The Hobgoblins take aim with their bows, targeting the charging figures - Fin and Jayse. The first Hobgoblin's arrow skitters off Fin's weaving blade.
Unfortunately, Jayse is not so lucky. The red-fletched arrow sinks deeply into his hip.
Hit DAM
Hit DAM
Both hobgoblins drop their bows and pull their blades.
Frustrated by Fin's deflection of his arrow, the Hobgoblin snarls a command at his nearest companion. The Goblin licks an arrow head and snaps off a shot at the approaching Elf looking to slow her down with a gut wound. The arrow bites through her armor but not deeply.
Hit DAM
Emboldened by the arrow crippling Jayse, the Goblin drops his bow and pulls a short, curved killing blade and steps cautiously to the left. He wants an ear for a trophy. He moves beneath a thorny bush, shifting back and forth trying to confuse the too-quick human before he delivers a vicious stab aimed at Jayse's groin. Jayse easily slaps the blade away.
Hit DAM
Current HPs:
F 11/14
J 2/10
U 9/9
S 7/8
B 10/11
Inhale. Knee-drive towards the tiny face. Exhale. Spin-strike with the staff to the neck. Inhale. Sidestep around to the next guy.
More than once has this particular shark-toothed little horror been kicked; it dodges to the side of Jayse's well-placed blow as if it's seen it all before. It sneers with satisfaction... until the whistling quarterstaff smashes the other side of its head. Then the Goblin isn't smiling so much as grimacing. Jayse evaluates the blow with cool precision, denying the pain from the buried arrow with an iron will. He had intended to break the little beggar's neck but had instead caught it at the jawline - a hurtful but not lethal blow.
Fin charges forward determined to hew down the Hobgoblin in one strike. Buli matches her step-for-step. As they spring over and past some thorny shrubs, the 'shrubs' nearest them and a few others sprout cutting blades and Goblin war-cries!
The bush/Goblin slashes at Fin's leg, attempting to hamstring the leggy, silver-haired devil. Its blade bites deeply into her calf but doesn't slow down her charge.
The bush/Goblin near Jayse, ably assisted by the distraction of its litter-mate, drives its blade towards the unsuspecting back of the Monk but trips over its camouflage and the blow misses by a mile.
Another bush/Goblin can't focus on killing the old man when a racial enemy is so close at hand. It rises up to face the Gnome, and drives its blade into Straehan's chest but it is turned by the magical force protecting him.
The final bush/Goblin decides to match the arrow in Buli's shoulder with one in his back. He takes careful aim and fires. The arrow penetrates his ribs. Buli cries out and looks like his is attempting to scratch his back but he keeps running, a step behind Fin.
Hit DAM <-- Hit
Hit DAM <-- Miss
Hit DAM <-- Miss
Hit DAM <-- Hit, Crit?
Hit DAM <-- OUCH
Undaunted Fin continues her charge, deftly sidestepping out of the range of the Goblin guarding the Hobgoblin leader. As she closes with the Hobgoblin, raising her sword to strike it down, she sees yet another Goblin hiding around the other side of the large central tree. His arrow flies towards Fin as her blade descends promising death...
Fin takes a total of 5 DAM this round
Buli takes 7 DAM this round
Fin's blow strikes true, shearing a path through the Hobgoblin's collar bone and down to its black heart. It doesn't even have time to register shock or pain before it falls. Then the Goblin's arrow slices into Fin's shoulder.
Pain and anger drive Buli to bury his boar-spear into the Goblin Guard up to the cross-piece. Fully 2' of blade are sticking out its back. The Goblin sent to join the Hobgoblin in Hell.
Map Coming... Bingo Beach Battle!
Straehan is surprised - confronted by four Goblins exploding from the turf. They are decked out in twigs, leaves, thorns, and rough dirty blankets. Without thought he tosses the ball of fire in his hand into the face of the one that just tried to stab him.
It screams around a mouthful of flame and is staggered but is still on its feet.
EFFECT:
Trapped between the beach and Goblins, Straehan holds his ground.
Ushari stares at the chaotic scene in front of her, not sure what to do…only knowing she needed to do something . Figuring if the hobgoblin can be driven off, it may cause the morale of the other goblins to break. She moves up and fires at the hobgoblin…
...and again missing horribly.
Ushari's arrow whickers past the Hobgoblin's ear. He looks to her and yells something in their harsh gutteral language which sounds spectacularly unpleasant. He barks some loud orders (seemingly to all of the Goblins) and falls back while keeping the bloody-handed Elf warrior in sight. He fires another arrow at her and it is a hummer, a powerful shot which snaps a small tree limb as it is deflected harmlessly in the dirt. The Hobgoblin scowls...
