Death House

[VAN]

"I thought that was too easy..."

Van gets his swords and says to the gnomes:

"Guys, I cannot tell you what to do and of course payback is necessary to these royals scums but now we need defend the refugees. If we survive then you are free to use whatever trick you have to get me the traitors! Good luck!"

[kintire]

Kimber



crouch runs away from the wagon, but swiftly slows and seeks the cover of mist or terrain. She has a clear advantage over the humans around her as she can see clearly in the darkness, but she remains aware that others might have the same advantages

[alhoon]

The enemy breaks through the trees and a few come out of one of the wagons. While a few royalists wear insignia of the royal army, most seem to be an assortment of local human and half-orc mercenaries and bandits that would work for everyone promising them gold. They are equipped with an assortment of melee, thrown and ranged weapons and most wear light armor. There is nothing noble in the way these people fight; to make sure the rebels don't make a concentrated attack the royalists attack women and children indiscrimably all along the caravan littering the ground with bodies of innocent people. Many of the refugees run for the trees and while the actual royalist soldiers ignore them largerly, the mercenaries try to stem their escape if there are no other people to fight.
This is going to be a massacre.


[Rough map; 1 square is 10']

VIEW CONTENT:

A is the ruined prisoner wagon. B is where Captain Eshethor is. Royalist squads are marked with porphyra lines. Rebel squads are green lines. Refugee squads of armed peasants are green lines with a \ crossing them. M is the mage Truear (described bellow).
This map is just to help you visualize the situation, it's not an accurate battle map, positions are indicative, not precise.

Van, Vorj and Kimber get a glimpse of Captain Eshethor finishing two half-orcs. A large royalist soldier with two-handed sword steps towards him and the captain rushes to meet him. But before Eshethor makes two steps... his sword flies out of his hands. In the growing darkness they can see a thin man with greasy black hair, dressed in black with a sword on his hip holding a pouch. Van and Vorj vaguely recognise him from descriptions of other captives. He's Truear, a warrior-mage leader of a royalist paramilitary band. He has a reputation of viciousness, cruelty and of bad relation with soap and water.

The large royalist warrior approaches the disarmed commander of the rebels that backs up... and grabs a toddler crying over the corpse of her mother. The little girl shrieks in panic as Eshethor shields himself with the 3-years old. The royalist, a soldier, pauses midswing shocked and unable to risk a hit on a two-years-old. Eshethor capitalizes on this momentary confusion and, holding the girl with his right hand, draws a pistol with his left and shoots the enemy in the face. He then sets down the girl, picks up his sword and rushes to keep fighting as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Mage in the tree-line!" he shouts pointing to Truear.

Jegren seems shocked by the display of callousness. "What kind of monster hides behind little girls?" he mouths. Then he looks Vorj right in the eyes. "This is wrong. I won't go yet. I wish you luck." is all he says as he runs towards the fight. Grabbing a mace he hits a burly half-orc from behind as he was about to finish off an old man lying on the ground. Two rebels were rushing towards the half-orc and they momentarily stop. "In an hour, we fight for the rebellion. Now we fight for the children" is all they tell to him and rush to find other enemies to engage. Jergen rushes to join his former captors to help them fight his allies.

A warrior, a boy really in his early teens, spots the escaping captives. He's holding a sling and sets it in motion with a grim look on his face, targeting Kimber and Vorj when an arrow pierces his neck and cuts short his life. He drops to the ground, and dies with a few violent spasms. His sling has fallen out of his hands and is within easy reach of Kimber.

The gnomes are unnoticed thanks to Gorric's efforts. Blund draws some attention to him as he follows his brother but its from a group of refugees, old men and young boys holding chair-legs and kitchen-knives preparing to fight warriors.

[VAN]

Van looks around the masacre trying to decide who to help first when sees the Captain, a man that he considered honorable use the girl as a shield. He has barely 1 second to get disgusted though since people were killed all around him. As he fights his way towards the group of unarmed refugees he yells:

"VorJ, I know we have differences but for heaven sake help these people! Help me clear a passage through the forest."

Following his own advice heads to the right where unarmed men, women and children are brutally killed and slashing with his scimitars right and left tries to buy them some time so they can run. He engages even more enemies at the same time so the others can run. He doesn't care if he is the main target of the half-orcs and the bandits now, these royals have to pay for what they did and if he is going down he wants to make sure he will take with him more enemies possible.

