In this Continuing Story (play by post in between live sessions) the rag-tag group of adventurers recovers after their running battle with the Goblins, interrogate a prisoner, search the bodies of the fallen, and find and rescue some other prisoners. The on-going GURPS saga of five unlikely companions attempting to unravel the mysteries of Mystara.
Mysteries of MystaraSession 007
Questioning the Prisoner
220110-220203Forced Conversation
"Yield! Yield! I surrender! Please no kill Zarg!" the Goblin pleads.
Malachai arches a brow as he gazes upon the pathetic Goblin.
Stephen of Asterius considers, "It seems fair. We may be able to ransom him off at the least." He seems to be mentally calculating the “value” of a Goblin prisoner then says, “Use him as a shield?
Malachai squints, "Goblins don't really-..." he trails off then adds, “How many goblins are in your clan?”
Zarg quickly answers, "Uhh. one, two, three, um." he begins clumsily counting on his fingers
Meanwhile, Lucky shuffles about trying to recover some of his crossbow bolts.
Finally, Zarg seems to come to a conclusion, "Many Goblins and Hobgoblins, and Blagatz the Hunter.” Seeing that his answer does not bring the reaction he had hoped, he quickly continues his sales pitch. "Have all my treasure! Here!" he reaches down and tosses a pouch on the ground. The sound of coins can be heard.
As he counts, the group discusses the next step in the search for the Kobold's lost mascot. Hearing the talk of a Dragon, Zarg brightens, "Dragon? Yes, Dragon is near, I show you!"
At this, Meepo sticks his head in through the doorway. "You have my Dragon? SHOW US NOW!"
Hoping to calm Meepo’s impatience, Panya says, “Wait Meepo, we need to rest first, and heal.”
Malachai sneers, "This creature will say anything to save itself. DO anything to save itself.... and then turn on us anyway."
In an attempt to defuse a potentially volatile situation, Stephen says "Malachai, let me heal you, you are wounded."
Hearing this offer, Malachai arches a brow and nods while muttering something about putting the Goblin out of his misery.
Panya asks Malachai, "But are we truly cold-blooded creatures?
Malachai doesn’t look at Panya, "This goes beyond the concept of morality. It is nature."
The ever blunt Talyn responds to the Feytouched, "Is it though? Or is it just your rage?"
Malachai almost laughs, "Darling...You have not seen rage."
Meepo suggests an alternative, "We can take him prisoner, give him to Yusdryal! She will be pleased!"
Talyn looks surprised at Meepo’s suggestion, "Eh, what do kobolds do with goblins?"
Panya, head bowed, “If Malakai truly feels offended, it should be up to his own conscience to make a decision.”
Malachai sneers. "You can carry on if you want,” he says, looking at the Goblin, “but I make no such promises."
Meepo hops around, excited that his comment has made it into the conversation. "Trade for Kobold prisoners, Goblins take many Kobold prisoners sometimes!" he says, then pauses for a moment. "Or eat them... depends." Meepo shrugs.
Panya pales at the image.
“Dragon in next room. I show, no kill!" the Zarg the Goblin begs.
At this, Malachai rolls his eyes and walks away, "He stinks of desperation."
While the group ponders what to do with the captured Goblin, the backpacks are retrieved from the other room and the trail of Goblin bodies looted. Some of them were not quite dead, only seriously wounded or unconscious. One way or another, though, they are helped along their way to meet their maker. Each of the goblins had a couple of gold and silver coins on them in addition to bits of trash, string, rocks, dead animals and bugs, and other disgusting and unidentifiable objects. Strangely, the three Goblins that fell in the 2nd area of fighting did not have pouches on them. Each of the Goblins was also outfitted in light layered leather armor, carried some javelins, and was armed with a cheap shortsword and dagger. All of their gear is in horrible condition, smells quite a bit, and would no doubt be much more trouble that it was worth trying to salvage.
