Redelia's Ironfang Invasion (Inactive)

Game Master Redelia

Jarvak doesn't mind exploring more. "See what else inside. Korred friendly. Good hair. What oil they use?"

Cirreo looks at you with sad eyes. "There are none left. I saw them all die. I blame the cursed hobgoblins, and I want to leave here so I can stop them from hurting anyone else."

"Concerned Poxy thinking we should help Mr Stranger Halfthing get out and look for his stranger friends in other places."

But I won't argue against the group that seems to want to go on and explore

Oh, I didn't think of that. Cirreo, do you need an escort? You still look kinda weaksauce. Err, I mean, you look unwell.

Alaka chides herself for slipping back into old linguistic habits.

Jynnjun nods occasionally and makes agreeing noises (without actually saying anything) during Trinket's cascade of words. Her comment is "We can't let these mad fey get away with this unpunished, can we? I mean, yes they attacked the hobs but starving prisoners to death is pretty awful."

"Exactly!" Trinket exclaims at Jynnjun's words. "And they Ould hurt someone ELSE! Villains always do!" She nods wisely.

"Exactly!" Trinket exclaims at Jynnjun's words. "And they could hurt someone ELSE! Villains always do!" She nods wisely.

Cirreo looks at each of you in turn. "The villainous fey might hurt someone. The nasty hobgoblins will hurt someone. They are probably hurting my friends at the other forts right now! I want to rescue my friends more than I want revenge on the stupid, petty fey. They've already been killing each other off."

I'm tired of standing around, personally. I'll go with you, Cirreo, but I think we have to finish checking out this place first, so we can all stay together. Splitting up never works. It shouldn't take too long. Can you hide out here for a little while?

Assuming Cirreo will be okay for a while, Alaka heads back inside to see if they can find anyone else to save, or some nice loot, or something good to eat. Whatever. They just needed to start doing something so they could come back and help Cirreo.

Cirreo, please, let someone escort you, Xakroo offered, You're in no real fit condition to fight on your own.

Jarvak will go with the majority of the party, but thinks Cirreo needs to get to safety.

Cirreo badly wants to go fight the Ironfang Legion now, but you are able to convince him to return first to your camp for a brief rest, and so you can consult with Aubrin the Green.

Your journey home is uneventful, except for a few stories Cirreo tells of the hobgoblin attack on Fort Ristin. As he describes it, the rangers were holding off the hobgoblin forces until a new ally of the hobgoblins appeared. It was a large dragon that breathed acid on the defenders. Most of the defenders died then, and the few that were left were imprisoned.

He also tells you during the journey that a message arrived by bird carrier from Fort Nistin during the hobgoblin siege, saying that they were about to be overwhelmed by trolls.

Aubrin takes charge of Cirreo as soon as you arrive back at your settlement, and tends to his injuries which your magic did not already fix. Aubrin then summons all of you to a meeting to decide what to do next.

"I still firmly believe that we should keep trying to contact the Rangers. Perhaps one of the other two forts may still contain them?"

"Trolls?!" Trinket exclaims. "Those are HORRIBLE villains! We need to stop them!"

Pointing her blade to the sky, she spontaneously exclaims, "To Fort Ristin!"

She stands there, posing heroically, while the others continue to talk.

I think you mean Nistin, or wait... are there two forts? Ristin and Nistin? This is confusing. Ristin had the Dragon, and Nistin had the Trolls, right?

"Trolls!? Excited Poxy loves trolls, they HATES it when they burns and runs away so scared of burning Poxy's burning bombs!" Poxy reconsiders his words. "Um what good Poxy means is that he believes that everyone is better at fighting trolls than dragons."

He whispers into Alaka and Trinket and Jarvak's ears "We don't want to hurts feelings of our kobold friends by stabbing a dragon and burning a dragon and exploding a dragon. All the stabbing and burning and exploding of dragons might make them sad."

But maybe they would like it because they are small, and those other dragon guys are big bully dragons.

