pogre
Legend
Episode 1
The four-horse coach careened down the road directly at them. The steeds were covered in foamy sweat and the coach bumped along wildly – sometimes on three wheels, occasionally on two, but rarely on all four. A small noblewoman in expensive clothes and an outrageously large plumed hat was flogging the horse team unmercifully and pulling wildly with her other hand on the reins.
“God's Teeth!” Graxxus shouted, “take cover!”
At once the group scattered off the road and saw the coach tear past them. The driver was in fact not a small female, but a foul goblin. The goblin was grinning broadly and shouting. The ill-fitting noble woman's clothes were haphazardly whipping around the goblin. The outrageous plumed hat was pulled down so tightly it bent his ear tips and nearly obscured his beady red eyes. The goblin paused at lashing the horses for a moment to make an obscene gesture at the group with a wide, toothy, leering grin.
The astonished group looked at each other for a moment and then took off running down the road after the coach. They had only traveled a few feet when they heard the tell-tale signs of a bone-jarring crash. Rounding a short bend in the road they saw the coach was on its side and one of the wheels was still turning. The goblin was on the side of the road vigorously dusting off his over-sized dress. One of the horses was down with an obviously broken leg. The poor animal was kicking its other legs and was making a loud, whinnying, trumpet sound . The other steeds were standing, but the harnesses and reins were a tangled web.
Deadsmell and Graxxus took off towards the goblin. They were passed by a sprinting, greenish blur. Skullcrusher went flying past them with his mighty axe. The half-orc jumped high in the air and brought his huge axe chopping down. The blade sliced through collar bone, chest cavity, stomach, and hip socket leaving the goblin in two halves save for a few scraps of skin and sinew.*
Graxxus slowed to a trot and then stopped. “So much for a parlay I guess, old boy.”
“You do what ye' want to 'em,” Skullcrusher replied. “I don't eat gobbo.”
Skullcrusher was an impressive specimen physically. Well over six-feet tall, the half-orc could easily pass for a full-blooded orc. A stringy mustache that curled down the sides of his mouth, culminating in tiny knots, was one of the few signs that betrayed his human heritage. When he was introduced to the group a few weeks prior. he gave them some unpronounceable orc name, which he roughly translated to Skullcrusher.
“Nice work that, Skully,” Deadsmell commented as he kicked the goblin completely apart.
Deadsmell was a lean, vicious-looking man. He always reminded Wolfclaw of a rabid weasel. Deadsmell was given his moniker by Skullcrusher, and that was all anyone in the group knew him by. Wolfclaw had gathered from campfire conversation that Deadsmell was once a grave digger by profession, however, Wolfclaw suspected the nasty-looking human was more likely a grave robber.
Wolfclaw arrived on the scene and immediately went to the horse. The nature-priest soothed the panicked, injured animal. Wolfclaw was so distracted by his work that he had not noticed the approach of Skullbasher.
“Get yer' own,” Skullcrusher barked out.
“What?” Wolfclaw replied.
“Get yer' own, ye' squirrel-chasin' scaredy pants. This 'un be mine.”
“Yours?” Wolfclaw replied with genuine confusion.
“Ya' mine,” Skullcrusher replied and rapidly brought his goblin blood stained axe on the horse's neck breaking its neck and nearly decapitating it.
Wolfclaw rose indignantly, words of protest forming in his mouth when he was grabbed from behind by Goldie. Goldie was a female dwarf warrioress. Goldie whispered up to Wolfclaw, “Let it go, at least it was quick.”
“I could have saved him,” Wolfclaw protested. Wolfclaw and Goldie watched in horrid fascination as Skullcrusher sunk his blade deep in the horse's chest with a precise blow. He moved the axe's haft back and forth to pry the horse's chest cavity open and began eating select pieces of its organs, including the heart raw. “By the gods!” a Horrified Wolfclaw protested.
“Mmmm, still warm,” a satisfied Skullcrusher said. The half-orc smiled with bloody teeth as rivulets of gore ran down his chin. Wolfclaw quickly turned away.
“Hey Elf, have a look at this,” Goldie called to Wolfclaw.
“I do have a name,” Wolfclaw began.
