Lashtail tenses as the direction of the wind subtly shifts, inadvertently digging his talons deeper into the goblin corpse for better support. Lashtail only understands a few words of what Abbicka said, like "help", but the sight of Abbicka running towards the source of the explosion, which is accompanied by the smell of blood and death, not to mention more of the smelly green things, accompanied by the absence of any command to "stay", spurs Lashtail into action. If Abbicka is going to run towards danger, then Lashtail will get there first and make it safe. And who knows, maybe his next meal won't be interrupted if he gets there first.
Run (48 squares; off map)
Janaga drops her trusted crossbow and prepares herself for melee combat once again. She thrusts in on the recently backstabbed goblin to finish the job.
Drop L-Xbow in K17
Draw Dagger
Attack Goblin in J18 with Dagger
Shift 5-foot step to K17
Goblins wail and people cheer when Paul decapitates two Goblins in one swing. There's a momentary pause as the raiders finally realized that they've picked a fight they cannot win. Janaga and Viorec take full advantage of that hesitation; both daggers make an odd chuff sound as they stab into the Goblin's skull, and the creature dies instantly.
Some of the townsfolk are quick enough to make a break for it. The carter seizes the dead Goblin's dogslicer and takes off after them.
"Slaughter the bastards, Paul!" he yells in parting.
Confusion and doubt flash across the raiders' faces, but the Warchanter's smile only grows.
Goblins fight and Goblins sing
Dogslicers bite and rattails sting!
True to her words, the whip snakes out and pulls the ranger's feet out from beneath him. He lands facedown in the dirt where someone spilled their beer earlier.
Of all the odd things to notice in combat, Paul sees that the Goblins he'd just beheaded wore necklaces of wolf claws. That's characteristic of the Thistletop tribe, as opposed to the soft leather armor and wooden ear piercings of the Mosswood goblins the party had fought scarcely a minute earlier.
The strange alliance is illustrated further when two Goblins charge with a scream of "Goblins fight!" Well, one screams, the other gurgles past a mouthful of poiled splurg.
Despite having every advantage, the stupid freaks fail to land a solid blow against the ranger.
The raider by Janaga is clearly surprised to have been outflanked and outnumbered so suddenly. It draws its dogslicer and slashes at the cleric in one smooth motion, skipping back a step to avoid the inevitable retaliation.
Which gives his buddy the opening he needs. Horseshoes are forgotten as it charges and slashes, shouting bloody vengeance for its slain brethren.
Lashtail outpaces Abbicka, and two things occur to her.
The first is that he'll be alone in the fight for a few seconds with nothing but his instincts to guide him. The second is that she's not sure he knows the overall meaning of "help the other townspeople."
Janaga clings to her chest feeling the life begin to fade from her body. Her vision blurs, shadows cling to the edge of her vision.
"You think you can finish me off like that? Like I'll go down so easy?! I'll see each and every last one of you evil bastards rot before the sunsets. Every. Last. One."
Her hands begin to glow a violent gold and she thrusts them upon her chest.
Self Target
"Now you're next."
She then takes a step towards the goblin. Her threat was about to become a promise.
5-foot step to L-18
Paul was always told by his parents that when he's knocked down to get back up. He stands up ready for the goblins attack
And dodges them beautifully before countering with his own attack.
"CARTER, I NEED YOUR HELP. ATTACK THE ONE WITH THE WHIP" Paul yells out to the fleeing man hoping for some assistance
Viorec is alarmed at being suddenly surrounded
But uses the distraction caused by the cleric's light show and theatrics to dart behind one of the Goblins
a move which dislodges his familiar from where his shoulder.
There he once again does his best impression of a rouge
which spurs Aislin to follow suit
On Paul's side of the crowd, everything happens at once. The carter hears Paul's cry, stops, and reluctantly turns to face the Warchanter.
His mind made up, he raises his cattleprod and steps closer.
Sheriff Hemlock finally reaches the fight with deputies and clerics in tow. Daviren Hosk is in the lead, and immediately assaults the nearest Goblin...
... and deals a fatal blow.
A deputy right behind him skips around Grovug's grill and swings a shortspear at the other raider.
"Tallshanks die today!" the Goblin shouts in triumph. "Burn by our fire and the wrath of-"
The rant is cut tragically short when a feathery red meteor slams into the raider and buries its teeth into a shoulder. The deputy raises the shortspear again, ready to run Lashtail through, but Sheriff Hemlock catches him by the arm.
