Before he emerges from behind his barrel, Quarion reaches into his backpack to retrieve the bow from his viol, gives it a quick kiss, saying, "don't fail me now." Stepping out from the barrel to survey the battlefield, he sees the cultist attacking Skiaceq with the three remaining Kobolds not far behind. Uttering an incantation in elven he performs the hand gestures he had practiced before, and then aims his bow toward the Kobolds, mentally calculating that this should put the boundary of his spell just between the cultist and his avian ally.
[previous roll of 26 for Sleep spell --- renders up to 26 hit points worth of creatures unconscious, starting from the creature with the fewest HP (presumably the injured Kobold) on up.]
Without waiting to see the effects, he then turns toward Phantallius, who hasn't yet entered the fray, closes his eyes with a hand on his temple and whispers a few words. A nearly imperceptible tendril of vapor snakes toward Phantallius and into his right ear.
[Bonus action: Bardic inspiration for Phantallius. You can add 1d6 to any ability check, attack roll, or saving throw in the next 10 minutes, and may roll before deciding to use it, but must decide before the DM tells you whether your attempt was successful.]
No longer hidden, Quarion summons all the courage he can muster, and heads toward the two cultists near Urokris.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Urokris cuts through the cultist with a single blow as the man falls down in front of him, blood pouring from an open chest wound. His eyes register surprise for a brief moment before showing nothing at all.
As the magic words leave Quarion's lips, a quiet begins to settle on the kobolds and the cultist leading them. First the singed cultist falls forward, blissfully unaware of the of the world around him, and shortly thereafter the three remaining kobolds fall unconscious and begin snoring.
The remaining woman looks around at her fallen comrades, looking nervous and unsure what to do in the precarious situation she's found herself in.
From behind him, Quarion hears the noise of more cultist reinforcements arriving. Looking back, he sees a group of 6 kobolds, 3 cultists, and another of those large, lizard like creatures. One of the kobolds is held aloft by its leathery, draconic wings. They are just on the other side of the house from Quarion, around 50 ft away. Having noticed the casting of the spell, the winged kobold points a finger in the direction of the bard, alerting the others to his presence.
At the front, the city guards are having a hard time of it as, despite their best efforts, they're fighting a losing battle. Falling back to the keep more urgently than before, they don't notice as another of the giant lizards, freed from whatever creature was controlling it, makes its way past the line. It seems to be headed directly for the townsfolk, looking for an easy lunch.
At the gate, more guards have appeared, spears at the ready, and a horn can be heard sounding the retreat. The dwarf, nearly hidden amidst the taller humans, watches the battle nervously, trying to gauge how much longer he can keep the gate open.
New group of Kobolds: 7
New cultists: 19
Ambush Drakes (giant lizards): 14
Having trouble with the dice rolls on this post. New creatures rolled 6, 20, and 8 respectively for their initiative. There are 6 Kobold(1 winged) and 3 cultists, not including the two ambush drakes.
Phentallius is up, followed by the new group of kobolds and the ambush drakes, then back to the top of initiative order with Skiaceq. Everyone can reach the Ambush Drake and townspeople in one movement except for Quarion, who is a bit further away. The townspeople can get to safety in two movements. Valji is the closet to them, since he had followed the townsfolk in the direction of the keep.
Seeing the huge lizard coming towards the towns people (but more importantly, Valji, who undoubtedly looked like a moving jalapeno popper to the lizard...), the gnome mutters a different incantation (color spray). You see a dazzling array of flashing, colored lights spring from his outstretched hands towards the creature, now only about 15 feet away!
(OOC)Sorry for the above...it looked like the post was screwed up so I tried to enter the dice again. 42 was the first number - please disregard the second die roll =(
Colored lights flash force from Valji's goblet hand, and into the eyes of the Ambush Drake. There is no discernable change to its expression, but it starts moving more erratically, as if it were suddenly unable to see.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Skiaceq hears a ruckus back on the street, and casts a glance over his shoulder. When he sees the stumbling drake, he squawks in dismay. He quickly slashes his talons at a sleeping kobold before kicking into the air and bolting with all his wingpower back toward Urokris. He takes a passing slash at the female cultist, without stopping.
