D&D 5e: Arcana of the Ancients (IC)

[purepolarpanzer]

Camping in the Crooked Hills

Shalar, moving quickly, silently, and with murder on her mind, sneaks around the hill to find the goblin party that is harassing the party and preventing sleep. She soon recognizes that this is not a military excursion. The goblins easily could have thrown fire bombs, spears, or even fired arrows at the party, but they chose to be a nuisance instead. No, the goblins that Shalar spots on the back side of the hill, laid flat and cackling like fools, are children.

It is difficult to distinguish with beings so small, but these five goblins are at least half the size of the ones you fought below. They don't appear to be armed with anything more intimidating then miniature knives of sharpened stone, and none of them wear these sharp implements in a real sheath. They do, however, have several empty buckets of pig waste. Satisfied with their sortie, they are getting ready to turn and run to the nearest crack in the earth when Shalar moves silently up behind them.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Ball is in Shalar's court. Throw an axe? Scare them? Try to capture some of them? Punish the little bastards? Up to ya'll.

[Awful]

Shalar Yotul Azari Beast Barbarian 3 AC: 15 HP: 15/32 THP: 0/5 PP: 13 Rages: 2/3 Conditions: Aid Oh, this was disappointing. Far from the mild combat of goblin warriors, it was just a bunch of unruly cubs. She stewed for a second in lack of bloodshed before she decided on what path to take. Honestly, to kill them would be barely worthwhile. Ah, well. Shalar must take on the roll of a teacher! She circled the youths, until she was at the side of the cracks, able to drive them towards the party as a whole, before she sprang. Her mighty muscles bunched and pushed her forward. In a flash of metal and wood, she brought the handle of one of her axes smartly down on the skull of one of the goblins, moderating her blow enough not to split it in two. Then, with a casual savagery, she backhanded one of the others with enough force to take it off its feet. She grinned fiercely at the ones remaining on their feet, leveling her axes at them. She rested a foot on one of her latest victims. "Hello, stupid little grubs!" Shalar said cheerfully. "If you run, I will chop off your legs! And then I will eat your two friends here! So hold still and be quiet, and you might see dawn!" Her red eyes glanced between them and the surroundings, keeping an eye out for any counterambushes. Spoiler: OOC Show Two hits, both above 20 even without advantage, 5 and 9 damage nonlethal if that matters.

[purepolarpanzer]

Ambush Reversed

Each of Shalar's blows knocks the sense out of the goblin it strikes, sending them to the ground unconcious. The three remaining cower in fear at the swift and sudden violence that is visited upon their peers. All three burst into tears, loud enough for the rest of the party to hear their lamentations. They act like the terrified children they are, and their high pitched sobbing is acidic to the ears.

[Awful]

Shalar Yotul Azari Beast Barbarian 3 AC: 15 HP: 15/32 THP: 0/5 PP: 13 Rages: 2/3 Conditions: Aid Keeping her eyes on the standing goblins, she reached down and wrenched the little knives from the goblin's belts, tossing them behind her carelessly. With another boot to the ribs, she rolled one of the unconcious goblins towards her prisoners. The other she picked up and slung over a shoulder. "Pick him up!" Shalar commanded. "We're going on a walk down there." She gestured with the axe, driving them back towards her group. When they were close enough, she waved the axe. "See our ████-throwers!" the bestial elf laughed.

[Inmate XIII]

Oath of Vengeance Paladin 3
AC: 18 HP: 10/31

Greck stares at the goblins with his mouth half open for a good twenty seconds before speaking. "This... This is stupid. Safeguard is stupid. Cannae we just tie them up and go back to bed? Let the cleric watch over them so they donnae escape?"

[Theophilus]

Ar-Raaqis (Dragon) Faceless Warlock 3 AC: 14 HP: 5/24 THP: 10/10 PP: 10 PIv: 10 PIs: 10 Spell Slots: 2nd - 0/2 Bottled Respite: 4/4 Hours Healer's Kit: 10/10 Dragon Conditions: Armor Agathys. 10 Cold damage to anyone who attacks her in melee. Dragon Concentrating: --- The lantern glowed as it had, dragon motifs lurking under the excrement. Spoiler: In the Dragon's Dojo Show Qadira half-listened to the fiasco outside. She did not stir from her pillows. The monster lurking in the pit fought sounded more fearsome than the threats outside. She popped another treat into her mouth, before refilling her cup with a decanter on hand. The ancestors were floundering, but she trusted they would prevail. She looked forward to when the mystics would duel. She would command the veil to draw forth all the visions of those two masters of arcana warred--in this prison in the Abyss, in the dark fortress of smoke and lava, in jest and wit as boyhood friends. Those moments reminded her of her apprentice years. Now she had to listen to gloating and grumbling orc-kin. She commanded the wall, "Increase volume."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Remain in the Bottled respite for now

[Amaril]

Calen Damora
Human Wizard 3
AC: 10 HP: 17/17
Conditions: none
Concentration: none

As Calen realizes what he's looking at, fear and tension fade to annoyance. "You have got to be kidding." Well, better than an actual raiding party, he supposes.

