The bestial little creatures were, as best as Xin could tell, were half human and half hyena.  Or maybe humanoids that had evolved from hyenas.  But either way, they were not natural to this world ... either crafted by some sick magics, or delivered here from some other realm.

The natural order of the world has been broken for a thousand years. For ten centuries, the realms have given birth to creatures and entities never intended by nature, their forms fashioned by sorcery, dark artifice, or the simple misfortune of some cursed birthplace.

Down in the village beyond, Xin could see humans being rounded up into a central, open area of the village ... corralled and scared, surrounded by many, many more of the bestial creatures.

The ones gathered before him snarled at his arrival, obviously preparing to meet Xin with force.
They'd been sent to 'round up' the fleeing humans, and considered Xin to simply be another of the villagers that had temporarily escaped into the craggy outlands beyond the village.
"Get in line," growled the first among them as he faced Xin, "Get in line or I'll gut you were you stand, as a warning to the rest of these simpering fools", gesturing for Xin to join the other captives.

Already, some of it's companions were stalking to Xin flanks, ready to surround him.

In the speaker's eyes, Xin could see a desire to 'gut Xin' ... looking for an excuse.

Xin smirked, raising his shirt to reveal his iron-hard abs. He patted his stomach, "Give it your best shot then cause I'm not going to let you take these people back to your master." He was fishing a bit, seeing what he would get before going on the offensive.

Either way, he moved in, knowing he needed to end this quickly and give the rest a reason to run. Now, was the time to summon his gift and rattle some teeth! Still new to fighting, he whiffed but the power from his fist could still do some damage.

22:42, Today: Xin rolled 16 using 1d20+12.  Loosening God's Teeth.
22:43, Today: Xin rolled 14 using 1d12+4.  Damage.

*sigh* Only 4 damage.

Fighting a 'small mob', your successes decrease their 'mob size/HD' accordingly.  As I am imagining these things as simply, thuggish brutes of 1 HD each ...

As Xin swung his fist, it was as though the earth and heaven itself channelled power though our young hero's body, for the mere force of the blow ... the power generated by his fist travelling though the space between he and his enemy ... arced out like a wave of destruction, shattering bones and stones that Xin's fist never even reached.

As the lead monster-thing's head was ripped to the side in a sickening crack, several of his cohorts were knocked off their feet.
Xin's force of will that powered the blow ruptured and shattering a nearby rock, exploding it from within sending shards and fist-sized chunks brutally into the head of a nearby mongrel man.

In screams of pain and agony, surprise and fear, four of the brutish creatures fell with this one blow.

"When the foes are given some reason to flee, they roll 2d6; on a roll higher than their Morale, they retreat, surrender, or otherwise stop fighting".
- rolled 9 using 2d6.  Moral 9.
Xin could see the remaining mongrel men stand, their eyes widened by fear and sudden uncertainty.
They had just witnessed something truly fearful, and their spirits were rattled.
But not quite enough for them to retreat, surrender, or otherwise stop fighting ... but the proverbial fear of God was within them now, and they were now advancing much slower and cautiously than they had before.
I am going to give them a -1 penalty to their attack rolls, to represent this

But advance they did, weapons out before them;  and suddenly, as one group, they screamed and raged, and charged Xin as a mob ...
- rolled 9 using 1d20+3 (6).  Attack against Xin.
     ... but their fear, and their lack of cohesion was, well, ridiculous.  Only a few even got close enough to make a viable strike; most of them instead to scared to get close enough to the strange young man before them.  And the few that actually got into weapon strike range were swinging wildly and fearfully; one even had its eyes closed in fear of seeing his spear strike and draw the wrath of the godling human.


Mongrel Men mob now down to 8HD.
No damage to Xin.

Xin's turn to act again

With his small reserves tapped, Xin used the only weapon he had. He threw himself at the fearful group of mongrels, "You brought this upon yourselves!" He tore through half of their remaining forces like paper, tossing them aside, snapping weapons and bones, "Never again will you be allowed to harm the innocence!" At least he presumed, there could be something larger at play but the way he was talked to lead him to believe otherwise.

12:09, Today: Xin rolled 29 using 1d20+12.  Attack.
12:09, Today: Xin rolled 10 using 1d12+4.  Damage.

Xin landed among the feral hyena-men like a noble an savage lion, wreaking havoc and destruction upon the little tyrants.
His fists were divine weapons of retribution.

