[IC] The Red Hand of Doom

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The road to Drellin's Ferry crests to a small rise, then descends into a shallow and dusty ravine. A copse of trees stand to each side of the ravine. An abandoned farmhouse, partially visible through the trees, stands on one side of the road. The group has passed a dozen of homes like this one already today, but this one feels odd. There's no movement in the windows, no sound of animal noises, no rhythmic chopping of wood, and no one makes themselves obvious as you approach. No one lived out this far from a city or town without some way to sustain themselves, and no one was this unguarded.

But then everyone spots the glint of steel and mail through the brush and trees beside the road. Fierce warriors--tall, hairy, and ugly humanoids with wide mouths and flat faces--are lying in wait. Six of the ugly humanoids gather around the ravine. Each one bears a well-made longsword, a battered steel shield, and has a strung bow slung over their shoulder. They're dressed in dirty chainmail, which is covered by a ratty tabard bearing a well-stitched black feather as its heraldry. Beyond the warriors stands a large bulky dog-like monster. A saddle is strapped onto its back, and it's obvious that the giant dog is a mount of some sort.

The sounds of creatures moving around inside the farmhouse make it obvious that there's more of the creatures inside.

http://i.imgur.com/2r9tSPs.png

Legend:
Creatures

Red - Warriors
Gold - Giant dog
White - Unknown

Terrain

Brown - Dirt path

Dark brown - Ravine walls, difficult terrain, a DC 10 Climb check allows you to enter their square normally. Ranged attacks made through the walls suffer a -1 penalty to hit.

Dark green - Trees and brush. Provides cover vs ranged attacks. #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and Dog #2 are standing in the brush

Dark Gray - Walls, provide total cover and can't be seen through.

Players
Place yourself anywhere in the pink section, in any order you would like, then roll initiative.

[Togath]

Wandering along near the back of the group, and whistling an odd little tune it takes Tormund a moment to notice the odd beings at the side of the road, let alone the strange dog.
"Oi! What're you folk doin' here?" he says in a loud but collected voice when he spots the humanoids, moving his hand to his sword's hilt in case a battle ensues.

Stats;
Initiative:[roll0]
Location: B2
HP: 58, AC: 16

[Bad Situation]

It was with a steady smile that Sander lead the group. He'd met most of the others through unhappy circumstances but thankfully, he was one inclined to make the most of things. He fills the otherwise quiet trail with his good-natured chortling, exclaiming something or another quite loudly as the group progresses. The jovial laughter is cut short however, when he realizes the presence of their would-be ambushers. Though quieted, the smile remains as his eyes scan through the brush to count out the number of enemies. The large axe fitted in a loop at his hip is suddenly in his hands, hefted against his shoulders to more easily bear the weight of the weapon.

With an easy laugh he calls out to the humanoids, "I'd heard rumors about the famous Drellin's Ferry hospitality but I never would have expected such a warm welcome so far from the town proper."

And then wink he adds, "I'd expected prettier women, mind, but I've never been one to turn down such generosity."

[Eurus]

It was always difficult to tell what Deidre was thinking. The woman tended to travel in silence, with an expression that could charitably be described as cool as she dispassionately surveyed the road, a book, or just as often her more vocal allies.

She's not the first to notice the ambush, but she snaps to attention almost immediately, activating the wand she constantly carried with an almost involuntary twitch.

Position: A2
Nerveskitter from wand
[roll0]

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

When Tormund and Sanders make it obvious that the group has spotted the ambush the hobgoblins ready their bows. It's fairly obvious that they have no intention of talking peacefully, and a shout in Goblin comes from the farmhouse.

"Ogha? Aub! Hoital aub!"

[Bad Situation]

The smile on Sander's face drops a bit when he realizes exactly who or rather, what they were fighting. Deciding to keep what he knew to himself for now he launches himself from the road and onto the walls of the ravine, stomping his feet down viciously on the tractable earth to keep pace, eventually making his way up to the top where he begins with a hearty cry, "We are the rocks of the eternal shore, crash against us and be broken, hellspawn!"

