Izbahn see the death of the chanter with mixed emotions. While he is glad the chanter is no more, he would have liked to question her further. That is, if he could find someone who speaks their filthy tongue.
Still, there were other targets out there...
He yells See if we can take a prisoner!
"A prisoner .. yes .. good idea .. but how ?"
I look at Izbahn and shout at him to try to get above the noise of the battle.
"Good idea .. everyone .. surround the last standing dogfaces !"
I move in range of the, as of yet, unharmed goblin and crack my whip.
"Perhaps if I can put him on the ground, someone can grab him and tie him up ..."
I say to no one in particular, probably mostly myself.
"You're not getting away that easily..."
Taking aim and trying to determine where the goblin will be after she launches the sling stone, Naomi says a small prayer to Desna and let's fly...
Venmirl raises his free hand in the direction of the intact goblin threatening Zelazny. A green ray shoots out aimed at the little beast.
Acid Dart: Damage:
Calla moves over to the goblins who are still trying to put up a fight. She drops her battleaxe on the ground and tries grab one of them...
Calla moves over to the goblins who are still trying to put up a fight. She drops her battleaxe on the ground and tries grab one of them...
[snip]
Cracking and squeaking, the half burnt cart axle can't hold the weight of the burning wood anymore. The whole cart topple upon itself, sending hot embers and burning logs in every direction. Anyone within 5 feet of the cart (just Naomi actually) must make a DC 12 reflex save or take 1d3 ⇒ 1 fire damage.
As Izbahn clouds the mind the goblin next to Naomi with one of his spells, the priestess pull out a small leather sling, get it spinning and send a rocky bullet at the fleeing goblin. Thanks to her skill and Desna's luck her aim is true and the stone hits the already damaged goblin skull just as the small creature is about to go out of view. The goblin falls forward and lays on the ground unmoving, probably unconscious or dying.
Syeirna moves to her right and, in a same movement, tries to bring her whip forward to trip one of the remaining goblin. Unfortunately, her whip gets caught on the drain pipe of the house behind her.
Invoking his buried ancestors, Venmirl creates a green splash of acid that he sends toward the unharmed goblin. His aim is slightly off however and it dissipates above his target.
Calla drops her axes and rushes the same goblin, trying to grab and immobilize him. Seeing her coming, the little humanoid raises his dogslicer above his head to strike but Calla proves quicker. She catches the weapon arm with one hand and grabs the creature's neck with the other.
Zelazny take advantage of the fact that both goblins are now distracted or dazed. He quickly moves behind the one he wounded earlier and drives his rapier through the goblin's black little heart.
Only one goblin remains in fighting form and he's held by Calla. He kicks, wiggles and tries to bite or slash Calla with his dogslicer. All of this is to no avail since her grip is firm. She keeps the goblin close while preventing him from causing her any harm. However, her muscles are starting to tire now that her raging fury is gone.
Izbahn yells a victory cry in joy as he sees the other goblins fall. Serves the little bastartds right for ruining this day!
Now to take this one into custody, before Calla's arms fall off!
He moves closer to the grappling couple, preparing another spell...
Calla feels herself grow tired as the goblin tries to struggle out of her grasp. Knowing she won't be able to hold on much longer, she tries to knock the creature out by slamming her head against its own.
As he moves towards the other Shoanti warrior to aid her in gaining control of the goblin, Venmirl looks to see if there are any other creatures nearby.
After seeing the goblin felled by a stone, Naomi smiles and turns to Zelanzy, looking over his wounds with a practiced eye.
"You're almost dead on your feet, aren't you? I can't replace the blood you've lost, but I might be able to close the wounds with my family's magic and later with mundane methods if need be. Stand still while I work please."
Tracing the rune hanging from her neck, Naomi passes her hands over the more serious wounds, a pale light shining from her fingers.
Izbahn works his magic on the weak mind of the goblin and he's suddenly less active in Calla's hands. He seems indecisive and doesn't try to escape the huntress' grasp anymore, simply defending himself for now.
Calla headbutts the goblin to knock him out. His skull proves to be thicker then she thought as he remains conscious for now.
