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

[Rusty Tincanne]

Walking on its hind legs, the giant badger pats his thighs with long-clawed-paws. Then looks sheepishly around at the others, mouthing, "No pockets... Sorry."

As they come upon the carnage, Clay fumbles with his holy symbol. Shoo! Go on!
Get going! Morr heads to the front, ready to charge any that Dare approach the group.

Flee Abominations! [2d6] = 3, HD Turned [2d6] = 7
If needed:
Morr [1d20] = 1, damage [1d6+1] = 4+1 = 5
Doh!

[Marullus]

The Skeletons turn to flee downhill before the scariness of the talking badger, the crows taking to the sky in protest as well, leaving the party alone among the rotting corpses.

(If anyone wants to act against the skeletons you may with the +2 bonus to hit. Otherwise, you can act in the scene while Clay turns them.)

[Valdus]

The dwarf mights the trip about the mountain with a stern determination. Though more accustomed to the rolling hills and forest, fresh air is still fresh air. He grunts it all in stride barely noticeable among the group, clinging to his new leather armor and always gripping his axe.

That is until he gets to the battlefield-graveyard.

He eyes the corpses of his brethren with sorrow, and the ogre with a strange sense of admiration. He then pulls his vision to the skeletal sentries, knowing full well that reason will not warrant anything here. He stands ready to defend the transformed cleric, shaking his head and approaching him from behind.

[Rusty Tincanne]

when all actions against the skellies are complete or if no one did anything:

A half-dozen dwarf-sized skeletons...wander..., scattering the crows who emit their caws of protest before settling elsewhere on the prolific carrion. Maurice the owl alights back with the group, hooting his sadness at their loss in these events

Clay responds to Maurice.

It is a sad thing the crows lost their meal. It was not my intent to deprive them. But look, they found another place to feast, and they will eat better without the walking dead nearby.

He translates the bird's words differently for Shortbread, explaining the owl was hooting for the dwarf's loss.

Clay descends to the bodies. While searching for any dwarfs that might still be alive, he counts the freshly dead dwarfs, comparing that against the number they were traveling with, trying to see if there were any survivors. He keeps an eye open for Thundred and the Horn of Jarkul or anything else that might be of value that might need returning to the dwarfs' families.

A good place to grab better armor for C'ang, perhaps.

[Starbeard]

The Grizzly Woman hands over the 8gp to pay the guards.

She laughs a good laugh at the skeletons scrambling away from them, then searches for survivors and equipment.

(removed 2 rations for Grizzly and the bear)

[Stirling]

Foxy O'Hare

Joins the inspection of the dead. Loitering over the body of the fallen ogre she shrugs, "Well that is 100gp less to fork out." She will heft her share of the wheel barrows and move on in the direction of the retainers cave.

[onlyme]

Halfpint follows her.

[Dram]

Baxtaw will use his Elven eyes to keep an eye for any unwanted visitors.

[Marullus]

The group surveys the carnage. Grizzly Woman and Clay the Badger lead the way among them, searching the bodies. C'ang and Baxtaw stand guard, wary of anything approaching while they are thus exposed. Foxy urges them to be quick and move onward.

They find all bodies of the Blackhelm clan are accounted for - fifteen dead including Thundred, Shortbread being the only survivor. Shortbread weeps openly, crying out in the chill morning air in his grief. As Clay offers to collect the personal effects of the dwarves but finds himself unable to do so personally, he is able to repurpose Shortbread, helping him stifle his grief by honoring his kin. After a brief time, they've gathered a large sack of personal effects which Shortbread is able to identify, and says he'll return to their families.

A dozen and a half skeletons lie scattered around them, destroyed in the battle, plus the corpses of the wolves and wargs. Grizzly Woman does a quick triage of the skeletons and dwarves, estimating that three sets of chainmail look serviceable. Between the skeletons and slain dwarves, there are 28 moderately damaged chainmail and two sets that are heavily damaged, 33 assorted battleaxes, warhammers, and heavy picks, and the 15 shields of the fallen dwarves.

Shortbread again weeps on the body of Thundred, already revealed as his blood uncle; the body of the dwarven warrior lies at the very front edge of the battle, fallen where he stood upon the fortification. His severed hand still grips the Horn of Jarkul, which lies a few feet from his body. His well-worn battle axe and his roundshield, which bears the sigil of three lightening bolts on a cloud, fallen next to his body.

