Venn takes the arrows and growls in pain. He's barely up, but he'll go down swinging.
Caelius glares at the thug in front of him as he raises his shield and slashes his blade to keep him from advancing in further.
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Caelius glares at the thug in front of him as he raises his shield and slashes his blade to keep him from advancing in further.
[dice=Longsword; Bless]1d20+5+1d4
[dice=Damage]1d8+3
Caelius can't find an opening in the defenses of the Hobgoblin--his armor and martial skill are too good!
Reposting Init:
1. Ned (22)
2. Hobgoblin (20)
3. Alisanne (17)
4. Sanbalet (17)
5. Bandit (14)
6. Venn (11)
7. Scout (10)
8. Belwick (8)
9. Baghotir (7)
10. Caelius (6)
Sanbalet swoons a little and starts laughing like a maniac.
I know something you don't know, Heroes. I know... Ned.
Ned smiles wickedly. And he uses Alisanne's rapier to attack Caelius!
or and A DC 10 Con save or take
Caelius falls to the ground unconscious and stable. Ned was attacking to wound and knockout, and the venom wasn't lethal.
That's one. and he turns on Alisanne.
and Alisanne takes
He then takes the disengage cunning action and moves to the other side of Alisanne.
Just business, Love. Nothing personal. I don't suppose you'd care to switch sides?
The Hobgoblin advances and attacks Alisanne as well.
, but the swing is clumsy and misses.
Alisanne is up.
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Alisanne is rattled by Ned's turn and attack. She loses concentration on the Bless.
Sorry, Ned. I was taught that, once given, your word is binding. And given the circumstances, I could never trust you.
Surrounded, Alisanne does her best to avoid any contact with any blade that may come her way.
Venn, be a friend and help wrap this up.
Ned clicks his tongue.
Principles. How is that making you more attractive?
Sanbalet takes advantage of his blind assailant. He weaves magic and holds out his hands towards the party.
FLAMMEVERT!
A ray of green flame lances out towards Venn... ... AND MISSES!
MAIS NON!
A Second ray streaks towards Belwick... ... 5 MISSES!
BAH BAH BAH
A third Ray at Alisanne... ... AND MISSES A THIRD TIME!
NON! NON NON NON!
The bandits to the south hear Sanbalet scream in impotent rage and look at each other, confused. Both take the dodge action.
Venn!
OH, Venn is no longer blind.
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"I am going to GUT you Ned. THIS is why I don't trust the race of men."
With vision cleared and purpose steeled, Venn steps in. Blood flows freely from arrows lodged in his muscles. He vows to Trithereon, "Summoner, let me take this f&*#er with me."
for
The bardic power dulls the pain and enflames the heart. Venn raises his blade above his shoulders. His own blood splatters across his brow. Sparks cascade as the tip drags across the ceiling. With grim purpose he brings the blade down as Sanbalet scrambles for components. The sound of the man's shattered clavicle is enough to echo in the room. The blade doesn't stop until it gets lodged in the opposite side of the rib cage. The wry remarks stop as the man turns to look at the sucking chest wound; a collapsed lung preventing a final quip.
Venn turns to the archer, and tears the blade free of the falling body. "YOU WANT THIS‽ Toss your weapon and see the sunrise, fight and your soul feeds Nerull."
Sanbalet the great... Is out of this fight.
You may narrate how he exits the fight.
The archer in black does something curious... She drops her bow and starts to weep.
And then something surprising happens. Ned looks up and...
+4, 8 hits,
,
Ned is hit by two longbow shots and Oz, the ranger you met on the road, steps out of some shadows behind the party and attacks him.
Ned, I wasn't crazy about this plan from the get go. I think it's time to switch to Plan B.
Ned snarls. Oswald!
Belwick is up.
The race of men cannot be trusted.
"Gentlemen, I believe it's time for you to consider bowing out of this fight. Here, allow me," Belwick says, drawing a pinch of fine sand from his belt pouch as he weaves an incantation.
Immediately, waves of exhaustion wash over the nearby hobgoblin and the two scalawags behind them.
