Orc Politics (IC)

[Enlong]

"Perhaps if someone has a knife, we could cut a hole in this net?" Krey calls out. He feels incredibly stupid for having trusted the kobold; but what else could he have done in the situation? For all of his faults, and his hatred of kobolds as a race, the gnome is not a murderer. Despite the strength of the net, Krey attempts to worm his way to some kind of opening, in hopes of escaping.

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Okay, untrained Escape Artist check, made against the net, which is a DC 20...

(1d20)[5]

Okay, so the dice hate me, no matter. Hey, is it possible to take 20 here? I mean, I'm not being threatened, nor are there any horrible consequences to be had from failing, right?

[Faithdreamer]

"I'll make small holes then so you can lower yourself without getting hurt." Noting how much trouble he seems to be having Gauli walked closer to find a good place to chop from. He takes small cuts with his axe so he doesn't hurt anyone and tries to make a small enough hole for someone to worm their way through and climb down softly.

[MeklorIlavator]

At first Mexanis is clearly disoriented, and as the realization of his situation dawns on him, he begins to panic. For a moment he seems to concentrate, and disappears, only to reappear right below the net, crashing to the ground with a paniced shout.
Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!

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Uses abrupt Jaunt ability(2 uses left).
Falls from the bottom of the net to the ground, taking appropriate damage, if any.

[Conners]

Gaariss pushes himself away from the net, allowing Gauli to cut a large split in the net without worry of harming his companions. Split and under more weight then it was intended for, the net-- "Roo!"

Gauli dives just out of the way of the diving gnoll ((rolled an 18 on your save against falling gnolls.)), although he still catches a falling gnome, unintended. Shortly stunned, but not injured, the two of you get up, along with Gaariss and Mexanis (who, yes, is still screaming). Gaariss' weight was more then the net was meant to hold, so it could go up as high as it was meant to, so none of you take any damage from the fall.

The kobold is almost out of sight.

[Ulzgoroth]

Arianelle is unwilling to chase after the treacherous kobold into unknown forest, and far out of range to try to stop its flight directly. She calls after the reptile with little hope of provoking a response: "Sizek, you betray your people by leaving them with us! Will you leave them here like this? Do they only matter after they're dead?"

She turns her back on the fleeing lizard and, without another glance in its direction, begins checking over the battered diplomats and scattered, unconscious kobolds for new injuries.

[Conners]

No one is injured to a notable extent.

Realization of Arianelle's words strikes the kobold. He looks back at his kobolds with an expression of utter sympathy. "I won't fall into the hands of gnome-lovers!" Sizek shouts over viciously, "and my warriors won't for long either!--" A smile crosses his reptilian jaw, "--There won't be any beast to help you next time, dirty gnome lovers!" He dashes off with even more enthusiasm then before.

Gaariss looks at the party, unsure of if he should pursue the kobold.

[Faithdreamer]

"Speak for yourself Sizek, I hate Gnomes." Gauli put his axe away and followed the Kobold with his eyes. "What happens if we hold your men hostage?"

[Enlong]

"Gauli, I think that's exactly what he's expecting us to do." Krey says with a rather offended air. "I think the best thing to do now is to get moving. I'm certain that Sizek is going to come back with more of his men, and I do not think we want another fight on our hands. We might not be as lucky this time around."
Plus, he thinks to himself, another fight would just make us look worse and worse to those orcs when we finally meet with them.

[Conners]

Gaariss, hearing the group leader wishes to move out, motions the party to follow him. He picks up all the kobolds and runs through the bushes. Leading you through the forest. A few minutes walking later, he motions you to stop, then pulls back several large plants.

You see kobolds cautiously searching. They wear studded leather armour with a skullcap helmet, a spear on their back and a loaded light crossbow ready in their hands. You can see three.

[Faithdreamer]

Without even bothering to throw them a second glance Gauli flies through the bushes as fast as he can and keeps right on going - nothing like a 'what was that?' to make your day more interesting. He'd go right through them if he had to but he wasn't spending another minute with that crazy kobold and his suicidal cult.

