Kanon's eyes go wide at the sight of the items. The quality and craftsmanship was amazing! Just to try, he takes the large crossbow from the pile, barely able to lift it. "This thing looks amazing!" He says, trying to pull it up high enough to aim down the sight. It's obvious the kid will never be able to fire something like that. 

Eventually he sets it back down and asks, "Who's Argonox?"

Portia stops and looks around. "OH! I dumped the poor guy with Petti when I went to ask the captain something and wound up with this. It seems he is learning to become a Hellrider, but isn't full fledged yet, or if he is, he is at the bottom of the ranks. He is to assist us in acquiring information about the attack on Beregost. So he is also part of the package, per se." She still doesn't disclose what she had told the captain that made him give her the fallen Hellrider's equipment.

"Uh oh... Zina is not going to like that," Kanon responds. He glances around to see if he can spot her, and he spots her there, with Petti, and a young armored Tormite. 

"Oh by the gods," he says. "I'll be back..."

He makes his way to the small group, hoping to quell any fire that Zina might start.

Pettilaen looked over the half-elf inquisitively. "So, you wanna join our famous little band, do ya? First things first, you have to submit to being a mount. Everyone in our group has agreed to be a gnome's mount, since our adorable little legs can only carry us so far." He looks out of the corner of his eye and spots Kanon making his way over. Quickly, he adds, "You gotta do it now. Like, in the next five seconds now."

As commanded, Argonox had been in the back of the company and doing his part to be the good little soldier. Not that he minded, The Hellriders were a thing of legend to the Paladin. Argo wanted to gain honor and glory, just like any knight wanted, but he also wanted to please Captain Jagar Tem. Argo had not yet earned his stripes to be called a Hellrider, but was looking to complete anything required to make that a reality.

The moment the regiment came in contact with the party, they each had their part to help out. Argo had been tending some of the horses when Captain Tem called for him via Sergeant Gilchrist.  Without hesitation, Argo came before the Captain and came to attention, “Reporting as ordered, Sir!”.

"Argonox Vindaine, you will escort and protect this brave band of souls as they work to serve the people of the Sword Coast. You will fight with the bravery and the honor of an Elturgardian Hellrider and you will die, if necessary, in the service of good." Argonox saluted in acceptance of this assignment.

The Captain walked away but not before shouting, “To Right!” Argo joined the company in turn, “To Ruin!”

The Paladin turned to look over the ‘band of souls’ to see what kind of group he was being assigned to ride with. Introductions came in at this time. “It is an honor to meet you, Priestess,” he greeted in return to Portia who then left to catch the Captain, and left Argo to speak with one of the gnomes of the group named Pettilaen. “I am also honored to meet you, Master Gnome.”

Things quickly go sideways from there. A female gnome openly dismissed Argo’s presence making it clear she did not want him there. Then the half pint tries to convince him of becoming a gnome mount just as a third gnome speaks up about who he was. And here he had been told gnomes were smart …

“You mistake my blade for hooves, Pettilaen. There is not a chance you’ll find me desiring to gallop you around the countryside. And you dishonor me by such a request.” He smiles kindly to the two gnomes before facing a male human making his way towards him.

“Greetings and well met. I am Argonox Vindaine. Would any of you mind if I utilized the plate armor of the fallen Hellrider? In truth, every item left by Captain Tem, I can use if unclaimed by those in your party. They would help me complete my task to escort and protect each of you with my very life.”

"Argonox Vindane, that's a very strong name. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. I hope these two haven't given you too much trouble, as we can use all the help we can get." He shakes the paladin's hand and gestures for him to join the others at the fire. He adds, "Your fellow Hellrider's gear is this way. Please, help yourself."

Once the Paladin makes off towards the fire, he gives both of the gnomes a look and says, "Hmm... I thought maybe he'd have been in a rage by now. You two have really matured." He then turns to follow the paladin. 

"I'm going to have to worry about not one, but two new people who could betray us at any minute?" Zina fumed. Never mind the fact that Kanon had once been a newcomer himself, and she now considered him to be one of her closest friends. Kanon was an exception, not the rule. "I mean, for Blackstaff's sake, The last one hasn't even hit anything yet!"

