[sblock=OOC]Not to worry, Bell, you're likely not going far. You sprang the encounter early, which means you might save more people than I originally planned. For instance, you've already gotten one person inside just by being a distraction. Also, they're not as close as I expected them to be when the fight started, so let those ranged powers fly!
And let me second the comment by CaBaNa; there has been some
great rp going on so far here. Trust me, your DM has seen it and is very, very pleased...[/sblock]
Outside
As Bell pushes open the door, the approaching shouts and laughs turn to screams, and a loud crash. Outside, she can see why.
Marching down the street is a group of five men. At the lead is a tall man with a handlebar mustache and armor similiar to Yurian's. He holds his sword high in the air, blood dripping from it. Bell could see a man dead or dying in the street, a pool of blood forming around him.
Near him, one of two men wielding clubs is bashing a woman. She tried to hold her arms up to ward off the attacks, and both were surely broken by now. She is mere feet away from the safety of a door. Another man with a club is rummaging through the crashed remnants of a cart; the horses for the cart are nowhere in sight.
A gasp beside Bell draws her attention; Yurian had joined Atlas in following her out, and now stood just to the right of her.
"Merciful gods, that's Rayn..." Soft as the gasp and comment are, the men hear it and their attention turns to Yurian and Bell. The two remaining men, archers, take aim as one and fire. The first, an arrow from the bow of an elven archer, slams into Yurian and drives him back into the tavern. The other, a bolt from a crossbow, whisks past Bell's ear; she can hear the whistle of its passing.
The elven archer moves around the corner of a nearby building and is lost from view, while the other crouches behind the upturned cart and reaches for another bolt to reload. In the confusion of the initial moments, the woman scrambles into the building behind her and slams the door, leaving a trail of blood in the street. Her attacker begins to pound on the door in pursuit of her, and fresh screams ring out. Many of the screams sound like children, and Bell and Atlas both remember that was the building Yurian's wife had been leading her charges to earlier.
The other clubwielder and Rayn both begin advancing on the tavern, their eyes curiously empty of emotion...
Inside
At Catein's question, Elder Igliens flushes slightly.
"Well, I... I just..." He searches deperately for an answer, floundering under the weight of the warforged's eyes.
Kendrick signs, but doesn't make the door before the trouble outside reaches critical mass. An arrow slams into Yurian, knocking him back into the tavern and down.
"Rayn...?'
Elder Frin, surpisingly agile for his age, moves to help Yurian.
"Go!" he says.
"Stop this madness, please!" His hand glows as he touches Yurian, and the party sees that it is a type of healing magic at work here.
[sblock=Map Explanation]The first thing you'll notice from the map is that it's very gray, except for in a few places. Because colors hate me and I them, I avoid them in the flavor and just use them to highlight important things, such as effects and bad guys. It's not exactly pretty, but it's functional.
Initially, there are five baddies, all behind the cart. But because someone in the party must have bad-mouthed the dice gods, they've decided to let the baddies go first. One, an archer, disappeared behind the far building (a stable with attached leatherworks), while the others took up positions where they are now. The civilian dead or dying is the body in F4. The overturned cart makes E8 and F9 difficult terrain, marked by red dots. It also grants cover to anyone crouched behind it at D8 and E7, E9 and F8. The cover is only one way, so if you're shot in the back it doesn't apply.
In addition, there's a pile of hay in the square C6-D7, making those squares difficult terrain. For the buildings, the darker the roof the higher they are. Black squares are those no one in the party can see at the moment; as you move into the field, I'll pull those back.
Your characters have no picture because your addle-minded DM forgot to ask for them. If you have a picture you want me to use in combat, send it to [byers2142 @ hotmail.com] and I'll make a token for you. For now, your the black tokens with the first letter of your first name. There are windows next to Catein that you can see out; they provide cover if you choose to use them as a firing position from inside the tavern, but also have a limited line of effect.
Bell is out there all alone right now (wonderful youthful energy!), and Catein is furthest from the door, talking to Igliens. I put Veruzak beside him because I thought it was funny; in most encounters, you'll have more of a chance to influence where you start, but Bell sprung the trap early leaving me to slot you in as I could.
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[sblock=Map]
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[sblock=Status]Initiative Order
Rolls. Apparently, IC hates you all...
Bad Guys 22
Atlus 19
Veruzak 11
Martelai 11
Catein 5
Bell 3
Kendrick 2
Archer attack against Bell. IC died again, so by hand. 13 versus AC misses.
Archers (BLUE)
AC 15, Fort 11, Reflex 13, Will 12
HP 32, Speed 7
OA Simple Punch
+3 versus AC, 1d4+2 damage
Scouts (YELLOW)
AC 15, Fort 11, Reflex 14, Will 13
HP 27, Speed 6
OA Club
+6 versus AC, 1d8+2 damage
Lt. Rayn (RED)
AC 18, Fort 16, Reflex 15, Will 14
HP 47, Speed 5
OA Bastard Sword
+10 versus AC, 1d10+5 damage
Everyone, you're up! Remember, your order is the order you post in, not necessarily the order of the initiative scores. Whoever posts first, goes first to keep things moving. [/sblock]
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