Four of the bandits are stopped short as large spikes erupt from the earth beneath them. Ditching their scimitars in favor of their crossbows, and unwilling to traverse the suddenly deadly ground, they load bolts and launch them toward the party. Merric is struck by a bolt deep in his leg, but the others miss, attempting to shield themselves from return fire from Ardred and Carlon, who each load bolts of their own. After firing and missing their own shots, both are forced onto their heels as some of the other bandits close the distance. Ardred fumbles for his longsword, using his thick splint armor to deflect and parry a pair of scimitars. Carlon, much lighter and more nimble, begins to unbuckle his shortsword while leaping back on the balls of his feet from the bandit approaching him.
Jamna utilizes a much different tactic, charging directly at a trio of bandits. Her hand moves into a pocket, bringing out a handful of colorful sand; swinging her arm in front of her, she belts a command word, and the sand becomes a dazzling array of colors that leaves two of the bandits reeling and blinded, swinging their scimitars frantically in search of a gnome they cannot see. With only one enemy in front of her with eyesight, Jamna easily avoids his scimitar, sliding beneath it and drawing one of her shortswords.
Placement: Twelve bandits remain near Merric, Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna. Four bandits are unmoving within Merric's spike growth, 30 feet away. Three bandits are engaged in melee combat with Jamna. Two are blinded Two bandits are engaged in melee combat with Briferhew. One bandit is engaged in melee combat with Carlon. Two more bandits are within movement range.
Health: One bandit within the spike growth is lightly wounded.
Merric is lightly wounded.
For Karib:
You hear a gruff and familiar voice soon reply within your mind, "Huh? Karib? What in the hells took ye so long, the bastards have me teaching these blasted lizards how to shape metal and the idiots--"
Karib stands up, dusting off his leggings and gives quiet thanks to Gond before walking over to Rogram. He is smiling broadly and the constant frown that he has had since leaving town has, at least for the moment, disappeared.
"Good news, lad. Your Pa is alive and about as grumpy as usual."
"He still can't follow instructions, but if I recall his words right he said 'What in the hells took ye so long, the bastards have me teaching these blasted lizards how to shape metal and the idiots--'".
Fully expecting a barrage of questions from Rogram he quickly adds, "The length is limited and I can't talk to him every day, but will do my best. But it's good news, eh?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Merric winces as the crossbow bolt pierces his leg and hobbles back a few steps. He quickly scans the battlefield. Leaving the bandits in the thorns alone for now and trusting the others to hold their own against the bandits facing them, Merric raises his bow and fires two arrows at one of the two remaining bandits not already engaged.
Rogram stands silently for a few heartbeats, his face open and showing both wonder and relief. Finally, the half-dwarf turns his back on the human for a second before whipping around and slamming into Karib, throwing his big arms around the other big man for a bear hug before backing up, his face full of joy. "I knew he had to be!"
The swords bard bends over, laughter rolling out of him.
Standing up straight again, he wipes his mouth and beard with one hand. "He's alive," he repeats, reassuring himself. "He's alive," he says again more quietly. He puts his fist to his mouth, his eyes beginning to sparkle with moisture. "He's alive," he whispers. He covers his eyes with his hand, revealing a quivering lip.
After a pregnant pause, he shifts his weight and then presses his fingers into his eyes hard, wiping away tears. Dropping his arm and sniffing, he looks up into the sky. "Thank Moradin. And thank Azuth." He looks down and then up again. "Thank you," he mouths again. This time, to his mother.
The half-dwarf rubs his face again with his hands, sniffs, and clears his throat. Trying to compose himself, he looks at Karib and Akira. "OK, so now we know we're definitely on a rescue mission." He smiles. "Let's go save my Pa."
Merric's arrow drops a bandit mid-run, but the other is on him with his sword drawn so quickly that he barely has time to adjust, barely avoiding getting gouged by the blade while another pair of crossbow bolts whiz by his head, distracting him enough that his spike growth disappears, though the ranged cultists don't seem terribly interested in charging any further. Briferhew accepts a blade at his splint armor, using the opportunity afforded by his heavy protection to cut his longsword across the chest of the other bandit beside him. Jamna swiftly cuts at the legs of her unblinded opponent. As the man falls dead, the others, finally able to see again past the gnome's clever spell, work well together to attempt to pin the crafty gnome down. Carlon's fighting style seems to be much more measured; waiting for his opponent to strike, he dodges and pinpoints a hole in his armor, planting a non-fatal strike, but wearing his opponent down.
