The Church of McDade

[Brandeath]

I rack my brain for knowledge on what poison is contained within, all though that knowledge is limited...

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[roll]1d20[/roll]

[Brandeath]

"I'll keep these in my haversack to make sure they stay intact...."

I listen about me...How can it be so quiet?? All I can hear is the panting of Korren and Bill, the soft cracking of the snow and the rustling of tree branches...its sounds to quiet yet we are in mortal danger...its strange really...right now in this exact moment we are safe...but this moment will pass and in the next moment we will be either safe still or fighting for our lives...
I enter a state of deep thought to pass the time away as we wait for Snowblood to gain his gift from the gods or an attack upon the already wounded....

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Meh why not...i make a listen check. (1d20)[18]

[ZOMGoubeaux]

Hearing the others discuss who would take watch made him chuckle. It was never a question of who had watch generally, but in their state of panic, they'd overlooked the fact that Shield never slept. He'd be glad for the company, though, as his existence alone was the loneliest of experiences.

He turned his gaze towards his friend and family, Korren. His closest friend lay poisoned in the cart, being consumed by a fever hot enough to melt the snow that was falling from the sky. Shield wished that there was something that he could do to help his comrade, but knew that this matter was out of his hands.

"Snowblood, I want you to sleep tonight. Not a hair will be harmed on Korren's head, of that you can be certain."

The steely look of grim resolve in Shield's eyes could have stopped a bear in it's tracks.

"Matthias, I want you to stay with this group while I go get some of those trees that fell. We need them for firewood, as well as for a makeshift barricade. If we're going to stay here tonight, we might as well make ourselves at home."

Turning to Glyn, Shield asks, "Those vials. You're certain that they're poison? If so, I'm going to give those goblins a taste of what they've wrought next chance I get."

As Shield begins to turn and walk back towards his charge, he turns back to the group.

"What happens next when the goblins return, many of you will not like. All of you will see something that I don't enjoy doing, but must be done. I hope that as my friends and companions, you will not judge my actions too harshly, and I dearly hope that you do not try to stop me. It may be the last thing you do in your relatively short lives."

After checking on Korren, and uttering a soft prayer on his behalf, Shield returns to the crater, where he begins hacking away at the fallen trees in order to make them into manageable pieces that he can drag back to the cart.

[ZohEmGuhBow]

Posting to be awesome!

[AlphaLuke]

Mathias sees Shield begin the work on the trees and shouts out to the grim Warforged. "Don't trip these traps I'm setting when you are setting up those barricades, Shield. You wouldn't be of any use to us in pieces."

[Brandeath]

I watched as Mathias set up his trap and curiosity, and fear creeped into my mind.
"So uh...What exactly are you setting up Mathias? I have never seen anything quite like it, and from your comments it seems to be a destructive tool. I would like to know what it does so I wont be surprised if it is set off...."

[AlphaLuke]

"Another gnomish invention. These take the smokepowder used to fire my weapons and puts it under a powerful amount of pressure. When the fuse is lit, or when the release is tripped, the powder inside ignites and causes a powerfull explosion to be released rivaling what Korren produced not a half-hour ago." Mathias says this with, not so much glee, as grim satisfaction.

[Brandeath]

"Amazing...What would the world do without Gnomes?"
I wonder if there is anything in Korren's pack that could help us...Searching through his pack I find his Rust Monster wand and Torch bug tube...
"Oh **** they don't look too good..."
I open the vents to let the Torch bugs breath, then I grabbed 5 copper pieces from Korren's bag and gave the rusties something to snack on."I'm sure glad he was poisoned or we would have never had reason to go through his bags! ... Wait...."

[AlphaLuke]

"Drink. . .so thirsty. . .fire"

[Pakiti]

Nebraska, seeing the group get to work, saw his warforged companion trying to throw together something like a barricade. He cringed. "Look, you're doing it all wrong." He said, and began to guide Shield in the proper way to make a barrier.

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i make a knowledge architecture check using inspiration. (1d20+12)[20]

Inspiration used: 1
Inspiration remaining: 12

[Zato-1]

Anji watched his comrades patter about the camp doing various things. All of this almost seemed like a dream to him that, should he awaken, would melt into reality. Bill's rough but steady breathing convinced him otherwise. Hearing Korren mumble something about drinking, Anji pulled out his waterskin and held it to Korren's lips. It was odd. Anji had never seen Korren so defenseless. Korren took a sip or two of water and made a sighing sound. Anji, unsure of what else to do, returned to his mule.

