Ula agrees with Ethel, “Yes, protect yourselves…”. And more quietly with with Avaria, “Uh huh…Non-lethal and control… but give them a ‘show’…”.
Then one of their opponents tries to climb to freedom, but gets shot down. Ula’s eyes go wide and she looks about to see if she can see where the arrows came from… ((perception?: 10)).
She suggests to Marrin, “Stay alive… knock them out if you must….”.
Initiative Order: Group 1 = Marrin Group 2 = Hammerdasher, Jaroo Durim, Elbereth Snowreign Group 3 = Jan, Ula, Avaria Group 4 = Adelysia Demai, Geffroi Desbiens, Unknown Human Group 5 = Ethel
Assuming Ula and Avaria came out first (from the entrance on the east wall) and stepped farthest out into the sandy arena, and then Marrin, Jan and Ethel are closer to the entry tunnel.
The other group came out through the next entrance - the one on the south wall about 60’ feet away. Each group stumbling in about 10’ leaving you about 40’ apart to start.
For this encounter, the three spiked fences and the pikes in the center of the arena are not there. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hammerdasher frowns at Marrin’s words, sorrow in his eyes.
“We’ve no choice, girlie,” Hammerdasher says with softness in his tone. “If we don’t give them a fight they’ll kill us all.”
Despite the emotional effects of Marrin’s words on Hammerdasher, Marrin can see they didn’t cause him any physical or psychological pain.
(Rolled Hammerdasher’s save in the Game Log: 20)
He strides forward, closing the distance between their group and the lead members of your group, lifting his shield and readying his mace to fight. He ends up about 10 feet from Ula and Avaria.
Jaroo, the nimble gnome, tosses his shortsword from hand to hand and moves cautiously forward, taking a position just to the flank of Hammerdasher. He also readies himself for what the party might do. He gives Avaria a sad look and shrugs.
Snowreign, the cold drow, strides forward, cracking a whip as he does.
“Did you not here him, we don’t have a choice.” Snowreign says in precise Common.
As he gets to the other side of Hammerdasher, still 10’ away, he cracks the whip again, it’s lash uncoiling and reaching out to Ula.
Snowreign's Whip: Attack: 20 Damage: 4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jan, Ula and Avaria are up.
Avaria notes Hammerdashers eyes, as well as Jaroo. This was not ok. "We can fight, sir dwarf, but we don't have to kill"and she spins the scimitars in her hands so they are backwards. As the drow uncurls his whip and hits Ula with it, she turns her wolfish gaze on him, rage overcoming her. "I guess I'll start with you." she tells the elf.
She runs between Ula and the drow, almost past Snowreign, and with a spin back to him, she lifts her scimitar and attempts to bludgeon the elf across the jaw with the hilt. (nonlethal)
Ula takes a viscous slash from Snowreign’s whip. “Ow!… By the gods! Watch the face… please!… Maybe we gotta give them a show but let’s be ‘nice’ about it!…”.
She sighs a heavy sigh and wipes blood from under her eye. She walks up close to Hammerdasher, and drops her mace in the dirt at her feet…
She reaches up and holds her amulet. She says again “Keep it nice friend…”, to him. And with that she casts a shimmering shield around herself, then her whole body seems to erupt in a flare of holy light ((hopefully hitting the three in their front line? Hammerdasher and the two flanking him?))
“If you’re going to try talking them to death at least speak up,” the bald-bearded older looking Hargrove calls down to the combatants.
The crowd lets out a cheer when Snowreign’s whip lashes Ula’s arm.
“Ah, there we go, first blood has been drawn,” the commentary continues from above.
As Avaria charges out to engage Snowreign, Hammerdasher swings his mace out to try and intercept her. But Avaria’s rage has given her an extra boost of speed and energy and the mace swings down through empty air.
Similarly, as soon as Ula steps forward, the small gnome, Jaroo, smacks out at her with the flat of his shortsword. But it clangs harmlessly off her shield.
Snowreign seems completely surprised by Avaria’s lunge. As he tries to pull back in his whip and raise it in defense, the hilt of the scimitar connects with the drow’s jaw and he goes down in a heap, his eyes completely glazed over.
