Being a goblin, Khitt is eager to help fortify Good Mead. Building a good trap is in his DNA.
The ranger sets off immediately to gather any hunting trap he can locate and requests a small team of people who don’t mind helping dig pits and sharpen sticks for well disguised pit traps. The enemy may think the forest is a good blind flank to attack from, but Khitt plans to make it be one of the towns strongest defensive positions. Turq has to real the goblin in a bit when he comes up to him and asks ”What do you think the chances of us weaponizing the bees?”
Khitt nods in acquiescence and starts to walk away, turns slightly back toward Turq, ”You didn’t completely rule it out. So I’ll keep a back up plan in mind for em. “ With a wink, the goblin heads back to his work.
Rodney will try and do what he does best, talk, he will talk to everyone and try to persuade them to all be ready for the coming fight. To gain more bodies for being workers to help with the defense's, to learn to become a militia, and to gathering supplies for everyone. He tries to get the whole town, men, women and children to rally around this cause. He will then walk around singing songs to lift peoples spirits, and work songs to work by.
Rodney hands Khitt his two hunting traps (and any others that the towns folk would donate) for Khitt to use.
Rodney will talk to the militia on what they thing needs to be done and what weapons are available to hand out.
Talking to the others that have severed in the military, "Should we have scouts out to give us some warning of the approaching army?"
Lumen puts on the snow shoes he purchased in Bryn Shander before his overnight trip to Easthaven. While walking to Good Mead, he enjoys taking in the sights of nature, even though he still isn't used to the cold and snow. Once in town, he considers what he can do to help.
"Perhaps I can go into the forest to gather food. I have a way with creatures and perhaps I can let them know what is coming and they can give us a warning if something is approaching us from the forest," he states to the group.
Walking back and forth in front of his line of 'troops': "Now, the best way to defend your town is to limit access to certain choke-points that you can control. This is best done by caving in those sections that are too difficult to defend. So, you, you, and you, start by bringing down the support beams over..." - he spins around to point out where to go and is suddenly speechless as he looks out at wooden houses under an open sky...
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The days are busy, with the townsfolk of Good Mead buzzing around as busy as their bees. Turq rounds up 20 men and women, all able-bodied and available to fight. They are not soldiers by trade and are familiar with simple weapons, so you decide to make spears for them to defend the town with.
The first two days, Baldrick and Umikh forge spearpoints from Dwarven steel, using the forge behind Turq's house. They find it well-stocked and set up with a large bellows, in the style of a Dwarvish forge, and the children of the town take turns jumping up and down upon it to stoke up the flames.
Meanwhile, Khitt and Lumen spend a bulk of their time in the woods nearby. The goblin spends a majority of his time laying out traps and snares. The ground is a little hard to dig pits in, so he takes time fashioning swinging spikes and snares.
Lumen, however, forages among the wood for some edible mushrooms [ooc]Forgive me, but looking at your character sheet, I am going to modify your choice to fall in line more with your skillset. Kind of as a nudge. If not, I will also give you the option based on your original proposal. but after speaking to the local wildlife, considers some medicinal herbs to make poultices to treat injury.
At the evening meetings at the Mead Hall, Rodney takes the stage with speeches to keep up the morale of these hardy frontier folk.
Netzer sets to doing what he knows, and that is physical labor. Hefting an axe, he makes for the wood. Hewing trees to use for various means, the dwarf provides lumber for fortifications, wood for spear shafts and firewood.
After the forging of the spearpoints, Baldrick sets to training the militia. With Turq acting as his support, the soldier begins drills. He finds that they are a rowdy lot, but determined…
Rodalas also walks up and down the line, checking on each participant and fixing their stance or leveling their spear.
Over the week, Baldrick does his best to whip the militia into shape. Too late, he realizes that he's been trying to teach them the way he was taught and it just isn't working.
Late one night, after four or five days of training, he rolls over in his bed near the forge and shakes Umikh awake: "Umikh? Y'know the humans in this town? Well, it just occurred to me that they aren't dwarves. I mean, it's not their fault they're tall and gangly, but I guess I've been showing them how to fight like dwarves and not... Umikh? Are you awake?"
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"We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in Forest, we shall fight on the lakes and rivers, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our land, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the tundra, we shall fight on the frozen grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."
Umikh works hard, but the stress of the impending attack weighs heavily on him.
Rodalas also walks up and down the line, checking on each participant and fixing their stance or leveling their spear.
DEx check to help show proper way
Lumen heads into the woods with Khitt. He figured he didn't want to accidentally set off any of the goblins traps if he was separated from the ranger. Once in the forest he sees a number of herbs that he didn't expect to see and realizes gow helpful they would be to treat wounds from the upcoming battle.
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As the days pass, the town is a-buzz (pun fully intended) with activity, Rodney's rousing speech the first night really drives home the severity of the coming attack. A few of the residents ask what you would have them do, and as you outline the plan the town seems ready to get to work.
The second morning, Baldrick and Umikh set to the rhythm of an old Dwarvish song of making as the ring of their blows on the anvil echo through the town, bringing a measure of comfort to the villagers. One of them mentions a time when the Ironjoy boy was working the forge...
Khitt ranges the wood, gathering its measure. As he picks the most indefensible of the approaches, the goblin sets to setting traps, snares, and tension driven spikes to give their assailants a nasty surprise. While out there, he notices Lumen gathering herbs and winter berries. The firbolg stops to speak to a small bird before producing a small trowel to dig up a root vegetable and put it in his sack.
At the end of the second day, Netzer returns with several bundles of wood and two traps that he accidentally set off. But they aren't ruined and Khitt simply reuses them again the next day...
All in all, Rodney keeps the spirit of the people up and all of your aid is rewarded by fine feasts and warmed mead to fight off the cold...
On the fourth day, Baldrick is training some of the recruits and is trying to focus, but he notices a young boy carrying a pair of buckets, quite unsteadily. He rushes over to help the boy, leaving Rodalas to take the training duties Upon completion, however, the boy happily offers his 'lucky' die to the soldier sorcerer. The boy says that it never lets him down...
By the end of the fifth day, your fortifications are done to the best of your ability, and you have even organized watches, with the forest animals checking in with Lumen every morning.
At dinner, that fifth night, a messenger bursts in and scans the room. His gaze settles on the bunch of you and he rushes forward to deliver the message, and then turns to leave.
It reads, "I hope things are going smoothly for you, but we have a problem. Several of the other towns are putting up a bit of resistance in joining the stand. Please see to one of the following locations: Caer Dineval, Caer Konig, or Dougan's Hole. Any help that you can offer, will aid us greatly in our efforts. Time is running short... -Captain Arlaggath"
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Baldrick grumbles a bit about losing time training the militia, but he's not that upset - he was having a bit of trouble with them anyway. Although, the troops have definitely started liking him again since he began deliberately losing at dice...
"Great bouncing crickets, so many places in need of our help. Dougan's Hole being the closest will allow use to bring them here if worst comes to worst. We have done well here, but for picking a new town to help what say all of you?" Rodney asks the rest of the group.
Agreed, Dougan's Hole is where we should head. Let's see what we can do over there, help them to understand the seriousness of this impending attack.
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Rodalas, in his drills, harkens back to his days watching the Elvish armies in the faewilde, their greatest strength was in their coordination. In those five days, the noble Eladrin focuses their striking on timing and precision... while dismissing any thought of the Dwarven steel tipping their spears...