"If the rangers were about to be overwhelmed in Fort Nistin all that time ago it doesn't sound good for them. Um, maybe we should check their other fort? We know there are some prisoners there." Jynnjun suggests.

Trinket stops posing for a minute and scratches her head. "Hmmm... They should not name their forts with such similar names. Not so clever!" she giggles, then points at the sky, resuming her heroic pose. "Both forts need help! Let's go to whichever is closest! HEROES UNITE!"

Xakroo thinks long and hard about this situation. Here's the thing, if one of the forts has trolls, and the other has that dragon ally...we'll be facing serious danger no matter what we decide. I have had no experience with trolls, but I remember the stories...even if you have acid and fire, some trolls won't just run off in terror, but will fight even harder. And a black dragon...I honestly can't imagine the power this dragon could have... His voice sounded grave and serious.

"Jarvak prefer trolls to Dragons..." he says.

OK, out of character clarification. There are three known ranger forts in the area.
Ft. Ristin: this is where you just were. The hobgoblins took over, and then they were run out by the fey. The hobgoblins only won with the help of a acidic dragon.
Ft. Nunder: Cirreo told you that he received word this fort was about to fall to trolls.
Ft. Trevelay: You do not know anything more about this than it was also a ranger fort.
Cirreo can lead you to either of the forts you have not yet been to.

Scales don't change colour from blood under them the way skin does but Jynnjun still looks abashed. "Oh, sorry, I got the names mixed up. It's Nunder that I think is a long shot for finding the rangers still. Shall we go to Trevelay? We don't know that the rangers there have lost a battle yet."

With how things have turned out, Xakroo mentions, We don't know if Trevelay is fallen or not. But it won't hurt to at least look-whatever's in there can't be any worse then a dragon...right?

Trevelay sounds good. Maybe nobody attacked that one yet, and we could help. Or, wait. Are we trying to help them, or get them to help us?

"BOTH!" Trinket replies immediately. "THAT IS THE WAY OF HEROES!"

"To TREVELAY! ONWARD!"

Ok, everyone level up to 7!

Trinket casts Lucky Number on herself today, in preparation for her heroic escapades!

Lucky Number: 1d20 ⇒ 19

Cirreo accompanies you to show you the way to Fort Trevelay. When you are nearing the fort, you hear the noise of someone approaching you.

The less perceptive among you probably had little time to react before a small and stealthy: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (6) + 21 = 27 creature, dressed from head to toe in a black bodysuit leaps out of the brush and into your path. He holds a four-pointed, star-like weapon in one hand, using a grip that could easily shift between stabbing or throwing.

He glances at all of you and then focuses his gaze on the halfling. After a moment, his posture relaxes, breaking the tension in the air.

Through the black-scaled, reptilian snout that peaks through the mask in his suit he speaks in the tongue of dragons, fairly certain at least some of them would understand.

"Huh?" Trinket asks, scratching her head at the kobold. The scratching causes her purple wig to shift around funny, and her hat tilts askew.

She was inclined to believe the scaly fellow in the stretchy jumper was some kind of sneaky villain, but then, kobolds were always heroes! Or so she had come to learn since meeting her funny scaly companions...

Trinket quickly casts a spell on herself, and then asks.

"Can you repeat that, mysterious and potentially villainous fellow? I need to know if I should make my epic 'Hero's Introduction' speech, or my equally epic 'Hero's Challenge' speech!"

Then she poses with her hands on her hips in preparation for whichever amazing speech is needed...

Casting tongues, so I can now speak and understand whatever language you speak next!

I'm assuming you used tongues to speak Draconic. (You do have to specify which language you are speaking as you can only speak one at a time, but you can change at any time).

Kryptyk assumes that the goblin has finished detecting evil or lies or whatever to determine that he is an honorable and forthright kobold. (no ranks in Spellcraft)

As the goblin is now clearly speaking his language, he assumes that she merely failed to hear here the first time.

