Sigil

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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The state of illumination and fog was such now that Cavendish could not hide in the gloom any longer. He maintained the effects of soft cover from most angles, thanks to the roaring flame coming from the pitch barrels to the north and the semi-gelatinous burning hell which sloshed about on the fitted stone of the town square, this factor thanks to the involuntary impact of one of the fleshcrafted monsters just earlier. The fog which stood more than a few meters away from the flames remained as oppressive as ever, seeming to seal everyone into their own little world of fire and blood about the size of Avonshire's square.

The Constable's personal attack monster was living up to its name, pressing vicious attacks against its master with confused, unbridled rage even as swarms and swarms of rats milled about around them both. But speaking of rats; there seemed to be almost as many dead ones as live, thanks to the earlier attentions of the Abomination and the spilled, burning pitch. The area is still counted as Difficult Terrain. Flaming barrels which still stood continued to give Cavendish soft cover from several angles.

The rightmost cage, now relieved of its previous assault, stirred with a different sort of activity. The barmaid of Neil & Bob's Public House, Lea, had taken up the shortsword and began working at widening the hole that the monster had started, be it with inexpert strikes. The lefthand cage (and the one with the best, most horrifying view of the action this round) is making a little more noise. The damaged section of the cage here has a stout fishing rod placed into it, the other end held by the fisherman and Cecily. "If you can squeeze out, you keep running. Okay, miss?" she said to a young woman recognizable to those who have attended Madame Marcie's Honey Barn.

"Nice day for fishin'," stated the fisherman with an urgent, imperative tone, the muscles of his arms straining hard against the wood of their enclosure.

New Round

@Arty Fox Baronfjørd's moment to shine.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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X2

Location: G14 -> G8

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Under the Command of Marita, the sewn-together monstrosity plodded directly to her as she moved. Kathryn's attempt to grapple and move the beast failed, even with Victoria's help, and the magic which compelled its movement also prevented initiation of further action for the time being. Some may call it a blessing, others may make not that it now has a variety of targets available in melee range.

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Cavendish

Location: A10

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The intonations in the language of the Infernal continued, alternating between stern and condescending in tone, even if one did not understand the language. For those who could speak Infernal, Cavendish was addressing the monster as one might an unruly servant, with just enough reassurance and understanding necessary to attempt a correction of action yet completely devoid of compassion or most indications of respect. Now, it could be stated that the Constable was a man with force of personality; just the thing needed to reassert control. And so the creature slowed its assault on the rats nearby.

A broad smile took over Cavendish's features as he loudly commanded (in the Common tongue, this time), "The Devilspawn that burned me - KILL HER. Bring me the horns from her corpse."

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X1

Location: E9 -> B10

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A glimmer of understanding came over the great and terrible mishmash of anthropomorphized giant rodent parts; likely as response to the words of the Constable. Red eyes reflected firelight as it stood there, looking about absently. It seemed to listen to the words that its master spoke, and was compelled to act. Within the confines of this action, anything resembling the barest twinkle of cognitive thought or capacity to listen halted instantly, like a cookfire doused by a great bucket of water. It ceased its senseless attack upon the swarms of rats milling about around it, and turned toward its target with readied pause.

It turned toward Cavendish. The abomination's apathy shattered once again into mindless, bloodthirsty rage as it charged toward the master wererat, disregarding and almost slipping over the squirming mass of rodent bodies in its seeming urgency to cause damage. It stumbled close enough to make a first, wild swing, which the Constable avoided in a striking display of coordination. Once its footing was better established, it struck out again, this time delivering a hefty package of impact. Cavendish reeled back with the sudden involuntary acceptance of that much physical energy all at once, and brandished his wicked looking shortsword with a new target in mind.


- Several rats are dead and/or on fire, and the area to the north that is not aflame is still considered Difficult Terrain, with appropriate movement penalties.

- Concentration on the Hex spell currently afflicting Kathryn has been broken.

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Guard 2

Location: ?

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Unseen, unnoticed, and/or elsewhere, Guard 2 remains. Place whatever bets you need upon when he might show up next and what he might be doing at the moment.



@rivaan Kosara ends the round for us. Once again, please tag me so that I may get us set up for the new round.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 3 HP: 23 / 23 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: N/A Location: I11 -> H9 Action: Help Action (Kathryn, manhandling X2) Bonus Action: Reaction: N/A

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"I must be crazy," whispered Victoria. "This is NOT what I do." Sure enough, it most certainly was not. The actions she had already taken during this scuffle were not subject to her scrutiny as they all seemed fitting. Unfortunately, the one she was already tensing up to perform was subject to second, third, and fourth thoughts, which she might have heeded were she to allocate any time for consideration. Rational thought was the enemy here, if her survival was top priority. In fairness, it usually was.

