As the first dim light of dawn strengthens to the mottled shadows of full daylight in the dense forest of the Oytwood, we find our brave little band of humanoid, reptilian and avian adventurers fleeing southward from the threat of the arrows of an uncounted hoard of angry elves. The only sounds to be heard are the noisy progress of this group as they crash through the undergrowth with as much stealth as the typical cavalry charge. It is as if all the wildlife of the forest holds its breath and hides out of sight as these noisy outsiders hurry southward.

Those among you who glance back do occasionally catch a brief glimpse of movement at the very limit of visibility in the forest. Vague shapes of greens and browns, even a tiny flash of light on polished metal once or twice. There is no doubt that the elves are right behind you! Yet they seem to be content just to pursue you, not coming close enough for either side to shoot at the other, not yet anyway.

After a full hour of this forced march Jurz and Rog are still leading the way although the rest of the group is only 20 to 30 feet behind them. But what is up ahead? Is it your imagination or is the daylight actually getting brighter ahead of you? Jurz and Rog suddenly break out of the edge of the forest into full daylight. It is uncomfortably bright after the shade of the forest but their eyes adjust fairly quickly anyway. However Rog skids to a halt ten feet from the edge of the tree line and they find themselves teetering on the edge of a steep descent. Moments later the rest of the group crowds up behind and beside them, spreading out along the ten-foot wide strip of clear ground beyond the edge of the trees. The ground plunges down 40 feet over the next 10 feet ahead of you, then levels out in what looks like a wide, marsh-filled valley. It stretches ahead of you for over a hundred feet before rising again as another steep, rocky slope with more forest at the top. This marshy valley stretches away to left and right for hundreds of feet in both directions. Detouring around it is probably possible although the valley curves away in both directions so that the ends of the valley are hidden behind the edge of the forest in the distance.

But what should you do now? Surely the elves will be upon you in seconds. Turn left towards the east or right and head west? Do you risk that slippery descent in the hopes the elves won't follow – there are certainly plenty of rocks down that slope to hide behind. Or is it time to stand and fight?

OOC: After an hour of forced march (following on from a full 8 hours marching through the night) everyone has to make a DC10 Constitution check to avoid becoming fatigued. Roll d20 + Con bonus, aiming for 10 or higher to avoid fatigue. Jurz is the only one who is riding and does not risk fatigue, but Rog automatically fails and is now fatigued.

Main Game Map updated.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:45, Thu 11 Sept 2014.

In reply to Wyrm of Wyrd (msg # 1):

OCC: A DM that gives self evident directions, I like this. There are 4 directions you guys can take this that I know of, do you pick A,B,C,D, or E.

Ooppes is running on straight fear and breaks the tree line before even realizing there is a opening let alone a slope.

Ooppses Rolled a 22 using 1d20+3.

In reply to Oopses (msg # 2):

So, does that mean Oopses doesn't stop at the top of the slope but plunges down out of sight? Does Arlein go with him?

Dregz is puffing and panting, but sheer terror of the horrible Elves close behind drive the little goblin on.  The forest is unnerving, the daylight moreso and in other circumstances the almost sheer drop would give him pause ... but those horrible, horrible Elves spur him forwards, without hesitation, over the edge of the cliff, his sack-wrapped Holy Book clutched tight as he mutters a prayer to Bargrivyek that is all but lost as his rapid descent begins ...

"GeronimoOOOOOOHHHHHGHH !"

Minmorc will stop at the edge of the cliff, breathing heavily and leaning on Vera. Through the gasps he will however start to laugh at the spectacle of Goblins falling down a cliff. He'll start beating his spear on the ground to the tune of an old orcish song.
"Goblins think deys tricksy, goblins think dey smart, but goblins good for one thing, and dats fallin apart. Throws dem at yer enemy, throws dem down your throat. When yours attack a humy house, throws them in der moat. Falls teeny goblins and if yours lucky yous might float." Minmorc will wait to see if the rest of the group follows the goblins and will make sure he has a good thick tree between himself and the elves.

In reply to Minmorc (msg # 5):

Depending on Dm ruling

sNotse our falltz, you bigguns runs too hast and seaz too farts. I runs and bush hits me in my mouth and knees at same himes.

OOC: Nobody has to fall or jump or scramble down the slope unless they choose to do so. The forest was too dense to allow anyone to run at full speed, as you had to push through the undergrowth all the time or follow in the footsteps of someone who was already slowed to walking pace. You suddenly broke out of the undergrowth into a 10-foot wide, relatively clear space with a steep slope down to a 100-foot wide, marshy valley ahead of you. Everyone can make their own decision which way they want to go and what they want to do.

So far Jurz and Rog have paused at the top of the slope, Oopses and Arlein have done the same, Dregz is scrambling down the slope and Minmorc has taken cover behind a tree while he waits to see if the others choose to follow Dregz.

Nurzhan is the last one out of the forest. Seeing everyone else milling about at the top of the slope he quickly looks around and sees Minmorc behind a tree with his enormous spear in his hands. He grins at his brother orc and steps back behind another tree. He readies his bow to shoot the first elves he sees.

Bulldust pauses at the top of the slope too but he seems more amused by Minmorc and Oopses than interested in the change in terrain.

He points at Oopses and laughs.

"Two Fartz! Good name! You good wiv making the names too, Two Fartz."

He looks down as Dregz starts down the slope.

"Which wayz we gonna goez, Moffa?" he asks Moffdust.

Riza wastes no time and hurries behind a tree about 10ft behind Minmorc and hides herself with her bow at the ready. She is determined to kill the very first elf she sees.


OOC: rolled 9 for the fatigue check, rolled 31 to hide
This message was last edited by the player at 07:42, Sat 13 Sept 2014.

Moffdust quickly looks all around and straight away makes a decision.

"Left pathz and right pathz not good. No coverz. We runz fast but arrowz faster! Dis not good placez to fightz elfsez. Demz getz around and flankz us and shootz us full of holesez. Followz the green priest. Him smart goblinz. We hidez behind rockz so elfsez can't shootz us. If dem comez down too den youz killz dem. If dey comez too close to edge we makez some of dem fallz down to us too, den youz killz demz too! Soon dem getz tired and runz away."

