After a long day of exploring the Howler's Moor and looking for the missing pilgrims without any success--the handful of shepherds the party came across during the day had seen nothing--the sun begins to set and the party must make camp for the night.

"I suppose we need to set watches out here," Karon says as they look for a good spot to camp. He's already started to pick up dry branches that might be used to make fire as he walks along. "I don't mind which one I'll take, although the first or last is easiest since it takes time to get out of my armor and to put it back on. Oh, and with the numbers we have I suppose it might make sense to have two awake at a time."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:13, Thu 03 May 2018.

"I'll stand first watch with you."

Rissa offers, her hands resting comfortably on the pommels of her two blades.

"How sharp are your eyes in the dark, will you need light?"

From the way she asks the question, it is clear she does not.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:31, Wed 02 May 2018.

Karon tries hard not to show how creepy he thinks Rissa really is, but it is clear he isn't much of an actor. "That, eh, would be fine. Good. Yes. Very good," he stammers, before recovering. "And no, darkness has never bothered me much. Something I inherited from my father's side, I suppose."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:13, Thu 03 May 2018.

Arixos places his pack on the ground, setting up a bedroll for himself. "I'll need some light to be able to see, perhaps I should go for the last shift so I can catch the sunlight as it rises." He offers up, before sitting down to perform some basic maintenance on his swords. "And if the lizardman seek us out again, I should be the one to talk to them again. They know me already, and hopefully they will be grateful to us for getting Inzeldrin to solve their giant problem."

"Lizardmen?"

Rissa asks with an arched brow over her tattooed cheek, ignoring Karon's dirty looks.

Terminax sets up a place for himself, saying, "Wake me for my watch." and promptly falls asleep.

Lucien walks slowly around the perimeter of the camp, familiarizing himself with the surrounding in features before the light fades completely. "I will take the middle and last watch. I'll only need a few hours to trance." The comes back to the center of the camp after his circuit. "We had met some of the lizardmen who live in the marsh not far from here. I doubt they will venture this far afield though."

"I can take a shift somewhere in the middle", Gerbo says, before retiring to read his scrolls in candle light. The color of the flame occasionally changes following a few gestures and muttered words from him.

"Yeah, it seems pretty unlikely they'd leave the Mire," Lathan says. "I only need four hours and prefer to be up early anyway, so if I can get some rest early, I will take the remainder of the night."

About an hour and a half after the party settles, when the last light in the sky is starting to fade completely, Karon and Rissa, who are keeping watch while the others sleep, notice a group of five medium humanoids approaching about 150 feet away from the northeast. The five are crouched low to the ground but are moving relatively quickly; it is apparent that they are armed with spears and carry shields. Due to the crouching, the darkness, and the distance Karon and Rissa cannot tell what race of humanoid they are.

Rissa moves quickly and quietly to roust the others, wasting no time discerning if the approaching humanoids were friend or foe.

"We are not alone, it seems."

She whispers to each as she wakes them, staying low but moving swiftly.

Volani scrambled out of his tent, where he previously lay shivering. The young man snatched up his rapier as he rose. Wiping sleep from his eyes he scanned the darkness, hoping for a favorable moon.

While Rissa wakes up the others, Karon slips his shield onto his left arm and hefts his pick in the other. He takes a few steps closer to the beings, hoping there aren't others approaching from a different direction.

"Who approaches a man's campfire in the middle of the night?" he challenges the armed beings in a loud voice, hoping to draw attention to himself and allow his companions time to arm themselves, and at the same time give them information as they wake up.

Terminal, upon being awoke rolled to his feet, donning his shield and grabbing an axe handle bas he looks around, motioning to form a ring around the new companion he had been reluctant to include in the center, nearest the campfire.

Lathan perks up and reaches for his swords. No time to don my armor, he thinks as he scans the area, trying to locate the potential threat.

Lucien grips his bow, and, trusting his companions to hold the front line, allows his vision to pass to the owl that launches from his shoulder into the night sky. From above, he uses his familiar to try and get a closer look at the approaching shapes in the darkness.

The five humanoids continue to stay low to the ground as they move. When Karon calls out, they straighten up slightly and quicken their pace, readying their spears and shields for combat.

The mist in front of Lucien's eyes clears and he leads to his feet with his bow in hand. "These are no friends! They're gnolls, be ready for a fight!" He knocks an arrow and takes aim at one of the creatures.

Terminax hisses, puffing himself up as he prepares to launch himself at the enemy.

As the intent of the skulking creatures, as well as their nature, becomes clear, Karon rolls his shoulders in anticipation for a fight. "Form a line, on me," he shouts at his companions in his deep baritone voice, taking a few steps closer to the charging Gnolls to create more space for Lucien and other archers to operate.

"Lucien, make sure we aren't being flanked," he shouts, trusting the elven eyes of his companion to spot any more attackers out there.

After waking up, Gerbo quickly dons his shield. After Lucien confirms it's an attack, he starts to pray: "Oh Lady Mystra, may these companions of mine benefit from thine Blessing, keeping them safe and their aim true." During this prayer he keeps his hands crossed, and at the end he points first at Karon, then Lucien and finally at Terminax.

OOC: Bless at Karon, Lucien and Terminax: for the next minute, they can add 1d4 to their attack rolls and saving throws.

Begin combat. Roll initiative and post your action(s) for the first round (if you haven't already). The gnolls are currently about 90 feet away from the camp.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:32, Fri 04 May 2018.

Rissa pulls a clear glass orb from a pouch at her side.  A swirling mass of bright radiant light bursts forth from the orb, illuminating her face as it flickers.  Yet there is shadow there too, dark purple energy that crackles and twists around the ball of radiant flame she now holds.  She reaches down with her right hand, seeming to grasp at the smooth surface of the glass, and as she does she draws the dark corruption forth from behind its prison.  She hisses...

"Irkigaar."
"Irkigaar."

... but there is another voice there underneath her own.  While her voice is usually amiable and concise, this voice was oozing with promise and temptation.  There is power dripping from every syllable, there for the taking.  It was that power that streaks forth in an angry buzz of dark energy, rippling through the air to fly at the first of the gnolls.  Whatever it was, it goes wide, missing the leader by a solid foot and buzzing off into the darkness.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:09, Fri 04 May 2018.

Terminax posts up by Karon, knees bent, his shield set in front of him, his longsword pointing forward, resting on top of his shield. The stance is a cross between a gladiator's pose and what a soldier in a phalanx might hold.