Storm King's Thunder: Main RP

[Psychie]

Things certainly have gone from good to bad in a flash. Sasha doesn't know much about giants other than you don't want to mess with them, so the tiefling makes a quick move towards the drawbridge, trying to vanish into the crowd and not make herself a target for those boulders that are flying through the air.

 

[Idea]

• Coded
• Semicoded

• Maythread Undergold
  Lvl 1 Celestial Warlock

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  I knew I called it a "magic trick" but was it truly so impressive as to deserve that manner of praise? Were I able to, I might have blushed at that Xolkin's words, though the slap in the back that almost pushed me to the ground would certainly have changed my mood, since it would have probably hurt quite a bit. While he looked at the stone, I took the opportunity to get back my balance, only to find his gaze had shifted back to me, and rather intensely at that.
  
  "If you stare that much you'll be taken for a crag cat, you know mister? Hehe. Is there something on my... hmm.... Well, I suppose I would need to have a face before I could have something on it, wouldn't I? Hahe." He proceeded to complement father's skills again, and of course I just nodded along. I mean, he was saying so much, but he didn't know the half of it, he was so easy to please! I had just showed him something really simply and easy, and he was already this interested, I wondered what he would say once I actually showed him the rest of the things. For a moment, I was almost tempted to do exactly that, it was a fun way to pass the time anyway while I waited for them to finish that thing I didn't want to even think about, but then Xolkin invited me to go make them some company and reached out his hand, which I grabbed without a second thought. "Of course I go, that's what I was planning on doing that, after you know, this here- Wait, no, no I-I wasn't writing my name on rocks, I was just hid- I was just counting them that's all! Just a little nothing while everyone shakes their rust gets ready to re-fuel mister, haha!"
  
  Moments after we began making our way back to camp, however, I suddenly felt like a pile of plates on a shaky tables, my entire body went up and down with the motion of the ground beneath me, parts hitting parts as they shook. Of course, I was built more robust than to break down over a little shaking, but nonetheless I found myself covering my head with both hands and falling on my belly as I instinctively attempted to get on my "knees".
  
  "M-m-mister what's happening?"
  
  

  
  

  

  
  
  

  
  Proficiency Bonus: +2
  Hit Points: 10 / 10
  Hit Dice: 1d8
  Armor Class: 12
  Initiative: 0
  Speed: 30 ft
  Passive Perception: 8
  Spellcasting Ability: Cha
  Spellsave DC: 14
  Spell Attack Bonus: +6
  
  Healing Dice: 2d6s Left
• I knew I called it a "magic trick" but was it truly so impressive as to deserve that manner of praise? Were I able to, I might have blushed at that Xolkin's words, though the slap in the back that almost pushed me to the ground would certainly have changed my mood, since it would have probably hurt quite a bit. While he looked at the stone, I took the opportunity to get back my balance, only to find his gaze had shifted back to me, and rather intensely at that.
  
  "If you stare that much you'll be taken for a crag cat, you know mister? Hehe. Is there something on my... hmm.... Well, I suppose I would need to have a face before I could have something on it, wouldn't I? Hahe." He proceeded to complement father's skills again, and of course I just nodded along. I mean, he was saying so much, but he didn't know the half of it, he was so easy to please! I had just showed him something really simply and easy, and he was already this interested, I wondered what he would say once I actually showed him the rest of the things. For a moment, I was almost tempted to do exactly that, it was a fun way to pass the time anyway while I waited for them to finish that thing I didn't want to even think about, but then Xolkin invited me to go make them some company and reached out his hand, which I grabbed without a second thought. "Of course I go, that's what I was planning on doing that, after you know, this here- Wait, no, no I-I wasn't writing my name on rocks, I was just hid- I was just counting them that's all! Just a little nothing while everyone shakes their rust gets ready to re-fuel mister, haha!"
  
  Moments after we began making our way back to camp, however, I suddenly felt like a pile of plates on a shaky tables, my entire body went up and down with the motion of the ground beneath me, parts hitting parts as they shook. Of course, I was built more robust than to break down over a little shaking, but nonetheless I found myself covering my head with both hands and falling on my belly as I instinctively attempted to get on my "knees".
  
  "M-m-mister what's happening?"
  
  

  

  
  
  

  
  Proficiency Bonus: +2
  Hit Points: 10 / 10
  Hit Dice: 1d8
  Armor Class: 12
  Initiative: 0
  Speed: 30 ft
  Passive Perception: 8
  Spellcasting Ability: Cha
  Spellsave DC: 14
  Spell Attack Bonus: +6
  
  Healing Dice: 2d6s Left

Spells

Cantrips: (2)
*Create Bonfire
*Prestidigitation
*Light
*Sacred Flame

First Level: (2)
*Guiding Bolt
*Healing Word

Items

Equipped:
*Copper Plates (Reflavored Leather) (-10 GP)
*Arcane Focus - Crystal (-10 GP) [The Core Inside of Her]
*Sack x3 (-3 CP)
*Spear (-1 GP)

Currency:
0 PP
15 GP
14 SP
23 CP

Carrying:
*Miner's Pick (-2 GP)
*Pole (10 ft) (-5 CP)
*Bloodied Crowbar (-2 GP)
*Rope (Hemp - 50 ft) x2 (-2 GP)
*Chalk x4 (-4 CP)
*Piton x5 (-25 CP)
*Shovel (-2 GP)
*Light Hammer (-2 GP)
*Spear x2 (-2 GP)
*Shield (-10 GP)
*Navigator's Tools (-25 GP)
*Healer's Kit (-5 GP)

Skills

Saving Throws:
Strength: +2
Dexterity: 0
Constitution: +2
Intelligence: +2
Wisdom: 0
Charisma: +6

Skills:
Acrobatics: 0
Animal Handling: -2
Arcana: +4
Athletics: +4
Deception: +4
History: +2
Insight: -2
Intimidation: +4
Investigation: +4
Medicine: 0
Nature: +2
Perception: -2
Performance: +4
Persuasion: +6
Religion: +2
Sleight of Hand: 0
Stealth: 0
Survival: -2

Passives

Constructed Resilience- You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:
-You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
-You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
-You are immune to disease.
-You don't need to sleep, and magic can't put you to sleep.

Sentry's Rest- When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.

Integrated Protection- Your body has built-in defensive layers, which can be enhanced with armor.
You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 hour, during which you must remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 hour removing it. You can rest while donning or doffing armor in this way.
While you live, your armor can't be removed from your body against your will.

Healing Light- At 1st level, you gain the ability to channel Celestial arcane energy to heal wounds. You have a pool of d6s that you spend to fuel this healing. The number of dice in the pool equals 1 + your warlock level.

As a bonus action, you can heal one creature you can see within 60 feet of you, spending dice from the pool. The maximum number of dice you can spend at once equals your Charisma modifier (minimum of one die). Roll the dice you spend, add them together, and restore a number of hit points equal to the total.

Your pool regains all expended dice when you finish a long rest.

Child at Heart- Though you may have attained knowledge through working with another in their craft, you have not dedicated your life to it yet, and still have the spirit of youth within you. Your demeanor help you come off more friendly, joyful and harmless on a first impression, and the young in age or in heart in particular seem to easily take a liking to you.

Spoiler: OOC Actions & Tags

OOC Actions
N/A

Tags
Interacting With: Ellya (Xolkin)

Mentions: N/A

Might Also Want To Read: N/A

 

[TeikiFox]

May leaving would bring the conversation to a close, the cleric not inputting anything unless it was asked of her. When she did happen to look over to what was going on, a hand would come to her mouth, as if Hommett's nausea contributed to her own. Eyes would watch the flame instead, trying not to bring to much attention to herself or her discomfort as it mixed with a small, tight smile.

Interesting that there would be more compassion for a robot than another human being. Admittedly both had sentience, but still it seemed a little strange. Her gaze said as much as she watched Xolkin walk over to May before turning back to watch as they prepared the food. Had she a notebook, words would have been scrawled in as the new spices wafted through the air and the chicken cooked- it would make for a good recipe later. "Thank you," Esvele was rather surprised by the taste- she had expected something worse, but it tasted rather good. She underestimated what some spices and a good roast could do apparently.

The cleric hadn't needed to call the mechanical humanoid over, either, since Xolkin had left to talk to May. And so she could eat her chicken, careful not to make much of a mess as the juices spilled forth. It seemed a meal had also lessened the teasing, sitting up a little more as the mood lightened. The strangeness of being stuck between laughter and disgust had started to lift. How nice it was to have met this group in time for a good dish.

Earthquakes caused her to lurch forward, catching herself quickly. The quakes would continue, Esvele pushing herself to her feet as others got their weapons out. While technically she did own physical weapons, magic was significantly more powerful. Silver eyes were quick to glance over to Lark- because of their agreement but also to see if he knew anything. The waves switched between testing her balance or just rumbling, unsure what was going on. Surely this wasn't normal- or even if it was, no one seemed prepared for this to occur.

"What would be causing this?" A.. volcano? For the minimal amount of possibilities, she couldn't think of anything.

Interactions: Dethrix , Mentions: Idea , all at camp

Nature Check (+5); Total: 8
Rolled in Others/Roll Page

Esvele
Kalashtar Cleric 1​

• Stats
• attack

• HP: 8/8
  AC: 13
  Speed: 30 ft
  Strength: -2
  Dexterity: +2
  Constitution: 0
  Intelligence: +1
  Wisdom: +5
  Charisma: +2
  Passive Percep: 15
• Mace: +0, 1d6-2 bludgeoning
  Crossbow: +4, 1d8+2 piercing
  Spells WDC:15, Atk Bonus: +7
  Cantrips: Light, Sacred Flame, Spare the Dying
  First Level (2): Command, Cure Wounds, Guiding Bolt, Healing Word, Identify, Inflict Wounds, Purify Food and Drink, Shield of Faith

 

[Dethrix]

• info
• stat
• Misc

• 
  
  
  
  
  Ehlark Umenorin
  Race: Wood Half-Elf
  Class: Ranger (1)
  HP: 12
  AC: 15
  Passives:
  

  • Perception/WIS: 12
  • Investigation/INT: 13
  • Insight/WIS: 12

  Longbow: +6, 1d8+4 Piercing
  Shortsword: +6, 1d6+4 Piercing
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Proficency Bonus: +2
  
  Initiative: +4
  
  Attributes:
  

  Str: 10 / +0​

  Dex: 19 / +4​

  Con: 14 / +2​

  Int: 12 / +1​

  Wis: 14 / +2​

  Cha: 9 / -1​

  
  Skills:
  

  Acrobatics: +4​

  Animal Handling: +2​

  Arcana: +1​

  Athletics: +2​

  Deception: -1​

  History: +1​

  Insight: +2​

  Intimidation: -1 ​

  Investigation: +3​

  Medicine: +2​

  Nature: +3​

  Perception: +2 ​

  Performance: -1​

  Persuasion: +1​

  Religion: +1​

  Sleight of Hand: +4​

  Stealth: +4​

  Survival: +4​
  
  
• 
  
  
  Money: 10
  
  Active:
  

  • 20x Arrows
  • 1x Leather Armor
  • 1x Longbow
  • 2x Shortswords
  • 1x Traveler’s Clothes

  
  Stored:
  

  • 1x Backpack
  • 1x Bedroll
  • 1x Dice Set
  • 1x Mess Kit
  • 1x Rations (1 day)
  • 1x Rope, Hempen (50 feet)
  • 1x Tinderbox
  • 1x Torch
  • 1x Waterskin
  
  

Spoiler: Uncoded Text

Ehlark watched Xolkin’s interaction with the raise of a brow. Again, nothing immediately pressing had occurred, simply a display of mechanical magic by May. Like their Mecernary Leader, the ranger found the automaton’s variation of the arcane to be rather unique. Her very composition seemed to actively perform the mysticism, had she been built for some kind of magical operation? He couldn’t exactly blame Xolkin for his curiosity in this instance, at least until the man started talking of her creator.

