Descent into the Underdark

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Mar 19, 2024 3:03 pm
The Lead Goblin looks at Ishzu initially stunned, then just starts laughing. "Really? That's what you, of all creatures, is worried about?" He continues laughing some more. He briefly slides next to Ishzu and puts his arm around him and says, "That's not us. We're not messing with dragons because I am not an idiot. You probably want the Stone Slider tribe. Which is not us. We're the Fetid Swamp tribe."

He then steps back and resumes a serious demeanor. "However, since you a representative of a dragon," he motions to the briefly glowing tattoo, "that affords you at least a little leeway. Don't overstep it." He pauses to let that sink in.

"Getting back to my concern, I don't see any reason to not at least check out out your story. I can understand the war band leaving through the Pop Square, but if they really did, they should have made it back here by now."

The Head Goblin starts issuing orders. He turns to one of the guards and says, "Arm the oldest of the younglings and take all of the younglings to the bolthole to await our return." Ignoring the guard's look of utter disappointment, he turns to the rest and says, "We leave now." A furious amount of activity starts taking place. The disappointed guard and the older yougnlings gather the rest together, while the rest of the adult goblins form into a new war band. Within 5 minutes they are on their way, taking Ishzu with them, even though it is still in the middle of the night.
OOC:
May I assume Ishzu continues to acquiesce to being dragged along with wherever the goblins are going?

Also, if you want to say anything extra before the Head Goblin forms the warband, please do so. There is time for some discussion first.
Last edited Mar 19, 2024 3:11 pm
Mar 19, 2024 3:08 pm
OOC:
Doing this as a different post to maintain separation of the perspective.
As Ander, Brewner, Grin, and Oliver continue to slog through the marshes, they here the sound of a group passing through the night some distance away from them. Leaving a marker to allow them to come back to this trail, they quickly move to where they heard the group moving through, and clearly see the evidence of a group of at lead twice their number pass through here. Looking in one direction, they can see the trail leads off to about where they seemed to have been going. The other direction leads off to parts unknown.
OOC:
Which direction do you go in?
Mar 19, 2024 3:14 pm
OOC:
is it too far for us to hear Ishzu’s telepathy?
Mar 19, 2024 3:46 pm
OOC:
Had a busy day yesterday, so couldn't really post. Glad it's going slow right now, so already caught up
Mar 19, 2024 3:56 pm
During their long journey through the marsh, Oliver looks for interesting plants that might serve for recipes. Perhaps some river plants do grow here as well?
OOC:
The keyword ingredient for one of my recipes is literally "plant extracts" and the keyword for another recipe is "river plants". Maybe a marsh has any of them. Rolling a check just in case (not rolling advantage from smell as I don't think you can really exploit a heightened sense of smell in a smelly swamp).
"Oh. Yes. I see the trail as well. Quite a big band must have marched throught the marsh. Perhaps we should check what that is about. If there are more lizards around, it would be best if we know about it."
Last edited Mar 19, 2024 4:00 pm

Rolls

Plant Identification - (2d6)

(44) = 8

Mar 19, 2024 3:57 pm
OOC:
Yeah, it's too far for the telepathy. Besides, he's otherwise distracted. :)

Where we are now, no, I don't think there are any "river plants" in the vicinity. But we can work on that as we go along.
Last edited Mar 19, 2024 3:59 pm
Mar 19, 2024 4:05 pm
OOC:
The recipe which is not about river plants says: "A mix of minerals and plant extracts form this clear and scentless fluid". If you want a more specific keyword for which kind of plants to make it fun, I'd say it would be "acidic plants", as the recipe is about making acid.
Mar 19, 2024 4:41 pm
OOC:

