The time has come friends, to embark on a magical journey, stretching all the way to the far side of the globe in the exotic land of Minkai! Naturally a saga so grand in scope must begin in suitably epic fashion!
So... you're all in a bar in some tiny little town. There's a notice nailed up by the bar offering a bounty to any brave adventurers willing to go clear out a bunch of goblins in the nearby swamp.
To be much more specific, you are presently seated in the main room of the Rusty Dragon Inn, a rather nice little establishment in the sleepy town of Sandpoint, run by a charming young woman of obvious Tien descent by the name of Ameiko Kaijitsu.
The notice calling for 'brave adventurers' seems to be at least partially a joke. While a fair number of goblins live in small tribes scattered throughout the hinterlands, they are generally regarded to be a nuisance at best, and were they to pose any real serious threat to the town, there are a number of individuals more than qualified to deal with them, some of whom are actually gathered around you, catching up with Ameiko and sharing stories from the road.
In particular, one Sandru Vhiski (clearly a native Varisian to judge by his dress and swarthy feaures, unlike the Chellish-descended majority of the town's population) has arrived fairly recently after traveling up the coast from Korvosa and Magnimar, trading various goods to make his living. While he clearly has a history of sorts with the proprietor, the main reason for his current visit is actually to check in on his elderly adoptive mother, Koya Mvashti.
Arriving on the same day from the elven village of Crying Leaf is Shalelu Andosana, a woman of no small reputation, having personally dealt with a number of threats to the region, and by some accounts a personal friend to the town's truly noted heroes, a ragtag group which four years earlier repelled an invasion of giants from the mountains far to the east.
To celebrate such a reunion with her old friends, the surprisingly generous Ameiko has provided a free round of ale for everyone present, and the atmosphere is quite gleeful.
Each of you has some degree of familiarity with at least one of those chatting at the bar if not each other, but as they're busy catching up, it's as good a time as any to mingle a bit yourselves.
Aleon examines the ale closely to make sure no-one tampered with it.
and then drinks if he knows nothing is wrong with it.
Niveus sits alone at a table, refusing the ale in exchange for tea. He was going over the day's trade for his family business. Something he had no small amount of dread and suffering about yet such was life lately. He had enough time at least to change into his more favored clothes which put him at odds with the locals who did not know him well, his tien style robes of simple brown was welcomed by Ameiko his long time friend. Which he noticed speaking to one of his own friends, not for the first time his eyes glanced over the serpent on her shoulder.
He shakes his head to focus back at the task at hand. Being distracted yet again by the goblin poster.
Aleon thanks Shalelu for bringing him her. Thanks for this, whatever it is you need, I'm here to help. He says this with a friendly and appreciative voice.
"It was so deliciously succulent... I felt like I had made it many more times previously.... but I did not! And that is the story of the fantastic berry cobbler I made on my first try. Cheers everyone! I say we have a toast on this table to how fine this place is. Very kind of Ameiko to give us ale on the house."
Her mug makes contact against her other friend's mugs. She takes a drink of ale and continues to socialize.
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Saif taps his mug against Kairi's and nods in agreement. "Very kind indeed." After taking a moment to look at her, taking in her blue skin and pale eyes, he asks bluntly—though innocently, "I've never seen one such as you before. Are you Undine?"
He then inhales quickly, realizing how rude he must have just been. "Forgive me if I speak too freely. But I have seen you around town and, gods willing, I would love to know more about you."
While most of the patrons take no notice of the notice regarding goblins, given how little of a threat they represent, the reward it offers is plenty real. It seems one of the local goblin tribes has somehow come into possession of a large supply of fireworks, which they have been using to attack passing travelers on the road past Brinestump Marsh. Belor Hemlock, the local town sheriff, has apparently decided to nip the matter in the bud, and offered a bounty of "10 gold an ear" on any goblins, and 300 for the head of their leader, should anyone be willing to head into the swamp and deal with the situation.
Seeing Niveus checking it out, Shalelu takes a break from filling Ameiko in on recent developments in her home town and leans over. "The Licktoads, huh? I'm tempted to just head down there and clean'em out myself, but they've never been too organized. I might leave that one to the locals for a change."
He raises an eyebrow at the she elf.
"I guess the little fish don't always appeal to you."
He gives a joking smile.
"If their effecting trade I may convince my folks to let me try my hand at a few. Getting a little gold in the process does not hurt. I don't suppose you have any tips for a novice?"
