The hidden

THE HIDDEN
SEGMENT 009
2/9/13
“BAD NEWS RESURFACES”

EYRE 7, 999

The group leaves the burial drop off of the big man. A shop keeper waits in fear of being spotted. Once he feels it is safe he runs over. Morbid curiosity makes him want to see who has been dropped into the muddy waters and pushed down to sink. He sees a foot of a dark skinned man sticking out and considers pulling it in. He looks around and then carefully and slowly touches the foot.

Suddenly the water bursts in an explosion of activity and a muffled scream.

Bubbles surface then the body of the merchant floats to the surface. A big muddy dark skinned man rises with an angry look on his face.

“Fools. It takes more than a mere beating and drowning to destroy Boris Grudgemaker of the Emerald Claw.”

THE HIDDEN
SEGMENT 010
3/9/13
“TANGLED WEB”

EYRE 9, 999 SUNSET

After taking a day to fully recover from the battle with the Emerald Claw, the group once more heads out to the docks at night to spot activity. They are curious at how the goblins are moving about unseen at night. Such large groups should be easy to spot on the docks since some areas are lit with magical lights that cast light but cannot start a fire.

“Magic?”

“Lowly goblins?” replies Truth.

“What about the water?” suggests RAF.

“Wouldn’t we see them?” questions Rose.

“Unless they traveled UNDER the docks… out of view. Remember how they disappeared with the women during the fire?” Truth comments with triumph.

They begin to look around. They check out the stairs leading down to the water level and look around. Pitch black. Nothing can be seen within two feet under the docks.

They wander a bit looking for easy entrances to under the docks. They hear something at the next section of docks. Something within the darkness.

Rose leans out over the water to look closer under the docks. She can see a series of ropes and planks under the docks. She tries to climb along the edge to go under. The docks are dark and slippery. Tom follows and nearly falls in. Maul sniffs at the air under the docks and snarls gently. No one is sure if the snarl is for danger or the fear of the water. Cy does fall in but holds onto the ropes. While they are doing this the two warforged are checking out another series of steps leading down to the water.

“Light! I can hear something!” calls out Truth.

Rose and Tom magically light up an arrow and fire it under the docks blindly. They miss anything to strike so the arrow lands in the water and slowly sinks. But before that, they can see the network of ropes, planks and reflections of eyes under the docks. Goblins! They send another arrow shortly after and luckily it becomes tangled in some ropes. They see a few silhouettes of small humanoids moving and can hear their annoyed hissing. Rose, the only one that understands goblin, catches pieces of it. They are annoyed and want the sources removed.

Truth castes a light spell onto a stake on a plank he can just see under the dock. There is a goblin so close he can see the buttons on its shirt! Suddenly he bellows out. RAF steps up wondering what has happened. Truth has two bolts in his metal head (2 of 3 shots were nac 20- confirmed). RAF takes a great deal of exception to this (but won’t go down the stairs to be shot himself  )

Trying to better position themselves Tom and Cy try to reach the ropes. Cy falls into the water but regains his grip on the ropes so that he only falls in to his waist. Rose tries to climb the ropes but finds she cannot climb rope bridges meant for 30 pound two foot tall persons. So instead, she and fires a few arrows into the darkness near the point of the dim light far away. She hears a few calls of alarm from the goblins.

Truth, not to be deterred by the two arrows, leans over the edge to better determine was the goblins are. A third bolt finds a home in his head (3rd crit- the DM is on a roll  ) and a fourth bolt glances his shoulder. NOW he is annoyed also. “Where are they?” demands RAF.

Gently fingering the new bolt Truth says about 15-20ft feet in. At least a dozen. RAF walks out about 20 feet onto the dock. He searches for a lose board. When he finds none he begins to strike the boards with his sword. At the other end, Rose can hear the activity of the concerned goblins. Some of them realize they are trapped under the dock.

THE HIDDEN
SEGMENT 011
3/9/13
“UNTANGLING THE WEB”

EYRE 9, 999 SUNSET

Maul rushes over to RAF as he struggles to free a damaged board. Truth comes over and grabs an edge of board and pulls it free. He reaches under to grab another board and calls out. (yup- 4th confirmed crit- gotta love Goblins) He has a bolt in his hand pinned to a piece of board which he yanked free from the pain. RAF looks at him and shakes his head and begins to stab through the hole into the darkness. There are many yelps and one satisfying groan and the blade comes up with blood on it. Rose hears the body fall and hit the water. She continues to watch for goblins and shot an occasional arrow into the darkness. Cy and Tom leave her and go onto the main dock to see what the two warforged are doing.

