The direction that Jurz (the goblin riding a dog) points is directly past the small settlement that the group just left. They approached from the north yesterday and he indicates they should continue southwards, deeper into the forest.

 She stuck her head out from about 20 feet off the ground, watching the cat with first one eye, then the other, turning her head this way and that. Seeing as it doesn't seem too interested in her, she slowly climbs back down then shakes her feathers back down, somewhat embarrassed she had reacted so to the cat. Instincts were hard to fight sometimes, and left you up a tree before you knew it.
 "I be friend if you want me be. Not much around close but beasties. Theys orcs, goblins and wild dogs to the northwise or westwise of here, and theys wood elves eastwise.
 Maybes something south a ways in thick woods mmmmm 20 miles southwise but didnt go in there. Don't borrow troubles my momma taught us, she did yes, Rak!
 "And alls I gots to eat is seeds, but maybe me find fat wriggly worms if wants me to."

Dregz is entirely uncertain about the newcomer, but is willing to give anyone that seems less than homicidal or plague-ridden a chance.  Besides, the priest has it on divine authority that there's safety in numbers (at least if you're still numbered amongst the living when the dust settles).

Raven's information regarding further trouble west and east only goes to show the wisdom of Jurz plan.  "We goes dat way," he confirms for the benefit of all, adding his finger to that of the druid to show the path of hopefully least resistance.  "Let's go den ..."

 "Where you from? Is there news from where you been? Not much news where I been, all woods and trees, and scarcely any food ceptin worms and seeds and nuts. I could use a good plate of stuff from a good Inn, Yes, I could!"
 She bobbed her head up and down on her shoulders, looking at them all from one eye then the other, before grooming a feather back into place. She hopped a time of two without thinking, then settled in to walk beside the goblins with the dog.

Minmorc will approach Dregz and will give him the wand of cure light wounds. "Dis is my Healy stick, if deres a fight you heals Riza if Riza gets hurt and you keep der fighters fightin or yer will have a chat wid Vera. Weez heading south? I'll go on a bit an try ter catch some food, stay back a bits an follow." Minmorc will stash Wilson in his backpack (away from the pack that holds his water skins) and with Vera at the ready will head south.

Dregz recoils from Minmorc and the healy-stick. Screwing up his face, the little goblin stares up and up at the big orc, scanning him for signs of plague.

"Show me yer hands !" he demands, bravely, needing to satisfy himself that Minmorc isn't suffering from any disease before he accepts the healy-stick.

"Are dey believers ?" the priest demands, worried about Vera, of course, but moreso over his standing in his god's eyes.

Nurzhan moved closer to Raven as they all started walking south.

"Have you really eaten at a proper inn?" he asks her. "I thought I must be the only one. That's one of the few things I miss from my time among humans. Since I left them and came to join the battle against the Knights of the Watch here in Geoff I haven't eaten anything half as well cooked as that. Not that I don't enjoy a good slice of meat from a fresh kill as much as the next orc, of course, but I do like a bit of variety every now and then.

"Maybe, since we've all seen how futile the battle against the Watchers is, at least in terms of our own personal survival and we turned away from that fate yesterday and headed south into the forest, maybe we can find something like a proper inn when we get out of this forest?"

Minmorc flares his nostrils in disgust and puts the Healy stick back in his sporran. With no further time for goblins that look gifts orks in the mouth he will head south.

She bobbed her head up and down as Nurzhan spoke to her, glad to know she was talking to someone who had also had civilized food as well.
 "Yes, I have had inn food. It was better than worms and seeds, mostly rak! No fur in the food either. I travels with you if you like, yes? Maybe can even help you find shinies too? Tired of being alone, sleeping with one eye open all time. Been avoiding Watchers too. Maybe we even find inn to sleep in sometime Kah."

Once the introductions are complete, Jurz (riding Rog) leads the group to the south.  However, once the journey is under way, Jurz lets the riding dog slip back until it is alongside Raven.

"Youse said dere was thick forest to de south and dat it was dangerous." he reminds the birdy.  "What makes der forest thick dere?" he asks "and what makes it dangerous?"

 She hopped sideways when the dog showed up, and looked at the goblin with one eye, cocking her head sideways as she does.
 "Not know if it dangerous, just too thick to travel into. Didn't want to get trapped in theres with no ways out, rak! Don't know why it so thick, but not natural like to see woods that thick round here. Might be safe, but I not know sure."
 She bobbed her head up and down, then bobbed herself up and down briefly then strode alongside the dog as she waited for a reply if one was coming.

"Dats good." the goblin nods sagely.  "Wes can go around it, but I's might goes in dere and  looks around." the brown goblin says with a glint in his eye.  "Its might be de forests druids, or it might be de O Baddy men ...." he says as he appears to think it through.

Just as night falls Jurz points the way southwards deeper into the forest and the group heads off once again. Minmorc announces he will go ahead a little way and see if he catch some food. The rest of the group follows about 60 feet behind him at the limit of vision in the thick forest.

