A Day in the Life of Dismal Hollow (IC)

[Mordae]

Zeke pulls with all his might, and Rory tries to help as best he can, but with only one leg the going is slow and the two can't seem to coordinate their efforts; the younger Crane only makes it about halfway up before the wolves charge in, one each heading for Adrian and Lance. Lance makes a quick swipe at one, but the flaming blade passes high before the canines are upon them.

Unfortunately for the boys, the wolves are accustomed to fighting for their lives, and the residents of Dismal Hollow... aren't. Both score a nasty bite to the leg.

Adrian takes 6 damage and is seriously injured.
Lance takes 5 damage and is badly injured.

Order of Battle: Party, Wolves.

Spoiler: GM

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Wolf vs Adrian - (1d20+1)[16](1d6+1)[6]
Wolf vs Lance - (1d20+1)[15](1d6+1)[5]

[GuyFawkes]

Zeke

"****, ****, ****! Agh, dammit!" Zeke shouted with exasperation as the rope slipped through his hands. And when the wolves attacked his brothers, he could not bear to watch. Trembling, he thought of something. His instinct was to jump down and hack away at the wolves, but he knew it was not the best course of action. He had to focus and think straight. It was his brothers' lives at stake here, never mind his own.

Then, suddenly, "Torches! Take out anything with fire! Torches, lanterns. Wave 'em around, throw it at 'em!"

[Mordae]

Rory, from his position half-way up the ladder, snags the lantern that he had hung over his belt-knife while he was trying to climb to the antechamber above. With a bit of a heave, he sends it flying toward the two hulking wolves. It lands with a crash, spreading a circle of oil that instantly bursts into bright yellow flames. Free from its clean-burning confines, the fuel carries with it a reek of burning blubber--it's not the finest whale oil in the world. The nearest wolf cowers and yelps, inching back from the spreading blaze.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Ranged Touch - (1d20+3)[15]

[GuyFawkes]

Zeke

"That's it!"

Zeke then jumped down next to Lance.

"Switch. You two help Rory up, give me the sword," he held his hand out to Lance.

[Mordae]

Before Lance can comply with Zeke's plan, the wolf in front of him lunges forward to the attack. Lance instinctively swings the sword upward, neatly impaling the charging canine through the neck. The stricken beast emits a gurgling roar as it is further consumed by the blazing fire of the magical blade.

The remaining wolf, finally cowed by the display of flames, turns and lopes backward toward the scene of the original fight. Lance lays on the ground, covered in bloody and burnt wolf remains, and stares up at Zeke.

"Let's get out of here," he suggests weakly. "Someone get this thing off me."

As if to underscore the continuing danger, more wolf cries can be heard from the passage, as though the fleeing one is calling for reinforcements.

[Grim ranger]

Adrian

Although badly injured by the attacking wolf, Adrian nevertheless gets on the task with gusto, his muscled arms grabbing the burnt carcass of the wolf and hurling it away from his friend. "Time to go" he says simply before beginning to help in pushing the others up, his strength still making him useful in the task even if he is presently injured.

[Mordae]

Zeke and Adrian, working together, are able to haul Rory, Lance, and Wyll up into the antechamber as the oil fire from the lantern burns out. It's dark and cold above, but at least the wolves aren't able to climb ladders--yet. Not willing to trust their escape to such a barrier, the lads quickly fashion bandages for the worst of the wounds and set off into the swirling snow under the light of the moon. It's a tough go, and everyone's fingers and toes are numb with cold by the time the ragtag group comes within sight of Dismal Hollow. Wyll Wenser wakes up at that point, but one look at the sword Lance still carries convinces the bully to shut his mouth for the remainder of the journey.

"Where to?" Lance enquires of his companions. "We probably would make a scene showing up at Underhill's like this."

[GuyFawkes]

Zeke

Exhausted, confused, Zeke sat down on the side of the road and closed his eyes. He needed to think. But nothing came to him. He shook his head.

"The shop. We could stay there for a bit. And I could dress our wounds better there."

