Continuing west the passage deadends into most thistles and brush. Back tracking you take the northern route. As you continue the sounds of the sea become more prevelant. Eventually you come to a dead end, that looks oddly similar to the hatch you found before.
"Hmph." With a monosyllabic grunt, Thorfinn looks for a similar way to open it.
Crouching at the back of the group, Dan thinks out loud as Thorfinn and Ioxeia look for a way through the brush. "I wonder if anybody back in Sandpoint has a boat. If this way doesn't work out it sounds like we might be able to make a sea approach." He grunts and lowers his voice to speak to Dorik. "Or we could just set fire to these damn thorns and walk in over the ashes."
Dorik chuckles softly at Dan's suggestion. "This isn't so bad. You should see some of the rat-warrens my old squad used to have chase greenies through. Then again, we didn't have any of you taller folk with us." he says softly, grinning.
Knowing what to look for you easily find the hatch and open it up, taking your time not to grab onto any of the nettles. It opens up to a short passgewat that ascends up a small raised platform giving good sight out to the sea. On the other side of the platform is the cliff face, dropping to the beach below.
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“It’s a lookout,” Ioxeia says, peering out over the sea and then down the cliff face. Turning back to the others, she suggests, “Let’s see what else is in this overgrown arbour. From what Ameiko and Shalelu were able to tell us, Thistletop itself is a Thassilonian ruin on a bit of an island… maybe there’s a bend in the shoreline? At any rate, the climb down doesn’t look very friendly here; I’m afraid we may have to stoop for a while longer yet.”
"Hmph. I could probably manage the climb, but you're right--let's go back." Thorfinn leads the party to the branch east and slightly north.
Heading back and going to the north you come to an intersection of sorts, the passage splits with one way to the northwest, one directly north to another small platform, one to the east and one to the south a little to the east.
Thorfinn takes the northwest passage.
You round the corner and see a large group of goblins huddled around a small fire. The see you and start shouting. You hear a lot of "Kisan kai da longshanks!"
"I don't think I need to translate that one." Dorik says with a feral grin, slapping the haft of his earth breaker in one palm.
"Unless it was 'We surrender to the longshanks,' no."
The goblins grab weapons and start moving to attack. Some near the back ready bows while the ones in the front get their dogslicers.
The goblins rush in screaming and waving their weapons. The swarm around Thorfinn, some on the outside going opting to go after Ioxeia instead. One manages to hit Thorfinn but the rest are to excited by the prospect of killing some longshanks. Two of the archers manages to connect with Thorfinn.
Teeth locked in a rictus grin, Thorfinn glares at the goblin who cut him before landing a mighty blow on the little greenskin.
"Ku mutu, ka kore bastards!" and with that shout, Dorik steps into a flanking spot with Thorfinn, and swings his earth breaker at the goblin between them.
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As the nearer bunch of the mob of goblins charges in, Ioxeia waits for her moment before stabbing her spear viciously into the face of one trying to get past her.
She hisses in satisfaction as her blow connects, but knows that she's unlikely to be so lucky again while fighting in the cramped tunnels, and keeps an eye open for any space that might give her more room.
Dan squeezes into a spot next to Dorik and awkwardly swings his morningstar. "Next time I'm bringing gardening shears."
Thorfinn slices into the goblin that already hit him, dropping it to the ground, blood pouring out of the open wound. Dorik steps up to attack but the little goblin manages to avoid the blow. Ioxeia stab the goblin in front of her through the heart, pulling out the spear blood splurts onto her clothes as the goblin falls to the ground. Chim lets loose two balls of magical energy, one smashes into a goblins head and it falls to floor no longer moving the other hits a different goblin in the shoulder. Leaving an obvious mark but he still stands to fight. Dan tries to move up and help Dorik and Thorfinn but with the gramped space he only manages to hit the nettles above his head.
The goblins squeel in glee as the battle continues, even with their fellows falling they continue to attack. One steps down to take better advantage of his friends attacks on Thorfinn.
The goblins in the back change targets to Ioxeia after seeing her brutal efficiency with her spear.
The goblins, too excited with their bloodlust, bungle their attacks, none even getting close to scoring a hit.
Thorfinn ducks and dodges, then lands another solid blow on the next goblin. "No rateater gets the best of me!"
With a roar, Dorik puts everything he has into following through his missed swing, the earth breaker practically humming as it connects with the goblin's skull.
Dan tries to recover from his embarrassing miss by trying to crush the goblin's skull with his flanged mace again.
Thorfinn finishes off another goblin, opening a path to the archers. Ioxeia tries stabing the new goblin that walked over the corpse of his fellow but with the arrows flying and hitting her sheild she misses the little goblin. Dorik smashes the head of the goblin in front of him, while Dan steps up using Ioxeia's attack as a distraction to crush the remaining goblin in melee.
Chim steps up unleashing more of his arcane power, knocking down another goblin with the force of the ball of energy.
The goblins take aim at the new found foe, seeing the destruction he caused with the flick of a wrist.
The goblins cheer as the most of them meet their mark sticking the odd creature before them with arrows. One of them shouts "Ku kashe su duka! Sa'an nan kuma za mu iya shiga kabilar."
Goblin blood dripping from his axe, Thorfinn closes with the archers. "You leave our sorcerer alone!"
"Za ka koma ka kabila a cikin guda!" Dorik roars, as he closes with the archers.
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Seeing Chimaeryus get hit as the thinning melee leaves him exposed, Ioxeia rushes forward to get between him and the goblins. Drawing up at the end of her arc, she launches her spear at the goblin at the edge of their group.
Unsurprisingly, throwing from a crouch throws off her aim. As best she can, Ioxeia prepares for another volley of attacks from the goblins while her mind races, considering the choice either to close quickly in an attempt to distract the goblins, or to hang back to protect the sorcerer...
Dan hustles forward alongside Dorik, shield raised and head lowered for more reason than one. He swings his flanged mace at the archer in front of him as soon as he's in range.
Thorfinn moves up to one of the archers and brings his weapon down hard, dropping the little monster in one fell swoop. Dorik follows behind ready to do some more damage to any of the buggers he can get to. Ioxeia tosses her spear but the confines of the tunnels restricts her movement to the point the spear doesn't even get close to its intended target. Dan moves up as well, trying to help inthe fight, but the cramped space throws him off just as much. Chim waits while the others move up, his recent injuries delaying him from acting.
The goblins drop their bows and pull out the dogslicers one attacking each dwarf.
Neither can find an opening through the dwarves armor, but they seem intent on continuing to try and murder you all.
With a feral grin, Dorik heaves his earth breaker at the goblin in front of him, laughing as it falls.
Posting from phone. Thorfinn will power attack the goblin on him; can one of you roll my attack, please?
Thanks!
Anytime. :)
Dan grits his teeth, embarrassed by his poor performance, and swings at the same goblin as Dorik.