Chrys holds the others back for a moment. "Now hold up here. I know Pox didn't speak too great common... an' I gotta admit, I don't speak a lick o' goblin. But I spent enough time defendin' my town from 'em to know a lil' o' their lispin' ways. And Pox gave us a warnin' - it ain' t just goblins waitin' down there."
She takes a quick glance down the corridor, making sure nothing is coming out towards them, before turning back to the others.
"Pox said there's a big boss. Ain't no bugbear, thanks to that -- and ya know, if we can find Wuzig again, maybe he'd be willin' to help Pox an' any o' the other non-cursed goblins out, if they just wanna have a home, it's a thought -- and a whole buncha warrior goblins waitin' for us. But she also said there are others, like her, who are scared, an' just followin' orders. But most importantly, she said the warrior goblins have dogs with 'em. Now I don't know 'bout you, but I only ever seen one kinda dog runnin' with a goblin, and that ain't no dog. I bet it's gonna be a worg. Warrior goblins use 'em like horses. Hopefully not in a cramped space like this tunnel here, but... it ain't gonna be no walk in the park if they got their animals with 'em. Plus we still don't know if the fat boss man's a shaman or not. Magic users ain't nothin' to scoff at,"she says, giving a wink to Vesper.
Chrys pauses, hand on her chin, thinking of a strategy.
"I'm thinkin' the sneakier o' us should go down that hall an' try to get the... eh... let's call 'em civvie gobs... outta this mess 'fore it gets sticky. Fer one, we won't have ta fight 'em. Fer two, they might give us some tips or secrets to help take down them warriors bit by bit, rather than in one big ol' battle. An fer three, if we can get to where the worgs are bein' held and keep 'em from joinin' our battle with the boss, put 'em to sleep, or kill 'em separately, I think that'll be a great big help."
She surveys the group. "I think fer this job, our point men... or women... are gonna need to be both sneaky, and charismatic. That sure as hell ain't me, so who's feelin' up to it?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Yes, Farwalker mentioned that he'd seen signs of worgs along with the goblin tracks, so they're definitely using them. We can definitely expect the boss to be not a goblin," Lumen says. Listening to Chrys more and more, he grins, lowers his forehead to his palm, and shakes his head. "I guess that would be me. I'll do it. I'd love some backup. Kess knows how to be quiet. Wanna go check it out?"
He looks at Krackle after his offer. "Krackle, I know you have a way with animals, but I'm not sure worgs qualify, and I don't know that they'd be friendly. It's a good option to have, but we might not be able to lead with it." He doesn't have the heart to mention that he won't have a spare hand for his Krackle retraction reflex save to rein in wayward excitable kobolds. If Krackle really wants to come, though, he won't object.
Lumen gathers himself and prepares to enter the area between the two statues, looking for any likely traps and listening for anything ahead. Assuming Kess is game, he'll defer to her on how to proceed, saying, "I know we don't know each other well, but I have the utmost confidence this will go well."He strums some quiet notes on his lute, bringing to mind a song that Kess has definitely heard many drunken barflies sing to each other well past closing time. He sings a little bit of it, with the lyrics changed:
"And we can scout this cave together Creeping mute forever Nothing's gonna hear us now And if this place runs out of goblins We can get to robbin Nothing's gonna hear us Nothing's gonna hear us nowwww"
(OOC: I really imagine it beginning like this scene in an excellent movie called Skeleton Twins, where Bill Hader tries to get his sister Kristen Wiig to lip sync to the absurd ballad with him.)
(He's inspiring her, allowing her to add a d6 to an attack roll, skill check, or saving throw in the next ten minutes.)
"Oh... ok." Krackle would say as he lowers his tiny staff and dirk to his sides, his shoulders slouching a bit in disappointment. "i'll stay here.. yell if you need anything..."
As you look past the two statues, you can see that the main hallway, which is about 20 feet wide, runs straight for about 60-80 feet before it fades into dim light. You can't discern much beyond that. You also see two other intersections before that point. The first opening, which leads to the right, is only 10 or 15 feet down the main hall from you, and the second opens to the left, about 20-30 feet away.
The ambient light in here is rather dim, but spots of faint illumination shine down from the small open shafts in the ceiling at irregular intervals. In general, the limit of visibility is about the same as your dark vision, which is 60 feet.
Although your own voices reverberate a bit in the main entry chamber where you are now, you can't hear any other sounds coming from that main hallway.
Kess would just stare at Lumen silently in surprise, as if he'd grown three heads.
Did he really just...?
