A statue, an party and a very angry god

[AeonsShadow]

Or.... An adventure in the realms.

It has been one hundred years since anyone last ventured into the dark continent. 150 since anyone came back ALIVE. And since then, the nations have agreed that no one need to sacrifice their lives there again.


Lately though, a large amount of goblins and monster activity has been reported to the south. From random sightings to attack survivors, the reports have come in. The latest is of a group of raiders holed up near a well used caravan path, raiding nearby towns. This is where your group comes in. You have all been contracted to wipe out this band with a swift strike before their numbers grow.

As you near the walk way up, will all of you roll a spot check please?

[Cranthis]

"Allrighty me friends, lets get to it!" Mire says.




[roll0]

[Bladehunter217]

Fle sighs. "I suppose we should get a move on before anything bad happens."

[BlackestOfMages]

Shieon cast his eyes around the area watchfully, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Goblin tracks, goblin remains, goblin horde... hopefully not the last one right at this moment.

"A good idea. I'd much rather see this task done swiftly than have the goblins strike once more. Lets go then"

[Crazy_Ivan]

Albert also takes a summary look around the battlefield, then stoops to look down at the ground, hoping to see tracks.

When I was a kid, I often went hunting with my pere in the bough du champlain. Although these be not the tracks of a deer, and I'm no woodsman, but if the tracks are not too worn we may be able to follow these tracks to the raider's hideout.

[AeonsShadow]

Those that rolled beneath ten see this:

A lovely oakwood forest with a few flowers, some animals, and OH HEY A CARAVAN PATH~!

those above fourteen see in addition,:

that the path leads up the the mountain towards what looks like a large wooden gate.

And those above fifteen also see:

The singular goblin, not 20 feet away watching them, before breaking off and running up the path like a madman.

[Cranthis]

"Well looky there, are new friends already know we've arrived" he says with a smile, pointing out the goblin.

[Crazy_Ivan]

"darn, I was hoping to show off a little bit of what mon pere taught me...shall we be off after that goblin?"

Albert draws his hunting bow from it's scabbard "perhaps we should prevent that goblin from warning his friends"

[Bladehunter217]

Fle looks up from his occupation with the flowers and squirells.

"What goblin?"

[Crazy_Ivan]

Using his cunning knowledge of ballistics and the anatomy of a goblin, Albert draws his bow and takes a shot at the fleeing goblin, striking it in the back as it runs.

"a clean hit! lets see if this petit malian falls to that arrow"

[AeonsShadow]

"Gotta run, gottan run! Malak must warn others of RAI-" Poor little malaks words were cut short as the arrow suddenly silenced him, protruding from where his eye was only moments before. And thus ended the life of Malak, the goblin youngling.

[Crazy_Ivan]

"what did it just say? does anyone know goblin?"

[Bladehunter217]

"I can speak with the higher planes as well as the lower planes, but i do not know the language of the more monstrous creatures."

Fle pulls out his crossbow and loads it just in case more goblins show up.

[Crazy_Ivan]

Albert notches another arrow. "well then. While you were examining those lovely flowers, I happened to notice a large wooden gate further up the road. I know the local area a bit, let me see if a remember anything about forts along the caravan route."

[Cranthis]

"Put yer' weapons away and let us see if we can nae talk to them at the very least" Mire says, suggesting diplomacy. "And di'not mention that ye killed one of 'em"

[TaiLiu]

A squirrel runs past, chasing after a rolling nut. A small bird flies past, apparently busy. Flowers sway in the light breeze. Despite the death of the goblin, the world goes on as normal.

The party walks on the dirt road, arguing and bickering. Soon, you see more than a wooden gate - two tall wooden objects are right beside it, obscured by the trees.

Crazy Ivan:
There are no known encampments within the area, though there are some accessible within a few days' march.

[Crazy_Ivan]

Albert returns his bow to its scabbard"well, there shouldn't be an encampment here. not according to this map. so my bet is that is the bandit camp. lets pick up this goblin corpse and hide it."

[BlackestOfMages]

"That would make sense. I highly doubt that we'd have been sent out here without news of a friendly settlement." Shieon said, moving over to the corpse of the goblin "anyone see a good place to hide this? I'd rather these goblins not see us as their foes unless we have no choice"

Picking up corpes to drag places

[AeonsShadow]

(due to natural twenty)

Crazy Ivan finds a hole behind a bush, but not just ANY hole. this hole seems to have no bottom. it goes 30, 60, maybe even 100 feet down or more and just seems to fade into darkness.and it JUST happens to be JUST big enough to fit a goblins corpse.

[Bladehunter217]

Fle grumbled and lowered his crossbow, although he did not unload it and put it in his bag.

[Crazy_Ivan]

albert hefts the goblin body apon his shoulders. Well, this looks just right Albert dumbs the goblin body into the hole. Lets just hope our luck holds.

[Cranthis]

Fearless Mire O'Brien approaches the gate!

[Crazy_Ivan]

Albert follows behind him, waving a small white hankercheif.

[TaiLiu]

As you move closer toward the gate, you notice that the tall wooden structures are actually watchtowers, about twenty feet in length. A drowsy goblin looks down, notes you and moves to a nearby gong, before noticing the white cloth. He turns his back and yells to another goblin behind the gate. You wait, anticipating the results of your diplomatic entrance.

[Bladehunter217]

Fle suddenly smiles at the rest of the party and speaks just loud enough to be heard.
"Hey, any of you guys speak abyssal or infernal? I have a clever idea."

[AeonsShadow]

The goblins upon seeing you jump up, panicked yet curious as they each hit their gongs in unison, two times, pause, then one time. They repeated this two more times as the gate opened, and five goblins, two with spears, one with a short sword, and 2 with maces, came out, glaring at them. The one in the middle with the sword grunted out in crude common, "STATE YOUR BUSINESS OR DIE!"

[Cranthis]

"We merely wish to converse with your leaders, in order to ascertain the intentions of you and your people locating yourselves here"


Diplomacy for them to take us to their leaders
[roll0]

[AeonsShadow]

All he understood was "Leaders", "intentions" and "Locate" but with this he gets the gist.

"Drop weapons. Or we kill you where stand!" He says as they all raise their weapons, waiting for their would be Ambassadors to follow the order.

[Bladehunter217]

Fle spoke quietly in Abyssal, purposely choosing a language they probably did not know, glaring at the goblin, "You insignificant creature asks us to drop our weapons, I'll call down a Balor to stick you to a poll. After I have a Vrock eat you're insides, I might tell them to kill you." He used the common words for Balor, Vrock and insides, hoping the goblin would at least understand that he was in a foul mood.

[AeonsShadow]

"BALOR~?! DESTROY THEM!" The goblin yells as they charge.

BATTLE ORDER
Goblins(bows)x2
Shieon
Francois
Mace goblinsx2
shortsword goblin
Mire
Fle
Spear goblins X2

[AeonsShadow]

The two goblins from the tower raise their shortbows and shoot at the party. The first attack bounces harmlessly off of the paladins blade. The other however pierces right into the arm of the Devilspeaker. (Dealing [roll0] damage to Fle)

[BlackestOfMages]

Shieon rolled his eyes as the goblins began their attack. Had anything good ever come from someone speaking infernal? in either the moral or fortunate sense?

no matter, whats done is done, and the elf reacted to the attack the best he could, drawing his blade and moving to place himself between his companions and the onrushing goblins, before drawing upon his holy powers to try and ascertain if this fight where truly needed, casting the gaze of his god upon the greenskins.

Move inbetween other team mate and goblisn, drawing weapon as part of move action.
Use Detect Evil on as many goblins as possible.

[Crazy_Ivan]

"heh, next time, let ME do the talking!" Albert moves up to the closet goblin, pulling out his polearm. he strikes at it

[roll0] points of damage

[AeonsShadow]

Shieon notices that half are evil, half don't register, and that the sword weilding one registers as good.

But then the two goblins (both registering EVIL) with the maces move in on the paladin, attacking him from both sides. Both hitting him, bouncing him betweeen the two.
attack 1
[roll0]
attack 2
[roll1]

[AeonsShadow]

The sword weilding goblin attacks the halberd weilder, stepping in close, smashing the hilt of his blade into the face of the man. Yelling to the others, "DO NOT KILL THEM! TAKE THEM PRISONER!" in goblin.

[roll0]X2 Nonlethal

[Cranthis]

"Brave little goblins!" he says as he swings and utterly misses.

[Bladehunter217]

Fle raises his right hand, pulling the necessary arcane energy for a summon spell. Fle draws the energy quicker than most and calls forth a Celestial Dog next to the nearest goblin. "Sick em Boy!"

Because of spontaneous summoning, i give up a burning hands for this spell, rapid summonings lets it be summoned as a standard action and give it a standard action when it appears, augment summoning gives it +4 str and con. Its attack roll is [roll0] damage would be [roll1]
In case you would like the rest of its info, http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/dog.htm

[AeonsShadow]

Fle raises his right hand, pulling the necessary arcane energy for a summon spell. Fle draws the energy quicker than most and calls forth a Celestial Dog next to the nearest goblin. "Sick em Boy!"

Because of spontaneous summoning, i give up a burning hands for this spell, rapid summonings lets it be summoned as a standard action and give it a standard action when it appears, augment summoning gives it +4 str and con. Its attack roll is [roll0] damage would be [roll1]
In case you would like the rest of its info, http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/dog.htm

Unforunately you miss.... (AC is 15) While I am at the doctors, Tai will now take over.

