Othniel's Ironfang Invasion I

[Tychris1]

Ulva

Sprinting as fast as her long legs could carry her, Ulva rushed past the decimated goblinoid corpse and rounded the corner in pursuit of the fleeing bugbear. Spear out and at the ready she jumped into the air and thrust over Aidan's shoulder, the entirety of her massive frame pushed behind the hurtling polearm, and a growl from the bottom of her throat ripped out.

Spoiler: Attack!

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Charge Power Attack:(1d20+7)[8]
Damage:(1d10+9)[15]

Crit:(1d20+7)[26]
Damage:(1d10+9)[13]

[Nefarion Xid]

Septimus spun around once Ulva had impaled the hobgoblin, making the universal gesture for "did you see what I did?" and hoping dearly that his aunt or uncle had. So far, he'd only had a chance to practice his spells on firewood and was greatly relieved that they had the intended effect on something as sturdy as a hobgoblin warrior.

"I can do this all day!" he boasted to the corpses. "You've messed with the wrong scion of Azlant!" The last claim felt a little hollow, so he looked to Veric for morale support, mouthing, "Right?"

[Othniel]

Phaendar, Outskirts

As the bugbear rose to flee, Ulva brought her blade down, cleaving the unfortunate creature before he knew what struck him. Inside the building, there was a crack as the supports around the door gave way, partially collapsing the building. Picking up what the Bugbear and Hobgoblin had on them, the troupe marched onward to their next destination.

Spoiler: Loot and XP

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133 XP each.
1 x Studded leather armor
1 x Light steel shield
1 x Longsword
1 x Longbow with 20 arrows,

1 X Leather armor
1 X Light wooden shield
1 x Morningstar
3 x Javelins

And in a small sack carried by the bugbear, a potion and a case containing a wand. Embossed upon the case is a picture of a glass of wine with an owl's feather in it, which Septimus identifies as the ingredients normally requires to cast the Identify spell.

Oreld's Fine Shop

Owned by three generations of healers and herbalists in the Oreld family, Oreld’s Fine Shop supplies Phaendar with remedies, dye, glue, and paint. The shop’s owner, Vane Oreld is also the closest thing Phaendar has to a doctor. He resents the imposition and swears vociferously when his healing skills are required, but he’s too much of a perfectionist to let anyone else fill the role. Oreld is a middle-aged Taldan with light brown skin, amber eyes, dark brown hair, and a neatly trimmed goatee. He wears a shirt whose cuffs are stained with unknown substances and breeches under a thick leather apron. As the group rounds the corner, Aiden spots those familiar breeches sticking out of the entrance to the shop, unmoving.

Spoiler: OOC

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Deploy in the green again, please. You are not currently in combat.

[PepperP.]

Veric

His face, which has held a scowl ever since Aubrin had been struck softened slightly in response to his cousin's plea for reassurance.

"You can't argue with those results." He gestured to the dead hobgoblin and clapped Septimus on the back approvingly.

As they approached the shop, his face reformed his scowl as they spotted the body from a distance.

"There." He pointed to the body and looked around in an attempt to spot any active threats.

[TheDarkDM]

Aidan

Kneeling down alongside the fallen bugbear, Aidan slit the creature's throat before rifling through its pockets. The collapse of the building seemed as good a sign as any to keep moving, and it was not long before Oreld's shop came into view. Waving for the main body of the refugees to wait in the shadows, Aidan caught Jocasa's eye before proceeding inside.

Spoiler: Stealth

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(1d20+8)[17]

[Othniel]

Oreld's Fine Shop

The shop consists primarily of a desk, a few crowded shelves, and a cluttered window display, all of which have been ransacked by invaders. Oreld lies on the ground in the doorway, a javelin in his gut. Visible inside the shop is a single hobgoblin in a bandolier, currently rifling through the shelves. The hobgoblin holds a chain the stretches to a collar currently clamped around Oreld's neck.

[Jade_Tarem]

Jocasa

Following her brother inside, Jocasa's eyes narrowed at the chain before she moved in for the next attack...

Spoiler: OOC

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Stealth: (1d20+7)[17]

[TheDarkDM]

Aidan

Nodding to his sister, Aidan crept around the distracted Hobgoblin and struck out with his dagger.

Spoiler: Surprise Flanking Sneak Attack!

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Attack: (1d20+6)[13]
Damage: (1d4+1)[2]
Sneak Attack: (1d6)[5]

Crit: (1d20+6)[20]
Damage: (1d4+1)[5]

[Othniel]

Oreld's Fine Shop

Stepping to the side after receiving twin stabs from the Kael siblings, the hobgoblin dropped the chain, lifted his mace, and swung at Aedan.

Spoiler: OOC

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Combat has started! Hobgoblin is up, and attacks Aeden. If the rest of you want to join in, you start next round in the green box. But it probably won't last that long.

