Pink's Wandering Goblins

[Pink]

Tired. As the sun slowly dips towards the horizon, the once hot yellow light begins to deepen into orange and finally some relief arrives as the heat of the day slowly fades away. The grasslands seem to stretch out endlessly, flat lands with the tall wild grass being tossed by the wind. Your muscles ache, lips parched, clothes wet with sweat as you continue to trudge forth. Dust, through up by a wind that yields coolness only by the evening, dirties your skin and clothes. After days of walking your legs feel leaden.

It is the end of the fifth day since you set out from Shrigack hold with your companions. Five long, boring, exhausting days. Moving away from the mountains and the foothills on which the hold was located, you've yet to find any sign of adventure, or even settlement away from the hold. Truly there was a reason that the hold was so left alone, it was in the middle of nowhere! What's more, food has been scarce. Originally the plan had been to hunt wildlife, but the plains have yielded none of the game found on the foothills. After the first two days of travel the need had begun to use up the rations that had been packed in case of emergency.

Tired, but with nothing else to do, you continue to trudge on. It will only be a little longer until the sun sets and it's time to set up camp.

(Note: Each of you may deduct three days rations from your sheets (this is also a note for any replacement that jumps in a little later at this stage). If you do not have three days rations, You may figure it out via OOC thread who's borrowing to who. If you happened to miss a day somehow, you are considered fatigued until you get a proper meal. Also, waterskins are now empty at this point. Characters without waterskins are considered fatigued until they get hydrated again (Unless you can come up with a reason, to be posted in the ooc thread please, for you not to be.))

OOC: Okay, time for your introductory posts and some banter before i get things started off. Enjoy, roleplay, etc.

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell hungrilly chews on some field rations, waiting for the day to end. He says "I am a master thief, able to sneak in and out of any situation! I shouldn't have to go through this. . . . torturous walking!" Oradell begins looking around for a stream and something to use as food so that he can refill his waterskins and ration supply.

[roll0] -searching for water.

[roll1] -searching for food.

[Ganurath]

Soth rolls his eyes at Oradell's complaints, keeping to the rear of the group while doing what he could to stay alert. "If there were any edible creatures nearby, I have no doubt in my mind that they've been frightened off by the sound of conversation."

[Vortling]

Skeesky pauses for a moment to lean against his walking stick in the middle of the group. His eyes search the horizon. "There's a multitude of steps ahead of us. Complaints aren't going to get us there any faster. Conversation on the other hand passes the time quickly provided we aren't on the hunt." Skeesky nods acknowledgingly in Soth's direction before walking again.

[GammaPaladin]

Krulsch

Krulsch keeps a deliberate pace, perhaps slightly more used to these sorts of travels than those who have lived in Shrigack Hold all their lives. As he walks, he chews at jerky, slowly and steadily, much like his stride.

"Conversation is fine enough. There won't be much to catch in this sort of land, 'cept maybe snakes and mice, and they'll feel us comin' from our footsteps."

He slashes down a stand of grass that was in his path. "I admit I'll be pleased if I never see a field of grass like this again. Sometimes I rue being born into a race so small in stature." He grins wryly. "The good side of things is that at least nothin' bigger than us can be hidin' in the grass, unless it's layin' down. And this ain't the sort of place to be layin in ambush. I mean, I don't think there's a lot of wealthy people travellin' this way."

"So we should see any big threats comin', long before they hear us talkin. Assumin' we all refrain from yellin' too loud. Loud sounds have a way of carryin out here, though the grass'll kill any softer sounds."

He stands on his toes for a moment, and looks at the distant horizon with a sigh. "Where are we headed anyway?"

"Now mind, I admit that most anyplace'd be better than where we're comin' from, but if we're out to make a difference, we should've probably had somethin' in mind ta make a difference in, before we set off."

[Vortling]

Skeesky glances at Krulsch for a moment before turning his eyes back to the distant horizon.

"Out there are hobgoblins and bugbears. I intend for us to find either a scouting party or a small garrison of hobgoblins. Once we've located them we can analyze their tactics and movements before we initiate a proper ambush. Then we'll interrogate the survivors for information about the location of their cities and military bases. With proper application of the knowledge we gather we should be able to wage an invisible war to make their treks to Shrigack Hold very difficult. We'll also liberate them of their valuables for the more mercenary minded among us."

Skeesky leaves unspoked his desire to meet face to face the hobgoblins who killed his father. He also leaves unspoken what he'd like to inflict upon them.

[GammaPaladin]

Krulsch nods thoughtfully.

"We probably should have spent a little more time plannin' this expedition. But I like your idea. It's a good start."

"Me though, I'm a bit more ambitious. I say we do more than inconvenience 'em. You know what a Hobgoblin respects?" He idly fingers the small token of Kord he carries. "They respect strength. And they'll follow anyone who can kick 'em into line."

"I say..." His eyes narrow to slits. "I say we take a garrison, like you're sayin', but I say we take that garrison and we make it ours. And we keep on takin' garrisons until we can take a settlement, and then another." His eyes slowly open, and his gaze seems to focus on something beyond the horizon as he speaks. "I say we show those hobgoblins there's more than one kind of strength, and we teach 'em to fear us for a change."

"I say goblins has been at the bottom of the heap for too long, and it's time we were on top."

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell says "I agree. They might have food. Sweet, heavenly food." Oradell begins rubbing his stomach as he marches on with renewed vigor, ready to kick hobgoblin ass after hope empowered him. He pulls out one of his swords, points forward, and says "Onward!" He says it with an inside voice so that no hobgoblins hear him, and prepares for worthy dinner.

[dyslexicfaser]

Gan

Gan tags along towards the rear of the pack, idly rolling a gold coin between his dextrous fingers. He looks more like he's out for a pleasure stroll without a care in the world than a five day hike through plains that do a good impression of the upper reaches of the nine hells.

"Hey, sometimes you hit a dry spell," he points out. "That doesn't mean you cash in and bail out. We're bound to hit civilization - though I do use the term loosely - eventually." He sniffs at the thought, as though his nose is already fillled with the stench of a city of filthy non-goblins.

He tucks the gold coin in with his thumb and begins flipping it through the air, catching it, and flipping it again as he walks. "Then we can fight a five goblin war against the whole hobgoblin race, if you lot really feel the need. I'd be more interested in a beer and a game than ambushing roving bands of heavily-armed military types, but that's just me."

[Pink]

As you continue to walk, Skeesy notices something in distance in front of you. There's a slight glint as the setting sun seems to reflect upon a strand of metal that's seems to be spread across a distant field. As you squint your eyes you notice that there are posts of wood set up at regular intervals. As a first impression you think it might be a simple fence to keep wild animals out. Further more, the fields seem to be more uniform and tended as opposed to the wild grass, and several of you can notice the faint whisper of smoke rising in the distance, a campfire or perhaps, the fire of a farmhouse.

[Vortling]

Skeesky motions for everyone to sit down in a patch of grass out of sight of the fence posts. He talks in a low voice to the three other goblins around him.

"There's some sort of civilization ahead. While it appears to be farmland we don't know what they are or what sort of defenses they have. We should sneak closer and see what we're up against before engaging in random pillaging and violence. If they are hobgoblins we can plan for an assault. If they aren't we have other options. They have fields so they probably have food which we can take or buy. If they're similarly oppressed by the hobgoblins we may have found some allies for our campaign against the Hobs. First we need to check if they have any obvious magical or non-magical defenses on the fence. Then we can sneak closer to the source of that smoke to see who these farmers are."
Skeesky glances around the circle of goblins. "Thoughts on this plan of action?"

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell says "I say that we have our stealthiest group members hide and watch what people are in the farmlands. If our local mages have some invisibility potions, that would be perfect. Is anybody else in agreement?"

[dyslexicfaser]

Gan shrugged indifferently. "Must we? They're probably just farmers. How tough could they be?" Gan's tone made it clear that 'farmer' was just another name for 'witless rube'.