The Hob and the two bandits behind him all fall into magical slumber.
Ned's situation has drastically changed and he withdraws. He pulls a full Count Rugen, lowering his blade to Alisanne as if he's about to duel then bolts full speed towards Oz, only to hook south into the dark.
Hobs are out... Alisanne is up.
Alisanne chases after him.
Ned, you piece of s#&*! I've seen stiffer backbone on a wet noodle! I want my sword back!
You have no target. Do you wish to light that lantern?
Frack! I hope you trip and crack your skull on a stalactite!
Alisanne pulls out and lights the lantern. She shines it down into the cave Ned fled into.
If I can't see or hear Ned, I'll let him go for now...
Once the hypervigilance of combat subsides, Venn backs up to a wall and slides down to sit. Painted blood streaks on the wall behind him a testament to the severity of his wounds.
Deciding that rest suits their foes, Belwick hurries to catch up with Alisanne. "Quick, show me your weapon."
When she does he works through a simple incantation and touches the blade. It immediately begins to glow with a soft light.
Oz looks around and casually leans on his bow.
Don't worry about it. Watch this--this is going to be funny.
A moment later there is a loud painful scream that echoes off the caverns. Oswald cocks a thoughtful eyebrow and says, There's a reason we don't use those two caverns.
A man covered in green slime stumbles into view at the end of the passage. He stumbles and moans and you can all hear his skin and clothes burn as the slime starts to eat him.
Oswald shoots him.
,
Ned screams and frantically uses Alisanne's Rapier to scrape off all the slime. It comes off in a big sticky clump and lands next to where he he stands. He continues to run at full speed back into the basement.
Alisanne's rapier dissolves in the slime puddle.
You can hear Ned panting in pain and fear.
Venn uses the wall to help him stand once again... He uses his greatsword as a crutch to hobble towards Ned.... Once he gets close he switches from reverse to proper grip.....
Venn slumps against the wall and catches his breath. His injuries aren't as serious as he feared.
The woman nearby weeps and then starts to hit her own head against the cavern wall.
Which clearly happens before Venn Rises and moves after Ned.
Belwick steps forward and once more takes sand out of his component pouch. He moves his hand in an obscure series of gestures and chants out the spell in a droning tone. Drowsiness fills the area around Ned.
Ned falls into magical slumber. The battle is over.
I am calculating XP. Please tell me what you do with the sleeping people, and the distraught archer.
Alisanne stares in disbelief as the rapier she'd stolen from a local shop melts into a slag of uselessness. Before she can give chase, Belwick arrives beside her and stops Ned handily. Instead, Alisanne moves to the weeping woman and tries to stop her from harming herself.
Each Adventurer earns 142 XP.
Baghotir is unconscious for and Caelius for
Alisanne stares in disbelief as the rapier she'd stolen from a local shop melts into a slag of uselessness. Before she can give chase, Belwick arrives beside her and stops Ned handily. Instead, Alisanne moves to the weeping woman and tries to stop her from harming herself.
Oz curses at himself and hustles over to help you with the woman.
Baghotir's eyes flutter open and he reaches for his weapon - pawing the area around him searching for it. He becomes a little more aware and sits up... slowly.
Looking around, he frowns, "Ah! Don't tell me I missed the whole fight? C'mon!"
He begs for stories of the daring affair, and is excited to hear how it went. "I can't believe we prevailed, you guys are amazing! All's I did was take a hit!"
He staggers to his feet and regains his weapon.
"Lemme catch my wind a bit."
"Yeah, we have a half dozen prisoners. I say we take 'em back to town and spend the night so we're fresh. Unless we're in a hurry? I think we got the gang now and I'd hate for 'em to get free while we're going deeper in."
- - -
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Oz pauses and waves you all over when you bind prisoners.
