Each drum beat thundered in his chest. A familiar mixture of adrenaline with a hint of fear coursed through his veins. A voice behind him quelled the feeling, reminding him that this was no battlefield, and there was no army standing next to him. Shaking his head, he sheathed both weapons and affixed his shield to his arm.
"He's right. We're not getting through that, we need to go." He said, turning to follow suit. "If we're lucky, they stop for the night after taking the town."
DM
17
I want to see if Nico could tell how long it would take the army to reach the town. I'm not sure what modifier to use with that, but here's the D20 roll.
Now more than ever, time was of the essence. He walks with a hasten pace towards the stables, unties the bridle holding the horse down and walks back to the group.
The group now had the direction they needed and an objective. However, August felt a discomfort at the idea of bringing a civilian into danger. Harris could get killed and they already had enough trouble looking after themselves. ''Ser Harris, I thank you for your help and apologize for the loss of your establisment. We can make our way to the townsquare on our own thanks to your direction. But this is going to be more danger than I care to place you in.'' He hands the bridle of his horse to the innkeeper. ''Can you ride? My mount can get you out of town faster than any of us could.'' He then looked to the other travelers looking for their agreement with this plan.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Artorias’ head snapped to the north as the war horns began to blow and the thrumming of the drums resonated across the landscape. The situation was becoming more and more complicated as time went on. He wasn’t in town long and had not seen hide nor hair of his mark and in the chaos of war, he probably wasn’t going to. At least not now. First priority was to get away from the front line. The one thing they had going for them is that as of yet they weren’t spotted but that could quickly change. Looking back to the group, he gestured south with his hand. Taking the main road was suicide, however.
He looked to the west at the buildings where he saw some of the soldiers vanish behind the buildings. The large figure in plate mail was gesturing to the west but he figured he was ordering his troop to clear out any hiding citizens. Still, he figured that was his best bet. The other individual in the group suggested cloaking then in the garb of the enemy. This wasn’t a bad idea, but it wouldn’t pass scrutiny. Improvisation was going to be an asset in this chaos... he still hated not having a plan. Artorias began to move westward toward the burning buildings, keeping an eye out for the soldiers that headed that direction. They had to get off the main thoroughfare lest they be caught and killed... or worse.
Nico let out a low whistle as one of their group started to creep off towards the west, raising a sharp eyebrow if he turns to look back. "Alright bud, use your words here. What're you thinkin'?" He jerked a thumb at the innkeeper, "he gave us directions," now pointing towards the southeast with his finger, "for that way."
"Stopping to grab a few more capable hands on our great escape out of here sounded like a pretty good idea to me." He nodded towards the burning buildings west of the road. "So what's got you so interested about over there?"
Years of training with the monks and clerics of Xerena heighted Bertren's scenes while the forge taught him patience and hearing the repetitive boom he expected the worst as his eye so confirmed it a full scale invasion had begun. Seeing August produce the horse he nods adamitly agreeing with sending Harrin away, but for a little different reason. "Harrin your from here that means of all of us you know the town, the woods and surrounding area better than us avoid the main roads and make for the next town in the path of this army to warn them! The only way the empire will get ahead of his is to know it is happening so they can begin to mount a defensive." then after a moment adds "Listen I know this is a lot to take in right now, but you may just be Cerinn and all of its peoples only hope now move south as fast as you can to the capital and warn as many as you can along the way good luck and may Xerena guard your path!before Harrin departs Bertren hands him over a days worth of rations and a torch place in the saddle bag then turning to the rest of the group "As for me I plan to get as many civilians out of the path of this army as possible and if you all are with me I say we make for the temple in hopes that some of the townsfolk and warriors are still standing...I don't know why we have all been place here in this moment but it must be Xerena's will."
"Bertren is right on both counts! Harrin, someone has to give the rest of the empire a warning about what is transpiring here."Alkanos said while taking in the terrible scenery of the burning buildings around them. "And we should get moving towards the temple of Xerena as soon as possible. We can still save some lives here, if we act quickly."
