As she awakens, Hex looks around, dazed and confused, trying to recollect herself and remember where she is. The first thing she sees is Carl hovering over her with an empty potion bottle in his hand. The second thing she sees is Auriel being struck down. The sight of his body falling to the ground immediately snaps her out of her daze.
Though there was still blood pouring out of the wound on her throat, she didn't think to protect herself. There was no point. Even if she healed herself, the orcs would cut her down in one. No, she needed to finish this as quickly as possible. With shaking legs, Hex pulls herself up from the ground and reaches for her scimitar and shortsword and lunges towards the orc closest to her. Even if she was likely to fall again, at the very least she could deal some damage. She's still unsteady on her feet though and both her attacks go wide. She grits her teeth in annoyance at her own incompetency and looks at Carl with desperate eyes, no idea where Hildigrim is. "You need to finish this."
Carl looks at Hex, dark black eyes dripping clear tears, he says through gritted teeth "I will!" And the he turns and lightning sparks from his hand to the closest orc, his face twists into a horrible scowl when he does so, then he watches, curious to see if the pitch ignites. Now with a free action, he hands the tinderbox to Squirt.
Action : Shocking Grasp : 18 to hit, for 5points of lightning damage.
Movement : none
Free action : hand tinderbox to Squirt.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Hildigrim steps back toward the group, stopping as soon as he sees the orc now pursuing him and Auriel on the ground. He quickly readies and releases another arrow at said orc.
Movement: just enough to get line of sight on the orc
Attack: 23, damage: 10, sneak attack if applicable: 11
If the orc drops, Hildigrim stays where he is unless he is closer than 40 feet to the other orcs, in which case he'll move away so that he is 40 feet away from them if he can.
If the orc continues forward, Hildigrim will use the rest of his movement to move away from the orc as well as his bonus action dash to move another 25 feet further away.
Greataxe vs. Hex: 17, Damage: 7 slashing Greataxe vs. Carl: 14
Hildigrim's next shot is as accurate as his last; the orc's eyes light up when the halfing comes into view, but its glee proves short lived when an arrow enters through its teeth. It falls before taking another step. Hildigrim backs away from the remaining orcs, further down the tunnel and out of sight.
Carlthuzad grabs at an orc's leg, sending a burst of electricity jolting through it, then rolls away from the greataxe that slams into the ground where he was crouching. Hex, dizzy and somewhat shaky, manages to turn the blade of an axe aside but takes the neck of the axe to her temple on a backswing before she can fully gain her footing. She collapses, joining Auriel in unconsciousness. From Carl's view, he now stands alone against the remaining pair of orcs, fingers arcing with electricity as they glower over him.
Round 6 Order: Players <===== Orcs
Placement: Carl is engaged in melee combat with an orc, 25 feet away from Auriel. The other orc is near Hex, 30 feet away from Auriel. The third orc is chasing Hildigrim, 30 feet away from Auriel. Hildigrim is 70 feet away from Auriel.
Health: The orc fighting Carlthuzad is lightly wounded.
Auriel is unconscious and dying (1 success, 0 failures). Hex is unconscious and dying (0 successes, 0 failures). Hildigrim is severely wounded. Carlthuzad is lightly wounded.
Carl takes the second healing potion that they have, either from Hex or the one that was in his cloak (whichever wasn’t used), and he runs toward Auriel, risking an AoO. He reaches him and bends down, administering the healing potion to Auriel. “Come on now, need you now. You can’t go dyin’ on me. We’ve been through too much together…” Afterwards he stands and turns, awaiting the orc onslaught.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Hildigrim readies another arrow and steps back toward the fray, stopping as soon as he sees that another orc is pursuing him. He raises his bow and lets loose the arrow.
Movement: as much as necessary to lay eyes on the third orc, even if it means using some of a bonus action dash
Attack: 16, damage: 6, sneak attack if applicable: 8
He then moves away again, trying to stay out of reach of any of the orcs.
