"Let's put the good deputy up front then! I'll take the second place, followed by Reynard, then Jerje and our good gunman at the back. Should protect the ranged combatants and allow us a good spread of talents. I'm game to go!" Witz pulls forth a small bottle, shaking it vigorously to mix the chemicals within.
"Sounds good." He says as he double checks his gun, making sure it's loaded and then takes his position.
Adonai sheathes his longsword, then draws a silver sheen shortsword. "It looks tight in there. Might not be room for maneuvering." Then he ducks down behind his shield and enters through the vines.
"Hmmph. Plenty of room for us, isn't there, Sparky?" Jerjia sniffs, as she falls into place in the line, holding her wand at the ready.
Wits slips in behind Adon, walking fine and unhindered.
Following the tunnels is easy, if somewhat annoying, as the thorns grab at cloth, and equipment. Choosing to keep away from sounds of the sea at every oportuinity, the tunnels soon emerge into a sort of covered "cave" area amongst the bushes, almost 7 feet high, the briars here are thin enough to glimpse daylight, and also for the larger members of the group to stand erect again.
Perception checks please
Perception
"Sounds like a lot o' water down that hole there. I reckon that can't be good if that's the way we got to go." He says while he stares down the deep hole. Then raising his head up, "Y'all hear that?" He turns his head toward the direction of the sound. "Sounds like a dog that's hurt. Or sump'n. Comin' from the east."
"Water?" Jerjia asks. "Sparky likes water. Electricity likes water. Just the tiniest spark and ZAP! it goes everywhere," she laughs. "I wonder what else is down there." Kneeling at the edge of the hole, she snaps her fingers above the darkness and commands, "SPARKS." Four live sparks fly from between her fingers as if they were flint and steel and, instead of dying away, increase in size and brightness. She sends them down into the hole and peers after them to see what they illuminate.
The hole looks like it would be a difficult, although possible climb down, with sheer sides that extend around 70ft down, with the water another 10 ft beyond that.
As the lights flicker, a large dark shape appears to move beneath the water.
"It is possible that I am mistaken, but I have never encountered anything large and fun beneath the water. Large and angry, yes. Large and hungry, yes. And usually hungry for gnome-shaped treats."
"Drop some electricity in the water, and you can catch a fried fish, can't you, Sparky?" Jerjia asks with a sly smile. "If all your brothers and cousins were here, you'd cook our dinner, wouldn't you?"
Indeed. North towards the sounds of the sea, or East towards the sounds of the dogs.....
1d20 + 7
"Sounds like a lot o' water down that hole there. I reckon that can't be good if that's the way we got to go." He says while he stares down the deep hole. Then raising his head up, "Y'all hear that?" He turns his head toward the direction of the sound. "Sounds like a dog that's hurt. Or sump'n. Comin' from the east."
"Maybe we should head east then. I don't like the thought of man's best friend being hurt. On the other hand, don't goblins ride nasty mutated dogs sometimes. Might be our goblins." Adonai brandishes his beautiful silver shortsword with a grin.
"'Man's best friend,'" Jerjia sniffs dismissively. "Lizards are a gnome's best friend, aren't they, Sparky?" Nevertheless, she is ready to move eastward, wand at the ready.
"S'probably mangy goblin mongrels. I say we take care o' them first."
Noticing the exchange between Jerjia and her "pet", Jayne attempts to understand the strangeness of the female gnome and gives up. "Sounds like we got ourselves a new way to go. East it is." He rechecks his gun, then turns to Adonai, "After you, Lawman. Same order as before, I reckon. If any o' you got a better idea of formation, then speak now. Otherwise, let's move." Jayne waits for the others to move out and then takes his position in back.
"'Man's best friend,'" Jerjia sniffs dismissively. "Lizards are a gnome's best friend, aren't they, Sparky?"
Adonai notices the little lizard for the first time. "Awe, a wittle wizard." He kneels down and attempts to gently pet Sparky...
"I am not a wizard," Jerjia tells him emphatically. "Everything I can do is one hundred percent innate, not learned from a book." Sparky-Sparky Boomlizard gives off anxious sparks as the paladin attempts to pet it, before dashing up Jerjia's leg and into a pocket.
"Youch!" says the paladin as he sticks his finger into this mouth. "Huh? I never said you were. Uh, ..." Adonai is at a loss for words. His soft spot for cute animals and his propensity to talk like a goofball to puppies, kittehs, and such is hard for him to explain.
"Everything I can do is one hundred percent innate, not learned from a book."
Wits blushes slightly. "I, um, can most definitely vouch for that statement. With vigor."
Casey can do nothing but stare like a statue, with absolutely no show of emotion, at what has just transpired. He then reaches up and grabs his toothpick, tosses it on the ground and replaces it with a new one. Then turning to Raynard, "Welp. It looks like we're all gonna die." He states as a matter of fact.
