Rutilux follows the others, taking up the rear.
Sasha nods grimly at Shagger's actions. "Sad, but they made the choice when they attacked us," she says as she watches. Her grim expression turns darker at the presentation of the un-holy symbols when she recognizes the symbol. "We close in on the cult, perhaps..."
With a sharp click of her tongue to Pheliks she follows the others, curious what is to be found inside. When Ari and Kiley point out the bucket she asks, "Any bets on what is inside? I suspect the silver-ooze."
Kiley tries to sneak up to the door and listen to what's going on behind it.
Unfortunately Kiley can't quite hear what is being said even now that she's up against the door. She does, however, realize why she recognized the way they sounded: they're goblins.
He inspects the bucket in the foyer wondering what it contains and if he can take the bucket down and use it for his own purposes.
Now that the trap is disarmed and the bucket isn't in danger of falling, Shaggar finds it easy to pull the bucket down and see what's in it.
It appears to be some sort of animal musk, intended to make the poor fool who was doused in it more easily tracked by creatures with scent.
The goblins in the next room over don't appear to have heard you, as their voices are still whispering. They're not close to the door either, and it's honestly a surprise Kiley even heard them the first time.
Oh, this is wonderful.
Kiley turns to the others and mouths "goblins" while pointing at the door when she has their attention. She then holds her hands up with about an inch between them, palms facing each other, and moves them apart. After she's finished that gesture, she points to herself and Shaggar before pointing to the door and holding up one finger, then points to Ari, Ruti, and Sasha before pointing at the door again and holding up two fingers.
Sasha nearly looks disappointed that her prediction isn't correct, but shrugs and kneels down to look Pheliks in the eye. She whispers to him and points to Kiley deliberately, ensuring the big cat stays close to the warrior-woman in the fight about to ensue. Then Kiley slinks up to the door and readies herself to throw it open with one hand, her loaded crossbow in the other...
Ari reads the word on Kiley's lips and prepares herself, a dagger gripped in each hand. She raises one to show that she understands that the other tiefling and Shaggar will lead from the front and that she is ready whenever they want to kick the door in. It might not be subtle but it does seem like they have the element of surprise.
Rutlilux joins Sasha, ready to open the other door so the more militant of the party can charge in with haste!
Kiley flings open the door and reveals a quartet of goblins whispering in the far corner, three similarly armed ones standing next to a more heavily armed and armored one holding a feathered staff with a horned skull sitting atop it at his side. The 'leader', as he appears to be, hears the door fly open and nearly flies into a rage at the sight of your group.
"Listen 'ere longlegs!" he cries out, displaying his staff in both hands above his head in an attempt at a show of force. "Me and the boys've talked and we've decided that we're done being fed to the ghost and that...beast. You can take your 'blessed work' and shove it!"
This goblin is surprisingly more articulate than every other goblin you've encountered so far, clearly. The other three don't seem as aware as the speaker, but still hold weapons in defense positions.
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LONGLEGS? THE NERVE! The halfling does his level best not to sputter in outrage at the insult.
Kiley blinks in surprise as she hears the goblin talk. her mind whirs as she thinks that there may be a way to avoid a fight here
"Um, I think we may have a little misunderstanding here. Would you mind talking with us instead of trying to kill each other? We found a couple of werewolves outside that were very rude, so we had to teach them some manners. Sadly, the lesson didn't stick. Would those fellas be your old bosses," she asks as she shoulders her sword and walks into the room. "I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Kiley. May I have your name?"
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Shaggar moves in fast, putting himself in a position to bring his axe to bear, if needed. He had no wish to kill out-of-hand, and the goblin had intriguing information... But if they thought they could leave without 'spilling the tea' (Shaggar's current favorite colloquialism), he was ready to correct that assumption.
He tries, in his charmless way, to back Kiley's play. "Tell us what you know and an arrangement for you leaving safely is possible."
The obvious leader of this particular group of goblins steps forward, pushing aside his 'bodyguards' to get a closer look at you. He appears surprised that his 'threats' seemed to have an actual result, even though they likely didn't.
"Me name's Gix." he says, supporting his older body with his staff as he walks towards you. "Chief of our tribe for years, until we started working with these stupid wolves." he shakes his head in disgust before continuing.
"Them? Not bosses. Bosses below." the chief accompanies his answer with a point down towards the floor. "Don't know how to get down there, though, or else we'd slit their throats ourselves. If we had any silver..." his voice trails off for a second, and then he brings himself together again. "You're tellin' me you don't work for them? Don't know nuthin' of what's going on here?"
"No, we don't work for them. I mean, have you seen Pheliks," she asks as she gestures to Sasha's very large feline friend. "I don't think they'd like us very much. We don't know what is going on, but we would like to find out. What do you say, Gix? Mind telling us what you know, and we'll take care of the wolves for you. Seems like a pretty good deal to me."
