Keep the Keep, Game 2: Golden Ladybug vs SlyJohnny

[Gandariel]

Legends will begin from this day.
A story of ruthlessness, money, power and glory is beginning in this very moment.
King Wallace is at war with the reign of Wilbur the Vile, and the war is taking up all their men and their resources.
After a year of fighting, sir Wilbur the Vile concoted a plan.
he forged an alliance with the rebellious barbarian tribes of the West, that they would be given land and money, if they would help crush king Wallace's reign.

a messenger has just rushed in King Wallace's palace, yelling: a HORDE of people is a approaching from the West!
The army is away, and the troops at bay scarce.
The King, though, has an idea.
He knew of a powerful wizard, living in a cave somewhere, who could be powerful enough to fend off the incoming army.
His eternal gratitude and what's left in the king's Treasury are offered in exchange of his services.

Our story begins as the army has finished resting, and is ready to leave towards the Keep, 10 or 12 hours away.
The Wizard has just got in the keep, as the few people living there look at him in awe

[SlyJohnny]

The Warlord looked out over his men as they finished applying their face paint, attaching arrowheads to arrow shafts, and screamed and wrestled with one another. Gradually the furor died down, and they began to march in relative silence. This was a serious matter, going to war always was. And what a war! With such a being! It would be like fighting the highest of angels.

He knew his men were going to suffer terribly. He wondered if they were ready for the manifold horrors that would befall them, the imaginative displays of raw arcane power expected from Teridir that would snuff out lives before they could even comprehend the glory of what was happening to them. He shuddered at the thought of the devastation and misfortune that was to befall his soldiers.

He loved this man Teridir for it. They all did. Magic was impossible and strange and wonderful; it was to be worshipped and respected. Those abominations that could wield such powerful magic with such profligacy were viewed with awe, as both heathens and archangels.

Many would die here today. But they would die gloriously, their souls consumed by magical power, and acheive a oneness with the universe that noone who had the misfotune to grow old and frail and die sleeping would ever attain. And Teridir would die, too, and in the fires of his death, he would forge something great. The disparate tribes that the Warlord had brought together would know how mighty they had become. They would claim his magic, and know that they were all holy crusaders. Perhaps they would forge a statue of Teridir and he would join their pantheon, his name spoken of in hushed whispers around camp fires forever more, his memory immortal.

The half-orc berserker standing next to the Warlord beamed at him, flashing teeth filed down to points and brandishing his handaxe, unaware he was looking at the chief warlord of the entire horde. The Warlord beamed back. The army moved on, in the formation they had practiced and drilled at for so long. They were barbarians, proudly, but they were disciplined, and clever in their cheerful nihilism.

Yes, many were going to die today. And it was good.

[Golden Ladybug]

The Old Man stood at the balcony of this lonely castle, staring at the approaching Horde with tired eyes over the wisps of Fog he had conjured. He had no desire to die here today, but if he was going to, he would not fall down into the hells without taking those bastard with him.

He whistled quietly, through his teeth, feeling the breath of the Invisible "Wolf" by his side. Tom hadn't been easy to aquire, but the Old Man had bonded part of his soul into the darkness of the Demons, and that made him loyal and dependable. And useful too. Over the years, the Old Man had found many uses for the Quasit's ability to ask questions of dark beings...

"Excuse me, sir, may I ask you a question?" The Old Man turned, saw a young boy, barely old enough to shave, dressed in the garb of the Keep's permanent Staff, wringing a hat between his hands.

"Go right ahead, my boy. Its much better to ask questions than to try and think of the answers on your own" The Old Man replied, loping away from the balcony towards the youngster. This close, the Old Man could see that the boy was sweating, probably from fear.

"I just want to know whether we have a chance, sir. Can you save us from those savages down there?" The boy asked, a plea of desperation clear in his eyes.

The Old Man turned away, grinning maniacally.

"Oh, I'll do more than just save you..."

The Battle would begin soon, and the Horde would smash itself upon the hillside, engulfing everything in its path. The odds seemed to be stacked in the enemies favour, but that didn't scare the Old Man. He had made a career of winning against impossible odds, and he wasn't ready to lose yet.

[Gandariel]

For Everyone: There have been A LOT OF delays, but we can continue now =)

We began the game at time 0; Horde was 11 hours away from Keep.
7 hours have passed from the beginning of the game.
4 hours until the Horde arrives

Wizard's side:
The Mad Wizard, as his followers have begun to call him, has cast his wide array of spells, and is now resting.
His followers are doing their best to finish in time their mansion, and they're more or less two hours from finishing.They've been working starting from the lowest trenches, and they're working their way up from there.

Unfortunately one of Teridil's spells in particular, Move Earth, has taken up four hours, and he isn't ready for the battle yet. However, he feels confident about his defences being strong enough to resist the onslaugh.


