"Ah. I see. Family. I shall bother you no more then, Corinna." He nods. And with that, Rajah remains quiet the rest of the way on their return to the inn.
Seeing the others approach, Gilfroy gently toes his pony to move faster and trots up to them. "If anybody has any extra gear they don't want to carry, my mount can carry it. And if Rajah can't handle the stuff, Umbral here can take what's left."
Rajah laughs. "Touche, my good gnome! Touche! You know, I never planned on going on this trip. But seeing how you are so determined in going, I just couldn't let you go and return with stories of grandeur that I wouldn't have been a part of. Plus, the wind is kind of strong today," he mentions as he looks around and there's barely a leaf moving in the nearby trees, "and I would hate for you to be blown completely off Umbral from such a gale force and nobody notice. Someone has to keep an eye out for where you land, my friend."
As you're just about ready to leave, Ameiko comes out of the inn to see you off. "Good luck," she says, giving Melon a pat on the back, then looking at each of the rest of the group. Her eyes stop on Corinna.
"Have you decided to go with them, Corinna?" she asks, sounding a little surprised.
"Oh!... I...," Corinna stammers. In truth, she had just been intending on walking with the group back as far as the fork where Schooner Gulch Road split off from the Lost Coast Road before returning to the manor. Something in Ameiko's surprised tone -- as if it were unthinkable that she could be involved in such an expedition -- provokes her, however, to answer, "Why shouldn't I? It was my family that was attacked, after all."
"Thanks Ameiko," Melon is quite happy from Ameiko's attention. "You look much better now, then when we left you."
When Corinna finally agrees, Melon cheers for her, "That's the spirit! Do you travel light? Or do we need to get you something back from the manor?"
Aago rolls his eyes. "Haven't we wasted enough time? Malta is probably already halfway there, and we'll have to pull his elvish hide out of the goblin cookpot if we're not there to keep an eye on him. Let's get moving!"
"You're absolutely right," Ameiko says, taking a step back. "It's your family. You should go. I didn't mean to imply otherwise."
She steps aside from the group. "Good luck, everyone."
When Corinna finally agrees, Melon cheers for her, "That's the spirit! Do you travel light? Or do we need to get you something back from the manor?"
A little shocked herself at what she just seems to have publicly committed to, Corinna stammers, "I didn't.... I just said there was no reason I shouldn't...." The crowd of onlooking eyes stiffens her backbone, however. "No, there's nothing of use to me there," she tells Melon. "I'm only visiting, after all; I have what I need with me."
Aago claps his large hands together. "Excellent! Everyone's agreed. Away we go then."
He sets off down the road toward the trail.
Malan is patiently waiting for the rest of them to arrive. He sits, meditating.
With everyone ready (although Corinna perhaps still a little uncertain about what she's doing), you set out to the bridge across to the Lost Coast Road. The journey south is quite easy. In a straight line, it's just under two miles; however, the road goes in anything but a straight line, so you actually end up travelling closer to three miles before you can see the twisted Brinestump Marsh ahead of you. The road turns to the east to go around the swamp, but a smaller trail continues straight ahead and into the swamp. You see Malan standing at the edge of this trail, waiting for you all to arrive.
Up ahead, the marsh is a tangle of nettles, reeds, and other swamp plants, with larger trees periodically sticking up out of the mess. You can hear the chirping of frogs, the buzzing of insects, the calls of birds and other animals even from here. There's a sense that going just a little ways down the trail will take you into an entirely new world, so different is the landscape to that which you're about to leave.
"Oh...," Corinna murmurs, dispirited at the sight. "Perhaps I should turn back now," she suggests, "or wait for you here?"
Aago turns a broad smile on the noble girl even as he shakes his head.
"With goblins about, at this point you'd probably be safer with us. I'm not sure you want to be alone right now, even if it's just on the road back to town. In for a penny, in for a pound I believe some wise fool once said. Don't worry, you'll be perfectly safe, I'm sure. Besides, think of how impressive you'll look, having braved the swamp and returned, triumphant!"
"I'm more thinking how damp and muddy I'll look," she mutters, lifting the hems of her robes. But the mention of goblins finding her alone seems to have convinced her she is better off in company. She does what she can to tuck up her robes and keep them from trailing in the swamp.
You head off down the fishing trail and into the swamp. Although the trail is more solid than the ground to either side of it, the going is still slower than it was on the main road. The ground is damp at the best of times and thoroughly muddy at the worst. It's virtually impossible to keep the bottoms of pants or robes free of at least some mud.
