Surprised, and not happy about it, Kuntaxl reacted aggressively. The frill behind his head snapped open as he quickly closed with the hobgoblin, while readying his shield.
Conscious of reports of hobgoblin raiders in the area, his eyes dart to the trees, looking for an ambush.
"Who are you?! Where are the rest?"
Jace starts yelling out the back of the caravan.
"What's going on!? I don't see anything! I think maybe something is going on at the front of the caravan! Can anyone see??"
In the midst of this tense situation, a call comes from the front of the wagons. Up ahead is Plaguestone! No sooner does the call fade from Keldaran's lips than it is overshadowed by a series of long mournful howls, emanating from the woods to either side of the caravan. Moments later, you hear cries of panic as a pack of mangy wolves descends from the forest with teeth bared!
Jace Strides to the other side of the wagon now, closest to where Kuntaxl and the newcomer are. "Who's that?" He indicates the individual who came out of nowhere.
"Hey, who's that!?" Jace points at the wolf fifteen feet behind the newcomer. "Ooh, I think maybe it's fiddling time..."
Jace retrieves his fiddle from where he left it on the wagon floor, and begins to sing as he plays a traditional fiddler's tune, casting Inspire Courage through his sung lyrics and the playing his fiddle.
They say young men are bold and free,
Beware, O take care!
They'll tell you they're friends but they're false, you see
Beware, O take care ...
"Friend or foe? Decide quickly!"
Vorak stares at the lizardfolk’s frill, concerned that he might be aggressive. When the wolves howl, Vorak does the cagiest double-take anyone has seen this side of two weeks, and even ducks a little.
Fyxe! Where’s Flenser?
Vorak slides down any available slope toward the wagon, looking around to try to tell what in any Hell is going on... Unfortunately, between the waggoneers snd the wolves, Vorak thinks it’s all chaos.
”Friend! Friend! They’re not my wolves!!!” he shouts to Kuntaxl...
The wolves move to attack!
Tolgy hears the howls from his wagon, and hiccups.
Striding forward to the closest wolf, Kuntaxl leans forward with jaws extended, tearing a chunk out of its neck, then raising his shield to guard against the wolf coming in from the side.
The tipsy halfling comes tumbling out of the of the wagon from whence, moments before, a soft snoring had been heard. He maintains his stronghold on his ale cup.
"What is tha... tha matter? Ahh, bandits! Furry ones! A toast to you too... *hic* mongrels!" Moves me to dash the contents of his cup before him, but what emerges with a crack is a bolt of bright yellow light that arcs across the trail towards the northern wolf.
He lips the cup to his lips for a taste, the other hand waving into existence an oval of force through which the halfling can see fine, but from the opposite side renders Tolgy blurred and distorted.
"...th'important thing is too... just to remain... *hic* calm."
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Kuntaxl rushes forward and leans down to bite the very surprised wolf. The lizard man wraps mighty jaws around its neck, lifts it up nearly off the ground, and shakes it about. He then drops the mangy creature to the ground, where it lay still.
Tolgy's lance of light flies out and pierces through the wolf just coming out of the woods. It singes the fur and burns into the beast's side, but it's still standing...barely.
The wolves move in! The hurt one to the north rushes at Kuntaxl, snarling with flecks of drool flying off of it. It bites at the lizard man, but doesn't even come close.
The third wolf rushes at Tolgy, chomping to try and get a piece. Its first bite takes out a chunk of flesh, but the second is thrown off target.
"..remain calm."
"Gah!!!" Tolgy screams and flails dramatically. He lifts his bleeding foot, nearly losing his balance. "Ya bit me! What kind of bandit is this?"
Fleas!
Tiny specks leap off of the wolf as it bites you!
Jace Strides to the other side of the wagon now, closest to where Kuntaxl and the newcomer are. "Who's that?" He indicates the individual who came out of nowhere.
"Hey, who's that!?" Jace points at the wolf fifteen feet behind the newcomer. "Ooh, I think maybe it's fiddling time..."
Jace retrieves his fiddle from where he left it on the wagon floor, and begins to sing as he plays a traditional fiddler's tune, casting Inspire Courage through his sung lyrics and the playing his fiddle.
They say young men are bold and free,
Beware, O take care!
They'll tell you they're friends but they're false, you see
Beware, O take care ...
Stepping around the horse, Nuktik eyes the beast. "I don't believe singing will keep it from eating you." announces the hobgoblin.
Tugging a vial free, he quickly drops in a few chemicals and gives it a shake before chucking it at the wolf. "Think it's flammable?"
As the vial explodes, he smiles. "Hmm, seems they are."
for
Stepping around the horse, Nuktik eyes the beast. "I don't believe singing will keep it from eating you." announces the hobgoblin.
"It might like my singing, and keep me alive for the entertainment value," Jace says, sounding a bit miffed.
Jace's song sounds out over the snarls of the canine beasts, though they don't seem to enjoy it nearly as much as Jace's allies do. Still, one could think their snarls were instead snorts of appreciation.
Nuktik's throw is spot on, and his bomb hits the wolf solidly. The acrid smell of singed fur nearly makes Tolgy choke.
Blood dripping from his teeth, Kuntaxl turns to the other wolf, but spitting out fur causes him to come up short. With attack now coordinated to the northwest, he closes ranks.
Vorak breathes, looking around wildly. He eventually recovers a little. He drops his shield and advances on the northern wolf.