[Vortling]

Skeesky looks at Gan. "Even farmers can have their uses." Skeesky's eyes flit between all the goblins in the huddle. "They may not be a challenge to us but we can start a legend here that precedes us. We have the tools necessary for them to remember what we do here and carry it to our enemies." Skeesky shoots a knowing glance at Soth.

"But enough chit chat. I can grant one goblin a few minutes of invisibility. Do we have a volunteer for the scouting? If not I'll take up the task." Skeesky scans over each goblin in turn with a mildly inquisitive gaze.

[GammaPaladin]

"I'm afraid my talents lie more in the realm of smitin' than scoutin'."

[dyslexicfaser]

Gan smiled. He didn't really care about making a legend, but he did like showing off. "I can do it, or join you, if you like. I don't need any magical assistance to run rings around some dirt shovelers," he boasted.

(OOC: Gan can get a +15 in hide/MS by burning a few Inspiration points. He'll be okay.)

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell says "I volunteer too. I am as untrustworthy of strangers as the next guy, but if we can get them on our side we can kill the hobgoblins that plague us so! And they might give us food. Yay. . ."

[Vortling]

Skeesky thinks for a moment. "Gan, you head towards the source of the smoke. See who or what is tending the fire and how big the main settlement is. Given your disdain for these farmers I trust you'll be able to make it there and back unseen. Oradell, you scout around the fields to see if these farmers are expecting wild animals after their crops or more violently inclined intruders. The rest of us will wait here until you return. Then we'll decide our course of action." Skeesky shifts to a more comfortable sitting position in the grass while adjusting the strands of grass to obscure the goblins' huddle.

[dyslexicfaser]

"Yeah, yeah, no problem," Gan said.

He set off, across the field and into the settlement, his already small body keeping low to the ground, almost seeming to vanish into the setting sun.


Hide: [roll0]
Move Silently: [roll1]
Using two Inspiration points to kick it up to +15, natch.

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell says "OK." and begins combing the fields.

[roll0] (Move Silently)
[roll1] (Hide)

[GammaPaladin]

Krulsch sits down on a rock and idly examines his weapon for any necessary maintenance while he waits.

A thoughtful look crosses his face.

"What do we do if they're..." He pauses and grimaces. "...humans?" The word appears to have left a sour taste in his mouth.

[Pink]

Both goblins head out, Gan towards the rising smoke, Oradell further into the farmland to look for any reinforcements beyond the barbed wire fence. The fence is easily passed by both goblins, posing no challenge to make it through without a scratch to sentient creatures.

Gan:
You pass through what appears to be a wheat field, one that's near ready to harvest you would guess. Not that you've spent much time on farming duty back at the hold. As you approach the farmhouse you notice that it is surrounded by a small thicket of trees, probably grown over the generations by their planned look, as opposed to having once been apart of a larger forest. Silently making your way through the trees, hiding expertly in the shadows, you are able to get a glimpse of what is definitely a farmyard. Two posts with a wire between them have clothes and shirts hung out to dry upon the line. Stones carefully fitted and cemented together by some mix of dirt and water in a circular pattern, with a bucket attached to a long length of rope is definitely a well. The house is a simple design made out of stones and with a sod roof. On the side of the house is built from larger sticks, a small roof, under which are resting five large dogs, one chewing upon a bone. That is, it was chewing upon a bone, now it begins to sniff the air and then, aiming it's muzzle towards you, pulls back it's lips to show sharp teeth. A dangerous growl issues from it's throat, one that's quickly echoed by the others, and then first one bark, then another, and then they begin to stand up.

Oradell:
As you make your way into the farmlands, you find nothing else more defensive than the barbed wire fence which seems to more than anything, mark out the farmer's land and try to deter animals from entering than anything else. Eventually However, you come across a cornfield, and are able to see at regular intervals, stick figures with the old remains of clothes on them and 'heads' make of burlap sacks filled with some sort've grass.

Back with the rest of the waiting goblins, Krulsch's sensitive ears are able to make out the sounds of loud barks from the direction in which Gan set off in.

[Ganurath]

((OOC: Wow, so that's what happens when you forget to subscribe to a thread.))

Soth glances at Krulsch, noting his tone but not giving it much thought. "Then we'll deal with them just as easily as any other sentient."

[OOTS_Rules 2]

I report back to our "hideout" and say "The creatures have fairly primitive defence systems. Grass-filled dolls and barbed wire fences. If we wanted to stage a monster attack to forge a legend, having it break these defences to make us look all the more heroic would be easy."

[dyslexicfaser]

Gan swears softly in Goblin as the dogs spot him. "Good doggies?"

He doesn't stick around to see whaqt they might do; he turns and legs it like a scared rabbit. He flees back the way he came, sacrificing stealth for speed and hoping somebody had put those doggies on a choke chain. He tears through the wheat field and begins waving his arms wildly, just in case his companions didn't notice the barking by now. When his companions are in sight, he shouts so quickly that his words practically jumble themselves together,

"Hey, so, funny story and totally not my fault, but - watch out for vicious, bone-crunching attack dogs!"

[Vortling]

Skeesky raises an eyebrow at the returning Gan "Dogs? Why don't we all wait here and see if they follow Gan outside the boundaries of the fields. If they do we'll have a fight on our hands. I assume no one has any qualms about killing a few dogs? Also do we have any volunteers to take point?" Skeesky waits to see if the dogs follow Gan to the group of goblins before making any more plans.

[GammaPaladin]

Krulsch shrugs. "I feel bad about killing them, they've never done me any harm. But when somebody attacks, you fight back."

He readies his weapon and crouches to wait.

"I'm certainly not opposed to leadin' a charge if it comes to it."

[Ganurath]

Soth takes up a position close behind Krulsch, flipping the club he had been using like a walking stick to hold it in a proper weaponly manner. "If there's a problem, you solve it. Which way are they coming?"

[Pink]

((OOC: ah, this is the slight problem with pbp, I can't make instantaneous corrections. Oh well. ))

The Dogs Barrel after Gan as he runs back towards the rest of the goblins. The barking becomes audible to all of them as they see Gan return, shouting his warning before the five dogs become visible chasing him, and fast catching up, large mouth's full of sharp teeth waiting to sink into the flesh of intruders.

Note: Everyone except Gan who's been running for his sweet sweet life may have a weapon drawn already. I was also going to mention that nobody is flatfooted except you all beat the dog's initiative anyway.

Inits
-27 - Gan
-24 - Krulsch
-16 - Soth
-13 - Oradell
-8 - Skeeve
8 - Dogs

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/pink_lugia/Gobdog.jpg
Note: The fence takes 15' of movement to pass safely. You may choose to pass it with just a 5' of movement, however this risks taking damage and such. Either way, it will take a little extra movement to pass that fence through normal movement.

Note2: For those not familiar with my legend system, a '-' means that I need you to post an action for your character. A '+' means that I currently have an action from your character that will be done when your initiative comes up. Please do not post actions that happen after the enemy's turn, as most likely you'll have to revise these actions anyway.

[dyslexicfaser]

Gan slowed briefly as he navigated the fence. Once he was on the side and felt at least slightly protected from slavering attack dogs, he came to a stop (J8) and began waving his hands around in what vaguely looked like the somatic components of a magic spell, if the caster had been drinking heavily beforehand.

(Casting Mage Armor to bring my AC up to 22: I forgot to cast it prior to sneaking into town)

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Can I shoot my bow over the fence? If so, I move to square 10J and shoot dog 3. If not, I move to square M6 where I can access them next turn.

[roll0] Attack
[roll1] Damage

[Ganurath]

Soth moves up closer to the fight (K8), thrusting his palms out at the nearest dog (1) and closing his ringer and pinky fingers, forming a magic missile in each hand before launching both force projectiles at his target. As Gan arrives near him, Soth gives the scout a glance. "You injured, Gan?"

[roll0]

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Almost forgot about Sneak Attack damage. If I can shoot over the fence, that is. [roll0]

[Vortling]

Skeesky advances next to Soth (I8), drawing his short sword as he goes. As he arrives he shifts his feet and body into position carefully.


