[Game Thread] [IC] Pack of Goblins!

[Rettu Skcollob]

T'zax follows behind the others, his mule trudging along beside him with all of his belongings. She wasn't in any particular hurry, but since not all of the boys were mounted, it didn't matter much, she wouldn't slow them down.

[McMouse]

Six uneventful hours pass as the goblins trudge a path made soft by the night's rain. Though the grey skies promise more before too long, the trek is unmarred by foul weather. A soft breeze makes the trees whisper and mutter, and moisture falls from disturbed leaves. Puddles abound, and the trail of the goblins stretches plain behind them, an amalgam of bootprints, wolf paws, and horseshoes churning the soft ground. Finally the gurgle of a creek can be heard, and the sturdy, though makeshift log bridge comes into view. The thick canopy of pines opens up overhead, brush and shrubs lining either side of the gully. The bridge seems quite sturdy, thick planks firmly bolted to two large tree trunks, though completely without hand rails. The bridge is damp and thickly carpeted in moss.The creek itself runs straight here, the water moving swiftly but of such a depth as to present little danger to any but the most unstable-footed of goblins. On either side, for the space of no more than a step or so the brush gives way to a muddy bank studded with large rocks. It would seem prudent to tread carefully here, as a misstep could give away the entire ambush in the soft ground, and even an unskilled tracker could follow the trail of so many feet and beasts.

I'm assuming you guys stop before actually crossing the bridge to set up and prepaare

[Nickolie]

"Good."
Oi said to himself as he stopped walking and leaned against a near by tree.
"We're here. I'm resting."
He steadied himself with his staff and shut his eyes taking many deep breaths and letting his legs un-tense before he spoke another word.
"From 'ere we could just set up on the other side of the bridge. Make it hard to get across, pick'em off on the way 'cross. If they get to far, just burn it down. Send'em tumbling in to the rocks, and water."

[Theophilus]

"The br'dge!" Little Grub cries with some delight. "That w's a looooong borin' trip. C'n I run on the br'dge T'zax?" And, without waiting for a reply dashes off across the bridge; throwing stones in the creek below and "testin' its sol'dness."

[Exile]

Nogg slides off of Veera, landing to the ground with a huff. He rolls his shoulders and sighs, shifting the metal plates that constantly dig into his body, before walking over to the edge of the bridge and looking over what lies before them. "I 'ope I den' gotta' cross that," he points to the muddy bank, "it might be a problem, ain't ne'sarily the lightest of foot." He looks up at the bridge, and the little goblin darting across it, "Oi Grub! Gett'down from there 'fore ya bash yer head against 'em rocks!" He turns to the master planners, "Well then?"

[Theophilus]

Little Grub walks back slowly, a slight slump in his shoulders, "Aw, Nogg. . .'s no fun."

[Spot check to see if there's anything of particular import on the bridge or in the river? creek? that I might have noticed. Am I supposed to roll in here?

Dice Roll:

(as this is an older post, these rolls are interpreted by the older (more basic) dice roller code)
d20+3:	(13) + 3	Total = 16

]

[kdtompos]

Twostep slides from the back of his wolf, and winces at the feeling of his feet sloshing in the mud. He looks at the mess of footprints the pack is leaving, and is thankful Nogg ceased Grub's frenzy.

"As we set up, we need ta leave as li'l tracks as poss'ble. Otherwise we's never foolin' em." He thinks for a minute, then grins. "We's gonna have to cover our tracks, but what do you all think of this? We lead our wolves and equipment to the other side, since I is assuming this be where our marks is coming from also. If we set up a camp over there, maybe a campfire too, we could really get em thinkin' we's over there and unaware. However, only Grub be over there as the bait, while the rest of us be over on this side hiding and waiting. If it works, we can catch from behind while they's on the bridge. Not only by surprise, but with the ones they want to protect most right in front of us, and the nastiest ones furthest away!"

The edges of his grin peak over top of his scarf as he finishes. "Once we all set up on the other side, we'll need to walk backwards or somethin' to get back here. And we need to find a way to cover our prints over here, otherwise hidin' not be worth much." He lifts a slimy boot to illustrate, which pulls free of the mud with a squelch, leaving a rather conspicuous crater where it once sat.

