Aquila sees the goblin she fired upon crumple and his partner run off deeper into the brush. "An enemy should be given the respect of seeing his deathblow head on, not whilst his back is turned". With that, she clamors to top of the cart which is lurching along under the force of the injured ox and she begins to search the right side of the path for the other attackers. She spots a goblin hiding in the brush and repositions her bow to take aim of his direction.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
You spot one of the well hidden goblins in the light brush. But as you take your focus away from the lone one on the right left it fires its own arrow at the ox (most likely) killing it.
Attack: 14 Damage: 5
With the ox down it scuttles through the foliage and trees closer to you as Fosco hears "Beast down, they're sitting ducks!", but you're not sure where as it tries to hide again. 22
If the Ox somehow was missed, it's waiting for a command from Dagomar who soothed the beast.
Goblin 3 - AC 15, 7 HP - hidden 23 (went)
Goblin 2 - AC 15, 7 HP - hidden 20 (went)
Fosco (went)
Aquila (went)
Goblin 1 - AC 15, 7 HP - hidden 22 (went)
Dagomar (5 feet behind the ox, in line with the cart) (UP NOW!)
Dagomar is angered at the senseless attacks against the oxen (and annoyed at the attacks towards the party members). He thinks he has a good idea of where at least one of the goblins last surfaced in the underbrush from his vantage point. He holds his hands together then opens them and grasping weeds and vines sprout from the ground in a 20-foot square to encompass the area the goblin should be in.
<For the duration, these plants turn the ground in the area into difficult terrain. A creature in the area when you cast the spell must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained by the entangling plants until the spell ends. A creature restrained by the plants can use its action to make a Strength check against your spell save DC. On a success, it frees itself.
When the spell ends, the conjured plants wilt away.>
There were some problems with the roller. I am doing it analog right now.
The lone goblin to the left sees the earth come alive around it and tries to break free of their grasp (rolled an 11) and fails. It becomes [status]Restrained[/status] and starts yelling frantically.
Goblin 3 - AC 15, 7 HP - hidden 23 (went)
Goblin 2 - AC 15, 7 HP - hidden 20 (went)
Fosco (went)
Aquila (went)
Goblin 1 - AC 15, 7 HP - [status]Restrained[/status] and surrounded by rough terrain (went)
Sazira dislodges herself from the cart, and as she stomps through the brush swiftly, and with an air of a movement that is second nature, pulls out both of her hand axes. The terrain does slow her down a bit, but she is determined to make up for being caught off guard by quickly and efficiently disposing of these goblin nuisances. When she finally reaches Goblin 1, who is now easy to see as he is ensnared by magic roots, she strikes out first with her right hand axe, quickly followed by her left hand axe.
Sazira swings and strikes with her right hand. Feeling confident, and back to her old self, she packs her joy into her second strike. The joy of combat pays off, as she slices into Goblin 1 a second time with a satisfying "squelch" of the blade going through Goblin skin. The Goblin crumples beneath her blades and lies dead, still encased in the roots.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The two other goblins see their second companion get smashed immediately, again. They know they cannot withstand direct attacks and launch one more volley before running deeper into the woods.
Goblin 3 attacking Aquila from hiding: 9 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll. Then hiding another 30 feet deeper into the woods (over 80 feet in the thicker brush): 20
Goblin 2 attacking Dagomar from hiding: 23 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll. Then hiding another 30 feet deeper into the woods (over 80 feet in the thicker brush): 23
Combat is pretty much done unless you sprint after them through the brush. Keep in mind, they are now entering the thicker part of the woods and it will be harder to spot or track them.
Sazira sees the goblins flee, and tracks them with her eyes. As she takes a few steps, she realizes that the effort is not worth it. Even though she is hungry to continue to redeem herself to her fellow security for hire crew. As she stomps out of the brush, she returns to the wagon. She takes in the rest of the team. Sazira feels surprised and impressed with Dagomar. She also recognizes the great skill that Aquilla showed with her arrows. She's not really sure what to make of Fosco. Sazira takes a drink of water and says loud enough for those near her to hear, "Well. How's that for team bonding?"
