Liamae fires an arrow at the green goblin!
Liamae's arrow doesn't have enough force to penetrate the goblin's armor.
Iagon nods quickly, fully expecting Kytes' confirmation of their enemies. He rushes in and stands behind the much more imposing physical aspect of his companion, and looses a blast of his gathered power at the goblin to his southwest.
Whereas Liamae’s arrow wasn’t enough, Iagon steps up and unleashes a well aimed blast of ligneous matter at the goblin. Splinters are pulled from crates and shelves and beams, even embers from the fire strike the goblin, tearing through armor and ripping through flesh. The poor thing doesn’t even have a moment to realize what’s happening before it falls bloodied and shredded.
With two goblins cleared Roger moves into the cellar and to the left to help prevent any escape.
Liamae nicks another arrow as she moves down the stairs. Upon spying the remaining goblin, she looses it at him!
Both blessed and guided, Attai charges through, past Kytes, over the fallen goblin and smashes his morningstar at the hobgoblin.
Move Action Move (not an actual charge) to between dead goblin and adjacent to the hobgoblin.
Standard Action: Attack hobgoblin.
[+2 Str, + 1 bless, +1 guidance]
[+3 THF, +1 bless, +1 guidance]
Like a gust of wind, Attai breezes through the crowded basement and brings his morningstar to bear. He strikes the hobgoblin square in the chest, breaking a few ribs and puncturing a lung. The hobgoblin snarls in return, blood forming at the corners of its mouth, and gurgles forth, “Sog the Conqueror will destroy you all. Hell has blessed the Crimson Bow!”
In answer, Liamae sends an arrow to the goblin lackey, cowering in the corner. “Aaagh” is all he has to say. Panicked, he draws his spear and tries to fight his way past Roger.
He’s not going anywhere.
The goblin guard outside dreams of murdering kittens.
With another flash of light emanating from Eir, Kytes steps up and engages the goblin attacking Roger.
But he misses.
Iagon once again uses his power, this time hoping to use some of the burning wooden embers in his attack. He hurls the wooden debris at the goblin in the hopes of putting him down for good.
Perhaps Iagon was concerned with blasting his compatriots engaged with the goblin, but, this time his blast has little harmful effect.
Roger, however, seizes the moment to also strike at his opponent.
He, too, misses. This goblin is lucky to still be standing considering the fate of his friends.
The hobgoblin leader is a little more sure of all of your fates. He growls "Die you petty fools!" and thrusts his blade at Attai, despite his pain and collapsed lung.
He catches the Sylph in the side, opening up a large gash.
Liamae moves into the room and shoots at the goblin again.
"Gthothk!" coughs Attai as the hot pain of his wound nearly overpowers him. He swings the morningstar back at the hobgoblin, his strike a little off for being sliced so heavily...
The hobgoblin is still in the fight, still nimble enough to avoid the spiked end of Attai's attack. He shouts at his goblin minion, a mix of blood and spittle flying from his mouth, "Kill 'em all!"
Bolstered by his commander's still standing, but still outnumbered, the little goblin thrusts his spear at Roger.
His aim is way off. He can't focus on account of how likely he is to die real soon.
Outside, the goblin guard is startled by his own snot bubble, but he's soon snoozing away again.
With another shot of divine guidance from Eir, Kytes tries to take out the goblin once and for all.
His guided blade cuts clean through the pesky monster, dropping it dead.
"Come on Roger!" the half-orc shouts as he quickly moves around the room to join with Attai and the hobgoblin.
Iagon is somewhat emboldened by their success in the basement, and moves forward quickly. He steps around the fire and in front of Liamae to gain an angle from which to attack the hobgoblin. He summons up wooden shards and embers and hurls them at the creature.
The blast of splinters under Iagon's control fly by the hobgoblin harmlessly. The brutish creature snarls at the sudden onslaught. But, before he can act, Roger is on Kyte's heels, adding his steel to the mix.
The hobgoblin, surrounded and busy dodging flying wooden shrapnel, does not see the halfling nor his blade, and Roger drives his longsword straight through the hobgoblins heart. With a choke and a gurgle, blackish blood now flowing from his mouth, the hobgoblin falls as immediately as Roger withdraws his blade.
