The Lands of Sanetch - Alpha

[iop]

Lócë tenses as he hears a noise from behind, but he relaxes as he realizes that it is Raël. He motions Raël to approach, but not to go further. With Raël next to him, Lócë closes his eyes. He moves his hands and speaks the magical words that allow him to see what normal eyes cannot. He concentrates for a quarter of a minute, frowns, and then he opens his eyes, which give off a faint glow. He immediately closes his eyes again. He carefully opens them again, avoiding looking at the wall, or the sides of the path. Like a wall of magic, an incredibly strong aura marks the boundary between the path and the forest. The strength of the aura is blinding, only straight ahead, where the stone wall enclosing the clearing has completely collapsed, the aura is a little weaker. The darker patch is shaped like the shadow of a humanoid. The spell is far beyond Lócë’s powers, and he does not even know the school it could belong to based on the aura. From its shape, it is likely to be some kind of protective spell. Lócë is unable to sense anything beyond the wall.
Investigating the corpse, Lócë is more in his element. He notices a lingering aura of a transmutation spell all over the corpse, and a moderate aura of evocation coming from the wound in the belly. He cannot think of a spell that would cause this, but he realizes that this spells TRAP in capital letters. The hobgoblins wore several magic items. Boots, that give off a faint transmutation aura (probably boots of springing and striding), the dagger, whose aura Lócë can’t place, a scroll case that is obviously protected against all kinds of things, a ring with a faint illusion aura and one with a faint deflection aura (probably a ring of protection). Also, there is the bag from which the hobgoblin pulled the animals. It gives off the expected aura of conjuration, which would make it a bag of tricks, but somehow, there also seems to be an aura of evocation over it, and maybe a third aura.
Finally, the leather armor the hobgoblin wore gives off an aura of abjuration. It is looks like the hobgoblin has worn a backpack, but all the other auras make it impossible to detect what lies under the blackened corpse. There is also a lingering aura of divination around the shards of the talking sphere, but it is disappearing fast.

