Tears to Thousands
It's been a long trip on the road. Several days in fact of travel to the north where you've been told that a group of oruch are advancing on Alexandrian soil with wardrums banging. You've been warned that the sound of the drums means that they come ready for a fight, and they've thus far destroyed everything in their path. Farms have been raised, swaths of forest cut down. There are several companies in this advancing show of military might, and you've been sent to the nearest one.
A light rain falls from the sky which is white and generally... it's not very pleasant out. Those of you without mounts trudge through mud that churns underfoot and threatens those with unwary steps. It's a fine day for a fight, but things are looking up. You can hear the sound of the drums thrumming through your bones so you're getting closer.
While she rides a horse when she needs to travel, Lysa tends to dismount when battle looms. She is also infantry, not cavalry. This day, she trudges along, heavy flail hooked at her waist, and greatsword slung over her shoulder. She's made sure to tell the others that she has access to healing magics and that she has four healing potions if the need arises. Sure, they are not HEAVY healing. But it could save a life, maybe.
Either way, she marches along and murmurs a soft prayer to Daeus, intending to summon courage for herself and her allies.
Merek is atop his horse, which has a nice black soft coat with some other colors, while it wears a caparison that has Alexandros sigils upon it. He has upon his back a shield of wood which is painted in soft black and golden tones with the Alexandros sigil, while he has a longsword upon one hip, dragonspitter in another, and a longarm that he keeps within a sling. The silver moon of Eluna is upon all he wears also.
Zyla doesn't rent or need a horse really. Thanks to her robes and skill she moves almost as fast as one of she wants so trudges along. She does look at the others evaluating them as they travel.
Elizabeth, as she joins the company to which the party's been assigned, she dismounts and draws her sword, uttering a short prayer in the celestial tongue. Light emanates from the blade of the sword. The small, heavily armored, woman walks towards the company (after taking the reins of her horse in her free hand), holding the weapon aloft as she displays the symbol of Daeus on the face of her shield -- to let the troops of that company know, even as she's just approaching, that her god, through her, is present and on their side. Of course, her light would draw eyes to the party... and she's not the only one in the party clearly displaying the insignia of a deity.
Selerik rides along on a rented steed, a horse that probably could've done better for a rider and knows it. He pats it lightly on the neck as the drums start up in the distance. "There there, they're probably not drumming for us." The horse doesn't speak back, but it does respond for the attempts to calm it when it is already calm. Who knew horses could roll their eyes and snort in exasperation?
GAME: Merek rolls perception: (5)+9: 14 GAME: Lysa rolls perception: (2)+7: 9 GAME: Elisabeth rolls perception: (2)+15: 17 GAME: Zyla rolls perception: (18)+18: 36 GAME: Iskandar rolls perception: (17)+8: 25 GAME: Selerik rolls perception: (18)+14: 32
Iskandar rides his slightly oversized horse. He keeps a short bow out and ready to fire. "Such a shame - many Oruch are brave and worthy warriors. I never thought I'd have to fight them as enemies."
At first it's hard to tell where the drumming is coming from, but then keener ears pick up on the location and you close in on where the warparty is, and where they're going to be. You find yourselves on the edge of a copse of trees as the company of oruch come into view. Fel ourch, who drape themselves in the bones of those they've killed and are very much different than the oruch you are used to seeing. Comparing them is like comparing apples to oranges. They might both be fruit, but there the similarities end. Not to mention, half of them look as though they're twice the size that they should be.
"Many humans are being noble and worthy also. Does that be being meaning that all humans are as such?" asks Lysa as she rolls her neck. The sight of the bone-wearing Oruchs has her right hand reaching up and removing her greatsword from its harness on her back. It appears that there is not much time left to strategize or talk. Only time for the bleeding and killing. "Daeus be being with us." she murmurs softly as she starts striding towards the enemy.