We'll see if any of them are left for me to hit. Also if anyone moves adjacent to a dog I'm adjacent to they'll get flanking since I'm in Isle of Blades stance now

[Pink]

OOTs: You can shoot over/through the fence. It's just wire. Also, the dog's are not flatfooted as they've been chasing Gan for a little while now. So fraid there's no sneaky, however that is a crit, so please roll for a confirm and extra damage if possible. Also...How do you have a +5 damage mod? I think that should be +2

Skeeve: I Need a square location if you're going to move. And I think there's going to be plenty of dogs left for you on your turn.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/pink_lugia/Gobdog-1.jpg

Round 1:
27 - Gan (Mage Armor)
-24 - Krulsch
+16 - Soth
-/+13 - Oradell
+8 - Skeeve
8 - Dogs

Gan runs towards his companions, and begins to cast his spell. Instantly his body seems to be covered with a transparent armor that seems to be made of blue energy.

[OOTS_Rules 2]

My dexterity is +5. Unless I use my STRENGTH bonus for the composite bow. In that case, I only deal 6 damage plus critical hit.

[roll0] Critical Confirm
[roll1] Critical Damage (+3 if I use my dexterity bonus instead)

[Vortling]

You use your strength for composite bows
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#longbowComposite

[GammaPaladin]

Krulsch runs up beside Gan (I8) to protect him from the incoming dogs.

"Already pickin' a fight are ya? I knew I liked you."

He takes up a fighting stance, prepared to strike at the oncoming beasts.

((Readying Krulsch's standard action to attack the first dog that comes into reach, to add to any AoO's he gets against them.))

[Pink]

ooc: Please guys, let's keep the OOC talk and questions in the OOC thread if possible. OOTS, rarely will you add dex to an attack, comp bows will add a strength bonus to damage up to the bow's max allowance. Shame that didn't confirm though. Also, how do you have a +11 to attack? You don't have it listed as Masterwork, and that would put it at only +10.

Vort: I'm gonna need a new square to put you on since Krulsch took I8 before you. I'll assume you're on L8 though since that is beside Soth.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/pink_lugia/Gobdog-2.jpg
Round 2:
-27 - Gan (Mage Armor)
-24 - Krulsch
-16 - Soth
-13 - Oradell
-8 - Skeeve
8 - Dogs

Adjusting the his exotic chain weapon, Krulsch strides over to his comrade and gives a smirk while his body tenses, waiting for the onslaught. The Albino goblin is also quick to approach the dogs, shooting forth a bolt of magical energy that causes a yelp from the animal but doesn't slow it down. Oradell takes a spot behind the wall of goblins and, though it's a tricky shot through his allies (((They provide cover to the dogs)), he effortlessly makes the shot, the arrow sinking deep into the dog's haunch. Last to step forward is the reluctant Skeesky, his sword ready as he drops into a low but far reaching stance.

The dogs continue their charge, if anything more enraged by the further intruders. The first crawls carefully inbetween the wires of the fence and growls menacingly at Soth.

The next moves forward, only to be nearly missed by a swing from Krulsch's drow chain. Barking loudly at its attacker, the dog lunges towards Krulsch, the wire slicing accross the dog's face in a thin but deep cut before the dog sinks his teeth into Krulsch's goblin flesh (Krulsch: 8 damage)

Hurting a bit from the arrow, the next dog merely crosses through the fence, and is surprised by the whip like snap of Krulsch's weapon that hits the wild grass near it.

The other two dogs wriggle through the fence and try to form a circle with the other farm dogs, to cut off these strange intruders, barking all the while to warn their owners.

Enemy damage
1: 7 damage
2: 2 damage
3: 7 damage

[dyslexicfaser]

Back to me, eh?

Just to help me remember what the heck my guy can do:
Stance: Gambler's Hand Stance
Maneuvers: Unseen Hand, Mightstrike, Mighty Throw, Tempest Strike, Mountain Hammer
Inspiration: 6/6


Gan

Feeling more confident now that he is among his allies, Gan skips forward a short step and his foot lashes out at one of the dogs (3) with bone-crushing strength (Mountain Hammer).

Attack: [roll0] (+1 thanks to WF for Setting Sun maneuvers)
Damage: [roll1] (+1 thanks to Gambler's Stance, +4 by spending an Inspiration point)
Mountain Hammer: [roll2]
EDIT: Argh. Good damage, crappy accuracy.

[Ganurath]

Soth bares his teeth and glares at the dog he hit with his magic missiles earlier before moving to a more secure position (J9) and barking orders, pardon the pun. "The left two are mine! Oradell, finish the far right!" With that, he casts Sleep centered at D/E-8/9.

[OOTS_Rules 2]

7 (Strength plus Dexterity)
1 (Size for being goblin)
3 (BAB for being part ranger)

I let another shot fly at dog 1 after moving two squares to the right (10 L)

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Vortling]

Skeesky takes note of Soth's spellcasting before bringing his short sword to bear on the dog in front of him (2).

"Let's not get surrounded, shall we?"

Shadows merge around Skeesky's weapon, pulling in from the darkness around him until the entire weapon is pure darkness. It leaves a trail of shadows as Skeesky slices at the dog.


Attack
[roll0] 2 BAB, 4 Dex, 1 Size, 1 Masterwork, 1 Weapon Focus, 2 isle of blades
Damage
[roll1]+[roll2]
Dog needs to make a DC 15 Fort save or 20% miss chance on melee attacks for next round

[GammaPaladin]

Krulsch attempts to deflect the dog's attack against him with a desperate swipe of his gauntlet, but fails. He grunts as the dog's teeth sink into him, grimacing in pain.

"Let's hope we get a choice!" he yells in reply to Skeesky.

He shifts his posture slightly, and suddenly seems to be harder to see against the shadows in the grass. Trusting Skeesky to deal with the closer threat, he whips his gauntlet towards the dog behind it, the razor edged ribbon of steel extending from it towards his target.


First, attempts Baffling Defense against the Wolf's attack:
[roll0]

...and fails miserably.

Second, shifts into Child of Shadow stance, but doesn't move (Just want to be able to get my +dex bonus to damage from the Shadow Blade feat).

Then attacks dog number 3.
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Pink]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/pink_lugia/Gobdog-3.jpg

Round 3:
-27 - Gan (Mage Armor)
-24 - Krulsch
-16 - Soth
-13 - Oradell
-8 - Skeeve
8 - Dogs

More confident with his allies and magical protection, Gan turns around and delivers a powerful blow....To the air as the dog crouches down below the kick.

Shrugging off the pain and slight blood loss from his wound, However with Gan moving forward his aim is off once again. (Gan providing soft cover to 3)

Soth meanwhile turns to those threatening to encircle the goblins and with the live cricket, pulled from his pouch of magical components, singing it's song as it disappears, points a hand in their direction. For a moment they seem to sway, however, perhaps from the barking of the other dogs, they remain standing and give more ferocious growls. ((Hey, they rolled good okay?))

Stepping away from the action, Oradell draws another arrow and shoots it into the chest of the first beast to charge. Its next bark is pained and blood is mixed in its spittle, however it still stands and has some fight in it.

With sword in hand Skeesky recalls his martial training and strikes out with supernatural shadows surrounding his blade. However right as he's about to strike the dog lunges at him with a loud bark and his swing is thrown off course.

The dogs, though some of them damaged, are no where near giving up. Running purely on adrenaline as blood drips from the quarrel stuck in it's ribs, the first dog charges towards the archer who delivered the attack. However it's teeth dig only into the leather of Oradell's armor.

Following through on the lunge that had initially thrown Oradell off balance, the second dog snaps it's jaws, horribly smelling breath shooting out with each bark, however Skeesky pushes the jaws away with his free hand.

The third dog dodges to the side of the martial gambler and dabbler, but it's simple bite is no use against one of such prowess.

The fourth, trying to surround these intruders, runs forward at the goblin with that biting chain whip. However, Krulsch delivers two swift slashes with his weapon against the dog in the time it takes for it to reach him, and it falls down at his feet, blood running freely from two long deep cuts that run the length of its body.

The last, not seeing the demise of his brother, moved towards Oradell to help with the leader of the pack. However the barks probably was what tricked Oradell off to be able to easily defend against the gung-ho attack.

