Lost Mines of Phandelver [IC]

[Lank]

After a few minutes of sitting on the wagon Anvorwulf jumps off the wagon and approaches Zuu. He seems a lot calmer than he was a few minutes ago.
"I think going after this bugbear is our best bet at finding our employers. However I do not like the idea of leaving the wagon out in the open. If we can hide it somehow I would feel a lot better about leaving it alone".

[Townopolis]

Tying up the goblins takes longer than Tom expected, even with Hyram's help, and this is mostly due to the distraction of Zuu's negotiations with the one-eyed goblin up front. They do get the job done eventually, though by that time whether or not the goblins are long for the world is back up in the air, by the sounds coming from the other side of the scene. Tom stands there a moment and stares at the three little trussed-up prisoners, unsure what to do. Eventually, he decides on simply dragging the three of them off to the side of the road and leaving them there. He waits for Hyram to be done rifling through their pockets, then gets to dragging.

Once he has his goblins in a row, Tom gives the wagon and the adventurers around it a concerned look. "Whatever we do, we should do it soon" he says after a moment. He looks at the cart. As the barbarian mentioned, it would need to be dealt with. He casts his gaze past the scene on the road to see if he can figure out a way to hide such a large thing from anyone who should happen by. "If we can't hide the cart, and nobody wants to drive it to Phandalin alone, we may have to abandon it. That just might have to happen." He pauses to think for a moment, then nods. "Our employer has been kidnapped, and without him delivering these supplies is meaningless. More to the point, this... stuff is replaceable. Our employer is not. We can't let worrying about it stop us finding him. I say we either hide it quickly or abandon it and see what we can learn from Sildar and this bugbear.

Take the horse with us, though. No need to make it easy for anyone else to drive off with our cart."

[Vesth]

Private Conversation with Zuu

Spoiler

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"I...agrees," it says a bit reluctantly. "Yeemik no like Klarg either, I will sees what I can dos."

For Hyram

Spoiler

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You find nothing of value on the goblins, and just as you were about to give up, you spy a small brown bag hidden in Kleptomaniac's tunic.

The leather bag is old, worn and stinks of goblin. Inside, you find 3 vials, each filled with a colorless liquid. There are also two "labels" that have fallen off the vials. The "labels" are simply scraps of paper, with scratchy and almost illegible writing. One says Good Potion and the other says Bad Potion. There is no way of knowing which label used to belong to which potion.

[eleazzaar]

"I found loot!"

Hyram holds up a dubious looking bag, with an uncertain smile on his face.

"That's what guards do, right? Loot the bodies of their fallen foes?"

Then he notices the goblin blood on his hands, and goes to scrub it off.

Spoiler: What's in the bag...

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The leather bag is old, worn and stinks of goblin. Inside, you find 3 vials, each filled with a colorless liquid. There are also two "labels" that have fallen off the vials. The "labels" are simply scraps of paper, with scratchy and almost illegible writing. One says Good Potion and the other says Bad Potion. There is no way of knowing which label used to belong to which potion.

Hyram isn't claiming the potions, personally, but he's holding them for now.

Once he has his goblins in a row, Tom gives the wagon and the adventurers around it a concerned look. "Whatever we do, we should do it soon" he says after a moment. He looks at the cart. As the barbarian mentioned, it would need to be dealt with. He casts his gaze past the scene on the road to see if he can figure out a way to hide such a large thing from anyone who should happen by. "If we can't hide the cart, and nobody wants to drive it to Phandalin alone, we may have to abandon it. That just might have to happen." He pauses to think for a moment, then nods. "Our employer has been kidnapped, and without him delivering these supplies is meaningless. More to the point, this... stuff is replaceable. Our employer is not. We can't let worrying about it stop us finding him. I say we either hide it quickly or abandon it and see what we can learn from Sildar and this bugbear.

Take the horse with us, though. No need to make it easy for anyone else to drive off with our cart."

"Yes, good point-- standing around here is bad. But about trying to rescue Rockseeker-- isn't that something better left to the authorities? I don't know the area, but there must be a constable in the area somewhere..."

Spoiler: About the constable...

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I know there probably isn't any one around that can help. You may assume any explanation convinces Hyram that such a plan won't work, and move on.

However he certainly won't agree to recklessly charge in to the goblin camp.

[Malexia]

Perra looks to the others and says, "If you have no great objection to it, I'm going to kill the other goblins now. Thank you for tying them down, it will prevent them from running away if the sounds wake them."

At mention of what do next, she says, "These goblins have shown themselves to be nuisances, but not dangerous ones. I would suggest that the party splits up. Hyram and two others stay with the cart, getting it safely to Phandalin, while I, Zuu, and a third go with our captive to try and deal with the goblins and get Gundren back. Does anyone agree or disagree with this plan?"

