[Completed] - Herrin Buttonhook/Goblin Forest - 1 Mar, 1 VC

[Keehnelf]

If the group's consensus is conversation, you'll need someone (Ulf or Elbreth) to do the communicating back to the goblins with that!

[Zhym]

"Aye, we kin talk," Ulf shouts into the hole in heavily-accented goblinese. "Ye come on out ta show good faith, and we talk. Ye ha' me word we will nay kill ye if ye nay try shenanigans!"

[Keehnelf]

March 2, 1:30pm

"All right," calls the bass voice from below. "I'll come out with a weapon but not to hand--just in case you try anything foolish yourselves." The sound of clambering footsteps can be heard from the tunnel. "Also, I should warn you that I have archers in the trees nearby ready to strike if any of you attempt to harm me."

Finally, the source of the voice comes into view, shadowed within the tunnel but nearly filling it with its bulk. Eventually it emerges into the dappled sunlight of the root-canopy, blinking its milky-white eyes against the light. The goblin that stands before you is truly unusual. It stands nearly five feet high, significantly taller than most goblins you have encountered, with a heavy build that resembles something closer to a man or even a dwarf, wearing a suit of chainmail covered with a slightly soiled (but in good condition) white tabard with the sinuous black form of a dragon stenciled across the front. He sports a thick leather belt from which hangs a long-handled broadsword.

The most unusual aspects of the goblin, however, are its personal appearance. The creature's skin is corpse-white and slightly wrinkled, as though it belongs to a drowned body. Its long, crooked teeth are pitted and jagged, and its large, bulging eyes are blurred and milky and, if it did not roll them back and forth taking in the adventurers in turn, you would swear they were sightless. A few strands of wispy gray hair cling matted to the creature's liver-spotted scalp, and its obvious age is belied by its massive and muscular frame.

"My name is Nine Tongues," the creature says in dwarven, addressing Ulf directly. "I am the commander of this post and I have a proposal for you. Will you hear it?"

[Zhym]

Ulf sets his hammer on the ground, handle up, where he can reach it quickly if necessary. "Aye," he responds. "Tell us yer proposal."

[Keehnelf]

Nine Tongues lists his hands from his sides in a casual gesture of exasperation. "I know that you and the other manlings are very concerned for the safety of your settlement. I want to begin by reassuring you that neither I nor my kinfolk here in the forest have any interest in assaulting your town or engaging in hostilities against you."

He eyes the group ranged about the clearing once again, and sighs. "Given the histories of my people and yours, which I have studied extensively, I can understand your mistrust. My cousins are similarly wary about your Duke's aims in this area, and concerned that bloodshed is inevitable. My master and I have different feelings on this matter, and I can provide both assurances and information that will make us all safer."

The goblin makes a gesture that takes in the cavalry barricade surrounding his dwelling and the trees beyond. "You will not have failed to notice the wolves that make the moorlands and parts of this forest their home. For some time, my kin and I have been involved in a one-sided territorial dispute with the vicious creatures, as they attempt to eradicate us by any means necessary and we try to secure our homes against them.

"Recently it came to my attention that their leader, a power, ambitious and intelligent creature, has turned his sights against your settlement and intends to remove you from 'his' lands. Therefore, it is both our interest for him and his lieutenants to be eliminated before he can claim victory over either of us. So far, he has eluded us as he is most active at night just as we are."

He rolls his eyes a bit.

"Obviously I am not suggesting a formal alliance between our peoples. The weight of history is heavy enough that pulling our folk too close together will create more problems. Instead, I propose the following: if you eliminate the leader of the wolves, I can guarantee safety and a lack of goblin presence in the moorlands as well as in the near edge of the forest to allow your people the opportunity to safely harvest lumber. Dark and dangerous things lurk deeper within the forest, so I can make no promises, but my cousins will withdraw from these outposts once the threat of the wolves is gone and leave you manlings to your business in peace.

"I can even provide the location of the wolf-leader's lair, should you desire to pursue this agreement. What say you?"

[Zhym]

"Ye seem a reasonable gobbo," says Ulf, "which be a true strange thing to her me'self say. But I be an honorable dwarf. I do nae kill when there be peaceful solutions. Yer proposal seems acceptable to me, but I must speak with me companions. I will tell dem yer offer."

