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Having awoken bright and early and applied her makeup for a day on the town, Kristein has spent most of her day frolicking around the Market festival, admiring the wares both local and exotic. An ornate skull caught her eye in one stall, but she quickly tore her gaze from it. Wouldn't be proper to be seen buying such a thing... she thought to herself. Perhaps my friend will need to come and grab it later...
She sees a young man who has spent a great deal of time attempting to woo her, and waves at him playfully, though she quickly disappears into the crowd before he can approach to strike up a conversation. Kristein is well-aware that she is one of the most eligible bachelorettes in town, and prefers it to stay that way. Flirting, however, is one of the keys to good diplomacy for a woman of Kristein's endowments, and she's perfected the art.
Noticing that she has ended up just outside of one of her favorite watering holes, the Root, Kristein ducks inside and sees a plethora of people who know her well by sight. A small half-cheer of greeting goes up from the patrons, and Kristein curtsies and laughs, calling out to several patrons by name as she makes her way to the bar. She sits on one of the simple stools, orders a large ale, and makes small talk with several of those around her.
The Taproot — oft referred to simply as “the Root” — is the only two-story building in town, serving a wide variety of meals and alcohol gathered from travelers crossing the bridge. It’s also the largest indoor gathering place in town after the temple, and most of locals spend far more time in the Root during any given week than the temple. The current owner (for ownership of the Root changes often as proprietors struggle or grow bored), Jet, happens to be a recent transplant to Phaendar of mixed Shoanti and Varisian descent. As usual, she wears her hair in twin braids and an iconic teal scarf around her waist. Tonight she naturally has her hands nearly full as fresh faces continue to trickle into the inn, but is quick to serve your ale once she sees you.
While Phaendar’s Market Festival draws a crowd from all over Nirmathas, and many come solely to hear Aubrin the Green — the retired Chernasardo Ranger-turned-Caydenite cleric — recount bawdy tales of adventure from her youth. Outside, the celebration continues, as raucous shouts carry on the night air. Warmed by the firelight after a long day, any levity comes as a welcome reward to the rough, earthy souls of this riverside trade town.
“So there I am, thinking, when will I ever be able to talk to a bear again? So before the grizzly can stand back up, I turn to it and say, ‘All I need is the honey. You can keep the bees!’” The room erupts into laughter as Aubrin finishes her winding story and takes another draught from her tankard. “But it’s fine now. All’s good. She named a cub after me. Someday I’m going to have to check in on little Ow Oh Gods That’s Too Many Bees.”
Hearing the punchline of Aubrin's joke, Kristein half-rolls her eyes before catching herself. Stop that! Kristein gets along with everyone! she thinks to herself. She's heard this story a few too many time, though.
Aubrin is one of the few people in town that Kristein doesn't implicitly favor (partially because any competition for the townsfolk's favor irritates her). Ulmah actually trained for a short time under Aubrin, learning how to forage and survive in the wilds, but since Aubrin's change of heart and devotion to Cayden Cailen, Ulmah has found herself repelled by the constant revelry. Of course, Kristein is never repulsed by such things, so she makes her way from the bar over to Aubrin's circle of admirers.
"Oh my dear, you are such a tit! All these people sitting here, listening for stories of great adventure, and you tell them the story of that bear AGAIN!?" Kristein admonishes jokingly. "You ought tell them of the time I saved you from making a total fool of yourself by wearing that fox-skin tunic to meet that gorgeous kitsune gentleman whom was visiting town! We had a simply life-changing night with him, now didn't we?" Kristein winks salaciously at Aubrin.
In truth, Kristein had left Aubrin with the young kitsune man before partaking in any carnal activities herself, but Aubrin was too drunk to know or care at that point. As the object of many a man's affections, Kristein has mastered the art of making the men of the town pine for her without giving in to any of them. In fact, Kristein herself has never slept with man or woman (for fear of her makeup losing integrity mid-way, exposing her true identity), leaving that to Ulmah, who has been known to spend time with men making their way through town, but never with a townie. Strangely, some of the men that Ulmah has invited to her home seem to have left town promptly the next morning, never to be seen again... at least, that's the assumption.
