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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3064508" data-attributes="member: 35788">As the goblin kin surrounded the party, each of the four thought about the best opportunity that they had for survival.  Ischarus was sure that he could take three or four out before he was consumed in the goblin rage.  He was even sure that Charis would be able to take a few out herself before falling prey to the onslaught.  But surely Rhema and Semeion didn’t have that much staying power.  Certainly they didn’t have the ability to wait that long.  Given what he knew about the last man to get captured by this tribe it didn’t make sense to surrender, either.Rhema stood quietly, waiting for Ischarus’ initial move.  She knew that goblins weren’t the hardest minds to charm, but there were far too many for her to affect at once.  She might be able to charm one or two before she fell, but that certainly wouldn’t help matters.  There were far too many surrounding them and once she fell in battle her mind control simply wouldn’t help the others.Semeion reached back into the recesses of his mind.  He had a couple of his energy balls to toss around, but the likelihood of him even standing up to one of the larger brutes was not very good.  He was sure that he could get one energy ball off, but even that one energy ball wouldn’t take down one of these goblin kin.  Even if he had tried to mount Thana and ride off he was sure that this horde could overwhelm the horse before she could pull away from them.Charis gripped her pick tightly, waiting for the first of the goblins to come near her.  The odds were stacked against her and her friends, but only a few months ago she would never have guessed that she would be anything but a Provenience.  She had come so far and in such an unimaginable way.  There didn’t seem to be any way out of this situation, but her belief refused to lose hope.  She would go down swinging hard once it came to blows.In a split second after the goblins had appeared and weapons were drawn the battle was joined.  The leader of the goblin mass screamed loudly in a blood curdling yell.  The rest of the goblins raised their primitive weapons and fangs were bared.  But suddenly Charis and her friends heard what could only be described as a miracle rising above them.The goblin yell was countered by a scream of immediately unknown origin.  The scream rang through the forest and sounded not too dissimilar than a satisfied jaguar that had dragged its prey up a tree and was about to settle in for a hearty meal.  The sound originated directly above where Rhema was standing.  Before the goblins could make good on their own verbal war cry their eyes were distracted and drawn upward to find the source of the scream.The goblin war party was silent for a few seconds as they frantically searched the sky above them.  The strange cry echoed off of the nearby hills, but except for the eerie echo the forest stood silent while the goblins searched.  Ischarus and Charis both contemplated reaching out in anger and grasping the upper hand with a first attack, but both thought better of the idea.  The occurrence of the scream was an odd enough coincidence that they decided that the effect it was having on the goblins shouldn’t be interrupted.After a few seconds, a light gray image appeared above Rhema’s head.  The figure floated above Rhema, the bottom of its semi-transparent cloak floating through Rhema’s head as if being blown by a non-existent wind.  Clearly the image was not of this world as its clothing had no difficulty passing through Rhema’s flesh.  The face of the figure seemed to writhe in pain as it looked down upon the goblins.  Its hands were empty, but the bony fingers stretched out as if to be reaching intently to grasp some unknown object.  It hovered above Rhema for a second and then turned towards Granknog.  The figure spoke in a shriek from beyond the grave.  “Those are mine!” The light gray figure howled, making it quite apparent that the hideous scream heard a few seconds ago had originated from the same mouth.  “You will return what is mine to my servants!”At the first comment the majority of the smaller goblins simply dropped their weapons and retreated considerably.  They desired to flee the horrible apparition that had come upon their conflict.  They ran in fear and hoped that the old goblin adage would be true.  The key to surviving was not being the slowest goblin.At the second command of the light gray figure the larger of the goblins decided to also drop their weapons out of fear and to turn tail and run.  They were able to withstand the first voice, but once the majority of their companions had fled they knew that they were the only remaining targets.  Ischarus couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of a half dozen large goblin kin turning tail and vanishing loudly into the undergrowth.Soon there were only two goblins left.  Frang stood beside Granknog.  Even Bahkahr had enough sense to run away.  Granknog’s knees trembled as the wispy and semi-transparent light gray figure closed the distance and swooped down upon him.  The figure hovered lowly over top of the short goblin.  The goblin’s mouth hung open, exposing several rows of sharp teeth.Frang spoke sharply to his goblin companion.  “Drop ‘em and go, Granknog.  We don’t need these anymore.”  Frang bolted as soon as he had spoken.Granknog didn’t need any other encouragement.  Once Frang had turned tail and fled, Granknog was not about to stay and be the last one at the scene.  The oversized blades fell from his hand and the goblin turned and vanished through the undergrowth.  A soft chuckle could be heard through the air as the light gray figure seemed amused.Charis and Semeion weren’t sure at all what to make of this latest development, but they took their cues from the much more calm Ischarus and Rhema.  Semeion spoke cautiously at first.  “So does somebody want to explain to me what just happened?”Ischarus smiled, realizing that Semeion and Charis were still in the dark as to this being the figure that they had met earlier.  He reached down to retrieve the weapons that Granknog had discarded.  Before he could speak, however, the light gray figure settled down to the ground and pointed away from the direction the goblins had run.  “We must go, and hurry.  This tribe scares easy the first time, but they’ll eventually forget why they ran and realize that they had the numbers advantage.  They’ll likely come back in greater numbers and with more fierce weapons.  I’ll not be able to catch them off guard another time.”Ischarus realized that the figure had pointed them in the direction that they had come from.  He shook his head slowly.  “I know that you want us to deliver these items, and I know that this is a significant quest for you to undertake.  But we’re here on our own mission, and our destination lies to the west.  We aren’t going through those mountains until we’ve paid a certain red dragon’s village a visit.”The figure nodded, as if understanding precisely how to handle this.  “Very well.  It seems like the recovery of my items is not enough to release me from this world anyway.  You have kept your word; I will lead you through the goblin’s land to the other side.”Rhema smiled as she mounted Shauvry.  “Well, perhaps there is a way that you can repay us for doing you this favor.”Charis and Semeion still exchanged lost glances, realizing that they were only getting bits and pieces of the story.  They knew that this was unlikely to change any time soon until they had all agreed on one plan of attack.  However, since Rhema had mounted Shauvry it meant that they would be headed out shortly.  They mounted Abijou and Thana respectively, content to listen and glean what they could until the whole story had been explained to them.The light gray figure seemed to laugh and replied to Rhema, “You mean besides getting you free from a goblin war party?”Ischarus had been waiting for that comment.  “A war party that we wouldn’t have faced had we not been doing a favor for you!”Rhema grinned even broader.  As she spurred Shauvry into motion she continued, “So anyway, about this favor that you now owe us.”  She laughed as Shauvry jerked into motion.[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]As the goblin kin surrounded the party, each of the four thought about the best opportunity that they had for survival. Ischarus was sure that he could take three or four out before he was consumed in the goblin rage. He was even sure that Charis would be able to take a few out herself before falling prey to the onslaught. But surely Rhema and Semeion didn’t have that much staying power. Certainly they didn’t have the ability to wait that long. Given what he knew about the last man to get captured by this tribe it didn’t make sense to surrender, either.Rhema stood quietly, waiting for Ischarus’ initial move. She knew that goblins weren’t the hardest minds to charm, but there were far too many for her to affect at once. She might be able to charm one or two before she fell, but that certainly wouldn’t help matters. There were far too many surrounding them and once she fell in battle her mind control simply wouldn’t help the others.Semeion reached back into the recesses of his mind. He had a couple of his energy balls to toss around, but the likelihood of him even standing up to one of the larger brutes was not very good. He was sure that he could get one energy ball off, but even that one energy ball wouldn’t take down one of these goblin kin. Even if he had tried to mount Thana and ride off he was sure that this horde could overwhelm the horse before she could pull away from them.Charis gripped her pick tightly, waiting for the first of the goblins to come near her. The odds were stacked against her and her friends, but only a few months ago she would never have guessed that she would be anything but a Provenience. She had come so far and in such an unimaginable way. There didn’t seem to be any way out of this situation, but her belief refused to lose hope. She would go down swinging hard once it came to blows.In a split second after the goblins had appeared and weapons were drawn the battle was joined. The leader of the goblin mass screamed loudly in a blood curdling yell. The rest of the goblins raised their primitive weapons and fangs were bared. But suddenly Charis and her friends heard what could only be described as a miracle rising above them.The goblin yell was countered by a scream of immediately unknown origin. The scream rang through the forest and sounded not too dissimilar than a satisfied jaguar that had dragged its prey up a tree and was about to settle in for a hearty meal. The sound originated directly above where Rhema was standing. Before the goblins could make good on their own verbal war cry their eyes were distracted and drawn upward to find the source of the scream.The goblin war party was silent for a few seconds as they frantically searched the sky above them. The strange cry echoed off of the nearby hills, but except for the eerie echo the forest stood silent while the goblins searched. Ischarus and Charis both contemplated reaching out in anger and grasping the upper hand with a first attack, but both thought better of the idea. The occurrence of the scream was an odd enough coincidence that they decided that the effect it was having on the goblins shouldn’t be interrupted.After a few seconds, a light gray image appeared above Rhema’s head. The figure floated above Rhema, the bottom of its semi-transparent cloak floating through Rhema’s head as if being blown by a non-existent wind. Clearly the image was not of this world as its clothing had no difficulty passing through Rhema’s flesh. The face of the figure seemed to writhe in pain as it looked down upon the goblins. Its hands were empty, but the bony fingers stretched out as if to be reaching intently to grasp some unknown object. It hovered above Rhema for a second and then turned towards Granknog. The figure spoke in a shriek from beyond the grave. “Those are mine!” The light gray figure howled, making it quite apparent that the hideous scream heard a few seconds ago had originated from the same mouth. “You will return what is mine to my servants!”At the first comment the majority of the smaller goblins simply dropped their weapons and retreated considerably. They desired to flee the horrible apparition that had come upon their conflict. They ran in fear and hoped that the old goblin adage would be true. The key to surviving was not being the slowest goblin.At the second command of the light gray figure the larger of the goblins decided to also drop their weapons out of fear and to turn tail and run. They were able to withstand the first voice, but once the majority of their companions had fled they knew that they were the only remaining targets. Ischarus couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of a half dozen large goblin kin turning tail and vanishing loudly into the undergrowth.Soon there were only two goblins left. Frang stood beside Granknog. Even Bahkahr had enough sense to run away. Granknog’s knees trembled as the wispy and semi-transparent light gray figure closed the distance and swooped down upon him. The figure hovered lowly over top of the short goblin. The goblin’s mouth hung open, exposing several rows of sharp teeth.Frang spoke sharply to his goblin companion. “Drop ‘em and go, Granknog. We don’t need these anymore.” Frang bolted as soon as he had spoken.Granknog didn’t need any other encouragement. Once Frang had turned tail and fled, Granknog was not about to stay and be the last one at the scene. The oversized blades fell from his hand and the goblin turned and vanished through the undergrowth. A soft chuckle could be heard through the air as the light gray figure seemed amused.Charis and Semeion weren’t sure at all what to make of this latest development, but they took their cues from the much more calm Ischarus and Rhema. Semeion spoke cautiously at first. “So does somebody want to explain to me what just happened?”Ischarus smiled, realizing that Semeion and Charis were still in the dark as to this being the figure that they had met earlier. He reached down to retrieve the weapons that Granknog had discarded. Before he could speak, however, the light gray figure settled down to the ground and pointed away from the direction the goblins had run. “We must go, and hurry. This tribe scares easy the first time, but they’ll eventually forget why they ran and realize that they had the numbers advantage. They’ll likely come back in greater numbers and with more fierce weapons. I’ll not be able to catch them off guard another time.”Ischarus realized that the figure had pointed them in the direction that they had come from. He shook his head slowly. “I know that you want us to deliver these items, and I know that this is a significant quest for you to undertake. But we’re here on our own mission, and our destination lies to the west. We aren’t going through those mountains until we’ve paid a certain red dragon’s village a visit.”The figure nodded, as if understanding precisely how to handle this. “Very well. It seems like the recovery of my items is not enough to release me from this world anyway. You have kept your word; I will lead you through the goblin’s land to the other side.”Rhema smiled as she mounted Shauvry. “Well, perhaps there is a way that you can repay us for doing you this favor.”Charis and Semeion still exchanged lost glances, realizing that they were only getting bits and pieces of the story. They knew that this was unlikely to change any time soon until they had all agreed on one plan of attack. However, since Rhema had mounted Shauvry it meant that they would be headed out shortly. They mounted Abijou and Thana respectively, content to listen and glean what they could until the whole story had been explained to them.The light gray figure seemed to laugh and replied to Rhema, “You mean besides getting you free from a goblin war party?”Ischarus had been waiting for that comment. “A war party that we wouldn’t have faced had we not been doing a favor for you!”Rhema grinned even broader. As she spurred Shauvry into motion she continued, “So anyway, about this favor that you now owe us.” She laughed as Shauvry jerked into motion.[/Sblock]</blockquote>

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