Smoke turns the stuffed butterfly over in his hands as they quickly left the toppled board and hammer in their dust. "I hope that guy's going to be okay." He looks over his shoulder to find the man still hopping, angry, cursing, and looks back quickly. "Um... Perhaps you could also let me know how much that board cost so I can try to pay it back to Mr. Korvut? Didn't mean to hurt him! Honestly didn't mean to break it. Test of strength, right? Figured it was meant for punishment..." he turned over the butterfly again. "All that over a butterfly doll... and no one to give it to. Could hand it over to a girl after-the-fact, but it means half as much, am I right?" He laughs. "Better to win it than buy it," he says, reciting an old Varisian piece of advice his father had given him once.
They walk in silence for a moment before he suddenly realizes who he's walking with. This is the perfect chance! "So, you're the Sheriff-- Sheriff Hemlock, right? My name's Smoke and I was actually looking to talk to you. I have a pretty unique profession-- I help towns out here in the frontier prepare for attack by giants. I was walking around your town and looking at how well it'd handle an event like that I couldn't help but notice that it's not exactly the most secure-- not that I'm saying something ill about your capabilities, but, it's easy to forget about ogre incursion out here so far from mountain country."
He turned, holding the butterfly in front of him, which certainly sapped some of his credibility, but still. He spun it inbetween his fingers as he spoke. "If I may, I'd appreciate a moment of your time later on in the week while I'm in town to speak to you about what steps Sandpoint could make to be a safer place for everyone."
....
Smoke catches Robin approaching them and laughs. "You wouldn't believe how much trouble this butterfly doll was," he admits before nodding in agreement.
By the time Smoke sees Rogar, he's got Robin on his shoulder. "You know where Cadas is?" he asks his passenger. "See her anywhere around here?"
@Smoke: The Sherriff is still chuckling as you walk away. Old Das Korvut will be fine. He's the smith and can fix it if it's really broke. Serves him right for that foul mouth anyway. That was a damn sight, it was!" And starts guffawing again
As you relate your concerns about the giants, he looks it you with consternation. "I understand your concern, boy. This place is not meant to be a defensive stronghold, but just a town. If any determined invader threatened, we'd be in serious trouble. But, we've got no major threats so far, the small internal ones are enough. If you want to discuss later, I'll be around, but for now I've gotta run to the stage and give my speech. Keep that hammer under control."
@Robin and Smoke: Smoke is a head taller than most in the crowd, and sitting on his shoulders gives you an added vantage point to recon the yard. You see Cadas and Tinuviel both near Ameiko's pavilion and can work your way over there during the speeches or immediately thereafter without too much difficulty, should you choose.
People have been up for hours, shopping, drinking, and playing; merchants have set up tents to vend their wares of food, clothes, local crafts, souvenirs, and beverages. Others folk have arrived early to gain positions near the podiums and the tables beyond. And the Festival officially hasn’t even started yet.
The Swallowtail Festival begins promptly as scheduled at noon with the crack of a thunderstone from the stage set up in the Cathedral yard. The square before the church is crowded now , but the crowd’s chatter begins to die down and eyes turn to the stage. A woman with short auburn hair stands center stage. Behind her sit five wooden chairs, three of them occupied. The woman smiles and begins to speak.
“Good afternoon everyone, I am Kendra Deverin, and I am proud to be Mayor of Sandpoint.” Some of you may recognize the attractive and personable woman from your entry into to town. She addresses the crowd with her usual friendly attitude. Her excitement is obvious and proves contagious as she welcomes visitors and locals alike. “I see everyone’s arrived. Even Larz Rovanky has left off tanning hides to be here. I’m sure his workers are glad it’s not their hides getting tanned, at least not today.” When the chuckles died down and Larz stopped glowering past a reluctant smile, Mayor Deverin continues.
”It's wonderful to see so many of you here to join us on this proud day, and I'd like to extend my welcome to the many new faces I see in the crowd. As Mayor, I’d like to extend welcome to you on behalf of the town. I hope you all are enjoying your stay here in Sandpoint and I sincerely hope that you're having a wonderful time. Our town has much to offer and I hope we can consider you as new friends. Spend some time in Sandpoint and you’ll grow to love it like we do. And even if you don’t stay long, at least spend your money while you’re here!”
