The farmer wipes his eyes and stands as you approach. "Thank you! Thank you for killing that monster. I didn't know what I would do if that thing broke into our home." He sniffles and wipes his face with his sleeve again. "I'm Garreni Escoro."
The young shepherd who ran past you earlier peeks out from behind the door.
"We'll be happy to help you however we can," Garreni says. "Would you like to come in? My wife can prepare you a meal."
The horse calms down after the goblin dog has fled.
Small leather armor
Small short bow
20 Small arrows
3 alchemist's fire
1 acid
"Please, make yourselves at home," Garreni gestures towards the inside of his meager farmhouse. An older woman begins collecting food from the cabinets, and the young shepherd starts setting the table. The boy can't help but stare at the tiefling.
Garreni shuts the door and then begins opening the shuttered windows to let the light inside. "This is my wife, Ophania, and our son, Carlo. We've seen shadows skulking around our lands at night, but this was the first time I've seen them in the flesh. Terrible little monster. I have no idea what it was shouting, but it sounded horribly profane."
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Takumi smiles warmly, and gives the the farmers a stately bow before entering the house. He joins Otto at the table and politely partakes of the offered food.
"I see. It must have been a harrowing experience for you. How long as this been going on? And is there anything else strange that you've noticed recently?"
Ophania sets out a simple meal of bread, carrots, and old mutton. When Takumi asks his question, Garreni nods. "Carlo, tell them what you told us a few days back."
Carlo breaks his stare at Ekanta and clears his throat. “Four days ago, I was chasing a lamb that strayed past the fence. Out of nowhere, I saw two ugly, green little things out in the clearing. They were talking some nasty, jabbering language I didn’t understand. One of them, the one wrinkled like a raisin, was all scarred up. The other had a big blade for chopping tied to the end of a pole. They were arguing back and forth, and then they walked off in different directions. Once I was sure they’d gone, I ran home and told my ma and pa.”
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"We've likely already dealt with one of them. We fought a tenacious little freak with 'a big blade for chopping tied to the end of a pole' but it sounds like we have one more leader to depose..." Faust comments, as he does his best to try and salvage what he can in terms of appropriate dining etiquette, given the situation. Notably, he doesn't do much more than nibble at the bread and carrots, but eats plenty of the mutton.
"Yes. I can," Carlo answers with only the slightest evidence of reluctance in his voice.
"The morning, yes," Garreni agrees. "You must stay here tonight and rest. You must surely be tired from battling goblins."
The family pulls out enough blankets for you to sleep relatively comfortably on the farmhouse floor. In the morning, Ophania prepares a fresh cooked breakfast of eggs, cheese, beans, and cream, as well as sheep's milk.
Carlo leads you to the place where he first saw the goblins four days ago. "Thank you for saving us," he says as he prepares to depart. "Desna favor you."
The goblin's trail leads you into a forest, which grows denser the longer you travel. Fortunately, the heavy undergrowth gave the goblins plenty of opportunities to leave a trail.
Day 2
A small stream passes along the base of a thirty-foot-tall black stone scarp. Strange, horse-sized cavities pock the face of the cliff, their edges smooth and warped as though etched or melted into the stone rather than carved. The air is thick with the stench of decay and rot, beneath which there is a faint tinge of an acrid, chemical odor. Despite the smell, things here are eerily peaceful.
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Ekanta gets up early to practice in the morning mist. He takes his breakfast with a grateful bow of his head.
When they reach the clearing, he moves a few paces ahead of the others, perceiving every single detail of his surroundings...
...and those who would dare to look into his eyes at that moment would notice his inhuman pupils visibly contracting as he figures something out.
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"That's foreboding, what could have caused the rock here to melt in such a fashion? I recommend we move quickly through this place," Faust warns, eyeing the large holes in the cliff. "The smell indicates some sort of acid, if it is of such intensity to melt rock, let's not discover what it can do to the soft meat on our bones." Just in case, he draws his scimitar and keeps walking.
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The stench comes from the lowest cave.
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For being the furthest from a true living creature here, I seem to value what little mortality I have more than these fools... Faust turns to Shalendra, staring in disbelief. "Is 'something shiny' all it takes to have you wander into danger willingly?" I'll have to remember that, the art of luring prey is valuable.
Ekanta cannot quite find a good purchase on the escarpment.
Shalendra's elven eyesight reveals that the lowest cave is empty. There are several piles of feces and a small puddle of purple ichor. There is a dagger on the floor of the cave, which the ichor seems to be avoiding. She also sees several crude drawings on the wall.
