Private Western Brisshal Green Peace

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus once again found himself westward bound. Once again on the search of goblins. Once again, alone.

He was finding the pattern to be getting quite old at this point. He would go around Honeyhome helping them out, doing their chores, finding their cats, earning their trust. He was beginning to make a name for himself. The Red Giant, some called him. "The Cannon Hero" others might have opted.

He imagined the Goblins called him the Red Devil, or the Loud Death.

Yet here he was again, Goblins had pushed east into his home terf, he pushed west to remind them the score. They push their luck, he pushed them back. Simple as.

He found himself whistling jauntily as he walked, canon hefted over his shoulder. The month he'd spent in game was starting to make him feel seriously confident in his abilities. So much so that he'd taken off on a quest to tackle a nest solo. Bold move to say so the least, but he was practically certain he could make it happen.

After all, he was the Red Giant.

 

[Erick Stryker]

There was certainly no shortage of Goblins in this portion of Brisshal. Erick almost wished for the overabundance of bandits that the Faldaren neck of the forest was infested by, though even that posed its own problems. Because of their very nature, goblins heckled the bandits out here just as much as the Travelers. That was a blessing in its own right. It kept them from encroaching on the lands beyond.

At least, most of the time, it did. There were times- like this one- when the rogues decided to mount a larger scale operation that would take them across the border into the Eastern part of the forest, and in those numbers, they became increasingly dangerous to Players just starting their journey.

Such excursions were best stopped before they left Astorea. While he waited for anyone who might be late in showing up to appear, Erick absently stared up at the sky, counting the stars. It was a moonless night, which meant the perfect opportunity for an incursion. There would be less light to see by, and plenty of opportunities for surprise attacks. The bandits no doubt came prepared to take full advantage of the situation.

For an Astramancer, starlight was all the illumination they (and their allies) would ever need. Now that he had honed his craft and become more familiar with his skillset, Erick had become an Astramancer in his own right. He took solace in the gentle silver glow that bathed his face, and he glanced toward the large figure that was coming at him without slowing down.

Large man, massive cannon over his shoulder, you know, the usual...

That's a new trick, Erick mused mirthlessly. "Come to kill bandits?" he asked the man, his gaze returning to the heavens. They were his ally just as much as any other Traveler, after all.

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus had definately not seen that man there. Or was he a boy? Hard to tell in the light honestly, either way his announcement of his presence had saved him the standard rigamaroll of having a canon pointed at his face in suprise. Instead the giant simply let his eyes adjust to the light for a moment and nodded to the man.

"Bandits? Not quite though if theyre a problem I can smack em around." He adjusted the weight of his canon on his shoulders and pointed further westward. "A Goblin nest has been sending raids further east than I'd care for. Figure I should remind them that the starcalled are back and they don't have the courtesy of free reign anymore."

He was geting tired of the people of Honeyhome constantly living in fear of goblins, to be honest. One decisive strike ought to assuage their fears momentarily.

"But where are my manners. I'm Brutus" he would plonk the canon down and offer the man a hand to shake.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

He's huge. Why do people make their characters so huge?

Now that he was close enough to get a good look at the man, that was the first thought Erick genuinely had. People that big hefted around more weight naturally, and they struggled with doors that weren't built to accommodate them. It seemed more bothersome than helpful, but then, he was used to being one of the shorter guys in a given room. In the American Midwest, tall men were the rule rather than the exception. Maybe Erick was the odd one, and not this fella.

"Bandits? Not quite though if theyre a problem I can smack em around."

On second thought, nah, definitely not.

He nodded along with the massive man's words as he explained about the overabundance of Goblin raids and their undesirable proximity, and Erick could certainly see why that might be a problem. Could they really do something that drastic, however, that would actually incentivize the goblins to leave Honeyhome alone? He couldn't help but feel skeptical.

"Brutus," Erick repeated. As the man offered his hand, the young man realized that it easily dwarfed his own, and try as he might to give a firm handshake, his fingers were like a toddler's wrapped around a small portion of the man's hand. It was like a newborn child shaking hands with his father for the first time.

Jesus H, this is emasculating.

"I'm Erick," he greeted with a tight smile. "I dealt with some bandits not long ago, but if the goblins are a problem, I'm definitely willing to help out with them, too."

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Nice to meetcha Erick. You still fresh enough to deal with Goblins? If you need a sec to deal with some of your bars, feel free. Goblins alone might be a small challenge, dealing with them en masse can get a little uh..." he paused for a moment looking for a word. "Dicey."