Several of the merchants give a vigorous applause, and the Mayor lets the crowd settle before continuing over the remaining chuckles. “And to all of the old faces I see, thank you for coming and thank you for everything that each of you has done to keep this town strong. Thank you especially for all the time, sweat, and love you’ve put into building this fine cathedral. Sandpoint didn’t seem complete without a church. Sure, we’ve always had a heart. The true heart of Sandpoint is you, her people. But now we have an expression of that heart, and we built it ourselves!”
”Now, since you have four more of us to stand there through, I'm going to sit down. Today as mayor I am declaring a town order to have fun! This is my favorite time of year!"
The crowd responds with a roar, and it’s a while before the Mayor can continue over the applause. “Without further ado, let me welcome our dutiful Sheriff, Belor Hemlock to the stage!” She indicates a dark-skinned, bulky man, clearly of Shoanti descent, wearing his armor and armed with a large axe. Sheriff Hemlock nods and steps forward onto the stage.
"Thank you, Mayor. First off, let us have a moment of silence." He bows his head and continues speaking, "Let us honor the memories of those friends and family members who we lost during the Late Unpleasantness and in the tragic blaze that made our new cathedral necessary. Cherish those memories and may the blessings of our Gods see them happy and well in the Afterlife." He raises his head and stands in silence for a moment scanning the crowd.
"Over the course of the Festival all instances of wrong-doing will be dealt with swiftly and to the fullest extent of the law. No exceptions. As the sheriff of Sandpoint, I, Belor Hemlock, would also like to welcome everyone to enjoy themselves today, and you may or may not be aware of the planned bonfire at the beach tonight... it looks to be a promising festival. Do trust that I will be monitoring the level of safe conduct late into the evening. I am trusting your fun will lean to the side of caution. If you are a militia member, remember where your duties lay, and help Sandpoint keep the peace. Thank you." With that the sheriff steps back awkwardly and beckons with his hand, for the next speaker to approach.
But no one approaches. The empty chair in the middle of stage stands large. The mayor stands. ”Ahem, it appears the venerable Lonjiku Kaijitsu cannot be with us. Apparently, he has come down suddenly ill. We wish him a speedy recovery.” She motions for the next speaker to take the stage.”Of course our Festival wouldn’t be complete without a few words from the master showman, Cyrdak Drokkus.”
The next speaker is quite a contrast to the dour Sheriff; he is brightly dressed, sports a well-groomed goatee, and seems to be thoroughly enjoying the day. As he reaches the center stage he loosens his collar a bit, winks into the crowd and starts to talk:
"Well, thank you Sheriff for that uplifting oratory. Don't worry I doubt there will be any fun for you to stress over today. If things get out of hand you can ask Ameiko to take the stage and put as all to sleep with one of her stories; at least one Kaijitsu showed up…" The crowd responds with a combination of chuckles and offended heckles.
Without missing a beat Ameiko shouts from her merchant tent "What about the story of your last flop at the theater? I'm almost done with my newest ballad; I call it Cyrdak the Unimpressive! Who wants to hear?"
The crowd responds with laughter and cheers. Amieko can still be heard shouting over the crowd "Your secret boyfriend helped me come up with the name!"
Cyrdak stands awkwardly waiting for the crowd’s laughter to die down, as it does Amieko sneaks in another one liner, "Now who’s’ got a sleepy crowd Cyrdak!"
After the noise finally quiets Cyrdak continues with a forced smile as if nothing happened, "We can all agree, this is our time to celebrate! I know this town has been through some hard times, but we don't lay down easily. Look at what we've accomplished!” He motions towards the church. ”And I'm telling you, they spared no expense with this place. Father Zantus' chamber pot? It's solid gold and comes with a singing choir standing nearby. It's no doubt our neighbors and nobles put a pretty copper into the construction of this joint. And to think they wanted nothing in return, but to enlighten us and our taxes for many lifetimes to come. But worry not about your coin purse, I've heard from the Father himself that the gods are getting their gold together to help pay for this place."
”But don't take it from me; let me hand the stage off to the man who ‘s in charge here. But before I let him get things going I'd like to take this opportunity to extend my personal invitation to each and every one of you to the new production of "The Harpy's Curse" starring the world-famous Magnimarian diva Allishanda as Avisera the Harpy Queen! It's all premiering tomorrow evening and continuing throughout the next two weeks at the Theater. Come see it, it will be fabulous! And now join me in a bit of applause for his holiness himself, Father Zantus!"
