((Lia never had visuals on the twins, only the tracks in the moss. Galingal isn't able to make out the meaning of the moss, but might depend on languages known by others. If they are stationary, you can't see them, so presumably moving ahead? How is she able to tell if they can hear her? The moss was found down the left fork. You came through the right tunnel before setting up camp. You'd be a few hundred feet from camp, but in the opposite direction the goblins fled, so a goblin ambush not likely a concern.))

<If you're quite through all the commotion, some of us were trying to sleep>, Buppido thinks a bit crossly, before he rolls over.

Stool is there, it seems he wanted to go fight the goblins too, and Lex was busy wrangling the boisterous little fellow.

Jimjar is frowning a bit as Lia attempts to rally a expedition.

<Miss Lia, what's going on? You seem agitated, where are you going? I can accompany you if you wish, you shouldn't run off on your own! There may be more goblins about!>, the Prince remarks, and joins Lia.

Stena will look for the twins with Lia, her concern turning to understanding, exasperation and a hint of sadness when she sees the water orbs were taken and whatever message they left.

She mutters in dwarven to no one in,

After reading the note she will start looking to track them, but her heart isn't in it.

Survival: 4

"They're gone Lia."

((How'd it go with her makeshift shoes and the arrow recovery?))

Thom would've also grabbed a second quiver so he can carry more arrows if you'll allow it @Spider. I think if he ever has to switch in combat that it would be an action to do so. Also, you're good with Thom's makeshift kilt from the goblin clothes, right?

Thom organizes his belongings into his backpack and would also follow Lia and Galingal towards the moss. He kind of sighs at the fact that the gnomes might now be lost. Or left on their own accord. Either way, he is annoyed at this. He would roll his eyes a bit at Galingal and then decides to help nonetheless. He would say under his breath "not sure we have time for this"

He follows towards the tunnel with the footprints and then would take a look at the arranged plucked moss pattern to see if he can make sense of it.

"What you see over there, mates?"

Lia says to Stena, “Wait here, if anyone can decipher this symbol, let me know… I’m going a little further…”.

Lia dismisses her light spell and heads along the marked passage with the symbol a little way. She keeps quiet and her eyes open…

Stealth: 22 

Perception: 13 

But Lia’s heart starts to sink. She’s about to turn back…

Any that can understand Underdark would be able to see that the moss has been laid out to say "SORR", with a jumble of moss at the end that might have been meant to complete a final letter that didn't get made.

Stena moves after Lia.

"They ran off Lia. They wrote sorry. Come back. Ye aren't going to find them, they don't want to travel with us anymore. We can wish them luck."

She says this coldly but starts to crack at the end and coughs to cover it. Turning and walking to slump by herself away from the rest of the group but not out of sight of them.

Lia falls to her knees in the gravel in front of Stena and shakes her head ‘no’ but can’t speak as tears start to run down her face. She will collapse into a hug with Stena if she’ll allow her.

After a brief moment, Lia stands, brushes the tears off her face and looks determined one last time… 

She grabs a rock and casts light on it, then throws it out as far as she can along the passage. She she grabs another and does the same thing, the first winking out as she lights the next. She does this over and over and over in slightly different directions this way and that, high and low, looking…

And screams one last time, in a mellow voice that carries but is somehow comforting, “Tttooopppssssyyyyyyyyyyy!!”.

‘-y, -y, -y…’, it echoes back…

Galingal looks at Lia with as close to disbelief on his face as his features allow. Then he secures the pack, and his weapons and looks at the others.

"If anything near, now know where we are," Galingal says. "Not safe stay. Need move now."

Catching Thom's eye and whispered comment, Galingal nods. Then he steps closer to Sarith.

"Are you able to go now?"

((Not sure if a persuasion check is appropriate in case Topsy can hear any of Lia’s calls or see the lights(?) - Persuasion check: 18 ))

Only her own voice answers Lia, before fading into silence punctuated only by the dripping of moisture.

Sarith nods at Galingal.

 With the goblin fight, looting and looking for the twins, it's been about 20 minutes since you were all woken.

Thom shrugs his shoulders when he realizes that the two gnomes have left.

Thom says to Lia after she shouts the last time "Madam, I think Stena is right. They're gone, yeah?"

He then says to Galingal and the others "So we're heading out now then? You think they're gonna send more for us? Or should we get some rest?"

He looks at Sarith.

(if we leave now will it mess up our rest and cause exhaustion? And we haven't gotten any rest this 'night' yet, right?))

"Maybe if we finish resting up we could keep watch, or wait, didn't I see a trap on one of those goblins?"

Lia’s shoulders drop but she looks resigned. “Let’s rest”, she says. “I can take a watch…”. She looks broken for some reason but brushes back past everyone toward the camp.

When she gets there she looks at the bow she was going to give to Topsy, (she’ll keep it herself for now unless anyone desperately wants it) and the space where the water-mushrooms had been.

She looks at the pipes she had looted, thinking they were a flute or pan pipes. She tries to see exactly what that item is. She’s fussing.

But eventually she sits where she has been sleeping, looking out the way Topsy had gone ‘on watch’ for a while until someone else takes over.

Stena will move away from Lia before she can hug her, or even touch her.

She'll stop at Lia's scream with a look on her face a much more expressive look of disbelief turning to anger.

"Yer a gods damned fool Lia."

She looks at Galingal and gives him a nod.

"Now we have to move. After that something will be coming. Probably something worse than the goblins."

Any sadness she may have felt has been neatly replaced with cold anger.

"Everyone up. Let's move. Can't stay here now. Or stay if ye want and see what comes checking. Aye'm moving."

((Stena will head out with Eldeth and Galingal even if no one else is joining.))

@DM..

At Thom's questions, Galingal waves in the direction of all the light orbs.

"Lights. Echoes," he says. "Not just goblins. Everything hear. Beacon."

He starts off with Sarith, Stena, Eldeth and anyone coming.

"Move now. Short, fast move," Galingal says. "Rest again before too tired. But need move now."

Lia sees everyone shifting to move on. She would gather her things and bring up the rear.

Thom responds to everyone after wincing a bit at Stena's response to Lia.

"Right. Crap. Ok, let's go then, yeah?" and he yawns and prepares to move quickly away from this spot that Lia potentially alerted hostiles too.

After Stena's minor lashing of Lia, he'd stay back with her and say quietly to Lia:

 So, Thom is staying in the rear this time with Lia as the party moves.

Lia replies to Thom, “Ah, thank you. But it’s fine. Just the balance of the universe… to and fro… weal and woe”. She doesn’t seem fazed.

She frowns at the bow in her hands though. It’s unclear whether it’s because it was going to be Topsy’s or because she doesn’t seem to have any arrows.

”Why do you think Topsy and Turvy ran off? Surely it’s safer in numbers. And why now?…”. She’s clearly thinking things through.