Horde side:
While the Horde slowly marches, still four hours away from reaching the Keep, the few bold advance scouts make rapidly their way towards their objective.
Finally, after an exhausting run, they get in sight of the keep, but they immediately notice one thing: the whole hill is covered by a layer of fog, which doesn't let them see anything particular about the Hill.
Moreover, they see a 10-foot tall block of earth at the foot of the hill, which seems to surround the whole hill.
They're quite baffled at the sight, but the coordinates are correct.
It's a mage we're talking about, what did you expect? we're lucky there's something! murmurs one of the most expert scouts

[SlyJohnny]

GM/Spectators:

Skazz fiddled with one of his tusk-like fangs as he looked down at the keep, his scarred and eternally frowning face masking the battle of emotions he was experiencing. In one respect, this mission was tantamount to suicide. But from another, it was a chance for glory greater than any the horde was likely to see. If they really could catch this wizard off guard... why, they could aid this war without a single ballista shot.

He turned back to Nok, the chieftain of the halfling sappers he and his men were carrying. The halfling was nestled stock still against the half-orc's pack, his plain earthy fabrics and skintone aiding his concealment. Somewhat ruining the efforts of concealment were the chieftain's head dress, a crown made of the multicoloured plumage of some foreign jungle bird. Nok returned the stare, sniffing from a nose almost obstructed by the ornamental bone piercing it.

Skazz murmured, "We here, but castle is in mist. Don't know what's in there."

Nok nodded to show he understood, but said nothing.

Skazz continued "Charge, then, but in two groups. And... stay hidden until something happens."

The men looked out over the periphery of the fog, spending several minutes studying it and contemplating their task. They ride through the forest and plains around the perimeter of the keep, not close enough to be seen, but to make sure that there were no large-scale traps or ambushes that the horde was going to walk into; paying close attention to the predicted passage of the larger horde.

With this sweep complete, assuming the cost is clear, Skazz directs a half-orc long spearman to ride back to the horde and deliver a report. The halfling that was riding with him drops down into the foliage, and then with a rustle of leaves is gone; he will sneak around to make absolutely sure there are no nasty surprises awaiting them, and deliver a report to the horde when it arrives.

That business concluded, with the halflings concealing themselves behind the travel packs worn by the half-orc and elven riders, Skazz calls the order to charge. He leads the first group himself, splitting his force into two: the other 49 horses ride about half a minute behind him.

There is no mighty war cry uttered at the charge, just a kind of nervous anticipation as their horses race towards their destiny. Skazz hopes the halflings won't be spotted, and whatever sacrifice his little band makes to distract from their infiltration is worth it. Maybe the wizard couldn't see through the fog either; maybe their early, stealthy infiltration wouldn't be noticed until they were upon the gates. Some part of Skazz silently doubted that was likely.

[Golden Ladybug]

The Old Man snored in his chambers, cheerfully resting as the staff of the keep bustled around worrying about the oncoming assault. Tom and George had their instructions, and barring something unfortunate happening, all would be well.

The Old Man dreamed; he was sitting on a boat with a single orange and an Echidna. How bizarre...

DM/Specators:

When the main body of the horde comes into view (the Top Layer of the Keep is unobstructed by Fog, so my Staff can see out of it, and George the Large Air Elemental is in the air somewhere, being an Elemental, so he'd see them when they arrived with little trouble), George will fly over their main body and descend upon them in his Whirlwind Form, begining the assualt described in his Tactics Entry:


Tactics: Geogre enters the battle by using his Whirlwind ability to crash through the back of the enemy lines, dropping down on them in Whirlwind Form, using his 200ft double move to keep going over the top of them until they were sucked up into the funnel. Multiple DC16 Reflex Saves per round is going to have most people fail at least once.

This Whirlwind lasts for four rounds, and on the last round, George uses his second move action to fly straight up 100ft where the Whirlwind ends (dropping any unfortunate enough to be stuck in there 100ft). He follows those below him, moving up out of range of any projectiles as soon as possible, and 10 minutes later, George becomes a whirlwind again and descends upon any Horde Members in range.

Once the Horde manages to reach the bottom of the hill, George will continue Whirlwinding them from there, but from that point onwards will stay in that area, rather than following the Horde. As before, a Whirlwind every 10 minutes, if there are any in range.

If any reach the choke point at the top of the hill, George descends down and uses his Slam attacks to fight the Horde Members, returning to his Whirlwinding when the threat is removed.

When the Siege Engines I'm assuming the Horde Possesses reaches the 10ft blocks, Tom the Familiar will fly out towards them, invisibly, in Quasit Form carrying the collection of Feather Tokens (Tree). Positioning himself so that the trees cover the maximum area of Siege Engine and Horde Members possible, he will activate the feathers one by one, dropping Trees on their Army.

