"I think we should go ahead and take the main road to the goblin village and approach until we can see the walls or buildings, but hopefully before we can be seen. I don't like the idea of sneaking through the swamp to try to sneak up on the back. That sounds like an invitation to run into something in the swamp."
"Whatever you say chief, the main road is it? I'm your man, just follow me."
The young mage just had to prove himself. His older sister, Shalelu, was a legend -- impressing her was on his mind as he rushed along hoping to join up with the larger group.
There is no way any group can go after goblins without me. If I miss this set of goblins, how many years will I have to wait for the next one? I am a human and my life is measured in tens of years. Yes, the Andosano family once again is right, their human baby brother is the hasty one.
Smoke trots along the path, guiding the small group back along the path toward Sandpoint, "Nostariel. Asira. I'm sorry to see you go, but I understand. It was frightening the way that invisible stalker stuck down Asira so quickly. I respect your decision to return to town, but feel I still need to go on to the goblin village. Even if I can't attack it alone, at least I can scout it and return with stronger forces. But, I'm certainly willing to make sure you have a safe return to town. Ruhk, you ok with a little detour?"
Wake up, wake up! Ameiko shakes the sleeping drunk elf.
Its closing time Ira, go home.
With great effort the elven alchemist raised his head from the table. Looking around he sees the empty tavern floor, the tables are already set for the night with the chairs on top of them. Near by a serving maid scrubs the floor.
Hello little flower, who needs sunrises when i can see you in the morning.
Bad news for you then, its still night. say Ameiko with a smirk in her face. What are you doing sleeping in the tavern again? Dont you have work tomorrow?
Nah, Tander went to Magnimar on bussiness. The shop is closed for the next couple of days. Old bastard does not want me running it alone, I think he is afraid I will steal his clients! the elf brags as he tries to find his balance standing up.
Hmmm, the sheriff posted a reward for the swamp goblins. If you are not doing anything its a chance to earn some coin... And keep you away from my ale stock.
She said while helping him stand still.
You are right, that is an excelent idea! says the elf while making for the exit but hitting the wall insted.
Ameiko helps him get to the street. But Ira, you have to go tomorrow. Enough with the heavy drinking! The way people are talking about it all around town the swamp is going to be swamped with adventurers soon and no more bounty left to collect. trying to push her point past his drunkness.
Tomorrow mom!... First thing in the morning! Iralynash says as he staggers home.
Any morning a tavern singer is up early, Kelistra reminds herself of the old saying. Means the night before was a bad night. And I'm up at the crack of dawn. Professionally, last night had been a bad night for the young bard. First, she'd been playing at the Drunken Harpy; the crowd at the Harpy was small and much more interested in drink than entertainment. Then it was raining last night, so anyone with a bottle or two at home stayed home. Then word got around that Ameiko was playing at the Rusty Dragon. Well, duh! She owns the Dragon. Finally, just as Kelistra was losing herself in the music, forgetting the small crowd and how Ameiko could pack a tavern on a rainy night, the banging started.
Why the heck was Deputy Cobb hanging posters in the middle of the night? For the price of a couple drinks, the deputy told her of the goblin attacks and how a small crew had left the Rusty Dragon to deal with them.
Ruhk, Marduzi, and a couple women are off goblin hunting. Think I should go out there and see what they're up to. If nothing else, I can set Rhuk's story of how the girls rejected him to music. Kelistra grabs her gear and hits the road.
Malcolm was sitting in the Rusty Dragon, again losing himself in the performance of Ameiko.
I have to let her know how I feel about her. This is driving me nuts. Abadar, please show me the way to attain the perfection I so desire.
At the end of the performance, Malcolm again approaches Ameiko to congratulate her on such a fine performance, when he notices the Sheriff posting a notice on the public message board.
Hmmm...goblins to be vanquished...mahap I could show Ameiko my true worth while ridding the world of the evil little whelps that threaten the fair citizens of Sandpoint. I will answer the call for Abadar, and for Ameiko!
Ameiko, another fine performance mi'lady.
Malcolm bows deeply to the proprietor of the Rusty Dragon.
I am off for a good night's sleep so that I may answer the muster of the Sheriff. I bid you a pleasant evening, mi'lady.
Halvor finishes out his morning rituals of meditation and a workout. He sees a gathering over by a notice so he decides to check on what it is all about. [i]Hmm, goblins. They are pesky things. I see there are a number of people heading out, I should offer my services.[i]
To the group gathering to head out:
You see Halvor approaching, his metallic skin almost shining off the morning sun. His head is completely shaved and shining which makes the dull black hand print on his forehead stick out even more.
"Morning everyone, heading out to take care of some goblins. Mind if I come along and help out?"
While sad to see the ladies leave, Ruhk takes it all in stride, whistling a happy tune as he and Marduzi begins to escort them back towards Sandpoint.
"Bah, you girls should just come clean and admit it, it's that famous wanderlust in the Varasian blood. You just want to go out for a longer walk than the swamp offers."
Marduzi rides back into town on Smoke, keeping to a slow pace to keep Ruhk and the women by his side. When Ruhk comments on Varisian blood he replies, "I know that feeling, but the swamp is a new place for me. Wasn't sure how it would be for Smoke, but seems to be ok so far." Once we reach town, he bids farewell to Asira and Nostariel. Hope we'll be back in town safely to see them again. He turns to Ruhk, "Well bud, guess it's you and me against the goblins." But then he notices the others gathering around the posters at the tavern. "Or maybe not. Might have a new group forming up. Let's go see if they want to join us."
Assuming Ruhk is cool with that, Marduzi turns Smoke toward the Rusty Dragon and rides up slowly with Ruhk.
Marduzi laughs, "Ha ha, way ahead of you this time Rommin. Ruhk and I actually headed out after them yesterday. Went to see the Walthus, the Warden of the swamp to see if we could learn more about." His features take a more serious look. "Good thing we did too. Some nasty creature of the swamp, Walthus called it a faceless stalker, had tried to kill him and was impersonating him when we got there. It nearly killed Asira, but Ruhk and I killed it. Walthus let us stay the night and Asira and Nostariel thought better of our little adventure, so we brought them back to town this morning."
He turns Smoke to regard the rest of the group gathered at the Rusty Dragon, "So, we were getting ready to head back out to the goblin village. Heard some strange sounds out there last night. But, if you all are thinking of going, why don't we go together?"
Having recognized Marduzi, Rommin and Ruhk, Malcom nods to the group and approaches.
Good morning all. I am here to offer my sword and the hand of Abadar that guides it. Let us route out the goblins, shall we?
"Hey, Malcolm isn't it? Sure, another blade would be welcome against those little snots. You ready to go?"
Absolutely, I expect a few more to join us after the interest in that posting.
"That reminds me of the story of Gugmug the great gut.
Gugmug was a Halfling three story man of some repute, but he loved his creature comforts, and he had an appetite greater than any other Halfling around."
"Whenever he got paid, he would invariably spend it on ale, women and food, and less and less of the former as the years went by.
Eventually he went from a three story man to a two story man, and then to a porch man."
"He would probably have ended up eating himself to death if he had not been challenged to a contest in such a way that his pride would not allow him to do anything but accept."
"The challenge was to break into a rich man’s house and steal his collection of ancient Azalanti gold coins.
He swore before the bar that he would be responsible for the coins leaving the mansion even in death if need be."
"According to the story, despite his obesity, Gugmug managed to penetrate every defence, sneak by every guard, disarm every trap and avoid every alarm.
All that is except the last one, cleverly hidden within the pile of coins."
"Now the alarm went of and the doors closed, and ol' Gugmug could not get himself out of the treasure room, but he was damned if he would quit so close to the target."
"When the guards carried his corpse outside the next morning the remarked that the coins were gone and nobody could find them.
That was until they dropped his body and noticed a faint jingle...like one of coins, seemingly coming from INSIDE his body."
"Ol' Gugmug did win the bed, even if it killed him, but he died doing what he loved the best, eating."
Kelistra approaches the Rusty Dragon and notices the small crowd gathering in front. She walks up to the group just in time to hear Ruhk's story. "Only one problem with that story," she says to the storyteller. "Gugmug wound up eating himself to death at the end anyways."
"So," Kelistra says turning her attention to the entire gathering. "Are you all just standing around swapping stories, or do we have a goblin hunt in the offing? I'm game for either, but this crowd looks like we'd have better luck with the hunt."
Ruhk raises an eyebrow at having his story challenged but breaks out into a grin when he realizes it's an attractive woman doing it.
"No no no, that's not the PROBLEM, that is the POINT of the story. One could go as far as saying it was the SOLUTION.
Now all we need is a basket of stale bread, some cheap ale and some hallucinogenic mushrooms and the goblins will be a piece of pie."
