Phaendar; nestled along the southern bank of the Marideth River, a stone’s
throw from the Southern Fangwood Forest has sat fairly peaceful for generations. Trade comes through the town over Phaendar Bridge, the only suitable place to traverse the swift, rapid-coursed river for 50 miles in either direction. The Fangwood Forest is known for the Darkblight that permeates it's inner depths. Although it is found only in small pockets, it is of deep concern to it's inhabitants. Fey, arboreals, and werebears are said to have a strong presence within the forest. Of men, both Nirmathas guerrilla fighters as well as the Chersando rangers utilize it's shadowy canopy. War with Molthune to the south keeps lightfooted Nirmathan troops on the go throughout the forest.
The town of 400 residents rarely sees any excitement, making the Market Festival a major source of news, entertainment, and revenue. The 2-day affair, held once every 3 months, gathers farmers and herders from across the Nesmian Plains, as well as woodcutters from the nearby Fangwood and
prospectors from the Hollow Hills, to trade for supplies. We are but days away!
.
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As the day’s lessons finish up, the kids rush out of Skalla’s front room to make the most of the day. Moving about to gather the chalkboards, Skalla can’t help but smile and shake her head at the phallic representation left on Birch’s board. That girl’s always trying to prove that she’s just as bad as the boys, Skalla thinks to herself. Should I tell Vane? Nah. He’d have a conniption that wouldn’t help Birch. After tidying up the classroom, Skalla moves through the rest of the house on her way to tend to the garden out back. She slows as she passes the desk that once contained inks and needles. Running her finger along the top of the empty desk, as she always does, she walks back out into the sunshine and puts a smile back on her face. Shooing the rabbits out of her garden, she gets to work. She needs to harvest her Desna’s Star to get to Andura before heading to the root. Got to have that sleepy time tea.
“Thanks again Skalla!” Andura calls as the half orc heads out the door, nearly running into Saelihn as she is heading in. After excusing themselves, Skalla adjusts her dagger and heads toward the Root. Time for a meal before Aubrin will show up and the party starts. Walking down the street is much different today. It’s packed! People everywhere that she’s never seen, booths set up along the roads, wagons creaking as the enter town. It was after one of these Market Festival’s that Alina left. Entering the Root, she receives a smile and wave from Jet, and some of the heaviness leaves her chest.
The bustle moving through the small dwelling seems to be constant, no breaks, no openings. Then, just like that, Lizzie feels a pattern break in the chaos! Putting on her game face, she checks her dagger, grounds her feet, and slips around the corner. Sticking to the wall, she moves behind a cabinet. An elderly guards pass by, holding a knife and a block of wood. That was close. Another opening! Seeing her next sanctuary, a small table, she skitters forward and slides under it. Yes!
“Found you!” A voice says as a round little face appears under the table with her. Bradey! He is so annoying. “I was waiting for you. I knew you were going to try to sneak into the shop again. I knew it! Hahaha.”
“Bradey, who are you talking to? Oh, Lizzie, good. Could you run this pot out to Andura? She says she wants a new one just for her ‘Sleepy Time Tea.’ Otherwise the smell gets into whatever else she puts into the pot. And she’s already paid, so don’t go badgering her for more coppers!” Meryl says, admonishing her with a waggling finger. Sulkily, Lizzie takes the pot and mopes out of the door.
There are so many people in town! At least a few of these must be criminals of some sort. They should be watched. Skalla gives her a nod as they pass in the street. “Beads”. After dropping off the pot, she runs into (nearly) Anders, one of the younger Foxclaws. He has taken an interest in Lizzie here recently as she has begun to prove her worth, by being unnoticed. “Beads. I’m surprised I found you, what with town overflowing with people these days. People and animals. These are chaotic times, Beads. We need more eyes on the prize. What’ya say you suit up, grab your sling and make a circuit around the perimeter to make sure all this commotion doesn’t attract any unto attention from the plains? I’m headed out to the forest to do the same. Maybe we can meet back up at the Root latter tonight? Oh, and I hear that those twiggy fellas are back in town. I'd like to talk to them before they leave. Let them know if you see them before me, would'ya?"
It has been a great day! Passing the early twilight hours in a tree within the depths of the Fangwood before bringing down an 8-pointer. Aubrin will owe her a stout for this. Can you believe he said she wouldn’t get anything because of all the dust being raised in town? She just had to spend another hour or so getting away from civilization, such as it is. After dropping her prize off at the butcher, she heads home to drop off her flora finds. Mom will be happy about that.