Aquila hops down off the cart and clomps over to the fallen goblin to retrieve her arrow. After using the adjacent foliage to clean the head, she scrutinizes the corpse hoping to find some clue as to why he and the others attacked.
The goblin looks like a normal goblin except for three distinct differences:
It has a gauged left ear piercing, probably formed and currently filled with an orc tooth.
There is a small, clean coin pouch on its belt that has 3 gold "gear" coins and 5 silver "crowns", all of them still shiny and recently minted in Neverwinter. It also has a ratty, folded piece of parchment with the emblem of the Waterdeep Griffon Riders. The few words you can make out on the faded and frayed letter are "after 20 years of service", "honorably promoted", "Lord's Alliance" and Sildar's name at the bottom under a golden mark that hasn't faded.
It is quite dead
You (or one of your companions) use this opportunity to check the horses. You can see they've been dead for at least a day, killed by a small collection of goblin arrows, and all of their saddlebags empty. A few feet from the horses is a similarly empty leather map case.
Aquila snatches the coin pouch and adds it to her own. Then she lifts the parchment to share with her companions and get their take on it. Turning her back to the quite dead goblin, she holds out the parchment towards the cart and asks openly, "What do you make of this?"
Dagomar finishes his investigations of the horses, and judges the meat to have gone off. He sadly shakes his head, well- plenty of dinners for the worms and the flies and the lesser scavengers. As the Menzoberannzan Necromancer El Tahn Jahn often sang in the Underdark "Its the Circle, the Circle of Life." He extracts the goblin arrows, wipes them clean and investigates them to see if any are still useful. Those in the best condition he hands to Aquila with a smile. "Your archery is commendable. Here, nasty and brutish ironwork on the tips, but the fletching is actually quite nice. Perhaps you will find the opportunity to return them to the goblins at your convenience."
He also nods at Sazira after the team-bonding comment. "Yes, team bonding indeed. I am glad I am not on team goblin."
Examining the scroll, he notes the name "Sildar" and says quietly to the party "Is...Sildar a common name in these parts, or would this Sildar be THAT Sildar? Also, I am not from these parts...I know of Griffons, from books anyway. I have read they can be domesticated- but am I to understand Waterdeep has a military branch that rides them?! "
Sazira looks at Dagomar and says "The Giffin Riders are a branch of Waterdeep police. A very elite branch. I've come across them in my battles and travels." She asks for the scroll from Dagomar (assuming he hands it over), she looks it over. "I do not believe that this Sildar is different than the one that we are working for. They are most definitely one in the same, which means that something unsavory has most likely happened to him."
Sazira's battlefield experiences have left her with a "no man left behind" attitude. This being the case, she eyes the horizon and says to the group, "If those goblins have him, and I'm pretty sure they do, I feel bound to help him. We have met this man, exchanged words, and started this travel together. Is anyone particularly skilled at tracking? Those goblins have taken off into the deeper brush, and may be hard to find. But I bet if we find them, we could get them to talk. One way or another."
Dag contemplates Saizira's words. He has seen the goblin hordes in the Underdark, cowards and scavengers, but opportunists. "They are either fleeing as fast as their legs will carry them, or hustling for reinforcements. We have a downed wagon, and I don't think they got a chance to see the contents- they may believe there is a hearty prize for the taking, and they will be unhappy thinking they 'killed' the wagon and are leaving the spoils for other reavers. If we don't pursue them now, my belief is that we will see them again soon, and more of them."
I think I might be able to track them, their escape was hasty and without caution- they will have left a mess in the underbrush. I think we should bury the contents of the wagon in the meantime though so no one else makes off with the delivery. After we dispatch the goblins, or determine that they have fled, we can return and figure out how to transport the cargo the rest of the say.
