Seeing that the men had all moved in to combat the goblins' apparent leader, Eliaera decides to deal with the artillery, moving forward to distract the goblins lighting fireworks. She hesitates a moment, almost afraid to hurt the creature, but as her song progresses into its second verse she throws her feelings to the wind. I mustn't disappoint them... Purple energy crackles along her thin blade as she thrusts into the goblin, her attack punctuating a particularly high note.
Seeing that the champion goblin has several attackers, Ostar will instead follow Eliaera's lead and attack one of the lesser goblins:
attack:
damage:
Ostar shakes his head at Amelius' use of his spear, but smiles at its effect. Garridan's blow, as well as Eliaera's, also bring a smile to his normally dour face. What a rout! Shalelu would be proud!
Round #: 2
Initiative: 5
Hit points: 8/12
AC: 16 ; T: 13 ; FF: 13
CMD: 14
Condition: Inspire Courage, Bless, Flank
As the goblin commando reels from Garridan's sword and shield attacks, Caerwyn's blade arcs into it's unprotected side, biting deep in a gush of bright red blood.
Attack roll:
Damage:
SA damage:
Both Eliaera and Ostar strike fast and true, eliminating two of the firework wielding goblins.
Amelius, acting out of temporary insanity, bravery or both, steps forward to strike at the goblin champion with his spear. He hits as the champion is focused on the fighter and rogue.
Meanwhile, the remaining pyro goblin seems to suddenly realize his friends have been slain by some serious combatants, and turns tail and flees.
Garridan meanwhile, goes toe to toe with the goblin hero, and in a flurry of action, stabs out with his sword and shield. The shield blow is enough to stun the champion, and before he realizes it, he sees Garridan's longsword embedded in his chest. Pulling the sword out, the fighter watches as the goblin falls to the ground face down, clattering as he does.
Caerwyn quickly wheels around, and rather than targeting the dead commando, he catches the fleeing goblin with a sneak attack. The blade catches the goblin in the neck, and the force of the blow neatly removes the head from the goblin's body. Disturbingly, the body continues to run for a few seconds before collapsing.
"That went well," Garridan says as he looks around for more goblins. "Good work, everyone.
"It looks like there are more goblins here, although I suspect they'll be a bit more cautious from now on. Let's keep looking, but we should stick together and keep our eyes open."
Eliaera's song drops from her lips the moment she sends the goblin to its grave, the notes lingering in the air for a few moments despite her inability to continue. She visibly shakes, her gaze switching between the dead goblin and the blood on her rapier and back again. She seems to barely register Garridan's comments, responding with a vague "Mm." and distractedly following the group when they set out to explore the rest of the goblin village.
That was easy - a little too easy. These little beasts will have more up their sleeves than just this. Stay vigilant, and keep your guard up! Oh, and anyone with an injury, gather round so I can help.
Channel positive energy:
Walking beside Eliaera, Ostar notices her apparent distraction. Are you going to be alright? I'm going to guess that you've not taken a life before, even the life of a goblin. Despite the macho bravado, it is and always will be a hard thing, a thing which awakens a deep sadness in the heart of any goodly person. You seem a strong woman, and our purpose is true, so I will not bore you with platitudes and parable Ostar winks and smiles. But if you ever want to talk, I will offer my ear and what experience I have, and if you can bear it, my friendship!
Amelius lets his spear linger a bit in the dead champion's gut, twisting it with a wicked scowl—likely the first that had ever crept across the young man's face. The heat of the moment overwhelmed and numbed him to the fact that somewhere on the fringe of his psyche, he enjoyed ending the miserable goblin's life. There was a shred of revelry in the slaying that was entirely foreign to him. The thought was fleeting, and Amelius found himself recoiling from the unwanted sensation. Though the goblin meant he and his companions harm, he could not fathom harboring such malice and contempt for the small creature, and yet...
Amelius shakes his head to rid his mind of the malaise. He looks to the rest of the village, and back to his friends. "So, uh... where to next?"
