Calantha can't help but smile as the old genasi talks. She can't help but feel better about the whole venture, knowing that he's along for the ride, even if he is getting on in years now.
At his question, the half-elven woman shakes her head with a rueful grin. "Turns out I'm not really the type to settle down in one place. I couldn't wait to leave my village." And I probably would have died if I hadn't, she thought to herself but didn't mention.
She turns to the half-orc named Ragnarok.
"Yes, he's the village blacksmith, been working the forge all his life. I guess he used to be a bit of an adventurer in his younger days but after my mother died he knew he needed to settle down and earn a stable living. I've considered it, but let's just say it would drive me crazy to stay in one place too long. I want to see what else is out there."
As the motley group traveled along the road together, Calantha listened to the conversations of the others. She was especially amused by the chattering of the gnome called Ink, who had taken over as driver for their journey. She introduced herself to Ink, Crom, and the halfling Chensica. She had just turned to ask Chensica a question when her eyes caught sight of the two dead horses laying in the road ahead. Immediately she went on alert and her hand strayed to the pommel of her sword.
"Hold!" she cried, used to giving orders and temporarily forgetting she was no longer commanding a mercenary squadron. She threw her hand up to signal Ink to bring the oxen to a stop.
Inkshakes his head in response to Crom's inquiry about their destination in Phandalin. Looking at Chensica, he says, "Fastfingers, you say? How suitable for a musician-magician."
Calantha unsheathes her sword and holds it before her in a defensive guard. She glances toward the embankment on one side of the road and the impenetrable thicket of woods on the other. There is no choice for the caravan but to continue following the road, but if anyone is still watching--whoever shot those horses--they would be walking into the perfect kill zone. She eyes the top of the embankment nervously, but she can't quite make out the top. She knows she should investigate the dead horses to determine if they have been freshly killed, but she suddenly feels very exposed.
She turns back to the ragtag group of bodyguards the dwarf had assembled to protect his cargo. They made such an odd party. Crom was right. Almost all of them were half-something or the other, meaning they were all outcasts in some way. This fact made her trust them more, not less, however. She knew what it was like to not belong anywhere.
"We should investigate the horses, see if they've been killed recently. I can do it, but I'll need you to watch my back." She nods at the embankment. "This is a perfect site for an ambush." She addresses her words mainly to Crom and Ragnarok; they seem to be the sturdiest of the bunch, no offense to the others but Ink and Chensica seem more suited to attacking from range and Mal is on the wrong side of 40.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf - Lvl. 3 Halfling Rogue (Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk) ♦ Evelyn Drake - Lvl. 3 Human Wizard (Rule of Change) ♦ Aranea Kendrick - Lvl. 4 Human Warlock (Where the Cold Winds Blow) ♦ Elsenia Vesper - Lvl. 2 Shadar-kai Druid (Strixhaven)
Crom immediately takes up position on Calantha's right. He grabs the hilts of his twin short swords on his hip and slides each one out an inch, testing their draw action out of habit before resheathing them and unslinging his long bow from his back.
Knocking an arrow, Crom warily eyes the treeline. Calantha couldn't be more right about their exposure, he thought. Were he on the hunt, he could have hardly wished for a better spot. Whoever took down those horses knew what they were doing. He takes his eyes off the embankment just long enough to look back at those still by the cart, and then to nod at Calantha and Ragnarok. He can hear the thrum of his heart pulsing in his ears. He flexes and unflexes his fingers around the bow. Crom is ready.
"Don't do anythin alone! if you three are checkin' out the corpses" Mal gestures toward Crom, Ragnarok, and Calantha.
"then we stay with the carts, Bandits an brigans would rather take yer loot than yer life but they ain't fussed either way, you'll die if y'are alone."
Mal stands up on any free and elevated position on the cart to observe better the proceedings and takes a well trained stance with mace in one hand and shield in the other, scanning the treelines and then shifting vantage points every 30 seconds or so in methodical and surprisingly spry movements.
As the three companions approach they recognize the horses as belonging to Gundren and Sildar. Arrows rest in their flanks and they appear to have been dead for a few days. They see that the saddlebags have been looted. Nearby lies an empty leather map case.
Calantha, Crom, and Ragnarok are busy investigating these horses so they do not notice anything.
Ink is preoccupied with the oxen and Mal is looking in all the wrong directions as he scans about.
