Tom and Will kinda aren't 100% keen to like the idear...
"There's danger there tuih. And the other way, there's at least dry land under thee...It can be done, I suppose..."
"How about we find a nice, quiet cove somewhere, then? We need to prep before going in, and I don't really don't want to do that in town."
"Yeah, I don't really want to go sailing at night, but that's a good idea if we can do it."
Tom says he could run you guys up to Fort Bale first.
"It's packed with military men. It should be safe."
"Dat's alrigh' wit me Chere. Whut ya'all tink? Wit all o' dis, " He says, indicating the remains of the Teiflings, "Ah don' really relish bein' ambush'd on dah waves while I's sleepin."
"Sounds like a plan."
That is a good idea, Tom. You hold a natural sensibility that is rarely displayed by most. You seem like one who could learn the mystic arts with such a mind. If you have interest I would be most willing to help you follow such a path....
That is a good idea, Tom. You hold a natural sensibility that is rarely displayed by most. You seem like one who could learn the mystic arts with such a mind. If you have interest I would be most willing to help you follow such a path....
<points finger>
"Hee hee!"
That is a good idea, Tom. You hold a natural sensibility that is rarely displayed by most. You seem like one who could learn the mystic arts with such a mind. If you have interest I would be most willing to help you follow such a path....
He proffers his big meaty hands toward you;...
"I thoot about it hounce, a while, but Hive such beefy stranglers' hands, no good for dainty somantics. Better for histing a swaird, I reckon."
Off to Fort Bale!
Goodly winds give the little boat a boost; you're off the coast of Fort Bale by about 4 in the afternoon. There's a wide sandy beach, and a slope upward to where the coastal road winds, and back off to the north of the road sits the wooden fortress on a turf hill.
The wooden beams look singed here and there, and all around the turfy hill the detritus of battle lays scattered and picked by crows.
On the beach there's a scattering of battledead. You spot, as you are 400 yards out, 4-5 man-sized forms moving amongst the fallen and...they seem to be....dismembering them to some extent???
"Hey, look like they have big battle. Maybe shiny boy and soldier all dead. Maybe they have treasure, we take from dead. Who that by dead outside?"
"HAIL! WHAT NEWS OF THE FORT! IS BALE INTACT?" Riese yells to the figures.
The crew stops the grubby work at hand.
They pull missile weapons, and one blows a horn.
"Who goes there?" one of them says with a Keolandish accent.
<fairly quietly>
"Hey, them talk funny. We kill them?"
I kid you! I am kidder!
"We are men-at-arms from Saltmarsh. We're looking for Sir Pallios of Seaton's Second Cavalry."
"Well bring her ashore, lad!"
Tom does so.
As this is happening, he blasts his horn again, and the door to the fort opens.
The men on the beach are cheering. He says "Reinforcements!!! Reinforcements!!! Are you the advance party? How many men are coming?"
“Men? Hmmm … do dwarves and elves and halflings and wizards count? ‘Cos that’s going to have a big impact on the final number… I mean c’mon, seriously, how many do they think we can cram into this boat?”
"Men....women....kenkus.....how many, tot?"
Altai jumps ashore. "Um, ah, I'm afraid we are it, at least for now. Saltmarsh might be sending troops that we don't know about, of course. Now, why are you slicing up the dead? Any necromancers on the loose?"
"There's so many goblin dead we can't school them up in a day. We're gimping their legs, so they can't become walking dead; maybe.....crawling dead like; not so tough that way.
We have to burn ours..."
The ebullience of the men seems to fade when they realize that the lot of ye is all that's coming.
"I'm Festus. Corporal Festus. Pleased to make your qaintance."
He's a youngish man in chain shirt and Seaton tabarding. He's grimy from head to toe.
"Nine then I suppose, if Tom and Will are staying. And a dog. Yeah, alright, we're hardly a legion ... but we've killed trolls, pirate captains, wizards and worse ... we'll hold our own and account for ourselves."
They perk up a bit.
