Peregrine tried to open his mind to the possible outcomes that lie before him, searching for the best outcome.
Eyes snapping into focus, Peregrine seemed to have found what he was looking for. He reached for a quarrel and calmly loaded his crossbow. Pausing a moment to find the spot he was looking for, he raised the weapon and pulled the release lever.
Jonas smiles as he swings Maelstrom around, keeping the stallion lined up for a charge. That was quite an explosion for such a little jar Master Farwen.
Ingle's alchemical vial flies with utmost precision as it splashes across the bear's face; it is visibly harmed, and it lets out a great roar. When Peregrine hits it right in its flank it bares its fangs and starts to charge. Jonas rushes forward, his lance held as steady as he can, yet when he is to strike the bear, the horse rears ever so slightly; his lance simply slides off of its great muscle and fur.
The bear charges in direction of Ingle; Kragath and Gathien step forward to protect the alchemist, and to strike before the great bear. Gathien's heavy blow barely misses its target, only cutting off a tuft of fur. Kragath strikes true, slashing the bear across his shoulder. With a great roar, the bear retaliates against the paladin, its heavy blow resonating off of the man's armour - and in a sudden move, the bear heaves over Kragath, grabbing him with both great paws, fangs at his neck and shoulder.
Jonas grunts in frustration as the bear rushes past him. He raises his lance and brings Maelstrom around. As he lowers the lance, Jonas raises up on his stirrups and charges back into the fray.
Kragath grunts as the bears massive forepaws wrap around his waist, lifting him up towards the beasts jaws. "Bring this thing down now!"
Kragath turns his blade around and attempts to thrust it into the bears gaping maw, but is unable to maneuver properly within the bears deadly embrace.
Move to e7 and attack.
Attack
Damage
That was quite an explosion for such a little jar Master Farwen.
"Just a trifle, really," Ingle says, looking pleased with himself.
This only lasts for a moment before things go from bad to worse. It seems like a blur to the alchemist before the great beast is in their midst. "Don't let it-" he begins to shout, as the bear wraps Kragath in it's paws. "-grab you," he concludes softly, as he steps to the left and draws another vial from his belt. It takes him no time to realize that he needs to be exceedingly careful now. A little luck please, he thinks as he heaves the vial.
Ingle visibly cringes, realizing he's let the intensity of the situation get the better of him.
"No, no, no, no!" This wasn't how this was supposed to go. Peregrine made a few frantic mental calculations before rushing closer to the immense bear, it was only years of practice allowed him to move smoothly as he cast his spell. Hurling his hand forward a mind-bending wash of color exploded over the beast, the unnatural hues roiling together in terrible, discordant ways.
Gathien smiles as his inner fire fills him, burning away doubt, fear, insecurity and random thoughts, causing the sounds, smells and sights of the area to grow stronger, leaving behind only and the whispers of the campfire behind him... and an absolute clarity of purpose.
The hammer is not useful against a close foe.... Ingle is behind me so I cannot just step back... and Jonas and his steed are flanking the beast...
With a snarl, he drops his hammer and draws the axe from his back. He swings low, arcing under Kragath's now-raised legs.
Jonas and Maelstrom's charge is woefully ineffective as the tip of Jonas's lance fails to pierce the bear's thick hide. Kragath is unable to strike from his awkward position. When Ingle throws his bomb, his bomb lands true - but the impact affects both Jonas and Maelstrom. Roaring at this distraction, the bear let's go of Kragath;
Peregrine's spell is shrugged off without incident; Gathien's strike is solid, but doesn't penetrate the bear's hide.
Roaring, the bear sinks his great fangs into Kragath's shoulder, the impact felling the man as the paladin collapses. In his furore, he swats at Gathien, the first blow hitting him right in the head - and before he can recover, Gathien is brought to his knees.
(success)
(hit)
(miss)
(hit)
(hit)
Crap and crap.
Attack again. Gain flank from Jonas.
Attack
Damage
Crap and crap.
Attack again. Gain flank from Jonas.
Attack d20+3+2
Damage d8+3
Peregrine said a quick prayer to whoever would listen and felt for the ring under his glove. He felt it grow warm on his finger as he said the words to the spell again, once more bathing the area in a sickening array of colors. Freezing for a moment he waited to see if the bear reacted this time to his magic.
"Sorry," the half-elf calls out in Jonas' direction, his gaze still locked on the hulking bear. I simply must find a way to control the collateral damage with those things. Useless in close combat otherwise, he thinks as he pulls his sling free of his belt.
Sparing the weapon the briefest of glances, he retrieves a bullet from the pouch at his hip and shakes his head. "Ridiculous, really," he mutters, loading the weapon.
Gathien winces as the claws strike him, the pain reaching him even in his rage. He feels himself stagger from the blow, noting the interesting red splatter falling around him... Seeing the bear drop the wounded paladin, he realizes there is only one course of action. He snarls at the beast, shifting his grip and slamming down with his axe..."You may have killed me, bear, but you die first."
Jonas eyes grow wide as his companions drop, Damn beast! Slay him Maelstrom!
Rorgrym's attack fails to hit somewhere vital, but the bear fails to resist Peregrine's spell. It roars and staggers, as Gathien delivers a fierce 'final word'; blood splatters across the grass as the bear's shoulder is cleaved right open. Its defences vulnerable, Jonas skewers the bear with one forceful thrust. As it rises to roar, blood spews out from its mouth as it collapses. Blood pours out of its many wounds...
(fail)
CLW on Kragath and Gathien.
Kragath
Gathien
Ingle stands swinging his loaded sling in lazy loops for several moments as he stares at the bear. Is it dead? Finally, deciding that it must be either dead or incredibly clever, he stops the sling's motion and shifts his attention to his companions.
The dwarf seems to have the worst of it under control, he notices with relief. Turning to Jonas, the alchemist offers a reconciliatory and somewhat pained look. "Are you quite alright, good sir? I don't know what I was thinking... there was a bear... quite close, really. It puts a fellow out of sorts a fare bit, I must say." Ingle realized that the man's horse was also caught in the blast and that Jonas probably cared more about that than he would the damage he himself had received. He moves to approach the animal, cautiously. "It really all happened with alarming speed. How does one apologize to a horse, I wonder?"
I'm still in pain, so I must still be alive...
Gathien opens his eyes and sees the dwarf praying over him. He picks up his pole arm, butting it against the ground to help himself to his feet. Well, that was unpleasant... though it seems I got the bear, at least. Another thought follows on the heels of that, and he asks, "How is Kragath?"
When told that the paladin still lives, Gathien nods and turns his mind to other issues.
"Because we're traveling on rations and left the wagon behind, I would think we should do what we can to stretch our food supply in case of trouble. Because of that, I recommend that we butcher the bear. While we don't have time to do a thorough job -- generally you would want to hang and bleed the animal in order to salvage all of the meat, we could certainly cut out strips and leave them to smoke over our campfire overnight. In addition, we may want to dispose of what we do not take from the bear, to try to avoid attracting any additional attention..."
...Plus, we can put it somewhere that scavengers get at it, to hide the fact it was killed by sword and axe.... I'd rather not announce we were here to anyone with woods skill.
Kragath sits up slowly, seeing the bear felled at his feet. Well, at least nobody else was hurt.... He then looks to his left and sees Gathien sit up as well. Oh...
Kragath nods a thanks to Rorgrym, and listens to Gathien speak. As he rises to his feet, he states, "You're right Gathien. But I think Jonas would be disappointed if he were to not get his rug.... Kragath tries to chuckle to lighten the mood, but winces in pain and grasps where the bears teeth sunk into his shoulder.
