Hemlock leans in close, "I think I have a way to listen in without attracting any attention. I think I might have it within me to transform into an animal, but it will drain my powers and if we do need to fight I would be less useful. I can try if you think it worthwhile? Or can try a diversion".
He will wait for the others to agree before he goes ahead.
- That sounds great, and way safer! I'd say yes to that idea, Hemlock. Let's hope we don't need to fight, but we will do our best to cover for you if we have to.
Lam nods in affirmation to Hemlock’s idea. It sounds like a good way to get close with less risk of being noticed. Besides, if it comes to fighting, Lam should be able to help.
As you whisper and discuss your plan, Jonah, Ahmed, Samantha, and her human guard continue to walk up towards the four kobolds. Jonah is speaking to Ahmed, telling him what to say when they get there, but you can no longer quite hear them. Billy has walked up to the indentureds who had been standing with Ahmed, and is answering their questions about what's happening in vague terms, really only saying that Jonah will handle it, and that they're trying to avoid fighting. The prisoners have mixed responses. An elf is eager to fight the kobolds and prove his worth the the HMC. A half-orc wants no part of this, and even says that he will refuse to kill kobolds in their home. A human just asks questions, not offering any of his own opinion. None of this lets you know more about what's really going on here, other than to remind you that each of these people has come to the HMC and remained with them for now, serving a sentence given by the same justice system that sentenced you.
Hemlock closes his eyes and concentrates, knowing how easy it is to take on his starry form now, he has to will himself to look beyond that. He pictures in his minds eye a squirrel, knowing that they are abundant in these parts. It takes him a few seconds, longer than the starry form, but he finds the ability within himself.
He feels himself changing and opens his eyes, watching his hand shrink and become a clawed paw. His transformation complete, he chitters and waves at the others, before turning and running across the ground heading for the tree close to where the conversation is about to happen. He is aware that beyond the people about, there might be other predators. As he goes, he marvels at the simple feat of being able to run on all fours, and has to learn how to cope with a tail.
Watching their humungous hairy friend shrink down into a tiny squirrel is a strange experience, to say the least. Grey fur sprouts from his armor, his face, his arms, and everywhere else, and a large bushy tail begins growing as he shrinks. It's all a quick blur, but some halfway form was visible for a tiny fraction of a second, and it was not very attractive. Hemlock the squirrel runs off, leaving the other three to sit in forced silence, hoping and waiting. They overhear some more conversation between Billy and the indentureds, but nothing of consequence. They can see that Hemlock makes it into a tree, leaps out of it and runs to another tree, and they lose sight of him as he leaps onto the next trunk. They watch what little they can see of the interaction between the HMC leaders and the kobolds, with bated breath. It is hard to make much out, through leaves and trunks and a still-burning wagon. Then, suddenly, the proverbial scat hits the proverbial fan. There is a sound of blades, and shouts of pain. Jonah's voice roars out ""What have you done, WITCH!? Then reap what you sow!"
Hemlock'sexperience is somewhat different from theirs.
It is strange to be a squirrel. The first thing you notice is not what you expected. It is not that you are small and the world is big. It is not that your experience of the scents of the forest have changed, and you know each tree by it's smell. It is not even that your eyes have moved further to the sides of your head, giving a wider angle to your vision and and less ability to focus in on a single thing. No, the first thing you notice is that your heartbeat is ridiculously fast. As a fit, meditative firbolg, your resting heart rate is in the low 40's. Now, an unceasing thrum in your chest moves at 120 bpm, before you even move. Everything has to happen immediately, when you feel the need. You can mostly shake off this haste as your mind finds itself in this new body, but the urgency does not quite leave you.