Naomi's healing spell cures all the wounds on Zelazny's body, even the small cut he got while shaving this morning.
Calla glares at the goblin, thinking... "I'll have a headache tomorrow..." and slams her head once more into the creature's thick skull.
I scout the area for any more threats.
When I notice Calla headbutting the goblin for the second time, I make a mental note to self. Almost unable to hide my amusement, laughing about the thought going through my head.
That's one crazy girl ... I should keep her on my good side ...
Izbahn, seeing everything under control, looks around for any other threats, and also looks around for any rope to secure the prisoner.
If he doesn't see anything like that, he will just pick up Calla's axes, so she doesn't lose them.
After Calla knocks the goblin on his head again, Venmirl attempts to take his rope and tie up the little freak. "That's really using your head!" he says to Calla. "A tactic favored by your quah?"
As Calla raises her head to headbutt the goblin again, the little creature snarl at her in anger but he's simply not strong enough to do anything about it. His body goes limp after the hit, having lost consciousness. While a bit shaken and having a bright red spot in the middle of her forehead, Calla seems to fare better then the goblin. Venmirl retrieves a solid rope from his pack and ties up their prisoner.
With the goblin pyros defeated, you take a moment to examine your surrounding. The fire still cracks and roars in the middle of the street, filling the nearby air with smoke and embers. Cries of panic and sounds of combat can still be heard but they seem less numerous and distant now. Either the goblins are being beaten back or most townsfolks have found some refuge.
Izbahn and Syeira take some time to look around for more threats. In a nearby alley, they notice 2 short figures hiding behind some crates. Thinking those to be more goblins, they are alerted until 2 young girls come out of hiding. "Don't hurt us!" Yells out the oldest one, a pale black-haired girl of about 18 springs, barely into womanhood. "Saphira and I were simply hiding from the goblins." She says while pushing the shy younger one forward, a redheaded child, with a face full of freckles, of about 10 years of age. As the older one suddenly notices the blond woman that just fought with you, her eyes go wide open with surprise and joy. "Naomi!" She says happily. "I thought we lost you in the chaos."
As the older one suddenly notices the blond woman that just fought with you, her eyes go wide open with surprise and joy. "Naomi!" She says happily. "I thought we lost you in the chaos."
Naomi blinks away happy tears as she clutches both of them tightly. Pulling back she looks them over for wounds.
"Are you okay? The goblins didn't see you did they?"
Then she asks the question she has been silently asking Erastil all night.
"Have you seen Dramen? Was he with you? I haven't seen him since we got seperated..."
Izbahn, his blood pounding in his veins, raised the axe picked up earlier when Calla dropped it, but quickly lowered it in embarassment. By Nethys's grace, I think I could grow to enjoy this! Is this what Calla feels when she wields this weapon?
Seeing no other goblins around and glancing back to make sure the Shoanti warriors had theitr prisoner secured, he looks at the young girls.
"Are you girls alright?" When they mentioned Naomi by name, he turns to look back at the blonde lady who was now tending to the dark haired man wounds. I wonder if they are related.
EDIT Seeing that Naomi knows these girls, Izbahn waits for Naomi to finish talking to them.
With the goblin securely tied up, Venmirl goes over to the goblin that was casting the spells and searches his body.
When the goblin finally falls limp in her grasp, Calla releases it to be tied up by Venmirl. She smiles at him- more of a grimace, really, as she is clearly in some discomfort- and says, "There is more than one way to give someone a piece of your mind." She gestures at the goblin, "I just wish this one had more brain, and less skull..."
Looking around, she sees that Izbahn has picked up her axes. She walks over to him and says, "Thank you for stunning the goblin. I'm afraid I've worn myself out... I thought he was going to get away."
Izbahn wisely does not mention to her that he would have enspelled her if she had fallen under the goblin chanters spell earlier. He just hands over the axes to her and says "That is no problem at all. I am glad to see you are ok, if a little banged up", noticing the swelling on her forehead. "I saw that lady", indicating Naomi, heal our good friend over here, so we can have her look at that later, but we need to get the prisoner down to the sheriff now."