[TaiLiu]

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
The spear bearers advance ahead, attempting to attack you in such a way as to prevent lethal damage. They had their orders. Luckily, their blows bounce off harmlessly or miss completely.

The archers are a bit more accurate. One arrow whizzes by Shieon, but a well placed shot flies through the top of Albert's shoulder. It spits out blood like a child spits out a disliked food; The splattered paint dyes the road a crimson red.

[BlackestOfMages]

"Mayhaps, instead of taking us prisoner, we could all lay down our blades and talk this out like the civilized, intelligent people we are?" the elven paladin asked, his voice breaking up as he struggled to breath through cracked ribs and dented armor.

seeing the malice in the eyes of the two goblins surrounding him - their aura reeking of evil - he raised his greatsword to defend himself, and swung with as much force as he could muster towards the nearest goblin. If he could, he'd have liked to try and avoid taking its life, but injured as he was that might have proved to difficult.

[AeonsShadow]

Or....
An adventure in the realms.

It has been one hundred years since anyone last ventured into the dark continent. 150 since anyone came back ALIVE. And since then, the nations have agreed that no one need to sacrifice their lives there again.


Lately though, a large amount of goblins and monster activity has been reported to the south. From random sightings to attack survivors, the reports have come in. The latest is of a group of raiders holed up near a well used caravan path, raiding nearby towns. This is where your group comes in. You have all been contracted to wipe out this band with a swift strike before their numbers grow.

As you near the walk way up, will all of you roll a spot check please?[/QUOTE]


Current players
{table=head]Player|Character|Class|Race|Alignment|Role
Cranthis|Mire O'Brien (www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=523913)|Cleric |Human|NG|Healer
BladeHunter|Fle the Vague (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=525207)|Wizard|Halfling|CG|S upport
BlackestOfMages|Shieon Marlannan (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=525794)|Paladin(freedom variant)|Elf|CG|Leader
LordDeathkeeper|James Alvail (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=549070)|Knight|human|LG|TANK
Balldanor|Balldanor Foeslayer (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=550457) AKA The Flying Drawf|Swashbuckler|Dwarf|CG|Striker[/table]

[Deathkeeper]

James looks ahead, trying to shield his eyes from the sun with one hand.
We'll have to stay vigilant, friends. We know not where our foe lurks. And it doesn't help that I can't see a thing.

[BlackestOfMages]

"Good advice. The last thing we want is to be caught of guard by a goblin raiding party, or worse." Shieon replied, looking around the path for any sign of their quarry, before turning back to his companions with a smile. "Let's try and make this quick - I'd rather not stay too long in a place with such a fell reputation, even if we do just tread the borders."

[Balldanor]

Balldanor looks at the terrain expectantly, Goblins eh? I really don't like goblins. At least they're easy to stick with the pointy end of my rapier most of the time. Let a raiding party of the little buggers come so I can serve them their deaths quickly.

[Cranthis]

"Ye people are a wee bit violent, but to each his own, yeah? Hopefully we can get through this quickly. I'm having de ja veu


Spot: [roll0]

[Bladehunter217]

Fle sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "I know we are here as enemies to the goblins, but you lot seem in quite the rush to kill them."

[Deathkeeper]

James turns. Nay, I'd not kill them if they did not provoke such a course of action. Yet as we are here to stop the raiders from...raiding, their record proceeds them for waylaying folk.

[Balldanor]

Well, whatcha expect ofa dwarf, laddie? We never have liked them goblins much, Balldanor chuckles at Fle. Besides, what else would ye expect to have ta do with enemies but to kill them? as he saunters down the road hoping for a good fight. His fighting always did get him in trouble back home, but he was going to have his fun now that he should be able to get away with it.

[Bladehunter217]

"I expected a dwarf to pin them down and sit on their heads. Whether they die is up to how much said dwarf weighs."

Never did my spot check. [roll0]

[BlackestOfMages]

Shieon chuckled at the halfling's comment "Patience, good dwarf - we don't know if these goblins are truly our enemies, or if these is a reason for these attacks none of us know."

Looking at the trail, it felt familiar. The elf had to agree with Mire; a real sense of de ja veu.

do we get a circumstance bonus to our spot checks for de-ja-vu?

[Balldanor]

suffocated goblin, skewered goblin, it's all the same to me, my good fellow. Let's find these raiding parties before they find us. Their base is probably somewhat nearby

[Bladehunter217]

"Soo violent, well, lets move along then, we have nothing else to keep us busy." Fle started along the path again walking with the others.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor looks up the well-worn path and says, Well, I guess we can keep going up this path that we were already on. I'm sure we're bound to run into these goblins sooner or later.

[AeonsShadow]

As CRANTHIS was the only one to get over fifteen....

Those that rolled beneath ten see this:

A lovely oakwood forest with a few flowers, some animals, and OH HEY A CARAVAN PATH~!

those above fourteen see in addition,:

that the path leads up the the mountain towards what looks like a large wooden gate.

And those above fifteen also see:

The singular goblin, not 20 feet away watching them, before breaking off and running up the path like a madman.

Those above 18... CRANTHIS....
You see that not only is the goblin young, but that he is wearing a silver pendant upon his neck, in the shape of what looks like a SUN.....

[Deathkeeper]

James nods. "You're quite right, in all likelihood."
He'll continue forward onto the path unless stopped.

[Bladehunter217]

"Might as well keep moving, nothing to stop us is there?" Fle began whistling as he walked, thing is, he cannot keep a tune or whistle well.

[Cranthis]

The cleric points out the young goblin "Looky there, he has a sun pendant."

[BlackestOfMages]

I'm guessing I don't need to make a knowledge: religion check to recognize the symbol of one of the most prominent religions in the world, right? because I'm assuming taking 10 on it would work.

also, using detect evil as I speak

"A sun you say? Interesting. If the goblin wears the symbol of Pelor, then I believe we should be able to approach the creature in peace." Shieon said at the information, waiving at the goblin even as it runs

"Greetings, young goblin. we mean you no harm."

[Deathkeeper]

Even goblins don't wear emblems of opposing gods. Intriguing.
James advances slowly. He doesn't want to scare the youth, but he doesn't want to risk him sprinting away.

[Balldanor]

Sighing in a slightly disappointed manner, Balldanor quickly sheathes the dagger he was getting ready to throw, Ok, I guess we can talk to him first. I'm still not sure about this though.

[Bladehunter217]

Relax, there is one goblin, not quite a challenge for all of us, let us speak with him.

[Cranthis]

"If ye de'nae notice, he has already ran away."

[Deathkeeper]

"Yes, and he's only going to run faster if a bunch of heavily armed folks start sprinting at him, so come on and start walking, because we can't talk him down standing around."

[Balldanor]

Aye...let's go catch the little bugger, Balldanor says as he starts up the road after the youth.

[Bladehunter217]

Fle follows along, avoiding eye contact with the others as they chased the goblin.

[BlackestOfMages]

"He must not of heard me. Alas, let us folow him. if nothing else, we should at least find our goblins"

If the goblin is still in range, I'll use detect evil once more

[AeonsShadow]

The Goblin in question, TukTuk, was running not for his life. He knew the risks of his job, but he needed to send work to his people first, so that they might be ready for the incurring adventurers.

(For those who don't remember, the "road" I am refferrering to is a large flat 15ft wide pathway that leads to a huge cavern system halfway up the mountain. I curves around the side so that you can't see the top where the cave is.)

TukTuk instead ran halfway up the long road, and ran straight for the edge, jumping off. Unbeknownst to those following, he landed on a small ledge with a Gong on it. Which he kicked three times, letting the sound echo out with long hollow rings. This alerts the guard, and they come out to meet you. Five goblins, two with spears, one with a short sword, and 2 with maces, came out, glaring at the party, looking a little... twitchy. The one in the middle with the sword grunted out in heavily accented common, "STATE YOUR BUSINESS!"

[Balldanor]

Um, yeah, hi there, Balldanor says kind of awkwardly. It is clear that he is not used to being the spokesperson for a group of people. We heard about some problems in this area and were asked to check it out. Um, you guys haven't been doing any raiding of local villages, have you?

[Bladehunter217]

"He means, we would like to chat with your leaders." Fle added, glancing at the goblins before focusing on the land around him.

[Deathkeeper]

James tries to look noble despite sweating from having just run in armor. It's heavy, okay? This is why people have horses!
"We come with honor and can promise that there shall be no foul play. Should they meet us peacefully we will gladly do the same."

[BlackestOfMages]

"My companions are telling the truth good man...erm, goblin. We come in peace, and intend no harm - unless your the raiders, in which case... um, I'm going to stop talking."

[TaiLiu]

The sword-wielding goblin eyes your party's weaponry and armour...

...And ultimately denies your offer. "Don't lie to me," she growls, "I've seen enough villages wiped out to know that you'll slaughter us once in."

The goblin on the right - a spear-wielding, hairy specimen - nods in agreement before asking you to leave.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor asks, Would ye happen to know of any other groups around here tha' might be more inclined to give the locals trouble, by chance? We don't want no trouble with ye, but we do want to put a stop to the raidin'

[TaiLiu]

The goblins share glances with each other before speaking. "Yes," said a goblin, "You are."

