Virif jogged into the woods contemplating the possible betrayal of the party. He examined the pattern of arrows as he jogged past them, but all that told him he already knew. None of them had scored their mark, unless of course their mark was the ground the now stood in. Which was not altogether out of the question. It was a little bit in when Virif noticed the first creature dart across his peripheral vision. At least he assumed it was a creature he just noticed the shadow. Virif came to a stop watching in his peripheral as he was quickly surrounded. As he stopped he let his senses come in tune with the area and prepared for a fight. Listening to the forest around him he could hear the sound of battle die from the wagons, which he assumed were behind him. He was aware that even though his dwarven eyes adjusted to the darkness allowing him to see still his innate sense of direction wasn’t good away from his home and without the moons he wasn’t sure of where north happened to be at the moment, but he had run in only one direction and purposely not spun around to encounter the shadow so they must be behind him. He didn’t spin to see the shadows that flitted behind him because he had learned at the academy that the best way to stab someone in the back was to get them to turn it to you. So instead he’d swung his shield in its customary traveling position on his back. Between the shield and the armor I shouldn’t bleed if they shoot me in the back. He peered into the blackness that seemed to be closing in but couldn’t make out any distinctive features. They still jut appeared to be shadows. Shadows is it? Well this will not be fun if I have to take them on alone yes? But a dwarf doesn‘t call for help so maybe somebody is paying attention and will notice my fireworks. “WELL QUIT LoLLYGAGGING AND LET’S GET TO FIGHTING YES?” Virif bellowed not for the benefit of his would be assailants but hoping that the caravan heard him and chose to investigate. He hefted his hammer but to his side his free hand was already forming signs and preparing a spell. As his spell worked he could feel that hand harden as it took on the aspects of stone, and he could feel his strength growing. Virif called out each rune trying to make as much noise as possible. I can't see anything, which if the professors were right means this is some sort of spell. What kind of spell though hmm. I just hope it's not an illusion. If it’s an illusion and I get caught casting magic missile at the darkness I’ll never live it down.
(Ok well am I facing shadows or people? cause dark vision still gets me the ability to see for 60 feet in complete blackout unless its magical (a fact that as a mage I would know). If it is a spell I’ll change my post a little but the affects are still the same. I’m making noise in the hopes someone hears and comes a running also I’m casting Fist of Stone a 1st level spell that grants +6 str. And a natural slam attack. The slam attack does 1d6 damage plus my new str modifier which is now a +3 (as I now have 16 str.) It lasts for about a minute. Oh Yeah I'm giving up the shield bonus in front and sides to my back so front and sides AC=19 and back AC=20)

**Post edited to account for info in Q/A Forum

With the last of the brigands down, Heironymus looked around for the next challenge. The change in the wagon first caught his attention. Illusions! He hated illusions! Sometimes you just didn't know which way was up!

He spun to look at the fallen brigands - were they still there? Had they been real?

He heard the merchant call for his daughter - and the lack of a response. Where had she gone? The merchant seemed annoyed and was blaming them for her loss. Heironymus' first reaction was annoyance - he had done exactly as he was supposed to - he had fought to protect the wagons and had saved the little nits life! But compassion quickly took over as he realized the man had lost his daughter.

Heironymus quickly surveyed the dead brigands; was any of them healthy enough to be revived? Could a quick healing spell bring any of them back to answer any questions?

As he considered the question of healing the wounded to ask questions Heironymus' attention was drawn by the sound of the dwarf stubbornly bellowing in the woods. It wasn't a cry for help, when would a dwarf ever stoop to such a thing?, but clearly he was under attack. With that any thought of healing a dead brigand was abandoned. It was much more important to keep the good and living in that condition.

Heironymus saw a few of his colleagues also heading off to help the dwarf and he followed quickly behind. With mace in hand he hurried towards the dwarf.

While the young man is still very suspicious about the now magically fixed wagon, the missing woman is now the top priority. Since he was watching the one side of the road while fighting the bridands, that leaves the other side where she might have been taken to. He calls Marga to his side as he leaves up into the trees.

(OOC - If he hears the yelling, he will run in that direction, otherwise he will begin to search for the missing daughter.)

Kyara was ready to interrogated brigands know what she knew as well as what she had discovered back at the wagons but she heard the dwarf bellowing his challenge out in the woods and she moved that way cantering off in that direction. She picked up her hunting horn and blew a long melodic note that wafted through the air. She wanted to let the dwarf know she was coming--or at least someone was. The unknown fact of how many might be coming could spook them into fleeing the confrontation.

Well she could at least hop e that they would but she would bet her life on that hope so she dded a little diversion.

Once she in honed on on a direction from tracks or sound she slips off Moondancer sending him forward with a spank on her muscular rear, she took off on a slightly different track letting Moondancer attract attention to his crashing through the undergrowth. She notched and arrow and had it half drawn as ahe snack through the woods, looking for that dark skinned elf as well.

(Players: Please see the Q&A for this thread. There are a number of clarifications there that might help. I will wait until late tomorrow night to do the update in case there are any changes to your posts. The wagon itself is NOT repaired. It is still broken, with the broken wheel still attached.)