Flies and mosquitoes buzz about the late summer air, getting in faces and feasting on bare skin. You frequently hear bird calls off in the distance, but they generally sound muzzled and you rarely glimpse any actual birds. Every now and then, a splash just off the side of the road draws your attention, but it turns out to just be an animal--well, you're pretty sure it's just some animal each time. Most times, you don't manage to see the perpetrator.
Aago walks confidently into the jungle, paying little mind to the mud and muck staining his sandals and trousers. He still carries no weapons and is focusing on every sound and flicker of life.
Corinna walks on looking miserable, her robes muddy and twigs in her hair, slapping bugs away from her face. At first, she trails behind the rest of the group, but after a few splashes from unseen sources, she moves up to somewhere in the middle.
Rajah follows at the back of the group, unconcerned about the terrain of the surrounding area, nor the sounds it brings with it. Every so often he does happen to swat at the bugs flying around his face, though.
"Shouldn't we be coming out the other side of this awful place?" Corinna finally asks. "Surely we've been walking for miles by now. We must have missed this warden's hut."
Alas, what seems likes miles and miles is really not all that far, as the trail winds frequently, keeping to the higher and dryer ground. Eventually, you catch sight of one of the many tributaries of the Soggy River which cut across the swamp out to Sog's Bay. The trail leads up to a rickety bridge that crosses the water.
Order: Goblins, Corinna, Melon, Gilfroy, Aago, Malan, Blue Rajah.
Just as you're about at the bridge, Aago notices something moving on the other side: a bit of a bow and a nocked arrow. Unfortunately, he's too late to warn the others as arrows fly into the air, two from each side of the bridge. Another goblin emerges from behind a tree and rushes onto the road, carrying what looks to be a large firework.
Each of the arrows finds its mark.
Next Up: Goblins, Corinna, Melon, Gilfroy
"Take cover!" Aago booms, just a moment too late. He grunts as the two arrows slam into him. Then he starts moving forward until he reaches the bridge.
Gilfroy moves up to the edge of the bridge.
The goblins in the marsh fire their bows again. Two go straight towards Malan, but fall to the ground well short of him. The other two, however, fly towards Melon, and these ones hit her.
The fifth goblin fiddles with his firework and some flint and steel, lighting the firework's fuse.
Next Up: Melon, Gilfroy, Aago, Malan, Blue Rajah, Goblins.
Corinna's eyes snap wide with horror as arrows start to fly around her. "Cover?" she calls back to Aago. "Where?!?" She looks at the thick mud and slime just off the trail and back at the goblins, unable to force herself toward either. Her hands weave the air around her as she utters words to harden it into a protective covering, as she backpedals down the path.
I presume she's moving her full speed, so I've put her at -C 22.
Corinna casts her spell and then starts to retreat.
Next Up: Gilfroy, Aago, Malan, Blue Rajah, Goblins, Corinna.
Melon rushes forward, "Corinna, don't back off yet - maybe we found the ones with the dogs! Lady could be waiting just on the other side!" She gets next to Aago, switching her haste for a strange splay of arms. It appears that she should be wide open and easy to hit - but her aura exudes one of confidence.
Melon moves up beside Aago, prepared for the goblins.
Next Up: Aago, Malan, Blue Rajah, Goblins, Corinna, Melon.
Malan hurries to K20.
Gilfroy looks around startled as arrows begin to fly. "What---what's going on!?" he yelps, his voice rising to higher and higher frequencies.
He starts waving his paintbrush around and chanting a spell, more panic-stricken then anything else. All PCs within 50 feet of him, which I think is everybody, suddenly start to blur and grow shadows about themselves. This doesn't provide any concealment whatsoever, but it does make it harder for the goblins to accurately react to any attacks and instills a higher sense of morale in everybody as they realize they are surrounded with the cloaking power of the Mistress of Veils.
Then he starts moving, still panicking. He ends up heading 20' straight for the bridge, ending in G22.
Seeing Melon shift into the Crane position, Aago finds himself grinning. "You did learn a few things while you were away, didn't you?"
He reaches into a pouch and pulls out a sling and a bullet, extends his left hand out in front of him in his own preferred style for defense and moves out onto the bridge.
"Thanks little buddy!" Melon calls back to the gnome. "I just realized that I've been puckered up by several of the goblin arrows. If you get a chance, I'd love to get a bit of healing from you." Right, she thinks, funny how good conversation can make 8 inches seem wholly insignificant, but when it is inside you, it's a whole different story.
"What!?" Gilfroy shouts, looking up at Melon, his eyes wide with panic and filled with tears. "Rajah! Quick! Melon's been shot. She's dying! Help her!"
