Unmoved by Kumanda's roar, Caladwhen nevertheless watches the one-on-one combat spectacle breathlessly, and seemingly on edge. To those who know Caladwhen, her demeanor is odd as she watches, perhaps suggesting that she might actually be worried to the careful observer.
As the dual ends in its orgy of gore, Caladwhen breathes a quick sigh of relief and mutters from the rear "I think we can all agree, that was a little too close."
Quickly averting her attention to Zikomo, Caladwhen hastily begins translating again, also letting quietly letting the others know that his prestidigitation is nothing more than a "parlor tricks to amuse the ignorant masses" in the infernal tongue.
When the goblins settle down, Caladwhen cautiously approaches Talon and places her hand on his arm to quietly get his attention "Congratulations Talon. Are you alright?"
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Talon closes his eyes, feeling cold darkness claw at the edge of his consciousness. He lays where he collapsed after Rygat took over, wheezing as he breaths through his ruined chest. Maybe just...stay here for a moment...
Then the calming touch of Cala wakes him, and he vaguely hears her concern about him Cala...
Like his hearing returning after a large explosion, Talon returns to reality, taking in the carnage around him. He looks at the charred, bloody heap that was his opponent. Did I...no...I was going for a crosscut...but then...Rygat? he looks down at his sword, surprised to see he's still clenching it, white knuckles bleeding and hair standing on end. He takes a moment to study the dark weapon, with new respect, curiosity...and fear.
Unsettled by Rygat's intervention, he begins to stand, wincing as his chest twists. He grabs Cala's shoulder to steady himself "I..." he looks at his shaking hand that throbs in unison with his chest "I don't know..." His vision flickers again as his heart continues to try and get blood throughout his ruined frame, and he coughs up a chunk of black and red blood. He wipes his mouth with his sleeve, then spreads his wings and uses them to gently fall into a sitting position. Without turning his head, he says quietly "Sindran...can you patch me up. You don't have to get it all...just close the major wound" As he says this, all of the edge to his voice is gone. The normal confident, arrogant, intelligent speech of Talon has become quiet, careful, and a little scared.
Sindran dismounts from the zombie dinosaur and kneels down next to Talon. He quietly murmurs, "Well done," then spreads his fingers on one hand, flames igniting around it. "Now don't move. This may hurt."
The half-orc pushes the fire-wreathed hand onto Talon's wound, burning away the injury.
Healing finished, Sindran stands and turns his attention to the goblins.
With great enthusiasm, the goblins lead you through their caves. A map may be found here and in the campaign description tab.
Ahem, as I was saying; with great enthusiasm, the goblins lead you to the base of the horn.
The first thing you see (C1) is the broad open cave; it is the only (visible) entrance to the lower caverns. The many stalactites, stalagmites, and columns of wet living stone resemble nothing so much as fangs contained inside a large loathsome grin.
The cave mouth is covered by countless pools of standing fetid water and ubiquitous slicks of mud, that make the entire surface of the maw count as difficult terrain from the entrance to the dotted-line more than forty feet in.
The goblins pass unhindered; they seem to know every pit and ditch, and run down the slope without falling over. Almost all of them run through the narrow crevice (1a) which is barely wide enough for them to pass through; you can hear them frolicking in the deeper caves. Clearly, though, the zomubs will need to stay just outside the maw.
Noticing your larger-than-goblin size, Zikomo points to a cavern to the east (C2).
"We go here? Path bigger there."
Through some bizarre natural(or is it?) process, the small wet cave(C2) sweats acid from its northern wall. The acid has collected in a surprisingly deep natural reservoir; and although it is quite clear, the arid smell in the air betrays its lethal contents.
Reverently, Zikomo plants his feet before you, forcing you to give the basin a wide berth.
"BaneWog holy vision juice here! When ready for mating, Banewog dip in holy juice! If Banewog live, Banewog stroooong!!."
The perpetually dripping cavern to the southeast (C3) is empty, save for a murky pool populated with blind cave fish.
Your trek continuous on north through C5, (a nondescript empty cavern, although this one is the first one that's mostly dry), then northwest below C8 (a cauldron of natural boiling mud), then finally west into C9.