Now, it is 60ft tall, 5ft wide at the base of the trunk and 40ft wide at the very top, and I'd estimate that the top 15-20ft would qualify for the top height. I'd assume that the Trees would be dropped so that the Trunk crushes the Siege Engine, and the Canopy lands on the peoples.

However, if the Sieges are arranged so that they are close enough for a Single tree to destroy more than one of them if dropped lengthways, that is prioritised, even if it would cause minimal casualties.

Now, a quick check on Wikipedia tells me that the weight of a White Oak tree is


weight of one cubic foot, 46.35 lbs

and while I won't pretend to know my Maths well enough to determine how many Cubic feet there are in a 60ft.5ft.20ft Oak Tree, I can make an approximation. For every 5ft of Tree, there is 231lbs (rounded down) of tree.
60ft of tree yields 13905lbs of weight, with whatever the canopy weighs added on top of that (since its mostly leaves and branches, it likely weighs significantly less), but I'll leave that off for now.

Now, consulting the Falling Object rules, the tree would deal 89d6 points of damage (20d6 from maximum height fallen [200ft] and 69d6 from wieght [13905/200]), or an average damage of 311 (I think), with no attack roll or save to avoid, as long as there are within the squares that the Tree is falling into.

If there are no siege engines to drop these onto, I'll just do it with the main body of the army.

[SlyJohnny]

Reflex saves. NB: Rolls do not individually include modifiers.

Elven Commoners:[roll0]
Spearmen: [roll1]
Longspearmen: [roll2]
Horses:[roll3]

[SlyJohnny]

GM

60 of the halflings dismount and slink away into the grass, coming at the keep from the rear and sides, aiming to approach the keep from hiding.

Two riders perform a circuit of the keep, while 20 men and their halfling passengers ride directly towards the mound of dirt, dismount, and gingerly begin to clamber up it. The halflings move with agility and stealthy precision, tied together with ropes, while the elves and half-orcs move more obviously and clumsily, calling to each other in the mist.

The rest of the men watch nervously, reining their horses in as the advance scouts pick their way through the mist.

[Gandariel]

Horde side: The ones who were sent to circle the Keep find, unfortunately, that the block of earth is in fact all around the Hill.

Helping each other, your men manage to climb over the mass of earth.
As they look around, they're sure: it's a mage's work.

the mass of earth is not wide, measuiring only ten feet.
As they look around, they realize it's some sort of thin "ring" of earth around the Hill.
They realize that this was likely done to prevent siege engines from coming too close, and for slowing down the Horde
Because of the mist it's very difficult to see around, but the men see that the drop is only ten feet from their position.

Wizard side: As the mage rests, the few people who are not finishing the trenches watch around, and after a while they do manage to see a small incoming force. Horsemen, maybe a hundred of them.
So early? i thought we would have some more time...

[Golden Ladybug]

The Old Man rises from his bed, one of the labourers he had hired shaking him bodily

"Sir, the Horde...its nearly here" The Labourer told him "Little Yan saw a group of Horsemen riding towards us, from the West"

"Well" The Old Man replied, getting to his feet and shrugging his robe on, arranging his hat so that it stood just so on his head "That's that"

The Old Man walked over to a Wolf that lounged at the doorway to his bedroom, and addressed the animal "Get Geogre. Tell him to begin"

Gandariel:

Okay, I'm gonna sic my Air Elemental on those Horsemen. If they're scouts, they won't get back to tell the main group anything.

MwahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[Zanzanar]

GM and spectators only
So what happens if George does kill all of these guys? That would be a metagame knowledge problem, since they've already done some scouting. Plus, the horde shouldn't know about the elemental if there are no survivors from the scouts.

[Gandariel]

Zanrazar: It's like 15 minutes from dawn right now, and it's all kinda dark.
The (few) guards on the Keep didn't see them at first.
(i rolled some Spot checks beforehand, but they don't matter much since there are stupid rules for distance modifiers)
Anyway, they saw the men just as they reached the Keep.
Between the time the guards saw the knights and the time the Wizard was awoken and gave his orders, the Horde people have done what SlyJohnny said in his post:
Some of his men have climbed the (first) block, two are currently circling the Hill, and the rest has divided and is trying to "flank" the Keep.

What's wrong with it? when George will get there more time will have passed.


Golden Ladybug:The exhausted man adds: We're not sure where they are, sorry.
We just saw them coming, but i'm not sure what direction they went.. it's still dark after all.

[SlyJohnny]

GM

The men continue to climb as the halflings slip up through the mist. Those watching from afar eye the mist nervously, their horses champing the grasses beneath them.