Standard Action: Performance: Inspire Courage
-- Swift Action: Cast Inspirational Boost
-- Immediate Action: Activate Badge of Valor
Move Action: Diagonal Movement NE onto Ravine Wall, 15' Movement East.

[Eurus]

If Deidre is amused or inspired by the banter flying around, she certainly doesn't show it. She incants a spell without hesitation, creating a curtain of air between them and the majority of the archers.

Casting wind wall at a 90 degree angle, starting on the south side of d1, going east twenty feet, then up the east side of d4 and up twenty feet more.

Move action to stow the nerveskitter wand.

[Togath]

"Well said!" shouts Tormund as he leaps--literally--into the fray with the nearest archer, striking it with a powerful sidewards blow.

Initiative:
HP: 58, AC: 16
Actions;
sudden leap([roll0]) to 1 space diagonally towards the road from archer 4, followed by a move action to draw his sword, and a standard action used on mountain hammer
Attack:[roll1], [roll2]+[roll3], 20 total
Crit confirm(if needed):[roll4]

[Cespenar]

Emboldened by Sander's line, Caimorel springs into action, unslinging her bow from her back and running around to find a proper angle.

"So, this is how it looks like on the other side of an ambush," she chirps excitedly. "Ooh, and they even got great wargs over there! I heard once that they use spiked chains to tame them - they eat normal whips for breakfast."

She aims at a rustle in a nearby bush, and looses an arrow.

Start: C3
Move to C1, Shoot Guy #1

[roll0]
[roll1] + [roll2]

HP: 24/24
AC: 21

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The hobgoblins ready their bows, and a giant shaggy dog--bearing the same kind of saddle as the first--crashes through the farmhouse wall. It bounds around the house and heads toward the party. The first hound starts moving down the ravine.

http://i.imgur.com/hvVKaN4.png

Legend:
Characters
Orange- Tormund (Togath)
Blue- Sanders (Bad Situation)
Gray- Cai (Cespenar)
Lime Green- Brenna (Rion)
Pink- Ashmeadow(Eurus)
Purple- Matthias

Both dire wolves double move closer.

[Overlord Rion]

Battle? Oh dear, Brenna really had to learn to pay attention to her surroundings a little bit more. Oh well, no skin off her nose. Let's see, big fightery type beside her...perhaps he wouldn't mind an extra line of defense? Brenna does the requisite magical mutterings and slaps Tormund on the leg. "Extra line of defense, go kill something."

Standard to slap Blur on Tormund (or whomever is right beside Brenna.)

Move action to reach into her bag to grab her crossbow and ammo.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Deidre successfully sets up a magical wind wall.

Brenna successfully casts Blur on Tormund.

Tormund leaps over the ravine, but doesn't get as far as he wanted. Fortunately he's well within range of the enemy if he moves slightly to the east. Regardless, he swings and the hobgoblin barely rolls out of the way in time to avoid being crushed by the man's giant sword.

Cai moves forward, but realizes she's standing in front of a wind wall. If she fired a shot it wouldn't pass through the wind wall regardless of her skill, so there's no point in shooting.

Sander moves up the ravine wall, then his magical bolstering song does its thing uninterrupted.

The first hobgoblin on the west side of the ravine pulls back his longbow and successfully does nothing due to the wind wall. The second and third hobgoblins realize that that's no point in firing due to the magical protection offered by the wall, and begin skirting around the ravine to get inside.

The fourth hobgoblin drops his bow, then pulls out his longsword. He takes a swing at Tormund. While skilled compared to a normal human he doesn't seem terribly compared to adventurers like Tormund and Sanders.

The fifth hobgoblin drops his longbow as well and moves toward Sanders. In the process of his move he draws his longsword and swings at the human bard.

