Fantasy &nbsp; Roll Initiative: A D&amp;D Game with a Twist

The Mad Queen · Mar 23, 2020

Wyatt Hamon/Ser Godfree & Blair Tuama/Circe

With a few introductions out of the way, Wyatt turned to the rest of the group.
"Trust me when I say it's not always like this." He shot both Roux and Danny a smile "Been playing this game since a few editions ago. I'll not say when, that will only tell you kids just how old I am." He chuckled, mostly to himself as his eyes faced the front "Things seem scary right now, I know but if we just keep our heads in this and work together we should get out of this alive."

"Do we have a plan for this?"
"Well, it's as the Halfling said. Those tunnels sounded like a good idea but we're dealing with Goblins. The only thing they've ever had going for them is their tactics, and we can't just storm in either. We don't know who's in charge of their forces."
He released one of the reigns, stroking his beard.
"That said, if we attack from two fronts we could catch them off guard, sending the Goblins into a panic. They'll probably scatter if we take out their leader, too."

The plan had worked in other games he'd played, and they'd managed it with a smaller party than this. He glanced back at the group and nodded firmly "If we're still dealing with the rules of the game, Goblins tend to be cowardly. Their Shaman probably won't run, but the moment we cut the head off of the snake things should end."
"I mean, I don't have any better ideas." Blair shrugged "Unless somebody disguised themselves as Patrick and we offered him up for a reward."
"There's no grantee that the Goblins won't just attack." Wyatt butted in, shaking his head "It's too dangerous."

Venchi1986 · Mar 25, 2020

Despite not having no real experience Danny decided to speak up anyway, glad that pass without trace was one of the spells he actually remembered unlike conjure animals. "I also mentioned this in the tavern but I have a spell that should make it a lot easier to sneak around undetected, though you lose the effect if you get too far away from me ." The second part might have unnecessary in the actual since even he knew you never split the party but in real life or whatever this was a pincer attack like Circe and Wyatt were discussing could be pretty effective.

@Circe

The Mad Queen
@EmWiley0816

Clockwork Syringe · Mar 25, 2020

Mark Ortega/Markus Barton

"Indeed," Mark replied to Wyatt in agreement to his statement about the goblin leader. "If we were to take out their leader they would certainly scatter as their chain of command would certainly be broken." He also listened to how Danny spoke about what he assumed was pass without a trace before continuing himself. "I'm pretty flexible as artificers go so I can be wherever we're lacking. In my own department I can imbue simple objects with sounds and noises, perhaps that might give us something to work with maybe? Perhaps we imbue one of these stones with the Halfling's voice and use it to lure some of them away? I can try to mimic it or we could do something else with these stones? I can have up to four of these active at any given time. However, if all else fails I can certainly clock some goblins," Mark held up a fist to demonstrate what he exactly was talking about.

The Mad Queen · Mar 27, 2020

Wyatt Hamon/Ser Godfree & Blair Tuama/Circe

"Using stones to lure them out sounds like a great idea." Wyatt nodded "If they're the size of pebbles we could throw them all over the grounds, sending the Goblins into a panic..."
Trevor butted in "While that's going on, I could sneak around back and take a few of them out. Even release the hostages if I get close enough. You're in good hands." Once again, his hood blocked his grin.
"I'm not sure if you should go alone."
"It's okay." Trevor nodded "I've got this. If I can do everything that Vahg can, then sneaking shouldn't be too hard."

Wyatt had learned in the battlefields of older editions that splitting the party was a bad idea, that was unless you had a plan. Splitting the party to perform a pincer movement was one thing, but having one person going alone was just asking for trouble. "For now, we stick together."

The group came to a fork in the road where the brewery was signposted, leading to the left. He brought his horse to a stop, staring down the path before taking off again.
"Be on the lookout."

As the others discussed strategy, Blair leaned forwards on the horse. Her yellow eyes watched as the ground around her began to twist, as the greenery caught fire and the sky turned dark. She sharply looked around, only to see that nobody else in the group had taken notice of the sudden changes.
"Hello, Circe." A voice whispered to her. The woman looked around once more, not finding a source, even as lava started to flow through the greenery and the surrounding trees caught fire.
"Monnas." The woman gambled, calling the name of her Patron but given she wasn't being dragged to another dimension or being set on fire she felt as though it had paid off.
"You're more quiet than usual. Is something the matter, dear child?"
"Everything's fine. I'm just keeping an eye out for those Goblins. Can't wait to set them on fire." She forced a smile
"Very well. Just know that I am nearby."

With that, the world around Blair returned to normal. She was sitting back in her original position and from the perspective of the rest of the group, no words had been exchanged between her and a seemingly unknown entity. The woman did sigh heavily though, a shiver running up her spine. What would her Patron do if he discovered the truth about Blair? She shuddered at the though.

