Dragon's Egg - Act IV

[Philster401]

Zoran notices two people running away muscled figures, he tells the people, "Run! I'll try to hold them off!"

He draws his sword and shield, and charges the enemies.
(Will make roll tomorrow to late to fo right now.)

(I just realized you can onlu edit a post within an hour oh well maybe I'll get LS to edit it tomorrow or just make a second post but getting to tired to think about this right now)

 

[Philster401]

(Is there anyway I could have a map to give me a reference between the city, the camp, the enemies, and the villagers fleeing to the city)

 

[Steerpike]

Nissa

Conal considers Nissa's words, still somewhat wide-eyed at her revelation, though he seems to have himself under control. "Finishing the palisade would be a good start to protecting Ballara. One of your group has offered to help with that. The more hands, the better. We've got the last of the logs coming downriver in the morning, and I think we can get them up in a few days if everyone pitches in. We don't have enough people to go after the orcs and defend the city, so I'd like the see the walls up before we make a move.

"I'll have a word with my men. You can come along if you like. Otherwise, let's get together in the morning - your group, my men, and anyone else in Ballara who will come help us with the wall. You can address the men before we begin, if you like. I won't say anything about what you are - that is your secret to reveal or not.

Baldhart and Liadan

Callan frowns when Baldhart mentions a harpy. "Foul creatures, generally," she says. "though I've never run across one in child form. Ghendra is intelligent, but his way of thinking is sometimes alien. He is for gnolls, first and foremost, and though he is smart and has a certain moral code, his morals are not necessarily human morals. The same may be true of your harpy child, when she grows. I don't mean to suggest she is bad, just to caution you that non-human creatures have minds that work different from our own. I...er..."

She glances as Liadan. "I mean no offense. By non-human...well, elves, halfmen, and the like...I speak of the uncivilized races. I do not mean you."

Turning back to Baldhart, she says "Let me get my things and I'll come to your camp with you. I'd like to assess our strength."

CAMP

Aslaug starts to say something to Bressel, then her image shimmers and fades for a second. It snaps back into place and she turns quickly to Burnbright. "Seek me out, child. Come to your mother. I have a place for you." Then, even as she begins to fade again, she turns back to Bressel. She mutters "Damn this spell," under her breath, then says "You speak of two evils, as though you have some idea of what is happening. But you don't know what is coming to the north. Don't know what the dwarves have uncovered in this hole. If my daughter dies and the north falls, let it be on all of your heads."

By the end, you have to strain to hear her voice, then she is gone. Masama steps warily toward the center of the camp. Burnbright is on her knees wiping at her eyes while Branwen looks at her uncertainly.

Masama moves up beside Bressel and says, quietly, "That was powerful magic. What else can this witch do? Are we bringing Burnbright to her on a plate of silver?"

Zoran

Instead of running toward Ballara, the two figures pull up just behind Zoran. "We saw only two," says the man, breathless. "Scouting this side of the river. We tried to slip away, but they saw us." But the man's words are lost in the air because Zoran is charging to engage the orcs.

The orcs pull up short at Zoran's unexpected charge. Zoran's blade crunches through one, the orc too slow to raise his long knife in parry. The orc goes to one knee with a groan, clutching at his wound. He does not die.

The second orc snarls and lashes at Zoran with his dagger.

Orc attack [1d20+2] = 4+2 = 6

The attack is clumsy, the orc still not having regained his balance. Zoran dodges it easily.

Zoran sees the man who was fleeing a moment ago working his way around behind the orcs. He has a good-sized rock in one hand.


((I don't have time to make a map right now as I have to get back on the road. The camp is closer than Ballara, maybe one hundred yards off the road and through the trees. Elves in the camp will be able to hear, faintly, the sound of some kind of fight at the road. No one else will hear it. Ballara is quite a bit further away - closer to a mile up the road)).

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Nissa

"I won't be much help in building, but Baldhart's strong. I'm sure she'll help, and she'll be in a good position to watch for the enemy if she's on the wall."

I put on my backpack. "I'll come along, but I don't want to cause a panic. If there's battle, I'll fly. I trust you and Father Adelbrandt will see to it that my wings don't make me a target—and more importantly, my wings don't create a rift between the people of Ballara and the people I arrived with. Brynhild allows me to intervene so I may prevent innocent deaths, not cause them."