"Well, well," Aubrin turns to you as one of the other patrons hands her another beer, "Cayden strike me down if—" The front door explodes into splinters. A cry of agony pierces the chaos. Aubrin lies on the floor, gasping and clutching at the blood gushing from a wound in her chest. A ballista bolt still quivers in the wall behind her.
Two hobgoblins in military dress stand beyond the shattered door, blades drawn. Behind them, lit by the glow of burning homes, dozens—perhaps hundreds—of hobgoblin soldiers march the street. Phaendar burns, shouts of celebration now replaced by the panicked screams of the frightened and dying. Behind them, above the flames and humble rooftops, rises a tower of black stone.
The two troops barrel into the room, one of them cackling at the sight of carnage, while the other roars menacingly. The other patrons seem either too surprised or too afraid to move.
Horrified at seeing her sometimes-friend skewered, but not stupid enough to try to fight in her current state, Kristein attempts to act like a terrified patron would and run to the opposite side of the room, toward the door.
Separated just barely from the chaos, you find yourself in the kitchen and pantry area of the Root. Ahead of you is the back door and a quick means of escape into the town.
However, you also recall the inn's previous owner having a cellar built underneath, accessible via a trapdoor in the storeroom to your right. It'd likely be relatively easy to barricade yourself inside for a minute instead of risking a venture into the streets. Of course, doing so would deprive Jett and the others of a potential hiding spot as well.
As you consider the decision, you feel a sharp tingling as a wave of positive energy washes over you - it would appear that Aubrin isn't completely out of the fight. Thankfully, the channeled energy is targeted at living creatures, leaving you unharmed.
Kristein, knowing that she will be useless to anyone else in her current state, decides that barricading herself inside the cellar to change is her best option. She quickly pops open the cellar crawlspace, jumps in, and looks around for any others that might have had the same idea.
If she sees no one, she will take a few moments to barricade the door well enough to keep others (even her friends) out. Then she goes about her work of removing her makeup and changing her outfit enough to become...
Ulmah listens through the trapdoor for anyone currently trying to get in or walking around the kitchen area.
Alone in the dark, you become Ulmah. At one point during the transformation, someone tries to get in, banging on the door and shouting. "Please, please, please, let us in, they're coming!" The voice sounds like Jett's. This abates by the time your transformation is finished however.
You hear nothing in the immediate area as you listen.
Hoping that if someone is hiding above they will keep their mouths firmly shut (and didn't see Kristein go down into the cellar, for that matter), Ulmah pulls out a scroll of shield, casts it on herself, then draws her scimitar and opens the trapdoor as quietly as she can.
which isn't terribly quietly.
She ascends, still TRYING to be quiet, and looks around.
If she sees anyone she recognizes as a townie, she'll hold her finger to her lips in a sign to be quiet.
Your sudden opening of the trapdoor provokes a barely stifled scream from someone within the storeroom. Jett crouches in the corner, having pushed a large barrel in front of the door. She quickly quiets when she recognizes you, then holds her finger up to her lips to show she understands.
Not a moment later however, the door is violently shoved open, knocking over a barrel and covering the floor in what used to be fresh water. You briefly hear the heavy breath of another hobgoblin just through the doorway before Jett starts screaming again.
Ulmah quickly realizes that the hobgoblin hasn't noticed her, and gladly takes advantage of the opportunity. She focuses her ki, then casts an arcane mark spell and swings at the hobbie THREE times.
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Your first attack catches the hobgoblin by surprise, but the adrenaline which still runs through his veins allows him to dodge the next two. Stepping into the room, he launches a counterattack of his own, although his blade is shunted aside by the invisible shield of force surrounding you.
Ulmah presses her advantage, enhancing her Scimitar with some magic and then attempting to cast a spell and deliver it with her scimitar. She spends a bit of extra concentration on the casting of the spell, so that it doesn't fail.
Both of her swings miss, and she holds the spell's charge on her scimitar, hoping to deliver it soon.
The hobgoblin parries both blows with all the discipline of a well trained soldier. Indeed, as he raises his weapon across his body before attacking, you notice an insignia patch attached to the shoulder of his armor. While you're momentarily distracted, he catches you with his blade!