A tiny glance was spared behind her, to see the retreating form of Morty (who was subject to the full blast of a Clerical Turning). If the beast was even in range to receive mental commands from her, it might not even respond. Her smoky, porcine bodyguard would not be available to assist in their struggle, and there wasn't a dead thing close enough for her to animate temporarily to take its place. So when she began to mentally put together the overall plan and the approximate reaction times of all parties on the blood-soaked chessboard that was the fountained square, the realization slammed into her that she was the optimal piece to make the move. Not an undead stand-in, as she might have utilized otherwise.

Victoria had to be foolish, and close into melee with the meaty juggernaut as Marita drew it close. Goblins were one thing - small creatures not prone to organization, the last group of them drunk beyond rational thought - but these creatures were another thing altogether. It was the height of personal stupidity and bad execution of her talents to move that near. Yet, as she heard the screams of the prisoners and remembered the mockery of the Constable, saw the faces of the people in trouble, the plum-hued Bard already felt her feet moving.

The newly silvered rapier leapt from its sheath, fitting comfortably in her hand as she surged forward into melee, following close behind the compelled movements of the Rat Abomination. Victoria met Kathryn's glance, nodding as she did to convey the unspoken message of her coming assistance, however minor it may have been considering the disparity in power and mass between the two women. Perhaps she could give just enough oomph to affect the success of her maneuver. Whatever she could do - grab a leg, tackle into the creature's side, flash her cloak in front of its eyes - she would do. More than likely slam into the thing at a critical moment. "I hope the Lady of Ravens is merciful. Or at least finds my life interesting." The latter was a more likely possibility.

@Remipa Awesome Kathryn has been given Advantage to her next grapple attempt, negating the Disadvantage of the Hex spell in this instance.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Guard 1

Location: ??

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For lack of a better way of putting it, Guard 1 is beyond the perception of the party. Hiding, possibly. Biding time, if you will. Regardless, no action nor discernible movement on the Wererat Guard's part has been noticed; no overt hostilities extended as of yet.

@Dragoknighte Marita is good to go. Best of luck.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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The overturned pitch barrel made the area to the north more hazardous, but provided needed illumination to offset the obscuring balance of light and dark; even the massive flare-up caused by Cavendish's magical enhancements was offset to a good degree. What it revealed to the north was a little disturbing to your average observer. For starters, rats. Lots and lots of rats, filling the ground and making the area hazardous. Thanks to the efforts of the berserk monster and the flaming pitch, many of those were already dead. The effect remained the same, living or not, as the area now counted as Difficult Terrain. The flaming barrels which still stood continued to give Cavendish soft cover from several angles.

As for the Constable's accompaniment, so far as the Guards are concerned, they were nowhere to be seen. Hiding nearby or run to save their own skins when the opportunity presented itself, only they could say for certain. Aside from the party, there were but two hulking abominations and one put out wererat Constable. Oh, and the many swarms of rats. Lest we forget.

The scuffle of feet and movement of bodies near to the leftmost cage did well to nudge the fisherman's pole a little closer to him, allowing his calloused fingertips to grasp the very end. He finally pulled it closer and got it into the cage with him. "G'mornin'!" he said with grim determination. If asked, he might well confirm that this is indeed a nice day for fishing.

New Round

@Arty Fox Baronfjørd may now lead us into the new round.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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X2

Location: G14

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The ineffectual attack from the Dragonborn's shortsword was seemingly quite forgotten, were it given notice at all in the first place, allowed the collection of giant, anthropomorphized rat parts given locomotion all of the necessary opportunity to heap a punishing strike upon the prisoner's enclosure once again. The damaged beam splintered inward, showering shards of inexpertly crafted wood upon the occupants therein. A sizeable hole had been opened which one might have been able to wriggle a human-sized torso through, which might have been advantageous were it not loomed over by a grotesque abomination bent on murder. Lea screamed in utter terror while Daisy and the girls from the Honey Barn shrunk back as far as they could from the crude opening, pulling the inconsolable barmaid with them.

This attack out of the way, the creature quickly swiped at Baronfjord, the closest reachable enemy to it. Its body rotated with the strike, committing a staggering blow to the monk while displaying a lack of passion in the whole affair. It remained where it stood, committed to task.

Baronfjord has taken 13 points of bludgeoning damage.