[Gandariel]

SlyJohnny:I might have not explained myself properly:
Your men have climbed a 10-foot "wall of earth" circling the hill.
Now they're on top of it. They might want to get down from the other side (a 10 feet drop).

[SlyJohnny]

GM

The halflings confidently and efficiently climb down, tethered to each other in groups of 10 on their leaf-covered silk ropes. They continue to conceal themselves as best they can, and immediately mount the opposite wall to climb up.

The half-orcs and elves are more hesitant. Longspearmen probe the ground below, checking that it's firm and unoccupied, while others extend their longspears across the gap, leaning over it with a comrade holding them from behind, seeing if there's a wall within 15 feet across.

Assuming it's safe down below, the elves will lower the half-orc's down by their arms and then release them, so that they drop harmlessly for the last 4 or so feet to the ground. Then they will clamber down themselves.

((Would the Climb DC for a wall made of sod be 10 or 15? Also, I think I get the layout you're describing, but I may need a graphical illustration if what's going on here transpires to be any more complicated than either "Dirt walls followed by trenches followed by higher dirt walls followed by deeper trenches, forming a series of 10-foot wide concentric circles around the keep which is in the middle" or "Dirt wall followed by trench surronding a hill shaped like a rising ziggurat with a keep on top".))

[Gandariel]

SlyJohnny:
The fog had fooled your men, and they understand it when the first halflings, with their ropes, get down from the pile of earth; Because of the dense fog they can only see 10 feet away, and it is a wise move to have the halfling go down first, as they discover that the drop, while harmless and without perils, is actually 20 feet.
The halflings get down safely, while the rest is a bit hesistant.


The halflings get down with Use Rope(sounds pretty easy to do, i didn't even bother rolling), while the rest will have to jump down or something;
I have to houserule this a bit:
Technically the damage would be 2d6 nonlethal.
doing what you said (having one lower the others down by their arms and then release them) will take longer but the damage will only be 1d6 (avoidable with successful Tumble or Jump check)

The halflings look ahead, and see another wall in front of them. It's 20 feet tall. i HATE wizards!
(The second wall is 20 feet tall only from their position, it's actually only 10 feet tall from "ground level", ie the two walls encountered by now are the same height from ground level.)

Note that you're not in the hill yet. the ground is still plains.
from what you can imagine/expect, it's a series of concentric circles.
Quick drawing of what you see Here (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/keepthekeep.gif/)

Is there another way to post images?


Golden Ladybug:

Where do you want your Elemental to go? a group of horseback men were seeing arriving from the west. You have a more or less precise position of where they arrived. They have likely moved from there, anyway.

[SlyJohnny]

GM

The halflings clamber on ahead.

The half-orcs are lowered down first. They kick their feet into the dirt wall, making makeshift handholds to lower themselves down (( [roll0] failure by -5 or more means a fall. One success is enough to get to the point where they can just drop.))

Once they are down, they raise their arms, ready to catch the elves if they fall down, or help them down if they make it on their own.

(( [roll1] failure by -5 or more means a fall. One success is enough to get to the point where they can just drop down and take no damage. Half-Orcs will make touch attacks at +2 to catch them if they fall, elves will relinquish dex bonus.))

Once they too are down, the elves let the half-orcs onto their hands and clamber onto their shoulders, then climb the short distance remaining to the top on the other side. The half orcs are poised to catch them should they fall.

((Lifted 5 feet or so up, climbing 7.5 feet or so a round.

[roll2] first climb check
[roll3] second climb check ))

When the half-orcs reach the top, they lower down the hafts of their longspears for the elves to grab on their way up.

(( [roll4] first climb check, no damage for failure
[roll5] second climb check, failure by -5 or more means a fall. Anyone who stalled on their first Climb check will make touch attacks to catch fallers from the second.))

The elves and half-orcs call out what they are seeing to the other horsemen, and chatter to each other, in the way that people do when cooperating on a physically strenuous task. The halflings move in complete silence. Those halflings still waiting on the other horses will drop down into the grass and start crawling towards the mist from all directions.

[Golden Ladybug]

DM:

I'll send Geogre to where they were, and if they've moved, he'll probably see where they've gone (unless they went into the Fog or something).

If he can See them, he'll head towards them and start the Whirlwind attack.

[Gandariel]

Golden Ladybug: George swiftly flies towards the direction it had been indicated, and sees a group of men on horseback. Immediately he flies towards them, showing no piety.

OOC: you don't have to answer, i have to see what are the Horde's reactions before initiating the actual fight.

SlyJohnny: The men who were assigned to stay in position, after several minutes of fear, hope, and alertness, are presented with a sight.
A Large being is flying, with enormous speed, towards them, directly from the Keep.
Behind it, the first sun rays can be seen, and the elemental creature's sight is even more impressing and fearful.