A short tunnel of more briers leads into another open area, with space to stand up and move.
This area appears to be a make shift kennel though, there is fur, matted in with the leaves and twigs on the floor, and 6 of the ferocious goblin dogs are skated out on ropes. Another 6 stakes hold nothing. The dogs were barking a little before, but now they take up a loud and vicous attack, straining at the ropes to attack.
"So much for being sneaky...."
"It seems that we have some mongrels that need to be humanely euthanized" the paladin declares as he readies his sword for battle.
Init
"Dang mangy dogs."
"Let's get this party goin'"
Adonai, you have plenty of room, so long as you don't retreat into the tunnels.
The dogs are in a sort of ante-chamber to the side of the tunnel you are passing though, you could avoid them completely, if you wanted to. Those steaks don't look too well grounded though, and Goblin knots, well...
Seeing that the dogs can't get to them intially, "We gonna just go 'round these dogs? Don't see no reason to just kill 'em unless they happen to break free and want to eat us. I ain't much for killin' dogs that are tied up. Just ain't right."
"I expect they've already done what they're here for anyway: let the goblins know that someone's coming. Since we still don't know where we're going, it's always possible that the goblins could come up behind us and let them loose to hunt us in the thorny maze, hm, Sparky? Setting all these thornbushes on fire is sounding better and better...."
"I expect they've already done what they're here for anyway: let the goblins know that someone's coming. Since we still don't know where we're going, it's always possible that the goblins could come up behind us and let them loose to hunt us in the thorny maze, hm, Sparky?"
He looks to see if there are any goblins coming. "That'd be fine by me. Let 'em come. Kill 'em here or kill 'em there, it all works the same."
"Setting all these thornbushes on fire is sounding better and better...."
"Whoaaa there, little lady. Save your sparks for the goblins. No sense in burnin' us all up. Might catch the forest 'afire too. If that happens, things could get real ugly." He says, a part of him hoping she doesn't burn them all up. The other part of him, slightly curious as to the level of destruction she could wrought. Then moving his eyes toward Wits, Especially combined with our little bomb buddy. "Hm." He manages under his breath.
"'Cept leaving them tied up with no master's to take care of them is a fate worse than death. No animal should starve because it's owners are vermin that need to be taken out. Even if it is a mutated goblin breed. It might be that the most decent thing to do is to put them out of there misery." The paladin has a distraught tone to his voice and his normally jovial manner is more taciturn. "I wish we had a way to put them down painlessly, because I don't believe we can let them go."
"Explosions are painless," Jerjia offers perkily, with a sidelong glance at Wits, "if they're big enough."
"'Cept leaving them tied up with no master's to take care of them is a fate worse than death. No animal should starve because it's owners are vermin that need to be taken out. Even if it is a mutated goblin breed. It might be that the most decent thing to do is to put them out of there misery." The paladin has a distraught tone to his voice and his normally jovial manner is more taciturn. "I wish we had a way to put them down painlessly, because I don't believe we can let them go."
"We could just throw 'em some food, go kill us some goblins, return back to town and then have your fellow lawmen bring out an animal crew to come and get 'em. Heck, you could use 'em as guard dogs." He suggests.
While you stand around chatting, two of the goblin dogs break free, and charge at Adoni, and Reynard, but not managing to get even glancing blows in.
Adonai grunts as he interposes his shield in between him and the 'dog'. "Egads! I guess it's plan a." He quickly stabs out with his silver short sword, hoping to skewer the rat-dog-thing in its face.
He grimaces and tucks the shortsword in its sheath and lays a hand on his longsword.
The Dog-thing yelps in pain, but doesn't go down.
Wits steps back, moving away from the snarling goblin dog monstrosities... He draws his crossbow and fires at the nearest dog!
Attack:
Damage"
Jerjia shakes the oversized glove off one hand and points at one of the loose dogs. "ZAP!" she shouts joyfully, and something like a miniature lightning bolt shoots from her finger.
"Stupid dang dogs" Jayne says as he takes aim and fires at the one trying to get at Reynard.
"Aw dang. I missed." He says nonchalantly.
Wit'z shot hits the dog, causing another huge yelp, but it also doesn't go down.
Jerjia shakes the oversized glove off one hand and points at one of the loose dogs. "ZAP!" she shouts joyfully, and something like a miniature lightning bolt shoots from her finger.
Reynard takes a step backward, releasing a bolt with a sharp crack of the gas cannister, and the militant sound of the next bolt being ratcheted into place, his hand rapidly turning the crank.
Adonai draws his cold iron longsword and attacks the dog with much power.
Under the sudden assault, the two dogs, go down. At the death of their fellows, the four remaining dogs cower back for a moment. Then, when no one moves to attack them, they take up their wild barking again, although, no longer straining at their tethers...