The sixth hobgoblin moves in to back up his friends, while two more hobgoblins step out of the ruined farmhouse. The first one is wearing banded mail and wielding a large morningstar. He stops, and casts an unknown spell. The second one is wearing chainmail like his companions, but he takes much better care of his chainmail than the others. He shouts some orders to the other hobgoblins in Goblin, and it's obvious that he's their leader.

http://i.imgur.com/X15FmzS.png

Legend:
Hasn't changed

Initiative:
Deidre
Brenna
Wolves
Cai
Tormund
Sanders
Hobgoblins

Actions:
Hobgoblion #1 fires a shot at Cai. But because of the Wind Wall he fails automatically.

Hobgoblin #4 drops his bow as a free action, draws his longsword, then attacks Tormund with his longsword.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Hobgoblin #5 drops his bow, then moves toward Sanders. He draws his sword and straps on his shield as free actions as part of that movement. He then attacks Sanders.

Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

Hobgoblins #2, #3, and #6 double move respectively.

The Hobgoblin Cleric moves 30ft, then casts a spell(DC 16 Spellcraft check to identify).

The Hobgoblin Leader moves 30ft, then shouts some orders(DC 16 Martial Lore check to identify).

[Eurus]

"A cleric. That was a Bless spell."

Deidre comments on the creature's action, before focusing on the hound. Drawing a different wand, she patiently waits for it to move closer.

Five foot step southeast, drawing the wand of ray of enfeeblement, readying an action to zap the dog if it gets within range.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Togath]

"Annoying bugger" mutters Tormund as the goblin dodges. Once he's regained his balance he makes a strong--and somewhat flashy--downward strike towards the goblin, hoping to disable it quickly.

Initiative: 8
HP: 58, AC: 16
Actions;
Standard action to attack the goblin(using power attack -3)and to refresh his maneuvers.
Attack: [roll0], [roll1]
Crit confirm if needed:[roll2]

[Bad Situation]

The intonation of Sander's chant continues to reverberate through the clearing, even as he ducks low to bat away the hobgoblin's snickering blow. He pauses for a brief moment to call out an order before quickly resuming his tale. "Deidre, Cai! Deal with the spellcaster however you are able. Keep it from supporting its allies. Brenna, keep the archer and dogs away from the others while we mop up on this side of the wall." Satisfied with the command, he takes a heavy, lunging swing at the hobgoblin in his midst.

Power Attack (-3) at #5: [roll0]
-- Damage: [roll1]

[Cespenar]

"Various curse words!" Cai hisses, before launching herself on top of the ravine and drawing another arrow from her quiver.

"Right on it, Sander," she calls, and shoots at the far away cleric.

Move 4w, shoot at C.

[roll0]
[roll1]

HP: 24/24
AC: 21

[Overlord Rion]

Most of what Sander was talking about was just washing over Brenna. It was taking a large portion of her resolve not to just run right now. Instead, she grabs a small prism from her pocket and grips it tightly. Colors surge from her form and she seems to transform into a blinding light heading straight towards the wolf beginning to bear down on them.

Standard to cast Blinding Color surge on wolf 2. Wolf gotta make a will save of DC 18. Regardless of save, Brenna is invisible for 5 rounds.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Cai, Tormund, and Sanders all hit their respective hobgoblins. Deidre's spell strikes the targeted wolf.

The hobgoblin's obvious leaders move closer to the battlefield. The cleric casts a spell on himself, while the other leader shouts several orders in Goblin!

The remaining hobgoblins seem to act with more accuracy and skill. Two of them fire on Cai, while two others attempt to drink from potions. Tormund and Sanders can act on the opening presented by the attempt.

The final two hobgoblins move closer, and one of them strikes at Sanders.

Meanwhile, the wolves charge into battle. The giant mastiffs bound across the dirt, and one of them bites at the small gnome.

http://i.imgur.com/rbEFx0y.png

Legend:
Hasn't changed

Initiative:
Deidre
Brenna
Cai
Tormund
Sanders
Enemies

Actions

The wolves delay until the hobs move.

