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"This is not going good, we cannot let them escape" Gronilda quickly reacts moving behind the wolf and setting her dwarven feet well placed on the entrance, where by the blessing of Erastil, she enlarges, filling all the space while slashing with the axe at the wolf!
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Ghost shows no fear in the face of the massive wolf ahead and launches himself at the dire wolf's throat. His fangs find their mark with precision, sinking deep into the vulnerable flesh beneath Grimfang's jaw. Ghost's attack sends the wolf staggering backward and its legs buckle under the shocking ferocity of the attack.
Fahrak brandishes his battleaxe and hobbles over to Zarena, cutting deep into her side. "Speaker-to-Snakes - you lying witch! I'll carve the truth from your corpse!"
You'll be a corpse long before that happens, betrayer.
Zarena, mostly just to freak him out before he hits her again and she dies, has Verity bite him, and she instantly grows fangs and bites him too.
Verity: Bite
Zarena: Bite
Grym steps forward (5ft) and clumsily chops down at the prone dire wolf
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Zarena reveals her true nature as fangs grow from her gums while her serpent companion slithers toward Fahrak's legs. Both snake and master strike together, but the hobgoblin manages to twist away from their attacks. "Ah, serpentfolk. What a waste. Scarvinious would have paid handsomely for one of your kind alive."
Grymwold similarly swings and misses.
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Moving over a step, Saélihn rests a hand on Ghost's flank, uttering something in druidic as she channels the power of nature into her companion, the wolf's powerful fangs becoming infused with natural magic.
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"Scarvinious will be dead soon, you think we have arms crossed? We are ready to strike back!" Gronilda snaps back, a bit confused by Zarena's transformation, but facing the hobgoblin nevertheless.
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Lizzie takes a step back and lobs a stone at the hobgoblin, plonking Fahrak in the side of the head.
Grimfang growls with anger as it slowly gets back to its feet. Grymwold uses the opportunity to swing his axe at the beast and tear through its side, but the wolf hangs on... Or does it?
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Sensing his prey's vulnerability, Ghost pounces on the rising direwolf, savagely tearing into Grimfang's throat.
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With the wolf down, Gronilda moves forward to engage the goblin with a large swing of her enlarged axe "Sorry lad, but your people brought war to our land and we cannot let you go now!"
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Fahrak endures another devastating attack as Gronilda swings her battleaxe in a large arc.
The once-diplomatic hobgoblin now throws his head back and laughs maniacally, blood streaming from his mouth. "You think you've won? Scarvinious knows I came here. When I don't return, he'll bring the full might of the Legion down on your heads. The forest will run red with your blood!"
Fahrak steps back and scans the party, noting Zarena's many injuries. He draws a throwing axe and hurls it at her, opening a fresh gash across her torso, but she remains on her feet despite the mounting damage.
Grym steps forward (5ft)
Shut up dead man
And swings his scimitar in a horizontal slash
Hatred +1
"That's enough out of you!" Saélihn says coldly as she sinks an arrow into the hobgoblin's throat.
Zarena, surprised to still be alive, retracts her fangs and retreats with Sitka and Verity, hoping to stay alive while her friends finish Fahrak.
Without letting it show on her face, she wonders if Fahrak's prediction is correct, and if there is anything they can do about it. At least the caves would provide better defense.
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Grymwold and Saélihn team up to finish off the hobgoblin messenger, causing him to crumple to the ground in a bloody heap.
Fahrak was wearing a . He also was carrying a piece of hide with a markings and symbols on it - a map.
The crude markings and symbols suggest this is a travel route through the forest, not just a random sketch. The map appears to describe a route from a cave to another location deeper in the forest, marked with what look like camp symbols. There are simple drawings of tents, fire pits, and fortifications.
After casting detect magic and discovering them, Zarena tries to identify the magical items that Fahrak was wearing.
(pass)
(fail)
Grym spits on the fallen hob's corpse
He mighta been a lying weasel, but I don't think we can chance the legion coming here. We need to take the fight to them before they can discover this place. Or at least try
"Do you think he was right or just trying to scare us?" Gronilda wonders while she comes back to her normal shape and studies the fallen body.
"Maybe it is time to find out the encampment of this Scarvinious and pay him a visit" the dwarf hands over the map to others "Does anyone understand where this map is pointing?"
Also she makes a prayer to Erastil to heal everyone.
"We definitely have to do something," Saélihn says, moving over to take the map from Gronilda, looking it over.
When it is her turn to look at the map, Zarena studies it.
It looks like a route through the forest. This looks like a camp. I think we can find it.