"Dramen? I’m not sure." Says the older girl with a mix of sadness and shame. "He was with us for a while when we exited the square. We ran into a large group of goblins south of here. Admon and Elijah pulled out weapons and Admon told us to run. I … we did as he told us. I …" She sobs and tries not to cry. "I’m soo sorry, Naomi. I thought Dramen ran and was right behind us but when we hid here, he … he wasn’t there." She puts her face into her hands, unable to hold back the tears now.
The most obvious possessions of the goblin chanter that Venmirl finds are her weapons: a dogslicer, a whip and a shortbow with some 20 arrows. She also carried a small sack filled with various things: an half eaten rat, a severed dog head, a pickle, part of a silverware set, and some coins (8 gp and 20 sp).
"Alright ... Well done everyone ... It seems we work quite well as a team."
"Now, do we take the critter with us to the sherrif, or question it here ?"
Venmirl stands up from the corpse of the slain goblin caster, pocketing the coins. He takes the silverware and walks towards the prisoner. "These are probably stolen from a family here in town. The family who owned these most likely have been slain." Venmirl speaks with a grim demeanor, his carefree and polite attitude he displayed during the festival just a few moments ago long gone.
He takes out his klar and holds it on the prisoner's neck. "I'm sure the sheriff has his hands full. I say we do our own questioning."
Izbahn glances at her and then at Venmirl and says "Well, I can't speak its language, I say we take it to the sheriff, he should have a cell we can drop him in there. Blushing slightly at her, he continues, "We do work well together."
"Venmirl, I know you mean well ... and it probably has done unspeakable things, and very well deserves to die ..."
"I don't think we want to ... rifle the sheriff's feathers."
"Remember the way he acted when the lady here solved the little problem with the drunk?"
"Let's take that goblin to the sheriff and see if he wants our help ... if he's still alive ofcourse."
Venmirl looks at Syeira's kind face and takes her advice. "Very well. He will get what he deserves sooner or later." He takes his free hand and rubs on the wooden totem around his neck. "His fate has been decided long before he met us."
"Dramen? I’m not sure." Says the older girl with a mix of sadness and shame. "He was with us for a while when we exited the square. We ran into a large group of goblins south of here. Admon and Elijah pulled out weapons and Admon told us to run. I … we did as he told us. I …" She sobs and tries not to cry. "I’m soo sorry, Naomi. I thought Dramen ran and was right behind us but when we hid here, he … he wasn’t there." She puts her face into her hands, unable to hold back the tears now.
Naomi pulls Magdala into a hug, holding her tight.
"It okay Maggy, you were following Admon and Elijah's orders. Dramen, foolhardy boy that he is, probably stayed behind thinking he could help. Calm down, and tell which direction you came from."
Naomi steps back and pulls Magdala's head up so she can look her in the eyes.
"Remember what I say when things look bad?"
"Erastil shall keep The Family safe,
Desna's luck is our guide.
Woe to those who hurt us,
For Calistria is on our side."
Despite her steady words and calm demeaner, Naomi is shaking.
I look at the woman talking to the girls.
"Lady, although I'm all for a family reunion, we should get moving."
"Perhaps it's a good thing to stay together, with more people we're no easy targets for any more golins."
"We we're heading for the sheriff, care to join us ?"
Magdala is calmed down by Naomi's words. She wipes her tears and murmurs the prayer with the priestess. With this done, she responds to Naomi's question while pointing to the SE end of the street. "Like I said, it was further south from here. On Festival street, I think it's named."
The little Saphira remains silent, clutching Magdala's skirt.
Venmirl takes the other end of the rope and ties the goblin prisoner's feet together. To make sure he is unarmed and to see if he has anything of interest on him, he does a quick search.
Hearing Syeira's words, he picks up the prisoner and throws him over his shoulder.
Gesturing towards Naomi he says "It sounds as though she has lost one of their party, we should help her as she has helped us. This foul being isn't going anywhere."
Izbahn looks over at Venmirl and nods "Yes we do owe her a debt of gratitude for helping us, and helping him" pointing at Zelazny. He asks Naomi "Do you need some assistance, milady? I am sure we can find your brother more easily if we all search together."
