...and so the chase continues.  Chief Glorbrag shouts orders in his gurgling voice to the rest of the warband from atop his palanquin, as six more goblins struggle to keep up the pace while carrying his bulk on their shoulders.  From behind him you can hear the dissonant chords of the war lute, played by one more goblin tied to the back of the chief's seat.

As for the actual warband, they are starting to split off into two groups.  It looks like they are planning to flank you, although they haven't quite caught up yet.  Probably best that you keep it that way.

So how are you going to get out of this?


Auberyn - There is another part of the forest here that the goblins dear to enter - why?

Hawthorn - How are goblins in your homeland different from the strange, foreign goblins you're dealing with now?

Istvan - Is there just the one slave that you're rescuing right now, or are there more?

Jon - So this concubine you got caught with - goblin, human, or other?

Lucius - Which vice did you have to set aside to be here today?

Otto - Those folks to whom you are still in debt, why do they care about these goblins?

The paladin's shiny armor was quickly gathering dirt as he ran forward, not looking back for a moment... clank, clank, clank

He's here because he didn't set aside any vices - he forgot to set out on THE QUEST, and gain the benefits from his divine convictions.

A rookie mistake.

Grunting and a few muttered curses was all that could be heard coming from Otto as the man ran alongside his comrades while dodging nearby trees and thick brush. The loud clinking from the scale-mail he wore was only accentuated by each heavy foot fall in the terrain. The markings of some kind of organization, a crossed halberd and sword over a depiction of a dark red shield, was sewn into Otto's jacket sleeve that extended beyond the armor. Another audible grunt was sounded as he attempted to heft his shield and spear higher above his feet so as to not catch the items on the ground or any stray branches. An open faced helmet with a loose strap jostled from the speed, falling slightly into his eyes and obscuring vision until he could temporarily adjust it back to it's original position.

"Damnable guild said there was only a few goblins, supposed to only stop a gaggle of the green-ones from accosting travelers not battle an entire horde." Otto snarled as he spoke, each breath catching as he felt his lungs burn from the cool air. A grimace fell across the fighter's face as he thought back to those wretches he owed, lamenting the fact they sent him out here at all. He scowled before shaking his head resolving to leave those thoughts for a time where his life wasn't currently at risk.

He attempted to look around for any kind of notable cover or terrain, anything to funnel the goblins through so they wouldn't end up being surrounded. "Don't like the look of facing 'em all in the open. Maybe if we can get to a choke-point or find some higher ground, anything to even the odds." Otto quickly yelled out to the group with a glance before returning his focus back on running.

Those folks had good intentions, wanted to make the area a little safer by scaring away a few of the local pests. The goblins had been attacking anyone nearby so they set up a contract to solve the problem, a noble goal for sure. But man did it feel like he was always getting assigned the jobs that ended up being more trouble than they were worth. If he'd survive Otto wasn't too sure how much of that reward he'd actually get to see.

A breathless chuckle sounded from behind the two men, as Jon leapt and vaulted over roots and logs with an energy that defied his age.  The old bard carried little on him besides the clothes on his back, some parcels of food, his tobacco box, a set of tin pipes, and a thin but elegant sword at his hip.  Perhaps he could evade their pursuers, given how lightly he traveled, but the old fool just wouldn't stop laughing as he ran.  Every time the goblins chasing them lagged behind, he would catch his breath and the laughter would become loud enough that Chief Glorbrag would almost burst a vein with indignity, urging his cohort of goblins ever faster after the sound.

"Ha ha, I'm sorry you got dragged into this, lad!" Jon called to Otto, before bursting into another fit of giggles.  "Heheh, I'll sing songs of your gallantry if we make it out alive!  What do you think I should call it? Otto the Evergrim, or Sir Albertz the Brave, ha HAH?"

