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The Viridian Legacy
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<blockquote data-quote="sniffles" data-source="post: 3886139" data-attributes="member: 30035"><p><strong>2nd Dewsnap</strong></p><p></p><p><em>Whew! This was a long one. Perhaps in future I'll compress the combat a bit. </em></p><p><em>--sniffles</em></p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>It wasn't long before Trevor Silverlock made good on his promise and contacted Naiah and her companions once again. This time the job he offered seemed simple enough: he wished them to assist him in guarding a warehouse where he had stored items taken from the Viridian tomb. As he described it when he met them at the Blue Dolphin, "Some of the other antiquarians in the city are ... underhanded about how they acquire items for their collections."</p><p></p><p>As the five companions - Zig the kobold now having become Thoin's protege - accompanied Trevor to the warehouse, he explained that he had discovered items showing Mycretian influences among the Viridian ruins. This was curious, Naiah recognized, because the Viridians had hated and suppressed the pacifistic Mycretians. </p><p></p><p>The warehouse in question belonged to the Silverlock family, but Trevor's father had refused to provide additional guards. This was the reason Trevor had come to Naiah and her friends for aid. </p><p></p><p>On arriving at the warehouse, Naiah's companions spread themselves out among the stacks of crates, barrels and bags. Naiah found a quiet spot where she could use a heap of sacks as a makeshift cushion, away from Mouse and Jerard, who were both grumbling about why anyone would want to steal anything from among the Viridian relics. </p><p></p><p>While Naiah settled down to further peruse the new spellbook she'd acquired, her brother took up a position not far away in company with Zig, and Trevor sat at a desk beyond a stack of boxes, doing some research.</p><p></p><p>Naiah was thoroughly engrossed in the Viridian spells, which were written in an archaic style that took more time for her to interpret than she had anticipated. Suddenly she felt a sharp stinging sensation in her neck. As she put up a hand to discover the source of the discomfort, she was overcome with irresistible drowsiness. She slumped limply against the her improvised couch.</p><p></p><p>Quip:</p><p>[sblock]</p><p>sniffles: "This is not being immortalized for posterity."</p><p>Zora: "There's no posterity here. There's a bunch of posteriors." </p><p>[/sblock]</p><p>Thus Naiah was unaware of what transpired in the warehouse for the next several minutes. Mouse and Jerard heard several odd noises and went to investigate. Mouse discovered a dart stuck in a crate near his position. He then found himself menaced by a small figure wearing dark clothing and a mask and brandishing a blowgun.</p><p></p><p>Jerard meanwhile impaled another masked attacker through the throat with a thrown dagger. Thoin, also finding himself under threat, fired his bow and began shouting an alarm to his companions. Trevor leaped up from the desk and loaded his crossbow, but his first bolt went wide of the mark.</p><p></p><p>Mouse turned to magic to handle the next foe he met, persuading the attacker - which proved to be a goblin - to tell him who had sent them. The goblin confessed that they had been dispatched by someone called Ranni, but had no other information to give. Mouse then directed the goblin to go and find its companions and bring them to the gnome, whereupon the goblin departed and was not seen again.</p><p></p><p>Thoin clubbed another goblin with his sturdy elven-made bow, then ran to find his twin. He discovered her insensible on the pile of sacks and shook her awake. </p><p></p><p>Naiah revived to find her brother leaning over her with his dark brows knitted in concern. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and then felt her neck, her fingers coming away stained with drying blood. "What happened?" she mumbled drowsily.</p><p></p><p>"We were attacked by masked goblins," he explained. "I think you were hit by a poisoned dart. I was hit also, but the poison didn't affect me. Get up. There are still more goblins here."</p><p></p><p>Mouse appeared unexpectedly at her side, looking at her with a serious expression. Then he turned to Thoin. "There's nothing I can do. I think she's done for," he said solemnly.</p><p></p><p>Thoin stared at the gnome with a perplexed look on his pale features. "What do you mean? The blood has already dried. It is a minor injury."