The Rollicking Crescent (Scene 2)

[Stix]

Hadrian clears enough rubble to expose an unmoving limb, detecting no vital signs in it... though from nearby, he can detect the faint hiss of strained breathing. At the same time, Gl'Fnak unearths the delicate face of a young aasimar, red blood matting her fine golden hair as it pulses weakly from her head wound.

Meanwhile, the barmaid lays the child down, fearing for the young girl's life as she looks her over inexpertly to determine whether she will recover.

[TheGratefulNed]

The tiefling's pitted black eyes quickly scan across the attractive half-celestial's visage. He swiftly doffs one glove and applies pressure to the bleeding gash with his bare palm. Gl'Fnak simultaneously continues to move as much of the other rubble from her body as he can manage with his one free hand. "A young aasimar here," he manages to say between some strained grunts and heavy breathing. "Bleeding from the head, still alive though."

[exile]

Hadrian allowed the half buried limb to fall away from his grasp without emotion. He had no time to attend to the dead yet. Neither did he have the time to devote to assuaging John.

"Every minute we spend here, Taker, is another that his slipped from between the fingers of your charge. The faster we attend to this lot, the sooner we will be underway. For once however, though I would welcome your strength, I think perhaps you do as much good standing there as here. Tend to the celestial or shoulder a timber - I'll not insist on either one, but whatever you decide, now is not the time to trouble me with questions. Now what have we here, Gl'Fnak? Come, let me see him."

The Madman stepped in beside the fiend, and knelt down low over the half entombed face.

(I think I'm going to have to go back and count spells... I'll cast what I can though.)

[TheGratefulNed]

The Baatorian spellslinger withdraws his scaly, blood-covered palm to reveal the aasimar girl's face. Allowing Hadrian to attend to her wound, the Cipher immediately turns both hands to uncovering the rest of her body.

[john]

"Your argument is good enough for me. I can do little for my charge directly.... so I'll exert myself here."

John puts his sinews and thews to the test, heaving away rubble as fast as he is able, perhaps inadvertently saving lives but certainly doing it primarily to speed the journey, and payment of debt.

[exile]

A weak, pulsatile bleed from a scalp wound suggested that the young woman had been bleeding for some time and while Hadrian’s magic could do nothing for the volume she had already lost, he could at least hope to stem the tide and thereby allow her a chance at recovery.

[dice=8]

(OOC: Cure light wounds.)
[rand=36342022609584734954717106807183567705438243807178519194790391429]

[TheGratefulNed]

Once the girl is uncovered - knowing that Hadrian will do what he can to save her - Gl'Fnak turns and continues digging through the wreckage.

[Stix]

In another half-hour's work, John, Gl'Fnak, and Hadrian uncover three more buried sods -- two humans, the younger one conscious but in significant pain, his right wrist and shin fractured (entirely survivable injuries, but beyond Hadrian's spellcraft to heal), the middle-aged one protected from the worst injury by his mail and plate, merely pinned under the plaster and timbers, moderately contused with a slight ankle sprain; and lastly, a sallow-skinned githzerai, bleeding from a few deep lacerations to the upper arms -- wounds inflicted by the bebilith, no doubt -- unconscious after suffering a blow to the head.

[TheGratefulNed]

After helping to uncover the other three -- with Hadrian presumably tending to the bleeding githzerai -- Gl'Fnak searches about in the wreckage for pieces of wood or iron of suitable lengths to serve as crude splints for the younger man. Producing a largely drained wine bottle from his backpack, the Cipher offers the human the last few mouthfuls of the constantly changing spirits while he cuts some strips of cloth from the slashed clothing of one of the strewn, mutilated corpses. "This is the best to be found here for a splint," he states flatly to Hadrian.

[john]

John, after freeing the older one, says, "Tell us what you know of the thing that struck this place?" *he looks at his mail and armor pointedly*

"I would imagine you'd know a bit more than most here."

[Stix]

"Likely I saw more than anyone else, at least," the soldier agrees. "The beast came right through the wall and splintered a table, covered most of us in split timbers and wall plaster. I got free and pulled my chiv while the others ran for theirs, but attacking it was like striking an anvil... it didn't even notice me, just turned on two o' the handmaidens and tore them to pieces." The soldier swallows hard, disgusted by the scene and the events that led to it.

"My men got to it in time to be cut down, and that's when the barmaid grabbed her daughter and started screaming. It reared back like it was going to lunge for them, but it turned and swung for me instead, hit me with the flat of its leg an' knocked me into the mess with the rest," he says, gesturing to the pile of wreckage. "Last thing I remember, it hooked two legs over the upper floor and tore down the ceiling on us. I came to when she started screaming again." With his knuckles, he roughly brushes some of the plaster dust out of his beard. "I'd taken them all for dead --"

The panicked cries of the barmaid pierce the Elysian darkness from outside. The soldier scrambles for a weapon, settling on a fallen sword slick with the blood of his own men.

