Thanara looks back and forth at the others before approaching the goblin mage. ”What can you offer us in a truce? And how do we know you won’t betray us?” she asks.
"Kill him!" Snow says fiercely, although whether its a threat or a suggestion isn't clear. She doesn't move on him to carry out her threat though. Yet.
Thanara waves Snow’s aggression down, turning back to the goblin. ”Your people have attacked our town. We believe under the command of another…longshank…who seeks to take advantage of you. We are here to stop that. But if we are to trust you, you need to prove to me that you will be willing to show us trust…”
She squats down in front of him and adds ”I’m going to cast a spell on you, totally harmless. It is a test to see if you can prove trust to us. Do not resist it at all, and perhaps we can have this truce you seek. Okay?”
The goblin, whom Shalelu confirms is the druid Gogkurt, nods, submitting to the charm. Once his cooperation is secured, he freely offers what he knows.
Gogmurt tells you that Warchief Ripnugget has become enthralled with several taller folk of late, in particular a “very angry woman with white hair and weird eyes and a torn-up belly” whom he suspects Ripnugget has become infatuated with. The chieftain has certainly been placing a lot of trust in this strange woman’s advice—it was at her urging that the assault on Sandpoint took place. Gogmurt has distanced himself from the chieftain and these new allies, not wanting to be tainted by her bad ideas.
He does know that she has four dangerous allies of her own: a brutish bugbear mercenary named Bruthazmus who lived for many years in a hut on the northeastern side of Nettlewood, a quiet human man who wears lots of metal armor, a dark-skinned violent human woman who’s used fire to scorch several goblins who got too close to her, and a male half-elf who seems too happy all the time and who sometimes plays the flute. Gogmurt suspects that the half- elf and the angry woman with the torn-up belly are lovers, because he’s seen them “going at it like donkey rats” in the woods at times.
He woefully mutters that this news only made Chief Ripnugget angrier when the druid tried to use it in an attempt to win back his chieftain’s favor. “Worse than a harpy, that one!” Gogmurt spits. Then he quickly clarifies his accusation: “The woman. Not Chief Ripnugget. Don’t tell him I called her a harpy!”
Gogmurt begs you not to hurt any more goblins, pointing out that the angry lady and her friends are the real troublemakers. If you can get into Ripnugget’s fort to the north and get rid of them, Gogmurt promises that no goblin will ever bother Sandpoint again—a promise he can’t possibly honor, but he seems desperate enough to say anything.
Now that he's being useful and friendly Snow stalks off to watch out for goblin dogs, although she does give the firepelt another mournful look as she goes. She shares a brief glance with Shalelu, neither of them like the fact that the goblin is alive and the cat isn't.
Thanara looks at the others three women to gauge their response to this information. ”Can you help us to convince the other goblins fight back against her? Or will they only obey Chief Ripnugget?” she asks Gogmurt.
Gogmurt shakes his head vehemently. ”No, no, no! Other goblins only listen to Chief Ripnugget, and he would stab me dead if he even knew I was talking to you! You’re on your own, longshanks!”
Thanara sighs. ”Is there no way you can help us? Maybe an easy way in so we can talk to him alone without having to fight anymore of the goblins?”
"The other goblins don't really keep a good watch if an alarm isn't raised," Gogmurt says. "If you're quiet, you should be able to go right through the front doors of the stockade without them noticing. Go straight north from there and you'll get to Chief Ripnugget's throne room. Maybe he will talk to you if you ask nicely."
Thanara looks to the others to see if they are on board with this plan. She then says to Gogmurt ”Thank you. Would you wait for us on this side and do your best to help make sure it is safe for if we have to return?”
When the others are ready, Thanara will try to advance on the stockade, waiting her turn and moving as quietly as she can.
As they walk, she whispers ”I can try and charm the chief too, but if we make any aggressive actions at him it will make it harder. If I can enchant him, I effectively have the whole tribe on our side, it sounds like.”
Snow overhears this statement and does her best to restrain a scoff - Thanara and Lisavet are not quiet!
Then Thanara proves her wrong, in what can only be described as a pleasant surprise! So much so that Snow messes up all by herself!
"Still threat after magic." Snow points out. "Should stop goblins. For always."
Despite Snow's misgivings, her companions do a better job of moving silently this time.
A rope bridge spans the gulf between the cliff and a roundish, flat-topped island sixty-some feet to the north. Thick patches of nettles and briars grow here and there atop the island, but its most impressive feature is a wooden one-story stockade. Two thirty-foot-tall watchtowers guard the stockade’s southern facade. The rope bridge itself is made of hairy rope and thick wooden planks; the whole thing creaks and sways in the wind above the churning surf eighty feet below.