Raël uses the time Lócë spends concentrating on his spell looking at the walls and the body. Both seem somehow familiar. Digging in his memory, he finally recalls that it used to be fashionable among certain groups of wood elves to have dwarves build sturdy stone houses in the forest, instead of the more traditional dwellings. One argument had been that trees should not be killed if not absolutely necessary. The "tree-huggers", as they had been called, did not find many followers, and their association with the dwarves made them suspect to some of their own kin. Raël nods. These structures could not be anything but such houses, he was sure of it. His thoughts wander back to building 101. He is actually lucky to remember the fact about the houses, he muses. Fortunately, the teacher told some good stories - such as the one about the tree-huggers - so that not all of the lessons were spent daydreaming about that girl. Oh, and how he had been annoyed when that other elven guy, whatever his name, had tried to impress her with how much he knew about the bad and the forbidden. For example, when he bragged about holding the "sweet kiss of death" in his hand, and contemplating where he would want to be found to kill whoever was rushing to his body.
Wait! The suicide pill! Yes, that may fit. Raël carefully approaches the dead hobgoblin, and bends over it, making sure not to touch it. There is definitely a sweetish smell hovering over the corpse. Raël smiles. He would never have thought that building 101 would once be so useful. He knew now what these ruins meant, and how the hobgoblin may have died, and that the corpse was a trap. But then, one rarely knows ahead of time what parts of a class are going to be useful later on.
~~~

Marius' thoughts abruptly snap back into focus, as the body of the female elf convulses. Caught by surprise, he whirls around, only to stare into wide open eyes. The elf grabs him by his shoulders, and her nails dig painfully into his neck where the leafweave does not protect him. Then she starts screaming in terror.

As Hector hesitates for an instant whether to abandon his post, he hears the hobgoblin again.
"Epar, is that you? Abort right now! You need to get out of here. The fight has been lost and the elves will be here any moment!"
At these words he comes into sight. The hobgoblin is bleeding from several wounds, but his movements do not seem to be impaired. Also, there is still blood flaking from his axe.

[ooc]

Spoiler

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Raël can see what Lócë sees.
Hector's hobgoblin is 30 feet away, still running toward him.

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Clenching his teeth as he feels the nails of the elven female dig into the flesh of his neck after having turned towards her in surprise, Marius tries to focus nevertheless. His eyes look into her wide open eyes and he tries to force his own facial expression towards a kind and comforting stance. "Do not be afraid, you are in good hands. We mean no harm, truly. Please, stop screaming and with.. the nails.." He utters the last as his hands rise up towards her own arms, trying to push them a bit away from him to get rid of the painful nails.

[Job]

Hector

Hector’s temper flairs at the sight of the hobgoblin, and readies to charge, but his anger is soon replaced by desperation and confusion when a wave of divine insight strikes him. Telling him to stand his ground and stopping him in his tracks.

Unable to advance, Hector tries to spot Marius through the fog and assess his condition, but will not move should the hobgoblin approach the gap.

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

Raël glances over at Loce, and says quietly, "Don't touch him. I think you already know, but there's a trap on this poor corpse. Do you have any spells that might disrupt it, or let you know what it is? If we can't fleece this hobgoblin, do we really have to? Well, if worst comes to worst, I'll discharge it, and we'll deal with the consequences."

He looks over at Loce. "You are all right, correct? Do you see anything worth mentioning around us? Once we're done here, we should probably get back to the others, there was an enemy approaching when I left to get you."

HP: 56/56 (9 extra from Aura); AC: 21, Touch: 17, Flat-footed: 19; Auras: Master of Tactics (+3 on rolls while flanking), Motivate Endurance (+3 con based checks, +9 HP), Motivate Care (+2 AC);Maneuvers Readied: Battle Leader's Charge, Vanguard Strike, Revitalizing Strike; Stance: Tactics of the Wolf; Other: 2 pts Str dmg from poison, 8/15 Rounds Fast Healing 1

[iop]

Only with great force, and not without leaving some skin under the elf's fingernails is Marius able to get her hands off his neck. He keeps on talking to her while he frees himself, sweet, soothing words, calmly spoken despite the sweat that starts to form pearls on his brow. As she looks at her hands, she seems puzzled, then looks at Marius, as if she was finally able to see his face. Hear breathing is still too fast, but Marius knows that he is starting to get the upper hand over her fears.
Then, someone calls out from the other side of the wall, the same place from which Marius has seen the execution of the elves earlier. Marius and the elf turn their heads, and stare at the startled face of a hobgoblin. The elf starts screaming again and tries to run away, but her legs fold like paper beneath her, and she falls over Marius, making the baby cry.

~~~

As he shifts back into the fog for cover, Hector sees the hobgoblin slow down. "Epar? What is going on here? Where did this fog come from?" says the hobgoblin in bewilderment. He walks a bit closer, and then, like Marius before him, heads for the place where the debris of the wall form almost steps. "Maglubyet's testes. What happened here? Was everything in vain?" he exclaims, his voice almost failing him, as he peeks over the wall toward Marius and the elf. Then he straightens his back, and brings up his bow.
At this instant, Hector feels a wave of relief, as if he has been released from invisible bonds.

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Letting out an "Oof" as the elf falls over him, Marius makes an attempt to keep his balance, yet he was never accustomed to letting his muscles flex. With the baby still in his hands and, in fact, surprised by the whole motion of the elf, Marius sees his surroundings take quite the different angle when his balance is lost and he falls to the ground. Gritting his teeth as he falls down, Marius has ample time to make a sound plan, so he is busy enough with trying to get the elf off of him and lay her down on the ground next to him. As he does that, he tries to make sure the baby is not laying in a bad manner either. He hears the baby cry and tries to swiftly pick it up as the elf is off of him. Trying to rise as well, Marius is so entangled by all what he did, that in his actions, he has left himself open. Fear and doubt race through Marius' mind as he knows not what to do with the hobgoblin before him as he rises. Without a plan, without a smart thought racing through his mind, his fearful eyes look at the hobgoblin.

