"Uh, what?" Altai looks over at Jody, scratching his head. "So is your grandfather in the house with the hobgoblin leadership? They are holding him as a hostage?"
"Welp, that's one of them things that just ain't known.
There's lots more to that doublewide than meets the eye. There's other realms in there, altogether unrelated to what we consider time, and space. It's a doublewide unlike anything you've ever experienced. All I know, is I'm pretty sure gramps is in there somewhere's, whatever that even means."
Jody is totally damn serious when he says this, too.
"So, we're talking about a gnomish version of Baba Yaga's hut, then?"
"So, we're talking about a gnomish version of Baba Yaga's hut, then?"
Jody: "I couldn't altogether rightly tell you."
"Me think you plan suck big one. You plan make big fuss, get all hobbo come see what go one, and then they laugh at hobbo with croco. Me say we get up close to dock and we kill hobbo there, surprise, and at same time Deaf and Blind and maybe anyone else who have bow or spell can kill quiet from far shoot hobbo at top of stair and kill him too. Jane say word, 'co-or-din-ate'. All over quick. Then we go up stair. You save big spell for big hobbo."
"Hmmmm,... Ah likes yer plan Altee, but yeh gots tah admit dat short-n-scruffy heah has a poin'. Deh Hobbo's er jes as likelee tah cum an' see whut deh commotion is all abou' as dey are tah take covuh. Even frum dem nasty-bugs. Howevah, Ah says we try both at deh same time!"
He grins like a canary about to swallow a cat.
"We gets an arrew off inta dah sentry under cover of yer spells, an' it looks like deh bugs killed 'em. Ah gets a sneak attack on deh sentry at deh bottom, and iff'n dey still aint runnin' by den, ah'll conjure up a REAL cloud o' deh lil vamp bugs tah send 'em packin'! Den we carry on wit' yer door-by-door hobbo-hunt. Dat outta be messy enough tah make even Gittik heah giddy!"
He says with a grin.
"Huh. Maybe you are right, Gittik. After all, if the hobgoblins hang out in the big gnome hut, perhaps we would be better off trying to approach more quietly." Altai turns to the swamp cousins. "How far is it from the dock to the top of the stair? And is that spot visible from the hobgoblin headquarter?"
Jody:
"The dock is on the east side of the island. The stairway runs north 40 feet, and then west up to the plateau; 20 feet. I don't think they can see him from the doublewide; depends if they're out and about or not. He'll sound an alarm horn if he gets a chance, though."
"Dat's alrigh'. We jes' don' giv' em a chance, izall." ELgan replies with another feral grin.
"Whutcha t'ink Altee? Doo we goez in all spell-fury lahk? Er sneak in 'n take out as many ez we kin befo'e dey notice? If'n we hits right at early dawn, mos' of dem shuud still be sleepin', er jes gitten up. When we gits mor'en a few stickin they heads out, DAT'S when we call in deh bug patrol, real 'n 'maginary!"
"Pointy, you know nothing too! Hobbos sleep in day, walk around at night. They probably all awake at dawn. We go hit them when sun is up, so we can see and maybe them asleep."
"Hey, Jody, are all the hobgoblins normally in the big house? How about the black-clad whatshisname?"
"Me like new plan. Not so stupid as last plan."
Any plan where my magical prowess is displayed is a good plan, Gittik my boy. With my mystical powers, and the varied talents of this group, we have nothing to fear.
Jody:
"Yeah; mostly in the big house, or through the big house to elsewhere? S***, I don't know, but mostly in there. Sometimes, they come out and, youknow, do the perimeter, or whatever. The veiled one...we never see him come and go. Never. But there's an invisible one....I'm sure of it. I think it's the veiled one. I think when the veiled one comes out, he does so unseeable."
Just let me know whatever plan you guys wanna roll with, and tell me when you're ready to roll; I'll prolly start an intro to the whole grande finale trailer park hobgoblin battle tonight or whatever.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” says Beldan in response to Altai’s second plan. “Hey, we’ve killed giants, and demon wolves and pirates … how tough can a bunch of hobgoblins be … right?”
"They'll be plenty tough. Keep in mind that Jag-Doom is the one who tells those giants and demon wolves what to do. Still, I think we can take them if we fight smart."
Ready?....
When you get your spells and buffs and all, read the spoiler:
Jody and C.E. will row you guys in, covered in sticky alligator hides on the bottom of the dugout. It's.....stinky there. There's a fish somebody forgot about.
"Hidejer scent," says C.E.
The dugout works it's way slowly up the river a few miles through the morning mist. Eventually, you approach a massive lake, and right where the lake pours into the river there's a hilly island girdled by trees, about 40 foot high to a plateau (the island,) 160 feet wide, and 260 feet long from north to south. The plateau is beset with 10 bizarre rectangular metal huts, rusted and pitted, damasked in odd rococo filigrees and steel girdings, with floral patterning and ivy designs.
