Expedition - Foxy/Lost Children- 01 May 2021

[Stirling]

Foxy O'Hare

"You have your steed and your life for another day. Now away with you Longshadow, away to your ruin and ravens nest. Should the girls not be recovered as you say, I will not rest from hunting until your skin decorates a new tome." and with that Foxy will go, "ye haw..." and wallop the rump of the horse with her bow to encourage it to flee down the trail.

If he trots away Foxy will gather the others saying, "I've a feeling we will meet him and his ilk again one day. Come let us go quickly."


Longshadow, slang name given to a creature or person that acts as a portent of doom and evil

[Rusty Tincanne]

With this done, he mounts the horse, trotting him just a few steps to be out of arms reach

So... Foxy just unloaded her bow and rushed the mage?

Clay Weatherwax
Clay strained to not to miss a detail of the man's words, lest he jeopardize the group goal. When asked for the books, Clay hesitated a moment because he hoped they might hold some key about the items he had found, and he suspected they would fetch a nice price from another mage - enough to assist securing an area of the woodlands to preserve. But, ultimately, he did not need the books. I have them... But as he was reaching into his robes, he saw Ms. O'Hare rushing toward the mounted mage. Fearing the worst, Clay ran a short distance into the woods, calling Morr to follow.

I don't know how this will play out, but Clay doesn't want to be in the line of fire if her actions are misinterpreted. He will run towards George's side of the trail (away from where Foxy is coming from). In his haste, he does not think to say anything to George, so if George fires his bow, that is up to you, Marullus.

[Stirling]

Foxy

The mage trotted a few steps out of arms reach but in context it should not be seen as an attack roll vs the mage but her using the bow like a cowboy might use his hat to giddy up the horse to get going. That is clear from her speech to tell him to ride away.

If Foxy was going to attack the mage she would just shoot the arrow. I was going to write she grabbed her Tricorn hat and waved it but then thought a big draft horse might not startle away at that. So bow whoosing on rump it is, (needless to say that IC she probably still has the last marks of playful whipping on her own fat derriere).

[Marullus]

Foxy says her last words, then takes a step forward and swings her bow, held by one end to bridge the distance, to surprise and startle the horse into movement. Clay and Mors get out of the way, fearing the worst. Gus stands with confusion, having seen no hostile action by the mage.

Luckily, the mage does not seem to have any confusion of Foxy's intent, and reacts quite well given the charged nature of the situation. He stills the startled horse as if expecting it, counteracting the blow to its rump, and sets it trotting at an even pace instead. He says nothing more, simply taking his leave as quickly as possible down the path to the west.

Foxy turns to Gus, saying, "I've a feeling we will meet him and his ilk again one day. Come let us go quickly." Gus nods, still unenthusiastic, following Foxy back towards the others.

Mr. Farrow and George are anxious to be off, the sunset so near at hand. They have roused Balex and the horses and are ready to be on their way by the time the others arrive.

Day: 03 May 2021
Time: 08:30 pm
Light source: Blood-red sunset (Sunset 8:53pm)
Temp: 54 F
Wind: 15-17 E
Injuries: Foxy (gravely wounded), Mors (gravely wounded), Mr. Farrow (moderately wounded), Clay (Mildly wounded). Unwounded: Gus, George, Asala, Maurice the Owl, Four draft horses, Balex.

Assuming you're heading to the Goblins now, tell me any preparations before arrival and how you manage your approach/entrance.

[Rusty Tincanne]

1 fresh ration is deducted, leaving us with only 2 rations. So eat up whatever is served at the party.
I assume Foxy wants to try to do this deal in disguise, posing as mages of Monoc. It is probably the best course of action to take. But how do we get back the the Farrow Farmstead? We will need to either take a back way or try and convince the goblins we are going to Gaul for some reason.
The farmers should probably stay with the horses, dog and donkey when we go to the king . As foxy has pointed out, they might give us away.

We will be sleep deprived by the time we leave, but it will probably be safer to press onward through the daytime.

So: foxy and clay in the red robes, as well as Mr Farrow. Disguise Gus and George (shaving seemed a good idea). Two PCs do the exchange while the rest of the party stays in the stable. Hopefully Maurice shows up with a bunch of ravens that are happy to act on Clay's command, which will give the illusion of magic.