The crowd cheers as Cyrdak motions Father Zantus to the center stage. The priest looks noticeably abashed at the reception set up for him. He wears the traditional ceremonial robes of a priest of Desna and a shiny silver holy symbol about his neck. He smiles and tries to calm the crowd down, eventually speaking when the applause has subsided, his voice sonorous and resounding: "Ahem, thank you. Thank you Cyrdak. And thank all of you for coming to join us on this most Holy day."
“Today ushers in the new Fall season. A season I have always thought was named appropriately, as today was the day Desna fell from the heavens during battle with Lamashtu.”
”Though the entire world wept for the loss of the goddess, and of dreams, it is said that she survived. She was discovered, on the rocks of a beach, by a blind orphan, forgotten and cast aside by the rest of the world. Though the orphan didn't know who she was and could do little for the wounded goddess, she still stayed by her side, holding a vigil on the beach, tending to her as best she could and praying to her god, Desna. When other followers had abandoned Desna, the orphan empathized and held hope in her faith. Through the care of this orphan Desna recovered and revealed herself to the blind woman. In return for her devotion, Desna transformed the blind orphan into an immortal Swallowtail butterfly, a child of Desna, and offered her ascension to Desna's Palace in the heavens. It is now there and forever that they shall remain."
Father Zantus motions toward the newly finished cathedral, the sunlight glittering off the stained glass windows. “This story reminds us that tragedy is just a setback, not an end. Though our place of worship was destroyed, and our previous priest, Father Tobyn, perished in the flame, we have preserved as Desna would desire, and built anew. Though we have lost many loved ones, yet we persevere.” His voice rises like the trained orator he is. ”Today is our day of new beginnings! Our day of ascension! Friends of Sandpoint, I now declare the Swallowtail Festival officially underway!"
At that, an acolyte throws off the canvas of a nearby wagon, revealing thousands of multi-hued Children of Desna, swallowtail butterflies. The spiraling riot of color rises from the wagon in a furious storm as a great cheer erupts from the crowd. Throughout the rest of the day, children futilely chase butterflies, never quite quick enough to catch them.
After those stirring words the Mayor takes the stage once again. "I can smell the lunch our tavern keepers are ready to serve. A round of applause to Ameiko, Garridan, Cracktooth, and Jargie! I'm sure Father Zantus can spare an extra prayer that they don't burn anything before we get to eat it." More cheering erupts: the enticing aromas drifting over the crowd are overwhelming. The Mayor motions to the food stands, and the crowd queues up to eat and drink.
@Robin and Smoke: Smoke is a head taller than most in the crowd, and sitting on his shoulders gives you an added vantage point to recon the yard. You see Cadas and Tinuviel both near Ameiko's pavilion and can work your way over there during the speeches or immediately thereafter without too much difficulty, should you choose.
Rogar looks at the food and though it's not fine dwarven fair he prefers, his rumbling stomach encourages him to swallow more than his dwarven pride. But as he looks over the tables, trying to find an open seat that would at least offer him a quiet meal, he notices none, save for a chair near the party he had encountered the night before.
"Bah! Torag's hammer, I'm going to have to sit by the fool and his oaf." He complained to no one in particular. But his stomach complained louder and he made his way over to Smoke and Robin.
"Vell, I see you haven't been thrown in the stocks vee one," He said to Robin as he approached. "And it appears that rather than being clubbed by a Shoanti, you're now using them as mounts."
He slaps Smoke on his hamstring.
"Vhat about you lad. Prefer being ridden by a fool than a filly?"
The Dwarf roared at his own off-color joke. Before moving toward an open seat.
"Vell vhat are you fools vaiting for lets eat!"
Cadas begins to help Ameiko to serve the food. As she works she can be heard to mumble You save a goddess and she turns you into a bug? I'll never understand Desna.
Smoke didn't quite understand the joke, but laughed anyways. "Besides the whip, Robin's a fine passenger. I even got him to take off the spurs." Assuring the dwarf that they'll return in just a moment, he heads off for the queue.