[dyslexicfaser]

Man, so much for being these badass goblin geniuses. We're fighting evenly with some farmers' mutts!

Stance: Gambler's Hand Stance
Maneuvers: Unseen Hand, Mightstrike, Mighty Throw
Inspiration: 2/4


Gan

Gan looks a bit annoyed as the dog ducks under his best strike. He spins to get his back to the fence (J6) and tries to drive a fist into one of the other dog's (2) ribs, his knuckles momentarily dancing with energy.

Attack: [roll0] (WF, Flanking, Gambler's Hand)
Damage: 1d4+6 (1 Inspiration point)
Extra Cold Damage: [roll1]
Extra Electrical Damage: [roll2]
Messed up roll in OOC thread.

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell (Not on his turn, as a free action) calls out "Damn, can I get a little bit of help here?"

Then, he pulls out his maces and says "Eat my maces, dumb animals!" He strikes the attacking animal two times with his maces.

[roll0] Light Mace
[roll1] Heavy Mace

[roll2] Light Mace
[roll3] Heavy Mace

When he leaves his mark, he quips "Cheer up, it is only a hard strike to the head!"

[Vortling]

"Soth! Step back so Krulsch can help Oradell!" Skeesky shouts, hoping no hostiles other than the dogs are close enough to hear him. Skeesky shifts his feet to move closer to the fence (5 foot step, H7). Skeesky's blade gathers strength from the shadows again but this time a second blade forms from the shadows, slightly displaced from his original blade. Both blades slice through the air at the dog(2)

Attacks
Shadow Blade Technique
[roll0]
[roll1]

Damage
[roll2]
extra damage if both attacks hit
[roll3]

[GammaPaladin]

Krulsch hears Skeesky call out to Soth, but he's already moving. He dances a step to his right and whirls his weapon around to strike at the dog that obviously leads the pack, in the hopes of demoralizing the group.

Flames flicker along the length of the wicked lash as he whips it towards the dog in question.

"Die you miserable varmint!"


5 foot step to J-8, swift action to initiate Burning Blade, and attacks dog #1 in front of Oradell with Stone Bones, just because he's within the reach of Dogs 2 and 3 now, so DR 5/adamantine might be helpful.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
Guh, add +1 to that damage. I'm not doing a very good job of keeping track of all my modifiers. +1 from strength, +5 from dex due to Shadow Blade, and +1 from it being a +1 weapon (Which is what I forgot, like a moron).

So 19 total damage, rather than 18.

[Ganurath]

Soth rolled his eyes and stepped a bit south (to J10) and faces northeast before forming his palms into a cone and sending a color spray at two of the dogs flanking his allies (1 and 3.) After speaking the words for the spell, he quips at Skeesky. "You speak as though I can't do the job!"

[Pink]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/pink_lugia/Gobdog-4.jpg

Round 3:
27 - Gan (Mage Armor)
24 - Krulsch
16 - Soth
13 - Oradell
-8 - Skeeve
8 - Dogs

Dodging back, Gan delivers a powerful punch into the dog, the sound of ribs cracking audible as with a yelp, the dog falls to the ground.

Krulsch meanwhile, moves to help the archer and brings down the leader of the pack with some quick, barely visible slashes of the drow chain, as the dog falls into three pieces before igniting on fire.

Soth decides to cast another spell on the, relatively, healthy dog beside Gan, as from his hands bursts forth a wield spray of colors. The overwhelming spray is too much for the dog as it falls to the ground.

OOTS: Since you haven't rolled it yourself, I'll roll to confirm in the OOC thread, and i suggest you check it too see a question or two i've made about your mods there. Also, I'm assuming you're attacking dog 5 now.
Oradell, dropping his bow, draws his Maces and attacks the last remaining dog engaging him in combat, his lighter mace hitting the dog square on the skull.

Vort: seeing your target's dead and I'm not going to assume too much for you, I'm letting you redecide what you're going to do for this round.

Enemy damage
1: barely recognizable corpse
2: dying
3: 7 damage, unconcious (5), Blinded (9), stunned (10)
4: dying
5: 4 damage

[Ganurath]

Soth, deciding against wasting spells against a foe who's fate is sealed, wanders toward (H9) the dog that had fallen first (4) and begins beating it to death with his 'walking stick.' "Let's wrap this up, I grow tired of dealing with these wannabe worgs."

[roll0]
[roll1]

[OOTS_Rules 2]

I shout "Bring it on, puppy boy!" as I smash the attacking dog with my maces.

L Mace
[roll1] H Mace

[roll2] L Mace
[roll] 1d6+2 H Mace

[Vortling]

[previous turn redo]Skeesky moves swiftly over to help out Oradell with the remaining standing dog (K10, attacking dog 5). Ice blue fire leaps from the hilt of Skeesky's sword stopping once it has covered the entire blade. At the last moment before his sword slices towards the dog it splits into two exact copies of his blade.

[spoiler]
Activating burning blade and moving to square K10 to attack dog 5 with shadow blade technique.
Attack

[roll1]
Damage
[roll]1d4+1d6+2
Extra Damage if both attacks hit
[roll2]

[GammaPaladin]

If Dog #5 is still standing, Krulsch will take a step to the south and attempt to finish it.

[roll0]
[roll1]

Otherwise he will simply Coup de Grace dog number 3.

[roll2]

In the latter circumstance, he will say quietly:
"No reason to let it suffer."


Krulsch examines his bite wound as the action winds down, panting from exertion.

"Well, some heroes we turned out to be. We're bloodied by some farmers' blasted pets. And we still don't have any damn idea what kind of creatures these farmers be."

He sighs heavily.

[dyslexicfaser]

Gan grins and hops from foot to foot, feeling his adrenaline pumping, even after such a lackluster fight. "I'm certain, with the racket those dogs were making, we will be finding out shortly just what kind of force these farmers can muster. I rather suspect it will be of the torches-and-pitchforks variety, whatever the color of their skin."

He looks completely unrepentant that this turn of events is basically his fault.

[Ganurath]

Soth points at the dog he hit with his color spray. "That's why we should finish off that mutt before it gets up."

[Vortling]

Skeesky sheaths his weapon and lets someone else take care of the last dog. "Let's see if we can use the fence here defensively for an ambush since we've eliminated both the dogs and the diplomatic option. Barring some very impressive lying, of course. At the very least we should be able to replenish our wanning supplies even if we have to make a dash through the settlement."

[Ganurath]

Soth raised an eyebrow at Skeesky. "We don't need to lie, I don't believe. We had sent scouts out to determine if the settlement would be willing to provide us with supplies, and one of the scouts was forced to retreat to the main group after getting the unwelcome attention of the dogs. Their deaths, although tragic, we're strictly in self defense."

Naturally, Soth is saying this while delivering a coup de grace to one of the dying dogs. "Of course, if that fails, we'll have two kinds of meat to jerky instead of one, so it's a win-win situation."

[Pink]

Round 5:
-27 - Gan (Mage Armor)
-24 - Krulsch
-16 - Soth
-13 - Oradell
-8 - Skeeve
2 - Farmers


With a swing of his blade, Skeesky brings down another dog, and though it breathes faintly, the with it's still smoking wound it's not long for the world.

As Krucsh and Soth begin to 'end the suffering' of some of the fallen dogs, the rest of you relax for a moment. Just a moment however, for, from the direction of the farmhouse, comes a sound like thunder. Striding over the field you are able to spot three humanoid forms. One of them whistles and after a moment's silence, punctuated by the lack of barking now, One shouts in common, "HEY! WHO'S OUT THERE!?"

((K, same encounter so no refreshing stuff yet (That'd be too easy). As a note, if you lie prone you can consider the wild grass and the farmer's crops as soft cover for hiding and such for hiding if you wish, unless they're adjacent you, in which case you just look silly. Oh, and spot checks!))

[dyslexicfaser]

Stance: Gambler's Hand Stance
Maneuvers: Unseen Hand, Mightstrike, Mighty Throw
Inspiration: 2/4

Gan

Gan ducks low instinctively, using the grass for cover. Whether he's going to use his cover to kneecap a farmer or to slip away, he wants to have options.

