The combination of snow crunching underfoot and Aregano's mouth-breathing alerts the warrior to danger, and he manages to avoid the worst of the elf's acid reflex attack.

Libi crouches down in the tower to avoid any wayward arrows.



~SE++

Hearing the distinct grunt of a stabbed half-orc to his left Lucian hustles across the soft snow to get a better view of the situation. Seeing his meat-shield is wounded he conjures a bolt of arcane energy and arcs it towards the warrior in such a way as to make Nolan appear it's summoner before calling upon his magic again to stitch the orc's wounds and strengthen his resolve.

Lucian's attack again falls on deaf ears. The goblin sharpshooter fires another quarrel at Tovar, the bolt finding a home in the barbarian's meaty calf and rendering nearly ineffectual Lucian's majestic words. Flint dodges around the tree, picking up a stone and flinging it at the Ice Warrior, but it bounces harmlessly off the warrior's arm.

Tovar lets out a primal roar as he rips the bolt from his calf. You're going to regret that, he snarls at the goblin. But first, he raises his huge sword at the warrior. Nothing personal he says as he takes a wild swing at the warrior.

Tovar's blow sends the warrior staggering to one knee. The warrior screeches in pain, and vomits up a sudden burst of blue blood.

Nolan sidles behind the Ice Warrior, thinking he can catch his foe offguard. Not so! The Warrior lashes out with his maul, perfectly cracking Nolan's knee and nearly sending the cleric into a heap on the compacted snow.

Nolan retaliates, however, and with a bellow eviscerates the Ice Warrior. Its body dissolves into a non-carbon-based puddle of blue elemental slush.

Aregano wonders at the abounding possibilities of a dessert crafted out of the blue slush, but hastily brings himself back to the tasks at hand.

Staying safely behind a tree...

"Oi, you, goblin with the crossbow. There're six of us, and one of you. Answer our questions, and you can go free. For starters, what all is in the cave?"

The goblin peers over the watch tower walls, his eyes spotting the improbably elfish girth peeking from behind a massive tree trunk. "Sound good to me! There, uh, ice-men, dragon, and a snow globe. I go now?"

Aregano's squishy face squishes together further as he furrows his brow...snow globe?

"How many ice-men? No goblins? What's a snow globe? Oooh, and what kind of food is in there?"

He licks his lips dreaming of what possible delicacies an ice-man would dine on that he could sample...

The goblin counts on one hand. "Uh, there two ice-men, one dragon, and I need more fingers for goblins." He begins eyeing the rocky wall behind him--a short jump and he could scale his way to freedom...

Aregano checks his own fingers...and briefly wonders if this goblin has all of his fingers...then shrugs.

"What about the snow globe and the food?"

"Snow-globe make snow, duh. Food we took from adventurers, plus some nibbles of elf-wench. No more questions! Me go now." The goblin begins sidling off the tower and toward the craggy wall behind him.

Tovar scratches his head and looks over at Aregano. We're letting another one live? Where's the sport in that? He turns towards the goblin. I'm going to give you a count of 5 to get out of my sight, if not, I'll shorten you by around one head. He laughs and takes a step towards the goblin. One...

Aregano shrugs and points at the charred square and charred bodies near the cave entrance "I figured we already had enough to eat...".

"No way I will let this goblin escape my judgement. It killed or helped in the killing of Spartacus." Nolan yells with fury in his eyes. "I will rip it apart and then I will pray over its remains."

Aregano's shoulder muscles are getting tired of lifting his chubby arms, so he refrains from shrugging again. "Sorry little guy, guess I didn't check with the others before making that deal. You are still free though, and I won't chase you, so best get a move on!"

Lucian sighs as he walks across the blood-stained snow towards the bellowing barbarian and cleric. Once again the satisfaction of a slaughter is ruined by the bellowing of chest-beaters. Can we not for once enjoy such occasions without shouting? Placing a hand on Tovar's shoulder he whispers to the orc "Tell me - where would the sport be in killing a single, weak goblin. What challenge is there in it? Besides our friend Aregano already promised the goblin his life in exchange for his knowledge. You wouldn't want the Tower to gain a reputation as liars now would you? That would sadden me greatly. I assure you there will be time to satiate your urges later but for now I need you to focus on the task at hand. You understand?"

Giving a nod and a smile and the orc he then turns to Nolan. "As for you cleric show some of the wisdom and self-restraint your kind are known for. Your blood-lust is useful to me if constructively directed but swinging in a blind rage at every goblin you see degrades both you and the company you keep - not to mention the memory of your fallen comrades." He raises a hand and points at the smouldering remains of the chest beside the watchtower. "Did that chest not contain the stolen equipment of your allies? Do you not owe it to them to reclaim it - regardless of it's condition? To use what you can to continue to fight your good fight? Or will you instead chase a goblin around a mountainside to soothe your petty need for revenge? The choice is yours. I pray you make the correct one."

As the party squabbles, the goblin high-tails it, scrambling over the tower wall and scaling up the craggy surface of the mountainscape. As soon as he disappears from sight, there's a low, ground-shaking thrum, followed by the oddly high-pitched roar of what you all presume is a dragon. There's a flash of blue energy that surges out of the cave--from its entrance and from higher up the mountain side. Immediately following, the cave begins belching fat flakes of snow. They spill out of the cave entrance, flinging themselves at you and the surrounding forest, whipping into the air. There's a pillar of more snow climbing from above you, from where you spotted the blue light, and more snowflakes tumble down onto you. It's a steady downfall, and soon your gear and clothes and boots are coated in a light dusting of snowflakes.