Jon Potter
First Post
Yikes! And my players think I'm rough!?!
What were those giants?
What were those giants?
The Acrimonious Adventurer Association
- Thread starter Hairy Minotaur
- Start date
Hairy Minotaur
Explorer
Jon Potter said:
Dusk Giants from Heroes of Horror
OT - I just used an Urophion last night (Roper/Mind flayer creature from Lords of Madness), that was the first time I seriously thought I'd have a TPK on my hands. I'd extracted 2 brains and was going for a third. That thing is tough!
Jon Potter
First Post
Hairy Minotaur said:
No wonder I didn't recognize those guys. No HoH on my book shelf. No LoM, for that matter, but I look forward to reading about yours here.
Hairy Minotaur
Explorer
Help!
Menthos enters the Kador headquarters in the keep and makes his way to Aleena’s door, after several seconds of banging the wooden door with his fists; Aleena flings the door open with a rush of frustration.
“What!?” Aleena shouts, “Oh it’s you, go away I’m busy!” The priestess turns her wrist and shoves the door back to its frame.
Menthos however sidestepped the swinging door quickly and skips his way into her room.
“Don’t you listen! Get out or I’ll have you gutted for dinner to the dogs.” Aleena screams
“Calm down sister, my supporting cast is a little under the weather, they need some good touches with a healing hand before I can return to the business of saving your ass.” Menthos states
“Saving me? Your presumptuous attitude smacks of insolence. I razed this keep before your were even a desire in your father’s eye, don’t come into my keep and flout your personal crap like it was the most prized possession in all the land.” Aleena responds
“Hold on there wench, if there’s any flouting going on is coming from the front of your breastplate. Now are you going to dispense with the healing or do I need to get one of the sheep herders in here to milk it out of you?” Menthos replies
“How dare you insult me!” Aleena shouts and draws her mace while hoisting up her shield
Menthos quickly searches for a bluff to end this without him having to get physical again, his mind twists around a solitary thought.
“Hold up, why are you fighting me? We both know I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t screwed up. They don’t send out non-pyromancers to take out the trash. Statinisor sent me to make sure he didn’t have to.”
Those words seemed to reach Aleena on the level Menthos was shooting for. The priestess lowered her weapon and gave a defeated look into the teifling’s eyes.
“This keep was to be completed a month ago, the goblins keep stealing our supply wagons and killing the guards, I hoped I could kill them before Statinisor realized what was going on and dismiss the failures on the caravan’s guards and not my own. Yet, even now the next caravan is over a day late and I fear it too has succumbed to the goblin’s attacks.” Aleena explains
“Now see that wasn’t so hard, where was the caravan coming from?” Menthos asked relived his luck had won out again
“From Omen to the east, it should have been her yesterday morning. I can’t spare anyone to go look for it, not only are we short staffed, they would surely realize the goblin problem was not in my control and chaos would ensue.” Aleena answers
“So I’ll go look for it, maybe they got stuck somewhere and need a push?” Menthos replies, his tone of voice getting more soothing
Aleena glared back at him as if her personal alarm had gone off.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone, especially if you move your butt and get out there and fix my torch bearers.” Menthos ordered
Aleena moved passed Menthos and exited the room, the warlock followed her out into the courtyard and waited as she undid the energy draining the giants had delivered.
“What sort of goblin did that to you?” Gorn asked
“Wasn’t a goblin, some kind of purple troll/hill giant combination. My guess it was an elusive dusk giant, very rare and always the harbinger of bad tidings.” Xanthos explained
“Dusk giant huh? Sounds made up, like you guys wussed out against a bunch of no good thieving goblins is what it sounds like.” Gorn pressed
“Doopa will wuss out all over your internal organs, after nice lady fixes Doopa owee.” The barbarian threats
“Ha! That’ll be the day that some big smelly wannabe of a giant gets the drop on Gorn!” The captain counters
“Fifty gold on the human with the inferiority complex.” Turgar wagers
Menthos leaves the squabbling behind as he saddles up a horse and heads for the Keep’s gate.
“Where you think you’re going?” Xanthos asks
“Hunt me down some goblins, you coming or are you going to stand there with that I’m primitive and don’t understand your advanced ways look?” Menthos calls back
“Shouldn’t we wait for Kessen?” Haimish asks
“Why? He just get us lost, that man couldn’t find his lips if they were bleeding after I smacked him.” Menthos answers
Xanthos and Doopa also saddle up, which encourages Haimish and Turgar to do the same.
“Make sure you don’t wuss out this time ladies, bring back a trophy and I’ll mount it for you.” Gorn calls out
“If I come back with a vrock can it mount you instead?” Menthos answers as Gorn throws rocks at the exiting party
“If we run into a vrock, we’re not going to be able to bring it back.” Haimish explains
“If we run into a vrock, bringing it back will be the least of our worries.” Menthos answers
The party heads out to the east, following Menthos who wanted to lead the group in the hopes he would run into the caravan by design rather than heading north where the party believed the goblins resided.
“Shouldn’t we be turning north by now, we’ve been going east all day?” Xanthos asked
“Why? That’s where the goblins expect us to go, so I’m going to go east and out flank them. You can go north and alert them to your presence if you wish.” Menthos answered
“You’re so full of crap, you’re creating a downwind breeze that’ll lead the goblins right to us anyway.” Xanthos answered
“At least it won’t be because we turned north and were ambushed.” Menthos answered
A few more hours of riding saw the party get more and more anxious, especially Doopa who was aching for a fight after having to leave Gorn back at the keep.
“Doopa wants goblins to smash now.” The ogre called out
“Shh, there’s a river up ahead, I want to cross that and then head north, goblins hate water it makes them clean.” Menthos answers
“False, where are you getting your goblin facts? It’s like it all made up and you’re just expending energy to talk.” Xanthos counters
“Look, a fire.” Haimish calls out
“Where?” Xanthos asks, clearly perturbed that he was occupied with Menthos rather than scouring the horizon for proof of Menthos outlandish claims.
“Looks like a wood fire, mixed with clothing.” Xanthos relays
“A wood fire? Really? I had no idea you could start a fire with wood, you people are advanced. Us backwards teiflings have to pray for lightening to start a fire.” Menthos answers
“How can you tell from here what the fire is made of?” Turgar asks impressed with Xanthos’ confidence
“It’s all in how the smoke rises and what color, it’s quite simple once you get the hang of it from seeing so many forest fires started by wayward teiflings praying for lightening.” Xanthos answers
“Maybe someone’s in distress, we should check it out nonetheless.” Haimish advises
“I was going to suggest that. Follow me!” Menthos announces as he rides his horse up and over a rock outcropping, as the unexpected drop in ground level was realized by the horse, it stiffened up on the landing and threw Menthos from the saddle. The rest of the party easily navigated the now obvious hazard.
The party approached the fire and heard several voices shouting back and forth, they sounded human as opposed to goblins. Xanthos transformed into a bird and alighted in a tree circling the clearing. A small ruined building housed the fire that the party spied, five wagons laden with stone blocks, and stone cutting tools were assembled in a ring around the small ruins. A group of fifteen men argued with each other inside the ring near the fire. Xanthos flapped his wings to take off when his noticed the trees across from his position shaking and moving out of the way as if something big moved towards the caravan. Xanthos took off and returned to the party to notify them of his findings.
“We must help them.” Haimish said and rode off towards the encampment
“For the glory!” Menthos shouted and slapped the back of Doopa’s horse which took off after Haimish’s horse with Doopa still in the saddle.
Menthos then rode on after the ogre as Xanthos and Turgar brought up the rear. The party raced to the caravan, their pounding hooves alerting the caravan to their presence long before the party could be seen. The men ceased their arguing and took up defensive positions within the ringed wagons.
“We come from Kindoras, we know you were bound for there. Let us help you!” Menthos shouts in starts as his horse provides a very bumpy ride into the camp.
“How do you know that! You must be a witch. Attack!” Came the cries from within the ruins
“Halt, I can calm your passion.” Haimish said as he whipped out his lute and began to strum a soothing tune
I wanted to sing you a song
That I you help to sign along
I don’t know the words
We’ll make it all up as we go
Who knows how long ‘til my friends will show
I’ve already forgotten what I was going to say
It looks like you’re not bringing some hay
I’m in a bind, I’m really stuck
No you’re wrong, I don’t suck
I’ve sung to beasts I sung to men
And all those words I’ve penned
I don’t know why the goblins have some
I do know that if you keep throwing rocks at me
I’ll come down there and rip your eyes out you ungrateful bunch of bums!
“Catchy” Menthos says as he invades the small ruins and the caravan
“Get out monster, we’ll not go down like the rest of the caravans, you’re going to have to take us out with a fight!” One of the caravan guards state
“Well if it’s a fight you want, there they are.” Menthos says as he points out the tree line where a band of goblins riding worgs erupts from the woods.
The party gleefully took to arms with an air of confidence that comes with years of slapping around goblins for fun, until their leader emerged from the thickets, a blue skinned ogre riding a smilodon. The big cat’s tusks glistened with saliva as it licked it’s chops at the smell of warm blood.
“Haimish, get the wagons up and moving, the rest of us will hold off the goblins!” Xanthos yelled out as he and Turgar advanced on the charging band of goblins.
Menthos enters the Kador headquarters in the keep and makes his way to Aleena’s door, after several seconds of banging the wooden door with his fists; Aleena flings the door open with a rush of frustration.
“What!?” Aleena shouts, “Oh it’s you, go away I’m busy!” The priestess turns her wrist and shoves the door back to its frame.
Menthos however sidestepped the swinging door quickly and skips his way into her room.
“Don’t you listen! Get out or I’ll have you gutted for dinner to the dogs.” Aleena screams
“Calm down sister, my supporting cast is a little under the weather, they need some good touches with a healing hand before I can return to the business of saving your ass.” Menthos states
“Saving me? Your presumptuous attitude smacks of insolence. I razed this keep before your were even a desire in your father’s eye, don’t come into my keep and flout your personal crap like it was the most prized possession in all the land.” Aleena responds
“Hold on there wench, if there’s any flouting going on is coming from the front of your breastplate. Now are you going to dispense with the healing or do I need to get one of the sheep herders in here to milk it out of you?” Menthos replies
“How dare you insult me!” Aleena shouts and draws her mace while hoisting up her shield
Menthos quickly searches for a bluff to end this without him having to get physical again, his mind twists around a solitary thought.
“Hold up, why are you fighting me? We both know I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t screwed up. They don’t send out non-pyromancers to take out the trash. Statinisor sent me to make sure he didn’t have to.”