</p><p></p><p>"I'm just saying, it looks bad to me," the gnome replied. "You shouldn't joke about such things," Thoin answered irritably. </p><p></p><p>Naiah clambered to her feet, still groggy from the poison. As her brother had warned, more goblins came around a stack of crates nearby, surrounding the point where she, Mouse and Thoin stood. Thoin fired his bow, dropping one goblin immediately. </p><p></p><p>Quip:</p><p>[sblock]</p><p>John Smith: "Gobs of gobs."</p><p>sniffles: "Gobs of dead gobs. Be a gobstopper."</p><p>Hedrin: "He's been gobsmacked."</p><p>[/sblock]</p><p>Naiah withdrew a crossbow bolt from her quiver and sent it flying at the goblins with a whisper of "Fly straight and true." </p><p></p><p>Mouse suddenly exclaimed, "I hear something!" and darted away. Naiah realized she could faintly hear the sound of splintering wood, as though someone was breaking apart one of the crates. </p><p></p><p>Her attention was turned away from that sound when a figure larger than a goblin clambered over the stacked boxes, entering the aisle where she and her brother stood. This figure was as tall as Thoin but more heavily muscled, and its skin was a reddish color. The hobgoblin glared menacingly at the twin elves and stalked toward them.</p><p></p><p>Thoin fired an arrow into the hobgoblin's shoulder. In response the creature grasped the shaft and plucked the arrow from his flesh, his expression growing even more murderous.</p><p></p><p>Thoin turned and began to scramble up the stacked boxes behind him. Naiah quickly gathered up her skirts and followed her brother's example. By Cilboreth's mercy she had recovered her wits enough that she didn't fall.</p><p></p><p>From their perch atop the crates, Thoin fired another arrow into the approaching hobgoblin, with the same result as before. The hobgoblin appeared to be trying to intimidate them by showing how little Thoin's arrows hurt him. </p><p></p><p>Several goblins had followed him around the corner of the stacked merchandise. Naiah pointed at them, uttering the words, "Find my foes!" as two silvery motes of force shot away from her fingertip. The motes obeyed her command and struck two of the goblins, causing them to grunt with pain.</p><p></p><p>Zig the kobold had been following Thoin, going unnoticed by Naiah until now. The little creature uttered an inarticulate screech and rushed the hobgoblin, wildly swinging his small axe with both hands. He swung with such abandon that he entirely missed the larger creature. </p><p></p><p>The hobgoblin, who had been brandishing a shortbow, dropped his bow and drew a flail from his belt. He lashed out, striking Zig a harsh blow. The kobold slumped to the floor, bleeding profusely.</p><p></p><p>"No!" cried Thoin, who had grown attached to his curious little protégé. He peppered the furious hobgoblin with arrows. Naiah fired off two more missiles of force, this time bringing down one of the goblins behind the larger foe.</p><p></p><p>Mouse reappeared atop a neighboring heap of items, pointing his finger at the hobgoblin in a gesture not unlike the gesture Naiah had used. But instead of motes of force issuing from his fingertips, he said, "You want to be my friend," to the hobgoblin in a self-assured tone. </p><p></p><p>The hobgoblin showed no sign of having heard Mouse's command. He stepped over the fallen Zig with disdain and continued his advance.</p><p></p><p>Thoin leaped down from his vantage, lowering his bow and drawing a wand from his belt. Naiah recognized it as the wand of curative magic he had acquired in their exploration of the Viridian ruins. He directed the wand at Zig and she could see the kobold's wounds stop bleeding.</p><p></p><p>As the hobgoblin stepped over the still prone kobold, Zig stirred and swung his axe upward, attempting to hamstring his larger opponent. But he was hampered by his position and his blade failed to find purchase in the hobgoblin's flesh.</p><p></p><p>The hobgoblin, oblivious to Zig's attack, lashed out at Thoin with his flail, drawing blood. His eyes blazed with raw fury. Thoin took a step back and sent a shaft burrowing deep into his enemy's chest. But the hobgoblin's rage seemed to fuel his life force and he showed no sign of faltering.