"I suppose," Giving a sidelong look at the Bugbear, "But let's see if they are willing to share first."
Ylrhea offers to scout ahead first.
You hear shouting come from ahead. Grawfir cocks his head to the side. "Goblins..."
"Sure, I'll just beat the crap out of them," the bugbear says, trodding off towards the camp.
You approach the camp and see the gnome pinned against a tree, surrounded by six goblins. "I don't think they want to share their food!"
Initiative:
The goblins attack the gnome with their blades.
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Ylrhea manages to dodge all of the goblins' attacks save one which catches her fairly hard.
"They're as useless as she is," Grawfir snorts.
Round 1: Goblins, Drago, Grawfir, Ylrhea, Mortimus (& Friends)
Having his crossbow in hand, Drago loaded and fired at one of them.
Drago fails to hit a goblin. Grawfir takes out his morningstar.
"We only need one or two of them. Killin' the rest will get them to see our point of view."
He charges at the goblin in front of him, bashing its head in.
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Ylrhea pulls her dagger and swipes at one of the goblins.
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Round 1: Goblins, Drago, Grawfir, Ylrhea, Mortimus (& Friends)
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One of the ghouls tears into the goblin, paralyzing it. The other is less successful in its attack. The goblins continue to assault the gnome.
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Round 1: Goblins, Drago, Grawfir, Ylrhea, Mortimus (& Friends)
Drago reloaded, took aim, and fired at one of the goblins flanking the little one.
The bugbear steps forward and swings his morningstar at a goblin.
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"Sumthin' musta gotten in my eye," Grawfir grunts.
Ylrhea shakes her head and attacks the flanked goblin.
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"Your fleas are getting in my eyes too."
Round 2: Goblins, Drago, Grawfir, Ylrhea, Mortimus (& Friends)
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The ghoul in front of Mortimus finishes off the already paralyzed goblin, while the other paralyzes another goblin. The survivors attempt to take out the gnome.
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Round 3: Goblins, Drago, Grawfir, Ylrhea, Mortimus (& Friends)
Drago loads and fires again.
Drago drops the goblin with a vicious shot. Grawfir decides to finish the wounded and paralyzed one off.
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He then turns to the remaining goblin. "Jy gaan my nou te volg!"
The goblin falls to its knees and grovels before Grawfir.
"There. That wasn't too hard," the bugbear says, picking his teeth.
"I'll make it," Ylrhea says. "Let's see if these bastards left anything to eat."
Sure enough, you find some small game in the goblins' belongings, as well as nuts and berries.
"Myne!" the goblin protests.
"Opgesluit of ek sal stoot vuil in jou keel af," Grawfir counters, kicking the goblin squarely in the face, sending it to the ground.
The ghouls drag two of the corpses off and disappear behind the trees. After Mortimus casts his spell, the gnome's wounds disappear. "Thank you..."
The goblin attempts to scrabble onto its feet, but Grawfir holds it down with one foot. "Net bly wees ons laat jou lewe."
Grawfir shakes his head. "Nah, they're too stupid to understand Common."
"As jy gee ons geen probleme en vind ons 'n dorp, sal ons jou laat gaan."
"Ja, ek sal. Gee my net 'n bietjie kos," the goblin replies.
"He wants some of his food," the bugbear says. "But he'll help us."
Stowing away his weapon, Drago approached the Gnome, "You may want to think about a new line of work. This one seems a bit hazardous to your health." He couldn't help but smile.
"No, I came here for a reason...I still have to see it through," Ylrhea says, her eyes looking downward.
The ghouls return from their meal while you are finishing yours. It isn't much, but it's more than any of you have had in a while. Grawfir and the goblin squabble for a good portion of the evening, the bugbear being the dominant one. To Ylrhea's relief, the goblin keeps the bugbear occupied into the wee hours of the night. She cuddles up to Drago as you fall asleep.
In the morning, the goblin, whom Grawfir calls 'Snot', excitedly leads you through some trackless woods. Snot kills a young buck as you proceed, giving you all a much heartier meal for breakfast. By the afternoon, Snot has led you to a ruined tower in the middle of a clearing in the woods.
"Goed genoeg nie?" Snot asks Grawfir.
"Dit is nie 'n dorp. Dit is net ruïnes," the bugbear says angrily.
"Dit is 'n menslike plaas. Ek het gesien hoe mense hier."
"The little s++@ says he's seen people here. We better be careful."
Drago whispers to the Gnome, "Try to be careful this time, will you dearie?"
Ylrhea smiles. "I'll try."
She slinks off, but something seems odd about the way she goes off. Her posture seems to betray a sense of happiness. She returns a short moment later, looking confused.
"I didn't find anything except for a strange arch with some runes carved on it."
"Hmmm. Lead the way, I'd like to take a look." Drago responded, genuinely intrigued.
Ylrhea leads the way to the desolate tower. Within lies an obsidian arch with many glowing blue runes. After a moment of study, both Drago and Mortimus can read what it says.
The doorway to Here or There
This door can lead to Anywhere
But be warned, before you step through,
That the location may not be known to you
"What in the Hells does that mean?" Drago asked.
"Wanneer het jy sien die mense hier? Hierdie plek lyk soos dit het nie geraak is vir eeue," Grawfir asks the goblin.
"Vyf ... vyf dae gelede," Snot says.
"Het jy kyk na die mense?"
"Ja. Ja, ek het."
"Wat het hulle gedoen?"
"Dan raak hulle in die gloeiende kolle en loop deur," the goblin replies, obviously exasperated.
"Well, Snot here says he saw people here five days ago, they touched the glowing runes and walked through," the bugbear summarizes.
Drago takes a closer look.........
.......and tries to use the device
Touching several runes, Drago activates the gate which pulsates with an eerie blue light. Ylrhea grasps Drago's hand tightly.
"Ek gaan nie in daar ..." Snot says fearfully.
"Yes, you are. In fact, you're going in first," Grawfir says, hauling the goblin up by its pants and tossing it through the portal. "Well, he didn't explode, so it's probably safe."
Looking at the Gnome, then at the Bugbear, Drago says, "We still don't know what's on the other side of this portal, so....." Turning to Grawfir, "Why don't you go first, since you're the strongest, and make the other side secure."
The bugbear shrugs and walks through the portal. "Wha..."
Grawfir's words are cut off as he disappears through the shimmering gate.
Looking at the Gnome, Drago smiles, "Shall we?" he says, then steps forward.
"Of course," the gnome replies.
-Posted with Wayfinder