Those words seemed to reach Aleena on the level Menthos was shooting for. The priestess lowered her weapon and gave a defeated look into the teifling’s eyes.
“This keep was to be completed a month ago, the goblins keep stealing our supply wagons and killing the guards, I hoped I could kill them before Statinisor realized what was going on and dismiss the failures on the caravan’s guards and not my own. Yet, even now the next caravan is over a day late and I fear it too has succumbed to the goblin’s attacks.” Aleena explains
“Now see that wasn’t so hard, where was the caravan coming from?” Menthos asked relived his luck had won out again
“From Omen to the east, it should have been her yesterday morning. I can’t spare anyone to go look for it, not only are we short staffed, they would surely realize the goblin problem was not in my control and chaos would ensue.” Aleena answers
“So I’ll go look for it, maybe they got stuck somewhere and need a push?” Menthos replies, his tone of voice getting more soothing
Aleena glared back at him as if her personal alarm had gone off.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone, especially if you move your butt and get out there and fix my torch bearers.” Menthos ordered
Aleena moved passed Menthos and exited the room, the warlock followed her out into the courtyard and waited as she undid the energy draining the giants had delivered.
“What sort of goblin did that to you?” Gorn asked
“Wasn’t a goblin, some kind of purple troll/hill giant combination. My guess it was an elusive dusk giant, very rare and always the harbinger of bad tidings.” Xanthos explained
“Dusk giant huh? Sounds made up, like you guys wussed out against a bunch of no good thieving goblins is what it sounds like.” Gorn pressed
“Doopa will wuss out all over your internal organs, after nice lady fixes Doopa owee.” The barbarian threats
“Ha! That’ll be the day that some big smelly wannabe of a giant gets the drop on Gorn!” The captain counters
“Fifty gold on the human with the inferiority complex.” Turgar wagers
Menthos leaves the squabbling behind as he saddles up a horse and heads for the Keep’s gate.
“Where you think you’re going?” Xanthos asks
“Hunt me down some goblins, you coming or are you going to stand there with that I’m primitive and don’t understand your advanced ways look?” Menthos calls back
“Shouldn’t we wait for Kessen?” Haimish asks
“Why? He just get us lost, that man couldn’t find his lips if they were bleeding after I smacked him.” Menthos answers
Xanthos and Doopa also saddle up, which encourages Haimish and Turgar to do the same.
“Make sure you don’t wuss out this time ladies, bring back a trophy and I’ll mount it for you.” Gorn calls out
“If I come back with a vrock can it mount you instead?” Menthos answers as Gorn throws rocks at the exiting party
“If we run into a vrock, we’re not going to be able to bring it back.” Haimish explains
“If we run into a vrock, bringing it back will be the least of our worries.” Menthos answers
The party heads out to the east, following Menthos who wanted to lead the group in the hopes he would run into the caravan by design rather than heading north where the party believed the goblins resided.
“Shouldn’t we be turning north by now, we’ve been going east all day?” Xanthos asked
“Why? That’s where the goblins expect us to go, so I’m going to go east and out flank them. You can go north and alert them to your presence if you wish.” Menthos answered
“You’re so full of crap, you’re creating a downwind breeze that’ll lead the goblins right to us anyway.” Xanthos answered
“At least it won’t be because we turned north and were ambushed.” Menthos answered
A few more hours of riding saw the party get more and more anxious, especially Doopa who was aching for a fight after having to leave Gorn back at the keep.
“Doopa wants goblins to smash now.” The ogre called out
“Shh, there’s a river up ahead, I want to cross that and then head north, goblins hate water it makes them clean.” Menthos answers
“False, where are you getting your goblin facts? It’s like it all made up and you’re just expending energy to talk.” Xanthos counters
“Look, a fire.” Haimish calls out
“Where?” Xanthos asks, clearly perturbed that he was occupied with Menthos rather than scouring the horizon for proof of Menthos outlandish claims.
“Looks like a wood fire, mixed with clothing.” Xanthos relays
“A wood fire? Really? I had no idea you could start a fire with wood, you people are advanced. Us backwards teiflings have to pray for lightening to start a fire.” Menthos answers
“How can you tell from here what the fire is made of?” Turgar asks impressed with Xanthos’ confidence
“It’s all in how the smoke rises and what color, it’s quite simple once you get the hang of it from seeing so many forest fires started by wayward teiflings praying for lightening.” Xanthos answers
“Maybe someone’s in distress, we should check it out nonetheless.” Haimish advises
“I was going to suggest that. Follow me!” Menthos announces as he rides his horse up and over a rock outcropping, as the unexpected drop in ground level was realized by the horse, it stiffened up on the landing and threw Menthos from the saddle. The rest of the party easily navigated the now obvious hazard.
The party approached the fire and heard several voices shouting back and forth, they sounded human as opposed to goblins. Xanthos transformed into a bird and alighted in a tree circling the clearing. A small ruined building housed the fire that the party spied, five wagons laden with stone blocks, and stone cutting tools were assembled in a ring around the small ruins. A group of fifteen men argued with each other inside the ring near the fire. Xanthos flapped his wings to take off when his noticed the trees across from his position shaking and moving out of the way as if something big moved towards the caravan. Xanthos took off and returned to the party to notify them of his findings.
“We must help them.” Haimish said and rode off towards the encampment
“For the glory!” Menthos shouted and slapped the back of Doopa’s horse which took off after Haimish’s horse with Doopa still in the saddle.
Menthos then rode on after the ogre as Xanthos and Turgar brought up the rear. The party raced to the caravan, their pounding hooves alerting the caravan to their presence long before the party could be seen. The men ceased their arguing and took up defensive positions within the ringed wagons.
“We come from Kindoras, we know you were bound for there. Let us help you!” Menthos shouts in starts as his horse provides a very bumpy ride into the camp.
“How do you know that! You must be a witch. Attack!” Came the cries from within the ruins
“Halt, I can calm your passion.” Haimish said as he whipped out his lute and began to strum a soothing tune
I wanted to sing you a song
That I you help to sign along
I don’t know the words
We’ll make it all up as we go
Who knows how long ‘til my friends will show
I’ve already forgotten what I was going to say
It looks like you’re not bringing some hay
I’m in a bind, I’m really stuck
No you’re wrong, I don’t suck
I’ve sung to beasts I sung to men
And all those words I’ve penned
I don’t know why the goblins have some
I do know that if you keep throwing rocks at me
I’ll come down there and rip your eyes out you ungrateful bunch of bums!
“Catchy” Menthos says as he invades the small ruins and the caravan
“Get out monster, we’ll not go down like the rest of the caravans, you’re going to have to take us out with a fight!” One of the caravan guards state
“Well if it’s a fight you want, there they are.” Menthos says as he points out the tree line where a band of goblins riding worgs erupts from the woods.
The party gleefully took to arms with an air of confidence that comes with years of slapping around goblins for fun, until their leader emerged from the thickets, a blue skinned ogre riding a smilodon. The big cat’s tusks glistened with saliva as it licked it’s chops at the smell of warm blood.
“Haimish, get the wagons up and moving, the rest of us will hold off the goblins!” Xanthos yelled out as he and Turgar advanced on the charging band of goblins.
Hairy Minotaur
Explorer
A destination is gained
Haimish ignored the request from Xanthos and leapt from the top of the ruins onto the back of a mounted goblin, knocking the goblin from the worg and sending the worg skidding into the base of the ruins. Menthos wasted no time in eldritch blasting the prone goblin with a shot to its kidney’s, ending its life, he then clambered up a covered wagon to take a high ground defense and get a better lay of the battlefield.
Doopa immediately dismounted and slammed his club into the skull of a charging goblin, crushing it like paper; the worg however took a chunk of flesh off of Doopa’s thigh as it passed the ogre.
Turgar brought his horse around to the north of the ruins and brought up a defensive aura that would damage any enemy that dared strike him in combat. He then dismounted and waited like a spider for the flies to come. Xanthos transformed into a giant owl and harried goblin riders on the south side of the ruins. The caravan turned it’s attentions to the goblins and began slinging rocks at those that rode by.
What started as a trickle of cavalry, turned into a torrent as two dozen more riders burst through the woods towards the camp. Doopa limped near Turgar and the two ogres fought off six mounted worgs trying to preoccupy as many riders as they could. Haimish was embattled near the western base of the ruins trying to fend off four worgs as their goblin riders dismounted and began to ascend the ruins to gain entry to the encamped caravan.
The ogre mage watched and waited as his training told him this battle would end up like all the others, a victory for his side. Xanthos swooped down and picked off one rider at a time, carried them thirty feet up and then dropped them on the stone ruins. Those that weren’t killed by the fall wouldn’t be walking at of the battle under their own power.
Haimish saw that he was losing his battle to keep the goblins from ascending the wagons at shifted tactics and shielded himself against the worg’s attacks while he prepared a spell. Menthos saw the goblins crest the top of the western most wagon and tried to pick them off, but the unsteadiness of his footing caused several eldritch blast to go awry. The goblins broke off into two groups, one busied themselves with unhooking the wagon from the two it was attached to, while another half dozen poured over the wagon and faced off with the caravan in hand-to-hand combat.
Turgar and Doopa fought their way to stand back-to-back only to surround themselves with a dozen mounted goblins, unwilling to face the ogre’s fury up close, the goblins switched to slings and rained rocks upon the duo. Enraged and not wanting to die at range of the enemy, Doopa bull rushed the western most worg cavalry and took a bite to his left forearm courtesy of the worg, but managed to shove the double threat back ten feet and create a gap in the ringed group. Xanthos dipped his wing and charged the eastern goblin and carried it twenty feet to Turgar’s feet and dropped it from a distance of ten feet. The startled goblin looked up and watched the dragon shaman’s longsword end it’s life.
Haimish completed his spell and spoke in goblin, “Okay, tell me if you’ve heard this one before. A goblin, a mind flayer, and a hell hound walk into a bar. The goblin wants an ale, the mind flayer wants a red wine, and the hell hound wants water. Only one of them ordered for the group, why did all three of them get water? Because the hell hound is a bitch!”
All but one of the goblins assaulting the caravan keel over in laughter as Tasha’s Hideous Laughter grips them tightly, this makes the caravan’s job much easier as they are able to gang up on the lone standing goblin and eliminate that threat while they can pick apart the laughing defenseless ones at their leisure.
Xanthos turned in the air and dove in for another swoop against the goblins, as he got low and made ready to pry the scared creature off his big dog, a convergence occurred with Doopa and Turgar and the ogre mage lit up the trio with a lightening bolt. Doopa’s great constitution shrugged off the damage, Turgar wasn’t so lucky however and he collapsed in a twitching mass of pulsing muscles on the ground. Pain ripped through Xanthos, causing him to alter his flight path and he missed grabbing the mounted goblin. Xanthos changed tactics and transformed into a tiger and landed on the ground a few feet behind the worg.