"Keep at it!" a bandit woman calls above the fracas. "We're wearing them down!"
Briferhew laughs, bellowing just as loudly. "Show them Lord Neverember doesn't hire scrubs!" he shouts.
Placement: Nine bandits remain near Merric, Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna. Four bandits are 30 feet away. Two bandits are engaged in melee combat with Jamna. One bandit is engaged in melee combat with Briferhew. One bandit is engaged in melee combat with Carlon. One bandit is engaged in melee combat with Merric.
Health: The bandit fighting Carlon is wounded. One bandit within the spike growth is lightly wounded.
Merric is wounded. Briferhew is lightly wounded. Jamna is lightly wounded.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Merric raises his bow up and knocks aside the bandits' strike, eyes wide in surprise that the bandit was able to close the distance so quickly. He quickly whispers a phrase in elvish that helps him move like the wind and dances away from the bandit, not allowing him a chance to strike again. Moving back 35 feet and raising his bow, he fires one arrow at the bandit who was attacking him and fires a second arrow at the women bandit that yelled on the chance she may be the leader.
Merric's arrows give the bandits pause, dangerously close to felling two of them; close enough to keep the quartet of crossbow-wielders from advancing, and to convince the bandit that had been advancing on Merric to choose a different target. The bandit's eyes are drawn to his companion in combat with Briferhew, as the practiced veteran swiftly and precisely bats away the bandit's scimitar with his longsword while his other hand draws the shortsword at his hip and cuts it through the bandit's leather armor. Before Briferhew can finish the job, however, the second bandit is on his back, raining blows down with his scimitar, battering against his armor. The change in opponent is only slight relief for Merric, however, as another crossbow bolt nearly plants itself in his heart; jerking to the side just in time, Merric's head pounds and vision begins to swim from the constant exertion of avoiding death.
Carlon feints to the right before rolling low to the left, leaping back up to pierce through his opponent's side. Jamna similarly cuts down one of her opponents, utilizing her smaller size to keep close to the bandits' legs, cutting tactically with her swords to whittle the bandits down. However, the size difference finally proves a disadvantage when she gets tangled with the falling body of one dead bandit; the other steps forward to cut her sword across Jamna's back, but suddenly staggers with a grunt. Jamna is swiftly back to her feet, grinning wickedly at the sight of the wound in the bandit's side from Carlon's sword.
Placement: Seven bandits remain near Merric, Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna. Four bandits are 30 feet away from Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna, and 65 feet away from Merric. Merric is within movement range of the other three bandits. One bandits is engaged in melee combat with Jamna and Carlon. Two bandits are engaged in melee combat with Briferhew.
Health: The bandit fighting Carlon and Jamna is grievously wounded. One bandit fighting Briferhew is badly wounded. The other is lightly wounded. One bandit within the spike growth is wounded. One bandit within the spike growth is lightly wounded.
Merric is severely wounded. Briferhew is lightly wounded. Carlon is lightly wounded. Jamna is lightly wounded.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Merric staggers and drops to a knee as another crossbow bolt strikes. Grasping his hand in the soft earth, he whispers another elvish incantation, restoring some of his vigor. He rises again, the pounding in his head fading, and grips his longbow tighter as he moves away, trying to make himself a harder target.
OOC: Remember not to modify your character sheet for HP, XP, spell slots, etc. during combat! We'll end up double marking things because I do that as I resolve combat rounds.
Merric looks up as he rises to see the battle shifting dramatically in favor of the convoy. Both of Briferhew's opponents are on the ground, in the throes of death, and he is already halfway to the quartet of crossbow wielders. Quickly closing the distance, one is dead before they can finish drawing their scimitar for the sudden close quarters combat, with Briferhew's shortsword through their heart. Carlon arrives shortly after, having finished off the remaining bandit near Jamna, and the crafty gnome sends a streak of biting cold energy from the palm of her hand across the battlefield to help announce his arrival. By the time Merric is ready to fight again, only two bandits remain standing, desperately trying to fend off Carlon and Briferhew.