Raif walks by the wagon, sheathing his scimitar and holding his staff as he looked confused that when last he saw the wheel. He was sure that the broken wheel was taken off, but there it is, still broken but on the axle. His confusion is pushed aside at the shout from the woods. He runs between the wagons, into the woods, the bleeding massive dog beside him. As he breaks through the trees and brush without impediment, he mutters under his breath. The staff in his hands glows slightly. (OOC: Casting shillelagh on staff)

Each of you enter the woods at a different place. Little undergrowth impedes you way, but all the same Raif reaches the dwarf first. Not to far behind are Kyara and the cleric.

You see the Virif with his shield on his back, and a fist made of stone. His eyes dart about suspiciously, looking at you but not seeming to see you, then looking away at something else only to glance back again. His stone fist is raised threateningly.

Marga sniffs the air and growls, tense about something unknown. After a moment she runs off past the dwarf into the darkness. A few moments later you can hear her barkin, signaling a find of some sort.

(Moondancer is not present when the dwarf is encountered)

As Heironymus emerged from the woods near the Dwarf, he wasn't certain what to make of the scene. Clearly the dwarf was ready for battle, clearly he thought something was there, but yet nothing could be seen. Another illusion? If so, it was one the dwarf was seeing, but Heironymus was not. Invisibility?

As the big dog took off further into the woods, the cleric looked carefully around the area. He was looking for anything that would give away a hostile presence. Shadows, unexplained movements, footprints, anything. As he looked around he called to the Dwarf, "Virif, your friends are here. What do you see? I can detect no enemy."

When the dog started barking Heironymus did not immediately move in that direction. His first concern was the dwarf in front of him. Was the dwarf under attack? He continued to look around, including beyond the dwarf where the mighty warrior-mage was looking, and held his ground with mace raised and ready for combat.

Raif immediately runs after Marga, his staff held at the ready, easily running through the undergrowth as if it were a game trail. He quickly disappears into the forest, following the trail of the gigantic dog...

Virif watched as the shadows began to swarm him. he swung his fist as one of the shadows formed a face but the face vanished as soon as his hand touched it. There was nothing there!! Virif thought. So whatever this is its either not physical or it chooses when it it. Not a good prospect.
"Virif, your friends are here. What do you see? I can detect no enemy." A voice calls from the shadows. He detects no enemy?! Virif looks at the laughing shadows So an illusion. I hate illusions.
"I'm surrounded by some shadow creature or at least I thought I was." Virif says not letting his guard down. He closed his eyes It's an illusion. Nothing is there. I know because one of my allies said he sees nothing. Virif opened his eyes slowly But what if he's not an ally but instead a prt of the enemy team?
(I'm making a slam attack dealing 1d6 with my new strength modifier of +3 before the stone fist goes away. And if I am indeed fighting illusion I'm also making a will save.)

Kyara grimaced as sdhe dismounted and put weight on her left leg. The arrow was still lodged solidly in her thigh. However, she would have to deal eith that later. Ducking down she moved forward towards where she had heard and continued to hear Virif as well as the other guards.

She kept a lookout for any tracks or other .sighs of their enemies. Here bow string half drawn arrow nocked and ready.

She made sure to look up a well just in ase anyone was in the trees,

Virif lashes out at Heironymus with his stone fist... but Heironymus dodges aside just in time, the dwarf's rock hard hand catching in his clothes for a second.

In that moment Virif seems to find clarity. The shadows that seemed to threaten him slowly fade from existence, leaving only his allies behind.

You all see Raif glance at the attacking dwarf and sprint on past, following his hound beyond a line of trees and through a patch of thick underbrush that seems to waver around him as he moves through it.

Kyara arrives on the scene moments later, spotting the tracks of a pair of humanoids passing through the area, and into the underbrush the direction Raif just went. Glancing up into the trees she sees nothing but darkness and the soft light of the two risen moons shining down among the branches.

Heironymus dodged away from the dwarf's swing. He hadn't thought he had come that near, but it seemed the battlemage dwarf was a quick little bugger. He might do well to remember that.

After having taken a swipe at him, it seemed that the Dwarf's vision cleared. He lost the far away look and stopped swinging at things that were not there.

"Virif, you ok? If the illusion has left you, we should follow Raif and the dog. The dog appears to be onto something."

(Assuming Virif is indeed free of the illusion, Heironymus would follow Raif towards the dog. But he wouldn't move on until he was sure of the dwarf - for his own safety and that of the dwarf.)

The shadows receded and as Virif opened his eyes he saw the fellow caravan guards. That fellow seems to be standing where the shadow had a mouth.
"Virif, you ok? If the illusion has left you, we should follow Raif and the dog. The dog appears to be onto something." Heironymis said seeming truly concerned for the dwarf's well being.

"Yeah. The illusion has receded." Virif said unslinging his shield. "I suggest we be careful as not only do they have a wizard I believe we had a traitor. And now they also may have a hostage." Virif flexed his hand back and forth feeling the magic reach its limit. And I think I'm using spells too quickly if we're fighting illusions. Virif clutched his hammer firmly and mentally checked himself. Though these could simply be another illusion I'm going to trust them as I don't see the reason playing such a game could hold. "I'm afraid I didn't see the direction Raif ran so I'll follow after you."

Kyara grimaced in pain as she put weight on her injured lef leg. i hampered her normalrate of movement. She made her way stealthly through the woods, eyes ans ears attentive to her surroundings low and high. That dark skinned elf had been hiding in a tree when she first spotted him. He faded to invisibility, or what she thought was invisinility.

Kyara heard Virif and some of theothers and began working her way over ib that direction.