Rise of the Runelords

Game Master Upaynao

Do we have more food we can let it eat, also I would like to heal it up. Then we can either leave it here for now and bring it with us when we leave, or try to get it back onto land now.

Like I said in character, I don't know if we'll be able to get a horse across the bridge, it simply may not hold the horse's weight without a bit of repair.

Andrezi searches through his pack for something to give the horse to eat. After finding a pouch of dried fruits, he offers them to Kiera to feed to the horse.

"See if he would like these. While you are feeding him, I will see what I can do to heal him a bit."

Not wanting to startle the horse by coming at him with a stick (wand), Andrezi casts one of his remaining curative spells on the horse.

CMW: 2d8 + 4 ⇒ (3, 1) + 4 = 8

So try to find way to bring him / her back to safety with us once we have cleared out the area.

Volkar looked about, first at the horse and then back at the large courtyard they had come through. "I think if we could use a sleep spell, or potion, we could leave the horse here, bolt the door again, and clear off over there."

Volkar pointed at the double doors across the keep. "We came in one of the entrances, but those would be the keep's main entrance to this courtyard. I think we need to clear out a section and then get even a couple of hours of rest."

I am not sure that a sleep spell would work, but I think it's an option. It would buy us time.

"If we can stay near the horse, maybe it will get used to it and will trust us to lead it out of here when we have a chance?" says Kiera hopefully.

"Not a bad idea. As an added bonus, based on the crushed bodies over there, he has no love lost for goblins."

I am sorry.. perhaps I should have stated it plainly instead of by inference: Yall made the handle animal check, so you can pretty much do as you like with the horse. You are relatively sure that the horse can make it across the bridge, but only just (Meaning that its the only creature on the bridge at the time).

The party continues to feed the horse, and it settles in comfortably. Obviously, this horse was well cared for and familiar with people prior to its incarceration. Andrezi channels some healing energy into the horse, and its ears perk up at the extra attention. As the blessing of the gods works its way through the horse, its maltreatment gets visibly better.
Not 100%, but certainly better than it was.

As previously stated, I would rather clear this place out before resting. However I don't want everyone to think I am impatient, just wary of being surrounded by Goblins now they know we are here.

Totally agree Daelric. Just not sure how the spell casters are doing...

I'm fine with continuing as long as Kiera is.

I guess we can keep pushing our luck. Eventually if we keep pushing we will find a "boss" and that will be that.

As yall wish!
Where to now?: 1d3 ⇒ 1
?: 1d20 - 10 ⇒ (17) - 10 = 7

The party decides to continue on, and so takes the south-western door out of the courtyard. This leads into an anteroom with another door, through which you discover a set of stairs ascending to one of the guard towers you saw from outside. At the top, you find two goblins fast asleep after having obviously gorged themselves on pickles. The remains of their dinner is all over them, and a stash of pickles remains in between them.

"Ugh...I hate the smell of pickles." Andrezi complains.

"Sleeping or not, it's time for the little freaks to go." he says, ready to bash the goblins if his companions do not beat him to it.

I look as if I am struggling with something whilst looking at the sleeping Goblins, before looking to the pickles and Andrezi. "Brewed in the correct way, pickles can make a fine beverage, although it is an acquired taste." I look back at the Goblins and again I seem to be struggling, "I know they have to be gotten rid of, but I find myself unable to attack them whilst they are sleeping ... there is no honour in it. But the quieter we are, the less danger we will be in."

I won't be attacking them, but won't stop anyone else doing so.

"I understand, Daelric." Andrezi says sympathetically. "We all have lines that we won't cross."

Andrezi moves next to one of the goblins and raises his staff. Before he strikes, he gives Volkar a glance as if to ask for help with the second goblin.

Coup de grace on one of the sleeping goblins, hopefully in conjunction with a similar action from Volkar on the other.

Coup de grace: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (4, 5) + 2 = 11 If the 11 points isn't enough to kill the goblin, hopefully the DC 21 Fort save is.

Kiera grips the hilt of her dagger and says, "I can only think of what they've done to townspeople they've found in the same state." She purses her lips unhappily.

Volkar saw the two goblins and walked up to the other. With a simple shrug, he brought the axe down on the sleeping guard.

The group quietly discusses dispatching the goblins, then Volkar and Andrezi creep forward to do the deed. The look to each other, timing their stikes, and then promptly bringing their weapons down in a flash of gory eternity for the targets. The metallic tang of fresh blood mixes with the bitter vinegar of the pickle juice wafting through the tower.