Balex needs to be released. Clay will tell him to stay clear of the gloaming celebrations. Or we could leave him tied up and come back for him before backtracking and heading to the farm.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Clay Weatherwax
With the books still stowed away in his robes, Clay watches the mage trot off. He would have the opportunity to look for clues about the stones and the cage, after all. Ms. O'Hare, please stop acting so rashly. You are already gravely wounded. Angering every creature we cross paths with is not good for your health, clearly. He tucked the finger bones into his robes.

Upon returning to the others, Clay slipped into a red robe. We are best served by trickery here. Ms. O'Hare and will go to the king and make the exchange. If George or Gus is willing to shave their beard, one of them can join us - whoever is less likely to be recognized by the girls. As Ms. O'Hare pointed out, we do not want them giving us away. The others can stay with the horses, pony and Morr. When the exchange is done, we will come out along this path a mile or so and then circle towards town. Speed is our goal here, but that is not likely considering these horses.

I have already told Balex he will be released. Balex, if you were to be seen accompanying the red robed mages, would you still be seen as a pariah? Or was that just for men of Gaul? As I mentioned before, we could use your services as a guide through these mountains. If you were seen as a personal guide for the red robed mages, would lift your rank or get you killed?

[Marullus]

Balex's face scrunches with consternation. "But you're not Red Robes." He shakes his head, focusing. "I return alone. You tell me how you will find me in the future, Mighty One of Beith."

[Rusty Tincanne]

Clay Weatherwax
It is a trick, Balex. It will make things easier now - and later. The king and Dmukaz will know me as a red robe, so when I return, they will suspect nothing. I thought you would see how clever it is.

[Marullus]

Balex shrugs. "You best the Red Robes easily. Why you pretend to be weaker when you are stronger? It is a lousy trick."

[Rusty Tincanne]

Clay Weatherwax
... Clay's jaw opened but no sound came out. Then he smiled at Balex. I was thinking like a human again. Good point. Clay shared the revelation with the others. Balex's point has merit. We are the stronger. The king will respect that and will trade with us. What are your thoughts?

[Stirling]

Foxy O'Hare

Seeing the mage trot off, Foxy wipes her brow, the tension released. She sticks her middle index finger up at the distant mage in a rude un-Eruanna way,"I think we did well, pushed our luck I know but we now have some measure of success. So let's give the finger to the goblin king next."

Can we all see these 'finger bones of Zhint'? Who is Zhint anyway, never heard of him. Rather have the arm of him chopped off the hand of Zhint.

Foxy suggests we go with this plan:

Foxy takes the horse with the birdcages attached to it. Inside the cages are the skulls of the twice deceased mages and hellhounds.

The farmers who should already be wearing the bloody red robes, pair up on the other horses, G & G, Mr Farrow. (Clay you could share with Mr F and let Balex ride Asala, so we can get there quicker, just remove the weapons from his reach first though). Carry a lot torch on each horse.

We all enter together, no point splitting up anymore. The goblins are expecting a small group to arrive shortly . At this stage I say we just ride up to the gates and get the guards to herald our arrival with some fanfare. Bonfire might be lit already? So if party is in swing we just keep stern faced and stoical in the face of possible sacrificial offerings suffering.

Clay I will let you trade with the king. We get the girls and go as soon as possible.

The rest might just have to be off the cuff bluffing and elevating our position as red robe slayers...the Crimson slaughter.

Balex guide us to the HQ and take it from there...

[Rusty Tincanne]

Clay agrees with this plan, aside from the remains of the mages. There is no need for wearing the robes or to stuff the cages full of bones. He will just wrap the skulls of men, woman and hounds in the robes.

He will also remind Ms. O'Hare that these draft horses move slower than men walking. (3/4 speed.) and Asala will likely not tolerate a goblin on his back so we won't try that.

balex, you have earned some measure of my vile respect. You show yourself to be the strongest of your warriors and then the craftiest of your kind by getting us here without being seen.I will leave coins for you at Mr. Farrows farm, as I said before.

If you choose to speak on our behalf tonight, do so openly and with the fear of Beith in your voice. Let the kingdom know we are not to be trifled with. If the king or Dmukaz move against us this night, Beith will be very angry. Sdubok will not protect them. If it comes of we know one another, I will say how strong and crafty you are. Maybe that will get you recognition with the king. no other promises of speaking on his behalf are made - as Balex said, it would make him a pariah.

[Rusty Tincanne]

hopefully Maurice shows up with those birds. It would give us a show of some sort of power... Clay is out of magic, as you might have guessed.

Marullus, are there really finger bones in that pouch, I hope? Clay should have checked before the Mage took off.

