"Still though," Riann continues after a few moments of scanning the night. "We should not linger here much longer. We need to find a place where we might rest---or try to rest---for the remainder of the night without the risk of the worg leading its masters directly to us." She reclines with her back against a limb and her legs draping lazily over a branch and smiles somewhat lazily. "Although I confess, this is a remarkably comfortable tree."
Anain attempts to climb up into the tree, clearing his hands of his possessions and placing them in his soft leather backpack. He takes his time; a fall being not only embarrassing, but possibly painful. Looking for a somewhat comfortable spot in the back of the tree, he settles in and waits for the rest of his companions.
Anain manages to get himself into the tree with some difficulty, but finally settles into a crook in the tree's trunk. The trio watches out over the vast grasslands covered by a blanket of darkness and waits, hearing nothing but the distant cries of wolves and the occassional breeze through the trees.
Nearly an hour goes by without incident. Night has settled in fully. The lack of sleep leaves everyone feeling a bit tired and the gentle swaying of the breeze serves as nature's lullaby.
"Oh, Gods," Aynsley mumbles. She doesn't move, instead hissing to her arboreal companions under her breath. "Make no sudden moves- they come." She squints her eyes into the distance. "Three of them."
She reaches slowly over her shoulder to grasp her bow and sighs. "This night was not meant for rest."
Anain sighs as he sits up as quietly as possible. In response to Ansley's comments, he whispers "Can they see us?" before readying himself to drop to the ground below.
Her heart thudding in her chest, Riann scans the night, trying to spot the approaching figures outlined against the darkness. As quietly as she can she loads her crossbow, hoping she'll have an opportunity to discover a target to fire upon before their enemies fall upon them.
Squinting her eyes into the dark, she slowly gives her head a shake. "I'm unsure..." she whispers, blowing a curl out of her eye. "Be at the ready- ...Thelen!" she says harshly, glancing towards the light. "Do you hear?"
Squinting her eyes into the dark, she slowly gives her head a shake. "I'm unsure..." she whispers, blowing a curl out of her eye. "Be at the ready- ...Thelen!" she says harshly, glancing towards the light. "Do you hear?"
Squinting her eyes into the dark, she slowly gives her head a shake. "I'm unsure..." she whispers, blowing a curl out of her eye. "Be at the ready- ...Thelen!" she says harshly, glancing towards the light. "Do you hear?"
Speaking quietly, but firmly Thelen responds, "Yes m'lady, indeed I do. Let the foul beasts come. If it is a grisly end they desire, I am all too happy to provide it for them."
Thelen wills the power of the Morninglord strengthen him as he attempts to quietly rise and readies himself to attack anyone who attacks him.
He suspects if they aren't blind they can probably see the light and know right where we are but doesn't want to give them any indication that we are aware of their approach so is as discreet as it is possible to be during his preparations.
Anain shakes his head in disgust as Thelen lights the group's hideout. "Well, here we go!" he says as he tries to drop carefully to the ground from his spot in the tree. Upon obtaining his balance again, he moves himself behind the tree and waits for the others, readying himself for the moments to come.
The adventurers ready themselves for the orcs' attack. In the distance, the silhouettes hasten their approach, letting loose a ferocious battle cry as they come charging through the brush!
Pulling herself up in her tree, Aynsley comes to standing, bracing one foot in the cleft where she had been seated and pressing her back to the narrow trunk. Drawing her bow, she aims for the nearest Orc, the arrow whizzing past Riann's tree and over the heads of the men below.
Aynsley looses an arrow into the night, but the release of her arrow is not returned with a grunt of pain.
Tightening her left leg about the branch and hooking the toe of her boot about her right ankle to keep her steady, Riann twists her torso and levels her crossbow at the approaching figures. With a silent prayer to Eilistraee that her aim be true, she releases a bolt at the closest of the charging orcs, then prepares to drop out of the tree next to Thelen.
