The Blackmire Company: Campaign

The small goblin tries to stop it's charge, but seems to trip and fall.  Skidding along the rocks that make up the small hideout towards you.  Closer now, the small goblin is clearly a young girl.  Probably no older than a few years.

As you all look further, towards the campfire, there are a handful of others.  A sickly looking adult Goblin woman carrying what is probably a newborn on her back.  Two others of a similar age to the girl huddled by her as well.  Charred bones sit on the fire, sticking out of a cooking pot.  A few other odds and ends are scattered about.  A few arrows with a small bow. A pack.  A book.  Some sort of carved up creature with a blanket wrapped around it's head.  Resting up against the wall is a foot long spine of some other kind of creature.

"Food." The elder one says out to you all.  "Food.  Foooooood."  It's in common.  A hushed tone, clearly not wanting their voice to echo too loudly. 

Abigail walks over to the woman and sniffs the stew before taking off her pack and digging around fin it.

After a few second she pulls out six pounds of rations. "Here, you need these more than I do." She walks over and eyes the carved up creature - Nature 13.

Talking to the group, Abigail notes, "We should either fortify this camp if we are going to stay here tonight, or leave now and try to find a way to cover our scent and tracts so that the Hn’ti do not find her because of us..."

Yaalin pats the small goblin girl on the head, "Are you alright dear?" keeping her voice low as well.  She will move closer to the older woman, " Are YOU alright?" and attempt to discover what ails the woman Medicine 11

She turn s her head as she coughs, feeling that poison that still effects her.  "Did they do this?" She points in the general direction of the Hn'ti.   

The stew smells absolutely terrible.  Abigail isn’t entirely sure their boiling off urine with bones to get some kind of water that isn’t totally terrible for them.  The arrival of rations, though, are welcomed.  The mother walking over and tapping it a few times.  Not entirely trusting Abigail but she’s far too hungry.  

The Goblin hisses at Yaalin.  Her eyes too focused on the food and placing some of it in the pot with... whatever else is in there.  She’s clearly hungry. But also severely dehydrated.  It appears they’ve been in here for quite awhile.  

One of the younger ones takes up a little bit of charcole, and begins to draw on the walls.  Continuing a odd tapestry of creatures and goblin faces.

"Why are you hiding in here? Do you hide from the Hn'ti Tribe as we do? How long have you been here?" Sim asks the mother in Goblin hoping that we have gained some trust by helping them and also some information. persuasion 16

The Goblin woman takes a few moments as you all sit around before talking.  She, at first, shakes her head.  But goes on to eating the rations.  Chewing some of it and spitting into her baby's mouth.

"No." She finally says.  "The many fleshed skins are scary. But Shale. The King.  He made us hide.  He is magic.  Dark magic....." he looks over to you all.  "We run.  Few that got away..." there's a glint of sadness in her eyes.  

Sim continues the discussion "Shale? Is he the one who unified the goblin clans? How many got away?  Do you know anything of what Shale is planning? Does it have anything to do with the temple and what is locked inside?"

She gave a nod when Sim asked about Shale and unifying the clans.  “Yes. King. Leader. Deadly magic.”

When he began to ask questions about what Shale might be planning, the woman tilted her head a bit lower.  Narrowing her eyes.  Trying to figure out what Sim was exactly up to.  Then she pointed at the pot.  “Water.  Water!  WATER WATER WATER!”  The pot with stew was mostly recycled waste with what little water they had left.  

Sadly, your own water supplies were quite low and nearly depleted.

Yaalin walks over to the pot wrinkling her nostrils at the smell, rings out her waters skin and begins murmuring the containers filling and overflowing with clean water. ((she will fill the pot with water from the skin until the goblin indicates to stop then while the water is still flowing refill the parties waterskins the same way)) Create or Destroy Water

she will then retreat back from the pot and continue to listen to the group talk.

The gallons begin to rush into the pot, making the goblin’s face so wide.  She nearly plunges her head into it - drinking quite a few heavy gulps.  She then fills up her own water skins.  The gallons that are created don’t seem to go quite as far as originally hoped, but, it’s enough for people to refill their own supplies.

 “Shale King of secrets. Came from outside. Unified clans.  Killed those that didn’t unify. Experimenting on those he didn’t kill.”  She looks away.  “We’re running. Taken these children. Going away. Anywhere else...”. The Goblin woman looks across the other youthful faces. “Or they die out in the mountain.  Better than King of lies.”

She sits there unresponsive for awhile.  Making sure that the others were getting some food and drink.  “I do not know of any temple.  Or plans. He controls the beast in the cave. And obsessed with shiny rocks.  What kind of King sacrifices people for rocks?”

The one child with the bit of charcole continues to draw on the wall.  Some kind of random beasts that there’s a bit of artistic license to. (INT/Arcana check to know more).

