Above & Below

"Hm. Worse jobs to have than to serve the baron," the tall guard responds to Brask. "Pays well enough. I don't ever want for food for my family, which is more than I can say for most folks."

"Is getting enough food a real problem for most people in town?" Effort asks casually.  "Shouldn't the Baron be taking care of that, if that's the case?"

Brask snorts.  Peasants are lazy.  I bet there's food enough for those willing to work.  It's always the way.

"Not enough to go 'round, by my estimation." He turns briefly to check on Shei, who is being trailed closely by the other guard and the dog. "Seems every season at least some of the crops fail. Baron has to ration out whatever we are able to harvest. Sometimes people just leave, to find another town or live out in the wilderness. Never saw one come back. Assume they're all dead."

Effort purses her lips and sends another message to Brask and Kurama. 

Ask what questions you may have, for the time grows near.  We need to stop these guards before we leave this forest.  The further from town, the better.

Taking a breath, she questions the guard again.  "We need to gather some information about a certain item that is hidden here, and were told your Baron might be able to assist us," Effort says.  "What would it take to have a man like him volunteer such information to strangers such as ourselves?"  She waits for the man's answer, before continuing her questions.

"Luck guide my words," Effort mutters, casting guidance on herself.   "And what fate awaits this bread thief back at your town?" she asks, taking a long look at Shei.  "Is the pay you will receive to turn her in truly worth condemning her to the fate that would also await you, should your Baron's generosity ever fail to provide adequately for your own family?  Perhaps there would be a more profitable way to resolve this for all involved peacefully, with benefits for all."

Persuasion: 18 + 1

"Volunteer?" The guard in back laughs. "He ain't one to offer favors. I hope you have a lot of coin, or some vintage wine or something else valuable."

"He knows quite a bit about the area," the other guard adds. "Grew up in a different town and traveled a bit, which isn't that normal for folks. There's a reason he has the power he has - but he's not entirely unreasonable."

He listens to Effort's attempted bribe but immediately scoffs at it. "He's not entirely unreasonable, but he doesn't take kindly to crime in his town. Now, as for us, only way we stay in his good graces is by bringing her back to town. My best guess is your friend back there will lose a hand, and that's only 'cause she's a woman. What's she to you, anyway? I never met strangers so keen on sticking their neck out for a thief."

Effort narrows her eyes and runs a hand over her face, covering up her mutters to re-cast guidance.   Looking up, she crosses her arms.  "To be honest, I empathize with her...and the two of you as well.  I know how difficult it can be to survive in unfavorable conditions, where resources are scarce and there is little recourse that one can have just to scrape by.  But I also know to value hard work and fair pay for a job dutifully done.  I have seen enough suffering in my life, and wish to see no more.  Particularly not of hardworking humans, simply trying to get by in a world that does not value your true worth."

Humph, she thought to herself wryly as she made her appeal.  To try to curry favor with the oppressed nature of a human, of all races.  What a joke.

Deception: 16 + 2

The guard raises an eyebrow. "You sure are a saint, huh?" It's dripping with sarcasm. "Listen, we only have...maybe two more hours left. Let's just get back into town and we can settle things then. I'll even buy you lot an ale."

The sky has hardly changed throughout the day. A gray that gets slightly lighter or darker but remains...gray. You haven't run into anyone else on the road, nor any wildlife save for the rare flock of birds overhead or flitting about the base of trees.

"How much further until we reach your homes?" Kurama inquires.  As he does so, he turns towards Brask and Effort, giving them a look asking how much longer they wanted to keep this charade going?

"Should be less than two hours if we keep up this pace," the guard responds. The less talkative guard has remained at the rear of the group, with Shei immediately in front of him. His dog trots alongside.

Someone give me a pure luck encounter check (d20).

Luck: 16

A few moments pass, and the guard at the front slows his steps. He comes to a stop, looking straight ahead. As you follow his gaze, you see a huge direwolf step out of the woods and onto the road. It snarls, baring its teeth. The guard grabs for his longsword, turning simultaneously to survey your surroundings. From the other direction, two more of these huge beasts emerge, forming a semi-circle around the group of you. 

Everyone, roll initiative.

Pip: 15

Guard 1: 6

Guard 2: 2

Wolves: 20 19 4

Kurama Initiative: 11

Effort: 21
Cadmael: 20

Brask initiative:  7

Round 1: Effort & Cadmael > 2 Wolves > Pip > Kurama > Brask > Tall guard > Wolf > Armored guard

Effort is up. Feel free to take your turn and Cadmael's in any order you wish.

Cadmael!  Assist me!

Effort points at one of the paired wolves and hexes it, before eldritch blasting it.  Afterwards, she makes sure to run and position herself so that the two guards are between herself and the wolves, giving Pip, Brask, and Kurama a significant glance as she does so.

Attack: 26
Damage: 8 force + 5 necrotic

Two of the wolves are at the back of the group, with one at the front. The heftier guard with more armor is at the back with Shei, while the taller guard is at the front. So you wouldn't be able to put both guards between you and all the wolves. You could get in the middle of the group so that there are people between you and each wolf, though.

The blast surges into one of the huge wolves, knocking it back. It yips and cries out, but quickly gets back to its feet and moves back in toward the group. It leaps at snaps at the armored guard.

Attack: 22 Damage: 8

Its sharp teeth find a gap in the armor, biting down as it knocks into the guard. Strength save: 6

The guard is knocked back onto the ground as the second wolf charges forward and attacks him as well... Attack: 18 Damage: 11

He cries out in pain as the second wolf gets through to his flesh as well. Pip steps up with his short bow, firing an arrow at one of the wolves... Attack: 6 Damage: 6

The arrow flies over the back of the wolf, lodging itself into a tree. 

Kurama, you're up!

Kurama surged forward as the wolf began to swarm over the guard at the back.  Stepping in between Shei and the melee in front of him, Kurama motioned for her to step back before unleashing the energy inside of him.  With a powerful pulse of energy, the reddish masses of energy sprouted from his back once again, there edges continually undulating as if as part of a sea current (Wolves need to make a DC 14 Dex save or take 7 force damage).  Once they had fully manifested, he mentally urged them to surround the one unharmed by Effort to give the prone guard some relief. (Athletics check to Grapple: 14) (If it suceeds, he will begin to drag it away from Shei & the guard until he has no more movement left.)

What's the range on the force damage? I assume it'll just be the two wolves in the back making saves?

Wolf DEX saves (x2): 21 6

Athletics check: 6

The wolves don't know what to make of this strange energy, and Kurama takes advantage. They are both bumped back from Shei and the guard, and Kurama quickly wraps up the vicious one over the guard and begins to drag it away from the center of the fray.

Brask, you're up!