Movement: as much as possible away from the third orc, using whatever movement he has left, including any bonus action dash left
Stars explode behind Hex's eyelids as the axe hits her square in the temple. Her legs go weak once again, beginning to fall, but before she hits the floor, she slams her shortsword into the ground and steadies herself. "No... not yet... Not. Yet." She spits blood in the face of the orc that hit her and-
If she can move without provoking an opportunity attack: -slips past him, moving towards the orc Carl already attacked. She swings wildly, desperately trying to finish him off before he can attack Carl.
If she can't: -swings her scimitar right back at him. She tries to strike him with her shortsword as well but it gets caught in the stone, losing momentum and harmlessly slapping him on the arm.
OOC: I made a mistake in my placement description, apologies. There are only two orcs left. There isn't a third chasing Hildigrim, so I'll redirect his arrow at the orc that's fighting Carl.
Auriel awakens to a flood of warmth, bruised but intact, to see Carlthuzad kneeling over him, and two pitch-covered orcs towering over, greataxes raised high with vicious victorious grins etched across their faces. One grin is erased when Hildigrim's arrow bursts through the back of its head. The second jerks suddenly; its greataxe clatters to the ground, but its arms stay in their raised position. It looks confused as to why its arms are no longer able to grip its axe, and its gaze lowers to the blade poking through its chest. The last orc collapses as Hex, barely standing, removes her scimitar.
In the silent moments that follow, a strange bellowing sound can be heard echoing through the caves.
OOC: Each character has earned 150 XP for fighting off the orcs!
Carl's eyes glaze over for a second, then he seems to focus on Auriel's face. He hears a fading sound in the back of his head. "YOU ALWAYS SURPRISE ME, MAYBE THAT'S WHY I KEEP YOU ALIVE, FOR MERE ENTERTAINMENT! YOU HAVEN"T MADE IT OUT YET, LITTLE WORM! TRY TO WIGGLE YOUR WAY OUT OF THIS NEXT ONE!" Carl just focuses on Auriel's face and ignores the words in his head, giving Auriel a weak smile, saying "Glad you are alive, amazed really. Let me help you up, we need to gather ourselves and get out of here!"
Carl turns to where Squirt Mudbottom stands and says "Give me that! Takin forever, it's a wonder I keep you around...", taking his frustration, fear and resonant voices in his head out on the unseen, waiting servant. He finishes by striking the torch alight, holding it, saying "Should we burn up the bodies as a distraction? We need to find a safe place, and fast!"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
As the last orc hits the stone with a thud, Hildigrim’s arms go limp. His bow slips from his fingers and clatters to the cave floor, echoing louder than it should. A heartbeat later, the halfling collapses beside it, catching himself clumsily on one knee.
Blood soaks his sleeve and shoulder, the axe wound already stiffening. He lifts his hand — the one that still tingles from cold and pain alike — and watches it tremble. Not just from the cold anymore. He hadn’t realized how badly the blow had landed until now.
He looks up, blinking hard, and watches the others regroup. Hex is moving, thank the gods. Auriel looks like he’s been through the wringer, but he’s upright. Only Carl seems mostly unscathed — that’s something, at least. They’ll need him.
Then the bellow comes.
A deep, echoing cry — raw and feral. It reverberates through the stone like a threat and a promise all at once. Hildigrim’s eyes widen, then narrow. He tilts his head, trying to place it. Anger? Grief? Not quite human. Not quite animal. Something in between.
He groans as he forces himself upright, leaning on his bow like a walking stick. Each step feels like dragging a sack of stones. His breath fogs in front of him, and his blood-streaked hand smears red into the folds of his cloak.
"I'm sure I want to rest as much as the rest of you," he says, his voice rough, but steady. "But I don't like the sound of that."
OOC: Please roll to determine whether Hildigrim knows where the sound is coming from and also what it is.
