Fergus was standing in the edge of the river, cooling his heels without risking the stronger current and deeper water further out.  He had been contemplating Aarnr's question and had just remembered a suitable campsite outside Fairhill when he heard the scream.

His first thought is to run over and help.  His second thought is that the scream is likely to be the jumbled up monster setting a trap.  His third thought is to follow Eilieen to make sure she doesn't get hurt.  His fourth thought is that somebody needs to watch the campsite and look after the oxen.

Fergus isn't used to having so many thoughts at once and the end result is that he stands around for a long moment looking painfully confused.  Eventually his better nature wins out and he snatches up his axe to run after Eilieen, Erista and Colwyn.

Without hesitation the monk moves out after Eilieen and the others, running fast to catch up, although once she reaches the side of the priestess she holds back her own pace to remain at her side.  She gives the woman a brief smile before focusing ahead again, the face setting on a serious and determined expression, eyes scanning the area in front of them.

"Froggin' fobbin' fen-sucked flax-wenches !"  Aarnr expresses his opinion on those who charge headlong ON AN EMPTY STOMACH into what is almost certainly the return of that creature and its baby out for vengeance.  That they could have been fooled once ... he glares at Aramil, but at least the bard seems to have learned his lesson and is staying put ... but a second time !

With a noise that is half-sigh, half-roar and three-quarters froggin' annoyed, the big priest takes up his overlarge blade and charges after the others, continuing his litany of invective ...

Corian leaps up and follows after Aarnr, also cursing (though with considerably less zeal and competence).

Sitting near the campfire, Aramil and Ozzy find themselves suddenly accompanied by only the two would-be highwaymen.  Jack looks about, briefly, and says, "You know, if you want to go and help your friends, we'll be fine here by ourselves."

In the gathering dusk the rest of the party of bold adventurers, less the two bards, burst out onto the Tradeway.  Looking east, in the general direction of the cries, a fearful sight meets their eyes.  There is a figure laying flat on the road about fifty yards away, unmoving, and a woman stands over the body, a sword held in one hand.

And standing over her, towering above her by a good four feet, is a monstrous creature, clad in ragged furs and wielding a massive club.  An ogre!  It raises the club and brings it down hard, with an impact that makes the ground shake.  The woman, clad only in travelling clothes and thus almost entirely unprotected, is caught by the blow and knocked off her feet.

The monster seems about to hit the fallen victims again, but then it catches sight of the adventurers.  It throws back its head and roars out what sounds like a challenge, and it starts to lumber towards the group.

A little way behind it, a second ogre emerges from among the trees at the roadside and moves towards the dead or unconscious victims...

The battlecry of the ogre reaches the camp, and Jack suggests, "It sounds like the others might really need that help."

OOC: Initiative rolls please.  For the first round only ranged attacks will be useful.  Anybody with any kind of ranged weapon or spell should also make any required rolls to use them.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:57, Thu 01 Dec 2011.

Ozzy bounces on the toes of his feet, straining both left and right as he tries to actually see 'further' by adjusting the position of his head. The bellowing challenge with a heavy bass undertone really perks his attention and he actually walks in a quick circle as he starts to head out to watch the fight, then reconsiders. Looking up at Jack he says, " Yeah right. We run off to help, and you just help yourself to whatever we leave behind, right? Do I look like I just fell off the turnip wagon?" then waves him away dismissively as he looks back up the road toward the growing sound of combat. He looks up to Aramil like a child wanting to go outside and play, his small mind puzzling how best to make this all come together, " Mebbe' we should get Jack and his buddy a knife and have them come help too, huh? I gots a coupla' javelins they could poke at the monster with, or they could just come and sing back up chorus while we encourage the winning team?" he squeaks out rapidly, trying to convince him before the fight was over and they missed out on all the fun. " C'mon Aramiiiiillll. Lets go see the fiiiiight." he finally adds with the drama only a little one can muster.

Eileen's eyes widen.  She has never seen ogres before, and now their small group of neophyte adventurers faces a pair of them.  But the fallen victims necessitate action, here and now.

At this range, though, there is little she can do.  So the woman grimly sets her teeth and continues to run forward, hoping to close the distance enough that both mauraudering beasts turn her way, away from the downed people.

