PF Commoner Campaign IC

[MichaelJCaboose]

You all find yourselves living in a small village named Jamestown. Jamestown is located on the edge of the civilized world, and almost completely surrounded by forests. Near Jamestown is Lake Chauch-eta. Each of you is about where you would normally be on a normal day.

map (http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/7049/dndtown.jpg)

The key

1: Town hall
2: Market Area
3: Gnoll Area
4: Tavern
5: Smithy's forge/house
6: Road to leave the village
7: Azan/Aryka's House
8: Senarel Family House
9: Alcohol-puddle
Red Dots: where it is on fire, and how intense the fire is
Blue Dots: where there was fire, but was doused

OOC (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11664974#post11664974) Die Roller (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11664709#post11664709)

[stack]

Conrad "Smithy" Thrase

A thickly built dwarf sets in his accustomed place in the tavern, just after dawn. He is dressed in plain, clothes, once thick material now heavily worn. He has just finished a quick breakfast, then speaks to the tavern keeper, "Wrap up some bread and cheese for lunch, will you? Busy day ahead. Eight horseshoes, three hinge repairs, and a few kettle hooks. Plus that blasted chain shirt patch job, never get that done." He smiles, glad to have plenty of work.

Wouldn't know what to do if I wasn't busy. Besides, have to keep my stomach full all winter. Good arrangement here, farmers barter crops for smith-work, I barter crops for meals and a bed. Little coin here and there. Only wish I had some proper blade-work from time to time, not just sharpening knives and forging ax heads. Oh well, these people need a good smith, and there's none better, at least none willing to work out here.

best get to the forge soon. Yup, another busy day.

[BlueInc]

Azan (http://www.dndsheets.net/view.php?id=22178) wakes early in the morning, but not earlier than his mother, Sada, who already has breakfast made and is grinding herbs in a bowl. He eats quickly, thanks her and then walks the dusty road out of Jamestown for a mile or so.

He digs around in the brush, looking for herbs for some time, and then sits in the thicket. For a moment, he feels a fleeting longing, like remembering a friend that he hasn't seen in some time. He quietly meditates, listening to the sounds of the forest.

Finally, he stuffs the roots and berries he found into his sack and begins marching towards town.

He wonders what his sister is up to...

[Welknair]

Aryka, a late riser, is only just waking up when her brother is leaving the house. She has some of the leftovers before heading out herself.

Aryka's mission today is to visit the various hedge wizards of Jamestown, seeking work as an assistant. It's been quite some time since she was last home, so she has high hopes that there are some new Wizards in town that may want to hire her. Aryka can usually scrape by doing small jobs, but truly seeks longer-term employment under a great (mid level+) Wizard. Such a stroke of luck seems unlikely though. Really, who hires a teenage girl as a mage's assistant?

[Tyrael]

The rattle and creak of a loaded wagon trundles over a rough cobblestone road in the middle of the humble village of Jamestown. Wives and washerwomen call to each other and chat readily as they prepare for the day's chores. The steady beat of a hammer rings loudly as a team of a half-dozen workers resume their progress on the construction of a new toolshed for the village blacksmith.

The crowing of a rooster is the first sound to rouse the diminutive figure slumbering beneath an old discarded crate behind the village tavern. A scrawny, pathetically-thin Kobold with black scales lies curled up beneath an old blanket, garbed in threadbare leather breeches, a brown tunic and a gray vest that bares his twiglike arms and nigh-emaciated torso. A bulging backpack lies nearby alongside a short stick, a bundle of clothes and a small pickaxe.

The scrawny figure is finally roused to wakefulness by a small green lizard that crawls onto his shoulder and flicks its tongue into his ear. The Kobold bolts upright, glancing around fearfully for a moment before visibly shivering and glancing at the lizard. His large, slit-pupiled yellow eyes blink curiously at the lizard as it pokes its nose into his hand. The Kobold's long jaws split in a weak little smile. "Well good morning to you too, Tak. Hungry, huh?" he sighs softly. "Me too. Don't have much, but let's see what I can find you..."

Digging into his pack, the Kobold picks out a trail ration bar and breaks off a piece, crumbling it into small pieces. As soon as he drops the crumbs into a pocket of his backpack, the lizard jumps right inside. The Kobold smiles again. "At least you've got your breakfast," he sighs. "Now to go find mine...."

Standing up and stretching his digitigrade legs, the pathetic little Kobold trots over to the bundle of clothes without much enthusiasm and shakes it out. Throwing it over his head and tugging it straight, the Kobold dons a tiny black robe that still manages to look enormous on him, reaching all the way to the floor and covering him comlpetely. Two equally-diminutive black gloves cover his hands, and a wide-brimmed black hat and hood go over his head, exposing only his face. Lastly, the Kobold dons a bone-white leather mask resembling a bird's beak that's just large enough for his snout.

Tilting a piece of broken glass, the figure looks at himself. The concealing garb is so complete that not a single Koboldian scale is visible, and he could in fact be mistaken for a very somber child of some kind...which is exactly his intention.

The figure slings his backpack onto his back with a grunt of effort. After tucking away a small tag written in Draconic that reads MEEKIS, he picks up his tiny stick and stares at himself. Meekis sighs. Every day I do this is a danger, he thinks, but I don't have any other choice. There's no other villages around for miles, and I just barely found my way here. If the humans and other giant people find out what I really am, they'll snap my neck in a second. They're only friendly as long as they think I'm one of their hatchlings... It's safer this way.

Still....I wish I could be more honest with them...

Meekis sighs and tugs his disguise straight, then steps out of the alleyway and into the main street. Immediately, he finds himself dodging the long legs and galumphing footsteps of the towering humans. A farmer trundles by with a sagging wagon full of squawking chickens, and Meekis ducks and rolls away from the wheels. Oh, right, he remembers grumpily as he picks himself up and dusts himself off just in time to dodge an overloaded cart. It's Market Day.

At the beginning of every week, a trading caravan arrives from a two-day journey from the closest town. At the edge of civilization, Jamestown typically finds itself getting the leftovers of whatever the merchants have been unable to sell, but the villagers hoard the knicknacks like gold. Thus, Market Day has always been a bustle of activity in an otherwise-sleepy village.

Meekis has only been in Jamestown for a few months, and for the tiny disguised Kobold, Market Day has always brought equal parts opportunity and trouble. Trouble comes in the form of the daily danger he faces from errant kicks or the lethal crunch of a horse's hooves. However, his small size has often let Meekis slip through tightly-packed crowds to get to the front of a merchant's booth. This has delighted the cadre of mothers and housewives in the village who find themselves too busy to get to the market, or too inept at navigating the crowds when they get there. Thus, for a few coppers per run, Meekis has been quietly running a delivery service to the more rural households. His reliability in getting his errands done quickly earned Meekis a reputation as "a shy lad, but very responsible" from more than one nattering housewife.

