Trox continues fishing out his armor, his tightly muscled long arms flexing showing scars as he moves. As he moves he thinks. I should have gone instead of them. I should have stood against the goblins, now this. this nightmare. Keep the others behind you this time Trox. Keep them safe. It won't be like last time. His head snaps back to the fox man at the end.
"What is Lamashtu.. never mind doesn't matter, some god from the sound of it. The half-orc girl? She was at this last battle with the others... dead."
Faywen bares her teeth at the mention of Lamashtu. "The Mother of Monsters. If her worshipers are responsible for this, we need to do something before they turn the entire area into a mockery of nature."
"Lamashtu." Reynard says, disgust evident in his voice as he spits out the name like it leaves a filthy taste in his mouth. "Mother of abominations more like. The demonic queen of everything misshapen and malformed. Only the insane would give her praise." Reynard is obviously disgusted with the very concept of her veneration.
Druamin allows the kistune to have his space and tell his story. Clearly the young one is upset -- understandably. Druamin bristles at the mention of Lamashtu.
"Well. It seems our course is clear. At least for me and Kuba. We're going to have to go checkout what's going on at Thistletop. "
"Technically Lamashtu is recognized as a fertility goddess..." Vinccenso mutters sotto vocce as the others pipe up.
"You said was leading this confederation?" He adds, "Why would the adopted Aasimar daughter of the former town priest want that?" Vinccenso's gaze slides from Raynard, to Faywen, to rest, piercingly, on Sheriff Hemlock as he muses inquiringly.
"Wait, notes?" He continues, turning his attention back to the distraught Kitsune. "Where are these notes?"
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Erond thinks, "What a foolish thing to say. Fertility, if you want to give birth to a monster or want to risk punished by dying in childbirth. Technically right is valuable when building a castle, but is seldom sufficient when working with gods or devils. Well, that is what the scriptures suggest, but I'm a relatively unlearned learned woodsman. Intelligence with a lack of commonsense is dangerous."
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"You all know more about this Lamashumey thing than we did," the kitsune mutters. He digs in his pack and pulls out the notes that they found.
Faywen quickly reads through the notes provided by the kitsune, with particular attention to Tsuto's diary entry they recovered. After some time, she looks up at the others with a grave expression. "Demon worship, desecration of the dead, and plans for worse. It seems that while you and your friends were able to strike a great blow and disrupt their plans, there is yet more work to be done," she says, looking at him through glassy blue eyes. "We can finish the work you have begun, I believe. You may rest, you have earned it."
She stands from her seat and begins gathering her few belongings, clearly feeling a sense of urgency.
Trox nods at the words of Erond and Faywen.
"Never leave an unknown behind you. Clear as you go, check the door, check the corners and move slow. A good approach for sure. If... When we go we open every door so no surprise is behind us. Stay behind me when these enemies arrive as I can only take the blows that come from the front."
It will become clear through this any any planning that Trox main concern is that any enemies focus on him first and formost so he can take the blows. The scares on his arms would tell you he has taken this sort of punishment before.
Ameiko touches Faywen's arm and says "Wait a few minutes..." before leaving for the kitchen. When she returns, she carries a couple of sacks of food for you. "For your journey. Good luck."
Vulpidin suddenly transforms into a fox. "I will lead you back, but I am afraid I will not be much use to you in battle. My nerves are frayed, my faith is certainly in question, and my powers appear to have left me. But surely I can muster the courage to be your guide until you no longer need me."
Druamin gulps down the last of his ale before pushing back from the table. "Come on Kuba. Looks like we know what we need to do." He adjusts the backpack on his shoulder, shifts wide leather belt around his waist so that the sheathed battle axe is more accessible, and pats the pockets on his pants to make sure the sling bullets are still there.
"Well, we're ready. I suppose there is no time like now for us to get started."
Ameiko approaches with the rations and Druamin takes them gratefully. "Thank you so much. I hope we are back before these run out."
He steps up to Trox and puts a burly around around his shoulders. "I know, you like to be right up front. I'm sure we'll let you do that. But I'm going to be close beside you. We'll make a great team, I'm sure."
Kuba rises slowly from the warm spot under the table and lumbers forward, his relaxed quills making slight swishing sounds as they drag on the floor.
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"Vulpidin I have this reinforced satchel that is designed to protect small creatures if you like you could ride in it. It would protect you. My apologies if that is crass."
Erond will off his familiar satchel to shield the man from aoos (in game reason for plot armor).
"We know we are going up against other worldly creatures we should check our equipment."
Erond almost ritualisticly goes through his gear.
"I have special material arrows become some creatures resist the damage.
I also have blunt arrows because the last time I fought a skeleton I was very ineffective. I have no means of hacking and slashing though.
I have splash weapons for swarms their are plenty in these forests.
I have scroll to remove imaging effects. But those are a limited resource."