---

Jon had been one of those wayward travelers.  Accosted by the goblins, he went with them peacefully rather than resisting and found himself spending a few weeks caged in a cell of woven brambles.  Glorbrag had captured several other travelers, one of which was a young lady he was trying to break down emotionally after taking a fancy to her.  The prisoners were fed a meager diet of wood maggots, starch nettles and grease beetles to keep them disgusted; Jon told the prisoners about the Vaegri elves who ate those regularly, and showed the others how to rub the numbing hairs off the back of the nettles, grind the beetles into a paste, and roll everything up into a spicy-but-palatable wrap.  Jon discreetly tended their wounds with his magic when Glorbrag had the prisoners beaten, and kept their morale and hope for rescue alive with his tales of distant lands far from their captors.

When he would play his tin pipes (the only thing he had managed to hide when he was captured), it caught the attention of Grithyi, one of Chief Glorbrag's many wives.  The female goblin had originally come to the cages to harass the girl her husband seemed so obsessed with lately and take out her frustrations at not having as much sway over his attentions, but became entranced by the sounds of Jon and his music that was so different from the raucous war chants she heard so frequently.  The past few days, Jon had the opportunity to teach her about many OTHER things she hadn't experienced before that made things a little awkward for the other prisoners... But when Otto, Lucius and the others made a disturbance that drew away most of the goblin guards it was Grithyi that snuck in and set the prisoners free, returning Jon's belongings as well.

It was a fond farewell, and Jon earnestly hoped that she would be safe after he left.  Thus, when Glorbrag realized his prisoners were escaping at Grithyi's hand, Jon taunted the blowhard claiming that he had bewitched the goblin Chief's wife, and ran laughing into the woods...

---

"Ahahah!   I like your plan, lad!  Hehehehee, let's find a place to drive them off!" he replied, egging on their pursuers even now.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:33, Sat 23 Mar 2019.

Auberyn ran through the brush in a quiet crouch.

The crowd of shouting and jangling men made the ranger grit her teeth: more like a school expedition than a hunting party. That's what you got for contracting out to amateurs. Of course, without the guilds' soldiers, she might be able to escape, but she wouldn't be able to spirit away any freed prisoners with her, so perhaps all things had their purpose.

"A choke-point won't be of much help if they flank us." She called to her comrades. "But there are other options. Not half-a-mile to the south there is some old barrow land. The trees grow thin and the brambles grow thick, but the goblins give it a wide berth. At least they did last time I was in these woods. It's safe enough during the day and goes almost to the edge of the trees."

Just the one.

Istvan wouldn't have thought they'd get so upset about just one prisoner escaping... He'd hate to think what they'd've done if we were trying to rescue a dozen or two people...

...Or... is there something extra-special about this escapee...?
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 20:08, Sun 24 Mar 2019.

"Sounds huff like huff a good huff idea!" The paladin replies, breathing heavily as he runs through the woods. He looks backwards for a brief moment, his wide eyes widening some more. "Holy SHIT that's a lot of goblins! Good thing I didn't take the vows of honor yet!"

The mere sight of the horde gives Lucius a second wind. "Auberyn, lead the way! You know the woods better than any of us!"

As you keep running, Auberyn makes a turn to lead the group toward the barrow land.  This surprises the goblins and causes a handful of them to stumble.  They pick up the pace again though, so while you've gained a bit of distance they are definitely still on you.

Luckily, Auberyn was right about how close the area is - it feels like only a few minutes before you can see it up ahead.  Less luckily, it seems she also didn't quite convey how thick the brambles are there.  Or how thorny.  You still have a bit of time to change course and come up with a new plan before you commit to this one, but only a bit.

If you do decide to run into the bramble patch, everyone will need to roll+Dex, with the following outcomes:
10+ you make it through with only minor scratches
7-9 the thorns get you pretty badly - take 1d4 damage, minus armor
6- as 7-9, but also choose one of the following:
 -you are an easy target for the goblin archers as you struggle through - take another 1d6 damage
 -you drop something, and you can't stop to pick it up right now - lose one piece of Gear or one treasured personal possession
 -you get stuck on some thorns and wrench your arm the wrong way as you try to free yourself - get the Weak condition until tomorrow morning




When Grithyi had opened the cages, all of the prisoners scattered, and only this one had followed your group.  She previously caught the chief's eye, now she's the only one with enough sense to stick with you - clearly there must be something special about her.  Do any of you have an idea what it is?

(And Jon, surely you at least learned her name while you were both in captivity - what is it?)