Hit DAM
Current HPs:
F 6/14
J 2/10
U 9/9
S 7/8
B 3/11
Stay tuned for ROUND 3 coming up after these commercial messages...
The Goblin behind the tree follows his leader's example and withdraws firing another arrow at the Elf. His aim is better but still misses.
Hit DAM
The Goblin playing ring-around-the-rosie with Jayse still wants to collect an ear. He feigns going high then slashes low - at Jayse's ankle - trying to fell him like a tree. He lands a glancing blow against the Monk who is slowed by the wound in his hip. It isn't enough to overcome him but Jayse wobbles on his feet.
Hit DAM
Jayce shifts from combat to survival mode as the little creature slashes at his feet, letting the momentum of his attempted doge carry into a back handspring towards Ushari.
Seeing that the goblins are taking their cues from the remaining hobgoblin, she looks for a route by which to charge him but sees no safe approach. She points her sword at the small fry and shouts to Buli.
Although she's confident she could fell his guard with ease, she doubts that the others have time for her to dispatch him first. Setting her jaw, the tall girl waits just a moment to see if the old man can take care of the runt before she charges straight at the remaining hobgoblin. If he can't (or doesn't understand her), then she hopes either toughness or agility will see her thru any attacks she might suffer on the way...
Rolling with the attack, Jayse manages to bound away onto the sand. Whether due to his stamina, monk training, or some other mysterious quality - when he should be flatout unconscious on the sand - he is still standing, still defiant. The Goblin, who was denied his 'trophy', hops around - utterly vexed.
Buli is about to charge the 4 goblins nearest the sand as the smallest members of the party look to be in danger when Fin makes her intentions clear. He nods, spits a little blood, and charges the 'Toad' instead. Fin sees, very clearly, that the old man has an arrow embedded deeply in his back, if its not in his lung, it is by the slimmest of margins.
Buli crashes into his enemy with an impaling blow. While he deals a grievous injury, the Goblin still stands and swipes at the Elf as she sprints by... But the force of Buli's blow and the swift legs of the Elf make the Goblin's blow fall wide of the mark.
Fin rams her sword through the Hobgoblin's midsection, feeling the blade grind against its spine along its entire length. It clutches at her throat, trying to kill her before succumbing to death when she wrenches the blade out.
Hit DAM
Seeing their ancient adversary, two of the Bush/Goblins attack the vile Gnome. The first blow chops deeply into his side and the second nearly finishes him off. The second Goblin, already close to unconsciousness, passes out after delivering his blow.
Hit DAM Crit?
Hit NO crit
Hit DAM
The third, a particularly malicious little beast, looks for a choice target... and decides to give the old fisherman a matching set of arrows in his back. It is a precise and devastating blow to the old man, who looks to stretch his back painfully before collapsing backwards.
Hit NO
The final Bush/Goblin starts gearing up to charge the unsteady looking Monk but his companion, the Trophy Collector, yells at him - clearly laying claim to the Monk as his. With a shrug the vile little beast debates chewing the face off the Gnome or the girl. Race hatred wins out and he jumps at the Gnome and tries to cut him down but misses.
Hit DAM
Straehan tries to figure out how to kill 3 Goblins in one shot. He is dismayed to see it isn't likely to happen. To catch all of these bastards, I have to move. But if I move, I'm leaving myself open to attack... Hoping that the near miss with the shark will be another near miss here, he springs to the right hoping to avoid their attacks. His acrobatics are pathetic but apparently it catches both Goblins by surprise and their blows miss!
Straehan casts a spell and a sweeping fan of flames sets the bushes and the four Goblins on fire. The fan is an inferno beyond what Straehan expected. One Goblin is roasted, two are grievously injured, and the final one - singed. Straehan bats out the flaming sleeve of his robe.
Hit DAM
Hit DAM
RANGE: 15' cone
EFFECT: DAM HP
SAVE: Reflex Save for 1/2 - DC: 16
Goblin 1 save: <- Fail 9 DAM
Goblin 2 save:(autofail) <- Fail 9 DAM
Goblin 3 save: <- Save 4 DAM
Goblin 4 save: <- Fail 9 DAM
Current HPs:
F 6/14
J 0/10 - Functioning
U 9/9
S 2/8
B -1/11
Ushari fights back tears as she sees her friends getting cut down. She sees Straehan getting swarmed, and tried once again to assist him...
Shocked by the violence and mayhem, Ushari's unsteady hand fires another errant shot.