Moffdust carefully steps over the edge, slides down the slope and hurries behind the cover of a big rock.

Bulldust nods his head and smiles brightly.

"Moffa smart! Slidez and hidez!"

He looks down where Dregz went and tries to remember what the goblin priest had shouted as he jumped. He can't remember so he shrugs and jumps.

"What-he-said!" he shouts.

As soon as they break free from the woods and draw to a halt, Jurz realises that Rog is hurting.  Quickly he dismounts and starts to make a fuss of the animal, praising him in Goblin for carrying him this far with no complaints.  However, while he is caring for Rog, everyone else makes their own decisions about how to deal with the elves that may, or may not, be chasing them.

Shrugging his shoulders he goes with the flow, Dregz and Moffa  have made the decision to hide further down the slope, and it is as good as any other.  Especially when they are Orcs at the top to make a first line of defence.

Rather than the headlong slide of the others, Jurz takes his time making his own way down on foot and encouraging Rog to following him down the slope.

Once he reaches the others he will take up a defensive position, concealed if possible, and look around.   For all he knows there might be more elfses, or other enemies down here -  but he is also taking note of any areas that could be used to creep up on them or any places that he might be able to make more dangerous if the elfses attack.

”I wasn’t expecting dat! he says as he joins the other goblins down the slope.

---

08:20, Today: Jurz rolled 15 using 1d20+3. spot.
07:57, Today: Rog rolled 3 using 1d6. Hurtz.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:24, Sat 13 Sept 2014.

 She walked along wearily as they moved to try to outpace the elves. When they came to the steep decline, she had to grab ahold of brush and whatever she could grab to keep from tumbling down. It was times like this she wished her people could still fly. Once they reached a place to rest, she flopped down in a heap and tried to catch her breath, not bothering to try to hide.

08:36, Today: Raven rolled 7 using 1d20+1. con check.

OOC: Rog, Riza, Raven, Minmorc, Moffdust and Nurzhan are all fatigued after the forced march. They suffer -2 penalty on Strength and Dexterity until they are able to rest for 8 hours.

Minmorc, Riza and Nurzhan take shelter behind trees as they wait for the elves to arrive. Riza and Nurzhan have their bows readied and both shoot as soon as they see the first of the elves 60 feet away in the forest.

Arlein the cat crouches in the few weeds that there are at the lip of the slope, watching what everyone else is doing.

The rest of the group manages to slide or scramble safely down the steep slope, ending knee deep in water and mud at the bottom of the slope, which at least cushions their landing. Getting down was easy. Climbing back up might be more difficult. Everyone except Raven quickly takes cover behind the numerous boulders that dot the slope. They are able to hear the twang of two bows being fired up above and a single brief scream of pain, then several voices shouting in elvish. 

OOC: Map updated.

 She heard the scream and the voices, so staggered up and tried to find a place in which to hide. She stumbled through the wet weeds and crouched behind a tree as fast as her soggy clothes and feathers would allow.

15:32, Today: Raven rolled 21 using 1d20+7. trying to hide again.

Dregz whispers to Jurz ...

Minmorc reacts to the seriousness of the situation by picking his nose. He seems to find an idea in there because he pulls his finger out and first points it at Riza, then one by one at the other members of the party. "I blesses you and I blesses you and I blesses you and I blesses you... " he then flicks the booger at Nurzhan "errr... Why nots, I blesses you too elfy Orc." He then sticks his arm out and gives the finger to the elves and yells "but I don'ts bloody bless you buggers, no bless fer you!"

Bulldust leans a bit closer to the huge boulder he is hiding behind. So close that his head must have got squashed down into his shoulders or something. He pulls back and looks at Moffdust.

"Oy Moffa, vere's somevink wrong wiv vis rock. It's got a hole in it big enough for an ogre to fall in it. Let's find anuvver one what's gonna stop ve elfies's arrows more better."

In reply to Bulldust (msg # 19):

"[Language unknown: Ainearset mamiie ntistrame... Rirea]!!"

Riza hisses angrily to herself and through bleary eyes let's another arrow fly at the elf she missed last time.


OOC: rolled 16 to hit elf e6 and rolled 5 for damage if I hit this time

"Orcs rule! Death to all elves!" Nurzhan shouts defiantly.

He leans around the right side of the tree trunk and shoots two arrows as fast as he can. The first is right on target for one of the elves on the right flank (e5) but the second misses the elf behind him (e12) by a wide margin.
This message was last updated by the GM at 12:38, Wed 17 Sept 2014.

Moffdust looks at Bulldust very strangely for a moment before copying what he did by pushing her own head inside the huge boulder they are sheltering behind. After a moment she pulls it back out again, smiling.

"Youza big silly billiez, Bully! Its called a tunnelz!"

Moffdust's yells cause Dregz to turn away from his whispered conversation with Jurz.  "Tunnelz !  Dat's more like it !  We're going down der tunnelz, everyones !"

The priests eyes flick back and forth for a moment as the thinks for a moment.  "As it wuz written !" he adds more quietly, nodding vigorously.

 She readied her sling again, trying to dry the straps off and tighten the knots, then dug out some bullets out of her pouch, and placed it onto the sling pocket. When the chance came again, she tried to shoot it out at an elf. The wet leather wasn't cooperating too well though.

23:11, Today: Raven rolled 4 using 1d4+1. sling.
23:16, Today: Raven rolled 9 using 1d20+4. ranged attack (sling).

  Suddenly a smile spreads across his face as he hears Moffa say they have found a tunnel, and his grin gets even wider when he hears Dregz send everyone ove towards it.  Now it is the God's fault if it all goes wrong.  Especially as it is written.

"To da tunnel." he echoes dregz's call as he moves over that way.  [Language unknown: Plncnd ilthe eve po resresvor ic whe ardoutthi?  St lo entwa ard ut earticort nde a ilulck ....] he asks as he gets closer to his racial bretheren.