Meekis' customers are always glad to see his beaked mask poking around the doorway, and this morning is no exception as he stands on the front step of Maelona Senarel, an Elven woman who manages her two Half-Elven little boys while their father Regner is out working all day as a lumberjack. As Meekis waits awkwardly at the front door, raised voices can be heard through the woodwork.

"It's my turn to have the sword! You got it yesterday, and the day before that with your friend in the woods!" One boy whines.

"Nuh-uh!" the other counters belligerently. "That didn't count! Burl had it the whole time!"

"You still had it yesterday!"

"Cuz I'm better with it!"

"No way! I'm WAY better!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"Boys! Tovas, Falcar, PLEASE!" a weary woman's voice cuts in. "If you're both very good and keep quiet while I finish sewing, I'll go have Pinarus carve you a second sword at Market today. Then you'll BOTH have one!"

"Really!?" The boys chirp.

"DIBS ON THE NEW ONE!" Tovas hollers.

"Hey, no fair, *I* want the new one!" Falcar retorts.

"No, no, you get this dumb OLD one! Here!"

"No way, YOU take it! I want the NEW one! The old one's got warts on it!"

"Wood can't get warts! You're making that up!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Outside! Both of you! Out! Shoo!" The woman commands.

Meekis dodges to one side as the front door suddenly bangs open and two little twin Half-Elven boys, one in a blue tunic and one in a green one, race outside.

"Race you to Smithy's shop!" Tovas hollers, loosening his blue tunic.

Falcar promptly shoves him over and dashes away, laughing. "You're on!"

"Hey, no fair!" Tovas protests, scrambling after him. "Cheater!"





The sound of the bickering boys fades into the distance as Meekis pokes his head around the doorway. "Ummm....Miss Senarel?" He quavers.

Inside, the Senarel home is simple and homely. A small cooking fire crackles below an iron stewpot with a hearty, meaty scent wafting from it. A rough-hewn wooden table stands over in the corner surrounded by ramshackle chairs, and the far wall holds a cupboard with a number of iron kitchen utensils hanging on hooks from the ceiling. In the corner by the fireplace, a frazzled-looking Elven woman sits in a blue smock, knitting what looks like a warm red jacket sized for a human. The woman looks up from her work and smiles radiantly at Meekis.

"Oh, Zim!" she enthuses, her huge green eyes shining. "There you are! You have NO idea how much I need your help today."

Meekis shuffles inside and bows nervously. He had never quite grown used to the nickname that one of the elderly grandmothers had pinned on him after mistaking him for a lost grandson. The name caught on among the housewives and stuck, so Meekis found himself using the name whether he wanted to or not. "What can I do for you?" he asks.

Maelona sighs. "I'm sure you heard the boys just now. They were shouting loud enough to wake the dead! They have this wooden sword that they're always playing with, and scream like banshees if I try to take it away. It used to be a pair of swords that a passing woodsman carved for them, but they were playing with them too hard one day and...well....boys will be boys." She smiles wistfully.

"Now that there's only one sword to play with, they fight over it all the time, and drive me and Regner up the wall! I don't know anybody in town that can work wood enough to fix it, so I was hoping I might find a suitable replacement at the Market today. However, I've got this coat for Regner I'm working on that I want to have done by tonight, so I can't go to Market myself. I've got a few other things I need as well..." She ticks off on her fingers. "Eggs, goat milk, bread...Cheese would be lovely, but only if you can find it for under a silver. Don't buy it from Farmer Wallace if he's there, his cow got sick recently and the cheese might not be good."

Maelona sighs again and puts her knitting aside. Getting up, she goes over to the cupboard and takes down a small clay pot from which she removes two silver pieces. "This should be enough for the groceries," she tells Meekis as she hands him the money.

Meekis looks down at the money, then back up at the smiling Elven housewife. "Umm...Miss Senarel? May I see the sword? I might be able to fix it."

Maelona blinks in surprise. "You? But you're just a little boy."

"Please?" Meekis persists.

The Elven woman shrugs. "Oh, all right. It was just sitting around anyway."

Returning a moment later, she places the two halves of a child-sized wooden sword in Meekis' hands. The blade has snapped in half, leaving jagged wooden splinters poking out. Meekis looks down at it and shifts uneasily.

"What is it?" Maelona asks.

Meekis fidgets again. "Well....Miss Senarel, what do you think about magic?"

The Elf smiles. "Well....we Elves have a little bit of aptitude with it. Personally I can't do anything except sense it, but I don't see it as anything unnatural. Why?"

Meekis takes a deep breath. Here goes nothing. "What if I told you I can use magic to fix this?"

Maelona tilts her head. "But you're so young...are you sure you can do it? You're not playing a joke on me?"

The disguised Kobold smiles under his mask. "Watch."

Concentrating, Meekis calls forth the arcane energy in his body. He was never able to fully explain how he did it, nor articulate the way it felt when it happened. He simply looked at a broken thing, and he was able to see in his mind how it would look put back together. Having something be broken just looked wrong to him, the way a green rock or a purple bat looked wrong. Then it was simply a matter of willing it back to the way it should be.

A faint purple light surrounds the broken sword, and the jagged edges of the wood glow bright purple and melt together like wax. Meekis gently presses the two parts together, and the purple glow fades slowly from the blade, leaving it as smooth and flawless as the day it was carved. Grinning to himself, Meekis offers the rebuilt toy sword back to the Elven housewife.

Maelona gasps in wonder as she picks it up and examines it. "Oh, Zim! That's wonderful! That was real, you really did magic! I can tell! Oh, thank you, thank you!"

Meekis bows humbly. "You're welcome, Miss. Just tell the boys you found another one at the Market."

The woman smiles down at him. "I will. Run along, now! It'll be getting crowded soon!"

Meekis bows again and dashes away. Maybe I shouldn't have done that, he frets as he heads towards the main plaza in the center of Jamestown where Market Day is getting set up. Maybe I gave away too much of myself. She was so thankful, so that made me happy...but what if she wanted to hug me? I told her I had a disfiguring disease, which is why I wear this, but the moment any of them actually touch me, the secret will be out and they'll all try to kill me. Idiot! Why did I have to go and do that?

Meekis sighs as he enters the trade plaza, bustling with humans and other races going about their weekly shopping trip. Merchants hawk their wares from stalls, and children scamper about playing games of their own. Oh, well. I'll think about that later. I need to stay focused. Here goes nothing...