Once all the after-battle tasks are concluded, everyone gathers back in the Goblin guardroom, where the final battle commenced. As everyone talks of resting and wounds, Zarg again quips up, “You need rest? You need hide out? This room good. No one come. Not for long time. We back door guard. We here days still.”
The tall Fey leaned on the north wall of the room, just behind the tent where he had some space. His gleaming eyes were locked on this threat to his survival that the fumbling pack of humanoids decided to take “prisoner”. Malachai knew enough about Goblins to assume that trying to ransom this cannon fodder off was a fool’s errand. He had seen Goblins eat each other for a lot less.
It would be cruel to kill it, but in Malachai’s mind the Goblins would be infinitely crueler in the face of the group’s sense of mercy. His chest heaved with an annoyed sigh as he decided to rest.
Panya feels drained from the battle, not just physically but also mentally. The small bodied goblins fought hard, in fact, just as intensely as her own group. She listens to the kobold and goblin each plead their own case and motivations.
Panya is not happy that she is forced to kill or harm so many creatures. The Spider teaches many things, and one of the precepts is not to kill innocent beings. So, are these creatures, the Kobolds and the Goblins innocent or evil? Are they not just protecting themselves and their way of life? After all, didn’t she and her friends invade the homes of these small creatures?
Panya sighs with frustration and even sadness as she sits to rest and heal. She knows that in the bigger picture, the hunt is for an evil, something or someone that has a larger malevolent agenda than these small, almost pitiful creatures. Malachai may not have respect for them, but their way of life is not necessarily evil.
The teachings of the Spider seemed so much easier when she was young and cloistered in the Monastery. “You must keep your word, honor your pledges, be humble,and uphold justice for those in need. You must be brave and not spare yourself harm to help others. You must be willing to use force but also to show restraint when force isn’t needed.”
The world she came from and the world in which she now lives are very different, and the decisions she must make are not so black and white. She closes her eyes and leans back against the wall and tries to prepare herself for what lies ahead.
As Lucky is collecting his bolts, he is assessing the room. He is feeling a lot of tension in the air. He sighs as he thinks of what kind of tune would diffuse the situation. He picks a ballad. He starts singing of a warrior forced to choose between the love of his country and his fair companion. He starts singing “Rathaniel’s Lament.” He begins the ballad with reflecting after a long battle about the choices in his life.
Lucky's song does everyone some good. The melody and tune helps everyone relax a bit. Exhausted as he is, Malachai finds himself nearly dozing off at the rear of the room. Panya, too, drifts off to a meditative state of rest. Talyn manages to keep just enough of an eye on the captive Goblin, Zarg. Meepo curls up just inside the door and is snoring lightly within minutes. Stephen takes up a position near Talyn to help keep an eye on the Goblin. He looks pretty beat up, bleeding from a javelin wound to the shoulder, but he produces a healing potion from his pack and is instantly good as new.
Lucky continues strumming his mandolin lightly, occasionally humming as he pokes around in the Goblin's mess. Looking closer at some of the crates and barrels stacked in the corner he can see that many of them are stamped with common trader marks. While most of them are printed on Thyatian, many are also marked with Traladaran trading house names as well as some that must be Daro and Ylari. Either these Goblins have very wide ranging shopping habits or these are trade goods gained through banditry.
The peaceful calm is broken some 30 minutes later by the sharp clatter of metal on stone. Everyone turns to look, hands going for weapons, and sees that it is only Meepo making the ruckus. The Kobold seems to have dropped some sort of metal flask onto the floor. The scrawny blue creature quickly snatches it up and holds it close.
Zarg curses at him in the Goblin tongue. "Dragon-shit-thief!” he spits out, pointing a finger at Meepo. “That Naafz's drink bottle! You no kill Naafz! You no keep!" Meepo turns away from the accusing Goblin, hissing quietly.