Zyla moves with the others and picks up the sounds and as they see their targets her eyes narrow. "Well that explains a few things. Some dark force has corrupted them would be my guess." She starts to stretch and limber up.
Iskandar sights down the arrow at one of the lead Oruch. "If anyone need to prepare themselves for battle, now might be your only chance. If anyone else can strike from a distance, perhaps we can thin their numbers."
Iskandar squints slightly. "Yes," he agrees with some of the others. "These don't seem like any Oruch I've met before..."
"Let us see how they are being liking the heat of a Sunblade." offers Lysa as she lifts her gleaming blade skyward... the blade starting to glow before it bursts into flame.
Merek takes a moment before the group actually arrives to the oruch, and he places some runes on the dirt, "I'll put these here," he makes marks that they can note also, "In case we need to flee," he adds. He moves forward also to foot with the others, while he takes his shield from his back and draws his black longsword from the sheath which he twirls about. "I am going to speak with them."
The man comes from around a tree and to a flank where he won't draw attention to all the others while they make preparations, then he places the sword to point into the ground, "State your business on Alexandrian lands, before you come any further," he announces.
GAME: Elisabeth casts Blessing of Fervor. Caster Level: 8 DC: 17
Elisabeth holds up her sword, the blade still glowing. In the celestial tongue, she calls out, >> Daeus! We take arms against an enemy cruel and foul! I ask of thee: lend us your might, that we might serve to defend others, stop the advance of this plague upon the innocent! << The light coming from her sword seems to pulse once before settling back to what it already was. The pulse of light washes over Elisabeth and her allies, leaving them feeling warm, as if a sunbeam just came through a break in the clouds to shine down upon them... for a moment. Then, her spell cast, she glances about and sees Merek moving forward; she moves to join him, ready for battle should it come.
Selerik gets off his well-mannered and entirely underpaid steed as others dismount, taking a moment to consider what they're dealing with as he speaking conversationally with the others. "They do appear to be the warlike kind. Not the keenest on the sort that wear bones and are about twice the size they should be, let alone the strange black eye thing they have going on." Selerik gestures to his face. "They just generally look bad if I'm to be honest. Shall we try diplomacy?”
One of the ourch, the biggest steps forward, and as he does he lets his wardrum fall silent. As if to accent this the other drums get louder. He only pulls ahead by a foot or two however because none of them have stopped moving. They continue marching toward you at a ground-eating pace. "We do not come to talk of peace. We speak the words of war because war is in our hearts. The voices of the dead call to us. They haunt our steps and will devour you alive. Talk of peace to the dead." <yrch-speak>
GAME: Lysa rolls sense motive: (8)+6: 14 GAME: Merek rolls sense motive: (15)+3: 18 GAME: Elisabeth rolls sense motive: (16)+11: 27 GAME: Iskandar rolls 12: (2)+12: 14 GAME: Iskandar rolls 12: (2)+12: 14 GAME: Iskandar rolls 12-5: (16)+12+-5: 23 GAME: Iskandar rolls 1d6+6: (3)+6: 9
"They're not listening - and they're not stopping." Iskandar warns. Then he lets fly with an arrow. "We have to act now, before we're overwhelmed!" Sped by the magic of Elisabeth's spell he fires another arrow, and then a third, trying his best to whittle away at the warband.
GAME: Merek casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 1 DC: 14
"Wait!" Merek exclaims then to Iskandar, "They haven't," he also sighs a bit while he takes a moment to step back from the front lines to call up his mage shield he weaves with a hand while his shield is shifted upon the strap. Afterwards he takes a moment to move into a stance also.
GAME: Constantin used a Potion of Shield of Faith +2.
Constantin takes a drink from a small vial, then calls out: "War is in their hearts. The voices of the dead call to them. They haunts their steps and will devour us alive. Talk to peace to the dead." He pauses, translating fast. "I think that's important!"