Hide: [roll0]
Spot: [roll1]

[Pink]

Gan spots a gopher in the grass, which quickly runs into one of its holes as it see the goblin looking at it.

OOC: Extra note here, if you guys do want to just be talking here, as long as it's reasonable, it's free out of initiative action. So even though initiative is running, diplomacy is not completely out the door if you try it...It's only very difficult cause you downed and then proceeded to beat to death his dogs. :smallbiggrin:

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell flees and runs behind a tree, squatting against it for cover. He says "If they prove hostile, I will help, but for now I am hiding my keester!"

[roll0]

He then peeks out from behind the tree to see if the farmers are angry.

[roll1]

[Pink]

ooc: What Trees? Also, please label your rolls.

[dyslexicfaser]

OOC: It's called aggressive diplomacy, pink. You beat them unconscious, tie them up, and then use diplomacy on them when they wake up. They will soon see the error of their ways.

Much safer than trying to talk down an enraged farmer or three: "Oh, are these your dogs? Damnedest thing, they just came tearing through your fields, and all the way out into these grasslands, totally unprovoked. We had to kill them. In self-defense, you understand. Wait, what are you doing with that pitchfork?"

[OOTS_Rules 2]

I hide in the crops. Sorry. Also, the one was spot, and the 25 was hide.

[GammaPaladin]

[roll0]
Full Round Action spent using Adaptive Style to refresh his maneuvers.

If you guys want to try diplomacy, you might need to rein Krulsch in, especially if they are humans... He has a little... Issue... with them...

Krulsch sees the humanoid shapes and begins to growl deep in his chest at the thought that they might be hated humans... His gauntleted hand clenches tightly, and sets himself, mentally preparing to leap into action.

[Ganurath]

Soth makes for cover in the grass, doing what he can to try to see the humans while calling out to them in Common. "We're goblins that were sent to track a raiding party from a hobgoblin tribe we're at war with! Seen any in the area?"

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Vortling]

Skeesky reluctantly hides in the grass away from the recently deceased dogs. He decides to defer to Soth for the speaking while trying to keep an eye on everyone.

Hide
1d20+14
[roll0]

Spot
1d20+4
[roll1]

[Pink]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/pink_lugia/Gobdog-5.jpg

Round 6:
-27 - Gan (Mage Armor)
-24 - Krulsch
-16 - Soth
-13 - Oradell
-8 - Skeeve
2 - Farmers (1=Farmer Man, 2= Strongboy, 3 = Farmboy)

As all the goblins except Krulcsh disappear into the wild grasses, the farmers approach, though Gan and Oradell are unable to get a good glance at them from their hiding positions. All three appear to be human, with two of them seeming strong and in their prime while the one furthest back carries the signs of age. The first youth carries a fine looking pitchfork that he carries in one hand and a wooden shield in the other, and wears a leather jerkin, while the rest of his clothes seem to be simple farming clothes. The second though, has a uniform of sorts underneath his chain shirt and has a longsword in one hand and a shining metal shield in the other and walks with the self assured grace of a swordsman. The third, the one who has previously yelled at you, wears only a leather jerkin for defence and his weapon seems strange, if it is a weapon. It's a long tube of metal with wood attached to the end, and out of the tube comes a faint trail of smoke.

No, you do not know what guns are, you have not heard of guns. You know of magic, yes, but not guns. well, unless some of those that have travelled have a sufficient knowledge check to back it up.

As they approach, the older man, with sufficient speed and dexterity, grabs something from a pouch and a hollowed out horn from his belt, and seems to put them into the metal tube, before aiming it at Krulsch.
"Ain't never heard of any goblins at war with hobgobs. Come on, up out of the grass, drop your weapons, and tell me what you did to my dogs and what yer doin' on my land. If'n I believe you mean no harm you can get, back where you from. But if you've hurt my dogs I'm expecting you're gonna pay me back for them."

[Ganurath]

Soth breathes deep, thinking rapidly before casting Ghost Sound, looking at Krulsch before standing up after completing the spell. With rustling and the occasional hushed whisper coming from the direction of S15, Soth holds his club out in front of him so the farmers can see it before dropping it to the ground. He then glances at Krulsch, addressing him in Common loud enough for the humans to hear him. "Drop it, Krulsch. We don't know about that weapon aimed at you any more than they know about our politics."

[dyslexicfaser]

Gan

Gan stands and brushes himself off. This is almost certainly not going to end well, but he'll be damned if he'll hide on his belly in the grass in front of some shmoe with a pitchfork! Whatever the device the old one might be carrying could be, Gan doubts it'll be much use if it comes to a fight. How much damage could a little tube of metal do?

"We take a look to see who owns this heap of sod, your dogs attack us for no reason, and we should pay you for the pleasure of being set upon by your mutts?" Gan asks derisively in Common. "If anything, you should have to pay us for not showing you why trifling with goblins of our caliber is a bad idea."

(OOC: Awesome, the game's not dead! Incidentally, it's usually a good rule of thumb to try and keep Gan from opening his mouth.)

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell quickly panics! He doesn't know common. How can he communicate with these strange farmers. He puts down his weapons and looks at the farmers with a look that says "DON"T HURT ME! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

[Vortling]

Skeesky sheathes his weapon as quietly as possible and stands up slowly. "Oradell settle down. They don't mean us harm, yet." Skeesky watches the humans carefully in case they make any sudden movements with their weapons.

[Pink]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/pink_lugia/Gobdog-6.jpg

Round 7:
-27 - Gan (Mage Armor)
-24 - Krulsch (Downed)
-16 - Soth
-13 - Oradell
-8 - Skeeve
2 - Farmers (1=Farmer Man, 2= Strongboy, 3 = Farmboy)

As most of the others lower their weapons and Gan makes his insults to the farmers, Krulsch slowly swings his drow chain. At the end of Gan's taunt, with a grim smile Krulsch replies in the goblin tongue, "Like I'm going to let humans live when they try to threaten me."

And with that he runs towards the fence, a brilliant sight of athletic ability, leaping it in a single jumping. However midair, with another sound like a crack of thunder, a small burst of fire seems to emit from the strange metal tube the man carries and blood violently emits from Krulsch's back and he falls to the ground on the other side of the fence.

"Alright, now I dunno about the rest of you, but I'm not a fighter or a killer. I'm a man trying to protect his family, his land, and his livelihood. Now one last time, you leave here if you mean harm and never return, or come forward without your weapons, no tricks, and we'll have a chat and see if we can't work this out." The man says, reloading the weapon mechanically, but not aiming it at anyone in particular, just keeping it ready. Occasionally him and the farmboy give a look towards the possible corpse of Krulsch, but the soldierly one keeps focused in his gaze.

[Ganurath]

Keeping focus on the Ghost Sound spell, Soth slowly makes his way forward with his hands in the air, speaking first in Goblin, then in Common. "Oradell, we all speak Common. Gan, you shouldn't. As Gan has already stated, we killed your dogs. They pursued Gan to our main group, who was scouting the area to see if you locals were humanoids that could be spoken with in a civil manner, and we fought in self defense. As for Krulsch... He had some bad history with humans. Don't let his actions represent us."

[OOTS_Rules 2]

OOC: Sorry, I thought that common went off of our character sheets,

Oradell says "Please don't hurt us! We were just looking to see if you were the Hobgoblins that torture our home or somebody who we could talk civily with. Your dogs attacked us, thinking we were thieves, and diplomacy doesn't work on dogs."

[Vortling]

Skeesky walks over to the fallen Krulsch without saying a word. He bends down to see if there's any life in his eyes at all.

"I see we are at an impasse of practicality." He comments flatly.

Skeesky makes a point of laying down his weapon in such a way that the humans can see him taking the action.

[Pink]

"Hey pa, I Don't think that's all of them." Says the farming youth with the pitchfork, taking a step towards the rustling and whispers caused by Soth.

"Don't fall for it, I don't see any goblins there. It's an illusion most likely. One of them's an arcanist." Comes the confident reply from the soldier.

