Crossed Paths, Part II

[doghead]

Every thing happens fast, almost perfectly.The orcs pound past Marcus, leaving their backs exposed. Then the small group of bow weilding orcs emerges from the trees. Damn!

Marcus looses at the most motionless of the archers. For a instant, he considers following the bolt across the clearing. But if the orcs overwhelm the party ... and there is Sergius the snake. The bow men wont fire into their own, willl they?

He barely waits to see if the bolt finds its mark. He drops the crossbow as he slips around the back of the tree and back along the fringes of the woods towards the the melee around the campfire. He draws his shortsword as he slips through the shadows. The wolf is a ghost flickering through the shadows beside him. With a little luck they can catch at least one of the orcs unawares.

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

Scooping up his sword from the ground, Octar charges past Mendicus to help the surrounded Brioc, slashing at one of the orcs.

ooc: Pick up sword as move action, partial charge as standard action to H9 to attack opponent in G8.

 

[Manzanita]

Brioc, you can reconsider your first round action, or you could attempt to cast the spell defensively. Some of the orcs got the jump on you. Ehldannis, you can still cast your spell anywhere in the field.

Marcus releases his bolt at an orc. It flies true, catching the orc unaware, and burying itself in his neck. He falls, clutching futally at the barbed shaft.

Dhormium, bolstered by Nathaniel's oration, and his own skills in orc-fighting, strikes at the huge orc, cutting a gash through his armor. (9 pts dmg)

Behind the fire, Octar shrugs off the armor he was donning, Mendicus looses a crossbow bolt at one of the orcs moving in to flank Brioc. "Look out, Master!" he cries pointlessly. His bolt bounces harmlessly off the orc's large metal sheild.

Sergius seems somewhat confused, and backs away slightly, muttering to himself, his flaming longspear at ready.

The orc archers' attention is drawn to Marcus and the wolf. Three bows twang. Despite his cover, Marcus takes a shaft in the shoulder. It bounces off his fine mail, but leaves a bruise (4 pts.). The wolf also takes a cut from a flying shaft. (2 pts)

 

[Inez Hull]

Seeing the orcs emerge from the woods, Ehldannis completes his spellcasting with a lullaby like intonation before gesturing towards the group of archers.

[OOC: Ehldannis will aim his spell at the corner of lines J&K and 2&3, which I believe should include all the archers in the 10' burst. Sheesh, 3.5E has near castrated Sleep!]

 

[doghead]

The impact of the shaft causes Marcus to stumble slightly before he regains his balance. His shortsword now firmly in hand, he pushes forwards towards the orcs around the campfire. His eyes follow the one attempting to get through Nathaniel guard, seeking the vunerable points in the orcs armour. A few steps more and he will be on it.

ooc: sneak attack if possible.

 

[Jarval]

Cursing as the orcs surround him, Brioc continues casting his spell regardless, staying alert to the threat of the many weapons suddenly in his proximity.


(Continuing casting Entangle, but on the defensive. Concentration +9)

 

[Manzanita]

The party, unable to see or hear Ehldannis, or really pay much attention to the archers, hardly notices as two of the archers collapse mysteriously to the earth.

OOC: Without knowing exactly where Brioc wants to center his entanglement, I'll assume it was the same place as last time, about where the orcs emerged from the trees

Brioc takes a step back from his attackers, and mutters divine incantations, his eyes flashing green. Suddenly the grass, trees and bushes come alive clinging to everyone and everything in the northern part of the clearing. OOC: To some extent I determined the epicenter of the spell randomly. It worked very well for Brioc. The wolf, reacting to the hostile arrow, meanwhile, charges the archers, and is himself entangled along with them.

Round 2

The orc soldiers around Brioc are uneffected by the waving foliage. They attack visciously, two of the them penetrating the druids armor, with stone axe and legionaire sword (11 points dmg). Another charges Mendicus, striking him hard with its sword, and dropping him to the ground. The last hacks desperately at the nimble Bard, missing, and Nathaniel's ripose slices the ungainly creatures throat. Nathaniel's success is short-lived, however. From behind, the man called Sergius suddenly swings into action, stepping forward and thrusting his spear into Nathaniel's back. "The days of man are over. The era of the Orc is begun!" He shouts, as Nathaniel collapses. Sergius jerks his spear out, its burning tip coterizing the the deep, well-placed wound in Nathaniel's back. (Nathaniel unconscious)

The large leading orc deftly steps forward out of the clinging grass, and deals Dhurmium two solid blows with his double axe. The dwarf is struck off his feet, blood gushing from wounds in his head and chest. (Dhurmium unconscious)

Octar, Marcus, Brioc and Ehldannis up

 

[Jarval]

"Oh sod this!" Brioc snaps, resuming his defensive stance. He slashes out at the large orc, hoping that if the leader is killed his followers might be persuaded to flee more easily.


(Fighting on the defensive, -4 to hit, +2 AC. Attacking the orc with the double axe.)

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

This got bad, fast. Drawing his sword from it's sheath, Octar swings it two-handed at Sergius. "I'll believe that when Rome falls."

 

[Inez Hull]

Ehldannis looks at Segius in disbelief. Just when I thought humans could get no stranger.

Ehldannis's nimble fingers delve into his pouch and retrieve the magical pearl liberated from the Wendol. He meditates over it briefly before once more entering into the spellcasting ritual he has just performed.


[OOC: casts Sleep to try and effect the orcs in G7, H7, G8 & H9. Ehldannis will cast the spell including Brioc within its radius if necessary, trusting that he is more powerful than orcs.]