"No. 'e works for tha' Firean though. If ye 'aven't run into 'im, 'e might have run off if 'e 'eard you comin'."
Drago's eyes narrowed at the Dwarf, "Any thought to where he might have gone?"
"'e probably left for good. Only thing 'e cared 'bout was that wolfhound of 'is," Reithic says. "If 'e could 'ave its life spared, 'e would do anythin', includin' abandonin' Firean."
"You seem to know a lot about the man." Drago state suspisciously. "What do you think Ylrhea?"
The gnome tilts her head to the side. "It may be that he's been here a while."
"Aye, several weeks," the dwarf replies. "I've seen 'em all really. That half-orc cook o' theirs, that half-elf woman and several o' those bandits...but they jes' come t' get some water from that well there mostly."
"If these two were really in league with them, the bandits would have sprung them as soon as we attacked," Ylrhea says. "We should just let them go."
"You can handle that. I'm going to look around." The Damphir responded as he milled about the cellar.
"Okay," Ylrhea says as she unlocks the dwarf's manacles first and escorts him up the stairs. She returns a few minutes later to unlock the goblin's manacles.
After she frees the goblin, he attempts to talk to the gnome. "Daar is 'n lokval in die kelders. 'N ontploffende deur."
"I don't understand..."
Ylrhea shakes her head. The goblin traces a picture out in the dirt of a door on fire.
"A trap?" she asks, before realizing the goblin can't understand her. "Uh...um...'N strik?"
The goblin's eyes light up and he nods vigorously. "Dit sal opblaas as jy stap op dit."
The gnome looks lost again at this last sentence. "Come on, you can leave now."
She escorts the goblin upstairs and returns a few minutes later. Drago, in the meantime, finds nothing noteworthy or strange. He peers into the well and sees a small stream which winds towards the donjon below and past the watchtower itself.
"What was that about?" Drago asked the Gnome.
"There's a trap somewhere in the other building, but I couldn't make out much more than that," Ylrhea says. "I'm sorry..."
"Well knowing there's a trap let's us be cautious at least. So we just need to be careful." He replied with a smile.
"Right," the gnome says, her mood brightening slightly. "I guess I should have learned goblin at some point...Well, if there's nothing here, we should probably try and secure this place for the night."
Extending his hand to the Gnome, "Shall we?"
Ylrhea takes Drago's hand. After leaving the cellar, she locks the door and bars the front entrance. You manage to find some foodstuffs in Bareli's kitchen to get you through the evening. The ghoul feasts on the remnants of the bandits. There is enough room to accommodate all of you, between the barracks, Firean and Cullen's rooms.
Mortimus retires to Cullen's old room, the smell of wet dog probably the least disturbing for him. Grawfir sleeps in the barracks downstairs, while Ylrhea and Drago take Firean's room.
As you rest, you hear a strange elven song in the night. To Drago, it is painfully familiar.
Drago's sleep was invaded by dreams of him feeding upon a beautiful human maiden, when the haunting sound of Aliethia's song spliting the night air. She's here? The Damphir went to the window and looked over the evening landscape. You will be the first. he thought. He looked back to the Gnome curled up in his bed. You will not be her next victim.
As Drago stands at the window, his thoughts troubling him, he catches sight of a group of goblins led by an ogre heading toward the watchtower. They carry torches and appear ready for a battle.
"Ylrhea, wake up and help wake the others. We've got company."
Ylrhea rolls out of the bed and wakes up Mortimus and Grawfir. The group reconvenes in Firean's room. The group outside comes to the door of the watchtower. You soon smell smoke coming from below.
"Must be that Bloodmoon tribe," Grawfir grunts irritably. "Guess they're aligned with ogres."
"Perhaps the one we let go wants to raze this place to the ground."
"No, I don't think it's him," the gnome says. "He barely made it out of here as it was. These guys...they probably think the bandits are still here."
Looking back at the gathering goblin forces, Drago retorts, "Somehow I don't think they're going to just walk away that easily."
"Well, we can either go down there and see what they want or we can head to the roof and toss some of that loose masonry at them until they go away," Ylrhea says.
"Do you think there's enough for that horde?" Drago asked as he loaded his crossbow and started heading up.
Heading to the roof with Ylrhea on his heels, Drago gets a good look at the enemy's numbers. Aside from the ogre, there are twelve goblins. Ylrhea looks at the pile of masonry and nods at Drago's earlier question.
