Operation: Graystone #22

[GM Mad]

Operation: Graystone #22

April 15th, CR 569

Enemy forces are advancing on the Eagle's Nest area! While the main unit is moving up the road, a group of scouts tried to sneak in around the side. They were discovered and driven back. The rest of the enemy scouts were cleared out of the small gully.

Butternut locates Laurel and asks for healing. The Priestess of Felix complies and Butternut feels much better. Her wounds start to close. Laurel then casts a Protection from Evil spell on the halfling. The pair then follow after Vernar.

Further along the dwarf found where the scouts left their gear behind. There are backpacks, spare arrows and rations. Vernar, Laurel and Butternut ignore the gear and continue on to the edge of the gully. They take positions concealed among the tress and are looking up towards the road, but no one is up there yet.

Kaylessa pauses to rummage through two of the backpacks. She pulls out the usual spare clothing, patching kits and weapon and bow maintenance tools. The elf does find a vial of oil in each pack. It does look similar to the Alchemist Fire that Ren had in color.


On the other side of the gully, Erisciana has come down from the bluff along with Lucyus and Kendell. Wimzy and Sann soon follow suit with Gerett right behind them. This part of the gully is searched and no enemies are found. The group comes back together to report their findings. The side of the gully now limits their sight and they can no longer see what is going on further down the hillside.


Flare and Vardra remain up on the bluff firing arrows on the enemy below using the trees for additional protection. Sorvani weights whether to fire his shortbow from up here or go down below. He decides to try his hand at the bow. Sorvani fires two flaming arrows and both impact on shields among the enemy directly in front of them. Between Flare and Vardra, three more shields are set afire.

The flaming shields are quickly cast aside. Those who lost their shields draw their bow and join the archers, while an equal number of archers store their bow, pick up their shields and fill in the holes. The enemy archers fire more arrows and two of them scratch Sorvani.

Those on the bluff can see that the enemy below them did not move this time, rather the other group continued to advance and did not attack. Laurel's cat is near the archers, but they are too busy to notice the tabby.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

The enemy continues to get closer!

Hit Points:

Butternut – 18 of 21
Flare – 19 of 25
Gerett – 10 of 15
Sorvani – 9 of 15

Both groups are now close enough to appear on the same map. Here is the updated map:

graystone039.jpg (203.17 KiB) Viewed 9521 times

As always the locations are best guesses based on what was posted. As noted in the post, those in the gully are limited in what they can see as the road is now above them.

Now what?

[Erisciana]

Erisciana, priestess of Ishtar -

At the top of the hill, Vardra counters her statement with one that she does not fully understand. Vardra shrugs in response to the priestess' comments. "Seems like it has slowed them somewhat to me. Without our return fire, they could have just sprinted up the road and been here already rather than turtling behind their shields. But, you do what you feel you have to. I'll provide what covering fire I can."

Rather than get into a discussion that will solve nothing, she closes her eyes and pauses for a moment. At this point the archers are just a distraction and a target. She hopes that they can avoid taking serious wounds from this position. Setting her battle mace against the tree that provided cover for her against the approaching archers, she then casts her Darkness spell. Several in their group head down the embankment.

Lucyus and Kendall are the first there and the priestess is right behind them. As she heads down the hill, Erisci sees the hobgoblins she blocked with the Darkness move at double time past the group to the center and further down that road. "Excellent," escapes her lips as she finishes her rush and enters the trees in the gully. "One group of hobgoblins is moving closer to the scouts. They should have a close ambush opportunity if they move quickly," she says to those nearby.

Turning to Lucyus, she taps him on his armored shoulder. "Take Kendall and make sure no more hobgoblins are to our right," she says pointing to the trees in that direction.

Looking in the priestess’s direction, Lucyus smirks beneath his visor. “Too late for stealth. Kendell up for some hunting?” he says as he hefts his spear and shield.

The priestess sees Wimzy and Sann, followed soon after by Gerett, join them down the embankment and into the forested gully. Sorvani decided not to come, and the priestess frowns. His Sleep spell might be more potent and effective than firing arrows into tower shields. It was already apparent to her that their barrage did not impede the enemy advance. Fortunately the enemy did advance and were coming within counterstrike range.

"Sorry for the delay. Here now, anyway," Gerett stated matter-of-factly to Erisciana and Lucyus as he leveled his halberd and waited for their cue to charge.

"Good to have you," she responded to the dwarf. "And to you as well Sann." The gully descended down in the direction the scouts were exploring. Lucyus and Kendall quickly returned. They could not see any hobgoblins to their left either. Apparently the forested area was free of any more enemy. There were no sounds of battle, although their friends were rather stealthy in their ways; the hobgoblins roars were only heard further down the approach. The priestess will move closer to the edge of the trees, keeping to cover. "Stay as hidden as you can, but get up near to the edge of these trees. We can rush up that embankment," she says. Looking out toward the road above their position, she cannot see the enemy. Arrow shafts fly directly overhead, indicating the group straight ahead and on the other side of the opposite slope had not moved further, but there was no fire from the group that advanced to their left. She paused for a moment. That group was still advancing up the curve. So far, all was coming together perfectly.

"Hopefully the enemy advancing up the road to our left will continue to separate from their comrades. The archers ahead of us are in engagement range. If those move to advance up the road, they will increase their range. I am expecting them to stay in place until the group to the left gets into the center of the road just ahead of us."

"We need to move quickly. And we need the scouts to climb that steeper bluff there on the other side." The inclined rise directly in front of them was possible for any of their number to scramble up easily enough. Further down, it was steeper, but she estimated that all of the scouts were skilled enough to quickly make it up that slope. "We'll hit that group with Sleep spells and charge the group. Between both of our teams, we should make short work of the first group." She looks to their number and nods at the fighters, a smile etched on her face. She was confident in their prowess. ""By the time we are finished here we will have defeated more than 200 of the enemy! A significant force drained from the attack on the fort!"

She points, with her battle mace, to a spot where the road started to curve back closer to them again. "We'll hit them when they are close to there. We will need to quickly move on to the next group of hobgoblins, using similar tactics, although we will have fewer Sleep spells to hit them a second time. But I think I have something to keep them occupied for a brief moment or two." Saying that, she then takes a long look at Gerett, studying the details of his height, girth, armor and weapons with intense concentration. She winks at him when she is done.

From her position, she cannot see the scouts, even if they have moved out of the woods. She thinks whether any of their group could act as a messenger to communicate with the scouts. Kendall is fast, but not sure he would be able to express the details clearly. The others are slower. There wasn't much of a choice. "Kendall, come with me. The rest of you stay out of sight, but keep an eye on that road."

She will then head out at a run further down the gully, hoping to quickly rendezvous with the scouts. Stay in the middle of the woods to try and obscure their movement should anyone be watching.

(Side note: if the archers get in trouble the Darkness is still up.)
(The map below indicates roughly where we hope to hit the advancing hobgobs. Where the other group ends up is irrelevant at this point, other than having to engage them after the first.)

graystone039a.jpg (109.96 KiB) Viewed 9494 times

[Kaylessa]

Kaylessa

Kaylessa pauses to rummage through two of the backpacks. She pulls out the usual spare clothing, patching kits and weapon and bow maintenance tools. The elf does find a vial of oil in each pack. It does look similar to the Alchemist Fire that Ren had in color.

