Faerun's Heroes and The Lost Wave Echo Caves

Day 1: AM

Dain of Ironfist trudged forwards to a small bank, slumping on his knees to bend down with cupped hands. His dense armour pounded into the grassy floor as he did so. A stream cut through the trees, zig-zagging in between the woodland and the hills beyond. 

"Don't get too settled, we are still searching. The trail led here, there's got to be something more than just a tiny stream," stated Ella with one hand upon her belt containing storage for her shortsword and the other filding with the string on her longbow carried across her back.

She was tenacious by nature. Driven by curiosity for adventure, she struggled to retain her excitable anticipation at their situation. Although, her irritation for the dwarf grew, as he splashed the river water over his pale skin with seemingly little evidence of caring for his potentially lost cousin.

"How about we follow this stream, at least for a while. I don't want to get lost, we need to get to Phandalin as soon as we can." Suggested the Elf Wizard with an all-knowing expression in his posture. He brushed some sticky-weed off his emerald cloak.

"And why is that? Just because you want some Gold? Dain's cousin..."

"Dain of Ironfist, to you." He interrupted with an intended cough, grunting, now stood back up from the water but with a little trickle still making its way through his black beard.

Ella rolled her eyes and continued, "Dain of Ironfist's cousin is potentially missing. I, for one, have a moral obligation to be of help. Besides, if we find him, think what extra reward we could get - if all you are concerned about is gold."

"Me? I'm looking forward to a drink and food, that's what I will spend my reward on." Dain smirked at the realisation of annoying his fellow traveller, Ella. What did she know, she's just a youthful human.

After some more small quarrel, the three did indeed follow the stream, and to Erevan's intuition, it did lead them to something. As much as they could glimpse from where they stood, shadowed figures were positioned the other side of the thick tree trunks. Ella lifted her hand to gain the attention of the others, informing them to hush. Pointing towards the bodies, she encouraged Erevan to follow her in their direction, slowly. Dain shrugged and sat put - his heavy armour was near impossible to keep silent.

Erevan and Ella were careful to remain unnoticed. From this position they could observe that the figures had been more goblins. Ella stepped to the right, and Erevan to the left, in order to simultaneously attack from behind. Swiftly swooping in, Erevan grabbed the nearest goblin to him, one hand around the mouth, the other pushing it gracefully to the dirt trail. Ella shot an arrow straight into the spine of the other. The captured goblin squealed at the sight of his companion facedown, dead. Whistling for Dain to come over, Ella used some rope from her backpack to tie the hands and feet of their captured creature.

"What is this then?" asked Erevan, gesturing towards a rocky opening in the hill, that these creatures had been suggesting of guarding.

The goblin's yellow eyes widened with fear, and swallowed hard. "It is a cave," he trembled. His voice sounded like gravel against a chalk board.

"What's inside?" fired Dain.

"Well... there goblins. Where we stay." He replied, in Common not well spoken, words wobbling.

"How many?"

"And where?" added Ella.

Flustered from the rapid interrogating questions, the simple goblin could only manage to choke out the word "ten."  

"Is there anyone other than goblins in there?" Asked Dain.

"Like you." Nodded the Goblin.

"How many?" Erevan demanded but the goblin could only holler in terror; he did not know, or could not compose his words.