Cainneach Initiative - 17

( Just need Initiative from Thatch and Famh.)

Thatch initiative: 5.

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Quote from LAXGunner >>

Thatch initiative: 5.

 Thatch slips on the wet deck as he readies his bow, but luckily catches himself before he stumbles. 

13.

(Using lucky to reroll the initiative.)

( Ok. Looks like Thatch is up first.)

Thatch follows Famh’s lead and rummages through his pack, pulling out a flask of oil, flint and steel and several strips of fabric and adding them to Famh’s pile.  He readies a few arrows with oil soaked rags wrapped around the arrowhead.  As the raider pulls within 80 feet, Thatch glances over at the Baron and Ori, pulls back his bow and sends a flaming arrow arcing through the air toward the sails and rigging.

Attack: 19 Damage: 10.

.

Following Thatchs lead half a dozen of the Avocets crew also fired their bows at the oncoming drakkar.

Attack: 12 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll.

Attack: 23 Damage: 9

Attack: 11 Damage: 7

Attack: 15 Damage: 6

Attack: 15 Damage: 3

Attack: 19 Damage: 5

Thatchs shaft thuds into the mast setting flame, two of the crews arrows strike some of the men massing at the drakkars gunwhale.

The commander of the longship steps up and sights upon a young Avocet crewman casting a spear through the air enormously far...

Attack: 14 Damage: 9

The bowmen aboard the longship fire arching arrows down onto the deck of the Avocet.

Attack: 7 Damage: 10

Attack: 18 Damage: 8

Attack: 23 Damage: 7

Attack: 26 Damage: 9

Attack: 24 Damage: 5

The huge shaved warrior to the left of the group places a hand on the mast and Thatchs fire winks out, he then says a prayer which seems to fortify himself in some way.

( Control Flames + Bless)

The men pressed at the gunwhale roar in anger and stare with rage filled eyes at those on the other ship.

Baron Aldred and his men rush to the Avocets gunwhale to await them, with the Barons men firing at those in front.

Attack: 11 Damage: 7

Attack: 24 Damage: 14

Baron Aldred and Father Cadfael ready themselves.

( Dodge Action)

Two of the Avocets crew fall under the rain of arrows, and another is badly wounded by the cast spear.

Baron Aldreds men fire into the massed berserkers, both shafts find purchase but the men seem unphased as arrows just from them.

( Ori-, Cainneach, Famh and Vardi are up.)

Ori felt like he should be concerned, watching those in pursuit taking hits like champs, and the captin throwing the spear with accuracy further then Ori himself could, but the sick sickness still has a hold of him. He wasn't even able to build up the anger within himself like he normally could, watching the sailors fall stirred in him but wasn't enough to overpower his illness yet, but was getting there. Ori pulls one of the remaining javelin he has left and throws it at the captin.

Ori's throw at disadvantage: 9 (nat 1...)

Ori is still trying to find his sea legs up on deck...

Cainneach will gladly pick up the slack from Ori in terms of the level of concern with their situation!  For all the reasons their new leader notes, the forester, very much out of his element on the open seas, is not thrilled with their chances, but there is nothing for him to do but fight.  With a quick adjustment to his new bracers, that potent gift from his betrothed, Cainneach takes the briefest of moments to focus with all of the well-practiced intensity he can muster in this chaos.  He then turns his attention to the menace to the left, a bear of a man with the guile of a sorcerer, grabs one of Thatch's flaming arrows, and looses a shot with his longbow.  "Focus your fire on the captain and that beast to the left!"  After the arrow whistles away, he takes a quick look at Famh and Salt, hoping they're staying safe, but knowing they're far too brave for that.

(Assuming Cainneach would have noticed the cause of the fire going out w/his Passive Perception of 20 ...)

Bonus Action - Hunter's Mark  (on the "huge shaved warrior to the left of the group" that is wielding magic)

Longbow - Attack vs. War Mage?: 27, damage (piercing): 13 w/Hunter's Mark

(Sigh, thanks DDB Forums goblins.  If the rolls don't pop up soon, I'll roll in the Campaign Log and post here.)

Provisional rolls in case DDB refuses to cooperate - 16 to hit, 15 total damage, see the Campaign Log.  And the arrow is on fire.

(sorry for the blankout there ... a little busy with pre solstice bustlings and lost track.  Anyhow, catchup roll for Famh's wee fib about being taught by a sea witch, before moving on to current matters) - Deception 20

 Famh's lips press together grimly as she watches the drakkar approach with the giant warlock her beloved has pointed out towering head and shoulders above even the captain.  As to the crew, they dwindle beside him until they look little bigger than Ethlinn.  "Aye, leannan, he's nigh as greet as Hrothgar Blood-beard.", she replies to Cainneach's call, recalling a legendary but ill fated warrior from the outermost Lyftens whose deeds were current on the filidhs' lips in her girlhood.  A moment later she cries out in delight as his arrow blazes towards the giant, "And as the auld saw saith, the greeter they are the langer their fall!  We've ta'en oot bigger than he ... where's Fingal MacTethra noo?"  Swept up in the excitement of the moment, she begins to weave the retinue's deeds into her first improvised kenning, weaving back and forth between chant and song like the swaying wind  in the Avocet's sails as she rings forth her defiant vaunt to hearten her companions and fling defiance in the faces of the approaching reivers, (BA: 

