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Memoirs I think you missed the end of my last post.
Nempura will freeze behind a tree at the sight of the flare of light. The elf sniffs the air lightly to see if she can detect the smoke. Her magic holds up, blending her in, but in her mind, she knows the group will be on her soon. She will wait for a little bit, first seeing if whatever it is in the darkness moves onward. She doesn't want to full-out assault something she doesn't know what it is, and she doesn't want to give herself away. She tries to guess the height at which this creature's cigar or cigarette is being smoked.
You can't smell the scent. You must be upwind. Assuming the ember is at mouth level, the thing is about 3 feet tall.
Nempura assumes the shadowy figure is one of those varmint goblinoids based on the height, or it's someone sitting down and smoking. If it is some random person, what they'd be doing out here is beyond her. She decides to keep waiting until that two-minute mark. If nothing happens, then she will sneak back to the group to see about avoiding the scout altogether.
The scout, if that is what he is, smokes his cigarette and drops it to the forest floor, apparently stomping it out.
He doesn't seem to have noticed you.
The two-minute mark has passed. He remains there and she returns to the group to discuss what they want to do.
"Ahead is a scout...or what I'm assuming is a scout. Just over that next slight hill. He's sitting next to a tree in the darkness. I almost passed right by him, but he was smoking and I barely caught sight of his cigar. He's watchin' the road, or at least, I think he is. I can't see him. I just know he's there. I am thinking it might be slower going, but we might do better from here on out, staying off this path and to continue in the general direction the tracks lead. We should see something when we get closer to their village, or, I can do my best to take the scout out and we can stick to the tracks to keep from getting lost. What do you all think?" she asks.
It's just a few minutes, but the wait feels interminable. Higgins is relieved to see Nempura return. He nods, ready to proceed. He signals to his horse Midnight that he ought to stay, but as usual doesn't make any attempt to tie down the stallion. They were more partners than master and horse.
Pan Pan likes the stealthy approach. "If you can eliminate the scout quietly then I support that. In my opinion, no need to return to us for approval if that's what your gut says."
You move off the path and through the pine straw to skirt the tree the scout is sheltering under.
About 300 yards past the scout, you come to the edge of the trees. The moonlight dapples the clearing beyond. In the distance, you can see the mouth of a cave, perhaps 200 feet away. Is this where the goblins are holed up?
Nempura will elect to move around where the scout is. With those more skilled at wind directions and tracking, the party will attempt to keep whoever it was beyond scent range. Eventually, they make it to a location where there in the distance is a cave. Therein, she peers with her elven eyes but only sees darkness.
"Any gunfire will bring the whole lot of them upon us if it is a straight path into that cave. Let's hope that there are twists and turns. I suggest we take a chance and head that way, using cover, as goblinoids can see in the darkness. As long as we are outside of their vision or behind something we should be able to stay concealed. Let's also keep in mind that they likely have wargs or goblin dogs inside. They'll be able to smell us if we linger out here, so getting into the cave is paramount and out of sight before we make our presence known..." she whispers.
"Who knows how many goblins are out and about in the forests nearby. The acoustics of the cave should muffle our gunplay if we can at least make a turn in its pathway. Let's just hope there are no goblins at the entrance. Can any of us see in the blackness of light? If so, perhaps it would be best if you lead. And as we approach, let's ensure the wagon did go in there. I don't want to explore a cave that we don't need to."
With that, she'll recast her spell, will cast a detect magic spell, and will creep forward with the others.
"If anyone is having second thoughts, now is the time to let them be known."
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Pan Pan has been reticent, as is often her nature. Much of her focus is on staying present and not allowing the demons of her past to take flight in her thoughts. Years had been wasted fighting them there, running in place. That she had traveled hundreds of miles alone, with only her horse and her memories for company, and had retained her sanity, was a testament to her teacher, Master Ip-Xi. Whenever her mind strayed she thought of him, of discipline, of forms, and technique. A decade of such contemplation allowed her to find her center, even in the terrible dark.
Higgins felt a little embarrassed about hiding behind some of the ladies. But bombs and swords worked a lot better up close.
Myrandya nods at Nempura's concise summary. "I can shee in zhe dark, ja," she owns up a little guiltily. "But I would preffer not to lead. I vill ready von off my mixtures, but zhey may also attract zhe goblins as I haff heard zhey are fond off fire." She chuckles nervously to herself.
You move past the sentry and through the trees. You stop at the edge of a small clearing filled with moonlight. Beyond the clearing There is a small clearing filled with moonlight. Across the clearing, a small hill rises up, and in the side of the hill, an ancient cave or min opening.
There are two clear embers burning within the cave. You can't make out what is smoking, but there are two small sized smokers lingering in the cave mouth.
You can also see smoke rising into the moonlight from the cave entrance, as if there is a campfire within.
"Take them out quickly after I stun them. We should have access to the whole cave. These goblins clearly attacked folks. I say we are weapons-free, but try to wait to use guns until after we enter the cave."
When the group is ready to attack, she will rush forward and will cast in as quiet a voice as she can, a color spray spell. In the night air, it would seem dull and colorless. To her eyes, a brilliant wave of color. As the goblins see it though, it floods their eyes and attempts to overwhelm their tiny brains with an explosive light. She hopes that this will keep them from calling out and alerting others until they are dealt with. Nempura will pull a wand from her belt as well.