[MichaelJCaboose]

At the market, there seems to be a regal-looking carriage with a gathering crowd surrounding it. And there even seems to be the village's leader there sitting at a chair near a podium.

[TrappedDoor]

As the tiny form skittered off out of the alley in the early morning sun, a much larger lanky form pulled itself from underneath a bundle of vines. The creeper grew over the wall from the home next door and allowed the emaciated half-orc a totally concealed place to sleep if he did not mind sleeping in a sitting position.

Whiping the dirt and vermin from his shoulders the Half-Orc stretched backwards, raising himself to his full height of 6 and a half feet. His back cracked audibly for a moment before he resumed slouching, which brought him to just about five and a half feet.

The shaggy brute was all skin and bones. Whipcord thick muscles rolled over his shoulder blades and chest, betraying his deceptive strength. Long greasy black hair hung down past his jaw like wet drapes, his jaw was outlined by a brushy half-beard of an almost man.

He wears tattered breaches, torn off just below the thigh and an old black vest, that could of been any colour originally. Draped over his shoulders is a animal skin half cloak made up of dog, rabbit and fox furs.

Hefting a sack and club over his shoulder, Makoa -now in spite by the children of Jamestown as 'The Alley Beast'- began to trudge down the alley way, a different way to the sneaky lizardman. Pulling himself over the wall into a different alley way, the Half-Orc sighs.

"Another day, another hunger" He mumbles to himself in common. As he does he trudges past a hole in the wall. A teenage human girl with long blonde hair stares back at the hunched creature transfixed. Makoa stops and stares at her through his hair.

"Durr gobrek tosk gellick." (You will run human) he growls in Orcish. The girl whimpers and shoots back into her yard crying. The half-orc chuckles lowly to himself and continues his weary shuffle.

He spends much of his time on the outskirts of town near an abandoned barn. Believed haunted by the 'Alley Beast', no young boys played in the old barn. Using charcoal from an old firebrand Makoa would spend time writing his thoughts on the wall in orcish. Partly to stave off lonliess and part to keep his knowledge of his father-tongue. If anyone who read orcish were to decipher it, they would see months worth of log entries on anything Makoa thought of. How far he could run, what he saw, who talked at him, who shouted at him. Everything.

Later in the morning Makoa returned to town to scavenge for food. Hearing the commotion in the market he climbs up the side of one of the buildings in the alley and onto the roof (Taking 10=13 if needed). Lying low on the roof near facing the market, the outcast watched.

[stack]

Conrad grabbed his lunch bundle as he strode out of the tavern. Yup, a good day. Then he saw the bustle and commotion in the streets. Bother and blast, market day. People will be hanging on my bell from dawn till dusk! Not going to get anything accomplished. Bad day.

His mood considerably gloomier, the thickly built dwarf trudges to the workshop, beard hanging loose, splayed over his chest, singed edges and all. His shaggy brown hair is not yet tied back.

His stout form pushing through the crowd, he spies the forge. Well, at least I have my forge. But not really. It belonged to the old blacksmith. Stroke of luck that he died six months before I wandered into town. They practically begged me to stay. Very thoughtful too, them adding on. Good old Conrad, local fixture, made horseshoes for your grampa, make horseshoes for your grandchildren. A real dwarf, forging all day, ages slower than steel, that's what they say. Still a good life.


Hope i can keep those scamps out from under foot.

[Welknair]

Aryka, after having managed to arrange for a job or two with the local hedge mages (It's alright for me to call them that, right?) works her way towards the market to buy some material components for them. Seeing the commotion, Aryka goes to investigate. Given the luxuriousness of the carriage, Aryka suspects that it either contains a high-ranking noble with some sort of important news or a powerful Wizard. She hopes for the latter.

Aryka does her best to get a good view of the epicenter of the commotion, bemoaning the fact that she is too short to see over most of the men. Luckily, her slight size (And high Charisma) allow her to more easily make her way through the gathering crowd.

Aryka attempts to move to the front of the crowd to get a better view.

[stack]

Conrad sees the carriage as he nears the forge. Hammer and Tong! Thrice-cursed nobles bothering a bothersome day. Might as well give-up all hope of anything useful.

Still nobles mean coin. Perhaps I can get a fine commission, gouging them proper, of course. What people will pay for a good blade. Been ages. Ah, but to do proper blade-smithing again. Maybe I'll see mithral again before I die. But not likely today. He shakes his head while maneuvering toward the center of the commotion. He mumbles greetings to the locals as he passes and tries not to trod on the odd masked child darting about.

[BlueInc]

As Azan grew closer and closer to Jamestown, the rumble and roar of the crowd grew louder and louder. Market Day! How could he have forgotten? He clutched the bundle of herbs closer to his chest and sped towards town.

Once among the bustle of the churning waves of people buying, people shouting, people laughing and people selling, Azan glanced at the herbs in his hands. He might be able to get a better price for them now then later.

He climbs up on an empty box and begins extolling his wares. “Fresh plants for sale! Fresh plants for sale! Remedies, salves, fine ointments can be made with these! Plants for potions, even herbs for roasting savory foods! Fresh plants for sale!”

Rolling Diplomacy attract attention [roll0]. Rolling Perception to see if he notices his sister [roll1]

[Tyrael]

Meekis narrowly dodges the burly, galumphing footsteps of the village's blacksmith. The stocky Dwarf always faintly terrified Meekis every time he saw him, mainly for his enormously thick, muscled arms and wide feet that look capable of squashing the tiny Kobold as an afterthought.

"Sausage-inna-bun! Git'cher sausage-inna-bun, right here! Premium! Gourmet! Pick of the crop! So fresh the pig don't know it's gone!" a yodeling salesman calls as he wanders around with a food-laden tray suspended from his neck.

"Fresh produce! Milk, cheese, butter! Two coppers for a bucket!" Another swarthy merchant calls as he haggles with a group of washerwomen.

Meekis darts between the legs of a chatting young couple and squeezes into a crowd surrounding a market stall. For the next half hour, he squirms through the crowd, grabbing his purchases and darting away before he can get stepped on. The little Kobold's heart thunders wildly with the exhilirating rush of the street as he crams the last of his purchases into his backpack. Dodging the crowds and haggling to get the best deals, then scampering off before the merchant realizes what happened is the kind of thing Meekis lives for. Every swinging boot or stomping horse is a mortal danger to the tiny reptile, but all the excitement surely beat dodging his older brothers' bad-tempered blows down in the underground mines of his Kobold tribe.

