"Loki, grant us your wits and favor us with your luck to quit this place once and for all.", Asopus quietly prays. Meira calms down from hyperventilating long enough to start climbing the ladder and as usual, the priest is right behind her (with perhaps more upward glances in the direction of her posterior than is considered gentlemanly).
"Well, suppose we'd best get into position to haul that pig up again...", Nabbit remarks, stretching his spine. His companion clings to him tightly, only releasing her grip long enough to climb the ladder.
You enter into a cavernous room that can only be a deep wound in Ashkharak's chest cavity; a cave of corded muscle and bone. Two light catapults sit side by side, facing the colossal slug Gorthogga but hidden behind wooden shutters attached to cranks. The catapults are neither set nor loaded. Seven spiked lizard skin balls sit on the floor, next to a tunnel curving toward the abomination's spine.
Vinter walks over to look at the catapults for a minute. "Hey Goblin". "I think this is how your kind gets down from here". "Want a ride"? After looking around for a bit he heads towards the tunnel.
Perception
Vinter finds so signs of lurking goblins or other threats in the catapult embankment- but he can hear the sounds of battle on the other side of the shutters. There are shouts and screams and a tremendous roar like a great beast on the wind; it must be coming from the great slug Gorthogga on the other side.
"I don't like the sound of that". "Let's see where this tunnel leads".
Vinter heads up the tunnel Perception
Asopus follows behind Vinter trying to keep as quiet as possible.
Jabbik Follows the others keeping an eye out for anything that might be useful as they walk
The tunnel through the abomination's chest curves toward its spine, where the body segments and legs of a colossal millipede form the vertebrae and spinal-cord nerves. Narrow cavities follow the millipede's legs high up the abomination's back. Along the way, light shines through the skinless creature, highlighting wet veins and cat-sized mosquitoes frozen in time where they drink.
You can see the back of Ashkaharak's leech tentacle head 100 feet above you.
You find the climb to Ashkharak's head to be rather simple, if long and nauseating. At one point, you are forced to snake your bodies over a titanic bloated mosquito frozen in time like its host.
You find yourselves sweaty and tired from your exertions in the dry heat, running only on your pilfered water, adrenaline and a desperate need to depart this maddening place. A forest of 20 foot tall leeches surrounds you, the head of the humanoid abomination. Some stand straight and tall, others coil like cobras frozen in readiness to strike. Narrow paths wind between them. You can hear goblin battle cries and screams of pain from the far side of the leech forest.
"All right...", Ariso says while holding back Meira's hair during another fit of her dry heaves,"Do you remember when we were crossing on the slug? There were those islands of viscera ahead and that big tunnel wound this monster's weapon left in the slug...."
Nabbit looks expectantly between all of you.
"Hungghh... you're... you're not saying what I think you're saying...", the young noblewoman gasps.
Loki's priest nods.
"Yes, I think we can get back to ground level through- not on- the giant slug. If we can just navigate this thing's head and get back across."
Perception DC 10:
"Let's do this thing". Vinter growls, and darts forward. Maybe I'll get a chance to spill a little more goblin blood yet.
Perception
I hear buzzards not far off
And looks around to see if he can tell what direction the sounds are coming from
Jabbik is confident that he knows which direction the noise is coming from; getting there without getting lost is another matter.
"This way". Vinter begins to navigate through the disgusting forest.
Survival (+2 more if goblin made)
Ecko strains, listening for the familiar sound of birds. "Can't quite hear them." He says, cocking his head at Jabbik. "What are they saying?"
Asopus begins trying to help out with leading the group towards whatever noise they are hearing.
Vinter finds the leech forest somewhat frustrating, as the monstrous titan's head doesn't follow the same rules as a natural woodland. But with Ariso's keen wits and problem solving skills, you pick your way through the grotesque frozen leeches. Here and there you find some familiar signs of passage: flatworms fallen to the fleshy "ground" and a wadded up tangle of spider silk.
