Pisgah just shrugs and makes the shape of a pear in the air. "That may work. Or it may not. I'll hang to the back and let some of our more 'talktative' folks go ask the nice Bugbear for directions. "
Rico just stays quiet in the back. She seen some worlds bugbears were monsters to be killed on site, and others were bugbears were members of society the same as any other race. Apparently this world is somewhere in between. She will let the locals figure it out, and just follow their lead...
“Since I mentioned speaking to them, I don’t mind trying.” Jaya says to the group.
I will approach the Bugbear/room, shield in hand but weapons sheathed, not trying to hide or be menacing, very chill. I will think through all I know about Xanathar's Guild from my days as a city watch to be ready to respond.
As I get closer, I’ll call out, “Greetings good Sir or Madam, my name is Jaya! My friends and I have recently entered this fine dungeon, seeking adventure, glory, and perhaps a bit of wealth! We have heard that there were some representatives of the mighty Xanathar’s Guild present in these halls, perhaps you are such an individual? We have no quarrel with you, or your Guild, and are just looking for passage further into the dungeon, where we hope the adventure, glory, and wealth to be, let’s say, more substantial!”
“Could you perhaps direct us through your domain to where we may find a way to the lower levels? Your help is appreciated!”
As Jaya steps up, the bugbear finally notices that he is not alone. Wielding a morningstar raised defensively in one gangly limb, his brow knotted in confusion, he is clearly trying to figure out what to make of the dragonborn.
[Persuasion with advantage: 6]: The bugbear keeps his weapon raised and roars in common: "Hold your step! The guild has delared this section of the dungeon off-limits! Any wealth futher below already belongs to Xanathar and there will be no interferenceallowed!"
As the bugbear speaks, you see another, previously unseen, bugbear step out from behind another pillar in the room ahead. Both of the goblinoids are wearing grim expressions and have their morningstars at the ready. They are not attacking you, but they seem hostile and intent on barring your way.
DM assumptions: Jaya has moved up and the rest of the party is at the eye position:
Jaya will stop, still acting peacefully and say out loud “I understand, of course you must protect the guilds assets, we will leave all the wealth to you.”
Jaya will send a telepathic message to the lead bugbear in common… “You have done well; I will be sure to tell Drax about your loyalty. Now let us pass, I am on official guild business, my traveling companions are unaware of this though and I need to keep it that way, as I need to deliver them to Drax, alive.”
OOC: I made up the name Drax, but if there was any name in my past I knew that maybe connected to the guild, I would use that name!
As Jaya stares the bugbear down [Intimidation 2, 19], the goblinoids weapon begins lowering. Their demeanor changes significantly, as they now step back out of your way. The one in the lead says: "Acknowledged. Shunn will be expecting you one level lower. If you prefer the direct way, head straight south until you reach a room with a headless statue, then east." The two remain in the room, eyeing you as you pass by, but seem broadly indifferent to your presence.
Rico and Nikk [Nature Passive: 14+]: These bugbears are surprisingly eloquent for a species that isn't exactly known for their intellect.
Jaya:
A telepathic reply comes from the bugbear, clearly not fueled by your own powers. "Didn't expect one of us to come in the guise of a dragonborn. There are few of us, so use the passcode next time you meet other guild members." He does not elaborate, assuming that Jaya already knows the relevant information.
(DM: Based on his existing knowledge of the guild, Jaya would remember that there was a commander called "Shunn “Spider Eyes” Shurreth" in the guild. I'll assume that he used this name instead.)
Nikk says nothing. Despite not remembering much, he does remember his last deal with the Guild -- it did not end pleasantly, nor peacefully. Fortunately, he is much older, and now wears a black hood to hide his scars, as well as his silver eyes. Still...
To be safe, he stows his staff in his pack, opting for his spare wand instead. The greater the difference, the better. His people are rare, but not that rare.
Canti sighs in relief and smiles. "There, see? A little pleasantry, and we spared the wear and tear on our weapons and the floor from more blood stains."
" I hope so......still, let me stay behind the rest of you and bring up the last of the line before we go back to normal walking order. " Pisgah looks warily at the bugbears as he passes but keeps his weapons sheathed but his hand on the hilt.
Everyone gets 260 XP for dealing with the bugbears.
You all pass by the bugbears without incident. Pisgah sees how they look after you as you head south, but eventually the hallway becomes too long to be able to see them.
You're walking for a good bit until you come to a partially collapsed dungeon section. Three pickaxes and two shovels rest atop piles of rubble at the mouth of a 5-foot-wide, 5-foot-high tunnel that meanders through collapsed stone. A dead goblin lies here, sprawled on the floor. It seems to have suffered a fatal head injury, judging by the blood.
