The first thing Zina did as soon as she woke up, before coffee or food, was to cast her brand new spell on her book. She was trying to make it part of her morning routine, although it was only the second day she had done so. After Nystul's Magic Aura had been cast, the book returned to its place in her pack.
"We are close," their new fighter said, looking anxious. "If we aren't careful, we will run into opposition today."
"Hopefully less now," the gnome muttered, mostly to herself. She withdrew a stolen cinnamon roll from her bag and sat down between Pettilaen and Kanon before taking a bite. "We'll be fine," she said to Mara. "If anything, if we run into trouble, we'll know we're on the right track."
Between bites of breakfast, the gnome grabbed her water pouch and cast Ray of Frost on a little bit of the contents. Taking advantage of Pettilaen's blind and deafened state, Zina took the newly minted ice cube and placed it down the front of his shirt.
Soaring into the sky, Gaia quickly spots a small band straggling northeastward. She can clearly see 6 hobgoblin warriors and an officer as they cross the rolling plains, likely toward a camp. Fortunately, they do not apparently see her.
Outside of this one group, the countryside is empty and quiet. Burnt-out shells of farmhouses and charred fields dot the landscape on every side, making the area look something like a field of war.
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PBP "Beregost Blues" - Dungeon Master of Gnome Slaying +5
Pettilaen gets a brief glance of the hobgoblin band before he feels a chill shoot down his chest. Discontinuing the bond, he comes to, only to find Zina's ice cube down his tunic. Frustrated, he barks at her, "You only put our lives at risk when you interrupt me when I'm with Gaia! There's a band of hobgoblins heading northeast, and your antics nearly caused Gaia to screech out and alert them to our presence."
He sighs and shakes his head, standing up and moving towards the edge of the camp. "Well? Do we follow, or look for another group? Sitting around won't do us any good."
Kanon accepts the apple and sits back down when Zina joins them, "Thank you Mara. I'm just a bit on edge..." His mind wonders to the burnt out buildings they passed on their way towards Beregost. "I'll be ok though. I think." He takes a bite from the apple.
When Pettilaen comes to and reveals what he saw, Kanon stands back up, the apple falling from his hand. Looking at Petti, he asks, "Should we? I mean... can we even catch up to them?"
"You're fine," Zina stuck her tongue out at Pettilaen. "Besides, I thought you'd appreciate this prank as a step in the right direction."
"How many of them are there? Are there other groups nearby?" The gnome asked rapid fire. "How far away? What kind of weapons were they carrying? Is there a lot of cover near where they are? What potential hiding spots do they have? Where could we hide?"
"Pranks are fine when they don't endanger everyone's lives." he countered, wincing and tilting his head down. Calm keeps the pain at bay. He unstraps a hand crossbow from his hip, much like Kanon's, and walks away a good forty feet from the group before turning and firing at a lone tree near their position, almost eighty feet away. The crossbow bolt soars through the air before hitting the tree square in the center with a thunk!. It's good to have one of these again.
Zina's pestering questions, coupled with Kanon's worry, ate away at his sanity. He returned and began packing up what little he carried on him. "They were on foot, and maybe two miles or more away from our position. We could probably catch up to them if we wanted to. And I don't know what kinds of weapons they were carrying, nor about any potential hiding spots, because you interrupted me. But I don't think there's much of a place for them to hide. At least from Gaia. We could find shelter in some of the burned-down farming houses, but that's about it. They still have a ways before they reach the Sharpteeth Woods."
"I guess we should go then..." Kanon kicks mud and pats out the rest of the little fire with his foot. Once done, he picks up the apple he dropped and pours a bit of water on it to clean it off before taking another bite. Once he's done with the apple he packs up the rest of his stuff and nods to the others.
"I guess we should pick up the pace a bit, then?" He's got his crossbow strapped to his belt now instead of his pack and the rapier's safety latch is undone. He's not taking any chances... if they get ambushed, he'll be ready.
"I'm all for trying to catch up to them. Going to be hard to be sneaky without much cover out here." She munches on a bite of apple as if contemplating things. "I'm ready to get some info in order to find a way to make it safe to return and rebuild. If we wind up killing them all I might be able to save one in time for questioning. They won't go down easy."
Portia finishes her apple and her packing. She pulls out some dried fruit and nut kind of ration bar as she walks a little northeast to look out at the land. She chews on it as she waits for the others to form up.
