Myrandya blinks several seconds at the sudden appearance of the goblin cleaver blade, then shakes her head as if she thinks she must have imagined it.
She mixes and throws another bomb, this time aiming at the intersection between the two goblins on the western side of the line (10' south of her).
Higgins also plays the waiting game, preparing to shoot at the goblins that might pop up again.
; .
Roja guns down the remaining "dog," which squeals in agony and then rattles as air escapes from too many holes.
Two goblins succumb to the explosion of the bomb thrown into their midst.
The two goblins who remain behind the barrier continue to make their attack, but this time you are prepared. As they peer above the barricade, Higgins and Nempura release their volley. Nempura plugs the already singed goblin in the chest and he crumples to the floor. Wes' shot misses the other.
The monk nods back to Roja, whose aim in the dark is apparently better than Pan Pan's blades in close.
With the goblin dogs slain, Pan Pan runs to engage the goblin archer.
2x move
Nempura slams backward into the wall next to her as the bullet rips clean through her upper shoulder. One would think it fatal looking at it, but thankfully the bullet redirected and exited before killing her.
The sea elf cries out at the shot. Whatever victorious feeling shooting the goblin's companion in the face that she had was now gone. Anger takes over and she cocks her revolver, aiming it upward the best she can.
If the goblin who shot her pops his head up again, he'll take an explosive beam of flame to the face before he can fire.
Roja looks into the cavern over the barrel of the revolver. The strange eyed goblin slides slowly out of her hiding spot, lying on the floor, bow in hand, arrow nocked. She draws, and Roja lines up a shot an fires.
The pistol roars, the bullet tearing into the goblin. Roja has the time to notice that where most goblins have two red eyes, one of this one's eyes is a shiny blue.
The archer releases her arrow.
A burning stick rattles across the floor near Pan Pan, sending thick dark smoke into the cavern.
Higgins readies himself for another shot. He hoped not to embarrass himself again.
;
Myrandya sees Nempura take the bullet and gasps. "Do not ffear, I vill show you oop as good as new, vonce zhese horrible creatures are finished!" she mutters to the sea elf. She prepares to mix and throw another bomb, aiming for any remaining enemies that show themselves.
The last of the rifle toting goblins pops up to take another shot, but Nempura blasts him with a bolt of fire. He falls to the ground with a hole sizzling in his chest.
Roja perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
Roja looks into the cavern over the barrel of the revolver. The strange eyed goblin slides slowly out of her hiding spot, lying on the floor, bow in hand, arrow nocked. She draws, and Roja lines up a shot an fires.
The pistol roars, the bullet tearing into the goblin. Roja has the time to notice that where most goblins have two red eyes, one of this one's eyes is a shiny blue.
Wes fires his rifle, but the bullet goes higher than the small goblin on the floor and spangs against the stone of the cave floor.
Then the mad bomber tosses her bomb onto the goblin on the floor. The flames blossom around the strange goblin's body, and her clothes burst into flame, filling the cave with an even more horrible stench than that of the goblins and their animals living here.
A burning stick rattles across the floor near Pan Pan, sending thick dark smoke into the cavern.
Smokestick fills a 10 foot cube, marked on the map.
Round 3
Nempura's keen eyes see with keen daylight-like capability in the lit hallway, all the way straight back to where the goblin is trying to hide.
"I see you..." she whispers and raises her gun to fire. Out of it comes a green-colored skull made of vapors. It seems to float over just as fast as a bullet would to smack the goblin.
Higgins may not see the goblin, but apparently Nempura does. He follows and readies some covering fire.
;
With the remaining goblin shooters now dead, Pan Pan is left standing in the dark without a target, and unsure if there is one.
"Is anyone hurt?" she asks, sheathing her blades. Then Nempura shoots her rifle at something unseen. The BOOM jolts her back into action, but she rejoins her stance in the style of the snake, coiled and ready, but without an adversary for the moment.
"Where is it?" she calls out.