In the aftermath of the battle, the goblin village seems to be in a state of chaos. Goblins are running towards the palisade, in the opposite direction of the formidable humans who had just slain their champion. As you cautiously make your way through the village, checking doors and huts, you find a few stragglers, but they seem to shout and throw rocks and then immediately try to flee through cracks in the floors, windows, whatever exits are available. The goblins who make it to the top of the palisade however seem to be thrust back at the last moment - a single arrow protruding from their large heads. Shalelu, perhaps?
The combination of an undead attack on the village, probably late last night, and the group of five adventurers obviously has the remaining members of the Licktoad tribe spooked. A group of goblins is occupied with sharp pointed sticks and dogslicers trying to fend off a swarm of...rats. Looking up, you see a tiny, familiar shape - Skitterfoot, perched on one of the rooftops of the huts, laughing hysterically in a high-pitched squeal - "Ah friends, see how they deal with my magics! Stupid creatures! Soon the rats from places other will eat their eyes! Hee hee hee!" His amusement manifests in a toothy grin full of sharp needle-like teeth. 'Amelius, sorceror friend, see how they scurry about!"
As you move around the village on the walkways, treading carefully, you come to an area in the southeast, a walkway with a burned down house to the north, and a large complex of huts to the south - the doors on this building seemed to be reinforced with scrap metal. Oddly, you notice a small figure in a shroud and a hood, muttering loudly, and kicking around the charred wood and burnt remains. Noticing you, he looks up and pulls back his hood - revealing one of the ugliest goblins you have ever seen. His face is covered in scrawled marks, as if someone had written on it, and it is also covered in disgusting, long, scabbed over wounds. It looks like he has stitched parts of his face back together himself, without the aid of a mirror. He puts his hands up in a gesture to show he is not armed, and speaks... not in goblin, but in the common tongue.
"Hew mans. Come to Lick Toad town to kill my kin - well serves them right! Fat Chief Gutwad burn my home, take my things, steal my treasure, and burn my precious words! AHHHHH! You kill Gutwad, I show you where he keeps his things, show you where he stole my treasure, show you where I found fire sticks! They call me Scribbleface, and thought me ded, but I wasn't ded, no no! Hid in swamp, heard you coming, and now I get revenge on Gutwad and his lackeys! He is holed up in his 'throne room' on teeter chair, with Torg and Hergert. You kill him, but only if you get in - he has food and drink for many days. Smoke him out, yes! Burn his fat flesh! KILL HIM! Ack ack! The goblin calling himself Scribbleface seems unhinged, and probably sick, judging from his coughing spells when he gets agitated. Still, it's unusual for a goblin to speak relatively good Taldane...this one might be worth talking to.
Eliaera looks at Ostar, not verbally responding for some time but her face displaying a churning mixture of helplessness and gratefulness. After about a minute she offers the cleric a warm, deeply honest smile that would probably melt even the coldest of hearts. "Thank you," she says simply. "I might take you up on that offer later."
It's only then does Eliaera begin to take in the absolute chaos that wrecks the Licktoad village. Goblins seem to have swarmed out of god knows what holes they had hidden in, fighting off an assault on many fronts at once. It's almost bewildering in its craziness, and the Varisian woman spends some time simply staring at everything that is going on about them. That is, of course, until the group is approached by the most disgusting of creatures she'd ever laid eyes upon.
Recognising that this... Scribbleface might have some useful information, Eliaera tries to hide her obvious look of disgust and speak with him. What is with this swamp and ugly, crazy monsters we need to coax information from?
"Um... Scribbleface, right? Where is Gutwad's, erm, 'throne room'? What can you tell us about about him, Torg, and Hergert?" By Shelyn, goblins have the most horrible naming sense this side of the Abyss...
Eliaera arches a brow and eyes the sick goblin suspiciously. "How can we trust you're not working for him or something worse, hey? What are you getting out of this anyway?"
The sick looking goblin responds to Eliaera's questions with a grunt.