Faywen nods to Ameiko as Druamin packs up the rations. "You have my thanks as well."
While the others speak, Faywen closes her eyes, focusing on manipulating her inner power. She appears to break out in a sweat for just a moment, before the water vanishes. She opens her eyes again and considers Trox's words. "Sound tactics. Anything I can see and that you can hold in place, I can smash. I'm also quite capable of protecting myself. Any enemies who think I'm easy prey in melee will be in for a nasty surprise."
The fox seems only too happy to jump into the satchel.
The fox leads you back to Thistletop.
As you all talk Trox spends a good deal of time putting on her very finely made banded mail. Once done she pulls and equally fine shield from the sack. The armor itself is very dark in color, probably forged to be dark and non-reflective. The shield likewise is dark and flat but a detailed sailing ship is carved into its face and colored golden.
"My sword is cold iron though not magical. I have a bow as well but I don't much care for situations where that is my main weapon."
Beyond that he is quiet on the walk but always near the front of the group, probably not great if anyone wants to be sneaky.
Trox looks at the offered weapon and raises one eye brow.
"Intresting. Allows the shield. I can give it a try if you are sure. Gets me in close at least."
He debates giving his sword in return but that seems kind of counterproductive and nods.
"If it will help keep people safe."
You sail back up the cost, and borrow some canoes from the ship. After rowing to the beach, Vulpidin shows you the path up and around to the front of the wilderness maze.
"This way... I'll show you the bridge."
"We should be careful to avoid notice on our approach," Faywen says, keeping a low profile as she follows after the tiny fox, while also trying to keep an eye out for any dangers trying to hide from the party.
C1: The briars and thistles that grow so rampantly in Nettlewood are even more dense and tangled here, close to the shore. Although not quite dense enough to block the sound of waves crashing on the unseen
shores to the west, the undergrowth is certainly thick enough to block sight and access to the coast. Few trees grow this close to the edge of the sea, but the briars themselves often reach heights to rival them; here, the patch is nearly twenty feet high.
C2: A four-foot-high tun nel winds through the dense briars and nettles. The floor is hard-packed earth, with patches of wiry plants growing stubbornly here and there.
C3: Three thistle tunnels open into a large cave-like chamber. Above, the thorny canopy grows thin enough that tiny slivers of the sky above can be seen, while below, the ground consists of trampled dirt. To the west, the distant sound of sloshing waves echoes up from a hole. Vulpidin confirms that they did not explore the hole (C27).
C4: This thirty-foot-diameter, low-ceiling chamber stinks of smoke. A shallow fire pit smolders in the center of the floor, while nine tangled reed-and-leaf nests line the walls.
C5: The floor and walls of this musty-smelling chamber are covered with matted, wiry fur. Well-gnawed bones lie scattered about the floor, and a dozen wooden stakes have been driven into the ground near the walls.
C6: A cloying musky scent lies heavy in the air here. A matted nest of red and black hair sits to the east.
C7: A tangle of vines hang from the thorny ceiling of this chamber, each suspending a clattering collection of bird skulls, rib bones, teeth, and other bits of gruesome decor. In a few places the vines droop all the way to the floor. A large nest of nettles and thorny vines sits to the south, a halo
of half-eaten dead birds and rats indicating that whatever sleeps there eats in its bed.
C8: Three of these passageways, closed off at either end by a thistle door, allow goblins to keep an eye on the sea surrounding their main lair to the north. It looks like none of these have been used much lately.
C9: A rope bridge spans the gulf between the cliff and a roundish, flat-topped island sixty-some
feet to the north . Thick patches of nettles and briars grow here and there atop the island, but its
most impressive feature is a wooden one-story stockade. Two thirty-foot-tall watchtowers guard the stockade's southern facade . The rope bridge itself is made of hairy rope and thick wooden planks; the whole thing creaks and sways in the wind above the churning surf eighty feet below. Vulpidin shows you how the bridge was rigged to drop someone into the water and how they fixed it so that wouldn't happen again.
C10: The stockade is made of thick wood. Closer inspection reveals that most of the wood seems to have been scavenged from ships-a few nameplates remain affixed to some of the beams, while other timbers look like they might have once been masts.
Reynard helps scout the area.
Seeing the others start sneaking up Trox sighs, gives a quiet cough before speaking low.
"Don't get to far out ahead now. I need to catch up if something pointy and sharp shows up."
Still he waits to see what Reynard finds.
"Don't worry, Trox. If I see something scary, I'll make plenty of noise."
Correct - you explored the area before the island, and with the exception of the hole in the ground, you have cleared the area. The goblins have gone.
Are you ready to proceed over the bridge to the compound?
"I don't recall anything like that."
You carefully work your way across the bridge, and the large door to the compound remains open, as the previous party left it.
Working your way through the compound, you clear the area.
