Switching positions about a hundred different times, I decide the roof is too hard for me so I fly around the lamplight a few times instead of pacing and think to myself...

"Where in the heck is everyone... and they alwaz say girls are alwaz the late ones.." mutter... mutter... mutter...

Sighing, I sit on a tree branch right above the light and watch the streets for my new compains.

363 - hobbit_king - 3/16/00 10:43 pm

Deciding the time was right, I leave my hiding spot and cross the street stopping next to the lamp post. Smiling, I looking up into the tree above noticing Lilac.

Rubbing my smooth Hobbit chin I say, "Is that you Lilac? It's me... Shipy The Cunning! I thought you were a pigeon there for a moment." I snicker slightly as only Hobbits can.

"Where are the others?" I ask, looking to and fro.

364 - pnakh - 3/17/00 8:31 am

Pnakh steps less than nimbly from the shadows, through the puddles into the lamplight. With an oilskin about his shoulders, covering him down to his gumboots, and a sowester on his head, he looks and smaells like a sailor that has had a particularly nasty accident.

"'Lo", he mutters. "Where's these sewers then, I'm tired of being propositioned by the seamen of these parts."

366 - Kopfy - 3/18/00 2:17 am

From the Daily Troll Planet Guildpress, across the street from the Ice Factory, Kopfy walks out. Shrill and whinning voices are heard behind him, with one person speaking loudly to calm everyone down, as he shuts the door. The ork smiles at himself.

'Took out one in the fist fight.'He thinks to himself.

Seeing Shipy, Pnakh, and Misfit by the lamp post he remembers that he has to earn the 20 golds he made last night. He sees the Orcish brothers and the human warrior walking up from different streets.

"Hullo Shipo, Peter, and Miss Prissy." He says in greeting, trying his best to sound leaderly.

375 - Kopfy - 3/20/00 1:19 pm

(GM note: As this is my first Play By Post adventure and there is more than adventurer involved, I am not going to create how your characters interact with each other. And once a tone a set I will add details to move the plot along.

Getting to the dungeon crawl is tricking when you have players who beam to the start point and stand off in the distance mutely. This isn't the one on one of a PBEM; but like like a cooperative effort in most literary roleplaying pieces.)

[Taran and Jax were transported to this land/dimension and took up some kind of guard job to get a bit of fundage.]

(GM statement: sounds fine to me. Don't know anything about the Balrog you've been dealing with or the sealed; and whoever you're stating this for can jump in and run that part of the adventure for you. I can appreciate continuity.)

376 - tarandracon - 3/20/00 4:02 pm

Taran and his elder brother Jax approached the gathered kindreds in silence. They weren't sneaking, necessarily, but they knew that their delightful orcish scent would precede them, so they didn't bother to announce themselves. They could tell their arrival was expected anyway when the fairy flew down from her looking post and alerted the rest of the groundlings of the newcomers.

"So, basically we decided we were gonna help you out on your Goblin hunt," offered Taran, proudly.

Jax harumphed a bit, noting the magic-heavy group before him, and rearranged his lips a bit around his protruding canines. Trying not to sound too superior in his intellect, and also trying to hide his distaste that the others considered the hobbit their leader, he added, "Yeah, I'm sure you could use a bit more steel. Heh. My pesky brother and I heard all about it at the bar last night. If you'll cut us in on an equal share of the pay, rest assured we'll do our fair share of cutting, too."

"And sticking," Taran finished, hefting his crossbow over his shoulder. "So, where's our contact? He's almost late!"

377 - eickeric - 3/20/00 6:52 pm

[stand off in the distance mutely]

I am NOT doing this!
I'm merely practicing my `Hidey Hole' spell over here in the shadows. It may save ALL of our lives one day...

378 - Kopfy - 3/21/00 2:38 am

Kopfy looks around at everyone. And wonders where did anyone assume Shipy the Hobb was the leader and wonders they consider 'magic heavy' considering they just walked out of an environment where they needed a 'permanent' vorpal blade. But he isn't surprised at the other two orks, Capt. Horus had sent a message along with an over due light bill, about the two "Orcs."

He nods at Michael and hails his kindred in Yithian.

"I know your sister and mother." Kopfy says in time-honored greeting to them.

He then looks around at still run down neighborhood around them.

