In reply to The Voice of Fate (msg # 167):

Harbek glared at the Goblin. "Well, then," he demanded suspiciously, "why did you do it, if no one is supposed to hear it?"

"That makes no sense, even for a Goblin."

Karadin looked at Harbek and nodded toward the seemingly frightened Lady Taysley. [Language unknown: Llhi ssinon i want. Evati enthe ast nenc restinrut er ore ntiomeiveion.]

Once he saw his new Stone Brother near enough to Mari that she could place a hand on his shoulder as a guide, Karadin moved up behind the bound goblin, grabbed it by the waist, and placed his axe against it's throat. "Not a single sound, or I will lay your throat open," he whispered in it 's ear. He then backed up toward the trap door with the goblin in his grasp in front of him. At the door, he reached his left leg back and kicked the door with the same repeated rhythm that the goblin had done a few moments ago, then took two steps forward, away from the door.

A long silence followed on the heels of Karadin's knocking with no reaction, a particularly oppressive silence in the darkness.

Eventually, a scrabbling noise sounded from the other side of the hatch, the sound of latches moving, and the opening swung open, an angry-sounding voice from below barking out a question in Goblinoid.

Sensing that they need to get down the ladder quickly before the Goblin down below glimpsed the intruders and slammed the door shut in their faces -- and thinking that none amongst them other than their captive (whom none of them trusted) could respond to the hail in Goblinoid -- Harbek acted quickly.

He moved forward to the now-open trap-door and stepped into the opening, planning to land upon the Goblin at the foot of the ladder and use his foe to break his fall. ~Here's hoping that the bastard down there is plenty soft and squishy!~ he thought to himself on the way down . . .

---

OOC: Fortune favors the bold, as the old saying goes! :)

Mari remained in the corner of the hallway, trying to be as quiet as possible so she could make some sense of what was happening around her from the sounds, even when she couldn't see. She was slowly counting in the back of her mind, trying to estimate how long it could take for Maiya to reach surface.

Harbek's feet connected against soft flesh with a thudding impact. His fall was briefly arrested, before the goblin he'd impacted with lost his grip and both plummeted below, vanishing from Karadin's sight. Karadin and Maiya heard a thud and a sickening crack from far beneath, followed by a high-pitched, but very human-sounding scream.

Falling through the darkness while the goblin flailed in panic beneath him, Harbek was unable to right himself, and felt something crack inside as he eventually impacted hard on a stone floor beneath; the goblin landing motionless and glassy-eyed next to him with its neck twisted to an unnatural angle.

The chamber he found himself in was quite different to the rest of what they'd uncovered down here - particularly to Dwarven eyes. This place was not crudely carved from the earth in the same way - the floor seemed to be highly polished stonework, stonework of unusual yet strangely familiar design.

The room was littered with various objects; some of them were mining equipment but most were rusting, metallic implements stained with blood. Old blood stains also spattered the floor and walls. Two small tunnels, one straight ahead and one to Harbek's left, exited the chamber in places where the original stonework seemed to be shattered.

In the corner two human children, a boy and a girl, cowered with ropes securing their arms and legs - the girl let out a scream as Harbek and the goblin hit the floor, a scream answered by a faintly heard shout in goblinoid from the lefthand tunnel.



13:48, Today: The Voice of Fate, on behalf of Harbek Hardstone, rolled 10 using 2d6.  falling damage.

13:41, Today: The Voice of Fate, on behalf of Harbek Hardstone, rolled 5 using 1d20+4.  Acrobatics check.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:47, Mon 02 Dec 2019.

"Oof!" Harbek grunted as he landed hard on the stone floor beneath the ladder. His plan to use the Goblin below him had not worked out nearly as well as he had hoped.

But at least he had prevented the Goblin on the ladder from slamming the door shut in their faces, and from the looks of things, the fall had smashed the life out of the vile creature.

Rolling over and rising to his feet, he took a quick look around the chamber, and was pleased to see the two Human bnarrs that they were seeking. A Goblin's shout from down a tunnel that branched off from the chamber jarred Harbek from his glancing about, and spurred the Dwar into action.

Moving over to the two young Humans, he whispered "We are here to rescue ye from the Goblins."

"I shall cut these ropes, and ye two need to scurry up the ladder as quickly as ever ye can. There are friends up there waiting for ye, and we shall take ye to your mooir . . . ah, your mother."