"I thought I asked for no tricks here." says the farmer with a slightly disappointed expression on his face.

[OOTS_Rules 2]

OOC: OK, it has been re-established I don't know common, so disredgard my last post where I talked.

Oradell whispers to Soth "Soth, please reveal yourself. These guys mean serious business. They shot good old Krulsch, and I don't want you to share his fate. The man with the magic tube that downs people in one shot could shoot the bush, and you might be killed." He then looks with concern at Krulsch's possibly dead body, wondering if his friend will survive.

(Unless, of course, the ghost sound is calling this. Oradell then says in place of the first couple of lines "Soth, turn off the ghost sound. They mean business.")

[Ganurath]

Soth gives Oradell a look before ceasing focus on the spell. "I specialize in illusion magic. I feel vulnerable if I don't have a trick ready."

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell whispers "I know, but if they saw you channeling that spell, they might have hit you with that. . . . thing that I shall call the Bang Tube. You saw what it did to poor, poor Krulsch." Oradell points to Krulsch for emphasis. Oradell sheds a single tear as he remembers how the farmer shot Krulsch

[Vortling]

"They're not getting any less suspicious with us talking among ourselves here."

To the farmers:
"We've dropped our weapons. Are you ready to 'chat'?"

Skeesky also keeps an eye open for a moment to regain his mental composure (refresh maneuvers).

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell nods and decides to keep his mouth shut during this situation. For all he knows, the farmers could hear his begs for mercy as "ATTACK, MY FELLOW GOBLINS!" However, he whispers to Skeesky "Please kindly inform them that I do not know Common."

[Pink]

OOC: How close are you getting to them? 20'? 15'? 10'? And martial adepts, I think we'll call this the end of the combat part of the encounter for now.

"Sure are, provided you don't have a knife hidden amongst ya." The farmer says, laying his strange weapon on the ground to the gasps of the other two that accompany him. He then gives them both a quick look that tells them to do the same. To this end the one youth quickly sheds his combat pitchfork on the ground, the other though only sheathes his sword and keeps shield in hand. With a sigh the farmer tries to start the conversation. "Alright, first things first. How many of you speak proper common eh?"

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell shakes his head "No." He then takes off his chain shirt, shakes it to show there is no hidden blade, searches the pockets of his normal clothing to show them that nothing is in there, and takes off his boots to show there is nothing in there. He then puts his boots and chain shirt back on.

[Ganurath]

Soth jerks a thumb in the direction of Oradell as they approach, Soth himself coming over the fence. "Oradell there is the only one of us of health who doesn't speak Common, although I doubt my associate who spoke in a hostile tone earlier could be said to speak it properly. Gan, mind keeping your commentary in Goblin if you're going to maintain the attitude?"

[Vortling]

"I speak Common, but I'm not prone to eloquence." Skeesky doesn't move from his position near the fallen Krulsch. He watches the farmers closely and listens to their movements but doesn't speak any further words.

[Pink]

There's a small moment as oradell partially undresses to show his lack of weapons. After he's finished a small smile crosses the farmer's face, while a frown creases the features of the soldier boy.

"Alright then, feel free to translate for your friend. I'm Peter McCready, these are my two sons, Thomas," He says, pointing to the one in armor, "And Harry." He indicates the other one, who is now looking more curiously at the goblins now that combat is ended. "Now. I'm going to assume you've killed my dogs. Now, while I know you didn't know this, those dogs are trained to attack lurkers and intruders. If you had gone around the fence to the front gate or didn't stand your ground against them this close to the fence, they wouldn't have done more than chase and bark at you. Those dogs cost me alot of money, and you killed them all so I don't even have one to breed with. Now, if you really mean no harm to me and my family, and are just here escaping whatever feud you have with your larger kin, why did you stand your ground, and what do you plan to do to make restitution."

[Ganurath]

Soth nodded as he took the information in, then glanced at Gan. "Gan here was the one who was scouting out the area, we were trying to figure out if you locals were hostile. Now, Gan, do you think there was any way for you to know how to move around the dogs without making them violently hostile?"

He then looked over at Oradell. "Check Krulsch's body for anything of value that we can't use. We don't have much in money, but if we can give them goods to sell that should cover restitution enough."

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell waits for a translation, but judging by the farmers expressions and gestures, he assumes he is talking about the dogs. He tells Soth "Tell these farmers that we were defending ourselves from the dogs because we didn't know who you were. For all we know, they could have been Hobgoblin War Dogs, trained to rip and tear at our fragile Goblin flesh. Also, ask them if anyy of them can speak Orc" He then walks over to Krulsch, hands behind is head to show he means no harm, and rummages through Krulsch's armor. He asks his companions "Do any of you want his Short Sword or Drow Scorpion Chain? Or even some studded leather armor? The everburning torch is useless, as we have Darkvision, so lets give them that. We can also give the farmers his bedroll. Keeping the rations and waterskin would be a smart move indeed, and we can also give them Krulsch's seven gold coins and nine silver coins. The Platinum coins should be kept, though." He waits for responses before handing the stuff over.

[dyslexicfaser]

(OOC: Sorry for the long absence, folks. Finals and such. I'm back now, though.)

Gan

Gan crosses his arms and glowers at everyone equally, a neat trick considering some are situated directly behind him. He has no weapon to divest himself of, so he's spared the choice of whether he needs to disarm before these farmers.

Gan can't seem to contain himself any more. "'Proper' Common, he says! I speak your language, human. Are you educated enough to speak mine?" He is actually interested in the answer; having a language the humans cannot speak might prove useful.

He speaks in Goblin: "Are we really considering paying these men with the gear of our slain comrade - the goblin they just killed? Over some dogs? Just because they have the edge in firepower is no reason to roll over and beg. I bet I could go over there and take his magic stick away before he kills me with it."

[Pink]

At the outburst Gan, Thomas draws his sword and speaks to his father in some tongue that seems somewhat rough. There is a motion to the gun lying on the ground.

Father McCready respond with some sharp words in the strange tongue, before looking at Gan appraisingly, then addressing Soth. and in common saying, "I've let ya step onto my land, laid down my weapon, given you my name. Now, I can understand that you may be upset about my dogs chasing you off my land like trespassers and fighting you when you stuck around like raiders and thieves. However I don't think it's too much to ask for a little civility, being that I'm not trying to get my investment back by shooting first, looting later, and not giving you a fair chance to 'splain yourselves. It's jus' not my way. Now, are you going to be in good faith with me here? Because if you and your group are divided in opinion, I'm either going to ask that you restrain him yourself, or that you pick up your weapons so that this is settled. I will be warning you that as we speak, our wives are heading to the village and soon enough there'll be other officers like my boy Thomas here heading up to see what's what."

[dyslexicfaser]

Gan

- OOC: I'm assuming Soth and Oradell want to keep negotiating, so I'm taking the liberty of shutting myself up so we can keep moving right along :smallsmile:. Though... do we actually have 750 gold on us to give this mook? -

Gan can practically feel his head trying to explode under the weight of unfriendly stares from both human and goblin. He unfolds his arms in order to wave airily at the upset farmers, doing his best to wordlessly convey his utter lack of fear at the thought of more of these provincial 'officers' gathering. "Yeah, yeah, civility, dealing in good faith, whatever," he grumbles, but subsides into silence once more, allowing Soth to take the lead.

[OOTS_Rules 2]

OOC: Hooray for my backstory! No we don't have that much gold. Kruslch has 7 gold and 9 silver. At the price of what this guy might be asking, we are going to need Gilbness or Glibness or w/e it is called to make him think that the dogs are just sleeping.

As Oradell cranes his head to listen, he recognizes the sound. The farmers are speaking Orc. Oradell listens to one of them telling the man with the Bang Tube "to just shoot them" Muttering in Goblin "We are doomed." Oradell says in Orc "We will finish the transaction in a couple of minutes. I have to ask my comrades what they want." to the farmers, and walks over to Gan. In Goblin he whispers "One of the farmers is trying to convince his daddy to shoot us. You were right! These humans are no good. . . . toadstools! The old man will listen to reason, but if his son takes the gun, we are done for. But whatever you do, don't say anything about it out loud. Remember, that thing killed Krulsch, and can kill us as well." Oradell then thinks about a revenge plan. He makes a spot check to find trees.

