The trap door opens to reveal two townsfolk cowering in the corner. You also find provisions worth 4 PP.
Oona stows her scythe. "It's alright, the building is clear. You can come out now. But you can't stay here; the town is completely overrun by hobgoblins. Come with us, if you want to live. We are retreating with Aubrin and a few other survivors into the Fangwood."
Once the townsfolk (hopefully) join her above ground, she gathers the provisions with Katia and Freyja and is ready to return to the others.
At the mention of Aubrin, the two people accept your help exiting the cellar. You all gather at the rear of the building. Aubrin looks around at the gathered group of nearly thirty people. Every person has some sort of injury, but they are all walking under their own power. They are covered in blood, and dirt, and grime, but they are helping to carry provisions or supporting a less able-bodied neighbor. All around you is violence and fire and death, but you have saved a great number of people.
Aubrin speaks. "Now we make for the bridge. We have been lucky so far, but the bridge is gonna be a b++@%. We're going to need everyone's help to make sure everyone gets across and that we destroy it behind us. Stay close and do what you're told."
With that, you head out. You move relatively well as a group by this point, staying in shadows and alleyways, avoiding or ambushing hobgoblin soldiers. But the bridge is exposed. There are some trees along the shoreline that you are able to scurry between, but it will be impossible to cross the bridge without being seen, especially since you need to take the time to destroy it.
Colorful gobs of lichen and moss dapple the ancient, basalt bridge here at the Marideth's narrowest crossing. The ravine below drops twenty feet into raging whitewater and jagged, exposed boulders. To the northwest stands a ramshackle shed and a weathered but sturdy-looking wooden crane. Twenty-some bloody and motionless bodies litter the ground, and above them flap banners painted with an ominous, fanged red shield. To the north, three hundred feet past the bridge, a wall of trees and ferns marks the edge of the Fangwood.
You and your motley band of refugees gather behind the last copse of trees that provides any shelter before the bridge. There is a powerful-looking, heavily armored and armed hobgoblin standing near the crane, accompanied by a wolf.
Oona inspects the carnage soberly before turning to Kining. "This bridge is your area of expertise. What do you think is the quickest way to drop that bridge?"
Kining scoffs. "Since the town stopped paying me, the keystone I removed to repair is still missing. It's just a wooden support structure now. Sufficient force in the center of the bridge will take it down."
The stump remover plans you picked up at Oreld's could do the trick. You gathered all the alchemical materials but didn't take the time to separate the ones specific to the recipe, so that will take some time (and additional time means additional risk of moar enemies). Once you have the components, it'll take 3 consecutive rounds of successful checks (don't forget: you can get aid from followers!) to set the explosive; then it'll explode in 5 more rounds.
Alternatively, you could use the crane or other means to destroy the wooden support structure.
Katia thinks the troglodyte with the sword looks pretty scary.
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Katia blinks, then pulls the "stump remover" recipe from her belt pouch and shows it to the others excitedly. "I can use this to make something to blow the bridge. But all these alchemical components... I'll need time to sort through it all, and more time to set the explosive concoction. Then we'll have about thirty second to clear the bridge and get to the edge of the forest."
Oona eyes Katia dubiously. "That sounds like an awful lot of time. We could be discovered at any moment."
Kergri (0 damage)
Kur (0 damage)
Oona (16/20 hp)
Mac (19/24 hp)
Freyja (22/22 hp)
Katia (16/16 hp)
Just let me know each round what everyone (including any followers) is doing.
Oona kneels down and rubs Mac's ears. "Stay down, boy. Defend Katia, keep her safe. This all rests on her now." Of course the wolf has no idea what she's saying, but hopefully the tone of her voice carries the weight of the situation.
She heads over to the others and whispers, "We need you to all to stay unseen as long as possible. Follow my directions, and quickly."
She then sets about giving orders to the townsfolk on how to stay better hidden. Those with light hair or clothing, she covers in tarps or blankets. Shiny armors (her own has long since dulled from years in the wilds) are smeared with dirt or mud, and hiding places are designated; the largest and widest targets like Oona and Kining are to lay flat on the ground. Smaller targets like children and thin adults are to hide behind trees to the best of their ability. Oona directs Katia to do her work in a small cluster of bushes, as out-of-sight as possible since she'll be unable to move while she works.
Oona drapes her cloak over her scythe on her back and draws her shortbow, laying it on the ground next to her in easy reach. If things get hairy, she wants to engage the enemy as far away as possible.
Mac is entirely unsure what's going on, but he recognizes Oona's command of "Defend," and the stranger she pointed to with her eyes.
He stalks over to where the strange woman is huddled in the brush with a pile of reeking items whose scents make his nose itch. He paws it a few times but the itch doesn't go away, so he does his best to ignore it.
He likes the stranger; she has a good smell. So does the one with the fire-hair. This one has lots of bad smells with her too, but she herself smells good, so Mac takes comfort in that. He can sense it beneath the half-dozen violent odors attempting to mask her, sort of like jasmine and something sharp but not unpleasant.
He lies down near her, staying low to the ground, but his head stays perked up, eyes alert.