 

[Ireth]

Liadan

I smile. "No offense taken. Branwen may be a harpy, but she is still very young, and away from others of her kind. It is our hope to raise her as a good and civilized person, wings or no wings. She is already learning to speak and eat cooked meat."

Cadell

I stand still as the image of Aslaug fades, and fold my arms over my chest. This evil uncovered by the dwarves may be a ruse, or it may be truth. But I have the feeling if it exists, it will work for its own ends, not those of Aeron or Aslaug.

I move to Burnbright, kneeling beside her and laying my right hand on her shoulder. "We will keep you safe, child, whatever happens."

A faint sound reaches my ears, and I turn. "Alin? Do you hear that as well?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Baldhart

"Yes, that's my hope… that we can teach Branwen. She's young enough and attached to humans and elves, so I'm hoping she'll see humans and elves as her own kind. Her father was a half elf."

As Callan gathers her things, I tell her, "When you meet the others, you'll know our numbers. To truly assess our strength, bear in mind the numbers we've been victorious against. If you can tell me the enemy's number, that would help. Or if you know the enemy's location, we could always have Nissa fly over." I realize my words might be more than Callan's ready to handle, so I better let her see Nissa for herself before I use the v-word. For now, I leave it at this: "Nissa's not a harpy. And don't compare her to one. I made that mistake—once."

 

[SeverinR]

Aliron
"I hear some commotion. Possibly a fight. It could be a diversion. To divide us more then we are already."
Aliron looks to the group, "I say we all stay or all go."


Bressel
Stands considering Aslaug's words, but turns towards where the elves are looking.

 

[SeverinR]

Bressel
"I know little of magic. If she found us with this magic, could she not send her troops to this location? If she can, is there any place safe from her magic?"

 

[SeverinR]

Bressel
"I know little of magic. If she found us with this magic, could she not send her troops to this location? If she can, is there any place safe from her magic?"

 

[Philster401]

Zoran attacks the orc who, he had just dodged, hopefully before the orc recovers from his failed attack and turns back around.

 

[Steerpike]

Nissa


Conal helps Nissa adjust her backpack so that her wings are completely hidden, then leads her toward the gate where the group first entered Ballara. There are a few men on guard there who snap salute at Conal and cast appraising looks at Nissa. Conal calls over one of the guards - a tall, spindly youth, and tells him "round up the men. Everyone, on duty or off, except those we need at the north gate or along the river."


The lad nods and runs off north, disappearing into Ballara. Conal turns to the men who are at the southern gate, a total of five now that a couple of men have emerged from a small guard house inside the gate.


"You all know that the trouble across the river has been growing," he says. There are grumbles and murmurs at that. "We've got less men than I'd like, and fewer still who have seen much fighting. But we've got help now." He gestures at Nissa. "This young lady and her comrades are here to help."


The last sentence results in outright skeptical looks from the men as they assess Nissa. Conal says "She and her friends have seen more fighting that anyone in this town, 'cept maybe me and Callan. Maybe even more than us. If you've fought goblins then you know better to judge anyone by their size." He half turns to Nissa. "Not to compare you to a goblin," he says in a low voice. "Some of you saw the group that came into town, and I'm sure the rest of you have heard of them. Tell me they aren't fighters."


He casts his eye over each man. "They're here to help. Once everyone gets here, I'll tell you how this is gonna go."


Conal puts a hand on Nissa's shoulder in solidarity, and the men look at her thoughtfully, lips pursed. None of them says anything against her.


Baldhart & Liadan


Callan considers Liadan and Baldhart's words about Branwen, a slight frown on her face. "I hope you're right about that harpy. If she's smart, like you say, learning to speak and all that, then I guess she'll be able to choose her own path. If it turns out she can't, then what'll you do?" As Callan speaks she moves in and out of her house and the area just around the outside of it, speaking over her shoulder as she gathers food and other supplies together in a large leather bag. She throws the strap over her shoulder, now armed and seemingly provisioned for days.


When Nissa's wings are mentioned, followed by Baldhart's quick explanation that Nissa isn't a harpy, Callan's frown deepens. "That's fine, I'll leave it alone for now. But if we're going to fight together, no secrets, OK? Secrets on the battlefield have a way of getting people killed."