Holy sh.. what can we do now?
we're doomed!
Wait, what was the plan for flying enemies?
Bring it, stupid air thing!

The creature is moving very quickly towards them (400 feet/round) and your men have two turns for preparing/fleeing/whatever you want.
How many exactly are they? i'm not sure i got it right

[SlyJohnny]

((40 elven commoner longbowmen, 19 half-orc commoner spearmen, and 18 half-orc commoner longspearmen.))

A tall, dark-skinned elf with an eyepatch calls to the others, "Dismount and spread out! We need to find out if this thing can be harmed. Remember, those who die by magic, die with the greatest honour!" And we need to buy the halflings time to get into the castle. he thinks.

The elves dismount and ready their arrows and the orcs move in front of them to protect them. They spread out so they're all 40 feet away from each other, and back away after firing. The orcs adopt a crescent formation in front, pointing towards their enemy.

They back away to maximise the time until the elemental gets to them, so they can pick when to take their shots.

(( Firing once at 400 feet (+2 dex, but -8 due to distance, only Natural 20's hit)[roll0]

Firing again at 100 feet (NB: Rollv function does not automatically add bonuses to each roll. Assuming an AC of 20, rolls of 18 and above hit. Will roll to confirm any crits in my next post.)

[roll1] ))

[SlyJohnny]

4 hits, damage:

Natural 20:
[roll0] Rolling to confirm, 18 or more needed: [roll1] -5 DR

Other three hits:

[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

[Gandariel]

Golden Ladybug: I am going to take the role of the Elemental, because you're not supposed to know what it sees and does.
Please, though, tell me what is his plan. Get there, then Whirlwind, then fly up, right?

SlyJohnny: Is this a correct description of your formation?http://dl.dropbox.com/u/65094048/Formation.jpg

[SlyJohnny]

((I'd like to spread the half-orcs thinner so they're covering the front, doubling the archers up into a box or stubby t-formation if necessary. But otherwise, yeah, that's it.))

[Golden Ladybug]

Reach the Attackers, turn into a Whirlwind and drop to ground level (or ~1ft above it), then use its not inconsiderable fly speed to go back and forth over the horsemen, and any other enemies that might appear.

Once the Whirlwind is about to run out, Geogre will fly away from its foes. Even with DR, I don't really want to have Geogre fighting against people when he can be harmed, at least not until things are desperate.

Leave no Survivors :smalltongue:

[Gandariel]

SlyJohnny:
I'm going to direct the fight, obviously.

You can't have all of your men be 40 feet apart from each other.
I'm going to assume that they were more or less close to each other at first (which is reasonable) and that the orcs were in front of the archers (reasonable).

While your half-orcs did nothing but dismount in those two rounds, your archers shot twice, and dismounted on the first round, so they have one move action to actually move, which means they have 30 feet of movement. (unless they succeed on the DC 20 check to dismount as a free action).
assuming they were 5-10 feet away from each other at first, they can try to move away from each other, but they WON't be 40 feet from each other.

The drawing i made is not very precise, but should give a quick representation.

This is the formation at the beginning:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/65094048/Formation-1.jpg
(yes, i know 7x6 is 42, but i don't need it to be perfect :P )


And this is the formation at the end:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/65094048/Formation-2.jpg

I'd say Archers are 15 feet away from each other. (20 in diagonal)
and Half-Orcs are 25 feet away from each other.

If you have no objections we can start! =)

[SlyJohnny]

I kind of pictured them a little further apart to begin with. My first post said they stand spread out as an SOP unless I state otherwise. But it's all good. These guys aren't going to do much else than die bravely however much they're spaced. Ready to begin :)

[Gandariel]

SlyJohnny: The creature, without slowing down, begins turning into a huge Whirlwind, as the howling of the winds deafen everyone. The creature moves swiftly, and some of the men believe they see his eyes, flaming with rage, as he passes through your ranks.
The Elemental passes through a line of half orcs, attempting to catch them in its path, and then moves for the archers.

5 Half-orcs and 8 Archers are hit in the whirlwind's path.
The Elemental is now in the bottom right of your archers.
Saves! =)

[SlyJohnny]

Readied Actions:
Longspearmen attack [roll0]
Miss chances vs total concealment, low is a miss for each attack: [roll1]

Saves vs DC 16:
Half-Orc longspearmen: [roll2] vs damage, [roll3] vs being suspended
Elven Archers: [roll4] vs damage, [roll5] vs being suspended

[SlyJohnny]

Three Half-Orc longspearmen damaged and suspended:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

One not damaged and suspended, one not damaged and not suspended.

One elven archer not damaged or suspended.

