.
Simflay looks amazed to be handed the ring, but after a moment she slips it on her finger then holds her hand up to stare at the ring.
Then, hearing the comment about Talia's injuries, she will stir herself and tap her gently with the wand she is holding in her other hand.
"If ye don't mind Simflay. Ah could use a tap of that wand.
Simflay reaches out and taps Grulyn with the wand...
Talia is able to cross and investigate without raising an alarm within. She hears goblin voices to the west and north, but the view is blocked by the corner of the building and the surrounding brush.
The stockade is made of thick wood. Closer inspection reveals that most of the wood seems to have been scavenged from ships — a few nameplates remain affixed to some of the beams, while other timbers look like they might have once been masts.
The door that leads inside stands ajar, luckily enough. Peering through it, Talia sees that the floor of this room is hard-packed soil, as if the builders either ran out of lumber after building the walls and roof, or as if they simply never thought about building a floor. A number of poorly preserved horse and dog heads are mounted along the eastern wall, while along the southern wall hangs a pair of large black-feathered wings tacked to the wall with daggers. Talia notices a beam of sunlight shining off the pearl handle of one of the daggers, which looks quite well made.
Arc waves at the others, pretends to tap his ear, and points in the direction of the voices, then shrugs, indicating the door or the direction of the noise.
Talia reports what she has found back with the rest of the party.
After she examines the gleaming dagger, and takes it of course.
"Plans? I'd suggest taking out anyone outside first."
Outside, sounds go to me...but...do you think if we engage the outside enemy this close to this fort it will alert those inside to our presence?
"Aye, if we do this. it needs to be quite and make sure none run back inside to warn the others. But if they do we need to make a choke point to funnel them gobbies into so they can't over run us from all sides." Grulyn offers up.
Arc shrugs. "A trained force would be alerted by such sounds, but a trained force would have that door closed and guarded. There is a risk, but any fight we pick will carry that same risk."
Moving in, quickly and quietly to claim the pearl-handled dagger from the wall, Talia notices that the door here has recesses and a bar nearby to block access. Had the alarm been raised, you might have found this door impassable.
Making sure she shows the others the expensive dagger she's found, Talia also takes a moment to disable the locking bar on the door. So that it can't be used against the party.
"Hows about those of us who can be sneaky use that and creep up on the noisy pests. If we can get the drop on them and take them out before they raise the alarm it gets us in and weakens them!"
She glances at Arcallius, "You can be sneaky can't you?"
Arc grins. "How many cookies are missing?"
Grulyn waits for those with more stealth to start the fight.
Talia removes the bar from the room, hiding it in some bushes outside and gathers the more stealthy members of the party to try and surprise the goblins frolicking outside.
As they slip around the corner of the building, they spot a group of four goblins riding their rat-like canine mounts. They are likely meant to be patrolling the area, but instead appear to be enraptured by some sort of game of their own making. Killgull it seems to be called, based on what you overhear them chanting. One goblin holds a length of twine that seems to be attached to the leg of a captive seagull that flaps and flutters desperately above them, ducking and dodging as the other three goblins try to pelt it out of the sky with stones.
Fortunately, the wind carries your scent to the southwest and the goblins are so distracted by their pastime that they are unlikely to notice their doom creeping up on them.
Talia lines her crossbow on the Goblin hold the Seagulls line. When everyone is set she will fire.
Arc prepares to feather the closest of the riders.
Once they are in position, Arc will nock and draw, roll his shoulder to transfer the hold weight from his arm to his back, and not loose until He sees Talia act. As soon as she does, though, he let's fly at the closest goblin.
When she and Arc are in position Talia fires at the Goblin holding the Seagull tethered.
Simflay follows along with Arc and Talia, being as quiet as she possibly can, carrying her sling. She will wait until they decide the moment is right to open fire and then she will add her sling bullet to the attack, aiming at the closest goblin.
Cade climbs up on Bellum and moves off after the others.
Cade reaches down and scratches at Bellum's neck.Bellum when the time comes we ride hard for the closet enemy....
Cade watches the goblins looking hard to find the best advantage when the attack comes.
Bellum whimpers quietly as he waits to attack. It is evident that he is anxious to get at the goblins.