For a moment the room falls quiet, save for the crackling fire and your heavy breathing.
Then Roger shouts "Whoop!"
Attai slumps against the wall, breathing heavily, his own mini gyre counterpoint to the crackling fire, blood seeping from his fingers where they hold his side.
"Aaaaow! Creeping beast, that is painful."
He brightens in a moment.
"Whoop! indeed. Well done everybody, and thanks for the guidance Liamae! But where...are the prisoners?"
Iagon nods in satisfaction and agreement. He steps to Attai and presses another one of his potions into the Sylph's hand. That was brave and bolt, Attai. Well done! Here, I'm sure you could use this right now.
That done, he bends down to inspect the bodies of the fallen creatures, looking for anything odd or worthwhile.
The cellar is a cramped space, as you may already know. The floor is of packed earth, the walls are old lumber held back by wooden posts, all holding back more packed earth. There are shelves with pillaged goods and supplies, as well as a few barrels and crates. All in all, like the rest of the farmhouse, the place looks to have been abandoned for at least a decade or two before the goblins moved in, and it’s likely they’ve been here for only several weeks at most.
On the goblins you find the usual gear: spears, leather armor, daggers, their wooden shields they didn’t have time to equip before your raid. Like the other goblins you’ve encountered today, these have ritual scarring on their bodies, and Roger is able to identify them as Belching Toad goblins, like the ones by the river. The hobgoblin too doesn’t have anything special on him: a longsword, a dagger, studded leather armor, a light steel shield left leaning against a crate, and a longbow that has been stained a deep reddish color, and a quiver full of arrows with fletching of a similar crimson. Roger recalls that the hobgoblin shouted something about Sog the Conqueror and Hell and the Crimson Bow during the fight, but he doesn’t know what to make of it.
A thorough search of the cellar turns up some trade goods and tools: 1x sack full of smoked and dried meat, 1x small cask of common spice, 3x bottles of strawberry wine, 5x beaver pelts, 1x clay jug of water, 2x full waterskins, 3x empty leather sacks, 2x pack saddles, 1x iron manacles, 1x iron chain and padlock, 30ft hemp rope, 1x bundle of firewood, 1x flint and steel, 1x wood axe, 1x shovel, 2x pouches with that ochre colored root you keep finding, and a small wooden coffer with 25gp, 30sp, and 15cp.
Furthermore, Liamae discovers another coffer hidden under the straw bedding at the back of the cellar. This one holds three vials of a silvery pinkish liquid.
Other than the two donkeys, there are no signs of any captives or prisoners.
Liamae swirls the potions and gives them a sniff. "Mmm, almonds! More healing here."
She surveys the rest of the loot without much interest. "Maybe we should question Rip van Stinkle upstairs to see if they took their prisoners elsewhere?"
Attai looks at the assembled pile of gear. He drops his spear, and takes up the hobgoblin's longbow, sniffing it in disgust. He raises his eyebrows in a sign of acceptance, then shoulders the quiver strap.
"If none else require it, a quicker bow might suit me as well."
After Liamae speaks he nods. \
"A good idea - on our way back to the boat we can load these supplies on to the donkeys..."
Kytes stands by, shifting his weight from one foot to the other impatiently while the sleeping goblin is roused. He speaks orcish, but that's not the same as goblin and the babbling of the little green terrors is all but unintelligible to the young man. In the meantime, the goblin prisoners may be getting farther away or worse. He did have to admit some curiosity about this "Crimson Bow" and "Sog the Conqueror" but the safety of those taken from the river was the immediate concern.
"Does he know anything?" Kytes asks Roger. "Where are the other prisoners?" Kytes is ready to step in if needed. His way was more intimidating than mere questions, especially if the safety of innocents is on the line. The Lady of Valor understood that sometimes you had to coerce info for the greater good. He stood ready should the others call on him for that kind of interrogation.
Agreeing that the sleeping guard might have some useful information, Roger sneaks back outside, around to the front of the farmhouse, and is able to snatch the sleeping goblin's spear just before it snaps out of it's deep slumber.
Groggily, the sleepy goblin blinks its eyes, once, twice, and again, before it's able to make sense of what's happening.
