Sbodd's RHoD - a quick side entry

[Sbodd]

(OOC: This is just a place to play out a brief encounter between the two new party members)

[Barbarian MD]

OOC: subscribe.

The Story Up 'Till Now (from Dmitri's perspective):

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Sbodd:
As evening falls, the caravan you've signed with as a guard prepares to make camp. The merchant's not a total fool - he's heard of the other attacks, so he drives the wagons as far off the road as he can, erects a screen of branches to try to hide from the road, and there's no fire at the camp.

An hour or two later, you duck a bit deeper into the woods to heed the call of nature, when suddenly the sound of fighting erupts behind you. Turning, you can barely see through the trees an overwhelming number of hobgoblins attacking the small caravan - at least two dozen of them, against the three other guards and the two merchants. They don't seem to have spotted you yet. What do you do?

Dmitri:
Dmitri grimaces at the sight of the hobgoblin attack, plain to his dark-vision enhanced eyes.

This is not going to be pleasant.

He musters all of the commanding presence his can into his voice, harkening back to his days in the army.

In Orc he shouts: "They've fallen for our ambush! Orcs, forward!"
He follows with, "Alright men, you heard him! Flank from the East, and don't let any past you! Mages, at the ready. Bowmen, prepare to fire on my signal!"

He then bounds forward through the undergrowth, drawing his axe and whispering a prayer. Military training tells him to go for the leader, either a mage or a hobgoblin with rank insignia.

As he rushes forward, he shouts to his fellow guardsmen, "Rally to me! You know the plan. Back to back now. Fight with everything you have."

With that, the raging barbarian unleashes a devastating power attack against the leader of the enemy force.

Entering a rage: Str 25, Con 22, AC 18, HP 91/91
Power attacking for 5. I don't know if the forum rollers work in private messages, so I'll let you roll it.

Atk: 1d20+11
Dmg: 1d12+20

This may be the shortest-lived character I've ever run, but he'll go out with a bang!


Sbodd:
Your bluff works, sort of - for a split second, several of the hobgoblins glance in your direction, and a couple of them break off their attacks and take up positions around the camp.

Unfortunately, the apparent commander (a robed hobgoblin near the rear of the group) is well-guarded, surrounded by a half-dozen heavily armored archers, and under the effects of mirror image; the best you manage to do is to cleanly separate one of the archer's heads from his shoulders. In response, the remaining archers drop their bows, draw swords, and surround you, even as the many images of the robed hobgoblin point at you and invoke a spell - a crackling orb of electricity flies at you and envelops you. From behind, another hobgoblin races up and stabs at you with a sword, drawing blood.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see the other guards fighting desperately - there are too many foes in the way for them to reach you, and the guards are badly wounded.

OOC: 27 damage from the electric orb and 9 from the sword.

Dmitri:Dmitri winces as the orb crashes into him, and the hairs on his body stand straight out from the charge.

He turns back to the guards, only small hope left:
"Run! Run away! Hide! I'll try to find you!"

Turning back to the images of the caster, he lashes out with two strikes, hoping to catch the real caster with one of them.

HP 55/91 AC 18
Power full attack for five again.
Atk 1: 1d20+11
Dmg: 1d12+20
Atk 2: 1d20+6
Dmg: 1d12+20

Dmitri hopes that these will prove true, that with the raiding party's leadership broken, it will give him and the other guards enough time to make their escape.

OOC: If he manages to lop the head off of the caster, great. If not, on his next turn he runs as hard as he can into the forest, provoking as few AoO's as possible and shouting to the guards to do the same. If he survives that, he'll lay low, then try to find his pack mule, Natasha, which will have run off in the commotion and, if he saw any survive the next round, any guards and merchants.

By the way, orbs? They hurt.