“Yeah, yeah,” Goldie waved a dismissive hand at Wolfclaw's protests. Goldie was a stout lass, with good proportions, a friendly demeanor, and was a fairly attractive female dwarf. Of course, fairly attractive to male dwarfs meant she was a female and breathing, but Goldie was not unpleasant in appearance even to the other races. Despite their racial differences, Wolfclaw respected Goldie's deep faith and allegiance to her deity. She seemed fond of him as well.
“Have a look at this,” Goldie pointed to a stylized sign on the side of the coach. “The Embassy Coaching Line.”
Graxxus and Deadsmell moved up to inspect the coach. “That's gotta' be worth some coin,” Deadsmell muttered.
“We should return it to the rightful owner,” Graxxus commented.
Deadsmell frowned, but lightened up quickly saying, “There's prolly a reward.”
The group righted the coach, re-ordered the reins and tackle, pulled Skullcrusher off the horse corpse and made their way toward Goldcreek.
*****
The group made their way back up the road and found the scene of the goblin ambush.
Numerous corpses of humans and goblins alike were strewn about the roadside. Scraps of fabric waved in the wind in the undergrowth around the road. Black fletched arrows protruded from most of the humans. There were seven human corpses total. Three of the corpses were female. The goblins had all manners of wounds, from massive gashes to blunt head trauma. The human and goblin corpses were very nearly stripped naked.
The trail away from the ambush scene was obvious, but after a brief debate, the group decided taking the coach back to Goldcreek was a priority.
*****
“If you fools would shuddup yer holes and get outta' the way we would get this in to the owner's,” Deadsmell said to the Goldcreek gate guards. Some more terse words followed, but eventually the guards allowed the group in. They were escorted to the temple of Gravitas Morte, deity of restful repose. The bodies from the coach were unloaded and placed on slabs in the temple under the watchful eye of the temple priest.
“Will you contribute to the internment of these souls?” the priest asked.
“Charge it to the Embassy Coaching Line,” Deadsmell replied. “They got 'em killed.”
The priest frowned and turned back into the temple.
“He eat 'em or burn 'em?” Skullcrusher asked Graxxus.
“Errr, no, he will have them buried in the ground,” Graxxus replied.
“Save 'em for later?” Skullcrusher asked.
“No, no, you see it is the belief of these people that the souls of people must be ritually...” Graxxus began. The cleric could see none of his explanation was registering with the half-orc. “Uh, nevermind.”
Skullcrusher shook his head and followed the rest of the group as they headed toward the Embassy Coaching Line Inn.
*****
Saul Courtier was a big man with a big belly and an impressive walrus moustache. He welcomed the adventurers warmly inviting them to sup in the Inn and giving them a tidy reward for their efforts for returning the coach. After he listened to the story of how the adventurers discovered the coach and the ambush site Saul exclaimed, “By the Saints! These goblins do not know how to properly rob a coach. This is a bad business. A very bad business indeed. I wonder if I might entice you with a business proposition?”
The adventurers readily agreed to hunt down the goblins for the coaching line. They had planned to do so anyway, but the reward gave them extra incentive. Saul explained that the goblins may have kidnapped some wealthy passengers, and rescuing those passengers might bring an even greater reward.
The group made the decision to set off at once.
*****
Following the trail from the ambush in the twilight of dusk the group found a small clearing. A pair of crude skin tents were set up in the clearing. There were four smoky fires guttering in the midst of the clearing. A pair of carcases on spits were suspended over a couple of the fires. The smoke from the fires created a haze over the entire clearing. There were some signs of movement in the camp near the tents.
“Any ideas on our approach plan?” Graxxus asked.
“Charge!” Skullcrusher said.
“Noted. Other input?” Graxxus replied.
“Charge!” Skullcrusher exclaimed again.
“Yes, well, we have your plan on the table old boy. I was seeking alternatives,” Graxxus said.
“Maybe Deadsmell could sneak down there to see what were facing,” Goldie suggested.
“They goblins. We charge,” Skullcrusher said.
“I could go down and at least figure out how many of the rascals we gotta' off,” Deadsmell volunteered.
“So we could send the orc screaming down into the camp or have Deadsmell skulk around a bit. Other plan suggestions?” Graxxus asked.
“I could summon a small bird and...” Wolfclaw began.
“We charge!” Skullcrusher said impatiently.
“and have it look about,” Wolfclaw finished.
“Save yer' magic, I'll sneak a bit,” Deadsmell responded.
“Alright, have a look and then signal us...” Graxxus began, but Deadsmell was already gone.
