The road to Greenest is long, full of gentle curves that follow the land. Though a few collections of trees block your sight from the city, you know from your maps that it's merely a few miles shy. Less than an hour away. You happily talk amongst yourselves, excited for the accommodations of proper civilization-even the wilder amongst you appreciate a bath and a bed. But, as you round the last bend to make Greenest visible, you see something startling. Pillars of smoke curl up from the city, and amongst the clouds wheels a fearsome blue dragon, attacking it!
Armarille was more than happy to finally see some civilization. Though the Dark Dancer taught to appreciate the bounties of nature, it was hard to get a good night's rest in the wilderness. Especially when there was little company besides the animals to be found. The bard was amidst a rousing travelling song to make their feet less sore, when she saw the smoke on the horizon, then that horrible blue streak. She rushed forward, red eyes widening as she shouted, "By the God's, the town! We have to go help them, make sure everyone is okay!" She turned to the others, hoping they'd join her.
Armarille was always a joyful sort, they'd noticed. Rarely was she serious. But as the town was ravaged, they could see the determination in her eyes. They could see that, even if the rest chose to simply run, Armarille would run into the flames to save as many as she could, consequences be damned.
Though Aylin was, as usual, walking at the front of their little group — eager as always to see what was around the next bend in the road — she was not the first to notice the dragon. Her attention this day was on a weathered old map she held in her hands, a crinkled bit of parchment whose ink had begun to fade. The map grew less and less detailed the further inland one looked, and while the road group was travelling on did appear on the map, Greenest itself did not. The golden-haired sun elf frowned as she stared at it, cocking her head and trying to puzzle out exactly how far they’d come. They hadn’t reached the crossroads yet, so somewhere before that, but… had the mapmaker meant for this curve to represent that hill back there? Or had they just been kind of guessing?
It was the sudden loss of Armarille’s song that caught her attention. Aylin glanced up to see what was wrong, and her elven eyes caught a glint of the dragon wheeling far above. The monk stopped dead in her tracks at the sight, breath catching in her throat. After all this time hoping to see another dragon, there one was — majestic and beautiful as she remembered. And terrible. Winged death to the city below.
Aylin’s map crinkled as her hand twitched. She quickly stowed it in her pack, then hastened her stride to catch back up with Armarille. “Quickly,” she added in agreement, ready to break into a run towards the city. Aylin had been wary of the drow when they’d first met, but her reaction here showed why she’d begun to earn the sun elf’s trust.
Aurora had decided she liked her new friends very much a second after she met them. She was following Aylin's lead gladly, and she was swaying and dancing to Armarille's song gleefully.
"Huh?" She opened her eyes wide when she saw the threat in the distance: a dragon! She had defended her sisters at the Church from other monsters, but never a dragon! A new chance to prove her worth before her divine Lady Firehair! "Yes, yes!" She replied to the drow's call.
She rushed with long strides, hoping to reach the town before it was too late. She'd try to help and move people out of danger, but she'd face the danger —the dragon or its allies, if it had any— first. And she'd do it with a wide smile.
Victoria was no stranger to travel by this point, and had even found some pleasant companions to do so with which made it all the easier! With Aylin taking the lead, the armed and armored blonde walked somewhere in the middle of their assorted group, not seeking to rush but still looking to make good progress.
At least, that was until the smoke was seen quite clearly in the near distance. "That's not good. Bandits?" She asked, a hand moving to carry her shield and the other moving for her spear. Thankfully her companions were just as concerned for the wellbeing of others, and so the young warrioress moved with purpose behind her steps as she kept with the group.
You rushed for Greenest, moving significantly faster than you were before. The gates have been blasted open, letting you see some of the destruction inside. There were small fires present all over as you pass the outer wall, and various buildings have crumbled under the onslaught. As you take in the scene, you hear movement from an alley. With weapons prepared, you inch closer.