"Helps! Helps! We's bein' attacked!" it cries out in it's wicked tongue as it scrambles with its back against the wall.
"Whoah whaoh their little vermin. Your friends are already dead. It's best if you cooperate before you join 'em" replies Roger, keeping the goblin at bay with its own spear.
"Okays, okays! I tells you. Noes hurt Umrok!"
After a few minutes of back and forth between Roger and the Goblin, Roger informs you that there were no more prisoners other than the two dead guys you found on the road. A few other hobgoblins took off with some other stolen goods earlier in the morning. They headed east. The hobgoblins showed up a couple of moons ago and have been rounding up the Blackwood tribes to serve in their army. This group has been raiding boats along the river for about a month now.
The goblin seems rightfully terrified of you all and is pleading for his life to be spared.
"What do we do with him?" asks Roger.
Kytes keeps a close on the goblin, Umrok, as Roger works him over for information. A pretty good judge of character, Kytes wonders if that insight crosses species lines. It doesn't appear to Kytes that the goblin is blatantly lying about no more prisoners. The paladin isn't sure whether to be glad that all or safe, or disappointed that there is no one to rescue. "I'd guess he's telling the truth about no more prisoners. Iomedae bless the souls of the dead ones in the road but if there's no one left to rescue, we might as well head back to the boat, eh? Not sure rescuing trade goods is worth the pursuit."
He considers that the hobgoblins stirring up the goblin tribes along the river can't be good, but perhaps that's why they were hired on in the first place.
"Any chance our prisoner knows where the hobgoblins home base is? Might be worthwhile to shut them down at the source if they continue to plague decent folks on the river."
If the goblin can't provide any more useful information, Kytes is for disarming him and letting him go rather than any more radical action.
"It sounds like the little sneak is nothing more than a pawn in a larger game. We'd gain nothing from killing him, but we'd have to be sure he won't run off and tell the hobgoblins about us before we let him go."
"As much trouble as ....Umrok... might be, it could be useful to keep him with us. He speaks Goblin, and might know the environs, and more importantly the inhabitants much better than we."
The sylph looks distastefully at Umrok.
"Failing that, I'd say kill the pitiful creature. As Kytes has intimated - he'll only end up brutalised in a hobgoblin army before murdering some poor settler."
Attai begins to carry the goods from the cellar to the donkeys.
Iagon looks at the pitiful goblin and furrows his brow in thought. Perhaps Attai is right about that - given our position of ensuring the safety of a budding community, I'm not sure we can let this fellow go and blabber to its higher-ups about us. He shouldn't be much trouble, unarmed and generally cowed as he is.
He takes the iron padlock from Attai's haul, makes sure that there's a key in their pile of loot, and fastens the goblin's arms behind its back.
There is indeed a key to go with the padlock, and Iagon secures the goblin using the manacles from the cellar. Roger asks Umrok about the hobgoblin base, and the goblin swears he doesn't know. From the way he's pleading desperately, there's no reason to think he's lying.
It takes about half an hour to load up the donkey using the pack saddles, and without further ado, you are on your way back to the river. About an hour back along the old abandoned road, you return to the site of the ambush and the two dead human corpses still lying in the road (plus the goblin corpse amongst the rocks). The sky is growing dark with clouds threatening rain, and the temperature starts to drop as gusts of wind blow around you.
There was a shovel amongst the things you've secured from the goblin hideout. Do you want to do anything about the bodies?
With a heavy sigh, Kytes does take the shovel. "At least we should give proper burial to these that have found their way to Pharasma's embrace. I wish that we had been a bit sooner and brought them back alive, but let us at least give them last respects."
Provided the others agree, and want to take the time to do this properly, Kytes will begin digging the grave to inter these victims. He does look them over first to see if there is anything that identifies who these fallen river-folk might be, in case there is means to notify next-of-kin at some point.
Attai frowns, not realising there is a proper method of disposing of remains, nor whether proper is universal.
Perhaps Roger's fire trick could come in handy again he muses, the swirling eddies of air playfully spinning faster about him.
If Kytes and others dig, Attai will deign to "keep watch" in the "likely event we are again ambushed." The sylph will stand downwind of the goblin corpse, the hobgoblin's red bow in hand, keeping an eye out for trouble.
