Open Chronicles The Goblin King [Dungeon Raid | Allir Reach]

[Kara Orin]

THE GOBLIN KING
​

For some time, postings in Alliria and nearby villages appeared:

ADVENTURERS WANTED
JOB IS TO CLEAR GOBLIN NEST
INTERESTED PARTIES REPORT TO
THE BLADE SOCIETY OF ALLIRIA
REWARD NEGOTIABLE​

Rumors about this posting began to spread. Though those that responded would get the full story.

Recently, goblins plagued the Allir Reach. The Blade Society of Alliria, a guild that normally contracts adventurers and mercenaries for jobs, had been searching the origin of these goblins. Just prior to the first posting’s appearance, the Blade Society discovered the “cave” that these goblins secured as a base.

However, a long forgotten temple would be the more accurate term for what the goblins have turned into their nest. The Merchant Guild of Alliria immediately submitted a request to the Blade Society to eliminate the nest – the goblins’ presence harms trade in Alliria. Priests in Alliria also gave money to secure the temple – even if the deity it was built for was unknown. Merchants looking to sell artifacts within the temple also contributed to the reward pool.

The individual rewards seemed rather high as a result. A typical negotiated reward could afford one to live in Alliria’s Inner City for a few months without any additional income. The only special condition the Blade Society gave to the reward:

No artifacts shall be removed from the temple.​

---

ALLIR REACH

Kyver, along with his party and a few other groups that accepted the contract, approached the location of the goblin nest. A few goblin scouts were encountered but put down with ease.

The entrance to the nest soon came in sight. Two worn statues kneeling at the entrance made it clear that this was a temple. Vegetation covered much of the stone. Thick roots stretched across part of the entryway.

Four small goblins stood guard by the statues. The sun was still high and a lot of daylight was left. Goblins were usually not as active during the day than during the night.

Turning back to the group, Kyver quietly asked, “Any ideas?”

Kasim Areth Alona Hawse

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim had ventured along with this little group for one reason and one reason alone; the story.

Goblins weren't exactly known for their intelligence, and in general they weren't really considered a threat by most beings. Sure they were annoying, but a band of Allirian Rangers or the Anirian Guard would have been able to wipe out a group of them in a day or two.

So why hadn't they just sent those groups? Presumably they were unavailable.

Either way Kasim didn't particularly care. What he cared about was the Temple they were occupying.

He had heard some rumors of what was inside, what it's history was, and just why it existed in the first place. There was no telling if any of it was true of course, but that was why he was here. Though a bard by trade, Kasim was a decent enough fighter that he would still be useful here.

At least he thought so. "We can burn it."

The bard suggested.

 

[Douglas Haley]

_________________________

The air hung tightly to Douglas’s skin, forcing a few drops of sweat to form on his brow before he wiped it away with his sleeve, a somewhat moderate pairing of leather bracers over top light robes of Elbion origin. He brought himself to a kneel as he brought his breath under control, not for the sake of being unfit, but being unaccustomed to the humidity of the forest, or its uneven terrain for hiking. As he did so, his eyes wandered to the temple, their position hidden by the overgrowth of trees and vines, and the standing guards enough to tell him they hadn’t missed any scouts on the way.

As he looked between the four, he scratched at his cheek in thought, humming something deep in his throat before glancing to Kyver, shrugging;

“I thought they’d be asleep, if I’m honest.”, the youth said with a decent hint at his inexperience.

“Only really read about them in a book, didn’t know they were really so organized…”, he seemed to finish as he looked over the temple as a whole.

Much of it was lost to nature, giving credence to the initial contract stating ‘long forgotten’, but seeing it in person only reinforced those claims, even made them seem like an understatement. Douglas couldn’t help but imagine them fools for wanting to retake a place at such a high cost, though that might have been the merchant in him overtaking the scholar; something he quickly buried as he considered why he’d actually come. A task given to him by Salim, his master, to study the world and learn what it meant to be a player in it’s games, something the graceful luxury of Elbion didn’t give much idea of.

Eventually, he spoke up, giving Kyver his full attention again;

“Most are probably still doing whatever it is goblin’s do during the day. If we could make a distraction, get some of them to come over, or even mimic a goblin call, we’d have a chance to ambush at least a portion of their gatekeepers…”, he said as his thumb moved to rest on his chin.

