Ralik nods to Shavaris. “Thank you. Is there any news of my enemy, Ganondorf?” He says again sternly in elvish.

He motions to the the direction further into the tunnel and in Common says “I have put a trap ahead. If more come we should hear. I need a small rest if we are going to face stronger enemies. I will be more deadly hm.”

Shavaris shakes her head when Ralik asks about Ganondorf.  As he asks for a rest, she heads over and sits near Hoggle, settling in for a short rest.

"Hoggle, where do we go next to reach the castle?  I know you want to be rid of us, and the sooner we get there, the sooner we will be out of your hair.  Please, help us out."

"Not with that attitude." Ward says, then thinking a bit. "Also, did any of you guys find some explosives off them or in the cleaner machine, they would be, helpful." Ward says putting away the wood and his carving tools as he sees the group readying to move on

Figuring out the machine wasn't hard; hopping up and down on the pedals reactivated it and started it moving.  The platform on the back wasn't big enough for everyone, but some, like Ludo, were more than happy to walk behind the machine once the wheel started spinning and it got moving.  There was no way to steer it; it went down the corridor bumping off the tight walls as if on a track, though it seemed like, if somehow brought out on open ground, the claws at the top could reach out and grab something to help pivot it into a new direction of movement.  

Hoggle, though reluctant to go any deeper into the Labyrinth, explains that there are bound to be enemy forces on the move everywhere, especially now that one of the Goblins got away to report on their activities.  They move quick, turning the Cleaner around and heading back the way it had come...

Toward the Oubliette.  

A funny thing happens when they arrive at the Oubliette, the strange, underground prison that Hoggle is able to get them into with the promise of a safe rest; there, inside the confines of the structure, a stone room roughly twenty by twenty, there are four dwarves sitting around a table.  They're caught off guard as the party enters to rest; one Dwarf, in a cloak and dressed in the moon-and-star adorned purple pajamas of a very cliche wizard, is stunned as he looks over the board that hides him from the other three Dwarves at his table who are all rolling dice and holding parchment scrolls with numbers and symbols all over them...

It looks like the Dawn Guard has interrupted a rousing game of Oubliettes and Ogres...in the oubliette.  

"We mean no harm, just looking for a place to rest. Also, I would love to know if any of you had some things or information to trade." Ward says, stepping up and reaching his hand out to whoever of the Dwarves is nearest. 

The tint fairy listens to Travin question the pair of goblins they knocked out and when Travin replies with very little information the fairy nods.  Once questioning is over and no one seems to jave any other questions Delph says in common "Okay, thank you for answering our questions.  Tell the other goblins we only fight if we have to.  If you don't want to get hurt then don't fight us.  We are super strong.  I mean, look how quickly we defeated you!  A lot more goblins will get hurt if you keep attacking us.  Anyway, you're free to go!"  Delphinium then let's the pair of captured goblins go, untying their binds and shooing them along.

Delphinium seems more distracted then normal as they head towards the oubliette.  Perhaps even bothered, but the fairy smiles and moves on.  They enjoy the ride on the machine and as the journey continues back the way they came Delph seems to be checking out every nook and cranny of the contraption as it's worked from this side.  Delphinium makes sure the party doesn't run over anyone as they go.  Also trying to get some rest if there is enough time.

As Hoggle explains other goblins are after us, especially since some got away Delphinium pipes up "All the goblins were already after us Hoggle.  The goblins I've met before tended to be very timid and easily scared.  Letting go the ones that see how strong we are might make less of the goblins want to fight us.  See, letting others live is a good thing.  You all really should try it more!"  Delphinium looks to each of the dawn guard as if hoping they might learn something.

The group eventually gets to the oubliette that Hoggle was so keen on.  It's doesn't seem like the way they want to go though.  Delphinium begins wondering if they moved further away from the castle instead of closer.  However, that thought is disrupted by meeting some new dwarfs that seem to be playing some kind of game Delph has never seen.  The fairy zooms over to the dwarfs and is immediately distracted by the oddly shaped dice.  "Wooh!  Your dice come in all kinds of shapes!  One, two, three... twenty sides?  Wow!  This seems way better then the six sided dice I'd see hunter's using.  How do you play this game?  Do you make bets?  Why so many different dice?  I like your cloak by the way!  Really wizard like!  Can you cast spells?  Oh!  Right, HI!  I'm Delphinium!  Or you can call me fireflight.  That works too.  One of my friends gave me the second name but the first one I had was Delphinium."

