Selbarina's blade struck into the halfling's body, but the healing from earlier had helped him recover, and he just howled in rage as he grabbed at Selbarina, clearly trying to drain her strength away. "It's mine, this house is mine! You can't take it from me!"
Grapple (vs Selbarina):1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
He latched onto her leg, and one hand dug deep into her flesh, sucking away at her blood.
With a small growl Shutai formed a small ball of ice, feeling the tattoos on her flesh flaring with sympathetic power as she did. She hurled it at the creature with one hand.
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8 2d6 ⇒ (5, 6) = 11
Here's hoping grappling penalties are enough to let that hit...
Gasping as she feels the tug of her life's blood, Shelby drops her sword, swiftly drawing her dagger and trying to drive it hard into the little monster.
Hisoka had no trouble stabbing into the vicious little halfling, drawing quite a bit of blood from it as it howled in pain. Shutai's icy sphere struck it a moment later, and Selbarina's dagger sunk into its belly. The halfling let out a croak... and finally slumped over. As it did, its body began shifting, with its facial features literally melting away and replaced by a completely blank face. Literally blank - no eyes, nose, or mouth at all. The final form its body took was actually quite small, malnourished and unpleasantly thin, like its growth as a youth had been badly stunted. It was not, however, in any further danger of hurting you. With the immediate danger past, you have the opportunity to look around the home a bit more. The living room where you're currently at features a settle and several somewhat damaged potted plants, as well as a set of stairs going up and several doors leading to other rooms.
You now have access to the Warden's Shack, and are in area G1.
Sheathing her dagger and picking up her longsword, Shelby gives her companions a quick glance to ensure they are ok. Hisoka looks a bit queasy, as she herself feels, but everyone seemed well enough. She calls out, "Mister Proudstump?", not expecting a return answer. She cautiously approaches the northwest door (to G2), waiting a moment for the other two to join her before she opens the door, peering inside.
Hisoka's eyes lingered where the thing had wounded him as Shelby began to sweep the area. He then followed Shelby, the wounds didn't seem to be getting worse and he would see to them when he was sure they were alone and safe.
"What do you think that thing was?" He said, voice hushed as he too listened for any more company.
"Some kind of mimic, I suppose." Shutai glanced at the bleeding but pathetic corpse, but couldn't summon much empathy. Whatever the thing was it had most likely murdered the person who lived there. It didn't even look big enough to make a decent snack.
Shutai dragged her thoughts away from the idea of eating and looked around the shack.
A wooden table with a single chair decorates the dining room Selbarina looks into, along with a simple wood-burning stove that doesn't seem to have been used in the last day or so. While you don't spot anything dangerous, Shutai can hear a faint sound from upstairs.
Cocking her ears, Shutai waved to get the attention of the others and the pointed up the stairs. Was it the halfling that lived there after all? Or another of the creatures?
After that last harrowing encounter, Shelby nods at Shutai, willing to take the lead if Hisoka lingers. Sword drawn, she approaches the stairs, calling out again, "Mr. Proudstump?" She proceeds up the stairs, not expecting any good news.
"Wh-wh-who's there!?" a trembling voice called out from the back of the hall. "I warn you, I'm n-not going to fall for your disguises! I hit you good earlier, and I'll d-do it again if I have to!" There was nobody in sight on the upper floor - going by sound, however, it seemed like the voice was coming from behind a cleverly-concealed panel in the very back of the house.
Shutai tilted her head, considering and hanging back. Her current form was...less pleasant to most people, but she didn't want to waste time shifting back if the voice proved to be another danger.
"Sir, I promise you're in no danger." Hopefully adding a second female voice to the first would help. "If you mean the creature that shifts forms, it has been dealt with and everything is safe, I promise."
"It's true, sir. The shapechanger has been dealt with. You can come out now." She takes a chance, sheathing her weapon to appear less threatening. She holds, for now, waiting for the upstairs voice to appear.
Hisoka follows suit, sheathing his own weapon without hesitation. He was just as comfortable with it there as out anyway. He allowed the women to take the lead, stepping back and leaning against the wall beside the door, peering out to the front of the house in case they had more unexpected company.
Slowly - very slowly - the panel creaked open, and a halfling who looked just like the disguise of the creature you'd slain downstairs peeked out, counting your numbers. "Oh... thank the gods..." he whispered, wavering and almost collapsing. Like the creature you'd slain, he seemed like he'd been badly wounded by something. "I was just t-tending to my snakes when the creature attacked me. I managed to poison it, but it drained so much... so much of my blood before I could get free. A-are my pets all right!?" he asked, suddenly looking quite worried. "They saved my life, they did, biting that stalker!"
"I don't know about the snakes, Mr. Proudstump. I don't believe we've seen any since we've been here. It's fortunate we came when we did." She casts a meaningful glance at Shutai, who was much better at smooth-talking then the warpriestess was.