"Thank you Magdala, now hurry and find a safe place to hide, preferably the local church if it hasn't been attacked. If all else fails, find guards or the sheriff and stay close to them. I'll have us all back together if I have to call on the power of the Old Family to do it. And Saphira, don't worry, I'll be fine. I promise I'll be back, and then I buy you a sweet, okay?"
Naomi turns to the others, grim determination playing across her face... and the slightest hint of suspicion in her eyes.
"Thank you for the offer, I could indeed use the help. It seems my little brother may have decided to fight goblins instead of follow orders. I'm going to look for him, and if you would like help me, just follow the angry preistess down to Festival Street."
Clutching her holy symbol in one hand and her mace in the other, Naomi waits for Magdala and Saphira to leave before she heads south-east, mumbling about what she'll do to Dramen when she finds him.
Izbahn thinks to himself I hope following this woman isn't a bad idea. Seems like she is a wolf protecting her baby cubs. And wolves can be very unpredictable...
Aloud he says to Naomi, "Lead the way then" and after making sure everyone is ready to go, he takes his club out, ready for trouble, and follows her to Festival street.
Venmirl doesn't find anything interesting on the goblin prisoner, just his dogslicer, a burnt torch and a worn leather armor.
Leaving the 2 girls behind, Naomi guides the group down High street to Festival street. Worried, she sets a fast pace. In front of the Sandpoint Theatre , you spot three men standing close to numerous dead goblins. One of them, obviously the youngest one, is sitting down with his back on a wall, his shirt ripped and his body covered with blood-soaked bandages. The older man standing over him has a short and well groomed beard and black hair with a few streaks of grey. He's apparently trying to stop the bleeding of the younger man's worst wounds. Naomi recognizes these two as Admon and Elijah. The last man is older still, but he still seem vigorous. He wears hunting leathers and has a longbow strapped to his back. A bloodied hatchet is held in his right hand while he leads a tall mare with his left. Before he notices you, you see him chopping off the ears of the goblins and putting them in a red-brown sack.
The oldest looks at Venmirl and his captured goblin. He salutes you. "I see you folks had a run-in with them goblin bastards. Anyone who beats goblins is alright in my book."
Naomi ignores the old veteran for, on the ground next to Elijah, she spots a cape that covers an all too familiar body shape.
Naomi ignores the old veteran for, on the ground next to Elijah, she spots a cape that covers an all too familiar body shape.
The clattering sound of her mace hitting the ground sounds distant to Naomi, and she slowly walks over to the cape. Falling to her knees, she moves it so she can see under it, and something resembling a cough and a sob escapes her when she sees her brother laying under it, so cold, so lifeless. She picks him up to hold in her amrs one last time...
"Why didn't you go with Magdala? You weren't ready to fight, you were too young.."
She turns her head to the sky, rage on her face even as tears run down it.
"DESNA! CALISTRIA! ERASTIL! WHY!? WHY HIM?"
"Hasn't the Family suffered enough in the past? Must you now take away a future?
Izbahn stares at the corpse now who used to be a living breathing human, and now it starts sinking on him that this is no game and good people die due to evil people and causes. He is also struck by this womans reaction, and her passion, and tries to feel some empathy for her, but due to his upbringing he feels just emptiness inside him.
He tried to think of something to do, some magic to take away the pain, but now realizes he can do nothing. Several tears trickle down his face, unnoticed by him. He struggles to offer words of comfort, but nothing comes out.
Calla goes with the others to find the sheriff, and when they stop in front of the theater and Naomi begins mourning the loss of her brother, Calla offers a silent prayer to the gods asking them to help guide the boy's soul into the afterlife... and to watch over her own brother and grant him more time in this world. She even sheds some tears for the slain, though she did not know him, but she is quick to try to hide them from anyone who might see.
Venmirl looks to the oldest of the group "Have you seen the sheriff? We have one of the scum here we'd like to question." As he sees Naomi break down his face turns red. He throws the goblin on the ground and puts his boot to its neck. "Although I seriously doubt this evil fraker will tell us anything."