As the orc falls, Hex wastes no time and moves to attack the second orc only to watch it fall to Hildigrim's arrow. She whips around to where it came from with wide eyes. Amongst the chaos of the battle, she had lost sight of him and felt a wave of relief as she saw him still standing, though worst for wear.
It takes her a moment to realise they were done. Her eyes, almost crazed, searched for more enemies only to find none. Still, the tension in her body stays. It only worsens as the bellow suddenly echoes through the caves. She lets out a groan of annoyance. "Urgh, not again. It hasn't even been a minute..." She grips the hilt of her blades tighter and looks at Carl. "I can't even think straight. I don't... I don't even know what we should do."
A hundred questions raced through her mind. Where did those orcs even come from? Were they part of Jeralla's or Sahnd's crew? Are there more coming? What were they supposed to do now? There was no way they could handle another battle and it wasn't like they had the time to rest. But, at the very least, Hildigrim was right. They needed to get out of here before whatever made that sound found them.
Auriel takes Carl's hand and begins to stand, grunting in pain with every movement. For a couple of seconds, everything seems in order—as much as it can be under the circumstances. But once the paladin is fully upright, and their hands are still clasped, the dwarf feels a sharp chill creep into his fingers.
Then, suddenly, Auriel yanks his hand away. Sharply. Forcefully. More than seems necessary.
The Eladrin, who had remained in his Summer aspect throughout the battle, his unconsciousness, and even the first moments of waking, now regards Carlthuzad with cold eyes—deep blue, ringed with silver. The tattoos that trace his face and continue down beneath his clothes have shifted from their previous golden hue to delicate threads of pale blue. His hair, now considerably longer than before, falls to his back in a soft wintry blue that fades to white at the tips. A thin layer of frost covers his armor.
Auriel casts a glance—first to Hildigrim, then to Hex—before returning to the dwarf and the halfling. "I swear," he says, voice low and calm, "if we're ever in a situation like that again, and I wake to find a dead body when I specifically asked you to stay out of danger, I will rain hell upon you."
He doesn't elaborate further. Instead, he bends down to retrieve his fallen halberd, its blade now lightly rimed with frost.
When he straightens, he pauses—head tilted slightly, listening for the bellowing sound in the distance. "No one moves," he murmurs. "Not until we know what that is, where it's headed, and how best to avoid it."
Hildigrim and Auriel wait for a moment, focusing their ears in the silence that follows the sound. After a tense wait, they hear it again; horns bellowing in unison from somewhere outside of the caves.
Carl freezes and his hand tingles with cold, he holds rigid still, the other hand with the lit torch at the ready. He stops and holds his breath, listening, he tries to determine if the sounds and bellowing horns are coming from upward/outside, or downward, from the way they came. “I say we torch these bodies and flee downward, but I don’t want to cut off our only escape… can you tell? Any of you’uns?” His head is turning, he’s clearly anxious and agitated, he hasn’t even processed what Auriel said to him.
Perception : 18
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Hex frowns as Auriel shifts into his winter state and suddenly starts acting harsh and cold. She sheathes her weapons and walks right up to the paladin with a fire in her eyes. "Hey, don't talk to us like that. I know you just want to protect us but we want to protect you too." She sticks a finger into his chest plate, the warmth of her finger tip melting away a tiny bit of the thin layer of frost. "You don't get to make our decisions for us."
In defiance of his words, Hex makes her way back to the cavern exit, where the orcs came from. The horns sounded like they were coming from outside. Maybe she could get a better look at what was happening from the cliffside. She takes out her bow and pops her hood back up before moving quietly and carefully, always looking ahead to make sure it was free of any enemies. She didn't want to encounter another surprise attack.
Auriel watches as fire clashes with frost, and how the most wounded among them turns away to check the very place the six orcs came from.
