The characters for this session:

• Thomas, cleric of Cuthbert
• Belmont, paladin of Hieroneous
• Barky, southron
• Edgar, wizard

and NPCs:

• Oswald, fighter
• Niamh, escaped prisoner cursed with lycanthropy and bearer of Sentinel, the Glove

The five adventurers have purged Fort Champion, at least at ground level and above. But a squad of goblins, driven by hobgoblins whose loyalty to Hextor is indisputable, has taken to a tunnel leading back under the fort precinct. The verdict: let’s attack from the fort, down, and wipe them out! 

Threads in play: 

1. Finish the Hextorite slavers under Fort Champion 
2. Scout Adlerweg Tower that wards Adlerweg Pass, with or without its gold hoard 
3. In both cases, do not cross into the Duchy 
4. Bring Niamh to the temple of Pelor, now Fort Champion, to cure her lycanthropy 
5. Bring Dietrich back to face justice, so long as he behaves himself

Part one: A promise kept

Into the under-croft

The risk we bear is no joking matter. Based on the work gangs we just defeated, there could be three hobgoblins and 15 goblins down here. Barky, who now organises us into exploration order, is battered and has one rage left. Thomas has a Calm Emotions left, and a few cantrips, and two Cure Lights on a scroll. Edgar has a Glitterdust left, and a couple of cantrips. He is yet to read the scroll he swept up. Belmont and Oswald are less battered than Barky.

 

Party order: Barky, then Oswald and Thomas, then Edgar, then Belmont. About 5′ space left either side, so that an area spell isn’t so likely to catch everyone. 

 

The stair that Barky slew the chaplain on descends, in a couple of flights, to a passage about 10′ wide, and at least as far as Thomas’ 60′ lamp beam lights. Tapers help light the passage. Most of the way along, on the left, Barky notes and passes a strong door, barred closed. Leaving Belmont to detect evil beyond he moves on to a taper-lit half-left passage which leads to a T-junction. He senses the rough-hewn right arm of the T [24 on intuit direction] heads outside of the precinct: the escape shaft the hobgoblins entered by would be on that side. As the rest of the party catches him, he notes a rough crude-hinged door a short way down the right shaft.

As Thomas follows up and lantern light swells he realises that two goblins are in wait, down the unlit left arm of the T!

Round 0: “Take this tin man” they yell in goblin and two arrows bounce off Thomas’ armour.

Initiatives: Barky, goblins, Belmont, Thomas, Oswald, Edgar 

The T-junction is a good place for an ambush! As Barky races at the two, he disappears through the floor. [poor Refl SV, he falls 20′ to an entangling net and takes 9 dmg]

“I can’t believe that worked! – he must be a complete moron!” – goblin 1

“When boss hob explained it to us and made us dig it for a month I thought ‘fuck this’ll never work!'” – goblin 2

Round 1: Belmont moves up and prepares to attack. Thomas begins sidling around the pit. As Oswald moves up Edgar calls: “Oswald! Rearguard! Rearguard – I think they’ll attack through the door!” – as he attempts to jam the said door with his dagger. But it opens the other way and is wrenched open!

Round 2: Two bow-armed goblins menace Edgar. “Ahh… have you thought about a new hoover?” Edgar bluffs, and is glad of his Protection from Arrows as they are not in the least put off, and shoot him. The door shuts again. “I’m readying the oil!” Edgar yells in goblin.

While Thomas attempts to reason that Barky can’t be hurt by falling into a net, he still does sidle after Belmont who closes, around the pit taking his sword against the goblins. He slays one. Thomas’ follow-up is equally successful. The shaft stops right behind the fallen goblins – now all that remains is the door.

Oswald stands ready for another door-opening but his halberd can’t reach, and an arrow penetrates his armour. Behind him now, Edgar asks Belmont to toss over the oil-bomb he gave him, and adds:

“You two are very strong! You can pull Barky up in the net then untangle him!”

Rounds 3-6: Barky is pulled up and disentangled and Thomas uses a Cure Light off the scroll on him. One remains. Perhaps fearing the oil bomb, the goblins behind the door make no further attempt. Oswald volunteers to kick the door open. The party assembles and readies.

 

Flames of justice

Round 0: With all ready, the door is kicked open and Edgar lobs the oil bomb down a visible passage away from a junction. It spreads burning across the earthen passage floor, illuminating a group of goblins and hobgoblins in wait beyond. Another passage behind the door lets half-right and Belmont throws the last oil-bomb that way. Another group can be seen beyond, in its light.