Up at the forest level Minmorc invokes a blessing to help Riza and Nurzhan hit the elves with their arrows. Riza follows up immediately with a more accurate shot that drops the elf she had missed seconds before (e6). Nurzhan leans out from behind his tree to taunt the elves and quickly fires twice more before they can react. He manages to shoot one (e5) and it too falls on the ground. A goblin voice is heard shouting instructions from down the slope and mysterious echo that sounds like a whole volley of arrows can be heard as Nurzhan and Riza shoot.

The elves may be stung physically by Riza and Nurzhan’s arrows but they are angered more by Nurzhan's taunting. The elder male elf (e3) reacts with a brief prayer of his own that seems to bolster the other elves' courage and determination. A young female elf (e7) at the rear responds immediately with an incantation that hurls a yellow-glowing bolt of energy straight at Nurzhan, hitting him in the shoulder. The other six elves all have bows in hand and all shoot at Nurzhan before scrambling to find cover behind trees as well. Two of their arrows hit the tree he is sheltering behind but four others hit him, including one right in his chest.  Nurzhan staggers back as each arrow strikes. For a moment he just looks surprised, then his eyes glaze over in death and his lifeless body falls over backward to thud on the ground behind the tree.

Arlein the cat continues to hide among the short weeds at the top of the slope and watches the battle as well as what is happening below.

Meanwhile, down at the base of the slope, the rest of the group hides behind the boulders around the edge of the marsh. Dregz stares out across the marsh and wonders about escaping across that boggy terrain until Bulldust and Moffdust discover a hidden tunnel leading back into the slope through one of those great boulders. The fact that the tunnel mouth looks like solid rock and can’t be seen through until they poke their heads inside doesn't seem to bother anyone, at all. The relief of finding somewhere to hide where they will have all the advantages over the elves is more than enough to make the goblinoids happy.

Bulldust and Moffdust are closest and therefore the first ones inside when Dregz announces that is the way to go, even giving it the blessing of his ever-so-holy book "as it wuz written!"

Only Raven is slow to react as she waits with her sling ready if any elves show themselves at the top of the slope above her. Grakk scoops up Oopses under one arm and carries him toward the tunnel too.

OOC: Map updated. The tunnel is about 5 feet wide and 5 feet high, heading roughly northwards back into the slope for about 30 feet before bending out of sight to the left.

Everyone currently at +1 to hit (Bless from Minmorc) for 9 more rounds.

"Come ons." Jurz shouts as he makes his way towards the  strange boulder tunnel.  Once there he will urge Rog inside, to wait for him then pop out to make sure the rest are coming and that any of the archers who make it down the slope know where to come.

In reply to Jurz (msg # 28):

Arlein drops a no light spell centered on minmorc's bottom right Left corner.

as darkness, but has no effect on darkvision, 20ft radius.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:07, Mon 22 Sept 2014.

Minmorc will shout with great indignation, "oh my god, you killed Nurzhan, you bastards!" He'll then add under his breath, "now who's gonna carry his stuff..." Minmorc will dart out from the cover of darkness and will grab Nurzhans corpse, then will haul it back into the shadows, making sure that he doesn't end up in exactly the same spot he started in. Any illusions of altruism will be immediately dispelled when the others hear Minmorc looting and muttering "so, der feathery bit goes on der string and der pointy bit goes in der udder guy..."

Riza cries out in anger at the elves and at her own fatigue "rot in a sewer bloody elves!"

She let's another arrow fly, her anger driving her arrow and focus. She hears Minmorc muttering in the darkness "that's right Minmorc pointy end goes into the elves!"

OOC: rolled 24 to hit elf10 (failed on critical only rolled 6) rolled 5 damage

"Fightin' der Shinin' Ones in der forest," Dregz mutters disgustedly.  "Dey's been out in der sun too long !"

"Down 'ere !" the goblin priest also calls to those exchanging arrows with the Elves up above, but doesn't hang about, entering the tunnel and blinking to adjust his eyes to the darkness, sighing in relief as he gets away from the heat and light of the world above, then moving forward cautiously, not-quite eager to see what they've got themselves into, but at least wanting to make sure there are no nasty surprises with pointy teeth.

Up at the forest level an area of darkness suddenly appears to engulf Minmorc, even extending out far enough to shroud Nurzhan's corpse as well.

Riza responds angrily to the death of Nurzhan, shooting another elf in retaliation. Once again her arrow puts her target (e10) out of the fight.

The elder male elf (e3) reacts to the sudden appearance of darkness by chanting a brief prayer of his own that swiftly drives the darkness away, leaving Minmorc back where he started. The five remaining elven archers respond with another volley of arrows, shooting two at Riza and three at the larger target of Minmorc. Riza manages to duck behind cover just in time and both arrows whistle past her head harmlessly. Minmorc is similarly lucky as one arrow aimed at him hits the tree beside him and two more whistle past his ears as he bends down over Nurzhan's body.

Arlein the cat still watches patiently from her hiding spot at the top of the slope.

Meanwhile, down at the base of the slope, the rest of the group follows Bulldust, Moffdust, Dregz, Rog and Jurz into the tunnel. The tunnel heads back into the slop for 30 feet then bends to the left before opening out into a large, low-ceilinged cavern. The ceiling is only about ten feet above the floor level and has tree roots poking through in numerous places. The ceiling of the cavern is supported by several great stone boulders that also obstruct vision of many parts of the area. The centre of the cavern floor is filled by a pool of dark, stagnant water but at least there is a sandy beach 5-10ft wide around the edges where the floor of the cavern slopes down to water level. There is just enough light filtering in from outside so that everyone can see well enough to avoid stumbling around in the dark. (Double normal darkvision range. Even those who only have low-light vision can see 30 feet inside the cavern.)

However the thing that catches everyone's attention is the frogs, thousands of them, sitting quietly around the edge of the water. Some are on the sand out to a foot or two from the water's edge and many more are sitting or floating in the water. They have moved away from where the group has entered so that patch of beach is clear of frogs. There is no sound in the cavern except an occasional drip of water from the ceiling and no movement except a few gentle ripples in the water's surface.