[ewancummins]

GNORRIC sneaks up on the enemy Mage, if he can, and attempts to backstab him.
If he cannot get that close, then he will attempt to create a distraction ( setting powder alight, rolling a wagon into soldiers, etc) that will buy some of the refugees time to escape.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Vorj utters a dark oath as he watches Captain Eshethor's cowardly action. "I swear, one night you will know the terror of a helpless child!"

He's about to run off after the royalist...

"Vorj, I know we have differences but for heaven sake help these people! Help me clear a passage through the forest."

He looks at the carnage being created around him by the mercenaries and rebels. He turns to Kimber and says, "Keep an eye on Eshethor if you can! Let me know where he goes!"

Then he runs toward the fighting, sword in hand. Catching up to Van, he says, "We'll argue later. Protect the villagers now!"

[kintire]

Kimber stands up from securing the sling, salutes, almost correctly, and turns into the surging melee. She has scarcely gone ten steps when a mercenary with a bloodstained sword turns from his latest victim and strides rapidly towards her.

"Wait, I'm a Royalist prisoner!"

He just grins and closes on her swinging his sword in a casual backhand slash to open her belly through the sleeveless sackcloth tunic she is wearing, his grin fading as his sword slides along it, revealing that the outfit is in fact two layers of sackcloth with boiled hide plates between them.

"Well if that's the way you want it!"

She lifts her club, and for an instant there is a patch of light among the grass below her, that leaps upwards into the polished wood. Suddenly it grows in her hand, turning gnarled and thorny and with a ferocious beak like that of a raven jutting forward from the tip. The twists and gnarls remain outlined with a green glimmer, leaving trails in the darkness as she swings. It smacks into the side of his head just below the helm with a satisfying CRUNCH The mercenary drops to the floor, twitching.

"Hah!"

She crouches again, grabs his shield and moves into the fray following her mark, closing in on the ruthless rebel scum. Mercenaries close with her several times, but most swerve to an easy target on seeing the glimmering shillelagh, and those that do not, regret it!

[VAN]

"That's what I was wanting to hear!"

Moving past the paladin Van slashes twice a bandit that was ready to kill a woman who was trying to run. Without stopping Van kicks the bandit and moves forward to the next one that was arming his bow. Ignoring a bolt that gets his back the fighter uses his weight to throw the bandit off balance and the bow drops to the ground. Smashing the bow with his feet uses the momentum to slash the man at the chest killing him instantly. A kid's cry of pain makes him turn just in time to see a half-orc rising his axe and attacking. Van spins to save the poor kid, but two mercenaries with swords cut his way. Van engages the first one slashing him at the arm hoping to disarm him, but the other makes a deep cut at his right leg. Van cries in pain but still manages to finish the bandit in front of him and turn to the one that hit him. The mercenary slashes him again getting his chest this time, but Van's armor gets most of the damage. Van knows that he has to hurry so aims at the man's leg where was no armor. Then accompanies his first attack with a back swing and a kick almost cutting man's leg off. The bandit is off balance so misses Van that finishes him with a clear cut at the neck and moves finally to the half orc that was ready to attack an older man unarmed. The man has raised his hands and closed his eyes unable to avoid the blow. Van jumps forward and with his left sword blocks the half orc's axe giving the elder man time to flee in the forest. The right scimitar tries to get the beast at the belly but misses. The half orc attacks again aiming Van's head, but Van gets a step back avoiding most of the damage. At the same time another crossbow bolt gets the fighter at the right arm without stopping him though of making two deep cuts at the half orc's chest. Getting a deep breath and ignoring his wounds Van presses forward driving his right scimitar at the same wound making it even deeper and the left one at the left leg but his second attack misses target. The axe falls hard at the fighter's armor making him almost lose balance and fall back. Spitting blood Van counter attacks and finally with his second attack the scimitar gets half orcs heart and it drops dead in front of Van's legs. Without celebrating victory Van turns to see what's Vorj situation and if the paladin needs any help.