"Gutwad is there, behind heavy door." he says, pointing at the building in the southeast corner of the village. "Been there since skeletons come to take back treasure. Won't come out for you - burn his house like he did to mine, maybe?" He shrugs, and continues. "He fat goblin chief, burn home, send Torg and Hergert to chop my face for knowing words on paper. Scribbleface they call me now, eh. Joke's on them when they be ded soon and not me." He goes back to rooting around in the charred remains of the hut. "Don't care if trust, doesn't matter. I get to see Gutwad ded, he burn my home, take my things. You not kill him, maybe Scribbleface find a way, ACK ACK." Seeming to make his point, he pulls up his hood and continues to rummage through the charred wood of his former home, seemingly oblivious to the chaos of fleeing goblins or the threat of heavily armed goblin hunters in the village.
"So, the rat thing is one thing... but we're seriously going to listen to goblins for advice now?" Garridan asked. "Still, we might as well start somewhere, and that does look reinforced enough for a cowardly little goblin chief. Do you see another way in, or should we burn him out?"
Burning them out seems effective, but .... maybe a little cruel? I know they're goblins, and they'd do it to us in a second, but it seems extreme to me. Looking to Amelius: Can we send Mr. Man-Rat to scout around a bit? He can slip into holes and down privies and Torag knows where else. Might be a good little spy!
His amusement with the goblins waning, the ratling come scurrying up. "This goblin town is not so bad! See how they run, Hee hee hee!"
Hearing Ostar's suggestion, Skitterfoot tenses and recoils a bit. "Oh, I see! Send Skitterfoot to do dangerous go-first work...Hee. Hee. Hee. Not funny shiny god-man. Why don't you go in to the goblin chief house first, you and metal-man over there. Skitterfoot will stay here to back you up, of course!" he says, looking at Garridan.
"What's that? Barred? Oh well. Slip down privies - hssssss. I disappear, tell you what I see. No slipping down privies like sewer breeders for Skitterfoot."
The ratling disappears from sight using his invisiblity, and reappears a minute or so later.
"Hmm, there is a climbing ladder leading up from the back to a poorly hidden door, sneak sneak sneak and put a shiv in the chief maybe...also, goblins build very badly - look, look, here." He moves right up to the front doors, and picking up a piece of wood about half an inch thick, slides it between the crack of the barred entry doors. "See? Tiny ratlings cannot break doors, so we find sneaky ways. Is sorceror-master pleased, hee hee hee?"
"Well, a goblin hut probably doesn't have any walls dividing the inside, so I would suspect its all one big room," Garridan says, eyeing the structure. "Ostar and myself could find an improvised battering ram out of some of the junk around the village, and use it on the front door. Goblin make probably wouldn't stand up to even one good hit. If Eliaera and Caerwyn sneak around back, we could catch the chief and his men in a pincer."
"Good job, Skitterfoot!" Eliaera enthusiastically praises the little rat-man, although the rest of the group can see her roll her eyes at his arrogance and complaining as she turns away. Better to keep him pleased with himself and feeling welcome than allow him to fall into the trap of bitterness Old Megus had made him feel. Besides - he was turning out to be quite helpful.
"It does ruin the element surprise for you two, though," Eliaera points out, musing over Garridan's plan. "Why don't we give Skitterfoot's sneaky way a go first? If we can't nudge it open like that, we can try the battering ram idea."
Garridan and I are probably the best pair to draw their ire, though. Ostar replies after a moment. And approaching from both entrances makes good tactical sense; we can distract long enough for the back door team to catch them unawares, or at least flank them. And they'll find their escape route out the back blocked if they try to flee. Nodding his head, and smiling grimly, he asks: Is everyone in? We can do this! We either take them down, or force them to bargain on our terms. Either way, the goblin attacks stop now!
Amelius smiles down at Skitterfoot. "Nice work! You're quite the boon, Mr. Rat."
Turning to the rest of the party and occasionally shooting a wary glance towards the goblin chief's dwelling, he lays another option. "I think I might be able to cause enough of a distraction at the front door to give us a shot at sneaking in the back. If you all think that would be best, I mean. Maybe if we convince them that we're trying to break down the front door, they won't stop to consider that we're coming up behind them."
"We'll need a signal to alert each other when we're in position or if there's any problems. I can use my magic to do the following things..."
