Bedlam listens to the druid's report. He nods. He hums. He hurrays.
We take dem at dawn!
The dwarf slaps Adelie on the back.
Be un fun time un da hot hobtown tomorrow morn!
Adelie yelps in surprise when the dwarf hits him. He returns the slap, aiming at whatever part of Bedlam happens to be closest.
”whaauhg! We... we do what now?”
"It sounds like if they have prisoners, they are probably in that cave. If we assault the place, we would want to figure out a way to keep them from holing up and maybe killing the captives."
"I am working on a spell where I could send a magical eye ahead of me that would be able to scout the tunnels. Unfortunately I don't have it worked out yet." He looks to the druid. "I don't suppose you have an enchantment that lets you follow the course of a cave the way your one spell followed the course of that river?"
He looks to Anzath. "Is there any way of knowing if that cave maybe has another entrance?" He glances around, looking for something he can't find the words for. "Maybe the lay of the lands tells you were the cave runs?"
"A frontal assault would be suicidal. Perhaps we could wait for their patrols to leave and ambush them away from the safety of their compound, and leave some bait that implicates... what did they call it, Iansfort..? in the attack."
”Wait, wait. I thought we were going back to the invaders after I scouted the hobgoblin town? We need to go back there, anyway, if we want ‘evidence’ to plant.”
Anzath surveys the land.
+2 for favored terrain, if that counts.
She shrugs, "De Dungeon iz nearby."
After some discussion, Anzath seems troubled, "Ve should fokus on reskuing slavez. Sylvia iz in human fort, yez? If ve kan trick gobboz into attacking fort, ve use distraktion to free all in chainz."
”Sure.”
Adelie looks irritated at the mention of rescuing Sylvia and more potential refugees for Zelkor’s Ferry. He would probably prefer it if everyone at the fort died, whether they came to the island willingly or not. He knows that his allies don’t share that viewpoint, though, so he doesn’t argue.
”Do you want to hit the hobgoblins now and lead them back to the fort, or gather evidence from the fort or a patrol first and plant it? Or try to get the fort to attack the hobgoblins? I think we should tell the fort where the hobgoblins are and see how they react. We don’t need to actually enter the fort. We could send an animal messenger with a note, or use some other method of remote communication. Even if they don’t believe it, they may investigate.”
Bedlam nods.
Be still need'n ta find stupid Riddleportians patrol den. Sack dem den find un stupid Hob patrol and sack dem. Den leave da stupid Riddleportians dere fer sum other stupid Hobs ta find. Dem we be git'n ta da Cave.
The dwarf exhales slowly and grins.
Tangled webs... ok, so Plan A(nzath) is to get the hobbos to attack the fort. Plan B(edlam) is to do the same, but by first hunting a fort patrol down, killing them, then hunting down hobgoblins and killing them, and then dumping the bodies from the fort among the dead hobgoblins and waiting for a random hunter cowboy hobgoblin to come by and find the carnage and all the cash which starts a cross-state manhunt that ends with the futile murder of the... hobgoblins? Riddleporters? Talathel? And someone is a psychopath but it might be the orc or Bedlam or the battlemage or... I've lost track of the details. But the whole situation finally convinces the heroic, aging sheriff Tragershen that this is no country for old elves. That's plan B, right?
Plan C, anyone? Or do you want to launch plan A or B?
Bedlam votes for Plan C! The dwarf thinks that whatever Plan C is; it must be the most fun, because Parrot will drive!
Ok! Be need'n un mirrors, un truck and sum chew!
Lolygert was a little sore after they left the Riddleport-ers unscathed, he'd glares and gnashed his teeth as the others exchanged pleasantries.
Now with the Hobs fort close by, he wanted nothing more than to charge the walls and get some action in.
He stands , scratching his head, as the smarter of his friends debate this stragegy and that....
"It seems that we are mostly agreed about luring the hobgoblins. I suggest hit-and-run attacks against a patrol. Ranged weaponry and magic so that they have a harder time striking us - or identifying us."
Bedlam prepares to hunt Hobs! The dwarf drinks Mutagen, Barkskin, Heightened Awareness, See Invisibility, Antitoxin, Antiplague.
He then shoulders his heavy pick. He begins tracking for a Patrol of Hobs.
Let's be find'n un Patrol of stupid Hobs!
Tragershen casts mage armor on himself, and then follows the orders of those with a stronger understanding of the wilderness and tactics.
If by chance we don't find a likely place or time to ambush a hobgoblin patrol, Tragershen will suggest "Perhaps we should move on to Rappan Athuk. A greedy dragon waits for no man."
"Let us do that, Bedlam."
"A fine notion, Tragershen."
Tragershen isn't a diviner for nothin'. As the party skulks through the underbrush, they find no hobgoblins--although they can hear a loud horn blowing on the hobgoblin crag--some sort of alert or alarm. When you do find fresh traces of hobgoblins, they seem to be hurriedly rushing towards the fort. You follow them carefully.
Suddenly, you hear horrible screams and crashing somewhere behind and away from you. Everyone ducks for cover, but your impending doom is less than threatening. A trio of hobgoblin women, one with a squalling gobchild strapped to her chest in a sling, hurtle towards the fort.
The one with the child hisses angrily, between panting breaths: Waxaa lagaa rabay inaad fiiro gaar ah yeelato! Daarog wuu xanaaqi doonaa, adiguna waa dembigaaga oo dhan!
The hobgoblins are too afraid of Daarog to be paying any attention to the hazards of the wildwood--they don't notice the party, but you may contact them if you'd like.