"Um... okay," She would whisper awkwardly to Lumen with a semi-flustered and amused smile, not sure what to make of his little ballad. "I... I realize this might sound terrible, but I personally have doubts as to whether most of the goblins will be as willing to leave peacably as Pox. I'm glad you'll be the one doing the talking, Lumen; I don't trust myself to do it, and goblins don't exactly leap for joy at a pretty face, especially considering the enmity between their kind and mine. Then again, I try not to judge a book by its cover; for your blood history, you're not exactly the second coming of Obould Many-Arrows... no offense, of course!"
((DM, do you need me to reroll stealth, or is the 20 Kess rolled earlier still in effect?))
"We might not have a chance to see the goblins similar to Pox first. We might see goblins who are hostile first, or even this boss, or the worgs. Hopefully we can see them and get more information before they see us. Chrys, Vesper, and especially you, Krackle, I would feel much better knowing if you were all right here and ready to jump as soon as we motion to you or yell. Vesper, maybe you can check in with your message spell every minute or two?"
Lumen will start slowly, slowly creeping into the hallway, assuming with Kess.
During the past few days that you've spent traveling and interacting with Lumen, you have occasionally felt that there was something vaguely familiar about him. You've often just figured that he has "one of those faces" that seems to be easily recognized, or perhaps easily mistaken for someone else. After all, you've run across many half orcs during your life in the north, and whether it's the simple stereotype of feeling like many of them look alike, or if he does in fact look like someone you've met in the past, you have never been quite certain enough to push it.
However, in this moment, as he's standing there in front of you right now, singing his altered tavern hymn, it suddenly strikes you that yes, you have indeed met him before. Where, you cannot say, although given your history, it could very well have been at one of the inns where you worked as a bouncer.
That part is still a mystery, but as you stand here in this underground temple of sorts, waiting for the uncertainty of impending battles with any number of creatures that are sure to put up a fearsome fight, and as you prepare to face encounters that will test your own skills, as well as your bond with these new companions who stand beside you, it rings true in your mind that you definitely know Lumen from somewhere...
Yes, I'll say that Kess's existing stealth will stand until the next encounter. Also, Kess, give me a religion check.
As Lumen and Kess lead, they walk forward about fifteen feet before coming to the first intersection. Looking to the right, they can see the side corridor, which is a bit more narrow than the main hallway, (15 feet wide instead of 20). It leads about 40-50 feet before ending at a wooden door.
As Lumen and Kess leave, Krackle would look to Chrys and Vesper and whisper. "I thought about walking up to the goblins and and saying... Hi.. .I'm Krackle and I decided to join your tribe! I don't like humans either... GRRRR....." He would say as he tries to make his toughest face possible. "And then.. after we were friends, I could try to talk with the doggies and and other friendly goblins.. and try to bring them out here..." The kobold would say with a grin. "But Lumen's plan is probably better."
Vesper lacks knowledge of the racial dynamics between Kobolds and goblins, but she's reasonably confident that they don't allow random Kobolds to walk up and join the tribe. "Yeah, probably."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
Chrys stands with her weapons ready, squinting down the hallway in utter concentration for any sign of movement, either from friends or foes.
Krackle's speech sidetracks her a bit, though; she glances down at the little kobold, sighing. "If more of the goblins here were like Pox, that might actually work, ya know. But I'm afraid most of 'em that we're gonna meet in here are gonna be like the ones on the road. That goblin girl looked pretty beat up even 'fore we got to her... and that wasn't a surfacer's doin', I'm 'fraid. I think a friendly face like yours would only make them goblin warriors even angrier. Folks like that don't like greetin' what they lack with open arms, an' I think they'd do ya one worse than poor Pox. And that's not even accountin' for this creepy temple and whatever it's doin' to mess with their heads."
Her sympathetic expression tightens into one of sternness. "'Sides, it ain't nice to go 'round lyin' to folk, even goblin-folk. Best you be careful 'bout how often ya do it, lest it become a habit."
She turns her attention back to the hall, her grip on Due Process firm and secure.
As she walks past the two statues, Kess tries to recall any bits of knowledge she might have that relate to religious lore and symbols. She isn't able to identify the specific sect or cult that might have worshiped here, but from the trapping and the style of this place, she definitely recognizes this place as being temple to some kind of evil deity.
Chrys holds the others back for a moment. "Now hold up here. I know Pox didn't speak too great common... an' I gotta admit, I don't speak a lick o' goblin. But I spent enough time defendin' my town from 'em to know a lil' o' their lispin' ways. And Pox gave us a warnin' - it ain' t just goblins waitin' down there."
She takes a quick glance down the corridor, making sure nothing is coming out towards them, before turning back to the others.