"How about Hill giants?" asks Festus. They all nervously laugh a bit.
“We killed some sort of ogre or giant out on the road between here and Saltmarsh,” Beldan says doubtfully. “Could have been a hill gaint…”
"Me dug is worth 2 men an' smarter then thet wizerd."
<Hooks his thumb at Rice.>
"Roo ren?"
The wood elf steps forward with a frown. "Whut yah mean, 'walkin' dead'? Yeh gots a nercamanceh heah?!" He asks, with a trifle to much intensity.
Hello sir. I am Riese and this group is the Regulators. Any one of this lot is worth 10 good men. With my spells and the varied talents of my team you have nothing to fear now. If you would like me to I could just burn up all the dead goblins so they don't bother you. Just gather them into a pile and I shall call fire upon them for several minutes until they are burnt up. What is the greatest need this fort has for a group such as ours?
"Aye, we'll pilem, ye torchum oop."
"I sooth, Sir Pallios would know what to direct you for good action. He's in charge now. The Neheli Housemen have quit the place.
Aye, there's saying that undead are about, either here or in the Hool Marshes. All sort of bad sort in there.
The goblins, and others they come last night for a fight. They don't lay siege per se; just harass us and Bale for a night, then split up to forage liberally (in the words of General Sherman) over the area a day or two. Then they'll form up; try to give us havoc at the fort for a night.
Say there's bringing up hill giants too, to rain down rocks on all our heads." says Festus, thoughtfully twisting his wispy, scraggly beard twixt two dirt-ground fingers.
“Rightio, take us to Sir Pallios then,” says Beldan. To his companions he says “Is that the guy who passed by the Manor?”
"Aye, we'll pilem, ye torchum oop."
Riese starts dropping fiery bursts on the pile until they are reduced to ash and bone. (He can do it all day if needed!)
"Hey, dirty boy, what tribe these goblins?"
"Hey, dirty boy, what tribe these goblins?"
"I'm effed if I know. Must be a few different tribes, that. There isn't A tribe with a thousand goblins, I know that."
"Do you know if they have some sort of leadership that's stirring them up? Goblins don't normally act this way, do they?"
"Don't know that....hill giants come with them, but they're universally a breed of mooncalf.
There are hobgoblins and bugbears; the odd ogre here and there. I couldn't see all those tribes of gobbers organizing into an army without falling upon eachother without some kinda backing."
"Heah now, Gittck, Have yeh evah heahd abou' sumbody,... er' sumthin,... stirrin' up all de goblin-kin at once-lahk? Whut sorta critter wou'd have dat sort a clout? Any Idears?" The wood elf asks the feral Hobniz.
Gittik:
To his companions, quietly, Beldan says, “Goblins and even the odd ogre are one thing, but I really don’t look forward to a stand up, drag out brawl with a bunch of giants. I wonder, if this lot knows where they come from, we can set up some sort of ambush?”
You're shown into the Fort.
Riese sees his buddy 'Patch in there; he now has a nice silver eye patch.
Shown into the main building, to a planning room with a small map of the fort. Pellios is there.
"Ah, well met, gentlemen. Riese, it's good to see you."
He looks haggard; tired; he looks like utter crap.
"We're beset by this hellish mob of humanoids. I started with 200 men and I've lost....nearly a third of them.
There's wounded I would like your boat to get to Saltmarsh.
(I haven't heard from Becton in a month; he might come back, I don't know but he'll need to level and I don't think I'll dmpc him until he levels. Give Elgan a wand of cure light wounds with 50 charges, and Becton's going to go with Tom and Will back to Saltmarsh with wounded.)
They can't press my walls, but they have two hill giants used as living catapults. We can't get to them through the mob that shows up when they come. If we can't take them out, eventually a wall will break and they'll be upon us.
They must camp somewhere to the west."
Riese, my good man,....do you think your Regulators can seek and destroy these wretched creatures?"
