Planning the Ambush
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Marching to War
Pensive listens quietly to the men's joking, and shivers. Pickle. What was this fascination with humans and sex? Spreading their seed around like. . . like. . . Pensive cannot think of an appropriate metaphor. He shivers again. That's what started this whole thing. . .
No. He'd stop blaming Mission. Mission was worthy of the Kaishin. The shadow that blew on Huss was not dependent on the stupid child that Mission had been. Penance and Mission-- stupid children. But maybe, becoming a father would heal Mission's stupidity. He is worthy, Pensive reminds himself, gritting his teeth.
Why am I not?
The ground where Nesalin's army has massed is thick with the smell of men and beasts. Pensive remains close to Garyth as the army prepares to embark, watching how he binds himself to his new men, to the cleric Osred, how the binding between him and Rennick is changing. . .
And then the reins to a horse is passed into his hands. Pensive looks up at the creature's eyes, a bit suprised. How does one go about riding a horse? There are some fellows not far away already sitting astride their mounts, patting the long, muscular necks as they chatted. How did they get up there? The men are in armor, so they couldn't have jumped. . . Pensive walks cautiously around his own horse, looking for some sign, some. . . clue as to how to get up on its back.
Well, _he_ was not in armor, and he _could_ jump. Fastening his hand to the horse's mane, he swings himself up into the saddle. Blood and stone. Now what? From this vantage point, he can see the stirrups, placed far too low to be of any use to him. And the reins, out of reach. The horse whinnies at him, and gives a little dance to the side. Pensive sways in the saddle precariously.
"Be forgiving, horse," Pensive says, patting it like he'd seen the men do. He leans forward and runs his hand along the animal's muscular neck, feels it shake, and calm. "We are to be tied together through misery and war-- let us both be kind to one another. Forgive me my natural incompentence, and I will forgive you your wide ribcage."
He lights out of the saddle, and finds the latch and buckle to the stirrups. Adjusted to elf-height, they make excellent foot holds, though his thighs are already starting to burn. He looks at Rennick and Melani's war ponies with a glimmer of envy, but says nothing. This was to be his horse. The Path is not straight nor is it soft.
***************
The Path is infinitely softer than a horse's back, Pensive decides, when Sir Jonas calls Garyth's group over. Oddly, it wasn't as bad riding full-out; it was the trotting that was painful.
He listens carefully to the commander's description of the witch, and remains quiet until he has moved away.
Then he says to Garyth, "A mage expecting battle is likely to have protection against arrows. That protection may still be on her when she returns behind the hill, in addition to her powers of flight. This will be a difficult bird to net." His eyes flash, and he feels a dark thrum in his gut. "She will have expended much of her magery in attacking the forward calvary, though, and perhaps her protection will have weakened."
Perhaps. Pensive looks beyond Garyth, to the hulk of a ruined farmhouse. Sand and shadow had passed this way. The thrum in his gut pulls as taut as a bowstring. Pensive grits his teeth against it, and puts his fingers inside his sleeves to touch the smooth silk cords wrapped meticulously around his forearms. There is strength there. Blood and Stone, he hopes it is enough.
From: Ty
Subject: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch
It is sort of disconcerting, peeling off from the main body of troops. Garyth's little squad of nine watches the mass of soldiers continue marching to the south, as they head off south by southeast. Garyth leaves his men little time to reflect, as he begins pushing them and their mounts to greater speed. Soon, the army is far behind.
Within a few hours, the hill in question becomes visible, though it is too distant to see anything on it. Melani points out [successful knowledge roll] that a natural draw in the land to the north of the hill would provide some cover for their approach. The group is able to use it to move to within half a mile of the east side of the hill. Melani and Rennik believe that attempting to move closer on horseback would be too risky. Garyth guesses the time as an hour or so before noon, so the group has time.
Corporal Vincy takes the horses to a small group of trees and ties them up. Pickle and Robert take out and load light crossbows, and the other men draw their swords. Osred says, "What now, Captain?"
[Ok. The group is in a natural depression about half a mile from the north side of the hill. There is some limited cover between the draw and the hall, but it is mostly scrub brush and small trees. No one is visible on the hill from this point. Rennik thinks it would take about 20 minutes to get to the hill, if everyone was staying in cover as much as possible. So, let me know what you want to do.]
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch
How much time does Garyth estimate we have before we have to be ready?
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch
Just a few weeks ago, Garyth would probably have charged in to take up positions for ambushing the witch. Just a few weeks ago, though, he had never felt his strength seep away with the blood drawn by a more skilled enemy's blade. This is too easy; there must be more to it.
He turns to the group. "It looks clear, but we don't know what sort of magics the witch may have used." Memories of the tower float to the surface of Garyth's mind. The guilt over what happened comes with it, but Garyth pushes the feeling down. There's no time for that. "She may have left an alarm or a trap. For all we know she may have cast some spell to hide sentries." He looks to Osred. "Do you have any way of sensing any magic she may have used, or any hidden troops?"
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch
Osred purses his lips, squinting at the hill. "No, curse the luck. The spells I prayed for this morning had more to do with hurting the enemy than finding them. Even if Heironeus had blessed me with a way of detecting the bitch's craft, it wouldn't work from this distance."
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch
Garyth nods. It had been an outside chance, anyway. "We'll have to do it the hard way, then." He glances toward the hill, taking in the distance. "Squads of three in a bounding overwatch. Rennik, Melani, and Pensive in the first group." The quietest and sharpest-eyed in the advance. That, and he knew how good they were. "The rest of us will provide cover. Osred, Pickle, and Munch on the left flank, Vincy, Robert, and I on the right." He unlimbers his bow and nocks an arrow, looking to Rennik. "Agreed?"
OOC: Basically the idea is to "leapfrog" by squads. 1st squad (Rennik, Melani, and Pensive) go ahead first a short way, the rest cover them until the first group finds a place to cover while 2nd and 3rd squads advance to the first position. Repeat until we get there.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch
IC: The group breaks from the main unit and heads to the hill. As they are riding Melani remembers that she had once been in this area many years ago. She closes her eyes, trying to recall the terrain and how they might be able to use it to their advantage. She recalls a draw on the north side of the hill and lets the Captain know about it. She is gratified to see that the Captain takes her advice.
Soon the are at a patch of woods, as close and she and Rennik think they can get on horse. She would have liked a bit more cover and a bit less light, but you work with what you have.
She talks with Rennik in halfling." I think I should scout ahead a bit and try and find the best path to the top of the hill. I think that I have the best chance of remaining hidden and silent. I am going to try and find a path that all of us can take with out too much noise, except the one in the metal suite."
Melani waits to hear what Rennick has to say.
Mark
From: Matt
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch
Rennik responds to Melani with a nod. "This is wise, but two pairs of eyes may be better than one."
He moves toward Garyth and motions Melani to follow. The guardsman was finally learning caution, but he was not using all the resources at his command. He steps up to Garyth to speak quietly, not wishing to challenge his authority in front of his men.
"Friend Garyth, your men are well trained and capable fighters I am sure, but it might be wise to know what we are heading into first. If Melani and I scout the area ahead and return back, you will have better understanding of our enemy's position. We will have more time to plan our attack, and you will have a better understanding of where to place your force."
"I think we can be out and back very quickly if we each scout a different angle to the hill. It will give two perspectives and extra time to plan. If you feel two is too risky, then at least send one to report back on what there is to see. If only one is to be sent, I would recommend Reth'tenn Melani - as first scout of the Kalama, her skills in this area surpass mine, and she has a better knowledge of this area than myself."
Three Go In, What They See
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch
Pensive nods at the halfling's words, but doesn't say anything. Instead, he busies himself with stringing his bow, arranging his quiver, loosening the silken, scarlet cords wrapped around his forearms.
The thistle tatoo on the back of his neck is warm. It pulses slightly with his own anticipation. Battle was coming, no matter how cautious or stealthily he might tread. Somewhere out in the plains, men were marching, fighting, dying. Somewhere, there was a witch killing them.
Flesh be stone. Blood be stone.
OOC: Pensive will do as Garyth asks.
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch
Osred makes sure that the men he'll be leading are ready, loads his crossbow, and stands watching the Captain as he speaks queitly with the halfling male.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch
Garyth thinks rapidly, trying to see all the angles. He remembers what happened to Cadfael at the tower. Sending out a lone scout, even two scouts, could end with nothing more than a dead scout, even if he was as good as Rennik or Melani. But if they could get out and back, the information they'd bring would be invaluable in preparing the ambush. It all came back to needing more information. And he was forced to admit, no one had a better chance of getting that information--and getting it back safely--than Rennik and Melani.
"All right," he says finally, gratitude apparent on his face for not having to have done this in front of his men. "But sending just one of you is too risky. Both of you go. Be careful."
From: Mark
Subject: Up the hill
Melani nods at Garyth's decision. She could get to like this human, if only he were a bit shorter. Looking up at him all the time hurts her neck.
Melani takes a few seconds to thank the pony that got her here. She then takes a few seconds to say a brief prayer to the spirit of her brother, holding his bow as she does. She then touches the arm band and prays to the spirits of her family.
She checks her gear, making sure that there is nothing loose and nothing shiny showing. She looks at Rennik and nods. When he responds, she slips away from camp, doing her best to keep to cover. She will also keep an eye out for traps along the way, and trying to get an idea of what would be the best way for the large loud humans to get up the hill.
OOC: Can I assume that we will not be active tomorrow? Ty, are you working on Friday?
Mark
From: Mike
Subject: Re: Up the hill
Yeah, I'm going to be out of town starting today at around 1 PM PST. I'll be returning on Sunday night. I'll do what I can to check my email while I'm gone, but I can't make any promises.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Up the hill
I am going to do a turn today, but I don't expect anyone to reply until next week if they don't want to. I will be out of town the next four days too.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: Up the hill
Oh, you're all slackers.
Fie on you. I'm devoting all day tomorrow to this game.
And Friday, too.
From: Jake
Subject: Re: Up the hill
I'll be preoccupied with guests, and don't expect to spend much time online between sometime later on this afternoon and Sunday evening (or possibly Monday).
From: Ty
Subject: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
OODM: There are several hide rolls in this turn. I am just writing the results in, instead of showing the numbers, if that's ok.
The squad splits up into three groups. Garyth and Osred keep their men back and hidden as Rennik and Melani move swiftly and silently toward the hill. Pensive says to Garyth, "I will follow a while. I can keep quiet as well, and perhaps I can help if they return in trouble." Garyth nods, and the elf slips quietly away, a few dozen yards behind the scouts.
