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"Wha? The Witch Queen's eyes?" Nella asks, looking puzzled. She gasps when the tiny doll actually comes into sight as it reaches out to Terril.
Though she has no idea what sort of vile magic the doll just used, she does know that it can't be allowed to do so again. "There's only one of it and many of us! We can handle this!" she calls as she pulls out one of her wands and struggles forward to stand next to Jones.
Snitches get stitches little doll
Both Masym and Terril manage to get themselves away from the goblins underfoot, and take swings at the doll, but its hard to target the fast moving little creature.
Jones though, manages to get a shot through, and his arrow strikes the doll with surprising force, as small bits of it chip off. The doll lets out a terrified shriek.
Malusha manages a clear shot with his crossbow, but the bolt goes wide. Nella closes in, drawing a wand as she goes, and Phoebee starts an inspiring song!
Fritz and Deiter, their impromptu cover suddenly gone, and one of them face to face with the doll itself, also let out terrified shrieks, and immediately turn and flee towards the bushes in panic.
"What they see, She sees!" Storc moans. "Now they see us!" He too leaps into a nearby bush to hide, though you can still here him moaning.
You hear nary a peep from the other three.
The little doll, stomps one foot down, her tiny hands clenched into fists, an angry pout on her face. "You're not nice at all!" She yells. There is a pause, for just the briefest of moments, as her eyes close then open again.
"I just told Mother on you!" She states smugly. "My aunties will be here soon!"
She ducks into Terril's legs once again and suddenly starts rising up off the ground, until she's looking him straight in the eye.
"You're in big trouble now!" She says petulantly as she starts trying to stab him in the eye with a tiny blade that has appeared in her hand.
-- Round 2 -----------------
Frostfurs, Doll (-8)
Phoebee, Jones, Malusha, Terril (AoO pending, -17), Masym, Nella <---- We are here!
Party Buffs: Inspire Courage
Conditions: Dim Light
Everyone can go again!
With no real means of offense left, the Pathfinders make quick work of the tiny doll.
As the last blow lands, it looks at itself with a puzzled frown and says. "Mother, I have an owie." Before it falls to the ground in pieces. All semblance of life gone.
There is momentary silence through the clearing, soon broken by faint goblin moaning from the bush back towards where Storc disappeared.
The goblins eventually emerge from their various hiding places, though all of them seem very upset and refuse to go anywhere near the hut. They gather in a little group and start arguing with each other about something.
You will be able to look around a little bit, after the strange doll is destroyed, but do not find much else. The house on the stilts turns out to be empty, except for a small doll-sized chair sitting in the middle of it. Which leaves only the broken remains of the doll itself and a tiny-sized dagger.
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Malusha gladly helps out Terril with the curing wand. He looks at the shattered remains of the doll. "I don't mind saying that that makes me pretty uncomfortable," he says while taking a step back.
Inside the house he doesn't notice anything in particular. When Jones points out the snowflake he casts Detect Magic at it.
The goblins start to get alarmed again, as you examine the doll, talking rapidly in goblin though still refusing to get any nearer.
"Not good!" Storc exclaims. "Leave alone! The Witch Queen will track it! She will find you! She will get revenge!"
All the other goblins nod in worried ascent.
If intact, it can be used again, to animate a different doll.... and is able to learn and remember between constructs. It is indeed fairly valuable.
Malusha will detect no magical aura on the quartz snowflake (or anything else here)
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"Shhh, it's okay - no one will get you or anyone else," Nella says gently, trying to calm the goblins. "We won't let them!"
She glances at the others and nods. "Let's get going before anything else happens. We're almost to the border, right? Maybe we can make it over before it gets completely dark."
Storc glares daggers at Nella.
"If Witch Queen comes, you will not stop her." He says. He says something to the others, and now all of them are giving Nella dirty looks.
They are only too happy to leave the hut and destroyed doll behind however, and follow along as the Pathfinders continue west.
After about a mile, you think you cross the border into the Linnorm Kingdoms. There's still snow on the ground, and the land hasn't really changed... but the temperatures seem to have increased slightly, and what snow is here has the common decency to look like its melting.
A few miles after that, just before nightfall, the woods open to a clearing where a large, grass-covered mound, like a small oblong hill, dominates the area. A stout wooden door is set directly into the side of the mound, while a thin trail of smoke rises from the very top. Immediately to the south is a wooden horse stable, all of its doors closed.
