Beyond the Sky - Session 33.5

 -3rd Winter's First-
Later that day, in the afternoon, Adrian goes to the guardhouse prison to interrogate the goblin there.
Adrian steps over to the bound goblin, waiting for it to show some sign of noticing him.
Goblin Commander looks up at Adrian with a mixture of fear and disgust.
Adrian pulls a chair over, sitting down to regard the creature with an unconcerned expression.
Adrian: [Orcish] "I do trust you understand your situation here, yes? Why don't you let me know what you have to say for yourself?"
Goblin Commander: [Orcish] "What is there to say? You will kill me either way."
Adrian: [Orcish] "I haven't decided on that, actually. I really don't care whether you live or die, you see. It's quite possible I'll see fit to set you free; I did allow many of your allies to flee without further harm."
Goblin Commander grits its teeth.
Goblin Commander: [Orcish] "We need land north. Fastly."
Adrian: [Orcish] "Why is that?"
Goblin Commander: [Orcish] "There is demon, monster in hills. Threatens all tribes. Cannot kill."
[Orcish] "Many tribes wiped out by person."
Adrian: "One person is threatening all your tribes? That's rather pathetic, don't you think?"
Goblin Commander: "There were many. Now only one. Tens, tens of tens dead."
"We would rather risk land in north than face in south."
Adrian: "Like I said. Quite pathetic. Tens of tens of orcs and ogres defeated by a single... what was it you said? Demon? Hardly a very believable claim, really."
Goblin Commander: "Then you face! Girl with scythe, weapons bounce off like skin is rock."
[Adrian : Sense Motive: 29]
Adrian: "I'm supposed to believe a single girl with a scythe was that formidable? Don't lie to me; it's not going to be very good for your quality of life."
Goblin Commander: "What is point in lying? I saw it with own eyes!"
"Monster in girl's body!"
Adrian sits back, narrowing his eyes skeptically at the goblin, and says nothing.
Adrian turns briefly to look through a leather satchel, selecting a pair of knives from it and looking at them critically, turning back to the goblin.
Adrian: "If you say so... what did it look like, perhaps? You get one last try to convince me of this monster."
Goblin Commander: "Was small human girl, look like girl from desert country! Carry huge scythe, strong enough to cut man clean in two, crush rocks."
"Wears rags, and no pupils."
Adrian: "Hm. You said there was a monster inside her body, though."
Goblin Commander: "Yes, she like a monster! No talking, no speaking, only noise when blue fire comes out of her mouth!"
Adrian gives the goblin another skeptical look, setting one of the knives down.
Adrian: "...Blue fire?"
Goblin Commander: "Yes, she screams, and her eyes and mouth glow fire, and she shoots fire! I see old goblin chief life drain from him."
Adrian: "I see. Where did she come from?"
Goblin Commander: "South!"
Adrian: "In case you aren't aware, there's rather a lot of 'south'."
Goblin Commander: "She was first seen in Junto tribe's place!"
Adrian: "Any more identifiable landmarks...?"
Goblin Commander thinks for a moment.
Goblin Commander: "Few landmarks in Hills, aside from other tribe locations."
"Junto Tribe is south of Oo'glog, which is northmost tribe."
Adrian: "So how do you know where one tribe's territory ends and another one's starts?"
Goblin Commander: "Flags mark start of one and end of another. Or we simply speak of where boundaries are."
Adrian: "Identical flags, or are they identifiable?"
Goblin Commander: "Each one has tribe symbol."
Adrian: "Good. So you can describe the tribe symbol for Junto."
Goblin Commander: "Junto tribe has bear for symbol, Oo'glog has hammer."
Adrian: "Very good. Although that makes your refusal to tell me a landmark earlier somewhat of an evasion on your part. Don't you think?"
Goblin Commander: "I said only tribe locations were landmarks!"
Adrian puts on a dark leather glove, before prodding the goblin's hand with it.
Adrian: "Perhaps I haven't established the rules here well enough. Your job is to remember everything I might want to know, and provide all of that information with as little annoyance for either of us as possible. Do you have any preference which of these fingers you'd like to keep?"
Goblin Commander: "Index."
Adrian nods, his expression neutral, and takes the knife he selected to slice off the goblin's smallest finger.
Goblin Commander growls at Adrian.
Goblin Commander: "Maybe you should go and fight it. Monster against monster."
Adrian: "Now that that's settled, did this monster girl have any particular reason for fighting your tribes? Who started it, shall we say."
