BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Role Playing Games RPG: The Mainland (Scene 2)

Dawn breaks late over the channel between Artesia and the mainland. The mountains to the east loom dark behind the rising sun.

The travelers in the skiff can see the sun hitting the ramparts of Artesia City, making them gleam. The boatman pauses in his poling the skiff to stand and examine the shoreline through a pocket telescope. He nods, spits over the side, and sits back down to resume poling.

"Looks clear enough", he says. His name is Garmung, and he makes a living taking adventurers across the channel. Sometimes they live long enough to need a return journey.

The water in the channel is choppy, and the rocks barely concealed beneath the wavers look razor sharp. Only a skiff could draw little enough water to make it through, and then only if the owner knows the maze like series of channels.

The bow of the skiff hits the beach, and the group of adventurers clambers out.

"Remember now," Garmung says, "start a fire and toss some of that red weed into it when you need a ride home", he gestures toward a weed that grows along the shore. "It'll make a nice big red cloud, and I'll be over soon as I can. Plan on waiting a few hours, though."

That said, and with half his pay already in his pouch, Garmung pushes the now empty skiff off the beach and starts poling toward the island.

The group looks at each other, and then at the surrounding terrain. No goblins leap to the ambush, leaving open the question, "What now?"

Randol looked around at the diverse group that was with him and wondered how many he could actually count on...how many he could trust or how many have actually been in a battle like they were about to embark on.

He then reached down by his feet, grabbed a handful of sand, spoke some magic words and tossed it into the air by his face. It made a type of window or something similar that allowed him to see off into the distance that normal spyglasses could not see.

"I see no one dangerous in the immediate distance." Randol said to the people with him. "There are no goblins nearby."

[I will be out of town Sunday through Friday, so don't expect a reply to anything before the 13th.]

The group heads inland, following the rumors they were able to glean in the city about where the goblins had their encampment. For an invading force ready to storm the island, the goblins were certainly not close to the shore.

The group trudges up the hills forming the foothills of the nearby mountains, cursing the limited visibility caused by ever rising terrain. They could see clear to Artesia City behind them, but ahead of them were limited to the top of the next hill.

Finally, they crest a hill and catch sight of a goblin encampment halfway up the next hill. It doesn't seem to be the horde they'd been expecting, with barely a couple dozen goblins camped around a cave leading into the hill.

Varian quietly suggested that he and a couple of other men in the group cautiously approach the goblins waving the flag of peace. If it was all of them, they may spook the goblins and will flee. However, if it was only a couple of them, they may be attacked and killed by the goblins.

As they discussed what they were going to do, the group of goblins stood in front of them and all were wielding spears and were ready to attack the group from Artesia City.

They didn't attack though and that is unlike the goblins. They always attack when there land is encroached upon. One goblin stepped forward as if he was going to speak to the group.

[I'm assuming that's Randol making the suggestion, since Varian isn't here..the only ones present are Randol, Derissa, Kam, and Benedict. Not a group that is likely to spook the goblins either way.

So I'm assuming Randol is in favor of approaching the goblins for a parley. We'll wait a bit to see if anyone else wants to join him before seeing how the goblins react.]

Derissa glances up. "Hmmm...non-lethal goblins? That's new." Of course, through her brain ran the thought, [censored], they know me.... "You go on ahead, Randol. I got yer back..." she flashed a winning grin, "Trust me."

Tucking a book into a small bag, Derissa just smiled and offered no more help. She was surveying, however, the area and the number of goblins. Perhaps she'd have to use her magic, after all...She'd know if Randol was slaughtered mercilessly.

"Trust you?! Lady, I don't even know you. I trust no one as I am sure you don't either."

Randol noticed her trying to slip a leather bound book into a satchel slung over her shoulder. He didn't blatantly stare at her but he did notice more of her face than she normally shows and he noticed that she had striking beauty and wondered why she was constantly trying to cover her face.

All kind of thoughts began to rush into his head. "Is she a sorceress? Was that a book of spells she was trying to conceal? Was she the one that he was supposed to find?

He then decided to bide his time and see what happens as he didn't want to spook her or agitate her either as far as that goes. No, Randol would just wait.

Derissa just scoffed and looked away from him, "I'm no lady. I work for a living," she gave him a wink then withdrew into the shadows of her hood. Her eyes, again, searched the foothills for signs of movement.

"Perhaps this is merely a scouting party for the fabled horde..." There was no hint of humor or sarcasm in her voice. Something just didn't feel right and unsettled feelings made Derissa...not a nice person. Not that she was nice to begin with.

She noted Randol's appearance and smirked. She'd noticed his glance--it was why she retreated further into her hood. Still...he could prove useful... Of course, with the right tweak of wit, anything could prove useful. With a sigh, she stood dramatically. "Oh, fine... do you want me to parlay with them? I'm sure I can work something out...who knows, maybe I'll barter for safe passage. Tell me...just how much do you trust me?" A mischievous grin flashed onto her lips.

"Look, Derissa, I don't trust you because I don't know you. I don't know any of you so I don't trust any of you and I don't expect you to trust me either. I do know that we are in this together and each one of us wanted to come here for one reason or another and so here we are. We each came here to satisy our own agendas but for now we are here together and we have to trust each other by necessity."

He looked around at the group and said, "I will go and talk with the goblins. Someone can come with me if they would like, but if we all go, they may get spooked and think that we are a hunting party. Then they will either retreat deep into the mountain or kill us. I don't know about you all, but I am not ready to die. Not here and not today."

[Since Cindy hasn't posted lately, I'll go ahead and post something for Kam, since this talk about parleying seems to be something that would get her going.]

Kam breaks into the discussion, irritated.

"Parleying, with goblins?" She snorts. "I'll show you parleying!"

She strides over the hill toward the goblins, pulling her gauntlets tightly over her hands. The goblins mutter to each other as she approaches. They'd been prepared to run at the sight of an overwhelming force, or to kill a smaller force, but a single human woman isn't something they'd considered.

By the time they come to a decision and start to unlimber their weapons, Kam is among them, fists (and goblins) flying. Before the rest of the group has much time to react, all the goblins are laying on the ground, broken heaps, except for one. That one is bring drug back to the group by the scruff of his neck.

Kam tosses the near-unconscious goblin at Randol's feet. "There, I think he's ready to parley."