Initiatives: Oswald, 1st goblins, Barky, Edgar, Thomas, Belmont, 2nd goblins 

Round 1: Oswald moves up into the junction and can see that there’s a further space for door-opening, behind the door. The goblins seem to have been put off by the flaming oil and do not charge: instead they fall back a little. Barky races down the passage, leaps the flame [nat 20] and slaughters a goblin. Edgar grabs his lantern and moves it to where it can help with that group. Thomas moves up and looks at both groups but decides to keep his Calm Emotions in reserve. He moves up to the edge of the flame. Belmont follows Barky, manages only a 5′ hop and takes some burning damage, but finishes his run next to Barky. Who abruptly ceases moving and remains held in place. The goblins in front of he and Belmont stab.

Round 2: Oswald sallies down, leaps, and closes. Goblin arrows from the half-right bounce off Thomas and one nicks him. Edgar snaps off a Daze, stalling the hobgoblin of that group. “There seems no point in me moving up,” he calls. Thomas leaps the now-dwindling flame but misses wildly. Belmont makes no mistake and a goblin dies. He closes, and tries a slap to see if Barky will snap out of whatever it is.

Round 3: Oswald can’t reach through, so he waits, near Edgar, ready for the right-hand group. Edgar tosses a torch into the last of the burning oil down that right-hand passage, and looks carefully about to see if can spot the witcher. A goblin stabs Thomas through his massive armour: he glares, bends down to make sure he has the right culprit, and kills it, stepping forward over the remains. From this vantage he can see the pair of hobgoblins better. One of them clearly has clerical abilities: he casts Death Knell [has combat casting feat] and retreats with his hobgoblin henchman.

Round 4: “The caster’s getting away!” Thomas yells. Oswald checks back that way towards Thomas’ voice. “I think we need to chase that way!” Edgar calls to him, pointing the other way, and he ignores Thomas and follows up to the torch.

Barky chases into the dark, and at the very fringe of the lantern-light swipes at the caster: his blade cuts deep [threat]. Edgar follows past the dying oil-fire, and throws Glitterdust on the pair of hobgoblins. The caster is merely lit (allowing attacks in the dark) but the henchman is blinded. The first group of goblins moves up and Oswald is there, ready for them! Belmont, realising he’s not getting a shot in that fight, follows up to help Oswald.

Round 5: Barky keeps on the caster, cutting him again. He flails back, hammering Barky hard. Thomas slays the caster!

In the other passage Oswald eviscerates a goblin, and is cut lightly himself. Edgar takes what he fondly believes is a perfect shot, unerringly hitting Oswald in the back. [And the most damage he’s ever done with a crossbow]

Round 6: Oswald trips the hobgoblin and kills it. Belmont kills the last goblin on that shaft.

Against the glittering blinded hobgoblin, Barky and Thomas struggle. Edgar tries to help but misses with his second-last bolt.

Round 7: Barky downs the last hobgoblin. They wearily trudge back, watching out for the mystery marksman. Oswald explains to Edgar why you don’t shoot into melee, as the bolt is pulled out.

Round 8: Thomas burns his Calm Emotions to heal Barky again.

 

Hextor’s last hurrah

The team reassembles and explores where, beyond the fallen bodies of the right-branch enemy, the passages multiply. There’s a lit room up ahead and as they consider it, Thomas realizes another side-shaft has a goblin in it: it lets fly with its short-bow but the arrow splits on the stave.

Even before Thomas has a chance to decide if he should be the trap-finder this time, Edgar cries:

“Surrender! And you’ll be given justice!”

[notice checks for Thomas and Barky]

Thomas sees two gangs of goblins approaching from branching passages, one from the lit room end.

“Let’s retreat forward!” Edgar suggests, pointing towards the lit chamber.

“That’s just retreating,” Thomas objects.

Initiatives: Goblins, Edgar, Oswald, Barky/Belmont, Thomas

Round 1: Thomas is hit by an arrow

“Barky – we are headed towards the room?” – Edgar

Barky side-steps an arrow and agrees. Edgar races forward to where Oswald and Belmont are about to be prevented from entering the chamber. He swings his elite quarterstaff lustily and misses – but the goblins are caught by Belmont and Oswald and die, leaving the chamber open. There’s no immediate foe visible there.