Dagomar uses his Mold Earth cantrip to create a hollow inside a small berm of earth nearby that can hold the contents of the wagon, then quickly begins moving picks and tools into the recessed area, wrapped in the tarp. Hopefully others help with this so it goes quickly. Afterwards Mold Earth will close the cavity and the vegetation can be adjusted to make it look as though nothing is awry.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Sazira does most of the heavy lifting as Dagomar isn't all that strong or fast.
22 If that number is under 10, both take a point ofexhaustion. The rest of the party has a short rest.
Dagomar sits on a log for a 5 second break when all is said and done, just to notice the gap in the brush where the goblins have taken their retreat. Pushing the thicket to the side he sees a heavy trail where at least 12 pairs of tiny feet have treaded back and forth, but the tracks are blurred by two, heavy, humanoid sized drag marks making the exact number hard to determine.
He travels forward, pointing the way to keep the party in the right direction for about 10 minutes, moving a mile or so, until he spots a different colored roughage. Grabbing a stick and poking it has a rope quickly cinches on the stick, ripping it from his hand and hoisting it 15 feet into the air. He says something smarmy, like an exceptionally pale Henry Rollins, relating back to how life is so much harder in the Underdark and that we should be more vigilant for more traps. His words fall on his own deaf ears as another 10 minutes down the path he misses another clump of dirt that's out of place, but is stopped by Aquila before he discovers a pit trap the hard way.
After a few more minutes you come across a large cave in a hillside, an estimated five miles from the scene of the ambush. A shallow stream flows out of the cave mouth, which is screened by dense briar thickets. A narrow dry path leads into the cave on the right-hand side of the stream. As you approach you think you hear chatter on the other side of the thicket, Dagomar and Fosco can barely make out the words "more teeth", "down the trail" and "open wagon" in Goblin. As these words were said Fosco felt the tickle of magic vanish from her ears and the noise continues as ugly, high-pitched cackling.
Following Aquilla's lead, in a show of solidarity, Shazira pulls out her scimitar. She nods and says "I believe we shall." She eyes the cave opening and tenses as she steadies her focus and takes a single step down the path.
Aquila sees the goblin she fired upon crumple and his partner run off deeper into the brush. "An enemy should be given the respect of seeing his deathblow head on, not whilst his back is turned". With that, she clamors to top of the cart which is lurching along under the force of the injured ox and she begins to search the right side of the path for the other attackers. She spots a goblin hiding in the brush and repositions her bow to take aim of his direction.
You spot one of the well hidden goblins in the light brush. But as you take your focus away from the lone one on the
rightleft it fires its own arrow at the ox (most likely) killing it.Attack: 14
Damage: 5
With the ox down it scuttles through the foliage and trees closer to you as Fosco hears "Beast down, they're sitting ducks!", but you're not sure where as it tries to hide again. 22
If the Ox somehow was missed, it's waiting for a command from Dagomar who soothed the beast.
Attack: [roll]1d20+[AMOD][/ roll]
Damage: [roll]if([roll:-1:fumble],=1,0,if([roll:-1],<[TARGET],0,if([roll:-1:critical],=1,2{[DAMAGE]}.expand(),[DAMAGE])+[DMOD]))[/ roll]
Dagomar is angered at the senseless attacks against the oxen (and annoyed at the attacks towards the party members). He thinks he has a good idea of where at least one of the goblins last surfaced in the underbrush from his vantage point. He holds his hands together then opens them and grasping weeds and vines sprout from the ground in a 20-foot square to encompass the area the goblin should be in.
<For the duration, these plants turn the ground in the area into difficult terrain. A creature in the area when you cast the spell must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained by the entangling plants until the spell ends. A creature restrained by the plants can use its action to make a Strength check against your spell save DC. On a success, it frees itself.
When the spell ends, the conjured plants wilt away.>
There were some problems with the roller. I am doing it analog right now.
The lone goblin to the left sees the earth come alive around it and tries to break free of their grasp (rolled an 11) and fails. It becomes [status]Restrained[/status] and starts yelling frantically.