</p><p></p><p>The narrow aisle below was swarming with enemies. Naiah moved her hands gracefully and said, "Lunia's light embrace me," feeling her skin tingle as she was engulfed by silvery radiance. She took a step back to set herself further from her nearest foe. </p><p></p><p>"Oh, thank you for making me more visible!" Mouse complained as the silvery glow fell upon him. He had skipped nimbly across the crates to stand behind her. "I'm sorry," Naiah apologized. But she did not dismiss Lunia's light. </p><p></p><p>Two goblins scrambled up the pile toward Mouse, who backed up nervously. One goblin lost his purchase on the boxes and fell back to the floor, but his companion managed to reach the gnome. Naiah had seldom seen Mouse use his rapier to do any foe injury, and this time was no exception. He clubbed the goblin with the blade's pommel, knocking the creature off its perch. It landed on the floor behind Thoin, momentarily stunned.</p><p></p><p>"Sister, I could use some assistance!" Thoin exclaimed from below. He was still being menaced by the ugly hobgoblin. Naiah released Lunia's light in a surge, two silver rays shooting from her to strike the two goblins. One of them went still. The radiance surrounding Naiah faded, Lunia's energy now expended.</p><p></p><p>The hobgoblin in front of Thoin suddenly surged forward, attempting to push Thoin back against the crates. Zig screeched as the hobgoblin tread on his hand. Thoin tried to club his opponent with his bow, but the hobgoblin was too close for a blow to land. Thoin resisted the hobgoblin's rush and shoved back, knocking his enemy to the ground. </p><p></p><p>Naiah, realizing that she had expended most of her offensive magics, drew her bow and fired an arrow at the fallen hobgoblin - but even with the advantage of height, her shaft couldn't penetrate his heavy armor. She dropped her bow and slapped her hand to her waist, where her gift from the Overlord was thrust through her belt. "I'm such a fool!" she exclaimed, drawing the wand.</p><p></p><p>In the meantime the hobgoblin rolled back to his feet and swung his flail at her brother. Zig the kobold had also regained his feet and lunged at the hobgoblin, squealing furiously, but once again his axe found no purchase through the hobgoblin's armor. </p><p></p><p>The hobgoblin seemed to be leading a charmed life in Naiah's opinion. Jerard came darting around the wall of stacked crates with great agility to position himself opposite Mouse, but his stab was no more successful than her arrow or Zig's axe. </p><p></p><p>Then her brother's next arrow sunk into their foe's body and she could see a rime of frost form on his red hide around the wound, caused by the enchanted crystal now attached to Thoin's bow. "Surrender is your only choice," Thoin said confidently to the hobgoblin. The hobgoblin merely growled in return.</p><p></p><p>Now Trevor Silverlock joined the battle against the mighty hobgoblin, but the hobgoblin's luck prevailed and Trevor's crossbow bolt went wide of the mark. Mouse pointed his finger and once again attempted to charm the hobgoblin into friendship without success. </p><p></p><p>Hoping that she would experience the same success as her brother, Naiah uttered the word to command the wand and a ray shot from the tip to strike the hobgoblin. It should have weakened him, but he showed no indication that it had any effect. Naiah frowned.</p><p></p><p>To her surprise, the hobgoblin began to move away from the group surrounding him. As he did so Thoin fired another cold-enhanced arrow into his body. The hobgoblin staggered and attempted to jerk the shaft free of his flesh as he had before, but he was obviously too weakened by his many wounds. </p><p></p><p>Now Mouse's hands moved in a complex gesture as though weaving yarn. Naiah recognized by the arcane phrase he spoke that the spell was meant to cause a veil of shadows to fall over the subject's eyes, leaving his vision limited. The hobgoblin seemed confused when he suddenly could see only a short distance around himself and all of his foes were no longer visible to him.</p><p></p><p>Concluding that her skills were of no more use and that her brother had the hobgoblin well in hand, Naiah climbed down from her perch and cautiously peeked around the crates to see what lay beyond. She saw only a number of goblin corpses scattered on the floor, some penetrated by crossbow bolts, others evincing stab wounds. </p><p></p><p>She heard a sound behind her, a grunt of pain that did not sound like her brother or any of her companions. When she turned to look back at them she saw that the half-blinded hobgoblin had sunk to his knees and drawn his dagger. As she watched, he drew the dagger across his own throat and fell on his face, a pool of dark blood spreading rapidly beneath him.