After they leave, Munch starts a joke to Pickle about the comparative size of Melani and Pickle's member, and the difficulties in copulation this represents. Osred lets it go for a minute, but when it looks like he doesn't plan to stop any time soon, the cleric whaps him on the head with one heavy gauntlet and says, "Quiet now, boy." His voice is low, and steady, but Munch instantly shuts up. Garyth looks at the cleric's battered face, and the fear in Munch's eyes at displeasing him. Garyth wonders if the cleric might not be a dangerous man.
Further ahead, Rennik and Melani have reached the lower slopes of the hill, taking less than ten minutes to do so. Pensive stops there to wait for them to return. Melani begins moving around the hill on the east side, while Rennik decides to try and move up the hill to its peak. He thinks there is enough low cover for him to do so. It takes him only a few moments to climb the hill to its broad and flat summit. There is nothing there. But sitting quietly, Rennik thinks he hears voices from the east side, and moves flat on his belly to that edge of the summit to look down.
Below him, about half way down the hill's east slope, there is a rocky depression several dozen yards wide. Inside that natural bowl are men. A lot of men. Rennik almost whistles to himself.
There is a small wagon, drawn by one pony. A man works at something in the back of the wagon, and when a flap blows back in a breeze, it looks like he is working at some sort of alchemy set. Standing near the back of the wagon, and shouting angrily at the man working in it, is the witch. Rennik has to stop himself from spitting. Whatever she is telling the alchemist, she does not look happy about it. Sitting randomly around the bowl, are... what? Guards? Too small to be a reserve force. But big enough to cause trouble. Rennik starts counting. Ten warriors, all human. Looks like six footmen armed with swords and pikes. Four others with lighter armor and longbows. They are the same ragged type Elise had with her, but they look dangerous all the same. Then someone bigger comes around from behind the wagon, and Rennik does a mental "oh shit."
The brute. The brute from the sewers was there too. He looks even bigger than Rennik remembered him. And he still has that wicked looking orcish double axe. Rennik has seen one of those in the hands of an expert, and he knows that someone the size of that half orc could probably cut a man in half with it. He also knows that the half orcs are known to be berserkers. Even enraged, Rennik knows that brute might very well be his match. He looks at arms as big around as Melani. Maybe even his better.
He catches a brief flash of light from a bush at the bottom of the hill. Melani, bouncing some sun off a dagger to let him know she was there. He wonders how she spotted him, but even knowing where the flash came from, he can't see her. "Show off," he says to himself.
There isn't anything else to see. Rennik moves back down the hill to Pensive, where he meets up with a wide eyed Melani. She says quickly in halfling, "There are a lot of them."
[waiting on Rennik and melani's report to Garyth, and the plan from there.]
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
OOC:
A couple of questions. Did Melani see any spot that she might be able to hide in that was with in 30 feet of the group? If I remeber correctly, we are supposed to let the witch leave to attack the diversion, we attack her base, and then ambush her when she comes back. If she is using alchemical potions on the army, my bet is she will have a good compliment of spells when she gets back.
I don't know how you guys want to run this, but here are my thougths. Melani will be next to useless in a head on fight,especially against the big guy. She might be able to hide and be able to snipe one or two of the guard types by suprise. I would think that Garyth, Rennik and Osred would be the ones to start against the big guy, with Rennik maybe being able to get an attack out of cover from the flank. Pensive and Melani and the other 4 Blood Falcons should be able to take on the 10 guards. This is just an idea so please feel free to comment.
Jake, does Osred have silence 15" radius? That might help the main group get closer for a charge with a bit of surprise.
Mark
From: Matt
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
Rennik's report is grim.
"It's bad. Not as bad as the tower in the forest, or the sewer, but bad."
He gets down on the ground to scratch out a rough map for the rest of the men.
"On the east side of the hill, there's a dugout bowl, giving protection from all sides. Inside there are men and an alchemist's wagon. There are ten rough warriors there - six footmen with swords and pikes, and four light fighters with bows and swords. All seem capable, none green. Outside these, there were the witch and the Brute from the sewers."
Rennik watches Garyth's shoulders slump slightly at this news and describes the warrior for the others. "He is a massive human, thick fisted and broad in the chest. He carries an orc double-axe as easily as one of you might heft a staff, and he could likely move it just as quickly. He looks experienced in battle and likely a match for any one of our number, and maybe any two."
He listens to the murmur run through the men, and is pleased that it is not one of fear but one of calculation. Ways to approach a larger opponent, methods of countering a longer reach, ways of blocking or entangling a double axe. It boosts Rennik's confidence a notch.
"Assaulting them in their den would be foolish. They are well defended there, and the pikemen could hold off any frontal assault. The witch is still with them, directing the alchemist, but her agitation made me think she was in a rush to leave."
"This is my thought. The wagon and donkey are their weak links. The witch needs the wagon to continue her assaults, and the men are there as backup for the witch. If we could spook the donkey into running away from the camp, the men would be forced to go after it or face the witch's anger."
"When they emerge, our crossbowmen and archers would await in the bushes in ambush."
"If this proves impossible, we could light the wagon ablaze right in their den - if we did not attack right away, they would be forced to fight the flames, which would cause a great distraction. Then we could attack with ranged weapons - their only cover would be the burning wagon. The only drawback would be the column of smoke that might alert the witch to return - so that battle would need to be decided quickly."
"Priest Osred, is there any help your god may give to remove this Brute from the battle? If he were eliminated for even the first moments of the melee, it might prove the difference between victory and defeat."
Lots of Opinions
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
"Did you see the donkey still attached to the wagon, Rennick?" Pensive asks. "It must be either a very light wagon, or a very strong donkey. . . In any case, I cannot imagine that spooking the donkey would draw out more than two or three foot soldiers, and less than that if it is not connected to the wagon in any way. That's assuming we can get it scared enough to get it out of the dugout before someone stops it."
He rubs his forearms, feeling the silk cords there beneath his sleeves. "If we can destroy the wagon and the alchemist, I think we must do so. Even if it does alert the witch, we will have removed their capacity to produce whatever potion it is that's allowing her to raid the front lines."
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
Actually, he is a half orc, but not a major point.
Other than the fact that the half orc's favored class is barbarian, so that will tell you something of his fighting style.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
Ty, Noemon : Will searing light cause things to catch fire?
The Open source doesn't say anything about it causing fire damage, so likely it doesn't. I thought I'd ask, since we need some mercy.
Anyway, the range is pretty incredible. If we can catch the wagon on fire with that searing light spell, that'd be awesome, and would make this assault go much more smoothly.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
Just when a Fireball would come in handy. :(
Twinky were are you when we could really use you.
Mark
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
OOC: So, Ty's answer was a no. Not a 'no,' so simply-- methinks I heard virtual maniacal laughter in between the lines of his email.
That said-- doesn't Garyth still have some vials of alchemist's fire on him? Will alchemist's fire cause things to catch fire, or does it just burn living tissue?
IC:
Pensive continues, hoping he's not stepping on anyone's toes. "We have a number of good archers-- if we can get within range of the wagon with lighted arrows, we may be able to set the alchemist's work on fire."
From: Mike
Subject: Fwd: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
OOC: Jake's turn, reposted from sakeriver.
> "Priest Osred, is there any help your god may give to remove this Brute
> from the battle? If he were eliminated for even the first moments of
> the melee, it might prove the difference between victory and defeat."
Osred spits, sending a thick ropy mass of saliva flying a surprising distance. "Hmm. Well, I was saving it for the bitch, but if I can get within, say, a hunderd fifty, hundred sixty feet of the brute I can freeze him in his tracks for a time, Hieroneus willing."
"I agree that we need to take this wagon out, but I'd rather do it without drawing the witch's attention. No reason to fight her and her goons at the same time, if we can help it, and if she comes back here not expecting a fight, so much the better. I say we avoid fire entirely, if possible. Besides, might be something we could use in that wagon."
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
For a moment, a vision of black tentacles rising from the earth floats across Garyth's mind. Huge, writhing monstrosities, flailing and crushing anything in reach. He blinks.
"It's too dangerous to risk bringing the witch back before we're ready for her. You remember what she can do," he says to Rennik. "If you can get us into position, we should have enough bows to thin their ranks some before they even know what hit them." He balks a moment at the thought of attacking an enemy unaware. They had tried this once before, and the results were... But no, this is different. These men are no innocents. They are soldiers in the Soul Drinker's army, and there is no other way to stop them from destroying Overlook.
"If we attack them from hidden positions, they will have no choice but to leave their cover to look for us. It draws them out and gives us a chance to hurt them without the warning that a diversionary tactic might allow them." He looks at Rennik and Melani. "Can you get us into position in time?"
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
Melani listens to the guardsman and looks at Rennik. They talk in halfling for a bit and then they nod.
Melani thinks to herself, "If only we could wait until dark. I bet I could get in there and take out several of the guards before they even knew I was there. This openess is discerting. I don't like not having a lot of trees to hide in.
OOC: Ready to go.
Mark
More Pre-Battle Bickering
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
Pensive resists the urge to shake his head at Garyth. What did it matter if the witch came back? If the witch were using the alchemist's potions to conduct her raids, then she was only a secondary concern. The real target should be the alchemist and the wagon, both of which might be destroyed with much less trouble than defeating a dozen armed men.
Instead, Pensive asks, "After we defeat these men, how will we trick the witch into coming close enough to the dugout to attack her as well? If she is flying, then she'll be able to see us before we see her. . ."
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
Melani looks at the monk with a bit of disgust. "Have you never tricked any one? We take out the guards. We dress up you humans like the guards so that she does not think about it. Since we are too few to replace all the guards, we set up some of the dead bodies around camp, like they are doing something. The Chorrdath and I will lay in wait and take her by surprise. Nothing simpler."
Mark
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
Pensive says quietly, sincerely, "No. I have never tricked anyone in my life, until this moment. I will folow your lead then, Mistress-- you obviously know much more about the art."
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
"Well elf, I guess when you are as big and as learned as your race is, you can stand in front of a foe who is larger and stronger and not worry. We halflings do not always have that luxury. We use what advantages we have."
Mark
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
Her nettle about his race makes his ears burn, but he only nods to her. "That seems very wise, Mistress."
And then he shuts his mouth, and tries to calm his thumping heart. His race. Elves. Thorns and crowns, thistles and roses. What did he know of the elves' learning? His race indeed.
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
> "No. I have never
> tricked anyone in my life, until this moment. I will
> folow your lead then, Mistress-- you obviously know
> much more about the art."
Osred eyes Pensive with distaste, and his gauntleted hand curls reflexively into a fist, although he does not raise it. "Damned elves", he thinks, "always thinking they're better than everyone else." He'd only seen a few, growing up in Nisalin, but those he'd seen had been just as arrogant, just as convinced of their superiority as the one standing before him now.
"The little one has the right of it", he growls. "Defeat these guards before she gets back, then disguise ourselves, prop up a few bodies, and lure her back. If she smells a trap, she'll do it later than she would with a plume of smoke rising into the air, and if she's close enough we can give her a thing or two to worry about before she can do anything about it."
