They move.
They’re already in the process of dropping the armloads of silver that they carry, and both appear to be reaching for their belts.
Do you take the shot? At which one? The closer figure has a long (for its size) straight blade at its hip, the slightly more distant one has a shorter and lighter looking sword at its belt.
Pharris' takes the shot at the one with the short blade, unless he has any cover.
Pharris then drops her bow at her feet, and she steps off the road behind a bush or tree, preferably moving forwards ten feet as she does this, the greatsword comes out.
Schwwiiinnng!
The small creature shrieks a high pitched squeal as Pharris’ arrow grazes the side of its arm, and dashes around the other side of the overturned cart, out of sight.
Its companion yells out an incomprehensible battle-cry, draws its blade and darts around the tree that Pharris moved behind, hacking at her with the blade, narrowly missing.
The small creature shrieks a high pitched squeal as Pharris’ arrow grazes the side of its arm, and dashes around the other side of the overturned cart, out of sight.
Its companion yells out an incomprehensible battle-cry, draws its blade and darts around the tree that Pharris moved behind, hacking at her with the blade, narrowly missing.
Alton spots one of the dwarf-things hiding behind a wagon and dashes towards it, shouting "Laithe, there's one behind the wagon!"
Alton runs towards the dwarf attacking Pharris, trying to run it through before it can harm any of his friends.
Laithe curses as he sees the creatures spring into action against the swordswoman. He springs forth from cover himself a moment later, scanning for the one hidden behind the wagon. Just as he hears Alton's call on the other side of the clearing, he spots the creature himself. He moves quickly to a spot on the road where he can draw a line of sight at it.
As he moves, one hand extends above and behind him, as if reaching for the tree tops. A rustling stirs the leaves of these trees, and as it builds in intensity he calls forth, "Lady Ehlonna, lend me the strength of the winds that stir your mighty forests that I might extinguish the flames of evil!" As he finishes these words he clenches his hand as if grasping a ball of force and hurls it at the creature hiding behind the wagon. A great roar of wind fills the battle scene and a cloud of dust picks up from the road and hurtles towards the huddling figure.
Alton dashes towards the small humanoid attacking Pharris, and plunges his rapier into it’s back. The enemy shrieks shrilly, and spins quickly to face Alton.
Up close you can see that it wears a painted wooden mask with a huge nose and small beard. It appears to have a mop on its head.
Laithe curses quietly as he sees the creatures react poorly to the sworswoman's challenge. He quickly spots one of the creatures and seeing Pharris and Alton engaged with it, and knowing Keildrithe and Kajetan are also nearby he decides they more than have it covered.
His eyes instead turn to seek out the other creature by the wagon, but try as he might he can not pick it out. Well, I can't see it, but it probably doesn't know I'm here either he theorises inwardly. Laithe quickly effects a change into wolf form and moving as stealthily as possible, and keeping low to the ground, he darts out of cover and over to the side of the wagon.
Seeing his friends engaging the enemy, Keildrithe decides to bolster their spirits by reciting the Ehlonna's Battle Hymn in a sonorous voice that thunders through the hills and fills the hearts of his companions with fire...
"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lady;
She is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
She hath loosed the fateful lightning of Her terrible swift sword;
Her truth is riding on.
"I have seen Her in the watch fires of a hundred woodland camps
They have builded Her an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read Her gracious sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
Her day is riding on.
"I have read a fiery Gospel writ in arrowheads of steel;
“As ye deal with My condemners, so with you My grace shall deal”;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the goblins with His heel,
Since Ehlonna is riding on..."
Laithe-wolf darts silently around to the far side of the wagon, where he spies the other diminutive masked man hidden partially under the over-turned conveyance. The figure is crouched down, thin sword on the ground by its feet, while it rummages for something in a bulging belt-pouch.
It happens to glance up as Laithe pads towards it, spotting the great grey wolf, and lets out a shriek from behind it’s mask.
As Alton takes the gnome's eye, Pharris quickly changes her grip to high handed, then slices down the shorter arc, aiming to cut the creature from breast to right hip.
