(Sorry, just for clarification -- did Breena take damage or was it Elspeth?)
(Elspeth took damage, not Breena; I've corrected the error on the post)
Soar, your weapon brings the man to his knees; he is badly wounded, almost at death's door, but he staggers to his feet again, looking wild, panicked, desperate for a way out.
Round Two
(20) Elspeth (18) Jalt (11) Breena (6) Man 1 and Man 3, both looking like a hard slap to the face might kill them off. (5) Linan and family (1) Soar
Elspeth staggers back from the blow, and pulls her dagger out, preparing to counterattack. Soar's words, however, gives her reason to wait for a moment. She brandishes her dagger before her, threateningly.
"One chance to surrender, or else."She growled, ready to attack Man 1 with her dagger if he seems determined to continue the attack. Not part of her original plan, but no harm in trying, she supposed.
Jalt hearing Soar and Elspeth both giving the men a chance to surrender, is still on edge. He is Ready to cast Sacred Flame on Man 3 if either don't surrender. You have your chance now to be saved or face the wrath of Bahamut!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Hoard of the Dragon Queen - Jalt Rhogar - Dragonborn Cleric (9)
Breena decides to ready an attack also, on either man who attacks anyone.
The men, both wounded badly, bleeding, close to death, look at each other, and at the same time, they decide to run for it. They both take the disengage and attempt to run off down the street away from you, thus avoiding any Opportunity Attacks.
(In terms of the three actions you have readied, I would say that Ducas and Breena's don't trigger, because the men did not attack. However by the wording, Jalt's Sacred Flame does happen, because the trigger is that they fail to surrender. However, for readied actions, you always have the choice to do them or cancel them at the last second. Will Jalt fire his sacred flame at the fleeing attackers?)
The two men, terrified and badly wounded, run off down the street. Somehow, you doubt they will survive the night.
Linan comes and speaks. We should hurry to the keep. The dragon... She points to the sky; the dragon has withdrawn a little and is making a large circle of the town. This would be a good time to enter the keep with a little more safety.
Linan rallies her family; Linan and Cuth are now carrying a child each; only the eldest child is still able to run. The other two are sobbing quietly, scared and confused and unable to cope with the horrors of this night. Together, you make your way towards Greenest Keep.
As you approach the large stone and brick building, you see evidence of battles fought in the past hour. There are many bodies, some from the town you would guess, others from the attacking forces. The gates are closed over but not fully closed; as you approach you hear other groups of survivors coming from the east and south, but unlike you they have attackers hot upon their heels. There's a roar from the sky; the dragon is making its way back towards the keep. A guard steps out from the gate. Run. We must close and bar the gate now, for the last time. Run inside, or we cannot offer you any aid. Linan, Cuth and their child begin to run as fast as they can, and you join them. The other survivors continue to run as fast as they can; you now see kobolds, perhaps a dozen following each group, gibbering and cackling and slowly catching up with their quarry. It's going to be tight.
Your group is the first to reach the gate. You pile through, and see the guard holding the gate open a little while longer. A second group barrels through; two families, gnomes and dwarfs, some badly injured but still carrying their youngest. The final group is struggling; the kobolds catch up with them thirty feet before the gate but there's a volley of arrows from above, as the keep's defenders come to their assistance. The kobolds yelp and scurry back, looking for cover, as the survivors, humans and half-elves, make it through the gate. The guardsman gives the order; the gate swings shut, and a massive wooden bar is lowered into place with a very final-sounding thud.
You stand in the ward of the keep, the large courtyard behind the outermost walls. There are a lot of people; mostly human, but some dwarves, halflings, gnomes, elves, and perhaps a tiefling and half-orc or two. Many are wounded; they huddle against the walls leaving much of the space free, and as they do so the dragon passes overhead, not attacking, but making its presence known. Torches affixed to the walls provide plenty of light, though the night is now pitch black wherever the torchlight does not reach. The defenders on the walls fire a few arrows; you hear the twang of bowstrings - but they are not wasting their ammunition now. Linan, Cuth and their family slump against the wall close to the gate and hug each other. After the dragon has passed, chattering in low voices begins; the mood is desperate, fearful; there is little sense of safety. A few townsfolk eye you suspiciously as newcomers, but no-one comes over to you to speak or challenge your presence.
On the dash from the skirmish to the gates, Soar saw that the eldest child was doing a good job running but took their hand to prevent stumbles and in the last sprint into the gates, picked them up in one arm and brandished a javelin at the threatening kobolds in the other, shield on her back.
She enters the keep and quickly tries to comfort those who seem most afraid, with small gestures and brief assurances that they are safer behind walls, but from what she has seen, the heart and courage of the people of Greenest seem stouter than even the walls of the keep. "That is worth more than a thousand turrets and a million stones!"
