Icemonth the 10th, 12:45 PM. We had gone back to the Garrison at the southwest end of the Monastery grounds and talked at length of our options and what our plans were. First, we had 7 days of food (6 after today), so the thought of going back to Fort Guido and hiding out was an option but we discarded it. Thinking Gavin and his team might follow us or better dig in and have more defenses was an option but it would be more impactful if we came back after a day.
That led us to discuss staying here and now. It was a blizzard outside, 30 mph winds, blinding snow, 150 foot visibility. No one was going out to track and that included us. We figured for a day, we’d be ok. The building was cold though. So we used about a third of our wood to light a fire in the kitchen oven to not only warm the place, but give each of us the chance for a good night’s sleep.
We were also wet. So we took off our clothes, set them up to dry, and kept careful watch. There were some chinks in the mortar, but the kitchen did heat up to about 65 degrees which gave us the chance to get a good night’s sleep. Knowing the goblinoids were nocturnal, we wanted to be at the Monastery proper by 6, 6:30. So we ate, got dressed again in our dry clothes, and Nevah banked the fire so it would give little light but still enough warmth. And the party rested, taking alternative watches as need be.
We were up the 11th and by 6 AM, were out the door. A trio of Endure elements were cast (Hrimvir, Fjord, and Thobar) and we went outside. It was still snowing. Over 3 feet on the floor, but the wind had died down some. It took us a time to make it to the door (6:30). We could see the goblins had opened it during the night, and partially covered tracks led off to the garden and back. Ok, they resupplied some food stuffs.
We entered with care. Spear racks were gone now. And the two secret doors were closed. We went to the north one, listened, got the all clear, and opened it up. Less carrion in the hall here, and quiet. We entered with care, went south behind the sanctuary, and stopped at the cross hall. The original noose on the floor was gone, and someone had made an attempt to clean up. There was a cloth head mop here, stained with dye, dirty, and smelled of urine (what else were they going to use to moisten the mop? Filthy!).
Still no goblins. Detect evil was also coming up blank. We entered the original hobgoblin/goblin watch room – empty. In the intervening day, they also took all the pillows and sheets. Dragged the beds away from the back wall. We dragged them back in place, got the clean from Gun on the door being quiet, and entered.
Store room was empty and stone stairs went down into the darkness. Listening got us nothing. So we drew up marching order and proceeded down with exaggerated care, the gnome advising everyone of a goblin trickery. Good call because just about 1/3 of the way down 2 steps were covered with a sheen of oil, and 2 steps past that had broken glass shards all of it. Needed to get this out of here. Nevah suggested he’d be right back – hoping to head back to the 1st floor and get that mop!
We waited as he retraced his steps and handed the mop up to the front. We then used the mop to sop up the oil, and then sweep the glass shard away. But now we had a wooden handled mop stained brown with dye, damp with human urine, coated in at least half a flask of oil, and had scores of glass shards stuck in the fibers.
Best weapon ever.
We took it, knowing that if we lit it on fire and hit someone with it – epic.
By 7:45 we were at the bottom of the stairs. No smells of incense. No mumbling goblinoid voices. We talked about options and decided to head as far west as we could – there was a passage beyond the last one that turned southwest and should get us closer to our goal. We made it there and then continued on with serious care. The passage had turned here and went on 40 or 50 feet before turning full south. Some faint light was coming out of a side passage and we inched closer before looking through the 20’ wide opening.
It was an arena. Easily 120 by 70, the floor of which was 10’ below the hallway level. Seating for hundreds. Two huge columns from the floor to the ceiling above. But there were 4 bodies in the gloom below and a 4 count of slow-burn torches here. A few of us eventually inched in and made their way down to the floor.
The bodies were that of two wolf-hounds, and two humans. Most likely rangers. Which matched what we had learned back at Fort Guido. It looks like they’ve been dead for a week or 3, and their final death involved arrows – most likely from up in the stands down there. Who knows how long they held out before being killed. We looked all over for their gear and didn’t find it exactly, but there was a hidden area under some of the seats that had a ring, sword, bow, short sword, leather armor, and a handful of arrows. Atlas did a detect magic and identified two of the items – Ring was a ring of protection (given to Hrimvir), and the sword was a short sword +1 (Fjord took it).