Iagon nods, and forces their prisoner to sit, hands behind its back, just beside the eventual graves. He looks to Liamae and Roger. Do you think it would be best if you go ahead and let our charges know what we're doing? I hate to say it, but with the ill weather approaching, I wouldn't fault them for figuring we were a lost cause and moving along.
"Good point! Roger, be a dear and accompany me back to the ship so we can update them on the situation."
As Liamae, Roger, and the donkey laden with stolen trade goods, continue on toward the river, Kytes and Iagon prepare to bury the murdered rivermen. Kytes gives them a more thorough inspection and finds that any valuables they might have had were likely stolen by the goblins, and perhaps amongst the things in the donkey's saddle bag. However, he does find a letter folded up in the inside breast pocket of one of the men's vests. It is addressed to a Dearest Edgar, and waxes on about flowers in spring and long hours awake at night, and the light of the moon reflected on the waters of the sea, signed Your Love, Eleanor. Smells lightly of perfume, too.
It takes about an hour, with Kytes and Iagon taking turns, to dig two shallow graves, lay the bodies within, and cover them back up with loose dirt and small rocks. A light misty rain starts to fall as they work, but that actually helps to soften the dirt up a little. As Attai keeps an eye out, the shackled Umrok at his feet moans and protests and pleads to be let go, but Attai has no way of understanding.
:]|[:]|[:]|[:]|[:]|[:]|[:
Meanwhile, as Liamae and Roger near the river, they pass through thick banks of fog that hinder their visibility significantly. Up ahead, through the mists and fog they see a number of lantern lights, much more than should be coming from the small keelboat. A little closer and they can make out the outlines of a large clipper ship anchored alongside the keelboat at the rivers edge.
There is the sounding of a whistle and a shout from aboard the clipper ship, and then the form of Hans emerges from the keelboat, followed by a man in an imperial naval uniform. "Oy!" Hans waves you down and hustles up the bankside to meet you. "Wot'cha got 'ere? A donkey eh? Ha! Betcha you made good work of those goblins, you did. Oy, where the others? Is everyone alright?"
Liamae waves at the men as they approach. "The goblins have been dispatched. Alas, we were too late to save a caravan that they attacked. The others are burying the dead, then they'll be shortly. We've captured one of the goblins as well. We plan to keep it prisoner for now."
Attai keeps (valiant, vigilant, non-digging with shovels) watch until Kytes and Iagon are near done, then takes the manacles in hand and leads Umrok to the graves.
Eir takes to the wing to provide aerial cover and scouting while Kytes and Iagon dig and pay final respects to Edgar and his companion. Kytes folds up the letter and puts it in his belt pouch. "Poor Edgar here leaves behind sweet Eleanor somewhere near the sea. I hope to someday tell the poor lass how her beau died bravely fighting off the goblins hordes in the river-lands. It's heartbreaking really."
Once they are done digging, provided Eir hasn't spotted anything unusual, Kytes will suggest they double-time it back to the landing
Iagon looks back to the shallow graves and sighs in frustration. He just didn't have the words to give them to send them to their final rest, so instead solemnly bows his head and wishes them peace. With a nod to Kytes and Attai, he follows toward the landing.
“Ehehehemm,” the other man in naval uniform coughs into a gloved hand and stands rigidly in a military posture, waiting to be introduced.
“Ah, right right, Liamae and Roger, were it? May I introduce you to Captain Rodrigue of the Taldan Imperial Navy. Thas ‘is boat,” hands jerks his thumb at the clipper ship anchored alongside the keelboat.
The Captain extends a gloved hand and bows stiffly to Liamae, “Hans here has informed me of the situation. Normally, banditry along this stretch of the river comes to a height during the summer months, when traffic is plentiful, not this early in the year. And the goblins tend to stick to the swamps, it’s strange to see this level of coordination. If you have one captive, I can take it aboard my ship, hold it in the brig. We’ll be escorting you the rest of the way to Arenway, so no worries about further attacks. The River Guard is at your service.”
Captain Rodrigue speaks to you quite formally, in a down to tacks business-like manner. His uniform is immaculate and neatly pressed. He’s a man on duty, after all.