[Skjaldbakka]

Loce

"Agreed. We should head back to the others. While I have every confidence in Hector's ability to deal with one hobgoblin, there is no certainty that there is only one. And harm may come to the child. This body won't be going anywhere."

With that, Loce makes haste back to the group.

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

Raël nods, "I agree. Let's go."

He hurries back toward the humans, following Loce. He is also careful of any more spikes/caltrops/suspicious thorns in his path.

HP: 56/56 (9 extra from Aura); AC: 21, Touch: 17, Flat-footed: 19; Auras: Master of Tactics (+3 on rolls while flanking), Motivate Endurance (+3 con based checks, +9 HP), Motivate Care (+2 AC);Maneuvers Readied: None; Stance: Tactics of the Wolf; Other: 2 pts Str dmg from poison, 9/15 Rounds Fast Healing 1

[Job]

Hector

Seizing the opportunity Hector charges the hobgoblin, drawing the flail head in a wide horizontal arc through the advance.

OOC:

Spoiler

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HP: 38/44
AC: 16

Full round action: charge, power attack at -2, activate divine might
Attack:(1d20+10)[11]
Damage:(1d10+12)[18]+(1d6)[4] all sub.

[iop]

Had the hobgoblin been paying attention to the fog, he would have seen it wobble, then boil, to finally release a charging mass of heavy armor and deadly steel. He would have seen the attacker swing his flail in a mighty blow... and stumble over debris from the wall that was hidden in the shadows, thus missing the hobgoblin by inches.

As the flail crashes into the wall, the hobgoblin jumps and nearly looses his footing on the pile of rocks he stands on. He brings his bow around and fires directly at Hector, aiming for his face. The arrow misses Hector's eye and cuts his cheek instead. Dropping the bow, the hobgoblin grabs his bloodied axe.

~~~

Marius hears something crashing into the wall, and sees the hobgoblin turn away. His relief is only short-lived, however. While the baby seems safe (though it is still crying), the elf has gotten a glimpse of the hobgoblin and tries to scramble away.

OOC

Spoiler

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@Job: The hobgoblin hits with a 25 and deals 8 damage with his arrow. The two of you are in adjacent squares.
@Zweanslord: I need you to make a melee touch attack against the elf if you want to try and hold her back (AC 12)
@others: You are still in transit.

[Job]

Hector

Hector gives a shout of surprise, he was not expecting to miss, or have an arrow pierce his faceplate. The situation is not a complete loss however; using the rebound from the wall Hector propels the flail in the opposite direction. He does not intend on letting the hobgoblin use the axe on anyone ever again.

OOC:

Spoiler

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HP:30/44
AC:18

Full round action: Full attack, no power attack, divine might active
1st attack: disarm (1d20+20)[26]
2nd attack: (1d20+5)[12]
damage: (1d10+8)[10]+(1d6)[5] all sub.

[iop]

The chain of the flail wraps around the handle of the hobgoblin's axe, and its momentum is sufficient to rip the weapon out of the hobgoblin's hands. The hobgoblin calls out in surprise, but is quick to dodge when the flail swings back at him, so that it crashes into the wall once more.
Weaponless, the hobgoblin hesitates for an instant whether to make off into the forest, then he throws himself at Hector, hoping to wrestle him to the ground. With trained precision, Hector swings the flail back, cutting through the path of the hobgoblin. The hobgoblin grunts in pain when the flail impacts his side and is deflected off his path, so that his strong hands miss Hector's neck.

OOC

Spoiler

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The hobgoblin rolls only 25 on his disarm check, but Hector's second attack misses. When the hobgoblin tries and fails to grapple, the AOO deals 19 damage (nonlethal, I presume).

[Job]

Hector

With a few will timed steps Hector maneuver behind his now off balance opponent. If the hobgoblin is not able to regain his footing swiftly Hector may have a clear shot at his back. The familiar sound of tension being put on a chain precedes his attack.

OOC:

Spoiler

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HP:30/44
AC:18

Full round action: full attack, divine might
1st attack:(1d20+10)[25]
Damage:(1d10+8)[9]+(1d6)[6] all sub.
2nd attack:(1d20+5)[25]
Damage:(1d10+8)[13]+(1d6)[4] all sub.

[iop]

The hobgoblin swings around just in time to see the ball of the flail rush at his belly. With a loud "oof", he staggers back. He tries to catch his breath while fumbling for something in his belt pouch, but too late. Hector brings his flail around and after a furious crash of steel on steel, the hobgoblin's knee give way and he falls flat on his back. He is knocked out.
Right as the hobgoblin falls, an arrow shoots past Hector and breaks as it impacts the wall. Had the hobgoblin remained standing, it would not have missed him. Or had it been poorly aimed at Hector?
Although he strains his eyes, Hector is not able to make out any enemy in the shadows - it is getting too dark.

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Seeing as how Hector has taken up the fight with the hobgoblin, Marius tries to prevent the female elf from moving away. He did not want to lose her to any further dangers that might be out there. He whispered as his hand reached out. "Wait, Miss, my companion is here now. You will be safe." Or so Marius hoped..

Spoiler

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Melee Touch: (1d20+2)[15]
(Since iop mentioned grappling in the ooc thread, I guess it would be save for me to roll that too in the case the touch succeeds, so as to not cause further delay.)
Grapple: (1d20+2)[7]

[iop]

Marius grabs the elf, but she twists out of his arms and dashes away, right into the fog, in the direction into which Raël and Lócë have disappeared. The baby is still crying loudly, and Marius feels a sticky liquid on his finger, when he tries to caress it to calm it down - blood.
At least there is the sound of a weapon falling to the ground, followed by Hector's flail smashing into the wall and then into armor. So the good guy is winning.

