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Daedalia sees the kick coming, and dances out of the way of the blow. Relying on his agility in the hopes he can outmaneuver the undead creature, he slips around to the opposite side as Vaughn, hoping to strike the creature on two fronts.
Spoiler: Rolls![roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
Dancing around the creature's hooves with remarkable agility, Daedalia slashes his dagger deep into its side and can't help but grin when the creature staggers, then falls.
Vaughn
Vaughn recovers from his last jab and is preparing to make another when Daedalia darts around the creature and plunges a dagger into it and the thing goes down. He pauses for a moment, not expecting the expert knifework from the little tiefling, then glances between the surrounded man and the charging alpacas. It probably makes more sense to stay together... but that man is in trouble, and probably would die if left on his own. "Aella, hold off those three, I'll help this fellow!" Without waiting for a response Vaughn takes off past Daedalia toward the nearest of the four creatures, shouting in an attempt to draw their attention. Their appearance still turns his stomach, but no time to dwell on that.
Spoiler: OOCHopefully this stunt doesn't get me killed...
Move action to go to J6. I think I can just manage to get there. Unfortunately the loose gravel in the way means no charging.
Still using Combat Expertise, so 15 AC and no penalty to attacks.
I'm assuming the man at least gives me a flanking bonus and cancels out the penalty from being shaken.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
EDIT: Vaughn's fist crashes into the creature's hindquarters, with a blow that should have been crippling to a living creature.
(OOC: I hit with or without the flank bonus, so yay!)
Aella
The fear is still gripping Aella, but at least seeing the creature fall gives her some courage. Then Vaughn races off while shouting an order, and the orc springs into action. "Everyone, go help out Vaughn! I'll hold these things off!" She moves to stand beside Daedalia, readying her weapon to strike the first alpaca to come into reach. With the hammer, this time. Hitting it with a spike didn't seem to work quite as well as it should.
Spoiler: OOCMove action to D7
Standard action to ready an attack against the first alpaca to come into her reach (w/ power attack & shaken: -3 atk, +3 dmg)
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Spoiler: In case of crit:Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
Charlie
Charlie steels her stomach as the first zombie drops and starts to run after Vaughn, pushing past Daedalia with a muttered "Excuse me." She clears the outcropping not long after the orc does, but doesn't have time to summon up the eldritch energies for anything flashy before the zombies can react, so simply settles for making the same clawing motion at the alpaca closest to her.
SpoilerCharlie moves from B4 to F7, then uses the Misfortune hex on alpaca 3.
[roll0]
Evelyn
To Evelyn, it seemed that her current companions had some good combat sense, as they had immediately rushed to down that beast. Perhaps such was due to their undoubtedly harsh upbringings as non-dwarfs. However, it occurred to her that they might not know as much about the nature of these creatures as she, as learned as she was in the field.
She takes aim and lets fly a bolt at one of the mobbing maneaters, taking care not to hit the one who had called himself Vaughn or the unfortunate soul he was attempting to rescue, and calls out, "U- um! You're going to want to cut the muscle away! Zombies still need it to move!"
Spoiler: OOCEvelyn attacks A1 with her crossbow as a standard action and reloads as a move.
[roll0] Attack
[roll1] Damage
The shot, however, goes wide as she realizes that she may have overcompensated for the trajectory.
The man whom is being attacked by the alpacas is a human, roughly fifty years old. He has long salt and pepper hair. His clothing is dirty and ripped but looks to once have been quite nice (perhaps he worked for a noble?). He wields a weighty throwing ax in his left hand and a curved dagger in his right. The man's wife is much younger than him, perhaps in her early 20's. She has long raven black hair and is wearing a pleasant green skirt with a red apron. The child is young, perhaps no more than five years old. She has pushed herself into a small crag, trying her best to hide from the zombies. The man calls out, "Th-thank you! Quickly, we must kill them before they attack my wife and child!"
Spoiler
Alpaca 2 kicks Vaughn: [roll0] // [roll1]
Alpaca 1 kicks the Man: [roll2] // [roll3]
Alpaca 3 kicks the Man: [roll4] // [roll5]
Alpaca 4 kicks the Man: [roll6] // [roll7]
To make up for a loss of Fredrick's actions, one player will receive an extra standard action: [roll8]
1. Aella
2. Charlie
3. Daedalia
4. Evelyn
5. Vaughn
Two of the alpacas wildly miss the man but one of them nails his left leg, staggering him quite a bit. As a deadly retort, the man rears his throwing axe back and then brings it down upon the alpaca's head with the ferocity only known to a man desperately trying to save his family.
