Cayde keeps up the pressure, running and dashing after the goblin headed for the rope bridge.
Trying to fire on the run, Baheera's blast goes careening wildly over the goblins' heads.
Baheera's blast misses the target as Adonius and Cayde charge after the frightened goblin. Tekumbray reaches the zipline and with a quick slash of a dagger cuts the rope.
The goblin on the line's eyes widen as he realizes what has happened and he futilely grabs for the rope, but to no avail as he falls some seventy feet to the cavern floor, landing with at wet sounding crack.
The remaining goblin frantically begins making his way across the uneasy rope bridge.
Cayde moves and dashes again, catching up to the goblin. He hopes either his friends will take it out or he will get an opportunity attack as it likely continues to run away.
Snatching his bow back into hand, Tekumbray tries to fire a quick shot at the final fleeing goblin.
Tekumbray's shot skewers the remaining goblin, the creature's body falling to the ground below.
Breathing heavily Tekumbray warily watches and listens for signs of any more goblins nearby. Not noticing any immediate threats the gnome relaxes his grip on his bow. Nodding back toward the caves he looks to his companions.
"A quick search?" He asks. "I for one could use a few of those arrows a couple of them were carrying."
Picking up the bodies and carrying them back into the room they just left, Cayde says, ”No reason to leave a warning out in the open that we are invading the goblin’s territory.”.
His action, coincidently, also makes it easier to search both the heave goblin fighters as well as the standard scouts from the last two battles.
A quick search of the bodies provides Tek with as many arrows as he would like. While Cayde drags bodies back into one of the dead-end chambers while the Adonius-wolf keeps watch.
It seems rather silent and calm for the moment...perhaps too much so.
Having restocked his quivers and grabbed a second, the gnome turns to his companions.
"How fare you comrades?" He says rubbing a knot in his shoulder. "We have bloodied their noses for certain. But I don't know if we've knocked them out for good." Calculating eyes peer into the dark tunnels. "I would guess even now they plot a counter strike if we linger too long. Shall we press forward or do we fall back to the city to recover and regain our strength for another push? For it is certain, they are much weaker now than when the glass first turned at the start of this day."
He looks at Cayde, Adonius, and Baheera, waiting to hear what they would choose to do.
”I have one more fierce battle in me before I will need to eat and rest in safety. I say we go forward once more and hit them while they are still scrambling—but beware of traps as we approach their stronghold,” says Cayde.
Adonius-wolf nods his head with his tongue hanging out.
With a firm nod, Tek stands and stretches his back eliciting several loud pops. Rechecking his bow and the fit of his sword at his belt he seems content and ready to move.
"Aye, so we will press the attack." He says pondering exactly which direction to press. He eyes the rickety rope bridge with a hefty amount of skepticism and finally turns back toward the south entrance. "I think there was another cavern we passed beyond that secret door we first found." He says. "Let's see if that leads to a back way into the rest of their nest."
Following along Tek's suggested path you find that the long east-west passage simply leads along the outer edge of the cliffside, occasionally opening up to what passes for sky here.
There is one notable feature a hole with at pole running down the center that seems to go into a lower level of caverns.
Frowning at the hole with the pole diving into the dark depths, Tek shakes his head. "I don't envy dropping down there without knowing a bit more." He says. Then he eyes alight on Baheera and the little imp fluttering one her shoulder.
"Baheera, would your clever friend be willing to fly down and take a quick peek at what's below?"
Adonius-wolf whines a bit with the idea of going down a pole.
”I feel we might want to clear this level first, especially if we need to beat a hasty retreat,” encourages Cayde, ”But stealthy scouting is always good.”
Tek looks up to Cayde and Adonius and gives a quick nod. "You're right. We should check the other caves first."
Before leaving the area he looks at and tugs the pole a few times to see if it would be easy to pull up.
"If possible, it might be a good idea if we could close this off quickly to keep some of them from sneaking up on our backs." He adds looking around for a table or some oversized pieces of wood that could quickly be put across the opening.
You have to back track a bit, but finding enough spare wood/tables to cover most of the hole isn't a real issue, but the pole is still exposed.
With the crude barrier covering the opening, Tek nods to the others and moves off toward the unexplored caves in the northwest where several of the goblin warriors emerged from earlier.
Cautious of potential ambush, the gnome does his best to move quietly and with eyes peeled for any sign of traps or hidden goblins.
The party makes their way down the northwest passage, noticing another room behind a door on their right.
After pushing open the stone door, you observe a roughly circular chamber about 25-feet in diameter. Several piles of crates are haphazardly stored here. Hanging from the ceiling on several ropes are dried haunches of meat and several large salted fish.
Continuing down the passageway, you enter into what is more of a widened corridor rather than a chamber that terminates in a shaft leading upward. The ceiling disappears into the shadows above. The northwest surface was once a majestic flowstone but now is worn, pitted, and crumbling.
Cayde searches the food stores, grabbing a snack as he goes.
Adonius-wolf wolfs down some meat and fish listening and sniffing for anything hidden in the store room.
No really trusting the curing and preservation methods of goblins, Tekumbray decides to avoid the meat and fish and instead takes a moment to eat a few bites of the rations gained from their city dwelling allies.
Entering the second chamber, the gnome takes a careful look around. He is especially wary of the gloomy shaft and whatever could be lurking in its dark depths.
Searching the storeroom, beyond the various food stuffs you find tucked behind a stack of crates a number of bolts of what appears to be a silk in a variety of colors. This would certainly fetch a fine price should you ever find yourself on the surface again.
All that is found in the second chamber is the previously mentioned mysterious shaft.
Offering his companions a quick shrug of his shoulders. Tekumbray back tracks toward the two areas tunnels they still haven't explored. The first being the one blocked by the portcullis. Stopping to examine the barrier, the gnome looks for any mechanism or hidden trick that might lift the gate.
But not really finding anything, he decides instead to see where the other end of the long tunnel to the south might lead. All the while he tries to keep and eye and ear out for any goblins who might be waiting in ambush or trying to sneak up on them.
Cayde follows along, weapon at the ready, behind the scouts.
Slowly searching the remainder of the level, you first stop at the portculis. The odor of rot wafts up from the forty-foot diameter natural shaft beyond the iron bars. From your current position you do not see the bottom of the chasm.
Continuing on, you take the southeast passage, leading passed another guard room, filled with hammocks and crates of battered weapons not worth picking up. A passageway leads east into another chamber with a fifty-foot high ceiling throughout the room are poles that run from the floor to the ceiling. Your best guess is this is a training area based on the poles that you have seen in other areas of the cavern.
Finally, you head backout to the southern tunnel that occasional opens up exposed the "outside", overlooking the lake. Traveling west you find a pole heading upward, toward the top of the cliffs before the tunnel ends.
With nothing else seemingly in the area, Tekumbray leads the way back to the chamber with the pole leading down into the darkness. First, checking to make sure nothing has been disturbed since he was last here, he then points down the gloomy tunnel.
"I guess I missed that earlier." He says with a concerned frown at his own lapse. "Let's give that a look. Maybe it loops around to the other caverns."
He moves ahead cautiously watching for traps or ambushes.