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Zachorius stands on the deck with the others, watching Absalom's skyline growing smaller in the distance as their ship made way. "We're well and truly off now! Can ya feel tha tingle on tha winds? Tha Drunken Hero raises 'is mug ta salute our departure ta far flung lands an' adventure!" Zach taps his first cask of ale and raises his own tankard to his last sight of the Starstone. Somehow being within sight of the place of Cayden Cailean's ascension gave him great comfort, and he would miss it. May we all return to see it again. He prayed silently to himself.
Drinking a deep drought, Zac hardly heard Gwendolyn's question. "Hmm? Wha was tha, now? Oh... Goblins... aye. I asked around a bit and heard they like food and um... fire."
Young Zac was not a bright fellow, but what he lacked in smarts he made up for with a friendly, easy going nature and something of a playful streak. Boredom was the only enemy to be slain along the long journey and he eagerly combatted it every day. He chatted with his new companions and especially enjoyed befriending the ladies and their pets. He carried a small rubber ball from childhood that was great fun for batting it against the walls and such. "Oh, now aren't yeh a pretty thing, then?" Was a common phrase he would utter when offering pets and scratches to the animals, and grinning at their mistresses, never really clear as to whom he is speaking.
Zachorius is also warmly bundled now and leaning against the haft of his longspear like a walking-stick through the snow. He carried a large sack reinforced with rope over his shoulder and eased it to the ground in front of the leader of the Ulfen band and extended his hand in a friendly greeting, addressing her proudly in rather rusty Skald. As he speaks, he fishes out a cask of Ale and presents it to Lightfoot.
"Varme hilsener fra sør! Vi takker for den ekstra mat og informasjon. Jeg håper du vil ta imot en gave fra oss også. Ale frisk fra Absalom, et tegn på vår takknemlighet."
Once they meet the goblins, he eyes them warily right back but speaks kindly enough. "Aye, we'll be travellin' together for a time. Things go easy, and it'le be done before ya know it. Iff'n ya like it ta go hard, well, we can go hard too. But it wonnae be as much fun, ya ken? Less fun for us means less food for yeh, since it takes good spirits to be feeling generous."
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"Our names are Kleezil, Nozil, Ziketee and Gimiigle." one of the goblins answers angrily.
"Always be aware of other goblins lurking in the areas you are passing. Wild animals are always looking for fresh meat, set up a watch during the night. Be careful what you say about a creature who's not human, even the monsters have civil rights in Irrisen. Ice Trolls and Goblins are treated like humen. And be aware of the winter witch. She has her eyes everywhere. There are legends of chicken-legged houses with porcelain dolls stealing the souls of children. After crossing the rimeflow river you should not expect more trouble. There is a Blackraven way station along the trackless route to Trollheim. Maybe you can rest there before the last leg of your journey." Ragna answers. She takes Zachorius' present. "Thank you very much. Every present from civilisation is welcome."
"The goblins are unarmed and won't attack you. If you want to give them weapons to defend themselves, that's fine, but be aware that they might use them against you." Ragnar says and looks at the goblins.
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"Our names are Kleezil, Nozil, Ziketee and Gimiigle." one of the goblins answers angrily.
"Which one are you?" In her mind Gwen's calling this one Grumpy.
"The goblins are unarmed and won't attack you. If you want to give them weapons to defend themselves, that's fine, but be aware that they might use them against you." Ragnar says and looks at the goblins.
"So are they like double agents or captives?"
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"Hera you've got point."
"If she sees anything suspicious I'll hold up a fist like this" "And that can be our cue to find cover. I saw it done at a Society training symposium once though they were training to infiltrate an old dungeon filled with cultists of Norgorber."
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"They even got names... wonderful..."
Asarnil tries his best to ignore the unpleasant creatures and adresses Ragnar instead:"So we should be careful about witches, trolls, other goblin tribes and... walking houses? very well, but what is the fastest way to get to our destination? I don't wish to spend any more time than strictly necessary in the presence of these pests!"
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"I'm Kleezil." the goblin answers.
"They are captives. They will run away if you are not careful. But if you treat them right, they won't make problems. They just don't like being tied up or shackles. If you bind them together they will slow you down." Ragna says.
Ragna takes a few minutes to show Asarnil the fastest and safest way across the border. It's a general route to take on your journey that is intended to avoid requiring you to go deeper into Irrisen, or to cross more than one major river.
Graff thinks the goblins' mood is bad. They are captives and being taken away from their tribe to be questioned by the society. But burning things sounds like it's going t be a fun journey at least.
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Having garnered some good will, Zac asks a few questions of Ragna, away from the goblin's hearing.
"Do ya know tha group we're meant ta meet up wit? Seemed odd ta me tha' they dinnae want just one team ta do tha escortin'. Do these shadowy folk know these goblins of theirs have gone'a missin'? Orders are ta avoid what trouble we can, but if'n we do run inta more goblins, trolls or tha like, what's our best tactic? If'n they're treated civil, do they act civil in return? And if'n they don't, do ya know of any weaknesses we can exploit?"
