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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 9782511" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 15“Do you think they’ll actually do it?” the warrior asked, as they made their way back into the ravine. “Return the dragon.”“Doubtful,” Folgar said. “The creature represents a massive upgrade in power for the kobolds, especially if the other caves are as dangerous as they claimed.”A bird let out a cry overhead, and the warrior grasped the hilt of his sword for a moment. Their encounter with the kobolds had left him no less wary on this second visit to the caves. After leaving the kobold cave they’d retreated back to the woods both to take a short rest and to make sure that nothing else from the area had taken an interest in them.“We can only hope that they do the right thing,” Leana said. “I tried to put it in terms of self-interest that they could understand.”“There was a fair pile of coins in that ‘horde,’” Ravani said. “And something else, some kind of cloak, I think. It looked kind of fancy.”“I think that wyrmling would have eaten you if you’d tried to take it,” the warrior said. “It seemed quite protective of its treasure.” That much was consistent with the stories, he thought.“Let’s focus on the matter at hand,” Leana said. “We can check on the kobolds again later, once the current threat is dealt with.”“I think that kobold was lying about not knowing where the cultists were hiding,” Ravani said.Leana nodded. “I think you may be right. But these goblins Dirx spoke of could be a good lead. He said they were thieves, and bandits.”“Umbrusk implied as much,” Folgar said.“Great, maybe we can bake a cake, after,” Ravani grumbled. “Have you considered that the kobolds may just be using us to deal with a rival?”“That is a possibility that we must keep in mind,” Leana said. “However, we can at least investigate. We have another hour or so before we need to start back to the keep.”The second cave was closer to the mouth of the ravine than the first, and they could see it just ahead as they emerged once more from the woods. Like the first, it was a simple opening, about ten feet wide, that burrowed back into the hillside. There was another one a bit further on, flanked by boulders and bare, probably-dead trees. The warrior gave that cave a look and pressed himself closer against the adjacent cliff. The kobolds had told them who occupied that cave, and that he “probably” wouldn’t help out the goblins, but that hadn’t done anything to ease any of their concerns.The warrior wasn’t the only one who gave that other cave a look before they focused on the one in front of them. The flickering glow of torches was visible from within, and they could see crude drawing sketched onto the walls of the entry as they approached. As they got close enough to make out those designs, the warrior saw that they showed humanoid figures wearing pointy hats, of all things. Scrawled above the art were the words, “hoppee birthday!”“What the…” Ravani said.As the elf trailed off, they heard a faint sound coming from inside the cave. Discordant voices, layered on each other. But unlike the arguing kobolds from before, these seemed to be…“Is that singing?” Folgar asked.“Careful,” Leana said. “Ravani, do you see any traps?”The elf was already scanning the floor. “Nothing obvious,” he told them. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. G-Dark, you go first.”The warrior edged forward. The cave smelled badly of sweat and spoiled food. The tunnel quickly split into three, with corridors leading off to the left and right. Directly ahead was a dead-end alcove that was littered with trash and a couple of old crates. It had the look of a guard post, but it was unattended. The “music,” which continued its off-key progression, seemed to be coming from the right. He took a few steps in that direction, but Ravani touched his arm.“There’s something this way,” the elf said.The warrior turned and headed that way. The passage was narrower that way, leading away from the entrance at an angle, but after a few steps it split into another long, apparently dead-end tunnel and another that led into a cluttered but apparently empty chamber. The warrior glanced into that room before heading to the start of the cul-de-sac. The space looked to be empty except for a few old barrels, but he’d heard what had alerted the elf, a strangled grunting.He glanced back to confirm that the others were ready. They stood in a line behind him, waiting. Leana gave him a nod of reassurance. The warrior took a few steps forward to get a better look, and saw a dwarf woman, wrapped in coils of rope that completely immobilized her arms and legs. She wore dirty leather armor, and from the swelling bruise on one side of her face it looked like she hadn’t done down easily. She was grunting with effort as she tried in vain to slip free of her bonds, though she stopped as she looked up to see the warrior standing there. “A little help here?” she asked.Ravani peeked around the warrior to get a better look. “What happened to you?”“What does it look like?” the dwarf woman replied. “Bloody thieving goblins…” She squirmed again, but the ropes were holding her tight.“Where are they?” Folgar asked.“Havin’ a bloomin’ party, the bastards,” the woman said. “Didn’t you hear that singing when you came in?”The others all cocked their heads, but the sounds of merriment had faded. They shared a look, and Ravani withdrew to where the side passage connected to the exit tunnel, just in case.The imprisoned woman focused her attention on Folgar. “Look, brother, can you cut me loose? I’m decent in a fracas, current situation notwithstanding, and I’d just as soon be on my feet if and when those short bastards return. No offense, missy,” she added with a nod toward Leana.The dwarf glanced back at Leana, who considered a moment before nodding toward the warrior. “Cut her loose,” she said.He did so. It was a bit awkward with the huge sword, but it was the only blade he carried. But after a few moments she was free. She pushed herself to her feet, rubbing her wrists. “Thanks, big fella. I’m Vinx.”“Leana,” the cleric said. “That’s…”“Greghan,” the warrior interjected.Leana gave him a look, the gestured toward her other companions. “Folgar’s our wizard, and that elf back there is Ravani.”“Right. Glad to meetcha. Gods below, I’m a mess.” She turned to one of the nearby barrels and pulled its lid off. It looked like it was full of water.