(G584 22/02/2025 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP, AD) 5ED3 (CG 70%)

 

(G584 22/02/2025 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP, AD) 5ED3 (CG 70%)

[This continues the story of Nestor Applebaum the cleric, Haggen Dashenford the fighter and Rogier the bard, as told to me from Random. As far as possible I will relate the story as it was told to me. Currently the lads are in the village of Greball.]

DAY 3 cont...

So, after clearing out that goblin mess, the lads made their way back to the village. Nestor was fuming, muttering under his breath about the bard.

DAY 4

Yes, anyway, so the next morning, Rollo old chap, they set off nice and early.

Just ten minutes further down the road, they come across an inlet by the lake,  and there’s this big shack teetering on the edge. The water’s bubbling like something's about to crawl out, and right enough, out slithers some oozes, coming straight for them.

Rogier starts hurling Firebolts, Nestor’s up with Sacred Flame, and Haggen’s there, slashing with his sword. The three oozes get dispatched pretty quickly.

Rogier, kicks down the shack door. Nestor follows, opens another door, and lights the place up with his magic.

Small room. Nothing too exciting, they move on.

Nestor opens the next door, and it’s a room full of straw. Seems cozy, but not much going on here either.

But the next room? Big room. And in it? Three blobs of ooze, and a goblin, hunched over, writing something mad in charcoal on the floor.

Rogier’s quick on the draw with Dancing Lights and there’s the usual banter between him and Haggen, as Nestor opens yet another door. He finds some crates, one of which contains a 'spool of acid'.

Next room off the big room — hole in the floor leading down into the lake, along with some jugs. Nestor sneaks back through the room, heads to the east door this time.

It's a big kitchen with bottles, crates, vats of green goo. The place where the goblins are brewing their toxins. To the north is another set of doors.

A four-door room, filled with six casks. Nestor opens one, takes a quick peek. Looks like water. But... it's got a bit of a green tint to it. He explores further. There’s a bedroom, a storage room with a copper vat on a platform, glass jugs, and empty shelves. But then they open a door on another big room.

It's rugged with uncured furs, two braziers, and a rickety wooden bridge leading up to a throne.

On it sits a large grotesque goblin. Massive boils, a crown made from scrap metal, and a white  oversized rat growling at his side.

The goblin addresses them with a voice like gravel:
"You dare defy the blessed one of the goblin-kin? I will dissolve you in the fluid of my divine judgment!"

Haggen, ever the skeptic, yells back:
"Hey, we didn’t defy anyone!"
The goblin’s clearly off his rocker.

But Haggen doesn’t back down. He charges forward, only to get nibbled by the rat. Nestor’s quick with the heal. Rogier, of course, launches another Firebolt at the rat. But it’s Haggen who lands the killing blow on the creature.

Then, the goblin comes up, spits acid at Haggen. Misses, thankfully. Rogier, ever the strategic genius, unleashes a Thunderwave, and, wouldn’t you know it? It hits Haggen again. Classic.

The tussle goes on, and Haggen, in a blur of fury, kills the goblin. In his pocket? A small iron key. With that key? They open the treasure room.

But wait, there’s more rooms to explore! Another massive storage room full of broken crates and casks. One last goblin, one rat. Goblin throws a glass vial at Haggen. Rogier’s back at it with a Vicious Mockery spell.

Nestor thinks Rogier’s been enchanted, so he knocks the bard out with a swift smack to the head. While Rogier’s unconscious, Haggen deals with the rat and kills it. Then the goblin pulls out a dagger and Haggen sorts him out too.

Nestor heals Rogier, slipping another goblin cock into the bard's pocket as he does so. Haggen then ties up and gags Rogier — lesson learned, eh? Next, a barrel of water over the unpredictable bard.

After some more nonsense, Rogier is untied, they rest, and then they move on. There are only a few more rooms to explore. The next one they come to is full of caged rats. As they are normal sized Nestor let them all go.

Back at the previously explored goblin/slime room, Haggen wants to release the big rat. Nestor stands back ,watching the chaos unfold as the rat goes on a rampage, attacking slimes. But guess what? The slimes win.

Then Rogier — oh dear — tries to talk to the goblin who’s been scribbling madly on the floor.
The goblin’s a wreck, all in mourning:
"You killed my true king, Boil-Gut! He was blessed by my gods!"

At this point the oozes attack. Rogier stands back at the doorway doing nothing as the others meet the advance. Nestor, being the righteous one, Sacred Flames the goblin, to put him out of  his misery.

Rogier still just stands there, staring, while an ooze attacks Haggen. Nestor finishes off the goblin. Haggen goes down under another ooze attack. Rogier — finally — casts Firebolt. He kills one ooze. Nestor takes down another with Sacred Flame and Rogier finally kills the last one.

By this point, everyone’s had enough, so they decide to make camp and rest. It's about eight in the evening.

Haggen grabs the bard by the collar:
"Listen! That’s the last time you attack us, then just stand there for ages while we’re outnumbered!"

Nestor chimes in:
"He’s traitorous scum."

Rogier, his face a mask, replies:
"I am traitorous scum."

Nestor:
"See, he agrees!"

No more is said after that and they all sulk, backs turned as they rest in their bedrolls.

DAY 5

They head back to the village, and meet with the mayor.
He looks them over with a curious eye, but in the end hands over a purse of gold to be shared between the three of them.

The mission had been a success, even when the adventurers had spent a lot of it fighting between themselves!