Clash gently picks up the regimental picture runs his metallics fingers across it gently as memories fuel emotion in his heart.  Clash walks outside onto the porch in front of the gathering villagers.  

He holds up the picture over his head and says to the crowd, "Come forward and Look!  All of you look at this picture!  You will see the three of us, Hamrick, Fargrimm, and myself, Clash, all standing tall with Doria years ago.  We were all soldiers together in the Great War, we are among the few survivor of the Great Disaster.  I can count the surviving members of our regiment on my hands."

Clash pauses a moment as he searches for words and then continues, "we are Doria's brothers!  Bathed in blood together, forged in the crucible of death and fire, we are her brothers!  Doria has called us here to aid her, asked help of her soldier brothers.  We have heard the call of our sister!  We have come to her aid!"

Clash's demeanor changes as he continues to speak, now fire and passion are coursing through his words to the people of Blackroot village.

"We three are killers, murderers, and soldiers!  Help us find our sister Doria, or suffer our wrath!  Cross us and we will kill everyone of you, burn your village to the ground, and erase all traces of Blackroot village forever!"

The small smattering of people quickly becomes a mob in response to Clash's speech. Howls of hatred and insult start coming from the mob and all three of you can see the women and children being discretely moved away from the crazy warforged.

The Mob starts pelting you with rotten fruit and chanting 'Leave, Leave, Leave'.

Everyone notices a few armed men, not joining the mob but leaving discretely as if they have something more important to protect...

The reeve is no where to be seen .

Oh, loveleh Fargrim mutters. I forgot why we doan let th' big guy do th' talkin'.

Assume a defensive stance, but only try to avoid the thrown foods until we make our move. I'm thinking we should follow those shady characters.

The Halfling laughs cynically. To the dwarf he says: "I'm impressed, though. Clash managed to make pariahs out of us way quicker than I would have thought possible."

He adds a bit louder, towards the warforged this time: "I think we should leave before this gets out of hand."

OOC: I think we should indeed follow these armed guys leaving the scene so quickly.

Ignoring the pelting, Clash turns his back to the crowd and places the picture in his backpack.  Standing as he slings his backpack on his back, Clash turns to his friends and shrugs in acknowledgment of their words, and as is saying "let's go."

The Halfling gets back inside and quickly grabs the mummified eye and the other pieces of evidence (machette etc) left behind, then gets back outside to leave with the others in pursuit of the guys who left the scene with seemingly "better" things to do.

Leaving town amid a pelting of Fruit and the occassional stone, you quickly work to double back and follow those people, who had better things to do. You eventually find a well worn but hidden path. As you continue forward you hear the sounds of whispered conversation including "... outsiders...".

You come to the end of the path. A gigantic Cave opens up with a few trees making a bleak existence on its black stone outcropping.

You don't see anyone.

Clash removes his backpack and starts fishing for a torch and his flint and steel.  

Once he lights his torch, he turns to his friends and says, "let's what scurried into the dank dark!"

Ah, good, finally - be glad te get out of the open and back inte more natural confines.

Fargrim also readies a torch and hefts his weapon.

Hamrick does the same: takes a hold of a torch in one hand, his short sword in the other, and he follows his companions as they get swallowed by darkness.

You push forward into the cave, when suddenly behind you , you hear the rustling of leaves and stones as three carefully hidden adversaries come out of their hidey holes.

Warden Charges!  13 to hit Ac on Hamrick, 6 damage if it hits.
Cultist Charges!    17 to hit Ac on Fargrim, 10damage if it hits.

The Warden is a strong burly looking ork with a wood cutting axe that looks stained with blood.

The Cultist has nefarious dark leather and cloth robes on and is wielding a short sword.

Everyone is clustered at the mouth of the Caves.  Fargrim, Hamrick, and Clash are all adjacent in a line with the Cultist and warden directly below Farmgrim and Hamrick respectively.  If you want to get out of the cave into the open wilderness behind the Orks you will probably provoke Opportunity Attacks from one of the orks.

Inside the cave is a bit of an open area, big enough to fit a melee of this size, before a narrow passage continues. Buckets of Pitch sit here, obviously used in torch making.

Initiative Warden 21
Initiative Cultist 14

( throw down your actions or requests for more discriptions as you please, if you post out of order , I will do my best but things may get changed. Use your best judgement.)

The Warden doesn't hit Hamrick.
The halfling swirls around and gives the Warden a piece of his mind, or rather, his blade.

Initiative 24.
25 to hit on the Warden. 7 damage if it hits.
I'm using the At-Will power "Riposte Strike", which allows me an instant, interrupt riposte attack on the Warden if he attacks me before my next turn.
If such an additional attack occurs, it's another 22 to hit, and 7 damage.

Clash turns at the first sign of trouble to meet the oncoming rush.  Quickly assessing the situation, Clash takes a step backwards into the open chamber which should give them some room to fight.

Clash calls forth spectral thorns that sprout from his attached longsword and reach out to grab the warden and pull him closer to Clash.  The warden, wary of such tricks, avoids the grasping and spectral thorns and vines.

==================================

OOC:  Clash's Initiative Check = 14
Move Action- Take a 5-foot step backwards.
Standard Action- Thorn Strike attack missed (rolled a 1) = 11

(Sorry for the delay - had some banning issues to wait out)

The attack on Fargrim misses (AC18) - he takes a half-step back, growls deeply in his chest "That's more LIKE it!" and swings his warhammer at the cultist who had the audacity to think he could engage a Priest of Pelor and a survivor of the disaster at Cyre!

Initiative: 9; First attack roll: 18 + 5 (inescapable warhammer +1) = 21; Damage: 10 + 2 = 12 (woot, rolled a 10!)

Hamrick and the Warden furiously trade blows.
(Hamrick's Attack Hits 7dmg, Warden Attacks, 17 to hit Ac, 7 damage, Hamrick's Reposite hit's 7 damage.)

The Warden furious that his enemy has the audacity to fight back, redoubles his effort. ( Clash and Hamrick are marked)

Clash steps back and attempts to use his Thorn Strike, which the crafty warden avoids.

The Cultist unable to hit the Priest initially, Tries Again, Stabbing out with its Short Sword again.

(Natural 1, fail)

Fargrim, more than a little annoyed, strikes out with his Divine Hammer, Smashing the Cultist. for 12 damage.)

Warden @ 14 dmg
Cultist @ 12 dmg

Top of the round.