OOC: Main game map now shows the tunnel where most of the group is going.

Everyone currently at +1 to hit (Bless from Minmorc) for 8 more rounds.

 Suddenly realizing she is alone, and that the elves have killed one of their group, she sprint hops toward the tunnel as well, trying to get to safety. Tunnels weren't her forte but it must be to some of them. She wasn't so sure when she saw all the frogs though.

The frogs surprise the little goblin priest, but no so much as their silence, which is most disturbing as if all them have their bulbous eyes turned towards him.

Looking around (anything to avoid those eyes !) Dregz is unhappy to discover that some of his tribe have not yet made it down into the tunnel.

"Where's der others ?" he hisses. "Minmorc, Riza, Nurzhan ?  We needs to collapse dis tunnel so der elves can't follow !"

Rog looks back towards towards way out from the cave -  but Jurz has told him to stay -  so he say down and waited.  Looking around the cave his saw the frogs.  His ears perked up and he started to salivate.

So much dinner ...  but Jurz had said wait.  So he continued to sit and watch the frogs.

Crouched behind the rock at the bottom of the slope, Jurz can't see what is going on up the slope -  however, he watches, waiting for any sign of Nurzhan, Minmorc and Riza to come running down the slope to join them.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:35, Wed 01 Oct 2014.

Minmorc will snap off a shot at the elder Elven male then drop the bow and grab up his spear again, and will crouch down behind the tree in a runners sprinting pose. "Oi, pointy ears! Every bugger in dis forest wants us gone and wees just want out. We dinnint run from our army just to fight you shinies on our own. Now bugger off or I'll come on over dare and stick yous til wear all red an dead."

Riza continues her assault on the elves firing another arrow this time at the lone elf to the left of the group. Once firing her arrow she will duck down at the base of the tree, using her chameleon skin to try and blend in with the Forrest so she is harder to find and get shot.


OOC: rolled 18 to hit elf e9, rolled 2 damage, rolled 27 to hide from the scary elves

The goblin slowly and trepidatiously makes his way back down the tunnel, his fears eased somewhat (but by no means entirely) as he finds Jurz waiting there.

 he hisses.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:30, Wed 01 Oct 2014.

 Jurz responds quietly as he keeps watch for anyone coming over the edge.   he shakes his head sadly as he informs his fellow goblin.

Dregz shakes his head in return.  he replies to the goblin druid.

Minmorc and Riza both shoot at the elves again and surprisingly both manage to hit their targets (e3 and e9), although both arrows just wound those two elves.

The elder male elf that Minmorc shot gasps as the arrow pierces his arm and the pain is evident in his voice as he replies.

"So be it, Orc! Leave now and we will not shoot you or your scaly little friend. Leave this forest and never come back. Your lives will not be spared a second time."

Down below in the tunnel and cave, nothing has changed except that Raven has gone in and Dregz has come out to the entrance to whisper to Jurz.

OOC: Everyone currently at +1 to hit (Bless from Minmorc) for 7 more rounds.

Riza hisses to Minmorc after hearing the elder elves proposal. "Sounds good to me Minmorc, let's grab Nurzhan and get the hell out of here... I don't trust them though, you get Nurzhan and I'll cover us"

Riza will wait to see how Minmorc responds before moving out from her hiding spot...

"Righto clever Riza, don't fink I'll lug der whole body, just the good bits." Minmorc will quickly strip the backpack and quivers from the body and will also take the long bow. He'll then hoist Nurzhan up against the trees to stare out at the elves and will use his javelin to prop the corpse up. With goodies in hand and Nurzhan to watch their backs one last time Minmorc will head down towards the wet bit looking for the others.

When he sees Riza and Minorc heading down the slope, he leans out a bit and waves them over towards the invisble cave.  "Dis way."  he hisses.

Standing besides the druid, the goblin priest breaths a sigh of relief. "Wese thought youse were dead fer sure !" he tells the pair, doing a quick head count then pausing as he notices what Minmorc is carrying, nodding his head sadly as he realises Nurzhan won't be joining them.

"Can youse collapse dis tunnel behind us ?"  he asks the big ork.  "Stop dose damn Elves from followin' !"

Minmorc will have a good look around. "Errr... It it a tunnel or a hole? Don't wanna go trashin doors if der ain't an udder door ter go to."

"Its an invisible hole."  Jurz says as he passes his hand through the solid looking rock face.  "Dere's a cave inside ..." he says.

---

OOC:  If I haven't got this invisible / concealed thing right -  please just delete this post :)

Bulldust looks around at the cavern happily.

"Look Moffa, we've finded a paddle pool! We's can plays skip toad, too. See's how many times can make a froggy bounces when we's kick vem cross ve waters. Come wiv me! Gotta explore some mores."

He grabs Moffa by the hand and heads off to the left around the edge of the cavern.

In reply to Bulldust (msg # 50):

Oopses becomes sullen and quiet, even more submissive then usual.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:52, Sat 04 Oct 2014.

Minmorc and Riza are able to withdraw safely without the elves trying to shoot them as they leave. Minmorc carries Nurzhan's backpack, bow and quivers of arrows with him as he slides down the slope and splashes loudly into the swamp at the bottom. Riza follows shortly after but manages the descent with far more skill. The very dead Nurzhan is left propped up against a tree to guard their backs.

Jurz shows them the way into the secret tunnel entrance, which seems to be concealed by some sort of permanent illusion of a solid boulder.

Meanwhile, down in the cave, Dregz wants to collapse the tunnel entrance. The first ten feet or so is through solid rock and probably impossible to collapse. Beyond that the walls seem to be mostly large boulders with the gaps full of densely packed earth. The ceiling has far less rocks and is mostly soil held together by the roots of trees above. Several great rock columns support the ceiling but to the eyes of those more used to deep tunnels carved through solid stone the whole cavern looks a bit too unstable. It has obviously been like this for many years but you have the distinct impression that any attempt to collapse any section could have disastrous effects over a much wider area of the cavern.

