Kit returned to party on his own, looking to be in a bout of distress. Shortly after, Kyra sprinted out of the trees and into the little clearing they had made into a campsite. Hair matted to her face as beads of sweat poured out of her blushing skin, and she huffed heavily in recovery from the frantic run. "Hey," she blurted out before continuing to force herself to catch her breath. In a moment she seemed partially recovered, then able to stand without resorting to supporting her upper body on her knees. "It's the strangest thing, you know, we sort of got spotted and now we have half a dozen armed guards chasing us." "Ah," Detta flatly responded. The alarm from the cat's sudden appearance had not worn off; Detta was standing braced, wide-eyed, and holding her axe out at the ready. "Well, get ready to fight. Not much to room to bluff with Sigurx here tagging along." She gave the troll a sideways look. "No 'fense, friend." Sigurx looked down at the dwarf and chuckled menacingly. "No 'fenses taken, mate. Them gobs are gonna be squished so hard!" he chortled, readying himself for a fight. "I have offered to hide him," Hanani pointed out, much to Mercy's dismay, "He would not be difficult to vanish and if they have not acted like they know he is here then we can still catch them by surprise when a Troll seems to suddenly appear behind them... or in front of them." Kyra shook her head and kept breathing, as words still illuded her. "Nope," she huffed, "They saw us, so you can go -- go right ahead." Hanani nodded his head and looked over at the rather large addition to their group. "Alright then... Sigurx, seems like you get to go invisible for a bit so you can go ahead and scare those pesty little Gobs you hate so much," he said, his voice cold, "The spell will wear off in about 24 seconds or the moment you hit one of them, so try to reach them as quickly as you can." Kyra slapped her hands together four times in a loud, exaggerated fashion. "It's about that many smashes if you're not so good at numbers, troll friend." The troll nodded eagerly. "Smashing from the shadows is fun. You lot be ready to run in, kay?" He didn't sound too trusting of his new allies, but it was hard to argue against gob-smashing. Hanani nodded his head before making quick work of the spell he had offered the Troll. One moment he was there, the next he disappeared before their very eyes, it was time to get the party started and this would hopefully start with a bang. As the patrol approached, Claudia could easily tell these were hobgoblins bearing the same symbol she had seen in the goblin cave earlier. They approached swiftly, but as they got close to the bridge, their pace slowed as they looked around for enemies. Claudia's [i]dancing lights[/i] distracted most of the group, but one archer pointed up to the trees where the vigilante had tried to hide, then called something out in goblin. An arrow shot out, embedding itself into a branch just in front of Claudia. [Attack roll: 16 vs Flat-footed AC + 4 for cover] The group could see the goblins approaching the bridge, and although they didn't know exactly where Claudia was until the arrow was shot, they knew she wasn't with them. [hider=Combat][h3]Initiative![/h3] 21 - [@Ms Ravenwinter] - [url=https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1335185]Kyra[/url] - [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4449019]Zen Archer Monk 2 / Druid 2[/url] 20 - [@Ms Ravenwinter] - [url=https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1337521]Kit (Companion)[/url] 20 - Hobgoblin Sergeant 20 - Hobgoblin Archer 1 16 - [@Zverda] - [url=https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1329388]Hanani[/url] - [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4449194]Bladebound Magus 4[/url] 16 - Unmounted Horses 14 - Hobgoblin Archer 2 - Dead 14 - Goblin Dog - KO'd 13 - Hobgoblin Brawler 1 - Dead 13 - [@Muttonhawk] - [url=https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1338763]Detta [/url] - [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4450612]Holy Tactician Paladin 4[/url] 12 - [@Ermine] - [url=https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1332486]Claudia[/url] - [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4449046]Vigilante 4[/url] 12 - Sigurx 10 - Hobgoblin Brawler 2 - Dead 7 - [@Cu Chulainn] - [url=https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1337971]Valerio [/url] - [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4450983]Cartomancer Witch 4[/url] [h3][url=https://i.imgur.com/e7vGi2S.png]Current Battle Map![/url][/h3] [hider=Running in][@Ms Ravenwinter] - Kyra runs 120 ft and Kit runs 150 ft. The sergeant moves off to the west and fires a crossbow bolt into the trees, but he missed horribly. It seemed that crossbows weren't his preferred weapon. This was followed by the archer that had spotted her moving forward to pinch her off from support. He then fired an arrow up into the tree, again missing horribly. [@Zverda] - Hanani, with Mercy drawn, follows close behind Kyra and Kit, moving 120 ft. That other archer moved forward and leveled its bow at Claudia, hitting for [color=ed1c24][b]7[/b][/color] damage. The Goblin Dog and the Brawler move forward to inspect the lights, as they are unable to attack at a range. [@Muttonhawk] - Detta breaks into a sprint! "Valerio!? Got a way to move faster? Rusalka's still out there!" [@Ermine] - Rusalka casts Deeper Darkness on the tree in front of her and moves toward the bridge in as straight a line she can. Sigurx runs forward 120 ft, lumbering along loudly but invisibly behind the group. No one can see what the hobgoblins are doing inside the Deeper Darkness area, but Rusalka hears a thud and what sounds like cursing in the goblins' language. [@Cu Chulainn] - Valerio uses a full-round action to cast Communal Mount, which will complete in the beginning of his next turn. He is summoning three mounts: two 35 ft away from him, and one adjacent. Hanani and Detta will have to turn around to mount their horses. [@Ms Ravenwinter] - Both Kit and Kyra run 120 ft ahead. Kit is now about 230 ft from the bridge. Kyra is about 260 ft from bridge. The Sergeant and Archer take their turns, but it's hard to tell what's going on under the Darkness. An arrow sounds like it embeds into the tree where Rusalka just left. [@Zverda] - Knowing the sooner he got to the creatures before them, Hanani continued to run, Mercy humming with the want to feel the give of flesh beneath her blackened metal. [Hanani has moved 240 ft now.] The sound of movement could be heard from the darkness. [@Muttonhawk] - Detta keeps on sprinting! [@Ermine] - Rusalka continues to float, moving into a position to look like she was swimming, even though no one could see her yet. [@JBRam2002] - Sigurx keeps charging forward, now 240 ft from the start. The Brawler is still in the darkness area. [@Cu Chulainn] - Three Light Horses appear. Valerio commands said horses to Run up to Detta and Hanani. Valerio jumps on his horse and also commands it to run to the bridge, getting 250 ft forward. [/hider] [@Ms Ravenwinter] - Both Kit and Kyra run 120 ft ahead. Kit is now about 110 ft from the bridge. Kyra is about 140 ft from bridge. There is more movement in the darkness. One of the horses runs up to Zverda, while the other catches up to Detta. [@Zverda] - Hanani waits for the horse to catch up and hops up as a free action. Still 260 ft away from bridge. An archer steps out from the darkness, and fires an arrow towards the nearest enemy it can see (Kit), hitting for [color=ed1c24][b]7[/b][/color] damage. The goblin dog charges forward and hits for [color=ed1c24][b]8[/b][/color] damage. Kit must make a Fortitude Save, and passes with a 19 for no effect. The Brawler double moves forward, looking ready for a fight. [@Muttonhawk] - Detta mounts up on the interplanar horse as a move action. She donates her standard action to charity. She is still 340 ft from the action. [@Ermine] - Rusalka continues floating, now 60 ft from the tree she had pushed off from and just on the edge of the darkness. [@JBRam2002] - Sigurx continues his run, now 140 ft from the bridge and right on Kyra's tail. Invisibly. The other Brawler appears from the darkness. [@Cu Chulainn] - Valerio has his horse run up to where the action