Daedalia takes a deep breath to center himself. There are a lot of these creatures, but they were falling one by one. Trusting the orc beside him to hold the gap, the tiefling darts past Charlie and towards Vaughn and the stranger. He flips his dagger so it's reverse-faced in his hand as he moves, and aims a slash along another alpaca's side. He only wishes that it wasn't aware of his approach - then it would be much easier to hit.
Spoiler: OOCCan't get into a flanking position, but I can at least jab it, for all a d4 is worth!
[roll0]
[roll1]
EDIT: A d4 is apparently not worth much.
Vaughn
Cut the muscle... Vaughn scowls a bit, considering his options, before remembering the small axes he was able to snatch up. He nods to Daedalia as the tiefling moves up and joins the fight, then closes in and begins hacking at the creature with the axe. "We'll handle them, don't you worry!" The shock of their appearance hasn't worn off yet, but the two beasts that have already fallen have given him a bit of confidence.
Spoiler: OOCWoo, extra attack!
5ft step as a free action to move to K5
Move action to draw a throwing axe
Two attacks on A1
Combat Expertise is still up (-0 attack, +1 AC for 15 total)
Attack: [roll0] (counting the -2 for shaken already)
Damage: [roll1]
Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
These are slashing damage, so should go through DR
EDIT: well, the first attack put it down, but I can't get to the other one. I will leave it to the DM whether I am allowed to throw my axe at A4 instead for my second standard--it would be an attack at +0 instead, which still hits, but I wouldn't have known that before rolling--and the chance of hitting the guy we're trying to save would have given him pause. So I'm fine if Vaughn just spends the turn hacking at A1 instead.
With a shout, Vaughn brings the axe down behind the zombie's neck, chopping at it a few more times than strictly necessary, then hurling the weapon into the face of the one behind the stranger once it becomes clear this one is no longer moving about.
Evelyn
Evelyn doesn't fancy the odds of not shooting her allies by mistake, but they seem to be doing quite well already, so she turns her attention to the right. She dashes forward, stumbling briefly, but maintaining her footing. Reaching Aella, she crouches down and takes aim, but holds off on squeezing the lever just yet.
Spoiler: OOCShe'll use a move action to get to E7, which should put her in PBS range. I don't wanna draw the southern group in just yet in case they haven't noticed us, so Evelyn will ready an attack against Alpaca 5 if they do decide to attack, or move closer to the party.
Spoiler: Break glass in case of Alpaca Attack
[roll0] Attack
[roll1]Damage
Aella
Cut the muscle...? It takes Aella a moment to register that, but as the alpaca's in front of her are not currently attacking, she eventually gets it. "Right. Somebody grab my polearm" she yells while dropping it and drawing her sword, gripping it firmly in both hands. She takes a step forward and readies herself to attack the first alpaca to come into range, with a weapon that works this time. "You, with the crossbow. Hold position and shoot when these guys charge us!" Her hands are still visibly shaking with fear.
Spoiler: OOCFree action to drop main weapon in D7
5-ft step to D8
Move action to draw sword
Readying an attack on the first alpaca to come into melee range (two-handed: w/ shaken & power attack: -3 atk, +3 dmg)
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Spoiler: In case of crit:Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
Charlie
Seeing the situation around the strangers change rapidly, Charlie decides to double back and lend aid to Aella and Evelyn. She dips a free hand into her belt pouch to pull out magical tools and begins chanting arcane phrases.
SpoilerUsing full round to cast Summon Monster 1 in D7 to summon an eagle.
The alpacas in the south notice Aella and migrate towards her. Evelyn attacks the first alpaca that approaches the orc. The attacks softens the alpaca up for a deadly swing by the orc. The two other zombies march up to the orc, unperturbed by the death of their comrade.
The alpaca near the family attacks Daedalia with a swift kick to his legs. The father whirls around and attacks the beast with his throwing axe.
Over the craggy outcroppings you can hear an orc scream in Orcish, "I AM SORRY FOR MY WEAKNESS LAKRA! I HAVE FAILED YOU! I DIE AN HONORLESS BEAST OF BURDEN!" as he is slowly kicked and bitten to death by alpacas...
SpoilerAlpaca attacks Daedalia: [roll0] // [roll1]
Man attacks Alpaca: [roll2] // [roll3]
Daedalia lets out a small yelp of pain as the alpaca's hooves catch him right in the knee, knocking him off balance. Gritting his teeth, he ducks around the creature's side, hoping that the human on the creature's other side will provide sufficient enough distraction to get a lethal hit in.
