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You find yourselves sitting in the office of Keleri Deverin, an aristocrat and scholar living in Magnimar. Each of you had received a hand-written invitation that looked to be quite urgent. Looking around you may have seen each other around town. Some may know others or even be the first time meeting in person. Though the time for introductions is short, mainly as Grek keeps trying to dig through all the drawers for food.
Keleri Deverin clears her throat and swats the goblins hand away. She taps on a small rolled parchment and holds it up. "I received an invitation from my cousin Kendra Deverin, Mayor of the nearby town of Sandpoint, to attend the town's upcoming Swallowtail Festival. This year's focus is on the consecration of Sandpoint's new cathedral. I hoped to bring a family heirloom, the Star of Desna, to receive a blessing there, but nothing seems to go as expected."
Keleri pours a cup of tea and offers the pot of aromas around the room, well over the head of Grek before continuing. When I went down into the old vault beneath teh family estate to retrieve the Star from starage and found the entire chamber in disarray. Chests lay smashed about the room, shelves were knocked over, and worst of all, the steel lockbox containing the Star of Desna was missing. The source of the robbery was made evident by a gaping hole in the center of the floor, leading down into the sewers, and sewage stains in the shape of goblin footprints leading out of it."
"Justifiably angry, I lashed out at the now-empty shelves and ruined containers, only to find that I was not alone. A quiet whimpering came from behind a partially collapsed armoire. There, I found a lone goblin, wounded and wretched." Her eyes flit to Grek "I demanded answers about the stolen heirlooms, but the goblin only began howling in greater terror and begged for mercy. Eventually the goblin told it's story." Keverin calls out the door and a frightened and whimpering goblin comes in, covered in bruises, cuts and bile. "Tell them what you told me.
She smiles a mouthful of missing teeth. [b]"I am Talga. My..my tribe, the Mudchewer Tribe, was working for a hobgoblin named Drakus the Taker. He forced us to dig into vaults and basements all around town to rob longshanks of loot and treasure. Those who refused were taken away, only to have their blood-drained bodies put on display as a warning to the other goblins. Immediately after this robbery." She points to Keleri with a look of embarrassment. Me and a few other desperate goblins rebelled, but they were cut down and slaughtered. Only Me survived by retreating up to the Deverin vault and hiding."[/b] She frowns.
Now with no home and nearly paralyzed with fear over the fate of her fellow goblins under Drakus’s increasingly violent rule, Talga becomes desperate. "Please go to old lair, Ashen Ossuary, through the sewers. In return I vow to spread word among all goblin tribes in sewers that longshanks are friendly." She beams a massive nearly toothless smile.
Grek pauses in his search for snacks to wave at talga.
You can believe her, she one honest goblin girl.
He sniffs. drink? Could I have some of that. Six sugars please. he then smiles in what he thinks is a friendly way.
Gorotha is a hulking half-orc of a woman with a perpetual sneer on her face and an intense, mercenary demeanor about her.
"Hrmph. Good to rebel against an unjust master. Weak to fail." She stares at Talga for a moment before deciding that talking to the goblin further isn't worth her time. "I'll do it. What's in this lair? Goblins and some blood-sucking hobgoblin? What else?"
Dufek seems solid, even for a dwarf. When he settles in, either standing or sitting, he seems very much there. Like it would take an army to shift him. An object at rest tends to stay at rest, and he takes that maxim very seriously indeed as he sits deep in his chair.
He tends to wear his hair more free flowing than many dwarves, though he does of course have a few carefully managed braids and the like. His clothing is simple, and while he wears no major weapons, he positively bristles with a dagger, javelins, and even a pouch of shuriken. No armor graces his form though, so you imagine the weapons too may be for show. They look awfully well cared for - almost like they haven’t been used.
Dufek considers some while, mulling over the prospect. Gotta start somewhere. This is a new life, with new prospects and new goals. I suppose beginning at the bottom is acceptable.
He eventually shrugs, ”Aye, I’m interested. But other than killing goblins for the common good,” he eyes the gristle chewer on their side of the desk, ”what reward might you be offering for the return of your Star?”
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Keleri glowers at Grek. "You're all the same." She flicks the little goblins fingers away. "I only called you here as you might be able to prove yourself useful."
