Victor, shocked at Sophy's actions as a fear he hasn't known in a long time wells up within him when the armored man swings, quickly turns into a mixture of relief and surprise as the man swings at the goblin. No time to waste, he quickly turns on the wizard with her magical bolts, and fires.
Refusing to let the shock that Orik's blade took the head of a goblin and not Sophy's, Victor spins, lines up the shot, and plants an arrow into the mage upon the wall.
Tsuto fires an arrow at his traitorous companion but the arrow must have been warped and it streaks into the ceiling of the stockade.
In a great deal of pain the mage on the wall, points her wand at Victor sending a bolt of power back at him before she runs away from the edge of the wall and hides from sight.
Victor grimaces in pain from the bolts. I am so glad Wren does not shoot me like that.
Wren moves out of range of the goblin. She moves as close as possible to Kern, seeing the big man fall, and pulls the wand Sophy let her inspect, preparing to hand it off next round.
Wren moves out of range of the goblin. She moves as close as possible to Kern, seeing the big man fall, and pulls the wand Sophy let her inspect, preparing to hand it off next round.
Wren moves to get behind the goblin, enclosing it in between she and Belril. She lashes out with her dagger.
Attack
Damage
Wren moves to get behind the goblin, enclosing it in between she and Belril. She lashes out with her dagger.
Attack 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Damage 1d4 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0
Wren moves to get behind the goblin, enclosing it in between she and Belril. She lashes out with her dagger.
Attack 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Damage 1d4 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0
Wren moves to trap the last little goblin between herself and Belril, but her attack at it is feeble lacking any sort of strength or momentum. Seeing she can not reach the goblin Chief so high up on the wall she moves to surround the goblin with Wern. Keeping in a defensive stance, the elf drops her curved blade down on the goblin's shoulder.
Belril takes an easy swat at the last goblin with his staff knocking it to near unconsciousness as Bruthazmus continues to bleed out.
On the wall the mounted goblin chief spurs his gecko to run along the roof and disappear over the wall of the western tower.
The blood flowing from Kern's wounds begins to clot as Orik stands his ground and shouts at Sophy, "Get back girl!"
Seeing there is but one goblin left in sight, Victor aims and fires at it.
Victor sends an arrow directly into the heart of the last goblin and its body crashes to the earth dead. Tsuto takes another shot at Orik before backing away from the warrior. The mage from the tower must have come down as a bolt of hot blue energy comes from over Tsuto's shoulder striking the armored man. Eponine thinks she sees the cloaked women dash past the half-elf through the doorway behind him.
Sophy shakes off the hostile magic clouding her mind and looks up at her defender thankfully. "Thank you," she smiles at the man, her voice heavy with gratitude. Then, obeying his command, she stumbles over the dead monsters around the door to get to Kern. Bending down, she lays her hand on his chest and wills the very last of her waning energy into his battered body. When his eyes startle awake, she smiles and directs his gaze to the armored man in the doorway. "He's on our side; he's helping."
Seeing their enemies were not threatening them for a moment, Wren quickly moves to Sophy and gives her back father Zantus's wand. "You think you can use this up and get everyone up and running," she asks the girl.
Kerns eyes flutter open as the healing magic revives him. Still weak, and currently prone on the ground he feels a slight amount of his strength returning. Orik steps back out of the stockade and slams the left side door shut and then the right side door. Wren joins Sophy by Kern's prone body handing her the wand.
With a groan, Kern opens his eyes. "Thanks, Sophy," he says. He reaches out for his flail and pulls himself painfully to his feet.
Kern rises grabs the handle of his flail and rises to his feet again, battered and bruised he is ready to fight. Eponine stands her ground.
Map; note I returned all the dead goblins/dogs to the map
The battle field is still for a moment, and from the woods behind you can hear the chirping of the morning larks. The sun has finally crept up over the horizon casting a misty filled glow across the dead lying in their pools of blood and gore. Your stomachs growl reminding you that twenty four hours ago you were eating a meager breakfast preparing to enter the Glassworks and find Amieko. Your muscles and bones ache and the weariness settles in behind your eyes and in your souls. Twenty four hours of delving under Sandpoint, trekking up the coast, and warring with goblins has finally taken it's tole on your mortal bodies. Dawn has come.
"So, do they have Ameiko inside there?" Wren asks the armored man, who apparently had switched sides in battle.
The armored man says to Wren"The sister? Yes, she is held in a cell below the goblin stockade but I don't think she is in any immediate danger. Tsuto wants to convince her to join his side not kill her."
The labored breathing of the bugbear indicates Bruthazmus is slipping closer to death.
In answer to Belril's question Orik says, "You may have eliminated most of the goblin tribe, but there is more at work here than you know. Look at yourselves." He points a Kern and then Eponine, "These two are barely standing and alive and you all look as if you have been up all night. When she comes, you will not stand a chance, not weak and broken like you are right now."