"Pox said there's a big boss. Ain't no bugbear, thanks to that -- and ya know, if we can find Wuzig again, maybe he'd be willin' to help Pox an' any o' the other non-cursed goblins out, if they just wanna have a home, it's a thought -- and a whole buncha warrior goblins waitin' for us. But she also said there are others, like her, who are scared, an' just followin' orders. But most importantly, she said the warrior goblins have dogs with 'em. Now I don't know 'bout you, but I only ever seen one kinda dog runnin' with a goblin, and that ain't no dog. I bet it's gonna be a worg. Warrior goblins use 'em like horses. Hopefully not in a cramped space like this tunnel here, but... it ain't gonna be no walk in the park if they got their animals with 'em. Plus we still don't know if the fat boss man's a shaman or not. Magic users ain't nothin' to scoff at," she says, giving a wink to Vesper.
Chrys pauses, hand on her chin, thinking of a strategy.
"I'm thinkin' the sneakier o' us should go down that hall an' try to get the... eh... let's call 'em civvie gobs... outta this mess 'fore it gets sticky. Fer one, we won't have ta fight 'em. Fer two, they might give us some tips or secrets to help take down them warriors bit by bit, rather than in one big ol' battle. An fer three, if we can get to where the worgs are bein' held and keep 'em from joinin' our battle with the boss, put 'em to sleep, or kill 'em separately, I think that'll be a great big help."
She surveys the group. "I think fer this job, our point men... or women... are gonna need to be both sneaky, and charismatic. That sure as hell ain't me, so who's feelin' up to it?"
"Ummm.. I could help!.. I could even try talking to the worg dogs if you want." Krackle would reply.... looking a bit nervous.
"I'm not sneaky and Pox seemed scared of tall humans, so I don't think that I should go."
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
"Yes, Farwalker mentioned that he'd seen signs of worgs along with the goblin tracks, so they're definitely using them. We can definitely expect the boss to be not a goblin," Lumen says. Listening to Chrys more and more, he grins, lowers his forehead to his palm, and shakes his head. "I guess that would be me. I'll do it. I'd love some backup. Kess knows how to be quiet. Wanna go check it out?"
He looks at Krackle after his offer. "Krackle, I know you have a way with animals, but I'm not sure worgs qualify, and I don't know that they'd be friendly. It's a good option to have, but we might not be able to lead with it." He doesn't have the heart to mention that he won't have a spare hand for his Krackle retraction reflex save to rein in wayward excitable kobolds. If Krackle really wants to come, though, he won't object.
Lumen gathers himself and prepares to enter the area between the two statues, looking for any likely traps and listening for anything ahead. Assuming Kess is game, he'll defer to her on how to proceed, saying, "I know we don't know each other well, but I have the utmost confidence this will go well." He strums some quiet notes on his lute, bringing to mind a song that Kess has definitely heard many drunken barflies sing to each other well past closing time. He sings a little bit of it, with the lyrics changed:
"And we can scout this cave together
Creeping mute forever
Nothing's gonna hear us now
And if this place runs out of goblins
We can get to robbin
Nothing's gonna hear us
Nothing's gonna hear us nowwww"
(OOC: I really imagine it beginning like this scene in an excellent movie called Skeleton Twins, where Bill Hader tries to get his sister Kristen Wiig to lip sync to the absurd ballad with him.)
(He's inspiring her, allowing her to add a d6 to an attack roll, skill check, or saving throw in the next ten minutes.)
Stealth: 6
"Oh... ok." Krackle would say as he lowers his tiny staff and dirk to his sides, his shoulders slouching a bit in disappointment. "i'll stay here.. yell if you need anything..."
As you look past the two statues, you can see that the main hallway, which is about 20 feet wide, runs straight for about 60-80 feet before it fades into dim light. You can't discern much beyond that. You also see two other intersections before that point. The first opening, which leads to the right, is only 10 or 15 feet down the main hall from you, and the second opens to the left, about 20-30 feet away.
The ambient light in here is rather dim, but spots of faint illumination shine down from the small open shafts in the ceiling at irregular intervals. In general, the limit of visibility is about the same as your dark vision, which is 60 feet.
Although your own voices reverberate a bit in the main entry chamber where you are now, you can't hear any other sounds coming from that main hallway.
Vesper will remain at the base of the statues, ready to launch a Fire Bolt if the negotiations don't pan out as intended.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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Kess would just stare at Lumen silently in surprise, as if he'd grown three heads.
Did he really just...?