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PbP - Beregost Blues - Portia Starflower, Half Elf, Cleric, Life Domain PbP - Tome of Annhilation - Vistani Mocanu, Human, Bard
Mara thinks about the information given to her. No places to hide, which meant it would be more difficult to ambush this group. She looked down at her shiny armor and shield, frowning. Regardless of the situation, the sun glinting off her armor would give away her position immediately. She took a handful of cooled campfire ashes and rubbed them over the surfaces of the shield and armor.
"Catching up to them is one thing, but what do we do when get get there? We need to formulate some plan of action before we get too far in over our heads." Once she's done dulling everything shiny, she gathers her pack and waits for the others.
"Yes, yes, yes..." Pettilaen mutters repetively as he looks through his belongings from something to use to demonstrate the plan he had formed in his mind. Dissatisfied, he turned to magic.
Weaving an illusion of a map of the area though Minor Illusion, he began to describe how he thought the group should proceed. "We currently have the upper hand on these hobgoblins, since we know they're there and they don't know we're here." Taking his wand, he points to where he thinks the group's current location is, and where the hobgoblins are. "With our position versus their position and the location of the Sharpteeth Woods, we should be able to intersect them there." He points to a location on the illusory map.
"The issue though", as he continues, "is making sure we go unnoticed by both them and any other warbands patrolling about. I'd bet all of my platinum pieces that they have a horn, and that'll be their first reaction if they see us coming. So we have to strike hard, and strike fast. Ranged weapons will be a priority, as will spells to put them to sleep, which both myself and Zina can provide.... unless you can do, Kanon." He looks at Kanon quizzically, still trying to figure out what spells he knows.
"Sounds like a good plan. That means we need to head about that way." Portia points at the map is really indicating the direction they need to go. "We do have a couple things to use as cover as we keep going. We can use Gaia in quick looks from some of the copse of trees or ruins between here and there. The first one is that copse of trees that we should be able to reach in short order and recheck things from there." She steps through the illusionary map as the quickest way to see the trees she knew were there and take a good look around.
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PbP - Beregost Blues - Portia Starflower, Half Elf, Cleric, Life Domain PbP - Tome of Annhilation - Vistani Mocanu, Human, Bard
"How many times do I have to remind you, Petti," Zina rolled her eyes. "I don't know that spell. I can blind them, but not put them to sleep. We should try to cut them off, instead of just catching up to them," the wizard said after staring at the map for a few moments. "If we can get in front of them, then we can hide in the trees and attack from far away."
"Well that's not helpful." he admits. "Though blinding them can still be good, if you can do it from a decent range..." Dismissing the illusion with a wave of his hand, he gets up off the ground to head after the hobgoblins. "So we get ahead of them, set up an ambush, I'll put them to sleep, and then we kill everyone but their captain. Fair enough? Let's go."
He starts the quickened march off with his adorably tiny gnome legs, allowing everyone else to fall behind him.
"I'm not sure what I do is actually casting spells, really..." He stutters and shrugs as he adds, "It's... it's more of just willing it to work. I remember seeing things, and I learn them and pick up on them." He looks over at Zina, "When you cast'd that spell at her, I sort of just... mimic'd you. I think I can do it again."
He tightens his pack and begins walking in the direction of the hobgoblins. "What if they're heading back for reinforcements after they've seen us? Will we be the ones walking into a trap?" Kanon picks up the pace as he says this, hoping that they're walking into a situation that they'll be able to survive... or at the very least get out of.
Zina frowned at Kanon, a few pieces clicking into place in her brain. She was very clever, the most clever person she knew in fact. But she was not nearly as sharp when it came to people. However, she could see the nervousness in Kanon's face, the self doubt. It was like looking into a mirror of her past.
"Hey, Kanon," she said, via a message spell so only he could hear. "I just wanted to let you know that I think that you are an adequate spell caster. Without your help, I'd probably be dead. But, if you ever want to practice slinging fireballs or something, you can always ask."
"That is something I'd love, Zina. You're the smartest person I know, and I'm willing to learn anything you can teach me." He was smiling as he said this, as if the burnt out farms and the thought of walking into a death-trap had suddenly been blown from his mind. This made him pick up his pace a bit. He didn't know that Zina could fire off fireballs. With that kind of power, we were sure to win!
