Expedition - Foxy: Bounty On The Goblin HQ - 02 June 2021

[Stirling]

Foxy O'Hare

"The water channel which cut out the back passage of the cave only ran for about 80'ft until we could walk no further. Even then we had to twist and hunch. Which leaves a hunch that Bluebelle, Peck and Asaala are dead also. Eruanna may favour their journeys and prosper them. they will lack nothing save to lie in green pastures and be refreshed in quiet waters if that be so. " Unless the owl flies in and out to check we have no reason to stay if we are not going to rough it for several days and restore our health.

Foxy will triage her equipment (adjusted inventory on sheet) and take a backpack, bedroll, three days food and a water skin. She has one lantern full of oil but no remaining spare oil.
Apart from her clothes she has chain armour and carries her bow, a quiver of arrows and has the balefire sword by her waist.

If possible she would like to track down her ashwood riding lance, which was a fixed to Bluebelle's saddle but would have been taken down to gain entrance to the cave. If so she carries this, more for the fact it had several nice embroidered pennons and she feels more a sense of duty and mission carrying it."We started on a mission to defeat the goblin king, ends his raids of merchant caravans and crush the nefarious meanss of the necromantic summoning. We should carry ourselves with pride across these fields to Gaul not trudge with heads bowed. We have faced living death, we have assaulted a fortress and put a dragon to flight."

Foxy will help haul out if we choose to leave.

[Marullus]

So... Fox is asking Clay if Maurice will fly down in to scout the cave? Or is the decision to move-out made?

The lance (and the other gear with the mounts) is not in the outer cave, implying it was taken with them.

[Stirling]

Foxy expects us to move out, she would like confirmation that the horses are fine and healthy but thinks the reality is that if dragged down the tunnel by trogs then they have been eaten. we heard no sound of them and surely they would have sniffed us and heard us as the trog apparently did so she figures she has seen enough bones and body parts for now.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Clay volunteers (again) to enter the cave and see if the trogs are able to be bartered with. He can trade wolf meat and rations. He reminds the group that, alone, he has a better chance of a friendly encounter, and, perhaps, his spell "speak with animals" will allow him to communicate. He asks Baxtaw, again, if he knows how to charm a creature.

I think it's worth the effort to retrieve the animals if we can. before making the post, is like to know if Baxtaw can car charm person though. It makes things much, much easier.

[Stirling]

Foxy O'Hare

"Leave it be, the trogs will only see a nice black and white pelt wandering in ready to be carved up for display in front of the cooking hearth. Let us go without seeking to provoke their wrath."

[Rusty Tincanne]

I'll wait for an answer from Dram about Baxtaw's spells before responding. In the meantime, should we just dig in here and wait in day for some HP recovery? Two PCs are at 1hp,
right? And we need a second travois built for Clay.

[Starbeard]

We have to haul 260lbs plus whatever Clay's pack weighs, so that's a maximum of 300lbs total.

Grizzly's carrying 79 lbs., so anything she carries will drop her to 1/4 speed. Unless we get the horses or figure out how to divvy up the goods so that everyone's under 80 lbs. (which I doubt is possible), we might as well just load everything up onto one travoises and pull that, since we'll still be at 1/4 speed and it'll be easier to ditch the treasure for speed if we need to run away.

I'm really loathe to go back to the cave for the mounts (if any are even still alive), since we have no idea if there's one troglodyte or twenty, and in our current state, all it would take for just one of them to kill half the party is a failed surprise check and a bad initiative roll. But having 4 times as many encounter checks on the way home also sounds really rough. How many days out are we from Gaul again?

[Rusty Tincanne]

Clay takes a last look in the direction of the cave and sighs. Holding his prayer beads, he says a prayer to Beith, hoping the animals have a quick, painless death, and that the troglodytes use the food well. He turns to the group and nods. Maurice can scout for us, which makes being surprised less likely. I will go out front with Morr so, if we run into anything, I can try to get us on friendly terms.