By then, the paladin noticed that one of the group started to stray westward. "I don't know what you are trying to achieve, but I think we have a reasonable plan and I intend to follow it.", Alkanos said to the cowled person. With that he set out to follow the directions Harrin had given them.
If the group starts to move towards the townsquare: Perception: 15
‘‘It would be preferable to avoid unnecessary confrontation on our way to the townsquare’’ August said as he started following the knight ‘’But if trouble finds us again, hold nothing back.’’ As he finished, he extended his hand forward, and a small ball of light appeared in the middle of his palm. The light stretched on both sides until it faded into the shape of a masterly-crafted spear. The sides of the bladed end depicted two feathered wings spreading outward and a gem adorned the blade itself. ‘‘Let’s get going then’’
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Artorias looked back at the people gathered behind him, his brow arching in confusion. Suddenly it dawned on him. The temple was southeast of their position. This made all the difference, as moving through burning buildings was not the most ideal of circumstances, albeit arguably safer than running into a throng of soldiers on the main road. With that, he nodded toward the group, disgusted with himself for such an error in judgement. Looking down at the dead body at his feet, he grabbed the collar of the body and began dragging it back toward the doors to the inn. Looking back toward Nico, he gestured toward the man he had killed. "They cannot see." He nodded in the direction of the invading army. His aim was to drag the body far enough into the inn so that it wouldn't be obvious from the street that there were dead comrades within.
Soon after, he exited the inn and looked to the south. "Southeast, yes." He grimaced again at his lack of understanding and began to move along the the buildings, keeping as best he could behind cover. If the rest of the group wished to move unimpeded through the streets, that was fine by him. He would provide whatever support he could.
Perception: 15 Stealth: 16
Strength (For dragging the corpse, if needed): 11
Edited For Clarity; Sorry about the miscommunication.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"There we go, now we're talking"
Following the other man's lead, he grabbed a fistful of hair on the corpse at his own feet and dragged it after Artorias towards the inn. Satisfied that the body was sufficiently hidden inside, he brushed off his hand and followed the roguish man back outside. As he started to sneak off, albeit in the direction they were supposed to go, he grunted. Sneaking wasn't for him, he'd never been any good at moving around quietly. He glanced towards the paladin and the other man, who were content to just follow down the road. "Take my chances with them." He said, readjusting his shield and sword grip before joining the group.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Harrin's eyes go wide as August offers him the horse, while Bertern goes to work filling up the saddlepacks with supplies. "I-I can ride yes, thank you so much sirs!" He drops the shield was carrying and takes the reins, looking at the two of you. "I'd probably only get in the way anyway...I can ride hard for Lichenfer, start spreading the word. I-if you ever find yourself that way, I'll have your horse for you safe and sound." He climbs up into the saddle, albeit a little clumsily and starts to trot down the road. He takes one last look at the group and then snaps the reins, riding at full speed.
A few moments later you hear startled shouts from the direction he was riding in as soon as he rounds the corner to go down the western road. The group - save for Artorias, who lurks in the shadows nearby - pushes forward on the road, slowing down as a reverse T-shaped intersection becomes visible. Just barely through the fires burning on the corner you can see Harrin, riding hard down the western road with two Greschian soldiers chasing after him in vain. A pair of archers fire off shots at him, but miss as he begins to zig and zag. The group of Greschmen continues to follow him down the road as the gap between themselves and the innkeeper widens, oblivious to your party.
A building directly to your south has been set ablaze, and sitting in front of the house directly to its east you can see a robed figure. They appear to be kneeling on the ground, shoulders slumped in a relaxed posture as three spearmen stand guard around them. The spearmen are currently looking west towards the commotion caused by the innkeeper.
DM Screen
16 17 6 6
Notes
So, this is just a map to help illuminate things again.. The green circle is the innkeeper, and the enemies near him are all totally focused on his escape. By the time your party has moved forward to look east, they are already further down the western road(essentially congratulations, they're almost out of the picture).
