conversations: human
conversations:  The day began well, Arianna had managed to catch herself a fit young man for chores who did not complain about even the more difficult tasks. He is a little scruffy, but that can be ignored considering how useful he is. Ulrik stands a short distance from the cottage that is Arianna's home, holding a light woodcutters axe, staring at a tree in deep thought. He wears pants with slits cut into them shortly after the knee to keep cool and a tan tunic of a lightweight material. He shakes his head and swings the axe into the tree, making a soft thwak sound, a small cut appears and the axe bounces off. He swings again, angling the axe upward and a large chunk of bark flies from the tree. Smiling, he continues his work, obvious enjoyment on his face. In barely twenty minutes, he works the tree down and begins cutting it into smaller pieces, working at the same impressive pace.
  
  Just after sunset, the tree around Arianna's home came to life, ripping through the walls of her cottage and destroying her small garden of herbs. Less than a minute later, the trees stood still and dozens of small goblin like creatures ran into her cottage, stealing books and scrolls, leaving only what Arianna and Ulrik held in their arms.
conversations: flagisthief:
conversations: human
conversations:  Arianna, still disoriented from these rapid developments, shuffles around the remainders of her cottage, surveying the carnage while trying to keep a safe distance from the thrice-accursed tree.  My potions ... my laboratory! They will pay. The wretched creatures will pay .
  
   Hey, you ... Ulrik! Did you see which way they scrammed, the wee devils? 
   He could have at least swung an axe at one. Tarnations, do I have to explain everything? Good help is so hard to get these days.  She pauses her step to pick up a vial that seems intact.  Maybe this one has some ... nah, broken, just like the rest of them. But why would goblins do this? They never bothered me before. Wonder if someone put them up to it. 
   Ulrik! I'm talking to you! Which way? 
conversations: Equinox:
conversations: human
conversations:  "Thats the problem miss, they went in every direciton, after hitting the forest, they went North, East and West. Miss Arianna, do goblins have something against you?" 
  
  Ulrik set down the few books and vials he had saved and looked out into the forest.
  
   "I can track them down miss, a dozen goblins cannot be harder to find than a Hart on a rainy day. It pays to have been a hunter for most of my life. You wait here miss, I'll bring back whatever it is they took." 
conversations: flagisthief:
conversations: human
conversations:  Goblins? Thieving little buggers they are, sometimes I catch one and han... I mean, punish it as a warning for others, but never have they been daring like that, they haven't. 
  
  Arianna is reluctant to let her new friend go alone. He might get some independent ideas.
  
   We'll go together. It might be, uhm, dangerous. Grab the axe, grab anything else you can use, let's go. If they split, we'll follow the larger group. 
  
  She quickly casts a couple spells while Ulrik is getting ready, and scans the remainders of her cottage with  Arcane Sight , just in case any magic items remained intact. Before entering the deep of the woods, she utters a  See Invisibility  incantation. Invisible wizards are hardly a fixture of this forest, but she had been surprised twice today already, and has no desire to go for three.
conversations: Equinox:
conversations: human
conversations:  Just be careful miss, I cannot stop you from following. 
  He looks around for the axe he was using earlier and eventually gave up.
  
   The goblins took the axe, I'll just have to find something else to use. 
  
  Ulrik breaks off a tree branch and shrugs, accepting that it is the only weapon he has access to currently. He waves for Arianna to follow and takes a few steps into the forest, watching the tracks closely as he walks. He mutters to himself fairly constantly, somehow bothered by the tracks he refers to as chicken markings.
conversations: flagisthief:
conversations: human
conversations:  Arianna and Bertram follow Ulrik closely. The raven flutters from one branch to another, while its mistress makes her through the undergrowth with visible effort. Meanwhile she tries to recall the goblins' habits, and whether they have any villages or warrens nearby.
  
   
   Spoiler 
  Knowledge (Local)  (1d20+18)[ 25 ] 
   
  
  
  In nothing useful comes to mind, about ten minutes after, she will break down and defer to Ulrik's expertise, asking him why he's so bothered by the tracks.
conversations: Equinox:
conversations: human
conversations:  Arianna knows that goblins like their homes far enough from other races that they are left alone, but close enough to be able to steal what they need. She also knows that they tend towards dark underground tribes, not enough considering the terrain, the goblins could be almost anywhere.
  
   These tracks are not goblin tracks, yet it is the goblins who left them, something is very wrong. 
conversations: flagisthief: