Norton steps into the clearing riding calmly on Murak. He stays calm, no weapon drawn, no threatening or menacing behavior, but composure and solemnity.
When he reaches the middle of the opening he speaks to the green people.
"Greetings to you all folks of these woods. My name is Norton Ambrosi, and along with my comrades I've been charged to bring law and justice to these lands. You may not fear any harm from me, as long as you behave peacefully. I hope we all are going to learn to live in harmony. But I see some of you are in distress. Do you allow us to help you?"
Then awaits for their reaction towering from Murak
Furiel moves forward as much as possible
"We are the new sword lords. Surrender and be peaceful and you will not be harmed. Resistance will be answered with force."
The largest of the group pushes himself up and starts to speak "Get up get up now! - " the goblins start to scramble .. dropping the barrel and its rider .. The leader looks slightly orcish .. possibly hobgoblin, but more feral and a bit hairy. He starts to draw his sword but hesitates."Wait." They stop as the leader hears out Norton .. "So you not bluecloaks? .. harmony? Sounds like what Stag Lord told us .. but more weak." He looks at other visible members of the party .. his eyes seem to go in and out of focus .. "Sound weak .. look not weak."
Weak...hah! Let us see if goblins are capable of sensing a person true worth.
"I hear you know the Staglord, which are your dealings with him? We are not him nor bluecloacks, and don't mistake courtesy with weakness. Are you the leader of this tribe?"
The hairy hobgoblin eyes you suspiciously. He looks around at the goblins; one peeking from under the barrel .. four all trying to hide behind it, three others rolling around - moaning and puking. "We know nothing of Stag Lord .. just pick fruit from ground. We go home now and not shed blood. We go home now." He takes a half step back and watches your reactions.
Rogar lets his hand slip on the pommel of his sword nonchalantly:"We'd like to hear more about these bluecloacks and in case you didn't notice everyone here heard you talking about the Stag Lord, so don't start this with lies, you wouldn't like the results of that approach my friend..."
Intimidate Check:
The hairy hobgoblin turns his wary weary gaze to Rogar "No lies. No one not know of Stag Lord." He adjusts his stance to mimic Rogar.
Rook takes a step toward Ta'de-win and speaks only as loud as necessary.
Caution. Keep sharp. He is of the Bloodband. Marking on his arm. This is not their territory.
Furiel continues his advance on the goblins.
"You do not want to run from the mounted one he will hunt you down. "You do not want to fight, you will lose. You wish to surrender to avoid a major defeat at our hands. You so not want to see my magic." Furiel prepares to cast.
Bluff
From inside the forest, still well out of sight, The Green Man calls out in support.
"And in case you are wondering, you are outnumbered as well.
But we do not want battle lest you insist upon it, in which case you shall have one.
So think carefully and just answer our questions, that way we can live in peace...or you can leave in pieces."
"I answer your question and I go. We leave your lands. You can have bluecloak lands." He says a half dozen words to the goblins .. presumably in goblin. "Ask question and I go."
"The questions are simple, who are you people, and what's your business here? Why some of your men look like they are in pain?"
"Very well I'll start then: what's your relationship with the Stag Lord and what were you doing here?"
"Here to pick fruit from ground .. Some ate too much fruit .. it is spicy and hurts belly. I hear of Stag Lord don't know Stag Lord .. fort at Tuskwater Lake. We go .. we go now. We take fruit and go."
The Green Man considers, trying to think of symptoms that matches what the goblins are suffering from. Mayhap a simple tummy ache?
Norton is more concearned about what the goblinoid is saying
"You can leave, as I said: no harm was to be feared. We shall see us again, maybe at the lake."
You sense a fair amount of intelligence .. seemingly intentional flat inflection and cadence to his words, giving nothing away. Goblins gave slight tell .. all seemed to listen .. all but one looked around different directions, the one that didn't look around nodded reflexively.
You don't sense any deception. He seems cautious .. and unsure whether or not to believe you.
Furiel continues his steady advance to get as many goblins as possible in his spell.
Rogar shakes his head at Norton words:"I don't think so, Ambrosi... We need some answers here, and it seems they know something we need. You there! I'm still waiting for an answer: what's the Stag Lord to you?
The hairy hobgoblin looks sharply at Rogar.. and then a sidelong glance at Furiel. "I know Stag Lord rules these lands. And I know that I will be rewarded in my next life. I will not die a fool to your trickster words. Gnome .. You must be tired. You look tired .. sleeeep. " He makes a subtle gesture with one hand and draws his crude falcata with the other. He says a brief word .. his blade shimmers and the goblins scatter in all directions except one that runs straight for Furiel. The sick ones stumble around like drunk headless chickens.