Panting and breathing hard through his mask, Meekis scrambles up a stack of crates in a nearby alleyway. Even unburdened, it's usually quite a climb for the diminutive lizard, and with his burden of goods it takes him twice as long. Finally, Meekis crawls up onto the rooftop beside Makoa. Safe from the eyes of the market below with only his fellow outcast to watch, the emaciated Kobold pulls off his birdlike mask and gasps for air.

"Huff...huff...phew!....Hi there..." he pants. Reaching into his bag, he pulls out two of the odd sausage-inna-buns being hawked by the salesman below. True to the name, they're not much more than a slightly-stale bun enclosing a thick sausage of unknown contents. Perhaps it was wise not to ask what went into them, and just call it "meat". The whole thing was skewered on a small stick like the severed head of an enemy leader.

"Sausage-inna-bun?" Meekis offers to Makoa. "They're still hot." Handing one of the greasy treats to the looming Half-Orc, the tiny Kobold drops his heavy bag and sits near the edge of the roof with a relieved sigh. "What do you think's going on down there?" he asks, munching.

[MichaelJCaboose]

Out from the carriage strolls a person that doesn't look quite normal. He proceeds to walk to the chair, as he does this the leader of the village gets up and goes to that podium. He then says "Welcome, leader of the gnolls". *Everyone gasps*. The leader of the gnolls gets to the chair/podium area and takes off his robe and says politely "Thank you for welcoming me into your village" in perfect common

[stack]

Hearing the announcement, Conrad is confused and crestfallen. Bad enough its a noble, but a gnoll? Worthless savage in our town. Not seeing any fine commissions from him.

May as well head back to the forge. Nothing good will come of this. Wonder if any other towns need a smith?

He turns, muttering to himself, and trudges to his workshop. He pumps the bellows and stokes the fire furiously to vent his frustration. The commotion in the square leaves him undisturbed for a bit, allowing him to focus on his craft.

[Welknair]

Aryka is disappointed. No Wizard here. Though this is indeed an interesting development. What business could the leader of the Gnolls have here? Whatever it is, it can't be good. Why in the world are we welcoming the leader of the accursed Gnolls into our town? Why do we not attack him on sight? The world would be free of one more monster.

Aryka decides to back up a bit into the crowd, but still keep the carriage in sight. She's not going to miss whatever comes next.

[MichaelJCaboose]

"So Thormod, about that peace treaty, where is it?" the gnoll leader (Hosni) asks. "Right here Hosni, and if i could get you to sign it..." the human leader (Thormod) says, "sure". And right when Hosni went to sign his name, the whole area went dark, and no-one could see.

[Welknair]

Aryka's mind is awash in thoughts. Peace treaty? What peace treaty? Well, I just got back here, maybe they've been talking about it for a while. But why would we need a peace treaty? Have the gnolls been preying on Jamestown? If so, what about the king's men? Or whoever the hell rules these lands. I forget. Shouldn't they do something instead of trying to reason with these... monsters?

Putting those questions aside for a moment, Aryka focuses on the present situation. Gotta get somewhere safe. With gnolls involved, there's likely going to be casualties- Mother and Azan. Where are they? I think Mother's still at home, but Azan left early. As a matter of fact, he should be at the market at this time of day. Well if it weren't for this blasted dark, I could look for him. Well he's capable. And if a gnoll attacks him, he can just splash acid on it's face. Hopefully he's smart enough to get out of here as well.

Aryka tries to squirm her way through the crowd in the direction she believes her home is in. At the same time, she squints to see if she can make anything out in the unnatural dark. What could have caused this dark in the middle of the day? It must be magic of some sort, but what? And since when do Gnolls cast spells? Wait, the Gnoll was trying to make a deal. The darkness interrupted that deal. What reason would the Gnoll have of pretending to get a treaty signed, and then interrupting it? It's only logical that the Gnolls are not responsible. Or at least not this gnoll. Perhaps a faction that weren't happy with the treaty? The same could be possible for the Jamestown citizens. Maybe someone else isn't happy about the deal. Perhaps there's a powerful mage among us after all...

Then again, perhaps it's a total coincidence that the darkness occurred just in time to interrupt the signing of the treaty...

Rolling Perception to see if I can see squat. [roll0]
Rolling Spellcraft to see if I can recognize the spell. [roll1]

[MichaelJCaboose]

When the darkness receeds, you can see that the gnoll leader is dead, with it's head chopped off, and some blood splatter on Thormod. The crowd is in a disarray/panic and the guards of Hosni are charging towards Thormod, and drawing their swords. While this happens the town guards start intercepting the guards and try to attack them.

[Welknair]

Well I was right about it not being the gnoll leader's plan. Unless he was suicidal. And I don't think it's likely that the gnolls would have gone as far as killing their own leader just to start a war. So it's probably going to be humans or another Gnoll faction. Whoever started it, it's been started. And there will be blood.

Well at least the darkness is gone. Now where in the world is Azan? We need to get out of here, and fast.

Aryka frantically searches about for Azan as she makes her way away from the center of the plaza.

Rolling Perception to find Azan [roll0]

[MichaelJCaboose]

You successfuly found Azan in the market when looking for him

Currently the gnolls, and the guards are fighting a pitched battle in the middle of the market place. Suddenly there is much screaming as a gnoll threw a torch on top of the tavern, and the thatched roof caught on fire. The patrons of the tavern quickly ran out when they found out the roof was on fire

[Welknair]

Great. And now the town's going to be on fire.

Azan! Azan!, Aryka yells as she pushes her way through the crowd towards him.

[stack]

Conrad is initially oblivious to the commotion, unable to hear over the sounds of his hammer falls, but eventually a man runs in frantically babbling about gnolls, darkness, and blood.

"Get a hold of yourself man! What is it? Bah, I'll have a look myself." He marches out of the workshop into the chaos of the square. "What is this? Looks like Gorum himself marched through here!" If I could do something for the guards, but I am no warrior.

The tavern! That I can help with. He grabs his quenching bucket and rushes off, trying to gather an impromptu fire brigade.

[MichaelJCaboose]

While the battle rages, so does the fire. Some of the surrounding buildings are now catching on fire along with the tavern

[Welknair]

I feel like there's something else I should be doing. But I'm not strong enough to help with putting out the fires and I'm not going to get involved in that fight before I know what exactly is going on. Best thing now is to get my family to safety.

Assuming she's reached Azan, she begins pulling him in the direction of their house.

[stack]

Conrad bulls his way through the brewing riot, shoving and bullying people into a semblance of a bucket line, constantly having to force them back into place whenever they scatter at the glimpse of a gnoll. His low center of gravity serves him well, making him a rock for the waves of the crowd to break against. Soon water is reaching the burning buildings.

