Othniel's Ironfang Invasion I

[Nefarion Xid]

"That should do it," Septimus said wryly while moving to quickly despoil the bodies (and grimly scan the human corpses with detect magic). Once he'd shoved a few things into pack, he snapped his fingers and began jogging towards the copse of trees on the far side of the river. "Veric, with me. Lirosa, Taidel, post up on the far side of the bridge and cover the elves!"

[Othniel]

Phaendar Bridge

The half-elves moved to comply, holding tightly to their bows as they took up sentry positions. Beyond the bridge some 300 feet lay the eaves of the Fangwood Forest. "There, on the edge of the treeline!" Taidel pointed out something in the distance. Stepping out of a tree's shadow was Torin, grim look quickly replaced by relief. "Saw the fire on the bridge and feared the worst. Glad you boys are safe. Did you get anyone else out?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Septimus IDs the Oak Wand as a Wand of CLW (21 charges). Aidan identifies the potions as 3 x CLW and 1 X Endure Elements.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Several tense seconds went by as Torg stared down the wolf. Body language was key; Torg made pains not to bare his teeth, turn his back, or make any startling motions. He had to show strength enough that he would not be considered prey, but not be so dominant as to challenge the wolf's aspirations towards alpha status.

He retrieved a piece of jerky from his pack, and offered it to the beast. As the wolf ate the morsel, he ran a hand through the fur on the side of its neck. It was strong. Historied, no doubt. It could make a potent ally. Torg had learned much from his mentors; indeed, interaction with animals was easier for him than people. Even as the magic of the scroll wore off, he felt the wolf trusted him. Nevertheless, he encouraged everyone else to keep their distance.

"The wolf and I have come to an understanding, but that doesn't mean he won't treat the rest of you as a threat. Give'em plenty of space."

Spoiler: OOC

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Torg will take 10 on Handle Animal, getting him a 13, which is enough to beat the DC if the animal is trained to a task. He will see if the wolf knows 'follow' or 'heel,' and see if he can get the wolf to follow him.

What's the wolf's gender?

[PepperP.]

Veric

The tight knot of anxiety that had gripped Veric since their party had split from his parents finally loosened as his father stepped out of the treeline.

"Pa!" The relief was plain on his face even as it remained dour.

"Yeah, we found this pair and Ulva's brother. A few others. The hobs took Rhyna to the town center. I don't know why. We didn't go after her." He rubbed the side of his face with the palm of his hand.

"I... I don't think we can help her." His voice was grim and full of guilt.

[TheDarkDM]

Aidan

Waving away the smoke rising from the barbequed hobgoblin, Aidan began pulling reagents from his pack. Oreld's stump-remover was a primitive device, but as he balanced the nitrate compound he could not help but admit it would likely be effective. Nestling the components against the bridge's keystone as he worked, he called out into the night.

"If you have any final souvenirs to grab, you'd better get to it quickly."

Once the rest of the group had withdrawn across the river, Aidan lit the fuse.

And ran.

[Jade_Tarem]

Jocasa

The other elf quickly extricated herself from the crane - she didn't know what she'd been thinking, honestly. Pausing only to snatch up a few valuables as she made her way past Aidan's position, she waved at those behind her to hurry. "Come on! Less bustle, more hustle!"

[Nefarion Xid]

Septimus gave his aunt another hug before falling backwards against a tree with a heavy sigh. He closed his eyes. "We did all we could, Veric. Don't beat yourself up. It was a miracle we weren't spotted by their main force.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Torg did his best to encourage the wolf to follow him across the bridge. A male, lean and mean. It was time to remind it where it came from, to free it from the shackles of servitude to the hobgoblins.
"Come! Come! Back to the wild! Back to the trees!"

As he ran alongside the beast, he turned to look back at the bridge. Aidan was setting the fuse. Some small part of him was sad to see fine stonework undone. But Torg was a druid now. A louder voice in his head spoke triumphantly:
A flash of fire, and the river will return to the way it was. Back to nature. Back to the wild.

[PepperP.]

Veric

Veric crossed his arms defensively as his cousin spoke.

"I know that. It just doesn't make it better, is all." He straightened as several figures came running towards them across the bridge.