2 damaged, not suspended:
[roll3]
[roll4]

5 damaged and suspended:
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]

The surviving archers cry out, spreading as far away from the creature and each other as they can, maximizing the amount it has to move to get them. They snap off more desperate shots from their longbows.[roll10]

The twelve half-orc spearmen roar, and then charge to within 30 feet of the whirwind (formation looks like a box without corners), hurling their spears at the upper part not concealed by the swirling dust.

The few surviving longspearmen back away, trying to shield the archers as best they can. Some of them stare in awe at their comrades bodies as they whirl around, slamming into each other, caught in the whirlwinds cruel embrace.

[roll11]

(( Stabilization rolls for those that were damaged but not suspended, over 90 good: [roll12] ))

[SlyJohnny]

Damage for 4 longbows:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

and 2 thrown spears:

[roll4]
[roll5]

I am assuming all the spears are lost in the whirlwind now, is that correct?

[Gandariel]

SlyJohnny: The monstrosity, still mostly uhnarmed, quickly sweeps through your twelve Half-Orcs, and then moves to catch more archers.

Since the brave Orcs were mostly near him, he manages to move quite a bit, picking up all of them and five achers he could reach.

P.s. sorry for the delay

[SlyJohnny]

The half-orcs try to roar above the roaring of the wind as they are scooped up to meet their destiny among their own spears and other debris.

[roll0] to avoid damage
[roll1] to avoid being suspended

The archers scatter as the whirlwind sweeps through them again.

[roll2] to avoid damage
[roll3] to being suspended

((Stabilization rolls for earlier two archers that were damaged but not suspended, over 90 good: -6, [roll4] -5, [roll5] . I'm going to assume that everyone that's actually stuck in the whirlwind is dead, as we're unlike to kill it and they'll all take more then 12 damage. Attacks/damage to come.))

[SlyJohnny]

((Half orcs:
1 not damaged, suspended. He'll desperately grab up a spear and throw it: [roll0] to hit.
3 damaged, not suspended. [roll1] [roll2] [roll3]))

The archers scatter as the whirlwind sweeps through them again.

1 not damaged, not suspended.
2 damaged, not suspended. [roll4] [roll5] . If either of them only take 2 damage, they'll take shot before collapsing. [roll6]))

They fire again, trying to weaken the beast as much as they can before they succumb.

The few remaining half-orc longspearmen back off again, but a shorter distance away from the archers, prepared to defend them.

[roll7]

Three hits.

[SlyJohnny]

3 longbow hits:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Stabilisation rolls for wounded, unsuspended half-orcs, 90+ is good: -8 [roll3] -9 [roll4] -6 [roll5]

Stabilisation rolls for wounded, unsuspended elves -8 [roll6] -8 [roll7]

The other part of the force continues to climb, even as their enemy tears apart their comrades behind them. They take advantage of this distraction to gain ground.

[Gandariel]

SlyJohnny:
the brave men who are still alive are watching a carnage:
The Elemental picks up men without concern for anything, draining them in the vortex, and screams can be heard from the ones caught in it.

The being says some words in a deep, thunderous voice; None of your men understand them, but they're all sure of its meaning;

Some dead warriors are ejected from the being as it moves swiftly towards your troops.
First, it moves towards the half orcs, with blinding speed and tries to swallow them all in its path;

The twenty remaining archers have managed spread a bit, however the elemental is incredibly faster than them(200 ft for double move >>30), managing to catch three more in its path.

So,
All dead bodies are ejected (not very important, but still).
all longspearmen are picked up, as well as three archers.
I suppose your longspearmen were readying an attack action?

[SlyJohnny]

Stabilisation rolls
Elves -7, -6, -8, -8: [roll0] high is good

Half-orcs, one drops to -10 and dies, others: -9, -7 [roll1]

The half orcs frantically stab at the creature as it rolls towards them. [roll2] Miss chances, high is good: [roll3]

Saves vs damage [roll4]
Saves vs suspension[roll5]

Elves:

Saves vs damage [roll6]
Saves vs suspension [roll7]
The elves continue to fire even as more of their number are enveloped. [roll8]

[SlyJohnny]

Stabilisation results:
One elf unconcious and stabilised at -7. One half-orc bleeds out and dies.

Half orcs: Two longspear hits, [roll0] [roll1]

2 not damaged, suspended. Will grab spears and throw, hitting only a natural 20: [roll2] [roll3]

1 damaged, not suspended. [roll4] Stabilisation: [roll5]

Elves: Two longbow hits, [roll6] [roll7]

1 not damaged, and suspended. Will frantically take a shot, hitting only on a natural 20: [roll8], [roll9]

[SlyJohnny]

((Rerolling the to-hit for the spearthrower. [roll0] Elemental takes another 7 damage this round, or 13, if that roll is a 20. All half-orcs will be dead or dying as of it's next action (they only have 1hp and take 2d6 damage), leaving 17 elven commoners standing.))

