The Highwaywomen, part 1

Log Info

• Title: The Highwaywomen, part 1
• Emitter: Culix
• Characters: Aimarra, Ebonne, Paenitia, Smuldur, Tommy
• Place: On the road to Wilderness Point
• Time: Monday, February 01, 2021, 3:32 PM
• Summary: A wanted outlaw and brigand, known by the moniker Celia the Serpent, has been sighted along with a band of ne'er do wells plagueing the trade roads between the city and Wilderness Pointe. A bounty has been posted for this criminal, wanted Dead or Alive by the city guard. A group from the Explorer's Guild is patrolling when they come upon a wrecked cart. As they examing it, Paenitia spots a fleeing woman. There are calls for her to stop, Aimarra entangles the woman her with a spell. Smuldur and Ebonne advance, while Tommy rushes to catch up. Paenitia, mounted on Ramirez, circles the entanglement patch and demands the woman surrender. When she does not, she is slain by the Crimson Knight and her Ivory Steed. There is barely time to react to this, as more arrows fly from the woods. Archers!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  Appearing, in Order  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Aimarra      5'1"     128 Lb     Half-Elf          Female    Brown hair and eyes, breastplate, leathers, pointed ears.
Ebonne       6'10"    252 Lb     War Golem         Female    Tall slender feminine styled warborn, top knot w/ long silvery tail.
Paenitia     3'0"     34 Lb      Halfling          Female    A Lucht knight, dark skinned in bold feathery finery.
Smuldur      3'4"     45 Lb      Goblin            Male      A gently used (cut, scraped, burnt, exploded) gobber.
Tommy        3'4"     30 Lb      Halfling          Male      Breezy halfling (with shoes).
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  As the GM  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Culix        3'2"     36 Lb      Goblin            Female    Beady-eyed goblin female in leathers and hood.          
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

It's a miserable day, the sky is grim and cloudy, sleet falls from the sky. The wind cuts right through, and drives the icy precipitation into faces. But, alass, there is work to be done. The band of adventurers heeding the call of the guard to seek out an outlaw are directed to travel along the northern route, where they will come upon a wagon- overturned and peppered with arrows. It is there the outlaw they seek took her most recent victim, and it is there the adventurers will have the best chance of tracking her down to bring her to justice.

The weather makes travel tiring, and visibility poor- which is a curse and blessing both, as rumors abound that the Highwaywoman Celia and her band of brigands favor the bow, and the weather as it is does not. But, the deep shadows and grey pale light overhead make for many and more hiding spots along the road. (Re for the log)

"aaaAAAHCHOO!" Tommy rubs his nose with the back of his hand and then rubs at his exposed arms, trying to get the circulation going. "We don't usually have weather like this where I'm from!" his voice is inappropriately cheerful for the situation. "Hmm...but I wonder, are outlaws less active when it's like this? Or more?"

There is no hiding Ebonne, not really, the tall war golem doesn't even bother to try and hide because... shiny. It is a bit of an odd situation, the shorter types appearing even more childlike in size comparisons but there can be no mistaking the armed and armored Lucht and Goblin as children except at the furthest of differences.

"I do not think they care about the weather. Perhaps more. It will make tracking them more difficult." Ebonne's voice is inhuman, like many war golems, but it is harmonious and light, breeze, nothing harsh or rough about it at all.

The weather is miserable but a little Lucht knight in crimson armour is not. At least, that is how it appears to be, as she wears a mask with a smiling face. A man's stylized face, with a wide grin, wider moustache and a pencil beard; the mask is attached to her wide hat brimmed hat, and combined with that and her long dark curls, hides her features.

The most striking thing however, is the brilliantly white peacock hippogryph she's riding. He has crimson eyespots, an immense tail that trails behind him, and a splash of red on his neck. In addition to the bird's tail, she has a similar one made of pole-arms attached to the back of her saddle.