</p><p></p><p>"What a waste," her brother remarked regretfully. Naiah stared sadly at this spectacle. The hobgoblin had been a might and admirable warrior. "I would not wish to face an army of those," she answered, gesturing toward the dead hobgoblin. </p><p></p><p>When they had assured themselves that no more enemies occupied the warehouse, the small group set to work gathering up their fallen foes' possessions. Jerard collected a substantial number of small curved blades that had been carried by the goblins, all of them of fine craftsmanship. Trevor took up the fine longbow the hobgoblin warrior had borne. The hobgoblin's corpse was also divested of its suit of well-made plate armor and flail. </p><p></p><p>Naiah reflected silently that it seemed somehow wrong to take his belongings in this manner, but after all it would serve no useful purpose to destroy them or leave them to rust. </p><p></p><p>"He killed them!" Mouse wailed suddenly. Naiah went to investigate his cry and found the gnome just outside the warehouse where the goblins had broken in, looking down sadly on three goblin corpses. They had obviously been struck by a weapon such as the flail the hobgoblin had used. "I told them to go tell their boss not to come back here, and that red-skin killed them," Mouse told Naiah sadly. </p><p></p><p>They returned to the warehouse to find their companions examining the remains of several crates that the goblins had broken into. The contents of the crates had been several clay tablets inscribed in the Mycretian language, an odd choice of target for thieves to Naiah's mind.</p><p></p><p>"Someone doesn't want us to learn more about the connection between the Viridians and the Mycretians, I think," said Trevor. "I've been planning a voyage to the Holy Cities to learn more about this subject. I think it's more important than ever to do it as soon as possible. Would you be interested in accompanying me?" He looked around hopefully at the five companions. "I'd gladly pay you a substantial wage to act as my bodyguards." </p><p></p><p>Naiah looked to her brother. They had been sent out of Palewood to learn more of the rest of the world, and visiting the Holy Cities would certainly achieve that goal, in addition to satisfying Naiah's curiosity. Thoin nodded. "I would be glad to travel with you, Trevor Silverlock."</p><p></p><p>Mouse shrugged. "If there's gold in it, sure, why not?" Jerard shook his head. "No sea voyages for me, thanks!"</p><p></p><p>"Very well," said Trevor. "My family has been outfitting a new sailing vessel, the Maiden of the High Seas. She should be ready to sail in about two week's time. Shall we plan to meet then and prepare for our journey?"</p><p></p><p>Quips:</p><p>[sblock]</p><p>Hedrin: "I tell Zig not to let people walk all over him"</p><p></p><p>sniffles: "I should have though of the wand sooner."</p><p>ssspaladin: "It's usually humans who think about their wands."</p><p>[/sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="sniffles, post: 3886139, member: 30035"] [b]2nd Dewsnap[/b] [I]Whew! This was a long one. Perhaps in future I'll compress the combat a bit. --sniffles[/I] --------------------------------------- It wasn't long before Trevor Silverlock made good on his promise and contacted Naiah and her companions once again. This time the job he offered seemed simple enough: he wished them to assist him in guarding a warehouse where he had stored items taken from the Viridian tomb. As he described it when he met them at the Blue Dolphin, "Some of the other antiquarians in the city are ... underhanded about how they acquire items for their collections." As the five companions - Zig the kobold now having become Thoin's protege - accompanied Trevor to the warehouse, he explained that he had discovered items showing Mycretian influences among the Viridian ruins. This was curious, Naiah recognized, because the Viridians had hated and suppressed the pacifistic Mycretians. The warehouse in question belonged to the Silverlock family, but Trevor's father had refused to provide additional guards. This was the reason Trevor had come to Naiah and her friends for aid. On arriving at the warehouse, Naiah's companions spread themselves out among the stacks of crates, barrels and bags. Naiah found a quiet spot where she could use a heap of sacks as a makeshift cushion, away from Mouse and Jerard, who were both grumbling about why anyone would want to steal anything from among the Viridian relics. While Naiah settled down to further peruse the new spellbook she'd acquired, her brother took up a position not far away in company with Zig, and Trevor sat at a desk beyond a stack of boxes, doing some research. Naiah was thoroughly engrossed in the Viridian spells, which were