Dragon's Egg - Act IV

[Nihal]

A snap loud enough to hear from my perch in the pile of debris catches me with a open mouth, about to answer Baldhart. I spring to my feet and spy the hill below. Were they so careless they passed by enemies? For what are those elves after all?!

"Tss!" I jump to the ground outside the crown of the hill and sprint towards the origin of sound. If there are enemies here, they could be on the way too. The children. F—ing Baldhart!


(( P.S.: If she needs a WIS check to find them... they'll find her.

))

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Baldhart

"Oh, balls." I turn to Batos. "As quietly as you can, give Aliron a nudge. Cock your head toward the exit from the cave, then head out. Remember, you need to maintain silence while inside the cave. Out here, you can run. Run and tear lizards apart!"

I tell Cadell, "I trust your ears more than mine. Pass me on horse and I'll follow you."

I run full sprint in the direction Mauve is moving. I shout out, "Fight me, you little shits!" F— stealth. Stealth is boring anyway.



Nissa

I don't like the sound of that.

"Bressel!" I shout. "On my way!"

 

[Keitsumah]

Batos

I nod to Baldhart, but then besides giving him a nudge, i also grab his sleeve between my teeth and pull to give him a stronger message, then i dart back outside. The scent of fear fills my nostrils, and rush out of the cave as if my tail is on fire.

Keitsumah

((Keit was by Cadell and Liadan last i heard, so im assuming that she must have been just inside the entrance))

I turn when i hear the others begin to curse, then jump out of the way of Baldhart before she can accidentally crash into me. My eyes widen when i realize what the cause of the commotion is, and quickly draw my staff. In the next moment Batos comes out of the cave and I point in the general direction of the hill.

"The children are in danger. Go. I'll catch up."

The wolf whines softly, presses his nose to the back of my scarred hand, then takes off after the others.

((wolves can catch large prey like elk and can run for a good deal of time at high speed, so I'm assuming he could keep up with Luchelden. Also, if he gets close enough to the lizards then the first thing he's going to do is roar and pounce on the closest one he can reach in an attempt to intimidate the others.))

 

[Steerpike]

 

[Steerpike]

((I've made some adjustments to where people or certain wolves are based on how much can be done in a round)).

With the snap of dead wood in the distance, Mauve reacts, leaping from top the stone rubble onto the icy ground. Her feet punch through the iced-over snow cover to the frozen ground beneath when she lands, and then she's off. The lizard creatures remain still for a split second, as though trying to determine whether they've really been seen or whether it is a coincidence that this strange woman is barreling toward them. Any hopes they may have had of coincidence as dashed as soon as Baldhart emerges from the opening in the stone, hot on Mauve's heels and shouting for the lizard creatures to come face her.

The two small lizards rise up in alarm. As they stand, you can all see that they both wield daggers and one of them has a couple of dead rabbits hanging limply from its clenched fist. The rabbit-wielder watches the oncoming rush, stupefied, while the other begins making high barking, yipping noises over its shoulder - more of what might be expected from a small dog than a lizard.

Inside the opening, both Aliron and Ankari's sensitive ears pick up, very faintly, the distant commotion outside. The lizards working in the tunnels remain oblivious, simply going about their chores. Batos slinks quietly into the tunnel, tugs meaningfully at Aliron's sleeve, and then dashes back up the stairs, where Keitsumah bids him farewell and begins rushing back in the direction of the farm.

Cadell and Liadan remain at watch, seeing only the two lizard creatures that now have Mauve and Baldhart bearing down on them.

 

[Nihal]

The yelping ties my stomach in a knot. Why do we need to keep killing them? Pitiful small creatures simply trying to survive! I truly consider stopping who is right behind me—who by the noise I believe is Baldhart—but sparing them means letting Aslaug know of us.

"Go check the children!" I keep running towards the lizards in the bushes. Two. Right. I can do that. I slash at noisy one.


(( No, you can't do that. ))

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Baldhart

Such wimpy little lizards. I could grab 'em both, but since I'm at charging speed, and in my kicking dress…

…I'll kick the loudmouth into the rabbit-wielder. That'll shut him up.


((+2 for charge, -3 for combo penalty; 6 AC for Baldy now, though I'm hoping her old knock-one-guy-into-the-other trick renders the live one useless for a round. Been a while since I used a Baldhart charge. Her impaling days are over, of course.))

((24 after removing combo penalty))

A clean hit!

And wow… am I hitting harder than before?

((I'm guessing the runts don't have more than 8 HP, but we shall see.))

Hard enough to punt one lizard into the other!

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

At Baldhart's words, I urge Llucheden forward, taking the reins into my teeth for a moment while I clamp my gauntlet around the hilt of my sword with my right hand. If I can reach an enemy, I'll take a swing at it.

((+2 for his level, +2 for charge, 0 for STR bonus. Is that right?))

((I can't recall if Cadell had any damage bonuses to add, and Google Docs isn't letting me in to look at his bio. Steer, if you can access the numbers, please adjust my roll(s) as needed.))

 

[Ankari]

((FYI. I'm in Arizona for some business. I'll try to update as frequently as I can.))

What lizard thrives in the cold? Tiny ones at that. They don't look to be of the same stock of before. Something in the way they are focused on using the stone gives the impression of defense, the kind motivated by desperation and fear. Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe I'll end up with a tail of lizards chasing me as I flee.