Shalelu chuckles. "For dealing with goblins? Avoid any place they can hide and jump out at you, remember they're only this tall, and just smash something sharp heavy or both into those giant melons the have on the necks. That or just scatter a lot of rusty nails and flammable oil around, they're likely as not to take themselves out."
Taking another sip of her drink, she adds, "If you're serious about heading down that way though, you really should be careful. There's worse things than goblins to worry about. You don't want to go slipping off a log and breaking an ankle, or getting bit by a venomous snake because you kicked the wrong rock. If you are going to check things out, I'd bring at least one other person to watch your back, and maybe check in with that halfling who's always hanging out down that way... Wally, Waldor..."
"Walthus Proudstump," comes the correction from Ameiko. "He can at least fill you in on which trails are still usable and which are overgrown. Just head west where the old fishing trail forks, it'll lead you right to him."
Niveus nods to the two women.
"Indeed going alone with my lack of skill would be far to foolish. I guess I will have to keep a look out for anyone else who is interested and request a partnership. If you would be so kind, let me know if you run into anyone yourself."
He gives a deeper nod which borders on bow.
Kairi smiles, pleased by Saif's curiosity.
Kairi is a strong beautiful young woman. Her shape and curves compliment her blue skinned female body. She clearly has more muscle then the average person. Her face is pleasantly symmetrical. She has long black hair. Her eyes have no pupils to speak of, her eyes are purely white with a slight glow. Her hands have been worked with food for so long that they are finely scented in cooking ingredients. She sits tall and straight showing a clear charismatic posture.
"A question worth asking. Took me some time to figure it out myself."
She gives a friendly playful wink.
"I am a Samsaran. I have memories that are not me, but are clearly part of me. What memories come to my mind is not based on my own free will though."
I'm up for some goblin hunting. Aleon whispers this to the person offering the reward.
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"Really?" he asks. For a moment he had taken a passing interest in the announcement, but the girl's words drew him back. "With so many memories I..." he stops speaking as his stomach lets out a terrible growl. His hand slips under his robe instinctively, though he already knows its the beast of hunger rumbling in his belly. With a grunt he continues, "... I would hate to know what memories appear merely walking down the street, or sitting down to eat. Would your favorite dish really be yours? Could it be someone else's?"
He reaches into his conspicuously empty backpack and realizes he has little money left. "Perhaps collecting gold to stop goblins would not be such a bad idea. It could fill my pockets as well as my stomach."
"How about I cook you something after this goblin trouble is taken care of. Whatever strikes your fancy."
Kairi stands up and finishes her drink. She sets the mug down on the table with a thud.
"My name is Kairi! I grew up in Sandpoint. What is your name? I would love to introduce you to some of my friends."
Kairi gestures her hand out for a hand shake. She prepares for a nice firm grip on Saif's hand.
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Distracted by his disorganized backpack, he says "Well I'd never turn down a good meal."
By the time he looks up, he sees that Kairi is to her feet and holding a hand out for him. He stares for a moment, not expecting her to move so quickly. "I am Saif al-Fajr." he says, taking her hand in his and nodding slightly. He then follows her.
Sandru looks up from the bowl of stew he ordered as people begin to discuss a potential goblin hunt. "Hmm... I heard about that bit of business on the way up. You know, if they do have a load of fireworks stashed away, I could likely take them off your hands when you get back. Visit enough towns and you'll always find one getting ready to host some local festival or other after all."
Kairi smiles in delight. "Come along!" She walks around the room introducing many different faces to Saif. She makes a little small talk to each table as she tours him around.
"Hope you are doing fine!" "Oh! That dish probably needs a bit more salt."
"No worries, you can keep the book I lent you if you like it so much."
She finally leads Saif to where the town sheriff spoke of the goblin activity. "Aleon! Niveus! There is someone I would like you to meet! You guys promised that you would take me with you on the next outing."
Hunter speaks to the group. So how do you all feel about goblin hunting? More importantly what did anyone find out?
Looking at Kairi, he smiles and rubs the back of his head.
"Aw well I just thought of going on a goblin hunt just a moment ago. Shalelu gave me a few tips for them, not the least of which was to go in a group. Another good one was to visit Walthus Proudstump who lives out in the forest too. You and your friend interested in coming?"
Kairi smiles in delight. "Come along!" She walks around the room introducing many different faces to Saif. She makes a little small talk to each table as she tours him around.
"Hope you are doing fine!" "Oh! That dish probably needs a bit more salt."