The cleric casts Cure Moderate Wounds on himself(DC 17 Spellcraft to identify). [roll0]

The fighter-type moves closer. Uses an ability(DC 16 Martial Lore check to identify).

Wolf #1 moves as far as it can north.

Wolf #2 charges Brenna.
Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

Hob#1 moves closer to the cleric, then fires his longbow at Cai. She has a +4 bonus to AC due to cover.
Attack: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4]

Hob#2 moves and also fires at Cai.
Attack: [roll5]
Damage: [roll6]

Hob#3 double moves to follow the wolf.

Hob#4 attempts to drink his Potion of Cure Light Wounds, provoking an AoO from Tormund. The hob heals [roll7] if he succeeds.

Hob#5 five-foot steps then attempts to drink his Potion of CLW, and he provokes an AoO from Sanders. He heals [roll8] if Sanders misses.

Hob#6 moves into melee with Sanders, then attempts to stab him in the unmentionables.
Attack: [roll9]
Damage: [roll10]

[Togath]

Taking the opening, Tormund strikes again.
Regardless of whether the hobgoblin is standing after the blow or not, ocne he sees the wolves attacking Brenna, he tries to get close enough to--hopefully-- slow the pack's progress towards the small gnome and give her enough time to act.
"You wont be eating this gnome today!" he shouts, as he makes a large scything slash with his sword at the two nearest wolves.

AoO(-3 power attack):[roll0], [roll1]
crit confirm if needed:[roll2]

Initiative: 8
HP: 58, AC: 16
Actions;
after the AoO Tormund tries to leap to the space diagonally across from goblin 3, between the two wolves.
Jump(via sudden leap):[roll3]

If he makes it, he then uses Steel Wind on both wolves;
wolf 1(power attack -1):[roll4], [roll5]
crit confirm if needed:[roll6]
wolf 2(power attack -1):[roll7], [roll8]
crit confirm if needed:[roll]1d20+15

[Eurus]

Deidre frowns as the creatures rapidly close the distance, but remains relatively calm. With a muttered incantation and a mild gesture, she coats the ground beneath several targets with a thin sheet of black fluid.

Casting Grease about fifteen feet south of Deidre's location, so that the ten-foot square hits part of both wolves and goblin 3. DC is 18. Then moving fifteen feet northwest.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The first wolf and the hobgoblin fall, while the second remains standing.

[Bad Situation]

Sander grunts in exertion when he sees the goblin duck under his attack and drink its potion but quickly readjusts his grip on the shaft of his axe, reversing the direction of his blow in what he hopes is a more accurate swing.

Power Attack (-2): [roll0]
-- Damage: [roll1]
-- Target: Hobgoblin #5

[Cespenar]

Cai dives into the bushes, the hobgoblins' arrows whizzing past around her, and reemerges above her companions near the edge of the ravine, two arrows ready in her hand.

"Let's see if this boots really work. What was their keyword now? Mellon! No, that was something else. Oh, wait, it worked?"

The magic of the boots quickening her actions for a brief second, Cai shoots both her arrows into the wolf assailing the gnome.

Moving E, NE, activating Skirmisher's Boots, and shooting two arrows at Wolf 2, which, correct me if mistaken, is the wolf that is standing up and managed to dodge Tormund's attack.

I think Cai gets a +1 from being on high ground. Only time I ever used that bonus, by the way, if it's valid. :smallbiggrin:

[roll0]
[roll1] + [roll2]

[roll3]
[roll4] + [roll5]

HP: 24/24
AC: 21

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Tormund successfully kills one of the hobgoblins as he's attempting to drink his potion, while Sanders successfully fails to do the same.

Between Cai's arrows and Tormund's attack the first giant dog goes down. Its companion, along with the hobgoblin beside it, fall over due to the magical grease provided by Deidre.

