Gimble slips into cover as he switches to his short bow.
Kord steps up to guard the others from approaching hostiles. He then readies himself for the rush.
Well, the daggers didn't do much good. Maybe Quinrick just doesn't have enough strength in his arms to throw them hard enough. So he switches to rapier and moves in to strike the male hobgoblin, who is occupied fighting Rurik.
Hess unlimbers his arms, and takes a shot at the Hobgoblin Archer on the Left side.
Hobgoblin Seeking missile
Detonation
but misjudges the height of the chamber, and only succeeds in bringing down a hail of dirt and debris.
Rurik strikes at the male hobgoblin.
He feels the solid impact and the ribs break with the blow, without waiting to see if the hobgoblin falls he steps to block the female from the rest of his friend.
He feels the warriors surge, and strikes out at the female.
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Kord steps up to block access to the doorway, as Rurik and Quinrick engage the hobgoblins on the north wall of the cave. Quinrick misses with his attack, but Rurik slams his hammer home into the rib cage of the hobgoblin before moving to engage the female. The male goes down under the crippling blow, but the attack on the female misses. Hess fires his bow at one of the creatures in the back but succeeds only in hitting the ceiling. Meanwhile, Gimble hides, unlimbering his shortbow.
The female that Rurik struck at retaliates, but the attack is ineffective. The other females seem to be keeping their distance cautiously. The two remaining males have no such compunctions and continue to hail arrows upon the party. The arrow doesn't penetrate Rurik's armor, but Quinrtick is scratched!
Kord charges at the closest bow wielding hobgoblin to stop the hail of arrows.
Hess digs deep into his pool of Eldritch energy, and tries once again to blast the un-engaged archer.
Eldritch Missile
Eldritch piercing
But finds the chaos spoiling his aim once again. He growls under his breath, and starts to un-sheath his trusty sword.
Gimble readies an arrow and speaks in Goblin.
"Ow!" Quinrick yells, the hobgoblins's arrow drawing blood.
Keeping up with the momentum of the attack (not that he contributed much so far), the halfling joins Kord in fighting one of the remaining males.
He dances past a few hobgoblin females, speeding up as he is about to reach the male. There he lunges, and delivers a nice rapier thrust - just like he learned in fencing lessons.
"What are you gurgling back there, Gimble? Something got stuck in your throat?"
Sensing Kord moving away Rurik worries he will lose another priest he flashes his shield into the face of the hobgoblin to catch her attention he swings an underhand blow at her knee.
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Between Kord and Quinrick, one of the remaining males goes down. Rurik puts down one of the females with a blow to the knees. Hess attempts another eldritch blast but only succeeds in blasting the wall. In response to Gimble's offer, the females put up their arms in surrender. The remaining male lowers his bow and puts the arrow away.
Speaking in Goblin, Landau asks, "so, who's your leader? Since you've surrendered, we don't want to hurt you. People are launching raids on our people from these tunnels. Tell us what you know."
Kord holds his hammer at the ready in case the goblinoids get tired of talking.
Gimble says earnestly hoping the Hobgoblins get the message and head out to find a new place maybe with ore and set up a settlement to trade and live peaceably with the rest of the more civilized races.
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The hobgoblins look on as the gnome addresses them, clearly confused. There is some quiet discussion among themselves, and then the remaining male steps forward.
"I do not speak for our leader or my brothers, but if you are willing to let us go in peace, we will do so. I do not think that you will find them as willing without further violence, however."
Hess watches the hobgoblins pick up their belongings and prepare to leave, not fully trusting them.
"And no funny stuff... like warning the others we're on the way. You take care of you and yours, and settle far from here, and you might live a healthy long life".
Insight
DM
Hess carefully observes the appearance of this particular Hobgoblin in case it becomes useful to disguise himself as it later.
"Who is your leader?" Landau asks in Goblin.
Quinrick turns his head left and right, trying to follow this strange guttural interaction.
Riiight... They are speaking goblin! What a handy skill to have. Now why didn't I take a class or two back at the guild school?
"I see, still I am happy you all have decided to take a better path. I do hope that you strive to better yourselves and work with your neighbors rather than against them. May the Gods show you mercy and strength to endure." he says sheathing his weapon and standing regally.
"I do hope if we meet again it is less with blades and more with mirth and merriment. As for the question of who is your leader, that well would be well most kind if you could tell us a bit more about him? No small detail should be left out" Gimble says with a sly smile as he seems at ease not dictated by fear in the slightest.
"Drakus the Bloodthirsty? Where might we find him, his consorts and elite bodyguards?" Landau asks in Goblin.
Then, he translates his conversation to his companions.
"Curious, a group of gobbos wanting to live peacefully... I'm willing to give it a shot if they are."