“Oh good. You got them. Wash up and then I’ll have these ready for you to take to Mr. Oreld. He’s been in such a tizzy to finish the recipe he’s been working on for some sort of stump remover or some such." After handing the basket off to her daughter, Andura gets back to work. Saelihn begins to head out with her basket before decided to grab her bow and arrows to better retell the story to Aubrin. Off to see Vane first, though.
Vane Oreld, elbow deep into his work looks up as Saelihn enters. “Ah, good.” He says, wiping his brow with his rolled up sleeve. "I was hoping that would make it in today, otherwise I would need to shelve this for after the festival. I would’ve had this done already, but some fool boy broke his arm and needed it reset. Birch says he fell off of a wagon. Not sure what he was doing on a wagon or how he fell off, but never mind. Here, let’s see that. Yes, this will do. The loggers will be clamoring over this. Well, they actually probably won’t care, but those who want to use the land after they fell the trees will be happy to have this. It eats through any kind of wood! Or at least it will just as soon as I finish it. Off to the Root are you? Could you send Birch this way if you see her on your way there? I could use her help. And send Tymlin back to Grymwold if he snuck into the Root again”
On her way to the Root, she thinks again. Yes, it’s a good day.
After spending the day with Noelan and Rhyna, greeting the influx of travelers visiting the shrine, Gronilda was ready for a break. This was not her favorite part of the job, preaching to stranges. She much preferred to venerate Erastil by doing his work and caring for her existing community. At least it was now time to enjoy her community. “Gronilda, could I ask one more thing of you? I know there will be many people in attendance at the Root, telling stories. Could you take part as well and exemplify what it is to be a follower of Erstil? Take your gear, show them what the Stag Lord expects of his followers. Rhyna and I will stay behind and continue seeing to the visitors.” Noelan asks as Gronilda begins to head out. Rhyna’s smile drops momentarily as she realizes that she will not be going to the Root just yet, but it pops right back up on her face. “Oh yes, Groni! We will hit them from two sides! Here with the word and shrine, you with…yourself!” she adds. Gronilda complies and heads for the Root. Not a bad assignment.
“No, no, no. There is not a two for one deal because you have two cracked wagon wheels. I have two high quality wagon wheels for you at their regular price. Be happy I didn’t gouge the price with all of the extra folk in town.” Kinning Blondebeard finishes making arrangements with a local furrier before turning back to Grymwold. “Yes, we can be finished with the forge today. Pack that boy of yours with the tent spikes you had him make today and have him deliver them to the Lionshield Coster caravan out on the southside of town. They have already paid, so he can bugger off after he makes the delivery. You, I need for you to make a delivery of a different sort. I need you to take a wagon of arrow heads and spear heads up to the north side of the bridge. There’s supposed to be a Chess nardo group there to pick them up. After that, we should be finished. He’ll take the wagon. It’s his anyway. You put on your army gear though. I don’t need any of these strangers getting any ideas before you hand it off. Me? No, I’m not going to the Root. Work to do.”
Phaendar’s Market Festival draws a crowd from all over
Nirmathas, many solely to hear Aubrin the Green—the retired
Chernasardo Ranger-turned-Caydenite cleric—recount bawdy
tales of adventure from her youth. Outside, the celebration
continues, as raucous shouts carry on the nightair. Warmed by
the firelight after a long day, any levity comes as a welcome
reward to the rough, earthy souls of this riverside trade town. It's a busy night in the Root, but not quite packed. Jey has her people running and Aubrin is already drawing a crowd.
The always responsible Gronilda is eager to please Noelan and Rhyna. They have been her guides on her spiritual journey and is willing to help them as much she can. Furthermore, sharing Erastil's words and acts in front of strangers for the first time is an exciting task for the night, if only a bit intimidating "Sure. Will do. I wonder if Aubrin will be there, I would love to hear another of her stories from her days at the forest wilderness!"
The dwarf picks up the backpack she had ready to spend the night at the forest, for she had rented her place to a farmer and his daughter that came to attend Phaendar's Market Festival. Pawnies, the vagabond dog she recently adopted, shakes his tail on seeing her coming out of the shrine and starts following her. Crossing the Green Market square at a brisk pace focused on thinking how to address the multitude, she enters the inn decidedly.