So as long as we have the bones: no wearing the red robes, just toss them on the floor with the bones. Then make the trade and go when the festivities are over. Maybe toss in the bird cages if it sems needed. Again, Clay suggests we eat something while there.


Ugh. My stomach is in knots over this!

[Stirling]

Foxy:

The finger bones of Zhint contain power for the goblins, that is what they seek. So only that will we trade. Just in case, Foxy will have a couple of extra finger bones cut from the skeletons. The birdcages stay with us, we only trade them for extra prisoners or some other items or we will give all our trove away.

At the risk of contradicting each other, Foxy already stated that the mage and hound skulls will go inside the cages. We need the dramatic effect that the bloody grizzled skulls give us. Just having them wrapped up like a 'pass-the-parcel' might be a great goblin yuletide lark but a youth on a donkey, three country bumpkins and a ginger sourpuss isn't going to impress the goblin king and his entourage. Wearing the robes, which the three farmers already have on, will at least give any guards a chance to recognise our approach and open the gates instead of attacking us.

Dmukaz is the tribal shaman? What is the name of the king again? Sdubok is the goblin god figure.

.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Clay picked up the large skull of the hound and placed it next to the bird cage. How do you propose we fit it in? Shall we build a scarecrow to do that for us? And if we do manage it, how do we keep the cages once it is handed to the goblin king? Frankly, we are wasting time discussing using this. Put the skulls in the last robe so we can carry them and let's get moving.



Balex will be released when we get moving. He can have his swords.

One reason was deducted for the mage, leaving us with 2 reasons to split. I don't have a sack to give up so that will need to come from someone else.

[Marullus]

Clay peeks into the pouch, suddenly questioning his judgment.

Inside the pouch are nine mummified human fingers. The flesh is dry and gray, looking as fragile as old parchment. The bone can be seen - brittle and white - on one end while a fingernail still clings within the dried flesh at the other. Each finger is separate, cleaved just below the knuckle, with no hand to join them.

Clay sees to Mors and Asala, then mounts his horse to enter in the most imposing manner.

Clay returns Balex's weapons and speaks to him of vile respect. Balex returns a gesture of respect towards Clay, then sets off, disappearing into the brush as he hurries ahead, pleased he will make it in time for the festivities of Sdubok's Gloaming.

Foxy claims the second horse which bears the bird cages slung across its rump. The cages are sizeable, about three feet tall. While the door latch is a bit small, she is able to loosen the base to put the skulls within and then reattach it. It provides a gruesome sight, four hound and three human skulls sloughed of flesh and a ruddy white in the sunset. She shatters the hands of some of the skeletal remains, claiming some of their finger bones for her own as well, placing them in a spare pouch from her belt. She decorates her flesh in a fearsome manner and mounts her steed.

Mr. Farrow, Gus, and George obediently don the robes. With their stature they are more imposing that the former owners, and now do look a bit less farmer-like. They opt to lead the third and last horse, which they are assigned, rather than try to ride it together. Mr. Farrow grows impatient as the sun is setting, expressing his worry to Foxy and Clay that they might miss the window for his daughter's safety.

You set out, the pace set by the horses, and arrive in about an hour, as expected. You ascend a slope of a steep hillside, the foreboding mountains rising steeply overhead to the south. A wooden palisade with sharp-pointed tips surrounds a large cave entrance. The palisade gates stand ajar, a multitude of small green-skin creatures milling in and out. Bonfires rage on the left and the right, forming a clear stage on the hillside (outside the pallisade), casting light 60' in all directions. Directly between them stands an unlit bonfire, a tall pole upright at its center.

A shaman in black robes, the edges lined with torn strips of fine red satin from the Southern Kingdoms, stands orating on a large flat rock next to the unlit fire which helps to elevate him over the throng. You cannot understand his language, but he is clearly reaching crescendo. The crowd is chanting exuberantly around him, the last of the new moon which has hung above you all day about to drop below the horizon. A large goblin stands beside the shaman with a torch, ready to light the unlit fire. The shaman's cadence changes (it is clear to Clay that he is now invoking a spell) and he reaches out to lay a hand on a struggling goblin trussed to the pole above the firewood. To your dismay, you recognize it is Balex, trussed with ropes, his face grim and brave as he stares down the shaman before him.

You pause at the edge of the firelight, 60' out, the crowd paying you little heed as their celebrations culminate at their most fevered pitch.

