Raspar smiles at Renali, but resists hugging her without warning. But she might feel so lost and alone and Raspar wants eagerly to help.
"Do not worry. I will bleed for you and I will cut through them so that you can return home. I like journeys and adventures too, but I think the one you are on I do not envy," Raspar tries to bolster Renali.
When others are ready, he will draw his starknife and go in the direction of the Great Goblin-God.
"It'll serve you well Dori. That's a blade of fine elven make."
While others are comparing their blades, Raspar will pad off to the east, ready to slash some goblin-god. It’s not the size of the blade that matters, it’s the heart of the halfling that wields it. His starknife is ready to fling.
|
"What will you do? If you're an explorer you must be competent in combat. Join us! If not, tell us everything you can about the abilities of these charau-ka."
"I will stay here for now, I am afraid I am not prone to combat, but I will defend myself if I must." She goes further into detail on the charau-ka as they also came from her homeland. "The charau-ka are dangerous jungle dwellers, known by you as Ape-men. They are one of the most wide-spread creatures in the Mwangi Expanse."
Please do tell us everything you can about them, we've never faced them before - I think."
"I know little more about the cult than they go by Cinderclaws."
"Do not worry. I will bleed for you and I will cut through them so that you can return home. I like journeys and adventures too, but I think the one you are on I do not envy," Raspar tries to bolster Renali.
Renali smiles. "We will speak again soon I expect."
With that Raspar happily strolls east as he bids his farewell. A massive throne constructed of old bones and broken furniture tied together with ropes and chains and draped with moth-eaten velvet is the overwhelming centerpiece of this wide-open cave. Arrayed in concentric circles around the throne are the skeletal corpses of small, oblong skulled humanoids—each posed with their head inclined reverently toward the throne’s seat.
An industrious but filthy goblin adjusts some of the skeletons, but when he sees you, he scrambles up onto the throne. "Mongrel cave-things!" he shouts. "You dare enter Ralldar’s kingdom? Bestow upon your god proper tribute, or be consumed by misery and death!"
Dak rolls his eyes at the goblin so hard that his ears get a little pointier. "Someone else deal with him."
Athletics
Raspar does, indeed, climb down. He’s a very good and sturdy climber and redraws his starknife when he is on the ground.
”Who are you again? And what are your teachings so I know what kind of god you might be?” Raspar inquires, happy to listen to learn about others and other cultures. Now that more and more of civilized society are considering goblins to be welcome, Raspar feels he needs to listen before he reacts negatively. ”I’m not necessarily looking for another god to worship, but we do have some godless heathens in our party who might lend an ear.”
Diplomacy
Kelvin keeps up with Raspar throughout, but lets the eager halfling lead for now. He climbs down without issue, drawing out his morningstar has he reaches the ground.
The dwarf keeps the goblin in his periphery, but looks around for any other signs of danger.
”Very well.” Cabaguil smiles at the pretty lady, and rejoins the heroes deeper in the cave. Not being terribly athletic, he prepares for a fall as best he can, trying to slide down, rather than fall down…
Landing in a heap, but hopefully able to get up under his own power, he’ll clamber back to his feet, brush himself off, and suggest, ”My word Raspar you are a friendly one! Dear Lord Goblin, please consider the odds, and let us know how we can help you. Answer my friend’s question.”
(trying to aid Raspar’s Diplomacy, DC 20 typically)
He looks at his arm and points it out to Cuthberwyn, "Do you think this is broken?"
Cuthberwyn gives the arm a cursory glance. Doubt it, he says, moving toward Raspar. Yielding that is out of the question, I'm afraid, Cuth says, giving Raspar a glare to try and keep him quiet. Surely Ralldar has no need for such a decorative bauble as that. I'm sure we can come to some other arrangement.
Raspar shoots a quick glance at gnome who is now speaking for him, and opens his mouth to contradict... but then thinks better of it. From his short experience with the group, he learned that others have opinions that they're quite fond of. He appreciates that, and so decides to keep his to himself...though he would have gladly given up a starknife for a real goblin god, as any reasonable creature would as he has five starknives, he realizes it would be selfish to at least not offer one of his extra should the goblin-god need it.
|
|
"If you will not worship me, Ralldar howls. He leaps down from the throne, and his body swells as he undergoes a monstrous transformation into a half-goblin, half-wolf monstrosity! His elongated fangs drip with poison!