Ulmah continues her assault, trying to deliver her spell by concentrating on a single attack.
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The force of your scimitar alone sends the hobgoblin reeling backwards through the doorway, where he collapses, body still twitching as the electricity courses through it.
Instead of a welcome bit of respite after the battle however, you are greeted by the sight of another hobgoblin entering the kitchen. This one breathes a little heavier - it's been wounded - and fresh blood stains the beautifully crafted and oddly familiar longsword it carries. The hobgoblin, wearing the same insignia as the one you've just slain, points the sword at you in challenge. Suddenly it dawns on you - the sword is Kegtapper, one of Aubrin the Green's most prized possessions.
Ulmah sees the new hobbie and, though she herself was never close with Aubrin, seeing the sword in his hand enrages her. She moves into the other room and swings her scimitar at him.
You carve a line across the flesh of your assailant's chest, prompting a roar and a wild retaliatory strike which flies into a wide miss.
Ready to finish this pathetic whelp off, Ulmah casts arcane mark once more and swings twice at him.
Ulmah picks up Kegtapper, trying to recall one of Aubrin's many long-winded stories about its capabilities while she looks it over with a magic-detecting cantrip.
Death. Death has come to the hobgoblin who dared loot Kegtapper, which clatters to the floor.
In spite of Aubrin's many claims of the sword's often outlandish abilities, it does not detect as magical.
In the room beyond, the corpses of several patrons who couldn't escape lie slumped on the floor. In the corner by the fireplace are the bodies of Aubrin the Green and another hobgoblin. Jett appears behind you, still shaking from fear. "This... we... no..." The horror of what has happened almost overtakes her, but she manages to compose herself.
“It... it sounds like there’s an army outside the door. How did they fall on us without being seen? These plains are so flat you can see an elk from two days off, let alone an army!” She winces and presses her hands against a minor cut on her temple. "I have to admit I found myself cursing whoever barred the cellar door, but I owe you more thanks than I can give after you saved my life. I suppose we run, but to where I don't know. With the supplies from the stores here we could survive the wilderness, but we'd need some extra hands to carry everything. Perhaps some are locked in their rooms upstairs..."
Ulmah slides Kegtapper into her belt, knowing that such a weapon will be useful. As her magical defenses fade, she moves into the main room and beholds all the needless death. So many bodies that could be made use of, if only I had the time and means... she thinks to herself.
"Agreed. We cannot win this fight on our own. I apologize for barring the cellar door, but it was a... necessary precaution. Any debt you feel you owe me can be repaid by helping me save as many as possible and get them out of here. We should check all these bodies for useful items... if we are to survive the wilds, we'll need more than our wits and some food."
Ulmah quickly searches all the corpses and checks Aubrin over for faint signs of life.
After searching, Ulmah moves toward the stairs. "Stay behind me and stay quiet, in case there are more hobgoblins up there. Hopefully we will find someone alive."
She heads up the stairs, moving quietly.
Aubrin, although at death's door, is still alive. Although, no longer bleeding she'll likely need healing if she's to recover. It appears as if she's brought the days shopping with her, and has a cache of scrolls and potions, in addition to her usual equipment, including a few cure light wounds potions.
One of the fallen tavern goers wears a humble tin ring adorned with rabbits, which you recognize and successfully detect as a ring of jumping.
In your careful search of the upstairs, you find no apparent threats, in fact you and Jett manage to coax three travelers out of their rooms. However, two foreign traders, whom Jett identifies as Farrow and Clidon, refuse to come out. "Fools! We'll all die if we so much as think about stepping outside!"
Before going anywhere, Ulmah will pour one of the cure light wounds potions into Aubrin's mouth.
If that does not bring Aubrin back around, she searches upstairs before worrying about further healing.
When the two traders refuse to come out, she attempts to take charge and convince them to follow her.
"Now listen, I have extensive training in the nearby wilderness, and Aubrin the Green is still downstairs alive, though she'll need more healing in order to help us. I can get us out of here safely. If you stay here, those hobgoblins will eventually decide to search this place, find several of their men dead, and break down every door in order to seek their revenge. Trust me, you do not want them to find you."