“We don’t really have time…” Greghan said, but the dwarf held up a hand. “This’ll only take a moment.” She splashed water from the barrel on her face, then plunged her entire head into it. Water splashed everywhere, and for a moment it looked like she and the entire barrel might topple over. But finally she emerged, shaking her head to remove some of the clinging droplets. “Bloody hells, that felt good,” she said. “You seem like the leader of this here gang, so lead on, mistress.”They retreated back to where Ravani was keeping watch. “No more singing, but I heard some chatter a few moments ago.”“If we move quick, we can take ‘em by surprise,” Vinx said.“You don’t even have a weapon,” Ravani said.“That’s where you’re wrong, my pointy-eared friend. These here, they’re plenty good enough for punchin’ gobbo skulls.” She flexed her biceps.“That didn’t stop you from getting captured,” the elf pointed out.“That was just bad luck,” she said.“What were you doing here in the first place?” Leana asked. “Or were you taken from a caravan or…”“No, I came here with a mission,” Vinx said. “Those bastards stole something from me. A family heirloom.”“What kind of heirloom?” Greghan asked.“If you must know, it’s a tapestry. A beautiful one. Been in my family for ten generations, it has.”“How did they…” Greghan began, but Folgar leaned in to cut him off, hissing, “Look, maybe we can get her life story after we deal with the goblins?”“Agreed,” Leana said. “Come on, let’s check out that room. We don’t want to leave anyone behind us.”They made their way into the chamber they’d seen earlier. Vinx fell in next to Folgar, occasionally glancing behind them toward the exit. The complex had fallen quiet again, and all of them could feel the growing tension.The room was maybe twenty feet by thirty, and it was a cluttered mess. Heaps of soiled bedding, tables, and stools were scattered throughout the place. Clumsily-wrapped presents with tattered ribbons were piled atop one of the tables, along with a half-eaten cake that looked like it had been dropped on the floor.“Gods, are they actually having a birthday party?” Ravani asked. “I thought those pictures in the entry were some kind of joke or something. Like ‘come on in and join us for a feast,’ but you’re the thing they’re going to eat.”“Why wouldn’t goblins honor special days like anyone else?” Leana said.“How many of them are there?” Folgar asked Vinx.“Five of them. Four warriors, and the boss. She’s a right bastard, that one.” She paused for a moment. “I think there’s something else, some kind of pet. Not sure what it is, but I overheard one of them suggest feeding me to it.”“There’s another exit over here,” Greghan said, gesturing toward an exit that lay deep in shadows on the far side of the room. It looked like a set of stairs that let up.Ravani prodded through the trash a bit with his sword, but it didn’t look like there was anything of value here. He and the others moved toward the stairs. Vinx trailed behind, and picked up a couple of small stones lying around the edges of the room. Folgar noticed her and asked what she was doing.“Just getting some ammunition,” the explorer said. She drew out a leather throng from her belt, and as she unfolded it they could see that it was a sling, a weapon that had obviously been missed by her goblin captors.The staircase bent sharply to the right, leading back in the direction from which they’d heard the merriment earlier. Ravani carefully leaned around the bend and reported back, “There’s a door up there, maybe thirty feet.”“Party central?” Folgar asked.“We can get the drop on them,” Vinx suggested. “They might not be expecting trouble from this direction.”“We’re only here to fight if we have to,” Leana said. “We’re here for information on the cult.”“Cult?” Vinx asked.“naughty words in red robes,” Ravani said. “Worship Chaos or something. We ran into a few of them in the forest.” He rubbed his side where the cultist had gashed him with his sickle.“Huh,” Vinx said. “Sounds like the kind of guys who might have goblin bandits on their payroll.”“We’ll see,” Leana said. “If there is a confrontation, let us do the talking.” She nodded toward Ravani, who led them up the stairs, and then down the corridor at their summit. There were no torches here, but the elf seemed to have no difficulty, bending low to check the steps for traps.But there were no alarms or snares, and after a moment they were all gathered before the door, a basic slab of rough wood. Ravani leaned in close to it, and nodded. “They’re in there.”“Everyone ready?” Leana asked. At their nods, she said, “All right, let’s do this.”Ravani fitted an arrow to his bow. He stepped aside to let Greghan open the door. It burst open, almost breaking off its hinges when he laid his shoulder into it, and he stumbled a bit into the room beyond. His companions were right behind him.They found themselves in the midst of a somewhat rowdy celebration. The long, narrow chamber was almost fifty feet long. The goblins were gathered around a crude wooden throne at the far end of the hall, where a female goblin clad in suit of fine mail and a pointed party hat blew discordant notes on a wooden kazoo. The four other goblins were dancing around her in a circle. The warrior could see smears of cake on their faces. Their backs were to the door, so they were slow to react o the intrusion, but the boss spotted them and blew a shrill note on her instrument that cut off the dance at once. She leapt to her feet and yelled, “BREE-YARK! This is my party, and I don’t remember inviting you!”The goblins immediately drew their weapons, an assortment of compact bows and small, slightly curved swords. A few reached for shields that had been scattered around. The companions tensed as blades and arrows were produced, but Leana stepped forward between the two groups, her armed raised.“We did not mean to intrude,” she said. “We’re only looking for information.”The goblins looked to their leader, who seemed to consider a moment. “Did you bring me a present?” she asked.The warrior heard a soft whistling from directly behind him, but before he could turn to see what it was, Vinx stepped to the side, and said, “I’ve got a present for you!” before launching a rock from her sling directly at the goblin woman’s face.Game Notes:Not that it mattered in the end, but Leana: Charisma (Persuasion): 11 (+2): 13 vs. DC 13 (Success).</blockquote>

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