3SC's Ironfang Invasion IC

[Lord Of Mantas]

Mort & Armina

Watching as Gilraen's arrow and Eyena's sword found purchase, Mort and Armina attacked again, brother and sister hoping against hope that the hobgoblin would be weakened enough to fall to their efforts.

Spoiler: Actions

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Armina's Aid Another: (1d20+1)[4]

Mort's Attack: (1d20+3)[20]
Damage: (2d4+4)[10]

[3SecondCultist]

The last Ironfang soldier seems ready to attack again, but this time, Gilraen does not miss. The elf's arrow catches its target on the upswing, distracting the hobgoblin enough for Eyena's blade to carve a good chunk out of him. Struggling to keep his balance on the slick floorboards, the enemy warrior isn't able to get out of the way of the attacks. When Mortimer lines up for his own strike, the hobgoblin has nowhere to go. The scythe bites into his side, ripping apart his leather armor and most of his innards. Groaning futilely, he collapses with a solid thud, and very suddenly the Taproot Inn is no longer filled with the din of blades or the rush of combat. Within a few seconds, the magical effect brought about by Narek's spell begins to fade, leaving only the crimson stains of blood all around your feet. You have all survived the onslaught, if only for the moment.

Aubrin, audibly groaning, hobbles over to the door on her staff and closes it, before heading back into the middle of the room and closing her eyes. As she does, a small tide of warm green energy suffuses the room, closing many of your injuries. She nods at Rask to start rummaging through whatever the Ironfang intruders brought with them. The two soldiers who stood in the back as they came in the door have little beyond whatever combat gear they carried with them, but the most experienced member of their band - the one with the piercings that the half-orc killed - carried a fine looking knapsack, the make of which is certainly not goblinoid in nature. Inside, Rask finds quite a bit of gear, including a crossbow and some bolts, a whole case of labeled potions and scrolls, and a wand of an unknown description. He also uncovers several haunches of dried goat meat, a wheel of sheep's cheese, and a whole jug of sheep's milk. The spoils of war, already stolen from the people of Phaendar.

"It... it sounds like there's an army outside the door. 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 and presses her hands against the shrinking but still bloody hole in her chest. "They sound large. Too large to fight on the ground like honest fools. We need to gather all the people and provisions we can, cross the bridge, and hide out in the Fangwood. I - I know a few secrets that may keep us safe. Should probably figure out how to take down the bridge while we're at it, else they'll just march themselves across before we have the chance to hide. Any ideas on where to start?"

Before any of you have the chance to answer properly, you hear a sound from the closed door to the Taproot's back rooms. It sounds somewhere between a creak and a crash. Jet stops to look at Aubrin and the rest of you gathered in the common room. "I didn't lock the side door," the innkeeper murmurs over the quiet, her dark eyes darting in that direction.

Spoiler: OOC - End of Combat

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I'm going to spell out exactly what you guys got from the dead hobgoblins. First off, you have their combat gear: each of them has a set studded leather armor, light steel shield, longsword, and a longbow with 20 arrows. Furthermore, they have from their looting a masterwork backpack stuffed with a heavy crossbow (with 20 bolts and 10 masterwork bolts), eight clearly labeled potions of guidance, an unknown wand, and three labeled scrolls containing the spells calm animals, cure light wounds, and magic stone. Finally, the foodstuffs I described above would count as Provision Points, but you don't have to worry too much about that yet.

Feel free to delegate all of those as you wish - I've added the identifiable bits of loot to the table on my spreadsheet! Oh and also, Aubrin used one of her channels to heal everyone of 6 hp. That puts Eyena back up at full, and Rask at 10.

Spoiler: Phaendar

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I'm going to include a map and key locations in Phaendar for you. Everything here is considered to be 'common knowledge' and as such doesn't require a Knowledge roll or a DC for any of your characters. They would know all of this.



A (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, paint, and sometimes varied alchemical creations. 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. Apparently, he's been working on some new kinds of alchemical concoctions, several of which have kept up various town members due to their rather explosive capacity.

B (Phaendar Trading Company): The heart of Phaendar is the trading post, where farmers, hunters, and artisans come to trade, and where travelers stop in to resupply. The store primarily sells seed, timber, farm supplies, and contracts for raw materials, but all sorts of odds and ends wind up in the small shop. The stone wall of the smithy is one of the oldest structures in Phaendar, being part of a small fortress built to guard the road when the Chelish army first erected the bridge. The fort collapsed long ago and its stones and supports were looted to construct other buildings, but the town smithy still uses the original fortress forge. The current owner of the Phaendar Trading Company is the cantankerous and scheming local smith Kining Blondebeard.