Bulldust enthusiastically explores around the perimeter of the cavern and finds that the narrow beach does indeed extend all the way around the cavern. There are two wider beaches over on the eastern side of the cavern and the largest, easternmost of these has relatively few frogs resting along the waterline and none at all more than two feet from the edge of the water.

Bulldust also finds two more tunnels leading out of the cavern toward the southwest (back toward the swamp?) and toward the northwest (further under the forest?).

Moffdust spots a large boulder almost completely submerged in the middle of the pool, which she finally realises is actually a huge statue of a frog with just the top of its head and eyes visible above the surface of the water.

OOC: Main game map updated.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:55, Sat 04 Oct 2014.

With the blank expressions and raised brows directed at him suggesting that perhaps collapsing the tunnel is 'a very bad thing', Dregz slopes off, back to the main froggy arena, trailing in the wake of Bully and Moffa (for the partially cleared path they leave behind them as frogs skip out of their way or fail to do so).

The priest is not at all happy at the discovery of the frog statue. "Laogzed ?" he ponders, "Wastri ?"

"Dey're both frog-gods ... could be der troglodytes or der bullywugs or der bad humans," he cautions, looking around nervously and clutching the sack containing the Holy Book to him, for protection.  "Ise really hope it's der troglodytes.  Bargrivyek does not like Wastri !"

Carefully Jurz enters the chamber of the cave for the first time, encouraging Rog to walk along behind him, and checks around the party members.  "Where's de cat?" he asks the sullen looking Oopses "Or did de elveses get de pussy as well?" he asks of Riza and Minmorc apparently more concerned about the well being of the animal that the well being of Nurzhan.

Then he looks around the cavern proper, looking to see how fresh the water is and if there is weed growing in it.  He also scans the room for other creatures and plants before he bends down and inspects one of the frogs -  just to see whether it is a frog, toad or something that looks like a frog.

"Hur, damned pointy ears hate greenies, deys likes der little furry critters of der woods. Kitty cat'll be fine.  So yer wanna explore more or sleep, I'm ready ter sleep."

In reply to Minmorc (msg # 55):
/pokes the game thread with a big stick.
"Whys the frogs staring at us, theys creepy."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:59, Fri 10 Oct 2014.

"Come on, Bully. Lets us explores dis back tunnels. Its all narrows and winding and lots of tree roots and rocks and stuff. Feels like homes to me."

Moffdust pulls Bulldust into the northwest tunnel. She pokes her head out again moments later to speak to Grakk.

"Grakksy, you want to explores dat other tunnel over theres? Looks like it bendses back towards the swamp outside. Sees if there's another way for the elveses to gets in heres."

Riza slumps against the wall visibly exhausted. 'explore? You are kidding right. You can if you want i'm going to sleep like minmorc suggests'  riza will shuffle over to a corner near minmorc and try to make herself as comfortable as possible and will try to sleep.

It doesn't take long for Moffdust, Bulldust and Grakk to explore the other two tunnels out of the cavern. Grakk quickly finds that the ceiling of the southwest tunnel appears to have collapsed some time ago and is hopelessly blocked by fallen rocks and dirt. You would probably be able to dig your way out there but it would take a few hours of heavy work.

Moffdust and Bulldust find that the northwest tunnel is also impassable for anything bigger than the frogs that infest the whole cavern. That tunnel is structurally sound but simply choked by a mass of tree roots. However the presence of leaf litter just visible among the furthest tree roots suggests that tunnel might be open to the surface beyond that blockage. Hacking a way through the tree roots might offer a quicker way out if required, although that certainly won't be quiet work either.

Minmorc and Riza lead by example and quickly select the most frog-free part of the cavern to settle down to sleep in. They choose the relatively wide beach at the eastern end of the cavern as the most promising spot. Bulldust, Moffdust and Grakk join them as soon as their tunnel exploration is done.

Arlein the cat comes in through the main tunnel shortly afterwards looking as calm and unconcerned as only a cat can.

The thousands of frogs throughout the cavern remain quiet and watchful. They tended to hop or swim a little out of the way as Bulldust, Moffdust and Grakk had explored the cavern but calmly drifted back to their previous positions after the trio had passed by.

OOC: Main game map updated. General location of frogs added for clarification.

Arlein walks the circuit, sniffing at points as she goes, before sitting next to oopses quietly.

Satisfied that Arlien the cat is still with them and that the frogs are frogs, and not toads or anything else that look like frogs, Jurz starts to relax slightly.  Even better when it is reported that the other two tunnels are blocked.  However, he makes a mental note to go and look at the one that is blocked by roots when he wakes up.  Like the others he makes his way around to the frog free breach and finds himself a comfortable spot.

Once he has unpacked Rog he is able to look  more closely at the animal to decide whether he needs to take any action of heal it  over night, or whether Rog just needs a decent night of rest.   Then he will dig out some meat from his sacks take a portion for himself and  give some to Rog.  Indeed, he will share  some with those who don't have  food of their own.

Before he settles down to sleep, he turns to Rog.  "No eatin de frogs yets.  If youse wants some we's can get dem when we leaves.  No points upsetting de god of dis place when we's needs to stay here todays."  He knows the dof won't go chasing frogs, but he hopes the others see the wisdom of his words and leave any skip-frog games until they are ready to leave.

OOC: Current status:
Arlein: uninjured and not fatigued
Bulldust: uninjured and not fatigued
Dregz: uninjured and not fatigued
Grakk: uninjured and not fatigued
Jurz: moderately wounded but not fatigued
Minmorc: fatigued but not injured
Moffdust: fatigued but not injured
Oopses: uninjured and not fatigued
Raven: fatigued but not injured
Riza: lightly wounded and fatigued
Rog: lightly wounded and fatigued

Minmorc will flop down onto the beach and sleep the blissful sleep of the ignorant. If his rest is uninterrupted he will use the big rocks in one of the blocked up tunnel to do the work out he seems to consider prayer.

"Dey're prolly pois'nous," the goblin priest adds his own warning to the druids.  Dregz doesn't like the frogs at all and picks a spot on the beach as far away from them as possible.