Unarmed Strike: 19 Damage: 5 vs kobold
Bonus Action: 23 Damage: 6 vs cultist
"Behind you!" Skiaceq gestures urgently toward the approaching reinforcements as he lands beside the Dragonborn. "We should go!"
Valji yells at the villagers, "Run, you fools! I'm moving faster than you and I've got little legs!!" Seeing that he is separated from his group, and closer to the fortress (I think...) he moves as fast as he can to get inside the heavy doors.
You have a feeling that the gate will not be open for much longer. You can maybe fly over, but the landbound creatures you've chosen as your companions wouldn't stand much of a chance outside the walls. You also think that the bard can outrun the cultists which are currently approaching him.
Also, you have another 30 ft of movement. You can't quite get to the Ambush Drake, but you could get all the way to the Townspeople.
Quarion:
You can outrun the cultists behind you, and you expect there to be more reinforcements on the way. From the sounds in the distance, it appears as if the main force is approaching. Further away, you hear a the roar of a dragon. It seems disinterested in the battle right now, but that could change.
The female cultist jumps out of the way nimbly. As Skiaceq flies past her, she slashes at him with her scimitar, dealing 4 damage as her blade slides painfully across his exposed wings. The lone ambush drake rushes Valji in fury. Despite its inability to see, it manages to get ahold of the gnome for a split second, dealing 3 damage to him before backing off, getting ready to go in for a better grip. From the distant kobolds, a rain of stones comes pouring down. Urokris manages to knock one of them away with the hilt of his sword, but two find purchase, the blow dealing 8 points of damage. Quarion takes two hits hits to his side and leg, dealing 6 points of damage as the group of cultists rushes forward.
The townsfolk flee towards the gate at the sight of the ambush drake attacking Valji. Linan, carrying one of the the two children, runs in first, followed quickly by the blacksmith's companions, one of whom is holding the other child. The guards with spears allow them to pass, but remain prepared to impale any attackers that come their way. A voice cries out from the dwarf, "Hurry! We can't hold the gate open much longer!"
The blacksmith is doing his best to escort Cuth Swift, who can't dash all the way to the gate due to his injured leg.
Position information. Arranging everything in a line because screw trig.
Cultist group is 20ft from Quarion, who is 10 ft from Urokris and 100 ft from the keep. The female cultist is 10 ft from Urokris and Skiaceq (and kind of out of the way) Urokris is 90ft from the keep. Skiaceq is 90ft from the keep. Valji is 30ft from the keep.
The keep is a fuzzy border. You just have to get to the edge of it to go in.
The two stones that managed to hit him scored on both his chest and his head, leaving him dazed, the world spinning momentarily as he fought to try and regain control of his senses. Turning back he saw the people rushing for the gates, and looking back towards the kobolds and the cultists, he knew they would have to retreat for now. Especially him considering he was bleeding rather profusely from his head. Cursing heavily, he backed away slowly, the greatsword held in front of him defensively before he turned and ran as far as he could towards the gate, stumbling every now and then. "We need to get inside!" He shouted almost desperately, knowing if he got hit again there was a good chance he wasn't going to get back up.
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Othorion Sarfir - Half-Drow Eldritch Knight - The Murder Court
Quarion, stinging from the sling bullets striking him in the ribs, yells to the others, "There are more of them coming! We better get inside now!" as he dashes toward the keep gate.
Assuming since the attacks were ranged that there is nobody in AoO range at the moment.
