Yarr nods, "I've no problem clearing the place out and lookin' for this ring thing he was on about just to make sure it's nothing serious. problem is we're a bit battered. Not in any condition to go up against them. We could use a rest, or at least some healing."

"We also need to deliver that one back to the village." Yalandlara said as she pointed to Calmont.

As the others begin talking, Sularius finds a corner of the room and begins retching until he's gotten everything out of his system.

Wiping his mouth on his arm, he rejoins those on the ground floor, "What did she say we're dealing with? Do we have time to go back to town first?"

Adjusting his shield and hefting a javelin, Maerk turned his attention to their surroundings. "There are other threats, we go or stay for fighting, but noise brings trouble. We make much noise here."

OOC: Watching and listening for trouble.

Helba nods.


"Yes. Dangerous to stay here now. Maybe you sleep outside castle. Bramblebrashers can keep guard for you."

She pauses, studying the group.

"Where is Warbal? Did you talk to her?"

"She came with us here. She is just outside the main entrance where we set up our camp if you wish to join us and talk to her yourself." Yalandlara said with a soft smile. "I am sure she would like to see with her own eye's that you are okay, and be eager to hear that after a rest we will help you clear out your home."

“It seems calmont knows something about this place maybe we should question him before we return him to town. I didn’t catch what you said to the goblins though and I need a nights rest soon.”

Says Arnellia from the back of the group.

“Oh and are any of you injured I can ask her divine wonderness to help you.“

She says in common to both the goblins and the party,

"Good idea," Maerk grunted in his thick accent. "Let us go make rest then we come back to fight."

The warrior prepared to throw Calmot over his shoulder and exit the ruins when his companions were ready.

"It seems he was looking for something here, something in their home but they do not know anything about it. We should find out from him what. Then come back and help them clear out there home." She called down to the others. "But first, they agreed we rest."

She then looked over to Helba and offered her hand. [Language unknown: "Ficala set nte t tapl at asneat wepre Ek Riitti?"]

Helba nods and turns around and musters her tribe. They climb down the rope they had set and a few of them poke around the courtyard picking up weapons and supplies the goblins had abandoned when fleeing from the grauladon.

Along the way she explains what had drove them out from their home.

"Cultists, at least I think they're cultists. They called themselves the Cinderclaws, and they said our home was their home now. They threatened to roast us! To peel us and eat us! Ack! And
they had dragon monsters with them! So of course we ran from the vaults. Then so many monsters on the ground floor, so we ran up here, to the battlements. That dragon thing down in the courtyard kept us from getting away! It wanted to eat us!

We ran up the stairs and they followed but they are big and clumsy and one of them collapsed the stair case onto the other one trapping us up top! We survive by eating birds and bugs but that not keep us fed very much longer. So we set the fires for help to arrive and it did. This why Helba is chieftain. Helba smart."

She taps her temple to drive the point home.

"If you can go down to vaults and clear out stupid cultists that would be best for Bramblebrashers. There's a secret door just down the hill to the west. It's not hard to find when you look, but I can show it to you! It goes right to the vaults, where we used to live; we used the door all the time to go out and hunt for food. Stupid cultists probably don't know where it is so maybe you go down and bash them good?"

True to her word while the rest of the tribe joins Warbal at the makeshift campsite nearby she leads whoever is interested around to the south of the outside wall and shows the location of the secret entrance.

"We keep camp for you. If you want to rest we keep watch. If you want us to watch stupid halfling while you fight cultists we can do that too."

OOC: Map has been updated to reveal the secret entrance down.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 17:01, Tue 13 Oct 2020.

Yalandlara listens as Helba says her piece, nodding as she says it all. "We will clear the cultists from your home, I promise." She said with a nod. "Then the rest of this place too, so something like this doesn't happen again."

"We would appreciate that. It will allow us to rest sooner, and proceed with clearing you home sooner." She said with another nod as she went with Helba to the location.

Upon their return she looked to the rest of the party. "Alright, we rest tonight. Tomorrow we take bake the Bramblebrasher home for them, so everyone get rested. Does anyone need any wounds tended to?"

10:21, Today: Nezaglomie rolled 13 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 5.  performance

"Thank you, Yalandlara, but I have no injuries," Nezaglomie replies very formally to the healer.

As the group finishes the meal but before anyone seems ready for sleep, the tiny gnome starts to sing a song.  Her voice is passable, but she hits a few bad notes and messes up the rhythm at one point in order to take a breath.  Her song is in gnomish, but the sad, haunting melody makes it clear even to those who do not speak the language that it is a lament.  However, the song ends on a happier note, shifting to a major key and more upbeat rhythm.  [Language unknown: Hawa ect lafias setprobut fi tiouio ...], she says wistfully.

As the group readies to sleep, Za asks no one in particular, "Should we set watches?  I know we have the Bramblebrashers surrounding us, and supposedly protecting us, but they ARE goblins.  Should we just trust them like that?  I'm not tired, anyway; I'll take first watch."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:33, Wed 14 Oct 2020.

On the way out Yarr points to the dracodile, "Anyone know if the meat o' this thing be poisonous? We could use it to feed the goblin dogs we passed if it be safe. Either way I assume we be in the company o' their owners. We should stop by and collect them."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:36, Wed 14 Oct 2020.

She looked to Nezaglomie a moment and nodded. "If we are going to be traveling together, we may as well do it as friends. You can call me, Yala if you want." She said to the Gnome.

Then she listened as she song. "Is that song from where you are from?" Yala asked thoughtfully.

"We can trust them. They've been friendly to us in the village for, well forever. We trade all the time. I get herbs from some of Helba's goblin's because they know where to find the good one's for me to make my potions. In return, I give them a couple. Others make similar deal's with them." She said as she offered Helba a smile.

