The Tribe! 3.5 goblin only with GGM (General Goblin Management)

[Kaptin Keen]

Finding the way back to the creek is easy. Following the now cold tracks of Mama Bear is hard. However, by their combined efforts, Soz and Plink are able to find and follow the trail, leading back to a small cave. What you find is a couple of bear cups that have dared to brave the dangers of the outside world, only to be found by a small group of foxes, determined to make snacks of them.

You quickly scatter the foxes, and Soz uses his mystical nature powers to win the trust of the bear cups.

Spoiler: Bear cups

Show

They're barely the size of poodles, and not combat or rider ready - but they're bears, and they will grow. Also, significantly, they have something the spiders will never have: A sense of loyalty.

You each get 50 xp for this little expedition.

[JNAProductions]

Once everything is calmed down, Soz introduces her new cub friends to Soz Jr.

Junior, these are our new friends, she says to her loyal steed, and lets the animals sniff each other and get used to the others' presence. Once she's confident they'll follow her, she heads back with Skimbibble. Now, Skim, she adds, I know you're... Um... The kind of person who likes to attack stuff. But don't lay a finger on these cubs.

She thinks a moment, and tries to phrase it in a way that Skim will listen to. Remember that big ol' mama bear you took down? Imagine if, instead of having to fight her, you got to ride her into glorious battle. That's what you can get if you let these cubs grow up with you as a friend.

[Evil DM Mark3]

"Soz is silly. Not want fight bear. Bears is SCARY. SkimBIBBLE only fights if he is in dangerl Didn't want to fight this bear." He indicates where the bear head has been put on a pole. "Was all quiet style then there was big angry roar from bear and it attack. Bearbiter bit bear because bear being bitey before Bearbiter bit bear. BIBBLE."

[JbeJ275]

With Pipzy discretely webbed and tied up for later consumption, Hekx busied himself with preparing for the next expedition. He took a short bow from one of the less useless regular goblins, and filled several quivers with arrows coated in small quantities of spider poison. He bossed about the other goblins who worked to create this concoction and sent those that didn’t make the cut scrambling for cover. He found that useless moron who had went on the expedition to fetch and carry on the journey and demanded information on what had happened at each location.

After finally tending to the spiders and convincing the other riders to choose his direction he would mount up on Silkwhisper and get ready to head out towards the mysterious lake and the definitely haunted barrows.

[pife]

With Pipzy discretely webbed and tied up for later consumption, Hekx busied himself with preparing for T.H. next expedition. He took a short bow from one of the less useless regular goblins, and filled several quivers with arrows coated in small quantities of spider poison. He bossed about the other goblins who worked to create this concoction anspd set those that didn’t make the cut scrambling for cover. He found that useless moron who had went on the expedition to fetch and carry on the journey and demanded information on what had happened.

After finally tending to the spiders and convincing the other riders to choose his direction he would mount up on Silkwhisper and get ready to head out towards the mysterious lake and the definitely haunted barrows.

Plink is all too happy to praise the industrious Hexz. See! Hexz is worky, all the time, never rest, always thinking and doing. We needs to be muchly like Hexz, get off lazy goblin buttz. Picking out his favorite wolf and getting settled in for the ride, Plink calls for the Explorationing Party to mount up, and for the other goblins to get back to work. If you isn't goin' you needs to be workin' for makin cave safer. Stay close to the caves, and get lotsa notsleepy goblins keepin' watch.

Seeing Skimbibble's trophy stuck up on a pole, he whistles in admiration. Make a great hat, that would!! Skimbibble is crazy good hunter!

[Morovir]

Krog stands near the mouth of the cave, ostensibly on guard, though to anybody who would care to look closely it would just happen to place him as far away from the spiders as possible. Glancing back to where the spiders lurked, he wrings his hands nervously, muttering to himself.

_{"Nasty tricksy spiders, skittering everywhere. Should kill, kill them all. Squash them into the mud."}

[Kaptin Keen]

The wolf riders set off towards the lake they saw on the first trip.

