Two potions are bear's endurance and the other seven are protection from chaos. William also notices that the whip and wooden shield are magical -- both +1.
Aerel keeps moving, bringing items back to the leader’s tent for evaluation as he clears out an area of the camp and moves to the next.
"Don't go off alone," says Benedict. He assembles the group (sans Grum) to go with Aerel to the unexplored section of the camp.
Benedict whispers to the stealthy elf, "Aerel, do you want to check out that tent quietly? We'll be right here for backup."
The other (nonmagical) items carried by Scarvinious are: masterwork composite shortbow (+4 Str) with 16 arrows; bedroll, blanket, hip flask 2/3 full of Hobgoblin fire-grog, ten iron spikes, masterwork backpack, masterwork skinning tools, masterwork manacles, saw, sewing needle, shaving kit, surgeons tools, five pouches of caltrops, and two vials of greenblood oil (poison). He also had a pouch with 77 gold pieces.
"I might take that bow, unless someone else wants it. Certainly better than the sling I have now. Might also take that flask."
Benedict whispers to the stealthy elf, "Aerel, do you want to check out that tent quietly? We'll be right here for backup."
Aerel nods. Arrow nocked and pointed down as he moves, he pads to the indicated structure and listens. He will make a circuit, keeping his shadow off the walls of the tent and listening as he moves, not crossing the sight line of the tent’s opening until he’s ready to peer within.
Aerel's exploration of the large tent to the north of Scarvinious's tent discovers eight tidy bedrolls and several cast-iron buckets. It appears that the Ironfang Legion soldiers slept in shifts, and shared the bedrolls. Aerel is able to find three leather pouches containing a combined total of 75 gp, plus a durable scroll-like parchment with strange arcane writings on it.
Amkarang follows along to the unexplored tents, meteor hammer ready. Though he didn't have a tremendous amount of fear in encountering any more hobgoblins, he figured it'd be best to be a little cautious.
The group approaches the next largest tent. 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.
Suddenly, bursting forth from the tent is a ratlike being. She charges from the tent brandishing a rapier and stabs at Benedict. Following that, a flask is chucked from the darkened interior. Upon impact, it bursts into an explosion of alchemical cold.
Unfortunately for the hobgoblins, neither attack is on the mark.
The cold bomb still burst in a wide radius, catching Benedict and Aerel in the shower of cold energy.
Benedict's aasimar heritage shields him from most of the blast.
Benedict moves past the rat-creature .
It can take an AOO if it wants (AC 22 if it is goblinoid, 20 otherwise).
He smashes his hammer into the bomb-thrower.
"Amkarang, with me! Come around and flank!"
"GRUM!"
Aerel has darkvision. He will leave the creature in melee to the other fighters and fire his (readied) bow into the tent. He will 5' away from the two-legged rat if necessary
Seeing Benedict go around the rat creature, William fires two arrows at it.
The rat creature stabs as Benedict rushes by, but its rapier fails to pierce his armor.
Amkarang adjusts his hammer so it has reach and swings it at the ratling. His hammer impacts it, but somehow strikes with much less force than what he would have expected.
Similarly, William's arrows both strike what should be flesh, but they bounce off the rat creature harmlessly.
However, Aerel's and Benedict's attacks both manage to do damage to the alchemist.
Seeing the bombadier in trouble, the rat thing turns around and stabs at Benedict, plus follows up with a bite.
The alchemist steps back and throws another bomb. Apparently noticing the lack of damage his first one did, this one explodes into fire.
This time, the flask lands on Benedict's left and engulfs a lot of the equipment in the flames.
William seems taken aback as his arrows hit but do no damage. It must have some sort of damage reduction. Maybe the stoneskin spell. He switches aim to the bomb thrower and attacks it.
Benedict steps up and attacks the alchemist, fighting defensively.
"Amkarang, circle around this one!"
Aerel shifts to his left. The mouth of the tent is clogged, so he focuses on Grum's opponent, if only to keep it distracted so Grum can drive it into the ground.
Amkarang shortens the grip on his meteor hammer and steps into the tent opening. "Yeah, be right there."
Adjacent to the rat creature, but not yet flanking Grum, he feints a strike with his left hand, but strikes out with the right.
"Nooo! THIS ONE!"
Amkarang reconsiders his options, and instead chooses to attack the alchemist before loosening his grip on his meteor hammer to allow him to attack the alchemist should it try to throw a bomb.
The brutal assault on the alchemist has the bombardier reeling, but barely alive. It steps back one more time, but Amkarang's hammer is waiting for her.
