Toshio nods, only barely acknowledging the compliments, these warriors had obviously never seen a Than trained warrior in action. Rather than pure power and instinct, Samurai focused on speed and precision to fell thier enemies. The Cut WAS very good, but no less than he expected of himself.
Keep going. Tsuto's mistress awaits us
Camillo
Toshio
Kithian
Rullis
Kerrec
Vidar
Toshio (FLANK)
Kithian (PA+FLANK)
Rullis Confirm? Yes.
Kerrec Confirm? Yes.
Camillo drops blood once more and hustles into position. The fountain roils but unlike last time a beast does not seem forthcoming. The light sound of shifting armor is the only sound to punctuate the bubbling as each of you can't help but lean forward toward the pool.
A sudden snarl erupts from the pool as a creature with similar construction but pitch black skin erupts from the pool, throwing itself into conflict with the warriors on hand. So immediate and vicious is the beasts arrival that Kithan and Toshio both are forced to try strikes at odd angles and off balance, both men failing to find substance in their swings.
Rullis meanwhile finds center. In his mind he flashes to the boat in spring. The rocking of the waves. Gozreh's blessings as the water is clear and the fish are swimming. He pulls back on his spear. His mind snaps to focus as the spear comes forward, the dream state dissolving as his spear passes the ribs of the sinspawn, its very heart touched by Rullis' spear tip. The creature howls in fury and pain, a thick green ichor pouring from its mouth. Turning to Rullis it screams.
A loud click, twang and thunk punctuates the violence of the moment. The sinspawn's eye is replaced with tail end of a bolt from Kerrec's crossbow. The creatures screams give way to the sound of electricity as the creature writhes in place, its brain cooking in its skull. The sound ends and the creature collapses, a charred and smoking husk of its former menacing self.
The pool becomes placid, its water clear as crystal. All sound in the chamber dies and you are alone.
"...
We should try one more time, just to be safe..."
Camillo stands there, mouth agape, for just a moment. "What happened there? I mean, well struck, but..."
He shakes his head and moves to the pool once more. "You're right. Let's see if it holds other surprises."
Glancing at the others to see if they are in position, he bleeds into the pool once again.
Kithian looks at the new sinspawn in disgust. "Sweet Erastil's fuzzy buttocks, what the hells was that?"
Kerrec looks at his new crossbow and a strange look comes over his face..... for those have not seen it before, it's a smile. "Foxglove has outdone himself."
Vidar raises an eyebrow at Kithians oath.
That was a good one, I have to remember it.
Toshio silently curses his lack of reflexes. His disgust tempered by the good result.
Proceed Camillo. Let us see if the last is completed and be after the one responsible for all this.
Frustration clear in his voice, Toshio understands the danger the pool represents but he is keen to get after Nualia
The bard nods. "Here we go!"
The drop falls but no action meets the collision save a small ripple across the surface of the pool. The blood disperses and the fountain appears, again, calm and clear.
Then...it is done? Vidar?
Withdrawing his spear from the strange beast, Rullis seems stunned for a moment. Thankfully, no new creatures appear as visions of that fateful day with his father so long ago comes rushing back into his mind. After a moment, he stands tall and washes the green goo from the end of his spear in the pool. That was for you, father. If only I could have reacted as such then.
Raising his spear back into the air, Rullis says, "I believe so. Let's go kill some goblins!"
"Good, according to the book, this should be enough. Now it would take someone of real power and knowledge to reactivate it.
We are done here as, let's do as master Stillman says."
Camillo stows his shield and sheathes his sword, then, and wraps a rag around the cut in his arm. He tells Rullis, "Let's save your healing for now. It didn't require nearly as much as I expected. Let's go find a Thistletop!"
Seeing Camillo wrap a rag around his arm, Rullis interjects, "Do you need a bandage for that? I have some if you need it."
Kithian sheathes his falchion and looks at the others. "Let us bring the word of Gorum to the goblin's."
Toshio says nothing, merely sheathes his sword and walks towards thebexit
"I am all for taking care of the little ankle biters, but please...
Please focus on saving the people they have taken first.
One of them...is..."
Vidar, unable to fully phrase how he feels just let his plea drift off and stomps after Toshio.
Seeing Camillo wrap a rag around his arm, Rullis interjects, "Do you need a bandage for that? I have some if you need it."
"Thanks, no, it's just a scratch. Those two are going to take off without us if we tarry any longer, anyway. Let's go thin out the goblin population, hey?"
Kithian looks at Vidar and raises an eyebrow. "People they have taken? I only know of that hot elf chi...oh nevermind." Kithian grins and follows after the others.
Kerrec shoulders his crossbow, ready to head to Thistletop and end this once and for all.
Sorry folks I have some killer illness. I should be back soon
Confident that the pool is calm and unlikely to reactivate the group makes its way out of the complex where the engineers almost immediately begin their process of stoning up the narrowest portion of the cave entrance to the ruins. Under Ameiko's instructions a double thick wall and iron door will bar entrance to the complex with other tasks within to be determined by the group, the mayor, and the families of Sandpoint at some later time. For now, Thistletop and the threats it contains are the first and only order of business.
You emerge back into the town proper and collect any remaining gear or supplies you let linger before the journey. You have been informed that the inner paths of the woods will do much to impede your progress so horses, which are easily provided at no cost, are purely optional.