[Deathkeeper]

Most perplexing indeed! A right conundrum.
We have been sent on claims that the towns on our border have been attacked. And if you say that your towns have been wiped out, then someone has their facts wrong. We haven't heard of anyone from our side crossing the border regularly.

[TaiLiu]

The goblins all snort. A mace-equipped goblin rubs his beard - a seemingly bleached, tangled mess - and starts droning in a condensing, haughty tone.

"You don't know your history," he said, "A hundred years ago, your people were wiping us out."

The goblins all mutter and confirm his story.

[Deathkeeper]

A hundred years ago, no one heading south was coming back alive. History is history though, as interesting as it is. Can you prove that you haven't been attacking people on these roads? If you can, I see no reason why we shouldn't move on. I'll not raise a blade against an innocent man.

[TaiLiu]

The goblin gives his beard a frustrated tug and screeches in anger. "Of course we attacked them! They attacked us!"

Luckily, a goblin on the far right stops him from shouting further.

[Deathkeeper]

James turns to the party.
If the goblin attacks were all caused by folk attacking them on sight, it would be a crime to carry out our assignment. We can't really ask them to move, either. Would it even be possible to make a truce here?

[Balldanor]

One can practically see the smoke rising from Balldanor's ears as he slowly starts to puzzle things out...

Wait a second...the villagers said that you attacked them first, and you're saying that they attacked you first. Is it possible that someone's trying to start something here?

[TaiLiu]

The goblins trade glances with each other, then look at you.

"Yes!" they said.

[Deathkeeper]

James face-palms a bit. He's getting a headache.
"He means other than us. Again, can you actually prove that what you're saying is true? I would very much like to turn and walk away without bloodshed but we can't go against our mission unless we know it was created from false information."

[Bladehunter217]

Fle watches the argument between the party and the goblin and shook his head. "Some celestial creatures can keep those around them from lying, forcing the truth to reveal itself." Fle says quietly before adding, "Conjuration is very useful."

[Deathkeeper]

James blinks.
Can you...do that?

[Bladehunter217]

Fle walks closer and whispers, "That is beside the point." He then glances back at the goblins and takes place behind the others.

[Deathkeeper]

What? That's completely the point! This is an investigation, not a treatise of the hypothetical use of mag-
Fine. Not the point. James is still waiting on the goblins to answer his question.

[TaiLiu]

The goblins are silent, their personalities muted; their expressions are of vexation. Finally, the centre goblin speaks reluctantly. "Fine," she grumbles, "We'll prove it." She barks an order, and the gates slowly open, revealing a space devoid of goblinoids. You see a field of poorly grown crops, and a second set of gates after it. She glances at your weapons for a second before turning away and ushering you inside.

"We'll bring evidence to you," she says, "Don't turn back on your word."

[Deathkeeper]

James nods and gives them his best reassuring look.
"A Knight never goes back on his word. Ever. We're as trustworthy as you."
It's a little bit of a promise and a warning. James will head inside unless the rest of the party stops him.

[Bladehunter217]

"No reason not follow." Mutters Fle as he follows behind James, peering at everything inside the camp.

[TaiLiu]

Fle takes a long look inside, and notes a number of things: the field in the centre, a wooden hut on each side, the other gate, and the incredibly tall walls that surround everything. Nobody is inside besides his party, the five armed goblins, and the two goblins that opened the gate. Everything else is dirt: brown, crusty, moist soil that when stepped on, crawls up and threatens to swallow his shoes.

[Deathkeeper]

James keeps himself wary. There aren't many people around and the walls are oddly large. Still, the crops do indicate that this is actually their home and they're not necessarily just walking into a trap. Right?

[Balldanor]

Balldanor sheathes his rapier and short sword, keeping his hands on them to draw at the first sign of trouble, and follows the goblins and the rest of the group into the compound. He observes the desolate ground and looks around at the huts that scatter throughout the goblin fort.

[TaiLiu]

Balldanor sees that the ground is more mud than dirt, and that two huts are held together by wood and caked soil. The hut on the left is obviously of lower quality than the other; the wood is damaged and splintered in many parts. The dried material is falling off in certain areas, and the whole structure seems to lean forward, unbalanced and unstable.

Most of the goblins return to their posts, leaving his party with a scowling female goblin standing next to them.

[Deathkeeper]

James stares back at the newcomer. If the guards put them here with her she must be important. He looks for weapons or any other items that would indicate her role.

[TaiLiu]

You stare at her, and notice that she seems to wear the same cloth that the other goblins wore. However, if you looked closely, you can see wrinkles, grey hair, and other minor signs of aging. Unarmed, she stares back at you.

"You wanted evidence," she spat, "I'm the evidence. What is it?"

[Deathkeeper]

We are inquiring, James says, about the attacks which occurred along this border. Our people claim you struck first and sent us, your people say the travelers struck first. We would like to know the truth, as we would not bear arms against those who were defending their homes. By evidence, do you mean you offer testimony or something more?"

[Bladehunter217]

Fle sniffed, looking at the female goblin. "Small village in the hills. Can't risk sending its fighters away from civilians unprotected. They wan't us to know that the cannot risk initiating attacks because they have old women to deal with." Fle looked closer at the elderly goblin before back at james. "Don't know if true, but a good argument."

[TaiLiu]

The goblin opens her mouth to speak, then snaps it shut as Fle attempts to explain. She stands silently, waiting for his words to sink in.

[Balldanor]

Well, who would stand to gain from starting this?

[TaiLiu]

She stares at Balldanor and raises a bushy eyebrow. "Your empire, of course."

[Bladehunter217]

"Leaders are selfish, greedy, often use any means at disposal. Female's argument is logical, surprisingly so for a goblin, no offense. Possible for it to be in order to incite war, easy victory against village. Wars not always real, fabricated for appeasement of citizens. Possible there is another tribe, possible it is not goblins performing raids. Less likely of course, would jump at that, more attractive than goblins. Many things possible, all that matters is actual. What is actual?" Fle speaks very quickly, seeming to ask questions and answer them at the same time.

[Deathkeeper]

"All right, James says unhappily, Well, with that logic we clearly can't go back to our Evil Empire empty handed and we certainly can't convince them to make peace, so what do you recommend we do?"
He's clearly just a tad offended.

[Bladehunter217]

"Evil is not necessity, good people do bad things. Must be certain, cannot go back and accuse empire just to find out we were fooled by goblins. Would be very embarrassing if fooled by goblins. I could summon demon and have them find answer, goblins fear demons." Fle looked up at the female goblin and away from his shoes for the first time. "Most do, once met goblin who ran at demon, didn't last long."

[Deathkeeper]

That sounds like terrible idea. And again, can you even do that?
James wouldn't have been okay with it if it had been an angel. He's not going to be happy at all with a demon.

[Bladehunter217]

"Demon easier, angels powerful beings, demons have more ranks, a weak demon could control for a few moments. An angel would be lucky to get here for a few seconds. I was only saying what an angel could do. Angel was bluff, demon is possible, difficult, but possible."

[Deathkeeper]

How the hell is a demon any easier to summon than a celestial? Those little light fellows certainly aren't the pinnacle of power.
He's referring to Lantern Archons. Which he apparently doesn't know any of the terminology for.
Also, the two of them arguing might be a bit odd-looking considering they're pretty much ignoring the goblin at this point.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor watches the exchange with a bemused expression, waiting for the argument/discussion to get to a point where he might be able to chime in something useful.

[Bladehunter217]

Fle suddenly stopped talking and stared at james for a moment. "You want me to summon an archon? Those things are scary. Also would be a little more difficult than an imp or Lemure."

[Deathkeeper]

James stares back. He really doesn't get magic.
A ball of holy light is scarier than a blob from the pits of Hell? It's not the point. Now isn't the time to be arguing in full view of our hosts.

[Bladehunter217]

"Right." Fle fell silent again.

[Balldanor]

Seeing the two of them go silent, Balldanor finally pipes up, All I know is that we need to find a way to get to the bottom of this quickly before we start fighting the wrong people.

[TaiLiu]

At first, the goblin tries to speak, but as the conversation raged on, she gives up and resigns herself to a seat on the marshy ground. Finally, the two stop speaking, Balldanor raises his voice, and she talks.

"It's your empire," she grumbles, "I can give you more evidence, if you'd like."

[Deathkeeper]

James is starting to get a headache. He'd really just like to go home right now, but who ever got famous by going home?
Uh, sure. it would certainly save us the trouble of getting thrice-damned demons into this.

[Bladehunter217]

"Evidence would be helpful for you. We cannot return with the word of a goblin alone, there must be more than just that. Was under impression that you were evidence, but now there is more, must know what that is. Saw goblin earlier, had something around neck, like holy symbol, what was that?"

[TaiLiu]

She gestures at you, beckoning you to follow her. As she walks, she speaks.

"You must be speaking of Tuktuk," she says, "That amulet was from someone from your empire. It's a long story."

She stops a few feet from the gate and turns around, looks at each of you in the eye, and says, "I'll need all of you to vow to avoid harming any of our people."

[Deathkeeper]

James nods.
Of course. My vow stands.

[Bladehunter217]

"Why would I harm your people?" Fle asks, genuinely surprised.

[TaiLiu]

The goblin glances at you all over, and gives you a dull look. "I very much doubt that weapon is for diplomacy, youngster."

