Blight Makes Right (DM: TwoHeadsBarking. Judge: Lord Sessadore)

[TwoHeadsBarking]

ooc

I'm pretty sure none of you can speak goblin. Too bad, you'll just have to rely on Yelder. It's not that his grasp of the language is bad, per se, it's just a little... unpolished.

"Let me try," Yelder offers, as no one else steps forward. For a few minutes he converses with the goblin with a language that seems to be comprised mostly of grunting and screeching. Then he turns back to you.

"Um, I'm not sure how much of that I got. He says he's a member of the Spider Eye tribe, or something like that. It's Io-Rach, in his tongue. He didn't really tell me where his tribe is, but it sounds like it's really far away." Yelder pauses and scratches the back of his neck, "Or, at least, that's what I think he said. He sounded pretty proud about his, uh, deformities. He said he was chosen by the tribe's shaman, or maybe elder, well, some kind of leader to receive these gifts. And there was something about a wild man. Or maybe an animal corpse. Or a bug nest." Yelder looks at you somewhat sheepishly. "Did I mention I'm not fluent?"

[Ghdeh1]

Alek thinks for a moment and says "Well it seems that there are some goblins near here. We should probably try to get to them to find where this...He pauses for a moment blight came from." Alek waits a moment for the group to decide what they were going to do.

[Boddynock]

OOC

Sorry, busy couple of days. I know I've come in after Yelder has translated but Adran has the Comprehend Language ritual which he can cast, possibly after hearing the goblin speak with Yelder for that time.

Let me know if you want me to go ahead with that.

[TwoHeadsBarking]

ooc

It's up to you if you want to ritual it up. There may be additional information to gleaned from the goblin, either that Yelder didn't catch or from follow-up questions

[TwoHeadsBarking]

ooc

So, what's the plan?

[Velmont]

OOC

Let's Adran cast a comprehend language on the goblin. Then let the goblin repeat his first answer. Then, let's ask him more detail about that Wild Man/ Bug Nest/ Animal Corpse.

I would be willing to buy back the component used for that ritual from the money gain form this adventure, before splitting it.

[garyh]

OOC

The ritual sounds good to me, and I'm also up for refunding Adran the cost of the ritual before splitting treasure.

[TwoHeadsBarking]

ooc: Boddyknock, you going to cast the ritual?

[Boddynock]

Having listened to Yelder interrogating the goblin, Adran fishes in his rucksack and removes his ritual book. Opening it to the second page, he clears his throat and begins a ritual to enhance his understanding of the creature's tongue.

After 10 minutes, he turns to the prisoner and speaks haltingly, with much hesitation. He gestures to Yelder to assist where necessary.

Goblin

"You tell again. Where you get sick?"

OOC

Arcana check for Comprehend Language ritual: (1d20+7=15)

Adran can now understand what the goblin is saying but is far from fluent in speaking the language himself (DC 35 to speak fluently).

Mini-stats

Adran Cassis, Bard 1
Initiative: +1 | Passive perception: 16 | Passive Insight: 14
AC: 15 | For: 13 | Ref: 14 | Will: 15
HP: 28/28 | Bloodied: 14 | Surge value: 7 | Surges: 8/10
Speed: 6 | Languages: Allarian, Draconic, Eladrin
AP: 1 | Second Wind: not used
Basic Attack/Opportunity attack: +3 vs AC, 1d8
Powers: Guiding Strike (PHB2), War Song Strike (PHB2)
Acid Orb (PHB2), Majestic Word (0 of 2 used) (PHB2), Shout of Triumph (PHB2), Words of Friendship (PHB2)
Slayer’s Song (PHB2)

[TwoHeadsBarking]

The goblin looks at you curiously, then sneers and begins to talk:

Goblin

"As I already told your man-servant, I am not sick. I am strong. How many other goblins have you seen like me? None. I am a warrior of the Spider Eye tribe, and I have been blessed appropriately. Our reach extends far, far beyond this pathetic town. But that doesn't mean we won't attack you where you are weakest, where the opportunity presents itself."

[Boddynock]

Adran translates for his companions and encourages them to ask whatever questions they want him to translate. Then he turns back to the goblin and speaks again.

Goblin

"Spider eye? Me never heard of you. Where you tribe? Me not know you."

[garyh]

"Ask him if he's with the Hzakan Empire," Growl suggests.

[TwoHeadsBarking]

ooc

Oops, I suppose I should have put the above in Goblin brackets.

Yelder scowls at the "man-servant" remark.

The goblin continues:

Goblin

"Of course you never hear of us. We are clever. Not like other goblins. Other goblins take slaves, but sometimes leave survivors. We take all. Even the weak and old can be useful. Sometimes even the dying, that is how smart we are." The goblin smirks at you. "We are also smart enough to not tell where we are to anyone who asks."

Assuming Adran asks about the Hzakan Empire

The goblin grins slyly:

Goblin

"Maybe, maybe not. Who knows where our power comes from? Not you."

Adran only

(ooc: IC is down, so I rolled the goblin's bluff and your insight.) You get the feeling that while the goblin is trying to subtly imply a connection between his tribe and the Empire, it really doesn't know one way or the other.

[Boddynock]

Adran relays the goblin's answers to the others, including his intuition about the goblin's response to questions about the Hzakan Empire.

[garyh]

A low rumble is heard from Growl. "Bah, can never trust a goblin..."

[Velmont]

"Ok, so that goblin will not tell where we can find his kind. Let me gives a try." tells Feyr. He removes the thick leather gloves he wears. His hand seem closely to a human one, but the people suddenly see the spike growing in his palm. He put his palm on the torso.

"You feel it. I can see you feel it. You understand what I'm doing I'm quite sure, even if you don't understand my tongue." Slowly, he makes his spike grow, very slowly. "Adran, traduce. This is a technique my people have develop. We can make our subject feel pain all day. With a good healer, we can even play that game for weeks. So, let me asks again. Where can we find your tribe? Where can you get your strength?"

OOC

I just made a good impression I think: Intimidate goblin (1d20+8=28)

Even hostile, he better has over 18 Will defence to not be intimidated.

[TwoHeadsBarking]

Velmont

Ha, I had forgotten you were a bladeling. I was like, Spikes? Where the hell did that come from? And yes, a 28 is certainly sufficient.

The goblin's expression turns from scorn to fear. "Wait! Wait! I don't know! Only our alchemists know, it's how we keep secret. They don't tell us! They say, "Go to town, help the [here is the word that Yelder stumbled over. Even with the ritual, you can't quite understand it], take all that you can." They give us some tinctures, and say "Give these to the [that word again], it will know what to do." That's all they tell us, I swear!"*


*Translated from Goblin

[Velmont]

OOC

Well, I can throw them, so I though I can also grow them. That would explain partly why the only skill bonus Bladeling have is the +2 Intimidate.

"Where, exactly, where you suppose to meet that [the word]?" asks Feyr. "Where can we find it?"

[TwoHeadsBarking]

"In the marsh! It lives in the marsh! That's where we found it, that's where we left it." The goblin swallows, and seems to steady himself. "But you'll never find it. And even if you do, it will kill you. Like the others."*

Yelder looks concerned when the goblin mentions the marsh, and more so when it mentions the "others".

*Translated from Goblin.

[Velmont]

"So, what is he talking about, Yelder?" asks Feyr politely.