Now to the east, the guy in X16 is the robed figure if you could not tell. The other men around him carry spears with chain shirt armor.
None of you have been noticed yet(I assume you all just kind of peeked east around the corner then pulled back out of sight). How would you like to proceed from here?
Bertren look to the others after their quick glance after Harrin and the Greschians and whispers "We probably want to avoid as many fights as we can with that mass of soldiers coming this way. What do you think try and sneak around this house beside us away from the hooded fellow with the spearmen?"
For a moment, Alkanos watched Harrin ride off on horseback to hopefully warn the rest of the empire about what was going on here. As they got ready to move towards the townsquare and the temple the noticed a group of four people on the road to east. They were effectively blocking the path to their desired destination and even worse they were practically looking in the direction of the party. They had to move fast if they wanted any chance to get to the temple and eventually out of the city before the rest of the army arrived. "I don't know if sneaking is really helping us here, considering they are basically looking in our direction. Some of us are also wearing heavy armor which makes sneaking even more challenging. We would probably need a very good distraction to move past them unseen.", Alkanos paused for a second taking another look at the situation. "Well, we could always try and overwhelm them as quickly as possible. If we get the jump on them it shouldn't be too much of a problem." He paused again, obviously unsure about how to tackle the situation. "I don't know! How should we proceed?", he asked his newfound companions.
Seeing Harrin ride off on his own, August knew they had made the right choice. He had a small fright when he saw the two archers take shots at the innkeeper, but felt relieved when they missed. Their next obstacle was the robed figure and the three spearmen accompanying him. The robed figure gave August a bad feeling. His gut told him that this men would be nothing but trouble. Avoiding an encounter would be preferable. Looking around, he noticed the house next to them was still intact. ‘’We could sneak around this house’’ he said, pointing at the building they were standing next to. ‘’On the north side, where they won’t be able to see us.’’ Time was growing short, and they couldn’t afford wasting it by fighting the Greschmen soldiers.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
From Artorias' position, he was one of the first to catch a glimpse of the foot soldiers rushing down the street after the innkeeper. Keeping his body pressed against the building, he peered his head out from around the corner. As he saw the other four gathered to the east, he dropped to one knee. Three spearman stood with eyes trained to the west where the man made his escape on horseback. He also noticed the robed man. Who this person was, flanked by his own personal guard, gave him a sense of foreboding. The wall in front of him only rose to about three feet. If he kept low, he could follow the length of it and remain unseen, especially with the distraction. Behind him, he heard August suggest sneaking around to the north of the building. This was a sound plan, especially since the majority of the retinue were clad in steel and iron.
Artorias thought quickly to himself. He could create another distraction to the west in hopes of drawing the four Greschmen away from their position, but he wasn't sure what their capabilities were. He was also unsure how long the others would give chase for the innkeep before either returning or hailing down mounted soldiers. Regardless, he needed to get into a better position. Dropping to his belly, Artorias began to crawl toward the wall in front of him, only about ten feet away. Once next to it, he lifted himself to a crouching position. He looked back to the group for a sign of what they intended on doing.
August was convinced that circling around the northern part of the house was the more discrete approach. He saw the hooded man crawl towards the southern wall surrounding the house and opted to go in the opposite direction, taking the long way around the house, away from prying eye.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Alkanos wasn't sure that it would work, but he guessed that there was no harm in trying to slip past those soldiers unseen. He hoped that the noise and light from the burning buildings around them would obscure their movements well enough for them to circle around the enemies. If it didn't work they probably had another fight to deal with, but given the situation that was to be expected rather sooner than later. August was the first to move and Bertren followed him soon after. Alkanos fell in line behind them and gave their hooded companion crouching by the wall a hand signal, that hopefully made him understand what they were trying to do. With a little luck this could work, and bring them a few steps closer to their intended destination.
Each drum beat thundered in his chest. A familiar mixture of adrenaline with a hint of fear coursed through his veins. A voice behind him quelled the feeling, reminding him that this was no battlefield, and there was no army standing next to him. Shaking his head, he sheathed both weapons and affixed his shield to his arm.
