A Dangerous Gift

The absorbed light continues to flow forth from Lunea's vessel, Elowin, into everyone except Elysia as extra verve (every PC except Elysia now has 4 temp HP). With one smooth movement, the elf slips her arm out of the shield's straps, slings it across her back with that arm, and flips her bow off of her shoulder with the other. She nocks an arrow to the string and then draws it from her hip quiver in the same movement as she pulls back on the bow. She lets fly the arrow and the last Grayhaven guard (GG4) standing falls back, gurgling, the shaft lodged in his neck. He drops his weapon and staggers around the room before collapsing.
"My thanks, Elowin!" Adran calls, and yanks his dagger out of the fallen guardsman's shoulder, recalling all the years that his sister practiced her archery in the wild while he was disassembling and examining the golem. Coming back to the present, Adran springs forward and tries to stab the royal guardsman (RG2) already pressed by Elysia's attack. The Royal Guardsman reels back, the dagger stuck in his gut.

Beginning to despair, the Royal Guardsman (RG1) outside desperately tries to beat back the barbarian with his shorter blade, to no avail.

Inside, the Royal Guardsman (RG2) with Adran's dagger sticking in his gut attempt to fend off both attackers, but nothing gets past their defenses.

Whirling, hacking, cleaving, Ishi glances over and sees the battered form of his bear friend Morik change and revert to a dwarf. He looks back at the Royal Guardsman, furious, and shatters the short sword with a blow that nearly cuts the Royal Guardsman in half. Ishi wrenches his blade free from the collapsing foe and runs up to support his druid friend just as Morik is finishing his transformation back into a glossy brown bear. The guard captain's eyes boggle slightly, both at the transformation and at the blood-spattered barbarian that confronts him by its side. Where did that dwarf come from? Where did it go? Who is this brute? Gods, the bear is back...and unharmed!

Eozindra, seeing Elowin's deadly handiwork has ended the threat of the last Grayhaven guard in the room, turns to focus her scorn on the Royal Guardsman (RG2) fighting with Elysia and Adran behind the bar. "Bad dog!" she scolds. The Royal Guardsman, already weakened by Adran's dagger in his gut, stiffens with shock and shame as those two simple words, uttered with such ferocity, strike home. He staggers, but keeps his feet and fights on, more from terror than from any hope of apprehending the party.

Out in the street, the guard captain has not come to this realization quite yet. Still confident in his prowess and his past success rate in collaring drunks, toughs, and bravos, he continues fighting, slashing at Morik's jowls and claws with his long blade and trying to slip his short blade into Ishi's ribs to take him out quickly. Morik the bear takes 8 damage (4 from temp).

Despite their combat training, the riderless horses whicker uneasily at the smell of blood, the clash of blades, and the roaring of the bear.

ROUND FIVE BEGINS

As the fifth round of combat begins, only one royal guardsman (RG2) and the guard captain remain in opposition to the party, actively fighting for their lives. Fearing a group of heavily armed and alert adventurers, the Duke has fled in his carriage but could still be caught on horseback...or the horses could be used to get to the castle dungeons before the Duke can get there. Elysia and Eozindra have the map that Tykus slipped to them just before he was killed, which Findal may be able to decipher. Elysia and Adran are engaged in melee with the Royal Guardsman, while Ishi and Morik are locked in hand-to-hand with the guard captain.Elysia continues to slash and stab at the ashen-faced royal guardsman, who manages to barely turn the dancing blade away from his body each time...but his energy is clearly flagging.
Elowin's eyes flash with the glow of a harvest moon, and the sound of a deep, bass bell rings out in the room. It is the royal guardsman's death knell. He drops his weapon and grasps his ears with a shriek and then collapses into a ball, whimpering and broken. The spirit of Lunea dims the light even further as the twilight proceeds to full night in this early morning; those within the range get 8 temp HP.
Adran twists his dagger out of the man's gut, turns and runs for the door. He smiles at Elowin in gratitude, then winds up and flings his dagger over her shoulder at the guard captain that Ishi and Morik are fighting. The dagger clatters in the street, glittering in the sunlight out of Lunea's twilight zone.
Ishi presses his attack, but the guard captain is barely able to turn the heavy blade aside each time.
But this keeps his focus enough that he misses the swipe from Morik's claws, and he is raked savagely by the bear's heavy blow.
Eozindra slips past Elowin and exits the Lucky Copper Inn; the riderless horses shake their heads uneasily as the noise of battle continues, but then Eozindra's mellifluous voice calms them somewhat, even as the meaning of the words attempt to quail the guard captain's resolve. But he is made of sterner stuff, is this captain.

