In my world, goblins are horde creatures and they overcome their natural poor morale whenever they have a knowing 4 to 1 advantage over their targets. They chant, singing as they attack. It's a rousing song that bolsters their people, giving them the equivalent of a Bless - +1 to hit and +1 on Morale - each round. And it stacks to +5.
So the longer the fight goes on, the more overwhelming the goblin warriors and their assault becomes. So adventurers have 2 choices - stand their ground and hope they denude the assaulting foes enough to negate the 4 to 1 advantage - or run for their lives. There is no right answer, and each goblin encounter is different.
Follows:
The group decided to check out the stairs going up, giving Grendel a little time to get matters…in hand. Connal muddled through for now. The steps were worn in the center from thousands of people using them in the past. The 2nd floor had more destroyed south walls open to the night air beyond. A few stone doors were here, and after checking them out, we saw an office in each. Darius went first and there was a weird burping noise and he disappeared – reappearing below in the pool formed by the choir area. Standing in almost 20+ inches of water, he sighed and got out, stripping off his wet stuff for now and setting up his brazier to help dry it out.
Connal went next, also appearing below. On a second go through though, neither man got portalled down. We found some old scrolls here, the paper dried out from over a century of being out and exposed to the elements. But each was a better than expected clerical scroll. There were other books here as well, genealogy, birth and death records.
We went up to the 3rd floor, and it was also with a shattered south wall. A circle of stones were here and signs of an old fire pit here. The smell of ogre was not too old – none here at this time. There were some closets here and a few sleeping cells. IN which we found a total of 4 bodies – each badly assaulted by the ancient dwarves and left here. We left the dead alone and feeling uncomfortable as if being watched, moved on.
It was on the 4th floor that the tower area was getting smaller and we felt really uncomfortable going any further. Connal checked out the rooms and after verifying that they were more private rooms, we decided to not go any further up and instead head back to the main floor of the Cathedral.
Once here we went down to the lower level where we could see water had collected. A ballista was here (poor condition), and a number of barrels and boxes – also rotted along the base. The chamber was pretty large and there was another set of stairs getting even lower. We went there and it was a good 30’ down until we arrived at a sizable subterranean chamber. The south wall was collapsed and ruined, crystals and gypsum crusted from the ceiling. And there were dozens. Scores. Hundreds of dead here. Their bodies had been reduced to scraps of flesh and bones, obliterated from the assault of the dwarves during the Randari Water when they destroyed Hillscar and collapsed the earth on everyone here.
There was one figure, standing before the wreckage of the south wall. Orcish in size, clad in robes, had a female shape, arms upraised and hands out as if stopping the force that came and killed everyone. She was encrusted with grit, rock dust, bits of stone, and cemented limestone, eternally entombed in rock. We felt…out of place and bit in awe being here. So we left.
Back upstairs we decided to rest. It was after 10 and we split up the watch for now. Tomorrow we would head to Canaslan and Wendover to get some answers. Grendel drew first watch and the party rested. Eventually both the elf and Connal were no longer under the effects of the philter. The night passed on but it was about 111:30ish when Grendel heard a noise out there. He went and listened and then it repeated but not as an echo – closer.
We weren’t alone.
He ran to wake the group who swiftly armored up and drew into a long line within the Cathedral, weapons out and ready. And then they came, chanting and singing, filled with their own raucous calls. Goblins. Lots of them. They came screaming and shouting, some with spears, other with swords and clubs, a few on wargs. And flatbows rang out, cracking at the party.
We returned fire and did our best to make a better line, trusting the tree line to make a direct charge at us impossible. The first few greenskins fell and others charged in meeting spear and sword. But the first fighters were over 30 at least. And more were coming. Much more. The battle coalesced around two parts with Connal and Grendel making one pivotal point and Rhygar and Darius being the other. Everyone fired spells and bows, and then we filled the air with summons. Giants rats, crocodiles, even a damned Dire Bat. The group was hit, and we took a number of withering blows, a number of us doing our level best to hold the ground and drive enough of the goblins back. And the waves kept coming.
But finally, after 9 brutal minutes of frantic combat there seems to be a shift in the combat as the goblins have stopped their chanting and whatever effect was adding such fury to their attacks. We weren’t done, but we hoped that things were going to get easier for us here on out.
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