Maul is now trying to sniff out where the goblins are under the dock. RAF rips up another board. “Won’t Tharashk have an issue with you tearing up the docks?” asks Tom.

“Me? I saw the goblins do it. We ALL saw the goblins do it.” RAF answers. If he could smile he would be.

The goblins try to shuffle around on the ropes to avoid the warforged but then find themselves closer to the archer. The leader (or the most desperate goblin) calls for a charge. Rose calls out the fact but the others cannot hear her but they see the goblins rush under the exposed opening. RAF happily kills two while Cy and Tom move to the furthest section of dock and openly show their own bows and the goblins find themselves trapped and now in two groups.

The goblins try to split their numbers to escape. It doesn’t work well for them. Sensing their panic, Truth calls out to the goblins. He promises to summon up killer crocodile to eat them. With that, he pushes crates into the water creating a loud splash. The goblins panic and begin to scramble on the wood boards and rope ladders and crawl spaces below.

As they run out from under the docks they are cut down quickly one by one. They are in such a hurry they don’t even notice. Soon, there is only one remaining and Truth has him.

“Where are the girls?”

EYRE 10, 999 MIDNIGHT

“Bluetooth…. You would not lie to me. I would not kill you but this warforged to my left would.” Truth nods to RAF whom palms a fist and nods.

“No. I will not lie. You die by goblin either way.” The bruised and battered goblin whispers in broken common.

They continue to the west into Old town. Cy and the others note the buildings they pass. Many of them they traveled by looking for goblins earlier.

“Here.” The goblin says in common. “May you die slowly and painfully.” It finishes in goblin.

Tom looks up at the sign. The image is a chipped wooden spoon held by a greenish-yellow hand. “The Goblin Spoon.” Rose states as she reads the sign to the others.

They look into the windows and see nothing but a large trading room. They try the back door but it is locked. They try the front door. RAF discovers it has a magical trap attached to it. The shock leads to him kicking it in. With a still smoking hand he touches the goblin on the forehead. “You could have warned us little goblin toad.” And he pushes hard unto its head making it cry out in pain.

They go inside and begin to look around. RAF discovers another magic trap while looking into closets and under chests and furniture. The goblin makes a fatal mistake to laugh at RAF. Sighing, Truth begins to look around. He was hoping to use the goblin to find whatever secret door there was to find the taken women. They are uncertain of where to go until they try the closets next to the entrance and very large rug. Each closet goes down to a small 10x10ft room with a muddy floor. There are no signs of anyone else being inside the rooms. Truth gives RAF a look. RAF knows what he is getting at but moves on. Rose looks at the large rug and decides to search it. There it is- a trap door.

Gingerly, RAF checks the door for traps then opens the door. A dark stairway leads down between the false rooms.

The stairs lead to a 10x15 ft room with a locked door.

THE HIDDEN
SEGMENT 013
4/6/13
“THE GOBLIN SECRET HEADQUARTERS”

EYRE 10, 999 MIDNIGHT

The locked door is trapped and shocks Truth as he attempts to unlock it. They go through the smoking doorway and see a wooden floor leading to another door. RAF pushes forward. “Don’t! It’s a trap- I’m sure of it.” Calls out Truth as the other warforged steps onto the wood floor. It breaks board by board with the great weight of the fighter. His legs fall through and strike a gummy sticky glue-like substance. It takes effort but he goes on, step by step.

Rose hears a quiet bell under the wood ringing. “It’s a warning system.” She says wondering what to do next. RAF pushes forward, angry step by angry step. The door opens and a goblin with a crossbow stands there. It fires at the warforged fighter but cannot overcome his thick armor. RAF continues on step by step with a subject to now take his frustration out on.

As the others carefully work their way across, without touching the incredibly sticky substance, RAF takes care of the lone guard.

They find several simpler spear traps as they try doors on their way through the hallways below Goblin Spoon Trade house.

They make a long “U” turn and come up a narrow passage. They open a door and find many female goblins and a bed. It disturbs Truth some. They close the door again take cover in another room with a bed and several storage chests.

Strangely enough, the group decides to rest here. The warforged do not need to sleep so they will be the guards. Truth studies his personal book again while RAF waits outside the room.