Seeing Cuth being aided by the blacksmith as he dashes by, he feels a strange pang of sympathy for the man, and yells to Urokris, "I don't think Cuth is going to make it unless we go over there and carry him. Between you, me and the blacksmith, I bet we can hoist him up without losing too much speed... Skiaceq, maybe you can provide a bit of lift to lighten the load?"
Skiaceq shakes his head. "Go," he says solemnly. Then he turns to face the hordes and arches his wings over his shoulders, making himself appear much larger while also shielding his upper body. When Quarion and Urokris begin to retreat, he swiftly follows with his back to them. An image affixed in his mind: a hand grasping an arrow in flight. He gives every affordable measure of concentration to the visualization, and steels himself to defend his fairweather companions.
Skiaceq will match the speed of the slowest-moving members of the group, staying 5 feet behind them until they are inside the keep. If they exceed his ground movement, he will take flight and perform evasive maneuvers to draw attention to himself while maintaining the 5 foot gap.
Urokris ran towards the gate, a quick turn of his head and he saw Cuth limping with the blacksmith and started making a bee-line towards them, however because of the damage, the fact he was a little too focused on it and more than a little wary of exerting himself, he simply shouldered Cuth's arm and helped the blacksmith guide him into the keep, all the while looking at his new companions to see if they needed help or assistance, his eyes catching Skiaceq looking rather ominous with the backdrop of fire and the way his wings were splayed.
Valji will disengage from the blinded drake and move as fast as his gnomish legs will carry him to the keep! "Let me in! Let me in! I'm NOT a kobold!!!" he yells as he approaches the line of townsfolk with spears...
As Valji approaches the gate, the guards open up and allow him inside before closing ranks once again. Skiaceq, Urokris and Quarion follow shortly, Urokris helping Cuth along and Skiaceq guarding their rear. A couple stones fly their direction, but Skiaceq manages to expertly deflect them away with with a flap of his wings. The blacksmith, his job accomplished, rushes in to rejoin his friends and loved ones.
As the guards start to close back in, the retreating front finally meets them. Kobolds and cultists try to follow the fighters into the keep gate, only to be driven back by spears. A stone from a sling flies through the gate and one of the city guard, who had thought he had made it safely into the castle, drops dead ad he's hit in the back of the head.
"Now!" the shield dwarf cries. The spear wall falls back to the other side of the portcullis as he pulls the lever. A gigantic wooden door with spikes at the bottom slams down in front of the guards. A couple cultists and kobolds make one last push to try to get in, but back away seeing the door begin falling. One particularly unlucky and unobservant kobold gets crushed by the heavy door, a spray of blood coloring the rocky ground and a few, slightly less unlucky guards in the splash zone.
There is an almost audible sigh of relief originating from the guards as the party finds themselves in the courtyard of a castle. On the inside of the castle, the gate of the keep opens into a large circular courtyard where a number of townsfolk are sitting around talking in hushed voices. Many of them are crying, especially the children.
The dwarf walks up to where the group is standing. Up close, you can see his bright red hair is knotted and tangled. "That was a close one," he says. "You all barely managed to get in in time. Quite the fight you put up, though. The city guard could learn a thing or two from you. I'm Castellan Escobert the Red. My job is usually much quieter than this..." he pauses for a second. "Regardless. They're doing their best treat the wounded in the tower up ahead, if you want to to get help for your friend here." He gestures at Cuth, who still has fresh blood oozing from the wound in his leg, the cloth around it now stained a dark purple.
"Thank you for your help," Quarion says to Castellan. "We'd surely be goners if you hadn't held the portcullis for us. I only wish it didn't come at the cost of that brave guard's life over there," he added, gesturing toward the guard who had been struck by the stone. "Does he have any family we might pay our respects to?"
Turning to Urokris, he says, "We should get our friend Cuth some help, but I don't suppose we all need to go up to the tower. Would you and Skiaceq like to help get him up there and see if you can learn anything useful from the medics while you're at it, while Valji and I try to get some more information from the guards, and perhaps discover where we might find the governor? I personally wouldn't mind a chance to rest awhile, as well. Perhaps meet back here in an hour or so, and we can take it from there? What say you?"