[Deathkeeper]

James gives Fle a bemused look, wondering how he'll worm his way out o that question.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor follows up, I will harm no one that doesn't attack me. I can't promise any more than that.

[Bladehunter217]

Fle looked at his crossbow and laughed. "This thing? I barely know how to use it. Honor bound can hold it." Fle offers his crossbow to james.

[Deathkeeper]

James will take the weapon and shove it in his pack unless the goblin deems it unnecessary.
I find your disregard for honor disturbing and insulting. he says with friendly sarcasm. Truth be told he doesn't much care. A knight's code isn't for everyone, else everyone would be knights (or paladins).

[laserlock1]

Bruce the cleric simply appeared in the midst of the group. he took a look around and did one or two detect evils just to be sure of the situation but got his bearings fairly fast. You have my word, I won't raise a finger against ya wit out ya first coming after me and mine own. Bruce said, taking a slight step to his left to cover up the temporal spacial rift he had just stepped through but it didn't seem like anyone had noticed anyway.

[TaiLiu]

The goblin watches as the crossbow is stuffed into the pack, then gives a satisfied nod. Meanwhile, Bruce watches the goblin watch the crossbow, but with eyes of magic, instead. He notes no visible aura except of that coming from the old goblin, who is too busy nodding to notice Bruce staring at her. It is faint, but tainted with evil nevertheless.

Detect Evil:
This assumes that Bruce is watching the area for three rounds or more. If you would like it to be less, inform me.

[laserlock1]

Lets go with two rounds of detect evil

[Deathkeeper]

Um, well. That's done. Maybe?
So what now?

[Bladehunter217]

"Now we wait for goblins to give us evidence. Also possible we are simply waiting for trap to fall. Both are likely, but unless there are many more goblins hiding, it is not trap, the forces at gate are not strong enough to risk casualties of goblin side."

[TaiLiu]

She turns, nods, and with a heave, opens the second set of town gates. Disorganised huts and mud adorn the walled village, and bones are scattered all around. On the right, a small fire is just getting started; in the centre, a trio of drunken goblins giggle and drink from a beer bottle far too large for their physique. Meanwhile, on the right, a snout goblin chews on a rotten tomato.

Suddenly, the goblins turn their eyes toward you, and like an audience for a theatre, all fall silent.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor looks around, somewhat confused, I'm not sure how this is evidence of anything other than they only have the warriors that we saw by the gate.

[Deathkeeper]

I think it's supposed to be that they're combat-trained folk have too much to protect to ever mount an offensive.

[TaiLiu]

The goblin nods in agreement. "We have five warriors - seven if you count the gate openers - who are trained to fight," she explains, "The rest of our people keep our little village running." She stretches and points around.

"Those there are cooks; that's a hunter; the one with the beer's a farmer. We have a chief, but he hasn't shown his face in a while." She sighs, exasperated. "Look, what more do you need?"

[Deathkeeper]

"Just one thing. If the whole problem is because our people won't believe that you're not trying to kill them, then us going home empty-handed and telling them you're innocent isn't going to fly. We're not necessarily credible. A show of good faith to bring to our officials to prove your innocence could go a long way."

[TaiLiu]

"We don't have any," she says, "At least, not any that we're willing to give away." She glances around, then sighs. In the silence, the sound is a cacophony.

"I'll be honest with you: we've raided before. We've raided because we need food and shelter. We've raided because we've been pushed back again and again, just so your empire can expand, and we're left with this marshy land."

Murmurs of agreement come from behind, and then they fall silent again.

[Deathkeeper]

"Well, so much for honesty. Regardless, while I will not break my word, we are at a bit of an impasse. Action is necessary, although the proper course is not clear. Fellows?"

[Balldanor]

Balldanor shrugs, Well, if we're not going to fight 'em because they din't start 'nething, and they're not willing to give us 'nething to take back to prove they din't start it, then maybe we should go back and report. This whole thing feels like a waste o' time to me.

[Yas392]

Jay-Suu was silent during the whole trip, letting the scouts and diplomats do their thing. On the path, he caught sight of an injured rabbit and tend to it. By the time he is done and the rabbit is kicking into the undergrowth, the words are still firing between a female goblin and some of his company. The goblin mother-like figure gave a reason that justify their races lunacy and their tribe's existence, entailing their histories of conflicts. So he tries to see if this is another one of their tricks.



Sense Motive (Truth) - [roll0]

[bcool999]

What a fine mess Charlie was in. Stuck in the middleof a goblin encampment and nary a piece of loot to 'reclaim'. So far Charlie has been sneaking from cover to cover and sticking his neck out is only good for gettin it chopped off. Charlie wasn't even sure his companions had spotted him yet. How far Charlie had fallen since his city days... used to be that Charlie could charm a snake out of his skin, or more importantly a beauty out of her knickers. However being a wanted man made being charming a rather unappealing idea. He decided to wait and see what would happen. Worse comes to worse, he could sneak away before making a run for it.

Hide: [roll0]
Move silently: [roll1]
Charlie will stay out of sight for now

[Yas392]

It is not by our hand that they and our people can be judged, that has to be proven by action. Whose at fault? Let it speak for its own. Time will tell who is the malefactor. For now, let's standby. Jay-suu adds to the discussion after his assessment is completed.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor shrugs, So, what's our next move? We can stay here, and wait to see if the human raiders come back, or we can go back to our employers, and ask them what's really going on...

[TaiLiu]

The goblin nods at Balldanor's suggestion. "The latter sounds like a good idea."

[Deathkeeper]

Better for them, definitely.
Perhaps, but we still can't prove any of this is true, and we are no officials. They could believe us just as easily think we never left and failed to take action out of cowardice."

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Janet had stayed quiet up until now, twiddling her thumbs and looking as unassuming as possible. The numerous eyes she has suppressed writhes within her, but she continues to keep them there, careful not to scare anyone with her true form. Instead, she sprouts a bony thorn from the palm of her hand, and plays around with it as she finally listens in earnest to what is going on before her.

[Yas392]

There are some suggestions. One, we could get one of the goblins to come with us back to the empire as long as they are docile and see the reaction of our employer and the goblin. Two, we can definitely hunt for the "raiders", kill or question them. Three, we can fake our deaths, one or two of us can return and report back their findings and reward, the rest can watch for deceit or sudden attacks. Four, we do not need to rush and gather news from the locals. Jay-suu steeples his hand on the fringe of the fabric.

[Deathkeeper]

One and two are the best options. I would not do this through trickery and these are the only locals.

[bcool999]

Charlie was getting tired of all this waiting around and talking. Since everyone seemed more likely to die of boredom at the moment then sharp pointy things he decided it was safe to come out. He stepped out of where he was hiding, did a little stretch to loosen up from staying so still, and went to stand beside Janet. He did not add to the conversation because it was already doing such a good job of dead-ending thus forcing some decision or action to take place.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Janet turns are stares at the man that sidles up to her, but doesn't say anything. She turns back to observing the conversation that slowly unfolds before her, and continues to fiddle with the bone shard. She's never met the man before, so she stays wary of his presence.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor turns to the goblin woman, We will go back to our employers and talk to them, provided you're willing to send someone with us to join in the talks. Otherwise, I don't know how we'd be able to help you.

Clearly, the human is getting frustrated with all the talking going nowhere and is ready to move on one way or another.

[TaiLiu]

The goblin grumbles, but nods in thought. She wants this conflict over as much as you do. "Fine," she says, "I'll go get the chief and ask. You'll have to wait awhile for him to awaken from his trance, though."

She gives everyone a wary glance before walking off. Life comes back into the camp, starting with murmurs before going back into the routine noise. Small children approach you with curiosity and caution, poking and prodding. One short, light green goblin soon asks the dreaded question.

"What are you?"

[Balldanor]

Balldanor grits his teeth, I happen to be a dwarf. Your people and my people have tended to not get along very well in the past...

[Deathkeeper]

"Myself and a few of my companions are called human. We're very common up north.
And it isn't polite to poke people, if you don't mind."
James speaks slowly and quietly, but not in a way that talks down to the children.

[bcool999]

"Now now sir grouchy-pants! I am sure the children are merely curious having seen no one else but goblins in this... village." Charlie finally speaks. He turns to the children and says, "I am an elf my fine young goblin. We are like humans but live much much longer." Charlie leans down and whispers to the children,"And we are much better looking too." Charlie looks to one of the nearest children and says, "My what do you have there behind your ear?" Charlie reaches behind the goblin's ear and pulls out a silver piece, "Ha you goblins have silver coming out of your ears!" Charlie gives the goblin the silver piece then sends the children off to play or to bother the other members of the group.

Sleight of hand check to do the old coin behind the ear trick [roll0] (deducted the sp from my sheet already)

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Janet is startled by the child's question, but quickly chides herself. They couldn't know what you really are, she thinks reassuringly. Despite her usual demeanor, she brushes her hair behind her back, and smiles warmly at them, resting her hand on his head. Blessedly, the others get a chance to answer before she does, and as the elf dismisses the little one she lets out a sigh of relief. The less people you have hide yourself from, the better.

[TaiLiu]

The children giggle and laugh, playfully fighting over the coin. One child begins to tell you about how her daddy told her that humans were stinky, but a fearful mother pulls her away. Eventually, the female goblin comes back.