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Cavendish

Location: A10

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The Constable, if that title really applied to him anymore, could finally be spotted from behind the higher blaze to the north. This was thanks to the one toppled barrel, spilling its flaming contents across the thoroughfare and a bit to either side of the overturned mess. The illumination was such that things were better revealed, if perilous. Point of fact, the trunk of a stout tree nearby got splattered with a good amount of the sticky, burning stuff, promising to turn the tree into a great, greenwood torch in short seconds.

While Cavendish could be spotted from certain angles on the battlefield, his Guards could not. Where the might have gone to, none could reliably say in the moment. Instead of crossbow-wielding wererats, there was a multitude of regular sized ones, not unlike the swarms milling about town just out of the radius of light sources, between the Constable and the rest of the battlefield. Not all of them were living; the fire had claimed the lives of several from either direct contact or the inability of some to escape the heat for the presence of others. The great swarm did begin to scatter, though by no means did they yet give unfettered and easy ground to the principle antagonist.

A look of surprise could be seen on the Constable's face, as well. The sort of alarm that came from an unexpected but not wholly unfamiliar factor could be seen from the direction of Kathryn and Kosara, which was swiftly replaced with determination. He saw something working up in the situation that he could try to circumvent, and he was eager to do so. First, he whispered a short incantation and pointed at the woman who caused all of this mess, releasing bargained-for power into her. His eyes darkened briefly during this spellwork, with single points of light emanating from the black in a way that only Kathryn could see. A weary heaviness took over her limbs; a slight slouch as if given a burden.

Secondly, his words went to the burning creature under his control, though his words did not fully align with a master confidently maintaining something that resembled control, more than one attempting to re-assert it. He spoke with an air of firm persuasiveness, though it was impossible to fix the exact words unless one had a grasp of the Infernal tongue. Whatever he was saying, it didn't seem to help matters much.

Kathryn is now affected by a Hex spell which is targeting her Strength.

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X1

Location: G7 -> E9

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The creature had a blow lined up to flatten Kosara where she stood. No evil gleamed in its eyes; no malice or thoughts of revenge, but it was coming. This action was paused for just a moment by the sudden appearance of its master floating before it, giving a gesture that it did not recognize any more than a wooden mallet would know which spoon to stir one's tea with. But for whatever reason, it did pause. This momentary opening was enough to get the Rat Abomination snatched up by Kathryn and shoved into a flaming pitch barrel. It was at this moment that something within the creature snapped.

It rose from its position on the ground, covered in the sticky, burning pitch it was deposited into when the barrel toppled. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of squealing rats scattered but were too late to avoid their incoming doom, but this was not the greatest part of the problem. No, this thing was on fire, and for the first time since it rose from the fountain, it looked ANGRY. Attached and unattached nerves in the being's face attempted to move in howls or sneers, alternatively, and blind rage colored this hellish thing with greater coverage than the fire. A dry, raspy roar slipped from long unused, staled vocal cords, and it set its sights upon the first living creature it saw.

From its vantage, no, it was not the woman who put it there. It was the rats. Heavy double-fists smashed down upon the cobblestones, obliterating the rodents and smashing some into paste. The beast was reckless with fury, uncontrolled by its master despite what was most likely a harrowing but as yet attempt to bring it back to subservience. It is pissed off and beating to death whatever it can get its hands on.

Several rats are dead and/or on fire, and the area to the north that is not aflame is considered Difficult Terrain, with appropriate movement penalties.

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Guard 2

Location: ?

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I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

The above excerpt from the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow should serve to highlight the location of Guard 2. That is to say; You don't know, and if he knows, he's not sharing. Best of luck with that.





@rivaan Kosara is good to go. Please tag me at the end of your post. Map setup and kicking off the next round, etc.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 3 HP: 23 / 23 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: N/A Location: K13 -> I11 Action: Casting Minor Illusion Bonus Action: Bardic Inspiration (Kosara) Reaction: N/A

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"Kosara!" Victoria screamed with disbelief. If she weren't holding one of her prized violins, Victoria would have facepalmed. In the chaos of the moment she might even have committed to something similar, were she positioned for it. But Victoria was a little better fortified for close combat than a pure spellcaster. A little. It was either brave or deadly foolish and she couldn't tell which, but it was the circumstance of the moment and they had to work with it. If she got herself flattened by the mismatched jumble of wererat parts, Victoria could at least keep her alive from a distance. Ever the versatile one, she had a spell for that. Marita was obviously better suited for thorough and divine healing, but she was also one of the minority of people potentially capable of standing in front of one of these creatures and not being turned into a fine, semi-gelatinous paste on the immediate, and thusly might have other things to handle.

