The Art of Warfare (IC)

[hunt11]

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Fortitude Save 1 (1d20+20)[24]
Fortitude Save 2 (1d20+20)[29]
Will save to end Frenzy (1d20+9)[24] (Need a 20 to end it)

Assuming I make both saves

Grexnok seeing the dragonborn move away from him turns to the horseman and takes a quick step before laying into him with his sword

With Frenzy if still active

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Attack 1 (1d20+15)[34] (-7 for power attack) Damage (2d6+35)[44] + (1d6)[4]

Attack 2 (1d20+12)[29] (-4 for power attack) Damage (2d6+29)[39] + (1d6)[5]

Attack 3 (1d20+9)[14] (-3 for power attack) Damage (2d6+23)[32] + (1d6)[4]

Without Frenzy

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Attack 1 (1d20+16)[20] (-2 for power attack) Damage (2d6+12)[14] + (1d6)[5]

Attack 2 (1d20+11)[27] Damage (2d6+6)[13] + (1d6)[4]

Attack 3 (1d20+8)[15] Damage (2d6+6)[9] + (1d6)[4]

[Bandededed]

Layan quickly stows his kukris, working a special phrase into his chant and making the ground around the the dragonborn slick with his spell*. It takes a moment of work to bring Link around without straying into the enemy's reach, but he makes it and brings his jaws to bear**.

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*Spell is grease on K&L 11&12. DC 14 reflex save or prone.

**Link is guided to L13 without provoking an AoO and attacks.
Attack - (1d20+15)[17] for Damage - (1d8+6)[13] + (6d6)[19] = 32

[playswithfire]

The dragonborn keeps his feet amidst Layan's grease and shakes off Rumel's attempt to paralyze him, but falls to the combined attacks of Nole and Guan Yu. Grexnox, now calmer, manages to wound, but not kill the last remaining enemy. The horseman, still blinded and sensing the end is near, calls upon his deity to grant him the strength to at least take his enemy with him into death,* but has apparently displeased his god as the attack bounces harmlessly off of Grexnox's armor.

Begin round 5

* natural one on Divine Surge after beating the blindness miss chance. Anticlimactic.
(1d100)[79]
(1d20+17)[18] (1d20+14)[29]+(8d8)[37]

[Beschoren]

Rumel walks to the last horseman and gives him a choice You could try to kill us, but most likely be torn apart... Or... You could go back to your camp and tell them what you saw. Honestly, I'd prefer the latter, but I'd I was told I have to give you an option... What do you say? the elf asks smiling...

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Would you want him fleeing on his own, because this just sort of fit my guy. Do you want a roll for intimidate or bluff?

Guan Yu frown to himlsef (thinking) That's exactly what we want! The enemy must think the opposite!!... oh, I'll have a hard time teaching these guys...

[playswithfire]

Guan Yu and Grexnox dispatch the remaining horseman and knock him from his steed. Noel lands and attempts to to calm the beast, which kicks him once for his efforts* but settles down, not completely compliant, but controllable.

Combat ended

*(1d20+12)[18] (1d6+6)[7]

[Beschoren]

"It all went rather smothly... let's loot and hide the corpses, then carry on."

Guan is a bit suspicious it was so easy. but then, he is allways suspicious...

[Bandededed]

Layen stops singing, and dancing, and feels his exertion hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Phew. We made it okay, eh?" He pauses as Guan speaks, and then nods his head. "Yes, let's be on with this. Perhaps we will make it in time for dinner..."

[vikingofdoom]

Nole effortlessly dodges the horse's attack, then hooks it up to the caravan. While doing so, he states: I will be watching from above. I will keep watch while you guide the caravan. Let's get moving as soon as everything's ready. After hooking up the horse, he takes to the air, setting up a circular pattern reminiscent of a hawk above the convoy.

[playswithfire]

The corpses hold little of value; each man carries only a small pouch of coins, presumably for their expenses on the journey, and their equipment, while of fine quality, has no magical properties. Clearly, the intent was to rely on secrecy for the convoy's safety rather than by investing heavily in the guards' gear.

Once the bodies are discarded in the forests along the road and the horse reluctantly attached to the carriage, you make your way without incident. At one point, Nole spots a hunting party moving near you on the road, but they do not challenge you, in fact moving away as if worried that the noise of the carriage would drive off their quarry.

The roads become smoother as you approach the city marked on your map and merchants and travelers become visible in the distance.

OOC: you want to take the carriage with you into town or ditch it and make your way in on foot?

[Beschoren]

"We don't need to atract attention. The runner might as well have come here before us. Who's discrete enought to just walk the streets and girnf the agent here?"

(OOC: i agrre. no need to carry this stuff into town, not to comprise the entire party looking for the agent)

[playswithfire]

The carriage pulled off the road and into a convenient clump of trees, Layan leads those of you who want to head into town to look for your contact into town while the rest take up defensive positions around the carriage.

Those who head into town have no trouble getting past the guards, who seem to in a relaxed state. As you walk through the main street, various vendors call out to you. As you pass an intersection, a man leaning against a wall crumbles up a piece of paper he had been reading, which burns up as it falls to the ground. The man walks over to you, holding up his hand in greeting, on which is drawn a green triangle. He speaks quietly I was told there would be more of you and you'd be bringing me something. What happened?

[Rumel]

Rumel, deciding to go into town, is wary of the stranger How'd you do that with the paper?