[Tyrael]

"FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!" Meekis screams in blind panic. Screeching, the diminutive miner scrambles down off the roof and flees wildly down a nearby alleyway, darting inside the first metal building he comes to.

The scent of dirt and metal and dust, pungent even through his mask, tells Meekis that he's in Smithy's workshop. The tiny Kobold finds the smallest corner he can and wedges himself deep into it to hide.

[MichaelJCaboose]

Now, in the battle there have been more gnoll casualties, than human casualties. The end looked near for those fighting, but then suddenly, more gnolls sprang out from the forest and started to either join the battle, or run around the town throwing more torches and creating more chaos. (about a 60/40 split).

By now, the fire brigade has finished dowsing the tavern, and the fire has gone out, and cannot be set on fire again

[BlueInc]

Azan was far from the speech and only heard bits and pieces of it. When the darkness fell, a daze came over him. He sat down on the box and curled up into a ball. Though he shut his eyes tightly, the screams and the shouts and the smell of smoke seared into his mind.

He heard a voice he recognized.

Slowly, he realized that his sister was pulling on his arm, desperately trying to get him away from the chaos. He followed slowly, then regained his senses.

Taking a deep breath, he focused on the power within and around him. To fight the darkness, he needed...

"Light!"

Four balls of light began spinning around him, giving some illumination.

"Sis, wha-what happened?" He rubbed his eyes and moved a little faster.

[Welknair]

(Uh.. The darkness cleared. I don't think we need your light at the moment.)

Looked like the Gnolls were about to sign some sort of peace treaty. Then everything went all dark. When the light came back, the Gnoll leader was dead and whatshisface - whoever our new leader is, was covered in blood. From there fighting broke out. And someone set the tavern on fire. We need to get out of here to somewhere safe, and fast. But first we need to make sure that Mother is alright.

Aryka continues leading Azan towards Sada's house.

[stack]

Conrad keeps haranguing people into his bucket brigade, his stout legs and thick arms allowing him to trundle along with a bucket in each hand himself. Not much I can do to help the fighting, but I'll be cursed if I let these people burn.

Wish I had a proper war axe though.

[MichaelJCaboose]

By now, the gnolls have completely defeated the guards, and are now charging towards Thormod. Thormod sees this, takes out his sword, and prepares for his final stand.

The gnolls reach him, but they are easily defeated by Thormod. Although, soon Thormod gets swarmed by 15 gnolls, and is slowly taken down, and finally, is defeated. The gnolls let out a victory howl, and start to attack the commoners and peasents (along with throwing more torches).

Azan and Aryka made it to their house

[stack]

Conrad looks up from his work to see the growing rout. I don't know what's going on, but it's time to leave.

"Everyone run! The guards are down! Flee!" Of course, everyone runs faster than me.

He starts pushing people to leave, breaking up the bucket line. As he goes he stoops to grab the nearest weapon available.

[Welknair]

(I'm assuming Sada is home)

"Mother! We need to get out of here! The Gnolls are attacking, much of the town is in flames, and Thormod is likely dead by now. It's just a matter of time before the chaos reaches here. Come on!"

Aryka begins ushering Sada into grabbing her thins while she does the same.

"Calm down, calm down, Aryka. I've lived in this town my entire life and I don't intend to leave it now. Instead of fleeing, perhaps there's something more constructive we can do to help the situation," Sada says.

"But what can we do? We're no warriors."

"Since when do you have to be a warrior to help? There will be injured, whether we win or lose. Those injured will need attention. Azan, help me gather up my herbs. We're going to Cure some people. Aryka, in the back, on the second medicine shelf behind the yarrow, you'll find several stretchers I keep just in case of such an emergency. Go back out there and see if you can enlist the help of some of those burly men. Maybe that Half-Orc fellow. Try to bring as many injured as you can to the street out front. I'll do my best to aid them there. Now go, child."

Without saying a word, Aryka nods her head in understanding and runs back off towards the chaos.

(It was my impression that Sada was a low level Adept or Cleric with a maxed Heal. This means she'd likely be the medic in town...)

[Tyrael]

Hunkered down in a tiny corner inside Smithy's forge, Meekis curls into an even tighter ball and waits for the nightmare to be over as he listens to the screams and clash of steel outside.

[MichaelJCaboose]

The gnolls have have seemed to disappear from the streets, and many people look around worried. They then realise that this is their chance to flee, and many people quickly run to the exit road (about 30% of the population) only to face the gnolls. They blockaded the road, so the people try to run back, and some run into the forest. All of eventually come back to the road, as the gnolls have completely surrounded them, cutting off any chance for escape. Slowly they will all perish, one at a time.

The other people in the village are horrified, hearing their screams, and some try to run through the forest to eventually meet up with the road, but you'll never know if they succeeded.

[Welknair]

As Aryka nears the plaza, she passes citizens fleeing. Further down the road she can see the panick-stricken faces of those remaining. This doesn't look good.

Well... The combat has stopped for the moment. But it looks like the Gnolls are still around, blocking our escape. We're going to need some sort of diversion to get these people out of here. Perhaps Azan's light could come in use...? I'll have to tell him what's going on when I get back with the first batch of injured.

Aryka attempts to calm the people. She won't get any help moving the injured with the people in this state. Spying a stout Dwarf that seems to be more or less in charge, she approaches him.

"Master Smith, I need some help moving the injured down the main road to where Sada is going to be doing her best to tend to them. Do you think you could spare a few men?"

[stack]

Conrad tries to warn others against taking the road, but to little avail. He leads the few that will follow him through the unburnt section of town, hoping to make it South. He hands another man, Rafe, a hunter, the club he picked up and armed himself with the smith hammer he forgot was in his leather apron. Maybe we can break free in the confusion, get away from the road, eventually work our way to Thorncrest. "Come on, no time to waste!"

Going South, West of 8.

[Welknair]

Seeing the Dwarf ignore her, Aryka is somewhat irked. And follows after him.

"What is it that you intend to do? Surely you aren't thinking of fighting them, are you? That's suicide! There are wounded that need tending! Or if you intend to flee, at least take one not as strong as yourself with you."

[BlueInc]

Azan has followed Aryka soundlessly, clutching a bag of herbs to his chest like a life raft in the middle of the ocean. His eyes dart nervously around and his mouth opens and closes like he's about to scream but forgets. The smoke stings his nostrils and makes him cough painfully.

When his sister began scolding the dwarf, his mind snapped back to reality a little.