[AlphaLuke]

Korren slips in to a feverish sleep, periodically saying something unintelligible, then fading back into unconsciousness.
Anji eventually falls asleep, resting his head on the heaving side of his injured mule.
Glyn, after dealing with the various and sundry administrative duties around the camp, decides to take his rest inside the cart, next to Korren.
Snowblood finds his rest inside the cart as well, meditating on the new powers he will use in the morning.
Nebraska, after helping Shield with the finer points of barricade construction, decides to find any room he can inside the cart, pulls his hat over his eyes and falls into a shallow sleep.
Shield, showing Olympian feats of strength, heaves six full-grown evergreen trees into a rough hexagon around the cart. After he is satisfied with the makeshift barricade, he takes a seat at the driver's seat in the cart. He remains within arm's length of Korren, but in an elevated position so as to better be a watchman.
Finally, Mathias, after he has set the last of his eight traps, takes a seat next to his adamantine friend, rifle in hand. He is quiet and alert; the only movements he makes are the occasional head turn or movements of breath.

[AlphaLuke]

After hours of quiet, the only sound coming from the soft patter of snow in the forrest, Mathias turns to Shield."Wake them, the calm before the storm is done. They are coming." Mathias hops down from the war cart and puts his hand to the ground. ". . .they have something big with them. I pray to Mars, Nike, and Minerva for victory, so that I may see my children again."

[Brandeath]

Oddly enough Korren's body temperature made the cart very comfortable to sleep in. It felt like a cave, with a dwindling fire in the center. The floor was cold and rough, but the air was humid and nice. I started to fade into dream....

Its warm here...I thought to myself. I was in complete darkness and yet...there was light. Like closing your eyes. There is no light yet you see color...and I saw green. I moved my legs, then my arms, and then my- wait what are these? Wings? Yes wings...I try move forward...No knowing where I'll end up but that worry was replaced by a bigger one! I cant move....I'm stuck! Trapped!!! No! No! I begin to thrust at the barrier around me, but I feel so weak....So very weak, yet I continue! And then...*CRACK* Light poured in through a lightning shaped crack in this hard yet...brittle barrier. I move my head out...I'm in a shell! An...Egg? My eyes open wide and I can see I'm in a nest, with about 10-12 other eggs, 5 of them shaking...moving with the same fear I had, the fear of being trapped. I don't want to be trapped.... I don't ever want to be trapped again.........

[ZOMGoubeaux]

Shield slowly wakes the rest of the party, one by one, sure not to let them make a sound. He lets them know that something big is on it's way, with more of the ones from before.

He slowly lowers himself from the cart, only after checking to see that Korren still drew breath.

"Mathias and I will be down here, you others that can't move quickly, stay here, and guard Korren and this cart with your lives, do you understand me? This is the safest place for you right now."

With that, Shield quietly moved next to Mathias.

"Can you tell how many there are? And just how big is this newcomer?"

After a moment, Shield shakes his head, and says, "No matter. It can be as tall as a castle. If it bleeds, I will kill it."

Shield took the next few seconds to check his gear. He'd left Anji's Haversack in the cart, so as not to be weighed down by it. He'd loaded the blunderbuss before the others had gone to sleep, and had prepared several additional shots, as well as the powder horn at his waist. He slowly flexed the joints around the blades in his armor, sliding them in and out with a practiced ease. The last weapon he checked was the Fullblade resting against the tree he was crouched behind. Sharper than any other weapon, the 8-foot blade was truly a testament to the care that the automaton took in his tools. This piece of steel had slain countless opponents over the course of Shield's campaign, but none would feel it's wrath as much as those that were marching towards the encampment. He gazed out into the night with the determination that he would either slay all of the goblins on their way, or die in the attempt. He uttered a silent prayer to his charge, his maker, and to House Cannith itself, hoping that he would see his friend's face once more.

[AlphaLuke]

The group starts to hear the cracking of branches and the chatter in Goblin of the advancing horde from the North/Northwest. Then they begin to feel the slow, regular thud of heavier footsteps. Mathias points out the waving of the evergreen trees half a stade away. He whispers to the group, "Prepare yourselves, or you shall not have time to regret it!" A louder crack of wood silences his talk. And he turns towards the wood with a wry smile. "They are going to regret showing themselves tonight. We shall send them back to the hole from whence they were vomited." he says, almost silently. Then, his smile becomes almost maniacal. "They are headed right for my firebombs"

[AlphaLuke]

Turning to Shield, Mathias says, "I don't know how many, but I'd estimate 20-40 strong. Only one bigun'."