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I'm not leaving without Ameiko. Tsuto is almost finished and so is whats left of his forces- i'll take him down again myself. At the least i'm securing this stockade. Whatever threat you think we don't stand a chance against, we'll be better off inside a fortification.
Belril opens the gates again defiantly, stepping through.
"Belril, please!" Victor yells in hopes to get his attention. "I cannot believe I am saying this, but, that man is right." Victor nods toward the armored man as he lowers his bow. "Please. Look at Kern." He motions the beaten and battered warrior, blood covering the majority of him. "And Eponine. And Sophy. And Wren. Maybe you will survive, but the rest of us... well... you can see for yourself. I am tired. We are all tired. We all want to save Ameiko. But is it truly worth the possibility of costing us our lives? What good are we to Ameiko, dead? If it was just me, I--like you--would not hesitate in going after her. But I ask you, please, think of the women." I hope that works. I figure my chances are far better if I mention the women. But maybe not. He's rather stubborn. You cannot help but admire the fire that burns within, though.
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Belril stares at Victor in disbelief, scarcely believing he had urged them on only for them to turn back in the face of what little resistance the enemy had left, with a newfound ally in their midst.
I've already taken Tsuto down once. Their mage is all but spent, they have but a couple of goblins left. I am not turning back, right at the very gate of a defeated enemy.
He throws the gates open.
Stay behind if you must, but I will not turn back from my wounds; not when we are so close.
"Let him go, Victor. If he doesnt have the sense to see every one of us is half dead, I don't know what to tell him. Maybe they will just take him prisoner, and we can free him when we save her."
Realizing Wren is right, Victor simply nods in agreement.
"Alright, big guy, what did you mean when you said 'when she comes.'. Did I miss something? Who is she and when and where is she coming? Who else is left in there defending the keep? Oh, and why did you decide to help us? It was certainly appreciated, and all, but i have to wonder, whats your play in all this?". Wren asks these questions in one long run on type flurry.
Belril swings open the stockade door constructed from scavenged ship masts and wood planks while the others converse outside. Belril can hear Orik's response to Wren's questioning.
"Tsuto is probably seeking out Naulia, she is the one who hired me to be a body guard, though I am not sure she even needs one. She's got these monstrous dogs that have a horrific howl and then there's what she's done to herself..." The armored man shudders at the thought of what he doesn't say and then he glances at Sophy and changes the subject, "She was right, I could not strike and unarmed woman. I mean Naulia's coin is good and all but... you are people and I am done throwing my lot in with goblins, and those who worship Lamashtu."
The floor of this room is hard-packed soil, as if the builders either ran out of lumber after building the walls and roof, or as if they simply never thought about building a floor. A number of poorly preserved horse and dog heads are mounted along the eastern wall, while along the southern wall hangs a pair of large batlike wings tacked to the wall with daggers. To the west a set of double doors is open reveling a short passageway to another set of open double doors that lead to a room under the tower. There is a closed door on the northern wall of the western passage. To the east a narrow hallway appears to head towards the other tower. The northern wall has several doors. The western most is open and the sunlight illuminates what appears to be a small courtyard. The middle doors are a closed set of double doors. Just past them, inside the eastern hallway, is another closed door on the northern wall. Inside Map
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Frustrated at stopping so close to freeing Ameiko from her bonds, Belril bitterly turns back and re-emerges- practically sulking as he leaves the fort. He points at Orik with an accusatory finger.
They flanked us in the fight. If we're not going to mount an assault we at least need to keep them penned up in here. That should be fairly simple with only a single bridge leading across, but the flanking maneuver makes me inclined to believe they have tunnels leading out. Where are they?
With the battle looking to have at least temporarily paused, Kern slumps against the wall to catch his breath. "There could just be a back door to this place," he says. "Tunnels would probably come out on the other side of the bridge, so to protect against them, we just need to disable the bridge. Of course, that would make it difficult for us to get back by the bridge if we need to. As for finding the back door, we could just scout the perimeter of this place."
Incredibly weary from her many hours awake and their long walk, not to mention the battles they've fought, Sophy is nevertheless heartened by their new friend's defection to their side; after the horrors of the last few days, it reaffirms her belief that most people are really decent at heart, given the opportunity. She smiles at him welcomingly. "I'm Sophy," she introduces herself, "and this is Wren and Eponine and Victor and Kern and Belril. We're so grateful for your help. I'm just...." She shakes her head, as if fighting off sleep. "I'm so tired. If we have a moment, I just need to rest, recenter myself for a moment, if that's all right." Without waiting for a reply, she sinks to the ground, her back to the stockade wall, and closes her eyes.
Well, if we are going to take a quick break, I'm going to look at those items we recovered back in the maze. Might be some magic there to help us out.". Wren casts Detect Magic and plops down, looking at the various items.
Victor breathes a sigh of relief for the small break. As he sees Sophy sit against the wall and close her eyes, he moves over next to her, looking at her curiously. He then looks to the others, "Is she asleep?" He whispers. He then looks back to her again, still curious. Scratching the back of his head, unsure, he decides to watch over her, keeping his bow ready for any enemies that decide to return for an encore.