"Wait, it's harml-" Hemlock says, before he remembers that he's talking about a deinonychus. "It's quite tame," he continues, but Lashtail's growls and the Goblin's shriek of anguish cut off that last word.
"Just concentrate on the damn Goblins."
Aislin's talons find purchase on the Goblin's cheeks, and the Goblin is left spitting blood and feathers. It spins in place and waves a Dogslicer at the people who've surrounded it but dizzily falls on its but before it can pick a target.
No stranger to Goblin raids, the homesteader takes up Janaga's abandoned crossbow and draws a bead on Viorec's attacker.
The bolt thuds into the dirt where the Goblin stood a moment before. The little freak dances in place and babbles incomprehensible threats while the homesteader calls out to Janaga.
"Got any more bolts on you?"
Abbicka continues running towards the square.
"Stupid, stupid!" Abbicka hears a Goblin cry. She is not yet all the way down Church Street, and a quick glance over her shoulder reveals that a squad of Goblins are being driven out of the alley she heard chittering earlier. Some are green-skinned warriors of the Mosswood tribe, but a pair are armed with bows and wearing a style of wooden mask she'd never seen before.
The Thistletop Dog-Rider that ran from the fight earlier emerges behind them, berating them at the top of its small voice. "Stupid! Do you not hear the horns? Go take that festival, or die trying!"
"Tame? That?" the deputy replies to Sheriff Hemlock, not lowering the spear one bit. "Of course it is. Belongs to a friend of yours, doesn't it?
The sole remaining Goblin at Grovug's Fine Edibles swings wildly at his assailant...
But fails to land a blow on Lashtail.
The Goblin Warchanter pauses her song as she sizes up the newcomers. Being outnumbered so badly would make most Goblins think twice about pressing the assault, but this one is too drunk with bloodlust to feel fear.
"Hear my voice, listen to me,
Drive these Tallshanks into the sea!"
She lashes out with the whip, this time at the carter.
The whip bats the cattle prod, but fails to pull it out of his hands.
Meanwhile, Paul's assailants continue their assault. Their dogslicers make cute little hammering sounds as they bounce off his scale armor.
South of the crowd, a Goblin spits out the last of the feathers in his mouth and finally decides that the woman screaming at him is the biggest threat.
The Dogslicer again bites into Janaga's ceremonial robes and draws blood.
His buddy steps up to the Homesteader, which gives Viorec an opening.
Slightly dazed from the stab, he ducks under the woman's borrowed crossbow, and slashes at her belly.
The wound is too shallow to endanger her life, but a bystander wouldn't know that from the blood that stains her dress.
As Viorec completes the motion of latest attack, a stabbing pain erupts in his stomach. Or rather, he is suddenly made aware of a very literal stab wound in his mid section. How long has that been there? I don't remember getting stabbed... he thinks with stupid clarity, promoting his next thought Oh, I must be in shock... and out of my element . He then hold the dagger in front of him as if parry any blows as he steps back just out of reach and makes a dash...
Aislin wants to follow it's master but isn't willing to turn away from a threat
Hearing the request for ammo Janaga tosses five bolts towards the newly equipped ally. However the blow leaves her rocking on her feet. She staggers back away from the goblins seeing her ally flee from the fight. The only choice she's left with is to bathe herself in golden light once more.
Drop 5 bolts in K17
5 foot step to M18
Move to M20
When he gets to the flaming wreckage of the stand, Viorec looks to see if there are any pieces he could easily pick up and would hold a flame.
The cart is burning furiously, but Viorec doesn't see any pieces that will take a good beating. However, the Goblins that Paul slayed earlier were carrying both torches and dogslicers, which they surely won't miss now.
Paul attacks again
The cart is burning furiously, but Viorec doesn't see any pieces that will take a good beating. However, the Goblins that Paul slayed earlier were carrying both torches and dogslicers, which they surely won't miss now.
I obviously cannot take the chance of being hit so 5foot step it is.
Lashtail leaps back up on the table, the better to maul its prey. The Goblin was expecting that and swings a dogslicer at the raptor.
A feathery talon clamps shut on the Goblins hand, and the critter barely has time to scream before Lashtail climbs up his arm and tears into his throat.
The argument between Sheriff Hemlock and his deputy is briefly interrupted when Daviren Hosk pushes by.
"Go on ahead, Sheriff," the deputy says. "Those people are going to come running through here any moment now. I'll make sure the raptor stays put."
Daviren Hosk zeroes in on the Goblin Warchanter, screaming epithets to grab its attention.
