Through Sword and Pen [IC]

[XiaoTie]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/campanha.png

War. War never changes. The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth.
Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory.
Hitler shaped a battered Germany into an economic superpower.
But war never changes.

Fallout videogame series


Twenty years have passed since the end of the First War of the Dawn Era.
Dracin are once again gathering on the Ungebeich Plains.
From Lieu to Fleulle Lacsitan fear the worst.
Yasirin struggle against the ever present ogre menace.
And the Gysun?
To whom would they ally on the Second War that lurked the horizon?
For a war lurks the horizon of the four kingdoms.
And war, war never changes.


___Mournful and resting time was over; it was time to decide where to go now. Where to find a job was no problem at all, as these times were the perfect times for swords-for-hire. During the past few weeks one rumor was constantly heard in between a mug of good ale, the kisses of a (somewhat) fine woman and the best food for miles and miles in all directions. The orcish horde had set outposts throughout the land, and being beastly as they were they had no trouble in enlisting the Northern Beasts, as the northern-trolls that lived up the Spear Wall were called. The yasirin army could not entirely handle the situation; the soldiers were either fighting the now nearly constant orcish invasions on the coast, or guarding the western coast from the dracin. Hiring swords was now the fastest solution, not only adopted by the army, but also by most of the population.

___In Lacsiter the things were no different. The majority of the soldiers were stationed at the Gran Fortress on the westernmost part of the kingdom, while the rest fought the raids that rained down from the Spear Wall, or sprung up from the deepest underground lairs on the Spear Wall, and like the yasirin kingdom, the lacsitan is constantly hiring swords to control the raids. The troubles in Drachenländer were of no amplitude when compared to the situation faced by the yasirin and the lacsitan. And Gyasi was still the blessed land it always were, it seemed to be protected by a mystic aura that kept disgrace far away from its lands.

___It was the twentieth day of the eighth month. In Oirahin, the group of swords-for-hire formerly known as the Blackstone’s Finest is finally packing their gears at the Frozen Drool Drop Inn, and getting ready to hit the road again. They had spent the last few weeks living there, some silencing their sorrows with much alcohol, some with women, and some with both. A bright sun was shinning in the yasirin sky, not a common sight, especially at this time of the year, but a beautiful sight, and perhaps a good omen some would say. But not even the bright sun could make the temperature warmer, it was the end of the fall and the winter would have arrived by the next week, and when that time came, the name of the Inn would suddenly make more sense.

___The horses were outside waiting, the stable boy had fed them and treated them with care for the days the group stayed at the Inn. Everything was paid; the luggage was on the common room, as were their owners the Blackstone’s Finest. In a corner Amadeo had the rest most of the group around him while he told some jokes, failing miserably, and that was the funny part that nearly always made them laugh. The group was waiting for Barbarosa and Dieter; the two had just now entered the room, having a friendly argument about religions. Finally they were all there, present on the living room, silence arose as some began to sit to discuss their future, while others still stood, participating on the discussion nevertheless.

[OOC: Use the spoiler tag to ask/give informations. Game on fellas :thog: ]


Blackstone's Finest
{table=head]Player | Character | Class
RuneWalsh | Amadeo d'Aleccio (http://www.thetangledweb.net/addon.php?addon=Profiler&page=view_char&cid=3069) | Scout
BooNL | Dieter (http://www.coyotecode.net/profiler/view.php?id=1676) | Swashbuckler
Brawnspear | Barbarosa (http://www.playrpgonline.net/3eprofiler/view.php?id=1613) | Shaman (D. Shaman mod.)
Cocky | Braerne Jurkojc (http://files.learningquest.info/games/rpg/d20/dnd35e/games/shatteredlands/players/rooster/Braerne.htm) | Barbarian
Darmuid | Bron Tueflight (http://www.shonuffstudios.com/gothmoor/profiler/view.php?id=69) | Ranger/Fighter
OniLever² | Willem "Lemmy" Devereaux (http://profiler.thetangledweb.net/view.php?id=22957) | Rogue
Theterran | Jarvis Koppa (http://pifro.com/pro/view.php?id=150) | Ranger
Kyroswolf | Gimil, the dwarf (http://www.thetangledweb.net/addon.php?addon=Profiler&page=view_char&cid=5646) | Fighter[/table]

²: Currently MIA, being NPCed by the DM.

[OniLever]

Lemmy

A tall man -- not particularly thin nor heavy -- sits next to Amadeo, humoring him with a chuckle or two. The usually talkative Lemmy just smiles weakly before letting his face droop a little, his eyes in a far away place. His hair, which is generally a large disheveled shock of red is even more in disarray. His green eyes look as if he had not slept much last night. And certainly, the barkeep can attest to his late evening: he had one last go with the bottle to commemorate the passing of Isami.

He waits patiently for the others to get ready to leave. His hands fiddle with each other as if they were anxious to get moving again.

[BooNL]

Dieter

"...I'm just saying, Nuhan will make a move toward Ahir in the coming age. It will be subtle, but it will test our faith." . Dieter ends his discussion by slapping Barbarosa on the back.

He looks up at the assembled mercenaries, the last of Blackstone's Finest. He felt a chill crawl up his spine. These would be trying times.

He drops his backpack near the rest of the luggage and paces up and down the common room.

"Friends, brothers, allies." He looks around to see if he has everyone's attention. "We have lost much in the past months, Blackstone's Finest is down to their last. Imasi is gone and we are without leadership for the first time in our careers." Dieter's voice sounds hoars, but his light Dracin accent makes his voice as pleasant to listen to as ever.

"The time for mourning is over. We have to decide where we are going from here. As of now, I consider us all free men, our contract with Imasi ended. If you want to leave, you're free to go." He looks around and silently hopes no one nods or stands up. "However!" His voice almost a cry now. "Our lives are not bonded by contract. Our oaths to each other are not bonded by contract. Our respect to Imasi's spirit is not bonded by contract!

I suggest we find us some ogre bastards to kill and do what we do best. Defend the lives of the empires and make a bunch of money doing so!

Who's with me?

Adrenaline rushing through his veins, Dieter takes a step backwards and waits for the others to speak up.

[RuneWalsh]

Amadeo

After Dieter's speech, Amadeo puts on a straight face and puts his joking to a hold. He had been joking more than usual lately to hide the fact that he, himself was grieving. His good friend was gone. Imasi was a mentor and a strategical tutor to him, and now the lacsitan had to go on and learn to be a good mercenary the hard way.

Amadeo stood up and, smiling again, he says to all: "Dieter is right. We can't stay here and feel sorry for ourselves, and by Ahir I don't want to go back to felling critters by myself!", suddenly interrupts himself with a chuckle. He goes on saying "Dieter and I are moving on, and I'm hoping the rest of you are too" finishing with a friendly smile, though he looks downward, fearing a negative response of someone.

[Cocky]

Braerne skulks into the room from the one adjoining. Thick, crimson veins bulge bloodshot in both eyes. His beard is matted, still-moist and untied, sagging from his face like a mountainous shrub. His posture is hunched, the dense frame normally so straight now wilted and a lingering stench of cheap spirit permeates the path he walks.

Amadeo's usual jibes drift over him, the words drowning in the sea of misery, the punchlines lost to the winds. He watches Dieter, usually somewhat of a scamp and a trusted battle-partner give his speech. The impassioned lines do their job. Where could he go anyway? The romany camp he was born in was not an option, and what would he do anywhere else? What could he do? He was a fighter, a killer if hairs were not to be split. Killing sounded good right now. Damned Good.

A slow smile breaks the bleakness of his face, this was a pretty big low he thinks... recalling his earlier reasoning, time seems about right for another high. Standing straight and straining some of the damp from his beard he bellows: Here! I'm with you!

[theterran]

Jarvis

A smile crept across Jarvis's face, the first one since that ill fated day.

It's about time we get moving, sitting around drowning our sorrows will not help anyone, continuing on will help us much more.

Jarvis raises his tankard to Dieter's speech, but says nothing.
Perched upon the table beside Jarvis is his eagle Thor, much to the displeasure of the innkeeper. Not normally used to being in doors, Thor had hardly left Jarvis's side since that day, and he was greatful for it.

Another thought crept across Jarvis's mind...

I wonder which way we'll go...

[OniLever]

Lemmy

Lemmy, too, is moved by Dieter's speech; a nod of agreement is what crossed his face. He has no desire for revenge, nor does he have any sort of bloodlust in his veins. Rather, a feeling of family comes over him. Ever since he hastily left the univserity, Imasi treated him like a son, and his comrades were (and still are) his brothers. Unlike his real family, they appreciate him for what he can do, not what power he would have held.

"Count me in! My brain, my hands and my ladle are in your service!"

[Brawnspear]

Barbarosa
After entering with Dieter, Barbarosa stands off to the side , keeping an eye on the door, and surveys this once merry band of brothers. While broken hearted and downtrodden, he can tell that the will of his friends is not broken. This cheers his heart. Up until now, he had been afaid that these once proud men had given up. He was afraid that he'd be doomed to continue his wandering alone. Afraid he had failed again. Watching Dieter make the speech that he had expected him to make (that boy had more in him than he thought even Dieter himself realized), he reflected on how far this band had come. They had learned from Imasi, and what they had learned would keep them strong. Upon the big man's exhultation, he whispered under his breath, "Atta boy Braerne." He had quite possibly feared for the younger berserker the most. After hearing the general approval of Plan: Lets Keep on Keeping on, he said with a mock roll of his eyes and a slight smile. "Well, I guess I can't let you all get yourselves killed. Think of the guilt trip I 'd get from Imasi when I finally kicked it. You all can count on me! He would not fail again in his duties as a protector!

Edited to make not as copyish as the previous post. and then again to finish the spoiler tag

[Diarmuid]

Bron Trueflight

The older ranger nodded along approvingly as it seemed everyone had finally let their grief run its course without suffering further losses through desertion and/or stupdity.

"Well, it's good we're all on the same page. I fer one dont know much else beyond what I've done for the last years, and I dont really have anyplace to go back home to. Since we wanna keep on with what we been doing...seems to me we need a commission. Since this was Imasi's homeland, and they seem to be in some state of turmoil what with their queen being dead...this seems like it'd be a good place to start. Plus, I think with our efforts to defend the queen and these lands, they'd probably be fairly accepting of hiring us on. Maybe Dieter could try to set up a meeting with whatever people are currently in power around here?"

[BooNL]

Dieter

Relieved that no one walked away and feeling the strenght of brotherhood among these men, Dieter steps forward.

"It is settled then, Blackstone's Finest remains, with most of their best members I might add." A smile flashes across Dieter's face, but quickly disappears. Now was not the time for jokes.

"The question remains where we are going from here. I agree with Bron that we should make a new name for ourselves in Yasirin.

Most of the army is fighting the orcish invasion on the coast. But I hear the beasts have set up outposts throughout the land. I suggest we find one of these places and tear it down, that will get everyones attention!

He walks over to the bar and looks at the innkeeper. "My good man, have you heard any rumours of these outposts around here? If not, do you know of anyone willing to offer coin in protection of their land?


Diplomacy check to discover if anyone is hiring.
[roll0]

[XiaoTie]

The man was cleaning a few glasses behind the counter while waiting for the other workers, so he could start preparing the meal for the costumers that used to come around noon to have lunch and talk about anything and everything, especially if it involved other people’s lives. He didn't want to, but it was not a difficult task to overhear a conversation that took place on an empty common room, and the difficult rate would drop even more if the group talking was the one that rode with one of the town's prodigy son, Isami.

"Yes sir. They say that the ogre scum has set a few o' those outposts up on the Wall. Pestering the lives of our people and the people in Lacsiter. Well sir, you see, they say that the army can't handle all them ogre scum, and I'm not surprised by that, there are too many of 'em and too few of us. And because of that they are hiring such groups like yours," the man leans his body frontward and speaks now with a mere whisper, "people say that our good Isami was already working for them.". He regains the former posture, cleaning the glass and speaks with a normal tone of voice "It shouldn't be hard for you to find a job. They've got an army representative here. He is stationed a couple streets south of here, it is the biggest house there, you can't miss it.".

[BooNL]

Dieter

Dieter's smile broadens on hearing the innkeepers news.

"Thank you my good man. He reaches into his pouch and flips a few pieces of silver on the counter. "You really ought to buy a new rag, you're only making the glasses dirtier." Dieter winks at the innkeeper and turns to his comrades.

"There you have it, our new job. Let's load up our gear and meet this army representative.

With these words he picks up his backpack and waits for anyone to comment.

-5sp to the innkeeper

[theterran]

Jarvis

Without a word, Jarvis puts down his tankard and stands quickly, grabbing his pack. He stands so quickly he startles Thor, who screeches in protest.

Jarvis moves to stand beside Dieter, and Thor hops along behind.

Looking back, Jarvis notices that Thor left more than just feathers behind on the table. Jarvis turns and tosses a gold piece toward the innkeeper.

"Sorry about the mess"

-1gp to innkeeper

[Brawnspear]

Barbarosa
"Well before we all go haring off to the army I want to get a better idea of what's going on round here. Maybe see who is next in line for the throne, see if there's any other jobs poking their heads out, and how people are feeling about the the queens recent and sad downfall. I'll meet you back here in a few hours." Assuming no objections, Barbarosa shoulders his pack and strides out the door.

Gather info check: 18 if you are allowing me to take 10 other than that
[roll0]
(not asking for the best, taking ten if you'll allow it)
time: [roll1]
(unless you want to roll that)

[RuneWalsh]

Amadeo

"Fine by me. Let's just please get back to moving. I could already feel my body starting to root itself in this town. The thought of settling down makes me shudder" Amadeo says half-jokingly with a wonderfully delighted smile for his friends's positive reactions.

He takes is backpack and moves toward the door out. He stops and looks at the innkeeper, a few coins richer now, and shrugs for not giving him anything like Dieter and Jarvis. Afterwards, he is outside, waiting for the others.

