The next morning, the caravan sitting out front of where everyone is staying. Luca is standing next to it, once more looking nervous. The object of his nervousness is now standing next to him. A young woman, standing a few inches taller than Luca, glowers at you all, "So these are the people you expect to keep us safe Luca? They look like they just left their mother's home!" Luca shifts nervously, careful not to look his wife in the eye, "Aye Brigit, these are the ones. They will do for now, since we are in such short notice."
He looks to everyone, smiling widely, "So you all are ready, yes?" Not waiting for an answer, he goes to around back to collect the horses, bringing them out for everyone, "These horses will get us to where we need to go, but I was told that they are not handled for battle, so be careful."
"Hrmph!" Berenthor snorts as he takes the reigns of his animal. "I'll have ye know, I left my mother's home long before ye probably left yer mother's womb! But it was the All-Father that brought me to ye, to help keep the trade going strong in this region. And that's what I intend to do!"
The dwarf eyes the tall steed for a moment, and then "Can I get a boost?"
"Hrmph!" Berenthor snorts as he takes the reigns of his animal. "I'll have ye know, I left my mother's home long before ye probably left yer mother's womb! But it was the All-Father that brought me to ye, to help keep the trade going strong in this region. And that's what I intend to do!"
The dwarf eyes the tall steed for a moment, and then "Can I get a boost?"
"We're all here, master Luca. And ready to keep you and your...lovely wife safe." She winks at Brigit and then turns to her companions.
Feona giggles at her new dwarven companion and says, "I'll give you a boost but you might not get far."
Then she turns to Nils and whispers loudly, "I'm not very good at riding a horse. Can I ride with you?"
Brigit scoffs at Berenthor's remark, then turns and gets inside the caravan. After she enters, two small children exit behind her. A small boy and a young girl. The boy runs up to the dwarf, looking at his weapons, "Wow! Are those real? Can I play with one?" The girl looks at the group, smiles, then gets back in the caravan. Before the boy can ask anymore questions, Luca pushes him back towards the caravan, "Get inside Marcus, it is time to leave." He looks back towards the group, "Well, shall we?" He gets in the front of the caravan and prepares to leave, waiting for them to lead the way.
The dwarf mutters softly to himself as the children are ushered away. Finally, he let's out a heavy sigh that blows his moustache outward and turns to the halfling. "That's alright, lass. I'll just head the beastie over to thar crate and make a step for meself. Torag willing, ye won't be seeing me heaved ov'r de other side!"
"Hrmph!" Berenthor snorts as he takes the reigns of his animal. "I'll have ye know, I left my mother's home long before ye probably left yer mother's womb! But it was the All-Father that brought me to ye, to help keep the trade going strong in this region. And that's what I intend to do!"
The dwarf eyes the tall steed for a moment, and then "Can I get a boost?"
"We're all here, master Luca. And ready to keep you and your...lovely wife safe." She winks at Brigit and then turns to her companions.
Feona giggles at her new dwarven companion and says, "I'll give you a boost but you might not get far."
Then she turns to Nils and whispers loudly, "I'm not very good at riding a horse. Can I ride with you?"
"Sure, I'll just help our dwarven comrade to his mount first though," Nils smiles back.
"Need a hand Sir dwarf?" Nils asks after he helps Feona onto the saddle of his mount.
Feona settles in behind Nils, and looks around - "I like the view from up here," she giggles as she wraps her arms around Nils' waist. "Ready to move out...whenever you are."
Feona settles in behind Nils, and looks around - "I like the view from up here," she giggles as she wraps her arms around Nils' waist. "Ready to move out...whenever you are."
"So have you actually met any squirrels?" Nils asks after a moment.
"I hear they're only present where there's a great many trees and trees are something else only seen in oasis's in the desert though I never seen a desert squirrel so I assume they're only found in woods, forests and the like?" Nils ponders aloud.
Berenthor waves Nils off with a hand as he leads the horse to a crate and climbs aboard. "Squirrels know where ta find good brewing nuts that make a tasty, fine malt! Chest and oak for robust, ash and pine for bitter." The dwarf licks his lips. "How far before we get ta town, ya reckon?"
Luca looks to Berenthor, "It should only be a short trip, less than a day's travel with the horses. Arthfell forest is a dangerous place though, which is why I have asked you all to come along."