C (Riverwood Shrine): Most of the buildings in town are strictly functional in design, but the shrine was designed to be beautiful as well, being constructed from logs dredged from the thick silt of the ice-cold Marideth River. The shrine is intended for any worshipers to use, but most people in town venerate Erastil or Desna, and so statues and symbols of these two faiths decorate the walls in the form of homemade amulets, artwork, and offerings. A stone shrine to the Green Faith - far older than the larger temple or anything else in the area - stands beside the temple, accommodating local Green worshipers.

D (Taproot Inn): The Taproot - referred to simply as "the Root" by locals - is the only two-story building in town, and serves a wide variety of meals and alcohol gathered from travelers crossing the bridge. It’s also the largest indoor gathering place in town after the temple, and most of locals spend far more time in the Root during any given week than the temple. Ownership of the Taproot changes often as proprietors struggle or grow bored. It currently belongs to Jet, a recent transplant to Phaendar of mixed Shoanti and Varisian descent with twin black braids, black eyes, and an iconic teal scarf worn around her waist.

E (Phaendar Bridge): The Chelish army originally constructed this arch bridge some 300 years ago as part of the trade road connecting the empire to its Varisian colonies. Even after the army withdrew and its fortress crumbled, a town remained to maintain and take advantage of the reliable crossing over the tumultuous Marideth River. Phaendar began an intense maintenance process last year, recruiting the town smith, Kining Blondebeard, to oversee the project thanks to her extensive stoneworking experience. Kining performed some cursory repair work and removed the cracked keystone from the bridge's north side before promptly announcing she would require twice her original estimate to complete repair work on the bridge. The construction shed and crane have sat untended beside the bridge for 9 months as the town struggles to gather funds, while a temporary wooden support frame takes the place of the vacant keystone.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Mort & Armina

At the sound of the crash from the other room, Mortimer turned to Armina, his face all business.

"Check the back room. If more are coming we need to move now."

"On it, little brother."

As Armina moved toward the wall, briefly shifting out of phase as she passed through it, Mort turned to the others.

"I-If we're going to start somewhere, I think we shoud go to Oreld's first. He's the closest we've got to a doctor, so if we can save him, we'll have someone to help take care of the sick and injured. And he makes lots of potions and alchemical stuff too, so maybe he'll have something we can use to blow the bridge or kill or disable the hobgoblins. Unless... you don't happen to have any highly unstable moonshine hanging around, do you, Jet? I've heard bards tell tales about using that kind of stuff as improvised explosives sometimes."

"In the meantime, we also need to make a choice - do we keep gathering here before we make our run for the bridge, or do we move on? We've killed these hobs, but... they might eventually notice no-one's come back."

Mort turned to Aubrin.

"If you had to hole up in one place in town, where would it be? I mean, I know we can't stay in town long, but we need some sort of meeting place before we make our run for the bridge."

Spoiler: OOC

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If Mort's speech sounds slightly awkward at times, then that's exactly what I'm going for, and I would appreciate being told so. You can only rely so much on a supposed peat bog odor to justify a low charisma score.

Spoiler: Actions

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Armina will move to the spot indicated on the Roll20 map. Because she is in ectoplasmic form, she can pass through walls using Phase Lurch, which effectively treats them as difficult terrain and leaves a thin, silvery mucus on the wall in question for one minute.

[3SecondCultist]

Aubrin looks over the gathered supplies as she ponders Mortimer's words. "I would hole up in the Fangwood. We should try not to stick in one place for too long. Staying at the Root and turning it into a staging ground is only going to attract more of them when they realize their soldiers aren't coming back. If we're got any chance of getting out of here, we should move as a group, stick to the side streets, and hit whatever locations we need hard and fast before going for the bridge." She does seem amenable to going to Oreld's first, but looks around the group to see if anyone has anything to add before you get going. You see the various tavern goers preparing to leave as well, grabbing whatever they can carry and waiting for you to figure out your next move.

At the same time, Jet is rummaging through the bar, where she produces a dagger and puts it in her coat, her eyes straying towards the side door to the east. It doesn't seem like she heard Mortimer's joke about the moonshine. Given the mess at the front threshold, it's hard to begrudge her any absentmindedness. "If we're gathering folks, there are a couple of traders still in their room. From Tamran, I thought they were. Might be worth seeing if they'll join us." The Taproot's proprietor moves after Armina, looking on in concern as the ghost passes through the side wall, leaving a thin layer of ectoplasm behind.

Spoiler: Armina

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Assuming that Armina goes to the east, where the noise was coming from, she comes across the pantry and supply room. She also notices a lone hobgoblin currently rummaging through the various foodstuffs there, his eyes largely on the door to the main common room in anticipation of somebody coming through them. His sword is by his side, and he holds an open bag into which he is putting some of the Taproot's supplies.

The hob has not seen Armina yet, which means you can set up a surprise round, or leave him alone to loot the back rooms.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Mort & Armina

Mort looked over at Jet and nodded.

