"I could freeze puddles, if we're doing trench warfare and setting up obstacles... but really, I can just draw them away. We don't have specific quarrel with them and there's no need to murder them if we can avoid it."He looks to Gwin, then briefly to the Pikes and Aralea, and then back to Rixton and Jheric. "Not much time to decide. Now or never."
Can Mola see or hear where the group is coming from? Can he remember the basic shape/outline of the copse of trees they camped in, and any other rock or water features around them, that could be used as either defense or a method of diverting them? Can he tell how many footfalls he's hearing?
"Well, if you think they are here to murder us, then leading them away will only alert them that they are close. They can split up and search, if they need to. Besides, we need not kill them. Just...defeat them."
(By the way, Araleashould have Rixton'sshort bow and leather armor now.)
Gwin isn't keen on shedding unnecessary blood, but she admits to the group her concerns over it being Mizg'rak seeking to retrieve his prisoners. (Can they gauge how far away the footfalls are?)
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‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers
Map of the area. Sound of footfalls is approximately at point awhen Gwin first hears them, at point bwhen she awakens/alerts the other party members, and now are approximately at point c.
"I can't see a damned thing out here, but hopefully they can't either. Seems they're a way off, so if someone can draw them in, I'll have trenchworks prepared." Jheric squints hard, trying to discern the faces in the darkness of early morning, "Assuming most of us can't see too well either, what if I set up a beacon for a safe route? When I see everyone crosses through, I'll kill the beacon and replace it with another hole."
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Rixtonhisses as he holds up his hand, commanding silence. A moment later, he lifts the hood on his cloak (that Molagave him) and bolts off into the night after the sounds of footsteps.
Stealth: 23
(Rixtonwill act as a scout, following the group from a distance.)
Rixton moves rapidly and silently through the trees, making his way toward the sound. After reaching the edge of Silverwood and concealing himself behind a large tree stump, he sees a total of fourteen orcs moving southward at full speed.
Mola shifts into a panther, and takes a wide loop around to the west, away from the group, circling back to the south to match the orcs’ path on what I assume is the other side of the orcs from Rixton.
Stealth: 17
The idea is to tail them from the opposite side, staying within about 60 feet. He’s got 50 feet of movement in this form and should be able to almost orbit them as they march. He’s trying to see if they are carrying anything, and if they seem to be marching along with purpose or looking for something.
Mola strides through the shadows with all the grace and stealth of a cat. As he closes the gap between himself and the orcs, he realizes the horde isn't marching; they are in a full run. At the front of the group is a large orc, clad in chain mail and with spear in hand. Behind him are five orogs and seven orcs. The blades of greataxes and the points of javelins gleam faintly in the moonlight.
The orcs and orogs turn their heads now and then to peer into the darkness of Silverwood, but it's clear their primary focus is to follow their leader as he hurries south.
The next time his orbit takes him near Rixton, he will stop, look at the rogue, point very un-pantherly with a paw south toward Olostin’s Hold, and then dart off.
He has tailed such war bands before, as panthers and other animals, plenty of times. He falls into a familiar pattern and an easy loping gait, staying just out of darkvision range, around 70 feet away, relying on the panther’s smell and hearing more than vision, hoping the others can handle the ex-prisoners.
Did the town have a wall and any kind of fortifications at all? And we’re like another few hours’ ride from there right?
Gwin's dark vision gives her the benefit of watching two of her companions dart off in the direction of the footfalls. Turning to the remaining members of the party she says, I don't like the idea of us separating, especially if Rixton and Mola run into some trouble, but I suppose we should wait for their return and then come up with a plan, if needed. What say you, Barlow?
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‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers
Rixtonwill nod to Molapanther, having reached the same conclusion. He will circle wide and run for Olostin's Hold on a parallel but distant path. He should arrive ahead of the orcs as his movement+dash is 100' per round.
"Bah," he mutters to nobody. "I'll sleep when I'm dead."
"And people say I'm hasty...best keep close as we can in case there's trouble." Jheric gives a squeeze on his crystal pendant and it flares to life. He keeps a hand closed around it to limit the light shining out to a few thin beams. He takes a quick moment to flip up the hood of his Harper cloak.
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
Ferrian Pike, who has been surprisingly quiet since leaving the orc caves, now offers his opinion on the current state of things. "That'll be the Hand. I'm sure of it. Mizg'rak will want a recompense for what's happened."