Doopa saw a brief flash of light, felt the sting of electricity course through his body, then watched the fried goblin in front of him disintegrate in the wind as the worg below it yelped from the singed skin on it’s back. The ogre pounded away at the worg and soon ceased it’s howling.
Haimish charged a worg circling Turgar and bashed his shield into it’s haunches and slashed his sword across the back of the mounted goblin, causing it to screech in pain before falling off the worg and bleeding out. The worg turned to face it’s new threat, but was unable to get it’s jaws around Haimish’s shield to bite the bard.
Menthos stopped aiming at the goblins disconnecting the wagon and turned his sights on the circle of death moving to surround Haimish. The warlock eliminated two of the goblins and Xanthos took down the worg he was battling with before they could reach Haimish.
The unamused ogre mage whipped magic missiles into Doopa’s chest as the ogre set his sights on the leader. Menthos abandoned his position and raced over the tops of the wagons leaping across three wagons to reach the northern most one and only thirty feet from Haimish and Xanthos as they struggled against the death defiant worgs.
*whistles* “Hey mutts up here!” Menthos shouted as he activated his ring and sent a shower of golden sparks through the air, dazzling the simple beasts and allowing Xanthos and Haimish to kill two worgs immediately.
The ogre mage grunts in frustration and covers the area in a cone of cold, freezing whatever life Turgar had left and nearly felling the barbarian. Xanthos and Haimish avoid the worst of the damage, but now their brief moment of elation was turning sour as the prospect of a continued magical onslaught from the ogre mage began to look like a reality.
The only remaining goblins (those that weren’t frozen by the cone of cold) call over a few worgs and they tether them to the wagon to act as beast of burden, the goblins then begin to slowly pull the wagon out of it’s defensive ring and towards the south.
“We’ve got to take down the mage, he’s going to kill us!” Xanthos shouts as he ignores the seven remaining worgs and charges towards the ogre mage, the cone of cold however left an unwelcome surprise, it had coated the ground in it’s area of effect with a sheet of ice, making movement a slippery endeavor and charging impossible.
Menthos switched targets to the ogre mage as Doopa arrived to beat on the creature with his tree trunk, the smilodon snapped it’s jaws at Doopa, but only gritted air as the ogre took the full brunt of Doopa’s swing and laughed at him.
The worgs had as much difficulty as the party in moving across the icy ground, Haimish decided to even the odds a little more and steadied himself for a slashing strike as worgs tried to run past him. He took down two more before he needed to move to attack any further.
Menthos launched another eldritch blast at the ogre mage then turned to the frightened caravan below him, “Get out here and defend your lives like you want to live, or I’ll make sure the next blast of ice ends all of your cowardly lives!”
The verbal lashing focuses the caravan into slinging at the ogre mage who still sits and watches the stones bounce off his skin as if they were flowers. The fleeing goblins get the wagon turned around and headed east, perpendicular to the river. They line up a shallow crossing as best they can and aim for that.
The ogre mage reaches out with his long massive arms and throttles Doopa about the neck, squeezing the trachea and staunching the blood flow to and from the brain. His large fingers near encompass the barbarian’s entire neck. Doopa drops his club and flails against the hold of the ogre mage as the blue skinned ogre lifts the girthy Doopa off the ground. Xanthos hurries as best he can on the ice to reach Doopa as Haimish readies another Tasha’s Hideous Laughter spell. Menthos pours eldritch blasts into the blue ogre as stones continue to rain upon it’s form.
Then nothing, the ogre and big cat were gone. Doopa fell to the ground gasping for air as Xanthos reached the barbarian and transformed to administer healing to the barbarian’s neck. The caravan cheered claiming their stones had driven the creature away. Menthos just scoffed, then he saw the missing wagon stuck in the river to the south.
“Oh Xanthos, looks like we have some escapees. Maybe we could torture one into telling us where their hideout is?” Menthos cooed.
Xanthos’ ears perked up and he transformed back into his giant owl and took flight at the last of the goblins. Xanthos got twenty feet into the air to clear the ruins and never descended, transforming back into a tiger and dropping the twenty feet right on top of the surprised goblins. His frustration tears into the humanoids, blood and innards are sent flying as Xanthos deliberately spares a lone goblin from the same fate. The last goblin dives into the icy water and tries to swim to the far side of the river. Xanthos leaps into the water and transforms into a river dolphin and pins the goblin to the bank on the far side of the river.
Menthos and Haimish arrive to deal with the now harmless tethered worgs as Doopa sits and tries to regain his bearings. Xanthos transforms back to an elf and hefts the soaked goblin out of the water and tosses him back to the party’s side of the river.
“Get the info and then make it take you to it.” Xanthos instructs, a primal fury still resonating in his voice
Menthos backhands the goblin and falls upon the creature, kneeing it in the stomach while doing so, “Where are the goblins coming from?”
The goblin spits and coughs trying to catch it’s breath.
Menthos backhands the goblin again, this time drawing blood as it’s lip tears from the contact.
“We come from Hledra.” The goblin coughs out
“Who is your leader there?” Menthos demands, shifting his weight to apply more pressure to the diaphragm of the goblin
“Gorga.” The goblin issues
“Was that Gorga on the saber-toothed tiger?” Menthos asks
“No, that Grikshawk” The goblin answers
Menthos pulls a dagger from his belt and holds it to the neck of the goblin then bends in close to the thing’s ear, “You will take us to Hledra, or I will damn you to an eternity in a lake of scouring salt. Each day it will flay your skin open to expose the tissue beneath to the painful memory of burning salt. You understand me?”
The goblin nods and Haimish pulls Menthos off the creature, “Okay, I think he’s had plenty. I don’t want to smell goblin piss all the way to this Hledra because you scared it’s bladder to death.”
“Hey, ugly ogre still alive!” Doopa shouts from across the encampment
Fearing the ogre mage had returned, Xanthos runs to Doopa’s side to find Turgar still breathing albeit in distress. Some quick meditations later and Turgar was resting peacefully as the party and the caravan retrieved the loosed wagon from the river and got it back in line with the rest of the wagons. Haimish saw to the goblin’s “protection” not entirely trusting any of the other party members to keep it alive long enough to get to Hledra.
As dusk began to overtake the afternoon sky, the caravan was back on track to Kindoras and the party was headed north into the Majestics toward Hledra.
Haimish ignored the request from Xanthos and leapt from the top of the ruins onto the back of a mounted goblin, knocking the goblin from the worg and sending the worg skidding into the base of the ruins. Menthos wasted no time in eldritch blasting the prone goblin with a shot to its kidney’s, ending its life, he then clambered up a covered wagon to take a high ground defense and get a better lay of the battlefield.
Doopa immediately dismounted and slammed his club into the skull of a charging goblin, crushing it like paper; the worg however took a chunk of flesh off of Doopa’s thigh as it passed the ogre.
Turgar brought his horse around to the north of the ruins and brought up a defensive aura that would damage any enemy that dared strike him in combat. He then dismounted and waited like a spider for the flies to come. Xanthos transformed into a giant owl and harried goblin riders on the south side of the ruins. The caravan turned it’s attentions to the goblins and began slinging rocks at those that rode by.
What started as a trickle of cavalry, turned into a torrent as two dozen more riders burst through the woods towards the camp. Doopa limped near Turgar and the two ogres fought off six mounted worgs trying to preoccupy as many riders as they could. Haimish was embattled near the western base of the ruins trying to fend off four worgs as their goblin riders dismounted and began to ascend the ruins to gain entry to the encamped caravan.
The ogre mage watched and waited as his training told him this battle would end up like all the others, a victory for his side. Xanthos swooped down and picked off one rider at a time, carried them thirty feet up and then dropped them on the stone ruins. Those that weren’t killed by the fall wouldn’t be walking at of the battle under their own power.
Haimish saw that he was losing his battle to keep the goblins from ascending the wagons at shifted tactics and shielded himself against the worg’s attacks while he prepared a spell. Menthos saw the goblins crest the top of the western most wagon and tried to pick them off, but the unsteadiness of his footing caused several eldritch blast to go awry. The goblins broke off into two groups, one busied themselves with unhooking the wagon from the two it was attached to, while another half dozen poured over the wagon and faced off with the caravan in hand-to-hand combat.
Turgar and Doopa fought their way to stand back-to-back only to surround themselves with a dozen mounted goblins, unwilling to face the ogre’s fury up close, the goblins switched to slings and rained rocks upon the duo. Enraged and not wanting to die at range of the enemy, Doopa bull rushed the western most worg cavalry and took a bite to his left forearm courtesy of the worg, but managed to shove the double threat back ten feet and create a gap in the ringed group. Xanthos dipped his wing and charged the eastern goblin and carried it twenty feet to Turgar’s feet and dropped it from a distance of ten feet. The startled goblin looked up and watched the dragon shaman’s longsword end it’s life.
Haimish completed his spell and spoke in goblin, “Okay, tell me if you’ve heard this one before. A goblin, a mind flayer, and a hell hound walk into a bar. The goblin wants an ale, the mind flayer wants a red wine, and the hell hound wants water. Only one of them ordered for the group, why did all three of them get water? Because the hell hound is a bitch!”
All but one of the goblins assaulting the caravan keel over in laughter as Tasha’s Hideous Laughter grips them tightly, this makes the caravan’s job much easier as they are able to gang up on the lone standing goblin and eliminate that threat while they can pick apart the laughing defenseless ones at their leisure.
Xanthos turned in the air and dove in for another swoop against the goblins, as he got low and made ready to pry the scared creature off his big dog, a convergence occurred with Doopa and Turgar and the ogre mage lit up the trio with a lightening bolt. Doopa’s great constitution shrugged off the damage, Turgar wasn’t so lucky however and he collapsed in a twitching mass of pulsing muscles on the ground. Pain ripped through Xanthos, causing him to alter his flight path and he missed grabbing the mounted goblin. Xanthos changed tactics and transformed into a tiger and landed on the ground a few feet behind the worg.
Doopa saw a brief flash of light, felt the sting of electricity course through his body, then watched the fried goblin in front of him disintegrate in the wind as the worg below it yelped from the singed skin on it’s back. The ogre pounded away at the worg and soon ceased it’s howling.
Haimish charged a worg circling Turgar and bashed his shield into it’s haunches and slashed his sword across the back of the mounted goblin, causing it to screech in pain before falling off the worg and bleeding out. The worg turned to face it’s new threat, but was unable to get it’s jaws around Haimish’s shield to bite the bard.