It's located deep in the ancient forest of the highlands, where no roads go, and no buildings stand. You're certainly not the only sentients to ever set foot in this place - but it is untouched by civilization, at least, possibly since .. forever. Giant firs and oaks tower over you, and under the canopy, the night is as black as in your native caves. This is a realm of bats and spiders and beetles, owls and moles .. and darker things still.

Luckily, on this night the most dangerous thing in the woods is a band of goblin wolf riders.

You arrive on the second night at the shores of the lake. It is a magical place, the water showing not the least ripple, reflecting the sky and the moon. It is perhaps a mile long by half a mile wide, maybe sort of crescent shaped (you honestly can't tell), and it just gives off an impression of being deep. Very.

There is a single, rocky island out there, rising from the cold, still waters, steep cliffs that would be ideal for jumping off, but difficult to climb. There does seem to be a sort of landing - maybe even an actual dock or tiny harbor. The island is crowned by tall trees, and tiny lights seem to be moving among the boughs.

[JbeJ275]

So, Skog get ready. You probably won’t actually offend it to much.. Says Hekx as he takes out his spellbook, they’re still making thier way around the lake trying to get to the piece of shore nearest the target island.

Actually it would probably like Soz a fair amount more but I suppose he could always find one of his own. Anyway, there’s to be now waiting about. Just get right on and cross before it slides back to Celestia.

[Evil DM Mark3]

Skimbibble rides with the group, after carefully aproaching each of them to tell them about Soz' jentacular idea.

[JNAProductions]

Soz looks at the water. It's real pretty, she comments.

Junior starts to bound forward, to play in the water, but Soz lets out a sharp whistle. No! Heel, Junior! Junior slinks back, looking a little sad. We don't know if the water's safe. Be careful. If we can swim in it, you can play all you want, okay?

[pife]

Shhh, Soz! Thems over dere might can hears you whistle. We needs to be sneaky till we knows if they is friendly. Plink keeps his tone hushed, and his voice pleasant. He's not admonishing Soz, just reminding her.

[JbeJ275]

After seeing the other Goblins potter around the lakeshore uselessly Hekx wades into the shallows, he then casts a spell of summoning magic. A glow emerges and a strange creature appears before him with a bulbous body, slick skin and sharp teeth. Hekx quickly nods at it then clambers on it’s back as it lowers across the lake.

On the other side, he quickly leaps from the back of the porpoise before it can discorporate then scrambles into any sort of vegetation or rock formations that provide some cover.

[Kaptin Keen]

Hekx finds himself in a small, natural landing with a single, decorated stone pier. The stonecraft is beautiful, but ancient - the rock slowly crumbling into the lake. A couple of wooden buildings on shore have long ago rotted into compost, but a lone stone shrine stands against the cliff wall. Steps ascent upwards, steeply, onto the wooded crown of the island.

There is a forlorn air to the place, something ancient and beautiful, but forgotten and fading.

Beautiful lights dance among the trees above, slowly, enticingly.

A single, slender boat lies on it's side on the shore beside the pier, dragged there long ago. It ... looks seaworthy enough.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I forgot the boat. Jeez! =)

[JbeJ275]

Hekx is both amazed and unnerved by the island, impressed by what he’s seen but with no great desire to stay here to long. First though he must understand what it is that stands before him. With a twist of his fingers he augments his vision, letting him see the world’s magical arau’s. He then crept towards the shrine and examined it more closely, looking for things of arcane significance or some sort of planar connection. He also tries to guess is the island is large enough to support beasts that would threaten a lone goblin, and if that sort of oddly shaped forest would appear naturally or show magical influence.

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Look at both the shrine and the tree lights with detect magic active
Knowledge: Arcana checks: Shrine: (1d20+5)[16] Lights: (1d20+5)[9]
Knowledge Nature Checks: Is forest natural, possible natural explanation for lights? : (1d20+6)[21]

[Kaptin Keen]

Spoiler: OOC - results

Show

The shrine is elven, dedicated to one of their fearsome gods - you think this one might be Ûuthiele, The Render, who famously claims the souls of all lesser being killed by the elves. Of course, the elves are all but gone, now. Or maybe that's just what they want you to think?! You can never be sure, with elves. Although one thing is for sure: You've never seen a real, living elf.

