"Friends? What friends? Other goblins ya' mean? Ya' they are... wait" he looks at his collegue "Where are them? I remember I knew that." he scratches his head as the other follows up.
"Well, da' lair is good ya' know, good here. I prafer rather than the one before ya' know? There are different natural caves, a level similar ta' this. Then it opens up ta' da' evil light. Outside." he thinks for a while in the last question "Ya' ei' ya' who rules here?"
The other goblin answers "Here? Yes! Of course, ya' don't know? Stupid son of a worm! Here commands... wait... ya' w-who who commands here?" the goblin stare at you blankly.
The goblins behave quite strangely. There is some information you are asking that it simply seems to escape suddenly their minds. Some strong magic is on work here.
You all hear some voices talking in goblin through the corridor past Zevon's bear .
Daxur translates for you all "Some goblins close to the entrance corridor. It seems they have heard our battle. They are discussing if they have to come or prepare a defence plan."
"Perhaps inform them we are aware of their presence? Allow them the option of leaving before hostilities ensue. No reason more sentient beings need die for pointless reasons. "
"Do you mean us?" the goblins ask Engineer a bit disconcerted.
Sense motive
"No. Be quiet. I spoke to my companion Daxur."
Goblin: "Goblins! There is no need for you to die. Leave now or surrender your weapons, and you will not be harmed. We come for the truth about the crimes on the surface, not the deaths of random goblins."
The tone of the goblins goes down and you suddenly only listen some quite gibberish.
The two disabled goblins look to each other and grin.
You wait for a while for a response but nothing is coming back.
"Anything else you can tell us about this area, goblins? Any other creatures beside goblins? Any hazards or hidden. Dangers?"
Lumen tries to focus on the goblins talk, but he notices nothing out of usual.
As for the further interrogation from Engineer #3, the goblins just say "Well, don't visit the the southern caverns. They are full of goblin eating mantles."
Suddenly, Baeuregard says, "Keep quite, I think I heard something. I fear we might be being surrounded..."
As you stop talking, you think to hear some steps coming from all places of the lair. But after a second, they seem to realize you have stopped talking, because the steps stop as well and you only hear the sparse sound of water drops hitting the stone floors from far away.
"More foolishness from these goblins. I regret their deaths will ensue solely due to their ignorance and poor decisions."
"these goblins are playing us for a fool! They deserve any punishment they'll get from the authorities."
Following Beauregard's statement about being surrounded, Zevon quickly leaps into action: he pushes the captive goblins in the corner and readies his weapon:
"Beauregard, can you lock or block the door in the water room? Daxur, can you take a quick peak in the corridor? Lumen, can you see anything in the rooms we just left?"
He continues "And why didn't that stupid bear react?" and shouts to his bear "Go on - attack the goblins!"
As Zevon realizes to the situation and starts giving orders, the bear suddenly roars menacingly. He turns and listens some goblins coming from the north. Beauregard reacts as well, but no one notices the goblins coming from the South until it is too late.
The goblin prisoners start giggling.
Differently to the other goblins, these ones are using a mace.
Daxur listens and translates as Zevon interrogates the goblins, tapping his chin as he contemplates what they say. His thoughts, however are inturrupted by the arrival of the other goblins.
Round 1
At Zevon's suggestion that he reconnoiter the corrider, Daxur give the warrior a disbelieving look then moves back into the room, readying his crossbow...
The heavily wounded bear menacingly strides towards the goblins in the corridor.
With Daxur taking up a position in the room, Zevon takes his place at the entrance of the room and quickly looks around the corner (left and right) to better have an overview of the situation.
While Zevon takes a position in the room, Beauregard follows his directions and tries to jam the door.
Unfortunately, there is little time to react and he just has time to close the door.
The goblins in the corridor move to closer positions readying their weapons.
On the southern side of the rooms you hear a door opening .
In the corridor, one of them engages the bear!
