Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh

(Look without opening the door.)

Oh Cook most certainly resists!

Quote from Kaemgen >>

Oh Cook most certainly resists!

 In that case, turn order.

Esme, Seri, Hobgoblins, Cook, Slavers, Bryn, Sanbalet, Daraxi

Esme you see the Hobgoblins about to lay hands on Cook… you're up.

Realizing the hobgoblins are about to cut down the cook, the young Rhenee beauty uses her witchcraft to summon a very angry and vengeful Thistle in front of the enemies faces, their wings almost in their faces as they glare angrily at them and holding up a vicious fey blade to attack. 

(Cast Minor Illusion in their faces to hopefully distract the hobboblins. Deception to make the illusion more believeable: 21)

Seri reacts to the sudden outbreak of hostilities by stepping back up to the door next to Cook, who seems to be under attack.  However, the limited space to operate next to the big man makes the aquamarine-infused thrust of her trident at the hobgoblin less accurate than ideal.

Movement:  Seri lopes up to the southwestern door, squeezing in next to Cook.
Action:  Seri casts True Strike using her trident/spear at the hobgoblin, to hit:  13, damage:  5 (radiant)
Bonus Action:  None

(Seri has the Shield spell available as a Reaction and may use it.)

Both hobgoblins ignore ‘Thistle’, however the distraction as Seri’s trident flashes between the two is enough to let Cook just shift and avoid being grappled by both grasping goblinoids.

action attempting to grapple 2 DC 11 checks to resist.

Cook’s turn.

Everything erupts at once.

     Thistle is suddenly there, darting into the Hobgoblins’ faces, tiny blade flashing with furious intent. Seri tries to slip past Cook to get a strike in, but the angle’s wrong, too tight, too risky, and she pulls short rather than clip him. And the Hobgoblins themselves? They surge in close, hands grabbing, probing, trying to manhandle him in ways Cook has no patience for.

     Lucky for him Cook knows this kind of chaos. He’s been in more scraps than he can rightly count, and this? This is familiar ground. He shifts his weight, just a touch — small, practiced adjustments. A shoulder dips, a step slides, a twist of the hips and the grasping hands find nothing but air as he slips their reach.

     Then he answers.

     Cook’s fists snap out fast and heavy, driving toward the nearest Hobgoblin with the kind of blunt, punishing force only a lifetime of brawling can teach, aiming to give the bastard something to remember him by.

___

Movement:  None.
Action Attack:  Unarmed Attack vs closest Hobgoblin - 21 to hit for 5 bludgeoning damage.
Bonus Action Attack:  Unarmed Attack vs same Hobgoblin - 9 to hit for 10 bludgeoning damage.
     Cook will use the Heroic Inspiration he has for waking up Human to preroll that Bonus Action attack roll making it a bit better at 16 to hit for the same 10 bludgeoning damage...

A couple arrows splinter into the wall apparently aimed at Thistle…

Cook’s big fist connects with an audible crunch as the hobgoblin comically windmills his arms trying to stay on his feet his imbalance works against him as Cook’s other fist sails into his big hairy face, and down he goes.

Brynn’s turn

Brynn doesn’t push forward into the doorway. They hang back, keeping Darixa and Esme just behind their shoulder, eyes locked on the struggle at the choke point. “Hold the line...” they murmur, more habit than command.

Their prosthetic shifts, shuck-click, a narrow nozzle sliding into place beneath the forearm. Frost begins to creep along the brass casing as pressure builds with a sharp, contained hiss. They angle it past their allies, careful, precise. “Let’s see how steady them hands are…” A quick squeeze and a focused burst of needle cold brine vapour jets through the doorway, snapping across the nearest hobgoblin’s hands and weapon.

(Cast Frostbite Con save DC 15 or 2 cold damage and dis on next weapon attack.)

The remaining hobgoblin watches Cook pummel his brother-in-arms to the ground a mere human, then Brynn’s subcooled liquid hits him like hypothermia- he is frosted with eyes wide!

Sanbalet from somewhere beyond the entry, “What’s the hold up push in let’s go now!”  Just as a slathering war dog mastiff leaps over the fallen hobgoblin on its way to sink its teeth into Cook…

Darixa’s turn.

For just a moment, Darixa's attention is split between the hobgoblin Brynn hit and the mastiff that had leaped in. 

For a moment it's the animal that gets her focus. Slipping her lute forward, she plays a series of light, calming chords as she casts Animal Friendship. (WIS Save DC 14 or be Charmed)

Continuing to play the lute, changing to a different key, she shifts attention to Cook and sings a brief line. 

'Though the waves come crashing down,
Keep your feet so you don't drown.' 

(OOC - Granting Inspiration to Cook: once within the next hour, when failing a D20 Test, can roll 1d6 and add the number rolled to the total.) 

Safe behind Brynn, Esme uses her witchcraft to send a bolt of witch-green eldritch force towards the remaining hobgoblin.

Eldritch Blast: 12 Force: 3

The mastiff, snapping its jaws, doesn’t respond in any way to Darixa’s musical magic.  Esme’s blast burns through the midst of combat met only by the yells of alarm from the other side.

Seri’s turn.

