Wren nods at Kern. "Exactly. And remember, that mage who ws zapping us with Magic Missles got away as well. We need to find who all is left here, after our hasty exit."
" Why yes! Of course, Belril. What kind of silly question is that?" he responds as if that was such an easy question to answer. Scratching the back of his head as he glances around at the others, a questioning look forms. Clearing his throat, "Do we?" he asks, completely unsure.
"Why would they still be here, with Nualia dead?" Sophy wonders, looking up at the walls of the fortress she had never wanted to see again. "It's been days: more than enough time for them to pack up anything of value and go somewhere else. Why just sit in here and wait for reinforcements? Well...." she looks around at the same group that fled Thistletop days earlier. "They might have expected Sandpoint to send real guardsmen this time. But yes," she tells Belril firmly, "if we find anything that's not a monster or a goblin, we want it alive. It'll give them someone else to pin the blame on besides Orik."
Eponine nods in agreement. "They had their chance to join ranks with us if they were there against their will, or if they had a change of heart after seeing the darkness ruling there. Orik is proof of that."
"Even if they have left, we may be able to learn more about what they were attempting or where they went."
"Good point," Wren nods at Sophy. She had gained some grudging respect for the weepy healer in the last couple of days after seeing her dedication to Orik. "Let's give them someone who deserves to rot in that cell."
"Is there another way in besides the front doors?" Sophy asks Orik.
As the group approaches the fortress doors they discuss taking prisoners alive, wondering who or if anyone from the prior week is still around. Orik answers Sophy's question about other entrances, "Nothing that I am aware of. The goblins kept to the top level, and we kept to the lower one. Nualia was searching for something deeper but neither she or Lyrie would say what it was, but I know Nualia was obsessed with the search like some religious zealot."
You reenter the stockade. A trail of footprints in dried blood trail across the floor of this room. The floor is hard-packed soil, as if the builders either ran out of lumber after building the walls and roof, or as if they simply never thought about building a floor. A number of poorly preserved horse and dog heads are mounted along the eastern wall, while along the southern wall hangs a pair of large batlike wings tacked to the wall with daggers. To the west a set of double doors is open reveling a short passageway to another set of open double doors that lead to a room under the tower. There is a closed door on the northern wall of the western passage. To the east a narrow hallway appears to head towards the other tower. The northern wall has several doors. The western most is open and the early evening sunlight illuminates what appears to be a small courtyard that once contained goblin dogs. The blood stain prints lead this way and there is a loud slow rhythmic banging coming from outside the door as if someone is trying to bash wood. The middle doors are a closed set of double doors. Just past them, inside the eastern hallway, is another door on the northern wall that hangs open revealing the stairs you brought Ameiko back up.
"Where to?" he asks. "Down? Or should we make sure there's nothing to follow us first?"
"Shouldn't we see what's making that noise out in the courtyard?" Sophy whispers nervously.
Orik eyes the others as they survey the room and the exits, "Well what are we going to do?"
Let's be safe. Clear out the courtyard and the upper level. Then we can head down below, knowing nothing will come in after us."
Can Eponine tell what left the blood trail?
Survival
Seeing the wisdom in not having a possible foe behind them, Eponine acts on Sophy’s comment and goes to the door with the thumping sound coming from it. She’ll move to open the door, making room for Kern and his deadly flail. She’ll glance to Belril and Victor to make sure they have their weapons ready and Wren her wand. Eponine will glance at the hinges to make sure she’s opening it the right way and then open up the door.
"Courtyard it is," Kern says, making certain his flail is ready. When Eponine opens the door, he'll move forward.
Victor draws his bow, ready to shoot anything that moves that isn't a part of the group. Well, he hopes anyway.
Can Eponine tell what left the blood trail?
Survival 1d20+4
Seeing the wisdom in not having a possible foe behind them, Eponine acts on Sophy’s comment and goes to the door with the thumping sound coming from it. She’ll move to open the door, making room for Kern and his deadly flail. She’ll glance to Belril and Victor to make sure they have their weapons ready and Wren her wand. Eponine will glance at the hinges to make sure she’s opening it the right way and then open up the door.
Eponine stoops and looks closely at the dark stains of blood on the hard pack floor. It appears one individual walked through the massive gore left by the battle outside and tracked it into the stockade. The tracks go only one way through the open door and into the courtyard. They belong to a goblinoid, and a larger one at that. From the looks of it, these were made a few days ago, the day after the battle.
BAM!
Eponine leads the way with Kern close at hand, Belril and Victor follow at the ready. Wren and Sophy go through the door next, with Orik staying close to his little champion.
BAM!
This large courtyard is open to the sky. Tenacious clumps of partially trampled grass grow fitfully here and there in the hard-packed earth, in places stained with blood or scratched with furrows.
BAM!