“After that, I suppose it's a matter of getting rid of the rest of the infestation while they’re unprepared.”, he finished with a shrug.

He was young, but he had some decent ideas. Sometimes.

Kyver │ Kasim Areth​

 

[Alona Hawse]

Wearing armor that still bore the symbol of the Elbion Merchant Guard, though no rank or unit symbols were present, Alona reviewed the gatekeepers for a few moments. She had her helm off in her left hand, and her blade, Hearth's Edge, was leaned against her shoulder, with her right hand counterbalancing the long blade. Here eyes traced the ground before the gatekeepers, then up to the statues. Here eyes returned to the goblin guards again, before she turned back to her companions, slipping on her helmet.

"We should take this group by surprise, now." She said as she adjusted the strap of her helm with expert tugs. "The rest of their group are less likely to be up and about before dusk." She did her best to modulate her tone, but years as an officer of the Merchant Guard showed through in the commanding tone of her voice. She looked over their group, quirking an eyebrow inside her helmet. She still didn't know much about her companions skills, which worried her. She was used to working with groups who trained together day in and day out, and had developed ways to overcome each individuals weakspots. "If any of you are capable at skullduggery, you should sneak to the statue on the left through this vegetation. I will wait for a count of sixty, then move into their view and make sure their attention is on me. I will charge the one on the far right, and that should allow any by the left statue to take them in the rear."

She thought for a moment, then added.

"How does that sound?"

Kasim Areth | Kyver | Douglas Haley​

 

[Acillio Nazzaro]

Acillio Nazzaro crouched beside Douglas Haley. Haley was Salims student and Acillio owed Salim a life debt. Favours were pulled quite regularly and Acillio had come to know Haley to a minor extent. Acquitances if anything. Acillio was here for two reasons, one part for the contract and the other part for Salim; to make sure Haley didn't lose his neck.

The former Merchant Guard had also kept an eye on Alona Hawse on the journey here. Acillio had kept his head down, cloak gathered about him and his hood raised. He recognised her but didn't know her personally. The two of them had been officers but operated on different shifts. The men and women of his unit had shared a quip at her expense once or twice over a tankard of frothy ale. These days Acillio was no angel. He'd been tossed from the city and declared both a thief and a scoundrel. Despite no charges placed on him and the manner and reasons of his removal questionable he had obtained a sour reputation from the guard.

He listened to the folks speak and surveyed the landscape and watched the goblins. He smiled at Kasoms comment and nodded along with Douglas. He did not agree with Alona and spoke up, "It'll sound loud, thats how it'll sound, charging them will do us no good. You ever heard how loud a baby can scream?" Acillio hiked a thumb in the direction of the goblins, "Yeah, well, they scream louder. Its not just annoying, it's ear-piercing. You scare them with a charge and it won't just be birds you'll be waking up."

"We should draw them out and ambush them," Acillio echoed Douglas' opinion. Something that could draw the sentries away without suspicion being raised was the best option without stirring the rest of the goblins from their rest. Acillio thought on it more and plucked at his leather jerkin. The faded patch of the Merchant Guard of Elbion was barely visible. It had been scratched at plenty but never quite torn away.

 

[Owain d'Athée]

Owain d'Athée honestly felt out of place - the hike through the forest had been relatively easy in comparison to the desert, but the strangers that were now his fellows in arms weren't a group he was comfortable with. It had been a scant few months since the mercenary company that had been his life bled their last on the sands of Amol-Kalit and Owain had traveled to Alliria in hopes of finding another mercenary company with loose enough morals to take a child soldier on; that had proved fruitless and without any skills beyond the blade he was left with few choices.

Luck or fate had thrown a freelance job killing goblins into his lap and the pay was more money then he honestly knew what to do with and so he had joined without expectation. As the group discussed how to deal with the sentries Owain simply watched the green menace, he had never actually done battle with the things and found the prospect of finally fighting something his own size a welcome change of pace. "I think I'd make the best bait, if I leave my sword here they probably won't raise an alarm for a kid." Owain said, suddenly speaking up - his voice was monotone and respectful, as if he considered those around him his betters and hoped to keep on their good side."If I run out of the brush, pretend to see them and get frightened and run back to you all the ambush should be easy." He added after a short pause to see if anyone would object.

