Moving as quietly as he can in full plate, Thorek leaps aside as an arcane steed goes thundering past. The dwarf turns and sweeps the camp with a puzzled expression.
"Doesn't look like anyone's here, but that horse-thing came from somewhere. Keep a sharp eye out." Stepping into the camp, the scarred warpriest begins searching for anything of use or value.
From atop the lip of the ravine cradling the camp, Gaius discovers that it is not entirely abandoned. Through the light of the bonfire at the encampment's heart, he can see four figures standing in the open, barking at each other. To one side stands a pair of hobgoblins; on the other side, a goblin squats down beside a wolf that leans in close against the feral goblin. The goblin squawks in broken snippets of their language, evidently arguing with the hobgoblins.
"And I'm telling you, that if you leave that way, you will literally die," the hobgoblin woman says firmly. She rubs her sharp, short nose, clearly exasperated at the goblin's ignorance. "Are you really so stupid that you can't understand words like boom and explode?"
"No yell! No fool! Garvex and Kadu work no more!" the goblin declares.
The goblin trots away on all fours, walking like a dog, with the wolf following close behind. The goblin scampers through an opening in the sharpened stakes girding the eastern approach to the camp, at the mouth of the ravine. He makes it fewer than a half dozen paces before a terrible explosion erupts from the ground, rocking the night and echoing across the benighted forest.
The force of the explosion knocks back the wolf but instantly kills the goblin, its mangled body landing at the foot of the stakes. The wolf rises unsteadily to its paws and limps forth and nuzzles the dead goblin, whimpering in both pain and mourning.
for herbs
to forage for food
”So, reasonable yield today of berries, nuts, and common herbs, but nothing too spectacular,” thinks Undari, just before the explosion rings through the trees to his west.
The slender human, clad in the browns and dark greens of the forest, pulls out his wooden shield and crouches, moving towards the sound with an attempt at stealth, the thick forest undergrowth seeming to part before his every step. As he approaches, he looks to see what is going on.
Well that certainly complicates things, but at least the goblin's stubbornness blew him out of my way. Gaius cringes with empathy as the wolf nudges the mangled goblin, but does his best to keep his focus on the two remaining Hobgoblins. If only two are left, it shouldn't be too difficult to keep them busy. I bet the sound will attract something to distract them and I'll be free to keep looting the camp!
With the situation likely to turn even further to his favor, he remains low and vigilant on the lip of the ravine.
________
Lily tense from the previous battle screams out a bit upon hearing the explosion. Upon realizing what it was she calms down a bit and says,"Do you think there are any other survivors in the area? I know they had plans for some of the other uninjured villagers."
Night having recently fallen, Undari moves carefully to the west. Just as he sees the camp open up before him, he steps in a dry branch! ”Rookie mistake!” he berates himself silently and freezes partially hidden behind a large tree. He raises his hand toward the goblinoids with a spell on his lips. ”How many goblins can be in this forest!??!”
If they notice him, Undari will drop a Burst of Radiance on them (DC 16 Reflex Partial, , ).
Dim light is cast across the camp from both the campfire at its heart, as well as the smoldering wreckage of the watchtower and stairs at the western end of the ravine.
The snapping of branches and the pop of brambles alerts the remaining two hobgoblins to Undari, lurking just beyond the camp's limits. They whisper and mutter among themselves, but rather than merely storming the source of the sounds, they slip inside one of the tents.
Raw yellow timbers, so freshly cut they still smell of pine, prop up this sturdy, oilcloth tent. A square window has been cut in one "wall," and a puddle of thick, foul-smelling liquid marks the ground beneath. Fumes from the puddle have discolored the canvas above, turning the beige fabric a milky gray.
Dim light is cast across the camp from both the campfire at its heart, as well as the smoldering wreckage of the watchtower and stairs at the western end of the ravine.
The snapping of branches and the pop of brambles alerts the remaining two hobgoblins to Undari, lurking just beyond the camp's limits. They whisper and mutter among themselves, but rather than merely storming the source of the sounds, they slip inside one of the tents.
Raw yellow timbers, so freshly cut they still smell of pine, prop up this sturdy, oilcloth tent. A square window has been cut in one "wall," and a puddle of thick, foul-smelling liquid marks the ground beneath. Fumes from the puddle have discolored the canvas above, turning the beige fabric a milky gray.
Hmm...Could the foul-smelling liquid and its fumes be flammable?
If so, a Flaming Sphere conjured at the mouth of the tent would do the trick nicely.
Might as well see what's in here... Watching the Hobgoblins step into the tent on the far side of camp, Gaius slips into the nearest tent. With a sigh of relief, he relaxes momentarily.