Talyn hisses at the Goblin, “Shut your mouth worm! To the victor go the spoils. We may let you keep your life, but we will take what we want.” Grabbing Zarg and dragging him back to the room of the 2nd goblin fight. “All right, what is behind this door?” Indicating the first door from where they entered.
Dozens of blunted and broken javelins lie on the cracked cobblestone floor, though a few actually protrude from three crudely sewn human-sized targets hung along the center of the south wall. The northern third of the room is separated from the south by a crudely mortared and crenelated half-wall. A permanent camp of sorts lies north of the wall, complete with a fire ring and several small iron cook pots.Standing in the middle of this target practice area, Zarg shakes nervously and points to the door to his left. It is a crudely constructed wooden door but is padlocked closed. “That jail. Prisoners there.” He turns and faces the other door to his right and spits out,” Storage room. Water. Jerky. Elf pudding. Grain. Dragon not in there, you want dragon, back that way, in trophy room,” he points back toward the area where his camp was.
Growling menacingly, “Do you have prisoners? Who and how many? Where are the keys?”
Zarg cowers at Talyn’s aggressive line of questioning. “Some stupid Kobolds. Stupid Dwarf. Ukz has key. There,” he says, pointing to one of the dead Goblins laying on the ground nearby. “Ukz has key!” He throws his hands over his head and slinks to the floor.
Malachai looked on silently with a mix of placid boredom and beleaguered annoyance. As if he was walking a thin line between wandering off, and stomping the goblin’s neck and ending any trouble it may bring the pack later.
His eyebrows lifted slightly when he caught the info that they were holding a Dwarven prisoner. He let out an audible huff through his nose, like a wolf that had just caught a suspicious scent. Another sapient to add to this fumbling pack of furless prey? Malachai continued listening to the glowing chaos-cub head-butt his way through the interrogation and decided to sift about the room and the tent, thinking the goblins must have had some food reserves the pack could use.
In his search of the room, Malachai does come up with what probably passes for food to a Goblin. What looks like some burnt up dire rat bits that may be what Zarg refers to as “jerky,” some brownish liquid that resembles water in leaky leather bladders, and some bitter smelling “liquor” in a small moldy wooden cask. No doubt it is all edible, though what digestive complications they might bring on is concerning.
Talyn moves to grab the key from the dead goblin then turns back to Zarg, “Is there a trap on this door, because if I or any of my companions trip over a stupid trap that you did not warn us about … well it will end very badly for you.”
“No, no trap. No trap there. Trap by trophy room. Pit trap. Not here. Me show that trap later. No trap here. Just lock,” Zarg swears. At this, Talyn moves to search Ukz, the Goblin that has the key but finds no such key, nor anything of real value on Ukz. Recalling the earlier search of the bodies, Ukz, like the other two bodies in this area, did not have any valuables or even a pouch on them like the other looted Goblins, almost like they had been looted sometime between being killed and being searched.
Then a weak, pleading voice can be heard coming from behind the locked door, “H-h-hello? Who’s out there? Please help me, I’m trapped in here. Please, for the love of old Nebelun, can you let me out? What? Hello? Is anyone out there?”
“Hold on, I’ll get you out of there I just have to go shake down a little bug,” Tayln says. He then proceeds to drag Zarg back to the room where the party is resting. “All right Meepo give it up you little bug, give up everything you took, before I turn you upside down and shake it out of you.”
Meepo screeches and throws his hands up into the air. The Goblin Zarg smiles as he watches Talyn go for the little Kobold. Meepo dives onto the ground and produces several dirty pouches as well as a silver drinking flask from somewhere. The Kobold isn’t even wearing many clothes, it is a wonder he was able to hide these items on himself. “Me found. Take from dead Goblins! You leave there. Think you not want! Don’t hurt poor Meepo. Meepo so sorry.” He begins making a soft chuffing sound that might be crying. He puts his face down on the ground and wraps his little clawed hands around Talyn’s nearest foot. “Me so sorry. No mean make you mad shiny one!” He begins to wail, probably a little too loud for comfort if the current idea is to remain unknown to the rest of the Goblins rumored to be nearby.