She then moves five feet (if necessary to help set up the flank for Alton).
"Surrender now, gnome!"
Pharris’ sword scores a long, deep cut along her opponent’s chest, who screeches as blood spurts from the wound. It is unclear whether or not he understands Pharris’ command to surrender – his masked face gives no indication – but he looks around wildly for an opportunity to escape, then dashes away from his two assailants.
Confronted by the wolf, the other masked figure grabs for his discarded blade and scoots under the overturned wagon, out of easy reach of the large wolf. He calls out something (perhaps to his companion) in an unknown language.
"Oh no you don't!" Alton shouts, stabbing the fleeing gnome in the back as it tries to flee past him.
The gnome falls to the ground with a gurgle.
Alton runs to the wagon and asks "Where is it?", watching Laithe for a second before kneeling and peering under the wagon. He draws his magical dagger and looks at the creature under the wagon "Come out and we'll give you a chance to explain. Otherwise I find out what this magical knife can do."
“Ssspeaksss Atusscanss?” the little man squeaks in an extremely heavily accented voice, very mush hissing his “esses”.
“Call of yours big badnesssss dogsss gnome! Put down yourss knivesss. I comingsss out, givess you important letter!”
The little masked man drops his sword and holds out the thing that he was trying to extract from his belt pouch earlier – a small scroll of parchment.
Alton lowers his dagger slightly and says "Come out. Slowly. Laithe shant hurt you unless you attack. None of us will." raising his voice, Alton shouts to his companions "Our little friend is coming out under truce.".
He steps aside, keeping the longfang dagger in hand "What is it you have for us?"
The short masked man crawls carefully out from under the cart, staying well away from Laithe, and hesitantly passes the parchment to Alton, snatching his hand back away quickly.
The parchment seems to hold a short letter, written in a large, childish looking hand writing. Although the alphabet seems to be Atuscan, the words themselves are gibberish – or perhaps merely in a language you can’t read.
“Issss Thuringian,” hisses the masked man helpfully.
The short masked man crawls carefully out from under the cart, staying well away from Laithe, and hesitantly passes the parchment to Alton, snatching his hand back away quickly.
The parchment seems to hold a short letter, written in a large, childish looking hand writing. Although the alphabet seems to be Atuscan, the words themselves are gibberish – or perhaps merely in a language you can’t read.
“Issss Thuringian,” hisses the masked man helpfully.
Once Alton has the short man under control, Laithe retreats over to the body of the fallen man. There he returns to his human form and kneels by the creatures side. He reaches forward and pulls the mask from the things face, trying to get an idea of what it is.
Alton takes the letter and briefly examines it, still keeping a wary eye on the gnome-dwarf. "Damn. I don't speak or read Thuringian. Do any of you?" he shouts to his companions. "Laithe, I spotted a wounded person that away. Don't know if it was a raider or one of the wagon masters."
Turning to the gnome, he watches the man, waiting for the rest of the group to gather to decide what to do with our prisoner.
As Laithe moves over to the fallen creature, the one standing near Alton appears to notice the fate of his companion for the first time. “Chupo!” he yells out. “Nasssty thinsskinsss killed Chupo!” And he collapses onto the ground, wailing.
Laithe, you turn the fallen creature open and take of his long-nosed mask. The creature within is certainly not a gnome or a dwarf. It has a hairless brown head, its skin leathery, scaly like a lizards. Its face is dominated by a short, lizard like snout, a large mouth filled with sharp teeth. It has two small horns and a scaly ridge atop its head.
Kajetan hurries up with the horses. “I have a spell that might help,” he says in response to Alton’s question about Thuringian. “If you will allow me,” he says, reaching out for the letter.
Kajetan takes the letter, holding it in his hand and muttering some mystic words over it. He then reads the letter silently to himself, grimacing often, frowning sometimes and stifling laughter at other times. After reading through it, he takes parchment and an inkpen from his pack, sits down and begins writing.
“I’ve translated it into Atuscan,” he explains. “I’ve tried to keep it … er, verbatim. You had better read this.”
