Talia advances to the double doors.
If trapped?
If it is quiet and untrapped she will open the doors.
You hear what sounds like 2 goblin voices on the other side of the door, arguing about something. You can't make out what, though.
Talia will gesture to Laufey, indicating two Goblins on the other side, when Laufey is ready she will open the door and let her attack. Following her in support.
Laufey descends from the tower and takes up position in front of the door. She gives Talia a nod to let her know she's ready.
Talia opens the door, a dagger ready in her other hand.
The floor of this room is hard-packed soil, as if the builders either ran out of lumber after building the walls and roof, or as if they simply never thought about building a floor. A number of poorly preserved horse and dog heads are mounted along the eastern wall, while along the southern wall hangs a pair of large black-feathered wings tacked to the wall with daggers. To the southeast are the main doors to Thistletop, with a wooden bar holding them in place. Two goblin commandos stand in the room, arguing with each other.
Despite their arguing, these goblins were ready for trouble. They both see you at the doors and move to attack you with their horsechoppers, singing Goblin songs as they advance.
Both goblins hit, gashing each of you.
Hearing the commotion inside bring a blade to Cade's hand. He moves quickly to the door in an attempt to open it up. He knows that it is locked in some fashion but he tries none the less to see how he can open it.
Laufey is completely appalled to discover so late that the gates aren't yet open.
"Go get the damned gate open, I'll keep them busy" she growls at Talia before lunging at her opponent.
Cade continues to look for a way to open the gate from their side.
Rasmorn waits patiently, only slightly worried, but confident they would be able to meet back up.
Watching Laufey go to murder town on one of the Goblins Talia wonders what's got her so cranky? Shrugging she tumbles passed the Goblins and darts over to open the door.
Rasmorn waits patiently, only slightly worried, but confident they would be able to meet back up.
Hearing the commotion inside bring a blade to Cade's hand. He moves quickly to the door in an attempt to open it up. He knows that it is locked in some fashion but he tries none the less to see how he can open it. He sees that maybe if he can get something long and thin through the gap between the doors, he might be able to lift the bar.
Laufey is completely appalled to discover so late that the gates aren't yet open. "Go get the damned gate open, I'll keep them busy" she growls at Talia before lunging at her opponent. She neatly bisects the goblin, its two halves falling to the floor.
Watching Laufey go to murder town on one of the Goblins Talia wonders what's got her so cranky? Shrugging she tumbles passed the Goblins and darts over to open the door. With a heave, she throws down the bar.
Everyone outside hears the sound of the bar being removed.
Isabella posts her sword, opens the gate, and gifts Rasmorn with guidance before the gnome heads into the fray.
Rasmorn frowns at the one goblin still standing, and immediately begins casting a spell. When he finishes, a square of grease appears underneath the unsplit commando.
Isabella posts her sword, opens the gate, and gifts Rasmorn with guidance before the gnome heads into the fray.
Rasmorn frowns at the one goblin still standing, and immediately begins casting a spell. When he finishes, a square of grease appears underneath the unsplit commando.
The goblin remains standing.
Not realizing the gate is open, the goblin attacks Laufey again.
He manages to graze her with a light wound.
Seeing the gate open, Cade steps back in anticipation of Goblins coming out but smiles instead when he sees a familiar face.
Why my lady, thank you for opening the gate.
He looks past her at the only Goblins still standing even after the creature steps aside as a patch of odd colored liquid appears under it.
You sent for some pest control. Well, I see your problem...Bellum...come.
With those words issued Cade walks forward towards the lone Goblin with Bellum coming in on the other side of the mouthy Halfling.
Hearing the words, Bellum comes running into the room and seeing that there is only one Goblin standing; moves to attack.
Isabella moves inside the gate - carefully stepping around the grease - and brings her sword back up into a ready position.
Attack on other goblin.
Rasmorn's face falls in disappointment when the goblin doesn't fall. "Drat and bother..." He moves forward just a little, and sends a splash of acid at the goblin instead.
Talia takes a 5' step on her turn and stabs Red.
Seeing the gate open, Cade steps back in anticipation of Goblins coming out but smiles instead when he sees a familiar face.
"Why my lady, thank you for opening the gate."
He looks past her at the only Goblins still standing even after the creature steps aside as a patch of odd colored liquid appears under it.
"You sent for some pest control. Well, I see your problem...Bellum...come." With those words issued Cade walks forward towards the lone Goblin with Bellum coming in on the other side of the mouthy Halfling. The Halfling's rapier goes right through the kidney, but Bellum misses the goblin.
Laufey attacks the other goblin, but remains snakebitten and misses.
Talia takes a 5' step on her turn and stabs Red, finishing the goblin off.
Getting a proper look at this room, you see that the floor of this room is hard-packed soil, as if the builders either ran out of lumber after building the walls and the roof, or as if it simply never occurred to them to build a floor. A number of poorly preserved horse and dog heads are mounted on the eastern wall, while along the southern wall hangs a large pair of black-feathered wings tacked to the wall with daggers.
These wings look like they belonged to a harpy.
One of the daggers holding up the wings is medium-sized, and has a pearl handle.
Wiping his blade clean, Cade looks to be ready to climb up onto Bellum but stops as he looks around the room. He rubs the dogs neck and scratches his ear.
