Grymwold cuts down another hobgoblin, thinning the forces. Two of the hobgoblins duck and aim their longbows at Gronilda, launching arrows at the dwarf. The other two advance on her, dodging her slash and swinging blades back at her - yet none of the foes can seem to land a hit.
Alright folks. My apologies for not updating for a while, I've been really busy in planning travel next month and other life stuff. I will be away for a better part of October so there's for sure going to be a pause in posting starting mid next month, but I will be back in early November. I know long pauses like those can sometimes kill PbP games, and I was hoping to have Book 1 wrapped up before my trip but it's not looking like we will. We aren't that far off. Anyway, getting a post up shortly.
Taking further scans of the camp and discussing your plan takes precious time. The sound of guards circling the perimeter forces you to keep shifting positions along the perimeter to avoid detection. Guard Preception:
Party Stealth:
As Grymwold moves through the brambles with the rest of you, his heavy gear snags on a particularly sturdy branch that lets out a loud SNAP. The perimeter patrol unit of two figures suddenly halts, then begins moving quickly in your direction. At the same time, a group of four hobgoblins in full gear assembles near the eastern gate of the camp, with the bugbear barking commands, though the words are indistinct. That group forms up and begins marching out through the eastern gate away from the camp at a hurried pace. Continuing to move and avoid the perimeter patrol catching up, Gronilda takes a scan of the camp once more: There's the eastern entry, surrounded by sharpened logs that can be climbed over. A simple gate is chained in the center of the row of logs that can be opened or smashed through. This would be the most direct way of entering. Western entry - The ravine walls could be scaled to access the camp below with Climb checks. The far side on the west is 50 feet high. Southern Briars - Difficult, thick trees with sharp thorns, but you would only need to climb 10 feet to enter the camp once through. The Watchtower - If you could get up there and take out the guards, you could use the bridge as an entry point.
Sitka, the cub rescued from the den weeks ago, springs into action at Gronilda's command. The wolf charges at the hobgoblin from cover, just narrowly missing the foe's leg at the last moment. Ghost is fast behind and shows Sitka how it's done, grabbing the hobgoblin by the ankle and pulling him to the ground. Zarena burns the prone scout with magical acid, while Grymwold's shot flies wide.
Rolls:
With six hours of careful observation complete, the party moves carefully and quietly to gather significant intelligence about the layout and routines of the camp. The sun is beginning to sink lower in the western sky, casting longer shadows across the forest floor. - Zarena notices two hobgoblin scouts and a bugbear leave camp to venture into the forest. Every few hours, the patrol unit returns and the next one heads out.
Grymwold and Saélihn team up to finish off the hobgoblin messenger, causing him to crumple to the ground in a bloody heap.
Fahrak was wearing a . He also was carrying a piece of hide with a markings and symbols on it - a map. Knowledge (Local) DC 12: The crude markings and symbols suggest this is a travel route through the forest, not just a random sketch. The map appears to describe a route from a cave to another location deeper in the forest, marked with what look like camp symbols. There are simple drawings of tents, fire pits, and fortifications.
Fahrak endures another devastating attack as Gronilda swings her battleaxe in a large arc. The once-diplomatic hobgoblin now throws his head back and laughs maniacally, blood streaming from his mouth. "You think you've won? Scarvinious knows I came here. When I don't return, he'll bring the full might of the Legion down on your heads. The forest will run red with your blood!" Fahrak steps back and scans the party, noting Zarena's many injuries. He draws a throwing axe and hurls it at her, opening a fresh gash across her torso, but she remains on her feet despite the mounting damage.
Grimfang growls with anger as it slowly gets back to its feet. Grymwold uses the opportunity to swing his axe at the beast and tear through its side, but the wolf hangs on... Or does it?
Fahrak brandishes his battleaxe and hobbles over to Zarena, cutting deep into her side. "Speaker-to-Snakes - you lying witch! I'll carve the truth from your corpse!"
Something strange happened with the dice rolls that might make it confusing when looking at Initiative order. Since Saélihn opened with a spell, I had rolled Ghost's init separately this time, and had that roll in the Init spoiler. I wrote up my post and now that roll seems to be missing. Adding it back it affects all rolls after it which basically changes everything that happened. Wanted to share ahead of time in case it seems odd.