Talyn shakes Meepo from his foot and begins sorting through the pouches. Each one has several gold and silver coins and one also has a key ring with some metal keys.
“Yes, you found keys, you did.” Zarg says, clearly trying to kiss up to Talyn. “Stupid Kobold try take keys. Try cheat you! Kobolds all stupid cheat!” Meanwhile, Meepo, quite distraught, looks around to the rest of the gathered adventurers, looking for a sympathetic face.
With a thoroughly beleaguered groan, the great Feyborne’s hooves thundered on the stone as he moved to scoop up the keys. He placed a firm yet gentle hand on the undignified Kobold’s tiny shoulder and let out a terse “Sssshhh…”
Putting his dark angular face close to Meepo’s ear, he spoke low. “Save your mental breakdown for when we are on the surface, little one. If your cries bring anyone to us…” his hair began to fall over his shoulder, creating a rapidly darkening curtain that covered Meepo in shadows. “... nobody here can guarantee your safety. Be silent. For our sake. And yours.” He stayed over Meepo, firm yet protective like a mountain lion over her crying cub during a hunt, anchoring the weight of his gaze threateningly over the Kobold.
Seeing Malachai grabbing the keys, Tayln says “So, you want to let those people out or should I just carry on? I thought about just breaking down the door, but I figured we could stuff the worm in there and lock the door when we are done here.”
Stephen watches the exchange between Talyn and Malachai and Zarg and Meepo and seems utterly confused. He starts to speak then stops. He holds a finger up, as if to make a point, pauses, then drops it. He waits to hear what is said next.
Panya attempts meditation through the arguing, wailing, and shouts but gives up amidst the screeching noise arising between Zarg and Meepo. She walks over to Malachai who seems intent on stomping the poor creature into the filthy floor.
She looks intently at Malachai and says politely, “Let This One take care of Meepo for you. You seem to have your hands full between holding this little guy and helping Talyn with,” she looks over her shoulder and adds, “whatever he is doing.”
She tries to calm Meepo and leads him a short distance away from the others. “Sit with Panya, Meepo, and tell me about your family,” Panya asks with a soothing voice.
Watching the interplay of the various "big people," Meepo looks equal parts confused and content, especially toward Malachai and now Panya, who continues to console and shelter him. He whimpers quietly, "Meepo not steal. Meepo clean up mess." His apologies and excuses are quickly forgotten when he sees the burnt rat carcasses at the edge of the Goblin's fire pit. He scoops up several pieces and moves to shove them into his mouth then stops suddenly and looks around. He holds the blackened rat in outstretched hands. "Look here. Yummy bits for you, shiny one. Treats for all!" he beams as he looks around the room to everyone in turn. "Me no take. Me gather for you big ones. Please, you have. So tasty!" Smiling wide, the blue-scaled Kobold dangles a burnt rat bottom toward Panya by its tail.
As Panya stifles a gag, the voice from behind the locked door comes again, this time with a questioning tone. "Um, hello out there? Still a prisoner in here. Stuck with some rude Kobolds, horrible conversationalist, they only understand a few Goblin curses. Really, it is kinda funny, I mean, they're not funny at all, nor do they laugh at any of my jokes. But seriously, can someone let me out? Please?" the voice pleads.
Stephen looks from Malachai to Talyn then back to Malachai. "It would be the heroic thing to do, I think," he intones.
Door Number One
Malachai had let loose his fair share of wildlife from cruel traps, he supposed he could lean on this memory through his indifference to the prisoner’s situation. His face an impassive mask and his cloak gliding behind him, Malachai stepped heavily to the door. Making sure this stranger was aware of the Feyborne’s considerable size.
He paused, purposefully letting the prisoner marinate in uncertainty, before bringing the key up to the lock and opening it. As he opened the door, Malachai towered at the door frame, the torchlights behind shadowing his form. With a bison-like grunt, he turned and stepped out of the verbose stranger’s way.
