The Goblin Cave

"Are the goblins keeping them as pets?" Tatiana asks, looking to the west. "Should we expect them to trail and attack us?"

Animals appear to be Raven's specialty, thus Tatiana defers to his knowledge on the matter.

The grey eyed farmer considered Tatiana for a moment as he considered the question. "Wolves are smart... could certainly be trained... especially if captured as pups." he paused as if considering something. "Sharing a den, I'd assume they are together, so we should be careful."

Tatiana nods. "Perhaps we should get rid of them, first."

Raven's brow furrows in concern, "I'd rather not do that." he says quietly as he looks off to the west cavern.

There is a long pause, which is common with Raven who seems to think through things before talking, "I'll lead with Decklan. Maybe I can convince them we are not enemies."

The young man leans low over the ground a lightly touches the print of the wolf, then moves down the western passage following the wolf. Raven will stay in the area of dim light ahead of Tatiana, looking for any signs of goblins or wolves.

"Listen kid, I get that you like animals. That's fine. But keep in mind... trained animals are a lot like trained people -- they usually do what they're told by their trainers," the man with a roadmap's worth of scars says quietly. "If I have to choose between you tryin' t' sweet talk some wolves while my face gets chewed off, or killing them for being a threat... well, I got enough scars already. Fair warnin'."

Tatiana follows the group to the west.

Ammos will follow up aswell.

Raven pauses to listen to Decklan, a man who previously he had heard no more than a handful of words. "I've met wolves before, they are very dangerous, but often reasonable... Nature is savage, if they attack, kill them, that is the way of it." Raven is very calm when he says this, almost distant, like he is just saying some fact not related to the death of some creature.

He looks back down the cavern to the west. "I just ask for the chance, if there is one to take. If there are goblins with them, then we'll sadly have to kill them."

He continues slowly down the western cavern.

It's only a short distance down the passage before it opens up into a more cavernous area. The cave is humid and narrows to a steep fissure at the far end. It is filled with the stench of animals and rotting food. Savage snarls and the sounds of rattling chains greet your ears as you aproch.

The light from Tatiana's wand does not reach into the cave from her current position in the passage. Declan, with his devil sight, can see where three wolves are chained up to the left of the opening where he and Raven stand. Each wolf's chain leads to an iron rod driven into the base of a stalagmite.

As Decklan and Raven conduct their reconnaissance, Tatiana remains behind until called up.

Ammos will wait with Tatiana, but also hiss out in a strained whisper
"Alex? Do you intend to hang back here- I believe we should remain together."

I intend to be as stealthy as possible, Master Wizard, and cover the group with my bow. Are you capable of stealth and discretion, Master Wizard? I would fain enjoy your company so long as it endagers us and our fellows not.

Conquering an irrational urge to boop the wizard on his snout—and probably get toasted to a crisp—Alex sets off as silently as he can, staying to the shadows behind the main group, bow at the ready. As he walks, he takes the time to cast his eyes over the cavern. While not a natural tracker like the Raven lad, he has a faint passing familiarity with how one may obfuscate doors, portals, or traps. Nothing extraordinary, but better safe than sorry, he feels.

Raven stands with Decklan for near the edge of the dark cavern, the whisps of Tatiana's light fading to shadow before showing what is here. But Raven's other senses are assaulted by the place.

In a quiet voice to Decklan, "Any goblins? keep an eye out for them"

A bit louder, but just enough for her to hear, "Tatiana, come up slowly until your light barely reaches them."

Raven moves forward slightly as the dim light arrives. The young man drops to low to the floor, eyes toward where he hears the wolves moving around. A low growl starts from the Raven, low in the chest, for a moment you might think him a wolf himself. As he speaks, you understand the words, but there is deeper tone which includes the occasional growl or bark."Great hunters... Kings of the Forest... should not be chained... the pack must run free in the light of the Moon... sly green ones have wronged you..."

"My pack hunts the sly green ones... Taken our kin... we hunt to free our pack mates... this is just..."

"No war with your pack and mine... we free you to the forest... you go hunt under the Moon..."

Tatiana does as requested, stepping forward until the dim light of her spell reveals more of the cavern. She takes a handkerchief and covers her nose and mouth as rudimentary protection against the malodorous air, but tries to remain as alert as she can be while Raven does his... thing.

Alex moved forward with the grace of a leopard. Padding slowly forward, he was a veritable shadow—unseen, unheard, unnoticed. Hand on bow, his eyes scoured the sides of the cavern, looking for inconsistencies in the cavern walls and roof. I am Mask incarnate, the epitome of of the roguish archetype he thought to himself, with perhaps the slightest tinge of hubris.

And, as with all hubris, the gods answered. So focused on the walls, Alex forgot to pay attention to the floor. Perhaps it was a root, perhaps the carapace of some long-dead crawling creature, perhaps no more than an unexpected dip in the cavern floor. Whatever it was, the floor was not where Alex's foot expected it to be. Woo-wooo-WHOA!, Alex cried as he went tumbling ass-over-teakettle on the cavern floor. His reflexes were good enough to twist on the way down so he did not land on his bow and ruin it. However, this caused his rapier to crash into his parrying dagger with what seemed like an unholy clang. TING, TING, TING echoed down the corridor as all three daggers in his bandolier fell to the ground. Oooof rushed out of Alex involuntarily as the wind was knocked out of him.

Alex looked up very abashedly at Ammos and said with a self-deprecating grin Stealth is overrated for a wizard, right?

Tatiana’s light reaches into the cavern, slow and soft, until it reviles the three wolves. The chains with which they are tied hang heavy around their throats, their hair is matted and tangled where their winter coats haven’t come off. The three had been straining toward the fissure toward the back of the cave where a pile of something lays. Drool dripping from their lips. When Raven announces the groups presence by speaking six sharp eyes turn fast to his face. They turn with growls in their throats and teeth exposed, but they don’t charge to their chains lengths yet.

Raven roll Animal Handling with adv (speak with animals) for each wolf, brown, grey, white.

Turning towards the sound, Tatiana's eyes convey her incredulous question. Really?