Play by Post D&D: The New Begining

[Panther_Gunn]

Og will dump both sets of rations into his pack (after a little bit of sniffing first, so he knows what he'll be drooling over later).  All of the things pilled up on the side, he'll dump back into their packs (all in one, if it will fit without shoving & smooshing).  Turning both bodies face up, he'll drag one next to the other, with identical head/feet orientation.  He will then drop their packs on each of their torsos, and holding all the shineys in one hand, he'll grab the two middle legs of the four (so he's got one of each) in the other, and drag them over to where 4 & 7 are.

Walking over to where Orloid & Nathan are working on #2, he'll hold the full hand, open to display it's wares, out towards Orloid, "Og find shineys.  Maybe use get more food for trip?"  He will even go so far as to close his hand again, and turn it over, in a gesture that obviously conveys he's turning it all over to Orloid, if he didn't pick up on it the first time.

With a bit of a pleading look, he'll look at the two of them, and ask "Maybe take shooty stick out of Og?", turning the arrow-side of him towards them, lifting his arm.  "Kind of get in way."

After all that business is dealt with, he'll head over to collect #'s 3 & 8, in the same fashion (but without the digging through of posessions), and drag them over with the rest.

[Uncle Yuan]

Walking over to where Orloid & Nathan are working on #2, he'll hold the full hand, open to display it's wares, out towards Orloid, "Og find shineys.  Maybe use get more food for trip?"  He will even go so far as to close his hand again, and turn it over, in a gesture that obviously conveys he's turning it all over to Orloid, if he didn't pick up on it the first time.

"Um, thanks.  Yes, that will be good for helping equip us," I say as I take the coins.  I'll put them in an unused pouch in my bag so I can keep the "team" finances distinct from my own.

With a bit of a pleading look, he'll look at the two of them, and ask "Maybe take shooty stick out of Og?", turning the arrow-side of him towards them, lifting his arm.  "Kind of get in way."

"Og!  Next time, say something right away!  You shouldn't have to walk around with an arrow poking out of you!  Sit!  Sit!"

I gather stuff for the extraction, as well as bandages and etc.  I really hope the arrow isn't barbed . . .

"OK, Og, take a deep breath - pulling this out will hurt"

And again, as long as his injuries turn out to be fairly minor and straight forward I'll just stick with mundane healing for the time being.  I'll also do a quick once-over and treat the other dings he picked up along the way.

And as soon as he gets patched up let's see if we can do something about the man Starbuck is serenading . . .

[Glitch Girl]

OOG: Just to clarify (because it's starting to confuse me too)

#1 - arrow graze  and mildly bruised, was being interrogated by Dakkon
#2 - arrow wounds, stabilized by Orloid
#3 - head trauma, I don't think anyone's really looked at him
#4 - dead (sword wound)
#5 - dead (skewered towards end of battle)
#6 - two arrow wounds, but still alive (near Whisper)
#7 - VERY dead (maul + crossbow)
#8 - dead (arrows # spiritual weapon)
#9 - dead (maul to ribcage)

[Uncle Yuan]

Which looks to be worse off between #3 and #6?  In fact, #6 is conscious and talking while #3 isn't - so #3 gets my priority at this point.  Although, with head wounds there's not much one can do.  Either he'll wake up or he won't, but I should at least get an idea of how badly he's hurt.

[Glitch Girl]

Og's appears to be used to dealing with such injuries.  You may need to close up the hole but you're pretty sure the hlf-orgre is going to live.

#3's got a lot of blood from the wound but the bone underneath feels intact.  It's hard to tell the extent of the cranial injury until if and when he wakes up with the technology (or lack thereof) available.

Og begins to drag bodies into a nice neat row.

[Uncle Yuan]

#3's got a lot of blood from the wound but the bone underneath feels intact.  It's hard to tell the extent of the cranial injury until if and when he wakes up with the technology (or lack thereof) available.

If he's breathing OK then he could well just be unconscious.  I'll bandage his head and move on to #6.

[BlueBard]

{sigh} Since it seems no one else wants to question the woman (#1), Whisper will leave off his arrow-gathering and approach her.  He's still carrying Johnas' sword, unsheathed, in case she gets any notion of trying a suicide attack.