Attack: [roll]1d20+[AMOD][/ roll]
Damage: [roll]if([roll:-1:fumble],=1,0,if([roll:-1],<[TARGET],0,if([roll:-1:critical],=1,2{[DAMAGE]}.expand(),[DAMAGE])+[DMOD]))[/ roll]
Sazira dislodges herself from the cart, and as she stomps through the brush swiftly, and with an air of a movement that is second nature, pulls out both of her hand axes. The terrain does slow her down a bit, but she is determined to make up for being caught off guard by quickly and efficiently disposing of these goblin nuisances. When she finally reaches Goblin 1, who is now easy to see as he is ensnared by magic roots, she strikes out first with her right hand axe, quickly followed by her left hand axe.
Right hand axe attack: Attack: 21 Damage: 5
Left hand axe attack: Attack: 19 Damage: 7
Sazira swings and strikes with her right hand. Feeling confident, and back to her old self, she packs her joy into her second strike. The joy of combat pays off, as she slices into Goblin 1 a second time with a satisfying "squelch" of the blade going through Goblin skin. The Goblin crumples beneath her blades and lies dead, still encased in the roots.
The two other goblins see their second companion get smashed immediately, again. They know they cannot withstand direct attacks and launch one more volley before running deeper into the woods.
Goblin 3 attacking Aquila from hiding: 9
Damage: Unable to parse dice roll.
Then hiding another 30 feet deeper into the woods (over 80 feet in the thicker brush): 20
Goblin 2 attacking Dagomar from hiding: 23
Damage: Unable to parse dice roll.
Then hiding another 30 feet deeper into the woods (over 80 feet in the thicker brush): 23
Combat is pretty much done unless you sprint after them through the brush. Keep in mind, they are now entering the thicker part of the woods and it will be harder to spot or track them.
Attack: [roll]1d20+[AMOD][/ roll]
Damage: [roll]if([roll:-1:fumble],=1,0,if([roll:-1],<[TARGET],0,if([roll:-1:critical],=1,2{[DAMAGE]}.expand(),[DAMAGE])+[DMOD]))[/ roll]
Sazira sees the goblins flee, and tracks them with her eyes. As she takes a few steps, she realizes that the effort is not worth it. Even though she is hungry to continue to redeem herself to her fellow security for hire crew. As she stomps out of the brush, she returns to the wagon. She takes in the rest of the team. Sazira feels surprised and impressed with Dagomar. She also recognizes the great skill that Aquilla showed with her arrows. She's not really sure what to make of Fosco. Sazira takes a drink of water and says loud enough for those near her to hear, "Well. How's that for team bonding?"
Aquila hops down off the cart and clomps over to the fallen goblin to retrieve her arrow. After using the adjacent foliage to clean the head, she scrutinizes the corpse hoping to find some clue as to why he and the others attacked.
Intelligence check: 6
The goblin looks like a normal goblin except for three distinct differences:
You (or one of your companions) use this opportunity to check the horses. You can see they've been dead for at least a day, killed by a small collection of goblin arrows, and all of their saddlebags empty. A few feet from the horses is a similarly empty leather map case.
What do you do?
Attack: [roll]1d20+[AMOD][/ roll]
Damage: [roll]if([roll:-1:fumble],=1,0,if([roll:-1],<[TARGET],0,if([roll:-1:critical],=1,2{[DAMAGE]}.expand(),[DAMAGE])+[DMOD]))[/ roll]
Aquila snatches the coin pouch and adds it to her own. Then she lifts the parchment to share with her companions and get their take on it. Turning her back to the quite dead goblin, she holds out the parchment towards the cart and asks openly, "What do you make of this?"
Dagomar finishes his investigations of the horses, and judges the meat to have gone off. He sadly shakes his head, well- plenty of dinners for the worms and the flies and the lesser scavengers. As the Menzoberannzan Necromancer El Tahn Jahn often sang in the Underdark "Its the Circle, the Circle of Life." He extracts the goblin arrows, wipes them clean and investigates them to see if any are still useful. Those in the best condition he hands to Aquila with a smile. "Your archery is commendable. Here, nasty and brutish ironwork on the tips, but the fletching is actually quite nice. Perhaps you will find the opportunity to return them to the goblins at your convenience."
