The Blackmire Company: Campaign

Diadochi nods " we've been trying to find the goblins, maybe there is some way we can get them to find us, smoke signal perhaps.  Finding Shale, I doubt we will find him first. I wonder if he still needs us it if we've proven enough of a thorn in his side that he's out to kill us. Maybe we can set ourselves up as bait in some sort of trap." 

Diadochi looks around to find something helpful perception  20 

Sim scours the ground for a bit before finally giving up.  "Abigail is correct we have two options either return empty handed or we continue the hunt for the Goblins but with no tracks to follow that may be hard as well.  I think Yaalin should try to meditate and communicate with the God of the mountain and see what guidance we can receive.  If it doesn't work or she doesn't want to then we should return to the town of Rest and move on with our lives.  We can report to the mayor that the Goblin alliance has been broken, the town is safe, and move on.

Quote from seanodonnelloneword >>

Diadochi nods " we've been trying to find the goblins, maybe there is some way we can get them to find us, smoke signal perhaps.  Finding Shale, I doubt we will find him first. I wonder if he still needs us it if we've proven enough of a thorn in his side that he's out to kill us. Maybe we can set ourselves up as bait in some sort of trap." 

 

Diadochi looks around to find something helpful perception  13 

 You look around, but don't see anything out of the ordinary. 

Lafetha searches the camp to see if there are any clues as to where the goblins might have gone, or if there is anything else of use for the group. perception 13

"I do not think Jeshur will be of any further help to us, If you can call that spider fiasco help" Yaalin traces arcane symbols in the dirt while the others search for clues, 
"I for one do not wish to leave the mountains in complete failure.  We came here for the apple and as much as I hate the idea of returning to the caves and attempting to find it is our best course of action.  You.." She gestures at those who signed on with the mayor, "have more to do with Shale as well.  I believe he has no intention of giving up and perhaps an ambush near the ritual site would give us the edge we need. 

Yaalin stretches weary of watching the others and sighs, 

"I am afraid he was speaking the truth that we need him to access the apple to boot unless one of you has a dwarven mini crew tucked in a pocket somewhere?"

Quote from OMGitsAC >>

Lafetha searches the camp to see if there are any clues as to where the goblins might have gone, or if there is anything else of use for the group. perception 9

 Already having searched for tracks and coming up with nothing, you look around.  But there isn't anything out of the ordinary.

Sim sits down and tells the others “I will not be responsible for unlocking that temple to get the Apple and unleashing the evil inside. If you each will permit it I will share with you the vision and memory given to me of the day it was locked away.”

Then using the helm he will show each of them what he saw. Explaining a whole tribe of Hn’ti sacrificed their life force to seal that way in. “Because they could not stop the undead army of the priestess. Every time someone died on either side the priestess has another body she could use. If left unstopped I believe it could have become an unstoppable army sweeping the world before it.”

"I still believe it is out duty to go back and find the apple,"  Yaalin nods at Sim, " I understand your trepidation but if we don't do something about this evil Shale will simply return and try again, and again, and again until it is unleashed. Perhaps finding a different way into the chamber would allow us to retrieve the object we were hired for, while ambushing Shale.  If not it should net us a few Hn'ti to interrogate."

She spits in disgust

"They might have a better idea where to find Shale as you all signed on to kill him back in Rest.  Going directly back may not be the best bet though as I doubt the tunnels will be as kind to us as we are not small people" She playfully claps Diadochi on the Back," What Say you all? you've all be rather quiet on the decisions."  

She begins to pack up all her stuff and turns after a moment,  "On the other hand tracking down Alul may be another alternative.  He might be able to find this Shale better than any of us."

She will stand ready to go back to the mountain while she waits for the others to chime in

Yaalin, you do glance back over to the nearby tunnels that lead into the mountain.  Riding on the goblins as a spider took the better part of a full day of traveling and crawling around.  And they seemed to know where to go in the tunnels itself.  You could certainly try, but it would be forcing yourself through for a good twelve+ hours.

(To go through the tunnel route, 3 checks per person:  STR / Athletics,  DEX / Acrobatics,  Con Save.  All DC 14.  Every check that fails = 1 level of exhaustion)

Lafetha chimes in, "I agree. I don't think the tunnels will be a good idea now that we are no longer spiders, but we do need the silver apple. I mean  it is why we are all here in the first place." She turns to Yaalin, "interrogating the Hn'ti would be a good idea, but none of us can understand them, and remember how frustrated you got the last time?"

Diadochi sighs, "  We agreed to get the Apple but the situation has changed. Every choice we made on this quest feels bad. Risking great evil coming into this world so people we don't know can get a great artifact for purposes we also don't know feels bad. Disabling Shale and destroying any means there are of opening  the gate to the  the Apple is the clearest moral choice we've had since we started up the cursed mountain. If finding Alul helps us with this then we do it. Those tunnels won't be kind to us going through again, we're going to have to find another way in my opinion."