Menthos stopped aiming at the goblins disconnecting the wagon and turned his sights on the circle of death moving to surround Haimish. The warlock eliminated two of the goblins and Xanthos took down the worg he was battling with before they could reach Haimish.
The unamused ogre mage whipped magic missiles into Doopa’s chest as the ogre set his sights on the leader. Menthos abandoned his position and raced over the tops of the wagons leaping across three wagons to reach the northern most one and only thirty feet from Haimish and Xanthos as they struggled against the death defiant worgs.
*whistles* “Hey mutts up here!” Menthos shouted as he activated his ring and sent a shower of golden sparks through the air, dazzling the simple beasts and allowing Xanthos and Haimish to kill two worgs immediately.
The ogre mage grunts in frustration and covers the area in a cone of cold, freezing whatever life Turgar had left and nearly felling the barbarian. Xanthos and Haimish avoid the worst of the damage, but now their brief moment of elation was turning sour as the prospect of a continued magical onslaught from the ogre mage began to look like a reality.
The only remaining goblins (those that weren’t frozen by the cone of cold) call over a few worgs and they tether them to the wagon to act as beast of burden, the goblins then begin to slowly pull the wagon out of it’s defensive ring and towards the south.
“We’ve got to take down the mage, he’s going to kill us!” Xanthos shouts as he ignores the seven remaining worgs and charges towards the ogre mage, the cone of cold however left an unwelcome surprise, it had coated the ground in it’s area of effect with a sheet of ice, making movement a slippery endeavor and charging impossible.
Menthos switched targets to the ogre mage as Doopa arrived to beat on the creature with his tree trunk, the smilodon snapped it’s jaws at Doopa, but only gritted air as the ogre took the full brunt of Doopa’s swing and laughed at him.
The worgs had as much difficulty as the party in moving across the icy ground, Haimish decided to even the odds a little more and steadied himself for a slashing strike as worgs tried to run past him. He took down two more before he needed to move to attack any further.
Menthos launched another eldritch blast at the ogre mage then turned to the frightened caravan below him, “Get out here and defend your lives like you want to live, or I’ll make sure the next blast of ice ends all of your cowardly lives!”
The verbal lashing focuses the caravan into slinging at the ogre mage who still sits and watches the stones bounce off his skin as if they were flowers. The fleeing goblins get the wagon turned around and headed east, perpendicular to the river. They line up a shallow crossing as best they can and aim for that.
The ogre mage reaches out with his long massive arms and throttles Doopa about the neck, squeezing the trachea and staunching the blood flow to and from the brain. His large fingers near encompass the barbarian’s entire neck. Doopa drops his club and flails against the hold of the ogre mage as the blue skinned ogre lifts the girthy Doopa off the ground. Xanthos hurries as best he can on the ice to reach Doopa as Haimish readies another Tasha’s Hideous Laughter spell. Menthos pours eldritch blasts into the blue ogre as stones continue to rain upon it’s form.
Then nothing, the ogre and big cat were gone. Doopa fell to the ground gasping for air as Xanthos reached the barbarian and transformed to administer healing to the barbarian’s neck. The caravan cheered claiming their stones had driven the creature away. Menthos just scoffed, then he saw the missing wagon stuck in the river to the south.
“Oh Xanthos, looks like we have some escapees. Maybe we could torture one into telling us where their hideout is?” Menthos cooed.
Xanthos’ ears perked up and he transformed back into his giant owl and took flight at the last of the goblins. Xanthos got twenty feet into the air to clear the ruins and never descended, transforming back into a tiger and dropping the twenty feet right on top of the surprised goblins. His frustration tears into the humanoids, blood and innards are sent flying as Xanthos deliberately spares a lone goblin from the same fate. The last goblin dives into the icy water and tries to swim to the far side of the river. Xanthos leaps into the water and transforms into a river dolphin and pins the goblin to the bank on the far side of the river.
Menthos and Haimish arrive to deal with the now harmless tethered worgs as Doopa sits and tries to regain his bearings. Xanthos transforms back to an elf and hefts the soaked goblin out of the water and tosses him back to the party’s side of the river.
“Get the info and then make it take you to it.” Xanthos instructs, a primal fury still resonating in his voice
Menthos backhands the goblin and falls upon the creature, kneeing it in the stomach while doing so, “Where are the goblins coming from?”
The goblin spits and coughs trying to catch it’s breath.
Menthos backhands the goblin again, this time drawing blood as it’s lip tears from the contact.
“We come from Hledra.” The goblin coughs out
“Who is your leader there?” Menthos demands, shifting his weight to apply more pressure to the diaphragm of the goblin
“Gorga.” The goblin issues
“Was that Gorga on the saber-toothed tiger?” Menthos asks
“No, that Grikshawk” The goblin answers
Menthos pulls a dagger from his belt and holds it to the neck of the goblin then bends in close to the thing’s ear, “You will take us to Hledra, or I will damn you to an eternity in a lake of scouring salt. Each day it will flay your skin open to expose the tissue beneath to the painful memory of burning salt. You understand me?”
The goblin nods and Haimish pulls Menthos off the creature, “Okay, I think he’s had plenty. I don’t want to smell goblin piss all the way to this Hledra because you scared it’s bladder to death.”
“Hey, ugly ogre still alive!” Doopa shouts from across the encampment
Fearing the ogre mage had returned, Xanthos runs to Doopa’s side to find Turgar still breathing albeit in distress. Some quick meditations later and Turgar was resting peacefully as the party and the caravan retrieved the loosed wagon from the river and got it back in line with the rest of the wagons. Haimish saw to the goblin’s “protection” not entirely trusting any of the other party members to keep it alive long enough to get to Hledra.
As dusk began to overtake the afternoon sky, the caravan was back on track to Kindoras and the party was headed north into the Majestics toward Hledra.
Hairy Minotaur
Explorer
Building bridges to a better tomorrow
The party has the captured goblin, bound and gagged, lead them on a three day trek almost due north. Xanthos notices the ground has been stomped and smoothed by the passages of hundreds of creatures, he wonders just how prolific this goblin city could be. Goblins aren’t known for their planning and architecture, but a cave the size that would be needed to house a goblin army the size of what he extrapolates from the beating the ground has taken, would have to be huge and the geography of the region doesn’t lend itself to that kind of hole in the ground.
After the second night, Xanthos became worried over Doopa’s antsiness over getting his club shoved into the neck hole of a goblin. Xanthos had to carry the goblin the third day, Doopa’s eyes never ceased burning a hole through the goblin the night before and Xanthos thought it best to keep the goblin safe for as long as possible, hoping that more than enough goblins could be found to sate the ogre’s appetite soon enough.
The wait was not long as the goblin halted at the bottom of an ordinary enough looking hill.
“hmmrdd gn hffss snnd” The goblin gagged
“We’re here!” Xanthos said overjoyed at not having to watch Doopa mentally pound the goblin into goo.
“How do you know that? I speak gagged goblin and I think he said he had to go to the bathroom.” Menthos counters
Exasperated, Xanthos places the goblin on the ground and ungags him, “did you have something to say?”
“Hledra is on other side.” The goblin states
Xanthos gives Menthos a not so pleased glare and then re-gags the goblin, much to the chagrin of the humanoid.
“Doopa say let him go, see if goblin get to top of hill before Doopa club reach goblin head.” Doopa offers
“No, we can’t kill him. At least not yet, I want to see what’s on the other side of this hill. Haimish can you watch our prisoner for me?” Xanthos asks
*why me* Thought the bard then he realized he could let the thing go as soon as Xanthos reached the top of the mountain, “Sure no problem, I’ll keep it safe.”
Xanthos handed the goblin over and then ascended the hill, slowing once he neared the top. Xanthos peeked over the crest and saw a large sprawling city ringing a tall tower-like castle of obsidian. The dark stone reflecting the rays of the sun in brilliant washes across the bowl-like depression Hledra rested in. Xanthos saw all manner of creatures working in the city, from kobolds up to bugbears and hobgoblins. He did not see the ogre mage or anything more advanced than hobgoblins in full plate, although there were a few structures that looked to be able to house a giant or two in them.
Below Haimish was quietly untying the goblin as Doopa jumped around behind the bard, slack-jawed and eye wide, slobber spraying the party from all directions as the thrill of a hunt even a lopsided one marred Doopa’s fragile control of his emotions. Haimish found the going difficult, finding that apparently Menthos can tie a good knot, and then the goblin sensing its immediate demise began to work against Haimish untying it. The goblin shifted its weight and tried to spin away from the bard’s hands.
“Can’t you handle a bound goblin?” Turgar inquired fearing that he would have to put Doopa down if things got out of control.
“I’m doing the best I can here!” Haimish yelled back
The goblin fell over and Haimish threw his hands up in the air in frustration, this caused Doopa to wildly *woot* as he bent his knees to leap on the small goblin only to realize it was still tied and had not just tripped running away.
Doopa’s scream brought Xanthos back to the party, “What’s going on here, can’t you guys keep it quiet? There’s an entire town of goblins on the other side of this hill.”
Xanthos’ words spoke to Doopa’s heart and the ogre embraced the shifter and started up the hill.
“Whoa, whoa. There’s thousands of goblins over there.” Xanthos said as Doopa’s smile just got bigger and bigger, yet he continued to climb.
“That’s more than ten Doopa,” Xanthos said, the ogre shook his head in understanding yet continued to climb
“That’s more than all the people in Highcastle.” Xanthos said
This caused Doopa to pause for the moment.
“That doesn’t make any sense; they could overtake Kindoras anytime they wanted with that force, why would they just play with them?” Haimish asked
“They’re goblins, no planning, no direction, no sanitation, and no retirement plan.” Menthos advised
“They are what they are, but Haimish does bring up a good point. The ogre mage was certainly capable of leading the goblins on a raiding foray, why isn’t he leading them to the keep to wipe it away and not have to worry about their resistance.” Xanthos answered
“Why don’t you go ask him?” Menthos suggested
“I’d be killed; we’re going to need a better plan than that.” Xanthos replied
“Maybe, I say use the element of surprise to your advantage, turn into a rhino and charge your way to the front door and demand to be seen by the ogre mage.” Menthos offers
“That plan has no foresight, have you ever laid siege before?” Xanthos berates the warlock
“I don’t have any foresight, I’ve been circumcised, and as far as laying siege goes, I typically don’t ask names.” Menthos replies
“You’re impossible and of no help.” Xanthos dismisses the teifling
“Now if you really got an accurate assessment or poll, you’d be able to see that most people find me easy and very helpful.” Menthos answers
“Uh, animal man. What those flying things?” Doopa asks standing tall on the top of the hill
“Eek! Get down Doopa!” Xanthos shouts as he races up the hill and pulls Doopa down to his knees.
