[D&D] The Lost Mines of Phandelver

[Don't panic]

FMI, how did the party figure this Goblin does not understand Dwarvish, an assumption or a factual basis?

Assumption.
But very strong.
In general goblins speak goblin and common, and are not highly intelligent creatures. Plus goblins hate and despise anything dwarvish (and vice-versa). As adventurers in these lands we would all know this.
A goblin who speaks dwarvish would be highly unusual, and one who did would likely not be a bottom-feeder grunt like this one, but rather one in some more specialized function (spy, advisor, ambassador,etc.)

 

[Plutonius]

It's up to Bartholomeus, Veit, and Syllin to end the interrogation when they are ready to before we can proceed.

Portia and myself do not speak dwarfish so you need to repeat to us anything you want us to know.

 

[Don't panic]

i think we are waiting for Portia to say if she wants to ask any question or has any other comment.
all the translations that Syllin did, and all the questions asked to the goblin were in common, so Portia would be aware of everything (except the dwarvish exchanges)
Claus, i am not sure because you would have been wandering around pretending to look for clues
---

* as Veit is threatening to collapse the wagon with the vibrations caused by the soundtrack of his 'nap', Count Bartholomeus reaches Master Fletcher at the edge of the woods, far from the cursing goblin (and with the ponderous snoring of Veit between them and the prisoner), calls Portia over and brings them up to speed on everything that has transpired so far with the prisoner, including the opinions exchanged with Veit and Syllin in dwarvish.

 

[Moyank24]

So sorry!! 2 sick 8 year olds makes for a very long, and very busy 3 day weekend!

To the count: I have nothing more for this fiend. Can i finish him off now?

 

[twietee]

I'm still taking a nap as you can hear but I'd love to see Claus' reaction once Mo finishes him off!

And please wake me up if there is a Claus vs Portia showdown! Veit loves to bet at these occasions!

 

[Plutonius]

I'm still taking a nap as you can hear but I'd love to see Claus' reaction once Mo finishes him off!

And please wake me up if there is a Claus vs Portia showdown! Veit loves to bet at these occasions!

You are Neutral Good so your reaction (and Syllin @Scepticalscribe) would be similar.

I'm also not around if Portia happens to kill the goblin so there is no showdown now.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Well, according to my character sheet, I am actually Chaotic Good (not Neutral Good).

 

[twietee]

You are Neutral Good so your reaction (and Syllin @Scepticalscribe) would be similar.

Yes, but I'm still having naptime

And also play a bit more lenient regarding my character sheet because I secretly wonder whether the Gods care about mortal affairs at all.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

My character's alignment means that wanton murder of a disarmed prisoner is something I think I would be rather uncomfortable with.

 

[Plutonius]

My character's alignment means that wanton murder of a disarmed prisoner is something I think I would be rather uncomfortable with.

Yep, but I assume you were back at the wagon tending to your books when Portia did her deed . Like me, it might affect your opinion of Portia depending on how you run it.

And also play a bit more lenient regarding my character sheet because I secretly wonder whether the Gods care about mortal affairs at all.

Your spells are from your God and your God might be watching you .

 

[Don't panic]

note: this is not an innocent peasant whom we captured for sport, but a hardened criminal and a murderer (and a goblin to boost). his possible future execution is not in contradiction with a 'good' alignment. there are many ways to play a good-aligned character, and they do not all imply a ghandi-like attitude towards the world.
There is great latitude, and as long as no gratuitous acts of violence or injustice are committed or condoned, i would think the character would still be good.
in addition, racial traits also should be considered, and fro example- the measure of what a dwarf consider decent or good with regard to other dwarves or humans could be very different from what would be acceptable to do to an orc or a goblin.
In fact, it could as easily be argued that an extreme 'lawful good' (e.g. a paladin-like character) might insist that the evil goblin would be immediately punished appropriately for his misdeeds, and that death would be a most fitting punishment.

