Intermission in Millhaven And Journey to Stomanell City

[sunphoenix]

Harker, slumped to one knee his senses reeling as the battle ended... the pounding in his head ... the blood rushing in his ears. He leaned upon his bastard sword hilt... just trying to catch his breath. It was so hard to breathe... had the creature's spiked weapon pierced a lung... he just needed a few seconds...

Coweena came in like a divine valkyrie choosing the dead on the battlefield with the fury of her axe! A more welcome sight he could not think to see...!

Then he realized everyone was yelling about something but he could not at first make out what they were say... his head pounded. He just needed a few second to stop gasping for air.. to calm his pounding heart beat.... wait? It was getting louder?

Then Traesta was at his side the soft glow of a cast curative spell upon her hands ...he smiled and wiped the spittal from his lips...it came away crimson. But the healing worked his head cleared and his hearing came suddenly to sharp clarity.

Drums. More were coming.

Taking a deep...not quite ragged, breath he stood again, "Back to the Wagon... we must protect the Driver. We'll make our stand there together!"

Regaining his feet he turned and ran with the group back to the cart...

Slower then the rest, Harker sees Pebble fall... he does not hesitate injuries and all he stops to pick Pebble up hefting him over his shoulder and stagger but determined he continues to follow the party carrying Pebble over his shoulder his expression pained.. but Unyielding!

[Ithril]

As you regroup from the battle, the pounding of the rain seems to intensify with the percussion of the distant drum. "Should we find better ground? Return to the cart?" Dorath asks. "We should get back to the cart, they could storm the cart instead of us" Traesta suggests, followed quickly by Conweena's assent "The cart is a good idea, lets go." While you are making the decision, Dorath sends another bullet singing through the air, and it strikes down the last fleeing creature before it gets very far.

Before you flee the field, Traesta kneels at fallen Harker, and invokes Paldon. The gloom accentuates the sudden golden light radiating from the pendant she wears, the consecrated symbol of Paldons light. As she completes her devotion, her hands take on the glow, and she lays them on the fallen warrior. The glow fades quickly. In all the confusion, it would be easy for others to overlook the phenomenon. The gloom and rain soon replace the encouraging glow. It wasn't anything miraculous from Paldon, but simply a trick of the yellow tinned medal in the moody light of the forest, surely. Still a moment later the fallen warrior is back to his feet, and that's what is important now in any case. With Traesta's ministrations, Harkers wound ceases to hemorrhage blood.

Conweena rushes over to the other fallen swordsman. "Pebble is down!" she kneels by Pebble as Igber climbs the rock next to them, watching for more adversaries. Pebble's abdomen has been pierced in spite of the layers of leather and padding. Two holes about the size of a wool spinning spindle (similar to a modern 'jumbo' pencil) have punctured the leather, and a dark stain of blood is slowly growing there. He is unconscious and quite pale.

Before anyone else can consider what to do Harker springs to action, hoisting the limp body over his shoulder and commanding a retreat. "Back to the Wagon... we must protect the Driver. We'll make our stand there together!" Harker winces at the pain, and for a moment wonders if he can manage the strain. But his unyielding attitude demands his strength, and he presses on disregarding the pain.

The drumming stops.

Suddenly the wilderness is filled with a forbidding silence, and you wonder if the drumming was preferable. Instead all you can hear is the dripping of the rain which has increased from a miserable damp drizzle to a steady pounding honest rain. A flash, and a loud crack, as thunder ripples the clouds above, and in the distance you hear the unsteady whinney of a horse startled by the unexpected lightening. It is at once reassuring, and yet worrisome. Nearby you hear a sputtering wheezing from the creature Dorath struck with his sling bullet. It's laying senseless in the wet brush where it fell.

You hurry from your position back towards the road and the wagon as best as you can, but the trackless terrain is slick from the drenching rain, and your progress seems hopelessly slow. Somewhere you hear another new sound. As if another group similar to your own is also moving at haste through the thick brush of the forest.

Breathlessly you reach the bottom of the ravine, and the rippling brown stream of mud that will lead you back to the road and your wagon. Just as you do this, Pebble starts beating on Harker, protesting being carried like such a sack of potatoes. As Harker sets him back down, you begin to follow the stream, only to realize your path to the wagon is blocked by seven more of the creatures.

One calls to you "Now we real mad. You hurt our friends. We kill you hard now. We make you bleed and die! We smatch your heads on the rocks." You can tell from his voice it's the one who was calling to you earlier.

Pebble is back, though he is weak he still has fight in him. Harker is by now full healed from Traesta's action. The adversaries have less cover here from missile fire (25% or less), and any of them can be easily targeted. I put the ranges for Conweena's arrows on the map, If Pebble wishes to draw bow as well, his ranges should be similar and easy to calculate. The creatures are considered close range for anyone with a sling.

I feel it's important to note here; tactics will be key. Consider your options, and your actions carefully. I don't mind if you take a moment (day or two real time) to discuss these things before you go into action.