Sbodd:
(OOC: should've been a little more clear: you were surrounded by a bunch of archers-turned-swordsmen; the caster was behind them, out of reach. Playing as best I can with that :-) )

With the first blow, Dmitri fells another of the archers; stepping forward into the now vacant space, he directs his next blow at one of the spellcasting images before him - only to have the image vanish into the air as his axe touches it. The remaining hobgoblins lash out with their swords, drawing more blood, even as the spellcaster backs up and repeats his previous spell; another orb of electricity slams into him. Turning, Dmitri plows through one of the hobgoblins as he races into the wood, away from the campsite. Behind him, he sees the other guards being cut down, before a flight of arrows and a third orb come flying at him. The combined wounds are too great, and Dmitri falls to the ground.

You awaken some length of time later; as your mind gradually clears, you look around and realize you're in one of the merchants' wagons, bound and tied to a hook on the wall. You were awakened by a loud thud, and you can hear two voices conversing outside - one loud, hissing voice, and a second one, less loud. You don't recognize the language they're speaking.

(OOC: 27 combined damage from another sword hit and the orb in the first round. In the second round, two sword hits from the AoOs, a couple of arrows, and a third orb leave you KO'd.

And yeah, the orbs hurt - there is a touch attack and a reflex save, but it's still pretty good for a 1st-level spell.)

OOC: Heh, that'll teach me to be more specific with different contingencies. If I had realized, I'd have had him run towards the guards, try to flank attack and take some heat off, and then keep running. Probably wouldn't have made any difference, and what's done is done. This is far more interesting anyway...

Some questions before I try anything:
Do I have any of my gear? Specifically, is there a knife still concealed in my boots? Armor? Any items in the wagon with me? Am I bound with rope or chain? How are my wounds? Am I looking at 10 HP or 70 HP? Is it night/day/unknown?

First order of business: take stock of situation.
Second order of business: survive.
He's got a couple of options--all of them center around a strength check to burst his bonds or getting to his knife. It's just a matter of when and under what circumstances. I'm willing to bet that's a dragon or other nasty outside the wagon, but either way--not good for the half-orc bound in the wagon.
Third: get my gear back before making my escape (I won't be any use to the party without armor and weapons.) I don't suppose they're all conveniently in a trunk beside me?


Sbodd:
OOC: Yeah, sorry - I figured this was just a quick scene-setting kind of thing, and really, once you decided to fight, the outcome was more-or-less settled :-)

Answers in order: Your knife is still there. You're bound hand and foot with rope (hands tied together, tied to a rope that's hooked to the wall of the wagon; you can bring your hands down to your shoulder level, but that's about it. Your feet are tied together and tied to the joint between the wall and the floor, with not quite enough slack to take a step). You've been stripped of basically everything but your clothes. The wagon's got mostly the merchants' items in it; a lot of dry-goods type of stuff, a variety of tools and fabrics, most of it in boxes. You see your backpack resting on top of a box a couple of feet from you, but none of your other gear. You definitely don't feel all that great (about 15 HP). From the glow (or lack thereof) around the wagon's doorframe, it's still night.


Dmitri:
1st Message:
Ha! Did you honestly expect the good-aligned former soldier to abandon his coworkers and employers? To play it any different would have been against his character.

Alright, I'm going to say a quiet strength check to break the bonds, provided it's sensible to what he can hear out the door. If it seems like they might go away, wait until they're gone.. If they're about to come in, wait.

From there, draw knife. Pray and then check bags. Drink any heal potions he can find. Listen check. Peek out door if listen check clear. Take stock of things. If interrupted by guard while escaping, snap neck steven seagal style while slitting his throat before he can raise alarm. Then steal his weapons armor potions and hide body.


If someone comes before breaking bonds, sit tight, act unconscious.
From there, not really sure until I know more.
OOC, I feel like he's got to try to recover his weapon and armor for the sake of the party, but it's not worth getting killed over (even if he'll be greatly underpowered equipment wise).