He's not at all happy that all the tunnels out of this cave are impassible, as it means a return to the world above, but is grateful for the chance to rest and pray that the elves aren't taking up positions in the swamp outside. "Prolly don' wanna dirty up der pretty boots !" he mutters.

Before he sleeps Jurz with snuggle up to Rog and cast his Cure Minor Wounds spell, to help the pair of them recover from their injuries and exhaustion.

"Youse hurt ?" the priest asks Jurz, seeing the druid casting what seems to be a curative spell.  "Ise got a magic stick !  I c'n help wid dat !"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:13, Sun 12 Oct 2014.

"Jus be scabs an bruises in de morning.  Saves de stick for when we's needz it." he says nodding his thanks to the other goblin.

 She was very glad to see the others! She nodded to them as they came in, while continueing to keep an eye on the frogs. Since they didnt seem to want to come out of the water to mess with them, she'd leave them alone.
"Everybody oks?"

In reply to Raven (msg # 68):

Oopses has his back to the wall, staring at the water, while petting arlein.

"That smelly orc isn't."

 She turns to look toward the orc but notes that he doesn't look terribly wounded. Still, she knew if he needed healing, the guy with the stick can help him too.
 "I hopes wez all good come morning. Bet we bez all sore though. I hopes the frogs is nice and not hungry nuff to try anything wit us. Frogs is ok but lotssa other stuff tastes better."

Everyone was tired after the long night's march south through the forest, battling boars, running from and fighting elves. The frog cave finally seems like a relatively safe place to rest and recuperate. It didn't seem like a good idea to light a fire in the low-ceilinged cave so boar meat and other rations were eaten raw, which was fine for most of this group anyway.

Virtually everyone soon settled down to sleep through the day so they would be ready to travel again come nightfall. Those not too badly fatigued took turns keeping watch but once activity had ceased the frogs slowly started up a soft chorus of croaking that was really quite soporific, so even the person supposedly on guard would find themselves nodding off or daydreaming sometimes.

Everyone is suddenly awakened near sundown (or alerted, in the case of the person on guard) by a heavy flopping sound that repeats every few seconds, over at the entrance tunnel. After a few moments the source is revealed when a giant frog hops out of the entrance tunnel. This frog is as big as a cow! It halts at the mouth of the tunnel, looking out across the pool of stagnant water in the cave, and then it slightly tilts its head to look at all of you over at the right-hand end of the cave.

Only Bulldust doesn't respond to the arrival of the giant frog. Moffdust reaches over to give him a shake but suddenly realises the bundle of rags, blanket and cloak that he bedded down in is empty. There is no sign of Bulldust at all, although all of his clothes and other gear are still there where he lay down to sleep.

OOC: Main game map updated.  Everyone is fully healed and rested. However, none of the clerical spellcasters have had an opportunity to pray for their new spells for the new day yet. With the nocturnal habits of this particular group, we will consider this the start of Day 3.
This message was last updated by the GM at 15:55, Sat 18 Oct 2014.

Minmorc will slowly rise to his feet, Vera in hand, and will slowly cock his head to the side. "Is dat Bulldust?" He will then start mumbling and grunting under his breathe and will place one hand over one eye, peering through the fingers.

 She woke up too as the sounds of something flopping around enters her dreams, and the guard alerts them as well. She hopped up with her weapon and tried to locate the sound, and identify it. When she saw the huge frog, her eyes about popped out of her head.
"Dat's one big hopper!"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:31, Sun 19 Oct 2014.

In reply to Raven (msg # 73):

"If dats bully, whys he over der?" pointing at the big frog.

Moffdust squeals in dismay and starts frantically searching through Bulldust's clothing.

"Bully! Bully! Bully! Where iz youz?"

After a few frantic moments she finds a little green frog nestled inside Bulldust's shirt. She carefully picks it up and lifts it up to look at it.

"Bully? Iz dat youz?"

In reply to Moffdust (msg # 75):


Bouncing forward Arlein attempts to catch the only moving frog in the area.

Arlein suddenly pounces toward the edge of the water just west of Bulldust's pile of gear. She lands right on top of the only frog that was anywhere near the group (apart from the one Moffdust found in Bulldust's clothes). Arlein grabs the frog and huddles over it, pinning it to the ground.

The other little green frog in Moffdust's hands sits there quietly looking at Moffdust. Its throat swells slightly then it starts to croak, "Brrrrdup. Brrrrdup. Brrrrdup."

In reply to Wyrm of Wyrd (msg # 77):

"If dat's Bully, den whoz dat?" pointing at moffdust then at the big frog.

Riza quickly wakes up and readies her bow and arrow.... But holds off doing anything just yet as she is more confused with the arrival of the giant frog and the smaller frog, both of which are being suggested as being bulldust.

"Anyone have any idea what is going on?"

Riza will keep her eyes peeled to see if there is any sudden change in the behaviour of the frogs.

"Ise said der frog gods were bad news," Dregz shakes his head sadly.  "I'll bets Bully got cursed by dem.  P'raps all dese frogs were cursed once upon a time."

"Ise can try an' sniff der magic out, if dat frog is Bully," the goblin priest suggests.  "But I don' like der look of dat big one over der."  He eyes the giant frog warily.

"Maybe none of dese frogs were cursed.  Maybe dey are der big one's babies ?"

Jurz’s dreams seem to be full of insects and frogs, and it, perhaps, takes a moment or two longer for him to wake at the sound of the cow sized frog entering de cave.

”Dat is a big frog.” Jurz agrees with Raven, ”But deys little ones looks too little to be der big onez babies.” he says in response to Dreg’z comment.    However, he stands up and moves a pace or two towards the larger frog.  As he studies he speaks softly ”Nice froggy …”

Suddenly he turns his head and looks out across the pool for a moment before returning his attention to the big frog.

 "Could it bez da lil frogs God? Or maybez they's Overlord?" she asked Jurz.
 She eyed the huge frog nervously hoping it doesn't like bird for breakfast!
 "Hey der Nice Froggie, does you talk? We come in Peace!"