The Trophy Collector steps forward a bit dropping his sword. He takes out his bow, aiming at the Monk on the beach, savouring the moment of the kill.... but his crooked arrow snaps as it leaves the bow. Infuriated, he screams.
Hit DAM
Having seen Fin's combat prowess, the Toad withdraws looking for a softer target. He dodges around a tree out of the sight of the ferocious Elf and spies the Gnome and the girl.
Ushari looks at her bow wondering if it broken when the arrow catches her in the chest. She looks up and sees the archer in the distance by the tree, he is smiling.
Hit DAM <- NO
The teetering Monk carefully draws and loads his crossbow, just in case.
- Stabilized at -1
Seeing that her short friend is in trouble, Findelgwing charges to I6 and attacks the goblin in front of Straehan (J2).
Fin charges in, heedless of being whipped by bush or branch. She swings well but the Goblin turns just in time to avoid her blow. Her attack serves its purpose however, distracting the Goblins from the lone Gnome with a much bigger problem.
The Bush Goblins mount a desperate attack. The archer drops his bow, pulls his short slicing blade and, with the strongest Goblin remaining, lunges at the Elf maid while the last Goblin jumps at the Gnome. They are so unmanned by the turn of events all their blows miss.
Hit
Hit
Straehan scuttles out of range without attack successfully casting sand in the eyes of the Goblins. Then he casts another flame spell. The fan reappears with a whoosh. The three weakened Goblins die in flames.
BURNING HANDS
DAM: HP
SAVE: Reflex Save for 1/2 - DC: 16
Goblin 1 save: <- Fail 6 DAM
Goblin 2 save: <- Fail 6 DAM
Goblin 3 save: <- Fail 6 DAM
Ushari feels the pain erupt in her chest, and she stares at the remaining goblin with a look of intense hatred. She sees only that one visible, so she utters a swift prayer to whoever listens to girls in trouble, raises her bow, sites on him, and fires....
Ushari's arrow misses but it snaps Toad out of his reverie...
Seeing the ruination of their trap and the near total destruction of their force, even the doughty Toad and the bent-eared Trophy Collector decide it is time to run for their lives. They run - fast, fast, fast. You see them scuttling, leaping, and running through the low brush. They are 100' away before you can believe it.
Ushari lets the goblins run away, and does not fire on them. Her concern is focused on Buli, and she rushes to his side, while pulling the healer's kit from her pouch. She bends over his unconscious form, and prays he is still breathing...
When she realizes he is stable, she will work on treating his wounds.
Fin pulls her bow free from its back holster and babble something incoherent as she draws a bead on the 'Toad' and looses...
After they have run off, she does a quick check to ensure this isn't some other check, before she gets out her healing kit to help whomever needs it most.
Ushari treats Buli quickly. It is clear that he was stable but treating the deadly wounds is a great boon. Buli groans and eventually wakes up.
He has a hard time speaking due to the lung wound but he motions for you to get his backpack. (He dropped it after Straehan jumped off so it got a bit cooked by the burning hands spells but is relatively undamaged).
When you return with it, he motions for you to pull the contents out. He stops when you find small vials of a viscous, black nasty looking and vile smelling... goo. He takes the vial and screws up the courage to pour the viscous liquid in his mouth.
From his reaction, you assume the arrow wounds were less painful. However, he almost instantly looks more healthy and his breathing eases.
Heal: HP + Neutralize Poison
He pushes the other two vials into Ushari's hand and motions for her to use them on the others.
Fin's arrow takes Toad in the back and he squeaks his last. By the time she gets to the body, he has bled out. Fin's check of the area reveals these are the only bad guys around. She breaks out her kit but, by this point, Ushari has taken care of the medical needs except for Fin's. They quickly pull out the arrows and bind her wounds.
Ushari looks at the 2 vials of nasty tasting fluid handed her by Buli, and clinically examines the others. She marvels at the fact Jayse is still conscious, as she pushes the contents of the vial into his mouth. She repeats the process for Straehan.
Straehan demurs, refusing to accept the potion. "First, it looks vile. Second, it should go to Fin or just give it back to Buli. We've already taxed his kindness enough. I think I can avoid getting into combat until we reach town."
"Very well, Straehan, I will give it to Fin. If she decides she does not need it, then Buli can have it back."
When Straehan turns away the vial, Findelgwing eyes Ushari with a look that is equal parts annoyance and distrust.
She gives the short, polite gnome a serious look, as if trying to figure out if it's ok. When he smiles encouragingly, she reluctantly takes the offered vial, blanches at the smell, and finally gags it down.