"Aryka? Aryka? We're not leaving without our mother, are we? And where's the big orc man? Mother said to find him."

[Welknair]

"I'm not sure. I was hoping this guy could help us out, but it looks like they're fleeing, leaving the rest of us behind. If there's one thing I'm sure about, it's that we aren't leaving Mother. We're going to find some way to help the injured and find some way to get everyone out of here. You haven't used your Lights today, have you? Perhaps they could come in use very shortly."


Rolling Perception to find burly men. Mostly Orc-dude. [roll0]
Rolling Diplomacy to convince them to help. [roll1]

[stack]

Conrad is snapped from hi thoughts by the youth. "What? Oh. Right."

He turns toward the men with him. "We have a breather. No gnolls here at the moment, so lets see to the wounded. Get anyone you can to the healer. Follow this one." He points to Aryka, then slings the first wounded person he finds over his shoulder and heads to Sada. What was I thinking, these people need a stout back.

[BlueInc]

Azan takes a stretcher from Aryka and lays on the ground beside an injured man. He props up the man's head with the bag of herbs and gets citizen to help him move the man towards the cottage.

[TrappedDoor]

Makoa shuddered. The world span and blurred. All around him. A low rumble echoed in his ears. Rising up through his chest and up his back the rumble turned to a roar. It burned through his skin.

No, that was the fire below him.

Returnin to his senses, the lanky half-orc scuttled backwards. The skin on his palms burning and peeling each time he pressed his hands on the shale roof. Running barefoot across the burning building. Each step pained him but he squared his jaw and ran.

Stumbling off the far edge of the building, he crashed to the ground with a CRACK and tumbled into the wall.

"KROLM!!!" His mind roared, the orcish word for fury brazening his spirit.

Loping forwards through the alleys, clutching a sack full of his only belongings tight to his chest, Makoa puffed as he scrambled for any sign of safety. He had lost the small Kobold, Meekis in his earlier confusion and was annoyed with himself.

Muttering under his breath Makoa ran as hard as he could.
"Krolm, krolm, krolm, krolm, krolm."

[TrappedDoor]

[Snip. Double Post.]

[Welknair]

"Thank you." Aryka nods at Azan.

She then begins directing the other men to move the injured to where Sada will be setting up. After the recruited individuals are going about it, Aryka runs to catch up to Smithy.

"So, you seem to be in charge now. Sorta. Do you have a plan on how to get these people out of here? I think our best bet is some sort of diversion. My brother, Azan, can make some lights, but I doubt that alone would be enough to distract the Gnolls long enough for us to make our escape."

[stack]

Conrad snorts. "Plan? Boy, I am a smith. I make horseshoes and sharpen kitchen knives. What do I know about fighting gnolls? I'm doing all I can to keep people alive." He shakes his head, shrugging heavy shoulders under the small weight of the wounded girl he had scooped up.

"Put you are right. We need to get out. There is enough smoke about from all these fires, should make it hard to spot what we do in the village. Maybe we can break for the forest, try to push to the neighboring villages, maybe get word to the fort."

His eyes brighten. "As for a diversion, the tavern had that liquor. The strong stuff. Should burn good. Not sure how to make that help though."

[Welknair]

"I'm a girl, thank you very much! But I do have an idea on how we can use that. First we need to lure as many as we can to the main road. We can do this by having our casters - I think some are still alive - cast whatever illusions they have to make the Gnolls think they're going to do something big. When they gather on the road, we'll roll the barrels of alcohol their way. We would have previously set up some sort of fuse on them. Or perhaps we could plant them near the road, out of sight? We'd need some way to detonate them though. Either way, once they go off, there will be all manner of chaos. Again. With any luck, we'll blow out a large number of them, and the remaining will scatter. That's when we'll make our escape. There'll likely still be a few left in the woods, but there's not much we can do about that. Everyone'll make a run for the woods, heading towards the fort. Since these people seem to be following you, you'd have to be the one to direct them through all this. If you don't think it's totally suicidal, that is."

(I know you're a dwarf, but I'm 17 and have a Charisma of 14. My gender should be pretty obvious.)

[stack]

whoops

Conrad shakes his head, then actually looks at the person addressing him for the first time. Smoke in my eyes.

"One problem lass. Strong spirits burn. No boom, just quick, hot flame. And if there is anyone about who can do any useful magic, why the blazes haven't they already? Besides, these people are following only because I'm moving. We ask them to stop and do anything fussy, they'll panic and fall apart."

"Maybe we're best just heading opposite the road and scattering. They can;t find us all in the wilderness. Get help, then collect the survivors. I don't see the time, materials, or skills to finagle fancy traps and ambushes."

[Welknair]

"It doesn't need to be anything big. I know for a fact there were a pair of low level Wizards in town this morning. All we need is a Silent Image. Make it look like they're doing something big. It doesn't actually have to be something big. Just something to get the Gnoll's attention. And scattering into the forest is suicide. They're waiting for us out there. These people are all frightened and many don't have the strength to run. I doubt a third of them would get out of that forest alive. We need every advantage we can get."

[stack]

"Have it your way then. I'll get the barrels moved, you try to find those wizards." He sets the wounded girl with the others waiting for treatment, then turns to the men with him. "Set the wounded here, then you three," pointing, "Come on to the tavern. We have a diversion to make." He trots off to begin the plan, with grave doubts.

[BlueInc]

Though his arms were straining from carrying his end of the stretcher, Azan was thinking hard about what his sister had said. A distraction... what would distract a Gnoll? Food? Prey? Loud sounds? None of it sounded that convincing.

They were kind of like dogs...maybe a strong smell?

He thought desperately of a plant with a noxious smell when it was burned.

[roll0] Profession(Herbalist) check to think of foul-smelling plants.

[Welknair]

"Thank you," Aryka says to the Dwarf.

Aryka goes about searching for those Wizards she was talking to earlier that day. It would be preferable if they were alive, of course.

Rolling Perception to find the Wizards, the first-level Wizards of Jamestown. [roll0]

[MichaelJCaboose]

Azan remembers that wolfsbane, while being poisonous, also gives off a horrible smell when burned.

Aryka finds the body of one wizard dead on the ground, and the other wizard cowering near an unburnt building (the one just to the left of 8)

[Welknair]

Remembering the size of most Wizards' egos, Aryka goes about trying to convince the surviving wizard to help.

"Hello, Powerful Mage. It would appear that your mighty arcane abilities are required to save these people. We have concocted an ingenious plan to distract the Gnolls, allowing us to make good our escape. Alas, the plan cannot work without you, O Spellcaster. All you must do to save the lives of all these people and earn their ever-enduring gratitude is to cast a simple illusion, drawing the attention of the Gnolls. What say ye?"

