Round 1

Brianna, Logan, Highnar

Rest of fight:

Bri, Logan, Highnar, Xuor

The day had been quiet with, but for the sound of the wind in the trees and birds and calls of the amimals of the forest, but not now. First there was the sounds of Orcs yelling at each other and their quarry. Then the crashing and crunching sounds of their gallumping charge through the trees and undergrowth. The forest sounds were drown out--or all the fauna that could leave had left with the Orcs' calmouring.

Brianna checked her postition, the direction of the wind with the feathers tied to the end of her bow.

Brianna stood firmly, bow drawn up and ready to fire. She sights her arrow carefully adjusting for the range and wind paitiently waiting as an experience fighter waits. When they get here is soon enough to react and not before. As the first of the brutes crash out into the open she targets the lead one with her first and second arrow Then her next shot is at the next one coing her direction.

Brianna quickly draws three more arrows and takes her second round of shots at the second orc. All their yelling and shouting she lets pass around her without giving it notice. The orcs' run seems almost a gallop with the huge legs and arms. They go through obstacles rather than go around them. A stout tree truck stood just to her left and she would certainly use that to help cover her flank.

After the drunken man passes out, Cerric leaves the table quietly, and exits the inn, leaving the farmhand with the tab. He looks up to the sky, watching the clouds roll through the sea of air and light, remembering a time when those very same plumes of cotton-like brilliance transformed into dangerous beasts and massive sailing boats before his naïve eyes. Such reminiscence filled his jumbled mind more often then he appreciated, he could afford little time for such redundancies. The future was far more important to him than these childish memories. Still, they taught him a lot about the roots of knowledge. Before, when he was illiterate and uneducated, he had seen a monster, but now, as he recollected the shapes of the clouds he knew, that rather than some random beast, he was seeing what was known as a lion... and the massive boat would be nothing less than a frigate. These words did not exist in his previous life, and now, he could speak and think in ways no one in his family prior would have comprehended. His father was a farmer, his grandfather was a farmer, and even farther back still. He worshiped far more than a god, he gave credence to a life reincarnate, a souls ability to deviate from the stagnation of the caste system, imposed by poverty and political station.

After a meandering walk through the town he stopped to gain a sense of direction. What good was this town to him he wondered, where did the knowledge lie? As he was questioning his path, Char the raven landed upon his shoulder, looking to his master in what seemed to him a stare of acknowledgment. In draconic he spoke to the bird whose feather looked slick as oil, "Well my good friend, have we been followed? I wonder, if you have bore witness to anything that might be of some import to your master hmmm...?

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The raven watched as his master left the establishment, but remained patiently above, inside the rafters. The reason for this was two-fold. Firstly, the bird wanted to know whether he would be followed or not, he would have to alert Cerric of this, if that were to be the case. Secondly, Cerric had not obviously declared his arcane nature to the denizens of the inn, and it was Char's assumption that this was for a reason. If the bird were to accompany him immediately, it would draw attention to the Mystic Theurge... Attention that would be undesirable. He listened in on various conversations, trying to uncover anything that may have been useful to the master, and after six hundred heartbeats, left the inn to join up with him. In flight he noted the darkness of the sky (please inform me of the time of day) and the skinny figure of a man in a robe - the frail image of his far from weak master; who made up for his outer flaws with inner strength, and the channeling of his god's divinity. (I asked questions of the raven, but I cannot speak on his behalf in these matters; such as what he heard in the tavern after I left, and whether anyone gives chase. Please fill in the blanks.)

Vatta frowned when the Priest rose to leave as she hadnt heard anything from the drunken farmer than she hadn't already heard around town. She absently watched the Priest leave as she finished the last bit of her bread with honey on it and washed it down with the ale. A minute later she rose and picked up her bow, which was leaning against the table, and slipped it over her shoulders and followed the Priest out the door. She spared a glance at the rafters but didnt raise her head and saw the Raven still there, probably watching to see if anyone followed. Leaving a minute after the Priest then maybe the bird wouldnt think she was following him but then again it did look suspicious. A short dark cloaked figure obviously armed with a bow walking out the door right after the Priest left, but she had to take the chance.

Once outside she just spotted the Priest as he was leaving the area. She glanced around and then slipped into the lengthening afternoon shadows and followed the Priest by paralleling his course on his right using any natural cover or shadows. She kept back enough so if she did make any noise, highly unlikely, then he shouldnt be able to hear it and announce her presence.

She stayed just far enough back that she could keep track on him and watch him from a distance, she knew she couldnt overhear him at this distance but it didnt matter as he didnt have anyone to talk to out here alone. She followed him until he stopped for a few moments and then she smirked as a Raven landed on his shoulder; obviously the one from the Inn. She considered the wager won and slipped behind a tree letting her natural abilities hide her from sight. At this distance she doubted even the Raven could see her hiding here, though she knew that it would no doubt report that a cloaked figure with a bow on it's back had slipped out of the Inn a minute after he left. She would wait and see what happened here.