I also want to make certain everyone knows we have a discord group now, thanks to Redwarrior. Sometimes it's easier and quicker to discuss things there than via post here. If anyone needs an invite, just let one of us know.

Edit: I forgot the trees.
also edit: the map scale grid is at 5 foot intervals, and the missile ranges shown are accurate to that scale.

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[redwarrior]

Dorath, listening in on Pebble's suggested course of action, and clear that we are going to fight and not to run, slings another stone - poorly - at the main body of the foes Edit: Targeting #11and then starts moving due east to the first boulder, once he gets there, he'll either start slinging from its partial cover, or continue to the next boulder east (and climbing it). His hope is to set up raking/enfilade fire on the creatures.



init [1d10]=8
Sling THACO 20 [1d20+2]=4+2=6 damage [1d4+1]=4+1=5

[Rex]

Conweena

Conweena heads for the rocks, following Dorath and aiding the wounded so that they can keep up. "Don't let them split us up."

Initiative [1d10]=3

[BackworldTraveller]

Igber




Igber gets too excited aiming at the leader of the group of overlapping targets, and having seen the advancing horde heads to the rock, offering Dorath a two-handed cupped-step to help him climb onto the rock. And then draws his knife, again.

[ravenn4544]

Pebble wakes up and tries to shake off the hit he took. He can't help but think twice, now, about his choice to be out here. "Fuck it" he utters as he spits out blood and pulls himself together. He tries to fire off an arrow as they make for the rocks...

Init [1d10]=9
Bow Attack [1d20]=4 Arrow Damage [1d6]=3

[Ithril]

Don't forget to specify your target. I cannot adjudicate the success of an attack when I don't know who the target is.

Also, Pebble is still bleeding A LOT. Until someone renders aid for him, he will continue to lose blood (AND HIT POINTS) until his wounds are tended to.

[ravenn4544]

Pebble will target 11 since he's in the middle

[Rex]

Conweena

Can Conweena do first aid or whatever to stop his bleeding? If so I will edit my text.

[Ithril]

A Shield Maiden is a female who has received intensive military training.

I can't imagine 'intensive military training' wouldn't encompass some amount of basic first aid; at least enough to know to bind a wound to staunch bleeding. I would expect anyone with similar formal military training (Harker) would also have this knowledge, though someone with 'street smarts' like Igber and Pebble might not have as much practical experience in it. Dorath... I don't know.
At any rate, I would think that Harker and Conweena may have enough knowledge to stabilize a wound, though they may not be as effective as someone (Traesta) who has taken the healing proficiency who has the ability to restore a small number of lost hit points. And since his wounds were not immediately attended to, that opportunity has passed as well.

Healing: A character proficient in healing knows how to use natural medicines and basic principles of first aid and doctoring. If the character tends another within one round of wounding (and makes a successful proficiency check), his/her ministrations restore 1d3 hit points (but no more hit points can be restored than were lost in the previous round). Only one healing attempt can be made on a character per day.

At any rate, that's going to be my ruling until I find the rule regarding field aid that I'm sure I saw somewhere ...

Edit to add:
I found it in Combat and Tactics:

Damage and Dying

Creatures reduced to negative hit points are incapacitated and begin losing 1 hit point per round until they reach –10, at which point they die. A creature’s loss of hit points can be halted by binding its wounds, using the healing proficiency, or casting some kind of curative magic on the victim.

Characters who have been reduced to 0 hit points or less are helpless; they can’t tend their own wounds or take any actions. At exactly 0 hit points, the character is simply unconscious, and remains so until healed or until 2d6 full turns pass. If a character’s death is prevented by binding his wounds or healing him, the character is completely helpless for at least 24 hours.

It is dangerous to leave characters at a negative hit point total for long. Each day that a character begins with negative hit points, roll a d10 and compare it with the absolute value of the character’s hit points (in other words, take into account only the numerical value of the hit points, ignoring the negative sign). If the die roll is less than this numerical score, the character loses 1d4 additional hit points. This additional loss of hit points can be avoided if someone with the healing proficiency is there to tend to the patient, or if curative magic is used.

For example, Gorathan the Unlucky was badly mauled by a dire wolf and reduced to –5 hit points. His companions bound his wounds, but no clerics or proficient healers were nearby, so Gorathan didn’t recover any hit points. The next day, a d10 is rolled to see if he worsens or not. If the roll is a 4 or less (which is less than the “5” of Gorathan’s –5 hit points), Gorathan loses 1d4 additional hit points. If the roll is a 5 or better, Gorathan recovers hit points normally for a day of bed rest. If Gorathan has some bad rolls, he might not make it.

I will still hold to the initial idea that a character reduced to less than 50% of their starting hit points in one round will need to pass a constitution check to remain conscious.

Naturally I reserve the right to bend the rules a little for dramatic purpose on occasion.

[Rex]

Conweena

Conweena will tend to Pebble, binding his wounds and trying to stop the bleeding. then she will help him to the rocks. "Go on without us, just try and keep them off us with missile fire."