The surviving dog stands up and attempts to move around, then attacks Tormund. The surviving hobgoblin also stands up, and attempts to attack Tormund. But he's interrupted by a blast of magic from Brenna.

Sanders successfully continues to fail, as his next attack is rebuffed by his opponent's shield. Both of his enemies immediately counter attack. The two hobgoblins haven't thought to flank him yet, but it's only a matter of time at this point.

The cleric and fighter move forward, and the cleric mutters something in Goblin before shouting loudly. His shout is amplified into an explosion of sound near Tormund, Brenna, and Deidre.

http://i.imgur.com/sOvm3oZ.png
Legend:
See-through Gray: Grease effect.
See-through Blue: Windwall effect.

Hob Cleric moves 30ft forward and casts Sound Burst centered so that the 10ft burst hits Deidre, Tormund, and Brenna. He deals [roll0] sonic damage to everyone in the area, and everyone hit requires a DC 14 Fort Save or be stunned for 1 round.

Hob Fighter moves 30ft forward.

Hob#1 fires at Cai. Cai still benefits from Cover.
Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

Hob#2 fires at Cai as well.
Attack: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4]

Hob#3 stands up, provoking an AoO, then attempts to attack Tormund. This provokes Brenna's spell.
Will Save: [roll5]- If this beats DC 16 then the hob continues the attack. Otherwise, it does nothing and falls over.
Attack: [roll6]
Damage: [roll7]

At the end of that it falls over unless it beats a DC 16 Ref Save [roll8]

Hob#5 attacks Sanders.
Attack: [roll9]
Damage: [roll10]

Hob#6 also attacks Sanders.
Attack: [roll11]
Damage: [roll12]

Dog #2 is killed through the combined efforts of Tormund and Cai.

Dog #1 stands up, provoking an AoO, then makes its balance check to move out of the grease: [roll13]. [Success].

If it fails, then it makes its Reflex Save to not fall: [roll14].

If it succeeds on its balance check, then it moves 10ft NW to flank Tormund alongside the hob. It also threatens Cai, and Deidre from this position. Otherwise, the dog attacks from prone.

Attack: [roll15]+2 to hit if he's able to flank.
Damage: [roll16]+3 damage if he's able to flank.

Tormund needs a DC 16 Martial Lore check(trained only).

[Bad Situation]

Sander beats away away the storm of steel valiantly but finds a sword slip through his guard regardless of his efforts. He winces in pain but turns the sound into a pompous and raucous laugh as he pushes in further to delay their advance. "Show them your steel, friends. They'll not drive us back that easily."

Power Attack (-2): [roll0]
-- Damage: [roll1]
-- Target: Hobgoblin #5

[Cespenar]

Cai, again, disappears into the bushes as one arrow almost nails her straight in the face, and appears ten feet away as if a rabbit.

"We don't understand you better just because you shout, you know," she says irritatedly to the cleric, and underlines her words with an arrow aimed at goblin's throat.

Move 10' S into the shrubbery, shoot at the cleric.

[roll0]
[roll1] + [roll2]

HP: 24/24
AC: 21

[Overlord Rion]

[roll0]

Brenna's plans were shattered by sound. She managed to cover her ears quick enough to stop the brunt of the sound, but the stunning effect was unfortunately able to get through.

[Togath]

"One heckuva shout.." mumbles Tormund, dazed by the volume

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Between Tormund's skills with a sword, Sanders' ability with an axe, and Cal's expert marksmanship the remaining threats are handily neutralized. A total of 8 hobgoblins are scattered across the ravine, as well as two of their massive dogs. Fanning out and searching the area reveals a variety of equipment scavenged off the dead hobgoblins.