"F-for sure. Maybe someone who's not me, though - probably not going to be so inclined to escape with someone who-"

It was at that moment that Armina came back through the wall.

"There's a hobgoblin in the back rooms. He's alone, and he's stealing supplies. If we take him out, it's one less to worry about later and we can collect whatever he's got. He didn't notice me, either, so if we're quiet we might be able to get the jump on him."

Spoiler: OOC

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This post was mostly just so that Armina could share her findings. I will let some others post before I do so again.

[Farmerbink]

Gilraen immediately retrieves one of the longbows from the deceased. With the eye of a semi-practiced craftsman, he tests its pull and the flexion of the bow. "Huh. Solid make," he comments to no one in particular. Unwilling to part with his own bow so soon, he deftly unstrings it and slide it into his quiver alongside the remaining arrows.

As Mort mentions "Orelds," Gilraen shrugs. "I am fairly new here," he admits, "and more familiar with the forest than most of the towns among it..."

He steps towards the sound instinctively, but catches himself, wide-eyed as the ghost goes through the wall. "Huh. That is a neat trick." As he regains his wits, he scoops up a quiver of arrows, and yanks the Hobgoblin's armor off. "Best not to assume I will not have need..."

A few moments later, more suitably garbed and equipped for combat, Gilraen starts creeping towards the door which Armina indicates. His new bow is held with an arrow pointed low as his eyes and ears focus forward.

Spoiler: OOC

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As mentioned, taking longbow, quiver, studded leather. With the possible exception of the wand (which I'm useless to identify), most of the rest isn't tremendously useful for me.
From OOC:
Stealth: 11
Perception 20

[Starbin]

Narek Skyskin

Holding the scrol and his staff, Narek's shoulders slumped in relief. He took a deep breath as Aubrin healed the group and began to strip the hobgoblins. At her comments, Narek looked up sharply and slipped forward to the window (or door), trying to peer through without being seen.

---

He gazed down the smoke-filled street, the buildings burning brightly as screams sounded in the distance. Bodies were strewn about like discarded marionettes, blood slowly gathering in dark red pools. He could see the shadows of hobgoblins moving through the haze, shouts of laughter and gutteral grunts marking their passage.

---

Turning back, Narek glanced back at the pile of gathered equipment, an anxious look on his face. He muttered a cantrip as he rushed over, reaching for the heavy crossbow and the bolts. The wand stood out, as did the scrolls and potions. He heard the others discussing where to go next, but he seemed to be ignoring them as he cocked back a bolt, struggling slightly with the pull.

Once he was ready, he looked up and shook his head. "They already looted Oreld's - that where those potions come from. Go where you want but I'm headed past the Shrine. We need to hit-" Narek paused as Amrina returned with a report of another hobgoblin. Frowning, he waited, then muttered, "Maybe a prisoner would help. But then we need to go!

Spoiler: OOC

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Grabbing the heavy crossbow and bolts and losing it. Will stow the bull's strength scroll ... and will take a couple of guidance potions if the others want to split them. Really anxious to move on!
Detect magic w/Spellcraft: 21 (from OOC)

Status
AC: 12 HP: 7 Init +9 Move 30'
F +0 R +2 W +4
Spells: prestidigitation, detect magic, message; grease, mage armor, heightened awareness
Prescience: 6/7
Effect: grease 7 rnds; prestidigitation (1hr)

[PersonMan]

As the last hobgoblin falls, Eyena cleans and sheathes her blade, pausing to briefly nod in thanks to Aubrin as her wounds close fully. Despite the battle being over, she stays as she was, moving with her unusual confidence, looking over the room silently, watching as Armina goes, then returns. As Gilraen approaches the door, she follows, still saying nothing, but again drawing her weapon, coming to his side so she can enter quickly after he takes a first shot.

Spoiler: OOC

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Just following Gilraen to deal with the immediate and non-complex matter of "kill the guy in the back here".

Footpaddin': (1d20+6)[21]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Mort & Armina

Mort visibly deflated as it was reported that Oreld's had been looted, but spoke up nonetheless - softly, of course.

"M-maybe they missed something? It's worth a try..."

As the others went to sneak up on the hobgoblin, he remained behind - he knew from experience that he was a great big lumbering hulk at the best of times, and unsuited for that kind of task. He did, however, order Armina to remain near the wall, ready to burst back through it once the others struck.

[n0ble]

He methodically laid out each weapon, magic item and suit of armour before re-adding the supplies to the backpack which was swung over his shoulder. The big man left the weapons and armour for those who had none. He nodded at Aubrin's plan even as he magic wound it's way through the wound in his gut. Wasn't fully healed but Rask certainly wasn't going to complain. Wouldn't be doing anyone good to stay, least of all in an inn with no doors. That meant they'd need supplies. And weapons.