"No worries, you can keep the book I lent you if you like it so much."She finally leads Saif to where the town sheriff spoke of the goblin activity. "Aleon! Niveus! There is someone I would like you to meet! You guys promised that you would take me with you on the next outing."
Oh, yes, I do remember promising you that. I hope you are okay with goblin hunting. Hey, we can celebrate afterwards however you want. Aleon shakes the hand of Saif and introduces himself.
Having introduced yourselves, and tempted by the promise of quick cash, the four of you set out down the Lost Coast Road, to the nearby Brinestump Marsh. After a fair bit of a walk, a broad fishing trail breaks away, wending down through thickening vegetation and moistening ground. While there's still plenty of daylight, dense reeds and other vegetation make it rather difficult to see anything on either side of the path. Frogs croak, and gulls cry as you make your way to Warden Proudstump's shack. However, as you are in the process of crossing over the second of a set of three mossy bridges along the way, a distressingly large leech climbs up a support to block your way.
Rough double-map. You're starting in the red box, but let's not worry too much about the specifics.
Init: Saif 18, Aleon 15, Kairi 14, Niveus 13, Leech 9
"Aw well I just thought of going on a goblin hunt just a moment ago. Shalelu gave me a few tips for them, not the least of which was to go in a group. Another good one was to visit Walthus Proudstump who lives out in the forest too. You and your friend interested in coming?"
"Yes! My friend here is named Saif Al-Fajir. He is interested in coming as well. "
Oh, yes, I do remember promising you that. I hope you are okay with goblin hunting. Hey, we can celebrate afterwards however you want.
"Don't worry, I will not let you down. When we get back I will cook you guys a nice meal. Let me just grab my stuff and we can go."
However, as you are in the process of crossing over the second of a set of three mossy bridges along the way, a distressingly large leech climbs up a support to block your way.
Oh yes, particularly seeing as we have a bard handy, I should establish a convention for the ol' knowledge check Pokédex deal. How's this? Every time a monster rears its head, I'll toss out something like:
Honor system. If you roll a 12, click the link, pick a heading to know about in character. Get a 17, check two, etc. Benefit from those skills without bogging things down. Whee!
Niveus quickly draws his light crossbow and fires at the overgrown worm he sees before him.
Apparently his first battle out in the swamp along with the sickening appearance of the creature make his hands shake. His shot going wide as a result.
Kairi stands still, studying the creature.
Kairi draws a dagger. "Stay calm everyone, communication is important. We can move alot faster compared to this creature on land. Saif! Get back over here! This creature can suck you dry. Aleon and Niveus, fire your weapons and keep moving back as the creature comes forward. I have something that should help."
Kairi speaks in Samsaran and casts bless.
Aleon Keeps his gun loaded at all times, so when he gets into danger he does not have to load up his gun, the problem being is that he always keeps pellets in his gun unless he has a good reason to load up bullets.
That being said, he moves up to it. As his shotgun only has a range of 10 feet or a 15-foot cone. I hear your words of warning, but my gun wasn't preloaded with bullets which are better suited for just one enemy, not to mention the range on a blunderbuss requires me to get close in the first place.
Aleon hears the words of warning but is confident this thing can't kill him that quickly.
He moves up to it, as part of his move he pulls out his greataxe, but goes to the side, so ranged attack people can get a clear shot.
slashing damage.
Somewhat cautiously, you approach the unsightly slimy creature, most attacks skewing fairly wide, but with Aleon's axe scoring quite a solid blow. In retaliation, it lunges at an exposed bit of skin...
... but he easily manages to dodge aside.
Round 2. The leech doesn't look too terribly injured, but one more hit as solid as that last one should fix that.
Aleon swings again.
Great axes have X3 for crits, so 2 extra d12.
The leech is dispatched in rather short order, and with impressive zeal. After taking a moment to wipe off your weapons, you continue to make your way through the marsh. As you press in deeper and deeper, the moist air seems to get thicker and thicker. Periodically, there is a startlingly loud splash as some creature or other hops off a rotting log into a murky pool. Now and then you see a dark slithering shadow vanish below the water, and even what appears to be a pale humanoid face with red eyes staring at you through the reeds, but on closer inspection, there is nothing to be found.
Eventually, the muddy trail leads up to a swampy lagoon. The open ocean is visible just beyond these shallow waters, while an old two-story building, its walls soggy with moss and its roof sagging with age, sits on the lagoon's eastern shore.
