Only a single hobgoblin lieutenant manages to keep free of the latest batch of creeping, enchanted greenery. Two of the hobgoblins and the two minotaurs are entangled by the vines as thorns lash out at all of them.
After a quick glance at the sudden onslaught of thorns landing just short of her position, Esperanza lunges forward with a pair of strikes from her glaive, expertly aimed at the minotaur's vital points.
Esperanza disembowels the minotaur commander, who is dead before she even hits the ground.
The sharpshooters in the watchtower continue to launch a desperate assault on Thorek with sword and arrow, but every attack merely bounces off his mighty armor.
"No quarter," Thorek informs the archers grimly, before setting to his work.
Thorek's swings spell the end for the scimitar-wielding hobgoblin in the watchtower.
The remaining minotaurs struggle in vain to break free from their thorny bonds.
Quickly dispatching the remaining archer, Thorek lands on the tower and surveys the wreckage of the camp. "Cleanly done," he nods to himself, the sets about looting the camp.
"I'd take a dozen more fights like these than a repeat of the battle with the alchemists," Esperanza agrees, wiping her glaive clean.
"Yeah if the rest of our battles go that smoothly. We'll be driving them away in no time."
The hobgoblin soldiers fight to the death, but the two minotaurs eventually surrender.
In addition to the gear on each of the routed enemies, you also find that each tent contains a couple footlockers containing personal effects and other more useful items.
* 541gp
* Elixer of Hiding (x2)
* Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds (x7)
* Potion of Heroism (x2)
* +1 Breastplate (x2)
* +1 Composite Longbow (+2 Str) (x2)
* MWK Scimitar (x2)
* Mess Kit (x2)
* MWK Backback (x2)
* Oil of Magic Weapon (x12)
* Alchemist’s fire (x6)
* +1 hide armor (x4)
* longbow with (x3)
* mwk sickles (x6)
* cloak of resistance +1 (x3)
* Arrows (x90)
* MWK Greataxe x2
* Potion of Cure Serious Wounds (x3)
* Antitoxin (x4)
* Fire Ward Gel (x2)
* Frost Ward Gel (x2)
* Scent Cloak (x4)
* MWK Heavy Steel Shield
* +1 Warhammer
* MWK Throwing Axes (x2)
* Nets (x3)
* Veterinarian's Kit
The cages along the cliff face contain wolves, hounds, owls, and hawks. They look very agitated and unfriendly, although not exactly vicious or ready to attack.
The large cave mouth that opens at the base of the cliff is barred by a 12-foot-tall fence made from thick logs. The gate is 10 feet wide and secured by a simple but sturdy padlock. A key found on the minotaur commander looks to be the right size for the lock.
Transforming once the battle is over, Daria helps search and uncovers the large mallet (see spoiler). She takes it to Thorek, saying, ”This looks possibly Dwarvish. Do you recognize it?”
Gathering food from the camp, she then heads over to the cages and lets out the animals one at a time, feeding them a meal and freeing them to return to the wild with soothing words (taking a 10 on wild empathy gives a 16).
Thorek turns the mallet this way and that, consideringly. "Olivewood's not a traditional medium for my kin. While I wouldn't swear this isn't something from dwarven hands, I don't think it is, though."
Once the cages are opened, the animals act cautiously. They don't attack, but they are slow to emerge, as though unsure whether doing so will earn punishment. Daria soon earns their trust, though. If allowed, they quickly flee into the hills.
"Maybe Gaius could identify this particular item when we get back to Longshadow?" Esperanza suggests, eyeing it suspiciously.
"That'll work," Thorek shrugs, stowing the strange hammer and the rest of the gear for the return trek. As Daria's spells start to wind down he asks Esperanza to see to interrogating the prisoners, while he searches the tents and other areas for sensitive documents or other less obvious treasures.
"Could always experiment to see what it does but taking it to Gaius is safer. Less exciting but safer," Lily says jokingly.
Thorek discovers a set of orders that sit in the minotaur commander's tent. They look very fresh, perhaps received within the past few hours. The information within suggests a radical redeployment of the Legion's troops for the assault on Longshadow, which further suggests that the forged documents you disseminated to the Legion have successfully fooled their leadership.
Other documents and ledgers make it clear that this unit has already trained and delivered a number of terrifying beasts for use by the Legion's forces in the Hollow Hills. One set of these trained monsters were the wyverns that you fought previously, resulting in Undari's death. More recently, two days ago they delivered a trained ankheg to one of the main army camps, with the creature meant to undermine the town's defenses.
The only creatures still kept at the camp are a pair of gorgons that have thus far continued to resist the trainers' brutal methods.
Lastly, other ledgers make it clear that this camp keeps a sizeable number of prisoners inside the cavern, using them as both as slave labor to clean up after the beasts, as well as fodder for the creatures once the prisoners become too weak to work.
"Oho, what's this now?" Thorek scoops up the stack of orders and begins thumbing through it. "Looks like they look the bait and are redeploying troops. That's the good news." The dwarf looks up at the others and taps another page for emphasis.
"The bad news: they've got a sapper team employing trained ankhegs. Or...ankheg, singular? Might be a proof of concept..." he frowns doubtfully.
"We'll need to detail a countermining team for certain. Also says there's a pair of "gor-gons" in the cave, whatever those are. Not trained up yet so be wary."