written in an archaic style that took more time for her to interpret than she had anticipated. Suddenly she felt a sharp stinging sensation in her neck. As she put up a hand to discover the source of the discomfort, she was overcome with irresistible drowsiness. She slumped limply against the her improvised couch. Quip: [sblock] sniffles: "This is not being immortalized for posterity." Zora: "There's no posterity here. There's a bunch of posteriors." [/sblock] Thus Naiah was unaware of what transpired in the warehouse for the next several minutes. Mouse and Jerard heard several odd noises and went to investigate. Mouse discovered a dart stuck in a crate near his position. He then found himself menaced by a small figure wearing dark clothing and a mask and brandishing a blowgun. Jerard meanwhile impaled another masked attacker through the throat with a thrown dagger. Thoin, also finding himself under threat, fired his bow and began shouting an alarm to his companions. Trevor leaped up from the desk and loaded his crossbow, but his first bolt went wide of the mark. Mouse turned to magic to handle the next foe he met, persuading the attacker - which proved to be a goblin - to tell him who had sent them. The goblin confessed that they had been dispatched by someone called Ranni, but had no other information to give. Mouse then directed the goblin to go and find its companions and bring them to the gnome, whereupon the goblin departed and was not seen again. Thoin clubbed another goblin with his sturdy elven-made bow, then ran to find his twin. He discovered her insensible on the pile of sacks and shook her awake. Naiah revived to find her brother leaning over her with his dark brows knitted in concern. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and then felt her neck, her fingers coming away stained with drying blood. "What happened?" she mumbled drowsily. "We were attacked by masked goblins," he explained. "I think you were hit by a poisoned dart. I was hit also, but the poison didn't affect me. Get up. There are still more goblins here." Mouse appeared unexpectedly at her side, looking at her with a serious expression. Then he turned to Thoin. "There's nothing I can do. I think she's done for," he said solemnly. Thoin stared at the gnome with a perplexed look on his pale features. "What do you mean? The blood has already dried. It is a minor injury." "I'm just saying, it looks bad to me," the gnome replied. "You shouldn't joke about such things," Thoin answered irritably. Naiah clambered to her feet, still groggy from the poison. As her brother had warned, more goblins came around a stack of crates nearby, surrounding the point where she, Mouse and Thoin stood. Thoin fired his bow, dropping one goblin immediately. Quip: [sblock] John Smith: "Gobs of gobs." sniffles: "Gobs of dead gobs. Be a gobstopper." Hedrin: "He's been gobsmacked." [/sblock] Naiah withdrew a crossbow bolt from her quiver and sent it flying at the goblins with a whisper of "Fly straight and true." Mouse suddenly exclaimed, "I hear something!" and darted away. Naiah realized she could faintly hear the sound of splintering wood, as though someone was breaking apart one of the crates. Her attention was turned away from that sound when a figure larger than a goblin clambered over the stacked boxes, entering the aisle where she and her brother stood. This figure was as tall as Thoin but more heavily muscled, and its skin was a reddish color. The hobgoblin glared menacingly at the twin elves and stalked toward them. Thoin fired an arrow into the hobgoblin's shoulder. In response the creature grasped the shaft and plucked the arrow from his flesh, his expression growing even more murderous. Thoin turned and began to scramble up the stacked boxes behind him. Naiah quickly gathered up her skirts and followed her brother's example. By Cilboreth's mercy she had recovered her wits enough that she didn't fall. From their perch atop the crates, Thoin fired another arrow into the approaching hobgoblin, with the same result as before. The hobgoblin appeared to be trying to intimidate them by showing how little Thoin's arrows hurt him. Several goblins had followed him around the corner of the stacked merchandise. Naiah pointed at them, uttering the words, "Find my foes!" as two silvery motes of force shot away from her fingertip. The motes obeyed her command and struck two of the goblins, causing them to grunt with pain. Zig the kobold had been following Thoin, going unnoticed by Naiah until now. The little creature uttered an inarticulate screech and rushed the hobgoblin, wildly