"Wish me luck!"
Atar struts confidently inside the room and greets the goblins in their language. "Are you the ones who follow powerful Zog? I carry an important message to those who follow almighty Zog!"
The four goblins stop talking and their ears turn at the sound of Immana creeping forward but as Atar walks forward they turn two female goblins and a two males look confused for a second.
Three of them go wide eyed and smile shouting “Zog!” , the one that answered the questions glares at you.
“Message from Zog? Zog doesn’t talk to devil children. Zog only talks to me.”
Atar bows courteously. "You must be very wise indeed if Zog thinks you are worthy. I was informed I would meet someone very special in this group. And you are right that Zog wouldn't want to speak to a devil like myself if there was any other choice. Of course, if you are not interested in a message from the Almighty Zog whose awesome power makes all creatures shake in fear, I cannot force you to hear my words."
'Hmmm…perhaps Zog is some sort of divinity and this one is a cleric?'
You have heard that Zog is a supposed goblin god that was actually a dynasty of Barghasts that rules in the river kingdoms for some 200 years. They were destroyed by a series of plagues and a coalition some 500 years ago.
The three goal line wide eyed shake their head yes obviously Hanging on every word.
The female goblin gives you a skeptical look. “What did Zog say?”
Trakas watches in silence as he tries his hardest not to laugh out loud.
Brightberry continues being a bush and letting Atar do his thing.
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Atar deliberately makes his skin become darker and speaks in a darker, lower voice. "We are betrayed! The treasure has been stolen right under your noses and taken north! Go after them! Now! Seek my sign! Once you find it, you shall know what to do!"
He clears his throat and lets his skin turn back to normal. "My own devil lord (who is nowhere as powerful or awesome as Powerful Zog) is also seeking the betrayer, and thus this is why I was sent as a messenger."
“North? Hmmm who would have it. How do we get out? Trap and bugs are there! And she points behind you.”
"Also adventurers, which I have turned into my puppets and will be taking to my devil lord soon. Don't hurt them, my lord wants them whole. I killed the bugs on my way here, so that's also not a problem." Atar puts his finger under his lips and looks up, as if tyring to remember something. "As for the trap…I did not see any…? If you can point where it is to me, I might be able to take care of it for you. Otherwise, there isn't much I can do."
“It’s that way! Past the purple mists, and scary magics.”
She points behind you the way you came.
"Yes, but is there a specific point where you know the trap is?" Atar asks, with little hope to actually get any useful information. "Anyway, I will take a look at it and then you will go north to look for the betrayer. Zog seems to be quite keen on you doing that as soon as possible."
He returns to the group and, once he's sure they are out of hearing range, explains the situation. "So, if we can get rid of that trap they will leave without a fighting. Any ideas? Trakas, Brightberry, is there something you can do that just, like makes it go away for a minute or two?"
Your queries are met with wide eyes and confused looks. As you scamper away back to the group you can see them rapidly start gathering their bedrolls and other items.
Brightberry takes his familiar humanoid shape and says, "I can't do anything about traps. I know nothing of them. If there were some plants around in the room, I could ask them. We need to finish up in this place and get back to the green and the sun." After a brief pause for other 'trap' discussions, he adds "Me and Redleaf will follow behind the goblins. Better that they don't know we are here. Maybe we can overhear something, or see something, on the way back."
Brightberry and Redleaf will remain as vegetation until the goblins pass by and then cautiously follow.
"Traps?" Bob asks while glancing around. "Did we pass by these traps?"
"I think they are talking about the room we just left, where some sort of magical thing sort made you see a fey creature."
Atar paces back and forth, keeping an eye out for any goblins coming his way.
"I can try to mess it up so it stops working, but I sort of need to know where the thing I want to break is, you know? Runes, gems, pools of energy…or could the whole room be a trap…?"
"I can locate the magic."
"There was a trap? You mean it wasn't real?" Shivering, Bob eyes the way back to the purple mists.