Who is the weird actor guy in the bodysuit? I feel like I've joined a carnival, but without the ... well, everything else. Nevermind.

Xakroo understood, and responded in Draconic.

As you talk, you hear sounds of a struggle from a little further down the road.

"Um worried Poxy wonders if you all has something stuck in your throat and can't talk right now. Helpful Poxy can gives you something to make you spit it up, but is also worried that something is fighting over that way! Stop hacking and coughing and lets go see!"

Poxy will wave everyone along and start sneaking in the direction of the sounds, a little off the path.

Stealth: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31

Kryptyk nodded and disappeared into the brush again, heading in the direction of the sound.

Stealth: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (16) + 21 = 37

Alaka follows Poxy, but not too close.

Jynnjun follows with Alaka, keen to see how this hooded figure operates. Well, if she ever sees him again, since she's entirely lost sight of Kryptyk already.

You find a hobgoblin wearing the uniform of the Ironfang Legion. He has a bound and gagged kobold tucked under his arm. The kobold seems to be being uncooperative, even when bound, and is the source of the noises you heard.

The raiders where here, just like he'd said. But he wasn't entirely sure if the others knew this kobold or not, so he'd wait to make his own introduction. Adjusting his grip, Kryptyk waits for the hobgoblin to pass close enough (about 40 feet) before releasing his starknife. He puts enough backspin on it that the weapon returns to its owner.

Earlier and unto the present...

Petrahk had been on the road for weeks.

Druma would definitely be hiring mercenaries, especially skilled ones, after this apparent invasion up in this neck of the woods. Where are all these hobgoblins *coming from* though?

She was only moderately surprised to see that they had more than one unit in the area, and she was DEFINITELY surprised by running into one of the scouts -- the copper dragonette was definitely not the stealthiest, and it had been a rat and bug chase through the woods for the past two days.

That is, until sleep finally caught up to her, because even dragonettes need their growing sleep. When she had woken up, she'd been bound. That had been bad enough.

"What are you doing in these woods?" the scout asked in the harsh-toned gutteral dialect of the larger goblinoids. "Wait. Where are the rest of you? Your type doesn't travel alone."

Petrahk attempted to draw upon the power of her blood and lash out at her attacker with the fury of a dragon, but the scout was MUCH better at melee combat than she was.

When the teeth and claws came out, dripping acid, the hobgoblin clouted her on the back of the head... and then the next thing she knew she was gagged for her troubles and carried like some sack of roots!

Xakroo sees the hobgoblin, and if Kryptyk's attack fails, he'll fire an arrow at the hobgoblin.

Longbow Attack: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (13) + 16 = 29 30 if the target is 30 feet or closer
Longbow Damage: 1d6 + 7 + 2d6 + 2d6 ⇒ (5) + 7 + (5, 4) + (5, 6) = 32 33 if the target is 30 feet or closer

...I think I'm gonna be overkill against hobgobbos with goblinoid bane and holy arrows...

As Kryptyk and Xakroo attack the hobgoblin, he falls over, landing rather heavily on his captive.

Alaka pushes the body off the kobold to see if he is still alive.

At the sight of the hobgoblin, Trinket jumps into the clearing with her blade held high!

"Ahahahaha! The Great Hero Trinket and her amazing Hero-friends have tricked you Ugly Villain! Together with our new hero-friend, victory will be ours! Surrender! Or--Oh! You're dead already!"

Trinket bursts out laughing.

"Once again the great Heroes triumph over villainy! Alright, then! HERO'S INTRODUCTION!"

Trinket stands proudly with her hands on her hips in a triumphant hero-pose and casts light on her armour so it shines dramatically. Her fine studded leather armour shines like a beacon of hope and heroism!

Trinket Sparkleplume is a nimble little goblin with bright green skin and big floppy ears. Her eyes are bigger than normal, and bright yellow. She wears extremely flamboyant clothes in a variety of colours and styles, a bright purple wig on her head (styled in a short bob with the ends curled outwards) and a very fine hat with a peacock feather plume that sparkles brightly in the sunlight.