Ðakaþos (54/54)
Kelvin (47/50)
------------------------------------------------------
Ralldar (Religion to ID)
------------------------------------------------------
Cuthberwyn (45/48)
Cabaguil (32/36)
Raspar (43/50)
Dori (43/49; Steel Shield 27/30; Hardness 7)
Action 1: Stride
Action 2: Strike
Action 3: Strike
"Distract him!" Kelvin calls out to Dak, suggesting the flank. Regardless, he looks to use the element of surprise, and rushes forward to get behind the half-wolf.
He then swings his morningstar, aiming for joints to cripple the creature.
(Using a hero point to re-roll that first Strike)
"Nethys! What the hells?!" Dak takes the hint and moves slightly with his guard up before trying to bring his blade down as quickly as he can.
for
|
|
Working out a strategy with Kelvin, Ðakaþos slides into position and and stabs at the large goblin wolf. His first strike isn't enough to penetrate the thick skin but the second finds it's mark as Ðakaþos drives it in a couple inches.
Kelvin begins to run around the backside to do his job and ends up catching a large claw as it swipes at him.
Kelvin takes a devastating blow as the claws shred open the armor as well as most of his chest. This doesn't slow him down too much as his morningstar swats weakly against the beast, not a single blow abele to hurt it in the slightest.
Ralldar growls, his heavy breath in Ðakaþos' face, making his golden hair flutter. "You should be grovelling before your God. Worshipping me...Lying your tributes at my feet as they did." He knocks over one of the makeshift goblin skeletons. Calling on innate magic, Ralldar swells to even greater size! The hulking creature now stands well over 18 feet tall, his hunched shoulders almost scraping the ceiling.
With his increased size and strength Ralldar bites down at Ðakaþos.
+ 1d6 persistent Poison damage
The jaws visibly strip into Ðakaþos's shoulder and arm. A thick secretion injects in that has no possible way of being avoided as it enters the elf's bloodstream.
Ðakaþos (25/54; persistent poison 1d6)
Kelvin (7/50)
------------------------------------------------------
Ralldar (-15; Clumsy 1; Religion to ID)
------------------------------------------------------
Cuthberwyn (45/48)
Cabaguil (32/36)
Raspar (43/50)
Dori (43/49; Steel Shield 27/30; Hardness 7) Dori's actions above
Dak tries to stop the spell with a quick upwards swing! for
He then swings with all his might for all he's worth:
MISS, Exacting Strike
MISS, Exacting Strike
Round: 1
Weapon Equipped: None
Conditions: Inspire Courage
Spooky: 20/20hp, Climber, Darkvision, Fast Movement, & Life Link
Spells Spell attack +10 (T), Spell DC’s 20 (T)
Bloodline Focus: Diabolic Edict* (Focus Points: 1)
Cantrips: Detect Magic, Light, Prestidigitation, Produce Flame*, Read Aura
First Level: (2/4) Charm*, Heal§, Mending, Purify Food and Drink
Second Level: (0/4) Flaming Sphere*§, Faerie Fire, Dispel Magic, Heal§ (2), See Invisibility
Cabaguil rubs the scrape on his arm, and immediately wishes he hadn’t, ”Ow.” He’s had worse certainly, but it’s like a paper cut, it always seems bad at the time.
As Ralldar howls, and grows tremendously in size, Cabaguil is shocked. ”If you feel the poison coursing through your veins, come to me!” he yells as he gets out his healer’s kit (•>). Seeing Kelvin in such a state, "God indeed!", he casts Heal (2)
Round 1
Action 1: Raise shield.
Action 2: Throw/strike w/starknife.
Action 3: Throw/strike w/starknife.
Raspar takes two hacks/tosses at the GobboWolf, after raising his shield.
to hit;
damage
to hit;
damage
[ dice=Starknife]1d20+10[/dice] to hit;
[ dice=P/S]2d4+3[/dice] damage
Critical damage: [ dice]4d4+6+1d6[/dice]
AC: 23 +2 with shield action.
