Marduzi makes it to the top of the hut, but fails to close his eyes as the fireworks explode against him. Seeing stars, he still lashes out at the goblin.
The elf keep swinging his hammer at the goblins around Ruhk trying to dispatch them with swiftness.
Pesky thing.
Ruhk laughs.
"Meet my girl Bethany gobbo!"
At the surprisingly nimble dodge from the goblin, Ruhk raises an eyebrow.
"What's the matter? Don't you like girls?"
Malcolm, Kelistra, Marduzi and Ruhk all miss their devious green opponents. Iralynash, on the other hand, staves a neat hole in a goblin's skull and drops it unceremoniously to the ground.
You hear, somewhere close to the east, a loud clattering sound. It sounds like something heavy being hauled up wooden stairs.
"Game still on then Malcolm, but I will beat you, so be ready hahaha."
I am ready - where to?
"Well, once we've dealt with these here buggers, let's see who can croak the chief, winner get's all the glory and a sandwich."
"Oh, you brought lunch?"
Jordan waits to see if his daze works, then joins the main group.
Marduzi wipes a hand across his eyes attempting to put aside the stars he is still seeing from the fireworks.
After dropping his opponent Iralynash gets ready to attack the other one flanking Ruhk.
With a smile. Ruhk friend, at this rate I am going to finnish mine AND yours before you give Bethany another red dressing.
Rommin wounds his target badly and it staggers backwards, out of sight of all but Marduzi.
All at once, you hear a loud bellowing shriek, from the top of the tallest hut to your east. Looking up you see a vastly fat goblin wielding a bow taller than himself. He is flanked by a squat goblin with a filthy brown robe, and a skinny goblin wearing a pointed hat. The hat has a crude star drawn on it.
The central obese goblin yells in broken common, "Tremble, yoomans. Tremble an run! I Chief Gutwad. Tremble an run!"
The skinny sidekick leers down at you, adding with an astonishingly articulate accent, "Your bony allies took our precious. There's nothing but death for you here." He's got some book learning, this goblin.
Ruhk spares the fat goblin a quick look.
"Yes, you got a great wad for a gut, well done! Quite a fitting name.
But say, chief, I got a better one for you. How about "Worthless git"? Or "Smelly snotball"? Oh oh oh, I got it "Useless lardass"!"
He then gives Iralynash a wolfish grin.
"Oh! That smarts! I better pick up the pace then."
Finally clearing the stars, Marduzi eyes the wounded goblin and then swings his greatsword again.
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14. . (+4 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 11/11
Weapon Equipped Greatsword +6 (2d6+7/19-20/x2)
Jordan speaks to his companions before going forward, "I am hoping to enchant the king and end this fight before it starts. If you could hold on threatening or attacking him this might help."
Jordan yells to the king, "I have great magic to work on your behalf that may save your life. Those bony creatures are our enemies too."
Jordan advances attempting to get within the 25' to enchant the king.
Charm Person
School enchantment (charm) [mind-affecting]; Level bard 1, sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one humanoid creature
Duration 1 hour/level
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
This charm makes a humanoid creature regard you as its trusted friend and ally (treat the target's attitude as friendly). If the creature is currently being threatened or attacked by you or your allies, however, it receives a +5 bonus on its saving throw.
The spell does not enable you to control the charmed person as if it were an automaton, but it perceives your words and actions in the most favorable way. You can try to give the subject orders, but you must win an opposed Charisma check to convince it to do anything it wouldn't ordinarily do. (Retries are not allowed.) An affected creature never obeys suicidal or obviously harmful orders, but it might be convinced that something very dangerous is worth doing. Any act by you or your apparent allies that threatens the charmed person breaks the spell. You must speak the person's language to communicate your commands, or else be good at pantomiming.
The perspective of NOT blowing up the chief with a grenade leaves Iralynash a little downhearted but he refrains from violent action to let Jordan try his tactic.
If only I can bag a live goblin chief for my sister, she would be really proud.
This was the 'old' init table
So Jordan's going for the make nice approach, Kelistra thinks. Taking her cue from the wizard, she sheaths her rapier. She looks at the skinny goblin and says, "If you're talking about those big grotty guys that were eating your friends, they're no friends of ours. What's this precious you're looking for?"
As Jordan approaches, "We killed the walking dead on the way here."
The world seems to pause and draw quiet breath as Jordan's enchantment of friendship and calm settles over the goblin chieftain. The magic digs into the goblin's rage filled brain, struggling to overcome its natural violence...
For a moment the chief is slack jawed.
Jordan shows off his mystically tatooed arms and speaks clearly, "Chief, we are here to help you. Being friends with me is your only chance at survival."
Not that being honest with goblins is important.....As good as this group is, I am at least 90% sure these words are true.
Oh yeah! You can be friends with Me or with Bethany, but THAT would be a short friendship, she got killer kisses.
The chief looks down, fear and greed and suspicion warring openly on his face. "Stop fightin', boys", he yells. "We gonna talk."
