Your hometown of Sandpoint is a quaint seaside settlement that periodically has problems with monsters, such as wicked goblins and hungry ghouls, but the citizens always manage to endure and survive. Lately, however, a far greater danger has come to threaten the town.
A few weeks ago, livestock started to disappear from nearby farms. Sometimes a half-eaten corpse is found, sometimes only bloodstains. The people of Sandpoint are afraid, and mayor Kendra Deverin is growing desperate. She hopes some heroes will volunteer to search out this menace and put an end to it before it kills a person. She’s offered $1,000 gold pieces to the group that stops this mysterious creature. Although no one has seen the killer directly, a long black fang was found in one of the animal corpses, prompting the locals to dub the unseen killer “Black Fang.”
You have decided to go on a quest to put an end to these brutal killings. Rumor holds that Black Fang is living in an old cave not too far from town, which has been used as a den for many monsters over the years. You've gathered your gear and are now approaching the entrance to this dungeon, but you still have a few moments to get to know your fellow adventurers.
Tochi meandered his way through the forest, the sound of the warhammer strapped to his hip tapping rhythmically against the wooden shield on his back as he walked. He paid no attention to these sounds, not concerned with being heard or attacked by creatures or who-knows-what-else in the forest. That wasn't to say that he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings; he casually carried his halberd in his right arm, the shaft balanced on his shoulder and the tip pointed upward but in perfect position to quickly and easily lower it in case of need.
He'd recently heard of the "Black Fang" and the reward offered for killing the creature, and this kind of money was just what he needed to begin his quest of following his father's footsteps as one of the areas greatest and bravest heroes.
As he neared the entrance to the cave he kept an eye out for anyone else who might be joining him in this venture.
Having been raised on a farm herself, Wilhelmina could feel only too well the pain and fear that the random killings were inflicting on the local population. As a fledgling priestess of Erastil, she could not help but feel the quest was tailor-made for her. Even though her father had never been able to help but favor her more martially-inclined elder sister, Wilhelmina knew he would be proud of her if she succeeded here, and she hoped she could bring honor to her family in carrying on her father's tradition. The promised reward money was not as much of a motivator for her, though she was not unaware of the things she could do with it that could help her in future adventures. She fingered her holy symbol and reminded herself of what was more important than wealth.
Traveling in her armor was uncomfortable, but she knew better than to leave herself exposed. With her buckler strapped to her forearm and one arm free to draw whatever weapon she might suddenly need, she made her way down the road to the cave.
The others who had signed up for this were a motley bunch. Mina had never adventured with strangers before. She hoped they would work together well. So far she still felt unsure, though. And this "Black Fang" could be any kind of terrible beast or even a person, so they would have to be ready for virtually anything.
The man with the lance she had not had a chance to meet before. When she caught up to him near the cave entrance, she addressed him in a polite, amiable tone. "Hail, friend. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you yet. My name's Wilhelmina." She did not see a need to introduce herself as a priestess of Erastil, as she figured it was obvious from the bow-and-arrow badge on her sleeve and the wooden symbol hanging from her belt.
At last! The dungeon is in sight up ahead! Its entrance looks more like a cave than the front door of an underground fortress. A curtain of thick, green moss hangs over the entrance, hiding what lies beyond. Standing in front of the entrance is a menacing old stone statue of a warrior.
Tochi turned towards the speaker with his eyes turned downward as he was customary to doing since more often then not those around him were shorter than he was. But when his eyes met the belt buckle of the speaker rather than her eyes they quickly traveled up with a jerk of his head to the proper location. His blonde eyebrows rose just a fraction at seeing the young woman only an inch shorter than he, with dark colored skin with eyes like chocolate and long ebony hair. With a subtle shake of his head that caused his own honey colored hair to move from having obscured his right eye he planted the butt of his halberd into the ground and gave a bow to the priestess.
"Hail, my lady. I'm Tochi. It's a pleasure to meet you and a relief as well. I can only guess that your reason for being here is the same as mine, and a bringer of the Gods mercies is so important on dangerous quests such as this." He smiled respectfully as he stood back up.
As they neared the entrance to the cave he looked up at the statue, his mind trying to discern if it might be someone he had read stories about in his youth. He'd studied so many heroes as a boy.
