Chapter 1: On the Trail We Blaze!

To start once we finish the last of the prologue.

Five years have passed since everyone had last seen each other on those fateful 6 months you spent together with Flora and Grandmother Sophie. With the news of Grandmother Sophie dying of magical pneumonia, you all answer Floras call to say goodbye to your beloved mentor and family friend.

Flora leads everyone into Grandmother Sophie's room and she beams up at everyone with a weak smile.

"Oliver, Atrius, Woody, it is so lovely to see all of you. Flora said you were coming but I did not know when. You all grew up to become such dashing young men while Flora became a beautiful young woman. How are all of you?" She asks everyone after Flora comes in with her Fox familiar Todd with a glass of water.

Grandmother Sophie thanked her before taking a sip.

Grandmother Sophie nods. "Thank you Oliver. The disease has spread to my heart though so I don't have much time left. If I only have but a day left, then I'm glad I get to spend it all with you and I love you all. " She says a moment later weakly before coughing up more black goo into a white cloth before she takes a sip of water and falls fast asleep.

If you go to feel her pulse a moment later, there is none. She has passed away peacefully in her sleep.

As you all help prepare Grandmother Sophie's body for the funeral pyre, Todd the Fox walks up to Flora and says "I can't believe shes gone. You're now the new Guardian witch. How does it feel? "

Flora shakes her head to Todd indicating that they would talk about it later . Tears are in her eyes as she carries Grandmother Sophie's body that is wrapped up like a mummy in a blanket covering everything but the face and places it on the funeral pyre before placing a bouquet of Forget me nots on her chest and stepping away quietly.

Ill get something tomorrow. Sorry for the delay keep getting pulled away

As you say this, thunder roars and lightning flashes before a sudden downpour of rain quickly falls drenching everyone. You all run into the safety of Grandmother Sophie's cottage just as it starts to rain.

By the time you all go to bed, it is midnight. After taking your rest, it is the next day and the sun begins to shine through the windows.

Flora you see one of the windows had been mysteriously opened during the night and on it is a mysterious envelope covered in black blood.

If you pick it up and read it, this is what it says

" To the home of The Witch Flora Guardian of the Village and Gates between the realms:
We are in dire need of your assistance. The Goblin King has has taken us all as slaves and plans to eat us as well as allow his vizier to
do his experiments on us. This note contains a teleport spell which will send you and your aid to the Goblin Kings Castle. Please help us and I will reward you once we are all safely home. Sincerely, Princess Melody of Arcadia. "

Let's go!

You all get engulfed by a spinning purple tornado of magic that sends you not toward the Goblin Kings Castle but farther away from it as the tornado spits you all out, you all fall into a very smelly swamp. The smell of rotten eggs fills your nostrils.

The Purple Worm surprises everyone and attacks. It quickly hovers over Flora and tries to bite and swallow her before attacking Woody with its stinger.

[

You all continue to get chased by the Giant Purple worm until it falls and gets swallowed alive in a mud like quicksand behind you.

"Hope the Princess is ok." Todd says a moment later.

"Princess, you say? Oi, she's fine, little Foxy. She just got rescued by a Handsomely buff Half Fiend Tiefling Scion who is her Fiancee. They are back in Arcadia now." Said a little gnome boy whittling away at a small piece of wood with his dagger. He then smiled at them.

"If you need help in taking down the Goblin King, we're planning on a rebellion soon. He can't eat all of us at once and we'll attack him when he's most vulnerable, when he's eating. " He replied a moment later.

The gnome nods. "This way then. I'll take you to my cave then. It's where I have been hiding at since I escaped the Castle. Names Gregory, nice to meet yall." Gregory says after tipping his pointy hat to everyone before motioning everyone to follow him.

Gregory smiles. "It's nice to meet all of you. And I live in a cave because of that and because the Goblins don't come in here because of that and dragons live in caves too. Luckily I have not ran into any of those yet. I did run into those mosquito creatures which I killed after discovering their hive and they almost killed me so hopefully I don't run into anymore. "

Gregory leads you all into a large cave with a fresh waterfall and underground lake inside. On a small stone table is a cup made from the top of an acorn and a large magnolia leaf as a plant. His backpack and sword lie on the side of it.

He finds extra acorn tops lying on the cave floor and asks them "Anyone want some water? I'll fetch you some from the lake in here. Get settled and I'll show you my plan."

