(To Ednyss)
"Redeem yourself by helping us get Benita back and making sure these Orcs are punished for their misdeeds." Varielky replies. She may be harsh, but she speaks true to her thoughts. "If this mistake cost four lives, make sure your next four choices are the correct ones. And, if you're thinking about not making any more choices, know that it is the worst course of action. Everyone makes mistakes, but that is only fine if you take responsibility for them." Of course, these words are also directed towards herself. She was arrogant during this fight, yet even with Ednyss' double-edged magic, she couldn't do much. She underestimated her opponents, and everyone paid the price. Not only that, she wondered whether resting earlier was the better choice too. Surely, she was badly hurt and tired, but what was Benita's fate in the meantime? Will she arrive too late? "Let us both make amends for our mistakes - it's time to get Benita back."

Chapter 7: The Orracan Steppes (continued)

POST #7

The Journey to Kalahata, Day 14 (16th of Beauty)

At sunset, you have all long-rested, and Py leads you north and west, across broad, rolling hills, some areas dry and rocky, other areas covered in scrub or light grass. The expanse (which looks mostly like this) is broken at intervals by shallow streams, and copses of two or three trees, mostly juniper, cypress, but you see one enormous yew in the center of a plain, whose spirit Py can’t resist circling twice before continuing onward. ‘It’s like fresh water,’ the fey alyasub messages to Auger. 

You pass by a variety of night animals in the wild, and after three hours of hiking, the waxing moon has risen, three-quarters full, and the sky is clear, the air cool, and Py messages that it thinks you are getting close to where it saw the orcs before. The familiar buzzes upward & upward, and fifteen minutes later returns. ‘I see a fire burning in the exact place the orcs were camping before.’

You quietly walk closer, the rolling hills providing cover to you and to the orcs, but within a quarter mile, there is nowhere to hide between the sparse trees. Here is what Py sees.

Two orcs and the three hyenas are sleeping. The third orc sits before a campfire, looking out across the plains toward the south-southwest. You are 1000 feet away to the south-southeast. The hour is midnight.

Auger says to the others, "It will take a little while but I want to circle around the camp at this distance. I will stay out of sight of their watcher and move further east and then north, crossing this small creek and then eventually take a position to the north of them. I think the rest of you should approach them from the Southeast and on this side of the creek, using the trees there for cover where possible. When I am set I can send Py to tell you I am ready."

Auger pauses before leaving, hoping that the warriors agree with his approach. If he gets their consent then he proceeds as he outlines, with Py invisibly guiding him from above, and curiously for Auger, his vision quite clear in the dark. When he eventually gets to his position he asks Py to go find the others and tell them to proceed.

Auger & Py

Varielky doesn't object to Auger's plan. "Just remember - we're the main force, the ones starting the attack. You will probably know when the fighting starts, but don't do anything rash before it does." To avoid spoiling the surprise, Varielky doesn't kindle her eyes. Rather, she counts on the Dwarves to lead the way. She has Tuff's shield in one hand but doesn't draw her sword just yet. 

Ednyss pulls his War Pick into one hand and grips his shield tightly with the other. Holding it firmly in front of him, he waits for Auger to signal before making any movements. Before the Warlock leaves, however, Ednyss makes sure to give him some divine inspiration as he attempts to sneak around the orcs.

The Journey to Kalahata, Day 15 (17th of Beauty) 1:00am

Auger, his confusing mists active, circles around behind the Orcs. (N.B.: his surroundings are visible as if in dim light with Darkvision, as it is quite dark except that the gibbous moon hangs high above the western horizon. Near the creek, there are trees and therefore shadows). Auger stumbles in the dark from time to time, kicks a few small rocks, twigs and the like. He moves with accentuated slowness, and it takes over an hour to arrive where he can see the campfire. A mild breeze has picked up and wafts across the plains from west-northwest. Py messages that the ears of the Orc on guard (O1) are perked up. Its hyena is standing, and looking in Auger’s direction, sniffing the breeze, its ears focused directly toward the spellcaster.

Varielky, Ednyss, and Granophyre creep up from the south. Granophyre’s armor is clinking, and before getting too close, tells you to go ahead. He gives a small pill to Varielky and instructs her to let it dissolve under her tongue. She gains darkvision. He then turns a coil in his armor and blinks out of sight, invisible.

