Poog's eyes glow with devious delight as his faith in Zarongel is rewarded with beautiful hot flames.
This pitiful fence stand no chance against beautiful hot flames.
Poog spends the next 36 seconds transfixed on the spreading fire, willing it to become an inferno.
Chuffy hold ground, motioning other best-Licktoads to get closer.
Mogmurch approach, bomb in hand, though oblivious horse not even know what coming.
Poog tenderly nurse flames. Zarongel truly bless this babyember with considerable pedigree.
Zarongel wills flame to spread to next bit of fence.
Stomp continue drinking like big dumb horse he is.
Reta sneak closer...
Mogmurch savors the anticipation before the conflagration. He continues sneaking forward, ever ready to launch his deadly attack.
Chuffy bravely sneak up on Horse Beast.
Sneaky Chuffy": 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (18) + 16 = 34
Chuffy slice!
Horse Bane Dog Slicer": 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 111d4 + 3 - 1 + 1d6 + 2d6 ⇒ (3) + 3 - 1 + (1) + (5, 1) = 12
As an aside, Chuffy goes as far as he is able so as to set up flanking with Reta when she reaches the Horse Beast.
[i]Sorry about the formatting. I thought I had double posted so I edited what I thought was my second post, but then realized I had been looking at the preview. So I went back in my browser history and just grabbed the actual text of the previous version of the post.
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Poog continues to stare longingly into the fence fire. He reminds himself not to touch the flames on several occasions. As much as he wants to hold the fire, he knows that it is not wise to try to grab it. But he wants to grab it. If only he could reach out and touch the fire, then the fire could become part of him and he could become part of the fire. How glorious that would be.
He almost touched it just then.
He reminds himself that it never works, that no matter how hard he tries he will never hold the fire. The fire cannot be controlled by a goblin's hands, not even if that goblin were Poog da bestest cleric of Zarongel.
Maybe Poog could try to put some fire in his pickle sack... No, that has never worked either.
Poog resolves himself to being content watching the pitiful fence slowly consumed by Zarongel's holy might.
Chuffy approach horse menacingly, and with one fierce stab plant sacred sword into horse. Horse does not like or appreciate.
Mogmurch does not give horse much time to pontificate on stab-wound before broadsiding beast with bomb, concussing it to ground.
Poog stare ever-fascinated by his creation. Gentle southerly wind feed emberbaby well. Enough time, emberbaby may actually get name.
Stomp thrash ground; more impressive if he were upright.
Horse stop thrashing... just snorting last snorts.
Now that best Licktoads taken care of immediate threat, can see boat real well. Only seems to be one (easy) way up, a plank that leads from front of boat down into mud. Steep, but climbable. Plank even has handrails, but lots of vines and stuff might make a goblin slippy-slip down.
Chuffy ask Mogmurch blow up wasper nest? Chuffy Dogslicer no good for chopping wasper!
Mogmurch holds his hand up to signal the party to stop. "Too obviclear, too easy," he hisses. "See mudball? Stingwing house. Useful as trap, not so much as door knocker. Mogmurch suggest altricate route." He twists the magic ring around his finger and grins slyly. "Reta! Gimme rope!" he politely requests.
He circles the boat, carefully sizing it up for locations that would be relatively easy to scale and secure the rope to.
Poog, his attention finally away from fire given the most holy death of ugly stupid horse, looks to Chuffy in confusion, "What talking about wasper?"
Chuffy exasperatedly say "Poog, Chuffy no can slice-chop wasper! They job for fire-tossers like Mogmurch."
"What wasper? Smarty mask one say mud ball is trap and Licktoads go other way. No wasper. You crazy."
Mogmurch scout for good locations to board ship that not involve slippy-slip board or suspect mudballs. The Ship stands in middle of swamp. Maybe ten foot climb from ground to rail where Licktoad could climb aboard.
Mogmurch frowns. "Slippy shippy!" he declares. "No easy climb, without rope or ladder or suchsome."
A faint memory jabs Mogmurch in the brain. "Poog! Still have ladderpatch?" He starts working out the plan: "Poog realifies ladder. Licktoads steady ladder by ship. Reta climb ladder, tie rope to ship. Licktoads climb rope. All Licktoads on ship!"
After a moment's thought, he adds, "Then Licktoads uncarelessly catch mudball in sack. Use stingwings as bomb in pinch!"
Honestly, he thinks, what would these people do without me?
"Poog just got idea! Poog showed Gutwad how best Poog is and Poog got patches. Poog got ladder patch can get us up ship. Poog think Reta climb ship with rope, tie rope to ship. Licktoads climb rope. All Licktoads on ship!
"Great idea, right? Remind Poog later and Poog tell you about idea for Sting wing bomb."
Mogmurch narrows his eyes.
At the very first opportunity, he thinks, I am going to make Poog watch me eat his toad alive.
Reta laughs, "Sounds like good plan, muchly like it, keep other licktoads out of harms way and Reta get to go first.
Reta do anything keep Poogy safe, especially if it means more glory for Reta.
Poog activates the ladder patch on his very useful cloak of usefulness. A ladder magically grows in front of the wide eyed gobbos.
"Here, Reta. Poog make ladder for Reta to climb. Take rope too."
"Poog! You and Chuffy brace ladder so Mogmurch can steal frog!"
In retrospect, I probably should have kept part of that to myself.
With Licktoad teamwork, Licktoads get magic ladder propped against ship for Reta to climb. Reta climb real easy and give ship good luck before climbing on board.
With no imminent threat, Reta secure ladder to railing for easier Licktoad ascent.
