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"Why two goblins and one dog. It doesn't make sense to me. Surely there should be two dogs?" "One of the goblins could be menial, or being punished by the tribe. Or the dogs could have fought too much this season, leaving too few to go around. I do not find that by itself to be suspicious."
"I would say fear horses and hate dogs, but yes, it is true." He turns to Varlis, "If we take one captive and question it, we may get some useful information, if only how much we would need to alter our course to avoid this tribe... but the captive goblin might try to trick us into even more dangerous territory. My opinions on this are clouded by my experience with the goblins, and I have no illusions about it, so don't apologize on my account." He walks over to Khronos, "Do not misunderstand me, Khronos. I did not say negotiating with the goblins was a bad idea... only one to be approached with caution. It may be a crucial move that buys us time. I only mean that we cannot trust the goblins to negotiate in good faith. They are evil creatures whose goal cannot be misconstrued, they will want to kill, and possibly eat us if they can." Adar hangs his head, "I wish I could give you more hope, but the goblins are a deadly enemy in numbers, in their own way worse than Razmir's enforcers. The enforcers might kill and stake us... but the goblins are likely to stake us and cook us on a fire while we're still alive."
Adar turns and spits at the ground in disgust, "Goblins cannot be trusted, Khronos... not ever. Even in fear they will plot, their clever minds twisting words into songs to turn the tide of fear against us. Yes, fear will motivate them, but it must be used carefully. Such subtleties are not my strength, I fear," he glances into the woods, "and fear will only delay the goblins, not stop them. There are other goblins here, those wolves required training, care, facilities that are the mark of a community, not a group in isolation. There will be more." He hesitates, trying to keep his voice low enough not to cause a panic. "Two foes face us now... the goblins can be managed in small numbers, but they will whittle our own numbers down to nothing one by one, even with small raids as we just faced. We would do better if we could somehow set them upon Razmir's enforcers, but such subtle tactics are not my strong suit. The question is what the goblins were seeking. If it was easy food, we may be okay, having proven that we can defend ourselves. If they wished to cause mayhem... and goblins love mayhem, then we may have serious trouble coming. Goblins in numbers will be heedless of a few deaths, while we fear even a single loss. They will use that against us. You are a good man, Khronos. But Goblins are not men... their tactics will turn to terror, seeking to make us fight both them and our own community at once. Think what we would do if a child ran in fear from the goblins into the woods. They only need to scare one badly enough. These are the things I fear."
For the DM:
Spoiler:
Adar walks slowly around the camp, trying to ignore the cries of the frightened children and instead focusing on the darkness of the woods. He is shaken by the attack, but the woods are like a home to him, and a prison too. He notes the wizard joining him, but he cannot bring himself to talk about the goblins. He tries to catch a glimpse of the stars now and then, and while he does not converse, he mumbles prayers to Desna under his breath to try to keep the goblin songs out of his head... trying to forget that as the shaman's pet it used to be his job to make up new ones for his master. For Teven:
Spoiler:
Adar listens to Teven's request for information and stares into the man's eyes. "I thank you for our lives, Teven, for we would be dead by the false god's hand if you had not come. But I cannot thank you for this escape... They think they know the risks," he gestures towards the camp, keeping his voice quiet and for Teven's ear's alone, "Know what goblins can do. But they cannot hope to imagine, even you cannot. If you seek to follow, know that there is no such thing as a lone goblin. Be careful, if the creature sees you it will make no indication, but instead will lead you into a trap. Once you enter the darkness of the woods, a goblin will lie behind every tree, every bush, in every spot of darkness you cannot penetrate. Most goblins are stupid but cunning, but these..." Adar remembers the look of the goblin hexer, "These are not random bandits... there is a colony here, and close, if one of their spellcasters was so near." After several circuits around the camp, Adar stops and peers into the woods, waiting for the wizard to catch up to him. "I watched these goblins eat my family," he says quietly. "I watched them cook my father on a spit, alive and in pain. They sang in tune with his screams. What they did to my mother... that was worse. And they are coming. Goblins are never alone. Never just one." He looks the wizard in the eye, "We must make ourselves frightening. Goblins are cowards at heart... they might leave us alone if they were scared enough. I'm just not sure how to do it. What I did to the hexer is a start, but it won't be enough."
