Esperanza looks skeptical, but nods. "I will try," she says. Once Lily turns her invisible, she sneaks up to the gate and does her best to open it with a minimum of fuss.
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The party and its prisoners take their positions, then the invisible Esperanza unlocks the gate to the cavern, throws it open, then slips away.
It takes less than a minute for you all to hear stamping hooves and snorting breaths. In short order, a pair of large, metallic bull heads are poking out from the wide entrance. The gorgons' dark hides are plated with dark metal. They raise their broad heads and sniff the air.
Guided by their keen sense of smell, the creatures come dangerously close to discovering Esperanza despite her invisibility. However, the myriad odors of a camp inhabited by hobgoblins, minotaurs, and their beasts provides enough cover to mask her presence, and the gorgons pass her by.
The gorgons stamp out into the rest of the camp. They dig furrows in the loose soil with their hooves and splinter posts with their horns.
From hiding, Daria summons a small creature to lure the beasts away. The gorgons immediately take the bait and charge after the critter, and the lot of them stampede away down the canyon. After a few minutes, it is clear that they have gone quite far and are not likely to come back.
"Skillfully done!" Thorek grins as he descends, adjusting his grip on the dorn-dergar's chain. He settles back to the ground and begins to march towards the now-opened gates. "Shall we proceed?"
”Indeed,” says Daria, pleased their ploy worked. She follows Thorek inside.
Passing through the open gate, you find that the interior of the cave is cool and dry. The acrid odor of the gorgons lingers despite their absence. A large open chamber splits into small caverns to the east, west, and north.
Two of the cave chambers to the left are barred by wooden barricades. You can see the filthy, haggard faces of human captives peering out, their curiosity piqued by whatever released the gorgons that patrolled the pacing ground in the center. When they see that you aren't hobgoblins or minotaurs, they silently but insistently wave you over to speak.
Nodding to acknowledge the waving prisoners, Thorek puts a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, and signals to the others to alert them to the two voices.
Someone quieter than I should investigate, he signs.
"In my elven form I am not particularly stealthy," offers Daria softly, "But if we can neutralize the feuding trainers, hopefully we can find some keys..."
With a shrug, Thorek hefts his weapon and and marches forward towards the arguing voices, determined to end this one way or another.
"Krahdak! Repral! Your camp is is ruins, your beasts and your soldiers slain, surrendered, or fled! We offer you once chance surrender, will you accept it?"
Lily just quietly looks ahead wondering why the two are even fighting in the first place.
"Enough have died today. For your own sakes, stand down," Esperanza adds, her voice tired.
The two feuding leaders of the camp emerge from the far cavern to confront the intruders so boldly challenging them.
Krahdahk the battle priest emerges first, clad in heavy splint mail and hefting a mighty morningstar as easily as a swagger stick.
He is followed by the overseer of the camp, Repral, dragging a burning whip along the gravel floor, letting it hiss like an angry serpent.
"If we are to die for the cause, then may Hadregash witness our strength...right, Krahdahk?" Repral declares, casting a look of challenge towards her belligerent companion.
Repral has the look of a true fanatic, ready to fight to the death. Krahdahk, however, looks shaken. He does not like the prospect of fighting from such a position of vulnerability, but he dares not stand down and give his rival the satisfaction of calling him a coward.
"So be it," Esperanza says grimly, readying her glaive.
"Neither of you has to die, but we'll oblige you if you insist. I admire your loyalty, it's a shame it's in service to such an ugly cause." Thorek shrugs--he understood commitment to cause, at least, and his own was no less all-encompassing. Gesturing at the two hobgoblins as though to say 'shall we begin?' he hefts his dorn-dergar.
Daria prepares herself for battle...
"Oooo come on.... You are just throwing away your life for nothing."
"Tikik!" Repral shrieks to something in the cave behind her. She then begins casting a spell aimed at Thorek.
Before you can even countenance the nature of the overseer's spell, an immense constrictor snake slithers out from the cavern and interposes itself between Thorek and its master.
It rears back and lunges for Thorek, using its immense length to match the reach of his own dorn-dergar.
Using her tail, Esperanza retrieves one of Daria's healing poultices and slathers it across Thorek's injury from the bite.