Thus, it's little surprise when you see the familiar buzzard covered in wriggling flatworms in lieu of feathers. It squawks at your arrival and around a nearby leech pokes none other than your old "pal" Felkin. Free of his bonds, he appraises you with a cool eye before speaking in Goblin.
"Hmph. I see that you live. Well, we must hurry now- Grosgr is very close to reaching the battery and if he removes it we'll all be doomed!", he says.
"What is this Battery?" Olivia moves to follow Grosgr, but tightly grips her spear, ready to strike at the first sign of treachery.
"Well I'm not sure what you're talking about, but if Grosgr is a goblin, then I'm your man for stopping him...as long as that involves removing body parts, and leaving the majority of his blood on the ground". "Where is he"?
Smiling at the Goblin
Felkin bitterly scoffs at Jabbik's remarks.
Goblin:
Felkin's eyes gleam with barely disguised avarice. He taps the lightning baton grafted to his arm and the reservoir of blue fluid within.
Goblin:
Felkin begins limping toward the sound of combat in the distance.
Nabbit looks to the rest of you.
"You're not going to trust that bastard are you?"
I say yes..It sounds like our lives will bet a WHOLE LOT worse if we let this Grosgr Get to this battery 1st. Unless you have something that says otherwise?
He looks at Vinter and sounds like thier should be plenty of fun for him there too. Unless he gets himself killed of course. he is only human after all. Chides Jabbik
Vinter looks at Jabbik after his comment, and blows both nostrils clean, before heading towards the action.
"Let's do this thing".
Olivia looks to Nabbit. "Trust him? No. But we can't wander through here blindly. We will go where he leads us and continue to search for Brinx. If he betrays us, we will kill him." Olivia looks over to Jabbik "Did he say what this battery is?"
Asopus seems interested in this battery thing, but he waits to see where the group is going before saying anything.
Yes Olivia, it can help him channel the Power of Ashkharak and Gorthogga, allow him to charge those lightning baton things. With this power he says Grosgr can make us just fight and kill each other.
Looking at Vinter tho some of us may not particularly like the other, it sounds like certain death for us all.
Moving a bit away from Felkin towards the others and speaking in a much lower voice By the way one of us DOES have the other lightning baton thing right, sounds like it might be important
Speaking up again So I am for following his direction to this battery before things get ugly
Staring at Nabbit Unless you have a better plan that doesn't get us all killed...
"Hmm". "That's the first smart thing I've ever heard you...or any goblin for that matter utter". "Will wonders never cease".
"I ain't got no lightning rod, but we're accomplishing nothing standing here". "Let's go".
Nabbit shakes his head.
"There isn't another option. I'm just saying we need to keep a very close eye on him; he didn't become the chief of Ashkharak's clan by being trustworthy."
Following Felkin, you come to the edge of the disgusting leech forest to find a 15ft. rope bridge connecting to an island of ragged flesh floating in mid-air. Ropes attach a windowless shack to the underside of the island. The shack is wider than the island on one side, and an open trapdoor provides entry.
The sound of goblins battling issues from inside the shack. Beyond the far side of the island, the flayed abomination's 200 ft. long bone-pin weapon angles downward. Fully withdrawn from the punctured slug, it has extracted a spray of flesh and blood that now hangs like a grotesque archipelago in the air between the abominations.
Felkin picks up speed, limping faster onto the rope bridge with his worm-feathered buzzard flying ahead.
if you have any small healing you can give BloodyPaws before we get there that be apprecatedto Olivia Pointing to the wound a gonlin hit him earlier for.
Alright then, lets see what Grosgr is doing, and put a stop to it before its too late. and heads toward the large shack
Asopus follows Felkin but he is always ready in case the same goblin decides to betray them.
Vinter follows along as well, his eyes peeled for any signs of danger...or betrayal.
Perception (+2 more for stinking goblins)
"I'm sorry Jabbik, but Mavros has not yet granted me the ability to heal. Let's dispatch this Grosgr, destroy his battery and hopefully we can make it back to a temple." Olivia rushes forward over the bridge, her spear ready.