"He's right. We're not getting through that, we need to go." He said, turning to follow suit. "If we're lucky, they stop for the night after taking the town."
DM
17
I want to see if Nico could tell how long it would take the army to reach the town. I'm not sure what modifier to use with that, but here's the D20 roll.
#edbd00 - Gold
Now more than ever, time was of the essence. He walks with a hasten pace towards the stables, unties the bridle holding the horse down and walks back to the group.
The group now had the direction they needed and an objective. However, August felt a discomfort at the idea of bringing a civilian into danger. Harris could get killed and they already had enough trouble looking after themselves. ''Ser Harris, I thank you for your help and apologize for the loss of your establisment. We can make our way to the townsquare on our own thanks to your direction. But this is going to be more danger than I care to place you in.'' He hands the bridle of his horse to the innkeeper. ''Can you ride? My mount can get you out of town faster than any of us could.'' He then looked to the other travelers looking for their agreement with this plan.
Artorias’ head snapped to the north as the war horns began to blow and the thrumming of the drums resonated across the landscape. The situation was becoming more and more complicated as time went on. He wasn’t in town long and had not seen hide nor hair of his mark and in the chaos of war, he probably wasn’t going to. At least not now. First priority was to get away from the front line. The one thing they had going for them is that as of yet they weren’t spotted but that could quickly change. Looking back to the group, he gestured south with his hand. Taking the main road was suicide, however.
He looked to the west at the buildings where he saw some of the soldiers vanish behind the buildings. The large figure in plate mail was gesturing to the west but he figured he was ordering his troop to clear out any hiding citizens. Still, he figured that was his best bet. The other individual in the group suggested cloaking then in the garb of the enemy. This wasn’t a bad idea, but it wouldn’t pass scrutiny. Improvisation was going to be an asset in this chaos... he still hated not having a plan. Artorias began to move westward toward the burning buildings, keeping an eye out for the soldiers that headed that direction. They had to get off the main thoroughfare lest they be caught and killed... or worse.
Perception: 25
Nico let out a low whistle as one of their group started to creep off towards the west, raising a sharp eyebrow if he turns to look back. "Alright bud, use your words here. What're you thinkin'?" He jerked a thumb at the innkeeper, "he gave us directions," now pointing towards the southeast with his finger, "for that way."
"Stopping to grab a few more capable hands on our great escape out of here sounded like a pretty good idea to me." He nodded towards the burning buildings west of the road. "So what's got you so interested about over there?"
#edbd00 - Gold
Years of training with the monks and clerics of Xerena heighted Bertren's scenes while the forge taught him patience and hearing the repetitive boom he expected the worst as his eye so confirmed it a full scale invasion had begun. Seeing August produce the horse he nods adamitly agreeing with sending Harrin away, but for a little different reason. "Harrin your from here that means of all of us you know the town, the woods and surrounding area better than us avoid the main roads and make for the next town in the path of this army to warn them! The only way the empire will get ahead of his is to know it is happening so they can begin to mount a defensive." then after a moment adds "Listen I know this is a lot to take in right now, but you may just be Cerinn and all of its peoples only hope now move south as fast as you can to the capital and warn as many as you can along the way good luck and may Xerena guard your path! before Harrin departs Bertren hands him over a days worth of rations and a torch place in the saddle bag then turning to the rest of the group "As for me I plan to get as many civilians out of the path of this army as possible and if you all are with me I say we make for the temple in hopes that some of the townsfolk and warriors are still standing...I don't know why we have all been place here in this moment but it must be Xerena's will."
"Bertren is right on both counts! Harrin, someone has to give the rest of the empire a warning about what is transpiring here." Alkanos said while taking in the terrible scenery of the burning buildings around them. "And we should get moving towards the temple of Xerena as soon as possible. We can still save some lives here, if we act quickly."
