As Ordered by Sheriff Belor Hemlock and Approved by Mayor Francesca Brishen:
Due to increases in goblin hostility toward merchants and travelers in the Sandpoint area, a bounty on goblins is declared. Any person who presents a goblin ear in good condition at the Sandpoint Garrison is entitled to collect a reward of 10 gold sails. Any person presenting indisputable evidence of the elimination of Gutwad, Chief of the Licktoad tribe, is entitled to collect 300 gold sails. These bounties will continue to be honored until rescinded by Sheriff Belor Hemlock’s public order.
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Sandpoint: Wealday, Arodus 11th
"Woman and children? Don't they, like, keep their young ones in cages and stuff? And have like one brood mother?", Yuki realizes she knows very little about Goblins.
"Besides, we only killed them in self defense. Kind of.", she argues, half-heartedly.
Inari started collecting ears and putting them in a small bag. He made a face at the gristly work.
The goblin's pounding and yelling continues. It seems that somebody isn't keen to open the door.
"I don't think so Yuki but I think we are about to find out, let'sgo try and talk to these wretches again".
Talene approaches the Goblins that retreated with her allies at her back of course, "Stop sniveling and screaming! We have questions and you'll answer them or end up like your comrades!"
Diplomacy
Talene climbs the ladder onto the platforms in pursuit of the noisy, desperate goblin. After cutting through the guard tower and exiting out the other side, she sees the goblin out in front of her. He is in front of a larger, more substantial house than the others. It has double doors, which the goblin beats on futilely.
To reach the goblin will require cutting through a building in font of her, which she does since the door is open. The house is filthy from goblin habitation but empty.
Talene's harsh and threatening words when she emerges onto the platform with the goblin are enough to send it running and shrieking again. It jumps from the platform and makes a run for the gap in the palisade by the pond. Before he makes the gap, he runs into Mari and Flax, who have circled around since there is no good way for Flax to climb up. They run the goblin down and Mari skewers it dead on the first pass.
"Seems like he picked option 2 to end up like his comrades", Yuki commented sardonically as Mari skewers the fleeing Goblin.
Approaching the building he attempted to enter before, she calmly states, as matter-of-fact as possible:"He meant to get you to open the door so that the nasties could murder you. But don't worry, we took care of him, it's safe now, you can open up!"
A goblin voice, but deeper and more robust, answers from inside. "I am not stupid, I am the smartest goblin. I won't open the door. Go away!"
Inari was suddenly glad he had brought his tools.
He set the crowbar against the seam of the door above the handle and started hammering it in with his mallet.
Talene retorts, "If you are the smartest Goblin then you will open up and parley. Humans you should know are relentless at killing Goblins. Perhaps though if you tell us what we wish to know, it does not have to end that way".
Diplomacy
"Diplomancy, eh," says Daufni quietly. "This should be interesting."
A harsh laugh from inside is the reply Talene's request to talk receives. Apparently directed at others inside, the voice calls loudly.
"Do you hear that? The longshanks beg for an appointment with Chief Gutwad! But they won't have it! We only kill longshanks don't we boys!"
At least a couple of voices answer with a less than completely enthusiastic "Yeah"
Meanwhile, Inari tries applying his tools to the doors. It is quickly apparent to him that the doors are heavy, and barred from inside. It would take quite a bit of work to force them.
However, he also discoverers it won't be needed. While the doors are fairly stout, they are not tightly framed and more enough to cause a gap if one but not the other is pressed. If Inari merely slides the crowbar through the gap, he can lift the plank barring the door with only a little effort.
He does so, and the plank clatters to the floor inside, leaving the doors free.
Push the doors open and walk in like we own the place.
Talene enters on Daufni's heels a look of anger upon her face, "What was that Chief? I believe you said you were ready to grovel before we dethrone you and place a small child on your throne!!!"
Mari follows after Talene on Flax, the white wolf growling and snarling at whatever was on the other side. "Longshanks? The only one gettin' killed here is anyone who gets on our bad side!" She shouts, raising her lucerne menacingly!
"Which one of you was boasting about killing us?", Yuki asks coldly, feeling somewhat save with the others in front of her. The one who spoke with them would be a troublemaker, the others did not seem so eager to throw away their lives...but possibly would be willing to rat out the one who suggested they do so.
Daufni shoves the doors aside. She, Talene, and Mari march into the building, resolute and determined. They find four goblins waiting for them, all looking equally determined.
Three of the goblins are arrayed in a line, waiting with dogslicers at the ready. The fourth a larger goblin of immense girth stands behind them. He wears a headdress decorated mostly with feathers, dyed porcupine quills, and odd bits of shiny metal.
