Difficult to say, it depends from dwarf to dwarf. Some would call the Wyldote cheats and say that Dredan should be Steward of the Commonwealth, while others admire the initiative, ambition, and cunning mind for business possessed by the Wyldote house. To their credit, the Commonwealth is facing a time of overall prosperity (with their lumber industry on the decline).
Ruminations complete, Bolgrith sniffs once more and says. "Well, I think that is the quickest way out of this accursed place." He indicates the hall Rolg went down. "But perhaps we should wait until we hear Brother Naxdags report?"
Rolg straigthens and strolls into the chamber.
"Verwaarloos jou pligte is dit!? Sal ek rapporteer jy kretijn? Staan op aandag wanneer ek met jou praat!"
"Slacking your duties is it!? Shall I report you cretin? Stand to attention when I am talking to you!"
The goblin yelps in surprise and snaps to attention, immediately straightening his arms at his side. His short sword flings and clatters over the stone ground. The goblin flinches at the clanging, but dares not move a muscle out of fear of the hobgoblin’s anger. It takes him a second to realize a question was asked of him.
“Nu, domnule. Gat fi de paza bun. Nici un raport rău. Domnule.” he stiffly answers, not raising his eyes to meet Rolg’s.
“No sir. Gat be good guard. No bad reports. Sir.”
“Agreed, Bol…” Simon trails off, listening. He raises a finger to his lips and inclines his head to the hallway in question.
Rolg eyes the goblin a moment, then points down the corridor he came from.
"Miskien kan jy jouself red Gat. Ek dink ek hoor stemme uit die gang. Jy sal my vergesel in die geval is daar vyande. Lei die pad. Moenie jou swaard sal vergeet nie."
Rolg takes position behind the slinky creature, ready to cut off its probable escape when it sees the force arrayed against him.
"Perhaps you can redeem yourself Gat. I think I heard voices from this corridor. You will accompany me in case there are foes. Lead the way. Don't forget your sword."
His bald forehead crinkling in thought Bolgrith listens to the conversation down the stone hall. Drawing his aspergillum he plants his feet and waits for their companions return.
A look of confusion covers the guard’s face, but he does not question his superior. Gat’s oversized head nods and makes a sloppy salute before retrieving his sword, and scampers up the stairs. Reaching the top with grunts of effort, the goblin reaches the top of the steps. He catches his breath as he glances behind, reassuring his nerves by shaking himself and holding his blade at the ready and proceeding down the dark hallway. He rounds the corner and stops, tensely still. He gestures to Rolg, whispering, “Numai ochii slabi au nevoie de lumini. Ochii oamenilor?”
“Only weak eyes need lights. Eyes of mans?”
Gat points with his short sword at the yellow torchlight shining on the wall of the intersection ahead. He looks up to Rolg for further instructions.
The waiting five hear approaching footfalls suddenly stop, some ways down the corridor.
"Sluip in posisie agter hulle. Bly in die skadu en aanval 'n magie gebruikers. Ek sal aanval as jy in posisie te gee jy 'n afleiding. Hierdie sagte, swak oë sal nie lewe in hierdie nag."
"Sneak into position behind them. Stay in the shadows and attack any magic wielders. I will attack as you get into position to give you a diversion. These soft, weak-eyes will not live this night."
Logan grips the hilt of his falchion, his military training and muscle memory taking precedence over his thoughts of his kin.
Nodding, Gat quietly chooses his steps, sneaking closer and closer to the light. When he is near the corner, he glances back at the hobgoblin with a bloodthirsty smile and nods that he is ready. He begins hopping from one foot to the other, anticipating the run to catch the intruders unawares.
Ears perking up the dwarf quietly whispers to the group. "I think the blighter's over there." He gives a short nod in the direction of the sound.
"I trust your judgment." whispers Logan.
Rolg nods he is ready, crouches, and surges forward.
"Now! Bolgrith, Jamie, Logan, don't kill him, just catch him! Aladdin, knock him down!"
Bolstered by the strange, foreign curses laid on the intruders, Gat bounds for the intersection, tucking into a battle-roll as he rounds the corner.
Tumbling below Bolgrith’s readied mace, the goblin springs to his feet blindly brandishing his short sword and menacing, tiny tooth-filled sneer. Gat’s beady eyes widen when he finds a small host of men and one dwarf towering all around him, and their pupils harden with hate as he lashes out at the dwarf.
The jagged blade scrapes across the priest's steel breastplate.
Logan snarls and twists the hilt in his hands so that the dull edge of his falchion will make contact. Hefting it above his head, Logan swings.
The lieutenant's swing clobbers the goblin so hard, he spins once all the way around before collapsing onto the stone. A great purple welt begins to form across his already ugly face. Though unconscious and not bleeding, the goblin is still seriously hurt.
"Zealous lieutenant...you nearly killed him. Good job nonetheless."
"Bolgrith, can you patch him up enough to talk to us with depleting your magic? I fear we have a fight ahead."
Hooking aspergillum to belt Bolgrith drops to a knee and begins examining the fallen guard. "I think so, but he sure got walloped hard." he says with a rueful grimace. Pulling out a satchel of healing oils and spices the Priest goes to work.
Bolgrith's administrations begin to quickly soothe the darkened injury, but the goblin remains out cold. The experienced healer knows that after about four hours of rest, he will recover and wake up on his own.
Slightly abashed , Logan looks at the goblin and then at the group.
"Oh... sorry..." Logan mutters while sheathing his blade. "Will he be ok?"