Trinket reaches up, doffs her magnificent sparkling hat and bows to the new kobolds. "Greetings, fellow Hero, and fancy looking Victim! I am Trinket Sparkleplume, Hero Extroardinaire and champion of many adventures!" Trinket returns to standing and places her fine hat back on her head. She gestures grandly at her companions. "These are my fellow Hero-friends! Alaka Zam, Princess of Hero-flames and honoured servant of the Great Queen of Fire! Xakroo the Amazing Archer Hero who has a very fine pet! Jynnjun, Shiniest Hero of All! And POXY! Most amazing cup-cake maker and Chief Chef!"

Trinket turns to the newcomers and explains dramatically: "We met long ago! As far off as three weeks ago and have had many adventures! We heard of the terrible villainy in Phaendar and came to help save all the peoples and defeat the Epic Villains known as the Ironfang Legion! Or some of us did! Some others were there when it was attacked!" She pauses dramatically. "But, lo! We sought the help of the Chernasado Rangers, Hero-est Heroes of them all, only to find Villains had defeated their nearest fort! Oh, NO!" Trinket exclaims. "And so the Great Heroes descended into the belly of the beast! The forest! We fight bravely, and seek out the other Forts! HEROES UNITE! Ahahahahahaaaaa! And we teamed up with YOU."

Trinket looks at her new Hero Friends with wide, sparkling eyes and a big happy smile. "So tell me, hero-friend and shiny victim, who are you?" Then she sits down on the ground cross-legged, eyes happy and wide, waiting eagerly to hear your tale of heroism!

Alaka addresses the shiny victim.

Hey, kobold-guy... or wait, kobold-girl, right? Did that hobgoblin crush you, or are you okay? Do you need healing?

Alaka casts create water to wash off the hobgoblin blood so she can see better.

The former hobgoblin captive blinks a few times at the 'rescuers' then down at their hands and then stares cross-eyed at the gag in their mouth, followed by a --is it possible to have a sarcastic *eye roll*? -- holding up of bound hands.

Muffled Goblin"Mf mrfl mmrbl mafn mrbl!" is heard through the gag. Translation: "TAKE THIS GAG OUT OF MY MOUTH!"

And then the blood-soaked kobold gets doused with water. Their nostrils flare wildly as they attempt to breathe in the deluge, and would apparently cough except... for the gag in their mouth.

Underneath the blood and grime that is washed off is actually a very well-crafted set of robes wrapped around a copper-scaled kobold of indeterminate gender -- given they're both bound and gagged still, it may take them speaking to shed some light on that situation.

Also of import, is how exhausted the dragonette appears, as though perhaps they'd been on the move for days without sleep.

This disturbingly amusing yet frustrating situation is punctuated with a sigh around the gag.

"I am Kryptyk. So... Trinket, have any of your enemies actually waited long enough to listen to your entire monologue?"

"Perhaps though, we should not worry about that so much right now. It is unusual to encounter a raider alone. I would be concerned with how far this one strayed from his unit. We should follow his tracks back a ways to see if we see signs of other raiders close by. I'll take a look while you clean up here."

Showing that he was a kobold of actions rather than words, Kryptyk got right to work checking for hobgoblin tracks. If he could find them, he would follow them back for a few minutes, trying to stay out of sight as best he could.

Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
Stealth: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (20) + 21 = 41

Trinket crawls over to the shiny victim and ungags her. "You sure are wearing weird clothes! I can't understand what you're saying at all with this cloth on your face!"

Looking up at Kryptyk, Tinker nods enthusiastically, making her hat flop around. "Oh, yeah! The mighty Troglodyte Lord did!" she looks at the others, "Remember HIM, fellow heroes?" Trinket then bursts out laughing at the memory. "He did not realize Alaka, I.R. and I had sprung a trap on HIM! AHahahahaa!"

Suddenly she goes silent and looks at the Shiny Victim. "You were saying?"