Karm speaks loud but does not shout. That way the Hobgoblin can hear him but has to pay attention
We are tracking down a creature involved in the theft of children from the nearby settlement. We do not know what it is, but i heard one of yours refering to something infernal which matches with what we learned so far. You and your people are of no interest to us, unless your interest is to directly oppose our interest. We mean no Harm unless you give us reason to.
Karm takes two steps forward and asks: What is your intention with us?
{{I know, but the journey from after casting to now takes about an hour. Let's say that you have a couple more minutes of the spell on you before it expires.}}
The leader of the patrol squad frowns and walks closer to you with his team. The two gatekeepers remain behind, closer to the gate. Karm, you get the feeling that most of what you said is lost to them. They don't seem to have a good grasp of Common.
"How many are you?" The hobgoblin asks in his broken Common. "Step out. Show unarmed hands. We take you to Leader. He explains more."
{{Also remember that Leander will follow your instruction and is there to help. So far, he is just helping you track the hoof trail and keeping himself at the back of the group.}}
Karm who expects the others to at least think about the situation waits (hopes) for Drexons input on honesty
He tries to bridge some time. We do not have time, lifes are on the line. What is it that we must know? And why must we show vulnerability while you make no equal effort? He gives his best to sound authorative but not provoking. While speaking Karm takes two more steps.
Cob hops down from the trees and looks around at the hobgoblins, deciding that Drexon and Karm seem to have everything in hand. There's no point messing it up by adding more but still he can't resist saying something just to see the reaction.
{{So far, Dvark and Eremoz haven't broken their stealth yet. Something to keep in mind.}}
The lead hobgoblin goes quiet for quite a while before nodding. He motions for his squad to spread out in an escort formation before moving back toward the gate.
"Fire horses kill," the lead hobgoblin says. "Hunters, not preys. Leader will meet you and explain. Come."
Before you can move to follow, Drexon, with your keen hearing, you hear panting and rushed footsteps from the way you came. You turn to look and see one hobgoblin running as fast as he can toward you.
Karm, you can hear the shout of a hobgoblin getting louder from the way you came.
"Alert the village!" The rushing hobgoblin says in Goblin. "The riders approach fast! Mount the defense!"
Before the hobgoblin can say anything more, an arrow bursts out of his head. The tip of the arrow smolders with brimstone and fire. You look east toward where the shout comes from and see three riders, all clad in thick smoldering cloaks, atop flaming steeds. You can see that the steeds don't stand on the ground, but hover half a foot above the ground as they slowly trot toward you and the village gate. At a guess, they are probably 300 feet away.
{{I'll work on a map, but for reference, you are standing in the middle of a gravel path. 300 feet to your west is the village gate. 90 to 100 feet to your west is the hobgoblin patrol squad. 150 to 180 feet to your east is where the dead hobgoblin dropped. 300 feet to your east is where the three riders currently stand.}}
As soon as he sees what is happening, Drexon whispers his words of focus in Deep Speech and turns to face the new threat.
"Should we flee or fight", he asks his companions, loud enough for the Hobgoblins to hear.
"If they are comfortable attacking a whole village, I think the former might be sensible. At least try and stick with the patrol if they'll let us", he adds a bit quieter just for his friends as he backs away towards the Hobgoblin patrol.
As he moves to try and see what sort of bows they have in order to tell what range they can attack from.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
They can’t go back as that’s the way the riders are coming from. That leaves the hobgoblin village walls as the best bet. Cob flies off towards it, dodging and flying erratically as he does.
Dvark attempts to signal to Eremos that they should move to flank the riders while remaining hidden. If Drexon links to him he says 'bait them in. We will pincer. Crush them fast and take atleast one alive.'
The lead hobgoblin of the patrol squad looks back toward the two gatekeepers and yells in Goblin, "Call for reinforcement!"
He turns toward the rest of you and shakes his head. "Flee not possible," he says. "Too fast. We stall. You run to gate. Safety in village." He motions for the other hobgoblins in the squad to draw their bows and loose. Whether it will miss or hit, it may be a deterrent against the riders.
As soon as the hobgoblin says that, you turn toward the riders and are surprised to see that the three riders have traversed the distance to the dead hobgoblins. The one with the bow nocks another arrow and releases it toward the most visible person they can see, which is Cob with his bright colors and wings. The bow seems strong enough to cover a great distance. One of the riders, a lithe and lanky one, stay a little behind the one with the bow. The other, a more heavily armored one, enter the forest. Despite the thick forest, you can still see the glow the flaming steed radiates and easily track their movement through the forest.