Ah... Ha. Well... How abouts... You let my four friends and me go. We're not *smugglers*, we're more a sort of... Commune? Squatters. We're squatters. And we didn't know what that jackass was up to. And we certainly don't know this, "Ned", character. Very shifty if you ask me. But the four of us... We'll just... Fade off, you know? Maybe find jobs? After all... You got Sanbalet, you got Ned, you got not one but TWO Hobgoblins who I just *assume* were mercenaries hired by an evil Wizard to help him with what I *theorize* was a smuggling operation that was flirting with the idea of entering the slave trade. Which WE... Would have wanted no flarking part of. If, you know... We were even a part of this in the first place. Which we 100% were NOT.
He looks at you all hopefully.
And if it's a matter of getting information... I have a lot of... Let's call them, "theories".
Venn stays taciturn. He'll let the others make the decisions on the people. While once warm to Oz, currently he's nonplussed.
Venn busies himself by searching the bodies and the area.
Oz looks at Venn and seems nervous. Then he goes and fetches the Ham, previously seen tied up in the barracks but was packed for transport. He carves off two pieces and offers one to Venn. He looks at you with his big, dumb, friendly face.
Uh... Ham?
Venn takes it. "You should speak freely and honestly. No good ever comes of politician-tongue."
Venn searches the bodies:
Sanbalet has a pouch of weird wizard stuff. He has a dagger. He has a book that he carried with him in a bag. It isn't written in any language that you know. He also carries a strange pipe and pouch of pipe weed. The pipe is long and thin--the bowl is carved from some sort of river stone. Gandalf or Bilbo would be proud to own and use such an item.
One Hob is wearing Chainmail. They carry serrated longswords, Shields, Longbows and each has a quiver of arrows.
One of the hobs is wearing a frankly gorgeous suit of scale mail. The scales remind you of the scales of a fish. They interlock perfectly and flex like skin. The armor is etched with shells, fish, and other similar oceanic images.
The three bandits each have a scimitar, are wearing leather armor, and carry a light crossbow each with a bundle of bolts.
The archer in black wears leather armor. She carries a shortsword and longbow and a quiver with 16 arrows. She doesn't react to anything except Oswald, whom she clings to for life when he's near. She doesn't react well when she's too far from him.
There are 8 bolts of fine silks and 13 casks of brandy in the caves. In the southernmost cave, near the sea:
The passage leads into a cave that opens directly to the sea. The tide is out at present, and there is little water in the cave, but there is an obvious high-water mark three feet above the floor. Pulled up onto the sloping cave floor is a small boat, perhaps large enough for eight people, with oars, a step-down mast, and a neatly furled sail. A rope tied to the bow is being held down by a large boulder that serves as an anchor.
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After Oz's initial offer...
Oh, is it story time, now? I love a good story. A good story can change your life, for better or worse. You have the start of a good story, Oz. I'm eager to hear more.
She gives a turn and cocks her head at Oz.
I always enjoyed story time because it came with treats. I'm hoping that you'll be providing treats, Oz. They made even the most outlandish tale more palatable.
And I think you've forgotten something, Oz. Or, someones. You've left out a couple of characters. What of Jekka and the boy?
Oz carves up more ham and gladly shares it and a fire and a wineskin with any party members.
Well. I know a Jekka. And I know a boy as well. They went missing recently and I'd heard they were well enough but don't know any more than that. I'd love to know how they are. He seems to grow a little sad. And a friend of mine recently passed. Tasker. Good man. He loved the sea. Used to run as a privateer but that was when he was young. He had some great stories. I'll miss him. He looks at you. His pudgy frame and friendly face grow surprisingly stern. I'm most keen on keeping my family out of harm's way if you follow. I don't want to lose anyone else. If we're telling stories still, that's why I recently left my employer. The business was becoming something I'm not, you ken?
You want to keep your family safe. Jekka felt the same way. I know how you feel.
Alisanne pauses and reconsiders.
Well... actually I don't. But I can sympathize.
I have a story too, ya know. It's about these very talented and ambitious adventurers who went out to explore a haunted house in search of treasure. They ended up having to fight a mad wizard and his hobgoblin cronies. The adventurers were of course victorious. But, the story needs some work, see. The adventurers hadn't found the treasure they were seeking. It's a poor ending for what is otherwise a ripping yarn.
She takes some of the offered ham and a swig of the wine.
Thank you for the nibble, but I was really hoping for something sweeter.