The Root is not full, and Gronilda's heart suffers a bump observing Aubrin is there, with people flocking around her "Oh... how is people going to to hear at me now..."
Silently, she looks for one of the few empty tables at the corner, from where she can easily pick Aubrin's conversation, and sits, leaving her bow and backpack leaning by the wall.
She hears content to listen Aubrin's adventures while she waits for a good chance to preach Erastil's believes. Pawnies takes sit at her feet, laying down under the table.
Doing her routine sneaking exercises in her parents' shop, Lizzie is unpleasantly surprised her annoying cousin is here as well.
"Bradey, what in Desna's name are you even doing here? You're supposed to be at the stables to help with the travelers' horses, aren't you?"
Her mother now spotting her, it's business as usual, a quick run & deliver. Stepping back before bumping into Anders...
Oh, it's Spikey. 'Spikey', as she would call him sometimes, with the guy having that silly hedgehog haircut and a pointy ear piercing to try and look cool. He could endure it from her though, he had given up on correcting her eventually, and being on good terms with this senior got her away with it all that time.
Anders was decent enough a sneak for a human, but even if he was her senior, she beat him in it near all the time. But such was the result of her own determined effort and Ivanna's tips and encouragement.
"Sure thing, Spikey.", she says with that familiar smile. "Did you say the Twiggy brothers? Those two got pretty drunk and loud last time. We shouldn't get a repeat of their drunken antics like last time, i agree. I'll inform them if i see them."
Will do Grym says in response to Blondebeards instructions
he yells and waits for young Tymlin to pop his head up from the corner where he’s cleaning some tools
Take those tent spikes to the Lionshield Coster caravan. And you let them know twas you that did the work. Cause good work it was Grym says with a smile
After that you’re done for the day.
Yes Boss Tymlin says with a grin as he scampers off
Grym takes his time washing up before donning his armor. He’s spent enough time in his armor soaked in sweat. No sense in starting off like that when you don’t have to and then sets off to meet the Chernasardos as he chuckles a bit at the stubborn Blondebeard
Intending to go to the Root afterward to hear Aubrin’s tales for the umpteenth time which he is quite okay with as she’s more than earned the right to tell those tales and she does tell them quite well.
Once she delivers the Desna's Star to Andura, Skalla rearranges the other plants in her shallow basket. The freshly cut mint is for the cooling lemonade that Jet makes, and the yellow-bright yarrow and the lavender are for her to put in the common room of the Root to brighten up the space and freshen the air. And surely Jet could appreciate their other practical uses - or give Skalla an opportunity to talk about them.
The streets sure are bustling today, and Skalla pulls the thin hood of her cloak over her head. The townsfolk all know her, of course, but with this many strangers you never know when someone gets startled or frightened, and before you know there's a ruckus. Her heart squeezes in her chest as she passes Oreld's shop. So many times she had come here with Alina to get pigments and ink...
She forgets about all that when Jet smiles at her. Setting the basket on the counter, she lowers her hood and climbs up on a stool. "Brought you something from the garden." She pats her pockets, finally finding and extracting her small, dog-eared notebook and the pencil stub she always carries. Skalla has heard Aubrin's stories many times before, but there will be new stories tonight and she wants to jot them down in her cryptic shorthand. She nods to Gronilda as the cleric comes in to sit at one of the empty tables.
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Still elated from her successful hunt, Saélihn hurries along toward the Root with Ghost at her side, the sight of the young wolf padding along like her shadow drawing surprised looks and the occasional sidestep from the many strangers in the streets today, while drawing the occasional smile or nod from locals. As a key member of the food supply, she was pretty well-liked in town, though probably more so because of her mother's remedies and concoctions. Keeping an eye out for Birch, she makes her way toward the tavern, already running though her account of this morning's hunt in her head.
While the crowded nature of....well... everything on Market Festival days was far from her favorite thing, she nevertheless looked forward to it, mostly for Aubrin's storytelling, and the chance to relax and enjoy the evenings celebrating their little community. Like wolves, people were pack creatures, whether they understood that or not, (and despite her own aversion to crowds and preference for the open wilds), and taking the time to gather was something that just made everyone better off for it.