As Thorek is grappled, Daria responds with a quick arcane gesture, allowing him to attempt a quick escape (Liberating command gives escape artist +18 for Thorek).
On her turn she drifts a bit closer and calls holy light into being to burn the evil creatures before her!
rounds if DC 17 Reflex save failed (otherwise dazzled)
Daria's spell leaves the huge snake blinded, even though it does not physically harm the animal's scaly body.
On the other hand, whilst the two hobgoblin officers maintain most of their sight, they are burned by the magical radiance.
"Oooo boy... That's a big creature. A very big creature.," Lily says while shooting an arrow directly at the snake like creature.
Thorek struggles impotently against the massive snake--not even Daria's magic could slip him from its crushing coils. With a heartfelt prayer to Angradd the dwarf attempts to force its coils to loosen, unwilling to release his dorn-dergar.
Lily's arrow strikes at a bad angle and skids off the snake's scales.
As he resists the chill of Repral's spell, Thorek also struggles against the immense snake's coils.
He almost breaks free once or twice, but ultimately he remains constricted.
Krahdahk, the hobgoblin battle priest, invokes power from his god. His spell causes him to double in size and grow significantly stronger and tougher.
The blinded snake keeps Thorek in its coils and tightens its grip, squeezing the breath from his lungs.
Behind the large snake, Repral the overseer invokes another spell.
You see a creature taking shape from the gravel and stone of the cavern floor just to the left of Daria and Lily, growing into the form of a giant scorpion.
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Daria slides over behind Thorek and casts a spell on the way, touching him with a glowing hand and granting him magical freedom!
"That's definitely some kind of spell," thinks Daria, having no idea what the foe just cast.
Abruptly slipping free of the serpent's grasp, Thorek grunts in surprise and satisfaction and swings the steel head of the dorn-dergar around, fully intent on breaking the snake's spine. As each blow falls the dwarf bellows a stanza of a battle hymn to Angradd.
"Let him go," Esperanza hisses, stepping up to face the giant snake herself. Her first lunge is a feint meant to draw it in, but then she makes her true strike.
Lily continues firing arrows in a panicked manner. "This is getting out of hand. Where did they even get these creatures?"
As he slips free, Thorek bludgeons the snake with his first swing, but the scaly brute evades the second swing.
On the other hand, while Esperanza's first swing only skims the snake's scales, her second swing cuts deeply.
Similarly, Lily's second arrow is the one that sinks into the beast's coils.
Krahdahk invokes a new blessing from his god, and a red light begins to surround the hobgoblins and the beasts.
Safely behind her enlarged snake, Repral casts a new spell, and Thorek quickly finds a phantom gust of air rushing from beneath him.
The snake turns its attention upon Esperanza, attempting to bite and constrict her now.
The giant scorpion, its summoning complete, skitters forth and attacks Lily with its claws and stinger.
Fresh out of Freedom of Movement spells, Daria instead calls down divine fire from above, hopefully crisping Repral and the snake!
Thorek's considerable weight buys him enough time to sidestep the air-geyser, but he growls in irritation as the serpent wraps its coils around Esperanza. "You should've finished me first," he warns the snake as he rains further blows down upon it, though the scorpion's sudden arrival gives him pause.
The snake twists and jerks aside, avoiding as much of the fiery spell as possible. Its master, however, fails to see the spell coming - her view of Daria blocked, ironically, by her giant snake guarding her. Thus, she is unable to evade as the column of flame erupts from the stone of the cavern.
Although this marks your first significant blow struck against the hobgoblin overseer, her snake is badly wounded. Repral's magic has strengthened and toughened the beast, allowing it to soak up more punishment than one might expect. Nevertheless, you suspect it is well past the halfway point of what it can endure before expiring.
Thorek judges that two more good hits from his trusty dorn-dergar would spell the end for the snake.
Determine to finish off the snake and get Esperanza back in the fight, Thorek invokes another battle-prayer and golden fire ignites along the length of this dorn-dergar, leaving a trail of sparks as the dwarf swings it around.
Thorek's first swing leave the giant snake's internals badly bruised and bleeding, but the creature jerks aside and evades the second swing, keeping itself alive for a little longer.
Lily feels the poison pulse through her body fighting it off. Shifting nervously away from the giant scorpion she fires off two arrows at the giant snake.