"Ah! In Isobar the wind blows hot. The sun, he is hotter and the Mesa's burn from their attention. A little wet will not hurt you my friend, and all the better. The banditos will stay inside and be easy to find." Paenitia explains happily.

A bounty to be earned? Sounds like Aimarra's cup of tea. The weather, however, is most decidedly _not_. Armor is coupled with several layers of warm clothing, including an oiled wool traveler's cloak with the hood pulled up, and the whole lot of it looks less like a half-sil than an ambulatory pile of furs and cloth. Her face is barely visible beneath the generous hood. "Their visibility isn't as good, but there are also fewer travelers. No one sane wants to be out in this, but wet ground holds tracks better than dry."

"Too cold, too wet," Smuldur assesses the weather. "Need more fire." He's doing his part, bearing a lit torch; probably for the fire and not for the light. The numerous glass vials jangle in his beltpouch/loincloth, and one even dangles from each ear. It's jewelry that's both aesthetic AND functional!

Ebonne looks at Aimarra and asks, "Would not the rain wash away any tracks from before it was raining?" She looks around, "Strange they did not recover their arrows." Her helmeted head dips in a nod towards, well, the arrows. She seems comfortable letting others take the lead for the time being.

Few travelers indeed, winter is a lean time for many, so it stands to reason that it's the same for brigands and bandits. The path is a well traveled one, but the half-frozen rain has turned it to wet mulch which squelches underfoot and seeks entry into the sturdiest of boots to sap the heat out of toes. Thankfully for the band of adventurers, they happen soon enough upon the fork, and there lays- undistrubed, that they may do their investigation- the wagon.

It has been turned on its side, during flight perhaps. Struts that bear the canvass cover are broken, and the material is punctured through in spots. The ground is stained in blood, and a number of arrows are buried half way to their fletchings in the wood and dirt. The wagon is emptied, smaller casks and barrels spirited away whole, larger ones smashed open and their contents pilfered.

GAME: Tommy rolls survival: (11)+0: 11
GAME: Aimarra rolls survival: (2)+12: 14
GAME: Ebonne rolls survival: (15)+1: 16
GAME: Paenitia rolls survival: (7)+2: 9
GAME: Smuldur rolls survival: (5)+7: 12

Tommy, at the mention of 'tracks', stops where he is. He turns his gaze down to stare at the ground. "What do outlaw tracks look like...? I don't see anything," he admits. The Lucht looks up to peer at the wagon, practically leaning in that direction with raw curiosity blanketing his face...but doesn't move any closer.

Smuldur skitters up to look over the dirt, then quickly moves on to more interesting things. Like the wagon and it's shattered casks. He picks up some splinters to sniff and see if he can smell what might've been taken. And/or to determine if it was flammable.

If the war golem is suffering from the weather, there's no way to show it. Ebonne turns and looks towards the cart, the arrows, and everything else. "Chances of pit trap are small with rain. Probably see outlines, yes?" She unlimbers her bow and notches an arrow (just in case) and starts towards the Wagon. Studying the ground and the remains of the scene, she tells the others, "The wagon came from that direction." And indicates with a point of her bow, "Arrows from that direction. Depending on how smart these bandits are, we might be able to find more tracks from there protected from the weather."

It is hard to see much of anything in this, especially under all of that clothing, and so Aimarra's eyes spot little enough, as she surveys the wagon. "Tracks tend to sink deeper in mud," she answers Ebonne without hesitation. "The ground should already be damp."

"Footprints, that is what you will see. They will go from the wagon to where the arrows fly from, then onwards." Paenitia replies to Tommy. She's looking around but also doesn't see anything. Masks do tend to limit vision. She stands in the saddle, checking the sides of the road for good ambush points. A bow seems like a good idea, copying the war-golem, she readies her own and knocks an arrow. She trails the group, her peacock's feather-train will be more manageable and out of the way.

<OOC> Paenitia says, "Looking for ambushers, if that warrants a perception roll Culix."
GAME: Paenitia rolls perception: (16)+4: 20
GAME: Culix rolls 3: (12)+3: 15

A human woman with a bow is moving towards the woods not far off the track, about two hundred feet away to the northeast.