"Let's get moving, the bridge is about to blow." His voice carried the urgency of yet another adrenaline surge as urged the party into the woods, silently he wondered how long they would be able to push themselves before stopping for the night. He was already mentally and physically exhausted but thankfully his body's natural flight response was spurring him on through the fatigue.

[Othniel]

Fangwood Forest, Outskirts

The deafening sound of exploding masonry pierced the night, momentarily drowning out the sounds of all else. Even the sounds of slaughter and rapine from the center of Phaendar had ceased. The refugees stood between the forest and the Marideth river, taking one last, long look at their home. A ceiling of smoke hung over the city, reflecting the orange glow from burning houses. Ash drifted in the air like falling snow. The screams of townsfolk had died away, leaving an eerie silence broken now and then by the howling of wolves or the harsh tones of the Goblin tongue. Bodies lay in the streets, sprawled in pools of blood where they fell. It seems everyone else in town was likely imprisoned or dead except for the hobgoblin invaders. Phaendar had fallen.

The wolf kept pace with Torg until they reached the forest eaves. There it paused, glancing between the bridge where its master had fallen and the darkened depths of the forest. Finally, it looked at Torg and whined.

Now that they were safe on the north side of the river, the band of refugees had begun talking amongst themselves. There seemed to a general thought of what should come next, though each had his or her own idea of how to go about it. Nearly all agreed that they should make hast to get as far from Phaendar as possible, for once the hobgoblins managed a new crossing over the Marideth, there would be hot pursuit. Some talked of making for Tamran, but Aubrin pointed out that the city was 150 miles away over rough, bandit-haunted road and forest.

"The hobs'll leave eventually," said one. "Invaders always do. They come, they burn and kill, and they leave. It is the way of things. The forest will sustain us, as it always has. There's plenty of game and other food in the forest to sustain us until winter when they're likely to leave, and if we can fashion some tents, we could even stick that out, I warrant."

"Not this time," said another. "This time's different. We're gonna have to fight this one out."

"He's right," Torin put in. "We've seen Molthuni invasions before, and this is nothing like that. And did you see that tower that came out of nowhere? How in the Hells did that get there, I'd like to know." The elder Reid was standing next to Aubrin, gripping the longsword he'd appropriated from a fallen hobgoblin. "I say we head into the forest and make camp for the night. We've enough supplies to make it until dawn, and there's nothing the hobs can do to us now until they send a force up or down the river, cross, and back here. And that's a fifty-mile journey either way. I figure we've at least a day before we see any pursuit from town. We don't want to stick close to town though, in case they left forces on this side."

Several of the villagers shifted uneasily at this, sharing concerned looks. That unpleasant thought hadn't occurred to them until now.

Aubrin leaned heavily on her staff, and her face was haggard and pale. Neither she nor Torin mentioned what they'd had to do to get the other villagers safely across the bridge, but Aubrin had expended the last of her healing and spell reserves and appeared ready to drop. "We cannot go far tonight though," said the Ranger, her voice nearly a whisper. "I'm exhausted and likely not the only one. Most of us can't see well in the darkness anyway. I think we should get in under the trees as far as we may in an hour or two of walking and then pitch camp. We don't want to get so far in unprepared anyway; there are other dangers than hobgoblins to contend with, and it gets worse the further in we go. And some will have to stand guard in shifts."

"Make no mistake though," Aubrin continued. She raised her voice and some strength crept back in as her brown eyes kindled like coals. "We'd best prepare for a prolonged engagement. I'd like to try finding the Chernesardo Rangers and linking up with them, but in the meantime we're on our own. Those hobs took our homes and killed or captured our friends, and while it may take us time to train ourselves in battle, we're going to make them know that they invaded the wrong damn town!"

[Nefarion Xid]

Septimus had spent the last few minutes magically removing the ash and sweat he'd accrued while playing hero. As Aubrin's speech grew impassioned, he stared daggers at the woman and began gritting his perfect teeth.

"Yes, just as soon as the little ones are old enough to pull a bow, the thirty of us will be quite the fighting force," he said scooping up a fallen branch and infused it with dazzling white light. "Another five years and we'll be ready to raze Hell."