swinging his small axe with both hands. He swung with such abandon that he entirely missed the larger creature. The hobgoblin, who had been brandishing a shortbow, dropped his bow and drew a flail from his belt. He lashed out, striking Zig a harsh blow. The kobold slumped to the floor, bleeding profusely. "No!" cried Thoin, who had grown attached to his curious little protégé. He peppered the furious hobgoblin with arrows. Naiah fired off two more missiles of force, this time bringing down one of the goblins behind the larger foe. Mouse reappeared atop a neighboring heap of items, pointing his finger at the hobgoblin in a gesture not unlike the gesture Naiah had used. But instead of motes of force issuing from his fingertips, he said, "You want to be my friend," to the hobgoblin in a self-assured tone. The hobgoblin showed no sign of having heard Mouse's command. He stepped over the fallen Zig with disdain and continued his advance. Thoin leaped down from his vantage, lowering his bow and drawing a wand from his belt. Naiah recognized it as the wand of curative magic he had acquired in their exploration of the Viridian ruins. He directed the wand at Zig and she could see the kobold's wounds stop bleeding. As the hobgoblin stepped over the still prone kobold, Zig stirred and swung his axe upward, attempting to hamstring his larger opponent. But he was hampered by his position and his blade failed to find purchase in the hobgoblin's flesh. The hobgoblin, oblivious to Zig's attack, lashed out at Thoin with his flail, drawing blood. His eyes blazed with raw fury. Thoin took a step back and sent a shaft burrowing deep into his enemy's chest. But the hobgoblin's rage seemed to fuel his life force and he showed no sign of faltering. The narrow aisle below was swarming with enemies. Naiah moved her hands gracefully and said, "Lunia's light embrace me," feeling her skin tingle as she was engulfed by silvery radiance. She took a step back to set herself further from her nearest foe. "Oh, thank you for making me more visible!" Mouse complained as the silvery glow fell upon him. He had skipped nimbly across the crates to stand behind her. "I'm sorry," Naiah apologized. But she did not dismiss Lunia's light. Two goblins scrambled up the pile toward Mouse, who backed up nervously. One goblin lost his purchase on the boxes and fell back to the floor, but his companion managed to reach the gnome. Naiah had seldom seen Mouse use his rapier to do any foe injury, and this time was no exception. He clubbed the goblin with the blade's pommel, knocking the creature off its perch. It landed on the floor behind Thoin, momentarily stunned. "Sister, I could use some assistance!" Thoin exclaimed from below. He was still being menaced by the ugly hobgoblin. Naiah released Lunia's light in a surge, two silver rays shooting from her to strike the two goblins. One of them went still. The radiance surrounding Naiah faded, Lunia's energy now expended. The hobgoblin in front of Thoin suddenly surged forward, attempting to push Thoin back against the crates. Zig screeched as the hobgoblin tread on his hand. Thoin tried to club his opponent with his bow, but the hobgoblin was too close for a blow to land. Thoin resisted the hobgoblin's rush and shoved back, knocking his enemy to the ground. Naiah, realizing that she had expended most of her offensive magics, drew her bow and fired an arrow at the fallen hobgoblin - but even with the advantage of height, her shaft couldn't penetrate his heavy armor. She dropped her bow and slapped her hand to her waist, where her gift from the Overlord was thrust through her belt. "I'm such a fool!" she exclaimed, drawing the wand. In the meantime the hobgoblin rolled back to his feet and swung his flail at her brother. Zig the kobold had also regained his feet and lunged at the hobgoblin, squealing furiously, but once again his axe found no purchase through the hobgoblin's armor. The hobgoblin seemed to be leading a charmed life in Naiah's opinion. Jerard came darting around the wall of stacked crates with great agility to position himself opposite Mouse, but his stab was no more successful than her arrow or Zig's axe. Then her brother's next arrow sunk into their foe's body and she could see a rime of frost form on his red hide around the wound, caused by the enchanted crystal now attached to Thoin's bow. "Surrender is your only choice," Thoin said confidently to the hobgoblin. The hobgoblin merely growled in return. Now Trevor Silverlock joined the battle against the mighty hobgoblin, but the hobgoblin's luck prevailed