Using your tail as a balance is surprisingly easy and intuitive, and you know that you can leap several times your body length without doubt about whether your will land as you wish. You dart south, climbing around one tree trunk before realizing there is another closer to your destination. You leap towards the ground, unafraid of falling any distance, and dash again to the closer tree. Ahmedglances up at you as you run, and your heart beats even faster for a moment. It is hard to know whether that moment of panic was because of a fear of being caught and ruining the plan, or simply because you saw an animal with predatory eyes notice you. Mind and body are not inseparable. And yet, you are able to find an inconspicuous place in the tree where you can hear and see well enough, and nestle down there. The smell of smoke also wakens alarm bells in your arboreal rodent body, but you manage to tune those out too. You bring your attention to the conversation just in time to hear Ahmed's first main point, after he greeted the kobold guards. It is not a language you have heard before, although you can piece together from context and from stories that this is the language of dragons.
"ليس في نيتنا أن نأخذ أرضك أيها الأخ المتدرج . لدينا حقوق في هذا المنجم، ولا نرغب في دخول الظلام. إذا كنت ستجذبنا إلى حيث تنتهي منطقتك ، فسنحاول تجنب ذلك. أو يمكننا المقايضة والدفع مقابل الوصول."
"لا نرغب في السماح بالوصول. المنجم الآن لنا. إذا كان هناك شيء تريده من هنا ، فقم بتسميته ، وقد نتمكن من التفاوض."
"She says they refuse. If there is something specific we want, they are willing to trade, but the mine is theirs. How should I respond?"Ahmed does, in fact, look pleased to be in this position, and when he looks to Jonah, it is with true respect - though not with submission.
Jonah strokes his beard. "Tell her we are happy to open negotiations, but that we will need to speak to their leader, and likely send at least some of our own men to aid in excavation. Reassure her that we wish to avoid any bloodshed, but imply if you can that that is a necessary possibility."
"نحن سعداء بفتح المفاوضات، لكننا سنحتاج إلى التحدث إلى زعيمهم، ومن المحتمل أن نرسل على الأقل بعض رجالنا للمساعدة في التنقيب. نرغب في تجنب أي إراقة للدماء، بسبب تكلفتها الكبيرة لشعبينا".
"سأتحدث إلى ربنا. عد غدا ، بأعداد أقل ، وسنكون مستعدين للتحدث."
"She says that if you return tomorrow, a small delegation of them will be ready to talk."
As Jonah considers this, Samantha interrupts. " Í suggest that you show them we mean business. Make it clear that we will not be made to wait, and show them what that greatsword is for." As she speaks, her hand shifts in her pocket, and you feel the presence of enchanting magic.
"Do not do that, sir ---""Good idea, for once."Jonah's giant greatsword swings forth, and a kobold's head flies into the air. On an instant, the other kobolds stab forth. They are not able to pierce Jonah's armor, but one spearpoint tears through Ahmed. Jonah shakes his head, then realizes what he's done. "What have you done, WITCH!?" He roars. He grabs Samantha by the shoulder, one arm enough to pick her up and throw her over the kobolds heads and into the entrance to the mine. "Then reap what you sow!"Her bodyguard rushes after her, slicing at kobolds on the way, but you can already see more of the scaled folk emerging from the mine. Jonah turns away from the cave mouth, cradling Ahmed (not dead, but gravely injured) in his arms, and begins quickly moving back to the middle of his men.
All of the HMC folks begin to move in a panic, not knowing exactly what to do. Those with weapons take them out, others hunker down besides the wagons. Billy runs bravely towards his leader, hammer and shield both held high.
Squirrel Hemlock freezes in place on the branch of the tree, watching and listening intently as the conversation goes on between Ahmed and the kobolds.
When things take a nasty turn he starts to spin around ready to head back to the others, but he needs to know what is happening with the lady and her bodyguard. He needs to know whether the kobolds are strong enough to take them down. And so he spins back around, watching for just a few seconds more.
He then darts down the tree and scampers over towards his companions, briefly climbing the trunk of each tree on the way to get a view on what is happening at the entrance to the mine, and with the HMC.
Despite the tense situation, Saoirse can't hide a smile when she sees the tiny squirrel Hemlock has become, and pats his little head lightly with a finger before the animal darts away.