Bladecatcher nonchalantly strode through the woods, humming an orcish battle shanty. He hung his arms over the haft of his axe, which lay across his broad shoulders.
The townspeople had looked askance as he had walked past. Part of him relished the nervousness he inspired, but there was also a pang of sadness. He was no monster; he did not choose to be born a half-blood. As he neared the cave, he shook off his melancholy. He would slay this "Black Fang" and drag it through the streets to show everyone that he, Bladecatcher, the halfbreed whose gaze they would not meet, had delivered them from their enemy.
Up ahead, he could see two of the volunteers standing before the mouth of the cave.
"Ho there!" he shouts. "I hope you're not planning to steal all the glory, and the gold, for yourselves." He gives them a toothy grin.
"You all should be more quiet, if this Fang thing was hunting one of you would likely be dead." Baris says as he emerges from the foliage.
"I am Baris, great to meet you all, and the white one should be here soon."
You all see a lean halfling in black robes that cover his entire body but hi eyes, tight to his body. He also wears a kama and nunchaku. He is crouching close to the ground and you can tell he is taunt and ready to spring if needed. Several bones are tied into his robes.
Thinking herself and Tochi the first ones there, Wilhelmina had been watching the road behind her for the other expected arrivals, and had seen the half-orc coming. The halfling coming out of the brush caught her quite by surprise, but since he was some distance away and didn't make a loud noise she wasn't startled by his sudden appearance. More than anything, she was relieved that the group was coming together so quickly.
"The Fang isn't hunting people, at least not yet," she replied to Baris's admonition. "And here's hoping we can make sure that never happens."
Like Tochi, she had been wondering about the statue. A cave seemed like an odd place for one to be erected, especially one so often frequented by monsters. Maybe a long time ago they had thought the statue would scare such monsters away. Given the cave's history, it seemed doubtful that this statue would have any relation to Black Fang. Mina was more interested in meeting the group members. "I just want to see the monster dealt with. However many ways I'd need to split the reward isn't important." So far, everyone looked like they knew how to handle themselves in a scrap, so she didn't have any words of concern over her ability to keep them alive if things went poorly.
The monk speaks true. Minutes later a pale girl skips up to the group. A black and white cat peers over her shoulder from it's perch in her pack. Overall, see doesn't look much like an adventurer, though a crossbow is tied to her pack.
Hi Baris! Machka was chasing butterflies again. Hello everyone! I'm Sefyr and this is Machka.
Noticing the others studying the statue, Sefyr will take a look.
Tochi had tensed just a little upon seeing the green tinged man come out of the forest before he recognized the guy as a half orc rather than a full blooded one. But he easily returned the smile and raised a hand in greeting to him.
"I'm sure there will be plenty of both for all of us." He said in reply.
The halfling coming out of the bushes suddenly was another story, and Tochi had the pointy end of his halberd readied before he was able to make out that the creature dressed in black was speaking common, though he still wasn't sure exactly what it was. He accepted that the newcomer had to be an ally and visibly relaxed when Mina began speaking.
He nodded in accent "The money would be nice, but the glory is far more valuable, and that doesn't get divided." He said with a light smirk.
He gave a bow to the group in general. "I am Tochi. Nice to meet you all."
"Gold and glory, huh? Well, seems I found the right place after all."
A smallish plain-looking man with short disheveled brown hair and equally rumpled clothing had managed to meander his way along the edge of the loose gathering of would-be adventurers. His features were split into a broad, friendly grin. His right hand clutched a crumpled copy of the bounty, which he waved in a lazy salute towards the gathered lot. "Indrick. A pleasure to meet you all, gentlemen and ladies alike."
Briefly, he glanced over the others present. Interesting. Very interesting. He was certainly no expert in adventures (beyond the songs and tales, of course), but this gathering seemed to be a good one. Lots of armored folks and weapons. Good. That would give him an excuse to not get involved any more than was absolutely necessary. Heroism wasn't for him; all he wanted was the reward.
After he had acquired a satisfactory visual assessment of those assembled, his attention went to the old statue. "Huh," he muttered quietly. "Would you look at that."
