((Yep.))

(((Yep)))

Avaria sighs as she sits between Hammerdasher and Ula.  Looking at the waning light from above she then looks down the South passage.  "No, we have only been to where the goblins are located.  But with the light diminishing and the others still gone..." she sighs again, the worry for her new friends in the arena apparent on her face.  "Let's wait till they return, have a good rest and then hopefully we'll have time to check out the rest of the cavern."

She rests her head against the wall and closes her eyes for a moment, then looks up to Xanthe, "Have you been to the other caverns?  Are they any different than this one?"

Jan, Marrin, and Ethel retrace their steps with their guard escort, back tracking down hallways, through the guard post, where keys are exchanged, and down more hallway until they find themselves deposited back into their home cavern with the door clanging shut behind them, the echo of locks being closed ringing out.

Avaria has no sooner asked her question of Xanthe when the others arrive. The elderly woman looks from Avaria to the return of the trio and back and nods with a small smile.

"They've survived," Xanthe says then looks more closely at Avaria. "I've see the goblins and orcs caves. They're similar to these with light from overhead and deep pools of saltwater. Each have connects with the hobgoblins and to this cavern. But the orcs cave also has another tunnel leading off to the east. I don't know what's that way."

Ethlehyn moves immediately to the little corner of the cavern she had staked out for herself.  She collects a few of the cleanest feather from her person and adds it, along with the fine sand, to her makeshift collection of components.

She is not being intentionally antisocial, but she trusts Jan and Marrin to be able to relay the story of their combat.  Meanwhile she has much to consider.  The feathers could be useful... too bad she had gone a different direction with her spell studies earlier.  Still... better to have and not need, than need and not have.

Then there is the matter of the challenges in the arena.  A large boar or a tiger would make those axe beaks seem like a walk in the park.  By the gods - had they decided to send another wave of those birds that may have been all it took to undo them.  This arena combat was simply not tenable.  It was only a matter of time before one or more of them fall to the entertainment of the Hargrove's clientele.  

She purses her lips, looks over her spells, and engages in mental exercises to commit some of those faces from the crowd to memory....

As the three girls re-enter the cavern, Avaria's face breaks into a wide grin.  She jumps up to greet them, but pauses as Xanthe answers her question.  Finding it interesting about the tunnel, and of course in the cavern that seems to have the roughest characters.

She heads to greet the three of them, and notices Ethel head off to the corner she was in before, Avaria is about to call out to her, but stops herself just in time.  She knows that look, if Ethel wants to talk, she will when she wants to.  Avaria turns her attention back to the others, "Are you alright?  Man, I can't tell you how glad I am to see you!!"  She stops herself from giving them both a bearhug, she can tell they have been hurt and doesn't want to make it worse.  "Here, come sit.  Please, you both need rest."  If there is still water around, she'll grab that and bring it to them, almost smothering them with her attempts to make them feel better.

Marrin finds a smile for Avaria,

"We're fine, it will take more than a trio of large turkeys to get us! Not much more, unfortunately."

She'll give the larger woman a light side hug, her other shoulder still sore and not completely healed, before heading to where Avaria directs to take a seat. If she manages to scrounge up some water that will also be accepted with a thanks. Once seated, and hopefully when Ula and Avaria are there she'll comment,

"I have to say I missed having someone, someones, that were better at defending themselves between me and the things that want to, in this case, chop me to death with their heads."

She stretches out to get as comfortable as she can and recounts the entire experience and what she saw, taking care to note the details of the garbage room and the climbable wall. She'll have Jan put on the Lady Hargreave's face to show the others as well. When she finishes she asks,

"What is the news here? Found the secret dwarven escape route already I hope?"

There is some jest in her tone but most she is just tired.

Jan will clean her clothing off as best she can, dipping a rag in Ula's bathwater to scrub the blood and dirt before cleaning it as well.

She'll return Ava's attempted hug gingerly, and play her roll supporting Jan's tale, taking on Lady Hargrove's face, as well as making scale miniatures of the axebeaks, a faint imitation of their calls, and a whiff of the scent of the garbage pile.

Xanthe approaches your group cautiously and looks carefully at Jan and Marrin.

"Are you okay?" Xanthe asks you. "I can help you recover more quickly if needed."

"Marrin saw to my wounds after the fight... but I appreciate it. Are you a healer?"

Xanthe brings her hand to her upper chest and looks around quickly when Jan asks if she's a healer. She looks to the entrance to the goblin cavern then to the orc cave before looking to the main door again.

She looks back to Jan and moves a little closer. 

"I can heal a little but I don't like to let too many know, at least outside of this cave," Xanthe says. "It's a skill that can attract trouble from some of the other caves if they think it would give them an advantage."

She then pats Ula on the hand. "Be careful."

Jan - Perception Check please

Perception: 8

Martin waves Xanthe off and will rinse off before finding a soft stretch of dirt to sleep on against a wall.

As the others get comfortable, Avaria fills them in on Ula and her’s adventure.  Unloading the boats at the dock, the way there, the new friend they made, along with his request to almost take a fall before recovering.  

Looking around to make sure no one is looking, she shows the vial that they received from him as well.  
“Why don’t you all rest, I’ll keep my eyes open for awhile.”

Martin pats Ava's arm,

"Thank you. Wake me so you can get some sleep though. No one's helped if you're exhausted."

Unfortunately Jan is too tired to notice anything more about Xanthe.

Marrin settles in and finds a somewhat smooth area on the ground without too many bumps to disturb her sleep, while Avaria stays up to watch over her (and the others - first watch?)

Anything more from Jan, Ethel, or Ula? Marrin will take a watch as well. Anyone else, or relying on the others in the cavern?

Jan waits for when folks have settled down, and she tries to keep it from being noticed, but anyone who might have reason to look in her direction...

((Rolled 10 on Sleight of Hand in OOC))

Unless asked, Ethel doesn't set a proper watch.  What she does do as night falls is use the last of the light to study her spells for the following day.  Then she curls up as comfortably as she can on a stone cavern floor.  She wraps her spell book up inside her clothes, lays her head down and closes her eyes.

And she listens.  Ethel will try to spend the first two hours lying quietly, thinking about the days awful turn of events and they will rectify the situation, but also listening to her surroundings.  Does anyone approach?  Are there squeals of terror from the goblin's cave?  Anything unusual at all?  Perception: 5

Assuming nothing extraordinary happens, she will allow herself to fall asleep after two hours.

(yes, Avaria will take first watch)

Ava nods at Marrin's words and makes sure she and the others get settled.  Since the three have entered, she has been keeping close eye on them, worried after their fight and notices Jan.  Heading over to her to not cause a commotion, she whispers in her ear, "Are you alright?"

Not wanting to pester anyone else any further, she sits with her back against the cold cavern wall.  She listens, straining to the hear sounds from the other caverns as she watches over her friends.

Perception  14

Jan wipes the back of her hand across her mouth and gives Ava a tight lipped but warm smile. "As best as can be expected after today."