"I failed, Gareth," Adar looks over the carnage and wipes a tear away, "Someone died." He absorbs the older mans words of comfort without comment for a few minutes and then turns toward the carnage. He sniffs and goes over to the corpse of the goblin hexer, then sits abruptly next to it and lifts the corpses head to look it in the eye. He glances up, all to aware that the crofters are watching, and stands up. He takes a stick and begins writing scratching out the names of every goblin he can remember from his servitude around the body. He mumbles to himself and stares up toward the stars above, then grumbling returns to his work. After a time Aerith comes up to him. Adar looks up, "I'm sorry, Aerith. I wasn't able to protect everyone." Aerith shakes his head, "It's not your fault." "I knew the goblins would come, Aerith. Now I can only hope they remember how to read. They're forbidden to write, you know. It scares them... especially their names. It doesn't matter why.... They will find this goblin, Aerith, and with luck they will fear that we knew his name, and be hesitant to follow. Our trail is to visible to hide." He mutters as he scribbles the names into the dirt. "And maybe those that follow us, even the humans, will think this is goblin work, for they will know no better." Spoiler:
He mutters something under his breath in a bit of a singsong as he scribbles. "Goblins bite, goblins bark, goblins strike and miss their mark, goblins cut, goblin bleed, goblins provide the ink I need..." His voice is low as he ignores everything but his work. Aerith just watches. "It's not wise, Aerith," he says very quietly, not looking up, "It's not. Even I know that. They might get angry... or panic." He sighs as he finishes his work. "Aerith..." he reaches out to hold Aerith's fingers gently, "Go to the wagons and watch after your younger brother. Do your best to calm the others. I have a watch to finish." He walks away, tears still running down his face. He begins his circuit again, walking around the camp, but makes a stop to ask Gareth to watch over Aerith while he circles the camp.
For the DM
Spoiler: If both of the attacks were on Khronos, as you indicated above, is Adar wounded? If only one of the attacks was on him, how much damage did he take... the original post indicated 10 points?
Adar shouts to the villagers, "Take shelter behind the wagons! We're under attack!" To himself more than anything else he mutters, "goblins, goblins, why is it always goblins..."
"And what of the goblins... do not doubt, they watch us already. We cannot move with stealth in this place, not with so many. We must plan, or soon they will start to snatch. The children, the elderly. They will snatch those they can in hopes that we will isolate ourselves from the rest in a rescue attempt. Goblins are not smart, but they are clever. We must be a step ahead of them."
"I am seventeen. I have no illusions about being accepted as a leader, my age disqualifies me in the eyes of too many. Khronos' leadership in the ways of Desna recommends him as a moral authority to the rest of the village. They will obey him with less hesitation under stress -- and believe me, there will be stress. He is right, the trail is too obvious and there is little we can do to conceal it without slowing our progress. Getting out of this country as fast as we can is our best chance of survival." He pauses for a moment. "Soon this forest will become dangerous. It has been too many years since my servitude in this forest was revenged. The goblins by now have recovered their numbers and soon they will see us as either an easy food source or a danger. Attacks will come from them and if we don't make time soon towards the border, the attacks of those who despise us for our faith will follow soon after."
"Khronos, I too would suggest skirting the edge of the forest as much as possible. I do not wish to lose any villagers to the goblinoids within. "As for watches... I can take the early watch. Sleep will be long in coming to me anyway." Adar lingers towards the rear of the group, since there are many of the more vulnerable members of the community there - the children, and those elderly who were hale enough to accompany the group, with some few who ride in the sole wagon with the anvil. Adar studies the sky, wishing Desna would pass him some wisdom, but finds no solace in the stars today. The villagers who stayed behind would soon be dead. For the DM Spoiler: When Aerith approaches him, Adar touches him briefly on the cheek, glances around briefly to ensure their exchange is private, and kisses him briefly. "I'm sorry, Aerith. The evacuation has been taking so much of our time. Your father... both your parents... they wanted you to be safe. They would not have sent you with us if they thought you would die in the woods. Your father may not like me... may not like that we are together... but he knows I would use all my power to protect you." Adar clasps Aerith's hand and brings it to his lips, kissing the young mans fingers, then looks deeply into Aerith's eyes. "We will make it through the wood... I have no intention of letting you die there. Be safe and don't be foolish. Leave the heroics to us."
"I will go into the Greenwood with the rest. I know too well the dangers that lurk there. I would not have more children orphaned as I was by the vileness that lurks in the wood. But I fear the forest is no safer than the village. "And I fear your gesture of bravery and faith is misguided. The warriors of Razmiran will not see it as bravery, they will not see a stand for faith. They will see people who have cast away their god, people who deserve no mercy. Make no mistake, headman, if you stay, you stay to die. You have children who are promising themselves. Would you orphan them, or do you expect them to die with you." He turns to Yurk, "And you... you have watched over me since I was a boy. You are not one to ignore a reality so stark it stares you in the face. You will survive longest. Are you so very anxious to watch your friends die." Adar settles back into his corner, wiping a tear from his cheek, "You should all come with us... the Razmiran folk have already shown us what they do to unbelievers."
Adar notes the others who arrived with him, finds a corner and slinks into it, watching the reactions of the others, especially Narwyn. He is mostly quiet, but mutters nervously to himself. Those closest to him, or with the best hearing can make out the words "can't see" and "stars."
Okay, here he is. A few tweaks and a character description and background and he should be good to go. I'll have to add those in the morning, it's getting late here on the east coast. |