Raven noted Dorian's weird hand gestures, but they meant nothing to her. Then he and Zarth moved up to the ridge and watched what she could only guess were some miners on the other side. She sighed in frustration that everyone seemed to be abandoning their lookout posts... and just at that moment the Tracker spoke up, pointing out a possible goblin sighting. The woman ground her teeth at the irony of something happening and half her above-ground companions off miner-watching.

She tried to see where the Tracker pointed and hoped to catch a glimpse of whatever had caught his eye...

All the suspense watching as the miners brought the crate up, the breath holding, the muscle tension, preparing for a quick thrust...and in the end, just a bunch of rocks. Dorian almost cursed out loud. He looked at the red in the rocks, perhaps blood? Yes blood. Bloodstones, not bloody stones. Just some ordinary ores for iron extraction. An iron mine after all.

It was still weird that they were working so close to a goblin hole. And the suspicious look in the miners eyes. But, it seemed that they were only doing their job. Dorian was unsure what to do next, perhaps if he left he would miss something, but also he could be already missing something elsewhere.

Perhaps knockout the miners until the situation was over? To intense. And he wouldn't be able to do it alone. So Dorian decided to leave the miners alone for now. Just as he was slowly leaving, he noticed the presence of the non-tracker human beside him. He whispered to him "I'm going back to my post, shout if these guys do anything weirder than picking up rocks". And back to his position he went.

OOC

12:19, Today: Dorian Payne rolled 17 using 1d20+2.  Rock knowledge
17:14, Today: Dorian Payne rolled 20 using 1d20+6.  Stealth.

Again I'm assuming that I'm too far from Daniel to hear what he said. I'm not sure to where he pointed, but if it is the treeline that I'm heading into (D2), then I assume that I'll stop if I see something moving.

Quiet hangs over the hillside, interrupted only by occassional sounds of labour from the mines. The minutes tick by with no sign of those who entered after the goblins.

OOC: Daniel is less than 20 metres away from you, Dorian - you could probably hear him okay.

The gentle peace of the late morning is burst by a sudden, plaintive bleating; followed by a series of high-pitched voices quickly gibbering to each other in an alien language. You can see a party of six squat, green-skinned figures advancing up the hill towards you, most of which have a small lamb trussed and slung over one shoulder.

As you look, the only unencumbered one of the six is quickly running a curved, rusty sword across the neck of the lamb that had made the noise, while quietly but forcefully adddressing its bearer. A fountain of blood streams from the butchered animal's neck; spraying the two nearest goblins.

Distracted by this, the goblins are yet to notice any of you.

Daniel pulls back on his readied bow and shoots the unencumbered goblin. He immediately readies another arrow.

OOC:
I wasn't sure what you needed, so I tossed in initiative, just in case.
15:26, Today: Daniel rolled 17,10 using 1d20+6,1d6+4.  Shortbow attack and damage.
15:25, Today: Daniel rolled 5 using 1d20+4.  initiative.

10 damage, assuming a hit.

Hearing the bowstring nearby, and seeing the goblins Zarth realizes how far out of range he is and sprints toward the rock outcropping.

OOC:
Move southward and toward the rocks in the middle(ish) of the map using action to move as well. Should end up around G10.

Raven spotted the little creatures after the noise of the bleating lamb alerted her. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight of the creatures around the lamb. So those are goblins? She thought, having never actually seen a goblin before. They do kinda look like the descriptions in the stories. For a moment the young scholar wished she could understand what they were saying. But then she snapped back to the reality of the situation and quickly sorted through her options. There wasn't much that she could do with them so far away... but there was one thing that might work.

Payne was almost falling sleep while hidden in the trees waiting for some movement, maybe because of the rhythm of the mine, maybe because the tension of earlier, maybe because the alcohol effect was fading away. Anyway, a sudden different sound awoke him. He readily put himself in guard position as looking for the source of the noise. A lamb. But not alone. A whole group of goblins arriving from the south. Finally they would have some real action! But just as Payne was starting to move, something occurred to him: if rats feel threatened, they will run for their hideout. As the main entrance was being covered by the tracker, maybe they could find the direction of another entrance by simply scarring the goblins. So instead of running towards them, Payne stayed where he was, just sheathing his rapier and readying his Hand Crossbow.

The bickering of the goblins is suddenly cut short as a spectral hand suddenly materialises in their midst. They jump backwards with surprise, and stare in baffled fascination as the ghostly skeleton flails around trying to reach them.

The only goblin not carrying a lamb opens his mouth to speak, but before any sound emerges, an arrow penetrates its neck, silencing it forever.

There is a brief pause while the remaining goblins stare in confusion at their dead colleague, before they leap into action, frantically working to free their movement by untying the lambs strapped onto their backs. The first to free itself jogs eastward up the slope while unshouldering its bow.

