|
Takumi looks in alarm at the approaching horde of goblins, his heart racing. Pushing down his fear, he mutters, "As they say here in the West, here goes nothing."
Instead of retreating away, Takumi bravely races TOWARDS the goblins and hops into the river. As he does so, he pulls out pieces of brightly colored paper from his pouch, tearing them into many small pieces, before he flings them at the three nearest goblins. But what leaves his hands instead is a dazzling cone of clashing colors!
The summon eagle continues its ferocious attack on the
The eagle flies to the nearest goblin and attempts to rip out a hunk of flesh with its sharp beak.
Faust abuses the ground. Meanwhile, Ekanta strikes the goblin dog with enough force to launch its broken necked corpse into the stream. Shalendra demonstrates superior accuracy and sends a quarrel deep into the goblin rider's dog's chest, nearly killing it.
Takumi releases a colorful spray of light. The two goblins on foot fall on their faces in the mud. Unfortunately for Takumi, the leader of the band shakes off the dazzling effects with a preternatural strength of will. She draws a horse chopper as she splashes through the stream to get to the wizard. Takumi feels a malign presence as the goblin swings her blade at his chest.
The horse chopper strikes with surprising force, scoring a nasty wound across Takumi's trunk. Shalendra is grazed by a long shot. Otto does not even realize he was the target of an attack as the goblin rider fires his arrow into the weeds on the other side of the stream.
Round 6. Party Up.
Ekanta
Takumi & Eagle (Takumi -9 hp)
Otto
Faust
Shalendra (-5 hp)
Jack
Goblin Leader (yellow dot) (smite vs. Takumi)
Goblin Rider & Dog (red dash) (dog -6 hp)
Goblin (white)
Goblins x 2 (black, blue dash) (out for the count)
Faust slashes well above the goblin leader's head. Otto fires a river stone into the woods. Shalendra fires a crossbow bolt over the horizon. The goblins have surely met their match.
Ekanta manages to strike the she-goblin, but her armor absorbs the blow.
Takumi-bot steps away from the slavering goblin brute, pulls out a wand and activates it, channeling infernal energy into his body and soul. The celestial eagle makes its way to flank the goblin leader, its beak cutting through an opening in the she-goblin's scaled armor.
Meanwhile a pair of arrows sail back at Otton, one of them managing to pierce his protections. The goblin leader turns to swing her horse chopper at Faust's neck, but the dhampir blocks it with the dark energy swirling around his arm. The remaining goblins snore into the mud.
Round 7. Party Up.
Ekanta
Takumi & Eagle (Takumi -9 hp; activating Infernal Healing)
Otto (-1 hp)
Faust
Shalendra (-5 hp)
Jack
Goblin Leader (yellow dot) (-4 hp; smite vs. Takumi)
Goblin Rider & Dog (red dash) (dog -6 hp)
Goblin (white)
Goblins x 2 (black, blue dash) (out for the count)
|
Faust watches intently as the eagle shreds pieces of the goblin into the river. He waits for the goblin to duck its head down for protection and, with a sadistic chuckle, meets it with a thrust of his sword. "More goblin blood for the river! Perhaps another group shall rush to meet our blades when they see it? Takumi, your avian friends are quite the treat to work with!"
________
Ekanta performs an elaborate kata with his staff. Otto rearranges the debris on the battlefield again. Faust, however, breaks from abusing the ground and cuts a near-fatal wound through the goblin leader's armor. The goblin retaliates by swinging her horse chopper at Ekanta's neck. The tiefling manages to parry the powerful blow a fraction of an inch away from his flesh.
A bolt of force zips from out of nowhere and strikes the goblin on the side of the head. Then, while momentarily dazzled, the celestial eagle screams and plucks out the goblin's eye (and maybe a bit more). Her leadership comes to an end as she falls down into the stream.
The two remaining conscious goblins continue to fire at Otto. One of them manages to break through his considerable defenses.
Round 8. Bold may act.
Ekanta
Takumi & Eagle (Takumi -8 hp; fast healing 1 [1/10])
Otto (-5 hp)
Faust
Shalendra (-5 hp)
Jack
Goblin Rider & Dog (red dash) (dog -6 hp)
Goblin (white)
Goblins x 2 (black, blue dash) (out for the count)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The goblins seem driven by some insanity and show no inclination to flee, even though they are now clearly outnumbered and outclassed. Their reluctance to flee is probably not due to Faust's display of inaccuracy. Probably not.
Round 8. Bold may act.
Ekanta
Takumi & Eagle (Takumi -8 hp; fast healing 1 [1/10])
Otto
Faust
Shalendra (-5 hp)
Jack
Goblin Rider & Dog (red dash [-2 AC x 7 rounds]) (dog -6 hp)
Goblin (white)
Goblins x 2 (black, blue dash) (out for the count)
Ekanta sweeps the goblin dog out from under its rider, who makes an acrobatic roll in the air and lands on his feet, ready for a fight. The goblin drops its bow and draws a morningstar. With a mighty overhand swing, it smashes Faust--likely selecting him as the most inept of the enemies and thus easiest to defeat--hard in the chest, bypassing his defensive arm.