Inside the farm house the group finds four dead humanoids: An elf woman, two human males, and a small human child. The boy is wearing clothes reminiscent of a farmer's messy overalls. The elf woman is wearing a merchant's traveling clothes, and the two males are wearing some damaged chainmail. Both of them were obviously guards of some sort. The humans are partially eaten, and presumably were being fed to the dogs. A pile of golden coins lay nearby, and were probably going to be disturbed among the ambush party.

Using any form of magical detection reveals that several pieces of armor and a few weapons among the hobgoblin's stash are magical.

Search DC 15
The hobgoblin cleric had a divine focus shaped like a human woman bearing giant white wings.

Know: Religion DC 25
You recognize the shape as an angel. Specifics would be impossible, but it's obviously some sort of divine celestial entity.

Survival DC 13(Requires Track)
You discover a series of footsteps leading north-by-northwest. They're a mess of hobgoblins and wolves.

Survival DC 25 or Know: Local DC 25
You recognize that the tracks move to and from the ravine. So it was likely a shift change of some sort, which means that there is some sort of organization behind these attackers.

Rewards
See the OOC thread for spoils of war. Everyone gets 1292 XP.

[Eurus]

Deidre surveys the scene for several moments, making approximately zero effort to actually search through the bodies and debris, but does sweep over the loot and separate out what objects seem to be magical. Finally, she speaks, somehow sounding even more grim than usual.

"It's possible we may have a serious problem on our hands."

[Cespenar]

"These guys worked in shifts," Cai mentions without raising her head from the tracks she's examining. "Must be more than mere bandits."

"Huh." She bends down, picks something up, gives it a cursory glance, and throws it underhand to Deirdre (or Brenna) for her to look. "Which god is that now?" she asks, curious.

[Overlord Rion]

Brenna simply throws her hands up in the air. "Don't look at me. I didn't study things like that."

[Eurus]

Deidre inspects the medallion for a moment, then shakes her head. "If this is the symbol of a god, it's not one I've ever encountered."

[Togath]

"looks like some sorta angelic figure.. seems a bit out of place on these goblin fellows.. Do you suppose these people were victims of some sort of payed hit?" says Tormund, heading over tot he bodies, "still, aint no reason not to make use of them, if they still have anything worth anything on them, anyway" he continues, trying to search around the bodies for anything the goblins missed.


Spot and Search if needed:
Spot:[roll0]
Search:[roll1]

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Tormund doesn't find anything on the non-hobgoblins. Obviously the ambushers were quite thorough.

[Bad Situation]

Sander lets out a fitful breath of air as he hefts his axe onto his shoulder. "Agh, just throw it in the bag then. We can figure out what to do with it later. Or give it to Matthias to look over."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Both Sanders and Cai spot a new arrival on the scene: A large black bird perched above the farmhouse. The black feathered raven was a truly impressive member of its species, and easily the size of a halfling child. It stares down at Deidre in particular, and seems fixated on the medallion in her hands. A solitary caw trumpets its displeasure, and the bird changes its stance as it turns its head to look at the rest of the group. It's only able to look at any given individual with one eye, and turns and twists its head rapidly in order to look at everyone.

The bird looks back at the medallion in Deidre's hands, and caws loudly once more. If the elf looks at it, she notices its actually rather dirty. So dirty that the angel's wings and hair are practically black. But rubbing it reveals that it's not dirt: The angel's hair and wings are tiny rows of inlaid onyxes.

DC 35 Know:Religion
The sight of the raven jolts your memory. You've read about that angel before a long time ago. You recognize the figure on the medallion as Kyun-Ichi the Raven. In the ancient past, Celestia formed around the Seven Tiered Mountain awaiting seven pure mortal souls to form the Sevenfold Host--rulers of Celestia and prime leadership among all things Good and Lawful. Of those seven pure souls, one of them was Kyun-Ichi. Then known as Kyun-Ichi the Fair Maiden, she ruled the third layer of Celestia. It is unknown what caused her fall, but Kyun-Ichi abandoned Celestia and slew many of her fellow angels. The remaining six members of the Sevenfold Host banded together, sealed her power away, and cast Kyun-Ichi into the darkness.