Eliaera begins to quietly sing a lilting and cheerful little tune, waving her fingers in the air like what a conductor would do. Shortly thereafter, four globes of light materialise in the air before her, like tiny glowing will-o'-wisps that playfully circle around one another. With one pointed gesture the four lights combine into one tall, roughly humanoid shape like a glowing clone of Eliaera herself. She then clicks her fingers and the figure dissipates in a soundless explosion of tiny motes of light.
Clearing her throat, the performer opens her mouth as if to sing again. This time, her voice is not her own, but is that of a bird call instead -- first a cuckoo, and then a lark. Eliaera then turns back to the rest of the group.
"Either one of these would be a good signal - what do you think?"
"If you make the lights high above the building, we could see it and the goblins in the hut, well, couldn't," Garridan says. "Not unless they have even worse roofing than I'd expect, and even then they wouldn't know what it means."
Eliaera and Caerwyn are able to get into position, and find the door that Skitterfoot pointed out, and a ladder leading up. Using caution on the rickety ladder, they move as quietly as possible to avoid alerting the inhabitants of the hut. They find themselves in a small room with dirty burlap sheets hanging over several poorly concealed doors - the one to the north will allow you to flank from Ostar, Garridan, and Amelius's position.
As they approach, Eliaera signals to the rest of the party out front that they are in position.
Garridan's longsword should be enough to pop the bar out of its brackets, allowing you entry...
The door bar comes free with the leverage of the sword, and the doors swing open...
Ostar
Amelius
Eliaera
Garridan
Caerwyn
Chief Gutwad
Goblin Commandos (2)
Goblin Warriors (2)
The goblin chief is indeed corpulent, and sitting on top of a five foot rickety chair of some sort. Grinning evilly from ear to ear, you see a long tube with a sparkling fuse lit at the end of it. The two large goblins nest to him have their bows drawn, and two other goblins have their dogslicers drawn.
The chief speaks in a growl -"Hew mans! We be goblins, you be ded! SHOOT THEM! KILL THEM!"
The two commandos fire arrows at the fighter and the cleric standing in their front doorway.
The smaller goblins follow suit, shooting arrows from their small bows.
Garridan grunts in pain as two arrows sprout from his body, but he presses on, stepping into the room and raising his shield and sword. Advancing on the chief, he positions himself in front of Gutwad to allow one of the stealth team to establish a flank and then swings his sword.
Garridan moves forward, but the arrows he was struck with hinder his attack - his sword swing goes low, and nicks the tall chair the chief is sitting on, but does not cause any damage to the chief himself.
The goblin chief launches his enormous, shaking pyrotechnic directly at the attackers at the front door - it travels quickly in a straight line, and detonates as it reaches the fighter moving to strike at close range.
Garridan's shield is very effective at redirecting the incredible explosion around him, taking very little damage - luckily he reacted quickly, and diverted the fiery, loud, and bright skyrocket. He also seems to be unfazed by the bright lights and deafening boom. Unluckily for Gutwad and his two commando bodyguards, the explosion's after effects have the chief clutching his ears, and both the bodyguards to each side of him seem to be blinded and deafened. The goblin warriors seem unaffected, but marvelling at the tremendous power of the incendiary tube none the less.
Eliaera gasps as the skyrocket explodes just in front of them, although sighs in relief when it appears that Garridan is relatively unharmed from the weapon. Stepping forward with her red-and-blue-shrouded rapier in hand, Eliaera begins to sing a well-known, foot-tapping ditty meant to lift the mood of a tavern but in this case simply used as a conduit for her bardic magic. Those who spend time around the Rusty Dragon (or, heck, any tavern in Varisia) definitely know the song, and also know that it gets increasingly bawdy as the verses go by. With a spring in her step from the fun accompaniment she provides to their action, Eliaera attempts to 'shiv' a goblin from behind, just as Skitterfoot had suggested, but a final moment of hesitance at further bloodshed causes her blade to catch on the wall of the hut, its momentum completely ruined.
Caerwyn tries to catch the goblin in front of him in a sneak attack with his elven blade.