OOC - Going to run forward (3x movement) for 90 feet/30 yards, cutting the distance down from 50 yards to 20 yards.  Initiative...I guess it doesn't matter this round. :)

Aarnr is lagging behind the others a pace or two and is slower to make out the creatures in the gathering gloom.

But at last the priest does lay eyes on them ... and far from quailing at the sight, he immediately picks up the pace, his stride lengthening as his dusty boots slam into the ground, the litany of curses degenerating into a gutteral roar as the mantle of his beserker-god descends upon him, as he races headlong towards the ogres, his great sword held high before him !

"RRrrraaaaaaaaaaaghhhh !!!!"

Closing in just a bit on the ogres the monk stops and quickly flings a rock at the second of the huge beasts, hoping to at least distract it from the people on the ground.

Fergus hurries to catch up with Eilieen.  As he closes, though, the sight that meets his eyes gives him pause.  Ogres!  The few times ogres had been found anywhere near the old farm, the entire militia had been rousted out.  And even that was mostly a case of driving them off.

Still, Fergus couldn't very well leave the beleaguered couple to their fate, so he takes a tighter grip on his axe and runs forward.  He joins Aarnr in an inarticulate war-cry, if only to keep his courage up.

"Rraaaaaaaagh!"

OOC: Initiative 11, move ahead 80' (fast movement)

Colwyn skids to a halt on the road surface.  "Gods!  'e's a big bugger, ain't 'e?"  Before he even finishes making this astute observation he has an arrow nocked, and is raising his bow.  After only a brief pause to take aim, he unleashes the shaft directly at the monstrous creature.

Perhaps a little too hastily...

Corian's arrival in the open space of the road is no less precipitous than Colwyn's, and is attended by his own shrewd analysis of the situation, "I say, it's an ogre!"

The next words out of his mouth are a little less clear, however, as he raises a hand and chants, "Diogelu mi nawr!"  The air around him shimmers and takes on the appearance of crystal for a moment, before fading back to transparency.

Erista jogs along, keeping up, more or less, until the ogres are actually spotted and everybody suddenly breaks into impossibly long-legged charges.  She falls a bit behind, then, but continues pushing forward, bare feet padding on the ground.  She drifts a little to the side as she goes, making sure to keep Aarnr and Fergus, most particularly, in between her and the nearest ogre.

As distances close and she does draw closer, she takes out her sling and starts whirring a rock over her head, releasing it when she finally gets near enough.

Astral launches off from Erista's shoulder, and flies ahead, towards the second ogre.  He tries winging past ahead of it, hoping to possibly catch its attention and draw it away from its current prey.

Ozzy and Aramil continue to discuss their chances of getting involved in what definitely sounds like a considerable level of action and excitement, while Jack does his best to encourage them to go and join in if they want to.  "Look... you people have done right by us, considering we were involved in a plan to rob you... well, not you specifically, but you know what I mean.  We're grateful for that, and what sort of show of gratitude would it be if we weren't sitting here when you came back, enjoying what's probably the only spot of dinner between here and Fairhill?"

Decklan adds his own input, "Why, it'd be no sort of gratitude at all, Jack."

Meanwhile...

Erista may have been the last to arrive at the party, so far, due to the (to her mind) unnaturally long legs of her companions, but she doesn't waste any time getting involved.  Her sling whirls around her head and sends a shot hurtling through the air to strike the advancing ogre squarely in the forehead.  Which, judging by how much it slows the brute, seems to have missed anything vital by a good five or six feet.

The halfling's owl familiar swoops away and arond, heading towards the second ogre...

Aarnr and the lead ogre close distance rapidly, and the cleric of Bowbe is forced to throw himself to one side as he comes within reach of his monstrous foe and its massive club slams down in an arc which produces a new rut, several inches deep in the road surface.

A small, fast moving ball of feathers starts swooping around the second ogre which turns towards the annoying distraction and bats at it with one outsized hand.  The attempted swat misses Astral so narrowly that the owl feels its feathers on the tip of one wing brushed by the monster's fingertips...

Fergus meanwhile is close behind Aarnr and reaches the ogre just as it is raising its club to strike again.