At least Victoria had personal backup, if it came down to closing into melee. She had a bright, shiny, silvered sword and her Morty to give interference or assistance. Was it cheating? Probably. Dishonorable combat? Sure, if you believe in that sort of thing. But this wasn't a duel and stakes were more than honor were up in the air. Not that it really mattered to her so long as the results leaned to their victory and the Cecily, Lizbeth, Lea, and Daisy were safe. Maybe even the fisherman. He seemed like he was okay. Why he was insistent upon grabbing his fishing pole in the face of his own impending destruction was beyond Victoria's ability to guess, but it didn't matter much. If she felt so inclined, she could have her undead, porcine servant nudge it a little closer after they covered the distance. With Kosara now a viable target, she needed to move forward and act quickly to minimize their disadvantages. Morty had standing orders to accompany and bodyguard, so all she needed to do was advance and it would follow.

Then Marita happened. "...Jas damn it..." she muttered, powerlessly invoking the name of a deity with influence over magic, the dead, and law alike, as Marita's own godly invocation bore significant power - though only against her animated assistant. Morty was repulsed in the wake of this divinity, moving as far away as it could without bringing itself to harm. "And here I thought you were finally opening up to the little guy!" she uttered sarcastically in the Cleric's direction. But no, grand scheme of things, Victoria got it. It revealed a useful piece of the puzzle and prevented her from attempting spellwork with the same assumption that the Rat Abominations were undead. Because of her area of expertise, this did limit her effectiveness in this fight.

So Morty was out of this for a while. This also limited her effectiveness, unless she could find something else suitable for animation. There was no time to look for that now. Instead, Victoria took up the attitude of what a typical True Bard might do in in an adventuring group, and moved to assist her party in a more conventional manner. First, she moved to stand next to Marita, casting her a wry smile as the stepped into place. Her violin was rested upon the edge of the fountain in the move, to allow her hands better freedom - one to lay upon the hilt of her rapier and the other to gesture in the direction of the rat-thing next to Kosara. Her hand moved as to shape the air while Victoria whispered out melodic, timed notes; a song to herself but for a greater effect: The image of Constable Cavendish clarified into the air in front of the cage holding Lizbeth, like unfocused eyes righting themselves after being rubbed a bit too hard. It was most of him, anyway, covering the damage already done to the cage, disembodied and floating without his lower portions, waist-up with a hand held in a HALT gesture. Purely two-dimensional, but subject to scrutiny from the monster's point of view.

Now for their Celestial Warlock who intentionally put herself in harm's way. "You have the blood of Devils and favor of the Holy with you, Kosara! It is nothing before you! We've got you, girl!" A little support never hurt anyone.


@Remipa Awesome Kathryn is up next.
@rivaan Kosara now has a 1d6 Inspiration die. Yay!

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Guard 1

Location: ??

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Given the lay of land and advantages forthcoming from the fog, conflicting light sources, soft cover, and the Wererat's own inate gifts of sneakiness, the the leather-clad Town Guard (turned wretched therianthrope) took the opportunity to lower its open profile considerably.

This might be the result of planning, as it was obvious that there an overall strategy to this setup. On the other hand, perhaps Kathryn's words had an impact after all. Rest assured that the Guard knows, and keeps any offensive action to itself for right now.

@Dragoknighte Marita is good to go for the round. Huzzah!

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Opportunities were abound to get a swipe in as the twisted flesh of the abominations moved to perform their primary task, and swipes were had. Each fell heavily upon rodent-like grotesques who barely seemed to notice the attacks and resulting damage. Weapons sunk into stolen flesh, partly crushing it in places and penetrating in others with varying levels of effectiveness. One fact could be easily gleaned from this initial exchange of blows - the creatures were not even attempting to evade the attacks.

Meanwhile, the flaming pitch barrels which stood between Constable Cavendish gave some concealment, thanks to the conflicting levels of light and thick fog abound; this effect was magnified to the point of brilliantly blazing soft cover. The positions of the three members of the constabulary on the map represent where they were seen last, not necessarily where they are as of this point. Any guesses as to the nature of the fire flaring up or where the Constable and his Guards are located, or even the particulars of the large, rat-ish shaped creatures will require specific investigation or reflection on the party's part (which means rolls and actions, accordingly).

