Even from a distance the group can tell that something was wrong. As the sun was setting there was an ominous glow on the horizon and through the setting sun thick clouds of smoke could be seen. Rushing back they find that village of Ashford reeling from an attack. Several homes have been burnt, a few guards and farmers injured or dead. According to the survivors it had happened so quickly they had barely time to muster up a defense before the raiders had faded back into the trees.

"Orcs!" the mayor cried when he caught wind that the heroes were in town again.

"Orcs have come in from the Wealdath!"

When he was finally able to calm down he explained the situation further.

"Right as the sun was setting they came out, taking cover among the shifting shadows. It seems like they were primarily interested in food and supplies as we've gotten reports of the grain stores being ransacked as well as the general store. They took all sorts of tools and construction equipment. Why would orcs need nails and mortar? They've also kidnapped some of the townsfolk! We don't know who is missing yet but Lori from the mill swears she saw an orc with a woman thrown over its shoulders!"
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 17:37, Fri 26 Feb 2021.

Talia had rushed into town with her mace drawn. Seeing the devastation, she allowed the emotions to well up in her and leak from her eyes. Two pale lines drawn in her soot stained face. She saw and understood the situation faster than her heart could deal with it though, so she looked to the group and gave out commands, "Angel, Layssa, assist the mayor. Figure out the extent of the damage and who is missing. Orila, Yry, with me and lets see about these fires and the injured." Thus said, Talia tried to put her worry for her mother out of her mind and rushed to start assisting the village.

Even then, a small part in the back of her mind wondered at the details of the raid. Something felt off.

Alyssa hurried the last leg of their journey as fast as she was able. As she and the rest of the group heard the mayor's hurried recounting of the attack, she scanned the destruction to the village and... the halfling's heart caught in her chest. She should be out hunting down those whom did this, but her sadness rooted her to the spot.

Talia's call to assist the mayor was the right nudge that Alyssa needed. Turning to the mayor, "You say Lori may have seen who was taken? I can ask after that. See if she can remember who she saw or if there was anything else she recalls." Waiting just a moment to see if anyone else had anything better for her to do, Alyssa made her way to the mill to look for Lori.

The party sets about aiding the wounded and helping extinguish the last of the fires. Everything is in chaos and nobody has a clear picture of what is going on, especially as the night's dark deepens.

By morning the group is exhausted and worn from hours of helping with just snatches of sleep here or there but a full picture is formed. Three people appear to be missing, not accounting for the unfortunate townsfolk who were killed or buried under burning debris.

One person missing is Brecca, the daughter of the owner of the Reluctant Pig.

One is the young clerk, Tomas, of the Ashford General Store.

The last missing townsfolk is Pinna, the town hedge mage.

After a night of exhausting work and worrying, Yry does not take the news of Pinna being abducted very well. Although she could douse some of the smaller flames with her magic, Yry is darkened with soot and caked with dirt as she crouches down next to a wall and holds her head in her hands.

It wasn't good that anyone was taken, of course, but a childhood friend hits especially hard. "We've gotta go and do what we can," She finally says to anyone around, standing up on shaky legs.

Orila brushed aside some burning debris. She looked around and stretched her shoulders. "Yes. We do, but we need to find and rescue the town folk." The female goliath looked visibly upset. "I'm a warrior, not a cleanup crew. Let's go find these orcs."

"That's what I meant. We need to go save the others," Yry says, trying to focus her frayed concentration.

Talia rubbed at an itch on her face which smeared soot across her cheek then looked with ragged, red eyes at the group. Pursing her lips, she felt the dual tugs of sleep and panic. She wanted to help her friends, but she was exhausted. The short war was won by her concerns for her friends though and she nodded at Yry, "Aye, that's the case." She rolled her shoulders and felt soreness in her whole form. She looked at Orila then and grunted. "Yes, I am with you on that. I need to... vent."

Then she looked around, past the houses, and seemed confused, "So, which way? Alyssa, Orila, can you figure that out? Yry, Angel help get some supplies? Food, water, rope? I'll warn the mayor about the knights and what we encountered at the Inn."

Eventually, Talia would rally with the others intent on yet more adventure.

Alyssa settled herself on a very comfortable patch of grass with her companions after a night full of helping sooth the villagers that needed soothing and laboring with the villages that needed physical help. She would have sworn that her eyes never closed when Talia charged her with finding the orc trail.

With great effort the handling pulled herself back up to her full 2' 10" hight, and with a tired sort of grunt at Orila headed to the edge fo town. Despite the long night, and the Goliath's heavy foot falls, Alyssa was relativity confident she had found the orc's rail.

---

OOC:
12:13, Today: Alyssa Tealeaf rolled 15,7 using 1d20+3,1d20+3 with rolls of 12,4.  survival check, which way did they go.

Yry moves aside with Angel, "The store was raided and the villagers will need supplies as well. What do you think we should do?"

Coming across the raided village, Angel did what she could, having no problem letting those who actually knew the folk here take the lead. When it was time to gather some supplies for the journey, she accompanied Yry to [insert supply gathering place here... general store maybe?] and turned her attention to the sorceress when she spoke. "We could probably find water along the way, same with food but we probably don't want to take the time to search for it. I dunno... maybe a two or three days worth of food for all of us, an extra waterskin, and a couple coils of rope. Let's see what hasn't been burned or carried off and we'll make sure to leave some behind for the villagers." 

There isn't much to go around but the villagers are able to scrape together a couple day's provisions for the party as they prepare to head into Wealdath's End after the orcs.

Alyssa finds the trail, in fact it seems the orcs didn't bother to even try to cover their tracks. She identifies about two dozen orc boots as well as aa few large wolves that were accompanying them.

