Hello sand! What a surprising thing to see in the desert.
"Wait! everybody listen! Do you see that? Look around, tell me what you hear."
Lesarieth eyes the surrounding's in a characteristically lazy way.
'Thats a lot of sand isn't it', he mutters to himself
"Wait! everybody listen! Do you see that? Look around, tell me what you hear."
"Hat's over my ears."
"My, the sands here are peculiar...."
Arakan for a brief moment off in the distance you catch sight of a humanoid shape with green glowing eyes surrounded by lizard-dogs looking over the band. The shape let's out a hiss before taking the form of a lizard-dog and running off out of sight.
Pointing over a small dune, Arakan implores "C'mon guys tell me you saw.... would you all stop staring at the ground! There was a man.. beast... thing... with more of those dogs. He turned into one of them and ran off..." he adds confusedly.
"Should... we... investigate?" he asks, with an obvious air to his voice, that he doesn't want the answer to be 'yes'.
"I saw sand," says Irivis flatly, "but if there are more dog things, and they're close to the caravan we're supposed to guard, then we need to investigate."
She looks beadily at Araken under her hat.
"That's why they pay us."
"Ah HA! What if it's... bait, for a.... diversion." Gaining momentum as he speaks. "They may WANT us to leave in pursuit."
Proudly, he adds "It would then be in the best interests of the caravan that we stay nearby to keep a close watch. I mean, how better to guard than to keep a protective watch over the wagons, instead of chasing after shadows."
Arakan contains a smirk, for his presumed success at circumventing the group from moving further from safety.
"Flapdoodle."
Irivis turns towards wherever Arakan is so studiously avoiding.
"Well, let's not just stand here, then! Let's go and have a look!"
Tirshok sets off in the direction Arakan pointed in.
"Wait. Are we being paid for this?"
"We are being paid for protecting the caravan, I believe. And I don't really think actually letting ourselves get ambushed when we obviously know that we are going to be attacked again is really that sensible, is it Akaran? Besides, I'm bored, let's at least take a look."
Lesarieth gives Akaran a decidedly pointed look.
Give me some tracking rolls (perception) if you're going to follow the pack.
"So, everyone's going after the wierd beast-man? I guess I should stick with you then, strength in numbers and all." he adds convincingly.
"Besides, without me around keeping you guys healthy, who knows what could happen."
"I'll have a look around and see if there's any trace of where I saw him... it." He sighs sullenly.
"Heh, that's weird. It's almost as if he vanished into thin air. Not a trace anywhere to be found" He chirps, hiding his excitement.
"No, can't see a thing."
"We saw which way you were looking, Arakan. Don't worry too much about finding tracks. I'm sure we'll track them down."
Irivis smiles sweetly and sincerely at him. He can't see that of course.
Lesarieth sighs.... "Akaran, you aren't fooling anyone.
Lesarieth easily picks up the trail and tracks it back to a large rise in the surrounding terrain. Taking a cautionary look around the mound Lesarieth sees three openings, the main entrance to the south and secondary entrances to the north-west and east sides.
Give me a marching order, initiative and which entrance you're going to try.
"Right, follow me! Er, which way?"
"Why not take the main entrance? We can surprise whoever it is by doing the extremely obvious."
"Well, with so many of you eager to get into a scuffle, I wouldn't want to get in the way" He explains. "Irivis, I would be willing to take up the rear guard instead, if you are also amongst those looking forward to a fight? If not that's okay, I'll stay close by just in case"
"On another note, do we have a light source, or are we assuming the cover of darkness? Considering how many of us are Human, it may not go well if we can't see, and even worse if they see us coming." He extolls on the perils of going into the cave after the creatures.
"Oh, please, after you Arakan." Irivis stands politely behind the bard.
The band gets itself together and plunges into the earthen main tunnel. After 20 feet or so the 5 foot tall earthen tunnel merges with a chiseled stone tunnel that is roughly 10x10. minuscule veins of quartz and obsidian run through the walls indicating that the lizard-dogs choose an abandoned mine for their lair. The smell of an animal den, piss & rotting meat, is more prevalent the further you proceed in but aside from the bands own movements you can't hear any activity ahead.
As you round a bend the tunnel opens out to a large chamber. In the chamber are 5 lizard-dogs waiting in ambush for you to arrive.
Initiative:
LD 1
LD 2
LD 3
LD 4
LD 5
roll your initiatives.
"Great, we are SOOO lucky, you guys were starved for action and now have found it. Everyone must be SOOO pleased?" Arakan's voice gushing with sarcasm.
"Pleased? No I am not! Remind me to haunt you if I get killed in this action!"
Irivis prepares to make her usual leisurely start and is surprised by the speed of her reactions.
"Snippy today, isn't he?"
"Hmmm... I dont see what the problem is, yes, thanky you, I am pleased."
There is not, in fact, a hint of sacrasm in Lesarieth's voice.
[ooc] vs. reflex to hit. If I hit then damage.
Eager for more action, Lesarieth darts in to the fray, remembering at the last second to yell. "For god's sake cover me, I don't want anyone picking up peices of me".
"There, now you cant run away."
Gannicus backs up Lesarieth and flanks LD1 on I8.
Lesarieth rushes into the fray and quickly bloodies LD1 with a swift dagger to the neck.
LD2 & 3 charge up to attack Lesarieth with LD1 and LD4 & 5 charge to attack Tirshok
LD1 takes a bite out of Lesarieth but the rest of the dogs miss their targets.
Gannicus moves to back up Lesarieth and puts his sword through LD1’s neck killing it outright.
Irivis is up.
"That's how you send a dog to the afterlife!" Evidently, Gannicus is happy with his kill, perhaps something to do with adding a little meat with his next meal.
Irivis moves behind the comforting bulk of Tirshok and curses L3 before launching an attack on L3.
Arakan moves up and attempts to scare the dogs again, hoping it will work as well as it did previously.
He hollers at the dogs, "YEAHH! Get Back!"
Irivis moves forward and withers LD5’s leg with her stare.
Arakan up for the protection of company and tries to shoo the lizards away but his voice cracks with fear ruining the effect.
Initiative:
Lesarieth
LD 1
LD 2
LD 3 (cursed by I)
Gannicus
Irivis
LD 4
LD 5 (cursed by I)
Arakan
Tirshok
Tirshok is up.
Arakan's rebuke does effect LD5, pushing the lizard back allowing Tirshok to take it's place.
Tirshok is up.
"Wha-? How's I end up here. Ah well, take that, doggie!"
Tirshok lands a very damaging blow against LD3, he not bloodies it but throws it back into its pack mates slowing them.
Initiative:
Lesarieth
LD 1
LD 2
LD 3 (bloodied, cursed by I)
Gannicus
Irivis
LD 4
LD 5 (cursed by I)
Arakan
Tirshok
Lesarieth is up.
.
Lesarieth, amidst the confusion of battle, casually slides himself behind Tirshok's new 'friend' and aims his dagger just there.
Gannicus sweeps his sword at LD2 catching LD5 on the return stroke.