(Actions? Do you arrive with light source lit, or did you walk in the dark the last half-hour? If so, is it torch or lantern? Subtract it, and add it to your post.)

Day: 03 May 2021
Time: 09:40 pm
Light source: None (Sunset 8:53pm, moonset at 9:45pm)
Temp: 54 F
Wind: 15-17 E
Injuries: Foxy (gravely wounded), Mors (gravely wounded), Mr. Farrow (moderately wounded), Clay (Mildly wounded). Unwounded: Gus, George, Asala, Maurice the Owl, Four draft horses.

[Stirling]

Foxy O'Hare

To your dismay, you recognise it is Balex

I suspect not to the Foxy and not to the farmers either... it could have been Gus and George in his place right now.

If we have torches I would give at least one to Mr Farrow so he may light our way. The others can grab torches from the bonfires as we pass them in the pallisade. With a knotted stomach also, Foxy leads the way past the open gates. Remember guys, what we see on the prairie, stays on the prairie. Flinch not, say nothing, give nothing away.

The sight that greets her inside surprisingly reminds her a little of her Summerisle home...

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Wizards are never late, they always arrive on time, Foxy quotes some Gandalfian proverb steering her horse through the milling throng of goblins to the foot of the rock by the bonfire. Tell your High King that the 'Fingers of Zhint' has pointed his way here.she will say to the most likely looking boss guard giving a courteous nod of affirmation to the priest. She tries to ignore the tied up goblin as best she can.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Clay Weatherwax
As harrowing as the situation was, Clay was mildly excited at being one of the few humans to have seen the inside of a goblin warren. Not even the higher level Druids of Beith would have had such an experience. He was disconcerted to see Balex strung up on the pole, though truth be told, he had toyed with the idea of killing the goblin himself rather than let him go free for fear of a double-cross. Death comes to all and should not be feared, he reminded himself. And what could Clay offer now anyway? If he spoke on behalf of Balex, Balex would be as good as dead anyhow. Only their King could save him now.

Clay scanned quickly for some-goblin looking like a King - larger, meaner, well armored and jeweled with guards making his way in that direction. As the mage had alluded, it does not give the right impression to deal with the shaman.

Interrupting the spell would be a good idea. I hope that our presence, alone, can do that. And then I can speak of how much a pest Balex is. Perhaps that will get him a bit of respect and save him... If not, Clay will just stomach it. Also, as a cleric, he is curious what spell will be cast!

[Rusty Tincanne]

Oh! Any sign of Maurice? It would be nice to have a swarm of Hitchcockian birds right about now...

[Marullus]

Foxy uses the bulk of her horse to part the crowd, a wave of disorganized commotion surrounding her as she interrupts their chanting and excitement. The three farmers in Red Robes follow uncertainly, spreading into a line behind Foxy, Clay and his horse hanging back at the tail. Mr. Farrow hold the torch you used in your approach, Gus and George have no torches, as you do not pass near the bonfires. Clay whistles his signal and the pygmy owl comes winging over the crowd of goblins, landing on his shoulder. The owl hoots to him:

"I am sorry, Wise-friend*. While they are curious about you as a flightless one intelligent enough for speech, the ravens are unwilling to come so near the vicious little ones. The archers take glee in shooting birds and such a large gathering is not one they will trifle with."
* This is difficult to translate, as it is self-referential. It also could mean Owl-kin, or One-Like-Me.

You looks closely at the assembled goblins; a sea of small green-skinned bodies, the unwashed masses. On the large rock stage stand the shaman and two large and competent looking enforcers - the one holding the firebrand and the other holding a drawn, wicked-looking sword. It does not appear that a king or higher official than the shaman is present. Foxy looks at the sword-holding goblin and tells his forcefully, "Tell your High King that the 'Fingers of Zhint' has pointed his way here." The shaman continues uninterrupted, his focus on Balex and the unlit fire. He crescendos, the words of his spell a vile invective, and grabs Balex by the face as he finishes. He drops his hand and looks at Balex triumphantly. Balex remains stoic, his form imposing and larger than the shaman even when tied up - an impressive specimen of goblin. As the shaman drops his hand, Balex simply smiles, wickedly, then spits a wad of phlem in the shaman's face. The shaman recoils, his face contorting in rage.

(Foxy, roll under your charisma on a 4d6. Take a -2 bonus on the roll for your intimidating use of skulls and costuming. Clay, you can do a 1d20 under your wisdom score to identify the clerical spell cast.)

Actions?

Map of the Scene:

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