[Gandariel]

SlyJohnny: Your hits are beginning to scratch and hurt the creature, as it makes its way between your ranks.
Again, it drops any dead weight and goes for your terrorized archers. Ten of them are hit by the Elemental, as it howls and the wind becomes more and more terrible.

Goledn Ladybug: Sorry for the delay, this is the last round, you'll have info soon =)

[SlyJohnny]

As more then half their number are taken up by the beast, some of the elves shout with joy, and others begin to experience a certain crisis of faith, a belief that maybe death isn't as glorious as all that.

To avoid damage: [roll0]
To avoid suspension: [roll1]

The beleaguered survivors again scatter, snapping off shots where they can. One archer elects not to fire at all, his courage breaking, and instead runs to catch the nearest horse and ride away...

[roll2]

Stabilisation:
Elves -7, -9, -9: [roll3]

Half-orcs -3, -8 [roll4]

[SlyJohnny]

Two not damaged but suspended. Attacking: [roll0] [roll1]
Three not damaged or suspended. Attacking: [roll2] [roll3]
Three damaged, not suspended. Damage sustained: [roll4], [roll5], [roll6] Stabilisation rolls: [roll7]

2 initial Longbow hits: [roll8] [roll9]

Stabilisation results:
One elf stabilises at -9. Another dies.

No damage to elemental this turn.

[Gandariel]

SlyJohnny: The howling of the winds is suddenly stopped.
The men who were shaken and thrusted in the air now are dropped to the earth, as the being ceases the transformation it had undergone.

As the noise and winds are decreasing, the being looks at the few men who still stand, with rage and anger, then turns back and flies away, so fast that the eye can't see him.

OOC: Whirlwind form finished, the elemental Runs away. you can throw one rounds of arrows to it, then it'll be too far away.

[SlyJohnny]

GM:

The elves fire more arrows at the retreating creature, stunned they are still alive. The one that was fleeing also turns to do so, hoping none of his comrades noted his lack of dedication.

[roll0]

Stabilization rolls, 90+ good: Elves: -8 -7 -7 -8, Half orcs: -4 -9

[roll1]

((Will post more actions if nothing else happens next round. Note that everyone else is still climbing away. Sorry for the delay, life got too busy for this kind of number crunching. ))

[SlyJohnny]

GM:

2 hits: [roll0], [roll1] 3 damage done to elemental this round.

Stabilization results: Elves -9 -8 -8 -9, Half orcs -5, one dead

[Gandariel]

Dawn.

Golden Ladybug: George returns, after about a minute.
he has taken a few minor hits, but he fares well (will edit how many hp he's exactly spent. 15-20, more or less).
He communicates that he found 60 or so enemies, mostly archers. As you asked, he used his Whirlwind ability and ran towards the ranks of the enemies, who were trying to maximize the distance between them.
Anyways, he managed to kill most of them, leaving no more than 10 alive.
at the end of his Whirlwind ability he returned instantly, though he thought he could have killed those stubborn mortals.


SlyJohnny:
The creature leaves, and in a moment you can't see it anymore. the only sounds in the air are now the cries of the wounded and the deep breathes of those who are still alive.
Also, the elementals apparently didn't see either the men in the mist or the others who are going around the hill.
(Soon to come info. On the climbing guys)

[Golden Ladybug]

"Unfortunate that you didn't, my friend. If you'd managed to destroy that company completely, we'd have been able to keep you a secret for a little longer. Oh well, can't be helped, and you did well to kill as many as you did"

The Old Man motioned for some of his staff over, and gave him some instructions, before sending him away. The Air Elemental was one of his best assets, especially in these hours when he would be unable to cast any spells or assist with the defences directly. But, he had to be careful; the Elemental had been wounded by the Archers of the Horde, and he would be most displeased if George was killed in this conflict; he had made an oath to the Elemental, and he stuck by his word.

The Butler returned, and the Old Man took the items he had sent the man to retrieve.

Teridir gives three Potions of Cure Light Wounds, collected from the Butlers, to George, and instructs him to drink

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

He then tells George that when the main body of the Horde arrives, rather than attacking immediately, to wait for his signal.

Finally, he tells George to fly out and monitor the progress of the Horde, but fly far enough away that he would be difficult to see (say, 1000ft above them?) and monitor them. If they try anything tricky, I want him to come back and tell me.