"Blaaugh!"
The tall girl wipes her mouth with the back of her hand before eying the bodies strewn across the campsite. With a long sigh, she walks about goring each body to ensure they are dead. She then start gathering wood for a pyre and flinging the dead bodies angrily towards the beach, downwind from where you intend to camp.
When Ushari asks what she's doing in Elvish, Findelgwing gives her an incredulous look and says but one word:
Once she has finished the pyre and nothing is left behind to attract scavengers, she wades out into the ocean to wash herself and her blade clean. Leaving dinner preparations to the others, she takes her leave to go sit on a rock overlooking the sea while she plays a powerful tune, humming as she does that starts lonely and builds to defiant.
Song: Tusk!
Buli intercedes in Fin's pyre work. He helps her toss the bodies on the fire after he hacks the heads from the bodies and stuffs them in a couple of old bags pulled from his pack. He explains in words and drawings (for Fin's benefit) that the heads will be placed on stakes outside of Forestal to scare off any goblin bands that might think of attacking the town.
Jayce stands looking at the pyre, the water, and the direction the creatures fled; fingers idly rubbing the place in his hip where the bolt struck. Frustration tears at his insides as phrases, instructions from the past perhaps, bounce in his mind.
Strike from strength; when and where least expected. Know when to defend. Fool! You could have gotten yourself and these people killed with that reckless rush.
He shakes himself from his self-incriminations, his hip and foot still throbbing as he walks over to where the elf woman sits playing her strange drum-music. He waits patiently, bouncing the quarrel-head removed from his body - a token to remember this lesson. He waits as long as necessary, reluctant to interrupt her, but when she finally turns to regard him, he bows his head, awkwardly using the words he had Ushari teach him.
He then goes to rejoin the others in preparing camp, making sure to stop by Straehan, Ushari and Buli to thank them for their contribution and ask if he can do anything for them. (But knowing there's little he can probably do.)
He tries to make his tone light-hearted, "Any fight you can walk away from is a success, right? Or hobble, in my case."
Findelgwing finishes playing her drum and furrows her brow a bit at Jayse's words. You get the feeling that she's trying not so much to comprehend what was said so much as to measure her own reply. At long last, she looks back at the others, gives small, and finally sets her jaw. She nods once and give Jayse a rather solemn thumbs-up.
Her tune done for now, she hops back to her feet, drum in her right arm, and offers Jayse her other hand if he needs help as they walk back to where the rest are.
Ushari, once done treating the others, moves to gather up her arrows the went awry. She does this not so much because she is worried about running low on arrows, but to have time to think to herself.
What happened to me? I panicked there and almost cost my friends their lives. She examines her bow, but can find nothing wrong with it. Perhaps it is just me, I do not know if I have what it takes to…help my friends. She feels a sense of depression coming over her, and it is accompanied by a sense of familiarity, as if she has felt this way before. That does not fill her with hope, however.
She returns to the others, and is uncharacteristically quiet. There is also no trace of a smile on her face. She unconsciously reaches for her puzzle box, perhaps seeking answers there.
"Cheer up, Ushari. We're still alive.. which is more than can be said for many of those little creatures."
Ushari blinks back tears, as she looks at Jayse. Her eyes are glistening with moisture, which turns her eyes a greyish shade. "I am sorry, Jayse...I...I just feel like I let you guys down. I could not hit any of those filthy beasts!"
"Nah. You did fine. It was a rough fight, but somehow I don't know that there is another kind."
"Thank you, Jayse. I appreciate the kind words. I guess I am not a fighter like you are." She gives him a relieved smile.
Later, something occured to her, and she asks him quietly, "I noticed you were able to stay on your feet where most men would have collapsed, how were you able to manage that?"
Jayse shakes his head, trying to remember the moment, "I don't know, actually. Add that to our growing list of unanswered questions, I guess. I just kind of felt the energy leave my mind and body at the same time."
You all work at making camp and preparing the meal. Everyone is sore and weary despite the healing. As the pyre burns down and the night grows silent, you see the distant twinkling of lights in Forestal.
After everyone has settled down for the evening Buli says, "Thanks for pitchin' in back there. I'da had a hard time managing all them Goblins by myself." then he smells the sky and concludes, "Looks like a fair day tomorrow. If we get a good start we'll be in town by noon. 'Night."
Timeframe
You all sleep well and the next day rises with the sky full of patchy but nonthreatening clouds. Buli is stiff but back to normal otherwise, cooking a light meal that you eat while walking along the beach, every step bringing you noticeably closer to Forestal.
