Bolgrond, doesn't waiver as his initial blows fail, he instead grabs at the nearest goblin and crushes its legs with a massive paw, then stomping on the others.
"I'll try to leave some for you Sword-beater - HRARRGH" he shouts gleefully to James as brings Red Father overhead again to strike at the mounted Goblin.
One problem at a time, Marcan thinks. He utters a quick "Thanks" to Mae as he directs his attention to skewering the goblin in front of him...
Jin runs up past the nobleman, whom he understands is known as Aldren.
"Stay put, human," he advises the cringing man. "These brambles won't hurt you" - he sweeps a hand through them to demonstrate - "but they will keep the goblins at bay for a short while. Just keep yourself safe and we'll deal with the greenskins."
He runs further after Bolgrond. He sees the big hobgoblin speaking in Common as he battles the goblins. "Well, now I've seen just about everything," he mutters. "Still, the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Picking his mask from the ground, he enchants it again, drawing on its power. What terrifies a small goblin, he thinks to himself, before hitting on the answer. Simple answers to simple problems. Those dim-witted goblins would probably run if they saw their opponent grow to ogre size.
His mind made up, Jin touches his fingertips to the mask and channels some of his energy to cast a spell on Bolgrond. If the spell succeeds, Bolgrond will appear to grow to enormous size, over twice his normal height - though, he won't notice the transformation himself. It will only appear as if he grew that tall, to the goblins attacking him.
Once again, his headache interferes from casting the spell perfectly, drawing negative attention to the small halfling as he prepares his magic.
As Bolgrond misses his second attack in a row, he takes a quick look at James and notices that the man clearly suspects the bugbear of intentionally missing the goblins. He keeps a reasonable distance and a "wait and see" attitude. Bolgrond's shouting is enough to keep the goblins at bay, at least for a second, but they are also beginning to suspect that he isn't a threat.
That is, until Jin's spell goes off and they see Bolgrond, continuing to shout, grow twice as large in front of them. Jin's magic catches the attention of James, who frowns at both of them as the goblins begin to flee from the terrifying bugbear. "Should kill them." He says. "They'll come back in greater numbers if we don't."
Bolgrond grows frustrated with his futile attempts to crush the goblins. He was never the most dexterous creature, perhaps the ale was affecting him?
He shouts back to James "Protect the cringing one, Sword-beater. If you are too weak to join the fray!"
Bolgrond gathers himself, draws focus on the glowing red runesword. He lifts it high in the air and proclaims "Aid me Man-Gods, as I protect your puny kin!"
He uses the Goblins fear to his advantage, collecting them all in a massive crushing strike.
Protecting people, huh? Mae turns her attention to Aimeko who is making her way from the goblins. Seems shes might as well live through this one.
She turns back towards Serina and studies her for a moment. Are you ok? Are you hurt?
Marcan stabs into the goblin who had tried to attack him, but his own attack doesn't do as much damage as he would have hoped. The goblin takes a second to recover from the wound, and raises its own twisted blade again.
Meanwhile, Ameiko and one of the Civilians together slaughter another two of the goblins. The smaller tentacles have returned to the ground and vanished, but the Civilian who had been previously picked up by the larger tentacle is crushed to death before everyone's eyes. The tentacle throws him aside like a useless doll.
As Mae heals Ameiko's wounds, and turns back to talk to Serina, she can see the girl's eyes go wide as the large tentacle swoops down towards her.
"Get back!" Marcan yells, launching himself between the tentacle and Serina without regard to the goblin in front of him, trying to fend off the thing with his rapier.
With Defend, I'll immediately redirect the attack to myself. It it's h&s,
This will have to do. I need this male human on my side. Mae focuses on Serina, hoping to grant her some protection from the incoming tentacle.
Bolgrond smashes through the fleeing goblins, save for one shorter goblin, who manages to escape the swing of the bloody runesword. The goblin continues running off through the streets. James snorts at Bolgrond's challenge. "Looks like you had it under control after all."