"As for the enemy...well, the tribes move around but I know generally where they roam. Not all of the orc tribes are together on this. Something's forcing them to work together. If you're asking about the total number of orcs in those hills across the mountains, I'd have to guess there's around three hundred. That's in total, mind you - old, young, children - everyone. A third of that number may be fit to fight, though so far they haven't come at us in their ful strength. Could be their cooperation doesn't extend that far yet.


She readjusts the straps on her shoulder and sets off toward the south. "Ok, then. Where's this camp of yours?"


Camp


Burnbright remains kneeling, as though frozen except for the tears streaming down her face. When Cadell touches her, it's as though her last bit of resolve breaks and she collapses against him sobbing. She looks for the moment a lot less like a budding warrior and a lot more like a child.


Branwen backs up a step then plops down onto her butt, first staring at Burnbright then looking up at Cadell uncertainly.


Masama remains standing near Bressel, speaking low enough that Burnbright can't hear. "I do not know if any place is safe from her, but I do not care to linger her knowing that she has found us." When Cadell and Aliron speak of hearing commotion, Masama says "I hear nothing," but nevertheless turns in the direction the elves indicated and looks warily into the woods.


Cadell and Aliron can both make out, clearly, a distant fight, along with an occasional guttaral growl and human voices.


Zoran


The orc dodges Zoran's attack, dancing back a step and growling harshly in its incoherent language. As it tries to position itself to attack again, the villager comes up behind it and brings the rock crashing down towards its head:


[1d20] = 12


The rock connects with orc skull, though whether it did any significant damage to the orc is unclear. It does capture the creature's attention, though. The orc spins away from Zoran slashing at the villager with its dagger:


[1d20+2] = 9+2 = 11


The dagger swipe is close, and only the villager's quickness saves him from being disembowled. He leaps back, the tip of the dagger slicing through his garb but not cutting the skin. The woman remains behind Zoran, cursing a blue streak, apparently at her companion, who is now only feet from an angry orc.


The wounded orc goes from one knee to two, still clutching at its wound and looking weaker by the moment.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Baldhart

"We can go through town or around. Camp is south of town."

As we head south, I tell Callan, "I agree secrets among allies are dangerous. Any secrets Ive kept are to protect those I'm with. Secrets revealed to the wrong person are also dangerous.

"I'm at the point where I prefer to tell all to you. The thing about Nissa is, you really need to see her with your own eyes to believe me, but I'll say it anyway. She is a valkyrie. I've known her since I was sixteen. First I saw her in dreams, then earlier this year, I saw her awake, but only me. Once I started fighting, I grew stronger, and Nissa was able to create a temporary body that anyone could see. She fought and bled in Arendal, and since then, her body doesn't disappear anymore."

I leave it at that, so Calla can react or Liadan can get a word in…

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Nissa

I step forward to address the men. "I am Nissa van Donk, servant of Brynhild. And if height is a concern, let me alleviate your fears by telling you I brought another servant of my goddess who is over six and a half feet tall, and three of the men are as tall as her. Almost. But I'm sure my big barbarian friends would agree with me that their size and strength are not what makes them great warriors. It's their unrelenting courage, their willingness to risk life and limb to protect the innocent, and honest assessments of the dangers we face so we emerge victorious and live to fight the next battle.

"I don't know if Ballara will be attacked or not, but I have reason to believe—though I could be wrong—that the attacks occur when strangers or the caravan arrives. If our combined forces are strong enough, we will not repel your attackers. We will kill them. Or… if there's a chance for a peaceful resolution, we will see if they're willing to talk. What we can't lose sight of is what matters most: the children of Ballara, the children of the north.

"I know we just met. Hopefully, that we came into town with Miss Liv's surviving orphans will suffice as evidence that we use our fighting skills to protect the innocent. Like my Battle Goddess, I don't take fighting and killing lightly. When I face those who think life is cheap and have no qualms about intimidating, controlling or killing those in the path of their ambitions… they are the enemies of Brynhild. The evil ones whose existence is why the good learn to fight.

"Like you, I would prefer to have a peaceful night's sleep, no orcs, no bandits, no fighting, and leave town with everyone alive and safe and still under the impression that I am useless in battle. If the enemy approaches… you will know I serve Brynhild."

 

[SeverinR]

Aliron:
Looks around the camp, then moves to the best concealed position to cover approach to the camp with his bow.

Bressel moves close to Burnbright and Cadell, Sword tip resting on the ground, he watches where Aliron goes, knowing once the elf is hidden, he won't be able to see him.

