So what's the word?
The bird
Zoog, you see nothing magical about this crossbow, though it does seem pretty nice. Also, there are a number of crossbow bolts: of them.
Having found everything there is to be found here, the group decides to move on toward your destination. The point marked on the map isn't quite on the coast, but it's pretty close, and you can hear the the waves crashing on the shoreline. It's pretty obvious when you get there: a big ship with two masts is lying in the clearing, the rigging thick with moss and decorated with lanterns and windchimes that look to be made of goblin bones and skulls (eww). There's some weird marks on the ship's prow, while the soggy, swampy "yard" surrounding the wreck is marked by a rickety wooden fence. A thin curl of smoke wafts up from a chimney that's poking out of a strange box-looking structure near the bow of the ship.
The marks on the ship are writing! They're in the Common tongue of the longshanks, and they say, Kaijitsu Star. Whatever that means....
Sounds like there's something walking or moving around behind that fence. You hear thuds of footsteps or some such.
...Also, you catch something that sounds like a low laugh, or grumble, or something. Definitely an animal, and a big one by the sound of it.
Um stops and raises his hand."Could Um maybe get a heals before we go into big scary longshanks place. Um still not feel so good from lots legs fight."
"Marrowdown has no heals." He continues looking towards the ship as he says this, unconcerned with Um's plight.
"What do you gobbos think of that big boat over there? You see the smokes? Marrowdown thinks there might be treats in the big boat. We should go and see, gobbos! And they gots gobbo skulls, prob'ly from dumb gobbos. We can show what true gobbos do! Fight and bite! And win, too."
"Shh!" Zoog exclaims as quietly as he can while allowing ht others to hear. "Something big is comin!"
Gniffles is unable to see much of anything through the eyeholes of his mask, but his wheezy breathing can be heard beneath the wooden cover.
"You live until tomorrow, Gniffles can fix spider bite. But today, Gniffles can only play with minds, not flesh." His speaking trails off as Zoog shushes the party. Gniffles grips his staff tightly in his small hands, twisting the wood as the bones and baubles atop it click together and rattle.
The sound of the animal is also coming from inside the pen. Just to make sure that you understand.
"There also noises inside the pen!" Zoog whispers to the gobbos.
Spug will keep close behind the melee goblins, Zurk and Marrowdown.
"Ooh! More food for dah Hungry Lady!"
Zoog moves to the center of the group.
Drawing her sickle, Aka looks at the others. "Are we going to just sand here or are we going to be Licktoads?"
"Point me to it and I kills it!" the bugbear takes some practice swings and once pointed in the proper direction, heads for it, using his heightened sense of smell to try an ID it.
"Gniffles thought something was coming this direction. If it not coming to us, then it running away from us!" At that, Gniffles raises his staff into the air and rushes toward the fence... whatever's on the other side won't escape the wrath of the Licktoads!
Um stays to the back of the group trying to look inconspicuous with his bow out.
Look at the other gobs you monsters. That's right, pay attention to them. Um not here at all, no kill Um, he scrawny and make no good foody meal.
Zoog stays where there are goblins on as many sides of him as posible, but travels with the group.
Your group finds an opening in the fence and rushes through, Zurk knocking some boards aside in order to fit through the gap. The other side of the fence is a muddy pit that's been churned into holes and pure nastiness, with large clumps seeming to have been picked up and thrown elsewhere by something.
Wait... these are... horse tracks!
Suddenly, you hear a shrill bark from atop the ship somewhere--dogs! To make matters worse, you hear a thudding from the corner of the wreck, followed by a low, rumbling neigh.
From around the corner of the wreck comes a great beast. It stands taller than Zurk, bulging with muscle and covered in matted, knotted, muddy hair and fur. Its eyes roll with hatred and ferocity, and as it tosses its head, its mouth opens and you see massive teeth like boulders gnashing. Its tail swishes side to side menacingly as it approaches, and its hooves seem large enough to crush a goblin skull beneath them.
Initiative Order
Gniffles, Horsecutta, Marrowdown, Zoog, Zurk, Aka
Stomp
Spug and Repeat
Battle begins! Those of you who succeeded at the above Survival check get a surprise round (essentially an extra action).
Eyes widening at the sight of one of the 'two hated beasts' before her, Aka decides to follow the lead of the more martially inclined Goblins about her.
Marrowdown rushes in excitedly through the fence, paying little attention to the ground below him. When he sees the dreaded beast, his mouth goes wide in what is either a snarl or a gasp, and possibly both at the same time.