She asks her companions if they are okay, saying she wants to see if Jasa's family is safe inside.
Walking up to the guard who seems most together, if not the highest ranking one, she salutes in the best way she knows how, smiling very slightly.
"Thank you for taking us in. My name is Soar, a doomguide paladin of Kelemvor. My companions and I are guards for Jasa the merchant who is safely hidden with her wagons outside town. We came into town to see if her handling family is safe. Have you seen Sumya, Yosa, and the rest? We came upon Cuth, Linan, and their kids on the way as kobolds were threatening and now they are here and the kobolds are not. Also, what is happening? A dragon, and I assume brigands taking advantage of the attack? Can we help?"
Soar, you find a half-elf guardswoman in her early forties who appears to be most senior in this area. She salutes back. Welcome to Greenest, ma'am. Some halflings families have found safety here, though not many. In truth they often have secret places within their burrows where they might hide, and I don't doubt many have done so. We cannot know until this attack is done.
As for the attackers, well, they look like brigands, but brigands don't ally with dragons, or with kobolds all that much. I've no explanation for what's happening, but the man you want to talk to is Governor Nighthill. She looks up at the sky; With the dragon menacing us, he'll be up atop the parapet, co-ordinating the defences and counterattack. She indicates some nearby stone stairs that lead up the walls. If you're adventuring folk, then he'll have work for you, I don't doubt.
"Well, then I guess we should go up. I love heights, it's such a change for me. Can we just climb up or do we need to say that you gave us permission, Guard...uh... What was your name?"
Lieutenant Mariyam, ma'am. If anyone challenges you, mention my name and ask to be brought to the Governor. Another guard comes running up and pulls the lieutenant aside; there is shouting on the other side of the gate, and you hear a volley of arrows loosed from above.
Jalt nods in agreement with Soar.. We need to help however we can with these people. Perhaps this Governor Nighthill has need of us. Jalt points to the sky above. There is respite from the dragon above right now, but it is only time before it begins another assault. Let us make haste. Jalt pats Badger on the shoulder... Behind me little one..
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Hoard of the Dragon Queen - Jalt Rhogar - Dragonborn Cleric (9)
The party climbs the worn stone steps, guided by the torchlight from above; you keep a watchful eye on the sky, but for the moment, the dragon is nowhere nearby.
You reach the walls above, where the guards stand alert, scanning the skies above and the town below. And once again, you have a clear view of the town in darkness, fires hear and there, shouts and screams hear and there in the distance. Each one draws a reaction from the guards; a scowl, a tightening of the eyes, anger and frustration that they cannot do anything to aid the townsfolk from the attackers.
The guards lead you to a man wearing a rich dark cloak; as you approach, his back is to you as he looks over the town, but he turns as one of the guards with him alerts him to your presence. You see a human man, in his late fifties or early sixties, strong and healthy, evidence of a career as a soldier or adventurer, perhaps. He wears a light blue tunic that is stained with blood; there is a nasty burn down the right side of his face, and his right arm hangs in a sling; these are clearly recent wounds and he has received only the most basic of first aid. Though he wears an expression of concern and concentration, you do not see the same strained reaction to the events as some of the guards show; this is a man in control of himself. He looks you over as you approach. A guard has accompanied you, and speaks as you draw near: A group of adventurers, sir, arrived in town this night and aided a family in reaching the keep. They have requested to speak with you. Adventurers, this is Governer Tarbaw Nighthill.
Soar is similarly upset at hearing the cries of people she cannot help. She's muttering, "not your time yet, not your time..." as they walk to the parapet.
When the guard turns things over to them, Soar blinks once and turns to her companions. If no one else pipes up quickly, she'll say, "Hello Governor, my name is Soar Jestalle, a doomguide paladin of Kelemvor. My companions and I escorted the merchant Jasa from Iriaebor and she sent us into town after we'd secured her wagons outside to see if her family was okay. It took some doing to get here. We fought a few bands of these... dragon minions? on our way in. One mentioned the idea of trying to kill us as 'work' -- but we have no idea what they're doing. Do you? Who are they and what is happening? Can we help get more people to safety?"
She sees his wounds, her hands itching to be able to heal them but is tapped out. She's hopeful he can stay safe on the parapet.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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(Sorry, just for clarification -- did Breena take damage or was it Elspeth?)
Rees Changeling Rogue in Tales From the Yawning Portal: Sunless Citadel
Nikya Centaur Blood Hunter in Death House Halloween Oneshot
(Elspeth took damage, not Breena; I've corrected the error on the post)
Soar, your weapon brings the man to his knees; he is badly wounded, almost at death's door, but he staggers to his feet again, looking wild, panicked, desperate for a way out.
Round Two
(20) Elspeth
(18) Jalt
(11) Breena
(6) Man 1 and Man 3, both looking like a hard slap to the face might kill them off.
