[CENTER][color=598527][h1]Hither[/h1][/color] [color=00746b][h2]The Inn at the End of the Road[/h2][/color][/CENTER] Tsu gave a kind smile back to Brutrumukk at his apology and she answered, "[color=fff79a]Oh, it's alright. Communication is much harder than many people realize. So it's completely understandable,[/color]" Gabriel would soon finish his bath, and after finished their hearty meals, refreshing desserts and drinks, they would soon leave the inn with Tsu waving them goodbye and wishing them good luck. Tsu even lets Brutrumukk take a rope to tow the raft in the water just in case. ...And Brutrumukk would find that rope handy very soon.... [hr] [CENTER][color=598527][h1]Hither[/h1][/color] [color=00746b][h2]???[/h2][/color][/CENTER] The party continues their trek from the Inn and through the swampy wilderness of Hither. Eventually, the path before them is enshrouded in fog for a good moment. The ground beneath them starts to become harder to traverse through, the sticky mud slows them down significantly. Thankfully, there is something they can use before them to overcome this problem: The beginnings of a causeway! Upon stepping on it, they find that their movement is unhampered...but the causeways are rickety and old. Just one wrong step, even from Jub, could cause a plank to break and let the traveler fall! So, the party find themselves watching their steps and taking great care not to rush. Brutrumukk easily uses the rope to tug the raft below them from above, thanks to his strength. Eventually, the party look up to take in their surroundings as best as they can through the fog. A foggy marsh stretches out before them. Rickety causeways made of wooden planks form a wide, web-like structure above the bog. Three hundred feet away, many of these causeways converge on an enormous, ivy-covered tree stump that rises a good ten feet above the twenty-foot-high fog bank that enshrouds it. [hider=Highest Passive Perception: Aurora Only]An odd feeling suddenly comes over you. Maybe Zavakri's mathematical tendencies are getting to you, but you can't help but feel the need to count heads in your party. That's easy to do, since you're in the lead. 1... 2,3... 4... 5... 6...? Somewhere along the way, a hunched, hooded figure has joined the group! Upon noticing that her eyes are on them, the hooded figure immediately acts. They whipped out a...red hot branding iron?! They press it against Zavakri first!![/hider] Zavakri lets out a pained cry! She clutches her arm, and the party can see that the cloth of her sleeve is smoldering as she clutches her arm with the other hand. "[b]Blood and Spittle! That bloody [b][u][I]burned[/I][/u][/b]!!! Who did that?![/b]" [hider=Highest Passive Perception: Aurora Only]The figure swiftly and dexterously moves along the side and under the legs of the rest of the party! He next aims at Brutrumukk with the Branding Iron, and...apparently lands a hit in a very sensitive area: On the bottom of his foot while he was walking mid stride![/hider] Next, Brutrumukk would feel fire on the bottom of his foot! It's as though someone threw a piece of coal that was still on fire on it and it got stuck there!!! [hider=Highest Passive Perception: Aurora Only]While Brutrumukk reacts with pain, Aurora sees that this hooded figure noticed Sir Talavar's sword hanging from Brutrumukk's belt, and plucked it, before he moves past her! This is where she can strike at them if she so desired! After he moves past her and makes it ten feet ahead of her, he turns and faces the entire party, for them to see![/hider] After Brutrumukk and Zavakri react with pain, almost all of the party see a hooded figure dash in front of them, somehow past them, and take off the cloak with a flourish to reveal a Harengon wearing a long blue scarf along with bandit clothes. He is carrying a red hot branding iron and a wooden shield on the other. He lifts up Sir Talavar's sword so they can see, and he comments, "[color=0072bc]This is quite a treasure! Quite fitting for the Brigand Prince of Prismeer![/color]" He laughs as he runs off again, and the music of his theme starts up again! [hider=Brutrumukk and Zavakri Only]When the Harengon reveals himself, you only hear his voice. You don't see him anywhere...! Who is he?! Where is he?! ((Out of Character: Agdon Longscarf is now invisible to you two))[/hider] As he runs, other Harengon brigands show themselves, some of them playing bagpipes, and a lot of them have their weapons out and singing Agdon Longscarf's song. Some of the brigands hop out of skiffs and move. All of them are ready for battle, and so is Aurora... [img]https://5e.tools/img/adventure/WBtW/043-02-006.agdon-longscarf.png[/img] [hider=Initiative: Currently the Surprise Round!]Jub: 18 Agdon Longscarf: [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/25047]17[/url] (He goes first due to Surprise and Home Turf) Gabriel: 17 Harengon brigands: [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/25048]15[/url] (They go first due to Surprise and Home Turf Advantage) Aurora: [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/25053]15[/url] Harengon Snipers: [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/25049]10[/url] Brutrumukk: 7 Zavakri: [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/25067]4[/url] Brutrumukk: Surprised! Roll Initiative Jub: Surprised! Roll Initiative Zavakri: Surprised! Rolled Initiative Gabriel: Surprised! Roll Initiative Next is...[@Lurking Krog] Your turn! [@Dark Cloud][@XxFellsingxX][@rush99999] Roll Initiative [url=https://www.owlbear.rodeo/game/ZyrN_TYAr]Here is the Battle Map for your reference[/url] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF7zy5FANz4[/youtube] Some battle music as well! [/hider] [hider=Terrain Rules!]The wooden causeways are 5 feet wide and in poor shape. Characters who walk across the planks are assumed to be taking care to avoid unsafe areas. If a character runs across the planks, roll a d8 at the end of the character's turn. On a 7 or 8, part of the causeway falls away beneath the character, who must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw to avoid falling off the plank and into the bog. While prone in the muck, the character is restrained. A character can use an action to try to free itself or another creature from the muck, doing so with a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check.[/hider] [hider=Surprise!!!]Agdon Longscarf's turn Movement: Full 70 feet in parts! As he goes, he takes his attack action and bonus action. After he reveals himself, his scarf trails 15 feet behind him! Action: Multiattack Branding Iron attack. One to Zavakri and the other to Brutrumukk. Branding Iron 1: [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/25061]12[/url] Just hits Zavakri's AC. Branding Iron 1 Advantage (Surprise) : [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/25062]9[/url] Branding Iron Damage: [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/25063]13[/url] Fire Damage. Bringing her down to 1 HP. Branding Iron 2: [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/25064]Natural 20[/url] Branding Iron 2 Advantage (Surprise) : ....No need. He already got a Natural 20. Branding Iron Damage: [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/25065]17[/url] Fire Damage. Bonus Action: Quick Fingers! [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/25066]26[/url] Sleight of Hand against Brutrumukk's Passive Perception. Agdon Longscarf successfully pilfers Sir Talavar's sword! Harengon brigands turn: Some of them move the full 30 feet. But all of them are taking the Dodge action.[/hider]