Chapter 4.2: The Dim Journey to Orlane

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Apr 5, 2026 4:47 pm
Sora's eyes snap to the sound, even as her arms come to a fighting position.

Rolls

Initiative - (1d20+2)

(1) + 2 = 3

Apr 6, 2026 4:06 am
As he steadies his crossbow, Kazzak calls out toward the sound of the broken twig, "Show yourself! We mean no harm but we will defend ourselves!"
Apr 6, 2026 2:54 pm
"Not alone," Antonius murmurs, voice low but certain, raising a hand and signaling to halt and listen. "Someone watches us… and poorly. Hold. Let them reveal themselves—or we draw them out."

Berthold exclaims: "To arms! They are upon us!"

Kazzak loads his crossbow and aims into the trees. "Show yourself! We mean no harm but we will defend ourselves!"

In unison with the fighter, rogue Dell takes up his bow and nocks an arrow.

Amnestria rolls over backward and drops down between the packs riding with her in the wagon bed.

"I gotta admit," a masculine voice comes from behind the trees, "You guys were right. I thought for sure he was heading back to town and we'd never see him again." This person - Hider One - sighs, and the party members can pinpoint his location by his voice and by a half-glimpsed shape behind a tree. "So what's it gonna be: kill, capture, rob?"
Sora watches Hider One closely, poised to fight.

https://i.imgur.com/bBuxX4S.png
OOC:
Everyone, please post your round one turns.

14 - Antonius (10/10)
14 - Berthold (11/11)
14 - Kazzak (12/12)
11 - Dell 9/9
7 - Amnestria (9/9)
5 - Hiders
3 - Sora (12/12)
0 - Noncombatant servants
Apr 6, 2026 4:53 pm
Kazzak says to Berthold, "Fire and charge forward? Or stay and fight?"
Apr 6, 2026 4:55 pm
Sora dismounts the wagon, ready for a fight. If an enemy comes near her, she will strike. Otherwise, she waits to see the situation.
Apr 6, 2026 4:59 pm
OOC:
@spaceseeker19 Who’s driving the wagon? Based on the image, it appears to me that Dell and Antonius are in front.
Apr 6, 2026 8:16 pm
Amnestria pokes her head up over the side of the wagon, pulling her backpack with her as a rudimentary barrier. Her heart can be heard screaming through her chest, while her mind races to recall the somantic gestures of a Fire Bolt cantrip.
OOC:
Taking the Ready action to cast Fire Bolt at Hider Three, assuming I can see which tree he's behind. The trigger is if H3 or any of his friends attack.

Rolls

Amnestria Elyphara: Fire Bolt vs H3 (3/4 cover) - (1d20+5, 1d10)

1d20+5 : (11) + 5 = 16

1d10 : (6) = 6

Apr 6, 2026 8:25 pm
Dell keeps his cool and moves to the back of the wagon using stealth. As he passes Berthold he will say under his breath"We have another creeper behind and to our south." He will be prepared to slip into the trees to try and come up behind H2 if need be.
Last edited April 6, 2026 8:27 pm

Rolls

Stealth - (1d20+9)

(12) + 9 = 21

Apr 7, 2026 12:07 am
rpgventurer says:
Who’s driving the wagon? Based on the image, it appears to me that Dell and Antonius are in front.
OOC:
Everyone has been trading off during the journey yesterday. Dell and Antonius are on the buckboard now, but anyone can sit in, and (as long as they aren't attacked) the oxen only need a hand on the reins to keep walking. But letting the wagon stop is also an option.
Apr 7, 2026 7:08 am
At the voice from the trees, Antonius reacted without hesitation—hauling the oxen to a sharp halt before stepping down from the wagon in one fluid motion. His eyes swept the treeline, instantly fixing on the half-hidden form of Hider One, then shifting to where instinct—and long years in the watch—told him the others lurked. He moved toward the edge of the road, placing himself between threats, dimly aware of Dell slipping to guard the rear without needing a word.

The crimson glow of his amulet of Wee Jas flared faintly as he raised his hand, voice cutting cleanly through the tension. "Drop." The word carried weight—more than sound, more than command—as divine authority lashed out toward the hidden figure to the south, seeking to break their will and drag them from cover.
OOC:
Move: head to stand between the trunk and brown tree south of cart.
Action: Cast Command on hider two. WIS DC13
Apr 7, 2026 5:58 pm
Kazzak mumbles, "I have your answer." He fires a crossbow bolt at Hider One, aiming at the shadows between the branches.

Rolls

Crossbow attack/damage at H1 - (1d20+2, 1d8+2)

1d20+2 : (7) + 2 = 9

1d8+2 : (8) + 2 = 10

Apr 7, 2026 8:44 pm
Setting his helm on his head, Baronet Dunsdale cried out orders to his retinue.

"Guilbert, get on the cart and keep it moving, Olyana, take cover in the cart! Reynald, cover Guilbert, here, take my shield!"