Then she stays still and listening, trying to ascertain what's going on with a lot of difficulty, as she's not able to watch not hear almost anything. And when she hears Jonah's scream and the beginning of a commotion her whole body tenses. What has happened?? That Samantha must have done something to trigger Jonah to the point of insulting her and making the HMC folk grab their arms. Has she attacked the kobolds!? For a split second, she touches the sending stone in her pocket and thinks of calling for help, but she refrains from doing so, as they only have one chance to send a message today and they don't really know what is going on yet.
The fire genasi wants to know what is happening, and waiting for Hemlock to return will take too much time. Also, if they need to act, it will be better to do it from a closer point. As the HMC folk have moved forward towards the entrance of the mine, and this should make it easier for them to sneak to the next tree with more ease. So she tells the rest:
- Something has gone terribly wrong. They are all focused on the mines right now, it should be easier for us to move. I will go to the next tree, okay? If you prefer to remain here still, it's allright.
She begins to motion towards the following tree.
Stealth= 12 (I've made a second roll in case I have advantage due to all the HMC folk's attention being focused somewhere else. 16)
I've moved my token to the following tree. Not that much movement, just 25 feet (like a normal combat turn, I guess, right?)
When Hemlock scuttles back Sha has an animalistic urge rise up but quells it immediately, Saoirse stealthily moves into a more advantageous position. Sha can't help but feel as though the time to act has come though he can't see or hear unobstructed he gives himself guidance rises and as quiet as he can rushes 60' to a much closer position hoping its not too late...
When Hemlock becomes a squirrel, Lam thinks for a moment about all of the squirrels he’s eaten. Disliking that thought, he chooses instead to focus on the massive difference between Hemlock’s size as a firbolg and his size as a squirrel. He watches Hemlock scamper off with baited breath. He strains to listen from his far away spot, but cannot make anything out until the situation is already bad. Something caused everyone to turn to fighting, and he suspects it has something to do with those humans he doesn’t trust. Maybe the magic one ordered the silent one to attack? That seemed to be the silent one’s purpose there, anyhow. Whatever happened, the situation seems too urgent to wait for Hemlock’s return. When his friends sense the same thing and move, Lam dashes swiftly to follow Sha into a closer position.
Lam will dash 60’ to move over to where Sha is. I got a 14- I made a flat roll, assuming that we get advantage from the commotion which is canceled out by disadvantage from running.
Samantha and her defender struggle against the kobolds. Bursts of energy fly from samantha, killing or maiming. Her defender is a whirlwind of steel and death. And yet, more kobolds keep coming from the cave, and they are too many. Samantha is dragged into the cave's entrance by three kobolds, who hold her hands and mouth. Her defender runs in after her, and a lance of psychic energy, with its purple aura, shoots out of the cave mouth. A kobold in its path falls dead, though without signs of physical damage to the body. The energy strikes Jonah from behind, and he cries out in pain, but continues to carry Ahmed away from harm. A cone of fire erupts from the mine's entrance, and another kobold is overwhelmed and falls dead. Sounds of battle continue in the mine, shrieks and clanging metal, and then slowly fall silent. Nobody exits the mine.
Jonah shouts loud enough for all to hear: "The sorceress betrayed us, and has plunged us into a war against these kobolds. I have thrown her to them, and tomorrow I will come with those few who volunteer, to see if talks can be established after all. Somebody, healAhmed. He comported himself bravely, and has earned my highest trust. For now, we return to the keep. I will ensure that none of you are blamed for any of what has happened here. Board the wagons, prepare to march home. Keep scouts on each side, I fear ambush, and we can not take any more losses."
The HMC assemblage begins to follow these orders, preparing the remaining wagons for departure. A few armed dwarves or men stay out of the wagons, weapons drawn, ready to march along as scouts for the fist stretch. Saoirse can not see more of what is happening - there is a boulder in the way.
