The two garble to each other briefly, then give a loud click of a tongue and a wave.
There is movement beyond the firelight and Terion is SURE there are quite a few more of them.
So... you alone now... no tribe eh?
Goblin laughter is heard from different places around the camp.
---
In the tent each of you in turn has a dwarvish hand slapped across your mouth then shaken awake by Eddrikk.
Gobbo's, he hisses.
"Are you blind? Don't you see them all around me sleeping?" - he nodded at his companions - "And if you hurt us, then I will not tell you the secret I know about the lizard ones" - he chuckles - "BIG secret"
Din gave the dwarf a terse nod in acknowledgment and quickly threw off his blankets. His sleep fulled ears tried to follow the muffled conversation. What big secret,” he thought in his half awake state. After a moment the mage’s brain caught up with reality, ”Oh, a bluff.”
Sarn’s eyes flash open and he muffles a small cry, before working out his surroundings and nodding to the dwarf.
”Oh, thanking you Eddrikk!” he whispers.
Sarn rubs an sore shoulder, cracks a few kinks out of his spine then sniffs and grabs his sword and shield.
Din and Sarn (let's just call it a -1 for the moment to all rolls for sleeping in armour until you sleep without) awaken and ready themselves.
----
Outside the goblins take note and flinch as the woman claws at the air before relaxing.
They mutter in their own foul tongue for a moment before shoring themselves up...
A few more goblins join the two talking, a display of numbers.
Your Cap'n dead... I am Cap'n now. Cap'n say now You Go! Go Now! We run this place, says the same speaker. The evident leader or at least designated diplomat.
Terion cracks his neck and takes a deep breath - "That is not what I have heard" - he replies to the self appointed leader - "What I heard is the Lady promised the scaled ones they could eat you" - he shrugs - "Are you sure you can handle that all on your own? We could help..."
Din listened through the tent flap ready to act if things go wrong.
Sarn crouches near Din, head cocked to an angle clearly supposed to aid in better hearing.
Here we GO...
The visible goblins huddle together and are clearly troubled by the warriors words.
She is a knife ear. Maybe you right... we not like the stinky ones either. Our tribe not big... not big enough to kill them, just enough to defend.[b]
They talk some more.
[b]If we pay then you fight for us? You kill the big snake people?
"If you pay us, we will help you fight" - Terion replied with a nod - "Together" - he added, balling his fist in a symbol of strength.
"How many scales are there?"
Hidden in the tent, Sarn’s eyebrows raise in estimation. It sounds like a good plan, so far.
The Gobbos talk more among themselves... they seem to want YOU to do the heavy lifting here.
They shake their heads vigorously.
You to do the fighting and killing. Three. Large and hard to kill! Not easy... we pay you kill! Otherwise must to leave and we fight on own without backstabbing.
They seem to be in agreement here. More Goblins join the spokesman, six in all, but you are all reasonably sure there are a few more out of your range of sight.
Terion stood up abruptly with a snarl and cracking his neck, his full frame basking in the light of the fire - "Very well then. What is the payment?" - he asked with a raised eyebrow.
The leader throws a leather pouch to the ground at Terion's feet, then takes off a heavy silver necklace that has threads tied to it, each supporting a tooth or claw. This he holds but makes that this too will be thrown in with the pouch... Terion can't tell by a distanced look but he's able to guess there's at least some human teeth on it.
"That is not enough" - the man replied, after taking a more careful look, but not touching the pouch - "You show us the passage the Lady is exploring down below" - he added flatly - "Then we have a deal"
Done... we can show you the forbidden way! Pouch now. Necklace when you finish kill! We stay here and draw map in dirt.
They seem to want to be NOWHERE near the battle.
Seeing as negotiations are complete, Sarn exits the tent, sword sheathed and shield stowed - sauntering as upright and barrel-chested as he can in his chainmail to fully impress the short goblins. Apparently, talking with your chest puffed out and your shoulders held so high that your neck disappears is “heroic”.
“Wise move lads. But I don’t want you lot at my back when we defeat the scalyfolk so you come at least part the way in. Show us the map now!” Sarn bellows, one hand resting meaningfully on the pommel of his sword and squinting one eye to appear mean.
Din exits the tent right behind Sarn motioning Eddrikk to follow.
Seeing your numbers increase from "2" to "5 and maybe there are more in the tent", the Goblins seem both relieved and from what you can guess, praising their spokesman for his intelligence and foresight.
Good... Good. We have deal! We sketch you ways... You want jerky? Get strength up?
"No jerky, and you come with us until we get close" - Terion raised an eyebrow, at the same time curious and concerned at the possible nature of the jerky the gobbos are offering.
The map is sketched out in the dirt using a burnt stick...
Here is 'Star' down, he says clearly proud he can write the word 'Stairs'. This room?, he says drawing a symbolic monster face, this is goblin room. No go in. No kill.
He draws a line between two rooms with arrows on the map.
This our watch place. No one there now.
He sketches some more semi confusing corridors and rooms then puts a large X near one room.
This the enemy room! You go there and kill!.
This not everything... but what you need hey
As to Terions proposal for a 'joint operation' they are emphatically a 'No'.
This you job do. Do good good? Let join tribe as bodyguard eh?
They mutter among themselves then decide to share more information.
Not just tribe and lizard big eaters down there... also big crawlies and things from forbidden places. Bring back heads eh? Then we show the ways as we make deal.
