((I'm going to write as if Brokan joined the party but went right to sleep))
In the hours of the fourth watch, just before sunrise there is a sound off in the distance. Feint at first but growing in volume as time passes. The sound can only be described the treading of hundreds, maybe even thousands of feet walking in the valley below. Soon, the roaring sound of a great army fills the valley walls though there appears to be no one visible yet. Sounds of shouting and horns, drums and wagons a vast force approaching.
((Remember guys, you're 200' up from the canyon floor. There is a bend in the canyon about 500 yards to the north where it takes a turn to the west. If the mountain that you exited the underdark from is at your back, you would be facing north.))
Anyone awake can roll a survival check (trained or untrained) for the following (DC 10)
Spoiler:
You realize that though sunrise approaches your small fire may get the attention of whatever it is when it comes into sight.
Jeremiah 20:9-But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.
((There's no way I could lose the survival check with a +9 modifier, right?))
Brokan was just completing his morning spell preparations when he noticed the sounds. He quickly dashed the fire with dirt and his boots.
"Everyone awake!" He yelled. Once he had everyone's attention, he explains the situation. "Last night, before we returned to camp, Kratimos and I witnessed a massive gathering of goblins a few miles from here. There were hundreds of them. They were crowded before some kind of stage, watching some kind of dark blood ritual. They opened a portal. A figure, a man cloaked in shadows, emerged. I do not understand what I saw. All I know is that it was a corruption of all that is clean. I made a vow, and by honor I cannot recommend a course of action that endangers our chances of reaching the tower alive. Even if that means simply avoiding this pestilence, and ridding the mountain of it after we have accomplished our goal."
Kratimos shushed Brokan's yelling and motioned to keep it down.
"Now, I wouldn't say hundreds. Well, maybe. But that there certainly sounds like more than we've seen." Kratimos kept his voice quiet as he sat up, and kicked some dirt at any remaining ashes that Brokan might have missed. "But Brokan's right, we should keep quiet and keep our heads down and let them pass.
Kratimos stayed down and near the edge, keeping his eyes out for this army, but also looking for any terrain advantages they might gain, such as boulders and loose cliffsides, should the army take notice of them. He carefully put on his armor and strapped his swords up. You never know.
Truthseeker wrote:((There's no way I could lose the survival check with a +9 modifier, right?))
((A roll of 1 is an automatic failure regardless of the circumstances.))
Guy, having awakened to Brokan's warning, becomes more irritated the more he hears.
"You witnessed this horror and didn't wake us when you returned?" Frustrated, he begins donning his armor and weapon. "Had it never occurred to you that the gnome village could well be their target? Time spent warning them, or at the very least, preparing a defense, might have been rather useful, don't you think?"
Guy notices Brokan's quivering rage but isn't certain whether the anger is directed toward him or toward the force in the valley, and at that moment, really doesn't care.
Soon, the first long pikes come into view, roughly three times the size of the creatures wielding them. Behind them a group armored and armed walking in formation. Eventually, as the pike men reach the 250 yard mark, and the armored men behind them, you notice a strange cavalry following behind. At first, it's is difficult to identify the creatures and as the approaching army draws closer, you are even more perplexed. The creature appears to be similar to the boars in stature, however they seem to be covered in thick fur. In addition, the head of the creature looks as if it had been replaced with a pseudo pig/squid head. The creature has tenticles tiped with metal barbs and a razor sharp beak in the center.
TS
Spoiler:
At the sight of the creature, Brokan can automatically tell that it is a blashpemy of nature.
Roll Knowledge Arcana (must be trained) DC 20
Spoiler:
These creatures were spliced from various genetic hosts. The body is of a boar and he hair and claws must be a wolf. The face with the tenticles seem close to that of an illithid, the horrid "mind flayer." These beasts were created using foul and dark magics.
Behind the "cavalry" is another peculiar sight. Several covered wagons each pulled by a boar. The wagons are marked with some arcane symbols. They appear to be very long.
Those of you who have been to war (according to your background story) roll a wisdom check. Also, knowledge history (trained) will work as well. DC 15
Spoiler:
These wagons may be carrying some type of siege weaponry. From your experience, you know that typcially these are set up out of range and then used to devastate walls and other fortifications from afar.
Knowledge Arcane (trained) DC 20
Spoiler:
Among the symbols on the covered wagon is an eye and a hand, typically synonymous with Vecna, though those symbols are used when scribing various arcane inscriptions.
Behind the covered wagons are hundreds of supply wagons.
Eventually the pikemen reach the cliff wall where the mountain begins. One of the riders moves forward. He is clad in black armor with a cape on his back. On the cape, is a large white eye. Other arcane symbols surround it, though they are too small to identify.
The black rider dismounts and pushes his way through the pikemen. He draws out a large white crystal and holds it up. Soon, the stone vanishes and an enormous entrance into the mountain appears.
Spot Check DC 12
Spoiler:
The stone is similar to the one Arthfael gave to minather, though this one is much larger in size.
Soon, the black clad goblin mounts his steed again. The pike men advance, then the armored soldiers. When the cavalry reaches the dark figure, he rejoins them and continues his march into the mountain.
Jeremiah 20:9-But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.
CrimsonBlade doesn't recognize any of the creatures or the markings on the caravans. She's very curious as to what's inside of them and watches intently pondering how she could get a closer look at the contents.
Wishing his father were here to decipher some of the strange sights below, Guy focuses on what he does know. He makes a mental note to look more into the remarkable similarity with that stone, just as another thought occurs to him. He turns to whoever has the map.
"Assume for a moment that tunnel goes in a straight line... what direction are they traveling in? An army like that is an invasion force. Who are they going to attack?"
Livia stands dumbfounded at the sight of all of the goblins. She has never seen a goblin, let alone an invasion force of them.
Spot Check:
[dice]0[/dice]
She begins to gather her things, and strap on her armor. She dons her morning star, bow and quiver. She walks over to Guy, worried look on her face. "Do you really think they are headed for the gnomes?" She looks out at Kratimos, Brokan and the others. " Is there anything we can do to warn them?"
In response to Guy's chastisement, Brokan says "my apologies. My intention has always been to keep the party appraised of matters relevant to our survival." Brokan stops for a second as if considering something, as if he has something to say but is not sure if this is the right time to say it. When the Goblins come into view, he drops it, whatever it was.
After observing the Goblin force, Brokan says, "Those creatures the goblins use, they are not of nature. Nature molds us according to a pattern. Birds have wings, fish have gills, and mammals have four limbs. Pigs do not have tentacles." For some reason, Brokan's voice rises slightly, but noticeably, when he says the next part. "There are some creatures that sin just by existing. Deviants from the law engrained in the cosmos itself." After saying that, he settles into his normal speaking voice. "We need to make sure the gnomes are aware of this and have a plan for dealing with this. An ordinary invasion would be none our concern. It was to us the gnomes owed a debt, and that debt is paid. Yet . . . if this foulness spreads it could threaten the entire proverbial tree of life. Some trees beg to be pruned of unnatural corruption. We were given a means of contacting the gnomes, yes? We should use it."
Kratimos was already making his way down the path when he hears his teammates talk about returning to warn the gnomes. He groaned.
"Alright, fine. Back to the door we go."
Jeremiah 20:9-But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.
