...hit
...or, 1.
Round 11
Gwyn's arrow grazes the fleeing vulture on the wing, sending a few feathers flying and causing it to drop a few feet in altitude.
Cerin completes casting his spell and a brilliantly-colored eagle appears in midair. With a loud shriek that sounds almost like a major chord struck on an organ, it swoops at the vulture, raking it with its claws. More feathers fly, and the vulture spins downward another ten feet in altitude, and is now about five feet below the rope bridge.
With a dull *THUNK*, Halvor's crossbow propels a bolt across the chasm. Unfortunately, the bolt hits the rope bridge, sticking into a plank at an oblique angle.
Kyrian's shot hits the fleeing vulture in the back, adding to the arrow already protruding from its hindquarters. The hit causes it to lose more altitude, ending about 30 feet below the top of the stone island before it catches an updraft and starts soaring upward.
Helena's clouded eyes can't tell her much beyond the fact that she's looking out to sea and that there's a large... something... blocking the horizon.
Straining against its wounds, the climbing vulture attacks the blue-plumed eagle that just attacked it. It manages to bite the celestial eagle in the wing, but the eagle seems barely fazed by the attack. The two birds are now about five feet below the top of the boulder island.
The goblins in the tower continue to argue with each other, as one throws what appears to be a dead rat at the other. The rat bounces off the goblin's head and falls off the tower, bouncing off the bare stone of the boulder, and into the sea below. The goblins seem far too engaged in their argument, and still don't seem like they have noticed you.
Gogmurt: hp 13/39
eagle: hp 4/5
Initiative order: Gwyn, Cerin, Halvor, Kyrian, Helena, monsters.
Gwyn nocks another arrow, relaying what's going on to Helena in rather clipped sentences.
Unfortunately, her shot goes wide.
"So much for elves being good with bows."
The warrior moves back to where he dropped his longsword, setting himself in the path of what the likeliest approach to the party would be. He hoped that Cerin's eagle would finish off the infernal shapeshifter, but he would make the goblins pay dearly to get at his friends if they decided to swarm the area.
Gwyn nocks another arrow and takes one more shot at the vulture.
And curses softly as she misses again.
"Lead the way Cerin. I can't seem to see straight enough to hit anything."
Halvor looks back to Cerin, then nods. Not having the ability to travel through brambles, the warrior looks to Cerin to lead them to wherever it is the gnome thinks is best. Halvor trusts Cerin's judgment completely, so whether it's a tactical retreat or frontal assault, the young warrior will do his best to follow his older friend's lead.
Round 12
...oh, yeah!
...nope
...hit
Gwyn lets fly another arrow, but the shot misses to the left and the arrow harmlessly bounces off the wall of the Thistletop boulder.
The celestial eagle swoops at the vulture, but its prey anticipates the move and suddenly drops again, and the eagle overshoots. As it gains altitude to make another pass, the eagle's color fades as it increases in brilliance for a moment, then turns transparent and disappears in a shimmering rainbow of light.
Cerin curses under his breath at his inability to drop the fleeing goblin-turned-vulture. Fearing discovery, he steps back into the underbrush to find a way for his friends to follow.
Kyrian shoots again, and hits the vulture squarely in the back. It struggles to pull out of its dive and regain altitude. Indeed, it seems that the vulture is struggling to remain airborne at all. He then gestures at the left side of Thistletop, and says, "Hey-- it looks like there's someone over there behind the bushes throwing rocks at seagulls."
Halvor reloads his crossbow and takes another shot, hitting the bird in the left wing, further hampering its ability to fly.
Unable to see the action, Helena retreats into the passages through the bushes.
The vulture manages to pull out of its dive while about halfway down the face of the cliff. It struggles to gain altitude, and manages to just barely make it to the top of the cliff, flapping frantically toward the guard tower. It's now about five feet above the scrub, and only ten more feet from the stockade.
The goblin sentries continue to argue with each other, as one dumps a mug of yellowish liquid over the other's head. They still don't seem to notice you or the approaching vulture.
Round 13
...hit
...nope!
Gwyn fires another arrow at the goblin, and misses again, hitting the side of the stockade.
Kyrian draws back on his bow and lets fly another arrow. This one also lands true, striking the goblin square in the back. It smashes into the side of the stockade and falls into the bushes below. The goblin sentries don't seem to notice as they appear to have come to blows!