"Aye, I agree," Urokris says, a hand trying to stifle the flow of blood from his head, "I could do with a bit of healing myself. The damned kobolds nearly killed me back there. Come, Cuth, we should get you some help then take you to your family."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Othorion Sarfir - Half-Drow Eldritch Knight - The Murder Court
"Master Red - a pleasure to make your acquaintance, despite the circumstances of our meeting! Although we were all travelling on our own, it seems we shared a common destination - your town. We were looking for your mayor, or governor. Any idea where he or she might be?"
As the others start heading towards the medics area, he calls after them, "I could use a clean bandage and some fresh water if you have any to spare...want to clean this bite up soon. You never know what foul infections you might get from a giant lizard bite!" The gnome does look a little pale...but, surprisingly, is not complaining about it. Perhaps the magnitude of death and injuries of the townsfolk are helping him to keep his complaints to himself.
"Last I saw Governor Nighthill, he was atop the parapet surveying the attack. The door over there," he points to the right at a door leading into the outer fortification, "leads to a staircase that will get you there. He's been pacing the wall incessantly since he first arrived."
Addressing the second questions, he continues,"If you all need medical attention, there is a physician available to bandage your wounds and heal you as best they can. We're a bit short on supplies; it has been decades since this castle has seen proper use, and we haven't word from the temple of Chauntea since the battle began. The priest there is the most capable healer in the city."
Urokris (and whoever wishes to follow) leads Cuth into the main body of the castle, where a helpful guard points him to a room on the left. Inside you find a makeshift infirmary where an elderly human woman greets you. "Oh goodness. Look at the you all. You must have had a rough time getting here. Sit down, sweeties, and I'll see what I can do." Before you know what's happening, she maneuvers you through some grandma magic into any open spot she can find to sit you down in the overcrowded infirmary. Moving to a nearby cabinet, she grabs some bandages, salves, and a nearby pitcher of clean water and sets about cleaning your wounds.
Everyone who went with Urokris to the infirmary, heal 1d6+5 hitpoints.
The fight had not gone as he'd expected. That was the way of battle, alas. The fact he was still alive was more or less because of luck; how many of his brothers had fallen because of someone got a lucky swipe at them that just happened to nick a major artery, how many foes have fallen to his sword because he was lucky enough to face someone more tired than him. A lot of it came down to skill, without a doubt, but luck also played a part. It was in part why he left the whole war thing aside and fate dragged him back to it, and the thrill and horror of it was as awakening as any battle. Adrenaline still coursed through his blood as he slowly made his way to the medics, almost completely ignoring the dwarf fighter that had talked to them.
It wasn't out of any rudeness or anything, but because of the anger that was simmering in him from the way he was almost felled. From a rock of all things. A rock! Had he been in formation with his brothers the kobolds would have all been slaughtered, alas that was a lifetime ago. He was no longer a soldier and his father no longer led the war parties to raid other dragonborn villages. Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he looked at the human. "Cuth," he said, "do you happen to know where your family is so that we may go to them quickly after we're healed?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Othorion Sarfir - Half-Drow Eldritch Knight - The Murder Court
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Before he emerges from behind his barrel, Quarion reaches into his backpack to retrieve the bow from his viol, gives it a quick kiss, saying, "don't fail me now." Stepping out from the barrel to survey the battlefield, he sees the cultist attacking Skiaceq with the three remaining Kobolds not far behind. Uttering an incantation in elven he performs the hand gestures he had practiced before, and then aims his bow toward the Kobolds, mentally calculating that this should put the boundary of his spell just between the cultist and his avian ally.
[previous roll of 26 for Sleep spell --- renders up to 26 hit points worth of creatures unconscious, starting from the creature with the fewest HP (presumably the injured Kobold) on up.]