Gregory nods. "Sure, mr. Atrius. Come along. " He gathers all of the nut cap shells by himself and while trying not to lose his balance walks them down to the lake which is down a steep rocky incline but winding staircase.

"So, how long have you been an adventurer for?" He asks a moment later to Atrius.

Oliver sends his owl to see how far the Castle is. The owl returns an hour later and says in your mind

" The Castle rests on a gigantic mountain cliff near the crashing waves of the ocean. It will take you a while to get there as theres a winding road path going to the Castle but tons of goblin guards guard the front gates. I did see a
ladder on the side of the Castle where someone tried to break in before, but it looks like it was broken and tossed aside."

As you and your owl move quietly into the cave, give me a perception check, Oliver. @Basil

Pecept

Oliver and his owl familiar looks down the cave and don't see anything out of the ordinary. To the naked eye, it looks like a normal dwelling that is empty for now.

Gregory and Atrius come back from the cave lake carrying acorn cap bowls filled with water and hands them out to everyone to drink.

"Here's your water. Drink up. You'll need your strength. " He says with a smile.

Before Gregory can drink his water , a large metal collar is quickly snapped around his neck with long metal chains and he looks up to see a group of 10 Gnolls that quickly surprises and surrounds the party with a hungry smile.

"Let go of me!" Gregory cries out to his captor with fear.

The Gnoll laughs and says in common "Sorry, lil plump gnome. You have been chosen to be the main dish of our feast tonight and we will make meals and slaves of your comrades."

Gregory is then pulled back and dragged back into the center of the cave by the Gnoll after he howled a victory cry.

The rest of the Gnolls quickly grab Flora and Woody before tying them down to a large slave stick and lead them back to the center of the cave where their tribal dwelling is at.

Todd darts away and runs toward Oliver crying out "Oliver help! We got attacked by a Gnoll tribe and they captured everyone. We gotta save them."

Atrius is grabbed too by four of the Gnolls before they all march everyone to their Tribal dwelling in the center of the cave.

As soon as you all get there, one of the Gnolls quickly starts a fire underneath the cauldron and another one throws Gregory inside of it before water begins to fall on him and he begins to cough.

A Gnoll then calls out in Gnollish "Bring out the Chieftain! I found him a new pleasure slave for his harem."

One of the younger Gnolls goes to relay the information to their Chieftain and out pops a Extremely tall, muscular and obese Gnoll wearing a crown of thorn and human bones on his head while around his waist is a rope belt adorned with human skulls. The bones of his enemies also are worn around his neck, arms and legs like a great trophy while his leather armor is covered with a million sharp teeth on them.

The Chieftain looks down at Flora and smiles.

"Give me her chain. I'll take her in myself. You bring us a meal tonight?" He asks back in Gnollish. If you speak Gnoll, that is what you hear. Otherwise, it's a bunch of growls and yips.

The Gnoll nods and points to the struggling Gnome who is trying to escape the Cauldron but falls to the bottom of it and cries out in pain.

The Chieftain laughs at that before saying in common "You all did good. Keep up the great work. I'll take my new pleasure maiden with me. As for the others, bring over the Spirit breakers. If they resist, we'll eat them. Come along my delicate flower."

Flora struggles as the Chieftain pulls onto her chain and drags her inside his hut to be chained down close to his large ragged clothing and skin made throne.

"Leave me alone!" Flora cries out with fear.

The Chieftain just laughs and licks her neck before replying in common "You're my property now, little pleasure maiden. You belong to me."

He then snaps his fingers and a very emaciated Orc woman with a slave collar around her neck walks over to him with a bowl of water. Taking it, he quickly guzzles it all down his gullet and smiles.

"Thank you. That'll be all for now." He tells her in Orc before she nods and goes back to her corner in the hut until she is needed again.

The Chieftain looks at Flora and laughs as she tries to struggle and pull away from the chain that holds her pinned down to the floor near him.

You aim at the Chieftain Woody but miss. One of the Gnoll Spirit Breakers sees what you have done and uses the hilt of his longsword to knock you out cold before placing your hands into metal shackles and placing a slave collar around your neck tightly.

"Stupid human, you are going to suffer for hurting Big Strong Chieftain. " The Gnoll growls in Woodys ear in common before dragging him away with Atrius still tied down tightly to the slave stick.

Oliver as you follow Todd quietly into the Gnoll camp, give me a perception check as you walk in.

You have a hard time seeing where Flora is because there are Gnolls everywhere but Woody and Atrius are close by. What do you do? @Basil