Robert drew a breath sharply as the energy flowed into him. Positive energy. He wasn't quite sure why he felt such apprehension, but he was grateful to Lorenzo for healing him. He stood slowly, feeling better than he had when he walked out of the strange room they called Haven. "Thank you, Lorenzo. I'll be sure to pick up a healer's kit or something for us when we get back to that illusory man. In the meantime, I believe our paths fork quite considerably at this junction."
He took a moment to look around at the rest of his compatriots, most were still at least partially bruised or banged up. Before he just picked a door, he figured he'd make sure everyone else was ready first. "Is there anything else, anyone needs or would like to prepare before we move on?"
I am ready. Lorenzo stated, replacing his longspear with a rapier in one hand and the newly acquired mace in the other.
"I am prepared. Door to the left?" Nareth offers.
"So long as you are ready for what may lie ahead. Perhaps we should strip the bodies first. Who knows what may turn up on their corpses." Robert stooped to begin rifling through the belongings of the newly dead goblins.
"Drop your weapon and you will leave."
Alec looked at Nareth when he said they would need him, but it was just a wound, and not on a vital spot, there wasn't much what he needed to do in that case. "Well, that solves it, but we will have a hard time keeping this up. We bled twice on this battle, and although mine was a minor cut, we cannot keep this pace for 12 hours." He looks at his side, where blood slowly drips from a shortsword cut. Not a large cut, but hey, shortswords are piercing, not slashing... It was probably worst than it looked.
"Let's carefully search the corpses and save those armors and weapons. I'm sure we can trade some for healing potions, when we go back to Haven, maybe."
The gem is a faceted aquamarine worth 240 gp.
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Each of the goblins carried 1 short sword, 1 shortbow, 1 leather armor, 1 light wooden shield, and 20 arrows, all sized for small creatures. You also find a total of gp.
Nareth nods, frowning at the situation. "We simply don't have the healing power to keep up such a pace. Let's at least try being a little more careful. Worst comes to worse we'll just wait out the rest of our time in a room before returning."
"So let's wait some minutes before moving forward, I want to check something."
The dwarf, currently disguised as a Weapon Rack, moves to each door in turn, and carefully spends a couple minutes listening for anything behind them. "You may help if you want. Try to hear anything at all at the other side."
"That may be true, but there's very little to do about the pace, is there? I agree, though, that if worse comes to worst, we can hide out in a room we've cleared and wait for our way out to appear, assuming that's how it works. For all we know, there is a door somewhere here that does lead back to our safe room, but will not open until 12 hours have passed."
Taken aback that the paladin had come up with a rather cunning plan, Robert got his ear close to each door as well, for almost a full minute for each door, to try and hear as much as possible.
Robert took a step back and (assuming nothing was heard behind our door) stepped toward the southernmost door. "Well then, I suppose we're all ready to move on at this point. Alec, once you have the gear stowed, we'll be on our way. Oh and thank you, for carrying the loot. I simply lack the physique necessary, you understand." Once that was finished and everyone was ready, Robert got into position with the others at the southernmost of the three doors. "Alright, I think we're ready. Open the door, Alec."
"Not a problem. You don't suppose I got this strong by carrying a light load around, do you?"
Instead of moving to the southeast door, he drags a goblin corpse through the feet and walks toward the south door, the one they got in through.
He watches the room, check the details, where the skeleton and the necromancer body are, then closes the door. "Mental note, buy some pitons." He counts to 10, then opens it again and checks to see if anything has changed. If nothing is amiss, he throws the goblin's body inside, closes the door and counts to 10 again, opening the door and moving in to see if there are any differences, including the smell.
If nothing is seen he will just go back to the northern room (Goblin room) and opens the southwestern door when everyone is ready.
After listening at each of the western doors for several minutes, you hear nothing on the other side.
Nothing changes in the hobgoblin room despite Alec's antics.
Opening the southwestern door reveals a short hallway connecting to another room. Listening at that door again reveals no sounds coming from the other side. The room itself contains four small cots in various states of disrepair, along with a smattering of junk - tattered pieces of cloth, bits of scrap metal, and the like.
Nareth takes a post outside the door, keeping watch while the others search the room.
"Am I the only one findin' it weird that both these doors lead to the same place?" He tilts to the side and puts a hand on the ground, peeking under the cots from a distance, before moving closer. "By the way one of those goblins seemed to just have closed the other door, the northwestern most."
