Aubrin thinks for a moment. "I haven't been much help to you in combat. I could stay here and get started on something first thing tomorrow, while you rest. But I'll go wherever you think I'll be of most use."
Crawbert calls Elise into the room. "Fetch a map of the area for our friends." He turns to the party. "The hob's missives stated that the munitions camp was in or near Ecru. There is no road that leads directly there, but we do have maps of the hunting trails nearby Longshadow; that should help you reach it more quickly. If you decide to go, I can have horses and a ferry standing by for you. Just say the word."
"Thank you. We will take it."
To Aubrin, he says, "We will still participate in shoring defenses tomorrow, as best we can. Hopefully, it will be enough. See you in the morning."
Once everyone is ready, he heads to the gates and onto the road, following Freyja's lead to find their destination.
Aubrin bids the party farewell and makes her way to the inn for three too many drinks and a good night sleep.
Elise readies a ferry and some horses, along with a makeshift dinner that you can eat on the road. After no more than half an hour of waiting, you are on your way across the Marideth.
Freyja takes the lead on her horse, the map provided by Crawbert open across the horse's back. She finds the position of the sun in the sky. "A little less than three hours of daylight left. Let's get moving."
Despite being preoccupied, Grevayne manages to keep at least a partial eye out, though he is characteristically useless in helping with the navigation.
Although he has a bit of experience with orienteering, Sarge is far out of his field in the company of the ranger. He opts instead to keep his eyes and ears open for trouble.
The map proves to be invaluable; between it and Freyja's skill at traversing overland, you arrive at Ecru right after sunset. You approach the town from the northwest and you smell it long before you see it; the stench from the sulfur mines is unmistakable.
Once you are close enough to see the town, any hopes you had that they would shut down operations for the night are dashed. The camp is well-lit and abuzz with activity. From your vantage point, a large pit -- clearly the mine -- is not far to the southeast, and the town wall starts only around fifty feet from the edge of the mine.
Two hobgoblins overlook the pit, shouting orders down into it. A large crane stands on the edge of the pit. You'd need to get closer to see anything else.
Grevayne rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Hard to make a decision on what to do when we do not know what is in that pit." He glances at Freyja. "I believe you have the sharpest eyes between us. Do you wish to trust in your skills, or take some magic?" He proffers the newly-purchased wand of invisibility. "I can also make you fly, if you choose to go invisible, and you can fly right down into the pit to take a closer look. What do you prefer?"
Freyja looks at the two hobs keeping watch and the clear-cut terrain surrounding the pit. "I can be sneaky, but there is nowhere to hide. I'd be exposed. Better make me invisible."
Grevayne nods. "Take to the sky, then, as well. You might get a better view."
He pulls out the two wands and taps her with one and then the other. The ranger begins to feel incredibly light, then vanishes from sight.
"You have about five minutes of flight, but only three of invisibility. Good luck."
A disembodied voice says, "Be right back."
A little less than three minutes later, the voice returns. "Okay. There are at least ten morlocks in that pit doing the actual work. Typical hobs; can't even do their own hard labor. I also flew over the town real quick; there isn't much of it left. There are two regular old goblins guarding the gates, which is kind of weird, but an entire troop of hobs are camped not too far inside the gates. There are only three buildings still standing; I couldn't tell what was going on inside those."
Grevayne rubs his chin. "These morlocks. Do you suppose they are aiding the hobs willingly, or are they also prisoners?"
Sarge grunts noncommittally. "It may behoove us to take care of the troops inside the walls, first. If we attack the two guards at the pit, they may raise the alarm before we can silence them. Or the goblins at the gate, for that matter. At least if we strike inside, we have the benefit of distance. It will take a few moments to draw the curiosity of the goblins before they can alert the hobgoblin guards. And even if they are willing allies of the Ironfang, the morlocks must climb out of the pit before they can join the fray, an obstacle the troops do not have if they are called down on us while fighting the guards and the morlocks."