THE HIDDEN
SEGMENT 014
4/6/13
“THE GOBLINS COUNTER ATTACK”

EYRE 11, 999 AFTER MIDNIGHT

RAF believes he has heard something and looks down the dark hallway. Suddenly he finds himself unable to move! A dozen goblins scamper down the hallway with a goblin dressed in dark purple behind them. Their leader and possible magic user!

He is helpless as the goblins move past him and prepare to attack the sleeping people he was guarding. He has never failed guarding before. It angers him. The mass of goblins move in and there are shouts of pain and surprise as the leader walks up to the warforged warrior. The magic user calmly climbs up the leg and chest of the held living construct. It smiles and waves a weapon before the face plate.

Truth was able to warn the group enough that no one was killed outright but the goblins got in an attack or two before the others got up. Except for RAF the battle goes well until the goblin women in the next door decide to run out and help the guys. From RAF’s shoulder, the magic user tries to attack any that wander too close to the doorway. Then RAF is free. The cleric doesn’t live for long.

The surviving male and female goblins run for it. RAF notes which door they use. Everyone heals up or repairs before following them. The doorway leads to a short hallway…. Which dead ends. Truth finds a spot for a key and remembers a key he had found within the room. It works and they go down another tunnel for a few hundred feet and exit into another barely standing building.

But, later, when going through more of their finds they found a piece of paper with directions on it. “Let’s go!” calls out Truth feeling this is it.

“But it’s barely daylight.” Mentions Cy.

THE HIDDEN
SEGMENT 015
4/6/13
“THE MAP, THE SWAMP, THE BULLYWOGS AND THE CABIN”

EYRE 11, 999

The group hurries to the docks and find them largely disserted. The sun is just beginning to glow behind the Byfshk Mountains that separate The Shadow Marches and Eldeen Reaches. Several fishing boats can just be seen in the river way. Looking, they spot one last boat. It looks suitable but is very run down. A lone man is cleaning it up. He sees you and smiles and gives a short wave. When their looks stay on the ship, he puts his rags down and comes to the edge where the dock is. “Can I help you?”

“We are looking for a ship for something extremely important. We need passage into the swamps upriver.” States Truth.

The man looks up and down the dock and smiles. “Not many choices remain. Where were you looking to go?”

“Up river as I said. Then down into a swampy area to rescue people.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

“The people we want to save are the young children that have been taken.”

“The fires…? Ah.” The man looks at each member one by one. “You ain’t the ones that the Emerald Claw is looking for?”

“We… may have frustrated them recently.”

“Yes, the Big Black man was looking for you.”

“He is not a problem anymore” states RAF with a hint of pride.

“Oh… he was looking for you just last night.” Everyone stops and looks to each other.

“He doesn’t matter. It’s the young people we want to help. Will you help us?” pleads Truth.

The man stares at each one, especially the two warforged. “Sounds dangerous. The waters can be tricky…. They’re like a maze filled with dangers natural and unnatural. The unnatural ones are especially dangerous.”

“We will be there to protect the ship. We are not without resources ourselves.” Offers Cy.

“And repairs are expensive.” Says the man smiling.

Much haggling later and 5 gold later, they are on their way. They use the map and find the waterway that feeds into the main river. It is wide enough to go down with the pilots ship. Soon they come to a stack of upright poles, like depicted on the map. “This must be it.” States Truth.

The pilot promises to wait for them as he pats his pocket with the gold in it.

It takes several hours as they walk down the swampy walkway. Tom tracks the recent tracks and Maul uses its primal senses to follow also. They encounter a few dangerous creatures but manage. They spot red butterflies in one area. They mistake them for basic insects until they find the dead body the flock was feeding on. They move past them quickly to avoid any further possible damage or delays.

They come to area where the paths seem safer and better made. There are even log bridges connecting the land masses within the swamp. The down side, one cannot see more than 10-20 feet into the swamp. Vines, air plants and other vegetation block any deeper view into the swamp or its dangers.

Suddenly they are attacked from the very water it seems. Spears thrown by frog men, Bullywogs! The team works through several groups of them as they track into the swamp. Eventually they see a lone small cabin. Dozens of bullywogs rise from the water and several goblins also.

A cloaked man steps onto the moss covered porch and commands them to attack!

THE HIDDEN
SEGMENT 016
4/6/13
“SWAMP SHOWDOWN”

EYRE 11, 999

A fireball scatters the creatures on the bridge and makes the man on the porch dodge. RAF and Cy rush up to keep the creatures trapped on the bridge. Bullywugs rise out of the water and attack the core group. Maul tears into one to protect Tom Garvin.