Only Chensica notices as in the trees a group of goblins appear and two begin to charge towards the three at the horses!
Chensica yells out “Watch out!”To the three once she spots the goblins. She strums her lute at the same time and is attempting to sing and inspire Crom. (If DM allows. Crom, inspiration allows you to add 1d4 to either an attack roll, save, or skill check once whenever you’d like to for the next ten minutes).
The strike hits true and almost falls the goblin in one, but it manages to stay standing somehow and retaliates. More arrows fly in and the other goblin strikes at Calanthe again.
As the trap is sprung, Crom hears Chensica's warning. He whirls around, bow raised and arrow nocked, but the suddenness of the coordinated assault leaves him momentarily disoriented as he tries to get a read on the situation.
A goblin arrow sinks into the ground between Crom's feet. He reflexively stumbles back a step, off balance. He knows that if he stands still, the goblin will likely correct its power for the next shot, so he turns his stumble into a short roll backward to throw off the goblin's aim before it can work out the range for its next shot. Recovering from the roll, he raises his bow back up in a fluid motion.
"Archers in the trees!" Crom shouts, as he recovers from his initial surprise. Just in time for another arrow to whistle out from the trees and leave a painful gash on Crom's thigh. But this time, Crom is able to pinpoint the arrow's origin. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he draws back his nocked arrow and fires back.
Hoping the shot was enough to put the archer out of commission at least for a moment, Crom turns his attentions to the sounds of close combat behind him. Without hesitation, he casts his long bow to the side and reaches for the hilts of his swords.
While still singing her inspiration, Chensica whispers a few words and casts Minor Illusion. She creates the loud sound of a lion’s roar near where the group of goblins seem to be coming from. Maybe it will frighten a few, or at least show the group if there are more hiding!
if the goblins choose to examine the sound, they can make an intelligence investigation check. DC save is 14.
Calantha knew it was an ambush, but she still wasn't quite prepared for how quickly it unfolded. Goblins sprang from the trees. Two quickly closed the distance to melee, but there were to archers as well. One of the goblins swung at her with its blade, and she brought up her shield. The blow resounded through her arm, and she gritted her teeth. When the goblin came around for another attack, she grunted in pain.
That was quite enough of that, she decided. Time for some payback! She brought up her sword and lunged at the goblin, driving her sword into its chest.
Attack: 16 Damage: 8
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf - Lvl. 3 Halfling Rogue (Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk) ♦ Evelyn Drake - Lvl. 3 Human Wizard (Rule of Change) ♦ Aranea Kendrick - Lvl. 4 Human Warlock (Where the Cold Winds Blow) ♦ Elsenia Vesper - Lvl. 2 Shadar-kai Druid (Strixhaven)
Wide-eyed and breathing heavily, Inktakes in the sudden eruption of combat before him. He assumes that Crom and Calantha have slain their foes; so, he points his staff in the direction of the goblins and sharply calls out Aithla! The orb at the end of his staff glows softly before sending forth three glowing darts that streak toward the ambushers...
Magic missile dart #1: 2 force damage to G1
Magic missile darts #2 and #3: 8 force damage to whichever goblin is uninjured
The gnome then pats each of the oxen on their chins, reassuring them all is well. "Not one nasty goblin finger shall touch you!"
(It was unclear to me which Goblin was attacked by Crom)
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Calantha can't help but smile as the old genasi talks. She can't help but feel better about the whole venture, knowing that he's along for the ride, even if he is getting on in years now.
At his question, the half-elven woman shakes her head with a rueful grin. "Turns out I'm not really the type to settle down in one place. I couldn't wait to leave my village." And I probably would have died if I hadn't, she thought to herself but didn't mention.
She turns to the half-orc named Ragnarok.
"Yes, he's the village blacksmith, been working the forge all his life. I guess he used to be a bit of an adventurer in his younger days but after my mother died he knew he needed to settle down and earn a stable living. I've considered it, but let's just say it would drive me crazy to stay in one place too long. I want to see what else is out there."
As the motley group traveled along the road together, Calantha listened to the conversations of the others. She was especially amused by the chattering of the gnome called Ink, who had taken over as driver for their journey. She introduced herself to Ink, Crom, and the halfling Chensica. She had just turned to ask Chensica a question when her eyes caught sight of the two dead horses laying in the road ahead. Immediately she went on alert and her hand strayed to the pommel of her sword.