The whip flicks harmlessly off his leather jerkin. On balance, the Warchanter easily dodges Hosk's attack.
That leaves an opening to the Carter, who draws his pilfered dogslicer, steps up to the Goblin bard, and slashes at her bulbous head.
The Warchanter dodges that as well.
Meanwhile, the homesteader covering Viorec and Janaga's retreat catches the bolts, loads the crossbow, and fires.
Killing the Goblin.
Abbicka is up
Lashtail leaps back up on the table, the better to maul its prey. The Goblin was expecting that and swings a dogslicer at the raptor.
A feathery talon clamps shut on the Goblins hand, and the critter barely has time to scream before Lashtail climbs up his arm and tears into his throat.
The argument between Sheriff Hemlock and his deputy is briefly interrupted when Daviren Hosk pushes by.
"Go on ahead, Sheriff," the deputy says. "Those people are going to come running through here any moment now. I'll make sure the raptor stays put."
Daviren Hosk zeroes in on the Goblin Warchanter, screaming epithets to grab its attention.
The whip flicks harmlessly off his leather jerkin. On balance, the Warchanter easily dodges Hosk's attack.
That leaves an opening to the Carter, who draws his pilfered dogslicer, steps up to the Goblin bard, and slashes at her bulbous head.
The Warchanter dodges that as well.
Meanwhile, the homesteader covering Viorec and Janaga's retreat catches the bolts, loads the crossbow, and fires.
...killing the Goblin.
Abbicka continues running towards the square, hoping for help to arrive before the dog rider can run her down. "There's more coming from up the road!" she shouts to no one in particular as she finally arrived at the square, out of breath.
Run 80 feet (off map to T8)
Free Action:
Speak
The Warchanter sings something in her native Goblin tongue, and tendrils of black smoke gather about her free hand.
One last word, and the smoke lunges for Daviren Hosk.
The ranger shakes his head and the smoke vanishes with no ill effect.
"Turn and kill the Goblinslayer! He's here!" the Warchanter shouts at the two nearby Goblins as she ducks away from her assailants. Surrounded on three sides, she considers her options for a breakout and settles on the weak, wounded Sorcerer to her south.
Her minions seem confused by which slayer of Goblins she refers to. One continues his attack on Paul, while the Thistletop Goblin turns and charges at the other ranger.
The Goblin evade's Paul's attack and leaps at Daviren Hosk, dogslicer ready to draw blood.
The blade draws a curlicue cut across Hosk's jerkin, but no blood.
His buddy continues his attack against Paul, swinging a dogslicer with all its might.
There's a snapping sound, and Paul looks down to see the little freak staring in horror at an empty hilt. The ranger smiles, knowing that there's nothing nearly as fun as a Goblin that can't fight back.
The last Goblin to the south of the crowd picks a feather out of its teeth and rushes at Viorec's familiar.
The owl shrieks as the dogslicer bites into a wing and looks around for its master.
Finally having only to deal with 1 enemy Paul puts his power into striking the little bugger down.
Paul's greatsword cuts a furrow into the dirt, inconveniencing the Goblin only slightly.
One of the deputies following Sheriff Hemlock, a woman in a red dress Abbicka knows as Ameiko Kaijitsu, stops and faces Abbicka. "How many of them?"
"Hey, you!" the other deputy interrupts. "Get your filthy raptor out of the city! We'll put him down if we have to!"
Janaga watches the last standing foe around her and readies herself should it even flinch.
Ready action, Dagger attack if Goblin attack
Ignoring the other deputy, Abbicka faces Ameiko, "There were five, I think. Two had masks and bows, two had little swords, and the leader was riding a dog. How can Lashtail and I help?"
Speak
Still somewhat in shock, Viorec performs a new iteration of the "wierd word and gesture" combo, his hand doing a pantomine of scattering marbles in front of him
and as he does he seems to remember something
Meanwhile, Aislin (owl) skirts around the remaining goblin
and tries to attack the goblin from the back
The deputy draws too close with the spear, and Lashtail momentarily abandons his Goblin meal to hiss a warning. Violent, feathery conflict seems imminent and inevitable until Sheriff Hemlock yanks the man away by the scruff of his collar.
"I said focus on the damn Goblins. I'll watch the raptor," Hemlock says. "We need to get everyone into the church. Dale, help Father Zantus move the wounded. Abbicka, call Lashtail away and keep a watch on Church Street; give the townspeople a wide berth.
Daviren Hosk takes one last swing at the Goblin in front of him and contemptuously advances on the Warchanter.
