"Better you than any us!"
To Donimah, "At least you can cast the spell."
Persephone only grins at Arrian s statement....
Donimah clutches the scroll and giggles in a creepy tone as she tucks it in her scrip bag.
Once Donimah secures the scroll, she realizes how she looked to the others and almost immediately straightens stiff as a board and tries to project the composure of a dignified sage.
She gestures to the door.
"Boys?" she says expectantly.
Arrian, apparently the group door opener, opens the door.
Ano takes some deep breaths before they continued. Cherry tries to give her comfort, though it’s clear as long as she’s down here she’s on edge. She moves forward, keeping her senses on high alert.
Zeldrith moves forward beside Ano, his sword held at the ready. "Let's close ranks - this place doesn't want us here any more than we want to stay." He turns, glancing back at the spellcasters and archers of the motley group's back rank. "That goes for the rear guard as well - keep your eyes peeled." His asymmetrical gaze returns to the path ahead, and he scowls. "They got Tavish and his squad like this at the Sunken Queen, you know. He thought he heard one of our scouts calling for help - turned a corner and walked into one of them. I didn't see it, but I heard enough. The screams, mostly - and that horrible chittering laughter. At times, it almost seems like these sorts of ruins have a mind of their own - a cruel, malevolent mind, one with no patience for those who seek death."
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Ano has her ears peeled. She hears into the room and there seems to be a shuffling sound, like people shuffling their feet on the stone floor. She can also make out a mumbling in Goblin.
"She'll see, I'll be her best guard. She'll have to reward me. With some food, yes, she'll give me some food!"
Ano’s ears shot up, her eyes widening and her fur bristling.
“Wha-” Cherry started before Ano motioned him to be quiet. She pointed ahead, looking at everyone behind her.
“I heard something. Someone. Up ahead..”
Zeldrith moves forward beside Ano, his sword held at the ready. "Let's close ranks - this place doesn't want us here any more than we want to stay." He turns, glancing back at the spellcasters and archers of the motley group's back rank. "That goes for the rear guard as well - keep your eyes peeled." His asymmetrical gaze returns to the path ahead, and he scowls. "They got Tavish and his squad like this at the Sunken Queen, you know. He thought he heard one of our scouts calling for help - turned a corner and walked into one of them. I didn't see it, but I heard enough. The screams, mostly - and that horrible chittering laughter. At times, it almost seems like these sorts of ruins have a mind of their own - a cruel, malevolent mind, one with no patience for those who seek death."
"You've been to the Sunken f*cking Queen?!" Donimah asks quietly, her eyes widening, seemingly ignoring the context from the dark anecdote that followed, but leaves it at that when Ano signals they aren't alone.
Juriya just eagerly soaks up the knowledge of the team, storing it in her memory for potential usage later, but turns her attentiomn towards the door once Ano mentions hearing something.
Arrian nods at Ano and tries to slide into the room as quietly as he can.
After a stairway down, you enter a room that's 45 feet by 25 feet, with a round wall on the far end. There are several wooden lids that cover supposedly holes in the floor. The shuffling sound seems to be coming from there, but there's also some moaning coming out of there as well. On the far end, a deformed goblin seems to be talking to himself. He has 3 arms, each holding a different weapon. He doesn't seem to have noticed you yet.
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
Arrian attempts to withdraw quietly back to the others.
Arrian rejoins the others and tells them, "Weird three armed goblin muttering 'She'll see, I'll be her best guard. She'll have to reward me. With some food, yes, she'll give me some food!' There are holes in the floor with covers and moaning sounds coming from the holes so maybe it has prisoners?"
He will also describe the general layout of the room.
Persephone prepares to release the kraken! Or the Tribe on the deformed goblin and set free any prisoners....
Juriya stands in the middle of the group, ready to shoot the Goblin with her loaded cressbow.
Ano looks on blankly at Arrian. It’s Cherry who finally asks, “I’m sorry, a three armed what?”