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"I don't know any of the Blackravens, sorry. I was told that they offered lodging. And I also don't know if the Shadow Lodge knows that the goblins are gone missing, but I assume they already found out. If you find hostile goblins, just kill them. Better they are dead before they can alert somebody. There are always fights between the goblin tribes of Irrisen so it's likely whoever finds them thinks they were killed by their own folks. Trolls can usually be bribed, but you can also try to talk them down. They are not very intelligent." Ragna answers to Zachorius' questions.
After you packed up the rations and took over the goblins you leave Lightfoot's camp. The goblins don't say a word.
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You keep the goblins in the middle of the group and Graff distracts them from the cold, stress and hunger with stories about burning things.
The map that Ragna Lightfoot provided you takes you past two ancient stone watchtowers set in a low mountain pass. Lightfoot’s map indicates they’ve been deserted since the Winter War.
A narrow southern pass winds its way through steep, icy hills, the frigid wind periodically dusting all in its path with a layer of snow. Two ancient stone watchtowers stand on either side of the path between two nearly vertical bluffs rising thirty feet to either side, just as Lightfoot’s map indicated they would. The eighty-foot-wide path narrows to a mere twenty-five feet in width between the two fifty-foot towers.
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Roshan hums cheerfully to herself, gazing around wide-eyed at the stark snow-covered landscape, so different from her homeland. Bagheera pads along with complete distaste for the snow under her paws, lifting each black foot from the cold white stuff as if she doesn't know how it keeps getting there.
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"Smart Owl. Could it find out for us who or what is there in the Tower? We have somewhat valuable people with us."
" could." Gwen says noting that the elf doesn't seem willing to throw his arcane-focusing bow tied to a bit of twine at the tower to scout, nor the gnome send her big cat ahead. "But first...."
Gwen intones the words of magic, casting a spell upon the owl.
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"Hmm....I saw nothing... your feathered friend must have keen eyes!" Roshan says brightly. She skritches the black panther behind her ears, bending low to murmur to her.
Roshan also dons her hide shield, but leaves weapons undrawn. "I suppose we must be very visible, in turn. A black cat in white snow does not hide well... and we are not a small group..." She turns in her saddle to look back at their goblin... friends.
"There may be foes ahead, my green companions with large heads! But we will keep you safe. Still, it is best you stay here while we investigate. I must ask you not to leave. For you see, if you do leave," Roshan says earnestly, "then I must ask Bagheera to find you by your smell. Bagheera is very fast, and you, my friends, you have a... a... memorable aroma! So we would find you... and then, the problem is that Bagheera would think you were prey! And there might be, how do you say, a misunderstanding? I would not wish this. So please, stay here! And if you do, I will give each of you a sweet food from the City at the Center of the World."
Roshan beams at the goblin crew at the conclusion of her threat/bribe.
Convinced that she has won the goblins over with her reasonableness, Roshan starts urging Bagheera forward, at an amble in the snow, approaching the towers cautiously.
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"Why is it adventures are always in crazy, scary, uncomfortable places?"
Zachorius chuckles at Gwen's remark. "If'n we went ta only cozy, comfy, safe places, they wouldnae be adventures, they'd be holidays! We could go on holiday, if ya like. But tha mission comes furst." He gives her an encouraging wink and then turns to confer with the goblins.
"You know tha area, Kleezil. Whom or what do yeh think is skulking around up thar? Help us out and we'll make et worth yer while, plus we'll clear the way. Keep yeh safe."
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"Just tell the little pyromaniacs we'll feed them to the panther and be done with them!" Asarnil muses darkly to himself while gritting his teeth. His first instinct would be to tell the creatures himself but on the other hand he doesn't want to lower himself to speak with goblins unless strictly necessary...
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While Hera observes the area and the towers Roshan convinces the goblins not to run away. Zachorius asks Kleezil weather he knows what lurks in the towers. "We crossing Icetooth territory. Icetooths are evil creatures, not nice like the Frostfurs. They kill and eat everything what moves." Kleezil answers and his face grows stern. "But they usually stay away humain buildings." Also the other goblins make little fists with their hands.
Hera flies over the towers and she sees two goblins on roof of the south tower and three goblins on roof of the north tower. The goblins are equipped with shortbows or crossbows. On the north tower's roof is a pile of burning wood. Suddenly one of the goblins shoots an arrow at Hera. "Food!" the goblin yells.
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Asarnil meets the news of the goblins hiding inside the towers with a wide smile:"These ones we can kill, right?".
So saying Asarnil moves next the huge rocks in front of the group huding behind them:"I can do the same with colour spray but alas I need to be near too. On the other hand I can use my bow to snipe out the little bastards from here"