There is a large lopsided character (Knowledge (local) DC 10) and a small character covered in scars that looks like a goblin both standing before what you figure is a shrine to Lamashtu.
If you succeed the knowledge (local) check, open this:
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Shalendra replies to Faust as she examines the lower cave. "Something shiny can be clues to what is going on. I could be important things left behind. It can also be a trap, but if you don't look you'll never know."
"There may be a Bugbear hanging about. That seems to be what the goblinoid is worshiping." She casts Detect Magic on the dagger. I'm guessing this is just cold iron, but you never know.
Ekanta takes a moment to consider his route and then takes a more measured climb. At the lip of the cave, he finds a light iron shield with the symbol of the Isgeri army and a rusty metal canister, which rattles when he moves it.
Masterwork light metal shield
73 gp
2 x Potion of Lesser Restoration
...and the cold iron dagger from below.
Whatever formed the small caves in the escarpment is long gone and proves no danger to the adventurers. Satisfied that you have found everything of note or value within the caves, you continue onward. When night comes, you make camp.
The next morning arrives without incident. However, the forest grows more dense and the canopy shields you from most of the sun's light. Suddenly, a bright yellow and teal, giant caterpillar-like creature descends from above on a string of silk.
"Halt!" the creature demands in an authoritarian tone that is undermined by the high pitch of its voice. "Who dares trespass in my kingdom?"
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Takumi is startled when the giant caterpillar descends, then recognises it immediately as a katroome, an intelligent magical beast. He is tempted to pull out his wand to lay magical protection on himself but fears the creature would see that as a precursor to attacking.
Instead, in a most fawning manner, Takumi speaks. "Master Katroome, we apologise for our trespassing for that was surely not our intention. We merely seek to follow the trail of most foul goblinoids who have infested this region. They have unfortunately caused my people much consternation. Although with your impressive abilities, they would pose little threat to you, perhaps you would permit us to nonetheless assist to getting rid of these little annoyances on your behalf?"
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First I have to work with an Erastilian priest, now I have to grovel to a caterpillar? Why did I leave Geb again? We should cleave it to pieces for insulting the closest thing to nobility it has probably ever seen and be on our way. Failing to stifle his increasing irritation, Faust rolls his eyes. "Goblins are hardly the only little annoyances in these woods," he mutters under his breath.
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"Oh! So polite! I like you!" the giant caterpillar trills happily. "Tell me what these nasty goblins have done to you."
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Shalendra gives the creature a smile. If you look closely you will see gritted teeth as she speaks. "They have been upsetting the farmers in the area. This isn't good for the people around here. We believe there also may be a horrible and evil bugbear involved as well. Have you seen anything like that in your realm?"
"Yes, yes. There was a bugbear and a scrawny goblin all covered in scars," the katroome answers. "They passed through my kingdom. Didn't pay proper respect though. If there hadn't been so many, I would have taught them a lesson!
"They were dragging human prisoners with them. Poor things. Probably in the stew pot by now."
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Takumi sighs in concern but quickly pulls himself together.
"How disrespectful of them!" He quickly gives the caterpillar-being a perfect bow that only a Tian-Min can pull off. "Please, point the path they have taken. We'll make haste to go after them and teach them a lesson for their impertinence."
"Well, that's the way they went," the katroome says, pointing with one stubby arm. "But I'm not sure you want to go that way. More than one goblin tribe roams these woods, and two different war parties ran into the band you're following. Dead draw attention of predatory things. So you might want to give it wide berth. I wouldn't want my new friends getting eating by a giant raven."
The katroome gives you sufficient information for you to avoid the sites of the goblin skirmishes. The third and fourth days of your journey pass uneventfully. On the morning of your fifth day, you pass a clearing in the woods.
Crumbling stone walls mark the site of what was once a small cottage, but is now merely a ruin. The remains of a garden, now in disarray, surround the dilapidated and collapsed cottage.
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At least this time it doesn't look like it was melted by acid. Stumbling into a drake, dragon, or worse's lair for 'a shiny' is not the way I'll be leaving this world. Brute force, on the other hand, is well within our ability to handle appropriately. Faust remains silent and neutral as he watches Shalendra approach the cottage.
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As Shalendar heads toward the ruined cottage, the weeds next to her suddenly animate, and a large, gray and brown toned orchid rises up and tries to slam its stalk into the elf. It misses her by an inch.
Combat! Round 1. Bold may act.
Ekanta
Breathless Orchid
Shalendra
Otto
Takumi
Faust