Lone Wolf I: Shadows on the Dorn

[Paido]

Well, as far as dice rolling is concerned, I'd be content with both ways. As the general consent seems to be "let Andrew roll", that's okay with me! (Probably better for me, too, considering my usual luck with dice ... )


While the Giak is busy freeing his blade from the wood, Jesabela swiftly draws her cutlass and punches him hard into the face.


That is to say, she goes for the alternate cutlass attack. Only difference seems to be bludgeoning damage instead, correct? BTW, if there's a chance of knocking him out instead of killing him (without much fuss, i.e. big penalties), she'll do that. For interrogation purposes later on.

edit: Just saw Krug's post - probably my foe is the nearest Giak Hoagar's looking for ... I'm all for flanking him!

 

[Eternalknight]

Seeing the fountain of black blood issuing from the Giak's shoulder, Silver Wind moves in for the kill.

Or, put it another way, I'm attacking the Giak in the wagon again.

 

[Relenoir]

Moon's Brand will be setting down her bow with one hand whilst drawing her sword with the other; knowing the remaining Giaks are in melee, she does not wish to injure her companions. She will attempt to aid Dark Hawk in defeating the Giak, seeing he is injured, if she can reach them during the round, leaving the Silver Wind, Jesabela, and Hoagar to deal with the other Giak. If she cannot reach the other combat, but can get close enough to throw a dagger, she will if she gets a clear shot from a medium or less distance. With a cry of "Die infernal spawn!" she races into the fray.
If combat ends this round, she will use her Healing to help any of her injured allies before going to recover any arrows that she can.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

Jesabela pulls out her sword, turns it around, and smacks the Giak in the wagon smartly on the forehead. Moon's Brand pulls out her sword and runs at the Giak fighting Dark Hawk, and cleaves open its throat as she runs by.

Dark Hawk, meanwhile, runs at the remaining Giak, running it through with his sword. Clambering up into the wagon, Hoagar swings his axe at the final Giak, and cleaves its head from its body. All the Giaks lie dead before the party.

After tending to Dark Hawk's wounds, Moon's Brand moves out, gathering up spent arrows. While doing so, she takes note of familiar-looking low shrubs with purple fruit. She quickly identifies these as Larnuma. There are three Meals' worth of Larnuma fruits here.

 

[Krug]

"Well that was a quick fight," says Hoagar, glad to find his axe skills have not deteoriated. "So we have a survivor?" growls the dwarf. "What should we do with him?"

 

[Eternalknight]

"Kill the vile spawn."

Silver Wind realizes that the others will probably want to interogate the giak. But after his father, a Border Ranger, was left crippled by a giak, he has nothing but loathing for the foul beasts.

 

[Relenoir]

Leaving the others to interrogate the Giak, Moon's Brand goes about picking and packing the Larnuma fruit meals that she found, planning on giving one such meal to Dark Hawk when they next eat to help him recover from his wounds. She will store the other two for later treatment usage. "We probably won't want to stick around here too long," she says when she returns. "What did the rest of you find out from the Giak? And who was it that flew in on the Kraan? By the way, I've never heard of Giaks making good pets, so there's no way we're taking it with us." Moon's brand then realizes she may be the only one who speaks Giak here. "Were you able to interrogate it? Or did you need me to translate?" She will do so if required.

 

[Paido]

Just a quick question: How many Giaks were left after the last round? I thought it were only two, but in this round we seem to have felled three, maybe even four?

And: Do we indeed have a captive now, or did someone slay the one I tried to knock out? (For my post, I'll just assume there is a survivor.)

Jesabela bends down to the Giak lying in front of her, takes away whatever weapons he has, and starts to search him for anything useful. "Master Hoagar, could you scrounge up some rope to tie him up? I'll keep an eye on him meanwhile", she calls out. "We might be able to get some useful information out of him. After all, this doesn't seem like a simple raid - I think someone sent them after us in particular. And I'd love to know who that was."

After the Giak has been taken care of, Jesabela will retrieve and clean her dagger.

"We probably won't want to stick around here too long," [Moon's Brand] says when she returns.

"Yes, the Kraan might return with reinforcements. Of course they might have set up an ambush farther down the road as well ... We should proceed carefully. Maybe leave this place, but not go too far before interrogating our captive here."

"What did the rest of you find out from the Giak? And who was it that flew in on the Kraan? By the way, I've never heard of Giaks making good pets, so there's no way we're taking it with us." Moon's brand then realizes she may be the only one who speaks Giak here. "Were you able to interrogate it? Or did you need me to translate?"

Jesabela shrugs. "Nothing so far, he hasn't woke up yet. And the Kraan riders sounded human - could have been Drakkarim, or whatever scum works with the Darklords. You're the Kai lords, you tell me."

 

[Eternalknight]

"I still say the giak should die," says Silver Wind, wiping the blade of his short sword meaningfully.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

Shof nods at Jesabela's statement. "I think so too. Has to do with our... cargo, mostlike." He smiles at Silver Wind. "Eager to wet your blade again, are ye? I think as the others say, we should talk to this one first."

After the merchants and soldiers make sure everything is secure and their cargo isn't damaged, they hitch up the wagons again. "Well, unless there's anything else you folks need to be doin', we'd best be on our way out of this evil forest." The wagons roll on.

Nightfall comes on the barren plains of the Wildlands, and once again Zane clears a spot for a fire as the other two Sommlending soldiers gather wood. Zane makes sure to find a spot sheltered by a rocky overhang. "Less risk of us being seen by Kraan or whatnot, now we know they're about. From now on, one of us best keep the King's scroll with them. Less chance of the Darkspawn destroying it, hopefully."

Just a quick question: How many Giaks were left after the last round? I thought it were only two, but in this round we seem to have felled three, maybe even four?

Chalk it up to another of my errors. I copied an old version of the battle chart thing and had you guys killing an extra Giak. Final toll: five dead Giaks, one knocked out in the wagon. If you want to do anything else before leaving, just post it and we'll assume you took care of it.