"What is your name, woman?" he asks in a neutral tone.

[Glitch Girl]

The woman's eyes flicker up at Whisper and look away again angrily.  "Nina" she mumbles without looking up again. 

[Viking]

Starbuck, seeing that the woman is only being "neighborly" by a great stretch of the imagination, ponders whether he needs to switch gears to an even more intensive song.

He begins to strum, but not sing, a melody that suggests the lyrics of a certain children's song...

I love you...
You love me...
We're all one big family...

[BlueBard]

"Nina, then.  It was my arrow which thwarted your assassination attempt.  Why did you attack us?  We have done nothing worthy of death."

[Glitch Girl]

As the melodic* strains of the new tune trip lightly of the tallented tongue of the bard,
Nina looks at Whisper as if he's either crazy or a fool.

"What are you, his gang?" she grumbles.


(* - and not demonic as the song choice may suggest)

[BlueBard]

"What are you, his gang?" she grumbles.

"I do not believe you are in a position to be asking the questions," Whisper replies, raising the sword casually to point at her.  "I do not believe in good fortune, but if I did I would advise you to count yours.  You live.  That is all you need to know.  I, on the other hand, require more information. Again, why did you attack us?"

Alert for treachery, Whisper is set to Dodge her if she attacks.  Meanwhile, he is going to back her up against a tree at swordpoint.  If she decides to skewer herself, he'll get over it.

[Glitch Girl]

Nina watches the sword warrily.  She nods her head towards Daniel.

"Him.  We're after the bounty on his head.  They said he was traveling alone," she adds darkly. 

[BlueBard]

Nina watches the sword warrily.  She nods her head towards Daniel.

"Him.  We're after the bounty on his head.  They said he was traveling alone," she adds darkly. 

"And how much blood money did you stand to collect?"

[Glitch Girl]

Nina debates the merits of keeping quiet and the sword a few feet from her head.

"600 gold," she mumbles at last.

Daniel looks surprised.  He silently mouths "600 gold?"

Orloid, you and Nathan finish bandaging #3 and move on to #6.  He's looking pretty grey and there's blood oozing out from both arrow wounds, but somehow he's still awake.  He looks up as you approach him, but otherwise he doesn't move.

What are the rest of you doing?

[BlueBard]

"For someone who was looking at the back of his head, you seem very confident you have the right fellow," Whisper remarks coolly, not taking his eyes off Nina.

Whisper shrugs out of his backpack, smoothly transferring the sword from hand to hand and lowering the pack to the ground with one hand.

"Get a length of rope out of my pack and tie her to the tree," Whisper says.  "I do not know yet what we are going to do with her, but best to have her secure for the time being."

[BentonGrey]

OOC:  Dakkon is scouting the nearby area for any other enemies, only going a short way from the site of the battle.  After that, he's going to stand watch over his companions.

[Panther_Gunn]

After piling up the bodies, Og ambles over to where Whisper is questioning Nina, standing next to her.

*sniff sniff, sniff sniff*  "She have food?  Og kinda hungry."  *sniff sniff*  "Smell good."  Og licks his lips in anticipation.

[BlueBard]

Whisper isn't doing anything else until the woman is tied to a tree.  He wants to talk with the others and he wants to do it out of earshot of hostiles.

[Uncle Yuan]

Orloid, you and Nathan finish bandaging #3 and move on to #6.  He's looking pretty grey and there's blood oozing out from both arrow wounds, but somehow he's still awake.  He looks up as you approach him, but otherwise he doesn't move.

"This one looks more serious, Nathan.  Do you have a light prayer of healing left in you yet?"  (If so: "Wait until I remove the arrow from his gut.  It could very well be tamponading a vessel or ruptured bowel. I have no interest in seeing this man hale and healthy when we're done, but neither do I want him to die needlessly.  Just beg your Lord for enough grace to keep him among the living."  I then set about removing the gut shot, ready to hold any spewing vessels or bowel until Nathan can do his thing.

[Lord Elcorion]

annia moves to tie the prisoner to the tree, seeing no one else available to do so.

[BlueBard]

OOC: Thanks!  I had thought Daniel would do the tying, but I'll take whatever help I can get!