The Warchanter flicks her whip to ward off the old ranger, but a slick coating of grease oozes from the leather, and she looses her grip.
The Goblin targeted by Viorec's familiar reels back and falls to the ground. Aislin himself has to dodge a column of civilians fleeing to the south.
[spoiler=actions]
[spoiler]
"Lashtail, no. Come here. We have to stop the goblins coming down the road." Abbicka makes a general gesture for Lashtail to follow her.
As he approaches, she takes stock of his injuries.
Not seeing anything pressing, Abbicka walks back towards Church Street, her grip around her spear tightening. I've never struck out in anger with this before, prior to today... she thinks, before looking down the street at the approaching goblins.
"Oh...where did the goblins go?" Abbicka tenses, trying to be prepared for anything.
Handle Animal Lashtail (follow Abbicka)
Free Action:
Perception (survey Lashtail's injuries)
Move Action:
Move 20 feet (T8 to V5)
Free Action:
Perception (look for goblins from before)
Standard Action:
Total Defense
Moving up alongside Abbicka, Lashtail can sense her nervousness, and that makes him nervous too. What is she scared of? All the small green things are the other way.
Sniffing the air, Lashtail catches a myriad of scents. Pink things, pointy eared things, the smelly tusk-faced thing, some prey...and a distinct scent that he recognizes: the hairy thing that a green thing was riding before. Focusing on it, he can smell at least five green things. Is that what scares her? Lashtail wonders. Another scent catches his attention: a sickly, bitter scent that he doesn't recognize. The smell is overpowering, drowning out all of the other scents, even the smelly tusk-faced thing.
Move 25 feet (V10 to W6)
Free Action:
Perception Check (notice Abbicka's mood)
Free Action:
Perception Check (sniff for danger ahead)
Standard Action:
Ready Charge Goblin Dog or Goblin Commando (trigger: Goblin Dog or Goblin Commando comes within 60 feet of Lashtail)
Abbicka can see into the near half of Church Street, but she can't see the squad of Goblins from the alley.
The Goblin Warchanter scrabbles about on the ground for her whip, and her attention is diverted from the aged Ranger for a crucial second.
His short sword slices deep into her neck. Her off-key warbling, and the bardic magic it powers, ceases immediately. The jeers from the rooftops die down, and the Goblin that has been skipping about and making funny faces at Paul stops cold.
In that momentary silence, the low, sonorous horn plays a note that typically recalls hunters to a base camp. Goblins throughout the square stop what they're doing and run, some bothering to lob a torch into a stall or grab a shiny bauble. Perhaps the most surprising, Paul sees a look of pure dread flash across the Goblin's face before it turns to flee.
Of course, after the nuisance it made of itself, the Ranger isn't about to let it walk away. Or run, as the case may be.
The Goblin's severed head skids across the ground and bumps into Daviren's boots.
Goblin Warchanter attempts to pick up her whip and eats an AoO, which kills her because I finally remember that Goblinoids are Daviren Hosk's Favored Enemy.
All surviving Goblins flee. The Goblin adjacent to Paul doesn't survive.
Paul tears a piece of cloth off of his shirt and starts wrapping the wound on his forearm to stop what bleeding there is before walking up to the sheriff.
"What's going on Hemlock? I haven't seen the goblins this organized in some time and definitely not in this number. I've killed half a dozen myself and more than a dozen between us yet they're still coming. How big of a force are we dealing with?"
The Goblins persist in their absence. Abbicka can't hear them, and Lashtail evidently doesn't smell them. After a few tense moments, Ameiko Kaijitsu walks over to Abbicka (Keeping a few strides away from the bloody raptor) and doubtfully asks "Perhaps they retreated as well?"
"Fifty Goblins, tops," Daviren Hosk says, looking around for signs of remaining raiders, finding none. "They haven't attacked in these numbers since the Winter Solstice Seige, and never in broad daylight."
"And they've never been smart enough to organize with hunting horns," Hemlock adds as he examines the dead Warchanter. "Ma'am, I believe that whatever is commanding these Goblins has recalled them from the city."
"Thank you," Mayor Deverin says as she climbs onto one of Grovug's tables. "Everyone!" she calls. "Everyone, please!
The babble and panicked cries of the crowd are hushed, and most everyone dutifully turns and lends an ear. All that can be heard are the crackling of the fires and the cries of the injured.
"The Goblins have retreated for now. Please help the elderly, the young, and the injured to shelter in the church. Every member of the militia must retrieve their weapons and report to Sheriff Hemlock. All others, form a bucket line and extinguish that house!"
