior down with her glaive, then begins waving the refugees out of cover and across the bridge. Slowly at first, and then more quickly, the civilians step forward and start to cross the bridge.
Amkarang bellows at the refugees, "Come on!" He runs over to Lissa to help drag the body.
"Well struck!"
Benedict will move near the scaffolding with Jie and Kining. If Jie can aid Kining, Benedict will ask whichever follower has the smokesticks to bring him one. He will watch for reinforcements. Should any appear in longbow range, he will toss the smokestick to block view of Kining and Jie (so between the bridge and the town, probably).
Can't have our sabotage interrupted by enemy archers.
Since Jie is working on the crane as the backup option, Benedict will Aid Another on Kining's attempt at setting the Stump Remover. He read Kining's and Oreld's notes, and has a +2 Int, so that should be a +9, auto-succeeding on Aid Another.
"You're in charge here, Kining. Tell me which tasks you want me on."
Benedict moves over to Aid Kining, while Grum loots the bodies and Jie works to unlock the crane. The well-made lock clicks cleanly open, leaving the crane to swing freely. Kining gives it a wary look. "Do not swing that thing at me!" she shouts at Jie. The refugees begin to pour across the bridge.
Lissa moves towards the edge of the forest, looking for a clear path of escape.
"This way."
Amkarang stays on the bridge with the refugees, helping the slower ones to pick up the pace.
Jie readies the crane for use but does not swing it. "Wouldn't think of it, Kining." she says with a smile. Despite her chipper manner she keeps a wary eye out for any more of the invading army.
The forest beyond the bridge looks clear to Lissa's eye.
A single Ironfang arrow comes winging its way out of the darkness to the south. Although it misses the enlarged half-orc, you all know it is just a harbinger of what is coming.
,
Benedict keeps working on the Stump Remover with Kining.
The arrow attack catches Jie a little by surprise. They must be closer than we thought. she thinks as she scans the darkness for whomever shot the arrow.
Lissa continues to lead the refugees towards the forest, her eyes open for any trouble ahead of them.
"Hurry as you can, it's not going to get any better back there, ideally, Jie will have some luck making it noticably worse for the hobs. We'll need to be well into the fangwood if we're to find safety tonight."
Kining looks up at Benedict and Jie. "It's done. We've got thirty seconds."
To the north, Lissa continues to see no signs of danger, but to the south, Jie spots pockets of hobgoblins starting to assemble near the tower, facing north. They are only visible thanks to the fires around the Green - the dark terrain between the Greensedge and the southern edge of the bridge might conceal any number of dangers...
which makes it all the more a relief when the bulk of the refugees hustle themselves off the bridge and beginning running for the safety of the forest.
Two more arrows wing in from the south.
,
,
"Jie, take Kining, I'll cover you."
Benedict throws his smokestick so it forms a 10' cube of smoke outside the doors of the small building. That should mostly block line of sight from the town, so he, Kining, and Jie can retreat across the north edge of the bridge without getting shot too much. He also takes a single move.
He's hoping this lures the Ironfangs to stop shooting and just advance... They don't know about the Stump Remover.
Jie offers a hand to help Kining onto Feng. "Come on Kining, let's get out of here." she says. Once Kinig is safely on the back of the horse, she quickly moves across the bridge, thankful for the smoke cover. When she gets to the other side, she lets Kining dismount. She then looks back towards the bridge, making sure that Bendict is following.
Suddenly, out of the darkness and smoke to the south, an Ironfang legionnaire appears, although one dressed rather differently than her fellows: she wears only a simple halter over her breasts and plain breeches. An armband identifies her as belonging to the Ironfang legion and bears some symbol of rank, but beyond that she just carries a sack and some pouches tied to her simple rope belt. Her visible skin is covered in thick, painful looking scarring, but she smiles broadly as she sees Benedict still standing near the bridge's southern edge.
"You have fought well to reach this place!" she shouts in thickly-accented Common. "You are honored now to die at the hands of Unbroken Vortiga!"