New Round

@Arty Fox Baronfjørd is good to kick off the new round. Roll them math rocks.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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X2

Location: I11 -> G14

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The various degrees of damage inflicted upon the creature did absolutely nothing to change its disposition, nor indeed even demonstrate a solitary trace of annoyance. Red eyes gleamed and flickered in the chaotic, encompassing glow of the many fires around them, and fists clenched into ham-sized bludgeons - still not indicative of an emotional response more than a basic reaction to environment and readying the most efficient action for the task to which it was ordered. With a speed unexpected from its lumbering form, it righted itself and pushed it legs up, regaining full, towering height.

The stitched-together beast grasped its hands into one huge shape, and swung this meaty thing like a horizontal pendulum at the most recent person to do it harm - Kathryn. A loud, hollow THWACK followed solid and painful connection with her armor, but the force of this blow penetrated too deeply for the mail or shield to be of much assistance.

It might have made another retaliatory strike, but a clear path to its original target had just opened up. The great rat-thing continued its lumbering path toward the nearest wooden cage and let another attack loose - this one near to destroying one of the thick, wooden beams which formed the enclosure. Lea, Daisy, one of the women of the Honey Barn as well as others within the cage screamed in absolute terror.

Kathryn has taken 13 points of bludgeoning damage.

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Cavendish

Location: C10

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Far be it for the good Constable to keep himself out of the fun generally, but this instance had him grinning a bit in anticipation of what was likely, in his mind, to occur in front of his eyes in the net minute or two. If he had a paper sack full of popped sorghum, he'd be munching on it right then. Then again, it is difficult to pick out a smile on the face of a hybrid form Wererat, which might just demonstrate the amount of glee he possessed at the time. Truly, there was something rattling about in the back of his skull; an idea formed but not quite realized. Yet.

At the same time, these people had the benefit of ranged attack magic. This was noted during their first encounter and was learned from, hence part of the reason to play about with the multiple light sources amid dense fog at night. Spoils darkvision as well as normal sight past a certain distance. And if you played with it just right...

The fire directly in front of Cavendish suddenly roared higher and brighter. The good news was that the field of combat was more brilliantly lit toward the northern section of the square. The bad news was that little to nothing could be spotted behind it. Even the reflective red eyes of the Myanthropes were encompassed by this sudden shift of light and dark. The change was heralded by a short but dramatic, chanting exclamation from the Constable. Once the flames obscured, he was quick to follow up with, "I wish you the best of luck with my new pets, interlopers. You might recognize pieces of them, depending upon how long you've been in town. I'll be back to scrape what's left of you in a bin when they're done." Laughter which bordered on the maniacal sounded from behind the flames.

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X1

Location: I10 -> I8 -> G7

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The creature did not beam with a light of intellect, nor even one of careful planning. However, it was big, strong, and dedicated to a single purpose as outlined by the one which gave it orders: Dismember the prisoners alive. A pause could be taken to do awful things to anyone trying to stop it, which looked like (for the most part) that curious Dragonborn with the glowy, semi-disembodied arms. As it turned out, this monster was capable of taking part in a little bit of both.

One event gave the sewn-together abomination something of a pause - or at least what might be considered a pause if it was sapient and mindful - was the sudden flareup of the pitch barrel. It averted its gaze for less than a half-second before resuming the gruesome work of wholesale slaughter which was its intended purpose. The astute observer might have noticed the same from the creature which had already found its way to the cage.

In any case, its red but passionless eyes locked with Baronfjord, and it threw a particularly devastating blow that resembled a sloppy haymaker. The attack hit the Monk with a brutal slam that might have been a LOT worse, had it not glanced off at a crucial moment. Nevertheless, with this attack out of the way, it resumed its primary order and stomped in the direction of the prisoners. It gave the party a berth as it plodded to the cage and launched a second, splintering slam upon the wooden enclosure. It took visible damage which surpassed the cosmetic. Denizens of this cage, which included but were not limited to Cecily and the fisherman, cried out in chilling alarm, the former shrinking back as much as possible against the onslaught and the latter still desperate to claim his pole.

Baronfjørd has taken 10 points of bludgeoning damage

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Guard 2

Location: ?

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The sudden flare of the pitch barrel and subsequent magical change in quality of light, complete with ambient environmental difficulties did wonders to provide visual soft cover for this compromised Town Guard. To wit, nothing could be seen of his activities from the glaringly relative brightness of the makeshift arena. One could take a little comfort in the fact that a crossbow bolt did not fly, seeking a fleshy target from the general area of his last previously known location. The state of readiness, but not direct action, continued as far as anyone could tell on the other side of the fire.





@rivaan Kosara is good to go. Please tag me at the end of your post, so that I may set up the map and get the top of the round going. Thanks!