A Desperate Plea: Scouters

[Archaeopteryx]

As the two scouters approach the fort, they can't help but notice Kalem is making a tremendous amount of noise. They approach the fort wall: a crumbling, thick slab of stone about twelve feet tall that encircles a small stone tower. Atop the wall there are tall crenelations, though many have broken away through the years. There is an open gate through the wall a bit to the left, though the wall itself looks climbable.

[Silver Night]

Rags moves so that he can see the area where Kalem is, and watches for activity or any kind of reaction to his passage from the fort or around the fort.

Spot: [roll0]

[Spyder_Cel]

Still feeling the pains from battle, Kalem struggles staying quiet. -How embarrassing- He thought as he whispers Might as well brought Sul, he would have been... he stops as he realizes those thoughts were actually coming out of his mouth. Hoping his senses are not also suffering, he focuses his energy on sight and sound as they get closer to the fort.

[Archaeopteryx]

Rags and Kalem can both make it to the foot of the wall, and neither see any change around the fort. They can, however, see Adeyn coming around the outside of the fort, on the far side.

[Silver Night]

Rags moves closer to the door, and uses his mirror to get a view of the inside without sticking his head out, careful to make sure he keeps the mirror shaded as he does.

[Lady Moreta]

Still trailing one hand along the rough wall, Adeyn rounds the final point and spots Rags and Kalem ahead of her, plus the elusive gate. Damn. I was hoping that would take longer. Ah well. She waves at them, to ensure they've seen her, then approaches the gate carefully, waiting to see the results of Rags' trick with the mirror.

Listen:[roll0]
Spot:[roll1]

[Silver Night]

Rags carefully withdraws the mirror and motions them both closer.

[Lady Moreta]

Adeyn moves closer, but is careful not to cross in front of the gate. She waves again at the elf and the kobold to ensure she has their attention, then lays a finger against her lips for silence. Touching her hand to her ear, she jerks her head towards the interior of the fort - it seems clear she's heard voices within. She then points towards Rags' mirror, points at her eyes and then towards the fort - silently asking what he has seen.

[Spyder_Cel]

Kalem moves in closer, but still stays far back from the gate knowing his stealth is not at it's finest at the moment. Staying in sight of his companions he walks along the fort wall in hopes to find a secret entrance.


listen [roll0]
spot [roll1]
search [roll2]

[Silver Night]

Rags indicates the mirror and shakes his head. He waits a moment to see if he can hear whatever Adeyn heard.

[Lady Moreta]

Adeyn frowned - not knowing who was in there made it hard to know the correct course of action. Another faint sound, this time from high up - Adeyn whipped her head around, staring upwards in the direction of the sound. She glanced at the other two, wondering if either of them had heard anything. Still frowning, Adeyn gestured at herself then pointed towards the gate and shrugged. She couldn't think of any other option than to simply walk in.

[Spyder_Cel]

At Adeyn's gesture, Kalem nods his head. With bow in hand he moves towards her and the gate.

[Lady Moreta]

Adeyn nodded back at Kalem and lifted the morningstar from her belt as a precaution. Feeling distinctly unhappy about it, but unable to come up with any other solution - and at least knowing that there was someone in there, she stepped through the gate into the fortress, tensed to make a run for it in case it went badly.

[Silver Night]

Rags unsheathes his rapier and slides closer to the gate again.

[Archaeopteryx]

In the center of the fort is the main tower, though the entrance is not visable from this angle. There is a small, crumbling gatehouse on the inside, the door of which has long since rotted away. A few small buildings made of the same crumbling stone, in various states of disrepair, are in the space between the tower and wall. There is a well that appears to be old, but working, in the center.

As soon as Adeyn passes through the gatehouse, six humans get out from hiding behind structures in the fort, all of which have bows of various states of craftsmanship drawn and pointed at her, and form a rough semicircle with Adeyn in the middle.

A seventh man, tall and muscular looking, wearing a weathered Orandish uniform steps out from the back side of a building in the center area. Though he has no weapon drawn, a sword is sheathed across his back, and he speaks.
"A'right there miss, 'ere's how it goes. You lay down yer stuff right here, that bag, weapons, gold, that purty armor too. An' tell yer friends to come in an' do the same, and y'all get to go wherever you was going. You do that, an nobody needs to get hurt, see? No reason this can' be..." He trails off, apparently searching for a word
"Civil, sir," a bowman says.
"At's right! Civil."

Kalem and Rags:
You can see two more bowmen stand up from behind crenelations on the wall. Presumably Adeyn can't see them, as her back is turned.

[Silver Night]

Rags hisses to Kalem, "You see if you can get her out. I'm going to go back to warn the others. If you two don't join me, I'll try to bring them back here, though what they might do against a defended position I don't know."