[XiaoTie]

|OOC: Gather Info check replied to Brawnspear; game on|

[Cocky]

Braerne

Braerne rubs the broken digit on his hand thoughtfully, a faint smile still spread across his face. His pack is already slung across his back, a gypsy habit never lost.

"I shall leave the decisions to you fellows, but hurry, I itch to move and feel the wind once more!"

So saying he strides a shambling gait after his departing comrades, he notices the bird's indiscretion on the table, and sniggering at the inkeepers misfortune breaks for the first time in too long into fresh air.

[Diarmuid]

Bron

The archer scratches at the scrabbly beard on his chin as the talk turns towards where to find a job. At mention of the nobility his face scrunches up a bit.

"Well, being honest I wouldnt mind just talking to the army rep and finding out where there might be some ogres in need of a good whooping fer now. Might not be the best idea to get ourselves embroiled in the machinations of the politicians. Our band is well known due to Imasi around these parts, and I'd hate fer some na'er-do-well to try and capitalize on that ta jumpstart a claim to the throne. I'm fer finding something to fill with arrows, let this place sort it out, and then come back and offer up our services to whoever ended up in charge. And we kin decide then if we likes where they're taking things or if we wanna move on someplace else."

As he talks, he gathers up his things. A swordbelt with a well-nicked scimitar gets strapped onto his hip, a dagger sits on the other hip in a small leather sheath. Over the chain shirt he wears, his grey/green cloak that blends well with shadows and trees alike gets buttoned across his shoulders. A bulging backpack is tossed over his shoulder and his other hand grabs the bowstave that is currently unstrung and acts as a makeshift walking stick.

Dropping a few coins on the bar by way of final thanks for the extended stay there Bron moves to his horse and ties his pack to his saddle, and slides his bowstave into the long leather case underneath one of his saddlebags. Mounting up, he waits to see if the general consensus is to go see the army representative, or to go talk to the nobles and follows along whichever path is taken.

[XiaoTie]

And so, the group starts walking out of the Frozen Drool Drop Inn as the bright sun is not far from the start of his journey towards the west. Barbarosa decides to gather information, of future situations the group and the kingdom could be facing, and temporarily splits from the group in order to speak with the townsfolk. The horses and the carriages are finally all set to leave a few moments after Barbarosa's departure with his two horses.

The group moves slowly and calmly through the snowy streets of the greatest city in all eastern Yasir, while the townsfolk are already hustling on the way to their destinations, whichever that may be. Some of the townsfolk recognize the group as "Isamis' band"; the friendliest of them greeted the group as they passed by.

A little more than one hour later, the group finally finds the army building. Having two storeys above the one in ground level it was indeed the biggest building around the street. The building was rather simple and beautiful, its front was built with black marble (the same material that named the fortress to the east; from where Isami's nickname and band's name came from) and the few details on each corner were made of a metallic material that seemed to shine like silver. It also had a small 'garden' covered in snow like the rest of the street, through which a small path lead to the door, where three guards were stationed.

After the appropriate presentations the guards promised to take care of the horses and the carriages. One of them, the youngest, promptly swore he wouldn't let anything happen to the horses and the luggage, and that it was an honor to guard the horses of Isami's former band. While the young lad went to tie the horses the other two guards informed that you could go inside the building and that the captain was on the first floor, second door to the left.

The interior of the building was likewise simple and equally beautiful, with swords' and horses' paintings hanging on the wall. Quickly the group arrived at the room. The door was open but the man inside was too busy with the large amount of scrolls and paper sheets that were on his desk to notice the arrival of the seven men. He was tall, very tall. Even with him still sitting on his chair it was visible that the he was even taller than Braerne by at least eight or nine inches, and his body was proportional to his size. He wore a black robe with white details on his shoulder pads. The man had no hair; his facial traits indicated that he was around his mid forties, and his eyes were of an intense dark brownish color that was very close from being black.

[BooNL]

Dieter

Dieter clears his throat and drops his backpack on the floor.

"Excuse me sir." He makes a quick salute and continues. "We're the Blackstone's Finest, Imasi's mercenary group. We've heard you have some trouble with a couple of rowdy orcs and ogres.

I you want, we could help out." Cleaning some dirt from under his fingernails, he looks up and adds "For a price ofcourse."

[XiaoTie]

The room was rather spacious. It had huge bookshelves on each side of the desk where the captain was working. Behind the desk there was a small window covered by a long black curtain, that flowed gently accordingly to the breeze that came inside through the window.

The captain raises his eyes, looking at the group that just arrived on his office, making his forehead wrinkle. He speaks with a deep and imposing voice while still only with his eyes raised "Hum, so your group is going to continue carrying his name. Very noble of you." he takes a small pause and continues with a slight smirk on his serious face "Very smart as well. Please, come in, all of you" he makes a small gesture with his right hand as if inviting the group to come inside the office, ""Oh, and close the door please".

He then stood up and proved to be as tall as he seemed. Still behind his desk he kept silent until the door was closed. "Very well then" his voice gains a serious tone as he speaks.

"I will go to directly to the point. The ogres' are once again gradually increasing the numbers of raids to our coasts. That also happened a few months ago, and now we know the reason why it happened. They tried, with some success I must admit, to divert our attention in order to get some of their groups inside our territory. Precisely on the Spear Wall. We believe their plan is to install outposts from where their troops could attack us from within. We already know of at least two of those outposts; one directly south from Oirahin and another to the west, near the Crystal Forest. The one near the Crystal Forest is by far the one that threatens us the most, for obvious reasons like the proximity of our capitol." he pauses for a second, and still with a serious tone of voice he continues.

"That threat must be eliminated quickly before it grows stronger than it already is. Due to the emergency of the situation we are willing to pay three thousand gold pieces to each of you if you can successfully eliminate the orcs on that outposts. The captain gazed the group with a serious look, as if waiting for an answer.

[OniLever]

Lemmy

Lemmy helped load the carriage (a great deal because he has a lot of stuff to load), glad to get moving, glad to get another job, glad to have the chance to think again. During the trip there, he grew more and more interactive as if the burgeoning hope couldn't help but escape. He talked about things from combat tactics to beet soup and from old missions to future plans (like what if they settled down on day and bought themselves a fort). He made sure not to bore anyone with his meandering thoughts and to allow his discussion partner -- whoever it might have been at the time -- to say his piece.

At the meeting, he listens to the details intently, but stays to the back of the group. In his head, he has much to ask, but waits for someone more experienced from the group to take the job first.

[BooNL]

Dieter

Listening intently to the captain's plan. A raid on an orc outpost would sound like a perfect way to get the group into action again. They had a lot to relearn, old tactics had to be reinvented, the dynamics in the group shifted. All these things could not be learned out of the battlefield.

Thinking the plan over in his thoughts he mutters in Dracin "drieduizend goudstukken, daar kan ik wel wat mee."

He turns to the captain and addresses him. "Sounds like a plan Captain. Do you have any tactical information about the outpost? Numbers, defense patterns, anything. Heck, do you know the location?



Translation: "3000 goldpieces, that'd come in handy"

[XiaoTie]

The captain looks for something under the hundreds of parchment and paper sheets spread on the desk, until he gives up and opens a drawer on his desk. From the drawer he takes a map case, which he opens and hands Dieter the map that was found inside.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/map.png

Map

"One of my scouts followed their tracks after they raided a village near the hills north of the Wall by the eastern border of the Crystal Forest. The tracks led to the Spear Wall' smaller peaks, where he found what seemed to be one of their underground outposts. Your best bet would probably be follow some especific tracks to reach the entrance, since the terrain in the forest is too hard to climb; some of you could climb, but probably not all of you. My scout couldn't find out their total numbers, but he saw at least ten of them, but you can surely expect some more. It appears that their leader is a champion of some sort, the orcs were seen using some well divised tactics against those who tried to defend the village".

He delivers the case to Dieter and walks to the chair behind his desk, where he sits, and from there looks at the group "That is all I know about them. So, what do you think ?".

[theterran]

Jarvis

...Lovely...organized orcs...with a stronghold no less. 3000 gold is a nice chunk of money, and I imagine they don't hand this stuff out...I wonder if there's something about this he's not telling us...

...I wonder if we're ready for this kind of...operation...

Jarvis shifts uncomfortably, but keeps his thoughts to himself.

[Diarmuid]

Bron Trueflight

Bron steps closer to the desk to peruse the map laid out by their contact.

"Aye, I think I'm familiar with that area of the Crystal Forest borders."

Looking up from the map, the aging ranger extends a gloved hand towards the man,

"Bron Trueflight, scout of Blackstone's Finest. Your price seems more than fair. Unless anyone else objects, I think we have an arrangement."

He pauses to give the others time to voice their opinions.

"We appreciate your kind words regarding our fallen leader. I had a thought to further honor him with a slight modification of our moniker. Would you forsee any problem if we took up the name "Imasi's Finest", sir?"

[OniLever]

Lemmy

Lemmy nods eagerly in the back when Bron polls the group. His face starts to beam with the suggested name change. His smile remains even as he speaks of the business at hand.

"What sort of tactics did the orcs use against the village? Other than smash and burn, of course."

[XiaoTie]

The captain extends his right hand as he stands up and shakes Bron's hand with a firm grip. "Captain Iwazuki Enlai. Pleased to meet you sir Trueflight. I believe Imasi would indeed be honored with the fact that his name is being carried on by his brothers in arms. As would all those who loved him".

He then turns to Lemmy, still standing behind his desk, "We had no military personel on the village at the time the raid was launched. However, by what the villagers that survived told us, we can assume that they were indeed making use of military tactics. They spoke of very fast, brutal and light armored orcs that carried axes and swords, some of those also had large shields and covered the archers lines and an orc we assume is their leader. He shouted during the entire duration of the raid, while carrying a shield big enough to cover his nearly seven feet tall body. And that is all we know".

[BooNL]

Dieter

"Well, that sounds like a challenge then. Count me in."

[theterran]

Jarvis

Jarvis nods his head in agreement with Dieter.

"It's time we began this hunt..."

[XiaoTie]

"Very well then. I believe the place on the map won't be hard to find. My advice is that you to travel through the road to the west for a while, and then go towards the Spear Wall when you get to the eastern border of the Crystal Forest" , the captain then walks to the other side of his desk, staying close to every member of the group, extending his right hand towards each one as he speaks the following "All I can do now is wish you luck. May the Eternal guard you on your journey. Report to me, and only to me, when you return. Mission completed or not." , his voice gains a more serious and apprehensive tone, "Understood gentlemen?"

[theterran]

Jarvis

Jarvis nods an affirmative, although the sudden change in tone makes Jarvis a bit uneasy.

I wonder what he's not telling us...

[BooNL]

Dieter

Dieter gives the captain a firm handshake. "Understood sir. The client is king, or well, captain in your case."

He looks the captain in the eyes and grins a wide smile. "Are we to assume this is a covert operation?"

[XiaoTie]

The captain still in a serious, yet a bit less apprehensive, tone of voice answers Dieter, looking him in the eyes. "As covert as it can be. Remember, report only to me", he emphasizes the "me" tapping his right hand on his chest, revealing that he had some sort of armored mail beneath his vests.

[BooNL]

Dieter

What a hotheaded, narcistic little fellow, Dieter thinks.

Keeping eye contact, Dieter responds. "Affirmative. In that light, we won't use any means of contacting you, bar personal meetings.

With this we take our leave and report back at the end of our mission."

Dieter releases his grip, picks up his backpack, slings it casually over his shoulder and waits for the others to finish.

[Diarmuid]

Bron Trueflight

Nodding along with Dieter's reasoning, the ranger re-shoulders his pack and heads back outside.

"Let's make a stop at the coster, supply up for (insert estimated length of the journey including return trip here), and head out. No time like the present to get moving. And if there is some political trouble to come out of this job, I'd rather it start happening while we arent around to get caught up in it."

As everyone is mounting up and getting the wagon ready for travel, Bron muses aloud softly, not to anyone in particular,

"Should we have gotten some kind of deposit from him? I realise this is Imasi's homeland...but still, seems like the kind of thing mercenaries should do. Anyone know if Imasi ever did that sort of thing? What's to happen if we show back up here and he decides he doesnt want to pay us or something?

Not for the first time that day, Bron's thoughts find their way back to their fallen leader and he wished he were here to guide them through these trying times.

[RuneWalsh]

Amadeo leaves with part of the group and, hearing Bron's worries, says:

"Well, if he doesn't want to pay, I can bet he'll mysteriously be sleeping with the fishes by supper." Amadeo says, with a big grin, joking as always. "I don't believe the captain was lying to us, and even if he IS lying to us, that probably happened to Imasi once or twice too, and we were always paid. Where there is a will, there is a way, I guess." he finishes.

After getting his stuff ready for the journey, he starts waiting by walking in circles, an old habit of his, probably because it kept the lethargy brought by the cold at bay.

[theterran]

Jarvis

Walking out with the group, Jarvis looks to the skies.

Speaking to no one specifically, but hoping the others will hear, Jarvis says:

"It's a good five days to our destination, and from the looks of it winter will be upon us before the end of this mission, best be prepared."

Being from Gyasi, Jarvis has never really adapted well to the cold, but he's not about to let anyone else know it.

Jarvis packs a winter blanket for the trip as well as some cold weather clothes. Will there be grass for the horses to graze, or should we be getting feed as well?

[XiaoTie]

Jarvis

Jarvis packs a winter blanket for the trip as well as some cold weather clothes. Will there be grass for the horses to graze, or should we be getting feed as well?

The grass that would be "edible" for the horses can't be found on enough ammount to fully feed them, so taking some feed would be a good idea.

[BooNL]

Dieter

Leaning casually against the side of his coach, Dieter lights his tabacco pipe and takes a puff.

"All that's left now is wait for Barbarosa to return. In the meantime, I'm going out to buy some feed for my horses.

Anyone feel like joining?"