[McMouse]

Little Grub, as he frolics, notices a boulder on the far bank that seems loose enough that a sharp shove would send it tumbling down the slope. Aside from that, no obvious oddities or peculiarities about the crossing present themselves.

Twostep's plan seems wholly feasible, with abundant brush cover on either side of the gulley, as well as patches of grass and bare patches of pine needles that could readily be dressed as a camp. The only issue would be that of the tracks - the mud, while not wholly obnoxious, does telegraph tracks quite well. Additionally, there is no assurance which way the hired killers would come, though it is most likely they would follow the Boys' trail, both because that is the direction of Greendeep, and if they intend to find six goblins in a massive forest, they probably have some measure of tracking ability. The only hurdle that remains is a way to cover the groups tracks as they place themselves and set up the camp.

[Theophilus]

"Look wh't I foun' Nogg!" says Little Grub, gesturing wildly, "'s a big rock, an' it looks like it c'ld sq'ish s'me adventur'rs if we knock d'n th' br'dge while th're on it. Crack! The br'dge splits! Boom-wham they g't cresh'd by th' big rock!"

[Exile]

"Hey'a Grubling, nice work!" Nogg slaps his gauntleted hands together in applause, then turns to the rest of the group; dropping his arms to his side and draws his trident from Veera's saddlebag. "It'd be wise ta' set up then. One yer plan is set, Twostep," he draws a bridge in the dirt with the tip of his weapon, "we juss' sit back and relax. An' when they happen by," he jabs the trident into the mock bridge, "we spring it!"

OOC:
Is there anyway that Nogg can spend a long amount of time hiding himself , given that with his -11 it is impossible to be sneaky. If not, I guess he'll just be on the far end of the bridge or something; but if he thinks that spending a good amount of time hiding might reduce the penalty, he'll look for an appropriate spot, so as to be near to the front of where the enemy will likely come from.
Spot:

Dice Roll:

[Nickolie]

With a muttered word and a wave of his hands Oi calls forth an unseen spirit to aid each of his allies. This tiny fey like magical thing hovers at their heels unseen and inactive. Though as soon as they take a step or leave any mark, the tiny magic clears it away. This magic is very useful and is more than able to make sure they leave no trail other than that which they want to. It is flawless.

The goblin chuckles to himself lightly as he watches the others enjoy, and wonder at this briefly. It was a small matter for Oi, he simply had Sithis his spirit companion threaten the local grass spirits in to this task. Now he would lay about as the others did the work, he did his part already, and if anyone bugged him he would just provide the Oil for the fire and claim he had done his part and some.

Not that he was lazy, simply Oi was above the work at hand, and would rather spend time planning with the local spirits and Sithis for what was to come.

[McMouse]

Under the beneficent enchantment of the forest-sprites, preparing the ambush takes little time. The bridge is doused with oil, and Twostep is planted closest, flint-and-steel ready. Nogg is entirely covered in brush and brambles, his armor smeared with mud and pressed with grass and leaves. Oi and Harak both hide themselves a short ways from the path, and Little Grub is posted with the wolves on the fake camp, replete with extended bedrolls and a smoldering campfire. After some discussion, Tzax hides himself near Little Grub on the other side of the road, bedecked as Nogg, with whatever camouflage is at hand, to provide the young goblin protection and support.

The trap is set, the plan being that Nogg, Oi, and Harak will wait for the assassins to get halfway on the bridge, Little Grub doing his best to draw them on, before they reveal themselves as Twostep sets light to the wood. At that point, Little Grub and Tzax will climb down into the gully and make their way over, should fighting ensue, while the rest dispatch the flaming remnants.

A hush settles over the group as the thought of serious battle crosses their minds. With a whistle and a laugh, however, the Blackblood Boys position themselves for a brief and wholly lopsided battle.

[Theophilus]

[Just a quick question: did we find out that adventurers were currently on their way right now to come and kill us? Because I understood that there was a bounty on our heads but no the above.]

[Theophilus]

Little Grub sets a marching pace back and forth at the artificial camp huffing and hawing in a completely exaggerated (and pretty inaccurate) imitation of Gutripper. "Psst! Look T'zax! 'm Gutripper hisself!"