Kaylessa looks through the packs cautiously as her nimble fingers remove spare clothing, kits for cleaning and maintenance of weapons. A hint of a smile comes to her face as she finds a vial of liquid. Strangely enough it reminds her of Ren’s Alchemist’s fire.

Forgetting the remainder of the packs, Kaylessa moves silently forward toward the others. Spotting Ren alongside Butternut.
“I found these among the packs. It appears to be the same color of your Alchemist’s fire,” she says softy to the shadow mage. “Can you verify the contents? There may be more in the discarded packs that may aid us.”

[Lucyus]

Lucyus
Moving off to the right thirty feet, Lucyus looks about trying to see if any foes are within the woods. Seeing none, he motions to Kendell about moving back to the group.

Within moments they find the others and Lucyus raises his visor. “The way is clear for the moment,” he says in report as he looks about.
As he watches the priestess and warrior move off. “Find cover and try not to make a lot of noise. We will await the signal to charge. "

[Butternut]

Butternut:

Laurel's healing spell proves quite efficacious, closing the wounds and easing her pain. Butternut gives the priestess a pleased smile before returning to the hunt.

As they move into position to spy on the road, Kaylessa pauses to check the packs left by the hobgoblins. Butternut is too far away to see what she finds, though she notes the elf moving to chat with Ren. Considering how 'tricksy' the gnome is, maybe they'll come up with a good surprise for the gobbos.

Returning her attention to the road, Butternut finds that she cannot see much as it is too high above them. From this position, it is almost impossible to tell where the enemy is. Turning toward Vernar, she gestures that she cannot see anything and ends with a questioning shrug. Perhaps these overgrown goblins are less stealthy than their cousins, so she focuses on trying to determine what she can by listening carefully.

[Vardra]

Vardra Marcus, PFC:

Eri seems confused by his comment, but doesn't ask for an explanation, dashing off after a moment's pause. Vardra just shrugs and goes back to work. Thinking about the enemy's hop-scotching maneuver, it seems rather clever to him. 'I need to remember that one for later,' he thinks. 'If they're smart, they'll keep doing it.'

Erisciana leads a number of the squad down into the gully, where they disappear from sight into the woods. Sorvani moves up and joins Flare and himself firing at the advancing hobgoblins. They succeed in taking out several more shields between them. "Good shooting, my friends," he says. "Every shield we deprive them of will be one less they have when this comes to melee." Unfortunately, Sorvani takes a couple of scrapes from the return fire. Too bad they don't have any healers left up here.

[Vernar]

Vernar -

Returning her attention to the road, Butternut finds that she cannot see much as it is too high above them. From this position, it is almost impossible to tell where the enemy is. Turning toward Vernar, she gestures that she cannot see anything and ends with a questioning shrug. Perhaps these overgrown goblins are less stealthy than their cousins, so she focuses on trying to determine what she can by listening carefully.

Vernar nods at Butternut's shrug, indicating his ears to listen for the enemy approach. Considering the clanging of shields and firing of arrows, it shouldn't be too hard to hear them as a group once they are close enough. Looking around for a shadowy, overgrown spot, Vernar will slip into the darkness in an attempt to hide. He will silently make sure all the others are aware of the loose plan of waiting for the enemy to get closer before he attempts hiding in shadows, and then Vernar settles in and waits.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

April 15th, CR 569

The squads are waiting and planning for the arrival of the hobgoblins. Kaylessa quickly rifled through backpacks left behind by the scouts and found something familiar. The elf quickly takes these to Ren to examine.

“I found these among the packs. It appears to be the same color of your Alchemist’s fire,” she says softy to the shadow mage. “Can you verify the contents? There may be more in the discarded packs that may aid us.”

Ren accepts the vials and looks them over. Setting one aside, he opens the top of the other and takes a good smell of its contents. A devilish grin comes across the gnomes face.

“It is Alchemist’s Fire,” Ren calls out excitedly. “You said each pack had one? Check out the rest of them. We can use all we can get!”


On the other side of the gully, those down below wait for the enemy to arrive. Up on the bluff, Flare and Vardra fire more arrows at the enemy directly ahead of them while using the trees for cover. Three more shields are swapped out. None of the enemy arrows hit a living target.

Having taken enough arrow hits, Sorvani dashes off behind the area of darkness and then down into the gully to join the others. After a quick discussion about her plan of attack, Erisciana and Kendell head out to the other side of the gully to where the scouts are at.


The rest of the scouts are in hiding and waiting for the enemy to arrive. Sure enough sounds of the enemy approach are heard. They are not trying to be quiet and it sounds that they are chanting a marching song in their native tongue!

Shadows are soon noted overhead and the enemy tower shields come into sight! And then they stop right on the corner of the road and they go silent. After a few moments, what looks like smoke starts to come up behind the tower shields. Suddenly a whooshing sound fills the air, as if something was being spun rapidly.


Back up on the bluff, the archers can see that the other enemy group has stopped at the corner of the road near the end of the gully. Smoke starts to rise up from an unseen fire. Nearly a dozen enemy rise up and can be partially seen from behind the tower shields. Each is holding on to what looks like a staff, but there is what appears to be a sling at its top. They are spinning the slings as if they are going to launch something!

“Whatever they are doing, it can't be good!” Flare says.

In response the enemy actions, Flare sends a pair of arrows at the those wielding the staff-slings, but fails to hit his target. Vardra, if he follows suit, misses the targets as well.


On the other side of the gully, Erisciana and Kendell close in on Kaylessa and Ren. The noise coming from the staff-slings reaches the group.

“Oh, no!” Ren calls out in a mixture of horror and realization. “Run! Get out of there! They've got Alchemist's Fire!”

Those wielding the staff-slings let loose with their crude missiles. Containers of Alchemist fire are launched up in the air and down into the gully! Ten vials of unlit Alchemist's Fire come flying up into the air and then crashing down into the gully. Some of the vials reach the edge of the forest but most of it impacts before the forest. The vials shatter on contact and the oil splatters every which way. Once lit, the Alchemist's Fire will explode into fire burning everything around it!

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

And the enemy is here!

Hit Points:

Butternut – 18 of 21
Flare – 19 of 25
Gerett – 10 of 15
Sorvani – 9 of 15

Here is the updated map for the combat area. As always, best guess on character placement. The small orange circles are the impact areas for the enemy Alchemist's Fire.

graystone040.jpg (202.33 KiB) Viewed 9439 times

Now what

[Erisciana]

Erisciana , priestess of Ishtar -

Part way through her explanation of the plans to counter-attack the approaching hobgoblins, Sorvani scampers down the embankment to join them. The priestess nods at the mage. "It's safer down here, at least for now."

Finishing up the basic plan of attack, Erisci and Kendall rush off to rendezvous with the scouts. This counter-attack is too important to risk striking at different times. Coordination is their best tactic currently. The pair cover the distance quickly, both of them swift runners. Kendall stays just behind the priestess and in less than a minute they see Kaylessa and Ren in a clearing near the stream.

The pair of scouts appear to be going through packs on the ground as Kendall and Erisciana arrive. However, Ren starts surprisingly at a sound. Erisci can hear the whistling sound also. “Oh, no!” Ren calls out in a mixture of horror and realization. “Run! Get out of there! They've got Alchemist's Fire!”