[Togath]

"What wonderful luck!" says Tormund without hint of irony, before wandering over to the raven, "what a magnificent raven, must be some sort of omen acknowledging our noble deed I say..", after a short pause when he notices the rest of the group looking at the statue, "or at least it seemed like one.. now.. birdy, birdy, birdy, come here, little birdy.." he begins to coo as he tries to mvoe closer, "judging by that little statue, you're an evil little birdy.. now just hold still.. so I can Make You Our Lunch!" he shouts the last part as he lunges at it, trying to 'catch' it with his sword*.

[Cespenar]

"Wow, you are a big one," Caimorel mumbles, staring at the raven while cocking her head. After it caws the second time, she clears her throat and seems like she's trying to remember something.

"Tormund, stop!" she calls suddenly, when she realizes his intention. "Just... stay your beatstick for a breath. I'm trying to recall something." She hisses something which sounds pretty much like a curse to those that knew elven.

She coughs another time, and when she speaks, she caws, pretty much like what the raven was doing.

(What do you want with the medallion?) she asks the creature, hopefully in what happens to be its tongue.

Using Speak with Animals through the Spiritual Connection ACF. First use of 3/day.

[Eurus]

Deidre looks up at the raven with narrowed eyes. Slowly, not looking away from it, she tucks the medallion into a secure pocket.

[Togath]

"I'll stay my hand.. for now at least.." says Tormund, resheathing his sword, before saying in draconic, "birdy, if this lass is trying to talk to ya.. figured I should try seein' if this works as well.. so, can you speak dragon little birdy?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The bird turns its head sideways and looks at Cai. A murmur rises out of its throat, as if it were surprised that an elf spoke Bird. What other amazing things would it find?

But rather than respond with a caw, the bird opens its beak and speaks in humantongue. "Bad! Bad Birdspeak! Shiny listen." The raven points at the medallion with its beak, then raises its talon to scratch at its beak. "Shiny. Hide shiny. Great Raven watches shiny." The raven squawks loudly, then scratches its beak once more. "Shiny, always watch, shiny." It doesn't appear to be referring to itself, but who can really tell with birdbrains.

[Cespenar]

"Well, your humanspeak is not that smooth too, you know," Cai retorts, annoyed. When it talks about the Great Raven, though, she looks lost.

"Great Raven? Is that some sort of a god?" she asks her more knowledgeable companions.

"Maybe we should leave that behind. I wouldn't want to be spied on constantly by some god we don't know about."

"Anyway, the tracks lead that-a-way. If we want to move on." She points to north-by-northwest.

[Eurus]

Deidre frowns. "I would guess that this creature is some sort of familiar to another spellcaster."

"I have no intention of abandoning the medallion, if it's significant. If we make it to a town, I can look into methods of securing or hiding it. And perhaps looking into this 'Great Raven'."

[Togath]

"if it's a familiar.. should we capture it? I can't imagine a bird would be hard to restrain, and if all else fails, I can't imagine ravens taste much different from pigeon"

[Cespenar]

"If it's a familiar, we'd probably do well not to make an enemy out of its master?" she reasons, looking at her companions.

[Togath]

"but don't familiars have a link to their master's? Harming them if it's slain?"

[Eurus]

"I agree with Cai. Making more enemies than we need to generally isn't a beneficial course of action. And replacing a familiar is inconvenient at most. I'd rather we get moving again and try to reach a town. Perhaps they know something about what's going on here."

[Bad Situation]

Sander watches the situation with a growing interest, chuckling to himself as the others converse with the birdbrain. "Ahaha, what a silly creature. Oi, raven. Come down here so I can get a better look at you. I might have a few shinies in my bag for you if you do. I'll even keep the idiot with the sword over there from eating you, I promise."

