(INC) The Bellows of War- Battle Thread!!

[paladin_artea]

Trelane's eyes widened in shock at the heated exchange between Kamoru and Alloishus but it seemed like she could handle herself in a verbal bout and he didn't want to annoy her further by jumping to her defense. He smirked in admiration of her realism and practicality, "Well if I was a child, this room would be a good hiding place and perhaps these barrels would be a good first step," he commented and went to each barrel one-by-one, knocking on them to see if either there was a reply, or a sign that there was something in them besides grain for the animals...

Perception Check:

(1d20+10)[30]

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Billy moved around the room quietly as the arguing began, stoically looking around, his eyes moving from place to place. He walked the distance of the room, from length to width and width to length.

"Your highness. Respectfully, you are making yourself out to be a poor leader. Upsetting our comrade in the process. As a member of the royal line, you have your opinion, and it is not always going to align with others. But you must learn when you are speaking, that your words carry more weight. Hope Alloishus. Hope is what we need, even in the darkest night, a single spark, please. Do not crush the hope that others hold. It makes yourself out to be ruthless. "

He begins to kick up even more dirt in the air.

"Now. All of you. Look to the air. Watch the dirt fly... watch as it settle. But then look closer.... watch as the air flows... the dirt moves as a battle does. Comrades, look up and find me along the walls, where the dirt moves, and it shouldnt. That is where we will find the hidden ones."

He points his spear down the length of the Barn.

"Focus on the walls that run the length. "

[paladin_artea]

Trelane knocked on a few barrels but they seemed to only have feed in there, but he heard Billy's oddly-worded suggestion to check for where the dust tends to migrate and finds that the barrels are blocking the rest of the room and moves a few of them to check the area behind, "Anyone here?" he ventured a guess that this could be the children's hiding spot...

[EdgeGrinder]

Alloishus turned to Billy with a disheartened look. "You are right. I was in the wrong. It was not my intention to make her feel unimportant and dismissed. I shall seek amends with her, however..." He smiled. "The wolf bore her fangs."

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

Osman sees Trelane lugging barrels and says Perhaps one of the smaller folk could go over the top? then he looks around noticing that Komoru has stormed off and looks to Al.

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Billy raised an eyebrow at the prince.

"Fault not he wolf for eating sheep, for it is his nature, fault the Shepard for ignoring his flock. "

He moves around continuing the look along the length of the barn interior.

"If you are truly to be a Royal, you must rise above the impulses of the common. Be regal, let that be your guide, do not let your impulses control you. Now... My noble prince, lets keep the flame of hope alive, and find these children. "

[EdgeGrinder]

"Very well. I shall go fetch the campfire kit from the wagon." Alloishus nodded.

He walked out of the barn and back towards the wagon.

"Prince is just a title the humans gave me, you know." He muttered to his familiar.

[Wolfykins]

Kamoru wandered around the edge of the woods, unable to find anything she could actually catch and kill barehanded. She balled up her fists and feinted at a tree, finally just picking up a stick and snapping it in half out of sheer frustration. If I could shift, I could probably take out a deer, but explaining the marks on it would be impossible. I can't even use my claws to field dress it because they'd ask how I did it when I don't have a knife! She picked up another stick and snapped it in half as well. Then she sighed and pressed her forehead against her arm with her arm across the tree. It's no wonder that stupid elf talked to me like that. What have I even done? I dove headfirst into mud to save someone who didn't need help, then I wasn't fast enough to help with any of the combat in the house, tracking the kids was mostly a dead end, and now I can't even find wild game I could take on without giving myself away? I feel so useless! Kamoru felt the anger swirling inside her, and she remembered what she'd been taught. Uncontrolled anger was dangerous. Rage caused mistakes.
She pushed off from the tree and dropped to the ground, sitting cross-legged. She put her hands on her knees and closed her eyes. She focused on her breathing, inhaling and exhaling on counts of three. Slowly, softly, she murmured the monk mantra her "uncle" Gin had taught her. She envisioned the anger within her as a snake. In her mind's eye, she caught the snake by the head and put it in a basket, where it was out of the way and not a threat to her, but could be summoned when she needed its strength. She imagined her body going from red, to purple, to blue. For a moment, the wind in the trees rang like ocean waves in her ears. Though she'd only been to the beach once, she always remembered the sound of the waves, and they made her feel calm.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and blinked as she readjusted to the light.
She pushed herself to her feet and walked back towards where she'd last seen Niyolaku before sending him out to hunt.