If you've followed your map correctly, you suspect this will be the Blackraven way station.
You only just finish taking in the scene, when the door opens, and a large ulfen man emerges, looking your way.
"You must be the Pathfinders they said were coming." He looks towards the small group of goblins in your wake with a slight frown. "I didn't think I'd see this day."
"My name is Enrik Ironjaw, commander of this station. When Darkwine sent word that you would be coming through with those things in tow, I thought I was misreading."
"Welcome, I suppose." He finally says, smiling. "Come on in, there's a warm fire and food in the pot. I'm sure you have an interesting story to tell, traveling through that godforsaken country."
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"Eesh, was just trying to help..." Nella sighs as the goblins glare daggers at her. "Come on, let's get going," she mutters, looking rather downcast for the first time in the entire trip.
**********************
When they finally cross into the Linnorm Kingdoms and reach the Blackraven way station the priestess' reserved mood seems to brighten. "We made it! We're very nearly there!"
She waves cheerily as the Ulfen comes out to introduce himself. "Thank you so much! It'll be nice to warm up a bit. And we've definitely had quite the trip here...we'll tell you all about it if you like and Phoebee can set the mood with some music."
"Be good to have some company." Enrik says with a rueful smile, as he ducks back into the longhouse, leading you inside.
The place is quite extensive, once you're in. A great deal larger then it looks from just the mound visible above ground. You are standing at the eastern end of a long trophy hall. Weapons and armor of all sizes line the walls, mementos and spoils of years of war with neighboring Irrisen. Beside that is a small armory, with spare weapons and armor and an area for fixing the same.
You see an ulfen woman, sitting on a small set of steps that lead to a trapdoor on the roof on the far side of the longhouse. She gets up as you enter, smiling slightly.
"That's our chaplain, Sigrid." Enrik says, by way of introduction. She is a tall blond woman with a scar running down her cheek and an openly displayed symbol of Gorum hanging around her neck.
Enrik points at the goblins as they start to enter.
"Not them." He says, frowning slightly. "Not sure why you're dragging those things into our country, or why the castellan is allowing it, but there's too many dead and too many hard feelings to just let them run free here, orders or no."
He nods towards the chaplain, who opens a door beside her.
"They stay in the storeroom for now. Where we can lock the door."
The goblins don't seem to mind one way or the other, clearly not entirely certain what's going on anyway.
"Dinner's this way." He says, once the goblins are secured. "One of the men bagged a turkey yesterday, that's what you smell." He leads you down the trophy hall to a dining room with a large kitchen area just to the side.
"Sit down, relax. I think you promised us a tale... and music!"
He motions for to sit, while the chaplain goes about serving up some hot food and wine for folks that want it.
Still, you feel its more then that, and something's not quite right... Though you're not sure what.
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Masym sits down with the others, though he does not let his guard down here keeping his weapons close to him. "Yer hospitality does us a great honor. We are certainly not worthy of this honor and this trust, not in the slightest."
success.
Be on the lookout here for trouble. Something is not right here...
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Though she'd initially been happy to get in out of the cold there's a very subtle tension in Masym's voice as he speaks, a tension that isn't normally there.
Oh no...now what?
"That's right, we know it's a lot to ask to invite six strangers into your home as well as a horde of goblins," Nella agrees, now trying to surreptitiously get a better look at their surroundings.
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When Malusha sees the chaplain locking up the goblins he approaches her. "Lady of faith, I see." He points out her holy symbol. "I am also devoted to the service of my divine protector." He pauses for a second then adds, "I appreciate your need to lock up our travel companions. I would only ask that you don't deprive them of food and water, just like the rest of us are eating. I will happily pay for any of it."
Malusha finds a seat next to Nella. "It will be nice to have a real cooked meal. I mean, the camp cooking is good, but I'm sure this is going to be better."
"Well, this is why the waystation is here, after all." Enrik says. "And why we Blackravens dedicate our lives to manning it. A place to seek shelter from the vile hoards to the east." He smiles, and takes a bite of his dinner. "The bird is really quite good, don't you agree?" He adds, indicating the turkey.
"Something lively!" He responds to Phoebee, at her request for a song. "Too much gloom lately."
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Hearing something on the roof with her sharp elven ears the half elf asks I know that there are stories that a fat man in a red suite comes around around the Yule time but I don't think that this is Yule, are you sure that you are being honest with us and that you aren't upset that we are here? However is on the roof might need some help up there? Do you think that I should go out and inspire them to good things and not things like coming down the chimney and either surprising us with presents or a slice of the throat?
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Up till now Malusha has been oblivious to any noises on the roof or any other untoward behavior. The questions and discussion from others starts to make him nervous. He leans over to Nella and whispers. "What's going on? What is everyone talking about?" His eyes are wide and darting about looking for danger.
Enrik, sighs and stands, as he throws the chaplain a look.
"Nothing that concerns you." He says finally. "Unfinished business if you will."
"You all just finish your meals, and it will be over soon."
He places on hand on the haft of his axe with an implied threat.
,
There is a moment of tense silence, as the Pathfinders are unsure what is going on and their hosts watch them sternly... then suddenly the quiet is broken by the sound of goblin shouts of pain and anger and obvious combat back towards where you came in.
Neither Enrik, nor the chaplain react to the sounds at all, merely continue to watch the Pathfinders.
-- Round 1 --------------
Frostfurs (unknown)
Nella, Malusha <--- we are here
yellow (unknown), chaplain
Jones, Masym, Terril, Phoebe
blue (unknown), Enrik
"Your goblins?!" Enrik almost spits out, contempt evident in his voice. "They are monsters, not pets. They get what their kind deserves."
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"They may be monsters, but they are in our care." Malusha replies back, anger growing in his voice. "They are our prisoners and we've been given the task to deliver them. We can't have you stopping us."
Malusha reaches towards Masym, on the other side of Nella, and casts a quick spell on him. Then he reaches above his shoulder and pulls out his crossbow.
"We don't want this to come to blows. But we are committed to keep our word."
Both clerics denounce Enrik's actions whilst calling blessings upon the party's efforts.
Behind Enrik, the chaplain says a small prayer of her own and draws a greatsword.
Somewhere back towards where you left the goblins, you hear more sounds of combat and yells, both in goblinoid and in common. You're not sure what's going on back there, but given it appears to have been an ambush, and few of the Frostfurs had weapons, much less any armor, you can't imagine they'll last long... if its not already too late.
-- Round 1 --------------
Frostfurs (unknown)
Nella, Malusha
yellow (unknown), chaplain
Jones, Masym, Terril, Phoebe <--- we are here
blue (unknown), Enrik
Group Buffs: Bless (+1 to hit)
Now for the less divinely inspired.... Go!
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Masym rises to his feet, drawing his sword in one smooth motion. "You just could not let us be, could you? Just had to let your hatred blind you! Very...very sad." He quickly motions back to the other side of the lodge. "Go help' em! Terril and I can handle this!"
(Combat, Teamwork)
Benefit: Whenever you and an ally who also has this feat are flanking the same the creature, you deal an additional 1d6 points of precision damage with each successful melee attack. This bonus damage stacks with other sources of precision damage, such as sneak attack. This bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit.
Jones grabs his bow, and rushes bast the Blackraven soldiers as quickly as he can, trying to get back to the goblins. Unfortunately, Sigrid at least, was ready for him, and he takes a significant wound on the way by.
Masym shares some superious tactics with his companions as he draws a sword and steps closer.
"You foreigners." Enrik growls with contempt. "Come to our lands, throwing money at that traitor Darkwine, and think to make us forget the countless lives and thousands of yea..... grkk...."
Whatever he was about to say is cut off as suddenly Terril's blade, crackling with electricity, emerges from his chest from behind. His eyes instantly glaze over and he collapses lifelessly to the ground.
Phoebee starts up an inspiring song.
,
,
The sounds of fighting continue back where the goblins were 'secured'.
-- Round 2 --------------
Frostfurs (unknown)
Nella, Malusha <--- we are here
yellow (unknown), chaplain
Jones (-10), Masym, Terril, Phoebe
blue (unknown)
Group Buffs: Bless (+1 to hit), Precise Strike (+1d6 damage when flanking (except Jones)), Inspire Courage (+1 to hit and damage)
Back to the clerics!