He pushes himself off the coach and heads for the merchant's quarter. He will buy feed for two horses, enough to last seven days.

[Brawnspear]

Barbarosa
Leading his horses Barbarosa walks up to where the group stands by the coach. Catching Dieter on the way with a large smile and an arm around the shoulders. "Hold on there little one, while I don't have much in the way of news, everyone should hear it." Approaching the group he lays out his news. "Well, most of the news I have is not good. Still it was good to be back in the world for a spell. Other than the fact that Prince Kenji's coronation is going to be happening in a week or so. He isn't as martially impressive as the queen, but there have been worse rulers I'm sure. The city still seems to be in mourning over the death of Yoshiko, and a fair bit of them are mourning Imasi as well. There is some fear that Blackstone Hall won't be able to hold against the incoming invasion, the army's spread pretty thin, there are a lot of mercenary groups being hired. Some people spread stories of kidnappings and whole cities being burned to the ground all along the Spear Wall. As I said not very good news, and not especially useful. But, any new information is a chance to avoid a nasty surprise. Please tell me you found us a job that pays and some better news."
Barbarosa has endure elements for his adaptation. This means he doesn't really need any special clothing :D And come 9 more levels neither will any of you. He has 5 days worth of feed for each of his horses, so he may want to pick up some more depending.

[Diarmuid]

Bron Trueflight

Bron listens intently to the news, furrowing his brows a couple times during the telling.

"Not much o' good news there indeed. All the more reason we should indeed be on our way. We did find a job clearing an orcish outpost on the Shield Wall. We will likely be gone for a fortnight and winter will indeed show 'er hoary face while we're gone, so everyone should prepare accordingly. Let's bring the whole troop to the provisioner and then be on our way. That way it's less lugging back to the wagon, heh."

The twinkle in the older (by comparison) man's eyes is unmistakable with the prospect of being back out in the wilds on a job near to hand.

Added food and feed to my equipment and calculated my horse's load. Anyone know the movement rate for a medium loaded horse?

[XiaoTie]

I would say (not precisely based on the rules) that a light warhorse on medium load would have a speed of 50 ft instead of the normal 60 ft. If anyone has the real speed, feel free to tell.

The first few hours of the afternoon go by as the group walks through the market buying their supplies. A shining sun is still quite visible, but a bit less brighter than it was during the morning, which is quite normal. While the sun follows his road to the west little by little, the cold increases at a faster rate. And the same goes for the wind that no longer is just a cool breeze, now being able to maintain ones hair in the air for a few seconds.

Streets are nearly as crowded as they were during the morning, the cold and the wind doesn't seem to affect the people like it would affect, say, a common lacsitan from the warm southern beaches. And that is not only expected as it is normal for a people that have lived in the area for centuries, most likely for millennia.

The city gates will remain open up until no more than three hours after the sunset; there was no sign of ogres in the area, yet the captain thought it was better to prevent a disaster with this simple act. Very similar orders were given in the cities and villages that were either close the eastern coast or the Spear Wall.

[BooNL]

Dieter

While waiting for everyone to return from the market, Dieter has made himself comfortable by sitting in an open doorway of his coach. Pipe in hand, he gently smiles, muling over the years he spent in Imasi's service.

"We'd best be going if we want to leave before nightfall." He says when the others arrive. He does a final check of his supplies and jumps on the box, ready to shake his horses into action.

[theterran]

Jarvis

Agreeing with Dieter, Jarvis climbs onto his horse, ready to begin the journey.

[XiaoTie]

When necessary I'll assume that the group is resting 7 hours (the amount needed, like explained on the setting thread) during the nights. The following spoiler tags contain mechanical information. I'll leave stuff like "Should we make fire?" to you.

Departure
No provisions consumed. It is assumed that you had dinner, but for "bookeeping" sake I'll begin counting the trail rations' use on Day one

Before nightfall the group leaves the city through the northern gates, traveling for a few hours before setting a camp a few feet from the road, on its northern side. Not much can be seen on the road after the night falls, only that snow nearly covers the entire, somewhat, rocky land around the road, and part of the road itself.

If the day that passed by was cold, the night was freezing for those not used with the weather on Yasir. It seemed that cold winds blew nonstop during the entire night.

Day 1
1 Trail Ration used; 0 Feed used (there was grass enough to feed the horses); Survival DC to provide yourself and another person with enough food is 20 (I know that the standard is 10, but I would like to see that 10 DC survive on cold places like that :smalltongue: ).
Aid can be used by a single hunting/foraging partner.

After a few hours the sun rises on a cloudy sky, bringing light to the cold (and now) misty plateau. As expected, the sunlight makes the road and its surroundings more visible, and the group is now able to see that the areas along the road are vast and with only a few trees and some bushes. The day is calm, cold, but calm.

It is easy to notice during the first day of travel that the sun is not shining as it was on the previous day when you still were on Oirahin; it also completed his journey towards its western dwelling a bit quicker.

Day 2
1 Trail Ration used; 0 Feed used there was grass enough to feed the horses); Survival DC to provide yourself and another person with enough food is 20.
Aid can be used by a single hunting/foraging partner.

For a few hours during the day, winds blow stronger. However, the sun seems to shine the same way it did on your last day on Oirahin. Not a living soul was seen on the road during the entire day, much like it happened on the previous.

The night is calm and uneventful, but the cold winds keep blowing.

Day 3
Post away :smallbiggrin: ; If you want me to jump foward to day 4 or 5 let me know.

A bright sun rises on the east over a clear sky. It seems that today its bright matches the heat it brings to Yasir.

[theterran]

Jarvis

Awaking to the crisp, cold air sends a shiver through Jarvis' body.

What I wouldn't give to be back in Gyasi right now...

Jarvis sighs...

Surveying the campsite, he notices that the fire had gone out during the night...

It's so cold even fire cannot stand it...

Jarvis sighs...again...

This time he notices the steam from his breath on the air. Amusing himself, he exhales heavily many times watching as his breath becomes visible before slowly dissipating. Becoming light headed, he stops before he makes himself pass out. Standing and stretching his cold extremities...Jarvis whistles.

Above a screech is heard as Thor circles...it's breakfast in it's beak.

Not a bad idea...breakfast might make this morning a little cheerier

With that thought, Jarvis goes out in search of food that will hopefully last him the whole day.

Survival rolls in the OOC for Day1,2, and today.

[Diarmuid]

Bron

Happy to be on the road, the middle-aged ranger wished the weather were a bit warmer. Though he had been on the road long enough to acclimate to almost any climes he preferred warmer air. He stayed mostly quiet while travelling, often ranging ahead to scout the area for the best travelling areas and occasionally ranging behind the slower moving coach to check their backtrail.

When the group is breaking down for the night and arranging camp, he grabs his bow and heads out into the wilds foraging.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Occasionally he will bring up a heartening story of one of the many times Imasi did something extraordinary to lead the band to victory over some foe or obstacle in attempts to keep morale light and strong.

[BooNL]

Dieter

The past few days Dieter has kept to himself. He wasn't used to the cold of Yasir and it made him grim and depressed. His usual cheery expression exchanged for a cold look of hardship.

Sleeping in his coach kept him out of the heavy winds, but it also distanced him from the group, he hadn't spoken to anyone the last two days.

[theterran]

Jarvis (actually Thor)

While Jarvis is out gathering food for the coming day, Thor circles around and lands on the roof of Dieter's coach. Thor then tears into his prey. An occassional drop of rat blood can be seen passing the window of the coach.

The constant tapping of Thor's claws and beak can also be heard throughout the camp, but most loudly within the coach itself.

@XaioTie/BooNL
Let me know if I've overstepped any bounds here...I just thought this might be a fun way to get Dieter out of the coach :smallbiggrin:

[BooNL]

Dieter

Agravated at the constant tapping and scraping, Dieter sighs and gets up. He exits the coach and throws his shoe at Thor. "Rotten bird!" He yells as he wipes the rat blood from his coach.

He recoveres his shoe and sits down at the campfire, wrapping his winter blanket tight across his body.

"Hey," he says to the group in general.



Damn you herr terran! :smalltongue:

[theterran]

Thor

Thor looks toward the source of the yelling as a shoe flies over his head. Unphased, Thor finishes his rat, defiantly gulping it down before flying off.

You had to come out sooner or later. Never throw a shoe in battle, you have terrible aim with them :smallwink:

[Diarmuid]

Who throws his show? Honestly! That really hurt!

[BooNL]

Yeah, I didn't have enough feats to take Weapon Focus: Shoe...

[Brawnspear]

Barbarosa
Outfitted in his armor atop his horse, Barbarosa smiles a little at the discomforts of his companions. He wears his explorer's outfit (TM) underneath his armor, the same kind of clothes he always wears regardless of the temperature. When not taking his turn at watch, each night he lays atop his bedroll uncovered with his chain shirt on and his morningstar close at hand, ready. I really must teach them how to endure in these conditions, he thinks to himself. Oh well, later. "Cmon lads, it's not that cold, what all this fuss about? If you're really that cold someone can borrow my blanket, I don't need it."
If somone is willing to join me i can take ten on my survival checks and have enough food to feed both of us. If not then hopefully i can feed my self with an 18. But if ya want me to roll I will anyway
Day 1: [roll0]
Day 2: [roll1]
Day 3: [roll2]

[BooNL]

Dieter

Dieter looks up at Barbarosa and shivers. "I'll take you up on both offers, old friend. I'm cold and I've run out of rations, this weather is claiming more of my energy than usual."



I'll start joining you on survival checks from day 3 on, seeing as I've run out of trail rations :smallconfused:

[Brawnspear]

Barbarosa
As he slaps Dieter heartily on the back "Never you worry Diet, we've been through worse than this. Barbarosa rummages around in his saddle bags and hands Dieter his cold weather gear.

[theterran]

Jarvis

Jarvis returns with food in hand, and smiles as he sees Barbarosa and Dieter heading out to find food.

"There's food if you know where to look!

I've got enough food to share with someone if they're in need..."

Jarvis holds up two small hares proudly as he speaks. He also managed to find a small amount of berries...

Thor circling above, lands beside Jarvis as he's cleaning the hares. Thor greedily snaps up any "unwanted" parts of the hares.

[XiaoTie]

"Day 3" cont.

The sun was fading into the west, coloring the snow covered plains to the west as if an enormous battle had took place and spoiled all the land with blood, while the sky was beginning to be embraced by darkness. It was an awe-inspiring view for those that could see beauty in nature.

The Spear Wall to the south was nothing more than a massive gray shadow after the sun had set, the peaks turned silvery-gray with the moonlight, and it was easy to understand now why the ancients had named it that way. It indeed looked as a colossal wall made out of spears.

After nightfall no more sounds could be heard on the road that were not made by the group; it's not that during the day a choir of beasts was heard, but not even the faintest howl could break the silence during that night. To the west the beauty of the Crystal Forest started to make itself noticed, and as the peaks on the Spear Wall, the snow that covered the forest glowed faintly under the moonlight.

End of night 3

Day 4
1 Trail Ration used; 1 Feed used; Survival DC to provide yourself and another person with enough food is 20.
Aid can be used by a single hunting/foraging partner.

However, not all was beauty in the bounds of the Crystal Forest, not anymore. With the light provided by the sun, and with you approaching the western border of the forest, it is clear that the orcs had razed a good portion of the area, be it with axes, be it with fire as some charcoal filled parts indicated. They were getting closer now.

A silence dome still surrounded the area, all that could be heard was the wind blowing, and the eventual chirp made by Thor.*

* Theterran, could you roll Handle Animal, please ? :thog:

[theterran]

Freaking bird :smallbiggrin:
Handle Animal - [roll0]

Survival Day 4 - [roll1] - Let me know if someone wants to aid me on this and we can add to it :smallamused:

[Diarmuid]

Bron

The ranger continued to range ahead to make sure the train of beasts wouldnt wander aimlessly into a trap, especially with the evidence of Orc activity becoming clearer.

"I'm going to be spending most of my time a bit ahead of us, would one of you mind ranging behind us every now and then to make sure nothing is taking an unhealthy interest in our passage?"

During his ranging, he kept an eye out for game, or edible fauna that might have survived the first few frosts.

[roll0]

Edit - Worst....Ranger....Ever....

[theterran]

Jarvis

After comforting Thor, Jarvis turns to his companions and says as quietly as he can.

"Everyone. Something has made Thor extremely uneasy, so be on your guard...we might not be alone..."


[roll0]
[roll1]

[BooNL]

Dieter

Considering the fact that I have no more trail rations I will assist you on foraging theterran. It seems you already made the roll though :smallsmile:.

I agreed with brawnspear IC that we'd forage together, but he hasn't posted yet.

[roll0]
[roll1]



Whereas the first days of the journey Dieter sheltered himself from the party. This day was one of activity. Helping Jarvis forage for their dinner, Dieter felt that warm sense of brotherhood return.

Blood quickening at the sight of the orc-scarred land, Dieter is back on his feet, plotting a strategy to take down the outpost.

"Bron, warn us if you see a good shelter to set up camp. I want our assault to be an ambush, we're far too outnumbered to take the fight head on.

I suggest we leave our mounts and carriage at the base camp and use the cover of the Spear Wall to sneak as close to the outpost as possible."

[XiaoTie]

Listen and Spot check for Barbarosa
[roll0]
[roll1]

Listen and Spot check for Lemmy
[roll2]
[roll3]

Day 4 cont.

The Spear Wall still was one day of travel to the south, as was the place where orcs were supposed to have set a small outpost. Thus far, all that could be seen is the Crystal Forest to the west, and the massive mountain range to the south; other than the scorched woods, there was not even a single trace of orcish presence.

Silence lingered in the hoary plateau throughout the rest of the day. The weather seemed to be getting colder by the hour as the winter approached. As the sun finished the journey through the sky a feeble rain began to fall, coming with the strong eastern wind. With winds and rain, even if just a drizzle, the weather was even colder, making those not used to extreme cold shiver, even if only just for a bit.