Fortunately, the bridge is sturdy enough for you to cross, one at a time. Up close, you can see 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 front doors hang ajar, and while you hear high-pitched voices laughing and shouting, you don't spot any goblins in the watchtowers.
Through the front doors is a room of 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.
Several doors lead out of this room, but you follow Gogmurt's directions and go through the double doors to the north. This large throne room is decorated with hanging furs along its walls, mostly black-and-red striped firepelt skins, various dog pelts, and in some cases, what look like horse hides. Four square timbers support the ceiling, their faces studded with dozens of iron spikes, with the lower reaches decorated with dozens of impaled and severed hands in various stages of decay. To the northeast, a wooden platform supports a throne heaped with dog pelts and horse hides. Dog skulls adorn the armrests and a horse skull leers over the throne’s back.
Chief Ripnugget reclines on his throne, watching as four other goblins reenact the raid on Sandpoint as they fight an illusory human created by one of the goblins. A giant gecko waits loyally by the chief's side.
The goblins seem surprised to see you when you enter, but Ripnugget quickly raises a hand to forestall hostilities. "Longshanks! Lady longshanks... You are the ones who protected the town, yes? I have heard stories of your prowess. We talk, yes?"
Snow couldn't be more surprised and narrows her eyes at the Chief, sizing him up. She lets Thanara do the talking though.
”Certainly, mighty Chief Ripnugget,” Thanara says with a curtsy. ”As it seems you wish to not fight, would you allow me to address you in less threatening attire?”
Ripnugget grins widely, showing off his mouth full of jagged teeth. "Yes. You look like you understand the value of the spoken word over battle. You may approach, but only you!"
Thanara slowly approaches, and begins her incantation with the command word to change her magic robes appearance. As the clothing changes to her favorite purple and gold dress, she keeps up the act of magically changing her clothes while she really sends a charm spell towards the chief!
Thanara's first attempt at a charm spell doesn't take, but Ripnugget doesn't notice anything amiss. She tries again, and this time, she can see the telltale signs of the magic taking effect. The other goblins look to their chief to see if he will order them to attack, but he simply smiles as Thanara approaches his throne.
"Alright, now, tell me why you're here and how I can help you!" Ripnugget says. The other goblins blink in surprise!
”We have learned that the Longshanks that are here hiding behind your strength, they seek to betray you, Mighty Chief. I know this is may seem hard to believe, but I promise you it is the truth. If I wished you ill will, I would not have come to you with this warning. But my friends and I, we have learned that these Longshanks were behind the attack on our people. We simply wish to see proper justice served, and not see more innocent lives lost,” she says as she slumps down to her knees in a show of subservience to his authority.
Snow finds something about Thanara kneeling quite... appealing, on a rather primal level. The goblin ruins the situation though.
Ripnugget chortles when Thanara kneels before him. "Hee hee! I like you, longshanks! It is true that those longshanks who dwell here planned and orchestrated the attack, lead by one who calls herself Nualia. She wants to become a demon, and part of her plan involves freeing the great goblin god who is trapped below--Malfehsnekor!"
"Malfeshnekor!" the other goblins echo reverently.
"So you see, they are not here to betray us. Nualia will free Malfeshnekor, and with his might, she will usher in a new age of goblin triumph!"
”Her words are lies, Oh Great Chieftain,” she continues to attempt to sway him. ”We have found in some notes written by her warriors that they plan to release Malfeshnekor, use his might to attack our town, and then bind him once again. She seeks to use your strength for her own gains, and nothing more!”
When Thanara mentions notes, the other goblins shriek and cover their faces. "Eek! You longshanks and your written words!" Ripnugget winces. "Why do you steal them from your head so much? You cannot get them back!
"But... Nualia plans to betray us? No! It cannot be... Can it? Perhaps... But, no... But, maybe..."
The chief is obviously in turmoil as he decides what he should do.
”She seeks to play us off one another, Wise One. I humbly ask that you help us arrest her and her captains so we can bring her to justice for the deaths of both our people,” Thanara asks.
Ripnugget growls. "Bah! Goblins do not arrest people! Goblins bite and fight and kill! And goblins do not suffer treachery!" He points at you. "You go down there and you deal with those longshanks! Let it be known that you have free passage through Thistletop until you have finished the deed. And then, once you are done, all longshanks must leave and not come back! Thistletop belongs to goblins and goblins only! We're taking it back!"