The idea of a whole hive of the nasty little fucks made Brutus' skin crawl, but the fuckers were beginning to invade his home and they needed to be dealt with. Regardless, he would simply have to deal with it. Just like he'd dealt with the Hemomancer, just like the Crone, and now with the nest. It didn't matter what it would take.

After letting his new partner do his prep work, Brutus would simply declare. "I'll take the front, stay close and stay frosty. You'd never know when these fucks are gonna pop out of the trees like the Vietcong and ruin your day."

He would make sure to shorten his natural gait to let the man keep up with him, keeping his canon constantly at the ready.

@Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

Erick shrugged. "Goblins don't pose a huge problem, except like you said, when there's a bunch of them. I'll do a quick check on my stuff, but I'm ready to go if its urgent."

He had fought one or two of them, but they never posed much of a threat. Over time, he heard about what could happen, and even seen the aftermath of an attack by a great number of them. Because of that, he wanted to be sure if he had the opportunity to prevent it from happening again, he took it.

"Yeah, I'm a support, so back line is ideal," he agreed with Brutus' assessment that he ought to be in front. Given that Brutus' preferred weapon was a cannon, he had some reservations about forcing the other man to take point. He was big enough though, and looked impressive enough that Erick got the impression that he would do better there than he ever could.

The cannon could smack something small around in a pinch too. Erick was summarily unarmed, other than his magic.

...wait, did this guy just say VietCong? Like, in the 1960s, VietCong? Guerrilla warfare, Agent Orange, spike pit traps? How old was he???

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"I'm pretty strong at dealing with groups, up close, from afar, doesn't matter really. I'm a bit of fun for every occasion." He giant would heft his canon up across his chest like a hillbilly walking through his cornfield, looking for the man he'd just caught rolling in the hay with his darling daughter. He would turn the young man and nod.

"I excel at protecting supports, so we should be pretty solid." He would eye the skinny twink of a man up and down before nodding. "Just stay within arms reach if possible and I'll do everything I can do to make sure you make it through this whole thing unhurt."

The walk was rather uneventful, some birds flying overhead, some squirrels scampering up and down trees. Nothing to write home about, unless either you or your family were super fucking into nature. It was as the grew closer to a large mound of stone, bearing large cracks that a goblin could easily scamper into and out of. On top of the rock several goblins were posted up, keeping an eye out for trouble.

They were doing a bad job spotting it so far.

"You ready bud?" Brutus would ask, turning to @Erick Styker

 

[Erick Stryker]

It was a pretty solid pairing, if what Brutus was saying held true. While the other man tore through large groups at the forefront, Erick could hold them off, protect him from damage, and even heal what wounds managed to slip through the cracks like they had never happened at all. Of course, the Temporal Mage wasn't sure what his new ally was capable of, so he wasn't going to walk in operating under the assumption that they were a two man army. Regardless of whether or not it happened to be the case.

He dipped into the aether and stared ahead slightly, seeking out the most possible future. It became clearer with each step, though with a great deal of practice, the process took much less effort than the first time he'd attempted it. With the vision clear in his mind, he projected his aura outward, granting foresight to the other man. At first, it might come as a shock, but as he grew accustomed to fighting alongside Erick, it had the potential to become second nature.

"Yep, now I'm ready," he said as they moved along the path with Brutus taking point. "Don't concentrate too hard on what's happening in front of you," he instructed, "or you'll start getting confused by the disparity between what is coming and what is happening at that moment."

If it proved too difficult, he could drop the aura entirely; but for now, it was worth testing to see how this projection method worked in live combat with a live ally. Brutus seemed resilient enough that it would be safe. Probably.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Bright Kat]

Death By a Thousand Tiny Cuts

Easily dozens of beady eyes watched from the shadows in the forest. The two men had walked into the figurative lion's den by going this deep into what the goblins considered to be their territory. The farther they went, the more surrounded they became by the little creatures, black eyes scanning them from the trees, the trunks, and everywhere they could hide. Loud and raucous in battle, it was intense just how silent the little creatures could be when they wanted to lure unsuspecting travelers into their traps.

There was a point when the tension was at its peak. The men were just as on edge as the goblins, and all it took was the snap of a twig, emanating through the forest with what felt like the power of a shotgun blast of sound, and all hell broke loose.

From anywhere that the two men could see, out came goblins, and a lot of them. Armed to the teeth, literally and figuratively, gnashing and clawing just as much as swinging around their primitive weapons. The Red Giant, they had heard of him. They knew who he was. And they wanted him dead just as badly as he wanted them dead. The skinny boy with him would just be a bonus.

Goblin Swarm Encountered!