"We have children with us, Aubrin. I'm all in favor of fighting, but we need to get the children and the elderly to Tamran. And I can promise we'll fair better against highwaymen than an army of hobgoblins! Besides, the other settlements along the Marideth need to know what happened. If they're smart, they'll pack up and follow us. Once we've gotten word to Weslen Gavirk, then we can formulate a plan."

Spoiler: Diplomacy

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(1d20+14)[17]

[Jade_Tarem]

"We absolutely don't need to be dragging the kids into this, Aubrin." Jo nodded in agreement with the sorcerer. "If there are full hobgoblin patrols between us and Tamran, that's one thing, but we can handle the bandits."

Spoiler: OOC

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Trying her own diplomacy: (1d20+7)[9]

[TheDarkDM]

Aidan

Withdrawing after the mass of refugees had crossed the bridge, Aidan stood away from the throng as he watched the explosion. The shudder in the ground raced through him, and the elf could only shudder in delight. Watching the aftermath, Aidan's eyes glowed adly in reflected firelight, and his wide grin revealed teeth grown alarmingly sharp from his odd transformation. It was some moments before he turned away from the tableau of slaughter, only to come upon the group as Septimus made his own entreaty. Hearing it, Aidan could only laugh.

"You wish to deprive us of our one advantage on a mad scramble across hostile country? Far be it for me to keep you from trying to kill these people a third time, boy, but I do not intend to flee with my tail between my legs."

Rather than await a response, he seemed to dismiss Septimus entirely, moving past the sorcerer to stand alongside Torg. Gazing deep into the shadows of the Fangwood, he nodded to the druid.

"Can you obscure our trail, master dwarf? I would prefer to leave no trace if it can be helped."

[Othniel]

Fangwood Forest, Outskirts

"You're likely the oldest one here," Aubrin wryly pointed out to Jocasa. "Or your brother. Then there's Veric's folks and the Vansiches, and I'm guessing I'm the next oldest after that. That doesn't leave much for the elderly, though I swear some days I move like it. Still, I take your point about the children to heart. Unfortunate that we could only save the four." She glanced at Ulva's siblings who were clustered together around their parents.

Adolf looked up as Aubrin spoke, interjecting before the Ranger could continue. "I won't be sent away. I won't!" He clenched his fists and looked at his father. "I can help. I'm almost grown, and I'm real good at smith work." He was followed by a trio of younger voices, each raising objection to being sent away and declaring their usefulness in varying degrees.

"What I am trying to say," Aubrin cut in again, silencing the children with a look, "Is what Aidan just said." Her voice softened slightly and took on a conciliatory tone. "I believe I mentioned earlier that we should link up with the Chernasardo Rangers. As you know, I was counted among their number for a short time, and I believe they can help us better than anyone else. They may be our only source of succor between Phaendar and Tamran. I know that there was a redoubt in this area of the forest where they were wont to go from time to time. Even if there aren't any rangers there, they may have left supplies for further use. It's one of their ways, you see: hiding caches of equipment or resources for quick retrieval later. But I can't find it at night, and it has been some years. It would help to get the lay of the land and locate some geographical features so that I may orient ourselves. Only then can I direct you properly."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Torg was not intimidated by the forest at night; he was better suited to the dark than most of the people present. He glanced up at Aidan, crossed his arms, and furrowed his brow.
"...Even a druid far more experienced than I would have trouble hiding the trail of all these people. I could disappear myself without a trace, but fear not; I won't be leaving these folks."
He turns to address the key players in the larger group.
"Can't say if any other members of my circle are about, or if they would lend a hand. Nature is fair, but merciless. The rules are laid out for every creature, but in the end only the strong survive. Any druid we encounter would be in the right to cast aside the sick, injured, or enfeebled, and let nature take its course. These refugees are 'civilized' folk, technically. They cast their lot with the plowshare, which marks them to the harsher souls of my faith.
But where some might see a wounded animal fit for the vulture-dance, I see a seed. We need safe, fertile ground to plant it, but it'll grow into something useful. The Ironfang's are no friend to the forest, and I'll gladly cultivate any weapon I can bring to bear against'em.
I'll do what I can to help us get by in the wild. I'm just one dwarf, but I'm just at home in the woods as I am underground. We should get moving. I'll take up the vanguard, let these dwarf eyes pierce the shadows."