Following the instructions of both Joyuk and the Orik you travel the north coastal road for about an hour and a half until a natural game trail, minor and unassuming, marks where your information has told you is best to make you approach to the goblin encampment. You are working on late afternoon as you enter the coastal forest and though the canopy is thick, the day is clear and bright so seeing into the wood is easy.
Perception
Knowledge (Local)
Survival
"Heh, we'll have to keep our eyes open for the 'Horror' - we're in the beast's stomping grounds. If you believe in that sort of thing, of course."
"I'm not very good at tracking, but I'd bet this bootprint is from the fellow I spoke to earlier. I think we're found the right place."
"Don't discount local legends master Duin, even creatures as superstitious and unintelligent as goblins may still be able to find a small but true fact and transform it into a tall tale."
Vidar kneels and indicates the ground.
"Here are many tracks of goblins, scouts most likely, and here and here are tracks of what I believe to be a horse.
These tracks here however, are of something LIKE a horse...but lighter, maybe a mule?"
Perception:
Survival:
"I hear something strange every once in a while. Do any of you hear that. Just dosn't seem normal." He looks down and crouches, pointing at a print. " That looks like one of Orik's boot prints there."
I hear it too, Kithan. This forest has eyes.
"Keep your guard up, I think we're being watched." He scans the trees as the others look at the tracks. At Camillo's comment, he replies, "You are probably right. It may be the horror that is watching us. Though I've never seen it myself. You can never be too careful around these parts." He holds his spear at the ready as he scans, standing guard as the others converse about tracks and worried that something is going to spring out at them.
"Well, if we want to find the goblins, following the tracks is the easiest way. I do not hear what you do, but according to these here tracks, many goblins have scurried across the path very lightly, so most likely there are scouts out.
Maybe some of them are watching us."
Kerrec, obviously out of his element once outside a city's walls, notices nothing except it's too quiet. The bustling of city streets, wrangling of wares and songs trailing from taverns are the sounds he is most comfortable with.
Noticing the others have seen footprints and heard strange sounds, Kerrec takes out his crossbow and loads it with one of his new bolts. He closes his eyes, asking for Abadar's guidance. "If something is waiting to do us harm, hopefully I can detect it before it gains full advantage over us."
Sitting on his heels after looking at the tracks, Camillo looks up at the rest of the group, "We need to make a decision on something before we get much closer."
Standing up, he says quietly, thinking of the possibility that there are goblin ears about, "Orik believes that the goblin druid will give us passage through his grove to the entrance to Thistletop if we promise not to kill the whole tribe. The druid bears no love for Ripnugget after what Nualia's done, but it's his tribe, too, and Orik believes that the druid would rather let us in to take out Nualia and Ripnugget than let them continue to run the tribe to ruin."
He looks at the others, "Are we willing to make that promise? More importantly, are we willing to keep it? Orik seemed to think that getting through the druid's grove without his approval would be difficult and a challenge we could bypass altogther with diplomacy, but I think it's something we need to be in agreement on before we find the druid - or he finds us."
"I dont think much about goblins, they are like rats. You kill a whole tribe of em, more will just move in. That being said, I think what ever we have to do to remove the bigger threat of the crazy woman and her friends is what we have to do. Make the deal with the shamen and kill the others. If the goblins get upity we can smash them later."
Kithian has the right of it. If we remove the head, the beast will fall. Lets not waste time withsomething that wont solve the problem. Nualia first. She united these tribes and when she is gone they'll disintegrate into the usual tribes who are content to fight each other, rather than threatening Sandpoint.
"I agree, but wanted to make sure we were singing the same song when we met the druid. I can speak Goblin and am willing to try to be the diplomat." He looks at the other members of the party to see if they agree, too.
Anger is reflected in Kerrec's voice. "I think we should let it be clear that it would be in the druid's best interest that his tribe move on. If we see any more trouble from them, I'll personally burn his home to the ground."
"Diplomacy with the goblins fine, the rest no.
And even the goblins SHOULD be removed permanently lest they hurt anybody else, evil little miscreants."
"...what do we do in a hostage situation?"
Camillo raises his eyebrows at Kerrec's vehement response, but says nothing.
Toshio moves along with Pharlap to rear guard. The going will become difficult for the horse and he'd not have him blocking the way.
Rullis listens intently, nodding every now and then. "We can still disable some of the tribe's goblins without killing them if they attack us. We just need to get past them to the head as you called it." As the group moves out, Rullis falls in line in the middle, probably behind Kerrec. He holds his spear across his body with both hands as we walk.
Yep.
The Nettlewood earns its name as you wind along the game trail for over an hour, occasionally stopping to check the sounds of the forest or watch after some fleeting movement in the distance. Your groups remains undistrubed however and the approach towards Thistletop becomes increasingly difficult to navigate. It is not long before you arrive in the section of the woods that is so thick and overgrown it becomes noticeable darker and the path practically ends as nettle vines, blackberry bushes, various trees and shrubs create a wall of foliage that hinders all progress.
In the distance you can hear the soft crash of the ocean and the caw of seagulls. You are close to the coast. Thisteltop is surely on the other side of this bramble wall.
"Hmmm, being an arcane caster I do not know much about it compared to a warrior, but this would be a perfect place for an ambush of small creatures wouldn't it?
They can navigate these paths better than us "long shanks", and they know them by heart.
...Also, this close to the Thistletop, even goblins must have posted sentries surely?"
Kithian grimaces and nods at Vidar, "You would think huh?"