Without waiting to see the effects, he then turns toward Phantallius, who hasn't yet entered the fray, closes his eyes with a hand on his temple and whispers a few words. A nearly imperceptible tendril of vapor snakes toward Phantallius and into his right ear.
[Bonus action: Bardic inspiration for Phantallius. You can add 1d6 to any ability check, attack roll, or saving throw in the next 10 minutes, and may roll before deciding to use it, but must decide before the DM tells you whether your attempt was successful.]
No longer hidden, Quarion summons all the courage he can muster, and heads toward the two cultists near Urokris.
"Darvin" | Changeling | Hexblade 1 / Swords Bard 6 | Descent Into Avernus (AC 19; PP 14; 52/52 HP)
Anton Chergoba | Human | Battlemaster 4 | Lost Mines of Phandelver (AC 20; PP 14; 36/36 HP)
Urokris cuts through the cultist with a single blow as the man falls down in front of him, blood pouring from an open chest wound. His eyes register surprise for a brief moment before showing nothing at all.
As the magic words leave Quarion's lips, a quiet begins to settle on the kobolds and the cultist leading them. First the singed cultist falls forward, blissfully unaware of the of the world around him, and shortly thereafter the three remaining kobolds fall unconscious and begin snoring.
The remaining woman looks around at her fallen comrades, looking nervous and unsure what to do in the precarious situation she's found herself in.
From behind him, Quarion hears the noise of more cultist reinforcements arriving. Looking back, he sees a group of 6 kobolds, 3 cultists, and another of those large, lizard like creatures. One of the kobolds is held aloft by its leathery, draconic wings. They are just on the other side of the house from Quarion, around 50 ft away. Having noticed the casting of the spell, the winged kobold points a finger in the direction of the bard, alerting the others to his presence.
At the front, the city guards are having a hard time of it as, despite their best efforts, they're fighting a losing battle. Falling back to the keep more urgently than before, they don't notice as another of the giant lizards, freed from whatever creature was controlling it, makes its way past the line. It seems to be headed directly for the townsfolk, looking for an easy lunch.
At the gate, more guards have appeared, spears at the ready, and a horn can be heard sounding the retreat. The dwarf, nearly hidden amidst the taller humans, watches the battle nervously, trying to gauge how much longer he can keep the gate open.
New group of Kobolds: 7
New cultists: 19
Ambush Drakes (giant lizards): 14
Having trouble with the dice rolls on this post. New creatures rolled 6, 20, and 8 respectively for their initiative. There are 6 Kobold(1 winged) and 3 cultists, not including the two ambush drakes.
Phentallius is up, followed by the new group of kobolds and the ambush drakes, then back to the top of initiative order with Skiaceq. Everyone can reach the Ambush Drake and townspeople in one movement except for Quarion, who is a bit further away. The townspeople can get to safety in two movements. Valji is the closet to them, since he had followed the townsfolk in the direction of the keep.
Valji
Seeing the huge lizard coming towards the towns people (but more importantly, Valji, who undoubtedly looked like a moving jalapeno popper to the lizard...), the gnome mutters a different incantation (color spray). You see a dazzling array of flashing, colored lights spring from his outstretched hands towards the creature, now only about 15 feet away!
42 hp affected!
32 hp affected!
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
(OOC)Sorry for the above...it looked like the post was screwed up so I tried to enter the dice again. 42 was the first number - please disregard the second die roll =(
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Colored lights flash force from Valji's goblet hand, and into the eyes of the Ambush Drake. There is no discernable change to its expression, but it starts moving more erratically, as if it were suddenly unable to see.
Skiaceq hears a ruckus back on the street, and casts a glance over his shoulder. When he sees the stumbling drake, he squawks in dismay. He quickly slashes his talons at a sleeping kobold before kicking into the air and bolting with all his wingpower back toward Urokris. He takes a passing slash at the female cultist, without stopping.