Sha and Lam can see:
As you run up to the tree, and your feet crunch along gravel or fallen branches, you know that you are still not nearly as loud or distracting as everything else going on. And yet, as you run, Sha-Gravis makes brief, accidental eye-contact with Billy, whose mouth drops in shock. Billy stops in his tracks for a moment, and watches Lam run to meet Sha. Then, Jonahcalls for somebody to heal Ahmed, and Billy begins to move forward again. He calls for Moradin's aid, and his hands shine with healing light as he touches Ahmed. He follows Jonah and Ahmedin the direction away from you, but he does look back over his shoulder at you, a worried frown on his face.
The mine's entrance has fallen silent, though there are some embers remaining from magical fire, and three dead kobolds lying outside of it. There is also one kobold who is almost immobile, but you can just barely see that it still draws breath. You can not see Samantha or her guard.
One of those who drew weapons and readied herself to act as a scout is walking up betweeen a tree trunk and a boulder towards Saoirse, getting dangerously close. It is hard to imagine that she will not soon notice the Genasi's fire-red hair sticking out from behind a tree.
As everything settles down, with the mine entrance seemingly quiet and Jonah ordering the HMC to load up and leave, squirrel Hemlock surveys the scene from the edge of the ridge. His sensitive nose twitches trying to smell anything beyond that of fire and death, and his tiny head flicks from side to side to get a view of the cave mouth.
If he doesn't see anything dangerous, he will scuttle towards the cave mouth, keeping out of it's direct line in case more magic erupts.
There are more dead kobolds in there, and the cave is deep. It gets too dark to see pretty quickly. But lying among the dead, not more than 20 feet into the cave, is the human defender's sword. A kobold outside of the cave sputters and coughs, not quite dead, but you can smell the blood leaking out of him.
The kobold stops moaning, as the gash in his side glows and closes, leaving a dark seem which seems to glitter with stars for a moment as it fades. The guard heading up towards Saoirse hears the sound, however. She can not tell yet exactly where it came from, but turns and starts walking towards your tree with a mace drawn.
Hemlock sees the health of Kobold improve dramatically, and cocks his head to the side wondering how, before he turns back to the cave mouth.
He wants to creep in a little further, to see if he can see the body of the woman or the man who lost his sword, but if the injured kobold was well enough to move he might get trapped. He decides to hide among the bodies of the kobolds that are dead and just keep watch.
The guard looks in the direction of the Mine opening, but sees only injured or dead kobolds - and was that a squirrel? - and nobody emerging with crossbows. She is on edge and ready for tricks, and realizes that this must be some sort of a diversion. She countinues around the tree, and gasps whan she sees Sha and Lam. "You! You killed Grommit! You're behind this, too, somehow!" She turns to run back and alert the others, who are piling into wagons and beginning to head south. Please Roll Initiative
Hemlockcan tell that there is dim lighting in the mine, and more dead and injured kobolds. There are some marks on the ground from a body or bodies being dragged further into the depths. The one healed by Sha begins to right himself, and crawls back to the entrance, where he sits and leans against the wall. He looks at the strange squirrel standing among the dead bodies, and cocks his head to one side in confusion.
As she sees the guard going towards where she's hiding, Saoirse's heart starts beating furiously, and the genasi tries to think quickly where she might move to no avail, nowhere seems to be safe! Then, something that sounds like kobolds comes from Shaand Lam's tree and that makes the guard change course. Not good either! If anyone of them is caught, they're going to be sent to Coldwater again for sure. Not really knowing what else to do, she grabs her light crossbow and aims to shoot a bolt at a distant tree, north of them. With a little bit of luck this will make the guard look that way and give the genasi time enough to move away, and also Shaand Lam!
When she's about to shoot, the guard just moves too fast and discovers her friends...!
Crossbow attack to the tree I marked in Owlbear: 12 to hit.
Hemlock leans in close, "I think I have a way to listen in without attracting any attention. I think I might have it within me to transform into an animal, but it will drain my powers and if we do need to fight I would be less useful. I can try if you think it worthwhile? Or can try a diversion".
He will wait for the others to agree before he goes ahead.