Interestingly enough, Ehlark had never quite pondered the artificer behind such a work of master craftsmanship. Of course, how she had come into existence always eluded him, but the idea that someone had painstakingly created such a being? Truly it was bizarre. He’d only met one man in his lifetime, an old paranoid dwarf from far north, that could even begin to fit that narrative. Though, there were probably untold amounts of mad tinkerers locked away in their lives work.

The serving of food swept such thoughts away like a flood, and he gave an appreciative nod to the mercenaries that provided him with his portion of the meal. After making sure his shortsword had cooled from its time in the fire, he sheathed the weapon in the scabbard hanging from his side, and began to partake of the meal. Noticeably, all the roughhousing and puking seemed to have come to an end. For this, again Ehlark was thankful. Though he had no real care towards Hommett, needless harassment wasn’t something the half-elf was overly fond of.

As he ate, the ranger took in his surroundings with his single eye, the green of his iris flickering with light from the reflected glow of the flames. Despite everything, it seemed that they’d finally be getting to their destination, a fact that he was more than happy to take some comfort in. After all, traveling down the High Road always came with a risk factor. Whether alone or with a group, the fabled trail had more than a few tricks up its sleeve that had plagued trade and travel for generations.

And yet with that thought, a small shift in the atmosphere caused him to pause. Barely noticeable, but enough for him to stop eating and look up. Similarly, one of Xolkin’s mercenaries seemed to have had a similar reaction. Just as she began to speak, the ground shook with a thunderous tremor that nearly knocked Ehlark from his seat on a log. As he steadied himself, both of his shortswords were pulled forth in a flash of steel. Though, combat didn’t come. Instead, an additional wave of force shifted the dirt once more. With a frown, he sheathed one of his blades and knelt down to press an open-palmed hand to the ground. When the third impact shook their encampment, Ehlark closed his eye with concentration.

“There’s no natural pattern for it ta’ be an earthquake and this ain’t any kind of beast either. The dirt ain’t movin’ like it’s comin’ from below, more like an impact.” He murmured to himself, as he focused on the vibrations that flowed through the ground. As the tremors faded, he opened his eye and acknowledged Esvele first. With a subtle shake of the head, he did his best to wordlessly communicate to her that it wasn’t the time to reveal her abilities just yet. They weren’t in any immediate danger. Unfortunately, the source was miles away in the wrong direction. That being a negative realization because there was only one town of importance in such a specific radius.

“Not a Volcano either, Miss Rein. Somethin’ has gone wrong in Nighstone.” He announced to any that were paying attention, as he stood and sheathed his remaining shortsword once more. Ehlark paused, then turned to regard Xolkin. Letting his eye rest on the man for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak again.

“If there’s an attack of some kind, we need ta’ go.” He spoke, nodding in the direction of the town that was likely in turmoil from whatever the nature of those quakes had been. There weren’t many things that could cause such a tumultuous impact, especially one that caused aftershocks from miles away.

Ehlark watched Xolkin’s interaction with the raise of a brow. Again, nothing immediately pressing had occurred, simply a display of mechanical magic by May. Like their Mecernary Leader, the ranger found the automaton’s variation of the arcane to be rather unique. Her very composition seemed to actively perform the mysticism, had she been built for some kind of magical operation? He couldn’t exactly blame Xolkin for his curiosity in this instance, at least until the man started talking of her creator.

Interestingly enough, Ehlark had never quite pondered the artificer behind such a work of master craftsmanship. Of course, how she had come into existence always eluded him, but the idea that someone had painstakingly created such a being? Truly it was bizarre. He’d only met one man in his lifetime, an old paranoid dwarf from far north, that could even begin to fit that narrative. Though, there were probably untold amounts of mad tinkerers locked away in their lives work.

The serving of food swept such thoughts away like a flood, and he gave an appreciative nod to the mercenaries that provided him with his portion of the meal. After making sure his shortsword had cooled from its time in the fire, he sheathed the weapon in the scabbard hanging from his side, and began to partake of the meal. Noticeably, all the roughhousing and puking seemed to have come to an end. For this, again Ehlark was thankful. Though he had no real care towards Hommett, needless harassment wasn’t something the half-elf was overly fond of.

As he ate, the ranger took in his surroundings with his single eye, the green of his iris flickering with light from the reflected glow of the flames. Despite everything, it seemed that they’d finally be getting to their destination, a fact that he was more than happy to take some comfort in. After all, traveling down the High Road always came with a risk factor. Whether alone or with a group, the fabled trail had more than a few tricks up its sleeve that had plagued trade and travel for generations.

And yet with that thought, a small shift in the atmosphere caused him to pause. Barely noticeable, but enough for him to stop eating and look up. Similarly, one of Xolkin’s mercenaries seemed to have had a similar reaction. Just as she began to speak, the ground shook with a thunderous tremor that nearly knocked Ehlark from his seat on a log. As he steadied himself, both of his shortswords were pulled forth in a flash of steel. Though, combat didn’t come. Instead, an additional wave of force shifted the dirt once more. With a frown, he sheathed one of his blades and knelt down to press an open-palmed hand to the ground. When the third impact shook their encampment, Ehlark closed his eye with concentration.

“There’s no natural pattern for it ta’ be an earthquake and this ain’t any kind of beast either. The dirt ain’t movin’ like it’s comin’ from below, more like an impact.” He murmured to himself, as he focused on the vibrations that flowed through the ground. As the tremors faded, he opened his eye and acknowledged Esvele first. With a subtle shake of the head, he did his best to wordlessly communicate to her that it wasn’t the time to reveal her abilities just yet. They weren’t in any immediate danger. Unfortunately, the source was miles away in the wrong direction. That being a negative realization because there was only one town of importance in such a specific radius.

“Not a Volcano either, Miss Rein. Somethin’ has gone wrong in Nighstone.” He announced to any that were paying attention, as he stood and sheathed his remaining shortsword once more. Ehlark paused, then turned to regard Xolkin. Letting his eye rest on the man for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak again.

“If there’s an attack of some kind, we need ta’ go.” He spoke, nodding in the direction of the town that was likely in turmoil from whatever the nature of those quakes had been. There weren’t many things that could cause such a tumultuous impact, especially one that caused aftershocks from miles away.

Updates

Interactions: TeikiFox
Mentions: Ellya Idea
Rolls: Nature (20 + 3 + 2 = 25)

 

[Ellya]

Things certainly have gone from good to bad in a flash. Sasha doesn't know much about giants other than you don't want to mess with them, so the tiefling makes a quick move towards the drawbridge, trying to vanish into the crowd and not make herself a target for those boulders that are flying through the air.

Aside from the insanely loud crashing and rumbling of stones into the ground so close by, the air was filled with screams and crying. Sheer panic took the town as the drawbridge went down slowly. Two of the guardsmen, not wearing their armor, were operating both wheels, turning them as fast as they could, the chains rattling and the long bridge slowly lowering. A few desperate individuals already attempted to climb up the bridge, and one took their opportunity to jump into the moat as soon as the possibility was there.

"Thomas, no!" A woman cried out close by. Glancing in her direction, you could see a human women in her mid forties extending a hand toward a younger lad, not twenty years, sprinting into a house. Still in the town square, the dwarf innkeeper Morak stood completely still, staring blankly at Lady Velrosa's legs sticking out from under the second giant boulder that had dropped as another crashed partly into his inn. A child that could not be older than ten sniffled and cried while wandering aimlessly.

You manage to become part of the larger crowd waiting in front of the drawbridge, and you could probably shove yourself to the front of the pack to be one of the first ones out.

 

[Ellya]

The High Road
Idea Dethrix TeikiFox
​

Xolkin and the others attentively listened to Ehlark's explanation for what was happening, and the elf that had first noticed something was wrong looked at the company's charismatic leader. He himself seemed to ponder the options for a moment. "Defensive perimeter. I trust your word, Ehlark, but the day we take a chance is the day chance may take us. We will go as soon as we can, yes, but first we need to determine whether we are going away, or going on."

Immediately after Xolkin's initial command, most of the company started to gather their weapons, and positioned themselves around the camp in a wide circle. Everyone was within eyesight of each other and together they covered a large visual area around camp, which gave you the idea that this was a very practiced or at least a well discussed tactic within their company. As the elven lady went off to grab her weapon from the cart though, Xolkin stopped her. "Can you find out what it is?" The elf nodded in response, glancing up in the sky. Though sunset was just an hour or two away, the sky was still clear. Flocks of birds flew hastily away from the source of the quakes.

"Very good" Xolkin nodded with a serious expression, then turned and walked a few steps back to May. There wasn't much comfort or sympathy to be found in his voice anymore, but he didn't sound exactly mean either. His voice was clear, stern, direct, the voice of a leader calling shots that he was confident in. "Maythread, this is not the time to cower. We have made an arrangement. That goes for all three of you" he said, now addressing the rest of you as well. "Lark, Rein... You have all enjoyed our hospitality and protection. Whatever happens in the following minutes, hours, the time may come for you to honor your part. I have the utmost faith in all of you that you will not let us down." With that simple speech, he turned away from the three of you and walked toward Hommett.

~~ Make a Perception check in the Dice thread if you wish to try to listen in on their conversation ~~
If you roll an 8 or higher, you can make out that Xolkin seems to just be giving basic instructions for Hommett to stay back from the fight and look out for himself, and run if necessary.
If you roll a 13 or higher, you can make out what is described above, and parts of the conversation where Xolkin speaks of him needing Hommett alive for their goal. Something about Nightstone and a snake is mentioned.

As he spoke with the plump nobleman, the elven lady that he commanded to find out what was happening, now sat on the ground with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. She had taken a few deep breaths, gasping softly when the ground trembled again, breaking her concentration temporarily. Eventually though, she stands up, places her hands around her head to amplify her voice, and screams up into the sky "WHAT IS IT?" After a few seconds of watching birds, she yells again. "WHAT IS HAPPENING?" Another two tries later, her cry for help is immediately followed up by a raven's caw, barely heard from high up in the sky.