*****
As the rest of the group watched, Deadsmell appeared at the far side of the clearing. Suddenly, an obese goblin waddled out of one of the tents. Deadsmell froze, but the goblin waddled over to the fires, not noticing him. The goblin inspected the carcuses over the fires, and apparently satisfied, he wandered back to his tent.
Deadsmell waited for a moment and then continued sneaking around the camp. He looked in the tent the goblin had emerged from and held up two fingers.
“Two goblins in that tent,” Graxxus whispered.
Deadsmell made his way over to the other tent. He peered in and held up his hand and then made a throat slit signal with his finger.
“I wonder what he means by that?” Goldie wondered.
“It mean charge!” Skullcrusher screamed running from cover towards the camp.
“Curses!” Graxxus said and the entire group broke cover and ran towards the camp. They trailed the half-orc and Deadsmell watched as the barbarian launched himself into the air and landed square atop the second tent, bringing it tumbling down.
The goblins emerged from their tents confused and panicked. The ensuing combat was quick and bloody. The first goblin to emerge was greeted with Deadsmell's cold steel skewering straight through his chest. His cry of warning died bubbling in blood on his lips. The next goblin tripped over his slain brethern and was mauled by a wolf Wolfclaw had summoned. Graxxus and Goldie killed the two obese goblins in quick order. Skullcrusher's axe was a steel storm of death – eviscerating, slashing, cleaving, and pulping the remaining trio of goblins.**
The group leaned on their weapons resting and looking at each other in satisfied exhaustion. Skullcrusher smiled broadly through a blood-splattered face. “This not main camp. This just cook camp. Come.” The half-orc began walking north along a path leading away from the clearing.
*****
The group quickly overcame a goblin guardpost and continued up the path until it terminated in a dark box canyon. Ahead the party saw a yawning cavern entrance.
*This was my first indication the party, especially Skullcrusher's player, would not be shy about spending Action Points. The Half-Orc barbarian spent one so that he could charge and beat the others to the kill. It was obvious from the very first swing of combat in the campaign that this PC could dish out some heavy duty damage!
**This was supposed to be a decent challenge for the party. Once again, I underestimated the power of Trailblazer PCs. They literally had this combat over in the blink of an eye.
The four-horse coach careened down the road directly at them. The steeds were covered in foamy sweat and the coach bumped along wildly – sometimes on three wheels, occasionally on two, but rarely on all four. A small noblewoman in expensive clothes and an outrageously large plumed hat was flogging the horse team unmercifully and pulling wildly with her other hand on the reins.
“God's Teeth!” Graxxus shouted, “take cover!”
At once the group scattered off the road and saw the coach tear past them. The driver was in fact not a small female, but a foul goblin. The goblin was grinning broadly and shouting. The ill-fitting noble woman's clothes were haphazardly whipping around the goblin. The outrageous plumed hat was pulled down so tightly it bent his ear tips and nearly obscured his beady red eyes. The goblin paused at lashing the horses for a moment to make an obscene gesture at the group with a wide, toothy, leering grin.
The astonished group looked at each other for a moment and then took off running down the road after the coach. They had only traveled a few feet when they heard the tell-tale signs of a bone-jarring crash. Rounding a short bend in the road they saw the coach was on its side and one of the wheels was still turning. The goblin was on the side of the road vigorously dusting off his over-sized dress. One of the horses was down with an obviously broken leg. The poor animal was kicking its other legs and was making a loud, whinnying, trumpet sound . The other steeds were standing, but the harnesses and reins were a tangled web.
Deadsmell and Graxxus took off towards the goblin. They were passed by a sprinting, greenish blur. Skullcrusher went flying past them with his mighty axe. The half-orc jumped high in the air and brought his huge axe chopping down. The blade sliced through collar bone, chest cavity, stomach, and hip socket leaving the goblin in two halves save for a few scraps of skin and sinew.*
Graxxus slowed to a trot and then stopped. “So much for a parlay I guess, old boy.”
“You do what ye' want to 'em,” Skullcrusher replied. “I don't eat gobbo.”
Skullcrusher was an impressive specimen physically. Well over six-feet tall, the half-orc could easily pass for a full-blooded orc. A stringy mustache that curled down the sides of his mouth, culminating in tiny knots, was one of the few signs that betrayed his human heritage. When he was introduced to the group a few weeks prior. he gave them some unpronounceable orc name, which he roughly translated to Skullcrusher.