Smuldur finds a few barrel-remnants that seem like good candidates. After chewing on them a little to get taste-confirmation, he jabs the large splinters into his dangling pouch. He then looks around to see if there are any other signs of the wagon-raiding bandits in the vicinity.

Tommy nods in understanding. He turns his gaze back to the ground but after a few more moments of searching he begins looking at the other party members. When one of them seems to find something he drifts in that direction and when anyone begins to move he follows along.

The casks seem to have contained grain alcohol of some sort, likely ice-distilled. A speciality of some of the small villages. The wagon has been stripped bare, otherwise, but given that what little remains seem to be grains and winter vegetables, it seems likely it was carrying food from the farms to the city. Perhaps goods from Mictlan, where it remains warm enough to grow things which would not normally survive the Alexandrian winter.

Paenitia points with her bow, making ready to draw, "There is a woman with the bow. She is move to the woods, there, two hundred of the feet. She move to the Northeast." The Red Knight is leaning just a little forward, "Do we challenge loudly or sneak up my friends? The plan, please speak of it."

"She probably observes us already. Sneaking is not a primary function I was afforded but, I can try." Ebonne offers towards Paenitia as she looks around. "We also do not know if the woman is one of the bandits. We should speak with her if we can. Or follow but may be into a trap."

How had she missed that? This miserable excuse for weather is blunting her edge. Aimarra looks up at the announcement, scanning the treeline for what Paenitia is talking about. "If she meant us harm, she'd probably have fired by now. Let's start without the weapons. Ain't like a bandit to stay and watch something they've hit already."

"So we're going to talk to her?" Tommy is practically bouncing on his toes. He does in fact stand on his toes once, but at the noises he makes and the way his boot begins to sink into the muddy ground he forces himself to stand flat. "Yoohoo!" He raises a small hand and waves at the woman. "Over there! We're investigating what happened here. Can we talk?" He begins taking a few tentative steps towards her.

Smuldur gets pulled from tasty splinters to pointing at someone or something, and then saying what it is. And calling!

"Hey!" Smuldur calls out, too. It's way easier than searching. He then skitters off in the direction of Paenitiea pointing to yell again, "Hey!"

With Tommy's call the woman briefly freezes in place looking back at the group. Realizing only now that she's been spotted, she quickly knocks an arrow and fires it- straight into the air. As it sails through the sky, it lets out a shrill shriek which pierces right through the sound of the wind and the rain. And the woman takes off at a sprint towards the woods, bow in hand.

"The sneaking is easy. Hide behind Ramirez. No one will see you because they will be looking the giant white peacock; then, no one will see him because he hides so well." Her logic is... impeccable? Paenitia pats the shoulder of her peacock-horse.

As Tommy tentatively advances, and Smuldur runs ahead shouting, the Red Knight nods to Aimarra and Ebonne and stows her bow. She takes up her shield instead, "It is decided, we shall be seen."

"Ramirez! Advance and display," She drops to sit in her saddle and nudges with her heels. The peacock makes a little running step, glides, and lands. His tail goes up, a huge fan of eyespots and feathers accompanied by a deep bass challenge, 'Ruaaaah!'

The little Lucht issues her own, loud and high pitched, but not squeaky, "I am Sister Paenitia Snapdragon del Haranna, Knight of the Pillar and Paladin of Tarien. On my honour, you will be safe. Come forward. We wish to speak."

GAME: Paenitia rolls diplomacy: (8)+6: 14

The woman doesn't stop to respond to Paenitia, but she does throw a /very/ rude hand gesture over her shoulder as she continues to flee towards the woods. It seems like she is not in the mood to converse at the moment.

Tommy pauses when the arrow is fired off. He tilts his head back to follow it's path up into the air. "That's an odd sound," he notes. "I've never heard an arrow make that sound before when fired. I wonder if it's a signal?" He looks at the woman as she's fleeing. "Oh! I guess that would mean she is with the outlaws after all."