Finnegas nods his head in agreement. "I believe so," he says softly.
"We cannot be too careful," remarks Aralea. "I do not think they will elect to keep us as prisoners a second time," she hints.
Ferrian eyes the bow that is in Aralea's hand and says to no one in particular, "I see she's earned someone's trust."
Molapanther and Rixton have come to a stop and remain hidden in their respective places because the band of orcs have halted their forced run. The orcs are breathing heavily and welcome a few minutes to regain their strength. A few abrupt words are spoken, all of them in Orc. The apparent leader of the group points south, toward the Hold, and says a few things. He then motions to the east, toward Silverwood, and makes another set of remarks. All is then silent as the orcs and orogs take a few minutes to rest.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Rixtonwill move ahead, staying out of visual sight of the orcs, and scatter caltrops (bag of 20) in a 2.5 x 10 foot rectangle along their projected path. He will then withdraw to a safe distance and hide.
Rixton and Mola do not have to wait long for Rixton's plan to set things in motion. As the orcs and orogs begin to resume their march to the south, three of them step into the caltrops and immediately shout some Orc profanities. Within a few seconds, the leader of the group barks out some orders, and the orcs and orogs begin to fan out. It seems they've been ordered to scour the nearby area.
Rixton and Mola realize that remaining hidden will quickly become more challenging; a few orcs and orogs are making their way into the trees.
Mola goes back to Plan A, or at least Plan G, hoping to draw some or all of them on a wild goose chase. He steps forward to JJ11, and roars/growls as loud as a panther can. If there is one that is apart from the others, closer to him, he would pounce against its back, just to knock it down. (If they are in a tight group then he would not pounce.)
He then regardless darts off into the trees, weaving around trunks and through the underbrush, bounding through low branches to stay unpredictable. In the direction of NN21 and beyond. He tries to stay about 60 feet ahead of them despite his higher speed, turning around and growling periodically if they are lagging. If they have bows instead of spears he will stay more than 60 feet away, hoping they can’t see enough to aim.
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"I could freeze puddles, if we're doing trench warfare and setting up obstacles... but really, I can just draw them away. We don't have specific quarrel with them and there's no need to murder them if we can avoid it." He looks to Gwin, then briefly to the Pikes and Aralea, and then back to Rixton and Jheric. "Not much time to decide. Now or never."
Can Mola see or hear where the group is coming from? Can he remember the basic shape/outline of the copse of trees they camped in, and any other rock or water features around them, that could be used as either defense or a method of diverting them? Can he tell how many footfalls he's hearing?
Survival: 20
Nature: 20
"Well, if you think they are here to murder us, then leading them away will only alert them that they are close. They can split up and search, if they need to. Besides, we need not kill them. Just...defeat them."
(By the way, Aralea should have Rixton's short bow and leather armor now.)
Gwin isn't keen on shedding unnecessary blood, but she admits to the group her concerns over it being Mizg'rak seeking to retrieve his prisoners. (Can they gauge how far away the footfalls are?)
‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers
Map of the area. Sound of footfalls is approximately at point a when Gwin first hears them, at point b when she awakens/alerts the other party members, and now are approximately at point c.
"I can't see a damned thing out here, but hopefully they can't either. Seems they're a way off, so if someone can draw them in, I'll have trenchworks prepared." Jheric squints hard, trying to discern the faces in the darkness of early morning, "Assuming most of us can't see too well either, what if I set up a beacon for a safe route? When I see everyone crosses through, I'll kill the beacon and replace it with another hole."
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser
Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale
Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
Rixton hisses as he holds up his hand, commanding silence. A moment later, he lifts the hood on his cloak (that Mola gave him) and bolts off into the night after the sounds of footsteps.
Stealth: 23
(Rixton will act as a scout, following the group from a distance.)
Rixton moves rapidly and silently through the trees, making his way toward the sound. After reaching the edge of Silverwood and concealing himself behind a large tree stump, he sees a total of fourteen orcs moving southward at full speed.
Mola shifts into a panther, and takes a wide loop around to the west, away from the group, circling back to the south to match the orcs’ path on what I assume is the other side of the orcs from Rixton.
Stealth: 17
The idea is to tail them from the opposite side, staying within about 60 feet. He’s got 50 feet of movement in this form and should be able to almost orbit them as they march. He’s trying to see if they are carrying anything, and if they seem to be marching along with purpose or looking for something.