[BlueInc]

At his mother's house, Azan let the man down gently, then dug in his pack for wolfsbane.

Just one infusion...he was going to have to make it count.

He gave his mother a quick explanation of the situation, the sack of herbs, and a hug. He took a deep breath, then dashed back to the city to meet back up with Aryka

Perception to find Aryka [roll0]

[MichaelJCaboose]

Azan finds Aryka talking to an old person

The wizard says "I guess, it's kinda' convenient that you need an illusion, as I have studied that field for a very long time. What spell do you require of me, Fonkin the Magnificent?"

[Welknair]

"We need the largest illusion you can muster. We need it to look like you (and possibly a couple circle-member stand-ins) are about to cast something big to fry or debilitate the Gnolls. When the Gnolls come out to try to put a stop to it, we're going to set the road around them afire. So really, a spectacular light show is what is required for this course of action. I assume you can supply just such a display?" Aryka responds.

[MichaelJCaboose]

"Indeed I can, as I am Fonkin the Magnificent!" the wizard replies in a grandiose manner

[Welknair]

"Well then, Fonkin the Magnificent, perhaps we should get going?" suggests Aryka.

Aryka begins leading Fonkin towards where Smithy is hopefully setting up the barrels of spirits.

[TrappedDoor]

The smoke obscured most of his view, but Makoa continued to crunch one scarred foot in font of the other. Still muttering under his breath, the lanky half-orc shot between alleys and smashed through a small hedge as he finally saw his goal, the Smithy.

Running over the last gap between himself and safety, Makoa tripped. Somethnig had caught his foot and sent him sprawling. His belongings crashed to the ground and Makoa landed with a dull splat.

Rolling over Makoa looked back at his feet. The commoner girl with the blonde pigtails that had been so frightened of the monster from her stories lay sprawled at his feet. Her eyes were closed and she lay in a pool of blood and water, but Makoa could not see any wounds on her.

Makoa almost lost his head again. No he thought for a moment. As he kneeled, the ugly Half-Orc grabbed the girl by her arm and pulled her towards him. Slinging her over his shoulder he limped towards the smithy.

For some reason Makoa thought that a building that regularly held fire would be protected against more of it. Protection aside, he carried the girl up the steps and into the building, hoping to Saranrae that the flames would not lick at his back, or that the Gnolls would find him.

Once inside, Makoa lays the girl down in a corner and tries to find anything that might help him defend himself, help the girl, or help stop the smithy being damaged.
[roll0]

[Tyrael]

BAM!! As the smithy's door slams open and Makoa rushes in with the wounded girl, Meekis peers out cautiously from behind the enormous bellows by the forge. As he sees the lumbering half-orc, Meekis nearly collapses with relief.

"Makoa!" he chirps as he suddenly steps out into the open. "You're alive!"

[TrappedDoor]

Makoa jumps when the small Kobold jumps out. Bracing himself on an anvil he drops to the Kobolds height. He gives the small being a weary smile as he gestures him over.

"You know I don't get caught that easy Meekis. You hiding good?"

[Tyrael]

The masked "child" nods eagerly. "I thought Smithy's forge would be the safest place to hide," he explains. "Right now I'm just hoping none of those Gnolls come looking for survivors in here."

Eyeing the sodden bundle on the floor, Meekis asks, "Who's she?"

[MichaelJCaboose]

Makoa finds many blacksmithing tools that could be used in combat (5 improvised weapons, each one can only deal 10 damage, and then is broken), and the girl appears to have woken up

Fonkin tells Aryka "I think it would be a better idea if I stayed here, because it is very dangerous out there, and i'm not sure that I could withstand it."

[BlueInc]

Azan falls in step with the Aryka and the gnome. He quietly explains to her the use for the small glass vial he has in his hand. Though his heart is pounding like an angry drum, he's brimming with excitement at striking back at the gnolls.

[stack]

Conrad trudges back, a moderately sized cask on each shoulder. He is trailed by three men, each carrying another. "Well, where should we set these up?" He nods respectfully to the diminutive wizard, someone he knew of but had few dealings with.

[Welknair]

Aryka first focuses her attention on Fonkin "Oh Great and Powerful Fonkin, we sincerely require your aid! I assure you that you will be in less danger if you assist our plan than if you were to stay here. If you come with me, you will be surrounded by all those remaining that can still lift a weapon whereas staying here you could be ambushed by a stray gnoll. And I assure you that the plan is not at all dangerous to your person - The fire will begin long before they reach you. In fact, they'll begin the first second we see the gnolls. There's nothing to fear."

Rolling Diplomacy. [roll0]

After doing her best to persuade Fonkin, Aryka turns to her brother. "If you had that stuff, why didn't you mention it earlier? That's going to be a great addition. The smell should be able to confuse the gnolls that aren't ignited by the alcohol. Come with me, let's see how the smith is doing with those casks."

[BlueInc]

Azan hesitates, a little put down for being scolded. "Master Smith is right here. Shall we proceed with the plan?"

[Welknair]

"Sorry Azan, I didn't mean to rebuke you. Thank you for allowing us to use your herbs, these will help us immensely." Aryka gives Azan a smile.


"Ah, you're quite right, he's right there. Smith! How goes it?"

[stack]

He nods the the men following him. "This is what we have. All there was likely to burn at all. Let's get it set. Show us where you want it."

[Welknair]

"After thinking about it a bit more, I don't think we should go with the rolling. If they have a slow burn like you say, all we'd accomplish is a couple of casks with a bit of flame coming out of them rolling towards the Gnolls. Easy to dodge and wouldn't make the diversion we need. Instead, I think we should douse the road in it. As much as we can. Then we have a trail going off back to where we'll be with Fonkin (assuming he agrees) so we can ignite it when the Gnolls charge. We don't need the alcohol that far out, as the Gnolls are almost certain to charge up the road. This means we don't have to risk more lives by having good men venturing down towards the forest where the gnolls are waiting. So yeah. Long story short (TL;DR), it should be poured out over as large an area of the road as possible, with a small trail for ignition going up to where we'll be waiting."

At this point Aryka inhales after not breathing during the entirety of that.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Azan, if it's alright, we'll be wanting to lace your Wolfsbane in with the poured alcohol so it ignits when the alcohol does. Would you mind doing that?"

[TrappedDoor]

Makoa looks unsure of what to do. Handing Meekis a hammer and leaving the rest of them in a pile whithin reach he turns towards the girl. He keeps himself bent over, moreso than normal, to appear less threatening, however he just exacerbates the 'horrible-alley-dwelling-monster' image.