The crowd cheers as Snowreign collapses.
Those cheers immediately change to oohs and aahs when Ula’s body erupts in light.
Hammerdasher squints from the glare but otherwise appears unaffected. But the wee Jaroo yelps as he takes the brunt of the divine radiance.
“Ho ho, are we not amused now?” Older baldy says, clapping his hands together and waving to the audience.
Jan starts to take a step towards Snowreign, but as she sees him fall in a clump, the next closest opponent is Hammerdasher and she turns her attack his way. The dwarf brings his shield around just in time to deflect the first dagger blow from Jan but that movement leaves him fully exposed to the next and he grunts as he takes the flat of the blade in his midsection.
“Come now. We’ve given you sharp edges for a reason,” is called from above.
Adelysia Demai and the unknown human finally muster the courage to come forward. They both hold shields, awkwardly and almost jab spears into the ground as they move, but move they do.
They come to where Snowreign lays crumpled on the ground and jab their spears out at Avaria. The stranger doesn’t even come close. He nearly hits Snowreign instead. The haughty merchant, Demai, has truer aim, or better luck and smacks the head of the spear against Avaria’s shoulder, but with the shifter’s hardened skin, she might as well have hit the ground for all the effect it has as it bounces off harmlessly.
Geffroi moves several steps forward, drops one dagger, picks it back up, then takes a couple of steps back towards the entrance. The crowd laughs at the dropped dagger but boos and jeers the steps towards the gated doorway.
“Come come. No need to be shy. We’re all friends here.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jaroo, Hammerdasher, Demai, and the unknown human form a staggered line, faced off against Ula, Avaria, and Jan.
Marrin is several paces behind those three and Ethel is still near the doorway. Likewise Geffroi is still near the other entrance.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Non lethal attacks sound well and good… but magic isn’t so precise. If Ethel attacks, she cannot guarantee she won’t kill, even if it is unintentional.
The dwarf seems hardiest of their opponents, and most likely to survive. So Hammerdasher is the target.
She curls her hand into a claw and whispers the words to cast chill touch. A ghostly hand made of bleached bone appears beside Hammerdasher and tries to grasp him. She mutters in dwarvish:
If it hits, stay down, fool!
Attack: 27 Damage: 12
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Spectators in the audience nudge each other and point at the ghostly hand that has appeared next to Hammerdasher.
"Ooh, what's this? Now if we're not going to get a shower of blood, this is the next best thing; death magic." Continues the comments from above.
The spectral hand grips tightly around Hammerdasher's shield arm and the dwarf shivers at the touch, feeling as if his very being has been gripped by ice.
Demai glares at Marrin but that’s about all she does as she is having trouble wielding the spear. Pulling her punch, so to speak, causes Marrin to go just a little too slowly, and Demai is able to sidestep what could have been a deadly blow.
Hammerdasher looks up when he hears the boos from above and the bald, older Hargrove call him out on his poor acting. Then he sees the ghostly hand still gripping his arm and look of panic takes over his face.
He gets to his feet and lashes out at the nearest body, who happens to be Marrin. But in his panic and haste, the mace swishes past the bard, never posing any threat.
The gnome, Jaroo, looking up at the crowd and the moderator sighs, and slaps out with the flat of his sword again, catching Ula square on her mace arm (Attack: 21 Damage: 5).
“Ah see, we knew you had more in you. Now let’s see more like the gnome there.”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The rage in Avaria makes it hard to keep the control of not killing her enemies. But with her weapons flipped in her hands, it makes it a bit easier.
She no longer hears what is going on with the bald one above and the arena. She only sees people she barely knows trying to hurt her new friends. Growling as she turns, her eyes now focus on Jaroo, the next one to hit Ula. She lifts her scimitars and goes to drive the hilts down on Jaroo's head. She has just enough wherewithal to know to stop between each hit and not to hit him again if he falls.
Avaria speed and strength overwhelm Jaroo. Her rage in full swing she connects with the gnomes head. Hilt first instead of blade first in Avaria's hands turns out to do little more than turn the scimitar into a club. Already weakened from an earlier hit, Jaroo's eyes go blank and he drops his shortsword.
