Expedition - Foxy: Bounty On The Goblin HQ - 02 June 2021

[Marullus]

With both Clay and Shortbread giving guilty backwards-glances, the groups pass over the shoulders of the mountain and continue on their way. They can hear the battle behind them at first - snarls and howls met with dwarven battlecries - but eventually that grows more faint as you grow distant. After an hour and a half the pounding of the goblin kettledrums reverberating within the mountain tapers off as well.

The two groups clamber over the rocky mountain slopes, checking crevices, niches, built-up entries, and unusual rock facings carefully. Maurice the owl circles slowly above, his trips into and out of sight of each group growing briefer and briefer as the groups close on the rear of the mountain. Morrs sniffs the ground obediently, trying to find any tell-tale tracks of goblin passage while Shortbread does his best to identify any anomalies in the stone which might indicate what you desire.

Maurice hoots with evident pleasure as the two groups finally converge on the backside of the mountain, evidently pleased with his performance of duties.

The afternoon has passed without finding the entrance. Greater challenges now come as evening approaches. What is the next move?

Date: 7:00pm, 04 June 2021
Light: Sunlight
Distance: ~11-12 Miles
Spell effects: None
Injuries: Foxy (mild injury), Baxtaw (mild injury), Clay (mild injury)

SE: Foxy, Halfpint, Clay Weatherwax, Morrs
SW: Baxtaw, Shortbread, Grizzly Woman, Huckeberry

SE: Search (1-3) [1d6] = 6 Encounter (1) [1d8] = 8
SW: Search (1-2) [1d6] = 3 Encounter (1) [1d8] = 8
Shortbread (1-2) [1d6] = 3

[Stirling]

Foxy O'Hare

"We do not get discouraged, but press on searching."

[Rusty Tincanne]

Feeling more driven with every passing moment, Clay worries they have rushed their search and wasted precious time. Where were we when Balex left us last time? And which direction did he go? That might give us a clue where to look.

Once again, he looks for a bird to talk with.

Maurice, do any of your woodland cousins have an idea where this burrow-hole would be?

[Starbeard]

The Grizzly Woman looks around confused. Experimentally, she kicks a rock.

She continues to search the area with the rest of the party.

[Marullus]

Feeling more driven with every passing moment, Clay worries they have rushed their search and wasted precious time. Where were we when Balex left us last time? And which direction did he go? That might give us a clue where to look.

Balex left you after your encounter with the red robes, which was several miles west of this mountain. You are unable to discern any bearing to help you in this situation.

Once again, he looks for a bird to talk with.

Maurice, do any of your woodland cousins have an idea where this burrow-hole would be?

Maurice puffs up his feathers, the tiny pygmy owl looking as robust as he can.
{In bird} "I am sure I do not know. I find other birds oft do not wish to converse with me, after all. I imagine they are intimidated by my predatory mien."

Clay looks around for other birds to converse with himself but the craggy, goblin-tinged mountain slopes are bereft of such natural and benign wildlife.

As you begin your next four-hour search, do you remain together? Split again into the two groups? Do you continue around both sides of the mountain? Double back around the sides you just searched? Both focus on one side?

: Birds around [1d6] = 6 disposition [2d6] = 5

[Starbeard]

The Grizzly Woman silently doubles back along the route she took and continues looking with the bear, whatever everyone else does.

[onlyme]

Halfpint asks,

Do you know how big a circle we need to cover? how big are their bases anyway?

[Rusty Tincanne]

Clay shrugs. No idea. Our only goblin "friend" was burned at the stake last time we were here and there are no birds around to ask. But the task remains. Let's find this passage before dusk.


How long before sunset? If it is soon, we should stick together and let Maurice scout ahead, keeping us clear(er) of patrols.

[Marullus]

Dusk is long, here in the shadow of the southern mountains. You have about two hours until dusk, then an hour until full-dark. You're next move will be searching for up to four hours, which will include the fading evening, dusk, and then an hour of full-dark. I have Grizzly moving clearly. I'll post the next update when I know if the group splits or all goes her way.

[Dram]

Baxtaw continues to use his Elven eyes to look for anything offset with the natural landscape.

[Rusty Tincanne]

analysis paralysis!!!!

Thinking it best to not be separated as night falls, Clay heads the direction The grizzly woman chooses, but moves 100' above her, paralleling her​ path.

[onlyme]

Halfpint follows.

[Marullus]

Having searched all afternoon, the group does not despair. The Grizzly Woman and her bear turn and head back to recheck their path, Baxtaw and Shortbread staying with them. Clay flanks out and Maurice takes to the air to get a different perspective. Everyone else follows suit, staying together. The sun drops towards the mountain peaks directly above you, dropping to its southwest resting place, the shadows getting long around you. The sun will set shortly.

In the slanting light, Shortbread throws his arms out and cries, "Stop!" He points to the evenly mitered shadows stretching across the slope above them. "Sun-fields. They'll have the cave-fields below, but drop-quarries like that allow sun-crops." He chuffs up the slope, pointing out where the indented squares would be, but now are mostly filled in by sloping erosion. "This is a lot of fields... huh." The group searches around and finds a secret dwarven-made door in the mountainside, concealed in a cliff face just behind the plots. The door isn't locked, and looks like it could still rotate open.


Date: 9:00pm, 04 June 2021
Light: Sunlight
Distance: ~12-13 Miles
Spell effects: None
Injuries: Foxy (mild injury), Baxtaw (mild injury), Clay (mild injury)

Group Search [1d6] = 2 Baxtaw [1d6] = 6 Shortbread [1d6] = 2 Maurice [1d6] = 5

[Rusty Tincanne]

is that dwarf's name Shortbread or Shortbeard? I feel like I've seen it both ways.

Well done. As we enter, we must be wary of traps.

[Marullus]

He was an unnamed short-bearded dwarf before Baxtaw recruited him. I liked the autocorrect of Baxtaw's so much that I kept it as the name.

The short-bearded dwarf, now healed by Clay, is honored by Baxtaw's offer. He readily accepts, waddling forward on his stout legs to stand proudly by the elf. "You probably can't pronounce my name, it might be easier if you call me Shortbread," he tells him, opening a wrapped package of heavy, sweet confections from his pack and offering them to Baxtaw. "Made 'em myself."

[Rusty Tincanne]

I thought you had made a typo there.

[Dram]

I missread it the first time, .Has the Shortbeard upset with the new name?

[Marullus]

No self-respecting dwarf would accept a name that impunes his beard length. This one, however, is rotund baker and has a fondness for confectionery, so shortbread is a happy name.

[Dram]

[Starbeard]

The Grizzly Woman

The mountain lady scratches her jaw ponderously, bemused by dwarven architecture. She gathers by the door with the others. 'Well then there it is. Should we draw straws to see who opens the door?'

She looks at the door. (Does it open inward or outward? Are there any noticeable hinges? Can it be pushed/pulled open freely or is there a latch or handle to turn?)