To the north, what looks to be two dead goblins lie slumped at the entrance to an outbuilding. The rest of the doors to this area are all closed, and the blood trail ends, wiped off in the clumps of grass.
BAM!
It is obvious to Eponine's keen eye that the other blood stains are much much older. The slow rhythmic banging appears to becoming from the outbuilding in the north west corner of the yard.
BAM!
Wren keeps silent as she hears the strange noises in the area. She waits to follow the others, hopefully looking for the source of it.
"Well, there's the source of the noise," Kern says. "Whatever it is, if the goblins locked it up, it might be grateful to us for letting it out." He waits for confirmation from the others before going to open the door, however.
BAM!
"Or it might be angry," Sophy suggests trepidatiously. She loads a bolt into her crossbow and inches down the wall to where she'll have a clear shot if anything comes out of the doorway.
Eponine will pull her curved blade, shifting it to her off hand. She'll slide up to the door, ready to open it for Kern once she makes eye contact with everyone for indications they are ready.
"Do not worry, Miss Sophy. If it is angry, we will be ready." He draws an arrow and takes aim.
BAM!
Eponine moves across the yard and finds the door to this outbuilding has been nailed shut, and additional boards have been nailed over these nails. The door itself is cracked, BAM, and splintered in places.
Two dead goblins, their heads crushed in by something heavy, lie in the dirt by the door, their ripening bodies covered with flies.
BAM!
"One of us should bust it open. Possibly Kern since he possesses the big smashy weapon." He nods emphatically, his bow still trained on the door.
Kern nods and moves up to the door. "I'm going to try to get you out of there," he calls to whatever's inside. "Move back away from the door. I don't want to hurt you." He prepares himself to start smashing at the door, but waits to see if there's a response from inside first.
Eponine makes room for Kern at the door and stands ready with her blade.
Wren pulls her trusty wand, ready to burn anything ugly that rears its head.
Kern moves to the door, "Move back away from the door. I don't want to hurt you."
BAM!
Kern shrugs and with all his might smashes at the nailed and barred outbuilding's door. A few sections of wood fly and a hole reveals white haunches that kick at the door, weakly. BAM! A horse inside gives a sickly neigh.
"What do you all see over there," Wren asks impatiently, stamping her foot a little in irritation.
"A horse!" Kern replies. "The goblins must have locked the poor thing up. It looks in bad shape." He continues trying to free the horse.
"I hate goblins. I suppose it's a wonder they didn't do worse to it than simply lock it into the shed though. I'd like for it to get to kick a few of them."
|
This stinks of a trap or lure. Belril declared grumpily, before whispering two incantations with accompanying gestures; one to bolster his staff and the second a polymorph of some sort. The ranger's staff appeared mostly unchanged but his eyes became a little wider and small feathers sprouted on the side of his dark mop of hair.
After several minutes, Kern with Eponine's aid, is able to rip the rest of the barring wood free of the outbuildings shattered door. The horse inside mindlessly bangs its rear legs against the door as they work. Sensing it's freedom the creature pushes back out of the building, rearing up panicked, wide eyed, and foaming at the nostrils. In the evening sun of the courtyard it is easy to tell this was once a magnificent war horse reduced now to a starving beast. It looks ready to strike out at Kern or Eponine.
"Can someone conjure some food or something? If not, I can give it my rations. I don't plan on us camping for days like last time. This should be easy in and out."
The mage steps forward and throws down what rations she had brought for the journey, and backs away, hoping the emaciated beast would eat.
"Orik, whose horse is that?" Sophy asks, wishing she could lead the frantic animal to safety but afraid to get near the flying hooves.
Eponine will use her wild empathy to try and convey to the horse that we mean no harm, and would indeed like to help.
Wild empathy diplomacy
Eponine starts to speak in a low easy voice as her stance changes becoming non-agressve. She waves the others off as Wren tosses a scattering of trail food at the large horses feet. Orik says, "Not sure, I think the goblin's stole it and the chief was going to face of against in in some kind of gladiator match." It neighs and drops it's head to sniff at the food, licking at the salty dried venison strips. A few still moments pass as everyone holds their breath while Eponine contines to speak softly to the creature and ease up next to it putting a hand on it's neck. She can tell it has been several days since he has eaten, but prior to that he was strong and healthy. The saddle is missing, but his bit and bridle are still there and look to be of decent quality. He lifts his head and brushes against the elf letting Eponine know they are now friends.
"Awww, he likes you, Epi. How are we going to keep him safe while we continue searching this place? I don't want some random goblin to sneak up on him and start chopping."
"Well, we can't put him back in there," Sophy says, glaring at the animal's prison although she is still timid of approaching the large horse.
"No, we won't leave it. Let's keep looking around. We can hobble it out here once we ar reasonably certain there aren't any live goblins around, then try to guide it out when we go."