[eleazzaar]

Perra looks to the others and says, "If you have no great objection to it, I'm going to kill the other goblins now. Thank you for tying them down, it will prevent them from running away if the sounds wake them."

At mention of what do next, she says, "These goblins have shown themselves to be nuisances, but not dangerous ones. I would suggest that the party splits up. Hyram and two others stay with the cart, getting it safely to Phandalin, while I, Zuu, and a third go with our captive to try and deal with the goblins and get Gundren back. Does anyone agree or disagree with this plan?"

Hyram turns his back uncomfortably towards the captive goblins so he doesn't need to look at them.

"Spit up! I'm not saying I want to attack their camp-- but they are warned now, or soon will be. The three with the wagon might meet them on the road, while the rest walk into an empty camp. You-- er, we, won this battle but with a bugbear and a lot more of them and only three of us -- they might kill us all. And even if you don't fear death, Madam Dragonborn, if we all die that won't help Rockseeker, or the next travelers who come along." As Hyram explains his voice gains conviction.

[Townopolis]

Tom shakes his head. "Phandalin is a fresh settlement, and what I know about those tells me the local law is going to be sparse, at best. We could bring word to Neverwinter, but we're two days away. Besides, we have a war hero with us. We can handle a bugbear and his goblins."

He looks ready to continue, but stops and frowns. "I'm not certain if we split up, though. Three of us might have a much harder time than six."

[Malexia]

Perra summarily executes the sleeping goblins, then says, "A bugbear might be stronger than a goblin, but we've proven our own prowess with this battle. If you wish, we could split the party four and two, so as to better combat the goblins. I don't believe the bugbear will leave his lair though, what little I know of the creatures tells me they'd rather sacrifice goblins than battle personally."

[BurgerBeast]

Rangrim came forward from the wagon to help to lift the tree from his trapped comrade. He now surveys the scene and listens to the words of his companions. "It's madness to keep any of these creatures alive. Their very existence is an affront to all things good. I say be done with it and send them back the hell they came from. Would they deliberate over what to do with us?"

He casts a wary eye at the warlock. It may even be construed as disgust. "You'd make a pet of this abomination?" It's not really a question.

He turns to the group. "We should be moving, and the sooner the better. Perra, you are a formidable foe, but don't underestimate these creatures. The trap they deployed shows that they are not only cunning, but ruthless, and they may outnumber us even with our full strength. Dividing our forces would be foolish."

Spoiler: DM

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Rangrim scans the nearby area to see if there any place suitable to stash the wagon. If there is, he will advise the group that "I'll stash the wagon there, in (insert area here)." If not, he says, "Tom has the right of it. I say let's go, now, together, and retrieve Rockseer."

[Malexia]

"And what would you have us do instead? Abandon the giver of our quest? Abandon the objective of our quest?"

[BurgerBeast]

"I would have us do neither, but that looks impossible, friend." He looks sympathetically up at her as if breaking bad news. "We have a choice before us. It's as simple as that." He looks to the others quizzically as if hoping someone will come forward with a better solution.

His brow wrinkles and he looks to the ground and thinks hard for a moment. He looks back at Perra and says, "I don't know what we should do. I think Tom had the right of it when he said that the supplies are replaceable, but Gundren is not. If we can't hide the wagon then perhaps we should take a close look at the provisions we carry. If this cartload of goods was of particular importance, then perhaps there's something to be found among the cargo." He scans the surrounding area for a spot to hide the wagon.

[Malexia]

"If attempts to hide it fail, then we do have a choice before us, and I say we let the party decide. We'll take it to a vote. Abandoning the wagon to save Gundren, or splitting up to save both."

[Lank]

"It is insane to send a fraction of us against a tribe of goblins! A full, unified fighting force is the best way to rescue Sildar. We are better equiped than them but they have numbers so it is all or nothing in my opinion. Tom's idea about leaving the wagon but hiding the horses is a good idea. If anyone comes along the will have a heck of a time trying to get the wagon to move without the horses attached".
Anvorwulf holds his arms behind his back.
"That is my stance on the issue. Oh and as for the goblins It is best if Perra just ends them now. Quick, painless, effective."

[Malexia]

(Perra killed the goblins like, ten minutes ago)

"Hyram is not a combatant, and not all of us actually did anything during that fight. We were ambushed, and yet it still only took a few of us to completely destroy them."

[eleazzaar]

"Hide the wagon, take the horses, and all together, find the camp," Hyram blurts out his vote, with difficulty. Then his face turned curious.

