The village is eerily quiet. The pool that lies in the break in the wall is still and un-moving. Not even a breeze can be felt. All of the buildings, except for the collapsed and destroyed one, stand on stilts that extend fifteen feet into the air. You can walk underneath the raised buildings and walkways with ease. There are numerous ladders, 8 to be precise, that allow access to the raised platforms and walkways.
Just inside the the destroyed gate is a small, fence enclosed pit in which there appear to be several mostly cremated remains.
While every one focuses on the buildings aerin will use her tracking skills in order to get a better pictures of who went where. She will also look for tracks that are not goblinoid in nature.
Once done she will point to ladder 1 and say
i'll investigate this one
"We should probably stick together, just in case. Even if there aren't any goblins, something else may be here." He emphasizes the something, thinking to the earlier tracks Aerin discovered.
Agreed
Although Miles agrees that they should ascend the ladders and investigate together, he is drawn to the pit of cremated remains. He peers over the fence into the pit.
Looking over the ground level of the village shows that a great struggle occurred here recently. There are foot prints visible that do not belong to goblins. All of them that do not come from goblins are medium sized and the same shape size as each other, but you can't identify what they might belong to.
The ladder that you scale is rather creaky but it does support your weight. The door at the top opens easily enough and you are able to clamber inside. The building has a bit of a low roof, not low enough to make you uncomfortable, but still pretty low. The building is a single room, sparsely decorated with furs and bones. Six small, haphazardly constructed beds are placed seemingly randomly around the room.
We rapidly search the building, and when that is done we go to N2.
All of the foot prints that do not belong to the goblin's are they wearing shoes, manufactured or poorly made (like an uncivilized barbarian or a hobgolin for example?)
"Hey, Ray. Y'know what the only good goblin is?"
With a jocular smile, Miles looks over his shoulder to point out the small pit of charred goblins, but everyone is already heading up the ladder. He hops down from the fence and runs over to climb up into the first building. "Whoever built this must have been expecting flood waters or a really, really high tide."
He looks around Building 1, drawing his rapier and using it to toss any ragged linens or objects aside. This is a goblin bedroom from the looks of it. "Beds. And here I thought they just slept in their own filth."
After checking Building 1 out himself, he follows along behind Aerin to Building 2.
A brief investigation of the room turns up nothing but rags, bones, furs, and filth.
The only other door in the room leads out onto the walkways. Stepping out you all move a short distance down the walkway before coming up against the next door. Pushing it open reveals a smaller room than the last, about ten feet by ten feet, with another door on the far side of the room. The room has only 2 chairs for furnishings. There are numerous windows on all sides of the room, except the far wall, affording the room an excellent view in practically every direction.
"While I don't like the fact the residents aren't here, we can at least be thankful they aren't in this room. This is a good vantage point to rain arrows down upon attackers."
let's go south
Miles puts a hand on Aerin's shoulder and slips ahead of her towards the closed door, his rapier still in one hand. The others may notice that he, out of habit more than anything else, looks the door up and down - at the hinges, the knob, the frame, the corners - and then reaches down to experimentally test the door's handle, quietly opening it if it is unlocked.
Aerin will quietly wait for miles to do his thing...
Miles tests the latch experimentally and finds that it gives easily. The doors opens inward towards him so he gives it a tug.
On the other side of the door is a very short hallway ending in another door. On the left hand wall is another door about halfway down the hallway.
Aerin will follow miles at his cautious pace.
He moves quietly down the hallway and repeats the same process for the door on the south end of the hall, directly across from where they entered.
Treygan follows as well, though attempting to keep an eye to either side for possible ambushes.
Moving along with the others, Rauno looks around as well, whispering, "So what do you all think? Someone beat us to bounty somehow or something spooked the goblins?"
i think something beat us to it. It probably isn't anyone from Standpoint because then the sheriff wouldn't have to order a bounty hunt starting tomorrow. But we have yet to see corpses ray.
Running the door over with his eyes, Miles finds no traps once again.
While he is checking the door on the south end of the room, Miles' head stiffens and then turns to the left, ear angled at the door on the eastern wall. He turns around and crosses the room to that door, gives it a once-over as well, and then puts a finger to his lips.
"Something's on the other side," he whispers. "Be ready."
Barring any trouble, he slowly manipulates the handle and opens the door.
I hear whimpering coming from the other side of the door
[b]"Well, let's see what is waitin' fer us on da other side."[/d] Rauno states with a grin.
agreed.