By then, the paladin noticed that one of the group started to stray westward. "I don't know what you are trying to achieve, but I think we have a reasonable plan and I intend to follow it.", Alkanos said to the cowled person. With that he set out to follow the directions Harrin had given them.
If the group starts to move towards the townsquare: Perception: 15
‘‘It would be preferable to avoid unnecessary confrontation on our way to the townsquare’’ August said as he started following the knight ‘’But if trouble finds us again, hold nothing back.’’ As he finished, he extended his hand forward, and a small ball of light appeared in the middle of his palm. The light stretched on both sides until it faded into the shape of a masterly-crafted spear. The sides of the bladed end depicted two feathered wings spreading outward and a gem adorned the blade itself. ‘‘Let’s get going then’’
Summon pact weapon
Perception: 11
Artorias looked back at the people gathered behind him, his brow arching in confusion. Suddenly it dawned on him. The temple was southeast of their position. This made all the difference, as moving through burning buildings was not the most ideal of circumstances, albeit arguably safer than running into a throng of soldiers on the main road. With that, he nodded toward the group, disgusted with himself for such an error in judgement. Looking down at the dead body at his feet, he grabbed the collar of the body and began dragging it back toward the doors to the inn. Looking back toward Nico, he gestured toward the man he had killed. "They cannot see." He nodded in the direction of the invading army. His aim was to drag the body far enough into the inn so that it wouldn't be obvious from the street that there were dead comrades within.
Soon after, he exited the inn and looked to the south. "Southeast, yes." He grimaced again at his lack of understanding and began to move along the the buildings, keeping as best he could behind cover. If the rest of the group wished to move unimpeded through the streets, that was fine by him. He would provide whatever support he could.
Perception: 15
Stealth: 16
Strength (For dragging the corpse, if needed): 11
Edited For Clarity; Sorry about the miscommunication.
"There we go, now we're talking"
Following the other man's lead, he grabbed a fistful of hair on the corpse at his own feet and dragged it after Artorias towards the inn. Satisfied that the body was sufficiently hidden inside, he brushed off his hand and followed the roguish man back outside. As he started to sneak off, albeit in the direction they were supposed to go, he grunted. Sneaking wasn't for him, he'd never been any good at moving around quietly. He glanced towards the paladin and the other man, who were content to just follow down the road. "Take my chances with them." He said, readjusting his shield and sword grip before joining the group.
Strength if Necessary: 20
#edbd00 - Gold
Harrin's eyes go wide as August offers him the horse, while Bertern goes to work filling up the saddlepacks with supplies. "I-I can ride yes, thank you so much sirs!" He drops the shield was carrying and takes the reins, looking at the two of you. "I'd probably only get in the way anyway...I can ride hard for Lichenfer, start spreading the word. I-if you ever find yourself that way, I'll have your horse for you safe and sound." He climbs up into the saddle, albeit a little clumsily and starts to trot down the road. He takes one last look at the group and then snaps the reins, riding at full speed.
A few moments later you hear startled shouts from the direction he was riding in as soon as he rounds the corner to go down the western road. The group - save for Artorias, who lurks in the shadows nearby - pushes forward on the road, slowing down as a reverse T-shaped intersection becomes visible. Just barely through the fires burning on the corner you can see Harrin, riding hard down the western road with two Greschian soldiers chasing after him in vain. A pair of archers fire off shots at him, but miss as he begins to zig and zag. The group of Greschmen continues to follow him down the road as the gap between themselves and the innkeeper widens, oblivious to your party.
A building directly to your south has been set ablaze, and sitting in front of the house directly to its east you can see a robed figure. They appear to be kneeling on the ground, shoulders slumped in a relaxed posture as three spearmen stand guard around them. The spearmen are currently looking west towards the commotion caused by the innkeeper.
DM Screen
17
6
6
Notes
So, this is just a map to help illuminate things again.. The green circle is the innkeeper, and the enemies near him are all totally focused on his escape. By the time your party has moved forward to look east, they are already further down the western road(essentially congratulations, they're almost out of the picture).