"Our chief has awakened," she says, "Come along, now." You follow her through a dizzying path of huts, puddles, and garbage until you reach a large hut - much smaller than a human home, but certainly larger than the other huts you've seen in the village. The goblin guarding the entrance wears leather armour and holds a crude battleaxe. He notices the group and nods in acknowledgement.

"Chief will be ready in a couple of minutes," he grunts, "You're here for the big event, right?"

[Deathkeeper]

"We were told we would speak to the chief. Assuming that is not a big event, then no, we wished only to speak with him," says James, unless someone stops or interrupts him.

[Yas392]

That snarky remark latches onto his soul. He would not needed to remind how atrocious his fellow members are (not his party), partly on the xenophobic psychology. He pulls his hood back downwards as the sudden miniscule of force almost startle his head to move a little. I wonder how do they feel if I show them my face? But he decided against it. He patted the little goblinoid before it was fascinated by the trick that Charlie demonstrated.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Janet finally decides to step forward and speak. Even in her efforts to stay out of sight and out of mind, a small part of her - whether or was her human side or her aberrant side, she could not say - wanted to be free, to show itself. "What event would you be speaking of, sir?" she asks, a mild smile perched on her lips.

[TaiLiu]

The goblin raises an eyebrow curiously. "You don't know?" he says, "It's the reason why we let you into our village at all." He opens his mouth, eyes the elderly goblin making shut-the-hell-up gestures, and then closes it.

"The chief should be just about ready," the female goblin says, "Get down on your knees and bow."

[Deathkeeper]

James doesn't see any harm in paying respects to the leader of those he's trying to negotiate with. He starts to do as they're told. But...
"I don't suppose you could tell us a bit more? First you need convincing to let us speak and now we're here for something important? I'm putting trust in you all but I don't like walking into anything blind."

[bcool999]

Big events were only good in Charlie's book if they involved a festival and loose pockets not when they involved kneeling and bowing. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of a way to politely decline without being forced to his knees and he can't hide with so many eyes on him. Hopefully he can stall or get some more information before things got dicey. "Come now my friends, one does not invite another to an event without warning them of the dress they should wear. Certainly you can tell us what the occasion is or at the very least that no harm shall come to ourselves for participating in said event?"

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Janet bristles at the brusque command, but her years of trying to fit in wins over, and she begins to kneel. But, upon seeing the hesitation of the others, she stops as well, and looks to the goblins curiously.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor bristles at the command, What do you mean, kneel? I'm not kneeling to anyone except my own ruler.

The question was already asked to the goblin about the event, so Balldanor withheld his inquiry on that regard.

[TaiLiu]

The elder stays quiet and frowns, but the guard starts to ramble, as if he had a torrent of information that he could not hold in. He grins and makes wild hand gestures as he speaks, ignoring the elder and waving his axe around as he does so.

"I haven't seen Chief in a while, but Tiktik and Naknak - those are his personal warriors - have been telling me all about it. See, Chief been getting these really crazy visions when he visits the dream world, and he's been taking to an assistant of an assistant of an assistant of a god! They aren't telling me what exactly, but I hear there's good things coming."

Suddenly, the door swings open, and two guards, equipped with thick leather and primitive blades walk out. Behind them, the chief trots out, practically glowing with confidence. You see that he wears no armour, but carries a thick, wooden staff, topped with a round, black gem.

The goblins say nothing, but merely look at you, as if expecting something.

[bcool999]

Ahh that must be the big cheese and his guards... "Ahh your eminence!," Says Charlie as he takes a deep bow that puts his head almost level with his knees, and with one hand he gestures for the others to do the same, "Such an honor and privilege it is to meet you this day. Tell me how can we be of service?"

Diplomacy: [roll0]
Kissing up to the max :smallcool:
Edit: HAHAHA Nat 20!

[Deathkeeper]

Well, it seems the chief is either a sort, of priest...or really needs to lay off the pipe. Regardless, he's not going to get disrespectful now and he got a half decent explanation. In that there is no explanation yet.
James bows low, but not very low. It's "foreign dignitary" level, not "god-king" level. "Indeed, Sir. We wish to end the conflicts on our nations' borders, and if we can do so without bloodshed we will gladly cooperate."

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Convinced, Janet bows too, the eyes within her shifting uncomfortable to the cramped space of her midsection. She chooses to remain quiet - she's still unfamiliar with the situation, and would much rather stick to what she's always done and keep a low profile. This vision of his should be interesting though, she thinks, intrigued.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor, singularly unimpressed with the chief's entrance, simply folds hos arms and waits for the goblin to speak.

[Yas392]

Instead of kneeling, his postures tilts slightly then straightens signifying a slight bow of mild respect for he has no reason to be too into traditions. He's the kind of straight to the point person.

[TaiLiu]

The Chief's grin turns into a frown at the non-kneelers, but then it transforms back into a grin just as quickly. "Dekdek," he says to the axe-wielding goblin, "Go get us some food." The goblin drops his axe and obliges, walking away in the direction you came from. He then looks at you, plops down onto the muddy ground, and gestures for you to do the same. Meanwhile, his guards start talking. Closer observation notes that they are identical twins.

"We're not a nation," one begins, "We're a tribe."

The other speaks. "Regardless, all conflict began on your side."

"We were slaughtered."

"Displaced."

"Enslaved until we could escape."

They glare at you. "You don't know, do you? No one knows."

"Our ancestors told everyone that came here, but no one believed us."

"There was no history of it happening. It was all erased."

"Wiped away, like our blood."

"No one has visited us for a hundred years. The latest was a priest of Pelor, who tried to convert us to her religion."

"Or, rather, that was the latest. You are the latest now, and will be like all the others."

"We're liars, you'll say."

"Beggars for sympathy, you'll mumble."

"That won't matter now. Our chief has had a vision."

"A godly sort of vision."

"An angry, godly sort of vision."

"A glow, and then the end of anger."

"And the beginning of rage."

"You are not worthy of this."

"But we shall give it to you, as your last."

"Do you have any questions?"

[Deathkeeper]

James crouches down, but he doesn't sit. He'd hate to get all that mud on his rear. He bows his head for a moment.
"You have already proven your capacity for reason. I would not think you liars suddenly. I know that sympathy cannot erase the sins of the past, but know that you do have mine. So few men carry honor through history.
And then, after a pause,
What do you mean our last? And give us what?"

[Balldanor]

The dwarf frowns at the chief's comments as he squats down nearby, not quite sitting in the mud. Raiding 100 years ago doesn't give the right to raid now..If you're saying that you guys started raiding because of raids by humans against your ancestors, then we have a bit of an issue. We were thinking of seeing if one of your tribe could accompany us back to our employers to help get things straightened out.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Janet sits, listening to the story amusedly. But when the twins end their tale with a cryptic message, she frowns, the eyes within her becoming more and more agitated, both from her position and the anger that's welling up within her. She manages to keep her composure though, and stares quietly at the goblins as the other speak.

Suddenly, a thought occurs to her, and she makes a decision. Making sure the others don't notice, she begins to manifest her form. The eyes gleefully surface, but she manages to keep them all under her blouse. Immediately, her senses expand, and she has the inexplicable sensation of knowing everything that is happening around her - the others bowing, the walking of nearby goblins, and everything else within a small radius of her. Janet relaxes, and lets them do their work.

Manifest Form - Blindsense 15 ft, 10% chance to not be flanked, 5% chance to not be flatfooted. Identifying everyone around as allies so they don't have to make will saves, nor will they see my true form.

[bcool999]

Charlie is liking this less and less... He sits down and tries to think of a way out of this mess, but after hearing that bit about this being our 'last' Charlie realizes that the time for diplomacy has probably past. He prepares for whatever comes next either violence or capture...

[Yas392]

He could make out that 'angry, godly' means that the divine or nature will intervene. The rest is simply words of vengeance will probably be carried out by this "godly" herald. He just need to wait for the chief to reply the two's inquiries as he plants his buxom down.

[TaiLiu]

The chief eyes Balldanor, seemingly amused. The twins are not, however, and start up a diatribe.

"Accompany you?"

"You mean enslave, right?"

"A prize, perhaps. A show of dominance over us."

"Either way, we're not doing it."

The twins seem to have a few choice words to spew out, but they are cut short by Dekdek, carrying a sack of dried tomatoes. They rush over eagerly, leaving the chief room to talk.

"In my dream, I was told that there would be war," the chief says, "between your so-called Continent of Light and our continent. The celestial creature who spoke to me was uncertain about the outcome of the war, but it told me three things: that the catalysts for the war are sent from the Continent of Light, that the catalysts would arrive today, and that the side they will choose to fight on is the side that is going to win. I have good reason to believe that you're the catalysts, and I have a way" - here he grins and waves his staff - "to convince you to fight for us, courtesy of said celestial creature."

He chuckles grimly. "We're not cruel, unlike your people. What we're giving you is a choice - your last and final choice. Will you willingly fight for us, or must you be forced to do so?"

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Janet eyes the chief warily. She still holds one of her self-grown spikes in one hand, and starts to push another out of her other palm. "Doesn't seem like much of a choice to me," she mutters, her myriad eyes still on full alert underneath her shirt.

[bcool999]

Okay... maybe some fast talking will help get them out of this mess until they can call in some cavalry! "Victory is assured if we fight on your side you say? Well... I do have some people back home that I would love to pay back... Very well I'm your man for this war. However, I am not much of a warrior per se do you have a more administrative roll that I could fill?"

