-----Difficult, but not out of the question. That was the impression that Whisper had as he climbed down from the shop’s roof. As far as remaining silent, there would be no question of moving undetected. The rabble that seemed to drift between the buildings was supplying enough noise to raise the dead. . . only the dead wouldn’t wish to be here. The scene around the village once dominated by humans was like a hellish landscape featuring open fires and rampaging humanoids.
-----As Whisper’s boots alighted upon the ground, he backed into the shadows. Across the way, the inn stood separate from other buildings; its matted walls flickering an orange color from the various camp and bonfires within its vicinity. It seemed like a great beast which had been brought low surrounded by the smaller shapes that surrounded and guarded it.
-----If Whisper made a mad dash for it in a straight line, he found he would pass one of the smaller bonfires in the middle of the trail. He would also have to dodge the attention of various groups of hobgoblin in various states of patrol and inebriation.
-----Quickly now, Whisper headed behind the shop to circle around the perimeter of light made by the bonfire and to stick to as much of the darkness as he could as he headed for the inn. As he ran around the smaller building and made to cross the thoroughfare, he suddenly came face to face with a trio of hobgoblins squatting together by the side of the trail. The first thing Whisper noticed was the strong smell of alcohol about them.
-----The trio looked up at the elf emerging from the shadows and one of their number stood up, although impaired somewhat by the amount of drinking that had taken place. All three hobgoblins squinted at Whisper, though they obviously were unsure of his nature. One of the squatting hobgoblins raised a glass bottle at Whisper and growled.
-----Suddenly off to the left, an angry voice is heard! The three hobgoblins instantly freeze and squint toward the location of the disturbance. For a moment it seems that an alarm had been raised and Whisper thought at first it was due to him.
-----However, in the next few moments, he sees a few of the hobgoblin soldiers that are milling about, grab their weapons in hand and run off. They appear to be heading for the gate leading into the village. There seems to be some kind of trouble!
-----Seeing an opening, Whisper very easily does away with the three hobgoblins before they turn their attention back on him.
-----Quickly now, Whisper scans his surroundings and notices that his slaying of the three inebriated humanoids brought no attention his way. More hobgoblins run past fully focused on what has occurred at the village gate. When a lull occurs in their movement, Whisper heads toward the two-story inn.
-----Dashing from side to side, the elf avoids the flaming light of the open bonfires and clings as much as possible to the darkness. Suddenly he is at the corner of the large structure. Peering around the corner, he sees two hobgoblins sentries nearby; their attention focused off toward the gate.
-----Carefully he grasps the wood that makes up the frame of the building and begins to climb. He makes it up just a few feet when suddenly his foot slips! Losing his grip, Whisper crashes downward, but luckily he lands on his feet.
-----Looking around the corner, he sees that the sentries have not heard his clamor.
-----His eyes narrowed, and he gave thanks to whoever was causing the ruckus for small mercies.
-----Unfortunately, he began to get a nagging feeling that it was one of his companions that had set off the alarm. The cold hard core that was Whisper urged him onward and upward, focused on finding the dwarf; and the small quiet voice that had played for his new companions wanted to see what had actually caused the commotion.
-----After a short internal struggle, Whisper decided to kill both birds with one stone. He should be able to get a clear view of the gate from the next storey up.
-----Carefully, he set about climbing back up again.
-----This time Whisper had much more success! He carefully found his footing and lifted himself up along the wall. Seemingly, too he rose above the smoke that had accumulated along the ground from the numerous bonfires.
-----Off to the west, he could see toward the gate where many hobgoblin soldiers were hurrying and some were already assembled. A smaller cluster was already engaged in some sort of activity as firelight reflected off drawn weapons.
-----Whisper could indeed make out a figure that moved differently from the stiffly armored humanoids. This one leaped occasionally and lashed out with weapons in both hands. Instantly Whisper recognized this one as Raven!