His voice remains low and calm. "Sirge suspected Sharrak is in league with the Cult of the Dragon. And we heard Sharrak speak of an attack not even Jeralla was aware of. This must be it." He pauses. "Let the orcs, the Gray Cloaks, and the kobolds kill each other, and they'll complete our mission for us. But we must return to Phlan."
He thinks for a moment. "We get the captives, follow the tunnels back to the Gray Cloak side, descend the cliff, and try to void the conflict. Then head for the docks. There's a boat waiting. Two, if necessary. The captives are armed—they can fight their way there."
At this point, Auriel turns his blue and silver eyes to Carl. "Our time is best spent on the living."
Still, he doesn't move—not after Hex, not down the caves to retrieve the captives. The paladin waits. He knows better than to split the party. Especially a wounded one.
As he waits, the Eladrin ties his hair into a long ponytail, not letting it flow freely anymore. The delicate branches and leaves that once wove through his hair are gone now.
Auriel has transitioned from Lawful Good to Lawful Neutral. Let's see if I know how to RP that 🤔
Horns bellow again from the west as Hex emerges from the cave on the cliffside. From outside, she can hear clearly now the horns from the forest further up the path, and see the burning battle standards through the trees above, carried by a large group of screaming humanoids. The orc war band charges down the wooden slope toward the statue, battle cries filling the air.
Dozens of orcs thunder down the path less than a hundred feet away from the cave entrance. Shrieks from the kobolds in the camp below seem to be drawing the orcs' attention, and none divert from the force rumbling toward the statue, or seem to be paying any mind to the caverns at the moment.
Hex hurries back to the group to report what she saw. "Its an orc war band. There's dozens of them and they're making their way through Jeralla's camp. They don't seem to be paying attention to these caverns right now but that can change any second. We have to move quickly."
There is a quiet confort in finally falling down after enduring for far too long. Stillness settles over the paladin as he fades to black.
Death save: 11
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
As she awakens, Hex looks around, dazed and confused, trying to recollect herself and remember where she is. The first thing she sees is Carl hovering over her with an empty potion bottle in his hand. The second thing she sees is Auriel being struck down. The sight of his body falling to the ground immediately snaps her out of her daze.
Though there was still blood pouring out of the wound on her throat, she didn't think to protect herself. There was no point. Even if she healed herself, the orcs would cut her down in one. No, she needed to finish this as quickly as possible. With shaking legs, Hex pulls herself up from the ground and reaches for her scimitar and shortsword and lunges towards the orc closest to her. Even if she was likely to fall again, at the very least she could deal some damage. She's still unsteady on her feet though and both her attacks go wide. She grits her teeth in annoyance at her own incompetency and looks at Carl with desperate eyes, no idea where Hildigrim is. "You need to finish this."
Action: Scimitar Attack - 7
Free Action: Unsheathe Shortsword
Bonus Action: Offhand Shortsword Attack - 10
Carl looks at Hex, dark black eyes dripping clear tears, he says through gritted teeth "I will!" And the he turns and lightning sparks from his hand to the closest orc, his face twists into a horrible scowl when he does so, then he watches, curious to see if the pitch ignites. Now with a free action, he hands the tinderbox to Squirt.
Action : Shocking Grasp : 18 to hit, for 5 points of lightning damage.
Movement : none
Free action : hand tinderbox to Squirt.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Hildigrim steps back toward the group, stopping as soon as he sees the orc now pursuing him and Auriel on the ground. He quickly readies and releases another arrow at said orc.
Movement: just enough to get line of sight on the orc
Attack: 23, damage: 10, sneak attack if applicable: 11
If the orc drops, Hildigrim stays where he is unless he is closer than 40 feet to the other orcs, in which case he'll move away so that he is 40 feet away from them if he can.
If the orc continues forward, Hildigrim will use the rest of his movement to move away from the orc as well as his bonus action dash to move another 25 feet further away.
