D&D 5E [IC] hafrogman's Hoard of the Dragon Queen

[hafrogman]

It has been nearly a week since Jeni arrived in Scornubel and met with the survivors of the Black Tide company, bearing a message from Leosin Erlanthar. The message was vague at best, but it was a chance to find information regarding Rezmir, and your best hope to gain vengeance for their fallen comrades. You have been traveling together for days, down through Berdusk on the way south to your goal.

A long day draws to a close and travel dust lies thick upon you and your companions as you draw near Greenest. But as the road crests the ridge in front of you, there is a sinister glow where you expected the welcoming warmth of Greenest's lanterns and hearths. Fire dances among the town, and thick columns of smoke rise up to the clouds above, filtering and dulling the setting sun. Something large moves among the clouds, and lightning flashes down. Framed against the dying light, you can see figures running through the town, the glint of metal barely discernable at this distance. Still, it is obvious - Greenest is under attack!

 

[kuey1975]

With a silent mental command, Carad sends Scree up into the air. The owl takes off, and hovers about 100 feet up in the sky, looking down at the chaos of the town, keeping away from the dark shape in the sky.

"Lend me your eyes, my friend," Carad sends to his familiar. He turns his eyes inwards, and as the world around him fades away, he links his vision to that of Scree.

OOC: Anything interesting he sees from a bird's eye view?

Nocking an arrow to his bow, Carad makes to dash towards the town, but he catches himself and turns to Morgan. "Lieutenant, do we engage?" Nodding towards Hunter, he continues,"We can scout ahead."

 

[Forged Fury]

"Black Tide! Form up!" Morgan shouted out of instinct. A bit presumptuous, she thought, considering there's barely a Black Wave left here. She hoped the instincts of the former Black Tide men were still honed sharp; Greenest looked like an absolute battlefield and whatever was flying in the sky was an evil portent.

"While we're under no contract, the people of this town look like they could use help. Plus, Leosin is here. Ready your weapons and let's move out." Nodding to Carad, she continued, "Good idea. Scout's out... take point by 30 feet but don't engage unless life is at risk. With the close quarters, I don't want you two ranging ahead too far. We have no idea what's going on yet."

Morgan checked her shield and prepared a javelin, her trusted flail ready at her side.

 

[kuey1975]

"Good idea. Scout's out... take point by 30 feet but don't engage unless life is at risk. With the close quarters, I don't want you two ranging ahead too far. We have no idea what's going on yet."

Nodding silently in reply, Carad sets forth, trusting Hunter would take his flank. He deftly flits forward from shadow to shadow, cover to cover, and the way he flickers in and out of sight seems almost magical. As he moves, he keeps an eye on his team behind him, on Scree flying above, and on the town ahead.

 

[Skarsgard]

Hunter dipped his head slightly at Morgan's command. It was good to have the commander back! he thought to himself. Order and discipline of the Black Tide had been missing since the rout and it was good to have purpose once again.

He glances to where Carad starts melting into the shadows and draws a javelin as his dark face is split by a feral grin. He lopes off as directed.
The wolf hunts tonight! and offering a silent prayer to the Wolf Spirits he fades into the gloom.

[sblock=StealtPercep]

Rolls if required.
[roll0]
[roll1]
Passive Perception = 20
[/sblock]

 

[Spartain104]

Venn steps up behind Morgan and places a hand on her shoulder. With his staff he points past into the smoke.

"Unnatural, shapes in the smoke. We must be wary. Whatever It is, we must steel ourselves. After his brief word Venn fell back behind the Lieutenant. Although he had no need for titles or names he knew how the combat worked. He had spent enough time among the company to understand his place and the place of others. As he watched Hunter and Carad lope off to scout ahead he muttered a curse of gibberish and followed the Morgan. His staff was gripped tightly in both hands as it steadied his walk. Feeble as he may have appeared his hand glowed with a bluish light, betraying the pent up magic.

As they moved forward Venn turned and gestured to Jeni as a mother would beckon a child. "Come. We must stick close. Do as the Lieutenant says. Stay low." There wasn't much too it. His sentences always seemed short and cutting. Although in reality he probably just didn't care much.

 

[kuey1975]

OOC: Adding the dice roll for Carad and Scree, if needed...