"According to my astrological calcuations (looking at a map and marking off the places where the goblins hit before...)this is where the goblins are going to hit tonoght." He gestures around them.

"We post ourselves around here. Find out which hole they dive into and follow them home. Simple enough." The ork smiles, "We split the treasure as we need to. And if we get to the bottom of this, there will be a bonus."

He looks at Shippy.

(Okay kiddos goto: http://www.angelfire.com/oh2/ibobubo and look at the map I made thanx to Jim Shipman's tutoring and then roleplay out getting there.

[Editor's note: Here is the map! Click on it for a bigger view!]

New Players...wait until I prompt before entering. Then get in the spirit and post some passages. It'll be a good scene just work with me.)

380 - hobbit_king - 3/21/00 8:44 am

Kopfy looks around at everyone. And wonders why did anyone assume Shipy the Hobb was the leader.

"Damn ork maids, telling everyone I was the party leader and all, you just can't trust them now days!" An enigmatic smile appears on my face.

Kopfy says, "We post ourselves around here. Find out which hole they dive into and follow them home. Simple enough." The ork smiles, "We split the treasure as we need to. And if we get to the bottom of this, there will be a bonus." He looks at Shippy.

"What?" I say, noticing Kopfy staring at me. "I knew you would agree with my plan Kopfy, that and to check out that rundown building." I point my chubby Hobbit finger toward it. "If'n I were a goblin I'd expect I'd crawl out of it somewhere you know."

Rubbing the wrinkles out of my shirt I look around at the gathered adventurers, noticing them eyeing me sharply. Gulping hard I smile showing them my small white Hobbit teeth.

381 - Kopfy - 3/21/00 10:35 am

Kopfy just knew the plans wouldn't include the sausage shop.

"Uh yeah. Sure sounds best to me. You and I will go over there." He says resigned to not having a late night snack, though hobbit does smell good...

Shakes his head and rememebers what his mother sticking his face in mud, 'Don't eat yur friends Yam-Hunter!!!!' He remembers wistfully.

(Everyone else if you could break of in twos or threes?)

383 - tarandracon - 3/21/00 12:00 pm

Taran and Jax acknowledged the native ork's greeting about their mother and sister with a pair of satisfied grunts. Then they, too, looked in on the map, trying to concentrate on the objective at hand. It would be easy to get lost in thought about their far away home, and their parents.

"So let me get this straight," Taran began. "We're going to hide and watch this area," he continued, waving his mug of a hand over the scribbled map, "until these miscreants show up?"

Kopfy nodded.

"Then what, we just let 'em get away? Why not just blast 'em?"

Jax sighed. "We need to find out where they're coming from, ya lunk head," he retorted, slapping his brother upside the back of his greasy head. "If we take 'em out here, we'll never know where they came from."

"Right." Taran nodded as he comprehended the plan, but mumbled to himself nontheless, "I still say we blast maybe just a few of them."

Kopfy spoke up. "You'll get your chance to let loose the hounds of your _mighty_ crossbow," he noted, stressed "mighty" a bit sarcastically.

Taran looked appeased. Jax looked at the map, and smudged a spot near the "Glittery Stuff Import Ware House." They both looked delightfully ugly. "My greasy brother and I will scope out this structure. He'll go topside and get a storm crow's-eye view," Jax said, noticing that Pnakh didn't even flinch at the name of the beasts that ended his life--at least an alternate dimension version of his life, "and I'll wander around ground level, staying in the shadows, of course."

The rest of the group nodded. Taran spoke up again. "You sure we're just gonna let 'em go?"

"Maybe tusk-face is right," the sprite spoke up. "We might have fun if we captured one of 'em." She batted her eyelids innocently. "I promise, I'll be nice."

Amid chuckles from the group, Taran's visage betrayed that he liked the sound of that. Jax pondered and his dirty green brow furled. "Well? Could be interesting." Jax glanced at the rest of the group assembled. "Where are the rest of you going to secret yourselves?"

386 - misfitsprite - 3/21/00 5:13 pm

Humming to myself, I fly out of the tree and hover over the group watching the streets.

"I'll take the Wicker basket factory."