Not far away the ceramic pots that contain the Alchemist's Fire shatter near the edge of the forest line a little to the south. Erisci's eyes widen and gooseflesh forms up the back of her neck, as a sudden and striking realization intuitively forms in the priestess' thoughts. "Queen of Heaven! They aren't trying to delay us or bottle us up to allow the supply train to go through," she says, to no one in particular. "They simply mean to kill us all."

Erisci had warned that the Hextorites could send an abnormal number of troops after them in retribution for raising the black flag and warning Fort Greystone about the approaching enemy army (post #16). Let's hope it does not come to that, Crandell said. It did come to that. He was overconfident. They should have erected defensible positions here instead of wasting the day on endless discussions that came to no conclusions. This current situation which the group found themselves in was a direct result of their failure to choose and accept a leader, any leader.

The thought briefly crossed the priestess' mind about retreat. Should they need it, they could fall back to the cave, up the ramp and down the secret stairway of the dwarves. The safety net was in place. But that time had not yet arrived. Despite this recent event, her plan was still sound. Her grip tightened around her battlemace, her knuckles turning white under her black-gloved hand. A righteous fury flared up in her eyes. "Hextor," she whispered, "your minions will soon be joining you in your vile playground."

They are far enough away from the blast area to not be affected. The priestess will however motion to the warrior Kendall to take cover, just in case. Erisci will move over to Kaylessa, who briefly stopped her rummaging. "Did you find anything useful?" she asks, while also looking for the other scouts who may be retreating their way.

[Butternut]

Butternut:

“It is Alchemist’s Fire,” Ren calls out excitedly. “You said each pack had one? Check out the rest of them. We can use all we can get!”

This time, Ren's voice is loud enough to hear. Butternut finds it both curious and concerning that the hobgoblins are carrying Alchemist's Fire. Hopefully they will have an opportunity to turn it against them.

Vernar signals that their best option is to listen for the enemy, confirming her thought. Like the dwarf, she settles into a shady spot and opens her senses as she had been taught.

It is not long before they hear the noisy approach of the hobgoblins. Strangely, the creatures appear to be singing! Butternut shakes her head momentarily before looking to Vernar for the signal to attack.

Just then, a strange whirring noise is heard from above. It sounds to Butternut like slings.

“Oh, no!” Ren calls out in a mixture of horror and realization. “Run! Get out of there! They've got Alchemist's Fire!”

Once again, Butternut hears the gnome call out and her eyes widen. Almost immediately, she starts hearing fragile containers smashing against the ground far too close to her current position for comfort. "Vernar! Laurel! We should pull back beyond the stream! Quickly!" she calls softly. She pauses just a second to see if Vernar has other ideas, then turns to move.

[Vernar]

Vernar -

The rest of the scouts are in hiding and waiting for the enemy to arrive. Sure enough sounds of the enemy approach are heard. They are not trying to be quiet and it sounds that they are chanting a marching song in their native tongue!

Vernar smiles to himself. Won't be long now, he thinks, fools aren't even trying to be stealthy. Not that the dwarf is surprised, most goblinoids use sheer numbers and little else to overcome foes. These hobgoblins seem a bit more organized with an understanding of tactics, but well, they're still at a disadvantage because of their genetics. Or so it would seem to Vernar....

The chanting is soon drowned out by the sound of something whirling. Not one, but several sounds overlap each other and Vernar tries to make sense of the noise since he cannot see anything going on above.

“Oh, no!” Ren calls out in a mixture of horror and realization. “Run! Get out of there! They've got Alchemist's Fire!”

Those wielding the staff-slings let loose with their crude missiles. Containers of Alchemist fire are launched up in the air and down into the gully! Ten vials of unlit Alchemist's Fire come flying up into the air and then crashing down into the gully. Some of the vials reach the edge of the forest but most of it impacts before the forest. The vials shatter on contact and the oil splatters every which way. Once lit, the Alchemist's Fire will explode into fire burning everything around it!

"By the Hells," Vernar mutters in Dwarvish as he sees vial after vial of the deadly Alchemist Fire smash at the edges of the forest not far from his position. Butternut has seen it too, and is calling out for them to get out of there.

Once again, Butternut hears the gnome call out and her eyes widen. Almost immediately, she starts hearing fragile containers smashing against the ground far too close to her current position for comfort. "Vernar! Laurel! We should pull back beyond the stream! Quickly!" she calls softly. She pauses just a second to see if Vernar has other ideas, then turns to move.

Vernar emerges from his shadowy spot and looks to Butternut and Laurel. Nodding and indicating to retreat with a gesture of his hand, he begins pulling back to the stream. He doesn't break into a run since none of the vials really broke far into the woods, but he suspects the tree line will be ablaze shortly. The dwarf will use the available cover to mask his movement from any hobgoblin observers who might be looking for them and regroup with the others on the other side of the water.

[Kaylessa]

Kaylessa
The elf maiden looks to the gnome as he pops the cap off the vial.
A devilish grin comes across the gnomes face.

“It is Alchemist’s Fire,” Ren calls out excitedly. “You said each pack had one? Check out the rest of them. We can use all we can get!”

A smile etches across the elf’s face, “Aye, from the ones’ I checked. That was my thought.”She says as she turns to move away.
As she does so she sees Erisciana and Kendell coming up behind them.

They are far enough away from the blast area to not be affected. The priestess will however motion to the warrior Kendall to take cover, just in case. Erisci will move over to Kaylessa, who briefly stopped her rummaging. "Did you find anything useful?" she asks, while also looking for the other scouts who may be retreating their way.

“Aye, it would seem they left Alchemist’s fire behind. I have found two vials within two packs. And several others yet to search.” As the Alchemist’s fire begins raining down upon the front line of the trees “They are trying to flush us out… Perhaps if we light their packs we can draw them into us closer.” She says to the warrior priestess.

[Erisciana]

Erisciana, priestess of Ishtar -

As Kendall and Erisci approach the scouts, they see Kaylessa and Ren going through packs. "Did you find anything useful?" she asks, while also looking for the other scouts who may be retreating their way.

“Aye, it would seem they left Alchemist’s fire behind. I have found two vials within two packs. And several others yet to search.”

The priestess will quickly help search the remaining packs. "This could be extremely useful against their dense formations. Let's see if there is any more." Erisci briefly laments not having taken the spell of Producing Flame, which could be useful in conjunction with the Alchemical Fire. But that is a moot point for now.

“They are trying to flush us out… Perhaps if we light their packs we can draw them into us closer.” She says to the warrior priestess.

"They might be trying to flush us out, but they don't know exactly where we are. Neither group can see into the gully on their approach. They might know we are in the forest but not where exactly. I'm not sure they will see a small fire once they ignite the Alchemical Fire they just lobbed down." A few moments later Butternut can be seen crossing the stream, the others not far behind her.

"The enemy is almost close enough to counterattack," the priestess will say to the scouts. "But they are well-trained and formidable. We need to hit them from two sides simultaneously, like they intended to do to us." She will look to Vernar. "We need to ensure that we time the Sleep barrage close together. With all five of the spellcasters that can cast the spell, that should incapacitate much more than half of the front group." She nods to Butternut, Ren and Kaylessa as she says this. "Most of the rest of us are in the trees just down from the road. Ideally we hit them after they advance near the center of the road above. We will attack when your group is ready!"