The mace crushes the bear ribs and the animal lands to the floor with a grieve yell of pain.
The skirmishers behind overpass his companion with maces at hand.
"Invaders! Get out of our homes!"
Trying to take advantage of the fight with the bear, Zevon quickly takes a swing at the first goblin in the corridor.
; if hit:
Engineer manifests force screen and draws a stone of skate from his bandolier.
"Can your bag of tricks bring forth another creature, Zevon?"
"Yes, #3, the bag should be able to produce 4 or 5 more creatures this week. But I prefer to keep them in reserve for now. I believe we can easily keep the goblins at bay."
Once the door is closed, the halfling makes an effort to fastly jam the lock so it cannot be opened anymore.
And he succeeds on it, leaving the northern baths door stuck!
The goblins start moving to attack the group. The first front moves next to Zevon, and starts attacking him.
But the ranger succeeds to dodge everything.
Another front attacks Lumen.
Also without any success.
The front in the bath tries to force the door there without success.
Peering around his taller companion's legs for a decent vantage point on the combat, Daxur curses to himself that he didn't take the time to scribe some scrolls...
Resigning himself to more mundane efforts, he crouches and aims his crossbow carefully....carefully.
Easily avoiding the attacks by the goblins (they seem to hinder each other attempting to strike at him), Zevon counters with a mighty sweep of his own.
; if hit -
:
; if hit -
Lumen erupts into a frenzy of violence, bisecting the first goblin within reach.
Daxur stabs a bolt into the blue armored goblin at the moment he approaches the door, followed by a terrible slash by Lumen that splits the goblin in two with a vicious powerful blast of energy.
Zevon keeps fighting the goblins, this time crushing the skull of the purpled armored one with his mace, making the goblin fall unconscious to the floor. While returning for more momentum, he tries to hit the goblin next to it, but the mace hits the corner of the room entrance.
Beauregard steps behind the door and readies an action to stab whomever tries to force the door.
The skirmishers try to get into new positions and swarm the party yelling cries of craziness and battle.
The black armored one tries to hit Zevon.
But all the maces the goblins try to move against the ranger, he dodges to one side or the other, while his armor deflects the most dangerous attack from the goblin just in front.
The red armored skirmisher makes his try on Lumen.
But the woman manages to dodge the attack in the last moment.
The front in the bath tries to force the door there without success.
Engineer manifests a level 1 Astral Construct behind the goblins attacking Zevon, providing a flank for the warrior.
AC 1:
RD 2: AC attacks black: to hit; damage
Engineer manifests skate from his power stone.
PP 21/32
HP: 33/40
Speed 35
AC: 23
Smiling at this excellent marksmanship, Daxur slaps another bolt into his crossbow and cranks the mechanism back.
Peering once again through the mess of legs, he sees Lumen dodge out of the way, allowing him a chance to target the Red armored goblin.
Seeing the tactical situation working out as planned (only one of the goblins can attack him unhindered, while the others are hampered by the walls and corners), Zevon again counters with a mighty sweep of his own.
; if hit -
If (black) goblin goes down:
; if hit -
Afther this mighty swing, Zevon adds:
"Surrender now, and you can hope for some mercy!"
Engineers focus in his psicquic power and an astral creature materializes just behind the goblin in front of Zevon.
The creature slams the goblin from behind causing him to fell prone. The goblin seems knocked by the hit.
Meanwhile Daxur fires a new bolt at the goblin in front of Lumen, but it hits just the doorstep without consequences.
At the same time, like in a choreography, Zevon moves in an arch his mace, hitting first the green armored goblin and next the blue one. Both of them fell to the ground and eat dust.
Lumen is hesitant about what to do next, still consumed by the vicious rage of his blade and takes a bit for him to react.
The goblin in front of her is not though, and it hits her in one leg with the mace, breaking partially her bones there.
The goblin of the corridor steps over his companion body and tries to fight Zevon at his best, but the mace just hits the wall.