Placement: Two bandits remain near Merric, Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna, 30 feet away from Jamna and 100 feet away from Merric. One bandit is engaged in melee combat with Carlon. One bandit is engaged in melee combat with Briferhew.
Health: The bandit fighting Carlon is lightly wounded.
Merric is badly wounded. Briferhew is lightly wounded. Carlon is lightly wounded. Jamna is lightly wounded.
Merric steels his resolve as he sees his companions battle so successfully, He moves back towards the others and raising his bow, sends two arrows towards one of the remaining bandits, calling out to the others "Try to take one alive for questioning!"
One bandit falls in a spray of bloodfrom Merric's second arrow, and Briferhew wastes no time slapping the remaining bandit's sword aside, punching out hard with the hilt of his blade, busting the nose of his opponent and dropping him unconscious to the ground.
Briferhew quickly scans the rest of the convoy, taking only a few breaths before barking orders. "Clean this man up," he calls to a few of the guards. "We'll question him when he comes to and when we've gained more distance. There may be more nearby. Eyes up, heads on a swivel. Is everyone accounted for?"
The well-organized formation of the convoy seems to have done the trick, keeping the convoy from being easily overwhelmed and allowing the guards to siphon off sections of bandits to focus on. No casualties are reported, and the guards are given time to collect arrows and bolts and catch their breath before the convoy rolls on.
"Looked like they nearly had you there," Briferhew says to Merric as the walking formation is reset. "You have an otherworldly sense of danger to avoid some of those bolts. Are you good to carry on?" After Merric answers, Briferhew continues, "You are welcome to question the man we took, if you would like. I heard your call to take one alive. To be perfectly honest, had you not, I would have dispatched him like the others. We've had our fair share of roadside bandits. I would be shocked if these were anything more than brigands who chose the wrong armed convoy."
OOC: Merric has earned 75 XP for turning away the bandit ambush.
“I’m okay, thanks. Would be better if I could have avoided more of those bolts.” Merric catches his breath and binds his wounds with some cloth. “I’ll gladly question the prisoner, even simple bandits may know something, and they must be desperate attacking a convoy this well guarded, unless these wagons are full of gold or something.” Merric chuckles at this attempt at a joke.
He recovers what arrows he can from the battlefield and continues on guard until the chance comes to question the prisoner. Merric approaches the bandit and squats down in front of him, and weaves a simple charm in his words as he speaks. “Well met, friend. What brings you here, what is your interest in this convoy? What can you tell us of the road ahead?”
The captured bandit remains unconscious until the evening, when the convoy stops for the night to set up camp. The blood has been cleaned from his face, but his face is still badly swollen, his nose obviously out of place from Briferhew's punches. Wincing on occasion from the pain of speaking, he answers Merric nonetheless. "Money. What else would there be? Wagons this well guarded gotta be hiding something valuable," he says. "What road ahead?" He laughs, wincing again. "We don't go much further north, it starts to get real swampy and there ain't much 'tween here and Neverwinter."
The night passes without event, and the following day follows suit for both the convoy and the party moving further ahead on the road.
Briferhew keeps the convoy rolling on for another day, the guards ever vigilant for further threats of banditry, but no threats make themselves known throughout the day. While the wagons are being pulled off the road for the night, Carlon tugs quickly at Merric's shirt, nodding in the direction of one of the guards assigned to one of the Cult's wagons. The baleful glare that had been directed to you quickly shifts elsewhere as your gaze is returned. "Stay vigilant," he says, "They're definitely not happy that we're here."
Ahead of the wagons, Karib, Akira and Rogram find their day equally uneventful, able to prepare camp after a day of great progress on the road.
OOC: Pausing again at the end of the day, feel free to post any followups from the previous day as well if desired.
Merric frowns at the bandits response, but it was just as Briferhew suspected, simple greed. No grand conspiracy. Merric laughs softly, a sound without joy. “You don’t even know what these wagons hold, and you friends still threw away their lives, all on a chance. Madness.” He shakes his head sadly and stalks off into the night, stopping only to check in with Briferhew. "You were right, he had nothing to share about the road ahead or any other threats. Just bandits."