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
"Quiet!" Garyth whispers. "We don't have time for this bickering. Our main force will be attacking any moment, and we must be prepared."
He turns to Rennik. "We need a hidden position. Preferably two, far enough apart to create a crossfire, but not too far to stop one from aiding the other in a melee. Did you see any likely spots out there?"
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
After Osred's words, Pensive looks suddenly pale. He says nothing, however, but waits for Rennick's information.
He will do whatever Garyth has in mind for right now.
More Planning
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Hunting the Witch 2
(OOC: I dunno, Ty, did Rennik see any such positions? Or Melani for that matter? She seemed to have a far better hiding place than he did.)
From: Ty
Subject: checking in
I am waiting on a plan and a "we do this" from the war group.
I am not sure what we are waiting on from the CSI: Overlook gang. Do you two need something from me?
From: Scott
Subject: Re: checking in
I think Rennick is waiting on a 'Did I see any good spots from which to launch a suicidal assault' answer from you, Ty.
As for Pensive-- at the moment, he will follow Garyth's orders.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: checking in
OOC: I also thought we were waiting to see if the halflings had seen any places where we could shoot arrows from. Melani inparticular would like to find a place with in 30 feet so she can use a surprise attack, but will not risk being seen too much if there is not one that is obvious.
Mark
From: Karl
Subject: Re: checking in
I apologize for the delay. I've been insanely busy this week and probably will be until Tuesday. (My mom is coming for a visit that will probably determine whether she moves next door to me or not.)
Farron will follow Sa'id's lead in the investigation. When there isn't something actually to be investigated, Farron will be in the library researching new spells and anything else that might be helpful.
From: Mark
Subject: Sneaking up
Melani talks to Garyth.
I feel confident that I can get many of us to with in 100 feet of the bowl. I can even get the quietest of us to with in 50 feet. Who among your men can move the quietest? The large human in the metal can should stay to the back for now. I see no way of getting him anywhere near the bowl with out his making a racket. Or we could use him as a diversion.
I would say that Rennik and I and any of your group that can be quite and have a bow should come with me to get to with in 50 feet. When we attack, if they come after us, we retreat towards the others and they can surprise those chasing us.
Mark
From: Scott
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
If Garyth decides to go with this plan, when they attack, Pensive will try to pick out the alchemist and strike him before skewering anyone else.
From: Raja
Subject: Re: checking in
Nope, no need for anything. I just thought I would wait for a lull in the battling because of the awkwardness of two simultaneous storylines.
Also, even after a significant amount of thought I'm not quite sure what I want Sa'id to do next. However, I'll send out a turn later today. :)
Raja
From: Jake
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
And Osred will attempt to cast Hold Person on The Brute. Melani's plan sounds good to Osred, as long as he can get within 160 feet of the enemies (necessary for spell casting purposes).
From: Mark
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
OOC: Let's hope that that is a will save. Barbarians are not known for their will saves.
Or is this a save against your DC?
This new save thing has me confused.
Mark
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Will save.
From: Matt
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
"I am confident I can get a small group to a decent firing position above the bowl in the mountain. It would not be point blank, but it would be like, how do you humans say it? Shooting fish in a bucket?"
"They are not expecting an attack from above. If the Reth'tenn can lead a small group to a position at the opening of their camp, and I can bring a small group above them, they will have nowhere to run, and nothing to take cover behind."
From: Raja
Subject: The Plan
Okay. First I guess we need to go see Master Tommin and talk to him about the halflings and our discovery and whatnot. After that I want to go to Cadfael's destination and find out a bit more about him. I'm not going to tell the clergy at the temple any semblance of the whole story, though. I'd like to inquire about next-of-kin, family, what-have-you, and also (as obliquely as possible) about the ring and where he might have come by it.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
OOC: Ty or Matt, how far above the bowl would the group be? How long would it take them to get into the bowl? I am worried that the group in front, lead by Melani, would have to take on the Half orc. Melani does not like the idea of hand to hand, especially if the other guy knows she is there.
Could the goup above jump down/climb down fairly fast?
Mark
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
If the group above moved right to east edge of the top of the hill, they would be 50 or so feet from the top lip of the bowl, and another 30 or so feet from those inside it.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Ok I am not visualizing this very well. When they are 50 feet from the top of the bowl, can they see into the bowl? Are they above, height wise, those in the bowl? Would they have to slide down a hill or something to get into the bowl.
I guess if Melani has seen this and agrees with Rennik as to the positioning of the troops that is fine, but I thought we were going to be on either side of the entrance to the bowl.
Mark
From: Mike
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
OOC: Also don't forget that we don't want to attack until the witch leaves. So if we are in position before she leaves, we need to be sure that she doesn't see us on her way out.
More Discussion, Battle For Hill 19: Surprise Round, Master Tormin
Subject: Re: The Plan
Farron will assist Sa'id in this in every way possible.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Yes, to all those questions.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Garyth confers with Rennik and Melani for a moment, trying to get a feel for the land. Finally, he turns back to the group and begins sketching out a battle plan in the dirt.
He draws a large circle, then a smaller circle inside it and to the side. "Here's the hill, and here's the bowl within it. The alchemist's wagon is here." He draws a small rectangle on the north side of the bowl. "Rennik says there is cover up here and here." He draws some bushes on the hill above the bowl and also just outside the mouth of the bowl, to the east of the hill. "When the diversion starts, the witch will leave." He draws an arrow out of the bowl to the southwest. "We need to make sure we're out of her line of sight. We'll come in against the north side of the hill, then Rennik, Pensive, and Robert will take positions above the bowl, and the rest of us will take cover in the eastern bushes." He sketches in some more arrows indicating the party's movement. "Again, we *must* keep hidden until the witch is gone. Once she's out of sight, the upper team will start shooting into the bowl. Primary targets should be the brute or the alchemist. They'll have to come out and around in order to get up the hill; the sides of the bowl are too steep to climb quickly. When they start coming out, the rest of us will attack, at least one volley of arrows first, a second if there's time, then it'll be hand-to-hand." He looks up. "Any questions?"
OOC: I attached a sketch. It should be pretty well explained by the above.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Pensive nods.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Melani nods. This human is not to bad.
OOC: Ready to go.
Mark
From: Jake
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Osred nods. "As soon as the brute has cleared anything that would shield him from our archers, I will appeal to Hironeous to freeze him in his tracks."
OOC: There are some other spells that Osred will want to brief Mike on before the combat begins, but unfortunately I can't access the open source rules from work, and don't have my player handbook on me, and so can't look up the particulars of the spells in question until I get home tonight. If you're anxions to get out a turn, Ty, I could retro-RP it tonight, or we could just skip it.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
OOC: He already knows all about healing spells. :) That should be all we need. ;)
Mark
From: Mike
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
OOC: I don't know how kosher this is, but since I have the Open Source on my computer (and have, in fact, looked up all of the spells currently listed on Osred's sheet), we could just say that Osred told Garyth about his spells off camera and assume that Garyth has some idea of what Osred can do.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Ok. Should I write this up? :)
From: Mark
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
OOC: I say yes, but I am just a halfling.
Mark
From: Mike
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
OOC: I think we've heard from everyone but Matt. And if we go ahead now, he'll at least be able to say that it wasn't his fault that we all died horribly, at great length and in terrible pain. So I say let's do it.
From: Jake
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Works for me. Unless Ty objects, let's do that.
One of his shield spells can be cast on people other than himself, if I remember correctly, but I can't remember whether it protects from ranged weapons only, or from both ranged and melee weapons. I also can't remember what it's duration is. Probably be a good idea to cast that on somebody before the fighting begins.
Also, am I correct in thinking that Osred can choose what to summon when he casts Monster Summoning III, as long as it comes from the list?
From: Mark
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
OOC:If it is Shield Other you needed to have a couple of rings made and given to the person you wanted to shield. Derek has used this spell on Slash in Tom's game. You have to stay with in 50 feet or so of the person you are shielding as well. It lasts for 1 hour/level or 6 hours.
Mark
From: Mike
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Entropic Shield works only on the caster and makes all incoming ranged attacks have a 20% miss chance. Shield of Faith can be cast on anyone that can be touched and gives a +3 AC bonus (+2 normally and +1 per six levels) for 1 minute per level = 6 minutes = 60 rounds.
Actually, it looks like most of Osred's spells are buffs of some sort. Tough call.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
He's right though, that hold person is the way to go. Most half orc barbarian's have shitty will saves.
Though, if he enrages prior to the casting, he gets that handy +2 bonus.
Rage, is there anything it can't do?
From: Jake
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Mark was pointing that out too. Here's hoping this guy doesn't doesn't fly into a rage before Osred even sees him.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Well as close as we are we could let you cast your spell right as we release our arrows.
We should have surprise on our side so he would not be able to go into a rage. Now if the spell fails, then all bets are off.
You might want to consider that Shield of faith on Osred before he runs into battle. Or Garyth.
You know Garyth really should be healed up to full hit points before this starts.
Mark
From: Jake
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Garyth isn't at full HP? Holy crap, I had no idea! Yeah, healing him should be first priority. I'll go check his sheet and see what level of spell I'll need to sacrifice in order to get him up to where he needs to be.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Everyone is at full health.
You will not be able to get Osred very close to the camp with any chance of success. He is very noisy. Osred will have to stay back further than everyone else, and run up after the shooting starts.
From: Jake
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Okay, good. That had been my impression. How far back is "further back"?
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Well, Melani can roll a move silent roll to determine what she thinks is a safe distance. I mean, really, she would be guessing based on her skill at stealth.
Basically, what will happen is, as you move toward the camp, eventually Melani will tell you to stop and wait. I will make a roll to see if she tells you this soon enough.
Then I will tell you how far out you are.
From: Jake
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
Sounds good. Are you going to need anything else from me before you write up the turn?
From: Matt
Subject: Re: Sneaking up
OOC:
Rennik's good to go.
I must also point out, though, that if the barbarian rages, he's going to be even easier pickings for archers at a distance. That whole drop in AC thing is a bitch. Oh, and if someone's held, we get nifty bonuses to thwack him. He essentially gets a Dex of 0, which is a -5 penalty. Then, if you attack with a melee weapon, you get a +4. It'd be like chopping down a tree. Or shooting at one.
Either would give Rennik a warm fuzzy feeling.
:)
From: Ty
Subject: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
[Initiative bowman1, bowman3, Pensive, Tichenor, Pikeman2, Pikeman1, Garyth, swordsman3, Brute, Vinchy, swordsman1, swordsman2, bowman3, Osred, alchemist, Rennik, bowman4, Robert, Munch, swordsman4, Pickle]
OOC: Initiative order is after the surprise round, of course. And you can't take a full attack action in a surprise round, so no multiple attacks this round.