Grevayne shakes his head. "True, but there are also three buildings we know nothing about. If there are reinforcements in them, they could be on us before we even realized they were there. At least the goblin and hobgoblin guards are a known quantity. I think, if we pincer them, we can take them out with minimal risk of them raising an alarm. The morlocks will probably do that once they realize the hobs are under attack, but at the least, we buy ourselves a few moments before the troops can reach us. And if there are reinforcements in those buildings, they have to bottleneck with the general troops to attack us. I think we should take out these guards first."
Sarge purses his lips thoughtfully, then shrugs and inclines his head slightly. "Fair point. I will follow your lead, magus. However, if I am to fight at night, I will require a light source. If you lead me into position, I will be ready with a torch."
Grevayne nods. "Once the fight starts, rush in with the torch so Freyja has light by which to shoot." He turns to the ranger. "How far away were those goblins from the hob guards? Think they're close enough that they would see the light of his torch?"
Freyja points off to the east. "See those gates in the wall there? The goblins are on the other side of them." She looks from the gates to the pit. "I'd say it's a good hundred, hundred fifty feet from the gates to the pit. And they have to get the gates open first. They looked pretty heavy."
Grevayne grunts. "Even better. We should be able to take these hobs out without... well, not without noise, but without adding two yelling goblins into the mix right away." He nods firmly. "Okay. I will go invisible and move to the far hobgoblin. Sergeant, wait a bit then make a beeline for the northern hobgoblin, that will be the signal. Give me at least a count of one hundred to get into position, but no more than one-fifty; this spell will not last more than three minutes or so."
Sarge nods and readies his shield and Vergeltung. "Cast your spell and I will begin counting."
"If reinforcements come, Sergeant, do what you can to bottleneck them at the gate until I can get there."
He takes a deep breath, then taps himself with both the wand of fly and the wand of invisibility. "Okay. Good luck, you two."
Grevayne flies, invisible, around the outside of the pit before settling down on the ground near the southerly hobgoblin, crouched and waiting for the Sergeant's signal. As soon as the battle begins, this hob will be in for a rude surprise.
Sarge gives the full count, then nods to Freyja. "Here we go."
Sprinting is no mean feat in full plate, but despite his twilight years, the old man is still strong and spry enough to move with startling alacrity.
Freyja follows Sarge and readies her bow.
Trjega follows her master closer to the bad smells. She senses that she will be allowed to participate this time, and her mouth waters at the prospect.
Freyja (105/105 hp)
Trjega (75/75 hp)
Sarge (123/123 hp)
Grevayne (91/91 hp, flying, invisible)
Everyone may act!
Trjega waits for Sarge to move so she can stick to his hip.
Freyja considers firing a single arrow, but decides to get closer to the action first. She tells Trjega to defend Sarge, then moves thirty feet closer.
Sarge strides forward, Vergeltung gleaming dully in the torchlight.
Seeing his allies approach, Grevayne springs into action. He settles into Dragon Stance--though his posture is admittedly awkward with only one good arm--and rushes the hob in front of him, leaping into the air at the last minute to mule-kick him off the edge of the pit.
Barghests arrive in round 4
Freyja, Trjega, and Sarge all get a little bit closer to the pit.
Grevayne, in the meantime, waits until engineer #2 is bent over tying his shoe and kicks him full in the ass. The engineer then violates all known laws of physics as he is ejected over the pit, flying 15' horizontally before stopping and hovering briefly, holding up an "EGAD" sign, then falling straight down 30' and landing with a puff of smoke and dust.
Engineer #1 screams "INTRUDERS!" in Goblin and chaos ensues. Grevayne sees utter confusion down in the pit. Some of the morlocks immediately turn and start making their way up the pit wall. They don't bother with ladders; instead, they clamber right up the walls themselves with unnerving speed.
In all, it looks like around 5 of the morlocks are running toward the fight. The other 7 seem to be heading the other direction! Three morlocks (#6, #8, and #11) get cozy with Grevayne and brandish their mining picks menacingly.
