[sprawlah=Mage Action]
"Stay here, fight fires, and let the invaders harvest your families or drive you out of your homes, or go and help us stop them. If the fires get close your families might need to evacuate, but they can handle that themselves. I'm not going to force you, but that forward base of theirs is nearly starved out, this convoy could make or break control over this entire area. Your choice. I'm going to try to stop that convoy. This very dilemma has to be why they started the fires in the first place. I wouldn't reward them for their behavior by letting them through. Hell, they might make it their standard procedure if it works."
Go get to the first ambush position.[/sprawlah]
[5]
You quickly calm down the two civilians, trying to convince them to help you. Konna listens carefully, and as soon as you finish she nods, then walks out, barking orders at her people while you and your companions ready yourselves. By the time you leave, there's a small crowd assembled in front of the building--the warriors that had already agreed to help you, but also a few more poorly equipped civilians, who apparently want to help defend their homes. Behind them, you see Konna organizing a larger group of civilians, apparently calling everyone out of their homes. You're not sure whether she intends to evacuate everyone or fight the fires, and leave before finding out.
[I'm assuming you mean to head to the logfall trap with mortars sighted in on it, as you say "first ambush position" despite only the last technically being prepared as an ambush point. I'm also assuming you trained the hunters and sent them to man the mortars; You've got six NPCs with you, three of whom are competent fighters. If you want to retcon any of that, go ahead, doesn't really matter yet.
...I'm also gonna say that a hunter has been stationed at the logfall trap, as a forward observer. You have the manpower, and it's an obvious requirement if you intend to only mortar once they reach the point.]
[2][3]The fires are already very heavy, and though they seem to be concentrated around the portions of the path deeper into the forest, they've still got a wide dispersion, and you have to be careful to skirt the burning patches as you head towards the ambush point. Even with Donnell trying to weaken any fires you come across, you still end up having to take a very wide path to stay safe; you don't even get to the ambush point before you hear the observer call for the mortars to start firing. Seconds later, he cackles, and calls out that it was a direct hit--and then he curses and says the mech is still alive, but retreated backward. No more contacts, he says.
[sprawlah=Ursus' Character Sheet]Name: Ursus.
Appearance: A tall and muscular man, around 50-60 years old. Long, gray hair and chestnut eyes. Multiple old battle scars in his whole body, mainly in his bare chest and face. He wears a hollowed-out bear head, skin and fur as some sort of hooded cloak, and a pair of bear-skin pants. His spirit animal has always been the bear.
Personality: He is a very tame and pacific man, but when he is forced to fight, he enters a wild and bloody frenzy that doesn't stop until someone is dead, his allies included. His voice is very deep and raspy, and he talks slowly (Liiiikeeee... Thiiiis...) He is always very lazy when out of combat and most of the time he is either hunting, eating or sleeping.
Health: Some scars, from other animals he has fighted against. None of them are too severe or recent, because he just recently finished hibernating.
Traits:
Hard ((A certain toughness of the flesh makes minor injuries less problematic from a purely physical point of view.))
Spiritual ((Advantage to selfshift bear features.))
Bloodthirsty
Inventory:
Soulclaws
((None of your clothing counts as armor even a little, and it's described in appearance so I'm not going to bother keeping track of it.))
Mana: 3/3
Push: 0/0
Mana Tether: Weapon (Steel claws)
Powers:
Mobility
Power
Selfshift
Regeneration
Extra stuff:
Traits description:
-He's very physically strong, able to whistand attacks without staggering and causing severe damage even when mortally wounded.
-His mind and spirit is very attuned to nature and animals, being especially connected to bears. He's a very spiritual man-bear.
-He's also has particularly violent outbursts, not being able to stop his berserker's blood-lust until blood is spilled, be it from his enemies or friends. This frenzied state turns him from a pacific man to an unstoppable feral beast, only being able to use his magic and abilities to kill.
Inventory description:
-A pair of masterfully crafted steel gauntlets with bear claws for punching, slashing, clawing and tearing his enemies.
-His bear fur, wearing the hollowed bear head as a helmet, the hollow bear arms as sleeves and the rest as a cape or coat. It let's him look almost like a bear.
-Bear leather pants, the only thing he is wearing. Other than his bear skin.
Backstory: Ursus is a bear. He did bear things. He was hibernating when giant space robots came from space, then continued hibernating for a long time. He just recently stopped hibernating because winter was over. He's now hungry.[/sprawlah]
[sprawlah=Mage Action]Jump out of the woods and appear where the other mages are.[/sprawlah]
You, uh, do this. Everything written above is known. I'd write up a fancy version from Ursus' perspective but nah, sorry.
...Well, maybe something. While traveling, you take the time to roar at every patch of fire you find, in an effort to intimidate and slow its advance.
[2]
The fire remains unintimidated.
...Oh! And halfway there, you and Niko decide to split away from Tanya and her sadly slow posse, rushing ahead to the ambush point. Read below.
[sprawlah]Well. Sucks for you guys but uh, we got some aliens to go murder so uhhh good luck I guess.[/glow
Head to the first ambush site.][/sprawlah]
You ignore Konna, and Tanya's speech, just busying yourself grabbing your stuff. Fire sounds pretty mundane to you, it's pretty easy to outrun in your experience. And forest fires barely ever destroy anything important before a pyromancer gets there, anyway. Though maybe that's because most forest fires are caused by pyromancers to start with...
Speaking of, you're also completely sure you could outrun these mundane humans, and probably Tanya too. They're so
slooow. Once you're about halfway to the ambush point, you split away from the group with Ursus, easily outpacing the mundane humans. You get there just after the observer reports that the mech retreated, and find several small scars in the earth from mortar strikes. Also, while this side of the path is quite safe, currently, the far side is on fire. It's mostly limited to the brush, and it isn't crossing the path, but it won't be long before the canopy starts to catch.