Bluff: [roll0]
:elan: Bluff Bluff Bluff the stupid Goblin! (I hope I get a bonus because he wants to believe that I will join him)
Edit: Now I really hope I get some sort of bonus :smalleek:

[Deathkeeper]

"Actually, it was so you could defend yourselves and not have our superiors call the story a lie like you seem to be used to.

he then turns his attention carefully to the Chief.

"I believe your tale, even if it means my people have much dishonor to answer for. However, most of our nation is completely oblivious to your plight, being told the same 'facts' as you have seen in the minds of our predecessors. To cut them down is just as much an evil act as they doing so to you. I will fight to undo the wrongs done to you, but I will not take up arms against innocents. I can offer my services for some things, but I will not allow you to start a war on a vision alone. To willingly cause so much death should never be anything but a last resort, and to do so simply because a few have misguided the nation into apathy will only keep the cycle of mistrust going."

[Yas392]

Exactly by the literal word "accompany", no tricks. We are a neutral party, if our contractor means ill, we will not hesitate to thwarting his plans.

Jay-suu claims his words in honesty. That contingent seems to be close enough.

I see, it was closer to what I visualise. I have a solution, your kingliness. Treat us as part of your faction that befits your whims. In the time being, please exonerate our kin's ignorance to these omens. You have our trust via service. Coercion is not necessary. We offer no subdual resistance other than a spittle of childish tantrums that you may find inconvenient marginally.

Whatever action or words shall be judged internally. He can't say that he is fair, there is no juries here to confirm which is right or wrong.


Diplomacy - [roll0]
Bluff - [roll1]
Sense Motive (Chief) - [roll2]

[Balldanor]

The dwarf growls at the chief's words, You sit there and talk about enslavement, then give us a choice that is no choice. If we don't fight for you willingly, you'll make us? What is that but enslavement? If you do so, and start this war that you envisioned, then you'll be no better than the humans you were complaining about in your first comments.

I, for one, will not willingly fight for you in this war you speak of. We are here as investigators, and are willing to work with you to peacefully end the strife, and your return offer is to enslave us?

[TaiLiu]

The chief shrugs at Janet's words. "We're giving you more choices than your ancestors did. Besides, we're not going to let you go hungry." He gestures to the twins and they bring over the sack, offering everyone a tomato before speaking to Charlie.

"Administrative role? Are you crazy?"

"We would never let you run our tribe."

"You would ruin it from inside."

Dekdek, the axe-wielding goblin, nods. "That happened, once, long ago. Long story short: we let an outsider in, and a few weeks later, we were all ruled by an egotistic imp. To be truthful" - here he glances at Knight James - "we don't care about the cycle of mistrust anymore. There's definitely going to be war: Chief's visions always come true."

The twins butt in. "Yeah, like the time he dreamed about raining frogs."

"Or that time he dreamed of the drought."

"Oo! What about the time that he foresaw the shipwreck?"

"Oh, yeah! We had meat for a week!"

The elderly goblin silences them, then addresses the rest of the group's concerns. "Enslave is too harsh a word, dwarf. We're offering you the choice of a lifetime." She gestures at Jay-suu. "Your friend seems to understand."

[Deathkeeper]

James pulls out a belt knife and begins cutting fruit/vegetable. He'll take a bite if the slices don't seem rotten.
"I will say it again. You deserve better than you have, and I would implore you to not base all your actions on a vision alone, because free will is always a factor, even minor. If I can repair the dishonor levelled at you I will, but I will not break my code of honor to do so, and therefore I will not strike down innocents.
...
...
...should I ask how and possibly why it rained frogs?"

[Yas392]

Jay-suu makes an 'OH' face when he heard of frogs.

Did that phenomenon really happen?

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Janet does her best to loosen up a little - the situation has definitely turned against them, and there's no way they could fight their way out. Instead, she stays quiet, glowering at the chief. She'll have to let the rest of the party do the talking - she refuses to stoop to servitude in order to avoid confrontation. Underneath her blouse, the eyes shift, just as agitated as she is.

[bcool999]

Frogs raining from the sky? Great, not only are we captured by goblins, we are captured by crazy goblins who want me on the front lines of their holy war... Charlie thought to himself while sitting sullenly in the mud imagining a short violent future of rotten tomatoes interspersed with horrific violence and death. Charlie determines then and there that he has to get away from these psychopaths before he catches the crazy.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor turns to the others, It's pretty clear that these goblins are typical of their kind. We should've known better than to trust them even the little bit that we did.

To the chief, Balldanor says Bugger your "choice of a lifetime" and bugger you. Here's the choice from my perspective; you can send an envoy with us to tell your story to our employers, or you can let us go on our way and our employers will end up sending an army to attack your camp. If you enslave us, like you seem to want to do, that army will probably still be coming when we don't report back, so any war that comes along will be based on the choices that YOU made.

[TaiLiu]

The twins ignore Balldanor's comment, instead opting to talk about the frogs.

"Yeah, there were a lot of them."

"They're really chewy, though."

"Like our tomatoes!"

The other goblins seem to lack their sense of humour. Dekdek picks up his axe and gives a glare. The elder walks away, obviously angry. Meanwhile, steam comes out of the chief's ears, before he calms himself.

"Maybe your friend is right," the chief says, referring to Jay-suu, "Maybe this resistance is nothing more than a 'spittle of childish tantrums.'" He silently contemplates his words. "This is more than a mild annoyance, though. This is a threat."

Silence befalls the chief once more, before he finally speaks, pointing a finger at Jay-suu. "Treat you as part of my faction that befits my whims, right? Well, my whims (and observations) say that your friend" - here he eyeballs Balldanor - "won't do. There's always a time to test one's loyalty, and the time is now."

"Grapple the dwarf."

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Having been indecisive for the past few minutes, the chief's words make Janet's decision for her. Before the guard has time to approach Belldanor, she quickly assumes her worldly guise, willing her eyes back inside her. Then, as she steps close to the dwarf, she looks straight into Belldanor's eyes.

"Don't panic."

She then turns and snarls at the approaching guard, and manifests her true form. Nine eyes twist and writhe to the surface, moving wildly as they surface - on her arms, on her checks, in her long, jet black hair. There's no turning back now, she thinks, brandishing her spikes. The time for sweet words is over. The time for diplomatic kowtowing and bootlick is over.

The time for her to hide is over.

[Deathkeeper]

James stands up, his hand on his sword, his eyes (metaphorically) blazing.
You, he says to his chief. "Don't seem to understand what's going into your ears. Those of us who are attempting to help you are offering to do so within the realm of sense and basic honor or morality. Beating up comrades is not and never will be within either of those things, and if you honestly expected us to have no compulsions against doing so you're about as cruel as you claim us to be. And you, he says, rounding on Janet, Have quite clearly been keeping some rather important secrets from us and are currently two inches from a diplomatic incident in the middle of talking, so would you kindly sit the Hell down and wait to start killing people until we're damn sure who we're fighting?"
Gee, I think he's mad?

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

With a new focus, Janet turns to the man who has the gall to tell her how to conduct herself. "This little 'talk' ended when we were given the hollow choice, can't you see that? And as for my secret, there was no keeping anything from you. I deemed it unnecessary for you to know until such time as it became necessary. Now turn around and deal with the real problem here, not your own teammate." Charismatic though she could be, she doesn't feel like being particularly charming at the moment.

[bcool999]

Charlie sees diplomatic options explode despite the Knight's attempts to restore order Like that's going to happen after they just insulted the dwarf and Janet pulled... something out of her... *Shiver* Not touching That with a ten foot pole I will tell you that right now. However, in every burst of chaos an opportunity will arise. One of Olidammara's mantras and a personal favorite of Charlie as he uses the chaos to draw his rapier unnoticed.

[Yas392]

Sure, I will arrest the dwarf for you. You need him detained, yes?

You can see a miserly glint in his hood when the chieftain issues his orders for credulity. He throws his tomato at the chief. Then, he "grapples" Balldanor (if he is willing) and flings him towards the chief (if he had that knife out).


Ranged Attack - [roll0]


You never ordained anything after besides a grapple so I assumed that was your only order. Plus, I have not finished my statement. You only received half of it, chieftain. I probably would have agreed to that IF the verification of a safe escort have been delivered and returned in concordance and that violence abjected by your kind and promotion by ours. Some of my companions have offered a compromise that will raise us towards a resolution of closure which you gracefully turned down.

Jay-suu spits on the ground in disgust.

As much as I hate violence, the safety of my party is my foremost priority. Barrier!

Jay-suu erects an wall of aura, shielding the party from future assaults.


Protection devotion - 30 ft +2 AC aura to party for 1 minute (10 rounds)

[Balldanor]

Balldanor had taken out his rapier and kukri as the chief mentions him getting taken out; Once he sees Jay-suu throw the tomato, he comprehends the plan and goes along with getting flung at the chief; attacking with both weapons as he tumbles past the guarding goblins.

Tumble [roll0]
Attack with rapier [roll1]
Attack with kukri [roll2]

[Balldanor]

Having taken the goblins by surprise with the attack, Balldanor follows up with another attack on the chief with both rapier and kukri, trying to dance around the goblin ripostes.

Rapier attack [roll0]
Kukri attack [roll1]
Rapier damage [roll2]
Kukri damage [roll3]

[TaiLiu]

The chief screeches and bleeds as Balldanor's kukri pierces his hide. Luckily for him, Balldanor's rapier and next attack misses easily, and he screams for assistance. Meanwhile, the twins are unnerved by the presence of Janet's eyes, but try to hold up a brave front, swiping at Balldanor.