No guarantee that we won't end up surprised or in a fight, but a bit better odds. I think it is 2 days back to town.

[Marullus]

I think it is 2 days back to town.

It is 36 miles back to town. Coming at 3/4 speed, you made it in 2-3 days. Returning at 1/4 speed without your mounts, you expect to be dragging your travois through the foothills for at least seven days.

Leaving the mounts to their fates, the party assembles their travois and prepares to depart. Since it is already afternoon, they opt to wait for the morning, giving everyone a bit more rest (+1hp everyone) and letting Clay regain his spells. The group gets up shortly after dawn and is on their way.

(Indicate if you ate the roast wolf meat stew, or if you subtract one ration.)

It is slow going, both Grizzly Woman and Clay the Badger dragging travois loaded with goods but the others maintain pace with them so they don't fall behind. Morrs sniffs the ground in circles as his master plods along while Maurice keeps an eye ahead.

It is mid-morning when Maurice returns, hooting to Clay. He has spotted a group of six goblins, similarly laden with goods and moving away from the mountain. They are resting in the shade of wooded grove just ahead and watching your intended pathway. The near-daily rains began about an hour ago, a steady light drizzle falling straight down from the overcast skies.

Date: 10:06 am, 08 June 2021
Light: Sunlight (90% cloud cover)
Effects: None
Distance: ~1 mile today
Weather: 54 Degrees, Drizzling rain, Wind 4-5mph ESE
Injuries: Halfpint (grevious injury), Baxtaw (grevious injury), Foxy O'Hare (severe injury), Huckleberry (moderate injury), Grizzly Woman (moderate injury)

[onlyme]

I think it is 2 days back to town.

It is 36 miles back to town. Coming at 3/4 speed, you made it in 2-3 days. Returning at 1/4 speed without your mounts, you expect to be dragging your travois through the foothills for at least seven days.

Can we get an encumbrance update? Since Halfpint lost close to half her stuff, she may be able to carry more weight without dropping to 1/4. I'll have to recalculate.. could everyone get to half?

Also, I would hope that the CLWs would be used immediately on those who are still below 3-4 hp. I know it is a risk...

[Marullus]

Can we get an encumbrance update? Since Halfpint lost close to half her stuff, she may be able to carry more weight without dropping to 1/4. I'll have to recalculate.. could everyone get to half?

Grizzly Woman is dragging a travois with 200lbs of mixed coinage in two 100lb-each coffers. Clay has 60lbs of dwarven personal effects in a large sack on his travois plus his own prior gear.

You've slain four retainers and turned one PC into a badger. You have four PCs still able to carry goods. You'd need to each carry an additional 50lbs of coins and 20lbs of assorted gear to eliminate the travoises. Nobody in the party (let alone everyone) can add 70lbs to their inventory and remain under 80lbs total. (A backpack only holds 40lbs, so you'd also need to work out if you had enough sacks, etc, to make it work.)

The choice given above was 1/4 speed, or save the mounts.

[Rusty Tincanne]

As the trek begins, Clay tends to Halfpint's wounds. The effects are minimal, perhaps owing to his claws being clumsy... He offers no other healing for the day without any explanation and he spends much of the day in silence, aside from communicating with the owl.

When they chance upon the goblin, Clay does not hesitate. He approaches a short distance* and drops to all fours, sinking his long claws into the soft earth, asking the vegetation to reach up and bind the goblins to the ground. With the loss of Asala and his new quest fresh on his mind, his mood is grim. Don't make them suffer if you can help it. Then let them feed whatever might be willing to eat them. Clay the Badger-Priest Wade's through the thrashing grass and uses his claws to dispatch as many as he can, praying that their deaths feed new life.

I think entangle is a better use of his spells, as it reduces the risk of conflict entirely. And he's in that sort of mood. Plus, we get more treasure this way!