We should get the refugees into the caves first though, so they have a defensible place to stay.
Gronilda nods, agreeing with Zarena "Clean up this mess. I go looking for Audrin and the rest of the refugees"
And she does just that, passing the map for the others to study.
Zarena does as instructed, and starts dragging the bodies away so they won't disturb the refugees.
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Zarena identifies the .
After a close look at the map, Zarena begins dragging the hobgoblin and troglodyte bodies out of the caves while Gronilda heads back to gather the refugees. Soon, the villagers make their way into the caverns, many covering their noses as the lingering smelly odor hits them. Despite the smell, there's an unmistakable sense of relief as they explore their new home.
Kining wastes no time grabbing a hand axe and tearing into the offensive fungal growths along the walls, muttering dwarven curses under her breath. Meanwhile, Jet bustles about hammering torches into walls and organizing supplies.
The half-elven twins emerge from scouting the upper chambers, both grinning despite the circumstances. "It's a bit musty, sure, but there's plenty of space for everyone. And that fountain water is crystal clear! Better than anything we've had since leaving Phaendar. Oh, and we think this fungus might actually be edible... if someone wants to be the... brave volunteer." They exchange mischievous looks.
Aubrin kneels by the artesian well, washing days of forest grime from her hands. When she straightens, her expression grows serious as she examines Fahrak's crude map. "These caves are far more defensible than the old Redoubt, that's certain. But this map... Perhaps this 'Fahrak' wasn't very good with directions, and needed to know his way here and back to his camp. They'll be expecting him to return. We have a narrow window here - strike at them while they're still unaware of what happened, or wait for them to come looking for us with reinforcements. I know which option I'd choose."
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Gronilda nods firmly at Aubrin's words, wiping the blood from her axe as she looks to the others "We have done well here, but we are not winning this war one skirmish at a time. Scarvinious knows we are in these woods now, he won't sit idle"
She looks over the tired but resolute faces of her allies "We need to stay ahead of him. That means knowing what's coming before it hits us"
She glances toward the trees "Our team. We are a small groups, but we are quiet and fast. We can follow this map to find his camp, we scout his defenses and we hit where it hurts, when it counts"
Then, turning back toward Aubrin, she adds more softly "We are hunters now, not defenders. And the woods are ours"
She smiles looking at the others trying to encourage them to accept this new mission.
I'm in. But I'm also still wounded. If we're going now, I'll need to stay back during any battle and maybe just use a wand. You can take Sitka with you though... he's been very well behaved, and he's growing into himself. He might be of use along with the other wolves.
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Gronilda smiles and soothes the wolf "You willing to join the pack Sitka?"
When the wolf reacts good to the interaction, Gronilda gives him some meat "Let me heal you Zarena, I still have some left for today"
Zarena smiles.
Thanks.
Then she goes back to making preparations to go.
Agreed. It's time to go hunting. But before we do that, let's make sure we're as well-equipped as we can be. Can you we take another look at some of the items we got in the caves and from the lying Hob? I've got a feeling...If we're hunting Scarvinious, we need to be ready
Oh, sure. I can do that.
Zarena checks the magical items in their inventory, hoping to find something that will assist them in going up against the scary bad guys.
Lizzie helps where able. "I'm taking some extra ammunation, give me 10 minutes." Lizzie starts adding small stones to the bullets she still has.
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"I was hoping you'd come to that conclusion," Aubrin nods in agreement. "Indeed, we've been on the run for far too long, and have found a home here. What happens long-term, I am not certain, but while this is our home, we must remove the threat that is the Legion in these woods."
"If this map leads us there, I agree with Gronilda's approach - scouting the defenses and finding the right moment to attack. And with the refugees now safely settling in caves that are much more easily defended, we can move fast and light. Are you all prepared and ready to go?"
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Zarena explains that one set of crossbow bolts is slightly magically enhanced, that the jade belt grants a boost to the wearer's constitution, and that the white stones are temporary protections to vital organs, but only work for a week and can't absorb a lot of damage.
I can't tell on the rest of them, sorry, but I can try again later perhaps. It's not always easy to concentrate for long periods of time with this sort of thing. I either get an idea within the first few minutes or not at all. You have to let go and come back later with a fresh perspective.
Gronilda also gives an eye at the items using detect magic.
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Gronilda nods approvingly at both Aubrin's resolve and Zarena's insights "Then it's settled. We scout first, small and swift, no trails left behind. We find their weak points, and when we strike, we strike like hunters. Clean and final"
She shoulders her gear and adds, "I'll take point with Ghost if need be, but I trust you all to pick the best for the job. Let's make sure the next move is ours, not Scarvinious's"
Working on getting the villagers settled before the group convenes, Saelinh nods in agreement. "Time for them to experience an unexpected attack and awaken to fear and the feel of being hunted."