(OOC: If the Priests spots her and calls out, heads in her direction, or makes any other sign that he detects her presence, then add the following paragrah but only then)
Seing that he knows of her presence, she comes out in the open and draws back her hood to reveal her Beautiful Female Elfin face. With her hands in the air showing that she hold no weapons, she would speak to him and tell him in a soft elvish accented voice; "I mean you no harm, I am sorry to follow you from the Inn but I think we seek the same path." She would seem at ease but she was ready to react to any violent action if he was so inclined; she hoped not.

(OOC: I didnt realize the Knights were camped close to this town, I thought they were where the other town disappeared, maybe I misunderstood. Hard to visualize sometimes without a map )

(If I was mistaken, as I most likely was, I will say that me and my raven friend made a much longer trek than it would have seemed. Rather than a short walk, Cerric would have instead been distracted for a few days. I realize that if I wandered too far there may be encounters, so with that in mind, perhaps it is sufficient to say his further intention after making camp for the night or two it takes to get to the other town, is in fact to visit the outpost of Knights and Wizards in any sense. He is curious about their presence... I will post a correctional camping post if I do indeed need an overt amount of time. With my ring of sustenance however, I only require 2 hours of sleep, 1 hour of meditation, and 1 hour of spell memorizing. Just like an elf )

(OOC: I also will adjust my post if the location is not near by. If it turns out that Cerric has to travel a greater distance then My C will get her mount and track him from out of sight. Will wait for DM imput before adusting my post.)

Tilverton, the missing town, is a 120+ miles WSW of Ashbenford. Not in a days walk or ride for anyone.

Cerric can go on a walkabout Ashbenford in the late afternoon let say to gather more tales. Sorry I did not catch that earlier. Cerric make your changes and the Vatta make your.

Ok for the most part as I said in my last post Highnar is leaping swinging, swinging leaping away.
The only time that will change if he gets hurt or another party member gets in trouble then I will post accordingly.
But otherwise its as above so feel free to post what happens round per round.

(I have changed my previous post to reflect the new information given. I still need to know however, what time of day it is, and what the raven saw and heard in the tavern. Also, I must know if he suspects I have been followed.)

(OOC: My previoius post above would still be good as is since Cerric didnt travel out of the area and my post didnt mention anything about the Knights. So please play previous post as written. I think DM mentioned somewhere that it was late afternoon, hence my mention of lengthening shadows.)

By the time Cerric finishes his walkabout, he finds himself back at the inn, the long shadows overlapping as the sun continues to loser inself in the western sky. As he approaches the inn and heavy bell starts to sound and the people that had been lazing away in chairs on the porch were suddenly up and moving.

About then a big man in well made armor gallops up to the Inn. "Militia front and center. Riders to your mounts Spread the word, Orcs are mounting an attack on Eventide and possibly Ashbenford."

People rush from the area on those words, preparing for a possible attack. For the next 15 minutes the bell is rung long and hard. other bells further away take up the alarm. Shops and houses visible from the inn are boarding up their windows. Even the innkeeper is shuttering his windows.

In the space of 20 minutes armed men and women start congregating before the inn. 4 empty wagons pulled by pairs of horses also arrive up to the inn. Of course everyone wants to know more, but the man in charge tells everyone to wait.

From over the river come 2 riders. the first is a tall, well-built human male in fine chain mail mounted on a heavy war horse. The second rider is even taller peroson, though finer of limb, an elf, but of unique size. This one is clearly a female wearing cunningly wrought scale like armor that looked like overelapping ivy leaves over a suit of the exquisite mithral chain. She is mounted on a silvery grey stallion with shimmering white dapples all over its body

Cerric recognizes that he is seeing one of the fable Elven Moonhorses, (Fantastic roll) he knows such a sighting is strange, it was said all the Moonhorses were taken to Evermeet when the Elven Court left the Faerun mainland.

The knight stands in his stirrups even more impressive than just sitting on his huge war horse as he calls out to the those gathered, "Those of you with mounts and as many as can fit in the wagons will help Eventide, so mount up. This Lady will lead you there. I will be staying here with the militia and most the rest of you and prepare to defend Ashbenford. The word has gone out; help will come as soon as it can. Everyone do your best! Archers to the house tops. Spearmen and pikes to the front lines." The man voice rings out clearly and strong. He is use to being heard and obeyed.

Hearing the bells, Vatta slips away from watching Cerric and moves towards where she can watch what is going on. When the people start to gather she moves out of the shadows, though still covered in her cloak and hood, and stands next to the Inn and leans on the wall watching all the proceedings.

She stands up straight seeing the Elvin female warrior and on a Moonhorse as well, most curious. Here thoughts of investigating Cerric and his purpose are forgotten for now as she listens to the call to arms of the locals.

Orcs? She despises the filth vermin and all their ilk, but she ponders if she should get involved. Such a thing hardly seems profitable to her, she has no holdings here, nothing she need defend. Orcs killing people, ones unknown to her, seems hardly work her notice, but… it could bring some excitement.