"Besides, Ruhk leans close to Marduzi and whispers, I won 10 gold on the bet.
Pity I lost a 100 later on you-know-what."
"But your pay off contradicted your introduction," Kelistra shakes her head at Ruhk's explanation. "You lead into the tale with 'He would have eaten himself to death, but...' Then he goes and eats himself to death anyways. Tweak the intro so it's more like 'Let me tell you about how Gugmug ate himself to death.' The audience won't feel cheated. Oh, well, it's a minor quibble."
"So, bread, ale, and magic 'shrooms. Sounds like the recipe for a disreputable party. I'm not sure if hallucinating goblins would be less dangerous than they normally are."
Quite a tounge on her, I think I like her.
"No, the shrooms are for us, to give the goblins a fighting chance."
Late as usual Iralynash makes his way to the swamp, his hang over kept him in bed a little longer but it was nothing a couple of elixirs could not handle. When crossing town he sees a group forming in front of the wanted poster at the Rusty Dragon. Competition already! Humpf....We may as well coordinate our efforts.
An elf approuches the group, he has a white complexion and his eyes are bloodshot. Over his shoulder he carries a long polearm, a mix of hammer and spear. His old elven made leather armor is scorched and patched all over and covered by an intricate set up of straps with pockets and pouches.
He recognise most of the people there from town but its not particulary intimate with any of them. Finally he spots the young bardess, Ameiko's student.
Hello Kelistra, aren't you a little young to be getting yourself into troble already? he says with a chuckle.
Malcolm could not help but notice the appearance of Ameiko's apprentice bard.
Good to see you again, Kelistra. You are looking splendid as ever. Ruhk, you should have known that such an accomplished bardess would unravel any story you could come up with, especially one as sharp in spirit as she is of tongue.
Upon reaching the crowd the anticipation and excitement in the air galvanise the elf's spirit out of his usual morning laziness. Turning to the party.
Good morning everybody. Is this group of concerned citizens considering hunting some goblins by any chance?
Azmythe is coming into town on one of his early morning walks. He likes to arrive as the town is waking up to wonder at watch the townsfolk hurry but not hurry about their morning. There are a few guardsmen on their way to sleep after having been on patrol the whole night through, the bakers have been up for some time baking breads and pastries and pies - what a delightful smell - the farmer's market is very active as it begins to open, the earliest vendors hoping to squeeze every moment available for sales are already open for business, which is nice for those night watchmen. Yes, that's the unmistakable sound of the blacksmith starting... what's that crowd?
Azmythe glides his way to the group. He recognizes most of them and is to absorbed in seeing how they interact to greet anyone as he approaches (though he will respond if greeted first).
Ruhk chuckles a little and grins at Malcolm.
"That just means I have to tell a taller tale next time, the bigger the better when it comes to tales.
Now how about those mushrooms? We can go for herbs in a pinch..."
Jordan rushes back to town when he realizes his plan was hasty.
I am kind of like the cavalier that jumped on his horse and rode in all directions.
Back in town he is drawn to the bald man with the metallic sheen.
Reminds me of what my magic books would cala a construct, but he looks 'real'.
Upon seeing the assemblage, he speaks boldly,
"I'm Jordan the mage. I was going to hunt goblins alone, but there is ample reward to share among many."
After hearing Marduzi's words, Jordan realizes that he should be joining the already seasoned group. He speaks with a little less bluster and nods to Marduzi with some deference.
"I would be honored to join your group. Keep the rabid snots off of me, and I'll hurt them bad. Although I can do the subtle magic, I prefer to leave the opposition smoking and burning rather than confused."
Marduzi chuckles at Rommin's joke, "Yeah, we're nearly an army now. Frankly, I feel a lot better about going to see a village of goblins with a decent force of our own." He turns Smoke, "All right, if everyone's ready to head out, let's go hunt some goblins!" As he turns, he spies Azmythe, "Hoy there! Haven't I seen you around Niska and Koya's before? Are you come to join us as well?"
When Kelistra hears Iralynash's comment about her age, her first impulse is to make a quick retort about being old enough to avoid drinking herself sick every night. But she stops from speaking it at the last moment. She doesn't understand the details, but she figures the elf has plenty of reasons to drink and she doesn't want to be another.
Malcom's greeting is another matter. "Good morning, Malcom," she says cheerfully. "All those complements could go to a girl's head. And I might have let them get there if you'd been to the Harpy to watch me last night instead of swooning over Ameiko at the Dragon."