Every Goblin in the Lower Caverns lives here in seven crude mud and thatch huts. There are almost 20 bane-wog Goblins in total (plus Zikomo and minus Kumanda). It is rare for all of them to be here at any one time, and rarer still for them to sit still long enough so you can count them. Zikomo chats how usually some of the stronger ones are off hunting in the nearby swamps, catching birds, turtles, frogs and unwary Farholders for supper.
Finally, you are shown into hut (G), the chieftain's hut.
Lo and behold, the hut is populated by two Goblin concubines.
"I present you! Zoog Sun-In-Eyes and Gartha Make-Male-Meek!"
Surely, these must be attractive - If you're into Goblins :-S. Zikomo definitely seems to think so, judging from his slight flush. "Your battle trophy wives!"
Digging around the chieftain's tent, you find that the village treasury is kept here, scattered among the many skins and bunches of grass and leaves. The “treasury” is a collection of large bones, broken weapons and armor, crocodile and snake skins and pretty, shiny rocks that have impressed Kumanda over the years.
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once more, the map of the Lower Caverns.
remember the maps are 10ft scale. That makes the place quite huge; the cavern entrance (C1) is 40ft at the base.
While you're inside, you can gently feel the trembles as the treant makes his rounds outside. Oh and by the way, Kumanda is unceremoniously stripped of his trophies and thrown into the bone pit (C18) by the ruthless goblins.
Following Zikumo, but being sure to stay close to her allies for protection, Caladwhen suffers quietly through the horn. Her reticence and disgust of the cavern surroundings is apparent to all and sundry. Even for the likes of Caladwhen, her elven distaste of the subterranean colors her every experience within the horn.
Upon viewing the walls and the acid basin, Caladwhen grimaces at the thought of purposefully mutating oneself and murmurs quietly "Well isn't that just lovely."
Finding herself in the chieftain's hut, Caladwhen finally has cause to be amused at Sindran's harem. Walking up past the new goblin overlord as she looks about, Caladwhen runs her hand along his shoulder as she teases "Oh well Sindran, they should make for a fun evening for you, no? To victor goes the spoils as they say." Looking towards harem, Caladwhen laughs lightly but derisively.
Once the welcoming banquet, organised by Zikomo and his minions, is underway (the food is surprisingly good, btw. They serve dino-onna-stick, which is very nourishing, although it tastes like chicken, but never mind that) you are left to yourself.
I might suggest heading north towards C23?
when strolling from C9 to C23, you pass by C16 and C20.
C16 – Fungus Farm
The floor of this cavern, save for a walkway around the edge is covered in a mix of mud and Goblin manure. From this stinky, foul mixture grows a field of barely edible mushrooms that even the Goblin reluctantly consume when they can’t get anything alive to eat.
C20 - A nondescript, slight hollow, in a well travelled corridor.
C23 - Temple
This large and high-vaulted cave drips with water so constantly it seems as if it is perpetually raining.Fetid pools and luminescent algae combine to give the chamber an ominous greenish glow and a lingering stench. The chamber is dominated by a large and impressive mud and stick hut that is surprisingly sturdy. This is Zikomo’s Temple to Father.
The entrance is decorated with bones and leather strips cut from dozens of creatures (many sentient).
The temple itself is a single room almost thirty feet across. Inside, countless bones from those who have died upon Dagon’s altar decorate the place. A crude stone block is encrusted with old dried blood. Above the block, drawn in vibrant luminescent paint distilled from rare marsh plants, is the mad spiral rune of Dagon himself surrounded by countless scribbles of daemonic iconography copied from the Horn’s exterior. A fire pit burns in the center of the temple.
Zikomo Hears-the-Father lives here.
He spends most of his time meditating, lost in a haze of vision juice. Most of the boggards live in awe and terror of their mad shaman and so rarely visit. There are no guards here. It is widely believed in the village that Zikomo takes care of himself well enough.
Zikomo is in a trance when you arrive. He emerges from his trance long enough to stare at you glass-eyed and pronounce "The cave of the blue slime conceals your future. Learns its secret or fail at fire-master’s charge."
Suddenly the drug induced fatique seems to lift from him in one manic burst of energy. He leaps to his feat and starts dancing and screaming his terrifying croaks about blue slime and the fury of the master.
The fire that burns at the center of the temple changes color to blue in response to his frenzied abyssborn prayer. Zikomo laughs like a mad fiend until he collapses disgracefully in a snoring heap in a corner.