Quickly slipping the handle of his warhammer into the leather loop attached to his belt, he set to work cutting through the ropes that bound the children, using the Elven-made dagger that he had taken as a battle-trophy from a dead Orc, beginning with the female's ropes first . . .

Karadin kept his axe at on the goblin prisoner's throat. "Harbek, you alive you crazy bastard?"

[Language unknown: "Ing ou ofpeadad? Nceticlar? Sttrth?"] Mari whispers to the darkness.

Karadin spoke softly and calmly to the Mari. [Language unknown: Lient ckieli tr sta ationsher resstr-oveenc ainughkor ou dinwerres. Rat Ansial ionousnti us pre wernt! A oun shend but t p IE. Aiwe rat rincce wa cendwe essch, red Os essvirtra onlias ant outderith i ul nce noas yinti was. Ho unadha tetaiv com waslo omckpo it lar whe.]

Harbek chuckled when he heard Karadin calling down the shaft in Dwar-speak, naming him a "crazy bastard" (which Harbek took to be a compliment).

Speaking as quietly as he could, he called up to his fellow-Dwar, [Language unknown: "Of ei . . . to theratwhi hoort, ndta wa Urmelo il ceneol ntre dayest'ncetio il tra. A nteitheau and out Hopoes powama k ntnd acee romntihou. T traillill latfi pl onsartnti vor leven lar thoha hasur her re ekpo ioioen, o nica. Ent dimoon p urplad o alle."]

The children stared wide-eyed at Harbek as he started working away at the ropes, eyes obviously sore from crying. They whimpered, but held back any further screams.

The sound of wary shouts in golbinoid from the side passage came gradually closer as Harbek worked, however. By the time the girl was free and started her dash toward the ladder, Harbek could clearly hear someone moving towards the room he was in.

In reply to The Voice of Fate (msg # 179):

"Yer sister's on her way up -- now, let's get ye free of those ropes," Harbek whispered to the young male Human. "Then up the ladder ye go."

Harbek could hear the Goblin coming closer -- thankfully, it was not attempting to approach stealthily, so he had some indication of how much time he had left before it arrived. He was unsure how the timing would work out -- he hoped to have the male Human bnarr cut loose and on his way up the ladder before the Goblin arrived.

If possible, he hoped to finish freeing the bnarr and have a moment to pick out a likely spot from which to ambush the inquisitive Goblin, and thereby gain a momentary advantage. But in case he was interrupted, he planned to cut the ropes binding the young Human's hands first, so that he could hand the knife to the child and the youngster could finish freeing himself whilst Harbek dealt with the Goblin . . .

---

OOC: If the timing works out in the best possible scenario, HH will head up the ladder behind the children. Time will tell . . . :)

No sooner had Harbek freed the small boy from his bonds, than he heard a furious cry of rage from behind him. The boy stood, whimpering and rooted to the spot; while the girl cried out in panic. Unable to find her way in the darkness, she was scrabbling around on the wall a good ten feet from the ladder leading up.

The goblin that arrived, was angrily banshing a scimitar and shouting rapidly into the tunnel behind him in goblinoid. He was clad in a shirt decorated in patterns of webbing similar to those carved in the walls upstairs; through which chain armour was clearly visible.

From beneath, you clearly hear shrill, angry shouts in Goblinoid, as well as a girl's voice crying out in a sobbing voice "Help me! I can't see!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:48, Mon 02 Dec 2019.

"I could use some help down here with the Goblins!" Harbek called out, raising his voice as he did so . . .

---

OOC:I availed myself (on behalf of HH) of the opportunity to call out. Since it really isn't Harbek's turn yet, I purposefully kept it short.

Mari had frozen in place, listening to what was happening and Karadin's explanation. Then she heard the voice of the child below, scared of the darkness. That gave her the strength needed to start acting on her own.

The decision was not easy, since Mari had no way of knowing if Maiya was out, but the needs of the children and getting them safe was more important. "Ellantha, guide your warrior to safety and help us protect these children." She channelled the goddesses power and made her shield light up again.

Squinting in the sudden light she never the less made her way to the trapdoor on the floor and knelt next to it. "Up here child, climb quickly now," Mari called out soothingly, making the light from her shield shine to the hole.

[Language unknown: "Sonareard, i ing pl ti tihe. Een lo placst?"]