Aldern comes out through the faux-brambles, shaking slightly as he does so. [b]"Damned vermin." He remarks. Looking at the others, he smiles and begins to recollect himself. "I would be dead if not for you. They would have slit my throat and set me on fire. Thank you, thank you so much. You're all heroes."
Feeling better with Mae's healing having taken hold, Ameiko easily slaughters the remaining goblin. Mae quickly casts a shield over Serina, which proves unnecessary as Marcan hurls himself in front of her. Slashing into the tentacle. It rears back in surprise and agony, before throwing itself forward, intending to crush Marcan, Serina, and anyone else near.
"You two, go for the base!" Marcan yells, as he devotes all his effort to warding off the tentacle's oncoming assault.
Bolgrond smiles with delight at his successful strike, the Gods were smiling on him.
"Give thanks to your Gods human, through their might we claim victory." He says, shrugging off James' dour comment.
"But do not confuse Goblinkind for ...vermin" He warns "After all, here's one little goblin that has learnt the New Ways!" He says gesturing to Jin, still convinced that the halfling is a Goblin.
He then looks to Red Father's glow to guide the way.
Jin slaps his palm to his mask's forehead as he remembers something his mother taught him about Bugbears - they always remember their first impression of you. Always.
"Right, so...I hear the sounds of battle nearby. I think there are more goblins...the bad kind," he clarifies, glancing at Bolgrond.
"Perhaps there's more hero-ing to be done?"
Alright, Serina is shielded. Can take care of myself for a moment. Haster darling, if it pleases you, protect me from your wrath. Mae delights for a split second in the ironic turn of events with the tentacles before summoning Haster's protection.
Successfully distracting the tentacle, Marcan also manages to make himself a bigger target. Serina lets out a scream as the tentacle slams down on them. Thanks to the power of magic, both Serina and Mae are protected. Marcan, however, takes the full weight of the tentacle.
Ameiko and the remaining Civilian manage to get some attacks in on the tentacle while it is distracted, but the thickness of the base seems to be preventing them from doing very much to it.
Jin, Bolgrond, James, and the two Civilians with them arrive just in time to see Marcan, Serina, and Mae all crushed by a giant tentacle. There are goblin corpses strewn about the square, as well as one human. Ameiko and another civilian are stabbing (somewhat ineffectively) at the tentacle.
Gasping, Marcan tries to shout "Fall back!", but can only barely get the words out. He climbs to his feet and grabs Serina, backing away from the tentacle as best he can while trying to recall if he's seen anything like this back in Korvosa...
Probably best to take this guys advice and get out out of tentacle range. Mae turns and sprints away hoping to make it out before the tentacle can strike again.
While running she tries think of the last time this actually happened. Haster darling, you really aren't a fan of these folks are you?
Jin's magic is of little use against a tentacle that cannot see or hear. Instead, he focuses on keeping other townspeople far away from the danger, waving his hands about and warning them off if anyone comes too near.
As Bolgrond sees Marcan crushed under the tentacle his eyes roll over in bestial rage. He charges forward, lifts the tentacle off of the man and holds it down with a foot as Red Father bashes repeatedly into the tentacle's root.
"THIS. DOESN'T. LOOK. LIKE. A. GOBLIN" He roars with each stroke of the runesword.
Marcan grabs Serina and quietly moves away from the tentacle, stopping only when they're a safe distance outside of its range. Marcan's armour is bent slightly inward - easily fixable and won't affect its use, but it serves as a grim reminder that he's lucky to be alive. Steel may have buckled inward from the blow, stabbing jagged steel into his chest. He can't recall a time he's ever seen anything like this before.
As Mae runs away, she thinks about the last time she heard of a tentacle of this magnitude. The tale was that the tentacle itself had been to thick to cut at the base, and the way it was thwarted was by stabbing down into it from the tip. It hadn't died, but had decided that the fight wasn't worth pursuing and left.