Jonas sighs in relief when he sees Rorgrym heal both Gathien and Kragath. He slips down from Maelstrom and leads him to the other side of the camp dropping the reigns, confident that Maelstrom will not wander. He helps nods to Ingle, I assure you both Maelstrom and myself are fine. A little singed, but overall in fine health. I do not take a slight missed aim personal in the heat of battle He walks over to the bear to join Gathien and Kragath. He nods in agreement with Gathien and smiles at Kragath. I will bow to your wisdom about the butchering of the beast Gathien, since you are the most experienced woodsman. I was looking forward to that rug, although I fear Master Farwen may have singed the pelt and ruined a full rug for me. I may have to settle for a fine winter cloak. I hope no one minds that I claim the pelt? I have an inkling that others may come available soon. We should probably move camp a ways from the corpse as Gathien is surely correct about it attracting scavengers. He looks around appraisingly, Overall that went well. The strategy was sound Ser Lightbringer, we just needed to carry out your plan better.
Overall that went well. The strategy was sound Ser Lightbringer, we just needed to carry out your plan better.
Kragath again chuckles, regretting it immediately, then looks to Jonas kneeling next to him, "Really Ser Medvyed? I thought it went, ungh, flawlessly." Kragath winces as he fights snickering through his reply.
Kragath looks around, then reaches out to Jonas, "Here, help me up." Once Kragath is to his feet, he looks around for a nice large, flat area a decent distance away from the carcass. Seeing one slightly to the East, he tilts his head that direction, trying to draw Jonas' attention. "How about over there, I know it's not too far away from the bear, but in mine and Gathien's condition, I think horseback travel might not be the best of ideas, and I don't know how well we'd handle a long hike either."
Gathien smiles at Kragath's joke, "It's not your fault, Ser Lightbringer -- the bear just didn't listen to the plan, closing the range like that. It was supposed to stay back there and let me fell it with bullets."
He then looks at the bear's corpse, assessing the damage, "I should think there's more than enough pelt on the back to make a cloak, and probably a blanket as well, though I am no craftsman."
As the others discuss slaughtering the bear and moving camp, Ingle studies the burn patterns from his explosives. There must be a way to control the spread and still achieve the same detonation... Or a greater detonation, even. May as well dream big, dear fellow. May as well..."
Rising with a tuft of burned grass, he waves it beneath his nose, a cockeyed smile lighting his face for a moment. "Hmmm."
Tossing the scorched grass aside, he says to the halfling, "I'd be happy to assist you with that, little fellow. It can't be very much different than cleaning a fish - a task for which I have some familiarity. A very large, furry fish... " He pauses for a moment, aware that it's probably nothing like a fish at all. "Oh, and that was a respectable blow you struck there at the end. Impressive. Majestic, even. All things considered."
Gathien smirks and looks up from the bear, "That almost sounded like a compliment... I must have been hit in the head harder than I thought...." He then kneels and motions to a few points on the bear with his dagger, "You can begin there, and it is not entirely dissimilar... Think of it as a filleting."
As Gathien and Ingle begin field dressing the bear carcass, Kragath leads his horse and the pack horse slowly to the new camp site, and begins unpacking the Pavilion.
Peregrine breathed an audible sigh of relief when he saw that Gathien and Kragath were going to be alright. To lose a third of their party on the first day would have been devastating. Now that the excitement had passed Peregrine could feel his hands shaking slightly, scowling he balled them into fists to cover it. His mind though was already beginning to slide back into cold calculation as he eyed the injured.
"Rorgrym, I do not wish to tax you overmuch, but if any healing prowess yet remains in you, I bid you use it to get these men back in fighting shape as quickly as possible. These lands have proven themselves more than a little dangerous, and it would not do to go about in a weakened state."
Rorgrym sighs wearily.
Unfortunately, my healing ability is spent for the time being.
Slicing a strip of meat from the bear's flank, Ingle pauses at Rorgrym and Peregrine's exchange. Wiping blood from his finger he rises. "Perhaps I can be of help there as well," he says, pulling to vials of light blue liquid from his belt. "A little bit of the gods in a bottle."
Handing one each to the paladin and the barbarian, he nods toward them. "These will heal your wounds and return a bit of vigor. But, out here, I have limited resources for replacing them. They are fast acting however, so I'd advice that you, perhaps, hold them until you need them. Or until time or the dwarf's god attend your needs instead."
