(If anyone has a silver piercing or slashing melee weapon, they can skin a hound.)
Not me....oh well.
Hudak pulls out a silver piece and starts sharpening it on the floor. Then he thinks better of it, and goes over and talks to Dravite all reassuringly, tries to make him comfortable.
Thank ye, Illes, I be feelin' mooch bet'er. Hudak, I be hearin' that some people git all gaa-gaa and luvy when de be caught in life 'er death strugglin' but if'n ye be tryin' ta hol' me hand agin ye best be buyin' me a mug or three first! Ha-haaaa!
Where's me hook? *picks it up and gives Hudak a slap on the back on the way.*
Just trying to comfort you.
If'n someone would be so kin', I be hurtin' right bad. Thanks fer the timely thrust, Larken me boy.
Vethran sighs with relief as the creature is felled and steps forward to slap Dravite on the back for his valor. Fortunately, he notices his left hand still crackling with electrical energy from his spell and decides against this particular show of appreciation.
"Good work, everyone," the mage nods in approval. "Let's get patched up and keep moving... I've gotta do something with this charge."
"Good fight, all. Now, for that pelt I wanted... Aw, c'mon... Son of... You've gotta be kidding..." He packs away his ineffectual dagger, kicking the hounds carcass in annoyance. "It's still resistant to weaponry, I see. Maybe some other denizien of this complex will have a blade that can cut their hides. Vethran's right, though - let's push on."
Elisile puts her arrow back into it's quiver and nods at Alwyn. "Let's go," she says, heading towards the northern door.
Yeah! Loot'n'desecrate it is.
"We can desecrate it later - nothing in here is going anywhere. Now, for that electrical charge..." - Alwyn nods at the bluish, crackling aura surrounding Vethran's hand - "it just begs for release, don't you think?"
"Uh....it'll only take a minute. I gotta bust a grunt."
"Whatever makes you happy, I guess... Stay away from the altar and the statue; messing with them invites the kind of attention you just don't want. Once I re-consecrate this place, we can clean it up. Until then, it is better to not attaract the interest of inattentive deities."
"Well, have you seen a lavatry anywhere's abouts?"
Hudak busts a grunt in the corner of the room...
Elisile shakes her head. “Larken, let us investigate the door for traps.”
"Hey, elves take a grunt, don't they? SHEEEEEESH!"
“Ar’ron rana mankoi lye kwentra sen‘ksh…” Elisile murmurs as she walks away.
"I don't know whether to laugh or cry anymore", Alwyn mumbles as he swallows down a giggle. "The gods know I've done plenty of both through the years."
"Anybody got a silver knife or something?"
"You thinking the dogs are some species of werewolf? Interesting... A shapeshifting demon or something? A malignant nature spirit? Hmmmmm..." Alwyn gets lost in thought while his companions work over the door.
"I have no idea. I just wanted to skin the thing to make a cape.
Meh,....let's go. Last door, to the north."
“Ar’ron rana mankoi lye kwentra sen‘ksh…” Elisile murmurs as she walks away.
I be hearin' ye, sister. Durned humans be a mess sometimes....
"A little privacy?"
Larken finds no traps, and gingerly opening the door reveals none. This is a small chamber, 10' by 10', with the door just opened to the south and another in the west wall. Quite striking are a series of doodles or graffitti on the walls, mostly of stick goblins fighting and killing humans, horses and dogs. However, much larger and seemingly older and more complex, is another picture. It seems to be a sideview of Thistletop Island, with the goblin stockade on top like a crown. Inside is depicted a large cave, in which stands a big, muscular goblin with snake-like eyes and a dog-slicer in each clawed hand. If it is depicted to scale, the creature would be about 30' high.
Larken motions for silence to the other party members. Stealthily, he sneaks over to the next door, listening intently for any activity on the other side.
Larken hears nothing through the door.
Larken quickly checks the door for traps. When he's done, Alwyn pushes the door open and steps inside.
Hudak's rolling with the magic axe too, byoches!
The door opens on to another small chamber. This one has a table, heaped with papers and maps of the area, and a few chairs. A blackboard leans against the wall, covered with a rough map of Sandpoint and what appears to be a battle plan for its invasion.
"Hey, look at that. Strategy - from goblins! Amazing."
"Hey, look at that. Strategy - from goblins! Amazing."
Search 17--nope.
"Nothing in here."
“Strategy from she who leads the goblins more likely,” murmurs Elisile, as she begins searching the area along with Hudak.
“There Shoanti,” says the elf, pointing to a seemingly blank section of wall. “Secret door.”
I take an immediate interest in the plans, and begin reading them.
“Strategy from she who leads the goblins more likely,” murmurs Elisile, as she begins searching the area along with Hudak.
“There Shoanti,” says the elf, pointing to a seemingly blank section of wall. “Secret door.”
"Huh."
I take an immediate interest in the plans, and begin reading them.
The plans seemed to have three main components:
- an attack at ground level froma goblin horde, certainly larger than that which was involved in the initial attack;
- an attack from below by sinspawn from the catacombs below the town;
- the involvement of a beast called "the whisperer", which seems to reside deeper in the complex.
The whisperer is not clearly described, but is a legendary creature seemingly worshipped by the goblins and with an empathic link to its leaders. However, it would appear that at the time of writing the plan neither Nualia nor the cultists had actually found its lair or encountered it.
If these plans had come to fruition, it is likely that Nualia would have been at the head of a horde which, while not necessarily threatening Magnimar directly, would certainly have made life difficult along the road north from the capital. It certainly would have eliminated Sandpoint.
"I'll wager that the 'Whisperer' they talk about is the same huge creature that's drawn on the wall in the room behind us. Now, can anyone open that secret door?"
Hudak grunts trying to manhandle the door open.
r6+3=9....
"Gnnnnnngraaaaah!"
The door is fairly easy to open, once the knack is determined. A set of stairs leads down into the darkness.
"Torches, or nighteyes?"
"Nighteyes. The enemy is human, and they are as blind as we are in the darkness."
"Elf's first. Beauty before age.
Ergo, the dwarf's last."
Maebe I shoul' be takin' point, if'n ye be wantin' ta keep it dark.....I 'ave good eyes fer de dark.
*Dravite makes an easily avoided swipe at Hudak's feet with his hook, a wide smirk on his face.*
"Hey! wha tha...."
“Yes, without lights they shall not see us coming,” comments Elisile, “although they will hear us as half of the group stumbles along noisily in the dark.”
"Don't forget that massive bugbear, Bruthemus or whatever his name was. Still haven't seen hide nor hair of him and he'll see in the dark clear as anyone."
How about...
Drav
Elly
Hudak
Alwin
Loj
Illes
Larken
Veth
Davos?