Moffdust suddenly looks excited, as though she suddenly had a brilliant revelation ... or maybe someone else did and whispered it in a far off corner of the multiverse and an echo resonated in her little goblin mind.

"Bully! Iz youz a Froggy Princez, now? I'z knowz diz one. I'z'll savez youz!"

She lifts the little green frog up to her face and plants a big kiss right on its tiny little nose!

"Der shamans warned us bout dat, first yous gets warts on der lips, den a frog in der throats, den before you knows it, you croaks."

As soon as Moffdust kisses the little green frog she seems to collapse down onto the sandy beach. Simultaneously, the little green frog transforms into the shape of a bugbear, crouched naked on the beach beside the pile of clothing that Moffdust was wearing. The naked bugbear is, of course, Bulldust. Of Moffdust herself, however, there is no sign.

Arlein the cat is crouched over her own little green frog, keeping it pinned to the ground.

All of this activity definitely attracts the attention of the giant frog and it slowly turns to face the intruders, leaning forward slightly as it takes a closer look.

Minmorc points and laughs, "hur, hur, hur, she croaked alrights!"

In reply to Minmorc (msg # 86):

 "Ut-oh, Looks like da curse es, es, es, swappable."

Bulldust screws up his face and spits repeatedly.

"Argh, pteh, pteh, pteh! Girl germs!"

When he finally stops he says, "I'z just hadz ve weirdest dreamz! Moffa woz huge! And she kisseded me! Argh, yuck!"

After another bout of spitting he looks around and asks, "Where iz she, anywayz? And why'z I gotz no clovvez on?"

"Hur, hur, hur! You wasses der frog so she kissed yer, now she's der frog. Dats bloody funny dat is!"

"Did youse go to eat a frog before youse went to sleep, Bully?" the little druid asks the bugbear over his shoulder.  However, his eyes never leave the big frog in front of him.

"Dere's a nice froggy ..." he croons softly, before switching to another language

--
20:29, Today: Jurz rolled 21 using 1d20+3. Talking to Big Frog.

"OR did youse touch dat statue ?" the goblin priest inquires sternly, but with a touch of resignation, regarding the bugbear with narrowed eyes.

"P'raps dese were ALL turned into froggies ?!!" he looks around the frog-filled chamber with alarm, his gaze naturally straying towards the exit which is now blocked by the giant frog.  "Oh dears ..."

Dregz lifts up his sack-covered holy book protectively, in case any of the frogs gets any ideas about leaping up and kissing him, covering his mouth, but leaving his eyes exposed to watch out with due fear and loathing.

Bulldust looks offended when Jurz and Dregz quiz him about eating frogs and touching statues.

"Na, Fleaz, I didn't eatz no froggiez. Youz sayz no eat vem and Holy sayz vey'z prolly pois'nous! Can't go near ve statue neivver, coz it'z inna waterz. Now, where'z Moffa gone?"

He looks down at Moffdust's pile of clothes at his feet then bends down to look under them too.

"Moffa, Moffa, Moffa, come out, come out wherever youz are," he calls.

It's not quite clear whether Jurz's little chat with the giant frog (in the peculiar language the little goblin druid calls his own) should be considered a success or not. The giant frog basically seems to decide it doesn't fancy goblin for supper after all - probably not too surprising, really - all that froggy baby talk would turn the stomach of just about anyone able to understand what Jurz was saying. The frog takes a giant leap forward into the pool of water and swims away toward the central spot where the statue is submerged in the pool.

Bulldust picks up Moffdust's clothing to look underneath and a little green frog hops out and lands on his shoulder.

Minmorc will continue peering through his fingers and half mumbling, half chuckling to himself about magic, diseases and frog goblins. It's pretty clear that he doesn't have a clue about what's going on, finds the whole situation very funny and has no intention of kissing Kermit's, snogging frogs or licking toads.

In reply to Minmorc (msg # 94):

"This place is scaring me."

Dregz squints at Bully, naturally assuming that despite all those vehement denials, the bugbear is lying through his pointy yellowed teeth ... but of course, unwilling to suggest that to his fearsome face.

"P'raps one of dem froggies,kissed you, den, while you wuz sleepin' ?" the goblin priest speculates, looking around his new tribe to see if there's anybody there that wasn't present when he went to sleep.

Whether his theory is right or wrong, Dregz isn't at all keen on letting any froggy even touch him !

"Ise thinks wese should get outs of here right now !"

"Dats da good plan" Jurz agrees with Gregz, then asks Oopses "Is da cat still trying to kiss der little frog?" as he backs away to where he has left his gear and Rog.

Quickly he loads as much gear as he can onto Rog and grabs the rest in big handfuls intending to harness and load the dog properly once they are outside.  "Minmoc, will youse have a look out through der hole and see if dere is anything out dere?" her asks suddenly, realising they could be running from a few frogs into a troop of eleven archers or worse!

Minmorc will scowl through his fingers at the little goblins scurrying around and takes a second to compose his thoughts, thinking several things at once clearly hurting his brain. "Jus stop scurrying around little gobbies, Wes needs a plan. We needs a war cheif wid a plan of attack cos just runnin from place to place is getting us dead fast. Now I don't know what's ter do, I aints a leader, I hit stuff. All I knows is my last bitty magic through my fingers lets me see udder magics so I'm gunna finish doing dat. Den I wants to looks deep inside and do dee magic mumble ter gets my magics back, so I'm gonna do dat. If der frogs get all pissy or kissy I'll stabs dem wid Vera, so I might has ter do dat. Once all dat is done I'll goes has a look out der hole and I'll go has a look at der udder tunnels. All dis finking is making der magic peeping hard so sssshhhhh. Stead of running in circles how bouts yous has a good look at Moffrog and stuff an figure outs how ter get our little wizard back, cos it's better to have a gobby dat kills stuff wid her mind instead of sitting and going ribbit ribbit. Riza, yous der clever one, you be der war chief and I'll follow you."