P.S. If I do manage to break my bonds and not sound and alarm, I'll take my gear and anything that looks useful-I may have to mcgeyver something in my escape.

2nd Message:
Here's another contingency. If there's one lone hobgoblin outside guarding the wagon, and no others in sight, Dmitri can use the rope in his bag or the bonds and improvise a garrote: lean out from behind, loop it around the neck, and drag the hobgoblin inside the wagon. Then he can steal his armor/weapon/potions of CSW. ; ). The garrote should prevent any shouts of alarm, and a rage (if necessary, should provide the strength/hp necessary for any encounters (but I'd like to save the rage if possible).

Eat your heart out McGeyver!


3rd Message:
Haven't heard back, so of course I've had more time to think about what I want Dmitri to do (and more contingencies to plan for):

Step 1: Wait for appropriate time (like I already detailed).
A) Break ropes with strength check
B) If that doesn't work, try to work the bolts loose holding the bonds to the wall
C) If all else fails, try to break the bonds away from the wall (this will leave me hobbled, but will free access to knife. I also imagine this will be much louder)

2) Check over equipment in wagon.
A) Grab backpack and any weapons/armor laying around, also potions of cure wounds.
B) Try to find alcohol and something to light a fire with (might be able to make a distraction, and alcohol to clean my wounds later--also some bandages would be good)
C) Particularly interested in finding my gauntlets of strength and amulet of health
D) A bit of rope to use as a garrote
E) There may be other things that you say are in the wagon that I'd like to take, but I'd need to see a list.

3) Kill anyone who enters wagon steven seagal-style.

4) Listen at door of wagon, peek out if hear nothing.

5) If only one guard, wait to see if he leaves. If he doesn't after a reasonable amount of time, loop garrote around his neck, drag him inside the wagon, and strangle him. Steal his weapons/armor/potions.

6) Peek out again.

7) If coast is clear, leave the wagon. Try to stay out of sight. Dmitri doesn't want to fight. The only reason he jumped in earlier was to try to save his comrades. Now it's all about survival.

8) At this point, I'll need to know more about what he sees before I can provide any actions, but his priorities will be
A) Not alerting enemies
B) Figuring out enemy locations so he can escape
C) Are there any other prisoners that need rescuing?
D) Can he get any thing to cure his wounds?
E) Can he get his axe and armor back? (the armor is particularly sentimental to him)
F) Is there a good way to provide a distraction in order to accomplish the above objectives.

If at any point, Dmitri sees something that I haven't accounted for (like the previous experience of a wall of HP between him and the caster), let me know and I'll revise the plan.

Sbodd:
Sorry, yesterday got a bit busy.

Cautiously, Dmitri tests his bonds. trying not to alert the two voices outside to what he's doing. At first, the rope stubbornly refuses to give. The voices outside get louder; it sounds like there's a (brief) argument. Moments later, Dmitri hears a loud whoosh. One of the voices (the quieter, more gutteral one from before) starts shouting, in what sounds like a different language (but one you still don't understand). You can feel the rope starting to give as a large number of feet spring into action outside; another few seconds later, your arms are free, even as the voice outside quiets down. As Dmitri quickly cuts away the bonds on his feet, you hear someone outside start to count off a rhythm, and the sound of feet marching away in unison. You also start to smell smoke.

(Pause here - what's your next priority? Also, one of the other folks did send a reply; he's one of the merchants from your caravan, so I'll need to get him caught up to where you are.)

Dmitri:
Dmitri, whispers a prayer of thanks as the bonds slip off, granting him a measure of freedom--and therefore a chance at life--once more. His head snaps up as he hears the sudden burst of activity. He grabs up his backpack and slings it over his shoulders, along with any weapons (impromptu or otherwise) he can see in sight. He also may take 5 seconds to quickly look for any healing potions or his magical items.

OOC: I *really* want to find those...

Creeping to the door, he peers through the gap in the door flap, to make sure the coast is clear, and then ever so slowly begins to poke his head out.