[Lady Moreta]

Adeyn swore under her breath. It figured. Ah well, she'd walked into it with her eyes wide open. She eyed the semi-circle of men warily, casting a quick glance behind her - Thank goodness for small mercies she thought, the entrance was still clear behind her and there was no sign of Rags or Kalem. She turned her attention back as the large man began speaking, trying not to roll her eyes at his - lack of ability with the language. She did however, notice something on his uniform. Rank insignia. Feeling suddenly angry, Adeyn scowled at the man,

"Is this accepted behaviour now, Corporal?" she asked, barely hiding her disgust. Technically this man outranked her, but if he'd started preying on innocent travellers, he'd have to work very hard to earn her respect. "All I'm doing is looking for shelter from this rain and all you can do is demand my gear? You're a soldier, we're here to protect the people, not steal from them." As she spoke, she brushed as much dirt and muck from her own rank insignia, but couldn't quite hide the scorn in her voice.

Silently, she hoped the others had the sense to just leave. There was no point in sacrificing all of them. Taking a chance, she raised her voice, "I might as well just LEAVE!" she made the last words a shout, hoping that Rags and Kalem would hear her and take the hint. Even as she spoke, she turned, taking a couple of steps towards the gate. Not that I expect them to just let me leave...

Not sure if any sort of rolls are needed for Rags/Kalem to realise that that last comment was aimed at them. Pretty much assuming that she wouldn't have heard Rags tell Kalem to leave.

[Spyder_Cel]

As Adyen walks up to the gate, Kalem was some distance behind her when she was ambushed. He stops and listens as the big man rambles off and Rags tells him he will go for the others. Kalem nods and points a finger at himself, then at the ground... He wasn't going anywhere, he just hoped he would be able to help her by himself. He stays low making his way closer to the gate. He sees two more bowman come out of hiding from up high. Not good.

Damned be my clumsiness tonight. They would have went undetected if it wasn't for me. He hears Adyen hint to run. Noble, unfortunately there will be no lone martyr this night. There will be either two, or none... Distraction time, he smiles.


Summon Nature's Ally I, range only 35ft. Summoning a wolf hopefully pretty close to the general group of archers if they are close enough together. If not, near the Corporal.


After summoning a wolf, Kalem whistles as loud as he can in hopes Sul might hear (knowing full well with this weather he did not), then yells at Adyen There's two on the wall behind you, GET OUT!!!

[Lady Moreta]

Adeyn jumps as the wolf appears, but it doesn't attack her and then she hears Kalem's voice from outside, yelling at her. Startled, she spins around, looking up towards the archers on the crenelations behind her. "Damn!" she hisses the word. Without wasting any time, she pulls the morningstar from her belt, holding that tightly in one hand, she runs flat out for the gate.

[Archaeopteryx]

The bowmen on the wall, hearing Kalem's shout, whirl around, seeing Rags and Kalem, and each take a shot at one. The twang of bows echoes through the hill as the wall men intigate the others.
"I said not 'till the signal damn- ah!" The Corporal shouts out in surprise as a wolf materializes next to him. He draws his sword hurridly and backs away a bit.
Many of the arrows miss wildly, but one strikes Kalem, Piercing his armor through at the shoulder. Two arrows in the semicircle of hit Adeyn as she turns to run, one in the leg and the hip, though she keeps running.

Dun Dun Duuuuuun.... First attack time!

Bowman 1: Aimed at Rags. [roll0] and damage: [roll1]
Bowman 2: Aimed at Kalem. [roll2] and damage: [roll3]Bowman 3: Aimed at Adeyn. [roll4] and damage: [roll5]
Bowman 4: Aimed at Adeyn. [roll6] and damage: [roll7]
Bowman 5: Aimed at Adeyn. [roll8] and damage: [roll9]
Bowman 6: Aimed at Adeyn. [roll10] and damage: [roll11]Bowman 7: Aimed at Adeyn. [roll12] and damage: [roll13]Bowman 8: Aimed at Adeyn. [roll14] and damage: [roll15]

If you would like, I can put up a battle map, but it seems you guys might just be fleeing..? Adeyn can make it past the gate (and much further if she takes the Run action)

[Silver Night]

Rags runs back, sacrificing stealth for speed, and heads back to the group on the road.

[Lady Moreta]

Adeyn staggers slightly as the arrows hit, but instantly regains her feet and books it out the gate. She sees Rags making a run for it back towards the road and skids around the corner, grabbing at Kalem to stay upright as she comes to a halt. She lets go immediately on seeing the arrow through his shoulder. "We could stay and fight," she gasps out, gritting her teeth against the pain. "Or we can run. Common sense and prudence suggests we run." She half turns to follow Rags, waiting for Kalem's response

Currently on 22hp - keeping track in here since I can't edit my sheet at work

[Spyder_Cel]

Kalem staggers back as the arrow pierces his shoulder. But braces himself with the help of the wall. Adeyn runs through the gate and grabs him to stay up turning the corner. He is barely able to keep them both up with his shoulder injured.

She asks if they should stay and fight or run, he hesitates at this. Whether they are imposters or traitors, they deserve to die. If only there were fewer of them... We run! He yells as he takes off down the path after Rags, letting go of Adeyn as soon as she seemed to have her footing.