Unable to see clearly through the burlap covering the exit, he strikes out again before the goblin notices him.
So much for sneaking around. Perhaps Eliaera and Caerwyn can provide some distraction while Ostar and Amelius engage the chieftain and his retainers.
Amelius steps in behind Ostar and Garridan, his fingers already locking in and out of various shapes and forms as he calls forth a minor incantation to inflict upon the goblin chieftain. After mere seconds, he snaps both of his fingers, a resounding clarity echoing strange noises in the ears of the chieftain that attempt to muddle his thoughts into a bewildered stupor.
Ostar will take advantage of Eliaera and Caerwyn's location and flank one of the goblin bodyguards. He'll then attack with his warhammer:
attack:
damage:
Ostar isn't used to missing!
The goblin chieftain resists Amelius's spell.
The goblin commandos are both blinded, so they stumble around trying to figure out what is going on, and take no combat actions.
The goblin warriors, unaffected by the radius of the explosion, turn to attack - the first turns to the infiltrators to the rear (Caerwyn and Eliaera) and strikes back at the half-elf scout, ignoring the cleric flanking him for now. The second moves towards the fighter, Garridan, and attempts to slice him with his notched sword.
The half-elf scout doesn't seem to appreciate the irony of his stealthy attacks missing entirely, and the slimy little creature before him sticking him in the leg with a short sword. Garridan fares better, his shield and armor proving a sound investment in his continued health.
"Thank Desna," Garridan mutters as his shield deflects the hellish fireworks back onto the goblin chief. After blocking one of the goblin's wild swings with his shield, he notices how disoriented the two goblins closest to the chief look.
"Sandpoint!" he shouts as he swings his sword into the one standing between himself and the infiltrators, while bashing the opposite with his spike shield.
Garridan unleashes a flurry of attacks, gravely wounding one of the goblin commandos, and smashing his shield into the other's face, drawing blood.
Chief Gutwad draws a wicked looking bow and fires at the fighter.
Even at point-blank range, the arrow is deflected off of Garridan's armor.
Caerwyn tries to kill the goblin who stabbed him.
Finally, he is successful. The goblin collapses, and Caerwyn and Eliaera can both move freely into the throne room without provoking attacks of opportunity from the goblin commando near the door.
Spotting an opening when the chief raises his bow upon Garridan, Eliaera moves swiftly to disentangle herself from the cloying, dividing curtain and strike out at Gutwad's unprotected back. Her magic-infused blade glows even more intensely when it pierces through the goblin, the Tien runes on the hilt lighting up as if scarlet blood flowed through the engraved channels. The sensation of penetrating through the goblin's flesh with such fervour was an eerie and disturbing one, so Eliaera hurriedly withdraws it, almost faltering in her song for just a moment.
As the arrow skips off one of the metal scales of Garridan's armor, he brings his sword around, slashing at the opening the goblin chieftain offered when he fired his bow.
Amelius audibly clicks his tongue in frustration. They never told me goblins were so resistant to magic! Oh well. It worked last time—here goes...
Stepping forward and to the left, the young sorcerer makes to skewer the smaller goblin in the corner.
Amelius slays the other goblin warrior, leaving two wounded commandos and the chief in the middle. Garridan's advantageous attack and Eliaera's devastating strike both connect with Chief Gutwad, who shrieks in frustration.
All of you are beginning to feel that this battle might be almost won - the commando bodyguards don't seem to have a lot left, and are just now shaking off the effects of the initial pyrotechnic display and literally licking their wounds, and the chieftain has also been badly wounded. They still might have some fight left though - best to finish this quickly!
Ostar sees Garridan's injuries and decides that healing their best fighter would be a better choice than taking his own attack.
Cure Light Wounds: -->includes +2 from trait bonus
Torag closes your wounds, my friend! Ostar says after finishing his healing prayer.
The goblin commando on the left of the chief attacks Eliaera with his remaining strength, and the one on the right attacks Ostar.
The goblin commando, swinging his over-sized weapon, through sheer dumb luck manages to connect with Ostar.