Spoiler: Rolls[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
Though Daedalia manages to get around the side of the creature, the rocky terrain and the growing bruise on his knee keeps him just a little too off balance. The slash with his dagger goes wide, and he curses under his breath - especially when he hears two more of the creatures behind him, and the dying screams of the man that had been holding them off.
Aella
Having cut down one zombie, Aella sticks to what works. She swings her sword wildly, almost without looking, at the one alpaca that might make its way past her position and attack Evelyn or Charlie. She yells out. "Keep firing and hold your positions. We can't let them cut off our escape!"
Spoiler: OOCAttack on Alpaca7 (w/ shaken & power attack: -3 atk, +3 dmg)
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Spoiler: In case of crit:Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
As she isn't really looking, her swing goes wide.
Charlie
A ball of light appears from the sack Charlie is holding and flies over to land beside Evelyn. When it disappears, in its place is a golden eagle, hovering a few feet above the ground. With a wave of Charlie's arm, it flies forward and rakes at the alpaca with its claws while trying to peck outs its eyes.
As that goes on, Charlie once again makes the clawing motion towards the alpaca in the hopes of weakening it.
SpoilerSummoned eagle five-foot steps from E7 to F8 and makes a full attack against alpaca 7.
Bite: [roll0]
[roll1]
Talons x2:[roll2] [roll3]
[roll4] [roll5]
Misfortune hex attack: [roll6]
Vaughn
Vaughn hears the orc's death cry and curses under his breath. There are more of the creatures--and someone we couldn't get to in time. He moves up around the man, hacking at the zombie which Daedalia had been fighting and burying the head of his second axe in its shoulder. "You two, get behind us!" He calls to the woman and child. "More of them coming, sounds like!"
Spoiler: OOCMove action to go to M6, drawing my second axe as a part of that movement.
Attack roll against A3: [roll0]
(This still counts the -2 for being shaken--I think this is the last round? Also I'm not sure if I count for flanking bonus--by strict RAW I don't think I do, so I'm not adding it.)
Still using Combat Expertise for AC 15. (I should probably just add the bonus to my sheet at this rate)
Damage: [roll1]
The man drops to his knees once he sees Vaughn kill the Alpaca Zombie, "Y-you... Saved..." He looks over at his wife and his child, "Our lives... He pauses to catch his breath. He looks up at the sky and then at the dirt. That was a one mean little fight, am I right, little brother?" He looks over at his wife, then at his child. Panic starts to set into the man's voice, "Wait... Where is my brother!? Where is he? He was here, just before you arrived...!? The man frantically looks around trying to find his brother, "Where did he go!?"
Meanwhile, the Alpacas near Aella and the eagle attack their enemies with stalwart ferocity.
Spoiler
Alpaca attacks Aella: [roll0] // [roll1]
Alpaca attacks the eagle: [roll2] // [roll3]
Vaughn
"We'll look for him, but once the creatures are dealt with. Stay here for now." Hoping the man takes his advice, Vaughn moves forward, scaling the worn outcroppings and readying himself for the zombies to continue their attack.
Spoiler: OOCMove action to go to N10
Ready an attack as soon as one of the alpacas enters my reach
Attack: [roll0] (still counting shaken?)
Combat Expertise up
Damage: [roll1]
Daedalia grimaces as he remembers the screams he heard only moments ago. It was a shame, really. If they'd been faster... but there was no use dwelling on that. He moves quickly over to the child, urging him to go over to his mother. "Get away from there, stay with your parents. I hear more," he says, nudging the child along.
Aella
The orc grunts. "Ugh. Stop that!" Being kicked by the alpaca reminds Aella she's in a proper fight, which invigorates her. She slashes at the alpaca that has a free path to Evelyn and Charlie.
Spoiler: OOCAttacking Alpaca 7 (shaken is gone, right?):
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Spoiler: In case of crit:Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
This time her sword finds flesh, and she handily decapitates the zombie.
Evelyn
"Eep!" Evelyn squeaks and backs up as the charging beast's lifeless form crumples and skids to a halt before her, the bird still clenched in its jaws. The young woman picks up the branch that she had found earlier, and holds it between her and the still animated alpaca, though her trembling indicates that she very much is afraid to use it. During this, the form on her back starts to growl, which only puts her more on edge.
"Please not now," she begs in an attempt to console him.
Spoiler: OOCShe's going to draw her club and ready an attack if the remaining alpaca should move in her threatened area. I don't imagine that'll be necessary, though. :p
As Vaughn crests the short mound of earth he sees two zombie alpacas feasting upon a freshly slain body... A bit of gravel slips under his foot, which alerts the zombies to Vaughn's presence. They immediately shamble over to him, their muzzles dripping with scarlet blood...