He paused at the mention of another hob in the building. Other people less inclined toward violence could convince the other patrons to leave. Far as he knew, a big warrior half covered in blood and as ugly as he was wouldn't be helping any panicky situation. Rask knew exactly where he needed to be if there was another looter in the building. He pulled his great sword out of the a dead hob's guts and then began to make his way over to the pantry door, silently as he could.

Spoiler: OOC

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My vote would be for Oreld's Fine Shop first, then the Trading company. Then whatever came next.
Stealth Roll: (1d20+4)[6]
Edit: Well... An attempt was made.

[3SecondCultist]

As soon as Mortimer confirms the presence of another hobgoblin, Jet starts to rally the surviving patrons and lead them away from the bar and towards the door. Jet herself picks up a longsword from one of the dead hobgoblins, strapping it to her belt. The others don't seem all that interested in any of the weapons, preferring to scavenge some of the remainders before Rask took the backpack. One of them - a woman - lets out a little sob at the sounds of the screaming and burning outside, but none of them dare peek out the front door for now. "It's going to be alright," Aubrin says to them in a calm voice, "once we deal with the hobgoblin, we're all going to get out here."

The noise from behind the door continues unabated as Gilraen lines up to take a shot, and Eyena slips in beside him. Even Armina's passage through the wall and back doesn't seem to have caught his attention. The half-orc's big strides, however, elicit a pause in the looting sounds emanating from the back rooms. When Rask finally pushes the door open, the Ironfang warrior is ready for you. With a wordless howl, the hobgoblin tosses the first thing on hand - a sizeable water keg - at Rask's legs. It happens so fast, none of you can do anything to react as the big half-orc goes down, the keg erupting into water around his ankles. In a split second, Rask is lying in a growing puddle. Not willing to let the opportunity to spill some blood pass him by, the goblinoid gets into position, his longsword out and ready to swipe down towards Rask's throat.

Spoiler: Round 1 OOC

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Updated Map

This is the luckiest hobgoblin so far! Not only did it get a 20 on its Initiative roll to beat all of you, but it rolled quite well on its improvised trip attempt on Rask to knock him prone. Remind me to use Roll20 more in the future for these sorts of things.

In any case, you're all free to go and post your Round 1 actions now. I'm posting my round write-ups when the enemies go, so in this case that'll be the beginning of the round, as opposed to the end. Rask starts the combat prone, unfortunately (and the hobgoblin has moved in range to make an AoO should he try to get up).

I will copy the Initiative order here for everyone's convenience, in case they were curious about the rolls.

Enemy Hobgoblin: 22
Rask: 21
Gilraen: 16
Narek: 13
Mortimer: 12
Eyena: 2

[Lord Of Mantas]

Mort & Armina

Knowing that he could do little to help in such a confined space, Mort helped out the way he thought best.

"Armina! Back through the wall and flank him!"

"On it!"

Phasing through the wall, Armina drifted toward the back of the hobgoblin and threw a spectral punch.

I'm not quite in position for a flank, but it will help.

Spoiler: Actions

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Armina moves 20 feet and attacks.

Attack: (1d20+2)[7]
Damage: (1d6+1)[5]

[n0ble]

Rask blinked the water out of his eyes, vaguely registering that it wasn't his own blood or piss that he was lying in. He was oddly comforted by the fact that it wasn't the latter more so than the idea of it being the former. As the spots and blurriness left his vision, he saw the hob looming over him, sword posed to strike. He wasn't going to die on his back, not if he had a choice in the matter. Rask silently rose up and grunted as the hob's blade punctured into his stomach, all but running him through. Stupid. If you wanted to kill someone it was better to cut or stab higher. That's why most humanoids had ribs. To protect the really vital bits

As blackness crept in around his vision, the big man swung his sword horizontally aiming at a spot just under the hob's armpit. He was too slow. His enemy swayed out of the way and drew the sword out of his guts. Rask brought the sword up, cutting edge slightly tilted down towards the hob. He wasn't sure if it was his age, the fresh wound or the cold anger that was brewing in him that caused the sword to shake ever so slightly in his grasp.

Spoiler: Round 1

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Rask
Male N Half-orc Slayer (Vanguard), Level 1, Init 5, HP 3/13, Speed 30ft
AC 16, Touch 12, Flat-footed 14, CMD 17, Fort 6, Ref 6, Will 4, CMB +5, Base Attack Bonus +1
Greatsword +5 (2d6+6, 19-20/x2)
Dagger +3 (1d4+4, x3)
Chain Shirt (+4 Armor, +2 Dex)
Abilities Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 7
Condition None

Took 7 damage getting back up.

Rolled on roll20 and got a 12 to hit. That'd be a swing and a miss!

[Farmerbink]

As the door opens, Gilraen let's fly. Despite his own surprise at Rask's sudden collapse, his focus remains on the importance of putting down the hobgoblin.