“Nice work that, Skully,” Deadsmell commented as he kicked the goblin completely apart.
Deadsmell was a lean, vicious-looking man. He always reminded Wolfclaw of a rabid weasel. Deadsmell was given his moniker by Skullcrusher, and that was all anyone in the group knew him by. Wolfclaw had gathered from campfire conversation that Deadsmell was once a grave digger by profession, however, Wolfclaw suspected the nasty-looking human was more likely a grave robber.
Wolfclaw arrived on the scene and immediately went to the horse. The nature-priest soothed the panicked, injured animal. Wolfclaw was so distracted by his work that he had not noticed the approach of Skullbasher.
“Get yer' own,” Skullcrusher barked out.
“What?” Wolfclaw replied.
“Get yer' own, ye' squirrel-chasin' scaredy pants. This 'un be mine.”
“Yours?” Wolfclaw replied with genuine confusion.
“Ya' mine,” Skullcrusher replied and rapidly brought his goblin blood stained axe on the horse's neck breaking its neck and nearly decapitating it.
Wolfclaw rose indignantly, words of protest forming in his mouth when he was grabbed from behind by Goldie. Goldie was a female dwarf warrioress. Goldie whispered up to Wolfclaw, “Let it go, at least it was quick.”
“I could have saved him,” Wolfclaw protested. Wolfclaw and Goldie watched in horrid fascination as Skullcrusher sunk his blade deep in the horse's chest with a precise blow. He moved the axe's haft back and forth to pry the horse's chest cavity open and began eating select pieces of its organs, including the heart raw. “By the gods!” a Horrified Wolfclaw protested.
“Mmmm, still warm,” a satisfied Skullcrusher said. The half-orc smiled with bloody teeth as rivulets of gore ran down his chin. Wolfclaw quickly turned away.
“Hey Elf, have a look at this,” Goldie called to Wolfclaw.
“I do have a name,” Wolfclaw began.
“Yeah, yeah,” Goldie waved a dismissive hand at Wolfclaw's protests. Goldie was a stout lass, with good proportions, a friendly demeanor, and was a fairly attractive female dwarf. Of course, fairly attractive to male dwarfs meant she was a female and breathing, but Goldie was not unpleasant in appearance even to the other races. Despite their racial differences, Wolfclaw respected Goldie's deep faith and allegiance to her deity. She seemed fond of him as well.
“Have a look at this,” Goldie pointed to a stylized sign on the side of the coach. “The Embassy Coaching Line.”
Graxxus and Deadsmell moved up to inspect the coach. “That's gotta' be worth some coin,” Deadsmell muttered.
“We should return it to the rightful owner,” Graxxus commented.
Deadsmell frowned, but lightened up quickly saying, “There's prolly a reward.”
The group righted the coach, re-ordered the reins and tackle, pulled Skullcrusher off the horse corpse and made their way toward Goldcreek.
*****
The group made their way back up the road and found the scene of the goblin ambush.
Numerous corpses of humans and goblins alike were strewn about the roadside. Scraps of fabric waved in the wind in the undergrowth around the road. Black fletched arrows protruded from most of the humans. There were seven human corpses total. Three of the corpses were female. The goblins had all manners of wounds, from massive gashes to blunt head trauma. The human and goblin corpses were very nearly stripped naked.
The trail away from the ambush scene was obvious, but after a brief debate, the group decided taking the coach back to Goldcreek was a priority.
*****
“If you fools would shuddup yer holes and get outta' the way we would get this in to the owner's,” Deadsmell said to the Goldcreek gate guards. Some more terse words followed, but eventually the guards allowed the group in. They were escorted to the temple of Gravitas Morte, deity of restful repose. The bodies from the coach were unloaded and placed on slabs in the temple under the watchful eye of the temple priest.
“Will you contribute to the internment of these souls?” the priest asked.
“Charge it to the Embassy Coaching Line,” Deadsmell replied. “They got 'em killed.”
The priest frowned and turned back into the temple.
“He eat 'em or burn 'em?” Skullcrusher asked Graxxus.
“Errr, no, he will have them buried in the ground,” Graxxus replied.
“Save 'em for later?” Skullcrusher asked.
“No, no, you see it is the belief of these people that the souls of people must be ritually...” Graxxus began. The cleric could see none of his explanation was registering with the half-orc. “Uh, nevermind.”