The child runs over to the mother's waiting arms. She embraces her scion with a big bear hug.
Meanwhile Aella contends with a feisty alpaca zombie...
SpoilerAlpaca attacks Aella: [roll0] // [roll1]
Daealia gives a small, reassuring nod to the child as they run off, before taking up position beside Vaughn once more. Letting out a deep breath, the tiefling resigns himself to another round of grueling attacks, only hoping he can keep himself out of the way.
Spoiler: OOCVs A8.
[roll0]
[roll1]
Daedalia curses as his dagger catches nothing but air, and shrinks back slightly in the hopes the alpacas will direct their attention more towards the burly orc.
Aella
The orc grins as the next alpaca kick harmlessly bounces off her armor. She raises her sword high above her head and brings it down on the creature, hoping to make quick work of it.
Spoiler: OOCAttack on alpaca 6
Attack (w/ power attack): [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Spoiler: In case of critAttack (w/ power attack): [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
Since it goes down, Aella will take a 5-ft step to D7 and use a move action to pick up her polearm
Again, with an impressive display of swordsmanship she handily lops the head off the zombie, causing it to collapse in a heap. She takes a step back and picks up her polearm.
Charlie
As the last alpaca in the pass goes down through no real help from her, Charlie turns and starts running back towards Vaughn and Daedelia. The possibility does run through her mind that she'll get there too late to do anything but she still pulls out her crossbow as she skids to a halt, and starts rummaging in her pack for a bolt.
SpoilerMove action to go to J6, and then one to draw the crossbow.
Vaughn
Vaughn grits his teeth as the vile creatures approach, waiting for them to come within reach. As the nearer one scales the gravel toward him, he catches it across the face with his axe, causing the beast to stagger off and collapse. Rounding on the other as Daedalia swings and misses, he hacks away at it with a heavy overhanded blow. Unfortunately the loose footing and the spray of gore from his first target throw off his aim, and the axe blade falls on empty air.
Spoiler: OOCReadied action triggers against A9--without the shaken penalty, that attack hits (though with the penalty it misses--I believe it has expired before the attack, though)
Regular turn to attack A8:
Combat Expertise up (AC 15)
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
With great speed and ferocity, the party surrounds, and easily dispatches, the last alpaca zombie.
The man drops his weapons and gives his wife and child a big hug. All three are crying - tears of joy, mixed with tears of sadness. After a moment, the man introduces himself, "I am Finin, this is my wife Ainfean and my daughter Eorann. He gazes over at the mangled corpse, "The orc was my adopted brother - Sid. He was never a good warrior. More of a scribe at heart. It pains me to see him die this way..." Finin holds back a sob, "Thank you... Heroes. You saved my life, and the lives of my beloved wife and young daughter. We can never repay you for your bravery or kindness.
When the last of the zombies fall and combat is over, Daedalia sits down against a rocky outcrop and looks over the forming bruise on his knee. Damn, that smarts. But it was better than being bitten, wasn't it?
When the family speaks up and offers their thanks, Daedalia doesn't respond. He's a tiefling, he thinks. Certainly they aren't grateful to him. They must be talking to Vaughn and Aella.
Vaughn
Vaughn nods absently to the man's thanks. Now without the adrenaline running through his system, his legs are starting to feel weak and his head is swimming a bit. Those things... were trying to kill them. Looking at what happened to the orc--Sid--made that abundantly clear. Sure, he'd seen people die in the pit fights; it wasn't exactly the safest occupation. But that was accidental, and usually in the less legitimate fights. He'd never really been in a fight where his life, and the lives of others, were at stake before. Before now it was instinct and training that had been carrying him through, but now that he had time to think about things--We all could have ended up dead like this.
In order to distract himself, he goes over to Sid's body, carefully arranging him into a posture more peaceful looking than the haphazard way he'd fallen. "He called out to Lahkra in his final moments," he says to no one in particular. "She will recognize he did everything he could when he was called on."
Spoiler: OOCAre there any particular burial/last rite customs common among the orcs which Vaughn would know about? Sid appears to have been adopted into a human family, but he still seemed to revere the orcish goddess.
SpoilerTraditionally, orcs who died in combat or died of old age were set ablaze on a pyre. Those who dies like cowards were fed to domesticated omnivores.
For the pyre ceremony, the orcs would usually drink alcohol as they recounted the dead's many deeds.