Another fireball sets the cabin on shouldering gentle fire. The creatures charge RAF and Cy as they are being set on fire.

With the bridge on fire, Truth decides to circle around the back of the cabin. Unknown to him, the cloaked man retreats into the cabin. Truth releases a fireball as the man reaches the rear exit. The fire bursts and sets the cabin on fire. The man is gone. With his fleeing or destruction, the humanoids flee into the swamp.

Rose enters the cabin and finds several captives. The daughters of the merchant.

“Is it over?” wonders Truth.

Shortly thereafter-
A small fish swims about under the back porch of the destroyed cabin. It races to the surface as it to grab a snack. At it hits the surface it changes into the human druid. He looks about with anger written on his face. He then wades to the shore and disappears into the swamp.

THE HIDDEN
SEGMENT 016
4/6/13
“SWAMP SHOWDOWN”

EYRE 11, 999

A fireball scatters the creatures on the bridge and makes the man on the porch dodge. RAF and Cy rush up to keep the creatures trapped on the bridge. Bullywugs rise out of the water and attack the core group. Maul tears into one to protect Tom Garvin.

Another fireball sets the cabin on shouldering gentle fire. The creatures charge RAF and Cy as they are being set on fire.

With the bridge on fire, Truth decides to circle around the back of the cabin. Unknown to him, the cloaked man retreats into the cabin. Truth releases a fireball as the man reaches the rear exit. The fire bursts and sets the cabin on fire. The man is gone. With his fleeing or destruction, the humanoids flee into the swamp.

Rose enters the cabin and finds several captives. The daughters of the merchant.

“Is it over?” wonders Truth.

Shortly thereafter-
A small fish swims about under the back porch of the destroyed cabin. It races to the surface as it to grab a snack. At it hits the surface it changes into the human druid. He looks about with anger written on his face. He then wades to the shore and disappears into the swamp.

THE HIDDEN
02 THE BODY
SEGMENT 017
“TRUTH’S GAMBIT”
10/02/13

EYRE 15, 999

The adventurers have returned from the swamps and word quickly spreads about their success. This makes things both harder and easier for Truth to sneak away from his teammates. There are many more eyes watching him now as he steps out of the common room they have rented from the Frog’s Leap. But there are many more distractions to the group including Tom and RAF whom are suspicious of the warforged.

He quietly moves down the stairs and waves a hello to the tavern keeper and his wife. He goes outside onto the maze like docks and series of bridges that make up Yrlag. It is late evening. The warforged artificer walks down the docks taking in the activities of the local merchants and returning fishermen. He pauses at an alleyway between two small buildings. He looks both ways then steps into it.

“The world is coming to an end!” calls out a warforged wearing a wooden plaque on his chest. A well-dressed human steps out of an alleyway and pauses at the sight of the warforged. “Great evil is in the swamps. It grows in power every day!” it calls out. Zolan Keth has heard of this homeless and possibly insane warforged. His name is 9s. Rumor has it he was severely damaged in the war and ran away to the Shadow Marches…. Still unrepaired from a mental trauma. Zolan feels for him. He almost pities him actually.

“It is coming! It is coming for us. Coming for all of us.” It turns suddenly and stares face to face with the human scholar “It is coming for YOU!” If it startles or bothers him, he doesn’t show it.

He passes the warforged as it continues to call to him. After ten minutes of walking he enters a better section of town and goes to a tavern named “The Gypsy Rose”. He walks in and climbs the stairs until he reaches the top floor. He knocks on the door named as “4”. He hears a faint “come in”. And enters.

Inside is a beautiful woman dressed in glittering silver and platinum. “You found the place easily I trust.”

“Yes. As always, you gave very good instructions my lady.”

Zolan closes the door and walks to her. She smiles and gently touches his hand. She makes eye contact that Zolan is both exiting and also makes him nervous. Emotions are still hard for him.

“Have you found a reliable source for exploring the swamps yet?”

“Yes. I have a strong group of good intentioned adventurers to aid in our quest and even a descent, though expensive, pilot.”

“I wish I could go with you. It sounds so exciting.”

“You could.”

“For reasons I cannot even begin to explain you know I cannot. Only you can locate the ruins I seek. Together we can find the clues and Prophesies that will unlock the Hidden truth.”

She sits down on a soft chair and looks up to him. “Just be careful Truth. The swamps are dangerous…. Especially these swamps.”