Entering The Root, she grins, immediately spotting the area where Aubrin was already drawing a crowd, as she always did. The sight of Skalla sitting at the bar trying not to grin at Jet brings a smile to her lips.
'Good for her!' she thinks. It was good to see the school teacher slipping out of the melancholy after the flighty artist Alina had abandoned her for whatever reason. She deserved better.
Making her way through the partially crowded room with ease, the huntress moves closer, subtly slipping through the gathering crowd to get near her hero.
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If Lizzie sees Twiggy Dee and Twiggy Dumb before entering the Root, she lets them know Anders needs a talking with them.
Getting inside, she sees a couple of faces she'd recently delivered something to, whether they remembered a passing halfling or not.
What was it again?
Chalk and charcoal for Skalla's classes.
A pot of polish and rust solvent for the dwarf, Grymwold wasn't it?
I think i may have seen that lady dwarf come by some time ago.
It dawned on her she actually had some polish left in her pack.
May as well score a seat at a table.
Where ever Grymwold would be sitting, a small metal snuffbox like container finds itself dropping onto the part of the table near him, as Lizzie pulls up a chair.
"Good day, mister Grymwold. Interested in a complimentary bit of polish for your armor?"
Grmwold has snagged his customary seat at the end of the bar up against the back wall where Jet has kindly allowed him to install a couple of pegs and hooks for hanging packs, tools weapons etc...It's not HIS seat. But most nights you can find Grym seated there for dinner.
"Good day, mister Grymwold. Interested in a complimentary bit of polish for your armor?"Lizzie says as she places the tin of polish in front of him
Grym chuckles a bit at the polish. Acknowledging that he may be a touch OCD about keeping his weapons and armor polished and in tip-top shape. A well-known fact around town. But that's also part of what makes him a good smith.
Thanks Lizzie. Your folks musta known my supply of this was bout to run out.
Grym moves his pack from the stool next to him and hangs it up on the wall.
Take a seat Lass. How goes the work with the Scouts?
Grym is no Scout. Not even close to being stealthy. But he has a proper respect for the role. He's never really talked with Lizzie but knows her parents well and appreciates their combination of pride and worry about their daughter's chosen vocation.
Grmwold has snagged his customary seat at the end of the bar up against the back wall where Jet has kindly allowed him to install a couple of pegs and hooks for hanging packs, tools weapons etc...It's not HIS seat. But most nights you can find Grym seated there for dinner.
"Good day, mister Grymwold. Interested in a complimentary bit of polish for your armor?"Lizzie says as she places the tin of polish in front of him
Grym chuckles a bit at the polish. Acknowledging that he may be a touch OCD about keeping his weapons and armor polished and in tip-top shape. A well-known fact around town. But that's also part of what makes him a good smith.
Thanks Lizzie. Your folks musta known my supply of this was bout to run out.Grym moves his pack from the stool next to him and hangs it up on the wall.
Take a seat Lass. How goes the work with the Scouts?Grym is no Scout. Not even close to being stealthy. But he has a proper respect for the role. He's never really talked with Lizzie but knows her parents well and appreciates their combination of pride and worry about their daughter's chosen vocation.
Lizzie nods slightly.
"Mhm, they might have, since this was in the delivery pack, even though no recipient was mentioned. And the scouting goes well so far. Recently excercises have focused on keeping hidden. Surprise surprise, elves are top sneaks, but i'm getting there.""How's your smithy doing? Word has it, that your more recent work appears to have some extra details on them."
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A couple dozen patrons are drinking, dining, and carousing about the Root. While there are many strangers, there are more locals still. Mostly gathered around Aubrin. It looks like a couple more dozen could file in before it began to become crowded.
Jet smiles as Skalla places her basket on the counter. "And what do we have here? Ooh. Mint for the lemonade? I'm supposing you'll be expecting a discount for that then, will you? And this is lavender and...I don't think I know this one? What's this about?" She asks as she moves them all about in the basket with her finger before filling a customer's stein.
River, one of Jet's servers walks from the back directly to Gronilda's table as she sees her enter and slips a bone under the table as she shares a conspiratorial wink with the dwarf. Speaking up to be heard over Aubrin over in the corner, she asks "What can I get for you?"
Saelihn did not spot Birch while sliding through town, but that did not surprise her. That girl's got a wild streak. Entering The Root, Ghost keeps a nose right behind his person, with the exception of a sidelong glance at Pawnies under the table with a bone. They fall right in with the crowd laughing at whatever Aubrin was saying.