(5) Linan and family
(1) Soar
Elspeth is up.
Right after Soar hits him and sees his reaction, she blurts out: "Second thoughts? Drop your weapons and maybe we chat."
Elspeth staggers back from the blow, and pulls her dagger out, preparing to counterattack. Soar's words, however, gives her reason to wait for a moment. She brandishes her dagger before her, threateningly.
"One chance to surrender, or else." She growled, ready to attack Man 1 with her dagger if he seems determined to continue the attack. Not part of her original plan, but no harm in trying, she supposed.
Jalt is up.
Jalt hearing Soar and Elspeth both giving the men a chance to surrender, is still on edge. He is Ready to cast Sacred Flame on Man 3 if either don't surrender. You have your chance now to be saved or face the wrath of Bahamut!
Hoard of the Dragon Queen - Jalt Rhogar - Dragonborn Cleric (9)
"Ive heard it both ways."
Breena is up.
Breena decides to ready an attack also, on either man who attacks anyone.
The men, both wounded badly, bleeding, close to death, look at each other, and at the same time, they decide to run for it. They both take the disengage and attempt to run off down the street away from you, thus avoiding any Opportunity Attacks.
(In terms of the three actions you have readied, I would say that Ducas and Breena's don't trigger, because the men did not attack. However by the wording, Jalt's Sacred Flame does happen, because the trigger is that they fail to surrender. However, for readied actions, you always have the choice to do them or cancel them at the last second. Will Jalt fire his sacred flame at the fleeing attackers?)
Jalt will go to cast the spell but then looks at the face of the frightened children and he decides to not attack them.
Hoard of the Dragon Queen - Jalt Rhogar - Dragonborn Cleric (9)
"Ive heard it both ways."
"Well..." Breena says, lowering her bow. "That was fun. Is everyone alright?"
Rees Changeling Rogue in Tales From the Yawning Portal: Sunless Citadel
Nikya Centaur Blood Hunter in Death House Halloween Oneshot
The two men, terrified and badly wounded, run off down the street. Somehow, you doubt they will survive the night.
Linan comes and speaks. We should hurry to the keep. The dragon... She points to the sky; the dragon has withdrawn a little and is making a large circle of the town. This would be a good time to enter the keep with a little more safety.
Linan rallies her family; Linan and Cuth are now carrying a child each; only the eldest child is still able to run. The other two are sobbing quietly, scared and confused and unable to cope with the horrors of this night. Together, you make your way towards Greenest Keep.
As you approach the large stone and brick building, you see evidence of battles fought in the past hour. There are many bodies, some from the town you would guess, others from the attacking forces. The gates are closed over but not fully closed; as you approach you hear other groups of survivors coming from the east and south, but unlike you they have attackers hot upon their heels. There's a roar from the sky; the dragon is making its way back towards the keep. A guard steps out from the gate. Run. We must close and bar the gate now, for the last time. Run inside, or we cannot offer you any aid. Linan, Cuth and their child begin to run as fast as they can, and you join them. The other survivors continue to run as fast as they can; you now see kobolds, perhaps a dozen following each group, gibbering and cackling and slowly catching up with their quarry. It's going to be tight.
Your group is the first to reach the gate. You pile through, and see the guard holding the gate open a little while longer. A second group barrels through; two families, gnomes and dwarfs, some badly injured but still carrying their youngest. The final group is struggling; the kobolds catch up with them thirty feet before the gate but there's a volley of arrows from above, as the keep's defenders come to their assistance. The kobolds yelp and scurry back, looking for cover, as the survivors, humans and half-elves, make it through the gate. The guardsman gives the order; the gate swings shut, and a massive wooden bar is lowered into place with a very final-sounding thud.
You stand in the ward of the keep, the large courtyard behind the outermost walls. There are a lot of people; mostly human, but some dwarves, halflings, gnomes, elves, and perhaps a tiefling and half-orc or two. Many are wounded; they huddle against the walls leaving much of the space free, and as they do so the dragon passes overhead, not attacking, but making its presence known. Torches affixed to the walls provide plenty of light, though the night is now pitch black wherever the torchlight does not reach. The defenders on the walls fire a few arrows; you hear the twang of bowstrings - but they are not wasting their ammunition now. Linan, Cuth and their family slump against the wall close to the gate and hug each other. After the dragon has passed, chattering in low voices begins; the mood is desperate, fearful; there is little sense of safety. A few townsfolk eye you suspiciously as newcomers, but no-one comes over to you to speak or challenge your presence.
What would you like to do?
On the dash from the skirmish to the gates, Soar saw that the eldest child was doing a good job running but took their hand to prevent stumbles and in the last sprint into the gates, picked them up in one arm and brandished a javelin at the threatening kobolds in the other, shield on her back.