She will wait for Vernar's confirmation and any other questions or comments before returning to the other group.

[Laurel]

Laurel manages to stay hidden while following Vernar and Butternut into position despite being much taller than either of them. She crouches down into a waiting position behind a tree not too far from Vernar or Butternuts positions. She glances back over her shoulder to get an eye on Kaylessa who had stayed back to search the packs. Suddenly she hears Ren call out, "

“Oh, no! Run! Get out of there! They've got Alchemist's Fire!”

Almost simultaneously clay jars smash into the tree line which is immediately set to flame. Laurel looks over to Venar for his reaction but Butternut breaks the groups silence first

"Vernar! Laurel! We should pull back beyond the stream! Quickly!"

Vernar mutters something under his breath and indicates retreat. Laurel will follow the two back to the stream to regroup with the others and decide the best way to avoid the spreading blaze.

[Vardra]

Vardra Marcus, PFC:

Between them, Vardra and Flare manage to set a few more shields on fire. Sadly, Sorvani decides to flee into the woods below, leaving just the two archers behind.

Off to the left, some disturbance catches the corner of Vardra's eye. He cannot quite make out what is going on, but hears some shouting that sounds like it is coming from the gnome. Whatever it is, it appears to be a cause for concern. Some smoke appears to be rising from the hobgoblins over there, but he cannot tell if it is there own doing or something done by the scouting team.

“Whatever they are doing, it can't be good!” Flare says.

The young woodsman shares Vardra's concern and starts firing in that direction. "You may be right, Flare," he says, and fires that way as well. Between shots, he glances over at the enemy in front of them; if they take advantage of the opening and start to move forward, he'll need to return his attention that way.

[Lucyus]

Lucyus
(Holding ground until Erisciana fills them in.)

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

One of the two advancing forces of hobgoblins has reached the corner of the road, the last leg before reaching the summit where Eagle's Nest is at. The enemy then started to launch containers of Alchemist's Fire down into the gully. Whether they spotted the squads down there or are just securing their flank is unknown.

Ten containers of Alchemist's Fire were smashed along the edge of the forest not too far away from where Butternut, Laurel and Vernar were concealed. Fearing that the oil will be lit within moments, the trio quietly withdraw across the stream.


On the other side of the stream, Erisciana and Kendell have arrived from the other side. Kaylessa reports her findings of the discovery of more containers of Alchemist's Fire in the scouts backpacks. Spurred on by this the remaining backpacks are quickly searched with Ren's aid. There are a total of three more Alchemist's Fire are found.


Further to the west of the scouts, Gerett, Lucyus, Sorvani, Wimzy and Sann Silverbeard wait.

Just above them, Vardra and Flare continue to fire their arrows. They've run out of arrows with cloth added to them so that they could be lit on fire. A tactic what was used to set the enemy shields on fire. Seeing the hobgoblins start to launch the Alchemist's Fire, the pair turn their attention to them. While the tower shields provide a great deal of protection against ranged attacks, the archers are higher up so they are not as formidable in this circumstance.

As the archers watch, a lit torch is tossed down from the road towards the area pelted with the Alchemist's Fire. In response to the fire, the dangerous liquid creates a small explosion and the the oil splatters even more! The splattering is enough to light up the nearby Alchemist's Fire and a series of small explosions are set off. The area of the forest nearby is pelted by the fiery liquid and starts to burn!

Back up on the road, Flare and Vardra can see that the enemy is getting ready to send more Alchemist's Fire down into the gully. They are whipping the containers about with their staff-slings.

Flare fires a pair of shafts on he hits two of the oil-slingers. The pair drop from sight and as do their staff-slings, their missiles vanishing behind the tower shields. Vardra hits on his first arrow, drilling the enemy through his left arm and it his side! This hobgoblin collapses into the midst of all the others.

About five containers of Alchemist's Fire is tossed by the enemy. Each one goes deeper into the gully and further away from their original target. Down in the gully the scouts can see and hear these new missiles coming to a stop, each spewing a trail of oil behind them! Ren spots several of them close to his position while one passes between Vernar and Butternut!


From up on the bluff, Flare and Vardra can see that these containers are slightly different from the first batch. Each is already leaking oil, as if the stopper had been removed. Each missile was thrown over the already burning oil, setting it alight. A trail of flame is rapidly following the oil to the spots where the containers ended up at! As the fire rapidly gets closer, all the scouts can see the danger that they are in!

“RUN!” Ren screams as he hightails it towards safety.

In response, the scout group move as fast as they can to avoid the forth coming explosions. The fire from the oil trail reaches the containers and a small explosion happens, but not one as bad as the others. You would have to have been right on top of the explosion to be caught up in it, but some oil does splatter out setting on fire the foliage it comes in contact with.


Right after that a different explosion reaches everyone's ears. The source of this explosion was from among the enemy hobgoblins up on the trail! One of their containers of Alchemist's Fire exploded among them! This in turn triggered additional explosions among the group, rapidly decimating their ranks! The hobgoblins holding the tower shields are thrown forward and down the hill with parts of their clothing on fire! Those on the outer edge of the procession are sent outward and off the trail down the sides. The ones in the middle are now laying on the road unmoving, their bodies on fire!

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

The one Vardra wounded had his container of Alchemist's Fire fall into the fire they had made to light the oil they already spread. It exploded which in turn caused the other containers close by to go up as well. It was a chain reaction of exploding containers and most of the hobgoblins of that group look to be dead. Around six of them were thrown down the side towards the gully. They were the furthest from the explosion and may still have some life in them.

The second volley of containers had the stopper removed and while flying through the air left a trail of oil behind them. When the trial passed over the Alchemist's Fire they had already lit, the fire chased after the containers. However, much of the oil was gone from the containers so when they exploded it was much less impressive or dangerous. But things around that that could burn will!

Hit Points:

Butternut – 18 of 21
Flare – 19 of 25
Gerett – 10 of 15
Sorvani – 9 of 15


Here is the updated combat map. The orange is the area on fire. The individual HB's are the hobgoblins who were sent down the side of the gully. Yes one of them fell into the fire they set! The yellow is the others hobs, either laying on the road or down the sides of the slopes.

graystone041.jpg (199.16 KiB) Viewed 9366 times

Now what?

[Kaylessa]

Kaylessa
Kaylessa rummages through packs, looking for the vials that may help her and her comrades. Suddenly there are yells all about them as the sounds of flames and explosions are heard. She looks up as Ren yells run, only to see the smoke and amber glow of the fire where the wooden area used to be moments ago.
Looking up as she stows the vials she found on her person, she grabs her bow in her nimble fingers. She spots some of the hobgoblins on the embankment and decides to take action. She moves around the fire streaks to the left flank of the hobogoblins drawing an arrow and knocking it.
When a target presents itself she will put an arrow in it with extreme animosity.

[Lucyus]

Lucyus
Hearing explosions and then smoke, Lucyus cannot help but wonder what has happened to the scouts. Taking a deep breath, he addresses the others.
“The scouts seem to be engaged. Waiting here for a signal to move is nominal if our companions don’t survive to give it.”he says with a thought. “let us move to their right flank and strengthen their line and aid them if we are able!”