[exile]

The aasimar was quick to triage the unfortunate sods as each in turn was extricated from the rubble. For the grizzled veteran, unburying him from the mountain of rubble was sufficient in and of itself but for the others –

“This one is beyond the ken of my Art,” he dryly stated with a gesture towards the younger man. “But fortunately not beyond the craft of my hand. Give me here what you’ve found for the splint. We’ll set his leg properly and see him to the monastery with the others when time permits. Fair pulses at least – he won’t lose this leg today.”

The gith was another matter altogether, and after Hadrian had instructed Gl’fnak in the proper techniques by which to fashion the strut he turned his attention towards the stricken basher. “Powers be praised at least that a prayer is all this one needs…” No sooner had the last words spilled forth from his lips then a scream pierced the previously still airs. Hadrian turned with sudden trepidation, all color draining from his face. The blade found its way quickly and surely into his grasp however.

Cure light wounds (for the gith)
[dice=8+1]
[rand=887305614589295834620816330170731421139062934933970617649881349]

[john]

John turns, blade in hand almost without thought, the Acheron-forged piece of war-ice ready for battle.

"Looks like it's time to repay my debts." He looks to the warrior, and croaks. "I'll stand with you." He steps beside him, forming a pitiful little rank, but a rank nonetheless. "Prepare yourselves!" He shouts to the others.

[Stix]

The barmaid, fear wide in her eyes, darts in, clutching her child and screaming frantically. With urgency, the armed men make their way to the breach in the wall.

Standing over the makeshift sledge with the deva and fisherman is an enormous spider-like being, gleaming black against the deep blue Elysian dusk, foaming a toxic spittle from its ferocious, nearly-humanoid jaws.

The armored veteran lets out a low, wordless noise in insensate wonder and horror of the creature, giving pause for only a moment before he cautiously advances, chiv at the ready. The bebilith raises its two scythe-bladed forelegs slowly, keeping time with the advancing soldier....

[TheGratefulNed]

Without hesitation, the Cipher takes Hadrian's instruction and does his best to build the makeshift support. While maintaining his concentration on the hurried first aid, Gl'Fnak keeps his ears parked to what the armored man was saying.

Hearing the barmaid's shriek, the Baatorian's silvery-blue longsword is drawn nearly in sync with the vulture-helmed warrior's blade. Approaching the gaping wall only a pace behind John, Gl'Fnak's free hand slips quickly into a pouch at his waist. When he withdraws it, he's holding a translucent gem which is immediately lifted to his left eye. Closing his right eye, the tiefling stares at the towering spider-demon and its two previous victims which it is once again standing over.

[exile]

(OOC: I’m a little confused here, are we rolling initiative?)

Hadrian, for his part, is quick to join the evolving ranks, pausing only briefly behind the imposing figure of John to invoke a protective incantation. At the spell’s conclusion the aasimar’s form warped and wavered, shifting suddenly two feet to the right – and then six to the left. “The shop is open, Taker,” he hissed. “Speak now or forever hold your piece.”

(Casting Displace Self. First attack, if any is coming, misses.)

[john]

"Enable me to strike this beast!" John lurches forward with the other warrior they've discovered, doing his best to bolster him simply be standing by him, hoping that Hadrian has that sort of spell available to him, but too concentrated on the moment at hand to do more than take a passing thought.

[exile]

(Too bad we switched over to second edition, I had way more spells that fit that bill…)

“Allfather, may your eye be upon us as we enter into battle for the glory of your name. Guide our spears to victory and lift our hearts so that we will know no fear this day.” The Bleaker’s voice rose up in a commanding baritone that rolled over the fields and echoed off of the hills. At the culmination of his prayer, Hadrian stepped forth and seized John by the shoulder, his naked touch transfering with it an invigorating chill. “Fifty crowns at your leisure, Taker,” Hadrian murmured in tacit acceptance of the basher’s credo.

(Casting Aid. John receives +1 to attack rolls and saving throws against fear should they arise. Additionally receives 1d8 bonus HP.)

[Stix]

(Bless and further actions will take initiative rolls. Bless only works on beings not currently engaged in combat, so anyone beating Hadrian's init may choose to hold their attack in order to benefit from the spell.)

Armand, initiative (broadsword, speed 5)
[dice=10+5]

Bebilith, initiative (size H, speed 9)
[dice=10+9][rand=6891342535501517004403965490305084852886260190094448176167924571434]

[john]

Initiative for John with the bastard sword, 2 handed.
[dice=10+5][rand=6013965818950253641554445076888158747712060094307115421281236556]