"Mutant goblin," Donimah replies flatly. "Maybe if we take it alive and interrogate it we'll find out who 'she' is. I've got a hunch...but we'd need to confirm it."
One look at the mutant goblin, Ano gently held Cherry and placed him on Donimah's shoulder. "Cherry. Stay with Donimah. Don't get close to the goblin, no matter what happens." Before Cherry could protest, Ano looked at Arrian, said quickly, "Flank with me on the other side,", and dart off after the goblin, flanking him at its right side.
Arrian bypasses the wooden 'lids' on the floor and takes the flanking position provided by Ano to attack the goblin!
Ano times the strike with her own rapier just as Arrian attacks!
Donimah stows her whaling spear and draws a crossbow, loading it.
Zeldrith draws his sword, his hooves clacking against the ancient stone of the Thassilonian complex as he charges forward, bringing his blade up in a powerful strike that cuts deep into the malformed goblin's side. "I tell you, four years in the Goblinblood Wars, and I've never seen one of those little fools twisted like this. Something is very wrong in this old ruin..."
As you step on a wooden plate, it breaks. You fail to jump to safety and fall 20 ft, taking damage and are now prone. A human zombie looks at you hungrily.
As you step on a wooden plate, it breaks. You successfully jump to safety. Looking down, you see a human zombie 20 ft down looking at you hungrily. You can only reach the goblin by either stepping on another plate or skipping it, which would make it too far for you.
As Zeldrith strides forward, one of his hooves goes through the rotted wood of a trapdoor, and he plummets to the ground below with a torrent of Varisian curses, raining down imprecations on whoever put the pit there and their lineage going back three generations.
Persephone watches the advance of her Tribe with Pride.
Oh, Zel please watch your step.
The goblin is taken by surprise by the sudden influx of people in the room. He can't really react to Ano's and Arrian's combined attacks, yet he still stands. After Zeldrith fell, he quickly slashed at the zombie. Its rotten flesh parts easily with his sword's slash and it falls on the ground, lifeless.
The goblin takes action and attacks the group back. It is a grotesque and deformed creature with 3 arms, each holding a different weapon. He attacks Arrian with a handaxe and a dagger, and Ano with a longsword.
Despite his mutated strength, he is too surprised to do any damage.
Arrian stabs at the odd three-armed goblin once more!
Juriya moves into flanking position, saying a swift "thanks", glad that she doesn't need to try to figure out how the three-armed goblin would react to feint attempts, and aims for the vital spots with as much force she can muster... which is to say her feeble fox-arms in human form don't do much regardless of direct hits to vitals.
Ano tries to strike after avoiding the freaky goblin’s sword, but once again her attack whiffs, and she cusses in her Catfolk language.
Persephone Strides into the doorway to cast Bless on her Tribe.
Zeldrith tries futilely to climb the walls of the pit, looking for a handhold along the old Thassilonian wall.
Donimah steps into the room, inching around the pit coverings, but then she realizes she doesn't have a clear line-of-sight to the mutant and spits a Shoanti curse.
"Juriya, duck!"
She shoots at the goblin.
The goblin seems crazed and continues attacking.
He seems to be very hurt, and doesn't do well on his attacks against Arrian's strong defenses. However, as he attacks Ano with his third arm, it slices her leg. The cut burns, as the sword seemed to be very sharp.
Arrian attacks the goblin once more!
Ano yowls as she feels the searing pain of the blade cutting into her leg. She glares at the freak goblin and attacks again.
Persephone watches the determination of her Tribe with pride.
Probably best to temper that feeling a bit down here.
The smiling Varisian then glides across the floor to stand above where poor Zel disappeared into to.
You seem to be in a bit of a pickle.
She begins taking rope out of her pack.
Juriya attempts another strike with Ano on her other side, causing a flanking maneuver... but fails, horribly. She probably couldn't even hit the ground if she were to try.