They are all 10 feet wide and 30 feet long, the eleventh is twice as wide.
Coordinates...
the dock is spaces CD 13-18, at ab 15-16 is a small shack. A staircase runs from c15 north to c1, and there is a 5X5 square at c1, where it turns and ascends 20 feet west to the island's plateau. One hobgoblin is at c1 on that square, and one is at c15, sitting on a chair in front of the small shack. He doesn't look all that excited by the canoe's approach. The canoe draws up to take up e13-18. Everything AB is pretty much steeply sloping, wooded hill; everything c,d,+ is pretty much water, except for the stairway, dock, canoe... Pick a square to start in, roll a hide roll, and if you beat an 11, you have surprise and can perpetrate an action.
Gittik leaps from the canoe and swings wildly at the hobgoblin.
He looks all surprised, and almost busts his ass trying to lunge up out of his chair and draw the finely polished steel of his longsword...
Elgan follows the canoe through the river. He remains completely submerged whenever possible. If he is seen, he'll just look like another croc looking for a 'hand-out'.
The shifted elf is taken by surprise as much as the Guard is! But he quickly recovers and charges from his hiding place in the river to attack the off-balance guard.
Elgan's 'When Crocs Attack' roll: (1d20 6=25, 1d6 3=4)
Big ass croc lunges onto the dock, snapping the hob by the leg. It's a flesh wound, though a distressing sitcheation. C.E. laughs.
"Liviok!" three missile, appearing fiery in form, streak unerringly toward the hobgoblin, dissipating as the strike him in the nether regions(3d4 3=11 magic missile)
BTW- mage armor is up, before the next encounter Riese will be Altering Self into a lizardfolk.
You hit the one up the staircase, right?
He takes three streaking missiles to the upper thorax, starts wheezing, coughing up blood, and fumbling around for his signal horn.
"Drat! Jody! Get the guy on top of the stairs!" Altai bounds out of the boat and launches a swarm of magical projectiles at the sentry grabbing the horn.
At that Jody stares you for a second, Altai. It stabs a little.
He nocks an arrow, and sends it through the hob's neck as he raises his horn.
Then he looks...."drat? It's a killing floor, boy, you can cuss right."
Stiggy! Beldan! Fight!!!
(just the one by the damn shack not 15 feet away left.)
Beldan pulls himself out of the stinky canoe, and stumbles forward to attack the seated hobbo, stabbing at him with his rapier.
You nail him but good. Sneak attack damage applies. He's holding in a good deal of his blood, but the boards of the dock are all too red with it.
STIGGY!!!
Stiggy axes him to the wall.
200 xp...
Wooden stairway up 40 feet; turns left up 20 feet to the plateau and the trailer park.
What are you doing?
"You stay here. Me go look, scout."
There's a small enclave of trailers, about 10 which are 10 feet wide, and 30 feet long. The eleventh is a double wide, 20 by 30, across the plateau perhaps 150 feet away from your position at the top of the stair. It has a single door.
No windows. People are milling about; villagers, swampers, one wench hangs up laundry on a twine between two trailers. One is peeling taters.
A pig here, a mangy mongrel there; 3 chickens scritching in the firmament.
No hobgoblins, though.
spot dc 16
Gittik waves for the others to come up.
Riese:
As Gittik gives the 'all clear' signal, Altai cautiously makes his way up the stair. Along the way, he casts another spell.
This big fat dude comes out the door of his trailer, stretching and yawning.
He sees you guys, stops, and scoots back in the trailer.
Another old guy is with a cane iswalking across the courtyard; sees you guys and starts high tailing it into a trailer, double hopping on his good leg.
It's like a western before the damn shootout.
Elgan shimmers, and shakes himself as he settles into his more familiar wolf form. He silently trots up the stairs following Gittik, staying behind him, but close enough to help out if needed.
1d20 8=19 spot. There's an invisible one on the roof! Imbelia furtion de'flar! 5d6=19 damage from Firebolt, DC18 reflex for 1/2.
Riese; Gittik(you can see this now too)
everybody else; hears a stream of swear words from the roof of the trailer Riese just flamethowered...sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks, only evil.
sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks, only evil.
sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks, only evil.
sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks, only evil.
Elgan-the-wolf flinches as the fiery bolts streak overhead, then winces at the high-pitched stream of invectives that follow. He turns back to look at Altai and Riese with a quizzical expression on his canine face.
;P
An old fat white haired guy comes around the corner and scolds Riese:
"bo dum set muh ruf ufahr!" and shakes his cane.
sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks, only evil.
What?! Who is this 'Alvin'?
"Hey! How'd we get here? Those scarecrows are powerful."
Elgan-the-wolf flinches as the fiery bolts streak overhead, then winces at the high-pitched stream of invectives that follow. He turns back to look at Altai and Riese with a quizzical expression on his canine face.
"Um..... The hobgoblins must have heard that. Let's get to it."