Spoiler: Gilraen, round 1

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Gilraen Súrion
M CG Elf Oracle (warsighted), Level 1, Init 5, HP 10/10, Speed 30
AC 13, Touch 13, Flat-footed 10, CMD 15, Fort 2, Ref 3, Will 1, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 0
PBS long bow (40 arrows) +3 (1d8, x3 )
quarterstaff +2 (1d6+2, x2)
(+3 Dex)
Abilities Str 14, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 13
Condition Spells, 1st level: 4/4 remaining
Martial Flexibility: 3/4
Precise shot: 8???? rounds


(1d20+3)[9] long bow (??precise shot??, not improved)
(1d20+3)[17] CC (23, x3)
(1d8)[1] dmg
(2d8)[6] crit bonus

[PersonMan]

Eyena moves forwards, weapon at the ready and immediately filling the hole left as Rask pulls back. She nods silently to Rask as she moves in, but mostly keeps her eyes on the hobgoblin in the doorway.

Spoiler: Actions

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Stepping in, swinging sword.

A: (1d20+5)[21]
D: (1d10+3)[13]

[Starbin]

Narek Skyskin

Narek sighed as the group attacked the sole hobgoblin with little success. He knew his own combat skills were subpar ... put with a wand ...

---

The hobgoblin stalked forward, blade and shield at the ready .... it had already cut down three warriors and now closed in on the mage. With a gesture and a scream of defiance, the wizard released the spell ...

---

He pulled the wand out and called upon the enchantment, sending a glowing orb toward the hobgoblin.
"Eat this, you bastich ..."

Spoiler: OOC

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Move action to draw wand, standard to activate it. MM - (1d4+1)[3]

Status
AC: 12 HP: 7 Init +9 Move 30'
F +0 R +2 W +4
Spells: prestidigitation, detect magic, message; grease, mage armor, heightened awareness
Prescience: 6/7; wand; 10 charges
Effect: prestidigitation (1hr)

[3SecondCultist]

Even with Rask down and out of the way for the time being, the rest of your attacks against the last hobgoblin are of little consequence. Gilraen's arrow is the first of several attempts to cut down its target, flying through the air only to embed itself harmlessly on the door-frame on the other side of the pantry. The spectral Armina follows up with a wild haymaker to the back, but the Ironfang seems to have anticipated a flank, and manages to evade it as well. As Rask gets up, he is all but skewered by his enemy, but his attempt at a counter-swing with his own blade is too clumsy, and for the third time the hobgoblin gets away without a scratch.

It's only when Eyena gets involved that the battle turns more in your favor. As the half-orc steps back and out of the way to let her in, she winds up in a deadly arc that culminates in cleaving off a good chunk of the looter's midsection, leaving his insides to spill out over the pantry floor. Barely standing, he takes a step backwards as though to flee, but sees that Armina in his way. That's when he lets out a horrid shriek, arms flailing as he tries to return the favor, only for his sword to go wide in his frenzy. The invisible force projectile that strikes him right in the center of mass doesn't seem to help, nearly sending him to his knees. By the mad-animal look in his eyes, the hobgoblin seems to know he is about to die.

Spoiler: Round 2 OOC

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Updated Map

Well, Eyena hit the guy for maximum damage this time and Narek got a missile in, which turned out to be a pretty big lifesaver for the rest of the group! The hobgoblin also missed this round, breaking his streak of lucky rolls, so it looks like this fight should be in the bag. He is barely above negatives now.

If you guys want to take him prisoner (as I think somebody suggested already IC) that's fine, but you'll need to find a way to either subdue him nonlethally or otherwise knock him out, stabilize him and tie him up before healing him back to consciousness.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Mort & Armina

Gritting her teeth, Armina wound up a punch.

You won't be hurting anyone else.

And then she let it fly.

Spoiler: Actions

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Armina will attack the Hobgoblin. The rolls were made in Roll20.

Attack: 17
Damage: 7

[3SecondCultist]

Already wobbling from the bevy of strikes your group has dealt him, the Ironfang soldier is not prepared for one more blow, this time from behind. Armina's punch takes him completely unawares, and by the time his ashen face hits the ground, he has lost all consciousness. One of his lower tusks chips and breaks off as he lands, the trail of red spittle joining the rest of his insides as he bleeds out at your feet. He'll be dead within minutes without some speedy medical attention. Aubrin, from back in the middle of the inn, strains to look past Eyena as she moves forward, leaning on her staff. "If we're going to interrogate him, we should do it sooner rather than later." She doesn't press the issue one way or the other, however, content to let you all take the lead on the decision-making. The cleric does look in concern at Narek, however, remembering his earlier outburst, but saying nothing for now.