She enters the keep and quickly tries to comfort those who seem most afraid, with small gestures and brief assurances that they are safer behind walls, but from what she has seen, the heart and courage of the people of Greenest seem stouter than even the walls of the keep. "That is worth more than a thousand turrets and a million stones!"
She asks her companions if they are okay, saying she wants to see if Jasa's family is safe inside.
Walking up to the guard who seems most together, if not the highest ranking one, she salutes in the best way she knows how, smiling very slightly.
"Thank you for taking us in. My name is Soar, a doomguide paladin of Kelemvor. My companions and I are guards for Jasa the merchant who is safely hidden with her wagons outside town. We came into town to see if her handling family is safe. Have you seen Sumya, Yosa, and the rest? We came upon Cuth, Linan, and their kids on the way as kobolds were threatening and now they are here and the kobolds are not. Also, what is happening? A dragon, and I assume brigands taking advantage of the attack? Can we help?"
Soar, you find a half-elf guardswoman in her early forties who appears to be most senior in this area. She salutes back. Welcome to Greenest, ma'am. Some halflings families have found safety here, though not many. In truth they often have secret places within their burrows where they might hide, and I don't doubt many have done so. We cannot know until this attack is done.
As for the attackers, well, they look like brigands, but brigands don't ally with dragons, or with kobolds all that much. I've no explanation for what's happening, but the man you want to talk to is Governor Nighthill. She looks up at the sky; With the dragon menacing us, he'll be up atop the parapet, co-ordinating the defences and counterattack. She indicates some nearby stone stairs that lead up the walls. If you're adventuring folk, then he'll have work for you, I don't doubt.
Soar nods, and then looks expectantly at her companions, raising her eyebrows once or twice...
"Well, then I guess we should go up. I love heights, it's such a change for me. Can we just climb up or do we need to say that you gave us permission, Guard...uh... What was your name?"
Rees Changeling Rogue in Tales From the Yawning Portal: Sunless Citadel
Nikya Centaur Blood Hunter in Death House Halloween Oneshot
Lieutenant Mariyam, ma'am. If anyone challenges you, mention my name and ask to be brought to the Governor. Another guard comes running up and pulls the lieutenant aside; there is shouting on the other side of the gate, and you hear a volley of arrows loosed from above.
Jalt nods in agreement with Soar.. We need to help however we can with these people. Perhaps this Governor Nighthill has need of us. Jalt points to the sky above. There is respite from the dragon above right now, but it is only time before it begins another assault. Let us make haste. Jalt pats Badger on the shoulder... Behind me little one..
Hoard of the Dragon Queen - Jalt Rhogar - Dragonborn Cleric (9)
"Ive heard it both ways."
The party climbs the worn stone steps, guided by the torchlight from above; you keep a watchful eye on the sky, but for the moment, the dragon is nowhere nearby.
You reach the walls above, where the guards stand alert, scanning the skies above and the town below. And once again, you have a clear view of the town in darkness, fires hear and there, shouts and screams hear and there in the distance. Each one draws a reaction from the guards; a scowl, a tightening of the eyes, anger and frustration that they cannot do anything to aid the townsfolk from the attackers.
The guards lead you to a man wearing a rich dark cloak; as you approach, his back is to you as he looks over the town, but he turns as one of the guards with him alerts him to your presence. You see a human man, in his late fifties or early sixties, strong and healthy, evidence of a career as a soldier or adventurer, perhaps. He wears a light blue tunic that is stained with blood; there is a nasty burn down the right side of his face, and his right arm hangs in a sling; these are clearly recent wounds and he has received only the most basic of first aid. Though he wears an expression of concern and concentration, you do not see the same strained reaction to the events as some of the guards show; this is a man in control of himself. He looks you over as you approach. A guard has accompanied you, and speaks as you draw near: A group of adventurers, sir, arrived in town this night and aided a family in reaching the keep. They have requested to speak with you. Adventurers, this is Governer Tarbaw Nighthill.
Soar is similarly upset at hearing the cries of people she cannot help. She's muttering, "not your time yet, not your time..." as they walk to the parapet.
When the guard turns things over to them, Soar blinks once and turns to her companions. If no one else pipes up quickly, she'll say, "Hello Governor, my name is Soar Jestalle, a doomguide paladin of Kelemvor. My companions and I escorted the merchant Jasa from Iriaebor and she sent us into town after we'd secured her wagons outside to see if her family was okay. It took some doing to get here. We fought a few bands of these... dragon minions? on our way in. One mentioned the idea of trying to kill us as 'work' -- but we have no idea what they're doing. Do you? Who are they and what is happening? Can we help get more people to safety?"
She sees his wounds, her hands itching to be able to heal them but is tapped out. She's hopeful he can stay safe on the parapet.