Lou followed along, he was not really much of a tracker, but he did know his spices.
he kept an eye out for spices that would be beneficial for tonight's meal.
From the smell of things, some one has started a fire. It also seems to be coming from the direction you're heading.
You hear a chittering that brings back memories of the raid that occurred the day that the new cathedral was dedicated. Goblins are nearby, but it's difficult to pinpoint them exactly with all of the brush and other sounds echoing in the swamp.
On the bright side, you find plenty of wild vegetables, herbs, and fruits to round out the rations.
The sweltering heat gets the better of you. You are now sickened and staggered.
The fire continues to crackle merrily. You think it is mocking you for deciding that it would be a good idea to build one in this heat and humidity.
The sounds of the swamp begin to grow unnerving as you make more and more headway on the trail that seems to have been recently blazed. The beautiful bird songs that accompanied the other, less melodious noises disappear in a chorus of grunts, growls, and howls.
Tshilaba was actually enjoying the heat of the fire, although the humidity made it less pleasurable than he'd liked. The real difficulty was paying attention to much of anything. He'd grown up in a culture where dancers were the standard of beauty. Sweaty, muscular, lithe, standing right over there, he did job of averting his eyes. The last thing he needed was pushing her farther over the edge. She was starting to calm down, and the fire was helping things, she hadn't snapped at him in nearly twenty minutes.
Paying close attention to the hostile environment around them, the dark-haired woman misses the discrete glances the fortune teller casts her way (probably a good thing). She does give the halfling a worried glance, the fellow looking like he might topple over at any moment. She holds her tongue for now, her face grim as they await their rescue.
Lou was starting straggle, he seemed lost, he stopped to pick some flowers and some various "weeds" but all the while he was looking to the distance, apparently listening.
goblins. he says softly.
getting up he tucks what he has gathered in his pouch but remains standing there, trying to pinpoint the source of whatever it is he hears.
Liera shivers when the chorus of threatening noises begins, drawing Speckle closer to her chest. "D-do you think we're getting close?" she asks timidly, a quaver in her voice.
Goblins: AC 16/13/14
Soggy River Monster: AC 14/12/12 Immune mind-affecting effects; SR 13
Goblin (Dark Red): 0
Goblin (Red): 0
Goblin (Orange): 0
Goblin (Yellow): 0
Goblin (Green): 0
Goblin (Teal): 0
Goblin (Light Blue): 0
Goblin (Blue): 0
Soggy River Monster: 0
Conditions: Difficult Terrain
Suddenly, the chittering of goblin warcries and one unearthly howl erupt from the swamp. From the foliage burst three goblins, going for Archibald and Tshilaba. Fortunately, the undergrowth slows them enough that the two have time to act before goblin blades seek to spill their blood.
It's all Archibald can do to draw his blade and brace for the attack. Sweat still pours down his face.
Shelby, having already had her weapon out, steps to one of the beasts that charged at the fortune teller. The man was insufferable, but she couldn't just let him get spitted by the little cretins. She swings her blade in a diagonal away from the magus, looking to take out an opponent before it has an opportunity to do damage.
Jin moves forward as quickly as terrain allows, winding up between Awd and Datura. Staying low, she draws her thin sword.
The fortune teller had his card appear in his hand as he saw the Goblins come in on them. Too close for his normal throw, he instinctively spun in a circle, leaving a golden and crimson line of energy trailing behind the card at the end of his extended arm. The line flew right across the exposed neck of the Goblin in front of him, and a razor thin line appeared across it's skin. He didn't know how deep it was until it started oozing blood. The picture side of the card depicts a centaur collecting junk, but as he's animated, he begins throwing his collected garbage and shouting at the goblins in a fierce manner.
"Shelby!" Eyes wide with terror, Liera begins hurrying forward with her awkward gait, skirts snagging on undergrowth.
Datura takes in the sights of the mass of goblins that will soon surround the lost companions. He decides to send Awd in toward the group while prepares to try and do some damage from a distance. With a word of command to his friend, he points at the closest goblin. Then he moves up beside Liera and draws his bow.