We will be inside and it might get a bit tight for riding. I am going to walk...stay close to me. Ok.
Turning to the others...
Where to next?
"I don't know... Talia, what do you think?" says Isabella, resting her heavy falchion once more.
"Hmmm?" Talia replies absently.
Laufey wraps up yet a couple more cuts and looks around. She wasn't able to tell much about the fort from the tower, but she tries to orient herself at least enough to choose a direction to go in.
Offhandedly she mentions "that's a fancy dagger" in reference to the one pinning some big wing t the wall.
With the goblins safely dead for the moment, Rasmorn follows the others into the room and looks around. When Laufey points out the dagger, Rasmorn's eyes follow to where she is looking and his eyes widen slightly.
"A fancy dagger holding up some harpy wings! Fascinating. I wonder where a bunch of goblins got their hands on harpy wings?"
Rasmorn casts a quick spell, and then begins walking around the room looking at all the things.
You remember hearing rumors of a harpy known as Bristanch that would occasionally prey on passing ships about a half-mile further down the coast. Sailors hadn't seen her in a few months, though, and thought perhaps she'd attacked the wrong ship.
Rasmorn finds nothing magical within the room.
"I dunno, would the goblins hide anything behind this garbage? Traps or something?"
Laufey pulls the nice dagger from the wall, letting the wing fall to the floor.
"We should get something for our trouble."
After claiming the dagger, Laufey listens carefully for any sounds of activity. She figures wood won't block sound so completely as stone, and anything they can find out about activity in the fort might help them choose a direction to proceed in.
Laufey is unable to hear anything, but it appears Goblin construction doesn't adhere to any specific blueprints very well. Near the watchtower she and Talia climbed, there is a pair of double doors that might lead to a courtyard, as well as a boarded up door. In this room, to the north, there appear to be several doors and a hallway ending in another door. It seems as though the place was built haphazardly, rather than following any specific vision.
Laufey remembers seeing the goblin dogs clustered around the shed in the courtyard.
Cade eyes the dagger as Laufey retrieves the dagger.
Nice find...
His eyes wonder around the room...
hmm..How about the hallway...maybe take a look towards the other tower?
"Yes, perhaps the tower can give us a better vantage point," says Isabella.
Moving towards the other tower, you come to the door. Talia finds no traps and Rasmorn detects no magical auras, so you open the door to reveal a staircase leading up to the tower and another door on the northern wall.
Looking at the steps going up and then back to the others, including Bellum.
Up is fine but if we are cornered up there...Bellum will not get back down easily if at all. Shall we stay and guard the rear?
"Rasmorn. Do you have any spells left to hold the dogs in place?" Talia whispers as she studies the layout.
Rasmorn frowns in confusion, not having been to the top of the tower himself. However, he shrugs, and whispers back "I have another web spell prepared, if there are appropriate anchors for it. Can these dogs be seen from the tower top? Perhaps we could go up there and engage while Cade and Bellum guard from a ground assault?"
I do not think we should tempt the dogs. If they are in an area that does not grant access to here, then leave them alone. They can not open the doors to come in, we should be fine. We just got inside...apparently without the rest of this place knowing we are here just yet. I would like to keep it that way if we can. Get up there and find out what you can. Bellum and I will stay here to guard your backsides.
He looks around the room...
and when you get back down, we should start to work on all these doors that run of the main room first.
"I also think it is best to leave the dogs alone. If they cannot get to us, we will only be bringing more trouble on ourselves. It is the goblins who we must get rid of, as many quiet, quick kills as we can make before they all know we are here."
Ascending the staircase, you find that the other tower gives you a simliar view as the first did. The goblin dogs still seem interested in whatever is in that shed, and the roof obscures the rest of Thistletop.
Cade keeps his weapon out and at the ready...watching the others ascend the stairs.
Bellum, we stay here and guard.
"I suggest we check those doors by the dog pen first, it looks to be one or two rooms so best to make sure there's no one behind us." Talia gives her opinion on what to do next.
"I still think we should get rid of those Goblin dogs as well. I'm curious as to what's in that shed they're watching?"
Laufey agrees with Talia on checking the doors by the dog pen, but not the rest.
"Unless there is a woman named Nualia in that building guarded by the dogs, I don't care about it. We don't have the strength to waste on curiosity now, because we will need it later."
As long as the dogs are watching the shed then they are not curious about us for the moment.
He smiles and looks up at the others.
No offense as I am new to your group...but...why walk all the way to the other side to check those doors only to come back again to check these doors. Lot of extra steps. Maybe we just check the doors as we go towards the dogs?
Isabella posts her falchion and pauses to give the team a moment of some much-needed care.
"I agree that tactically we either need to score a significant victory and establish a place that we can control, or we need to decide when we're going to bug out and come back," she says. "We just don't know how many goblins are left, and that's a big risk."
Rasmorn frowns, clearly torn and slightly nervous at the disagreement. "It does seem like nobody knows we are here yet, as unlikely as that sounds. If we open up a volley on the dogs, they can raise all sorts of noise and give us away. I don't like leaving things behind us, but I like less the idea of raising the alarm." He looks apologetically at Talia as he says this, clearly uncomfortable at disagreeing with his friend, but resolute anyway.
Talia finds no traps, and Laufey opens the door to reveal a short hallway that turns to the left after about 10 feet.