The shifter stares out to what Doopa was pointing to and spies four wyverns circling the tower, “Crap!” Xanthos says
This brings Haimish and Turgar up the hill as well to view what’s going on at Hledra, leaving Menthos and the goblin alone at the base of the hill.
“Well, there goes most of the plans we could initiate.” Turgar states
“I think we should head back the keep and rebuild its defenses and hope Hledra ignores it for a few more weeks.” Xanthos explains
“That sounds better than anything my head was coming up with.” Haimish answers
“Hey where goblin go?” Doopa inquires
The party all look at the bottom of the hill, “There he is still laying on the ground.” Xanthos says spotting the goblin
“Didn’t we leave it face up and over there?” Haimish pints out, as it appears the goblin is now laying face down about fifteen feet from where it had been laying.
Recalling from his memory, Xanthos feels Haimish is correct and they all head back down the hill. Xanthos reaches the goblin and turns him over to find a sucking chest wound to his sternum that has pierced both lungs, air bubbles up through the seeping blood from the wound.
“Menthos!” Xanthos yells
“What?” The warlock answers behind the shifter
“What did you do?” Xanthos demands
“I followed you guys back down the hill.” Menthos answers
“You killed a helpless goblin.” Xanthos points out
“I did not, I followed you guys up the hill and back down, maybe it committed suicide?” Menthos offers
“its hands were bound and there’s no blade anywhere near here, you’re a known dagger carrier let’s see your blade.” Xanthos demands
“How dare you accuse me of this offense, everyone knows it’s the dagger and not the person holding it that’s to blame, and I’m not about to play show me yours show me mine with you.” Menthos defends himself
“Fine we’ll do this my way, Doopa hold him.” Xanthos orders as the ogre’s wide hands envelope Menthos’ arms holding him fast.
“Help Haimish, I’m being manhandled!” Menthos announces
“I’m not getting involved in your tiff.” Haimish answers
“Well at least set me free, you surely value personal freedom right?” Menthos says, playing on Haimish’s personal ethics
Xanthos quickly begins empting Menthos’ belt pouches and backpack.
“Xanthos, he said he didn’t do it. Let him go.” Haimish says
“Why? So he can stab us in the back literally?” Xanthos answers
“You’re not going to find any blade on me; you’re wasting your time.” Menthos states
Xanthos finds nothing of note in the backpack or pouches and moves to inspecting every seam and each boot on Menthos’ body.
“Where is it? You’re hiding it somewhere on you.” Xanthos screams
“I assure I am not in possession of anything sharp enough to put my eye out if I tripped on it.” Menthos says calmly
Xanthos searches for another minute before Haimish pulls him away and instructs Doopa to let Menthos go.
“What Xanadu mad about, goblin dead, Doopa would do it if goblin still alive now.” Doopa inquires
“We needed to know routes into the city, guard details, what and who is in the castle. But, hot head over there had to go and kill him.” Xanthos answers pointing at Menthos
Haimish takes Xanthos away from the warlock to try and calm him down, while Menthos begins re-filling his carrying containers.
Doopa bends down to assist and leans into the teifling, “Good job, Doopa wish he was there when Goblin die.” Doopa gives Menthos a pat on the back as they finish cleaning up Xanthos’ mess
The party decides to head back to Kindoras and put into motion their defensive plan. Turgar thought he spotted something gleaming in the stunted grass off to his right, but waved it off as a trick of the light and a stressful three days. Menthos noted the gleam to and knew he’d miss that knife; he’d have to pick up another one once he got back at Kindoras.
The party has no incidents as they return to Kindoras, Xanthos lays out what he saw at Hledra. The farmers and commoners brought in to help the fledgling keep are terrified and Gorn realizes that his meager force will not be enough to hold off a single wyvern let alone four of them.
“I know of a barbarian village north of here that has been suppressed by druids, I will go there and seek help on your behalf for additional military support.” Xanthos offers
“If you’re successful there ya might want to investigate Omen they got rangers and other tree sniffers there.” Gorn suggests
“Fabulous, that will definitely be a destination as well.” Xanthos agrees
“Might get a better response once you tell ‘em Hledra is only five days from ‘em.” Gorn offers again
Xanthos transforms into an eagle and flies to Catalan and then to Omen, he manages to get no help at either place. Catalan’s leaders view Kindoras as an abomination on the landscape and the Omen rangers thank him for the information, but they were already aware of the city and feel they are prepared for an all out assault should Hledra decide to bring it. Returning defeated, Xanthos transforms into an ogre and the three ogres set about helping rebuild the northern wall of the keep.
Haimish however recruits Menthos to come with him to Catalan to speak with the druid leader there. Menthos’ ego demands that he speak first to the druid leader and he is shown the door almost immediately after opening his mouth. Haimish however tries a different tack and instead of going to Catalan’s leaders, he speaks directly to the barbarians oppressed into a sedentary farming life by the druids. His speech is moving and over two dozen barbarians immediately join his cause and agree to march back to Kindoras facing the prospect for mayhem and the killing of goblins.
This of course does not endear Haimish to the druids of Catalan nor does it improve their relationship with Kindoras. Haimish and Menthos are hailed as great men by the commoners of the keep. The Kador contingent however views the Catalan barbarians as more trouble than they will prove to be worth. However the barbarians set to work right away with assisting in the work to rebuild the north wall.
For three months the work continues on the keep, Xanthos helping reinforce the walls with plant growth and plant shape spells, the barbarians, aside from excessive drinking and in-fighting, prove to be valuable assets. Forming their own militia and pulling double shift with helping rebuild the keep. Xanthos keeps in constant contact with the rangers of Omen and appraises them on the keep’s progress. Several times over the past two months Omen has made scouting trips in a wide circle so as to stop by and see the keep’s progress in person.
Nothing was ever heard from Kessen, nor was there any body found by the rangers or barbarians as they scouted for goblins. Hledra kept sending out small forces of goblins who quickly met their doom at the hands of the zealous barbarians or deadly rangers. Menthos and Aleena consulted frequently on the upgrades need for the keep and improvements to it’s general defense. This prove five with the rest of the party as it often meant Menthos got to talk to Gorn and that kept the Captain of the guard off the backs of the party and from annoying the barbarians.
Then the scouting party from Omen didn’t make their scheduled stop at the keep, concerned over their safety Xanthos flew out to Omen to see what had happened. He saw the small figured opaque skinned, huge south moving force long before he saw the wooden palisades of Omen….
The party has the captured goblin, bound and gagged, lead them on a three day trek almost due north. Xanthos notices the ground has been stomped and smoothed by the passages of hundreds of creatures, he wonders just how prolific this goblin city could be. Goblins aren’t known for their planning and architecture, but a cave the size that would be needed to house a goblin army the size of what he extrapolates from the beating the ground has taken, would have to be huge and the geography of the region doesn’t lend itself to that kind of hole in the ground.
After the second night, Xanthos became worried over Doopa’s antsiness over getting his club shoved into the neck hole of a goblin. Xanthos had to carry the goblin the third day, Doopa’s eyes never ceased burning a hole through the goblin the night before and Xanthos thought it best to keep the goblin safe for as long as possible, hoping that more than enough goblins could be found to sate the ogre’s appetite soon enough.
The wait was not long as the goblin halted at the bottom of an ordinary enough looking hill.
“hmmrdd gn hffss snnd” The goblin gagged
“We’re here!” Xanthos said overjoyed at not having to watch Doopa mentally pound the goblin into goo.
“How do you know that? I speak gagged goblin and I think he said he had to go to the bathroom.” Menthos counters
Exasperated, Xanthos places the goblin on the ground and ungags him, “did you have something to say?”
“Hledra is on other side.” The goblin states
Xanthos gives Menthos a not so pleased glare and then re-gags the goblin, much to the chagrin of the humanoid.
“Doopa say let him go, see if goblin get to top of hill before Doopa club reach goblin head.” Doopa offers
“No, we can’t kill him. At least not yet, I want to see what’s on the other side of this hill. Haimish can you watch our prisoner for me?” Xanthos asks
*why me* Thought the bard then he realized he could let the thing go as soon as Xanthos reached the top of the mountain, “Sure no problem, I’ll keep it safe.”
Xanthos handed the goblin over and then ascended the hill, slowing once he neared the top. Xanthos peeked over the crest and saw a large sprawling city ringing a tall tower-like castle of obsidian. The dark stone reflecting the rays of the sun in brilliant washes across the bowl-like depression Hledra rested in. Xanthos saw all manner of creatures working in the city, from kobolds up to bugbears and hobgoblins. He did not see the ogre mage or anything more advanced than hobgoblins in full plate, although there were a few structures that looked to be able to house a giant or two in them.
Below Haimish was quietly untying the goblin as Doopa jumped around behind the bard, slack-jawed and eye wide, slobber spraying the party from all directions as the thrill of a hunt even a lopsided one marred Doopa’s fragile control of his emotions. Haimish found the going difficult, finding that apparently Menthos can tie a good knot, and then the goblin sensing its immediate demise began to work against Haimish untying it. The goblin shifted its weight and tried to spin away from the bard’s hands.
“Can’t you handle a bound goblin?” Turgar inquired fearing that he would have to put Doopa down if things got out of control.
“I’m doing the best I can here!” Haimish yelled back
The goblin fell over and Haimish threw his hands up in the air in frustration, this caused Doopa to wildly *woot* as he bent his knees to leap on the small goblin only to realize it was still tied and had not just tripped running away.
Doopa’s scream brought Xanthos back to the party, “What’s going on here, can’t you guys keep it quiet? There’s an entire town of goblins on the other side of this hill.”
Xanthos’ words spoke to Doopa’s heart and the ogre embraced the shifter and started up the hill.
“Whoa, whoa. There’s thousands of goblins over there.” Xanthos said as Doopa’s smile just got bigger and bigger, yet he continued to climb.
“That’s more than ten Doopa,” Xanthos said, the ogre shook his head in understanding yet continued to climb
“That’s more than all the people in Highcastle.” Xanthos said
This caused Doopa to pause for the moment.