[Butternut]

Butternut:

Vernar quickly confirms their retreat. Butternut wastes no time gliding through the underbrush and back across the stream. There, they find that Erisciana and Kendell have joined Kaylessa and Ren near where the hobgoblin packs were found. Kaylessa quickly informs the new arrivals of the Alchemist's Fire they found.

"The enemy is almost close enough to counterattack," the priestess will say to the scouts. "But they are well-trained and formidable. We need to hit them from two sides simultaneously, like they intended to do to us." She will look to Vernar. "We need to ensure that we time the Sleep barrage close together. With all five of the spellcasters that can cast the spell, that should incapacitate much more than half of the front group." She nods to Butternut, Ren and Kaylessa as she says this. "Most of the rest of us are in the trees just down from the road. Ideally we hit them after they advance near the center of the road above. We will attack when your group is ready!"

"That could prove difficult if they continue spreading oil along the edge of the woods as they go," Butternut comments. "That could become quite a barrier to our assault."

Just then, things go from bad to worse. The hobgoblins light the splashed Alchemist's Fire, creating a number of small explosions of flame which begin to light the woods on fire. Then, several more vials get flung their way - this time much further into the woods. These vials are open and trailing oil, which lights as they fly past the flames. Butternut's eyes go wide as one passes close between her and Vernar and lands just beyond them; her gaze intersecting with his as it passes and lands just short of Laurel. Instinctively, the halfling elementalist backpedals further from the stream, spurred on by Ren's shouting.

Fortunately, there isn't much left in the vials as the fire reaches them and the feared explosions prove to be unimpressive. The same cannot be said for those that follow up on the road. Butternut has no idea what happened, but suddenly there is a string of powerful explosions among the hobgoblins up above, flinging them every which way.

Butternut's eyes meet Vernar's once again. She flicks a glance toward the scouts and then back. "Now is our chance! We should circle around and hit them while they're down." She indicates looping around the flaming area and the end of the woods to the east and hitting the gobbos from their right.

She then looks over at Erisciana. "Your team might want to prepare to hit the second group. If we move fast, we should be able to deal with this one."

_______________________________________________________________________
This would take the scouts just off the right side of the battle map, and then back toward the enemy from that side.

The latest battle map no longer shows the area of magical Darkness from Eri's spell. Is it gone now?

[Vardra]

Vardra Marcus, PFC:

As they watch, the hobgoblins on the left flank toss a torch down into the gully, lighting the waiting splashes of Alchemist's Fire. Flaming oil sprays in all directions. At the same time, they begin to spin up another barrage of vials.

Reaching down, Vardra finds that there are no more of the prepared flame arrows. With a muttered curse, he shifts to his quiver of normal arrows. Flare is faster and gets off two shots, downing two of the slingers. "Good shooting, Flare!" he says encouragingly to his companion. The first of his own shots takes another one down, literally pinning the hobgoblin's arm to his side with the shaft. Still, five more vials are flung into the wooded gully, creating streamers of fire in the area where he suspects the scouts are hiding!

Moments later, a series of explosions tears the lead hobgoblin group apart. Bodies fly in all directions, though it is impossible to tell from here whether they yet live or not.

"They're down! Let's focus on the other group and let the scouts deal with the survivors over there," Vardra says to Flare. Wishing he had more of the fire arrows, Vardra returns his attention to the enemy further down the hill.

_______________________________________________________________________
Perhaps Wimzy could provide some healing for Gerett and Sorvani?

[Erisciana]

Erisciana, priestess of Ishtar -

At the clearing, the group finds another 3 pots of Alchemical Fire. "These should prove very useful," the priestess says as Kaylessa and Ren carefully pack the clay pots, bringing the total to five.

Suddenly there is an explosion, followed by a series of several more. Erisci starts at the sound and she sees the tree line burst into flames. There is a brief moment of concern for her fellow group members, but moments later, Vernar, Butternut and Laurel all can be seen on this side of the stream as well. She smiles at their approach.

"The enemy is almost close enough to counterattack," the priestess will say to the scouts. "But they are well-trained and formidable. We need to hit them from two sides simultaneously, like they intended to do to us." She will look to Vernar. "We need to ensure that we time the Sleep barrage close together. With all five of the spellcasters that can cast the spell, that should incapacitate much more than half of the front group." She nods to Butternut, Ren and Kaylessa as she says this. "Most of the rest of us are in the trees just down from the road. Ideally we hit them after they advance near the center of the road above. We will attack when your group is ready!"

"That could prove difficult if they continue spreading oil along the edge of the woods as they go," Butternut comments. "That could become quite a barrier to our assault."

"If indeed they are carrying that much Alchemical Fire with them, then I have a contingency plan to deal with such an occurrence," Erisci replies confidently.

A moment later, more pots come whistling in, but they are designed to trail the contents to extend the flames in the forest. “RUN!” Ren screams as he hightails it towards safety.

The group here moves a little further away but fortunately the explosions this time are much less. Still the flames are reaching further into the woods. The seven heroes don't have time to recover when there is yet another explosion! Only this time it is further away and up on the bluff where the road snakes along. The priestess' eyes go wide at the realization that the explosion happened in the hobgoblin's midst and a wide open-mouthed smile forms on her features. Kaylessa is quickly on the move, something caught by her keen elven eyesight. Erisciana will start to follow, intrigued by how much damage the explosion caused and wanting to know what the overall situation would now be.

Butternut's eyes meet Vernar's once again. She flicks a glance toward the scouts and then back. "Now is our chance! We should circle around and hit them while they're down." She indicates looping around the flaming area and the end of the woods to the east and hitting the gobbos from their right.

Erisci nods when the halfling scout looks to her. Apparently a few of the hobgoblins were thrown down the embankment from the force of the explosion.

She then looks over at Erisciana. "Your team might want to prepare to hit the second group. If we move fast, we should be able to deal with this one."

"They are ready," she quickly replies. "But be careful when you leave the cover of the trees. We don't know how many enemy the explosion left alive up above," she says pointing upward in the direction of the road. "We need confirmation of the location of the other group of enemy as well."

Erisci will turn to Kendall. "Head back to the others and tell them to be ready. Have someone sneak up the bluff straight ahead of where we were waiting and find the location of that other group of hobgoblins." Erisci will move to the treeline to the left of the fallen hobgoblins, following Kaylessa's path. She will try to see if there is any movement on the road from that vantage point and then wait to make sure the scouts are not attacked before she follows Kendall. If there is some unexpected attack, she may be needed for healing.

_______________________________________________________________________
The latest battle map no longer shows the area of magical Darkness from Eri's spell. Is it gone now?

The Darkness would last 1 turn + 3 rounds or 13 rounds total. We've had about 5 or 6 rounds since casting, so it will still be there.

[Gerett]

Looking in the priestess’s direction, Lucyus smirks beneath his visor. “To late for stealth. Kendell up for some hunting?” he says as he hefts his spear and shield.
Lucyus will move into the wooded area to their right 30ft and check for enemies, he will return afterward.

Lucyus and Kendell jogged over to the right to ensure they were not being flanked. Gerett maintained his position and caught his breath, ready to receive the enemy or charge, depending on what Lucyus decided to do.