Garyth lays out his plan, and it is quickly agreed to. Osred finds himself relieved to see that the young captain has a decent head on his shoulders, and isn't looking to rush his men into a glorious death. He listened to his soldiers, too. Maybe not a bad young officer at all.
The group is able to move fairly quickly to the hill, knowing now that their opponents hide in the bowl on the east side. Stealth is not required on the half mile approach. Once they are all at the northern face, Rennik calls a stop. "We should wait in the bushes here for the witch to leave. We risk her spotting us if we've moved into position before then. She has to fly several miles to the army, so we should have plenty of time to move into position after she goes." Garyth agrees, and the party settles in a copse of thick bushes to wait for noon, and the attack.
It is getting close, when Osred says to no one in particular, "I wonder how she knows when she's needed?" Sadly, Sa'id and Farron are not on hand to speculate about the possible magics that might be used.
Just a few moments later, the witch rises up above the hill, clutching something glittering like glass in her left hand. Around her waist is a leather pouch, probably full of the potions the alchemist is brewing. She yells something down at her men, but her back is to the group, and they can't hear what she says. She then turns and flies off a great speed into the south west.
Rennik, Pensive, and Robert begin the climb up the north face of the hill. Melani takes the rest of the group around to the eastern side, but stops Osred about half way and says, "You make too much noise. Wait here." He is not happy about being left so far behind, but is in no position to argue [Osred is about 100 feet from a point where he could look into the bowl. This puts him just about 2 rounds out, after the surprise round. And he will be looking into the bowl from the northern lip. He isn't any further out that anyone else, really, but hidden around the hill rather than with a view into it.].
The rest of Melani's group moves into the brush looking into the bowl from the east side. They don't move as quietly as she would like, and she is forced to keep them about a hundred feet from the bowl to avoid drawing attention. It will make the initial shots a bit longer range [crossbows and shortbows -2, longbows no penalty] than she would like, but it's better than starting to fight early.
Up on top of the hill, Rennik, Pensive and Robert spread out. Robert has already loaded his crossbow, but Pensive and Rennik take several arrows out and lay them on the ground nearby. They remain on their bellies, waiting for a sign from those below that they are in position.
Below, Garyth and Melani take out arrows, and Munch, Pickle and Vinchy load their crossbows. All take out their melee weapons and lay them on the ground nearby. Once that first barrage of arrows goes out, the witch's men will close with them fast. Melani picks out a group of bushes twenty or so feet behind their current position. She plans to fall back after the first barrage, and try to hide there. Then she can help the up front fighters with flanking bow shots, and keep herself out of the melee.
Once everyone below has set up, Melani turns her arrowhead into the sun, to flash it at the group on the top of the hill. Rennik whispers to Pensive and Robert, "Here we go?"
Surprise round:
Pensive rises smoothly to his feet, and pulls his arrow taut in his fine elven longbow. Pensive had wanted to shoot the alchemist, but he was protected by the wagon right now. What had Rennik said? Take out the brute. He shifts his aim to the half orc, leaning indolently against one side of the alchemists wagon. The thrum of his bowstring signals the beginning of the fight [Attack 11 vs AC19; miss]. The half orc should have been totally surprised, but somehow he reacts to the arrow almost instantaneously [Improved Uncanny Dodge]. He twists his body to one side, and the arrow slams into the wagon behind him. The camp seems to pause for a split second, then erupts into chaos.
Garyth fires his bow just a split second behind Pensive. He too aims at the half orc, though it is a relatively long shot for him with this new and unfamiliar weapon. He wishes he still had the fine shortbow he loaned Rennik [Attack 20 vs AC19, hit; Damage 5(-1) = 4], but his aim is still good, and the arrow he looses strikes the big half orc in his side. Unfortunately, it appears to just bounce off the brutes chain armor, and falls to the ground. Garyth hopes he at least gave the big fellow a bruise.
Nearby, Vinchy fires his crossbow [Attack 8 vs AC19; miss], but his shot goes well wide of his target.
Osred begins running for the entrance to the bowl almost as soon as he hears the first bowshot.
Above, Rennik fires two arrows at the half orc, the second leaving his bow almost before the first hits [Rapid shot used, Attacks 27, natural 1, hit, miss; Damage 6(-1) = 5]. His first arrow cuts a shallow crease across the half orc's upper arm, but the second doesn't come within five feet of him. To his right, Robert is firing his crossbow [Attack 11 vs AC19, miss] but the shot is wide right.
Munch takes his shot [Attack 16 vs AC19, miss], but has trouble with the range, and his shot falls short.
Pickle takes the last shot [Attack 17 vs AC19, miss]. His shot too is dodged by the rapidly moving half orc.
In the bowl, the Witch's men are scrambling for their weapons, and preparing to fight back.
[Next round we start the real initiative order. Full attacks are possible. Even running full speed no one should be able to reach the lower group, with the possible exception of the half orc barbarian, who will have greater than normal running speed. It would take several rounds for anyone to climb the bowl and attack the group on top of the hill. Please check in with first round actions.]
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Plan
Unlike Master Thaddeus, you find that Master Tormin is unavailable, but should be available tomorrow. His assistant offers to take a message for him.
The temple of Pelor in Nesalin is a large and imposing structure, the largest church in temple row. Its large golden dome is visible from half the city, and more than one thief has thought about climbing the white stone walls and seeing if a bit of that gold would scrape off on his dagger. But most are afraid of angering the sun god, and for good reasons. Spiritually, because Pelor is widely agreed to be quite active in world affairs, and possibly given to smiting those who do not have the proper respect. And temporally, because his priests are vigilant, and many, and would not hesitate to give a good smiting in the name of their god.
Sa'id and Farron arrive at the temple shortly before noon, after having spent a bit more time with Master Thaddeus, and a couple hours in the college library. At first the acolytes seem hesitant to take the two wizards to Sunmaster Fellus, but once they find out that it is concerning the murder of Cadfael, all resistance ends. Sa'id and Farron find themselves in the private study of the Sunmaster moments later.
Fellus is an old and not very imposing man. Cadfael had been so big and vital, that it is hard to think of this small and wizened old man as his superior within the order. But when he speaks, all thoughts of frailty are wiped away. His voice is deep, and mellow, and immediately gives a sense of protection and comfort. It is easy to see how this man could draw many to his cause.
After greeting the two wizards, and making them sit and have a glass of wine with him, the Sunmaster says, "The acolyte said you had come to discuss the murder of Cadfael. Are you investigating on behalf of the magistrate? I do hope his killer is found quickly and brought to justice. Pelor is a merciful god, but such acts of wanton viciousness warrant punishment in both this life and the next. How can I help you? You have but to name it, and it is done."
Surprise Round Reactions, Round 1
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
OOC: Dodge point on whoever attacks me first-- if I need to specify, how about bowman #4?
They should be concentrating on the wagon, not on the half-orc. What the young captain failed to understand, Pensive knows intuitively-- the witch matters not in the least. She was not the threat-- the alchemist and his potions were. Without them, she would have no weapons at all.
Was Garyth so bound to obedience to his superiors that he could not see that?
And yet, how was he any different? Heeling to Garyth's commands, as if he were one of his soldiers. Pensive's throat tightens as he sees the halfling woman's signal. Obedience. He rises, draws back the bowstring already nocked, and lets loose the arrow that will seal the battle.
He does not even raise an eyebrow as he misses. He expected it almost-- the shaft was released with only half his heart. Still, it was uncanny how quickly the half-orc had moved away; it would be difficult to flank this creature.
Committed now, come sand or shadow. He doesn't see the alchemist yet, so he draws at the half-orc again.
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
Osred continues running toward the action.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
OOC: Where was Melani? Didn't she take a shot? She is not on the initiave list either.
Mark
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
Slash overlooked her.
;-)
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
IC: Melani see's the guardsman shoot at the brute and thinks to herself, why is he doing that?
She takes aim at one of the bowmen and releases her arrow.
OOC: Melani is going to try and thin down the ranks of the guards.
Mark
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
Oops! Retcon...
[Initiative bowman1, bowman3, Pensive, Melani, Tichenor, Pikeman2, Pikeman1, Garyth, swordsman3, Brute, Vinchy, swordsman1, swordsman2, bowman3, Osred, alchemist, Rennik, bowman4, Robert, Munch, swordsman4, Pickle]
Melani also takes a long shot at the fast moving brute [Attack 20 vs AC19, hit; Damage 1(-1) = 1] but she is at a long range for her small weapon, and though her aim is true, the lighter halfling arrow just bounces off the half orc's thick chainmail.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
Melani watches her arrow bounce off the armor of the brute and curses to herself.
She looks at one of the bowmen and decides that he is a better target. She says a quick prayer to the spirit of her brother's bow and let fly at one of the bowmen(bowman #1)
OOC: Ty, does the fact that her bow is +1 mean that her arrows do 1D4+1 damage?
Mark
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
I don't believe so.
I think +1 bows are to hit only. I think you need plussed ammunition to do extra damage.
However, in an odd quirk of the rules, it wouldn't matter on that shot. The half orc has damage reduction -/1, which means that he takes 1 point less damage from any hit, with the minimum damage being zero. Melani rolled a 1. So, if it was 1, she does 1 point of damage. If it was 2, she still does one point of damage. :)
But I'll double check the bow thing for your next shot.
From: Tom
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round A magic bow lends both to-hit and damage bonuses to its ammo. However, enhancement (i.e. purely numerical) bonuses on both ammo and bow do not stack.
In other words, a normal arrow fired from a +1 bow is +1 to hit and +1 to damage. A +1 arrow fired from a +1 bow is +1 to hit and damage (which is a change in 3.5; in 3E, it would have been +2 to both.) A +2 arrow fired from a +1 bow is +2 to hit and damage. A +1 flaming arrow fired from a +3 bow is +3 to hit and damage, and has the flaming property.
Tom
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
Well, there you go, Mark.
It's +1 to hit and damage, though, as I said earlier, it doesn't matter on that last shot.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
Not a problem. But it would be possible for her, with out the +1 of the bow, to do 0 damage? She would not know that of course, but she still thinks that the big guy is more for the humans than her.
Mark
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
She actually can't do zero damage.
That was a typo on my part. If she does one point, then his damage reduction still leaves it at one. So, for her, she does 1 at 1, 1 at 2, 2 at 3, and so on. She would max out at 4 damage on the brute. Especially since she is incapable of flanking him [improved uncanny dodge]. If she can flank someone, of course, her damage goes up dramatically.
So, yeah, I agree. The brute is probably out of her class.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
Garyth can't help but be impressed at how fast the half-orc moved. Even surrounded and caught completely by surprise, he was still able to avoid being wounded. Of course, Garyth's respect for such an astonishing warrior doesn't change the fact that the brute is charging straight toward him.