- That sounds great, and way safer! I'd say yes to that idea, Hemlock. Let's hope we don't need to fight, but we will do our best to cover for you if we have to.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Lam nods in affirmation to Hemlock’s idea. It sounds like a good way to get close with less risk of being noticed. Besides, if it comes to fighting, Lam should be able to help.
As you whisper and discuss your plan, Jonah, Ahmed, Samantha, and her human guard continue to walk up towards the four kobolds. Jonah is speaking to Ahmed, telling him what to say when they get there, but you can no longer quite hear them. Billy has walked up to the indentureds who had been standing with Ahmed, and is answering their questions about what's happening in vague terms, really only saying that Jonah will handle it, and that they're trying to avoid fighting. The prisoners have mixed responses. An elf is eager to fight the kobolds and prove his worth the the HMC. A half-orc wants no part of this, and even says that he will refuse to kill kobolds in their home. A human just asks questions, not offering any of his own opinion. None of this lets you know more about what's really going on here, other than to remind you that each of these people has come to the HMC and remained with them for now, serving a sentence given by the same justice system that sentenced you.
DM: Heavy is the Head
Hemlock closes his eyes and concentrates, knowing how easy it is to take on his starry form now, he has to will himself to look beyond that. He pictures in his minds eye a squirrel, knowing that they are abundant in these parts. It takes him a few seconds, longer than the starry form, but he finds the ability within himself.
He feels himself changing and opens his eyes, watching his hand shrink and become a clawed paw. His transformation complete, he chitters and waves at the others, before turning and running across the ground heading for the tree close to where the conversation is about to happen. He is aware that beyond the people about, there might be other predators. As he goes, he marvels at the simple feat of being able to run on all fours, and has to learn how to cope with a tail.
Special: Guidance, 1 minutes, Wildshape - 1 hour.
Watching their humungous hairy friend shrink down into a tiny squirrel is a strange experience, to say the least. Grey fur sprouts from his armor, his face, his arms, and everywhere else, and a large bushy tail begins growing as he shrinks. It's all a quick blur, but some halfway form was visible for a tiny fraction of a second, and it was not very attractive. Hemlock the squirrel runs off, leaving the other three to sit in forced silence, hoping and waiting. They overhear some more conversation between Billy and the indentureds, but nothing of consequence. They can see that Hemlock makes it into a tree, leaps out of it and runs to another tree, and they lose sight of him as he leaps onto the next trunk. They watch what little they can see of the interaction between the HMC leaders and the kobolds, with bated breath. It is hard to make much out, through leaves and trunks and a still-burning wagon. Then, suddenly, the proverbial scat hits the proverbial fan. There is a sound of blades, and shouts of pain. Jonah's voice roars out ""What have you done, WITCH!? Then reap what you sow!"
Hemlock's experience is somewhat different from theirs.
It is strange to be a squirrel. The first thing you notice is not what you expected. It is not that you are small and the world is big. It is not that your experience of the scents of the forest have changed, and you know each tree by it's smell. It is not even that your eyes have moved further to the sides of your head, giving a wider angle to your vision and and less ability to focus in on a single thing. No, the first thing you notice is that your heartbeat is ridiculously fast. As a fit, meditative firbolg, your resting heart rate is in the low 40's. Now, an unceasing thrum in your chest moves at 120 bpm, before you even move. Everything has to happen immediately, when you feel the need. You can mostly shake off this haste as your mind finds itself in this new body, but the urgency does not quite leave you.
Using your tail as a balance is surprisingly easy and intuitive, and you know that you can leap several times your body length without doubt about whether your will land as you wish. You dart south, climbing around one tree trunk before realizing there is another closer to your destination. You leap towards the ground, unafraid of falling any distance, and dash again to the closer tree. Ahmed glances up at you as you run, and your heart beats even faster for a moment. It is hard to know whether that moment of panic was because of a fear of being caught and ruining the plan, or simply because you saw an animal with predatory eyes notice you. Mind and body are not inseparable. And yet, you are able to find an inconspicuous place in the tree where you can hear and see well enough, and nestle down there. The smell of smoke also wakens alarm bells in your arboreal rodent body, but you manage to tune those out too. You bring your attention to the conversation just in time to hear Ahmed's first main point, after he greeted the kobold guards. It is not a language you have heard before, although you can piece together from context and from stories that this is the language of dragons.