"I'll do it. What's in this lair? Goblins and some blood-sucking hobgoblin? What else?"
Talga explains a bit more as she places a finger on her head as if it helps her think. "Mudchewer Clan, slime, fungus, bugs, rats and....the vampire Drakus!" She shrugs. "It's the sewers."
”what reward might you be offering for the return of your Star?”
Keleri's face turns crimson. "Reward? Sorry I thought you would help a friend. You can keep whatever you find and I am sure I can scrounge something suitable up in the meantime."
”Great Abadar, Keleri I thought this was a social call.” Bartimaeus responds after blinking in confusion for a few moments. He had hoped there was a punchline coming for this awful joke, but can see now that the lady and her goblin are serious. ”You want us to explore the plumbing and clear out turds?” He raises an eyebrow at Talga.
Tapping his cane upon the floor in indignation, he sits back in his chair, adjusts his cravat, and tries to keep his composure. Though he speaks in the dialect of a Taldan aristocrat, and wears the fine clothes to match, Bartimaeus has the dark skin and sharp cheekbones of a garundi.
”Well, if you are serious... a gentleman never refuses the request of a favor. However, this will most definitely require a change in attire. These boots were not made for nightsoil.”
Keleri's face turns crimson. "Reward? Sorry I thought you would help a friend. You can keep whatever you find and I am sure I can scrounge something suitable up in the meantime."
"Well, er, yes, sorry, I see." He peers at Keleri through bushy eyebrows, "Expenses, you understand. Had to ask. Do what you can."
"So, when do we go? I imagine the trail is hot, and shouldn't be let to cool too long. The gentleman here needs to change sure, but that shouldn't take overlong I should hope."
Geek's grin congealed somewhat at keleri's comment.
grek loves you too, long thanks. then licks his lips.
He turns to the others. mudchewers know drakus. He blood drinker. Help mudchewers, and we be quiet, peaceful. Help city, in our own way. Lay past down. I know sewers. Talga right. Sewer is bad place to be, er, if not cautious.
A slender woman in a simple, white priest garb looks from Keleri to the other beings in the office. Her hair is long, black and stringy. Her nose is a little too big, but so are her purple-rimmed eyes. She remains quiet for the majority of the conversation and only speaks when she’s sure no one else will be interrupted: “I- I will help. Having something so precious stolen is... a terrible loss.”
”You want us to explore the plumbing and clear out turds?”
Tegan’s eyes widen and she lets out a small gasp. I didn’t know adventuring was going to be like this. She looks down at her feet and smooths out her skirt to give her hands something to do.
He turns to the others. “Mudchewers know drakus. He blood drinker. Help mudchewers, and we be quiet, peaceful. Help city, in our own way. Lay past down. I know sewers. Talga right. Sewer is bad place to be, er, if not cautious."
Tegan casts a dubious glance at the goblin then back to Keleri: “E- excuse me. I don’t mean to be rude, but are we really to trust the word of a couple of goblins?” She fiddles with the fabric of her skirt again.
Grek looks up at Tegan.
are we to trust the word of longshanks? Our risk is greater than yours. Ever think of how we see things.
Grek flicks his hands at her
longshanks always think they are right, that they be the good ones. Ha, till they want goblins to help. My tribe is being squeezed and crushed by drakus. We here for long time, no trouble. Now trouble.
He settles down, somewhat.
We help you find star, and kill blood drinker. Work together. Both gain.
Gorotha shifts a bit, looking around the party. Her voice is "Who cares if we can't trust? Goblins took the star from Keleri, so we should get the star back. So we go to where the goblins are, simple. If the goblins are lying..."
She shoots a glance over to Talgo. "We get rid of the lying goblins. Go change your knickers and let's get to work."
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"The Shallowtail Festival takes place in 7 days. I would like to have it back before then if possible." Looking down at Grek she frowns. "Unfortunately we have little else to go on."
*****
Between Talga's directions and Grek knowing where to find his tribe you have no problem finding the entrance after Tegan and Bartimaeus change into more appropriate attire for clomping around in feces.
It's a 10 minute trip through the Magnimar sewers to reach just outside the entrance to the Ashen Ossuary, lair of Drakus the Taker and the oppressed Mudchewer tribe.
The sewers are pitch black as the sounds and smells seem to guide you.