Malachai`s shadow floods the room beyond the padlocked door but no one comes out. Malachai squints to see into the darkened room. Squalor reigns in this long, low dungeon. Three small, horned humanoids, more Kobolds, are roughly tied with crude ropes to a large spike near the entrance. They cower away from Malachai and quietly hiss.
Farther back, against the far wall, a battered gnome languishes inside a rusted iron cage, which is small even for his frame. Several sets of corroded manacles are connected to the walls, which remain empty except for the occasional crumbling skeleton.
"Oh many thanks to Garl! You're adventurers, I prayed to all the Lords of the Golden Hills that you were adventurers. Well not to Urdlen of course, but definitely all the others!" The dirty and wide-eyed Gnome blinks several times and looks at Malachai. "Feytouched? Hmm, wouldn't have expected you down here. Can ya lend a Rock Gnome a hand? Been cooped up in here far too long, far too long."
Squeezing around Malachais bulky frame. “Oh hey I’ll get you out of there right quick. I’m Tayln, that’s Malachai what is your name? How did you end up down here? Did you get captured on the surface?”
The Gnome makes to bow his head though there isn't much room in his little cage. "I am Erkine Mosspillar. You can call me Erky. Yes, I was taken on the surface, oh coming on a year now, I think." He turns his head back and forth in an attempt to stretch. “Can you please get me out of here? I would so much like to stand up, it has been some weeks since the blasted Goblins let me out.” He narrows his eyes and glares past Talyn and Malachai to Zarg, standing just outside the room. The three Kobolds, still cowering in the corner, stop their hissing when they realize that it is not Goblins come to harass them today. “I am an Earthfriend, a follower of the Lord of the Burrow. An adventurer, like you, though clearly not as accomplished, for I would not have been stuck in this light-forsaken cage if I were better at pretty much anything.” Having said his peace, for now at least, he lets out a long sigh and his wide, dark eyes turn to the floor.
The tall Feytouched silently regarded the Gnome. His expression, as always, hard to read under his placid gaze. Feed the mushrooms underground, or the roots above. But the little one should not die in a cage. After weighing Erkine’s credentials in his head, he decided to give him a chance. Using Talyn’s light, he stooped down to unlock the cage. He briefly flickered his gaze over the tied up kobolds. “Meepo. Are these part of your tribe?”
From the other side of the target range, Meepo calls out in his native tongue. The three scrawny Kobolds perk up and look in Meepo's direction, though they do not have a line of sight. They call back in the same guttural, hissing language one would expect from Kobolds. "Yes! Yes! These are of Darkscales. My broodmates! Is Hova, Vum, and stupid Hugnu. Me thinks them dead. Well, me know Hugnu prisoner but Yusdrayl Chief no pay ransom get him back." Meepo chuckles at this statement to which one of the imprisoned Kobolds, obviously Hugnu, begins a pathetic whining. "Strong Malachai release them. Even Hugnu. Meepo save them, bring them home hero!" Meepo claps his clawed little hands and hops around at this thought.
Panya steps to the doorway and listens to the conversations between the various groups. The smell wafting from the room assailed her senses. The fetid air nearly emptied her stomach contents. Panya’s monastic training about compassion impels her to speak up and in spite of her discomfort, she gently asks Talyn and Malakai if the occupants could be moved out of the room for further conversations.
“There will be more room, and less … clutter,” explains the uncomfortable Panya as she extends her arm towards a slightly less rancid area.
