"Oh, no, this wasn't goblins," Walthus says with a bit of a chuckle. "Giant snake. Managed to bite me before I stabbed it and it slithered off into the swamp. It was huge! Would've had me for lunch. I'm still feeling a bit under the weather."
Walthus shuffles on his (bare and dirty) feet and says, "The goblins, though, they live in the southeast part of the swamps. Recently they've really been at it -- whooping and hollering and setting off explosions. I've never seen goblins this fired up. I think they might be getting themselves encouraged enough to attack the town! Sandpoint is probably safe, but there might be some casualties. These goblins sure seem to like fire. I wouldn't be surprised if they sneak in to the town one night and start lighting places up."
Walthus finishes by saying, "Anyway, the old fish trail goes straight to them. If you double back to the coast road, then head further south, you'll be able to find the trail. It's a little overgrown now because people don't use it as much, but the goblins set up their village right at the far end of it."
Kenji nods and gives him a smile, but something clicked in his head that the Halfling said and his smile turns to an expression of concern.
"Hey, you said you got bitten by a snake." Kenji asks. "If you're still feeling sick I think we can help you. After all it was very nice of you to provide this information to us outright."
He looks to the rest of the group. "Anyone know how to deal with snake bites?" he asks.
"What kind of creature, has 3 toes uses weapons and tooth to kill boars in the swamps?" queries Jinda.
"You know how to aid with snake bites? Well, that is quite a stroke of fortune! Please, come in! Um, I apologize, the house is a bit of a mess."
Walthus steps away from the door and waves you inside. True to his word, the house is something of a shambles. There's an old settee and a few potted plants -- though all of the pots are in various stages ranging from "slightly dinged" to "cracked and busted." A doorway slightly cornered across the room from the front door is open and has a small dining room, with a table with a single chair.
Walthus moves over to the settee so that Lyraesel can inspect his injuries. He says, "Sorry there aren't more places to sit. I don't really get guests all that often."
Lyraesel begins inspecting Walthus' injuries.
Additionally, he has cuts and bruises that are not really consistent with fighting a snake. Maybe from hurting himself while struggling with a snake attack? The positioning is odd, though, and that doesn't seem very likely. A couple of the injuries look like they were inflicted by running into the potted plants -- there's even a small shard of pottery in one of the punctures. But some of the cuts and scrapes look like he was cut with an edged implement such as a knife.
As Lyraesel examines the injuries, Walthus says, "Three-toed creature in the marsh, eh? Well, there are some strange things out there. Not a goblin, that's for sure. Rumor has it that sometimes awful things crawl out of that ruin -- Xin-... whatever it is. Of course that's some distance away, but who knows? I haven't seen anything matching that description, and I wouldn't want to."
As she studies his injuries, somewhat baffled but what the evidence is telling her, Lyraesel listens to his Walthus' words with a bit more skepticism curious as to his ideas on the creature.
Looking around at the mess left by the snake attack Magnauk believes the snake should be hunted down in order to protect this halfling.
Where exactly did this snake come in? We need to ensure it is secure and where did it retreat? We need to hunt it down.
Magnauck begins to look around and investigate the house.
Kenji steps inside and looks around, nodding his head.
"Wow. That snake sure did a number on your house!" he says, whistling softly.
"Lyraesel, is he going to be okay?" Kenji asks, curiously poking around the house, thinking the snake was long gone. "There's some pretty nasty ones out there. This one time Ameiko saw one with fangs that could punch through steel armor and venom that could literally set you on fire. Pretty sure it wasn't one of those. See, she was out on the road near..." He will continue to recite the tale that many of the group had heard from Ameiko herself over the years, but Kenji babbles on mostly to comfort himself with a familiar story.
Walthus says, "Oh, I think it slithered over the garden wall in back. There are lots of snakes around here, nasty little creatures; almost all of the snakes in the marsh are poisonous and really mean-tempered."
Walthus chuckles when Kenji talks about the snake doing a number on the house and says, "Well, it was a bit of a tumble back and forth. I think I fell into that pot over there at least a couple of times! I'm still tired out from the fight and since I wasn't expecting anyone to come by, I didn't bother tidying up."
Magnauk takes a peek around the house and notes that there is a stairwell going up to a second floor, the aforementioned dining room, and another room straight across the way that looks like it's used for storage of small animals: wicker cages full of sparrows, mice, and the like. There's also a door that leads to an enclosed garden in back, though it's a bit overgrown; it is surrounded by the brick wall that you saw earlier from outside.