At this point, Xolkin, also staring up at the sky as he hurries back to you three and the elf, gives her a curious look. Her face turns a pale white, and she swallows a few times, as if her throat was too dry to even speak. Eventually the words left her mouth, almost hushed, as if it was dangerous just to speak them.

"... It's fucking giants."

Seconds of silence followed. Xolkin stared in disbelief, the elf lady stared in terror. Another rumble shook the ground. "We..." Xolkin eventually spoke up, staring at the ground with a furrowed brow before raising his voice so his companions could hear. "We move on. We are still a few hours away at our speed. With some luck, they... they'll be gone when we get there... Right?"

 

[Idea]

• Coded
• Semicoded

• Maythread Undergold
  Lvl 1 Celestial Warlock

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  Our group suddenly began to organize, or at least the main group of mercenaries while my types remained dumbfounded for at least a moment after listening to Ehlark's warning. An impact? This kind of shaking, reaching so far to us without us even being able to see what was making it? What kind of thing could possibly do that? And to think it was going to our destination on top of it... when we got there, would Nightstone even still be there? If it felt like this so far away from whatever it was, how could anything in Nightstone even stay up? What were they facing? Such raw strength, such impact on the ground... The lights I had for eyes grew bigger as I realized it- Giants! Flashes of large walls of crudely carved stone "decorated" with enormous tubes and and a number of mechanical contraptions held like drying cloth on said walls flooded my mind, followed by the rumbling of those walls, flickering lights and bits of dust, dirt and loose rock dripping down from the ceiling. Though it probably wasn't as noticeable with how my body now shook with the ground, remembering the fear from back then still made me shiver. My leg trembled as I attempted to start getting up, but it felt stubborn, nearly slipping as it dragged across instead of pushing the ground. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was already getting ready for whatever was coming, with one of the elf girls being commanded to investigate what exactly was happening. I kept my guesses to myself, if she was being asked to do this she was probably an expert of some kind, she'd know better than me. The best thing for me to do was to wait and hope that I was far far from being correct.
  
  Something within me just seemed to 'click' however, when I was called out over my agreement. Although I never could have expected this kind of event, I had agreed to aid in the protection of the cart and cooperating with the mercenaries. I had a duty to fulfill, there was no time to wait around. Although I still felt anxious, I knew I HAD to help, even if that knowledge didn't quite help me with the problem of not knowing what I could do to help: I had no idea where the source of this was, or whether it was even coming for us. Were we supposed to fight GIANTS (if indeed, they were the cause)? I surely hoped not. Was I helping someone escape? Perhaps rescue someone? Who, to where? The answer came when the elf lady shouted at some birds, and confirmed my fears. Xolkin considered it for a while, but it would appear dinner was cancelled, unless of course Xolkin intended for the group to eat while moving around.
  
  "I agree. We can only hope they will no longer be around. And that Nightstone still will." I sad, as I walked towards the group, then faced Xolkin "What should we do if they are not gone, though? If are moving towards the city being attacked by giants, not away from it, that must mean there is something you wish to protect even if it means running right into the giants, is there not?"
  

  
  

  

  
  
  

  
  Proficiency Bonus: +2
  Hit Points: 10 / 10
  Hit Dice: 1d8
  Armor Class: 12
  Initiative: 0
  Speed: 30 ft
  Passive Perception: 8
  Spellcasting Ability: Cha
  Spellsave DC: 14
  Spell Attack Bonus: +6
  
  Healing Dice: 2d6s Left
• 
  Our group suddenly began to organize, or at least the main group of mercenaries while my types remained dumbfounded for at least a moment after listening to Ehlark's warning. An impact? This kind of shaking, reaching so far to us without us even being able to see what was making it? What kind of thing could possibly do that? And to think it was going to our destination on top of it... when we got there, would Nightstone even still be there? If it felt like this so far away from whatever it was, how could anything in Nightstone even stay up? What were they facing? Such raw strength, such impact on the ground... The lights I had for eyes grew bigger as I realized it- Giants! Flashes of large walls of crudely carved stone "decorated" with enormous tubes and and a number of mechanical contraptions held like drying cloth on said walls flooded my mind, followed by the rumbling of those walls, flickering lights and bits of dust, dirt and loose rock dripping down from the ceiling. Though it probably wasn't as noticeable with how my body now shook with the ground, remembering the fear from back then still made me shiver. My leg trembled as I attempted to start getting up, but it felt stubborn, nearly slipping as it dragged across instead of pushing the ground. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was already getting ready for whatever was coming, with one of the elf girls being commanded to investigate what exactly was happening. I kept my guesses to myself, if she was being asked to do this she was probably an expert of some kind, she'd know better than me. The best thing for me to do was to wait and hope that I was far far from being correct.
  
  Something within me just seemed to 'click' however, when I was called out over my agreement. Although I never could have expected this kind of event, I had agreed to aid in the protection of the cart and cooperating with the mercenaries. I had a duty to fulfill, there was no time to wait around. Although I still felt anxious, I knew I HAD to help, even if that knowledge didn't quite help me with the problem of not knowing what I could do to help: I had no idea where the source of this was, or whether it was even coming for us. Were we supposed to fight GIANTS (if indeed, they were the cause)? I surely hoped not. Was I helping someone escape? Perhaps rescue someone? Who, to where? The answer came when the elf lady shouted at some birds, and confirmed my fears. Xolkin considered it for a while, but it would appear dinner was cancelled, unless of course Xolkin intended for the group to eat while moving around.
  
  "I agree. We can only hope they will no longer be around. And that Nightstone still will." I sad, as I walked towards the group, then faced Xolkin "What should we do if they are not gone, though? If are moving towards the city being attacked by giants, not away from it, that must mean there is something you wish to protect even if it means running right into the giants, is there not?"
  

  

  
  
  

  
  Proficiency Bonus: +2
  Hit Points: 10 / 10
  Hit Dice: 1d8
  Armor Class: 12
  Initiative: 0
  Speed: 30 ft
  Passive Perception: 8
  Spellcasting Ability: Cha
  Spellsave DC: 14
  Spell Attack Bonus: +6
  
  Healing Dice: 2d6s Left

Spells

Cantrips: (2)
*Create Bonfire
*Prestidigitation
*Light
*Sacred Flame

First Level: (2)
*Guiding Bolt
*Healing Word

Items

Equipped:
*Copper Plates (Reflavored Leather) (-10 GP)
*Arcane Focus - Crystal (-10 GP) [The Core Inside of Her]
*Sack x3 (-3 CP)
*Spear (-1 GP)

Currency:
0 PP
15 GP
14 SP
23 CP

Carrying:
*Miner's Pick (-2 GP)
*Pole (10 ft) (-5 CP)
*Bloodied Crowbar (-2 GP)
*Rope (Hemp - 50 ft) x2 (-2 GP)
*Chalk x4 (-4 CP)
*Piton x5 (-25 CP)
*Shovel (-2 GP)
*Light Hammer (-2 GP)
*Spear x2 (-2 GP)
*Shield (-10 GP)
*Navigator's Tools (-25 GP)
*Healer's Kit (-5 GP)

Skills

Saving Throws:
Strength: +2
Dexterity: 0
Constitution: +2
Intelligence: +2
Wisdom: 0
Charisma: +6

Skills:
Acrobatics: 0
Animal Handling: -2
Arcana: +4
Athletics: +4
Deception: +4
History: +2
Insight: -2
Intimidation: +4
Investigation: +4
Medicine: 0
Nature: +2
Perception: -2
Performance: +4
Persuasion: +6
Religion: +2
Sleight of Hand: 0
Stealth: 0
Survival: -2

Passives

Constructed Resilience- You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:
-You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
-You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
-You are immune to disease.
-You don't need to sleep, and magic can't put you to sleep.

Sentry's Rest- When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.

Integrated Protection- Your body has built-in defensive layers, which can be enhanced with armor.
You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 hour, during which you must remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 hour removing it. You can rest while donning or doffing armor in this way.
While you live, your armor can't be removed from your body against your will.

Healing Light- At 1st level, you gain the ability to channel Celestial arcane energy to heal wounds. You have a pool of d6s that you spend to fuel this healing. The number of dice in the pool equals 1 + your warlock level.

As a bonus action, you can heal one creature you can see within 60 feet of you, spending dice from the pool. The maximum number of dice you can spend at once equals your Charisma modifier (minimum of one die). Roll the dice you spend, add them together, and restore a number of hit points equal to the total.

Your pool regains all expended dice when you finish a long rest.

Child at Heart- Though you may have attained knowledge through working with another in their craft, you have not dedicated your life to it yet, and still have the spirit of youth within you. Your demeanor help you come off more friendly, joyful and harmless on a first impression, and the young in age or in heart in particular seem to easily take a liking to you.

Spoiler: OOC Actions & Tags

OOC Actions
N/A

Tags
Interacting With: Ellya (Xolkin)

Mentions: Ellya (Xolkin) Dethrix (others)

Might Also Want To Read: TeikiFox

 

[TeikiFox]

An impact- certainly a concerning thing to hear. She would nod in return, glancing down at the ground as she pondered. It was significantly easier to figure out the difference between research versus experience, all of this very strange and surreal. Pale eyes would simply watch what was happening, unable to truly assist in the current matter. Perhaps that would change when more information was found.

The cleric would nod again when Xolkin spoke, idle as she listened in on the conversation. Finally having something to do that couldn't really help the others, not at the current moment. This was familiar, a connection between here and home that calmed her a little more. How many times the girl had flipped through pages, back resting against the bookshelf as her hearing trained to listen in to those on the other side. Some would be upset of course, but curiosity kept Esvele from changing her ways. It had been their decision to speak in a public space, to allow the information to be offered up.

While the familiarity was nice, the words spoken were strange- lending themselves only to more questions. Something more to look into- a little sooner than later by the secretiveness. The screams of the elven woman wouldn't help, unable to catch the full conversation, but there was the momentary satisfaction of finding something new. Another idea to ponder, filled with small observations and grand conclusions. It almost let her forget about the unknown impacts.

Giants- they couldn't be going up against giants. And yet it didn't seem fair to completely abandon Nightstone. May brought up an interesting point, curious to see what answer would come of that question. The cleric would remain silent for a few moments, allowing for a chance to answer the question before bringing up her own thoughts. "If they are still there, though, we should be able to see them before they see us, correct? We could hide and assess the situation a little more once we have a better view of what is going on." If the Giants spoke to one another, they could get a better grasp at what their goal might have been to attack such a place or what the ongoing plan was. All in all, while potentially dangerous, continuing forwards made more sense to Esvele.

Plus, maybe she'd get to see a real Giant- at a safe distance, of course.