The shrine holds that bit of magic all consecrated things do. It's propably unwise to do anything to cause offense.

Hekx cannot come up with any natural explanation for the lights. They're pretty, and ... maybe it's a bunch of fireflies? Not likely.

The forest is just a bunch of pines and oaks, not visibly different from the surrounding forest.

[JbeJ275]

(Am I close enough for detect magic to show me details about whatever is in the trees?)

Not wanting to be anywhere near a shrine to an elven murder god, especially while lacking any other allies. Thus he slowly backed up to the boat and had a brief look around seeing if there was anywhere to tie a rope. His ultimate goal is to summon another of the porpoises and get back to his starting point.

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Is there anyway I could hitch the rope onto the boat here and the create a loop for the porpoises to bite and drag? It get’s a +4 to strength from augment summoning so it should be able to pull it pretty easily, and even if we don’t quite get back in time the boat could keep gliding after it goes.

[Kaptin Keen]

Spoiler: Trees

Show

Alas - they are more than 60' away.

Hekx finds that the boat has an eye both aft and stern, to which a rope might be tied. It's an almost supergobliny struggle to right the boat and push it into the water alone, but he manages eventually.

[pife]

Plink is still considering options and querying the team when Hexz splashes into the shallows.. Whatcha doin', Hexz? Hey, I don't think you shoule... Plinks jaw drops open at the appearance of the big, shiny fishfriend! Oooooh! Plink is impressed by the audacity of the pint sized arcanist, but looks warily at the spider he left behind. Putting himself on the other side of his wolf from Silkwhisper, he tries to keep one eye on Hexz, and one on the creepy crawly nightmare-machine.

Skimbibble.. How bout dem trackses? You can finds, yes? Anything come around here?

[Evil DM Mark3]

"Sure. I looks."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

(d20+4)[15]

[JbeJ275]

Working through shaking hands, Hekx threads the rope trough the eye at the stern then ties it into a loop at the other end. He throws the loop into the water in front of him then conjures the porpoise in front of the boat, yelling at it pull the craft across quickly.

[Kaptin Keen]

Skimbibble looks around, and finds lots and lots of tracks, but nothing that wouldn't be expected in the forest - and nothing that would indicate anything sentient comes close to this place.

It also doesn't seem like the animals of the forest come to this particular body to drink.

Eh, maybe there's just tastier water, like, right around here somewhere. Yea, that's propably it.

By the time Skimbibble makes it back, Hekx has also made his way back to the shore.

[JbeJ275]

Hello, they had this boat I took over on the island. Also a shrine to the elf murder gods. If you lot are heading back over now then you can use the boat but I’m taking time to rest before worse things happen. Elvineness is around and that is never good.

[Evil DM Mark3]

"Thing comes to this lake. Not biggers but also not animals. Water bad. Lake bad! I say we goes now, not come back! Elves murder gods and scary water, why we stay?!" He looks at their "Chief". "Not wanting second big-scary thinking we make good minions. One is bad enough."

[JbeJ275]

"Thing comes to this lake. Not biggers but also not animals. Water bad. Lake bad! I say we goes now, not come back! Elves murder gods and scary water, why we stay?!" He looks at their "Chief". "Not wanting second big-scary thinking we make good minions. One is bad enough."

I have just crossed this lake twice, if anything is in the water it’s more likely interested in flailing targets that fall in deep. Not just those that snea over the top, and the shrine is empty for a lot of time. Worn down, a little magic but no big tricks.

Still we will send brave ones over first, Plink is leader so he must be brave, and with him then Gibs or Skog or Krog or all of them.

[pife]

Plink rolls his eyes a little bit and huffs in mild indignation. He recognizes the veiled mocking in both of his Council members, but chooses to ignore it for the time being.