The halfling watches as Magnauk starts looking around the house, and he starts to become agitated. He sits up in the settee and says, "Please don't go poking around like that. There's no need to go through the house. It's -- no, just -- arrgh!"
In a startling transformation, the halfling's skin seems to ripple and fold, and in a mere moment the halfling is something else. His face vanishes, replaced by a featureless orb with a large fanged gash vertically down the middle, and his now red-and-black mottled skin seems twisted and rubbery. He bends over with a hunched posture and his fingers elongate into nasty talons.
He looks like this. But only three feet tall. It would be cute if it weren't terrifying.
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Foul beast
At that Magnauk attacks with his sword using all his might and skill
Magnauk's mighty swing slashes wildly and forces the creature to lean back at a strange angle. You suspect that its range of joint movement is much wider than a normal humanoid's. The swing is quite accurate and certainly leaves an opening in the creature's guard, as well as a gouge in the settee.
The beast leaps from its seat on the settee and lunges at Lyraesel, since she is, after all, closest to it.
Its vicious clawed slam catches the druidess off-guard and smashes right into the side of her neck, causing her to reel with pain. It also manages to grab onto her, with its long, horrid claws pricking into her skin, but seeing that the half-elf is on the edge of unconsciousness it then immediately lets go so that it can continue fighting against more aggressive foes.
"Fight ME, foul abomination!" Hiro exclaims, drawing his blade and slashing at the mutated creature with one lightning quick motion.
Hiro's upward slice catches the creature in the chest, and ichor spatters upward to the ceiling. The beast lets out an angry growl and turns its eyeless face toward Hiro.
Hiro's upward slice catches the creature in the chest, and ichor spatters upward to the ceiling. The beast lets out an angry growl and turns its eyeless face toward Hiro.
Kenji sees Lyraesel stumble as it drops her, and his initial fear is burned away by anger. Another person he knows falling!
He screams, flinging a fist into a punching motion. From the punch a ball of fire Fwooshes into existence...
And quickly sputters out.
Kenji's surprising blast of fire leaps out but connects only with the wall above the settee.
die you foul beast
Magnauk swings hard but this time the creature is waiting for his attack and ducks out of the way. The half-orc's weapon lodges briefly in the wall, but then he manages to yank it back out.
Reeling from the creature's vicious attack, Lyraesel's self preservation instinct kicks in as takes a set back from the monster.
Lyraesel steps away, and the creature glances back and forth, looking for an exit. It then leaps toward the doorway to the south!
Realizing it's trapped with the group, it lashes out at Jinda to make a parting shot.
"Arrggghkk... That hurt you foul... What are ye?"grunts Jinda in pain. With a quick movement, Jinda 5 foot steps diagonally to the other side of the creature and closes the door then attempts to grapple the beast. "Stay still you insufferable creature so Magnauk can send you to depths of hell where you belong!"
With the obvious failure, "Urgghk... you're too damned slippery!"
"Stand and fight, creature!" Hiro exclaims as he steps between the creature and the wounded Lyraesel, slashing his katana at his challenged foe.
Hiro's swing connects and slashes through the creature's attempt at defense, sending one of its taloned hands flying through the air and ichor spraying all over the back door, Hiro, and Jinda. The beast collapses onto the floor into a rubbery heap. Its flesh seems to writhe for a few moments, then sags as if it's about to melt -- but then, at last, simply settles into a dead, reddish-black mottled corpse.
For a few seconds the sound of ichor splattering to the floor is the only thing breaking the silence; then, a few moments after that, as everyone catches their breath, a weak thump is heard from somewhere upstairs, followed by a reedy voice:
"Hello? Is there . . . is that someone else? Help? Help, please?"
Sitting down, Lyraesel takes out a packet of leaves and ground roots, tearing off strips of cloth to bandage the vicious wounds inflicted by the halfling-monster, stopping the bleeding.
Kenji takes several shuddering breaths, leaning against the adjacent wall as he tried to deal with the post-combat adrenaline. He looks to Hiro, who finished the monster.
"Is it dead?" he whispers.
Jittery, he jerks when the voice is heard.
"Yah!" he yelps, raising his fists again. "Who's that!" he shouts. Licks of flame spinning off his knuckles as they came into fighting position.
Magnauk looks around at hearing the call for help.
Magnauk approaches where the plea can be heard and investigates.
Hello there who is calling out. Are you friend?