Listening to the soldier bellowing and mentioning of going with the extraordinarily tall Elvin female warrior causes her to consider it, but still…

She looks around and waits; obviously well armed and more able than most of the farmers and such in Ashbenford she wonders what would happen if she doesn’t step forth to aid. She smirks and decides to find out.

Glancing at the Priest she watches to see what he will do, join them no doubt after all he is a Priest.

Startled by the alarm, Cerric Khalidran sends the raven into flight, ordering the bird to keep a look out from up above. Surveying the commotion around him, he watches as the armed militant trots in barking commands, admiring the way he takes charge of the situation. 'An Orc invasion?' he thinks to himself, "well, that is certainly not what I had planned for the evening... what a strange turn of events..." Cerric had very little experience dealing with Orcs. He had learned their language merely out of curiousity, and knew enough to say that their languages basic written form was a bastardization of dwarvish runes. Besides that, he knew that the barbaric society the Orcs endured was one of the few reasons that they were not a dominating force against the world's more civilized cultures. After all; although they most certainly have the might, they lack the qualities of good leadership, and group commitment. In fact, the chieftan only remained in power so long as he maintained his strength above that of other potential leaders within his tribe.

The young Mystic Theurge concentrated on the choices at hand. He was indeed a skilled cleric that could essentially save an innumberable amount of lives, so avoiding this confrontation would be unconscionable. As well, adding his arcane prestige into the equation made him an asset for combat against the forces of the hordes that were approaching. Cerric did not know where he would be needed most however. He hadn't been paying attention to whether there were more priest's within the town, though he would have most certainly been keen to the presence of a cleric of Talos. However, if Eventide was to be the front line against the Orc's attacks, that would be where the most casualties lie, and where he would be needed most. He looked up at the two riders, the human knight, and female elf, and the solution to his dilemma was suddenly quite apparent. He would simply ask where he could best serve a purpose.

He strode up to the Elven Moonstrider, which was a rare treat to say the least - he had only seen the horse in the illustrations provided in dusty old tomes back at the library in the abbey of Lornewall, and turned his gaze from one beauty to the next, although he was not particularly fond of elven women in that sense. He spoke to her in elven tongue, although to her his accent would be rather heavy, it was his least practiced conversational language, even though he read it quite fluently. "I am a Priest of Oghma, and may be of great service to your cause. If Eventide is well endowed with healers, then I should remain here and do what I can, but the choice is yours my lady."

Xour Makes it to the tree he planned to climb and up into it by sheer determination and maybe a little luck, had he stepped on any of the rabbits that got underfoot he may be already in hand to hand combat with the Orcs, but he smiles to himself, he good fortune has held once again..However now is not the time to consider his fortune good or bad there are more pressing matters. The Orcs are closer than he wanted and before he is even in position to start shooting he can hear the twang of Brianna's bow as she unloads a volly of arrows into the oncoming Orcs.

Wiggling and twisting himself into position the ranger draws his bow notches his first of several arrows
takes aim at the closest Orc and lets it fly.he will shoot until his turn is over concentrating on the two closest Orcs first one than the other.Moving back along their line if any of them drop.

OOC: I don't normally like to use terms or phrases in my post like “until his turn is over” or things that make it seem like a game rather than a story, but I just have not had quite enough time to fully study the character I have taken over and was not sure when posting how many shots he had coming at 8th level a 24 dex and as the orc as second favored enemny.Sorry I will do better I promise.
Thanxs Dragonmist

"I am a Priest of Oghma, and may be of great service to your cause. If Eventide is well endowed with healers, then I should remain here and do what I can, but the choice is yours my lady."
The elven woman turned in her saddle with the grace of a dancer. her chin dropped and her and eyes came down on Cerric. There was a quality to her gaze that when beyond seeing. Her strange hazel eyes shifted from grayish, to greenish and only the golden flecks in her eyes remained the same. Her eyes did not just see him, but Cerric was sure that she saw into him.

"Eventide is just a hamlet, lacking priests and healers." Her speech was like music, some of the words were not easily discernable, but Cerric got the gist of her message. "It is believed that they are the main target, because of the number of elves living there, though with the number of Orcs spotted, opportunistic war bands might try for Asbenford."

Two more sets of eyes came to bear on the priest. The first were the large violet eyes of the Moonhorse who seemed to be listening with full comprehension. The second set appeared from under the elf's goldish-white hair, they were gold and slitted like a cat's eyes, but in this case they were slitted like a Dragon's eyes for the creature pearing at his seemed to be a tiny fiery red dragon.

As Flame moved to the edge of Lorae's shoulder, Cerric could see that the dragonette's scales were like flattened rubies over golden underscales. Depending how the light hit them the dragonette's color changed for deep red to bright fiery redgold.

"Priest of...Oghama," Lorae speaks the god's name trying to duplicate, the sound of it. "your skills will be needed at Eventide."

"Gather what you need and be prepared to ride, others are waiting on the other side of the river."