She turns her attention to the assembled adventurers. "I'm ready to go when you are."
"The goblins won't be offing themselves."
Assessing Malcom's defenses, he speaks to the paladin, "I think I'll be following behind you. If you don't mind, I'll make you larger when I can. Gives me more to hide behind."
Jordan looks at the assembled group and smiles.
"With this group, if we leave now I bet we can back before dinner."
Jordan holds up a silver. "Any takers?"
"I'll think you'll be hard pressed to find any of us that would take that bet. But maybe one about who collects the most goblin ears? That might be interesting." Marduzi looks around to be sure everyone is ready and then urges Smoke forward toward the Marsh.
Eew! Goblin ears! Kelistra shudders at the thought as she rushes to keep up with Marduzi's horse. Then she remembers the gory necklaces Sandru brought back from his hunts. "My big brother brought twenty ears back from one raid, I bet none of you can do better than that!"
Malcolm chuckles,
I am certainly willing to try, Kelistra!
He turns to Jordan as he falls in behind Smoke.
Indeed, mage, feel free to position yourself behind me and my sword for safety, and feel free to lend any aid that you may with your arcane arts.
When he gets the chance to grab Azmythe's attention, he nods to the far ranging guard. Being a Cathedral Guard, he is very familiar with all of the roll, including the infrequently seen Azmythe.
Welcome back Azmythe. How was the recent patrol?
"So the Warden told us two ways to get to the goblin village. One is to go round the outside of the swamp a ways and then back in on the old fishing track, apparently not used anymore. He also said we could go to the other side of the swamp by Old Meg's track, but he steered us away from there because of her and the fact it would bring us to the wrong side of the goblin's lagoon. So, Ruhk and I were thinking of seeing about the front door first."
Jordan nods, "All things being equal, simple way is best. I call it Jordan's Razor."
Ok, front door, glad the sheriff asked for ears and not heads. the elf smiles.
A scouting you say, it may be worth a try.
Marduzi chuckles at Rommin's joke, "Yeah, we're nearly an army now. Frankly, I feel a lot better about going to see a village of goblins with a decent force of our own." He turns Smoke, "All right, if everyone's ready to head out, let's go hunt some goblins!" As he turns, he spies Azmythe, "Hoy there! Haven't I seen you around Niska and Koya's before? Are you come to join us as well?"
"It is as good a reason to be hear as any. Besides, Koya says I should meet more people.
Welcome back Azmythe. How was the recent patrol?
Patrol? Oh! Yes. It was good. The land is beautiful and the sky a vast blue sight, but Enoch said it was time to return. Time to do as this age requires me.
"Only 20? Was he recovering from the flue?"
The sun rises steadily into a clear blue sky as the now enlarged party sets out once again for Brinestump Marsh. A strong breeze from the east carries the scent of the moors, and drives away the unwholesome smells of swamp water and mud. Your path leads around the swamp, perhaps three miles beyond the trail that Marduziand Ruhk used on their last venture.
A pile of stones marks the start of the correct trail into the swamp.
"Oh, you think you can do better than twenty?" Kelistra looks at Ruhk and asks with her hands on her hips and her head tilted to one side. "Would you like a bet? Sandru always says betting for cash is boring, so how about this: If you don't get twenty goblin ears, I get that pretty new cloak of yours. And if you win... Well what reward could I grant you if you collect twenty goblin ears, oh, great warrior?"
Kelistra decides to stay at Ruhk's side during the march. He's kind of amusing for a braggart and with a few edits his stories might make good song lyrics. They'd be silly songs with simple melodies, but those are popular. Besides, this way she'll be able to keep an eye on her new cloak.
Malcolm starts out walking up front next to Marduzi.
I agree with Rommin, that as we grow nearer, some should scout ahead and report back in case we are able to catch them unawares.
"Oh Kelistra, I can only imagine what Ruhk would want for his part of the deal. Be careful betting with that one. Besides, I'm not sure that's his cloak to bet with yet." he says with a big grin.
As we discuss how best to position and tactics, Marduzi adds, "If we're expecting trouble, its best to have Smoke and I at the front so we have a clear lane to charge. But, you're right that scouting would be smart in this situation and we're a bit loud for that. Better to lead with someone stealthier and send them off in front of the group when we get closer. I have a signal whistle I could loan in case anyone runs into trouble."