I perch myself on Shipy's shoulder "you lead the way Shipo, I'm just along for the ride"

387 - eickeric - 3/21/00 6:27 pm

Well, how unfortunate to have split off and left the poor mummy all alone. Yet another example of the prejudice against dead folks... they really need a better lobbying organization.

"Hey, Pnankh- I'm going to stake out the bookstore. Feel free to come along, and learn a few things. Such as my `open locks' spell- I'll need a big rock for the material component though..."

388 - hobbit_king - 3/21/00 10:09 pm

Kopfy says to me, "Uh yeah. Sure sounds best to me. You and I will go over there." Looking at me as if I was some type of snack. Of course I know he would never do that to the party leader.

Lilac glides in and lands on my shoulder. In her sweet little sprite voice she says, "you lead the way Shipo, I'm just along for the ride."

If only I could believe such soft spoken words. I smile raising one eyebrow as only a Hobbit can. With Kopfy at my side and Lilac on my shoulder we cross the street and enter the ruined building.

390 - pnakh - 3/22/00 11:37 am

Pnakh shrugs under his oilskin, and plucks a fair sized loose cobble from off the street, which he hands over to his companion.

Then, affecting a drunken roll, he heads over towards the bookstore, elaborately clears a small area of garbage, sits down and pulls out a bottle of brown liquid (water).

394 - eickeric - 3/22/00 4:57 pm

"What a peach. What a plum. What a fruit. Thanks for the rock, Pnak, I really wanted one."

Unfortunately, he hasn't quite got the best view for this spell, I think. And I'm not wasting time on a spell that'll go unnapreciated. Instead, I'll go over and physically check to see if the windows are locked or not, as only a Hobbit can't. (The poor blighters are much to short to reach that high...)

401 - hobbit_king - 3/26/00 8:48 pm

With Kopfy at my side and Lilac on my shoulder we cross the street and enter the ruined building. As any good leader would, I use my natural inborn Hobbitiod stealth to sneak most expertly. Sneaking as only a Hobbit can. Moving in and to the right we find a hiding spot behind a large stack of crates.

I wonder how long will take for us to discover these Goblins I think to myself. Looking around I can't help but imagine what that bumbling triple M is doing. I scratch my head and look around a bit more.

402 - Kopfy - 3/27/00 3:07 pm

Shipy wonders how long will take for us to discover these Goblins he thinks to myself. Looking around, he can't help but imagine what that bumbling triple M is doing. He lays his head on a not-too-moldy burlap sack to rest his neck while he keeps watchin the scene.

Meanwhile both Pnahk and Micheal seeing something out of the corners of their eyes. The light from the lamp post flickers then blackens. As soft growls is heard from back across the street.

The ever disciplined Taran and Jax notice the blackness while they sit back to back. They also hear the growling. Mists begin to creep up from the heavy iron sewer grates and from the south. The moisture is filled with the scents of wastes and swampiness.

Jax spies fleeting tall, too-slender shadows moving to from where the lampost is to the alleys between the warehouses and rundown buildings.

(Taran failed a 3rd level SR on Lk. And is too busy wondering where the light went and thinking how much it stinks in this neighborhood.)

404 - Kopfy - 3/27/00 3:18 pm

(Sorry Kiddos I forgot one had climbed on top of the building. Well to compromise on the misstatement lets say you both were up top. One playing spotter the other with weapon drawn? Or just ignore my back to back statement and write it out from there.)

405 - jaxdracon - 3/28/00 6:59 am

Jax looks at his script and realizes he's in the wrong place. "D'oh!"

He makes a L1SR to remember the direction for stage left, and clamors up the rooftop to join his ever-yappin' bro.

"Hey dude, what took you so long?" Taran yaps as Jax manuevers into the specified back-to-back stance.

"I uh---hey, did you see those shadows?"

406 - tarandracon - 3/28/00 7:36 am

"Shadows? No, where?" Taran lifts his crossbow cranked with a whammied bolt and scans the ground level with his brown eyes.

"By the lamp post, T," Jax points out with an outstretched arm.

As they scan their misty, stinky--"Is that you, Jax? No, wasn't me! I thought it was you!"--surroudings, Taran muses.... "By the way, Bro, the reason I was gonna stay top side is because I've got ranged striking distance, while you was gonna stay below side is because you've got up close, personal and decapitating distance. But it's nice of you to join me on the roof nontheless so we can watch each other's backs. I guess that's what script rewrites are for."