[sblock=StealthPerception]
Carad
[roll0]
[roll1]
Passive Perception = 15

Scree
[roll2]
[roll=Perception(adv)]1d20+3[/roll]
(Keen Sight and Hearing)
Passive Perception = 13, 18 (advantage)

edit: Oops, look like I messed up Scree's 2nd roll. Looks like it doesn't like parenthesis in the title. Will just leave it.
[/sblock]

 

[Steve Gorak]

Jeni stood frozen for a moment, horrified at the thought that her kin were once more under attack. The commander's words were as the wind, and flowed across her without her realizing their meaning. Some of her comrades moved, but she was fixated on the fire and the smoke. Only one word echoed in her mind Why?.
Still in shock, the magician's words finally reached her, and she prepared her bow as she got closer to Venn and was ready to follow Morgan.

 

[hafrogman]

The Town of Greenest

Hunter and Carad split off to either side of the road, ranging ahead as the group approaches the town proper. The final approach takes a while longer, especially moving cautiously, and sunset has fully arrived by the time you reach the first buildings.

It is night, but the moonlight and burning fires combine to provide eerie lighting. Closing in, you notice that the fires mostly appear to be set in haystacks and shacks. The homes themselves are proving harder to burn and appear scorched at best.

You have arrived from the northeast (K3), and make your way along the main road. Scree is able to provide a rough outline of the town, but the smoke and distances involved prevent any great amount of detail. There is a keep on a hill in the middle of town, and most of the movement seems to be around there.

 

[hafrogman]

Seek the Keep

Without warning, five humans dash out from between two buildings on your left. A limping man and three young children race across the street into more shadows, and a woman carrying a round shield and a broken spear turns and faces back in the direction from which they came. Eight kobolds stream out of the alley on the family's heels and fan out around the woman, who looks determined to delay the creatures for as long as possible.

OOC: The kobolds are intent on their prey and do not seem to paying any attention to your group. The father looks badly injured, probably from an earlier fight. Initiative: Family: 20 Kobolds: 18 <------------- we are here Jeni: 17 Hunter: 17 Carad: 14 Morgan: 9 Venn: 7 Please go ahead an post your actions. As mentioned in recruitment, I'm new to running combat in PbP, so let me know if I missed something obvious.

 

[Skarsgard]

Hunter growls as he sees the families plight. Sure that his commander would order such herself; he rushes across to intercept the kobolds (moves to I11 if the squares are 5ft?). As he does he harnesses the wild spirit of his totem and a blood rage takes over as his feral instincts kick in.

Shielding the injured man he attacks the Kobold to his right with his javelin.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[sblock=ooc] Raging, so any allies within 5ft get advantage on attacks [/sblock]

 

[kuey1975]

Without waiting for his commander'so go-ahead, Carad targets the kobold furthest from him but close to the family (the one at D10). He slips silently into a position that is unblocked and lets loose his arrow.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

OOC: Carad was sneaking so including attack with advantage and sneak attack damage. Just ignore if otherwise.

With that, he shouts in Draconic at the kobolds, "Come, you sniveling slimy lizards!" as he retrogrades back towards his team, hoping to draw the kobolds away from the family.

"Keep to the sky and warn me if others approach. But stay close in case I need you," Carad silently sends to his owl, Scree.

 

[Spartain104]

Venn curses as both of the scouts go to engage the enemy and curses again in some strange tongue, possibly Kobold-speak. He flicks his hand up and his eyes glow a bluish tint, and with one hand still grasping the gnarled wooden staff, the other flares toward a Kobold near Hunter, sending a blaze of ethereal force towards them.

[roll0]
[roll1]

"Lieutenant, these creatures would not be the root of this problem." His eyes flare back to normal after the blast, he seems to ignore whether or not the blast actually found its target. "Something darker here lies." Of course Venn wasn't aware of how cryptic he was, he simply told it as he felt it.

 

[Spartain104]

[roll0]
[roll1]

 

[Forged Fury]

Pleased to see that Carad and Hunter had followed her orders and engaged to protect the lives of the family, Morgan nodded to Venn's wisdom and darted forward. The javelin rested heavy in her hand; while she was itching to throw it, she feared the kobolds might be single-minded enough to continue their attack on the family if other, more formidable targets did not stand in their way. Moving around the back of the ersatz formation, she took position next to Hunter and the injured woman.

"Black Tide, roll over them!"

