The Harbinger of Ferocity

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

All that I can offer about the current situation and solution is that the cover of darkness might be for the best, as well as acquiring Leosin first, assuming he is still there and alive. Any escape that involves being witnessed will likely sound the alarm, which means the worst we need deal with are the horses, given we have as of yet seen the dragon. Perhaps the answer is to acquire Leosin somehow, steal the horses at dark, then ride off in escape, given there are only a couple of guards at the entrance.

The Official Guild Pre Christmas Knockout Tournament!

I was not worried, but I appreciate the information all the same, @Dynamo Frokane. Interesting method you have chosen, that I must admit.

D&D 5e -- The Lost Children

The fierce black cat, snarling and salivating with wailing growls, did just as he always did - he went on the offensive, creating the breath of air the bloodied elf needed. It wasn't the first time he created a violent distraction, his jaws tearing at the hand of the man, and it probably would not be his last. Rising to stand now a palm of hers spread wide over the forest floor and swept upward as she called forth an ethereal friend of old, one from days long, long ago. Long before perhaps anyone else here, she imagined, but she hadn't forgot - not in the slightest.

At first the called phantom arose from the leaf-littered earth like mist, its ghostly paws coalescing into shape again, head and tail following before the body itself became as close to solid as it could be. Still a spirit and not a thing, not like Jamil of Azalorn who it was but only a step behind, it glowed with an unearthly, soundless pale light in the moonlit forest; eyes glinting with pricks of smoking blue.

Still bleeding, the woman took a step forward and caressed the ether, which seemed to staunch her wounds almost instantly, sending the bolt clinking to the ground, but not without a foot ready to dodge. The moment the wispy tendrils of the ghost cat touched her, she all but vanished, walking back carefully - using the frightening and sudden apparition as well as her living companion as distractions from her own defenses. Slipping behind a tree, she exhaled sharply at the still burning, albeit stopped wounds, driving the pain elsewhere and to other parts of her body. Snarling slightly, she raised her voice as a change began to overtake her.

"For the rest of you," Shaedra began, concentrating upon her breathing, "Feel free to heal yourselves as well!"

The spirit could only grin in response.

Effects

Shaedra Galandoel stands and uses half of her movement. She then conjures up a Healing Spirit just before her and takes the Dodge action in the process, concentrating on the spell. She hopes that the apparent appearance of another enemy of the bandits enemies with the spirit will also help to momentarily distract them, perhaps even intimidate them that a spirit is present.

Afterward, the druid steps forward into the aura, regaining 1 hit point from its presence then slips behind a nearby tree to break the attackers' line of sight and uses the presence of Jamil of Azalorn to hold them off. She then prepares to use Wild Shape on her next turn, but will make an attack of opportunity against the first enemy who provokes from her if they encroach on her position.

Any ally, all creatures other than the Barnaby Brother bandits, who move into the the Healing Spirit's space for the first time on a turn, or start their turn there, regains 1d6 hit points.

@Guardian Angel Haruki@JBRam2002@Pennydumb123@rush99999@ihinka@Cu Chulainn@0 Azzy 0

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Continuing his work at their ramshackle stable, the outlander paid his dues in observation about the way the camp seemed to regulate and operate among the enemy; the short answer was, they didn't. It was not that they lacked soldiers or guards, rather than they lacked any sense of order, discipline or standard. In a way, as his mind wandered from the mindlessness of the work, not tethered down by it, it was clear to him the dragon-cult's following was... actually quite pathetic in number. Several times over he had witnessed that the majority of these "cultists" were mercenaries and what followers the dragon had were, other than the half-dragon, little more than peasants playing follower in a set of robes they were tossed.

It was no wonder Greenest failed to fend them off, that their numbers and their bought sellswords did all the work under the shadow of a dragon. Were it not for any one of those things, they probably could not have even assailed even a small farming town out by itself. This led to the wondering of the man, as he calmly moved one of the horses aside to get between them, if he could enact a simple but effective effort in eliminating them in time to come.

They needed to scrounge, to eat, clearly picking at the land as they went earlier today he discovered, so it made them vulnerable and little more than prey. After all men and these minute scaly-things were not particularly observant, neither were they elusive. Following them at a great distance and keeping watch of them when they gathered their resources would make for an opportune time to attack, for not only the back being turned, but most of their weapons being not quite ready. It would be no trouble at all to maul and mangle them, assuming they even had the chance to limp home, they might well die of their injuries there or even before it; hooked, tearing claws had a tendency to rasp open horrific wounds that did not stitch themselves quite right, if ever at all.

Pressuring them and hounding them this way would bleed their numbers yes, but their morale? How many men would be so brave as to dare out on ventures as simple as gathering food or water, let alone walking on patrol in a small band at night? Eventually they would send more or better, but just as they sought to use their draconic beast as a weapon of fear, the huntsman himself could do much the same.

It was thoughts as these that passed the time of work, awaiting any clear signal or opportunity to escape. Albeit not alone - they came this far and it needed to be worth it.

@Hekazu@Ryonara@Lucius Cypher@Gordian Nought@Irredeemable

D&D 5e - The Lost Lands

The Vale

The Crypt,
Currently

"If you truly wish to know what happened here, in a greater battle than just your eyes can bear witness to," The man plainly spoke, having come to a rest after a few steps, "One where you will need dispel your illusions of what is 'good' and what is 'evil'. Neither has any place here; to claim victory for one is to not only shut out another, but the third too."