Then a lot more goblins start to appear from the northern corridor swarming the area. Protected from opportunities thanks to the walls cover, one of them places himself in front of Zevon and tries to reduce the Astral Construct.
The mace breaks one finger from the construct body.
In the baths door, some goblins continue to hit the door trying to bash it down.
But the stout wooden thing resists all the battering.
At the other side Beauregard maintains his position, ready to attack whomever might try to break in.
Then, not knowing exactly from where, a burst of flames fill the western room, where the Astral Construct is standing.
Not expecting that, the construct is surprised, but the walls corner deflects most of the flames and he is only partial burned.
The sneaker goblins try to break free from their bindings.
"Surrender, da why?! Ya' goblins! Aur friends here!"
With the goblins obviously not surrendering, Zevon shouts:
"No surrender? Fine - I'll have you climb over your dead friends' bodies to get me!"
He furiously attacks the goblins in front of him.
; if hit -
; damage:
; if hit -
Engineers Astral Construct attacks the orange goblin to his north.
to hit; damage
Engineer moves to the east with Beauregard, manifesting share pain with his psicrystal.
PP 18/32
HP: 33/40
Speed 35
AC: 23
As you all continue the endles waves of goblins, suddenly you hear a horrid howling that turns to a grating laughter echoing in this ancient hall. " You slay my childern you invade our home when you find me you bow to me and recieve my gift for the thirst"
All of you notice the goblins stare at you as they appear to end the battle. they seem to confused as what to do.
"Enough!"
Raising his weapon from 'at guard' to 'at rest', Beauregard addresses the unruly mob before them. "You can stand between us and our goal, in which case you will die."
"Or you can remove yourselves, in which case your 'host' may succeed where you did not."
"Nevertheless, you will not kill us this day."
Zevon makes use of the confusion of the goblins to catch his breath after the fight. He carefully peaks into the corridor and shouts:
"We also have a gift for you: Several pounds of strong & sharp steel!"
Engineer manifests vigor on his psicrystal.
PP 15/32
HP 33/40
Speed 35
AC 23
Psicrystal: 35/20 hp
"I remain optimally combat capable for the next 3 minutes. I recommend we take advantage and press out assault post haste."
The goblins continue to look at around and you. As your words slowly sink in the goblins slowly lower their weapons and retreating back. One goblin says in rough common "We leave once Drakthar the dead that lives is dead we leave metal men can have passage."
"Bring us to Drakthar immediately."
"The voice we heard just now: is that Drakthar or only another minion? Is he close by? Or is he still in the area further down to the West?"
After some consideration, Zevon pulls another animal from his bag
"the animals have succeeded before in finding the vampire - so why not this time?"
One goblin with a limb walksup and
I will lead you to the master if you allow the others to leave
and points the direction you must take
"Yes. Disperse. Lead us there immediately. "
Daxur slings his crossbow over his shoudler , makes sure his mirror is handy and moves up next to #3 "Yes, yes, enough dilly-dally!"
"Agreed." Beauregard returns his weapon to an 'at ready', but not threatening, position.
The goblin leads ypou all farther int the natural complex and points for you to go deeper "he is found going there I go no further"
Before following his companions and the goblin, Zevon quickly prepares himself as well - he fills his waterskin & some clay jugs with oil & reloads his mace.
When the goblin leaves, Zevon takes the front, weapon ready, carefully further descending in the complex. He orders his wolf to take the lead and to warn the party of any danger the animal would sense.
"let's go!"
"I'm ready, let's see to this Drakthar fellow." Daxur states , following Zevon as he descends deeper into the cave.
He leads you deeper into the complex, the heavy scents of rotten flesh and rancid blood fill the air. At this point the unworked tunnel breaks into the sides to the north and south. A ten foot high ledge overlooks this naturally formed intersection. As the goblin makes a hand signal you notice, goblins moving away from the ledges. A cold breeze can be felt at the point as well. Suddenly a wailing moan echos the passage ways.