Unarmed Strike: 19 Damage: 5 vs kobold
Bonus Action: 23 Damage: 6 vs cultist
"Behind you!" Skiaceq gestures urgently toward the approaching reinforcements as he lands beside the Dragonborn. "We should go!"
Insight: 9
Skiaceq - Lvl3 | Aarakocra | Monk - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Valji yells at the villagers, "Run, you fools! I'm moving faster than you and I've got little legs!!" Seeing that he is separated from his group, and closer to the fortress (I think...) he moves as fast as he can to get inside the heavy doors.
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Skiaceq:
You have a feeling that the gate will not be open for much longer. You can maybe fly over, but the landbound creatures you've chosen as your companions wouldn't stand much of a chance outside the walls. You also think that the bard can outrun the cultists which are currently approaching him.
Also, you have another 30 ft of movement. You can't quite get to the Ambush Drake, but you could get all the way to the Townspeople.
Quarion:
You can outrun the cultists behind you, and you expect there to be more reinforcements on the way. From the sounds in the distance, it appears as if the main force is approaching. Further away, you hear a the roar of a dragon. It seems disinterested in the battle right now, but that could change.
Round "1"
The female cultist jumps out of the way nimbly. As Skiaceq flies past her, she slashes at him with her scimitar, dealing 4 damage as her blade slides painfully across his exposed wings. The lone ambush drake rushes Valji in fury. Despite its inability to see, it manages to get ahold of the gnome for a split second, dealing 3 damage to him before backing off, getting ready to go in for a better grip. From the distant kobolds, a rain of stones comes pouring down. Urokris manages to knock one of them away with the hilt of his sword, but two find purchase, the blow dealing 8 points of damage. Quarion takes two hits hits to his side and leg, dealing 6 points of damage as the group of cultists rushes forward.
The townsfolk flee towards the gate at the sight of the ambush drake attacking Valji. Linan, carrying one of the the two children, runs in first, followed quickly by the blacksmith's companions, one of whom is holding the other child. The guards with spears allow them to pass, but remain prepared to impale any attackers that come their way. A voice cries out from the dwarf, "Hurry! We can't hold the gate open much longer!"
The blacksmith is doing his best to escort Cuth Swift, who can't dash all the way to the gate due to his injured leg.
Position information. Arranging everything in a line because screw trig.
Cultist group is 20ft from Quarion, who is 10 ft from Urokris and 100 ft from the keep.
The female cultist is 10 ft from Urokris and Skiaceq (and kind of out of the way)
Urokris is 90ft from the keep.
Skiaceq is 90ft from the keep.
Valji is 30ft from the keep.
The keep is a fuzzy border. You just have to get to the edge of it to go in.
The two stones that managed to hit him scored on both his chest and his head, leaving him dazed, the world spinning momentarily as he fought to try and regain control of his senses. Turning back he saw the people rushing for the gates, and looking back towards the kobolds and the cultists, he knew they would have to retreat for now. Especially him considering he was bleeding rather profusely from his head. Cursing heavily, he backed away slowly, the greatsword held in front of him defensively before he turned and ran as far as he could towards the gate, stumbling every now and then. "We need to get inside!" He shouted almost desperately, knowing if he got hit again there was a good chance he wasn't going to get back up.
Othorion Sarfir - Half-Drow Eldritch Knight - The Murder Court
Quarion, stinging from the sling bullets striking him in the ribs, yells to the others, "There are more of them coming! We better get inside now!" as he dashes toward the keep gate.
Assuming since the attacks were ranged that there is nobody in AoO range at the moment.
Seeing Cuth being aided by the blacksmith as he dashes by, he feels a strange pang of sympathy for the man, and yells to Urokris, "I don't think Cuth is going to make it unless we go over there and carry him. Between you, me and the blacksmith, I bet we can hoist him up without losing too much speed... Skiaceq, maybe you can provide a bit of lift to lighten the load?"