I'll just nab what else I can and then disappear up those stairs. No need to press this further than I already have. I'll tie myself to a tree tonight and search for that refugee camp in the morning. Turning back to the task at hand, he gives the tent a quick once over.
________
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"IRONFANG GRUNTS! YOUR COMMANDER IS DEAD! YOU HAVE ONE CHANCE TO SURRENDER OR WE SHALL ROOT YOU OUT OF YOUR HOLE!"
Thorek punctuates the threat by leaping down onto the nearest tent.
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Undari easily recognizes the signs of an alchemist's tent and correctly deduces that these improperly disposed chemicals represent a fire hazard. He conjures the flaming sphere and rolls it inside the cramped tent.
A shrill scream issues from within as the flaming sphere strikes one of the hobgoblin women. Steam rises from the oilcloth tent as the heat remains trapped within, quickly raising the temperature within. It's likely only a matter of moments before fumes and gases within combust.
If the burning ball hadn't already drawn attention from Gaius, then Thorek's bellowing challenge as he crashes through the southern tent certainly accomplishes this task. The tattered canvas of the tent falls upon thick heaps of straw and refuse, all smelling heavily of canines.
The tent is kept almost shockingly clean. In fact, your nose draws your attention to a bucket of caustic, lime-based cleaning solution sitting in a corner of the tent. This fills the interior with an overbearing, sanitary smell.
A pair of weapon racks hold a number of well-made items: six longswords, three short swords, two scimitars, a whip, and a large wooden shield.
A trio of chests sit beside the simple, sturdy cot pushed against one side of the tent.
”Ah! Surprise Dwarf!” thinks Undari, keeping his head down in near total surprise. ”Maybe it won’t be all on me to take care of these hobgoblins.”
Lily stares at Thorek a bit wide eyed. Sighing deeply at his boisterous nature she jumps down following him and falls flat on her face. Frustrated at her clumsy nature she just screams,"Oooo come on. I can't just climb. I can't fall down. Today just isn't my day."
”...followed by a human with an impressive belly flop. I wonder if she landed on the dwarf? This is starting to get really strange—I wonder who is next.”
Gaius raises a hand against his mouth as he realizes what he just stepped into and keeps his eyes low. Sick creatures, at least animal furs are used for warmth. And that smell! I won't waste any time then, place is revolting!
Then the camp erupts into chaos.
OH S~%!! He lurches towards the exit when he hears the screaming Hobgoblin, but the bellowing Dwarf relieves him of his initial fear. Not me, ok, good, chests then leave. Hurriedly, he begins throwing the chests open to see what they hold.
________
Bree nocks an arrow to her bowstring and keeps it trained on the burning tent. If anything comes out, she'll take a shot. (she may be at a -2 for range)
One of the hobgoblins bursts out of the tent, slapping away the flames catching upon her clothes, only for Bree's arrow to graze her as she emerges. She stops and begins to contort and convulse.
Lily's attempt to follow Thorek's entrance is painful and embarrassing but delivers no lasting harm.
Inside the camp sergeant's tent, Gaius discovers that the lids upon the chests will not budge, secured by simple but sturdy locks.
Boudra also has her crossbow loaded and ready, but waits to see if the hobgoblins are going to surrender before she starts loosing in their direction...
Once it is Undari's turn again, he will roll the ball around in the tent
Gaius smacks his fist against the last chest in frustration and dips out of the skin tent. Throwing a glance at the other tent, he sees the smoke and fire, but also catches sight of what must be the interlopers. Hrmm... I might be able to sleep on the floor instead of a tree tonight if I hitch my wagon to theirs! Hobgoblins certainly don't look like they're 'winning' by any stretch.
Stopping his hasty exit at the base of the stairs, he eyes the singed Hobgoblin. If this turns hostile like I suspect it will, I'll have to make it obvious that I'm not with the Hobgoblins...
________
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In a sudden roar, gouts of flame pour out of the window and door of the oilcloth tent as the fumes ignite within. The fireproof fabric contains the heat and force as the rest of the chemicals combust, directing the blast downward and lifting the tent off its pegs - propelling it thirty feet into the air upon a plume of fire.
The other hobgoblin alchemist emerges, wreathed in flames but uttering not even the faintest sound. Undari, as well as others knowledgeable about alchemy, recognizes that she is holding back her breath and screams, lest she inhale flames and burning chemicals that could cause terrible internal burns. She flails right into Gaius' Web spell, but her quickened steps avoid getting caught - perhaps because the flames clinging to her limbs burn away the magic webbing. She sheds her burning clothes and douses the flames by rolling against the dirt and smoldering webbing.