At one point during the ensuing skirmish, one of the little buggers managed to draw our hero's blood, however.
Its sharp, pointy little spear sliced into Xin's hip, tearing a slash an inch or so deep and wide.
- rolled 21 using 1d20+3.  attack against Xin
- rolled 3 using 1d8 with rolls of 3.  damage to Xin.  = 1 damage

But it was nothing compared to the amazing and fierce assault that came upon the remaining Mongrel Men ...
-  rolled 5 using 2d6 with rolls of 1,4.  Courage/Morale check for Mongrelmen.
... and within moments, what remained of the sizeable group that had pursued the villagers into the rocky terrain broke and scattered.

The small handful of hybrid animal men screamed in their high-pitch hyena voices, and bounded off into the landscape ... most headed back down the rocky hill towards the village below, where they might seek shelter among their many brethren there.


Which left, now, Xin standing among the dead bodies of the fallen, facing the stunned, scared and awe-filled faces of the villagers before him.
Xin, please give us a Charisma check, regardless of what you attempt next ... to help guide me in how the villagers here feel about Xin right now.


Fleeing Mongrel Men 'mob' (not that there remains enough to count as such now):  4HD

"People of The Bleak Reach, you are safe now..." Possibly, for now. He had no idea why the mongrel men were trying to round them up or if they would be back. "Can anyone tell me why they were doing this? If not, I must make haste to clear out the rest of them from your village."

23:32, Today: Xin rolled 5 using 1d20 with rolls of 5.  CHA vs 5+.

Phew...
This message was last edited by the player at 04:38, Wed 23 Oct 2019.

The events that had played out before their eyes, and the potency of presence that stood before them now, stunned the villagers before him into awe and silence for a moment.
But one brave woman, a mother hiding a child behind her skirt, managed to step forward.

"They serve the Lord of Flies, sire.  He .. he has sent them here to round us up, to be taken to Kutha", she stuttered, in uncertainty and fear.   "This is not the first village to have been taken, so.
But the first time we have been attacked.   You see, they never leave anyone.   They just take everyone".

Xin could see that every one of these villagers were disease-ridden, in one form or another ... to one degree or another.
They were all suffering malnutrition; hungry, weak, starving and frail.

The child behind her began to cry.
He wasn't the only one present who did so.   These people were scared, tired, emotional ... and they still weren't exactly sure who this man standing before  them was, or what he represented.

"Kutha?" Xin sported a confused look.

he looked over the villagers and immediately knew what he must do. It would take time, unfortunately. He was still but a young Godbound and could not exert his powers that often. Still, he was going to clear out the rest of the mongrel men from the village, then help these poor people.

It was that one woman, then, who continued the conversation ... even though she was as nervous as her peers, and intent on protecting her child.
"Kutha is the City from which Lagren rules, up there, in the mountains", she said, pointing way up to the horizon.
"His followers and cult, his dog-soldiers, they all come from up there ... and that is where they take the people they round up.

Nobody is ever seen again, I've heard", she said.


Down in the village, Xin could see the movement of little figures; as large groups were being rounded into a herd near the centre of the buildings.

The mongrel men that had fled from Xin were now bounding over the uneven, inhospitable terrain, back down towards that place.

For now, these villagers with Xin were safe ...  but there were a lot who were not.
And shortly enough, the rest of the mongrel men army down there was going to hear about what happened up here on this rocky ridge.

Xin nodded, "I see. Since none of you seem to be warriors, I suggest you hide while I take care of the mongrels." With that, Xin ran off towards the town.

Facing all of them would be full hardy, even for him. He looked for an isolated group to pick off before the rest came to their aid.

The scared villagers were all to happy to take Xin's direction to 'hide'.

They scattered quickly into the rocky, unwelcoming terrain ... though it was the budding leadership of the young mother, 'Suzette', that they remained together, and began working as a group (if somewhat chaotically).


Dashing down the ungainly hillside, Xin identified a small mob* on the outskirts of the village moving hut to hut; looting, and looking for villagers hiding.

Xin was upon them before they realised it ... although they were fully armed, and expecting trouble, so their being attacked by (what appears to them as) a villager, was no surprise.



