Thrall feels a bit uncomfortable with Serena's last comment on crusaders of different shapes, but well... Given the situation, that's just a drop of rain on the sea.
"Before you put yourselves to rest, is anyone in need of a cursive blessing? I still can do something about it today..."
Sull physically pauses when the brooch is presented just after Serena has her say. His one good eye gets misty. My son left Neathome a few days ago after an argument. I expect he shall never return... Thank you.
After a moment to collect himself, he says, Here, take this morningstar. It has served me well and is the only fitting reward I can think of for giving me this peace. Also, take this supply of potions. It's not much, but it's all we have to aid you other than a good night's rest on soft beds.
He gives you a magical (+1) morningstar and a bag containing six potions of cure light wounds and three potions of lesser restoration.
Horgus is disgusted by Neathholm and can't be away from the place quickly enough (which he says repeatedly regardless of current cumpany). Anevia is intrigued by the possibility of recruiting the mongrels to aid the crusade. Aravashnial is delighted to learn that there are entire societies of "mole people" and "pitlings" under the city. His archaic names for the locals quickly earn him more than a few sour looks.
"I'm still fine." Serena noted in response to the question. "Come on, Aravashnial - the city will still be here in the morning, and I think we should rest while we can."
"I could do with some resting," Zora says. "I'm still a bit sore from that dwarf's attack, and this place is the safest we'll probably find for a while."
Before resting , Thrall expend his last invocation restoring a bit of Vance's health.
"I'm sorry but that was all I could do. If we rest, tomorrow I and maybe some others will be able to heal all of you who are still in bad shape."
Balthasar takes the morningstar from Chief Sull and says, "We will care for it and ensure it is put to good use. Thank you for all your aid, Chief Sull." He will offer a short bow before departing Chief Sull's presence.
"Yes, rest would be the best thing for us. I can treat our wounded much better that way." Iolaire agrees, glad for the chance to rest. "It's been a long and tiring trip."
Bitey watches as the others are given potions and weapons and other aid. Seeing how the others treat Horgus, the little goblin feels bad for the noble. Pattering over like a small child, Bitey stretches out and quietly attempts to converse with Horgus."It gonna be ok, right? We gonna get back up and save the city? You gonna teach me be noble like you, cause you promise Bitey. Zo only person Bitey have till Bitey make friends with you. Family all dead or gone. Mr. Fancy shiny pants man say Bitey can't stay with him, he go to fight demons and not come back... Can Bitey tell you a secret? Bitey scared of demons... I know, Bitey not scared of anything, but demons hurt Bitey different then any other ouchy." Bitey lifts up his shirt to show the web of scar tissue on his belly. A lattice of deep hatch marks criss cross along radiating lines running from the center of his being. "Bitey think he hate them demons, they take everything from Bitey. Some day they take Zo Zo dearest human smell like orange fur from poor poor Bitey. Take friend Horgus smell like coin grumpy face too... and Bitey be all alone again. Bitey no want that. Bitey like grumpy face, it good face. Bitey know grumpy just afraid like the rest of us, grumpy face not crazy, maybe only sane thing to be is afraid... Maybe Horgus only sane person in group." A slow, whistful sigh escapes Bitey. "Bitey sure could use a drink some days, Bitey get you a round when we make to the surface, what Horgus drink?"
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Arianna remained near the back of the party as they spoke with the chief. It was unlikely, she thought, that he'd know too much about her past but still, it would be a bad thing to be stuck here without any allies besides Zoranda and putting her in that position again was not something she was eager to do.
Once they broke away, she'd take up a sentry position near where they were going to be resting. As one of the few uninjured members of the party it only seemed right that she helped take watch to look after the others as they rested. A part of her wanted to muse about the luck that of all the people she could have fallen with, this group seemed to not know, or to not be worried about who they traveled with...for now.
"These ones should go to the ones not able to heal themselves" Thrall points out, referring to the healing potions. "The restorative ones, I don't know. It will depend on what perils we find. They will be used most probably out of the action, so if no one wants, I can carry them, or at least one."
"As for the weapon, I like to use heavier things. Maybe one of you that carries a shield will make a better profit from it." Saying that, Thrall puts the glaive at his back and fits the cestus on his hands. Who knows when can they be useful?
Seeing Arianna take watch, Aria walks up and places her hand on her shoulder and says with a slight smile, "Wake me when you tire, I'll take second watch."
