Ran's first thought is someone has purposefully blocked their path. He slows his horse and begins looking to the side and behind the caravan.

Ran Perception:14 

Varen was a bit distracted by chatting with Opal about a Caelano sword technique, and not watching the road as closely as she should have.

Kiran and Petal see figures in the trees, some of them, approaching the caravan on all sides! They have enough time to possibly dodge out of the way as a hail of arrows assaults the party and retinue from every angle!

OOC: Surprise round!! I am giving Kiran and Petal an advantage on their initiative and their attackers get the disadvantage of their attacks. They both also get one full action before the initiative round begins but no one else noticed the hidden figures!

Attacks on the party:

Kiran crossbow attack attack: 13 Damage: 10

Petal crossbow attack 9 Damage: 8

Ran crossbow attack: 14 Damage: 5

Ronnie crossbow attack 24 Damage: 15

Elavor crossbow attack 15 Damage: 10

Varen crossbow attack 23 Damage: 5

>>>>>>>>>>>> NPCs

Opal crossbow attack 13 Damage: 6

Onyx crossbow attack 24 Damage: 8

House guards crossbow attack 18 Damage: 3

Initiative rolls!!

Kiran 13

Petal 9

Ran 9

Ronnie 21

Varen 6

Elavor 11

>>>>>>> NPCs

Opal 14

Onyx 3

House guards 16

6 (visible) Combatants 17

Crossbow bolts fly….the entire caravan is under attack as invisible and visible combatants attack the retinue as well as the travelers awaiting the tree being cleared from the road! The king Malachite II shouts for the Lightbringer to protect them while he and the queen remain in the protection of the carriage now surrounded by what’s left of the house guard.

(Pre-initiative round)

Kiran will lean back out of the way of the incoming bolt and charge over, drawing his whip, and launching two unarmed strikes at the nearest bandit.

Action: unarmed strike: Attack: 20 Damage: 8
Bonus action: unarmed strike: Attack: 17 Damage: 7

Petal up for surprise round.

OOC: Initiative order round 1 (we'll try free for all with party posting and I'll respond after ALL party posts). Combatants are 60ft away all have half cover from the forest. Except the three Kiran engaged.

Party initiative any order.

Then NPCs

Onyx & Opal (they'll just go together)

HG (house guard)

6 BG (bad guys)

Quote from Ismenow >>

(Pre-initiative round)

Kiran will lean back out of the way of the incoming bolt and charge over, drawing his whip, and launching two unarmed strikes at the nearest bandit.

Action: unarmed strike: Attack: 7 Damage: 6
Bonus action: unarmed strike: Attack: 8 Damage: 7

Kiran attacks the shady folks skirting the caravan one punch gleans off armor giving Kiran 1 point of damage while both of his attacks fail to land. Now he's surrounded by three sword wielding combatants joining the fight.

(Regular turn round)

Kiran throws another punch at the sword wielding enemy furthest from the caravan and then follows it up with two quick kicks, holding his whip ready to deflect incoming strikes.

Action: unarmed strike: Attack: 21 Damage: 6
Agile Parry-If you make an unarmed strike as part of the Attack action on your turn and are holding a kensei weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn, while the weapon is in your hand and you aren’t incapacitated. (makes ac=19)

Bonus action: flurry of blows: Attack: 10 Damage: 6
Attack: 15 Damage: 8

Ran quickly takes in the situation, ignoring the crossbow bolt stuck in his shoulder for now. Kiran will need back up quickly, fighting one against three, but the bandits in the woods will just keep picking them off with impunity if they're not engaged.

Making his decision, he swings his horse around, taps its flanks with his heels and has it dash towards the nearest crossbow bandit on his side of the road, sweeping both longswords off his back as he arrives and slashing down at the bandit.

Action: Longsword: Attack: 24 Damage: 5  

Bonus Action: 2nd Longsword: Attack: 13 Damage: 9 

The possibility of reacting with a quick riposte move if the bandit lunges at him and misses already runs through Ran's mind.

Seeing the holy man suddenly surrounded, Varen leaps into action, snapping her feet against Mouse's side. As she rides, she quickly drinks the contents of a vial from her belt satchel. 

Bonus Action: Consume Mutagen

She realizes quickly that a mounted warrior would be a prime target for a crossbowman, so she leaps from the back of Mouse as he approaches, landing on her feet and unsheathing the thin saber from its holster. She approaches the bandit, attempting a flank between him and Kiran. Mouse continues to run to safety, a well practiced maneuver. 

Ride Mouse (move 60) to 10 feet from the closest bandit next to Kiran, dismount (15 movement), move into melee to flank. Mouse dashes out of the combat area.