The goblins near Ruhk and Marduzi look round, distracted.
The chief says, "I are High Chief Redwattle Licktoad. What you want?"
"With your leave, I will approach with another." Not waiting for a response, Jordan slowly approaches the king waving for Malcolm to accompany him. As the duo approach, Jordan continues to speak.
"We have destroyed some of the undead creatures wandering the area. Unfortunately most of your tribe was not interested in negotiating, and what is left of your tribe is all you see before you. As a powerful mage I have come to lead what is left of you to safety, for you cannot defend this destroyed village with what you have left. You also cannot continue to antagonize the large human settlement nearby, as they have put a bounty on your head."
Malcolm steps forward with Jordan and stands at his side with both hands crossed over the hilt of his sword, dripping with blood and gore of fallen goblins.
Marduzi pauses for a moment at the words from Jordan and the chief. I don't know about this. Peace isn't exactly in the nature of goblins. But, I'll hold for now. Marduzi stands ready to slash at the goblin again if Jordan's gambit fails, but holds his blade for now.
"You heard the 'High Chief'," Kelistra says to the goblin standing between her and Ruhk. "Fighting's over, so put away that cleaver. You might not care about disappointing the High Chief, but you sure don't want to disappoint me and the boys."
Azymthe is pleased at the current turn of events. Though he has some trepidation that it is only a ruse.
The elf stand guard, ready to spring into action if things go sour.
I guess it is talk time. Alas words do not carry the same weight as swords with the lesser races. But one can always hope.
Ruhk covers his mouth to hide a snigger at Kelistra's reference to the group as "the boys".
Yes "mother", I'll be good.
The goblins, those still standing, lower their ill-made weapons and step backwards, eyes flicking between their chief and the big people invaders. Redwattle clearly has them cowed. The robed goblins to either side of the chief sigh and spit and roll their eyes, but make no other move. Perhaps they are used to mercurial changes of mood and sudden alliance, or equally sudden treachery, from Redwattle.
The chief, dull green and bloated, carrying a fine longbow awkwardly aslant his body, looks down from the roof of his hut, grimacing. It is, perhaps, supposed to be a friendly smile. "We not leavin' wivout our treasure. Wivout the treasure, we'd be maggot-runts in some other chief's land. You get our treasure back from the damn bone-men, maybe we can talk. Give you map. Lotsa treasure, maybe make deal?"
He peers down, still mangling a friendly smile, and waits for a reply. Greed and cunning friendship war behind his red rimmed eyes.
"So, Redwattle, I'm still waiting for an answer," Kelistra crosses her arms and stares at the chief. "What is this precious treasure you're asking us to find? It will be easier for us to do your dirty work if we know what we're looking for."
Jordan continues to approach with Malcolm.
Closing the distance takes away his advantage with that bow. Goblins normally only respect strength--agreeing to his terms would show weakness.
"Chief, you are no longer strong--the reality of the situation is you can't survive another undead attack or a raid from determined human bounty hunters. You need to pack up what you have and come with me--you are not maggot-runts at my side. If this means going after your treasure, well, we may consider this. But you need to get ready to leave. I need your fighting prowess on my side."
Marduzi continues to stand ready with his sword, making sure he is ready to lash out at the goblin before him and wondering just how Jordan plans to play things out.
Hmmm...this is the breaking point, better be ready.
Suspecting that soon battle may be joined again, Ruhk does his best to appear nonchalant, whilst readying to increase his count to five.
Malcolm moves forward with Jordan.
As Jordan and Malcolm advance playing Jordan's game of brinkmanship to the final chapter, Jordan whispers to Malcolm.
"Chief, we are climbing up on the roof to talk."
The elf wispers to the mage and paladin as they start to move toward the goblin leaders.
Get that treasure map from chief before the %#@& happens!
Malcolm leans close to Jordan as they approach the chief and whispers.
Jordan and Malcolm clamber up onto the hut to speak with the chief. Jordan has a little trouble with the climb, but makes it with the paladin's aid. As they climb, Chief Redwattle shouts an answer to Kelistra's question, "Treasure in big chests - sparkles and pretties and bangers and sharps. Many many treasure. Bone-men took them back to the ground."
The goblin chief's advisors each take a step back, gaining a little room from the big people. Redwattle himself squints up at the Jordan and Malcolm, suddenly looking shifty as the pair loom over him. "I not come with you, but I leave this swamp. You take half treasure, we take half. Make new fortress long long away. Deal?"
Marduzi keeps his greatsword leveled at the goblin facing him on the roof, but steps to his left so he can keep half on eye on Malcolm and Jordan.
The normally laidback Ruhk holds on to the tension still in the air to keep himself focused and peers curiously around.
I wonder if I could tempt them to attack...No, at least not until the "Chief" has spilled the beans.
And judging by his stomach, he ate ALL the beans in town.
Oooh, shiny rock!
Halvor is still on edge from the fight and keeps glancing around