5 arrows used
DM Screen:
9/14
11/11
Enemy Rolls:
Hildigrim's next shot is as accurate as his last; the orc's eyes light up when the halfing comes into view, but its glee proves short lived when an arrow enters through its teeth. It falls before taking another step. Hildigrim backs away from the remaining orcs, further down the tunnel and out of sight.
Carlthuzad grabs at an orc's leg, sending a burst of electricity jolting through it, then rolls away from the greataxe that slams into the ground where he was crouching. Hex, dizzy and somewhat shaky, manages to turn the blade of an axe aside but takes the neck of the axe to her temple on a backswing before she can fully gain her footing. She collapses, joining Auriel in unconsciousness. From Carl's view, he now stands alone against the remaining pair of orcs, fingers arcing with electricity as they glower over him.
Round 6 Order:
Players <=====
Orcs
Placement:
Carl is engaged in melee combat with an orc, 25 feet away from Auriel.
The other orc is near Hex, 30 feet away from Auriel.
The third orc is chasing Hildigrim, 30 feet away from Auriel.
Hildigrim is 70 feet away from Auriel.
Health:
The orc fighting Carlthuzad is lightly wounded.
Auriel is unconscious and dying (1 success, 0 failures).
Hex is unconscious and dying (0 successes, 0 failures).
Hildigrim is severely wounded.
Carlthuzad is lightly wounded.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Death Save: 7
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Carl takes the second healing potion that they have, either from Hex or the one that was in his cloak (whichever wasn’t used), and he runs toward Auriel, risking an AoO. He reaches him and bends down, administering the healing potion to Auriel. “Come on now, need you now. You can’t go dyin’ on me. We’ve been through too much together…” Afterwards he stands and turns, awaiting the orc onslaught.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Hildigrim readies another arrow and steps back toward the fray, stopping as soon as he sees that another orc is pursuing him. He raises his bow and lets loose the arrow.
Movement: as much as necessary to lay eyes on the third orc, even if it means using some of a bonus action dash
Attack: 16, damage: 6, sneak attack if applicable: 8
He then moves away again, trying to stay out of reach of any of the orcs.
Movement: as much as possible away from the third orc, using whatever movement he has left, including any bonus action dash left
6 arrows used
Stars explode behind Hex's eyelids as the axe hits her square in the temple. Her legs go weak once again, beginning to fall, but before she hits the floor, she slams her shortsword into the ground and steadies herself. "No... not yet... Not. Yet." She spits blood in the face of the orc that hit her and-
If she can move without provoking an opportunity attack: -slips past him, moving towards the orc Carl already attacked. She swings wildly, desperately trying to finish him off before he can attack Carl.
If she can't: -swings her scimitar right back at him. She tries to strike him with her shortsword as well but it gets caught in the stone, losing momentum and harmlessly slapping him on the arm.
Death Save: 20
Action: Scimitar Attack - 17 Damage - 8 Favored Foe - 3 Colossus Slayer (if applicable) - 7
Bonus Action: Offhand Shortsword Attack - 9
OOC: I made a mistake in my placement description, apologies. There are only two orcs left. There isn't a third chasing Hildigrim, so I'll redirect his arrow at the orc that's fighting Carl.
Auriel awakens to a flood of warmth, bruised but intact, to see Carlthuzad kneeling over him, and two pitch-covered orcs towering over, greataxes raised high with vicious victorious grins etched across their faces. One grin is erased when Hildigrim's arrow bursts through the back of its head. The second jerks suddenly; its greataxe clatters to the ground, but its arms stay in their raised position. It looks confused as to why its arms are no longer able to grip its axe, and its gaze lowers to the blade poking through its chest. The last orc collapses as Hex, barely standing, removes her scimitar.
In the silent moments that follow, a strange bellowing sound can be heard echoing through the caves.
OOC: Each character has earned 150 XP for fighting off the orcs!