Saber Attack: 13 Damage: 8

Ronegan felt a burning, searing pain in his shoulder, and as  he looked down, he was shocked to see a large crossbow bolt protruding. He had never been shot before  and from a purely intellectual point of view, he was intensely curious about the experience. It didn't hurt nearly as bad as he imagined, but as he moved to see where the bolt came from, he felt the pain again and leaned back in the cart, sucking in breath through his teeth.

"All right, Ronegan, remain calm. There are many others here. Others...watching."

The whole thing seemed vaguely familiar to him -- he had seen a flash of this during his morning meditations! It was a risk to take out his focusing crystal here, so instead, he locks his eyes onto one of the archers, makes the proper hand gestures and mutters the magic words and casts Frostbite onto the archer. Based on the vision he had seen, he also makes a few adjustments to make the spell's effect a bit more certain.

(OOC -- I'm going to use my 2 Portent roll to replace the archer's CON save.)

3 cold damage plus disadvantage on next weapon attack if CON save failed.

Elavor slams forward in the saddle with the hit, screaming out and grasping at the arrow where it hit him. He scrambles down the side of Dust, finding a place of refuge between the horse and wagon as best as he can. Looking for where he thinks the bolt came from, he would notch and let loose an arrow at whatever nearest archer he sees... wincing at the pain... 

Shortbow Attack: 23 Damage: 6

As Petal notices the moving figures she yells to Onyx - “Look out“ 

She jumps out of the cart, feeling confident as she lands on earth beneath her feet. She pulls out her yew wand and begs the land for help as she charges towards the attackers. spike growth centered on the middle of the group.

(Surprise round)

(First round) 

As Petal charges towards her foes she is hit in the chest with a crossbow bolt. She nearly loses her momentum but manages to veer to the right around her trap. She gestures towards The crossbowman in the centre of the thorns, and a thorny vine whips towards them.

thorn whip 

Attack 10  

Damage - 2

on success - pulled towards Petal over spikes damage 13

Kiran drops one of his foes but there are still two up having not taken damage.

Ran hits his target once for 7; they are still up.

Varen hits her target for 9; they are still up.

Elavor hits his target for 6; they are still up.

Ronnie hits his target for 3; 

Petal misses her target with torn whip (where is the spike growth? by Kiran and his two standing opponents or by the crossbowman 60ft away)

Round 1 NPCs attacks

Opal charging the crossbowman on her pony trapple attack: Attack: 25 Damage: 10; Opal's greatax attack: Attack: 13 Damage: 10 vicious ax if nat 20 gets an extra 7 damage. The princess fells her attacker and turns the war pony around to head back to the caravan.

Onyx grasping the bolt in his side the young noble gestures over himself casting mage armor and spills out of the wagon crawling beneath it out of sight stealth 4 fails to be hidden.

A flood of sword-wielding combatants come from the trees of the forest to attack the house guard gaining surprise round on the HGs.

OOC: To not roll like 15 separate attacks I am rolling one attack for each group per round.

HG attack on Sword BGs: 19 Damage: 7 X 7

Sword BGs attack on HG: 12 Damage: 4 X 7

Crossbow BGs against the party and Opal/Onyx.

Kiran crossbow attack attack: 5 Damage: 5

Petal crossbow attack 17 Damage: 9
Ran longward attack: 23 Damage: 3

Ronnie crossbow attack 6 Damage: 5
Elavor crossbow attack 14 Damage: 5
Varen crossbow attack 8 Damage: 3

Opal crossbow attack 5 Damage: 10; negated if she kills him above in her attack  she trappled and killed her attacker.

Onyx crossbow attack 6 Damage: 9

Quote from RiderofRohan86 >>

Kiran drops one of his foes but there are still two up having not taken damage.

Ran hits his target once for 7; they are still up.

Varen hits her target for 9; they are still up.

Elavor hits his target for 6; they are still up.

Ronnie hits his target for 3; 

Petal misses her target with torn whip (where is the spike growth? by Kiran and his two standing opponents or by the crossbowman 60ft away)

Round 1 NPCs attacks

Opal charging the crossbowman on her pony trapple attack: Attack: 16 Damage: 8; Opal's greatax attack: Attack: 22 Damage: 6 vicious ax if nat 20 gets an extra 7 damage. The princess fells her attacker and turns the war pony around to head back to the caravan.

Onyx grasping the bolt in his side the young noble gestures over himself casting mage armor and spills out of the wagon crawling beneath it out of sight stealth 3 fails to be hidden.

A flood of sword-wielding combatants come from the trees of the forest to attack the house guard gaining surprise round on the HGs.