In truth Owain had little idea how the goblins world react, but it was a tactic his band had used before when faced with sentries. Have an unarmed kid show and few expected death around the corner. Owain had little doubt the savage reputation of the small green skins was unwarranted, they would probably love nothing more then to wet their blades on a seemingly defenseless victim. If he had any fear at making himself their desired target he showed none of it on his face, his narrow eyes never leaving focus on the targets at hand.

 

[Kara Orin]

Kyver snorted at @Kasim Areth’s suggestion. The ears of one of the goblin guards twitched.

As he listened to everyone’s suggestions, Kyver and one of his party members, a female elf, did a quick back-and-forth with hand gestures. The esoteric meaning of them would surely be lost to those from Elbion and the half-elf child.

Once Owain d'Athée volunteered to be bait, Kyver whispered, “I agree with the stealthy approach, but…”

Kyver turned his head back toward the temple’s entrance. Three of the goblin guards approached the bushes that the group hid in. One looked around while another sniffed the air. One seemed to be a hunter – with a bow as a weapon. Another had dual blades and seemed to be commanded the two other goblins. While a third held a staff and had several pouches at his belt.

The fourth goblin stayed by the temple’s entrance. He supported his body with a bloodied axe as long as he was tall. He kept scanning the tree line as the three other goblins continued their advance.

“Go,” Kyver urged Owain as he slowly drew his sword.

Douglas Haley Alona Hawse Acillio Nazzaro

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim reached up towards the hilt of his sword, though unlike Kyver he did not yet draw it.

Goblins, as far as he knew, did not have better hearing than most humans. There were rumors, but he'd never taken an anatomy class that had to do with foreign species so he didn't really want to risk it. Instead he remained still within the brush, his lips thinning as the little green men drew closer.

He observed them quietly.

There wasn't really much that he could do in the situation. He was not particularly stealthy, nor had he a particular gift in illusion magic. Perhaps he could have drawn a rune to hide them, but the time it would take to do that was far too much to expend at the moment.

Better to just sit and wait.

 

[Owain d'Athée]

Owain didn't hesitate, once he was told to go he went without delay. His sword left laying by the others Owain burst through the underbrush, sprinting for all he was worth - which evidently by his speed was quite a bit. The Goblins were sure to spot him almost instantly, and Owain made it a point to put himself between the encroaching goblins and their ally still standing guard. His normally blank expression appeared to be genuinely terrified, his narrows eyes wide with shock and his whole body shaking.

"G-goblins!" He stuttered suddenly, his eyes focused on the further one near the temple but his head shifting back and fourth between them dramatically. He made every point to show his fear to the only one not close enough to be struck by blade. Like a good little actor Owain turned tail and fled, up the short embankment he ran, fake stumbling and pushing forward on all fours as he did.

Once he was sure his gambit had garnered at least some attention Owain suddenly shifted his escape path, tumbling over his right shoulder into the bush and acquiring his own blade mid role. The four foot blade was over seventy percent of his own height, but it was clear he had little trouble wielding it. The cloth wrap which worked as a makeshift scabbard tossed aside Owain set his focus on his prey - his predatory gaze never leaving the axe wielding temple guard he had marked from the moment he burst from the underbrush.

All need for acting gone Owain's expression had become the wild eyed energy he always used for battle, his boyish features twisted into a cruel smile and knuckles white. Excitement, fear, pleasure - it all mixed together for Owain, and many remarked he had the same manic energy berserk orcs often used for battle.

Few child soldiers survived battle long if they didn't enjoy it, and for Owain battle was a powerful drug. Shaking at the prospect of crossing blades with the axe wielding goblin Owain waited only as long as it took for his allies to strike the nearest of their enemies, bursting again from the underbrush but this time far faster.

Owain was incredibly fast, a life of marching making his strides long and bounding. Whether the axe wielder chased or not they would meet in mere moments, he only hoped the little green monster was competent enough to let him savor it.