After several hours of tracking they hear a crashing in the woods up ahead. What sounds to be orc voices are arguing with one another. Creeping carefully through the underbrush they spy two large orc warriors, each seemingly paired with a large and vicious looking wolf, arguing with one another.

[Language unknown: "N whee eiro m icniai ich ure ai ngivch ni."]

[Language unknown: "A ndlat rece p u one onshe. Me rattedthu al ivmais e laent sa bered ousallrut concomoer laanma me ioand."]

[Language unknown: "Ticessrat CHWE red? At redresess day und reablente nc es ar evalerel m e lo diin mieise atirutund!"]

[Language unknown: "Waplpr hatpo ameck, di."]

[Language unknown: "We? Sta actawa ut trecee icec art!"]

Their exchange seems to be getting quite heated.

Orila looked at the two orcs and the wolves that accompanied them with anger. She caught one of her companions' eyes. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know what the words meant. She pulled out her maul and pointed it at the orcs from her position. Her finger made a cutting motion making her intention clear.

Angel pantomined touching her ear and then shook her head so the others would know she didn't understand what the orcs were saying either. She looked around questioning to see if any of her companions did know what the orcs were saying...

But when Orila drew her maul, the elf drew a dagger and nodded. She was ready...

Alyssa strained her ears trying to decipher the orcs conversation. From the looks of it, her companions didn't understand either but the halfling got the impression that these two were about to start swinging at each other.

With her bow readied in her left hand, Alyssa held her right hand back, palm out, wanting to wait and see if the orcs came to blows.

Yry adds her head shaking to the mix, not understanding the orcs and deferring to Alyssa-- waiting in the back of the group but making herself ready by taking off the crystal torc from around her neck and then locking it back into its ringed shape in her hands.

Talia adds the final shake, she too cannot understand orcish, and noted the readiness for combat. Taking a cue from the rest of the group, Talia readied her shield and mace but waited. As a quick thought she pointed at one of the ropes they'd managed to bring along then at the orcs. Taking one alive would be useful if they could speak the common tongue.

She waited to see what would happen though. One of them taking the other out would make their work easier.

Sure enough after a few more shouts between the two they start coming to blows. They are just using their fists but are slugging each other hard enough to bloody noses and split lips. As they wrestle and brawl the two wolves start barking and growling, agitated by the emotions present. They start circling one another, growling and snapping at one another.

It looks like the party could walk right on by without anyone being the wiser. Otherwise it seems possible but unlikely that the two orcs will go further and kill one another. It seems more of a power struggle between the two rather than a life or death battle as their knives and axes stay sheathed as they continue to slug it out.

Yry frowns, really unsure of what to do. She looks at the others with a helpless shrug as the orcs come to blows. It seemed bad to leave the pair at their back with the likelihood of one or both of them returning in the same direction. They could also be scouts or something.

In any case, Yry will follow the lead of one of the front-liners, it was they who would be pitting their bodies against the orcs' fury.

Orila tight smile broadened when she saw that the two orcs began fighting amongst themselves. She whispered to her companions. "We can take them. It looks like they are fighting each other right now. Dumb orcs." Orila said the last statement with a wide grin.

Talia's eyes forgot the orcs and rested on the large wolves that were their companions, "If it was just orcs, perhaps I'd agree. Those wolves look hungry. and far more watchful." She arches an eyebrow but tightens her grip on her weapon just the same. "I say wait until thy tire one another out and try to take them... less than completely dead. You know, to ask questions about the rest of them."

Sensing more than knowing the moment to attack was at hand, Talia sprang from the bushes and rushed the warriors. As she did, she felt the trance she had come to know and trust settle upon her awareness. Voices and knowledge flooded her awareness. Each was foreign to her, alien, but also known and familiar. In a collaborative zen, they guided her actions. Each step, the grip on her shield, the twist of her wrist as she swung the mace.

Even as she felt the blow connect, she saw a ghostly form move away from herself like she could have if she had chosen a different path. She saw it harass the target of her attack and she grinned wolfishly at the orc as she raised her shield.

---

Move: R7
Bonus: Rage
Action: Attack S7, reckless attack, Invoke Ancestral protectors.

Talia Alden rolled 8 using 1d6+6 with rolls of 2.  damage.
Talia Alden rolled 23 using 2d20+6, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 17,6.  reckless attack.

Yry isn't sure yet who to target, but she starts to channel frosty magic at Talia's target. The crystal ring in her hands hovers away from her hands, flecks of white ice magic pulling in towards its center before discharging as a thin sheen of frost on the orc.

_ _❆ Yry Sweetwater ❆ the sorcerer iii______ ___ _ __ _
 hp ██████████ hd ♡♡♡
 ac {15} [13 d. resilience + 2 dex] p.per {13} p.inv {10} p.ins {13}
 sorcery points ❆❆❆ spell slots ❆❆❆❆ ❆❆
 {action; frostbite on orc#2, con save DC 13 or take 1 cold damage and disadvantage on next weapon attack roll}
 {15:15, Today: Yry Sweetwater rolled 1 using 1d6 with rolls of 1.  frostbite con dc 13.}

Angel rolled her eyes at Talia's hesitation (post #21) and sided with Orila. (post #20) "Then let's take them!" She whispered, rising up and moving toward the orcs. Stealthily skirting the trees beside them, speaking arcane words as she went, Angel moved into throwing range and launched one of her daggers at the nearest orc (S-7)...

OOC: (Move) -- from M-11 to 0-9
     (Bonus) cast Hex on orc in S-7, targeting his Wisdom checks
     (Action) throw dagger at orc in S-7

16:24, Today: Angel rolled 15 using 1d20+7 with rolls of 8.  Stealth check.
16:23, Today: Angel rolled 13 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 8.  Thrown dagger attack (AC 16).
      (Uh Oh! It's the attack of the Crazy Eights!) Miss!