Mara followed and quickly caught up to Pettilaen. She, too, had noticed the nervousness of Kanon. Casually marching next to the gnome, she said quietly, "You have some pretty green soldiers. If you don't calm the nerves, when the time for battle comes, things might go sideways." She glanced over her shoulder, noticing Kanon smiling. She turned back to Pettilaen, saying, "A good leader knows how to inspire his troops." She picked up her pace, only slightly, and easily took the lead.
"You humans and your long legs.." Pettilaen muttered under his breath. He quickened his pace, trying to out-walk Mara. Finally catching up to her, he says, "They're not my troops. We fight for each other... in our own peculiar ways. And Kanon might be nervous, but get a little blood on him and he goes wild."
He glances back to Kanon for a moment, before facing forward. "It was the strangest thing. The kid charged into a group of centaurs, screaming his head off and stabbing them. One might almost say it was inspirational."
"Interesting," Mara replied, thinking about the kid. "He seems so nervous at the idea of fighting hobgoblins." She looks down at Pettilaen again. "Regardless if you're their leader or not, they still need inspiring. They might not be soldiers, but they are being lead into battle. I don't know any of them, I don't know what they've been through or if they are even here because they choose to be. If there is a slightest hesitation on anyone's part, someone could die. I've seen enough death lately. I'm not willing to watch someone march to their death today."
Stopping the group, he addressed them. "I don't think I'm your leader in anyway. Well. I certainly lead the group in cuteness. But that's not the point of this monologue. We've been through some tough battles... I myself have fallen on one occasion, but by Ilmater's grace, I stood once again to protect you all. What we're walking into is faaar easier than what we've dealt with before. If Mara" he points to her, "can handle three hobgoblins by herself, and there's only seven hobgoblins in total, then this will be easier than walking up a hill, or sleeping with a tree's root running along your spine. Just stick to the plan, be quick, be quiet, and we'll get out with our hobgoblin captain without any issue."
"Umm... We're seasoned now, with a lot of experience under our belt. I trust each of you with my life? Yeah, that too." He clears his throat afterward, visibly uncomfortable, but then turns and continues heading towards the hobgoblins.
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The first thing Zina did as soon as she woke up, before coffee or food, was to cast her brand new spell on her book. She was trying to make it part of her morning routine, although it was only the second day she had done so. After Nystul's Magic Aura had been cast, the book returned to its place in her pack.
"We are close," their new fighter said, looking anxious. "If we aren't careful, we will run into opposition today."
"Hopefully less now," the gnome muttered, mostly to herself. She withdrew a stolen cinnamon roll from her bag and sat down between Pettilaen and Kanon before taking a bite. "We'll be fine," she said to Mara. "If anything, if we run into trouble, we'll know we're on the right track."
Between bites of breakfast, the gnome grabbed her water pouch and cast Ray of Frost on a little bit of the contents. Taking advantage of Pettilaen's blind and deafened state, Zina took the newly minted ice cube and placed it down the front of his shirt.
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
Soaring into the sky, Gaia quickly spots a small band straggling northeastward. She can clearly see 6 hobgoblin warriors and an officer as they cross the rolling plains, likely toward a camp. Fortunately, they do not apparently see her.
Outside of this one group, the countryside is empty and quiet. Burnt-out shells of farmhouses and charred fields dot the landscape on every side, making the area look something like a field of war.
Pettilaen gets a brief glance of the hobgoblin band before he feels a chill shoot down his chest. Discontinuing the bond, he comes to, only to find Zina's ice cube down his tunic. Frustrated, he barks at her, "You only put our lives at risk when you interrupt me when I'm with Gaia! There's a band of hobgoblins heading northeast, and your antics nearly caused Gaia to screech out and alert them to our presence."
He sighs and shakes his head, standing up and moving towards the edge of the camp. "Well? Do we follow, or look for another group? Sitting around won't do us any good."
Kanon accepts the apple and sits back down when Zina joins them, "Thank you Mara. I'm just a bit on edge..." His mind wonders to the burnt out buildings they passed on their way towards Beregost. "I'll be ok though. I think." He takes a bite from the apple.
When Pettilaen comes to and reveals what he saw, Kanon stands back up, the apple falling from his hand. Looking at Petti, he asks, "Should we? I mean... can we even catch up to them?"
