When Aura revealed that he had sent her familiar on ahead to do some scouting. The leader of the highwaymen regarded her with an impressed nod. "Let's hear it." The simic hybrid said. "The more eyes we can get on whoever's attacking, the better." The leader then listened to what Aura had to report. As Arua's report went on, the impressed look on the leader's face steadily grew even more so. "We'll be able to make good use of this." She said once Aura was finished. "Well done. I'll remember this once the battle is over." The leader then turned back to all the assembled defenders and raised her voice for all to hear. "Those of you who can fight will be expected to at the very least serve as the last line of defense!" She called out. "Those who contribute more than the bare minimum can expect to be rewarded more than the bare minimum too!"

[hider=OOC]
Rather than playing out the entire battle in initiative order, I'm gonna have each of you roll an ability check, attack roll, and saving throw of your choice. The DC of these checks depend of which of the following rolls you decide to fill.

Take Refuge With The Non-Combatants (DC 5): The safest option, but also the least respected one when it comes to those who pick it despite being able to fight. Those who pick this option can expect to be looked down on by everyone else unless they are in no condition to fight.

Serve As The Last Line Of Defense (DC 10): The bare minimum those who can fight are expected to contribute. You'll win no glory here, but you'll be as safe as you can be while avoiding any scorn those who refuse to help would receive.

Go Where You're Needed Most (DC 15): Rather than head straight to the front lines, you can instead hang back for a time and then go relive the defenders that are being hit the hardest by the attacking forces. Not as glorious as being in the thick of it from the get go, but still better than staying in the back for the entire battle.

Head To The Front (DC 20): Get stuck in right away. Not the safest of options, but you'll have plenty of opportunities to distinguish yourself on the battlefield here.

Lead The Charge (DC 25): Someone has to go first. If that someone is you, you can expect to find yourself in a pretty precarious position. But on the bight side, the front of the front is also a pretty well respected position too.

Take Them On Alone (DC 30): Break from the rest of the defenders and hack your way into the attacking forces alone. This will most likely get you killed, but you will be remembered as a hero who gave their life to strike a grievous blow against the enemy. And if you somehow beat the odds and survive, expect to be revered by your fellows when the battle is over.

If you fail one roll, you take 1d10 battle damage. If you fail two rolls, you take 2d10 battle damage. And if you fail all three, you take 4d10 battle damage.

Because of the strategic intelligence gathered from Hawk's spying, you get a +4 to all of your rolls. Those of you with spell slots can choose to expend those spell slots to convey additional bonuses equal to the spell slot's level to yourself and/or other party members. You can do this as many times as you like so long as you have the spell slots for it.

[@Lurking Krog], since the attackers are actively gunning for him, Jørmund will find the battle to be especially dangerous. As a result, his rolls will be made with disadvantage

Once the battle rolls are resolved, a standard combat encounter will then take place.
[/hider]