After two hours of walking, you are deep in the sheltered bay. The beach continues to disappear amid a myriad of stone formations along the shoreline. Fitful waves break over them fiercely. Small sailboats and rowboats ply the waters. Several of the boats angle closer once they spot you walking along the shore. Children in several of the boats recognize Buli and wave to him. You can tell that while they greet Buli, they eye you strangers with curiosity. A couple of the boats loop around and sail immediately back to town. A small, blonde boy, perhaps 10 years old, pilots a 'cat' (a tiny two man sailboat) in between two craggy rocks barely more than the width of his boat and runs it onto the beach. It is a skillful performance. With a smile, he teases, "Hey, Old Man! These the strangers you starling'd?"
Buli smiles and nods, "They are. This is Jayse, Ushari, and Straehan. The Forest Sister is Fin. Folks, this is Nyal - Forestal's worst troublemaker. Gonna tell your Da you called me Old. We'll see what he makes of that." He winks, letting the boy know he'll do no such thing.
Nyal stands in the boat and bows formally. "Nice ta meetcha. Need any help gettin' to town? I could probably take the small fella - he's about the right size."
Buli shakes his head, "We can walk. But here, take this... a present for you and your dad." He tosses the bag of heads into the boat.
Nyal, curiosity piqued, opens the bag and nearly falls out of the boat while Buli hoots with laughter. Nyal's eyes are wide with admiration. "Where'd you run into them?! That's gotta be the most ever!"
Buli's answers, his tone serious, "Up by the Headland, right on the beach. A few may have got away."
Nyal nods and answers in an equally serious tone. "I'll let the town know. See ya in awhile. Good meeting you folks again. I hope to hear the story that goes with this bag in town tonight!" He pushes his craft back out into the water using a gaff and then quickly catches the wind and speeds towards town.
Jayse speaks to Buli while his eyes follow the boy across the water, "So you have trouble with the goblins here in town often?"
"No, not too often. Every decade or so they act up, but not like this. This is something new."
Ushari's ears perk up at this bit of news, "In what way are they acting differently, Buli. Don't goblins go on raids like this all the time?"
Buli scratches his head. "Well, Miss, I can't say what most Goblins do... but ours tend to steal chickens, maybe cattle, burn an outlying farm, or kill the odd straggler who ain't real careful. Every so often they get a lot of births or some-such and get uppity - thinking they can take the whole town."
"And then there's a terrible set of dust-ups and folks die. And they quiet down. But we're getting pretty good at seeing the signs of them getting twitchy and nip the problem in the bud, as you might say. We ain't at that time yet for such a big group to be settin' ambushes."
"So something different, huh? I guess if nothing else, it means things will stay interesting around here." He looks at the approaching town, "I don't suppose there's a place to get a good drink around here, is there?"
Buli chuckles, "Son, didn't I mention the Tequila Eels?"
While everyone else is talking, Findelgwing gazes wistfully at the boats gliding about on the coastal winds. A sigh of longing escapes her, though she becomes more pensive the closer you get to town.
Another two hours sees you approach the small village of Forestal - a bustling hamlet built on a wide shingle of grey coastal rock that slopes from a sparse treeline right down to the water. Pulled up on the shingle, at the water's edge, are about two dozen worn but gaily-colored fishing boats. They bear names in a wide variety of languages.
There are three full-sized wooden houses and as many as forty thatched cottages of varying sizes and colors stretched across the shingle and onto the beach in both directions - forming a roughly crescent-shaped settlement hugging the coast. At the center of the town, located just up from the water and overlooking the boats sitting at rest, are two large 'common' buildings - one closed, the other open-air with massive pillars of stone and timber supporting the thatched roof. Smoke from a dozen cook-fires beneath the open-air 'pavilion' creates a fog of delicious smells that you scent all the way from the strand.
As you approach the town, you are greeted by the local dignitaries - nearly twenty-five children that appear to be from ages 5 to 12. They surround you but keep a respectful distance - watching, giggling, whispering, and waving. They are a blend of races. The majority are Human but there are several Elves, Dwarves, and Halfings as well. As you get closer to town, you see their parents are an even more disparate blend of races including a few Gnomes, at least one Tiefling, and a pair of bipedal crow-like creatures. The crow-creatures are startling to both Fin and Ushari who are certain they have never seen them before. Hearing their piercing, cawing language, Jayse pauses.
Seeing the congregation working at the cookfires, Straehan pauses for a moment as well, a strange, curious look on his face. He quickly realises he has fallen out of step and lopes to catch up.