OOC: Is there another wagon? Did I see this new player go down in the fight and therefore likely a prisoner, or was he absent (and presumably the cause of the rescue?)

Sbodd:
As Dmitri's glancing around the interior, he suddenly hears a voice behind him...

"Good, you're awake. Thanks for the help out there, but now I think we should run. A dragon just came in, and I wish to the gods I knew what that was about, but more importantly there's noone watching the wagon door now. Or, well, there wasn't 30 seconds ago.

I'm babbling, sorry, this is my first ambush, but this isn't exactly my forte, I'm out of spells except for a fog bank and a couple of rays, the only weapon I'm halfway competent with is the shotbow and I can't see that taking out a troop of mercenaries, I don't even know what the dragon was... And I'm babbling again, sorry, you talk."


(If Dmitri turns around to look, he'll see one of the caravan merchants standing behind him. And - mhvaughan, meet Gmonkey; Dmitri, meet Dante (again).)

Originally Posted by mhvaughan
Dmitri turns whirls, dagger in hand, and then--recognition on his face--begins to chuckle quietly.

"Well met, friend! To see you is good. I had thought you dead when goblins struck."

Seeing nothing more of interest in the boxes and crates, Dmitri rises from his squat to a ready crouch, muscles flexing and unflexing, testing his wounds, ready for action. Having found a few supplies in the crate, he quickly empties a bottle of alcohol over one particularly bad looking wound in his thigh and winces as it burns, then ties a torn strip of cloth around it to staunch the bleeding. The rest of the impromptu first aid kit (a needle, some thread, and another bottle of stout vodka) goes into his backpack along with a shirt and pair of pants. Dmitri has already recovered a pair of shoes (unfortunately two sizes too small) and is uncomfortably wearing them.

"Yes, it is time go. Can you invisible yourself again to lead way, or will we do this hard way?"

A thought strikes him, "By the way, tell me please, did you see what they did with my arms and armor?"

[Gmonkey]

OOC - Hey! Also, did Dante see anything about the weapons?

"I, er, I don't think so, I think they must have stripped you out there? I can't quite remember. And no, sorry, I only memorised one invisbility spell today, and I used that up getting in here. My entire magical ability right now is a fog spell, a few rays and a shield. The fog spell might be of use gatting us out of here but then it may just draw their attention..."

[Barbarian MD]

An oath-so vile that it could only have come from years of experience as a soldier-manages to escape Dmitri's lips before he can master himself. His mind, however, has already moved on to other problems. The first and most important lesson he had been taught from his Captain was that a sword did not make a man (or in his case, an Orc) a soldier. Rather, his sharpest weapon was his mind, and Dmitri's was ready for action.

Dante, yes? You were son of merchant hired me? Put eye to door and take look outside, and try to be quiet. We must move quickly.

And...thanks to you for staying.

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His Spot checks are miserable...

EDIT: I played this wrong. As Dante's hired guard, Dmitri would never have Dante put himself in danger. I'll adjust future play accordingly.

[Sbodd]

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Dante didn't note anything with Dmitri's gear specifically, but the hobgoblins did go in and out of both wagons several times.

[Barbarian MD]

Dmitri utters something incomphrensible to Dante, but he appears to be happy.

Quickly, horses--they are alive?

OOC/ACTIONS

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Going to be AFK for most of today, but here is what Dmitri will suggest. Quietly make their way to the other wagon and stay out of sight (if possible--don't know the arragement of our enemies...).

If the horses are alive, Dante drives and Dmitri gets in the back. He'll find his longbow and begin to put on his armor (hopefully...). Dante gets the horses galloping as hard as he can away from the goblins. If any pursue on foot, we'll leave them behind. If any try to take the second wagon, Dmitri can shoot the driver from their wagon. If the dragon begins to chase, Dante can ready an action to make an obscuring mist. If the mist travels with us, keep running. If the mist stays in one place, stop the wagon, get out and head into the trees (with any arms and armor we can recover), still running as hard as we can away from the goblins and spooking the horses so that they'll keep galloping down the road. I really had intended to just fluff the vodka and bandage as first aid, but if the wagon persists in following, Dmitri can make an improvised Molotov cocktail and throw it to set the other wagon on fire.