Oret finds the valuables left behind in the chieftain's hut, but has no knowledge of the magic item's purpose.
After the shaman collapses, Oret comments wryly, "It seems we should explore the caves a bit more."
Talon takes a look at the helm "Sindran might like that"
Faced with the two goblin concubines, Sindran's expression morphs into that of well-practiced stoicism. He insists the concubines prepare themselves to participate in the welcoming banquet and enjoy themselves there, giving them permission to, ah, spread the festivities and lift the spirits of any willing male goblins.
Sindran accompanies Caladwhen on her walk and is much interested in the temple. After Zikomo's warning, the half-orc turns contemplative. "Hmm. I suppose I'll ask some of the goblins if they know what 'the cave of the blue slime' is."
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C21 – Fungus Farm
This is another Goblin fungus farm, exactly as C16 above.
C22 – Holding Pen
The Goblins have constructed a crude holding pen here. This is where victims captured in the swamp are dragged and held until the proper moment for them to be sacrificed to Dagon and then eaten. Currently it is empty save for a few scattered bones from an unlucky Iraen trapper the Goblins captured weeks ago. However, if the Goblins capture anyone, after they’ve been stripped of any obvious possessions, this is where they end up.
C22A – This is the crude door to the holding pen. It is made of salvaged bits of metal that have been lashed together. There are no hinges or locks, it is simply wedged in place and tied to several holes in the rock. Then two Goblin guards are stationed here and they stab anyone who gets too close to the door with their spears.
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Night is coming, and the weariness of the day's travel to the horn is starting to take its toll. Unless you think of something, the night will have to be spent either in the damp caves on the hard, dirty floor, or outside in the forest, where you are likely to get evicted from your resting spot by the trees themselves.
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while Sindran molds the stone to his liking, the goblins cower in reverence. They've never seen anything like that, you are clearly much more powerful even than Zikomo!
Talon is harrassed by small snakes, rodents, insects and birds all night. You get some rest, but it's not much.
Oret probably is the only one who gets a good night's sleep.
The sun is up and you wake to the sound of goblins chasing something all around the caves.
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"this is an outrage! do you not know who I am, cursed monstrosities!"
Lars is fleeing for his life, racing all through the caverns, until he finally settles in the far northeast corner of C8. All the while he is squawking insults at the collection of goblins that are chasing him, throwing sharp sticks, stones, unmentionable brown clots at the 'lunchy bird say-many-words'.
Watching as the pesky goblins harass T'larryo, Caladwhen frowns and summons her Zombie pet to her side. Nearing Lars, Cala points up to him and speaks in a plain but malevolent tone in the goblin tongue.
Sindran walks out of the chieftain's hut, looking like he's just woken up. "Ugh, what's with this racket?"
Sindran watches the morning entertainment over breakfast, waiting for his party to show up.
Talon shows up, looking like he didn't get enough sleep. He inclines his head to the others, then sits down near Sindran and opens a book
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"If any of you tries to make a meal of my pet, you will quickly find yourself a meal of my much larger and insatiably hungry pet,"
Cala quickly ends the goblins' entertainment, much to their chagrin.
C8
after some inspection, the mud pits appear to be a natural cauldron of boiling mud, created by geothermal activity below the Horn of Abaddon. The hot mud is obvious and not particularly dangerous (though anyone who wades in does take 1d6 fire damage per round).
The mud is actually faintly magical; Cala would be able to figure out that the slow erosion of the magically-created Horn of Abaddon has made this pool so. The magical charge in the mud is too low to be of use without some complicated form of amplification or ritual - but since it's only a faint aura, Cala would know the rewards are probably not worth the effort, save for an idle exercise. in other words, Cala would file this information away as a potential side project - at best.
Across the mud pool there is a natural shelf and upon that shelf is an old mud-splattered metal chest. Currently the chest is open, but its opened lid makes it impossible to see inside without crossing the boiling hot mud. Fortunately, Lars has taken cover from the goblins behind the chest and knows it is empty.
C4
With its many stalagmites and shadowy corners, this cavern is a natural ambush site. The Goblins love to smear themselves in the wet mud and hide in wait here (receiving a +4 circumstance bonus to their Stealth checks), jumping out to impale intruders with their spears. Unfortunately, the Goblins have grown lazy of late and rarely station anyone here.
