The little group had hoped for an ambush, and were sadly disappointed when the first of the group noticed them.  Trying to capitalize on surprise, they had launched a quick attack that looked like it might've turned the tide.  Unfortunately, the group quickly gathered its wits and struck back.  The most dramatic of these counterattacks occurred on the first to strike, the female halfling.  First she was blasted by a wave of pure force, which cracked something in her ribcage and caused her head to snap back.  Before she could bring it back around, an arrow pierced her chest, forcing the broken rib into her heart.  She had just enough time to glazedly glare at the divine paladin before her eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground, dead.<br/><br/>(Red target dead!)<br/><br/>Next was the dwarf throwing stones.  He noticed the hungry mermaid right beneath him and hunched up into position, reaching for another stone.  However, he hadn't anticipated her being quite so flexible, and himself being quite so easy to reach.  Thus he was pulled down, falling into her mouth, and from there down her throat.  Unable to angle himself right, all he could do was let himself be squeezed down the throat until he was pushed into her belly.<br/><br/>(White target swallowed and dazed!)<br/><br/>The male halfling noticed the two people downed around him, and his face blanched.  As Lang scaled the tree to grab him, he tried to back up and clamber up the tree.  One misstep, though, put his leg in just the wrong place to be grabbed by the dragontaur paladin.  A quick kick manages to free him, though, and he pulls his foot away.  In an instant, he whips around and starts to pull himself up the tree.<br/><br/>(Roll of 18 breaks the grapple.  Climb check of 15 means Yellow target scales another five feet into the tree leaving him at 15 feet.)<br/><br/>The elf, frowning at her failure with her chosen weapon, drew back her arm to hurl a regular knife.  Sadly, that was when the vial of explosive exploded above her.  It was off-mark enough to only cast a couple of embers on her, but that was enough to distract her.  She lost her footing, and she fell.  A desperate attempt to save herself failed; all she could do was land on her feet, in front of a hungry shape-changer.<br/><br/>(Roll of 1 on dagger throw means fall.  Climb check of 21, not quite enough to save her.  Roll of 1 means relatively smooth landing for Black Target.)