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

When Burnbright collapses against me, I wrap my arms around her for what comfort I can give. Branwen looks up at me, and I extend my right hand to her. "Come, Branwen."

I let Aliron keep watch over the camp, seeing it best that I stay close to the children. If necessary I'll draw my sword, but for now I'll stay still and alert.

Liadan

I listen as Baldhart speaks, but find nothing to add to her words. Instead I wait for Callan's response.

 

[AkamaruGames]

(Having never done this, forgive me if I make some mistakes with posting dice rolls or whatever)

A young human male walks northwards on the road to Ballara. Though he carries a longsword and a bow, he certainly doesnt carry himself like a soldier. In fact, his gait is fairly casual, as though he has not a care in the world. His hands are tucked in his belt as he whistles a random tune to pass the time when up ahead he sees a commotion. It appears to be a battle. Bandits perhaps?

Sneak up to the scene, unseen (prime attribute) [1d20+6] = 1+6 = 7

Not wanting to get caught in the middle of it, the man carefully steps off the road and approaches quietly so as not to be seen, completely ignoring the fact that there is literally nowhere to hide on the side of the road. Seriously, look at all that open space. Oh well, hopefully the combatants are probably too busy to care?

As he gets close enough to make out the combatants, he sees a man (I assume?) who appears to be in a battle with two orcs. The orcs thus far unable to strike him as he cuts into one of the orcs, forcing it down on one knee, but it still looks to be in the fight. Suddenly another human sneaks up behind one of the orcs and hits it with a rock with limited effectiveness.

Unsure who to root for, the stealthless man pulls out a single copper from a belt pouch and flips it as he mentally decides that the orcs are heads and the humans are tails.

Flip a coin! Heads or tails? [1d2] = 2

As the coin lands on tails, the stealthless man's path is clear. He puts the coin away and unslings a bow from his shoulder, takes careful aim and fires at the kneeling orc!

Shoot that orc! (primary) [1d20+6] = 7+6 = 13

 

[Steerpike]

Nissa

Conal's men look skeptical when Nissa starts to address them, a couple looking questioningly at Conal, but one older man, around thirty-five years of age, elbows one of the younger guards in the ribs and whispers something. The younger guard frowns, but says nothing. When Nissa mentions Miss Liv and the orphans, recognition dawns on the men, because the tale of those orphans and the group that accompanied them has spread quickly through the city. As Nissa wraps up her speech, the man Conal dispatched jogs up with a dozen other men, most of whom appear to have been off duty. When Nissa finishes talking, the questions start, most of them addressing Conal.

"How many have they got?"

"Any word from Alfoss?"

"What about the palisade?"

Conal calls for quiet, and the older guard who elbowed one of the other men whistles loudly at the same time. The men lapse into silence, and Conal nods at the older guard.

"We're going to keep building the palisade," Conal says. "So far there is no word of help from Alfoss, and we can't count on there being any." The men begin to grumble again, but Conal pushes ahead. "As for how many Miss van Donk has with her group, she's best equipped to answer that. But even if it was just her, that's one more than we had yesterday."

A few reluctant nods follow that last pronouncement.

"What was that about Brynhild?" asks one of the newly-arrived men. "Thought there weren't much left of her followers."

A guard next to him winks and says "If they all look like her, I might change religions."

This brings a few quick grins from some of the other soldiers, but they all fade quickly under Conal's glare.

"I want everyone on palisade duty," Conal says, then adds "Yes, I know you're already all on that duty, but I want you on more ​​palisade duty until we get that wall finished. We've had some relative quiet here recently, but something tells me that's about to change. Sergeant, have the scouts reported?"

The older guard rubs at a rust colored beard with one large hand as he shakes his head. "Not yet, but they ain't overdue. Expect 'em in the next hour or so." Conal nods, satisfied with that. He turns back to Nissa. "We've got enough wood for the palisade, it's just a matter of getting the damned thing raised. We've got scouts on both sides of the river watching for trouble. You and your friends are welcome to help any way you want, you just let me know what you need. If you need soldiers, I'll spare as many as I can, though I'm reluctant to pull them from palisade duty.

The men appear to be none the wiser about Nissa's true nature, her backpack serving its purpose well.

Baldhart & Liadan

"Let's go around town," Callan says. "I don't like crowded places." Ballara hardly seemed crowded when Baldart and Liadan was there, but Callan strikes off south along a path that will take you all wide of the city. When Baldhart mentions that Nissa is a valkyrie, Callan slows her pace for half a step, then picks it up again.