Brave for what? Stupid is not brave. And cautious is not stupid.. What you want from that island now, anyway? Water critters won't drink, which means goblins can't drink. An Elfy murder god house. Magic lights lookin all shiny and pretty, trying to makes us go into the darkness to sees them. This place no good for goblin home. Elfs don't leaves their safe pretty island for no reason. They leaves for a reason. Something scares them, makes them leave, or kills them dead. Both bad. Maybe something scary in the water to drag us and drown us and eat us. And whatever lives there now, doesn't use boat or drink water. Why we want to go there? This place just home for goblin bones, that what I think.

Turning to his other counsellors in turn, he continues. Soz, what you think about place with no fishes in water that critters don't drink? You think good place? Skog, Krog, if we goes in boat, we has to leave wolveses or more goblins, and we can't fight floaty lights in trees. That's if bad slimy things don't grab us from water. You think good place? Plink listens to sense, you guys make some.. What is good reason to go there right now?

[Morovir]

Looking gloomily at the water, Krog speaks up:

"Safety in numbers. More bodies, more chance somebody else eaten."

[JbeJ275]

Plink rolls his eyes a little bit and huffs in mild indignation. He recognizes the veiled mocking in both of his Council members, but chooses to ignore it for the time being.

Brave for what? Stupid is not brave. And cautious is not stupid.. What you want from that island now, anyway? Water critters won't drink, which means goblins can't drink. An Elfy murder god house. Magic lights lookin all shiny and pretty, trying to makes us go into the darkness to sees them. This place no good for goblin home. Elfs don't leaves their safe pretty island for no reason. They leaves for a reason. Something scares them, makes them leave, or kills them dead. Both bad. Maybe something scary in the water to drag us and drown us and eat us. And whatever lives there now, doesn't use boat or drink water. Why we want to go there? This place just home for goblin bones, that what I think.

Turning to his other counsellors in turn, he continues. Soz, what you think about place with no fishes in water that critters don't drink? You think good place? Skog, Krog, if we goes in boat, we has to leave wolveses or more goblins, and we can't fight floaty lights in trees. That's if bad slimy things don't grab us from water. You think good place? Plink listens to sense, you guys make some.. What is good reason to go there right now?

If you will go fine, but this island hides interesting things. I will go at least one more time in the morning to learn about the lights. It is your choice to scurry home or to find out properly so we can understand the island.

[pife]

Plink snorts in frustration, and looks around at his mostly silent Council.

Hexz is stubborn but smart. He has the knowing of many things, and he thinks about gain. Gain for us as tribe, and he sticks to his thinkings! Okay, Hexz. You wants sneaky team to go quiet like to the island and look at pretty lights. We goes, you and Plink. We takes your spider and my wolf, and we takes the boat together. We can sneaks in and out and find what elfy murder god leaves behind for us. You think good plan?

Spoiler: Internal monologue

Show

Plink doesn't want to be seen as a coward, nor does he wish to risk the tribes strongest source of arcane power and knowledge. If Hexz is going to be stubborn and risk lives in search of glory, better that the glory be shared with Plink. Besides, if Plink satisfies Hexz' curiosity here, he may be more amenable to helping out with getting Smoke Lady's ring.

[Jopustopin]

Gibs

The insane goblin had been following Plink around dogamtically (or perhaps annoyingly if you're the chief) all week and suddenly at the idea of being seperated from him he grunts out, "Uh.. boss what you want me doing? I... I can be sneaky."

[pife]

Gibs

The insane goblin had been following Plink around dogamtically (or perhaps annoyingly if you're the chief) all week and suddenly at the idea of being seperated from him he grunts out, "Uh.. boss what you want me doing? I... I can be sneaky."

Plink grins wide, clapping Gibs on the shoulder. I wants you in the boat with me and Hexz and his spooky spider. Gibs is way more better than a wolf. Not as fast, he concedes, but way more better!

Looking to Hexz, Plink takes on a serious tone. That good Hexz? We's three and your spider sneaks under the murder gods nose, and sees if there's any shinies there.