The translated letter reads:
MOST HONOURABLY PALE SMOOTH ONES!
begging you stay weapons that hands are waiting to swing!
my brave heroes,wishing you well have no want for the fighting only wishing we are to help narl accidentally very bad released a devil from its box of prisonly, she is now bits and burned up, maybe nasty impness tell her bad things and make her. Thislip get so angry she drop dead too! Most tearful is we devil now is most tiny,but still danger being, but soon become bigness and bad bigness dangerous! But solving exists! the DEVIL BOX calling into it back can woak, but only for two and three and two together nights,after this devil most bigness becomes again and on him box never working will TIAMAT save us!
YOU strong bigness are, and we weak and tiny, you helping my brave heroes to finding poor poor Lumbie sinct he now only kobold can make devil BOX go then lumbie can back into box make devil go by singing rhyme nicely you help us,helping your own, because devil much bad chaininess is he him name ZORITH. Take brave scaly heroes with you after LUMBIE, but must be seerblood like lumbie to make go, so you no you thinking you stick scaly heroes and make box go yourselfs!
You are big and clever and knowing that hurting us will be hurting your own and you would be as big badness as big badness that was in box and has away out been taken. hide will he, you must find him. Three servants he had too and they are scaly imps and can changing very clever and make selves empty,they talk and make things listen find the bad thing and get lumbie to work box once devil be forced backeards into box again we shall happy be and friendly, and you heroes bravely with CROWNS in big lands happy shall.
Do not letting the devil win! It is BIG BADNESS!!!
CHIEF, CLAN GNURKA
Seeing the fight has gone. Pharris fetches her bow and joins the group to hear the letter read out.
Seeing the fight has gone. Pharris fetches her bow and joins the group to hear the letter read out.
Laithe looks up in alarm at Alton's mention of the wounded man, and quickly gets up from the small creature and runs over to where Alton has pointed", exclaiming "You should have told me earlier!"
He finds the man and checks his condition, trying to see if there is anything he can do for him. While he works, he listens to the letter and starts to feel some guilt towards the creature they had wounded already. They didn't do this, they just came across the wagon, as we have. He calls out to Keildrithe "My friend, see if you can stop the creature from dying. I don't think they deserve death at our hands."
Laithe looks up in alarm at Alton's mention of the wounded man, and quickly gets up from the small creature and runs over to where Alton has pointed", exclaiming "You should have told me earlier!"He finds the man and checks his condition, trying to see if there is anything he can do for him. While he works, he listens to the letter and starts to feel some guilt towards the creature they had wounded already. They didn't do this, they just came across the wagon, as we have. He calls out to Keildrithe "My friend, see if you can stop the creature from dying. I don't think they deserve death at our hands."
Keildrithe jogs down from his vantage point to join his companions. At first, he looks puzzled as he hears and doesn't seem to quite understand the contents of the scroll. At Laithe's urging, he forgets about the bizarre message and promptly moves to the side of the wounded "gnome," gasping in shock as he sees its reptilian features. "Don't know how much I can do for this... thing," says the bard with some trepidation, apparently unsure how (or if) he should attempt to heal the diminutive creature. After humming and hawing for a few seconds, he drops to his knees and does what he can to staunch the blood flowing from the reptile-man's wounds by tearing strips from its cloak with his dagger.
Alton mutters "I had other things on my mind. A sword-wielding Chupo trying to kill us for instance." as Laithe hurries to heal the wounded. He hands the letter to Keildrithe and looks at the wailing creature. "Listen, I'm sorry about stabbing Chupo. Laithe will do everything he can for him; trust me, you could ask for no better care for your comrade."
Keildrithe tries to stabilise the dying reptilian creature. After initially being stumped by the creature’s differing anatomy, he soon realises that internally the creature appears to be organised much like a human. He manages to staunch the blood flow, and the creature remain unconscious but breathing shallowly.
Meanwhile, Laithe heads over to the figure that Alton found slumped in the bushes. It is a short, stout, bearded man (or perhaps dwarf) lying there. He is unconscious and covered in painful looking red welts with puncture wounds at their centres. Laithe soon determines that although he is quite seriously wounded, he appears stable, and in no immediate danger of dying as long as he is provided with care in the next few hours.
