Prologue Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI
I've "fictionalized" the session reports in a likely-vain attempt to make them more "entertaining".
And now, our story continues...
And now, our story continues...
Like a calm before the storm, the trek north to Kiras Toth was largely uneventful and, even as the sun began to wane, the heroes had no trouble spotting the partially-destroyed Sentinel Tower in the distance. Upon arrival at the base of the structure, the Fellowship noticed charred stone rubble laying scattered all about, and pronounced scorch marks covering huge swaths of the surrounding area.
Elster led his allies over to a pile of debris and, after a hasty communal effort to clear it away, the Fellowship discovered a trap door leading underground. After bidding farewell to the dying sunlight, the group ventured into the stifling darkness. While stepping down the precarious stone ladder, the heroes couldn't help but note the a distinct smell of death in the air.
At the end of their descent, the Fellowship found themselves standing in an elaborately-carved entrance way, guarded by two dwarf survivors armed with crossbows. At the far end of the chamber, the two sentries had piled a table and four chairs up in front of the door leading from this room into the next. Giving a quick whistle of recognition so as not to alarm the guards, Elster rushed over and introduced the adventurers to the dwarven defenders: Angmarr Stonehaven and Klen Trollhammer. Both looked decidedly relieved to see the wayward priest in the company of some back-up.
"Kadre!" yelled Angmarr. "Good to see that you've brought some re-reinforcements. They may be a scrawny lot, but at least there's plenty of them!"
The two then hastily proceeded to recount what’s been happening since Elster left for Castebridge. They explained that this room, normally used to keep enemies out of the stronghold, was now being used to keep the goblin interlopers and their larger ilk from getting out! They went on the explain that the section of the fortress just beyond the door is now completely over-run with goblins.
After vanishing for a bit, Klen re-appeared with a clinking burlap sack, which he passed over to Elster.
"Grimm recovered these potions from the chapel, Kadre. Most of ‘em was smashed, but he managed to salvage three or four."
After passing out the healing potions to his new human allies, the priest helped his kin dismantle the barricade. After the two guards ushered the heroes into the corridor beyond, they wished them luck, warned them to stay alert and vowed to hold the line at all costs. As the Fellowship hunkered close together just beyond the threshold, the two sentries went back inside and closed the door.
The sound of tables and chairs being piled up against the portal did little for the group's morale. One gruesome thought hung in the air like a bat threatening to take wing: how quickly could the guards get that barrier down if something huge and vicious suddenly started chasing them?
Unnerved by unbowed by this unspoken question, the adventurers began to inch their way down the passageway. Now deep underground and cloaked in stultifying darkness, the heroes cast nervous sidelong glances as their lamp-light cast eerie shadows on the walls and ceiling all around them.
The adventurers eventually stumbled into a room with a few overturned benches scattered about. As warned, they also encountered four snarling goblins dressed in leather armor and wielding cruel-looking morningstars. For a moment the creatures looked disappointed - perhaps they were expecting more dwarves? - but they also seemed more than content with murdering the Fellowship as a consolation prize! Alas, the over-confident goblins soon found themselves outmatched and, after a short and decisive scrap, the heroes pressed on to the next chamber.
This turned out to be the reception hall. Once used by the dwarves to entertain visitors, this once-lavish chamber had been reduced to a depressing shadow of its former grandeur. Torn and filthy tapestries hung from the walls, which, in turn, were streaked with blood and filth. An overturned throne lay propped against one wall, it’s lavish cushions torn to pieces. Bookshelves were overturned everywhere, their ancient, priceless tomes scattered about and ripped to shreds.
But, by far, the room's most startling feature were the four hobgoblins lounging around the chamber, each clad in studded leather armor and equipped with a longsword and shield. As the door of the room swung inwards, the creatures looked up at the heroes and immediately raised their swords. Unfortunately, this aggressive posture was cut comically short when Rincewind knocked them all out with a well-timed "Sleep" spell!
Elster then directed his allies to a concealed door in the corner of the room, which led to what was clearly once a fine dwarven bedchamber.
"This is the lord’s quarters," whispered the priest.