Long years has he served the city of Grayhaven, and his sense of duty is deeply ingrained. Well does he realize what the appearance of this latest, dazzlingly blonde adventurer means: the men that went in the back have also failed, and he is the lone bulwark against these violent reprobates and his lord and master, the latest of the rulers that he has served, Duke Dain Draymore, the regent of all the Greenwold until the Queen comes of age. He has sworn to protect his kingdom, and he is resigned to give the co-ruler of that kingdom every protection he can, even if costs him his life.

The guard captain attacks Morik twice while he continues to fend off (what he mistakenly believes is) the lesser threat of Ishi with his shortsword. Morik takes 9 points of slashing damage.

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22 - Elysia (14/17) (0 temp)
21 - Elowin (17/17) (4 temp)
20 - Adran (16/19) (4 temp, BLESSED)
18 - Royal guard
16 - Ishi (25/25) (4 temp, BLESSED)
15 - Morik bear (30/34) (0 temp, BLESSED)
15 - Grayhaven guards 1 & 2
10 - Grayhaven guards 3 & 4
8 - Eozindra (10/10) (4 temp)
8 - Guard Captain
7 - Duke

Round Five continues

Elysia continues to slash and stab at the ashen-faced royal guardsman, who manages to barely turn the dancing blade away from his body each time...but his energy is clearly flagging.
Elowin's eyes flash with the glow of a harvest moon, and the sound of a deep, bass bell rings out in the room. It is the royal guardsman's death knell. He drops his weapon and grasps his ears with a shriek and then collapses into a ball, whimpering and broken. The spirit of Lunea dims the light even further as the twilight proceeds to full night in this early morning; those within the range get 8 temp HP.
Adran twists his dagger out of the man's gut, turns and runs for the door. He smiles at Elowin in gratitude, then winds up and flings his dagger over her shoulder at the guard captain that Ishi and Morik are fighting. The dagger clatters in the street, glittering in the sunlight out of Lunea's twilight zone.
Ishi presses his attack, but the guard captain is barely able to turn the heavy blade aside each time.
But this keeps his focus enough that he misses the swipe from Morik's claws, and he is raked savagely by the bear's heavy blow.

Eozindra slips past Elowin and exits the Lucky Copper Inn; the riderless horses shake their heads uneasily as the noise of battle continues, but then Eozindra's mellifluous voice calms them somewhat, even as the meaning of the words attempt to quail the guard captain's resolve. But he is made of sterner stuff, is this captain.

Long years has he served the city of Grayhaven, and his sense of duty is deeply ingrained. Well does he realize what the appearance of this latest, dazzlingly blonde adventurer means: the men that went in the back have also failed, and he is the lone bulwark against these violent reprobates and his lord and master, the latest of the rulers that he has served, Duke Dain Draymore, the regent of all the Greenwold until the Queen comes of age. He has sworn to protect his kingdom, and he is resigned to give the co-ruler of that kingdom every protection he can, even if costs him his life.

The guard captain attacks Morik twice while he continues to fend off (what he mistakenly believes is) the lesser threat of Ishi with his shortsword. Morik takes 9 points of slashing damage.

ROUND SIX BEGINS

The lone guard captain is fighting on against an ever-growing number of PC heroes. The six riderless horses whicker nervously, as the Duke races off into the streets of Grayhaven, perhaps on his way to enact some further punishment on Findal Dinfizzle Findazzle in the castle dungeon.What do each of you do for round six?