Opening her mouth to speak a soft prayer to Daeus, Lysa was about to double-check and make sure this was not all some terrible misunderstanding. I mean seriously, it could be that these guys just have poor fashion sense and an even worse sense of diplomacy. Maybe they think WE are killing everything. So she planned to insure that there was evil up ahead of her. But then the arrows zing zing zing over her shoulder and she stops her prayer in the middle of a word and slumps her shoulders. "Damn." she mutters before surging forward, her sword's bright FLAMES likely drawing attention as she places herself squarely before the lead Oruch, or at least the one that spoke. "Perhaps we should have been being insuring their nature before we were being shooting at them?" she calls out over her shoulder.
GAME: Selerik rolls sense motive: aliased to Perform/Oratory+7: (1)+25+7: 33 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Selerik rolls diplomacy: aliased to Perform/Oratory+7: (6)+25+7: 38 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+6: (20)+6: 26
Selerik happens to speak the lingo, so quietly translates for the rest of the group's benefit. "Yes, I understood them as well. I don't think they're speaking of themselves." Selerik winces as the bow is fired, shooting a brief look of aggravation at Iskander. He lifts an empty hand as he speaks accented Yrch. Of course he doesn't have a weapon out. "Wait! The one with the bow doesn't speak your language and was frightened. I will heal the wound if you will speak with us of what is coming. Do you really mean the dead chase you? The walking dead, spirits?" <Yrch-Speak> When Selerik is attempting to influence people, there is a certain way to the way he speaks that is almost hypnotic. Even the accent is pleasing to the ear, as though it were calculated rather than from ill training.
GAME: Elisabeth rolls sense motive: (20)+11: 31
Elisabeth narrows her eyes... and then walks around Merek as he backs up, putting herself directly between those nearest Merek and the cleric himself. She has her shield up in front of herself... and, as she moves, lifts her sword to rest the flat of its blade on her sword arm's shoulder. It's a position that attempts to show she's not ready to strike immediately, but more one that shows she -will- fight if she's forced to do so.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+11: (10)+11: 21
The movement causes the oruch; who seemed to be relenting somewhat, relaxing because of Selerik's words to react immediately. His hand lashes out, trying to push Elisabeth out of the way. It's unclear if this is because she's blocking the peacekeepers, because he's trying to hit her, or if it's because she simply moved. It could be any of the reasons or all of them.
GAME: Elisabeth rolls weapon6+2-4: (18)+12+2+-4: 28 GAME: Elisabeth rolls 1d8+5: (7)+5: 12
Elisabeth responds, as she doesn't allow herself to be shoved out of the way, by bringing her sword down... and whacking that oruch's hand with the pommel of her sword -- instead of the blade.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+11: (16)+11: 27 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+11: (14)+11: 25 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+11: (17)+11: 28
It's clear that the attack on their leader is unacceptable to the oruch, and as a unit the two on either side of the leader grab Elisabeth and drive her to the ground with the sheer force of their weight and strength. The leader levels a swing at her face, intending to slap the 'insolent' woman for her attack on him, but his swing misses as his guards take her down. "Kill us and they will rise! You want nothing but war, we will give you war! War beats in our hearts and we will answer fist with fist!" They seem ready to fight now, and the three in the back draw their weapons. <yrch-speak>
GAME: Iskandar rolls 12-6: (12)+12+-6: 18 GAME: Merek casts Comprehend Languages. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14
Iskandar lowers his bow - because shooting into crowds is something he's never been good at. Instead he moves in and then punches at the nearest Fel Orc. He scoffs. "If these weren't the miscreants we were looking for, they should have surrendered! Or turned back. Bah!" he exclaims. "We can sort things out -after- we've knocked them senseless!"
Merek takes up a mix in a phial he keeps with him, then he takes a drink from it, while he wipes his mouth, and tries his best to speak with the oruch while he holds up his hands, for surrender, "Everyone, don't assault them, they aren't trying to kill us as of the moment, just... Be still and don't make moves if you can," he says. He tries communicating that to them also.
-TBC