"Yeah," Aimarra agrees, her scowl black as she unlimbers the bow. "Well, they know we're here," she adds resignedly. "Ain't like a bandit to hang out near their last prize, though. That's a damn good way to get caught by the authorities without a fight."

"They know we are coming now. To chase blindly she will lead us into a trap most likely." Ebonne says and then looks to the others, "Does any know this land? Know where she might be headed so we do not have to follow her path directly?" She looks back towards the arrow firing woman, "Maybe she thinks we are a tribe of hostile Lucht?" She asks but then shakes her head, "No, not likely. Could be a scout for a nearby village too."

Chasing blindly will lead them somewhere? Perfect, since that's mostly what Smuldur is doing. He's chasing, though he isn't entirely blind! He has to see the woman to chase her, afterall... though a general direction of her last sighting works fine for him, too. Smuldur also adds in another "Hey!" after the screaming arrow lady. Just in case that helps.

The woman is fleet of foot- that's for sure. She doesn't slow down as she bolts towards the trees- in fact, she is almost upon them. While many of the trees are bare of leaves in this season, there are more than a few evergreens present which provide decent enough foliage to conceal her escape if she can make it there. Smuldur is just as quick as she, though, so he's able to keep the distance between them steady as he chases- but she has a few hundred feet lead on him.

She started 50' from the treeline, is now 20', and will make it there soon.

"Ha! That is not the handsign of friendship." Paenitia laughs, loudly and with some exageration. She seems to be taking it in good spirits, hard to tell with her smiling mask. Another clicking command to her mount, "Ramirez! Pace friend Smuldur." The peacock-andalusian surges forward.

To the fleeing woman, "I am sworn protector of the common people from banditos and tyrants. You run, you are the bandito. To steal from the common folk, you are the misery of life. This I will stop."

To her fellow adventurers, "My friends, this is not the honourable battle. Loose your talents. Move as a group."

Ebonne doesn't hesitate as others start to move, the War Golem bolts into action, breaking out into a full blown sprint as she gives up the idea of holding her bow at the ready and just aims to catch the strange woman or at least, close the distance enough she won't lose her in the trees! 'booted' feet splash through the pools of icy rain water as the war golem charges.

Nothing stealthy about that.

At all.

Tommy runs along with the others but is quickly outpaced, first by Smuldur and then soon after by Ebonne. "I guess these bandits weren't expecting someone who can take care of themselves!" The moment he says this he slips in a puddle and has to windmill his arms to keep from falling. Panting now, he goes on. "They're only hope is to lead us into some kind of trap! Or an ambus!"

The bandito doesn't look back, she continues darting into the woods, and hops over a fallen log as she presses on and away from the pursuing adventurers- Some of them are gaining ground, though, as it turns out- Peacock Speed is slightly higher than Bandit speed, and so Smuldur and Ramirez are catching up to her. Even quicker now that her pace has slowed pressing through the woods. But she had a significant lead on them, so they are not yet upon her and she seems intent to keep it that way.

Ebonne bolts forwards as fast as her armored chassis allows, charging after the running woman without wasting any 'breath' to try and get her to stop. Words are not needed after an alarm arrow was launched into the sky. The best she can do now is try to make sure none of her smaller companions take the brunt of any traps or attacks, and instead put herself in harms way... or catch the fleeing individual but that doesn't look all that possible for the time being.

Ramirez is fast over short distances; his mistress is not, she is simply short. He gallops and glides, an odd seeming illusion as he has four legs but the hind ones are very fluffy and blend in with his tail while his forelegs are avian, clawed and obvious. A quadret of steps, then he spreads his wings and glides a short distance before repeating the rhythm.

Paenitia is well used to this cadence, timing on a landing to draw her lance and set for charge. The woods will make this challenging. Oh if only the field of battle was to her liking, but this is not Isobar.

They cover a good distance and are very distinctive in the process.