I thank Andrezi with a nod and bow, then head to the next door and when everyone is ready I open it and head through to the next room.

Volkar cleaned the blade of the axe. He looked to see if there were any coin purses on either of the dead goblins. When Daelric made his way to the door, he followed behind with his ax at the ready.

The party descends from the execution tower and Daelric and Volkar lead the way into a warren of supply and store rooms. The main room Unnumbered is just a bare hallway. The other two rooms branching off are full of the supplies and stores for the goblin encampment.

Rm 12
This storeroom is half-filled with crates, barrels, and large sacks of grain. A small hole has been chopped into the lower side of one of the barrels, allowing pickles and brine to drain out to give the room a singular stink of vinegar.

Rm 17
Shelves lined with crude tools, nets, and tack and harness line the walls here. To the northeast stands a large L-shaped wooden cage that contains dozens of rabbits.

The party begins to feel their long day full of battle.. muscles are weary and eyelids are heavy.. Before long, even the most stalwart of the dwarves are feeling the late hour. Approaching around 10 pm. Before long, I will be adding the FATIGUED condition.

Volkar turned about after they had looked in the rabbit hutch, and said, "I think we need to hole up above."

"We secure the two double doors from this side of the tower access," Volkar pointed right and left. "Then we let those two get some rest while us dwarves eat some rations and split shift the night."

The party barricades themselves into the tower for the night and settles in for a well earned rest. The dwarves take turns on watch, allowing Kiera and Andrezi to fully rest up for the next days trials.

Periodically, you hear goblins shuffling about, murmuring in low voices. At one point you can hear them getting into the supplies in the next rooms, but the noise dies out quickly.

Kiera settles in, unfurling her bedroll from her satchel and leaning up against a wall. A dim magical light gives her reading light, and she uses some minor magic to clean up the blood and dirt from the previous adventures before she settles into her sheets for the evening, leaning her head on her bedroll.

She chews on the bland dried rations without much comment, except to make sure that everyone brought a bit of food.

"I only have enough food with me for one more day," she cautions. "After that we will need to go back to the boat for more supplies. Besides, we should figure out a reliable way to get back to the boat anyhow. And at some point we need to work out what we're going to do about the horse! He can ride on the boat if we can find some way to get him down, but I don't think he'll want to jump off the cliff."

I nod in agreement with Volkar and offer to take first watch, eating with everyone else before my shift. Everything goes peacefully apart from the sound of the Goblins in the supply room, every time I hear one I stand up quietly and raise my axe just in case. When it is my turn to sleep I fall asleep quickly, although reluctantly.

When I awake I look around for a corner to do my silent prayers and take out my prayer stone. Once I have finished, I look around to the group, "Shall we eat and then head out, or head out and eat a little later? We can use the supplies provided rather than our own, no sense in wasting it on the vermin."

Volkar follows after Daelric's watch, listening and looking into the dark of the night. He chewed on some of the dwarven trail rations that was in his bag, and walked about the tower floor. He enjoyed the crashing of waves against the the towering rock formation upon which the keep sat. It reminded him of his brother sea faring, and the efforts many of the Lost Keep engaged in since that fateful day. He twirled the beard beads and even the thick lucky coin he wore on a loop about his neck.

When Daelric and the others began to awake, he joined in the conversation about supplies. "I agree with Daelric, if we can use the supplies below to keep us fed along the way, I think we should do so. I also think that we should try to figure out the best approach with the rest of the keep. It's going to be a long day dealing with the green skins."

The party wakes and begins to move around. Scroung through what you recovered last night, you are each able to put together some rations to carry with you.
Lets call it 2 rations per person

You unbarricade the door, and prepare to head out.

Two paths arrowed on the map.

"Daelric, Volkar, thank you both for standing watch last night. Before we get going, if you all wouldn't mind joining me a short prayer to the Song of the Spheres?" Andrezi asks.

Assuming the group agrees.

"Lady Desna, please watch over these travelers as we seek to put an end to destruction caused by the goblins the claim this fort. Let us all be ready for the challenges and unexpected obstacles we must face."

Activating Caravan Bond. Now I should be able to target the rest of the party with my domain abilities from 30 feet.

I don't have a strong opinion between the two, but would prefer to take the door off of C16 or the furthest east door off of C11.

I say far end of C11, get that cleared and start making our way up through the building. But making sure to pass through the rooms we have already cleared, in case the Goblins have taken up residence in one of the.

Kiera wakes up with a gasp in the morning, then blearily sits and brushes her hair for several minutes before having a gulp of water and numbly chewing on a biscuit.