Fort/Ref/Will: 9/9/9 + 2 vs. spells/reaction
HP: 50/50
Focus: 1/3
Hero Points: 3
Speed: 20'
Luck? 0/1 used
[ dice=Shield]1d20+9[/dice] to hit;
[ dice=B]1d4+3[/dice] damage
[ dice=Halberd]1d20+10[/dice] to hit;
[ dice=P/S]1d10+3[/dice] damage
[ spoiler=@Dori, GM Tyranius]
You free an ally from restraint. If the trigger was an ally taking damage, the ally gains resistance to all damage against the triggering damage equal to 2 + your level. The ally can attempt to break free of effects grabbing, restraining, immobilizing, or paralyzing them. They either attempt a new save against one such effect that allows a save, or attempt to Escape from one effect as a free action. If they can move, the ally can Step as a free action, even if they didn’t need to escape.[/ spoiler]
Cuthberwyn begins to tell the story of a Goblin King, one who was a fine dresser and, despite his predilection for stealing children, was clearly a far better king than this Ralldar fellow, who...hmm, what about him, Cuth thinks.
Cuth then draws his whip.
ROUND 2
Action 1: Rage (+7 temp hp, -1 AC)
Action 2: Strike
Action 3: Strike
Thankful for the quick healing but indignant at having been bitten in the first place, Kelvin first calls out to Dak. "C'mon, elf! Work with me and get on its flank!"
He then returns his attention to the monstrosity before him. His anger mounts and a fury takes over. "FALSE GOD! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"
He then lets his morningstar do the rest of the talking, delivering two swings.
|
|
Cuthberwyn gets stuck on a specific pronunciation. What Ralldar is gets stuck just on the fringes of his mind as he thinks quickly. Cabaguil heals Kelvin's serious injury from the very edges of Ralldar's reach, avoiding his grasp.
Raspar raises his shield high above his head and tosses his starknife at Ralldar's eye.
Raspar catches a claw across his arms as he releases the starknife. The blade slashes across the wolf-like beasts eye, scarring it. Dori slides down the cliff face, ready to protect those around him as he slashes his new magical weapon through Ralldar's fingers, cutting part of the huge hand open through the webbing in between.
Ðakaþos gets in a few more strikes of his own and soon the bristling fur is soaking in fresh blood as Ralldar roars in pain.
Kelvin's anger mounts to its peak and he delivers a single powerful blow to the creature's knee, shattering it good.
Ralldar flies into a fit of rage. "Mongrels think you can best a God. A god in his own home!?"
Ðakaþos' body is shredded as the clawed hands criss-cross across him at point blank. As the first claw hits Dori does what he can to help and sticks the edge of his shield right into Ralldar's toes. Using the shield as a good springing point the dwarf leaps into the air and stabs his scimitar through the greater barghest's throat before the second claw even has a chance to strike. This effect may have just saved the elf's life as the next claw looked aimed right for his face.
Ralldar stumbles back a few steps, then falls to his side as he ceases breathing.
Ðakaþos (6/54)
Kelvin (28/50; 7 temp HP)
Cuthberwyn (45/48)
Cabaguil (32/36)
Raspar (26/50)
Dori (43/49; Steel Shield 27/30; Hardness 7)
Kelvin breathes heavily, his shoulders rising and falling as he rides out the rage inside him. When he finally calms, the dwarf spits on the corpse of the hybrid creature and says, "Yes, we do think we can best a 'god' in his own home."
That said, he walks over to Cabaguil and joyfully slaps the man on the back. "Thanks for that timely magic of yours. I've still got some cuts and bruises, but it could be worse. I could look like the elf."
He then takes a moment to search the area, including the skeletons, for anything that could be interesting or valuable.
|
|
Kelvin takes a few moments to search through the area for anything of use. In this chamber all he finds is a single golden scale, buried among the rubble.
The small passages to the immediate east and south seem to lead to the same smaller chamber. The passages are extremely narrow. While a small creature would be able to get through without a problem, anything bigger would have a hard time squeezing through.
|
"you are no god!"[b] Dori says through clinched teeth and the thing falls dead. [b]"Torag's Hammer take you..." He straights and sees the Elf wounds and takes Daq's off hand over his should and support him. "Be at Peace. Torag is with you." The dwarf's hand touches Dak's chest. The Elf's breathing is a bit easier and he is a bit steadier on his feet.
Raspar pauses, ready to throw his starknife again and again should the wolf-god rise, and only relents after the beast stops breathing for a while.
Raspar will heal himself a bit (+12 hp, -1 focus), and then spend 10 minutes adjusting and polishing his armor as he doesn't want it getting ruined when he could labor to keep it upkept. If someone were to heal him more, he wouldn't object.
After 10 minutes of labor, he will pad to explore the first side passage. If he sees anything of interest, he will call Cuth in to help.