~~~

Raël and Lócë have almost reached the clearing with the fog, as the female elf rushes toward them, screaming.

[ooc]

Spoiler

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@Zweanslord:Thanks for thinking ahead with the grapple check. I had forgotten to ask for it. Sorry she got away.
@Skjaldbakka, Kai_Palin: Please make an unarmed melee touch attack and a grapple check against the elf.

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

Seeing the screaming elf woman rushing at him from the fog, Raël tenses, then drops his sword and lunges, grabbing her around the waist and using her momentum to swing in a full circle, landing her on the ground in front of him again. "Hush... Its all right..." he says in a soothing, low voice.

Spoiler

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Melee Touch attack: (1d20+7)[14]
Grapple check: (1d20+5)[11] Add 3 to each of these if Raël is flanking her with Lócë.

HP: 56/56 (9 extra from Aura); AC: 21, Touch: 17, Flat-footed: 19; Auras: Master of Tactics (+3 on rolls while flanking), Motivate Endurance (+3 con based checks, +9 HP), Motivate Care (+2 AC);Maneuvers Readied: None; Stance: Tactics of the Wolf; Other: 2 pts Str dmg from poison, 11/15 Rounds Fast Healing 1

[iop]

Raël, acting a little bit faster than Lôcë, grabs the elf by the waist and is able to stop her. As she hears him speak her language, she stops screaming and abandons the thought of biting. She is still very frightened, though, and she tenses up immediately as Raël tries to move her toward the fog and thus toward the hobgoblin from which she just escaped.

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

"Hush, you'll be fine. We won't let anyone hurt you. In fact, I believe we'll personally see to that right now."

Spoiler

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Diplomacy, if that might help: (1d20+16)[28]

He moves forward to where Marius is, hopefully bringing the (slightly) calmer elven woman with him. Seeing the hobgoblin and Hector, he moves between the healer and the entrance. "What happened, Hector? Marius, is the child alright?"