"ليس في نيتنا أن نأخذ أرضك أيها الأخ المتدرج . لدينا حقوق في هذا المنجم، ولا نرغب في دخول الظلام. إذا كنت ستجذبنا إلى حيث تنتهي منطقتك ، فسنحاول تجنب ذلك. أو يمكننا المقايضة والدفع مقابل الوصول."
"لا نرغب في السماح بالوصول. المنجم الآن لنا. إذا كان هناك شيء تريده من هنا ، فقم بتسميته ، وقد نتمكن من التفاوض."
"She says they refuse. If there is something specific we want, they are willing to trade, but the mine is theirs. How should I respond?" Ahmed does, in fact, look pleased to be in this position, and when he looks to Jonah, it is with true respect - though not with submission.
Jonah strokes his beard. "Tell her we are happy to open negotiations, but that we will need to speak to their leader, and likely send at least some of our own men to aid in excavation. Reassure her that we wish to avoid any bloodshed, but imply if you can that that is a necessary possibility."
"نحن سعداء بفتح المفاوضات، لكننا سنحتاج إلى التحدث إلى زعيمهم، ومن المحتمل أن نرسل على الأقل بعض رجالنا للمساعدة في التنقيب. نرغب في تجنب أي إراقة للدماء، بسبب تكلفتها الكبيرة لشعبينا".
"سأتحدث إلى ربنا. عد غدا ، بأعداد أقل ، وسنكون مستعدين للتحدث."
"She says that if you return tomorrow, a small delegation of them will be ready to talk."
As Jonah considers this, Samantha interrupts. " Í suggest that you show them we mean business. Make it clear that we will not be made to wait, and show them what that greatsword is for." As she speaks, her hand shifts in her pocket, and you feel the presence of enchanting magic.
"Do not do that, sir ---" "Good idea, for once." Jonah's giant greatsword swings forth, and a kobold's head flies into the air. On an instant, the other kobolds stab forth. They are not able to pierce Jonah's armor, but one spearpoint tears through Ahmed. Jonah shakes his head, then realizes what he's done. "What have you done, WITCH!?" He roars. He grabs Samantha by the shoulder, one arm enough to pick her up and throw her over the kobolds heads and into the entrance to the mine. "Then reap what you sow!" Her bodyguard rushes after her, slicing at kobolds on the way, but you can already see more of the scaled folk emerging from the mine. Jonah turns away from the cave mouth, cradling Ahmed (not dead, but gravely injured) in his arms, and begins quickly moving back to the middle of his men.
All of the HMC folks begin to move in a panic, not knowing exactly what to do. Those with weapons take them out, others hunker down besides the wagons. Billy runs bravely towards his leader, hammer and shield both held high.
https://www.owlbear.app/room/5nRs1L_uFdxM/HeavyistheHeadPBP
DM: Heavy is the Head
Squirrel Hemlock freezes in place on the branch of the tree, watching and listening intently as the conversation goes on between Ahmed and the kobolds.
When things take a nasty turn he starts to spin around ready to head back to the others, but he needs to know what is happening with the lady and her bodyguard. He needs to know whether the kobolds are strong enough to take them down. And so he spins back around, watching for just a few seconds more.
He then darts down the tree and scampers over towards his companions, briefly climbing the trunk of each tree on the way to get a view on what is happening at the entrance to the mine, and with the HMC.
Despite the tense situation, Saoirse can't hide a smile when she sees the tiny squirrel Hemlock has become, and pats his little head lightly with a finger before the animal darts away.
Then she stays still and listening, trying to ascertain what's going on with a lot of difficulty, as she's not able to watch not hear almost anything. And when she hears Jonah's scream and the beginning of a commotion her whole body tenses. What has happened?? That Samantha must have done something to trigger Jonah to the point of insulting her and making the HMC folk grab their arms. Has she attacked the kobolds!? For a split second, she touches the sending stone in her pocket and thinks of calling for help, but she refrains from doing so, as they only have one chance to send a message today and they don't really know what is going on yet.