[gurusql]

Traesta

Since Conweena has done the first aid (I am out of CLW at the moment)

"While we are still close enough together and have not entered hand-to-hand, I will spread the light and bless this group."

Casts a Bless spell on the group

[sunphoenix]

Harker follows the group to the rocks and will help Coweena or any other get up on the rocks.

"On the rocks will give us a higher ground tactical advantage..."

But Harker must wait for the foe to get here as he has no ranged weapons.. admittedly a Grave oversight on his part.

OOC: So are we using Skills & Powers, and/or Combat and Tactics? Cause I'd really like a rebuild of Harker to my specifications.

[Ithril]

Without awaiting any kind of response from you, the group of humanoids begin to close on you. They do not rush your position, but rather approach like a relentless force, confident they will overcome your position. Several of them seem larger than the ones you encountered earlier, but none of them are the size of a full grown man. Their vertical nostrils snort obscenely in the drenching rain; their growls and curses are no less obscene.

Igber and Dorath are quickest to respond, but in their haste misjudge their aim, and both shots fly hopelessly off their mark. "On the rocks will give us a higher ground tactical advantage..." Harker commands. The two 'slingers' don't waste time tracking the projectiles anyway, rushing instead towards the strategic advantage of the large boulders at the base of the slope, and the begin to clamber onto them. Meanwhile, Conweena has pulled a knife, and is ripping at the leg of her pants with it, cutting away a few strips of cloth.

Meanwhile, Pebble fumbles weakly for his bow in the rain.

Traesta makes no moves. Instead she yanks desperately for the symbol of Paldon that is around her neck, and holds it high:
"Bo Paldon mín nall! Lothron cín aer galad mír-oiale bo ammen, cín fir beor a galad mín té! On-cín beleg ant hi in i gwathren-o mín coth, a ech-ha baw polod dan tuin ceri-cín bal hi aur!"

(Roughly translated to "Great Paldon, we call on you! May your holy light shine on your humble servants now! Light our way through the darkness of our enemies as we do your will this day.")

She cries it out in her strongest voice, but it seems small and the sounds of the rain in the forest swallow it up. As she invokes Paldon, another flash of lightening silently illuminates the heavy storm clouds far above. When she finishes the invocation she drops the medallion to her chest, and prepares for the onslaught of the evil creatures.

Pebble is finally able to draw the arrow on his bow, but the pain from his injury is too great, and the shot is spoiled, falling just a few feet in front of him. As he turns to gain the rocks, Conweena is there, shoving something into his side. For an instant the pain is excruciating and Pebble wonders if he won't pass out again. "You can't do anything bleeding to death! This will help." the explanation doesn't ease the pain, and she helps him as they limp towards the rocks. "Go on without us, just try and keep them off us with missile fire." she commands before turning to take a position to head of the enemy.

(lose 1 more hp. for blood loss.)

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[redwarrior]

Dorath looks down from atop the boulder at this force advancing in good order. Suddenly, seeing Corweena's actions and Pebble's weakness, realizing that the situation is more serious than the thought, he seems to come to a decision. Standing upright, sling tucked into his belt. He dips his hand into his small belt pouch. As he tosses what looks like damp sand in the air, he cries out in his best stage magician's voice Með Hrímfaxi's mane, Hvílað!! leggjniðrr þinn burden!! Creature 15 is the target, 30ft diameter/15ft radius area of effect.

Dorath grabs his sling from where he dropped it and looks for targets for the next round.

init [1d10]=4
Sleep [1d6+2]=6+2=8

On the fly decided that Old Norse is the language of Magic. At least the one that Dorath's mentor taught.

[gurusql]

Traesta

Traesta did not realize the extent of the injury (I mis-read that is was a hit on Harker) and will "Say, come on Pebble we need cover" and get Pebble over to the rocks and if there is time use her healing talent to stop the bleeding.

[Ithril]

(I mis-read that is was a hit on Harker)

They both got nailed by a lucky (or UNlucky) nat20. Due to Harker's aura of protection, I decided to forego the doubling of damage that usually accompanies a crit.

[Rex]

Conweena

Conweens keeps them moving, carrying Pebble if need be, she will only turn and fight at the last possible minute and them will try and hold them off while Harker and Pebble make the rocks.

[ravenn4544]

Pebble staggers along in the rain his life spilling out. He is thankful for the help in getting on to the rocks. Seeing the others continue to battle against the odds, he does find the strength and grit to direct an arrow attack at the advancing enemy (14).

Init [1d10]=9

Bow Attack [1d20]=15 Arrow Damage [1d6]=4
Bow Attack [1d20]=7 Arrow Damage [1d6]=5

Pebble Hps: 3/10

[BackworldTraveller]

Igber

From the top of the rock, Igber is a bit stuck as to what to do. So he reloads the sling and has another go




Although he doesn't really know why he's bothering. His aim seems to be worse than bad.