Kelvin picks up the scale and turns it over in his hands, trying to identify it.
Cabaguil nods to Kelvin, ”Anytime my friend. That was a ferocious beast! Quiet the heave hitter!”
He goes to Raspar the Bleeder first and tries to ply his trade.
vs DC 15 (likely)
Then he turns to Ðakaþos, hoping someone else can tend to Kelvin.
vs DC 15 (likely)
20 minutes later he’s pleased with his work, though he’s ready to help another top up if need be.
|
|
Tending to a few of the wounds Raspar scampers off into the tight tunnel to see what is within. Although dingy and moist, this constructed room is more a cellar than a cave, though lumpy mounds covered in oilcloth tarps still lend it an unpleasant air.
Looking underneath the tarps you find stacks and stacks of bones and skulls. Raspar has found himself right in the middle of a mass grave site.
Most of the bones are loose, although there are a few rib cages that still wear armor in the pile. Raspar finds:
Sifting through the mound he also finds a few other items of not. This must have been Ralldar's stash of tributes.
Ðakaþos (38/54)
Kelvin (28/50; 7 temp HP)
Cuthberwyn (45/48)
Cabaguil (32/36)
Raspar (45/50)
Dori (43/49; Steel Shield 27/30; Hardness 7)
Kelvin brings the golden scale he found over to Cuthberwyn. "You have any thoughts about this? Seems a bit out of place to me."
When he learns that there's a breastplate amongst the items his interest is piqued. He picks it up and takes some time to study it.
"It's an interesting piece of armor, though I feel like it'll need more study. Normally there's an element of a god's protection in magical armor, but if so I can't see it yet."
The blood pouring from Dak stains his gear. His almond eyes heavy from pain. "Thank you for the succor." He's clearly too drained to add his own quip about the "god."
Despite the healing, he still injured a bit, and spends the down time catching his breath and looking over the items:
Breastplate:
Chain shirt:
Feather:
Gem:
Gloves:
Wand:
Only the breastplate and gloves vex him, perhaps his mind a bit addled after the fight. "There is some highly useful praeda here. We should take our time. Haste can get us killed here."
As Ðakaþos is spending an hour IDing items, Cabaguil will spend more time healing both Ðakaþos and Kelvin.
vs DC 15 (likely)
vs DC 15 (likely)
Laughing, he shrugs, his time spent poorly, "My apologies mates, let me try that again. Clearly I have not had enough practice at this!"
vs DC 15 (likely)
vs DC 15 (likely)
Biting his tongue at the feeble success, and another failure, he pushes on for the third time.
vs DC 15 (likely)
vs DC 15 (likely)
"Ahh, there. That should help stabilize us all." he says as he finally puts away his healers kit.
With the breastplate, and then gloves, unidentified, he tries his hand, bringing forth his own demonic understanding.
vs DC 20
vs DC 19
So, at the end of the hour, only the gloves remain unidentified.
Religion vs. DC 19 (gloves)
Raspar spends most of the time helping find the loot and cleaning up the gravesite, even re-digging a few holes with his shield to ensure that the remains cannot be dug up easily and left undisturbed.
On the magics, he's too busy laboring to help much and is pretty unfocused on trying to help ID the gloves.
Before he marches out of the cave, he will go back to Renali and explain to her of the goblin-gods death and that she might enjoy more space in the other cave if she wished.
When others are ready, he will move on down the hallway.
Cuthberwyn finds the gloves no less vexing, preoccupied first by Ralldar and his inability to recall what he knows he remembered about him, and then by the scale Kelvin presents. Curious indeed! he exclaims.
With an extra hour of time spent healing and everyone seeming to struggle with the gloves, Kelvin takes a moment to study them himself but comes up empty.
When Dakapos succeeds where he did not regarding the breastplate, he grunts and says, "Well done. I didn't see that engraving. It must be where the magic is coming from. I'm guessing it's an arcane symbol? It's not religious." His eyes turn covetous when he adds, "I'd love to make use of this. It's quite well made."
|
|
The group spends the better part of an hour dragging all of the equipment out of the hole and sealing their wounds after the brutally devastating attack. Staring down at the body, now that he is not under the pressure of seeing his friends torn to shreds, Cuthberwyn recognizes the creature as a Greater Barghest.
