N'Rell growled in frustration as the first flame didn't find a target. A flury of syllables came from him as his extended hand curled tightly before releasing and producing a fiery projectile aimed at one of the Kobolds attacking the woman with the broken spear. Seeing the others reducing the Kobalds' numbers rapidly, N'Rell moved forward to close distance. [Language unknown: "Eiulndon hi dies ettapa il no il isma'ilck icuset oun a staatinde!"]


17 Fire Bolt attack
6 fire damage

Move: approach 30 ft closer (now about 70 ft from Kobolds)

16:01, Today: N'Rell rolled 17 using 1d20+5.  Ranged Spell Attack.

16:02, Today: N'Rell rolled 6 using 1d10.  damage if hit.

Hasan continues to cut into the kobolds, barely noticing those who have arrived to assist.

Attack Kobold #7 (or whichever is closest). Hits AC 20 for 9 slashing damage.

15:23, Today: Hasan Saqri rolled 9 using 1d10+2.  Damage.
15:22, Today: Hasan Saqri rolled 20 using 1d20+4.  Attack.

Isolde gave a grunt of approval as Nightbreeze showed off her archery skills and dropped a few kobolds. The shield maiden herself had less success, swinging her hammer and keeping her shield moving but not connecting with any of the evasive vermin. If that frustrated her, she didn’t show it. Evidently, she was content to be a heavily armored distraction that allowed her allies to do their best work, and she fought on with a ferocious grin.

The flame-throwing newcomer drew her attention, but Isolde was much to busy to give him more than a cursory glance.

OOC: another miss.

Bencor staggered a few paces back and clutched his belly. He gritted his teeth and made a show of stooping forward to nurse his wound, really hamming it up, so he might draw the scaly little blighter in surprise him with a sucker swipe of his blade. Anyone watching the druid's in the fight might start to see a rather unsporting trend. When he went to take the swing however the pinching pain in his gut fouled up his attack making him pull his arm back into his body to actually nurse his cut gut for real.

22:17, Today: Bencor Dekarrac rolled 9 using 1d20+4.  Scimitar to hit. Likely a miss.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:35, Tue 29 Jan 2019.

Bencor, hurting from his wound, misses his opponent, who stabs the druid with his dagger, leaving him barely able to remain standing. Hasan cuts into the kobold with his longsword, dropping him. The woman stabs one of the kobolds with her spear, taking it down. N'Rell's fire bolt takes out the other kobold who was attacking her. Isolde attacks one of the kobolds attempting to overwhelm her but misses; Inanah kills it with an arrow in the back.

Kathra bursts onto the scene, cracking the last kobold's head with her warhammer.

"Thank you! I don't know what we would've done had you not shown up." The woman with the spear breathes a sigh of relief, then rushes toward her husband and children. "Come," she says to the group of heroes. "We have to get to the keep. It's the only safe place in Greenest."

End combat.

Isolde responded without hesitation to the spear-woman's sensible suggestion, taking up a position on the forward left flank of the family group, quite prepared to escort them to the keep. She stopped for only a moment to give an appraising once-over of the other dwarf who had burst onto the scene. With an eyebrow raised, Isolde nodded a silent greeting and offered a brief, approving scowl, then returned to the business at hand.

Isolde tapped the nearest child on the shoulder. She spoke urgently, but without panic. "We'll get your family to safety. Keep pace and stay behind me. I am your shield. And a stout one, at that."

The shield maiden pointed to Hasan. "You. Lead the way." To Bencor and Kathra: "You. And you. Right flank. Elf, you're with me. Wizard, behind us. Burn anything that tries to follow. Move, now."

[OOC: How far does it seem to the keep?]

Chewy vitriol arose in Bencor's throat, least that how it seems from his face as the party's shield maiden takes self-anointed command. The druid opens his mouth in a snarl but seems to think the better of it and holds his tongue. He then sheathed his scimitar and returned his shield to his back. The rush of the fight had left him and he found himself swooning down on one knee, pale and succumbing to the cold sweat of shock.

Reaching down to his belt he fetched a sprig of leaves bound in twine; Bencor held the small branch reverently, struggling not to sway and fall over. Muttering an obscured prayer he dangled the sprig over the dirt in front of him. A small vine is teased forth from the earth which sprouts up half a foot in the space of seconds. Tiny buds turn into flowers and leaves. The next moment those small blooms fade like a mayfly, turning into a cluster of dark plum coloured berries; which Bencor plucks from the wee sapling before it withers to dust before the eye.