Attack vs Aeden: (1d20+2)[22]
Damage: (1d8+2)[3]

[Tychris1]

Ulva

Hearing the clatter of battle Ulva sprinted forward before stopping infront of Oreld's gruesome form. She knelt down to touch him but retracted her fingers as she saw the chain around his neck and suddenly couldn't help but tense up throughout her whole body.

[Jade_Tarem]

Jocasa

Seeing the hobgoblin spring away, still unhelpfully alive, Jo circled the desk to get behind him again, letting out a wordless snarl when she saw the creature strike her brother. It didn't look that bad, honestly, but it had to hurt and the night was far from over...

Spoiler: OOC

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Attack: (1d20+5)[12]
Damage: (1d4+3)[6] + (1d6)[1]

[TheDarkDM]

Aidan

Hissing as the Hobgoblin's mace impacted his shoulder, Aidan waited just long enough for his sister to circle around the beast before driving his blade towards its chest.

Spoiler: Flanking Sneak Attack

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Attack: (1d20+6)[23]
Damage: (1d4+1)[2]
Sneak Attack: (1d6)[3]

Crit: (1d20+6)[7]
Damage: (1d4+1)[3]

[Othniel]

Oreld's Fine Shop

As the hobgoblin falls lifeless to the floor, Oreld lets out a shuddering gasp.

Spoiler: Loot and XP

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67 XP each. Yes, 67.

The alchemist’s shop is neatly organized, its shelves filled with jars, bottles, and paper envelopes. Much has been destroyed or looted, but PCs can still find three vials of antiplague, five bottles of bloodblock, a bottle of fire ward gel, and two flasks of defoliant. A well-used marble mortar and pestle (worth 50 gp) sits on the desk.

On the body of the hobgoblin, you find:
2 x Potion of cure light wounds
1 x Potion of invisibility
3 x Alchemist’s fire
1 x Antitoxin
1 x Healer’s kit,
5 x Oil
2 x Smokestick
2 x Tanglefoot bag
2 x Thunderstone

1 x Leather armor
3 x Daggers
1 x Heavy mace,
1 x Hooded lantern
3 x Provision Points
16 gp

[CockroachTeaParty]

Torg Stone

Bringing up the rear as usual, Torg nodded in satisfaction to see the elf siblings had already felled any lingering hobgoblin threats. However, Oreld was of immediate concern. The dwarf knelt next to the man, whispering in Druidic to stop the worst of the bleeding before prepping the healing wand and some bandages.
"Stay with us. We'll get you out of here."

Spoiler: OOC

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Torg will cast Stabilize, then hit the man up with some first aid, and finally use a charge from the CLW wand.
Heal: (1d20+9)[12]
Cure light wounds: (1d8+1)[8]

[Jade_Tarem]

Jocasa

"Damn it." Jocasa absently wiped the blade of her dagger clean on the hobgoblin's body while riffling through his possessions with the same dispassion the creature had shown for the estate. (Elven) "How bad did he get you, brother?"

[Othniel]

Oreld's Fine Shop

"Thanks. ****ing hob kicked in the door and stuck me with that pig-sticker," he said amidst coughing. "Managed to hide some folks in the cellar in the back rooms. Set an arrow trap on the door. Careful."

[PepperP.]

Veric

He'd caught up to the elves, who were proving themselves quite capable. Veric caught Oreld's warning about the trapped door.

"I'll see to it." He sounded more confident than he felt as he approached and attempted to disarm the trap.

Spoiler: Disarm the Trap

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(1d20+5)[20]

[Othniel]

Oreld's Fine Shop

Satisfied that he had successfully disarmed the trap (mainly by opening the door carefully and taking the loop off the handle on the other side), Veric opened the door to the back rooms. Beyond the shop were a workroom and part-time clinic, and a comfortable bedroom. In the first room stood a locked cabinet against one wall, and cursory examination of Oreld's workstation revealed that the materials there could serve as a portable alchemist's lab. Veric easily spotted the cellar door with a rug hastily kicked over it, and popped it open to reveal a half-dozen villagers hiding there with a collection of vegetables and forest herbs.

Spoiler: Veric

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The notes on Oreld's workstation mention a "stump remover," created from a mixture of alchemically-refined lamp oil and animal dung. You also notice a hidden compartment in the workstation. Inside are two carefully-folded parchment envelopes tied up with twine.

Spoiler: Loot

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The vegetables and herbs count as 10 Provision Points.

[PepperP.]

Veric

He tucked the envelopes away for future scrutiny, they looked important but they were short on time at the moment. The alchemical jar he grabbed, meaning to give it to the elf or the druid. Perhaps one of them could make use of it.

Easing the scowl from his face took some effort, but Veric at least made an attempt to appear friendly.

