Darkwood--Darkness Rising

[Sigrid]

I back away from the slaad (5' step north)and cast Cure Moderate Wounds on Marrik again.

[Led Pighp]

Sensing that the battle is nearly done, at least for his group, Led wishes not to have left all the danger to the others, so he boldly (and without forthought) rushes towards the final Slaad.

• Ninth turn shifted
  Charge the Slaad
  Charge / Claw / Claw

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

Kalindriel cackles as another Slaad falls to her swing.

[Charge the last Slaad, trying to obtain a flanking position.]

[Laurel]

Inserting a line into her song about "Barxonas!" yet again, the bard continues to wink out of view. She shakes her head in dismay, realizing she moved in the total opposite direction from where she intended! Her song becomes disembodied, but remains in place as the bard again becomes visible, this time targeting and letting fly an enhanced arrow at the remaining Red Slaad threatening her party.

[ooc]sixth round of Inspire Confidence with additional boosts from Inspirational Boost and Song of the Heart. activate invisibility. move six squares back west. nock and fire another enhanced arrow against evil outsiders at the remaining Red Slaad.[/ooc]

[Seven Words]

Laurel's difficult shot into the melee of Marrik the slaad, and Sigrid is only possible with her song steadying her aim! (18 points)

Marrik uses his healing ability on himself...the slaad seizes the opportunity as he is distracted to attack! Teeth once more gnash futilely upon his magic shield!

Vynarkus once again blasts the hellish amphibian! (11 points)

Sigrid begins to cast her spell of healing upon Marrik! (heal 11 points)

Skyseeker moves 15' southeast, getting squarely behind the slaad and casting another throwing axe. This one sinks into it's back! (7 points)

Led comes sprinting into the fracas in a headlong charge! The slaad decides this meat might be easier, and meets him with its own full attack! Led's claws rend savagely at the demonic beast, sending malign gore flying! (16 points and 19 points) However, it does not go gently, returning Led's viciousness in full measure! (18 points, 6 points, and 5 points).....yet, Led is left standing, his foe prostrate before him.

OOC--surveying the field, you can pick where to go to help out...PM me with criteria you'd use to select where to go...taking a round or two to heal up is, of course, perfectly acceptable. And....you don't HAVE to go help, you can stay here defensively. NO guarantee some slaadi might not decide to come over to you....i'll post some color-coded X on map for groups of slaadi.

[Sigrid]

I invoke Sacred Healing again.

[Everyone gets Fast Healing 3 for five rounds.]

[Led Pighp]

Led, severely wounded, looks around at the dead slaad, and smiles grimly. Seeing Sigrid's healing, and knowing it will help but over a short time, he quickly quaffs a potion from his belt, while scanning the distance for other enemies.

As he feels the magic take effect and begin to mend his injuries, he calls out in elvish, "Skyseeker, shall we tackle the next foe together, since we can reach it together?"

• Ninth turn shifted? (This shift will expire before he starts combat again.)
  Drink the one and only otion of Cure Critical Wounds.
  Search for allied groups who seem to need help, skipping any closer allies who already have their slaad under control.
  
  Question to DM: what's Led's current HP total? Need to decide if I must wait another turn before starting the attack.

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

[Guard the wounded while they heal up.]

Looking around at the ongoing battles, Kalindriel doesn't like the odds on getting involved in any of them. She looks back and forth between the groups with a large frown and unintelligible curses.

[Laurel]

Continuing to sing, Laurel moves over to the fallen slaadi, and searches for any enhanced arrows which may have survived the hits.

[Led Pighp]

[New map posted, with the other combat scenes shown.]

Looking at the other fights, Led sees:

• To the NorthWest - a grey slaad and a red slaad, fighting 2 elves and a dire wolverine. At their feet are two dead blue slaads and five dead elves. Though the elves are hurting, it seems like they're pulling through this one or maybe losing slowly.
  
  To the West - a green slaad and two blue slaads, fighting three elves. At their feet are two dead elves. The elves are clearly losing this fight.
  
  To the SouthWest - a death slaad, standing over the corpses of 8 dead elves. It's looking for another fight to join. "Clearly, that one is too strong for us to take on."
  
  To the South - four red slaad fighting two elves. There's one corpse there, but Led can't tell if it's a slaad or an elf. This fight looks to not be going well either.