Casting Goodberry giving 10 Berries that heal his missing 5 HP after Kathra heals him below  (with 5 left over). Bencor will start eating them as they move. He's hoping not to be left behind..
This message was last edited by the player at 05:15, Wed 30 Jan 2019.

A dwarf with a shaved face and full armor? She's clearly in charge, Kathra thinks, as she scratches her own beard.

Kathra does a weird spinning motion with the shield, leaving it hanging off her side in a deft but flashy move as she approaches the gathering adventurers. Unceremoniously and with little warning, she shoves her hand onto the gaping gut wound of the hairy, leather clad human as he swoons and drops to one knee. Kathra declares piously, [Language unknown: "Besepa, linionres ithnceoulwit asarur! Hatastthe essintati he ri ive p lo and tinble'thisanstr, ounantted no?"] as she drags/guides Bencor to the flank where the shield maiden directed them to.

22:42, Today: Kathra Silvernode rolled 4 using 1d8+2 ((2)). Cure Wounds on Bencor.

As she sees the ill-kempt-but-impressively-bearded-for-a-human fighter guy mutter over some twigs, Kathra assumes that he must be in shock, and places herself on the outermost edge of the right flank instead of moving him.

Once Bencorr gets up and indicates he is ready to move, she says to the spear-woman, "City's been aflame for hours. Benson's Way is choked off. Should we try Old Bridge?" As the two discuss routes, it becomes clear that Kathra has been here long enough to learn a few street names, but is still obviously an outsider.

Edited for clarity and to resolve some timing issues
This message was last edited by the player at 05:03, Wed 30 Jan 2019.

"You would act with such authority over me without earning it?" As N'Rell approached, his attention had been on the bodies of the fallen Kobolds - giving Isolde only a brief glance when he had been addressed before setting himself to the task of searching the creatures. He ignored weapons, trinkets, or anything else of monetary value. Instead, he was looking for notes, letters, or any sort of messages they may have been carrying - muttering to himself a bit as he did so. [Language unknown: "Naal thi seec he, ul diicasarac setiouwhethu? Re iththeres whman leulme?"]

He glanced up to the others once he completed his search. "It seems we have a common enemy..."

Perhaps she didn't notice Dekarrak's scowl or hear N'Rell's question, or perhaps she didn't feel they merited a response. Isolde just scowled and kept vigilant for approaching threats until the company was ready to move -- but if the wizard spent too much time looting the vermin, she might very well might move without him, though she would strongly prefer to have a fire-slinging spell-caster along on the perilous way.

Sighing with relief but knowing that the respite might be very short, Inanah looked towards the keep after the woman comments that it is the safest place. Going towards the dragon sounded like a really bad idea to her, but on the other hand it was the only place of protection in this open country. They would have to hope that the dragon would not be able to burn the stones of the keep or that it had deep cellars.

She frowned on Isolde when she barked her commands, [Language unknown: "In ta of trnaosan m ndnoto ll m whiconlineve, whac elprnehe ssti notto pa ll stioveyin vor u inmeiv. Ncaswatate o setio rebeon ma os."] Shaking her head she turned to Bencor who was injured, but seeing that he was taken care of by the newcomer, she said to the children and their protectors, "Don't worry, we help you to get to safety."

"I will scout us a safer way, if you are serious about being the point of the group, I'll whisper you if I see safer path. Expect to hear my voice in your ear." She spoke to Isolde, while already eyeing the street close by for openings. When she saw a gap in the flow of enemies she stealthily sneaked forward, using buildings, rubble and smoke as her cover. Moving from safe spot to safe spot she trid to guide the others between groups of enemies.


OOC: My idea is for Inanah to scout ahead of the others (about 60 feet ahead) and guide them towards the keep by directing where they go. She would use Message cantrip to whisper these instuctions to Isolde.
16:26, Today: Inanah Nightbreeze rolled 23 using 1d20+7.  Stealth for avoiding enemies while on the way to the keep.

16:26, Today: Inanah Nightbreeze rolled 9 using 1d20+6.  Perception to spot dangers on the way to the keep
This message was last edited by the player at 14:42, Wed 30 Jan 2019.

Isolde grunted and a small flicker of a smile broke her scowl. She answered Nightbreeze in the common tongue. "I'll worry about my manners and your respect when the children are safe. Your plan is sound. But I'm shielding the left flank. Send your whisperings to the bald one. He leads the way. Unless he wants to argue about it, too."

Hasan scans the battlefield as the others talk, his blade still drawn and ready, apparently not paying much attention to what they are saying.

"No argument here," he says to Isolde when she speaks about him. "I'll follow her directions and the rest of you follow me. Stay close together, everyone."