"Goblins can be reasonable as any other humanoid species. They want to be able to live and flourish. To see there children live to a full rich life, to be safe and secure. Granted they are tainted often by evil," he pulls the dagger from the hobgoblin he felled and wipe it on the corpse before he puts it back away.
"It seems, however, the man in power is not as far-sighted as his subjects"he then sheathes his other weapon and flexes his fingers and then slips his hands back under his pack straps!
"Let us see if our Diplomacy for Drakus the Bloodthirsty" he says passively whistling as he stops alongside Quinrick.
"Come, Quin, let us see if any surprises await us and our companions"
"Peace with goblins? We leave in curious times indeed..." Quinrick says once the conversation is translated to him.
The halfling only now puts away his rapier, and starts to collect his daggers.
"Right, lets go!"
Rurik eyes the hobgoblins wearily, but looks to Kord and nods. "Lets get a move on.
Hess looks down each passageway briefly, before pulling out his lucky Electrum piece and tossing it into the air. "Heads we go North, Tails we go South".
1=Heads, 2=Tails
Quinrick keenly follows the coin landing.
"Right! South it is!" he says, and starts leading the group to the southern passage.
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You follow the twisting corridor to the south until you come to a room. This shadowy chamber is 20 feet wide by 40 feet lo11g. Situated around a central firepit are two sturdy chairs and a table covered with a variety of metal torture implements. Chained to the far wall are several grimy forlorn humanoid prisoners adorned in tattered loincloths. Two burly ugly goblinoids with burnt orange skin guard the hapless prisoners. As you enter, they laugh wickedly and draw whips from their belts.
"This doesn't look like a kitchen, I told you this wasn't the right way, and if I don't get you to the kitchen Drakus the Bloodthirsty will be thirsty for more then your food but our BLOOD!" Gimble says to Quinrick slightly drawing his second dagger as the first was already out cupped in his hand.
Rurik moves up to block the hallway to keep his friends safe.
Kord steps up next to Rurik to form a wall in front of the others and prepares for the hobgoblin attacks.
Landau follows Rurik and starts laughing at the burly ugly goblinoid with burnt orange skin on the right.
Hess moves forward and releases a bolt of Eldritch energy towards the ugly one right across from him.
A bright silver beam that starts as a dagger, then stretches un-naturally into a short, sword, then a long sword, then looking much like a weapon unknown to mortals stretches out towards the soon to be enemy.
Eldritch Blast
Eldritch Damage
"Oh, where are they!? It's damn dark.." Quinrick whispers.
He follows the others, easily finding a hiding place behind them..
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Landau casts his vicious mockery, making a not-very-veiled reference as to the hobgoblin's heritage. The creature, though it is unclear if it understood him, reacts predictably, growing a shade darker. Hess blasts the other with a lance of eldritch energy.
The hobgoblins approach, each cracking its whip at one of the dwarves. Neither of them is entangled by the weapons and the hobgoblins drop their whips and draw longswords.
Kord carefully moves up toward the hobgoblins a swings his hammer but it is uncontrolled.
Gimble begins to pull his shortsword as he grips his dagger. After that, he hides.
Rurik steps forward and swings his heavy hammer.
Landau continues to laugh at the hobgoblin saying in Goblin, "That's right. Don't bring a whip to a sword-fight."
The hobgoblins being a bit too far for Quinrick to throw the dagger, he sneaks a bit closer, staying in Rurik's shadow.
And there, he throws his dagger at the enemy ahead of him.
Hess keeping the pressure on the same enemy, withdraws more of the silvery eldritch magic and sends it on it's way.
Eldritch Blast
Eldritch Pain.
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Kord takes a wild swing but misses his target. Gimble is much more successful and a dagger suddenly appears in the shoulder of Kord's foe. Rurik brings his hammer into play, slamming it into the hobgoblin before him, but the creature's armor takes the brunt of the damage. Landau mocks the hobgoblin again, but this time his jibe is ignored. Quinrick is quick with his dagger as well, and Kord's foe sprouts another blade! Hess finishes the hobgoblin with an eldritch blast. The remaining hobgoblin tries for a sweeping overhead chop at Rurik using both hands! Fortunately for the dwarf, the blow is clumsy and misses by a country mile.
Quinrick maneuvers into a new position, again using the larger dwarf to shield his position from the enemy - right until he throws his second dagger.
Rurik moves to try and screen Quinrick and smash the hobgoblin in the ribs.
Kord also steps up to the hobgoblin and brings his hammer down with a soft thud.
And Hess follows through with another Eldritch blast.
Blast
Impact
But slips a bit on some unseen lichen and his shot goes array, obliterating an unfortunate housefly clinging to the ceiling.
Gimble rolls from behind Kord and stabs with Sword and dagger.
Then moves back behind Kord, smiling