At the other end of the party Barky, who is still feeling battered, takes on the lone archer-goblin by drawing his bow and stepping to cover, while Thomas takes his heavier armour to the group of goblins.

Round 2: Advancing swashbuckling his quarterstaff into the chamber Edgar begins searching for treasure/foes. Oswald and Belmont turn to help Thomas: Belmont rushes forward to make sure Thomas isn’t isolated.

Round 3: Thomas avoids being tripped by a hulking hobgoblin using a halberd. He forces the halberd to be dropped. The hobgoblin draws a standard-issue mace. His minion goblins are being slain around him as Oswald presses in behind Belmont: Thomas edges around into the space.

Round 4: Stepping clear of the easy flanking attempt the hobgoblin fails to get past Thomas’ armour. As Barky, in cover now, continues to miss the goblin, the hobgoblin is slain.

Round 5: Thomas impatiently charges back and around against the goblin but Barky manages to get a killing shot in at last! The tunnels are clear!

[1100xp for Fort Champion, we are just over halfway through level 4 on our way to level 5.]

 

Lawful looting

The chamber is worth looting. The dead, too, are plundered. Thomas checks everyone’s hurts and duly pronounces:

“Pah! Call that wounded? Harden up!”

He uses the last three orisons on himself. [Now he’s on double digit hp]

 

We finish looting the undercroft: as well as coin a number of shiny or possibly magical items are plundered. Thomas finds a clerical scroll.

 

We return to the barred door, for Belmont to detect evil. He detects nothing.

 

Revelation

Dragging the pile of loot (including coffers of coin) to the ground level, we continue plundering, finding more coin and gems, another clerical scroll,(1) two spell-books, and possibly useful/magical gear, and as it’s all piled up ready for the Detect Magic that is Edgar’s last spell, we’re greeted by a handsome blond man clad in the garb of Pelor.

“We hate Hextor!” Edgar shouts, levelling his crossbow.

“Peace. I am Pelagius, of Pelor.”

“Are you a ghost?”

“I continue to do the will of Pelor.”

“Ah. Come forward, brave servant of Pelor.”

Belmont is confused – has this chap been hiding for many years inside the fortress? – but Edgar breaks it down:

“Pelor-ghost. He not here.”

“I’ve been expecting you for some time.”

“We got here as fast as we could. Apart from looting downstairs.”

“I noticed. Perhaps…”

“There’s an old saying: a ruin pays for itself,” Edgar returns.

“I have somewhere heard that, but this is not yet a ruin. In time Pelor may reoccupy it”

“And that will happen.”

“Good, you are worthy,” Pelagius decides, and leads us back down to the barred door again. He walks right through it. Edgar (with a mite of assistance from Oswald) wrestles the bar off and follows. Inside, four men of the Hieroneus order are shackled to the wall. These are Sgt Alewyn, Edric, Torlton, and Hathwyl.

A key among the mix of loot upstairs proves to be the shackle key and the four are freed. They’ve been expecting us, thanks to Pelagius. They prove willing allies, if subdued, and are willing to assist get loot, hirelings and Dietrich (and later, Niamh) to the coast and the Corsair Crag.

Our pledge is fulfilled: we have purged this, at least, of Hextor’s foul presence, and Niamh is cured.

Threads closed:

1. Finish the Hextorite slavers under Fort Champion 
2. Bring Niamh to the temple of Pelor, now Fort Champion, to cure her lycanthropy 

(1) With 5 more Cure Light on it, as well as Remove Curse and Delay Poison

Part two: Pelor’s golden treasure

Where lies the golden treasure of yore

Edgar asks Pelagius eventually about the Adlerweg Pass, the Pelor stronghold there, the golden treasure, and lycanthropy and the Sentinel.

Indirectly Pelagius answers by offering some other information. He leads Edgar to a lever. It proves to control a great weir-gate. Operating the lever, Edgar sets the entire lake to drain away into the Dry river – or Sculpted river, to reveal its original name. Pelagius explains that the ‘golden treasure’ is in fact the great grain fields that once lay across what is now the great northern swamp. As they drain the grain will return!

As for the matter of Niamh, come the dawn Oswald and Barky hasten to bring our expedition’s tail up, and Pelagius simply cures Niamh on the spot. Finally Pelagius reveals the location of a treasure chest under the altar and grants a permanent attribute gain to everyone. He fades off into eternity, his duty now complete.