A man limps out as quickly as he can, visibly injured and carrying a child. "Come on!" he motions for two other children, exiting the alley. Bringing up the rear is a woman with a spear, brandishing it towards where the family came from. As they move to the center of the road, you see their pursuers-kobolds, each wielding a dagger or sling.
Roll initiative.
Kobold-21
Kobold-18
Lady With Spear-14
Kobold-12
Kobold-12
Kobold-11
Kobold-9
Kobold-4
Kobold-3
"Oh, noes! Cute creatures like you shouldn't be looking for trouble!" Aurora said as she wielded her greatsword and got ready to charge against the kobolds. "Sorry—not-sorry if I hurt you!"
Aramille rushed forward with the group, staying behind, as she wasn't confident enough in her sword skills yet to rush to the frontlines. Rather, she produced a viola, of all things.
Upon spotting the kobolds, she did one last check of her strings, become readying herself, shouting to the three civilians, "Stay back! We'll protect you!"
Aylin unceremoniously shrugged off her travelling pack at the sight of the kobolds, freeing up her movement for the fight that was to come. She drew her shortsword and held it out to one side as she prepared to dash forward and intercept them.
It might seem foolish to charge headlong into a group of bloodthirsty little dagger-wielding lizard-creatures, but this wasn't the first time Aylin had crossed paths with a kobold. They were said to often be the servants of dragons, after all; she'd ran into them a time or two during her travels. She knew them to be cowardly, unreliable fighters, at least when their pray were not ordinary townsfolk and defenceless children. She'd never fought this many, of course, but her previous encounters had been before she'd had proper training.
Without hesitation, the golden-haired elf ran straight for them; head low, one arm tucked in front of her, the other holding her sword extended by her side. Her fleet steps quickly carried her past the fleeing family and into the kobolds' path, and then she struck — a whirling tornado of flashing blade and spinning kicks as she clashed with the foremost kobold of the pack, allowing their momentum and hers to carry her onward into their midst.
Assuming they're within 30 feet, at least.
Moving up to the group of kobolds and taking the attack action: Shortsword: 15 to hit (8 + 7), 8 damage (3 + 5) Unarmed (Martial Arts bonus action): 19 to hit (12 + 7), 8 damage (3 + 5)
Two of the kobolds drop from Aylin's fierce attacks. You can see a little bit of the tension release from the two parents' shoulders-they're not safe yet, but they're a hell of a lot more likely to see themselves and their kids to safety now.
The woman with the spear jabs at the assaulting kobolds and retreats, failing to land an actual hit, but keeping them further from her family.
Aylin-22 Kobold-21
Kobold-18 Aurora-16
Lady With Spear-14
Victoria-12
Kobold-12
Kobold-12
Kobold-11
Aramille-9
Kobold-9
Kobold-4
Kobold-3
Injured dad and kids-0
Aurora ran, dragging her greatword behind a little. She was tall and slim, but managed her weapon like an expert.
"Nice job, Aylin!" She said when she saw her companion dispatch the two closest kobolds before they could do anything. Aurora went for the next one. "Worry not, for we have come!"
She leaped forward and did a quick spin against the creature: her long furry tail matching the speed of her large, wide blade. Hopefully, she'd have slashed it across its chest.
"Come to me, little draco-friends! Come to Aurora!" She called them, trying to lure them in against her instead of going to the family.
Another kobold drops, cleanly dropped by Aurora's keen blade. Despite their normally fearful nature, these ones seem emboldened enough to keep attacking-though it wouldn't take much to convince them better opportunities lie elsewhere.
Aylin-22 Kobold-21
Kobold-18
Aurora-16
Lady With Spear-14
Victoria-12 Kobold-12
Kobold-12
Kobold-11
Aramille-9
Kobold-9
Kobold-4
Kobold-3
Injured dad and kids-0
Victoria is quick to move - seeking to work in tandem with her allies. Rushing forward, her fist strike is a little sloppy but as she catches herself and rights her blow, perhaps she has a better chance!