Garridan feels the energy from the cleric heal him, and continues the fight. If he kills the goblin chieftain, he'll be remembered as a hero to the citizens of Sandpoint. Well, at the very least he'll be getting free drinks at the Rusty dragon, and maybe even the attentions of a few admirers on his return...
Garridan squares off with the chieftain, his sword and shield at the ready. He remembers the last time that he fought goblins, the way they cut through his friends in the militia, the way he could do nothing but try and stay alive until Shalelu rescued him...
He's not the same man he once was, a point punctuated by his violent attacks on the filthy chieftain threatening Sandpoint.
Garridan swings wildly, his zeal for slaying the goblin chieftain overwhelming his martial skill, and his sword thrust misses the elusive goblin. His shield attack is no more successful, and the goblin strikes back at him in melee, abandoning his bow and wielding a jagged spear.
The goblin seems equally zealous in an attempt to save his life, and thrusts out wildly as well.
Caerwyn focuses his attention on the remaining commando to the left of the chief.
Run through by the elven weapon, the goblin commando spurts blood, and breathes his last rotten breath.
Only one commando remains, and the chief is still fighting. It's up to Eliaera, Ostar and Amelius for now.
Amelius steps away from the chieftain, aiming to buy Garridan the opportunity to land a killing blow against the wretch. The noise didn't bother him—let's see how he likes this one! He waves his arms above him, a current of arcane, azure streams flitting about his head like silk ribbons as strange syllables roll off of his tongue, "."
He gestures towards Gutwad with outstretched hands, and the blue streaks of energy coalesce and strike the goblin in the face, resulting in a puff of strange-smelling smoke that lingers about the chieftain for mere moments.
Eliaera deftly parries the clumsy commando's attack, diverting the energy of his strike to make the goblin stumble. Caerwyn takes that moment to finish him off, driving his curved blade through the goblin's chest. Fighting back a shudder, the Varisian woman steps over the corpse (careful to avoid getting goblin blood on her clothes) and focuses once more on the chief. Garridan was trying his best, but his sword seemed unable to penetrate through the goblin's armor and the chieftain merely laughed off his clumsy follow-up shield bash.
But... that was good distraction! The goblin king was practically ignoring her presence, expecting his lackey to deal with her and Caerwyn. Her song forgotten, Eliaera lets out a cry as she thrusts her rapier into the goblin's chest, managing to slip in between his ribs and penetrate deeply.
Eliaera almost dances as she performs an incredible thrust with her rapier, skewering the chieftain. A final shriek of hatred is all the goblin chieftain has left, and he expires ignominiously. Amelius, seeing this, immediately stops casting his spell.
The remaining goblin commando, seeing his chief dead at the hand of some human adventurers, decides he's not sticking around, and withdraws and flees, provoking an attack of opportunity from a certain spear-wielding sorcerer, and a righteous cleric.
Neither of them seem to be ready for the goblin fleeing, and he runs towards the door to the east and runs screaming out of the window.
Amelius can just see out of the corner of his eye, a missile almost too fast to follow with the eye impaling itself in the goblin's oversized head.
As you begin your search of the goblin hut, a familiar voice sounds out from the entryway.
"Good hunting friends! I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of taking out the ones that were fleeing at range. I always enjoy the opportunity to keep my skills honed."
Producing a soiled bag, she drops it on the wooden planks. "Here's a set of ears from the ones you killed outside, and the ones that I picked off with my bow. Feel free to collect the bounty on them. I have a feeling there will be a bigger opportunity for me to make a little gold here in the not-so-distant future." The slightest hint of a smile appears for a split second, then the elf ranger is back to business.
"I counted 20 ears in all. Two of them were already missing one. Make sure you bring the chieftain's head." Seeming to realize she sounds a bit callous, she takes a different tack. "It was a good thing, what you did here today. The people of Sandpoint are good people for the most part, and they deserve to be safe. 'See yourself as we see you' they say."
"I'll be outside here, looking for any stragglers. Let me know if you would like to head back to town, and I'll accompany you." She pauses. "Don't worry though, I'll stay a good distance behind the heroes!" she says smiling at all of you.