Scuttling around the others, he moved in to get a better look at the worn old statue while trying not to appear too rude in doing so. Curious as he was to get to make the acquaintances of the (hopefully) merry little band, the sight of an ancient statue in the middle of the boonies was equally intriguing. "Wonder what this old thing's doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Odd place to put a statue, wouldn't you think?"
A curious bunch indeed. The pale girl was obviously a magic user, while the dirty human looked like this might just be a desperate attempt to earn some hard-to-come-by coin for him. Mina wasn't trained to judge by appearance, though. Erastil favored those who contributed to their community, or in this case, their party.
"Wilhelmina," she gave her name again for those who hadn't heard it yet. Pulling her torch out of her backpack, she shifted a little closer to the curtain, but her eyes were on the statue and on the rest of the group. She had a good feeling about the latter, but for some reason the former was starting to unease her. Something just seemed weird about it. It felt more appropriate to get on with the task at hand. She readied flint to light the torch and stood where she could provide light with it to the first person to look behind the curtain, whoever that may be.
The curtain of moss suddenly parts and four small, green creatures with melon-shaped heads and toothy mouths charge out, swinging crude swords. These are goblins, a common pest that lives in these hills. Howling battle cries, they charge to attack!
Boris
Sefyr
Tochi
Bladecatcher
Indrick
Wilhelmina
Goblin 1
Goblin 2
Goblin 3
Sephyr
The first Goblin runs up to you screaming something barely intelligible "Agarasrgi, white lady die!!!" He swings his dagger for a direct hit.
Wilhelmina
The second and third goblin run up to you, with the fourth running right by, and the first two stab at you in a synchronized motion "YYYAAA" Both connect.
Pros: You can play your turn before your turn comes up and the game will move forward even if you're not at the computer
Cons: You don't get to react to other players moves that go before you
So, you have a choice. Now, I am a benevolent overlord, and if something you're about to do has obviously disastrous results and it's clear to everyone that you would have never done that if you had a chance to see what the other person did, I will not play it out.
Also, as a third option, you can give me options
Ex - If bob casts color spray I will move to the statue and do blank
If bob swings his falchion I will move to the goblin and punch him in the face
I think you get the point. If you do that I will follow the order of what happens and I will still follow the not-letting-you-do-something-too-stupid clause. But I won't stop all stupid mistakes, especially if you make them while on your initiative.
Ack! Shouldn't have stood so close!
Sefyr dashes behind the goblins, and turns with a shout, a cascade of colors, much like the aurora, sprays from her hand to engulf the goblins.
The goblin attack took her so badly by surprise that Wilhelmina didn't even have time to feel ashamed of her inattentiveness before two sharp swords suddenly slid their ways under her armor and through her flesh, drawing blood and causing her to cry out loudly. Only the training her father had given her from childhood enabled her to have the presence of mind and body to take a swing with her torch at the one who ran by her.
Tochi, seeing the Goblins spring from behind the curtain and begin attacking his allies, dived into the fray to stand behind Wilhelmina and, just as she cried out in pain, brought his halberd down swiftly; aiming for the neck of the Goblin that had swiped the priestess as he ran past.
Tochi, seeing the Goblins spring from behind the curtain and begin attacking his allies, dived into the fray. Skirting around to Wilhelmina's side and swinging viciously at the Goblins swinging their wicked blades at her.
After the goblins charge out Baris recognizes a straight shot at the goblin ahead of him and Charges!!! He will pull his nunchaku as he goes.
for damage
Though Wilhelmina reeled in pain it didn't cause her to lose her sense of urgency, and when the fourth Goblin ran buy she dealt it a near mortal wound with her torch.
Boris, seeing the damage done to his new partner n adventure, charges forth and finishes off that Goblin for good!
Sefyr, attempting to get out of the corner and into a a clear shot of the remaining Goblins, tries to slip by the first Goblin.
And he manages to slip his dagger out on the way for one more hit!
Sefyr, who is hurt, but not dead, takes her chance to cast a spell at the remaining goblins.
The first two Goblins (1,2) moan "Wuaaahhh...." and fall down, but the third Goblin standing in front of Wilhelmina manages to stay standing.
But, that last Goblin standing wimpers slightly as Tochi comes up, swinging away, and lands a direct blow, lopping the Goblins head clear off its body! The goblin next to him, due to his prone state, is barely missed by the blade.