While on lookout for patrols, Anzath notes the hobgobs seem to be in service to the orcs. She ponders this relationship and all she knows about hobgoblins, orcs, and their tactics.
As the hobgobs run by, Anzath glances about, ears alert for any sign the trio are being chased by something or someone.
Anzath knows that orcs outnumber hobgoblins in these parts, but she knows more about orcs than hobbos. It's somewhat unusual that orcs would be ruling a hobgoblin clan, but far from unprecedented. She observes that there's nothing chasing these hobgobfolk, except perhaps their own fear of punishment.
Adelie knows that you're out of earshot by virtue of how far away the horn sounds, despite the fact that it must be a big ol' warhorn to be filling up the woods with sound.
Bedlam (munching on a sandwich) watches the Hobs run pass. The dwarf takes another bite.
Now, what? We be seeing what all da fuss be 'bout?
Anzath signals across to Tragershen, Pit.
She moves toward them, preparing herself to intercept the woman with child from the wizard's spell.
Adelie prepares Entangle as soon as he hears the hobgoblins approaching, and tells Mone to be ready to attack. When he can see the hobgoblins, he casts Entangle.
Mone runs to stand between the hobgoblins and the fort, taking care to avoid the Entangled area.
As the spell takes hold, the underbrush grasps the hobgoblin women and holds them fast. And by fast I mean slow.
One of the hobgoblin women is less hindered by the spell. She looks ready to bolt.
I'll start initiative if necessary--or maybe, if you have the gift of goblin gab, start talkin'!
Still chewing on his sandwich, Bedlam begins to clap his hands. The dwarf walks to the edge of the Entangled area, peering intently at the Hobs.
Aurora watches as the plantlife surges up to ensnare two of the hobgoblins, lips pursed—but unable to speak their language she stays quiet. She glances about to make sure Nicothoe isn't getting into trouble.
Anzath continues her approach. A different spell than she expected, but the result is basically the same. She readies herself to wrestle the hobgoblin to the ground.
Between the entangle spell and the tender ministrations of the slayer (with Mone around for backup), the hobgoblins are soon immobilized. They are terrified at the prospect of Bedlam and the rest.
"Ilaf iyo dwar! Dadkuna! Ilaahyada madow ee cadaabta, naga dheeree dibnaha yaamayska mudda dheer oo na sii dhaaf!"
Bedlam's casual munching does little to calm them, but their heavy swerve to the "flight" side of "fight or flight" has failed and left them with only "cringe in horror" as an option. The child continues to scream.
Nicothoe watches in horror from her perch on Aurora's backpack. The cleric can hear the harpy muttering about how a good bird once caught a duck and fed it to the children, and how Anzath and Adelie should consider feeding a good birdchild children, if they've caught one...
"No, Nico... hobgoblin children don't taste good. It'll make you sick," Aurora mutters back. Now is not a particularly good time for a moral lesson on why eating children is bad.
Adelie moves forward to help prevent the hobgoblins from running away. He’s a bit confused, as he thought the goal was to find and kill some hobgoblins. They’ve completed step one, but seem to be stalling out on step two.
He makes a mental note to try to save a small hobgoblin or some similar snack for Nico if the opportunity presents itself.
Bedlam turns his black bearded face in the druid's direction. He mouths
What and the ass!
Shaking his black haired head, the dwarf takes another bite of sandwich.
He motions to the druid and Harpy-chick.
Bedlam shrugs, chewing contentedly.
He makes a mental note to try to save a small hobgoblin or some similar snack for Nico if the opportunity presents itself.
The gods who watch over the party begin to worry. The hobfolk are horrified, but have been anything but convinced to talk to you all. Somehow the 6-CHA sandwich-munching dwarf has failed to convince them.
Bedlam munches loudly.
Me tried. Feed' em ta da Chicky! We be need'n ta find un stupid Hob patrol!
The dwarf washes (not literally of course) his hands of them.
Bedlam then peers directly into the camera.
Me be watching yous...you be need'n un challenge!
He makes a mental note to try to save a small hobgoblin or some similar snack for Nico if the opportunity presents itself.
[dice=Bedlam's Intimidate Check] d20-2
The gods who watch over the party begin to worry. The hobfolk are horrified, but have been anything but convinced to talk to you all. Somehow the 6-CHA sandwich-munching dwarf has failed to convince them.
Anzath digs a knee into the back of the hobgoblin she tackled to the ground. She looks frustratedly at Bedlam, as she bends the hobgoblin maiden's arm at an unnatural angle "De horn, ask dem vhat vas horn about."
Bedlam pops the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth. The dwarf shrugs at Anzath.
Lazily licking his fingers, he mumbles
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The hobgoblin whimpers sad little curses at Anzath, whose progeny to the tenth generation will now be hounded by the dark gods. I mean, if the hob has that kind of pull with the dark gods, which seems unlikely.
Yeah, she doesn't know any dark gods personally.
Talathel thinks through the languages he knows...and goblin is not one of them.
Oh well.
"Bedlam, I am uncertain but I think the hobgoblin did not answer your question."
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Adelie glares at Bedlam.
”I wouldn’t have, either.”
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It is becoming increasingly clear that you're adding another layer of trauma to these hobgoblins. They have nothing to say to you and nothing to offer, except the one who is trying to buy her safety with the life of her baby in a patois of (badly) broken Common and expletive-laden Goblin. Ya know. Evil alignment. Takes time to learn better ways. Nico votes against the deal because hobgoblin children apparently don't taste good.
"What are they even saying?" Aurora mumbles, eyes narrowed.