Tommy chases along merrily. And also chats away as he runs. "I don't know why she doesn't stop, we only wanted to talk." As his foot splashes into rainwater pooled in a tiny depression he adds, "And if she's right," he casts a glance back at Aimarra, "She'll be leaving tracks that will make it easy to follow her, even if we don't catch up."

GAME: Aimarra refreshes spells.
GAME: Aimarra casts Entangle. Caster Level: 4 DC: 13
GAME: Culix rolls 3: (6)+3: 9

"An' if we've got to follow her, we'll run right into her buddies," Aimarra snarls, breaking out into a dead run after the others.

After a moment, though, she stops, and smiles. She's been working on one of Thenod's tricks for a while now, and just got the hang of it. She shouts something in the sibilant sildanyari tongue, then puts her fingers between her teeth and *whistles*, loud and shrill. The plants around the woman - rise up. Curl around her. Seem to obey the half-sil's whim, which in this case is to see her quarry from going anywhere.

And the woman stops, suddenly, unable to move. "You're not going anywhere, bitch," she says with a self-satisfied smirk. "See, not even the woods like you."

Smuldur is short, and has stubby, gobberly, warty legs, but he can move them quickly to skitter after!

GAME: Culix rolls 2: (13)+2: 15

The bandit lets out a yelp of surprise when the roots of a nearby tree rise up to wrap around her ankle and she takes a hard stumble, coming to a stop. She looks around in panic as the brush and roots continue to furl and climb around her, a writhing mass of hostile plantlife. She grabs at the vine with her free hands, tearing it away as quickly as it can wrap around her and managing to get free and back on her feet- but she's still surrounded by the hostile plant life.

She begins to pick her way through it, trying to move away from the approaching adventurers- but going is slow, as she has to continually bat away the vegitation going after her.

GAME: Culix rolls 3: (9)+3: 12

Maybe it's just not knowing the spell, maybe it's trusting in her ability to power through it, Ebonne just keeps sprinting forwards. She looks down at Tommy for a moment, "Ware the possibility of ambushers." Is all her harmonious voice gets across, to much running, to much focus, trying not to slip and fall in the mood as the weight of her foot comes down and leaves a /deep/ track. She'd be easy to follow and trace for sure.

"Ramirez! Do not step on the grabby grass. The grass will stain. You will be green!" Paenitia warns; her peacock-andalusian reacts loudly to this, 'Ruaaah!' He will not be stained. "Go around."

Ramirez gallops and glides up to the edge of the woods, then tucks his wings in. He slows, running as best he can around the trees, shrubs and over the fallen logs, circling the entanglement area to cut off the Lookout's retreat.

As they arrive, the Red Knight is working her lance into position. She can't point the tip, but still says happily, "I block the way. My friends, they approach. They will beat yours. Struggle more and you shall be the first to die."

Tommy puts on a burst of speed he didn't know he had and pulls ahead of the war golem now. He shoots glances at the patch of magical growth, trying to guage where it extends, in between eying the bandit scout to see if she tries to turn in another direction. "You can still surrender!" he calls out in a singsong voice. "Then nobody would have to die, at all!"

Her contribution to the chase made, Aimarra doesn't bother shouting anything else, letting the plants do the work and saving her breath for the run.

Benefit? She's warming up.

<OOC> Culix says, "Alright, reflex save DC13"
GAME: Smuldur rolls reflex: (15)+4: 19

Smuldur foils the flailing foliage with genuine gobber guile! That and a burning torch mimght've scared and/or burned some of it away. He skitters right up to the annoyed woman and flails his torch up in her face. "Stop! Or will fire!"

<OOC> Culix says, "Bandit is going to drop her bow, draw her sword and try to stab Smuldur."
GAME: Culix rolls 4: (9)+4: 13

Entangled and rapidly becoming encircled, a wise individual would likely give up. And while bandits may be many things, wise is rarely one of them. "You reckon?" she retorts back to Paenitia. "Any minute now the rest of the gals will be here and fill the lot of you with holes!" she hisses. Now that the party are drawing closer, they can see she bears a tattoo on her face of a serpent. An apparent trademark of this particular gang of outlaws. Hers coils around her throat and snakes up to her temple where her auburn hair is shorn short.