Riann's crossbow snaps forward, launching it'd deadly projectile into the night. The lead orc grunts in pain but does not slow his charge.
The orcs continue charging forward, yelling and gesturing up at the archers in the trees. They rush forward and release a volley of javelins at the adventurers, their other hands clutching wickedly curved axes as they rush into the edge of vision.
The javelins miss their marks, landing just a few feet in front of Thelen, falling 10 feet short of Aynsley, and missing Riann by only a hair's breadth, her elven reflexes proving to be her saving grace as she jerks to one side in order to avoid being impaled.
Making sure to keep his cover, Anain casts a spell intended to make it harder for the charging orcs to hit him, should they come close enough to do so. After the spell is completed, he looks around the tree and takes a defensive posture, knowing the orcs will soon be within range for him to work his magic on them.
Anain quietly intones a defensive spell upon himself, the air around him rippling with arcane power before going still once again.
Anain quietly intones a defensive spell upon himself, the air around him rippling with arcane power before going still once again.
Thelen whispers words of protection (casting protection from evil on himself) and prepares to attack the onrushing beasts. Those close enough would see a slight smile touch his lips as, despite his weariness, he feels the adrenaline of the coming battle.
Thelen bursts forward, mace leading, at speeds no armored man should be capable of. He crashes into the lead orc like a charging bull, delivering a crushing blow with his mace that impacts directly upon the orc's collarbone. The orc reels from the hit, knocking the breath from his lungs and staggering him for a moment, but he still stands.
Leaping down from the tree, Aynsley dashes madly forward, drawing her bow once again as she goes, attempting again for her target.
Aynsley drops from her vantage and hits the ground running, swiftly closing in on her target while readying another shot. She releases the arrow just as she gets close enough to pinpoint it's vitals and strikes a killing blow to the lead orc's throat. It goes down right in front of Thelen, sputtering blood.
Following Aynsley's lead, Riann jumps out of the tree and, dropping her crossbow to the ground the moment she lands, pulls out her bastard sword and attacks the first orc she sees.
The two remaining orcs howl furiously, a series of glowing red runes appearing all along their arms and neck. A hellish black smoke rises from the runes and the orcs step forward to flank Thelen, swinging their axes with both hands into his midsection.
The raging orcs hammer Thelen's armor with their axes but fail to breach the plating, the blows ringing loudly into the night.
An instant later, another orcish form blinks into existance 20 feet in front of Thelen, cackling as it raises a finger at the paladin and releases a purple-black ray of energy. The beam is high, however, and sails over Thelen's head to disappear into the darkness. This orc also bears a series of runes along it's appendages, though the runes on this last orc are more numerous and brighter than the ones on the axe-wielders. The orc shaman appears to be wielding a wicked-looking spear in it's hand.
Anain peers around the tree and nods to himself as he notices the now visible orc. With wave of his hand, he intones a arcane word and tries to blind the newest combatant.
Anain invokes another spell on himself while behind the tree, knowing he needs to get somewhat closer to help his fellow party members. With an almost inaudible word and nimble finger movement, he disappears from view.
Anain calls upon his arcane training and vanishes from sight.
Thelen glances meaningfully at the shaman and says in a loud voice, "I'll be with you in a minute," and allows a look of annoyance cross his face as he turns to face the foes surrounding him.
He steps carefully to the side of one of the orcs and strikes forth with his shining mace uttering a prayer of guidance to his lord.
He steps carefully to the side of one of the orcs and strikes forth with his shining mace uttering a prayer of guidance to his lord.
Thelen moves closer to the shaman and away from the orc on his right, pulling close to the side of the orc on his left and delivering a blow with his mace. The orc winces from the impact, but shows no sign of slowing.
Still dashing forth into the dimness of night, Aynsley strafes the cluster of combatants. She pulls again, this time aiming for the orc Thelen has just stepped away from.
