When everyone is ready, Wymond pulls away the barricade and Perfire moves a torch into the western darkness. No goblins can be seen, but surely some must be lurking about!
"May I have another torch please, Perfire?" Wymond says politely.
Wymond marches towards the edge of the available light and waves the others forward.
Perfire hands Wymond the remaining lit torch from his hand and follows the man towards the exit. As Wymond approaches the leading torch he continues to push it deeper into the darkness, attempting to keep a lead on the Paladin.
You find your way back to the blessed sunlight of the outside. Why didn't the goblins attack you on your way out? You're not certain. You only know that you are thrilled to see the light and to get out of that dark hell-hole!
Perfire leads the way back to the campsite, checking over his shoulder to make sure they're not being followed by a writhing green horde.
While the other's see to any belongings they may have left he considers their next move aloud. 'Should we go back to town? or rest here and try again in the morning? If memory serves we're pretty light on funds and don't have much to show for our first foray inside. We may be able to work for some coin in town, but those Hellknights worry me.'
Wymond smiles a bit as he leans on his axe. Then he gets a stunned expression on his face.
"Deadeye's danglers, were we fighting all night?!"
Triath gives a chastising squeal, prompting an embarrassed "Sorry!" from Wymond.
"I say we camp out 'ere. It'd be easier for us to keep an eye on the ruin in case the goblins decide to counterattack, and I can make you all some oatmeal! The Dwerryhouse secret recipe, best porridge in the River Kingdoms!"
'Probably best to try and forage as well. If we get stuck down there we may need more food than we'd have otherwise.'
Zaia had followed the others out, her torch still in hand. She drew a sigh of relief at leaving the dark confines of the ruin and the goblin archers and shaman inside. She had taken her belongings with her, so she had little to do at present but listen as the others talked.
"I believe it is wise to return to town and look for other work to make coin so we can better prepare for our foray back into the ruin. We entered ill prepared and we almost lost a life." The priestess kept her voice soft and steady as she was not rebuking her male companions, simply stating the facts as she knew them to be. "If something were to happen this night, as we camped near the ruin, I would have no magic with which to heal any of you until the morn and after i have prepared my spells."
"What other work would there be, Zaia? I'm no stranger to hard work, but Fort Inevitable seems to have enough people doin' that kind of work already, an' I think we've scared the gobbers enough that they won't try to attack us out here where they don't have the advantage of that magic darkness. 'Sides, we could just as easily make our own torches or somethin'. I've already got an axe for choppin' wood!"
Perfire listens to Wymond and Zaia cast their votes while staring at the ground, considering their words. 'While I agree we'd be far safer in town, I don't think we can earn what we'll need to be better off in any short time. Perhaps it would be wise if we look for a more defensible campsite a little farther from the Spire?' the halfling keeps his eyes to the ground, still a little uneasy voicing his opinion.
The night passes uneventfully for you as you each sleep solidly and soundly after your exhausting and terrifying day. You awaken in the morning refreshed, if somewhat achy for the lack of tents or beds and chilly because of the cold dew.
The day dawns overcast and promising rain.
Perfire gathers his belongings and reshoulders his pack, ready to attempt the assault the tower anew.
Yirrik happily slurps down Wymond's oatmeal then falls into a deep sleep, rising with the dawn ,stretching mightily before setting to getting breakfast ready.
"Well , I feel much better...let's gather some wood for extra torches..."
Wymond smiles as the others enjoy his cooking. Diced apples, cinnamon and honey were the secret ingredients, just like his gran taught him.
After getting a good night's rest, Wymond wolfs down the breakfast Yirrik prepares and gets his armor on.
"I feel better too. An' yer right. We'll need lots more firebrands if we're gonna repeat last night's strategy. Point me at a tree an' I'll get choppin'."
Perfire had himself suggested they might return to town to earn coin and now was saying the opposite. The priestess scowled a little at the Halfling's changeable mind but held her tongue. To Wymond she merely responded, "As you wish," but directed it to all three males, too tired to debate or argue the point.
Once camp was set, Zaia laid out her woollen blanket and sat cross-legged and began her hourly prayers to Desna; preparing her spells for the coming day. Once done, she ate Wymond's prepared food and then wrapping the blanket around herself, went to sleep.
-----
In the morning, she stretched, folded and stowed her blanket in her pack, undertook her brief ablution before silently breaking her fast with the others. She kept an eye out on the woods and the tower in the distance as the males found wood with which to create new torches from.
The morning dawns wet and cold and a thin rain soon begins. You hasten to gather your wood and gear and are ready to go.
Do you do anything special on your approach to the Spire?
Wymond wipes his brow as the works is done.
"Ready for round two, everyone?"
Perfire leads the way to the Spire entrance. When they reach the entrance he follows directly behind the leader of the group while keeping a torch 15 feet in front of himself. He attempts to lead them back to the room where they had attempted to rest.
Knowing they'd thinned the goblin numbers considerably, Yirrik confidently takes the fore...
The entrance to the ancient castle of green glass appears to be unguarded.
Wymond lights the first torch and approaches the entrance.
"Perfire, you know what to do!"
Seeing Wymond begin to light a torch, Perfire follows suit. Once he has one lit, he uses it to light a second. He uses mage hand to levitate a torch in front of Yirrik.
'Ready when you are' He says with a smile and a nod. 'We've got them this time.'
"Lead the way, Yirrik!"