Approaching the bustling line of people, Smoke sets Robin back down. The idea of a hyperactive halfling with a plate full of hot foot sitting by his head didn't rest well with him for some reason. The phrase 'Look, no hands!' came to mind. The queue moves slowly, but surely. Spying Cadas, the young man laughs and asks "So, less than a day and you've already been put to work? I was wondering where you were. Having fun so far?"
It's not 'til he's in front of Ameiko does he realize that he's still got the butterfly doll in his hands. He glances at it awkwardly and says "Hey, Ameiko-- Do you guys need any help back there? I thought this was supposed to be a small town. And, when you have a minute, let me know, okay?" Shoving it into her hands right now would be pretty rude and a bit anticlimactic-- even the 'oaf' Smoke knew that.
Lunch is provided free by the Sandpoint Taverns, both as a donation, and as a marketing expense as they try to put their best feet forward and win the contest.
The Hagfish serves a lobster chowder, The White Deer a peppercorn venison, and there are few less remarkable entries, but the darling of the Festival is once again The Rusty Dragon. Lady Ameiko's curry-spiced salmon and early winterdrop mead overshadow the others' offerings. The line for her food is long but the results are well worth the wait. Cadas is kept quite busy serving and keeping order in the long line.
The rest of the afternoon is spent in feasting and talking, the games are shut down and the stalls do slow business during the feast. Butterflies alight here and there, children chasing them. Your group sits near enough and talks, getting to know each other a little better and enjoying the calm and the food and drink.
As the sun begins to set, you see Father Zantus ascend the stage once more to recite the Prayer of First Dreaming and close the Feast. The remaining masses expecting to move to the beach party next where the fun really gets going. The crowd has already begun to disperse a little with over-induldged partiers headed home, merchants back to their wares, and sleepy children off to bed.
Zantus raises his hand to strike the thunderstone again to quiet the crowd...
This is what I can tell from prior posts (I tried to read them all):
Rogar - mentioned specifically his shiny armor and I figure shield with that slung on back
Cadas -prepared spells ok. specifically said donning armor this morning, didn't mention weapons or shield
Robin - specifically said no armor on. didn't mention weapons, but probably only small ones (that's not a joke...)
Smoke - I can see you wearing leathers, you said carrying big sword
Tinuviel - no armor, can see you with dagger also, and prepared spells ok
From the text:"A sharp retort, like the crack of distant thunder, slices through the excited crowd as the sun’s setting rays paint the western sky. A stray dog that has crawled under a nearby wagon to sleep starts awake, and the buzz of two dozen conversations quickly hushes as all heads turnt oward the central podium, where a beaming Father Zantus has taken the stage.
He clears his throat, takes a breath to speak, when suddenly a
woman’s scream slices through the air. A few moments later, another
scream rises, then another. Beyond them, a sudden surge of strange new
voices rises—high-pitched, tittering shrieks that sound not quite human.
The crowd parts and something low to the ground races by, giggling with
disturbing glee as the stray dog gives a pained yelp and then collapses
with a gurgle, its throat cut open from ear to ear. As blood pools around its head, the raucous sound of a strange song begins, chanted from shrill, scratchy voices"
The goblin song sounds like this:
"Goblins chew and goblins bite.
Goblins cut and goblins fight.
Stab the dog and cut the horse,
Goblins eat and take by force
Smoke lets the alarm flow through him, in one end and out the other. Standing resolutely, he draws his hellknight greatsword. "This might be bad."
Good Guys
Bad Guys
The one dog murdering goblin is joined by 3 more of his cousins and they cackle and scamper around the wagon looking for havoc to wreak. Out of the corner of your eye, you see dozens more of the little knee-biters chasing women and children through the courtyard. There must be hundreds of those little buggers attacking, but only a handful have their eyes set on you.
Surprise Round
15 Rogar
14 Blue Goblin
13 Red Goblin
12 Smoke
12 Green Goblin (not Norman Osborn version either)
9 Robin
8 Tinuviel
7 White Goblin
6 Cadas
Cadas, working serving food, is looking forward to break where see can sample the salmon. In fact she has prepared a plate and set it aside for later. She is not willing to risk running out before she gets to try what she is sure will be the winning entry.