Having assured himself of this fact, he hurries back and helps Keildrithe with the lizard creature. Soon enough the druid is assured that he has two unconscious but stable patients on his hands. He thinks that the bearded fellow may improve if given proper care and rest, but Chupo is in a more serious way – he will almost assuredly need magical healing if he is to survive.
---
At Alton’s words the other masked creature stops wailing, but remains curled up on the ground, sniffling and grumbling in another language … mostly another language anyway; Alton is almost sure he hears “hatefulsss gnome,” muttered in his direction in Atuscan a few times.
“I believe they are Knockers,” says Kajetan to Alton, sounding quite fascinated. “Called Kobolds in Thuringia and Atus; small, savage reptilian humanoids.”
Birds chirp in the woods as the sun moves slowly across the sky and the faint stench of death begins to emanate from the corpses of the wagon driver and the horse.
At Alton’s words the other masked creature stops wailing, but remains curled up on the ground, sniffling and grumbling in another language … mostly another language anyway; Alton is almost sure he hears “hatefulsss gnome,” muttered in his direction in Atuscan a few times.
“I believe they are Knockers,” says Kajetan to Alton, sounding quite fascinated. “Called Kobolds in Thuringia and Atus; small, savage reptilian humanoids.”
Birds chirp in the woods as the sun moves slowly across the sky and the faint stench of death begins to emanate from the corpses of the wagon driver and the horse.
Once done tending to the wounded, Laithe returns to the group to report. "The Dwarf appears wounded but stable, while the Knocker or Kobold will only recover with the aid of magical healing. I have a little left, so can use it on him."
"Ok, I was listening in when you read over the letter and here's what I got from it. It sounds as though our friend the Imp has stumbled across these Kobold's tribe and is once more taking control. It forced one of them to summon another creature called Zorith - probably bigger and nastier than itself."
He pauses. "We have about 8 days to track down Lumbie - another kobold? - who has the power to banish Zorith back to the box from which it was called forth. These two want us to accompany them to find Lumbie and then track down and confront Zorith and his followers. Does that sound about right?"
He looks over at the wagon and tries to assess whether it is still functional if turned back the right way up. "I suspect it was not these creatures who attached the wagon as we first thought. Perhaps it was this Zorith the kobolds speak of?" He turns to the standing kobold and points at the wagon, asking "What attacked this wagon?" in Atuscan.
At Alton’s words the other masked creature stops wailing, but remains curled up on the ground, sniffling and grumbling in another language … mostly another language anyway; Alton is almost sure he hears “hatefulsss gnome,” muttered in his direction in Atuscan a few times.
“I believe they are Knockers,” says Kajetan to Alton, sounding quite fascinated. “Called Kobolds in Thuringia and Atus; small, savage reptilian humanoids.”
Birds chirp in the woods as the sun moves slowly across the sky and the faint stench of death begins to emanate from the corpses of the wagon driver and the horse.
Once done tending to the wounded, Laithe returns to the group to report. "The Dwarf appears wounded but stable, while the Knocker or Kobold will only recover with the aid of magical healing. I have a little left, so can use it on him."
"Ok, I was listening in when you read over the letter and here's what I got from it. It sounds as though our friend the Imp has stumbled across these Kobold's tribe and is once more taking control. It forced one of them to summon another creature called Zorith - probably bigger and nastier than itself."
He pauses. "We have about 8 days to track down Lumbie - another kobold? - who has the power to banish Zorith back to the box from which it was called forth. These two want us to accompany them to find Lumbie and then track down and confront Zorith and his followers. Does that sound about right?"
He looks over at the wagon and tries to assess whether it is still functional if turned back the right way up. "I suspect it was not these creatures who attached the wagon as we first thought. Perhaps it was this Zorith the kobolds speak of?" He turns to the standing kobold and points at the wagon, asking "What attacked this wagon?" in Atuscan.
