scotland ♔ yet how the wind revives us here

[untethered]

♬ Presentiment - Manami Kiyota

WHO || Belle, Gold, Emma, Hook, Lila [closed]
WHAT || Several Knights take a secret journey to try to help Amara...
WHERE || Oakhurst, Scotland
WHEN || January 15th, 2014 [forward dated]
HOW || Actionspam

It's probably a very good thing that Gold sweet-talked them a car in the nearby tiny Scottish village of Oakhurst, because it is freezing cold out and snow blankets almost everything around. Walking the seven miles up the Old Road to the ruins would be a bitch and a half.

Instead, they comfortably drove past rocky downs, near stands of old-growth oak covered in snow, and past two farms that looked abandoned. No other travelers were visible on the lonely road, which finally curves, passing east of a narrow ravine. Belle signals for them to pull over here, where, at the road's closest approach to the cleft, several broken pillars jut from the earth where the ravine widens and opens into something akin to more of a deep, but narrow, cavern. Two of the pillars stand straight, but most of them lean against the sloped earth. Others are broken and several have apparently fallen into the darkness-shrouded depths. A few similar pillars are visible on the opposite side of the ravine.

Comments

[sternshield]

Don't think I know anything about a dragon... You think they've gotten their claws on one?

[bittersweeter]

According to our little Meepo they stole one. [ s'up jumanji. ]

[sternshield]

From the kobolds? Makes sense. Might be a recent development and all. [ speaking of the kobolds, the other ones are out in the main room there starting to drag the bodies of the fallen goblins with them back the way the party came from. erky yells after them: ] Hey! [ and presses past them to stop one, which hisses at him but drops the body. he sets to yanking the goblin's filthy armor off its corpse. ] But if it's a dragon you're going to be fighting, I'm a bit underdressed.

[uncurse]

Seriously? [ hook's hand puns and all, she'd honestly assumed it was a big ask and didn't anticipate that this dwarf would actually join them. ] You just spent a year trapped in here, are you sure you don't want to get out while you can? [ and it makes her suspicious bc it's ... emma. he must have some ulterior motive if he's going deeper into the citadel with them instead of leaving. people don't do nice things altruistically. so she'll watch his response carefully (sense motive 25). ]

[sternshield]

[ he lofts a morningstar in his hand that he took off the body, looking at it, and then to her. ] I just spent a year at the mercy of these bastards. [ he looks down at the now naked goblin and spits ] The Sternshields of Gaerdal Ironhand are meant to hone their hammers day in and day out. I may not have a hammer - but I've had 360-odd days free of honing.

Think I plan to remedy that a bit and make them remember the name of the Ironhand, the next time they get any bright ideas over who to abduct.

[ he seems to be completely telling the truth, at least. ]

[unhand]

That healing trick of yours. How often can you use it? [From the way he's looking over at Emma it's clear that he hasn't forgotten how much damage she's taken. And he's fretting.]

[sternshield]

[ erky starts shrugging on the goblin armor ] Just a handful a day. I was a warrior long before I was ever a priest. Still a lot to learn - but it was enough to keep me going from day to day.

[uncurse]

[ wow emma can take a hint ok. she hangs back some while erky gets his armor on, pulling the potion out and shooting hook a Look as she drinks it down (+10 hp). ]

[untethered]

The kobolds are safely on their way back to the clan... But we don't know if other goblin patrols will come this way. [ as in get dressed quickly, gnome-man ]

[unhand]

[THAT'S ALL HE WANTED. Hook flashes Emma a grin. He'll stop fretting now. Mostly.] Then we'd better be off.

[uncurse]

[ people you don't have to tell twice: emma. since this was a trap in and of itself she doesn't feel particularly compelled to check the next door or be careful. like, who expected them to get past the waiting mini-tribe of goblins protecting the prison? so over the wall and brazenly through the door she'll try to go unless anything abruptly stops her. like a locked door or a falling light fixture i guess. ]

[untethered]

[ the door is very unlocked! and leads into a normal looking corridor! so normal!

there's a door at the far end to the left, as promised by the tied up goblin and also one slightly to emma's left across the hall.

belle picks her way over there too, and erky follows, looking bizarre in his goblin get-up. ]

[undealt]

[Gold's just... not okay with any of these developments, but he's not scared of some CREEPY GARDENER, so he presses on, determined.]

[bittersweeter]

[ lila follows dutifully, not very gentle in how she handles the goblin, openly staring at their new gnome friend like how are you not batshit from being in there for a year? ]

[sternshield]

Whoa, whoa... [ erky moves into the hallway, putting a hand up in front of emma ] Does anybody see what I see? Because I'm not exactly dying for another stay at the goblin inn.

[ he points to the floor in front of the door at the end of the hall - the one their goblin buddy informed them leads to the dragon. a spot check of 21+ can make out the slim outline of the trapdoor, similar to the one they encountered out front. ]

[uncurse]

[ now that she looks - really, properly looks - she ... still doesn't fucking see anything (spot 9). but she'll take erky's crazy jumanji word for it, coming to a halt. mostly because she doesn't want to get stuck here for a year either tbh. ]

See what?

[unhand]

[Hook got a spot 9 too. He and Emma are ~that in sync.~ He gives Erky a dubious look.]

Sure you haven't been locked up long enough that you're seeing things?

[bittersweeter]

[ spot nat 20 because she has nothing to do but look at the floor, lila's grip on the goblin shifts until her bare fingers dig into the back of it's gobliny neck. ] It's another trap. You little shit, forgot to mention that, huh?

[ you know what, she's going to work him so his lying ass can't lie again. and she doesn't feel like holding on to him when her brain can keep him in line instead. and maybe she wants to give someone a nightmare to calm herself down. ]

[untethered]

[ the goblin got a 2 will save so if she wants him to he'll pass out immediately or whatever. ayup.

with a 21 spot, belle sees the trap door and moves forward to try to disable this one as well. ] Stand back... [ she has much more luck this time (disable device 26!!) and safely blocks the mechanism, standing up triumphantly. ] There!

[bittersweeter]

[ lila doesn't want to drag an unconscious body around, so she nudges him forward with a go. he can be their guinea pig because if he gets skewered with a javelin... who cares. ] Someone wanna open the door for our human shield? Goblin shield. Whatever. He won't be running away, don't worry.

[ just casually mind controlling a goblin nbd. ]

[uncurse]

Did you - ? [ she turns, watching lila with visible concern for a moment. but she pushes her discomfort down and blinks it back, turning her head away and moving on to open the door at the end of the hall. ] I got it.

[unhand]

[Hook also looks concerned, but he doesn't say anything. It's too late. Might as well make use of it.]

[untethered]

[ too bad both wooden doors are closed and locked l o l ]

[uncurse]

[ oh. well. she slings her bag off one shoulder and digs through it to produce her lockpicking kit as she crouches in front of the door. ] Hang on. This thing's locked. [ she produces the tools and starts to try and work the lock open (disable device (i think?) 21). ]

[untethered]

[ the door clicks open, revealing.......

mounted and stuffed animal heads adorn the walls of the room beyond. the mounting job is sloppy, and the assortment of heads includes cattle, rats, and other not particularly impressive specimens. However, a few grisly trophies share the wall with the animals, including a couple of kobold visages that make meepo cringe. smashed and broken cabinets and small tables litter the periphery of the room, mute victims of some sort of rampage. a rusted iron spike stands askew in the center of the room, trailing a broken chain. thin patches of ice coat sections of the walls, floor, and debris. ]