GREYHAWK CY 576: GREAT LEGENDS RETOLD -- CAMPAIGN THREAD

The Battle Continues



The Ogre cries out in alarm, as he feels the weight of his gear bear down upon him! Although he can still stand and fight normally, he realizes that he is now considerably weaker, and a look of terror crosses his countenance!

Meanwhile, Nimbar charges the remaining Goblin, in an attempt to cut off his escape route, so that he will not be able to bring reinforcements.



Nimbar stabs the Goblin in the gut with his rapier, and the creature looks at him in surprise. He looks as if he wants to scream, but he can't raise enough breath. He simply coughs, as blood begins to flow profusely from the wound! Somehow, he manages to remain standing, but he is not long for this world.

Hawke jumps over the disabled Goblin and charges the Ogre, ignoring the other Goblins along the way. One of the Goblins lands a lucky blow, but Hawke shrugs it off, as he lays into the Ogre full-tilt. The Ogre takes a swipe at him on the way in also, but Hawke ducks under the blow just in the nick of time.



Hawke overshoots his first attack, but manages to connect with the other two, slamming both the Ogre's knees, causing the brute to stumble slightly. The Ogre lets out a loud "Owww!" as the blows connect. He is clearly not used to being hit so hard, or so often. A look of uncertainty flashes briefly in his eyes.



The Ogre regains his composure, and brings his greatclub down upon Tellerian HARD. The big warrior tries to block it, but the massive weapon smashes through his defenses, and comes down hard on Tellerian's right shoulder with a sickening crunch! The Goblins join in, and one of them manages to do the same thing to him that he did to the Ogre; the Goblin's morningstar smashes into the side of Tellerian's left knee!

Hawke screams in defiance! "DIE, SCUM OF JOTUNHEIMR!!


SPHYNX: It is now your turn! Hawke is seriously injured, but he doesn't look as if he intends to stop. What do you do?

Sphynx steps forward slightly, targets the Goblin who got the lucky hit on Hawke, and drops him with a Ray of Frost.

Nimbar advances toward the western tunnel, and points a finger at the Ogre. He utters a single word, "Freeze!



Much to the Goblins' dismay, the Ogre gets a bewildered look on his face, and his arms go slack.





Tellerian slows the pace of his attacks, waiting for a better opening; he gets what he is looking for, and smashes the Ogre's left forearm, as it tries to stay out of his way. His hammer smashes the beast's elbow, causing it to bellow in pain once more. Still, it cannot shake the dizzy feeling from Nimbar's spell, and its mind is abuzz with confusion.



All of the remaining Goblins, including the one with the severe head injury, lose their nerve; they drop their weapons and fall to their knees, in obvious surrender!

The Ogre blinks, unable to understand what is going on. He fails to act on his turn.

[NEW ROUND]

Sphynx pauses, waiting to see what Hawke will do; his friend is in critical condition, but still looks unwilling to give up!

Nimbar pauses also, as he sees Hawke tensing up to attack once again.





Seeing that the Ogre is about to recover his senses, Tellerian throws caution to the wind, and wades in against the big brute; his first blow lands in the Ogre's ribcage, on the left side, knocking the wind from the beast, cracking several ribs in the process. That blow, in and of itself, would have been sufficient to drop him. But as he is collapsing, Tellerian hits him with a riposte, bringing the smaller hammer down on the crown of his head, cracking his skull. The Ogre falls flat on his face, and ceases to move, as the remaining Goblins cry out and begin to sob and wail at the loss of their friend.

Goblin #1 (Speaking Common): "Please spare us! In the room to the west, where we were stationed, is a secret door that leads to Big Rube's cave. He has treasure there, and there is a cave entrance from which you can leave quickly! There are more of my tribesmen west of there, but they won't come to investigate, because they are charged with watching over the females and young. You have decimated our great army! We will now be vulnerable to raids from the nearby Orc and Kobold tribes. If you spare us, we shall warn our brethren so that we can flee, but not before you have a chance to leave. What say you?"

Combat has ended! There are 6 Goblins remaining, 3 whom have surrendered, and 3 whom are asleep. You may roll a Sense Motive check if you wish, in order to assess the Goblin's offer. Everyone: What do you do?

Sphynx moves and lays a hand on Hawke, calling upon his druidic skill to restore some of the big man's loss of health.

If the goblin who spoke seems even remotely genuine, Sphynx has no problem agreeing to let the remainder live. After aiding Hawke, Sphynx makes some grandiose gestures and speaks some words in Draconic. He then speaks in common to the goblin who had thus spoken. "I have placed a magic mark on you. If we decide to let you leave and you betray us, I will be able to find you, wherever you go, and kill you. You and your people will, also, not touch our camels."

Sensing that the Goblin will only keep his word until he is out-of-sight, Sphynx pulls off a masterful bluff. The two Goblins who are aware enough to react to it end up falling for it, hook, line, and sinker.



The two alert Goblins scurry away in the direction indicated by the arrow. The one with the head injury is still standing around in the hallway, looking dazed. The 3 sleeping Goblins are still asleep in the opposite hallway.





EVERYONE: What do you do?

DM SUPPLEMENTAL POST

Sphynx is content to leave the goblins and moves through the secret door into the Ogre's room. After searching it thoroughly, especially the bedding area or any debris piles, he goes outside to make a quick check on the camels, coaxing them over near the new egress point.

He looks at his two new friends. "I was thinking. This cave would make a good staging location to enter and leave by way of the secret door. We should take our current spoils, return to town, then come back after a day of rest."

The party makes it back to their camels without a problem, and loads them up. Then the party proceeds back through the woods, and despite hearing many strange noises, and encountering many strange smells, all of you make it back to the road without incident. A few hours later, you arrive safely back at the keep.



We now need to decide what to do with the items we came across. Sphynx: any ideas?

Tellerian Hawke said:

We now need to decide what to do with the items we came across. Sphynx: any ideas?

Click to expand...

Sphynx nods. "I would like to hang onto the vial and scrolls for the time being. I would also like to examine them when we get away from prying eyes. The arrows, I am for selling."

Nimbar has a suggestion.

Nimbar says, "I can rest for 8 hours, and then be ready to cast Identify on these items. But we're going to need three nice pearls (one for each item to be identified), some red wine, and an owl feather. I have a few owl feathers in my pouch, and red wine can easily be had at the tavern. But the pearls are another matter. The shop in town with the upscale provisions might have some, since they also deal in furs. I've never known a furrier who wasn't also a jeweler, because each of those things accessorizes the other. But we might pay a pretty penny. We could be looking at a hundred gold or more, per pearl. That would basically mean that our newfound gold from the Ogre's bag would end up almost entirely in the furrier's purse. But on the bright side, we still have a ton of silver."

Hawke nods, "I think it's worth it. Let's go see what he's charging. Or if he even has any pearls to begin with. Remember, this is a borderland keep, not downtown Willip."

Nimbar nods in agreement.

Sphynx: Your thoughts?

Sphynx shakes his head. "That kind of purchase would draw unwanted attention. We can wait. I can take a look at the scroll and see what I can make of it on my own."
[sblock=Decipher]d20 + 7 = 17[/sblock]