Suddenly she sees the goblin run by and the dog fall. Then she hears the sing song sound of the goblin chant. She looks to Smoke. As Gozreh predicted, it has begun.
At the first sign of trouble, Boo sends Kvothe up to look around.
"What's going on? I can't see!"
Rogar stood up from his meal to stretch. His shield sitting like a turtle shell on his back, glimmering in the midday sun. As the crowd ate and laughed in merriment, he took a deep breath to look over the square. Though lacking the pure craftsmanship or gravitas of a proper Dwarven village and festival, it made him yearn for his kin and the great Mead Festivals of his youth, where his elders would regale he and his brothers with tales of their ancestors and the feats of bravery the wielders of Foehammer had performed.
It was those tales that inspired him to swear his oath. Those tales that had lead him down this path. And it would be his tales that were told to young Dwarven warriors in days to come. He knew it.
As he was lost in these thoughts, a gasp rushed through the crowd and the sea of Longshanks parted to reveal a terrible scene. As poor canine collapsed in a heap, the war chant of his racial enemies rang out through the square. Stirring ancient and blood-fueled hatred within the Son of Stone's bones.
"To ARMS! To ARMS! All ye fools who love the Gods above! To ARMS! To ARMS! You souls who hate the spawn of the Destroyer!"
He roared the Orcwarden Clan's traditional war cry. As he rushed forward, pulling his shield down off his back and strapping it to his.
Though not fleet of foot, his steps were steady and sure. He rushed toward the nearest goblin with murderous intent.
Rogar spies the little buggers at the cart and roars out his battlecry, charging at top speed (or it's Dwarven equivalent) at his enemies.
The cart the goblins had infested, by coincidence (or not), belonged to the very same Shoanti pie-seller with whom some of you had engaged previously. The man is panicked in the stampede, and weaponless begins to run for the sanctuary of the church, only to be caught by the long ponytail by Blue Goblin, who leaps forward, and in one swift motion, cuts the man's throat.
Red Goblin jumps over the side of the cart and begins stuffing his face with pies of all shapes and sizes.
Smoke shifts his greatsword from his shoulder to his mighty hands and runs past Rogar and into the fray.
Green Goblin (ok, i need another color) is mezmerized by the now glowing butterfly lanterns and runs to the corner of the nearest building where they are tied on, trying to cut them down to get to the fire inside.
Robin surrounded by a sea of running, panicked legs cannot see what all the fuss is about, but hears the war-cry of the dwarf and knows it can't be good.
Tinuviel is also confused by rapid transition from peaceful feast to brutal combat, and cannot spy where the trouble comes from. She launches her familiar into the air for a (literally) bird's eye view.
White Goblin, already getting into a frenzy with the taste of blood and hearing the roar of dwarven foes, launches himself at the oncoming dwarf warrior with a red glint in his beady eyes. However, seeing the lpngshanks warrior also charging, the goblin stops short, unsure of which enemy to attack. He stops after a short move forward, confused.
Cadas steps forward shoulder to shoulder with the dwarf and readies her trident.
Round 1
15 Rogar
14 Blue Goblin
13 Red Goblin
12 Smoke
12 Verdant Goblin
9 Robin
8 Tinuviel
7 White Goblin
6 Cadas
Ok Rogar, get us going again. Time for the clash of steel on bone.
Kvothe flutters up.
"Back to the deep with you, afterbirth of Lamashtu!"
Rogar roars as he churns his stout legs toward the foe. He rushes into the fray, bringing his left hand together with his right, gripping them tightly. Muscles tense and his brow furrows as he swivels his hips to throw all his might behind his shield and into the bulbous green crown of the beastie before him.
Smoke's face twists in fury as he watches the goblin slit the pie-maker's throat. With an audible growl, he dashes across the festival grounds, raising his weapon up above his head.
The creature proves too quick for him. He slams the greatsword blade into the ground where it was, not where it is.
DM Doctor Evil's Ruling 1.0
Charging is a special full-round action that allows you to move up to twice your speed and attack during the action. Charging, however, carries tight restrictions on how you can move.
Movement During a Charge: You must move before your attack, not after. You must move at least 10 feet (2 squares) and may move up to double your speed directly toward the designated opponent. If you move a distance equal to your speed or less, you can also draw a weapon during a charge attack if your base attack bonus is at least +1.