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I felt with, bluff and sense motive, I should go into town

[playswithfire]

Looking over at Rumel and speaking quietly but with increasing urgency A simple spell. That doesn't matter. Looking back and forth between you, Again, what happened to the others and where is what you were supposed to bring me? His eyes dart up and down the street as if worried about being overheard.

[Rumel]

They're on the outskirts of the city. Our others are guarding it.

[playswithfire]

With one more look over his shoulder, he says Fine, fine. I'll meet you outside the city gates in a few minutes and you can take me to it. Don't follow me. and, flipping up his hood, takes off back into the alley he emerged from.

[Bandededed]

"You know, he doesn't seem very confident. Are we sure this is the guy?" Layen asks his fellows, turning away from the alley the man had taken.

[Rumel]

Well we came this far, I don't think he's planning anything for us. If it worries you we should keep an eye on him Rumel looks around wondering what the man was worried about, but ignores it. He walks to the city gate and sat under the shade of a tree waiting for the runner. He falls asleep after a few minutes...

[Bandededed]

Layen follows along on Link, humming a lil' diddy while they wait.

[hunt11]

Grexnok started to become agitated with all the waiting so he forced himself up from his seated position by the cart and started to slowly pace around it. As he walked around the carriage Grexnok looked around to make sure nobody was coming towards the cart.

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Spot (1d20+1)[2]

[Beschoren]

Guan Yu keps standing next to the wagon. It looks like he's just staring at the horizon, but actually gives full atention to Grexnok moves and weaves whenever he comes into his eyesight or earshot.

He is still trying to place each of his allies in the behavioral patterns he knows, so he might predict their actions and reactions in the future. without any of them knowing about it.

[vikingofdoom]

Noul is currently resting in a tree, shaded by its leaves and hidden by the branches. He keep watch on both his companions, making sure they don't try to steal anything, and the area around him, watching for anyone approaching. He really is putting his all into the tasks of watching, but is instead relaxing after the battle.

After a while of watching his companion pace, he calls out "Hey, calm down and stop pacing. Nothing's going to happen that it will help with, and it will just tire you out with all that walking. Save your energy for when it is necessary and you'll live longer." After that he returns to watching the area below him.

OOC:

Spoiler

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taking 10 on spot: result 36

[playswithfire]

The nervous man catches up to Layan and Rumel just as the latter is nodding off and follows them back to the carriage.

Meanwhile Grexnox, the sun in his eyes, has his pacing interrupted by stumbling on the reins of the carriage. From his perch in the trees, Nole sees nothing worrying and spots the trio as they approach.

The hooded man seems to relax slightly as you move away from the city but stops in his tracks when he sees the carriage. You brought a carriage? He seems to speak to himself for a minute No, no, he said it would be boxes. I can't move, can't hide a... no, no, OK, the boxes must be in the carriage. Carriage draws less suspicion than men walking around with boxes. He looks back and forth between you. There are boxes inside the carriage, right? He said boxes.

[Bandededed]

"We haven't exactly dug around inside, you know. It's not for us. Have a look, but watch your fingers," Layen says with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

This bumbling fool is like to get us killed, or caught at least...

[Rumel]

Umm... I don't know, we never looked... One second Rumel jumps into the carriage and looks around...

[vikingofdoom]

Nole continues to watch from the trees, observing the twitchy man's reaction to something not going according to plan. That man should never have been put on active duty. He would have messed up on the battlefield long ago. After observing the man's hysterics, he decides to glide over and collect the pay for this job and get away before the man screws himself over.

[playswithfire]

The man's eyes go wide at first at the knowledge that you didn't look inside, but he relaxes just as quickly. Right, right. You didn't know; didn't need to know what was in there. Just brought it here. Smart, smart, can't be tempted by what you haven't seen. He walks quickly, but fairly calmly to the carriage and lets himself in.

Rumel (and anyone else who follows the man in)

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As the man implied, there are two fairly ornate boxes, or, more propertly, chests in the carriage, along with a few cloth bags. The nervous man ignores the latter and heads straight for the chests. Both are locked, but the man opens them quickly, obscuring how from view, but you hear muttering and assume magic of some sort. Though he keeps his body between you and the chests, you see enough to determine that each chest holds a pair of distinctive gauntlets. Working quickly, the man pulls a small bag from under his cloak, drops each gauntlet into the bag (where it seems to disappear), and then closes the chest. As he heads back out of the carriage, he turns to you, not sure what's in the bags, but you can look for yourself.

After a few moments, the man emerges, looking calmer, though patting his right hip as if to ensure he hasn't lost something. When Nole flies over and asks for payment, the man seems surprised. I-I'm not the one that pays you, I'm just the one who deals with the , he pats his hip again items you brought me. I just told your friend, there're some bags in the carriage and you all can have what's in there, but, if you were promised some sort of reward, you'll need to deal with him. I'm just another middleman. He pulls a piece of parchment from his other pocket, hands it to Nole and starts walking off.

Nole

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The note says simply:
The Vagabond Lodge
Ask for Mister Black

[Rumel]

Rumel begins searching through the bags...

[vikingofdoom]

Nole slips the note into his bag, then helps Rumel start searching through the bags. After a while, he off-handedly asks; "So, what do you think the item that the man wanted was? Hard to imagine that anyone would be so foolish to send something valuable without heavy guards, but so far our enemies and allies seem less than brilliant."

[Rumel]

I'd bet it's just some jewel of friendship or other useless bobble. I dought they'd put anything of use on a rickety old carriage with sub-par protection Rumel guessed

[playswithfire]

Rumel

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The bags contain roughly 2000 gp worth of coins and gems.