"Stay as hidden as you can, but get up near to the edge of these trees. We can rush up that embankment,"

Gerett, along with Wimzy, Sann, Lucyus, and Kendell, were not enough to form a real battle line at this point, and with the enemy moving unpredictably it would be better to maintain cover and stay somewhat spread out. Keeping his weapon low, Gerett stuck to cover as much as possible as he moved forward, ready to rush the embankment as soon as the order was called.

By the time we are finished here we will have defeated more than 200 of the enemy! A significant force drained from the attack on the fort!"

Erisiciana pointed out the sheer number of foes they had already felled. It was a good reminder--this battle was going poorly but there was no way that diverting this many troops was not hurting the ultimate objective of the goblins. Gerett was not keen to die for this new cause so quickly, but at least he knew that the objective of their squad had essentially been achieved already.

"Aye," he replied to Erisciana and the others. "By responding so savagely in revenge they've given us tha victory. Victory if we beat them off, somewhat less satisfying victory if they kill us. Either way they've sent way too many here to be making an effective assault on the fort. We did our job and made 'em angry. Now let's see about getting outta this alive."

"But I think I have something to keep them occupied for a brief moment or two." Saying that, she then takes a long look at Gerett, studying the details of his height, girth, armor and weapons with intense concentration. She winks at him when she is done.

Gerett squirmed a little under Erisciana's evaluating gaze. What is the sorceress planning, he thought, but kept his thoughts to himself. She'd let him know before she did anything...unnatural to him. He hoped.

Lucyus indicated that they would wait for the right moment to charge. There was not long to wait or mull over their situation, however. The air, ground, and Gerett's ears all erupted with the sound of explosions. Some artifice of magic or science was igniting everything around them and things turned to chaos in moments. It sounded like the enemy may have inflicted damage upon themselves, but the scouting group was also in immediate peril. Erisciana was in the best position to evaluate what was going on in both groups and give the orders. As much as Gerett wanted to rush over and assist the others, in the midst of this chaos it was vital that they maintained their composure.

“The scouts seem to be engaged. Waiting here for a signal to move is nominal if our companions don’t survive to give it.”he says with a thought. “let us move to their right flank and strengthen their line and aid them if we are able!”

Erisciana was giving the battlefield orders as far as Gerett was concerned, but Lucyus was leading the melee. Right or wrong, Gerett was ready to obey him. But it helped that Lucyus was right. The scouts had been pulling much of the weight in this engagement but now it looked like they were in real trouble. Gerett leapt from the cover and followed Lucyus to the flank, ready to charge in at any enemies trying to scrap with the scouts.

[Erisciana]

Erisciana, priestess of Ishtar -

Responses to Gerett:

By the time we are finished here we will have defeated more than 200 of the enemy! A significant force drained from the attack on the fort!"

"Aye," he replied to Erisciana and the others. "By responding so savagely in revenge they've given us tha victory. Victory if we beat them off, somewhat less satisfying victory if they kill us. Either way they've sent way too many here to be making an effective assault on the fort. We did our job and made 'em angry. Now let's see about getting outta this alive."

"As we have been taught at temple, Hextor and his minions are occupied with combat and not war. If they focused on war, they would not have wasted the forces trying to eliminate us. This is strictly motivated by revenge, as you say," the priestess responds. "Hundreds pulled away from the fort are a significant number and we may have an opportunity to thin their evilness even further. As for us, I have no intention of meeting Ishtar directly this day, unless she comes down from the heavens to assist our cause!" She says this last bit with a wide, wry smile and a sparkle in her bright blue eyes.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"But I think I have something to keep them occupied for a brief moment or two." Saying that, she then takes a long look at Gerett, studying the details of his height, girth, armor and weapons with intense concentration. She winks at him when she is done.

Gerett responded as she expected under her scrutiny. He kept his tongue and so Erisci left it with a playful wink.

[Vernar]

Vernar -

"The enemy is almost close enough to counterattack," the priestess will say to the scouts. "But they are well-trained and formidable. We need to hit them from two sides simultaneously, like they intended to do to us." She will look to Vernar. "We need to ensure that we time the Sleep barrage close together. With all five of the spellcasters that can cast the spell, that should incapacitate much more than half of the front group."

"Aye," Vernar replies as he hears the explosions on the other side of the stream. "That be the..."

About five containers of Alchemist's Fire is tossed by the enemy. Each one goes deeper into the gully and further away from their original target. Down in the gully the scouts can see and hear these new missiles coming to a stop, each spewing a trail of oil behind them! Ren spots several of them close to his position while one passes between Vernar and Butternut!

“RUN!” Ren screams as he hightails it towards safety.

Vernar's response is interrupted as a vial passes so close between Butternut and him that he could have caught it if he had been more deft. However, flames quickly follow the trail of oil and Vernar leaps back, nearly set ablaze. Picking himself up, he hears some distant explosions and the screams of the enemy. He cannot be completely sure, but it looks like hobgoblin bodies tumbling down from the road above them.

Butternut's eyes meet Vernar's once again. She flicks a glance toward the scouts and then back. "Now is our chance! We should circle around and hit them while they're down." She indicates looping around the flaming area and the end of the woods to the east and hitting the gobbos from their right.

"Agreed," Vernar responds quickly, glancing at the other scouts to make sure everyone is on the same page. Turning to Erisciana, he adds, "We be meetin' you after we cleave their ranks."

With that, the dwarf turns to lead the scouts, skirting around the edge of the blaze back across the stream. In hushed tones, he tells those around him, "We deal with any still breathin' in the gully, then make short work o' whatever be left o' the ones above."

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

April 15th, CR 569

The enemy forces continued their bombardment of Alchemist's Fire with disastrous results-- for themselves! Vardra killed one of those throwing the explosive containers and it fell into the fire they made to light their torches. That in turn triggered several containers that had fallen and broken on the ground from when Flare took out their throwers. The resulting explosions decimated the enemy ranks, killing most, setting almost all of them on fire and scattering across the area. A few furthest away from the explosions were sent down the slope of the gully towards the fires they just set!

The fire set in the gully by the multiple containers of Alchemist's Fire continues to spread unchecked. The scouts had moved far enough away to avoid being burned, but with each passing moment more and more of the woods are set ablaze.

Realizing that they have the chance to attack, the scouts move forward! Kaylessa moves around the fire through the woods. She spots the prone hobgoblins on the slope and lets loose with her arrows. Two shafts are fired into two different enemies and they both stop moving.

Moments after that, Butternut, Ren and Vernar sprint out of the woods and across the steep slope. One of the enemy landed in the fire and perished from it. Three more remain and each scout rushes them. The hobgoblins are stunned from the explosion and having been flung down the slope. They offer no resistance and are easily removed.


Up on the bluff, the archers note the scouts removing the enemy on the slope. The rest of that group has not moved since the explosion. So they turn their attention to the other group on the road below them. Arrow fire is exchanged once more, but none of the shafts get past the tower shields. Likewise, the enemy is unable to hit either archer.


Lucyus and Kendell run into each other while crossing the gully. The group with Gerett, Wimzy, Sann and Sorvani join them as they cross the light woods towards the slope up to the road. The slope here is not as steep as the one where the scouts are at. Down closer to the scouts, Erisciana and Laurel come out of the forest and everyone in the gully can now see each other.