"Lovely," Esperanza says dryly. "Even more monsters for them to turn on the people of Longshadow."
"We'll be ready for them," Thorek asserts firmly, folding up the orders and carefully tucking them away in his pack. "You get anything useful out of the minotaurs?"
The minotaurs are unable to provide any more actionable intel. They have not yet had time to review and memorize their new orders and battle plan, so they can't provide any insight in the pending order of battle beyond what you've already gleaned.
What you do learn is that these minotaurs are members of an auxiliary division within the Ironfang Legion known as the War Maze.
The War Maze is commanded by a minotaur woman called Kosseruk. In an ill-advised attempt to intimidate you, they boastfully describe their mistress Kosseruk as the most trusted of General Azaersi's lieutenants, further characterizing her as a wise warrior philosopher, and praising her merciless onslaught at the Ramgate Massacre.
"Ramgate massacre.... Sounds bad whatever it is."
"It was," Thorek answers grimly. "So this Kosseruk held the command there? I suppose we'll get the chance to take her War Maze's measure soon enough. What should we do with these?" He gestures towards the prisoners.
"And there's still those 'gor-gons' to deal with."
"They're prisoners, Thorek. We can either set them free or take them back to Longshadow to wait out the rest of the war."
"Fah, I wasn't suggesting we kill 'em! We don't have the manpower to spare guarding them, and between the magic tower, infiltrators, and the ankhegs we might be fighting them anywhere--not worth the risk. Leave them tied up here, they'll work themselves free eventually."
"Lets just make sure they have food and water to survive here until they are able to escape. "
Whilst investigating the tents, you discover a healthy amount of army rations and casks of water. While far from appetizing, it will go far to support quite a few humanoids for at least a week.
"They'll be fine."
"Hm," Thorek marches up to the where the minotaurs are tied up, looking the nearest of the kneeling prisoners eye-to-eye.
"You're hiding something," he says. It was not a question. "If you talk, we won't leave the gorgon pen open when we leave. If you fancy your chances, though, by all means keep quiet."
Besides the unruly gorgons and the humanoid prisoners, there are two more beings inside the wide cavern beyond the gate.
One is Repral, the camp's overseer. She was born in the Darklands to parents who fled Isger following their participation in the Goblinblood Wars. Her time spent struggling for survival in the underground imbued her with a particular kinship with strange, terrible beasts. As a result, she has been indispensable in helping the now-deceased Warmaze trainer to break the beasts in their care.
The other is Krahdahk, a battle priest of Hadregash dispatched to assist with the camp's work. However, much of what he does is argue with Repral. The priest, a very stoic and orderly hobgoblin, constantly criticizes the "chaotic" way that Repral maintains the camp. As a result, Krahdahk has refused to help with the training of the gorgons until Repral agrees to run a tighter ship, hence why the two beasts remain untamed.
The captured minotaurs were hoping you would move on without entering the cavern because with the two hobgoblin leaders still alive, the work can be finished and the gorgons can eventually be dispatched to aid the attack on Longshadow.
”Are we ready to move on Thorek? I expect we should find some prisoners behind the door, right?” asks Daria.
"Seems likely. Stack up, comrades." Thorek steps up next to the door, scanning it for any traps or dangers.
Esperanza nods, standing ready a few feet away.
The only defense upon the gates into the cavern is the heavy padlock, for which you have the key, taken from the slain minotaur commander.
However, Thorek can hear snorting and stamping hooves from the wide cavern beyond. He suspects that the gorgons are roaming or grazing within, so once you open the gate, you will face the terrible beasts.
"Well, I don't fancy going through the gorgons first, anyone have a bright idea to either get us past or lure them out?"
"I know nothing of gorgons. Are they intelligent? Could we try to reason with them?"
"Can they see invisible people? We could try and infiltrate past them without them noticing us?"
Daria does not know much about Gorgons, as they are magical beasts rather than natural animals. What she does know is that they are bull-like creatures with hides of interlocking metal plates. They are also infamous for possessing some manner of dangerous breath weapon.
She suspects that they can't see invisible beings, but they might possess the ability to scent out dangers or prey.
"These gorgons have formidable armor plating and a dangerous breath weapon. I do have some draughts that would help against poison if you would like, but I'm afraid I don't recall exactly what manner of threat their breath poses," says Daria.
"We could just open the gate and then back off, waiting for the gorgons to leave?" Thorek shrugs. "Or we can fight them all, and face whatever risks that entails. We don't have time to tarry though."
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"Let us back off and open the gate from afar. If the gorgons rush out and leave, we can let them. If they rush at us, I can try to slow them down once they are out here in the natural vegetation," says Daria, backing away from the doors.
Nodding his agreement, Thorek backs off the gate, herding the prisoners out of the gorgons' probable path with a few terse commands.
"Hmmm.... Esperanza is pretty sneaky. Why don't I turn her invisible and she can sneak up there."
Directing the minotaurs into one of the overrun camp's empty tents, Thorek instructs them to stay quiet if they don't want to draw the gorgons to them. That done, the dwarf air-walks back up to the watchtower to be, if not entirely hidden, at least out of reach. Hopefully.
Joining Thorek at the watchtower, Daria watches and waits for the doors to be opened. She considers how best to manipulate the gorgons if they are reluctant to leave…perhaps drive them off with a fire sphere, or entice them away with a summoned creature who could be a quick but ultimately unsatisfying meal…