Esvele
Kalashtar Cleric 1​

• Stats
• attack

• HP: 8/8
  AC: 13
  Speed: 30 ft
  Strength: -2
  Dexterity: +2
  Constitution: 0
  Intelligence: +1
  Wisdom: +5
  Charisma: +2
  Passive Percep: 15
• Mace: +0, 1d6-2 bludgeoning
  Crossbow: +4, 1d8+2 piercing
  Spells WDC:15, Atk Bonus: +7
  Cantrips: Light, Sacred Flame, Spare the Dying
  First Level (2): Command, Cure Wounds, Guiding Bolt, Healing Word, Identify, Inflict Wounds, Purify Food and Drink, Shield of Faith

Interactions: Dethrix , Idea , Ellya
Perception Check (+5); Total: 22

 

[Sherwood]

The High Road
Idea Dethrix TeikiFox
​

Idea
Xolkin, despite his naturally mysterious and even suspicious behavior, seemed genuinely fascinated by May's performance. He grew a smile the stone started to adapt a glow, and when it started to show his name, he laughed out loud. "Hahahah! How marvelous, May! Truly!" As he laughed, he gave the automaton a hearty slap on the back. "Such impressive magics..." he muttered, carefully taking the stone from her and looking at it a while before his eyes moved back to May. They examined her in a way he'd done once or twice before, taking in each element of her build and her form with a look of extreme interest in his eyes.

"Your creator must have been a genius with a mind beyond any mortal, Maythread... Come now. Even if you don't eat, would you join us just for company? My stomach is growling and I would hate to leave you here carving your own name into rocks by yourself..." He extended a hand towards the fire, inviting her to move back to the group, when suddenly a light rumbling sensation shook the ground beneath their feet...

Dethrix TeikiFox
Around the fire, the joyful bullying of the nobleman continued, albeit less savagely than before. The occasional comment was thrown his way, but Hommett seemed to have found his feet and his stomach again, simply enjoying the chicken that was given to him. You each were given your own portion as well and as time went on and stomachs were starting to get filled, the camp grew more quiet, just relaxing and enjoying their meals until one of the nine suddenly perked up. She was one of the quiet ones, her face sporting sharp features and a hood covering her head. "... Does anyone else--" she started, but was quickly cut short by the ground seeming to vibrate.

Idea Dethrix TeikiFox
After the rumbling, Xolkin hastily made his way back to the camp, where his companions were already grabbing their weapons in a reflex. Before he could get a word out, another wave of shaking took the ground, the fire visibly flickering a bit. "What in the name of S--" he started, but his words as well were cut short by a third wave of rumbling. They didn't seem to follow any kind of pattern, but they were frequent, some more violent than others but mostly seeming harmless where everyone stood. Everyone waited in anticipation and looked around.

~~ Make a Nature check in the Dice thread ~~
If you roll a 9 or higher, your character knows this: It seems too mild to be an earthquake. Possibly there are some large creatures underground, but you can't tell how close to the surface they could be. Either that, or something is going on nearby.
If you roll a 14 or higher, your character knows this: The waves of rumbling aren't any kind of natural earthquake, nor do they originate from any underground creatures. They are created by some kind of intense impact against the ground. Given that you don't see anything close by, you figure that it must be at least a few miles away, which means that whatever is creating this impact is very large for it to be felt all the way over here.

The rumbling continues on for a good 30 seconds.

The Ardeep Forest
@Creek @Lazaro1505
​

As Rond escorts the two of you through the Ardeep forest, his elven companions seem to finally be relaxing a bit more. Letting their guard down would be too strong of a description for it though. Their eyes kept darting around the forest, carefully checking each tree and brush for potential danger. You get the impression that it would be particularly hard to take this group by surprise.

You had just exited the forest a few minutes ago and followed Rond Arrowhome's squadron of wood elves toward the distant city of Nightstone, watching its wooden walls come closer ever so slowly, when one of the elves exclaimed something that Toric understood as "Halt! Up!" The entire group stopped in their tracks and drew their bows. The elf that had called out was aiming very clearly toward the sky, bow unwavering with not the slightest hint of a tremble in his hand. His arrow pointed above Nightstone, where a large gray cloud hung over the town.

~~ Make a Perception check in the Dice thread ~~
If you roll a 14 or higher, your character knows this: From this distance, it is relatively difficult to spot, but you could swear you see some straight edges peeking out from above the top of the cloud. Almost like something was built on top of it.

The elves turned pale. Rond muttered an Elvish slur under his breath too ancient or obscure for even Toric to know, before he turned his head toward his followers behind him. He seemed to need a moment to swallow and collect himself, but his eyes didn't show any kind of fear. His mouth opened to give an order when he was rudely interrupted by one of his companions screaming the elvish word for "LOOK!"

Something dropped off the edge of the cloud. Something large. It was followed by yet another object of similar size and apparently similar weight, since both came crashing down toward the town at immense speed. A fraction of a second after landing, the ground shook beneath your feet.

Over the course of the next thirty seconds, a barrage of heavy projectiles were dropped from the cloud, seemingly straight into the town of Nightstone while the elves just stood and watched. Some looked afraid, but not Rond. Rond grinned.

Nightstone
Sherwood Psychie @PlayWight ​

"Ahh lass, worrying is for later! Today we drink and feast and dance and even if it rains, we ain't gonna fu--" Morak started cheerfully yelling out as Velrosa shook her head with a smile. He cut himself off pretty quickly when turning his head to check out the cloud though. The dwarf fell silent. This being such a strange occurence, people started to turn their heads to look at him and in turn, up at the strange cloud. Soon enough, an eerie silence took over as everyone just looked at the cloud. Lady Velrosa stood up and furrowed her brow, until suddenly a realization came across her and her eyes widened.

"GIANTS!" she yelled. "Guards, lower the bloody bridge and get everyone out! No one go home, everyone to the bridge, now!" Her orders came quickly and naturally, but the people seemed to need a few seconds to process them. Lionel looked with fearful eyes at Athaclenna before grabbing her wrist and running off with her toward the drawbridge. He was the first, and the moment he moved, panic erupted among the crowd. People screamed and started to run, guards tried to bark orders at each other as they hastily made their way to the bridge as well. In just a few seconds, the party crowd turned into a desperate, clueless mob.

Lionel was still the first to approach the bridge, but he was stopped in his tracks. A giant boulder, bigger than two houses, suddenly crashed down not only onto the ground, but on Lionel. In less than the blink of an eye, the young boy disappeared and in his place now stood that boulder upright in the dirt. More screams ensued and people started to run in seemingly random directions. The impact from the boulder shook the ground so intensely and violently that anyone close by would have trouble keeping their balance. Apparently that included Lady Velrosa herself, who was taken entirely off guard and collapsed through her legs while trying to guide people toward the drawbridge.

One moment, she was on her back. The next moment, only her legs were visible under another giant boulder. Lady Velrosa Nandar, the ruler of Nightstone and beloved by most of its inhabitants, was crushed like a bug.

The drawbridge was starting to be lowered, but it seemed to take forever. Boulder after boulder dropped down into the city, each making a giant shattering impact that shook the ground violently, knocking over drinks and people alike. They crashed into buildings, wood splinters got thrown around like projectiles and stone crumbled. Houses and lives were lost and ruined in an instant. It took only ten seconds for the drawbridge to be lowered enough to be crossed, but those seconds proved fatal for who knows how many of the townsfolk.

Athaclenna looks about in horror as the giant boulders come crashing down. Seeing the crowd of people at the drawbridge, she pulls back some, because of the fact that if the giants throwing these rocks decide to keep lobbing them, that bunched up group of people is an ideal target.

Spoiler

Hit Points: 7
Hit Dice: 1d6

Armor Class: 13, 16 with Mage Armor active
Initiative: +3
Passive Perception: 13

Prepared Spells:
Mage Armor
Magic Missile

 

[Dethrix]

• info
• stat
• Misc

• 
  
  
  
  
  Ehlark Umenorin
  Race: Wood Half-Elf
  Class: Ranger (1)
  HP: 12
  AC: 15
  Passives:
  

  • Perception/WIS: 12
  • Investigation/INT: 13
  • Insight/WIS: 12

  Longbow: +6, 1d8+4 Piercing
  Shortsword: +6, 1d6+4 Piercing
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Proficency Bonus: +2
  
  Initiative: +4
  
  Attributes:
  

  Str: 10 / +0​

  Dex: 19 / +4​

  Con: 14 / +2​

  Int: 12 / +1​

  Wis: 14 / +2​

  Cha: 9 / -1​

  
  Skills:
  

  Acrobatics: +4​

  Animal Handling: +2​

  Arcana: +1​

  Athletics: +2​

  Deception: -1​

  History: +1​

  Insight: +2​

  Intimidation: -1 ​

  Investigation: +3​

  Medicine: +2​

  Nature: +3​

  Perception: +2 ​

  Performance: -1​

  Persuasion: +1​

  Religion: +1​

  Sleight of Hand: +4​

  Stealth: +4​

  Survival: +4​
  
  
• 
  
  
  Money: 10
  
  Active:
  

  • 20x Arrows
  • 1x Leather Armor
  • 1x Longbow
  • 2x Shortswords
  • 1x Traveler’s Clothes

  
  Stored:
  

  • 1x Backpack
  • 1x Bedroll
  • 1x Dice Set
  • 1x Mess Kit
  • 1x Rations (1 day)
  • 1x Rope, Hempen (50 feet)
  • 1x Tinderbox
  • 1x Torch
  • 1x Waterskin
  
  

Spoiler: Uncoded Text

The Half-Elf’s lips pursed together in restrained disagreement, but he nodded all the same and moved to incorporate himself with the protective border they were forming. Ehlark understood the self-preserving logic of Xolkin’s hesitancy, but the ranger was itching to throw himself towards the aid of the town. Not that Ehlark was an outright hero of any kind, but after the massacre of his own mercenary troupe and the desolation of a small settlement much like Nightstone, the idea of allowing such an event to occur again weighed on him.

He adjusted his collar and gritted his teeth to keep the anxiety that brewed within him at bay. His ears twitched nervously, as the echoes of tortured screams bounded through his mind in bone-chilling clarity. It had been years from that day, but the injury that ran across his face began to burn in accordance with his swelling emotions. Wordlessly, he swallowed them down and gripped the pommel of one of his shortswords.

As he moved to assist in the formation of the defensive perimeter, Ehlark passed by Xolkin as the latter man finished his speech. An unnecessary sentiment, as the former-mercenary knew to honor his agreement. At least, as long as it continued to favor his agenda. However, the transitionary distance allowed his elven ears to pick up on the charismatic leader’s hushed conversation with Hommett. His eyebrows rose marginally as he digested what he heard, but his pace and movement didn’t slow at all.

He did his best to obscure his observation and instead mulled about it silently as he found his guarding position. If nothing else, his suspicions of Xolkin were only further cemented, the man had vastly alternative intentions. Though perhaps the most surprising, was Hommett’s apparent involvement. Though, given that the nobleman had been with their camp before even he or Maythread had joined up, it quickly became feasible.

That, combined with the ranger’s newfound awareness of who the group truly seemed to work for, began to wrap the situation in a neat bow. They were operating as an extension of the infamous Zhentarim Syndicate, an organization Ehlark had once been loosely tied to himself. Though his company had always kept a wide berth between itself and the tree roots it had originally grown from.