After making sure there was nothing left and Gun finishing the mapping, we left the arena about 8:30 and kept on down the hall. At some point we ended up with two possible doors, one on the east wall, one on the south – both at the end of the passage. We listened to both and heard snoring beyond the east one. Yander verified a detect evil spell – 10 of them – 5 goblins, 5 hobs.
The party decided to send Gun and Fjord in to take them out while sleeping and the rest of us quiet in the hall. They got the door opened, and split up, 5 on left, 5 on right. They held hands over mouths and stabbed in throats. One at a time until 1 was left and they invited Nevah in to do the honors. We looked over the room. Door on the east wall which we opened and checked – went back to the long hall we had been in yesterday. Ok, map was filling in.
It was 20 after 9 when we got to the south door. Opening it showed a hall going south and then turning to the east. A look there showed a long hall to another door, and a side passage also going south here as well. Gun felt the east door would lead to the hall so we approached. It was here that Atlas noticed another alarm spell glyph up there. Matches the same one that was in the supply room. Opening the door will trigger the alarm and we’ll be knee deep in goblins. If he had some crushed gemstones and a bit of luck, he could try and bypass the rune. We decided to just not and instead went to the south passage.
It was long – 80, 90’. We looked for secret doors (found none). They had decorated the hall with crude pictures of greenskin goblins. At the end we could see a wavering light around the east turn and glanced quickly there. Two figures 40’ down keeping guard. Hobgoblin with a crossbow and goblin with a bow.
We needed to check it out but they were too far to risk an attack or charge. Atlas once again came to the front and used a Sleep spell, knocking both of them out. Knife to the throat and they were no longer an issue. There was a passage here to the north with a door on the east wall. And a passage to the south a few feet on with 2 doors on the east and west wall there – AND the passage kept going into the gloom. We dragged the 2 bodies north and listened while Yander did his detect evil.
15 Hobgoblins. Most likely sleeping. But 15 of them. Fuck, that’s bad.
We went to the other 2 rooms and checked them out. The east door had 14 more hobgoblins, and the west door had 14 bugbears.
Damn it – 43 powerful enemies if we do something terribly wrong. We wanted to keep checked but were very nervous. Looking through our gear, We had a length of barbed wire which using Hrimvir’s pliers, Fjord fastened around the two doors on the south wall that were facing each other – that would slow them down. For the north door, Cara called out a prayer to Thor, warping the wood and forcing the door there to stick closed.
We kept going east from here, trying hard to be super quiet. Lots of goblin graffiti here. 70’ or so and a triangular alcove here with a double door. Echoes sounded something awake on the other side. And a detect evil got a number of goblins, hobgoblins, and a strange hobgoblin that we assumed was the Goblin king, Gavin.
Ok. Not ready for this. We decided to back up (it was 10:30) from here and headed all the way to the corner, down the long hall, up to the door, and then to the ready room that we had killed the goblins and hobgoblins sleeping in. We opened the door and exited here. Hallway went north, south, and east from here. North would lead us back to the kitchen and double doors, so we went south.
Came to a door and did another detect evil – getting according to Yander, 24 goblin pings beyond it. Ok – but still 24 of them. We kept heading south, passing the door with the alarm on it (not visible from this side) and the passage ended and went east. We went that way and there was a door here that also went to the goblin room (2 ways in – we’d have to either use that to our benefit or prevent the goblins from doing it when they get the chance).
We kept heading east to the end and the passage went north. Gun assumed it would eventually make a large square. There was a door on the left and a few of us found a secret door on the right! It rose up and to the left, a rough passage was beyond it. While listening to the door here though, Gun could hear something on the other side sniffing around. And Yander got a single strange scented evil ping. It was fumbling with the knob so we all filed into the secret passage and yanked the wall closed. The passage went north and east and ended at a tight iron mesh where 8 big assed birds with colorful feathers, long heads, and very long beaks filled with double rows of curled sharp teeth.
The druid had to dig in her memory a bit but said they were Piranha birds. Vicious, meat eaters, and if there were enough of them, capable of swarming. We could see through the mesh a door in the room on the west wall, so conceivably we could get there from the main hall. But it would be dangerous to open that door. It was 11:45 on Icemonth the 11th and we were discussing our next options.
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