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Rutilux can see his honor is not going to be defended here, and he SUPPOSES information and peace are more important than slurs that deny his halfling hood. So he comes into full view cautiously "Does seem some common interest there."
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With the expected violence not having happened - yet - Ari keeps her hood up and skulks around, letting the others handle the conversation. Her quickly self-appointed role is to act as an enforcer, should one be necessary. On the one hand it seems everything is in hand, on the other her playful side quite fancies hamming it up and threatening to break some goblin skulls.
The goblin scratches his head while thinking. "Well, I dunno much beyond we started workin with them about a week or two ago. I want to see what's in their secret basement, but they don't let us down. Smart by them, or else we'd cut their throats. If only we had silver..."
He shakes his head again, as if to get rid of some obsessive thoughts.
"I know where they go down, though." he says, pointing to a door in the eastern wall of the room, and one in the south. "They're always locked, can't get them open. We tried."
"They've been feeding us to that beast of theirs. Bag...bar...something. And the ghost upstairs hunts us when we try to get up there too, and they won't do anything about her." he says, all of his complaints flowing out at once now that he knows he has sympathetic ears.
"Is the beast a barghest," Kiley asks. "Do you know what the ghost looks like?"
Sasha smirks at the goblins, the reference to Pheliks, and the indignation obvious in Rutilux's expression. With one hand she restrains Pheliks while she keeps the other on her crossbow, not content with putting it away quite yet. "Not all of us are long-shanks," she whispers to her halfling friend as she enters the room, glaring at the goblins with some hostility.
"A week or two? Did you send more of your kind to attack the Friendly Arm Inn from below?" Sasha demands of the goblin leader, her face set in an angry scowl.
Sasha smirks at the goblins, the reference to Pheliks, and the indignation obvious in Rutilux's expression. With one hand she restrains Pheliks while she keeps the other on her crossbow, not content with putting it away quite yet. "Not all of us are long-shanks," she whispers to her halfling friend as she enters the room, glaring at the goblins with some hostility.
"A week or two? Did you send more of your kind to attack the Friendly Arm Inn from below?" Sasha demands of the goblin leader, her face set in an angry scowl.
The halflilng gives Sasha a grateful look at her support.
Is the beast a barghest
The goblin smacks his head, almost as much in consternation as realization. "Ah that's what it is. A real bastard, that one. Eats so much, so many."
Do you know what the ghost looks like?
"I ain't going up there to look, are you crazy? My boys have told me plenty, it's some lady in robes. I'm not messing with it, and neither should you."
A week or two? Did you send more of your kind to attack the Friendly Arm Inn from below?
Friendly Arm Inn?" he says, tilting his head to the side inquisitively, not understanding. "What's that? We ain't have nothing to do with no attack, we been here for the entire time. They got other tribes workin' with em though, maybe one of them did it?"
"I'm thinking the ones that did attack the Friendly Arm Inn weren't working with these guys," Kiley says as she recalls some of the stuff they found in the chambers below the temple to Chauntea. "It looks like those goblins killed the people working with whomever is feeding Gix's boys to that barghest." Kiley pauses a moment as she has a thought.
"Did they call the barghest Malrath or something similar," she asks Gix. "Oh! And don't worry, I wasn't asking you to go look. I was just wondering if you did know what the ghost looked like. We're trying to figure out what's going on here."
"Do they have a way through the... magic wall surrounding us?"
A thought hits Rutilux and he shows the unholy symbol "Did they ever tell you much about this? What it means? What god or goddess they serve?"
Did they call the barghest Malrath or something similar
"Yeah that's the thing's name." he grunts, clearly wishing to kill it too. "He's strong, and big. Careful if you see him."
We're trying to figure out what's going on here.
"I'd know more if we were let do anything! No equal partners here." he says, extremely angry at this point.
"Do they have a way through the... magic wall surrounding us?
"Magic wall? What's that?" it's clear he doesn't know about the current situation in the village outside of their own plight.
Did they ever tell you much about this? What it means?
"I dunno nothin' bout it, but they all have one. Wish I had one, it's real pretty." his eyes fill with a slight bit of jealousy at the sight of Rutilux holding one.
What god or goddess they serve?
"They have something they keep talkin' bout yeh. Uh...'broken moon'? 'Shackled star'? Something like that, can't remember what exactly. Something real nasty soundin'."
"Broken Moon , Shackled Star? mmm more than we had on it. Thank you." The halfling mmphs
"Thank you for telling us what you do know, Gix," Kiley says when he starts getting angry, well angrier. "As for what's going on, the whole village's been magicked somehow to make it impossible to leave. The stars are all wrong and the moon's too big. We're here to try and fix it." She thinks for a moment and decides it might be worth asking about the cave with the worg. "I know you might not know anything about this, but we found a cave with a big worg in it and a bunch of goblin bones. Do you know anything about that?"