 

Where to? and with who?

After some discussion we elect on the send-to-the-coast scheme noted earlier, but with the added treasure-favouring option of going back east, collecting the keel-boat, and bringing all the heavy loot back here. There are quite a number of mounts in Fort Champion’s stables so this seems practicable.

At this juncture it seems likely we’ll send our faithful hirelings Hodd and Siward away with the Templars, along with Bess and Jenny. The journey up the pass may be best attempted lightly-burdened and without the worry of a base-camp party. And we also have the chance to divest ourselves of the prisoner, Dietrich.

Altered thread:

1. Send Dietrich back with the Templars to face justice

Our plan, thanks to discussion with Sentinel, includes taking the fort and combating the Gauntlet, which is “moving again”.

“The keep must be held. I seek a person of pure intent to wield my power” Sentinel explains.

With that, it offers its power to Edgar (it was built for a wizard). Niamh removes the glove and Edgar takes up the Sentinel’s duty.

Altered thread:

1. Scout Adlerweg Tower that wards Adlerweg Pass

New thread:

1. Defeat the force that the Gauntlet is raising at Adlerweg Tower

 

A ride to owlbear territory

Our first course is clear, regardless of doubts about the journey up the pass: to get Oswald to the boat.

Party order: Belmont, who rides a warhorse and wields a heavy lance, is landward and rear, with Barky well ahead. Oswald is shoreline and rear, with Thomas well ahead. Edgar rides between the two files, with plenty of room to either side, and towards the rear.

Moving at pace under clear blue skies, Barky has no real chance [rolls 8 notice] of picking out warning signs. As his mount shies, he manages to stay in the saddle: an owlbear screeches and rushes out from a thicket!

Initiatives:  Barky, Belmont/owlbear/Thomas, Edgar, Oswald 

Barky slides clear [succeeds on jump] and Belmont’s lance cuts a slight gash on the owlbear. It snaps and claws back, but Belmont’s armour protects him. We others dismount as well. Thomas casts Protection from Chaos. Edgar blinds the crazed owlbear with Glitterdust. Oswald readies his halberd and lets his mount run clear.

Barky runs around the blinded owlbear and slashes a deep cut from behind. Belmont drops his lance and strikes deep [crits] with his sword. It shrieks with agony! Despite that it still gouges chunks out of Belmont’s armour, and grabs him, wrenching off his saddle! Then a second, even larger owlbear, emerges and charges Thomas! It gouges deep despite his Protection. Oswald closes to support Thomas – or rather, Thomas retreats fighting defensively back to Oswald! Edgar unslings his rope, casting True Strike. As Thomas’ retreat has exposed Edgar somewhat he also sidles back and around left, near Belmont’s warhorse.

Barky’s next attack has the benefit of rage. He axes the sword over and down deep into the hindquarters of the blinded owlbear. Belmont drops his sword, grabs out his dagger and rams it home – and the owlbear falls dead! [The owlbear was down to 1hp!]

Doubly enraged the bull owlbear rushes at Thomas and Oswald, but [since the GM has forgotten that it only got the one attack on its charge last] its snapping beak misses. Thomas does the best he can with his mace and shield, fighting defensively, and connects.

“Entangle” Edgar commands throwing the rope’s end at the owlbear. Its wing flicks the Animated rope off. Edgar takes the rope’s other end to the warhorse’s saddle.

Barky rushes to the attack! Belmont rises back to his feet and catches up the horse’s reins. “I’m trying to tie off this, so you can drag the owlbear,” Edgar hastily explains. Belmont looks blank. The owlbear snaps kicks and claws, and Barky is wounded. Thomas and Barky keep defending, and inflict more damage. “Loop and knot!” Edgar calls and this time the owlbear is hitched by an ankle while at the other end the war-horse’s pommel is also hitched-to.

Now Belmont gets it! He spurs away and the quadruped power of a mighty war-horse wrenches the owlbear, side-on, away – and as it topples the three around it kill it.

 

“You know Oswald, I remember chaps back at the tent hacking spell components out of an owlbear,” Edgar comments, waving his hatchet hopefully.

“You know which bits are useful?” Oswald asks doubtfully.

“Nope,” Edgar admits, “but I can at least collect feathers for trophies!”