[Skjaldbakka]

Loce

Loce will circle the area, keeping an eye out for any more attackers, bow at the ready.

[Job]

Hector

Hector takes hold of the incapacitated hobgoblin and drags him back to the gap. With any luck he will not need to suffer another arrow from an unseen opponent.

~~

Laying the hobgoblin down Hector moves to block the elf’s sight.

The hobgoblin’s arrow still protrudes, in an almost comical fashion, from Hector’s faceplate as he addresses Raël.

“Got attacked, captured this one alive, but there may be one more. Could not see him.”

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

"Trying to check that." Says Marius as response while he tends to the child, trying to found out if the baby is wounded or the blood is from something else. He carefully examines the baby as he tries to calm it and relax it, as it is still crying. Marius sighs a bit, but then shows the baby a smile, trying to ease it.
If the child is wounded, Marius will cast a spell to heal the wound.

[iop]

As Hector drags away the hobgoblin, he hears a shout from where the arrow had come from. He recognizes it as a call that warriors within a group would use to identify each other, but of course, he has no idea how to answer.
Fortunately, he disappears into the fog quickly enough to not be the target of anymore arrows.

Hector comes back to Marius at about the same time Raël brings back the elf, with Lócë covering their rear. The elf has been breathing more and more normally as Raël has kept talking to her in her language. However, she has not uttered any word so far.

Hector places the hobgoblin such that only the upper half of his body protrudes from the fog. This allows him to stand between the elf and the hobgoblin, though the light is so dim now that even an elf would have a hard time making out exactly what kind of creature is lying on the ground.

Marius tries in vain to feel a wound on the baby, until he realizes that the blood is his own. He is not hurt in any serious way, but the elf must have cut him worse than he expected with her fingernails. The baby is showing signs of calming down, but Marius knows that he has to feed the boy soon or else the calm is not going to last long.

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Quickly using some cloth to brush the blood of the baby and make sure no further blood is dropped on the baby, Marius then tends further to the needs of the baby. He sits down and puts the baby on his lap as he searches for some rations from his backpack. Finding them, he smiles and starts to feed the baby slowly with the rations, trying to put up a friendly and happy face to make the baby happy. This despite the fact that the situation hardly warrants such a happy expression, but Marius does not want the baby to suffer from that.

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

Raël continues to talk softly to the woman, trying to get her to speak in reply, "What is your name, madam? What happened here? Why did the hobgoblins attack you? We have your daughter safe back at the inn."

He takes occasional glances around the area, hoping that no one else comes along. His vision of Asariell runs through his mind repeatedly as he attempts, mostly on autopilot, to get something like a situation report from the woman.

HP: 56/56 (9 extra from Aura); AC: 21, Touch: 17, Flat-footed: 19; Auras: Master of Tactics (+3 on rolls while flanking), Motivate Endurance (+3 con based checks, +9 HP), Motivate Care (+2 AC);Maneuvers Readied: None; Stance: Tactics of the Wolf; Other: 2 pts Str dmg from poison, 13/15 Rounds Fast Healing 1

[iop]

The baby eats greedily. Marius has to hurry crumbling the rations into small pieces, since the boy starts crying if his mouth isn't filled the second he opens it again. This leaves Marius occupied enough that he has no opportunity of assisting Raël with the elf, who just won't speak. Instead, she just stares at him with wide open eyes, shivering as if she was very cold.

While Hector and Lócë stand together to quickly decide how best to protect everyone from the mysterious archer and other hobgoblins, a gust of wind leaves seemingly out of nowhere, blowing the fog away. It is immediately followed by a flaming arrow that arches into the middle of the clearing, sticking out of the ground like a torch.

The elf in Raël's arms starts screaming and tries to get away, and he needs all his strength to hold her back without hurting her. The baby jumps when the screaming starts, but Marius is able to calm the boy quickly. Lócë and Hector ready themselves for a fight, though they were unable to spot where the arrow was coming from, when they hear a voice, loud and clear.