The intent traveler, stayed by the monk's address, turned carefully to spy upon her. It was clear as he did this that his motions were more lively than before, that his apparent battle with Ruron, the Kingdom of Darkness and then the Heroes of the Light had taxed him, but no more now. However, rather than inflict any sort of force using this restored energy, that born of the dim flames that silently waved in each of the two stone halls, he was content to speak.

"Ysgard is the eternal battleground, where life and death, good and evil are naught. It is only a place of heightened conflict, where the first answer to any problem is to arms. It is why warriors and heroes of all walks come here."

The Green Man's fingers interlaced one another as he methodically adjusted a gauntlet, seating the leather and steel back to the hand, his voice returning in the calm wake, "I take it you arrived here because a call to arms was sounded. Balanced, above all things, must be maintained. Should it fail, the Great Wheel will come undone and all things with it."

His piercing stare softened for a moment, realizing well his mysticism and recitation was not bound to get him anywhere with zealots. Unclasping his hands thereafter, letting them fall to just beside the plates that covered his figure, he rephrased himself and spoke far more plainly.

"You, like the others, are instruments of compensation; where there is too much darkness, there must be some light and in return too. Whoever or whatever governed that wisely brought you here, to a realm under siege by the dark, one of many at that. Foolishly you almost ensured the darkness' victory, because you refuse to accept the light casting shadows, just as the boy is lost to believe that by creating a great darkness, that the light is brighter than ever. However, with some provocation - and your near destruction - you were pressured into doing what was needed."

The man of mystery and oddity made his point more clear, perhaps a little too much so, as by any conventional sense what it was he was stating - a need for a balance of good and evil - was near heresy. Yet he did not flinch, not even so much as smirk or smile about it. It was said as plainly as if one had asked him what the weather were.

Yet for all this talk, the bard in the meanwhile could not discern any of the armored ghosts. The remnants of their equipment and gear in the tangible sense remained scattered wildly upon the ground, but the phantoms themselves, manifest as corporeal beings were nowhere to be found. This was in spite of the dwindling crowd, where each seemed to give their approval and vanished. Perhaps they had no need for he weapons and armor anymore, now free of the need to fight? Or perhaps their bones and remains needed be returned to an actual rest? Who could say, short of perhaps Valmjr?

Speaking of such a man, who used his trusted weapon to rise to one knee and soon stand, he glanced around from side to side and breathed a heavy sight of relief, uttering something about avoiding his calling again in the process - something that was unclear. He was not the only one, for Haemar carefully sprung to his feet from his back, resting standing and holding his head in his hands. The elf's reaction was not an unfair one, he had been beaten senseless and utterly pummeled, only to be returned to life by the magic of the two flames.

"But..." A familiar gnomish voice trailed in as the purple wizard intervened in word and step, "Why fight Birbin's friends, Green Man?"

The man responded, completely untroubled to the question posed, "If the Light succeeded, it would be overwhelmed by the Dark. You yourself bore witness to one of the deepest darknesses to ever touch the land."

Effects

Score
Celestial Temple

Map
???

@Cu Chulainn, @Gordian Nought, @Hekazu, @JBRam2002

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

I see, well in such an absence of any other posts, I suppose I will cobble something together in the meanwhile just to make an attempt at keeping this going.

Frokane's Mildly Politcal Hangout Thread

@Dynamo Frokane

I mean, if we are going to be accurate, it would best to say I am a long posting aloof elitist with a personal code who places little value in humanity and has a tendency to say what it is I mean to say exactly and not engage from beyond my point or concede it. That and "something, something, must be a Nazi because I support the President of the United States".

In all seriousness however, this bears proof why I broke off the conversation when I did and argued the way I did. I know this path too well.

Frokane's Mildly Politcal Hangout Thread

Well yeah, they've all been two-line quips that move the goalposts followed by "try again," there is a sort of consistency to that.

@mdk

Perhaps the single most underrated comment uttered in this exchange.

Frokane's Mildly Politcal Hangout Thread

Excellent work dodging the point, @catchamber, kudos for the form, but I am awarding you nothing for it. You continue to repeat yourself and ignored the contrarian challenge. You have your answer, in as simple as words as I can put it, so if that is insufficient then I suggest you find someone else to explain it; I cannot boil it down any further than, "You can make any choice you desire but the outcome is always accounted for and used to their benefit." Instead you harp on have total control than exercise total control.

That said, enjoy speaking to yourself on this in an infinite cycle. I am confident this will be another one of those cases where any argument we make, it will be insufficient for you because of some arbitrarily chosen "flaw". As for me? Consider that my parting shot on the matter.

D&D 5e -- The Lost Children

The only commentary I have is that going forward, it would be useful for all players to include a hider of what exactly they did that turn at the bottom of their post. I say this because as spells and abilities become more complex and in-depth, we might need to know who or what is affecting us, enemy and friend alike. For example, I can assure you I intend for our druid to cast Healing Spirit next turn, but what that would do would probably be unclear to half the folk here and I am fairly confident everyone wants a d6 worth of healing or more.

As for rate of posting, this has stayed lively and active enough to be no issue for me and my own tastes.