Meanwhile, Dekdek goes up to Balldanor and tries to disarm his kukri.

AoO; Twin One: [roll0] Attack: [roll1]
AoO; Twin One: [roll2] Attack: [roll3]
Disarm Check (Improved Disarm): [roll4] Make an opposed attack roll, please.

[Balldanor]

[roll0] Doesn't he fail automatically because of the roll of 1, and don't I get a return disarm attempt?

Never mind on the return disarm attempt.. we both rolled 1's, but I shouldn't be disarmed ROFL

However, if you are ruling that we got a surprise round, there would be no AoO's by the twins, regardless of if they were in position to or not because they were flatfooted and denied their dex bonus to AC. If those are their regular attacks, then they hit, but they wouldn't get another one. Even with the comment that I was dancing around the ripostes, I wasn't moving in the round that I attacked the chief.. I just meant that I was trying to avoid getting hit if I could.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Reacting, Janet throws her shards at the chief, but the sudden movement means her aim is off, and the sharp bit of chitin flies wide. Annoyed, she grows another one from her palm, and steps a little closer to the fray.

[bcool999]

Seeing the Chief distracted by Balldanor's flurry of attacks Charlie moves to flank the chief and tries to end the conflict swiftly only to have his blow completely miss. :smallannoyed:

He then watches the Chief warily for an attack.

Applying Dodge to the Chief for a +1 to AC against him.

[Deathkeeper]

James finally pulls his blade out of its heathe, moving to where he can block any of the goblins from getting to his squishier teammates.
"I believe they just want to defend ourselves so you can still throw down your weapons and make it out alive. Other option is violent death. Please do the smart thing."
Intimidate: [roll0]

[TaiLiu]

The Chief chuckles and laughs, watching your attacks whiz by him. "It seems like the gods don't want me to die," he says, "Your threats are worthless."

The twins, however, don't seem to be so certain of their leader's conclusion. James' statement demoralises the two once more. One even drops his weapon and holds his hands up in surrender. The other takes a quick glance at rest of the group before turning around in an attempt to help his chief, swiping at Charlie.

The chief takes a small step back, now leaning on his hut's door. He takes a quick glance around, mutters "too far" under his breath, and then raises his arms and voice, intoning magical words of power. At once, Dekdek strikes at Balldanor in a rapid fashion.

Twin Two Attack Roll: [roll0]
Twin Two Damage Roll: [roll1]

[bcool999]

Charlie tries to take advantage of the Chief's spellcasting to deal a telling blow when the twin slashes him in the side. Coughing blood Charlie wonders if this is it for him...

[Balldanor]

Balldanor, seeing the chief cast a spell, tries to take advantage of the distraction... and miisses again with his rapier thrust. He starts thinking to himself, What did I spend all my time training for if I'm going to miss with all my attacks? Come on, you bugger, hit something!

[Balldanor]

Balldanor grimaces from Dek Dek's attack, then takes a single step to get back within reach of the chief and yells curses at the goblins as he attacks again with both rapier and kukri

Rapier attack [roll0]
Kukri attack [roll1]
Rapier crit confirm [roll2]
Kukri crit confirm [roll3]
Rapier damage [roll4]
Kukri damage [roll5]
Rapier crit dmg [roll6]
Kukri crit dmg [roll7]

[TaiLiu]

The blade digs deep, and the chief actually looks fearful now. Meanwhile, Dekdek casually attempts to disarm Balldanor again, swatting at his rapier.

Disarm Check (Improved Disarm): [roll0] Make an opposed attack roll, please.

[Yas392]

Jay-suu stood idly. He sees Charlie ducking out with injuries. He wanted to give him healing but knew that if he does his only means of spellcasting will be cut off. The chief must be subdue or knock out of commission for the battle to end. His eyes moves to where the chief stood. He would not resort to killing, just an effective way of ending a battle.


Move action to spot [roll0] anything he could use against the chief.
Readying standard action.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Seeing Charlie get ravaged, Janet retaliates with another spike, sending it sailing through the air at the chief. This time the sharp piece of chitin finds its mark, embedding itself in the goblin with a thud.

[bcool999]

Grimacing with pain, Charlie lashes out with his rapier without looking before stepping away and retreating to the relative safety to be found behind the Knight and near the Lovely Janet (Lovely at the moment being relative to the thought of being dead). Feeling his blade bite deep into flesh he smiles in satisfaction as he hurries away. Serves the bugger right whoever it was...

[Deathkeeper]

"Charlie, get back." James says simply, which lo and behold, Charlie does. James advances upon the wounded goblin, hopefully turning aside the strikes of his minions with his shield (if possible, while walking slowly and not looking at them for +20 coolness).
Swift Action: Fighting Challenge
"My sincerest apologies. I know you mean well for your people, but I value the immediate lives of my compatriots over yours."
James stabs the goblin square in the chest.
"May you find peace in the hands of your god."

[TaiLiu]

James' blow finally knocks the chief unconscious, leaving only Dekdek and the twins to fight. The twins run away screaming, calling for the gate guards. Dekdek merely looks annoyed.

"You know," he begins, "If Chief here dies, I'm be the next in line. I suppose that you'll want to kill me, then." He glances at all of you. "Come at me, then. I'm not giving up."

"The big plan will succeed."

[Deathkeeper]

"Mercy is also part of a Knight's code. You can still surrender. If you do so you can everyone here. Even him, since I assume you care if he bleeds out."

[Yas392]

Please, yield. My sincerest apologies for the surprise improvisation. It is not my duty to kill heartlessly, only subdue.

Jay-suu tries to reason with Dek-dek before it's too late.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor, still upset at the despicable actions of the goblins, turns his attention to Dek-Dek, attacking with both weapons

rapier[roll0]
Kukri [roll1]
rapier dmg [roll2]
Kukri dmg [roll3]

[TaiLiu]

Dekdek ducks, but Balldanor still manages to stab him through the shoulder. His casual demeanour turns into one of anger, and he barely holds back the temptation to attack his aggressor.

"You are very lucky," he spits, "Chief wanted to wait until you had agreed to fight for us. That isn't happening." He raises his axe above his head and thrusts it down, smashing the chief's staff. The black crystal on top shatters, making a loud crack. A low rumbling emits from the shattered shards. "Fine. No more choices." More rumbling, then a soft glow, which quickly turns into a bright light, shining like a sun. It expands mercilessly, engulfing everything - the mud, the chief, the party. Then, when it ends...

"Welcome to our side."

[Deathkeeper]

James lays on the ground with his eyes closed, moaning a bit. It feels like someone had kicked him in the side about twenty times...and then moved on and done the same to every other part of his body, then yanked his ears for good measure. Slipping his arm from his shield he puts a hand to the side of his head to find that his ears are very long and very pointy. He groans again despairingly.
"Can we all agree that stabbing people mid-conversation is a bad idea, and if not doing it twice within the same minute definitely is?"
His accent seems a bit off, but then his teeth and jaws aren't what he's used to.

[Yas392]

Glass-shattering screams could be heard miles away.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

This is...this is....He checks his new body and borrowing a puddle to better get the full view of his strange transmutation.

Better than my old self.

His hands up and down like he is doing a fanfare, his orifice lines opens up in a cheery disposition.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor sees the transformation of his party members, and then sees his hands and feels his ears. Upon realizing what just happened, he yells in rage, Did you just turn me into a friggin goblin?!?!?!? and proceeds to take out his anger by hacking at Dek-Dek again with rapier and kukri

I...STILL....HATE....GOBLINS! he exclaims as he slices into the chief's adjutant

Rapier atk [roll0]
Kukri atk [roll1]
Rapier crit confirm [roll2]
Kukri crit confirm [roll3]
Rapier damage [roll4]
Kukri damage [roll5]
Rapier crit dmg [roll6]
Kukri crit dmg [roll7]

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

What... what the hell? Janet slowly awakens, and stands. But something is different. She feels weaker and more moody, but her mind seems to move faster. Everything feels... bigger. It is then that she realizes what really happened. No. No no no no no... She looks down, and sure enough, all of her features have changed, becoming a jarringly blue version of the very creatures she had been fighting moments before. Snarling, she stares down the now too-big Dekdek. "You! What have you done??" In a fit of rage, she throws the chitin spike she had been holding at the goblin.

[Deathkeeper]

Ball's yelling hurts James' suddenly expressive ears. But he'll have to take time later to be amused by his sudden ability to move said appendages.
"Will you all SHUT UP?!
You are a bunch of incredibly short-sighted idiots if you think that we're going to suddenly like you for making us look like you. he snarls at DekDek. Even without knowledge of exactly what he is right now he's probably decently scary.
And you all need to calm your racism-fueled brains before you kill one of the only people knowledgeable of how to fix this while the other only person is bleeding out on the ground. Someone with magic really should help with that.

[bcool999]

Charlie blinks a couple of times after the flash of the staff and straightens feeling a little better, more sturdy somehow. He then notices more goblins around then before and realizes what just happened. Well that's great... just... fantastic. Charlie decides that the only way to properly show his appreciation for this is to see if he retains any skill at all. He crosses the battlefield and when DekDek was preoccupied with Balldanor's attack he tries to get in a blow. However, this body he is now in is bigger and a little harder to control. He hears the knight shout as he makes his attack. "They will be a lot easier to question away from here sir knight so why not lend a hand in knocking them out!"