 

[Arlowe Ravaryn]

Goblins, really? The thought of those weird little creatures who ran around causing trouble just disgusted Arlowe, but she'd do anything that would help her family and she'd heard that there was a reward for killing some of the disruptive creatures. She'd traveled along with other people towards where goblins were hiding out, everyone except herself probably thirsting for battle. No, she didn't really like fighting, she Aas only doing this out of necessity. She didn't like the thought of cracking bones, slicing through skin, causing people to scream for mercy, but again, she'd do it for those she cared about most, even if the reward was small; a small reward was better than no reward at all.

She stood far off, watching people slaughter the little beings like a dance where only one party was benefiting from. She had a hard expression on her face, even a mere child was amist, but at least the enemy wasn't that powerful. Besides, he seemed to know what he was doing, which she was wary of. Who would teach a kid to battle? Arlowe wasn't sure if she even wanted to know.

Suddenly she heard a sound right behind her and before it could strike, she swiftly leapt to the left and struck out a hidden blade from her thigh, stabbing the poor goblin in the right of his should. It howled and clawed at her but Arlowe, with a deep frown, said she was sorry and reluctantly stabbed in the back of the head. It spoke no more. She quickly moved along, not liking the smell of open flesh at all.

But everywhere else it smelled the same, of blood, sweat, and perhaps vomit, but she couldn't blame them. She'd been around the butcher too many times to vomit at the sight of someone's insides now but she wasn't always like that. Arlowe almost wished she wasn't here, that she could burn this sight from her mind, but killing was no way different from the stealing she did; she was stealing someone's life.

While she was running she noticed the same boy whom she was upset about. She watched him fight and shook her head. Before he and the goblin he was about to slaughter could come in contact, Arlowe slid between them, grabbing each of their weapons and said, to the goblin, "Why fight when you see that your friends have fallen? You know this boy will kill you yet you still feel the need to give yourself up to him."

 

[Rose]

It was then that Rose stepped out of the shadows she had been clinging to, her view of the events obscured by the distance she had been keeping with the group. Their backs mostly remained to her, their eyes trained on Goblin den before them. And her eyes remained trained on them. It had been curiosity that had driven her to track these strangers so far, and it had been well-earned wariness that had kept her from showing herself.

After all, one doesn't simply stop wanting to see the world once you've been bitten by a vampire. You do, however, learn to stay out of sight.

For now, she resisted the urge to join or intervene, suspecting she'd quickly become one of the hunted if she appeared on the field besides them.

She began to draw magic towards her-- a simple precaution.

 

[Acillio Nazzaro]

For a time Acillio had thought the boy a simple messenger, perhaps a squire at most. What a waste of blood, he thought to himself when the kid offered to be the distraction. The young chap was better off carrying their gear so that the party didn't need to give some family the bad news of their young son dying at the hands of a goblin. The kid was as stupid as his sword was tall. "Don't think that's a damn idiotic idea?" Acillio countered, "All it takes is one arrow and the kids down."

Too late, the goblins were approaching and before anything could be argued further the kid was given the go and took off. Acillio threw out his hand to stop him but too late, his palm sat in empty air. "Fuck," he cursed under his breath, "You fucking idiots." The kid darted through the brush and in a moment he was back, rolled, took his blade and took off again. His brows furrowed and he cursed further. He slid out his blade from its sheathe and followed after the boy.

The kid was fast, but Acillio was faster. His powerful long strides allowed him to quickly gain ground. The kid was already preparing to engage one of the goblins. As the kid rose his blade Acillio noticed a girl appear. "You got to be shitting me," he cursed, infuriated at how quickly this had unravelled. She went to grab the boys blade and the goblins, Acillio quickened, danced between the figures, twirled his arm overhead and brought the blade around the goblins neck and through it. The head rolled away, the body fell limp.

Acillio spun about to face them, "Are you daft, girl?" he shouted at her. He shoved roughly at her with one hand, enough to push her onto the ground if she wasn't ready for it. "You could have gotten any of us killed with your little stunt."