Barghests are lupine fiends with goblinoid faces and humanoid hands. They stalk the Material Plane in search of souls to sate their demonic hunger. Eons ago, barghests dwelled in the pits of Hell and served Asmodeus, but after Lamashtu abducted and adopted the four most powerful of their kind to serve as pets (and in time, as a pantheon of hero-gods worshipped by evil goblins), barghests’ loyalties and philosophical nature changed significantly. Today, while barghests retain their connection to goblinoids, they serve none but their own appetites.
Once a barghest has eaten enough to grow into a greater barghest, it typically seeks a method to leave the Material Plane and return to the Abyss, there joining other fiends as yet another of that plane’s horrors. As barghests have no innate ability to travel the planes, though, the time it takes for most greater barghests to engineer such a return can usually be measured in years, if not decades. During that time, greater barghests continue to play the roles of gluttons, hunters of humanity, and tyrants of goblinoid tribes. More than a few grow accustomed to such lives on the Material Plane and wholly abandon the end goal of returning to the Abyss, despite the fact that those who do make such a return home often grow even more powerful over time, gaining eerie new abilities and qualities absorbed from the raw chaos of the Abyss itself.
In addition to greater barghests being more powerful than typical barghests, the process of transforming into a greater barghest results in hideous mutations that often grant deadly abilities. Some barghests grow large bat-like wings upon their transformation. Others develop toxic breath or vestigial limbs. The options detailed in the stats below represent only the tip of the proverbial iceberg for barghest mutations—feel free to use these as inspiration for coming up with new mutations of your own design.
While everyone is focused on the equipment Raspar returns to Renali. She smiles as he approaches. "I am glad to hear that and that you look mostly unharmed. That sounded quite brutal." She shudders. "I have no thoughts of moving from here. Getting back home is my only goal as long as it is possible."
Ðakaþos (54/54)
Kelvin (49/50)
Cuthberwyn (45/48)
Cabaguil (32/36)
Raspar (50/50)
Dori (43/49; Steel Shield 27/30; Hardness 7)
Raspar leaves Renali with a smile and a promise to be back.
When others are ready, he will move on down the hallway.
Cabaguil moves up a little ways back of Raspar, but close enough to lend aid in battle. "Shall we proceed? There's tunnel left, and I've a spell or two left yet, though not much." he warns.
"Let's see this to the end!" he says as he marches forth.
|
|
Another tunnel exits the cave to the east. The tunnel widens, then drops away in a series of ten-foot-high cliffs into a chamber filled with fine, hair- like filaments and mushrooms. The filaments look like bleached grass and wave erratically with the cave’s natural air currents. The mushrooms glow slightly, giving the cave a strange, dreamlike feel. To the south, a seven-foot-wide hole in the floor drops down into a chamber below.
"Renali, may your way be green and golden.... or whatever colors bring succor to your spirit."
Dak then turns to the final hallway. He checks the cave before peering down the hole.
|
|
Ðakaþos stomps through the mushroom field. Glowing Spores fill the air, clinging to him. They are quite itchy and very distracting as Ðakaþos scouts ahead to investigate the hole. It looks to drop down about 20 feet into a cavern, though no rope leads down. Plenty of stalagmites nearby could serve as anchors for ropes dropped down into the hole or one could simply leap down as well.
Reflex
Padding carefully to avoid disturbing the mushrooms, Raspar moves up to the edge of the hole and looks down.
Perception
While he is a very good climber, he's not sure others will be and takes out his rope. He knots it to 50' and trying to find a place to secure the rope up top.
When others are ready, he will stow his shield and starknife, and prepare to climb down.
Athletics
Slightly addled, Ðakaþos is clearly angered, "Are you kidding me?! Don't anyone dare make a joke at this...."
He looks down, "Can... can anyone get this off of me? I can't think straight."
Shrugging when no one lays claim to the breastplate, Kelvin takes the time to remove his current armor and dons the magical armor. He gets Dori to help with the buckles and straps, adjusting it to fit his barrel-chested torso. "This'll do nicely."
He then moves forward to the hole, stopping just before the mushroom field. "Is there a way we can burn a path to the hole? I don't like the idea of trodding through the flora and looking like Dak does. No offense, elf."
Cabaguil will first clean Ðakaþos with repeated slow castings of Prestidigitation (1 minute per 'bulk' of Ðakaþos).
Then he looks at the spores. "Aye, we could burn this out if we are careful." He'll back up a bit and try Produce Flame, casting it repeatedly to make a path. Or at least see how slow going such a process will be. (damage is 2d4+4 per casting)