"Here, quick!" Lucius leads the charge through the thorny thicket. His heavy armor protected him from the worst of the thorns, and he got through in no time.

11:25, Today: Lucius rolled 1 using 1d4.  Thorn damage. Fully stopped by the armor.

11:00, Today: Lucius rolled 9 using 2d6.  Brambles.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:27, Tue 26 Mar 2019.

Sin-Singha runs along at the back of the group, feeling the pressure of furious goblins close on his heels. Still, he isn't as upset about it as he perhaps should be. Maybe Jon's laughter in infectious. Sin puts on a little burst of speed to get next to the bard, and gives him a little tap on the arm.

"You are getting all this, yes?" Singha taps his forehead, to show his meaning. "I will not have you forgetting any details, we will need stories later! Glorious stories!" There's a grin on Singha's face, an echo of Jon's mirth, and he charges headlong into the thorny brush with a cry. Sheer momentum and audacity carry him through the worst of it, and he takes only superficial scratches that he'll no doubt find time later to complain about anyway.


13:47, Today: Sin-Singha rolled 11 using 2d6.  Into the thorns! (DEX).

---

How are goblins in your homeland different from the strange, foreign goblins you're dealing with now?

The goblins back home are well-known poisoners, much sneakier and rarely showing themselves. These goblins poison themselves it seems, chewing cabo leaves and eating toxic mushrooms like madmen. Puts them right out of their skulls, manic and insensate. I'd hate to fight one like that, why you'd have to cut them limb from limb to stop them, and even then...

(13:11, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 10 using 2d6+1 ((4,5)).

If you do decide to run into the bramble patch, everyone will need to roll+Dex, with the following outcomes:
10+ you make it through with only minor scratches)

Istvan rushed through the brambles, dodging here and there as needed. He murmured a prayer to thank Noric-- once it was clear he was going to make it through with only minor scratches-- for asking the brambles to let him through... this time, anyway...

Maybe it was because Istvan was doing Noric's work even more directly than usual, helping a prisoner to escape...? (And being a prisoner who was escaping...? Maybe there could be a sermon in this? "Noric is the brambles which block pursuit but which help the righteous to escape...?")
This message was last edited by the player at 22:09, Tue 26 Mar 2019.

The brambles were higher than she remembered. And thicker, deeper, and sharper.

Cursing goblins and the dead kings and the good rain that made the thorns grow, Auberyn shoved her way through the tangle. She came out the other side bleeding and swearing, but thankfully without any goblin arrows sticking out of her backside. "Your song about this Jon? It better be bleeding hysterical to make up for the pain I'm in right now."

OOC:
14:57, Today: Auberyn rolled 5 using 2d6+2.  Brambles (+Dex).
15:00, Today: Auberyn rolled 4 using 1d4.  Thorns (-1 for armor).
Weakened until morning

A smirk played across Otto's face as he responded to the old man after barely ducking beneath a nearby overgrown branch. "Make it Sir Albetz, stories about knights are always the best ones anyway. Maybe after I'm long gone people will think I actually was a noble." A dry chuckle erupted for a second before quickly turning into a fit of coughs as Otto covered his mouth and regained his footing to continue sprinting.

A curt nod in response to Auberyn's assessment was all Otto had for a reaction, hopeful that the path would indeed give pause to the green-ones in pursuit. Upon seeing the thick brambles ahead marked with thorns he frowned with uncertainty but a quick look back at the encroaching goblins was all that he needed to make haste. Though he kept his shield up and the armor protected from the brunt of the prickly spines the way the greenery snagged and caught at his limbs strained out the man. Huffing as he made it to the other side, Otto slowed down considerably to a jog as he attempted to catch his breath. "That was a little much." He sputtered out with a shake of his head while sweat poured down his face as if he'd just been splashed with a bucket of water.


20:16, Today: Otto Albetz rolled 3 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 1,1. The Brambles.
20:19, Today: Otto Albetz rolled 2 using 1d4 with rolls of 2.  Thorn Damage, -3 for Armor.
-you get stuck on some thorns and wrench your arm the wrong way as you try to free yourself - get the Weak condition until tomorrow morning