Zaia followed her male companions to the entrance of the green glass castle and lit the torch in her hand, readying herself to return into the dark interior and the cunning, hidden goblins among other things. She looked to Triath, "You can stay with me, behind the others, or be with your master. The decision is yours," giving the pig a soft smile, having grown accustomed to its company.
At the entrance, the priestess listened for any sounds of threats near/inside the entrance.
Triath trots close to Wymond and jerks its head towards him, as if to encourage Zaia to join the rest of the group.
Keeping a bit of distance between him and Perfire's floating torch, Yirrik holds his own lit torch out to the side, sweeping it around as he leads the others into the darkness.
Occasionally, he'll pause and indicate a direction, roughly following the groups previous route to get to the last location they encountered the goblins....
'Make sure we sweep the side rooms. They may try to set up an ambush' Perfire whispers to Yirrik.
"What was that, Perry? Don't know if the cloying darkness is making me dead as well as blind or something," Wymond says quietly
"Ok, makes sense, Perfire..." Yirrik whisperes back, then waits for Perfire to move his floating torch into the ruins, pointing directly forward...
"Let's make our way back to where we fought last night and proceed further. We need to find that darn shaman. We have all our spells back, but so does he," says Wymond.
During the discussion, Zaia suddenly stumbles. She looks pale and drawn. She's clearly sick. The team decides to retreat to Fort Inevitable and seek treatment for her.
At the gate, the Hellknight Armigers demand to know what you've brought back from the Spire, and it takes some real argument to convince them you've got nothing. Eventually, they let you into the town and Zaia seeks help from the Temple of Abadar.
Sadly, her condition worsens - it seems she's been infected with Black Liver Bile, a serious condition sometimes brought on by close communication with goblins, who have appalling hygiene. Zaia apologizes, but she just can't go on.
Luckily, there is an acolyte at the Temple of Abadar who has reasons of her own to want to go adventuring.
She approaches you as you leave the temple.
Ilya hurries to catch up with the group, running down the steps.
"Hey! Excuse me!"
When she has their attention, she stops, leaning forward to catch her breath.
"Hi! I heard you were delvng into the spire, right? I've been looking to join an expedition for a while now - I'm Ilya, acolyte of Abadar, at your service."
She smiles at the group.
Perfire moves behind Wymond hearing the shouts from the temple steps. He cautiously peers out from behind the paladin's hip assessing the half-elven woman. Seeing only enthusiasm, he steps out from behind his companion but remains close.
'We've had a rough go of it so far. We had to leave our friend here to recover from an illness. Do you have any experience with Goblins? Or strange darkness?'
Wymond had been frowning the entire time as he'd fretted over Zaia's condition. Upon hearing somebody so willingly jump at helping them after that seemed almost a blessing.
"Perfire, I don't think anyone here knows any more about these things than we do, but we do need someone skilled with healing now more than ever. Zaia saved my life several times that night, I'd hate to go back to the Spire without that kind of power. But we haven't even introduced ourselves. Ho there, miss. Name's Wymond, Wymond Dwerryhouse. I'm...well, suppose you could call me a hedge knight. I protect the common folk in Erastil's name and he's given me holy strength to do it with. This here's Triath, he's actually the one who inspired me to take up the axe. Don't scoff now! He's pretty wise as far as pigs go, and pigs are smart critters to begin with."
Triath gives a small snort at being called a critter.
'You're right, we'd all be dead if not for Zaia's efforts. I'm sorry, ma'am, it was rough, but we made it out again. We ran into some goblins and a strange monstrosity. The monstrosity is dead and the goblins were driven back.' Perfire blinks for a moment and then realizes he still hasn't introduced himself. 'Perfire Ridal, ma'am, I seem to have some magical aptitude.'
This seems to be fated, I hope I haven't scared her off. Perfire forces a smile through his anxiety and extends a hand up towards Ilya.
A little bit of her enthusiasm evaporates as Wymond proclaims the wisdom of his hog, but she nevertheless shakes the halfling's offered hand.
"Then it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm not an expert on goblins, but I do have this." She focuses for a moment, and her holy symbol flares with white light, although it's not very impressive in the daylight.
Triath bows his head respectfully at the display of holy power.
Yirrik looks over from where he'd been looking up at a magificent gold-weaved tapestry, hearing his friend's and Ilya's conversation, "Hi , I'm Yirrik Roone, we'll have need of that light where we're going, that above-ground area of the Spire lays in complete darkness! Caused us no end of trouble...just so you get an idea of what you're getting youself into, is all." he finishes, taking in the half-elf, appraising her gear and attitude, and finding nothing to complain about.
To the others, "Let's replenish our stock of torches and anything else we need , then we'll be off?!" he suggests.
Wymond rubs his chin.
"How much money we got, Yirrick? I was gonna take Zaia's suggestion from before an' get me a sword and shield for fights where my axe is more a curse than a blessin'. An' we need to replace that alchemist's fire we used up the other night."
"Oh! I have.." she checks her purse. "14 gold pieces to invest in whatever we need to stock up."
She figured she'd best figure out a way to be useful - the others were already an established group after all, they had probably even fought together.
'I still have two alchemist's fire I had before we met the Pathfinder. Perhaps we should get Wymond a sturdy shield and then worry about other things?' Perfire sets down his pack and digs out the two clay flasks. 'If we can spend the time and get access to equipment I may even be able to make what we need for cheaper than buying a finished product.'
"I'm thinkin' I may get something with a longer haft too. This ol' thing's good for choppin' wood but I'm seein' now that I may need a little more...what's the word? Var-sa-till-a-tee? If I can afford a sword an' some kinda polearm I'll probably be more effective is what I mean."