Terion almost chuckles out loud at the goblin's whole discourse - "Ok!" - he agreed emphathically - "We go in the morning" - and sat back down.
Sarn shakes his head. He clearly suffers from trying to stay in character and yet relay important information to Terion without the goblins cognizance. It appears his eyebrows will be doing most of the heavy lifting.
”I think we go now. It wouldn’t be… [eyebrows raise, eye squints jes a little] “useful” for us to wait…in case [eyebrows again] “something” happens to ruin our amazing [eyebrows] “alliance”.”
"Yes! That is what I meant! We go NOW!" - Terion stands up again, with a clenched and raised fist.
Is he having a fit of some sort, the mage thought as he watched Sara’s facial contortions. After a few seconds he picked up on Sarn’s hidden meaning and agreed as he stifled a yawn,”I’m ready ….too.”
You move to the heavy, albeit weathered door in the tumble down wall. It opens into a small courtyard of sorts, much of it filled with stones from the fallen tower that once stood here. Here and there you smell and see evidence that the inhabitants of this area aren't really picky about toilet practices.
Part of the tower base walls stand still and it opening in the rubble reveals a stairway into the darkness... thick, black and deep.
It looks, so far, good enough for 2 abreast.
All right folx, points of order:
1. The Stevi Conundrum: Not sure what to do here. He’s a massive liability if we take him with us or leave him bound as someone might find him this raising the alarm, or he frees himself for possibly same result. Though I guess once were in I guess we can consider the alarm raised!
2. Marching Order. Perhaps Eddrikk first if he has some kind of dark/infra/ultravision? Though our human need for lighting will probably destroy that…
Does Nilelane want to scout ahead? Be rearguard?
I guess the only real cautious thing I would do is put Din in the middle.
Sarn is happy to go front or back, if at the front he can go behind Eddrikk with a spear or two abreast with Terion if there is room.
3. Lighting. Sarn has 6 torches. Also a flask of oil.
Bracing herself whatever nastiness may be at the bottom of a long stairway, Nilelane descends, one hand holding her lamp while bracing the long pole grasped in her other hand.
The gentle flicker of her bronze lamp chases the shadows back but they dance, waiting, on the walls... ready to rush back in the instant her light fails. Down she goes, maybe 20 feet or more before hitting the bottom of the stairs and the passage seemingly levels out.
The stairway seems old... but not ancient but with signs of use. Cobwebs span the deep corners but only there. Dirt, mud and maybe ashes have been trodden into the stone floor with the odd leaf or two, far too recently above ground, littered near the stairs, blown or perhaps tracked down from the surface.
Not far along the passage there is a short passage that has a wooden door, old oak and iron bound, a door left ajar... peering within and tapping the stonework for traps or other nastiness, the light reveals a generously sized room, perhaps 30 feet wide and a bit longer. It's a mess. An old chair, a few wood and hide camp stools, some rags that probably passes for bedding and a makeshift table make up the decor of the room.
In the dim light there is something on the table... perhaps an old meal? And the funky smell of cooked meat and smoke fills the room. Nilelane, you stand at its doorway, not yet entered.
At this point the party also decends the stairs... their torch and lantern further dispersing the dark... the can see you off to one side of the corridor at the open door, and before them the corridor extends straight before it appears to end in a turn that extends beyond line of sight.
Din raised the light source he carried high above his head to help light the way.
Waiting for one of his companions to come closer with a light source, Terion slowly pushes the door open.
The mage inched forward while Terion pushed the door open.
As rearguard, Sarn carries his torch in his right hand, sword in left, occasionally half turning and raising the torch to peer, thus slightly less blinded, behind him.
By Vauw’s pendulous and possibly perilous teats - I do not like this…
”No goblins behind!” he calls from time to time.
No secret doors are detected but Nilelanes care and the parties arrival at the door illuminates more of the room.
The ceilings are roughly finished stone and about 8 feet or so high... . It seems the stone that makes up the roof is more rough by far than the floors which, when not partially finished stone, are large stones placed as filler then broken at a level of that of the floor.
There is no panels detected BUT the table shows the remains of pair of creatures that are the size of a small dog but... might be rats?! Rodents of Unusual Size? You've heard the tales of course but have yet to see them for yourself.
A fireplace made of stacked and broken stones, a rusty greasy metal grid and some firewood is stacked in one of the corners. The goblin idiots actually looked like they cooked in this room.
Sarn looks in briefly in between nervous glances back up the corridor. His eyes widen briefly, before he sniffs.
”Fools cooked on a fire down here. Don’t they know there are all kinds of diseases in a dungeon?”
Din took one look at the room and decided,”Lets move on. The less I know about goblin eating habits the better I’ll sleep at night.”
Moving down to the end of the corridor you find it turns to one side...
The party falls back again to allow Nilelane to range ahead. She works slowly. Putting down the lamp and probing ahead at times, and at other holding the long pole in her dominant hand while the lamp holding hand and arm supports the weight of the pole while she works.
The ceiling continues to be about eight feet or so in height, and the floor while rough, shows signs that the builders attempted to at least to work the stone floor enough so that the surface is even. Aged wooden supports and wood panels brace sections of the walls.
Din works carefully...
And is rewarded!
A wooden panel, cunningly fitted gave itself away to her questing fingertips... too well crafted compared and placed compared to the others...