GM Rolls:
Fahrak's posture relaxes slightly, though he remains alert. He nods slowly, a look of understanding on his face. "Ah... Speaker-to-Snakes. Yes, that would explain much." He glances at the party with new appreciation. "That troglodyte oracle Ighiz has always been... hmm... practical in her alliances. If the Children of Stone have found surface dwellers willing to serve their purposes, then perhaps my master's offer comes at an opportune time." He dismounts from his dire wolf with ease and hands a sealed note to Zarena. "I carry a proposal from Commander Scarvinious: A formal alliance between the Ironfang Legion and the Children of Stone. Together, we could control this entire region. We provide protection in these dangerous lands, and you join our quest to make all of Nirmathas a home to those the humans would hunt, and turn those same humans into our servants and prey." "But if Ighiz already has these, hmm, arrangements... perhaps we should discuss this matter more carefully. Tell me, what manner of service do your people provide to those below? And how might this align with the Legion's greater goals?"
GM Rolls:
The night passes on and the morning light peaks the dense Fangwood canopy above. While eating days old bread and cured meat, the villagers start packing up their goods, ready to leave at your notice. Aubrin, Jet, Oreld and Kining approach with their own travel packs already secured. "The refugees are eager to see these caves you've cleared," Jet says, glancing at the bustling activity around the camp. "We could move everyone to the new location and deal with those patrols along the way, as Zarena suggested. Keep the group together and handle both problems at once. A larger group might seem less tactical, but it also means we don't have to make this journey twice, and honestly..." She glances at the rickety Redoubt. "I'd rather have everyone where we can protect them than split up and leave half our people here if those patrols come looking." "Take 'em or leave 'em, there's risk ta both approaches," Kining shrugs, her expression growing sinister. "I just want to see hobgob blood spilled again. It's been too long."
Aubrin's expression grows grim as she processes everything. "Organized patrols," she repeats. "That's not good. It won't be long now before we're found. We should deal with them, and keep the villagers protected as we all make for the caves, but I agree charging out into the night would be foolish. These aren't wild forest animals, and they'll be alert and ready for trouble." Kining nods approvingly. "If they're runnin' organized patrols, it means someone competent is coordinating 'em. Can't be random stragglers. I'd bet they gotta have a base of operations nearby... a camp, supplies, and a leader." The foul-tempered dwarf spits. "Eliminatin' these patrols might buy us time, but it will also tell their commander that there's organized resistance in the area. Gonna have ta be prepared for escalation." The rest of the refugees look relieved to see you return, and Jet ensures everyone is well-fed. Aubrin assigns the night watch while Kining makes her final rounds, checking that weapons are within easy reach. The mood is more subdued than usual - word of the organized patrols has spread quietly through the camp, and everyone understands that tomorrow may bring decisive action.
The party takes one final survey of the caves, moving through the lower caverns where the crystal scorpion rests happily, tail waggling as much as Pawnies' might, then back through the grand marble chamber and ancient forge before ascending to the upper levels. No trace of troglodytes remains. There are only empty tunnels that, with enough torches and determined effort to clear the choking fungus, will provide far stronger shelter than the wooden walls of the Chernasardo fort ever could.
The trek through the woods is largely uneventful, though again it does seem odd that there are a lot more humanoid tracks in the woods than those you'd observed on the way. It's evening when you arrive back at the Redoubt. Two figures emerge from the shadows - Aubrin, her ranger's cloak wrapped around her shoulders, and Kining, the dwarven weaponsmith. "There you are!" Aubrin says, her voice carrying both relief and concern. "We were starting to worry. How did it go at the caves?" Kining steps forward, her keen eyes assessing the party. "Aye, and ye look like ye've been through the grinder. Let's git you fed and hear what you've found." The smell of wood and cooking food drifts on the evening air, and you can hear the low murmur of voices from the camp further in.
Lizzie carefully examines the coffin's edges and lid, searching for hidden mechanisms or traps, but finds nothing dangerous. As the party searches inside the coffin and the crystallized remains of the insectoid creature, the ancient remains prove far too fragile for even the gentlest inspection and crumble to dust. With the vault explored, the entire troglodyte lair now lies empty of threats. The fungus (and its noxious smell) throughout the upper caverns remains a concern, but with time and labor from Phaendar's refugees, clearing it out should be doable. The artesian well discovered earlier provides a good source of fresh water. The barricaded passage earlier stands as a reminder of deeper dangers - perhaps best left undisturbed for now. The caverns offer safety and shelter, but the refugees left above in the Fangwood still live under fear of the Ironfang Legion...
Gronilda's ID Results:
Gronilda identifies the following:
Gronilda approaches the ancient door, studying the wheel of pictograms at its center. Using her memories from the carvings and the strange visions that had haunted Saélihn and Grymwolds dreams, she rotates the head, finishing with the crying face. As the final symbol clicks into place, the mechanism gives a deep thunk. Ancient gears grind as the massive blue steel door slowly descends into the floor. Inside, a three-stepped riser fills most of the room, atop which lies a stone sarcophagus depicting a vaguely insectoid creature similar to the ones depicted in statuary in earlier areas. Within the coffin lie the partially crystallized remains of an ancient, four-armed, insectoid creature that looks as if it will crumble with the slightest touch. Around the dais are four lidless stone coffers, containing a number of treasures, including It also contains the following magical equipment: .