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

Kamoru finds Niyolaku waiting for her, sitting on his hauches, ears on point, and a large rabbit clenched in his jaws.

Trelane moves several barrels only to reveal a large stack of sacks behind them.

[EdgeGrinder]

Alloishus continued to the wagon.

"My family is important in Lilygrove, but we're..." Alloishus stopped speaking as he arrived at the wagon. It and the donkeys were half buried on solidified dirt.

"Oh my!" He shrieked. He immediately pat the heads of the beasts of burden. "Just relax my handsome friends and be calm." He said as he pet the exhausted donkeys.

Alloishus cast Detect Magic and focused on the ground. He knew Soften Soil and Rock was used but needed to know how long ago. If after their defeat of the Duergar, then someone else was here, but alas, there was practically no lingering aura and he suspected the donkeys were struck the same time they were.

He grabbed the cooking kit and ran back to the barn.

"Friends, the wagon, carriage, and donkeys are half buried in the ground!" He told them.

[Wolfykins]

Kamoru arrived with rabbit in hand and wolf at her heels just in time to hear what Al said. She stopped short, eyes widening. Then she sighed and rubbed her forehead with the hand not holding the dead rabbit.
"That sounds like it's going to take time to undo. The animals take priority, obviously. They need to be freed so they can eat and drink. We can take our time with the wagon and carriage if we need to. Figures, though. I think a shovel might actually be the only thing I didn't bring! There are hammers and pitons in the dungeoneering and spelunking kits though... I suppose those could be used to break up the dirt to make it a little easier."

She held up the rabbit and said, "Niyolaku got a decent sized rabbit, but I don't carry a knife. Someone who does should dress it and cut it into pieces. It's not really big enough to feed everyone outright, but we can make a stew to supplement our rations, and hopefully get the attention of hungry children."

[EdgeGrinder]

"Excellent catch." Alloishus remarked meekly.

"About digging the donkeys out, what about the Duergar armor? Did someone say it helps with tunneling?" Alloishus asked turning to Osman and Hanar.

[paladin_artea]

Trelane sighed when he moved the barrels to only be further hindered by the grain sacks, but then released a frustrated sigh at Aloishus's announcement. He returned to the others as they were discussing their options, "Well I do have some decent knives, I can work on the food at least, and Prince Al is right about the armor if I recall. It's a little too heavy for me to use. Can anyone else give it a try?"

[Wolfykins]

Kamoru handed Trelane the rabbit and shrugged apologetically. "If it's too heavy for you, it's probably too heavy for me. But I can probably control the donkeys while they're being dug out, and I can check them for injuries once they're free. I have a veterinarian kit in the wagon. Hm, actually, I probably need to take a look at Niyolaku when I do that. He did get bitten by that mud wolf before..."

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Billy Speaks up.

"I can wear it. Ill put it on and see if I can get them out. While you two..."

He points to Kamoru and Al

"Take a look along the length of the walls of the barn. the children may be hiding in a false wall there. "

He picked them, in order to give Al a chance to appologize privately. He moves to retrieve the armor and try on the armor, trading out his own, in order to try the armor on getting the animals out.

[Wolfykins]

Kamoru looked dubious, "Alright, if you think that'll help..." she said with another shrug. She moved along one wall of the barn, running her fingers across the wood and studying it for gaps or cracks or any other indication of a hidden door. Perception: (1d20+14)[19]

[EdgeGrinder]

"Very well." Alloishus said as he began investigating the walls. Vivian followed his lead.