To the south the mountains grew bigger as the group traveled towards them. There were a few small mountains and mounts that seemed to serve as scouts for the larger mountains of the Spear Wall.

The track used to proceed south had only a few sparse trees on its western side, and a few small rocky formations, some were tall enough to cover a standing man, large enough to cover four men.

Rain fell from the sky until the late hours of the night.

To begin Day 5, I need a Spot and Listen check from Bron (since he is scouting) and whoever stays in the rear as suggested by him Theterran already made Jarvis and Thor's.

[theterran]

I'll just assume that I stayed in the rear with Thor...(he's got better spots than me anyway :smallbiggrin:)

Jarvis
[roll0]
[roll1]

Thor
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Diarmuid]

Bron

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2] (just in case, for picking good paths and avoiding pitfalls and other possible natural obstacles in the path, and for looking for any trails or tracks)

[theterran]

Where was that Survival Roll when you needed food?

[XiaoTie]

It was hiding from the cold, probably :smallbiggrin:

Day 5
1 Trail Ration used; 1 Feed used; Survival DC to provide yourself and another person with enough food is 20.
Aid can be used by a single hunting/foraging partner.

With daylight the rain stopped completely, however the eastern winds still blew with the same strength they had done in the past day. The massive Spear Wall was getting closer after every step taken by the group.

This day was as cold as the ones before, the only difference was that the Spear Wall was closer, and so was the area on appointed on the map by captain Enlai. The cold snow on the track was replaced by a larger portion of hard rocky soil as the group traveled south. During the entire day Bron led the way, and would stop occasionally to check the road.

When the group was no more than 5 miles away from the first large rocky formation of the Spear Wall; it was a rocky hill with a few trees on the top. Thor, that had flew upwards moments before returns quickly to Jarvis.¹ The sun had set.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/Hill.jpg

credits to M00ler710 from deviantart.com


The hill had a height of about 80 feet, and it was covered by a layer of snow on most of its area, the exception being parts of the track and the area on the top. ²

Area map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/Group-firstsight.jpg

The walls are exception to the 5 feet square, they have an average of 30 feet each
OOC: The group is not yet within the range of the map; the position of entrance will be determined by you.

[theterran]

Jarvis

Looking toward where Thor had come, Jarvis can barely make it out as well.

Whispering to the others, he says:

"There's smoke rising from the top of that hill, we must be extremely careful now, or we might find ourselves seriously outnumbered."

Pulling his clothing tight around him as the cold night slowly progressed. Although slightly dishearten at the fact that they would be unable to start a fire of their own, Jarvis forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand and ignore the ever increasing cold.

[roll0] If anyone wants to aid, feel free!

(edit)Thank goodness for good Survival Rolls...I didn't bring any trail rations...just meat and bread :smallconfused:

[BooNL]

Dieter



Joining in your survival roll, yay for selfishness :smalltongue:

Dieter looks up at the smoke and shivers. The air was getting colder, hie pulls his second blanket tight around him. After this expedition, we're heading south, he thinks.

"Jarvis is right. I want a constant watch throughout the night. I'll take the first, Jarvis, will you take the second?"

He looks over to Bron. "How much further do you recon? Will we be able to reach the outpost tomorrow?"

[Diarmuid]

Bron Trueflight

As his path brought him back towards the main group towards the end of the day, a look of concern was painted on the older ranger's features.

"Well, I got a little closer to the hill to see if there's been any recent activity, and it seems as if there has been. A group of no more than 9 or 10 orcs has been on the path no less than a week ago. What gives me pause is that the tracks dont lead along the winding path that heads up the breaks in the walls, but branches off towards the trees below the first rise and then again above the first rise."

Taking a stick, he begins drawing in the dirt (a picture looking much like the one presented by XT).

At the base of the first level, he draws a line from the ramp westward towards the treeline, and then another at the top of the first rise again westward to the treeline.


http://img451.imageshack.us/img451/8743/dirtmapak4.th.jpg (http://img451.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dirtmapak4.jpg)

Dotted lines denote the extra traffic he is emphasizing


"This hill has a very clever switchback as its only approach. Traversing that path will leave us wide open to assault from above for a long time, and if there are orcs stationed in those woods, they could also harry us from behind while we are being pelted from below. Approaching in the daytime would make us too easy targets for anyone in the keep on the top of the hill, but nighttime favors the orcs. I'd rather take my chances with an orc's vision not being too accurate at nighttime than parading up that switchback in full daylight....but...I do think it might be a good idea to approach the hill from the northwest, using the trees to hopefully mask our approach to some degree, and take a look see at what might be going on in those trees."

He taps the trees at the northwest corner of his little drawing for emphasis.

"If anyone has a little critter they've befriended, or perhaps can magic up some kind of scout for us...well I'd rather risk that than one of us trying to get a peek. If not, then I say we all check out the woods this evening, and then...depending on how that goes we plan our assault for the next day."

Squatting back on his haunches, he looks thoughtfully at his little dirt map as though some hidden secret lies just beneath the dirt layer waiting for him to perceive it. He drops the stick next to it, inviting anyone else to perhaps make a suggestion.

[Diarmuid]

Day 5 food finding attempts

[roll0]

Im really glad I brought enough food for a while, cuz otherwise I'd be starving.

[XiaoTie]

OOC: This may be the whole "english is not my native language" thing, but is there any other conotation to the magic word on this setence ?


"If anyone has a little critter they've befriended, or perhaps can magic up some kind of scout for us

Because, you know, there is all that No-to-low magic setting stuff :smalltongue:

[theterran]

I'm not sure if this is the way he was using it, but 'magic' can also have the connotations of just having a trick up your sleave or being able to perform a task that no one else in the immediate party can do...it does not necessarily mean MAGIC in the literal D&D Terminology.

Gotta love the english language...it's so convoluted with slang and regional vernacular, it makes it one of, if not the most difficult languages in the world...

[XiaoTie]

I'm not sure if this is the way he was using it, but 'magic' can also have the connotations of just having a trick up your sleave or being able to perform a task that no one else in the immediate party can do...it does not necessarily mean MAGIC in the literal D&D Terminology.

Gotta love the english language...it's so convoluted with slang and regional vernacular, it makes it one of, if not the most difficult languages in the world...

Portuguese is harder, trust me on that one :smalltongue:; I thought it could mean that, but it just sounded plain silly inside my head without another person to confirm :smallbiggrin:

[BooNL]

Dieter



I concur with the whole brazilian-portugese thing. I can't get further than obrigado and donta es...



Dieter peers at the rough map Bron has sketched. "North west would be the most feasible aproach. However, taking the stick and moving a trail across the orc's patrol path. I would first like to know more about these trails. From the way I see it, it indicated that there's orcs in the woods as well. We'd have to take them out silently first.

If we sneak in the woods tonight. Can you determine a rough number of orcs there? It might be possible to clean them out tonight.

Dieter's frown thickens and he scratches his unshaven face. His usual well-trimmed moustache now surrounded by a mass of unwanted hair.

"Maybe the outpost would send another patrol the find out why the others never returned. We could slowly empty their base, making an assault that much easier. That is, if they are that organized."

[Diarmuid]

Bron



Y'know, to be honest I had somewhat forgot about the low-magic part of the setting. But the term does have enough "mundane" possibly meanings that I think it should be OK as is.



"I think if we do it right, we might be able to take out any orcs in the woods tonight. My only worry is that the tracks lead off to the west on the ground level, and on the first level. We arent enough to split up and check both places."

[theterran]

Jarvis

"When in doubt, take the path that leads to the higher ground...that way we have an advantage against any others that might come against us."

[Diarmuid]

Bron

Scratching at the greying stubble on his chin, the ranger shifts his squat to get a different angle at the lines in the dirt.

"That's good logic...problem being the orcs've already used it. They're up on the top of that hill, and anyone coming up will have to take the winding path back and forth along the side to get to the top. While that's certainly bad enough, if they've stationed some forces in those trees we could be caught between a rock and a hard place. If we clear out the woods first, then we at least will only be fighting from one direction. And if we make our approach at night, they'll have a more difficult time haranging us while we make our way through the switchback"

[XiaoTie]

With the sun out of the firmament, darkness began to take her rightful place while the blazing sphere was absent. The dense clouds that covered the skies were impenetrable to the full force of moonlight, what gave them a somewhat obscure crimson coloration. It was going to be a moonless night, with only the dim reddish light able to pass through the clouds to keep the entire darkness away.

The strong eastern winds had finally ceased, but the cold they brought was only stronger now. It was unquestionably going to be colder during the following day; winter seemed to have begun spreading its reach through the northern lands, reclaiming its everlasting reign.

Not all was bad news, the cold brought to Isami’s Finest¹ a friendly help, one of its own. Just after nightfall, a pony appeared on the northern horizon and moved towards the group with what seemed to be a curved man at first, but as the pony moved south it was clear that the curved man was in fact a dwarf, dressed in a long hoary cloak, with a long brown beard pending from his chin².

¹ If the group decided indeed to change its name like it was suggested by Bron (page 1 of the thread). If they didn’t, then it is still Blackstone’s Finest.
² This description may change according to Kyroswolf.

This is the introduction of the new character, played by Kyroswolf. He is a dwarf warrior, expert in disarming and tripping his opponents, thus gaining some control of the battle. He was already a member of Blackstone’s Finest and a friend of yours, but he had to leave towards the dwarven kingdom to solve some sort of personal problems, or on a mission. Anyho, welcome Kyroswolf :elan:, if you please describe your character a bit (IC) and post away.

[Kyroswolf]

Upon the horizon appears a dwarf atop a pony. He is hunched close to his ride, a great fury blanket pulled tight across his shoulders against the cold. As he approaches the group he sits up and stretches out a hand, waving a greeting. His usual boisterous laughter, contained, realizing the need for quiet in this setting. When he finally reaches you he greats each of you in turn. "Good to see you again laddies. Blasted wind almost kept me from catching you. Turns out they don't want me back home, so your stuck with me.

Gimil Longbeard is average height and weight for a dwarf. His beard is kept immaculately clean and groomed whenever possible. His breastplate and shield are obviously in good order, though the shine has been buffed out of them. At his hip hangs an ominous looking flail.

[Diarmuid]

Bron Trueflight

The bowman had slid over to his horse to hide the subtle fitting of an arrow to string, but as the figure drew nearer he recognised the form huddled against the pony for warmth and raised a hand in greeting, still keeping the arrow clenched between the fingers of his hand holding his bow...he had not reached his age by being careless.

Once he had scanned the dimness for any sort of pursuit and not seen anything, he relaxed and moved his arrow back to a quiver.

"Well met Gimil, you could not have arrived at a better time."

Bron goes on to explain the situation regarding the job they have taken, and the current situation involving an attack on the orc hill.

"So we're planning on waiting until we have just starlight to move by, and then we're going into the woods to the west of the hill to check for an ambush. Your dwarven eyes and your flail would be a welcome addition to the effort."

Tethering the horses together for warmth against the cold and with their blinders on to not make a lot of noise, Bron prepares for the night's activities.



Bron slips his climber's kit on and pulls a couple of torches from his saddlebags and stashes them in his pack. He pulls one of his additional quivers from his saddlebag and ties it to hip, opposite his scimitar's scabbard.



He waits for the cover of darkness and the others to signal they are ready before heading out in the direction of the trees.

[BooNL]

Dieter

Just like Bron, Dieter lowers his bow when he sees the new arrival is one of their old friends.

"Gimil, welcome." He walks over to Gimil and shakes his hand. "We're glad you could make it, Imasi's Finest can use an extra hand. Especially a skilled one such as yours."

He retreats to his coach, turns around and adds to the group in general "Prepare yourselves well, let's make this one count. It'll be just like old times! A small chuckle can be heard as Dieter shuts the coach door.

Inside, he rummages through his pack, carefully selecting his needs, Dieter tries to keep his backpack as light as possible. A heavier pack would only hinder him in battle.

He takes his hidden symbol to Olidammara and kisses it. "Please, grant us luck tonight., he whispers.

When he is finished, he'll leave the coach and wait for the others.



Yay, combat! :smallbiggrin:

Removed from backpack:
- bedroll
- winter blanket, x2 (one extra from barbarossa)
- hooded lantern

Added:
- grappling hook
- 20 arrows

[XiaoTie]

Day 5 cont. (Nighttime)


Lemmy and Barbarosa seemed to be delighted with the dwarven presence as much as the others did. To Lemmy, Gimil provided another opportunity to learn from him once more the secrets of the dwarven ways in architecture. Whilst to Barbarosa the old dwarf represented the voice of many a years of experience.

With a smile on his face the group’s shamanic advisor approached Lemmy and tapped him in the back twice, “We will take care of the horses and coach. I have a feeling that everything is going to be fine”, to which Lemmy replied with a faint smile to Barbarosa and to the rest of the group; it wasn’t enough that he couldn’t do much progress on his researches during these last few days, and now he would be left out of the battle, “Don’t worry, he will keep me busy enough with the stories of his people”, Barbarosa laughs and taps Lemmy in the back once more “Tales will be told when we are safe, we must keep an eye on the horses and fend any threats”, he then walked towards Bron and shook the ranger’s hand with a smile on his face, “The blazing power of the nature’s fire will aid you, even here in this frozen land my friend. Take good care of them my friend.”.

Other than the disappearance of the smoke atop of the hill, there was no sign of the orcs.

[theterran]

Jarvis

While he was never that close with the dwarf, Jarvis never turns away a friendly face, especially when on a mission.

Acknowledging Gimil's prescence with a smile and a nod, Jarvis turns his attention back to the task at hand.

Worry about the lack of smoke now coming from the hill, Jarvis send Thor out to scout for any enemy movements.