Examining the corpses reveals the following loot:
Looking around the chamber, the door to the east is otherworldly, being made of polished, blue steel. It is decorated with a ring of pictograms, and at the center is a depiction of an unusual head with bulging eyes and wisps of hair radiating in every direction. The head - which looks at once like an insect and an old woman - spins freely, and the wheel of pictograms depicts a beetle, a rock, a wedge, a hammer, a crying face, a flame, a claw, a door, a metal bar, a figure standing in triumph, and a bottle. Perception DC 12, Door: You recognize that a few of the pictograms appeared earlier on.
Gronilda doubles in size and shouts a maginficent battlecry, swinging at the blue-robed troglodyte and cleaving a deep wound into its scales. Zarena rushes to Pawnies' rescue, and Lizzie tries to get around the defenses of the leader, but can't seem to hit it. Despite Gronilda's intimidating size, the blue troglodyte looks up at the dwarf with a menacing glare. Gronilda swings while the troglodyte is distracted by its casting, but fails to hit.
From Zarena's wand, another force missile flies across the chamber, striking the unarmed troglodyte. The red-eyed troglodyte retreats a step from Lizzie and Gronilda, raising its morningstar again. Suddenly, dirt, gravel, and sharp jagged stones erupt from the ground in a violent storm that engulfs much of the cavern. The stinging fragments rips through (almost) everyone's flesh. It also shreds the yellow troglodyte who crumples to the ground. Spellcraft DC 17:
The troglodyte oracle is casting stone call
The creature's entire body seems to vibrate with excitement as the gemstone flies through the air. It scrambles forward and intercepts the stone before it hits the floor, catching it in its front claws. You watch in as the creature's mouth parts seem to dissolve and reform around the gem, becoming part of its body. Once finished it snaps its claws together as if to applaud the kind gesture, then it turns and happily retreats back up the wall and into one of the empty crevices. Having paid the "toll" to continue past the scorpion, Gronilda takes a careful look at the doors to the south and doesn't spot any traps.
Zarena's Spellcraft Results:
The tunnel opens into a long, irregular cavern running north to south. Streaks of purple crystal run along one wall. To the east, the room descends down at a steep angle to a tunnel. A low, ethereal moan rises from the cold depths. A barricade of masonry blocks and quarried stone partially blocks the tunnel, constructed with surprising skill. The stones fit tightly together and appear to have been reinforced multiple times. The same barrier has a narrow but passable corridor leading southwest. Knowledge (Dungeoneering) DC 13:
The air flowing from beyond the barricade to the east carries a bone-chilling cold and smells of strange, alien spices mixed with decay. Something about this passage feels fundamentally wrong, as if it connects to places not meant for surface dwellers. The way the cavern walls darken and shift ahead leads you to believe the tunnel descends for miles into the absolute darkness of the Darklands.
The party descends into the chamber, climbing along the rungs or the rope before landing carefully on the marble floor below. The chamber's vastness is certainly a relief from the cramped caverns above. Combing through the room, Saélihn, Grymwold and Gronilda spot two hidden doors through collapsed walls. One to the east, one to the west. Among the oozy remains of the cube are . Gronilda doesn't detect any magical auras emanating from the items or elsewhere in the room.
Grymwold stares down into the pit and looses the first shot. The cube wobbles in apparent surprise . It begins a comically slow shuffle around the chamber, searching for its attacker. From above, a rain of arrows and stones from Saélihn and Lizzie pepper it, each hit making the cube jiggle in anger. Gronilda's final arrow strikes true and the dangerous cube collapses into a bubbling puddle of goo. With the cube eliminated, the chamber below now seems clear of threats.
As Grymwold starts climbing down the carved rungs (with the rope as backup), his dwarven eyes adjust quickly to the chamber below. The light from Gronilda's stone illuminates the grand space with its insectile statue, but something catches Grymwold's attention immediately once he is on the floor of the massive chamber. The marble floor, which from above appeared just well polished, reveals its secret - what he initially took for a shimmering floor is actually a massive, transparent cube of undulating jelly... better known as a gelatinous cube. The creature sits motionless near the center of the chamber, the light from Gronilda's stone refracting through its transparent body. Grymwold can see that several items are suspended within the creature's form - a shield, armor and clothing from previous victims. No troglodyte teeth, though. From his position, Grymwold can see that it would be possible to skirt around the edges of the chamber to avoid getting too close to the cube.