Gilfroy casts his spell and the rest of you find yourselves feeling empowered. Aago adopts his own fighting stance and moves forward onto the bridge. Malan, meanwhile, also hurries forward onto the bridge beside Aago.
Next Up: Goblins, Corinna, Melon, Gilfroy, Aago, Malan.
"What!?" Gilfroy shouts, looking up at Melon, his eyes wide with panic and filled with tears. "Rajah! Quick! Melon's been shot. She's dying! Help her!"
Rajah smiling as he moves into a better postion, "Never fear, my good gnome. She doesn't seem to be on her last breath yet." He then grabs his holy symbol, raises it high, and calls out to The Dawnflower.
The sun seems to shine more brightly as the Blue Rajah calls out to the Dawnflower. As its rays of light touch those who are hurt, some of your wounds just seem to burn away.
With most of you now gaining cover from the bridge and Corinna moving farther away, the goblins break from their cover and move towards the bridge. #5, with his lit firework, grins and laughs as he rushes forward onto the bridge. A burst of flame shoots from the firework straight towards Aago.
However, the fiery ball doesn't quite reach him, dropping through a gap in the planks of the bridge and into the water below. The goblin does not seem perturbed. Indeed, he laughs gleefully and maniacally, as if he had just killed Aago.
Next Up: Melon, Gilfroy, Aago, Malan, Blue Rajah, Goblins.
Having rushed backward, now that everyone else has rushed forward, Corinna grows anxious about the distance between herself and the rest of the group. What if there were more goblins hidden around the bend of the trail, waiting for anyone fleeing the battle? Goblins did that, didn't they? With a nervous glance up the empty trail, she reverses direction, not wanting to be seen by any predator as the weak link at the back of the party. Hovering nearer the others, she holds her hands in front of her in readiness, should any goblins make it across the bridge.
Melon's widely splayed arms change subtly, as her hands close to triangles, using the fingers to form a sharpened wedge. Light footed she springs forward to the goblins, she kicks the one with the sparklers.
"Oh good. You're coming to me." Aago's grin is broad as he whirls his sling around in an effort to strike the goblin in front of him.
Unfortunately, Melon's approach throws Aago off slightly and the bullet goes wildly astray.
Melon moves forward across the bridge up to the grinning goblin with the firework. Behind her, Gilfroy follows more slowly onto the bridge and waves around his paintbrush. Suddenly the boards beneath the goblins' feet begin to make cracking sounds.
#5's wide grin changes suddenly to a look of surprise and horror.
Meanwhile, Aago fires off a sling bullet that splashes into the river.
Next Up: Blue Rajah, Goblins, Corinna, Melon, Gilfroy, Aago.
Malan moves to N20. He activates his arcane pool and strikes at the goblin.
Rapier: arcane pool (+1)
to hit damage
Rajah takes a couple of steps toward the others, "Melon! How you holding up, love?!" He asks as he keeps an eye on the goblins, watching if they happen to get a lucky strike in on her.
"So-so, if I were to wager a guess, I'd say a bit better than half-n-half." Melon grins, in spite of the two arrows protruding from her. She seems to not think much of situational gravity.
Malan moves deftly forward across the slightly swaying, but now madly cracking bridge. His rapier slices through the air and pierces goblin #2's chest. The goblin's eyes widen in pure shock, as if the idea that he could get injured or die had never occurred to him before. As Malan pulls the blade free, the goblin topples over.
The blue Rajah moves forward a bit and prepares to heal if necessary.
The goblins not yet on the bridge look at it with uncertainty. #1 backs a little bit away . They wait.
Goblin #5 squeals slightly with fear. His firework fires off another burst of fire. He tries to aim it at Melon right in front of him.
Despite the clumsiness of the weapon, Melon's proximity means the goblin is still able to hit with it. The burst of flame, however, is really not all that strong, and is only a minor hindrance. The goblin smiles and seems to momentarily forget his fear. Then a snapping sound beneath his feet reminds him and he moves off the bridge, turning his back to Melon and Malan.
Next Up: (if desired), Corinna, Melon, Gilfroy, Aago, Malan, Blue Rajah, Goblins (#1, 3, 4 subject to readied actions).
Corinna starts to panic when she hears the bridge cracking but, used to interdepartmental pranks from the illusion school, quickly recognizes the true source of the sounds. The very familiarity of the situation (albeit in a more dangerous setting) brings a tiny smile to her face and gives her the courage to move to the edge of the bridge. She certainly doesn't want to be the only one left on the other side of it....