The fire genasi wants to know what is happening, and waiting for Hemlock to return will take too much time. Also, if they need to act, it will be better to do it from a closer point. As the HMC folk have moved forward towards the entrance of the mine, and this should make it easier for them to sneak to the next tree with more ease. So she tells the rest:
- Something has gone terribly wrong. They are all focused on the mines right now, it should be easier for us to move. I will go to the next tree, okay? If you prefer to remain here still, it's allright.
She begins to motion towards the following tree.
Stealth= 12 (I've made a second roll in case I have advantage due to all the HMC folk's attention being focused somewhere else. 16)
I've moved my token to the following tree. Not that much movement, just 25 feet (like a normal combat turn, I guess, right?)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
When Hemlock scuttles back Sha has an animalistic urge rise up but quells it immediately, Saoirse stealthily moves into a more advantageous position. Sha can't help but feel as though the time to act has come though he can't see or hear unobstructed he gives himself guidance rises and as quiet as he can rushes 60' to a much closer position hoping its not too late...
Stealth 14
When Hemlock becomes a squirrel, Lam thinks for a moment about all of the squirrels he’s eaten. Disliking that thought, he chooses instead to focus on the massive difference between Hemlock’s size as a firbolg and his size as a squirrel. He watches Hemlock scamper off with baited breath. He strains to listen from his far away spot, but cannot make anything out until the situation is already bad. Something caused everyone to turn to fighting, and he suspects it has something to do with those humans he doesn’t trust. Maybe the magic one ordered the silent one to attack? That seemed to be the silent one’s purpose there, anyhow. Whatever happened, the situation seems too urgent to wait for Hemlock’s return. When his friends sense the same thing and move, Lam dashes swiftly to follow Sha into a closer position.
Lam will dash 60’ to move over to where Sha is. I got a 14- I made a flat roll, assuming that we get advantage from the commotion which is canceled out by disadvantage from running.
Hemlock sees and hears:
Samantha and her defender struggle against the kobolds. Bursts of energy fly from samantha, killing or maiming. Her defender is a whirlwind of steel and death. And yet, more kobolds keep coming from the cave, and they are too many. Samantha is dragged into the cave's entrance by three kobolds, who hold her hands and mouth. Her defender runs in after her, and a lance of psychic energy, with its purple aura, shoots out of the cave mouth. A kobold in its path falls dead, though without signs of physical damage to the body. The energy strikes Jonah from behind, and he cries out in pain, but continues to carry Ahmed away from harm. A cone of fire erupts from the mine's entrance, and another kobold is overwhelmed and falls dead. Sounds of battle continue in the mine, shrieks and clanging metal, and then slowly fall silent. Nobody exits the mine.
Jonah shouts loud enough for all to hear: "The sorceress betrayed us, and has plunged us into a war against these kobolds. I have thrown her to them, and tomorrow I will come with those few who volunteer, to see if talks can be established after all. Somebody, heal Ahmed. He comported himself bravely, and has earned my highest trust. For now, we return to the keep. I will ensure that none of you are blamed for any of what has happened here. Board the wagons, prepare to march home. Keep scouts on each side, I fear ambush, and we can not take any more losses."
The HMC assemblage begins to follow these orders, preparing the remaining wagons for departure. A few armed dwarves or men stay out of the wagons, weapons drawn, ready to march along as scouts for the fist stretch. Saoirse can not see more of what is happening - there is a boulder in the way.
Sha and Lam can see:
As you run up to the tree, and your feet crunch along gravel or fallen branches, you know that you are still not nearly as loud or distracting as everything else going on. And yet, as you run, Sha-Gravis makes brief, accidental eye-contact with Billy, whose mouth drops in shock. Billy stops in his tracks for a moment, and watches Lam run to meet Sha. Then, Jonah calls for somebody to heal Ahmed, and Billy begins to move forward again. He calls for Moradin's aid, and his hands shine with healing light as he touches Ahmed. He follows Jonah and Ahmed in the direction away from you, but he does look back over his shoulder at you, a worried frown on his face.