"I appreciate the thought, Ingle. However I think I will hang onto it until it is absolutely necessary. If I have no need for it by the time Rorgrym or natures will replenishes my strength, I will return it to you. No need to use up a precious resource such as this unless absolutely necessary."
It is midnight when the pavilion is finally raised; the thick fabric shields you from the night chill. The ground is cold and hard, though the bedrolls alleviate this flaw well enough. The soft rattle of rain resumes within the first hour, and the night carries on without further incident...
The rain never ended. The skies outside are grimmer still, laced with dark grey. The sun scarcely manages to light up the open, emply plains. The horses have set to grazing as you take care of necessary preparations. Today looks to be long and wet...
Jonas stands chewing on a piece of the bear meat. Well, if we are not searching for the bandit's camp directly, then might I suggest we fully explore this area before moving on? We might as well since we are here.
"A good idea," Ingle says as he packs up his kit, having finished his morning preparations. "It will give our warriors more time to heal as well. Though this miserable weather is not particularly conducive to recuperation." He casts a dismal glance at the grey skies and then helps himself to a bit of the roasted meat. As Jonas had predicted, the half-elf ached in places he had never ached before. He cast a baleful look at the horses and sighed.
"Yes, a good call Jonas. I don't quite feel up to too much adventure at the moment, as I believe Gathien feels as well."
Gathien wakes, pleased that the grey, cold rain seems to have kept the nightmares away... until he tries to move. Ow.... Despite the healing, this still does not feel pleasant... I'm surprised the dwarf had expended his magic so quickly... perhaps the fight went longer than I had thought? Or perhaps this is the extent of the healing he gives to those who disagree with him...
With such cheery thoughts in his head, he gathers up his equipment quietly, saying little as people prepare and talk. He goes over to the bear meat strips that had been smoking over the fire and nods, "That should do. These will not last as long as trail rations, but should be good for a few days, at least. Anything to avoid having to slow down to forage for food."
He steps forward and nods, "I like the idea of exploration for its own sake, and not merely as a result of my injuries. As I said, at the moment, our foes have the advantage of knowing their terrain -- we should take that from them as quickly as possible."
When the morning came, though he made no complaint, Peregrine's demeanor mirrored the sullen skies that hung overhead. Quick to his morning preparations he silently flipped through the pages of his book of spells, frowning down at the complex notations and diagrams inscribed therein. After yesterday's encounter with the bear he woefully unprepared, but no matter how many times he turned the pages he could not find a better answer in that book. What might he have done differently, better? Finally after some time he shut the tome with a sharp snap, perhaps the answer was not to be found within. Peregrine pondered that as he rose and collected together his things. He partook of a small morsel of food and then set about helping them break the camp for the day. When the suggestion that they explore the area they currently found themselves in was brought up, he merely nodded in agreement before getting back to work. As he worked he kept a close eye on the wounded, trying to determine if they were fit to actually proceed.
Prepared Spells
0th (3) Detect Magic, Arcane Mark, Daze
1st (2+1) True Strike, Sleep, Color Spray
The process of exploring the area is not as difficult as the rain would have suggested; it is the rain that prevents you from adequately mapping. It is six relentless hours of rain and thunder before the skies finally brighten up with the kiss of the sun. It is within the hour of the rain clearing that you find a great cairn, somewhere east of your camp. Four great rocks create a cross or misshapen circle. The horses seem reluctant to approach the stone formation. As you struggle with their minor unrest, the tension is shattered by the thunder of a voice.
"Food! Food is here! Fooooooood!"
You feel the ground shake. A great giant of a man steps out into view, near two hundred feet away, his ugly face transfixed in your direction...
You are bloody certain this is a troll.
Rorgrym:
Kragath:
Ingle:
Gathien:
Peregrine:
Jonas:
Average: 16.5
???:
Peregrines eyes narrowed as he studied the creature approaching them.