"I'm hurt. Don't put those blades away just yet! The curr here was trying to hide in this pile of stuff, but be just as careful with that smoke. They might be fixin' to rush us from that direction!" she whisper-answers Pan Pan.
Myrandya crosses to Nempura, where she can get a good look at the sea-elf's injury. "Let me she you. Ach, da, zhat vill need a good bit of vork, shome salts and ointments... and my needle." These tools seem to appear and disappear rapidly in her hands as she presses them against her patient.
The goblin stands from where it is concealed in a pile of bedding. As it is about to toss its rifle on the ground, two shots ring out, taking it full in the chest and pressing it back into the cave wall.
As the echoing shots die away, there don't appear to be any more enemies here...
Nempura will try to hold as still as possible and reload while the tiefling was trying to patch her wounds. Strangely, she had never had such a terrible wound in all her life on land. In the water, sure. Cuts ran deep, but up here, unless you took a knife or a bullet, most things weren't out to really harm you. It is a strange sensation not to have the water's cool touch to calm her angered skin, and instead, has to endure an alchemist's touch.
After reloading her revolver, she will move her light over toward the smoke. The figure of it will move inside, and being mostly humanoid in shape, she hopes it will draw any fire waiting for it from those potentially hiding on the opposite side.
“Yup, didn’t expect that one to surrender,” notes Higgins as the final apparent goblin is slain. He’s a little troubled by the thought.
”Too quiet here. Was hoping’ ta find survivors.” As soon as Nempura looks patched up, he starts checking the goblins for valuables.
Myrandya continues tending to Nempura, obviously pleased that she is such a patient patient.
+
The large cavern holds a cook fire which is covered in a sort of domed grate that keeps its light largely contained, explaining how the cavern remained dark. You can see from the fire and the wood stacked nearby that the goblins must have dismantled the wagon and have been using it as fuel.
The smoke breaks up and wafts away, leaving only the smell of brimstone behind.
There are six small rifles and quite a few alchemical items. Only one bit of magic, the goggles the blue eyed goblin was wearing.
2 potions of cure light wounds
2 potions of jump
2 potions of feather fall
7 alchemist’s fire
3 smokesticks
8 thunderstones
Goggles are Eyes of the Eagle
"Damn goblins must've robbed an alchemist," says Higgins as he surveys the valuables recovered. He looks for any clues from the wagon remnants as to who its former owner might have been.
Nempura will chuckle at Isabella's joke and will shake her head.
"Unfortunately, not within' my skills at the moment. Though I do have an idea how to do it. Just gotta work out the kinks in the magic."
"Thank ya fer the healin'. Never seen such fast workin' hands before." She winces at the quick work and patch job. Strangely, she feels completely better shortly after.
The smokestick cuts out and they are able to slowly start to see more. With there being no sound of gunfire at the illuminated figure of hers, she will move to the side of the chamber to look down the hallway with a gun raised. With her elven sight, she looks down the length of the hallway and can see as clear as daylight with her spell functioning.
She will cover this long position as the others search the bodies for any sign of the potential captives or for any gear. Their search seems to be fruitful unfortunately, and likely means that coupled with that and the signs of the broken wagon chunks, that the goblins at the least searched whoever was on the wagon and took their goods here. She hopes beyond all reason there is a twist further in and that their search hasn't been in vain.
Wes digs through planks painted a dark crimson. Deeper into the pile, he finds swirling white ornate lettering. It would take a bit of sorting to put the whole sign together. But with a quick look you get a sense of it saying across several planks: "Dr. Solomane" and, in smaller letters, "chemist," "Pharmacologist," "Seer," "Medium," "Soothsayer."
And indeed, the cave continues on into darkness in a low, narrow, snaking passage.
"In a bit," she answers Roja. "Let's clear this first, all the way to the back...within reason..." she knows goblin tunnels can enter into whole mountainous communities. Hopefully, that isn't the case here. "That lot isn't getting up without some serious healing...and I tied up and gagged that unconscious one at the door" she smirks and looks at the fallen goblins. Some may be bleeding out, some may be on death's door, and some already gone. She determines to focus ahead instead.