Perception DC 10:
Ariso cracks his knuckles.
"Loki may have something for us, given all the mischief we've caused on the way up."
He intones a brief prayer to the trickster god and a wave of warm energy washes over you all, relieving pain and healing injuries.
Channel positive:
You cross the rickety bridge toward the sounds of combat, trying not to look down too much. Once you reach the floating island of slug flesh you find a trapdoor in the top of the shack roped to its underside. Within there are six goblins battling each other in the dimly lit interior. Five wield bone pin rapiers. The sixth, wielding a scorpion tail polearm stands in a fountain basin, ankle deep in a pool of blue fluid. At the fountain's center, gold filigree climbs up an empty pedestal. A gnome with fiery orange hair cowers in a far corner.
Felkin barks down in goblin.
Goblin:
The goblins continue to fight, heedless of their chief's command.
"Well I'm not sure which ones to kill first, so if anybody's got a preference they'd better speak up now.
Vinter eagerly slides down the rope, and advances towards the group of six...unless directed otherwise, or he get's a better idea, drawing his warhammer as he goes.
Perception (vs. Goblins)
Ecko follows the others, quickly cocking his head back and forth, suspicious not only of the goblin, but of all of them.
As Felkin's command goes unanswered, the Tengu looks at him in disappointment, the goblin's value evaporating in an instant. "Well done well done." He mutters. "Some chief."
He cocks his head at Vinter. "Can't bomb the goblins without maybe hitting the gnome." He cocks his head again. "Watch this one." he nods towards Felkin.
With the chief taken care of, Ecko pulls out his gun and points it through the hatch. Keeping it trained on the goblins, he lets out a whistle to get the gnome's attention, hoping that the goblins will be too caught up in their own games to notice.
"Nabbit, is that your sister?" Olivia gestures down with the tip of her spear, before climbing down, not waiting for a reply.
She makes her way through the shack toward the gnome, hugging the wall. Keeping her spear at the ready, she will impale any of the creatures that that stand in her way.
Asopus keeps himself ready but doesn't move yet for fear of wasting his final spell.
The guy in the middle is probably a good choice if yo can get to him. To Vinter
He Urges blooypaws to jump down and be ready to tear apart any Goblins that try to get close.
(+8 because he is my mount)
(Try turn any fall damage to non-lethal)
(In case I need to make it to not fall off)
And before heading off Bows to Ariso Thanks
Vinter shoves the irate Felkin out of the way, lowers the spider silk rope and drops into the shack, followed shortly by Olivia. Bloodypaws snorts with displeasure and general surliness but squeezes into the shack obediently despite his misgivings; boar and goblin hit the floor with a thud.
The gnome in the corner looks up at Ecko's whistle and Olivia's voice. "What?! Nabbit?!"
"Brinx!", Nabbit exclaims from above. "Thank the gods, we finally found you! Sit tight, we'll get you out of there!"
The warm reunions (and recent entrance) has caused quite a stir- the goblins look back to you all, their eyes bloodshot with flecks of foam around their lips. They snarl like animals and begin advancing toward you.
Vinter can see that many of them have blue stains on their clothing, like they've been splashed with something.
Initiative:
Goblins:
Asopus will begin gathering a charge in one of the small metal batons they found before.
Here's the map as of round 1. The ^ indicates higher ground for Asopus and Ecko; for ease they're shifted over a square right but they're actually at the hatch above the fray.
Ecko looks irate as the gnome's shouting draws the goblin's attention to them. Peering over the side of the hole, he motions again for Brinx to come closer, and fires a shot at the closest goblin to her, intending to prove a point.
Laughing out loud, Vinter attacks the Goblin standing next to him (G1?)
Warhammer
Damage
Jabbik will attack the one next to him (G6)
Gettim' Boy! Tapping BloodyPaws on the side of the head and pointing at the same Goblin