Thor Spot - [roll0]
Thor Listen - [roll1]

OOC:
Sorry to keep you guys waiting. :redface:

[XiaoTie]

Day 5 cont. (Nighttime)

Thor gained altitude rather quickly as he flew towards the top of the hill, where he would remain for a while. Night had fallen for at least an hour now, when Thor finally returned to Jarvis, and when he did, Barbarosa and Lemmy were moving the horses and the coach to a small rocky formation no more than a mile to the east; the rock was large enough to conceal them from unwanted attention.

It was time to make the plans no longer be just plans. It was a mercenary second favorite time, the time to make the job; the first one, clearly, being getting paid.

[theterran]

Jarvis

After taking a moment to 'confer' with Thor, Jarvis turns toward the others.

"They're still up there...and taking potshots at Thor in their spare time it seems...

I doubt they know we're here, or we'd already be swimming in orcs, I imagine they thought Thor would make a decent meal..."

Jarvis cringes at the thought...

"Still, if we're to make our plans, let's make them quickly...even if they don't know we're here, if they think they hit Thor, we might be starring down a few orcs sooner rather than later..."

@XaioTie - I guess it's a too dark for Thor's Low-Light Vision...:smallfrown:

[XiaoTie]

@XaioTie - I guess it's a too dark for Thor's Low-Light Vision...:smallfrown:
Ayup, but that huge spot check took care of that problem. I'm really liking to DM this game :smallbiggrin:

[theterran]

Ayup, but that huge spot check took care of that problem. I'm really liking to DM this game :smallbiggrin:

Glad you're enjoying it :biggrin:

[Diarmuid]

Bron Trueflight

Heartened by the appearance of their dwarven companion, Bron led the way out through the darkness towards the trees at the base of the hill. Using only the starlight to navigate by, he relied heavily on his previous scouting of the area and kept Gimil close to help looks for threats.

Though not exactly trained for it, he tried his best to stay out of the direct moon/star light and to tread as lightly as possible to keep their element of surprise for as long as possible, relying on his cloak to make his form seem less obvious and his boots to muffle his steps. All the while, he had an arrow fitted to the string of his massive longbow, but not drawn taught just yet and he scanned the terrain for enemies or potentially hazardous footfalls.

[roll0]
[roll1]
Move Silently: 26 (roll in ooc as I fudged the code originally)
[roll2]
[roll3]

Intention here is to lead the group towards the trees, approaching from directly above the trees on the map, as opposed to the direction the path would normally take. If we have to circle around a bit, we will do that to maintain our attempt at stealth

[XiaoTie]

Day 5 cont. (Nighttime)

The forest is quiet, no sound can be heard, not even the rustle of the leaves is heard as there was no wind that night, nor the sound of the nocturnal animals. It was quiet enough that every step taken in the snowy ground would appear to be louder than it actually was. The trees on this area have a large amount of space in between them, granting the group a freedom of movement as if they were on a plain at the same time the few trees gave them some cover of the upper levels of the hill.

Despite the lack of snowfall during this last week, the trees’ zenith had a thin layer of snow, and the same happened with the ground. Some of the trees had their robust roots above the snow inviting the more foolish and incautious to trip on them during a dark night such as this; some others had them buried deep inside the earth, draining the necessary amount of nutrients needed to the survival on this cold weather.

The faint scarlet no longer provided any kind of important illumination, only the faintest of the light beams were able to cross the frozen greenish ceiling above your head.

Area map

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/FGroup-florestacomeo.jpg

[Kyroswolf]

Gimil readies his flail as they set off from camp, ever wary to approaching danger.

"You fella's lead the way. I'm not much for being quiet, ya know."

[Diarmuid]

Bron Trueflight

Walking quietly through the forest, the ranger slips in and out of the shadows almost at will. As you scan the surroundings, you occasionally lose sight of him until a quiet call from up ahead warns of a high root, or other such treacherous foothold.

Eventually he stops and kneels next to a large tree, pulls the cowl of his cloak down, and gazes ahead. But his head is tilted as if he were looking at something up higher than ground level.

"Well, we're near enough to the wall of the hill that I would think we would have come across anything lying in wait here by now. Gimil, do your dwarven eyes see anything that the rest of us might be missing? If not, I say we move along the wall and up to the next level and check the tree-line there. This approach will also keep us mostly out of sight from above."

Nodding along with his own plan, he suddenly looks up as if something has caught his eye and snaps his fingers. Unshouldering his pack, he quietly begins rummaging through it and pulls out the scroll case with the map the group had been given. Moving to where a nice beam of moonlight is shining down, he removes a small vial from his bag, and then a small thin object from a little leather case.

"I've got a bit of an idea I think could work to our favor now that these woods are clear.

Circling the area where the group entered the woods, with the inkpen he blows on the paper to let the ink dry. When that is done, he turns the paper over and scribbles a short set of instructions on the back.



Lower forest Clear. Bring horses and coach into trees at circle. Scouting second level trees.


Blowing on the paper again to dry the ink, he replaces his equipment back into his backpack and reshoulders it. Rolling the paper up, he hands it to Jarvis,

"Can you have Thor bring that to Lemmy? It'll tell them to bring the cart and horses into the woods through the same area we used. Our tracks shouldnt be too hard to follow, and they dont need to go too far in. Just enough so that in the morning, we'll be close enough to the hill without being in plain sight. I've written that this area is clear and we're going to check the next level."

[Kyroswolf]

Gimil scans the forest as they walk, ever vigilant for danger. Though he stops and focuses a few time, it always turns out to be a squirrel or some other small rodent. He replies to Bron in a whisper, "I haven't seen anything unusual or dangerous. If I do, I'll give a hiss. That sounds like a good idea about the horses. Never hurts to have your ride as close as possible. If nothing else you can put them between you and the archers."

[BooNL]

Dieter

Knowing that this situation isn't his specialty, Dieter keeps quiet and follows Bron's instructions.

Fearing an ambush, he keeps his light picks ready in his hands. His bow is swung over his shoulder, untied from his backpack, so he can use it immediately if necessary.

[theterran]

Jarvis

Slightly irritated...Jarvis thinks...
Thor isn't some carrier pigeon...still...this is neither the time nor place...

Nodding to Bron. Jarvis takes the paper and does his best to confer to Thor what he wants him to do while being as quiet as possible.

Jarvis releases Thor toward Lemmy and the wagon.

I hope he stays low and out of sight of that hill...

[Diarmuid]

Bron Trueflight

Having seen Thor off hopefully safe, Bron leads the party along the edge of the hill's wall to the first ramp. He is careful to remain close to the edge as they break through the cover of the trees, making to keep his eyes scanning the ledge above them.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]



Intention is to lead the group along the base of the hill to the ledge, and if nothing has been encountered, up to the next level and then again to the west towards the tree line for a similar exploration there. If nothing is seen, head back to ground level and retreat back to the trees and set up a scout post to watch the path leading to the hill for the next day and then plan the attack for the following evening.

Feel free to make any rolls necessary to move things long.

[XiaoTie]

Day 5 cont.

The silence within the forest remained throughout most of the night, the only kind of sound that could be heard after the late hours of the night was the air, slowly coming out of the Isami’s Finest’ lungs as you strode. There was no sign of orcish activity inside the forest, nor any other kind of activity for that matter. An hour after the group started their efforts inside the forest the wind started to be heard, and with that a bit more of light was shed, taking the forest out of the near complete darkness it was before.

Bron leads the way, and manages to keep himself, and through guidance the others, out of the way of any pair of eyes that could be watching down towards the base of the hill by moving along the wall. When the group leaves the wood barrier of woods you can see why the change of light happened; the dense clouds seen in the sky earlier were no longer there.

As Bron reaches the second level he stops to examine the ground, and then continues to lead the group into the woods.¹ Dieter and Jarvis keep an eye on their rear while Gimil helps Bron in the front with his mighty dwarven sight; soon the group reaches the forest on the first level of the hill. This place was not different if compared to the base level, one could argument that with the moonlight they could see further, thus making this level different from the previous. But the silence remained the same, with the wind blowing every now and then above the trees, carrying the clouds.

First level of the Hill - Inside the woods-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/FGroup-florestalv1.jpg

This level of the hill had no signs of orcs as well, thus Bron begins to lead the group back to the base level inside the woods, where he hopped to find Lemmy, Barbarosa and the horses. But as he leaves the woods he makes a sign with his hand telling the group to stop. Not a moment after that, the group hears the unmistakable yell of an orc warrior. The orc is clearly two levels above your current position, on the third layer of the hill. He appears to be carrying a heavy club of some sort on one of his hands. After his yell he turns his head towards the area where the peak of the hill seemed to be.

First level of the Hill - Outside the woods; Orc sighting
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/--Orcsighting.jpg

[Diarmuid]

Bron

Swearing to himself at the sound, Bron immediately reacts to seeing the Orc in the only way he knows how to deal with Orcs...with an arrow.

"Seems our ruse is over, decide quickly if we run or fight. We're not in the best position at the moment. Either way, I'll cover us."

Taking a 5' step closer to the edge of their walkway to get a clearer shot over the various layers of the hill the ranger smoothly draws an arrow from his quiver and lets it fly at the Orc visible at the top of the hill. Not waiting to see if his shot flies true or not he reaches again for another of his black feathered arrows over his shoulder. Fitting it to the string he pulls straight back until his thumb just brushes his ear, the muscles in his shoulder bulge as he fights the massive pull required draw this particular bow. Holding his breath his fingers open, releasing the arrow in a deadly arc towards the creature.



[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

(Well within short range, but feel free to apply any modifier for only moonlight to see by)

[BooNL]

Dieter

Dieter Squints his eyes to see the orc Bron has spotted, he sheathes his picks and grabs his bow from his back. "I'm not running awway from this one."

He moves a bit forward and readies an arrow on his bow. Without wasting too much time aiming, Dieter takes the shot.



Takes a 5' step forward.

[roll0]

[roll1]

[XiaoTie]

Day 5 cont.

After the arrows flew, the orc has no chance of, well, he doesn’t have a chance at all. The arrows fired by Bron hit him square in the chest, tearing through his armor and skin all the same, making him kneel in pain not a split second before Dieter’s arrow hit him in the chest again, thus finally slaying the beast that falls with the face on the snow.

As soon as the orc fell, another five came up from the darkness on the top of the hill. While they ran through the opening between the walls of the third layer you were able to count six of them, using what seemed to be mauls or clubs, dressed in some kind of animal hide as they charged the track through the second layer towards the first.

The orcs screamed and growled during their charge; some thrusting their heavy clubs on the air, while a couple did the same with mauls. They were ready to kill. They loved to kill.

Combat Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/--Orccombat.jpg

Notice
You may post out of the initiative order, however, be aware that your action will only take place on your turn; make sure you use "if" or "when", when acting outside your initiative order. And please use the compass rose as reference to how you move, instead of forward, backward and the likes

Orc's initiative rolls
[OOC] Since they will act before you (doing a full turn run to stand where they are on the map), these rolls are only to define which of them will act first

Orc 1
[roll0]
Orc 2
[roll1]
Orc 3
[roll2]
Orc 4
[roll3]
Orc 5
[roll4]
Orc 6..
[roll5]


PCs order
{table=head]Character|Initiative|Order
Jarvis|22|1st
Bron|20|2nd
Gimil|10|3rd
Dieter|7|4th[/table]

Orcs order
{table=head]Character|Initiative|Order
Orc 4|17|1st
Orc 1|13|2nd
Orc 2|12|3rd
Orc 3|12|4th
Orc 6|10|5th
Orc 5|02|6th[/table]

PCs turn!

[Diarmuid]

Bron Trueflight
Hit Points: 40/40
Armor Class: 20, Touch: 17
Initiative: 20

Nodding at his gruesome work finished by Dieter's arrow, he remembers the layout of the switchbacks and considers the timing,

"I would suggest at least a couple of you get out past the ramp down from this level to block their approach so we arent trapped up here. I'm not much good up close, but I'll make sure to keep my arrows to orcish flesh."

Having said that, Bron waits to see how his companions will advance before deciding where he will make his stand.

Free action to talk, then delaying

[BooNL]

Dieter
Hit Points: 34/34
Armor Class: 18 Touch: 13
Initiative: 7

Slowly assessing the situation, Dieter listens to Bron's advice. "Aye, I agree. I'll cover us. Are we making our stand here? Or are we going to close in as a team?"

With these words, he waits for the others to make their move. After that he lightly tumbles down the ramp, guarding it from orc approach.



Free action to speak. Moving east 60ft. (At least, I think that's the direction Bron meant. If not, I'll move as far as possbile in Bron's suggested direction.)

Do I have a clear shot next turn from that location?

[theterran]

Jarvis
Initiative: 22
HP: 37/37
AC: 18 Touch: 13 FF: 15


Well, if they already know we're here, this won't hurt.

Jarvis whistles loudly trying to call back Thor. Spotting a rather large orc with a large axe and metal armor, Jarvis notes him ((Dodge bonus to this guy)) before taking aim at one of the closer orcs.

"I don't feel comfortable being separated...I think we should all move as a group. If you still want to separate, I can take the lead, although I'm not suited for it."

Glancing at the oncoming orcs, Jarvis moves 30ft east guarding the way to the lower level. He then fires two arrows at the closest of the oncoming orcs.


If I'm within 30ft of my target, add 1 to every roll.
Arrow 1- [roll0]
Arrow 1- [roll1]
Arrow 2- [roll2]
Arrow 2- [roll3]

Where is that confounded bird...

[XiaoTie]

Day 5 cont.

OOC: Yeah BooNL, you would have a clear shot on the following turn

Jarvis’ arrows flies through the air whistling, but only one of them hits the first orc, directly on his shoulder, penetrating the orcish armor and his own hide; but the orc pays no attention to it, he only growls loudly and prepares to continue his charge with the arrow stuck on his left shoulder, which drips a large quantity of blood, drenching the gray hide armor that covered the orc’s body in red scarlet blood.

Moments after the arrow struck the orc, Thor could be seen on the sky, flying over the woods to the west towards Jarvis.