Grymwold peers down from 40 feet above the pit. The chamber below is vast, and he can see n large, insect-like statue in the center of it, and the floor is mirrorlike marble. It's hard to get a better look at the rest of the room from above. Gronilda and Zarena look over the magical goods, attempting to determine their properties. The warhammer is a , and the scrolls are .
After moving the corpses somewhere else, you find space in the bone cavern to layout bedrolls and rest. Besides, these caves will eventually be home to Phanedar's refugees, may as well get used to it now. Hopefully, the stench can be eliminated before everyone moves in. Rolls:
Your rest isn't quite over yet, when some strange things start happening... Grymwold:
You dream of a vast underground chamber where insect-like creatures with four arms carve strange symbols into stone. An ancient one notices you, and reveals visions of a black crystal key that can create fortresses from stone. Before the dream fades, the creature points to a blue metal door with a wheel of symbols at its center. It indicates three symbols in sequence: a rock, a metal bar, and a crying face.
Saélihn:
In a dream, the Fangwood transforms into pillars of stone around you. Ghost growls in anger as strange insect-like creatures with four arms approach. Their bodies resemble massive insects, bodies covered in a hard exoskeleton... yet they move with purpose, carving symbols into stone walls and conducting what appears to be strange rituals involving crystals and stone. Without speaking, one guides you through twisting passages to a chamber with a stone sarcophagus. It points to a blue metal door with a wheel of symbols and indicates three in sequence: a rock, a metal bar, and a crying face. As the dream fades, you glimpse a black crystal key with eight dark shards and one red one.
Zarena: About halfway through your watch, you hear something strange. A faint scraping sound comes from the direction of the pit. Peering carefully in that direction, you spot movement - a troglodyte's head emerges from the pit entrance and sniffs the air. This one wears crude bone jewelry and its skin bears markings in blue clay. It sniffs and listens quietly for about one minute, before retreating back down the rungs into the pit.
With the battle won, the party gets a look at whatever Handiss might have carried, as well as in the general area. Aside from her , which glows with a faint evocation aura, Handiss also wears a and a , which has no aura but is likely of some value. In addition to the bones, many other trophies line the walls, including a .
Ahead from the bone chamber, the corridor here slopes down at irregular angles and reeks of dampness. The walls are jagged and covered with sharp stone barbs. Mossy growths spread across the floor and walls, old bones lying pale against the dark moss. The winding tunnel leads down until it abruptly ends in a wide pit descending what seems to be 40 feet from where you stand. Rungs have been carved into the side of the pit, making it possible to climb up and down as a ladder would be used.
Gronilda cuts down the remaining troglodyte guard, but Handiss leaps over the strike as it continues through. Her moment of escape proves to be brief, as Grymwold, Ghost, and Saélihn all team up to take down the troglodyte. Caught between their attacks, she falters just as Saélihn's arrow streaks across the chamber, burying itself deep in the her throat. Handiss staggers backward before her eyes dull and she crashes heavily to the stone floor.
Saélihn imbues Ghost's fangs with magic, then sends her wolf rushing for the scaled guard. He grabs the troglodyte guard's ankle between his magically-enhanced jaws and with a powerful jerk of his head, yanks the creature to the ground. The room then floods with an intense blast of radiant light.
As the party moves into the room, the stench of the troglodyte warrior becomes overpowering, and they start to feel ill.
Handiss and her guard stumble in the direction they last saw their nearest targets...
But both are thoroughly disoriented from their lack of vision, and instead move towards the walls. Yellow tries to get to his feet and swings at Ghost.
Swinging her axe in a wide arc, Gronilda cuts through both of the poisonous frogs in a single deadly sweep. The troglodyte barely manages to duck beneath Grymwold's swing. Fueled by its desperation, the trog lashes out with again furiously, unable to get through his armor.
GM Rolls:
Moving beyond the butchering chamber, you come upon a room filled with stone shelves cut directly into the walls. Each shelf is heaped with dried mushrooms, baskets of herbs, root vegetables, and other fragrant foodstuffs. Empty baskets and cloth sacks lie piled in one corner. Two troglodytes work in this chamber, sorting baskets of recently foraged plants. Ghost and Saélihn's careful movement keeps them undetected, but Gronilda's heavier footfall causes one of the troglodytes to whirl around and hiss angrily, reaching for its weapon. Init:
Grymwold's crossbow clips the second fisher's leg as Zarena's attacks finds a gaps in its sturdy shell. The wounded creature clings to the ceiling, now aware of your presence. Initiative:
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