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Carl's eyes glaze over for a second, then he seems to focus on Auriel's face. He hears a fading sound in the back of his head. "YOU ALWAYS SURPRISE ME, MAYBE THAT'S WHY I KEEP YOU ALIVE, FOR MERE ENTERTAINMENT! YOU HAVEN"T MADE IT OUT YET, LITTLE WORM! TRY TO WIGGLE YOUR WAY OUT OF THIS NEXT ONE!" Carl just focuses on Auriel's face and ignores the words in his head, giving Auriel a weak smile, saying "Glad you are alive, amazed really. Let me help you up, we need to gather ourselves and get out of here!"
Carl turns to where Squirt Mudbottom stands and says "Give me that! Takin forever, it's a wonder I keep you around... ", taking his frustration, fear and resonant voices in his head out on the unseen, waiting servant. He finishes by striking the torch alight, holding it, saying "Should we burn up the bodies as a distraction? We need to find a safe place, and fast!"
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
As the last orc hits the stone with a thud, Hildigrim’s arms go limp. His bow slips from his fingers and clatters to the cave floor, echoing louder than it should. A heartbeat later, the halfling collapses beside it, catching himself clumsily on one knee.
Blood soaks his sleeve and shoulder, the axe wound already stiffening. He lifts his hand — the one that still tingles from cold and pain alike — and watches it tremble. Not just from the cold anymore. He hadn’t realized how badly the blow had landed until now.
He looks up, blinking hard, and watches the others regroup. Hex is moving, thank the gods. Auriel looks like he’s been through the wringer, but he’s upright. Only Carl seems mostly unscathed — that’s something, at least. They’ll need him.
Then the bellow comes.
A deep, echoing cry — raw and feral. It reverberates through the stone like a threat and a promise all at once. Hildigrim’s eyes widen, then narrow. He tilts his head, trying to place it. Anger? Grief? Not quite human. Not quite animal. Something in between.
He groans as he forces himself upright, leaning on his bow like a walking stick. Each step feels like dragging a sack of stones. His breath fogs in front of him, and his blood-streaked hand smears red into the folds of his cloak.
"I'm sure I want to rest as much as the rest of you," he says, his voice rough, but steady. "But I don't like the sound of that."
OOC: Please roll to determine whether Hildigrim knows where the sound is coming from and also what it is.
As the orc falls, Hex wastes no time and moves to attack the second orc only to watch it fall to Hildigrim's arrow. She whips around to where it came from with wide eyes. Amongst the chaos of the battle, she had lost sight of him and felt a wave of relief as she saw him still standing, though worst for wear.
It takes her a moment to realise they were done. Her eyes, almost crazed, searched for more enemies only to find none. Still, the tension in her body stays. It only worsens as the bellow suddenly echoes through the caves. She lets out a groan of annoyance. "Urgh, not again. It hasn't even been a minute..." She grips the hilt of her blades tighter and looks at Carl. "I can't even think straight. I don't... I don't even know what we should do."
A hundred questions raced through her mind. Where did those orcs even come from? Were they part of Jeralla's or Sahnd's crew? Are there more coming? What were they supposed to do now? There was no way they could handle another battle and it wasn't like they had the time to rest. But, at the very least, Hildigrim was right. They needed to get out of here before whatever made that sound found them.
Auriel takes Carl's hand and begins to stand, grunting in pain with every movement. For a couple of seconds, everything seems in order—as much as it can be under the circumstances. But once the paladin is fully upright, and their hands are still clasped, the dwarf feels a sharp chill creep into his fingers.
Then, suddenly, Auriel yanks his hand away. Sharply. Forcefully. More than seems necessary.
The Eladrin, who had remained in his Summer aspect throughout the battle, his unconsciousness, and even the first moments of waking, now regards Carlthuzad with cold eyes—deep blue, ringed with silver. The tattoos that trace his face and continue down beneath his clothes have shifted from their previous golden hue to delicate threads of pale blue. His hair, now considerably longer than before, falls to his back in a soft wintry blue that fades to white at the tips. A thin layer of frost covers his armor.