{{If you have an action, you can make one now before we enter the initiative. Whether you flee or fight, I would like for you to roll initiative to keep track of movement.}}
{{And we have a map. The scale and grid size are a bit wonky for the sake of showing the tokens, so just say how many feet you move and in which direction. If you still want to see and make sense of the map, each box is 30 feet.}}
{{Quick information, Dvark and Eremoz are still hidden with Leander. I consider Drexon, Cob, and Karm to be on the gravel path as they are conversing with the hobgoblin squad. From the map, the two riders on the gravel path are standing near the hobgoblin that rushed to warn the village, about 150 feet away from you. The large hobgoblin token is the hobgoblin patrol squad, which is also about 150 feet away from you. The distance from your location to the gate is 300 feet. And for reference's sake, one of the riders is carrying a longbow with a range of 150/600 feet, just like the hobgoblins in the patrol squad.}}
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As soon as Karm sees the Rider identifying as dangerous, speak firing arrows at his friends, he checks the distance. Realizing he is standing in open space without the neccessairy range he dashes back towards the Patrol Squad: Let us prove we mean no harm to you he shouts while rushing towards them.
Inferno Hunter Multiattack against Cob: 18 Damage: 7 Inferno Hunter Multiattack against Cob: 9 Damage: 3
-
{{Edit: The Hunter doesn't get to attack. Action-wise, the three riders used the Dash action, so they can't attack or do anything else. Cob, you're safe.}}
((Phew - though was going to point out Cob had been using Dodge as his action so I think those attacks would have been at disadvantage unless they have some sort of advantage now))
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Initiative:
Patrol Squad: 6
Leander: 4
Inferno Hunter: 4 Hunter Nightmare: 7
Inferno Knight: 6 Knight Nightmare: 21
Inferno Wizard: 19 Wizard Nightmare: 6
{{Also, remember we are using a modified initiative. A refresher: we'll separate the round into quarters. We'll average the individual rolls and the highest side (your group or the enemies) goes first during the first half and the second half. Those that roll above the average go in the first half and those that roll below the average go in the second half.}}
First Quarter: Cob, Drexon, Eremoz, Karm, Leander Second Quarter: Inferno Wizard, Hunter Nightmare Third Quarter: Dvark, Patrol Squad Fourth Quarter: Inferno Hunter, Inferno Knight, Knight Nightmare, Wizard Nightmare
-
The lithe and lanky rider seems to perk up as you and the patrol squad stand firm instead of running toward the gate. The rider pulls down their hooded cloak and you can see a masculine face with a sharp jawline and a five o'clock shadow. His green eyes glow with mirth and mischief.
"No need to run," he says. "I just want an audience with your leader." He motions toward the dead hobgoblin under his steed vaguely and shrugs. A spark of arcane energy sputters from his fingers as the wind seems to nudge the dead body slightly away from him and his steed. "Sorry about that one. He's pissing me off with his incessant screaming this late in the afternoon. I am looking for a gemstone that your village is in possession of. You might have heard of it, hobgoblins. The Thirteen-Shaded Jade." He once again motions toward the dead body under his steed and continues, "I know you have it from this fellow here. You can relinquish it to me now, or I will take it by force. You do not want the latter."
When the Thirteen-Shaded Jade is mentioned, you can see a flicker of recognition in the patrol squad. Despite the language barrier, they seem to know that particular word and it only makes them tenser.
"We fight," the patrol leader says to you in Common absentmindedly. There is seriousness in his voice with a hint of anger. "We fight until we die or support comes." He turns toward his squad and grunts in Goblin, "We stand our ground! We will not let this curr put their greedy hands on the heart of our village. We stand and fight!"
At the corner of your eye, you can see the light of the other rider that has entered the forest grows brighter as the sound of thunderous hooves doesn't stop but continues to get louder. It seems that despite the wizard's words, there is a possibility that the other two riders don't have the same restraint.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!", Drexon calls out as he retreats a little further. He has no idea what the hobgoblin said to his troops, but doubtless it was not good after what he said to the rider.
"We can talk about this. What claim do you have on this...Thirteen-Shaded Jade?", he calls out to the rider who spoke.
"Call off your people, stop the aggressiveness and let's parlay", he suggests, even has he inches further back towards the Hobgoblin squad.
Cob looks at the lead rider, the one who's talking and judges the distance to him. He looks too far away for his magic to be of any use yet.
Instead Cob looks at the trees on either side of the path and judges they could provide some cover from those lethal bows. He moves northwest to put some of the trees between himself and the riders, dodging as he does.
{{comprehend languages last for 1 hour}}
Karm speaks loud but does not shout. That way the Hobgoblin can hear him but has to pay attention
We are tracking down a creature involved in the theft of children from the nearby settlement. We do not know what it is, but i heard one of yours refering to something infernal which matches with what we learned so far. You and your people are of no interest to us, unless your interest is to directly oppose our interest. We mean no Harm unless you give us reason to.