Now to the east, the guy in X16 is the robed figure if you could not tell. The other men around him carry spears with chain shirt armor.
None of you have been noticed yet(I assume you all just kind of peeked east around the corner then pulled back out of sight).
How would you like to proceed from here?
Mapstate
Bertren look to the others after their quick glance after Harrin and the Greschians and whispers "We probably want to avoid as many fights as we can with that mass of soldiers coming this way. What do you think try and sneak around this house beside us away from the hooded fellow with the spearmen?"
For a moment, Alkanos watched Harrin ride off on horseback to hopefully warn the rest of the empire about what was going on here. As they got ready to move towards the townsquare and the temple the noticed a group of four people on the road to east. They were effectively blocking the path to their desired destination and even worse they were practically looking in the direction of the party. They had to move fast if they wanted any chance to get to the temple and eventually out of the city before the rest of the army arrived. "I don't know if sneaking is really helping us here, considering they are basically looking in our direction. Some of us are also wearing heavy armor which makes sneaking even more challenging. We would probably need a very good distraction to move past them unseen.", Alkanos paused for a second taking another look at the situation. "Well, we could always try and overwhelm them as quickly as possible. If we get the jump on them it shouldn't be too much of a problem." He paused again, obviously unsure about how to tackle the situation. "I don't know! How should we proceed?", he asked his newfound companions.
Seeing Harrin ride off on his own, August knew they had made the right choice. He had a small fright when he saw the two archers take shots at the innkeeper, but felt relieved when they missed. Their next obstacle was the robed figure and the three spearmen accompanying him. The robed figure gave August a bad feeling. His gut told him that this men would be nothing but trouble. Avoiding an encounter would be preferable. Looking around, he noticed the house next to them was still intact. ‘’We could sneak around this house’’ he said, pointing at the building they were standing next to. ‘’On the north side, where they won’t be able to see us.’’ Time was growing short, and they couldn’t afford wasting it by fighting the Greschmen soldiers.
From Artorias' position, he was one of the first to catch a glimpse of the foot soldiers rushing down the street after the innkeeper. Keeping his body pressed against the building, he peered his head out from around the corner. As he saw the other four gathered to the east, he dropped to one knee. Three spearman stood with eyes trained to the west where the man made his escape on horseback. He also noticed the robed man. Who this person was, flanked by his own personal guard, gave him a sense of foreboding. The wall in front of him only rose to about three feet. If he kept low, he could follow the length of it and remain unseen, especially with the distraction. Behind him, he heard August suggest sneaking around to the north of the building. This was a sound plan, especially since the majority of the retinue were clad in steel and iron.
Artorias thought quickly to himself. He could create another distraction to the west in hopes of drawing the four Greschmen away from their position, but he wasn't sure what their capabilities were. He was also unsure how long the others would give chase for the innkeep before either returning or hailing down mounted soldiers. Regardless, he needed to get into a better position. Dropping to his belly, Artorias began to crawl toward the wall in front of him, only about ten feet away. Once next to it, he lifted himself to a crouching position. He looked back to the group for a sign of what they intended on doing.
Stealth, if necessary: 12
August was convinced that circling around the northern part of the house was the more discrete approach. He saw the hooded man crawl towards the southern wall surrounding the house and opted to go in the opposite direction, taking the long way around the house, away from prying eye.
Stealth: 19
Bertren follows behind August trying to stay low and out of sight as well.
Stealth: 20
Alkanos wasn't sure that it would work, but he guessed that there was no harm in trying to slip past those soldiers unseen. He hoped that the noise and light from the burning buildings around them would obscure their movements well enough for them to circle around the enemies. If it didn't work they probably had another fight to deal with, but given the situation that was to be expected rather sooner than later. August was the first to move and Bertren followed him soon after. Alkanos fell in line behind them and gave their hooded companion crouching by the wall a hand signal, that hopefully made him understand what they were trying to do. With a little luck this could work, and bring them a few steps closer to their intended destination.
Stealth: 2