"Hold!" she cried, used to giving orders and temporarily forgetting she was no longer commanding a mercenary squadron. She threw her hand up to signal Ink to bring the oxen to a stop.
((Here is a picture of Calantha!))
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf - Lvl. 3 Halfling Rogue (Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk) ♦ Evelyn Drake - Lvl. 3 Human Wizard (Rule of Change) ♦ Aranea Kendrick - Lvl. 4 Human Warlock (Where the Cold Winds Blow) ♦ Elsenia Vesper - Lvl. 2 Shadar-kai Druid (Strixhaven)
DMing: Curse of Strahd
Ink shakes his head in response to Crom's inquiry about their destination in Phandalin. Looking at Chensica, he says, "Fastfingers, you say? How suitable for a musician-magician."
_ . _ . _ . _ . _ . _ . _ . _ . _ . _ . _ . _ . _ . _ . _ .
At Calantha's order, Ink brings the wagon to an immediate halt. He then mutters a few words in Gnomish while tracing a simple pattern across his chest with his free hand. A barely visible field of magic surrounds the gnome, and he begins to assure the oxen the same grisly fate will not befall them.
Calantha unsheathes her sword and holds it before her in a defensive guard. She glances toward the embankment on one side of the road and the impenetrable thicket of woods on the other. There is no choice for the caravan but to continue following the road, but if anyone is still watching--whoever shot those horses--they would be walking into the perfect kill zone. She eyes the top of the embankment nervously, but she can't quite make out the top. She knows she should investigate the dead horses to determine if they have been freshly killed, but she suddenly feels very exposed.
She turns back to the ragtag group of bodyguards the dwarf had assembled to protect his cargo. They made such an odd party. Crom was right. Almost all of them were half-something or the other, meaning they were all outcasts in some way. This fact made her trust them more, not less, however. She knew what it was like to not belong anywhere.
"We should investigate the horses, see if they've been killed recently. I can do it, but I'll need you to watch my back." She nods at the embankment. "This is a perfect site for an ambush." She addresses her words mainly to Crom and Ragnarok; they seem to be the sturdiest of the bunch, no offense to the others but Ink and Chensica seem more suited to attacking from range and Mal is on the wrong side of 40.
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf - Lvl. 3 Halfling Rogue (Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk) ♦ Evelyn Drake - Lvl. 3 Human Wizard (Rule of Change) ♦ Aranea Kendrick - Lvl. 4 Human Warlock (Where the Cold Winds Blow) ♦ Elsenia Vesper - Lvl. 2 Shadar-kai Druid (Strixhaven)
DMing: Curse of Strahd
Crom immediately takes up position on Calantha's right. He grabs the hilts of his twin short swords on his hip and slides each one out an inch, testing their draw action out of habit before resheathing them and unslinging his long bow from his back.
Knocking an arrow, Crom warily eyes the treeline. Calantha couldn't be more right about their exposure, he thought. Were he on the hunt, he could have hardly wished for a better spot. Whoever took down those horses knew what they were doing. He takes his eyes off the embankment just long enough to look back at those still by the cart, and then to nod at Calantha and Ragnarok. He can hear the thrum of his heart pulsing in his ears. He flexes and unflexes his fingers around the bow. Crom is ready.
Perception check
3
"Don't do anythin alone! if you three are checkin' out the corpses" Mal gestures toward Crom, Ragnarok, and Calantha.
"then we stay with the carts, Bandits an brigans would rather take yer loot than yer life but they ain't fussed either way, you'll die if y'are alone."
Mal stands up on any free and elevated position on the cart to observe better the proceedings and takes a well trained stance with mace in one hand and shield in the other, scanning the treelines and then shifting vantage points every 30 seconds or so in methodical and surprisingly spry movements.
Perception 1
Travin Tiller, Junk Dweller Bard, AURYN.
The Ironmaiden, Questionable Artificer, Descent into Avernus.
DM, Peacekeepers of Northmorrah
perception 16
Chensica attempts to look around as well. She stops playing at the moment, to allow for concentration.
(I will assume the three go ahead to check out the horses.)