"Cayden strike me down if this isn’t true—" Aubrin ends her current tale. Then the front door swings open with a bang. A cry of agony pierces the chaos. Aubrin lies back in her seat, gasping and clutching at the arrow in her chest. Two hobgoblins in military dress stand beyond the door, blades drawn. Behind them, lit by the glow of burning homes, dozens—perhaps hundreds—of hobgoblin soldiers
march the street. Phaendar burns, shouts of celebration now replaced by the panicked screams of the frightened and dying. Behind them, above the flames and humble rooftops, rises a tower of black stone.
CL 1
Orisons (3)
light
create water
mending
Level 1 (3/day)
enlarge person - D (Growth subdomain spell)
cause fear (Will 15)
obscuring mist
Gronilda is happy to see many familiar faces. The gruesome scar on her right cheek seems less unpleasant when Skalla arrives, and she smiles, nodding in recognition, or when she looks with curiosity to Grymwold and Lizzie, attempting to catch part of their conversation.
The dwarf brings a bag full of seeds and opens it on the table "Well, maybe we can start by showing people to separate the good seeds from the pile... what do you think, Pawnies?" Gronilda takes out her pipe and slowly loads it with dried herbs, patiently compacting them while she looks down at the seeds, thinking on the task at hand.
When River approaches her table, she greets him with a smile, while Pawnies barks softly as he starts to chew the gift "Oh, could I just have a grilled corn cob for the start? And... a glass of milk, pl..."
Startled by the sudden entry, Gronilda's first reaction is to duck below the table. She stows her pipe and instructs Pawnies to remain quite while she fumbles around for her bow and quiver.
"Yarrow. This is yarrow. Good for, erm, if you ever get indigestion, or, or you slice open a finger while cooking," stammers Skalla through an explanation of the pretty flower's properties while looking everywhere but at Jet. "And they're nice to look at, I thought perhaps you can put them in little pots around the room, one on each table, brighten up the space a little. N-not that it's bad now, of course!" she hastens to add, afraid she might have offended Jet. But the handsome barkeep has already moved away to serve a customer and Skalla swallows and hunches down on her stool, thinking she has made a fool of herself.
She is about to beat a retreat to one of the tables when the door behind her slams open and the sounds of violence and death spill into the room, drowning out the tales and merriment. Skalla twists in her seat reflexively - and freezes.
They were here again. Kicking down the door. The weapons. The smell of smoke and burning. They were going to kill and loot and burn and she was helpless to stop it, like she had been all those years ago.
Still in the midst of laughing at Aubrin's joke, Saélihn notices Ghost spinning to face the door, reacting to something only he can hear, a fraction of a second before everything erupts into chaos. Everything seems to slow as she sees the fletching of a massive arrow fly past her head, watching with absolute horror as it buries itself deep in her mentor's chest, pinning her to her seat.
As she begins to turn, her mind tries to take in the utter chaos that has erupted. Hobgoblins attacking…cutting off the exit, fire everywhere outside. Aubrin was dying.
'Mom!!!'
After whatever reaction Grymwold would have given to her question prior, the violent entrance of hobgoblins pushes away all other thoughts Lizzie may have had at that moment. The ones right now were of the injured Aubrin, but moreover, her family.
Dang, how is this even happening? Why wasn't there a runner to warn us?
Lizzie gives Grymwold a look, 'no time to waste', would be the impression.
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Smithy is gre.... Grymwold's response is cut short as mayhem erupts
WHAT THE***
His first instinct is to protect the kid next to him.
Smithy is gre.... Grymwold's response is cut short as mayhem erupts
WHAT THE***
His first instinct is to protect the kid next to him.
Pandemonium strikes as the hobgoblins burst through the door and a scene out of hell greets them from outside. Some of the patrons gape and stare at either the intruders, or at the injured Aubrin. More either run or hide. Few looks as though they are prepared to face down the hobgoblins. One such individual is a fast acting Jet. She pulls, an apparently preloaded, crossbow out from under the bar and fires it at the pair, missing by a fair margin. With her quarrel quivering in the wall, two patrons attempt to shoulder past the hobgoblins and out the front door. The one to the right of the door cuts down the interloper with his sword. The one in front of the door, holding a longbow, throws an elbow into the young man, dropping him to the floor.