Nonetheless, such thoughts were thrown from his mind as the hooded woman from before began shouting at the sky. As he trained his vision in the direction she’d begun to call, he noticed several birds overhead and tilted his head with intrigue. It appeared as though she was speaking with the wildlife, a notion the ranger understood conceptually but had yet to achieve himself.

Though, the answer she received seemingly only served to further rattle their forces. Giants- How to even deal with such creatures? In his time abroad, Ehlark had only encountered Hill Giants, and even then the events were scarce and far in-between. The results were always the same, ending in callous destruction. As he thought, conversation quickly picked up between the travelers as the discussion of moving forward was brought into question by Xolkin.

“Slow ya’ gears May. Xolkin’s business is none of ours ta’ know.” He spoke, with a hint of warning in his voice to the curious machine. It wasn’t menacing, as it had been spoken with the intention of removing her from a possibly precarious circumstance. If the Zhentarim was involved, then it was better to live in ignorance or at least feign it, if one couldn’t remove themselves entirely. Especially in the case of Maythread, given the value of her very existence. No wonder Xolkin had possessed such an interest in her. After a pause, he nodded at Esvele’s comment.

“Scoutin’ would be advantageous, as long as nothin’ sees us. We’d better understand the threat, and how best ta’ help the townsfolk.” He added, the weight in his tone shifting to one of responding authority. Serving to second the Mercenary’s Leader hesitant decision to continue on, despite knowing there lied some criminal aspect to the man’s intentions for doing so. Following this, he turned towards Esvele and beckoned her towards him with a gesture, also signaling towards Maythread so that the three of them could convene while aiding with the perimeter.

The Half-Elf’s lips pursed together in restrained disagreement, but he nodded all the same and moved to incorporate himself with the protective border they were forming. Ehlark understood the self-preserving logic of Xolkin’s hesitancy, but the ranger was itching to throw himself towards the aid of the town. Not that Ehlark was an outright hero of any kind, but after the massacre of his own mercenary troupe and the desolation of a small settlement much like Nightstone, the idea of allowing such an event to occur again weighed on him.

He adjusted his collar and gritted his teeth to keep the anxiety that brewed within him at bay. His ears twitched nervously, as the echoes of tortured screams bounded through his mind in bone-chilling clarity. It had been years from that day, but the injury that ran across his face began to burn in accordance with his swelling emotions. Wordlessly, he swallowed them down and gripped the pommel of one of his shortswords.

As he moved to assist in the formation of the defensive perimeter, Ehlark passed by Xolkin as the latter man finished his speech. An unnecessary sentiment, as the former-mercenary knew to honor his agreement. At least, as long as it continued to favor his agenda. However, the transitionary distance allowed his elven ears to pick up on the charismatic leader’s hushed conversation with Hommett. His eyebrows rose marginally as he digested what he heard, but his pace and movement didn’t slow at all.

He did his best to obscure his observation and instead mulled about it silently as he found his guarding position. If nothing else, his suspicions of Xolkin were only further cemented, the man had vastly alternative intentions. Though perhaps the most surprising, was Hommett’s apparent involvement. Though, given that the nobleman had been with their camp before even he or Maythread had joined up, it quickly became feasible.

That, combined with the ranger’s newfound awareness of who the group truly seemed to work for, began to wrap the situation in a neat bow. They were operating as an extension of the infamous Zhentarim Syndicate, an organization Ehlark had once been loosely tied to himself. Though his company had always kept a wide berth between itself and the tree roots it had originally grown from.

Nonetheless, such thoughts were thrown from his mind as the hooded woman from before began shouting at the sky. As he trained his vision in the direction she’d begun to call, he noticed several birds overhead and tilted his head with intrigue. It appeared as though she was speaking with the wildlife, a notion the ranger understood conceptually but had yet to achieve himself.

Though, the answer she received seemingly only served to further rattle their forces. Giants- How to even deal with such creatures? In his time abroad, Ehlark had only encountered Hill Giants, and even then the events were scarce and far in-between. The results were always the same, ending in callous destruction. As he thought, conversation quickly picked up between the travelers as the discussion of moving forward was brought into question by Xolkin.

“Slow ya’ gears May. Xolkin’s business is none of ours ta’ know.” He spoke, with a hint of warning in his voice to the curious machine. It wasn’t menacing, as it had been spoken with the intention of removing her from a possibly precarious circumstance. If the Zhentarim was involved, then it was better to live in ignorance or at least feign it, if one couldn’t remove themselves entirely. Especially in the case of Maythread, given the value of her very existence. No wonder Xolkin had possessed such an interest in her. After a pause, he nodded at Esvele’s comment.

“Scoutin’ would be advantageous, as long as nothin’ sees us. We’d better understand the threat, and how best ta’ help the townsfolk.” He added, the weight in his tone shifting to one of responding authority. Serving to second the Mercenary’s Leader hesitant decision to continue on, despite knowing there lied some criminal aspect to the man’s intentions for doing so. Following this, he turned towards Esvele and beckoned her towards him with a gesture, also signaling towards Maythread so that the three of them could convene while aiding with the perimeter.

Updates

Interactions: TeikiFox Ellya Idea
Rolls: Stealth (17 + 4 = 21): To hide his PTSD, and eavesdropping.

 

[Ellya]

Dethrix Idea TeikiFox
Xolkin looked around the group, seeming to consider many, many options in his head. He nodded at each person offering their opinion, listening and acknowleding them, before he finally spoke up again. A tension was still in the air, but the panic seemed to be over. The rumbling had also stopped for a short while, seemingly permanently. "Very well..." he nodded, looking over each of you, his gaze lingering on Ehlark a bit. "Thank you all for your advice. I am glad to have such brave souls at my side. We continue for Nightstone, with no time to spare. Everyone, keep the area secure while we pack up!"

The leader of the traveling group then stepped over to the half-elf woman that had apparently spoken with the birds earlier. "Now seems like a good time for a different perspective on the current affairs, no?" The woman nodded and took a step back, closing her eyes and concentrating for a while. While a few of the other mercenaries worked on cleaning up the camp, removing any major tracks, loading the cart back up, feeding the horses and doing other work in preparation for their departure, Xolkin made soft kissing noises with his lips, and his pet flying snake immediately jumped onto his extended hand. He didn't bother much to hide the fact that he gave it a small scroll of parchment, which the lizard carefully bit into. "See if you can find Kella..."

As the flying snake took off into the air with quick but powerful flaps of its small wings, the half-elf lady finally revealed the class of magic she was apparently quite attuned to. After concentrating for a few seconds, her physical form changed in an instant. Noiselessly, she grew feathers out of her skin, as well as a beak from her face, her arms turned to blackened wings and her entire form shaped itself into that of a raven. She immediately took off into the sky and flew northward.

 

[Ellya]

Sherwood Psychie
The bridge was finally down. The townsfolk desperately ran across toward their presumed safety, while one of the guards yelled out, trying to be louder than the desperate whimpering and screaming of the crowd.

"MAKE NORTH, TO THE MOUNTAINS!" he yelled, "FIND COVER WITHIN THE C--"

The older man cut himself off though, as he saw something he didn't expect waiting for them across the bridge. Over a dozen tall, fearsome looking Orcs stood spread across the area in front of the drawbridge. In the front line was the meanest looking of them all, tall, muscular, with dark green skin but dark crimson blood all over him. He had multiple puncture wounds and even some arrows still in his body, but by no means did he look weak.

One of the first townspeople to run across the bridge saw the band of orcs just too late to avoid getting forcefully grabbed by the leader. A child cried out "FATHER!" from the crowd, who all immediately stopped and retreated at least partway into town. The orcs themselves looked to be confused, most staring up at the sky in horror, but the leader of the band kept furious eyes trained on the guards that drew what weapons they had and took a defensive position on the bridge.

"Hhrrrrhh...." he grunted deeply, blood dripping from his arm as he held the blade of his greataxe against the throat of his hostage. "You... All leave camp now... We take it..." He muttered in a deep, gravely voice, barely Common. "LEAVE! OR BLEED!" he then roared loudly, causing the guards to tense up and the man in his grip to start shivering.

Eventually, a group of eight guards had gathered on the bridge, armed and pointing weapons at the Orcs, but none seemed too eager to initiate combat or say anything. Luckily, the barrage of boulders seemed to have stopped, at least for now.

 

[Idea]

• Coded
• Semicoded

• Maythread Undergold
  Lvl 1 Celestial Warlock

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  It would appear I had just been ignored. Sure, he nodded, but neither of my questions went answered, and that pretty much amounted to the same thing, and even if I had somewhat gotten used to my questions being dismissed before (explicitly or otherwise), to simply not answer them at all was just on an entirely different level. If I could scowl I probably would have, but as it stood I simply headed back to the cart without a word. I had my doubts about calling myself a "brave soul" anyway..
  
  While the rest of the mercenary band was cleaning up and Xolkin was seemingly sending some manner of message, I was attempting to climb back on the cart. If I really put my head into it I could keep up with everyone else's walking pace because I didn't get tired like they did, but it would take one look at me to tell my legs weren't quite made to walk at such a pace. I imagined we were probably in a hurry, and if that was the case, it was best that I travel in the cart as far as I could, and allowed. That said, it did take some work to climb in or out of it, and if they really insisted I could travel by foot.
  
  I had just barely managed to climb into it when my eyes widened at the sight of the elf lady's body twisting into feathers and a beak, I must confess I shook a bit with the sight and again when her body seemed to fold into a smaller size. I rushed to the front of the cart, leaning on it as the lady, now a raven, flapped her wings and took off beyond our sight. Seeing her black form fly away and disappear from view reminded me of old stories shared to me to get me to behave.
  
  "Is she ok? Are WE gonna be ok?" I inquired to whomever might be nearby, or just to myself if no one was. "That lady is a.. that lady is a servant of the raven queen isn't she? That death lady?"
  
  With all of this happening, I didn't even notice how the tremors had already stopped, not until a long time after we had already departed, presumably back to Nightstone. I dreaded what we might encounter there, but knew my duty was to help as agreed. It was a feeling I got.
  
  

  
  

  

  
  
  

  
  Proficiency Bonus: +2
  Hit Points: 10 / 10
  Hit Dice: 1d8
  Armor Class: 12
  Initiative: 0
  Speed: 30 ft
  Passive Perception: 8
  Spellcasting Ability: Cha
  Spellsave DC: 14
  Spell Attack Bonus: +6
  
  Healing Dice: 2d6s Left
• 
  It would appear I had just been ignored. Sure, he nodded, but neither of my questions went answered, and that pretty much amounted to the same thing, and even if I had somewhat gotten used to my questions being dismissed before (explicitly or otherwise), to simply not answer them at all was just on an entirely different level. If I could scowl I probably would have, but as it stood I simply headed back to the cart without a word. I had my doubts about calling myself a "brave soul" anyway..
  
  While the rest of the mercenary band was cleaning up and Xolkin was seemingly sending some manner of message, I was attempting to climb back on the cart. If I really put my head into it I could keep up with everyone else's walking pace because I didn't get tired like they did, but it would take one look at me to tell my legs weren't quite made to walk at such a pace. I imagined we were probably in a hurry, and if that was the case, it was best that I travel in the cart as far as I could, and allowed. That said, it did take some work to climb in or out of it, and if they really insisted I could travel by foot.
  
