Entering the hole is a deeply uncomfortable experience, requiring you to crawl flat on your bellies through the dirt, your backs occasionally scratching against the rocky surface overhead. Thankfully, things start to open up after only ten feet or so, to a height that allows a Dwarf to stand straight. Mari and Maiya still need to crouch or stoop to avoid banging their heads.

The light faintly shining from Mari's pocket is just enough to show the way ahead blocked by a vertical rock wall. At your feet, however, a hole descends into the darkness, clearly intentionally dug into the dirt. Wooden pegs have been wedged into the side of the hole to serve as handholds, and Karadin is already using these to quietly descend.

Harbek could see that the hole descended about ten-fifteen feet before hitting the bottom, but nothing down there was visible from his vantage point

The faint, rasping sounds of a goblin's snores drift up from below. The 'chink-chink' of Harbek's armour seems very noticeable here in the quiet, and as he leans over the hole to see below, he brushes past a loose clump of earth, which tumbles into the hole and lands with a faint *thump*. The regular snore is interrupted with a splutter.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:49, Mon 02 Dec 2019.

Harbek considered Karadin's silent hand-gesture, and he had made up his mind by the time the two Humans had joined him in the Goblin-burrow. He put his head close to theirs and spoke in a whisper.

"Karadin made a throat-slashing gesture," here Harbek drew the forefinger of his free hand sidewise across this own throat, mimicking Karadin's gesture, "and pointed downwards."

"I believe that means that there is  a Goblin -- or, mayhaps Goblins, plural -- on a lower level, that must be killed."

"I am going to move ahead, see how many he is dealing with, and whether it appears that we will need to aid him in dealing with them."

Once he moved ahead of the Humans, the clinking of his own armor was very noticeable to Harbek's ear. But that was not as bad as what came next, when -- as he was peering over the edge of the dark hole -- he dislodged something that fell downwards into the hole.

"Clangeddin's hairy bollocks!" he muttered under his breath.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 17:05, Thu 22 Aug 2019.

Karadin could hear the clinking of his Stonebrother's armor above, but it was not too noticeable. The tumbling stone and dirt however, was another story.

---

OOC: I hope I got the Private message right this time. :)>

Mari was barely able to suppress a frightened squeak when the tunnel scraped her armored back for the first time. She was sure that her anxious panting could be heard by anyone. It was surprising to find this new source of fear within herself, she had never before thought she would be afraid of confined spaces to this extent.

Reciting a hymns for Ellantha and concentrating on moving one limb at the time she finally emerged to the more open space above the ladder. She hung to Harbek's words as a way to distract herself and nodded her understanding.

"We'll descend when you see him sign or you feel like we should." Mari also kept her voice to a whisper.

Mari tried to keep away from the edge of the hole leading down but was aware of how the scales of her armor scraped against each other and against the dirt when she brushed a wall.

From down below you hear a single syllable of goblinoid interrupted by a sickening crunching sound, and all is again silent.

No sooner had the earth Harbek dislodged hit the ground than Karadin was swinging his greataxe at something just outside his vision, clearly impacting with great force.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:50, Mon 02 Dec 2019.

Harbek turned to face the two Humans, and held up the forefinger of his free hand, pointing straight up. Then he made the same throat-slashing gesture that he had previously made. His intent was to signal "One Goblin dead," but he knew that hand-signals could be misconstrued some of the time.

He then held up his hand in a "Halt" gesture, intending for Mistress Maiya and Mistress Mari to hold their positions until he signaled them forward.

His efforts at communications with the Humans now finished, he turned his attention downwards, hoping to glean whether or not the Goblin that Karadin had slain was the only foe that was close by at this time.

Karadin paused momentarily listening for any sign of approaching footsteps as he peers down either direction of the tunnel. When all appears quiet, he dislodges his axe from the skull of the goblin. Looking up through the hole, he gives a thumbs up sign to the Harbek then proceeds to move further in to the tunnel.

After receiving the "Thumbs Up" signal from Karadin signifying that all was well, Harbek turned to the two Humans and waved them forwards.

Then he turned and began to descend, using the wooden pegs that had been driven into the side of the down-shaft.

That one goblin had just been a sentry, they might be lucky so far to avoid alarm and attention. Mari gave the others enough headstart down that she wasn't hovering just over them.

On reaching the bottom, Harbek found himself in a tunnel that had been carved into the earth in two directions. Even with his Dwarven stature the roof was only just above his head - this was clearly constructed for goblin use. One goblin, or, rather, it's remains, lay on the floor just by where Harbek stood; almost cleaved in two. Its separated halves still tightly gripped a spear in one hand and a half empty bottle of spirits in the other, while blood pooled slowly around it.

Beyond what's left of the sentry, the tunnel stretched off into the gloom; while the other way it ran about 30 feet one way before turning to the left. Harbek could see Karadin quickly jogging this way to the junction.

Karadin stomps across to the turn in the passage, barely even registering the slight pressure against his shins as he reaches the point where the tunnel turns leftwards. As he does so, there is a faint phut-phut-phut sound, and almost without thinking Karadin jerks his head back. You hear the faint sound of something embedding in the dirt wall.

21:34, Today: The Voice of Fate, on behalf of Karadin Axebeard, rolled 13 using 1d20+2.  Dexterity saving throw.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:51, Mon 02 Dec 2019.

~Well, that was some good work by Karadin~ Harbek thought to himself as he spared a glance for the dead Goblin.

There didn't seem to be anything else of particular import in this area, so Harbek moved up behind his fellow-Dwar. ~I suppose that I should hold this position until the two Humans have me in sight. Otherwise, they might take the wrong tunnel.~

He glanced at Karadin, figuring that his Stone-Brother would let him know if anything of importance needed to be passed along to the Humans.

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OOC: Harbek will advance to Square 3 on the "Goblin Tunnels" map (directly behind Karadin's icon).
This message was last edited by the player at 02:53, Sat 24 Aug 2019.