[Starbeard]

Grizzly will eat wolf stew.

The Grizzly Woman eyes the goblins with little interest, and continues on her way figuring they haven't the stomach for more grit. When Clay goes off and tangles them she stops short a little surprised, then shrugs and sets her treasure down. She shambles over to the goblins and begins to dispatch those she can reach with her Good Knife.

[onlyme]

Halfpint will also eat wolf stew. After all, they tried to eat halfling stew earlier.

[Dram]

Baxtaw- answering Clays question. Yes I have the ability to charm the trog. But with my health I dare not take such a danger.


If we choose to head back to Gaul. Baxtaw will create a cache stash with clays help.To lower the unneeded weight so that we are not encumbered to much.

[Dram]

Baxtaw- answering Clays question. Yes I have the ability to charm the trog. But with my health I dare not take such a danger.


If we choose to head back to Gaul. Baxtaw will create a cache stash with clays help.To lower the unneeded weight so that we are not encumbered to much.

[onlyme]

Halfpint asks the others if they want to hide and wait, or see if someone can put the goblin pack to sleep so they can remove the threat.

[Rusty Tincanne]

When they chance upon the goblin, Clay does not hesitate. He approaches a short distance and drops to all fours, sinking his long claws into the soft earth, asking the vegetation to reach up and bind the goblins to the ground.

Sorry that wasn't clearer. Clay cast Entangle already and is now approaching to kill them while they are bound up. Halfpint can shoot arrows at any that aren't entangled, or if they all fail their saves, she can pepper them with arrows while they are entangled.

[onlyme]

When they chance upon the goblin, Clay does not hesitate. He approaches a short distance and drops to all fours, sinking his long claws into the soft earth, asking the vegetation to reach up and bind the goblins to the ground.

Sorry that wasn't clearer. Clay cast Entangle already and is now approaching to kill them while they are bound up. Halfpint can shoot arrows at any that aren't entangled, or if they all fail their saves, she can pepper them with arrows while they are entangled.

(crap, I missed that part of the post entirely...)
Halfpint will be ready to fire on any free goblin after the spell has been rendered.
If all are free, she will aim at any of them.

Shortbow [1d20+3] = 18+3 = 21; [1d6+1] = 2+1 = 3

[Marullus]

Clay the Badger growls, moved to moody silence and violent resolutions. He digs his claws into the earth and awakens violence within the plantlife. The goblins scream in terror as the trees and brambles they hoped to use for cover from the sun and rain become instead stranglewires and bludgeoning arms which bind them and constrict viciously around their limbs.

Five of the goblins are snared fast, one leaps free and tries to escape the woodland's ire but Halfpint's arrow shot takes him squarely and he drops to the ground, the first to die.

Clay waddles into the forest, the brambles sliding around him with the anger of mother earth but not claiming him as a victim. He tries to use his thick digging claws upon the snared goblins but finds it ineffective. It is only with his sharp teeth that he can take their life. (Does he?)

The Grizzly Woman risks the snaring brambles as well to aid Clay in dispatching these foul vermin, knowing that the brambles could just as easily snare her as well. Drawing the Good Knife, she wades in. To her surprise, the brambles recoil from her presence, the trees swing away: all of the animated and angry plants are repelled as far from her as possible as she passes. She moves effortlessly through them, dispatching the remaining goblins with her knife blade and letting their blood run down to the roots under the soil.

After the threat is ended, Clay once again makes the plants quiescent. Searching their bodies you find 13 electrum pieces marked with the sigil of King Jarkul.

Date: 10:10 am, 08 June 2021
Light: Sunlight (90% cloud cover)
Effects: None
Distance: ~1 mile today
Weather: 54 Degrees, Drizzling rain, Wind 4-5mph ESE
Injuries: Halfpint (grevious injury), Baxtaw (grevious injury), Foxy O'Hare (severe injury), Huckleberry (moderate injury), Grizzly Woman (moderate injury)