Merric remains vigilant the next day, scanning the forest encroaching on the road, as well as keeping one eye on the guards around the cultist’s wagons. Throughout the day, he discreetly checks for tracks or signs of Rogram and the others passing ahead of the caravan.
He looks up as Carlon tugs at his shirt and makes eye contact with one of the guards of the cult wagons. Seeing the guard’s baleful glare, Merric can’t resist himself and, with an impish smile, winks at the guard. As the guard turns away, Merric replies to Carlon. “I’m not crazy about being here either. But you are right, we need to be careful. Tell Jamna to keep her eyes open too.”
Rogram thinks both silently and aloud concerning the next time Karib contacts his Pa. He finally asks Karib to ask Mathon if he knows where he is. "If we can just go there without having to follow the caravan, that should be a lot faster," the half-dwarf reasons.
Karib smiles, nodding. "Aye lad, it was the first question I asked. You know what your Pa is like at following instructions."
Nevertheless, he resolves to be more direct this time. The first time was an introduction, but next he hopes that Mathon will have had time to reflect.
He spends the day warily scanning every tree line and every rock, hoping to find nothing but expecting more lizards or some other monstrosities to leap out. By evening it is with a huge sense of relief that he settles into the routine of making camp. Still wary, but beginning to relax he is concerned that the surviving to the end of every day was starting to feel like an achievement.
After dinner, as they settle in to watches, he takes out the small piece of copper wire contemplating its simplicity as he reaches out through Gond's grace to speak again with the older dwarf, "25 words. Be concise. Where are you and what can you tell me about how to get there? Consider before replying. Lad's well."
“Yes, Karib - I went for formal training at Wizard Tower”
She observes Karib casting the spell in hopes to figure out the mechanics.
Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A)
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5)
Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
Four of the bandits are stopped short as large spikes erupt from the earth beneath them. Ditching their scimitars in favor of their crossbows, and unwilling to traverse the suddenly deadly ground, they load bolts and launch them toward the party. Merric is struck by a bolt deep in his leg, but the others miss, attempting to shield themselves from return fire from Ardred and Carlon, who each load bolts of their own. After firing and missing their own shots, both are forced onto their heels as some of the other bandits close the distance. Ardred fumbles for his longsword, using his thick splint armor to deflect and parry a pair of scimitars. Carlon, much lighter and more nimble, begins to unbuckle his shortsword while leaping back on the balls of his feet from the bandit approaching him.
Jamna utilizes a much different tactic, charging directly at a trio of bandits. Her hand moves into a pocket, bringing out a handful of colorful sand; swinging her arm in front of her, she belts a command word, and the sand becomes a dazzling array of colors that leaves two of the bandits reeling and blinded, swinging their scimitars frantically in search of a gnome they cannot see. With only one enemy in front of her with eyesight, Jamna easily avoids his scimitar, sliding beneath it and drawing one of her shortswords.
Round 2 Order:
Merric, Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna <=====
Bandits
Placement:
Twelve bandits remain near Merric, Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna.
Four bandits are unmoving within Merric's spike growth, 30 feet away.
Three bandits are engaged in melee combat with Jamna. Two are blinded
Two bandits are engaged in melee combat with Briferhew.
One bandit is engaged in melee combat with Carlon.
Two more bandits are within movement range.
Health:
One bandit within the spike growth is lightly wounded.
Merric is lightly wounded.
For Karib:
You hear a gruff and familiar voice soon reply within your mind, "Huh? Karib? What in the hells took ye so long, the bastards have me teaching these blasted lizards how to shape metal and the idiots--"
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Karib stands up, dusting off his leggings and gives quiet thanks to Gond before walking over to Rogram. He is smiling broadly and the constant frown that he has had since leaving town has, at least for the moment, disappeared.
"Good news, lad. Your Pa is alive and about as grumpy as usual."
"He still can't follow instructions, but if I recall his words right he said 'What in the hells took ye so long, the bastards have me teaching these blasted lizards how to shape metal and the idiots--'".
Fully expecting a barrage of questions from Rogram he quickly adds, "The length is limited and I can't talk to him every day, but will do my best. But it's good news, eh?"
Merric winces as the crossbow bolt pierces his leg and hobbles back a few steps. He quickly scans the battlefield. Leaving the bandits in the thorns alone for now and trusting the others to hold their own against the bandits facing them, Merric raises his bow and fires two arrows at one of the two remaining bandits not already engaged.
