Lyrian smiles at Gar.  "Thank you, Gar!  Now, let's go, and see what we can see.  If you don't otherwise hear me screaming for help, I'll send Ingrid when it's safe to come closer."

Lyrian will carefully move towards the cabin, taking advantage of what cover she, Ingrid, and Gar can, and then watch and listen closely for any signs of life as they draw near...

As they approached the area, they can see its a old cabin. What looks like a dog sits near the door. It growls and barks just as a man comes through the front door. He looks older, probably a human with a cigar hanging from his lips. The man puts it down and grabs a bow and one arrow, notching it towards where Lyrian is hiding "Yah got to hide better then that. What do you want?" The arrow is aimed, the man looks calm and collected as the others slowly appear.

Roywin walks behind with Landor. "Hello sir... please understand that we are being a little cautious here. We were not expecting people living here now with the threat of the hobgoblins in the area. My name is Roywin and me and my friends are on a reconnaissance mission here. Could we talk for a minute?"
The wizard smiles at the man trying to look friendly.

Landor walks up to the man without fear. “If you have to shoot us. Please shoot me. Pelor will protect his disciple. By the way, you have a cute dog. What’s its name?”Casually conversation about someone’s pet usually helps to calm a hostile situation, usually.

"My apologies for coming up on you in hiding, but we weren't certain who you were, and the woods can be dangerous.  My name is Lyrian, and these are my friend; we're adventurers.  We were looking for the hobgoblin raiders who have been in these parts.  Do you know anything about them?" Lyrian comes out of her apparently not terribly good hiding place, hands open to show that she has no weapon ready.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:56, Sun 23 May 2021.

The dog growls, stepping forwards towards Lan but the man whistles. It stops, watching each of them "I know where they live. Why are you going there other then to die? You walk up to my cabin and your being cautious? If anyone was cautious it would be me. And why would I want to hit yah when your armored? Course that means nothing. Hit you in the right spot, you'd be dead." His eyes narrow and he finally puts the bow down. The man leans against the side of the cabin, the dog sticking between him and the group.

The samurai seems to have dissapeared into the wilderness.

Landor stops and keeps a respectable distance from the man. “We wish to investigate their numbers and any weaknesses they may have. Of course a direct attack would be futile which is why we wish to do some recon. Know anything that might help us in that respect?”

Roywin smiles at the man politely as Lan speaks to him. He seems the kind of man that would like some in a cabin surrounded by hobgoblins and happy about it. She thinks this conversation will not lead to much, but she lets the cleric do the talking anyway.
She then looks around in case anything else moves while they are talking to the old man. Where is Tai Chi now? she things as she looks around.

Gar, on the defensive since the mans appearance, relaxed a little when he put up his bow, easing his bowstring but keeping the arrow knocked. "Trust me....i'm not going there to die." he said, a grim look on his face. "the town has had problems with them, if we can get numbers, maybe do something about them, then the town will be safer."

"Yes, what my friends said. We are not trying to be foolish, but to learn as much as we can before trying to find a way to rid this area of them. There may be trickery, or stealth, or other cleverness, but we are not going to throw our lives away charging the keep walls!" Lyrian says politely, trying to coax the cantankerous man to sharing anything he would.

"You will need a lot of allies and I can aid you. Go up the path, the Old Forest road. You will find a causeway, and keep following it. You'll find a old keep-keep your distance. That is where the hobgoblins lie as well as their pets." The ranger whistles as two more dogs emerge on each side of the cabin. He watches Gar "Believe what you wish but if your surrounded, you will perish. Yeah you can take out some of them but you'll be overrun." He goes to push away just as Tai comes from along the side of the building. All of the dogs growl and bark. Oddly he sits down, watching them. Jorr seems a bit taken back as he watches his dogs surround him. He whistles again and they move away from the raven creature and sit down on the front porch "Most dwell in the Wyrmsmoke mountains but a rather large band is in the keep."

"Do you think the hobgoblins are trying to take over this area for their people in the mountains?  Or is this a different band who broke away from them?  Both are dangerous, but there's a difference between one group trying to carve out their own steading, and one holding a place to bring in others...  Oh, and pets?  What pets have you seen?" Lyrian asks.

Landor nodded in agreement with Lyrian. “Any and all information is helpful.”

Gar stood listening with arms crossed, taking note of the information of the Keep and the wyrmsmoke mountains. He had nothing to say so let the others do the talking

Roywin smiles and thanks the man for the information. "Your right. if we're surrounded by the hobgoblins we'll be in trouble. That's why all information will be useful here."
She looks it the direction of the keep -as if she could see it- and asks the man again.
"Do you know any way to safely approach the keep? We need to have a look at it if we want to help the people from town."

"Have you not listened to anything I've said? Man...." The ranger shakes his head. They keep repeating themselves half the time-already did he tell them where the hobgoblins lie. Already did he tell them that they have other beasts. Yet he got asked again. He stares at the wizard "Do not go near it. First off he'd stick out and they would know you are there. Secondly, if I can see her...." He motions towards the rogue "They probably can see her as well. The bird stands a good chance."

Tai watches him, tilting his head as he is called a 'bird'. His upper feathers drop back and he grips his sword.