"Release the prisoners right now, or you will die."

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

"Prisoners?!" Raël's voice cuts the air, thick with scorn. "There are no prisoners here! She is as free as I am, and we intend to stay that way. Or will you insist on trying that, like the hobgoblins did? Do not threaten those you do not know!"

He gently pulls the woman over to Marius, and then pushes her gently to the ground, and kneels over her, whispering, "Stay down and do not run. We will protect you, nothing will hurt you. Do not worry. You are safe."

If she calms, he stands over her, sword drawn and in a ready guard. He glances around, and, if able to sense danger from any specific area, positions himself between it and the woman, the healer, and the child.

HP: 56/56 (9 extra from Aura); AC: 21, Touch: 17, Flat-footed: 19; Auras: Master of Tactics (+3 on rolls while flanking), Motivate Endurance (+3 con based checks, +9 HP), Motivate Care (+2 AC);Maneuvers Readied: None; Stance: Tactics of the Wolf; Other: 2 pts Str dmg from poison, 14/15 Rounds Fast Healing 1

[Skjaldbakka]

Silquë'mahtar'urulócë

OOC: um, Loce shouldn't be with the others. His last declared action was scouting duty:

Loce will circle the area, keeping an eye out for any more attackers, bow at the ready.

since that would likey put him in the fog, here are some skill checks:

Hide: (1d20+12)[32]
Move Silently: (1d20+12)[20]
Spot:(1d20+12)[31]
Listen: (1d20+11)[30]

HP:19/44, AC: 22, Flat-Footed: 17, Touch: 16, Protection from Evil (not included) 36/60rnds, Hidden, Elfsight

I am assuming that a minute has passed since we last kept track of rounds.

[iop]

Raël tries and fails to get the elf to calm down so that he can stand. Still, he moves such that he is between her and an eventual attacker. Lócë blends into the shadows of the path leading north from the clearing, while Hector moves close to the wall, ready to strike whoever comes through the breach.

In response to Raël's call, you hear first nothing, then a whispered "What?" that is amplified by the still active loudness spell. After another pause, you hear:
"It seems there was a misunderstanding. Please put your weapons away. You have nothing to fear from us."
An instant later, an elf steps through the breach in the wall. He is visibly surprised at seeing you.
"What an unusual spot to meet you tou...", says Ruudi, then his face goes pale. "Mordran!" he shouts and rushes to the corpse of the male elf that is still leaning against the wall, throat cut.

Another elf steps through the breach and comes toward Raël. He sees the female elf lying on the ground next to Raël, who has gone rigid at Ruudis outburst, and asks hastily: "Tamina, is she..."
The elf kneels down next to Raël, and, noticing that she is still alive he calls out to thank Lady Vandria.

Four more elves step through the breach. You notice that they, like in fact the other two elves, too, show signs of a recent battle: Torn clothing, deep wounds that are barely done healing, scratches and bruises that weren't grave enough to warrant a healer's attention.
I am Hardraïn, leader of this crew of protectors. The Lady be thanks that we were able to wake up Talindra in time so that she could tell us about you. Enough valiant blood has flown today. Please come back to the inn with us, and tell me on the way what has happened to Mordran and Tamina."

Hardraïn holds out his hand to Raël to help him get up, as one of the other elves approaches him, whispering: "Sir, shouldn't there be four of them?"

[Job]

Hector

Hector does not lower his weapon until he is sure the elves hold no obvious hostilities. Freed from the burden of vigilance, Hector’s mind has a few moments to wander. What in Acheron is going on?

Sighing deeply, Hector carefully removes his faceplate, being mindful of the arrow still stuck in it. With his face now visible, the others can see that his cheeks and lips are blistered, and that blood still drips from the arrow wound.

“Rael,” Hector says, as he points to the hobgoblin “ this one is still alive, just incapacitated.” Directing his attention then to the elves. “He was looking for someone named Epar, if that name means anything to you."