  I had just barely managed to climb into it when my eyes widened at the sight of the elf lady's body twisting into feathers and a beak, I must confess I shook a bit with the sight and again when her body seemed to fold into a smaller size. I rushed to the front of the cart, leaning on it as the lady, now a raven, flapped her wings and took off beyond our sight. Seeing her black form fly away and disappear from view reminded me of old stories shared to me to get me to behave.
  
  "Is she ok? Are WE gonna be ok?" I inquired to whomever might be nearby, or just to myself if no one was. "That lady is a.. that lady is a servant of the raven queen isn't she? That death lady?"
  
  With all of this happening, I didn't even notice how the tremors had already stopped, not until a long time after we had already departed, presumably back to Nightstone. I dreaded what we might encounter there, but knew my duty was to help as agreed. It was a feeling I got.
  
  

  

  
  
  

  
  Proficiency Bonus: +2
  Hit Points: 10 / 10
  Hit Dice: 1d8
  Armor Class: 12
  Initiative: 0
  Speed: 30 ft
  Passive Perception: 8
  Spellcasting Ability: Cha
  Spellsave DC: 14
  Spell Attack Bonus: +6
  
  Healing Dice: 2d6s Left

Spells

Cantrips: (2)
*Create Bonfire
*Prestidigitation
*Light
*Sacred Flame

First Level: (2)
*Guiding Bolt
*Healing Word

Items

Equipped:
*Copper Plates (Reflavored Leather) (-10 GP)
*Arcane Focus - Crystal (-10 GP) [The Core Inside of Her]
*Sack x3 (-3 CP)
*Spear (-1 GP)

Currency:
0 PP
15 GP
14 SP
23 CP

Carrying:
*Miner's Pick (-2 GP)
*Pole (10 ft) (-5 CP)
*Bloodied Crowbar (-2 GP)
*Rope (Hemp - 50 ft) x2 (-2 GP)
*Chalk x4 (-4 CP)
*Piton x5 (-25 CP)
*Shovel (-2 GP)
*Light Hammer (-2 GP)
*Spear x2 (-2 GP)
*Shield (-10 GP)
*Navigator's Tools (-25 GP)
*Healer's Kit (-5 GP)

Skills

Saving Throws:
Strength: +2
Dexterity: 0
Constitution: +2
Intelligence: +2
Wisdom: 0
Charisma: +6

Skills:
Acrobatics: 0
Animal Handling: -2
Arcana: +4
Athletics: +4
Deception: +4
History: +2
Insight: -2
Intimidation: +4
Investigation: +4
Medicine: 0
Nature: +2
Perception: -2
Performance: +4
Persuasion: +6
Religion: +2
Sleight of Hand: 0
Stealth: 0
Survival: -2

Passives

Constructed Resilience- You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:
-You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
-You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
-You are immune to disease.
-You don't need to sleep, and magic can't put you to sleep.

Sentry's Rest- When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.

Integrated Protection- Your body has built-in defensive layers, which can be enhanced with armor.
You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 hour, during which you must remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 hour removing it. You can rest while donning or doffing armor in this way.
While you live, your armor can't be removed from your body against your will.

Healing Light- At 1st level, you gain the ability to channel Celestial arcane energy to heal wounds. You have a pool of d6s that you spend to fuel this healing. The number of dice in the pool equals 1 + your warlock level.

As a bonus action, you can heal one creature you can see within 60 feet of you, spending dice from the pool. The maximum number of dice you can spend at once equals your Charisma modifier (minimum of one die). Roll the dice you spend, add them together, and restore a number of hit points equal to the total.

Your pool regains all expended dice when you finish a long rest.

Child at Heart- Though you may have attained knowledge through working with another in their craft, you have not dedicated your life to it yet, and still have the spirit of youth within you. Your demeanor help you come off more friendly, joyful and harmless on a first impression, and the young in age or in heart in particular seem to easily take a liking to you.

Spoiler: OOC Actions & Tags

OOC Actions
N/A

Tags
Interacting With: Depends

Mentions: Ellya

Might Also Want To Read: TeikiFox Dethrix

 

[Sherwood]

Athaclenna is not one to like bullies, but there is such a thing as being reckless. She decides to add to her defense by first casting a spell. "Mage Armor!" With that done, she steps forward to stand behind the guards, not wanting to be on the front lines of the fight, but standing ready to use her magic to aid the guards in their attack.

Spoiler

Mage Armor in effect for 8 hours

Hit Points: 7
Hit Dice: 1d6

Armor Class: 13, 16 with Mage Armor active
Initiative: +3
Passive Perception: 13

Prepared Spells:
Magic Missile

 

[Psychie]

As she sees the orcs starting to push their weight around, Sasha is glad that she still has her shortbow on her. She readies her weapon, and then does her best to slip into a hidden location in order to be able to snipe away with the weapon and keep herself safe.

Spoiler

Hit Points: 10
Hit Dice: 1d8

Armor Class: 15
Initiative: +4
Passive Perception: 15

Armor and Weapons
Rapier
+6, 1d8+4 Piercing, Martial, Finesse

Shortbow
+6, 1d6+4 Piercing, Simple, Ammunition, Range 80ft/320ft, Two-Handed

Leather Armor +1 AC

 

[Ellya]

Sherwood Psychie
One of the guards that had taken more of a leadership position in this chaos now stepped forward. Despite the fact that the boulders had stopped dropping, there was still a sense of urgency in the air and as he spoke. He stood at the very end of the bridge just a few feet away from the large orc, holding a heavy iron mace in his left hand and a shield in the right. "What are you talking about? This city is under attack, can't you see? Bloody let us through or we'll have to cut and bash our way through you!"

The orc grumbled and huffed, spitting on the ground. "Hmmrf... Yes, city under attack. So you leave. So now, we take it. We live here now."

"Look behind us, man," the guard yelled out in response, "More of those damn rocks could drop at any moment!"

The orc tightened his grip on the male hostage in his arms. The human squirmed and groaned in pain, then gave a sudden sharp moan as something could be hear snapping. "You leave now, we not fight you. You stay, we fight you. Both ways, we take city. Now, human..." His voice turned to a deep, gravely growl near the last few words, and his eyes stared furiously at the group of guards.

A short silence followed, only the light metallic clattering of armor could be heard as guards shifted nervously and tried to get a last few pieces on before potential trouble. And it did look like combat was just one single word away from erupting, unless someone stepped in to make a decision.

 

[Psychie]

There are few things that will set Sasha off faster than a bully, but not many. When she hears the sound of the snap of a breaking bone, her decision is made for her. Swiftly, she raises up her bow and fires it at the one doing the talking, trusting that her aim from surprise will be enough to take him out.

Spoiler

Hit Points: 10
Hit Dice: 1d8

Armor Class: 15
Initiative: +4
Passive Perception: 15

Armor and Weapons
Rapier
+6, 1d8+4 Piercing, Martial, Finesse

Shortbow
+6, 1d6+4 Piercing, Simple, Ammunition, Range 80ft/320ft, Two-Handed

Leather Armor +1 AC

 

[TeikiFox]

It would've been nicer if Lark hadn't completely shot it down. While sure, they might have gotten the same response, it would've been nice to possibly get some more insight. But perhaps it was better that someone would keep their curiosity in line. There was some saying about curiosity getting someone killed, after all. Esvele liked knowledge, but she also liked being alive. In the current moment, one was more important than the other.

At least her notes had been beneficial, a little happier that she could actually help with something. 'Brave souls' was debatable, as in her mind it was simply the logical way to gain more information. There was nothing brave about it, but a compliment was a compliment. No reason to destroy the good intention, the cleric would follow Lark, moving into the formation by him to keep the area secure. She truly didn't expect to see much- with the commotion at Nightstone, it seemed unlikely that others would notice them as much. However, the tremors had stopped, so perhaps her hypothesis was incorrect. Nonetheless, silver eyes watched the area around their camp, careful to make sure she knew what was going on within camp as well.

Two messengers (it would seem) would fly up into the air, away from the encampment that was methodically fading from existence. It was strange to see as the resting point dissolved into a patch of land once more, a skill that Esvele truly knew nothing about. Never before had she seen it despite the pop up stands scattered across Waterdeep, much more colorful than any temporary structures out on the High Road and beyond. How easily something could transition between the two states. Everything seemed set to leave, final preparations for the last stretch to Nightstone. How unfortunate that her first experience with this town would be while giants roamed their lands.

Esvele
Kalashtar Cleric 1​

• Stats
• attack

• HP: 8/8
  AC: 13
  Speed: 30 ft
  Strength: -2
  Dexterity: +2
  Constitution: 0
  Intelligence: +1
  Wisdom: +5
  Charisma: +2
  Passive Percep: 15
• Mace: +0, 1d6-2 bludgeoning
  Crossbow: +4, 1d8+2 piercing
  Spells WDC:15, Atk Bonus: +7
  Cantrips: Light, Sacred Flame, Spare the Dying
  First Level (2): Command, Cure Wounds, Guiding Bolt, Healing Word, Identify, Inflict Wounds, Purify Food and Drink, Shield of Faith

Mentions: Dethrix , Idea , Ellya

 

[Dethrix]

• info
• stat
• Misc

• 
  
  
  
  
  Ehlark Umenorin
  Race: Wood Half-Elf
  Class: Ranger (1)
  HP: 12
  AC: 15
  Passives:
  

  • Perception/WIS: 12
  • Investigation/INT: 13
  • Insight/WIS: 12

  Longbow: +6, 1d8+4 Piercing
  Shortsword: +6, 1d6+4 Piercing
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Proficency Bonus: +2
  
  Initiative: +4
  
  Attributes:
  

  Str: 10 / +0​

  Dex: 19 / +4​

  Con: 14 / +2​

  Int: 12 / +1​

  Wis: 14 / +2​

  Cha: 9 / -1​

  
  Skills:
  

  Acrobatics: +4​

  Animal Handling: +2​

  Arcana: +1​

  Athletics: +2​

  Deception: -1​

  History: +1​

  Insight: +2​

  Intimidation: -1 ​

  Investigation: +3​

  Medicine: +2​

  Nature: +3​

  Perception: +2 ​

  Performance: -1​

  Persuasion: +1​

  Religion: +1​

  Sleight of Hand: +4​

  Stealth: +4​

  Survival: +4​
  
  
• 
  
  
  Money: 10
  
  Active:
  

  • 20x Arrows
  • 1x Leather Armor
  • 1x Longbow
  • 2x Shortswords
  • 1x Traveler’s Clothes

  
  Stored:
  

  • 1x Backpack
  • 1x Bedroll
  • 1x Dice Set
  • 1x Mess Kit
  • 1x Rations (1 day)
  • 1x Rope, Hempen (50 feet)
  • 1x Tinderbox
  • 1x Torch
  • 1x Waterskin
  
  

Spoiler: Uncoded Text

Ehlark watched Xolkin curiously as the leader pondered his options. With the quaking now seemingly finished, the immediate threat was far diminished. Though, frankly, with the distance, he hadn’t thought they’d be in any peril at all. If the Giants had wanted them dead, they would be. He held the mercenary’s gaze when it lingered on him, regarding Xolkin’s words with silent approval. As it had been for the majority of their voyage, their goals aligned. For a moment, Ehlark had been worried that the group would turn tail.