Will
Round 1
AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14
hp 22/22
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will -2
Effects:none
Charge at the Hobgoblin:
Damage roll:
Alice dashes to Furiels side .. sliding into him hard to make sure he wakes, just as the goblin prepares to strike him...
Rogar's blade lightly *chings* against the Hairy Hob falcata just before piercing under the Hob's armpit.
Norton draws his blade and urges Murak next to the Hairy Hob, putting the foe between him and Rogar...
The hairy Hob yells out "Btargh Nekt Sal'dor!" Three of the goblins immediately dart toward the east..
Two other goblins move to the spear rack near the unlit bonfire..
The goblin that had rushed Furiel strikes with his dogchopper .. and misses as Furiel snaps awake.
A particularly wicked looking goblin moves in behind Rogar ..
Furiel delays until just before the goblins act hoping the goblins threatening him get dispatched.
"Thanks Alice, teach these goblins a lesson."
Seeing the goblins, either fleeing, or possibly circling like a pack of wolves, Ta'de-win decides to stop their flight. She calls forth the plants to rise up and impede their movement, drawing her sickle in the process. "Have fear, for nature itself rises to impede you."
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 10
hp 19/19
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +3
Effects:none
In Norton's eyes Furiel and Rogar had just blown a peaceful confrontation looking for an unnecessary fight with someone who wasn't even a threat. At first he thinks to yell and try to calm things down but weapons have already been drawn and no diplomacy is going to work now.
He sees Furiel drop like dead at the words of the goblin, and Rogar darting for the chief instead of covering the helpless sorcerer, cutting him out to any attempt of rescue. He draws the greatsword since there is no time to don the shield now. He decides to stay on the chief goblin when he sees Alice moves to cover Furiel.
edit forgot one
Furiel's hands turn to claws upon realizing he was ensorceled and attacked by goblins.
"Why do you goblins always insist on fighting? We were doing nature's dance of confrontation and you ruin it. Can't we all just get along?"
This hobgoblin instigator is the problem. The leaders of these evil bands are always the main threat. Left to their own devices, these goblins would be too unorganized to be a threat.
Rogar attack of opportunity:
Damage roll:
The hairy Hobgoblin reaches in his pouch and raises his free hand toward Norton. Tiny purple-black wisps start form around the hob's fingertips as Murak bites into his arm, then brings a hoof up - connecting with the hairy hob's chin. He hollers out through his shattered clenched jaw "Run!"
The wicked goblin moving in to assist the one who had charged Furiel catches Rogar's backswing appearing accidental apart from the precise timing. The goblin lets out a "meep!" now seeing how the battle has changed since he started his charge..
Ta'de-win's spell envelopes the fleeing group of three completely .. the northernmost one appears to have avoided the worst of it, but is still hampered by the foliage.
As Furiel calls them out on the foolish actions .. the Hairy Hobgoblin drops to one knee .. left arm mangled and bleeding badly from his right side. He manages to get out the word "..yield" before falling over.
I think I'll just stay back here with our "friends". I'd only get in the way.
"Enjoy the show boys? It doesn't get much prettier than that. Aren't you glad you are on our team now?"
"I hope bringing them back as prisoners is out of question, right?"
"What for?" Norton shouts, still pissed off about the way things turned out "Something else we don't know how to handle to think about? Just let's get done with it, quickly and clean."
Seeing their leader fall the two goblins at the spear rack, now armed, charge around either side of the fire "Naaarrrggh!"
The one charging behind Murak is able to gouge into the horses flank enough to draw blood.
What looked like a sure hit goes just wide of Rogar as he adjusts his stance to accomodate his new attacker.
The wicked one, previously injured by Rogar, tries to strike while Rogar is occupied with the spear thrust...
... but swings late and misses the opening.
The goblin next to him growls at Furiel before pouncing .. tries to tackle Furiel
...but can't get a good hold of him..
The goblin within the area of Ta'de-win's spell but not entangled watches his friend try to jump on Furiel, and thinks that looks like fun .. he works his way out of the foliage and jumps on the gnome too .. chomping his teeth while in the air ..
.. the lucky goblin hangs on, one arm wrapped under Furiels left arm .. his other hand scrambling for Furiel's neck ... one leg pumping to get momentum up - tiny clawed toes working to get some traction ..
"Alice, punch the one holding me down."