Maurice hoots sadly to Clay, who translates to the rest of the group. The owl hoots to say that the battle was horrific - only the crows are happy. The wolves charged in from the mountain's flank, as you saw as you departed to search for the rear entrance, taking an early toll on your dwarven allies while the ogres hurled the boulders which brought down the palisade. Then the skeletons were sent out from within the palisade, the goblins waiting behind with their bows. Three warg riders also rode out against the ogres - when the first ogre fell, the other two lost their nerve and fled, the warg riders chasing them over ridgeline and into the hills. The wolves were all slain and the dwarves stood resolutely to the last man of them - in the end, Thundred stood alone and fell in single combat against the half-dozen skeletons which Clay just sent fleeing down the mountainside. Finally, Maurice lets you know that a rather large red dragon flew out of the cave's mouth late in the night; it hasn't yet returned.

Please resolve what you take from here, then we'll move on to follow Foxy to the hireling's cave. Here's a reminder of what you're currently carrying:

The party considers what it grabbed, so as to not leave empty handed:

• Foxy has the flaming sword of the goblin king.
• Foxy's shield is now covered with a heavy layer of cooled gold metal (200gp)
• Grizzly Woman is carrying a full dwarven chest of mixed coinage (100lbs of mixed CP, SP, and EP)
• Baxtaw is carrying a full dwarven chest of mixed coinage (100lbs of mixed CP, SP, and EP)
• Halfpint is carrying a small sack of mixed coinage (20lbs of mixed CP, SP, and EP)
• Shortbread honored the Badger's request and is carrying the extra backpack, which contains Clay's scrolls, chainmail, etc.
• Add: Shortbread carries a 60lb large sack with the personal effects of the deceased Blackhelm dwarves, unless forced not to.

Also for those interested... the resolution of the battle.

You left the dwarves alone to attempt a frontal assault on the goblin hall while the PC party slipped away. The rolls below handled the combat between 14 dwarves, Thundred (3HD dwarf), and three ogres against 12 wolves, 24 skeletons, 3 wargs, 3 warg riders, and 7 goblin bowmen.

The dwarves got a bonus for tactics/partial cover for making their fortified place to fight from. The wolves and dwarves never broke morale - brave to the last one of them. The ogres broke morale as soon as the first one died, and then the warg riders left battle to chase them. The wolves attacked as the first wave, then the skeletons as the second wave. The goblin archers waited to shoot the survivors but there weren't any.

The battle ended climactically after 80 minutes with Thundred standing alone against seven skeletons and rolling a 1 for a critical fumble.

Foxy Battle Turn 1.png (19.43 KiB) Viewed 306 times

Foxy Battle Turn 2-8.png (91.31 KiB) Viewed 306 times

Date: 7:20am, 06 June 2021
Light: Sunlight
Spell effects: None
Injuries: Huckleberry (mortal injury), Halfpint (grevious injury), Grizzly Woman (grevious injury), Baxtaw (grevious injury), Foxy (moderate injury), Mors (mild injury)

[onlyme]

Halfpint says a few words to Shortbread, knowing they do no justice.
She then calls to the group,
I think we should destroy these if we cannot carry them. No sense in allowing goblins or others to use them against us. A fire?

[Stirling]

Foxy O'Hare

"Why didn't he blow the Horn?" she asks, assuming a sound made with dwarven lips, it may have summoned the Berserkers to aid them also. Does Shortbread have this? Does anyone have any objections to Shortbread keeping it? Foxy has trouble reconciling the fact that while these dwarves bravely died in combat to give them a screen to sneak into the goblin halls, these same dwarves also raised axes to attack her most aggressively in an unprompted assault fed by Thundred's ire and puffed up pride. (Ironic she thinks that a fumble contributed to his downfall)

Foxy will salute the body of Thundred with her scimitar and suggest that as the day is late and we are also very combat weary, we should move on the retainers cave.

[Valdus]

C'ang stands by Shortbread beside the body of Thundred, his face drawn down in melancholy. He whispers a few words of farewell, no doubt this dwarf is still warring in his paradise somewhere. Nothing better than facing the great forge with a severed hand, true proof of a place in the great hall. Surely the gods will craft a greater hand, a great dwarf.

"Tis never the end," C'ang comments. "He is fighting somewhere in a new beginning."