[alhoon]

As blood, much of it his own, wets Van's clothes he suddenly feels a warm, welcoming energy rushing through his body. He can feel his wounds closing, his blood being replenished. He turns to see the dwarf cleric Burdur, holy symbol in one hand, bloodied mace in the other in deep concentration as he murmurs the prayers that guided his god to heal Van. The afterglow of a warm, white light seems to gleam on the holy symbol and subsides as the spell ends.
Burdur looks at Van. It's not even a moment, certainly without giving Van any chance to thank him or talk before the dwarf does what Van knew him to do best: Complain.
"What do you wait for?! I didn't heal you so you could sit there like a door-pole! Move you huge ox!"

[VAN]

Even if still wounded and in the middle of what seems like a masacre Van cannot help his smile.

"Right on"

These are the only words he says to the dwarf as moves to aid Vorj and help more refugees.

[steveflam]

Gnorric sneaks up on the enemy Mage, if he can, and attempts to backstab him.
If he cannot get that close, then he will attempt to create a distraction ( setting powder alight, rolling a wagon into soldiers, etc) that will buy some of the refugees time to escape.

When Gnorric is close enough, Bhunder proceeds to cast a ray of frost at the mage to startle him, so that his brother may get the upper hand in

backstabbing their enemy.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Vorj strides into the fight, cutting down anyone whom he sees attacking the defenseless. "You filth! You mock whatever cause you claim to follow! If coin be your god, I shall give you payment aplenty!"

[alhoon]

Four enemies close in on Esthenor. He quickly dispatches one and sends the others running. Truear doesn't turn to flee. He just draws his sword. Esthenor shouts "down with Stebanor, king of snakes!" and rushes towards the mage. Light starts to gather around the mage as he chants...
Till an icy cold bolt from the Bhunder hits him straight on the chest. Truear turns... which makes Gnorric's backstab miss. The wizard notices the small enemy. "Assassins" he says with a raspy strained voice. The captain engages him in a fury. The mage throws up magical barriers that deflect most of Esthenor's hits. Gnorric doesn't manage to find an opening. Avoiding to hit his brother, Bhunder's rays keep missing. As they fight, Truear recides further from the caravan, drawing away Esthenor.
While Esthenor manages to keep his own, Gorric is not that lucky. Annoyed by the "little pest" Truear with an angry chant sends a bolt of fire that hits Gorric right in the chest.

Gorric:

VIEW CONTENT:

Sudden pain explodes on the gnome's chest as the bolt scorches through the armor to burn through skin and flesh. It feels like molten iron has been plunged on his chest, setting his insides alight. Gorric can smell burning flesh as he loses control of his legs and tumble on the wet earth. He tries to scream in the pain of a thousand red-hot needles piercing his chest but he can't; he doesn't have the breath for that left. He stays there as darkness sweetly covers his senses...

Bhunder watches his brother getting hit by a bolt of fire, dropping, twiching and then unmoving. Truear and Esthenor are back at fighting each other retreating deeper in the mists.
He hears the dwarf cleric Burdur next to him "That gotta hurt... Let's see if I can actually save a life" Burdur starts towards the fallen gnome.

Kimber sees the unpleasant gnome getting knocked out by a spell. He put up quite a fight from what she could see for one so small. Esthenor and Truear fight takes them further from the caravan.

As Vorj and Van fight to clear a path for the refugees, the cannons fire again. The fog makes it near impossible for the cannoneers to target anything but the looming shapes of the wagons. And they missed.
However, one of the cannonballs cut right through a throng of refugees that have gathered to follow Van and Vorj, killing one, maiming another and scattering them all.

And through it all, the fog, this mist is becoming thicker. The mists seem to grow with each death, with each scream.
Van and Vorj try to head back to the caravan... but each step seems to take them further away from it, whatever direction they try to take.
Kimber loses her quarry in the fog that her senses and experience tell her is unatural.
Gorric in and out of conciousness hears voices as wet mist covers his face. Warmth, pleasant, life-giving warmth spreads suddenly on him and the terrible pain subsides. He opens his eyes to see his brother and the frowning dwarf.
Bhunder watches as Burdur calls upon his God to save his brother, failing to notice they can't see anything more than a few feet away.

[ewancummins]

GNORRIC mumbles,
"Kill the Mage...run children, run..."
And then passes out again.

[kintire]

Kimber looks around in growing fear as the fog swirls around her bringing the sense of wrongness with it.

"Magic! Where's that wizard?"

But even as she speaks she feels more and more convinced that there is more to this than the efforts of a single wizard. She casts around with increasing desperation, trying to find Vorj, but unable to locate anyone, the sounds of the fight growing ever more distant...