my recommendation is to devise a 'personality' for your character (which does not have to have anything to do with your own), somewhat based on the basics in the character sheet, and play the role in a consistent way, as to make it fun for you (and everyone else). the game structure is highly flexible and one should not be shackled to a word.

here is a basic description of the alignments, from the Player handbook:
Lawful good (LG) creatures can be counted on to do the right thing as expected by society.
Neutral good (NG) folk do the best they can to help others according to their needs.
Chaotic good (CG) creatures act as their conscience directs, with little regard for what others expect.
Lawful neutral (LN) individuals act in accordance with law, tradition, or personal codes.
Neutral (N) is the alignment of those who prefer to steer clear of moral questions and don’t take sides, doing what seems best at the time.
Chaotic neutral (CN) creatures follow their whims, holding their personal freedom above all else.
Lawful evil (LE) creatures methodically take what they want, within the limits of a code of tradition, loyalty, or order.
Neutral evil (NE) is the alignment of those who do whatever they can get away with, without compassion or qualms.
Chaotic evil (CE) creatures act with arbitrary violence, spurred by their greed, hatred, or bloodlust

a more in-depth analysis. not official, but fairly interesting
http://easydamus.com/alignment.html

 

[Plutonius]

keeping the conversation in dwarvish
>let's see what else Syllin can learn from the goblin. he must be privy with the workings of the hideout.
then we can decide on the best course of action: going to phandalin, search for the hideout, or camp here now and make our move tomorrow morning
I assume you shall need some time to commune with your god soon enough?

@ravenvii , Some geography questions.

1) Was Phandalin our original destination ?
2) What direction were we traveling to get to our destination ?
3) Where are we in relation to Phandalin and the hideout and what is our estimate of time to get to both destinations ?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Thanks for the advice and heads-up and re our respective alignments.

Laughing quietly to myself: No, I doubt that Syllin would be viewed as Gandhi like, though naturally enough, an enormous respect would be extended for the impressive world view so eloquently articulated by this sage.

I accept that the goblin is a hardened criminal and murderer and sadistically cruel with it. Is there anyway of ensuring that said goblin is silenced and prevented from being a future source of possible succour to those who mean to do us ill - short of looking the other way when Portia suggests killing him?

 

[Don't panic]

> well, my good companions, what shall we do now?
before falling in his thunderous coma, Master Frostbeard suggested we move on to Phandalin to get a good night's rest, that might not be a bad idea, although he doesn't seem to have much difficulties to find some on the road...
if we do that we can deliver the goods we are being paid to deliver, and get this varmint out of our hands to the local authorities, assuming there are any in there.
For what i have heard, phandalin is not exactly an exemplar of law an order.
Mark my words, If we were in Cornill Hill, the Goblin would hang, unless he finds a way to make himself useful.

on the other hand, the fate of Master Gundren and Saildar Hallwinter might be in dire jeopardy, so time could be of the essence.
Should we press on and look for the lair of these brigands?
Should we rest first and make camp here?
Both our magic wielders seem a little tried from our little skirmish, and could use a pause to replenish their abilities.

myself, i could use a nice horse steak...​

 

[Moyank24]

I'm of the mind that we should rest, and then finish the delivery. I'm here for the coin, and don't want to get sidetracked with deeds that have no silver lining at the end. Unless there is a reward for the safe return of the Master and the Sailor?

 

[Plutonius]

note: this is not an innocent peasant whom we captured for sport, but a hardened criminal and a murderer (and a goblin to boost). his possible future execution is not in contradiction with a 'good' alignment. there are many ways to play a good-aligned character, and they do not all imply a ghandi-like attitude towards the world.
There is great latitude, and as long as no gratuitous acts of violence or injustice are committed or condoned, i would think the character would still be good.
in addition, racial traits also should be considered, and fro example- the measure of what a dwarf consider decent or good with regard to other dwarves or humans could be very different from what would be acceptable to do to an orc or a goblin.
In fact, it could as easily be argued that an extreme 'lawful good' (e.g. a paladin-like character) might insist that the evil goblin would be immediately punished appropriately for his misdeeds, and that death would be a most fitting punishment.

