Tao examines the wound suffered from that first skeleton and decides to tend to it when time better permits. Sheathing his sword he joins the rest of the group in searching the junction room and adjacent passages.
The group looks around for a short time, frantically searching for the symbol of Iomedae. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Freya and Rauno both spot it at almost the same time, etched on a pipe leading into the second tunnel along the right side of the room . The group hurries along, travelling along the new tunnel, which makes several twists and turns along the way.
After one such turn, the group can make out an archway about 40' ahead. The sewage channel that has been running alongside the pathway since the junction room appears to divert into a large pipe that leads into the wall just before the archway. Tao notices that there is a larger chamber just beyond the archway.
Sarien pauses to scan the darkness with eyes and ears.
"You! Stop!" Freya barks at Tao.
Sarien freezes in place and turns to look at Freya. "What is it?"
Tao stops and draws his sword. "Looks like there's someone behind the archeway. "
"Oh, for the love of Aroden's rotting corpse, there, you misbegotten manbeast!" Freya once again summons balls of light to hover around the tripwire at Tao's feet, illuminating it .
Tao steps back from the illuminated trip line making room for anyone better equipped to deal with it. He'll keep a close eye on the silhouette up ahead.
"Ah, I see. A moment...I can handle that." Sarien moves cautiously forward and kneels to examine the wire before attempting to disable it.
Sarien kneels by the wire, grabbing the end closest to the wall and holding it firmly while cutting the wire with a sharpened pair of pliers. After the wire is snipped, he slowly allows it to retract. From the chamber ahead, a very muted, dull sound can be heard, similar to the sound of a tin pie-plate being placed gently on the ground. No further sound can be heard.
"We should be all clear now," Sarien whispers. He moves back behind Tao and a few of the others and leans back against the wall, quietly drawing his rapier as he does so.
Tao makes his way towards the figure up ahead in the shadows
As the group makes their way toward the archway, there is suddenly a loud noise, similar to many tin pie-plates clashing together. Tao looks around frantically, but there is no second wire - he has not set off an alarm of any sort. The shadowy silhouette in the chamber ahead moves out from the shadows and into the archway, facing away from the party.
The figure moves further into the room, hissing in goblin as it does so.
Ya intruser! Njia hii!
Several rustling and scraping sounds come from inside the room.
You've been following the chalked symbols of Iomedae for about a half hour from where you entered the sewer, and have come to a fairly long portion of straight tunnel, ending in what looks like a small chamber of some sort. Just as are able to see the chamber at the end of your field of vision, you trip slightly against a thin wire which was stretched across the corridor. Immediately, there is a loud noise, similar to many tin pie plates crashing together. Following this, a voice can be heard coming from the chamber, speaking a language you don't understand.
The voice continues in broken Common, addressing the opposite side of the chamber from where the main party is approaching.
You stop now, biggun. You in Grib's Pass. You pay toll, or you die!
Tao stops all movement to ensure that the creature with its back to us is not alerted to our presence.
Still keeping close against the wall, Sarien sees well enough to recognize the creature for what it is. He keeps his grip tight on his rapier but does not move as yet, waiting to see what happens next.
Better him than us, Freya judges, staying very still to watch what happens next.
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The voice is in Common, and pleasant. A male baritone. "And the toll is? And what service does my toll provide? I am not opposed to paying for a guide, for example. However, I am quite willing to defend myself."
(Diplomacy)
To the rest of the party, the goblins are silhouetted against the reflection of a light source on the wall up ahead of you. You think there might be a man-shaped silhouette behind it.
There are a couple of syllables of chanting somewhere after that bit of dialog.
Toll not buy anything. You pay, you pass, you live. You not die. Toll buys this. You not pay toll, you die.
In the dim illumination, you make out the goblin looking at you appraisingly.
Toll 5 gold coins. You pay? Or you die?
The party hears the goblin continuing a conversation with an individual on the other side of the chamber, a human form which is casting light, obviously from a spell.
First, a response to the goblins original statement coming from a deep baritone voice which rumbles and carries well in the stone tunnels:
And the toll is? And what service does my toll provide? I am not opposed to paying for a guide, for example. However, I am quite willing to defend myself.
The goblin responds: Toll not buy anything. You pay, you pass, you live. You not die. Toll buys this. You not pay toll, you die. A pause, and then: Toll 5 gold coins. You pay? Or you die?
Suddenly aware of the dancing lights all about, Sarien moves with slow caution into the shadows, and begins to creep toward the goblins. If there was about to be a confrontation, he wanted to take advantage of his position and remaining near Freya's lights would be of no use to him.
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"I find your toll to be unreasonable. Five silvers, I'd've paid, and considered a bargain well struck. For what I aim to do, being able to get information reliably would be worth money to me."
The sword comes out. "I would prefer not to kill you." He steps up (20' move). "There is still a chance to see reason."
The goblin sneers, pulling a rusty dogslicer from behind his back.
Then you die, biggun!
>>>Map Link, Goblin Den 1<<<
Sarien keeps moving, careful not to lose his step in the sewage or to make any sound of his passage. There was too much distance between himself and the goblins to reach them before they attacked but he intended to be a sword in the darkness before they ever knew he was there.
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I step up into the gap, and attempt to disarm the goblin in G14.
Disarm Attempt against the Goblin's CMD. This does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
When his dogslicer hits the ground, I say to him:
"Pick up that weapon and I will strike you down. Is this really worth your life? Would your mate and children agree? The others in your tribe?"
He will trigger an AoA if he bends down to pick up the weapon. I will be true to my word if he does.
Tao moves up...
Taken off guard by Hardin's swift maneuver, the goblins dogslicer clatters to the stone floor. He screeches, raises his hands, and backs away. As he does so, the other two goblins whip their heads around at the sound of Tao's boots on the stone. One screeches what sounds like a warning.
Bosi! Mbaya zaidi watu!
The lead goblin hisses back.
Nini kusubiri? Kupata yao!
The two goblins inside the room charge, one at Sarien, one at Tao.
Freya takes in her view of the back of Tao blocking the archway and sighs. "Hey, pointy-ears," she calls back to Rauno. "You still hear anything coming behind us?" She loads a bolt into her crossbow, not knowing if she'll be firing forward or backward.
"Curse it!" Sarien mutters as Tao's boots give them both away. He quickly responds to the goblin charging at the half-orc, however, his rapier's blade flashing as he swings.
With a quick glance to take in the situation, Sarien steps forward and to the right to place himself behind one of the goblins.
From there Sarien thrusts his rapier at the goblin's back.