Jin helps Ameiko, James, and the two Civilians get to safety. Bolgrond meanwhile takes very powerful swings at the tentacle, but finds himself unable to pierce its thick skin. The tentacle has noticed his attempts, however. It twists, running itself across the bulk of the street - effectively blocking Bolgrond off from the rest of the group, without getting extremely close to it.
Marcan checks on Serina - "Are you alright, love?" After confirming that she's at least physically unhurt, he turns and shouts "Bolgrond, back away! I'm hoping this thing can't move!" before pausing and listening, assessing the status of the rest of Sandpoint.
Bolgrond hears Marcan's call, and backs away seemingly disappointed. He positions himself out of reach from the tentacle and gives the surrounding area a once over for anything useful that could pierce the tentacle's rubbery hide from a distance...or perhaps something to set it ablaze? His Bugbear mind being particularly creative when it comes to ways to kill things.
You! Large bugbear! Try stabbing in through the tips and not the base. It appears to be weaker there. Mae feels a sense of sadness and the thought of this little bit of chaos retreating from the world, but there seem to be bigger fish to fry at the moment. Haster darling, I wonder what these folks have to offer you...
Jin rubs his chin, looking at the problem of the tentacle blocking the way. He thoughtfully considers the nearest big sharp implement - Bolgrond.
His magic was, for the most part, limited to illusions; but illusions could be used in creative ways. By tricking Bolgrond into thinking that he had far more strength than he actually did, Jin could "inspire" the hobgoblin into trying harder than he normally would be able to, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Hmm. It might work, it might not...worth a shot.
Switching to his Mask of Abundant Sorrows, Jin focuses more of his magic on the strangely benevolent hobgoblin. Truly goes the saying that "battle makes strange bedfellows," the halfling thinks to himself as he casts.
[dice=""Illusion of Strength" on Bolgrond]2d6+2[/dice]
Sparkly magic dust settles on Bolgrond's muscles, to give it added illusory effect. He feels strength well up within him. The halfling shouts a lie, "I've imbued you with the strength of ten giants, hobgoblin! Sever the tentacle!"
Marcan and Serina make sure that each other is okay, and are relieved to find that they are. Marcan also finds that most of the chaos seems to be under control now. The few goblins that survived the assault seem to have fled in fear, and there are a few people who have come out of their homes to douse the fires. Everyone is doing their best to steer clear of the street you're on, of course.
Bolgrond takes a step back from the tentacle, and contemplates the world around him, coming up with nothing in particular to assist in the situation (though he does remember seeing some goblins carrying fire previously.)
James, Ameiko, the Civilians, and Mae all see as the tentacle, no longer able to smash anyone or grab anything, begins slamming itself into the buildings on either sides of the street in fury. The one to the south, a wooden warehouse, begins to splint as though it may shatter, while the brick shop to the north seems to be weathering the assault better.
"Your plan could use work, Grey-one!" he shouts to Marcan before hefting Red Father on his shoulder, prepared to strike again.
This time, he heeds Mae's advice and aims an overhead swing, attempting to catch the tip of the tentacle and cleave down through the length of it.
Going to have to use magic not strictly related to trickery. How bothersome! the halfling mage thinks to himself. Focusing on preventing more damage being done to the buildings surrounding the street by the tentacle, Jin sets about reinforcing the wooden warehouse's walls with his magic.
Seeing Bolgrond press his attack, Marcan draws and flings his remaining dagger, trying to strike the tentacle near the sword's blow.
Mae watches the remainder of the fight with a flash of amusement. The wild and unfettered chaos is a breath of fresh air and lifts her spirits. She takes it in for a moment before coming back to the situation. Nodding toward Ameiko and James, How is the rest of the town? She looks back at the scene and then to the Halfling working magic. Well this is getting interesting.
James joins in the final assault, and between him, Marcan and Bolgrond, they're able to destroy the tentacle. It falls to the ground, split in two, with a rather gross squishing sound.
