This site is an online accumulation of the Post Reports for my current ongoing D&D Campaign - for anyone who might be interested in reading them.

Saturday, August 28, 2021

PBEM - Episode 516. Orcs, Grimtooth, Mongrelman

FIVE HUNDRED SIXTEEN

(I/C)

 Taking a quick assessment of the room and its occupants, Kovid made sure his ghouls were at the ready, directing them to fan out about the chamber. "Boris, Natasha, and Rocky, kill the mangy looking mongrel man! Vincent, kill the orc by the fireplace. What's your face, kill the orc by the bed... erm enjoying himself."

Hands already weaving about in preparation for a spell, Lannis had his eye fixated on the Mongrelman with the coatrack, readying itself to face off against the 3 ghouls screaming and heading its way. "Why does it have a claw?” 

Cranking the crossbow back, Brendon shifted to the west and took aim at the orc racing over from the Fireplace. “It’s just a claw. Jeesh man you need to get out more.”

“Why. Does. It. Have. A. Claw?! PAUSE!” A pink burst of energy blasted out, hitting the Mongrelman in the chest (>Save vs spells, Black 16), making it blubber like a honking moose as it screamed in fury, but did not slow it down.

Meanwhile, Wyn was burning his own spell in place, eyes on the orcs closest to the south door where we could hear other orcs mustering from beyond it. “Orcs… why did it ‘ave to be orcs…” He broke into a grin, eyes glinting hard. “I just kiddin’. I knew ye pig fuckas were ‘ere.”

“Fuck you, elf!” the closest orc yelled back, holding its sword up and shaking it.

“Nap time, putains de merde! ZU!” A shower of orange smoke smashed into the mouthy orc, spreading out and dissipating (4d4 hd: 1,3,4,3 = 11 HD!), dropping that warrior, the one next to it, and then the 3rd one near the bed, the zombified hand it was holding still clutched in its left had as it fell, even as the ghoul racing towards it continued to scream and slaver in anticipation.

Brendon finally fired his crossbow, the quarrel making a singing noise as it flew (>+6 to hit, Red 12) unerringly it and pegged the porcine threat high in the shoulder (1d8 Damage, Red 5 and D/B), and drove him back 5’ to bounce off the rear wall. “Urgh!!”

Getting her sling up to speed and waiting for a target, Lyra asked tongue in cheek, “Still time for a truce??? Probably not.”

The three ghouls hit the Mongrelman hard, claws and teeth snapping and flashing as they hit and struck the monstrous humanoid. It burbled and cried as it swung its coatrack about, hoping to keep the undead at bay. Boris clawed and bit (Ghoul attack, +2 to hit, <11, <11, >16), getting a taste of the brute’ flesh and ripping a chunk free (1d3 Damage, Red 1 – Takes 1 Damage! >Save vs Paralyze, Black 13), giggling as it did so. The Mongrelman smacking it in the shoulder and pushing Boris back.

Natasha attacked next (Ghoul attack, +2 to hit, <5, <7, >17) also clawing and biting, drawing blood and fresh scratches on it (1d3 Damage, Red/Black 3:2 – Takes 2 Damage! =Save vs. Paralyze, Yellow 12). It cried out, moaning as it was hit, but it continued to fight on, the ghoul’s paralytic touch not affecting it yet.

Rocky also did its best (Ghoul attack, +2 to hit, <1 (Fumble!), <6, <5) but actually seemed to be more in the way as the fighting was cramped and tight and the Mongrelman was using its brute strength to bash the ghouls into one another with bit sweeping hits (Fumble: 1-2 hit friend, 3-4 hit self, 5-6 knocked prone: 1 – Hit friend. D3 damage, Black 6:3 Damage to Natasha!), actually smashing the middle ghoul with Rocky’s body, the female ghoul’s body making an uncomfortable loud SMACKING sound as she was struck, stopping her long enough to hold her head and try to keep the room from spinning.

Vincent in the meanwhile leapt through the air and pounced on the sleeping form of the enchanted orc (Auto hit and killed!), waking it briefly and long enough to see the ghoul had driven its hand into its chest and had torn the sleeping orc’s heart out, smearing the bloody organ on its face before whirling around to seek another target – popping it into its mouth and chewing. “yeah, way to go,” Kovid cheered on brows beetled and voice pitched low and troubled.

The last Ghoul, Mitch, charged at the orc by the fireplace, still suffering from the crossbow in its shoulder, making it work extra hard to defend itself with its worn sword (Ghoul attack, +2 to hit, <10, <4, <4), blocking, ducking, parrying, and staying a few inches ahead of every blow that tried to hit open skin.

"Amigos, luchamos!” Getting a feel for where his talents would be best used, Abraxas started moving to the 2 sleeping orcs near the door. “Me gusta el sangre de Orcasas y Hombres de Perros en mi Scythe! Mueremos todos! Luchamos Amigos, Luchamos!"

Lyra finally picked her target, the orcish warrior near the fireplace, and let her sling stone fly (>+5 to hit, White 12), the rock hitting with a CRACK (1d3 Damage, White 1 – takes 1 Damage!), but striking at a side angle before flying off into the combat. The orc threw her a snarl, but fought on against the determined ghoul.