As you shake the mud off your boots and knock on the door, the tiny form of a halfling opens it with a harsh greeting. "Hmm? Who are you all and what are you doing here? I'm in no mood to entertain guests!" He seems rather tired and out of breath.
Niveus pats his chest over his heart area after the fight.
"Good gods that was something. Goblins I was expecting but not giant bugs. That thing looked disgusting and just thinking of it latching on. Oh better not or I may see my lunch for the second time today."
He takes a few shaky breaths before moving on from the whole thing. When they make it to the halflings house he moves forward with a hand out stretched and a smile.
"Good day Mr. Walthus Proudstump. Shalelu sent me your way, said you were the person to see concerning the forest and what not. We are on a bit of a quest you see. Your advice and maybe a bit of hospitality would do wonders for us I think."
The little man furrows his brow and glances around a bit. "Only local expert on these things, am I? Well I suppose you may as well come in then." he says in something of a put-upon tone.
He urges you all to take a seat on a beat up old settle in a room decorated with potted plants, a far number of which have cracked pots and spilled soil nearby. Meanwhile, Proudstump heads into the kitchen with a bit of a limp, and starts loudly clattering through the pantry. "I suppose I may as well make us all some... hmm... tea. Now, what was it again you all wanted to know?
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Saif nods graciously and upon entering, thanks Walthus. The dervish sits down on the old settle, swinging his sword around to his lap to make it a less awkward affair, and follows up on Niveus's greeting.
"We were hoping you could help us navigate these hinterlands better. They say you know these swamps better than anyone. We're in search of some stolen fireworks."
Walthus starts the water boiling and begins searching through various cupboards to find a set of cups for everyone. "So why come all the way out here if its thieves you're after then hmm? If you're asking if I've seen anyone, I haven't. No one out here but me, alone in this shack in a nasty wilderness full of blasted poisonous snakes... and I suppose some of you will want sugar won't you." Again, he starts clumsily sifting about his pantry to find some.
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"Ah, may blessings fall on you for your hospitality; I will take my tea black." Saif gives a gracious nod. "The thieves have been spotted in that swamp out there and we're not sure which trails are fit for use and which are not. We were hoping you could fill us in on some safe paths to take or landmarks to look out for."
Saif gives the man a friendly smile and Kairi a gentle squeeze on the forearm. "I smelled spices on your hands earlier, which suggests you know a thing or two about preparing a meal. Perhaps you could give Mr. Proudstump a hand with the tea if he''ll allow it."
"Only local expert on these things, am I? Well I suppose you may as well come in then."
"Lovely!"
He urges you all to take a seat on a beat up old settle in a room decorated with potted plants, a far number of which have cracked pots and spilled soil nearby.
"Thank you. You are a gentleman." Kairi looks around the room, and takes a seat.
Saif gives the man a friendly smile and Kairi a gentle squeeze on the forearm. "I smelled spices on your hands earlier, which suggests you know a thing or two about preparing a meal. Perhaps you could give Mr. Proudstump a hand with the tea if he''ll allow it."
"Indeed!" Kairi brings her hands close to her face to smell them. "Smells great!"
She gets up and walks over to Walthus. "I would love to help you make tea. Maybe you would like to sit down and take a break? Would you like me to cook something for you from your pantry?"
Aleon isn't very charismatic with 0 skill points into diplomacy so far, so he wouldn't be doing a lot of talking, but with this in mind he would have made a perception check because he is curious what is out there.
Periodically, there is a startlingly loud splash as some creature or other hops off a rotting log into a murky pool. Now and then you see a dark slithering shadow vanish below the water, and even what appears to be a pale humanoid face with red eyes staring at you through the reeds, but on closer inspection, there is nothing to be found.
Did Aleon see or hear anything else during this part?
Niveus wonders if anyone considered it odd that a man living in a swamp would have such a poor attitude towards a prevalent natural resident of said swamp. Granted his own bias could be coloring his perception as he had no problem with snakes, he kinda liked them in fact. Still he let it rest in the back of his mind.
"So when was the last time you dealt with Shalelu? She says she has been tempted to deal with the problem herself but has other concerns."
Hmm, a 2-story building, man this guy lives in a big house being all by himself. I wonder if he has any trophy heads of animals around or if he is secretly rich. If I can become this guys friend I can get a share of the gold, but first I have to know what he does for a living. Aleon walks upstairs and starts exploring.