To mollify the goblin, he adds. "We're going to kill everyone who put us, and you, in this trap. You'll get one of these silver trinkets by the time we're done."
I know you might not know anything about this, but we found a cave with a big worg in it and a bunch of goblin bones. Do you know anything about that?
The goblin shakes his head from side to side. "Nope, I've been locked in this stupid house for too long! They won't let us out." he says, slowly rocking back and forth.
We're going to kill everyone who put us, and you, in this trap. You'll get one of these silver trinkets by the time we're done.
This excites him greatly, his eyes glowing with the opportunity of both murder and loot. "Can...can we help? Me boys want to kill these stupid wolves. I know where they keep all the silver the lady had in her house, I can take you there! Is locked, but maybe you can open it."
"I think we can do that," Kiley says. "Just one thing. We're only after the people that have been doing bad things to you and the other people here. Please don't do anything to the rest of the villagers."
The chieftain thinks, as if that distinction might cause some sort of problems, but then shrugs. "Agreed. Plenty to kill and take here anyway."
The goblin looks up at you with a glint in his eye, smiling to expose his disgustingly crooked and broken teeth. "Ready to get the silver then?"
Sasha watches the negotiations with a suspicious expression that doesn't go away as the goblin leader looks to confirm the deal. "I'm not mollified by what we've learned, but if the rest of you think we can trust them I'd be a hypocrite to not give them a chance..." she finally says after some long thought. "You all lead the way, though - you still have to earn my confidence before I let you wield weapons behind me."
Between what Gix and Sasha say and the gleam in the goblin's eyes, Kiley isn't too sure of the wisdom of allying herself with the goblin's either.
"I think we are," she says before turning to Ari. "Mind if I borrow your tools," she asks.
Silently, still keeping an eye on the goblins, Ari swings her pack around to her front and dips a hand into it. Feeling for what she was looking for, she pulls out her toolset and tosses the tied cloth package lightly to Kiley.
Rutilux looks dubious about this alliance, but... well, so far so good. "Better to build a bridge" He remembers the old saying
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"Oh, I think we can trust them, Sasha," Ari says deliberately, projecting her voice in such as a way as to draw attention to herself. These are the first words she has spoken to the goblins and once she is satisfied that all eyes are on her, she lowers her hood, running a hand through her thick mane of hair to show off her unusual heritage. "I trust that Gix and his crew are not stupid enough to try anything that would risk their skins."
She flashes the goblin leader a wicked grin. "I'm Ari. I'm here to look pretty and stab things. Not necessarily in that order." To emphasise the point she stretches her arms out languidly in front of her, intertwines her fingers and pushes them outward. As she does this, the the tiefling's fingers don't stop where they should, keeping going and bending into an impossible angle until the have fully doubled back on themselves. Ari knows others find it a little unnerving, which is why she generally keeps this hidden, but she feels it should have the desired effect of keeping the goblins in line. While the focus is on her hands, she dips her tail into a boot, pulls out one of her numerous daggers, and waves slowly it back and forth behind her head, further emphasising her fiendish ancestry. "I can read minds too, you know," she adds casually. "So if any of you even think about betraying us, I will know. And I will kill you."
She smiles sweetly, looking directly at each of the goblins in turn. "I trust that we're all clear on the matter?"
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Shaggar has doubts about working with the goblins but - properly watched - countering their inevitable betrayal should be possible. And he certainly knows Ari is going to be as vigilant as he is in that regard.
Rutilux looks dubious about this alliance, but... well, so far so good. "Better to build a bridge" He remembers the old saying.
The gnolls regards the halfling, intrigued by the nonsensical half-phrase. Ears perking forward he prompts, "Go on."
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Shaggar has doubts about working with the goblins but - properly watched - countering their inevitable betrayal should be possible. And he certainly knows Ari is going to be as vigilant as he is in that regard.
Rutilux looks dubious about this alliance, but... well, so far so good. "Better to build a bridge" He remembers the old saying.The gnolls regards the halfling, intrigued by the nonsensical half-phrase. Ears perking forward he prompts, "Go on."
"Heh" He says with embarrassment, "Thats the part I remember. I can't recall if the whole thing is 'Better to build a bridge and risk an enemy than trap yourself on an island for life' or if it is 'Better to build a bridge you control than have someone knock down your wall'? I guess both could apply."
Sasha smiles at Ari's threat, glad that she's not the only one who doesn't trust their newfound "friends." She keeps her crossbow at the ready, while Pheliks looks bored.
"I trust that we're all clear on the matter?"
The goblin chieftain's eyes narrow at the sudden downturn in the conversation, with threats being thrown around. He lays a hand on his scabbard, looking up into the eyes of the white-haired tiefling. "I think we understand each other perfectly. We gonna kill these bastard wolves, or are you gonna swing your fancy little blades around a bit more?"