Combat on the Hills
PCs order
{table=head]Character|Initiative|Order|Acted on this turn?
Jarvis|22|1st|Yes
Bron|20|2nd|Yes
Gimil|10|3rd|No
Dieter|7|4th|Yes[/table]

Orcs order
{table=head]Character|Initiative|Order
Orc 4|17|1st
Orc 1|13|2nd
Orc 2|12|3rd
Orc 3|12|4th
Orc 6|10|5th
Orc 5|02|6th[/table]

We only need Kyros' post to proceed with this round.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/--Orccombat1.jpg

[Kyroswolf]

Gimil
HP 39/39 AC 19


Drawing his flail, Gimil runs forward to a position near Dieter, forming a line with only 5ft between them. "Remember, lad, I'm a bit slow so don't move too far forward. We need to hold this line so the orcs can't get past us. Don't let them get to Jarvis and Bron."


Talking free. Taking a Run Full round action to move to a space in line with Dieter, and 5 ft to his SW.

[Diarmuid]

Bron Trueflight
Hit Points: 40/40
Armor Class: 20, Touch: 17
Initiative: 20


Perfect guys, that's exactly what I was looking for, couple people in front of the ramp to the east, couple of us taking pot shots with bows. And we have the ramp down clear in case we need to run our asses off tactically retreat.


I didnt actually act yet, and after Dieter/Gimil's actions I will take my action

Nodding appreciatively at his companions' intepretations of his intentions Bron eyes the oncoming orcs. Noting the one with the arrow already protruding from it, he chooses a different target and lets loose with two arrows at the creature before taking a step closer to the ramp.



[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

5' step East

[XiaoTie]

Day 5 cont.

It would seem that Bron’s first arrow was nothing more than him adjusting his aim, as it only passed a few inches from the running orc ear, who turned the head for a moment to see where the arrow had gone only to be hit square in the right eye. The impact on him was such that his legs and torso moved frontward while his head remained still, which made him stay fully above ground for a split second before dropping on the rocky soil.

A group of clouds crossed the sky as the band of orcs continued their charge downhill, growling all the way through. With their approach it is possible to see that five of the orcs wore grey hide armors. Three of them carried large, and apparently well crafted, wooden clubs with spikes on the top; while two of the remaining three had on their hands some tremendously large metallic mauls. The other one neither dressed like his peers, nor bore the same kind of weapons. He was more sturdy and well-built, wore a metallic mail of with several tiny steel scales.

Their dreadful growl grew louder. Foot after foot, their desire was to fight the assailants, to drive them away, to kill them; to kill you.


Combat on the Hills
PCs order
{table=head]Character|Initiative|Order|Acted on this turn?
Jarvis|22|1st|No
Gimil|10|2nd|No
Dieter|7|3rd|No
Bron|Delay|4th|No[/table]

Orcs order
{table=head]Character|Initiative|Order|Status
Orc 4|17|1st|OK
Orc 1|13|2nd|Injuried
Orc 2|12|3rd|Down
Orc 3|12|4th|OK
Orc 6|10|5th|OK
Orc 5|02|6th|OK[/table]
The orcs moved up to where they are now

PC's turn

Combat Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/--Orccombat2.jpg

[theterran]

Jarvis
Initiative: 22
HP: 37/37
AC: 18 Touch: 13 FF: 15

Seeing Thor come flying back.

Jarvis does his best to convey instructions to Thor while continuing to attack the orcs.

I want Thor to fly up and do a spot check to see if more are coming after these guys...

[roll0]

I meanwhile, will fire at the one I already wounded, and if he goes down w/ the first arrow, the second will go toward the "Super" orc behind him...if that's possible.

(edit)(Add +1 to both Attack and Damage if targets are w/in 30ft..(/edit)
Attack 1 - [roll1]
Damage 1 - [roll2]
Attack 2 - [roll3]
Damage 2 - [roll4]

[XiaoTie]

Day 5 cont.

Being more than accustomed with Jarvis’ usual way of handling a combat, Thor understands his signs and gains altitude while flying towards the peek once again, disappearing between the clouds from the viewers bellow him.

The first arrow shot by Jarvis strikes the orc on his chest, cutting through armor, flesh and bone until it reached the cold air through the orc’s back, who fell on the ground after a shriek of pain. The second shot didn’t seem to be as successful as the first; when the arrow struck the armored orc he didn’t seem to feel any pain at all, and with an enraged guttural yell he removed the arrow from his chest and continued with the charge.


Combat on the Hills
PCs order
{table=head]Character|Initiative|Order|Acted on this turn?
Jarvis|22|1st|Yes
Gimil|10|2nd|No
Dieter|7|3rd|No
Bron|Delay|4th|No[/table]

Orcs order
{table=head]Character|Initiative|Order|Status
Orc 4|17|1st|OK
Orc 1|13|2nd|Down
Orc 2|12|3rd|Down
Orc 3|12|4th|OK
Orc 6|10|5th|Injuried
Orc 5|02|6th|OK[/table]

Combat Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/--Orccombat2-1.jpg

[Kyroswolf]

Gimil
HP 39/39 AC 21

Gimil brings his shield in front of his body, while readying his flail behind him. He crouches low, daring the orcs to come at him. "Come to me, ya ugly dogs! I'll show you might of a dwarf!"


Readied Action to attack the first orc that steps into his threatened area.
Combat Expertise, -2 to hit +2 to AC
[roll0](Racial +1 to hit vs orcs included)
[roll1]

[Diarmuid]

Bron Trueflight
Hit Points: 40/40
Armor Class: 20, Touch: 17
Initiative: 20

Seeing the lack of success Jarvis's arrows had on the seeming leader of the orcs, Bron decides to continue to pick off the less well armed Orcs. Remembering that the stronger of the creatures usually preferred the larger, two-handed weapons, Bron hopes these Orcs might be less likely to dodge aside from his arrows.

Taking another 5' step to the east (H9), he continues his assault.



First attack on one of the orcs with a 2-handed maul.

[roll0]
[roll1]

Second attack on first target if still up, or another maul wielder if first orc dropped.

[roll2]
[roll3]



Calling out encouragment to his friends, he also wanted to make sure they recognised the well armored orc and remembered their employer's words about the orcs' impressive tactics.

"Gimil, Dieter....don't let them surround you, and watch for the one in the scale armor. Jarvis, we should keep an eye on the ledges above us, this seems almost too easy. I would hate to be caught unawares by some boulder throwing brutes from above while these before us keep our attention."

He had not seen Thor circling ahead and did not know his friend already had taken such measures, but he took his own advice and scanned the next couple ledges for movement, hoping the clouds would stay at bay....else the orcs would have them at a severe disadvantage,

[roll4]

[BooNL]

Dieter

Bolstered by the taunts his fellow mercenary is hurling at the orcs, Dieter throws down his bow and grabs his picks from his belt.

"If you're too afraid to attack the dwarf, I understand. Come here and I'll show you the meaning of pain!"



Like Gimil, Dieter readies an attack against the first that charges him.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

[XiaoTie]

Day 5 cont.

The clouds that were only passing by the sky became motionless when the wind stopped blowing. An orc can repelled the first arrow that came from Bron’s bow with a quick movement of his maul, thus making vulnerable to Bron’s second attack, which hits the orc on his left ribcage area; the orc’s knee trembles, but he is able to shrug it off and charges towards Dieter with his maul raised in the air. To no avail; Dieter simply thrusts his pick onto the orc’s head, which kneels, and finally falls on the ground by Dieter’s feet.

After that one of the three remaining orcs seem to hesitate for an instant, and on that instant the sturdy orc growled in a way that even the toughest soldier on any of the four armies of men would have felt a chill on his spine. In a fraction of seconds the orc became even taller than the massive 6’4 feet he already had, and then he charged towards the closest that had struck down one of his own, Dieter.

The hulking orc swings his massive axe with an abnormal amount of strength, even according to the orc’s standards; too much strength. Dieter was able to defend himself from the attack simply by making a motion that resembled a pendulum with his upper body. And he was quick enough in doing so to notice a second orc that charged towards him, trying to go for his back. Dieter tried to attack; he missed the orc’s neck by a few inches, hitting him the collar bone instead causing a large amount of bleeding on the, now, fallen orc. With, yet, another orc being brought down by the man using picks, the other orc charged towards him with a burning hate in his eyes visible even during the night, swinging his heavy maul with a deadly precision he hits Dieter’s ribcage with a breathtaking strike.

Rolls on the OOC thread, 10 damage to Dieter. Oh, and yeah, pun intended. :elan:

Combat on the Hills
PCs order
{table=head]Character|Initiative|Order|Acted on this turn?
Jarvis|22|1st|No
Gimil|10|2nd|No
Dieter|7|3rd|No
Bron|Delay|4th|No[/table]

Orcs order
{table=head]Character|Initiative|Order|Status
Orc 4|17|1st|Down
Orc 1|13|2nd|Dead
Orc 2|12|3rd|Down
Orc 3|12|4th|Down
Orc 6|10|5th|Injuried
Orc 5|02|6th|OK[/table]


PC's turn

Combat Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/--Orccombat2-2.jpg

[Diarmuid]

Bron Trueflight
Hit Points: 40/40
Armor Class: 20, Touch: 17
Initiative: 20

Enthused at the tide of the battle so far, Bron's sense of foreboding keeps telling him the other shoe is just about to drop. But without any evidence to support this idea, he continues to add his arrows to the melee.


If there are no orcs left after Jarvis' action, I will move to F15 and scan the upper ledges for movement and listen for sounds from above and ready the action to shoot anything that moves up there (besides Thor)


[roll0]
[roll1] (+2 additional damage if target is an Orc]


If Jarvis does not kill all orcs on his turn I will attack the less armored orc first, and then the more armored, leader-type orc.


[roll2]
[roll3]

If there are no orcs left after my first attack I will move to F15 after firing.

If either of the two orcs are still up after my first shot, I will shoot again. Order of targets being less armorerd orc then leader-type.

[roll4]
[roll5]

If I end up taking 2 attacks, then I will take a 5' step east to H10 after firing both attacks.

[BooNL]

Dieter
Hit Points: 24/34
Armor Class: 18 Touch: 13
Initiative: 7

Dieter grits his teeth as the heavy maul hits him in his ribcage, forcing the air out of his lungs. He takes a deep breath and feels a stinging pain in his chest, a broken rib, most likely.

"Hah, is that how you fight? Pathetic, watch this." Taunting the orcs, he turns the attention of his picks to the large brute.

He shifts his stance backwards, lightly sagging through his knees in a relaxed pose. He makes a twirl and brings his picks down on the orc. First his right pick in an overhead swing, then a twirl and his left pick in an underhand arch to the orc's reproductive organ.

After the attack he shifts back to his defensive stance.



Making a full round attack, in a defensive position. Giving me -4 to hit, but +2 dodge AC. I also declare my dodge (!) on the larger orc, giving me another +1 doge AC against him. So that's AC 20 against the regular orc, and 21 against the big one.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

[theterran]

Jarvis
Initiative: 22
HP: 37/37
AC: 18 Touch: 13 FF: 15 (AC: 19 vs big orc)

Assuming Thor hasn't seen any more Orcs coming...

Seeing that the orcs were now too close to his allies, Jarvis abandons his ranged attack and moves into a flanking position with Dieter on the big orc.

Move action to put away my longbow. Then move into flanking position drawing my greatsword as I move.

I have my dodge on the big orc, and if I happen to move through any threatened squares while getting into flanking position, I have mobility as well :smallbiggrin:

[Kyroswolf]

"Ye daft buffons, come take on a meatier prize! Dieter, don't let that large one hit you!" Gimil steps into the battle, flanking the smaller orc, and lets swing with his flail.


Gimil is moving to N15 then M16 to flank the smaller orc with Dieter.
[roll0](Racial and flanking bonuses included)
[roll1]

[theterran]

Jarvis
Initiative: 22
HP: 37/37
AC: 18 Touch: 13 FF: 15 (AC: 19 vs big orc) (-2 to everything because of charging for one round)

Seeing that ranged combat at this point is futile, Jarvis drops his Longbow to the ground, quickly glancing toward Bron and yelling, half-jokingly.

"Bron, don't let anyone steal my bow."

Jarvis then charges toward the big hulking orc drawing his Greatsword while charging.

The rolls:
[roll0] (+2 Str, +4 BAB, +1 MW sword, +2 Charge)
[roll1] (+3 Str, +2 Favored Enemy)

(edit)
What a waste of a charge...

[XiaoTie]

Day 5 cont.

The orc tries to avoid Jarvis’ blow by placing his maul in front of him, but the maul is broken in two pieces by the strength of the blow, that hits the orc’s chest slicing the armor worn by him and causing a great injury that spills orcish blood over part of Jarvis’ armor.

After seeing the orc falling by the hands of Jarvis, Gimil realizes that it is his last chance to cause any harm to those dreadful warriors and moves behind the one with the metallic armor. The dwarf crushes the orc’s back with a mighty strike of his flail, making him fall, unconscious, over Darmuid. It was over; or so it seemed.

Most of the orcs were still breathing heavily, trying to grab their fallen weapons while still in the ground with deep wounds, in order to continue with the battle. They were that determined to kill, to be victorious over the mercenaries. Only the one that had his head pierced by Dieter’s weapon seemed to be truly dead.

There was no sign of Thor on the sky.

End of combat

Area map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/--Orccombatend.jpg

OOC 1: Dieter's and Bron's action didn’t happen.

OOC 2: To avoid a longer wait I made Gimil attack the Barbarian. I know his previous plans were changed when theterran (allowed by me) made changes to his actions. I don't know what are the Charge rules on squares occupied by 'dead' enemies, I believe it is the same as if they were alive, but (again to avoid a longer wait), I decided to ignore this rule just this time, since the outcome of the battle wouldn't have been different. And theterran, purty please try to use the map for references on how you are going to attack, I didn't knew if you were going for the armored one or the other :smalltongue:. And the same goes for everyone not using the map :thog:

[theterran]

Sorry :smallredface:

Jarvis

Seeing that the orcs were dead, or dying, Jarvis walks back and searches for his longbow.