Remembering his war training, albeit without the serried ranks of squadmates, the brave brave scout stabs twice at the mangy cur.
[+1 Str, +1 song; +1 Str]
Aurumvorak moves in, holding his shield high and at the ready.
End of round 1, beginning of round 2
After he moves into position, another snarl can be heard from the north, ushering in a new, much larger beast. This wolf is robust, its forelegs rippling with muscle. Green ichor drips down from it's snarling jaws.
The creature looks to the south at the gathered defenders of the caravan and it's life-giving meat, and it lets out a howl. After a second, the howl is echoed by the other wolves, who pay homage to their alpha.
Kuntaxl moves in to bite at the next wolf, but can't seem to get the dodging canine.
Tolgy scratches at his neck and head, staggering backward. "Be gone, foul beasties!" he slurs, "the power of Cayden compels you!" His beer-vision shield surrounds him, rendering him slightly blurry and twice as attractive.
The wolves pause, seeming to glance back at their alpha to see if it knew what Tolgy had yelled, but with no deviation in commands coming, they attack!
The first rushes at Kuntaxl, biting at the lizard man's legs. The first bite comes in under his shield, just barely scratching Kuntaxl's hip.
The other rushes at Nuktik, not wanting the hobgoblin to feel lonely. It falls upon Nuktik with fury, ripping with its teeth as its friendly fleas try and find a new home.
Reeling from the surprise of the bite, he wipes the blood away. "Why I oughta..." *UHhmmMK* trailing off as the flees leap into his beard and mouth, the hobgoblin coughs a bit.
Turning to the left, *HHRRRkkk* he involuntarily empties his stomach of the earlier meal.
Wiping his chin again, he growls at the beast in front of him. *THWACK* rings out as he whacks it across the head with his gauntlet. Rearing back, he swings again. "How do you like it gobli...err mangy beach?!"
for Agile, Free-Hand
for Agile, Free-Hand
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"Mangy mutts, get outta here! Go home to momma!"
Jace pauses fiddling to yell at the wolves. He points his fiddler's bow at Kuntaxl and intones a poem strongly, almost singing the words, in a voice that commands the powers that be to listen:
Kuntaxl ... you've got a friend in me /
Yes, you've got a friend in me /
If you've got troubles, I've got 'em too /
There are few things I wouldn't do for you /
Let's stick together, see this wolf mess through /
'Cause you've got a friend in me
Jace casts spirit link on Kuntaxl.
Jace begins to play his fiddle after that, and gives the entire group inspire courage once more.
With the background of Jace's song, Nuktuk shows his hobgoblin grit. He turns, tosses his lunch, then slams his gauntlet down upon the burning wolf. A puff of smoke is "thumped" out and floats in the air as the wolf goes down, it's spike cracked.
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Vorak moves up closer to the alpha wolf, whistling for his own wolf. He swings his morningstar at the fell canid...
Flenser! Where are you?!?
Hearing the whimper as the wolf attacking Nuktik falls, Kuntaxl glances back and sees that the caravan is safe.
Eyeing the large wolf that entered the fray, he hisses, knowing the leader is the key to breaking the morale of the lesser beasts.
"Rally to me, friends. Finish off this little one."
Running forward, he flares his frill as he leans down and roars back at the Alpha wolf, finishing up by lunging at the beast's flank.
Aurumvorak moves up to the beast bravely, perhaps desiring to show these apparently capable folk what he can do. However, he swings at this massive wolf twice, and misses both times as the hardy beast just seems far too quick for its size.
The wolf snarls at Aurumvorak, and attacks with dripping, green jaws. He snaps the jaws around Aurumvorak's midsection, and the green ichor begins to eat away at the hobgoblin's armor. Still, the great wolf pulls his meal down to the ground, and knocks him prone.
The wolf then, having taken down its first foe, chokes, then vomits a stream of green acid in a line, coating Tolgy and Jace with sizzling splatter.
The wolf then, having taken down its first foe, chokes, then vomits a stream of green acid in a line, coating Tolgy and Jace with sizzling splatter.
"Eww, gross!" Jace takes full vomit.
"B*$*&!%s..." Tolgy mumbles, turning a bit green under the gills.
He splashes the contents of his cup toward Aurumvorak, and as the seemingly endless drink flies fifteen feet to reach him, the liquid explodes in a flash of warm light over the hobgoblin's head.
Tolgy then staggers behind the wagon wheel, taking cover from further wolf vomit.
Stepping over the fallen wolf, Nuktik eyes the remaining two. Mixing together another concoction as he struggles to hold back the bile building up, he calls out "Duck!" and chucks it at the alpha.
for
Kuntaxl strides in, hissing at the wolf, but the creature doesn't seem willing to back down. The lizard man has no problem with that, and leans down to bite at the creature, taking out a chunk of fur. The lupine beast yelps in pain, and then snarls with green goo dripping from its jaws.
After Tolgy stumbles in to heal Aurumvorak, the smaller wolf looks up at Kuntaxl and, seeing an opportunity for a pack hunting technique they like to use, tries to hamstring the lizard man.
The larger wolf snarls in derision at his obviously useless pack mate, then yelps again as an electrically charged bomb crashes down on its snout.
Awoooooooooo!
The howl is one of pain, not a threat, and the wolf seems confused by the powerful attack from Nuktik.