Into the Keep on the Shadowfell IC

[Phantom Genius]

Vuthan waves his sword at Balgron, keeping an eye on Wesot. "He appears to have left his position to you. Head of First floor security, you said? Tell me, would your warriors be up for letting some 'new friends go past?"

"Or you could let them know that Kalarel is about to die and they are never getting paid."

[TurboGhast]

Vuthan waves his sword at Balgron, keeping an eye on Wesot. "He appears to have left his position to you. Head of First floor security, you said? Tell me, would your warriors be up for letting some 'new friends go past?"

"If that's going to happen I'd prefer it takes the form of us just leaving, to prevent retribution from Kalarel in the short term." After taking a breath, Wesot continues, "If your quarrel is with worshippers of Orcus, then the only person you'd need to keep around is Balgron."

"Don't remind them!"

"Or you could let them know that Kalarel is about to die and they are never getting paid."

"While I was doing this as favor, that we're not getting paid is beginning to sting. I hold no loyalty to him, and you're watching the last traces of my loyalty to Balgron fade away."

[Dimers]

"Don't remind them!"

"Keep quiet while the adults talk," Gagan growls behind Balgron. He puts his hand on the back of the goblin's neck.

"While I was doing this as favor, that we're not getting paid is beginning to sting. I hold no loyalty to him, and you're watching the last traces of my loyalty to Balgron fade away."

"Marvelous. If you can convince your fellows it's time to pack up and leave, I think we've no quarrel at all. What do you need to get started?" Gagan tries to keep his expression blank. He doesn't completely trust the goblin's word, but on the other hand, it may be worth the risk for a chance at clearing out multiple enemy combatants without more bloodshed.

[sandmote]

With a grin, Vuthan flexes his muscles and to some extent his girth. "If you need any help taking thing with you, I'd be glad to lend a hand!"

[TurboGhast]

"Then there's no reason not for us to try and dump the water of your earlier fights under the bridge, especially if you're going to help us move out." Glancing at Balgron, Wesot continues, "One look at what a blubbering fool he's being should throw all the displeasure caused by your fighting onto him. Any other questions before we get to it? Even if it's on a different topic."

[Phantom Genius]

"Then there's no reason not for us to try and dump the water of your earlier fights under the bridge, especially if you're going to help us move out." Glancing at Balgron, Wesot continues, "One look at what a blubbering fool he's being should throw all the displeasure caused by your fighting onto him. Any other questions before we get to it? Even if it's on a different topic."

"What awaits us ahead?"

[TurboGhast]

"Since you've been in the caves, the only part of the first floor you haven't been in is..." After shuddering, he continues, "the tombs. They're full of the corpses of those who lived here before this place decayed up, moving, and ready to make others join them in the afterlife. The people allowed to enter the second level do something to keep them off their backs when walking to the staircase there, but I'm not sure what."

"The only people on the second floor are the Kalarel's cult, and the hobgoblin mercenaries he hired. They're the sort that'll carry out the mission they've accepted no matter what. I haven't seen much of the cultists lately, and when I have they're either franticly searching for ingredients to a ritual, or dancing with glee about what the ritual will let them do in their god's name."

Hearing Zishu wonder about friendly fire as you talk about what to do with Balgron, Wesot adds, "I think the mercs would rather try and recapture him, and doubt whatever keeps the zombies from going after him will end merely because you capture him. The cultists might go after him if they think he betrayed them, but if not they'll want him back in the fold."

"If you're ready, we could continue talking as we begin packing up?"

[sandmote]

"Might be nice to get the word out before you start picking anything up," Vuthan notes, gesturing toward the door from which we heard knocking. He moves close enough to be able to strike if Wesot tries anything while at the door, and then stands aside to avoid being a barrier to passage himself.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move action: moves to location as shown on the map.
Standard Action: Readied action, not delayed turn: if Weset tries to bolt or something while standing within 2 squares of Vuthan, he'll employ thorn strike to pull the goblin closer.

Spoiler: Attack Results

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(1d20+9)[10], and on a hit deals (1d8+4)[10] damage and pulls 1 square.

Edit: hoping the nat 1 doesn't mean Vuthan spoils the peace himself.

[Rakaydos]

Having little interest in the interrogation, Sarathi watched the door, ready to react should anyone on the other side get curious.

(Readied Crushing surge should someone open the door and enter the room.)

