"He's ready."
"Lyrie! Grab your stuff! We're getting out of here!"
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Orik takes a look up the corridor. "That's her. No-one else here looks like her."
The Chief does something offscreen. Orik moves to the double doors, and readies an attack. "This could be bad; that's not one of those overgrown rats. It's one of Nualia's devil-dogs."
Orik takes off up the corridor, after the chief.
"Don't just stand there! Get after them, NOW!" Intimidate
"It's the Birdcrunchers! They tried to start something, but got beaten, and ran off into the caves!" Bluff Sense Motive
The first one into the room immediately runs off through the door to the junk room. Two stop to poke at the bodies, curiously. The fourth stands up to his full height, and fixes Orik with a steely glare. "So, how come there's none lying here, then?"
"I'll see if I can draw them off. Leave the east door clear."
"The bugbear certainly had some good gear. I don't imagine he took it with him, when he went cuckolding the chief."
"Some of the new goblins, that failed the chieftain's tests."
"There probably isn't anyone down there, or they'd have heard us." "I'll watch this main room, till you're done." He starts to pick up the scattered pieces of his armour from the floor, and recommences dressing.
"Are you talking to me?" Attack Damage The goblin in the nursery is speared on the end of the sword, which passes through him, and breaches the whelps' cage, cutting one of them and making it cry even louder. "If so, no. I haven't even got fully dressed yet."
Attack "Stand still, you little s*#*!" The goblin fails to comply with that request. Orik steps further into the room.
Orik performs a figure-eight swing, within the nursery. Attack
Damage
The first goblin leaps back, taking a cut across the chest, as he collides with the cages of squealing whelps.
Initiative for next round: Goblins in nursery 22
Perception Orik turns his head, stamps over to the nursery, kicks in the door, and stabs at the goblin inside. Attack Initiative for next round: Goblins in nursery 22
Orik steps forward, under the lantern, and swings at the injured goblin at the foot of the stairs. Attack
Damage His change of allegiance obviously takes the goblin by surprise, as it makes no effort to defend itself, until it realises his intent too late, and fails to prevent the blade bisecting its head. "Hhmph."
Orik comes clattering round the corner, to stand in front of Valoria, across the threshold.
"Who's left?"
"Cayden's balls. You barely get time to s+@* in this place." Orik tightens the strap on his elbow guard, and picks up his sword.
Sephird enters Orik's room and leaves that door slightly ajar. "What the hell?" Orik continues to strap his armour on.
"Much obliged." Assuming no-one has any objections, he steps back through the door, before turning and entering the room. He then starts strapping on the shoulder and elbow plates.
"My room's first on the right. I'd like to get the rest of my stuff, if I can."
"Their bedrooms are off the old feast hall, where I came in. As for where they could be, the goblins will probably be guarding up top, while the humans search down below."
"I swear, I can't think of anything. I want this to work as much as you. I can't go back, now."
"I swear, I can't think of anything else. I just don't know what you'd think important." "Uh,..the goblins do talk of another thing, apart from the jackal-god. I've heard them refer to a giant wolf-creature, that they expect to devour their enemies. I don't know if that's another god, or a real beast that lairs here."
Seeing Galstok's reaction, he flinches slightly. "I did put them on the map."
"I dunno, it happened while I wasn't around. I thought I was gonna catch hell for not being there, but she was calm about it." "There was some ceremony, and she came back with her left arm in bandages. She had found some large devil dogs, which she set to guarding the temple. I thought she'd been bit by one of them, that's why she didn't make a fuss."
Or start the game by making them all members of a secret society who hides their true names and only goes by monikers. This could explain the silly names and give the players a chance to re-cant to a "cooler fantasy type name" at a later date. "Why do I gotta be Mister Pink?"
"I've been keeping to myself for a few days. They don't seem to need me that often, now they're excited about exploring the lower rooms.
"I didn't like how they ran things there. The chief was testing the new goblin refugees, and if they gave the wrong answers, they were dragged off to be thrown into the sea, or killed on the altar to their goddess, a dog-headed thing with three eyes." "I was sickened by this, so I suggested we needed someone to keep watch, and I was excused from attending. I know I was hired as a bodyguard, but she doesn't seem to need me any more, even after she injured her arm."
"The goblins tend to watch the upper floor, and the approach from the mainland. Except for Chief Ripnugget, who's been following the newcomers around, since they came." "That room you were fighting in was for the chief's wives, but he's not been to see them since he became obsessed with Nualia. That's why Bruthazmus has been 'takin care of them'." "The bugbear sort of invited himself here, when he heard there was to be a raid. Seems he had some vendetta against an elf, and was always trying to force the others to hunt for her. I've had to step in between them when his temper flared. They may have noticed he's not here, but they probably won't miss him, if you get me."