She drops her bow as the torch is waved in her face, rearing back- as best as the vines allow her to, and reaches with some difficulty for her sword. She attempts to draw it and slash at Smuldur, but between the vines and the unstable footing, the blade gets caught up in its sheath and spoils her strike.

GAME: Ebonne rolls perception: (6)+2: 8
GAME: Culix rolls 3+20: (12)+3+20: 35

When the lucht somehow pulls away from Ebonne, she shakes her head and slides to a stop, leaving a furrough in the rain soaked earth behind her. Straightening up she places her bow back into a ready position and looks around, not bothering to try and be more intimidating than a goblin with a torch... cuz goblin with a torch.

Looking around she looks up, and down, and all around, but otherwise doesn't seem to see anything to react to other than being sentry-bot with a bow.

<OOC> Paenitia says, "Right, gotchya, so do that. He'll bite, it's a +4/1d6+3, then I'll stab with the lance"
GAME: Paenitia rolls 1d20+4: (20)+4: 24 (THREAT)
GAME: Paenitia rolls 1d20+4: (11)+4: 15 (Not Confirmed)
GAME: Paenitia rolls weapon8: (20)+5: 25 (THREAT)
GAME: Paenitia rolls weapon8: (14)+5: 19 (CONFIRMED)
<OOC> Paenitia says, "damage Ramirez, then damage me"
GAME: Paenitia rolls 1d6+3: (3)+3: 6
GAME: Paenitia rolls damage8: aliased to 1d6+1: (6)+1: 7
GAME: Paenitia rolls damage8: aliased to 1d6+1: (4)+1: 5
GAME: Paenitia rolls damage8: aliased to 1d6+1: (5)+1: 6
<OOC> Paenitia says, "Ramirez reflex +6, rolling"
GAME: Paenitia rolls 1d20+6: (17)+6: 23 

"Ramirez! Attack!" Paenita orders. Her ivory and crimson steed leaps forward, forelegs curled up to avoid the grass, gliding until he must put them down. Perhaps the bandit was not aware that peacocks enjoy eating snakes, and for a horse-sized one they can be hard to come by. Exposing her serpent tattoo is tantamount to begging for her throat to be ripped open, and it nearly is as the peacock-andalusian snaps his beak around it.

At the same time, Paenitia leans in with her lance. The woman turned her back to her, and the lance point goes in through her spine and bursts out of her chest, stabbing through her heart. She collapses, hearts blood pumping, expiring. The blood splurts backwards as she withdraws the weapon, onto the white of the peacock's feathers.

"You ignore me at your peril. I am not the joke. You will no longer bring misery to the people."

Smuldur waves his torch around with a grin.

Tommy steps into the patch of entangling overgrowth, watching in fascination as it responds. He doesn't make it very far before he's entangled himself, and slows to a crawl. "Maybe she had more signal arrows," he calls out to the knight. "We could send up another one!"

<OOC> Culix says, "Give me a DC10 athletics roll, for the climbing"
GAME: Aimarra rolls athletics: (7)+4: 11"
<OOC> Culix says, "In the mean time, perception tests for everyone"
GAME: Culix rolls 2+10: (13)+2+10: 25
GAME: Ebonne rolls perception: (8)+2: 10
GAME: Paenitia rolls perception: (13)+4: 17
GAME: Paenitia rolls 1d20+5: (12)+5: 17 (Ramirez perception)
GAME: Tommy rolls perception: (9)+5: 14
GAME: Aimarra rolls stealth: (16)+7: 23
GAME: Aimarra rolls perception: (18)+11: 29

Their quarry goes down, but others have been caught? With a quick wave of her hand, Aimarra bids the vegetation return to its quiescent state, and it does, the vines and tree limbs retracting and assuming their old shapes. "Get out of sight!" she shouts to the others, and suits actions to words, running a few feet closer and nimbly scaling a nearby tree. In seconds, she is gone, vanished amid the evergreen foliage, but she calls out only, "Five, they're closest to you, Sister," to the others before hushing up.