C'ang looks over the bodies of the dead. For a moment he thinks of salvaging armor, but then the thought disgusts him.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Clay places a consoling paw on Shortbread's shoulder. He makes sure Shortbread had time to gather up the more important items from his fallen kin, particularly the Horn of Jarkul. Ms. O'Hare is correct. We are pressed for time, but is there anything we can do to honor the Blackhelm clan? A pyre, perhaps? The presence of skeletons on the field of battle worries him, since he had assumed all Shelton's animated by the King would have crumbled when the Fingers of Zhint were destroyed. Also, burning them would allow the dwarfs to return to the natural cycle of the world, as opposed to entombing the bodies, as is the way of dwarfs.If you prefer a burial, I think I can dig pretty well with these claws.

Clay thanks Maurice for waiting for them. He attempts to relay what transpired in the mountain, and how he now is a badger, reveling that he can still whistle and chirp like a bird.

Once treasure and valuables are triaged, and the Blackhelm clan is properly addressed, Clay helps lead the group to the cave.

[Marullus]

Once treasure and valuables are triaged, and the Blackhelm clan is properly addressed, Clay helps lead the group to the cave.

I need clearer action statements on that. The horn goes to Shortbread with the sack of personal effects he collected? Does Grizzly or anyone else collect anything else? Shortbread is fine with a pyre, understanding there is no time for a tomb. You intend to burn items and bodies?

[Valdus]

OOC: Unless holy intervention speaks to him, C'ang will not take anything from the fallen. And will give them a warrior's funeral pyre to light the horizons!

[Rusty Tincanne]

Clay follows Shortbread's lead on how to deal with all the dwarf corpses (including the skeletons) and their belongings. If he needs to dump some of Clay's stuff so he can manage the rest, that is fine. Lets be quick about the oyre, though. Big enough to do the job, not large enough to burn down the forest.

Clay presses Maurice for more information about the dragon: color, size, direction headed, did it have chains (like it was captive)? Was it definitely just going out and not entering prior to that? Because Clay had been under the impression that it was coming in, from the outside, looking for a home.

Clay and Morr will sniff around the field of battle in search of anything interesting.

[onlyme]

Halfpint assists to quicken the funeral pyre. She loads the metal and wood from the weaponry to the stack to burn, hoping it melts enough to be unusable against them.

[Starbeard]

Grizzly won't take anything unless it stands out as a special object, deferring to Shortbread with what to do with anything found.

She will also help build a quick pyre, but in general prefers not to tarry here too long.

[Marullus]

Clay questions Maurice again - the dragon was large and old, not some hatchling. It did come from within, roasting goblins as it came forth. Its underbelly is studded in gold and electrum, thousands of coins glistening from where it had laid abed.

Mounding up the remains of over three dozen dead is no small feat - luckily the smashed and partially-smouldering palisade nearby offers plenty of dried logs to help make a suitable pyre to place them on. Though the group helps and works quickly, and it goes faster when leaving all the dead dressed and armored, it still takes nearly three hours to finish the pyre and set it alight.

As the fire licks swiftly over the dried wood of the palisade logs, blackening the dwarven bones of the skeletons and then sizzling the flesh and beards of the Blackhelm dwarves above, Shortbread offers a eulogy for each of the fallen. He speaks of normal men, of cooks and miners and smiths, who all took up arms to follow Thundred, to seek the horn and find their lost kin. They did indeed find a place of their ancestors, but none but he lived to step foot through the dwarfhome's halls. He takes up Thundred's axe and shield, his by dwarven law as Thundred's nephew, and swears to join those who will see this task through, to bring the Blackhelm clan back to these halls. He accepts the Horn of Jarkul gratefully at Clay's offering of it, and cradles it in his stubby, baker's hands as he watches the fires rise.

Baxtaw's elf eyes, keeping a watch on the horizon, are first to see it and he sounds the alarm to the others. The red dragon approaches - its great wings flapping, about a mile away, but moving fast and on a course straight for you.

Date: 9:53am, 06 June 2021
Light: Sunlight
Spell effects: None
Injuries: Huckleberry (mortal injury), Halfpint (grevious injury), Grizzly Woman (grevious injury), Baxtaw (grevious injury), Foxy (moderate injury), Mors (mild injury)

[Rusty Tincanne]

how much time do we have until it reaches us? how far to the trees or other cover?

Run for the trees, or anything that will provide cover, says Clay the Badger, in as calm of a voice as he can manage. He hesitates about running, but he does search quickly for a hole to dart into.

If the woods/cover is far and the rest of the party needs someone to buy time, OR if cover or a hole is close enough that he can make a quick get away, he might stay to talk to the dragon.