Out of the corner of his eye, Garyth sees Melani shift targets. It's a good idea. If they can pick off a few of the lesser enemies before they close to hand-to-hand range, it might even things up a bit. I just hope Osred gets here with his magic before the brute does, he thinks to himself as he draws back his bowstring, aiming for one of the bowmen.
OOC: Full attack, first arrow to the closest bowman (I think that'd be bowman #1). If he's still alive after the first shot, the second will stay on that target, otherwise Garyth will switch and shoot at bowman #2. Dodge point on the half-orc.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 surprise round
OOC: I just can't help thinking that if everyone had aimed at the guardsmen, there might be one or two less than we have now. Oh well, who wants to live forever. :)
Mark
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 1
[Initiative bowman1, bowman3, Pensive, Melani, Tichenor, Pikeman2, Pikeman1, Garyth, swordsman3, Brute, Vincy, swordsman1, swordsman2, bowman2, Osred, alchemist, Rennik, bowman4, Robert, Munch, swordsman4, Pickle]
OODM: I have Rennik's action, so I am going to write up round one before the weekend.
IDM:
The first bowman, seeing five opponents suddenly pop out of the bushes no more than thirty yards away, takes it surprisingly well. He calmly and quickly snatches his bow up from the ground beside him, and even manages to draw and fire at the first target he sees, the halfling Melani. [Attack 20 vs AC 20, hit; Damage 2]. The arrow passes through the little scouts light armor, but barely grazes her side.
At the back of the bowl, the third bowman is looking up at the three archers on the ridge above him. He has to dig around a bit more to find his bow, and is only able to pick it up and draw an arrow, but is unable to find a good target in time to shoot.
Pensive, seeing the brute still up after the barrage fired at him, and unable to see the alchemist in his wagon, fires a second time at the half orc's back. [Attack 24 vs DC 19, hit; Damage 3(-1) = 2] This time his arrow hits, but it is hard to see if it did any real damage or not.
Melani, having been struck by an arrow, grits her teeth and shifts her aim to the archer that hit her. [Attack 14 vs AC17, miss] Her shot, possibly thrown off by her wound, goes wide left and bounces into the camp behind her target.
Tichenor grows and moves like he wants to run down into the camp and start biting people, but a quick word from Rennik holds him back.
The two pikemen grab up their weapons and begin moving toward the lower party.
Garyth takes a deep breath, then looses two arrows at the first bowman [Attacks 15, 13, miss, miss]. The range is a bit long for him, and now the pikemen are a moving distraction. Both his arrows miss.
One of the swordsmen grabs up his weapon and charges off after the pikemen.
The half orc snatches his huge weapon off the side of the wagon and lumbers into a run of surprising swiftness, quickly passing the swordsman and both pikemen. He will be able to charge into the ranks of the lower group next round.
Corporal Vincy, seeing the massive brute racing towards him, fires off his crossbow in a panic [Attack 21 vs AC19, hit; Damage 5 (-1) =4]. His shot is dead on, and the bolt slams into the running orc's side. He doesn't even pause, and the bolt falls to the ground. The armor must have kept it from penetrating deeply.
The two swordsmen by the wagon begin running up the northern edge of the bowl, trying to get to the top to stop the three archers there. However, their progress is slowed by the steep slope, and they don't get far.
The second bowman is also able to get off a shot, this time at Munch. [Attack 24 vs AC19, hit; Damage 1] The shot doesn't even seem to hit the guardsman, though Garyth hears him yelp, so it must have grazed him.
Osred continues running as fast as he can, and though he does not get far enough to see into the bowl itself, he does see the back of the half orc as the barbarian rushes out into the flat to engage Garyth's group. Osred thinks he may be in range to use his hold prayer.
Looking down at the struggling swordsmen, Rennik sees the alchemist pop his head out of the wagon and toss something small and shiny to the remaining swordsman. He thinks he hears the man say, "Here, take this!" Pensive is right, someone is going to have to take that alchemist out, if he is handing out party favors to the rest of the crew. But seeing the massive half orc charging at his friends reminds him of the more immediate threat. If that beast can get his double axe into melee range, he can turn the tide of this fight very fast. Rennik lines him up in his borrowed bow, and fires off three shots as fast as he can [Full attack, rapid shot feat used; Attacks 19, 11, 20, hit, miss, hit; Damage 5 (-1), 6 (-1) = 9]. Two hit the half orc's broad back, and seem to inflict some damage, though it is difficult to tell how much at this distance. But as fast as he is moving, he will be an even harder shot next time, as the range is quickly growing.
The last bowman is quicker than his partner, and is able to line up and fire a shot up the slope at his closest target, Robert. [Attack natural 1, miss] In his haste to shoot, however, he slips and fires his arrow into the side of the hill, several feet below Robert's position.
Robert decides that he doesn't like being someone's target, and returns fire at the bowman below him. [Attack 22 vs AC17, hit; Damage 8] His bolt hits the bowman high on one shoulder, and almost makes him drop his weapon.
Munch, seeing that not everyone is firing at the brute now, decides to take a shot at the bowman who fired at him. [Attack 24 vs AC17, hit; Damage 4] The bolt strikes his opponent in the lower thigh, and the bowman drops to one knee for a second with the impact.
The last swordsman decides to join the brute in attacking the lower group, and charges off after him waving his sword.
Pickle, having seen his friend Munch get shot by one of the bowman, decides to shoot that bowman as well. [Attack 16 vs AC 17, miss] His bolt hits the ground near the bowman's foot.
[Map with new positions sent.]
Rennik Wades In, Garyth Prepares for the Hurt
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 1
Rennik sets up on the hilltop with the arrows of his kinsman arrayed before him. He watches as Pensive stands, and stands alongside him with bow drawn. His own arrows are in the air even before the elf's shot misses its target, and he has reached for his third arrow just as the Brute turned to run.
The reach-draw-aim-release action so ingrained in his head, Rennik absorbs the action of the battle below.
The ambush was pathetic. He could not believe how poor the archers and crossbowmen in Garyth's company were that so many could blow a single, nonrushed shot. They had had all the time in the world to set and prepare, and only two shots found their target. His own, and he believed it was Garyth's. At this rate, the Brute would be down among the first group within moments, and the only ones left would be Rennik, Pensive and Robert.
Rennik's next three arrows are off in a blur of motion, two of them finding their target - but the ambush has turned to chaos. Had this soldiers no discipline? What fool general trained them in the art of battle? The Brute was the target, the *only* target. The humans were firing at random archers, doing small damage over a large number of enemies. They needed to focus their firepower on the Brute, or all would be lost.
Fools, fools, fools! The half-orc was quickly outdistancing himself from Rennik's range, and he cursed under his breath. If that double-axe reached the others, he would be witness to a rout of such violence he could hardly stand to imagine it. The only hope was that the priest could call on his god for assistance - but even that seemed a long way off.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the alchemist hand a soldier a potion, but disregards him. The alchemist is not a target - there is nothing he can do now that has not already been done. Either the soldiers will take the potions from the cart and use them, or they will not. There is no time to brew any new ones, which makes the alchemist's skill virtually useless.
But... if Rennik could get down to the wagon, he might be able to turn some of the alchemist's firepower against his own men.
Drawing and shooting for one last time, Rennik fires three arrows at the retreating Brute before he enters melee combat. Afterwards, he motion for Tichenor to follow as me moves to slide down the slope to the wagon.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 1
Garyth watches his arrows fly wide of the mark and curses silently. The brute is almost on top of them now, and there is nothing standing between him and Melani. The bow drops from his hands, but before it has even had time to hit the ground Garyth has his weapons in hand [Quick Draw] and is running past Melani to intercept the brute. This is *really* going to hurt.
OOC: Garyth will move to intercept the half-orc and attack. Dodge point still on the half-orc.
The Sunmaster's Tale, Round 2
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 1
OOC: Ty, how long does Pensive estimate it will take the two swordsmen to reach his position on the hill?
IC:
The tatoo on the back of Pensive's neck burns with a warmth that eases down his shoulders and biceps all the way to his forearms. He can feel the satin cords loosely wrapped there, shifting against his skin and the loose folds of his sleeve. Not yet, he wants to whisper to them. The time is not right.
The half-orc shrugged off his last arrow-- by the time Pensive could fire again, it would make no difference. But the guardsman, Robert, had struck one of the archers below-- Pensive changes his target to that man.
From: Mark
Subject: Up close and personal
Melani winces as the arrow creases her side, and that throws off her aim. Her arrrow goes just a little wide. She sees the big brute rushing towards her and hears the guardsman next to her draw his weapons and move to intercept. Knowing that she would stand little chance against the brute, she quickly drops her brothers bow next to the tree, praying that it will be safe here and that she will remember to retrive it if she lives. She darts behind the tree she was next to and tries to use what brush there is to hide. The other humans will have to be taken care of and she thinks she can move towards them in the brush, and be able to suprise them. She draws her visible dagger(Quick draw).
OOC:She is going to try and hide behind the tree to her right and move towards swordsman 3 and pikeman 1.
Mark
From: Jake
Subject: Re: Up close and personal
Her visible dagger? Does she have an invisible one, or does she just have one concealed somewhere on her person?
From: Mark
Subject: Re: Up close and personal
She actually has 4 daggers hidden around her body, as well as the obvious one at her side.
Mark
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 1
Osred pounds across the ground toward the brute, barely able to hear the sounds of battle over the jouncing clatter of his armor. His entire focus lies on the hulking barbarian bearing down on the young captain. Gods the man is huge! Even at this distance, his broad back looms like a wall even from this distance. It seems ridiculous to think that they could hope to stand against such a beast. A grim, tooth clenched smile splits Osred's face. It would be ridiculous, if they stood against him alone, but they do not. His god stands with them, and beside Hironeous this brute is a less than nothing, a maggot to be crushed underfoot.
At last, the brute is close enough for Osred to channel Hironeous's power. Not breaking his pace (OOC: unless you have to stand still to cast something like this), Osred raises his arms and appeals to Hironeous to lock the beast's limbs, to root him to the spot. [Osred casts Hold Person on the brute].
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 1
Man, I should really proof read before I send out a turn. Sorry about that folks.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 1
The swordsman are really struggling.
At least one or two more rounds, is Pensive's guess. [it will depend on some balance and climb rolls for the swordsmen, so there is an element of randomness to it]
From: Ty
Subject: The Sunmaster's tale
Sunmaster Fellus listens quietly to Sa'id's story. A smile breaks across his face when the wizard mentions Cadfael and Pelor saving him from death. But his smile quickly vanishes when the black dagger that steals souls is spoken of.
"Yes, we were told Cadfael was killed on his way here. The magistrate's men have already been here. No one entered the temple last night, and Cadfael's cell had not been slept in.