"Be quiet, whatever you do." Hee speaks in common.

[BlueInc]

Azan thinks carefully. "Why don't we put the Wolfsbane in one of the casks? We don't want to light it immediately - otherwise they might not come close at all to investigate. This way, the flames will draw the Gnolls' attention, and then the Wolfsbane will stop them from following the flames' source back to us."

[MichaelJCaboose]

"All right, I have decided that I will come along, but instead of leaving a trail of fire leading to us to light it, how about I cast a spell that will ignite the alcohol from a distance. It would be much more effecient." says Fonkin to Aryka

[Welknair]

"Sounds like a plan, Azan. I'll leave that to you."

"That should be fine, Fonkin, as long as said igniting spell has a flashy display or is preceded by a flashy display of some manner."

[BlueInc]

Azan motions to one of the men to put down one of the casks. With trembling hands he uncorks the vial of Wolfsbane and puts it gently into the container of alcohol.

"There," he murmurs.

Just this morning he was meditating peacefully in the undergrowth. Now he was hearing the screams of his neighbors in the distance and the triumphant, savage laughter of gnolls coming from buildings all over town.

"We should put our plan into action soon. Peoples' lives are at stake."

[stack]

"Right, if you have no more need of us, I'll gather everyone I can find near the smithy, get them ready for the break-out. You be following us close when you set your plan off. We won't have any time to waste." If it works at all.

After waiting a moment for objections, the dwarf turns and starts herding the other villagers toward the make-shift rally point.

[Tyrael]

Meekis grips the hammer uncertainly with both claws and falls silent, waiting breathlessly...

[Welknair]

Aryka goes about directing a couple of the remaining men to pour the alcohol, save for a little left in the cask containing the Wolfsbane. Hopefully the time it takes the wood to spread to the interior should be enough for the Gnolls to get close enough to be hit by the full effects.

It's time to see if this works.

[MichaelJCaboose]

Once all of the civilians are done pouring the alcohol onto the street, Fonkin casts a spell that creates an image of several wizards preparing to cast a spell. The gnolls see this, and run straight towards them, attempting to stop whatever spell they are casting. When the gnolls get close enough, Fonkin lets off a ball of fire, setting the pool of alcohol (and the gnolls) on fire. Slowly they burn away, and all that’s left is some of their equipment. Also, the remaining gnolls smell the burning wolfsbane, and retreat into the forest to get away from the horrible smell. Currently, there are no gnolls in sight anymore.

Fonkin comes back to the group and says "How was that?"

[stack]

"Hah, wonderful! I never thought it would work. Right, now we need to get everyone out while we have time. Everyone else is gathered at the smithy, let's go and get them moving." The dwarf turns to trot in that direction, feeling hopeful for the first time since the guards were overrun.

[Welknair]

Aryka cheers.

"You did it, Fonkin! We pulled it off!" Aryka gives Fonkin a brief hug, then runs after Smithy.

[BlueInc]

Azan stands dumbfounded for a moment, flushed with success. His mind whirs, trying to think of more things he could do to help. Pulling his shirt over his face to try to block out the smell, he walks over to the bodies of the gnolls, looking for anything useful they might be carrying.

After picking whatever items he can find off the bodies, another idea comes to him.

"Aryka! Master Dwarf! Why are we trying to leave town?" he says. "They're fleeing. Maybe we can gather up the survivors and prepare for any other attacks that might come."

[stack]

The dwarf shakes his head at Azan. "Everyone with any fighting skills is already dead or dieing. You think the gnolls will not come back 'cause of a bit of smoke and a bad smell? This is our only chance before they realize that we have nothing to use against them."

[BlueInc]

At first, Azan stares resolutely at the dwarf, searching for a stinging retort. He readjusts the items he gleaned off the gnolls uncomfortably. After a few moments, he realizes the truth in the smith's words.

Blushing, Azan lowers his head and follows.

[MichaelJCaboose]

Azan finds: 2 suits of leather armor fitted for gnolls, 100 gp, 3 battleaxes, 2 light wooden shields, a map (http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/1397/overviewb.png), and a pair of shackles

Fonkin says "Great", and follows the others towards the smithy (the rest of you made it there)

[stack]

As the others near the Smithy, Conrad comes out to help carry the gear. As they move he takes a look at the salvaged map. "If they marked it on the map, they are probably there. Let's break due West, into the wilderness."

[Tyrael]

A small masked child in a somber black robe and hat grips a blacksmith's hammer uncertainly with both hands as the rest of the group enters the little building. As the towering musclebound Dwarf enters, he gulps and drops the hammer to the floor.

"Oh! Mister Smithy!" he squeaks, trembling. "I-I wasn't taking anything, honest!"

[stack]

Conrad first scowls, then shakes his head smiling, the absurdity of the situation overcoming him. "Better hold on to that, it's time to move." He gestures out of the smithy to the small crowd.

[Welknair]

"Okay, is that everyone? Are we ready to make a break for it? We likely don't have much time before the Gnolls recover."

[Tyrael]

Meekis nods. "Let's get out of here!"

[MichaelJCaboose]

You all successfuly gather about 20 other people, and lead them into the forest, away from the town, and towards the main road. Along the way, you see a knoll limping away, trying to get back to the rest of his kind.

[stack]

Conrad ducks out of sight on the gnoll, motioning the others to take cover. Can't get caught now, we have to make it.

The thought of fighting never occurs to him as he stays ducked behind a large tree, screened by various undergrowth.

He whispers, hoarse from the days yelling and commotion. "Stay down, wait for it to pass."

[Welknair]

Aryka whispers in turn, "I concur. Though we could likely defeat a Gnoll in this condition, there is no reason to enter conflict if we can avoid it. Not to mention, there's likely others somewhere nearby, quite possibly in better condition. The sound of a struggle could draw them to us. Much better if we try to sneak by."


Rolling Stealth [roll0]

Aryka readies an action to Daze the Gnoll if it shows any sign that it's spotted them.

[Tyrael]

"That thing's a monster!" Saren gasps. "Don't provoke it!"

[MichaelJCaboose]

The wounded gnoll hears Aryka tromping behind him, and turns around only to be blasted by daze and is dumbfounded

[stack]

Conrad curses to him self under his breath, then rushes forward, smith hammer high. "Take it down, quickly, or we'll have all of them on our heads!"

charge gnoll (if possible)
attack [roll0] +2 if charging
damage [roll1]

[Welknair]

Aryka looks around for any other Gnolls in the immediate area, hoping that the sound of the loud dwarf won't attract more.


Rolling Perception [roll0]