Balthasar nods as Anna and Aria each agree to take a watch. "Aria, wake me when you tire, and I'll relieve you. Does someone else want to take the last watch?"
Since no one takes the morningstar, Balthasar says, "I will keep this for now. If anyone wants to use it, you need only ask."
Balthasar hands one healing potion each to Zoranda, Anna, Vance, Bitey, Serena, and Aria. "Here. Hopefully I'll be close enough to the front that those who are capable of healing can get me back on my feet, should I go down."
Once he's handed Bitey a healing potion, he turns to Horgus. "Lord Gwerm, I know you do not entirely trust our hosts. However, they have told us of a way out, and they are clearly not friends of demonic cultists. I ask that, for now, you put aside your mistrust. We will return to the surface as soon as we can, and then, if you like, we will escort you to your manor. Do you find this acceptable?"
Zora looks quite worried as the man hands the goblin a potion so readily. Already seeing Bitey try to open it, Zora quickly stops the little guy. "This is a potion, Bitey. This will heal 'boo-boo's, okay? Really, really, big ones. So don't drink it unless you have a really big boo-boo." He's going to drink it as soon as I turn my back, isn't he? Well, these people have to learn how he is somehow.
After a relaxing night (probably, you're not sure) of rest and recuperation you gear up and prepare to take out some traitors. Unfortunately, your crippled escortees will need to travel with you as you have no way of knowing when it will be possible to come back to get them. The Chief shows you to one of the many doors out of Neatholme, gives you directions to the traitor's base, and bids you luck.
Over an hour later you arrive at a space that narrows down to a 5' wide corridor worked with picks. You are very close to the base now.
Balthasar stops as they approach the narrowed corridor, and quietly says, "Hold up. We should come up with a plan. This corridor is a choke point - we march down it and they can pepper us with bows or crossbows while we do so. There will likely be no cover for us, either."
The crusader grimaces. "We should also assume they have the advantage of sight - that all of them can see in the darkness without need of light, whereas most of us need the light to be able to see."
He looks at the gap for a moment. Their scouts all required at least some light to see, so they had no way of moving forward to scout the passage without alerting their enemies to their presence. He frowns before unlimbering his shield and passing it to Thrall. "Thrall, you can see well in darkness. You and Bitey should take point. Once you can see them, they will likely be able to see you. Maintain a defensive stance until you think you are close enough to charge into melee. You can drop the shield and draw your greatsword then. We'll follow about 30 feet behind you and Bitey - Vance in the lead, also in a defensive position, followed by Iolaire, then myself, Zoranda, Anna, Aria, Serena, Anevia, Aravashnial, and Lord Gwerm. Does that work for everyone?"
Aria steps forward, "Perhaps I should be in the scout team as well. I can see fairly well in the dark and I can move fairly quietly. Also, if we need to fall back I can cover the retreat."
Balthasar nods. "I was initially having you hang back to cover us with your bow, but if you can see without aid in the dark, then having another on the scout team would be good."
I wonder how she can do that. Probably magic of some kind - that's usually how these things go.
"Good plan. I can cover from above though." Iolaire points out. "The ceilings here aren't that high so I can come at them from above and try to confuse them. That way you and Vance can present a united front and I'll work from above. It will mean I can't heal anyone, but trying to do that in a fight is risky at the best of times."
Unless anyone objects Iolaire's vines snake out and start walking her up the wall until she hands near the ceiling, well above people's heads.
Serena nodded. "I can probably take a few of them down if I can get close to them, but this group has a lot of good sword-arms - I'll be support." she said. Her magic wasn't omnipotent or endless - but she was definitely going to do the best she could.
Zora nods, but isn't as eager as the rest. I hope they're right about this. We're basically assuming they're evil based off of another man's words. Hopefully this isn't going to go ill.
Thrall stares at the shield Balthasar is offering him. "If you're talking about the ability to see in the dark, well... that was not among my heritage." He turns his eyes to Aria. "Yes, take my place. I should stay with the rest or else I'll spoil your stealth, at which I'm also not the best with this clanky piece of metal" he adds, patting his armour.
"Or, Bitey could just walk up to them's and try gets them come out. No one expect Bitey be good guy..."
The scout moves forward and spots two mongrelmen standing guard behind a wall made up of mostly loose stone in front of a chest high vertical barricade.
They don't notice you, but one looks very hard in your direction.
Balthasar shrugs at Thrall's decision, and holds his shield at the ready. As they wait for the scout to report back, he leans over and says to Thrall, "Since seeing in the dark is not your heritage, could you use that scale to grant you the ability see in the dark?"