Pisgah: Going through the meagre equipment on the goblin is quick. He does not carry any weapons and most pouches have been opened and emptied. One pouch is open, but still contains a handful of seeds.
Cook's Utensils: Rico and Canti recognize that these seeds are sun-dried, not inteded for planting, but rather to spice cooked meals. They count as 4 uncommon supplies for future reference.
After heading into the darkness of the excavated tunnel, you emerge from the rubble of a partially collapsed hall. Buried within the rubble to the west, you spot a headless stone statue of a nude woman. There is one single door to the west and a double-door to the east.
Jaya takes a moment to update the group, “I telepathically sent a message to the bugbears, telling them, falsely, that I was a guild member and that I needed to get to Shunn, a member’s name I remember from my days on the watch, which, only ended yesterday. Anyways…” he continues, "the bugbear communicated back to me telepathically, on his own, with his own abilities. That is not a common ability for a bugbear, so they were special bugbears. Anyone ever experienced that before?”
“He mentioned this room and the headless statue, east should lead us to Shunn and I assume more of the Xanathar’s guild members. I’m not sure where west will go as he didn’t mention it. He also mentioned using the password next time, which I do not know.” Looking at the Kenku, Jaya adds, “does anyone know a password for the guild by chance? It could come in handy as we continue on, no telling how many of them we’ll encounter.”
“I’d vote for heading west, try to avoid the guild if we can. I have no desire to make an enemy with them if we can help it.”
"We probably need to be careful for the next bit. If those guards report that we came through here to see Shunn then they may come looking when we don't show up. We should probably have a couple of our more investigative people check for traps on the west door before we try it but I think we need to move out of this room pretty soon."
Jaya: This door looks like any other you've found. But contrast to most, it does seem well used, as the handle is lacking any dust and on the floor you can see a faint path made by shoes and feet that have walked past here. No noise is to be heard.
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Pisgah just shrugs and makes the shape of a pear in the air. "That may work. Or it may not. I'll hang to the back and let some of our more 'talktative' folks go ask the nice Bugbear for directions. "
Rico just stays quiet in the back. She seen some worlds bugbears were monsters to be killed on site, and others were bugbears were members of society the same as any other race. Apparently this world is somewhere in between. She will let the locals figure it out, and just follow their lead...
“Since I mentioned speaking to them, I don’t mind trying.” Jaya says to the group.
I will approach the Bugbear/room, shield in hand but weapons sheathed, not trying to hide or be menacing, very chill. I will think through all I know about Xanathar's Guild from my days as a city watch to be ready to respond.
As I get closer, I’ll call out, “Greetings good Sir or Madam, my name is Jaya! My friends and I have recently entered this fine dungeon, seeking adventure, glory, and perhaps a bit of wealth! We have heard that there were some representatives of the mighty Xanathar’s Guild present in these halls, perhaps you are such an individual? We have no quarrel with you, or your Guild, and are just looking for passage further into the dungeon, where we hope the adventure, glory, and wealth to be, let’s say, more substantial!”
“Could you perhaps direct us through your domain to where we may find a way to the lower levels? Your help is appreciated!”
As Jaya steps up, the bugbear finally notices that he is not alone. Wielding a morningstar raised defensively in one gangly limb, his brow knotted in confusion, he is clearly trying to figure out what to make of the dragonborn.
[Persuasion with advantage: 6]: The bugbear keeps his weapon raised and roars in common:
"Hold your step! The guild has delared this section of the dungeon off-limits! Any wealth futher below already belongs to Xanathar and there will be no interference allowed!"
As the bugbear speaks, you see another, previously unseen, bugbear step out from behind another pillar in the room ahead. Both of the goblinoids are wearing grim expressions and have their morningstars at the ready. They are not attacking you, but they seem hostile and intent on barring your way.
DM assumptions: Jaya has moved up and the rest of the party is at the eye position:
Jaya will stop, still acting peacefully and say out loud “I understand, of course you must protect the guilds assets, we will leave all the wealth to you.”
Jaya will send a telepathic message to the lead bugbear in common… “You have done well; I will be sure to tell Drax about your loyalty. Now let us pass, I am on official guild business, my traveling companions are unaware of this though and I need to keep it that way, as I need to deliver them to Drax, alive.”
OOC: I made up the name Drax, but if there was any name in my past I knew that maybe connected to the guild, I would use that name!
Intimidation 2 (natural 1+1)
Let me know if you want a different roll, or roll for me.