Scouring the rest of the ground floor doesn't take too long. The villagers are more than willing to help, helping Jet throw open the trapdoor to the root cellar in order to scavenge the last of the supplies they can in the bags. It's mostly vegetables, but there's a few cured meats as well as some seeds to plant crops for a new harvest. The innkeeper gives one last look at the stairs in the main room when everyone converges back there. "Haven't heard those traders leave yet," the raven-tressed woman says, "anyone willing to give it a go? Could be we need a few extra sets of hands if we make it to the Fangwood."

Spoiler: Perception DC 18

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Examining the room beyond where the now prone hobgoblin lies, you find a dusty lockbox hidden at the top of one of the shelves in the panty, which contains two as of yet unidentified wands, two labeled elixirs of tumbling, and one set of juggling balls.

If found, I will add these spoils to the list of loot acquired from the Taproot Inn, listing the value of the wands when somebody is able to identify them properly.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Mort & Armina

"I can try, if you'd like." Armina spoke up. "I'm good at convincing people."

Mort eyed his sister a little skeptically. "Well... um... You're right, of course, but you're also kind of a ghost. Aren't you scared they might, well -"

"That's what you're coming along for as well, dummy." Armina tapped Mortimer lightly on the head. "Come. We've gotta be quick about it."

Not wanting to argue, Mortimer concentrated briefly, turning his sister into a more ethereal form.

We're going to need you to scout ahead - and this will be easier. You won't leave a residue this way, and you'll be harder to hit.

"Oh, and, um, you all might want to grab that lockbox there on that shelf. There might be something inside it."

Then, both phantom and militiaman hurried up the stairs.

Spoiler: OOC

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Despite what you might expect, as it turns out, Armina has the highest diplomacy skill of any of us.

Spoiler: Actions

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Mort & Armina will move quickly upstairs.

[Farmerbink]

Gilraen follows Mort's pointing finger, and quickly finds the indicated lockbox. He opens them up, blatantly eying Jet to see if the barkeep has any say in the matter of the distribution of the contents.

"Definitely not leaving all this for the Ironfangs to find..." he mutters, as he begins to divvy up the potions.

Spoiler: OOC

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Gilraen will keep one potion, if no one else objects- but will willingly give them both up to melee if requested.

[Starbin]

Narek Skyskin

The hobgoblin was dying after the blow by Armina, soon to be a problem no more. But even as Narek peered at the beast, he wondered if its value as a prisoner was worth the effort. Time to stop it's bleeding. Time to tie it up. Time to interrogate it. All time he wasn't sure they had. Stomping over he raised the heavy crossbow, aiming at the hobgoblin's head, ready to pull the trigger. Then Mortimer and Armina headed upstairs to gather more people and he gave an exasperated grunt of frustration.

Pulling away the crossbow, he knet down and closed his eyes, opening them after a moment. When he did, his eyes were entirely white, as if clouded over, as he gazed down at the hobgoblin. He watched for a second as the life's blood leaked out, again tempted to let it happen. Then he touched the worst wound gently, mending the fraying strings of fate ... andkeeping the soldier alive for a little bit longer.

Rising up, his eyes normal again, Narek stomped back to the front door, growling, "Bring him along, but hurry it up! We ... I need to go now..."

Spoiler: OOC

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Using stabilize for the hobgoblin cuz ... well, just cuz :). Then ready to move out (letting someone bring the wands to his attention).

And still in a hurry for some reason ... although locals may have an idea why.

Status
AC: 12 HP: 7 Init +9 Move 30'
F +0 R +2 W +4
Spells: prestidigitation, detect magic, message; grease, mage armor, heightened awareness
Prescience: 6/7; wand; 10 charges
Effect: prestidigitation (1hr)

[PersonMan]

Eyen again cleans, and sheathes Blütenstaub, staring down at the hobgoblin silently. As one of the others - the odd old man - kneels down next to it, she quietly moves a hand off the dagger it had been resting on, considerations on whether or not to kill the fallen soldier clearly ending. She moves to step over his fallen form, pausing to stare at Armina for a moment before looking away, confident posture already turning into her usual slouch as she stands still, frowning for a few moments, before looking back up to the ghost woman. She speaks, voice quiet odd Elven accent and unusual grammar as present as always.

"My hope that your evening has been enjoyable is sincere, Armina. I would request that, if it is not a matter which would inconvenience you, my path forwards be cleared, as I intend to investigate this next room and clear it of worthwhile supplies, in order to sustain those of our group who would require nourishment when leaving the sheltered confines of this abode," she says, with no less than three curtsy-like motions interspersed through her request. As she finishes, Eyena looks to Armina for a response, though every few moments she abruptly looks away.