Bitey pokes Aria and points at the mongrelmen. Putting his finger to his smiling lips, Bitey cocks his head and sniffs the air. Aria must be getting to know this goblin well, because his body language suggests to her that he is about to do something extremely foolhardy.
Aria places her hand on Bitey's shoulder, hoping to hold him off from doing something stupid. "Only two of them but they have cover and who knows how many more they can call to back them up... Need to take them out quietly."
Aria then turns back toward where the rest of the group can hopefully still see her and quietly signals that there are two enemies. She holds her bow with an arrow knocked at the ready and slowly advances, hopefully getting to a point where Bitey can take one while she takes the other.
As the scouts moved forward, Serena stayed back at her assigned position. Her magic didn't lend itself well to stealth - quite the opposite, really - and she wasn't nearly dumb enough to fumble outside of her area of expertise at such an important time.
Thrall listens to Balthasar's suggestion and seems to carefully consider it. "Oh. You mean turning into a full orc, or a dwarf, or something? I don't know if it only mimics appearance, but I guess it could work. Never occurred to me. I must remember to try next time, thank you for the idea."
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Arianna held back to her assigned spot looking a little twitchy that there was scouting to be done but because of the circumstances she had to allow others to do it. "If there is a way to see in the dark, perhaps we could trade scales for the time being and I could assist the scouting team?" she offered.
"I've got all the light... but they'll be able to see it, too. Unless you want a glowy rock?" Serena asked Arianna. Light was, after all, the specialty of this particular sorceress.
Thrall hands the scale over to Arianna. "If you want to give it a try... but you'll need to hurry if you want to catch them."
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Arianna nodded and took the scale passing her own to Thrall in return before moving to catch up with the scouting team. As she moved she quickly focused her mind on the scale going through a list of creatures that would be close enough in appearance to her that could also see in the dark. Settling on the image of herself as a dark-skinned elf, she used the image to allow the scale to give her the ability to see in the dark.
As the party creeps closer, Aria kicks a rock accidentally. It clatters to the ground.
The mongrelmen spin around and instantly spot Bitey and Aria.
Hey! Who are you! INTRUDERS! They yell.
Iolaire, feet planted firmly on the ceiling just around the corner, hears the noise and tenses - ready to move forward at the first sign of further danger.
Serena stayed in her place, not rushing forward until the person ahead of her had gone. Teamwork was critical - especially for someone like her. If you didn't pay attention to your role, you hurt the whole group... and they'd been very thorough about teaching her that particular lesson.
"Sounds like our scouting team has been noticed. Get ready to move. Vance, take point, Thrall, second. Then myself, Zoranda, Serena and the rest. Let's see if they want to try and save the situation. Don't rush ahead until we hear the sounds of battle." Balthasar issues the group marching orders, hoping no one would rush off.
"Arianna and Bitey are out there!" Zora objects, pulling out her starknife and rushing forward. No one's going to disappear on me this time!
"Damn it!!" Aria thinks to herself as her mind rushes through possible ways out. "I've never been too good with words... Maybe as a goblin Bitey can feign allegiance..." With that thought, Aria turns towards Bitey and gives him nod, hopefully conveying that she'll follow his lead.
Balthasar reaches out to stop Zoranda, already knowing he won't be able to say anything to stop her and it was too late to restrain her. "Wait! This passage is too narrow! We'll be bottled up and unable to assist! Iolaire and Aria are both there as backup. Let them try and salvage the situation without rushing in!"
Bitey pulls back his hood and rushes out with his hands up and empty. "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! BITEY GOBLIN!!!! YOU SEE, GOBLIN!!!! YOU NO NEED KILL GOBLINS!!! WE BE FRIENDS, YOU CAN BE BITEY FRIEND!!!! PLEASE NO KILL PRETTY LADY SHE FRIEND BITEY!!!!"
Bitey is attempting get close to the mongrelmen while they try to process the little goblin coming with no weapons.
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Arianna mentally cursed as the voices of the sentrys calles out having noticed the other two. Bad luck. she thought while another part said it was the pattern of the last day or two.
Since the two guards seemed focused on Aria and bitey, she'd move to try and stick to the shadows of the wall opposite them using her natural speed to close the distance, hoping to be in a position if it came to combat.
Thrall grabs his big sword and follows Vance, in the hopes of rescueing the scout time before they're taken prisoners... or worse.