Bardic Inspiration

(OOC: This being the first bard I've played, IDK if I roll the d6 now or if the benefiting creature does when they add it to their roll.  If the former, well rhen, {2 }

It is not to be supposed, of course, that she allows this to distract her from her own part in the battle.  She spends a moment or two gazing at the man Cainneach has just sent an arrowful of fire towards; seeing if there is a way to strike him with a flaming stone that would then bounce off or roll on to kindle her primary target, the sails and rigging.  If not, she will launch a shot towards these (sails and rigging) that has the best chance of also striking some of the officers and crew.  She may not ever have actually set foot on the sea when she was a girl, but she's a sea-bred lass and has heard enough tales of naval skirmishes to know that where an arrow might take one man of the enemy crew out of a fight, a blaze in the rigging deprives them of the arms of a dozen.  Even the drakkars that had most of their power and swiftness from the oarsmen, went in fear of a burning sail that might swiftly spread to other parts of the ship.  She has also heard enough to know that what she proposes to do is not the easiest thing in the world to actually achieve, and will require skilful timing and aim.  She waits until the reivers' ship comes within twenty ells (about 60'), repeating short Orthas and Caims to calm and center her mind; and then . . . 

Binding a torch to one of the tar-wrapped ballast stones she has prepared, she balances it on the flat top of the capstan and uses her tinderbox to kindle the torch before whispering a short Madhir triad.  It sounds very much like a traditional Brosnachadh Catha (Incitement to Battle) that a filidh would traditionally recite at about this point in the festivities, but at the very first murmured syllable the stone lifts from the capstan and flies towards the enemy longship in a graceful arc like the flight of an osprey.

===***===

Action: catapult from held action 

("Choose one object weighing 1 to 5 pounds within range that isn’t being worn or carried. The object flies in a straight line up to 90 feet in a direction you choose before falling to the ground, stopping early if it impacts against a solid surface. If the object would strike a creature, that creature must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC12). On a failed save, the object strikes the target and stops moving. When the object strikes something, the object and what it strikes each take 3d8(12) bludgeoning damage.") using pitch rag-wrapped ballast stones

The jellyfish which were attracted the building energies of Famh's spell have been slowly drifting closer, their translucent flesh making them hard to see in the bright sunlight.  They seem fascinated with Famh and what she is doing.   As she strikes flint on steel and kindles the torch that will light her flaming projectile on fire, they are nearly close enough to brush her shoulder.  All concerned agree that it is a great pity, however, that she was so focused on her plan that she failed to see the delicate creatures floating in the air a mere few palms away from the path of her burning missile.  As the ball of flame whizzes by them the little creatures whip backwards in alarm to avoid being burned.  Their colour changes from rosy pink to a deep purple shot through with streaks of crimson, and they swiftly draw back from Famh with their tentacles bristling upwards and out towards her to reveal two hollow and flexible tubes protruding from the creatures' undersides.

Oris spear throw perhaps surprises some fish about 30' off the drakkars bow but has little other effect, Cainneachs shaft strikes the large man in the upper chest and he fixes Cainneach with a look even as Famhs catapulted stone and torch crashes into the far gunwhale and begins to burn.

Vardi fires at the enemy captain.

Attack: 15 Damage: 9

( Thatch is up)

Thatch is dismayed when he sees how easy it was for the huge main next to the main mast to extinguish the sputtering flame.  Undeterred, he spreads his legs for balance on the shifting and rolling deck and follows Cainneach’s instructions, forgoing the flame this time and sending his next arrow toward the burly mage. 

Attack: 21 Damage: 5 plus 5 sneak attack damage.

(Using steady aim feature to gain advantage on the attack roll.)

Thatchs arrow strikes home and the large man grunts with the momentum behind the shot.

The Avocets crew....somewhat diminished fires again at the front line of the drakkars crew.

Attack: 21 Damage: 5

Attack: 19 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll.

Attack: 5 Damage: 4

Attack: 15 Damage: 6

Attack: 12 Damage: 7

The crews arrows strike some of those massed at the gunwale but it just seems to add to their agitation.

The commander of the longship snatches up another spear and throws it incredibly far, aimed at Cainneach.

Attack vs Cainneach: 11 Damage: 10

The bowmen aboard the longship fire arching arrows down onto the deck of the Avocet targeting the first row of archers.

Attack: 24 Damage: 6

Attack: 15 Damage: 7

Attack: 20 Damage: 12

Attack: 26 Damage: 15

Attack: 18 Damage: 7

The huge shaved warrior sighs deeply plucks the arrows from his body then reaches up to the heavens as a light rain begins to fall upon the drakkar smothering the flames....

( Create Water)

The men pressed at the gunwhale begin to froth at the mouth as they press forward.

Baron Aldreds men continue firing.

Attack: 19 Damage: 4

Attack: 21 Damage: 3

Baron Aldred draws his sword in readiness as Father Cadfael continues praying..

( Dodge Action)

Under the rain of arrows only two of the Avocets archers are left standing, again Baron Aldreds men hit their targets but to little effect.

(( Ori-, Cainneach, Famh and Vardi are up.)

(Does it seem like they are close enough to board us soon? Trying to decide if a readied action is better then wasting another projectile.)