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Katia freezes as the wolf pads over and sits nearby. Gods, she's never seen a beast so large. It's practically the size of a human being. She swallows hard and tries to focus on the task at hand.
Is this...? Damn, Oreld, your handwriting is atrocious. Orange rind shavings? Where are those? Erm.... No... no... Ah. Okay. Why it's using fruit for a base is--ohhh. Okay. Damn, Oreld, good catch.
She can't help but wonder if this would be going faster with Oreld here. Surely it would. He was clearly more skilled in alchemy than herself. She's only ever dabbled. Likely Oreld could have taught her a great deal about the science.
Well, he's dead now, Katia. Because you chose to go there last. Maybe if you'd gone there first--
She shakes her head. If you'd gone there first, maybe Kining would be dead and we'd have no idea how to blow the bridge. Or maybe the acolytes of the temple would be dead and these people would have almost no resources for healing and treating sickness while we're stuck in the Fangwood for gods know how long.
She closes her eyes and allows herself a moment to just breathe. There is no one else now. There is only her. Whatever Oreld could have done to help, he is gone. Most of the townsfolk are gone. And if she doesn't get her s%$& together and assemble the Stump Remover, she and the other survivors will be gone too.
These components are a mess. She's good with messes. She's good with chaos. It suits her. The randomness of the Harrow deck intermingling with faint divinitory energies to coalesce into knowledge from madness, order from chaos, Fate from nothing.
You are not altogether ignorant of alchemy. You know most of these ingredients. Sort them out.
She opens her eyes and gets back to work.
The trooper's wolf seems to have caught a whiff of something. It is sniffing the air, hackles raised. The trooper notices the wolf's body language and says something to it, then moves forward a few steps. You haven't been noticed yet, but it is imminent.
Kergri (0 damage)
Kur (0 damage)
Oona (16/20 hp)
Mac (19/24 hp)
Freyja (22/22 hp)
Katia (16/16 hp)
Freyja has been keeping an eye on the enemy while the others do their things. She notices the wolf's behavior and recognizes it as having picked up their scent, even from this far away . She nocks an arrow. "Be ready," she whispers, as she draws and readies.
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Katia grumbles, "Oh good, that's not distracting at all," before diving back into her work. She nods appreciatively at the two townsfolk aiding her, and picks up a large jug, carefully adding the refined lamp oil into the mixture of orange rinds and animal dung, then sprinkles in flint shavings to help ignition.
Oona nods at Freyja and rises slightly, creeping up to a bush and readying her shortbow to fire at the wolf when it comes in range. She knows how deadly that animal is likely to be.
Kur's sniffing turns to growling and it starts running towards the trees. Kergri draws her crossbow and yells something in goblin.
Kergri (0 damage)
Kur (0 damage)
Oona (16/20 hp)
Mac (19/24 hp)
Freyja (22/22 hp)
Katia (16/16 hp)
Freyja fires her drawn arrow at the charging wolf.
The arrow takes it in the chest but it keeps running.
Oona looses an arrow at the wolf.
Oona sheathes her bow and moves up to the wolf, drawing her scythe as she goes.
Mac continues to stand near Katia, ready to strike any enemies that come near her.
The wolf lets out a whimper and shakes its head once, twice. It seems distracted.
Freyja steps away from the wolf and fires two shots at point-blank range.
Freyja's first arrow sails well wide, but she doesn't often miss twice. The second takes Kur in the ribs and he lets out a yelp of pain. You hear a goblin curse come from Kergri.
Kur lashes out at Oona with his jaws. They clamp over her upper thigh and twist, tearing flesh and sinew . Oona barely manages to stay on her feet. Kergri, recognizing Katia as a caster, takes a moment to line up a crossbow shot through the trees, and a bolt hits Katia in her right shoulder . She yells again in goblin.
Kergri (0 damage)
Kur (12 damage, -2 AC [6 rounds])
Oona (9/20 hp)
Mac (19/24 hp)
Freyja (22/22 hp)
Katia (12/16 hp)
Bold may act.
Oona hisses in pain as the fangs sink into her leg. "Katia!" she hisses. "She can't find us yet. Can you take care of her before she does?"
She then brings her scythe down on the wolf.
Mac steps forward to keep pace with Katia.
Freyja grins at Oona's strike on the wolf, steps out to get a better shot, and fires two arrows at Kergri.
Kergri twitches and rubs her hand over her face, slapping the side of her head a few times.
Oona strikes down the wolf and it falls with a yelp. Kergri screams in anger and throws down her crossbow. Before she can rush forward, Freyja takes her shots, but they both miss .
Kergri screams and charges towards the trees, drawing her scimitar and raising it high. She reaches the trees and swings at Oona, intending to avenge her wolf. Her scimitar slashes a long, ragged gash in Oona's chest . Kergri grins, looking feral and crazed.
At that moment, things get much, much worse. The door to the shed flies open and a hobgoblin recruit comes running toward the battle, making final adjustments to its armor. There is another one by the shed door. And a pair of hobgoblins on patrol hear the commotion and come rushing up from the south.