is, stopping near a couple of trees and rolling off his horse. "Slam yourself into that brute when you have the chance!” Valerio exclaims, nodding his head to the Brawler as he begins to cast Hold Person on the Archer. Archer 2 is paralyzed! [@Ms Ravenwinter] - After tooth and claw shred into the cheetah's assailant, an arrow whizzes past and dives directly into the barely conscious hound's flesh. "Kit! Get the hell out of there!" The Goblin Dog takes 16 damage and is currently dying. The sergeant flanks around a tree to attack Valerio with his whip, rolling a 24 vs CMD to trip. Valerio is knocked prone! Another archer steps out of the darkness and fires two shots at Valerio's mount, hitting for [color=ed1c24][b]9[/b][/color] damage! [@Zverda] - Rushing forward on the horse provided with him, Hanani managed to get into close enough range to attack after a dismount, an act that seemed to fail spectacurlaly as his foot ended up stuck in the stirrup for some time. A few curses slip past the Elf's lips as he manages to disconnect himself from the saddle before casting Frostbite just out of range of the Archer he now faces. Lunging forward, he swipes at the Paralized creature, Mercy biting into it's flesh for [color=red]6[/color] damage while the spell causes another [color=red]6[/color] damage to be inflicted while causing the Creature to become Fatigued. [Total Damage: [color=red]12[/color]. 3 rounds left to Frostbite] The mounts have either already acted this round, or are being ridden. Archer 2 is currently paralyzed and unable to act, and fails another Will Save to through off Hold Person. The Goblin Dog stabilizes, but is looking very rough. Brawler 1, seeing that Valerio is knocked prone and his horse is tired from running, braves the hooves of the steed and avoids getting hit. He strikes at Valerio, dealing [color=ed1c24][b]6[/b][/color] slashing damage. [@Muttonhawk] - "Onward, Albert! Git me o'er there!" Detta spurs the summoned mount to a gallop. She thunders into view with her axe held out in one hand. She seems to be hiding her difficulty in keeping her balance. In an attempt to do some damage on the way in, Detta pulls a gleaming metal ring from her belt and throws it spinning towards brawler 1. [@Ermine] - Rusalka lowers herself, continuing her slow drift, but moving back to a vertical position to look like she's walking down stairs in a ladylike fashion. [@JBRam2002] - Sigurx lumbers forward, double moving to get close but unable to make an attack. The Vanish spell wears off, and the hobgoblins look up at him in surprise, thinking that the sound was just another horse or fighter. "I'm coming for you!" he called out, slamming his greatclub against the ground as he stomped forward. [Sadly, no action economy left for Demoralize, or I totally would have used it here.] The Brawler rushes forward to attack Sigurx, provoking an Attack of Opportunity, although the greatclub missed terribly. The brawler's attack his for [color=ed1c24][b]4[/b][/color] slashing damage, but Sigurx looks almost no worse for the wear. [@Cu Chulainn] - Mentally freaking out at how easily he was cornered, Valerio took a few deep breaths, glad that he learned a few breathing exercises from Kyra. “Horse, rearrange this brute’s innards with your hooves! I’ll use my [b]Wand of Blink[/b] behind the one with the whip!” Valerio shouted, before whipping out his [b]Wand of Vanish[/b] and tapping himself with it, disappearing in plain sight, exclaiming [b]POOF[/b] right before. [Bluff roll: 30]. [@Ms Ravenwinter] - In the same instant that Valerio POOFed away, he'd watch as the vicious maw of Kit sunk into the hobgoblin before him. A terrible shriek came from the foul thing as bones crunched underneath the cat's jaw. These cries were silenced immediately as an arrow tore into the thing's throat, leaving it to fall to the ground with a gurgle of blood. [Total of 22 damage dealt to Brawler 1]. The Sergeant flicks his whip towards Hanani's legs, trying to trip him up, but misses. Archer 1 fires two arrows towards Claudia. The first misses wildly, but the second barely hits for [color=ed1c24][b]8[/b][/color] damage. The Archer