Goblin Commander: "As far as we know, nothing. It just kills more and more."
Adrian: "I'm quite sure your people provoked it somehow."
Goblin Commander: "No! It came out of nowhere and started killing."
"It is mindless killer."
[Adrian : Sense Motive: 13]
(From Goblin Commander): You don't think he's lying.
Adrian: "Was she completely alone?"
Goblin Commander: "At first, yes. Then two more like her come."
"Many tribes dead, but now there is only one."
Adrian: "What happened to the others?"
Goblin Commander: "Killed. They took hundreds but they were killed."
"We do not have any more hundreds, so we would rather take chance by taking land in north."
Adrian: "And has this been sufficiently proven to be folly, or do you think I'll have to wipe out the remaining tribe?"
Goblin Commander: "Then what we do? It is either push north and we may die, or stay, and we will die. Tribes are desperate."
Adrian: "Were you expecting my sympathy? That sounds to me rather like yes, go kill the others."
Goblin Commander: "I do not think any tribe person will get sympathy from northern people."
"I have no power over tribes, why they listen to me say to them, "Stay here, die to monster".?"
"Tribe is scattered, not together. Lacks teamwork, many non-fighters."
Adrian: "I don't suppose you feel like informing them that I'm the stronger monster, hm?"
Goblin Commander: "If I say that, then what? We fight monster, then we all die, then monster probably goes north and kills this place."
"We cannot stop monster in numbers we have."
Adrian: "I assume there's a reason why you can't go east or west. Other than that, I'm somewhat aware of the possibility of your monster coming north."
Goblin Commander: "West is Ogres crown. Home to Gorrst Tribe. Kill trespassers. East is where trolls are."
"Nowhere going but north."
Adrian: "So you concluded we were the weakest enemy. Curious decision."
Goblin Commander: "Humans are not Ogres, not trolls. Was best chance we had."
Adrian: "In any case, perhaps I will go fight it myself. Now, if that happens, I'd advise you to consider which monster you want to win; this girl, who has been supposedly attacking your tribes without any provocation, or me, who will gladly leave you alone so long as your people remember that I'm every bit as much to be feared as the trolls and the ogres."
"If I haven't demonstrated that by now, perhaps I need to send you home with a few more pieces missing. What do you think, can you make a convincing enough argument to them as is?"
Goblin Commander: "I can lead you to monster! Hills hard to navigate alone."
"When monster gone, tribe have no need to go north. Can go back south and rebuild."
[Adrian : Sense Motive: 16]
Adrian: "Very good. So why don't you tell me exactly how the other two were killed?"
Goblin Commander: "By... hitting them. A lot."
"Skin may be stone, but even stone breaks."
Adrian: "How very informative."
Goblin Commander: "But... kills many before enough damage can be done."
Adrian: "You said they breathed blue fire. How far away could it reach you from?"
Goblin Commander: "About... forty goblins away."
"It feels like it drains your life when it hits you."
Adrian gives the goblin a dubious look.
Adrian: "Did it hit you?"
Goblin Commander: "Yes."
Adrian: "How bad an injury did it leave?"
Goblin Commander looks down at his chest, a ragged shirt covering it.
Goblin Commander: "Look for self."
Adrian: "Very well."
Adrian picks up his knife again, carefully cutting open the goblin's shirt.
A horrific black stain covers the goblin's chest, faintly glowing blue, looking like the skin and flesh itself has died, leaving what's not on the chest a much paler green than anything else.
Adrian glances at the goblin's wound, and takes a moment to regain his composure, trying to hide his alarm.
[Adrian : Bluff: 23]
Goblin Commander: "This is what monster do with blue fire."
Adrian: "How long ago was this?"
Goblin Commander: "...two suns... two days ago."
Adrian: "Any other survivors from it?"
Goblin Commander: "Few. You killed all survivors today."
"We were among last warriors in tribe."
Adrian: "...You said that they looked like they were from the desert country. How so? Clothing, skin tone?"
Goblin Commander: "Skin. Dark skin like desert people."
Adrian: "The ones you killed. What happened to their bodies?"
Goblin Commander: "...nothing. They died, we left them where they died."
Adrian: "Could you lead me to one?"
Goblin Commander: "...yes, if it has not rotted, or been taken."
Adrian: "Good."
Adrian cleans off his knife and puts it away, getting up.
Adrian: "I suppose I'll speak to you again when I have need of a guide. Have a good night. I'll try to remember to make sure you're fed tomorrow."
Goblin Commander grumbles as Adrian leaves.