The leader has his bow at the ready, loosing an arrow at the intruders coming through his door. The arrow buries itself deep in Talene's shoulder.
The largest goblin then snarls to the others. "Defend your chief! Kill them all!"
"Hey! Shoot someone else, Fatgut!" Inari snarled at the goblin chief.
Talene takes a hit, a hard hit. Gritting her teeth she calls upon Desna again, "Bless my allies!"
Finding the entrance to the place crowded, Yuki gets in position next to the door, on the outside, ready to strike any Goblin coming out of the building.
Daufni readies her sword against the line of goblins in front of the group.
Chief Gutwad nocks another arrow, and takes aim at Talene once again. But, at Inari's word he shifts his bow to point at the goblin in front of him. His face twists in confusion and shock as he shoots the goblin squarely in the back, dropping him!
Mari remains just within range of the goblins, and attacks them with the advantage of her reach, whipping the lucerne in an overhand swing between Talene and Daufni!
Gutwad's remaining guards seem to think the Chief is unhappy with them and shot the goblin as an example. It lights a real fire under their asses and they rush forward, one at Daufni and one at Talene. Mari tries for the one coming at Talene, but can't quite maneuver her pole arm to connect.
As the goblins approach, Inari sweeps his spear at the goblins' legs.
With all the crowding in front of him, Inari's spear moves slowly and clumsily. Both goblins skip over it as they make their attacks on Talene and Daufni.
Daufni turns aside the blade aimed for her, but Talene isn't so lucky. The goblin's strike cuts deep into her side, and with blood flowing freely from the wound she falls to the floor.
"Aaah! Uh, hold on, Talene!" Mari cries, before pointing to the goblin that attacked her, with her lucerne. "I am Cavalier Mari Valeri of the Order of the Blue Rose, guard of the Sandpoint Militia! Stand down, lay down your weapons, or forfeit your lives!"
As Mari cries out her challenge, Daufni strikes at the goblins moving in on her.
She and the two goblins lock into combat. Initially none of the parties manage to harm the other as their blades clash. But after her first attack fails, Daufney's follow-up strikes true, cutting the goblin closest to the wall nearly in half.
"Gutface, you might want to just put your bow down. You've only got one goblin left to shoot." Inari snarked.
Leave fighting to those who are fighters, you unworthy child..., her fathers voice echoes in Yuki's mind from long past, even as she shouts out:"Talene! No!"
Before she fully registers her actions, she is already kneeling next to the bleeding woman and trying to staunch her wounds.
Talene stops bleeding!
Yuki's emergency aid to Talene's wound stops her bleeding. Daufni remains engaged with the last of Gutwad's personal guard, but she can't pin the quick moving goblin down. Inari's magical taunting of Gutwad hits home. Unable to use the bow, he dashes it to the ground and snatches the spear leaning against the wall beside him instead. He advances, circling around his guard, planning to come straight at Daufni.
Mari decides to risk the attack, moving in to flank the purple goblin himself and, should she be able to avoid it, she's going to return with an attack of her own - along with Flax.
Mari charges into the room on Flax, but the goblin at the door sidesteps them both. It attempts a couple of of chops at them as they pass but neither land true.
Talene rolls over the other way at the edge of consciousness...
"Fatbutt, what makes you think you'll do any better with that stick? Aren't you worried you're going to kill your last friend?"
Yuki gets a rough grip on Talene and starts pulling. She was not particularily strong, but sufficiently so to drag another woman along.
And she neither wanted to risk one of the Goblins attacking the easy target, nor could she step up to do something about them without stepping on Talene as long as she lay in the doorway unconscious.
Gently touching her chest and whispering:"Hang in there..." she retrieves her Wooden Stick and prepares to step up into the now vacant doorway.
Daufni turns her attention to the Chief, who is now directly in front of her, probing her defenses with spear thrusts. She turns then aside, and manages to deliver a serious slice to one of the goblin's arms.
Gutwad ignores Inari, but is not so lucky otherwise and doesn't harm Daufni.
Mari holds Flax in place, and thrusts at the last of Gutwad's guards with her lucern hammer. The goblin avoids her weapon, and rushes to close the distance between them. Flax takes his chance, and rips the goblin's throat out.
Meanwhile Daufni strikes at Gutward again, delivering another nasty cut.
Yuki steps into the doorway, where Talene had been just a moment ago.
Why? Why are you doing this? They will cut you down as well!
Her self-doubts weaken the force with which Yuki strikes at the Goblin chieftain...a glancing hit with little power behind it, followed by a properly exectuted one that does not even remotely connect with the Goblin.
I'll need to learn to take advantage of my agility better...