The other goblins cheer and scramble to spread the word throughout the fort.
Thanara rises and curtsies. ”Thank you, Mighty Chief,” before turning back to the others. She does her best to hide the look of disgust she felt she was displaying after demeaning herself like that to these goblins…but now they had removed them as a threat for now.
Once back to the others, she whispers quietly ”Well, that was humiliating.”
"Perhaps, but at least we didn't have to fight a whole tribe of goblins!" Lisavet says. "We should find a safe place to rest to refresh our spells. Then we'll head down below."
Thanara follows Shalelu through the woods to the spot she feels is defensible enough to camp. ”I swear, I feel like I need a bath after that whole ordeal with the chief. I feel icky,” she says when she’s certain no goblins are around to over hear.
She finds her a spot to settle down to rest, when she spots everyone else preparing camping gear. ”Oh…oh. Ummmm…so, I didn’t know this was going to be an overnight trip when we left town…” she comments as she realizes she has no camping supplies.
Snow, fortunately, has over-prepared if the pack she's been lugging around is anything to go by. She produces blankets, a bedroll and a large ball of lumpy fabric which proves to be a knitted garment of some sort.
"Put this on." She says, holding it out to Thanara. "Warm."
She even brought food, although it does seem to be mostly of the dried or twice baked varieties.
Thanara wraps the thing around her, and nods a thanks to Snow. It wasn’t very soft. Or comfortable really. But it was warm, like she had said. And it looked so tacky compared to her dress!
As the others prepare their actual beddings and set up the camp, Thanara softly hums a little tune to herself to pass the time.
”To be honest, though,” she says as she pauses her humming, ”I am surprised that worked so well. I’ve used tricks like that when dad makes me, but never in a situation like that before.”
"Did well." Snow replies. "Not tomorrow though. Don't give goblin chance to change his mind."
She finishes setting up the bedroll, with two blankets, not just one and then points at it. "You. Sleep there." She informs Thanara. "Relieve that way from camp. Downwind." The sorceress clearly needs informing on the basics, it's pretty obvious she's not spent a day outside a town in her life.
"Shae cooks. I'm not good."
Thanara looks at the bedroll, and finally realizes that Snow is telling her to SHARE the bedroll. ”Oh…ummm…okay…” she says as she blushes. She then quickly changes the subject and proceeds to join the other three girls in small talk the remainder of the day.
When it’s time to go to sleep, though, she gets a bit nervous and blushes again as she shifts her dress into something more loose so she can sleep more comfortably before wriggling into the bedroll and pulling a blanket up over her. Even so, her whole body shivers as she struggles against the cold of the falling temperature of the evening.
Shalelu cooks a decent meal. As you sit around the fire and eat, the elven ranger gets a hard look in her eyes. "Ripnugget said Bruthazmus is down there with Nualia. That bugbear has a particular hatred of elves. We have fought on several occasions. To date, neither of us has managed to get the upper hand on the other, but I have vowed that I won’t be the first to fall in our private war. If we come across him, I would ask that you help me to end him, once and for all."
***
The next morning, you return to Thistletop. The goblins eye you warily but allow you to pass through the fort, showing you the stairs down to the dungeons within the island itself.
A single lit lantern hangs from a hook on the wall next to where the stairs enter this room from the north. Several rickety doors open into this room, and a few discarded dog pelt rugs lie forgotten in the northeast corner.
Thanara nods at Shalelu’s request, though she isn’t quite sure what a bugbear is. The mental image she has of what it must be is quite hideous.
——————
Thanara follows Snow and Shalelu back to Thistletop and down into the lower levels. She looks around the small room as she entered, half expecting an ambush. When they aren’t attacked, she looks to Snow and holds her hands out questioningly, wondering which way the shifter wants to go.
Perhaps thankfully for Thanara's modesty Snow is not in fact planning to share the bedroll. Instead she reclaims her knitted jumper and takes yet another blanket, before curling up among the roots of a nearby tree.
She and Shalelu share nods of understanding and then the shifter closes her eyes and to all intents and purposes drops off to sleep...
Some half an hour later however, when Thanara's teeth are chattering so loudly that Snow is convinced that the goblins in Thistletop can hear them she gives up on any chance of peace. Given that the sorceress already has two blankets there's really only one solution left.
She uncurls, scoots along the ground and presses herself back to back with Thanara. "Help. Warm." She says quietly, before tucking her blanket over them both. It's true - for whatever reason Snow is extremely warm and the radiating heat from her back finally brings Thanara some level of comfort.