His hammer crushes the skull of the hobgoblin before she's able to throw another bomb.
Seeing the alchemist slain, the rat-creature's aggression suddenly fades, and it withdraws from the fight. It starts running as fast as it can, its form shifting more and more into that of a four-legged dire rat.
Aerel shoots at the rat before following carefully.
If possible, Benedict will try to put out the fires in the tent with a blanket or anything handy.
Grum's powerful attacks ends the threat of the rat creature. Its corpse slowly shifts back to a hobgoblin female that has a familial resemblance to the alchemist.
Benedict is able to put out the fire before it takes hold of the wood.
A quick survey of the equipment in the lab includes a clearly cobbled-together but very complete alchemist's lab and two locked chests.
The alchemist carried numerous flasks of various sorts of liquid. Detect magic finds that most of the flasks' magic faded with the death of their owner. However, nine flasks retain their magic. The chain shirt is also magical. She also had a ring with several keys, a masterwork morningstar, three tanglefoot bags, three flasks of acid, three flasks of alchemist's fire, a thunderstone and 52 gp.
The wererat possessed a masterwork rapier.
The keys unlock the two chests. One small chest contains a variety of poisons, their labels in Orcish. There's 3 doses of bloodroot, 2 doses of blue whinnis, 1 dose of deathblade, 3 doses of greenblood oil, and 2 doses of small centipede venom, plus 5 doses of antitoxin. The other chest contains a piece of darkwood the size of a small shield and enough eelhide to make a suit of light armor. There's also 300 gp and a small bag of salt that radiates magic.
Aerel quickly stows his bow and arrows and moves to aid Benedict with putting out the fire. Looking at their field general, the bowyer can’t help but comment, ”You looking pretty rough, sir. For your sake, I hope we are done fighting today.”
Reviewing what they’ve found, he gestures at the poisons. ”Nasty business, that. Is it worth trying to use those or should we just destroy it?”
Upon seeing the number of magical items, William whistles. "Thats a fair number of magic items. I'll see if I can identify them. I think we have a few areas to check out. You should heal up while I ID these items."
William figures out most of the potions. There are two potions of blur, three of cure moderate wounds, a potion of resist fire, and unguent of timelessness. One potion and a flask of a shimmering paste-like substance elude him. The armor is a +1 chain shirt and the bag contains abjurant salt.
"They did almost take both of us down, Grum. Their tactics were effective at least.
And yes, Aerel, I am not doing so well. We don't have a healer, except Aubrin back at the camp. We don't have a magic store. Maybe Rhyna will learn to make potions. We've got four Cure Moderate Wounds potions now - one from the leader and three from the alchemist. But I don't want to use them up.
Grum, you've been able to get that healing wand to work before - can you try it again?"
"As to the poison, we could sell it to that Darklands merchant. Or hang onto it for a stealth operation like poisoning a water supply. I don't think applying it to weapons is particularly effective. Most poisons don't act quickly enough."
"As to the poison, we could sell it to that Darklands merchant. Or hang onto it for a stealth operation like poisoning a water supply. I don't think applying it to weapons is particularly effective. Most poisons don't act quickly enough."
Aerel doesn't try to hide his relief at your disdain for the poisons. "I'm not really a fan of their use, to be honest. At best, seems dishonest to me. But for these hobgoblins, I would be willing to relax my standards if I had to. Speaking of poisons, I need to have someone check this wound in my shoulder when we return to camp. It's nearly healed, but it still burns. I'll bet they poisoned some of those arrows that hit me."
Aerel waits until the decisions and identifications have been made, keeping an eye out for other hobgoblins that might have escaped the group's notice thus far.
As he watches the perimeter, Aerel asks, "Is any of the gear we've found immediately useful or are we going to just pack it back home so it's not available to the next goblin to come along?"
"Whatever we don't use, we can equip the other refugees with, or sell to that Darklands trader."
The only remaining threats that Aerel can see from his vantage point is a dirty goblin in a pen with a pair of wolves that are pacing agitatedly.
Aerel moves over to the pen, bow still in hand, but not drawn back.
"Wow Grum, you are getting good at that!"
The two wolves growl as Aerel approaches. The goblin also bares his teeth, looking almost as feral as the animals.
When Aerel speaks to him in Goblin, he looks lucid for a moment.
"Garvex is wolf. Garvex stays with wolves."
"Hobbos bring scraps. Elf ears yummiest. Yours look tasty."