Episode 1: A Helping Hand

Rhodrick is stabilized, and is now in a wishbone situation as both the grimlock and Jandral attempt to lay claim to him.

Both Parallel's shortsword and Haesh's warhammer find their marks. The halfling dances away from the melee and puts some distance in-between, entering into the tunnel.

Golwen retreats with Parallel back to the bottleneck, opening a gout of arcane flame into the face of their nearest adversary as he does.

The fire bolt singes Grimlock2, but it remains standing. Both it and its ally (Grimlock5) pursue Paralle and Golwen into the narrowed tunnel. The two grimlocks, now free of obstruction, charge forward. Golwen manages to lean back and avoid the swing of Grimlock5, but Parallel suffers another hit as Grimlock2 strikes with its club (17 vs AC, 7 bludgeoning + 4 piercing = 11 damage).

Grimlock8 sees an opening, and steps towards Jandral. It launches an attack, but the half-elf barely manages to lean out of the way despite his own awkward posture. Meanwhile, its allies (Grimlock6, Grimlock7, and Grimlock11) maneuver their way around the mob.

Haesh finds himself the sole target of four grimlocks. He is beginning to understand their attack pattern, and deftly blocks the incoming clubs with his shield, slapping aside the last strike with his hammer.

Grimlock9 tries to come away with its prize, pulling at Rhodrick's body against Jandral's grip.Map

Parallel's hand feels tingly and numb, and despite his best efforts he is unable to effectively thrust with his dagger. However, his shortsword finds purchase, slipping under the grimlock's arm and biting deep into its heart. He watches as the lifeless grimlock falls forward, club clattering to the ground.

Jandral loses his grip on Rhodrick as the grimlock yanks the body away. As the sorcerer plays dead, the grimlock that attacked him leans forward and Jandral can hear a wet, sniffling sound, like an animal inspecting the body. Unable to see what the grimlock doing, Jandral can only feel a rough hand grab him by the arm and start to pull.

The grimlock holding Rhodrick grunts as there is more weight than expected. It sniffs the air and senses that its ally has a hold of possibly the same thing, and utters something that Golwen can understand. The other grimlock, holding onto Jandral's limp body, replies in a similar tongue.

However, Golwen has problems of his own. Pressed into melee, the wizard flings a Fire Bolt into the face of his opponent. Despite the close proximity, there is a small blast of flame that causes the grimlock to howl.