"We're heading to safety, come with us before they torch this building too." Not quite trusting in his cajoling power, he turned to call for his cousin.

"Septimus! I could use a little help here."

Spoiler: Diplomacy

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(1d20-1)[19]

[Nefarion Xid]

Septimus appeared beside his cousin, offering over his weapons to the people as they filed up from the cellar. "Things are pretty bad. So, you're going to grab what you can carry. We're all going to stick together and move as a group. Yeah? Great. We're going to get some more people out and then we're retreating into the forest. And, c'mon, I know one of you can shoot better than me." He waggled his crossbow at the crowd.

"Grab a dagger if you don't have anything else to fight with."

[Jade_Tarem]

Jocasa

Jocasa quickly moved to the locked cabinet, giving it a once over before breaking out her tools. She wished she could afford the time to remove and return her armor, but she'd have to make do.

Spoiler: OOC

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Disable Device: (1d20+5)[10]
If fail, take 20.

[Othniel]

Oreld's Fine Shop

Jocasa popped the lock on the cabinet and opened it to reveal a collection of various alchemical components that were unfortunately beyond her ability to identify.

"I heard that," muttered Oreld from the other room. "Could've just asked for the key."

Spoiler: OOC

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Saturdays are my long days at work, so posting will resume late tonight.

[TheDarkDM]

Aidan

Delivering a final kick to the hobgoblin's chin for good measure, Aidan flashed Jocasa a quick smile as he fished for a vial.

<"Nothing that can't be fixed, Jo.">

His fingers closed around the familiar lip of the right decoction, the cork coming away with a pleasant squeak and unleashing the smell of thyme. The liquid was swiftly downed, and beneath his armor Aidan's bruises began to fade.

<"Now, let's see if we can find something of use in the back room.">

Stepping over the revealed trap door, Aidan began to look over the notes uncovered by Veric and Oreld's workstation.

[Othniel]

Oreld's Fine Shop

To the practiced Alchemist, the notes were straightforward. With the proper mixture of ingredients, a rather explosive could be assembled. The notes were clear and concise enough that even one not trained in alchemy could probably figure it out, if they leaned heavily on the provided instructions. A cursory glance told Aidan that the ingredients necessary were probably present, though it would take a few minutes to gather them all and assemble the device.

Spoiler: Aidan

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Your knowledge of alchemical crafting reveals that the components in the formerly locked closet are worth 200g on their own...but 600g when used to craft alchemical items.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Torg Stone

Torg helps Oreld to his feet.
"Can you walk? We've got to put some distance between us and these legionaries. Find anything useful, Aidan?"

[Othniel]

Oreld's Fine Shop

"Can walk just fine, thanks very much," grumbled the herbalist. "No thanks to that creature." He'd moved into the back rooms where Jocasa and Aidan were sorting through his stock and notes. "I see you've found everything of value, so can we go now? Won't be long before some friends of that thieving hobgoblin come looking for him, I recon. You want to fight off an army?"

[Tychris1]

Ulva

Impatiently waiting outside, Ulva marched back and forth repeatedly around the gathered townsfolk like a sheepdog over her flock. She would occasionally stop to glance at their panicked faces and offer them an awkward and goofy smile of confidence and encouragement. It wasn't much, but it was all she could really do given the circumstances. Twice over she went to a nearby tree and pulled herself up so as to have a vantage point over the carnage, yet no matter how high up she got she never felt any more distant from the looming shadow of death.

"Stay brave, she said to herself as she looked at a steadily raging fire grow "Stay determined."

[TheDarkDM]

Aidan

A sharp intake of breath was the first sign of Aidan's discovery, though not the last. Taking up the masterwork backpack of the slain invaders at the inn, he began stuffing reagents and bases in as fast as possible. Some concern was given to the fragility of the vials, but time was of the essence.

"Indeed, master dwarf, indeed. With this, I should be able to detonate the bridge in short order. That should give even this many vermin pause."

[Nefarion Xid]

"A magic tower appeared in the middle of town and disgorged an army in minutes. I somehow doubt the absence of a convenient river crossing will seriously impede their forces. Besides, do you really think a backpack full of alchemical reagents is enough to bring down a stone piling?" Septimus looked at Aidan with skepticism.

[Othniel]

Phaendar

The party headed eastward through the burning buildings of the village. On the outer ring and a little to the south, the spotted a column of fire giving life to the flickering shadows of several hobgoblins clustered around the door to a larger home: Ulva's house. The buildings nearby were blazing, and it appeared that either the fire had leapt to the young woman's house, or invaders had started another on their own. Several of them were near the house either working to spread the fire, or attempting to break in.

Spoiler: OOC

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New map is up. Please start in the green. Light is dim except within 20' of fire (orange).