[roll0] - (Spot)

[dyslexicfaser]

Gan

He replies softly in Goblin, "Unbelievable! But thank you for the warning. We will have to be ready to take action instantly if our mediator can't convince the old one."

(OOC: How far away from the humans are we? If they're farther than 60 feet, Gan will spread his hands wide to indicate he is unarmed and unarmored, and move forward until they can have a comfortable talk... within charging range. You know, if negotiations break down due to the fact that he's demanding 750g and we have about 7.)

[OOTS_Rules 2]

(We have 2 Platinum, but I will give my left leg before losing such valuable resources)

Oradell says "Welcome." He continues to look for a tree, as trees are essential to his plan.

[Vortling]

(I've actually got ~100 gp, but let's talk to them first. Also I'm definately not going to try the negotiations myself. Darn negative charisma and no ranks in diplomacy)

Skeesky participates in the glaring at Gan. He also listens in on Oradell's comments about the farmers talking. He walks forward next to Gan, partly for a show of solidarity and partly to smack him in the head if he mouths off again.

"I believe we have our disagreement settled. We're ready to talk now."

[Pink]

((Roughly I believe I said negotiations are about 10-15 feet away right now. However nobody is flatfooted right now if you guys suddenly start combat up again (Though I might have inits rerolled at this point). And you guys can have your maneuvers by now I think.))

Oradell can spot trees in the distance, to where the farmhouse is located. However these are a fair distance away and the farmer and his sons stand in between the goblins and the trees right now.

Both the Farmer and his soldier sons seem again, taken back when one of the Goblins speak orcish. The lack of recognition from Harry however reveals that he probably doesn't speak Orc.

Peter, after the situation seems defused, let's a grin show before fading back into seriousness. "Alright then. Now, I won't lie but the breeding pair of those dogs cost a fair bit of gold, and I spent a lot of time training them as well. Seeing as you were a bit unawares about what's the proper way to approach a farmhouse round these parts, I'm only going to ask for the money for another breeding pair. It's still quite a bit at 300 pieces of gold, assuming I can get a good deal. Now I'm asking you, do you have that much amongst you? Honestly please."

[Ganurath]

"If you're willing to accept items of equivolent value, we could easily pull enough together from Krulsch's gear... Although I have been wondering if there's a particular reason you had guard dogs to begin with. Three hundred gold is a massive investment for rural humans, so there must be some threat you're trying to dissuade." Soth perks a brow at the last word for emphasis. The goblins native to the keep had been anticipating hobgoblins. If they were nearby, they might be able to- restrain your ambition, Soth. Wars and alliances surely can't be made by human farmhands and goblin misfits, can they?

[Pink]

"I wouldn't call it massive, but it is a fair bit of gold, otherwise we wouldn't be having this talk. But dogs are a good investment. Faithful, easy to train, can give you fair warning of intruders too. Afterall, we're a farm in the countryside, who knows what might stumble upon our way. The Rural guard helps but even they can only do patrols so often for us farmers." He says in explanation, with a smile appearing a bit more on his looks.

"I'd be willing to take a look at what you have to offer, but I make no promises. If I can use it readily or sell it easily then we might have a deal."

OOC: This is now his speech color.

[Ganurath]

Soth nods, then switches to Goblin to address Oradell. "Bring Krulsch's body over so they can look for valuables. Let's see if we can guilt them into offering us a job to work off the debt. Oradell's bringing the body over for you to look at. ...So, what sort of stuff did the dogs usually guard against?"

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell brings the body over, upset that his friend had to die such a dishonorable way.

[Vortling]

"How close is the nearest large human settlement? I hope you aren't paying much tribute for the lack of guarding you're receiving." comments Skeesky, trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible.

Skeesky takes another look at the group of humans as he moves closer with Gan and Soth.

Spot
[roll0]

[Pink]

"The dogs, well, anything unusual I suppose. Orcs more likely than not, some tribes prefer raiding to trading. They've also chased out a wolf or two in the past, and they actual brought down a boar once. Mighty fine eating that night." Peter McCready continues to the one of two goblins whose name he still hasn't heard.

Thomas, the warrior, is the one to step forward to examine the body brought forward ((If you're trained you may try a sleight of hand to take any of Krulch's items off his body unnoticed before it's examined. Otherwise I am assuming everything is still on him.))

Speaking to the other goblin whose name he doesn't know, he responds, "Lately these years, farmers don't pay tribute. It's all they can do to keep us in the land really, what with the continual Hobgoblin sieges on the capital. We're located quite away from any large centre to tell the truth, and it works well because the hobgobs mostly attack straight to the capital and remain in the surrounding land. Out of the way as we are, we don't have to worry about any war threat from them at least. The Farm guard is to make sure we're not defenseless. Sure, the occasional farm might be destroyed, but the guard soon discovers it and hunts down the threat."

[Vortling]

Skeesky takes a moment to think about the information he's received. He'd rather not stick around these humans longer than necessary, but if the humans are fighting the hobgoblins too it would be a poor first meeting that ended in slaughter. Slaughter rarely leads to working together against a common foe.

"Could you be persuaded to accept less payment for the dogs if we stayed for a time and dealt with the 'anything unusual' that your unfortunately deceased dogs won't be protecting you from? Or perhaps we could 'encourage' the more warlike Orc tribes around here that it is in their best interest to trade instead of raid?

[Pink]

"Well...Funny you should mention that." Peter begins, before his son interrupts him.

"Not much here Pa. Some coins, might be able to sell the sword and armor to a halfling or gnome trader, but they're only average make. I have no idea what this chain is supposed to be but it's hardly long enough or strong looking enough to be of any use. Best thing here is this light source, but even that isn't going to cover costs." Thomas says after examining the corpse, before standing up and dusting his hands on his side.

"Well if they can't pay us with what they have...I'm thinking, you were saying you needed more men to take care of that little problem in the north caves right? Have them help out and I'll take their wages and we'll be all settled I think." He says with a smile.

"Wait...You want me to...They're goblins for the love of..." He stops himself and looks over the four of you carefully.

[Ganurath]

Soth nodded, noticing the opportunity. "Yes, we're goblins. I assume this is a concern because your adversary is a force of hobgoblins involved in your war. If that's the case, it's an opponent that often oppresses our race that we speak the language needed to interrogate prisoners. I believe that an accord to help your people kill nongoblin goblinoids would be a mutually beneficial arrangement." Soth then addresses Oradell in Goblin. "It looks like we'll be paying the debt with mercenary work against one of the groups that's been muscling the hold."

1d20+4

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell grumbles a little, but agrees. He says "Its better than working for them"

[Vortling]

Speaking in Goblin, Skeesky adds his thoughts.

"It won't be for long Oradell. Once we pay our debts we don't ever have to set foot in this area again if we don't wish to."

(In Common)
"What is in these northern caves that's such a problem?" Skeesky decides to let Soth's silver tongue take care of Thomas's doubts instead of adding his own arguments to the mix.

[Pink]

"Alright alright, you're not hobgoblins nor are you in anyway allied with them. I'll take your word for it since my father seems so intent on vouching for you instead of having you rot in the town's cells. However, like we said, the hobgoblins don't bother us up here." He says with a bit of a harried look to Soth before turning to Oradell. "What we currently have problems with is a family of Ogres that's moved into the area. While they haven't hurt anyone yet they've caused some considerable damage to farm buildings and taken livestock. An attempt to see if they were willing to talk proved...ineffective. So we are forced to try and route them out of the cave they inhabit, yet the guard is stretched with patrols as is. Do you feel up to it?"

[Ganurath]

Soth smirks and nods, glancing over his shoulder at Oradell. "Ogre bash. Sound fun?"

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell shouts "You bet!"

[Ganurath]

Soth glances back at the farmers and reaches out for a handshake. "We're in."

[dyslexicfaser]

"Ogres, eh?" Gan mused. "At least it's something interesting."