"P.S. How come I'm always failing my L1SR on Luck? I even took that as my 2nd level attribute advancement! Frak!"

[[ We'll be looking to see if any of these shadowy figures decide to enter a building and poke around, so we'll know which buildings to investigate for theft/damage after they leave and head back to wherever. ]]

407 - Kopfy - 3/28/00 9:21 am

(You only saw the figures for a moment before they dissapeared into the alleys. A soft growling remains becoming a bit more ambiant of the mist cloaking over everything below.)

Misfitsprite looks up from her curds and whea(sic) and realizes she is the only one awake of her watchful companions. (BTW you don't hear a thing outside)

408 - misfitsprite - 3/28/00 10:59 am

Thwack* I hit hobbit on the head

He wakes up suddenly, looking around "Huh? Wha?"

"Stop sleeping on the job stubby, it's almost show time." I say pointedly in a whisper before flying to Kopys shoulder a poking at him "Hey, wake up before you bring the whole goblin army on us with your snores!!"

With the rest of my party finally awake, we watch the growing number of shadows creep about the shadows......

409 - eickeric - 3/28/00 12:08 pm

Soft growling? Must be the omnipresent sound of my hobbit lackey Shippo's stomach grumbling, I think.*

But then the lights are dimming too- there must be a show coming on. I find a decent seat to see what production is being set up across the street.

"Down in front Pnaak, you're blocking the view."

410 - tarandracon - 3/28/00 1:04 pm

[[ I'm confused, did we all fall asleep except for the fairy? If the mists were sleeping gas agents, did they creep up the sides of the building and therefore knock out the highly elevated Bros. Dracon? And, can one be awakened with just a shove as the Fairy attempts? If it is magical gas, maybe not? ]]

412 - hobbit_king - 3/28/00 3:34 pm

Suddenly I sit up looking around "Huh? Wha? I wasn't asleep. It just looked that way."

"Did you forget the no hitting rule again Lilac?" I say, rubbing the small but new lump on my hobbit head. "If I had to fathom a guess this is probably all caused my some mis-cast triple-M spell." No one seems to answer or hear me.

I rub my small lump as only a Hobbit can. Such are the woes of being a party leader in a group newbee's.

413 - misfitsprite - 3/28/00 5:04 pm

---Magical gas, eh? No, Kopy and Hobby are in my little group <remember we seperated?> and they were the ones to fall asleep. Silee orc---

Shushing hobby with a finger to my mouth, I continue to gaze out in the fog....

414 - Kopfy - 3/29/00 1:47 am

(Ork-brother, where in the world did you get that you fell asleep...hmmm I think I see where you would've thought that...but no I am not that subtle or clever... you are as awake as one can be being in an alternate reality. Html'ing th adventure...you're a better ork than I Gungha Dinh. Feel free. Okay no one wants to fall for the oldest trick in the book... well its time for yet another time honored cliche to get the story restarted)...

Every one outside hears a sewer grating grind across the cobblestones of the street by the lamppost. The orks with infravision can see fat, lumpy diminutive forms start to crawl out. Pnakh can smell the rushing blood and wet breath of those he knows to be goblins....

415 - pnakh - 3/29/00 10:29 am

Quietly and gently, Pnakh pulls himself up and back into the doorway and readies the mace beneath his oilskin. If a goblin comes his way he'll try to surprise it.

Otherwise he'll watch carefully where they're going, wait 'til all is clear and then make his way to the grating.

416 - misfitsprite - 3/30/00 4:36 pm

An evil grin creeps onto my face. I can almost feel their slimy flesh crumple beneath my tiny finders and I welcome their foul stench.

I notch an arrow into my bow and stand ready for one to come into my sight.

417 - hobbit_king - 3/30/00 6:16 pm

I notice an evil grin creeps onto Lilac's face. Thinking to myself I wonder if she needs to go to the bathroom.

Leaning my fat Hobbit head out (as only Hobbits can) around the crate I eye the mist, frozen in silence. I consider drawing a weapon, but then forget the idea.

429 - jaxdracon - 4/5/00 6:53 am

[[OOC:]]
Er, guys, the faerie means business. (So, sprite, izzat a sun-dried lizard arm you're chompin' on in yer profile pic? Yeesh!)