Karm takes two steps forward and asks: What is your intention with us?
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
{{I know, but the journey from after casting to now takes about an hour. Let's say that you have a couple more minutes of the spell on you before it expires.}}
The leader of the patrol squad frowns and walks closer to you with his team. The two gatekeepers remain behind, closer to the gate. Karm, you get the feeling that most of what you said is lost to them. They don't seem to have a good grasp of Common.
"How many are you?" The hobgoblin asks in his broken Common. "Step out. Show unarmed hands. We take you to Leader. He explains more."
{{Also remember that Leander will follow your instruction and is there to help. So far, he is just helping you track the hoof trail and keeping himself at the back of the group.}}
{{Excuse me, i missed the 'nearly an hour' part}}
Karm who expects the others to at least think about the situation waits (hopes) for Drexons input on honesty
He tries to bridge some time.
We do not have time, lifes are on the line. What is it that we must know? And why must we show vulnerability while you make no equal effort?
He gives his best to sound authorative but not provoking. While speaking Karm takes two more steps.
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
Drexon whispers his words of focus in Deep Speech then steps out of the tree line, his arms held out showing empty hands.
"We are happy to speak with your leader", he says trying to speak a little more slowly and clearly than usual.
"We mean no harm. Tell your leader we humbly ask to talk by the gates. Let weapons be put away and talk as equals" he adds.
Persuasion (with Guidance): 5+6+2=13
What he said
Karm keeps his hands raised but does not yet drop the pebble pinched between his thumb and palm.
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
Cob hops down from the trees and looks around at the hobgoblins, deciding that Drexon and Karm seem to have everything in hand. There's no point messing it up by adding more but still he can't resist saying something just to see the reaction.
"You follow fire horse?" Cob asks
{{So far, Dvark and Eremoz haven't broken their stealth yet. Something to keep in mind.}}
The lead hobgoblin goes quiet for quite a while before nodding. He motions for his squad to spread out in an escort formation before moving back toward the gate.
"Fire horses kill," the lead hobgoblin says. "Hunters, not preys. Leader will meet you and explain. Come."
Before you can move to follow, Drexon, with your keen hearing, you hear panting and rushed footsteps from the way you came. You turn to look and see one hobgoblin running as fast as he can toward you.
Karm, you can hear the shout of a hobgoblin getting louder from the way you came.
"Alert the village!" The rushing hobgoblin says in Goblin. "The riders approach fast! Mount the defense!"
Before the hobgoblin can say anything more, an arrow bursts out of his head. The tip of the arrow smolders with brimstone and fire. You look east toward where the shout comes from and see three riders, all clad in thick smoldering cloaks, atop flaming steeds. You can see that the steeds don't stand on the ground, but hover half a foot above the ground as they slowly trot toward you and the village gate. At a guess, they are probably 300 feet away.
{{I'll work on a map, but for reference, you are standing in the middle of a gravel path. 300 feet to your west is the village gate. 90 to 100 feet to your west is the hobgoblin patrol squad. 150 to 180 feet to your east is where the dead hobgoblin dropped. 300 feet to your east is where the three riders currently stand.}}
As soon as he sees what is happening, Drexon whispers his words of focus in Deep Speech and turns to face the new threat.
"Should we flee or fight", he asks his companions, loud enough for the Hobgoblins to hear.
"If they are comfortable attacking a whole village, I think the former might be sensible. At least try and stick with the patrol if they'll let us", he adds a bit quieter just for his friends as he backs away towards the Hobgoblin patrol.
As he moves to try and see what sort of bows they have in order to tell what range they can attack from.
Perception: 9+5=14 (Passive: 15)
They can’t go back as that’s the way the riders are coming from. That leaves the hobgoblin village walls as the best bet. Cob flies off towards it, dodging and flying erratically as he does.
Full 30’ movement plus Dodge.
Initiative if needed: 17
Dvark attempts to signal to Eremos that they should move to flank the riders while remaining hidden. If Drexon links to him he says 'bait them in. We will pincer. Crush them fast and take atleast one alive.'
initiative: 14
The lead hobgoblin of the patrol squad looks back toward the two gatekeepers and yells in Goblin, "Call for reinforcement!"
He turns toward the rest of you and shakes his head. "Flee not possible," he says. "Too fast. We stall. You run to gate. Safety in village." He motions for the other hobgoblins in the squad to draw their bows and loose. Whether it will miss or hit, it may be a deterrent against the riders.