 

[Arlowe Ravaryn]

Arlowe stood her ground, glaring at the man who dared touch her. "Don't you ever put your hands on me again, you dirty pig. You obviously don't know your place of you're going around touching every woman around here like you own the places." She wiped where he touched her and frowned. "I'm guessing that you're the one who brought this kid to battle? No wonder, you act as despicable as you look. Obviously, because you put yourself in the place of these goblins, saying that you could've gotten killed-are you even a man?"

She shook her head in disgust, once again, and shrugged. "If you ever touch me again, I'll make sure your body feeds every starving dog in all of Alliria." This man seemed to have the finest attitude in all of the land.

She went up to the boy. "Did you come here by choice, boy?"

 

[Douglas Haley]

_______________________

With no chance to raise up some alternative, despite how reasonable sending a ‘helpless’ child off as bait was, Douglas kept his mouth shut as Kyver gave Owain the go ahead; watching with a quiet regard as he started moving, only to watch as the grizzled veteran who had accompanied him spoke up with a harsh tone. The man cursed under his tone before getting up to follow, though that was the start of it.

As the group slowly fell out of proximity, Douglas could make out only the small happenings behind the brush and treeline, watching as the the ambush began to take place; though something soon became amiss. With the child’s blade drawn, and Acillio’s soon to follow, a new, random figure had appeared to stop the child and the goblin from fighting, even from a distant obviously attempting the world of diplomacy.

The young scholar thought for a moment, considering if goblins were even capable of reasoning, only to then realize that if she didn’t kill him immediately he would very easily be able to alert the temple to their whereabouts. For their entire sake, Acillio had averted the crisis by lopping off the remaining goblin’s head in the momentary confusion, but Douglas couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down his back as he looked to Kyver and Kasim Areth, those two that remained near him, along with Kyver’s remaining posse.

“Did… I’m not seeing things right?”, he said quietly, only for his tone to take a bit more hastened concern as the group began to argue, barely audible at his distance.

His gaze quickly moved back to the remaining temple guard, who now stood glancing into the treeline in the direction of the yelling, forcing Douglas to curse;

“Shit. Shit. Shit.”, he said in rapid succession, “One of you guys got a plan? Last one is catching on!”, he said in a hoarse whisper.

He thought his plan was pretty decent, all things considered, but he hadn’t really considered who might be enacting it apparently. It forced a sour taste in his mouth as anxiety grew, clenching his jaw as he waited for the entire excursion to fail before it had even truly began.

Arlowe Ravaryn │ Acillio Nazzaro │ Rose │ Owain d'Athée │ Kasim Areth │ Kyver │ Alona Hawse​

 

[Owain d'Athée]

Owain did not allow her to grab his blade, turning it in his grip and bringing the point to bare toward her - briefly he considered thrusting, his elbows dropping low and his hips leaning in. He thought better of it when he realized he had been followed, the bald sell sword quickly dispatching the goblin and turning on the foolish girl with well deserved anger. She was naive, and with blood flying and battle raging naivety was little more then hindrance - worse still she was condescending, self righteous and clearly considered herself a hero. It was these sort of traits Owain hated the most.

Eventually the argument between the two began to settle, and as expected the girl approached Owain with empty sympathy - hoping to save him from his plight! To beat back the villains! He remembered these types from his slave soldier days, they weren't an entirely uncommon sight in the more 'civilized' parts of the world which had been free of true conflict for a number of years.

When his band captured them their fates were rarely pleasant, and for the first time Owain wished his band was still alive. The boy considered how to play his hand, and decided a soft touch would get him no where with the self righteous. "Get in my way again and I run you through and leave your body for the goblins to play with." Owain did not wait for a reply, seeing enough of her empty threats on the bald man to know he had little interest in what she had to say in response.

Jogging back over to the group Owain bowed his head slightly to the others. "I apologize, I failed." The monotone voice returned, his bubbling battle lust forced back into the confines of his mind for the time being. Owain had no plan to deal with the final sentry, and in truth he knew there was probably no hope of salvaging the situation. The enemy would be on alert, and their battle had just been made much harder.

 

[Acillio Nazzaro]

Acillio Nazzaro was taken aback by the girl. "You got to be kidding me," he pointed to the dead goblin, then remained silent and clenched his fists. He could make several points but refused to. There was no point in arguing against the stupid, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience. Though what angered him more-so were the words. False accusations. He'd had enough of them in his life. There were those in his hamlet of birth where they blamed him for the plague, and the lies of theft and adultery that caused him to be thrown from the Merchant Guard.