Jurz just shakes his head when he hears Minmorc jabbering on and continues to get things packed as he can.  "Youse do what youse want." Jurz responds, "But I isn't staying in  de temple to da frog god dat changes peoples into frogs for longers dan I needs to.  We's can take the Moffy Frog wid us and sees what we's can do for hers when we is in a safe place.  Not a froggy god's cave."

As soon as he is ready, if no one else has done so, he will sneak up and take a look out of the hole in the rock to see if there are more enemies outside.

Minmorc's suggestion sounds like a lot more planning ahead than any goblin could stomach (talking of which, the big orc didn't seem to be thinking of breakfast either).  "Ise gonna pray when Ise is nowhere near these froggies !" the goblin priest declares, though admittedly it'd be a close call whether cursed kissing froggies or Elves were worst.  "As it is written !"  He pats his Holy Book for emphasis.

Shrugging at Jurz, Dregz sneaks up to the happily-not-collapsed, what-idiot-suggested-that entrance to the cave and peers out, looking to see if there are any Elves still loitering in the vicinity.

Riza calmly watches the reactions of the other members of the group. She seems surprised when moffa is turned into a frog and bulldust is returned to his former self. "this place is cursed... Between bloody elves and giant frogs we need to leave"  she will pack up her gear and will grab a bit of meat from minmorc to eat. She moves towards the only enterance to the cave and with her bow drawn she will check to make sure there are no elves or monsters around. Once she is comfortable that is is safe to leave she will come back, studying the walls of the tunnel and will rummage in her backpack for a few items. "lets go minmorc, everyone come on. We'll bring moffa with us and see if we can fix her. I want to be moving as fast as we can we'll be out in the open for a while."     before leaving she will shout to the big frog "oi! Can you fix our friend?" she does not expect a response and will wait for everyone at the end of the tunnel while fiddling with a few items.

In reply to Riza (msg # 101):

Alrein Bats the frog she is playing with back towards bully.

"We's needs somewhere to holes up for a while.  Den I can talks to der frogs here and sees what we's can do wiv Moffa.  Maybe's it dis place dat makes de changes?  If we's take her away den we's might not be able to change her back."  He says as he moves towards the doorway.  "And I's can try and sees de way we's needs to go.  Der's gonna be Yoomans towns down dis ways somewheres, and we's wants to miss dose if we can." he muses.

"Bring dat frog wid youse Bully.  Cos dat is moffa." he says trying to make sure the bugbear understands.  "Eider dat, or kiss dat frog so we's know it is der right one." he says half hoping to get the more sensible Moffa back.

Minmorc is clearly disgruntled but gets over it quickly, especially when Riza agrees with the goblins. "Pffft, I's ready ter go whenever, y'all lead I's follow."

Bulldust picks up the little green frog that jumped out of Moffa's clothing then he picks up the other one that Arlein the cat batted his way as well. He holds them both up and looks at them closely until he can work out enough differences to tell which one is which.

"Youz can bov of youz comez wiv me," he decides. "Fleas is gonna talkz to youz later. He'z gonna workz it all outz, Moffa. Ven you'll be back to proper Moffa! All fixed. Eazy Peazy!"

He stuffs them both into a belt pouch and fastens the top so they won't hop out while he's not looking. Then he gets dressed again and gathers up all his gear and Moffa's too.

Arlein bats her little green frog prisoner over to Bulldust and he picks it up and stows it and the Moffa-frog away in his belt pouch while he gets dressed and packs up their gear. Everyone else packs their gear and gets ready to leave as well.

Dregz and Riza gather their gear quickly and head outside to check that the way is clear.

Minmorc has less packing to do than most and has a bit of time to finish his 'magic peeping' about the cave before finally following everyone else outside.

OOC: Main game map updated.

"No sign of der Elves !" Dregz is pleased to report back.  "Don' think wese gonna be able to get across der swamp - gonna have to go roun'."

 She watched the goings on with a half dazed look, as if she couldn't believe what was going down! Frog princes just happened in fairy tales, didn't they?
 "You want I should kiss Moffdust? I do it fer the team, though I don't really like frogs much and I ain't into shemales needer. If I does though, you all gotta take me with and carry my stuff and get me back to normal, ok?"
 She didn't really wanna kiss da girl, but she was the newcomer, and Moffdust was one of them. Maybe someday she'd become one of dem too.
 "Or I kin help carry some of her stuff, if that help anys."

Jurz even considers it for a split second before he replies to Raven "Nah.  No kissing, but brings her gear.  We's need to move out before dere are any more little froggies." he says with a bit of a quiver in his voice.

As soon as he has his gear ready, he will call Rog and follow Dregz and Riza outside.

Minmorc will head out through the cave mouth, spear in hand, Nurzhans bow and quivers now strapped to the arsenal that is his vest. As he passes Jurz he'll growl "lotsa magics where der big frog sleeps. I'll scout ahead, which way we headin?" Once the group has decided on a direction of travel Minmorc will move off, 50ft to the front and right of the party and starts scouting ahead, always on the lookout for something to fight or something to eat. He'll then stop at midnight to pray, Orc aerobics style.

"Dat way," Dregz suggests in a decisive manner, pointing Westish where lie the mountains of home.

After Dregz and Riza report that the way is clear with no wood elves in sight the rest of the group departs from the hidden frog temple as swiftly as they can, before anything else happens to prevent their departure.

Dregz suggests west as the best way around the marsh and Minmorc leads the way along the northern edge of the marsh. After a mile or so the marsh narrows and they find a safe enough spot to wade across to the southern side. The crossing is achieved without incident.

This seemed like a good spot to pause long enough for a meal, although they didn’t risk a cooking fire and feasted on raw pork once again, supplemented by local grasses and berries for those who might prefer it.

The rest of the night was spent marching southward through the forest once again. Fortunately the journey was uneventful and the group was able to make good progress throughout the night.

OOC: Thread closed ... to be continued in new Day 4 thread.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:44, Sat 01 Nov 2014.

In reply to Wyrm of Wyrd (msg # 112):

 In reply to Dregz (msg # 310):

Guys!? Its not funny no mores, da dog things are here...Guys?"
Looking around, in a 'worried' voice.