[Lady Moreta]

"Good answer!" Adeyn glances briefly over her shoulder to see where the bowmen are, then runs after Kalem, taking care to keep pace with him.

[Archaeopteryx]

The bowmen on the wall hesitate, but don't reload, and the three scouters are able to leave without further risk. As they run, the sound of a wolf in pain echoes over the hills.

Since the archers aren't persuing, you guys can return to the main group (assuming that where you're going) at your own pace. You can either run (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#run), which will take about 6 minutes and would require succeeding on a constitution check DC 20 in order to not be fatigued by the end. Alternatively, you can just hurry back, which will take about 15 minutes and you won't risk being fatigued, or you can go any slower then that, its up to you.

Sul couldn't hear Kalem's whistle over the distance and the harsh rain.

[Spyder_Cel]

Kalem hears the wolf howl in pain and winces. Thank you for your assistance.

After running for a while, he noticed there were no more arrows flying at them and he didn't hear any obvious pursuers. He slows to a stop and turns around. He yells at the others, Hey, slow up! They are not following! He starts moving again, but at a much slower pace while trying to brace his shoulder from moving to much.

[Lady Moreta]

Adeyn glances behind her, then skids and slides to a halt, going from a near flat-out run to a pained limp. "So much for that plan, bastard" she whispers the words, but her expression suggests she's absolutely furious. Looking back at Kalem, she manages a smile that seems somewhat forced, "Thanks."

[Silver Night]

Rags slows down, "We'll have to see if the others want to try to clear them out or not."

[Lady Moreta]

"You'll get no argument from me," Adeyn practically snarls the words, the morningstar is still clenched in her fist, her knuckles so tightly wound around it that they've turned white. She's still limping, but her stride has smoothed out into the gait of one used to walking wounded.

[Archaeopteryx]

At this point you're free to go back to the main IC thread.

[Spyder_Cel]

Kalem's head sinks as Adeyn thanks him, My apologies, if it wasn't for my clumsiness tonight, that might not have happened in the first place.

He pauses as Rags suggests clearing them out with the others. He liked Adeyn's reply very much and nods his head. They are either imposters or traitors. Regardless, they should not be left to do this to others. I'm looking forward to showing those archers MY bow! He turns towards Adeyn, And I'm guessing you would like to have a few words with the "Corporal"...

[Lady Moreta]

Adeyn smiles thinly, "You could say that," she says. "The army is intended for the protection of the people, not to prey on them. War or no war." She fingers the sergeant's stripes on her own uniform, her expression still furious.

She marches forwards in silence for a few moments, still fuming, before the rest of Kalem's comments penetrate her brain. "Don't worry about it, I've had a few clumsy moments myself before now." She looks ahead then, frowning slightly until the shapes ahead turn into the rest of the group, heading towards them apace. "I think we might want to let the others know we're all right." She raises an eyebrow at Kalem, eyeing his shoulder, ""you are all right aren't you?"

I can't think of a way to get back into the main thread! My brain doesn't want to work this morning...

Okay... so I thought of something :smallsmile:

[Sitzkrieg]

Now that some time has passed and the scouts have left, Sir Elimir Sinclair arrives on scene. With his lance still held high, he stands in the middle of the path a little over seventy yards from the main gate, lit up like a beacon. Tomlinson more wisely holds his enormous shield up high instead, giving him full cover from possible ranged attacks.

He lifts his faceplate to shout more effectively. "Hello! My name is Sir Elimir Sinclair, of the Sinclair family, former Captain of the Orandish Seaside Mounted Company and Kingside landowner. It appears you have shot at my companions, including an Orandish soldier. I demand to know what you think you're doing here!" He keeps one hand on the reins, ready to evade a volley of arrows, or even duck alongside his horse's barding if necessary.


Elimir takes a total defense action, and will also attempt to take cover behind his horse if necessary (DC 15) [roll1] for a total of +8 to AC.
If his horse is attacked, he will also attempt to negate the first hit with a ride check: [roll="Ride 2"]1d20+11

[Sitzkrieg]

Messed up the second ride check: [roll0]

[Sitzkrieg]

"Hello sirs! I will repeat! I am SIR ELIMIR SINCLAIR. I am a very important person, you know. Wouldn't want to keep a man like me waiting, certainly not! I'm the one who led the third charge at the Battle of Longford Ferry! I took down three enemy militiamen in one blow! Pow! Just like that! And don't think that I can't handle a siege, either! I can wait out here for months! How much food have you got left, anyway! Better start divvying it up, boys, because it is going to be a very long season for you without it! Best start boiling your bootstraps now! Not a single morsel will pass your gate until I hear some answers!" He takes a breath and sits up even more tightly, in a formal guard's stance. "I imagine you're shaking already! Well, get used to it, you scoundrels! Feeling the pangs of hunger, I'd wager! Not me! I sleep for three hours a night and can't feel pain! I am the nightmare you've been waiting for!" From behind his shield, Tomlinson begins muttering: "I think that should be, ah, sufficient, Sir."
"I would certainly hope so!" Elimir retorts.