The hobgoblin with the bow quickly scans the room before picking out Skalla as the nearest threat, and fires an arrow at her.
The other hobgoblin moves forward with his longsword to take a swing at the same target, yelling "Lie down and submit, or die!"
The longsword slides along Skalla's ribs as she turns and rises from her seat.
A few patrons drop to the ground and cover their heads.
Lizzie
Saelihn
Skalla -5 hp 4
Gron
Grym
With the larger Skalla standing between herself and the hobgoblin, Lizzie tries sneaking to behind the table Aubrin is at.
She puts a finger to her lips to indicate Aubrin to remain quiet.
Grym grabs his shield and Ram-Hammer from the hooks on the wall next to him (move action) and then rushes to close the distance and is now within striking range of the Hobgoblin (move action)
Now Ye just try that against someone who's ready for ya he growls his shield up and Hammer ready
Again the repeating nightmare, a peaceful night, then the goblinoid hordes striking out of thin air where there was only a calm town. Yet this time everything was happening in Phaendar and everything was so vivid "Can't be... not again... not here"
Either a nightmare from her time on the war or reality Gronilda knew the only way was to fight it back. Finding her bow, she, resolved, picks it up and in a well trained move nocks an arrow to shot at the hobgoblin by the entrance to the inn.
The projectile bounces off against the wall, and she knows that means another person will die next. It is how her worst nightmares repeat themselves.
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The pain is searing, and Skalla can already feel the hot blood soaking her shirt under her breastplate. Ever since she could afford one, she had been wearing it almost constantly, a manifestation of her paranoia ever since that dark night so many years ago. She is glad that she is wearing it, for otherwise she is quite certain that she would be dead now. She can feel the bruise forming from where the arrow impacted just below her left collarbone.
"Lie down and submit, or die!"
She rises to her full height, fists clenched.
"I. Will. !" She stomps a foot in time with the words. She sees Grymwold grab his hammer and shield. "We are not HELPLESS." Gronilda's arrow whizzes past her. "We do NOT submit." With every shouted word, her foot stomps louder on the floor.
Saélihn's mind races as the violence unfolds. She needed to make sure Aubrin survives this, I most of all she needed to make sure that her mother was all right, What to do either of those things, they needed to first take out the hobgoblins at the door.
She shouts, her companion barreling across the distance to leap at one with the bow as she hurriedly crabs up her bow taking a shot at the same target.
A quarrel flies past the hobgoblin at the door from one direction, and an arrow from the other, adding to the chaos. The hobgoblin archer begins tracking a new, unattended, target in room when Ghost flies around a table and bites onto his leg.
Grym moves up to engage as Skalla belts an inspired song.
The injured hobgoblin by the door drops his bow, draws his longsword, and chops down at Ghost.
WHOOSH!!!
After scoring a it on Skalla, the other hobgoblin's attention instantly switches over to the dwarf in front of him. "You would make a poor slave. Death it is."
WHOOSH!!!
With the hobgoblins now engaged, most of the patrons have been given an opportunity to flee. A couple still lie flat while Jet continues trying to load her crossbow.
Lizzie
Saelihn
Skalla -5 hp 4
Gron
Grym
hob
hob at door -5
Nimbly jumping aside, Ghost once again tears into the hobgoblin at the door, before jumping back.
Drawing her flail, Skalla swings the heavy spiked ball attached by a short chain to the shaft. She stands up as tall as she can, pulling her shoulder blades back to make her shoulders broader - making as big a target of herself as she can to let Jet and whoever else was behind her take cover.
She seems to shrug off her wound. The bleeding slows, then stops.
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As Ghost jumps clear, Saélihn clears her mind, shutting out the worry and rising threat of panic, slowing her breathing as she did when on a hunt. The hobgoblin at the door was not some mighty warrior attempting to kill her dearest companions. No. He was prey, and she would take him down the same as she did the buck this morning.
Releasing the arrow in between breaths, she watches calmly as her shot flies true.
Peeking over the top of the table, Lizzie starts whirling her sling, flinging a bullet at the nearest still standing hobgob.
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Grym takes a mighty swing with his Hammer aiming right at the Hobgoblin's foul mouth
We're no slaves! he growls
Ghost bites down onto the hobgoblins other leg, blood now soaking both trouser legs, but he is unable to yank his leg hard enough to drop him and so the canine jumps back.