He gestures affirmatively to Greck. "That sounds--" The words die in his throat. "Hang on." A second glance confirms the youths all have the same head-growths. But then....

Crouching down, he catches the eye of one of the conscious ones. "Hey. Do you know who Safeguard is?"

[Awful]

Shalar Yotul Azari Beast Barbarian 3 AC: 15 HP: 15/32 THP: 0/5 PP: 13 Rages: 2/3 Conditions: Aid The Pillar Beast threw down the unconcious goblin she carried. "Have fun," Shalar said cheerily. "One of you watch them. I have already done the catching! Try not to leave them in too many pieces if you ask them questions - I want at least a few for clearing the traps!" She retreated to a nearby alcove in the shrubbery and settled down, resting on her haunches and tugging down the bear-head of the cloak she wore until her eyes were invisible in shadow.

[purepolarpanzer]

On a Crooked Hill Full of Pitiful Wails

The goblins quiver and shake. One of them goes over to shake his unconscious friend, while the rest cower and mewl. When Calen approaches and questions them, one of the little goblins says "Safeguard chief." It is obvious that the goblin doesn't know much common. "Safeguard protect tribe. Protect world. And Safeguard say you are enemy. Please let go. We not hurt you, and monster woman hurt Kleg bad like." The speaker exchanges looks with the others, and it is obvious that they are utilizing the implants to communicate silently with one another.

In the Dojo

The volume increases to bone trembling quality, allowing the Dragon to feel each beat in the story.

[Inmate XIII]

Oath of Vengeance Paladin 3
AC: 18 HP: 10/31

Greck's sneer becomes more pronounced with every word the goblin spoke. "Safeguard attacked humans. He sent goblins to raid them and never told the humans why. Humans donnae like raiding, far as they're concerned you gobs just started war."

He knelt down and clamped one of his massive hands on the crown of the speaker's skull to force the goblin to look him in the eyes. "Humans are nae like gobs who send even their weak and young to fight. When humans cannae fight back, they find someone who can. Someone like me or the beast lady." He squeezed the head as he spoke his last words. "Safeguard brought us here and we've already killed a lot of your tribe. Do yeh really call bringin' me here to be protectin' yer tribe? Maybe yeh should stop protectin' yer useless chief and start answering questions."

Spoiler: Discord Intimidation roll

Show

Rolled: 20, Modifier: +4, Total: 24

[purepolarpanzer]

The Crooked Hills

"We weren't sent to fight you. Other goblins don't know we here. Safeguard tell us through the sleep speak that you are enemies. We brave small ones came to let you know we are not afraid of you." He doesn't seem to see the irony of that task as he blubbers, trembles, and shudders with fear. However, it is easy to see that all resistance has been literally beaten out of these young goblins. "We answer your questions, just stop beast woman from hurting us please."

[Amaril]

Calen Damora
Human Wizard 3
AC: 10 HP: 17/17
Conditions: none
Concentration: none

Calen barely resists the temptation to fist-pump. "Alright then, questions. So Safeguard only speaks to you when you sleep? Does it know you're up here?"

[Awful]

Shalar Yotul Azari Beast Barbarian 3 AC: 15 HP: 15/32 THP: 0/5 PP: 13 Rages: 2/3 Conditions: Aid "Not afraid?" Shalar threw back her head and laughed. "Gya ha ha ha! A big mistake, yes?"

[purepolarpanzer]

The Crooked Hills

The goblins, young, but still with the growths of the others, say "We not sleep like older gobbos. Safeguard say our brains too young. When we older, horn turn on and we join the col...col...colmextiv!" The young goblins are the only goblins you have seen that don't look like they are sleep walking. "Safeguard say if we join now our brains go to mush!" When Shalar speaks again they scramble away from her and cry out in fear.

[Awful]

Shalar Yotul Azari Beast Barbarian 3 AC: 15 HP: 15/32 THP: 0/5 PP: 13 Rages: 2/3 Conditions: Aid The beastly elf merely chuckled at their obvious fear before settling herself. She shut her eyes, or close enough, as she sank back into the half-sleep of trance, limbs occasionally twitching with the phantom impressions of movement in the dream-like visions.