He cleared his throat. "Kamoru, I am sorry for being a rock headed jerked and belittling you."

Al's perception
(1d20+6)[26]

Viv's perception
(1d20+16)[28]

[Wolfykins]

Kamoru stopped short, stiffening in surprise. She slowly turned to look at Alloishus, expression impassive. "I shouldn't have lost my temper; it flies in the face of my training," she admitted flatly, "so for that I will apologize as well." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the elf. "But why are you sorry now? Do you think Kamyol and I never noticed the little digs and jabs on the journey to Goldenrod? You've been pretty consistent in your attempts to get a rise out of us--and even more so out of me--so why are you sorry that you actually succeeded?" She tilted her head slightly to the side and regarded him with puzzlement.

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Billy Puts on the armor and with little to no effort he digs around the donkey and wagon, then provides a ramp for them to walk out of the small hole they are in. He walks around and strips the armor and weapon off of the Ifrit, suspecting a material with special properties before heading back to the barn.

[EdgeGrinder]

Alloishus looked to Kamoru with admiration. "From the moment we first met on the road, I saw a fire in you. A fire you hide from others. I just wanted to fan the flames a little, but I lost control of myself. I'm not a very good elf, but anyway, I did not want to snuff out those flames."

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

Kamoru, Aloishus, and Vivan spend several minutes scouring the northern wall looking for additional doors or passages with no luck.

Trelane dresses and prepares the rabbit with relative ease though the pelt was ruined in the process.

Billy begins to feel ill as he returns to the barn.

[EdgeGrinder]

Finding nothing Alloishus looked at the barrels and the space behind them. "Vivian, check behind the barrels please." Alloishus asked. Vivian flew off in search of the space.

Vivian's perception
(1d20+16)[26]

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Billy throws down a suit of black and green armor, and matching weapon as he comes in, falls to his hands and knees and throws up a little sick, his purple skin looking a few shades lighter.

He slowly pulls back up to his feet, wiping the sick from his mouth.

"ugh... "

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

Vivian flies up and over the feed and into the dark spaces beyond. Only tiny pinpricks of light leak through the wall. All she sees is a pile of empty feed sacks and some old tools. She tweets back

Spoiler: Al

Show

It's very dark back here. Not much to see.

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

For the next (1d4)[3] hours, Billy will feel ill.

[Wolfykins]

"Whoa!" Kamoru hurried over to Billy's side. "What happened?! You don't look so good!" She laid a hand comfortingly on his shoulder and studied him with concern. "Let's see if I can do something about that," she said, pulling a healer's kit out of her backpack.
Heal check with +2 circumstance bonus from kit: (1d20+10)[30]

[EdgeGrinder]

Alloishus cast Light on some barrels as a reply. Then noticed Billy. He rushed to his side. "BILLY!"

[Wolfykins]

Kamoru looked up at Alloishus as he approached, her expression concerned. She looked back at Billy. "Good news and bad news, I suppose," she said gently. "Bad news is, something is poisoning you. Good news is, it's not fatal or even really dangerous, just uncomfortable." She chewed her lip and gently patted his shoulder. "You were fine until you put on that duergar armor, so that seems like a likely culprit, unless you encountered something else between then and now that might've done it."

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

Vivian circles then flies down to the corner of the pile of empty feed sacks. She begins to peck and pull on the corner a bit then flies back to the group. Lighting on Al's shoulder she tweets

Spoiler: Al

Show

There is definitely something under the empty sacks back there. But I'm too small to move them to get a better look.

[EdgeGrinder]

Alloishus relaxed a little and looked back at the barrels. "We have some rearranging to do." He said as he tried to move the barrels to make a pathway. "A little help? Perhaps a tool to move them with?" He asked.