Heatmonth 15th, 6 AM. After waking up and breaking our fast, we went through our supplies and then were going to set out. The assumption is that the goblins have been further establishing their dominance in the area so we wanted to check it out with care. Shim cast Invisibility on Nate and the budding thief slipped out and checked around. Could hear more goblin mining in the distance, and it sounded like multiple picks at a time. There was also a set of mine cart tracks here, running around the length of the room in the center, heading south and west and then north and west.
Dared to check around the corner to the north, Hellfire brazier was still there, and there was the start of a set of a gates at the northern exit for the chamber – and the western end of that chamber had the collapsed stones removed. The mine cart tracks ran off that way. And there was the sound of distant goblin voices. He headed back and shared what we learned. The consensus was that the goblin expansion was happening all around us and our window to slip out was fading and fast. We had to go.
We linked up, closed the hut, and made our way north, relying on the infravision people to guide our way. As we came to the brazier room, we paused long enough to make sure the coast was clear before sending Lexi in in both, drag the copper brazier to the side, but to feed on the hellfire within. She ate swiftly, dormant flames withing the hellhound firing up again. The rest of us ran north, through the not completed gate, across the stones, and to the waterfall chamber again, Eoghan and Lexi slipping out last but safely and better off.
We had heard from the Wolf Spirit that the Cree Negashi had made their way to the chasm where the Water Babies had offered them some succor. We figured this was as good of a place to go next, especially as it was hinted the water babies could possibly make it down to the city below.
However, as we came to the bridge, we fell victim to the cave fishers…again. And again it was Captain Asher who was hit, whisked up and away from the bridge. Damn it! This time we were prepared, sort of. Another weighty chest, and another feather fall took care of the insectoid, tearing it from its perch above as it perceived the Captain’s weight to be much larger than its own. But the space and drop was going to pull Asher down so Nate made a brave leap and knocked the Captain aside just in time, clutching his friend to keep from falling, as the fisher whistled past and smashed to the rocks below. “Hey! More food for the animals!”
The two friends settled down to the bottom of the chasm and Connal and Darius used ropes to ferry the rest of the party down. 7:35 AM. We approached the northeast section of the chasm where the water was pooling from the falls above. We could hear faint cries from the water. Eventually a young adult/teenaged figure came out, reddish tanned skin, long black hair. It talked to us after we convinced it that the Wolf Spirit and the Cree Negashi were our friends. There were more of them, they arrived some months ago but the goblins had attacked, wounded, and then eventually dragged its clutchmates out of the water, effectively stilling them. They were taken away somewhere. It has no love of the goblins.
It tried to describe the city area below, the falls down there, the massive pool, the goblins who come and get water, the guards and buildings. But we needed more information. It could swim not only down the falls, but up as well. But to swim any of us back up would not be possible except for Shim – the rest of us were too large and heavy. So Shim volunteered to go down. They held hands and Sim could feel sharp barbs connecting him to the water baby. And then he took a deep breath and was dragged under the water.
“It would be funny if we totally fucked up just now and trusted the wrong figure, huh?”
Shim felt himself dragged under the water, everything blurry and hard to focus. The lower half of the water baby was a mass of undulating tentacles, flippers, and fins, running out almost another 7’. The hit the drain hole and swam DOWN the waterfall, the Water baby kicking off just a moment before they would have smashed on the rocks about 30’ above the pool, and then dove into the spray to the water here. Shim resurfaced (maybe 35/40 seconds?), made sure his oilskin messenger bags were still closed (would protect his scrolls for 10 minutes before water would get in, spoiling them), and took a look around.
Hwa’Cha was the most obvious thing outside of the water, 90’ or so from here. Menacing tall tower of prepared missiles. 20 to 30 buildings down here, on both sides of the massive cave. Some 3 or 4 stories tall. Lolthian Spiders with riders were perched on top of buildings as well as walking the city. Easily a dozen goblins AT the pool. And another 2 to 3 dozen could see the pool should need be. Two buildings were nearest the pool – west was a forge or smithy on the bottom floor, 3 stories tall, east was an apartment building of some sort, 4 stories tall. A few windows visible.
Shim nodded to the Water baby who grabbed the gnome and swam UP the waterfall, dragging Shim behind, until we arrived at the top and made his way out of the pool. He stripped off some of his wet things and wrung them out, sharing with what he learned below.
We then spend some time talking about invisibility spells, how long we could hold out breath for, and the time between the water baby trip up and down the falls. The hope was enough of us could get down there and we could all fight as one, but the ability to stay underwater for that length of time was not possible. At all. Not for an all in one plan.
So that brought us around to the hut and nap spells. A few of us would go down ferried by the water baby, we would be invisible, then make our way to the tenement housing building and find a way inside one of the apartments and open the hut and get everyone out. It was a good plan. Captain Asher cast the spells, Invisibility was put in place, we sealed the hut, and we had an hour on the clock.