Alton nods "Looks like we'll catch up with our little friend sooner rather than later.", adding "And for the record I AM NOT A GNOME! I'm a halfling; there's a vast difference." for the kobold's benefit.
The other kobold (mask off he appears similar to his wounded friend, but slightly smaller, and with red and black stripes down his face and snout) has stopped sulking and has been looking on anxiously as Laithe and Keildrithe work on Chupo, hissing softly occasionally.
When Laithe starts theorising about the contents of the letter, he looks up and nods along, interjecting in his halting Atuscan from time to time.
“Yessss, nasssty green imp came and try to make Chief Gnurka lisssten, but chief – chief Rassspitsss mothersss brother – have ssstrong will and not lisssten.”
“Narl make big badness devil Zorith out of box, nasssty imp make her lisssten, then burn in fire!”
“Lumbie Thissslipss idiot ssson, chief sssell him to cccircuss, but only Thisslip kin make box go, and Thissslip and Narl both dead now.”
“No! Brave koboldsss not attack sstupid wagon! Eeek! Zorith?” The kobold looks scared at the thought that Zorith may have attacked the wagon, and takes a handful of silver coins – presumably looted from the carnage – from his belt-pouch and throws them hastily to the ground. “We find wagons burning, take coinsss, not wasting.”
He reaches back into his beltpouch and withdraws another piece of paper, this one larger than the small letter, and folded in four.
Unfolded, the paper is a faded poster, written in Atuscan, and illustrated, advertising:
THE FOUL TWO-HEADED
LISTEN TO HER TERRIBLE DOUBLE CROAK!
headline an illustration of two joined frog-heads. Another illustration, this of a fanciful looking bovine / porcine / reptilian monster bears the caption:
GAZE UPON THE DREADED CATOBLEPAS!
A TERRIBLE CREATURE CURSED BY THE GODS
The last illustration is of a large and fierce looking reptilian humanoid, the headline reading:
THE FOUL REPTILE BOY
Down the bottom of the page in small letters, the poster also promises:
AND ALL MANNER OF ENTERTAINMENTS
Alton takes the circus' flyer and examines it. "So would this 'Foul Reptile Boy' be Lumbie then? If Zorith can only be banished by Lumbie, than it makes sense that he would try to kill Lumbie before that could happen. If Lumbie is the Reptile Boy, than Zorith would probably attack wagons associated with the circus that Lumbie belongs too."
Alton takes the circus' flyer and examines it. "So would this 'Foul Reptile Boy' be Lumbie then? If Zorith can only be banished by Lumbie, than it makes sense that he would try to kill Lumbie before that could happen. If Lumbie is the Reptile Boy, than Zorith would probably attack wagons associated with the circus that Lumbie belongs too."
Laithe listens intently to the kobold's speech and then nods at Alton's conclusion. "Unless anyone happens to know where the circus is at the moment, then I guess the best course of action would be to continue on into town and make enquires there. In any case, we need to get his wounded dwarf to somewhere he can be taken care of. And the cart would be ideal for that."
Laithe moves over to the upturned cart, motioning for Keildrithe's and Pharris's help him turn it back on it's wheels and then carefully load the injured man into the undamaged part of it. He then says to the kobold "I will do what I can for your friend". He kneels once more next to the creature and casts his two remaining cure spells (Cure Minor Wounds) for a grand total of 2 hps. He then carries the creature and also lies him in the back of the cart.
"We should probably either take this body back with us to be claimed in the city or else give him come sort of burial here?"
[ooc]Is there room in the cart for the third body (and how far long is it into decomposition? Can we also do a quick clean up of the coins and stock (if any is less intact) and load what we can of it into the cart. Assuming there is still harness and bridle and stuff intact we should be able to use one of our horses to pull the load. If not, has anyone got ranks in Use Rope to rig up a temporary harness?[ooc]
Between you, you are able to flip the cart back over. It is damaged, and one of the wheels is loose and wobbly, but thankfully it still seems serviceable. You are able to rig the harness for one of your riding horses – as long as the wagon is not heavily loaded, the horse should be able to pull it.