"Thank you. My name is Orik. Orik Vancaskerkin. Of Riddleport." Valoria and Tregar exchange a glance, both detecting that he seemed honestly surprised by the gift.
"I think I'll hold on to this until you are on your way." "I feel rather naked without it, but I can't deny I'd do the same." "What about armour and shield? Then I can at least protect us all?"
"She's dark skinned, more so than a Qadiran, or Osirian, a deep, dark brown, like mahogany. I believe her people are from some far-off place in the south, like Garund, or Mwangi.
"She's usually been dressed in a white cloak, with a pile of books or scrolls under her arm. And she has a cat. White or grey, I think. It usually hides from everyone."
"Does that mean I can go with you? I want you to be successful; my prospects aren't good if you fail."
"I will do all in my power to ensure her safety, and deliver her to wherever she was bound."
"Eh? Seriously?"
"The goblin chief rides a giant lizard, and has several black-clad bodyguards, who should be nearby at all times."
Okay; Orik (for that is his name) finishes drawing the areas of Thistletop he is familiar with, and hands over two sheets of parchment. "That second sheet is two floors; the stairs go down from the top left, and lead down to the small map at the bottom. I've only been down there briefly, but I remember the pool, and chairs around it."
"I'll do that. As far as I've been, and what I've heard about the rest. Have you got paper? And something to draw with?"
"Thassilonian runes, I think. They're obsessed about finding something in the lower chambers, and brought her here to translate for them. If you could free her, it might stop their plans?"
"She was here when I arrived; Lyrie, a Garundi woman, from Mwangi, or Nex, or one of the other southern lands. She was being made to translate the glyphs in the lower halls." "We shared some conversation, and she seems as miserable as me. She told me how she should really have been at the Pathfinder Lodge, taking her exams, but was forced to come here." "I'd gladly see her safe to her destination, if you'd allow me."
"I'll draw you a map of all I can remember, I'll tell you where the guards watch. You can kill Tusuto, or whatever his name is, I don't care. I don't have any loyalty to Nualia any more, since she didn't deal straight with me." "You can kill all the goblins in here, and anyone else, but I want to be sure the Pathfinder is safe. She's another reason I haven't left."
"Wait, now, hold on. I know I've made a bad choice coming here, but I didn't know anything about this place when I signed up." "You're sitting in a bar, with no job, and some gorgeous woman comes up and says she'll pay you to hang out with her? What am I supposed to do?" "It was just supposed to be a bodyguard job; get her through the goblin forest. I never thought I'd be forced to live among them." "I want out, but I don't think they'll let me leave. I'll tell you what you need, if it means I can go back home. I think I'm not the only one feels that way, either."
"I swear, I don't know what was in the box, or what they wanted it for." While not exactly ignoring Tregar, he does seem to spend more time glancing at Galstok, and the haughty woman who seems to have him on a leash. "I did accompany my employer to two meetings, in the first few days. It...was not to my taste. Several new goblins had turned up, and the chief seemed to be testing their loyalty. Some stayed, and were let into the tribe. The rest were taken away, and thrown down a hole, into the sea."
"I...don't know. Um...like I told you, I've kept to myself since we got here."
"It went below, into the lower chambers. I never saw it after that."
"It was a crate, a rough wooden crate. But it was a big one, big enough to have held a coffin."
"There was a long crate, wrapped in a sheet. Well, they tried for ages to get it over the bridge, slipping and sliding everywhere. I got bored and went for something to eat. I came back, and they were still at it, only this time Nualia had come out, and she'd obviously taken charge, as they'd taken the cart down to the beach, and were trying to haul it up the side of the rock."
Nualia didn't go on the raid, wherever it was, so I stayed here. I don't know what the objective was, but the day after the others came back, some more goblins came out of the Nettlewood, dragging a cart. Everyone went out to watch them bring it in, which took forever, because the bridge is so rotten."
"Whoah, I can't answer you all. One at a time." "I work for the lady, Nualia. She hired me to escort her from Riddleport to here, which I did. I never realised the place would be full of goblins once we got here." "I don't know where they attacked, or why. But Tusuto was angry at the goblins for failing to bring someone."
"Yesterday; he was very agitated. Kept out of his way while he argued with the goblin chief. I gather he'd been on some raid, that hadn't gone as well as planned."
"His name's 'Suto'. Or sometimes 'Tusuto', depending on who's doin' the talkin'. He's the one who orders the goblins. But I don't work for him, I was hired by his lady friend."
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