He turned his back to her and rubbed two fingers across his forehead, trying to calm himself down. For a moment her words ran through his mind, infuriating him further. "-you act as despicable as you look." He reached down by the goblin and grabbed the decapitated head by a handful of hair. Warm blood ran down his wrist as he turned around, raised the goblin head and lobbed it as hard as he could at the back of the girls head, "You dim-witted harlot."

 

[Arlowe Ravaryn]

Arlowe easily dodged the attack and stood to the side. "You're slower than you look if you think that could hit me at all. It's really a shame." She kicked the head and spat in his direction. "I see that I'm not wanted here by anyone so I'll do my bidding somewhere else. Make sure you use your insults on someone more deserving instead of flapping your lips at me, old man." She went on her way to fight somewhere else and leave the group to their business.

 

[Acillio Nazzaro]

"Yeah yeah," Acillio said, flapping one hand open and close as to mimick her speaking, "All talk, no show." He had thrown the goblin head just as the boy had finished giving the girl a piece of his mind, unfortunately it meant she had the chance to turn around and see the head sailing towards her. A simple thing to dodge.

Acillio planted his sword into the soil and crossed his arms. "Now you going to skulk off into the bushes there or are you going to back up your statement?" All the while as he spoke to her, enraged at both her arrogance and lies, the last goblin sentry had noticed the commotion. Unaware, Acillio continued to scold the girl. "When the going gets tough the tough gets going," he said and spat back at her.

 

[Alona Hawse]

“Shit. Shit. Shit.”, he said in rapid succession, “One of you guys got a plan? Last one is catching on!”, he said in a hoarse whisper.

Alona blinked, and the child was used as bait. It worked, though, and the three that had been approaching were easily dispatched. The last one, however, was getting suspicious, and Alona leapt forward on long legs, pulling a dagger from her belt and whipping it forward at the axe wielder.

She saw it's eyes go wide as her armored form burst through the foliage around the entrance to the temple. She saw it flinch as her dagger thunked into the wood of the axes haft. Then she was past him, her hand-and-a-half sword bloodied, and the goblin cut in twain from the right side of its throat to the left arm pit. She faced the entrance to the temple, eyes searching for the next opponent as she reset into a ready stance.

After a heart beat, when no one came out, she backed away a few steps, then turned.

"You amateurs need to go home if you are going to bicker any more. Otherwise shut your holes and mind the enemy." She glared out of her helmet at Acillio Nazzaro and Arlowe Ravaryn. "This isn't a production, so if you two can't act like professionals, you are only going to get someone killed."

She then turned and went back to the temple entrance to stand guard while the others gathered to decide the next course of action. A younger version of herself would have just marched right in, but years of working as part of a team and leading teams for the Merchant Guard taught her to be patient, to a certain extent.

Kyver | Kasim Areth | Owain d'Athée | Rose | Douglas Haley​

 

[Kara Orin]

Kasim Areth Rose

Kyver watched Owain d'Athée emerge as bait. He raised an eyebrow as Owain ran back and grabbed a large sword. Kyver’s head just tilted as the boy rushed out to attack a single goblin before anyone could back him up.

Sinnata, the blonde elf in Kyver’s party, drew her bow and notched an arrow. She took aim at the goblin at the temple entrance. She saw Arlowe Ravaryn slaying the goblin with the bow and arrow.

ONE OF FOUR GOBLINS DEAD​

Yet before she could release her arrow, both Arlowe and @Acillio Nazazaro rushed after Owain. Her eyes widened and she looked for a new target.

Kyver stood up in the brush near Douglas Haley. Once he drew his sword, Kyver threw it at the goblin with a staff. Blue letters appeared on Kyver’s hand – magic. The sword struck the goblin in the stomach and it instantly fell motionless to the ground.

TWO OF FOUR GOBLINS DEAD​

With a yank of his arm as if pulling a chain, more letters appeared on Kyver’s arm. His sword pulled itself out of the goblin and flew back to his hand.