[PepperP.]

Veric

Veric rubbed his chin wearily as the others argued their course of action, bristling at Aidan's condescending boy at Septimus. He remained silent as the former ranger and Dwarf spoke their piece before he chimed in,

"We could only go as fast as our slowest party member." His eyes went to Aubrin and the children.

"We would be lucky to reach Tamran in eight days by the road. IF we are not beset by bandits. And even that would be a hard press for Aubrin and the children. A hard press. If we went by backcountry to avoid the road, it would take even longer. And don't forget we would still need to hunt and gather food every day, and make shelter. I say we find the Ranger's stash and go from there." He turned to the Dwarf,

"My eyes are useless at night, but in the light of day I'm a fair tracker and familiar with these woods. I say we put a couple of hours between us and town, then bed down for the night and start looking for the cache." He crossed his arms, doubtful he'd be getting any sleep tonight despite his exhaustion.

[Jade_Tarem]

Hearing Torg's speech, Jocasa's eyes narrowed and her glare intensified as the dwarf went on, even missing what Veric added. "So... are you on our side or not, druid? Not sure I want to trust my back to a dwarf who thinks it'd be okay to toss aside sick and injured allies. No one is strong all the time - that's the benefit that pack animals and plant colonies buy into, right? So clearly helping each other out isn't a sin against nature." She clasped her hands at the small of her back and started to pace with a long, rangy stride. Clearly agitated, it set her purloined new sword bouncing and swaying at her hip. "I think Aidan and I should take lookout and watch for those helpful buddies of yours. It'd be nice to have some warning if we're about to get naturally selected to death. Maybe we could explain to them that the kids didn't actually cast their lot in with the plowshare or choose to be born in the path of the Ironfang."

[Nefarion Xid]

Septimus fumed, shooting a hand in Aidan's direction. Rather than forming the sigil of a spell like he'd intended, he simply made a fist and shook it impotently then extended his middle finger.

"If we're going to traipse around the forest at night," he interjected before anyone could reply to Jo, "Someone at least give me some alcohol and something sweet. Nature may be "fair", but the Fey sure aren't. If we give them an offering, they may treat us kindly instead of stealing from us or worse."

[TheDarkDM]

Aidan

Seeming to hear Septimus again, Aidan turned.

"A fine idea, Septimus. Our cabin is nearby - we may well be able to find an offering and some other provisions before we venture into the forest."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Torg frowns and lets out a small sigh at Jocasa's misgivings. He pets the wolf's head as he responds, his voice soft.
"Hmm... then you misunderstand me, Jo. I'm not much for words. All I'm saying is we can't expect help from others of my circle. Perhaps I'm wrong. But the forest doesn't care about us. Never forget that.
Of course, if we are wise, the forest will provide everything we need. We just need the eyes to see it. Green eyes. Between me and Veric, we've got a chance."

[PepperP.]

Veric

He wasn't sure if the dwarf's confidence in his abilities made him feel better or worse, though he empathized with Torg's communication struggles. Veric was also not known for his oratory prowess. Regardless, there was no time to continue bickering.

"Aidan, Jo. It's your cabin, lead the way if you would." He gestured in the vague direction he could remember stumbling upon their small cabin while spending time in the woods.

[Othniel]

Fangwood Forest, Outskirts

They didn't have far to go, as the cabin the Kael siblings called home was just a short walk to the northwest along the eaves of the forest. When they got there, they found the lock broken and the door forced in. The cabin had been tossed, whether by hobgoblins, fleeing villagers from Phaendar, or other unknown opportunists it was impossible to tell. Some quick searching on the part of its owners turned up a few useful supplies, however, making the effort worthwhile in the end.

Spoiler: OOC

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You recover 3 provision points' worth of supplies.

[Jade_Tarem]

Jocasa

"Bloody cheek!" The elf exclaimed when she saw the state of her home. "Kining, I want a refund for that lock." Jocasa at least had the decency not to complain about picking through the ruins now, thus avoiding winning the hypocrite of the year award.