Jin's magic keeps the building from falling apart. Ameiko shakes her head at Mae's question. "Can't say for sure. I've been occupied over here for a bit." Returning from the fight, James nods to the two civilians. "North side is clear. We'll go check the West now."
To Ameiko and James. I'll head to the West with you guys. To the halfling, human and bugbear. They might need help in the West!
To Mae, Marcan says " Thank you for your assistance. I'll be right behind you". Turning, he leads Serina to their house, just down the block. " Stay here, and lock the door. I'll return as soon as I'm able. If something goes wrong, remember the tunnel in the basement." Bidding her farewell, Marcan then picks his daggers up, quickly checks the goblin bodies for anything valuable, and hurries to catch up with Mae, James, and Ameiko.
"Hraa-ha. See grey-one! Nothing that a good..." Bolgrond says turning to Marcan before he realises he's taken off.
"Curious creature...." He says then turning to the tentacle, he begins rifling through its split innards, hoping to glean some understanding of what it is and where it came from. Bugbears always liked to know how to kill something, and this clearly didn't appear to be from any Goblin magic.
"Come little goblin, you seem to have The Power. What magic makes these? Not from our kind...." he asks then turning to Jin
With Jin at his side, Bolgrond searches through the tentacle itself, finding nearly nothing of note in its innards. Looking down through where it burst out of, however, he can see that whatever the rest of the creature was, it's gone now - and that there is some kind of tunnel under the street.
In the West, Ameiko, James, Mae, and the two civilians wander the streets, searching for any remaining goblins that haven't been killed or run off yet. As they cut through an alleyway, they can see one diving into a pile of trash, ass over head.
Marcan immediately leaps after the goblin, trying to grab it and prevent it from getting away.
Jin looks at Bolgrond. "Shall we?" he asks him, gesturing in an "after-you" swing of his arm at the hole in the street.
Bolgrond grunts at Jin before leading the way through the underground tunnel. Letting his acute Bugbear senses guide him.
"Never hunted prey like this before. But it's wounded little Goblin, the creature will make a proud trophy of our victory today."
"I'm a halfling...it's just a mask..." Jin explains, continuing to speak as he follows Bolgrond below...
"Hrnnn... Halfling...." Bolgrond ruminates "Never heard of that.... halfling, half-goblin.... Hobgoblin?" He suggests instead.
Mae indicates towards James and Ameiko, Go around the sides. Flank him in case he runs away. I'll go straight up the middle. To the civilians, Hang back, he may get passed me. When they get into position she gets slight closer. Haster darling, it appears that we have one more. Sliding her fingers across the nose cavities of the skull in her necklace she summons forth Haster's powers.
Marcan manages to grab hold of the goblin, but falls into a pile of trash as he does. Everyone can hear a growl from inside of the heap. As Mae steps forward and fires off a blast, throwing some of the trash aside, and knocking the weapon from the goblin's hand, crippling its arm in the process, she can see that there are two more goblins that were already hiding, likely waiting to pounce on someone unsuspectingly. They both draw their weapons, moving towards Marcan and preparing to swing. Marcan still has a firm hold on the original goblin's leg.
Bolgrond and Jin
Dropping into the hold takes you ~7 meters below the city, and the cavernous tunnel you've found seems quite sprawling, as though it leads all over. It is largely dead ends, though many of which feature large rooms that look to have been used for storage. The main paths seem to lead to the North West, and to the South.
Ameiko, guy with Ameiko, guy in the trash, there are two more of them! I really need to start learning names.. Mae runs up to get closer. If only she can keep this guy from getting hit..()
Jin glances left and right before addressing Bolgrond. "Wow, these tunnels seem to go on forever. Now we know how the goblins got here. Should we explore in one of these directions or go back up top and rejoin the others? There were other goblins attacking and you...uh...might be able to "convince" them to stop."
Bolgrond allows Jin to chatter away, he doesn't reply at first, giving the surrounding tunnel areas and storage rooms a turn over.
Marcan pulls on the goblin's leg, trying to drag it closer and put his blade to its throat.