Considering the corpse belonged to a river merchant, all Kytes can deduce is Eleanor is likely back in Cassomir, the letter being something Edgar kept close to his heart during his travels up and down the Sellen. With the bodies buried and proper rites said over them, you decide to hustle back to the river. Eir flies overhead, keeping an eye out for danger, but other than the imposing rain, there isn’t any. Umrok doesn’t make the hustle easy, and Attai finds he is dragging the goblin along most of the way, but you are able to make it back to the river in a good 45 minutes. There you are surprised to find a Taldan clipper ship anchored alongside the keelboat. An upright naval officer waits alongside the rest of the gang for you.
Iagon let's his surprise show, before remembering that he should appear more seasoned and calm. He looks to Liamae and Roger in the hopes that they have some good news about this potential situation, then turns to the officer.
Greetings, sir; I'm Iagon. We didn't expect to see anyone out here.
Liamae bows gracefully and offers her hand to Captain Rodrigue. "A pleasure to meet you, Captain. We're grateful for the escort. I'm not certain how much information you'll be able to get out of the goblin, but every bit helps."
"Attai Kah, newly appointed to this set" Attai offers, along with the manacl'd goblin.
Kytes remains a respectable distance from the officers and watches the proceedsings without getting involved at this point. As a half-orc, his run-ins with many of the human elite, like these officers seemed to be, seemed filled with patronizing behavior at best, and downright antipathy at worst. Better just to stand back and let the others take the lead here, until something went south, at least.
Captain Rodrigue extends his hand to those that make an introduction, giving Kytes a quick nod of acknowledgement.
"I thank you for following through and clearing out this threat. I hope the Marquis' men continue to be an asset to our nation." With that, the Captain takes Umrok from off your hands and returns to his ship.
Both Hans and the keelboat driver are visibly relieved that you aren't taking the goblin with you. Once you, the recovered goods, and donkey are all aboard, you are headed upriver once again, following in the wake of the larger clipper ship.
The storm is full upon you for the rest of the day, although it never amounts to more than a steady light rain. Only a little more than an hour north of the pillaged barge, the landscape changes once again as you enter into the Verduran Forest. Large, dark oak trees with heavy boughs that twist and stretch out over the Sellen's banks hang with dripping moss. The reeds and grasses of the Tandak Plains are replaced with broad ferns taller than a man. The rain keeps up, but the air becomes thick with fog and mist. The boat driver and the polemen seem to be on high alert. Occasionally, out of the corner of your eye, you swear you see lights moving through the thick forest.
"Don't look directly at 'em," warns the driver, "The Will'O'The'Wisp is the death o' many a good sailor."
Hans spends the rest of the evening out of the rain in the covered hold of the boat, inventorying the goods recovered from the barge and farmhouse. He seems a bit pleased by the spoils, and even helps himself to some of the cured meat.
The evening passes quietly otherwise. The sky grows dark and the rain continues to fall, but the lanterns swaying aboard the clipper ship light the way. The driver is tense, but is happy to have a military escort. "Was hopin' to make it to Arenway 'fore sundown, but that excursion of yers cost us some time, din'it? Wouldn't want ta be drivin' at dark in this forest alone, no sir."
Kytes nods back to the Captain who seems a decent enough sort.
When the keelboat gets going again, Kytes stands at the rail, watching the terrain pass and feeling the rain on his face. Eir alights on the highest point of the ship, bawling about getting wet.
Kytes acknowledges the will o' the wisps when pointed out by the boat driver and he follows direction, not looking directly at them. As the landscape becomes more forested, he sees why the Marquis needed brave men on this expedition -- this area looked pretty unforgiving.
When the sun sets and they are still sailing, Kytes says a brief prayer to Iomedae asking for Her protection for the little boat and the crew. When he sits with the others, he starts a polite conversation. "What do you think we'll be asked to do once we get to Arenway?"
Attai too stands at the rail, though his gaze rarely strays from the magnificent trees nor the giant ferns. His face is kept dry by his personal gyre.
He turns to consider Kytes.
"I am at a loss - though perhaps there is more than typical lawlessness of a frontier to contend with."