*  Yessss, its another small mob of Mongrel Men ... but soon others will come to join them.
Mongrel Mob (small mob of animal hybrid creatures)
AC: 7
Hit Dice: 12
Morale: 9
Attack: +2
Move: 40’ running
Save: 16+
Damage: 1d8 average weapon
Effort: 1

There are the equivalent of 5x Small Mobs in the village; every two rounds, another of those mobs (adding their HD directly to what Xin faces) will arrive to reinforce those present ... and if there is ever more than 16HD facing Xin, they will meld into a Large Mob.
(I'm making this up as I go for dramatic excitement, so lets see how it plays out)

The surprise would come when Xin tore through a third of their forces with his bare hands. He needed to be quick before he got overwhelmed. He was off to a good start to say the least.

18:04, Today: Xin rolled 27 using 1d20+12 with rolls of 15.  Attack.
18:04, Today: Xin rolled 15 using 1d12+4 with rolls of 11.  Real damage.

The screams and shrieks of rage and pain echoed about the village, as Xin tore into the small mob of mongrel men in front of him, felling many.
And with rage, they fought back with sword and spear ...
        - Mongrel Man rolled 6 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 2.  Attack Xin.
   ... without any luck.   In truth, they’d never experienced a threat like Xin: they were tough, bestial, untrained troops who relied on intimidation and fear more than anything else, backed up with basic animalistic brutality and instinct.
And such didn’t count for much against anything but fearful villagers.

But elsewhere in the village, other mongrel men were becoming aware of the strife at this end of the village, and were preparing to join the fray.


Mongrel Men small mob down to 8HD.
In two turns, a new small mob will arrive.

Xin; your turn to continue the carnage.

Xin continued his tear, swatting aside a few more mongrels. With more on the way, Zin could continue to fight and his godly strength and toughness were more than a match.

11:38, Today: Xin rolled 27 using 1d20+12 with rolls of 15.  Attack.
11:39, Today: Xin rolled 7 using 1d12+4 with rolls of 3.  Damage.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:42, Sat 02 Nov 2019.

My apologies, young Xin: I have failed us both.
The rules do say that "A lesser foe is a creature with equal or fewer hit dice than the hero has levels"; and so therefore, you have (and always had) the right to roll your Fray Dice against these little buggers.
I won't bother trying to retroactively effect such, but please do feel free to do so from here on.


As Xin continued to lay into the dog-soldiers before him, they fell and screamed and bled.

But the sheer number of the creatures led to the inevitable strikes against our hero, and even as Xin tossed one mongrel man through the wall of a nearby hut, one enemy struck true into Xin's shoulder ...
     - rolled 23 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 19.  attack Xin.
        rolled 1 using 1d8 with rolls of 1.  damage to Xin. 
... but achieved not even a scratch, as the weapon slid of Xin's hardened skin, his musculature denying the weapon's tip any purchase.



Mongrel Men small mob down to 6HD.
Another Small Mob will arrive in one more turn.

Xin felt the point of the spear slide off his iron skin. He looked at his shoulder, then at the mongrel man before shoulder checking him. He Watched him topple several more as he as flung out of the village.

09:56, Today: Xin rolled 25 using 1d20+12 with rolls of 13.  Attack.
09:56, Today: Xin rolled 6 using 1d12+4 with rolls of 2.  Damage.
09:56, Today: Xin rolled 8 using 1d8 with rolls of 8.  Real Fray.

So it's not based on their total HD but each individual that makes up a group? Good to know.

No, I don't think it does.   A mob can be made from Lesser or Worthy foes.

Xin was on top of this group of mongrel men now, savaging and mauling his way through them.
As another handful fell before his fury, the last remaining cowards turned and ran, screaming and shouting in fear.

There were more on the way, though; but Xin had a moment to catch his proverbial breath, and his wits, before they arrived.
Possibly, even take some small, swift action that would benefit him as he prepared to face the next wave of attackers.
No attack rolls this 'combat turn' ... just any narrative you wish to create:  feel free to describe any reasonable action Xin might take.
The next small mob of Mongrel Men can be expected next round

Xin didn't want to destroy the village in the process of protecting it. Though, running into an open field would give a larger force a significant advantage. If there was a natural, narrow passage he could funnel the mongrel men through, he would head towards it. Otherwise, he would just have to find one between structures. Buildings could be replaced, lives could not.

Unless Xin was prepared to leave the village to find a natural, narrow passage he could funnel the mongrel men through, he’d have to settle for a defensive position between several of the structures.

Yet, as the moments went on, and Xin expected another onslaught, it became apparent that there wasn’t one.
The shouts and yells from beyond the structures he hid behind continued ... and advancing out, Din could see that the remainder of the dog-soldiers were divided into three groups.