Handing his shield over to his squire, Berthold began rushing northward, toward his best approximation of the position he supposes the brigand might be hiding.
OOC:
Berthold is wielding his sword two handed, and moving to the unseen assailant to the north trying to plunge into the forest cover for some concealment. His goal is to move and, if necessary, dash until he is engaged with his foe, hopefully imposing disadvantage on any ranged weapon attack. If he can get an attack in this round, he’ll do so.
Last edited April 7, 2026 8:45 pm
Apr 7, 2026 11:30 pm
matmaisan says:
Berthold is wielding his sword two handed, and moving to the unseen assailant to the north trying to plunge into the forest cover for some concealment. His goal is to move and, if necessary, dash until he is engaged with his foe, hopefully imposing disadvantage on any ranged weapon attack. If he can get an attack in this round, he’ll do so.
OOC:
@matmaisan - Your target is 40' to the north, so Berthold could either run up to be adjacent to the target with a Dash, get closer and stop behind a tree (for cover), or run into the trees and try to actively Hide (roll a DEX-Stealth check). But he's too far to get adjacent and attack with a melee weapon on the same turn. Which would you like Berthold to do?

Rolls

Secret Roll

Apr 8, 2026 4:52 am
Round One
(this is followed by round two)

"Fire and charge forward?" Kazzak asks the Baronet, aiming his crossbow into the trees, "Or stay and fight?"

Meanwhile, Antonius stops the oxen and jumps down from the buckboard. Stepping off of the Road in between tree trunks, the cleric holds aloft the bloody glowing amulet and intones his Command with all the sepulchral authority of Wee Jas: "Drop!" to the half-seen figure to the south.
Hider Two drops what he's holding. "What? Faskat!" he swears aloud.

Not answering Kazzak directly, "Guilbert, get on the cart and keep it moving!" Berthold issues the command as he vaults over the side of the wagon and lands with a jangle of heavy armor on the Road. "Olyana, take cover in the cart!" he adds as he runs past her, and then tosses his shield to the boy, "Reynald, cover Guilbert, here, take my shield!" Then, drawing his huge sword, the knight crashes through the foliage to seek cover in the trees as he approaches the figure he's spotted to the north.

Kazzak realizes that he has his answer and presses the lever that looses the crossbow bolt. The shaft disappears into the trees.

Dell hops down into the bed of the wagon, pushes past Kazzak, Amnestria, and Sora to jump down off the back of the wagon, and dives into the trees, ducking out of view of Hider Two.

Amnestria pokes her head up over the side of the wagon, pulling her backpack with her as a rudimentary barrier. She can hear her heart pounding in her chest, but she calms her mind through long practice, recalling the familiar movements of creating fire from the Weave and the arcane phrases that she must vocalize to send the flame flying through the air.
https://i.imgur.com/c7JQtmQ.png

The half-seen hidden figures in the trees yell and attack.
The first hidden figure, One, looses a bolt at the boy, Reynald. But the crossbow bolt clips an ox, so the bolt goes wide. The ox screams in pain and starts to try to run, held back by its yoke.
Two, who no longer has his crossbow in hand, draws a sword and runs at Antonius. He misses completely.
The third hidden figure, Three, looses a crossbow bolt at Olyena. Olyena falls with a bolt lodged in her chest, dying.
Completely undetected by the party until now, a hidden figure behind the wagon, Four, looses a crossbow bolt at Amnestria.
Amnestria takes 5 piercing damage as the bolt strikes her in the shoulder. Her owl flaps up in alarm.
https://i.imgur.com/NminqNS.png
In response, Amnestria lets the magic roll forth from her, sending fire through the trees to engulf Hider Three.
Hider Three takes 6 fire damage and she dies horribly.
https://i.imgur.com/nGR2ppF.png

Seeing the approach of the ambushers, Sora leaps out of the wagon with a clatter and rushes into the woods, crashing through the underbrush to come around the broken tree stump to attack Hider Two with kicks and punches.
Hider Two takes 10 bludgeoning damage!

https://i.imgur.com/kq5uHCW.png

Seeing his servant struck down in the attack, Berthold yells, "Reynald, get Olyena in the carriage!"
As Guilbert climbs up onto the buckboard and takes the reins, young Reynald looks back and forth between Guilbert and Olyena. Deciding which order to obey, Reynald tosses the shield into the back of the wagon and gets his arms under Olyena's bleeding form and then tries to stand up. He manages to do so with a huge grunt of effort; the full-grown woman weighs a bit more than he does. Then he tries to figure out how to get her up and over the lip into the bed of the wagon when he can't throw her in (even if he was able to throw more than his own body weight over his head, he wouldn't want to treat her so carelessly). Eventually he flops her body over the side and walks his hands down her body, pressing her weight up to lever her over the side and rolling her as gently as he can into the wagon; it's not too much of a drop.
For her part, Olyena tries to cling to life, but the damage to her organs makes it difficult.
Olyena fails her first death save.

