Taking advantage of his opponents' distractions, Kelborn attempts to slide his blade through his enemy's kidney. Afterwards, he glances around to see how his companions are faring in this battle.
Attack, Damage, Sneak Attack: (1d20+7=20, 1d8+3=8, 2d6=4)
Round 4
Sir Manfred attacks:
Sword attack; Shield bash; Sword damage; Shield damage: (1d20+5=10, 1d20+3=9, 1d8+4=10, 1d4+3=7)
Dr. DM:
Hru waves frantically to the closest compatriot and moves back from the cliff so he's out of bowshot.
"What've ye found, Gorumgrag?"
Outnumbered and outskilled, the orc begins to panic. Kelborn's sword distract the orc, throwing off his attack on Manfred. The orc's axe is deflecting by a shield but Good Sir Manny's blows do not find their mark. Ovirid takes advantage of the orc's distraction and finishes him off.
"It's Sarpis!" Hru exclaims dramatically "He's down there" Hru gestures towards the edge. "There's no way down and it's about 70 feet...He's behind the orc-attack. I can use Gorum's aid to try and hold him in place but not for very long...and he has orcs with him...maybe the King or the fire-wielding wizard has some way to get down there in their bags of tricks"
"I have a ray that might give him pause," I say, "or maybe a fireball."
Moving quickly past the fallen orcs, I go to the edge of the cliff Hru is indicating and cautiously look over, not wanting to be made a pin cushion by possible allies.
"This is something I've not tried before" says Hru tentatively.
"Here goes" then he begins chanting low orc just a few lines before looking over the edge and pointing his mighty blade at Sarpis and barking "HE!"
"This is something I've not tried before" says Hru tentatively.
"Here goes" then he begins chanting low orc just a few lines before looking over the edge and pointing his mighty blade at Sarpis and barking "HE!"
When time allows, Ovirid will move to the edge with his crossbow and take aim on the human. He growls, "We might be fer wantin' t' combine 'r efforts. Ah'll wait 'til yer ready, jes' tell me when t' fire."
The other warband is nowhere to be seen ... or they could just be hiding.
Sir Manfred will double move over to where the other warband was last seen and check around that they aren't just hiding. He will then concentrate on a Detect Evil, just to make sure.
On the cliff below, Sarpis was shouting commands to the orcs, trying to urge some of them to descend further -- though you can see no path, ladder, or stairs on which to descend -- and attack the Keep guards on the road. The orcs seem reluctant to give up their advantageous position.
As Hru casts his spell, Sarpis pauses. He quickly shrugs it off but begins to look about for the source of this spell.
Manfred:
You detect evil. Evil is present.
"Ware! The mage has resisted the power of Gorum!" calls Hru a bit dismayed that his new trick didn't work as he wanted.
"No matter though, the Iron Lord doesn't approve of tricks, we'll see how he fares should I get a chance to test Gorum's steel on him!" he says with a wry laugh, more to himself than anyone else.
"mmheh!"
Tarren:
"Lads! 'n lass, o' course - check those bodies fer more o' the magic rings -- Ah'm fer thinkin' Sarpis 's tryin' t' give 'is 'ired goons advantage o' bein' able t' drop down onto their targets! Ah'm fer thinkin' they'd be fer workin' fine fer us, too! 'r they carryin' anythin' else of use?"
If that's correct, how many orcs are we looking at accompanying Sarpis?
You are correct. There are three levels. You are on the highest level looking down on a group of 10 orcs and Sarpis. The soldiers of Kerrigan's Keep have no way to get up to them without being slaughtered and are hanging back a bit. It was Kerrigan's soldiers that was responsible for the poorly aimed (due to distance) volley of arrows that would have threatened the catapult crew had you not already scattered them.
Kerrigan's soldiers are not letting the orcs take the road but they can't scatter the well-protected orcs either. They are in a bit of standoff.
Hru sees another group of ten orcs occupying a boulder lined cliff firing at a group of soldiers flying the orange and black flag of Kerrigan's Keep. The Keep guards are staying back out of range as the orcs have the advantage of cover provided by the boulders, higher ground, and no path up to the cliff. Assaulting them would be suicide for the Keep guards but they seem determined not to let them get off the cliff and head down the 'old road'.
In the midst of this band of orcs, is a nearly naked Wain Sarpis using a wand to pick off Keep guards with bolts of arcane energy of the type Klyndak sometimes throws.
Tarren:
** spoiler omitted **
"Lads! 'n lass, o' course - check those bodies fer more o' the magic rings -- Ah'm fer thinkin' Sarpis 's tryin' t' give 'is 'ired goons advantage o' bein' able t' drop down onto their targets! Ah'm fer thinkin' they'd be fer workin' fine fer us, too! 'r they carryin' anythin' else of use?"
You find no similar rings on the nearby corpses.
"Unless yer fer havin' somethin' better, 'ow about takin' up a 'bow 'ere and givin' yon orcs another front t' be worryin' about? Where did those others wander off t'?"
"Let me be softenin' them up," I say as others gather at the cliffs.
I begin with a scorching ray, aimed at Sarpis, with the intention of following this with a well placed, hammer powered, fireball.