Bladecatcher grabs one of the goblins by the scruff of its neck and hauls it up to his eye level.
"Wake up you runty little toad," he growls as he shakes the creature. "Where is Black Fang? Did he send you after us?"
The goblin, still a little dazed and blinded by the color spray just whimpers. You can tell that in his current state he's not going to talk and that the odds of getting much more from him when the color spray fades aren't much better. You're pretty sure these two goblins, especially once their blindness fades and they see the bodies of the other two, one with his head missing, will not come looking for you.
Touching her wounds and wincing, Ouch. Goblin knives are sharper than I thought. Does anyone have healing magic?
Looking at the half-orc, The one that attacked me spoke a little Taldan, so it might be a better bet. Should only be a few seconds. Does anyone know if Sheriff Hemlock still has the bounty on goblin ears?
Bladecatcher squats down and snatches up the other goblin by the collar of its ratty jerkin.
"Open your eyes, you walking snot-wad," he snarls. "We would have words with you."
The goblin is slightly more awake, and as her vision begins to return you see her eyes widen as she sees her headless companion, she starts screaming "AAAAGGGHHHH!!!! Me no wanna hurt you no more! Big scary monster you gotta go get, he inside. King make us watch for you, say kill you if we can! Please, I no gonna do nuthin'!!" With this she starts whimpering and you can tell this is the most you're going to get out of either one of them.
Seeing all of the other goblins suddenly drop so quickly, some by force of arms and some by magic, caused Wilhelmina's head to spin. Coupled with the loss of blood from her own wounds, the effect caused her to have to lean on the statue's base for a moment as she forced her head to clear, moving around its corner to put it between herself and any other beasties that might suddenly jump out at her.
Through the stars, she heard the voice of the other girl calling for healing. It helped her to re-focus as she knew she was needed. "Yes, I have." As she called to Sefyr, her breath caught in her throat and she had to cough. Some blood splattered onto her fist. "C-come back out here." Taking a few deep breaths to steady herself as she stood erect, she held her holy symbol and concentrated on making herself a channel for the divine healing energy that her and Sefyr's bodies needed.
This was the first time she had done it in a place of real danger, so perhaps it was to be expected that she could only feel a trickle of power flowing through her. She cursed her own inability to be more help, clutched her holy symbol tighter, and tried one more time.
She could feel her body taking the strain of channeling but could hardly feel the energy it was supposed to be releasing. She knew she couldn't let herself and Sefyr go on in this condition, though, so she had to try again.
She could feel only a small improvement, and was ashamed of herself, hearing the voices of her father and sister in her head telling her she was capable of so much more, even though they wouldn't really say that if they were there. Because of this feeling of dejection, Wilhelmina would probably have no input to offer the group as it decided the fate of the surviving goblins, nor protest if they chose a course she disagreed with. All she had to offer was a feeble apology to Sefyr that she could not do more.
With the channel energy aura spreading around, even the Goblins caught some of the effect. Distracted by what was happening, Bladecatcher loosened his grip, and the one in his hand wriggled out while the other one popped up. They looked at each other, and before anybody could act, they sprinted off in different directions away from the cave.
Seeing the dejected look on the cleric's face, Sefyr embraces her. Thanks, and don't worry, it's more than I can do!
Looking down at her mostly healed wounds, So, how did the king know to watch for us, and why does it want us to get the big scary monster? I say we take the bounty. You with the axe, would you do the honors?
As the goblins flee, Perhaps not.
Sefyr will move forward to the cave entrance a take a look inside.
The moss curtain parts to reveal a small cave with a low ceiling. On two sides of the cave are four straw mats, with a battered treasure chest sitting between them. Off to one side, a passageway leads to a pair of stone doors.
Tochi lowered his weapon as the fight quickly came to a halt. He nodded a thanks to Sefyr for her quick work though when Mina made clear the amount of damage she had sustained he watched her worriedly, nearly putting a hand out to assist her but thinking better of it in the end. Mina struck him as the kind of woman who preferred to be seen in a strong light and, given her scale armor and weapons, a self sufficient one as well. Although he didn't really understand why she looked so upset with herself when she attempted to heal both herself and Sefyr (not being a magic user himself he felt the understanding of anything in that realm beyond him) he could see that they were both improved from it nonetheless and he turned his attention to the remaining goblins.