"Um... okay," She would whisper awkwardly to Lumen with a semi-flustered and amused smile, not sure what to make of his little ballad. "I... I realize this might sound terrible, but I personally have doubts as to whether most of the goblins will be as willing to leave peacably as Pox. I'm glad you'll be the one doing the talking, Lumen; I don't trust myself to do it, and goblins don't exactly leap for joy at a pretty face, especially considering the enmity between their kind and mine. Then again, I try not to judge a book by its cover; for your blood history, you're not exactly the second coming of Obould Many-Arrows... no offense, of course!"
((DM, do you need me to reroll stealth, or is the 20 Kess rolled earlier still in effect?))
"We might not have a chance to see the goblins similar to Pox first. We might see goblins who are hostile first, or even this boss, or the worgs. Hopefully we can see them and get more information before they see us. Chrys, Vesper, and especially you, Krackle, I would feel much better knowing if you were all right here and ready to jump as soon as we motion to you or yell. Vesper, maybe you can check in with your message spell every minute or two?"
Lumen will start slowly, slowly creeping into the hallway, assuming with Kess.
Kess
During the past few days that you've spent traveling and interacting with Lumen, you have occasionally felt that there was something vaguely familiar about him. You've often just figured that he has "one of those faces" that seems to be easily recognized, or perhaps easily mistaken for someone else. After all, you've run across many half orcs during your life in the north, and whether it's the simple stereotype of feeling like many of them look alike, or if he does in fact look like someone you've met in the past, you have never been quite certain enough to push it.
However, in this moment, as he's standing there in front of you right now, singing his altered tavern hymn, it suddenly strikes you that yes, you have indeed met him before. Where, you cannot say, although given your history, it could very well have been at one of the inns where you worked as a bouncer.
That part is still a mystery, but as you stand here in this underground temple of sorts, waiting for the uncertainty of impending battles with any number of creatures that are sure to put up a fearsome fight, and as you prepare to face encounters that will test your own skills, as well as your bond with these new companions who stand beside you, it rings true in your mind that you definitely know Lumen from somewhere...
Yes, I'll say that Kess's existing stealth will stand until the next encounter. Also, Kess, give me a religion check.
As Lumen and Kess lead, they walk forward about fifteen feet before coming to the first intersection. Looking to the right, they can see the side corridor, which is a bit more narrow than the main hallway, (15 feet wide instead of 20). It leads about 40-50 feet before ending at a wooden door.
Vesper gives a thumbs up in response to Lumen's request.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
As Lumen and Kess leave, Krackle would look to Chrys and Vesper and whisper. "I thought about walking up to the goblins and and saying... Hi.. .I'm Krackle and I decided to join your tribe! I don't like humans either... GRRRR....." He would say as he tries to make his toughest face possible. "And then.. after we were friends, I could try to talk with the doggies and and other friendly goblins.. and try to bring them out here..." The kobold would say with a grin. "But Lumen's plan is probably better."
Vesper lacks knowledge of the racial dynamics between Kobolds and goblins, but she's reasonably confident that they don't allow random Kobolds to walk up and join the tribe. "Yeah, probably."
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
Chrys stands with her weapons ready, squinting down the hallway in utter concentration for any sign of movement, either from friends or foes.
Krackle's speech sidetracks her a bit, though; she glances down at the little kobold, sighing. "If more of the goblins here were like Pox, that might actually work, ya know. But I'm afraid most of 'em that we're gonna meet in here are gonna be like the ones on the road. That goblin girl looked pretty beat up even 'fore we got to her... and that wasn't a surfacer's doin', I'm 'fraid. I think a friendly face like yours would only make them goblin warriors even angrier. Folks like that don't like greetin' what they lack with open arms, an' I think they'd do ya one worse than poor Pox. And that's not even accountin' for this creepy temple and whatever it's doin' to mess with their heads."
Her sympathetic expression tightens into one of sternness. "'Sides, it ain't nice to go 'round lyin' to folk, even goblin-folk. Best you be careful 'bout how often ya do it, lest it become a habit."
She turns her attention back to the hall, her grip on Due Process firm and secure.
Religion: 7
As she walks past the two statues, Kess tries to recall any bits of knowledge she might have that relate to religious lore and symbols. She isn't able to identify the specific sect or cult that might have worshiped here, but from the trapping and the style of this place, she definitely recognizes this place as being temple to some kind of evil deity.
Lumen nods at the hallway to the right, and, still curious about the other branch, continues on to look to the opening to the left.
So... Right, left or straight?
OOC: I think left, but I don't want to answer for Lumen.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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(OOC: Krackle is just hanging out waiting for a signal :P)