Before Inanah sneaks off, Hasan nods at her and says, "Don't get too far ahead of us. We won't be able to move as fast as you." He motions toward the injured man and the children to reinforce his words.

Once everyone is in formation, he sets off after Inanah, following her magically whispered directions.

Hasan will move slower than his normal pace so as to not leave anyone behind.

(I'm trying to make her Common sound vaguely Scottish, since all dwarves post-LOTR sound Scottish, not sure if it's too much. Let me know if you need me to tone it down.)

"Alrecht 'en, let's discuss strategy," she whispers to the group the next time they're all crouching behind some barrels.


The guy with the hawkfeathers on his cloak makes a gesture, and the group all scuttles forward to the next hiding spot. "We've awreddy got uir positions down. We need pick a'caapla words fur situations. Loch, if someain needs healin', ur backup. Anie ideas?"

"You are not from here..." It was clearly more of a statement than a question as he addressed the others as a group, not speaking to any one of them specifically. "You seem to handle yourselves better than the citizens here, but you cannot be of the guard. They locked themselves in the safety of their keep as soon as the attack happened." He practically spat out the last words of that sentence.

As he searched the last of the Kobolds only to come up empty-handed, N'Rell grunted in frustration and let loose a bolt of fire only inches away from its chest. He knew the creature was already dead, but it seemed to make him feel better.

"You are here for a reason..." He rose to his feet and moved to where they had gathered. "...even if you do not fully know what it is yet. Maybe our paths remain alongside each other's for a time."

Bencor squints at Kathra "I know you're speaking common, but the meaning of it escapes me." he gives a sheepish grin letting her know the failure is his, not hers. "I haven't traveled much before, or heard many of the accents that are out there. Bencor, by the by.." he gives a salute-like wave as introductions "..thanks for the assist."

Returning to address the priestesses original point. "Teach me the dwarvern word for 'Help'. Will that serve?"

In reply to Bencor Dekarrac (msg # 42):

"Och aye," she agrees. "Ah got 'at a lot. Ah dornt gie much chance tae practice. Ah probably hae a bit ay an accent."

She waits until the next lull in the sneaking before introducing herself. "Ah am Kathra ay Clan....weel, Cleric ay Moradin, at onie rate.

She teaches Belcor how to say [Language unknown: "Elpl"] shortly thereafter.

At another moment, crouched behind a burning cart, she gestures to N'Rell and whispers to Belcor, "Wa is flam fingers sic' a [Language unknown: theughstianystayin si], anyway? His mammy tak' heem aff 'er tit tay yoong ur somethin'? Hoo lang hae ye knoon heem?"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:18, Thu 31 Jan 2019.

The keep is about 600 feet southwest of where the party encountered the kobolds, as the crow flies. However, given the layout of the buildings in Greenest and the current chaos, Inanah will have to take a rather indirect route to reach the keep safely.

Dekarrac eyed the wrapped magic user "Oh, he swept into my life throwing firebolts about.. a few minutes ago." he shrugged. "Ain't sure 'bout his relationship to his 'mammy'." he can't hide a lip curl at that one.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:09, Thu 31 Jan 2019.

Isolde grunted.

__



Despite her focus on the dangers of the surroundings, that drew a long, serious look from Isolde. Then she grunted and returned to her vigilant watch, ready to move out when Hasan signaled that Inanah had signaled.

Inanah dodged into an alley between two smoking buildings when she discovered a group of enemies coming directly towards her. Fortunately she managed to hide in time and they didn't seem to notice her. The others might not be so lucky without warning, so Inanah raised her flimsy ring of copper wire to front of her mouth and whispered through it, bending some strands of the weave of magic to let her voice pierce through the ether to Hasan's ear.


After her message Inanah quietly took her bow out and waited for the enemies to pass. She would attack them from behind if the others didn't manage to hide and avoid them, or continue on towards the keep otherwise. She kept an eye out for other enemies that might be approaching from other directions and also to the sky, hoping selfishly that the dragon would be occupied by the keep until they got there.

Hasan stops and motions for the others to do the same when he hears Inanah's message. "Got it. We'll hide," he says. He looks around quickly then motions for everyone to follow him behind a stone fence nearby. "Raiders coming. We've got to move fast," he says as they rush to the fence.

"Raiders? Not simply more Kobalds like before?" N'Rell moves quickly towards Hasan to try and get a better view of the approaching threat. "What does your scout say they look like?"

"Two humans and three kobolds," Hasan replies. "Don't do anything stupid."

Isolde hustled the children toward the wall, putting herself and her shield between them and the reported raiders.