Attalas shrugs.
Climbing the wall of ice would be quite difficult (DC25) but if you have the right equipment you could do it (DC15).
The goblins have already begun to set up camp, small ragged tents are errected and soon a large fire burns (you wonder what they burn, but on second thought you decide that not asking might be wiser in this case...Nymeria and Kosti are still around, so why worry).
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"Longer we wait, more goblins become food when sleepy Jarl wakes hungry. A few sneak in tricksy-wise, or I let loose a avalanche of my goblins into the gate. Sneak with knives, diversion with lives." Mobo sits down, gnawing on a tindertwig, and for the moment pulls his pet Elf-wart from his backpack to see if the toad still lives or will become dinner instead.
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The toad still lives and with big eyes glares at its owner. Among the goblins hushed voices can be heard
Familiar of big boomstick master...a dragon trapped in a toad's body...oulala!
Unless he ate the elf that ran away, he probably already knows that we are here.
Jez pauses for a moment, you can almost see the gears in her head grinding. I wonder why it is not warmer here? Isn't the artifact supposed to be here?
The goblins have nothing to add, neither have the bugbears...so if no one wnats to have a bit of chit chat we skip to the next morning?
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When the next morning dawn, the glacial wall is bathed in glistening light - too much for the goblins to look at. Soon every member of Mobo's tribe stares at his feet and quickly the first "My toe is bigger than yours"-contests begin...
The bugbears, far more disciplined, have walked over to the gap and begun to lick the wall
Is good! It melts, in time we can lick it down!
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Jez looks down at her goblin friend. Yes, lets search this place and find the key. Although since this ice is not melting, other than by bugbear saliva, I wonder if it is still here.
With that, Jez watches the goblins and their big toe competition while waiting for her companions to get ready for the day. Once they are prepared, she helps King Mobo up onto his perch on Attlas's shoulder and follows the others into the cave.
I won't be climbing the wall...Into the cave it is then!
The gap in the wall does not just lead to the other side of this monument, a long corridor, flanked by walls of ice, but without a roof lies before you. Instantly the idea sparks in you that this might be the beginning of some kind of giant-sized maze.
A cold wind blows through the white-glistening corridor...somehow the white walls remain you of bones bleached in the sun...
After two smaller, but short side-paths, you reach a crossing...
Jez looks to her companions for help. Any ideas? I always say the right is right.
HAHAHAHA Right is Right! HAHAHA the goblin next to Jez nearly collapses, but as soon as he notices that no one else is laughing - especially not King Mobo, he makes an angry face and says Not Funny, not at all!
"Really? I thought it was hilarious." Ragnvald says without hiding his sarcasm. "I see no reason not to do as Jez suggests. I despise mazes."
Right it is then, if there isn't a difference to be seen, anyway...
Kosti continues to mumble to himself though I wish I had left...Desna help me...now I start to sound like them...
Smiling broadly, and completely unaware that it is actually cold out, Jez points the goblins to the right and heads in that direction.
Yes King Mobo, Court Jester number three! I will make you laugh until you wet your pants: An elf, a dwarf, a cyclops and a bar...
As you reach the crossing and take a look at the right corridor, you notice several piles of bones, about every twenty feet for here to the next crossing.
The newly promoted buffoon abruptly stops his joke and gulps fearfully.
Jez glances at the bones unsure whether they would make for good decorations, or attack her.
Perception:
No...I wanted to say, they entered a bar...or a barbarian encampment...I'm not sure...urgh...
following his king, the buffoon tries his best to look like an impressive bodyguard...and fails
The bones look like they once belonged to several humanoid creatures, probably orcs and bugbears. Most of them are smashed and splintered as if they had been broken apart by great force.
Jez looks at her large ogre companion who has suddenly become abnormally quiet: Looks like some of your type decided to play orc bowling.
"Or a predatory beast lives here. BE on your guard." Drawing his blade Ragnvald creeps forward.
You follow the corridor until it reaches another wide intersection - suddenly one of the goblins calls out
There there! Red bird! And as you look to the right, you really catch a glimpse of a red shadow dashing away from you!
Nearly all of the goblins had begun to sprint after the red silhouette, but as their leader keeps cool, they quickly stop their pursuit, shuffle back and reform as the phalanx of order they usually resemble...
Jez looks up at King Mobo riding on Attalas' shoulder.
He probably wants to be followed - right into a trap. Perhaps we should go the opposite direction. Or we could set up a trap here for when he returns to inspect why we are not chasing him.
Jez looks up at the white icy walls: Fire might not be a great idea unless you are very good at swimming.
The goblins and bugbears just wait and stare...
Are we waiting for Attalas' judgement?
"If he's half as skilled as the rumors go then an ambush will do no good. I say we go the opposite direction as proposed."
Agreed...but watch your backs.
You follow the icy corridor to the left but after only about 50m you reach a dead end. At the foot of the icy wall that now towers in front of you is a small hole, just large enough for a human to crawl through...
Jez looks at Mobo with a mischievous grin.
King Mobo, do you have a good scout among your troops?
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Kosti adresses Nymeria in a low voice and in elven:
Would it not be for the better if King Mobo would go himself? I am not sure any member of his new tribe would even be able to convey to us what he has seen beyond that hole.
epic!
Should we tie a rope to Mobo's ankle so that we can pull him back if trouble arises?
Mobo crawls into the small gap and squeezes his bony body through the narrow tunnel made of pure cold, he finds another opening about 20m later. (I hope the rope was long enough :)
Behind the exit that leads out of the glacial wall, another icy corridor leads onwards...slowly you become confused by the sheer number of corridor-alternatives
Feeling the rope go taunt after 50', Jez quickly ties another length on it. - Not sure how much rope we have, I assume everyone has at least 50' as it is pretty much standard equipment.