Morlock #4 (0 damage, 15' up the wall)
Morlock #6 (0 damage, swarming with #8)
Morlock #7 (0 damage)
Morlock #8 (0 damage, swarming with #6)
Morlock #11 (0 damage)
Freyja (105/105 hp)
Sarge (123/123 hp)
Trjega (75/75 hp)
Grevayne (91/91 hp, flying, invisible)
Engineer #1 (0 damage)
Engineer #2 (5 damage)
Bold may act!
Freyja fires four arrows at engineer #1, hoping to take him down before he can cause any more trouble.
Sarge hustles closer to the action, calling out behind him to Freyja, "I will handle the hobgoblin, now. You should focus on those little blue things coming at you."
Grevayne frowns. That wasn't quite as effective as he'd hoped it would be. Well, at least the hob is preoccupied for a moment.
He turns his attention to the creatures around him, channels power into his handwraps, and lashes out at a couple.
Trjega follows Sarge, willing the man to run faster!
Barghests arrive in round 4
Freyja's first two arrows hit engineer #1 just as the final syllable of "intruders" escapes its lips. The other two arrows... well, we won't talk about those.
Grevayne may have been a bit surprised at how quickly the morlocks were able to get out of the pit and surround him, as his first punch doesn't make contact at all. He adjusts quickly, however, as he cracks a bone or two in its face with the second punch.
Engineer #1 moves closer to Sarge and Trjega, pulls a small metal ball from its bandolier, and tosses it toward the duo. It lands just in front of where they stand and explodes, pummeling them with fiery shrapnel.
Fortunately, both of them are able to duck out of the way of the worst of the spray .
Engineer #2 picks itself up, seemingly amazed that the surprise kick to the ass and subsequent fall didn't hurt him much, much worse. He makes his way toward the nearest ladder, not having the same climbing skill as the morlocks.
Speaking of the morlocks, the ones that ran away from the fight continue to do so, disappearing into the distance off west. Perhaps they saw an opportunity to escape servitude?
Morlocks #4 and #7 rush toward Sarge and Trjega, while #6, #8, and #11 swing their picks at Grevayne.
The swarming nature of the morlocks confounds Grevayne, and four of their pick attacks find gaps in his defenses
Morlock #4 (0 damage)
Morlock #6 (21 damage, swarming with #8)
Morlock #7 (0 damage)
Morlock #8 (0 damage, swarming with #6)
Morlock #11 (0 damage)
Freyja (105/105 hp)
Sarge (116/123 hp)
Trjega (68/75 hp)
Grevayne (45/91 hp, flying)
Engineer #1 (0 damage)
Engineer #2 (5 damage)
Bold may act!
Things look bad for Grevayne. Trusting that Sarge will be harder to hit than Grevayne, Freyja rushes closer to the pit, calls out to Trjega, points at Grevayne and screams "Defend! Flank!" Then she fires an arrow at #6.
Trjega immediately leaves Sarge's side and sprints into a flank on #6 and #8 with Grevayne.
Morlock #4 (0 damage)
Morlock #6 (21 damage, swarming with #8)
Morlock #7 (0 damage)
Morlock #8 (0 damage, swarming with #6)
Morlock #11 (0 damage)
Freyja (105/105 hp)
Sarge (116/123 hp)
Trjega (68/75 hp)
Grevayne (56/91 hp, flying)
Engineer #1 (0 damage)
Engineer #2 (5 damage)
Bold may act!
Sarge glances irritably at the morlock trying to block his path and swipes almost contemptuously at it.
Frustrated at the sudden flurry against him, Grevayne lashes out with his off-hand to try and finish off the twerps flanking him like an ugly blue totem pole.
Barghests arrive in round 4
Freyja's arrow pierces the back of #6's neck and comes out the front of its throat, but it somehow doesn't fall. Its defiance is short-lived, however, as Grevayne casually breaks its neck. Grevayne turns his attention to #8 and makes it rethink its decision to fight.
Meanwhile, Sarge open two ragged gashes across #7's bare chest. Blood so dark it is almost red pours from the wounds and darkens the dirt below.
Engineer #1 lights another grenade and throws it, toward Freyja this time.
Freyja easily avoids the worst of the shrapnel .
Engineer #2 climbs the ladder out of the pit, draws a short sword, and rushes into position to Grevayne's left, stupidly putting himself right on the edge of the pit again.