As Varielky and Ednyss arrive to the southeast of the encampment, Varielky notices that the two closer hyenas, appearing to be asleep, are attuned to the direction in which she and Ednyss are approaching, their ears perked and pointing directly at them. 

You are situated like so.

Realizing that he is on the edge of being detected Auger barely keeps a gasp from escaping his mouth. With a brief thought to Piya's protection, Auger stays where he is and slowly and carefully crouches down. Reaching towards Py, through the Sea of Stars, he watches and listens to the events that unfold next through the Dragonfly's eyes. He was going to wait and see what happens.

Py and Auger

Varielky is very surprised once Geanophyre's pill begin to work. 'So this is how other races see.' She thinks, just a bit envious when all the missed opportunities occur to her. On the other hand, with the sword blessed by Odur, she didn't have much need for it. Only a little, for situations like this one. When she notices the hyenas, Varielky stops and puts her hand in front of Ednyss, indicating he should stop as well. As quietly as she possibly can, she whispers: "The hyenas seem to have noticed our presence. Let's wait here for Sharp-Eyed's signal."

Ednyss nods and crouches low as he waits. As he does, he steps up to Varielky and touches the emblem on the front of his shield. As he does so, he feels his hand grow strong with the might of a bear, and gently, he places that hand on Varielky's shoulder. Whispering a divine word and making a gesture with his other hand, Varielky feels her muscles imbued with divine strength. Ednyss adds in his low gravelly voice, "There are no drawbacks to this spell. Let's knock them dead." He then looks ahead and waits for a signal from the warlock.

OOC: Rats - I thought you all even being on the map represented the signal already being sent. If Auger is safe, I'll send Py over on the next round, unless DM wants to accelerate things and just say Py already let you know the time was right to approach the camp.

When Auger shifts to a prone position, the first hyena doesn’t see him exactly, but it sees something move, which it definitely smelled and heard approaching, and Py sees, and Auger sees, its hackles rise as a terrible grating sound begins to resonate and its lips pull back as it growls in the flickering firelight. The Orc sitting beside it shouts over its shoulder in a guttural voice, in common tongue, “She sees you now, stranger. It will be better for you if you show yourself.”

The orc stands slowly, an arrow already notched in his bow, although the weapon hangs down at his side, and turns to peer, with a bored expression, in Auger’s general direction, following the hyena’s gaze. The two other orcs awaken and prop themselves up on their elbows for a moment, looking at Orc 1, then following his gaze and looking toward Auger and reaching for their weapons. The other hyenas turn to look at the growling hyena, while their ears flip back and forth, pointing first toward hyena 1, then back towards Varielky and Ednyss. One of them yips quietly, but they remain where they are.

The smell of roasted venison drifts to Varielky and Ednyss on the breeze, and Py sees antelope meat drying near the fire and bones surrounding the campsite.

Snapping his senses back to himself, Auger freezes. He is too close! They know he is here! Where is everyone? Py, can you do something?

Thinking quickly Py sends back, I can distract. Maintaining his invisibility, he loudly buzzes past the ear of the Orc who had been on watch and loudly flies off to the south and towards the others.

Auger

Py

As Py buzzes past the two orcs, they both instinctively flay out their arms to swat it away, but both miss. The first hyena jumps up, its sharp teeth snapping shut audibly to Auger, 15’ above the ground. The fey alyasub zips onwards, protected by its invisibility, the other hyenas remain prone but follow Py intently. The familiar is now at V22. 
Auger sees orc 1 and hyena 1, in the firelight, turn slowly back in his direction. The warlock hears a single word in orcish. The 800-pound hyena sniffs the breeze, and slowly and silently pads northeast, ending at S11.

Py continues moving to the Southeast towards the others. Upon arriving near them he says out loud, "Auger is in danger! Come and scare them or attack! Now!"

Auger stays put where he is but tries to think of distractions that he can use. Reaching into the Sea of Stars, Auger pulls forth his spectral dragonfly, making it appear in the tree between himself and the over-sized hyena where it grabs a nearby branch and moves it, intending to draw attention.

Py

Auger

Hearing the voice of Py giving the signal, Ednyss empowers his voice with the will of Takal Demesh and causes it to boom extraordinarily loud before shouting out to the Orcs as he approaches. "If you thought death could keep us from our vengeance, you are gravely mistaken." As he strides towards the Orcs, he drags his War Pick along the ground menacingly coming to a stop a good distance away from the Orcs. Tapping his shield with his War Pick, he summons a spectral shield a good distance in front of him between himself and the Orcs.