Those up on the bluff have lost sight of most everyone down in the gully. However, the scouts, Butternut, Ren and Vernar are soon spotted making the climb up the slope towards the road near to where the Alchemist's Fire bombing group was. The slope is steep and would be treacherous for those not skilled in climbing, but the scouts make it up easy enough.

From this new vantage point on the road, the scouts can see that the rest of this unit of hobgoblins are dead or well on their way to being dead. They pose no threat. The other group on the lower road are still in place and once they notice the scouts, send arrows their way, but none hit their mark. The scouts move out of sight from the enemy archers.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

One of the two units of hobgoblins is down, but the other remains in the same place they had been before. Those down in the gully can now see each other as they moved out of the woods. The archers can somewhat see the scouts, and see some of the rest, their sight limited by the woods in the gully.

Hit Points:

Butternut – 18 of 21
Flare – 19 of 25
Gerett – 10 of 15
Sorvani – 9 of 15


Here is the updated combat map.

graystone042.jpg (206.98 KiB) Viewed 9298 times

As before, the yellow are enemy forces and orange is the fire. It is growing larger!

Now what?

[Kaylessa]

Kaylessa
( Kay is not ignoring anyone she is merely reacting to the situation as she sees fit. Considering she was on the opposite side of the fire she was kinda acting independently she missed the meeting between Erisciana, Butternut and Vernar.)


Realizing that they have the chance to attack, the scouts move forward! Kaylessa moves around the fire through the woods. She spots the prone hobgoblins on the slope and lets loose with her arrows. Two shafts are fired into two different enemies and they both stop moving.
Kaylessa hurdles a fallen tree as she rounds the fire. Her nimble feel making little sound as she moves through the brush. Within moments the sight of two Hobogoblins, groaning and slowly trying to rise up. Knocking an arrow, Kaylessa aims and fires catching one in the chinks of it’s armor, then doing the same for the other.
Taking a breath, Kaylessa looks about the scene, the fire seems to be growing eating away out the vegetation that was their shield.
Those up on the bluff have lost sight of most everyone down in the gully. However, the scouts, Butternut, Ren and Vernar are soon spotted making the climb up the slope towards the road near to where the Alchemist's Fire bombing group was. The slope is steep and would be treacherous for those not skilled in climbing, but the scouts make it up easy enough.
Seeing the other scouts move up the slope to check on the remaining force, Kaylessa knocks and arrow and provides cover for her fellow scouts.

[Butternut]

Butternut:

"If indeed they are carrying that much Alchemical Fire with them, then I have a contingency plan to deal with such an occurrence," Erisci replies confidently.

"Okay," Butternut replies. The priestess doesn't elaborate, so there's not much more to say. It soon becomes a moot point as more vials arc in trailing fire, followed by explosions up on the road.

"Agreed," Vernar responds quickly, glancing at the other scouts to make sure everyone is on the same page. Turning to Erisciana, he adds, "We be meetin' you after we cleave their ranks."

Vernar agrees with her suggestion for hitting the enemy while they're down, and that's good enough for Butternut.

"They are ready," she quickly replies. "But be careful when you leave the cover of the trees. We don't know how many enemy the explosion left alive up above," she says pointing upward in the direction of the road. "We need confirmation of the location of the other group of enemy as well."

"Of course," Butternut replies with a snort, then turns to the business of reaching and stabbing the downed hobgoblins.

Circling around the blaze, they can feel the heat as it begins to spread through the dry foliage. Fortunately, they are soon out of the woods and approaching the road. Two of the hobgobs on on the embankment receive arrows from the other side. Glancing over, Butternut spots Kaylessa and her bow, and gives her a quick salute. Three more appear to be breathing, and she, Vernar, and Ren make quick work of them.

It takes a bit of work, but they climb up the steep slope to the road. A quick check shows that none of the remaining enemy are breathing. A flurry of arrows from the other group of hobgoblins chases them back over the side, where they cling to rocks and roots just below the edge. Looking to the right, then can see that most of the others are poised near the road as well, though not quite as far that direction as the enemy.

Butternut looks over at Ren and Vernar. "What now, boss?" she asks with a grin. "Wait for the others to move, or keep circling around that-away?" She jerks her head to their left. It occurs to her that they would be better off being somewhere other than where the enemy last saw them.

[Lucyus]

Lucyus

"Aye," he replied to Erisciana and the others. "By responding so savagely in revenge they've given us tha victory. Victory if we beat them off, somewhat less satisfying victory if they kill us. Either way they've sent way too many here to be making an effective assault on the fort. We did our job and made 'em angry. Now let's see about getting outta this alive."

“An enemy who is angry is quick to make mistakes or act rash.” He says simply his breath warming his face as he speaks beneath the visor. “Let them act rash and we will slip through their fingers.” He says with a slight grin.

Lucyus and Kendell run into each other while crossing the gully. The group with Gerett, Wimzy, Sann and Sorvani join them as they cross the light woods towards the slope up to the road. The slope here is not as steep as the one where the scouts are at. Down closer to the scouts, Erisciana and Laurel come out of the forest and everyone in the gully can now see each other.

Lucyus begins moving toward the scouts flank, reassured by the footsteps behind him he realizes the others are following him to the flank. ‘Atleast we are all together.’ He thinks to himself as he sees a figure running through the forest. Lucyus then sees the figure as Kendell.
“What is going on? Where are the others?”he asks the warrior. He then sees Laurel and Erisciana and further down the others. It seems that they all are well. Did they turn aside one group themselves? He thinks to himself.

[Vernar]

Vernar -

Once outside the cover of the trees that are quickly becoming an inferno, Vernar pushes forward as quickly as his legs can carry him. Arrows sail from a point off to his right, finding wounded hobgoblins and sending them to whatever hell awaits. He sees one stirring near him and with a quick strike of his axe and blade, it is over. Almost without realizing, he is then climbing up the steep slope, Butternut and Ren nearby, to see if any other of their foe remain on the road. However, nothing but charred and lifeless bodies are left there. Looking about, he spots the other group of hobgoblins at almost the same time they spot him. Arrows fly, but he is back below the lip of the ridge before any can find him.

Butternut looks over at Ren and Vernar. "What now, boss?" she asks with a grin. "Wait for the others to move, or keep circling around that-away?" She jerks her head to their left. It occurs to her that they would be better off being somewhere other than where the enemy last saw them.

Turning to Butternut with a wild grin as he hangs by a jutting root and a half-buried stone on the side of a steep drop, Vernar replies. "You an' Ren circle 'round that way," indicating the direction Butternut suggested. "See if there be any cover or another way t' close with that second group an' not become pincushions."

Vernar will drop down a bit from his position so that the other two can move without working around the dwarf. He will try to get Kaylessa's attention and hope her elven ears can hear him well enough that he doesn't have to yell across the gully and give free information to the enemy. Using a combination of gestures and as few words as possible, he wants Kaylessa to pass intel on to Erisciana. "Second group be on the road still. 'Round the next bend," he says in soft tones while pointing in the direction where he spotted them.

For now, Vernar will wait on his earthy perch to see what the next step of the plan is, or until Ren and Butternut find something helpful.