Mola strides through the shadows with all the grace and stealth of a cat. As he closes the gap between himself and the orcs, he realizes the horde isn't marching; they are in a full run. At the front of the group is a large orc, clad in chain mail and with spear in hand. Behind him are five orogs and seven orcs. The blades of greataxes and the points of javelins gleam faintly in the moonlight.
The orcs and orogs turn their heads now and then to peer into the darkness of Silverwood, but it's clear their primary focus is to follow their leader as he hurries south.
Are they fast or slow in relation to Molapanther? And do they seem to be headed directly for Olostin’s Hold?
The orcs are moving at their maximum speed (60'), and, yes, they do seem to be headed toward the Hold.
The next time his orbit takes him near Rixton, he will stop, look at the rogue, point very un-pantherly with a paw south toward Olostin’s Hold, and then dart off.
He has tailed such war bands before, as panthers and other animals, plenty of times. He falls into a familiar pattern and an easy loping gait, staying just out of darkvision range, around 70 feet away, relying on the panther’s smell and hearing more than vision, hoping the others can handle the ex-prisoners.
Did the town have a wall and any kind of fortifications at all? And we’re like another few hours’ ride from there right?
Gwin's dark vision gives her the benefit of watching two of her companions dart off in the direction of the footfalls. Turning to the remaining members of the party she says, I don't like the idea of us separating, especially if Rixton and Mola run into some trouble, but I suppose we should wait for their return and then come up with a plan, if needed. What say you, Barlow?
‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers
Rixton will nod to Molapanther, having reached the same conclusion. He will circle wide and run for Olostin's Hold on a parallel but distant path. He should arrive ahead of the orcs as his movement+dash is 100' per round.
"Bah," he mutters to nobody. "I'll sleep when I'm dead."
"And people say I'm hasty...best keep close as we can in case there's trouble." Jheric gives a squeeze on his crystal pendant and it flares to life. He keeps a hand closed around it to limit the light shining out to a few thin beams. He takes a quick moment to flip up the hood of his Harper cloak.
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser
Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale
Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
At the campsite...
Ferrian Pike, who has been surprisingly quiet since leaving the orc caves, now offers his opinion on the current state of things. "That'll be the Hand. I'm sure of it. Mizg'rak will want a recompense for what's happened."
Finnegas nods his head in agreement. "I believe so," he says softly.
"We cannot be too careful," remarks Aralea. "I do not think they will elect to keep us as prisoners a second time," she hints.
Ferrian eyes the bow that is in Aralea's hand and says to no one in particular, "I see she's earned someone's trust."
----------------------------------------------------
Approximately 250 yards south of the campsite...
Molapanther and Rixton have come to a stop and remain hidden in their respective places because the band of orcs have halted their forced run. The orcs are breathing heavily and welcome a few minutes to regain their strength. A few abrupt words are spoken, all of them in Orc. The apparent leader of the group points south, toward the Hold, and says a few things. He then motions to the east, toward Silverwood, and makes another set of remarks. All is then silent as the orcs and orogs take a few minutes to rest.
Molapanther sits in a tree with a decent view of the orc group and waits for them to get moving or sleep. This is going to be a weird night.
Rixton will move ahead, staying out of visual sight of the orcs, and scatter caltrops (bag of 20) in a 2.5 x 10 foot rectangle along their projected path. He will then withdraw to a safe distance and hide.
Stealth: 23
Rixton and Mola do not have to wait long for Rixton's plan to set things in motion. As the orcs and orogs begin to resume their march to the south, three of them step into the caltrops and immediately shout some Orc profanities. Within a few seconds, the leader of the group barks out some orders, and the orcs and orogs begin to fan out. It seems they've been ordered to scour the nearby area.
Rixton and Mola realize that remaining hidden will quickly become more challenging; a few orcs and orogs are making their way into the trees.
Updated map:
Mola goes back to Plan A, or at least Plan G, hoping to draw some or all of them on a wild goose chase. He steps forward to JJ11, and roars/growls as loud as a panther can. If there is one that is apart from the others, closer to him, he would pounce against its back, just to knock it down. (If they are in a tight group then he would not pounce.)
He then regardless darts off into the trees, weaving around trunks and through the underbrush, bounding through low branches to stay unpredictable. In the direction of NN21 and beyond. He tries to stay about 60 feet ahead of them despite his higher speed, turning around and growling periodically if they are lagging. If they have bows instead of spears he will stay more than 60 feet away, hoping they can’t see enough to aim.