Johnathan looks to the others as they see the dwarves playing some weird game during an invasion. He looks over the dwarves trying to see if they are wearing a uniform or reaching for their weapons. He doesn’t show his eldritch beams just yet. If they could be spoken to then maybe they can conserve some of their strength for the real battles. 

Insight check to see intent: 18

Travin says nothing and sweats a little when ward asks if any explosives were found, as they move Travin is wary of the machine, this thing broke his beautiful beam after all. On the travel Yravin sticks close to Ol' Ironsides, feeling a homely kinship with the shelled beast once more.

When they arrive to find the dwarves playing silly games in the oubliette Travin finally pipes up, "Are you all playing for keeps? Hmmmmmmmm? Travin likes to gamble, but he hasn't seen this game before, how does you all play? Travin has things for trade and things for gamble if you want! Yeh yeh yeh"

As they head on down the tunnel, Shavaris sees Travin get near Schmoops again and she pulls him away from the snail, "Don't you remember what happened last time you touched that snail?"  

As they arrive to the oubliette, Shavaris walks around the area while others head up to the dwarves to question them.  She walks along the perimeter trying to understand her surroundings as much as possible and see where the openings out of this area are.

The Dwarves look at each other as the band files in, and then look curiously at the Warforged who stops in front of them and asks for trade.  They look at one another and mumble a few things, and one offers up a short tidbit about the Goblins.  Apparently they're everywhere.  There's skirmishes all over the Labyrinth with the Knights of Yore, the Horned Beasts, and the Dwarves in the warrens.  That's about all the information they have, though.  They've been trying to spend their time down here in the oubliette to avoid being in anyone's crosshairs, especially as things begin to heat up.  

Hoggle watches Delphinium dart off.  He hasn't tried to compromise his conversation with the Fairy since the close of the last fight.  He just looks tired now, and on edge as he watches the door they entered through.  He's already working his key ring as the others investigate the room.  

"For keeps?"  One of the Goblins responds to Travin.  "We're...not gambling.  See!  We're playing these characters, and we've been fighting our way to the Goblin King's castle!  And see, well, there were more of us last week but we got beat up pretty bad and some of the characters died.  It was pretty bad.  So I guess that's for keeps?  But there's no money or anything involved, no."  

Hoggle is already moving toward a corner of the room, messing with a pile of debris against what seems to be a broom closet or something while working his way through his keys.  He takes his time, giving everyone time to take a short rest while they converse with the Dwarves and catch their breath.  

Kerwyn goes and stands over Hoggle, as he still does not trust the dwarf.  He looks with interest over his shoulder at what he is doing.  If he tries to squirm away through some secret door, Kerwyn will have a readied action to grab him and slam him to the floor.  

“Whatcha doin Foggle?  Why do you have so many keys?  Does that mean that you’re really important?  Why are we here?”

Delphinium listens to the explanation of the game.  They seem to take the story seriously though.  "Oh no!  I'm sorry they died.  Who killed them?  Should I go beat them up?  We are heading that way now.  Oh!  Oh!  Was it Blix?  I was already planning to punch him to tell us where the unicorn is.  We are not doing it for money either.  We just want to save the world from darkness."  Delph picks up the 20 sided die and rolls it once 7 curious to see what they get.  They look to the dwarves and ask "Is that a good roll?"  Unsure of the rules as the dwarves talked about a failed attempt to attack the goblin king Delph wasn't sure if low or high was good to roll on the die.  

"this is good information yeh? how you died might be a warning hmmmm? what blocks the path to the goblin castle? Travin would also like a numbered gem!" Travin clanks on round the table and looks at all the clackity clacks, he then digs around in one of his chests and pulls out an ink pen, ink well, and paper. "trade? yeh yeh yeh!"