The old man doesn't seem to know how to respond to the priestess' outburst. "Them bastard goblins …" He murmurs simply. He has more to say about Venmirl's question. "The sheriff? I was told he was gathering his militiamen to repel the goblins coming from the North gate. I reckon your best bet to find him is to head there. If you just want to question the little bastard, I can help you here. I know all there is to know about those two-legged rats, including their silly tongue. I can't guaranty it will do us much good however. The name's Daviren, by the way, Daviren Hosk and this here," He scratches his mare. "is Gertrude." The horse seems to agree with a short whinny.
The young Dramen, a half-elf, has had his eyes closed by someone and seems oddly at peace. If it wasn't for his pale skin and the great open gash in his throat, he would almost seem calmly asleep. Admon gives Naomi a couple of minutes to live her grief but he eventually comes to her side. He puts his hand gently on her shoulder and tries to pull the cape back over the corpse of the young man. "I share your grief, Naomi … If it's any consolation, he was brave. Bravely foolish perhaps, I couldn't get to him in time. He killed one of them but they just overwhelmed him afterward." He sighs heavily. "He's with Pharasma now, but he will live on in you and me. The Family will live on."
"I'll bring him back, mercy on the gods if I can't. It's more than the goblins will get."
Before she lets Admon cover Dramen up again, she takes the bracelet-the one she gave him on his last birthday-and puts it on her own. She then stands.
"Take him Home, and bury him properly."
She retrieves her mace, and walks over to Daviren.
"Do you know where the.. things live? Because I going to return the favor they paid to this town, and burn them to the ground!"
I'm looking at the body with grim silence.
The excitement makes place for a sad feeling, but it fades quickly.
It fades to anger, and anger is an emotion I can focus.
"Naomi, although I don't know you .. I'm sorry for your loss."
You can clearly see compassion doesn't come easily to Syeira, but she's trying to comfort Naomi.
I turn to Daviren Hosk.
"Perhaps we can leave our little prisoner with you, sir."
"Then we can go out and find the sheriff."
I look back at Naomi, a grim look on my face.
"Perhaps we run into some more goblins, get a little payback for his needless death."
"Sounds good to me! I'm not going to sit here while the city is still under attack!"
Izbahn chimes in "Payback is a good thing, but it won't bring them back from beyond the grave. Don't let revenge cloud your judgement., this last directed at Naomi.
Venmirl is right, we need to head to the North gate and assist the sheriff.
As Venmirl heads off towards the north he hands the goblin to Daviren. "Daviren if you think you can get anything out of him, he is yours. We'll be back after we help the sheriff."
Izbahn chimes in "Payback is a good thing, but it won't bring them back from beyond the grave. Don't let revenge cloud your judgement., this last directed at Naomi.
"Count Calistria among your gods before you lecture me on revenge, and then lose someone dear to you and try to repeat the lecture."
"Admon, I told Magdala and Saphira to look for guards or go to the local church. Make sure they are all right, but don't let either see Dramen like that."
She heads north without another word, her knuckles white as she grips her mace.
Izbahn feeling his temper rising, glares at the retreating formstarts to say something, but holds up, before he says something he would regret later.
I don't know what its like to lose a brother like that, but don't tell me I haven't felt that pain before!
He stalks off and keeps his mouth shut though, as he heads towards the North gate to help against the other goblins.
Daviren nods. "Alright, I'll take the goblin off your hands. I'll see what I can weasel out of him. But you all know how fragile the little buggers are. I can't promise he'll be in one piece once I'm done with him." He says with a weird little smirk.
Admon likewise accepts Naomi's wishes. "I understand your feelings and the need for payback. Don't worry, I'll take care of our own in your absence. All I ask is that you don't get yourself killed in some brash revenge project."
In a common accord, the group heads back north, retracing their steps. Once again back in Cathedral square, you see that things have calmed somewhat. Here and there, the sounds of battle, clanging swords, calls of support by the town guard, and shrieking and singing goblins echo through the streets, but the square itself is mostly deserted. It's obvious the fight has moved on. You wonder where the sheriff could be when the sound of a scream and a frantic barking comes from the north.