my recommendation is to devise a 'personality' for your character (which does not have to have anything to do with your own), somewhat based on the basics in the character sheet, and play the role in a consistent way, as to make it fun for you (and everyone else). the game structure is highly flexible and one should not be shackled to a word.

here is a basic description of the alignments, from the Player handbook:
Lawful good (LG) creatures can be counted on to do the right thing as expected by society.
Neutral good (NG) folk do the best they can to help others according to their needs.
Chaotic good (CG) creatures act as their conscience directs, with little regard for what others expect.
Lawful neutral (LN) individuals act in accordance with law, tradition, or personal codes.
Neutral (N) is the alignment of those who prefer to steer clear of moral questions and don’t take sides, doing what seems best at the time.
Chaotic neutral (CN) creatures follow their whims, holding their personal freedom above all else.
Lawful evil (LE) creatures methodically take what they want, within the limits of a code of tradition, loyalty, or order.
Neutral evil (NE) is the alignment of those who do whatever they can get away with, without compassion or qualms.
Chaotic evil (CE) creatures act with arbitrary violence, spurred by their greed, hatred, or bloodlust

a more in-depth analysis. not official, but fairly interesting
http://easydamus.com/alignment.html

Agreed. Alignments are not absolute and racial opinions should be taken heavily into account. That being said, most good characters would probably be at least uncomfortable watching a vigilante slaying of a helpless prisoner. The paladin in your example would have killed the goblin in battle rather than capturing it.

How you run your character's alignment becomes more defined by you the longer you play your character. For decisions your character needs to make, try to think in terms of what your character would do rather than what you as a player would do (sometimes it's the same).

 

[twietee]

..it might affect your opinion of Portia depending on how you run it.

Well, I for one am intelectually not fully capable to distinguish between Portia nad Moyank. And I have my firm opinion formed on her already or in toehr words: Portia fullfills my expectations so far.

Your spells are from your God and your God might be watching you .

Gods, Plutonius. Gods. That makes a whole other difference as some are cheering me along my pityful path on this realms while other b**** and moan about every step I take!

***

Also in general, while I certainly want to play a coherent character in this game, I'm not sure some liberties shouldn't be taken in case somebody feels like it. I think we all should have fun with this in the first place since it seems to be a long ride and the character sheets were just some decision made out of convenience and not because it couldn't be played differenty (I think so at least). I think so far we had a good time!

That said, I totally appreciate if somebody thinks it interesting in itself or because of the roleplaying aspect to go along and play 100% after the generic character of said sheets.

And I also hope I won't ruin your experience here, Pluto!

 

[Plutonius]

I'm of the mind that we should rest, and then finish the delivery. I'm here for the coin, and don't want to get sidetracked with deeds that have no silver lining at the end. Unless there is a reward for the safe return of the Master and the Sailor?

Speaking to Portia: Does anyone know where we are in relation to Phandalin and to the goblin hideout ? I would like to go and rescue the prisoners even if there was no silver lining but I'm sure that the bandits have a large hoard and there was a mention of a map.

 

[twietee]

I'm of the mind that we should rest, and then finish the delivery. I'm here for the coin, and don't want to get sidetracked with deeds that have no silver lining at the end. Unless there is a reward for the safe return of the Master and the Sailor?

Master and Sailor?

I agree that we should rest. I'd like to prepare a different spellset too since I now saw how you guys fare in combat.

But our employer, my cousin Gundren, is the one kidnapped so I'm not exactly sure where you think we should deliver our goods. To the kidnappers I suppose.

As an aside, not regarding that I'm going on a rescue mission either way, I'm not totally sure if we weren't paid upfront since we were supposed to receive 10 coins and I at least have 10+1 coins in by pouch.