Whether the two men decide to follow her or not, Ulmah will not wait around for them, and heads back downstairs to tend to Aubrin further. If necessary, she will attempt to use more of Aubrin's healing magic items.
The potion is enough to get Aubrin sputtering to life and she immediately uses here channeled energy to heal herself further. She stoically listens as you explain the situation. "Damn! And you recognize this insignia don't you? If I'm correct, these patches were worn by the dreaded Ironfang Legion before they disappeared. If that is the case we definitely need to flee - after we've gathered who we can of course. Oreld's, the Trading Company, and the Shrine are where we should hit. And I see Kegtapper has found itself into your possession as well... hang on to it for now, you seem in much better condition to use it after all."
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Upstairs you seem to have one of the trader's convinced, who announces that he wants to come out of the room. The other is still unswayed. "You can leave if you want to, but I'm staying put until I can safely sneak out on my own. If you stick together you'll just draw unwanted attention!"
"Stay if you must, but do not put your friend in danger by keeping him here. I give you this guarantee, though: If you stay, you WILL die. Do you want to die here, or have a fighting chance?" Ulmah is almost growling by the end of the sentence, tired of dealing with this frustrating trader.
She then gets to work with Aubrin to create a plan of escape. "We will have precious little time to prepare for our escape, I suspect. It will not take long for them to decide to search here in force. Do you have a suggestion of where we should go, and of others we should try to save before we leave? I am willing to risk my life only for those who would be a help, and not a hindrance, to the rest of us."
The second trader remains unconvinced, but you did coax the first out.
Back downstairs, you hold council with Aubrin. "Those who are still alive are most likely to be at Oreld's Fine Shop, the Phaendar Trading Company, and the Riverwood Shrine. If we can make it to all of those places we should be able to save a sizeable chunk of the population. After that I believe our best chance of survival would be in the Fangwood across the river. Should probably figure out how to take down the bridge while we’re at it, else they’ll just march themselves across before we have the chance to hide."
Jett also comes forward. "I don't have much to offer on the tactical side of things, but I can give you this. A roaming bard tried to pay a rather large tab by leaving this here and I've never quite been able to use it." She offers you a strongbox containing two different wands (one of which you identify as a wand of prestidigitation (31 charges)), two identical potions, and a set of juggling balls .
Your eye also catches on a bag of loot one of the hobgoblins must've dropped earlier behind a table Inside the masterwork backpack is a heavy crossbow (with 20 bolts and 10 masterwork bolts); 8 clearly labeled potions of guidance, a wand of magic missile (11 charges), a divine scroll containing the spells calm animals, cure light wounds, and magic stone; along with an assortment of meat, cheese, and sheep's milk.
After identifying almost all the items the group found, Ulmah hands the divine scroll to Aubrin, as well as four of the potions of Guidance and the two unidentified potions. "You may be able to make use of this scroll, whereas I cannot. The potions may be necessary for keeping some of our friends safe. I cannot determine what these two are, so if you can tell, it would be helpful."
She then sits down to consider where to go first.
"Let's go to Oreld's shop first. We will likely find magical items of use there. Let us hope that the hobgoblins have not killed all of our friends and neighbors quite yet."
Ulmah gathers the living in the main area of the bar. "We will need to move quickly and quietly. There will be no time to tarry, even if you see the body of someone you knew. Watch for survivors, as we will take them with us if they are able to move quickly as well. We cannot stop to aid the badly injured, or we will all be killed. Do you all understand these instructions?" she looks around expectantly at the group, waiting for at least a murmured "yes" before moving on.
"We will head to Oreld's shop, with the hope that some survivors will be holed up there. Follow myself and Aubrin. If you see a survivor, do not stop on your own, but let us know and we will do what we can."
With that, Ulmah will listen at the door, and peek out, to see if any hobgoblins are near. If the coast is clear, she will lead the survivors through the alleyways to Oreld's.
Grimly nodding in agreement, your band of survivors follows you into the streets. Outside you get a better look at the black tower which has seemingly sprung up in the market square. You can't tell what it's made of or how it got there, but it definitely wasn't there yesterday. Anyhow, in the chaos of the battle, especially at so early a stage, you find it easy to reach your destination.