Awd hears the command, and eagerly moves forward where she was pointed. As she moves, she opens her mouth wide, ready to fill it with goblin.
Soggy River Monster: AC 14/12/12 Immune mind-affecting effects; SR 13
Goblin (Dark Red): 0
Goblin (Red): 0
Goblin (Orange): 0
Goblin (Yellow): 0
Goblin (Green): 0
Goblin (Teal): DEAD!
Goblin (Light Blue): DEAD!
Goblin (Blue): 0
Soggy River Monster: 0
Conditions: Difficult Terrain
Two of the goblins die quickly, and more can be heard coming. The one fighting Archibald blows a raspberry before taking a swing.
"What wrong w'you! Hold still so Gort can kill!"
Meanwhile, one of the goblins gets distracted by Awd,
"Ooo! What a pretty flower! Kroska likey! Kroska wanna picky!"
Shelby's eyes widen as she hears her foster-sister, more enemies continuing to appear. As both she and the fortune teller brutally lay their respective goblins low, she gives the man a grudging smile. She wasn't good at socializing with the glib-tongued...but this! This she understood.
As they enjoy a very brief respite, she reaches out, touching Tshilaba on the shoulder, shy smile on her face. A small piece of Iomedae's divine blessing passes between them, and the magus feels...something. Something that makes him better at fighting. Better at killing the unjust.
"Go help Archie out. I can hold these off."
Instinctively, the fortune teller knew what the blessing was, and chose a defensive blessing as he sought to gain the goblin's attention. He tossed the card in his hand, with the centaur racing at the goblin, pulling a spear as the card itself embedded itself in the center of the Goblin's forehead, where small rivers of blood formed and snaked their way down the goblin's face. After he did so, he trudged through the swamp to stand by Archie's side, flipping another card out of no where.
Lawful Evil
The Eclipse!
A dark spot shaded the sun on this card, with hordes of zombies rising within the untimely twilight. "Your doom is certain." He speaks, towering above the bleeding green wretch before him.
Liera continues to stumble through the undergrowth. As she nears the goblin, she stops, crouching and allowing Speckle to leap from her arms and dart away into hide in the flora. She flings a hand toward the goblin, claws extending and curling into a ghastly contortion, hellish syllables spitting from her lips as she reaches into the very fabric of fate.
Lou simply moves closer to get at the goblins.
Lou moves up to the goblin not to far away from him. emulating his sister, but with a touch of his own style using his walking stick Lou twirls the staff as makes a sudden strike to the side of the goblin's head.
Alas, poor Kroska is no Krosk and her head is bashed in by the Drunken Monk.
It's all Archibald can do to stay on his feet. He husks by the fortune teller and pokes at the goblin in an effort to at least be a distraction.
Jin moves carefully through the brush towards the nearest goblin, trying to stay out of sight.
Datura moves up beside Liera as she moves, with his newly readied bow, he fire it at the next goblin threatening Shelby. He fires, sending the arrow hard into the thing's body. Seeing Awd try to stop and continue her meal, he once again has to redirect her efforts. He barks out something, and points at the group of advancing goblins.
Awd closes the ever-widening maw, prepared to take her meal. She perks up at the call, then slumps weakly. Nonetheless, she ambles dutifully forward toward the more food.
The goblins that first attacked the three misfits that built the fire die in a flurry of cards and steel. Archibald managing to skewer one of them despite feeling like he's going to toss his cookies.
Unfortunately, there are more coming behind the first wave, and it appears that the creature from the other night has also made an appearance.
Gritting her teeth in steely resolve, Shelby keeps her feet planted, giving no ground to these cretins. Glancing to her left and seeing that help is on the way, she chants a short prayer to the Inheritor as she slashes across at one of the goblins who closed in on her. The strike is brutally efficient, a deep gash appearing across the goblin's chest.
Swinging the eclipse card like a dagger, the dark sphere on th card actually extended away from the surface of the card and extending hi reach by several inches, it soon made an odd hole in the goblin's cheek. Not really spending any time thinking about this waas working in the fortune teller's favor. "And you can't even see it coming." he intoned in his semi-dramatic voice used to impress customers.