There were, left in the village now, only a couple of dozen.
Xin had, between the hills and here, destroyed a good half of their forces with his bare hands ... but suffered a scratch for his efforts.

Now, some of the mongrel men were guarding the villagers, whom they’d previously rounded up and herded together: currently tied to several wagons.
There were a few standing not far from where Xin now peered our, obviously to watch for him ... and as they saw him peering out, they began making quite the ruckus, turning towards their fellows, and pointing at Xin madly.

And there were a good half a dozen in the village centre, between the wagons and where Xin stood.
In the village centre lay a woman, bleeding, with a spear through her shoulder.
Crouched over her was a boy; seemingly her son.  He was crying, and holding her, and screaming through tears of rage for the mongrel men to “go away.  Leave her alone”.

The half dozen mongrel men circled around the mother and her boy were ... trying to get at them.
Yet something was stopping them.  Some kind of field of force: an invisable dome of some sort.
They were pushing against it, and smashing at this unseen protection with their fists, rocks and weapons ... but to no avail.
Whatever was happening there was keeping them at bay.
Perhaps the mother had some kind of magic with which she protected herself and her son.

Meanwhile, the small mob of mongrel men closest to Xin were forming up, unenthusiastically, to ... maybe charge him? maybe just try to keep him isolated?

If they weren't going to come at him, he would continue to bring the fight to them. He would head towards the wagon, making sure that they wouldn't getaway. In the process, he would barrel through the mongrel men attacking the barrier.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:46, Sun 10 Nov 2019.

As the remaining Mongrel Men are all in this very close vicinity, everyone here able to see and attack each other, I am going to round them all into one Large Mob ... for your ease of dismantling.

Mongrel Mob (large mob of animal hybrid creatures)
AC: 7
Hit Dice: 24
Morale: 9
Attack: +2
Move: 40’ running
Save: 16+
Damage: 1d8 average weapon
Effort: 1


Xin intended to go straight through the dog-soldiers before him, and make it to the caged wagons, where villagers were both cramped into, and tied to the exterior of.
And to do so, he'd have to go through the 'watchdogs' that were meant to keep him at bay, and the soldiers attempt to breach the protective shield around the wounded woman and her child.

This probably wasn't going to be an issue for a Godbound of Might.

Make me the usual attack roll, friend.
When you are done with these cretins, you can free the villagers, and decide 'what next'.

Xin's initial charge missed but he continued on undaunted. He couldn't let them get away, "I'll be right back! The others don't have a barrier to protect them."

08:07, Today: Xin rolled 18 using 1d20+12 with rolls of 6.  Attack.

His charge didn’t do any actually harm to the gathered hyena-men, other than to shoulder charge several out of his way, but it did put Xin within striking range of those around the wagons.

      - rolled 8 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 4.  Attack Xin.
Yet, neither did any spear or sword get laid upon Xin, either.

And as he came through the mob of mongrel men, Xin realised that while there were villagers in cages upon the wagons, and others tied beside it, the wagon train was not yet ready to move out.
The mongrel men were still in the process of subduing and recapturing ‘uncooperative villagers’ ... such as the ones who’d fled into the hills ... and looting the village of any valuable resources.

Xin breathed a sigh of relief before turning back on the group with renewed vigor. He wasn't too late to save these people. He slammed into the group shattering weapons and bone as a shockwave rolled off his shoulder and through the plains, "If you want to live, I suggest you drop your weapons and run!"



10:29, Today: Xin rolled 7 using 1d8 with rolls of 7.  Fray.

I forgot it last round.

10:28, Today: Xin rolled 30 using 1d20+12 with rolls of 18.  Attack.
10:28, Today: Xin rolled 14 using 1d12+4 with rolls of 10.  Damage.
10:29, Today: Xin rolled 2 using 1d8 with rolls of 2.

      -rolled 12 using 2d6 with rolls of 6,6.  morale check 9+.
At Xin's threat, the current mob of mongrel men paused a moment ... they looked at each other to see if any of their comrades were going to break ...

When not one of them intended to do so, they all, as one unit, turned back to Xin,
Screamed their bestial little war cries,
And charged him on mass.

Not that it didn't any good.
      - rolled 8 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 4.  attack against Xin.
Their puny attacks, while terrifying to villagers and rodents, were impotent.
To Xin, it almost felt like being mauled by a school of guppies.