Viorec is flushed with victory, for the spell he cast led almost directly to the Warchanter's death. Or maybe he's burning with shame, for having fired off a spell in anger and caused a sapient being's death. Maybe the blood rushing through his ears and the heat upon his neck is merely the process of cooling off after a life-or-death struggle.
Nah. That warm feeling is probably from standing right next to a bonfire.
Naffer Vosk emerges from the crowd once again, with a bundle of bloody rags clutched in his hand. "If you've got any magic left for healing, you should save it," he tells Janaga. "Father Zantus seems to have it covered, and the injured just have light cuts or..."
It takes him a long while to find his breath. When he can manage the words, they are broken and uneven. "I forgot a person could bleed out that fast."
Pointing at Lashtail with a somewhat commanding voice, Abbicka demands, "Lashtail, stay!"
She ignores his puppy dog eyes as he stares deep into her soul. She turns to Ameiko and says, "You wouldn't mind keeping an eye on him for just a little, would you? I'm going to go help with the fires."
Not waiting for a response, Abbicka dashes over to the burning building. She closes her eyes in focus and says a quick chant, summoning a small torrent of water above the house. Pleased, she repeats this action again and again, trying to focus the water wherever the fire seems strongest.
Create Water until the fire is put out
Between the healing potion abating the shock and the end of the battle stemming the adrenaline, the pain of Viorec's stomach wound become the most pressing issue for him. To try and distract himself, he goes throught the rote of one of his simpler spells.
and thanks Sarenrae that Paul's coup de grace caused her to land facedown, the gore actually making the scene less repelling.
Viorec sees scattered motes about the Warchanter's corpse, likely the little trinkets that a superstitious Goblin would keep about her person. The only aura worthy of note is the faint trace of conjuration in a pouch on her belt.
The rest of the Goblins slain by the party carry coins worth silver pieces.
Sheriff Hemlock pulls a cleric out of the crowd and speaks quietly to him. After a moment, the cleric nods reluctantly and moves among the deputies, calling upon Desna's blessings.
Viorec picks up the potion and the coin-fold, taking half of the coins before handing the rest to Paul, still to distracted by the pain to talk. He then takes his place in line for Desna's blessing. Meanwhile, Aislin flys out by unspoken agreement in the direction of the stable. After being healed Viorec follows to check on his donkey.
Lashtail cocks his head at a new sound. Horses have no love for Goblins and fled the festival in the first few seconds of the chaos, but he can definitely hear hoofbeats drumming down Church Street. The hoofbeats cease, and are soon replaced by the snarling of dogs and someone's cries for help.
Curious.
Sheriff Hemlock has finally finished consulting with the mayor and starts handing out tasks.
"Daviren Hosk, take four men with you and sweep Junkers Way. If you find ladders, pull them up and break them apart. The rest of you, arm up and sweep the town for stragglers. Be sure to check Chask's shop. Ameiko, I want..." he trails off when he sees that she has already fashioned a spear from a tent pole and a knife, and currently has it leveled at Lashtail. "Right. Keep up the good work."
"You," he says, turning to Paul. "Get your friends and follow me. We're going to secure the North Gate."
Abbicka's firefighting efforts halts the spread of the fire, but only when dockworkers show up with long hooks and begin tearing the thatch down does she finally extinguish the flames. She is no expert in carpentry or construction, but it seems as if the house avoided serious damage.
Cheers erupt when the last tiny deluge materializes from thin air and snuffs out the last of the fires. The little Gnome finds herself swept up in a bearhug by a man who can't seem to say more than "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Janaga collected her gear and moved over to fall in with the group. Reloading and slinging her crossbow over her shoulder. She sighs softly as she examines her hands, bruised from the thrusting of the knife. A bloody day, that still wasn't over.
A new, lovely lovely map for us to play on!
Viorec heard the commotion long before he saw it; the sound of a horse galloping down Church Street, the shouts of Goblins, the barking of a dog. Quickening his pace, he steps around the Thorn residence in time to see a horse felled by a mounted Goblin commando.
The rider scrambles for cover behind a nearby wagon. Before the commando can finish him off, a large hunting dog steps between the hated Goblin and his master. Unintimidated, perhaps even emboldened, the Goblins cheer in their own scratchy language. The Goblin commando eggs his dog forward and the fight begins.
The two dogs frantically tear into each other, jaws snapping at scruff and foreleg. Whatever the hunting dog's advantages in size and strength are, the mangy Goblin Dog more than makes up for in ferocity and agility. It is almost all the commando can do to stay on, but he somehow lands a few blows on the enemy dog with his Horsechopper.