Lizzies rock flies straight at the hobgoblin engaging with Gron and Skalla, but is knocked off course from a body in the crowded melee.
Saelihn's arrow strikes true this time. A deep 'thump' can be heard as the arrow impacts his flesh and he cries in pain.
Skalla's spiked ball swings around in an arc heading straight for the hobgoblin's midsection, but he manages to get his shield in place just in time for it to clang off. It will be a few seconds before the ringing in your ears subside from that impact!
While distracted from Skalla's flail, Grym is able to get his hammer through to hit high on his chest, perhaps breaking his collarbone. Both hobgoblins have been put through the ringer this round, but both are still standing.
Lizzie
Saelihn
Skalla -5 hp 4
Gron
Grym
hob -13
hob at door -15
As soon as Ghost jumps back, Gronilda takes the chance to shot another arrow.
"There!" she indicates to the dog.
Pawnies moves obedient below the table to try stop the hobgoblin in front.
Another arrow flies wide in the maelstrom of combat, but Pawnies flies true. Unfortunately, his bit is unable to find purchase. At this point, most of the patrons are gone. You're not sure where they all went, or when, but most have made a hasty escape. There are one or two dead by the doorway, however.
Jet finally gets her crossbow reloaded and shoots at the hobgoblin on the other side of her bar.
Jet, apparently, is not the stereotypical retired adventurer who takes up tending the bar at the inn.
The hobgoblin responds to Grym, "No, you are food for the worgs."
Grym's defense holds.
While the other equips his shield and steps up to the wolf "Get back here you mangy mutt. Bite me will ya?"
An overhand chop opens up a gash on the wolf's shoulder.
Lizzie
Saelihn
Ghost 10/14
Skalla 7/10
Gron
Pawnies
Grym
hob -13
hob at door -15
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Grym 5fts to trap the talkative Hob in between the canine and his Hammer (flanking +2) and strikes out at him again
Hatred +1, Raging Song +1/+1, Flanking +2
With a snarl of rage and pain, Ghost leaps at the hobgoblin, biting into his leg again and attempting to take him to the ground.
As her prey focuses on her hunting partner, the huntress lines up another shot, hitting her target and narrowly missing striking him in the neck.
Lizzie reloads and flings another bullet.
The hobgoblins were taking a beating from everyone's determined and concerted resistance, so Skalla tries to finish off the one or ones still standing.
Seeing the fierce way his fellow citizens are fighting to defend the inn, Gronilda nocks another arrow and keeps trying to focus on the chaos. Seeing a good opening with the hobgoblin moving away from the wall, she shots at the one near the door "Damned gobs! This is our town, our tavern! Away!"
Meanwhile, Pawnies keeps fiercely fighting the hobgoblin, trying to pierce its right boot while Grymwold has it entertained. The dog feels a brutal ferocity burning inside with Skalla's song.
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Grym moves into place and lands a blow with his hammer flush with the hobgoblin's forhead, caving it in. He drops to the ground with the sound of three sacks of potatoes being dropped. Ghost rips at the hobgoblin's leg again but is still unsuccessful in bringing him down. Saelihn takes advantage of the distraction to put an arrow straight through his heart. He stops all actions, and looks off into the distance with a far off look before tipping over to crash to the floor like his companion. It is eerily quiet for a moment, before the terror from outside is heard once again through the open door.
Jet stands defiant behind her counter, Aubrin still lies in her seat, clutching the arrow in her chest, and two individuals lie dead by the front door.
"Poison. I think it's poison." Aubrin says through gritted teeth.
Lizzie
Saelihn
Ghost 10/14
Skalla 9/10
Gron
Pawnies
Grym
After glancing at Jet to make sure she isn't hurt, Skalla strides over to Aubrin's side, putting a hand on the woman's shoulder.
"Hang in there, Aubrin." She raises her voice, looking over the crowd. "Does anyone have a cure for poison? Or healing magic?"
Then she fixates her attention on the door. "The children..."
"The children! Everyone, we have to save who we can! Rally the others!"
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Seeing the last hobgoblin fall, Gronilda spares the arrow she nocked into the arrow. She strides forward, looking at the dead gobs, and the two citizens at the entrance.