After a pause, Jaroo crumples to the ground like a rag doll, blood seeping from his head onto the sand.
Avaria pivots, her other scimitar handle whipping out and cracking against Hammerdasher's head. As if moving in slow motion, Hammerdasher falls to his knees, then forward, his face slamming down into the sand.
Hammerdasher falls to Avaria's blow just as Jan is reaching out to strike at the dwarf. This catches her off balance, and while she tries to readjust and bring her attack to bear on Demai, both daggers find nothing but shield.
Marrin's eyes scan the crowd above's faces but fixed on Hargrove the Senior the longest.
She mutters under her breath,
"First time jitters. Right."
She then addresses Ava she falls back behind her and Ula,
"I don't have any means of controlling them, but I am listening if you do."
She then meets Hammerdasher's eyes and gives him her most disappointed look.
Initiative: 24
Marrin addresses Hammerdasher in Dwarven, with real disappointment in her voice,
"I am frankly shocked and disappointed how quickly you have turned on us, those that helped you. I'd thought you were better than that."
Vicious disappointment: 3 (3)
(DC 14 wisdom save, fail disadvantage on next attack.)
She says to Ava, quickly,
"Knock them silly, Ava."
(d6 of Bardic inspiration to Ava!)
Ula agrees with Ethel, “Yes, protect yourselves…”. And more quietly with with Avaria, “Uh huh…Non-lethal and control… but give them a ‘show’…”.
Then one of their opponents tries to climb to freedom, but gets shot down. Ula’s eyes go wide and she looks about to see if she can see where the arrows came from… ((perception?: 10)).
She suggests to Marrin, “Stay alive… knock them out if you must….”.
Initiative: 11
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
Initiative Order:
Group 1 = Marrin
Group 2 = Hammerdasher, Jaroo Durim, Elbereth Snowreign
Group 3 = Jan, Ula, Avaria
Group 4 = Adelysia Demai, Geffroi Desbiens, Unknown Human
Group 5 = Ethel
Assuming Ula and Avaria came out first (from the entrance on the east wall) and stepped farthest out into the sandy arena, and then Marrin, Jan and Ethel are closer to the entry tunnel.
The other group came out through the next entrance - the one on the south wall about 60’ feet away. Each group stumbling in about 10’ leaving you about 40’ apart to start.
For this encounter, the three spiked fences and the pikes in the center of the arena are not there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hammerdasher frowns at Marrin’s words, sorrow in his eyes.
“We’ve no choice, girlie,” Hammerdasher says with softness in his tone. “If we don’t give them a fight they’ll kill us all.”
Despite the emotional effects of Marrin’s words on Hammerdasher, Marrin can see they didn’t cause him any physical or psychological pain.
(Rolled Hammerdasher’s save in the Game Log: 20)
He strides forward, closing the distance between their group and the lead members of your group, lifting his shield and readying his mace to fight. He ends up about 10 feet from Ula and Avaria.
Jaroo, the nimble gnome, tosses his shortsword from hand to hand and moves cautiously forward, taking a position just to the flank of Hammerdasher. He also readies himself for what the party might do. He gives Avaria a sad look and shrugs.
Snowreign, the cold drow, strides forward, cracking a whip as he does.
“Did you not here him, we don’t have a choice.” Snowreign says in precise Common.
As he gets to the other side of Hammerdasher, still 10’ away, he cracks the whip again, it’s lash uncoiling and reaching out to Ula.
Snowreign's Whip: Attack: 20 Damage: 4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan, Ula and Avaria are up.
Avaria notes Hammerdashers eyes, as well as Jaroo. This was not ok. "We can fight, sir dwarf, but we don't have to kill" and she spins the scimitars in her hands so they are backwards. As the drow uncurls his whip and hits Ula with it, she turns her wolfish gaze on him, rage overcoming her. "I guess I'll start with you." she tells the elf.
She runs between Ula and the drow, almost past Snowreign, and with a spin back to him, she lifts her scimitar and attempts to bludgeon the elf across the jaw with the hilt. (nonlethal)
Attack: 16 Damage: 8
Ula takes a viscous slash from Snowreign’s whip. “Ow!… By the gods! Watch the face… please!… Maybe we gotta give them a show but let’s be ‘nice’ about it!…”.