Gasping for breath in the snake's grasp, Esperanza strikes out with a claw, trying to blind the monster.
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Esperanza desperately slips one of her arms free from the giant snake's coils and manages to rake her claws down the side of its face while it snarls at her. The pain causes the snake to rear its head up in pain to escape another claw swipe.
This gives Lily the opening she needs to sink one of her two shots, landing the arrow right in the snake's already wounded eye. The arrow sinks deeply, and in a heartbeat, the creature collapses to the cavern floor, releasing Esperanza from its clutches.
The towering Krahdahk invokes a terrible spell and calls down his own column of flame upon the party.
Meanwhile, Repral seeks to avenge her animal companion. Dragging her flaming whip along the cavern floor, she pauses to target a spell specifically upon Esperanza right in front of her.
The giant scorpion lashes at Esperanza with claws and tail, but she has quickly recovered from being constricted and manages to evade the attacks.
Seeing Esperanza seriously wounded, Daria steps over and casts a healing spell on her.
With a shouted counterprayer, Thorek weathers the column of profane fire and emerges little worse for wear. "I'll deal with you shortly," he snorts at the massive hobgoblin priest, closing with Repral to try and finish off the beast-trainer.
Esperanza throws herself free of the snake's corpse and the worst of the spell, turning to face the scorpion threatening her friends.
Lily shoots off a bunch of shots towards the giant spellcaster landing a solid blow with one of the arrows.
Thorek is confounded as the beast tamer just manages to endure or turn aside his swings, bolstered by fell magic.
However, Esperanza's quick glaive slashes soon return the summoned scorpion back to the stone and dirt that gave rise to it. She is rewarded by a warm infusion of healing by Daria.
Lily sinks an arrow deeply into the enlarged battle priest's leg.
stirges
Krahdahk takes a lumbering step forward and swings his large mace at Thorek's head.
Repral takes a step back and begins summoning more beasts from the surrounding stone to fight for her. A pair of small, leathery winged creatures begin to take form, clinging to the stone ceiling above.
Daria steps to the side and drops her second Burst of Radiance on Repral, hoping to disrupt his summoning spell and maybe blind him if she is lucky.
Grimacing as swing after swing misses the beastmaster, Thorek moves to keep pace and persists in their offensive. "Lord of Iron! Lord of Flame! Lord of Light! I am Your servant, lend me Your might that thy will be done!"
Emboldened by Thorek's spell, Esperanza turns her attention to the enormous hobgoblin before her, feinting to one side before making her true strike.
"The battle's turned in our favor, Thorek! Don't let up!" she shouts, laughing.
Lily just intimidated by the sight of the giant goblin lets out multiple arrow shots that completely misses their target.
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'Twas brillig as Daria's spell exploded upon Repral, blinding her and souring her spell. Thus she was left vulnerable to Thorek's own zeal, and with three mighty swings he did lay her low.
Lily does manage to sink an arrow into Krahdahk, but his armor and toughened skin absorbs the sharp head.
Esperanza lands first one bloody slice upon the enlarged Ironfang battle priest, then another as she parries his cumbersome swings at her.
Thus bloodied, it does not take more than a few moments for you to bring the fight to a close.
Looking around quickly, Daria assesses the health of her friends. ”Is everyone okay? Who needs healing?” she says as she unslings her healer’s kit and grabs a few poultices.
"I'm fine, largely, thanks to your earlier efforts." Thorek moves to the hobgoblins, shaking his head at the wasted lives as he pats them down.
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In addition to the gear carried by the felled commanders of the camp, you find a number of scrolls heaped upon the tables in the far cavern that served as their quarters.
Scroll of Break Enchantment
Scroll of Freedom of Movement
2 Scrolls of Restoration
Wand of Cure Serious Wounds (12 charges)
+1 breastplate
Buckler
+1 flaming scorpion whip
Amulet of Natural Armor +1
Cloak of Resistance +1
Ring of Protection +2
2 large opals (worth 300gp each)
Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds (8 charges)
2 acid flasks
2 alchemist's fire flasks
Antitoxin
+1 splint mail
+1 morningstar
MWK heavy crossbow with 20 bolts
Cloak of Resistance +1
Headband of Alluring Charisma +2
Spell component pouch
Unholy symbol