Dungeon Raiders: The Wolf's Den

[Shayuri]

Lost in her own thoughts, Sulannus hardly notices anything amiss until it's already far too late.

Her expression is bleak as she goes to look at the old hobgoblin.

Treacherous? We killed her son. I killed her son. Would any of us have done differently?

The question was unsettling.

Remember why you're here. These goblins haven't just been sitting quietly in this tower minding their own business. They brought this on themselves.

Sulannus nodded to herself, and said, "I wonder what she meant by that."

 

[Li Shenron]

[OoC: While you all discuss about how to proceed, record that each of you has gained 50XP for the encounter!]

 

[Li Shenron]

Tock feels a pang of regret that he was not able to react quicker to the Hobgoblin's vicious sneak attack; after all of the time has has spent protecting others from harm, it always feels like a personal failing when those close to him are hurt.

[OoC: Dang, I forgot about your Protection fighting style... if you were close enough, I should have taken that into account]

Bartleby crosses the room to where the large hobgoblin had emerged, from behind the corner at the end of the room. Is there a door that needs to be shut, or a position that needs to be guarded? As he does so, he passes by the old female's child, the skull helm and feathered spear lying on the ground.

As you quickly scout around the inner cave, you simply find that the next room has been used as improvised sleeping quarters, and to store some food crates. There are a few additional weapons here, but not looking worthy. Judging by the look of the place, the hobgoblins haven't been staying here for more than a week or so.

The large rock at the end of the main cave seems to have been moved there recently to block the continuation into inner caves. How such large boulder could have passed through the bottleneck entrance however, is not immediately clear.

(Do you want to take some time to examine the quarters better and loot the bodies?)

 

[Kobold Stew]

Content that they are at least secure, Bartleby goes to bind his wounds, unclasping his armour to help him do so.

"Maybe one or two of you can search the cots and the bodies, while I tend to this."

When someone offers, he puts a hand on his comrade's shoulder, and says, "May you have success that you want." He then continues to clean the wound.

OOC: Bartleby casts Guidance, which gives +1d4 on any ability check [search] in the next minute. So if someone helps in the check (i.e. two people search) it's (advantage) + (ability mod) + (1d4).

And -- for future reference -- the spell description for guidance specifies "one willing creature". I take that to include the caster himself, but I've written this for a volunteer in case we are reading different things.

 

[wedgeski]

Rejik pushes to his feet, knees cracking. "You don't want me in there. Suggest someone with better instincts than me. I'll just make a mess and not find anything. Leave the bodies to me though."

He hauls the hobgoblin bodies as far towards the main entrance to the caves as he can without pushing them outside, laying them side-by-side in some semblance of repose, then pauses, wondering which of the dead was the woman's son. It was easy to forget these beasts had families, same as anyone. The thought finds only brief traction before he starts frisking the corpses for valuables or clues.

[OOC: Rejik doesn't have the best Int in the world and he's more likely to miss something in the sleeping quarters than on the bodies, plus he figures he's best qualified to dispose of the dead.

Search roll: 1d20-1=15 ]

[OOC2: [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] would it be possible to change your dialogue colour to something a little darker? I'm using the ENW default scheme and bright yellow doesn't show up too well on white. ]

 

[Li Shenron]

Search roll: 1d20-1=15

[OoC: The result is enough even without counting the Guidance bonus, but I detected a problem... maybe we can talk about it in the OoC thread]

[Added after short OoC discussion]

Rejik found out that the hobgoblins weren't holding any significant treasure, besides enough food for a few days. However, the hogoblin chief had three healing potions in his pouch.

 

[wedgeski]

[OoC: The result is enough even without counting the Guidance bonus, but I detected a problem... maybe we can talk about it in the OoC thread]

[OOC: Sure, I'm online right now. Obviously. ]

 

[tuxgeo]

After placing the tossed potion bottle into his handy belt pouch, Aeiyan follows Bartleby's example by doffing armor and binding his own wound. While he does so, he reminds Rejik that one of the enemy might still be breathing -- specifically, the one that Bartleby knocked unconscious near the entrance. "Rope to bind?" he inquires.

"I'll be with you to search in a minute," he calls across the room to the druid. He dons his armor again (having grown accustomed to resting encased in studded leather), and goes to retrieve once more the hammer he had thrown at an already-dead and falling hobgoblin matron.

Then he glances inquisitively at Sulannus when he goes near the place where she stands, while passing by her on his way to help with the search of the dormitory room. "Grace always," he offers in passing; but he leaves to her the decision of whether she will take that as compliment, or encouragement, or suggestion, or literary allusion, or religious quotation, or as something else entirely.

 

[wedgeski]

Rejik nods at Bartleby and uses his rope to bind the unconscious hobgoblin's hands and feet together in two tight knots (*). Then he rips a piece of cloth or cuts a piece of leather from the creature's clothing and muzzles it as well, patting the matted hair on its head when he's finished.

"We scored," he shouts, and holds out his hand. Resting on the palm are three small, dirty jars with cork stoppers. He uncorks one, dips his finger in and tests it on the end of his tongue before spitting it back out. "Healing potions. How come these things only ever taste good when they're saving your life?" (**)

He stands and brushes himself down. "If I'm reading the room right, the general feeling is to stay put for a while. It looks like there's only one easy way in, so let's get comfortable and decide afterwards how to split the haul. If no-one has any objections I'll take watch outside. This cave stinks, and it's gonna get a lot worse before it gets any better."

Rejik hands the potions to the nearest of his companions, moves carefully outside, and insinuates himself into the rocks near the cave entrance, watching for signs of movement from the direction of the fort. (***)

[* OOC: Not sure what the equivalent of "rope use" is so I'll just roll a d20 and if necessary you can decide what ability score to add:

Rope use or equivalent (no ability score bonus added): 1d20=7 ]

[** OOC2: Rules say that potions can usually be identified by experimentation, so I took a liberty.]

[*** OOC3:

Stealth roll (ouch): 1d20+0=7 ]

 

[Kobold Stew]

By the time he's bound his wounds, Bartleby is feeling better, but he's only cleaned the wound poorly, and it still stings. He waits, with his eyes closed for fifteen minutes, before saying "Right then", opening his eyes. He stands, rebuckles his armour, and draws a sip of water.

[OOC: short rest healing = 1d8+2=6, which brings him to 9hp (of a possible 10). ]