Shavaris looks around the space, noticing Hoggle messing with some sort of closet as Kerwyn hovers over him.  As the rest of the Dawn Guard converse with the dwarves, she continues to scan the area. 

All at once she stops, frozen.  Takes her a moment, but she composes herself and starts walking across the room.  As she passes the table near her friends, in a voice that really doesn’t sound like her, “Follow me” And she heads towards the wall.

Johnathan does not like being surrounded by goblins. Not on bit. He sees them organising below. They are clearly planning an attack. Johnathan drinks as much of his flask that he can to calm his nerves. We should leave. As he says this he realises that their next obstacle will take a while and they will have to wait here for a bit. As Hoggle is looking for a key Johnathan will approach and whispers to him. Are these goblins gonna give away our location or are they friends of yours? It seems strange that they are hiding below ground. Is there a sort of rebel alliance against Blix?

Johnathan was still not gonna work with goblins. They are evil and will inevitably betray them. But they are surrounded and they need to save their strength for the real fight ahead. He will avoid them for now, keeping clear of the game table where some of them were playing. 

"these is dwarveses my cold friend, hmmmm? Like our guide Joggle! Yeh yeh" Travin points to the OnO players round the table and then to hoggle by the door, also accidentally directing everyone's attention toward Shavaris, "oubliettes is where you put things to forgets about them, hmmm are you forgotten dwarveses? Hehee" 

"You're more overbearing than damn Jareth, you know that?"  Hoggle replies to Kerwyn as he works on unlocking the broom closet that is hidden behind the pile of weird brooms and tools.  The door finally opens, and behind it is a long hallway, paved in gold with purple tapestries hanging along the wall and portraits of all sorts of Worms, Horned Beasts, Lupine Knights of Yore, and Goblins.  So many Goblins, all done up in their most regal attire.  "I'm trying to take you to the Goblin City, Mr. Smartypants.  I have all these keys so I can get around the Labyrinth, because I work here.  And...wait.  What are you doing?"

His eyes shift to follow Shavaris, and his huge, bushy eyebrows reach for the sky.  

"Hey!  What are you doing!  Don't!"  

The Dwarves aren't paying attention to anyone that isn't crowding their table.  They do attempt, however, to answer Delphinium and Travin's questions; they look back and forth between them and each other, discuss a little, look at Travin, talk amongst themselves a little bit longer...

"It's the Goblins."  One of them finally says.  

"There's just so many of them."

"And then we got to the Goblin City..."

"And all that...gosh...the whole Labyrinth is just crawling with bad stuff man like...BAD STUFF."

This last Dwarf says this emphatically, doing hand motions to go with what he's said like it's the ultimate statement on what to expect in the Labyrinth.  The Dwarf behind the screen looks around as his players answer, sighs, and then looks at Delphinium and Travin like they're a complete idiots.

"You know this is just a game, right?  And no.  That roll sucks."  

This Dwarf looks somewhat affronted, more so than the others, at least.  

Hoggle is too mesmerized watching Shavaris to really pay Johnathan attention.  Finally, he looks at Johnathan, squints, then flutters him off with his hand.  

"They're just playing a stupid game, looks to me like!"  Their Dwarven guide says.  

Shavaris gets to the wall, oblivious if anyone follows her or not, and starts feeling around in a specific area.  She suddenly stops and a smile creeps across her face as she finds a keyhole covered in dust.  She pulls out her thieves tools, deftly inserting them and tries to work them, but alas, they pull but nothing happens.  She puts them away, sighs, then starts looking around.  She sees Hoggle looking at her and she brightens.

"Hoggle!  You have keys, don't you?  For all the doors in the labyrinth, correct?  Can you help me with this lock?  I mean, I see you have opened a passageway for us, thank you, but what about this way?  I have a feeling this is the way we want to go." she says pointing to the lock she wants help with.

“Hey guys, come check out what’s in this hallway.  What’re you guys doing over there?”  Kerwyn looks down the passage that Hoggle just opened up, looks as far as he can see.  Is this real?  Let’s get this show on the road!  

"Oh, along with that, if there is a path that takes us through some sort of garden or forest with the local plants. I need a little something for a special brew that'll give us a bit of a hand later on." Ward says tucking his vials and the sorts away.