"Darvin" | Changeling | Hexblade 1 / Swords Bard 6 | Descent Into Avernus (AC 19; PP 14; 52/52 HP)
Anton Chergoba | Human | Battlemaster 4 | Lost Mines of Phandelver (AC 20; PP 14; 36/36 HP)
Skiaceq shakes his head. "Go," he says solemnly. Then he turns to face the hordes and arches his wings over his shoulders, making himself appear much larger while also shielding his upper body. When Quarion and Urokris begin to retreat, he swiftly follows with his back to them. An image affixed in his mind: a hand grasping an arrow in flight. He gives every affordable measure of concentration to the visualization, and steels himself to defend his fairweather companions.
Dodge
Skiaceq will match the speed of the slowest-moving members of the group, staying 5 feet behind them until they are inside the keep. If they exceed his ground movement, he will take flight and perform evasive maneuvers to draw attention to himself while maintaining the 5 foot gap.
Skiaceq - Lvl3 | Aarakocra | Monk - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Athletics: 18
Urokris ran towards the gate, a quick turn of his head and he saw Cuth limping with the blacksmith and started making a bee-line towards them, however because of the damage, the fact he was a little too focused on it and more than a little wary of exerting himself, he simply shouldered Cuth's arm and helped the blacksmith guide him into the keep, all the while looking at his new companions to see if they needed help or assistance, his eyes catching Skiaceq looking rather ominous with the backdrop of fire and the way his wings were splayed.
Othorion Sarfir - Half-Drow Eldritch Knight - The Murder Court
Valji will disengage from the blinded drake and move as fast as his gnomish legs will carry him to the keep! "Let me in! Let me in! I'm NOT a kobold!!!" he yells as he approaches the line of townsfolk with spears...
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
As Valji approaches the gate, the guards open up and allow him inside before closing ranks once again. Skiaceq, Urokris and Quarion follow shortly, Urokris helping Cuth along and Skiaceq guarding their rear. A couple stones fly their direction, but Skiaceq manages to expertly deflect them away with with a flap of his wings. The blacksmith, his job accomplished, rushes in to rejoin his friends and loved ones.
As the guards start to close back in, the retreating front finally meets them. Kobolds and cultists try to follow the fighters into the keep gate, only to be driven back by spears. A stone from a sling flies through the gate and one of the city guard, who had thought he had made it safely into the castle, drops dead ad he's hit in the back of the head.
"Now!" the shield dwarf cries. The spear wall falls back to the other side of the portcullis as he pulls the lever. A gigantic wooden door with spikes at the bottom slams down in front of the guards. A couple cultists and kobolds make one last push to try to get in, but back away seeing the door begin falling. One particularly unlucky and unobservant kobold gets crushed by the heavy door, a spray of blood coloring the rocky ground and a few, slightly less unlucky guards in the splash zone.
There is an almost audible sigh of relief originating from the guards as the party finds themselves in the courtyard of a castle. On the inside of the castle, the gate of the keep opens into a large circular courtyard where a number of townsfolk are sitting around talking in hushed voices. Many of them are crying, especially the children.
The dwarf walks up to where the group is standing. Up close, you can see his bright red hair is knotted and tangled. "That was a close one," he says. "You all barely managed to get in in time. Quite the fight you put up, though. The city guard could learn a thing or two from you. I'm Castellan Escobert the Red. My job is usually much quieter than this..." he pauses for a second. "Regardless. They're doing their best treat the wounded in the tower up ahead, if you want to to get help for your friend here." He gestures at Cuth, who still has fresh blood oozing from the wound in his leg, the cloth around it now stained a dark purple.
"Thank you for your help," Quarion says to Castellan. "We'd surely be goners if you hadn't held the portcullis for us. I only wish it didn't come at the cost of that brave guard's life over there," he added, gesturing toward the guard who had been struck by the stone. "Does he have any family we might pay our respects to?"