Quickly, everyone fell into action around them. With the rest of Xolkin’s mercenaries working to pack up their campsite, while the leader gave instruction and sent his little beast to presumably send a message. These were all expected and ordinary practices, however, watching the hooded elven woman transform into a raven did elicit a small gasp from the ranger. His first assumption was that it was some manner of an arcane feat, but nothing about her metamorphosis held the correct traits for such a label. Nonetheless, he shook himself from his shock and turned his attention to Eselve, who now stood beside him.

“I just wanted ta’ warn ya’ that this group might seem nice, but they have unsavory connections. They’re workin’ for the Zhentarim if ya’ heard of em’. Just be careful, don’t make yourself somethin’ they can prioritize. They’re already lookin’ at May like a chest of gold.” He informed under his breath, as he moved his body to face away from anyone in earshot as to obscure their conversation to the best of his ability. Had he known more about her, Ehlark would’ve tried to make use of an uncommon language they might have shared. But with the way things were looking, it seemed time was of the essence. He had no intention of dragging events on longer than they needed to.

“It also seems like our deal won’t have much merit, so forget that. I’d advise ya’ ta’ keep the charade up though.” He added, eyeing those around them one more time before heading back towards the cart he and Maythread had ridden in during the majority of their journey. With relative ease, he hopped onto the wooden platform of the vehicle and made his way towards the front to make room for Esvele. The ranger then pulled forth his bow and notched an arrow, just in case they ran across danger during their travel.

Ehlark watched Xolkin curiously as the leader pondered his options. With the quaking now seemingly finished, the immediate threat was far diminished. Though, frankly, with the distance, he hadn’t thought they’d be in any peril at all. If the Giants had wanted them dead, they would be. He held the mercenary’s gaze when it lingered on him, regarding Xolkin’s words with silent approval. As it had been for the majority of their voyage, their goals aligned. For a moment, Ehlark had been worried that the group would turn tail.

Quickly, everyone fell into action around them. With the rest of Xolkin’s mercenaries working to pack up their campsite, while the leader gave instruction and sent his little beast to presumably send a message. These were all expected and ordinary practices, however, watching the hooded elven woman transform into a raven did elicit a small gasp from the ranger. His first assumption was that it was some manner of an arcane feat, but nothing about her metamorphosis held the correct traits for such a label. Nonetheless, he shook himself from his shock and turned his attention to Eselve, who now stood beside him.

“I just wanted ta’ warn ya’ that this group might seem nice, but they have unsavory connections. They’re workin’ for the Zhentarim if ya’ heard of em’. Just be careful, don’t make yourself somethin’ they can prioritize. They’re already lookin’ at May like a chest of gold.” He informed under his breath, as he moved his body to face away from anyone in earshot as to obscure their conversation to the best of his ability. Had he known more about her, Ehlark would’ve tried to make use of an uncommon language they might have shared. But with the way things were looking, it seemed time was of the essence. He had no intention of dragging events on longer than needed.

“It also seems like our deal won’t have much merit, so forget that. I’d advise ya’ ta’ keep the charade up though.” He added, eyeing those around them one more time before heading back towards the cart he and Maythread had ridden in during the majority of their journey. With relative ease, he hopped onto the wooden platform of the vehicle and made his way towards the front to make room for Esvele. The ranger then pulled forth his bow and notched an arrow, just in case they ran across danger during their travel.

Updates

Interactions: TeikiFox
Mentions: Idea Ellya
Rolls: Arcana Check (19 + 1 = 20) Stealth (11 + 4 = 15)

 

[Ellya]

Dethrix Idea TeikiFox
The packing and preparation didn't take more than a good ten minutes for the group. Xolkin remained silent for the rest of the process, aside from a quick comment to Maythread. "We will be alright, May. We will stay well out of danger, giants are no thing to be brave around... And do not worry, she isn't the religious type. Her magic comes from a different source" he said those final words while gaving a glance over to Lark and 'Rein' off to the side, before helping Hommett attach the horses of burden to the cart. Just as everyone was getting settled on their horses, the raven came flying back as well, in what seemed less than instant, transformed back into the shape of the elven lady and walked over to Xolkin to whisper something in his ear. He in turn simply gave a nod.

Soon enough, the group was traveling again. The mood was definitely a bit gloomier than on the High Road, and despite the terrain being noticeably more difficult and bumpy, the pace was quickened. Whether it was an urgency to help the people of Nightstone or a curiosity to see giants up close, you could only guess. The party made its way over hill and rolling hill, the dark cloud in the distance getting closer and closer. At a certain point during the journey, you could even swear they dropped two more boulders down, but whatever it was, it dropped very slowly and gently and made no noticeable impact.

Just as this was happening far ahead, footsteps were heard. Xolkin raised his hand at the front of the company, and everyone else came to a halt. The footsteps were many, and quick. It was unclear how far away there were, until their sources reared their heads. Long pointed ears became visible first, followed by a few Goblin heads with mean-looking expressions. As soon as your party was spotted, the goblin that had appeared first pointed and let out a snarl, screaming something in its own language. (If you speak Goblin: "There! Grab your weapons! Kill the skinny ones!" ) He was dressed in what looked like very beaten and worn pieces of armor, that didn't quite seem to fit him too well.

Just a second after that, more heads poked up from behind the hill. Xolkin yelled out "To arms, friends!" as he drew his own sword. A small horde of what looked to be about a dozen goblins, all dressed in various pieces of scrapped armor and clothing, shouted guttural high pitched war cries as they charged down the hill toward you all, swinging swords, maces and weapons. Three more of them toward the back drew bows instead. "You three, keep Hommett safe, we'll hold as many off as we can!" the elven lady called out.

The nobleman himself seemed to be frozen in fear, aside from his shaking hands still holding the reins of the horses.

~~ Please enjoy this very expertly fabricated recreation of the battle map ~~
I may figure out a better way for this eventually, but for now, you can just describe where you'd like to move your character by grid.
All blue characters (Xolkin's company) are about to charge forward, while the red characters (Goblins) charge toward the cart as well.
Your characters can get a free turn of movement before combat actually starts, so work that into your posts.

X = Xolkin, blue E = Elf lady, Purple E = Esvele, M = Maythread, L = Ehlark
Square = 5 ft

Goblins:
AC 15
HP 7
Saving throws:
STR -1
DEX +2
CON +0
INT +0
WIS -1
CHA -1

Leader Goblin on J15 in front of Xolkin:
AC 18
HP 11
Saving throws:
STR +1
DEX +1
CON +1
INT +0
WIS +0
CHA -1
​

Combat
Since combat in actual D&D is very much a quick back-and-forth between the DM and each player, I'm going to make quite a change here. First of all, there will be no initiative. I realize this might come across as strange, but I feel like the flow of combat would be better if we just follow the order of posts. Of course, this being the case, everyone will only be allowed one round per round of posts, and each round starts and ends with me posting the enemies' actions.

I will share the AC and stats of each enemy at the start of an encounter. If they have to roll a saving throw against your attack, you are allowed to roll it for the enemy.
This way, you can describe your action and know its results without having to wait for me to tell you "yes" or "no" each time.

As I said, this may change over time, but I feel like this would be the most optimal way of keeping a decent pace without having to spam posts back and forth.

 

[Ellya]

Sherwood Psychie
Sasha's arrow whizzes just over the guards' heads, and before anyone even realized she had fired one, it found its target. It buried itself in the Orc warchief's shoulder with a dull impact, just missing his hostage's ear. The fury in his eyes grew even more intense, and the large creature's hands moved up, grabbing his hostage by the chin and the top of the head, then twisting his arms with a quick snap in an attempt to snap his neck. However, just as he made the attempt at the poor old human's life, the war chief howled in pain and clutched the arrow in his shoulder. The arrow had apparently found a perfect spot to impede his strength.

The older man managed to seize this opportunity to get away, running off and jumping into the moat for cover. The splash of water wasn't even heard under the Orc's blood curling roar

"RRRHHHHHAAAAAAAHHHH!" He screamed, lifting his weapon into the air as his squad behind him joined into the war cry.

The guards immediately jumped into action as the crowd behind them dispersed and started to run back into the town. Six of the guards on the bridge ran up to the nearest Orc they could find, the self-appointed and temporary leader of them going straight for the war chief, while two stayed on the bridge and drew crossbows.

~~ Please enjoy this very expertly fabricated recreation of the battle map ~~
I may figure out a better way for this eventually, but for now, you can just describe where you'd like to move your character by grid.

Square = 5ft

Orcs (Reddish brown):
AC 13
HP 15
Saving throws:
STR +3
DEX +1
CON +3
WIS -2
INT +0
CHA +0

War Chief (Red):
AC 16
HP 55
Saving throws:
STR +6
DEX +1
CON +6
WIS +2
INT +0
CHA +3

​

Combat
Since combat in actual D&D is very much a quick back-and-forth between the DM and each player, I'm going to make quite a change here. First of all, there will be no initiative. I realize this might come across as strange, but I feel like the flow of combat would be better if we just follow the order of posts. Of course, this being the case, everyone will only be allowed one round per round of posts, and each round starts and ends with me posting the enemies' actions.

I will share the AC and stats of each enemy at the start of an encounter. If they have to roll a saving throw against your attack, you are allowed to roll it for the enemy.
This way, you can describe your action and know its results without having to wait for me to tell you "yes" or "no" each time.

As I said, this may change over time, but I feel like this would be the most optimal way of keeping a decent pace without having to spam posts back and forth.

 

[Sherwood]

Athaclenna thinks, Well, that is one pissed off orc! Whomever fired that arrow did it just right to save the life of that hostage. Now lets finish it. She raises up her hand and aims a finger at the wounded orc chief, and calls out, "Fire Bolt!"

Spoiler

and I miss big time

Mage Armor in effect for 8 hours

Hit Points: 7
Hit Dice: 1d6

Armor Class: 13, 16 with Mage Armor active
Initiative: +3
Passive Perception: 13

Prepared Spells:
Magic Missile

Weapons and Attacks
Quarterstaff
1d6-2 Bludgeoning, Simple, Versitile

Fire Bolt
+6, 1d10 Fire

Ray of Frost
+6, 1d8 Cold, reduce speed by 10 ft

 

[Psychie]

When her arrow finds its mark, Sasha doesn't take time to gloat. She immediately knocks another arrow and fires it at the same war chief that she tagged once before.