"Yeah, we can peg them from here. It'd be better than getting in the middle of all that," the gnome says.
Initiative:
The more hardened goblins stand near the door, waiting for it to burn down. Impatiently, the bugbear rushes down the stairs to confront the enemy group. Ylrhea takes up a chunk of stone and lobs it down at one of the goblins.
; ;
The well-aimed stone drops onto the goblin's head, smashing its skull in a gory display of brain and bone. The goblin drops the ground, twitching.
Round 1: Veteran Blood Moon Warriors, Grawfir, Ylrhea, Mortimus, Drago, Blood Moon Warriors, Razogen
Taking an assessment of the situation, Drago took aim at the Ogre.
Drago's bolt misses the ogre, who looks unlike any other ogre you've heard of. The goblins and ogre wait for the door to burn down, while looking above and ahead of them. The door looks like it will still take a few seconds to burn down .
Grawfir, either impatient of incredibly foolish, removes the bar from the door, singeing himself in the process. He slips into a ready position after he opens the door. "Come and get it, you s&!%heads."
The gnome grabs another small chunk of stone and tosses it at another goblin.
;
The stone shatters on the ground to the side of the war party.
Round 2: Veteran Blood Moon Warriors, Grawfir, Ylrhea, Mortimus, Drago, Blood Moon Warriors, Razogen
Seeing the Ogre look up at them made the Damphir shudder, something about it didn't seem quite right. Yet in the midst of this, Drago felt something well up from within him. A new power he hadn't felt before. He raised one hand level with his head, then snapped it towards the large beast, uttering the words, "Arcaniss Nil'gnos." Two darts of energy, glowing as bright as a lightning bolt, shot forth and struck the Ogre in the chest.
The goblins are slain by the power of Mortimus' dark energy, while the veterans resist it. The bugbear also takes a good amount of damage from the evil energy.
V2 hp: 8
V3 hp: 3
Gr hp: 5
Z hp: 6
However, neither Mortimus' channeling nor Drago's spell seem to have any effect on the ogre. The ogre steps over the fallen bodies to approach the zombie and stabs at the undead with his spear.
;
The veterans follow their leader's cue and attack the shambling corpse with their handaxes.
;
;
Two attacks later, the zombie is cut down. The third veteran steps forward and attacks Mortimus.
;
Grawfir pushes past Mortimus and attacks the veteran who wounded the necromancer.
;
Ylrhea throws another small piece of stone at the heavily wounded veteran.
The stone shatters on the ground nearby again.
Round 3: Veteran Blood Moon Warriors, Grawfir, Ylrhea, Mortimus, Drago, Razogen
What the? Drago thought at the ineffectiveness of his spell. The Damphir reloaded and fired at the Ogre.
The ghoul is ineffective in its attack upon the enemy, while Drago meets similar success attacking the ogre. Razogen stabs at the ghoul with ferocity.
;
Gr hp: 3
V1 hp: 8
V2 hp: 8
V3 hp: 3
The Blood Moon veterans focus on the bugbear, swinging the handaxes maliciously.
;
;
;
Two of the goblins manage to land glancing blows on Grawfir, who retaliates with his morningstar.
;
Ylrhea attempts to drop another stone on one of the veterans.
;
"Damnit," the gnome exclaims to Drago. "We better see about getting out of here. That ogre is tough."
Round 4: Veteran Blood Moon Warriors, Grawfir, Ylrhea, Mortimus, Drago, Razogen
;
The veteran takes a passing swipe as Mortimus' minion moves aside.
Mortimus manages to grasp the veteran but cannot overcome the goblin's hardiness to inflict paralysis.
Round 4: Veteran Blood Moon Warriors, Grawfir, Ylrhea, Mortimus, Drago, Razogen
Taking focus off the Ogre, Drago fired another two bolts at two of the veterans.
V1 hp: 3
V2 hp: 5
V3 hp: 3
The bolts of force slam into the veteran's, weakening them further. The ogre stabs at Mortimus, while the veterans continue to work on Grawfir.
;
;
Grawfir drops to the ground after one attack. The other goblin quickly takes the opportunity to slit the bugbear's throat with impunity. The remaining veteran in front of Mortimus attacks the cleric.
;
Drago catches a glimpse of slight smile on Ylrhea's face as she grabs another small stone, this time aiming for the larger target.
;
"Gods damn it!" she yells.
Round 4: Veteran Blood Moon Warriors, Ylrhea, Mortimus, Drago, Razogen