The remainder of the night goes fairly well, but not very conversational.  She tends to the kids.  Let’s you all play together but is fairly strict.  Knowing that up out of the ravine, the Hn’ti warriors are still there.  People that she clearly doesn’t trust and is attempting to avoid.  But as pressing for more information on how many got away, she doesn’t know.  Only bringing children of others who were too afraid to run themselves.  Still, it seems that the enterence is rather close by.  Her description being ‘through the vines and down the stairs.’

The group gets a long rest.  But it isn’t a very restful sleep.  The air is so thin that it’s hard to catch your breath.  The Goblin’s don’t seem to have too much of a issue.  

The Goblin children wake you up, as their ‘mother’ is breaking their camp.  It seems with some more rations, and the water, she’s getting ready to run and bring them away from here.  “Can you bring us away from here?” She asks.  Clearly expecting the answer to be no. “More is safer. Water bringer and warriors are safer.”

Lafetha bends down where the child is drawing to study what he has created arcana 15 "what are you drawing there child? Do tell me more about this creature." 

((If I roll bad, hopefully the child will give me some better information))

Quote from OMGitsAC >>

Lafetha bends down where the child is drawing to study what he has created arcana 11 "what are you drawing there child? Do tell me more about this creature." 

((If I roll bad, hopefully the child will give me some better information))

 The drawing is of some kind of monster. With wings. And a goblinish face. And a long tail with spikes on the end.

Lafetha wakes up from her restless sleep, she looks at the 'mother' goblin, "You have been kind to us, but it would not be a good idea for you and the children to come with us. Where we are going is very dangerous, and would not be safe for any of you. Please be careful on your journeys from here."  Lafetha waits for the group to all wake up and decide on where to go from here. "Off to find this king, are we? Sounds like him and his monster are causing a lot of trouble, but it sounds like thats the direction we want to head in."

When traveling Lafetha will be in the middle frontish.

Before turning in for the night Sim sits down and meditates. Using Primeval Awareness he extends out his mind and feels the mountains around him listening to see if what he fears may be a dragon is in the area. Once he is satisfied there is no Dragon within six miles he stands and stretches. 

He then turns in for the night. In the morning he will tell the others what he felt. 

“The aberration and elemental concern me though elementals are part of nature and may just be a native one in the area. Aberrations are more unique and may be worth keeping in mind.” Then he turns and translates Lafetha’s comments about it not being safe and wishes her well on her journey. He tells her where they encountered danger on the way up so she can decide how to proceed. 

Biding goodbyes with the Goblins, you all head out.  Climbing back out of the ravine, and assisting with the Goblin woman who begins her own trek down and through the mountain.  They're still rather malnourished, but, there's more food down the mountain than staying where they are.  Definitely will not be easy....

Turning, you all head forward.  Eventually reaching where you thought the temple to be.  In a valley between two peaks.  Instead you find a abandoned town.  Some stone houses still standing, while others have collapsed from wind and time.  What was once a gate and walls now are crumbled ruins that offer no protection to anyone that may be inside.  From the size of the ruins, this was once a popular place. Bigger than Rest.  During your hike here, you've been hearing the whistles and seeing signs of the Hn'ti warriors from the day before.  This abandoned town is probably where they make camp for the night.  As it's nestled up against one of the mountains.  

You all can barely make out a staircase that's carved into the mountain.  A steep staircase that goes up, and up, and up.  With the morning light catching the mountain, you can see a small cave towards the top of the staircase.  But it's difficult to make out much else due to the distance.  

The creek of wood floorboards and a door opening and closing draws your attention back to the village.  Something is moving and alive inside the ruined down.  

What do you do?

Realizing that they are not alone, Abigail attempts to find a place nearby to hide... Stealth - 27

The sound of the creaking wood and the door send Abigail out of sight.  Using the brief moment to just vanish from the rest of the group.

Abigail, you wander through the streets. Ducking behind old walls piles of rubble from homes long destroyed.  You find what probably caused the sound, old building that still has it's front door.  Glancing in the window for just a moment, you see a few Hn'ti warriors using what supplies are inside the home to fix a set of spears out of stone and bits of stone and mountain reeds.  The warriors look a little bruised, but as one glances towards the window, you duck back down.  There were at least two in there, along with random supplies and trinkets.  Unfortunately, you didn't get enough time to get a thorough look.  

Diadochi looks around, trying to see any source or failing that a narrow passage way that he (and if need be Yaalin) can stand between his enemies and the rest of the team perception 17 . If he can't find anything He is ready for battle, but will wait for the scout (Abigail) to come back with actionable Intelligence. 

Diadochi, you take a look around.  While there are a few passageways, something could easily get on the roof.  Or perhaps knock down the entire wall of some of these buildings.  There’s no good choke points in what’s in your visible range just at the gate.

Yaalin looks across the ruins,  heading the noises she whispers, 'we may wish to go around this place to those stairs I suspect that they are our destination'