Dethrix · Mar 28, 2020

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code When typing responses to rps, be aware that when you press enter it will not show that you did. You'll have to use the
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[div class="Image"] [/div][/div] [div class="Name"] Jesse Ravencroft | Javen Burrows[/div] Once the horses had appeared, Jesse had given well wishes and promised to meet the rest of the party on the outskirts of time. Most likely, the only person that had received such information was Blair due to the rest of the group being preoccupied by the appearance of a few newcomers. Unlike the rest of them, his horse was capable of moving at quite an accelerated pace and had a temporary period of existence before Javen would be required to perform the ritual once more. Within that period, he'd have to acquire a few new rituals to boost their chances of tricking their goblin enemies. The additions to the team definitely would help with that, and hopefully upon his return, they'd be able to discuss what new abilities and classes had been added to their ranks. Most likely, the rest of them would already begin such a questioning process during his absence. In the meantime, he sped off on his ethereal horse to ransack a nearby bookstore. Though it took more time than he would've liked, with the assistance of the storekeeper Jesse was able to find a used and forgotten spellbook that housed ritual based spells for him to claim overtime. While some he knew off of memory were far above his current level, there were a few he could make use of at his current ranking. One of which being, a written variant of the Silent Image spell. Immediately, Jesse purchased the book and its contents for 50 gold pieces out of the first half of his payment. Effectively halving his income, but hopefully given the need for such an illusion, he'd be reimbursed. Nevertheless, as Javen he quickly thanked the shop owner and mounted his steed once more before taking off in the direction his party had gone. Utilizing the tracking skills innately possessed by the Blood Hunter, he was able to quickly find the general direction of their travel and followed. As he sped after them, Jesse began rigorously studying and transcribing the information for Silent Image into his own miniature ritual book. He knew that his caster feat required a considerable amount of time for him to gain the spell in order for it to be usable, but with any luck the time it took for him to get to the others and in turn for them to reach the Brewery would be enough. As they continued to talk, his Phantom Steed slowed and joined their ranks. Though rejoining everyone, Jesse remained fixed to his task with his attention almost fully on understanding the nature of the ritual. The veins within his eyes and temples, pulsed lowly with red energy as he focused.
[div class="Line"][/div] Interacting: Shopkeeper | Mentioned:

Venchi1986 | Located: The Outskirts [div class="Line" style="margin-bottom:0px;"][/div] [/div]

Code by @AgWordSmith

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Venchi1986 · Mar 29, 2020

Even Danny could tell how useful Marks idea could be in combination with his spell, and the suggestion to use pebbles and throw them from Wyatt made it even better. "Seems like we have some pretty good stealth skills between us." A bit later Javen returned and while curious what the man had been up too Danny didn't ask since he didn't want to give the impression he didn't trust him after already unfairly judging his plan to use a fake Patrick to get the Goblins to let them in.

@Circe

The Mad Queen
@EmWiley0816

The Mad Queen · Mar 31, 2020

Wyatt Hamon/Ser Godfree & Blair Tuama/Circe

"Then it's settled. We use what we've got at our disposal to make the Goblins panic, then we move in." Wyatt nodded to the rest of the group. The trail continued, and the brewery could be seen far in the distance. Even from afar, it was easy to tell that the building itself had once been quite beautiful, it's exterior put together with expert craftsmanship. However, in a short span of time it had fallen into disarray at the green hands of it's new owners. The scars of battle adorned the entrance.

Wyatt brought his horse to a stop, and quickly yet quietly dismounted his steed.
"Stay close." He whispered "As I said, these things can be tricky. Don't let their size fool you."

On all sides of the path, the ground was surrounded, not by Goblins but by greenery. Tall grass, tress and shrubberies that once served to decorate the road up to a family business were now a ideal hiding place. His eyes scanned the greenery, on the lookout for any foes but after a few moments without any movement Wyatt slowly stepped towards a tree and peaked behind it. Nothing.

"They must all be gathered inside." He whispered to the others "Check the other places first though, we can't be too careful."

Blair had climbed down from the horse as Wyatt had, and although the young woman did it from a distance she search behind shrubberies to the left of the path, expecting that the green would allow Goblins to hide and yet it too was empty. He firsts clenched and she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. The road to the brewery had only taken minutes, and yet it felt as though hours had passed to her. In fact, the few minutes she had spent in this new world after waking up had been less than an hour and yet it felt like an entire day.
She just wanted to get this over with.

"Clear here too." She whispered back
"That's good. We should get moving then, fast."

Clockwork Syringe · Apr 3, 2020

Mark Ortega/Markus Barton

Mark listened as a plan was put together with his own artificer powers playing a major role in its' execution. He didn't mind, he was glad that he was given the option to help. Listening intently, he then noticed as Blair took a deep breath out of the blue and sighed. ~What was that all about? Was she still trying to get used to this world?" Mark silently and internally shook his head as he continued to listen. The group continued until they reached the brewery, a beautiful building by many standards. Although its' beauty was hidden behind the murky veneer of occupation. Mark then watched as both Wyatt and Blair began to search around for any goblins before looking around for any stones he could use to act as conduits for his power. Finding a few of them he scooped them up in his arms and just as he did the two seemed to finish their search. "What kind of distraction should we aim for?" A small mischievous glint in Mark's eyes could be seen as he couldn't wait to test out his new powers.

Venchi1986 · Apr 3, 2020

When the group arrived at the mansion Wyatt and Blaire immediately checked the surrounding area for goblins despite the former thinking that they were all inside. Danny though it was a tad unnecessary since his spell would allow them to move unseen and that in fact they were were it more likely that an alarm or something was sounded but he figured it was better than getting caught in surprise attack on the way out.

After the place was declared and Mark had collected the stones needed for his part Danny reached into his spell components pouch and took out a leaf of mistletoe and a sprig of spruce. He briefly wondered how to burn them for their ashes when he suddenly remembered a cantrip that was just perfect for the situation. "Spirits bestow me upon the gift of flame." As he chanted he moved his thumb downwards as if he was using a lighter, and a small flame did indeed appear in his hand. Not wasting time he burned the mistletoe an spruce and yet again cast his next spells perfectly seemingly knowing exactly what to do despite it only being the third time in his life that used magic. He sprinkled the ashes in a circle around himself while the words came to his mind as if he had rehearsed them. "Spirits of shade and silence bestow your blessing upon me and those I choose to share them with." As soon as he was done talking a wave of darkness followed by a total lack of sound erupted outwards for less than second before fading away.

@EmWiley0816

The Mad Queen · Apr 5, 2020

Wyatt Hamon/Ser Godfree & Blair Tuama/Circe

"Go loud." Wyatt nodded at Mark, giving the younger man a smile "Whatever you might think will lure them out. Ready yourself, and fire away on my signal."
Clearing his throat, the Vice Principal reached out his right hand and focused. A glistening longsword appeared, but it was not the blade that caught Wyatt's attention. The handle had a few markings, spelled out in Elvish. As his eyes studied it, the language was as clear to him as English. With a light smile, he shook his head.
"Very well." He muttered to himself.
He'd never taken the time to learn a second language, and yet as he muttered to himself, reading the makings out loud Elvish was as clear to him as English had ever been.

Seeing that Wyatt had conjured a weapon, Blair reached out both hands and attempted to focus as well. With her eyes closed, she saw the flash of a face waiting in the darkness. Opening her eyes, she jumped back and lightly gasped.
"Did I frighten you?" Monnas whispered. His voice sounded as if it came from right behind Blair, yet as she spun around to look nothing was standing there.
"You prankster you." She chuckled, keeping her voice low "Just trying to get that axe."
"I expect it to be caked in goblin blood soon enough."
"I won't disappoint you."
"You never have." His smile only increased in size, and her Patron stepped out of the shadows. She could do nothing but stare at the true form of Monnas as he towered above her. He had to be at least ten feet.

He did not remain that tall for long, for he knelt down to stand at Blair's level.
"I expect nothing less. You have come such a long way, after all. It seems like only yesterday you were a frightened child, hiding amongst the catacombs."
"Well, given the immortality it would sure seem that way." She grinned
He chuckled at that, and although Blair smiled his laughter send a shiver down her spine.
"Now, bring out your axe. It is high time these pests tasted our power."

She focused once more, and the axe appeared in her hands. The handle was dark, the tip gave off a red glow when reflected against the sunlight and it was covered in the markings of Devils. She glanced back at where the Patron had stood, seeing that he was gone.

Wyatt scanned the surrounding group, having noticed the spell himself and stopped.
"Where's Trevor?" His eyes slowly widened as it dawned on him "Goddammit!" He hissed "That kid is going to get himself killed!" He spun around to face Mark, trying to hide the panic in his eyes "Use the stones now."

With a sword in one hand, and his shield covering his left arm he marched towards Danny. "Everyone stay within thirty feet. We're going in before it's too late."

Venchi1986 · Apr 9, 2020

Danny was surprised at how attention grabbing Pass Without Trace looked and was briefly worried that the goblins noticed it. After a few seconds it started to look that his casting wasn't see but there were other issues Trevor had gone off on his own. At least he had gotten most of the party protected form being noticed assuming of course that they stayed within thirty feet of him. a detail he had forgotten until Wyatt told them all to stay close. Given the no doubt relatively cramped rooms of the mansion he put his bow away in favor of his greatclub.

@EmWiley0816

The Mad Queen · Apr 15, 2020

Wyatt Hamon/Ser Godfree & Blair Tuama/Circe

Wyatt moved in first, shield up as he pushed the door open. The man half expected to be faced by Goblins, but found the front room to be empty. It had been ransacked, family heirlooms and portraits scattered to the floor of the hallway but there was not a single Goblin in sight. Despite this, he never let his guard down. Before the group were two more doors leading into separate rooms, another directly in front of them that led to a staircase.
"Move together." He whispered "One room at a time."

The sound of fighting erupted from above them. The clashing of blades and the yelling of Goblins filled their ears. Wyatt's eyes moved, watching as Goblins from both side rooms dashed by. There were six in total, wearing leather armour that was thrown together and armed with blades and bows. Even as they were mere feet in front of the group, they never noticed them, too focused on the fighting above their heads.

Wyatt turned to the others and nodded.
"Three. Two..."

Still keeping within thirty feet, he brought his longsword down into a Goblin that passed them by, the blade impacting against his skull and ending him quickly. Before three more of his companions could notice, one fell as his head was removed from his shoulders by Blair's axe. Roux's sword cut down another, as Fen's hands drove the blade into the heart of a Goblin and the final fell to Jessie as a bolt from the light crossbow went through the eye socket right as the Goblin was turning around.

He had made contact with the party and was just about to yell to his companions, but did not get a single word out before it was too late. With the others upstairs, Wyatt turned to face the rest of the party again. He had never harmed another and yet, as the hands of Ser Godfree cut down that Goblin he couldn't help but feel disgusted with himself.
Regardless of what he told himself, that he was saving others the man was riddled with guilt. Who had the Goblin been in life? Such questions had never troubled him, nor been something he even considered when he was playing around a table with friends and yet as he removed the blade it was all that was on his mind.

He was snapped back to reality as the sound of fighting upstairs continued. Trevor was still in danger.

As Blair had lunged forward, the axe removing the Goblin's head from it's shoulders she felt horrified, at least at first for as the head rolled across the floor she felt a small wave of calm brush against her back, followed by a hand.
"Nicely done." The voice of Monnas whispered in her ear "Now, keep going. There are more who have this coming."

Wyatt said nothing, he simply nodded and ensuring he kept close, led the party onto the first floor. The sounds of battle drew ever closer, and he did not relent. Along the upper floor the brewery broke off into a few rooms, one catching his eye briefly as a large office with two Goblins inside, poking through drawers. Double doors at the end lay open and the body of a Goblin was thrown back towards the group. Inside, the room was basked in a darkness not even the eyes of an Elf or a Tiefling while just at the doors stood the Goblins armed with bows, preparing to fire.

The magical darkness did present an issue. If they were to go in, they would be going in blind and Wyatt knew there was a chance they could hit Trevor. At the same time, he didn't just want to leave the young man to his own devices. Even if the Goblins were blind, they could still pose a threat. His eyes watched the Goblins as they pulled back on the string of their bows.

"Go. Go now." He whispered, charging forwards.

Clockwork Syringe · Apr 15, 2020

Mark Ortega/Markus Barton

Mark began to create some magic stones, but unfortunately he had no idea how to make this work. He should have been practicing beforehand because now they were waiting for his lynchpin. Sadly this threw things into disarray as the group elected to push forward with Wyatt in the front. ~Fine by me, I didn't have time to make my guardian armor so I'll stick back behind his shield. The plan truly starting to fall apart when the sounds of fighting began to erupt from inside. It was then that Mark's mind became a steel trap and he realized what he had to do. ~Thats it! Why didn't I think of this beforehand?~ Mark took a stone pebble and tried to mimic the halfling's voice as if it were shouting for the fighting to stop and threw it in the bushes near the building. Hopefully this would draw some of the goblins away from the rest of the group making the rescue operation a bit easier. Running inside, Mark then saw Blair and Wyatt finishing up their fighting when a previously unseen goblin, thanks to the magical darkness ahead of them made its way through intending to attack the two of them. Running at the goblin, Mark threw two electrified punches at the goblin causing it to shake uncontrollably and convulse before collapsing due to the electrical magic coursing through its' veins. It reminded Mark of the accidents he had seen at work when he was at an On site inspection. ~What a horrible way to go,~ he grimaced before standing next to Wyatt as one of the heavily armored members of the party. Turning to the two of them he spoke in a hurried tone. "I can sneak ahead and cause a distraction if we need. My armor can help as it won't cause me to make any sounds like heavy armor normally would!"

Venchi1986 · Apr 16, 2020

Danny was relieved that Blair and Wyatt managed to defeat the first three Goblins they group came across by themselves, on the other hand he also knew it was only a matter of time before he would have to kill. As he did his best to steel himself the party made it's way upstairs and got closer to what sounded like a big fight, most likely involving the missing Trevor. One of the rooms, the one that a Goblin was thrown out of and thus probably their current main target was seemingly cloaked in some magical darkness. Immediately Danny somehow knew that either Daylight or Dispel Magic had a chance to deal with it.

Not knowing if Daylight would somehow mess with the spell he had cast on the party he decided not to use that one, on the other hand Dispel Magic was much more likely to succeed even though it would paint a big target on him as a caster whether it was successful or not, though that concern was laid to rest when he realized his group being effectively invisible meant they Goblins already knew there was a Caster.

As he was going over his options some Goblins fired arrows in their general direction making him wish he had had stuck to his bow instead of his club. At the same Mark offered to create a distraction and Danny got an idea. He reached into his components pouch and pulled out a piece of oak bark while placing his other hand on Mark's shoulder and began whispering. "Spirits, bless this mortal with a skin as tough as bark." As he talked the bark faded away while Mark's skin seemed to gain the color and texture of oak, only to look completely normal by the time Danny was done casting.

@EmWiley0816

Dethrix
[/QUOTE]

The Mad Queen · Apr 16, 2020

Wyatt Hamon/Ser Godfree & Blair Tuama/Circe

Wyatt's eyes focused on the Goblin that collapsed before his feet, it's body somewhat charred due to the electricity and letting off a putrid odour. If he was back home, this sort of thing would have instantly made the Vice Principal vomit yet Ser Godfree had a stronger stomach, as if his nostrils were used to such assaults. His ears were filled with the sound of something moving downstairs and he glanced down to see eight more Goblins dash outside at the sound of what sounded like Patrick's voice.
"It's the target!" One of them yelled "Tear off his arms and bring him in!"

The Goblins were losing numbers fast, but they still wildly outnumbered the party. Patrick had estimated their numbers to be around three dozen, at least. There could be a small army gathered inside for all Wyatt knew. He raised his shield as one of the bow-wielding Goblins targeted them. Thankfully he was already at the front, and as the arrow struck against his shield, he moved forwards.

"Do what you can, son." He told Mark as a second arrow struck the shield, blocking it from piercing the Half-Elf's head "We've got this covered." He gave him a nod and a slight smile.
As one of the Goblins lined up a shot, Wyatt lowered his sword and cast a bolt of fire from his hand. It flew towards the Goblin, setting him ablaze. As he panicked, he dropped the bow and charged towards the party. Wyatt cut him down before he got too close with a swift strike of his sword, and took a step forwards. However, the sounds of Goblin screams and magic had attracted the attention of the two in the office, and to his horror Wyatt heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Cover the rear" He whispered
-
Blair peered over to the stairs, watching as a dozen armed with swords and axes marched up the stairs. However, they had made a mistake that she quickly noticed. The Goblins were all too tightly packed together, forced into a bottleneck as they made their way to the first floor. Using her free hand she channelled a small ball of red and green energy, tossing it to the first Goblin atop the stairs. He was flung back ten feet, throwing him to the bottom of the stairs. However, due to being so tightly packed he brought down three of his brethren with him. While the first struck his head and started to bleed from it, a small scorch mark on his chest the others were knocked aside and quickly stood up to join those making their ascent.

Thankfully for Blair, she was not alone. As she blasted the Goblins on the stairs, she was joined by Jessie who struck a Goblin near the front with a bolt of pure light directly to his face. As it burned him, he fell and and his body descended the staircase. His companions seemed to care very little as they stepped over him, now standing at the top of the stairs only to be greeted by a blast of magical energy from Anamaria. Reaching out both hands, she channelled a ball of fire and tossed it directly into the group.

At the destructive power of the Wizard, half were incinerated immediately. Nothing remained of them outside of the steel that they carried. The others, seeing what was about to happen had tried to dive for cover but were charred, parts of their bodies burnt from the flame. Only one was left untouched, a single Goblin on the bottom step that was armed with a crossbow almost too large for him. As Anamaria admired her work with a smile, she didn't notice the Goblin at first, nor did she have time to react as a bolt flew towards her.

A few inches in one direction and the bolt may have pierced a lung, or even her heart but she went down all the same, yelling in pain as she fell to her knees. Wyatt spun around at the sound of one of their own in agony, and for his distraction he almost earned an arrow to the face. It was Roux that dragged her to safety, a bolt just about missing her too.

Clockwork Syringe · Apr 17, 2020

Mark Ortega/Markus Barton

Mark nodded at Wyatt's words and then spoke, "I'm going to remove their bargaining chip from the equation, come and give me a hand as soon as you can." Mark then made his way past the fighting and down towards the basement. Thankfully, he blessed his lucky stars that the goblins were either too focused on everyone else or they simply didn't notice him. Sneaking past the fighting and making his way down the stairs he became aware of two goblins acting as lookouts for any goblins that may be holding Patrick's family hostage. Sneaking in, Mark then cast a firebolt at one of the two Goblins who stood on either side of an opening that spiraled down into the basement. The Goblin was about to yell for reinforcements, but his voice was cut off by the fire that struck him square in the face muffling any words he was about to say. The other goblin suddenly looked frightened as he wasn't sure where that came from, but then spotted mark standing in the doorway. Confusion turned to rage as the goblin decided that this puny human wasn't wearing any armor and looked to be a prissy wizard so if he could strike, he'd be able to avenge his fallen comrade. Charging in, the goblin swung his scimitar at Mark before connecting with his chest and hearing a *Ting* as it bounced off the hidden armor, but not before ripping Mark's coat a little bit causing a look of anger to appear on Mark's face. Seeing this, the goblin tried to run away and get help, but Mark had other plans. A Sapphire-llike node appeared on Mark's right hand as he pointed it at the Goblin and a *Bzzzt* emitted from the node as a blast of lightning tore a hole through the goblin's neck severing his ability to speak. The node the disappeared from Mark's right hand as he no longer needed it right now as he took stock of his situation.

Mark theorized that the goblin decided to run to get help from a larger force that might exist in the basement, a force that as much as Mark would love to take on by himself, however, he would be overwhelmed if he went in without a plan. Thankfully Mark was not most players and thought outside the box on occasions. He remembered that he took the Disguise Self when preparing spells before getting into this mess. Casting it, he decided to make himself look like a goblin and one foot shorter that he actually was to add to the illusion. Walking down the stairs as a goblin he then came face to face with seven other goblins and Patrick's Family being held hostage. Mustering up a good goblin accent, Mark spoke. "Anythin new from that weasel halflin yet? I'm gettin bored"

The Mad Queen · Apr 18, 2020

Clockwork Syringe said:
Mark Ortega/Markus Barton

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Mark nodded at Wyatt's words and then spoke, "I'm going to remove their bargaining chip from the equation, come and give me a hand as soon as you can." Mark then made his way past the fighting and down towards the basement. Thankfully, he blessed his lucky stars that the goblins were either too focused on everyone else or they simply didn't notice him. Sneaking past the fighting and making his way down the stairs he became aware of two goblins acting as lookouts for any goblins that may be holding Patrick's family hostage. Sneaking in, Mark then cast a firebolt at one of the two Goblins who stood on either side of an opening that spiraled down into the basement. The Goblin was about to yell for reinforcements, but his voice was cut off by the fire that struck him square in the face muffling any words he was about to say. The other goblin suddenly looked frightened as he wasn't sure where that came from, but then spotted mark standing in the doorway. Confusion turned to rage as the goblin decided that this puny human wasn't wearing any armor and looked to be a prissy wizard so if he could strike, he'd be able to avenge his fallen comrade. Charging in, the goblin swung his scimitar at Mark before connecting with his chest and hearing a *Ting* as it bounced off the hidden armor, but not before ripping Mark's coat a little bit causing a look of anger to appear on Mark's face. Seeing this, the goblin tried to run away and get help, but Mark had other plans. A Sapphire-llike node appeared on Mark's right hand as he pointed it at the Goblin and a *Bzzzt* emitted from the node as a blast of lightning tore a hole through the goblin's neck severing his ability to speak. The node the disappeared from Mark's right hand as he no longer needed it right now as he took stock of his situation.

Mark theorized that the goblin decided to run to get help from a larger force that might exist in the basement, a force that as much as Mark would love to take on by himself, however, he would be overwhelmed if he went in without a plan. Thankfully Mark was not most players and thought outside the box on occasions. He remembered that he took the Disguise Self when preparing spells before getting into this mess. Casting it, he decided to make himself look like a goblin and one foot shorter that he actually was to add to the illusion. Walking down the stairs as a goblin he then came face to face with seven other goblins and Patrick's Family being held hostage. Mustering up a good goblin accent, Mark spoke. "Anythin new from that weasel halflin yet? I'm gettin bored"

Venchi1986
The Mad Queen
Dethrix

The Goblins immediately turned to face one of their own, one looking up from tucking into a block of cheese almost the size of his head. He said nothing, his eyes like a deer in headlights. One of the others would approach Mark first.
"All same." He snarled "But 'member reward...Can 'most taste it."
One of the other Goblins remained very close to one Halfling in particular, only managing to stand above him due to the young man sitting while the Goblin inspected his fine boots in both hands.
"You won't get away with this!" He shouted

"Quiet!" The Goblin hissed
"My father will have your heads!" He rocked forwards, a look of grim determination on his face. The rest of the family consisted of four other sons, two daughters and a older Halfling woman that looked to be around Patrick's age. Out of the sons, three had been beaten, bruises on their faces and arms while the young Halfling kicking up a fuss was without wounds, as were the women of the house.

The group would not be alone for long, for a Goblin dashed into the basement with a scorch mark on his back.
"Baws! We is under attack!"

Venchi1986 · Apr 21, 2020

At Wyatt's suggestion Danny turned around to the staircase but was saved from dirtying his hands thanks to Blair and Jessie who went to town on the approaching Goblins with their magic. Unfortunately the last Goblin managed to hit Anamaria with a crossbow bolt. In the meantime another Goblin went on to almost hit Wyatt as well. Angry about one of his party member getting seriously injured Danny decided to deal with the crossbow wielder himself. Somehow he was sure that casting a spell would draw too much attention from other Goblins or his target, so he dropped his greatclub and took out his own bow.

Barely taking the time to aim he launched one of his twenty arrows and grazed the Goblin's arm. Luckily for him reloading a shortbow was faster than reloading a crossbow and his second arrow pierced the Goblin's chest. Ignoring the fact he just killed a living sentient creature with all his might he looked for Anamaria not knowing she had been dragged to safety. When he found her just as Mark went to the basement he ran up to her "Sorry about this but I can't heal you with the arrow still there." He forced himself to reach for the shaft and do what he had to do.

@EmWiley0816

The Mad Queen · Apr 23, 2020

Wyatt Hamon/Ser Godfree & Blair Tuama/Circe

Anamaria yelled as the bolt was pulled out. Given her upbringing she hadn't experienced much in the realm of physical pain, let alone something like this. Blair winced, turning away as she watched one of their own in such agony.
"Help her. I'm going to help Wyatt." She muttered, standing to her feet and following the Half-Elf into battle. The last of the archers waiting outside was dispatched by an Eldritch blast that flung him backwards until Wyatt could close the gap, his sword piercing the creature in the chest.

The room lay ahead of them, still basked in darkness even Circe's eyes could not see through.
"Trevor!" Wyatt called out. The Vice Principal would need yet another gamble if he was to safe one of their own. "We're right outside. Drop the darkness and we can help."
He waited a few moments, keeping his blade steady and his shield up. Blair, on the other hand readied another blast of the green energy. Taking a deep breath, he was ready to charge as the darkness faded only to see a bolt of lighting fly towards him. Thinking quickly, he dashed back and grabbed Blair, pushing both of them to the ground as the bolt flew over their heads and blew a chunk out of the side of the brewery.

Blair didn't have much time to react either, for before the Tiefling could get off a single shot Wyatt already had both of them on the ground. Her yellow eyes did catch a glimpse of a wrinkled and almost blue skinned Goblin armed with a wooden staff, the head of a goat decorating the top. The Shaman. She rolled to one side, striking him with a blast that send him flying backwards with her back still on the ground.

It was not enough to finish him, and the Shaman pointed his staff outwards as he prepared another attack. Trevor was in the room too, bloodied and beaten yet still fighting against a lone Goblin warrior he had pushed into a corner.

-

In the basement, the Goblin who stood over the Halfling growled in anger, marching away from his hostage.
"'Ake a team and go kill them then. Don' sit 'ere talkin' to me." His eyes scanned the room, spotting Mark and the Goblin eating the block of cheese "Three of us will watch 'em. Don't mess up." He grumbled.

As another group of Goblins dashed towards the basement entrance, the leader drew a sword, one that would be considered a toothpick by the standards of a full-blooded Orc ad sighed.
"Won' mata if they die. More reward for us, boys." He grinned

Clockwork Syringe · Apr 25, 2020

Mark Ortega/Markus Barton

Mark was a bit surprised when one of the other goblins had announced they were under attack; did they discover the remains of the two goblins he had killed previously? It seemed, however, that they were talking about his allies that were attacking. "'Ake a team and go kill them then. Don' sit 'ere talkin' to me." His eyes scanned the room, spotting Mark and the Goblin eating the block of cheese "Three of us will watch 'em. Don't mess up." A small internal smile appeared on Mark's face as he realized that the goblin leader was signing his own death warrant. True enough, the rumors about Goblin intelligence and wisdom were not exaggerated after all. In goblin form, Mark nodded as the leader explained that even if they died, there would be more of a reward for them. ~Oh you have no idea do you?~ Mark thought internally. Scanning the room, Mark took stock of the situation. There were two goblins, the young halfling that the goblin leader was near and the remaining family members of Patrick. It was at this point Mark also remembered a spell he had that could take out the leader without any problems, Dragons Breath. However, there was a slight issue, the halfing was right in front of the Goblin leader. This would require Mark to get close to avoid catching the halfling in the crossfire. Whilst moving in close to the Boss, Mark began to laugh in his goblin voice. "Ha ha, thas a good one baws man!" Mark started, "more rewards for us!" until he was right in front of the leader. Deciding to put on a show for the captured family, he then dropped the act and spoke in his normal human voice. "Except it goes both ways much to your detriment!" It was at this moment when he finished speaking that he dropped the effects of alter self so that he could be seen as he normally was and said "Patrick sends his regards" before unleashing a casting of Fire Dragon's breath directly at the goblin leader roasting him alive before he could react to his message. At the same time he also shot off two bolts of fire directly at the goblin eating a block of cheese hitting him square in the chest causing him to fall over before remarking "Your plans just melted into oblivion didn't they?" Before engaging the family of Patrick, he sent a message to Wyatt with the message spell and spoke in his head to avoid Patrick's family knowing that Ser Godfree was Wyatt. "Wyatt, the hostages are safe and fortunately enough, the Goblin Leader is dead."

Turning to Patrick's family, Mark turned to them and bowed before addressing them. "Markus Barton at your service my allies are currently fighting the goblins in the main hall so I snuck in here to remove you as a barganing chip for the goblins. Fortunately, i guess I killed two birds with one stone. I'm glad you are all safe."

The Mad Queen · Apr 29, 2020

Wyatt Hamon/Ser Godfree & Blair Tuama/Circe

The Goblin leader had no time to react, growling at the change but as he reached for his blade, it was too late. His companion took little notice, focused on what would be his last meal before going down. The Halfling man glared at Mark, his eyes the size of dinner plates.
"Did...Did my father send you?" He shook his head "Quick, untie me! There's something that might help with the Goblins in the family archive. I can get us in!"
-
Wyatt was on his feet as he heard the news
"Your leader is dead, the hostages are safe." He called to the Shaman "You've lost, so I'm giving you a chance to walk away here."
The Shaman hissed "Da reward is worth the risk."

The Shaman started to charge a spell from his staff, the goat's head lighting on fire as he pointed it towards Wyatt.
"Over the staircase, now!" The Vice Principal yelled, grabbing Anamaria and using his own body to cushion her fall as he jumped. Blair followed after, taking Roux by the arm while Jessie also dived for cover, jumping into the side-office.

The fireball obliterated the upper landing, leaving nothing but ash and charring the surrounding walls. Seeing that his shot has missed the group, the Shaman growled and tapped his staff against the ground. He uttered a curse in the Goblin tongue, and turned his aim towards the already beaten Trevor, preparing to fire a bolt of energy at him from the Goat's head. The eyes of the skull lit up with a blue light, but before he could get a shot off Blair was already standing in the upper landing.

With a yell, she stretched out both of her hands and fired three long streams of pure fire towards the Shaman. As he turned his head to face Blair, his shot went off but he missed the target, a lightning bolt taking out a wall behind the Monk right before the Shaman was obliterated, bursting into flames and leaving behind nothing but his staff, the skull cracking as it fell to the ground.

By the time the Shaman had fallen, the small group of remaining Goblins made their way to the stairs. Seeing the remains of their fallen comrades, their eyes looked to the party and then at each other, the group attempting to flee through the front door of the brewery.

As the last Goblin in the room was finished, the bloodied Trevor approached the rest of the group.
"That was stupid." Wyatt scolded "You could've gotten you or someone else killed!"
Although he had his face covered, Wyatt got a feeling that the Monk was rolling his eyes at him.

"Well the plan worked, didn't it?"
"Look at you, look at Anamaria! You were both nearly killed!" He scolded, his eyes turning to the others "We'd better see if Mark needs any help. There could be more Goblins hiding in those tunnels."
He turned once more, back to Trevor with a glare "We will have a long talk about this later."

The Monk passed him, patting him on the back "Sure we will..."

With Wyatt in the lead, the led the group down towards the basement.

Dragonlord318 · May 14, 2020

Just as the group headed into the basement, a brief flash of light shone from outside.

David opened his eyes and looked around him, taking in the scenery before him. A wooded area, a battle-ridden house-like structure in front of him and a few goblins running frantically out of the front entrance. He took all this in, wondering how he'd gotten from standing outside Bath and Body Works to the area he was in now. He looked down at his gear out of habit to ensure his - where were his taser and baton?!? Where was his radio?!? Where in the world was he?!?

Wait. Goblins?!?

"DRAGONKIINNNN!!!! DA REWAD IS GOOD FER DEY SKIN! I'MA DA BOSS NOW! GET IM!!!"

He looked up just in time to see an axe - if you could call something that small an axe - in midair heading straight for him. He reflexively moved his right arm up to deflect the projectile and turned his head to protect his eyes. He braced for the inevitable, but instead of feeling the cold steel against his arm and hearing the sound of metal piercing flesh, he heard TINGGGG.

He looked up and saw the axe flipping up into the air and landing nearby, then looked to see what stopped it. He beheld a fully armored arm with a standard shield in front of him. An arm that had a four-fingered hand on the end. A hand that was dark red in color. Red scales that made up the entirety of the glove he was wearing. He lowered his arm down and the shielded arm moved too. He widened his eyes and flexed the fingers. That was not a glove.

He heard scuffling in front of him and finally saw who had yelled out the battle cry from earlier.

Oh, right. Goblins.

As one leapt up to grab onto him, he reflexively swatted at it with his right arm, the shield contacting almost the entire body of the creature. Instead of the small attacker being slightly moved off course, its body flew as though it were a baseball hit by a Hall-of-Famer. As the goblin hit a nearby tree, the last thing to go through its head was its collar bone. David looked on in awe as he realized what had just happened. The rest of the goblins started ganging up on him, and he looked around his person reflexively, searching for a weapon. He saw a long sword on his right hip, and his left hand reached for it before his brain could figure out why. The sword came out with a satisfying SHIIINNGGG. David smiled as he admired the flawless dragon-forged steel. If this was a dream, he was about to have a lot of fun.

The Mad Queen · May 19, 2020

Wyatt Hamon/Ser Godfree & Blair Tuama/Circe

As the Halfling raised his wrists, the door to the basement burst open and the rest of the group stood there.
"Thank the Gods. These must be your companions." He breathed a heavy sigh of relief, his eyes moving back towards Mark "You all need to listen to me. This is not where it ends."
"There's more Goblins?" Wyatt asked, stepping forwards and cutting the ropes around the Halfling, who replied with a worried nod
"In the hills. If someone doesn't check in every few hours, they'll get suspicious. And trust me, there's a whole army out there." As the young man shook in his boots, Wyatt's eyes met that of the rest of the group.

They'd barely survived a group of this size. An entire Goblin army, just waiting to strike? He told himself there was no way they would survive such an encounter. There was something else troubling the veteran player though. As much as Goblins and Kobolds made for good trap masters, skilled in guerilla warfare he'd never seen Goblins this organised before.
At least, not without them working on someone else's payroll. An entire army to capture one family? Just how large was the ransom?

"Everyone, undo the restraints. We're getting out of here."

A tactical retreat. At least Patrick's family would be safe, as would the rest of the party.
"Wait!" The younger Halfling cried "Give me a moment to get into the family archives. There are things in there we cannot allow these bastards to have."

-
Blair had followed Wyatt and the others into the basement and was busy at work slicing the restraints of as many O'Marras as she could. Unlike the other Halfling who'd mentioned an army, they were silent as one by one, she and the others helped each and every one to their feet.
"Do you have a name?" She asked an elderly woman, only to get no response. With her yellow eyes she stared into the blue eyes of the old Halfling, seeing nothing. A thousand yard stare is all that greeted her.

"What's wrong with them?" She asked, doing her best to hide the shakiness in her voice. A familiar voice answered first, for the woman's patron whispered over her shoulder.
"My child...This woman doesn't have a soul."

Blair could only take one step away from the elderly woman, backing up into the middle of the basement.
"Umm...Guys. I think we have a problem."

Dethrix

-
Outside of the brewery, one of the Goblins who had initially charged into battle at the sight of the Dragonborn had turned on his heels, dashing back inside the doors of the building.

"Not wirth it. The reward!" He cried. His companions, on the other hand stood their ground as the rushed their new target.

Dragonlord318

Dragonlord318 · May 19, 2020

The first goblin that rushed him went in low, while the other went wide to David's right side. David spun around to the left, gaining some distance and gauging his new targets. He decided to speak to his new associates. He'd been lucid in dreams before, so he thought he'd give it a try here. "Your friend was wise to run away," he said in a much deeper voice than his own. He wanted to stop and examine it, to see why he sounded so different, but something kept his focus on the threats before him.

"Youda Dragonborn. We gon' tear ya flesh from ya bones!" The one on the right yelled. "Yeah!" his companion shouted, empowered by his de facto leader's bravery. The one in front of him rushed him again, only to be kicked by a three-toed, armored foot. The green body skipped across the ground like a stone on water and came to a stop several yards away, green fluid leaking from its torso. It wasn't moving.

"I'ma getcha fer dat Dragonborn!" David was so focused on what his foot just did that he forgot all about the threat on his right hand side. That is, until he felt a stinging pain in his leg. He jumped back and looked down, seeing the toothpick of a sword that was lodged in his leg. He looked up at the goblin who was smirking satisfactorily at his work, sure that the dragonborn surely couldn't fight after being injured by his expert bladesmanship.

Right?

A rage that David had never felt before rose in his soul. He knew two things:
1. This was not a dream. He felt that blade, and
2. He was going to eat that goblin whole!

He pulled the sword out and tossed it to the side, the wound barely leaking blood from the small blade. He roared, the sound normally loud enough to rupture his eardrums now barely registered as a noise above speaking decibels to the dragonkin. He burst forward in speed that - if he wasn't high on adrenaline - would have shocked him. He closed the distance to the goblin quickly, scooping him up in his shielded hand. The confident smirk that had been there before was gone, and the smell of urine and feces permeated the forest air. As the goblin looked up in fear at the red-scaled wyvern descendant, the last thing he saw was a mouth full of razor sharp teeth open up wide.

Several minutes and one less goblin later, David sat down, having just realized the reality of the situation. He wasn't dreaming, and he had just eaten a goblin whole without even a second thought, like it was completely normal to eat a combatant of another species. His head went through multiple scenarios of what could be happening as he looked around out of habit. He saw a broken window pane on the building and rushed over to it, examining his features.

"I...I...I..." he spoke to no-one. "I'm...Kamodo?"