The Fighter finally came to one of the two sleeping orcs and let his enchanted Scythe come up, before arcing down and hitting the porcine warrior in the chest (Auto hit and killed!!). It work up and howled in pain, trying to escape the silvered weapon but subsequent blows hacked into it and it died a crying whimpering mess.

The orc by the Fireplace had been the subject of numerous attacks and determined that it was finished. It redoubled its efforts and unleashed a series of powerful strikes (>+3 to hit, Pink 20, Critical! Max Damage 1d8+1=9 Damage!) that had Mitch scream in horror as it was struck hard enough to separate the left arm and shoulder from the rest of the body by a 12” chop through the clavicle and into the ghoul’s torso. Such a blow would have slain a normal man, and the ghoul was in bad shape (down to 3 hp), but it fought on, its body making strange squishy sounds at the cloven flesh pressed back and forth with itself.

“Nice friends you have,” Lannis addressed Kovid. “Says a lot about a man. Or a dwarf. You know?”

The Mongrelman had been fighting hard for a while now and as soon as able to, struck out with its weapon, the coatrack powered by its hulking strength (=+6 to hit, Green 7…>+6 to hit, Black 11). Boris was first slammed in the thigh (1d10 Damage, 6 Damage), cracking the thick bone and crippling the ghoul. Boris stubbornly tried to stand up from its position of the ground when the Mongrelman gave a ululating road and drove the pointed end of the rack (1d10 Damage, 7 and killed!!) through the ghoul’s skull and out the undead’s back. He then spun his improvised weapon about, knocking Boris free and the lower foot of the thick wooden furnishing – now showing a sharpened spar of wood at the bloody end.

Orcs finally poured into the room from the South door, scanning the area before heading after the closest adventurer threat, Abraxas . The Fighter smiled as the orc warrior headed right up and swung (<+3 to hit, Yellow 8), bouncing its sword off his weapon’s shaft and holding him easily at bay. “Ha ha!” he laughed, Scythe flashing. A second orc warrior joined the first (>+3 to hit, Yellow 18), the two of them working in tandem to force Abraxas to split his defense. It worked and a lucky blow hit (1d8+1 Damage, Red/Black 6+1=7 Damage!), making the Fighter grunt in pain.

From the hall, an orc entered, spear at the ready. Knowing it wouldn’t make melee range, it scanned the room and targeted (1d6 Random: Steel 4 – Lyra!) the Cleric. He grunted and hurled it (<+3 to hit, Red 1 – Fumble!! 1-2 hit friend, 3-4 hit self 1 pt, 5-6 stunned 1 round: Steel 3 – Hit self 1 pt!). The spear went wide and missed, cracking into the wall far over Lyra’s head, it groaned after the throw, holding its arm achingly after the prodigious and poorly set up hurl.

“Ha!” the next orc said, crossbow at the ready. “You missed! I show how to hit!” and let its bolt fly (>+3 to hit, Black 18), the quarrel striking Lyra in the shield, skittering below it, and then pegging her in the calf muscle (1d8 Damage, Teal 6, Take 6 Damage!). She cursed on being hit, horrified to see the shaft had passed mostly through and blood was leaking down her leg and into her boots. “Haw haw! Got her!”

From the hall and beyond we could hear cursing and grunting, an orc complaining the “fucking door won’t open!”

The last possible orc that could do anything was just behind the crossbow wielder and had a bladder in its hand. “Good ideas they got! Watch Dis!” It poked the squishy bladder with the end of a shoulder spike from its armor and hurled it overhead at the Cleric (>Touch to hit, Green 16), Brendon frowning as it went through the air, the Scout thinking, “Wow, that looks like the same tunacan bladder bag that I have on my person!” before it struck the Cleric and burst open, the reek of rotting entrails, spoiled blood, and stewing guts covering Lyra from neck down (nauseous for 2 rounds, -2 on all rolls or checks unless cleaned).

For a half a second, combat seemed to slow as the ghouls (4 remaining), watched the bag fly and then hit the cleric.

“Oh...no,” Kovid muttered.

The 4 ghouls immediately broke away and CHARGED at Lyra, howling and screaming in their desire to get to the Cleric and rip her apart. The dwarf was taken by surprise at the sheer FURY and hatred of the ghouls, allowing them to run 5 feet at least before he struggled to clamp down on their baser instincts and command them to, “STOP!!” (>Wis check, White 15)

The dwarf dropped to one knee, hands outstretched, palm out, as if holding the ghouls back, the 4 undead standing there, straining and pushing to attack the Cleric. “So…fucking…hard!” he sobbed, head splitting as the magic of the potion was roiling around the dwarf’s brain, scrambling his equilibrium, barely keeping him from falling to to his face.

“Don’t let them hit her!” Abraxas called out from the fight, worried at the ghouls’ advance.

“You can do it, Lil Man!!”

(Initiative, Party Steel 4, Enemy Red/Black 2)

Time now is Day 11, 4:41 PM

(OOC)

Control Undead – 11 mins.

Kovid – you failed a Wis check, this round you are struggling to keep control – will have another check in another round unless something changes. Lyra, -2 on everyone for 2 rounds as you deal with being hit by the tunacan. There are other orcs in the hall, one of them being Grimtooth at least. Don’t see the other mongrelman yet. Someone (s) tried to open the Sanctuary door and couldn’t. Top of the round! Good luck!!!

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