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"You're fine," Zina stuck her tongue out at Pettilaen. "Besides, I thought you'd appreciate this prank as a step in the right direction."
"How many of them are there? Are there other groups nearby?" The gnome asked rapid fire. "How far away? What kind of weapons were they carrying? Is there a lot of cover near where they are? What potential hiding spots do they have? Where could we hide?"
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
"Pranks are fine when they don't endanger everyone's lives." he countered, wincing and tilting his head down. Calm keeps the pain at bay. He unstraps a hand crossbow from his hip, much like Kanon's, and walks away a good forty feet from the group before turning and firing at a lone tree near their position, almost eighty feet away. The crossbow bolt soars through the air before hitting the tree square in the center with a thunk!. It's good to have one of these again.
Zina's pestering questions, coupled with Kanon's worry, ate away at his sanity. He returned and began packing up what little he carried on him. "They were on foot, and maybe two miles or more away from our position. We could probably catch up to them if we wanted to. And I don't know what kinds of weapons they were carrying, nor about any potential hiding spots, because you interrupted me. But I don't think there's much of a place for them to hide. At least from Gaia. We could find shelter in some of the burned-down farming houses, but that's about it. They still have a ways before they reach the Sharpteeth Woods."
Gaia kept watch from high above the group.
"I guess we should go then..." Kanon kicks mud and pats out the rest of the little fire with his foot. Once done, he picks up the apple he dropped and pours a bit of water on it to clean it off before taking another bite. Once he's done with the apple he packs up the rest of his stuff and nods to the others.
"I guess we should pick up the pace a bit, then?" He's got his crossbow strapped to his belt now instead of his pack and the rapier's safety latch is undone. He's not taking any chances... if they get ambushed, he'll be ready.
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"I'm all for trying to catch up to them. Going to be hard to be sneaky without much cover out here." She munches on a bite of apple as if contemplating things. "I'm ready to get some info in order to find a way to make it safe to return and rebuild. If we wind up killing them all I might be able to save one in time for questioning. They won't go down easy."
Portia finishes her apple and her packing. She pulls out some dried fruit and nut kind of ration bar as she walks a little northeast to look out at the land. She chews on it as she waits for the others to form up.
PbP - Beregost Blues - Portia Starflower, Half Elf, Cleric, Life Domain
PbP - Tome of Annhilation - Vistani Mocanu, Human, Bard
Mara thinks about the information given to her. No places to hide, which meant it would be more difficult to ambush this group. She looked down at her shiny armor and shield, frowning. Regardless of the situation, the sun glinting off her armor would give away her position immediately. She took a handful of cooled campfire ashes and rubbed them over the surfaces of the shield and armor.
"Catching up to them is one thing, but what do we do when get get there? We need to formulate some plan of action before we get too far in over our heads." Once she's done dulling everything shiny, she gathers her pack and waits for the others.
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?
"Yes, yes, yes..." Pettilaen mutters repetively as he looks through his belongings from something to use to demonstrate the plan he had formed in his mind. Dissatisfied, he turned to magic.
Weaving an illusion of a map of the area though Minor Illusion, he began to describe how he thought the group should proceed. "We currently have the upper hand on these hobgoblins, since we know they're there and they don't know we're here." Taking his wand, he points to where he thinks the group's current location is, and where the hobgoblins are. "With our position versus their position and the location of the Sharpteeth Woods, we should be able to intersect them there." He points to a location on the illusory map.
"The issue though", as he continues, "is making sure we go unnoticed by both them and any other warbands patrolling about. I'd bet all of my platinum pieces that they have a horn, and that'll be their first reaction if they see us coming. So we have to strike hard, and strike fast. Ranged weapons will be a priority, as will spells to put them to sleep, which both myself and Zina can provide.... unless you can do, Kanon." He looks at Kanon quizzically, still trying to figure out what spells he knows.
"Sounds like a good plan. That means we need to head about that way." Portia points at the map is really indicating the direction they need to go. "We do have a couple things to use as cover as we keep going. We can use Gaia in quick looks from some of the copse of trees or ruins between here and there. The first one is that copse of trees that we should be able to reach in short order and recheck things from there." She steps through the illusionary map as the quickest way to see the trees she knew were there and take a good look around.