[Grim ranger]

Adrian

Breathing deeply and wincing somewhat at his injury, Adrian gives Wyll with uncharacteristically fierce glare. "Before we go anywhere, I want answers: what the hell is going on, Wenser? And try to play coy this time will lead to "wolves" getting you. There is nothing we could have done and all that" he says, his tone cold. "So spill it. What the hell is your wretched household planning, huh? Why weapons and shady deals?"

[Mordae]

Wyll startles as though he had been slapped. "What, hey? I didn't invite you to follow me out here and..." he pauses, having reached for his sword hilt with one hand only to realize that the blade isn't there--it fell out of his hand when Lance cracked him across the head with the barbarian's flaming weapon. Lance takes the cue and hefts the spoils of the evening's near-death experience. Wyll gulps and looks down at the slushy snow. "Look, my dad had the great idea we could make some quick cash by recovering the stuff those adventuring folk had lost in the wolf den. I didn't expect there to be so many of them. Now he owes three hundred crowns to Sir Balesford."

[GuyFawkes]

Zeke

"For what?" Zeke asked the young Wenser.

[Mordae]

"Sir Balesford loaned father one hundred crowns, with a promised return of triple, for outfitting an expedition. Look, I'm not really interested in being indebted to you Cranes, so why don't you just kill me and get it over with?"

[Grim ranger]

Adrian

"Stealing from the dead then? I suppose we should not have expected much else" Adrian mutters, shaking his head at the Wenser. "And we are not going to be killing you, but I am sure plenty of people in the village will be interested in hearing about this. Who would you even have sold these things to? It is not like there are many who would buy them around here."

[GuyFawkes]

Zeke

"Somewhere else. I won't be surprised they have connections already," Zeke cut in. He then stood up, and noticed his body shiver. From the experience, no doubt. But the cause was far more obvious than that.

"Come, let us go. We can't stay in this cold."

[Mordae]

Wyll trudges along among the Cranes, staring grumpily at the ground while Lance trails behind with the claimed sword tucked underneath his stinky fur "cloak". Zeke quickly unlocks his barber shop and the motley five pile inside, glad to be out of the worst of the chill. The prospect improves further once the barber is able to get a brazier going, which sheds a faintly smoky warmth around the relatively dark confines.

Lance heaves himself into the tall chair in the center of the room with an audible sigh of relief. "Zeke, my friend, I hope you have linement and bandages a plenty."

[Grim ranger]

Adrian

Sighing somewhat, Adrian sits down with a grunt, pressing his hand against the wound the wolves have inflicted upon him and grimacing somewhat. "If someone knows anything about tying wounds up, I'd like to get this one looked at before we get moving again..."

[GuyFawkes]

Zeke

"Hey. You're hurting my feelings," Zeke threw the remark at his brother, then at Lance. "Of course I have plenty. Ordered a lot of spare especially for you two, you stupid buffoons. Good thing, too," he snickered.

"Okay, Lance, you tie up that stupid buffoon," he pointed at Wyll. "I'll start with Rory first, then Adrian, then you." He began to rummage through the shop cabinets for the necessary items; bandages, liniments, scissors, needles and strings. Putting them in a neat pile on the counter, he went to the back and grabbed a kettle then filled it up with the water from the pail for the hot water.

"All right, little brother, on the chair."

[Mordae]

"Fine, fine." Lance grumbles and heaves himself to his feet, ceding the chair to Rory. "I think I'll settle for guarding the door." He crosses over and leans heavily on the frame, his hands placed on the pommel of the barbarian's big sword. Wyll looks faintly disappointed, but keeps his mouth shut.

Rory submits to Zeke's tender ministrations, wincing as the hot towel comes in contact with his bitten leg. "Remind me to sympathize with the fox the next time Sir Balesford goes hunting," he jokes, though he manages only a grimace of a smile.

[Grim ranger]

Adrian

"It might be in order sooner than you'd think... Those wolves are getting bold" Adrian remarks with somewhat troubled look. "I hope it isn't anything more than stroke of bad luck, but... Nothing ever happens here, so how bad are things elsewhere if sudden outbreak of death can start even here without warning?"

[GuyFawkes]

Zeke

"Don't know," Zeke mumbled while doing his work on Rory. "I still don't know what's happening. But I do intend to find out after this."