Aleon isn't very charismatic with 0 skill points into diplomacy so far, so he wouldn't be doing a lot of talking, but with this in mind he would have made a perception check because he is curious what is out there.
Periodically, there is a startlingly loud splash as some creature or other hops off a rotting log into a murky pool. Now and then you see a dark slithering shadow vanish below the water, and even what appears to be a pale humanoid face with red eyes staring at you through the reeds, but on closer inspection, there is nothing to be found.[dice=perception]6+1d20 Did Aleon see or hear anything else during this part?
Niveus wonders if anyone considered it odd that a man living in a swamp would have such a poor attitude towards a prevalent natural resident of said swamp. Granted his own bias could be coloring his perception as he had no problem with snakes, he kinda liked them in fact. Still he let it rest in the back of his mind.
"Indeed!" Kairi brings her hands close to her face to smell them. "Smells great!"
She gets up and walks over to Walthus. "I would love to help you make tea. Maybe you would like to sit down and take a break? Would you like me to cook something for you from your pantry?"
"Oh yes, yes certainly!" he says. leaving Kairi plenty of room to poke around the kitchen. His pantry is quite a mess, having shoved aside a fair number of jars of jam, sacks of flour, and the like while searching for the tea.
"So when was the last time you dealt with Shalelu? She says she has been tempted to deal with the problem herself but has other concerns."
As Walthus returns to the sitting room he says, "Oh yes yes... she hasn't been by here in a while, good ol' Shalelu... shouldn't really trouble herself too much about things out this way though."
"Ah, may blessings fall on you for your hospitality; I will take my tea black." Saif gives a gracious nod. "The thieves have been spotted in that swamp out there and we're not sure which trails are fit for use and which are not. We were hoping you could fill us in on some safe paths to take or landmarks to look out for."
Saif gives the man a friendly smile and Kairi a gentle squeeze on the forearm. "I smelled spices on your hands earlier, which suggests you know a thing or two about preparing a meal. Perhaps you could give Mr. Proudstump a hand with the tea if he''ll allow it."
"Well... for the most part it's just a big swamp... there's trails leading everywhere important, really. Just, stick to those and you'll find everything of interest... oh yes, there's that big tangle of goblins to the southeast. I believe the other main trail off the road might take you straight to them. Just... go double back up the trail, down the road, and around... or cross that little river down south and just march along through. That would work too I suppose. May want to look there for any thieves, those goblins are always snatching up this and that then aren't they."
Aleon having a cha of 8 says. Man, that odd rippling twitch across your face makes me think you are busy trying to hide your ugliness. And points it out to the group.
Between his sense of being deceived, the lack of knowledge about Shalelu, and Aleon's words he can only come up with one thing. He draws his crossbow and backs away from the man.
"Your not really Walthus Proudstump are you?"
He prepares to fire at the imposter should things turn violent. Being a shapechanger himself, on top of his recent magical abilities, he could guess of a number of ways to pretend to be someone else. Then again it could just be a proper disguise, yet that's a bit low on the list. He never heard of a disguise kit that made your face ripple. Which left a spell or natural ability like his own. Granted his face never rippled, he wondered if it would as he got older or shifted too much. He quickly brings his mind back to the focus, not the time to ponder.
Walthus grumbles "Why did you have to be so nosy!?" as his form suddenly ripples, revealing something along the lines of this.
Somewhat cramped map (Halfling built and all).
Init: Aleon 25, Niveus 16, Kairi 14, Saif 12, Walthus(?) 6
The creature that had been impersonating a halfling has no real face to speak of, but cocks its head in the general direction of Saif, with a crack of a mouth splitting open enough to reveal a darting tongue. The reveal is sudden enough to catch Kairi and Saif off guard, but Niveus and Aleon are able to act before it has time to strike.
Surprise Round.
Man, I'll remember to keep my mouth shut next time, this could have been avoided. I probably made him mad, but now he wants us dead because of me and my big mouth.
Surprise round would mean he is flatfooted for the 1st round.
Aleon moves 15 feet while pulling out his greataxe.
It's too late now Niveus, but we made him mad, we should probably keep our mouths shut next time so we don't get attacked out of anger.
Kairi yells, "If you were the owner of this place, you would know your kitchen well!"
Kairi draws her dagger.
"We're in for quite a fight, do not hold back in the slightest. It has a good resistance against attacks towards the senses. Slashing and piercing weapons will do fine on this creature"
Kairi casts bless.
Pretty good time saver, yes.