<OOC> Culix says, "You do all have partial concealment, so 20% miss chance on ranged shots."
<OOC> Culix says, "In initiative order so Ebonne, paenitia, Tommy, Aimarra"
GAME: Culix rolls 7: (18)+7: 25
GAME: Culix rolls 7: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Culix rolls 7: (7)+7: 14
GAME: Culix rolls 7: (3)+7: 10
GAME: Culix rolls 1d100: (77): 77 (20% miss chance)
GAME: Culix rolls 1d8: (3): 3

No sooner has Aimarra's warning been called that the whistling of arrows through the branches rings out to announce their presence. A cascade of feathered death comes hurtling towards the group, the soft thunks of arrowheads burying themselves in soil or wood filling the air- that is, except for one definitely metalic ping as one such arrow punctures Ebones chassis just above the knee.

"You did not know she was a criminal." Ebonne says with discordance angrily altering her normal harmonious vocal tones, "You may have murdered an innocent woman." She looks at the others, "Can anyone save her?" The war golem looked around at the others, judging their reactions as she approaches and looks at the dying woman. "We cannot ask her questions now, we do not even know she is one of those who attacked the wagon." Her harmonics are slow, muted, sad now. At the hushed words from Aimarra she starts to sling her bow and ready her sword and shield for the inevitable... er ongoing combat.

As an arrow flies out of the treet and glances off her breastplate to stick into her shoulder the War Golem sighs, "This could have all been avoided." And turns to face the direction the arrow came out of.

"You did not see the mark of the serpent? Hear her words, my offer of protection and for surrender?" Paenitia asks, happily wheeling Ramirez around towards the source of the arrows. They have feathery death; she has feathery death. "Listen more closely, I shall offer it again."

"Ramirez, advance and guard!" The Red Knight commands, her glorious white peacock weaving through the trees, his eyes glittering as he seeks more snakes. As she gets closer, the little Lucht calls out.

"I am Sister Paenita del Haranna, Knight of the Pillar and Paladin of Tarien. I offer surrender and safety to those who will. Those who won't, I offer to bring an end to the misery you inflict on the common folk. I also beg your names so you do not die ingnominiously."

Her crimson stained lance emphasises her statement. She points to the four locations where she's spotted the archers. "There, there, there, there. You are seen." Her ever smiling mask enhancing both offer and threat.

GAME: Paenitia rolls intimidate: (16)+7: 23
<OOC> Culix says, "They are all Shaken"
GAME: Culix rolls 2+10: (17)+2+10-20: 9 (re-establish Stealth)
GAME: Paenitia rolls perception: (9)+4: 13
GAME: Aimarra rolls perception: (10)+11: 21
GAME: Tommy rolls perception: (17)+5: 22
GAME: Tommy casts Obscuring Mist. Caster Level: 3 DC: 15

Tommy weaves his hands through arcane patterns, a mist rises from the ground, surrounding and hiding the booted Lucht.

<OOC> Culix says, "Alright. They're one range increment out, so you'll be at a -2 to hit."
GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon1-2: (13)+8+-2: 19
GAME: Aimarra rolls 1d6+3: (1)+3: 4
GAME: Aimarra rolls 1d20: (15): 15 (partial concealment)
GAME: Aimarra rolls stealth: (20)+7-20+10: 17

From somewhere near where Aimarra vanished, a well-placed arrow lashes out of the bare trees, streaking past one of the bandit ladies and leaving a bloody furrow behind it, but anyone looking back where it came from? Where is she?

Aimarra herself, meanwhile, doesn't bother with words. She has a job to do, and that doesn't require chatter that gives away her position.