Attack: 28 Damage: 8.
Attack: 20 Damage: 11.
.
Rogram stands silently for a few heartbeats, his face open and showing both wonder and relief. Finally, the half-dwarf turns his back on the human for a second before whipping around and slamming into Karib, throwing his big arms around the other big man for a bear hug before backing up, his face full of joy. "I knew he had to be!"
The swords bard bends over, laughter rolling out of him.
Standing up straight again, he wipes his mouth and beard with one hand. "He's alive," he repeats, reassuring himself. "He's alive," he says again more quietly. He puts his fist to his mouth, his eyes beginning to sparkle with moisture. "He's alive," he whispers. He covers his eyes with his hand, revealing a quivering lip.
After a pregnant pause, he shifts his weight and then presses his fingers into his eyes hard, wiping away tears. Dropping his arm and sniffing, he looks up into the sky. "Thank Moradin. And thank Azuth." He looks down and then up again. "Thank you," he mouths again. This time, to his mother.
The half-dwarf rubs his face again with his hands, sniffs, and clears his throat. Trying to compose himself, he looks at Karib and Akira. "OK, so now we know we're definitely on a rescue mission." He smiles. "Let's go save my Pa."
"It's what we've been doing all along, lad, but one step at a time. Focus on the next step."
Karib finishes his morning routine and prepares himself for the road.
Glancing over at the corpses he hopes for a less eventful day than the last.
Merric's arrow drops a bandit mid-run, but the other is on him with his sword drawn so quickly that he barely has time to adjust, barely avoiding getting gouged by the blade while another pair of crossbow bolts whiz by his head, distracting him enough that his spike growth disappears, though the ranged cultists don't seem terribly interested in charging any further. Briferhew accepts a blade at his splint armor, using the opportunity afforded by his heavy protection to cut his longsword across the chest of the other bandit beside him. Jamna swiftly cuts at the legs of her unblinded opponent. As the man falls dead, the others, finally able to see again past the gnome's clever spell, work well together to attempt to pin the crafty gnome down. Carlon's fighting style seems to be much more measured; waiting for his opponent to strike, he dodges and pinpoints a hole in his armor, planting a non-fatal strike, but wearing his opponent down.
"Keep at it!" a bandit woman calls above the fracas. "We're wearing them down!"
Briferhew laughs, bellowing just as loudly. "Show them Lord Neverember doesn't hire scrubs!" he shouts.
Round 3 Order:
Merric, Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna <=====
Bandits
Placement:
Nine bandits remain near Merric, Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna.
Four bandits are 30 feet away.
Two bandits are engaged in melee combat with Jamna.
One bandit is engaged in melee combat with Briferhew.
One bandit is engaged in melee combat with Carlon.
One bandit is engaged in melee combat with Merric.
Health:
The bandit fighting Carlon is wounded.
One bandit within the spike growth is lightly wounded.
Merric is wounded.
Briferhew is lightly wounded.
Jamna is lightly wounded.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Merric raises his bow up and knocks aside the bandits' strike, eyes wide in surprise that the bandit was able to close the distance so quickly. He quickly whispers a phrase in elvish that helps him move like the wind and dances away from the bandit, not allowing him a chance to strike again. Moving back 35 feet and raising his bow, he fires one arrow at the bandit who was attacking him and fires a second arrow at the women bandit that yelled on the chance she may be the leader.
Attack: 23 Damage: 5.
Attack against bandit leader: 23 Damage: 5.
.
Merric's arrows give the bandits pause, dangerously close to felling two of them; close enough to keep the quartet of crossbow-wielders from advancing, and to convince the bandit that had been advancing on Merric to choose a different target. The bandit's eyes are drawn to his companion in combat with Briferhew, as the practiced veteran swiftly and precisely bats away the bandit's scimitar with his longsword while his other hand draws the shortsword at his hip and cuts it through the bandit's leather armor. Before Briferhew can finish the job, however, the second bandit is on his back, raining blows down with his scimitar, battering against his armor. The change in opponent is only slight relief for Merric, however, as another crossbow bolt nearly plants itself in his heart; jerking to the side just in time, Merric's head pounds and vision begins to swim from the constant exertion of avoiding death.