The mine's entrance has fallen silent, though there are some embers remaining from magical fire, and three dead kobolds lying outside of it. There is also one kobold who is almost immobile, but you can just barely see that it still draws breath. You can not see Samantha or her guard.
One of those who drew weapons and readied herself to act as a scout is walking up betweeen a tree trunk and a boulder towards Saoirse, getting dangerously close. It is hard to imagine that she will not soon notice the Genasi's fire-red hair sticking out from behind a tree.
DM: Heavy is the Head
As everything settles down, with the mine entrance seemingly quiet and Jonah ordering the HMC to load up and leave, squirrel Hemlock surveys the scene from the edge of the ridge. His sensitive nose twitches trying to smell anything beyond that of fire and death, and his tiny head flicks from side to side to get a view of the cave mouth.
If he doesn't see anything dangerous, he will scuttle towards the cave mouth, keeping out of it's direct line in case more magic erupts.
Perception: 1+5=6 (Passive: 15)
Stealth: 11+4=15
There are more dead kobolds in there, and the cave is deep. It gets too dark to see pretty quickly. But lying among the dead, not more than 20 feet into the cave, is the human defender's sword. A kobold outside of the cave sputters and coughs, not quite dead, but you can smell the blood leaking out of him.
DM: Heavy is the Head
Sha casts healing word on the dying kobold.
not sure if that can be done with stealth. 16
4hp
The kobold stops moaning, as the gash in his side glows and closes, leaving a dark seem which seems to glitter with stars for a moment as it fades. The guard heading up towards Saoirse hears the sound, however. She can not tell yet exactly where it came from, but turns and starts walking towards your tree with a mace drawn.
DM: Heavy is the Head
thaumaturgy sound of kobolds with crossbows at the mine entrance.
The mine entrance is too far away for that.
https://www.owlbear.app/room/5nRs1L_uFdxM/HeavyistheHeadPBP
DM: Heavy is the Head
Hemlock sees the health of Kobold improve dramatically, and cocks his head to the side wondering how, before he turns back to the cave mouth.
He wants to creep in a little further, to see if he can see the body of the woman or the man who lost his sword, but if the injured kobold was well enough to move he might get trapped. He decides to hide among the bodies of the kobolds that are dead and just keep watch.
The guard looks in the direction of the Mine opening, but sees only injured or dead kobolds - and was that a squirrel? - and nobody emerging with crossbows. She is on edge and ready for tricks, and realizes that this must be some sort of a diversion. She countinues around the tree, and gasps whan she sees Sha and Lam. "You! You killed Grommit! You're behind this, too, somehow!" She turns to run back and alert the others, who are piling into wagons and beginning to head south. Please Roll Initiative
Hemlock can tell that there is dim lighting in the mine, and more dead and injured kobolds. There are some marks on the ground from a body or bodies being dragged further into the depths. The one healed by Sha begins to right himself, and crawls back to the entrance, where he sits and leans against the wall. He looks at the strange squirrel standing among the dead bodies, and cocks his head to one side in confusion.
DM: Heavy is the Head
As she sees the guard going towards where she's hiding, Saoirse's heart starts beating furiously, and the genasi tries to think quickly where she might move to no avail, nowhere seems to be safe! Then, something that sounds like kobolds comes from Sha and Lam's tree and that makes the guard change course. Not good either! If anyone of them is caught, they're going to be sent to Coldwater again for sure. Not really knowing what else to do, she grabs her light crossbow and aims to shoot a bolt at a distant tree, north of them. With a little bit of luck this will make the guard look that way and give the genasi time enough to move away, and also Sha and Lam!
When she's about to shoot, the guard just moves too fast and discovers her friends...!
Crossbow attack to the tree I marked in Owlbear: 12 to hit.Changed to roll initiative: 19.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra