The Goblins Fan Forum

Uragh stands ready to rage and charge at the first sign of trouble...

Veska, Uragh, and Vatro

Unable to find the creature she's looking for in the rotting meat pile, Veska decides to sneak closer. Hopefully she'd see it before it saw her...?

Skirting the wall, she's almost within arm's reach of the thing when she spots them. A cluster of eyes staring out from the chest cavity of a maggot-infested cow carcass. She almost ignores them, thinking they're just more discarded body-parts - but then they blink, all at once.

And it seems like her gamble paid off, as the eyes are completely unaware of her presence. Instead focused entirely on the tunnel she came out from.

Thankfully Veska doesn't retch at the smell as she approaches the Maw, and her eyes are keen enough that she spots the bastard! She sneaks her way back, the Maw entirely unaware it's been had.

"Found 'im," Veska whispers out of nowhere from the group's perspective. She points invisibly. "He's right there, see? ...Um, he's got three eyes pokin' out from that cow," Veska corrects herself.

"I'm shootin' 'im. You guys ready?"

Once everyone's set, she does the honors. She does a brief incantation, casting her Hunter's Mark on the Maw. Then she nocks 3 arrows, letting them fly straight towards the Maw's eyes! Then she'll drop her bow and draw a sword, thinking it unlikely the Maw will just sit there waiting to be a pincushion.

Initiative for Maw battle: 1D20+4 = [16]+4 = 20

3 shortbow attacks at the Maw (+Dread Ambusher):
2D20.HIGH(1)+7 = [11, 18]+7 = 25
2D20.HIGH(1)+7 = [20, 12]+7 = 27
2D20.HIGH(1)+7 = [7, 14]+7 = 21

3 Shortbow attacks at the Maw damage + 1 crit:
2D6+4 = [2, 1]+4 = 7
4D6+4 = [3, 3, 6, 6]+4 = 22
2D6+4+1D8 = [6, 3]+4+[7] = 20

"...yes. What is it I can help you with? Is there an emergency?"

"Oh! Well, yes, I suppose... I mean, it's quite urgent! ...Forgive me, but this IS the right address isn't it? I was told I would be expected here."

Jax shows the bit of paper with the scrawled address to the elf, taking the chance to scrutinise the elf's features and bearing more closely while they are standing in the doorway.

He does not do well.

Perception: 1D20+6 = [1]+6 = 7

Jax

"Oh! Well, yes, I suppose... I mean, it's quite urgent! ...Forgive me, but this IS the right address isn't it? I was told I would be expected here."

Jax does his best to examine the half-elf, but the door is only slightly ajar, leaving most of their body hidden behind it. And judging by the furrowed brow, they aren't really sure what to make of the man on their doorstep.

"I'm...afraid I wasn't told to expect anyone..."

"...what was your name, again? Are you a customer at the bank?"

Veska, Uragh, and Vatro

Returning to the others, Veska points out the spot to aim for, then pulls out her bow. The Maw doesn't see the arrows flying at it until it's too late.

"SSSSCCCCCRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

What follows is the most horrific screeching sound you've ever heard, reverberating inside your heads like a gong. Covering your ears does nothing to stop the intense pain that streaks through you. The Kobolds try to follow up with a barrage of stones, but they all bounce harmlessly off the Maw's meat-shield. While Barusk seems to be preparing to charge in...but catches himself at the last second, glancing towards Veska with a scowl.

Veska (20)
Kobold 1 (14)
Barusk (13), Slightly injured
Kobold 2 (13)
Kobold 3 (11), Injured
Uragh (10), 39/47Hp
The Maw (1), Injured(?)

((Are there any lights in the cabin?))

"Yes I am... I'm sorry... I must have made a mistake."

He leans back to check the house number and then looks at the paper again!

"Oh my goodness, I have come to the wrong number! I was supposed to go next door! Forgive me, I am just having the worst luck today! Sorry to disturb you, have a pleasant evening."

Jax goes to leave, and, assuming he isn't stopped, will walk up to the "correct" house (for his slip of paper) and knock on the door.

Ensuring that his garments and appearance will not stand out unduly against the night sky, Kytiel casts fly and rises straight up before moving over to above the cabin, descending down to its roof.

(((You can FLY?!? Awesome! ))

I think Vatro is about as ready as he can be for this battle
Vatro will shoot at the "maw"

Vatro longbow: 1D20+7 = [15]+7 = 22
1D20+7 = [8]+7 = 15
Longbow damage: 1D8+4 = [4]+4 = 8
1D8+4 = [3]+4 = 7

Vatro initiative: 1D20+4 = [20]+4 = 24

Can Uragh reach the maw in one turn..? And assuming he can't, can he start raging without risking losing it next turn because he hasn't attacked/gotten attacked yet?

Veska, Uragh, and Vatro

Vatro waits for Veska to make the first shot, then follows up with some arrows of his own. Only one seems to hit though, the other thudding into what looks like a horse's head.

Vatro (24)
Veska (20)
Kobold 1 (14)
Barusk (13), Slightly injured
Kobold 2 (13)
Kobold 3 (11), Injured
Uragh (10), 39/47Hp
The Maw (1), Injured(?)

Uragh, probably not wanting to get too close to this thing, just shoots a simple crossbow bolt for now.

crossbow attack: 1D20+6 = [5]+6 = 11
1D10+3 = [10]+3 = 13

Jax

"Yes I am... I'm sorry... I must have made a mistake."

"Oh my goodness, I have come to the wrong number! I was supposed to go next door! Forgive me, I am just having the worst luck today! Sorry to disturb you, have a pleasant evening."

The half-elf seems lost for words as Jax turns away to the other door. They manage to squeak out hesitating calls of "no" and "wait", but by that point you've already knocked.

There's a pause, and then the door is opened....by the exact same half-elf. Except when Jax looks back, he sees the one he was talking to leaning out of their door, an apologetic look on their face.

"I'm very sorry for the confusion, sir. My name is Erin, and this is Eris. We both work at the bank, and - as you can probably tell - live next to each other."

"Now, I heard there was something you needed help with?"

((Roll Investigation))

Kytiel

After waiting for night to fall, Kytiel mutters some arcane words and steps out into the void. Anyone looking up would see only a faint flutter of cloth, and probably mistake him for a large bird.

Soaring over the walls of the estate, he scans the cabin from above. As he gets close, he realises that "cabin" is a bit of an understatement - the building is probably larger than most houses, with two floors and multiple rooms. It even has what looks like its own stable, albeit quite a small one compared to what he saw next to the main manor.

The light he saw came from lanterns lining the walls of the buildings at regular intervals, illuminating the area around. There is also light coming from inside, though heavy curtains block most of it.

Veska, Uragh, and Vatro

Uragh joins in on the arrow barrage, but his crossbow bolt bounces off harmlessly.

Then the Maw acts! And....hides. Burrowing deeper into the meat pile, the exposed eyes disappear completely from view.

At the same time, Vatro and Veska hear a sound they really didn't want to hear. A faint scuttling, coming from above...

Vatro (24)
Veska (20)
Kobold 1 (14)
Barusk (13), Slightly injured
Kobold 2 (13)
Kobold 3 (11), Injured
Uragh (10), 39/47Hp
The Maw (1), Injured(?), Covered

Vatro looks around to see if he gets a clear shot of either foe, if not he just moves out of the way of both and readies himself to shoot a couple of arrows at them

Vatro longbow: 1D20+7 = [2]+7 = 9
1D20+7 = [7]+7 = 14
Longbow damage: 1D8+4 = [4]+4 = 8

Still wincing at the horrible screech that tore through her, Veska only barely manages to hear the familiar scuttling coming from above.

"Damn! More Crawlers comin'! Did that thing call 'em?" She sure as hell didn't hear any Crawlers on the way here. She quickly translates to warn the other kobolds, too.

Seeing the Maw bury itself in its meat pile - the thing must be smarter than she gave it credit for to take cover and let the Crawlers deal with the things shooting it - Veska relents and falls back to plan B.