[DeathbyFlossing]

Snowblood, awakened by the thumping footsteps, gets up and stretches. Ah, not a moment to late. he says, grinning, then he walks over to Korren and casts three spells in quick succession, one to neutrilize the poison in his body, and two to restore his strength.

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I cast Neutralize Poison and two Lesser Restorations on Korren, removing the poison and restoring 2d4 points of Strength. also I need someone to remind me how to use the forum roller.

[Zato-1]

Once again, Anji cloaked himself from sight and readied himself for battle and listens around to get a general idea of where the enemy is coming from.

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Walk Unseen, Entropic Warding, same deal and [roll]1d20[/roll] for listen

[AlphaLuke]

Korren slowly rises from his resting place in the cart and stands facing towards the crashing trees. He looks down at his faithful companion Shield. To Shield's amazement, Korren's eyes are not white, as per usual, nor are they purest black, as usually happens when he casts his spells. His eyes are radiant orbs of orange plasma in their sockets. He smiles at Shield and says, "You didn't think I'd let you get into a fight without me. It's a good thing I only need the strength to move my hand to turn each of these foul beasts to ash." With that he crouches in standard battle ready Warmage posture, straight from the textbooks of the Warmage College he left long ago.

[Zato-1]

Anji decides to take cover behind the barricade and ready an action to blast the first goblin I see.

[Pakiti]

Nebraska leaps to action. He immediately crouches low, pulls out his crossbow and loads it, Preparing for battle.

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I also ready an action to hit the next enemy I see.

[Brandeath]

Making as little noise as possible I crawl from the cart pulling my wand of mage armor as I do so. I cast it after i move into position, south of everyone else, but no more then five feat from the wagon. I give a quick prayer to Boccob and ready myself to cast at first sight of an enemy.

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I move, I cast mage armor, then I ready my Seeking ray for first sight of enemy

[AlphaLuke]

Through the crashing trees goblinoid forms begin to appear. Dozens of them pour from the forest, they seem to have little regard to quiet as they trample though the snow covered wood. Mathias whispers, "Hold until you see the yellow of thier teeth."Then, with a massive crack of wood, a lumbering Hill Giant stumbles into view. His huge club is dragging on the ground behind him, and the goblins seem to be little more than ants about him. He stops about thrity feet from the base of the barricade and reaches into his belt pouch, pulling out a rock the size of Shield. He looks at the cart, drooling slightly at the sight of the two pack animals lying at the far corner. The goblins march forward paying little heed to the barricade standing before them. That is, untill one of them skittered through a well hidden piece of string and . . .

[AlphaLuke]

BOOM!

The explosion rocks through the party like a tidal wave crashing on the shore. Bill and Mathias' horse are startled and try to run, but are hitched securely to the other side of the barricade.

"NOW!" screams Mathias, as the goblins recover from the shock. A ten-foot deep crater now exists where 4 goblins once stood.

Mathias looses a shot from his rifle at the Hill Giant, aiming for the monster's eyes.

Nebraska looses a crossbow bolt at the nearest goblin, hoping to take him by suprise.

Korren waits with a dark smile, praying for the panicked beasts to cluster.

Glyn looses a blast of green draconic energy from his outstreached hand at the nearest standing enemy.

Anji pops into view and unleashes a bolt of black and blue dark energy.

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That is just flavor text to start you all. I expect you all to actually flavor it a little more yourselves and roll the rolls in character. New map is coming out on skype to any and all who are here to get it.

[Zato-1]

Anji sheds his invisible aura and unleashes a blast of eldritch fury upon an unsuspecting goblin.

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(3d6)[9] damage to said goblin. (1d20+8)[24] initiative.

[AlphaLuke]

Mathias' shot rings through the trees towards the lumbering Hill Giant.

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Mathias fires his rifle at the Hill Giant
(1d20+8)[25]
for (1d12+5)[16]

[Pakiti]

Nebraska instantly focuses in on the nearest goblin, and with a surge of inspiration, lets loose his arrow, making care to strike true.

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I attack the nearest goblin with my crossbow, using a point of inspiration to use Cunning Insight, adding a +5 competence bonus to my roll.
(1d20+11)[26]. and then I roll initiative (1d20+2)[12]
Inspiration points used: 1
Inspiration points remaining: 13

[Pakiti]

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Damage >.< (1d8+1)[5]

[Brandeath]

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I cast my seeking ray, its a no save, but its a ranged touch sooo (1d20+5)[11] and for intitiative (1d20+2)[7]