Halvor retreats into the chamber to retrieve his sword, and Kyrian and Gwyn follow.
Gwyn sighs in relief as she sees that their presence wasn't yet made know. She sees Helena is hurt and goes to her friend.
"Helena, what can I do to help? That looks like it's painful," she says, pointing to the wound.
Once Gwyn had been assured, probably for the fourth or fifth time that Helena was okay, the elf moves along the passages, sword out and her movements careful.
...fail
...success
...fail
...fail
...fail
Gogmurt: hp (-5)/39 (unconscious, dying; dead at -14)
The rest of the party makes their way through the passages through the brambles. Heading east, you step into a large, cave-like chamber. Above, the thorny canopy grows thin enough that tiny slivers of the sky above can be seen, while below, the ground consists of trampled dirt. Three passages lead out through the hedge: one to the northwest (which you entered from), one to the south, and a particularly narrow passage to the northeast. A large hole in the ground looms in the center of the southern part of the room. You hear the sound of sloshing water coming up through the hole.
"Hey, Cerin, what do you see up there?" Kyrian whispers up ahead to the gnome who's gone up ahead, keeping an arrow at the ready for him to let go if need be.
Staying well clear of the hole, Gwyn makes her way through the passage to the north, carefully moving through it to avoid the brambles.
|
Just as Cerin turns to sneak back to report back to the group, he sees Gwyn working her way through the narrow gap in the hedge. He puts his finger to his lips to warn her to silence and motions back the way she came before taking a short-cut through the hedge to the chamber with the hole.
"Goblin-dogs, four of them! I trust you remember how dangerous those monsters are. Perhaps we could surprise them and try to take out one or two with bows, while Gwyn fries them with fire?"
Kyrian nods to the gnome as he readies his bow, awaiting the point in which to strike.
Gwyn heeds Cerin's advice and retreats back into the chamber she'd just left.
"I've got enough energy for maybe five of those jets then I'm tapped out. If we can line them up, though, I can roast a couple of them at once."
Gwyn looks at the others for a moment before sighing and looking off to the side.
"I can still fight after that, before I was a wizard, I was a thief. I learned a few things, namely how to hit someone where it hurts," She looks at the others, almost as if she expected them to judge her.
You would know everything in Gwyn's background, I guess, including that she has had to kill people before, namely thugs and other thieves that tried to take advantage of her small size and frail constitution. You'd also know that revealing this is one of the harder things that Gwyn has done.
|
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Cerin nods and remarks "Good to know, those skill could be very useful. Do you also know how to deal with traps and locks?" He asks her with interest, but no sign of judgement whatsoever.
He looks briefly at his sling, but decides against it. He believes his sword would be of better use against these things and he has always had a fairly strong constitution, so he takes his place in the front ranks and waits for everyone else to get ready.
...nope
Goblin guards double-move from tower
Gogmurt: hp (-6)/39 (unconscious, dying; dead at -14)
The sounds of the goblin dogs in the chamber beyond seem to indicate that they did not notice you.
Gwyn nods, looking a little puzzled at Cerin.
"I do, but I think it'd be faster for Mr. Muscles to bash any locks we find in there," the elf says, pointing to Halvor.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Helena mutters, wiping her bleeding face on her sleeve. "Just a scratch. Head wounds look messy; you know that."
Keeping close to the others as they move forward, she takes stock of her remaining abilities, realizing with some fear that they're running low. Placing a comforting hand on Gwyn's shoulder, she says, "And I've been thankful for those skills since we left Magnimar. Don't regret what you've learned."
Looking to the others, wiping another trickle of blood from her brow, she adds, "I'll be of little use once my magic runs low. But I can still attempt to stab them."
"Well either way, let's make quick work of them. I don't think we can afford to have them hear us and sound off the alarms." Kyrian says as he gets into a position for the sneak attack.
Gwyn sneaks up beside Cerin, carefully lining up as many of the wretched curs as she could before blasting out a line of flame over them.
The sounds of the goblin dog's squeak-barking intensifies as their play seems to turn more serious. The creatures seem to be fully engaged on fighting/playing wth each other, and still show no signs of noticing the intruders in their lair. The five adventures cautiously approach the beasts, taking cover in the bushes and dim light.