Well... I heard tell of an Old Alchemist that used to live in this house. And I can tell you that we were squatting here. And we didn't go in the rooms over there he waves vaguely in the direction of the basement. Because there are walking skeletons in there! He laughs a little.
Sanbalet was working on a way to get rid of the dead things. He thought the alchemist's lab was back there, past the skeletons. If you're looking for treasure, maybe it's there? He was focused on making himself more powerful. He wasn't happy about possibly having to leave before he could get in there. Sorry I don't have any sweets. You're looking at everything I own in this world.
Belwick tries to pick up on what Alisanne is putting down. "It should be known too that I heard Jekka and a young boy have a potential new patron. One who is benevolent and interested in growing his number of retainers. A nobleman, even. But for them they had to prove their worth by engendering trust. Still, an exciting opportunity if you favour things like 'safety' and 'secure income', even if the details haven't been hashed out just yet."
"I, myself, love tales about Old Alchemists and forgotten knowledge. I'm a bit of a collector, myself. And nowhere near as silly sounding as others of the sort."
"Hey," Baghotir begins, somewhat behind, "If we're talkin' hypotheticals - is there a ship out there in the dark waiting for this here boat to come aboard?"
"Telling us about that would surely help your situation I should think."
Baghotir is hoping there is no ship, or that they'll leave it be. He's not keen to be on the water again. The waves do him no favors. Nope, no favors at all...
Soon. We're due for another in about a tenday, give or take. We wait for the ship to come. Sanbalet himself usually goes to one of the upstairs rooms to wait for the signal and give the all clear. Then we send the goods out on the jolly boat and sometimes take materials in.
Venn lets the others talk. He goes over to Belwick, "Magic?" The laconic question is obviously directed at the gear.
Venn tests the pull on the bows.
Soon. We're due for another in about a tenday, give or take. We wait for the ship to come. Sanbalet himself usually goes to one of the upstairs rooms to wait for the signal and give the all clear. Then we send the goods out on the jolly boat and sometimes take materials in.
Baghotir studies him for the truth.
"Thanks." He says assuming he believes him.
If Belwick is busy, Baghotir will help out by checking for magics. He casts Detect Magic ritually.
Well, I see no point in detaining vagrants. We'll have enough trouble getting these hobs back to town, along with Sanbalet, I assume. Plus, all this contraband.
Alisanne looks over at Belwick and rolls her eyes.
The Baron here speaks truth. Jekka and the boy have found potential employment of a less disreputable sort, if that sorta work interests you.
Alisanne stands and goes to inspect the brandy and silk. She clucks her tongue at seeing the lack of proper weapons to replace her rapier.
Alisanne, your background gives you enough of a sense to know that the silk could fetch as much as 50GP each, and the brandy 10GP per cask. If these goods are being smuggled, there's a good chance that they're stolen.
The pipe is magical. It radiates magic from the school of divination.
The scale mail is magical. It radiates transmutation and a splash of abjuration.
Well, I see no point in detaining vagrants. We'll have enough trouble getting these hobs back to town, along with Sanbalet, I assume. Plus, all this contraband.
Alisanne looks over at Belwick and rolls her eyes.
The Baron here speaks truth. Jekka and the boy have found potential employment of a less disreputable sort, if that sorta work interests you.
Baghotir mildly disagrees, but bows to the will of the group. "You should find yourself a good guild and learn an honest trade. Guild life has made me what I am today." he says with pride, though he faceplanted early in the battle.
"The Baron's offer is sound too. Anything to get you, ah, to stop being vagrants."
He shares what he learns from his spellcasting, "Magic!"
Caelius approaches the room holding the large knot on the side of his head. "Ugh, looks like we won since I'm not dead." He looks around for Ned and doesn't see the man immediately. "I hope you caught that sonuva.."
He casts a stern glare at the pair. "If any of the guards in town pick up that you are doing anymore illegal activities, I'll make sure you will be locked up for a long time. Do you understand?"
He looks to the rest of the dead and unconscious. "We should get these hobgoblins back to town and in a cell before they wake back up."