[Othniel]

Fangwood Forest, Kael Cabin

"I'll write you an IOU," muttered the dwarf who'd stepped up to examine the break-in. "I'm fresh outta coin, and you lot took what was salvageable from my shop."

"I trust you'll be using those supplies to keep us alive," she added under her breath.

Spoiler: Veric

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You notice three pair of footprints leading to the door. They appear to have been made from heavy iron-shod feet, and you are dead certain that they match the hobgoblin footprints you've seen all over Phaendar this evening.

[Jade_Tarem]

"I'd love an IOU! We're running low on things to wipe with." Jocasa examined the wreckage of the cabin she shared with her brother and shuddered at the state of things - cookware missing or cast aside, linens shredded, anything shiny gone or pried up. Even the contents of their individual drawers had been upended. "Ugh. Somehow this is worse than when everything was on fire. Now that there's time to think, I keep picturing a pack of Phaendar refugees or hobgoblins going through my stuff."

[PepperP.]

Veric

Veric stepped into the ransacked cabin and grimaced at the destruction.

"It was definitely hobs, three of them. I'd know those tracks anywhere. There might still be some on this side of the river."

[Othniel]

Fangwood Forest, Day 1 in the Forest

Once the party had retrieved what they could and made some distance into the forest, they bedded down for a fitful night's sleep. Morning came, and the night sentries reported no disturbances. When the villagers realized that they had not been ambushed, a slight sense of relief settled upon them, and some of the fear left their eyes. They were still in the wild wood with little provision and an army across the river behind them, but circumstances at least allowed for a pause to decide on a course of action.

Torin roused the party and attempted to gather everyone together. "So, now that we've had a night's rest and have a moment to stop and think, what say we settle on a course of action?"

Spoiler: Veric

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You hear the sound of something moving swiftly through the brush directly toward your make-shift camp.

Spoiler: Torg

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By working with the wolf, you are able to determine that it knows the following tricks: Attack All (Attack x2), come, defend, down, guard, heel, and track. This includes the bonus tricks from being a former animal companion.

[PepperP.]

Veric

He was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes as his father implored them to formulate their plans. The sudden noise of an unseen entity moving swiftly towards them put him on high alert and he pointed in the direction that he heard the approach.

"Something's coming towards us! To arms!" He barked urgently as he stepped forward to put himself between whatever it was and the townsfolk.

[TheDarkDM]

Aidan

The sight of their cabin despoiled had seemingly had little effect on the elven alchemist, who had gone about retrieving what remained of his possessions with silent efficiency. He had spent years actively avoiding becoming attached to Phaendar and its people, and that distance was increasingly proving to be a boon. Most importantly, he was able to recover his papers from the woodshed behind the cabin - anatomical diagrams, it seemed, were of little interest to the invaders.

Passing the night in silence, Aidan had long risen from his meditation and finishing up his daily routine of alchemical craft when Veric sounded the alarm. Rolling his eyes at the ranger's enthusiasm, he hefted his bandoleer over his head and moved to where Veric stood.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Torg stood a few hours on watch during the night, his dark vision showing a black-and-white world without color. In the morning, he found a quiet place in the forest away from everyone else to pray.

We've many mouths to feed. Nature's bounty can provide all they need. Let me serve as an extension of the berry patch, let my hands be the font that pours forth clean spring water. We take no more than we need to survive.

His oblations finished, Torg felt refreshed, and somehow stronger, wiser. He picked a number of berries, infusing them with life-giving energy. Any who needed healing and a day's worth of food were given one of the berries, the priority going to those with true injuries.

He also could create water, providing for anyone who needed a clean drink, or even some water to wash away blood, soot, and dirt.

There were still many people to attend to, when Veric sounded an alarm. Torg pulled out his newly-acquired scimitar, testing the balance.

Spoiler: OOC

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Torg prepared Goodberry twice today. He thus makes (4d4)[9] berries. Each one is a full day's nutrition; anyone injured in need of a meal should eat one, both for a day's worth of food and to heal 1 hp.

He also prepared Create Water, so we have infinite clean drinking water.

He also has Purify Food and Drink prepared, so if we run across any tainted food sources, he can make them safe to eat.