Surprise Round
...saves
...saves
...hit
Cerin gives the signal, and Kyrain lets fly an arrow, hitting one of the goblin dogs in the shoulder. It yelp-squeaks in pain and surprise.
Almost simultaneously, Gwyn conjures a jet of fire, immolating two of the beasts. While they do singe, what at first she hoped was smoke she realizes is steam, as the foul creatures' fur must have been very wet; neither seems to have caught on fire.
Cerin charges the beast that Kyrian just shot, his scimitar flaming bright. He slashes the beast across the neck, and it quickly falls.
Goblin commandos find Gogmurt's unconscious body that's riddled with arrows, and pick him up to bring him to Ripnugget.
Monster status
Gogmurt: hp (-6)/39; unconscious & dying (dead at -14).
Dog #1: hp (-4)/9; unconscous & dying (dead at -15)
Dog #2: hp 7/9
Dog #3: hp 7/9
Dog #4: hp 9/9
"Eau du goblin dog, it's what all the Chelish nobles are wearing this season," Gwyn laughs as she conjures another jet of fire and sends it scorching to the curs once more before moving out of the way for the harder hitters.
...yup!
With a shout, Halvor charges at the nearest goblin dog. The creature turns to face the warrior, just as the blow lands, carrying Halvor's full momemntum. The blade slices cleanly through the rat-dog's neck, and Halvor's follow-through sends the head flying toward the hedge-walls of the chamber. The head catches on the thorny brambles.
Helena move in behind Halvor, stabbing at the creature with her longspear from the second rank. Given her bad eyesight, it takes her a moment to realize that Halvor has already killed it.
Round 1
Seeing her line of fire is going to be blocked by friends, she snuffs the building flames and pulls out the shortbow instead.
Much to her shock, she actually hits what she was aiming at.
"Woohoo! I actually got one!"
Fluff, meanwhile, hands onto Helena for dear life.
Pulling up another arrow from his quiver, Kyrian lines up another shot and lets go at one of the dogs, hoping that they can bring this to an end quickly.
Helena holds the line behind Halvor, not quite wanting to put herself in front of the dogs directly.
Gywn's and Kyrian's arrows put down one of the goblin dogs, as Cerin slices into the side of the last one. It yowls/squeals loudly as it dies.
Aside from excrement fouling the floor, there does not appear to be anything of interest in this chamber.
Following the eastward passage through the briars, you come to an intersection. You head south to find a small chamber filled with a cloying, musky, animal scent. The smell is strongest from a matted nest of leaves covered with tufts of black and red fur. Cerin confirms that this must be where that firepelt cougar you'd slain earlier must have made its lair.
Following the passage south from that room, you discover another chamber with no other exits. A tangle of vines hang from the thorny ceiling, each suspending a clattering collection of bird skulls, rib bones, teeth, crab shells, and other bits of gruesome decor. In a few places, the vines reach all the way to the floor. A large nest of nettles and thorny vines sits to the south, a halo of half-eaten dead birds and rats indicating that whatever sleeps there eats in bed.
Poking through the collection of junk in the room reveals a few items of note: two dried gourds with cork stoppers that seem to be filled with liquid, a well-constructed small shield made of wood and leather, an unglazed pottery jar with a cork stopper containing about a quart of pickled frogs and fish heads, a ostentatious-looking gilded flagon studded with gems (currently filled with some kind of strong-smelling fishy brine), and a leather pouch containing: a handful of shark teeth, a feather attached to a tiny metal charm shaped like an anchor, the skull of a rat, 30 copper pence, and 20 silver shilings.
Gwyn casts detect magic, and discovers that the liquid inside the two gourds radiate magic, as does the feather in the pouch. Examining them further, she determines that they are: a potion of cure light wounds, a potion of hide from animals, and an anchor feather token.
Heading back north through the tunnels, you find another briar-mat door heading west which leads to another unmanned guard post. The northward passage ends at the edge of the sea-cliff. A rope bridge spans the gulf between the cliff and a roundish, flat-topped island, roughly sixty feet to the north. Thick patches of nettles and briars grow here and there atop the island, but its most impressive feature is a wooden one-story stockade. Two thirty-foot tall watchtowers guard the stockade's southern facade. The rope bridge itself is made of hairy rope and thick, sturdy planks; the whole thing creaks and sways in the wind above the churning surf eighty feet below.
