The cave is quiet, with the sound of the stream trickling by in the tunnel below you, as you make your way back into the cavern.

This smaller open cavern appears to be where many goblins slept. Strewn about on the floor are small, filthy bed rolls and scraps from dead animals.

In the center of this room lies two large piles of goods including, what you recognize as Mal and Ragnarok's weapons.

There is a slight rise to your left to make a natural platform. On top of the platform you see the shape of three humanoid bodies. 

"No no no no no," Crom mutters as he abandons stealth and rushes over to the bodies to check their identities and their pulses, but he is already dreading what he will discover.

It is easy to tell as he approaches that Crom's two companions are no longer living. 

As he leans in close, he notices the human man, who he recognizes as Sildar, is breathing very shallowly.

Crom quickly looks Sildar over to see if he has any obvious and pressing injuries that need treating, and asks, "Sildar, can you hear me? Don't worry, help has come. We can get you out of here, just hang on. Do you know where Gundren is?"

At a loss for words, Ink stares at Mal and Rag in an attempt to comprehend what has happened. 

While Crom tends to Sildar, Calantha moves slowly to the bodies of Mal and Ragnarok. Her face is solemn as she kneels down before the platform. Although this is what she expected, it nevertheless is a crushing blow. She had always looked up to Mal as a valiant warrior. It was hard to believe she would never hear his gruff yet warm voice again. She hadn't known Ragnarok for very long, but in the brief time she'd known him he had proven to be a brave warrior and honorable man who had laid down his life to defend her and Crom while they had almost died from their injuries.

Though she was not especially religious, she recited a prayer to Kelemvor, the god of death, asking that he guide their friends' souls safely to the afterlife. Finally, she said simply, "Thank you." 

Sildar doesn't respond, his breathing is very shallow.

Crom attempts to ascertain the cause of Sildar's condition and stabilize him if need be.

"Sildar's alive," Crom calls out. "But he's not looking good. Ink, can you give me a hand here?"

Medicine: 20 (with advantage if Ink helps)

Without hesitation, Ink scurries toward Crom and Sildar to offer his help.

Calantha rouses herself from her prayer and hurries over to Crom and Ink. Sildar doesn't look like he's in good shape.

"Where in gods' name is Gundren?" she wonders aloud.

While Crom and Ink tend to Sildar's wounds, she decides to investigate the room to see if she can find anything belonging to the dwarf who had hired them for this job.

Investigation - 18

Crom hears his breathing regulate, and Sildar seems to rest more comfortably, but does not wake up.

Calantha sees the piles of goods in the center of the room, but otherwise just what looks like the goblin camps.

(The piles of goods are Mal and Ragnarok's goods. In addition to the items they find Calantha finds a necklace with a stone on it, with a language written on it she doesn't understand.

On the back of Mal's shield she sees inscribed:

Whether waging a battle or waging a bet,
the lady of luck has not left me yet.

For as I keep faith and as I draw breath,
Tymora will keep me from clutches of death.

So to draw her eye, and tempt fates I dare say.
What's the worst that could happen? I'll not die this day.

)

Crom sits back and lets out a tired sigh of relief. He walks over to the piles of gear and grabs Mal and Ragnarok's weapons, laying them down beside their owners. Returning to the piles, he begins to dig through the piles, pulling out his fallen comrades' armour.

Investigation: 15 

"I do not know Earth Genasi customs, but I feel like we at least owe him an interment in his armour when we get through this. Ragnarok too." Crom looks to Calantha for affirmation. "You knew Mal best, though."

"So what do we do now? We don't know where Gundren is, or if he's is still alive. We do have Sildar, but I think he may need better medical attention then I can give him here. As much as I want to find Gundren, I think we need to regroup. Get Chensica and Sildar to town, find out from Sildar what we are getting ourselves into, bury Mal and Ragnarok, take a night to recover, and maybe if Sildar has the coin to hire us a few more crew members. I mean at this point, If somehow they've kept Gundren alive this long, they're not like to kill him any time soon." Crom pauses, uncertain. "I hope." He looks to Ink and Calantha for their thoughts.

Calantha's eyes prick with tears as she reads the inscription on the back of Mal's shield. Discarding her old shield, she decides to take Mal's. She figures the old Earth genasi would approve. She also takes the strange necklace that she found, holding it in her hand. Wandering back over to Crom and Ink, she shows it to them, to see if either of them can read the language written on it.

Listening to Crom's plan, she nods. "Mal and Ragnarok deserve a proper burial. It's the least we can do for them. I think you're right. There's not much more to be done here. We need to rest and recover. We can figure out how to find Gundren once we make it to Phandalin. Sildar can no doubt tell us more about what happened if we get him the medical treatment he needs."

Calantha pockets the strange necklace. She also retrieves extra supplies from Mal's pack, including the military ID tokens. "We should take what is useful before we leave."

Crom grabs Ragnarok's oil flask and loops it onto his belt. He then retrieves the least filthy looking bedroll and lays out under the platform where Mal, Ragnarok, and Sildar lay. He carefuly lowers Mal and Ragnarok unto the bed roll, and using his knife, makes a few holes which he then threads his rope through. Tying it off, he backs up and gives a few tugs to see if it will hold if he uses the rope and roll to efficiently tow his fallen comrades.

When Calantha presents the necklace, Crom recognizes it immediately. He recalls having asking about it a while back when he and Ragnarok had been sharing a drink. "Mind if I hang onto that?" Crom asks. "When this is all over, I think I should return it to his troupe. Give them some closure."

Calantha nods and hands Crom the necklace. She looks approvingly at the litter he has made to tow their friends. "I've had enough of this place," she says. "Let's return to the cart. But keep an eye out. Those last few goblins could be anywhere by now."

Unsheathing her sword, she takes the lead. She looks back to see if Ink is following with Chenisca. The poor halfling woman is still catatonic.

"Oh, and Ink, did you hang onto that strange statuette? It seems a strange thing for goblins to have. Someone in town might know be able to tell us something about. Might be a clue to Gundren's whereabouts. Or at the very least, we could perhaps sell it for coin so we can rest up and restock. I don't know about you, but I didn't come to this job particularly flush with coin."

"Mal and I took each other's coins a few times as we placed bets our card games," comments Ink.

The gnome then picks up Mal's playing card set and places it in his own pack. "I'll be holding on to these."

Bearing his grief as well as he can, Ink follows Crom and Calantha out of the goblin cave.