They are going to need them this go round.
Write up follows:
For the next 3 days, the party was at the welcome…and mercy, of the Bloodtusk clan. The hobgoblins were focused on their overall and arching mission which was to bring their might in a surgical strike against the orcish tribe that had raided their caves some 6 months earlier. Less wise creatures would have thrown themselves at the orcs hoping to take as many down as possible, but the hobgoblins have a different outlook – the clan is important – but no more important than the individuals that make it up.
Any attack on the orcs would have to be one that did not risk the decimation of the Bloodtusk strike team.
We learned from Lieutenant Bloodtusk that he would lend us 4 of his fighters to go an assault the Ixitch Manorhouse. From his conversation with his advisors, what the party had told him about Scratch, and some serious strategy – the thought was that currently the orc tribe in question does not know of or use Scratch – but if they did, their capability would increase which would mean more potential loss of life for the Hobgoblins. So by taking out the Dealer, or seriously curtailing his ability, it prevents the promulgation of the drugs in question.
But it’s not a horse he has in the race and the main goal is to continue to shadow and track the orcish tribe as they break down their encampment and begin their wandering portion of their annual lives. But they did take back any wooden shields we had and upgraded most everyone’s armor thanks to their smiths and armorers.
We had a chance to meet and discuss plans and tactics with the 4 that would be coming with us. Bad Tom Bloodtusk was a giant of a hobgoblin, almost 7’ tall and over 300 lbs, he was the excited front line fighter of the group. Will Full Murder Bloodtusk was shorter and thinner, but was a crack shot with his flatbow and had some serious skill in sneaking around and scouting. Elsa Ire Bloodtusk was an adherent of Maglubiyet and had some fighting skills based upon her god’s skill set.
And then there was Eoghan.
At over 6’ tall and somewhere in his early 20’s, this non-hobgoblin had been captured by the Bloodtusk tribe over a year ago and had been their thrall during that time. Already a skilled bowman, his abilities grew exponentially in tracking and shooting, able to find his way through the densest forest in the darkest night. Saddened over some travesty that befell him almost 2 years ago, the Bloodtusks were waiting for an opportunity to send Eoghan on his way.
We were it.
The 4 were instructed that the group – primarily Barb and Brading, were in charge and they were to take out Ixitch Barrowman and end his dealing abilities. Then the three hobgoblins should find their way back to the strike team and Eoghan was free to go. It was expected that the hobgoblins would be entitled to a share of any spoils if any.
So it was on the end of the 4th that now fully equipped and given a bag full of food, that the now nine party members made their away from the Bloodtusk encampment and began their trek back. We pushed overland for a while, then turned south and stole our way through the early morning hours around huts and homes, making no effort to interact with anyone. We arrived at the North East Highway and turned to the left, and then realized we had made the initial turn south too early as we were coming upon once again, the small Thorpe known as Ditch.
We decided to go around it, giving the town a wide berth and then eventually found mile marker 5 where we had seen it before. From here we took the side road north to the 5 manorhouses that had not been used for a few years – except for the 4th one – Ixitch’s. In the just post dawn air, the ground was cool, the air cool and moist, and there was a layer of fog on everything.
We detoured to the left and off the road and peered through the gate seeing no one walking around. Shim drew out a scroll of Wall of Fog and intoned it, reading off the words as they boiled away and he sprung up a wall of vapors, 5’ thick, 10’ tall, and 70’ long that stretched in a faint curve from the gate to the front door of the manor!
We ran to the gates and Will Murder unlocked the new lock and chain easily, the wall hid us from the zombie head, and we arrived at the door without issue. We went to the right of the door and saw about 2 dozen rectangular divots in the ground, most about 3” deep. Not sure where they came from or what they were about, we wanted to instead turn our time and attention to getting inside and moving through as fast as we could.
Once again Will went to the door, and we managed to get it open…And Bad Tom went in, rolling and sweeping his sword, and then dodging to the left. No one was inside the place at the entrance, but we did see a half-ogrish Zombie standing there. With an armful of cheap clay plates.
And shit…he dropped them. The noise echoed through the place at the same time that Shim dropped a globe of darkness over the zombie AND blocking the door and the hall! Nice. So this meant we went to the left double door and the group high tailed it down there fast.
Once inside and before the zombie could get to us, we went to slam the door closed and Brading took a bracing bar to block it up – meanwhile we faintly heard voices getting closer. Just before it happened, Thalin fired off a summon monster spell and a Troglodyte appeared! He gave it the command to “fight” and the door closed as the reptilian drew out his bone spear and charged into the dark. With the door closed we took quick stock of the place.
Hall, dirty carpet, wooden bench with ratty cushion. Closed door on the north wall, double door on the end hall, 2 pedestals with dwarven busts upon it. Alright. Barb and Tom were going to push our way in to the next room while we took the bench and placed it in front of the lone single door. Meanwhile though the doors behind us we could hear yelling and snarling and fighting.
Barb hit the door just as it was opened and we saw two humans armed with flatbows and a mastiff hound! Whew! Fight was on. And with 9 to 3- it was an easy hold for the party to force the enemy back and pick them apart, especially after Barb raged and body slammed one of the back to crash against the far wall and rain preserves down as well and fall against an open brine barrel 1/3 filled with pickles.
Nice.
More double doors to the north, stairs going up to the south. Shim and Brading checked it out and after climbing the turn, saw the trap door above was closed and braced in place – no chance of anyone getting in that way. Meanwhile the group was putting more hurt on the defenders when just as it was about over and we pushed into the next room that two more mastiff’s leapt in from beyond the next chamber and Barb took the impact.
She was savaged for a bit before the rest of the group was able to come to bear and help her hold off any further damage from the hounds. We finished THAT battle off before we heard a lone shambling undead coming our way also across the training grounds…stop…look at us and then detour around the side of the entrance. From there we watched it as it picked up a practice sword and stood by the door poised to strike.
Right.
So while Bad Tom and Shim were getting pickles and preserves, handing them out to the tired adventurers and Thalin and Brading were locking doors behind us as we kept going on, Else Ire and Barb dove through the door and made short work of the undead with a well delivered smattering of blows.
We found ourselves in the training yard, some practice dummies, saw horses, piles of bark, some stones for shotput practice, and tall posts. Also, lots of dog shit. A Large shed was in the northwest corner, we heard some noises like a horse coming from inside – the door was roped closed. A door on the north side of the place was closed and we heard nothing and 2 other doors on the south side of the place, one with rabbit shit around it, the other with a key in the lock. We guessed it was the other door that led back to the main entrance hall so we made sure it was locked and then roped the two doors together.
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