Auriel casts a glance—first to Hildigrim, then to Hex—before returning to the dwarf and the halfling. "I swear," he says, voice low and calm, "if we're ever in a situation like that again, and I wake to find a dead body when I specifically asked you to stay out of danger, I will rain hell upon you."
He doesn't elaborate further. Instead, he bends down to retrieve his fallen halberd, its blade now lightly rimed with frost.
When he straightens, he pauses—head tilted slightly, listening for the bellowing sound in the distance. "No one moves," he murmurs. "Not until we know what that is, where it's headed, and how best to avoid it."
OOC: could we *all* do this, please?
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Hildigrim and Auriel wait for a moment, focusing their ears in the silence that follows the sound. After a tense wait, they hear it again; horns bellowing in unison from somewhere outside of the caves.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Carl freezes and his hand tingles with cold, he holds rigid still, the other hand with the lit torch at the ready. He stops and holds his breath, listening, he tries to determine if the sounds and bellowing horns are coming from upward/outside, or downward, from the way they came. “I say we torch these bodies and flee downward, but I don’t want to cut off our only escape… can you tell? Any of you’uns?” His head is turning, he’s clearly anxious and agitated, he hasn’t even processed what Auriel said to him.
Perception : 18
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Hex frowns as Auriel shifts into his winter state and suddenly starts acting harsh and cold. She sheathes her weapons and walks right up to the paladin with a fire in her eyes. "Hey, don't talk to us like that. I know you just want to protect us but we want to protect you too." She sticks a finger into his chest plate, the warmth of her finger tip melting away a tiny bit of the thin layer of frost. "You don't get to make our decisions for us."
In defiance of his words, Hex makes her way back to the cavern exit, where the orcs came from. The horns sounded like they were coming from outside. Maybe she could get a better look at what was happening from the cliffside. She takes out her bow and pops her hood back up before moving quietly and carefully, always looking ahead to make sure it was free of any enemies. She didn't want to encounter another surprise attack.
Auriel watches as fire clashes with frost, and how the most wounded among them turns away to check the very place the six orcs came from.
His voice remains low and calm. "Sirge suspected Sharrak is in league with the Cult of the Dragon. And we heard Sharrak speak of an attack not even Jeralla was aware of. This must be it." He pauses. "Let the orcs, the Gray Cloaks, and the kobolds kill each other, and they'll complete our mission for us. But we must return to Phlan."
He thinks for a moment. "We get the captives, follow the tunnels back to the Gray Cloak side, descend the cliff, and try to void the conflict. Then head for the docks. There's a boat waiting. Two, if necessary. The captives are armed—they can fight their way there."
At this point, Auriel turns his blue and silver eyes to Carl. "Our time is best spent on the living."
Still, he doesn't move—not after Hex, not down the caves to retrieve the captives. The paladin waits. He knows better than to split the party. Especially a wounded one.
As he waits, the Eladrin ties his hair into a long ponytail, not letting it flow freely anymore. The delicate branches and leaves that once wove through his hair are gone now.
Auriel has transitioned from Lawful Good to Lawful Neutral. Let's see if I know how to RP that 🤔
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Horns bellow again from the west as Hex emerges from the cave on the cliffside. From outside, she can hear clearly now the horns from the forest further up the path, and see the burning battle standards through the trees above, carried by a large group of screaming humanoids. The orc war band charges down the wooden slope toward the statue, battle cries filling the air.
Dozens of orcs thunder down the path less than a hundred feet away from the cave entrance. Shrieks from the kobolds in the camp below seem to be drawing the orcs' attention, and none divert from the force rumbling toward the statue, or seem to be paying any mind to the caverns at the moment.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Hex hurries back to the group to report what she saw. "Its an orc war band. There's dozens of them and they're making their way through Jeralla's camp. They don't seem to be paying attention to these caverns right now but that can change any second. We have to move quickly."