then steps back into the shadows of Deeper Darkness, out of sight. [@Zverda] - Hanani moved away from the immobilized archer and went for the Sergeant, Mercy humming with hunger in his hand as he took a swipe. Much to both his and his swords dismay however, it seemed the Gob was a bit smarter than he would have given it credit for as it dodged the blade. The air by its head where the sword had sliced through the air was cold for a moment before the normal temperature seemed to return. [Frostbite: 2 rounds left]. Valerio's horse stomped down on the Brawler, smashing its skull in and definitely killing it. It then stepped to the side after the nearest enemy. Hanani's horse tried attacking the Sergeant, but was unable to land a hit. The paralyzed archer is unable to shake off the paralysis, and the other enemies who would normally act now lie bleeding on the ground. [@Muttonhawk] - After seeing her chakram nick the yonder hobgoblin, Detta wheeled about to a stop and slid off to engage the nearer one (move action dismount and 5FS into a flanking position with Sigurx). With a few practiced steps splitting the goblin's attention, Detta found her opening and swung her axe in an overhead spin into the goblin's arm! (Atk: 23, Dmg: [color=red]14[/color]) [img]https://www.roleplayerguild.com/img/ghost.png[/img][@Ermine][img]https://www.roleplayerguild.com/img/ghost.png[/img] - Claudia uses a full-round action to perform a Coup de Grace on the nearby Archer, dealing [color=ed1c24][b]10[/b][/color] damage. The Archer fails its Fort save and dies. Sigurx gnashes its teeth down on the Brawler, and with the distraction provided by Detta, grabs the hobgoblin with both claws, rending the Brawler in two and dealing a total of [color=ed1c24][b]23[/b][/color] damage. [@Cu Chulainn] - Valerio, surprised that the hobgoblins fell for his clever ploy, stands up and moves away as fast as he is able to. “Jump on the one with the whip!” He exclaims to his horse, before using his wand to allow him to vanish once again. [@Ms Ravenwinter] - : Kyra focused in for another shot, but the hobgoblins started to fall one after another. Trees guarded the final enemy, and they would soon turn on the creature. She ran forward, ducking under a branch, until she had clear sight. She spoke the ritual as she moved and directed her gestures aside from the hobgoblin. "Capture it!" she called out as the grass below and branches above grasped for their target, springing up in groves behind it. Kit dove out through the newly flourishing bramble and found himself caught within. With a surge of strength, the Sergeant bursts the vines that entangled him and attempts to run. He doesn't get far before Kit bites at his boot, tripping him up and dealing [color=ed1c24][b]3[/b][/color] damage. Hanani's horse could not find purchase, but Hanani also got a chance to attack. Feet could be heard moving through the darkness, but no one can see in. [@Zverda] - "I will do my best!" he called back to his comrade. Despite these words, Hanani was rather vexed with the Sergeant having been able to avoid his first attack, so he took the chance to attack the creature when he tried to retreat from him and Kyra. Lashing out, Mercy bit into the creature's flesh, no once... but twice as he followed up with a rather violent attack. Mercy, clearly pleased with the chance to harm a creature it deemed as insufferable and hated the existance of. She did not want the creature captured, no, she wanted it dead. [Lethal dmg: 18, Non-lethal: 16. Frostbite: No longer in effect] The horses, spurred on by Valerio's command, rush forward to attack the Sergeant. Unfortunately, only one can actually reach him, but both hooves crash down, sending the Sergeant into unconsciousness. [@Muttonhawk] - Sigurx's final blow against the hobgoblin didn't distract Detta for long. She peered around to see the rest of the action. She shouts. "Let's go 'fore they send more! Quickly!" With a hop, skip, and a jump, she pulls herself up onto the horse nearest to the north-west.[/hider] As no more enemies are within range, the [b]battle is complete[/b]! Everyone gains [color=fff200][b]2200 XP[/b][/color].