"Yes, but I will have to use some of my energy. Though a small amount should suffice." Rubbing his hands together the cleric of Irori begins a low slow chant. Unfamiliar to all gathered. Rising up from the stone beneath him a deep deep blue energy, almost black as the darkened halls of stone, forms in his hands before slithering to the prostrate goblin. Absorbing into the clammy skin of the unconscious enemy. Almost immediately the remainder of it's wounds begin to dissipate.
The goblin blinks his eyes open, and they widen as they take in the expanse of Bolgrith’s looming beard. Squirming to his feet, the little green-skin makes a break for the hallway!
"Hold him! Tie him up!"
The running goblin falls flat on his face!
Logan tries to hold him down.
With a short sprint and awkward hop Bolgrith dives for the prone goblin. Arms outstretched in a dwarvish bear hug.
Logan easily lifts a boot and holds the little goblin to the stone ground. He squirms and squeals pitifully. “Miérrrrrt?”
“Whyyyyyyy?”
"Stilte! Jy is nou my gevangene. Jy sal my vrae beantwoord sonder bedrog of sarkasme. Jy sal eerlik beantwoord. As jy dit nie doen nie, sal ek jou naam op 'n vars vel goeie papier skryf en gooi dit na 'n middag wind. Ek sal jou naam te steel en dryf dit deur die wêreld ... Hierdie Ek belowe. Jy is gewaarsku. Nou sal jy aan?"
"Silence! You are now my prisoner. You will answer my questions without guile or sarcasm. You will answer truthfully. If you do not, I will write your name on a fresh sheet of good paper and cast it to a midday wind. I will steal your name and float it 'round the world...This I vow. You have been warned. Now, will you comply?"
Aladdin claps his hands at the sound of the squeal. "Oo, is it play time?" the mad sorcerer asked
"I see the knock on the head didn't have too many lasting effects." Logan says as the goblin squirms.
Gat widens his eyes at Rolg’s promise, not appearing to fully understand its meaning.
“Ce ...? Da, d-le voi urma ordinele.”
“Wha…? Yes sir I will follow orders.”
Logan tries to listen past what the goblin and Rolg are saying.
"If he is a guard, I don't know how much time we have until his relief will come..." he mutters to himself.
“Gartok nemuritor! El conduce. Toate triburile de mic și bug-urs să se întâlnească aici, la mare munte de ardere, înainte marș de război.” A violent gleam in his eye glances at the humans in the party, but the guard quickly looks back to Rolg and spills more information, “Nu am putut sa ne conta. Noi suntem o mulțime. Mai mult de ierburi de pe dealuri. Și Gartok ucis gigant tata, asa ca acum ei vor strivi oameni ca ne-am tăiat și roade.” More animated in anticipation of the bloodletting, the goblin begins to fidget again, and blurts, “și el a domesticit un balaur!”
A tittering high laugh is cut short from the boot that still holds him to the ground.
“Gartok the Undying! He leads. All tribes of goblin and buggybear to meet here at the great burning mountain before marching to war.”
“I couldn’t count us. We are lots. More than grasses on the hills. And Gartok killed papa giant, so now they will squash humans as we cut and gnaw.”
“and he’s tamed a dragon!”
The goblin appears to be telling the truth. In fact, he might be a little slow on the comprehension of enemies to his cause in this place, since this interrogation is going rather smoothly.
"'N draak? Watter soort van die draak? Wie is jy van plan op die strydende met?"
"A dragon? What kind of dragon? Who are you planning on warring with?"
The goblin cackles unabashedly at Rolg’s question. “Bine unul, căpitane! Gat știe care războiul este cu! Oamenii!” He points at Simon, then Logan, Jamie, and Aladdin. “Apoi pitici!” His finger then jabs to the priest as he smiles up at Rolg. Slowly, a question forms over his ugly face. "O mare ... balaur? El trăiește în munte ...
“Good one, captain! Gat knows who the war is with! Humans!”
“Then dwarves!”
"A ...big dragon? He lives in the mountain..."
"I know who leads them, how many there are, and who they're attacking. Anything else we'd like to know?"
Rolg speaks in a heavy accent, like he's not used to speaking the human tongue.
“When the attack begins,” Simon says to Rolg, “And if they plan to use watercraft or sorcery.”
Rolg relays the questions to the captive goblin.
Gat smiles knowingly with a nod. “Gnomii și urși de bug-uri încearcă să ascunde unor scheme de noi, pentru surpriza pe oameni. Dar Gat vede si aude, și spune la nimeni. Gat urmarit creaturi urate si paroase întâlni cu furt umane, cu bărci și tăietori să le dea medalii de aur. Gat crede pirat umane sunt de partea noastră. Și balaurul folosit magia atunci când un gigant ajuns prea aproape de cusca lui găuri.”
The goblin fidgets eagerly. “Noi martie azi.”
“The hobgoblins and buggybears try to hides some schemes from us, for surprise on humans. But Gat sees, and hears, and says to none. Gat watched hobgoblins meet with human stealers with boats and cutters to give them golds. Gat thinks human stealers are on our side. And the dragon used magics when a giant got too close to his cage-hole.”
“We march today.”
Logan looks at Rolg "Also, does he know where the attack will be mounted?"
"Damn."
Rolg relays the news.
"We cannot affect a difference in time." He says resignedly. "We continue on with our quest for Karahdjin." He looks to Gorim and Aladdin. "Sounds like they have a navy, be ready to help us fight and/or run."