"We're going back in there?"
Plan changed. Brightberry will head directly back with the rest, and detect magic until he can locate the source of the trap for Atar.
"That's what we've been trying to tell you, buddy. There's something in that room that, I don't know, makes you see stuff you don't like. I saw someone from my dad's side of the family, Brightberry saw fire, etc. I wonder if we will trigger it again now or if it only works once. Come on, let's go and give it a look. I told the goblins you are my slaves, so it's best if you're together with me."
Atar follows Brightberry and waits to see if it's possible to pinpoint the location of the actual trap and then try to disarm it either way by messing around with the tiles.
Immana stays back to keep an eye on the goblins.
The goblins pack up grabbing gear and other items. It takes awhile, though there scrambling is amusing as some get easily distracted. Ata with Brightberry’s help you find a central set of runes on the floor. You are able to eventually scratch the runes out but you will trigger the trap first.
As you come back they seem to be finishing up and the female goblin is waiting for you.
Atar, proud of only having triggered the trap a few times, returns to the room triumphantly and bows to the goblins. "By the glory of almighty Zog, the path is clear. Go forth and honour him, brave ones!"
The goblins loaded down with gear go running out screeching. And the sound of their little footsteps can be heard echoing as they run out.
"Now. Let's search the statue again. I'll look for magic."
Detect magic once we get back there.
You head back and cast the spell, it seemingly doesn’t detect anything on the stataue. But the metal door remains shut.
"Hey, goblins! Did any of you bring a crowbar?"
Bob looks through any equipment left behind, looking for a crowbar.
You look around and some leaves off cloth a short sword are left, and some rotten food is left.
"Well, I don't know how to open that door short of some alchemical solvent or acid or the like.
As for anything left to explore in here, we never explored the stairwell that goes down in the room where the goblins had set up their scaffolding. Perhaps there will be some treasure down there?"
Trakas nods and waits to see where the group would be going to next.
"still no crowbar. Can open it now. Let's search the bottom areas. Maybe your crowbar is down there."
"I think we're better off leaving and sleeping for a week until we heal up, but down might be best."
Heading back to the main room, Bob takes the stairs down. Surprised to find another flight of stairs leading down to a lower level, he continues going down.
The plants follow 30 feet behind.
You all turn around and head back to the main room seeing the strange door like slab of stone with the seven pointed star on it with small holes at the points. You head down the stairs into the passageway. You see before you a goblin crushed under a slew of rocks with a suit of chain mail in its hands.
You notice the ceiling is cracks and weakened and may collapse from walking through without taking precautions to move slow.
Hold!..Everyone stop!...
He points to the unfortunate goblin and then raises his hand towards the ceiling.
That does not looks safe to me. Looks like we could cause it to collapse even more if we are not careful.
"Oooh.". Brightberry says as he looks up to where Takras is pointing.
seeing the strange door like slab of stone with the seven pointed star on it with small holes at the points.
Keeping an eye on the ceiling, Bob reaches forward and pulls at the chainmail, attempting to pry it from the dead goblin's grip.
"Decent armor. Should fetch a few coins. I don't suppose it is magical?"
Brightberry will detect magic over the armor, as well as the squashed goblin.
You detect magic and after focusing its coming from the chainmail.
Immana inches forward, avoiding the big rocks as well as anything or anyone else that looks dangerous as she makes her way through the room towards the other side.
If you’d like to move across make a acrobatics check. Or would like to try to do something to stop the rocks from falling feel free to explain.
"Poor fella…perhaps it's best only one of us scouts ahead for now, in case it's a dead end?"
Leaving the chainmail with Brightberry so he can keep concentrating on it, Bob heads across the unstable chamber.
Heeding Trakas' warning he proceeds slowly and carefully.
You try to make it across after grabbing the chainmail.
The several rocks fall from the ceiling and hit you over the head. You take 16 bludgeoning damage.
Bob falls under the rocks and starts bleeding out.