[Yas392]

Agreed, we need to do it in a non-barbaric way. Still happy-going yet sick of this entire charade, he finalize the decision to end it by scoring a non-lethal hit yet by charging recklessly, letting out a battlecry.

Aiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaia!


Non-lethal attack - [roll0]

[TaiLiu]

Out of all the attacks, only Balldanor manages to injure Dekdek, cutting him a little on the side. He assumes a defensive stance while shouting back a retort to James. "Ha! Here's a challenge," he says, "Go back to your lit continent and see if anyone accepts you or believes you. You won't like us now, but you'll thank us later for showing you the true light!"

He attempts to knock Charlie's rapier out of his hands. "Also, I can't save Chief if you're all attacking me. He is your only chance of normalcy, and besides, the gate guards are coming. It is better to seem like an ally than an aggressor, I think."

Disarm Attempt (Improved Disarm): [roll0] Roll an opposing attack roll, please.

[bcool999]

Well I feel as though I am about to lose my weapon... :smallannoyed:
Attack roll: [roll0]
Edit: Called it...:smallmad:

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Janet angrily throws another shard at Dekdek, but to no avail, as the piece of chitin sails harmless over the goblins head. Damn! I'll need time to adjust to this body.

[Yas392]

Instead of fighting after the blow was dodged, Jay-suu gives up and ventures into the chief's hut.

[bcool999]

Charlie, having lost his rapier, draws a dagger and tries to connect with DekDek but still manages to foul up his attack.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor, getting frustrated with the missed attempts to finish off Dek-Dek, again attacks wuth both rapier and kukri..maybe if they finish the henchman off, the chuef could be revuved and they could get returned to their normal state.

[Deathkeeper]

James, who goes before Balldanor, gives an annoyed twitch of his ears as he huffs towards the group. Being ignored is something he does not take well. Reaching forward, he grabs Ball and Charlie's collars and pulls them back with a yank.
"So tell me friends, what did I just say?"

[TaiLiu]

Dekdek easily deflects your blows, chuckling as Charlie and Balldanor gets pulled back. "Listen," he rumbles, "Do you hear that? The gate guards are coming." Indeed, a loud creak emerges from a distance, then halts. "Frankly, I'm surprised you didn't stop the twins from running away. Too bad." He moves forward and attempts to strike James; meanwhile, the chief continues to bleed out.

While the fighting is going on, Jay-suu manages to slip into the chief's hut. It is a sturdy hut, with wooden walls held together with mud, rope, and decent engineering. A small bed is near the wall, as well as a table filled with powders, candles, and liquids of all sorts, unlabelled. Jay-suu smells incense and smoke, its source unclear. There is nothing else in the hut.

Dekdek's Attack Roll: [roll0]
Dekdek's Damage Roll: [roll1]

[Deathkeeper]

Oh, look at that, James just let go of the two people about to murder him.
"You arrogant little s-. Your chief is dying, you're halfway there, my friends are about to take your head off, and you think I'll be scared of your pissy little guard squad? If you want there to be a single man left in this town swallow your self-righteous ego and start acting like a leader instead of a child."

(Sadly, it isn't James' turn, so that isn't an intimidate, but taking and dropping things are free actions)

[Yas392]

Jay-suu thought his eyes must be deceiving him. His mutated limbs may hold limitation for him to successfully get something other than the powder lay on the table. How wonderful.... He taps into the shelves dwelled in his archives. God, the smell! His nose tries to follow whatever lingers stanch in the air.

[AeonsShadow]

All of a sudden at the edge of the gate the gongs rang out in a sudden urgency before cutting off with a pair of gut wrenching screams as the two goblin guards fall from their perches, on fire, and dead before they hit the ground. The goblin cheif mutters, "No... it's here...." even dying, there was fear in his eyes from the thought of what was on the other side of the door.....

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Janet had been about to throw a shard at Dekdek, but the sound gives her pause. "Guys," she calls out, not quite sure what they should do. "If it's really as bad as the chief thinks it is, maybe this bickering needs to stop."

No attacks - are we still trying to hit him?

[Yas392]

He salvages what he could from the hut. The properties are useful for the near future. Jay-suu was sure they could do as they please. The change did nothing to remove their former behaviours and obligations, not that they have any.

As he steps outside, he hears the goblin chief mutters.

"No... it's here...."

The bleeding is getting worse with no support. But he wants to make sure that there is no more excessive deaths. He sits by the nearly-dying chief, beginning to treat his wounds.

"Do not talk. Just rest."

[Balldanor]

Balldanor, seeing that the chief is being tended to, darts in and attempts to finish off Dek-Dek prior to checking out the other sound.

Already rolled, going to continue with the action and worry about the other sound right after

[TaiLiu]

Dekdek is a little too slow, and Balldanor manages to cut a gash all over his right side. He still stands, though barely, and glares at you with the fury of a thousand tomatoes. He does not act, though, and merely listens to the screams of the goblins, the thumping of mud and feet, and the roar of fire.

"Chief was right," he confirmed, "They are here." He glances down and looks at his leader - no longer dying, but yet doomed to a fiery death. "Dekdek..." the chief mutters, "Get them out" - here he coughs up blood - "of here..." Dekdek nods, and points behind the chief's hut.

"Run down, and you'll see out emergency gate, for attacks like this. Get out and leave as fast as possible." The axe warrior eyes the village in pity. "We've fought them before, but that was when the chief was awake and well. We can't hold them back this time."

He glances at the party again, watching your movements. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Convinced, Janet reabsorbs the two spikes she had been holding, and takes off in the direction Dekdek was pointing to, looking for the exit he said would be there.

[Deathkeeper]

James looks fairly horrified.
"The hell is it? And what the hell is with this day?"
He asks, only pausing for a moment to hear an answer for this first question before following Janet.

[bcool999]

Charlie, having wanted to leave since he arrived here was more than happy to scamper off once collecting his rapier. Not having to meet whatever was making all that noise is just an added bonus.

[Balldanor]

Balldanor, never one to stand against a massive for alone and toe-to-toe, follows james, janet, and charlie

[Yas392]

At least, receive this blessing in compensation.


Cure Light Wounds - [roll0] (To the chief)
Protection Devotion +2 AC


Jay-suu bows.

My apologies for unable to succour you against this threat and for my companion's action. Best of luck. May we meet again if our path converge with no misunderstandings.

He follows the party right after.

[TaiLiu]

Janet runs off first, followed by Charlie and Balldanor. James flees soon after Dekdek informs him of a "raider of flame." Jay-suu flees last, and as he runs off, Dekdek thanks him and says, "Look for the Statue Of Differences! Follow the path of cattails, and find the bog witch!"

Meanwhile, the party keeps running ahead and meets a wooden wall. Two small doors are carved in it, standing out clear as day. A quick push reveals the swampy lands of the continent. Not soon after, parts of the goblin encampment burst into flames.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Janet runs a little further away from the village before she stops, panting. "So, does anyone know where we go from here?"

[Deathkeeper]

"Forward, for starters. I think I heard him say to look for a statue?"

[Yas392]

Jay-suu finally caught up with the party.

...

...

...

You guys...are always too quick to act. That was rather half-botched.

He shakes his head disconcertingly.

The statue that he asked us to look for is the statue of differences. Follow the path of the cattails and find the bog witch.

He adds to James's obscure statement.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Janet frowns, and purses her lips. A bog witch is not the best option, not if her own experiences with them has anything influence on the situation. But at the moment it's their only relatively reliable option, with the village now burning behind them. "I suppose we should get moving then," she says. Before we're permanently locked into these dirty forms.

[bcool999]

"I guess we have to go along with the goblin as long as we look like this... I wonder if the witch could change us back or if she could change our appearance enough to blend in a report back. Though, to be perfectly honest, I don't half mind this new body other than the beastly appearance." Even if I am not entirely thrilled on going back where that angry noble is at least there won't be village destroying firestorms or whatever that was back there. Who knows? maybe that witch can change my appearance so that I look like an Elf again but not like me. Charlie says as he follows the others into the swamp. "Hopefully we can reach the witch before night falls. I don't like the thought of traversing unfamiliar swamps by moonlight."

[Balldanor]

Balldanor is content to follow the others, especially if it means getting out of this repulsive goblinoid form and back to his dwarven glory. Hefting his weapons, he grunts, Well, what are we waiting for then?

[Deathkeeper]

"Nothing, then. Let's get moving, because I don't like the prospect of a night here any more than you."
James is a bit too numb right now to be thinking of his body much. That and despite everything he just felt better. Maybe not worth never seeing his family again, but still.

[TaiLiu]

As James utters that statement, more of the goblin encampment is engulfed in flames. Shouts and screams emerge, then slowly fade away. Meanwhile, the afternoon sun shines on the swamps, and you see a path of cattails twist and turn around the muddy waters, leading away from the camp and further inland.

[Deathkeeper]

James wishes he had a better helmet to cover his face.
"They...none of them used the escape door. Heironeous honor their deaths."
He begins trudging down the cattail path after a moment's salute.

[OhMyGodImOnFire]

Janet follows, keeping the cattails in sight despite the waning light. "Perhaps we should seek shelter, or make some if need be," she suggests.