14 points of damage on a pathetic roll from a critical

Spoiler

Hit Points: 10
Hit Dice: 1d8

Armor Class: 15
Initiative: +4
Passive Perception: 15

Armor and Weapons
Rapier
+6, 1d8+4 Piercing, Martial, Finesse

Shortbow
+6, 1d6+4 Piercing, Simple, Ammunition, Range 80ft/320ft, Two-Handed

Leather Armor +1 AC

 

[Idea]

• Coded
• Semicoded

• Maythread Undergold
  Lvl 1 Celestial Warlock

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  "We will be alright", "do not worry", he said, yet this atmosphere communicated anything but. Everyone was so tense, walking carefully and silently, I even got out of the cart and went by foot just so I had something more to do with my body to keep me from being so focused on the dread of what we may be approaching. Not being religious wasn't exactly reassuring either - after all, even I knew worship wasn't the only way to be a servant of the Raven Queen. Oh look, now she was whispering in his ear again. There were so many whispers in this group. Why couldn't everyone just speak normally? Why did they need to hide it, weren't we allies as long as we were travelling together? Wasn't it better for everyone to know so we could organize and prepare for what was coming? I wanted to know so badly, but if I approached they'd probably just lie or move away. Meanies.
  
  Out in the distance, just barely visible, some ears popped out of some bushes. More elves maybe? There were already a number of elves and elf-look-alikes in our group, coming across more wasn't that surprising. But they didn't seem to be all that tall judging by the height of the ears, in fact they seemed to be around my size (making a very rough estimate, it was hard to tell that far away). Children then? Nope, when they came out of the bushes in full, we could see those sharpened, dirty teeth, those rough faces that looked like a soaked rag that's just been pressed to push out the water. Whether here out in the open road, or back in the mines, they certainly didn't change, these goblins. Well, certainly not for the better anyways.
  
  There was no time to hesitate, I rushed forward as fast as I could. I was always told, goblins were no good news if they weren't invited! Everyone else seemed to be getting ready for what was about to happen too, the goblins included. As more goblins continued to appear, Xolkin drew his sword and call to us for combat, but the elf lady who might or might not work for the raven queen instructed us to keep the noble mister safe. I wasn't so sure I could trust her yet, but something clicked in me, that these were my orders, this is what I was supposed to do.
  
  "Will do, lady!" Still, the question was, exactly how I would go about doing that. The goblins were coming for sure, but they weren't here yet. There was nothing I could do help Hommet yet. So, perhaps my duty was to prevent there from being such a situation? And that meant, I had to attack first. The lights that formed my eyes shrunk to splinters as I searched internally for something I could use. Out from my back, I felt something opening, some kind of compartment, then this cylindrical object came out. It was attached to some manner of small mechanical claw, and both the claw and cylinder glowed in runic patterns, before the claw stopped glowing and released the cylinder, which was immediately propelled into the air with a trail of smoke coming from the bottom. I suppose the biggest goblin was too distracted and confused by whatever the strange object was, to even remember to dodge before it was too late, as it tried to move away the cylinder just barely missed the goblin, only for the cylinder to explode as it hit the ground, covering the goblin in some manner of burning light that left its skin with several smoking spots and burn marks.
  

  
  

  

  
  
  

  
  Proficiency Bonus: +2
  Hit Points: 10 / 10
  Hit Dice: 1d8
  Armor Class: 12
  Initiative: 0
  Speed: 30 ft
  Passive Perception: 8
  Spellcasting Ability: Cha
  Spellsave DC: 14
  Spell Attack Bonus: +6
  
  Healing Dice: 2d6s Left
• "We will be alright", "do not worry", he said, yet this atmosphere communicated anything but. Everyone was so tense, walking carefully and silently, I even got out of the cart and went by foot just so I had something more to do with my body to keep me from being so focused on the dread of what we may be approaching. Not being religious wasn't exactly reassuring either - after all, even I knew worship wasn't the only way to be a servant of the Raven Queen. Oh look, now she was whispering in his ear again. There were so many whispers in this group. Why couldn't everyone just speak normally? Why did they need to hide it, weren't we allies as long as we were travelling together? Wasn't it better for everyone to know so we could organize and prepare for what was coming? I wanted to know so badly, but if I approached they'd probably just lie or move away. Meanies.
  
  Out in the distance, just barely visible, some ears popped out of some bushes. More elves maybe? There were already a number of elves and elf-look-alikes in our group, coming across more wasn't that surprising. But they didn't seem to be all that tall judging by the height of the ears, in fact they seemed to be around my size (making a very rough estimate, it was hard to tell that far away). Children then? Nope, when they came out of the bushes in full, we could see those sharpened, dirty teeth, those rough faces that looked like a soaked rag that's just been pressed to push out the water. Whether here out in the open road, or back in the mines, they certainly didn't change, these goblins. Well, certainly not for the better anyways.
  
  There was no time to hesitate, I rushed forward as fast as I could. I was always told, goblins were no good news if they weren't invited! Everyone else seemed to be getting ready for what was about to happen too, the goblins included. As more goblins continued to appear, Xolkin drew his sword and call to us for combat, but the elf lady who might or might not work for the raven queen instructed us to keep the noble mister safe. I wasn't so sure I could trust her yet, but something clicked in me, that these were my orders, this is what I was supposed to do.
  
  "Will do, lady!" Still, the question was, exactly how I would go about doing that. The goblins were coming for sure, but they weren't here yet. There was nothing I could do help Hommet yet. So, perhaps my duty was to prevent there from being such a situation? And that meant, I had to attack first. The lights that formed my eyes shrunk to splinters as I searched internally for something I could use. Out from my back, I felt something opening, some kind of compartment, then this cylindrical object came out. It was attached to some manner of small mechanical claw, and both the claw and cylinder glowed in runic patterns, before the claw stopped glowing and released the cylinder, which was immediately propelled into the air with a trail of smoke coming from the bottom. I suppose the biggest goblin was too distracted and confused by whatever the strange object was, to even remember to dodge before it was too late, as it tried to move away the cylinder just barely missed the goblin, only for the cylinder to explode as it hit the ground, covering the goblin in some manner of burning light that left its skin with several smoking spots and burn marks.
  

  

  
  
  

  
  Proficiency Bonus: +2
  Hit Points: 10 / 10
  Hit Dice: 1d8
  Armor Class: 12
  Initiative: 0
  Speed: 30 ft
  Passive Perception: 8
  Spellcasting Ability: Cha
  Spellsave DC: 14
  Spell Attack Bonus: +6
  
  Healing Dice: 2d6s Left

Spells

Cantrips: (2)
*Create Bonfire
*Prestidigitation
*Light
*Sacred Flame

First Level: (2)
*Guiding Bolt
*Healing Word

Items

Equipped:
*Copper Plates (Reflavored Leather) (-10 GP)
*Arcane Focus - Crystal (-10 GP) [The Core Inside of Her]
*Sack x3 (-3 CP)
*Spear (-1 GP)

Currency:
0 PP
15 GP
14 SP
23 CP

Carrying:
*Miner's Pick (-2 GP)
*Pole (10 ft) (-5 CP)
*Bloodied Crowbar (-2 GP)
*Rope (Hemp - 50 ft) x2 (-2 GP)
*Chalk x4 (-4 CP)
*Piton x5 (-25 CP)
*Shovel (-2 GP)
*Light Hammer (-2 GP)
*Spear x2 (-2 GP)
*Shield (-10 GP)
*Navigator's Tools (-25 GP)
*Healer's Kit (-5 GP)

Skills

Saving Throws:
Strength: +2
Dexterity: 0
Constitution: +2
Intelligence: +2
Wisdom: 0
Charisma: +6

Skills:
Acrobatics: 0
Animal Handling: -2
Arcana: +4
Athletics: +4
Deception: +4
History: +2
Insight: -2
Intimidation: +4
Investigation: +4
Medicine: 0
Nature: +2
Perception: -2
Performance: +4
Persuasion: +6
Religion: +2
Sleight of Hand: 0
Stealth: 0
Survival: -2

Passives

Constructed Resilience- You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:
-You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
-You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
-You are immune to disease.
-You don't need to sleep, and magic can't put you to sleep.

Sentry's Rest- When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.

Integrated Protection- Your body has built-in defensive layers, which can be enhanced with armor.
You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 hour, during which you must remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 hour removing it. You can rest while donning or doffing armor in this way.
While you live, your armor can't be removed from your body against your will.

Healing Light- At 1st level, you gain the ability to channel Celestial arcane energy to heal wounds. You have a pool of d6s that you spend to fuel this healing. The number of dice in the pool equals 1 + your warlock level.

As a bonus action, you can heal one creature you can see within 60 feet of you, spending dice from the pool. The maximum number of dice you can spend at once equals your Charisma modifier (minimum of one die). Roll the dice you spend, add them together, and restore a number of hit points equal to the total.

Your pool regains all expended dice when you finish a long rest.

Child at Heart- Though you may have attained knowledge through working with another in their craft, you have not dedicated your life to it yet, and still have the spirit of youth within you. Your demeanor help you come off more friendly, joyful and harmless on a first impression, and the young in age or in heart in particular seem to easily take a liking to you.

Spoiler: OOC Actions & Tags

OOC Actions
Maythread used the free movement we're allotted to move to K25
Maythread cast Sacred Flame which hit the goblin leader for 5 damage

Tags
Interacting With: Ellya (goblins, elf lady)

Mentions: Ellya (Xolkin)

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[Ellya]

Sherwood Psychie
The guards' brave offensive definitely kept the Orcs busy, but they quickly got overwhelmed. They were clearly outnumbered, and this tribe of Orcs didn't seem to bother with the rules of honorable one-on-one combat. Each guard quickly had an additional Orc flanking them, and a horrible clanging of weapons against shields and armor followed along with cries of pain and grunts of effort.

One of them even fell to their knees after being whacked in the head by a heavy club. The war chief himself didn't hesitate a second when the guards made their move. He swung his large greataxe at the leader of the bunch first, but the guard captain managed to barely dodge the swipe, stepping back a foot with a grunt. Furiously, the chief then brought his axe back and swung again, this time aiming for one of the other armored humans running by him. In one fell swoop, the man's life was ended, a huge bloody gash in his armor and his flesh causing him to immediately collapse onto the ground.

Sasha's second arrow hit the War chief in the thigh, which directed his attention toward the two. "Hhrghh... Hmmmrrhhh... Youu..." He grunted, grinding his teeth as he jerked his head away from Athaclenna's magical fire. Completely ignoring the guards now, he charged straight over the bridge, stomping on the wood as he yelled and held his greataxe up. The guard captain and both crossbowmen managed to quickly get some hits in, but they had no effect on the raging, bloodthirsty humanoid.

Both sides took a number of hits, but all were still standing. In just a matter of seconds though, it was very clear that the Orcs were gaining the upper hand. Eight of them were still completely untouched, and the War Chief himself seemed to only grow angrier the more he got hurt.

Recap:
- One guard dead
- War chief charged over the bridge toward Sasha (blue)

HP stats:
War chief: 37
Orc: 6
Orc: 9
Orc: 10
Orc: 11
Orc: 11
Orc: 11
Orc: 11
Orc: 11
Orc: 11
Orc: 11
Orc: 11​