The nimble scout dashes around, looking for a clear angle. Finally, she looses an arrow, striking the orc dead-on in the back of the skull. By all logic the creature should be dead, but it fights on with unholy vigor, barely holding onto life.
As the meaty sounds of mace and arrow slamming into orc-flesh reverberate through the air, Riann steps to a flanking position across from Thelen and arcs her sword upward in a vicious two-handed slash at the orc's midsection.
Riann's long blade cuts a deep wound in the orc's flank but fails to drop it.
The orc snarls in pain and turns on the cleric with an evil grin, stepping to one side of her while his nearly dead ally steps forward to flank the half-drow. Grinning wickedly, the two orcs attack the cleric with all their might, hammering both axes into her flanks and nearly separating her frail body at the waist. Riann drops in a pool of blood with hardly enough time to scream.
The orc shaman cackles with glee at the sight of blood and looses another black ray at the paladin. The ray strikes Thelen in the back, sapping his strength.
Anain moves closer to the fracais, turning visible as he does so. Watching in horror as the half drow goes down, he methodically pulls the components necessary from his spell pouch and weirdly twists his fingers while muttering an arcane phrase. Within a moment, a bolt of fire forms in his hand and he hurls it at the spell casting orc.
Count yourself lucky that I didn't give these guys the Elite array before applying their racial modifiers. If I did, you'd be at -9 and probably toast next round. :)[/ooc]
In a shimmer of distorted light, Anain reappears on the battlefield only 20 feet short of Riann's wounded body. With a few words of power, he stretches his hand out towards the orc shaman and releases a powerful bolt of fire.
The orc, taken completely by surprise, is unable to evade the spell and is struck full on in the chest, his clothing and skin badly scorched. He roars in pain and staggers back, but remains standing.
With a concerned glance in Riann's direction, Thelen quickly comes to the conclusion that pausing to heal one downed comrade would likely result in the loss of the rest. He then steps forward and attempts to crush the life from the orc nearest him. If possible he would like to shield Riann's body from any coup d'grace attempts in the process but will not provoke AOOs to do so.
As a note, he is willing if possible, to act as cover so one of the others can help Riann without being attacked by the orcs standing over her. Not sure if that works logistically though...
Thelen stepped forward to where the orcs were towering over Riann's prone form. Unable to directly intervene without substantial risk to himself, Thelen spies the orc with the arrow shaft protruding from the base of his skull and, though weakened from the shaman's spell, manages to connect with a solid blow to the orc's shoulder. The additional shock is all the orc's body needed to realize it was dead, however, and the orc topples over in a heap. The other orc snarls at the paladin, raising it's axe to strike again...
She does not cease her movement nor her fire, there would be time to worry on friends later, now is the time to act.
Circling the battle, Aynsley looses another arrow into the fray, striking the remaining axe-wielder in the throat and drops it to the ground in a gurgle of blood and impotent rage.
Hissing at the appearance of the mage, the shaman lifts his finger and mutters a few arcane words. His finger shimmers with magic, sending two sizzling purple bursts of light unerringly into Anain's body. A wave of pain washes over him, but the damage is minimal.
Anain moves towards the spellcaster, robes still sizzling from the orcs energy bolts. With a word, he moves his hand over his eyes and reaches out towards the spellcaster, trying to blind him.
Book says "Will Save", so I assume DC is same as if I cast a 2nd level spell.
Anain weaves his illusion in front of the shaman's eyes who begins cursing and hunching, trying desperately to see.
Despite Thelen's desire to heal his fallen comrade he embraces the grimmer task and charges the caster saying, "I told you I'd be here in a minute. May the light of the Morninglord send you from whence you came!"
Charge!
Thelen turns away from Riann and rushes headlong at the orc shaman, still struggling for sight. The strength leeched from his limbs, however, Thelen is unable to strike a solid blow, instead only glancing his target and barely causing the shaman to move.
Pressing on, encouraged by their success, Aynsley aims what she hopes will be her final shot straight at the caster.