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Overrun attempt if necessary, otherwise a full run action to keep right on going.

[Conners]

((Let's hope things work out for you guys.....))

The kobolds, shocked at first, manage to react by sidestepping away from the charging dwarf. They raise their crossbows and take aim.

Gauli is ten feet away from the kobolds. The rest of the party are 10 or fifteen feet away from them.

Kobolds' Initiative:
Kobold1: 2+1= 3
Kobold2: 9+1= 10
Kobold3: 19+1= 20

[Roll for initiative. You can act immediately if your roll is greater than the kobolds' rolls.]

[Faithdreamer]

Shocking things made his eyes go wide but this wasn't as shocking as he might have thought it would be. Too many crossbows in one day had a way of being less interesting.

(1d20)[4] - Initiative

[Enlong]

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Initiative roll [roll0]

OH, guys, I know this is a wierd time to ask, but are we using The Giant's rules on polymorph? I ask because I do not want to become the disgustingly overpowered, team-derailing thing that everyone says Druids are at later levels.

[Ulzgoroth]

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(1d20+2)[22] And I need more text here, so let me simply say eek!

[Ulzgoroth]

Why would he do that?...Can't leave him out there to be shot down... As the kobolds take aim at Gauli, Arianelle dashes out of the bushes and tackles one of them.

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Charge grapple one of the kobolds. If it's possible to tell, the one who acts soonest. If not, the farthest from the group.
Attack (1d20+3)[8](11)
Grapple check (1d20+1)[1](2)
Damage on success: (1d3+1)[3] nonlethal

AC vs kobold attacked is 16 (dodge!). AC to everyone else (if the grapple succeeds) is 13, ranged weapons may attack the kobold instead. 15 if the grapple fails.

[Conners]

Arianelle steps through dry leaves in her rushed attempt to save the dwarf. The kobold she targets, having already expected more enemies to be nearby, spins around and hits her hard with the butt of its crossbow. [Grapple missed. No damage taken from kobold, it only stunned you momentarily.]

Initiative so far:
Arianelle 22
Kobold3 20 [flatfooted]
Krey Bom 19
Kobold2 10 [flatfooted]
Jeff 5
Gauli Springwheather 4
Kobold1 3 [flatfooted]

((I'll give Thargol and Mexanis till morning to roll for initiative.))

[MeklorIlavator]

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(1d20)[10]
Ten characters

[Conners]

((Thargol is last to keep things going.))

A kobold fires its crossbow at Gauli's neck, not noticing Arianelle. Attack - (1d20+1)[16] Damage - (1d8)[3]
The bolt strikes deeply into the dwarf's shoulder, throwing him off balance. [3 points of damage. Make a balance check.]

Initiative:
Arianelle 22
Kobold3 20 [flatfooted]
Krey Bom 19
Mexanis Harik 10
Kobold2 10 [flatfooted]
Jeff 5
Gauli Springwheather 4
Kobold1 3 [flatfooted]
Thargol --

It is now Krey Bom's turn.

[Ulzgoroth]

As the inattentive kobold fires at the dwarf, Arianelle lunges at it and tries to get a hold.

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AoO touch attack: (1d20+1)[1](2)
grapple: (1d20+1)[4](5)
On success: (1d3+1)[4] nonlethal

At least I'm sucking up the bad rolls...

[Faithdreamer]

(1d20-4)[10] - Balance Check

[Conners]

((I've gotten an ear infection.... Very painful. I'll probably be even more sick in the morning, so I mightn't be posting very often.))

Arianelle starts to tackle the kobold before it fires at Gauli, but the first kobold she tried this with throws its crossbow at the cleric's head, hard. By the time she narrowly ducked out of the way, the kobold had already fired. The first kobold hisses a warning to its allies.
Gauli is slowed to a halt as he tips forward from the strength of the crossbow, but he keeps his balance. Still, the dwarf can feel the stinging pain of the bolt stuck in his shoulder. [Bolt-wound: You must succeed on a DC12 Fort save when performing activities that require your right arm (including attacks), or take a -1 penalty on the roll.]