"I do not believe that brother Cadfael had any family in this city. Nor did I know him to have many friends, even inside the order. Certainly he rarely left the temple grounds. I fear that this is not going to help you, but I must admit something. Cadfael was something of a mystery even to us. He came here from our sister temple in Kardan, on the mainland, about a year ago. He brought with him an excellent letter of recommendation. The brothers in Kardan were sorry to see him leave so soon. It seems he had been with them less than two years.
"Now, it is unusual for a priest of Pelor to move about so much, but it is not forbidden. A brother must follow the path that the Sunlord illuminates."
Fellus sits back in his chair, almost seeming to slump. His face once again shows its great age, and he seems very frail until he speaks again.
"I quickly grew to love Cadfael. His fervor for our God was unmatched. His desire to help others was boundless. He was the very best that a man of God might be. In fact, he would often make me feel inadequate, not intentionally, but just because he burned so brightly and yet acted so humbly. I had thought..." here the Sunmaster trails off for a moment, and Sa'id is surprised to see that the man is crying. "I had thought perhaps he might take my place, when the Sunlord calls me to the Bright Halls."
"But he was in pain, always in pain. We could see it. Those of us who loved him could sense the great anguish in him. Something tore at his soul, always adding bitterness to any good. We tried to understand, but he was distant. He would not speak of it.
"Just before he left, he confessed to me that his dreams had been dark. Something was calling to him, and he felt it was the Sunlord's will that he answer. I meant to ask more, to draw him out, but soon after he told me this he was gone, not leaving any word on where he would go. I suspect he arrived in your town shortly after."
The Sunmaster wipes his eyes on his sleeve, and takes a long swallow of his wine. "Please, you must tell me more. What was it that hurt him so? Why did he leave?"
From: Karl
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster's tale
Farron looks to Sa'id. Should they tell him the rest? His immediate impulse is to tell Fellus what he knows, but Sa'id has shown more than once that he is the better man when it comes to knowing what to disclose, when to disclose it, and to whom. He waits for Sa'id's lead.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 2
[Initiative bowman1, bowman3, Pensive, Melani, Tichenor, Pikeman2, Pikeman1, Garyth, swordsman3, Brute, Vincy, swordsman1, swordsman2, bowman2, Osred, alchemist, Rennik, bowman4, Robert, Munch, swordsman4, Pickle]
The first bowman aims carefully through the mass of men in front of him to shoot at Melani again [Precise shot feat used, attack 10, miss]. His shot makes it through his running allies, but Melani is already moving to hide in the bushes, and dodges the arrow.
The third bowman, finally getting his bow lined up for a shot, fires at Pensive on the ridge above [attack 24 vs AC19, hit; Damage 6]. Pensive is able to mostly sidestep the arrow, but it clips the underside of his arm, cutting a nasty crease near his elbow.
Ignoring the pain, Pensive fires again at his previous target [attack 25 vs AC17, hit; Damage 7]. The bowman staggers from the hit, and looks to be bleeding severely from his two wounds.
Melani, hearing the whistle of the arrow passing by her, and seeing the mass of enemies charging her position, decides that the time has come to get out of sight. Using Garyth's movement toward the Brute as cover, she dives into a nearby bush, and crawls on her belly through the grass to a new position several yards away [Hide natural 20, total 37 vs DC25, hidden]. To those nearby, she seems to vanish as if she had taken an invisibility potion.
Tichenor waits for his master to act.
The second pikeman lumbers into range with Munch, and jabs his polearm at him [Attack 21 vs AC19, hit; Damage 4]. The guardsman twists his body to the side, just barely avoiding being impaled, though the tip of the weapon does score his ribs.
The pikeman's partner stabs at Garyth [attack 22 vs AC 17, hit; damage 11] and hits him with a vicious thrust into his right hip.
Garyth is staggered by the blow, but does not pause. He quickly snatches up with weapons [quickdraw feat used] and charges the approaching half orc. Not knowing that Melani has vanished behind him, he throws himself recklessly at the brute to protect her [Attack 19 vs AC19, hit; Damage 10]. The half orc barely has time to turn toward him before Garyth has struck a ringing blow off the side of the brute's metal cap. Garyth now appears to have the orc's attention.
The third swordsman peels off to attack Vincy, who is firing his crossbow from the flank. He charges at the guardsman [Attack 17 vs AC 18, miss], but Vincy throws his crossbow at the man and deflects his swing.
The half orc turns to face Garyth with a bass growl that seems to almost shake the ground. He lets out a ferocious yell, and seems to almost swell in size [Enraged]. He grips his orcish war axe in two hands, and swings one end in a vicious overhand chop that appears designed to turn Garyth into two much thinner guardsmen. [Attack 20 vs AC 19, hit; Damage 13] Garyth crosses his longsword and mace, trying to block the blow, but the half orc is too strong. The head of his axe crashes though Garyth's weapons, and lands a crushing blow on his shoulder. Garyth is quite surprised to see that he still has a left arm. In fact, his armor seems to have stopped the blow from cutting him because his block has slowed it down enough, but when he moves his arm, he can feel something grating in the joint. He tries not to think about that as he puts his guard back up.
Corporal Vincy snatches his weapon up from the ground, and counter attacks the swordsman who engaged him [attack 14 vs AC18, miss], but is unable to get past the man's guard.
The first swordsman continues lumbering up the steep slope toward Pensive, but half way up, loses his footing [balance roll failed], and tumbles back down the hill finally coming to rest against one of the wagon's wheels.
His companion has better luck [Climb roll succeeded], and manages to get up the hill and into melee range with Pensive.
The second bowman takes another shot at Munch [Attack 21 vs AC19, hit; Damage 8]. His arrow hits the guardsman in the chest, sticking into his armor, but not knocking him down.
Osred finally rumbles to a stop, hoping he is close enough to the now battling brute for his prayer to be effective. "Hieronious, let your strong arm for battle be shown, let your might be displayed, let the victory of your servants be assured. Strike the enemy of your people with the weight of your will, let movement be taken from him, so that his evil is contained. As you will, Lord of Battles, let it be done." Once again, Osred feels the power of his god flow through him, and as always, he is surprised and overwhelmed that so powerful a being would pay attention to the petitions of such a man. Again he must fight down the tears of joy that this feeling brings. Across the field from him, the Half orc seems to stiffen and slow [Will save 19 vs DC17, saved], but then howls in anger and shakes the spell from him. It appears the brute's gods favor him, as well.
Rennik, cursing to see the brute still moving after Osred's spell, fires two more arrows [Rapid shot feat used, attacks 19, 11, hit, miss; Damage 4 (-1) = 3]. One of them hits, even at this longer range, but it does not do any great damage. And Rennik knows the half orc is in his battle rage now. He will be all that much harder to bring down while the blood rage hides the pain of his wounds from him. Once the second arrow is away, he drops his bow and leaps down the slope, sliding with one hand behind him to steady him [Balance roll successful]. A second later he is at the bottom, Tichenor by his side. The wolf had a much easier time of the slope with four legs instead of two.
The last bowman, seeing the halfling suddenly down at the bottom of the slope with him, turns his shot away from Robert, and shoots at Rennik point blank. [attack 9, miss] Clearly, he is accustomed to firing at taller targets, because his arrow passes three inches above the halfling's head.
Robert fires at that bowman, just after his shot at Rennik [Attack 22 vs AC18, hit; Damage 7]. The arrow strikes the archer in the side, and slams him to the ground, clearly out of the fight. From above, Rennik hears a shout of, "We have your back, halfling!"
Munch is engaged by the pikeman, but when he sees the half orc hard pressing his captain, he shouts, "To the captain, Falcons! To the captain!" He then dodges a few steps away from the pikeman to attack the brute's flank. [attack 11, miss] His sword bounces harmlessly off the half orc's armored side.
The last swordsman runs at Pickle, slashing with his sword. [Attack 16 vs AC18, miss] Pickle is too quick for him, and dodges under the swing, then comes up stabbing with his own weapon [Attack natural 20, crit threat roll 19, critical hit; damage 18]. The charging swordsman impales himself on pickle's weapon, the blade coming a full foot out his back. He spits blood onto the guardsman chest, then collapses.
[new map attached]
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 2
Melani ducks down behind the brush and starts to move behind the brute. She sees an open spot in his armor and decides to stick her dagger in it. She hears the brute howling in rage at the pin pricks the arrows have been making, but she hopes that her dagger can do a little damage to this beast. Maybe it would overlook her in its rage.
OOC: Melani is going to try and make a sneek attack on the 1/2 orc. I know she will not be able to, but she does not. On the map this means moving to her left, I think, around the tree and end up between Munch and the brute, and attack the brute from behind.
Mark
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 2
That damned +2 for rage.
Mark
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 2
Actually, in this case, the 16 he rolled +1 for his 12 wisdom would have been enough anyway.
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 2
I know. Sucks that he had a better initiative roll than I did.
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 2
Ah well then, what can you do? I'll have to consult my player's handbook before I'll decide what Osred does from here.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 2
The half-orc's blow leaves Garyth reeling. He's outmatched, he knows it. But even as the fear begins to seep into his heart, he hears Munch's cry: To the captain! He has to hold on.
Garyth shifts back into a guard stance, looking for an opening in the huge orc's defenses.
OOC: Full attack, fighting defensively (+4 AC including Two-Weapon Defense). All attacks to the half-orc. Dodge point still on the half-orc.
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster's tale
Sa'id glances at Farron, sees his look, and shrugs. If the Sunmaster at Pelor's temple was a conspirator, there was no hope for their lives anyway.
"Sunmaster, Brother Cadfael wore a ring. We are not certain of how exactly this worked, but it seemed as though it gave a dark being access to his mind. Through his own strength and Pelor's grace he was able to resist this being and we were able to deal a blow to it and its followers, but he paid a high emotional price, and now, the ultimate price for his great deeds. We believe the followers of this being are responsible for his death; we have seen them use such black daggers before. Furthermore, it is this group whose army now marches on Overlook."
"I came here hoping, in part, that you knew more of him and that you could give me some clue as to where and how he came by this ring. But as things are, I have another question for you. What do you know of the recent murder of one of the White Hart? These two deaths may well be related."
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster's tale
The Sunmaster pauses to let the weight of Sa'id's words sink in. "We never knew. He must have hidden it from us. What a terrible burden to carry alone. We would have helped him, if he'd let us. My heart now bears two hurts for Cadfael."
Sa'id waits patiently. Clearly this news has deeply affected the elderly priest.
"He was redeemed, in the end, Sunmaster. We all felt the touch of his god upon him. I myself... I too, was redeemed by him, in my own way. He was a great man."