As Magnauk approaches his eyes seem to cloud over slightly and he readies his sword and shield.
"Is that thing dead?" asks the voice from upstairs. It sounds just like a weak version of the voice that the creature used earlier when it was talking to you while pretending to be a halfling.
Magnauk concentrates for a moment and discerns no remaining sources of wickedness or supernatural threats.
You hear a few hesitant footsteps from above -- though just barely; whoever is walking up there is naturally quiet -- then a halfling appears at the top of the stairs. He looks exactly like the halfling you were talking to earlier, before the creature assumed its current monstrous form, except that he is notably pale and slightly less muddy. He is breathing hard, and carrying a small axe in one hand, which he is brandishing in a guarded position. As he sees the group and the dead monster, he lets out a half-sigh, half-sob of relief and sits heavily on the top stair.
"By the gods, you've saved my life!" says the halfling. "It's over. It's over. I'm safe. It's over." The axe slides out of his hand and clatters onto the top step, as he clutches his knees and rocks back and forth.
After a few awkward seconds he draws a long, shuddering breath and regains his composure. "Travelers, that thing broke into my house and tried to kill me! I fended it off and hid upstairs but it hurt me sorely. I can't thank you enough for what you've done."
Ichor dripping from his beard, Jinda digs around in his pockets, and eventually pulls out a comb. He begins to brush out the remains of the former hafling monster and comments,"That'd be da reeeel Haf'ing, I ken."his dwarvish accent strong with the rush of battle still lingering.
"Well whatev'r dis ting be, sure is not pretty. Let us hope the owner of the voice up the stairs is more pleasant." muses Jinda. As the gore is removed from his beard, Jinda's more cultured unaccented common returns.
As the halfling appears at the top of the stairs, Jinda says,"See. I told you he would be a more pleasant sight than this heap of rotting monster flesh. Well good halfling, we have come seeking aid, but have now rendered it instead. Is there more assistance we can provide before we ask for yours?"
"No . . . no, with that thing dead, I'm finally safe. Unless one of you is a carpenter and a locksmith. Obviously I need a lock on my door." The halfling lets out a wry chuckle.
"My name is Walthus," he says, "Though I suppose the monster probably said the same thing! This is my home. Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'm sorry don't have much in the way of amenities, but after saving me from that creature, whatever meager hospitality I can provide is yours."
Walthus takes another shuddering breath and you realize that he's still pretty badly beaten up and shaken.
"Oh! One important thing. I have several pet snakes; I keep them out in the back garden. Usually they just hide in the bushes, but just keep an eye out and don't stab them, please!
"Other than that, I'll uh . . . I'll put on some tea in a moment when I've caught my breath."
Kenji takes several shuddering breaths, leaning against the adjacent wall as he tried to deal with the post-combat adrenaline. He looks to Hiro, who finished the monster.
"Is it dead?" he whispers.
Hiro nods wordlessly in reply to Kenji's query as he wipes the creature's ichor from his katana and sheathes his blade.
The wary samurai's hand moves back to the hilt of his weapon at the sound of the voice from upstairs, and he moves to stand protectively near Kenji as the halfling appears at the top of the steps.
"My name is Walthus," he says, "Though I suppose the monster probably said the same thing! This is my home. Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'm sorry don't have much in the way of amenities, but after saving me from that creature, whatever meager hospitality I can provide is yours."
Walthus takes another shuddering breath and you realize that he's still pretty badly beaten up and shaken.
"I'll uh . . . I'll put on some tea in a moment when I've caught my breath."
"It is an honor to meet you, Master Walthus. We are glad that we could be of service to you. Sheriff Hemlock sent us to check on recent goblin activities here in the Brinestump Marsh. Please, you need to rest. If you will point me to your kitchen I will make tea for us all and you can tell us more about what is going on around here. What was that creature? Was it the Soggy River Monster?" Hiro asks.
"The sheriff told us another group of adventurers ventured into the marsh a few days ago to deal with the goblins. Have you seen any sign of them?"
Kenji will drop to a squat and wipe his hair out of his face with shaking hands. He watches the others seem to handle being in lethal combat much better than him and feels a pang of doubt.
Look at that. You couldn't even help. Hiro did all the work... again.
He closes his eyes and tried to deal with it, his bravado before having crumbled so soon. He will take a swig from his waterskin as Jinda talks to the halfling and take the opportunity to put on a brave face again while he was not being observed.
seeing Kenji slump down Magnauk will approach him.