He wishes he could do something about the stink, and wishes he had a bandana or scarf to cut out the worst of it. Next time I'll know better.
"I can see well enough in the dark, maybe I should take up the rear, make sure no one sneaks up on us? I think we should stick together or I'd suggest scouting ahead. Easy to get lost down here I expect."
Garbed in full-length fisherman’s waders, Bartimaeus carries his cane in one hand and a perfumed handkerchief held to his nose in the other. As the group descends into darkness he ignites a sunrod and ties it to his suspenders.
”Well, no sense in delaying.”
He marches onward into goblin territory.
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The damp sewer passages have led to a slimy cistern that stinks of decay. On the northern edge of this circular chamber lies a pile of burnt bones in front of a scorched tunnel.
The charred tunnel entrance on the north side of the cistern is the primary entrance to the Ashen Ossuary. Several years ago a fire broke out in the vault, burning much of it to ash and inspiring its current name. The cistern outside the vault has not held much water for several decades, owing to a broken drain in the center. What remains is a number of slimy, fetid pools and a layer of muck on the floor.
Grek is able to explain most of the rooms from his time with the Tribe. The Mudchewer goblins use this area to dispose of bones, food scraps, and other waste, a habit that often draws scavengers to the area. Scavengers which you see as a slimy ooze slithers across the middle of the chamber peacefully dissolving the food scraps and bones. Bartimaeus's sunrod's light gleams off its shiny surface.
Gorotha stalks sourly to the front. She hasn't been particularly good conversation on the way to the sewer - if any conversation at all. The axe she wields is strangely etched with strange liquid patterns although looks sufficiently sharp. She spots the ooze up ahead and twists her hands around her axe.
"What's that thing?"
Tegan casts Light on her Starknife. "M- maybe if we're quiet it won't notice?" The cleric grips her weapon tighter.
Dufek wonders at the slimy thing, but hopes it'll just ignore us as 'not food'. He 'searches' as well, but he's watching the rear to make sure no one sneaks up on the party.
He'll follow the others into the room 10' or so back.
”Seems that thing is acting as a natural garbage disposal. Let us keep our distance and go around it.”
Bartimaeus follows his own advice, ready to hustle if the ooze begins moving towards the group.
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Moving slowly the group keeps their distance from the sewer garbage disposal. Staying at least 10 feet away proves to be quite effective as the sewer ooze pays you little mind allowing the group to advance further in unmolested.
The walls of this long chamber are scorched dark, and the thick layers of soot crusting to the ceiling above attest to the tremendous fire that must have raged through this room in the past. Burial niches in the walls and the row of central pillars contain only fragments of burnt wood and charred bone.
Grek explains a bit more of the history of this chamber in goblin terminology. Though it is easy enough to break down into the normal tongue. This long chamber was originally a burial vault and then later an ossuary for a family of aristocrats that lived in Magnimar just over a century ago, but it has long since been plundered and forgotten. A few years back, a pair of grave robbers accidentally triggered an ancient trap that poured alchemist’s fire into the room, causing a terrific conflagration that consumed the remaining valuables along with most of the bones and bodies interred here.
Chattering in the far corner is a group of four emaciated goblins. hard at work building a 10-foot-tall statue of Drakus out of garbage, mud, twine, and bits and pieces of wood. The task isn’t going well—the haphazardly constructed statue keeps collapsing under its own weight—but the goblins don’t let this bother them.
Grek attempts to sneak up on the goblins, moving to block their retreat if possible.
Dufek waits quietly in the rear, unable to see the goblins as yet. He keeps an eye out for danger and wonders what the front is going to do.
Bartimaeus steps into the passage and boldly approaches.
”What’s this clogging the drains down here? Drop that filth immediately and explain yourselves!”
Gorotha, trying to figure out why everyone isn't just killing every goblin in sight (minus one), steps up alongside Bartimaeus.
"Y-yeah! Come out now!" Tegan holds up her glowing weapon.
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The goblins scream as the 10 foot tall statue collapses down around them. The goblins shake as they whip around in the darkness, drawing their dogslicers. They peer through the darkness at Bartimaeus and his rubber wadding boots. One goblin looks jealous and points his blade, though his gaunt hand shakes a bit. "Those boots. I want those boots." Another goblin begins to get all excited, bouncing all over like a child on extreme amounts of sugar.