As Jaya stares the bugbear down [Intimidation 2, 19], the goblinoids weapon begins lowering. Their demeanor changes significantly, as they now step back out of your way. The one in the lead says: "Acknowledged. Shunn will be expecting you one level lower. If you prefer the direct way, head straight south until you reach a room with a headless statue, then east."
The two remain in the room, eyeing you as you pass by, but seem broadly indifferent to your presence.
Rico and Nikk [Nature Passive: 14+]: These bugbears are surprisingly eloquent for a species that isn't exactly known for their intellect.
Jaya:
A telepathic reply comes from the bugbear, clearly not fueled by your own powers. "Didn't expect one of us to come in the guise of a dragonborn. There are few of us, so use the passcode next time you meet other guild members." He does not elaborate, assuming that Jaya already knows the relevant information.
(DM: Based on his existing knowledge of the guild, Jaya would remember that there was a commander called "Shunn “Spider Eyes” Shurreth" in the guild. I'll assume that he used this name instead.)
Jaya nods at the bugbears, then turns to his traveling companions and says “At ease, follow me” and he’ll walk directly towards the south passage.
Nikk says nothing. Despite not remembering much, he does remember his last deal with the Guild -- it did not end pleasantly, nor peacefully. Fortunately, he is much older, and now wears a black hood to hide his scars, as well as his silver eyes. Still...
To be safe, he stows his staff in his pack, opting for his spare wand instead. The greater the difference, the better. His people are rare, but not that rare.
Canti sighs in relief and smiles. "There, see? A little pleasantry, and we spared the wear and tear on our weapons and the floor from more blood stains."
" I hope so......still, let me stay behind the rest of you and bring up the last of the line before we go back to normal walking order. " Pisgah looks warily at the bugbears as he passes but keeps his weapons sheathed but his hand on the hilt.
Everyone gets 260 XP for dealing with the bugbears.
You all pass by the bugbears without incident. Pisgah sees how they look after you as you head south, but eventually the hallway becomes too long to be able to see them.
You're walking for a good bit until you come to a partially collapsed dungeon section. Three pickaxes and two shovels rest atop piles of rubble at the mouth of a 5-foot-wide, 5-foot-high tunnel that meanders through collapsed stone. A dead goblin lies here, sprawled on the floor. It seems to have suffered a fatal head injury, judging by the blood.
Pisgah checks the goblin for any items that may be useful. Investigation roll 20 (not natural).
Pisgah will grab anything useful then pick up a shovel and pickaxe and continue first down the 5x5 corridor.
Pisgah: Going through the meagre equipment on the goblin is quick. He does not carry any weapons and most pouches have been opened and emptied. One pouch is open, but still contains a handful of seeds.
Cook's Utensils: Rico and Canti recognize that these seeds are sun-dried, not inteded for planting, but rather to spice cooked meals. They count as 4 uncommon supplies for future reference.
After heading into the darkness of the excavated tunnel, you emerge from the rubble of a partially collapsed hall. Buried within the rubble to the west, you spot a headless stone statue of a nude woman. There is one single door to the west and a double-door to the east.
Pisgah will toss the seed pouch to Rico or Canti and then go listen at each door using the horn.
West door: Perception roll 20 (not nat)
East door: Perception roll 9
It's all quiet in both directions.
Pisgah tells the rest the doorway are quiet and asks if they want to go East or west.
Jaya takes a moment to update the group, “I telepathically sent a message to the bugbears, telling them, falsely, that I was a guild member and that I needed to get to Shunn, a member’s name I remember from my days on the watch, which, only ended yesterday. Anyways…” he continues, "the bugbear communicated back to me telepathically, on his own, with his own abilities. That is not a common ability for a bugbear, so they were special bugbears. Anyone ever experienced that before?”
“He mentioned this room and the headless statue, east should lead us to Shunn and I assume more of the Xanathar’s guild members. I’m not sure where west will go as he didn’t mention it. He also mentioned using the password next time, which I do not know.” Looking at the Kenku, Jaya adds, “does anyone know a password for the guild by chance? It could come in handy as we continue on, no telling how many of them we’ll encounter.”
“I’d vote for heading west, try to avoid the guild if we can. I have no desire to make an enemy with them if we can help it.”
"We probably need to be careful for the next bit. If those guards report that we came through here to see Shunn then they may come looking when we don't show up. We should probably have a couple of our more investigative people check for traps on the west door before we try it but I think we need to move out of this room pretty soon."
Jaya inspects the west door, Perception: 18
Jaya: This door looks like any other you've found. But contrast to most, it does seem well used, as the handle is lacking any dust and on the floor you can see a faint path made by shoes and feet that have walked past here. No noise is to be heard.