[Kaylessa]

Kaylessa

Vernar will drop down a bit from his position so that the other two can move without working around the dwarf. He will try to get Kaylessa's attention and hope her elven ears can hear him well enough that he doesn't have to yell across the gully and give free information to the enemy. Using a combination of gestures and as few words as possible, he wants Kaylessa to pass intel on to Erisciana. "Second group be on the road still. 'Round the next bend," he says in soft tones while pointing in the direction where he spotted them.

Kaylessa looks about, scanning as her eyes see Vernar coming down from the pathway. She hears the dwarf’s words and gestures. His meaning clear. Pointing to herself then making a walking motion with her fingers she motions to Vernar. She giggles what little jewelry she has and then turns to go an speak to Erisiciana
Moving through the woods, Kaylessa shortly comes up to the Erisiciana, “The first group is no more. The second group is on the road still. Vernar says the are near the next bend. It appears your sleep tactic is at hand.”

[Erisciana]

Erisciana, priestess of Ishtar -

The group is discussing the fact that the enemy has committed so many forces to the attack. “An enemy who is angry is quick to make mistakes or act rash,” Lucyus says simply his breath warming his face as he speaks beneath the visor. “Let them act rash and we will slip through their fingers,” he says with a slight grin.

"Indeed. Rash moves can be destructive... or self-destructive," the priestess responds. "But I do not intend to slip through their fingers, rather to cut them off completely at the wrist!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The second barrage of Alchemical Fire erupts in their midst and a third eruption happens soon after up on the road. The enemy had been casting fire down into the trees and surprisingly became victims of their own dangerous weapons. A wide, open-mouthed smile formed on the priestess' features when she realized the result of what happened. She sees her elven comrade, Kaylessa, move out with purpose. A moment later Butternut also reacts to the situation. The halfling snorts at her council of caution. The ranger was bold. Hopefully that would not prove imprudent. From here they were unable to see the full extent of the explosion above.

Vernar prepares to follow Butternut. "Agreed," Vernar responds quickly, glancing at the other scouts to make sure everyone is on the same page. Turning to Erisciana, he adds, "We be meetin' you after we cleave their ranks."

The priestess nods in return. She gives a brief instruction to Kendall and send him on his way before following in the direction Kaylessa went. Stepping to the edge of the treeline, Erisci sees Laurel trailing her. She stops for a moment and sees Kaylessa firing an arrow into a downed hobgoblin, while the other 3 scouts finish off other enemy. The priestess nods toward the elf as the others race up the embankment, as quickly as they are able to scale its rise. Erisci looks on admiringly at their talent.

The priestess will crouch somewhat being out in the open, but she looks about briefly as she gauges whether she could be seen by anyone not at the rim of the ridge above. After a moment the scouts reach the top and they do not seem to be engaged in direct combat. However she sees them scamper back over the edge of the ridge as arrows chase them to cover. Erisci looks to see the direction the arrows came from and it appears that the other group of hobgoblins are still in their previous position.

Turning to the right, Erisci sees Lucyus and the other group emerge from the woods. "We need to shift our position to the right now," she says somewhat quietly, though only Laurel and Kaylessa are close enough to hear. It is mostly herself thinking aloud for the moment. "The scouts are too far away to mount any strike."

Kaylessa seems to be communicating with Vernar, who is still clinging to the steep slope. She then glides closer with her elven gracefulness, covering the distance between them effortlessly. Kaylessa shortly comes up to the Erisiciana, “The first group is no more. The second group is on the road still. Vernar says they are near the next bend. It appears your sleep tactic is at hand.”

"Excellent," Erisciana gives a brief glance to the heavens, in thankfulness to her deity. "We need to shift everyone to the right, so we can strike them quickly. We don't want to have to cover too much ground on so many archers." She stands up fully and waves towards Vernar. She signals them to move to their right. Then points to the far right group and also signals right-ward. "Hopefully, they understand," she says to Laurel and Kaylessa. "Come with me."

She will move back to Lucyus' group, stopping at the point where they could reasonably climb the bluff. "The enemy there," she says quietly, pointing to the road above and to the left, "is destroyed. The others are nearly in front of us." She points off just a bit to the right, where the group had settled. "We're going to strike. Move quickly. Mages will cast Sleep into their midst, the others charge forward." Seeing the bloodied sleeves of Sorvani, she will say to the healer Wimzy, "Would you be so kind as to deliver your patron's grace to our friend?"

Similarly, she will loop the leather end of the handle to her belt hook and place her palm upon Gerett's forehead. She chants in an unknown tongue and a bluish glow forms around her hand, then extends to cover the dwarf's form briefly before dissipating. (burn firelight to cast a CLW)

"Now then," she continues to Lucyus in a tone just above a whisper. "Take your group about thirty to thirty-five yards down the slope. If the scouts come quickly, then we will delay for their arrival, but if not, we shall have to strike without them."

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So the plan is:
1) If Vernar, Ren and Butternut come right, then Lucyus' group charges from further right (to the enemy's left somewhat, covering the shortest charge distance possible), while the rest of us go up the slope and cast Sleep spells into their midst before the fighters contact (we would have as many as five individuals with Sleep if they all move into range).

2) if the 3 scouts continue to try and circle left as indicated in the posts, then much the same. Sorvani, Erisci and Kaylessa will cast Sleep as the others charge.

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[Vardra]

Vardra Marcus, PFC:

From they vantage point, Vardra can see smoke and fire rising and spreading through the woods at the far end of the gully. Between shots at the hobgoblin archers hiding behind their shield wall, he notes the scouts briefly appearing on the road, stabbing a few of the downed enemy, then ducking back. He cannot quite make out the details, but it seems like some of the other members of the squad are moving back and forth along the edge of the road.

More arrows come up from below, but he and Flare have chosen their positions well. One thuds into the tree trunk inches from his face, but none find flesh to bury themselves in.

Vardra glances over at Flare. "I suspect the others will be rushing the remaining hobgoblins soon. Once it turns to melee, firing into the melee might not be the best idea. At that point, I plan to join them. It's up to you whether you want to do the same." Continuing to fire at the enemy archers, he does his best to track what the other members of the squad are doing. Unfortunately, the woods in the gully are making that difficult.

[Butternut]

Butternut:

Turning to Butternut with a wild grin as he hangs by a jutting root and a half-buried stone on the side of a steep drop, Vernar replies. "You an' Ren circle 'round that way," indicating the direction Butternut suggested. "See if there be any cover or another way t' close with that second group an' not become pincushions."

Vernar appears to be enjoying himself, hanging over a short but steep embankment. Butternut cannot help but return his wild grin. "Got it." Releasing the tuft of tough grass growing out of a crack in the rocks that she'd been clinging to with her right hand, she motions to Ren to follow her.

It's not easy, but thanks to her training, Butternut begins traversing the cliff. She works her way to her left around the hairpin turn in the road. As she goes, she's looking for two things: an easier way up onto the road, as well as any options for coming up behind the enemy. If they can flank the near end of the enemy line, their bows will be much less of an impediment. Alternatively, a good place with cover to shoot at the enemy from behind would be useful as well.

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On Erisciana's version of the map, they are going roughly as per the brown arrows with gray outlines.

[GM Mad]

Post Closed