The Undying Dragons - Campaign Thread

Xanthe stands quickly when she sees you all return. She looks past you then places her hand on Avaria's arm when she mentions the hobgoblins are gone.

She turns to the southern cave entrance to the orc enclosure.

"There may be no check on them now," Xanthe says quietly.

Then she turns back to the group.

"Are any of you hurt?" Xanthe asks.

Adelysia moves off to a quiet alcove on her own and visibly shrinks down.

As Avaria and Marrin head to the southern part of the cave towards the orc cavern, you notice that the light from the holes high above is starting to wane. Evening is coming.

In response to Marrin's call, she hears a grunt that might be a yes, or possibly just a belch.

As Xanthe places a hand on Avaria's arm and asks if any of them are hurt.  She nods, "Marrin and I.  We've been poisoned by snakes.  Definitely, really need a rest."  She smiles wanly at the woman, then continues to move by Marrin's side.

At the grunt coming from the orc's area, she looks to Marrin on how she wants to proceed, being the one that has the best report with the orcs.

Ethel hears Xanthe's concern about the Orcs, but she can't be bothered with slave-pen politics at the moment.  Her mind is elsewhere.

She moves to her little alcove and pulls out her spellbook, wishing she had a pen to make notes and trying to commit to memory every detail of Godrick's laboratory, the equipment therein, and the names of the tomes on his shelves.  

Then she shuts the book in frustration.

He breaches the lines between life and death.  Though he seems content to make monsters for his theater, his notes and research could hold secrets I need.  That I must have.

Marrin will pause in her going in and look to Xanthe,

"I would appreciate some healing, if you are able to provide it."

Once Xanthe provides some healing, or not, Marrin would step into the orc side and look around for Haguur.

Xanthe quietly places a hand on both Marrin and Avaria, looking around quickly as she does to both the southern cave entrance as well as the one to the west, where the goblins are.

Both of you feel a calming energy that feels like cool water moving through your veins from the point Xanthe touches you.

Marrin healed for: 8 

Avaria healed for: 13  

As soon as she's done, Xanthe takes her hands away and goes towards the alcove Adelysia has hidden in.

Marrin takes a deep, mostly painless breath.

"Thank you Xanthe."

Then on to Haguur.

Haguur looks up from from where he sits on a large rock. Only four of the other orcs are visible. You look quickly around the cavern but see no sign of the missing two.

The orc leader stares at you when you enter. There's no malice or pleasure in his gaze. He just waits.

Jan will accompany Marrin.

Marrin stops and says simply,

"Festan isn't coming back."

She then tilts her head in the direction of the hob's cavern and raises an eyebrow questioningly.

Avaria squeezes Xanthe's hand as she takes it away, "Thank you, I feel much better now."

As she sees Jan join them as well, she smiles at the other woman and whispers, "I wonder how this is going to go down.. what do you think we should try next, the spider cave?" Then as Marrin tells the orc that Festan isn't coming back, she watches him, waiting for his response.

Insight  22

Festan keeps his cold eyes on Marrin for several seconds after she relays the news about Festan.

Finally, Haguur turns his head and spits on the ground. Then he turns back and just nods.

He then looks over at the entrance to the hob cavern.

"The ones left will fall in line," Haguur says.

Then he stands, and if you didn't know better, there might even be the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

At that moment, the two missing orcs appear, breaking the surface of the water and gasping for air. They speak quickly in what you're sure is orcish, though neither Avaria or Marrin are familiar with the language.

Whatever they say makes the hint of smile disappear from Haguur, who in turn appears to just yell at the two orcs.

They take deep breaths and dive back under the water.

Haguur looks back at Marrin.

"What now?"

Marrin looks towards the pool as the pair dive back under, keeping her tone matter of fact,

"If your boys are still hungry we can see about those spiders. Might also be worth seeing what the hobgoblins have in their cavern and pool."

Lifting her eyes back to Haguur from the orc's pool,

"Any luck?"

Haguur waves his hand at the pool near his feet with what looks like dismissive disgust.

"Best deal with them now before they start to think," Haguur says, looking at the entrance to the hob cavern. 

He grunts at the other four orcs still present and they move off into a couple of dark alcoves.

"We'll go in this way if you and your other warriors go in from the goblin entrance," Haguur says.

"Festan have a second? Someone who needs removing to convince those left to side against the Hargroves? Or are they all too much of boot lickers to trust?"

Haguur shrugs at Jan's question.

"Not the bugbears," Haguur says. "They're just there for heavy lifting. Maybe one of the two hobgoblins left. Focus on them."

Marrin nods and says,

"We'll distract them to the goblin side, see to it that you're at their backs. You'll hear when we start."

Marrin will turn and head back, expecting the other two to follow her. Once they are out of ear shot of the orcs she'll say softly to Jan and Ava,

"We are going to need to get them a new target soon."

She'll then wave Hammerdasher and Ula over, and giving Ethel a nod, as she moves into the goblin cavern. Once in there she find Jistlek and quickly explain the situation, quietly, to the goblin.

"Festan, and everyone with him, are dead. Haguur and his lot are going to clean up what's left and we're going to provide a distraction. Remind me to let you know about the little Hargreaves necromancing up some of yours. Anything happen here while we were gone? Oh, and how do you say 'Come here now' in goblin?"

"Well, once they remove the hobgoblin issue, we could start with the spiders, that would give them something to focus on.  And in the meantime, I could swim in their cavern and see what's possibly there."  Avaria looks to Ethel, "I just worry about having you swim anywhere.. that last one had quite a few twists and turns."

She waits to hear what Jistlek has to say.

Seeing the Marrin gathering a crew and moving into the goblin cave, Ethel forces herself out of her introspection and rises to join them.

Jisthelek cocks his head to one side when Marrin tells him about what happened to Festan and the other hobgoblins.

"That's going to put a real damper on his plans to get our of here early for good behaviour," Jisthelek says.

Then he pauses to consider the question about whether anything had happened here or not.

"I did have a very nice nap. Thank you for asking."

The goblin casts a glance towards the hobgoblin cavern entrance. 

"Strength and numbers," Jisthelek says. "Don't go in there asking questions or playing nice. Go in and let them know who's the boss."

He looks around the cavern.

"Hey you, you, and you. Yes, you with the finger up your nose. And you," Jisthelek identifies five goblins. "Get your bony asses over here. You're their back up."

He looks back at your group.

"They're the least like to piss themselves when they get in there."

Avaria chuckles at the goblin's last sentence and then gets ready to convince the two hobgoblins to join them.  She wonders what is in their pool.

As they head into the hobs territory, she eyes the bugbears to make sure they aren't going to be trouble and starts the conversation with the hobs, seeing the orcs joining as well (I'm assuming).  "Alright, listen up.  Your others aren't coming back.  You're with us now."  and she looks to Marrin to continue the conversation, helping her with intimidation.