Stryn nods and returns the smile, not thinking there is much else to say on the matter before turning to head of for some rest so they can get back to things tomorrow. "Well, thanks anyway. G'night."
"Night Stryn. May the Starsong bless you with pleasant dreams," Kiley says as she too gets ready for some sleep before her watch.
The night passes uneventfully, and you awaken with the dawn refreshed and ready for another day of entering the goblins' lair. After everyone takes the time to get ready for the day, you set out back to the Bramblemouths' Den.
As you approach the Den, Stryn, Henric, Renae, and Hal all spy a single goblin hidden in the bush.
"Looks like they have a look out. How do we want to do this," Kiley quietly asks as she hides.
With her spell resources replenished offered Kiley a possible solution. "I could use a sleeping spell on it so we can avoid unnecessary and possibly noisy fight."
"How many of those can you cast?"
"How many of those can you cast?"
"I can cast the spell thrice today, but I can catch several goblins in one if they are crowded together."
"Seems a bit of a waste then to spend on a single goblin, no?" the elf contributed. "Less so if we managed to draw the rest out, of course..."
He grinned, teeth so pearly white they almost reflected the morning sun. Intentionally causing a hullabaloo to draw out the goblins sounded a nice change of pace from all this skulking about.
"Kiley, you've chopped every goblin unfortunate enough to meet your sword in two with a single swing so far," he thought aloud. "Why not just charge this one? I can give you an advantage or two should you wish."
Kiley looks to Stryn to see what he says.
The goblin appears to be far too interested in picking its nose to notice you.
Stryn shakes his head at Renea's suggestion "Waste, let me see if I can maybe get behind him and then we just attack? Just make sure we block the entrance so he can't run to warn the others."
Henric nods in agreement and moves around the other side of the goblin, helping Stryn to keep the goblin from alerting the others.
With the goblin unaware of the group even being there, he's caught completely off-guard and silenced immediately. He never even had the chance to sound the alarm.
Entering into the cave again, you find that the upper level has been deserted entirely, apart from that goblin (poorly) keeping watch. All that remains is whatever lurks down below.
Stryn notes to the others let me move ahead at least thirty to sixty feet and make sure there aren't any obvious traps or ambushes."[/b]
He moves up doing his best to be quiet.
Kiley tries her best, but she catches a whiff of something and her eyes water and she lets out a delicate sneeze every now and then.
Renae walked slowly into the lower levels of the cave, trying to her best not to make any perilous movements as well as look out for any goblins.
Taking the rear of the group, Henric keeps an eye out for anything that might try to sneak up behind them.
Knife held high and emitting a soft white glow, Hal followed, pointed ears dragging along the low ceiling. Sigh. He'd decided he didn't particularly like caves.
Stryn creeps forward to get a look at the room. There are three goblins here, one of which seems to be paying at least some attention to the passageway. The other two appear to be playing some sort of card game.
Stryn works his way back to the others and quietly says "Three ahead, one watching the entrance. Looks like tunnels go deeper. I have an idea. I can pretend like I am one of them and captured Renae and lead her in there with her in front, her hands behind her back so they can't see me. Then she can use her magic and try to put them to sleep. Think it will work?"
"It's risky. I would rather it be me, but I can't put them to sleep. Do you think luring them in would work," Kiley asks.
"Why, that sounds brilliant, Stryn." Hal smiled, pleased at the crafty plan. "Goblins being as dimwitted as they are, they won't suspect a thing. Very shrewd of you."
The irony of his words were obviously lost on the elf.
When Stryn comes back and explains his plan, Renae gives him an unsure look. "There's a lot of risk in that, but it may be the best way for us to take them out without a fight." Renae sighed. The plan was hardly fool proof, but Hal was right that it had a chance at succeeding given this tribe of goblin's apparent ignorance. "Alright. I'll do it."
"I'll be close by in case we do need to fight," Kiley adds. The look on her face tells everyone that she is not happy with this plan, but she would do her best to help it succeed.
Stryn nods as they seem in agreement and gets ready to put his plan in action. He nods to Kiley as she insists on being close but notes to Renae "Don't worry, if it doesn't work I will do my best to shield you for as long as I can."
With that he puts his plan in action. He gently holds Renae's arms behind her back to make it look like she is tied up, his rapier in his other hand, as the two walk forward. When they get a close to the tunnel that leads to the other goblins he calls out in his native tongue "Captured longshank outside, we make her prisoner now!" He walks behind Renae as he followers her from behind hoping their ruse will let them get close enough for her to cast her spell and knock them all out.
Renae simply gave Stryn an affirmative nod as she allowed the goblin apprehended her and move her forward in the cave. When the pair made it to the group of goblins that Stryn had spotted in the tunnel, Renae did her best impression of a defiant and agitated prisoner. "Let me go you miserable green imp!I swear by all the gods you will pay if you don't let me go!"
"Good job! We take longshanks to Chief Cheektooth. Chief mad about longshanks attacking - want someone to take it out on. She keep him from taking out on us."
The goblins wave for you to move forward.
Stryn walks Renae forward just a bit more to wherever she needs to be for her spell and then let's her hand go so she can catch them by surprise and cast her spell on the two grouped together, and getting ready to run past her to get to the other one as soon as she casts her spell.
Knowing that the element of surprise would be crucial if this scheme had any hope, Renae clandestinely moved her hands towards her spell pouch as she prepared to cast her enhancement on the goblins.
Kiley waits in the back with bated breath for the result of the spell.
Renae begins casting her spell, catching all three goblins off-guard as they begin to panic.
To continue the ruse as Renae starts to cast her spell Stryn pulls out his blade and calls to the others in goblin "She is trying to escape, come help me secure her for the chief so he doesn't get even more mad that we let her escape! Don't hurt her though, otherwise cheif won't have as much fun."
Hoping to bunch the goblins up for Renae's spell to go off and also alerting Kiley there is trouble.
Kiley hesitates a moment, then decides that it's too risky to not close in and start evening the odds.
Henric holds his ground, waiting for the fan to be proverbially hit.
All three goblins, despite being panicked by the longshanks spellcaster, see Stryn's bluff for what it is. One says,
"Why Chief care about longshanks living? He only want Dwarf prisoners."
Another turns towards the tunnel and calls out,
"I hear sound of someone coming down tunnel! Maybe another longshanks! Hurry!"
Two of the goblins, quick to react, converge on Renae.
Both of their attacks miss.
Renae casts her spell, which envelops all three goblins.
All three goblins fall to the ground, asleep.
Kiley rushes in, only to have her opponents drop. She holds her sword ready and looks to Stryn and Renae, unsure of what to do.
Renae sighed in great relief as the plan succeeded without a hitch. Finally able to relax once again, the wizard looked to Kiley immediately figured what she was pondering. "The goblins will only be under the effects of the sleep spell for a minute or two so it may behoove us to... deal with them decisively now, but I would prefer not to kill defenseless enemies," she said evenly before adding, "But if everyone else figures that's too much a risk given our situation I won't argue the point."
Stryn noticeably doesn't speak up, letting the others decide the goblins fate. Instead he goes and gets the rest of the group signaling them it is safe to move in.
Seeing Stryn's signal, Henric makes his way to the others. Seeing the goblins lying on the ground, but no obvious signs of blood, he asks rather hesitantly, "Are they.... done...?"
Kiley hesitates only a moment more before tying the goblins up.