A metagame thought crosses his mind and he cannot help but to share it. "This is weird, but somewhere I heard Goblins are raised in cages, not cots..."
He's gonna come closer and take a detailed inspection upon each of them.
A thorough search of the room turns up nothing of interest.
Nareth grunts at the announcement of nothing interesting. "One door left."
[dice=Perception]1d20+3[/dice]
"Is this just out of logic, or does anyone have any idea of what's going on in here? I mean, there must be a purpose for this room, right? We must seek power at this place, so why throw a bedroom in our path with nothing more than scraps? Maybe something magical? Or perhaps a ghost?"
______________
Alec opens the northwestern most door when everyone is ready.
Nareth shrugs. "I didn't inspect the room myself, but I'm assuming you aren't hiding anything from me, so my guess is it is their sleeping quarters."
"We found a Hobgoblin necromancer and 4 goblins. Could be you're right, but we will be sure when we find the Hob's sleeping quarters."
Robert paced slowly in the room with the beds, contemplating Alec's question. It was a curious thought, and deserved reflection. He spoke softly, "Perhaps they are like us, dumped in here with almost no memory and were somehow unable to return to their safe room. Purely speculation, of course, but it's something to think about. In any case, they wanted us dead, and we killed them instead. Unless, Nareth, there is some kind of magical emanation in here, I believe we can move on."
With that, assuming nothing magical is detected, Robert moves back to 'the goblin room' and gets in line at the northernmost door.
Nareth grunts, shaking his head at his mistake while he casts a detect magic and scans the room.
Nothing in the room with cots detects as magical.
The northwest door leads to a hall that ends in an archway into a room empty save for a statue in the southwest corner.
"Huh, a statue of the Lord of Darkness. I wonder if that's who our hobgoblin prayed to."
Robert studied the statue for a moment, then remembered the star the hobgoblin wore and the book he kept. "That makes sense. He must have been a devout follower. He wore Asmodeus's unholy symbol and the book he had with him was also something to do with Asmodeus. My guess is, this door may lead to either his personal room, or his place of worship. In either case, I would take great care in inspecting this entrance way and the statue. Nothing I know of The Archfiend suggests that he or his followers would be straightforward."
He turned to Nareth, "Perhaps the statue is a trap of some sort? Breathing fire on all those unworthy or unaware?"
"Not unheard of." Nareth looks it over, scanning it with detect magic.
"What, you mean that Hobgoblin back there? Who had a holy symbol with a DC 10 to identify, and although our whole group is learned in Religion no one even rolled for it? Hmm, I don't think so... I've always pictured Asmodeus to be somehow scarier, you know... With big horns... And a goat head... Yes! Definitely a goat head."
Alec takes one of the small short sword and from 15 ft afar tosses it at the statue.
!
Before Alec can throw the weapon Nareth hisses and grabs his arm. "Do not disrespect the Dark Prince. Hate him all you want, but fear and respect him."
Alec eyes the Warpriest suspiciously, his eyebrows raised in a questioning mode.
"Are you serious? Common that is just a Tiefling statue! I've seen some of them, they have the little horns and the tail, just like that statue. I was just checking if it was not a construct, by the way, so, do you mind? I'm not really disrespectful, of course, I know my place in the god's hierarchy, but hey, if that's a statue the sword won't make anything against it."
Nareth shakes his head. Paladins. "That is a statue of Asmodeus, and I will not have you tempting his wrath. What would you do if I were to spit upon a statue of Torag?"
Robert shakes his head. Clergy. It's a bloody statue, and for all we know, that's it. It's not Asmodeus, but it might also be a trap. So Alec, be smart. Nareth, quit antagonizing Alec."
Robert let out an exasperated sigh. He calmed down, "Nareth, did you find anything to suggest the statue or door are trapped? Or is it safe to open the door?"
"Same thing I will do were you to rip a prisoner's stitches again." He simply says it, with no anger present in his voice. "Anyway, I get you what you mean, but since you are the evil worshipper, why don't you go receive his blessings?" He drifts a hand towards the statue, stepping aside and leaving the path free. Then he puts the shortsword back on the weapon rack backpack.
"I bow my head to a different Prince."
Alec stops, focusing his gaze on Nareth. Even his breathing has seemed to stop working. He smiles with the corner of his mouth, finding something to be funny. "Yet you defend the whole evil gang, although you don't follow their teachings to the word. Whatever. Hey Robert, why don't you take a quick search on that book we found? If this is a temple the book might give us some ideas about any defenses the room might have. We have plenty of time."