---

OOC
Sorry, didn't know we were in initiative when I wrote that. Anyway, that counts as Mari's turn when it comes.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:05, Mon 18 Nov 2019.

Karadin shouted down the hole, "Incoming! Keep the ladder clear." The dwar called out to Mari, "Lady Taysley, you and the bnarr need the light of Ellantha in here now."

Hearing the desperation in the child's voice (and Harbek's?) Karadin shoved the goblin prisoner toward the hole and untied the rope from around his own waist. "Tell your friends to stand down or I will toss your dead body down the hole for them to witness. I won't ask a second time," he growled.

---

Free Action: Untie Rope (Assuming it is a free action to release a slipknot type knot).
If the goblin ignores my demand, I will kick (shove) him in to the hole.
Held Action: Shove 14

Dice Rolls:
15:03, Today: Karadin Axebeard rolled 5 using 1d20.  Intimidation. - 5
15:17, Today: Karadin Axebeard rolled 14 using 1d20+3.  Shove Goblin. - 14

Stumbling slightly as he was pushed towards the hole, the goblin ignored Karadin's shouted commend and instead attempted to twist and leap towards the hatch through which Maiya had left, in a desperate bid for freedom. Off balance from the forceful shove, however, he slipped on the lip of the hole leading down, and vanished from sight with a scream - a scream suddenly cut short.

With a panicked scream, the robed goblin from above plummeted down past the ladder, landing with a crunch and moving no more.

The goblin paused only briefly at the sight, before barking one more command behind him and lunging at Harbek with a bestial snarl; leaping across the corpses of the other goblins. His scimitar impacted hard on Harbek's armour, leaving a mark but doing no more damage.

Light suddenly flooded the space as Mari's voice called out from above.

Mari leapt forward after the falling golin, bringing her shield forward and shining its light below. The light shone on a chamber quite different from what had been seen so far. While in a state of disrepair, the light caught on pieces of polished marble, reflecting in strange ways from patterns that seemed to run through the rock.

The room was littered with various objects; some of them were mining equipment but most rusting, metallic implements stained with blood. Old blood stains also spattered the floor and walls.

A short distance from where Mari looked down, a small girl shielded her eyes from the sudden light; while in the opposite corner Harbek was locked in combat with a large goblin; standing between him an a small boy cowering in terror.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:48, Mon 02 Dec 2019.

Harbek had only a brief moment to see that the "Thud!" that he heard from over near the ladder was a result of the Goblin that had been their prisoner landing just as hard as Harbek himself had not so long before. ~Thankfully, us Dwar are tougher than these Goblin vermin,~ he thought to himself.

He was also relieved to see light shining down into the chamber from above, for it enabled the two Human bnarr to see the ladder that would take them up to freedom. He assumed that the light was the due to the magicks of Mari of the Taysley family, whom he heard calling out, asking him if he could retreat.

As if in response to the question, the big Goblin's scimitar struck his shoulder, but thankfully his armor turned the blade aside. "Not at the moment, Lady Mari," he called out by way of a reply to the Human priestess's question, even as he swung his warhammer around and struck the Goblin heavily in the midsection.

---

OOC:

Free Action: Speak.

Action: 19:25, Today: Harbek Hardstone rolled 19 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 14.  Melee Attack v. Goblin.

19:26, Today: Harbek Hardstone rolled 9 using 1d8+3 with rolls of 6.  Damage (Warhammer).

Notes: I have written Harbek's post assuming that his Attack will hit. :)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:09, Tue 19 Nov 2019.

Harbek's hammer hit the goblin full in the stomach, knocking the air out of it. Eyes flashing, however, it looked uncowed, and shouted once more off to its left in a voice obviously weakened by the blow.

As if in answer to his shout, a second goblin, crawled out of the narrow tunnel leading off at the far end of the room, coated in dust and gripping a mining pick. It stood for a moment, blinking in the unexpected light.

As it appeared, the young girl, eyes having adjusted to the light, stumbled to the ladder and frantically began climbing, arms obviously sore from being bound so long.

Mari made her best to keep shining the light down for the children while she stayed where she was and took out and loaded her crossbow. When another goblin appeared, she let a bolt loose towards it, hoping to give Ami time to climb to safety. When the girl started up on the ladder, she called out to her, "Well done, Ami. You can do it, just keep climbing."