"And how would you know this eh? Both are dangerous. Both will kill anyone that gets in the way. And both are ruthless. If they wanted to take over this forest, then they will have to deal with me. I won't go down without a fight and killing me isn't as easy as more believe." He leans against the rail "It doesn't matter what they plan on doing. Though there's more to a simple band. I noticed. Pets? Never seen them but I have seen creatures in the night flying towards it. Gut feeling but I have seen a minotaur. I steer clear of the keep, like to keep my life thank you. Picking them off as I see them. Skirmish. "

OOC
Roy you can't see the keep from here
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:37, Mon 14 June 2021.

Landor considered something. “Perhaps we can reconsider our approach. You say you usually pick them off as you find them. That means you know where they have traveled through. If we can lay some traps and pick them off a little bit at a time then that might work.”

Lyrian is a bit miffed by the ranger's assessment of her stealth skills, but she had been spotted and heard, fair and square.  But the idea of whittling down the numbers of foes outside of the stronghold seemed a more palatable one than going right into the keep!

"Well, if Tai is willing to scout for us, perhaps he could take Ingrid with him.  That way we could have an early warning if you need help or need to let us know something.  Ingrid could be your messenger," Lyrian suggests, turning to Tai to see what he thinks.  It would be dangerous, but Tai was skilled and stealthy.  "Then the rest of us could find places of ambush to take out groups who venture forth?"

Roywin nods with a smile at the words of the man."If we don't get near the keep, maybe a different approach will make more sense." she looks at Landor "Ambushing and attacking them when they leave the keep it's a good idea... But I'm not sure we're the right party for that type of approaches. Neither me nor you young man are the right people to do it... Maybe lure some of them to an area where we can fight them would work better. What do you think?"
The old gnome is trying to make a point about the stealth she and the cleric in full armour have.

OOC: I know. We don't see the keep, but the man pointed at the direction of the keep and she was doing the same.

"Well you need tah get across the causeway. There's a bridge there and don't fall into the muck. Also I don't know where tah tell yah to put up traps and I don't think anyone with yah know how to. You want to go, so be it. I can keep some busy but I don't venture far from here. Up to you how you want to approach. Most stay inside the keep yah hear?" Jorr waits for a moment "There's more then you think and amushing them won't do much. Got to take out their leader or leaders and not sure where they be. Perhaps in the keep, or elsewhere.">

Tal nods his head towards being the scout but his eyes doesn't leave Jorr but he seems to unwide a bit towards the group.

Landor rubbed his temples. “So what you’re saying is that to defeat them we need to take out the leaders which are in the keep, but to go to the Keep is to die. Ambush has a higher chance of survival but is apparently fruitless. Basically in your eyes there is no good option. So we’re done here and will succeed or die regardless of what you think.”He starts walking towards the indicated causeway and motions for the others. “Let’s go.”

Lyrian nods to Jorr.  "Thank you for talking with us, Jorr.  We'll try not to die," she says, and gives him a little bow in farewell.  She is as frustrated as Landor, but it wouldn't do any good to snap at Jorr.  She catches up with Landor and waits until they are well away from Jorr's cabin before talking again.

"Well, that was frustrating.  Everyone seems to want us to go directly into a keep full of hobgoblins!" she says, blowing air out in a long sigh.  "Perhaps we could take out the leaders with arrows or spells if we can see them on the walls or get a view of them in the courtyard from a tree or hilltop.  Pity we can't get them a few wagonloads of wine and get the whole lot of them drunk; they'd be far easier to defeat!  Well, perhaps once we see the keep we'll have a better idea of what our options are."  Lyrian and Ingrid will keep a wary lookout for any signs of their foes, whether it was old campsites, trail blazes, new paths, or anything else.

The ranger crosses his arms over his chest "You need a damn drink cleric." He spits onto the ground "Taking the leaders down ain't easy. An' they are protected. Taking down the patrols might hinder them a bit but I got that there feeling there's going to be more then we realize. It will not be easy. And now you walk away..." He turns to head inside as the three dogs sit down upon his porch "An' I didn't say there be leaders in that damn keep. Yah putting words in my mouth and I don't like it. You show up here demanding information and I give it you just so you ignore it and throw it aside. That ain't right. Not right at all." He glances back at the others "Yer stick out like a sore thumb. Perhaps that can be a advanage no? An' yer best be wise and stop actin' like a damn kid."

Tai stands up looking at Landor and to Jorr. Of course he doesn't say a word-never has. He makes a loud cawwing sound and stares at the cleric then at Jorr. His eyes narrow at the ranger, puffing his chest out as if challenging him and grips his sword but he doesn't pull it out. Jorr glances at Tai, the odd bird warrior is a oddity for him. He comes out from the porch, looking at Tai "Yer got a odd blade and don't talk much. Lemme take a look alright?" Jorr offers his hand and Tai seems hesistant but puts his hand into Jorrs, perhaps a new custom to the bird. Jorr looks at it, the claws and feathers exterior. He clamps it and nods "You be welcome here yah hear me? All of yer even that damn cleric. Thought there be smarter then that." He snorts and moves back to the cabin "What yah call a goblin with 20 arrows in its back?" Odd question.

Gar listened to the talking. Gar was stubborn, and s fierce warrior, but he wasn't totally stupid. "Heed his words....this is his home. He says it will be difficult, i believe him, but there has to be a way to flush them out, seperate them and then thin the heard before they realise."

Landor looks back at Gar with a smile. “Well I suppose I’ll be bait then. I stick out like a sore thumb anyways. You don’t need to follow me if you think it will get you killed.”He turns and keeps on going.