Further, the ground in the middle of the room here is comparatively dry and soft.
C1a
a narrow opening in the wall makes this an ideal guard post for a pair of goblins, able to see anyone coming into their caves.
C6
This relatively dry cavern would make a perfect lair for any number of beasts. The floor is solid rock.
C7
Another relatively dry cavern and againt a perfect lair for a beast or pet. As with C5 and C6, the floor is solid rock, but this cavern has a perch at the back that would make a fine place for a beast to sleep.
Before continuing on the next morning, Caladwhen goes to meet with Sindran in the Chieftain's hut the evening prior. Entering the hut, Caladwhen looks coldly at the concubines and speaks quietly, but with a commanding voice.
After they leave, Caladwhen turns to Sindran and speaks immediately without any formalities or pleasantries "Sindran, I'm going to raise Kumanda. His strength could come in useful, but I thought I'd warn you just in-case it frightens our new found followers.
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A handful of brave goblins who dare witness the ritual return to the tribe wide-eyed and with terror driven into their hearts. The stories they tell to the tribe are far more colorful than the casting of the actual spell ever was, but the effect is that the supersticious tribe now venerates Cala like a queen or half-goddess.
Kumanda Slays-Nine-Men is now called Kumanda No-Stay-Dead by some.
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"Hmm. I suppose I'll ask some of the goblins if they know what 'the cave of the blue slime' is."
That would be C12. I assume you'll stroll over:
C12 is seemingly yet another wet, empty cavern; it's only discerning feature is the very distinctive blue slime mold that covers the west wall. The vibrant blue slime is neither poisonous nor dangerous, but simply visually striking. Otherwise, this cavern appears uninteresting.
"Now what secret could this place hold?" Sindran muses, looking around the cave.
While Sindran examines that room, Aerent wanders to the north with a torch.
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C15 – The Backdoor
This large wet cavern is dominated by two murky pools on either side of a comparatively wet walkway. The muck and slime that coats the floor makes the entire chamber count as difficult terrain (Goblin swamp stride ignores this difficult terrain). This room also has strategic importance. It is a bottleneck that leads to the back entrance of the Goblin village; The Goblins would be wise to defend this room. Four Goblins could hide in the murky water and ambush anyone who crosses the walkway, using their stealth to full effect. The lazy Goblins however are loath to keep up such a regular defense.
C15A – This is a particularly large and beautiful cave formation that emerges from the pool. Delicate crystals stud its exterior.
C17 – The Breeding Pool
The next generation of Goblins swims about and grows in this murky swamp. The little Goblin tadpoles are noncombatant and confined to the water. They actually look like strange little fish at this stage. Most of these tadpoles are the descendants of Kumanda Slays-Nine-Men and his consorts. Though the tadpoles are helpless, the destruction of this pool would be a great blow to the morale of the Bane-wog tribe.
C17A – A crude stone statue of a great bloated tentacled Goblin watches the pool. This is of course a statue of Father as the bane-wogs perceive him.
C18 – Bone Pit
As you approach this wet cavern, full of bones of both animals and sentient creatures, a goblin dressed in a formerly-white cloth is dancing around the bones, mumbling something like "Makky naay, Makky naay" interluded with bursts of "Bear-on-leash eat No Man's Flesh!"
This large collection was cobbled together from everyone the Goblins have ever murdered plus dozens of bodies found scattered about dating from the destruction of the Sons of the Pale Horseman eighty years ago.
An enterprising necromancer might be interested in this pile to sort through the bones and perhaps find 20d10 intact human, half-elven, elven, dwarven and 'misc' skeletons in this pile that could be raised by into skeleton minions.
C19 – Deadly Diamonds
This room looks like a treasure cavern. Beautiful diamonds sparkle along the far wall.
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Sindran meanwhile, scourges the room for any sign of anything interesting.
There's nothing obvious here, though. Either Zikomo's drug-induced dream produced a plausible sounding brainfart, or whatever is here is hidden extremely well.
It could be a trap. It could be a treasury.
Simple truth is, you simply don't know - yet. And it's the not yet part that is getting a little on your nerves, really. [ooc]Can you, the player, think of a way Sindran could satisfy his curiosity?[/i]