"Thank you," Garridan says, blushing. He really hopes she saw his earlier efforts, and not so much his final failure against the chief. "And thank you Ostar -- those arrows were, well, painful. I think we really made a great team, everyone. We wouldn't have done nearly so well without everyone's input."
Garridan beheads the chief, looking slightly green at such butchery, although he tries (not terribly successfully) to hide its effect on him as he stuffs it in a bag. He then proceeds to search the rest of the hut, looking for any clues.
As you look around the throne room, you see nothing of particular note. Moving to the room to the east where the goblin commando fled, you see an open window covered by a dirty piece of cloth, and a filthy pile of rags, straw, and other refuse - this looks like it might have been the sleeping quarters of the chief and his bodyguards. To the south, a small room contains the remnants of a treasure hoard. Your attention is drawn to a beautiful (even though it is covered in a layer of muck and dirt) red chest of exquisite make. The catch and lock have been forced open already, damaging the red lacquered finish, and it is lined with velvet on the inside. Clearly the goblins scavenged this from somewhere else.
Inside the chest is the remaining treasure of the Licktoad tribe, six exquisitely crafted bladed disks meant to be used as throwing weapons, silver and gold coins, a long hairpin with a red pearl at one end, and a gold and ivory fan depicting a gecko walking amid cherry blossoms. An examination of the fan reveals a crude rendition of a map of Brinestump, probably made by a goblin. A large red 'X' corresponds with the area on the map you found in Old Megus's shack marked as 'Caverns', to the southwest. There are also two crude drawings of half circles with a line and a triangle where Megus's map indicates the two shipwrecks.
"Well, we did what we set out to do," Garridan says. "We should check out those shipwrecks and the cave... but I think it'd be a good idea to go back to town tonight with Shalelu. It could be dangerous to keep going without enough rest. And, well, its not like they won't still be there in the morning."
We did do well, didn't we? Ostar smiles, looking at the scratch the goblin warrior gave him. If things turn out no worse than this, we can't complain too much. But those undead .... they catch my attention. Ostar scratches his chin while thinking aloud. Why were they here? Are they another threat we should concern ourselves with? Stopping these goblins was what we set out to do, but what if these undead are an even graver concern?
Ostar smirks after a moment, amused by his own joke.
In truth, though, perhaps when we are all recovered we should investigate further?
Eliaera breathes heavily as she recovers after the battle, staring at the still corpse of Chief Gutwad with a strange mix of self-loathing and dark curiosity colouring the sense of celebration the rest--and Shalelu, in fact--seemed to be feeling. When Garridan moves to behead the goblin king, she very hurriedly looks away and busies herself exploring the rest of the hut as far away from the grisly scene as possible.
When they discover the treasure chest and the exquisite goods within, Eliaera's eyes widen. "Why on earth would goblins have things of such beauty...?" She wonders aloud, looking absolutely aghast as she inspects the 'mutilated' fan. "Ugh... and look at how they've ruined this... such a terrible shame! I wonder if it can be restored?" Eliaera also inspects the pearl hairpin, a faint smile tugging at her lips as she inadvertently notes how nice it would look in Ameiko's hair...
Her short daydream is shattered when Garridan and Ostar begin discussing a plan of action, and she hurriedly places the hairclip back with the rest of the treasure. "I think we should clear out this village entirely before we leave--make sure one or two didn't wind up hiding somewhere. And we should find that... that Scribbleface goblin as well. He said he would tell us where they found the fireworks. I hope Shalelu hasn't killed him already..."
Assuming there's no protest, Eliaera will leave the goblin hut and go have a look for Scribbleface, starting at the burned-down hut that he had been fussing over earlier.
"Yeah, that would be a shame," Garridan mutters dryly to Ostar after Eliaera mentions the possibility of Scribbleface being dead. He follows her out though, and helps her look.
A thorough search of the goblin town reveals a few minor additional treasures in the houses and on the corpses of the slain goblins , but no sign of Scribbleface, dead or otherwise.
The skeletons that attacked the village left a rather obvious trail to the caverns from the village. It's possible that they were tasked with guarding something the goblins took from either the shipwrecks or the caverns.