"The goblin noises kept waking me up," she admits. "Bad dreams."

Then she organizes her gear once more and stretches before spending a little time studying, with a respectful break for Andrezi's sermon.

Finally, she announces, "All right, I've woven together the energies needed to contain more spells. Ready as I'll ever be."

DM, per your note about scrolls earlier, I think the ones you mentioned - burning hands and flaming sphere - were both scrolls that I copied into my spellbook.

Daelric, your plan seems sounds to me!

Kiera: Thats fine. Thanks!

The party gears up and heads out, this time aiming for the opposite corner of the building and enter the base of the other tower. This one is much larger then the tower you spent the night in, and an open flight of wooden stairs winds up to a trap door in the ceiling,
thirty feet above.

"You know, much of this is not goblin-craft," says Kiera - though of course the dwarves would know that about the stonework. "I guess the goblins just took over these old ruins in the statue."

I look at the walls, "I doubt Goblins can build like this, I have never looked into things they build. They usually just destroy things. I haven't spent much time with finished rock, mostly unhewn rock with precious veins."

I don't have Stonecunning, but do have bonuses to my Profession (Miner). Just noticed a couple of people have mentioned my Dwarven talents for looking at stone, so thought I should clarify.

"Shall we go up the stairs to see if there are more little, green lookouts in the tower?"

the complex that yall are in is actually a wooden structure made from salvaged wood from shipwrecks. Once you move into the deeper levels, THAT will be stonework of note. As for this section, the text does not come out and stated that the goblins built it, but it is implied.

Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (7) - 1 = 6
The party moves up the stairs to the trap door. You throw it open and are confronted by two goblins, playing cards while they are supposed to be looking out! They look up, startled, before one screams out "LONGSHANKS!!! BOSS, WE FOUND DA LONGSHANKS!!"

Ok.. kind of awkward on the map here, but yall are single file on the stairs. Daelric is the only one that has line of sight until he moves out of the way or yall move through him. This level of the tower is the full area of the room below.

Bold May Post
Andrezi
Kiera
Gobs
Volkar
Daelric

Bump??

Hearing the screechy voices of the goblins above, Andrezi quickly calls on Desna's blessings to aid in the coming battles.

Casting Bless. Duration = 3 minutes.

I can't post until after Kiera and Andrezi.

Andrezi casts Bless on the small company, imparting the holy favor of Desna upon your endeavors.

Delaying Keira

The goblins surge forward with screams of glee and bloodlust, stabbing at Daelric. However, neither of their blades get close to the heavily armored dwarf.
Red: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
Blue: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

Bold May Post
Andrezi
Kiera
Gobs
~Red
~Blue
Volkar
Daelric

Active:
Bless: +1 attack rolls, vs fear effects x3 minutes

Volkar swung at the first goblin to press against his fellow dwarf.

Seeing little reason to use powerful magic against just a pair of goblins, Kiera starts with her usual small battle spells.

Ranged touch attack: 1d20 ⇒ 19
Acid damage: 1d3 ⇒ 1

Noticing that I am unable to get passed and am in the perfect position to protect my companions, I raise my shield and swing my axe, hoping to fell the enemies quickly so we can get out of the stairwell.

War-Axe Attack: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 1 = 15
War-Axe Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

VOlkar: you cannot reach the gobs from behind Daelric. However, should you wish to change your action to ranged attack, we can use the previous roll!

Kiera sends a bolt of acid through the trap door to land sizzling on one of the ugly creatures faces. Who knows.. it might make the goblin more appealing?!

Bold May Post
Andrezi
Kiera
Gobs
~Red
~Blue
Volkar
Daelric

Active:
Bless: +1 attack rolls, vs fear effects x3 minutes

I have already posted, just before your initiative update.

Volkar looked over the bombs and figured that he couldn't waste such an item if Daelric could simply pound the long ears into submission.

AH.. You ninja'd me!!

Daelric chops down the leading goblin then steps forward over the body, and Volkar stepps in and ends the other goblin from around the corner of the trap door. Moving into the room, you find the refuse of a couple of meals, and some very tattered playing cards that were in the middle of being used.

Thats all for this room folks.. where to next?

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

I doubt it with my roll, but do we hear any other Goblins coming since these guys shouted for their boss?

Not at this time, especially from your location.

Then I say clear out the rooms we passed just outside this one first and then head further into the big room.

I strain my ears, listening for any signs of rushing and approaching Goblins, but can't seem to hear anything. So I look at the playing cards briefly before heading back the way we came a little bit to stand in front of the next closed door and wait for everyone else to tell me they are ready to enter the room.