https://i.imgur.com/4rvRI3f.png
14 - Antonius (10/10)
14 - Berthold (11/11)
14 - Kazzak (12/12)
11 - Dell 9/9
7 - Amnestria (4/9)
5 - Hider 1, Hider 2 (-10), Hider 3 (dead), Hider 4
3 - Sora (12/12)
0 - Noncombatant servants: Guilbert, Olyena (dying, one failure), Reynald

Rolls

Hider 2 WIS save DC13 - (1d20)

(10) = 10

One target (1 - Antonius, 2 - Kazzak, 3 - Reynald) - (1d3)

(3) = 3

Two sword attack on Antonius AC16, slashing damage - (1d20+3, 1d6+1)

1d20+3 : (1) + 3 = 4

1d6+1 : (1) + 1 = 2

Three target (1 Berthold, 2 Guilbert, 3 Olyena, 4 Reynald, 5 Amnestria, 6 Sora, 7 Kazzak) - (1d7)

(3) = 3

Four target (1 Dell, 2 Sora, 3 Amnestria, 4 Guilbert) - (1d4)

(3) = 3

One crossbow attack on Reynald AC15 (from ox cover), piercing damage - (1d20+3, 1d8+1)

1d20+3 : (11) + 3 = 14

1d8+1 : (4) + 1 = 5

Three crossbow attack on Olyena AC15 (from tree cover), piercing damage - (1d20+3, 1d8+1)

1d20+3 : (19) + 3 = 22

1d8+1 : (6) + 1 = 7

Four crossbow attack on Amnestria AC17 (from wagon cover), piercing damage - (1d20+3, 1d8+1)

1d20+3 : (17) + 3 = 20

1d8+1 : (4) + 1 = 5

Apr 8, 2026 6:25 pm
"Take cover!" A gleam in his eye, Kazzak grabs his sword and shield and jumps off the wagon.

"Antonious! I got him." The dwarf engages Hider Two with a vicious slash of his sword.
OOC:
If there's space in the square with the tree, he'll go straight at Hider Two, otherwise, he'll go around the tree.

Post-roll edit: I don't think Kazzak got him.
Last edited April 8, 2026 6:27 pm

Rolls

Longsword attack/damage against Hider Two - (1d20+5, 1d8+5)

1d20+5 : (4) + 5 = 9

1d8+5 : (6) + 5 = 11

Apr 8, 2026 7:30 pm
Amnestria panics as the pain fills her body, dropping her back down into the wagon. The terrible sensation and sight of her own blood staining her clothes, the shivering bolt stuck in her shoulder, and the shouts and cries of her companions momentarily overwhelm her.

"Help them!"
she says, the stress of the situation giving leave of the telepathic connection with her owl. Perhaps her familiar is made of sterner stuff, as the owl immediately takes to the air.

Grallaria the fey burrowing owl zips between the overhead branches towards Hider Four. As she nears, she gives an alarm call of a shrill cry and rapid chirps, signalling where H4 can be found.
OOC:
In her panic, Amnestria takes the Dodge action.
Her familiar will perform the Help action for anyone targeting H4.
If Amnestria is hit by an attack, she might use her Reaction to cast Shield if the +5 AC will help.
Apr 8, 2026 9:05 pm
Dell will quickly shoulder his bow and and draw his rapier as he moves toward H4 trying to stay out of their line of sight for a flanking attack.
OOC:
Dell will move 6 spaces to the west to get closer to H4
Last edited April 8, 2026 9:08 pm
Apr 9, 2026 12:44 am
OOC:
@WhtKnt - you can finish round one with Sora's action, now that you know the layout of the field at the start of her turn.
Apr 9, 2026 12:57 am
Amid the sudden chaos, Antonius shut out the cries—the wounded ox, the clash of steel, the sharp intake of breath as Olyena fell. His focus narrowed to the man rushing him through the trees. With practiced ease, he brought his shield up, turning his body to meet the attack as the blade whistled harmlessly past. The crimson glow of his amulet of Wee Jas pulsed faintly against his chest as he stepped forward into the space his enemy had overcommitted, warhammer—Final Measure—coming up in a tight, controlled arc. There was no flourish, no wasted motion—only the calm, deliberate strike of a man who had faced violence before and met it without hesitation.

Rolls

Antonius Block: Warhammer - Attack - (1d20+5)

(17) + 5 = 22

Antonius Block: Warhammer - Damage - (1d8+3)

(1) + 3 = 4

Apr 9, 2026 12:18 pm
Without time to ponder the fact his initial quarry had just been consumed in flames, the knight turned to the traitorous bastard who had attacked the party from the rear.

As he rushed onward, he cried out: "Reynald, get Olyena in the carriage!"

He once again moved at full speed to the foe, brandishing his long blade two-handed.
OOC:
Is the map scale 5ft? If so, Berthold will move up to 12 squares to engage hider #4.
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