Ishzu would ask for a goblin to lead him to the Stone Slider tribe or directions to it.
Is the New War Band heading towards the rest of the Party?
Mar 19, 2024 5:25 pm
OOC:
I assume we keep following the little crystals that Ishzu leaves behind
Mar 19, 2024 5:59 pm
OOC:
Only enough time for a quick clarification ...
Smiley says:
Ishzu would ask for a goblin to lead him to the Stone Slider tribe or directions to it.
Is the New War Band heading towards the rest of the Party?
The Head Goblin says, "We have to solve our problem first, and you get to help us." It isn't presented as a request.
OOC:
The new war band comes close enough that the party can hear you pass by, but not close enough for you to make contact. For them to make contact, they will have to follow the war band. In fact, Ishzu doesn't know where that close contact even takes place.
Last edited Mar 19, 2024 6:12 pm
Mar 19, 2024 8:44 pm
Bunt says:
"Oh. Yes. I see the trail as well. Quite a big band must have marched throught the marsh. Perhaps we should check what that is about. If there are more lizards around, it would be best if we know about it."
Good idea Oliver, let’s follow the big group. Maybe the goblins and Ishzu met up with the large group that attacked us and their on their way to their hideout.
Mar 19, 2024 9:50 pm
OOC:
It's not THAT big of a band. They are twice your size, but still well less than the 20 of the first war band. So the path is fairly obvious, but it isn't like a train of elephants came barrelling through ...

Plus, they live here. If they were trying (and they don't know you exist yet, so they don't know they should have), they could have made a much harder trail to follow. However, the Head Goblin is focused on getting to the Matrix Node to see what was going on.
Mar 19, 2024 10:30 pm
OOC:
Had a thought when I was going for a walk.
Does Ishzu still have his pack and/or all of his items?

If he does I should have a few vials I can mix together to make alcohol. Oliver has a magic item that would pick that up.
Mar 19, 2024 10:58 pm
OOC:
Ishzu has gained the enlightened state. Yes! Do it!
Mar 20, 2024 12:13 am
OOC:
I had honestly forgotten about that. Yes, you have your pack. Your initial smooth-talking kept them from making you an overt prisoner or anything. You lack of obvious weapons, your completely non-threatening manner, and their preoccupation with finding the missing 2/3s of the tribe means they haven't done anything like that. As long as you are casual about getting out the vials and nothing smokes, they probably aren't going to even really notice.

Good plan. Go for it!
Mar 20, 2024 1:13 am
While walking with the warband Ishzu quietly causes two vials to float out of his pack and into his hand. Silently he removes the lids and mixes the two vails together like Oliver told him too. Now doing the opposite he causes them to float back into his pack.
OOC:
Rolling Test just in case.

Rolls

Ishzu: Test - Basic - (2d6)

(65)

Mar 20, 2024 1:36 am
OOC:
Scene change. Lights up on a human-sized anthropomorphic otter striking a revelatory pose.
Mar 20, 2024 8:42 am
OOC:
The following assumes that there is no other alcoholic beverage between us and Ishzu. Please correct me if that is not the case.
Oliver stops in his tracks, with his feet deep in marsh mud.

"Huh. A nearby alcoholic beverage has just popped out of nowhere. Until now the circlet was pointing at what I guess was a tavern, but now it has suddenly switched to another beverage. Let me see if it was just because of us moving..."

Oliver goes back a few steps to see if the direction of the nearby beverage changes.

"It didn't change back! This means that this beverage was JUST made, and not that we approached it! My-my, it might be Ishzu mixing the vials! If that's the case, he would be in THAT direction."

And he pointed towards the direction indicated by the circlet.
OOC:
A bit of ooc explanation: Oliver has a magic circlet that tells him the direction to the closest alcoholic beverage. Ishzu has some wine which was split into pure alcohol and wine extract, so separately the two vials are not a beverage, but when mixed together they are (a nasty) wine again.

If Ishzu is nearer than any other alcoholic beverage, when he mixes his vials, Oliver will notice a sudden change in the direction to the closest alcoholic beverage. Of course, this could just be because they are moving and the circlet found a new closest target, so to rule that out, he backtracked a bit and noted that the closest beverage did not switch back. He concludes that the target is not switching back because the beverage was JUST made, so it could be Ishzu.

Alternatively, it could be a nearby fast wagon transporting ale, but that should be quite easy to rule out (Oliver would "sense" the beverage direction change fast)
Mar 20, 2024 1:55 pm
OOC:
Since I outright forgot about Oliver's circlet, this absolutely works. In fact, the most likely the previous "closest source" is actually the goblins' settlement. So the sense of directly basically shifted 180 degrees from the perspective of the war band's trail.
Sensing the sudden change in direction of the "closest alcoholic drink", Oliver redirects the team in the direction the path away from the goblins' camp. Pressing on they pursue what they now believe to be the group holding Ishzu.
OOC:
I am going to post a longer followup tonight. I just thought you deserved a quick update this morning. Basically, the warband will get to the destination before you do, but not by much. Just be careful what you wished for. 😈
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