Oreld’s Fine Shop — labeled with a small shingle hanging out front — is one of the few buildings in town made entirely of stone, currently owned by a third-generation Oreld, Vane. Mortared white blocks form the walls of this odd-shaped cottage. Scorch marks that shift in color from black to dark blue to glimmering violet mar one wall. The door to the shop stands open and bloody footprints lead inside.
Aubrin stops you before you approach. "I wish I could accompany you inside but between my injuries and my poor eyes I'm afraid I'd do more help than good - if what you encounter inside is too powerful retreat back out and I can bolster you with what magic I have." With this she weaves a quick protective cantrip over you.
Ulmah nods. "Keep each other safe, as best as you can. Hide in that alleyway..." she gestures to a convenient alley nearby that is relatively hidden by an awning. She also hands Aubrin back her longsword . "I'll be back as soon as I can."
She pulls out a scroll of shield and casts it on herself, then draws her scimitar and spends an arcane point to enhance it with magic. Then she enters the shop.
Inside is a single hobgoblin in a bandolier rifling through the shelves for anything valuable. He holds a chain which leads to the neck of Vane Oreld, who currently lies just inside the doorway with a javelin protruding from his stomach. Although the wound looks grisly, you surmise he must be alive based on the hobgoblin's use of the chain.
Although you spot the hobgoblin first, he's reacts more quickly, drawing a vial from his bandolier and hurling it at you. The vial shatters on you, creating a fiery explosion. Interestingly enough, the bomb seems to have been precisely crafted not to explode in certain directions - Oreld remains completely unharmed by the blast.
Growling at the pain from her singed skin, Ulmah quickly casts a spell and moves forward to strike at the hobgoblin.
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The grenadier weathers the blow and then draws both his own weapon and another vial. This time however, he consumes its contents, and his entire body begins to swell, growing bulkier and stronger before your very eyes.
Ulmah decides that she wants to finish this quickly. She pulls from her inner reserves, attacking the hobgoblin twice.
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This time however, he consumes its contents through a long bendy straw which is already in his mouth and does not provoke an AoO to use, and his entire body begins to swell, growing bulkier and stronger before your very eyes.
As the hobgoblin tilts the contents of the vial back into his mouth, you take advantage of the opportunity and cut him down. His body twitches as the few drops of mutagen that made it down his throat take effect.
You are now alone in the main room of what was once a neatly organized alchemist's shop with Vane Oreld still unconscious on the floor.
Ulmah takes a few moments to pull out a scroll of inflict light wounds and heal herself.
She then searches the hobgoblin for any other useful alchemical items, then checks on Vane. If he's stable, she will attempt to quietly open the door to the next room.
*bump*
The hobgoblin grenadier was surprisingly well-equipped, and carried an alchemy kit containing the following:
- potion of cure light wounds (2)
- potion of invisibility
- alchemist’s fire (3)
- antitoxin
- healer’s kit
- oil (5)
- smokestick (2)
- tanglefoot bag (2)
- thunderstone (2)
Aside from his weapons and armor he also carried a modest set of rations , and 16 gp.
Oreld, although badly wounded and unconscious, is thankfully stable.
In moving to the next room, you open the door just a little too quickly - and too late to notice the string which was tied around the doorknob on the other side.
A jet of acid shoots out at you from the next room, although you aren't caught directly in it's stream.
Once the stream has abated, you manage to get a better look into the back rooms. No hobgoblins, no villagers. Aside from the rudimentary acid trap, the only other things of note in these back rooms are a large cabinet sporting a hefty lock, Oreld's worktable (covered in notes), and a trapdoor leading into the cellar.
Ulmah grits her teeth and curses the idiots who set a stupid trap. She moves over to the cabinet, watching for more traps and then attempts to unlock the lock.
She'll also check over the worktable quickly as well.
The cabinet is filled with all manner of alchemical components. Oreld must employ an either non-existent or abysmal labeling system, making it difficult to figure out what's valuable and what are worthless scraps. Still, even randomly grabbing some of the stock would likely yield some decent crafting materials once properly identified.
Of interest on the worktable is a set of notes detailing Oreld's experiments with “stump remover,” a potent explosive mixed from alchemically refined lamp oil and animal dung.