With Otto making himself a smaller target, the other goblin shoots at the closest enemy: Ekanta. The arrow cuts a notch out of his ear.
This close to them and with fewer arrows flying at you, Ekanta and Faust see that purple ichor oozes from the goblin's ears and noses.
Round 9. Bold may act.
Ekanta (-1 hp)
Takumi & Eagle (Takumi -7 hp; fast healing 1 [2/10])
Otto (prone)
Faust (-7 hp)
Shalendra (-5 hp)
Jack
Goblin Rider (red dash [-2 AC x 6 rounds]) (dog -14 hp, down)
Goblin (white)
Goblins x 2 (black, blue dash) (out for the count)
Ekanta finishes the goblin rider with a rapid one-two strike to the head. The celestial eagle-bot swoops over to the last goblin, but the goblin manages to fend off the creature's beak well enough as he drops his bow and draws a morningstar.
The goblin swings and strikes Ekanta, but the force is not sufficient to cause any harm under the tiefling's armor.
|
|
Still enraged, Faust tries to strike down the final goblin. Before his swing is even complete, he starts sighing with exasperation. "JUST. STAND. "
Within an instant of the rest of his companions effortlessly dispatching the beast, he has fully regained his former composure. "Glad that's over with. I'll need a moment to mend my wounds. Shall we press into the woods and try to find their village? I noticed Demon Bile creeping from their ears and nose..." The village is likely to have more specimens as well. A natural experiment even, what are the long term effects of this substance on a goblin?
________
Someone, somehow eventually kills the last goblin--probably the eagle, definitely not Faust.
A gentle wind rustles the leaves and the bloody stream burbles as calm falls over the battlefield. You hear no sign of a fourth wave of goblins.
Leader: 2 x potion of cure light wounds, 3 x vial of acid, 3 x alchemist's fire, smokestick, tanglefoot bag, small scale mail, small horse chopper, 5 x small javelins, coins and pearls worth 70 gp
Goblins: 3 x potion of cure light wounds, 6 x alchemist's fire, 3 x tanglefoot bags, 3 x thunderstones, 8 x small leather armor, 8 x small masterwork morningstars, 8 x small shortbows, ~150 small arrows, chipped and tarnished jewelry worth 51 gp
|
|
That all sorted out, the eerie stranger faces his companions, giving an odd bow, and turning his creepy cephalopoid stare at each in turn while he shows his Token of the Open Road.
"I am Ekanta Hanoi," He says in a soft voice. "All that separates life from death is loneliness, suffering...and my whirling staff."
|
|
Faust is rummaging through the items, finding some choice pieces. "Welcome to our personal little Hell away from Hell! When we return to town, we can introduce you to the Mayor. Presently, we are investigating a recent resurgence in goblinoid activity in the area. Speaking of which, what do we wish our next course of action to be? I see two paths before us: one has us attempt to follow the goblin tracks through the woods, while the other has us continue investigating the areas of disturbance. If we have the resources, I recommend pressing forward into the woods," he explains without looking up from his looting. Occasionally, he pulls out the battered, rune-covered skull, as if he were consulting it.
________
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
You continue onward toward the Escoro homestead. From the distance, you can see that it is a one-story wooden house on the edge of a large, fenced pasture. There is a single three-story barn to the south of the house. As you approach, you hear the agitated whiny of a horse. Closer still, you notice that a small creature riding an equally small mount is circling the house and harassing the shuttered windows and door.
The goblin does not notice you as you approach, fixated as it is on tormenting whoever is trapped inside the house.
Drawing closer, you can tell that the agitated horse is inside the barn.
An arcane bolt of force and two crossbow quarrels strike the unsuspecting goblin in the back. The creature slumps forward and falls off of its goblin dog mount. The goblin dog sniffs the dying goblin for a moment, then runs off over the hills.
The farmhouse door opens and an older man steps outside. He falls to his knees and raises his hands to the air. He appears to be giving thanks, though his words are unclear from your current distance.
|
|
"By the Divine, another sniveling peasant. Nothing against peasants, but can all they do is cry and whine? They must keep that Mayor very busy..." Faust mutters, a little loudly. People like that would have died quickly in Geb and they did on that damnable island. For their sake, I hope goblins are the worst they are forced to experience.
He grunts in affirmation of Otto and jogs behind him to the farmhouse. "I am Faust, your Mayor sent us to inquire about the recent goblin insurgence here. She informed us that you had possessions vandalized and animals stolen?" he says, uneager to engage the man about his feelings on the trauma he is likely to have just experienced.
________