"Hey big guy, ya got those oil flasks, don't ya?" She asks Uragh.

Without waiting for an answer, she hurriedly takes a torch out of her bag and drops it on the ground, then lights it as quickly as she can. She coordinates with the other kobolds, ordering one of them to throw it once the oil hits the Maw's meat pile. It's not like the kobolds have anything better to do until the Crawlers appear.

Kytiel moves towards the edges of the roof, trying listen for conversation.

Perception: 1D20+1 = [5]+1 = 6


Things seem pretty quiet.

"Yup." Uragh nods. He gets the flask out- Throwing it towards the pile..!

(What kind of roll would be required, if any? )

((Improvised thrown attack roll. So just 1d20+STR.))

((Which would probably make Barusk the best candidate to throw the torch afterward ))

Kytiel

Silent as a bat, Kytiel swoops down to the edges of the lamplight, listening for movement. He can't hear anything except the occasional neigh and snort from the stables, though. Either nobody's home, or this place has some really good soundproofing.

Jax

Now that you can see them both standing next to each other, you realise that they aren't quite as identical as you thought. Eris is an inch or two shorter, and has a slighter build along with more feminine features. While Erin has a squarer jawline, plus some slight stubble growing on their chin.

If you had to guess, you'd say Eris was female, and Erin male - though they're both genderfluid enough to pass for the other sex easily. Must be those elvish genes.

Veska, Uragh, and Vatro

While Vatro pulls back his bowstring and waits or a clear shot on...something, Veska moves on to Plan B: Kill it with Fire.

Lighting the torch, she passes it off to Barusk, who seems to understand what her plan is. While the other Kobold's keep watch, Uragh pulls out a flask of oil and hefts it at the meat-pile - the flask shattering on impact and soaking oil into the rotten flesh. Following which, Barusk chucks the torch with impressive accuracy, landing pretty much in the exact same spot that the oil did.

"HHHHHSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Instantly, the entire thing erupts in bright orange flame. Trapped gasses in the corpses seem to speed up the conflagration, and the entire chamber is bathed in flickering light. Another screech resonates through their heads, the Maw seeming pretty unhappy with its home being turned into a barbecue.

While this is going on, Vatro spots movement up near the top of the chamber. A Crawler pokes its head out of a tunnel, obviously attracted by the sounds....and immediately gets an arrow to the face. Hissing angrily, it scuttles out then darts into a new tunnel, closer to the floor. Seems it's trying to find another way around?

Then, the Maw finally reveals itself. And if the Crawler's were unpleasant, this thing is their even uglier big brother!

Its body basically consists of three stumpy legs, and a huge mouth filled with rows and rows of razor sharp teeth. Nothing else. There are no eyes on it's "face" - those are actually on the end of a long tentacle-like stalk, stretching out above it. Two more tentacles reach out of the sides of the beast, vicious looking spikes lining the tips of them.

Also, it is super angry.

Charging forward, it goes for the two targets directly in front of it: Uragh and Barusk. But whether down to luck or skill, the pair manage to evade the initial flurry of attacks - Barusk deflecting a tentacle with his log-shield, while Uragh ducks the other and sidesteps the snapping jaws. Seeing their leader in danger, the Kobold's unload their slings, but the stones that do hit just seem to make the Maw angrier...

Vatro (24)
Veska (20)
Kobold 1 (14)
Barusk (13), Slightly injured
Kobold 2 (13)
Kobold 3 (11), Injured
Uragh (10), 39/47Hp
Crawler (5), Hidden
The Maw (1), Injured, on fire

((Also, in the sudden light, Vatro notices that Veska is totally a Kobold. What a surprise! ))

Jax puffs up a bit, looking rather offended.

"If this is intended to be some sort of joke, I don't find it very funny. I was told to come here for assistance, but frankly, now I don't know what to make of any of this! Do either of you even work for the bank or is this just a ridiculous con you pull on honest customers?"

Huffy and outraged. Everyone loves those customers!