“That doesn’t make any sense; they could overtake Kindoras anytime they wanted with that force, why would they just play with them?” Haimish asked
“They’re goblins, no planning, no direction, no sanitation, and no retirement plan.” Menthos advised
“They are what they are, but Haimish does bring up a good point. The ogre mage was certainly capable of leading the goblins on a raiding foray, why isn’t he leading them to the keep to wipe it away and not have to worry about their resistance.” Xanthos answered
“Why don’t you go ask him?” Menthos suggested
“I’d be killed; we’re going to need a better plan than that.” Xanthos replied
“Maybe, I say use the element of surprise to your advantage, turn into a rhino and charge your way to the front door and demand to be seen by the ogre mage.” Menthos offers
“That plan has no foresight, have you ever laid siege before?” Xanthos berates the warlock
“I don’t have any foresight, I’ve been circumcised, and as far as laying siege goes, I typically don’t ask names.” Menthos replies
“You’re impossible and of no help.” Xanthos dismisses the teifling
“Now if you really got an accurate assessment or poll, you’d be able to see that most people find me easy and very helpful.” Menthos answers
“Uh, animal man. What those flying things?” Doopa asks standing tall on the top of the hill
“Eek! Get down Doopa!” Xanthos shouts as he races up the hill and pulls Doopa down to his knees.
The shifter stares out to what Doopa was pointing to and spies four wyverns circling the tower, “Crap!” Xanthos says
This brings Haimish and Turgar up the hill as well to view what’s going on at Hledra, leaving Menthos and the goblin alone at the base of the hill.
“Well, there goes most of the plans we could initiate.” Turgar states
“I think we should head back the keep and rebuild its defenses and hope Hledra ignores it for a few more weeks.” Xanthos explains
“That sounds better than anything my head was coming up with.” Haimish answers
“Hey where goblin go?” Doopa inquires
The party all look at the bottom of the hill, “There he is still laying on the ground.” Xanthos says spotting the goblin
“Didn’t we leave it face up and over there?” Haimish pints out, as it appears the goblin is now laying face down about fifteen feet from where it had been laying.
Recalling from his memory, Xanthos feels Haimish is correct and they all head back down the hill. Xanthos reaches the goblin and turns him over to find a sucking chest wound to his sternum that has pierced both lungs, air bubbles up through the seeping blood from the wound.
“Menthos!” Xanthos yells
“What?” The warlock answers behind the shifter
“What did you do?” Xanthos demands
“I followed you guys back down the hill.” Menthos answers
“You killed a helpless goblin.” Xanthos points out
“I did not, I followed you guys up the hill and back down, maybe it committed suicide?” Menthos offers
“its hands were bound and there’s no blade anywhere near here, you’re a known dagger carrier let’s see your blade.” Xanthos demands
“How dare you accuse me of this offense, everyone knows it’s the dagger and not the person holding it that’s to blame, and I’m not about to play show me yours show me mine with you.” Menthos defends himself
“Fine we’ll do this my way, Doopa hold him.” Xanthos orders as the ogre’s wide hands envelope Menthos’ arms holding him fast.
“Help Haimish, I’m being manhandled!” Menthos announces
“I’m not getting involved in your tiff.” Haimish answers
“Well at least set me free, you surely value personal freedom right?” Menthos says, playing on Haimish’s personal ethics
Xanthos quickly begins empting Menthos’ belt pouches and backpack.
“Xanthos, he said he didn’t do it. Let him go.” Haimish says
“Why? So he can stab us in the back literally?” Xanthos answers
“You’re not going to find any blade on me; you’re wasting your time.” Menthos states
Xanthos finds nothing of note in the backpack or pouches and moves to inspecting every seam and each boot on Menthos’ body.
“Where is it? You’re hiding it somewhere on you.” Xanthos screams
“I assure I am not in possession of anything sharp enough to put my eye out if I tripped on it.” Menthos says calmly
Xanthos searches for another minute before Haimish pulls him away and instructs Doopa to let Menthos go.
“What Xanadu mad about, goblin dead, Doopa would do it if goblin still alive now.” Doopa inquires
“We needed to know routes into the city, guard details, what and who is in the castle. But, hot head over there had to go and kill him.” Xanthos answers pointing at Menthos
Haimish takes Xanthos away from the warlock to try and calm him down, while Menthos begins re-filling his carrying containers.
Doopa bends down to assist and leans into the teifling, “Good job, Doopa wish he was there when Goblin die.” Doopa gives Menthos a pat on the back as they finish cleaning up Xanthos’ mess
The party decides to head back to Kindoras and put into motion their defensive plan. Turgar thought he spotted something gleaming in the stunted grass off to his right, but waved it off as a trick of the light and a stressful three days. Menthos noted the gleam to and knew he’d miss that knife; he’d have to pick up another one once he got back at Kindoras.
The party has no incidents as they return to Kindoras, Xanthos lays out what he saw at Hledra. The farmers and commoners brought in to help the fledgling keep are terrified and Gorn realizes that his meager force will not be enough to hold off a single wyvern let alone four of them.
“I know of a barbarian village north of here that has been suppressed by druids, I will go there and seek help on your behalf for additional military support.” Xanthos offers
“If you’re successful there ya might want to investigate Omen they got rangers and other tree sniffers there.” Gorn suggests
“Fabulous, that will definitely be a destination as well.” Xanthos agrees
“Might get a better response once you tell ‘em Hledra is only five days from ‘em.” Gorn offers again
Xanthos transforms into an eagle and flies to Catalan and then to Omen, he manages to get no help at either place. Catalan’s leaders view Kindoras as an abomination on the landscape and the Omen rangers thank him for the information, but they were already aware of the city and feel they are prepared for an all out assault should Hledra decide to bring it. Returning defeated, Xanthos transforms into an ogre and the three ogres set about helping rebuild the northern wall of the keep.
Haimish however recruits Menthos to come with him to Catalan to speak with the druid leader there. Menthos’ ego demands that he speak first to the druid leader and he is shown the door almost immediately after opening his mouth. Haimish however tries a different tack and instead of going to Catalan’s leaders, he speaks directly to the barbarians oppressed into a sedentary farming life by the druids. His speech is moving and over two dozen barbarians immediately join his cause and agree to march back to Kindoras facing the prospect for mayhem and the killing of goblins.
This of course does not endear Haimish to the druids of Catalan nor does it improve their relationship with Kindoras. Haimish and Menthos are hailed as great men by the commoners of the keep. The Kador contingent however views the Catalan barbarians as more trouble than they will prove to be worth. However the barbarians set to work right away with assisting in the work to rebuild the north wall.
For three months the work continues on the keep, Xanthos helping reinforce the walls with plant growth and plant shape spells, the barbarians, aside from excessive drinking and in-fighting, prove to be valuable assets. Forming their own militia and pulling double shift with helping rebuild the keep. Xanthos keeps in constant contact with the rangers of Omen and appraises them on the keep’s progress. Several times over the past two months Omen has made scouting trips in a wide circle so as to stop by and see the keep’s progress in person.
Nothing was ever heard from Kessen, nor was there any body found by the rangers or barbarians as they scouted for goblins. Hledra kept sending out small forces of goblins who quickly met their doom at the hands of the zealous barbarians or deadly rangers. Menthos and Aleena consulted frequently on the upgrades need for the keep and improvements to it’s general defense. This prove five with the rest of the party as it often meant Menthos got to talk to Gorn and that kept the Captain of the guard off the backs of the party and from annoying the barbarians.
Then the scouting party from Omen didn’t make their scheduled stop at the keep, concerned over their safety Xanthos flew out to Omen to see what had happened. He saw the small figured opaque skinned, huge south moving force long before he saw the wooden palisades of Omen….
Hairy Minotaur
Explorer
Grand Theft Menthos
Xanthos dives down at Omen, barely clearing the wooden palisades. He transforms back into an elf before reaching the ground and tumbles over himself before his momentum is slowed enough for him to halt his tumbling.
“Hledra is coming!” Xanthos shouts as a group of omen’s rangers begin to gather
“From the north, one, two days out possibly. Large force, you should prepare your evacuation plan!” Xanthos says gasping for air
“We will not surrender our homes without the loss of goblin blood!” Shouted a dwarven representative
“Your resident force cannot hope to defeat the army pressing down on you, better to retreat and fight another day than stay and not live to see revenge.” Xanthos counters
The stubborn dwarves however refused to budge, and the rangers sworn to protection by the Overlord were bound to stay as long as the dwarves mined the nearby land of metals.
Disappointed but understanding the dwarves position, Xanthos took to the air again and sped back to Kindoras where the intervening months had done wonders on the ogre’s physique. Both now stood over eight feet tall with Doopa the larger of the two at nearly nine feet tall.
Xanthos explained what he had seen and the response from Omen.
“Let them die. If they’re too stupid to move out of the way from the charging rhino then they don’t need to be using up my oxygen.” Menthos replies
“I fear the loss of life will not be prevented, likely Kindoras will be next once Omen falls.” Xanthos replies
“Doopa think we go there and kill goblins before they get to Omen, best defense is killer offense.” Doopa explains
“If a whole town of rangers and dwarves won’t stand a chance, why would you think we could?” Turgar asks
“Doopa smash, pretty voice man sing, many things man turn into ‘nother Doopa, wizard man do magic, and Turdgar wring hands and complain about flesh wounds.” Doopa answers, laying out his plan of attack.
“You’re insults are sophomoric and tiring, I shall not debate with inferior intellect any further.” Turgar responds
“See, already Turdgar tired and we not even go anywhere yet.” Doopa comments
“Why don’ cha go ta She-Wolf an’ recruit some o’ their dwarves? Maybe ya could get dem to fight wit cha?” Gorn offers
“That has be to the first constructive comment you’ve given us in four months, you must see the value of keeping Omen goblin free.” Xanthos states
“No, I donna think ya’ll make it ta She-Wolf, an I’d rather not have ye ‘ere.” Gorn says with a slick smile
“Maybe I should do that, and after we repel the goblins at Omen, we can march on Kindoras and displace you?” Xanthos counters
“You could try, but what makes ya think dem dwarves are gonna foller a pointy elf anyways?” Gorn replies chuckling to himself
“Our path is clear then.” Menthos speaks up, “We recruit a force from She-Wolf, march it to Omen and engage the enemy there.”
Stunned silence falls over the party
“Menthos cares? I’m speechless, is Armageddon upon us?” Haimish inquires
“I wasn’t finished yet. Then while the two forces are locked in mortal combat, we destroy the town and then head back to She-Wolf and take over that town as well. Kindoras would control everything from this keep to Omen to She-Wolf and then Hledra would be next. A new kingdom is born, then those uppity Catalan grass eaters would be next to fall. I say with two years the kingdom will be knocking on the front door of the Overlord’s palace.” Menthos clarifies
“Figures, I spoke too soon.” Haimish states
“The kingdom of Menthos would be a tyrannical monarchy that I would be forced to bring down.” Xanthos states
“Why? If all opposition was wiped out, wouldn’t that appeal to your sense of morality? As long as I’m not selective about you I have to kill to lord over a region, then I would expect full support of someone who worships the laws of nature and survival such as yourself.” Menthos responds
Unable to ethically argue the teifling any longer, Xanthos removes himself from the conversation.