Led reaches for his potion of Greater Magic Fang +3 which he'd been saving for a really big fight, and prepared to drink it as he started towards the next fight.

"I say we head to the NorthWest. If we can help those guys out, perhaps our larger group can move around to the other fights and do better than these smaller groups are doing."

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

"This is very bad." Kalindriel sounds on the verge of panic, but trying to think through the options.

"The Grey is highly resistant to weapons, unless you have one dedicated to Order. Their inherently chaotic nature cannot resist a strike from one. Maybe we can take it out with the help of the elves there but it will be a tough fight, and soon joined by the Green and Blues. By themselves stronger than what we just survived." Kali scans the field quickly.

She spits in disgust. "If the black one joins either of those fights, we are dead. It is resistant as the Grey, however it can kill with but a thought." The fear is evident in her voice, "I can do nothing to it. I shall flee before facing it in combat."

[Led Pighp]

Still holding his un-quaffed potion in hand, Led stares at the array of powerful enemies and wonders aloud, "Then perhaps instead of considering how we can help to win these fights, we should attempt to allow as many as possible to escape? Whomsoever that black one attacks is likely going to die. Can we perhaps influence it to commit to this fight to the south, while we collect up the elves to the west and northwest and retreat from battle?"

[Laurel]

As she collects her arrows, the bard listens to the Scribe and the half elf discuss immediate options. Nodding silently to herself, a plan for herself begins to formulate, should retreat with as many as possible in the hall be the decision of their next actions...

[Seven Words]

Marrik looks around, and says, "Loathe as I am to say it, I believe we must approach this as triaging. Where can we be the most effective? I believe against the grey and red. Any other leaves us susceptible to powerful forces flanking us, or the most dire of all foes head on. Much as my heart cries out for the latter, it would be suicidal."

SKyseeker adds, "Though the grey may well resist most attacks, Led and I can deliver strikes whilst moving which surpass most attacks, and should have some effect. Spells and Vynarkus' blast work well. Marrik and Laurel can target the red, not to mention what those we are assisting can bring to bear. I agree, to the northwest"

[Vynarkus]

Vynarkus listens to the conversation between the others, then shrugs, and decides to at least attempt the solution that would save the most lives in the unlikely occurance of its success.

He shouts out, in Abyssal, attempting to convince the Slaadi that they have the wrong target and there is no further need to attack the people still alive.

[ooc]combined Bluff and rushed Diplomacy checks. Take 10.

Edit: Ok, so I noticed something. I have a +23, +10 from take 10, -10 from rushing. That makes a result of 23. If I got a result of 25, I could turn them to Indifferent, as though they did not know anything about us. If anyone uses Aid Another to help me with this, I could get a 25 while taking 10.

Seven, if no-one is willing to give me an Aid Another, I think I'll actually roll instead of taking 10.[/ooc]

[Led Pighp]

Hearing Vynarkus' shouts in Abyssal, Led cringes, wondering if that will only lead the distant death slaad towards them.

[Not sure I can aid a diplomacy check done in Abyssal.]

"I agree that we should help those to the northwest. If that death slaad doesn't engage, I think we might also be able to help the group to our west, then use them to pull north and help us all retreat. It's risky, but it might work."

Turning to the bard, "Laurel, can you use your music to somehow influence the death slaad to go help that group?" he points to the south, where the four red slaad are fighting, far away from any of the other groups.

[Sigrid]

"I can't think of a better idea. Northwest, then."

I untie my horse, and mount up.


DM edit----horses FLED. Fireball, remember? Total panic.

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

Looking northwest, where consensus seems to be building, "We should all hit the Red first. It should go down quickly and it will then be unable to stun us with that croak. If the Death goes north then we will not have much time to put the Red and Grey down."

Glancing at the Blues and Green group to the south of them, "Those who can should attack the Green in the westerly group while we move. Maybe it will help distract it so those elves can put it down then either fight or flee the Blues. And if the Death joins the Reds, then it might give them a chance to hold out long enough for us to help."

"And if the Death heads their direction, we need them to hold out long enough for us to escape..."

[Seven Words]

The Death slaad appears mildly interested...(OOC--diplomacy not applicable, but Bluff is). It is looking over, and asks for an explanation, in Abyssal.

*more in PM*

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

[If I can aid in a Bluff check I will, however I am keeping my distance from that thing.]