"So their king is in there, and for whatever reason he is protecting the Black Fang." He said, thinking to himself. He didn't bother to try and interrogate the goblin further, since she had been reduced to a sniveling mess in the face of the half orc and her comrades quick demise. Though he tried his best to swipe at one of them as they fled, he did not give chase, instead remarking with a smirk. "We now know that there is more to this than simply finding our bounty." He sounded far too pleased about that.
Tochi, not wanting his allies to once again put themselves in unnecessary danger, stepped forward into the cave, his weapon still drawn. A quick look around and he said to those still behind him. "I don't suppose any of you would have a way of opening a locked chest?" He didn't touch the chest or the door, remembering from stories he'd read of heroes past who'd met their ends to a harmlessly looking trap.
Sefyr answers Tochi's nod with a smile.
Not I. replies Sefyr as she move towards the set of doors.
Examining them carefully, Sefyr puts her ear to the door, listening for anything on the other side, reading her magic in case something bursts through.
"Feh," Bladecatcher says as he watches the goblins scamper away. He looks to Sefyr and shrugs. "Those curs aren't worth the trouble."
Within the cave, he peers over Tochi's shoulder at the chest. "I could smash it open," he offers.
The exchange of battle was initiated and completed by the time Indrick (caught completely off-guard by the pack of screeching goblins) could even snap into a proper reaction. By the time the startled man had managed to get his wits together long enough to grab his bow and nock an arrow, the battle was over and the surviving goblins were fleeing and vanishing into the surrounding forest.
...Oh. Well. A brief flush of shame colored the man's cheeks, but he was quick to compose himself afterwards. It was all for the best, probably. These folks seemed trained, whereas he'd never seen anything worse than a barroom brawl.
"Um..." What in the name of all that was good and holy DID someone say after killing and terrifying a pack of goblins? "Good.... good job, folks?" Eh. It would do.
Carefully picking his way around the gory mess their fight had caused, Indrick apprehensively escorted the others into the cavern. His attention was fast to focus on the chest within the room, and the tall fighter's question in regards to opening it made Indrick venture closer. "Pity my sister's not here. She knows her way around a lock." Curiously, he pushed at the lid, checking to see if it really was locked in the first place...
When Indrick pushes the chest you all catch a faint glint of metal underneath. It kind of looks like a key. No one said goblins were very smart...
"Look there! Under the chest! Bladecatcher exclaims, reaching a brawny arm over Tochi's shoulder to point, obscuring the other man's view.
Indrick perked up at the glint of metal beneath the chest. "Ah!" What luck! Perhaps this was a signal of good things to come? Maybe? Be it a sign of good fortune or not, Indrick swiped the gleaming key from its resting spot, placing it in the lock to see if it really was an exact match. "And here I thought this was going to be tricky..."
Once the moss curtain closed behind her as she entered the cave, Wilhelmina lit her torch and held it high in her left hand, making sure the light shone over the head and shoulders of the men she walked behind and illuminated the cave room before them. With her right hand, she clutched her morningstar. She could not afford to be caught off-guard like that again.
As the party began to spread out, she positioned herself centrally so that the light from her torch would touch every part of the room. At first she was interested in the chest, hoping the goblins might have kept some medical supplies she could use on Sefyr's remaining wounds. Then, thinking of Sefyr, she wondered where the girl went. Seeing Sefyr going up to the north door alone alarmed her.
"Sefyr, wait!" she hissed loudly at her, wanting to be heard but not wanting to make enough noise to wake the goblin king (Bladecatcher's exclamations notwithstanding). " You're still hurt. Let someone else be the one to chance the doors, lest we have a repeat of what just happened. I don't think you would get off so easy if it happened again."
Perplexed at first by everyone's excitement at finding the chest locked, Tochi let out a small "Oh." when Indrick pulled the key from under the chest. Not wanting to look foolish or afraid,he kept himself from taking a half step backward as the key went in the lock in case of traps.
Wilhelmina's words to Sefyr gave him he perfect excuse to look away from the chest and instead towards the diminutive caster as she peeked through the door.