How's that sound?

[Sbodd]

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That sounds like it'd be a good plan, except that Dante would've seen that the horses were either killed or driven off already.

[Barbarian MD]

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Crud. Okay, I guess we'll just have to wait to see what Dante sees out the door then--whether it'd be safe to go to the other wagon, or if we just need to save our skins and get away.

Going AFK again until tonight.

[Gmonkey]

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Sorry guys, I'm not here much over weekends, literally just got back in the house

As he moves to check out the back of the wagon; "Yes, well, something like that, my father put up the collateral for this first business but technically I suppose it would be my money now, after all he doesn't expect it back, so I guess you're sort of working him, sort of working for me."

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Spot Check - (1d20-1)[9], ya, his spot checks aren't very good ;)

I, er, I don't see very much, but horses? They weren't there when I came in, I assume they must have ran off in the confusion, although I'm not sure how they'd have escaped their harnesses, I don't think the goblins would have driven them off, they're rather expensive and definately easier than dragging them yourselves. No, definately no horses. They did take some things into the other wagon though, so that might be where your arms ended up?"

[Barbarian MD]

OOC:

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I didn't realize you had a negative modifier...

Wanting to be sure, and not yet trusting his compatriot's instincts in war-time conditions, Dmitri goes to look for himself.

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Spot check: (1d20)[2]

EDIT:

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BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Gmonkey]

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Haha, it's a good thing Dmitri checked! There's a small chance we're going to rush out into an the middle of a troop of goblins isn't there? :P

[Barbarian MD]

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Dmitri and Dante, seeing nothing, jump out of the wagon. Suddenly, they have the strange sensation that they have failed a spot check, being unable to see anything except the wagon behind them. All else is a pure-white field, much like the loading area of the Matrix.

[Sbodd]

As they check outside the wagon, Dmitri and Dante see...nothing. The hobgoblins and the dragon appear to have left, leaving the two wagons alone in the woods. Off to the east, you can hear the faint sounds of footsteps receding.

[Barbarian MD]

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I love what just happened in the IC thread. I had an inkling of what was coming, but I'd love to see their faces when they read that description.

Dmitri, glancing around, has a worried look on his face. Something about the situation seems...wrong.

He outlines his plan to Dante before proceeding [OOC: So Dante can stop anything from happening if he disagrees].

"Let us move quickly," he rasps.

He gently lowers himself to the ground out of the wagon, favoring his right leg, and crouches, trying to look in all directions and listening to the receeding footsteps. Staying low, Dmitri quickly moves to the other wagon and then slumps against the wheel--his movements have re-opened the wound in his leg, and he winces in pain as he tightens the impromptu bandage. He motions for Dante to follow him, watches the surroundings if Dante moves to follow, and then puts his ear to the other wagon, listening closely. If Dante looks closely, he can see that Dmitri is sweating furiously from the pain.

[If all of this has gone well and without incident] Dmitri peeks into the wagon, and seeing it is clear, hoists himself up, suggesting first that Dante provide a lookout. "If see something, make song of bird."

He then quickly searches through the wagon, praying feverishly he can find something of use before they make their escape.

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Equipment, maps/compass, food, anything else you feel generous to give. We'll likely need some idea of our location and which direction to head to reach civilization.

I'm doing summer classes online, so I'm going to be perched on the boards most of the day and should be able to quickly respond.

[Gmonkey]

[OOC - Dante will have warned Dmitri not to open any books with Inventory written on the front ;) And the IC thread, that is not a nice description for the PCs!]