C11: The floor of this room is hard-packed soil, as if the builders either ran out of lumber after building the walls and roof, or as if they simply never thought about building a floor. A number of poorly
preserved horse and dog heads are mounted along the eastern wall, while along the southern wall hangs a pair of large black-feathered wings tacked to the wall with daggers.
C12: Previously unexplored, this storeroom is half-filled with crates, barrels, and large sacks of grain. A small hole has been
chopped into the lower side of on e of the barrels, allowing pickles and brine to drain out and giving the room a singular stink of vinegar.
C13: An open flight of wooden stairs winds up to a trap door in the ceiling, thirty feet above. There are a few dead goblins here.
C14: Six poorly constructed bunk beds, little more than hammocks slung from rickety frames, stand along the walls of this room. Each is heaped with a vermin-infested blanket and a lump of straw that
serves as a frustrating pillow. Nothing of value is left here.
C15: An open flight of wooden stairs winds up to a trap door in the ceiling, thirty feet above.
C16: This large courtyard is open to the sky. Tenacious clumps of partially trampled grass grow fitfully here and there in the hard-packed earth, in places stained with blood or scratched with furrows. To the north, what appear to be two dead goblins lie slumped at the entrance to an outbuilding.
C17: Shelves lined with crude tools, nets, and tack for goblin dogs line the walls here . To the northeast stands a large L-shaped wooden cage that contains dozens of rabbits. They look starved, as if they haven't eaten in many days.
C18: The door to this outbuilding has been nailed shut, and additional boards have been nailed over these nails. The door itself is cracked and splintered in places. Two dead goblins, their heads crushed in by something heavy, lie in the dirt by the door, their ripening bodies covered with flies.
Inside is a starved and barely breathing horse.
C19: This large throne room is decorated with hanging furs along its walls, mostly black-and-red striped repelt skins, various dog pelts, and in some cases, what look like horse hides. Four square
timbers support the ceiling, their faces studded with dozens of iron spikes, the lower reaches decorated with dozens of impaled and
severed hands in various stages of decay. To the northeast, a wooden platform supports a throne heaped with dog pelts and horse hides. Dog skulls adorn the armrests and a horse skull leers
over the throne's back. You also find the dead goblin chief here, as well as a number of other goblins.
C20: This foul-smelling butchery is a horrifying affront to all the senses. Haunches of poorly smoked meat hang from hooks along the ceiling or lie heaped in and atop crates. In some cases, the meat seems to be dog or horse, but in many other cases, the meat has all-too-recognizable features, like feet, hands, or grimacing faces.
C21: This room contains a small armory of crudely made weapons (mostly dogslicers and shortbows) and several small goblin-sized suits of studded leather armor and dented shields. To the south stand a pair of workbenches.
C22: A round table and a few chairs are this room's only furnishings.
C23: Several rugs made from dog or horse hide lie strewn over the dirt floor of this room. Against the north wall stands an impressive collection of horseshoes, each nailed to the wall. To the east sits a ragged padded chair next to a rickety desk that may have once been an expensive antique. In the northwest corner sits a canopied bed covered with silk sheets and sporting an elaborately carved headboard that features nymphs and satyrs cavorting in a forest. The bed's sheets are stained with dirt, while the headboard is bashed and battered.
Vulpidin shows you the stairs near C14 are the ones they used to access the lower levels. The stairs in the back (by C23) were yet undiscovered by Vulpidin and his party.
Faywen, looking past the goblin corpses, spies the horse inside the outbuilding. She waves Trox and Druamin over, asking "That poor creature deserves better than to starve in a cage. Is there anything the two of you can do to help it?"
When Trox finds the corpse of the young half-orc he moves to the body and kneels. His lips move in a silent prayer and then speaks quietly in a far less rough voice then normal.
"When we leave I will see that you are buried. You never should have been in the front like this young one."
He straightens.
"Lets get this done so we can take her out. Her father would want that."
Beyond that pitstop he moves forward, always forward.
"That makes sense. I just don't want to leave it here to suffer if there's anything we can do."
"Is that bridge stable enough for a horse to cross?" Vinccenso queries, his face screwed in an expression of doubt.
The undine considers, then shrugs. "It got here somehow, and it doesn't look like the flying type."
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"If it is not we can get it down to the water and it it can swim to the other coast. Let's make the details of oh to save a horse a victory lap for us."
Erond says into the satchel, "Direct us close to where the fighting occurred. From there tell us the layout we should expect and any traps that way we can decide on formations and magical preparation."
The horse eats greedily, but it is in sad shape and somewhat wild, but you are hopeful it can recover. And you think the bridge is stable enough IF you can keep the horse calm.
Druamin helps Erond feed the horse. "Once we're done here, we'll free it. I'm certain I can calm the poor guy down."
Druamin goes with the others down to the lower level. "So I think this is where things went badly for the youngsters, if I understood everything right. We may as well start with these doors." Druamin moves with Kubo to the east most door on the south wall. "Does anyone have the ability to check this for traps?"