---

OOC
Free Action: Speak
Item interaction: Take out weapon
Bonus Action: Load crossbow
Action: Attack goblin #2, 15 to hit, 8 damage if hit

23:47, Today: Mari Taysley rolled 15,8 using 1d20+4,1d8+2.  light crossbow attack, damage.

In the name of keeping this quicker I'm posting out of order again. Otherwise my post would be after work tomorrow, meaning a delay of at least 16 hours.

No sooner had the girl struggled to the top of the ladder and been pulled trembling up, than Karadin was down as fast as he could manage, sprinting over to where Harbek was struggling with the goblin.

The bolt from Mari's crossbow struck the goblin in the side as it stood blinking in the light, spinning it around and eliciting a cry of pain. Blood flowed down its side, but it still kept its feet, and pointed towards Mari while shouting at the other goblin.

Simultaneous with the bolt leaving the crossbow, a familiar, female voice sounded from just round the corner

"Mari? Harbek? Is that you?"

A male voice answered in a tone of surprise.

"Did you say 'Mari'?"


This brief exchange was followed by a strange clattering sound, and a man's scream of pain.

Down below, the goblin saw Karadin's approach; and after a quick thrust which Harbek could easily avoid spun to strike at the newcomer. Karadin easily sidestepped the blow.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:01, Wed 20 Nov 2019.

It had been Harbek's intent to land on a soft, relatively-squishy Goblin when he plunged down the ladder-shaft. Instead, in the moment that he was air-borne, arms flailing, he had decided that Dwar were just about as adept when flying as when swimming. He had impacted the floor hard, landing on his left side, and now he found that his left hip was paining him considerably. Luckily the big Goblin whom he was now fighting was within arm's reach, and Harbek was able to stand in place and fight.

When the Goblin that had engaged him had turned to meet Karadin after having his scimitar-strike blocked by Harbek's shield, the Dwar struck out at his foe, only to have his left hip nearly give way under him. This caused his hammer-head to strike only a glancing blow that clearly did no hurt to his target.

Still, things were looking up. Karadin had joined in the fight, and Mari of the Taysley family had gotten a solid hit on the second Goblin with a crossbow bolt. Plus, Harbek had just now heard some voices that clearly did not sound like Goblins, but they were a ways off, and the Dwar was too busy at the moment to concentrate on them.

[In Dwarvish]: "Good to see you, Stone-Brother!" Harbek called out to Karadin, speaking in their native tongue.

---

OOC:

Action: 15:01, Today: Harbek Hardstone rolled 10 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 5.  Melee Attack v. Goblin. Miss.

Free Action: Speak.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:47, Wed 20 Nov 2019.

Mari had time to register the hit of her bolt and smile soothingly to Ami, when the voices sounded close. Her head whipped around towards them for a moment, acknowledging them. "I'm here, we need help to get Todd to safety. Is it you, Heiber? Are you alright?" Her voice bordered a bit on panicky, since it seemed he had met something dangerous.

Despite the distraction, she felt that she needed to stay by the trapdoor and help in the fight. Re-loading again she released a bolt towards the goblin she had previously hit.

---

Free Action: Speak
Bonus Action: Reload
Action: attack goblin #2, 20 to hit, 4 damage if hit.

16:24, Today: Mari Taysley rolled 20,4 using 1d20+4,1d8+2.  light crossbow attack, damage.

[Language unknown: "Ro latdinnce eauonsall en ntek re ous urers anwa prai!"] Karadin retorted as he ran to Harbek's side. He sidestepped the goblin's attack, but now that he was close, Karadin realized that this goblin was larger than the other whelps they had laid to rest earlier. Unsure how many more would come pouring out of the tunnels, and still quite sore from the last battle, the dwar's shifted his gaze squarely on this large goblin and let out a primal roar. He swung his large axe with both hands as if cutting in to a tree, cleaving in to the goblin's right leg.

---

Free Action: Speak
Bonus Action: Rage
Action: Attack vs Goblin 1 (24 To Hit, 11 Slashing Damage)
Movement: If Goblin 1 falls dead, I will move to intercept Goblin 2. Otherwise, stay in place.

10:10, Today: Karadin Axebeard rolled 24 using 1d20+5.  Attack vs Goblin 1. - 24
10:12, Today: Karadin Axebeard rolled 11 using 1d12+3.  Damage vs Goblin 1. - 11