and Trevor's crossbow bolt went wide of the mark. Mouse pointed his finger and once again attempted to charm the hobgoblin into friendship without success. Hoping that she would experience the same success as her brother, Naiah uttered the word to command the wand and a ray shot from the tip to strike the hobgoblin. It should have weakened him, but he showed no indication that it had any effect. Naiah frowned. To her surprise, the hobgoblin began to move away from the group surrounding him. As he did so Thoin fired another cold-enhanced arrow into his body. The hobgoblin staggered and attempted to jerk the shaft free of his flesh as he had before, but he was obviously too weakened by his many wounds. Now Mouse's hands moved in a complex gesture as though weaving yarn. Naiah recognized by the arcane phrase he spoke that the spell was meant to cause a veil of shadows to fall over the subject's eyes, leaving his vision limited. The hobgoblin seemed confused when he suddenly could see only a short distance around himself and all of his foes were no longer visible to him. Concluding that her skills were of no more use and that her brother had the hobgoblin well in hand, Naiah climbed down from her perch and cautiously peeked around the crates to see what lay beyond. She saw only a number of goblin corpses scattered on the floor, some penetrated by crossbow bolts, others evincing stab wounds. She heard a sound behind her, a grunt of pain that did not sound like her brother or any of her companions. When she turned to look back at them she saw that the half-blinded hobgoblin had sunk to his knees and drawn his dagger. As she watched, he drew the dagger across his own throat and fell on his face, a pool of dark blood spreading rapidly beneath him. "What a waste," her brother remarked regretfully. Naiah stared sadly at this spectacle. The hobgoblin had been a might and admirable warrior. "I would not wish to face an army of those," she answered, gesturing toward the dead hobgoblin. When they had assured themselves that no more enemies occupied the warehouse, the small group set to work gathering up their fallen foes' possessions. Jerard collected a substantial number of small curved blades that had been carried by the goblins, all of them of fine craftsmanship. Trevor took up the fine longbow the hobgoblin warrior had borne. The hobgoblin's corpse was also divested of its suit of well-made plate armor and flail. Naiah reflected silently that it seemed somehow wrong to take his belongings in this manner, but after all it would serve no useful purpose to destroy them or leave them to rust. "He killed them!" Mouse wailed suddenly. Naiah went to investigate his cry and found the gnome just outside the warehouse where the goblins had broken in, looking down sadly on three goblin corpses. They had obviously been struck by a weapon such as the flail the hobgoblin had used. "I told them to go tell their boss not to come back here, and that red-skin killed them," Mouse told Naiah sadly. They returned to the warehouse to find their companions examining the remains of several crates that the goblins had broken into. The contents of the crates had been several clay tablets inscribed in the Mycretian language, an odd choice of target for thieves to Naiah's mind. "Someone doesn't want us to learn more about the connection between the Viridians and the Mycretians, I think," said Trevor. "I've been planning a voyage to the Holy Cities to learn more about this subject. I think it's more important than ever to do it as soon as possible. Would you be interested in accompanying me?" He looked around hopefully at the five companions. "I'd gladly pay you a substantial wage to act as my bodyguards." Naiah looked to her brother. They had been sent out of Palewood to learn more of the rest of the world, and visiting the Holy Cities would certainly achieve that goal, in addition to satisfying Naiah's curiosity. Thoin nodded. "I would be glad to travel with you, Trevor Silverlock." Mouse shrugged. "If there's gold in it, sure, why not?" Jerard shook his head. "No sea voyages for me, thanks!" "Very well," said Trevor. "My family has been outfitting a new sailing vessel, the Maiden of the High Seas. She should be ready to sail in about two week's time. Shall we plan to meet then and prepare for our journey?" Quips: [sblock] Hedrin: "I tell Zig not to let people walk all over him" sniffles: "I should have though of the wand sooner." ssspaladin: "It's usually humans who think about their wands." [/sblock] [/QUOTE]
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