Worrying that he hasn't seen or heard anything from Thor, Jarvis scans the skies as best he can...scared to whistle for fear of alerting more orcs of their position.



[roll0] (Just in case I need it to find my bow)
[roll1] (Looking for Thor)
[roll2] (Listening for Thor)

[Diarmuid]

Bron

With all of the orcs immediately threatening them down, Bron moves to the top of the ramp and scans above for movement/sound.

[roll0]
[roll1]

In hushed tones, he speaks to those around him, concern obvious from the sound of it,

"That was a lot of shouting and yelling. I certainly dont think those 7 orcs were the entire force here, but it's probably a majority. I'm of the mind that we should continue up the switchback to the top of the hill. At least we can gauge how deeply they are entrenched up there and if they are still getting assembled, we could continue to pressure them"

As he continued to talk, he seemed to gain confidence as he realised how easily this skirmish went.

[BooNL]

Dieter

Dieter lightly touches his rib, trying to feel if there are any broken bones. From the feel of it, they were just heavy bruises.

With a grim look on his face, he silently finishes the rest of the orcs off, putting them to rest. When he´s picked up his bow and walked over to the rest of the party he's seemed to have cheered up.

He slaps Jarvis on the back. "Hah, that was a good fight, just what we needed to get the blood flowing!" He tries to keep his voice down, but he cannot contain his excitement.

[Kyroswolf]

"War is a dirty business. Almost wish I didn't enjoy it so much." Gimil moves to the bottom of the next ramp, staying against the wall as he moves. "See anything there, laddy?"

[XiaoTie]

Day 5 cont.

Darkness began to cover the area with more intensity at each and every minute that passed. Winds no longer blew, and the clouds remained in the sky, giving darkness even more power to cover the hill area with its cloak. The snow covered with blood and dead orcs gave the place a darker look; it wouldn’t be long until those bodies started the decomposing process, and then the dark and silent hill would be a mirror of how Nuhan’s Hall was depicted by the priests.

Area map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/Group-battleendcpia.jpg

[theterran]

Jarvis

Jarvis smiles faintly at Dieter, not really in the mood for celebrating.

Turning his attention from the sky, Jarvis now begins searching for Thor on the ground, trying hard to keep his emotions hidden, but every step he takes his heart sinks a little more.


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Diarmuid]

Bron

Confident that there are not any further assaults coming from above, the archer moves through the dead bodies trying to see if any of his arrows are salvageable.

(Fired four arrows)

Seeing that Jarvis is concerned and near frantically searching about, he calls softly over to him, while pointing high up in the air with his bow.

"Jarvis, I believe your bird is circling above the higher parts of the hill. There seems to be some sort of cave up there."

Moving over to the edge of the second level, and raising his voice slightly so it will carry down to those who have moved down to the ground level,

"I dont see any more orcs on top of the hill. There is a cave entrance where any others would be holed up in. I'm going to take a quick look and see what things look like over there."

Sticking to the shadow of the wall of the next level, Bron, both bow in hand, makes his way west along the edge to the next ramp and quietly slinks up to where the orcs had recently come charging down from. Closing in on the cave, he takes special care with his footfalls and staying to the shadows.

Taking 10 on Move Silently and Hide in Shadows for totals of 17 each.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[XiaoTie]

OOC: Since I still couldn’t get my hand on photoshop, I'll have to use a previously used map, just for reference. Please bear with me. :smallsmile:

The slaughtered orcs were finally gone for good after receiving Bron’s final arrows through their heads. While the orcs begin the long process after the end of which they will produce the stench of decay and death, the group finally reaches the top of the hill as the night reaches its final couple of hours. In the west the moon begins to fade, and to the east the first whitish aura of what would become later the sunlight is seen, bringing a least a very dim light source.

Above on the skies dense gray clouds are visible, indicating that the following day would most likely be welcomed by a rain curtain.

Not-so-Precise area map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/Bron-topsightcpia.jpg

[Diarmuid]

Bron

The ranger didnt relish the thought of following the stinking orcs into their stinking hole, especially if they knew he and his friends were coming. Slinking back down the hill a bit, he regroups below the top tier.

"So here it is, there's some kind of tunnel up there and there was an orc up there watching Dieter. He retreated into the dark when something smaller came out to him. We've got them on the run, yes, for now. Problem being, it's almost morning and we've been up all night. If we rest a few hours, we can regroup with the others and make sure they're alright, but we give the orcs plenty of time to set us up down there. Plus, we'd be completely at a disadvantage needing to carry around torches or lanterns so they'll see us coming from a mile away. I dont exactly think we're stocked to starve em out, and who knows if those tunnels come out somewhere else. Somewhere else...that's another worry we have. If they've got other exits and we go in there, we could be stuck with orcs between us and daylight. I'm not sure what to do here guys. I'm sure Imasi would have some great plan. Man I wish he was here."

As he talks, he moves through the dead orcs and looks to see if any of the four arrows he shot are still usable, and if they have anything of value.

[BooNL]

Dieter

Dieter was peering intently at the cave on the top of the hill. "Honestly Bron, I don't know how you manage to see all of that. I have trouble making out the cave itself!" He turns to the rest of the party as bends down to pick up his longbow. "I suggest we take the safe path. We're too exposed and tired right now. Even though we are giving them time to prepare, chances are we might find another, less defended route.

These orcs are no smart creatures. They will probably defend their main entrance. The trick is finding an alternative way. Maybe there is a less accessable cave located further up."

While saying this, Dieter is walking around the skirmish, searching the corpses and the nearby ground for any valuables. "How about we stay here for another hour or so? Do some more scouting in, before we head back. In the morning we can devise our attack strategy."

[Diarmuid]

Bron

Bron chuckles at Dieter's nighttime dilemma, but then considers his comment about the Orcs.

"Normally I would agree with you, but I saw something else up there. And if you remember, the man back in town claimed these Orcs worked with surprising tactics. I'm concerned that there may be something else calling the shots here. At the very least, I'd like to go down and let the others know what happened up here."

He offers a kick to the orcish body he is rummaging around for valuables.

"I agree that it might be good to stick around a bit and see if they send out any sorties. Plus, I'd like to set up a watch on the hill to see if anyone or anything comes and goes."

[XiaoTie]

Day 6
1 Trail Ration used; 1 Feed used; Survival DC to provide yourself and another person with enough food is 25 (It is harder to search for food while trying to avoid the orcs)¹.
Aid can be used by a single hunting/foraging partner.

¹A fail roll equal or under 10 in this situation will result in something like a “fumble”

The day has not properly come yet, but the dim white aura that begins to rise on the east lets all living beings on the surface aware that a new day is coming. It doesn’t take long until the thick clouds on the sky start sending down onto the lad a faint and windy rain.

As the last arrows were shot from a closer range, no more than a step or two from the dead orcs, all of them are still usable. The orcs don’t seem to carry anything of value other than their weapon, but those aren’t exactly valuable; their armors have some small and large holes, caused by the arrows and Dieter’s weapons. However, the one who was wearing the metallic armor carried a small leather pouch on his waist, and inside of it ten silver coins could be found, as well as a wooden miniature of a double axe.

[Diarmuid]

Bron

The Ranger cautioned against foraging for food, offering some of his own supplies to those who might not have brought enough food with them.

After accounting for his food and his horse's feed he has 5 days of rations and 10 days of feed

Bron grabs some sleep, hoping that the two who stayed with the animals can keep watch for a few hours. Once everyone is back up, Bron will go do some scouting around the other side of the hill looking for the proverbial "back door".

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

Before he leaves, he asks the others;

"Can some of you keep an eye on the trail leading to the hill? See if anything comes or goes? Heck, if a couple orcs are coming back...maybe see about ambushing or capturing them. I picked up the Orc tongue along the way, maybe we can find out what's going on and if someone is pulling the strings up there."

[theterran]

Jarvis

Finding Thor unharmed, Jarvis finally breathes a sigh of relief.

"During the night, I seem to remember seeing a rather large orc up at the cave...He seemed to be carrying what appeared to be bandages...and he had helpers that reminded me of large cats the prowl the forests in Gyasi.

We best be careful, I fear that battle last night might just be a taste of what's to come."


[roll0] - If someone wants to aid, feel free, just don't fumble :smallwink: (edit)Glad I have a +10 to survival or I would have fumbled...

[roll1]
[roll2]

[BooNL]

Dieter

Dieter will gladly accept some of Bron's rations. He has enough feed for the horses, but nto enough rations for himself.

He listens to Bron and Jarvis discussing their observations. "Alright, I'll get to the foot of the hill and see if our little skirmish has been discovered yet. Anyone feel like joining in?"

[Kyroswolf]

Gimil

"I'll come with ya, lad. I'm not much for staying in one place when there's orcs about."

[BooNL]

Dieter

"Alright Gimil, let's move. We'll meet back in a while."

Dieter will lead Gimil back to the site of the skirmish. When they get close, he'll opt for cover and first see if there are any orcs about the area.



[roll0]

[roll1]

[XiaoTie]

Day 6

The campsite continues calm and unharmed for the moment. Lemmy takes care of putting out the fire and cooking any food making even the older rations gain a bit of a good taste, while Barbarosa takes care of the horses. Then Barbarosa walks a little and stands by Jarvis on the eastern board of the woods, “It seems like the winter came earlier this time my friends”, to which Lemmy replies with curiosity, “ And how come you know that?”. Barbarosa only smiled, and no more than a second later snow started to come down from the sky.

While the things on the campsite were calm Dieter and Gimil started to follow the track toward the upper layers. The things seemed to be calm up there; no sign of an orcish patrol could be seem yet.

Area map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/Hillwoods--frontcopy.png

[Diarmuid]

It should be noted that Bron is not actually on that map, having left to go scout around the back of the hill.

[BooNL]

Dieter

After he and Gimil come back from scouting, Dieter gives his report to the rest of the group. "Well, the area of the skirmish looks clear. The bodies are still there and it seems like no orcs have come to investigate." He frowns, before continuing. "However, the cave you mentioned Bron? Do you remember if it had an open entrance? I couldn't see much last night, but there is a barricade at the cave. It goes up about knee height, it's not a strong fortification, but it might slow down the less nimble among us.

We returned before the snowfall got too heavy, there's not much else to see there anyway."



Diarmuid: I believe that's Barbarossa at the camp, not Bron.

Ofcourse, this conversation will only happen after Bron gets back from his scouting trip.

[XiaoTie]

It should be noted that Bron is not actually on that map, having left to go scout around the back of the hill.

OOC: Yeah, its like Boo said, that B on the recent map (here on the IC) is for Barbarosa. That's why it is not blue, like yours :smalltongue:. Update will be coming in a few hours

[Diarmuid]

Bron

Durr, dont mind me /smile

After about 5 hours, a man sized figure comes trundling through the snow towards the party. It's hands are raised and a familiar looking bow is held overheard by outstretched arms. As it gets closer, the form resolves itself into the ranger, bundled from head to toe in his furs and cloak.

Glad to be under the meager protection of the trees, he shakes the cold powder from himself and stamps his feet to help regain the feeling in his toes.

"Well, we were right. Looks like there's a back entrance to whatever tunnels or underground structure is built into that hill."

As Dieter raises his question, Bron thinks back but shakes his head,

"To be honest, I didnt notice any kind of door or barricade. I was focusing on the orc and the pairs of eyes lower. Though if I could see the lower sets of eyes there couldnt have been anything very tall blocking the entrance. Maybe it was swung inward at the time."

Rubbing his arms and hugging himself, he continued,

"I think we should go in via that back door. At least if we have to retreat...we wont have the switchbacks down the hill leaving us vulnerable to attacks from above the whole way down. I didnt see anything coming or going while I was watching so maybe it is not often used. I didnt dare get too close to check for tracks, and now this snow will make checking for traffic almost impossible. Either way, we cant stay out here indefinitely. The horses will freeze, and then we will freeze."

Looking back over his shoulder, he looked towards the direction he had come and saw the snow already beginning to fill in his light tracks.

"I think we should get a small fire going while the snow is falling. It's hard enough to see out there, the smoke plume might go unnoticed. Tether the horses close by and close together for warmth. We grab some sleep, and prepare to for another evening assault through the entrance behind the main hill. Maybe it will have stopped snowing by then."

[roll0] (To get a fire started and situate the smoke so it maybe disperses as much as possible through the tree tops and is as inconspicuous as possible.)
Someone else, please feel free to help out with that with an Aid Another roll.

[XiaoTie]

Day 6

Despite powerful, the fire that was made with perfection sends no smoke more than a few feet without immediately being dispersed. It would be nigh impossible even for someone inside the woods notice that fire, unless said person or creature were very close to the campsite, close enough to be spotted by the group.

A few hours pass by with only the sound of the fire cackling, the wind blowing the trees and the snow falling over them and eventually on the forest ground; but the fire remained intact throughout the entire afternoon. The icy, mirror-like, top of the trees illuminated by the fire shows part of the great beauty by which the forest was renowned within the Northern Kingdom and even among travelers from Lacsiter and Drachenlander.

As the night approached the usual sounds were silenced by a few very loud and powerful howls coming from outside the forest, but there was no way to tell how distant they were; the sound was so powerful that the wolves could be even a few miles away or very close to the woods.

The night began.

Area Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/Hillwoods--frontcopy-night.png

[BooNL]

Dieter

Just before night fell, Dieter went in his coach. He stowed away the valuables taken from the orcs in a seperate sack, they would divy it up when the mission was over. The figurine was interesting, he would like to keep it as a reminder of their first mission without Imasi. He rummaged in his pack and took out the symbol to his hidden god. He kissed it and spoke a soft prayer.

When he returned to the group, he noticed Lemmy and Barbarosa had drifted off to sleep. He quietly shook them awake. "Alright men, now is as good a time as any to act.

