First Blood (Round 2)
In the continuing drama of my life, the current episode involves a young lady blowing through a four-way stop to ricochet off a truck and into the front end of my car. If life gets more interesting around here, I may have to seek therapy. 
Originally Piedra was going to try to intimidate or subdue the thugs. However, once the fight breaks out, he decides that the best tactics are to finish it as quickly as possible. Fighting with two weapons, a quick one-two, results in a lot of muttering, a deep cut in the nearest thug from the waraxe and the mace hitting nothing but air. The thug goes down hard under the waraxe's bite. More blood puddles on the nearly frozen ground. "mutter mutter, this will teach you to pick on someone your own size, mutter thugs mutter mutter"
As something hot and fast barely misses his head, Jon has a horrible thought. The strange wounds. "We need to act fast! At least, these cultists seem quite mortal." Jon tries to flank an enemy with Piedra, but the dwarf's deadly axe makes that task impossible for the moment. Nevertheless, Jon's weapon strikes true, and another of men falls.
Sam tries to shield himself from the magical mace these cultists threw at him but was a little to slow and is badly hurt by flying bits of metal.
"Rovagug Damm and Blast you fiends!" he cries and quickly fires an arrow at the one called Stahl hoping to kill him before he can throw the mace again. However it's a poor shot as the arrow flies higher than he expected in this strange place. Fortunately, Sam's aim proves good enough. His arrow cuts across the side of Stahl's head, taking a bit.
"Ak!" Stahl cries out. "My ear!"
Frightened by the noise and blast the monkey on Sam's shoulder leaps away and runs towards the nearest tree.
The two prisoners closest to where the party appeared scramble away from the thugs. The third lunges to his feet and grabs a shovel, raising it high over head, making ready to attack one of his would-be killers.
[sblock=Question]
Q: How far are we from these guys?
A: Not sure.
I'm kind of abstract right now because I don't feel like drawing up a map. The party is within 30 feet of the closer group of soldiers.
[/sblock]
The spry little gnomeling spies the hurtling hammer-like something, and squeaks in alarm as she scurries out of its way. When echoes of the blast fade, she emerges from behind a crag of rock, singed but not badly.
"They have magic weapons!" Mellisande pipes in her high, girlish voice. "Lets get 'em!"
No bigger than a human child, she darts out and holds her hands towards the man who'd thrown the magic hammer, with her fingers touching in such a way so as to make a loop. The air around her cools, and her wild hair is tossed in a chill breeze that gusts around her for a moment. Her skin seems to fade to a papery white, even as mist erupts in the 'loop' of her fingers and starts sinking rapidly to the ground.
She lifts that mist to her mouth and blows. Like tiny frigid comet, it streaks through the air, leaving a thin trail of snowflakes in its wake as it bears down on that most impertinent of foes! The ray hits Stahl in the chest. His thick coat freezes and cracks, and the man staggers and shudders.
"They're devils! Devils!" he cries.
In the next instant, Sam's monkey is racing back toward Sam, leaving the treeline as quickly as possible. A half-dozen men spring into view, all of them armed with strange weapons similar to those wielded by the thugs. Loud
cracks!, flashes, and puffs of smoke follow. Three thugs jerk as if powerfully struck and then fall motionless to the ground.
What started as a graveside execution now turns into a route. The thugs who appears to be in charge orders the retreat, and the survivors start to run away from the new arrivals and the adventurers. Their path of retreat is toward a rise on the opposite side of the field.
All of the thugs took double moves to get away from their attackers. They're all still in missle weapon range. Of course, you can also pursue if you wish.
[sblock=Combat Block]
Initiative Order: Partisans, Thugs, Piedra, Jon, Sam, Prisoners, Mellisande
Piedra: uninjured
Jon: uninjured
Sam: 9 lethal.
Mellisande: 4 lethal;
shield
Thugs (8): Stahl injured (6 hp), 6 dead.
Prisoners (3)
Partisans (6)
[/sblock]
[sblock=Dice Rolls]
Sam's Arrow Damage:
1d8=2.
[/sblock]