“I think that would be a brilliant way to expand the Kadorian faith, subjugate or face the machinations of Menthos.” Aleena comments
“I always knew you had an ego, yet somehow I’m stunned to learn you’re egomaniacal instead.” Haimish advises
“I shall collect some fetishes and portents for your journey, tomorrow they will sing the beginnings of the Kindoran Empire!” Aleena decries and excuses herself back to her room.
Gorn snorts and walks away upset that it appears he’ll be stuck with these people for the foreseeable future.
“What is your problem? Those fire guys have turned you into a power hungry land grabber.” Turgar inquires
“Calm down, I have to play this close. Can’t let them think I’ve gone weak. I’m still with you guys, but that Aleena is one devout chick. I think her chastity belt has forbiddance cast on it, Kador knows I’ve tried getting close to it.” Menthos advises
“I can’t trust you, whose side are you on?” Haimish inquires
“The same side I was four months ago, nothing’s changed since I’ve been out here.” Menthos answers, evading the bard’s questioning
“Quit dancing around the issue, either you’re with the Kadors or you’re against them. You can’t be both.” Haimish questions
“Doopa head hurt.” Doopa interjects
“Small brain, lack of oxygen.” Turgar answers
“Listen, I’ve got an itchy trigger finger and I’ve got this nagging feeling of wanting to kill things and take their stuff. Either we go out there and we kill a bunch of goblins, or I’m going to have to start closer to home to get my kicks in.” Menthos says, putting an arm around Haimish.
“Is that some kind of threat?” Haimish demands why slapping Menthos’ arm off his shoulder
“Not to you, of course. But, things between us and Gorn might get a little dicey.” Menthos answers
“Doopa ready to fight, when we leave magic man?” The barbarian inquires
“Tonight, I think we should rest up and try to cut as many days off our travel to She-Wolf as possible. Dwarves aren’t exactly known for their sprinting ability and once we pick up a force of them our travel times will screech to a halt.” Menthos relates
“Well that part was tactical at least, better let me do the talking.” Haimish states
“Fat chance, you’re a trueborn. One whiff of you and they’ll scoff and toss you out on your non-existent wings. Better to let personality disorder turn into a dwarf and let me do the talking while you play a dwarven drinking song on your banjo.” Menthos offers
“It’s called a lute, and I’m a far better negotiator than you are.” Haimish counters
“I got news for you, you go parading that thing around as loot and it’ll end up stolen to some dwarven hovel.” Menthos points out
“It’s lute, not loot. Now you’re just distracting me from the real argument. Now, I will be the one talking and you will be the one forming the press gang with the giants over there.” Haimish states
“I don’t do gangs, too organized. How about we just go fight now?” Menthos steers the conversation away again
“No, we need to pla…” Thud. Haimish’s unconscious body slumps to the floor after Doopa clubs him over the head.
“Doopa hear magic man say fight, and music man say no.” The ogre flashes a smile at the warlock
“You’re not subjugating me by force!” Turgar shouts and brings his long sword to bear on Doopa’s bare chest.
“Nobody is subjugating anyone, but we can’t’ stand here and argue the best way to recruit the dwarves, we need to head out towards She-Wolf and decide on the way. Not fight it out here and lose valuable time.” Menthos argues
Wary of the warlock but unable to put forth a viable disagreement with the teifling’s words, Turgar lowers his blade and agrees that leaving now would be for the best.
“Ok you two get Haimish on his horse and find Xanthos, tell him we’re heading out.” Menthos instructs
The two ogres leave to complete their tasks while Menthos goes to visit Aleena to pick up whatever trinkets she mentioned she was giving to the party.
“Knock, knock. Aleena you in here?” Menthos asks
“Yes, just finishing up in here. Statinisor would be happy to learn of your expansion plans, to think I even questioned your loyalty. I am sorry for that.” Aleena answers
“Eh, you know how subordinates are. Either you walk on them or they walk on you, and if you’re not getting any higher when you walk, then you know which way it is for you.” Menthos replies
“So true, here. Statinisor told me to give this to you once you acclimated yourself to the keep. I’ve been keeping it hoping to see you crack and you haven’t yet.” Aleena hands over a small orange fire emblazoned velvet bag.
Menthos accepts the gift graciously and opens it to reveal a hefty sum of gold coins, a large fire opal and a wax sealed letter. Menthos retrieves the letter, placing the bag on the floor and tearing into the parchment like a dog after marrow.
Menthos, I hope this package finds you well.
Placed inside is a small gift to assist you during The Dimming
While the light made fade, the fire burns as hot as ever
Please see to it that Gorn is ever reminded whose outpost this is
Aleena is a faithful if not a wholly confident leader
You would do well to avoid her “softer” side,
Her motivation lies within the fire of anger within her
Or the passion of victory, not between them
“Gee, this would’ve been helpful three months ago. I shall make sure Statinisor fully realizes what the delay in my response was.” Menthos speaks sternly
“What? I was led to believe it was a reward for your work for the church, it sounded and smelled like gold coins.” Aleena responds
“Do you not think Statinisor would not take precautions to avoid non teifling eyes from viewing the accounts in this letter? A holy warrior such as yourself should know what is at stake here! Yet you left me to dangle in the wind while to plied your divinations upon me? I counter that it is you who is unfit to rule here.” Menthos pounds his fist at the air
“I had no idea, I merely wished to know why my liege would choose a non-pyromancer. I only wanted what was best for the faith. I.. I… I….” Aleena breaks down in tears at the foot of Menthos, “Please forgive me, I meant no disloyalty.”
“Forgiveness is not of my nature, however if I return from vanquishing the Omen and Hledra armies you have shown the type of leadership that would ignite a frozen piece of stone into a pyre, then I shall take that into consideration when I send my report to Statinisor. You’ve already failed Statinisor, do not fail me.” Menthos demands and turns to leave the sobbing Aleena to her own mind.
“Where are you two going?” Xanthos inquires
“We’re going to pry the stain of goblins off the palisades of Omen with the bodies of fodder dwarves!” Turgar says proudly
“He’s turned you too? And what happened to Haimish?” Xanthos demands, taking a defensive stance
“Doopa bonked music man for taking too long to decide battle is best!” Doopa says pounding his chest
“I’m not going with Menthos and you’re not taking Haimish either.” Xanthos says firmly
“Lighten up Xanthos, we’re going to need to hurry to get our dwarven force to Omen before the city is overrun.” Menthos says ridding up alongside Doopa
“I’m not allowing you to do this.” Xanthos states
“Do what? You think I could take over this region with you and the two stinky brothers opposing me? I may be crazy but I’m not stupid and neither are you.” Menthos answers
Xanthos mulls that over and agrees with the warlock, and is upset with himself for not realizing the warlock’s button pushing allowed his emotions to get out of his control.
As they turned towards the gate, an acolyte ran out from the priest’s quarters and up to Menthos’ horse.
“Here my lord, gifts from Priestess Aleena with a prayer for a victorious journey.” The acolyte handed over a leather pouch. Menthos opened it and peeked inside, then quickly closed it.
He nodded at the acolyte, but did not speak to him. Menthos turned and rode through the gate, followed by the rest of the party.
“Gud riddance da lot ‘o ya. I hopes ya falls off yer horse and dies on the way dere!” Gorn calls out from the battlements
Menthos pulls his horse up and turns back to the captain, “While I am gone, please build a good sized viewing area with lots of seating, as well as rack that would support your frame. When I return I will bring the head of an ogre mage and mount it to your ass, then charge 1 silver piece for the keep to view it.”
Menthos kicks his horse and rides off, the thundering of the hoof prints drowning out the colorful metaphoric response from the captain before the distance gained reduced those cries to mere whispers.
“What was in the bag?” Xanthos inquires
“Potions. Either of healing or poison. Maybe you should sample one and see for us?” Menthos answered and this time he wasn’t bluffing.
Xanthos dives down at Omen, barely clearing the wooden palisades. He transforms back into an elf before reaching the ground and tumbles over himself before his momentum is slowed enough for him to halt his tumbling.
“Hledra is coming!” Xanthos shouts as a group of omen’s rangers begin to gather
“From the north, one, two days out possibly. Large force, you should prepare your evacuation plan!” Xanthos says gasping for air
“We will not surrender our homes without the loss of goblin blood!” Shouted a dwarven representative
“Your resident force cannot hope to defeat the army pressing down on you, better to retreat and fight another day than stay and not live to see revenge.” Xanthos counters
The stubborn dwarves however refused to budge, and the rangers sworn to protection by the Overlord were bound to stay as long as the dwarves mined the nearby land of metals.
Disappointed but understanding the dwarves position, Xanthos took to the air again and sped back to Kindoras where the intervening months had done wonders on the ogre’s physique. Both now stood over eight feet tall with Doopa the larger of the two at nearly nine feet tall.
Xanthos explained what he had seen and the response from Omen.
“Let them die. If they’re too stupid to move out of the way from the charging rhino then they don’t need to be using up my oxygen.” Menthos replies
“I fear the loss of life will not be prevented, likely Kindoras will be next once Omen falls.” Xanthos replies
“Doopa think we go there and kill goblins before they get to Omen, best defense is killer offense.” Doopa explains
“If a whole town of rangers and dwarves won’t stand a chance, why would you think we could?” Turgar asks
“Doopa smash, pretty voice man sing, many things man turn into ‘nother Doopa, wizard man do magic, and Turdgar wring hands and complain about flesh wounds.” Doopa answers, laying out his plan of attack.
“You’re insults are sophomoric and tiring, I shall not debate with inferior intellect any further.” Turgar responds
“See, already Turdgar tired and we not even go anywhere yet.” Doopa comments
“Why don’ cha go ta She-Wolf an’ recruit some o’ their dwarves? Maybe ya could get dem to fight wit cha?” Gorn offers
“That has be to the first constructive comment you’ve given us in four months, you must see the value of keeping Omen goblin free.” Xanthos states
“No, I donna think ya’ll make it ta She-Wolf, an I’d rather not have ye ‘ere.” Gorn says with a slick smile
“Maybe I should do that, and after we repel the goblins at Omen, we can march on Kindoras and displace you?” Xanthos counters
“You could try, but what makes ya think dem dwarves are gonna foller a pointy elf anyways?” Gorn replies chuckling to himself
“Our path is clear then.” Menthos speaks up, “We recruit a force from She-Wolf, march it to Omen and engage the enemy there.”