The other hobgoblin looks around in panic and confusion, watching the remains of the alchemy tent come crashing down. In this momentary pause, you can see her form and features twisting as she takes on a stooped posture and her face contorts into a furry snout.
Dumbfounded by the explosion and resulting tent missile, Undari thinks to himself, ”First the surprise dwarf, and now the tent rocket. And what is that hobgoblin transforming into?”
Clambering back to his feet and shoving aside the canvas covering his head with a flurry of curses. Thorek advances on the two hobgoblins. Giving the alchemist an unfriendly grin, he points to the burn scars on his own face. "Hurts, dunnit?"
Taking his dorn-dergar in hand, he watches the transforming hobgoblin and the wolf.
Gaius stares in awe as the tent explodes violently, instinctively taking a couple steps back and shielding his eyes. Definitely not winning.
Looking past the skin tent, he spreads the air before him, creating a rippling portal pulsing with blue arcane energy. Stepping through it, he appears near the far wall and jogs over to where the interlopers seem to be coming from. "They're reeling after that one, let's get them before they can recover!"
________
Undari has met many of the hobgoblins despoiling his woodland home, but now he seems to have stumbled across one of their camps! In the unlikely event the hobgoblins are planning to surrender, he may hold off and see what they do next--in his experience, though, these Ironfangs are cruel and merciless, not given to negotiation.
Unless he gets a clear indication that they are surrendering (hands up, kneeling on the ground, not taking aggressive action, etc.) Undari will continue attacking:
From his concealed position, Undari moves the flaming sphere over the leader (Yissti) , then casts his other spell reserved for these evil creatures on both of them, Burst of Radiance (DC 16 Reflex save to be dazzled instead of blinded for , then if evil take in addition).
Lily just stares a bit dumbfounded as to what's going on and fires an arrow at the closest enemy. "Thorek I don't think we're alone," she says a bit excited at the prospects of survivors.
The sight of the explosion actually sets up a nice backlight to the writhing hobs.
The transforming hobgoblin is slain by the combination of Bree's second arrow and the burst of magical radiance that falls upon the foes, and she collapses to the ground. Her rodent features begin to recede as, in death, she returns to her base form.
The defiant alchemist dodges the flaming sphere's latest roll, and she lowers her goggles quickly enough to prevent being blinded. However, dazzled by the burst of light, she stumbles and gets caught in the magic web surrounding her.
Boudra looses a bolt that strikes the alchemist, while Lily's arrow whizzes over her head.
Despite the burns, webbing, and impaired vision, the alchemst retrieves an undamaged vial beneath her fireproof coat. She hurls the bomb at the approaching dwarf, but her aim is compromised, as is to be expected. It lands near Thorek's feet and explodes, not in a plume of flame but a burst of cold that leaves frost upon his short beard and icicles on his armor.
Undari rolls the flaming sphere onto the alchemist, hoping that the webs will impair her capability to dodge. .
, DC 16 reflex to negate.
He then looks down and sees the injured wolf drifting his direction. Feeling pity on the poor creature, Undari pulls a Goodberry out of his pocket utters soothing words in the ancient language of the druids. He is no fool, though, and keeps his shield ready at his side in case this wounded animal is beyond calming.
With nobody supporting or refuting his declaration of mutual support, Gaius continues his cautious approach. "Dwarf, charge the Hobgoblin and I'll remove the webbing as you close the gap!" he calls out across the din of battle.
With two archers above, he keeps his eyes on them, just in case he is merely the a lesser threat than the Hobgoblins.
________
With a battle cry in his ancestor's tongue, Thorek charges forward and hurls his dorn-dergar at the alchemist's torso.
Lily perks up slightly at the ensuing chaos and fires an arrow.
She yells out," We need to talk under safer circumstances but it's great having the help. "
Despite the magical webbing restraining her limbs, the Ironfang alchemist manages to evade the latest pass of the flaming sphere. However, she is unable to avoid being struck by Thorek's dorn-dergar or Bree's arrow. These injuries bring the hobgoblin to her knees, struggling to breath but still conscious. She fishes one last oilcloth flask from beneath her jacket. Her dazed eyes wander between the vague figures highlighted by the flames around her, as though wondering where the killing blow might come from.
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Through the smoke, shadow, and flame, Bree launches a keenly aimed arrow that buries itself right between the hobgoblin alchemist's goggles, thus eliminating the last of the Ironfangs defending their forward camp.
With the danger defeated, the question now remains: who are these new allies who joined you in this fight?
After Bree's arrow sails neatly into the Hobgoblin's face and it begins to fall over, Gaius wastes no time in addressing Lily. "Seems safe enough now, yeah?" he says with a nervous smile. Fortunately it looks like there are two of us who happened on this camp when they did. If they prove unsavory, I might have a distraction to make my escape!