Father Zantus gave this to us for a reason… If we can, we’ll replace it for him later.
She’ll go to Kern first, touching him with the wand.
Cure Light Wounds, heals .
That brings Kern up to 12.
Second charge to Kern
Father Zantus gave this to us for a reason… If we can, we’ll replace it for him later.
She’ll go to Kern first, touching him with the wand.
Cure Light Wounds, heals .
That brings Kern up to 11.
Second charge to Kern .
That brings Kern up to 20.
And a third charge to Kern…
That brings him up to 27.
Fourth charge to Belril. , bringing him up to 28.
Sophy drops down and puts her back against the stockade wall, she seems to drift into a meditative state focusing her mind on the calming exercise Sabyl Sorn taught her in what seems like a lifetime ago. It centers her mind starts to envision a well, a well in her soul that was empty and is now slowly refilling. Victor moves to stand careful gaurd over her.
Eponine takes a moment to use up the last of Father Zantus' healing gift providing Kern and Belril some relief to the pain of their wounds.
Kern makes a quick round of the top of the Island. The stockade is made of thick wood. Closer inspection reveals that most of the wood seems to have been scavenged from ships—a few nameplates remain affixed to some of the timbers, while others look like they might have once been masts. Around back he encounters a wounded goblin dog that leaps at him weakly. Kern sidesteps the poor attack and finishes the creatures life in a single blow. He dosn't find any other doors that enter the stockade. Island Map
Orik responds to Belril, "Tunnels, no the goblins do not have any tunnels. There is an old complex below the fort, it has been here longer than the goblins I am sure. Naulia is looking for something in the lower levels, but what it is is unknown to me. I doubt the tunnels go deep enough to go under the bay, and even if they did the goblin don't go below the temple on the first lower level. The goblin on the lizard was the chief of the Thistletop tribe, but after the raid...." Orik swallows hard before he continues, "I had no idea they were going to set the town on fire, I thought they were just going to steal something from the graveyard. Anyway, when they came back some of the goblins from another tribe set up camp in the thickets. Perhaps they attacked you from behind." Belril listens to the armored man while maintaining watch on the main door.
Wren sits down next to Sopy and digs out the items the found on the fire throwing goblin in the thickets. She takes a great deal of care using her arcane eye and talents with magic to study them.
First you look at the wand, you are sure it is magical but you are unable to determine what kind of magic it is. The cloak's magical nature also remains hidden to you sight. You look over the armor as well and while you are pretty sure the magic on it helps protect the wearer your arcane talents still are not revealing anything useful. Tired and discouraged you keep up studying the vials. You are unsure what potion the green vials contain, but the brown ones obviously allow the drinker to communicate with animal creatures and the rose colored ones will provide healing to the consumer. You also notice the armor that Orik wears emanates the glow of a magical aura.
wand
clock
armor
2 Green vials
2 Brown vials
2 Rose vials
"We have two potions of healing here. Eppy, you might need to pound both of these...you look a bit worse for wear. These other two potions allow the drinker to speak with animals. Who wants to take them? Unfortunately, I can't identify anything else right now. Everything here is magical, but I can't tell exactly what the properties are. Anyone else want to have a look at the rest of this stuff?"
"We have two potions of healing here. Eppy, you might need to pound both of these...you look a bit worse for wear. These other two potions allow the drinker to speak with animals. Who wants to take them? Unfortunately, I can't identify anything else right now. I can tell the armor is magical, but I can't tell exactly what it is. Anyone else want to have a look at the rest of this stuff?"
DM:
Feeling much better, Kern happily scouts around the complex and reports what he saw back to the others. "Looks like the only way in or out is through these doors," he says. "We should be safe here for a while."
At Wren's urging, Eponine will drink one of the healing potions she identified. .
Reluctantly, she tucks the second into a pouch. A moment later, little Camlo the monkey emerges, climbs along her belt, takes out the potion and pushes it at Eponine. Are we sure there isn't anyone who needs this more than I do? If no one offers a different person in need, with a sigh, she drinks it as well.
"You still look terrible, Eppy, finish that last potion. No offense meant of course. When we go in there, we need you to be able to swing that sword a few times."
Belril starts to scout the other way around the stockade. It dosen't take him long to recognized that the construction of the walls from scavenged wood and ship masts makes it a sturdy fort, but the addition of secret hatches or passageways to the outside impossible. Bending down he notices something about the island itself.
Eponine downs the to sweet tasting potions and feels a cool chill ripple through her skin as her would close over.
Orik wipes the the goblin blood off of his long blade and returns it to its sheath. He goes over to the edge of the bridge and reaching under grasps six looped ropes that were dangling and secures them to a spike pounded into the rock cliff. Turning to the group he says, "Well good luck finding the girl, she is in a cell on the lower level. Watch out for the demon dogs, and Naulia...she is a nasty one." It is obvious the armored man is going to leave.