She sighs a heavy sigh and wipes blood from under her eye. She walks up close to Hammerdasher, and drops her mace in the dirt at her feet…
She reaches up and holds her amulet. She says again “Keep it nice friend…”, to him. And with that she casts a shimmering shield around herself, then her whole body seems to erupt in a flare of holy light ((hopefully hitting the three in their front line? Hammerdasher and the two flanking him?))
Bonus action: shield of faith on herself ((+2AC up to 15)).
Cast a spell action (word of radiance): CON save DC14 or take 4 (radiant damage)
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
Jan holds her pair of daggers at the ready, and moves cautiously into the arena, eyes scanning their opponents as well as the crowd.
Might as well start with the whip wielding drow, she muses to herself.
Dagger Attack: 10 Damage: 8
Dagger Attack: 23 Damage: 4
((Additional 2 bludgeoning on the first one to land.))
She seeks to make any blows that land be glancing strikes (non-lethal).
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
Hammerdasher Readied Attack: 20 Damage: 6
Save: 10
Jaroo Readied Attack: Attack: 14 Damage: 8
Save: 17
Snowreign Save: 15
Rando Human Attack: 6 Damage: 3
Adelysia Demai Attack: 18 Damage: 2
“If you’re going to try talking them to death at least speak up,” the bald-bearded older looking Hargrove calls down to the combatants.
The crowd lets out a cheer when Snowreign’s whip lashes Ula’s arm.
“Ah, there we go, first blood has been drawn,” the commentary continues from above.
As Avaria charges out to engage Snowreign, Hammerdasher swings his mace out to try and intercept her. But Avaria’s rage has given her an extra boost of speed and energy and the mace swings down through empty air.
Similarly, as soon as Ula steps forward, the small gnome, Jaroo, smacks out at her with the flat of his shortsword. But it clangs harmlessly off her shield.
Snowreign seems completely surprised by Avaria’s lunge. As he tries to pull back in his whip and raise it in defense, the hilt of the scimitar connects with the drow’s jaw and he goes down in a heap, his eyes completely glazed over.
The crowd cheers as Snowreign collapses.
Those cheers immediately change to oohs and aahs when Ula’s body erupts in light.
Hammerdasher squints from the glare but otherwise appears unaffected. But the wee Jaroo yelps as he takes the brunt of the divine radiance.
“Ho ho, are we not amused now?” Older baldy says, clapping his hands together and waving to the audience.
Jan starts to take a step towards Snowreign, but as she sees him fall in a clump, the next closest opponent is Hammerdasher and she turns her attack his way. The dwarf brings his shield around just in time to deflect the first dagger blow from Jan but that movement leaves him fully exposed to the next and he grunts as he takes the flat of the blade in his midsection.
“Come now. We’ve given you sharp edges for a reason,” is called from above.
Adelysia Demai and the unknown human finally muster the courage to come forward. They both hold shields, awkwardly and almost jab spears into the ground as they move, but move they do.
They come to where Snowreign lays crumpled on the ground and jab their spears out at Avaria. The stranger doesn’t even come close. He nearly hits Snowreign instead. The haughty merchant, Demai, has truer aim, or better luck and smacks the head of the spear against Avaria’s shoulder, but with the shifter’s hardened skin, she might as well have hit the ground for all the effect it has as it bounces off harmlessly.
Geffroi moves several steps forward, drops one dagger, picks it back up, then takes a couple of steps back towards the entrance. The crowd laughs at the dropped dagger but boos and jeers the steps towards the gated doorway.
“Come come. No need to be shy. We’re all friends here.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jaroo, Hammerdasher, Demai, and the unknown human form a staggered line, faced off against Ula, Avaria, and Jan.
Marrin is several paces behind those three and Ethel is still near the doorway. Likewise Geffroi is still near the other entrance.
Ethel’s up.
Non lethal attacks sound well and good… but magic isn’t so precise. If Ethel attacks, she cannot guarantee she won’t kill, even if it is unintentional.