You notice a pair of guards atop both towers, and a goblin riding a goblin dog paces before the stockade's front door. None of them appear to notice you hiding in the dark tunnel through the brambles.
Gwyn dumps the contents of the flagon out before cleaning it with a few arcane words before sticking it in her pack.
"I don't think we should try our luck," Gwyn says quietly, "I've only got a little bit left before I'm left with minor spells and my not so awesome skill with knives and a bow. We should probably turn back and come again once we've rested."
Looking to her friend and the thrush riding on her shoulder, the elf asks, "how are you holding up, Helena? I'm sorry I didn't ask earlier, it's just... Y'know how I get caught up in things."
Kyrian thinks for a moment the woman's words. "Well if we head back, we may want to think about seeing if we can get an extra hand. I wouldn't doubt that if they send a raiding party out and find there's nothing here, then we may end up triggering an assault on the town or encountering more resistance when we get back. That's just my thoughts on the matter anyways."
|
|
Cerin inspects the shield with a critical eye to see if it might be better than the one he currently uses. At Gwyn's suggestion he looks up at her with a doubtful frown.
"I personally would prefer to press on while we still have the element of surprise." he begins as he fishes a couple of goodberries from his pouch and munches on them with relief before offering the last two to Halvor and Helena. "But, I can see the wisdom of going into the stronghold at full strength. If everyone wishes to go back, I will offer up some prayers to Gozreh to see if he will offer us some extra aid in this endeavor."
Helena takes the offered goodberry, savouring it and mopping the blood from her brow. "Nothing that won't heal over time," she answers Gwyn, forcing a grim smile.
"I can feel my connections being drained," she sighs, holding out a hand to demonstrate. A few motes of green light swirl around her fingers, but quickly wink away. "I think I need a good night's rest before pressing on. I'm not used to such adventure."
"I'm sorry," Gwyn says as she hugs her friend and takes Fluff off her hands, letting the thrush perch on her shoulder, "If I was any good with healing magic, I could fix that up for you."
"Cerin, was it? I want to get this done with as little trouble as you do, but I don't thing we've the strength to push through and secure the stronghold. If we find a place to camp for the night, we could be here far earlier than they might expect. That should at least let us have some surprise. Besides, we're talking about Goblins here. They'll probably hole up in that fort of theirs and pee themselves."
Deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, the five Sandpoint Heroes retreat through the hedge maze and then head back to Sandpoint through the game trails of Nettlewood. Now that you know the way, the return trip is much easier-- until you're almost out of the woods. While Kyran is briefly distracted by the sound of an animal call, Halvor passes him on the trail, finding himself on "point." Unfortunately, he fails to notice a concealed pit trap that goblins had dug on the game trail, and he falls ten feet. He lands badly, shouting in pain and landing amoung a thick patch of goblinberry vines.
Pulling Halvor out of the pit, you all realize that the warrior has broken his ankle in the fall-- and is also starting to show signs of a severe case of goblinberry rash. Unfortunately, your remaining healing magic cannot knit broken bones, and your return to Sandpoint now seems quite daunting. Fortunately, you're not far from the Lost Coast Road, and make it there after not too long. After only about half an hour of helping Halvor limp along the road, a farmer bringing a wagonload of wheat to the Sandpoint Mill happens by you. It doesn't take too much convincing for her to take Halvor as a passenger in her wagon in exchange for you providing protection against any bandits, goblins, or monsters that might threaten the delivery.
It is late afternoon when you arrive in Sandpoint. You take Halvor to the Sandpoint Cathedral and entrust his care to Father Zantus for the night.
|
|
"Get well soon, big guy! It won't be the same without you." Cerin says kindly as he slaps his friend on the back. After leaving the Cathedral, he asks "Well, shall we see what we can get for the gem, bracelet and buckler before we rest? I think we should hold onto the Wayfinder for now, it might come in handy!"
After wishing Halvor well, she nods in agreement with Cerin.
"And get a bath, I need to get the smell of bird droppings out of my hair," the elf says.
"Hey! I can't help that when I'm scarred," Fluff says indignantly.
"Which is why you're forbidden from hiding under my hat. I keep casting prestidigitation and I can still smell ammonia."