Pan Pan is concerned that the group is going in blind. She's supposed to be the tip of the spear but she won't be able to see what she's trying to attack.
"How is this going to work without light?" she asks, hoping that's part of the plan and she just missed it.
"Once we are in the cave, we can be as light as we want. I'm concerned about any goblins outside of the cave in any direction out here being aware we are here. I don't want a huge tribe descending upon us. But once we are in the cave, we will use whatever we have available to us. I have spells that create light." she would have answered at the inquiry.
Higgins just nods as he learns that Myrandya can see in the dark. He can't see very much at all, and chooses to just quietly follow the sighted folks' lead. He gazes through his rifle sight at the embers that conveniently mark the foes.
"If ve are vorried about zhe darknessh, I vill go ahead off you Frau Panpan," says the little woman who looks very much like a devil. "I vould preffer not to, but maybe I can shimply peer around zhe cornersh and return to guide the rest of ush forvard?" She holds a pair of her chemical vials tightly for security, her rifle holstered on her back for now.
Pan Pan moves into the trees just beyond the cave entrance and waits with blades in hand for Nempura to cast her spell.
"I'm ready," she says quietly.
The two goblin guards' eyes roll back in their heads as the spell strikes them, rendering them thoroughly confounded. The drop to the ground.
Once the goblins at the gate are taken care of, she will cast a spell further into the cave, providing them with light. The swirling lights take on the form of a brilliantly illuminated humanoid of small stature. Whether it is supposed to look goblinoid is unclear, but it would definitely make non-spellcasters really wonder what they are looking at!
Once they make it past the first small bend, Nempura nods:
"Okay, we should be good for gunplay if we need to."
Pan Pan has no interest in killing incapacitated goblins; she would have preferred to tie them up, and she moves ahead and does not look back as Red does what he does.
She is thankful for the light and nods to Nempura before advancing into the cave. By the chittering sound within she becomes aware of a great many goblins waiting for them, and they are certainly aware of the group now, the spell being both a blessing and a curse. Better to not die in darkness, though.
Activate Snake Style as a swift action. (Sense Motive +13)
Nempura will attempt to tie up one of the goblins.
Seeing the others watch her tie up this goblin, she merely comments:
"I spent some time wranglin' pigs. Got ta learnin' how to bind pretty well." "An elf...wrangling pigs. Some poor story you've had in your gloriously long life."
Since the light has been the only evidence of their entry so far, it is more likely that the goblins who do see it are more curious about it than knowing it is humans/elves. After all, why would the guards not shout out? Nempura does keep her ears open though for unique sounds. Supposedly there are more than just goblins in this area; goblin dogs and who knows what else!
Higgins didn't exactly like killing off goblins, but he had to agree that these ones deserved little better. It was interesting to see the different approaches, though. Isabella was quite ruthless for a Varisian lady.
"Stay sharp," he whispers, keeping his gaze in search of foes who might have noticed their surprise ambush.
The goblin dogs to the north make high pitched squeals at your entry. While their goblin masters might be confused by your entry, the animal instincts of the goblin dogs recognize a threat.
Six goblins in the cave hear your advance, noticing the strange magical effect, and move behind the barrier with bows, ready to meet whatever threat intrudes into their territory.
Pan Pan tries to slide aside the dogs and attack.
Pan Pan bounces off a wall and over the head of a snapping goblin dog rat thing, striking it on the way down.
Nempura will advance, hoping to cover their flank. As she does, she looks down the hallway. It is there in the dim light, which she can see clear as day, she sees more goblins.
"We have more beyond us in the cave down this way too."
As she moved, she drew her wand of magic missile. Now with a wave, she sends a bolt down the path to smack into a goblin she can see.
Nempura zaps a goblin. Light flashes as Roja lines up a shot and takes out one a goblin dog.
Myrandya watches in almost apprehensive fascination as Red slaughters the helpless goblin. She doesn't say anything, but her mouth hangs open and Red might catch that she is staring at her.
Then the dogs begin howling and her neck swivels to quickly assess the circumstances. "Ve'fe got kompany!" she says in her heavily accented Common as she follows Nempura through the passage.
She quickly mixes a vial of chemicals from her waist pouch and lobs it over the barrier in the middle of the goblins she can hear there.
Higgins moves forward and gets ready to fire at the first goblin to close the gap on them.
;
;
A goblin with a large cleaver style blade tumbles from the southwest corridor, running up one cave wall and launching himself toward Myrandya, only to be cut down by the thunderous blast of Bertha. He falls to the cave floor as the sound echoes back to you.
Another follows behind, but when he sees his companion cut down so handily, he turns behind the barrier.
The remaining goblin dog snaps at Pan Pan, but the savy woman isn't even in the space where the creature expects her to be.
The four goblins remaining behind the barricade rise up in a surprisingly organized firing line to take shots at you, but their wild shots go wide or over your head, spanging off of cave walls and stone barriers.
Then they drop back into their covered positions.
Nempura see's what's happening here. They were leaping up to shoot at them. Well two can play that game. She readies her pistol to fire at the first one to popup.
With one beast slain, Pan Pan squares to attack the other.
But this time she is wild in her strikes and misses poorly, over extending as if she's never been in a fight before.