"Harpies, Valkyries..." Callan flicks a glance at Liadan, "...elves, Ghendra on the move, orcs and bandits...you every get the feeling the gods are playing one big practical joke on you? All this trouble in the north is coming to a head, and we're going to be right in the middle of it, aren't we?"

Continuing south, you end up on ground higher than Ballara, and the city is visible in the distance through the trees, the river winding lazily around it. Callan strikes a quick pace, but Baldhart and Liadan have no trouble keeping up.

Camp

Branwen does her best to wrap both Cadell and Burnbright in a hug, but her arms won't quite reach. Burnbright's face is buried against Cadell, but when Aliron and Bressel move she seems to sense that there might be trouble. She pulls back out of the hug, leaving Cadell's hands free, sniffs loudly and wipes at her nose. Eyes puffy and tears still running along her cheeks, which are now streaked with dirt, Burnbright slips a hand over Branwen's mouth and hushes her. Branwen has been with the group long enough to know there are times to be quiet, so she goes stock-still and wide eyed, nodding at Burnbright and clearly trying to hear any sounds from the woods.

As it happens, nothing nears the camp. Aliron has a good, concealed view of the group, but while he and Cadell can still hear the distant sounds of a scuffle from the direction of the road, there is no way to see what is going on from within the woods in which the camp is hidden.

Branwen pulls Burnbright's hands away from her mouth but doesn't say anything. Instead she drifts near to Bressel and stares out in the direction of the road.

The Road

​The arrow from the bow of the stranger on the road takes the wounded orc in the side, and that is one wound too many for the orc. With a guttural groan, the orc sinks to the ground and lies still, though it apparently lives because a wet, sucking sound indicates that it is trying to breath with a punctured lung.

The healthy orc looks over his shoulder when his companion groans, and its eyes widen at this new threat arriving from the road. The village man continues dancing backwards across the grass, but the orc ignores him, now dashing across the grass in an attempt to get away from such unfortunate odds. ((Zoran has a change for a swing before the orc can get out of range; characters with ranged weapons can also still attack)).

The villager with the rock looks relieved to see the backside of the orcs as it heads out across the grass. He drops his rock, lets out a whoosh of air, and wipes the back of his hand across his forehead. The female villager remains a few paces behind Zoran but lets loose a string of curses that would shock a sailor, all of them directed at the retreating orc.

The man with the rock hushes her and says "Thank you. Thank you both. If them orcs had caught us..." He lets the implication hang out there, then, when it is safe to do so, gathers the bucket the woman tossed at the orcs and puts the now-dirty fish back into it.

​

​​​

 

[Philster401]

Zoran(who was focused on reading last night and was to lazy to make a post finally found the urge to post) decided the injured orc wasn't going anywhere so he swung his sword at the healthy orc.
(Rolz refuses to roll for me)

To make sure the injured orc doesn't flee, after he attacked the healthy orc, he asks the man with the rick to hit the injured orc in the head again to try and make the orc unconscious. At least until the other orc was dead or unconscious also so he could try to find out where they came from (do this orcs even have the ability to talk if so which attributes would i need to roll for to capture and talk to the injured orc?)

Zoran also tried to see where the arrow came from and signal him to target the uninjured orc.

 

[AkamaruGames]

The newcomer squints at the fleeing orc as he takes aim with another arrow. He shouts, "Running away? That's MY job! I am not about to let a big ugly like you come an take my job away!"

Shoot that fleeing orc! (primary) [1d20+6] = 5+6 = 11

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Nissa

"The adults among us…"

Dalla, Baldy, Zoran, Cadell, Liadan, Masama, Bressel, Aliron, Keitsumah… though she seems to be having a hard time dealing with that human sacrifice we witnessed. I'll give the number instead of names, just in case…

"…there are nine with me, both elves and humans among us. I'm the only halfling." To the guard who found me attractive, I add, "Half human, technically. My mother was human." I go on, "We may need to keep one with the children, but the rest, I expect, will defend Ballara as they did Arendal and Srilkind. I'll go to them now."

Before I run off, I add, "If you can spare a couple men as escorts…" I look at the man who commented on my looks and the one who mentioned Brynhild's name. "…perhaps these two gentlemen?"