Chuffy climb very sneaky onto boat.
Poog scurries up the ladder, keeping a close eye on Mogmurch given the surprising revelation of his intent as a frog-napper.
Once he crests the top, Poog takes a careful look around.
Mogmurch, dismayed that Poog probably suspects his intentions towards his frog, grumbles to himself and starts to climb the ladder.
When he reaches the deck, he glances around. The skull-bedecked door does not bode well, and he'd rather not be caught off-guard.
Chuffy perceives?
Mogmurch softly growls, "Dogsies..."
He draws his club and a bomb, ready to do battle at a moment's notice. "Plan: Licktoads go round shiphouse circlewise, sneaklike. Chuffy and Reta lead. No dogsies, we go up and look. Fireworks wait til dogsies dead."
"Poog hear doggy sounds. The doggy sounds are coming from places many."
Poog draws his dogslicer and attempts to sneak around like Mogmurch has suggested.
Trying to be as quiet as he can, Poog crouches down and attempts to duck walk. With his first step, Poog falls flat on his large face and his lucky toad, Dogfinder, jumps away.
"DOGFINDER! COME BACK TO POOG!" Poog shouts at the wayward amphibian.
Reta rolls her eyes at Poog's sudden outburst and pats her pocket, knowing that Spotol would never do something so embarrassing, before gripping her dogslicer tightly ready for the puppies.
"So much for sneaky sneaky, silly Poog."
I can't stay mad at him even ifses I wanted to.
Mogmurch straightens up his posture. Stealth is, at this point, a pipe dream.
Nice to see showboating Poog taken down a peg or two, he thinks, but if that frog gets eaten by anything other than me, I'll be cheated of justice. This is unacceptable!
Mogmurch pursues the damnable, delicious beast.
Oh wait! ShowBOATing! We're on a BOAT! Venkelvore, I'm funny.
Chuffy remains stealthful. Three Goblins seen does not mean Chuffy seen. Besides, Chuffy doesn't see or hear these dogs Poog shouts about, so the dogs shouldn't see or hear Chuffy.
Poog do spectacular job of confirming what dogs knew: something aboard.
Best Licktoads lined up onboard along rail when... something happened that may or may not have alerted guarddogs on board. One definitely above (upper deck overhands lower deck, so can't see, but he's there). One definitely around corner, as Reta can catch a peek of him. Nasty Tickletooth connected to chain wrapped around mast, but enough force could fix chain dog's chain problem. Can't tell how much chain doggy have.
Mogmurch shrieks his battle cry: "Battle cry!" (Mogmurch is not very creative in some respects.)
He rushes to the front of the line and lobs a bomb at the loathsome hound!
The resulting yelp of pain is sweet music to Mogmurch's ears as he giggles maniacally.
Reta rushes around Mogmurch giggling at his "battle cry".
Now the boyses will see how awesome Reta is, killing doggies is her favorite.
When his turn finally rolls around, he will Acrobatic his way into flanking, and slice the dog.
Mogmurch run forward and toss bomb straight into Tickletooth. Tickletooth not expect such violent game of fetch and get hit in side. Tickletooth stumble from force of impact and explosion.
Reta charge forth and get grazing slash on Tickletooth, but enough to make nasty doggy collapse.
Poog, still looking for Dogfinder, who apparently did job correctly, draws weapons and defends self from other doggies.
Tickletooth badly wounded...
...but not quite dead.
Scabtongue pulls against chains holding him to ship...
... but unable to break free. Scabtongue stands at base of steps, snapping at Licktoads.
Chuffy work way into position and take stab at Scabtongue...
...landing nasty blow into neck of mangemutt.
Mogmurch rounds the corner to see Chuffy going toe to toe with the other beast.
There's not room enough to bomb the thing directly without some collateral damage. On the other hand, Chuffy IS pretty creepy and probably deserves it. On the third hand, if he survives, I'm pretty sure he'll ambush me when I'm asleep and eat one of my less-vital organs and watch me bleed to death while peeing on me. That sort of ignominious death is far more fitting to Poog than to myself. It's probably best to go with melee for now.
Mogmurch closes with Scabtongue and attacks with his club.
Mogmurch, realizing discretion better part of survival and dryness, smack Scabtongue with bigstick. Bonk right on head, knocking doggy out.
Mogmurch considers burning the dogs' corpses immediately, but thinks the better of it.
"Not safe yet," he says quietly, "Dogses not make cooksmell or smoke . . . yet." He points at the smoking stovepipe. "Someone deliberally make fire. Prolly still inside boathut. Mogmurch think Licktoads should chuck stingwing house in and hold door closed til coast clear."
Chuffy concur. Too long have stingwing troubled Licktoads. Is time that stingwing trouble those who trouble Licktoads!
Chuffy take position to open door, slam shut once mudball thrown inside.
"Still need grab stingwing house," Mogmurch says. "Anygob gots sack or blanket or summat to hold it safeways?"
"Poog got no sack or blanket to use, but Poog has been wanting to try out this patch with three legged turtle..."
Obtaining stingwing house delicate procedure, but can be done. A few snip-snips off the vine, a soft touch, and stingwing nest could be obtained. Extra protection might be nice, but sting or two never killed a gobo.
"Wait a . . . a month," Mogmurch says carefully. He seems to be getting the hang of the esoteric science of chronology. "This boat, huh? SAILboat? Sailboatmen for sure have extra canvas to mend sails! Else, we cut some from for real sails! Lots work, but worth it!"
He looks around for any supply chests on deck, and scopes out the existing sails for suitability.