Aftyer spending some time fussing over Halvor, not wanting to admit that her own magic isn't enough, Helena reluctantly accompanies the others outside, sparing a sad glance back over her shoulder.
"Agreed. See what coin we can get, stock up for tomorrow, then find a bath and a good meal." Her stomach rumbles, and she clutches at it with one hand. "Come on, Gwyn. You've smelled of worse. Remember the night you got yourself locked in the alchemist's basement? Even I smelled like sulfur for three days after getting you out!"
Nearing dinnertime, you return to the Rusty Dragon for some food and drink. Over mugs of ale and plates of hearty curried salmon, you examine the spoils you'd recovered.
You realize that the bejeweled goled flagon is actually made of tin and painted gold. The jewels are actually colored glass. Still, it might be worth a bit as a novelty. The Small light wooden shield appears to be of masterwork manufacture. Indeed, Cerin thinks he may have once met a gnomish armorer from Whistledown that crafted similar shields.
As he sits there, letting the night pass, Kyrian brings up the attention of the rest of the group. "So... Tomorrow. Halvor obviously isn't going to be coming back with us. That was a bad break for the guy, in more ways than one. So what's the plan now?"
"That wasn't my fault! the bench collapsed right as you were getting me out of there. Besides, how was I supposed to the door locked itself? He shouldn't have left me in there all night in the first place. He knew darn well I was in there," Gwyn says, looking just a little flustered. The Alchemy Incident, as her master had dubbed it, had not been one of Gwyn's shining moments and had actually cost her mentor an old friendship, despite it really being one of the few times that Gwyn was blameless in causing the incident.
Fluff sits on the table glaring indignantly at Gwyn as the party eats, Gwyn, for her part, is busy ignoring the little thrush.
"I dunno, he was the only one of us that had any skill in a stand up fight, and I'd rather not try my luck against goblins. From what I read, they have a taste for gnomes, humans, and elves," Gwyn shrugs, sipping at a mug full of mead, "Honestly, I don't know what to do. We could try our luck, but I'd rather find someone who can handle themselves better than I could when the goblins come in fast and furious."
A freshly bathed Gwyn, dressed in a large, fluffy robe, walks into the room she and Helena were sharing, a lock of her long black hair held to her nose in one hand as the other opens the door.
"Ah, much better," she says after taking a deep sniff, "You should probably get a bath too. It helps with the aches and pains we always seem to be winding up with lately."
The elven wizard changes into a fresh shirt that covers her almost to mid-thigh before sitting next to her friend and giving her a one-armed hug. A moment or two passes in silence before Gwyn speaks.
"Do you regret coming with me," she asks, "We're not even a week past leaving and already we've been in two fights that could have killed us."
Gwyn's unusually quiet and soft-spoken this evening. Maybe it was her brush with death, but she is not her normally chipper self.
...at dinner
All the regulars at the Rusty Dragon are very pleased to see you when you walk in to the barroom. You get a few cheers and several people raise their glasses in a toast.
Krissina rushes over from behind the bar and gives you all a group hug. "So glad you're back... and each of you in one piece!" She calls to Bethana to get you all a round of ale. Ameiko then comes over to greet you. "Welcome back! Say-- you didn't happen to cross paths with Shalelu, did you?" She seems a bit crestfallen at your response, but then adds, "Well, she knows how to take care of herself."
While you're enjoying dinner, the town guardsman Zandu walks in, sees you, then walks over. "Good to see you all! Just to let you all know: Sheriff Hemlock wanted all of the town guards to let him know when you returned to town. I think he wants to know what you foun out about the goblins." At that, he heads to the bar for a cup of cider... which he drains quickly before heading back out.
...after dinner
You drop by a couple of shops to sell off some of the nonmagical treasure you'd claimed from the assassin vines and the goblins, splitting the proceeds evenly among the five of you.
You then head over to the Cathedral to quietly hand Halvor his share. He seems to be doing a bit better, but Father Zantus follows you out. "He's got a very badly-broken ankle. We don't really have the kind of magic available that can fix it immediately, so I'd recommend that he stay off his feet for at least the next week."
As you leave the Cathedral, you cross paths with the Sheriff himself. "Ah! Glad I ran into you! What did you find at Thistletop?"