In response to Py's words and Ednyss' too, Varielky begins to run forward towards the Orcs. Ednyss will catch up soon enough, Sharp-Eyed needs help. On the way, she unsheathes her sword, and her eyes kindle, beaming out the god of light's divine light. She had also did that back when they first encountered the Orcs, maybe it'll help them recognise her. "You, however, you'll never see the sun rising again!"

Move+Action: Dash to X-26 (or around there, if I miscounted the distance).

Free Action: Draw the Dreyen Sword.

BA: Using the Dreyen Sword's Light spell.

Intimidation: 16

Round 1 Results

Py flies to Varielky and Ednyss and delivers its message. 

Auger’s mage hand shakes the branch of a Jujube tree: https://tucsoncleanandbeautiful.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/jujube_tree.jpg

There is no place for Auger to stand on it or any of the nearby trees. 

Ednyss’s voice booms across the short distance to the orcs. His spiritual weapon hovers above the ground threatening the orcs. He charges.

Varielky’s eyes cast their light, and she charges, weapon drawn.

Hyena 1 leaps for the tree branch moved by Auger’s spell, its jaw snapping shut on it. It shakes its head back and forth, worrying the branch and wresting it out of Auger’s grasp.

Hyena 2 stands and moves toward Varielky, yipping, its head low.

Hyena 3 snarls and remains where it is.

Orc 1, trusting hyena 1 to deal with the stranger to the north, hears voices to the southeast and moves to intercept them, shouting in orcish. He sees the light emanating from Varielky, and fires his notched arrow at her, it deflects off of her shield.

Orcs 2&3 both stand, and shoot their bows at Varielky, and two more arrows zip past her head.

You are now situated like so.

Please Post Round 2 Actions.

Py, still invisible, looks curiously at the unmoving Granophyre for a moment, wondering if he had heard but seeing Varielky and Ednyss take action, Py decides that the Warrior Scholar had his own plans. Py flies back towards Auger and once within range begins sending helpful commentary. Did you put that hyena in the tree? It is very big and very close to you.

Very satisfied to hear Ednyss booming voice and to see Varielky's light in the distance Auger realizes he should continue to lay low while they begin their engagement. Seeing his distraction work Auger decides to stick with the approach for the moment. Leaving his spectral dragonfly where it is, Auger decides to add to the confusion. Silently he reaches through his mind and only touches the Sea of Stars in passing as he accesses a simple power he had been playing with recently. Water. He can do things with water. Deep fogs, or, in this case, something simple. Reaching and reaching, just within the range to create the effect, Auger touches the water in the creek flowing nearby and attempts to make a humanoid form of water appear to rise up and out of the water. Auger makes the form rise and point at the Hyena and then collapse back into the creek, with something of a splash. Seeing a trick to the flow of powers, Auger realizes he can set the flow of powers to repeat. Wondering how long it will last, he does so. To Py he sends, For right now I just want to distract the thing. Keep coming closer so you can assist if needed.

Py

Auger

Varielky dashes forward with great speed. It'll be trouble if she remains out of her sword's reach but within their bows' reach. She circles around the Hyena to the closest Orc, "Tell me where Benita is and I might consider granting you a quick death!" She shouts in his face so that all Orcs can hear and then tries to pierce his body with her sword. If she doesn't manage to kill him, she'll then bash him with her shield, trying to knock the Orc prone.

Action: Dash.
Move: To S-18 (I think she can get there?).
Action Surge: An attack against O1 with the Dreyen Sword, held one-handed, using the Menacing Attack manoeuvre. Attack: 11 Magical Slashing Damage: 9. 

When you hit with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to add the total to the damage roll and the target must make a WIS saving throw (DC 14). On failure, it is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

BA: Shield Bash to knock O1 prone. Athletics: 19.

 Forgot to add the damage, though I doubt it hit. In case it did, here's the extra damage: 5.

Ednyss sends in his spiritual weapon to assist Varielky in slamming into the hopefully toppled Orc warrior. Meanwhile, Ednyss waddles forward as fast as he possibly can (which is not actually that fast) and sends a blast of radiant energy towards one of the farther Orcs.

(OOC: Reminder that Varielky has Enhance Ability (Bull's Strength) so she has advantage on all of her shoves!)