Acillio removed the head of a goblin mid-argument with Arlowe.

THREE OF FOUR GOBLINS DEAD​

Then Alona Hawse rushed to finish off the final goblin.

FOUR OF FOUR GOBLINS DEAD​

Kyver watched the bickering between Arlowe and Acillio continue until Arlowe decided to leave. Kyver did not attempt to stop Arlowe from leaving.

Turning back to the group, Kyver said, “Messy, but at least the entrance is secure.”

The temple entrance was now free for those in the raid to explore. Just inside the entrance would be a hall that lead to two closed, unlocked doors. One on the right, and one on the left. The right door had a dragon carved into the stone surface. The left door showed a star and bow. The light inside the temple entrance was dim – the interior would almost certainly require a torch. The walls of the entrance were also covered with heavily worn carvings and hieroglyphics.

"I doubt any goblins inside know we-"

... THREE OF FOUR GOBLINS DEAD​

A purple light appeared. Its source: the staff that one of the goblins held. The one that Kyver stabbed in the gut. Even though it laid in a pool of its own blood, this goblin's eyes opened. It took a single, short breath. Then, a deafening scream followed.

An arrow shortly followed from Sinnata's bow - piercing the goblin's throat and silencing it.

Then not only a moment later, a roar from within the temple followed - shaking the two stone doors in the temple entrance.

The raid begins now...

 

[Rose]

Rose watched with a grimace as swords and blood flew. Thankfully, none human. Because- well then- ... well perhaps maybe not thankfully. Maybe she could just-... an injured one- She shook her head hard. No, that wasn't why she was here. Besides, she had a week, at least, before she had to start worrying about that.

She startled from her thoughts, realizing they were already moving towards the dungeon.

She melded into the shade around her, disappearing from sight. With her physical form lost, she remained inside of the shadow and followed it deeper into the field. She moved from source to source. As long as the shadows touched, she could follow the trail unbroken. Occasionally, this forced her to flickered back into sight. Anyone looking back would see a random pale girl darting across a sun patch before disappearing back into the shade. Running as she was, she managed to push past the group into a shadow up ahead. The sunlight shinning across the dungeon door prevented her from walking in through shade. She needed a vessel in. She waited impatiently inside a shadow she estimated they'd walk through.

She panted in exertion, squirming as the first foot stepped on her shade. Then, in a daring move, she slipped into Alona's shadows. She clung on, hoping to remain undetected to her transporter when the woman crossed from outside into the dark hallway. However, the sunlight shinning across the door threshold might have offered, if just for a moment, the flickering glimpse of a girl out of the corner of the woman's eye.

Alona Hawse

 

[Acillio Nazzaro]

Acillio turned on Alona when she made her comment, "Now don't you start on me either, mate," he hissed. He pointed a finger at her and shouted, "She fuckin' started it," he hiked a thumb over his shoulder to the retreating back of the thief, "Could have gotten that kid killed. Heck, could have gotten herself killed. She's as dull-witted as an ox, and she's a bloody liar." If there was one thing that boiled Acillios' blood it was false accusations. It could turn a good party into a riot if someone started accusing Acillio of wrongdoing when he was innocent.

Then the scream shattered the scene. "Just as I said," he exclaimed, "For heavens sake. I warned all of you that one of 'em will scream." Douglas was right, they should have brought the goblins in with a bird call and slit their throats before they knew what hit them. What had happened instead was a disaster. Acillio pulled his sword from the soil and sheathed it over his back and rushed over to the goblin head. He pulled a dirk from his hip and began to pluck out the eyes of the decapitated goblin, then cleanly cut the ears off. You'd be surprised how much goblins eyes and ears went for in the alchemy markets.

Acillio remained squatted by the head as he sheathed the dirk, took out a leather pouch and deposited his bounty into the bag and pulled at the leather straps, tightening the bag to a close. As he rose to his feet he pulled free his sword once more and turned his gold cat eyes towards the temple. "So much for a surprise," he muttered. He retreated away from the temple to return to Douglas' side.

 

[Owain d'Athée]

This was not going well, briefly he considered simply abandoning the group; but before he took that drastic an action Owain decided to see at least if the group could salvage this disaster into a feasible mission.

