This half-orc towers above civilized humanoids at close to seven feet tall. While he has characteristic gray skin, pointed ears, and a toothy under-bite, he has a nose ring, a gold canine tooth, and short black hair with a chinstrap beard. He wears the biggest suit of chain mail you've ever seen and shoulders a greataxe, heavy crossbow, quiver and backpack with a coil of rope strapped to it. His weapons belt carries matching handaxes.
With a smirk, he replies, "I'm Ordrud. And, I'll ride the Whale Road with ya," in a tone that he clearly means something completely different.
"Well, well...I do hope that was a double entendre! It is a very great pleasure to make your acquaintance Ordurd! I feel safe already with such strapping men all about!"
With a smile and a swish of her hips, Kat moves over to take a look at the rest of the company she has been bidden to help by her god.
"You can call me Vothe, but only cause that's my name."
The elf steps forward to offer a hand to the newcomer. "Sharee Blackfeather, and it's nice to have another female voice in the group."
Kat give a smile to Vothe and as Sharee introduces herself, the young woman gathers the startled elf up in a big hug.
"Oh, you are SOOO right! It will be nice to have another woman here...not that I am complaining with all these handsome fellas here, but it is nice to have a sister to gossip and chat with as well. Sooo Sharee...any of these guys already bearing your brand??"
Vothe starts laughing. It goes on for a few minutes, as every time he starts to slow down, he looks at the two females and starts laughing again.
It seems that this is indeed a boon meeting and you are able to explain the situation with Rhoona, the Duke and Xanathon.
Another day of travelling and you believe you are close to where the shrine should be. You move slower, more carefully...
The wind catches and carries the faint sound of voices speaking in a foreign tongue - there are people ahead and around the bend in the road...
Vothe gestures for the group to move off the road and says "We should creep up and ambush them. Hopefully we can take them before they are able to get whatever insane magic that Xanathon had upon him active."
"Um. Speaking as THE pirate here, they could just be a caravan of merchants who we can buy stuff and sell our loot. They might even pay top coin for that book."
"If you want to go and sneak, I can walk up to them and distract them. Besides, they should be afraid of me. Very afraid." Ordrud reacts to randomly ambushing people.
"Well if you need to be sneaky, I can bless one of you with stealth...or I could go and check this out. I am pretty quiet myself!"
She waits to see what the group decides.
"Um. Speaking as THE pirate here, they could just be a caravan of merchants who we can buy stuff and sell our loot. They might even pay top coin for that book."
"If you want to go and sneak, I can walk up to them and distract them. Besides, they should be afraid of me. Very afraid." Ordrud reacts to randomly ambushing people.
It's time like this... lol.
Xanathon had a map to this location in his chambers.
Xanathon was rather unkillable.
Eric the NPC quest giver supposes this place, a temple, may hold the answer to Xanathon s unkillability.
If you can succeed it allows you to possibly kill X, end the curse on the Duke and save Rhoona.
Profit.
Marcus considers the situation and his companion's plans. "Without knowing who they are, I don't think we should ambush them. As Ordrud pointed out, they could just be a merchant caravan. If we ambush them, that would make us bandits. Now on the other hand, if it's a patrol, we might want to avoid them, but we don't necessarily need to engage them. In either case, they may not bother a lone traveller if Ordrud wants to walk up to them with the rest of us in hiding. If they are friendly, then we can come out, if not, then we hope they pass without incident," he adds to the conversation.
It sounds like they're stationary.
"Or, I could be a lone hunter who happens upon them. If I can get a look at the situation and then take my leave casually, I can report back here. If I get into trouble, I'll give a signal, and the rest of you can come running."
"Let me put it this way: if we ambush them then see that they're peaceful, we've just scared them; if we walk up to them without ambushing them, we give up our ability to ambush them if things go south. Besides" Vothe looked around for emphasis "why would merchants be all the way out here?"
"They live out here? Enough talk." The pirate concludes.
Looking at Sharee, "Either start walking up there, or I will."
"Sharee, why don't you sneak through the trees to see who is up there," Marcus suggests when he notices that the sound isn't moving.
After waiting for the group to make some sort of decision, Kat decides to go and see who is around the corner herself.
"Be back in the wisk of a cat's tail!"
Stealth:
Stealth:
Sneaky as a fish stealing cat she walks up the path and slips slightly around the corner... You see this....
Out front, their voices perhaps amplified by the rocky walls are a group of five Ethengarian warriors gossiping. Another five stand apart from those talking at various places.
Returning I relay what I saw.
"Can't say I am a great fan of the HorseLords, but maybe they could be talked to? Do any of you speak their language?"
A dusty skinned middle aged woman clad in mail awaits you seated in front of a large desk, her expression stern, her eyes piercing and bright with intelligence.
These were the adventurers who didn't run, hide or die?
The Sargeant gives a weary salute.
Aye - the did better than that. By what reckoning we could make, they killed near to a dozen... including some of those damn Undying.
She gives him a grunt of approval. Congratulations seem to be in order then. I normally dislike mercenaries and adventurers... but I've come to find them to be a necessity out here. It's a far cry from the Legions eh Gaius?
That it is Benesh. That it is... but we're here now so 'shut up and dig', he replies with a grin.
The inside joke evidently tickles her funny bone.
Go get some rest... you may be made of old sandal leather but even you have limits. I see a priest among them. I'll be safe enough.
He salutes again.