"So... Who might you lot be? Raid Ironfang camps often?" he jests.
Undari looks after the wolf, glad that it is now free, but sad it is uninterested in joining his pack. ”Oh well,” he thinks, ”I might as well see what is going on down below.”
He moves along the northern rim of the cliff, headed towards the stairs on the western edge.
Thorek turns in a slow circle, scanning the camp for any other potential threats. He turns a wary gaze on Gaius when the newcomer addresses Lily. He steps to place himself between her and the stranger.
"Not often, yet. But it may be habit-forming." The burn-scarred dwarf gives the lanky human an up-down look. "Afore we tell you who we are, what are you doing in the 'hobs camp? You don't look like a prisoner."
Lily just glares a bit at Thorek at his comment. "I hope we don't do this regularly. I would have died had it not been for that fools ego," she says sternly.
" Anyways we're a bunch of refugees from an overrun town. We're just defending ourselves from them. We kind of ran out of options and decided to launch a covert raid at the camp ," she says in a more upbeat manner.
Undari, having now reached the top of the stairs, looks carefully at the scene below, focusing on both the camp itself and the people conversing below.
Unless someone hails him, he will continue down the stairs to more closely survey the scene of destruction caused in part by his spellcasting.
Gaius stiffens up a little at the blatant sizing up he receives from Thorek. Almost as bad as Father!
"Indeed I am not a prisoner. Quite frankly, I was looting the camp. I was passing through the area when the sky lit up like the rising sun, so I came to investigate. Not exactly a typical occurrence in these woods! When I arrived, I didn't see any Hobgoblins around so I began helping myself. Before I got too far though, a few stragglers started arguing and then you lot showed up!" he explains unabashedly.
When Lily says 'refugees,' he visibly relaxes. Charging into camps and fighting back? They might be the people I've traveled to meet! "My name is Gaius Numida. I am a Fey enthusiast. I'd only recently settled down in one of the forest villages nearby when the relentless flow of refugees began running through it on the daily! While horrific stories of the Ironfang horde are prolific, there has been consistent tell of resistance in the forest... Would that happen to be you? Gods this would be fantastic! No more skulking around the wake of the Ironfang in search for a nebulous rebel faction! And maybe a flat surface to sleep on! A table to read at!
Assuming Undari does not see anything threatening about the remainder of the camp (and does not get the sense from the people talking that they are of hostile intent towards the newcomers), he will move down the stairs and approach to a respectful distance, waiting for a break in the conversation to speak.
The figure approaching is a human with dark brown hair and eyes, wearing the dark greens and browns of the forest. He wears breastplate armor made from the hide of a green beast and carries a wooden shield at his side. The satchel carefully strapped to his back appears to be rather heavy, but he moves with strength and purpose--not threateningly, but carefully, seeming to assess the situation thoughtfully.
He seems to be watching the interplay between the refugees and Gaius, as if almost forgetting he is not merely and observer, but a participant. It does not seem to occur to him that it might be polite to introduce himself as well...
Lily kind of beams at word everyone's deeds spreading. "Yes that would be us. You're welcome to join us at the camp. Its not the most prettiest of places but I think it has a bit of charm myself," she says a bit excited.
During the course of speaking she notices the second human slowly approaching and smiles at him waiting for him to introduce himself.
"You're not a spy for the Ironfangs, are you? We've already rooted out one spy in our midst, don't think you'll fool us for long!" Thorek warns Gaius, then spares an impatient glance at the other newcomer. "Well, who are you?"
Boudra reloads her crossbow, and comes to follow along with the conversation. She gives Lily's shoulder a gentle squeeze when the younger woman mentions nearly dying.
If Undari and Gaius are paying attention, they might notice that she always keeps the face of the person currently speaking in view, gaze shifting deliberately from person to person as the conversation moves.
When the arrow strikes home on the final hob, Bree let's out a 'whoop' of elation.
The two humans who helped them are a welcome sight, although she's still pretty suspicious given their recent interactions. Just because they helped us once... this could still be an elaborate set-up.
They approach friendly enough, though she wishes Lily wouldn't have told them so much just off the bat. She isn't terribly good at reading people's intentions herself, but she does watch them closely to see if they have any obvious tells.
"Which one of you was driving the fireball? I'd like to thank you personally," she says to the newcomers.
Almost as if startled from out of a reverie, Undari finally responds in halting Common, "Apologies...seldom speak...people...three summers...spent in forest now." He seems to improve as he goes along, though.
Gesturing to himself, he says, "Undari", then to his pack, he says, "Healer." Looking at Bree, he nods and adds, "Yes, Flaming Sphere."