Expedition: Baxtaw - Seeking Scatha's Lair - 23 July 2021

[Jernau35]

"He says there's a secret way" translates Piers, "and he'll take us there in exchange for his life".

Piers switches back to Goblin. "Take us to your secret way then, wretch. And remember: no tricks! At the first sign of trouble, you'll be the first to die".

[Rusty Tincanne]

With well practiced hands, Bremen deftly knots up the goblin's arms behind him, bondage style. One rope is attached mid-torso and the other at its scrawny neck. A third section is tied between the goblin's legs so it cannot take full strides. He attaches a pouch with 15 of the gathered electrum pieces to the goblin's belt. Tell him he can keep the coin when we're done. And tell him if he gets loud, I'll remove his tongue. And his teeth.

[Marullus]

Bremen tries to hog-tie and hobble the goblin and it dodges and spits in his face."No. Keep your ropes, or walk into the dragon's mouth."

[Dram]

Baxtaw- Puts his sword to the goblins neck. Gives the a look if he tries it again he will die. Let him know that he already told us. Where the secret door is if tries that again he will die.

[Zhym]

Lugholds Reason at the goblin's back. Well, not the back, specifically. A foot or two down.

"Want I should ventilate him, boss?"

[Jernau35]

Piers sighs heavily. Goblins really were as stupid as he'd been told. "Look goblin, you've already told us where to find the secret door. If we have to find it without you, then he's going to stick that sword where the Blessed Light of Baudh does not shine. But if you are really lucky, the elf will cut your throat first."

Piers jingles the money pouch in front of the goblin. "Now, he's going to put the rope on you, you're going to quietly take us to the secret door and the back way to the dragon, and then you get to keep all this money and go home. We want the dragon today. Not you."

[Marullus]

Baxtaw and Lug threaten the goblin's life with drawn blades while Piers explains that you will allow no choice but him being hog-tied, hobbled, and humiliated before fulfilling your request that he aid you.

The goblin looks from the pouch to the swords and contemplates his odds. He then abruptly ducks and begins to sprint for the dark hallway beyond your bonfire's light.

Round 1. You all get +2 to hit as he flees at a full run; I'll consider it an adjusted AC 8. You can get a second attack by chasing into the hallway, a third if you chase up the dark hallway but then you take the -4 darkness penalties, as discussed before. You can roll the first one or two attacks now as appropriate, since he's not swinging back.

Date: 2:20pm, 26 July 2021
Light: Bonfire of Clothing.
Effects: None.
Injuries: Bremen (minor wounds), Stantz (minor wound), Clouson (minor wound), Baxtaw (minor wound), Lug (superficial wound)

Goblin morale (7) [2d6] = 5

[Zhym]

"Bad choice," sighs Lug. He brings Reason upward in a slash that starts between the goblin's legs and doesn't stop until it has reached its neck.

"Reason" (2-handed sword) (THAC0 18): [1d20+2] = 17+2 = 19 [1d10+2] = 4+2 = 6 (does not include +2 for attacking from the rear.)

If the goblin survived that:
"Reason" (2-handed sword) (THAC0 18): [1d20+2] = 5+2 = 7 [1d10+2] = 3+2 = 5

[Zhym]

BTW, would we have been allowed a charisma roll for the intimidation to work?

[Marullus]

I almost always roll; I decided not to post them all because sometimes success/failure is not obvious. In this case, I gave a CHA check to see if he would help you honestly and a morale check for your follow-up intimidation. (Morale seemed more appropriate for trying to scare him.)

Lug slices the goblin in half; he falls to the floor in two bloody chunks.

Next Action?

Date: 2:20pm, 26 July 2021
Light: Bonfire of Clothing.
Effects: None.
Injuries: Bremen (minor wounds), Stantz (minor wound), Clouson (minor wound), Baxtaw (minor wound), Lug (superficial wound)

[Zhym]

I would have thought a failed morale check against intimidation would have indicated that the intimidation worked—i.e., cooperation, not running away.

"Goblins are too stupid to let live," muses Lug. "Okay, so, where'd he say this secret entrance was?"

[Marullus]

I went with "which required bravery." Making a break for it required the bravery; submitting against vehement objection to being humiliated, hog-tied, hobbled, and then also likely killed was the failure of bravery. It turns out he died bravely.

[Zhym]

So a success on the goblin's morale roll would have meant submission? Or was there no way you were going to play the goblin as submitting to intimidation?

Baxtaw and Lug threaten the goblin's life with drawn blades while Piers explains that you will allow no choice but him being hog-tied, hobbled, and humiliated before fulfilling your request that he aid you.

The goblin wasn't a house guest, and helping us wasn't a "request." He was our prisoner. The original offer was help us or die. It chose not to die. Are you really saying it was expecting to be allowed to roam free? A prisoner objecting to being tied up is not a rational prisoner. One that prefers dying to being tied up is full-on loony tunes.

The implication that we were somehow just too mean to the prisoner by insisting that he be restrained is just weird.

[Marullus]

I really don't want to have to have an OOC debate about everything.

He always had the choice to help, run, or die (sometimes in combination), especially as no initial action was taken to restrain him, just to negotiate for his help. Success on the morale role (which he had) meant he was brave enough to make a break for it and risk immediate death, not later-death. Failure on the morale check would have led him to submit to the torture and humiliation you offered because he wasn't brave enough to run.

I consider this action to not be "a little tied up" - it is extreme:

With well practiced hands, Bremen deftly knots up the goblin's arms behind him, bondage style. One rope is attached mid-torso and the other at its scrawny neck. A third section is tied between the goblin's legs so it cannot take full strides.

In goblin society, being tied up like that is as good as being dead... Worse than dead, because torture always followed and torture-then-death is worse than dead.

"The original offer was help us or die."

Correct. "We're going to threaten and torture you while you help us" is "help us AND die." He had no hope for living once tied up in torture-bondage fashion. The conjunction is important.

Please, for the love of God, move on with the scene.

[Zhym]

I thought this was a failed morale roll:

Goblin morale (7) [2d6] = 5

If it’s a successful morale check, that makes slightly more sense.

[Rusty Tincanne]

One problem with PBP is the lack of ability to say, "Before you roll, let's talk about this," Bremen would have recommended we use our weapons to subdue the goblin. Oh well. The role playing is good,I'd have preferred the goblin live, is all.

Bremen didn't want to risk the goblin breaking free, hence the bondage. Maybe he should have established a safe word first?

Bremen sighs and packs his rope up. Mr. Baxtaw, shall I lead the way or you?

[Jernau35]

"How many goblins are there in the world?" asks Piers. "And we find the stupidest one." He grimaces and rubs his forehead.

"At least we know there is a secret entrance. Baxtaw, I've heard that elves are particularly adept at finding things like that."

Yes, my first thought on seeing the To Hit number posted was to take a swing at him. It was only a couple of minutes later I thought "Why didn't we all just jump on him and pin him down?" Oh well, lesson learned. Jaw-jaw, not war-war in future .

[Rusty Tincanne]

In retrospect, I realize we never specified the goblin was being held down. But that's what I had imagined was going on. Next time. If there is one.
Marullus, when the goblin mentioned the hallway, did he, perhaps, wave his hand in a particular direction? Please?

[Dram]

Baxtaw gestures to Bremen that he can lead way. Lets light up a few torches move slowly look for traps and path that these goblins may used to move around the dragon.

[Zhym]

"Idiot goblin probably woulda tried to lead us into a trap anyway," says Lug.