Move to attack a kobold. First attack was a 9 to hit which I assume is a miss. My bonus action attack was an 18 to hit, for 7 bludgeoning damage if it connects
Aylin-22 Kobold-21
Kobold-18
Aurora-16
Lady With Spear-14
Victoria-12 Kobold-12
Kobold-12
Kobold-11 Aramille-9
Kobold-9
Kobold-4
Kobold-3
Injured dad and kids-0
With only four kobolds left, they haven't begun to flee yet. One aims their sling and fires at the melee scrum, but fails to land a blow on anyone, the sling bullet skipping along the ground.
Armarille hung back, letting the others draw attention as she instead relied on her magic. Plucking the strings of her lyre, a rousing song, almost ethereal, echoed from her fingers, as she shouted to Aylin, "Keep going! You can do this!"
With Aylin's spirits risen, she then turns to the kobold who used the sling, pointing one, smirking as she shouted, "I'm curious, did you train to be that bad of an aim, or are you some sort of self taught prodigy of failure?"
Armarille uses her bonus action to give Aylin a Bardic Inspiration, then uses her Action to cast Vicious Mockery on the Kobold who launched the sling bullet. The Kobold must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 14,) or take 1d4 psychic damage, and have disadvantage on it's next attack roll. If it fails, the kobold takes 3 psychic damage.
The kobold Aramille targeted blinks rapidly, and screeches in pain. The remaining survivors seem to think better of pursuing this particular set of prey, and start to flee, focusing on survival.
The kobolds will Disengage and retreat.
The woman shakes her spear at them, and shouts "Never touch my family again!"
The limping man moves as quickly as he can for his partner. "Linan, are you okay?" he asks.
"I'm fine. You're the one who's injured," she says. The three children move close to their mother, who turns to face you all. "Thank you. I don't think we would have survived if you hadn't come. We're trying to make it to the keep-fleeing the city would leave us open for the dragon, but the keep should be safe."
Her husband nods. "Yes, thank you. We know it's more than we should ask, but please. Help us get to safety."
The woman, Linan, is of moderate height. Slightly taller than average, but not enough to be notable. She's in a pair of pants and a simple tunic, darned and patched from years of wear, and torn from recent combat. Her hair is a wavy brown, and her face looks to be normally a gentle maternal one.
Her husband, who's name you don't know yet, is slightly shorter, even before his current limp. His hair is short and black, and he's trying to keep a hopeful face on for the kids-but you could tell it was a facade before you arrived.
The three children are young, oldest barely in the double digits, and the youngest old enough to walk but petrified in fear, and so carried by his father. Their looks are a mixture of their parents' appearance.
Aylin shot back a confident grin at Armarille's encouragement, and grinned wider still as the remaining kobolds broke and ran. This had gone much better than her last encounter with kobold-kind. The sun-elf flicked the blood from her blade with a flourish of her wrist, then turned to face the family they'd saved.
"We'll help you, of course," she said at once, no question in her heart on that front — though she did pause for a moment to glance at her companions in case they had other ideas. Her voice had a lilting, musical quality to it when she spoke Common. It was an accent she'd never quite lost, even with all these years spent far from home. "But we'll need to move swiftly. They may return with more of their kind."
Nothing quite emboldened a coward, she knew, as overwhelming numbers. Aylin glanced down the road, in the direction she assumed led to the keep, then back to Linan and her wounded husband. "Victoria, is there anything you can do for his leg?"
"I'm Cuth, by the way," the man introduced himself. His leg had a nasty wound in it, though the bleeding was mostly done with. Healing it wouldn't be particularly difficult for the magically-inclined. "I can still move," he said, "so if you need to save your healing for someone else, it'll be okay."
5 HP need to be healed to Cuth to get him back to full mobility.
As the kobolds ran, Aurora ran behind them, shouting. She wouldn't chase them more than twenty feet, as she was trying to intimidate them further.
"You've chosen a crooked path, little scaley thingies!!"
Once they were far from the people, she'd come back.