[n0ble]

Rask ran a finger across the rent in his chainmail, pondering why the man had healed the hob if he wanted to get out so badly. Prisoners would, after all, only serve to slow any sort of group down. It wasn't as though Rask was particularly apt in the ways of interrogation mind you. If the man wanted to interrogate the hob then that was his business as far as the half-orc was concerned. The big man's finger came away bloody. It was a bad wound, that last one. The kind that settled in and did something that might have been worth worrying about if the sounds outside the inn hadn't taken Rask's mind away from his own pain. He stooped down and lowered a cupped hand into the part of the puddle not yet mixed with blood. The hand rose up and spilled some water into the wound, cleaning it up a tad, though not as much as he'd have liked.

He made his way over to the table that he'd previously occupied with a ponderous gait, at odds with his prior speed. The others had found things amidst the pantry. They could get them and he would carry them if need be. After what seemed like an age, Rask reached the table, greedily sucking in air through gritted teeth as his gaze came to rest on the two flagons of alcohol he'd left behind. Shame that he'd had the rum first. Could have used it to disinfect the wounds. After all but dropping his greatsword onto the table, the half-orc gulped down the wine then the ale in short order before bracing himself and looking up at the others in the inn. Safety in numbers sounded pretty good to him.

[3SecondCultist]

With the hobgoblin soldier stabilized but not yet breathing, Aubrin hesitates. She looks at the assembled civilians, and at both the profusely bleeding Rask as well as her own wounds before closing her eyes to send out another small pulse of green energy. Some of the toll of the previous fights washes away from the half-orc, his flesh being repaired by the grace of the Drunken Hero even as he pours liquor of various types down his throat. She keeps her distance from the fallen invader, however, the better to keep him in an unconscious state. The goblinoid's bleeding has stopped now due to Narek's interference, and yet he does not stir from what is no doubt a dreamless sleep. One of the villagers who joined Jet to collect the supplies - the cloaked woman, who some of you might remember as Marta - spits on him as she passes his supine body. Judging by the look on her face, she'd like to do much worse.

"Shouldn't we - wouldn't it be faster just to interrogate him here, and then head out to see to important matters?" Aubrin rests her hand gently on Narek's shoulder, her eyes slightly cast aside in silent acknowledgment of the mage's fears. "It will save us the time it takes to lug his body around until we want to question him. Besides, who knows what's waiting beyond those doors?"

The landing at the top of the stairs that greets Mortimer and Armina leads to a long hallway. From what the Fangwoods explorer and his long dead sister know, the Taproot's upper floor consists of several rooms for rent, from the smelly but warm common room to large private rooms for travelers with more coin to spend. According to Jet, the first room on the left is the one that the Tamran traders booked, and judging by the anxious pacing that both the Bestatter siblings pick up on, it is indeed still occupied. "... can't very well go out and check now, can I?" says one voice, low and decidedly male.

"Well then what are you going to do to get us out of this mess, eh Row? You're the one who damn well convinced me to come back to this godsforsaken backwater this year." The second of the two voices, while also male, is much higher in pitch, although whether due to the semi-panicked tone or just his natural register is yet unclear. "'Come to the Phaendar Market Festival', he said, 'lots of opportunities out west', he said... tell me, where in the cards did it say our trip was to be plagued by a hobgoblin f*cking invasion?" Neither of them seem to have even noticed anyone outside yet. If the hobgoblins had managed to make it up here, they might very well have been able to sneak up on the two bickering men before either even noticed they weren't alone.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Mort & Armina

If Mort had been less tongue-tied, or Armina snarkier, one of them might have said something along the lines of "Oh, it's in the brochure at the bottom, right after the water-skiing."

As it was, both of them were in crisis mode, and as such, Mort settled for knocking on the door.

"H-Hello? This is the town militia. We've cleared the inn of hobgoblins, but, um-"

"We need to move, now. Before they notice that their forces aren't coming back. We've got armed men down below, we can keep you safe. Come with us, and we'll get you out of here."

Spoiler: Actions

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On the off chance neither of them are particularly inclined to move...

Armina's Diplomacy: 19

[Farmerbink]

Gilraen looks down on the now stabilized Hobgoblin. "Indeed. I could, probably, carry him, but cannot see that it serves any purpose whatsoever. Let us be about our business and press on without the added... weight."

He holds his quarterstaff, now, one knobby end held perilously close to the unconscious Hobgoblin's head. With a surprisingly gentle touch- giving away the calm confidence of his chosen weapon- Gilraen nudges the invader's shoulder. Hoping to prod him towards consciousness, he adds his voice. "Get up, grunt. We do not have all day."

Spoiler: OOC

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If the nudging and words are not sufficient, Gilraen will create water to douse the sleeping Hobgoblin.

As the creature stirs, Gilraen looks at his unlikely companions, mentally numbering the ghost-following man upstairs and shaking his head to the negative. Turning to the suddenly-outspoken young woman, he nods his head to clearly indicate the intended recipient of his speech. "Miss, would you care to encourage our friend here to share what he knows? If need be, I can help convince him." His words are punctuated by a significantly less gentle prodding with the business end of his quarterstaff, as he falls into silence.

