Tath allowed the others move past. After the group was past he took one last look out toward the wreck and then followed the others.

Melisana thanks Rebeccah and gratefully wraps half the cloak around her.

The group of castaways moves northeast across the rough terrain.  For the next hour, the icy rain pelts them, numbing fingers and toes.

While walking along in the depression between two large hills, they become aware of a noise, a very faint noise, like grunting voices and steel clanging on steel, barely audible over the noise of the rain and the wind. It seems to be coming from beyond the hill to your left.

In reply to Man in Black (msg # 15):

Raising his hand for all to stop, Lam turns to the group, Sounds like a battle.  Looks toward the sounds then back to the group, At least we know there are human or humanoids here but I suggest we move along and try to find cover unless someone wants to check out the sounds? looks to each, I suggest though we stay together no matter what. then points toward the sound of battle  that way or and points to the way the have been traveling we keep going this way and find cover.

Deniv moves up to Lam.  Stay here and let me go look.  We should at least know who our neighbors are.  I'm small and can hide pretty well.
He doesn't wait for anyone to respond.  Moving quickly, he scrambles up the hill, keeping low to the ground.  Gor once, he is glad for the rain.  Any mud will help to camouflage him, while the sound of the rain, and the battle itself, should keep him from being noticed.  He flattens himself to the ground and lays his head sideways to lower his profile as he peeks with one eye at the scene before him.

Below Daniv, there's a ravine separating this line of hills from the next ridge. And there's a battle going on down there.  It looks like a dozen goblins and half a dozen orcs going at it pretty fiercely. The goblins are fighting with bows and spears; the orcs have axes and polearms, and one of them appears to have armor, too. Most of the fighters don't have any sort of armor, but all of them have cloaks.  About 50 feet behind the line of orcs there's someone lying in the ravine. It looks like a human man, a white-bearded old man wearing tattered robes. He's lying down, twisted over to watch the fight; his arms are behind his back and look as though they've been tied.

Deniv scrambles back down to his companions quietly.  Once there, he explains what he had seen.
From the hill, they could be picked off with the crossbow.  Especially if we could surround them.  They have cloaks and weapons, but I didn't see any armor except on one.
 My guess is they plan to eat the old man.  If we do anything, we have to hurry before the fight is over.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:46, Fri 27 Oct 2017.

"Be ya daft? Tha handful of us rabble agin nigh a score of orcs and goblins?  I say we wait til they have kilt each other off. Then we think, we think about taking on what's left.  Only a fool would go in outhanded three ta one Kerkrin spouts out in a whispered rush.  "We gots one sword, that I bet he ain't never swung afore, and a crossbow that I ain't touched since I grew ma bread and left my Da.  I wanna their kind dead as much as the next guy, but it ain't gonna help nobody if we's like right along 'em.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:20, Fri 27 Oct 2017.

Tath listens to the group as they discuss the problem, he then eases off up the slope intent on taking a look. As he gets close to the top he lays down and crawls the last couple of yard before peeking over to check things out.

From the very top of the hill, the hill drops about 60 feet down the slope for about 150 feet.  Most of the rocky and boulder strewn hill drops only about 30 feet over the same distance.  The old man is tied up about 50 feet away from the battle behind the goblins.

Jory says: "We can't leave that old man to the orcs, they'll do horrible things to him.
So let's take our chances. Kerkrin, this is your chance to show how well you're able to handle
that crossbow I handed over to you. Go get them and if they scramble up the slope, I'll hack them with the sword so that they're falling back down again."

In reply to Jory Ranglore (msg # 23):

once Lam digests the news he interjects softly, OK, good idea to hit them once they are done fighting or right about near the end.  If we can scramble to them and grab some of their better weapons we may have a chance against the remaining one.   Sighs as he sees Tath move off, I hope Tath gets a good picture for we need to know the terrain better to sneak up on them as best we can.

Grunts and Smacks his head with the palm of his hand then chuckles The old guys is behind the fighting why not try to rescue him while the goblins and orcs fight, maybe he knows a quick way out of here?

Jory looks at Lam Durus with utter incomprehension. Sneak up on them? Jory feared that Lam had gone mad.

He answered: "That steep slope is working in our advantage. We don't want to come close to them, for they'll kill us then. We need to stay up here, then we can pick them off one by one with the crossbow!!!!"

Rebeccah joins them on the ridge.  She crouches behind a boulder to avoid being seen by the monsters  "There are too many to take on with one crossbow.  What if they all decide to stop their fight to come after us.  I want to save that poor man, too, but we need a bigger advantage in case one side wins big.  Some of them have bows, too."

Jory scrambles to a spot next to Rebecca on top of the hill and answers:"There are too many now? Let's just wait for half of those goblins and orcs to be killed by the others.

In reply to Jory Ranglore (msg # 27):

Carefully moving up to the hill next to Jory and Rebeccah, Lam quietly speaks, now this gives us a better view of things and I see what we are up against,

Yes, Rebeccah and Jory, we should wait till the battle is done or just about done.  The Orcs look to have captured that old man and the goblins want him so we know there are other humans about. A good sign civilization can be found.

Shaking his head in agreement  Now, yes shooting the crossbow at the remaining Orcs/Goblins can be effective but only if we hit them and do not run out of bolts.

 hhmm

From up here, true we stand a better chance of holding them off if they charge up at us. I see more likely the surviving side will try to grab the old man and run for it since we are not confronting them directly and they could escape us.

Lam looks to Rebeccah, you bet I also want to rescue that old man and depending on how many are left will decide our strategy.

So maybe, shoot the crossbow and the rest of us can throw rocks down on any that come in range to do that. Then two try to rescue the old man while the rest of us spread out down the slope to attack the few remaining ones one the bolts run out or they look to run. We have to show enough force that they do not just try to grab the old guy and run for it.  I am not sure we should let any survive to run for it.

Looks to where Tath is then to Jory I will go get the remain group up here to be ready, this battle may not ast too much longer and we need to be in position to react quickly?

Lam, will sneak back down and get the rest of the group to sneak up to near the edge to be ready to react per any plan decided upon.

Tell us the right places to be and the easiest way to start a rockslide on them if and when they try to come up,
Master dwarf, Deniv says.  I can sneak down and free the old man.  He holds up one of the knives he made.

Jory thinks for a moment, then says whispering: "Can you direct a rockslide in such a way that the old man isn't hit by it?"

the dwarf looks at the hills.  "Might work, been rainin' anough." He points to the two strongest looking folk and says "Come wit me, and da rest of ya get down from dere bafore dey see yer warm heads. "  He starts towards the ridge, pausing, touching the ground, then moving a little further, all the while mumbling to himself in dwarven, repeating the process until he finds what he's looking for.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:56, Mon 30 Oct 2017.

Deniv begins moving around the hill to locate a way he can get to the old man to fee his from his bonds.

Jory is very strong, which means he can help with the rockslide.
He follows Kerkrin and helps him to do whatever he's doing.

(Everyone pushing boulders, roll 1d6.  Use your 'open doors' stat under Strength.  If you don't have a PHB, just post your roll.)

Kerkrin's dwarven high for stone gives him a good idea of the feasibility of a rockslide succeeding.  The old man should be far enough away to avoid getting caught in it.

Jory pushes hard against the rock.

OOC: 11:36, Today: Jory Ranglore rolled 16 using 1d20.  Open Doors OD 12, rock slide, must be a d20 roll I think.

Nope, roll 1d6.

12:12, Today: Jory Ranglore rolled 5 using 1d6.  Open doors 1d6 as GM stated.