He also nods at Sazira after the team-bonding comment. "Yes, team bonding indeed. I am glad I am not on team goblin."
Examining the scroll, he notes the name "Sildar" and says quietly to the party "Is...Sildar a common name in these parts, or would this Sildar be THAT Sildar? Also, I am not from these parts...I know of Griffons, from books anyway. I have read they can be domesticated- but am I to understand Waterdeep has a military branch that rides them?! "
All of the characters besides Dag know of the Griffin Riders, they are a well known branch of the elite Waterdeep police.
It is your Sildar's name on the sheet.
I see three options for you to take right now (but there are others I haven't considered):
Attack: [roll]1d20+[AMOD][/ roll]
Damage: [roll]if([roll:-1:fumble],=1,0,if([roll:-1],<[TARGET],0,if([roll:-1:critical],=1,2{[DAMAGE]}.expand(),[DAMAGE])+[DMOD]))[/ roll]
Sazira looks at Dagomar and says "The Giffin Riders are a branch of Waterdeep police. A very elite branch. I've come across them in my battles and travels." She asks for the scroll from Dagomar (assuming he hands it over), she looks it over. "I do not believe that this Sildar is different than the one that we are working for. They are most definitely one in the same, which means that something unsavory has most likely happened to him."
Sazira's battlefield experiences have left her with a "no man left behind" attitude. This being the case, she eyes the horizon and says to the group, "If those goblins have him, and I'm pretty sure they do, I feel bound to help him. We have met this man, exchanged words, and started this travel together. Is anyone particularly skilled at tracking? Those goblins have taken off into the deeper brush, and may be hard to find. But I bet if we find them, we could get them to talk. One way or another."
Dag contemplates Saizira's words. He has seen the goblin hordes in the Underdark, cowards and scavengers, but opportunists. "They are either fleeing as fast as their legs will carry them, or hustling for reinforcements. We have a downed wagon, and I don't think they got a chance to see the contents- they may believe there is a hearty prize for the taking, and they will be unhappy thinking they 'killed' the wagon and are leaving the spoils for other reavers. If we don't pursue them now, my belief is that we will see them again soon, and more of them."
I think I might be able to track them, their escape was hasty and without caution- they will have left a mess in the underbrush. I think we should bury the contents of the wagon in the meantime though so no one else makes off with the delivery. After we dispatch the goblins, or determine that they have fled, we can return and figure out how to transport the cargo the rest of the say.
Dagomar uses his Mold Earth cantrip to create a hollow inside a small berm of earth nearby that can hold the contents of the wagon, then quickly begins moving picks and tools into the recessed area, wrapped in the tarp. Hopefully others help with this so it goes quickly. Afterwards Mold Earth will close the cavity and the vegetation can be adjusted to make it look as though nothing is awry.
Tracking the goblins with +5 Nature 20
Sazira agrees with Dagomar and feels comforted by having a plan. She quickly jumps in to help move the wagon load into its hiding place.
22 If that number is under 10, both take a point ofexhaustion. The rest of the party has a short rest.
What do you do?
Attack: [roll]1d20+[AMOD][/ roll]
Damage: [roll]if([roll:-1:fumble],=1,0,if([roll:-1],<[TARGET],0,if([roll:-1:critical],=1,2{[DAMAGE]}.expand(),[DAMAGE])+[DMOD]))[/ roll]
Aquila unsheathes her two shortswords ready to take an offensive position, but looks to her compatriots for confirmation. "Shall we see this through?"
Following Aquilla's lead, in a show of solidarity, Shazira pulls out her scimitar. She nods and says "I believe we shall." She eyes the cave opening and tenses as she steadies her focus and takes a single step down the path.
Fosco gently puts his potted plant friend in a safe location to have better movement and follows, prepping his green flame blade cantrip.