Master Kenji, you have shown yourself well today. Most would have ran in the face of such a vile creature but you took it on without fear. Most impressive for someone so young.
at that Magnauk will pat him on the shoulder and move towards the halfling.
Good sir we may need to rest here tonight if it be allright. Our friend here has suffered grave injuries and needs time to heal.
"Yes, of course, you are free to rest yourselves and take refreshment. I generally have fish for dinner, and I have some stocks of vegetables and mushrooms, I'd be happy to make enough for everyone," Walthus says. "I have a guest room upstairs -- everything's covered in sheets; I've never used it. We can take the sheets off and you are free to stay there, or just lie down anywhere that you're comfortable if there's not enough space for you all. You've saved my life, it's the least I can do."
Walthus pushes himself to his feat, weaves slightly, and leans against the wall, then comes slowly down the stairs. Up close you can see that he is pale and bruised, and he has several pock-marks that look like angry welts from a giant mosquito or . . . something. Probably the creature you dispatched.
"I've seen the goblins before. Killed a few when they got near my house -- they don't come around here any more. They've set up some kind of grimy village at the end of the Old Fish Trail," Walthus says as he moves into the kitchen and putters about with Hiro's help, stoking up a new fire and putting on a kettle of water. "As for the Soggy River Monster . . . only seen that thing once, just a glimpse. Looked kind of like a hunched-over dog, but standing on its back legs a bit, and like it had pale, wrinkly skin. It was just diving into the weeds a ways east of here and I sure wasn't in any mood to follow it. This thing you killed here? Some kind of shapeshifting monster. I know there's awful things in the swamps sometimes but this was a new one to me."
After a short delay Walthus brings out some pickled beets and day-old biscuits to snack on. "Eh, sorry the fare isn't better, but I don't get up to Sandpoint to the market very often. Sometimes I'll trade with fishermen who come this way but I haven't had guests in a long . . . well, ever, I guess." He gestures for folks to sit on the settee or the floor, since there aren't enough chairs for everyone.
"Your hospitality is excellent, friend halfling. Hiro mentioned another small group of adventures that have come to remove the goblin threat and they seem to have vanished. Perchance you have some knowledge of them? Or, maybe you have an idea on how the goblins have come upon so many fireworks that they are a real threat to travelers?" queries the dwarf.
Jinda then noticing the mess and the gore on his companions, begins to use Prestidigitation to clean up himself, his companions, and finally the house.
This place sure is going to take some serious time to clean up. This will have to do for now.
Kenji gives a half hearted wave and a wan smile from where he squats, letting his butt drop to the floor and his feet slide out in front of him. He will take a biscuit and chew on it, not tasting anything.
"The Goblins are on the old fishing trail..." he says, thinking. "So you didn't see the other group that had come looking for them before us?"
"Haven't seen anyone else lately, aside from the occasional fisherman on the trail up by the bridges," says Walthus. "Could be goblins got 'em, could be they are somewhere deeper in the swamps, could be they just followed the road and kept going out past the other side. No telling without conducting a thorough search. Maybe they even made it back to town while you folks were out here, and the two of you missed each other. The reeds around here are thick enough to hide a whole group if they're moving carefully."
Walthus slums into a corner and looks fatigued. "Feel like a wreck. Gonna take me a few days to get back up to my usual vitality," he says. Looking at him, you'd think it might be more like a couple weeks.
"There's one other thing I can do for you," he says as he perks up suddenly. The halfling pushes himself off the floor and goes to the storage closet and rummages around, then comes out with a full-sized reversible cloak that has a dark green coloration on the outside, dark brown on the inside, and a loose collar with arcane glyphs stitched along the border. It has a few stains but is in otherwise remarkably good condition.
"I picked this up during some of my adventures on the way up here," Walthus says. "I've been meaning to hem it, it's nice and warm and the warding glyphs on it are supposed to protect against hostile magic and misfortune. I don't plan on getting into any more adventures any time soon, so it would be a pleasure to me if you folks would have it." He practically shoves the cloak into Hiro's hands after the samurai helps with the tea.
"As for the fireworks -- no idea how the goblins got those. Recent, though. They sometimes fire them off at night. I hadn't heard of any caravans being sacked by goblins, and the creeps probably don't have enough numbers to overwhelm a proper caravan along the coast road anyway, so it's kind of a mystery."
"Thank you.....for the hospitality." Lyraesel says quietly, wincing as she moves to sit on the floor leaning against the wall.