If its all the same Captain, I'll wait outside till they're finished. We lost Lucas and Flavia just before I went to play matchmaker - we need to talk about that.
He turns and walks out giving you a wink before closing the door behind him.
Well... might as well start at the beginning. What set all this off and can any of you tell me just what in the hells do you think is happening?
Marcus listens as Katla describes what she saw, a look of concern on his face.
"I don't speak their language and it sounds like there is no way around it. Taking on 10 of them could be challenging not to mention we don't know how many more could be inside. I think we will have to bluff our way past. Maybe we can say we are couriers from Draco unless someone has another idea?"
"We ninja them. Open fire from stealth and down as many as we can then move back into the woods and have them follow us."
"We definitely draw them away in a trap. Too bad we don't know a secret way in the back, like this other story I heard."
Much of the sounds of talking dies away...
Marcus listens to Vothe and Ordrud's plan, concerned how the group is going to fight so many. "Typical plan from these two. Attack! Kill! I guess I shouldn't expect anything different from a warlock and a viking," Marcus thinks to himself.
"What if this is the entrance to the temple we are looking for? Won't attacking them raise the alarm and make things that much harder for us once inside?" Marcus asks, hoping they don't have to take on a army to get inside.
"First fight will likely raise the alarm, but that's why I wanted to take them quiet...Speaking of that, it's gotten really quiet." Vothe stops talking and instead creeps forward to take a look at the area ahead.
Before he moves forward, Kat gives him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"For luck!"
Vothe seems genuinely shocked for a moment, but quickly recovers and gives Katla a lascivious wink.
Sharee also sneaks forward to take a look.
The are just five guards now... you imagine that you likely saw a changing of the guard earlier.
Just how many more guards are within? 5, 10, 20?...
One thing for certain this isn't some small scale shrine.
Vothe gestures to Sharee and then moves back to the group.
Once they gather round, he says "Looks like it's a big camp and shrine. We should decide what we're going to do, and do so quickly. There are at least 12 people guarding this place, and likely another 6-8 that make up a third shift. So let's say 20 combatants. Throw in another 10-20 in the shrine, and our chances are not great. That's why I think we should try and ambush this group and as many more as possible."
"I am in agreeance, but we should attempt to draw them to us, with the others remaining in hiding for an ambush."
Marcus shakes his head when he hears there may be so many guards. "That's what I was afraid of. How do you intend for the five of us to fight so many? Sure maybe the first group we can take out, but then I would imagine they will either go into defense mode or send out a larger group to investigate," he says, trying to figure out why the others are so intent on fighting.
Vothe answered the questions in order:
"If we draw them to us, it will alert the entire complex if they are at all competent at their job, cause they'll send one of them in to alert the others. Right now they don't know we're here. The longer we can keep it that way the better."
"I will admit that I'm willing to entertain other plans. What's your idea for getting the group into the temple?"
Again waiting for the group to come up with a plan to move forward, Kat seems to be listening to a voice beyond the hearing of the others. She nods once and gives a bright smile.
"Well there is foolhardy and then there is brave...both perhaps the same side of the knife! I will see what they have to say about one poor, lost woman on the road...and that might just help us decide how to deal with them!"
She hops down from the rock she was sitting and walks around the corner directly towards the guard before the temple.
Vothe doesn't notice Katla until it's too late to stop her.
A lone traveller, for so she is dressed (more or less) illicits both surprise and curiosity more than hostility... after a murmured discussion two of them approach Katla. The other three are 20' away from her looking on. The rear three are about 50' from the temple entrance.
Halt, challenges the leader. You are lost, yes? We are here as road protection - where are the other members of your caravan?
"Well now, isn't that sweet of you. Coming to my rescue and that of my friends, how nice. They are awhile behind me...I was sent on ahead to try to find help. Who are you and where am I?"
Well, you'll be stepping inside to talk to our Leader... seize her.
The one at his side attempts a grapple while the other three close in.
"That's our cue," Sharee says, stepping around the corner and letting fly an arrow at the one attempting the grapple.
Vothe draws his blade and steps into the clearing, then says "It's going to be hard to seize her if you have no hands."
Ordrud follows Vothe into the clearing with quite a bit of spacing between them. He holds his right hand up while his left fishes a small ballista bolt from its quiver. When he catches his hand ballista, he loads it in one smooth motion. Then, he takes a bead of the furthest guard who closest to the temple.
Marcus was crouched down looking through the books in the saddle bags when Katla walked away towards the guards. Too late to stop her, he takes out his bow and moves closer with the others to provide backup and spring the trap they were discussing.
When the guard tries grabbing her, he sees Sharee fire at the guard so Marcus fires at the other one close to the cleric.
Arcobatics (I think?):
Kat giggles as she spins out of the reach of the grasping guard.
"Now, now...we will have none of that. Grabby hands get what's coming to them!"
She gestures at the guard and a bolt of light flies from her hand and strikes the unsuspecting guard.
Attack (Guiding Bolt):
Damage:
[b]"Oh look...my friends were not that far behind me!"[/dice]
Come a Little Bit Closer” by Jay & The Americans –
Katias bolt turns the mans chest into a smoking hole!
Marcus shoots the leader in the ribs, with his arrow. Sharree finishes him.
Thanks to Katia's distraction, the guards were moving forward and not back...
One runs towards the temple but will not make the entrance this round. Ordrud shoots him, making him stagger.
Two others move to attack.
One on Vothe and one on Katia...
Attack Vothe
for
Attack Katia
for