Kragath's eyes widen as the creature lumbers into view. He then quickly looks left and right at his companions. "We are in no condition to fight this fight. Way I see it we have two options, we flee on horseback, or we use the horses to maintain distance and try to slay this monster from range. Either way, we need to be putting distance between ourselves and it...now!"
Kragath pulls on Simaron's reigns, turning the horse sharply. Also, he pulls the longbow from where it had been strapped to the horse's flank, and holds it in his left hand.
Trolls!
Trolls possess incredibly sharp claws and amazing regenerative powers, allowing them to recover from nearly any wound. They are stooped, fantastically ugly, and astonishingly strong—combined with their claws, their strength allows them to literally tear apart flesh to feed their voracious appetites. Trolls stand about 14 feet tall, but their hunched postures often make them appear shorter. An adult troll weighs around 1,000 pounds.
A troll's appetite and its regenerative powers make it a fearless combatant, ever prepared to charge headlong at the nearest living creature and attack with all of its fury. Only fire seems to cause a troll to hesitate, but even this mortal threat is not enough to stop a troll's advance. Those who commonly battle with trolls know to locate and burn any pieces after a fight, for even the smallest scrap of flesh can regrow a full-size troll given enough time. Fortunately, only the largest part of a troll regrows in this way.
Despite their cruelty in combat, trolls are surprisingly tender and kind to their own young. Female trolls work as a group, spending a great deal of time teaching young trolls to hunt and fend for themselves before sending them off to find their own territories. A male troll tends to live a solitary existence, partnering with a female for only a brief time to mate. All trolls spend most of their time hunting for food, as they must consume vast amounts each day or face starvation. Due to this need, most trolls stake out large territories as their own, and fights between rivals are quite common. While these are usually nonlethal, trolls are aware of each others' weaknesses and will use such knowledge to kill their own kind if food is scarce.
Kragath turns in his saddle after having reigned Simaron away from the Troll, nocks an arrow, and lets it fly at the troll, attempting to buy the group time to maneuver their own steeds.
Next round's action: Shoot the arrow I just described in character, regardless of what we decide to do. When the group decides, I move accordingly.
Troll, mutters Rorgrym in anger This will be extremely dangerous if we stand. If retreat is an option, I suggest we take it.
Failing to come up with a brilliant plan, Peregrine nods in agreement. "Indeed, there's nothing to be gained by risking our lives here and now."
Wheeling his horse, Peregrine pauses only long enough to make sure that he isn't alone in his flight.
Kragath spurs his horse away from the Troll, leading the party away from the dangerous creature. He frequently watches over his shoulder to make sure the monster is not in pursuit.
"Jolly good idea," Ingle says, his aches momentarily forgotten as he scrambles onto his mount. "Might I suggest angling our route past the bear carcass. He wants food, and maybe that will be enough to sate his appetite."
Keeping an eye on the beast, Ingle leans forward in the saddle and speaks lowly to the horse. "I've decided on a name for you. Flash. Now live up to that name, if you please." Having, so far, not ridden any faster than a canter, Ingle does everything he can to hold on as he joins the retreat.
The troll does set to chase - but as you spur your horses (and pony) away from the monster, you rush away from it at tremendous speed. Within minutes the troll stops its pursuit, and returns back to the great cairn...
Gathien takes a celebratory drink of water when the group slows from making its escape. "Does anyone know how far those creatures range? I would like to mark that on the map as a problem to be dealt with later -- but not if it's unlikely to be there if we return.."
Peregrine breathed a sigh of relief. "The bandits are beginning to look not so bad, relatively speaking."
Pulling himself up straight in the saddle, Peregrine turned toward Gathien. "Trolls require vast amounts of food, given their size, and I suspect to fuel their infamous regenerative powers. Given that, it will range quite a large area in order to keep itself fed. However, the cairn is an obvious landmark, and should be noted. Might I suggest the name 'Troll Cairn'. Two birds, one stone. That should be warning enough that trolls range this area for anyone else that need use our map."