OOC: Move: N9 Action: Dash to H10

 

[Steve Gorak]

Jeni's anger grows as she sees the foul creatures approach the family. They cannot get to the children!, she thinks to herself.
She focuses her mind, and implores the spirits of the plants nearby to help, and to reach out and prevent the Kobolds from moving.
Then, almost in an eye-blink, she transforms into a brown bear and charges forward with her companions.

OOC: Action: cast entangle, creatures within d10 g13 (20 ft square) are immobilized if they fail Strength save (DC13). Area is difficult terrain. Concentration up to 1 minute. Bonus action: wild shape into brown bear Move: to M9 Note that I am assuming fleet of foot (wood elf) doesn't apply in animal form [sblock=Brown_Bear] Large beast, unaligned Armor Class 11 (natural armor) Hit Points 34 Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft. STR DEX C O N INT W IS C H A 19 (+4) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 2 (-4) 13 (+1) 7 (-2) Skills Perception +3 Senses passive Perception 13 Languages — Challenge 1 (200 XP) Keen Smell.The bear has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. A c t i o n s ________________________________________________ Multiattack.The bear makes two attacks, one with its bite and one with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage. Claws. Melee W eapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage. [/sblock]

 

[hafrogman]

Jeni's spell reaches the grass and bushes near the lane which reach out and latch onto the kobolds. Two are captured firmly, but the third breaks free in a feat of incredible strength. Then with a roar of righteousness, Jeni's bear form trundles forward.

Hunter moves to place himself in front of the brave mother and stabs down at the nearest kobold, who crumples with a neat hole punched in his chest.

Carad slides north across the road, circling behind the bear. He picks his target, finds his opening and another kobold drops to the dirt.

Morgan rushes forward to stand firm with Hunter and the mother, making a firm line against the kobold attack.

Venn's magic hurls forward and finds a third kobold which takes the blast full in his side and collapses, spasming in agony.

The mother seems confused, but grateful for any help and takes up a flanking position to stand guard over her children.

The kobolds turn towards these new interlopers, hissing and yipping angrily. Seemingly heedless of the fact that three of their number have died in as many seconds, they rush in to attack.

The first closes in to Morgan, but his dagger fails to find an opening in her iron defenses. One of the kobolds throttled by plants slings a rock at Morgan. The plants hinder his movements, but she is busy defending herself against the first kobold and the rock clips the side of her head. The third kobold rips himself free of his viny oppressors and tries to make a break for it, but does not get far with the grass itself nipping at his heels.

The kobolds to the front close in on Hunter and harry at him with their viscous looking daggers. Working in tandem, they both manage to land blows on the man, but he barely feels them through the haze of his fury.

OOC: Morgan takes 5 damage from a critical sling bullet. Hunter takes two daggers for 5 damage each, reduced to 4 total because of raging. Kobold F11 is still restrained, advantage to attack him. Initiative: Family: 20 Kobolds: 18 <------------- we are here Jeni: 17 Hunter: 17 Carad: 14 Morgan: 9 Venn: 7 Please go ahead an post actions for the round.

 

[Forged Fury]

Morgan growled in pain when the sling bullet struck her. Dropping her javelin, she drew her trusted flail, rolling her wrist and sending the head of the weapon twirling on its chain at a high rate of speed. Bolstered by Hunter's presence, she lashed out against her closest opponent.

OOC: Item Interaction: Draw Flail Attack (Kobold H11) w/ Advantage: [roll0] [roll1], Damage [roll2] Movement: If she hits and drops it, she'll move to H12. HP: 23/28 AC: 19 Current Effects: Advantage on Attacks (Wolf Rage)

 

[Steve Gorak]

With an ounce of relief that the family may live yet another day, Jeni_Bear growls as she attacks the Kobold closest to her

OOC: Move to K11 Action: attack Kobold at J11 with bite. If the kobold still stands or if the attack misses, she will also attack with her claws. If not, she will wait to have a clear path to the nearest kobold, move in front of it and strike it with her claw. [roll0] [roll1] [roll2] [roll3] Active spell: entangle round 2/10 movement left this round: 30ft

 

[Skarsgard]

snarling much like his totem, Hunter shrugs off the dagger cuts the kobolds managed to land on him. He noted the presence of his commander at his side. "Black Tide!" he howls and lunges forwards with his javelin.

[sblock=Action]
Attacking Kobold i12

[roll=attack]1d20+5]
[roll0]
[/sblock]