Squatting down by the wagon wheel, Dante puts his back to it, senses strained for any signs of the hobgoblins after their curious disappearance. Thoughts wizzing around his head as to why they would have gone, Must have been something that dragon said, an attack elsewhere? More tempting bait? What?

Suddenly worried that something big is happening, he lets out a harsh whisper to Dmitri in the wagon, "Hurry, friend Dmitri, I don't trust this.

[Barbarian MD]

OOC: Yeah, just wait till the "big battle" comes that I've heard so much about. It's pretty ridiculous. Think on the level of "War and XPs" (from what people have told me).

And yes, if Sbodd actually lets us get to the wagon and lets me sort through the equipment, Dmitri be moving as fast as he can. With how things have gone so far, I'm not excited about what's coming next. (And Sbodd is probably laughing like crazy about our paranoia!)

[Barbarian MD]

(Sorry for the double post, but I figure people are relying more on email updates than actually checking, so I fear an edit might be missed).

I have no idea what obscuring mist does, but if you think it's a good idea, Dmitri would say go for it.

[Gmonkey]

Obscuring Mist, basically creates a 20ft radius circle of fog around the caster, unfortunately stationary:

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A misty vapor arises around you. It is stationary once created. The vapor obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature 5 feet away has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker cannot use sight to locate the target).

A moderate wind (11+ mph), such as from a gust of wind spell, disperses the fog in 4 rounds. A strong wind (21+ mph) disperses the fog in 1 round. A fireball, flame strike, or similar spell burns away the fog in the explosive or fiery spell’s area. A wall of fire burns away the fog in the area into which it deals damage.

[Sbodd]

As Dmitri enters the second wagon, the first thing that catches his eye is his greataxe, leaning against a stack of crates; the second thing he notes is his armor and other gear, sitting next to it.

While the half-orc is poking around in the wagon, Dante notes a small amount of smoke rising from underneath; glancing down, he notes that a sizable amount of a black substance (presumably pitch) is stuck to the bottom of the wagon, and lit - the flames are spreading to the wood, and the whole wagon will be on fire shortly. A quick glance reveals a similar plume of smoke coming from the first wagon, as well.

OOC:

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Dmitri's got everything back that was on his character sheet. Most of the items in the wagon are trade goods, and generally too bulky to be carried a long ways on foot. Dante might've told you about a lockbox containing a few hundred gold pieces - his call. You can spend another three minutes to actually check in all the boxes, etc for anything good (Dante would know that one of the crates has a few flasks of acid, alchemist's fire, etc), but there is that whole "about to be on fire" thing...)

As far as location, there's a map sitting out that looks much like the one here.

Dante would've been prepared well enough to know that on
this smaller map, you all are just south of the main road, at the bend near the northwest corner of the map. (Basically, at the western end of the gorge that Skull Gorge Bridge crosses over.), and that Drellin's Ferry (in the SE corner of this smaller map) is far and away the closest bit of civilization.

I love what just happened in the IC thread. I had an inkling of what was coming, but I'd love to see their faces when they read that description.

Me too. :-)

OOC: Yeah, just wait till the "big battle" comes that I've heard so much about. It's pretty ridiculous. Think on the level of "War and XPs" (from what people have told me).

Heh. It'll be a *long* time before we get there, assuming we manage it. After a little over a year, the party's about 80% of the way through part 1 of the adventure...and the one you're thinking of is (presumably) part 4.

(And Sbodd is probably laughing like crazy about our paranoia!)

::grins evilly::

[Gmonkey]

[OOC - Dante will have pointed out the lockbox as it's small enough to manage, and a summary of what's in the crates, but pointed out there's nothing desparate to save in any of them]

Disdaining stealth at this point, Dante jumps up and thrusts his head in the wagon door. "The wagon is on fire, we must be quick. Throw me the lockbox and make haste! There's enough delicate potions in here we don't want to be next to it when it goes up!"