The priest nods and smiles. "Thank you, young man. Now, to the other. We were all quite shocked by the murder in the White Hart order. I know, I know. No one has been able to prove it was murder. But Paladins do NOT commit suicide. Not a noble knight like Sir Basil."
The Sunmaster notices the blank look on Sa'id and Farron's faces. "I'm sorry. Details. Let's see. Several weeks ago, Sir Basil was found in his chambers, with a dagger in his heart. His own right hand gripped it, but it is obvious that someone could have done that after he was dead. No one could find any reason why the knight would kill himself, so rumors of foul play circulated. One of his fellow knights, a noble woman named Elise, was suspected. She had quarreled with Basil quite openly for some time. Apparently, he claimed he had evidence of some crime, and was trying to get the head of the order to charge her. It is my understanding that Sir Danbury was hesitant to charge her publicly. Claims the evidence was not conclusive.
"Of course, eyes would turn to Dame Elise, given the obvious suspicious nature of the timing. But she vanished one night without a trace, and no evidence against her was ever found. Sir Danbury has refused to pursue the matter further. He was quite fond of the young lady, I believe. Who could blame him? I've met her several times, and she was utterly charming in every case. It is hard to picture her as cold blooded assassin.
"But, the knife used was Sir Basil's own. Not a black dagger. Why do you think they are related?"
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster's tale
"We met Elise," Sa'id says quietly. "Even if once she was a warrior with honor and virtue, those are the antithesis of what she is now. She fights for the drinker of souls, a part of the same group that marches on Overlook and is, I believe, responsible for Cadfael's murder. We have seen her holding one of these black daggers before a sacrificial altar. In fact, Cadfael rescued the newborn who was to be sacrificed."
He pauses. "Of course, this in no way establishes her guilt in the murder of Sir Basil; the case against Elise appears to be purely circumstantial. But the point is moot, as she is on the other side in the impending war... if she is brought to justice it will most likely be on the battlefield. I am just trying to learn as much as I can about anything that might be relevant."
"I would appreciate it deeply, Sunmaster, if you would refrain from telling anyone the details of our discussion today. After rescuing the baby, we had thought we would be safe in Nesalin. Clearly this is not the case, and our lives are at risk as much as the lives of our companions who departed with Nesalin's army to the defence of Overlook. My colleague Farron and I must be very careful in this city if we are to determine who killed our friend."
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 2
Osred curses under his breath, his face gone white with rage. How dare this bastard's god think to shield him from Hironeous's will. Almost without thought, he mutters "shield him from this, then, demon, if you can," and extends his open palm toward the brute's back [cast Searing Light]. Only after the spell has been cast does his mind process the image of Garyth strugging under the brute's blows. There is nothing he could do, he thinks; unless the brute was brought down, and quickly, the young captain would be beyond his help by the time he had crossed the ground that separated them.
From: Matt
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 2
At the bottom of the slide, Rennik drops his bow and pulls the shortened halberd from his waraxe's back sheath. Looking towards the alchemist's wagon, he feels an arrow whiz over his head and sees a bowman fall immediately in front of him, cut down by an arrow from above.
Another archer stands within feet of him, and Rennik turns the blade head into this one's chest. He shouts back toward Pensive and Robert, "This one's mine! Take out the far two!"
As he swings, he positions himself to move toward the alchemist's wagon. It would provide him cover from the other archers in the bowl, and it would give him access to the alchemical potions within. He was pretty confident he remembered what the alchemist gave the soldier, and he had just a touch of curiosity about what it might do to the Brute if he could get closer.
[OOC: If the guy tries to fire the bow, Rennik gets an AoO, no? Then he would get his regular attack?]
Round 3, Cadfael's Cell
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 2
"Mind the halfling, guardsman!" Pensive calls to Robert. His voice sounds young, strained, in the dusty air.
A quick flick of a glance down at the wagon-- no alchemist as yet. The swordsman that had toppled below was struggling to get to his feet; Pensive wonders if he will move to engage Rennick, or if he would chase his way back up the slope again.
The other swordsman is approaching him warily, weapon drawn, eyes gleaming.
OOC:
If he can do it all in one round, Pensive will drop the bow, draw the stonesash tucked up his sleeves, and spring attack the swordsman approaching him. If he can't, he'll spring attack the swordsman without the stonesash. Either way, he'll be using flurry of blows for the attack.
Dodge point on the swordsman.
Ty, if it's permitted for me to say where my spring attack ends, I want to end it ten feet out from the swordsman, with him between Pensive and the bowl.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 2
["If the guy tries to fire the bow, Rennik gets an AoO, no? Then he would get his regular attack?"]
Yes.
From: Ty
Subject: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 3
[Initiative bowman1, bowman3, Pensive, Melani, Tichenor, Pikeman2, Pikeman1, Garyth, swordsman3, Brute, Vincy, swordsman1, swordsman2, bowman2, Osred, alchemist, Rennik, Robert, Munch, Pickle]
The first bowman watches his companion impaled on Pickle's sword, and with a yell of, "You bastard!" fires another arrow at him. [Attack 18 vs AC18, hit; Damage 2] This time his arrow hits, though it does little more than bounce off the guardsman's boiled leather armor.
The third bowman has larger problems. A furious looking halfling has just dropped into the bowl next to him, and is in the process of drawing a nasty looking axe. The bowman immediately drops his weapon and draws a shortsword [drop bow free action, draw sword movement action]. He then takes a hasty backhand slice at Rennik's face [Attack 6, miss], but the halfling dodges it almost contemptuously.
On the ridge above, Pensive pauses for a split second as the swordsman approaches, and then seems to make a decision. He drops his bow and then leaps at his opponent. [Spring attack, Flurry of Blows; Attacks 14, 10, miss, miss] While in the air, he kicks out with both feet against the swordsman's chest, and then pushes off, hitting the ground and rolling, and coming to his feet ten feet away. Unfortunately, while the swordsman is staggered by the blow, he does not appear hurt.
Melani scoots as silently as possible around the bush. Though, with the half orc yelling, and the banging of weapons, Osred could probably have snuck up on the fight even wearing his metal suit. She peeks out of her hiding spot, and sees the brute's flank exposed to her as he struggles with Garyth. He is less than ten feet away, so she flips her knife over in her hand, and hurls it at him with all her strength. [Attack 20 vs AC17, hit; Damage 1] Her aim is good, as always, but even with her hardest throw the knife barely pricks the brute's armor. But the big creature's head swivels quickly in her direction. He knows she's there now.
Tichenor, almost bouncing with eagerness to get into the fight, sees the bowman swing a sword at his companion. That's enough of that. The big wolf does not wait for Rennik's command; he just launches himself at the bowman's throat. [Attack 20 vs AC17, hit; Damage 6] The man is able to keep Tichenor away from his throat, but the wolf latches its jaws onto his shoulder, just above the collar bone, and pulls the man down and wrenches him from side to side. Rennik almost winces at the crunching sounds coming from the bowman's shoulder. However, the man begins trying to stab Tichenor with his shortsword, so clearly he is not totally out of the fight.
The second pikeman thrusts his weapon at Munch again, as the guardsman tries to engage the brute. [Attack 7 vs AC 19, miss] But Munch is not totally ignoring his other opponent, and is able to turn the polearm aside with a quick block from his sword.
The first pikeman is still trying to thrust past the half orc at Garyth. [Attack 15 vs AC 17, miss] Garyth is fighting much more carefully now, though, and sees the pike coming at him. He easily sidesteps it, while never taking his eyes off the brute in front of him.
After dodging the pike, Garyth thinks he sees an opening in the enraged barbarian's guard. The half orc does not seem to be trying to protect himself at all. Garyth lunges in quickly to take advantage, but does not use the full force of his swings, trying to keep his feet under him for quick defense. [fighting defensively; Attacks -4; Attacks 18, 10, natural 20, critical threat 9, not critical; hit, miss, hit; Damage 8 (-10) and 10 (-1) = 16] Even without using his usual ferocity, Garyth's fine swordsmanship is displayed. He lands a quick blow from his longsword on the half orc's forearm, opening a nasty wound. He then tries to rap the orc's knuckles on the haft of the double axe with his mace, but the brute rapidly shifts his grip. This gives Garyth a larger opening, and he thrusts quickly past the brute's guard and sinks the point of his longsword several inches into the half orc's chest. The brute is now streaming with blood, but still shows no signs of slowing down.
The third swordsman continues to attack corporal Vincy on the flank. [Attack 11 vs AC18, miss] Vincy easily parries the man's attacks.
The Brute, seemingly even further enraged by the three new wounds he carries, takes a large whirling swing at Garyth's head [Attack 19, miss], but Garyth is able to duck under it and knock it away with his longsword. For a second, Garyth can't figure out why the brute is using such a large and flamboyant move to attack him, when he realizes that the spin takes the brute five feet to his right. Garyth does not even have time to yell, before the half orc spins sideways and brings his weapon down in a massive overhand chop at Melani [Attack 28, hit; Damage 11]. It all happens so fast, the little scout barely has time to react, and she is battered to the ground with a nasty wound on her shoulder. She looks up at the half orc towering above her, and sees no pity in its red eyes. It slams its weapon down on her again [Attack 22 vs AC20, hit; Damage 14] and while she is able to roll to the side and keep from being cut in two, the side of the weapon crashes into her hip, almost crushing her. The brute, confident that the enemy at his back has been taught a lesson, spins to face Garyth again, spittle dripping down his nasty tusks. "Is that the best you have, Kuth tak?" Garyth does not speak orcish, but assumes kuth tak is not flattering.
Vincy, off on the flank, ripostes after parrying one of his opponents attacks. [Attack 22 vs AC18, hit; Damage 7] He smacks the swordsman on the thigh, but the man's armor turns most of the blow. Vincy wants to make his way over to his captain, but does not want to leave his opponent at his back. He stays to finish the man off.
The first swordsman picks himself up after his tumble down the slope. He looks at something glittery in his left hand, and lets out an audible sigh of relief. Seeing his ally hard pressed by Rennik and the wolf, he quickly switches hands, moving his sword to his left, and the glittering thing to his right. He then says, "Catch this, half-man," and tosses the bottle at Rennik. [Attack 17 vs AC15, hit; Damage 11; also hits Tichenor Damage 7; also hits bowman damage 11] The bottle bursts at Rennik's feet and throws a sticky fluid that immediately ignites on contact with air. Rennik is splashed across one side, and his left leg and arm are scorched and blistered. Tichenor gets splashed across his back, burning away the fur above his spine and blistering the skin underneath. He releases the bowman and runs away yelping. The unfortunate bowman has the flaming fluid all over his legs, and gives out a couple of horrifying screams before expiring. The swordsman who threw the bottle stares in amazement at how much damage he did, though he does not seem overly saddened by the passing of his ally.
The second swordsman attacks Pensive [Five foot step; Attack 17 vs AC 19, miss], but the monk is able to easily evade the man's clumsy swings.