Diplomacy?: [roll0]

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The bird turns its head and looks at Sander with one eye. "Raawk." It squawks at him. No words, no logic, it just squawks. Then, in a heartbeat, it's flying up and away from the group. It doesn't take long for the bird to become nothing but a black smudge in the sky.

[Cespenar]

Liberating a couple of potions from the dead bodies, Cai slings the bow to her back and ushers the group to the trail northwest.

Getting one CLW and one Heroism potion.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

A dusty trail stretches out in front of the party. They travel west for a time, then the trail of footprints curves northward. Eventually they begin passing into a deep swamp. Tall gangly trees rise out of the sponge-like earth. The humidity spikes as the summer heat mixes swamp water into the air. Eventually, the group comes closer to the end of the trail. Through the trees they spot a wide clearing surrounding a structure. A ruined mess of stone walls, falling towers, and a flag announce the presence of a formerly human fortress. A bright line shines from one of the broken tower parapets. The group can spot a ghostly figure standing in front of the light. A loud unearthly moan echoes from the fortress, and it sounds like a human in serious pain and suffering.

The trail of tracks lead up to the broken main gate of the fortress.

Spot DC 20
You notice that the "ghost" is swaying in the wind, and it's clearly some sort of cloth on a pole. You can spot a hobgoblin standing beside the cloth with his hands cupped in front of his mouth.

Listen DC 20
The "human" howls don't sound human at all. In fact, it sounds lke a hobgoblin.

[Cespenar]

Cai fluidly unslings her bow, nocks an arrow, and lets loose at the "ghost".

"That was an affront to all the real ghosts in the world!"


[roll0]
[roll1]

If a 40' move action can bring her in 30' range, then a further +1 to hit, +3 to damage, and:
[roll2]

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Cai dashes within 30ft of the fortress, and looses her arrow. The shot slices through the air like a hawk diving for its prey. It embeds its full length inside the goblin's throat. He tumbles backwards, falling off the ruined paraphet and into the fortress' courtyard below. Moments later Cai, and everyone else, hears shouting followed shortly by the banging of a loud gong. It's rather obvious that the fortress is on high alert now.

[Cespenar]

"Sorry everyone, I... just can't stand bad acting."

"Let's get ready in the meantime."

I assume we used some of the cleric's spells to heal the wounded after the battle? If not, we should probably do now.

[Togath]

"'tis fine.. though I'm at a bit of a loss as to why they had that one out here.. bait? repellent?" says Tormund, putting his hand on his sword.. though not drawing it, in case they haven't been spotted yet, "I'm ready when you guys are, or do you think we have time to set a ambush? The guard did seem to be a fair bit away from the main compound"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Considering that Cai had to get within thirty feet of the fort to fire her shot, it was fairly obvious that you had already been spotted. Several hobgoblins pour into the damaged fortress' courtyard. A great winged cat (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/mm_gallery/Manticore.jpg)-like creature flies upward, out of the largest building in the fort, and lands in the middle of the courtyard. It growls loudly, and the hobs look toward where it's looking. The hobgoblins ready their bows, and it's obvious that a battle will be joined soon enough.

Know: Arcana(DC 16)
The winged cat creature is a manticore, a flying magical beast capable of shooting out spines from its tail. It has a taste for human flesh, and are intelligent.

http://i.imgur.com/MrX6rnz.png
Legend:
Blue- Sanders
Gray- Cai
Lime Green- Brenna
Orange- Tormund
Purple- Ashmeadow
Red- Hobgoblins
Large Red "M" - Winged cat.

Initiative: Hobs: [roll0]
Kitty Cat: [roll1]

[Togath]

Seeing the obvious danger to his frailer allies, Tormund rushes forward about fifty feet, before settling into a defensive stance.


OOC;
Tormund moves forward 10 spaces(the 10 spaces is to account for any diagonal movement needed to get there), and if possible, defends for a +2 to AC.

HP: 58, AC: 21(19+2)
Init: 19