You would estimate that the bodies have probably only been lying here for a few hours, and have not begun to decompose in any significant fashion. There is room in the cart (just) for the body of the human, the injured dwarf and the injured kobold (who breathes more easily but does not regain consciousness with Laithe’s healing spells).
The merchandise all appears to be ruined, but the chest that was holding the coins is mostly intact (apart from a broken lock) and the work of several minutes can see the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of spilt silver coins returned to it.
“I need to getsss devil box!” exclaims the still conscious kobold, pointing into the woods.
"I would not wish Chupo to die on my account. Here, Laithe, I have a healing draught which should help him recover."
She hands over a small beautiful glass vial with a bluish liquid shining from within.
Note to DM
"There was mention of Lumbie having seerblood. Do you think that is some kind of sorcery? or a specialised wizard, a diviner perhaps?"
Pharris scouts the area quickly to make sure nothing has been missed before anyone leaves.
“Lumbiess mother Thisslip ssseer, powerful ssorcerer … but Lumbie sstupid, freakisshhly big,” the kobold shrugs.
Pharris finds nothing of particular interest in her scouting, but the kobold gestures her into the woods, where he points out a wooden box, about three feet long and in the shape of a coffin, hidden beneath some bushes. “Devil box,” he says.
“Lumbiess mother Thisslip ssseer, powerful ssorcerer … but Lumbie sstupid, freakisshhly big,” the kobold shrugs.
Pharris finds nothing of particular interest in her scouting, but the kobold gestures her into the woods, where he points out a wooden box, about three feet long and in the shape of a coffin, hidden beneath some bushes. “Devil box,” he says.
"I would not wish Chupo to die on my account. Here, Laithe, I have a healing draught which should help him recover."
She hands over a small beautiful glass vial with a bluish liquid shining from within.
Laithe thanks Pharris but declines to take the offered vial. "Thank you for the offer, but I think you would be best served to hold onto the potion. With some care, Chupo will not succumb to death. I can use some more magic to heal him further this evening. Keep the potion for a time of greater need dire need."
At mention of the "Devil Box" Laithe turns his attention away from his patient's and back towards the woods. He moves over for a closer look at the box. "Kajetan, can you make out anything of this?"
Alton follows Laithe over to the 'Devil Box', looking curiously at it and keeping an eye on the kobold. "So, should we take it with us?"
The box is sized and proportioned as a roughly kobold sized coffin. It appears expertly crafted of rosewood, with iron trimmings. There is what appears to be a lock on one side, but with no obvious keyhole. On one side a series of small runes are engraved into the timber surface.
“Yesss, we take it!” says the kobold. “sstupid gnome”
Pharris pockets the vial, in her belt where everyone can see.
Bearing no interest in the devil box she joins the discussions about what next.
"So we go into Lichford and the circus with a wagon and get Lumbie free. What is a circus? But surely we can't take a knocker into the town, they could turn against us and the knockers. Shouldn't the knockers rest up with the box and possibly one of us, say Kajetan, for instance. the townsfolk I going to get the wrong idea if they find us with a devil summoning box."
She kicks a stone over in the road and continues, "the rest of us can deal with this problem. I should be able to convince them to hand over a kobold," she finishes dispassionately.
"So we go into Lichford and the circus with a wagon and get Lumbie free. What is a circus? But surely we can't take a knocker into the town, they could turn against us and the knockers. Shouldn't the knockers rest up with the box and possibly one of us, say Kajetan, for instance. the townsfolk I going to get the wrong idea if they find us with a devil summoning box."She kicks a stone over in the road and continues, "the rest of us can deal with this problem. I should be able to convince them to hand over a kobold," she finishes dispassionately.
Keildrithe waves his companions closer together, trying to keep tje knocker out of earshot. "I am inclined to agree with your suggestion, Pharris," whispers Keildrithe. "But would Kajetan be safe, alone with this knocker? What if it were to summon others of its kind? I am worried that under normal circumstances, these creatures would have nothing but foul intent towards us... why else would they be wearing masks? They clearly are loathed, if not feared, by most folk in these parts..."