Jax peers downward from the rooftop into the writhing mists below. He checks his script. "Hmm. Seems to be missing a few pages.... T, whassup? Can you get Kopfy and the others on hotvision(TM)?"

447 - Kopfy - 4/12/00 1:37 am

A group fo the small humanoids can be heard glibbering next to Hannibal's Sausage Shop. Small sparks can be seen accompanied by evil chuckling and snikering, like a goup of control freaks trying to develope arbitrary standards for internet clubs.

Misfitsprite do you fly out the warehouse or no?

Anybody else? what do you do?

449 - misfitsprite - 4/13/00 1:33 pm

I yawn and rub my eyes as I wake up from my little nap.

"Huh? Wha?" I comment as I look around sleepy eyed, "Oh, it's time for action, eh? It's about time!"

I flutter my wings and silently fly to the over to the Sausage Shop. Landing softly on the roof top's edge, I peer over to try and get a better look at the situation below me. I can see five goblins below me and three off to my right. They seem to be lighting tiny flare-like objects which sputter red sparks.

Curious with interest, I continue to watch them.

450 - tarandracon - 4/13/00 4:38 pm

---

Anybody else? what do you do?

---

"Hey bro," Jax spoke with a hushed voice.

"Yeah."

"When's the last time you had some of Hannibal's sausages?"

Taran paused, confused. "Urm, last week, why?"

"When you ate 'em, did you have that tingly, sparkly sensation in your mouth, kinda like when you chew that Flavor Crystals(TM) gum?"

Taran shook his head, a not unuseful gesture in the dark due to the orcish night vision, except his back was to his brother who didn't see the motion. "Oh, uh, no. They went down smooth and greasy as ever."

"I thought so," Jax considered.

Taran added, "Gave me gas, too."

"Right, well Hannibal wouldn't have it any other way. Anyway, either Hannibal has a new sparkling version of his sausages, being chewed upon as we speak, or...." Jax indicated westward in the direction of the shop, making sure Taran followed his line of sight.

"....or there's goblins in the mists!" Taran confirmed, as they both spied the gathering of humanoids outside the shop with their hotvision(TM).

Jax looked at his brother, and they both could feel the rush of adrenaline that accompanied the discovery. "Stay topside and try not to get trigger happy," Jax took charge. "I'm gonna descend--so watch my back--and get a better position on these grunts."

[[ Sound good, jaxdracon? Once Jax descends, Taran'll decide whether or not he wants to play SniperOrc true to his name, or climb down after. ]]

452 - jaxdracon - 4/13/00 6:38 pm

[[ Sounds good to me, T. Jax descends to get a better look-see at the sparklies. ]]

453 - Kopfy - 4/14/00 1:51 am

Jax begins his climb down the roof by the rain gutter. The coolness of the of the tin pipe tingles his uncannily tactile ork hands (oops orc). His keen ork ears here the smaller footsteps of at least two goblins below him coming around the corner and standing below him next to the water barrell where the pipe ends.

Do you try to stay in place w/o being detected (3 SR LK)
or,
drop down onto the the goblins (1 SR DX loudly, 4 SR DX quietly)

Michael of the Midnight Magicks hears some garbage russle from the alley to his left.

454 - tarandracon - 4/14/00 10:49 am

From his crouched perch on the roof of the warehouse, Taran, watching his brother's descent and the ground below with interest, spies the goblins. He silently trains his crossbow on the lead one. "Whatcha gonna do, bro?" he thinks to himself.

[[ Taran will yield initiative to Jax, figuring whatever he or they both do, Jax'll be in the thick of it and should be the one to decide how to proceed. ]]

455 - hobbit_king - 4/14/00 3:29 pm

"Where are all the goblins Kopfy?" I ask, a bit louder than is needed.

"Where'd the sprite go off too?"

"Gezz Kopfy... this is boring as hell. All I've seen is two pigeons mating and one rat. When are we going to see some action?"

456 - eickeric - 4/15/00 11:55 am

---

Michael of the Midnight Magicks hears some garbage russle from the alley to his left,

---

Obviously some bum, such as Shippo, rooting around for dinner. I try to avoid eye contact, so they don't ask me for money.