Allansia Wildlands Campaign.

Zeltheris smiles broadly at the others, "Just the sort of behavior I'd expect from great heroes such as yourselves! And such mercy, prioritizing the civilians over slaying the dangerous beast, this will certainly make for a wonderful song!"

Quote from Brian_Avery >>

(ooc: just curious, for the 1st round of [spell]Web[.spell] during that fight, how many tentacles did I catch in the web and force to make an escape roll?)

 ( 6 of 8 remaining)

"Let's just go. Daylight's wasting and I want to put space between the children and that blasted thing." Hatch says, making good on the statement by gathering up the children and moving onwards. "Got to watch the bloody ground now..."

Checking their wards and finding everyone except Shalana to be miraculously unharmed the companions moved on with more than a few suspicious glances back at the broken ground.

After a few more hours small plumes of smoke can be seen ahead;  woodsmoke from campfires rather than more destruction.  As the group draws closer Banzo, through his familiars eyes, spots a number of figures waiting in ambush above the trail.   They are slightly larger than normal Goblins, approaching an Orc in size, and hold themselves straight-backed and broad shouldered; some are even bearded, like men or Dwarfs. Their skin is darker in tone, being a deep russet brown, their noses are smaller, and their wide mouths are full of sharp teeth.  Banzo notes the lanky, long-limbed figures are clad in scraps of leather, chainmail, and spiked plates of armour, and wield curved scimitars and cutlasses.

They are about 100m out currently on a ridgetop but the party will pass very close to them if you stay on the current heading....

"if it was just us... But we have those refugees..." 

Zeltheris pulls out his lute with a slight grin, and starts singing loudly of the heroics of the party, greatly embellished, and in particular, emphasizing the gruesome deaths of any foolish enough to attack such renowned and powerful adventurers.

Intimidation: 19

"I would suggest getting the people safely pass these, then come back to deal with them." Brocc suggests.

Herman stops Zeltheris as soon as he takes the lute out: "put it back and keep silent, if not I will break it... You fool!" 

"I agree, we get the hillfolk to safety first and foremost...preferably without announcing our presence at the top of our lungs while we do it." He says, glancing sideways at Zeltheris. "Not that I'm all that stealthy, but still."

Brocc frowns, he thought the song a good one and likely to keep the ambushers from attacking, or at least making them think twice. He shrugs though, not willing to make a fight of it among the group.

Zeltheris scowls at Herman, "You really think we can sneak a group this large past enemies in a prepared position that have almost certainly already seen us? And you're calling me a fool? Just for that, your part in the ballad just got smaller." But he reluctantly go along with the silly idea of the group and does his best to help the hillsmen sneak past.

Stealth: 18

Herman does not reply, it is enough the bard refrain from playing. 

He pulls up his wolf hood and follows the others

Stealth 5

Banzo checks again on the hill goblins and notes that three of them have moved away towards the group, apparently having exceptional hearing....but he notes they are moving too wide towards where Zeltheris had burst into song and not towards the groups current position.

Endeavouring to keep the children as quiet as possible the group moves forward trying to stay in the lieu of the ridgeline off the trail....they are, against all odds, successful....... after an early scare when a small boy slipped and tumbled down the scree slope and a tense waiting game before the group moved again.

Banzo risks again looking through his Familiars eyes as they draw away.....he sees the three scouts return shrugging. One of the bearded goblins kicks the dirt and looks about suspiciously.  One of the other goblins, obviously bored takes a shot at Banzos familiar and receives a cuff about the head for his efforts.

Group Stealth: 13.  4

Hill Goblin Perception:16

Hill Goblin Veteran Perception:15

That 20 cancelled that first abysmal roll....and luckily they rolled terribly for Perception...that was close.

Ahead could be seen a rough wooden fortification on a bald hill surrounding leather tents and crude wooden buildings.  Bearded figures in rawhide and furs watched out from the 'battlements'.

"or that or a barbarian clan. If it is a clan, I can talk our way out"

Herman says, looking confident 

Zeltheris follows along quietly, waiting for the group to decide where they're headed.

"They wouldn't lead us to their enemies." Deciding that's the case, Hatch would walk up to the fortification with a hand up in greeting. "Yahello and well met!" he called out, also in friendly greeting.

Shalana copies the hand gestures, confused.

Brocc would look to those they escorted to find out if this is their destination or not.

The teens and children smile as they see the barricades and those manning them and the group is allowed to approach unmolested, " Welcome! Welcome!", called out a tall bearded man from the top of a ramshackle tower.

" You come with our kin and by foot rather than air so we consider you friends.  Please...enter."

The gates are opened, though the more robust among you wager that you could probably have kicked them down if you had needed to.

The youngsters with you stream in looking for distant relatives or perhaps just a place to sleep.

The tall man clambers down a rope and approaches you, " I am Gart.  Leader of my clan.  I take it there is bad news?"