“If there were another way in then it wouldn’t be a very secure prison and Shale certainly wouldn’t have tried all this to get in. We have removed shale’s wizard and goblin life source battery. Plus the hn’ti burned all of the documents in the office that contained info on the spell. He will not simply come back and try again. He will try to rally the Goblins again so if we go anywhere it should be to find where their home is. Maybe the Hn’ti know where they reside BUT that Apple is sealed away and we are better off leaving it alone.”

"I have no desire to traverse those tunnels when there are other entrances into the cave. I would vote for returning to the main entrance or finding that secret entrance."
She sighs, a feeling a failure washing over her... "Really, any course of action that eventually sees Shale's head on a pike would be pleasurable to me. I want to complete at least one job while up here so that my reputation is not completely buggered. If you all thing that Alul is the best chance at finding that sneaky goblin, then I am in... Otherwise, the only plan I can come up with is returning to the ritual sight and waiting for him to return - there is no way he lets this go."

((Abigail will follow the group to Alul or into the mountain again, but she knows her best chance of survival up here is with either Sim or Lafetha and will follow one of their leads.)) 

Sim listens in then says “It seems the general ideas are find Alul to find the goblins or shale which will be near the Hn’ti, find the goblins home by asking the Hn’ti, interrogate some Hn’ti, or get the apple another way which only the Hn’ti can tell us. It sounds like we need to return to the Hn’ti. Let’s get a move on.”

survival 13

The group sets out, heading back towards the Hn'ti village they were at...

(Random Encounter Rolls: 16, 18, 7, 2)

(3)

The first day goes by without any large issues.  Finding both enough water and food for the day.  The following two days, breathing gets a bit easier, descending from the tops of the mountain and back down along some of the paths.  Evening sets in.  The sky's a bit cloudy from the intermittent rain you all went through during the day, but you do not think the rain will return through the night.  Some small game roasts on a open flame, the smoke from wet wood and some mountain reeds wafting in the air.

Yaalin is first to notice something in the distance.  A traveling group of Hn'ti.  You can't tell if they're heading towards you or not, the distance being a little bit too far.  But there's well over a dozen of them.

What do you do?

"We have company"  Pointing to the approaching Hn'ti, "I assume they will see our fire soon if they haven't already.  We wanted to take a prisoner and if that works to talk to them it might be the best chance we have."  ((she is referring to the helm))

"Lure them in?  Stoke the fire set up dummies, move quick then hide yourselves the odds have to be in our favor, Abigail you may want to circle around to flank them."

If no one objects...

 is someone objects to the plan

Abigail stops sharpening her blades when Yaalin notes the oncoming Hn'ti.

"Great, likely refugees from Alul's genocide. I agree with Yaalin though, if they come over here seeking a fight, we should be ready for them."

Abigail gets off her rock and says, "I am going to sneak ahead to see what can be seen before they get here."
Pointing at the helm, she continues, "Don't suppose we know how long that range is? Keep me in your thoughts."

Lafetha is not very keen on the plan that has been decided, but decides to follow along for now. She stands up and moves out of site, so the Hn'ti don't see her as they move closer.

Abigail attempts to sneak out a bit, trying to see what the Hn'ti are up to while Yaalin does her best to set up some kind of distraction.

Abigail, you first notice that there's about fourteen Hn'ti.  Some carrying a few wild mountain goats.  Others holding some spears, other with nets.  Many of them are children, either moving with their family or out on their first hunt.  As you begin to move a bit closer, the rock you duck behind tumbles down.  If the smoke didn't catch their attention, the sudden rock falling and the clear line of sight definitely does.  A few of the young ones point and shout, similar to how the ones reacted to seeing your cat-body back in the village.  

It's a little far to see it all, but, the older ones wrangle the kids back in.  A few of the older hunters getting them to quiet down, with a bit of a scolding motion.  They then turn to you with a bit of a nod, and the group continues on their way.  They never get within 500 feet of your camp, skirting around it at a good distance as the sun continues to set on the mountainside.  And as quickly as they arrived, they move onward and out of your sight.  

During the night, during the first shift, those awake hear some large flying creatures.  The sounds of heavy flapping of wings causing a bit of a flutter.  But nothing is quite visible in the cloudy sky.  Still, you all wake up without issue.

The next few days are uneventful.

(3)

It's just before Mid-day when you see the Hn'ti village off in the distance.  The mountain reeds swaying in the wind. Hn'ti villagers out tending to them in the open.  A few people standing on the top of the plateau, looking out on the horizon.  You're bout a 20 minute walk to the village and it's inhabitants. 

What do you do?