<OOC> Culix says, "All archers on Paenitia"
GAME: Culix rolls 7-2: (16)+7+-2: 21
GAME: Culix rolls 7-2: (5)+7+-2: 10
GAME: Culix rolls 7-2: (11)+7+-2: 16
GAME: Culix rolls 7-2: (4)+7+-2: 9
GAME: Culix rolls 7-2: (10)+7+-2: 15
GAME: Culix rolls 1d8: (1): 1
GAME: Archers damaged Paenitia for 1 points of nonlethal. Paenitia has 1 total.

There are several long moments of silence after Paenitia's spiel- the Bandits look between themselves, and seem to be weighing up their options. They are clearly more than a little off-put by the bloody lance. And then an arrow comes sailing in, and strikes one of them in the thigh. She lets out a cry of pain, and then they all decide to shoot at the one threat they CAN see. A hail of arrows clatters against Paenitia's armor, doing little damagee. And the archers begin to move away, trying to withdraw back into the forest while still firing at the group.

Ebonne, having spotted the enemies that are firing arrows at them, breaks out into a run, bolting through the sparse trees and foliage towards the nearest archer that had decided to try and turn the golem into a pincushion to at least a little effect. Her shield comes up in front of her as she charges, long tail streaming behind her and sword held back and to the side so as to not get caught up on any underbrush she might hvae to run past.

GAME: Paenitia rolls intimidate: (17)+7: 24

The incoming arrows converge on the Red Knight. She raises her shield. There is a clattering and sparking as the arrows bounce off it and her rusted mail. One finds a spot near her wrist, striking hard enough to sting without drawing blood.

"Ramirez, advance!" The peacock-andalusian does so, weaving between the trees. It's a slow chase, he is hampered by the terrain, yet in some ways it enhances the threat. Paenitia sounds unconcerned with what she's advancing towards, her voice has a happy lilt to it, "Arrows are not the signs of friendship. I still offer surrender, but this offer, she is not forever. If you will not give names I will challenge your leader. Someone will answer me!"

GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon1 -2: (3)+8+-2: 9

The second shot from the tree is less on-target, whistling over the heads of the retreating bandits, and Aimarra mutters something entirely unladylike, dropping down out of her perch in the tree as her quarry begins to move away. "And cowards to boot, but then, most bandits are," she mutters.

To be continued...

Combatty Stuff

===========================>  Sheet for Paenitia  <===========================

===============================>  Companion  <================================
 Name: Ramirez             Type: HIPPOGRIFF  SIZE: L Levels: 3
 HD: 3 (D8)  HP: 19/19  BAB: 2  MELEE: 4  RANGED: 4  AC: 16 CMB: 6  CMD: 19 
 MOVEMENT:   40             ATTACKS: Bite +4 1d6+3 and 2 claws +4 1d4+3
 SPECIAL:    DARKVISION 60 FT, EVASION, GLIDE, LINK, LOW-LIGHT VISION, MAGICAL
             CREATURE COMPANION, SCENT, and SHARE SPELLS
 Saves:      FORTITUDE: 5   REFLEX: 6   WILL: 2
 Skills:     Fly 1(7), Perception 1(5), and Stealth 1(3)
 Feats (2):  ARMOR PROF LIGHT and COMBAT REFLEXES
 Tricks(8):   
 Attributes: STR: 16  DEX: 16  CON: 14  INT: 2   WIS: 12  CHA: 11 
==============================>  Emblem of Ea  <==============================

 ===================== Current Initiative Order - Round 3 =====================
 ---Init--Name------------AOO-Notes--------------------------------------------
     23   Smuldur          1  
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     18   Bandit Archer 2     
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     15   Bandit Archer 4     
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     14   Bandit Archer       
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     12   Bandit Archer 5     
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     9    Ebonne           1  
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     7    Paenitia         1  
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     6    Tommy            1  
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     5    Aimarra          1  
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  >> 4    Bandit Archer 3  1   <<
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<OOC> Paenitia says, "Smulder Smulder burning bright, he is the goblin that explodes in the night!"