Uttering a few choice arcane words, I point the tip of my hammer towards my foe.
Scorching Ray (touch): (1d20+3=8)
Scorching Ray Damage: (4d6=17)
Or at least towards the vicinity of my foe.
A scorching ray strikes the boulders near Sarpis, alerting him to your presence. Kerrigan's troops also seem to notice and a few start pointing before a soldier on horseback trots forward and raises a hand over his eyes to stare up at the cliff.
The evil is coming from all around you. The orcs are out there and they are trying to surround you.
Sir Manfred shouts: "'WARE! THEY ARE STILL HERE!" and assumes the total defense stance (AC 28).
Having lost the element of surprise without even the benefit of having struck my foe, I gather together the arcane energies required for making fire and condensing them into my bonded warhammer, I hurl the bead of energy at the group of orcs below, aiming particularly at the man leading them.
Seeing the display of arcane might, Hru quips "Good king, I will leave the bombardment of yon foes to those who fare best at range, and I believe that the King's justice will engage Sarpis hotly..ohoo, hoo! Sir Manfred is indicating that there may still be the possibility of hand to hand combat where I fair best, and I may act in my duties as to what the Iron Lord requires...the blood and souls of those slain in battle so if you'll pardon my abruptness-GORRUUUMM!" Hru then turns in an attempt to make it to Manfred.
Hru swings around battle blade in hand, and looks for Sir Manfred.
Seeing him in a defensive posture, he attempts to get to where the young Knight scans the field.
A scorching ray strikes the boulders near Sarpis, alerting him to your presence. Kerrigan's troops also seem to notice and a few start pointing before a soldier on horseback trots forward and raises a hand over his eyes to stare up at the cliff.
A scorching ray strikes the boulders near Sarpis, alerting him to your presence. Kerrigan's troops also seem to notice and a few start pointing before a soldier on horseback trots forward and raises a hand over his eyes to stare up at the cliff.
Sir Manfred Initiative:
Initiative: (1d20+2=6)
Kelborn moves to the edge near where Ovirid is standing and draws his shortbow, and, taking a cue from the royal dwarf, attempts to fire an arrow into Sarpis.
Attack & Damage: (1d20+9=19, 1d6+3=6)
"Ovirid? I think I may be needing your help..." Kelborn trails off as he draws another arrow.
"Lay thy feet on the pile of those slain by your mysteries. We shall be cleansed by their blood, I am the one you dread, you are as good as dead" Hru intones as he crosses the ground to get alook at what Manfred is up in arms about. But so far he doesn't see anything.
As Manfred yells out a warning, the orcs realize they have been found and act now so as not to lose any advantage they've gained. They leap up from behind boulders and charge straight towards the heroes at cliffside. They look as if they intend to push you over.
Sarpis begins to focus on a spell.
Klyndak's fireball halves the number of orcs on the ledge beneath but Sarpis, despite being in the middle of the blast, squints up at the dwarf above him.
The orcs wounded in one of Klyndak's earlier fireballs charge the heroes in an attempt to throw them off the cliffs.
They take as their targets Manfred, Kelborn, Ovirid, Yin, and Quarrel.
The orcs attacking Kelborn and Yin find their targets to alert for them to easily charge them off the cliff. Ovirid's stability prevents any harm from befalling him. Quarrel, however, grins wolfishly as the orc charges and, must have misjudged his own footing. The orc knocks him quite clear of the cliff and he plummets 70' to the cliff below. Manfred, perhaps surprised to see an ally fall, has one chance to prevent the same fate from happening to him ...
Manfred cuts one of the already quite wounded orcs down. His forward momentum carries his corpse over the edge to the cliff below but Manfred is able to avoid going with him.
Ovirid deftly avoids being run over, combining his naturally sturdy frame with a deft twist to avoid the brute's attack. In return, he gets his shield ready before trying to slam it into the creature's face .
Sarpis, though damaged by the spell, seems more angered than intimidated. This has not been his week. He fires off a four bolts of arcane energy from his pudgy fingers. They turn into Klyndak giving him a taste of what it is like to be on the receiving end of magic missiles.
The orcs attempt to push the heroes off the cliff has taken only Quarrel down. He lies unmoving on the cliff below his arm twisted back behind him in a direction that can't be good.
Ovirid wounds, but does not kill, the orc who attempted to slay him.
EDITING
EDITING
Hru wheels seeing Kelborn trying to defend himself with only a bow and brings the battle blade of the chosen of Gorum raining down on the orc with a mighty blow. "Gorum calls fool" he grates in orcish with a hoarse laugh.
"Vile Dog of a Man!" I yell at Sarpis.
Meanwhile my mind is trying to calculate the odds against us.
There are only five left with Sarpis below, but you have partial cover from the cliff face. Also, they are limited in where they go as they are attempting to use boulders to provide cover from Kerrigan's troops down the road. The three or four remaining up top and Sarpis below are the only real dangers.
Sir Manfred Round 1
Sir Manfred takes a step to his opponent and attacks.
Sword/Shieldbash attack & damage: (1d20+5=17, 1d20+3=9, 1d8+4=8, 1d4+3=4)