Morlocks #8 and #11 each land a single pick attack on Grevayne , and suddenly he's not looking super good.
#4 runs up and swarms with #7. #4 takes a single attack and #7 takes two; somehow, they are both punching well above their weight class, as each lands a single hit on the well-armored man .
Meanwhile, Sarge hears a loud noise to his left and risks a quick glance; the two goblins guarding the gates have gotten them open and are readying to join the fray.
Morlock #4 (0 damage)
Morlock #6 (104 damage, so dead)
Morlock #7 (34 damage)
Morlock #8 (22 damage)
Morlock #11 (0 damage)
Freyja (97/105 hp)
Sarge (95/123 hp)
Trjega (75/75 hp)
Grevayne (23/91 hp, flying)
Engineer #1 (0 damage)
Engineer #2 (5 damage)
Bold may act!
Freyja ignores the piddly damage that the engineer near her is laying out; if it's too stupid to get in her face and stop her shooting, she is happy to oblige. She puts four arrows down range to try to help Grevayne.
Trjega's flanked target goes down, so she moves to flank #11 , then goes for a bite.
Grevayne spits up blood, more irritated than concerned. These tiny little bastards should not be hitting so hard. He lets Trjega deal with the remaining morlock and turns to face the hob engineer who has returned to menace him. He grins wickedly. All these wounds demand attention, and he has not fed in so long...
Sarge grunts in surprise as he takes a pick to the side. He gives the little beasts an appraising glance, then sets his back foot and adjusts his shield grip to increase his defensive posture, then goes after the newcomer with a vengeance.
Freyja turns #8 into a pincushion, and it falls; a split second later, Trjega moves around #11 (who swats at her with its pick, which glances off her armor), bites it, and holds it firm in her jaws.
Grevayne easily grabs engineer #2, who lets a little squeak pass between its lips. Sarge nearly kills #7, but it somehow is still clinging to life.
Engineer #1 comes to its senses and realizes that these superheroes are too wily for grenades and that this archer will just pick off a combatant per round if it lets her. It rushes up to Freyja and swings its little baby sword at her. She casually steps to the side; the attack never stood a chance.
Engineer #2 tries to wriggle out of Grevayne's grasp but the dhampir is far too strong for it.
The two goblin guards from the gates continue to approach. As they jog toward the fight, they begin to grow and morph, eventually turning into much larger creatures that are decidedly not goblins. They look familiar to Grevayne and Freyja.
These are barghests, but they are more advanced than the one you fought at Trevalay (remember, it had a basilisk companion that almost killed Freyja and Trjega). One might even say they are greater barghests.
They have DR 10/magic and a number of SLAs. If you roll 22 or higher, I'll be happy to tell you about some of them!
Morlock #11 tries to tear Trjega off of it, but utterly fails to do so.
Morlocks #7 and #4 continue to harass Sarge, but have a much harder time this time around. One attack does land true , but the other three glance harmlessly off his shield.
Morlock #4 (64 damage)
Morlock #6 (104 damage, so dead)
Morlock #7 (34 damage)
Morlock #8 (75 damage, unconscious and dying)
Morlock #11 (0 damage, grappled)
Freyja (97/105 hp)
Sarge (82/123 hp)
Trjega (75/75 hp, grappled)
Grevayne (23/91 hp, flying, grappled)
Engineer #1 (0 damage)
Engineer #2 (5 damage, grappled)
"Goblin" #1 (0 damage)
"Goblin" #2 (0 damage)
Bold may act!
Freyja pointedly ignores the feckless hob trying to hurt her; a much bigger threat just appeared. She steps away and fires four arrows at "goblin" #1.
Trjega tries to keep her grip on #11.
Then her rear claws go into Shred Mode.
Sarge does his best to finish of the shockingly resilient morlock in front of him.
Grevayne's eyes lose some of their luster, appearing milky and dead, as he grips the hob one-handed like a vice and buries his fangs in its neck, feeling the familiar rush of sensation and lusty power as he guzzles greedily from the horrid wound.