You must have a clear path toward the opponent, and nothing can hinder your movement (such as difficult terrain or obstacles). You must move to the closest space from which you can attack the opponent. If this space is occupied or otherwise blocked, you can't charge. If any line from your starting space to the ending space passes through a square that blocks movement, slows movement, or contains a creature (even an ally), you can't charge. Helpless creatures don't stop a charge.
If you don't have line of sight to the opponent at the start of your turn, you can't charge that opponent.
You can't take a 5-foot step in the same round as a charge.
If you are able to take only a standard action on your turn, you can still charge, but you are only allowed to move up to your speed (instead of up to double your speed) and you cannot draw a weapon unless you possess the Quick Draw feat. You can't use this option unless you are restricted to taking only a standard action on your turn.
Attacking on a Charge: After moving, you may make a single melee attack. You get a +2 bonus on the attack roll and take a –2 penalty to your AC until the start of your next turn.
A charging character gets a +2 bonus on combat maneuver attack rolls made to bull rush an opponent.
Even if you have extra attacks, such as from having a high enough base attack bonus or from using multiple weapons, you only get to make one attack during a charge.
Round 1
The eerie song of the goblins continues into the second verse as madness truly explodes around you. You see a goblin leap from the roof of an outbuilding, right into a rainbarrel, legs sticking out straight. Nearer, a pair of goblins hungrily gobbles the venison from the White Deer's table, plates and all.
Goblin Song verse two
Goblin race and goblin jump
Goblin slash and goblin bump
Burn the skin and mash the head
Goblins here, and you be dead!
Rogar bellows out more insulting epithets and, picking up momentum, tries to slam hard into White Goblin with his shield. Unfortunately, the goblin's small size and natural agility allow him to avoid the charging dwarf, who has left himself open for a counterstroke by the vermin's blade.
Fortunately, White Goblin's blade also goes wide of the mark, not even connecting with armor or shield. With a snarling whine, the White Goblin begins to circle to his left looking for an opening in the dwarf's defenses.
Blue Goblin looks up from his kill at the battle cry of Rogar, and sees the Dwarf warrior charging his cousin. Cackling with glee, he lopes forward to take a slash at the mailed Son of Stone while his attention is fixed on White Goblin.
Just in time Smoke arrives, crazed with vengence for the fallen pie-man and brother Shoanti. His great growling stroke alerts Blue Goblin who short arms his own attack (no pun intended) in order to avoid the greatsword's crashing blow.
Red Goblin has downed two pies and is working on a third, when he lets loose a horribly satisfying belch. And proceeds to dig back in.
Verdant Goblin has at last succeeded in cutting down a string of butterfly lanterns and is mesmerized by the pretty colored paper slowly burning. He grabs up a nearby stave of wood and attempts to get the fire to burn on his makeshift torch. He can barely restrain his excitement, capering around the small flames.
Tinuviel moves forward to where she can see . Kvothe circles overhead.
"Come back here you squirmy, melon headed freak!" Rogar shouted at the nimble goblin who had stepped deftly out of the way of his charge.
Pivoting, he lunged forward moving to cut off the Goblin's retreat. His left hand still clenching his right to provide more leverage to his shield swings, he twisted his hips in and then unfurled swinging the shield edge first at the bulbous headed nasty's throat.
Round 1 - Cadas, Init 6
Cadas, seeing the chaos the goblin are causing, calls upon her deity to lift the hearts of her companions. STrike true my friends. Gozreh is with us and our cause is just! She then moves forward 20 feet and looks around for more goblins.
Smoke swings the sword back, gripping it one-handed for a moment while he spins his body and then slams it into the goblin like a club, his other hand outstretched for balance. "Robin's singing your funeral dirge," he growls to the goblins. "You should have left that man ALONE!"
He growls as the goblin easily avoids his lumbering strike. "GET BACK HERE!"
Round 1 --Complete!
Robin begins his satrical version of the Goblin Song which seems to irriate and distract the meanies just as the original version fires them up. He moves a little closer to the melee but wisely chooses to stay out of the fray himself.
Boo flanks around the fight to the left, trying to see exactly what is going on. With chaos erupting all around, she sees many goblins engaged in acts of gluttony, larceny and mayhem, but the only immediate threats are present are the 4 goblins indicated on the map. Kvothe's message is much the same. "Goblins are running everywhere destroying things.I'm scared."