As soon as the hobgoblin says that, you turn toward the riders and are surprised to see that the three riders have traversed the distance to the dead hobgoblins. The one with the bow nocks another arrow and releases it toward the most visible person they can see, which is Cob with his bright colors and wings. The bow seems strong enough to cover a great distance. One of the riders, a lithe and lanky one, stay a little behind the one with the bow. The other, a more heavily armored one, enter the forest. Despite the thick forest, you can still see the glow the flaming steed radiates and easily track their movement through the forest.
{{If you have an action, you can make one now before we enter the initiative. Whether you flee or fight, I would like for you to roll initiative to keep track of movement.}}
{{And we have a map. The scale and grid size are a bit wonky for the sake of showing the tokens, so just say how many feet you move and in which direction. If you still want to see and make sense of the map, each box is 30 feet.}}
{{Quick information, Dvark and Eremoz are still hidden with Leander. I consider Drexon, Cob, and Karm to be on the gravel path as they are conversing with the hobgoblin squad. From the map, the two riders on the gravel path are standing near the hobgoblin that rushed to warn the village, about 150 feet away from you. The large hobgoblin token is the hobgoblin patrol squad, which is also about 150 feet away from you. The distance from your location to the gate is 300 feet. And for reference's sake, one of the riders is carrying a longbow with a range of 150/600 feet, just like the hobgoblins in the patrol squad.}}
-
As soon as Karm sees the Rider identifying as dangerous, speak firing arrows at his friends, he checks the distance. Realizing he is standing in open space without the neccessairy range he dashes back towards the Patrol Squad: Let us prove we mean no harm to you he shouts while rushing towards them.
Initiative: 7
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
{{Edit: The Hunter doesn't get to attack. Action-wise, the three riders used the Dash action, so they can't attack or do anything else. Cob, you're safe.}}
Eremoz remains low in the brush. He pulls a hand axe from his belt and prepares to attack as soon as a rider is in range.
Initiative: 18
((Phew - though was going to point out Cob had been using Dodge as his action so I think those attacks would have been at disadvantage unless they have some sort of advantage now))
Drexon retreats back towards the Hobgoblin squad, moving backwards so as to be able to see if any arrows are fired in his direction.
"We can help", he says to the Hobgoblins as he closes on their position.
Action: dodge
Initiative: (using Guidance from previous post): 16+2+3=21
{{Also, remember we are using a modified initiative. A refresher: we'll separate the round into quarters. We'll average the individual rolls and the highest side (your group or the enemies) goes first during the first half and the second half. Those that roll above the average go in the first half and those that roll below the average go in the second half.}}
-
The lithe and lanky rider seems to perk up as you and the patrol squad stand firm instead of running toward the gate. The rider pulls down their hooded cloak and you can see a masculine face with a sharp jawline and a five o'clock shadow. His green eyes glow with mirth and mischief.
"No need to run," he says. "I just want an audience with your leader." He motions toward the dead hobgoblin under his steed vaguely and shrugs. A spark of arcane energy sputters from his fingers as the wind seems to nudge the dead body slightly away from him and his steed. "Sorry about that one. He's pissing me off with his incessant screaming this late in the afternoon. I am looking for a gemstone that your village is in possession of. You might have heard of it, hobgoblins. The Thirteen-Shaded Jade." He once again motions toward the dead body under his steed and continues, "I know you have it from this fellow here. You can relinquish it to me now, or I will take it by force. You do not want the latter."
When the Thirteen-Shaded Jade is mentioned, you can see a flicker of recognition in the patrol squad. Despite the language barrier, they seem to know that particular word and it only makes them tenser.
"We fight," the patrol leader says to you in Common absentmindedly. There is seriousness in his voice with a hint of anger. "We fight until we die or support comes." He turns toward his squad and grunts in Goblin, "We stand our ground! We will not let this curr put their greedy hands on the heart of our village. We stand and fight!"
At the corner of your eye, you can see the light of the other rider that has entered the forest grows brighter as the sound of thunderous hooves doesn't stop but continues to get louder. It seems that despite the wizard's words, there is a possibility that the other two riders don't have the same restraint.
{{That concludes the pre-initiative round.}}
Round 1
{{First Quarter, take your turn.}}
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!", Drexon calls out as he retreats a little further. He has no idea what the hobgoblin said to his troops, but doubtless it was not good after what he said to the rider.
"We can talk about this. What claim do you have on this...Thirteen-Shaded Jade?", he calls out to the rider who spoke.
"Call off your people, stop the aggressiveness and let's parlay", he suggests, even has he inches further back towards the Hobgoblin squad.
Persuasion: 10+6=16
Cob looks at the lead rider, the one who's talking and judges the distance to him. He looks too far away for his magic to be of any use yet.
Instead Cob looks at the trees on either side of the path and judges they could provide some cover from those lethal bows. He moves northwest to put some of the trees between himself and the riders, dodging as he does.
Movement: 30' NW
Action: Dodge