----------------------------------------
Snow sniffs the air cautiously, trying to pick out individual scents amongst the stink of goblin. She's especially trying to pick out bugbear. She owes Shalelu for coming with them and a successful hunt is the best kind of gift.
Thanara doesn’t verbalize anything in reply, the cold and her nerves keeping her silent. Eventually, though, the shared warmth helps her drift to sleep.
After a few hours though, in the middle of her sleep, she twists and rolls around without waking and wraps an arm over Snow, pulling herself closer and pressing herself more into Snow’s back.
Snow awakens with the sun, as normal and is about to get up when she realises that someone is holding her. The scent in her nose identifies the culprit immediately and she is about to shift the arm when she realises that Thanara is a. still asleep and b... not so bad really.
Thus willingly pinned Snow wriggles a little to make herself more comfortable and just watches the sun rise through the trees, taking time to enjoy the sight as she rarely does.
The power of Lisavet's faith in the sun goddess keeps her pleasantly warm!
***
With her superior sense of smell, Snow can pick out the thick, pungent scent of bugbear nearby. She follows it to one of the southern doors.
Dozens of ratty cushions, lumpy pillows, and rumpled dogskin furs lie heaped in the south half of this chamber, which smells of a nauseating mixture of vinegar and rotten flowers.
Four hideous goblin women lounge about the room, attending to a hulking brute of a bugbear. The bugbear roars and curses. "This is my private time!" he growls as he whirls on you. His eyes narrow when he sees Shalelu.
"Bruthazmus," Shalelu says coldly.
"Elf b+%@@," the bugbear snarls. "I see you brought friends. This time, I will kill you!"
"Not if I kill you first," the elf replies as she nocks an arrow.
Bruthazmus reaches for his weapons as the goblin women grab knifes concealed under their pillows...
Thanara spots the necklace of ears dangling around the big things neck, and when Shalelu identifies it as the bugbear, Thanara realizes that this is not the time to fret about not hurting anyone. Seeing the goblins going for weapons seals the deal.
”Oh hush it you smelly bastard!” she says as she steps up and fills the room with lightning from her hands, the bolts washing over as many of their foes as she can.
Lisavet quickly gives Snow a forbidding ward against Bruthazmus and guidance to start the fight off strong!
Snow leaps forwards, following the lightning and slashing at the bugbear with a powerful claw!
Shalelu marks Bruthazmus as her prey and fires on him, but her arrows come up short as he knocks them aside.
Thanara's crackling lightning takes out all of the goblin women! Bruthazmus takes the full brunt of it as well.
The bugbear dodges Snow's claws. He snarls at Shalelu, but with Snow blocking the doorway, he focuses on her first. He draws a dagger and a sickle and makes a dazzling series of attacks, using the first attack to throw the ranger off guard against a second attack at a different angle. The first attack hits, but Snow manages to dodge the second.
Thanara sees Snow take a hit, and tries to retaliate before Bruthazmus can strike again! She sends a single bolt of lightning at the bugbear!
_________
Snow snarls, takes a moment to focus properly on the bugbear and then sets to violent work.
Shalelu and Thanara come up frustratingly short, but Lisavet strikes Bruthazmus with a divine lance, and Snow claws the bugbear. The bugbear roars angrily and attacks her again, but this time Snow avoids all of his strikes!
Thanara calms her nerves and focuses her aim as she sends another bolt at the big beast.
Snow has to feint a few times before she can sneak more blows past the bugbear's guard. The ones that she does get through tear deeply though.
Thanara's lightning shocks Bruthazmus, then Snow rips open his belly with her claws! The hairy goblinoid sags to his knees, trying to keep his entrails inside with his hands. Shalelu calmly strides up to the bugbear and looks him in his eyes, which are already beginning to glaze over. "You lose," she says.
Then she fires an arrow point blank into his forehead. He slumps over and lies still.
Thanara looks away sharply at the gruesome end of the bugbear. She tries to control her breathing and steps back out of the room. As she composed herself, she asks ”Do you think anyone else heard all that?”
Snow sits down and starts licking at the cut on her arm, unfortunately it's too far round for her to get to easily and she can't clean it properly.
As she fails to conduct her rudimentary form of first aid she glances over at Shalelu. "Good hunt." She says simply.
"Let's hope not," Lisavet says. When no other creatures immediately respond to the sounds of battle, the cleric tends to Snow's stab wound.