With a sigh Shutai slipped back into her human form, slipping her mask back on as she did. Her bare feet padded along the floor as she moved closer. "They sound like brave creatures, Mr Proudstump." The Kitsune didn't truly trust the man was what he seemed, but she wasn't exactly defenseless even as a human. And fangs would likely freak out someone who was already injured.
"With your consent, I'd like to heal you, and then we can see if your snakes are still fine." The impostor had been pretty hurt, and maybe the snakes had been more trouble than they were worth to deal with. Maybe. "It will only take a moment to close your wounds, although we might need a stronger healer for anything else that creature did."
"Y-yes, please." the halfling said, moving over for healing... in what could only be seen as a gesture of trust, given the abilities of the monster you'd just slain.
Shutai nodded and laid a hand on his shoulder, channeling her magical reservoir into healing energies. It tingled slightly as it passed through her hand and into the halfling.
Cure Light Wounds:1d8 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
She glanced at him from behind the mask. "Is that enough?"
"I-it'll do for now, I suppose." the halfling said, nodding in thanks. "I'm terribly sorry for rushing you in these circumstances, only m-my snakes really are important to me." He was clearly in a hurry to go check on them, though seemed entirely happy to go either in front of you, behind you, or even in the middle of you as you preferred. Once he'd finally made it downstairs, though, he opened up a back door and let out a cry of joy as he looked at the serpents gathered within a well-tended garden. "Oh, thank all the gods! And our new friends, of course!" he said, picking up one of the snakes and gently stroking its head as he walked back over. "You're all such marvelous companions, aren't you? You can eat all of that nasty stalker if you want to." he cooed. The snake didn't seem to have much of an opinion either way, though it was definitely friendly towards the halfling holding it. "That thing is a faceless stalker. There's a small tribe of them here in the swamp, but they've been dwindling for ages." he added by way of explanation. "Too much inbreeding, see. That one must've run away from them... ah, and you're welcome to anything it was carrying!"
Shelby cocks her head as the Halfling baby-talks the snake, keeping her expression carefully neutral. She waits for him to be satisfied that his pets are ok, listening to his information on the faceless stalkers. "A dreadful enemy, sir. But we are actually here about another foe that resides in these swamps, the nearby goblin tribe. Do you have any information on them that can help us? They have become quite a menace to travelers recently."
Hisoka approaches from his post at the door, nursing his wounded hand. He closes the last of the stretch carefully, hiding his wounded hand behind his back in case it offends the snake. "Do you mind if I greet myself to them?"
Should he not mind.:
He cautiously extends his hand, palm up before the snake, allowing it to smell it and approach should it choose.
Handle Animal:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28Beckoning the snake to him.
"Wonderful companions you have, Walthus. You're blessed to have such allies as these."
Walthus' snake slithered forward as Hisoka beckoned, using its tongue to test scents... before gently nudging Hisoka's hand in a clear show of affection. The halfling smiled broadly, clearly pleased to see someone else with an interest in animals (and such outstanding ability to handle them). "Yes, they have become bolder, haven't they?" he asked, looking up at Selbarina. "I'd hoped that everything the Heroes of Sandpoint did a few years back would have kept them down, but I suppose even the worst campaigns won't trouble goblins for long. I'm not sure where they got all those fireworks, either. Their village is down the old fish trail, and it's hard to miss - they've built up a wooden fort with walls and everything-" An impressive feat for goblins, who often had trouble placing a square peg into a square hole, "-and it's kept them safe over the years. I don't think it will be too hard to break into if you really want to go, though. They're... not the best construction workers."
Shutai checked the dead creature for any valuables. It didn't seem likely it would have much. But it seemed like it might be worth checking. "Can they use the fireworks as weapons or traps?" Fireworks could explode, and she'd heard Goblins were...creative when it came to such things. She didn't want to loose a limb to the vicious little creatures traps.
"Unless you can all see perfectly in the dark, might as well go while it's still light out." the halfling said. "Darkness doesn't bother goblins any, and their home's such a mess that you want any advantage for footing you can get." he explained. "And I wouldn't be surprised if they did find a way to use the fireworks as weapons - goblins are nothing if not creative in finding ways to hurt people."
Meanwhile, the dead faceless stalker had a set of leather armor - sized for small creatures - as well as 30 GP in coins held in a bag on its belt.
Shutai passed the gold out to Serlbarnia and Hisoka. Glancing at the armour, she looked over to the Halfling. "Would this be of any use to you, Mr Proudfoot? None of us will fit into it."
Shelby nods her thanks to Shutai as she passes her a share of the gold, then nods again at her suggestion that the halfling keep the armor. "Thank you for the information, Mr. Proudstump. We'll make sure to check on you on our way back out. For now, we have to ensure these goblins don't keep causing trouble."
She waits a few moments to see if her companions have anything to add, then proceeds to exit the small home. Once outside, she again waits for them to ready themselves, ready to go down the Old Fish Trail to find the fort.
The halfling hesitated, then shook his head. "I don't know how to wear armor properly anyways." he said, sounding slightly regretful about that detail. "Keep it - maybe you can at least sell it for a few coins or something. Oh, but feel free to come back if you need someplace to rest while exploring the swamp. I, ah, wouldn't mind having such capable people around for a little while."