Further back, Colwyn and the Nameless Monk launch ranged attacks at the giant, but neither of them succeeds in hitting their target.  Colwyn curses under his breath, "Nadgers!" and reaches for a second arrow...

Corian, realising that, for the moment, even the nearer ogre is out of range of any of his spells, chooses to cast a defensive magic instead, before starting to move closer.  He does not, after all, know if there are more of the foul creatures hidden in the forest...

And Eilieen passes him at a run, seemingly determined to reach the two fallen strangers and give them whatever assistance she can... 

OOC: Nobody hurt yet (unless you count the minor irritation of the ogre hit in the head by Erista's sling stone.  That's likely to change next round...

Combatant         Init
Erista             23
Second Ogre        20  AC=16
Lead Ogre          17  AC=16
Aarnr Foultongue   14
Astral             14
Colwyn Akbar       12
Fergus Andarson    11
Nameless Monk      10
Corian              7
Eilieen             -
Aramil              -
Oswald Osbourne:    -

Characters' Apparent Health
Aarnr Foultongue: Good
Aramil:           Good
Eilieen:          Good
Erista:           Good
Fergus Andarson:  Good
Nameless Monk:    Good
Oswald Osbourne:  Good

Colwyn Akbar:     Good
Corian Barade:    Good

Their endless prattle does nothing to calm the over anxious bard who paces back and forth near the fire, pausing to look longingly up the road every time one of his companions lets out a yell of attack or anguish. One of the better parts of the story and here he was wasting away baby sitting a couple of incompetent bandits and an elf. He stops pacing as an idea occurs to him. He starts to reach for his lute, pausing to watch Jack and Decklans expression. Then he draws back and starts to draw his sword, again gauging their reaction. He hopes to read these two lousy card players well enough to know which to keep in hand...

Sense Motive: 18

Two of her companions are within striking distance of the first ogre, but Eilieen has little choice - with people on the ground, she must ensure their safety.  She and hers walked into this with open eyes, but for them, likely the choice was taken away.  Panting slightly, she slows her pace a touch but continues for the unconcious strangers.

If the ogre closes to them attacks her, well...she'll have to deal with that when it comes.

Zadastha, please - keep my friends safe!  Shield them with your love!

If only she had more than a feeble prayer to offer them.

OOC - Continuing to run for the unconcious people; at 60', I'll make it to them this round.

There's not much room for conscious thought between Aarnr's ears at the moment.  His entire being is focussed on carving up the beast-like creature that towers over him, with naught but animal instincts to pay any mind to his own safety.

Recklessly he swings his long-bladed sword in a great arc that but narrowly misses slicing open the ogre's belly, the roar in his throat only growing with that anger and frustration.

The reluctance to head after the sound is fading fast, almost too fast. As the others charge off Aramil is left wondering if he has let his fear get the better of him. As his little companion dances around like a puppy ready to play, the half-elf starts to head towards the noise, but is stopped by the thought of their things left unattended with the two potential robbers. Turning to Ozzy he says "Well my little friend you can have your wish. I think we should join the fun down the road, but with a few precautions." Turning to the two robbers that are trying to persuade them to go after the others Aramil continues. "I think you two will come in handy. Its time to make up for thinking that roadside robbery was the best that life had to offer. Now we shall see what you are really made of. And if you do it well, we might put you into a line or two of the great ballad that shall be written of our adventure."

With this said he checks the fire and the belongings left around the fire. With everything as secure as they can be, the half-elf carries anything of importance with him at all times anyway, he herds the two humans towards the noise with his sword.

Erista slows down rapidly, deciding that on the whole, she's getting closer than she'd like.  She sends another sling bullet over Aarnr's head.

The monk sighs as the rock she tosses decides it do not wish to meet any ogres tonight and thus she puts the sling away and starts moving towards the nearest of the two oversized lump that are using trees for toothpicks.  Maybe she could step on their toes and make them run home to mama.

Muttering under his breath, Colwyn fits another arrow to his bow, and aims a little more carefully this time.  It does no good.  The arrow flashes past the ogre and lands somewhere further along the road.

"Ye gods an' blue-arsed monkeys!"

The rogue glares at the bow, plucks at the string as if to test it, and then reaches for another arrow.

"This is yer last bloody chance.  Get this one wrong an' yer'll be kindlin' mate."