".... Can we find there camp? Is one of you a pathfinder, a scout? It would be great for somebody to sneak up and get a look at things first"

"I saw a lot of magic in that fight. I've read that there's only so much a spell caster can do before they rest-- You all have most of your magic left, right?

[Malexia]

Perra frowns. "Very well. We shall attempt this course of action, and see what consequences arise."

[Lank]

"You forget that this was but a small raiding party that has likely never faced anyone as strong as us. If we don't all go to their lair then we are giving them a bigger advantage. Hyram may not be a combatant but the gnome has smarts and that is as good if not better than any sword at your side".
Amvorwulf lets out a little chuckle.
"If Dad had heard me say that he would have flipped. But the point is that we are attacking them on their home ground. If they have nowhere to go they will fight tooth and nail to get us so we need all of us to end the threat once and for all".

[Townopolis]

"Let us see if we can hide the cart first" says Tom, and he then moves into the nearby woods to search for a good hiding place. He's first trying to determine if there are any dips in the terrain the cart could be hidden in. Failing that, he'll investigate any large thickets or tangles of underbrush to see if they might hide the cart there. In all of this, we won't leave earshot of the party.

Spoiler: Actions

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Searching for a place to hid the cart: Investigation - (1d20+4)[23]
In the event anyone else joins in: Advantage - (1d20+4)[8]

[Malexia]

"As I said, I don't believe the remainder to be a true threat. With only one bugbear mentioned, I can't imagine there being more than, say, twenty goblins total? Perhaps closer to 10 or 15, considering how many fell here."

Perra shrugs. "Unimportant now, I suppose, since the party has decided."

[Zergrinch]

Spoiler: Private Conversation with Fizxeez

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Zuu cups Fizxeez's head yet again in his hands, and he starts muttering nonsense arcane phrases (actually his chill touch cantrip). Just like before, he ratchets down the spell's power that the goblin isn't actually hurt, but does feel the coldness.

"Alright, Fizxeez, I have changed the terms of the spell inside your head. I increased the safe range to one mile. As long as I can still see you, you will be okay. Head will not blow up. But, if I die or say the trigger phrase, head will blow up."

While taking Fizxeez to the rest of the party, the Warlock makes sure he sees the dead bodies of his fellow goblins, freshly executed by the dragonborn. Since he has been with Fizxeez the whole time, the goblin knows he had nothing to do with it, and he doesn't have to tell the goblin about how "merciful" the rest of the party is compared to him.

"Fizxeez here has agreed to show us where the goblin camp is. In addition, he will try to get all the goblins to stand down while we kill their Boss, the bugbear. While we certainly can handle all of them, I see no need for wanton slaughter especially if they have been coerced into banditry by their Boss. I say we let him go, and follow him stealthily and give him 15 minutes to convince the goblins before we attack. We don't attack any goblins unless they are openly hostile or endangering their prisoner. What say you?"

[BurgerBeast]

Rangrim is starting to feel uncomfortable with the situation and re-assessing his companions. Perra, whom he only hours ago thought to be confident and capable, now appears eager and egregiously overconfident. Zuu is unabashedly immoral in front of others, and seems willing to demean himself to achieve his goals. The others seem level headed but - reminded now of his own poor judgement - Rangrim just doesn't know what to make of this. His forays into combat and training have always involved a leader who was wise and decisive, and a deliverer of justice. The notion of spending time trying to come to agreement makes him uneasy. A squadron that is not unified under a strong leader is not a squadron for very long.

He speaks directly to Perra, but he speaks openly enough for anyone who wants to hear. "I'm not sure what to make of this mummer's farce. Zuu doesn't have my affection, but there's sense in his plan."

He then addresses Zuu: "I'm uncertain of the metal from which you were forged, mage," (Rangrim doesn't have a very refined knowledge of magic, and would refer to any user of arcane magic-use as a mage) "but aye, there is sense in what you say. I will follow your plan. Let's set ourselves to hiding this wagon."

He then sets to work (hopefully with some assistance) moving the wagon to the hiding place.

[Lank]

Anvorwulf shall assist Rangrim on the hiding of the wagon.
"I think using the goblin as a guide is a good idea. When we are ready to set out I shall comply but mark my words if I even suspect that....thing of leading us into a trap I will not hesitate to blast it with fire".
Anvorwulf speaks loudly enough that the goblin can hear him.

[BurgerBeast]

Rangrim and Anvorwulf set to work moving the wagon into the hiding spot.

Spoiler: Hiding the Wagon

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Driving the wagon:
(Assuming we can take 10) Land vehicle driving check: 12 (animal handling, +2 vehicle prof); 17 if advantage granted for Anvorwulf's help.