^ I was talking while asleep obviously!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I would be of the opinion that rather than riding off on a rescue mission to a camp, (even though most of our steeds have been killed) or castle, of well armed and doubtless prepared goblins and others, that we might seek to deliver our cargo, and find out what we can.

Given the rather high initial cost that the surprise ambush managed to impose on us, and given the fact that our opponents doubtless know a lot more about us - and our quest - than we do about them, a little further knowledge before we seek to mount a rescue might not be a bad idea.

Forewarned, forearmed, and all that sort of thing.

Moreover, even if we do attempt to mount a rescue, it is clear to me that our dwarves friends - or employers - may well be held by goblins in the pay of others - remember the goblin we questioned mentioned that the Black Spider had paid the goblin king to arrange for the goblin party to ambush our group.

I would recommend that we seek to perhaps rest, recoup some of our energies, deliver our cargo, and seek and find what information we can before considering and planning a rescue attempt. Without further knowledge, and possibly resources, such an attempt runs a risk of failure.

 

[Plutonius]

I would be of the opinion that rather than riding off on a rescue mission to a camp, (even though most of our steeds have been killed) or castle, of well armed and doubtless prepared goblins and others, that we might seek to deliver our cargo, and find out what we can.

Given the rather high initial cost that the surprise ambush managed to impose on us, and given the fact that our opponents doubtless know a lot more about us - and our quest - than we do about them, a little further knowledge before we seek to mount a rescue might not be a bad idea.

Forewarned, forearmed, and all that sort of thing.

Moreover, even if we do attempt to mount a rescue, it is clear to me that our dwarves friends - or employers - may well be held by goblins in the pay of others - remember the goblin we questioned mentioned that the Black Spider had paid the goblin king to arrange for the goblin party to ambush our group.

I would recommend that we seek to perhaps rest, recoup some of our energies, deliver our cargo, and seek and find what information we can before considering and planning a rescue attempt. Without further knowledge, and possibly resources, such an attempt runs a risk of failure.

Speaking to Syllin: As Veit mentioned, it was our employer that was captured so we will not have anyone to deliver the goods to. If we want to do the heroic thing and get paid, we must make all haste in rescuing the prisoners. If we go, there was talk of goblin's eating the prisoners so speed is of the essence.

As an aside, not regarding that I'm going on a rescue mission either way, I'm not totally sure if we weren't paid upfront since we were supposed to receive 10 coins and I at least have 10+1 coins in by pouch.

Speaking with a smile to the group: A typical dwarf. Arguing about gold. Since when have you known any dwarf to pay gold upfront. I will join Veit in his quest to save his cousin.

 

[Moyank24]

Speaking to Syllin: As Veit mentioned, it was our employer that was captured so we will not have anyone to deliver the goods to. If we want to do the heroic thing and get paid, we must make all haste in rescuing the prisoners. If we go, there was talk of eating the prisoners so speed is of the essence.

Then we shall rest, have a cup or 3 of the strongest ale we have, and then make our way towards the prisoners. Once we have prevailed, a renegotiation of our fees should be in order as this has gone beyond what I initially signed up for.

Points to the prisoner: What shall we do with this...thing?

 

[twietee]

*yawns*

> Did I hear "rest"? I'm awfully tired so would be all for it! I'll smoke a pipe while you guys figure out how to give me back my rope. I made a suggestion how to deal with this creature btw. I'd vouch for letting it alive - at least he cooperated. After technically killing three of our people that is. It's what Belaver would have done.

*let's not pull a "breaking bad season one down in the basement" on this one! That gave me the creeps when watching it.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

For my part, I would counsel that we seek further information as to what might await us before launching into a chase to rescue the individuals who contracted us to deliver these goods.

 

[twietee]

in dwavish >We could take him with us, in case he thought it a good idea to lie to us and maybe, just maybe we can't find the castle as easy as we think. Or the secret entrance he was so smug about.

we can still tie him up to a tree once we figured exactly what to do.

Btw, we should double check on his suggestion to skip the hide-out since gundren (and the treasure map) are on their way to the fortress.