As expected, the chamber was a complete mess, with torn clothes and shredded books scattered all around the room. Even the bed was torn apart, reduced to little more than a large pile of broken wood and dirty fragments of cloth. Lounging atop these remnants was a huge, hairy creature, at least seven feet tall! Standing near this behemoth were two timid-looking goblins holding trays of raw meat, who immediately started to tremble and scream as soon as the heroes appeared in the doorway.
Undaunted by this odd sight, Bria immediately let a crossbow bolt fly, striking the massive creature in the shoulder even before it could get to its clawed feet. Pol followed this up with a savage charge, bull-rushing the beast head-over-heels back over its crushed bed. Now reeling, the bugbear swung wildly, but the amazon expertly parried the creature’s weapon and brought down the killing blow. By now, the two goblin servants were running around the room in a frenzied panic, forcing Roman and Elster to end their panicked riot as quickly and mercifully as possible.
After this brief but vicious fracas, Elster encouraged his compatriots to gather up anything of value to use in the coming struggle. They quickly managed to locate a decent pile of gold crowns, a few pieces of topaz, Giran Oakenshield’s signet ring, a wizard's "Fireball" scroll and a "Potion of Fire Resistance." Flushed with this initial success, the heroes ventured onward.
Elster then led the group into what he called the "Meeting Room." In addition to a large table and several chairs pushed up against the far wall, several piles of shredded tapestries and clothing were scattered about the floor, being used as beds by four sleeping hobgoblins. Passed out after a long day of guarding and patrolling, they were still dressed in their armor, with their swords and shields lying nearby. Given the expected element of surprise, the group made short work of these intruders and, after the fight was over, they recovered all of the dwarf's stolen topaz and gold.
The explorers then pressed on into the dining hall of Giran Oakenshield. Prior to the hobgoblin invasion, it's quite evident that this would have been a finely-decorated hall, but now the tables were all shattered into pieces, garbage lay strewn about the floor and shredded tapestries were scattered about in thick piles.
As the heroes slowly shuffled slowly about the room they began to realize, to their horror, that snoring noises were coming from underneath the piles of fabric! Upon closer examination, they discovered that each stack contained a sleeping goblin. After pausing for a second to observe how oddly endearing all of this was, the group then proceeded to slaughter the vile invaders wholesale!
Now moving with considerable swagger, the adventurers proceeded on to another large chamber which Elster explains was once used for sparring and military drills. But, as the Fellowship enters the room, it quickly becomes evident that it was recently the site of a very real and very major battle. The group's bold mood was instantly dampened when they saw at least two dozen bodies - dwarf, goblin and hobgoblin - strewn around the chamber, their weapons lying nearby. To Elster’s consternation, his two peers, Girsta Highhammer and Sonnlinor high priest Parn Golddelve were counted among the dead.
That's when Bria noticed a human-sized figure crouched over a body in the middle of the chamber. Drawn by a macabre sense of curiosity to this odd sight, as well as the faint crunching sounds, the heroes were completely horrified when their lamp-light washed over the scene and to reveal the figure’s arms completely soaked in blood.
The Fellowship edged closer, intent on swarming the vile creature all at once, but Roman’s clanking armor gave them away. Reflexively, Bria landed a solid hit, driving their foe into a frenzy, while Lorelei summoned a mystical badger to assist in the imminent fracas. Committing to a risky, two-handed overhead swing, Pol underestimated the speed of the creature and her sword got lodged in a stout wooden weapon rack, throwing off her recovery time.
Seeing the amazon wounded and vulnerable, Elster took a moment to heal her. Taken aback by the agility of something supposedly half-dead, Rincewind completely telegraphed his swing, while Roman failed to drive the abomination back through sheer divine will.
Sensing an easy target, the ghoul lashed out, seizing Pol by the neck. Instantly paralyzed, the warrior dropped her sword and immediately started to black out. Seeing this, Roman and Rincewind rushed forward, but could do nothing to break the creature’s rigor-grip on her throat. At the same time, Lorelei’s mystical pet latched onto a decrepit leg and Elster’s panicked attempt to turn their enemy failed as badly as his human counterpart’s.
Like a statue made of flesh, Pol could only stand there and watch as that leering, decrepit visage drew closer, it's gaping maw about to bite down on her own face, frozen in a rigor mask of genuine terror. It was a terrible final thing to see before everything went completely dark.
To be continued...
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