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"The Farmstead is under attack, quickly!" Speaker exclaims as they rush off towards Escoro and the boy the recently rescued. Ignoring Wolfgang's heartless nature for once, the Sarenrite breathes heavily as they run, praying to the Sun Goddess that the people are safe and they get there in time. As they pray, their blade begins to glow with the purifying scarlet flame of Sarenrae.
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Sammmakko digs through the goblins pouches and pulls out a few things of use. "Well don't think they'll be needed this stuff now. Best put it to use." While stashing the spoils in his pouch he hears the nearby screams. "Seems this stuff may get put to use sooner than we though. Think maybe it's something besides goblins this time? I'm getting a bit tired of them. They smell like goat cheese."
You all grab what gear you immediately need and then race down the trail to the road that leads to the Escoro homestead. The goblin atop one of their dogs seems to be singing and yelling at what you assume to be the Escoro family hiding inside the house. The braying of a horse from a nearby barn can be heard.... most likely agitated by the goblin on the goblin dog that is roaming the area outside. The goblin does not see you as you approach- as it is fixated upon the house.
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The grippli puts his plan in motion and takes a wide sweeping path, staying behind bushes and trees until he gets to the wall and uses his small frame to stay out of sight. Once at the back of the building, he quickly scales the wall to the roof, and quietly makes his way to the edge. He peeks over the edge, and tosses the net down on the unsuspecting goblin.
Sammakko sneaks up and almost gets seen as he steps on a small twig which breaks and the goblin stops singing atop his riding dog... tilts his head... and then continues to sing trying to get into the farmhouse... Sammakko takes a wide berth to the back of the house to climb the building...
but does not make it up the side of the house...
But remains undetected as this time the dog sniffs around but the goblins singing masks Sammakko's noisy climbing failure...
The little monk tries once more...
but does not make it up the side of the house again... must be the slippery moss growing on the wood...
But remains undetected yet again as the goblin dog sniffs around but is stopped from moving by its rider who yanks it closer to the farmhouse front door...
The little monk tries once more...
and scampers up the side of the house to the roof throwing the net down on the unsuspecting goblin...
The goblin shrieks and tries to get out from under the net that entangled him...
and manages to get out but can do nothing else this round
1st Round
Goblin- escaped from net
Speaker, Deldri, Manaria, Eris, Wolfgang, Sammakko
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Eyes alighting as Samm's net lands right on target, the Speaker is disheartened as the creature fights its way free with apparent ease. "We must keep the Goblins away from the innocents!" she exclaims as she rushes to meet the Goblin, hopping over the wall as she goes and drawing her Dark Iron curved blade.
The group moves in to corner the goblin rider as it looks hastily for an avenue of escape...
Eris moves into the courtyard and the goblin urges his mount to move around the party towards the opening in the fence to escape.
As he rides away he throws a javelin at Speaker ...
MISS
Wolfgang misses the goblin as it flees but after reloading quickly he hits the fleeing goblin mount with a well aimed bolt.
The party easily surrounds the sole goblin and mount and finish them off with vicious wounds.
Once the sounds of battle are over the farmhouse door cracks open a tad and an older peasant garbed man peers out. "Is it over?... Is it gone?... Who are you people?" the man asks.
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"More importantly... where can we find the rest of them? As my friend here so eloquently explained we were sent here to exterminate the little pests. All you need to do is point us at their usual lairs and we'll take care of the rest. No more goblin problems for you and your village, a curtesy brought to you by Wolfgang Strabe and his crew!" says Wolfgang while bowing to the peasant. Then he adds:"Don't forget to tell your friends. And the mayor. Especially the mayor!"
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Rolling her eyes at Wolfgang's usual pompous behaviour, Speaker sheathes her Scimitar before walking over to the villagers calmly, palms showing to indicate she is of no threat to them.
"Are you injured? I can help." She says calmly and slowly to re-assure the villagers. "I am Known as the Speaker of the Scarlet Flame, servant to Sarenrae."
Realizing the party is there to help the farmer gets on his knees and hugs the legs of Speaker saying "Thank the stars you all showed up when you did! I feared my family's lives would be lost at the hands of that goblin and no one would know of it. I have no money to reward you with but I do have some potions I bought in town for when some of the herd get sick or injured." He motions for his wife to bring the potions and he hands them to the group. "We used to have four but used one of them up when the boy fell from a tree goofing around. Fixed him right up though so he could tend to the flock that night." and he hands you three potions of cure light wounds. "I am Garreni Escoro and this is my wife Ophania and our son Carlo. If you need to rest you can stay here."