Carlon feints to the right before rolling low to the left, leaping back up to pierce through his opponent's side. Jamna similarly cuts down one of her opponents, utilizing her smaller size to keep close to the bandits' legs, cutting tactically with her swords to whittle the bandits down. However, the size difference finally proves a disadvantage when she gets tangled with the falling body of one dead bandit; the other steps forward to cut her sword across Jamna's back, but suddenly staggers with a grunt. Jamna is swiftly back to her feet, grinning wickedly at the sight of the wound in the bandit's side from Carlon's sword.
Round 4 Order:
Merric, Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna <=====
Bandits
Placement:
Seven bandits remain near Merric, Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna.
Four bandits are 30 feet away from Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna, and 65 feet away from Merric.
Merric is within movement range of the other three bandits.
One bandits is engaged in melee combat with Jamna and Carlon.
Two bandits are engaged in melee combat with Briferhew.
Health:
The bandit fighting Carlon and Jamna is grievously wounded.
One bandit fighting Briferhew is badly wounded. The other is lightly wounded.
One bandit within the spike growth is wounded.
One bandit within the spike growth is lightly wounded.
Merric is severely wounded.
Briferhew is lightly wounded.
Carlon is lightly wounded.
Jamna is lightly wounded.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
OOC: I'll await Merric's action for round 4, don't want to bot with his health so low!
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Merric staggers and drops to a knee as another crossbow bolt strikes. Grasping his hand in the soft earth, he whispers another elvish incantation, restoring some of his vigor. He rises again, the pounding in his head fading, and grips his longbow tighter as he moves away, trying to make himself a harder target.
Cure wounds for 8 hp.
OOC: Remember not to modify your character sheet for HP, XP, spell slots, etc. during combat! We'll end up double marking things because I do that as I resolve combat rounds.
Merric looks up as he rises to see the battle shifting dramatically in favor of the convoy. Both of Briferhew's opponents are on the ground, in the throes of death, and he is already halfway to the quartet of crossbow wielders. Quickly closing the distance, one is dead before they can finish drawing their scimitar for the sudden close quarters combat, with Briferhew's shortsword through their heart. Carlon arrives shortly after, having finished off the remaining bandit near Jamna, and the crafty gnome sends a streak of biting cold energy from the palm of her hand across the battlefield to help announce his arrival. By the time Merric is ready to fight again, only two bandits remain standing, desperately trying to fend off Carlon and Briferhew.
Round 4 Order:
Merric, Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna <=====
Bandits
Placement:
Two bandits remain near Merric, Briferhew, Carlon & Jamna, 30 feet away from Jamna and 100 feet away from Merric.
One bandit is engaged in melee combat with Carlon.
One bandit is engaged in melee combat with Briferhew.
Health:
The bandit fighting Carlon is lightly wounded.
Merric is badly wounded.
Briferhew is lightly wounded.
Carlon is lightly wounded.
Jamna is lightly wounded.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Merric steels his resolve as he sees his companions battle so successfully, He moves back towards the others and raising his bow, sends two arrows towards one of the remaining bandits, calling out to the others "Try to take one alive for questioning!"
Attack: 19 Damage: 10.
Attack: 25 Damage: 9.
plus 3 dreadful strikes damage on a hit.
.
One bandit falls in a spray of blood from Merric's second arrow, and Briferhew wastes no time slapping the remaining bandit's sword aside, punching out hard with the hilt of his blade, busting the nose of his opponent and dropping him unconscious to the ground.
Briferhew quickly scans the rest of the convoy, taking only a few breaths before barking orders. "Clean this man up," he calls to a few of the guards. "We'll question him when he comes to and when we've gained more distance. There may be more nearby. Eyes up, heads on a swivel. Is everyone accounted for?"
The well-organized formation of the convoy seems to have done the trick, keeping the convoy from being easily overwhelmed and allowing the guards to siphon off sections of bandits to focus on. No casualties are reported, and the guards are given time to collect arrows and bolts and catch their breath before the convoy rolls on.