Viorec doesn't recognize the man, though he's dressed in fine hunting garments usually worn by nobility. His actions in the face of danger, however, lack any semblance to dignity. While his dog does the fighting for him, he cowers behind a wheel and screams for help.
Viorec sneaks towards the stables
pausing to uses his final good spell to give his favored dog an advatage.
If you have trouble navigating the map, the slider on the far left zooms the map in and out.
The Goblins are fascinated by the fight, and none of them notice the sorcerer darting to cover. One particularly keen-eared Goblin perks his ears up when Viorec begins his incantation, but the puddle of grease that appears under his feet give him other things to think about.
Both the Goblin and the dog mount slip and fall. The Goblin commando seizes his dog's mangy scruff and holds on for dear life.
The hunting dog snarls and seizes the opportunity.
The commando sees it coming and spurs his ride into action with a slap on the neck, but there's no dodging it. The dog's teeth sink into the Goblin Dog's neck.
The other Goblins hoot and holler, and one prods the puddle of grease with his dogslicer. The archers focus their attention outward, but take no notice of the man behind the hawthorn.
The Goblin that slipped shakily gets to his feet and treads lightly out of the grease puddle.
The Goblin Dog stands as well...
An opportunity which the hunting dog fails to take advantage of. The rider shrieks in the Goblin tongue, retrieves a little clay flask from his belt, and drinks the contents.
Meanwhile, to the south, Sheriff Hemlock hears the noble's cries for help and races up Church Street, beckoning for Paul and Janaga to join him.
Viorec tries to decide what would be most distracting to the war party
Viorec can't remember anything specific about Goblins
and Harpies. He's heard plenty about the enmity between Goblins, dogs, and horses, but that's strictly in the realm of hate. Goblins are probably too stupid to fear anything, but if there is anything that does terrify them, it might be a forest predator.
Viorec tries to think of a sound which would distract the goblins but not prompt them to investigate. He settles on the sound that most terrified the guards in the caravans he would travel with.
Save for the distracted commando, every single Goblin hears Viorec's incantation. Four knobby heads turn to stare at the tree he's hiding behind, and one of the archers puts tension on his bow. Only the skillfully crafted figment saves Viorec, because every Goblin turns to face the source of the lifelike owlbear snore with cries of "Bitebeak!" and "Madeyes!"
Except, again, the commando. Whatever he drank is still coursing through him, making blood vessels bulge and muscles stand out like steel cables. Maybe if the hunting dog had fled, the commando's tunnel vision would have settled elsewhere. Instead, the dog pressed the attack, this time against the rider himself.
And doesn't get close.
The Goblin commando swings his horsechopper, a surprisingly well-crafted halberd made from parts of an old gate. The blade cuts deeply across the dog's back, and it falls to the ground in a whimpering mess.
The commando shrieks in triumph and searches the square. His underlings' cries of fear are ignored, and his eyes settle on Paul, Janaga, and Sheriff Hemlock, who have just ran into view.
Surprise Round
Avg 13.5
Avg 20.25
The Goblin commando spurs his steed into action, forgetting about the mewling noble before him.
But the mangy dog fails its master. It slips and falls again, this time spilling the commando to the ground.
Who makes a decent three-point landing, halberd in hand. With barely a moment to catch his breath, the Goblin races toward Sheriff Hemlock and strikes with all its might.
Hemlock's parry misses and the blade bites into his shoulder.
Despite the commando's shouts, the rest of the Goblins are loathe to enter the fray. The two masked archers keep their arrows pointed at the corner of the stable, and the Mosswood Goblins are scared to step into view of a hungry Owlbear. For now, the commando is on his own.
You guys are up!
Seeing the Sheriff in pain and holding down the golbin rider Paul runs up to it and puts all his power into a great overhead chop.
Paul leaves himself open to counterattack,
But the commando does not have room to put strength behind his attack, and the blade bounces off Paul's armor. And when the ranger attacks in turn, the commando doesn't have a chance.
Gasps go out from the Goblins when they see their leader effortlessly destroyed. Fighting is now the last thing on their minds.
The Goblin dog struggling in the puddle of grease quits snarling and fixes the humans with a cold stare. It's going to avenge its beloved master or die in the attempt.
Viorec decides he can stop making the goblins think something scary had shown up, when they can see it for themselves. Instead, he pulls out his sling, steps around the tree, and takes a potshot.