[Barbarian MD]

Dmitri pauses only long enough to kiss the emblem on his newly-recovered breastplate, ecstatic that his most precious gift was not lost.

Moving quickly, he hurls the chest out the door and then follows behind, his equipment cradled in his arms and the map held firmly between his teeth.

OOC: If Dante gave any indication of healing potions, Dmitri would happily take a few, seeing as how he's still hovering at 15hp...

Without thinking, he leaps from the wagon, and his right leg buckles beneath him. Painfully, he manages to rise to his feet, and together limps away from the burning wagon with Dante.

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Wow, I had really just forced myself to accept that I was going to be facing the horde with only a dagger and whatever I could steal from the dead. Thanks, Sbodd, for making life a little easier.

[Gmonkey]

[OOC - Sorry, didn't pack any healing :( Rather silly oversight]

Cursing, Dante tucks the lockbox under one arm and tries to take the weight off Dmitri's injured leg, "Here, lean on me and let's get moving. We need to find somewhere to hole up for the night and work out what we're going to do, those hobgoblins must have been off to something important but there's no reason why they can't come back this way again, or they can't be the only things in these woods, there was a reason we hired guards..." Dante continues to ramble as they limp their way away from the campsite.

[Barbarian MD]

OOC: No worries. I made the same decision to not pack curative potions (my fancy magic items kind of eliminated all my gold). We'll make do until we make it back to the city or stumble onto some casters (now where would we find those...?)

[Sbodd]

OOC: Which direction will you head? Dante saw the dragon fly off to the northwest, and the hobgoblins seemed to be heading east.

Wow, I had really just forced myself to accept that I was going to be facing the horde with only a dagger and whatever I could steal from the dead. Thanks, Sbodd, for making life a little easier

Now, that would hardly be a very nice thing to do to a brand-new player (esp. since I particularly made you justify how you came to have that nice suit of armor)! :-) You're welcome.

[Barbarian MD]

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If that's the case, any chance we can "stumble upon" my donkey, Natasha anytime soon? Otherwise, I fear I'll be dropping some of the heavier items.

Dante, what are your thoughts? Drellin's Ferry?

[Gmonkey]

"Yes, yes, Drellin's Ferry, that's the closest town for here. It must be 35, 40 miles from here along the road, but there's a keep, er, Vrath Keep I think about halfway, we might be able to get some healing there. Let's keep heading east, I'm sure the hobgoblins pace will be far quicker than ours, they seemed fairly serious about moving out, best thing we can do is make it a couple of miles out from here and then settle in for the night maybe?

[Barbarian MD]

With another wince: "Agreed."

[Barbarian MD]

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So, actions=what he said. Probably want to avoid the road, moving slowly because of Dmitri's injuries, and on constant look-out for enemies (who, if I have any say in the matter, we won't engage).

As soon as we get a safe distance, I'm going to ask Dante to help me get into my armor. If we "stumble" upon Natasha, I'll throw my pack onto her, otherwise, I'll have to empty some things off my sheet to maintain a "light load" (these things I will bury at our camp, so as not to leave a trail for goblins). If we actually arrive somewhere that doesn't involve other PCs by nightfall, I'll want to set a watch and do some things, but I'll wait for your say on what happens Sbodd.

[Sbodd]

Dmitri and Dante spend the first couple of hours of the night putting a mile or two between themselves and the ambush site, before Dmitri's wounds won't let him go any farther. The two get what rest they can before waking in the morning and setting out; their progress the next day is still slow, but not as bad as the day before. The sun has reached its peak, and is beating down as the two begin to see the trees clearing out in front of them...

OOC: Minor bit of god-modding here to speed things up...sorry! Since it was already about an hour after sundown (midsummer, so 9 PM give or take). It's now about 1 PM (wounded Dmitri + trekking offroad = slow progress), and you all can head over to the IC thread...you're the disturbance in the forest that the party's noticing.