Stunned silence falls over the party
“Menthos cares? I’m speechless, is Armageddon upon us?” Haimish inquires
“I wasn’t finished yet. Then while the two forces are locked in mortal combat, we destroy the town and then head back to She-Wolf and take over that town as well. Kindoras would control everything from this keep to Omen to She-Wolf and then Hledra would be next. A new kingdom is born, then those uppity Catalan grass eaters would be next to fall. I say with two years the kingdom will be knocking on the front door of the Overlord’s palace.” Menthos clarifies
“Figures, I spoke too soon.” Haimish states
“The kingdom of Menthos would be a tyrannical monarchy that I would be forced to bring down.” Xanthos states
“Why? If all opposition was wiped out, wouldn’t that appeal to your sense of morality? As long as I’m not selective about you I have to kill to lord over a region, then I would expect full support of someone who worships the laws of nature and survival such as yourself.” Menthos responds
Unable to ethically argue the teifling any longer, Xanthos removes himself from the conversation.
“I think that would be a brilliant way to expand the Kadorian faith, subjugate or face the machinations of Menthos.” Aleena comments
“I always knew you had an ego, yet somehow I’m stunned to learn you’re egomaniacal instead.” Haimish advises
“I shall collect some fetishes and portents for your journey, tomorrow they will sing the beginnings of the Kindoran Empire!” Aleena decries and excuses herself back to her room.
Gorn snorts and walks away upset that it appears he’ll be stuck with these people for the foreseeable future.
“What is your problem? Those fire guys have turned you into a power hungry land grabber.” Turgar inquires
“Calm down, I have to play this close. Can’t let them think I’ve gone weak. I’m still with you guys, but that Aleena is one devout chick. I think her chastity belt has forbiddance cast on it, Kador knows I’ve tried getting close to it.” Menthos advises
“I can’t trust you, whose side are you on?” Haimish inquires
“The same side I was four months ago, nothing’s changed since I’ve been out here.” Menthos answers, evading the bard’s questioning
“Quit dancing around the issue, either you’re with the Kadors or you’re against them. You can’t be both.” Haimish questions
“Doopa head hurt.” Doopa interjects
“Small brain, lack of oxygen.” Turgar answers
“Listen, I’ve got an itchy trigger finger and I’ve got this nagging feeling of wanting to kill things and take their stuff. Either we go out there and we kill a bunch of goblins, or I’m going to have to start closer to home to get my kicks in.” Menthos says, putting an arm around Haimish.
“Is that some kind of threat?” Haimish demands why slapping Menthos’ arm off his shoulder
“Not to you, of course. But, things between us and Gorn might get a little dicey.” Menthos answers
“Doopa ready to fight, when we leave magic man?” The barbarian inquires
“Tonight, I think we should rest up and try to cut as many days off our travel to She-Wolf as possible. Dwarves aren’t exactly known for their sprinting ability and once we pick up a force of them our travel times will screech to a halt.” Menthos relates
“Well that part was tactical at least, better let me do the talking.” Haimish states
“Fat chance, you’re a trueborn. One whiff of you and they’ll scoff and toss you out on your non-existent wings. Better to let personality disorder turn into a dwarf and let me do the talking while you play a dwarven drinking song on your banjo.” Menthos offers
“It’s called a lute, and I’m a far better negotiator than you are.” Haimish counters
“I got news for you, you go parading that thing around as loot and it’ll end up stolen to some dwarven hovel.” Menthos points out
“It’s lute, not loot. Now you’re just distracting me from the real argument. Now, I will be the one talking and you will be the one forming the press gang with the giants over there.” Haimish states
“I don’t do gangs, too organized. How about we just go fight now?” Menthos steers the conversation away again
“No, we need to pla…” Thud. Haimish’s unconscious body slumps to the floor after Doopa clubs him over the head.
“Doopa hear magic man say fight, and music man say no.” The ogre flashes a smile at the warlock
“You’re not subjugating me by force!” Turgar shouts and brings his long sword to bear on Doopa’s bare chest.
“Nobody is subjugating anyone, but we can’t’ stand here and argue the best way to recruit the dwarves, we need to head out towards She-Wolf and decide on the way. Not fight it out here and lose valuable time.” Menthos argues
Wary of the warlock but unable to put forth a viable disagreement with the teifling’s words, Turgar lowers his blade and agrees that leaving now would be for the best.
“Ok you two get Haimish on his horse and find Xanthos, tell him we’re heading out.” Menthos instructs
The two ogres leave to complete their tasks while Menthos goes to visit Aleena to pick up whatever trinkets she mentioned she was giving to the party.
“Knock, knock. Aleena you in here?” Menthos asks
“Yes, just finishing up in here. Statinisor would be happy to learn of your expansion plans, to think I even questioned your loyalty. I am sorry for that.” Aleena answers
“Eh, you know how subordinates are. Either you walk on them or they walk on you, and if you’re not getting any higher when you walk, then you know which way it is for you.” Menthos replies
“So true, here. Statinisor told me to give this to you once you acclimated yourself to the keep. I’ve been keeping it hoping to see you crack and you haven’t yet.” Aleena hands over a small orange fire emblazoned velvet bag.
Menthos accepts the gift graciously and opens it to reveal a hefty sum of gold coins, a large fire opal and a wax sealed letter. Menthos retrieves the letter, placing the bag on the floor and tearing into the parchment like a dog after marrow.
Menthos, I hope this package finds you well.
Placed inside is a small gift to assist you during The Dimming
While the light made fade, the fire burns as hot as ever
Please see to it that Gorn is ever reminded whose outpost this is
Aleena is a faithful if not a wholly confident leader
You would do well to avoid her “softer” side,
Her motivation lies within the fire of anger within her
Or the passion of victory, not between them
“Gee, this would’ve been helpful three months ago. I shall make sure Statinisor fully realizes what the delay in my response was.” Menthos speaks sternly
“What? I was led to believe it was a reward for your work for the church, it sounded and smelled like gold coins.” Aleena responds
“Do you not think Statinisor would not take precautions to avoid non teifling eyes from viewing the accounts in this letter? A holy warrior such as yourself should know what is at stake here! Yet you left me to dangle in the wind while to plied your divinations upon me? I counter that it is you who is unfit to rule here.” Menthos pounds his fist at the air
“I had no idea, I merely wished to know why my liege would choose a non-pyromancer. I only wanted what was best for the faith. I.. I… I….” Aleena breaks down in tears at the foot of Menthos, “Please forgive me, I meant no disloyalty.”
“Forgiveness is not of my nature, however if I return from vanquishing the Omen and Hledra armies you have shown the type of leadership that would ignite a frozen piece of stone into a pyre, then I shall take that into consideration when I send my report to Statinisor. You’ve already failed Statinisor, do not fail me.” Menthos demands and turns to leave the sobbing Aleena to her own mind.
“Where are you two going?” Xanthos inquires
“We’re going to pry the stain of goblins off the palisades of Omen with the bodies of fodder dwarves!” Turgar says proudly
“He’s turned you too? And what happened to Haimish?” Xanthos demands, taking a defensive stance
“Doopa bonked music man for taking too long to decide battle is best!” Doopa says pounding his chest
“I’m not going with Menthos and you’re not taking Haimish either.” Xanthos says firmly
“Lighten up Xanthos, we’re going to need to hurry to get our dwarven force to Omen before the city is overrun.” Menthos says ridding up alongside Doopa
“I’m not allowing you to do this.” Xanthos states
“Do what? You think I could take over this region with you and the two stinky brothers opposing me? I may be crazy but I’m not stupid and neither are you.” Menthos answers
Xanthos mulls that over and agrees with the warlock, and is upset with himself for not realizing the warlock’s button pushing allowed his emotions to get out of his control.
As they turned towards the gate, an acolyte ran out from the priest’s quarters and up to Menthos’ horse.
“Here my lord, gifts from Priestess Aleena with a prayer for a victorious journey.” The acolyte handed over a leather pouch. Menthos opened it and peeked inside, then quickly closed it.
He nodded at the acolyte, but did not speak to him. Menthos turned and rode through the gate, followed by the rest of the party.
“Gud riddance da lot ‘o ya. I hopes ya falls off yer horse and dies on the way dere!” Gorn calls out from the battlements
Menthos pulls his horse up and turns back to the captain, “While I am gone, please build a good sized viewing area with lots of seating, as well as rack that would support your frame. When I return I will bring the head of an ogre mage and mount it to your ass, then charge 1 silver piece for the keep to view it.”
Menthos kicks his horse and rides off, the thundering of the hoof prints drowning out the colorful metaphoric response from the captain before the distance gained reduced those cries to mere whispers.
“What was in the bag?” Xanthos inquires
“Potions. Either of healing or poison. Maybe you should sample one and see for us?” Menthos answered and this time he wasn’t bluffing.
Jon Potter
First Post
Soo... two things.
1) What's the deal with Kessen? Did you lose a player?
2) Was the four month jump in time a game break or did you just set the clock ahead?
2.5) I'm quite enjoying the regional politics going on behind the central "goblin-stomp" story. Great stuff.
1) What's the deal with Kessen? Did you lose a player?
2) Was the four month jump in time a game break or did you just set the clock ahead?
2.5) I'm quite enjoying the regional politics going on behind the central "goblin-stomp" story. Great stuff.
Hairy Minotaur
Explorer
Jon Potter said:
1) Kessen comes back, albeit briefly. The player stopped showing and then he stopped communicating, so you'll find Kessen's last appearance fitting of such an end. This isn't like Benet from the last SH where the player had to leave for school and planned to return.
2) They spent the 3 months fixing the keep in game so it was merely a calendar jump. The party busied themselves around the keep until the keep could defend themselves and the party could go exploring. The 3 month jump does become critical once they return to Kindoras Keep however.
2.5) Well, it's going to get much deeper. I will give some teases by saying that Menthos' affiliation score with Kador goes through the roof (by doing something you'd never think he'd do), One PC is caught between an elder vampire, Orcus, an alhoon, and an artifact and it's not Menthos, soon after Kessen departs we add 3 new PCs!
Jon Potter
First Post
Hairy Minotaur said:
I can hardly wait.
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
I have to say that I'd almost rather have a disruptive player than an apathetic one. I've had three players over the years who've just up and disappeared and it left a very bitter taste in my mouth at the time. Oh well, I'll look forward to some DM story hour revenge.
Yikes!
And my money's on Haimish!
Man you must be a glutton for punishment running games that big! Are any of the new PCs giants by any chance?
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