Talia's eyes seem unfocused as she responds to Casamir, as if she's not fully present, his question having dredged up powerful memories - or emotions.
"You've got keen eyes, Casamir. It was a long time ago that I spent my time in courts and conspiracies. Life has a way of taking you to unexpected places, yes? I came here because there's nothing awaiting me at home but a headman's axe. I made enemies of the wrong people. I was too young, too dumb, too sure of my own abilities to know any better. It was a hard lesson to learn."
"How about you? You seem a simple wanderer at first glance, but your skill with that sling belies your your appearance. How did you come to the Vale?"
The group travels through the forest until mid-day. When the sun is shining high, the party comes across a tree felled across the road. Lying directly atop the tree is an opened burlap sack with what appears to be gold spilling out of it.
"So...this is definitely a trap. Maybe the bugbears, maybe something else, but definitely a trap."
Pavo stows his halberd (& Talia's glaive), and draws his longbow.
"Focus on any caster types, or target whoever's getting hurt most. If it's the bugbears, try to keep at least one alive for interrogation."
Pavo runs up and pulls out his weapon, announcing that it is an ambush and barking out battle orders. Noelle and Marguerite, trying to stick to the plan, stay back at the sides of the road. They try to stay in the undergrowth on the road's borders and out of sight.
”Unexpected places are the reason for living, after all. I’m truly sorry for the hard lesson you had to learn, though. I’ve had some of those myself over these long years on the road. They largely stopped when I came to the faith of Lalaci. I wandered for years on the trade roads of Varisia. I was a glassblower by trade, and after a stop in Magnimar and some thorough revelry with the mystery cults there, I naturally came to the worship of the Lord of Light and Shade.” He taps the sling at his waist, ”This old thing? Well, it was a relatively easy weapon I could use to guard the caravan if needed. It happens, too, to be Lalaci’s hooy weapon.”
Casamir sighs as Pavo charges forth, ”Hells be damned, there was one right there you scared off when you blundered over.”
Pavo holds up his hand and nods his head in chagrin.
"Sorry, sorry, that was sky fault. I got a little over eager and should have held back. I apologize, but if they abandoned their gold, it's free money, right?"
Pavo stands nearby the others, bow at the ready in case something jumps out.
Talia grins. Casamir had an easy-going nature that was disarming - even in a hostile land like this Vale.
"And what unexpected places have you been?"
Nodding, Talia looks over the bag of gold - fearing it may be trapped in some way. She then waggles her fingers casting the incantation that gives her knowledge of nature - and tracking.
"Gold is good. And a fleeing creature should be easy to track."
The bag doesn't appear to be trapped in any way. It seems that it was more placed to lure people into the middle than it was to provide any danger on its own. On the other hand, it doesn't appear to be actual gold. Closer inspection reveals it to be a different kind of metal: pyrite, or fool's gold.
Even with the help of her spell, Talia is not able to pick up the trail of the retreated bugbears. It seems that either they were good at covering up their tracks, or she just isn't looking in the right places.
"Damnit! Sorry I blew that opportunity, folks. I'll be better in the future."
Casamir tries his best to track the bugbears but finds little more than Portia.
”Hm, what now, then? Set up camp and make ourselves look like tempting targets?”
"Well, we know something or someone is using this spot to plan ambushes. If we continue on the road, maybe we'll come across something we can use."
Talia kicks a nearby tree, frustrated that her magic can't provide them with the direction of the bugbears. Turning she looks to the newcomers. "Noelle, Marguerite - do either of you have facility with following tracks?"
At the request for her services, Marguerite kneels down on the ground. She peers at the various signs, moving around the area, before finally picking up on a trail. "Three bugbears," she says finally. "Though a few more than that have been in the area recently. They retreated carefully, not running. I bet we can follow them, but... it'll probably be an even worse trap this time."
"I think we should follow them, at least for a little bit. If we get ambushed along the way, we can take them out, but maybe we can get lucky and spring their trap on them. I am not stealthy, but you lot certainly can be, right?"
Talia nods, her red hair rustling a little in the breeze. "Agreed. Let's follow. Maybe we take most of them out at once. Be alert."
With Marguerite in the lead, the party forges into the forest to the south of the road. The military ranger stops every few minutes to examine the ground for tracks before continuing forward, and progress is relatively slow. The morning deepens into afternoon as the group follows the bugbear trail.
Pavo takes up the rear of the group, trying his best to muffle the heavy footfalls and jingles of his armor. Bow in hand, he scans for threats as the others follow the trail.
Following behind Marguerite, Talia picks up the trail when the ranger loses it, using her magically induced expertise to assist with the tracking. Her longbow held at the ready, the skald moves through the underbrush slowly and methodically, though hardly without noise.
Casamir does what he can to assist with tracking, but in between keeping a lookout for obvious threats and sneaking through the brush surprisingly effectively, he can't help all too much.