Goblin Swarm Stats:
LP 10 DC 25 5 x Current LP

Additional Info:
The number of goblins is the number of LP remaining. At the end of each post, roll a 1d4 to see how many goblins join the fight unless LP is 0. You are in their territory now, and there are plenty of them. Each multiple of 25 rolled may remove that many multiples of LP, with no limit.

See Auto Monster for combat assistance. After this creature is defeated, if you wish for a greater challenge, ping me on Discord or here and I will add further spice!

@Brutus Dahlgren @Erick Styker​

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

HP 225/325 (Sue me I'm too lazy to get fancy)

At this point, Brutus had learned the goblin word for his own name. They knew him, which was good because it meant they knew what was coming. He would step in front of Erick, forming a palisade of flesh against the oncoming waves of ranged attacks. Slobbering goblins flinging out rocks with slingshots and bare hands alike. It was an all out assault.

One in which Brutus would respond in kind.

His canon would begin to glow as he channeled his pyromancy into it, gritting his teeth. He could feel his core temperature spiking, and then with a sharp exhale he would send out a flash of flame and light.

CRACKOW

He would live up to his other Goblinoid nickname, the Loud Death.

When the smoke cleared, there would be naught left but ash and scorched earth as the clearing smoldered slightly. He would turn back to Erik and raise an eyebrow.

"You ok kid?"

@Erick Styker

18d20 exploding (16 + 20 + 13 + 15 + 13 + 7 + 20 + 20 + 20 + 7 + 3 + 20 + 15 + 11 + 1 + 10 + 14 + 16 + 6 + 13 + 17 + 8 + 20 + 6) + 25 = 336
336 damage (Explosions: 6)
Gain the Vulnerable state
Pyromancy | Brutus Dahlgren | 554C1

Brutus takes 100 damage

Play Sheet

 

[Erick Stryker]

He saw them and immediately felt his heart drop into his stomach.

Erick had seen goblins, but he had never seen this many goblins. Not in one place, and certainly not at the same time. He started to turn toward Brutus to suggest a tactical retreat, but before he could open his mouth, the man stepped out in front of him and used his own body as a shield. "Fuck me running," Erick whispered under his breath as Brutus not only took the brunt of the Goblin onslaught, but also channeled magical power and launched a counteroffensive without breaking stride.

The world felt dry around him, and he could taste the foul tinge of O-zone. Something was drawing the oxygen out of the air-

CRACKOW

Erick looked on in disbelief as flames burst forth from the massive cannon- cannon, he noted, not gun- that Brutus wielded like a sidearm and began to wrap around and consume sloughing chunks of green flesh. Corpses turned to ash in an instant as the other man relentlessly cut down the green menace. "You've got to be shitting me." He cursed loudly as he threw himself to one side, out of the way of the inevitable blowback. Hidden in the grass not far behind the giant, Erick looked on as a few of the blades of viridian caught fire and immediately withered down to cinders.

"You ok kid?"

The man asked nonchalantly, and he was met with all the skepticism that the Temporal mage could muster in one baleful gaze. "Oh, you know," he called back, "the usual suspects, just out here tapdancing my way through a goddamn firestorm." He had expected... something... but that certainly had not been it. Just how much stronger was General Patton than he was?

"You better be careful with that," he said, brushing himself off and casting a loathsome glance toward the newly minted grass stains on his clothes. "Looks like you took a bit of a chunk yourself. Here, let me get that for you..." Erick began to weave the timeline backward around them, not only erasing any traces of his momentary embarrassment from his clothing, but some of the external wounds from Brutus as well.

He glanced toward the spot where the Goblins had been standing only moments before, blinking incredulously.

"What the fuck," he said, plain as day.

Rolls

1d100 (49) + 15 + 10 = 74
+74 HP to 1 target
Gain the Vulnerable state
Chronomancy | Erick Styker | 554

@Brutus Dahlgren gains 74 HP

Erick becomes Vulnerable

Play Sheet

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

HP 299/325 (Sue me I'm too lazy to get fancy)

"Just another day of stomping out pests." Brutus would quip, brow slick with sweat. He would idly raise a hand to his brow and wipe a few errant beads of sweat from it. He would let the young man work his healing magic, feeling his wounds knit shut and his own self inflicted burns would heal.

"Thanks for the healing."

His eyes would scan the clearing for any signs of survivors, on the off chance any of their attackers had survived his borderline nuclear opening offensive. With naught but ash and dust left, his eyes would settle on the entrance to the nest itself.

"There's likely more below, we should make sure we pull them out root and stem to keep them from popping back up elsewhere."

It sounded and seemed cruel, but the truth was that if a nest of hostile goblins was left unattended the sheer amount of damage they could cause would be astronomical.

@Erick Styker