Danus also scouts around the cart to see what spooked the horses.
Perception:
Sébastien does keep one Observant Halfling blue eye on Cato the Caught....
The bard winks at Elry.
Danus spots the culprit, almost perfectly camouflaged in the middle of the road. A snake lies coiled up choosing the freeze response over flight or fight.
Cato the Caught lies motionless in the mud.
"A snake? Did someone say a snake? Takes one ta know one! Here ya are, buddy--nothin' ta worry 'bout." Seemingly oblivious to the danger, Boros bends down, offers a hand, and invites the snake to slither over in an attempt to befriend it.
With Oona’s on the mend the monk made his way over to the motionless bandit. He bends over Cato’s prone form and begins to administer aid to the rogue, ”Let me see what’s wrong with you.”
Sébastien warily watches Boros attempt to tame his namesake.
I feel like you should offer it your hand to shake.
The City halfling does seem serious.
Danos backs away from the reptile as Boros walks over and attempts to pick it up.
Nature:
"Careful there. While the Crescent Mountain Tree Viper is fairly common, it is still a poisonous snake!"
"Yup, that's a snake. It's so small, I can't believe Dapple and Mary even saw that thing. Cato's whistle must have been a coincidence, but we might want to gag him, if he lives. Valkor?"
Snakes are, by their very nature, inclined to be unfriendly and hostile. Given this particular snake, in this particular situation, already feels threatened by the very fact that it was almost trampled by a pony cart while in the middle of its sunbath, although Boros does an excellent job of approaching in a friendly and disarming manner, this particular snake reacts.
Boros quickly withdraws his hand just in time to avoid the venomous bite. The snake then slithers quickly away to the grassy ditch on the far side of the road.
Once the snake is out of sight, the ponies finally seem to calm down. Dapple nudges his snout against the apple sack.
Valkor finds that Cato dislocated his shoulder in the fall, and has passed out from the pain. The man's skin feels cold and clammy, as he has fallen into shock. With a sickening snap, Valkor pops the shoulder back into place.
After a few minutes of care pass by, Oona and Cato begin to come to.
"Ohhhh my head... What happened?" moans Oona.
"Gah!" shouts Boros as he leaps out of the way of the viper's strike. He watches disappointed as it slithers away. "Can't trust a snake," he concludes before realizing he's insulted himself as well.
With more qualified folk tending to the wounded and fallen, Boros contents himself with putting the trade goods in order so that they'd be ready to get going again once Oona and Cato recover. "Hm, maybe I oughta get meself a pet snake," he muses.
Sébastien watched the viper try to bite Boros, then slither away.
He seemed nice.
The halfling then begins searching for a safe and comfortable camp site.
I am doubtful that our injured can travel. We may need to hunker down.
"Can't trust a snake," he concludes before realizing he's insulted himself as well.
”No truer words have left your lips,” the monk quipped with a sly wink at the halfling. The monk then explain tomOona what had appended.
To Sébastien he offers, ”First let’s get the cart unstuck and then we can decide on a course of action.” The monk will assist in getting the cart unstuck.
With Oona's coaxing of the ponies, and several shoulders put into it, the group is able to get the cart out of the mud. Oona seems a bit woozy and unstable on her feet after being knocked on the head. Cato definitely seems out of sorts and mostly sits in silence, moaning every now and then at the pain in his shoulder.
Having helped to dislodge the wagon from the mud and before taking her position at the back of the wagon, beside Sebastien, Elry noted how woozy the halfling woman still was. Valkor had wrapped the head wound, yet the crack to her head must have been so hard that it left her unsteady still. "Mistress Oona, if you're still feeling woozy once we make camp, I'll check your head wrapping and wound and try to give you further aid. Just let us know if you're feeling sick. Please don't exert yourself as it'll only aggravate the head. Alright?"
"I respectfully suggest we continue up this road and find a drier and safer place to make camp."
From her vantage at the back, Elry kept her eyes open and scouring the surrounds lest something else befell them before reaching the place they would make camp.
"Yeah, sure. Finding a better place to camp sounds fine.". It makes no never mind to Shemar when and where they camp.
Shemar will keep his eyes open while walking to their rest stop, but now slightly farther away from the dangerous wagon.
After receiving the treatment from Elry, Shemar feels much better, just worn. "Elry, you are amazing. Let's just hope it's not needed on a regular basis."
Danus watches the area as the group talks.
"I suggest we move further down the road. I can move forward and find an optimal camping spot if you wish?"
Perception to find good campground:
Sébastien looks at the comfortable looking bed of pine cones and sharp twigs and the city halfling shrugs.
Boros seems ready to just go with the flow, as he ruefully ponders the betrayal of the tree viper he tried to befriend.
Valkor adjusted his pack as the decided to move on to a better location to set up camp.
The current surroundings don't seem suitable for camp, so Oona and Cato climb back aboard the wagon and the group moves further down the road, toward higher, drier ground.
As the sun lowers in the western sky, Danus spots a nice clearing just off the side of the road that seems like a nice spot to make camp for the night. Oona pulls the cart to the side of the road and unharnesses Dapple and Misty, hitching them to a nearby tree on the edge of the clearing to graze.
As Elry tends to the wounded and others go about setting up camp, Sebastien notices the two ponies have stopped grazing and are looking about nervously. As he goes over to have a look, he hears a rustling in the underbrush nearby, and a pack of hungry, feral dogs emerges from the wood!