[Glitch Girl]

Between Daniel and Annia, you manage to secure Nina to a nearby tree. Shortly thereafter, Og wanders over to her and starts sniffing.

"She have food?  Og kinda hungry."  *sniff sniff*  "Smell good."

Nina tries to back away, but since she's attached to the tree, she isn't able to make any headway.

Nathan tell Orloid, "I'll see what I can do." He mutters a soft prayer as the elven priest removes the arrow in his main body.  Johnas cries out in pain and the wound starts bleeding heavier just as Nathan finishes his invocation and lays hands on the man's side.

Dakkon, you pace the perimiter.  There's no sign of anyone else, just the traces and tracks left from this group if you're any judge. 

[BlueBard]

Whisper beckons Annia, Og, Daniel, Starbuck, and Dakkon to join him in a spot where he judges that low conversation would not be overheard by Nina or any other enemy who's conscious.  The priests are still engaged in their healing, but when they are done Whisper will motion them over also.

Once he has a majority gathered, Whisper says, "We need to discuss what to do with our captives and what this bounty on Daniel's head means for our quest.  This area around Oakenhold is too dangerous for us to linger in, and you can be sure that Stuarton will be as much or more dangerous before very long.  Daniel, you will need to alter your appearance somehow.  Drastically, I am afraid.  I would suggest disguising you as a monk."

[BentonGrey]

OOC: Dakkon will give up his vigil and join Whisper in his discussion.  However, I can't think of anything pertinent to say, so....he'll just remain quiet.

[Lord Elcorion]

i say we take everything of use that they have, leave them all but naked, and let them find their own way out of the forest.

[Glitch Girl]

"...Daniel, you will need to alter your appearance somehow.  Drastically, I am afraid.  I would suggest disguising you as a monk."

"A monk?" asks Daniel.  "You mean like shave-your-head-scratchy-robes-and-lots-of-muttering monk?"  His lip curls a little bit in disgust, but as he takes a quick glance at the rest of you, he adds "Um, I can do monk, sure thing," and smiles.  Or tries to.  It looks pretty forced.

Orloid, Nathan's healing magic seems to have mended the worst of the hole. It' still oozing a bit, but it doesn't look as angry as it did a moment ago.  Somewhere in the course of your ministerings, Johnas finally passes out, but you're pretty sure he'll wake up again later.

[Panther_Gunn]

"Og say take food, take shineys.  Maybe take swords & other pokey things.  Tie together so walk slow.  Maybe put sack over leader head, make harder get back to town.  Maybe take other stuff thems have us need for trip.  Tell them tell others next ones not be so lucky."  His eyes roll up into his head a bit, signifying deep thought.  "....hmmmmmm........them get back.....them tell what us look like.  Og and blue elf kind of hard to miss.  Even more people come, maybe have magic people, too.  No, that not good plan.  Maybe not let them go at all.  Tie up in secret place, maybe elfy-man tell friend where, come get in some days, when we gone.   ^_^  Yes, that *good* plan."  :D

[Uncle Yuan]

With the last attacker dealt with, I wander over to the group.  "Og is right,  Our biggest problem right now is that the survivors now know that Daniel is traveling in a large, well armed and dangerous group.  The next attempt would be much more likely to succeed.  I hope that by leaving them injured it would slow down their return.  Really, only this woman," indicating the woman tied to the tree, "is in any shape to travel at all.  If we had any confidence at all she wold stick with her companions we might leave them here and beat them to Oakenhold and be gone.  Might."

[Viking]

Starbuck sighs in theatrical fashion.  "Ah, the age-old question of how to ethically deal with prisoners, lest they bring further wrath upon us."

He looks back to the bound prisoners.  "We might consider the possibility that these are independent bounty hunters, as opposed to sworn liegemen of Lord Niles.  In which case, it may be possible to cut a deal with the survivors."

"At the very least, I propose first asking them as much.  It seems that we will be able to... resupply ourselves from their erstwhile companions.  If, however, the survivors are independent agents, they may be willing to leave and 'forget' about us if they retain their own equipment.  Not every prisoner need be turned into a foe forever swearing blood vengeance, after all."