Secrets : 14
As the three companions approach they recognize the horses as belonging to Gundren and Sildar. Arrows rest in their flanks and they appear to have been dead for a few days. They see that the saddlebags have been looted. Nearby lies an empty leather map case.
Calantha, Crom, and Ragnarok are busy investigating these horses so they do not notice anything.
Ink is preoccupied with the oxen and Mal is looking in all the wrong directions as he scans about.
Only Chensica notices as in the trees a group of goblins appear and two begin to charge towards the three at the horses!
Calantha: 12
Chensica: 16
Crom: 18
Goblins: 19
Ink: 11
Mal: 11
Ragnarok: 22
Chensica yells out “Watch out!” To the three once she spots the goblins. She strums her lute at the same time and is attempting to sing and inspire Crom. (If DM allows. Crom, inspiration allows you to add 1d4 to either an attack roll, save, or skill check once whenever you’d like to for the next ten minutes).
The goblins launch their assault as two goblins near the trees fire their bows and two goblins rush in towards the horses.
G1: Bow attack at Ragnarok: 13 Damage: 6
G2: Scimitar attack at Ragnarok: 22 Damage: 6
G3: Scimitar attack at Calanthe: 12 Damage: 8
G4: Bow attack at Crom: 7 Damage: 6
The strike hits true and almost falls the goblin in one, but it manages to stay standing somehow and retaliates. More arrows fly in and the other goblin strikes at Calanthe again.
G1: Bow attack at Ragnarok: 22 Damage: 3
G2: Scimitar attack at Ragnarok: 19 Damage: 4
G3: Scimitar attack at Calanthe: 15 Damage: 5
G4: Bow attack at Crom: 18 Damage: 7
As the trap is sprung, Crom hears Chensica's warning. He whirls around, bow raised and arrow nocked, but the suddenness of the coordinated assault leaves him momentarily disoriented as he tries to get a read on the situation.
A goblin arrow sinks into the ground between Crom's feet. He reflexively stumbles back a step, off balance. He knows that if he stands still, the goblin will likely correct its power for the next shot, so he turns his stumble into a short roll backward to throw off the goblin's aim before it can work out the range for its next shot. Recovering from the roll, he raises his bow back up in a fluid motion.
"Archers in the trees!" Crom shouts, as he recovers from his initial surprise. Just in time for another arrow to whistle out from the trees and leave a painful gash on Crom's thigh. But this time, Crom is able to pinpoint the arrow's origin. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he draws back his nocked arrow and fires back.
Attack: 23 Damage: 11
Hoping the shot was enough to put the archer out of commission at least for a moment, Crom turns his attentions to the sounds of close combat behind him. Without hesitation, he casts his long bow to the side and reaches for the hilts of his swords.
While still singing her inspiration, Chensica whispers a few words and casts Minor Illusion. She creates the loud sound of a lion’s roar near where the group of goblins seem to be coming from. Maybe it will frighten a few, or at least show the group if there are more hiding!
if the goblins choose to examine the sound, they can make an intelligence investigation check. DC save is 14.
Calantha knew it was an ambush, but she still wasn't quite prepared for how quickly it unfolded. Goblins sprang from the trees. Two quickly closed the distance to melee, but there were to archers as well. One of the goblins swung at her with its blade, and she brought up her shield. The blow resounded through her arm, and she gritted her teeth. When the goblin came around for another attack, she grunted in pain.
That was quite enough of that, she decided. Time for some payback! She brought up her sword and lunged at the goblin, driving her sword into its chest.
Attack: 16 Damage: 8
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf - Lvl. 3 Halfling Rogue (Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk) ♦ Evelyn Drake - Lvl. 3 Human Wizard (Rule of Change) ♦ Aranea Kendrick - Lvl. 4 Human Warlock (Where the Cold Winds Blow) ♦ Elsenia Vesper - Lvl. 2 Shadar-kai Druid (Strixhaven)
DMing: Curse of Strahd
Wide-eyed and breathing heavily, Ink takes in the sudden eruption of combat before him. He assumes that Crom and Calantha have slain their foes; so, he points his staff in the direction of the goblins and sharply calls out Aithla! The orb at the end of his staff glows softly before sending forth three glowing darts that streak toward the ambushers...
The gnome then pats each of the oxen on their chins, reassuring them all is well. "Not one nasty goblin finger shall touch you!"
(It was unclear to me which Goblin was attacked by Crom)