OOC: To not roll like 15 separate attacks I am rolling one attack for each group per round.

HG attack on Sword BGs: 23 Damage: 9 X 7

Sword BGs attack on HG: 17 Damage: 5 X 7

Crossbow BGs against the party and Opal/Onyx.

Kiran crossbow attack attack: 12 Damage: 4

Petal crossbow attack 9 Damage: 9
Ran longward attack: 20 Damage: 6

Ronnie crossbow attack 13 Damage: 5
Elavor crossbow attack 12 Damage: 6
Varen crossbow attack 20 Damage: 7

Opal crossbow attack 10 Damage: 4; negated if she kills him above in her attack  she trappled and killed her attacker.

Onyx crossbow attack 7 Damage: 10

The attack on Varen and Ran would be at a disadvantage because of the proximity crossbow attack.

Ran attack 18 Damage: 7

Varen attack 13 Damage: 8

The melee between the HG and the sword-wielding BGs look well matched. The queen and king remain in their carriage as the travelers around the caravan attempt to shield themselves from the onslaught of violence!

OOC: I allow flanking but who would be giving Varen the bonus if she's attacking the crossbowman attacking her. They are well spread out attacking the caravan I'll say 10ft to 15 ft apart from each other firing into the caravan.

Ran ignores the second attack from the bandit as much as he can. Years of being stabbed, slashed and bitten ease the shock but it's still not easy. Both attacks have him bleeding steadily. He slashes down at the bandit in front of him once more.

(Attack: 8 Damage: 12  If this bandit is still standing, he will use his bonus attack to attack again with his other longsword: Attack: 25 Damage: 5 if that bandit was felled by the first attack, Ran would move the 10'-15' down the line to the next crossbow wielding bandit and use that attack on them instead)

(AC 13)

Elavor ducks just as an arrow flies past his head. That would have done me in for good, he thinks. Notching another arrow in his short bow, he fires again at the same archer... 

Attack: 20 Damage: 5

.. and then quickly hides under the wagon where he saw Onyx hide. 

(Bonus Action/ Cunning action/Hide) 

Stealth Roll: 10

As he finds himself under the cart, he sees Onyx and asks "Lad, are you well? I saw the arrow hit you... Tell me it wasn't as bad as it looked

OOC: So I think you have me going against a different target than I wanted to. I wanted to rush into the melee of Kiran and the three swordsmen, and flank one of those swordsmen with Kiran on the opposite side. If possible, perhaps put the melee between me and the crossbowman who shot at me earlier, or at least dissuade him from shooting into a pack of people where he was more likely to hit a friendly than an enemy (perhaps half cover?). If I have to take a crossbow hit to help Kiran out, so be it - Varen sees that the monk is outnumbered  and in a tight spot and is dutybound to help him first. I'll write it ambiguously for now.

Varen grimaces, a crossbow bolt scraping against her shoulder plate and deflecting upwards. In the adrenalin rush of combat and the enhancements of the mutagen, she can't even tell if the bolthead drew blood. She makes another swing at the swordsman between her and Kiran, slashing at the bandit's backside as he watches the priest punch and kick his friend to the dirt.

Saber Attack: 24 Damage: 15

If that does the bandit in, move to flank the last swordsman to give Kiran advantage.

"AGH!" The second bolt embeds itself into the meat of Ronegan's thigh and he collapses backward into the wagon. He attempts to stand as a sudden wave of dizziness hits him. He was bleeding heavily, and he wouldn't last long if this kept up.

"Sod this." It was not language that the other occupants of the cart had ever heard from the little halfling scholar.

He makes a few arcane gestures with his hand and three darts shoot out at the archer that targeted him. For those unfamiliar with arcane as though Ronegan had summoned three magic missiles

2 force damage for each dart.

OOC Recap while waiting on Petal's attack in round 2.

Ran fells the masked bowman with his second attack, the first gleaned off the attacker's armor while the second ends it.

Elavor's arrow finds it's target killing the bowman before he tried to hide beneath the wagon with the injured and frantic princess.

"It was bad...I...I've never been attacked before..is it as bad as it feels," Onyx whimpers showing his wound to Elavor which looks not too substantial but with the way Onyx is carrying on you'd think he'd lost an arm!

Meanwhile, Varen cleaves her appointment in half as Opal howls in approval from the side of her own dead foe!

Ronnie's next attack again weakens the bowman with the halfling in his sights but does not kill him, he notches another bolt then ducks out of sight with his movement. Stealth 18

Petal's still up!

OOC: Round 2 NPCs attacks then round 3 begins.