Luca looks to Berenthor, "It should only be a short trip, less than a day's travel with the horses. Arthfell forest is a dangerous place though, which is why I have asked you all to come along."
"I better take point then," Nils nods as he motions his horse ahead keeping a little distance ahead of the wagon(s) and at a safe speed for all concerned.
"Better keep your eyes peeled, unlike the deserts of my home they have much more to hide behind than just beneath the surface," Nils remarked to Feona.
Berenthor waves Nils off with a hand as he leads the horse to a crate and climbs aboard. "Squirrels know where ta find good brewing nuts that make a tasty, fine malt! Chest and oak for robust, ash and pine for bitter." The dwarf licks his lips. "How far before we get ta town, ya reckon?"
"I hope it's not too far 'cause you're making me thirsty!" Feona says with a laugh. "And Nils, yes, squirrels - they are here and about. Chances are we will see one or two. They taste great when fried with onions and gravy."
Feona's belly grumbles and then after Nils moves out to the front, she keeps quiet and watches the sides of the road, looking back and forth.
(Perception check > http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2027810/ )
The dwarf remains close to the wagon, doing his best to keep from falling off his horse.
The dark mass of the Arthfell Forest looms just to the north of the trade route, an ominous wall of unbroken green and shadow. Not far ahead is the famous Travelers Stop Inn, the only safe refuge in the area. Rounding a bend in the road, you see a trio of mangy dogs playing a gruesome tug-of-war with some sort of humanoid corpse. Their snarls and barks break the silence of the otherwise calm afternoon.
Nils and Feona:
"I don't like dogs," Feona whispers loudly. "Let's drive 'em off and see if we can tell what killed that hobgoblin."
Feona slids off the horse on the opposite side, keeping the horse between her and the dogs. She quickly takes her sling from her belt and puts a bullet in the pouch and begins to whirl it over her head. If she can get a bead on the largest of the dogs, she lets fly.
Ranged attack: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2028126/
Damage: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2028133/
OOC: I'm within sling range - 50 feet.
My email is yankmychain@gmail.com
Feona manages to hit one of the dogs straight in the muzzle, causing the dog to yelp loudly. The dog growls angrily, then shakes its head, and moves to flee. The two other dogs growl as well, and turn to attack.
OOC: I was wondering what that other map was about! LOL!
Feona moves to I14, staying close to the wagon, and loads another sling bullet.
Initiative: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2028244/
Initiative so far:
Dogs- 20
Feona- 16
Initiative so far:
Dogs- 20
Feona- 16
Do you want me to edit the map and resend it to you? How would I do that?
Do you want me to edit the map and resend it to you? How would I do that?
Initiative so far:
Dogs- 20
Feona- 16
The dwarf, riding alongside the wagon, leans forward to see what's going on. Initiative Roll (1d20=10)
The dark mass of the Arthfell Forest looms just to the north of the trade route, an ominous wall of unbroken green and shadow. Not far ahead is the famous Travelers Stop Inn, the only safe refuge in the area. Rounding a bend in the road, you see a trio of mangy dogs playing a gruesome tug-of-war with some sort of humanoid corpse. Their snarls and barks break the silence of the otherwise calm afternoon.
Nils and Feona:
** spoiler omitted **
Nils promptly raises an arm to signal the others to stop in case this is the precursor to an ambush and then scans ahead trying to gauge whats happened from his experiences of battle although this being in a forest makes things difficult, however Feona dismounts and engages one of the wolves with a sling so Nils also dismounts and draws his scimitar keeping his other hand on his mount's stirrups putting it between him and the wagon so if the wolves charge he can engage with his scimitar before they can reach Feona leaving exmaining the scene until after the situation is resolved.
Initiative:
Dogs-20
Feona-16
Berenthor-10
Nils-9
The dogs bark angrily, then charge the nearest target, Nils, attempting to bite him.
The first bite just barely misses him, while the second bite hits, the dogs teeth clamping down on his leg.
Dropping her sling, Feona draws her short sword as she slips around her horse to I12 to attack the dog that his holding onto Nils' leg.
"Get off of him, you mangy cur!"
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2029732/
OOC: Is this considered a sneak attack?
Feona strikes her blade into the side of the dog, delivering a devastating blow, causing the dog to drop dead where it stands.
Berenthor is up next.
"Come on, ya dern mule!" Berenthor urges his mount forward as he loads his crossbow and takes aim. The horse plods forward reluctantly, but the dwarf finds that his companions are blocking his line of fire.