Then strides where everyone is crowding around Aubrin "Is everyone ok?"
She kneels frowns, looking at the woman's nasty wound left by the arrow "There is little I can do about the poison, but let me try to stop the bleeding. Can someone check their arrows to see what poison might have them used?"
Meanwhile, Pawnies continues attacking the fallen hobgoblin as previously requested by Gronilda, taking it by the neck and breaking it with his jaws.
Can't believe this is happening HERE
Grym thought this idyllic little town was a refuge from the outside world...Well now reality has sunk in and it's NOT. His blood is racing and yet he's calm, now in combat mode.
As the Hobs fall dead Grym moves to the front door to assess the situation outside
After that, he closes the front door ready to report what he's seen so the group can come up with a plan.
Lizzie shares Skalla's concern about checking if people are alive outside. However, keeping alive whoever is alive inside right now, is also important, she knows that.
But still the fear of finding her family dead gnaws at her right now.
To Gronilda's request, Lizzie heads over to the quiver of the hobgoblin.
She takes a sniff to see if it is anything she may have heard speaking of, or has been told of use. Perhaps something is an indication?
Rushing to Jet's side, Skalla nods at the door behind them. "It looks like the town is overrun. Can we get people out through the back door? We're close to the bridge..." She leaves the rest of her thought unsaid. Could they really run, save their own lives but leave the others at the mercy of the hobgoblins? If tales were to be believed, mercy was something that they had precious little of.
The half-orc turns to look at the rest of the room, taking in everyone who was there, including those who had fought back against the attackers. Her eyes come to rest on Aubrin; the former ranger would know what to do.
"Aubrin? What do we do?"
As the second hobgoblin falls with her arrow in his heart, Saélihn calls Ghost to her, kneeling to check on the severity of her companion's wound. She would need to patch it up when she had the chance, but it wasn't as bad as she first thought.
Rising she moves over to check on Aubrin, glad that Gronilda was taking care of her wound, though the poison was a source of worry. Did they specifically choose to poison her, knowing her capabilities, or was every single one of their arrows poisoned. That was a terrifying thought
Everything inside her wanted to race home to check on her mother, but Dkalla was right, she didn't even want to think about what the bastards would do to them.
"We need to know how many of them there are and get everyone to a defensible point."
'How did the Rangers not see this coming?
Grymwold moves to the door and see large groups of hobgoblins moving down the streets. It looks like they are systematically moving from tent to tent, or building to building. He couldn't begin to guess how many, but there are a lot. He shuts the door and looks back within. Pawnies continues to worry the fallen hobgoblin, and then finally gets ahold of his backpack and shakes it free and it opens, spilling it's contents onto the floor.
As the rest of the group move to assist Aubrin, Her situation seems to be less dire. Gronilda is able to remove the arrow and stop the bleeding. Skalla gives her a fighting chance against the poison.
"I think I'm okay for the moment. I feel so weak, but I'm not dead...yet. It...it sounds like there's an army outside. How did they fall on us without being seen? These damn plains are so flat you can see an elk from two days off, let alone an army!" She winces as pain seems to shoot through her. "We need to gather what we can, and who we can, cross the bridge and hide in the Fangwood. We should see if we can get to each of the other gathering centers in town to gather people and supplies. With the number of hobs out there, we probably can't make it to all of them, unfortunately. And then maybe take down the bridge somehow. Vane. Vane probably has a poison antidote too." She gives a weak smile.
Jet speaks up from behind the counter, crossbow still in hand. "We have food and alcohol in the cellar. We should bring that with us. Oh! And there's probably people still upstairs in the rooms!" With that, she slings a bag over her shoulders and looks ready to go. Three more people emerge from the kitchens to join her, knives in the hands of two of them.
"Good. Get as many together as you can and as much of the supplies as you can carry. Do you have a wagon, Jet?" Saélihn asks, thinking about how much they could carry.
Relieved to see Aubrin not quite on the brink of death, she perks up at her mentor's mention of Vane Oreld. " Yes! Before I came here I delivered an herbal concoction from my mom to Vane that he said was part of something he was working on that could eat through any type of wood. With that, we could probably take out the bridge after crossing it with as many townsfolk as we can get together."
Talking it through and planning was helping her not to focus on the need to race out of the tavern and go find her mother and bring her to safety. She would do so soon, but they needed to have a plan to make it out of this hell.