The dwarf seems hardiest of their opponents, and most likely to survive. So Hammerdasher is the target.
She curls her hand into a claw and whispers the words to cast chill touch. A ghostly hand made of bleached bone appears beside Hammerdasher and tries to grasp him. She mutters in dwarvish:
If it hits, stay down, fool!
Attack: 27 Damage: 12
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Spectators in the audience nudge each other and point at the ghostly hand that has appeared next to Hammerdasher.
"Ooh, what's this? Now if we're not going to get a shower of blood, this is the next best thing; death magic." Continues the comments from above.
The spectral hand grips tightly around Hammerdasher's shield arm and the dwarf shivers at the touch, feeling as if his very being has been gripped by ice.
18
He looks blankly at Ethel for a moment as she speaks in dwarvish to him. He cocks his head for the briefest of seconds and then falls to the ground.
"Oh really? That was terrible. Even a corpse could act better than that."
When the master of ceremonies makes this comment about Hammerdasher's less than convincing collapse, the crowd erupts in a chorus of boos.
-----------------------------------------
Marrin is back up for round 2.
Marrin looks at Demai, then Geff and finally the random human.
She narrows her eyes at Demai before moving up and smacking her with the flat of her blade.
"This is for your own good. You're going to hurt yourself with that spear."
Attack: 8 Damage: 10
HD Attack Choice - 2
HD - Mace - Attack: 7 Damage: 4
JD - Short sword - Attack: 21 Damage: 5
Demai glares at Marrin but that’s about all she does as she is having trouble wielding the spear. Pulling her punch, so to speak, causes Marrin to go just a little too slowly, and Demai is able to sidestep what could have been a deadly blow.
Hammerdasher looks up when he hears the boos from above and the bald, older Hargrove call him out on his poor acting. Then he sees the ghostly hand still gripping his arm and look of panic takes over his face.
He gets to his feet and lashes out at the nearest body, who happens to be Marrin. But in his panic and haste, the mace swishes past the bard, never posing any threat.
The gnome, Jaroo, looking up at the crowd and the moderator sighs, and slaps out with the flat of his sword again, catching Ula square on her mace arm (Attack: 21 Damage: 5).
“Ah see, we knew you had more in you. Now let’s see more like the gnome there.”
--------------------------------------------------------
Jan, Ula, and Avaria are up.
The rage in Avaria makes it hard to keep the control of not killing her enemies. But with her weapons flipped in her hands, it makes it a bit easier.
She no longer hears what is going on with the bald one above and the arena. She only sees people she barely knows trying to hurt her new friends. Growling as she turns, her eyes now focus on Jaroo, the next one to hit Ula. She lifts her scimitars and goes to drive the hilts down on Jaroo's head. She has just enough wherewithal to know to stop between each hit and not to hit him again if he falls.
Attack: 22 Damage: 12
Attack: 20 Damage: 1
Avaria speed and strength overwhelm Jaroo. Her rage in full swing she connects with the gnomes head. Hilt first instead of blade first in Avaria's hands turns out to do little more than turn the scimitar into a club. Already weakened from an earlier hit, Jaroo's eyes go blank and he drops his shortsword.
After a pause, Jaroo crumples to the ground like a rag doll, blood seeping from his head onto the sand.
Avaria pivots, her other scimitar handle whipping out and cracking against Hammerdasher's head. As if moving in slow motion, Hammerdasher falls to his knees, then forward, his face slamming down into the sand.
Cheers erupt from the crowd again.
"I knew I saw something in this group."
-------------------------------------------------------------
Jan and Ula are up. Demai, the Human remain facing you. Geffroi is still by the south gate.
Jan grits her teeth and swipes at Hammerdasher again with her daggers.
Attack: 7 Damage: 6
Attack: 23 Damage: 2
((2 Bludgeoning on first hit, looking to drop him stable and move on to Demai if she does.))
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
Hammerdasher falls to Avaria's blow just as Jan is reaching out to strike at the dwarf. This catches her off balance, and while she tries to readjust and bring her attack to bear on Demai, both daggers find nothing but shield.
------------------------------------------------------------
Ula's up. Demai, the Human remain facing you. Geffroi is still by the south gate.