1. Red Bugbear Ranger, Yellow Bugbear Ranger
2. Noelle, Marguerite
3. Green Bugbear Ranger
4. Casamir, Pavo, Talia
5. Bugbear Cultist
The group ventures into the forest quietly and carefully, keeping on the lookout for dangers. The trip is marked by the occasional ominous snap of twigs or menacing growl from the darkness. Casamir and Talia get the impression that they are being stalked through the forest, and their suspicion is confirmed when four bugbears leap out from the undergrowth to attack. Four of them are poised and powerful-looking. They carry bows, and each also has a curved scimitar held at a loop in their leather belts. They wear chain shirts, and stink like the swamp. The fourth bugbear carries a morningstar instead and has no bow. They seem a bit older, as well, and bear a horrible scar over one eye.
Despite their caution, the party is outdone on speed by the bugbears, who launch a volley of arrows into the party.
The first two arrows fly into Pavo and Noelle, eliciting a cry of pain from the military mage. While Noelle heals herself using her magic, Marguerite charges bravely into battle against one of the bugbears, shouting, "Korvosa!" As she runs, she draws a zweihander sword from her back, hefting it against the goblinoid.
A third bugbear fires at Talia, sticking the Brevic bard in the leg. The creature cackles evilly as they realize their attack landed the mark.
Pavo will wait for Talia to begin her bardic song, warily looking at the bugbear who shot him.
"Focus your attacks! Take them down one at a time."
Pain surges up Talia's leg, flipping her stomach, tunneling her vision. I've been... shot! Gritting her teeth, Talia ignores the arrow and starts an oration - a simple poem used in Brevoy to rouse militiamen before a fight. It works there, hopefully it works here as well.
Looking for a tree that will provide cover from the bugbear shooting at her, Talia moves to its other side.
Pavo moves towards the bugbear Marguerite is menacing, drawing his morningstar as he moves. Sandwiching the goblinoid between them, Pavo breathes out in the mist and cold.
"Yield and face justice, monster."
Casamir places a hand on his holy symbol as he looses two sling bullets at the bugbear Pavo had engaged with. The Hellknight may not understand subtlety, but Casamir at least trusted his judgement in battle.
As Talia and Pavo prepare for combat by positioning and oration, Casamir launches a pair of magically-empowered rocks against one of the bugbears. One of these rocks finds its mark, slamming into the creature with the force of a boulder thrown by a giant. Marguerite tries to follow it up with a powerful swipe of her sword, but she suffers from an overeager arm.
The bugbear with the scar and morningstar begins to jog towards Talia and Casamir, intent on taking both of them on in melee together. On the way, though, they shout loudly in Goblin, praying to some dark force for power. The force seems to respond, as the bugbear's body is briefly shrouded in a shield of light.
Noelle steps up closer to Talia and Casamir. True to her word, she continues healing. She mutters a few magical phrases before reaching out to touch Talia, sealing shut the worst of the arrow wound she had received.
Meanwhile, the bugbear stalkers continue their assault. Two more arrows, precisely fired to cripple, fly towards Casamir and Pavo, while the third drops his bow to unsheathe a scimitar, which hums as it flies towards Marguerite's head.
Marguerite manages to come away from the attack with a slice along her cheek, while Pavo is pierced through one shoulder by an arrow.
Dropping his one handed morningstar and bow, Pavo brings forth his halberd and delivers a chop in the bugbear he and Marguerite flank.
to hit, for .
damage
vs this bugbear only success means shaken
"Stupid monsters! You could serve your betters in life or feed the insects in death!"
Talia thrusts her bardiche forward, into the stomach of the bugbear, and then steps back beside Noelle. "Backwards, both of you! Behind me, and we'll whittle them into the ground, knick by knick!"
Casamir taps the heel of his boot against the ground, the spider printed on the heel briefly shining as a sly grin spreads across the warpriest's face. He places a foot on the tree next to him and it sticks fast, allowing him to jog up the tree and out of the scarred hobgoblin's reach before hurling a sling bullet at his foe.
While Casamir and Talia engage the bugbear who has approached them, Pavo joins Marguerite in assaulting one of the bow-wielding stalkers. While Casamir's bolt hits home, Talia's strike is deflected by the bugbear's defensive magics. Meanwhile, Pavo delivers a punishing strike after discarding his weapons and switching up to his mainstay.
The spell-wielding bugbear casts a second spell, and his hands glow with black, crackling energy. He steps forward, lunging at Talia with his crackling hands to try and discharge it into her body. At the same time the bugbears strike back against Casamir and Pavo. The bugbear successfully grabs onto Talia's arm, and she feels the cold sting of necromancy flood her body.
Two bugbears fire arrows at the party. One finds its mark in Marguerite's back, while the other ricochets off of the tree that Casamir is climbing. Noelle points at one of the bugbears and commands it, "Drop it," her voice magically amplified. The bugbear complies, throwing its bow to the ground.
The magic surges through Talia, and her body atrophies and withers under the cultist's sorcery. Panicked, Talia stumbles backwards and calls on her own magic. Darkness enshrouds the cultist, their eyes grow milky-white. With any luck, Talia's own curse would stick.
Casamir does his best to hurl some bullets at the bugbear cultist but has little luck
"Keep up the fight! We need to thin their numbers and stop those damn arrows."
Pavo brings his halberd up and strikes.
to hit for damage.
or be shaken
to hit for damage.