Round 3
Sensing the urge of the situation, Sivan continues to move as fast as he can toward the fire, only stopping to attack goblins in his path. When no creature threatens Sivan's measured pace, the yellow-haired paladin continues to march forward, toward the south. As he passes through the center of the square, Sivan notes the white-haired sorceress pick up a lone girl-child and head to the west, away from the bonfire. By now, everyone else from the banquet has left the Festival Square in front of the Cathedral--only three others remain and all of the are in front of Sivan: a brown-haired lean-looking woman with a sword in one hand, a younger man with a rapier (both of whom are also heading toward the blazing bonfire to the south), and the massive half-orc priest who by now has already gained the square due to having run. Other than himself and the three persons mentioned, a lone dog--a collie of some sort by the look of it--has remained to dart forward toward the bonfire. The collie barks as it runs, its voice loud as thunder.
Although barking usually serves to scares trespasser away, the running collie knows that it usually has the opposite effect on goblins; drawing them inexorably towards him due to their unreasoning hatred of his kind. With that in mind, Sandstone begins to bark thunderously as he turns southward on the warpath towards the bonfire.
Elyra runs toward the sound of the chanting goblins, trying to catch up to Tac but quickly finds herself a pace in front of her cousin. Elyra's path soon takes her through the southern byway where the road bottlenecks briefly between two houses, then widens into a second public green area, the middle of which is dominated by a large tower of sticks piled high in the form of a bonfire. The southern edge of the bonfire is lit, and two goblins cavort and chant on opposite sides of the bonfire's twenty-foot radius. Somewhere behind the pile--out of sight for the moment--a third goblin voice croaks as it too sings the garbled song.
Already in the byway facing south, Grokk's face streams with pouring sweat from his earlier dash. His dark hair forming a banner behind his head, Grokk continued to charge toward the nearest goblin, his hammer prepared to crush another skull. Hammer raised high and to the side, Grokk swings wide at Goblin1 but misses. For its part, Goblin1 stops dancing and singing and blinks at Grokk in motionless surprise.
Tac keeps moving, arcing around the line of buildings. As he finally comes into view of the goblins and the bonfire, he grimaces, sets his jaw, and keeps closing until he stands abreast of Elyra. From his current position, Tac is roughly thirty feet from Goblin2 and has a clear line of sight to the creature.
[imager]http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/6884/goblinwarchanter.jpg[/imager]At the sound of Sandstone's barking, which echoes in the empty public square from the northern byway, Goblin1 and Goblin2 hiss and start to move for the dog. Several things, however, prevent either goblin from attacking. As Goblin1 flinches for Sandstone, the hulking breadth of the half-orc bearing down in front of him evidently gives the small goblin pause, for it hisses a second time and takes several steps backward, away from both Sandstone and Grokk. As Goblin1 withdraws, Grokk has a better look at the public square and notices a third goblin standing to the rear of the partially-lit bonfire. Both hands raised to the heavens, Goblin3 bears a braided leather whip that dangles to the ground in one hand, and a stout-looking dogslicer in the other, which it promptly drops. The new goblin's stringy hair is done in lank fishbone braids with bones and beadwork intertwined throughout. As Goblin1 shrinks backward away from Grokk, Goblin2 shrieks in rage and twitces its whip forward--Grokk can see that the whip has reach. The shriek from Goblin2 pierces the air and rises in intonation until Grokk's eardrums thrum with pain and he is unable to move. Will Save 1 (critical failure). Grokk stands motionless, stunned into inaction, his ears ringing.
Upon sighting Elyra and Tac, Goblin2 grins and hoots and darts forward but claps its clawed hands over its ears as Goblin3's shriek splits the air. Instead of bolting forward to get at the two humans and the barking dog, Goblin2 grabs a lit branch from the bonfire and, its face breaking into a leering grin, slowly lopes forward five extra feet.
[sblock=Daze]
Effect
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one humanoid creature of 4 HD or less
Duration 1 round
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
Description
This enchantment clouds the mind of a humanoid creature with 4 or
fewer Hit Dice so that it takes no actions. Humanoids of 5 or more HD
are not affected. A dazed subject is not stunned, so attackers get no
special advantage against it.
Grokk is dazed until Iniative count 2 of next round (Round 4).[/sblock]
Status: Sivan M16 (old map), Taran G1 (new map), Elyra H5 (new map), Grokk L7 (new map), Tac G5 (new map), Talashia off-map (doing something honorable). Goblin1 O8. Goblin2 J10. Goblin3 P9.
Initiative:
Sivan 21
Taran 14
Elyra 11
Grokk 8
Tac 7
Talashia 3
Goblins 2
[sblock=Map, Round 3][imagel]http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/7335/combat2d.jpg[/imagel][/sblock]