The Horde is really big (hence the name), so the Spot Check to see it when it isn't actively hiding would be very low, if not automatic. However, being 1000ft away with a cumulative -1/10ft would mean they would need to roll higher than I assume any of them would be able to do so to detect George
If he is seen, by some miracle, he is to return back immediately, and not attack them under any circumstance

Meanwhile, I'll have Tom the Quasit flying Invisibily with him, only about 100ft up for him, and looking more closely at whats going on. He is to locate, if possible, any siege engines, where the Clerics are, and where the Chieftain is. Once he finds these things out, or deems them impossible to know, he is to return immediately. If he is somehow detected, he is to escape, which will be his first priority.

[SlyJohnny]

((The creature leaves how, exactly? It flies up vertically until I can't see it any more, or it disappears as if teleporting or similar, or after flying up out of range, it flies back towards the keep?))

[SlyJohnny]

((Need a rules clarification. What happened to the two guys who caught in the whirlwind last round, but had saved vs damage? I'm unclear on when exactly the 2d6 automatic damage for being suspended in the whirlwind kicks in; I've been assuming it happens on the air elementals initiative, but did they take 2d6 damage from that round of being suspended, before the whirlwind fizzled out and dropped them, or did the whirlwind fizzle out before they took that rounds worth of automatic damage? If the latter, how high up were they before they were dropped? I'll tend to them first, if they were still alive and concious before they were dropped.))

The whirlwind retreating, the elves take the opportunity to rush towards their fallen comrades, starting with those that they saw who didn't get lifted up into the whirlwind. But they are too few to tend to every possible survivor at once, and have no way of knowing who would most benefit from immediate aid.

((First round of post combat, stabilisation rolls, elves: -9, -9, -8 -8, Half Orc spearman: -5 [roll0] ))

Once they find someone alive, they will call for help from their companions. Two elves will attempt to bandage each wounded person, setting bones, tending to fractures as best they can

((Second and third round post combat, untrained Heal checks. Assuming I have three rounds of nothing happening; let me know if the elemental comes back or something happens before three rounds, and therefore I can't do this. Order:
Elf stable at -7
Elf stable at -9
Two Elves who were at -8 last round
Half-Orc longspearman who was at -5 last round
Heal rolls: [roll1] Aid Another rolls: [roll2]
Lastly, two more rolls in case one or both of the elves at -9 last round made their stabilisation rolls last round and are still alive. [roll3] Heal, [roll4] Aid Another Forget that, they died. ))

Having done all they can, six of the elves stay with their wounded friends, while the other four run to catch their horses and bring them back, which have probably scattered away from the wind. They aim to catch ten horses and bring them back to the group. The survivors speak little except to call out when they've found survivors. Some are smiling absently; those who are delighted at the joy of battle are indistuinguishable from those suffering from shellshock.

[SlyJohnny]

((Fourth round. One elf at -7, stabilised and successfully tended aid.
One elf at -9, stable, but not successfully tended aid.
Two more elves at -9, dying: Heal [roll0] Aid Another [roll1]
If failed, their stabilisation rolls:[roll2] If failed, they die this round. Both died.
Half-Orc longspearman at -6, dying: Heal [roll3] Aid Another [roll4]
If failed, his stabilisation roll: [roll5] If failed, bleeds to -7 this round. Stable and aided at -6.))

Elves will spend following rounds retrying their checks till they successfully tend to the one guy at -9. Result is two elves and one half-orc stable and unconcious, ten elves uninjured and concious.

[Gandariel]

SlyJohnny: The elemental flew away, directed towards the keep, and you soon lose sight of him.

Sorry if i made you roll all of those dice. I'll try to do some more myself from now on.

Anyway yeah, what you did is correct, and you have those men alive. What are they gonna do?

Also, the men you sent to go around the Hill? they're still going around it (slowly and hiding, cause it's almost dawn) and they see the wall is circular, no holes.

Golden Ladybug: George is at full Hp -3.
George and your Familiar do as you asked, and fly away.
It will take them some time, though, since the Army is still a few hours away from you.

[SlyJohnny]

((Oh, I intended those guys to circle once, and then once they'd rejoined the others, that's when they'd start climbing. I assumed they'd already circled. Either way, good to know!))

The wounded men are each slung over the back of a horse, and the elves hurriedly draw straws amongst themselves. The three "losers" are chosen to ride back towards the horde, each carrying a wounded man and a report of what transpired, as well as all of the unbroken longbows from the dead archers.

The remaining seven archers each recover a spear and a longspear from their dead comrades, mount their horses and spread out, far apart from each other, but still within sight. They wait nervously, watching the hill. Their intent is to flee in opposite directions as soon as they are attacked by anything, carrying more intelligence back to the horde, and maximising the time they are alive as a visible distraction.

The group on the hill continues to climb, the elves and half-orcs slowly and clumsily, the halflings with skill and aplomb, in complete silence.