Skullcrusher shook his head and followed the rest of the group as they headed toward the Embassy Coaching Line Inn.
*****
Saul Courtier was a big man with a big belly and an impressive walrus moustache. He welcomed the adventurers warmly inviting them to sup in the Inn and giving them a tidy reward for their efforts for returning the coach. After he listened to the story of how the adventurers discovered the coach and the ambush site Saul exclaimed, “By the Saints! These goblins do not know how to properly rob a coach. This is a bad business. A very bad business indeed. I wonder if I might entice you with a business proposition?”
The adventurers readily agreed to hunt down the goblins for the coaching line. They had planned to do so anyway, but the reward gave them extra incentive. Saul explained that the goblins may have kidnapped some wealthy passengers, and rescuing those passengers might bring an even greater reward.
The group made the decision to set off at once.
*****
Following the trail from the ambush in the twilight of dusk the group found a small clearing. A pair of crude skin tents were set up in the clearing. There were four smoky fires guttering in the midst of the clearing. A pair of carcases on spits were suspended over a couple of the fires. The smoke from the fires created a haze over the entire clearing. There were some signs of movement in the camp near the tents.
“Any ideas on our approach plan?” Graxxus asked.
“Charge!” Skullcrusher said.
“Noted. Other input?” Graxxus replied.
“Charge!” Skullcrusher exclaimed again.
“Yes, well, we have your plan on the table old boy. I was seeking alternatives,” Graxxus said.
“Maybe Deadsmell could sneak down there to see what were facing,” Goldie suggested.
“They goblins. We charge,” Skullcrusher said.
“I could go down and at least figure out how many of the rascals we gotta' off,” Deadsmell volunteered.
“So we could send the orc screaming down into the camp or have Deadsmell skulk around a bit. Other plan suggestions?” Graxxus asked.
“I could summon a small bird and...” Wolfclaw began.
“We charge!” Skullcrusher said impatiently.
“and have it look about,” Wolfclaw finished.
“Save yer' magic, I'll sneak a bit,” Deadsmell responded.
“Alright, have a look and then signal us...” Graxxus began, but Deadsmell was already gone.
*****
As the rest of the group watched, Deadsmell appeared at the far side of the clearing. Suddenly, an obese goblin waddled out of one of the tents. Deadsmell froze, but the goblin waddled over to the fires, not noticing him. The goblin inspected the carcuses over the fires, and apparently satisfied, he wandered back to his tent.
Deadsmell waited for a moment and then continued sneaking around the camp. He looked in the tent the goblin had emerged from and held up two fingers.
“Two goblins in that tent,” Graxxus whispered.
Deadsmell made his way over to the other tent. He peered in and held up his hand and then made a throat slit signal with his finger.
“I wonder what he means by that?” Goldie wondered.
“It mean charge!” Skullcrusher screamed running from cover towards the camp.
“Curses!” Graxxus said and the entire group broke cover and ran towards the camp. They trailed the half-orc and Deadsmell watched as the barbarian launched himself into the air and landed square atop the second tent, bringing it tumbling down.
The goblins emerged from their tents confused and panicked. The ensuing combat was quick and bloody. The first goblin to emerge was greeted with Deadsmell's cold steel skewering straight through his chest. His cry of warning died bubbling in blood on his lips. The next goblin tripped over his slain brethern and was mauled by a wolf Wolfclaw had summoned. Graxxus and Goldie killed the two obese goblins in quick order. Skullcrusher's axe was a steel storm of death – eviscerating, slashing, cleaving, and pulping the remaining trio of goblins.**
The group leaned on their weapons resting and looking at each other in satisfied exhaustion. Skullcrusher smiled broadly through a blood-splattered face. “This not main camp. This just cook camp. Come.” The half-orc began walking north along a path leading away from the clearing.
*****
The group quickly overcame a goblin guardpost and continued up the path until it terminated in a dark box canyon. Ahead the party saw a yawning cavern entrance.
*This was my first indication the party, especially Skullcrusher's player, would not be shy about spending Action Points. The Half-Orc barbarian spent one so that he could charge and beat the others to the kill. It was obvious from the very first swing of combat in the campaign that this PC could dish out some heavy duty damage!
**This was supposed to be a decent challenge for the party. Once again, I underestimated the power of Trailblazer PCs. They literally had this combat over in the blink of an eye.
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