Still Krey's Turn.

[Enlong]

Krey readies his quarterstaff again, and barks out to Jeff, urging him to attack the kobolds as he moves in. He dashes toward the one that fired the shot, and swings the head of his staff at it.

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free action to Handle Animal, attack, targeting the kobolds, move action to reach the kobold that fired at Gauli, and standard action to attack.

Handle Animal Roll [roll]1d20+8[/roll] (+4 ranks in Handle, +4 for link with the animal)
Attack Roll (1d20+4)[20]
Damage (1d4)[4]

[Enlong]

(Screwed up with the Handle ANimal Check, redoing)

(1d20+8)[9]

[Conners]

Waking down hard with your quarterstaff, you knock-out the kobold perfectly. Jeff, however, is distracted by a rabbit, and doesn't hear your command.

Initiative:
Arianelle 22
Kobold3 20 [flatfooted]
Krey Bom 19
Mexanis Harik 10
Kobold2 10 [flatfooted]
Jeff 5
Gauli Springwheather 4
Kobold1 3 [flatfooted]
Thargol --

It is now Mexanis Harik's turn.

[MeklorIlavator]

Mexanis looks at his dagger, remembering the ease with which the kobold disarmed him, and moves up to the closest tree, hoping to remain unnoticed by the kobolds.

[Conners]

Jeff pounces at the rabbit, chasing it gleefully.

Initiative:
Arianelle 22
Kobold3 20 [flatfooted]
Krey Bom 19
Mexanis Harik 10
Kobold2 10 [flatfooted]
Jeff 5
Gauli Springwheather 4
Kobold1 3 [flatfooted]
Thargol --

It is now Gauli's Springwheather's turn

[Faithdreamer]

Wounded and growling at the idea that some trigger happy lizard actually wanted to hurt him Gauli calmly glared at the little creature. His eyes suggested he really wasn't in the mood. "Aaaaaaaaargh!" He puffed up and screamed. "AaAaaaargh!" When he tried to move something screamed in protest, he couldn't understand what it was but it wasn't something good.

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Fortitude Save - (1d20+5)[14]

One of the others? His voice... that was him screaming like that!

[Faithdreamer]

"Grraaaaaaagh!" His arms was working again!
Walking forward like he was, eerily calm and angry they must have felt something. His hands came up with a purpose when he found the nearest Kobold that wasn't otherwise inconvenienced with unconsciousness or one of the others. As soon as he was near enough he tried to grab a hold of it, if he had the opportunity he'd strangle it to death!

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Grapple Check - (1d20+5)[16]

[Conners]

((Your grapple bonus is +3 rather than +5. If the 2 extra points were from a charge bonus, then you shouldn't have said "Walking forward".))

Gauli manages to grab the kobold, regardless of the its clubbing him with its crossbow. The lizardling struggles to escape the dwarf's grip, hissing draconic curses. Escape Artist - (1d20+1)[20] [Make an opposed grapple check.]

Gaariss brings everyone's attention to the distance, where dozens upon dozens of kobolds-- crossbow in hand --are searching in the party's direction -- trying to find the source of the dwarf's screaming.

Initiative:
Arianelle 22
Kobold3 20 [flatfooted]
Krey Bom 19
Mexanis Harik 10
Kobold2 10 [flatfooted]
Jeff 5
Gauli Springwheather 4
Kobold1 3 [flatfooted]
Thargol --

It is now Thargol's turn.

[Kioran]

Assuming battle stance, Thargol methodically moves forward in sweeping halfcricle steps, advancing on the nearest unoccupied Kobold and throwing kicks with foot and heel the Kobolds way.

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Move action to close with the enemy without dumping my AC, kick for Non-lethal damage.
Attack - (1d20+3)[11]
Damage - (1d6+3)[4]