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Following Fahrak's crude map, you trek through increasingly dense forest for two hours. The hobgoblin's rough sketches seem accurate and each landmark guides you deeper into the Fangwood, and then the smell hits you: burning wood and roasting meat, but underneath something unpleasant - like curing leather left too long in the sun.
Through the thick undergrowth ahead, you glimpse what appears to be a natural ravine cutting through the woods. Moving carefully to the ravine's eastern edge, you peer down a steep wall into a concealed camp about 10 feet below the edge. Hobgoblins move between makeshift buildings patrolling, tending fires, and sharpening weapons. A palisade of sharpened logs studded with iron nails and barbs blocks entry from the east, except for a crude gate chained in place.
With the patience earned from long hours at the forge, Grym urges caution and scans the camp for weaknesses from a safe distance
Zarena is frightened, very unsure about whether they can deal with this problem. Their only chance would be if you could somehow trap them in there and burn them out, or rain down death on their heads. She wishes she knew a good fireball spell. She looks for some way that their small group could take down a whole camp.
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Gronilda crouches low by the ravine's edge, eyes scanning the camp below "They've got numbers. But their heads are down, routine, not alert. That gate is a choke point"
She taps the hilt of her axe "We need to create an advantage. Maybe by killing their leader, cause disarray, then take them in small groups. I say we wait and get information. Slip in close, take stock of their rotations. Maybe we can find a way to trick them to have a large group abandon the place to explore..."
Her eyes narrow "Erastil guides hunters. We don't charge like beasts. We strike like a bowstring, silent, sudden, and sharp"
"Wholeheartedly agree. Knowledge is power, as the wizards like to say."
Saélihn nods, her expression grim. The hunt was on, and soon the Ironfang Legion would learn what it was to be prey. Having Ghost scout in one direction, she heads in the other, working a silent perimeter as she studies the enemy for signs of weakness.
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With six hours of careful observation complete, the party moves carefully and quietly to gather significant intelligence about the layout and routines of the camp. The sun is beginning to sink lower in the western sky, casting longer shadows across the forest floor.
- Zarena notices two hobgoblin scouts and a bugbear leave camp to venture into the forest. Every few hours, the patrol unit returns and the next one heads out.
- Grymwold looks at the geography of the camp and notices that it dips down as you move west, with the western edge is 50 feet below the ledge above (the eastern is 10).
- The walls aren't especially steep, but are made of crumbling dirt and stone. Gronilda reasons that they could be scaled.
- Thick briars protect the southern flank of the camp. Saélihn thinks they could be traversed to enter the camp, though the thorns and branches might be painful.
- Everyone can see that a single 30-foot-tall watchtower has been constructed at the west of the camp, and after about 6 hours, two guards leave down the rope ladder and the next two guards rotate in. A narrow bridge has been constructed to reach the watchtower from the camp.
- Of the several tents in the camp, Ghost smells strong chemicals emanating from a larger one. Lizzie spies another tent that seems to be made entirely of the skins of humanoids.
- There seems to be 15-20 figures in the camp total, and the main courtyard seems to have the highest concentration of activity, with 4-6 regularly present.
While the group waits to gather intel, Gronilda starts to plan how this attack can be approached "From what I see, the more vital spot is that watchtower. If we could take the guards before they raise the alarm, we could use the bridge to access the camp and attack their main tents by surprise"
"The thing is how we take them by surprise?" the dwarf thinks aloud trying to gather the team brains "I am guessing we want to do it by the end of their turn, when they are tired and not as attentive to surveilling, but well before the change of turns. The thing is how we bring them down before they notice"
Zarena responds
I've noticed that there are two hobgoblins and a bugbear that leave camp to scout every few hours. What if we ambush that group first in the forest, giving us a smaller battle to start with? We're going to have to face the whole camp at some point, but if we can whittle them down a little, it seems more possible.
I agree with Zarena. We should be able to eliminate at least one of their scouting groups, hopefully more. If we can take out their smaller scout groups, they will have to send out larger groups. We can keep attacking the small scout groups and then when they change to larger groups we can wait till the larger group is hours away from camp and THEN attack the camp
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Gronilda nods "Ok, sounds like a plan. We have to make sure they do not discover what is going on though. We cannot let any of them to escape our hands" the dwarf expression hardens "At least not alive"
That means we are probably looking for an ambush place, not too close to the camp, but in a space the patrol has to pass when getting in and back.