Spoiler: Intimidate

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rolling hopefully to assist: (1d20+1)[6]

[Starbin]

Narek Skyskin

The light-blue-skinned mage peered at the two wands the others had found- one had identical markings to a spell he already knew; the other seemed familiar but he dismissed it as the others approached the hobgoblin. Interrogation was not his forte, but he might be able to provide a distraction. Flicking his fingers at the Legionnaire, several notes of light appeared on its exposed skin, swirling and going from blue to red. As the lights went from warm to cool, they traveled under the creature's armor to more sensitive areas. To the archer and the others, he muttered, "If you don't want the burden, then kill him and be done with it - he's earned it."

Spoiler: OOC

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Using Prestidigitation to try and aid Intimidate vs DC10 - (1d20)[10]

Status
AC: 12 HP: 7 Init +9 Move 30'
F +0 R +2 W +4
Spells: prestidigitation, detect magic, message; grease, mage armor, heightened awareness
Prescience: 6/7; wand of magic missile (10): wand of grease (12); unknown wand
Effect: prestidigitation (1hr)

[PersonMan]

Eyena stares at the elf for a moment, as he finishes speaking. He wanted her to interrogate the hobgoblin? She waits a moment, then another, just in case this was a joke. When she's sure it isn't, she nods, taking a moment to stretch her neck and stand up properly before kneeling down next to their still-lying captive. She clears her throat, goes over a few words of Cathlessra's lessons, composes her threats, addressing relevant points...Then nods, mostly to herself. Good.

"Hello. I will be curt, and speak in the imperative, because your cooperation with us is mandatory. We require the following information: How the force of which you are a part arrived in this location; The number of combatants that were brought here; The ability of your leadership to reinforce your current position; The ability of your local leadership to communicate with any higher-level command that exists. You will be punished for a lack of honesty, but not for ignorance," Eyena says. "Also be aware that, while punishment may come from your superiors for giving us information, this is unlikely to occur due to their inability to discover you gave us this information without your telling them so. In addition..." she pauses, looks over to the front door, then looks back down to him, pausing for a moment that ends up adding effect but is actually because she needs another moment to compose the rest of her threat. "They are outside. We are in here."

Spoiler: OOC

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Rolling Intimidate first to make this all nice: (1d20+6)[25].

[3SecondCultist]

The goblin on the ground, still sputtering and coughing from the twin agitations of having a quarterstaff shoved in one's side and several gallons of water run over their face, tries at first to get up. He stops short when he sees Narek's lightshow and both Eyena and Gilraen staring down at him. His mottled gray skin and burly frame seem entirely feeble now that he's lying on the floor, barely recovered from his wounds. He glares at you all in barely contained hostility. When he speaks, it's in his own guttural tongue.

"Travak'nar, urieth Doruk mah!" Even those of you who don't understand the tongue know a defiant rebuke when you hear one, although those of you that do learn the hobgoblin trooper's name is Doruk. He seems to take another look at your crew and, seeing comprehension of his words as well as the promise of violence, ultimately relents in the face of threats. "Okay! I can speak in your tongue, if you wish. I will answer your questions as well. I am not certain how big the attack force is, but we arrived through an underground tunnel that ended in the middle of town. Our General is afield; this attack is led by the bugbear Scabvistin and his brood, designed to capture the town and take you humans as livestock. I am unsure of our exact number, but I believe it to be around five hundred."

Doruk pauses, clearly afraid both of his uncertain fate at your hands and what will happen to him should his commanders find out about what he's already divulged. However, his words remain fairly even-keeled, no doubt due to his warrior upbringing. "I do not know much more than what I have shared. If you are going to kill me, make it quick. Otherwise, I will leave the battle and report to my superiors without harming any more humans."

Upstairs at the door, Armina's words seem to find some ground, as there is a long pause before the door to the room opens. Inside is a large single bed, as well as several days worth of supplies and wilderness clothes strewn about. There are two men standing by the door, one of them warily holding up a simple hammer and only lowering it when he sees that you're not a threat. "Thank Ol' Deadeye, it wasn't a trap," says the man who opened the door, who you are able to recognize by voice as the first man to have spoken. If he's shaken by the fact that he was just addressed by a ghost, he doesn't seem to show it. "The name's Farrow. This here's Clidon. This town's going to Hell in a handbasket. If you've got a way out of here... uh, miss... then I'm all for it." He and his partner start to hastily gather their belongings together into a pair of packs.

Spoiler: OOC

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There we go, one successful persuasion and another successful coercion! You guys are just masters of social interaction.

Anyhow, each of the traders has 5 Provision Points on them in the form of food for their journey and extra clothes to give to other survivors. I will update the spreadsheet tomorrow when I get Internet access on my computer (posting from my phone at the moment).