A few of us cycled down to the pool below, thanking the water baby and then figuring out our next options. We swam quietly to the east side of the pool, waited for a clear spot, and then when the coast was cleared, climbed to dry land all the while watching the hundreds and hundreds and goblins going about their business. We crept eastward to the building there and looked in the nearest windows. Some sort of bedroom, goblin sleeping. Darius led the way to the front of the building. There was a main door in, and on the 2nd and 3rd floors were some sort of overhang place to sit. There were a lot of goblins about. Shim was keeping time – 43 and ½ minutes expired.
We made our way to the front door and then pushed it in. Hallway, 2 doors left and right, stairs and the end going up to the 2nd floor. Garbage and weird smell. Noises in a few of the doors. We opted neither of the doors on the left as we know through the windows we could hear people inside. So the 1st on the right. Checked it out, locked. 55 minutes. Knock spell followed, pushed in, we entered. Foyer, smells of feet. Goblin woman, so very fat, sleeping on a shitty couch. 59th minute, no time – good enough.
Hut went down and opened just before the nap spell ended. We went in to check the animals, all friends up. Then some 1 year old goblin toddler stepped into the room and took one look at all of us. And Jarjar, Wilhelm’s Lynx, lunged forward as the kid began to yell and eviscerated it, tearing its throat out and then raking it, splitting the child in two. Blood filled the area and we all just looked around, counting to 5 to see if anything heard us. Darius turned to Wilhelm with a WTF expression and Nate was just slashing the air with one hand in a repeated be quiet, its over motion.
We looked over the apartment we were in. 3 or 4 room. Corpulent goblin woman sleeping, kitchen with some gruel looking crap in a pot, main bedroom, and a smaller closet like bedroom – with 4 other goblin kids in it in cribs. We guessed we were in some goblin nursery. Shit shit shit. Also, looking around – the apartment should have 2 adults in it – but there was one missing. We didn’t have much time.
Nate did suggest that maybe killing the goblins would be necessary and There was much discussion about not now, not in a fight, their fucking sleeping, and there are kids. Direct quote from Nate, “There is no such thing as an innocent goblin.” We did pick up the goblin kid body and put it in the couch under the cushions for now. “We can’t stay here,” we need to find another place to hole up.
Shim and Nate, invisible, went into the hall and up the stairs. They creaked and were in bad condition – limited to 1 person at a time. Another 4 doors up here 2 and 2, and then another stair going up. Some woman goblin was fighting with her kids and the fight spilled into the hall, another goblin from another apartment came out and helped ameliorate the situation. We waited and were not sure about this. Time was ticking.
Went back to the main apartment and told the group what was what. We had to risk going up to the 3rd and/or 4th floor. 3rd floor was partially lived in only 2 apartments had people in it. The 4th floor was abandoned apartments. There was a ladder at the end of the hall leading to the roof. The 2 friends crept that way, opened the jogging lock, and pushed it open.
City was laid out about them. There were at least 8 lolthian spiders we could see, and three of them were on patrol. They would travel about 1/8th of the city’s perimeter from the roof of the building or the walls themselves and then stay in place looking around. 300 goblins in total? We could see the far end of the warren had some sort of exit from the cave there so that was the ultimate goal – but there were at least 9 or 10 building between us and there.
A patrolling spider saw the open roof access and came over, closing it (locks from the inside). We waited for it to move on before daring to open in again and slip back in. We went back down to the 1st floor and told the group what was what. We figured we’d make the roof and then travel from roof to roof eastward and hope to make it out that way.
Then there was what to do here. Start a fire? Stage an accident? Nate was talking about options when a goblin kid saw us and starting yelling. Wilhelm being the closest ended up throttling the child as it was biting and scratching at the druid, choking the life out of it. Nate took care of the mother swiftly and the situation was getting out of control. “What the fucking hell guys?!” Darius asked. Captain Asher felt VERY upset inside from Maglubiyat and Eoghan was just, “They’re fucking kids, damn it!”
“Guys, no more.” “Its out of our control.” “No its very much in our control.” “It’s a series of unfortunate accidents” Nate assured as he set fire to the living room. “Let’s get going.”
“Sonovacrap..”
We left the apartment and ran for the stairs, pounding up them. A Few goblins that saw us tried to get in the way but were either intimidated to return to their home or just flat out stabbed (depending on who ran past) as we ran on. 3rd floor, 4th floor. Roof. 10:55 AM.
We emerged up here, smoke coming from below. In the excitement, we made our way west to the next building and jumped or tossed across everyone the 3 to 4’ gap. From behind us, Wilhelm could feel druidic magic being cast as multiple cloudbursts filled the apartment, guttering the flames. We crossed the 2nd roof to the next building, making us 8 buildings away from the end of the Warren. When multiple spotters saw us and the alarm was raised. We were 4 stories up, Spider riders and others turning our way, a bit over half way through the goblin City, at 11:15 AM on Heatmonth the 15th.
No where to retreat to. Do or die.
Hero time.
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