Dapple and Misty begin to panic!
Hearing the distress of the ponies, Danus turns to see the pack of wild dogs exiting the woods. He quickly brings his bow to bear and fires upon the creatures.
◇=Send Tor to attack the pack of dogs
◆= Mark wild dog as hunted prey
◆◆= Hunted Shot
Attack:
Attack:
Damage: (Precision)
◆◆◆= Fire on same dog, or if dead, take aim (and Hunted Prey) to next dog.
Attack:
Damage (crit): x2 plus =18
Tor the Boar
Attack:
Damage:
Danus drops one feral dog with his second arrow, then he eyes down the next dog.
Soowee! Tor follows Danus's gaze and gores the next dog in line.
The monk followed Tor and rushed the wild dogs. Fists flailing away at the feral canines.
◆= move
◆= entered stance
◆= flurry of blows 2 attacks
The halfling screams in a slightly higher pitched voice. He shuts his mouth, as he watches both Danus and Valkor respond accordingly.
Sebastien then begins reciting why feral dogs are bad for your health!
The halfling then--wisely--◆strides to a more advantageous position to further evaluate this situation.
The bard then cast ◆Shield.
Shemar will look around for a safe spot from the dogs. Taking a deep breath, he will turn fun that idea, pick out the dog closest to himself, point one open palm at the dog, and send forth three magic missiles!
Punching dogs proves too much for Valkor as he seems to hold back. Maybe Sebastien's recitation of canine hygiene will inspire him. Or maybe Shemar's display of arcane prowess will. Thmp! Thmp! Thmp! three magic missiles take out another feral dog.
"Bad dogs!" Boros hustles forward and tries to stab one!
;
Using her divine magic, Elry invoked a magical stone in her hand and threw it at the feral dog nearest Valkor.
She then raised her shield to better protect herself and drew her sickle from her belt.
Boros strikes like a crescent mountain tree viper and fells another dog.
Elry projects a stone across the battlefield, knocking the last remaining dog in the ribs. It's hurt, but remains standing while the rest of his pack has fallen around him. He snarls and barks, ravenous with hunger, wildness in his eyes.
Oona cries out "Oh! the ponies!" She tries to stand but the injury to her head keeps her grounded.
Cato, I assume he remains restrained and defenseless, pulls a Shemar and rolls himself under the cart, whimpering at his injuries.
The last feral dog snaps slavering jaws at Boros.
Boros evades getting bit.
With one dog remaining and no one trying to calm them down, Dapple and Misty continue to panic and try to bolt.
Dapple's hitch remains taught against the tree, but Misty's comes undone, and she bolts off into the woods.
"The horse...pony!" Shemar says, as Misty runs off. He then looks to the last dog, opens his mouth and spits fire at the mongrel.
After lighting the dog up, Shemar sees something shinning against the fiery light.
Shemar bbqs the last of the feral dogs, ending the immediate threat, but the sound of Misty bolting through the woods means the situation isn't under complete control.
Meanwhile, Dapple continues to buck against his lead rope.
Danus turns and sprints after the running pony, attempting to calm the creature and bring it back.
◆= Stride (25 feet)
◆◆= Stride (25 feet)
◆◆◆= Use Nature to calm pony
"Woah there, Dapple!" As soon as all the feral dogs are put down, Boros tries to calm Dapple down.
He tries pulling on the rope to make it harder for Dapple to escape.
Sebastien watches in delight the quick work of the feral dogs by his companions. The bard does squeak a bit when Misty escapes her tether and gallops off into the foliage!
Well that's not good!
Speaking a quick word and waving his fingers, the bard suddenly Warp Steps toward her!
◆◆Warp Step
He then continues to ◆Stride.
Valkor moved over to aid Boros and tried to help the halfling get Dapple under control.
She called out to the companions remaining beside the last feral dog that was felled. She pointed it out, "That one there wears a collar with a metal tag. Best see what's on the tag..."
=====
Then seeing the situation with the Halfling horses, Elry quickly stowed her shield and weapon and cast Guidance on herself before moving steadily toward Dapple still hitched to the tree. Sebastien and the others will get a hold of Misty and bring her back. Boros and Valkor were doing their best to help keep Dapple calm.
"Hush now, Dapple dear. The dogs can no longer harm you. Hush, let us draw near and don't run off, so you won't hurt yourself," as she too reached out for the rope so it would not give; allowing the pony to gallop away like its friend.
Seeing Misty take off into the woods and Dapple continue to struggle against his lead, Oona is hot on Elry's heels and helps to calm the remaining pony.
Dapple seems to calm down, at least he's no longer wildly bucking against his restraint, although he breathes heavily and his eyes look about for more danger.
Cato continues to cower under the wagon.
Misty continues galloping off through the woods.
Seeing no use in trying to chase a pony, Shemar moves to inspect the dogs tag, oblivious to the pandemonium
Shemar finds a dog tag stamped with an emblem, Per fess embattled vert and sable, an owl argent.
Boros hands the reins over to Oona when she's able to calm Dapple. He looks off in the distance where Misty has run off. "Well this sucks--next time we gonna tie these ropes real tight."
Danus attempts to call Misty and calm her from a distance (I think he might have got within 10-15' of her??
Nature (Calm animal):