Kergri (0 damage, -2 attack [6 rounds], -2 AC from charge [1 round])
Kur (18 damage, -2 AC [5 rounds], unconscious and stable)
Hob 1 (0 damage)
Hob 2 (0 damage)
Oona (3/20 hp)
Mac (19/24 hp)
Freyja (22/22 hp)
Katia (12/16 hp)
Hob 3 (0 damage)
Hob 4 (0 damage)
Bold may act.
Aubrin takes a step forward and touches Oona's shoulder. "May Cayden keep you in this fight, my dear."
Freyja sees the battlefield getting crowded and realizes they needs to take the leader down as quickly as possible. She fires two more shots at Kergri, then takes a step back to shield the civilians.
Oona shudders at the horrific wound, and exhales gratefully at Aubrin's healing. "Katia!" she yells, readying her scythe, "how are we on that escape plan?" She catches Katia's nod from her peripheral. "Good. Then it's time to go. Get to the bridge! Quickly!"
She brings the scythe down on Kergri, hoping to end at least one of the sudden threats before the entire group is slaughtered.
"Mac! Attack!" She points at the incoming hob recruit .
Mac snarls and rushes the incoming hobgoblin.
This time, Kergri returns Katia's stare with resilience and hatred. She yells in goblin again.
Then she swings her scimitar at Oona, but Katia's influence is too strong and the strike goes wide.
#1 charges from the shed to block Katia's path, longsword raised. When it reaches her, it swings it down with a roar, striking Katia on the shoulder .
#2, bolstered by #1's success, stabs Mac through the shoulder .
Kergri (9 damage, -2 attack [5 rounds], -2 AC [1 round])
Kur (18 damage, -2 AC [4 rounds], unconscious and stable)
Hob 1 (0 damage, -2 AC from charge [1 round])
Hob 2 (6 damage)
Oona (17/20 hp)
Mac (13/24 hp)
Freyja (13/22 hp)
Katia (6/16 hp)
Hob 3 (0 damage)
Hob 4 (0 damage)
Bold may act.
Aubrin sees things going especially badly, grabs her holy symbol and mutters a prayer to Cayden Cailean.
Freyja looks down at her bow. What is wrong with this thing? She sees the two hobgoblins ready to charge toward the group and decides to figure out what is wrong with her bow after getting the civilians out of harm's way. "Everybody run toward the river!"
Then: "Katia! Fall back and let us take a few of them down first!"
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Katia does her best to throttle down the lump of fear threatening to close her throat off from air and stumbles back from the hobgoblin. She moves her hands in a bizarre gesture at the hobgoblin in front of her, chanting in the low, spidery language of magic. Then she utters a wet, gurgling noise from deep in the back of her throat and spits at the hob. A rush of sickly yellow-green muck erupts from her mouth at the creature, covering it in foul, sticky sludge that makes it hard to move.
Oona tries to carve a chunk out of Kergri again, recognizing that she's the biggest threat of the hobgoblins.
May the Three guide my blade, she thinks as she carves downward.
Mac, sensing his companion in imminent danger, whines frantically. He wants to go to her aid, but she gave an order. He lashes out at the hobgoblin in front of him again, desperate to bring it down and help Oona.
#1 somehow anticipates the terrifying thing Katia is about to do and avoids the worst of it.
Kergri yells in pain as Oona's scythe strikes her again, opening another bloody wound.
Mac tries to bite #2 again but it swipes his jaws away.
Aubrin senses the desperation of the situation and pulls out her bow. She nocks an arrow and lets it fly at #3, hitting it high in its right thigh .
#3 charges at Oona but the arrow in its thigh prevents it from effectively attacking her.
#4 double moves to flank Oona with Kergri.
Kergri swings her scimitar at Oona but still can't get Katia out of her head.
#1 moves to flank Mac. It catches Mac in a moment of momentary distraction, but Mac is able to twist away at the last moment to avoid a grievous wound .
#2 swings and misses.
Kergri (16 damage, -2 attack [4 rounds])
Kur (18 damage, -2 AC [3 rounds], unconscious and stable)
Hob 1 (0 damage, half speed [3 rounds])
Hob 2 (6 damage)
Oona (20/20 hp)
Mac (16/24 hp)
Freyja (22/22 hp)
Katia (14/16 hp)
Aubrin
Hob 3 (6 damage, -2 AC from charge [1 round])
Hob 4 (0 damage)
Bold may act.
Freyja finally gets her bow right, just in time to see Oona get surrounded. She says to Aubrin, "We have to get them off her!"
Aubrin yells, "Right!" and nocks an arrow of her own.
Oona is feeling better thanks to Aubrin's healing, but things are looking bad. Surrounded on three sides, and Mac is unable to help her now...
She can't help but think of the druidic circle that raised her. Of the slaughter of the druids and the Norn that had guided her training. Your destiny lies in Phaendar, it had said. Some destiny.
Just take as many down as you can, she thinks. As long as the others escape, my task will be fulfilled.
Heart hardened, she swings down at Kergri once more.
Mac utters a noise somewhere between a snarl and a whine. He's a predator; he's unused to superior numbers. But if he doesn't drop them, his new packmates fall. He snaps at the hob not covered in goop.