Seri hears the Salt-Blessed One call out to hold the line, and hold the line she does, shield up and focusing more on walling off the entrance along with her much more massive companion Cook, than she does on her aquamarine-infused jab of her coral trident at the hobgoblin.

Briefly, she wishes she had time to spend ten minutes to ritually renew her ability to speak with beasts, such as the mastiff who has joined the melee, but the only way now would be to expend her last reserves of magic to do so, and that would leave little to combat Sanbalet.

Movement:  None, Seri holds her ground, small driftwood shield up, focused on blocking entrance with Cook.
Action:  True Strike with her coral trident on the remaining hobgoblin, to hit:  14, damage:  5 (min) (radiant)
Bonus Action:  None

Seri’s tines flash once again missing their mark.  The hobgoblin wet with frost withdraws to the steps as the mastiff covers.  “There are too many blocking the way!” -in goblin

Action disengage

move 15’ down steps

free draw longsword

Cook is up.

     One Hob down, Cook thinks. One to go.  Course, it’s never that simple. Even as the thought flickers through his thick skull, the room explodes with more chaos — arrows whipping past, streaks of magic both icy and eldritch, and...

     …singing?

     Cook blinks once.

     Of everything happening, that might be the strangest.

     Strange or not, the music hits him square in the chest, lifts him, steadies him, puts a bit of fire back in his limbs. He sets himself, ready to charge through the door after the fleeing Hobgoblin and deliver a well-earned beating, longsword or no...  But instead:

     “Hey now, doggo! Where’d you come from, then?”

     Cook’s focus snaps sideways.

     A hound.  Well, a mastiff.  But a doggo is a doggo...

     Without hesitation, he drops to one knee and reaches for it.

     Now, Cook’s no fool. He knows there’s still blood to be spilled, preferably not his, and he hasn’t forgotten the fight entirely just because there’s a dog in front of him.

     And this isn’t one of his dockside regulars.  This one’s trained.  Mean.  Built for tearing.

     So when Cook reaches out, it’s not entirely friendly. His hand goes for the scruff, aiming to get a firm grip and keep the beast under control — before it can latch onto him or, worse, one of the others.

     “You gonna be a good boy, then?” Cook mutters, half coaxing, half warning. “I’ve treats for good boys…”

     With his free hand, he fumbles at his pack, dragging out a strip of that freshly butchered weasel meat and offering it out... ready to bribe, distract, or bargain, depending on how the hound decides to play it.

___

Action - Grapple the Mastiff.  It must make a DC 14 Strength or Dexterity Save (its choice) or it has the Grappled Condition.  
Bonus Action - An Animal Handling check, if allowed? Only an 11 so... *shrug* Hmm, use the inspiration I just got?  If I am being allowed to use Animal Handling as a Bonus Action then sure, let's make that 11 a 16 instead?
Movement - If Cook successfully grapples the mastiff he will move them both about 5' away from the door along the wall.  This will keep the hound from biting anyone protecting the door as well as give them a better sightline at whatever is on the other side.  If grapple unsuccessful then Cook at least aims to stay right in front of the dog so it's not tempted to go after anyone else.

As Cook’s hand closes on the mastiff’s scruff

 a slaver moves in front of the door opening, an arrow followed immediately by another launched at Cook…

Action multi-attack 21 and 21 damage piercing 10 and 9

Brynn’s turn

     Cook goes from on one knee to dropping to both and then quickly to falling face first to the ground.  Cook is downed by the pair of arrows…

Not once. But twice. Brynn witnesses the effort made to subdue this mastiff. Then, Cook goes down like a giant sack of potatoes. "Son of a biscuit..." They murmur as they exhale a steadying breath. "Time teh shift gears." Fingers instinctively go to their prosthetic and start making the necessary adjustments for their next move.

While muscle memory plucks away, the shipwrights brain cells wake up from the adrenaline boost and start checking off a troubleshoot list. If D couldn't charm it with a lullaby, an' our resident dog whisperer couldn't even grasp the mastiff... The glint of light reflecting off metal flashed in their eyes. Like a light bulb turned on, Brynn's reminded of Thistle. Not Thistle '1' but Thistle '2'. "The mutt's a 'mirage' ain't it? One of them illusions." They guess out loud.

Brynn's eyes narrow as they bring their arm up as if to look down its sight. If they needed to, they'd take a few steps accordingly to get a good enough visual on the slaver that just popped into the doorway. They take another steadying breath as they do, and pull the trigger. Ch-tik! It jams. Colourful dwarven swears string from their lips. They slam their forearm against their hip then give it an aggressive shake. One final slap, they realign something within and take aim once more. "How 'bout a bolt in yer britches?" Thck! They fire.

(Movement: What's required to get in line of sight)
(Light Crossbow Attack: 1 H.I. Reroll: 13 Damage: 9)

Brynn’s bolt slams into the slaver, no sound escapes as their lungs struggle to function, their bow drops at their feet.

The mastiff blinks out of existence

“What is going on? We were going to be partners rich beyond imagining, well now Sanbalet will be rich and you’ll all be dead.”

Sanbalet joins his minion, and hurls fire at; Brynn, Seri, & Esme.

Action cast scorching ray attack 22 13 19 fire damage 6 11 7

Darixa’s turn