[Pink]

"It's agreed then. You can go to it tomorrow. For now however there are holes to be dug and creatures laid into the ground. We can even make a spot for your companion if it is within your customs. Then I'll ask you to stay for the meal. I'm sure my son can tell you anything you need to know of the Ogres during the meal, and then you can accompany him back to the barraks within town. They'll have a bed for you wince you're now in temporary employment. For now though, if you have the strength, we will take my dogs and your late companion to the yard." The farmer says, with a sigh, opening his strange weapon for a moment and seeming to pull out a metal ball and pour out some black dust, before putting it on a leather sling on his back, and then heading to the dead dogs. His sons do likewise and begin to take the dead animals back in the direction Gan had first scouted.

OOC: You guys may now make claim to Krulcsh's items even if you don't actually IC take them until later. I can't quite see his sheet at the moment so might as well have them on yours.

[Ganurath]

Soth nods, then gestures for his comrades to follow as he translates for Oradell. "We're staying with the humans before the raid on the ogres tomorrow, and discussing the details over dinner at their place. Before that, though, burials for the dogs and... what's your hold's tradition for the dead? Other than divide goods up among the survivors, that is."

[dyslexicfaser]

Gan

Gan follows the farmers, the coin he had been playing with on the road here once more spinning dextrously between his fingers. "Perhaps someone at the barracks would be interested in a game or two," he mused aloud. Perhaps this little alliance (if you could call it that) wouldn't be the absolute worst thing that had ever happened to their group, after all; imagining fleecing any farmers he could lure into a game or three was putting a hop in his step and a smile on his lips already.

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell says "OK", upset that his friend is really dead.

[Vortling]

Skeesky follows the rest of the goblins towards the town with the humans.

"Ogres. Hmm, where did they come from?" Skeesky ponders whether this is part of a bigger issue or if the ogres simply migrated due to lack of food. He considers what sort of blessings he'll have to ask Olidamarra for tomorrow to fight these beasts.

[Pink]

OOC: Umm...Just confirmation but...All of you, walk after the farmers, taking nothing of Krulsch and leaving it to rot in the sun yes?

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell suddenly slips behind the group. Without them noticing, and with a tear in his eye, he begins burying Krulsch. He also takes Krulsch's 2 platinum to split evenly amongst his team, (I believe 2 plat is 200 gold, so 50 for each of us).

[Ganurath]

Soth also helps with the burial and searching the corpse, since he was heading that direction anyhow. For the sake of practicality, he casts Prestidigitation to attend to the smell while the grave is being made.

[Pink]

OOC: Platinum pieces are worth 10 gold each. I was wondering why you thought they were so precious.

The farmers, seeing that the goblins prefer to bury their companion where he has fallen, continue forward towards their farmhouse, however Thomas clearly turns his eye back to watch those that remain.

DM note: I'm assuming you're just making a shallow hole using hands/weapons unless one of you brought a digging tool. In effect, more of a mound than a grave.

[OOTS_Rules 2]

OK, 5 gold for each of us. Yes, it is more of a mound. Because of a lack of digging tools, we can't really make a grave.

Oradell, realizing that he could die as soon as his companion, Oradell begins etching his will into one if his boots by using a sharpened rock. He writes "If I die, do not use a ressurection. I want to join my companion in the Great Beyond."

[Pink]

Okay, that totally made my day. Have a 50 exp rping bonus OOTS2.

[Ganurath]

Soth glances at Oradell's work, making a mental note of his will in case his body were left behind.

1d20+3

((I want to know if Soth knows enough about the afterlife to comment on how the odds are good that Krulsch and Oradell will be on different planes of existence in the next life.))

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell finishes up the mound thingy, and then picks up Krulsch's Scorpion Chain. He sticks it out of the grave as a gravestone, honoring his comrades favorite weapon. He then looks for some boulders to roll around the grave to prevent animals from defacing it.

[roll0]

[Vortling]

Soth glances at Oradell's work, making a mental note of his will in case his body were left behind.

1d20+3

((I want to know if Soth knows enough about the afterlife to comment on how the odds are good that Krulsch and Oradell will be on different planes of existence in the next life.))

((Make the comment anyways, I don't think Oradell will know you don't know.))

Skeesky says a few words over the mound before moving away. He doesn't say much but is clearly deep in thought.

[Pink]

Oradell is able to find enough rocks to finish the grave of Krulsch so that it should stand firm for a little time at least.

At length, the group finishes saying their last good byes to their former comrade and follows the trail through the wheat left by the farmer's. The farmhouse itself is surrounded by a small thicket of trees, probably grown over the generations by their planned look, as opposed to having once been apart of a larger forest. Past the trees is what appears to be a typical farmyard, a clothesline set-up between two wooden posts, a small stone well. The house is made from a simple design, made out of stones and with a small roof. At the side of the house is a small sheltering roof made out of wood, that has scrapes of cloth and a bone of two underneath it.

Currently the farmer and his warrior son are using shovels to dig five shallow graves near the win shield forest. The other son is no where to be seen. Looking up from his task and seeing that you have not brought Krulsch with you, Peter asks “You've laid your companion to rest then?”

[Ganurath]

Soth nods in affirmation, walking on his reclaimed club like a walking stick. "As much rest as he can get, anyhow. He was never the peaceful type, as you may have noticed."

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell asks in Orcish "Where did the Ogres come from, and why do they attack the farmhouse?"

[Pink]

Thomas sets his shovel against a tree and speaks, first in orcish and then in common, the answer to the question posed ((For ease we'll assume that someone is properly translating at this point I think)). "We suspect they come from the northern mountains, slipped past the dwarven strongholds or tore a path through the kobold tunnels. In any event they're here now and happy to stay in this softer land. They only make attacks when they need to, but they're obviously raiding for food, cattle, hens, crops. We can't let them get settled or worse, breed."

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell replies "Well, that must suck. Have you tried negotiating with them in Orcish? Mabye you could find a way to assist both parties?"

[Pink]

He gives Oradell a grim smile "If you had seen what they did to the first scout sent out to investigate their lair, you'd know that negotiating is not an option. Besides, they have nothing to offer us and have taken far to much to be excused, and they hardly seem like they could be convinced to just leave."

[OOTS_Rules 2]

Oradell says "OK, looks like slaughter it is then." He begins to tell his comrades "According to the farmers, these ogres don't take kindly to diplomacy. Looks like we have to kill them for these farmers."

[Pink]

Hellooooooo~ Anyone else playing besides OOTS?

*sigh* Don't want to do this, but if nobody else posts up within 3 days I might have to call time of death on this. Might have to call time of death anyway if there's not enough. Sorry OOTS. Fun concept and all but the tragedy of pbp games.

[Ganurath]

((Personally, it's the language barrier combined with the restriction to a set of options that gear towards similiar class combinations. IC, I didn't understand a word of what has been said.))

[Pink]

((That's why I said a couple posts back assume that it'll be translated at this point, either by you guys or by the humans themselves.))

[dyslexicfaser]

((Sorry, pink, OOTS, anybody else that's still in there - I don't know what it is about this game, but I'm trying to force myself to keep going, and it's not working very well.

The interest that was there at the beginning just kind of faded away.))

[Pink]

((Well...Hmmm...I can understand that. PbP is a difficult medium for keeping the fun going and there have been numerous breaks to the action. Perhaps this game has just lost it's steam...for which I can't be blaming you guys, as you've been great for the most part.))

[OOTS_Rules 2]

((I agree that the game has lost steam, but it was fun while it lasted. Pbp is just too slow to work, and I think if pbp was faster the game would have bloomed and prospered.))

[Vortling]

((I've been very very busy of late. I must apologize for that. It was fun while it lasted. Perhaps we shall see each other in a chat organized one-shot sometime.))

[Pink]

Hmmm, I have tinkered with the idea of a chat game once again. It's just that one of those requires preparation and such :P

Anyway, it's been fun, but as the general consesus seems that this has run it's course, Well, Time of death 11:26 July 4 Central Time. Cheers all. keep in touch and you're all welcomed in future games of mine.