This drives the goblins into an absolute frenzy as they hoot and holler.
Tegan
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Goblins
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Grek
Bartimaeus
Dufek
Gorotha
Round 1:
Tegan moves closer to Bartimaeus and Gorotha. She touches the Silver Rosary around her neck and prays. "Desna, grant us good fortune!"
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Desna blesses the group as the goblins leap in, bounding over the rubble-strewn ground and into the several sources of light as their thin and pock-marked faces appear before you.
Bartimaeus kicks the goblin back as another pair close in on Gorotha. "Whoo. We got one more. You get the boots Greta!"
Gorotha feels the sharp bite of a blade as it cuts into her side.
Tegan
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Goblins
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Grek
Bartimaeus
Dufek
Gorotha (19/25)
”If you like these boots so much, then I suggest you taste them!”
Maintaining perfect posture, Bartimaeus gives one goblin a flurry of kicks, followed by a snapping punt to another.
Round: 1, Initiative: 10
HP: 22/22
Class DC: 15
Hero Points: 1
Resonance Points: 0/0
Weapon Equipped: None
Conditions: Bless (+1 attacks (conditional))
Unsure if Tegan wants to get into the fight or be protected, he assumes the latter and steps between her and a goblin for his attack!
Dufek slides into Tiger Stance (•>), moves forward (•>) to get into position, and attacks, flurrying (•>)!
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Gorotha's calm, simmering demeanour explodes into violent rage as she roars in anger at the goblin that just stabbed her. Her hands wrench into the hilt of her axeblade and black acid begins to drip from it. As she swings, she carries through her attack towards the second goblin.
Round 2:
Tegan reaches out to Gorotha, "careful."
Channel Energy Pool: 3 (+1 Char mod) = 4 (page 229 Heal) 1/4 used
Grek lets the goblins rush past him, then slips behind one.
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Bartimaeus' flurry of kicks are enough to finish the goblin mid sentence. As the goblin leaps at him the man kicks the goblin right in the throat, crushing its windpipe with his rubber boots.
Grek lops another of his tribe's head right from it's body. The goblins turn in confusion as they had not seen the other goblin. They look wide eyed. "Grek!?" They look furious as they process the new information.
Dufek slides forward and smashes his hand into the goblin's chest, breaking it's ribs as they pierce its heart.
Enraged Gorotha's axe sweeps low and the goblin tries to leap over the blade but only manages to get the anakin skywalker treatment as its legs and a single arm are sliced free.
Tegan lays a hand on the half-orc, quelling her rage and healing her wounds as the goblins are defeated.
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Tegan
Grek
Bartimaeus
Dufek
Gorotha (25/25)
Dufek laughs deeply, "Damn goblins didn't stand a chance. Thanks for the blessings Tegan, that was very nice"
Dufek whistles, "Check this out! I found a silver ring (5gp) and this!" he holds up a softly glowing potion.
"Give me five minutes, and I can tell you what is its with a little luck. What do you say, are we in a hurry?"
"Ahh, sorry lads, no luck. I'm not sure what it is, but it is magical - that much I'm sure of. Anyone else want a go?"
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Tegan grabs fistfuls of her skirt nervously, "thank you, Dufek." She leans her head over the dwarf's shoulder to examine his find. "I- I can help with the examination"
Dufek apologizes at being unable to ID the potion, "Mind if I carry it 'round? I'll try and figure out what it is when we take a break."
If the group agrees, he pockets the potion and wanders over to a side passage. "We should check these out. Might go no where, but might not."
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The walls of this gently curving passageway are covered in thin, fibrous tendrils that connect to a large mass of red fungus growing in the center of this small vault. The central mass is almost three feet high, from which several long, pale gray stalks have extended upward to brush against the ceiling.
"Huh. That's a mindfog fungus. We can burn it I suppose, but that'll release some virulent spores which are no fun. I say we avoid it."
He heads to the next passage to see what lies there, suspecting it'll be more of the same.
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The narrow passage opens up into a small burial vault that has been ransacked. Shattered remains of skeletons lie on the floor in twisted heaps among scattered rocks and debris, but the bodies of four recently killed goblins on display in the four niches are much more intact.