"Nice to meet you, Cuth! Nice to meet you, Linan! Woah, you can't help your pretty lady nor your kids if you're hurt like that! I think we can... Do something?" She glanced at her companions with puppy eyes. If only she could heal like the priestesses in her order! Maybe if she could heal by hitting very hard...
With her immense sword on her shoulder, Aurora will turn her back to the family and her friends, and will keep an eye on the surroundings, either attentive for any new foe, or for another person needing help.
With the kobolds fleeing, Victoria righted herself and kept a defensive stance until they seemed surely out of the area.
She then turned to the family, namely Cuth. "Well met, or... As well as the current circumstances. I've some gift with healing." She said as her eye flickered to his injured leg. "Let me tend to that for you, it could mean the difference between life or death." She'd then seek to use her gift to mend his wound. "Go now, don't let this be in vain."
It was risky and would leave her with not but her skills with a shield and spear, but hopefully that would be enough.
The wound knits closed, and Cuth stands straighter. "Thank you," he tells Victoria. "The keep is near the center of Greenest-we know some of the streets that will, hopefully, be less occupied on our way."
Linan looks around. "We can guide everyone, but could someone with a little more armor take point?" she asks. "I've got a pointy stick and not much else."
You step into the shade of a nearby alley, and quickly sort out a marching order. With someone else at the front and the children in the center, Linan and Cuth direct the group down a few side streets. It is, for a time, uneventful, but as you're about to exit an alley, those of you with sharper vision (Passive Perception of 13+) notice four foes. Two more kobolds and two larger humanoid figures, dressed in combat robes.
There's only a moment or two before you'd be spotted-what will you do?
You can attempt to hide, but will roll with disadvantage due to the kids.
You can fight them, in which case I'll roll init for everyone.
You can try to convince them you're too tough a target and they should scurry away.
You can also do something else I haven't thought of-just lemme know!
"Oh, no, you won't!" The shifter pounds towards the enemies and plants her greatsword on the ground. Her smile disappears and she frowns with an eerie aura behind her. Her fur on her hands and feet stands, and her huge ears and tail look alert, giving her the impression of being a lion about to jump on a gazelle. She didn't speak, she'll leave the words for one of her friends. She'll growl like a predator, and she'll grab her weapon, ready to strike if the kobolds and company came any closer.
As I have Proficiency in Intimidation, I'll give Victoria the Help action so she can roll Intimidation with advantage.
Noticing the upcoming kobolds, and that their flank seems a little more secure, Victoria takes to the front with her spear raised defensively. "Another step this way and your companions'll be burying you too." Her tone sharp and aggressive. It didn't stand well with her to let them harangue other good folk here, but with children at risk her defensive side flares up as she'd rather they not get caught in the crossfire.
Rolled advantage, the higher result was a total of 17.
The invaders looked at the menacing figures that accosted them by surprise, and then the fact that there were more of them than there was of their own group. None of them uttered a word, but they raised their weapons defensively as they slowly backed off. Aurora and Victoria out front, you continued to loom at them until they hit the relative safety of an alley and turned tail, running in full.
Linan's knuckles were white on her spear, but she kept it up and active long enough to be sure they were gone. She let out a sigh of relief when the two who lead the effort finally calmed.
You continued along the streets of Greenest, and with the help of the Swift family, soon arrived at the keep. The guards with bows and crossbows up top had managed to keep the raiders at bay for the moment, and the gates were open for the townsfolk. Seeing you all with your weapons, arrows and bolts were aimed at you, but Linan and Cuth raced to the front. "They saved us!" Cuth shouted.
"They're friendly!" Linan added.
The guards didn't seem certain, until they saw the children with your group, and then gestured for you to come in, and quickly. The gates shut behind you, with a massive thud. You found yourselves amongst a large number of scared townsfolk, kept from panicking by the reassurance of safety. One of the guards looked to the four of you and Linan. "If you're still willing to fight," he said, "go up the stairs. Governor Nighthill and the Castellan are a floor up-they're directing our defense."
Linan shook her head. "I barely survive to make it here. I'm no warrior."
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