(If we can't take 10) Land vehicle driving check: (1d20+2)[14]; if advantage granted: (1d20+2)[19]

Hiding the wagon:
(Assuming Zuu is the eyes, and can take 10) Zuu's perception check: 13 (18 with advantage)

(If we can't take 10) Zuu's perception check: (1d20+3)[12]; if advantage granted: (1d20+3)[10]

I don't know if it is proper etiquette to presume to roll for someone else, I apologize if I've gotten this wrong. I just did it as a means of keeping pace.

If taking 20 is allowed (and worth the time investment), then the wagon ought to be hidden at a 23 (or 28 with advantage), if I understand 5e properly.

Finally satisfied that the wagon is hidden as well as it ever will be, they look to the party, ready to start search for this bugbear.

[Vesth]

Eyepatch leads the adventurers through the forest, guilding them along a concealed trail off the main path. After about 10 minutes of walking, Perra notices the goblin carefully stepping around a spot on the ground. She noticed the snare for what it was, and Eyepatch looks back, unable to keep the disappointment from its face.

And then it steps on the second snare.

Eyepatch quickly pulls its foot back, just in time to avoid the rope tightening around its leg, and starts cursing and swearing in a mixture of goblin and common. Something about "traps that weren't there before" and "it has to be that traitor's doing".

Spoiler

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Perra Perception Check: (1d20-1)[16]
(If needed)Dex Saving Throw: (1d20+1)[19]

Eyepatch Perception Check: (1d20-1)[8]
(If needed)Dex Saving Throw: (1d20+2)[13]

[Zergrinch]

The Warlock smirks as the goblin nearly gets hoisted by its own petard.

"Sure, if that's what you say. You're saying he would take time to do so, instead of going back straight to your camp. What's his name anyway, is he this Yeemik fellow you keep talking about?"

"Oh, and by the way, are there any other traps you set to discourage any pursuers, by any chance?"

Zuu watches the goblin intently, trying to look for any signs of deceit, but it was only on a cursory level. He is so sure the goblin is deathly afraid of crossing him that he discounts any chance of it even thinking about lying to him.

Spoiler

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Insight roll: (1d20+1)[2] <-- critical fail, ha

[eleazzaar]

"Is everyone OK?" Hyram whispers loudly, his voice full of concern.

"We left in such a hurry, i don't think all the wounds were bound up or looked at. Now that we are safe off the road, perhaps we should stop and take care of that..."

[Vesth]

"Traitor is Noglixz," Eyepatch seems a bit put out that a trap was set for it. "Yeemik is second leader. Knows lots of things."

It points in the direction you have been heading towards for the past ten minutes. "Got pit aheads. Big hole in the ground. Covered with leaves and bushes to catch stupid humans. Only other trap that I knows about."

[Zergrinch]

"Fizxeez nailed me with an arrow, but I'll live. It was only a flesh wound," the warlock whispers back airily. It would not do for him to show any weakness in front of the goblin.

"Traitor is Noglixz. Yeemik is second leader. Knows lots of things."

"I see, and this Yeemik... Is he anything like your boss... What was his name again... Korg, was it?"

Instead of answering, the goblin stops them, and points out a potential pit trap ahead. If it were covered with leaves and bushes, it should take only a small application of force to reveal it.

"Thank you, Fizxeez. Now, if you would stand aside for a moment?" The half-elf points his finger directly where the goblin pointed out the pit trap, and looses a sickly-green ray of concussive force at the goblin trap.

Spoiler

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Eldritch Blast the pit. Since Eldritch Blast does force damage, the effect is essentially concussive (a later invocation even allows it to push a target creature by 10 feet. That should hopefully cave in the leaves and bushes.

[Lank]

"I don't think a rest is a good idea, the wounded can still fight and I haven't heard any complaits yet. If they really need it we should stop but too much delay could lessen our chances of finding our employer. My father would always say to me if I got hurt "can you still walk" to which I would reply yes, he would then say "then you can still fight, boy"
Anvorwulf walks in silence for a moment.
"He by no means was the best father but he sure could get you to suck up the pain and persevere even when you where hurting the most...I always admired that"
Anvorwulf has a faint smile on his face. He seems lost in thought however as soon as he stops day dreaming he just glares at the goblin, watching his every move.

[Vesth]

Eyepatch leads the party a short distance away, to where the trap is, and the blast of eldritch energy sends the fake floor caving in.

The pit is a six feet wide empty hole, and though it's ten feet deep, it's poorly dug and would be quite easy to climb out of.

"Yeemik and Klarg are..." Eyepatch struggles to put it into words. "Yeemik treats us nice, and no likes Klarg when Klarg order us arounds. But Yeemik says we listens to Klarg if we don't wants to be squashed by him."