The second bowman fires as Munch [Attack 25 vs AC19, hit; damage 7] and buries an arrow in his side. The guardsman is starting to look quite weakened from his wounds.
Osred moves as far as he can toward the fight, then stops and prays for Hieronious' holy light to smite the half orc. From his outstretched palm comes a beam of brilliant light, almost blinding even in the noon day glare. [Ranged touch attack 19 vs AC12, hit; Damage 13] The beam strikes the half orc in the chest, and Garyth can hear the brute's skin sizzling. The half orc screams in pain, and yells to his men, "Someone kill that one!"
The alchemist peeks his head out of the wagon, and yells to the swordsman nearby, "Here is another!" He tosses the swordsman another potion.
Rennik, his clothes still flaming in places, screams his rage at the swordsman who burned him and Tichenor, and charges at the man with his halberd. [Attack 19 vs AC18, hit; Damage 10; saving throw 7 vs DC15, -1 Con] He thrusts the wicked looking spike at the top of the halberd into the swordsman's side, driving him backward. The swordsman's face goes white, and the wound in his side seems to fountain blood, but he remains unsteadily on his feet.
Robert, hearing Rennik's yell to kill the other bowman, takes a shot at the second bowman. [attack 21 vs AC17, hit; Damage 6] His arrow strikes the bowman in the back, and drives him to his knees. The man then slowly falls on his face, unconscious. From behind, Rennik hears Robert yell, "Who's next!"
Munch, seriously hurt by the arrow fire he is receiving, nevertheless continues to try and help Garyth tame the brute. He steps in for another flank attack [Attack 9 vs AC17], but again his sword is turned by the half orc's armor.
By his side, Pickle also attacks the half orc [Attack natural 20, critical threat 16, not critical; Damage 9 (-1) = 8], but his blow has better success, and another bleeding wound is opened on the back of the brute's thigh.
[New map attached. What's up with Pickle' He's sort of a bad ass.]
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 3
OOC: Ouch, damn that hurt. Ok she is at 9 HP and is about to get the hell out of there.
Melani sees her dagger hit but almost bounce off of the brute. Damn she was sure she would have been able to throw that dagger into someplace that would really hurt the creature. She sees him notice her but does not realize what he is doing until almost the last moment. She tries to roll out of the way but the massive axe still crushes her shoulder. Trying to scamper away, the next blow hurts even more. She back peddles, trying to get clear of the brute. She draws one of the daggers hidden in her boot and backs away, trying desperatly to keep from getting killed.
OOC: quick draw the dagger and fight total defense.
Mark
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 3
OODM:
Ok. Melani can do all of that. But it is a funny mental picture. Her dagger is all off a couple inches long, and weighs less than a pound. And she is going to use it to deflect blows from an orcish waraxe that weighs 30 or more pounds, and is wielded by a man who currently has 26 strength.
The rules allow it, but it is kind of funny. :)
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 3
OOC: I view it as more of her using her amazing dexterity to keep from getting hit. That with the tumble skill. It is more evading since it is a dodge bonus. The dagger is just because she always wants something to attack with and I would think that her background might have some religous thing about dying with a weapon in your hand.
Mark
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 3
Good thing he did not get a critical on her. He would have chopped her in half.
Those axes get X3 crit damage, as I recall.
mark
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 3
Yes. A critical from that axe would have broken Melani down into her constituent subatomic particles. She would be a rapidly expanding cloud of quarks right now.
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 3
Damn, this improved initiative feat isn't quite what it's cracked up to be, is it?
So am I right in thinking that we've done a total of 62 points of damage to The Brute?
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 3
Yes, you have.
You guys hammered him last round.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 3
Yeah but his rage added 14-18 HP's to his total and he can keep raged for 7-9 rounds and it is only round three. Hopefully he is in his extra HP and next round we can finish him off. I would love to see Pickle take him out. Garyth needs a critical hit.
Mark
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 3
If Pensive can draw out the stonesash and attack he will do that (flurry of blows); if not, he will try to disarm the swordsman (Improved Disarm).
Dodge point on the swordsman he's attacking.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster's tale
"I have no reason to doubt your word, but it is shocking to think of a White Hart Paladin fallen so low. If they can fall under an evil spell, then no one is safe from such corruption. We will all have to be extra diligent." Fellus pauses for a moment in thought. "Of course, I will tell no one of your visit or its purpose. And I believe you can trust my acolytes to be discreet as well, though I will command them not to speak of it to reinforce their discretion."
"I am sorry I could not help more. But, my offer still stands. The full resources of the temple of Pelor are at your disposal, should the need arise. We will do anything to help bring the murderer of Cadfael to justice. And the Sunlord is not without power to affect our world. Make no mistake. I have to think that this terrible crime against Cadfael is temporary, while the Sunlord's will is worked out. I must believe that our brother will one day find himself in the Bright Halls, and in Pelor's warm embrace. I could not stand it otherwise."
The Sunmaster stands slowly, "Creaky bones, I'm afraid. Where will you go now? Is there anything else I can do?"
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster's tale
"Sunmaster, if you did doubt my word, I would willingly submit to a spell of truthsaying and repeat everything I have spoken. It disturbs me, as well -- especially because it means, as you say, that anyone could be consorting with this dark power. We have to be very careful of who we trust. Thank you for your discretion,
my colleague Farron and I both deeply appreciate it."
"The manner of Cadfael's death is also quite disturbing, in that he had not told anyone of his plans to sleep at the temple. How anyone could have known with certainty he would leave the castle and head for the castle... well, it is possible our entire group was being watched, and they simply dispatched someone to follow him when he left the castle."
"As to where we will go now, I'm not certain. We have visted the site where the body was found, as I said, but there was no evidence of any kind there. In the interests of being thorough, could we look at his cell?"
OOC:
I just realized that I forgot to have Sa'id formally introduce himself. Can we pretend that he did so at the beginning of the conversation? In this situation it is definitely something he would do.
Also, Ty, what about the rest of Cadfael's possessions? Was he carrying them to the temple with him, or did he leave them at the castle?
If the Sunmaster will take us to Cadfael's cell, I want to cast Detect Magic in there. I would also, later on, like to examine Cadfael's possessions, and that dagger, while under the effects of Detect Magic.
Are we allowed to snoop around the castle? Because I want to find out if anyone saw Cadfael leaving.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 3
Out of the corner of his eye he sees Melani dart in behind the brute. What is she doing? he thinks to himself, but then sees the dagger in her hands. He tries to say something, to warn her off, but it's too late. Almost before he knows what has happened, the brute has struck her down.
"No!" he cries. The brute merely smiles, the expression twisting his already evil features. And there's nothing he can do; between the pikeman and the brute, it's all Garyth can do to save his own skin.
OOC: Same as last turn, full attack on the half-orc, fighting defensively. Dodge point on the half-orc.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster's tale
OODM:
I just realized that I forgot to have Sa'id formally introduce himself. Can we pretend that he did so at the beginning of the conversation? In this situation it is definitely something he would do.
Yes. :)
Also, Ty, what about the rest of Cadfael's possessions? Was he carrying them to the temple with him, or did he leave them at the castle?
He left his shield with Garyth. Everything else he had, he took with him. It isn't much. His worn heavy mace, the broken ring he kept in his pocket. A few small coins.
IDM:
Fellus says, "Yes, yes, of course. I will have an acolyte take you there directly. Please let me know of there is anything else. My door is always open to you."
The Sunmaster shakes Sa'id and Farron's hands warmly. He looks very sad, but even in his bent and withered frame, there is a glimmer of hidden strength. This was a powerful man in his prime, both physically and spiritually, and not all his strength is gone. "When we find the murderer, our god's judgment will be heavy." Farron suppresses a shiver. He would not want to be the killer when this man condemns him.
Soon, a young acolyte appears to take them to Cadfael's cell. It is a small, stone chamber, with one window to let in light from outside. In one corner is a comfortable looking cot, and in the other is a chair and small reading table. A shelf on one wall has several books, including a large tome of the Scripture of Pelor. A small chest sits at the foot of the bed, and inside Sa'id finds only clothing and grooming implements. It is the room of a simple priest.
However, he casts his detect magic cantrip anyway, and searches the room. The book of scripture glows with a faint light in his augmented eyes, but it is not unusual for a book of prayers to have some faint aura of magic. There is power in the prayers of true priests. Nothing else in the room shows any signs of magic.
[Do you want to go back to the keep now? Or back to the magistrates offices to look at Cadfael's belongings?]
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster's tale
Sa'id and Farron may also remember that Elise and Anileth both were able to teleport. Sa'id witnessed Anileth do it, and he may have been able to glean as much from Rennick's tale of his encounter with Leggy Dame.
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster's tale
> Do you want to go back to the keep now? Or back to the magistrates offices to look at Cadfael's
> belongings?
First to the offices. If I can, I'd like to take the broken ring. Maybe the fine folks at the wizards' school can tell us something about, though now that it's broken that's not so likely.
If there's time left in the day, we'll head to the keep. Otherwise, to Farron's place to crash, I suppose.
As to Elise and Anileth teleporting, IIRC they only teleported AWAY from us, right? Unless Kor Garesh had a clearer sense of Cadfael's whereabouts after the ring was destroyed... but that's a question we may never know the answer to, unless the wizards can tell us stuff about the ring.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster's tale
Elise teleported in to attack Rennick, I think.
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster's tale
Ugh. That is NOT good news.
From: Jake
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 3
Osred closes his eyes for a moment, savoring the almost orgasmic bliss of the divine energy being channeled through him. His serene half smile broadens to a wide grin as he hears the brute's screams, and he opens his eyes. A quick glance around him failing to reveal anyone who will be immediately able to move on the half orc's orders, he returns his attention to the brute. He wishes he could sheath his blade in the beast's flesh, but unfortunately the time spent crossing the distance between them is time in which his own men might fall. He raises his hand again, and lets another bolt of divine energy fly [Searing light, again cast at the barbarian].
From: Matt
Subject: Re: The Battle for Overlook; Battle for hill 19 round 3
(OOC: By my count, there should only be one bowman left in the bowl, one swordsman, and the alchemist. Last round there were three archers, the swordsman and the alchemist. Robert dropped one, the fire blast killed another. One left, neh?
Last thing, too. Since he's close distance with this swordsman, any potion splash damage to himself would also damage the swordsman and the alchemist's wagon, right? At least according to the map. There's no reflex save for those things?)
Howling in pain and anger, Rennik performs a full attack with the halberd on the swordsman, pushing him backwards toward the alchemist's wagon. The alchemist would not die quickly, if Rennik could help it. And the product of his vile art would help the others fighting the Brute.
As he howls, he again calls up to Robert. "Drop that last archer and then get down here!"