Corian moves forward, keeping an eye on the distance between himself and the nearest monster.  It's a tricky balance... close enough to cast a spell, yet far enough to be able to make an escape if he needs to.

He finally reaches a position which seems to meet both requirements.  Then, after a brief hesitation, moves forward a couple more paces.  "There... "

Ozzy really wants to join in the fight, or at least to observe it.  The yelling and bellowing sound very exciting.  Decklan and Jack, especially Jack, seem keen that he should do so, urging the two bards to go and assist their friends. 

Aramil finally takes matters into his own hands, drawing his sword, and urging Jack and Decklan to start walking towards the fight.  Decklan is quiet as they draw closer to the noises, but Jack is more talkative, "I don't know why you're dragging us along.  We'd have waited with the fire.  I mean you might get back in a bit and find everything gone without us there to keep an eye on it.  And it's not like we could help much in a fight - I'm pretty sure Decklan is unarmed, and all I have is a small knife for peeling fruit."
But still Aramil drives them along... 

Eilieen continues to run towards the downed humans, intent on assisting them, or at least on attempting to do so, even if it kills her.  As she runs she hears a rushing noise nearby and ducks her head reflexively.  There is no need to worry though - it's just another sling stone from Erista which passes the running cleric and slams into the ogre again.

The bestial creature doesn't react though, being far too busy with trying to flatten Aarnr with a swing of its club, which the priest of Bowbe manages to turn aside with his blade before launching an attack of his own, forcing the ogre to step back to avoid being disembowelled...

The second ogre, standing over the still unmoving bodies in the road is still waving its hand ineffectually at Astral as the owl continues to circle around the creature, hooting frantically, though now from a slightly safer distance.

Eilieen passes the first ogre, which spots her from the corner of one of its beady little eyes and yells in rage.  The massive club swings towards her, and the impact lifts the woman off her feet and sends her sprawling about fifteen feet further along the road. 

The ogre's yell of triumph is almost drowned out by Fergus' own as he takes advantage of the monster's momentary distraction to slam his axe into the thing's ribs, bringing another yell, but this time one of pain.  The second ogre suddenly snaps its attention away from Astral, and starts forward to assist its partner, shouting a challenge as it does so...

Still on the way to the road, Jack stops in his tracks at the suddenly increased yelling and screaming, "Oh, that doesn't sound good."

Colwyn launches an arrow in the general direction of the ogre, but misses hopelessly before taking a moment to examine his weapon.  Perhaps the recent damp weather has affected it in some way?  That's his excuse anyway, and he intends to stick to it.

Another one of the party decides that close combat, while more dangerous, may be the way to deal with this menace.  The Nameless Monk begins to run towards the fight, ready to lend her hands, feet, and sundry other body parts to the fray...

Corian also moves forward, though a little more hesitantly, as he prepares to cast a spell which will rain destruction upon the monstrous enemy...


OOC: Oh yeah... the "nobody hurt" thing has certainly changed.  Not necessarily for the better.  My poor ogre!  :( 

Combatant         Init
Erista             23
Aramil             21
Second Ogre        20  AC=16
Lead Ogre          17  AC=16
Aarnr Foultongue   14
Astral             14
Eilieen            13
Colwyn Akbar       12
Fergus Andarson    11
Nameless Monk      10
Corian              7
Oswald Osbourne:    -

Characters' Apparent Health
Aarnr Foultongue: Good
Aramil:           Good
Eilieen:          Dying?
Erista:           Good
Fergus Andarson:  Good
Nameless Monk:    Good
Oswald Osbourne:  Good

Colwyn Akbar:     Good
Corian Barade:    Good

This message was last edited by the GM at 19:26, Fri 09 Dec 2011.

As the ogre gives loses its interest in him, Astral takes a wider turn and then glides down towards Eilieen, landing with a brief flutter on her crumpled form.

Predictably, the compassionate Eilieen hastens to aid the fallen travellers.  Almost as predictably, her better nature leads her into trouble.

The sight of Eilieen sliding, limp, across the road turns Fergus' brash warcry into a howl of genuine rage.  He allows the momentum of his first swing to turn him in a complete circle and by the time his axe comes 'round again it has all his strength and anger behind it.