"Blast it all!"
Dropping her sling, Feona draws her short sword as she slips around her horse to I12 to attack the dog that his holding onto Nils' leg.
"Get off of him, you mangy cur!"
"Thanks," Nils nods to Feona as he strikes at his other attacker.
12+5 for Total: 17
Nils keeps his mount under control even as he tries to drive off the last remaining wild dog.
Feona and Nils both miss the dogs, Nils missing by barely an inch as the dog ducks away from the blade. Nils is able to keep a good grip on the horse, though the horse looks like it would flee if he were to let go. The dog then snaps forward, also missing when trying to land another bite on Nils. The second dog also takes a snap at Nils, managing to hit with his bite, sinking his teeth into his leg as well.
Dog bite: 4
Second dog bite: 16
Nils takes three damage from one dog bite. Feona is up next.
Feona lunges at the second dog, driving her blade in deep.
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2030927/
Feona's blow drives straight into the dog, causing the dog to almost drop. The dog whimpers as it tries to barely stand on it's feet.
"That's what you get for trying to chomp on my friend!" Feona growls. "Nils, put it out of its misery."
Nils quickly strikes out with his scimitar catching the dog before it can leap back following Feona's strike even as he does so he tries to keep control of his mount.
Nils drops the dog easily, though it had been barely standing on its feet as it was. Luca waits for the group to do what they wish before heading out again.
"You better get that tended to," Feona says, frowning at the blood running down Nils' leg. She wipes the blood off her sword on one of the dog's carcasses, then she cautiously eases her way toward the bush where she saw the glint of something just before the dog fight. With her sword in hand, she peers into the bush.
Peering into the bushes, Feona can see a dagger. The dagger’s tang, bolster, and blade’s center appear made of liquid flame. There is also some writing on the hilt, though Feona does not know what it says.
Nils ties his mount to a nearby tree so it can feed before tending to his wound.
Once tended to he'll check out the body to see what unfortunate had fallen prey to these wild dogs.
The body is that of a hobgoblin. Nils can see many wounds, though it's hard to tell them all due to several chunks of the flesh being ripped away due to the dogs. The corpse is fresh, Nils can determine it has been there about a day. He finds nothing on the body, it looks like it had already been looted.
The body is that of a hobgoblin. Nils can see many wounds, though it's hard to tell them all due to several chunks of the flesh being ripped away due to the dogs. The corpse is fresh, Nils can determine it has been there about a day. He finds nothing on the body, it looks like it had already been looted.
Nils moves the remains further into the forest so it doesn't alarm the caravan.
He then returns."Looks like a hobgoblin ran into something nastier that they were, given it was practically stripped clean I'd suspect adventurers' since bandits would have moved the body out of sight to avoid raising suspicion," Nils quietly tells the wagon leader to avoid further problems and then returns to his mount to untie and head back and looks around for Feona at this point.
The dwarf finally stumbles off of his mount and joins the others with hammer in hand. Looking around at the bodies with a satisfied nod, he remarks to them, "Ye got all the beasties then? 'Cept fer that one." He points at the hobgoblin carcass. "Looks like the dogs got to 'im first. Lucky fer him! Blasted goblin." He spits.
Looking over Nils, he notices the wounds. "Here, lad. Let a priest do his work and take away the scars of battle for ye. If'n ye wouldn't mind the blessings from the Dwarf-father..."
The dwarf finally stumbles off of his mount and joins the others with hammer in hand. Looking around at the bodies with a satisfied nod, he remarks to them, "Ye got all the beasties then? 'Cept fer that one." He points at the hobgoblin carcass. "Looks like the dogs got to 'im first. Lucky fer him! Blasted goblin." He spits.
Looking over Nils, he notices the wounds. "Here, lad. Let a priest do his work and take away the scars of battle for ye. If'n ye wouldn't mind the blessings from the Dwarf-father..."
"My thanks father, have you seen Feona, she was the one who dealt most of the damage to those dogs, but I have no idea who slew the hobgoblin except it wasn't those dogs," Nils replies.
Luca nods, "Yes, seems like that would be true. Though I supppose the dogs could have dragged the body out even if it had been hidden. But I give my thanks to you and the others for taking care of this matter. Is there anything else you would like to do before we continue on? We should reach the Inn a little before nightfall."