I stand by my earlier suggestion and Bron's advice. We flank the cave. If the other side is indeed lightly traveled, we can land a good suprise attack.

I suggest Lemmy keeps an eye on the switchbacks, if any orcs come crawling out that end we at least have cover.

The rest of us attack the cave. Any questions?"

He fastens his backpack, picks up his bow and gets ready to leave.



I assume we are going to divide the loot when we get back to civilization. I'll just veto that Dieter always guarded the loot, even when Imasi was still around.

If any of you don't agree, I'll edit my post.

[Kyroswolf]

Gimil

Gimil finishes donning his armor as the rest prepare themselves.

"Nothing like a good snow fall to get the blood boiling. Come on, lads. Lets get this show on the road. There be orcs to slaughter."

Gimil picks up his shield and flail as he waits for the rest to get ready.

[Diarmuid]

Bron

More than a little proud of the mastery of flames he exhibited, the ranger spends some time while not dozing near its warmth sharpening up the arrowheads he used the previous night, his daggers, and his scimitar with a whetstone from his backpack and his fletching tools.

Once that is done he retrieves a flask of oil from his saddlebag and fills his bullseye lantern. He ties the handle of the lantern to a strap on his pack. Digging through another saddlebag, he removes a 50' coil of rope and loops it over his shoulder like some odd bandolier.

Collecting some fresh, untrodden snow into his iron pot, he sets this on the fire and fills his waterskins, offering the same for anyone else.

He takes a couple of his rations and stashes them in his pack as well. Once all his gear is checked and double checked, he explains how often the horses should be moved around and how best to keep the fire going to Lemmy, as well as where the feed for the horses is and his extra rations.

"If you dont hear back from us in two days, make back for the town. Take all the horses and get out of here and tell the Captain we have fallen here. If you can gather some of our brothers, bring them back and bring hell down on this place."

Realising his tone and mood have turned somber, he stops before he says anything else too morbid.

"Gimil, we'll be depending on your eyes on the way to the smaller cave entrance. I dont want to risk the lantern or a torch out in the open ilike this. Especially not with the snow a perfect ground for reflecting is up to anyone watching. Once inside, I'lll stay the rear with the lantern or a torch so as to not be in the way of your swings."

With that, he explains the path he took around the large hill and gets ready to follow the dwarf.

equipment has been shifted around a bit, some things put in saddlebags, some removed from saddlebags into main inventory. ready to go

[Brawnspear]

Well, I think it's high time I got to be a part of the action, sides someone has got to be there to pull your fat out of the fire. I don't need to remind you how dangerous our work is, but I'm going to anyways. The best of us can be taken down in a blink by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Watch each others back, don't go for the glory. We get in, we do what we came to do and we get out. Lets not get caught with our pants around our ankles, they may still be ready for us to take the back door. Grabbing a few extra things from his horses, such as a lantern some torches and some oil, the big man twirls his morningstar in a business like fashion. Come friends, now is the time to rid the land of this evil.

[XiaoTie]

Day 6
Nighttime

And the silent stood still at the foot of the hill. Not a howl or whisper could be heard from out of the woods, only the wind clashing against the trees and releasing a handful of snow every time onto the forest ground; none of this made the area colder, as the fireplace remained intact even after a couple direct contacts with the occasional snow that would come down from the trees.

From within the woods it was easy to realize that the snow curtain grew thicker after a few minutes, which would most likely hinder the sight of any human being.

[XiaoTie]

Day 6
Nighttime

As one would assume, the snow falling from the sky indeed hindered the sight. The winds began to blow from the east as if the Ogre Islands were breathing ice upon you for challenging and killing their offspring.

The sky was as if covered by a dark velvet mantle when three creatures appeared in front of the group. They were wolves of a unknown breed to any of you; with a long hoary fur they were taller, apparently stronger, and a thousand times more intimidating than the average wolf. Their fangs appeared to be small daggers, hanging outside their monstrous mouth with frozen droll and blood.

They walked slowly and carefully towards the group.

Creatures
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/Worg___reworked_by_willowWISP.jpg
Credits to willowWISP from deviantart.com


Initiative Order

PCs order
{table=head]Character|Initiative|Order
Barbarosa|19|1st
Jarvis|15|2nd
Bron|12|3rd
Dieter|9|4th
Gimil|5|5th[/table]

Creatures' order
{table=head]Character|Initiative|Order
Creature 1|4|1st
Creature 2|4|2nd
Creature 3|3|3rd[/table]

Combat Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/CombatSnowy.png

Notice
Remember, you don’t have to fight anything, the Initiative Order was just to speed up in case combat was the chosen route.

Since it was only a difference of 1, I made the creatures attack after the PCs. As always, you may post before the person who is ahead of you on the Initiative order, but remember to take in consideration what the others would do, use “IF” and/or “WHEN”.

[Brawnspear]

Barbarosa
init 15
hp 43
ac 18
Aura Before my turn: Senses
Aura swapped to at the beginning of my turn: Power(+1 melee attack and damage)
Barbarosa moves to to the east of Bron. He prepares to bash these wolves heads in with his morningstar while he wonders how best to deal with them.

Move 2 squares east of where I am standing, ending up eadjacent to bron on his eastern side.
So, out of game i guess that means, I switch to power, +1 to melee attack and damage everyone, make a knowledge nature check on these thingys, and ready an action to attack one if it come within my threatened area in a hostile manner.
knowledge nature : [roll0]
Attack(readied): [roll1]
damage(readied): [roll2] 2 handing
hopefully all this works, been a while since i rolled on forums

Edit: Watch out fellows, this isn't normal hunting behavior, there may be more lurking or they may not be on the hunt.

[theterran]

Jarvis


"I bet they're hungry, and I bet we taste better than orc..." Jarvis half chuckles, an obvious attempt at some dark humor on the edge of battle.

Spying the wolf on the far left (furthest north) Jarvis takes aim and lets two arrows fly.


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

Not wanting to risk losing Thor he instructs Thor to stay close by and be a lookout.


Jarvis Spot - [roll4]
Jarvis Listen - [roll5]
Thor Spot - [roll6]
Thor Listen - [roll7]

[BooNL]

Dieter

"Keep those arrows coming Jarvis, I'll cover you." Dieter unsheathes his picks and moves in between the wolf and Jarvis. He's out of the way enough for his ranger friend to get a clear shot, but the wolf will have to go through Dieter first.



Move 5ft forward in a direct line between Jarvis and the wolf (Jarvis can still fire right?), readies an attack as a standard action (dang double movement... :smalltongue:).

[roll0]
[roll1]

[XiaoTie]

The winds were so strong for Thor that the eagle got unstable for the first few seconds when he gained the skies; he quickly regained his airborne balance and remained steady, even with the strong winds constantly pummeling his wings.

Jarvis’s arrows struck true on the creature’s body, penetrating their thick fur and hanging in there as he begins to run eastward. The creature is soon followed by the other two, and as quickly as they came they disappeared through the snow curtain. After that the road was clear, and Bron, with Gimil at his side, led the group safely to the cave he had seen on the small hill.

Combat over

As soon as the group arrived on the cave a foul stench made its way through Isami’s Finest nostrils, but it was no orc stench. The cave floor and walls were uneven, while the walls were also covered by a very thin layer of ice. Every breath taken inside the cave would be transformed in a gaseous form. “I recon this cave is not entirely natural laddies. Hammers an’ mine-picks were used to enlarge the place”, Gimil mutters to the group.

A couple large bones can be seen on the ground on the end of the lantern’s light.

Area Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/UnderStartcopy.png

[Diarmuid]

Bron

The older ranger cursed his slow reactions as he watched the attack on the wolves commence.

His voice loud enough to be heard over the winds, but low enough to not travel far,

"Well, I would've preferred maybe trying to get them to scoot along their own way without having to attack 'em. Fer all we know, we're intruding on their huntin grounds. But...what's done is done."

Standing in the entrance to the cave, Bron tries to identify the stench from his time in the wilderness.


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Use whichever you think is most appropriate.


Staring into the lantern light, he looks around to his companions,

"So...who's first into the stinky, frozen cave?"

[BooNL]

Dieter

Unsheathing his picks once again, Dieter proudly walks past Bron. "The faster we get through here, the faster I can wash the stench out of my clothes, let's go.

Gimil, feel like joining me on the front with those wonderful eyes of yours?"

Dieter will lead the party as long as someone else keeps a lantern lit.

[XiaoTie]

Gimil follows Dieter closely, while Bron carries the lantern just behind them, with Jarvis and Barbarosa following.

The first corridor is narrow and short as it could be seen before thanks to the light. It ends on an obviously manufactured and improvised fence-gate made out of rope and wood. Upon reaching the end of the corridor the group sees themselves on an empty and fairly large room.

Area Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/UnderStart-1-1.png

Note: approximately 45’ x 60’, or 12m x 20m

A couple pale points can e seen on the ground; they come from the ghostly white glow that emanates from the bones when the reddish light of the lantern touches them, bringing them back to the present, to the eyes of the living. The bones were heavily damaged which would make even harder to tell what they were before their death. The eerie aura emanated by the bones is only increased by a couple small puddles of frozen blood around the room.

The following room is actually part of a larger corridor that goes northward. Silence is only broken by the very steps of the group, not a single sound can be heard, at least not for now.

This corridor is wider than the first and goes deeper inside the cave, but other than that it is just like the previous, having its walls somewhat frozen and a partially uneven floor. It led to the end of the cave. The final room, to the left of the large corridor, made clear that some sort of beast, or beasts, lived inside the cave at some time. Gimil skipped the trip to the last room, and upon the return of the group he had a wide smile and a silence, deep, laughter. “Haha, I knew this wall had something strange about it lads”, he uses the haft of his weapon to hit the wall a couple times, revealing a wooden door covered with a thin layer of rocks and ice.
A very log and narrow corridor that goes westward is revealed.

Area Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/UnderStart-secretcopy.png

Note: the Rough Map represents the areas already visited by the group

OOC: Feel free to ask me any questions of the previous areas of the cave, or to roll checks on them, it would be assumed that you did that while on said room. Also, pardon me if it seemed too much of a "fast-foward"/"fiat" on my part, it was not my intention, I only wanted to help the things get on the moving. Let me know if it was too much and I'll avoid it on future posts.

[Diarmuid]

Bron

Bron unconsciously crouched a bit as they passed into the cavern. The crude fence made some amount of sense taking the animals outside into account. He made sure that any steps necessary to pass by the fence were undone such that the barrier would still keep whatever it was intended to, out (hopefully).

As the moved past each opening to the sides, Bron aimed his lantern over the dwarf's head to provide visibility for the rest of the group. No corner or crevice escaped the illuminating beam of his beacon lantern.

When the hidden door was pointed out, he patted Gimil on the back appreciatively.

"Well, if they went to the trouble of hiding this passageway, they might have gone a step further and set up some kind of trap. One of you has some skills with sniffing that kinda thing out, right?"

[theterran]

Jarvis

Shrugging, Jarvis looks to the others.

"If no one does, we can always take plan B...run really fast!"

[XiaoTie]

Gimil steps forward and makes a sign so that everyone follows his exact steps to the best of their ability, which was a well known maneuver of Isami’s Finest in similar situations previously faced. The dwarven warrior proceeded carefully inspecting the ground and the walls with his eyes, and whenever his eyes were not enough he used his flail to check an unusual or suspicious spot.

The walls on the hidden corridor are rather worked, way more than on most of the areas of the cave explored so far. They are only just a tad larger and taller than what would be needed to fit an above average strong man. One thing these walls had in common with the others was the thin layer of ice on them. The ground, likewise, had a degree of work a bit higher when compared to the previous areas within the cave. Silence was constant everywhere on the last few days; the corridor was no exception to that.

At first the corridor was a straight path westward, but that changed. After a hundred feet or so it began to go upwards rather abruptly, ending on a set of hempen rope with the shape of a ladder carefully attached to the wall. The rope ladder would go up for around sixty feet or so. Seconds listening and Gimil’s eyesight were enough to make sure that there was no trouble up ahead.

On the end of the tunnel a small wooden door was there to be found on the ceiling. The door gave way to what seemed to be a rather organized small storage room, which contained a couple barrels and two small chests. The walls were even more worked than the ones on the underground corridor, but the thin layer of ice was nowhere to be found, and a apparently thin and rough metallic and wooden door had its place on one of the walls.

Much like the layer of ice on the walls, the silence reign was over. Guttural voices could be heard from beyond, muffled by the metallic door. Gimil took off the flail from his belt and whispered with a rather angry tone of voice, “Orcs”.

Area Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v454/Loce/joprus/UnderB-seccopy.png

[Diarmuid]

Bron

At the bottom of the chute, Bron hooded his lantern so only the tiniest slivers of light could be seen and used to climb by. At the top, he completely shuttered the light so as to not give their position away.

Gingerly, he stepped away from the door so he would have more room to ply his bow. Kneeling, he put the lantern on the ground near his feet and whispered,

Diagonal up/left 2 squares

"Gimil, when you're ready...open that door and unleash hell. I'll lay down as much cover fire as I can. Jarvis, you'll probably want to use your bow also, might not be enough room for that giant sword of yours. Plus, we dont know how much room we're really going to have."

Drawing an arrow from his quiver, he knocks it to his bow and draws it back slowly, the muscles in his forearm and bicep straining to keep it steady as he waits for the dwarf to open the door.

[Kyroswolf]

Gimil

Nodding at Bron's plan Gimil checked the door to see if it opened inward or outward.

If it opens inward Gimil will move to the side of the door it opens to and open it, moving with it so the door does not cover him up. Once the door is open Gimil prepares to intercept any thing attacking his comrads..

If it opens outward Gimil will move to the side with the handle and swiftly throw the door open, staying out of the archers line of fire and again prepare to intercept any thing attacking his comrads.

Once his comrads have signaled they are ready Gimil will open the door.