PbP - Beregost Blues - Portia Starflower, Half Elf, Cleric, Life Domain
PbP - Tome of Annhilation - Vistani Mocanu, Human, Bard
"How many times do I have to remind you, Petti," Zina rolled her eyes. "I don't know that spell. I can blind them, but not put them to sleep. We should try to cut them off, instead of just catching up to them," the wizard said after staring at the map for a few moments. "If we can get in front of them, then we can hide in the trees and attack from far away."
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
"Well that's not helpful." he admits. "Though blinding them can still be good, if you can do it from a decent range..." Dismissing the illusion with a wave of his hand, he gets up off the ground to head after the hobgoblins. "So we get ahead of them, set up an ambush, I'll put them to sleep, and then we kill everyone but their captain. Fair enough? Let's go."
He starts the quickened march off with his adorably tiny gnome legs, allowing everyone else to fall behind him.
"I'm not sure what I do is actually casting spells, really..." He stutters and shrugs as he adds, "It's... it's more of just willing it to work. I remember seeing things, and I learn them and pick up on them." He looks over at Zina, "When you cast'd that spell at her, I sort of just... mimic'd you. I think I can do it again."
He tightens his pack and begins walking in the direction of the hobgoblins. "What if they're heading back for reinforcements after they've seen us? Will we be the ones walking into a trap?" Kanon picks up the pace as he says this, hoping that they're walking into a situation that they'll be able to survive... or at the very least get out of.
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Zina frowned at Kanon, a few pieces clicking into place in her brain. She was very clever, the most clever person she knew in fact. But she was not nearly as sharp when it came to people. However, she could see the nervousness in Kanon's face, the self doubt. It was like looking into a mirror of her past.
"Hey, Kanon," she said, via a message spell so only he could hear. "I just wanted to let you know that I think that you are an adequate spell caster. Without your help, I'd probably be dead. But, if you ever want to practice slinging fireballs or something, you can always ask."
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
"That is something I'd love, Zina. You're the smartest person I know, and I'm willing to learn anything you can teach me." He was smiling as he said this, as if the burnt out farms and the thought of walking into a death-trap had suddenly been blown from his mind. This made him pick up his pace a bit. He didn't know that Zina could fire off fireballs. With that kind of power, we were sure to win!
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Mara followed and quickly caught up to Pettilaen. She, too, had noticed the nervousness of Kanon. Casually marching next to the gnome, she said quietly, "You have some pretty green soldiers. If you don't calm the nerves, when the time for battle comes, things might go sideways." She glanced over her shoulder, noticing Kanon smiling. She turned back to Pettilaen, saying, "A good leader knows how to inspire his troops." She picked up her pace, only slightly, and easily took the lead.
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?
"You humans and your long legs.." Pettilaen muttered under his breath. He quickened his pace, trying to out-walk Mara. Finally catching up to her, he says, "They're not my troops. We fight for each other... in our own peculiar ways. And Kanon might be nervous, but get a little blood on him and he goes wild."
He glances back to Kanon for a moment, before facing forward. "It was the strangest thing. The kid charged into a group of centaurs, screaming his head off and stabbing them. One might almost say it was inspirational."
"Interesting," Mara replied, thinking about the kid. "He seems so nervous at the idea of fighting hobgoblins." She looks down at Pettilaen again. "Regardless if you're their leader or not, they still need inspiring. They might not be soldiers, but they are being lead into battle. I don't know any of them, I don't know what they've been through or if they are even here because they choose to be. If there is a slightest hesitation on anyone's part, someone could die. I've seen enough death lately. I'm not willing to watch someone march to their death today."
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?
Pettilaen sighed. "Fine."
Stopping the group, he addressed them. "I don't think I'm your leader in anyway. Well. I certainly lead the group in cuteness. But that's not the point of this monologue. We've been through some tough battles... I myself have fallen on one occasion, but by Ilmater's grace, I stood once again to protect you all. What we're walking into is faaar easier than what we've dealt with before. If Mara" he points to her, "can handle three hobgoblins by herself, and there's only seven hobgoblins in total, then this will be easier than walking up a hill, or sleeping with a tree's root running along your spine. Just stick to the plan, be quick, be quiet, and we'll get out with our hobgoblin captain without any issue."
"Umm... We're seasoned now, with a lot of experience under our belt. I trust each of you with my life? Yeah, that too." He clears his throat afterward, visibly uncomfortable, but then turns and continues heading towards the hobgoblins.