[TurboGhast]

Wesot takes a key out of Balgron's pocket, then tries to pull him towards the door. However, he's nowhere near succeeding at that goal.

"A little help here? Oh, and just before I open the door you should spook him from dramatic effect."

(OOC: A check isn't required to successfully help, this is just an opportunity to interject added because going straight from here to Wesot explaining events to his allies felt like a jump too far to make in one post.)

[Rakaydos]

Sarathi turns and grins down at the fat goblin. A red glint in her eyes, she licks her chops, scraping the edge of her khopesh against her shield like a cleaver against a sharpening stone.

(d20+3)[20] Intimidate.

[TurboGhast]

Sarathi's scare brought Balgron to new heights of panic. Wesot threw the door at the next moment, having used the preceding one to unlock the door. Just as he expected, the rest of the goblins threw their frustration at him instead of you, and agreed to leave without a fight.

Spoiler: OOC: Experience Gain

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Each of you gain 100 experience points for successfully negotiating to prevent a battle.

While you help them pack up, your attention reaches the chest in the corner of this room.

"Balgron put all the treasure that belonged to him in that chest. I doubt anybody worth listening to would object to you taking it."

[Phantom Genius]

"Balgron put all the treasure that belonged to him in that chest. I doubt anybody worth listening to would object to you taking it."

"Is it locked or trapped?"

[TurboGhast]

"Is it locked or trapped?"

"It is locked, but Balgron keeps the key on him..." Holding up the door key, Wesot continues, "and I doubt you'll have any trouble taking it from him."

(OOC: Any attempt to acquire the chest's key from Balgron will succeed.)

[Phantom Genius]

"It is locked, but Balgron keeps the key on him..." Holding up the door key, Wesot continues, "and I doubt you'll have any trouble taking it from him."

(OOC: Any attempt to acquire the chest's key from Balgron will succeed.)

Drang takes the chest key and walks over to the chest. "This is what happens when you choose the path of evil."

[Dimers]

Gagan tightens his grip on the back of Balgron's neck as Drang fetches the key. "Don't try anything."

Drang takes the chest key and walks over to the chest. "This is what happens when you choose the path of evil."

Gagan adds dryly, "Clangeddin and Bahamut gonna getcha in the end."

[TurboGhast]

Inside the chest, you find quite a haul. 582 gp (97 per person, no remainder), and two tools for calling on magical power. The first is a wand patterned to look vaguely dagger-like which can be used create a cloud of what it visually imitates. The second is a dirty looking holy symbol emblazoned with a stylized depiction of Bahamut's right claw capable of letting the wielder strike with a slightly greater fraction of his strength.

Spoiler: OOC

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Since I forgot to even ask about checking the excavation site (room you entered this one from) for treasure after your decision to short rest there, I moved the treasure in that room to this one. Seemed reasonable from both an IC perspective and as a way of solving the OOC mistake.

Also, I upgraded the wand normally found in the chest because items which only give enhancement bonuses are kinda boring, especially when we started at level 2, and therefore with magic items.

Spoiler: Item Stats

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Spoiler: +1 Symbol of Battle

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Lv5 item, Implement (Holy Symbol).
Gives a +1 enhancement bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls, and +1d8 damage to critical hits.
Power (Daily): Free action. Use the power when you hit with an attack using this to deal 1d10 more damage.

Paraphrasing PHB page 237.

Spoiler: +1 Master's Wand of Cloud of Daggers

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Lv3 item, Implement (Wand).
Gives a +1 enhancement bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls, and +1d8 damage to critical hits.
Property: If a creature moves into a Cloud of Daggers made by this wand, they take damage equal to double your wisdom modifier (min. 2) instead of the normal amount.
Power (Encounter - Arcane, Force, Implement): Use Cloud of Daggers (Found on PHB page 159).

Paraphrasing Adventurer's Vault page 109.

[Dimers]

Looking over the goods, Gagan nods in appreciation, then glances around at his allies. "Speaking of Bahamut and Clangeddin ... Drang, do you want to take that holy symbol? Should give your flame blasts a lot more punch. I know Clangeddin's first in your heart, but I'm sure He wouldn't mind you using the tool of an allied Power."

[sandmote]

"Well, nothing I'm trained with; hopefully someone else can use these." Vuthan will take his share of the gold when it is doled out, though.

Turning back to Wesot, Vuthan continues, "anything you need help packing?"