I place an arrow at the ready and step into the light. "I mean no harm. What happened to the people who were kidnapped from the farm ((or whatever building)) back a ways?"

I hope Alin is ready.

 

[SeverinR]

Aliron
Hearing problems outside Aliron moves to the hole, just as he is about to look outside Ankari announces himself to the lizards below.
Aliron shakes his head, Ankari had to have heard the comotion outside, but still escalates the situation.

Aliron looks out quickly. Ankari can hold his own for a little while. Unable to see he moves out to where he can see.

Mauve charges at 2 lizardsss, The rest of the group running away from the hole?
As he moves back to the hole he hears Bressel's battle cry in the distance, alot further away then he would have thought.

Cursing Ankari under his breath.
He rushes back into the hole, and down the stairs as soon as he sees a lizard he shoots.

"No time for talk, the children are being attacked! And more are just outside."
normal to hit day arrow [1d20+6] = 9+6 = 15 ;damage[1d8] = 4
Aliron pulls another arrow and looks for another target.

 

[SeverinR]

Edit a little:
Baltos comes in and tugs on Aliron's sleeve as he was appraoching the entry.
Seeing the group running away, either means a giant dragon has landed above the entry or the rear group is being attacked.

Aliron to late to stop Ankari, charges in attack.

 

[SeverinR]

Edit a little:
Baltos comes in and tugs on Aliron's sleeve as he was appraoching the entry.
Seeing the group running away, either means a giant dragon has landed above the entry or the rear group is being attacked.

Aliron to late to stop Ankari, charges in attack.

Aliron runs downstairs, yelling to Ankari and shoots the first lizard he sees.

 

[Steerpike]

((Map of the underground room))

 

[Steerpike]

((Map outside the dungeon))

 

[Steerpike]

Underground

Ankari steps forward a few paces into the light, speaking to the creatures. They stop what they're doing, looking for the most part rather dumbfounded at being approached by an elf, as though they're not entirely sure what to make of the development. As they each gaze at the other, one of them wielding a pick lowers the tool and starts to move toward Ankari, making unintelligible noises in a high barking language.

As this creature moves forward, Aliron flies down the stairs and into the room. The first creature he spies is just in front of, and slightly to the right of the statue. Aliron lets an arrow fly, catching the creature in the shoulder and spinning it around. It drops to one knee, yelping in pain.

The attack has the effect of galvanizing the remaining lizards in the room. Three with picks rush forward, tools raised high, including the one tentatively approaching Ankari just a moment ago. One of the lizards near the right-side corridor rushes forward wielding only a broken piece of the statue as a weapon. Of the remaining lizards, some flee into the far depths of the room, yipping loudly and disappearing into the dark. Other run down the right-hand corridor making just as much noise.

 

[Steerpike]

Above Ground

Baldhart charges the lizards who has just risen from the bushes. They seem dumbstruck by the ferocity of her charge as she stampeded across snow, heedless of branches and bushes that whip at her face and arms, leaving scratches behind. The lizard she is rushing tosses its rabbits at Baldhart in a panic, but the animal carcasses bounce off of Baldhart and she spins a deadly kick at the lizard. The creature is too slow to dodge the blow, and Baldhart connects with its skull in ferocious manner, causing a sickening crunch of bone and launching the creature into its comrade.

Cadell and Mauve arrive at the fallen creature, now covered by the body of its dead friend, just at the moment of impact (Mauve having had the head start, but Cadell having the benefit of his steed). Cadell slashes at the remaining living creature, but the lizard, through skill or luck, twists its dead companion into the path of the blade and Cadell's sword cuts that creature instead of his target.

The hapless lizard cowers beneath the body of its comrade, apparently trying to figure out how to use the corpse as a shield against three attackers.

((Just a quick note: charge from horse requires a lance or some such, so this would just be a regular attack from horseback. Also, for melee attack you add you Base To-Hit Bonus, your STR bonus, and any other bonuses that apply, but you don't add level to attacks. Level is figured into your base to-hit. Level IS added into SIEGE and ability checks)).

Keitsumah is meanwhile running in the direction of the farmhouse, and Batos, bolting like a shot from the tunnel entrance, is hot on her heels.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Baldhart

I pick up the lizard and squeeze it's scrawny neck.

"Oh, just die," I tell it as I mash its face into a solid patch of ice.

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

I grunt in frustration as my target evades my blade, and strike again at the first opportunity.

Liadan

Seeing Cadell, Baldhart and Mauve battling one remaining lizard, I look around for more targets within arrow range.

But I don't see a thing. I'm not sure whether to take that as good news.

On the other hand, I can hear faint yipping from within the tunnel. That is definitely not good news. I rush in that direction, ready to fire if need be.

 

[Nihal]

How stupid can she possibly be? I punch Baldhart's arm, yelling "CHILDREN!" at her before dashing towards the farm and the hill beyond. The forest is what, a mile away? I still can make it in time. Please be safe, please!


((I know, game-wise futile actions, but that's what she'd do knowing or not of the ambush.))

 

[Ankari]

What resides within the chest of my companions that makes them so bloodthirsty? The lizards showed no signs of attacking until Alin sent an arrow flying. I raise my bow in one hand and the arrow in the other in a show of deference. "No killing! Peace! Mistake. Alin, lower your weapon."