When asked about the goblins the farmer replies "We have seen shadows skulking around the edge of our property at night, thinking it wolves we didnt bother with them. But until today, we hadn’t seen any goblins in the flesh."
The Escoros’ son, Carlo, seems to have more to share and when pressed by his father says “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 was gonna tell my ma and pa but chores got in the way and I plum forgot.”
The boy agrees and leads you out to a spot near the grazing fields. After a bit of time the group manages to find the trail the goblins made through the woods. You feel following this trail will lead to the goblin lair.
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Wolfgang gives the Escoros a grim look as they claim to have no money but then, surprisingly, he asks:"Do you know how to use a weapon? Those goblins might be coming back. We just killed a few scores of them but I doubt we put an end to them. Those little bastards tend to be prolific. We are going to hunt them down but we might miss a few. Unless you know how to defend yourselves you might be better off moving back to Saingallow for the time being... sell your sheep, do something else. Goblins are cowards unless they think they have the upper hand, then they become sadistic monsters. You seem like decent people... but in this case you need to be smart people"
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Thanking the farmer for their humbling gesture, the Speaker smiles warmly and takes the potions, offering two of them to her companions and placing one in her belt pouch for later should they be pressed. Following the boy across the fields, the Speaker nods her agreement.
"I think we can afford to press on now, I have still got the Dawnflower's blessings to call upon."
You gather your things and follow the trail. 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.
The goblin tracks lead to an abandoned drake den, where the goblins camped on their way to Saringallow. The drakes who lived here attacked one too many merchant caravans to the south, so soldiers camped in Wolfpoint drove them out of the region long ago. The odor present at the site comes from the combination of the goblins’ leftover stench and a pile of purplish goo in one of the lower cavities.
The goblins also spent some time decorating the walls of this cavity with chalk drawings. You spend time investigating these drawings and you can make out crude renditions of a large, lopsided bugbear, a goblin covered in terrible scars, and the shrine to Lamashtu where the pool of demon’s bile is located.
A cold iron dagger lays very close to the puddle of demon’s bile, forming a conspicuous indentation where the goo has grown around, but not touched, the weapon. Also found are two potions of lesser restoration kept inside a rusty metal canister with the symbol of the Isgeri army on it, a masterwork light steel shield, and 73 gp... remnants of wars from long ago.
A steep-sided ravine runs east to west here, opening at the far western end into a wide grassy depression. The scene would be idyllic if it weren’t for the scattered rusting weapons and pieces of armor, a few of which still contain moldering bones, strewn about the area. Pungent moss and a few patches of mushrooms dot the field; this place looks like it is the final resting place for many unfortunate souls.
Continuing on the trial you see the light is dim in this part of the forest, as the interlocking branches of the trees form a thick, shadowy canopy. As you make your way down the trail a strange creature lowers itself in a non threatening manner and quickly says in a high pitched and soft voice "Whoareyouthatcomethroughmypartoftheforest?"
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Taking the potion should no-one else want it, the Speaker is happy to leave the rest to her companions, though will ensure nothing is left behind. Looking the the shrine in disgust, the Speaker shakes their head, wondering why the Goblins worshipped such a vile abomination. "We should remove the Bile from this place, with Dagger and my blade." She suggests, before doing just that, running her Cold-Iron edge through the bile as countless times before.
Pressing on from the unwholesome caves, the Speaker gives the new creature a shallow bow. "Well met, I apologise but I was not aware that the forest had an owner, else we would have asked permission. Let me rectify that." She smiles before indicating herself in introduction. "I am known as the Speaker of the Scarlet Flame, devotee of the Sun Goddess. As my companion says, we are searching for answers to the evil that plagues this place. Do you know of such?"
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Sammakko scouts ahead as the party makes the journey, opting to stay amongst the tree when he's able to. When the creature confronts them in the forest, he jumps in surprise. "Your forest? I didn't know forests had owners, I thought they belonged to nature. Is this some odd practice in this part of the world?"
The creature seems to be smitten by Speakers fiery and friendly demeanor.... the creature seems to purposely avoid the grippli...
"SeensmallbigheadsIhave...youarewalkingintherightdirection...hadapinkskinwi ththemtheydid...tieduppinkskinwas...willtellyouthewaytosmallbigheads" the strange creature says to the group and then whispers in Speakers ear.
and with that the strange creature scurries up a nearby tree as fast as its body can and then disappears...
With Speaker leading the way the group continues on their mission. After a while a faint smell is captured by their noses... it smells of dead flesh...as the path they take opens up to a small glade.
The rotting corpse of a goblin occupies the center of this small glade. Its eyes and face are missing, as if they were chewed or pecked off by wild animals, and its corpse is covered in purplish, festering goo that seems to be liquefying the body.