[Phantom Genius]

Looking over the goods, Gagan nods in appreciation, then glances around at his allies. "Speaking of Bahamut and Clangeddin ... Drang, do you want to take that holy symbol? Should give your flame blasts a lot more punch. I know Clangeddin's first in your heart, but I'm sure He wouldn't mind you using the tool of an allied Power."

Drang's face lights up. "Well, yes! If no one else minds..."

[Archemist]

Drang's face lights up. "Well, yes! If no one else minds..."

The elf Elmo holds up his mace, its brass end styled as Pelor's sun, and says, "I have the light I need right here. You may keep the dragon."

[TurboGhast]

"Well, nothing I'm trained with; hopefully someone else can use these." Vuthan will take his share of the gold when it is doled out, though.

Turning back to Wesot, Vuthan continues, "anything you need help packing?"

"Yeah, there's still quite a bit of stuff left."

After almost everything's been packed up, you notice a minor commotion break out in the hallway leading out of this area to the west. Specifically, two of the goblins started arguing with eachother.

"Just leave that scammer behind. He's taken just as much stuff from us as Balgron, just via trickery instead of false authority!"

"Splug's a brave fighter and mean trickster. Maybe locking him up has taught him to direct it at our foes."

Do you intervene in some way, or let it play out?

[Rakaydos]

"Just share me out a portion of the gold."

Sarathi wasnt interested in the goblin conversation.

[Dimers]

"Hey. Hey!" Gagan's voice rises over the squabble. "Do you really think the trickster's earned a death sentence? Because that's what leaving him behind would be. We're going to kill everything that moves, and if we happen to pass him by, he'll just die of thirst or starvation in lockup."

Spoiler: skill roll?

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If you want to see a number, that's (d20+10)[13] for Diplomacy, or add 2 more if it's Intimidate. Apply circumstantial mods as necessary.

[TurboGhast]

"Hey. Hey!" Gagan's voice rises over the squabble. "Do you really think the trickster's earned a death sentence? Because that's what leaving him behind would be. We're going to kill everything that moves, and if we happen to pass him by, he'll just die of thirst or starvation in lockup."

Spoiler: skill roll?

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If you want to see a number, that's [roll0] for Diplomacy, or add 2 more if it's Intimidate. Apply circumstantial mods as necessary.

The goblin calling for mercy is able to add onto Gagan's argument to make one that convinces the other. "Does us leaving here make any of the reasons we didn't just execute him earlier less true?"

"I suppose not..."

"And if I got the discussion right, we were going to leave Balgron in your custody?"

(OOC: Two things to note:

1. Since Wesot would agree to both you deciding Balgron's fate and him getting brought home as a prisoner, the answer you give to this question will turn out to be correct.
2. This is the last call to ask questions of the other goblins. My next post will start with Wesot waving goodbye as he leaves unless you give me a reason to post something else.

)

[sandmote]

"Ideally," Vuthan says over his shoulder; he's still more interested in speeding up proceedings than prisoner status and is still helping carry some items out. "Although if you could also tell us about who he's working for that might help as well. Assuming you know, anyway."

[TurboGhast]

"The only people I've seen him have strategic discussions with are Wesot, and Kalarel." After shuddering a bit, he continues. "Haven't ever tried to listen in when Kalarel's there, 'cause he gives me the creeps."

(OOC: Previous off-camera discussion with Wesot aligns with this answer. "Balgron is a direct subordinate of Kalarel's.")

What little packing that still needs done is swiftly completed.

As Wesot leaves, he says, "Let's hope that if we meet again, we do it as allies."

Spoiler: OOC - Asking you what's next

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The paths you haven't gone down yet are...

• The door leading east out of the cave with "Stay out. Really." written on it.
• The southern door leading east out of the entrance. Based on what Wesot's told you, likely to have zombies within.

(The door east out of this room and the northern hallway out of the entrance lead to the same currently empty room, which has no other exits. You know this because you helped the goblins empty it while packing up.)

Of course, you don't necessary need to go down a new path immediately.

[Rakaydos]

OOC: Magic holy symbols says Undead is the way forward. #goodgamedesign)

[Starbuck_II]

"We should check out the stay out cave.", Zishu says. He had been silently observing for the while." That might be where they store the good stuff"

[Rakaydos]

"We should check out the stay out cave.", Zishu says. He had been silently observing for the while." That might be where they store the good stuff"

"If we were going to do that, we should have done it while there were other things to distract whatever is within."