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Message: <blockquote data-quote="megamania" data-source="post: 6492348" data-attributes="member: 9255">THE WAYFINDERS OF THE FLOATING TOWER“THE ROAD OF SLAVERY”SEGMENT 0311/10/15VULT 23, 999  THE COGSIt has been another 30 minutes since the group left the Red Hammer.    They find the tunnel used easily enough.   Shadow weave cloth was used to hide the entrance behind some large stones.  They enter a large cavern with several ruins on the four corners and the remains of a manmade structure in the center.Vydaer peeks into the closest building.  While inside, the others believe they can see something else within the cavern and go to it.  The goblin spots recent footprints in the sand and lose stone.   He then spots something small and round in the corner of the first room.   He carefully picks up four small stone disks.   Ancient goblin coins!    An artifact of great value!He hurries out of the building to show the others what he has found.  He is watched by small yellow squinty eyes.The goblin is not ready for what he sees next.  The others are looking up at a tall statue.  The statue is cruel and evil.  It is from the darker days of the goblin nation.  It is a jackal headed bloated female.  The Matron of Monsters.Gabriel walks up to the base of the statue and looks around.  He spots something wet and lumpy.  Looking closer, he sees severed fingers and entrails.   Fresh.  Undaunted, he pulls out a metal pointer he uses when investigating things he doesn’t want to touch.  He pokes and prods the fleshy lumps and spots a panel under.   Boar looks over his shoulder as he prys up the panel.   He looks inside the exposed space and sees a small tube with a stopper on it.The warforged reaches in and pulls it out.  The warlock keeps his distance.  The goblin looks up in deep curiosity.  Boar fingers the stopper and pops it off.   A powdery residue floats into the air.   Curious the warforged pours out a little bit of the contents.    Powder.  The goblin smells it.  No smell.   He wets his finger and dabs it onto the powder and tastes it.Nothing.They move on to the closest building as Mortar talks about his find that no one seems to care about.  Looking around they finds evidence of people being held here.  They move to the next building.   They make quick work of a snake here before moving again to a new building.  Boar spots something behind the building.   He breaks through the thin ruined wall to collect it.   It is an old pack.  Inside it they find little of use.  25 silver and a small stone owl with quartz marble eyes.  The warlock asks to look at it.  It is magical but requires a command word.As they return to the first building where Mortar found the stone coins.  They also look at the central structure.  Boar spots something in the shadows.   A rat.  Whether at a nasty whim or a sense of fear he blasts it.   The sand and stone burst into the air and out of the cloud leaps an Imp!“raghh!  Why shot me?!?”“Demon!”“No- Snot!” declares the imp as it flies directly at the warforged.  He catches the creature in mid-air and squeezes it hard.   The fiend stops and its eyes bulge as ribs crack.   “Owwww!    No hurt!”“Oh- a talker.    Maybe we won’t hurt you if you help us.  Maybe you can answer some questions for us.” “No! No! Noooooooooo!     Snot a talker.   No talker!” and the little imp thrashes about trying to get free.The four of them look to each other in a mix of amusement, bewilderment, confusion and wonder.  “Have you seen bugbears and women here?”“No talk! I will not tell you that I saw them!”“What if we….. pay you?” asks Vydaer smirking.“No talkie!  No talkie! No- …..pay me?   I likes things.  Many things.”“Maybe our lawyer can write up a quick contract.    It will get you some of those things you like.”“Like my stones you took?”“Better….. shiny gold ones.”“ooooooohhhhhh……   Shiny instead of dull…. I likes.”The copper pinching lawyer writes up a quick contract.   A copper a day for helping them.   He signs the parchment then hands the ink quill to the imp.    It looks at the quill and smiles as if a grand thought comes to mind.   It sticks the quill tip into its nose and routes around.    The eyes move about as if testing the feelings of the quill …. And liking it.   It draws an ‘x’ on the paper.  The first line is green and lumpy, with the second line being ink.Gabriel takes back the quill and flicks it away.“Now, what do we call you?”“Snot”Sigh….. of course it would be.“Now …… what can you tell us of Bugbears in the tunnels?”</blockquote>

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