After a moment of odd garbled snarling with the occasional cracking of his voice, Marrowdown follows Zurk into the fray, charging towards the horse.
Zurk will rush over, swinging his axe in a wide arc, hoping to take the legs off the monster of lore!
Zoog realizes what is coming and prepares himself. He move 30 feet closer to the beast, drinks his Targeted Bomb Admixture, and throws a bomb at the horse!
A chill runs down Gniffles' spine as he recognizes the tracks. He knows exactly what lies around the back of the ship, and he begins to question whether it was actually running away from them. Perhaps, it was luring them in.
As the monstrosity stomps into view, Gniffles is well prepared. The expression on his masks seems to distort into a menacing scowl, staring down the large, matted animal and causing it to doubt it's own superiority in the presence of such mighty Licktoads.
As the air begins to chill around the stomping beast, Gniffles quickly manuevers for cover from those charging hooves, trying to keep a solid object between himself and the horse. Then raising his staff into the air, the bones and baubles twisting as a gust of wind picks up, again assaults the creature's diminutive mind--hopefully clouding it to the point that all actions are suspended.
Unfazed by the appearance of this monstrosity, Zurk and Marrowdown leap forward and Zoog tosses one of his volatile mixtures. The horse is startled by the appearance of Gniffles' mask; it rears up and catches an explosion of glass and fire right in its face. Coming down, it feels the bite of Zurk's axe and Marrowdown's.... well, his bite. The goblin tears deeply into its throat and the beast falls, its eyes going wide in pain before it collapses, completely dead.
The gangplank leading up to the ship is mossy and dirty, with what looks like a large clump of mud on one handrail. It's a steep climb.
"Somebody should chop off horsey feets! I hear metal shoes bring good luck... or maybe it bad luck, which is ok too. We give them to others then."
Um quietly cowers in the back through the whole combat.
Zurk grins. "Little scaredy gobo in back cut nasty horse feet off. Zurk gonna go a'killin'. Cause where dere be horsies, dere be longshanks and maybe evil nasty dogses too!"
And with that, Zurk pushes the group forward.
Um attempts to make himself seem less afraid and wanders up to the downed horse. "Anyone has sharp sharp?" Assuming someone hands Um a knife Um will remove the horse's feet, otherwise he will start chewing the meat until he frees the hooves that way.
Aka steps forward with her Sickle. She lets Um continue with his gnawing while she proceeds to somewhat efficiently slice through one of the other ankles.
Spug tries to keep pace with those goblins advancing, and will again enchant the Hungry Lady's implement of terror.
Zoog, has used much of his abilities today, will stay toward the rear of the group. "Zoog needs to rest soon gobbos!"
As Um and Aka seperate lucky shoes from the horse's corpse, Gniffles bounces excitedly. He notices Zurk ploughing ahead though, and eager to watch him tear apart anything that might get in their way, Gniffles follows.
As the group presses forward, Zurk's bulk pushes against some loose vines and ropes on the railing. Suddenly, they draw taut and knock the clump from the railing, where it lands down onto Spug!
The goblin priest tries to grab the nest before it smashes to the earth, and instead, his hands knock it at an angle, and it slips through his fingers to be crushed at his feet. Alas, it appears that it was an active home--a swarm of angry wasps comes out and begins to sting each of you quite angrily!
Marrowdown doesn't bother with a knife when taking bits from the horse, though he also doesn't really get the importance the others are placing on the feet. He rips off a few more bits from the neck and follows the rest, chewing complacently.
When the wasps come pouring out, Marrowdown frowns and then grows irritated. "Stupid stingy bugs!" He tries to retaliate, but his biting is futile! All he gets for his trouble is a mouthful of angry wasps, and his eyes water as he feels his cheeks and tongue swell painfully.
Zurk waves his left club sized arm in front of him. "Damned buggies! Trying to sting and hurt Zurk!
Spug just sighs as the wasps swarm and sting him -- this clearly is not the first time he has been on the receiving end of a wasps' nest.
The warpriest slips away from some of the goblins and releases a burst of negative energy in an attempt to thwart the wasps.
"AHHHHHHHHH BUGIES. THEY GONNA KILL US."
Gniffles stretches his arms out wide beside him as the swarm engulfs his little body, standing perfectly still within the buzzing cloud. "I am a tree. I AM A TREE!"
Zoog runs around in a circle screaming, trying to evade the bugs.