The goblins definitely didn't see that coming, the spectral hand together with a precise shot kill would make any creature pee in their pants. And they got the desired effect, the goblins were surely scared. Though instead of running, Payne saw one of them pooling a bow. "Damn, they're up to a fight?!", he murmured. From the goblin perspective, they were five against two that they could readily see...But Payne was not ready to give up on his hideout just yet, so there he stood a little longer to see how things would develop.

"Dammit!" Raven swore softly, her conjured spectral hand missing its mark. She was sorely out of practice from refraining using her magic in this superstitious land. Taking renewed aim, she tried again...

The phantasmal hand rematerialises in the midst of the pack of goblins and grasps at the nearest one, which lets out a shriek and starts hopping around, vainly clasping at it in a desparate attempt to remove it. Dropping it's lamb, it runs in panic downhill in the direction of Dorian's hiding spot.

The other three look at other nervously, and quickly ready their weapons.

Zarth sees the trees ahead of him and makes a slight change in plans. Edging forward he tucks himself into the small grouping of them and prepares to fire at one of the goblins.

OOC:
Move to L15/L16.
Fire at goblin 1.


20:53, Today: Zarth Willowstriker rolled 22,6 using d20+5,d6+3.  Shortbow Atk, Dmg.

The goblin claws at its face in rising panic, futilely trying to pry the ghostly hand away from itself. Its shrieks are abruptly cut as an arrow thuds into its chest.

I will update the tracker later. Goblin 1 is dead, Daniel to go.

Daniel fires at the closest goblin quickly, quietly, and efficiently. Hopefully.

OOC:
Not sure which gob just died. Targeting #4 if it's alive, #1 otherwise.
09:23, Today: Daniel rolled 20,7 using 1d20+6,1d6+4 ((14,3)).

7 damage

With unerring accuracy Daniel sends another arrow through the neck of the goblin running uphill, dropping it to the ground. This leaves just three, huddled close together and reach readying their bow to shoot
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:47, Sat 07 Sept 2019.

Payne smiles as he finally sees that the chaos caused the goblins to spread. One of them was moving directly to his direction in panic, so there was probably an entrance to the cave in his position after all, but where. Unfortunately Payne didn't get his answer due to an arrow to the chest of the fleeing goblin "Damn!". And now the remaining little ones were preparing to fight back, so there was no point in keeping his position. Better end this quickly and then investigate the area. So he leaves his hideout behind the trees and runs toward his companions. He was still far away from the goblins but risked a shot anyway. He should have waited a little longer.


OOC
17:00, Today: Dorian Payne rolled 11 using 1d20+6 with rolls of 5.  Crossbow to Hit with Dis.

Now that's more like it! Raven thought, seeing her conjured magic have more effect the second time around. Concentrating to tweak it just a little more, she cast the same spell again, aiming for the goblin in the middle...

The mysterious ghostly hand rematerialises in the midst of the goblins, and even from this distance you see the colour drain from the middle one of the three, before it suddenly drops, lifeless, to the floor.

With a frightened squeal, the rightmost of the three jogs forward, letting off an arrow at the nearest human as it does so. The arrow penetrates Zarth's armour with a thunk, digging into his side.


Zarth to act

"Damned creatures, just begone." Zarth swears under his breath and fires again aiming for the one that just struck him. After firing he scurries behind the rocks nearby, favoring the side in which he was hit.

OOC:

08:09, Today: Zarth Willowstriker rolled 18,6 using d20+5,d6+3.  Shortbow Atk, Dmg.

Move to J17 in an attempt to gain some cover from the rocks.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:11, Thu 12 Sept 2019.

Zarth's shot pierces the goblin in its side. It staggers and screams in pain, but remains standing on shaky feet.

The other goblin, seeing it's companion hit, pivots on the spot and fires off an arrow at the human it sees firing on them from the top of the rocky outcrop, hitting Daniel square in the shoulder.

Daniel to act

Daniel drops unconscious.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:56, Fri 13 Sept 2019.

"Mal!" Raven swore in her native tongue, seeing the tracker fall from a goblin's arrow. Breaking cover she ran toward the fallen man, hoping that her skill with the medical arts could help save his life...

Payne curses for his missed shot and even more to see that the goblins were able to do some damage to the group. But there were only two left. Now that no goblin would run to their secret passages, Payne knew that it would be easier to find it if they managed to take one as prisoner. He drops his crossbow and readies his rapier, running toward the closest goblin (5) and stopping just a few meters from it, readying himself for the incoming shot.

OOC

Dorian runs to Q9 and assumes an dodge posture as his action/reaction.

Stopping as it sees Dorian jogging towards him, rapier at the ready, the foremost goblin quickly pulls another arrow and turns towards the immediate threat. His shot is good and heads straight for Dorian, but with the adrenaline of the fight driving all signs of drunkenness away, the sailor nimbly skips out of the arrow's path.

17:25, Today: The Voice of Fate, for the NPC Goblin 5, rolled 8,17 using d20+4,d20+4.  Attack on Dorian (disadvantaged).