She looks over the dracodile. If she determines it's not poisonous, she'll let Yarr know.

[OOC: Is it poisonous?

19:43, Today: Yalandlara Vallindel rolled 24 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 19.  Knowledge Nature.]

The meat is perfectly fine and while it is a little more "fresh" than the goblin dogs prefer they are hungry enough not to turn their noses up at a free meal. Helba and the goblins are delighted that the goblin dogs are "tamed" and with their assistance the goblin dogs are rounded back up and brought back to camp.

The goblin dogs make excellent watch animals at the unfortunate expense when one of them shakes itself in the middle of camp and sends lice and fleas everywhere. The goblin dogs are quickly removed from the middle of camp and a pair of goblins takes over managing each dog as they patrol father out from the resting heroes.

By the time the group has rested and recuperated it is around mid-afternoon with evening right around the corner. Calmont was causing a fuss cursing the goblins but Helba would just sit behind him and bonk him on the head whenever he spoke up so he had finally learned his lesson and was sitting quietly, stewing in his own misery.

Meanwhile Warbal is in very high spirits having been reunited with her tribe. Helba and her talk for awhile and reconnect and after a bit of a discussion the two of them come up with a plan. Warbal, being the more eloquent of the pair, speaks first.

"I was speaking with Helba and I think we have a solution. I know you don't want to leave Calmont unattended but if you walk all the way back to town and then back here again it will be getting dark. I know exploring in the dark can be difficult for some of you longshanks...er...humans. Sorry.

With the goblin dogs helping out so long as we keep them fed with that dragon thing you found we can afford to split the tribe. I can take four Bramblebrashers back with me and we can escort Calmont back to town. Helba will stay here with the other four along with doggies and keep the campsite secure.

That way you can go fight those cultists and when you come back out we will have your reward for saving the tribe and arresting Calmont ready and waiting for you!"

She looks very pleased at being able to have the Bramblebrashers help the party out after all they had done for her.

Nezaglomie casts Prestidigitation to clean away the dirt and fleas that got on her from the dogs.  She does this several times on herself, to be sure, and on each of her companions, if they like.  She tries to use the spell to clean the dogs themselves, but hears the faint whimper of the arcane forces crying in hopeless defeat.

Replying to Yalandara, she says, "Thank you, Yala.  Please, call me Za.  Yes, that song is the story of the founding of my home village.  Gnomes had to leave their home and traveled for hundreds of miles before they found a place to make a new home."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:45, Thu 15 Oct 2020.

Yala smiled to Za softly. "It was beautiful. It seems to me that many people have such a story. The humans with Azlant, us elves when we originally left Golarion, the Dwarves, you Gnomes, even these precious Goblin's. Most of them are very sad stories, yet all of them, beautiful in their own ways." Then she smiled brightly to Za again. "Tell you what, next time you sing it, if you don't mind, can I play my flute with you?"

-------------------------

After they rested, and woke up in the morning she would stretch and redo her infusions for the day. Then she looked towards Lady Warbal, as she spoke her piece nodding at her proposal. She then looked back towards the other, before looking back to her. "That sounds good to me and would allow us to work faster towards clearing out the Bramblebrasher's home."

Sularius nodded to at the pretty alchemist's words, "I agree, we should deal with these cultists as quickly as we can. Who knows what they might be up to in there. Has anyone ever heard of these Cinderclaws?"

She considered for a moment if she knew anything about the Cinderclaws.

[OOC: 21:24, Today: Yalandlara Vallindel rolled 23 using 1d20+7 with rolls of 16.  Society.
21:25, Today: Yalandlara Vallindel rolled 18 using 1d20+7 with rolls of 11.  Occultism.
21:27, Today: Yalandlara Vallindel rolled 22 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 17.  Religion.]

Helba nods and begins assigning out out her tribe, positioning some on guard duty, some on dog duty, and some on prisoner duty.



OOC: Spellcasters/Alchemists let me know if you are modifying your prepared preparations. I'll keep this camp thread open in case there is other down time stuff you'd like but I will spin up the dungeon crawl thread as well so we can keep that moving.

Before the party sets out Helba uses a stick in the dirt to draw out a rough map of the catacombs and point out what they know about the dangers that lie within.

"We...we didn't explore much past our area. Over here are monsters. We send someone in to check and...they didn't come back. Lots of screaming."

She shudders.

"Over here are dead things. Creepy. We didn't explore. Likely some will rise up and attack us! We stay over here in our area. Cultists set off all our traps already so you should be fine but..."

She pauses, scratching the back of her head nervously.

"We had to leave Big Brasher behind. He is probably very angry and hungry at this point if cultists haven't driven him out yet."

Nezaglomie still finds it odd to be looking at a goblin and conversing as if talking with a real person.  "Big Brasher?  Who or what is that?  Some pet of yours?  Are there command words that will calm it?"

Helba studies her feet really intently.

"Big Brasher is our mascot. Was supposed to be. He's...a bear. A big one. We lured him down to use as defense but he didn't take to being confined very well so we just locked the doors and occasionally throw some food in. If cultists are smart they might just leave him there to starve, if he hasn't already broken down the doors..."

"Maerk, do you think you could carry a haunch of that dracodile to feed to the bear?"

"Definitely need a haunch for that. Yarr and Sularius I've made you both the Eagle Eye potion again." She said, offering it to them. "Wait to drink it until we get inside."

[OOC: My stuff is the same as last time. I'm leaving my 6 infusion open for Quick Alchemy if I need something on the fly.

I'll give Yarr and Sul an Eagle Eye again so they get the +1 Per, +2 to find traps and secret doors for an hour. That'll leave me with 4 Elixer of Life's, 2 Antidote's, 2 Alchemist Fire's, and 1 open slot left. It's all already noted on my sheet like always.]