Rolling his eyes, Robert promised himself this would be the last time he would interfere. "His lord is evil, but pain itself has no allegiance. Don't some orders of paladins pride themselves on self-flagellation in recompense for their sins? Isn't that pain serving the cause of good? And pain can surely serve evil means. The world is shades of grey, my friend, despite whatever strictures you have set upon yourself." Robert turned to look at both Nerath and Alec, thoroughly fed up with the squabbling. "Now that is the last I will say on the subjects of gods and their servants. I find it, on the whole, to be a rather distasteful subject entirely to be honest."
Robert pulled the crude book from his pack once more. "Now, I had already concluded these were Asmodean scriptures, rather crudely written at that, but I had dismissed them. If we are to be subjected to a test of some sort, it could come in handy. I'll look over the text for references to trials or traps. I suspect I'll have quite a bit of reading."
"As I said, whatever. That's called tolerance. Something one should not have in a exceedingly amount, but the situation forced mine to grow a little larger, for the moment. While you're at that, Robert, I'll take a look at the previous room and open the middle door. It's still intriguing me. Anyone coming?"
Alec will take 20 (for 22) to analyze the middle door in the goblin's room. If nothing is found regarding traps or weird things he opens it. Then he comes back.
Nareth drops it, going silent and checking the way they just came in to see if somebody is following them.
While Nareth inspects the statue, finding no magical auras or indications that it is a trap of any kind, Alec backtracks and inspects the ignored middle door, finding that it is nothing more and nothing less than a door.
Robert takes some time to flip through the hobgoblin's book. It is merely a poorly written primer on the worship of Asmodeus - focusing on obediences to be followed. On a page about idols and other graven images of the Prince of Darkness, Robert finds a crude sketch that, upon close examination, turns out to be a barely-recognizable drawing of the statue. The sketch was definitely added to the book by a former owner.
WM:
Robert slammed the book shut with a satisfying thud. "Well, that was. . . unenlightening. Nothing of use in here really. There is a rather poor depiction of the statue, but there's nothing of note written in there about it." Robert gave the statue one last glance, but apparently, there was nothing untoward about it. It was just a statue. He shrugged. "Ah well, onwards then, I suppose. Alec, open the door and let's get a move on. We'll be right behind you."
Nareth grunts, indicating he is ready to move on.
"Done already? Ok, let's proceed then. Lorenzo, are you ready?"
Alec approaches the door and open it, holding his shield high in a defensive position.
Lorenzo had watched the group's various antics and antagonistic tendencies with wry amusement, adding little. While the two more nefarious members of the group certainly concerned him, his posture and body language was care-free and he seemed content to play the happy-go-lucky gambler.
With mace in one hand and rapier in the other, the agile man looked quite the warrior.
Aye.
The south door leads to a room with a tall wooden shelf set against the southern wall and an archway into another room in the east wall. The shelf is mostly barren, but there is one burlap sack sitting next to three small, stoppered vials. The vials each have a string around their necks attached to a scrap of paper.
In the east room is a bed, end table, and dresser, all in poor, but seemingly usable, shape. Another door leads to the west.
Nareth scans the room over with a detect magic.
You detect the presence of magic auras on the shelf set against the south wall.
Robert strides into the room in turn, figuring there mustn't have been traps on the statue after all. Spying the ramshackle living quarters, "Well, I believe we've found our friend the hobgoblin's home. I wonder what we'll find of his left over..."
He trails off seeing the burlap bag and the three vials. Inspecting each paper, before carefully opening the bag to see what was inside.
The vials are all marked "Cure light wounds." Nareth inspects them, however, and identifies the first one as acutally being a potion of inflict light wounds. The other two, he can't tell.
The burlap sack contains six more loaves of bread - these not quite as stale as the ones the hobgoblin carried - and six more pieces of unidentifiable dried meat. In the bottom of the sack is a small pouch of burlap cleverly sewn to be nearly noticeable. Inside is 14 gp, 14 sp, and 47 cp.
At the revelation that one of the vials is actually inflict light wounds, he scoffs, "Only a great fool would reach for what he is given. Let me take a look at the other two. Perhaps I'll be able to nail down for certain whichever these two are." Inspecting each of the two vials Nareth was unsure of, he examines them closely with a keen eye.