Delve #1 - The Adventure Begins

[scottjen]

Alishar
Thank you Stonechewer. I would like to experience a goblin holiday celebration, so hopefully I will find myself in Deepton before the years fuzzy men's memories. He is content to have Edulhur do the interrogating, and is available to end any of them (effectively playing the "bad cop") if needed. Provided they are what he expects.

[gurusql]

Gelli

Gelli will keep watch while the interrogation takes place.

[BaltoBruiser]

The party releases the goblins from their bonds. The three living goblins build a makeshift litter to carry Tunnelrunner’s dead body and grab rations and the two bows and quivers with the remaining arrows. Thanking the party once again, they head back down the path away from the caravan and the falls.

“Well yourn good and fucked, killin’ two of the Red God’s army. The wrath of Set will be upon all of you. Lettin’ those filthy little buggers go will bring you nothing but a world of hurt from Gunnar and the Guild of Service. Those little fuckers were supposed to be auctioned off to some very important customers in the Forum.” Is the response Thargus gets from the slapped guardsmen.

[Edeldhur]

Thargus

"I think you got this the other way around" - the man grunted with a shrug - "You are the one tied down and about to take a beating if we do not like what you have to say" - he added.

"So is that your job, grab some defenseless someone, drag them up there, and deliver them to be sold in this... Forum is it? Can anyone do it ? Could I go up there and buy or sell some slaves?"

[Rex]

Athena

Athena listens as the prisoners make threats.

"It is good you do not fear death, that will make it easier on us if you don't talk and we have to kill you."

[BaltoBruiser]

The guard spits out "Even scum like you can enter the Forum. If you follow the Laws of Forum, you are welcome to purchase any the goods on offer including the lives ones. However, when I report to the overseer of your deeds, you will be tracked down like the vermin you are and put to the sword or better yet take those flithy imps place on the auction block.

[Doctor Crunch]

Niphos

Niphos will move to better cover and keep his eyes peeled for any response from the camp. All this sneaking around in the dark has him distinctly jumpy. He does perk up a bit at the mention of Set.

[scottjen]

Alishar
Will also keep watch for anyone or anything approaching. He will also look for a place to stash the bodies once the interrogation is over.

[Edeldhur]

Thargus

"We'll see about that" - he nods, then punches the man out.

Want to make sure he is unconscious as well as the other captive (we have two, correct?), before talking with the group.

"So I was thinking we strip them, give them a serious beating, then sell them on this Forum - serves them good. We can always argue they are gagged because they spit, and even if they manage to talk we can say they are desperate liars, trying to escape" - Thargus suggests.

"Also, carrying them around might be a good way to infiltrate the area, and pose as slavers. What do you think?"

[Doctor Crunch]

Niphos

Niphos shakes his head. Too much chance of running into someone they knew. We should kill them and be done with them. Besides, the followers of Set are likely to have signs and counter signs that we don't know. I think the immediate question is whether we should take out the camp now or make haste away.

[gurusql]

Gelli

"I agree that we need to put them down permanently. Then we should take the guards down here, I assume that we be as far as we can get."

[Rex]

Athena

"Subertufuge is an interesting idea and worth considering but I agree it seems too dangerous. We should try and take out what remains of the camp while they are still split up."

[Edeldhur]

Thargus

"Very well" - Thargus nods, and drags the prisoners away for the grim task, which he carries out as quickly and painlessly as possible. When it is done, he retrieves the ropes they had used to bind them.

"Lets take care of the camp then"

Team, do we want to use their belongings to mask ourselves as a 'caravan' of sorts? Do we want to go up that basket?
Or we move away and back to our initial route?

[Doctor Crunch]

Niphos

Niphos strokes his small beard as he ponders for a moment. I suppose if we take the camp without raising an alarm we could attempt the lift, but we'd be awfully vulnerable with enemies above us. My vote would be take the camp here, search it for information helpful to our cause and then seek another route.

[scottjen]

Alishar
I agree with Niphos on not trying to impersonate slavers. I do agree on taking the camp. Then if successful, we see what we can find out about the layout and defenses above. Then we decide whether to move on or up.

[BaltoBruiser]

Horasday the 6th of Molivios 2993 AEP 8:30 PM

It takes a bit of time to hide the dead bodies of the last two guardsmen off the trail.

The party will recall that that they originally saw that there were 12 members of the caravan during the daylight (3 drivers who appeared unarmored and unarmed as well as 9 men with armor and arms). Some of the caravan went up in the basket with the goods but due to the fire, members of the party with infravision cannot tell how exactly how many remain on the ground nor can the humans tell due to the shadows (at least 2 went up and maybe as many as 5 entered the basket). There is approximately 200 yards of path with forest and some cover between the party’s vantage point and the caravan. The sound of the Falls drown out almost all sounds; being stealthy will not be an issue even with the almost full moon.

[Doctor Crunch]

Is the camp awake? Are there sentries posted?

[Rex]

Athena

Athena will try to get as close as she feels is safe and then attempt her Detect Evil power.

[BaltoBruiser]

Athena creeps to within 120 feet of the caravan and prays to Ardenia Tessaeron to detect any evil intentions from the members of the caravan party through a magical illumination. No such illumination comes to Athena's vision (to be clear no one in the caravan detects as having evil intentions).

[Edeldhur]

Thargus

As best as we can see, how many are there? Armed and armored? And what are they doing? Resting, patrolling, on watch?