"What do your human eyes see, Wes?" she moves her humanoid figure a step closer as he digs through the pile. When it is revealed, she will look to Myrandya to see if there is any recognition in the name. Regardless, she will nod to Pan Pan to lead them on down the hall. Her humanoid light will move out in front of her, giving her the illumination to see the hall clearly. For the elf, she has to bend down to fit in the goblin tunnel.
"Human eyes can't see fer s!&$," responds Higgins as he works through the wagon. He conjures a bit of light to get a better view, then shows off the signage. "Dr. Solomane. Least it don't say snake oil salesman on the sign. We still ain't found a body, so the doc might still be alive."
He sighs with resignation as it becomes clear that they were going to push through a goblin-sized tunnel.
The last of the goblin sentries died in darkness and for a moment there was dense silence. A shiver ran up Pan Pan's spine as a memory exploded in her head. Her parents, dead on the floor in the darkness of their Korvosa estate, a small glow of the street lamp casting long shadows while blood pooled blackly at her feet.
She shut her eyes tight against it, but there was a smell of gunpowder, acrid and suffocating. She felt like screaming and falling into a pile of herself like the girl had done so many years ago. Her body swooned. She bent over and propped herself up on her knees, tasting bile. Spitting on the dirt floor of the cave, she breathed quietly and looked for her center, finding it in different memories, those of her master Ip-Xi. There it was, calm.
Straightening, Pan Pan sheathed her blades again and straightened her rumpled clothing. Her new companions are formidable, but these were only goblins. She would need to steel herself against greater threats.
Returning the nod to Nempura, Pan Pan resumes the lead position, turning back to ask, "Are we ready?"
”Solomane. Got it. Thanks for piecing together that puzzle with you s~@~ty eyes.” she jokes in a flirty tone.
It was at least clear to her sight that while the others prepped themselves, perhaps Pan Pan’s methods are a bit stranger. When she swoons, Nempura’s hands covering the Lon directioned hallway seem to falter for a moment. She’s seen anxiety before and if she had to guess would place what she’s seeing in that camp. She moves her light back up close now for the human’s sake and recasts it to renew its duration. Perhaps it also will help Pan Pan to recover?
When they are ready, she will follow suit down the hallway and will keep her long-ranged elven eyes open.
Higgins noticed Pan Pan leaning over and spitting and for a moment, thinks about asking if she was okay. But Nempura is already there, and he figures a woman's touch would do a lot better there. So instead, he clears the barrel of his rifle and gets it loaded up again.
"Ready," agrees Higgins, as Pan Pan calls out. He conjures some light for himself, so as to see better in this dark cave.
As you descend into the tunnels the air grows cooler but no less pleasant to breathe. The light from your spells flickers over natural cavern, hewn rock, and ancient brick that seems to extend into the natural ceiling.
The tunnel is low and long and stretches hundreds of feet before opening up ahead.
Myrandya checks over Nempura to make sure the elf woman is fully recovered, then sighs ruefully and prepares to walk through the tunnel. She keeps her chemical vials ready to throw, though she still carries her small Winchester rifle strapped to her back.
.
Higgins was starting to pick up on the fact that Isabella was not quite the lady she appeared. Either that, or she'd been spending a lot of time with a different sort of crowd. He wasn't sure it was any of his business, though.
. Higgins tries to look away, as if he hadn't been staring. But it's not particularly convincing. "Good plan," he mumbles as he continues onward.
The tunnel opens into a much larger cave, the ceiling of which arches to a height of fifteen feet overhead. The air here is cool and less pungent. Several long, low walls of broken stone transform the cave into something of a maze, while what appear to be ruined buildings built into the cave walls stand further to the south.
Two rifles bark and muzzles flare as hidden goblins open fire on your scout.
Myrandya moves forward next to Pan-Pan and hurls a vial of explosive chemicals into the group of goblins up ahead.
Higgins moves up and takes a pot shot at the nearest goblin. He then relaods his rifle.
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