[Keehnelf]

Nine Tongues performs a rough bow, and retreats to the shadows of the overhanging roots to escape the abominable sunlight.

[Zhym]

Ulf gathers the small group of adventurers together and explains Nine Tongues' proposal.

"What d' ye think?" he asks. "I b'lieve we should accept his offer."

[merias]

"It sounds like a good proposition, but we need something to bring back to the Duke, if we succeed he has no reason to trust the goblins will leave the wood," Herrin says to his companions.

[Zhym]

"We ha' nay need to talk with the Duke before our task be complete," suggests Ulf.

[Keehnelf]

Just to remind-no townspeople have reported attacks from goblins to date.

[Zhym]

Edited.

[LtTibbles]

Elbreth brings his bow down when the goblin emerges from the cave, letting him and Ulf state terms while he watched the tree line for an ambush. "If what he says about the archer's are true we may have little choice in the matter, but his terms sound acceptable perhaps we could request some sort of trophy from the goblins once the deed is done and bring that to the Duke as proof."

[Keehnelf]

The elf's keen eyes spot only one goblin archer--one scrawny fellow up in the branches of the main tree with a crossbow yawning occasionally.

[GTan_Baq]

Njord says, "It seems to me a reasonable offer but I don't think the duke will go for it. He wanted the goblins removed. Remember the duke is a nobleman and chances are he is wanting to expand is territory right into the territory the goblins claim as their own." Njord sighs. "I wonder if we should take Nine-tonges back to speak with the duke. I'm all for a peaceful solution. Also there is the question of these wolves the goblin spoke of."

[merias]

Njord says, "It seems to me a reasonable offer but I don't think the duke will go for it. He wanted the goblins removed. Remember the duke is a nobleman and chances are he is wanting to expand is territory right into the territory the goblins claim as their own." Njord sighs. "I wonder if we should take Nine-tonges back to speak with the duke. I'm all for a peaceful solution. Also there is the question of these wolves the goblin spoke of."

"The Duke will go for it if the Goblins actually withdraw, leaving him free to expand his holdings. So the real question is - can we trust Nine-whatever-his-name-is? Maybe he is using us to get rid of his wolf problem...but hey, I am in it for the adventure, so I can kill wolves as easily as I can Gobs. We can always come back and take care of ol' Nine-bits here," Herrin says.

[Keehnelf]

It looks like all we're missing here is someone to make the call and communicate it back to the goblin.

[Zhym]

Ulf marches back to the hole in the tree. "Come on out, ye gobbo." When the goblin emerges, Ulf will tell him that the group has decided to investigate the business with the wolves.

[Keehnelf]

Nine Tongues smiles broadly, his jagged and rotten teeth casting his corpse-white face in an even more ghoulish light. "Excellent! I'm so glad to hear it. I believe that, rather than being adversaries as so often happens with our races, we can at least find a path toward harmonious coexistence and some limited cooperation."

He points back roughly in the direction from whence the party came. "This monstrous wolf lives amid a circle of standing-stones about three leagues from here, just south of southwest. He is almost always accompanied by a pack of dire wolves, his lieutenants and servitors, who assist him in corralling the more mild-mannered wolves toward his evil ends. If the lot of them are slain, the moors will be free of their tyranny, and even the normal wolves of the moors will be no significant threat to man or goblin."

He raises his arms out and upward. "You will know the creature when you see him. Huge and black, with blood-red eyes, he stands as tall as a man at the shoulder with teeth like long knives. Be wary of his gaze--I have seen goblins of strong mind dazzled and dazed by its intensity so that they are but helpless victims to his infernal wrath."

Nine Tongues fishes in a pouch hanging from his belt and pulls forth a leather thong to which a number of lengths of shriveled looking dry meat are strung. "If you encounter my kind in pursuit of your work, you can present this token to them to announce that you are working on my behalf. They should leave you in peace, though likely not aid you." Here he glowers at the party. "It goes without saying that if you abuse my trust via that token, I will come to reclaim it in person no matter where you are to be found."

[Keehnelf]

Oh, and he hands it to Ulf directly.