Owain didn't quite know what the plan was now that it was clear their cover was blown; entering the temple was basically asking to be swarmed by untold number of enemies. Worse still, whatever had shaken the temple at it's foundation with it's roar was unlikely to be a simple goblin but something far larger. The lack of a command structure for the group had quickly degraded the operation, turning it into a cluster fuck of some magnitude.

"I think if we are going to enter the temple, and that is a big if, we should elect a field commander. Otherwise we won't be able to function as a group and I don't like our chances as a group of individuals." Owain spoke with a cadence that seemed used to command, his mature nature done hiding - pretending to be a regular adventuring boy had passed. Owain made a point to make eye contact with each group member in his field of vision, hoping one of them would step up and take up the reigns. He knew it would be pointless to elect himself, adults rarely wanted to follow the orders of a child and less still when battle was involved.

Hefting his sword onto his right shoulder Owain shrugged at anyone who was looking at him - as if to suggest he wasn't demanding, just off handily suggesting. He didn't want to step on toes, the group was already on edge and a push in any direction could result infighting ontop of Goblins.

 

[Kara Orin]

Kyver rubbed his ears after the screaming goblin was killed Sinnata. Then, he looked over to a large, burly man – Abir – and made a quick couple gestures to the temple entrance. Abir jogged to the entry way that Alona Hawse guarded and looked inside. Kyver then turned to a dark elf – Caran - in his group and pointed his thumb at the goblin Sinnata just killed. Without a word, Caran drew a knife to collect goblin body parts just as Acillio Nazzaro did with his kill.

Acillio’s rants drew Kyver’s attention away from noticing the approaching Rose. Kyver turned his head to Owain d'Athée when the boy made his suggestion about electing a leader. Kyver’s eyes glanced to Douglas Haley and Acillio, then to Alona and a few of the others in the group.

“Thanks… uh,” began Kyver as he looked at Owain, “Yeah.”

Then glancing at those that would listen, Kyver said, “Maybe it’ll help if we all say what we plan to do.”

Motioning to himself and his party members, Kyver told the rest of the adventurers, “We plan to explore the temple for a few hours – assuming there’s a watch at the entrance. It'd help if we can get an idea of the temple layout and expected resistance.”

Kasim Areth Arlowe Ravaryn

 

[Douglas Haley]

_________________________

As Acillio returned to Douglas’s side, he simply shook his head, choosing not to chastise his given bodyguard. He knew the man, they’d travelled together for a few weeks on more than one occasion, but he was more a friend of his father’s than his own. Agron Salim was a man known for much, and regional infamy near Elbion for his participation in both war and peace time affairs; though how he knew Acillio was only told to him once. Acillio’s agreement to work with Douglas on his pilgrimage was likely a result of that exact history, and he didn’t want to test Acillio’s loyalty in any aspect.

Instead, he simply looked towards the group as they collected themselves once more, still attempting to work through the discombobulation of a plan they had enacted. ‘Bait them’ had turned into everyone playing the hero, and even worse, everyone turning on one another; which was a very disconcerting promise so early in the game. Douglas had never raided a goblin hideout before, but he imagined it wouldn’t be so different than a sorority raid on the college campuses, but with an obvious amount of bloodshed.

The thought comforted him as he finally exhaled, realizing he had been holding his breath for far too long. His gaze eventually fell on Kyver, the man who had taken the momentary position of leader, and he spoke in response to him directly;

“Me and Acillio-”, he said as he motioned to him, “- plan on collecting research data. Mapping the ruins, finding any historical accounts of its purpose, things of that nature…”, he said as he slowed himself to a crawl in his words.

Eventually, he finished, “However, after that yell, I am slightly curious to know what caused it, if anyone would be willing to join me.”

In truth, he was mildly terrified of whatever it could be. Combat had never been his forte, especially after his accident with Agron; but the idea of discovery outpaced any fear or trepidation he held in his heart, and while his heart rate increased, he planted his heels and crossed his arms, the bag he carried with various supplies jostling as they did.

Kyver │ Owain d'Athée │ Acillio Nazzaro │ Rose │ Alona Hawse │ Kasim Areth​