Turning to Urokris, he says, "We should get our friend Cuth some help, but I don't suppose we all need to go up to the tower. Would you and Skiaceq like to help get him up there and see if you can learn anything useful from the medics while you're at it, while Valji and I try to get some more information from the guards, and perhaps discover where we might find the governor? I personally wouldn't mind a chance to rest awhile, as well. Perhaps meet back here in an hour or so, and we can take it from there? What say you?"
"Darvin" | Changeling | Hexblade 1 / Swords Bard 6 | Descent Into Avernus (AC 19; PP 14; 52/52 HP)
Anton Chergoba | Human | Battlemaster 4 | Lost Mines of Phandelver (AC 20; PP 14; 36/36 HP)
"Aye, I agree," Urokris says, a hand trying to stifle the flow of blood from his head, "I could do with a bit of healing myself. The damned kobolds nearly killed me back there. Come, Cuth, we should get you some help then take you to your family."
Othorion Sarfir - Half-Drow Eldritch Knight - The Murder Court
Valji
"Master Red - a pleasure to make your acquaintance, despite the circumstances of our meeting! Although we were all travelling on our own, it seems we shared a common destination - your town. We were looking for your mayor, or governor. Any idea where he or she might be?"
As the others start heading towards the medics area, he calls after them, "I could use a clean bandage and some fresh water if you have any to spare...want to clean this bite up soon. You never know what foul infections you might get from a giant lizard bite!" The gnome does look a little pale...but, surprisingly, is not complaining about it. Perhaps the magnitude of death and injuries of the townsfolk are helping him to keep his complaints to himself.
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
"Last I saw Governor Nighthill, he was atop the parapet surveying the attack. The door over there," he points to the right at a door leading into the outer fortification, "leads to a staircase that will get you there. He's been pacing the wall incessantly since he first arrived."
Addressing the second questions, he continues, "If you all need medical attention, there is a physician available to bandage your wounds and heal you as best they can. We're a bit short on supplies; it has been decades since this castle has seen proper use, and we haven't word from the temple of Chauntea since the battle began. The priest there is the most capable healer in the city."
Urokris (and whoever wishes to follow) leads Cuth into the main body of the castle, where a helpful guard points him to a room on the left. Inside you find a makeshift infirmary where an elderly human woman greets you. "Oh goodness. Look at the you all. You must have had a rough time getting here. Sit down, sweeties, and I'll see what I can do." Before you know what's happening, she maneuvers you through some grandma magic into any open spot she can find to sit you down in the overcrowded infirmary. Moving to a nearby cabinet, she grabs some bandages, salves, and a nearby pitcher of clean water and sets about cleaning your wounds.
Everyone who went with Urokris to the infirmary, heal 1d6+5 hitpoints.
The fight had not gone as he'd expected. That was the way of battle, alas. The fact he was still alive was more or less because of luck; how many of his brothers had fallen because of someone got a lucky swipe at them that just happened to nick a major artery, how many foes have fallen to his sword because he was lucky enough to face someone more tired than him. A lot of it came down to skill, without a doubt, but luck also played a part. It was in part why he left the whole war thing aside and fate dragged him back to it, and the thrill and horror of it was as awakening as any battle. Adrenaline still coursed through his blood as he slowly made his way to the medics, almost completely ignoring the dwarf fighter that had talked to them.
It wasn't out of any rudeness or anything, but because of the anger that was simmering in him from the way he was almost felled. From a rock of all things. A rock! Had he been in formation with his brothers the kobolds would have all been slaughtered, alas that was a lifetime ago. He was no longer a soldier and his father no longer led the war parties to raid other dragonborn villages. Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he looked at the human. "Cuth," he said, "do you happen to know where your family is so that we may go to them quickly after we're healed?"
Othorion Sarfir - Half-Drow Eldritch Knight - The Murder Court