With that, he brushes past the party, making his way over to the door in the south wall. "I got wolves to kill, get outta my way."
He pushes the door open to reveal a quaintly furnished dining room, complete with a hand-carved dining table and several chairs. Along the northern wall is the chest that Gix points to. "It's in there methinks." he says, his previously gleeful mood somewhat dampened.
She gets the chest open easily enough but what Kiley doesn't see, however, is a dart trap set up inside the lid. It stabs into her fingers, and the poison clearly glistening on the dart doesn't bode well. The chest holds 300 gp of silver jewelry, silverware, and other collectibles as well as a small arsenal of silvered weapons: 20 arrows, 2 shortswords, a handaxe, and 3 daggers.
Kiley isn't too happy about the tack taken by Ari and Shaggar with Gix, but there's little she can do now. She's busy trying to think of a way to smooth things over when she hears an odd click. Too late, she realizes she should have known the chest was trapped. The dart stings and she feels woozy as the poison spreads, but cat-like reflexes mean it doesn't stay long enough to do even more damage. After taking a quick inventory, she looks to Gix and the other goblins.
"Think you can use any of these," she asks before turning to Ari. "Do you want some of the arrows, or should I take them all?"
"I can't recall if the whole thing is 'Better to build a bridge and risk an enemy than trap yourself on an island for life' or if it is 'Better to build a bridge you control than have someone knock down your wall'? I guess both could apply."
Shaggar *hrmphs* trying to imagine wise endings to the phrase.
Better to build a bridge than... swim across the river.
Better to build a bridge than... dig a tunnel.
His quest for a strong proverb is derailed as Kiley springs the trap. Once it is clear she is fine, he suggests, "We should take all the silver. We may need to forge more effective weapons."
”See? I can be useful. And trusted.” Gix says somewhat bitterly, jabbing a finger towards Ari. ”I uh, didn’t know it was trapped though. Sorry ‘bout that.” he continues sheepishly.
”All that’s left now is the ghost upstairs and figuring out how to get into their locked room.” the goblin leader adds, his excitement at the coming revenge slowly returning.
"Now Gix, let's not let hurt feelings linger. I'm not holding a grudge over that longshanks comment after all." Anymore
[ooc]Diplomacy:[/dice]
He does shoot a look of concern to Kiley before moving forward and casting Detect Magic on the treasure to see if anything lights up.
”Yeah, yeah, tell her that.” is the goblin’s curt reply.
Most of the silvered jewelry and weapons are non magical, but a single shiny silver bracelet with five blue gemstones pings under Rutilux’s scrutiny. Four out of the five gems have lost their luster, but the middle one is still shining bright and even reflects the light in the room.
The gem can be used to ask one yes or no question to a higher power (in this case, specifically Selûne herself), as per commune. The other gems likely once allowed you to do the same, but have been expended.
"So I see," Ari replies drily to Gix's defensive tone. She suspects he genuinely didn't know about the trap, but then she hadn't got this far in life simply assuming that everyone was telling the truth.
"Folks... folks.." Rutilux gestures to the braclent with blue gemstones, "We've a rare gift here and I don't think I'm the best for using it. That middle gem right there, it would allow one to commune with .. I think Selune herself to ask a question of her. Yes or no most like."
Rutilux seems positively reverent at the find.
"That was my fault. I should have been paying more attention," Kiley says when Gix apologies for not knowing about the trap. She starts to admonish Ari for being, well, herself, but Rutilux's revelation about one of the bracelets being a way to commune with Selune pretty much banishes the thought from her head.
"Really? What should we ask," she inquires before she has a thought and turns to Gix. "Gix, sorry for bombarding you with questions, but I have one more for you. Did you happen to see a woman come in here wearing something like this," she asks the goblin chief as she holds up her holy symbol.
Did you happen to see a woman come in here wearing something like this?
He takes a close look at it, even going so far as to get closer in order to see it.
”Ahhhh!” he exclaims, jumping back in abject horror. ”That ghost has one of those on! You’re not a ghost are you?” the goblin reaches out to touch Kiley’s arm, just to be sure.
Shaggar is not surprised about the ghost. It fit the information Verik provided.
"Ask no questions of Selune until we have a worthy one. 'Yes' or 'No' are only useful when we have a very specific question. As for the ghost, when we meet her, we must go without our goblin allies, and bear the symbols of our faiths. She may be as much a prisoner as we are."
"So, do we face the ghost or try the basement first?"
Sasha says a brief but reverent prayer at the discovery of the bracelet. Since Kiley doesn't seem worried about the trap she won't bring it up, though she's still not turning her back to the goblins.
"Let's see about the fellow Selûnite...even if she has died already," suggests the oracle. "I'll go first, though if it turns to battle we should all be prepared to flee...ghosts are not minor foes..."