CF - Volo's Adventurers' Guild - PbP Campaign

"Bugbear over there." Serena whispers to the others motioning to the south as she takes a step back into the previous room. "I'm afraid we must take it out somehow but perhaps it could be talked into surrendering?" She adds quickly, ready to blast away and take cover if the bugbear notices her.

"With the group's permission I would be happy to try to talk some sense into the mushroom gardener."

***

Assuming no one objects...

***

Banjo will walk into the mushroom room, puff himself up to his maximum height of 3'8", and announce in goblin:

Serena just smiles and gives Banjo a pat on the back. "Alright Banjo, let's talk first." She says and follows Banjo.
As Banjo starts talking gibberish again Serena settles for an intimidating pose behind him, trying to dissuade the Bugbear from any aggression.
Intimidation: 14

Banjo and Serena enter the large area walking up behind the bugbear. 

As Banjo begins to make his pronouncement the bugbear pauses cutting the mushrooms and first turns her head toward Banjo. Upon seeing a gnome speaking goblin, her simple beady eyes grow round in wonder. She turns to listen to Banjo fully, wiping saliva from her agape mouth onto her bristle-brush forearm. 

When Banjo finishes, she stands staring at the two adventurers. She wipes some more drool, then says:

"Well, he seems peaceful enough. What did he say Banjo?" Serena asks, relaxing a little bit now.

Tresvar enters the room after the other two, to reinforce the consequences of a less than peaceful choice.   Silently intimidating.. 18 

"Ah.  Well then.  It seems our mushroom cutting friend here is... not a threat.  I am beginning to understand why the goblins laughed when they warned us about her."  Banjo smiles and waves to the bugbear as if to say, 'go on, you can get back to work now.'  "I think we should just move on.  Which way was it from here?"

"This way I think." Serena says and moves to the door to the north, listening and checking it for traps before discreetly peeking inside the next room.
Perception: 12 Investigation: 14 Stealth: 21

Livia follows close to the others. "It seems like many conflicts can be avoided with words. Shouldn't we open with this approach, rather than shooting? At least, when the creature is an intelligent creature, rather than a rat?" She's unsure of herself because the more experienced travellers opened most of their encounters with other creatures by shooting them, slashing at them or put them in a slumber, but it sounded a preferable course of action.

Tresvar smiles at Livia “you are a wise one…. Perhaps I’ve been too quick with my sword and bow.  I admit I have heard stories of goblins and hobgoblins, kobolds even, that made me judge them before giving them a chance.   But sometimes.. acting too slow, can cost lives.   It’s hard to know what is the best course.    Sometimes, you may see I’ll not deal the dying blow but just knock them out. “. She smiles and looks at her sword.  “But when we find this Belak-  don’t hold back-  I’m sure Belak will not hesitate to kill us”. 

The adventurers leave the bugbear, and she turns back to her mushroom cutting.

The northern door is also untrapped and opens to a second mushroom gallery with a table on the eastern wall. It has two more doors, one leading to the east, the other north.

"I agree Livia that negotiations have met with some success lately, but if you knew of the atrocities goblins have committed against the farmers where I come from you might be a little less trusting." Serena comments before proceeding. "We could certainly try to talk with this Belak, but by the sounds of it he is an evil madman and should be dealt with accordingly."

Serena cautiously crosses the gallery, her mind set on taking them all to Belak now. She goes to the eastern door doing her routine before peeking beyond.
Perception: 19 Investigation: 17 Stealth: 15

Finding no traps, Serena opens the door and peers inside ever so carefully. At first, the scent of rot hits her nose in the humid air, as she sees it to be an arboretum of Underdark flora. Luminescent mist blurs the edges of this octagonal chamber. Nodules of glowing fungus dot the stone walls and ceiling, as well as the caps of toadstools and mushrooms, small polyps, puffballs, and lichen. Several growths in the chamber are scorched and dead.

She is glad however, that she peered in quietly and carefully, for the motion of three skeletons catches her eyes. Like the previous ones, they appear to be employed with menial labor, wielding shovels and rakes rather than weapons.

"Okay, more skeletons, but they seem peaceful, anyone speak skeleton?" She turns to the others and whispers with a smirk.

“They only understand one language, I think.. lucky for us, I speak it well!”  tresvar smiles, switching to her warhammer.

“Do we need to go through here at all?” Tresvar whispers..  “as much as I’d like to rid the world of those abominations, I mostly want to find Belkas…”

"Oops, you're right Tresvar, wrong way." Serena says, closes the door quietly and moves to the north one with the same procedure.
Perception: 11 Investigation: 10 Stealth: 12

Again, finding no traps and hearing no sound from the other side of the door, Serena rather hastily opens the door. It swings a bit easier than she had expected and thumps in its frame. 

A moment bristling with anticipation of a potential fight passes as the adventurers see the northern Arboretum contains only its plants.

Serena sneaks into the room, looking around, expecting a door to the east to investigate.
Perception: 9 Investigation: 7 Stealth: 10