Seeing the prophesy of Gozreh come beginning to come true, Cadas calls on her patron to Bless her allies. In response to her prayers, a tangy salt breeze from the sea builds and blows through the churchyard. As the breeze envelops the heroes, hearts are lifted and resolve strengthened. Silently thanking the goddess/god of Nature, Cadas also advances towards the melee scene.
End of Round 1
Round 2
Chaos continues to erupt all around you. Just a few mere seconds ago this was a peaceful, serene setting, but now bloodstains mar the grounds, fires burn from several places, and the screams of the wounded and frightened echo in your ears. The acrid smell of smoke (small s) fills your nose. Tension seizes your muscles and along with the pounding of your heartbeat, your ears take in the final stanza of the macabre goblin song:
Chase the baby, catch the pup.
Bonk the head to shut it up.
Bones be cracked, flesh be stewed,
We be goblins! You be food!
15 Rogar (blessed)
14 Blue Goblin
13 Red Goblin
12 Smoke (blessed, raging)
12 Verdant Goblin
9 Robin (blessed)
8 Tinuviel (blessed)
7 White Goblin
6 Cadas (blessed)
Rogar attempts to separate the goblin from his most useless part (the head) with the shield edge, but a Desnian Butterfly whirls in front of him affecting his vision and his aim goes wide of the mark.
Smoke (large S) is only able to land a tongue-lashing to murderous Blue Goblin as his oversize weapon swishes over the knee-biter's head, missing again.
Blue Goblin ducking under the big blow from Smoke, attempts to stick the barbarian under his long swordstroke.
But the opportunity never opens, and the goblin doesn't score a hit. He flits away from the barbarian, slinking into a rear position on Rogar.
In addition to being filled with pie, Red Goblin is now filled with ire towards the halfling bard, who is insulting his favorite song. The vile thing leaps from the wagonbed and canters into the fray slashing his dogslicer menacingly. Seeing the way blocked by the Longshanks, he spies the lovely Tinuviel nearby. Hating elves even more, he turns her way, and hacks at her with his malformed blade.
The hunk of metal sinks into the squishy wizard drawing first blood in the combat. Red Goblin eyes widen as he sees the wound open and a grim smile reaches his over-large mouth.
Verdant Goblin now has a small torch lit and scurries towards the canvas of the nearby tent, attempting to spread the wonderous flames. The tent was a small jewelry stand hawking Desna symbols, and you see the vendor and his small family hiding out inside as the flames start licking the edges fo the pavilion.
Round 2 - continued
Robin advances and continues throwing jibes at the goblins while scanning for a water source. Unfortunately, the smoke and growing darkness, along with the unfamiliarity of his surroundings, cause him to miss seeing the well not far away.
As a means of rescuing fair Tinuviel from more damage, the bard lifts a pinch of wool from his pocket and blows it at Red Goblin, while muttering the right incantations, in an attempt to Daze him magically.
The spell works and Red Goblin is dazed for 1 round. He cannot complete any actions in round 3.
White Goblin sees an opportunity as the shield-toting dwarf has enemies on both sides and his attention must be diverted. Feinting and lunging, he waits for the right opportunity to get around that big shield to strike:
The blow does get around the shield, but clangs off Rogar's mail shirt harmlessly.
Round Two
Tinuviel steps back five feet towards Robin. She casts Mage Armour on herself. Kvothe circles overhead.
Cadas move up to flank with the dwarf and tries to poke the goblin beside her.
"Stand still you useless offal orifice!" The frustrated Dwarf growled in a rage. He dipped his shoulder low, and swung up at the White Goblin's chin with his shield. His whole body arced up as he swung.
"I'll use your skull as a bedpot you foul beast!" He shouted as he brought his shield up.
Round 2 - continued
Stepping away from the dazed Red Goblin, Tinuviel takes out an old strip of leather and makes the ancient incantations, casting a warding spell in case the goblins close in again.
Seeing an opportunity, Cadas slips beind Blue Goblin who had slipped behind the Dwarf shield master. The cagey goblin sees her approach in his peripheral vision and shifts out of the way of a killing stroke from her forked weapon.
End of Round 2