While Panya pleads her case, the newly liberated Gnome crawls slowly out of the cage, stretches loudly and stands up. "Ahh, that feels much better. Thank you, friend," he says, smiling up to Malachai. He heads for the door, making a threatening lunge toward the already cowering Kobold prisoners. Once out into the larger target range room, he eyes Zarg the Goblin coldly and keeps his distance from Meepo as well. "You wouldn't happen to have any food by chance? Fresh fruit? Mushroom steaks? Heck, even some iron rations would hit the spot. I've been mostly eating rocks and bugs for the last year. I'm famished!" The Gnome stretches his short arms above his head and looks around. He sees where some of the fallen Goblins gear had been stacked. He grabs one of the short swords and gives it a swing. He frowns and sneers a little, mumbling something under his breath then tosses the cheap sword back on the ground. He then grabs one of the javelins and asks no one in particular, "Can I have this one?" Before getting a reply, he snaps it over his knee, breaking off about two feet of the butt-end. He swings it and smiles, twirling it around with a bit of skill. "This'll do for now," he says, turning back to glare menacingly at his former captor, Zarg.
Lucky observing all this. He smiles at the Rock Gnome and bows with a flourish. He states, “I’m Lucky Savage, entertainer extraordinaire! I’m happy to share some of my rations with you.” He takes 3 of his ration packs and hands them to Erky. He then begins to play some uplifting songs to lighten the mood. The song cycle contains a heroic ballad with a kobold named Meepo saving his people.
“Oww, hank hew erry muuu,” the Gnome spits out as he shoves as much food into his mouth as possible. He walks around in circles chewing far too much food for his small mouth. He clears his throat and holds his hand out, shaking it, as if asking for a drink. He looks to everyone in the area until Lucky also passes him his canteen. The Gnome takes a deep drink, “Ahh, that was good,” he says as he wipes the excess onto his filthy and tattered sleeve. He hands the canteen back. “So, whatcha all doing down here? Just exploring the old Dragon Temple? That’s what we were doing when I was captured. My friends and I, The Circle of the Shining Staff, were plagued by some traps then set upon by savage Goblins accompanied by an Earth Elemental. My friends, Ergon and Galithrial, did not survive. I was taken captive by the Goblins and I have been stuck in here since then. Like I said, that was about a year ago. I am an Unearthed of the Earthfriend, Segojan Earthcaller.” He bridges his fingers together in front of his face and then bows as he speaks the name of his patron. “You haven’t seen any Gnomish gear, by chance, have you? I had some nice gray leather armor and a mace. Those would be highly appreciated if you have. I assume the other gear is long gone, used or ruined by the foul Goblins. But my armor and mace, I do hope to recover those. Oh, and my cap. . Probably being used by some thieving greenskin right now!” He paces aimlessly around the room, muttering to himself and making threatening looks toward Zarg. “Whatcha gonna do with this here Goblin? Need me to deal with him for you? I’ve got no problem with that,” he says as he cracks his knuckles. “It was all I could do for the last year, just barely surviving through the grace of The Lord of the Burrow. He grants me access to his divine realm, but I can only touch it so much per day. Early on, I tried too hard to figure a way out. I noticed some faint runes on them, probably Draconic and magic. Then I realized that I had gone too far in my requests. I then focused on just staying alive, and clean. Fortunately my patron has blessed me with the tools to stay alive, even though I could not escape. There were some other adventurers about a month or so ago, I think, but they were captured too. Nice folks, they were here with me for a while, but then the Goblins took them and delivered them below. Talwen, Sharlyn, and Sir Braford were their names, I think. Talwen and Sharlyn were related, I’d bet.”
Session Notes
This "session" was an ongoing, play by post style session. I sometimes run these between live sessions to give the characters a bit more room to roleplay, develop character personalities, and interact with each other and the game world. It also helps keep the players thinking about the game so we're not spending the first half hour recounting everything that happened in the last session a month ago. I reward participating players with character points similar to a live roleplay session.Cast of Characters:
Malachai, Feytouched Half Satyr Wilderness Defender - played by JeCorey HTalyn Dilectus Vanyilam, teenage Celestial warrior on the run - played by Don K
Panya Masika, a Nithian monk stranded out of time - played by Carol C
Vlajic Savago, the Lucky Savage, a Traladaran bard - played by Dan E
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