Just let me know when you're ready to head down the trail. You can assume that Mr. Proudfoot has given you accurate directions about where to go.
After saying farewell to the halfing and taking care of any last-minute issues, you're able to head back up the trail through the swamp and down the Lost Coast Road. As promised, there's a small path further down (Area B on the map) that leads much deeper into the swamp. The sun is high in the sky by the time you approach the village of the goblins.
A filthy village-fort surrounded by a crude wooden palisade sits atop a low hummock of solid ground here. A wooden gate in the north wall of the palisade lies in shambles on the ground. Nearby, a large, algae-filled pool on the northeastern side breaks the palisade and allows a clearer view into the village’s interior, which consists of a collection of ramshackle huts connected by wooden walkways, all built on thick wooden stilts. You're unable to see any moving figures within the fort - entry through the broken gate would be simple, but you could also try climbing up the walls (not a terribly difficult thing to do) or - if you were really brave - make a running leap over the short end of the pool. You'd need to be able to jump at least ten feet to make it, but it would be possible.
Shutai shifted back into her Kitsune form and cast Mage Armour on herself. Hopefully the spell would last long enough to see her through the Goblins den.
"How do you wish to enter? I am...not excellent at climbing."
He examined the goblin settlement with a trapper's eye. It looked possible but risky to try and make the jump over the algae pool. Climbing the walls looked simple enough but he'd been proven wrong before.
"Honestly I think the front gate is our best bet. We shouldn't split up until we have a better understanding of the situation further in and even then, I'd like to avoid losing anyone to chance. In any case ambush is a risk."
Shelby sighs, nodding. "Perhaps the front door would be best. In that case, though, we need to strike hard and fast. Most importantly, stick together. If we spread out, we invite each of us getting surrounded by the creatures."
As the group approaches the gate, she keeps her eyes out for any goblins. Perception:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Passing through the front gates and into the village area is... quite easy, actually. Selbarina isn't able to see any sign of goblins hanging around. Well, live goblins, anyway. This open area of the village is home to a large, muddy pit, and inside of it are a number of cremated goblin bodies. It's hard to be entirely sure, but it looks like at least a dozen bodies are in there.
Mussel twitching at the scent of roasted flesh, Shutai glanced around. "Did someone else take up the offer and get here first? Or did they have an accident with those fireworks?" The Kitsune moved forwards cautiously, on the theory that at least some of the Goblins were likely alive. She didn't believe for a second they were all dead. Shutai glanced at the bodies, trying to see if the ears had been removed on any of them. It was likely difficult to tell since they'd been burned, but you never knew.
"There's likely more than a dozen of them. This might just be a way of disposing of their dead. Be careful." Shelby's tone indicates she, too, thinks something strange is going on. She follows Shutai, keeping her eyes open for threats. The silence here was unnerving.
As he looks over the bodies, his grip on the hilt of his katana tightens as suspicions build in his mind. "I wonder what happened here. Do you see any signs of the fireworks they were said to be in possession of?"
He takes a moment to search himself, scouring the ground and surrounding area for any clues.
"Do you think we should check the buildings?" Shutai asked, scrapping the worst of the mud off one paw as she looked around. Of course, simply setting fire to the rest of the village was an option, but she did want to grab some ears. The money would be useful.
Shelby looks at her foster sister, nodding her agreement. The buildings would likely be able to tell a story of this place far better than the grounds. Any survivors might be huddled inside, as well. Her weapon at the ready, she moves with the others towards the nearest building.
Wary from his last encounter with the unpleasant, Hisoka draws his katana and nods his assent. He keeps pace with the ladies, even as his eyes veer to either side looking still for danger of any kind.
Stealth:1d20 ⇒ 16 For their approach to the first building.
Perception:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14For detecting anything within, with hearing or sight should their be a line of vision inside.
Let me know if there's anything for the last perception, if not cool.
This room has clearly seen some use over time, and some of that use has been recent - within the last day, even. There's no sign of the fireworks, though, either here or in the pit... nor any sign of the goblins themselves. There's a door to the southwest, evidently leading out to the paths the goblins have built between the village, but nothing of real interest or value here.
Brow furrowed in consternation, Shelby continues out the door to the path leading to the building directly south, her pace quickening. She suspected the goblins either dead or fled, and just wanted to get this over with, at this point. Her glory would have to wait a while longer, it seemed.
Shutai followed, read to attack or defend depending on how things went. She also scanned the area constantly. Having nearly been killed once by the hideous little monsters, she had no desire to fall victim to there ambushing skills again.
This ten-foot-square hut seems to serve as a watchtower of sorts - numerous windows look across the area, both within the camp and out over the walls, and a few empty racks line the walls. The only other exit is a doorway that leads further south, into a hall.
As Shutai looks around, she's able to see something at the very edge of her vision, through a window, but there's nothing there by the time she actually turns to look.