"Looked like they nearly had you there," Briferhew says to Merric as the walking formation is reset. "You have an otherworldly sense of danger to avoid some of those bolts. Are you good to carry on?" After Merric answers, Briferhew continues, "You are welcome to question the man we took, if you would like. I heard your call to take one alive. To be perfectly honest, had you not, I would have dispatched him like the others. We've had our fair share of roadside bandits. I would be shocked if these were anything more than brigands who chose the wrong armed convoy."
OOC: Merric has earned 75 XP for turning away the bandit ambush.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
“I’m okay, thanks. Would be better if I could have avoided more of those bolts.” Merric catches his breath and binds his wounds with some cloth. “I’ll gladly question the prisoner, even simple bandits may know something, and they must be desperate attacking a convoy this well guarded, unless these wagons are full of gold or something.” Merric chuckles at this attempt at a joke.
He recovers what arrows he can from the battlefield and continues on guard until the chance comes to question the prisoner. Merric approaches the bandit and squats down in front of him, and weaves a simple charm in his words as he speaks. “Well met, friend. What brings you here, what is your interest in this convoy? What can you tell us of the road ahead?”
The captured bandit remains unconscious until the evening, when the convoy stops for the night to set up camp. The blood has been cleaned from his face, but his face is still badly swollen, his nose obviously out of place from Briferhew's punches. Wincing on occasion from the pain of speaking, he answers Merric nonetheless. "Money. What else would there be? Wagons this well guarded gotta be hiding something valuable," he says. "What road ahead?" He laughs, wincing again. "We don't go much further north, it starts to get real swampy and there ain't much 'tween here and Neverwinter."
The night passes without event, and the following day follows suit for both the convoy and the party moving further ahead on the road.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Briferhew keeps the convoy rolling on for another day, the guards ever vigilant for further threats of banditry, but no threats make themselves known throughout the day. While the wagons are being pulled off the road for the night, Carlon tugs quickly at Merric's shirt, nodding in the direction of one of the guards assigned to one of the Cult's wagons. The baleful glare that had been directed to you quickly shifts elsewhere as your gaze is returned. "Stay vigilant," he says, "They're definitely not happy that we're here."
Ahead of the wagons, Karib, Akira and Rogram find their day equally uneventful, able to prepare camp after a day of great progress on the road.
OOC: Pausing again at the end of the day, feel free to post any followups from the previous day as well if desired.
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Merric frowns at the bandits response, but it was just as Briferhew suspected, simple greed. No grand conspiracy. Merric laughs softly, a sound without joy. “You don’t even know what these wagons hold, and you friends still threw away their lives, all on a chance. Madness.” He shakes his head sadly and stalks off into the night, stopping only to check in with Briferhew. "You were right, he had nothing to share about the road ahead or any other threats. Just bandits."
Merric remains vigilant the next day, scanning the forest encroaching on the road, as well as keeping one eye on the guards around the cultist’s wagons. Throughout the day, he discreetly checks for tracks or signs of Rogram and the others passing ahead of the caravan.
He looks up as Carlon tugs at his shirt and makes eye contact with one of the guards of the cult wagons. Seeing the guard’s baleful glare, Merric can’t resist himself and, with an impish smile, winks at the guard. As the guard turns away, Merric replies to Carlon. “I’m not crazy about being here either. But you are right, we need to be careful. Tell Jamna to keep her eyes open too.”
Rogram thinks both silently and aloud concerning the next time Karib contacts his Pa. He finally asks Karib to ask Mathon if he knows where he is. "If we can just go there without having to follow the caravan, that should be a lot faster," the half-dwarf reasons.
Karib smiles, nodding. "Aye lad, it was the first question I asked. You know what your Pa is like at following instructions."
Nevertheless, he resolves to be more direct this time. The first time was an introduction, but next he hopes that Mathon will have had time to reflect.
He spends the day warily scanning every tree line and every rock, hoping to find nothing but expecting more lizards or some other monstrosities to leap out. By evening it is with a huge sense of relief that he settles into the routine of making camp. Still wary, but beginning to relax he is concerned that the surviving to the end of every day was starting to feel like an achievement.
After dinner, as they settle in to watches, he takes out the small piece of copper wire contemplating its simplicity as he reaches out through Gond's grace to speak again with the older dwarf, "25 words. Be concise. Where are you and what can you tell me about how to get there? Consider before replying. Lad's well."