Argo returned the handshake strongly while smiling, "They have been no trouble at all. A little mischievous, but that never hurt anyone." Following Kanon towards the fire he final completed his mental note of the group. Kanon was a human with a lute and a melodic tone when he spoke. He had to be a bard or scout given the rapier that also was at his side. Portia was the half elven priestess of Ilmater assuming he had overheard her words with Captain Tem correctly. There were the two gnomes, the female (he did not know her name nor did she want to offer it based on her words) and Pettilaen, and he had no idea what their roles were but assumed it was magical in nature. Last was a human female he had yet to meet. She was a warrior by the looks of her armor, shield, and weapon. Seemed like a good group, and he was looking forward to fitting in and showing his worth.

The Paladin bent down when he arrived at the fire, right next to the gear Captain Tem had left. Kanon had told him to make use of it, so he looked over each item while enjoying the fire with those around it. In no time, he could tell the better quality of the longsword and swapped it for the one in his scabbard. He then looked up to Kanon, "I see you play the loot. I have a small dulcimer on my horse. Though I am not very good, I find playing a soothing release of stress. Maybe we could play sometime?"

When Argo finished speaking with the bard, he could see the female human polishing her shield and looked between that one and the one the Captain had left. He picked it up, along with the heavy crossbow, and walked to the other side of the fire where she sat, then gently laying them down beside her as she polished her own shield (which had the look of one that had seen a fair shake of combat).

"This shield will do you well compared to the one you have. I don't suspect those gnomes will be at the front lines with us nor will the minstrel. And if the cleric is toe to toe with us in the front, then we either are heavily outnumbered or have not done our job correctly. I also plan to put on the plate armor to honor my fallen comrade. With a bit of adjustment to the straps, we might be able to get you in my splint assuming you're interested. It is not all that old and is sturdier than the chain you currently possess. Also, what do you think of the crossbow? You have the look of a warrior more agile than myself, and I think it would suit you unless you prefer the use of a bow.

I look forward to standing next to you on the battlefield. I am Argonox Vindaine, Paladin of Torm."

"Well, yes Argonox. I play a variety of instruments and it would be a pleasure to play with you." Kanon smiled as he said this. None of the others in the group played anything, and it made him wonder what sort of songs the Paladin knew. He bet the Paladin had a huge amount of stories under his belt that he could tell. As always, each story told would increase the wealth of knowledge of the group. He'll be a pleasant addition to the group. Looking back at the two gnomes, he wondered if they would join the rest of them at some point. Petti he knew for sure would join at the campfire, probably announcing himself as the leader of the group. That was fine. As for Zina, would she be willing to sleep around here, surrounded by a group of Paladins that called themselves the Hellriders? He guessed time will tell. 

He watched as the Paladin offered Mara the shield. That was kind of him, and he was correct in assessing that their defense would be invaluable in the battles ahead. Back in Candlekeep he had read a few of Zina's discarded books when she was researching spells. He had a few tricks up his sleeve now, and was a bit excited to try them out. Kanon pulled his lute out and began to tune it. It's a wonder that his most valuable instrument had now become such a focus for his power. With each pluck of the string, his confidence grew for the task ahead.

The camp is settling down, the scouts deploying, the watch setting up, and the rest doffing their heavy armor, when a horn is sounded to the east. The Hellriders tense briefly, but shrug it off as the minutes pass. Then another responds to the southeast. Then another to the north. Then south. Then southwest. Soon, a dozen horns have trilled back and forth, and the Hellrider Captain can be seen hobble-running from the latrine to his tent, struggling to pull his pants on as he goes.

A First Serjeant calls out...

"Orcs! Orcs! Hellriders to arms!"

The alarms begin to sound and it snaps Kanon out of his reverie. An attack! 

Kanon stands, watching as the knights assemble. "Should we join them on the lines, or will we just get in the way?" Kanon asks. Then a thought occurs to him. 

He turns to Petti, "Petti, send Gaia out. If we can find the leader of this assault watching from the back lines, we may be able to flank him and take him for ourselves." His mind was racing at the thought. This might be their shot to get a high ranking official. 

Like most little-folk, Pettilaen's request was quickly swept under the rug by the taller folk. Argonox seemed to have disregarded him, only making him smile. His facade of playing the playful/innocent gnome had worked, and Argonox didn't suspect the wiser. "Yeah, well, it'll happen one day." Pettilaen dismissively threw out the words as Argonox walked away, as if allowing him to leave his presence.