The group travels for half the night and covers about 10 miles before they finally do see something that Minmorc recognises as 'food'. He nearly passed right by them but a sudden movement 60 feet to his left (and 60 feet diagonally ahead to the left from the rest of the group as well) caught his attention. Then everyone else could just make them out too.

It is a small herd of boars, about 4 or 5 of them that had been resting or foraging in the undergrowth between the trees. Now the boars have seen the travellers too. They snort and stamp to show their anger at these intruders.

OOC: Main game map updated.

Minmorc roars his delight at having found food but knows that in front of those delicious chops and rashers of bacon are a pair of deadly tusks. Holding onto Vera like its a weight lifters bar he will begin to stretch his arms and legs and will mutter under his breath. Within seconds he has stretched well beyond his normal size, the now large sized ork crouched behind a huge sized Vera set against a charge.

Noticing the boars and seeing Minmorc's delight at more food Riza curses herself silently for not hiding as she normally would... But a chance at food is a chance at food.

Riza moves to stand just in front of raven, sights along a fresh arrow and let's it fly hoping for a kill.



OOC: rolled 24 to attack on boar3 , rolled 5 for damage

She reached down and steadied Riza, using her sleeves to block off the breeze if there was any [Private to Wyrm of Wyrd: Great Ally: When aided on a skill
  check or attack roll by an ally, add +3 bonus] hoping that she would get to share in any meat they managed to get. She would grab her sling and ready it if she needed to once she saw if Riza had any luck.

If anything, Dregz is even more suspicious about Minmorc's likely infection with plague, and ensures he's nowhere near the big orc on the treck south.

The discovery of the boars is a mixed blessing - while he's as fond of meat as the next hungry carnivore, those things have big tusks and bad attitudes.  But while the safety of the nearest tree is most tempting, he can't let the tribe face the beasts alone (not to mention that those who don't fight don't eat), so with much trepidation, the priest readies his sling and advances towards the boars.

All the while keeping an eye on which ones Minmorc goes near as he's not going to be eating tainted meat !

Nurzhan reacts as soon as Riza shoots at the middle boar. Seeing that the boar doesn't fall immediately he fires off two rapid shots at the same boar that Riza shot at.

OOC: rolled 21,19 using d20+5,d20+5. Rapid shot: 2 arrows at boar.
rolled 7,9 using d8+4,d8+4. Damage: 2 arrows at boar.

Partial update for round 1.

Riza and Nurzhan's arrows all hit and injure the middle boar (b3). It is grievously wounded but that just seems to make it madder than before.

The boars stand about 3 feet tall and about 4 feet long. They obviously can withstand quite a bit of punishment.

OOC: I'll wait for others to post their actions this round before determining what the boars will do.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:43, Mon 16 June 2014.

Jurz shrugs.  Left to his own devices, he would have gone around the boars, but everyone needs to eat, and boars are fair game.

Shrugging his shield round to the right position, he draws his scimitar and nudges Rog round to a position that gives him a clear run towards Minmorc, and towards the rest of the party, then prepares for the charge.

 She readied her sling, pulling a bullet out of her pouch and putting it in the sling, she winds it up and lets it fly toward the wounded boar, while still trying to protect Riza's shots by blocking any wind coming from behind her. Tries not to hit an ally.

Grakk surveys the gathering of boars and snorts, not very appealing for a minotaur, he weighs up his axe and prepares to defend his allies should things turn bad.

When close enough, Dregz swings his sling, loosing the stone with a snap of his wrist.

Minmorc readies himself with a prayer that pumps him up to twice his normal size then sets his greatspear against the expected charge by the boars.

When Riza and Nurzhan's arrows injure the middle boar (b3) Raven and Dregz attack the same boar with their slings. Dregz hits it right on the nose but even that isn't enough to put it down.

Jurz moves Rog into position where he can charge toward either group when needed and Grakk readies his battleaxe to cut down anything that gets close enough to threaten the group. Bulldust, Moffdust, Oopses and Arlein are a bit slower to react.

The grievously wounded boar is the first to react, squealing in pain and rage it charges straight at its tormentors. As soon as it moves out of the way the boar (b2) to its right suddenly sees the giant Minmorc for the first time and charges straight at him instead. The other three boars shuffle a few paces one way or the other, obviously undecided which enemy to attack or whether to flee instead.

The wounded boar charges straight at Nurzhan, hitting and goring the archer with its tusks.

The second boar charges at Minmorc but his giant-sized Vera is ready for it. The boar literally impales itself on the greatspear, its momentum carrying it halfway along the length of the greatspear before it finally collapses to the ground, dead.

OOC: Main game map updated.

Rog leaps forwards, charging directly at the boar which attacked Nurzhan.

As Rog drives them into the fight Jurz suddenly screams, hoping the sudden noise will scare the rest of the boar away, before he too strikes the boar in front of Nurzhan.

ooc:

17:39, Today: Rog rolled 17 using 1d20+5. Charge to hit boar.
17:40, Today: Rog rolled 5 using 1d3+3. Damage the boar.
17:38, Today: Jurz rolled 25 using 1d20+5. Charge to hit the Boar.
17:39, Today: Jurz rolled 3 using 1d4. To damage the Boar.