Hello sir, good to see your valiant post is still intact. The patch is nice! Makes you look regal, like a leader of men.
My men are amazing. Together my group can face any challenge. If you know of where our talents would be most useful and point us in that direction, we will take care of the problem.
It pains me to hear of the lose of your men, if only we could have come earlier.....but fear not! For we shall strive to end this threat ASAP.
Are there any wounded that can be patched up and put back into the fray with some divine powers to heal them? We have a preacher among us who is a faith-filled and devout wielder of his lord's power.
Our boat is at your call. Perhaps the men that return to town can rally some troops or help enlist new recruits for your fort?
I have a few men here that may not be the best equipped but they excel at sailing and rafting, if you could, I would like to see that they have a bit better gear. Perhaps some Chain Shirts, good sturdy crossbows and some tempered steel to help them protect themselves. Tom and..um....Will? This man will hand you off to one of his to see that you are properly attired in this dangerous area of conflict. I would hate to see either of you hurt (stares directly at Tom the entire time he states this.), and could not bear the idea of losing a man.....men like you to a battle.
"Ogres? Yeh, Ah've got a cup'la tricks dat dat outta hol'dem still long 'nuff fer us ta git a shot at 'em. If'n yer wounded 'er hurt bad, Beldan kin go wit' 'em back ta Saltmarsh. Don' worry Beldan, Ah'll kep dah group alive till yeh git back!" The elf grins.
"Yes," says the Commander. "I'll see those guys are equipped."
Tom puts his hand on Riese's shoulder; gives it a friendly squeeze.
"Doworry aboot me boss. I'll get these guys back t' Saltmarsh and rendevous with you in a day or so."
Will cocks his head in confusion...
The Master Sargent shows you guys to a group room in the main bailey of the fortress. It's somewhat cramped, but it has a fireplace and decent bedding. Stiggy should prolly sleep near the fireplace so his windings can waft up out of the room though.
"You guys can unload in there. Chow's at about 5 bells.
They might attack tonight, who knows."
Guess Riese has got some keen Gaydar.
The Master Sargent shows you guys to a group room in the main bailey of the fortress. It's somewhat cramped, but it has a fireplace and decent bedding. Stiggy should prolly sleep near the fireplace so his windings can waft up out of the room though.
"You guys can unload in there. Chow's at about 5 bells.
They might attack tonight, who knows."
"I'll sleep near th' fireplace, 'at lest bottle ay rum's comin' it mah erse fiercely."
<Throws his bedroll down near the fireplace.>
"Ogres? Yeh, Ah've got a cup'la tricks dat dat outta hol'dem still long 'nuff fer us ta git a shot at 'em. If'n yer wounded 'er hurt bad, Beldan kin go wit' 'em back ta Saltmarsh. Don' worry Beldan, Ah'll kep dah group alive till yeh git back!" The elf grins.
"Hey man, he's the man of the cloth," points to Becton, "not me. What, do all us humans look alike to you?"
Hello sir, good to see your valiant post is still intact. The patch is nice! Makes you look regal, like a leader of men.
My men are amazing. Together my group can face any challenge. If you know of where our talents would be most useful and point us in that direction, we will take care of the problem.
It pains me to hear of the lose of your men, if only we could have come earlier.....but fear not! For we shall strive to end this threat ASAP.
Are there any wounded that can be patched up and put back into the fray with some divine powers to heal them? We have a preacher among us who is a faith-filled and devout wielder of his lord's power.
Our boat is at your call. Perhaps the men that return to town can rally some troops or help enlist new recruits for your fort?I have a few men here that may not be the best equipped but they excel at sailing and rafting, if you could, I would like to see that they have a bit better gear. Perhaps some Chain Shirts, good sturdy crossbows and some tempered steel to help them protect themselves. Tom and..um....Will? This man will hand you off to one of his to see that you are properly attired in this dangerous area of conflict. I would hate to see either of you hurt (stares directly at Tom the entire time he states this.), and could not bear the idea of losing a man.....men like you to a battle.