Suddenly, horns blared all around them. Is this something Hellriders do? Pettilaen was honestly stumped, until one of the Hellriders called out that orcs were incoming. His heart raced from the adrenaline, and he smiled. Orcs. A chance for blood, once again. Pulling out his rapier in one hand and hand crossbow in another, he whistled for Gaia, who had taken the opportunity to rest atop one of the nearby tents. Coming to attention, she flew into the sky to get a vantage point and see just what they were up against [19 on Perception].

Portia has sat back and watched how the integration of Argonox into the group would happen. Pretty much as expected. Her smile is wiped from her face as the sounds of horns sound out. Of course, the enemy could have seen the fires from miles away. Though where had they been hiding? The Hellriders had seen one band of orcs, but lost them when noting the giant. Of course, the giant had blown his horn, too. This could turn into a mess in short order.

She had not set up her bedroll yet and just slung everything back on and stood ready with her shield and warhammer.

"Mara, definitely take that shield. You will need it. If we survive this fight I would take up the offer of the splint mail, too. I don't think we have time to change anything now."

She took a good look around to note what the Hellriders were doing and trying to determine how her group would fit in with them considering they were on foot and the Hellriders had horses. Argonox was the only one in the group with a horse. Her's was still stabled at Candlekeep since they had decided to come on foot. Only good point on that choice she could see was nothing could kill it and eat it.

"To arms, my friends! For Beregost and the Song of the Morning!"

Somehow in the mix she caught the captain running with his pants half up caught at the privy they had set up. At least, he reacted without worrying how it looked. The whole camp was actively readying for whatever was coming. What were the Hellriders going to do? She waited as she listened to the horns closing in. They still had some time.

As Pettilaen soared through the air with Gaia, he could hear Portia's cry below. "To arms, my friends!" Arms? The sight that Pettilaen saw made his stomach drop. They were nearly completely surrounded, with at least five-hundred orcs coming in towards them. Then he saw them. The leading body. On a distant hill, a giant, a half-dozen knights, and around 80 hobgoblins stood in formation, as if waiting to clean up whatever the orcs didn't kill. Those damn knights again, and another giant.

Pettilaen returned to his own senses, bringing Gaia down lower to circle around him, when the captain called out, "Flee to the west! Tell Candlekeep what is transpiring!" Pettilaen was speechless. Why weren't they running? He knew he would survive if needed be, but what about them? What about his friends? What about Regis? Pettilaen yelled out, "At least four-hundred orcs, coming in from nearly all sides. We've got the leadership up on that hill over there." He points to a hill off in the distance. "Things looks grim but... I'm not sure I'm one for running right now. The Hellriders are legends, and it might be a privilege to fight alongside them." His words didn't come with confidence, however. Quite frankly, he was scared. For those around him, at least.

Flee?

There's no way in hell they're going to flee. Kanon pulls his rapier and slings his lute. "Petti! Where should we set up?" His adrenaline is pumping at max at the moment, and he felt the excitement building for this battle. It didn't even register that the gnome mentioned they were surrounded by four-hundred orcs. 

Portia frowns at the report from Pettilaen. She moves closer to him and looks off to where he had pointed out the leaders. Then she looks to see if the Hellriders made note of his yell. She was torn on what to do because of the massive odds they faced. The enemy had truly hid from them all.

"As much as I hate to agree with Mara, we need to run," Zina bit her lip. "I'm almost spent after the last battle, and our presence here is going to be a drop of water in a hurricane." The gnome ran forward and grabbed Kanon by the hand, beginning to tug him in the direction of Candlekeep.

"Kanon, who will tell the story of this day if we do not survive?" She tried to appeal to the bard. "We need to live and warn the others. We need to be able to tell them of the bravery of the Hellriders."

"Zina!  We can do this!  We're with the Hellriders. This might be the only chance we have at ending this threat!" He pulls hard, breaking the gnome's grip. "With your spells, my spells, Petti's spells, we can turn the tide!"  He's beaming now as the Hellriders begin lining up. It's the moment. How can a bard actually describe the battle if he weren't even there? His eyes soak up the details as he watches.