Brad

Sunday, 21 June

Finally, we arrived at the tower -- or rather, its ruined remains at the top of a hill. It appears the tower was destroyed about 70 years ago. We found tracks leading up the hill -- human and goblin. The human tracks led to bodies (presumably of the group sent three days ago), all with sting wounds to the neck. We buried the bodies, and followed the goblin tracks, which led up the hill.

As we neared the top, the ground shook (the same earthquake that squad 1 experienced while in the goblin tunnels). The ground at the top collapsed, and a group of goblins emerged, coughing from the cloud of dust, and looking anxiously behind them. We hid, and watched as the goblins drew their weapons and watched the hole. Suddenly, an imp [level 3 lurker] appeared near one of the goblins, and lashed out with its tail sting. The goblin fell down dead, and the rest fled down the hill (and past the party), while the imp disappeared.

Cautiously approaching the ruins, we found a staircase spiralling down into the hill. After waiting for an imp attack (which never came), we descended the stairs which ended at a 40'x10' corridor. Along the walls of the corridor were mosaics of runes, which appeared to be completely random (at least, Arcana and History checks weren't sufficient to discern any meaning). We did find a 10' section of one wall outlined with cracks. We pushed on it, but the wall pushed back! We dashed past the closing section, and found ourselves in a 30'x30' room. Two doors were on each side of the room, two goblin bodies in the centre of the room, and at the back was an alcove with a horned statue.

Baxter approached the statue, which leapt at Baxter, revealing itself as a clay scout [level 2 lurker], a type of homunculus. The battle started badly, as the clay scout kept redirecting our attacks onto its enemies (us!) that were adjacent to it. But once we moved away and made ranged attacks, we took it down, although it was E'bor who did all the damage (with acid arrow and magic missile). After defeating the scout, we searched the side rooms, finding more goblin bodies. Tirah triggered a trap, resulting in a net containing bits of armour falling on her. However, the minor indignity (and damage) was made up for with a sack containing a large amount of treasure.

We continued exploring the dungeon, finding a trapezoidal door with a gargoyle carved in it. In the gargoyle's mouth was a keyhole. In a sideroom, we found a lectern with a parchment, with two gargoyles on either side, in front of a 10' circle of runes. In the centre of the circle, screaming in rage, was a evistro or carnage demon [level 6 brute]. Deciding discretion was the better part of valour, we quietly closed the door.

In the next room, we were confronted by skeletons [level 3 soldier] and decrepit skeletons [level 1 minion], one of which was carrying a wooden key in its ribcage. Destroying the skeletons, we took the key (which had a dragonshard crystal embedded in it).

In another room, filled with charred furniture, E'bor found a summoner's tome +1.

We tried using the wooden key in the gargoyle door, which resulted in a thunderous roar that caught Fardrak and Baxter. Obviously the wrong key!

Finding a secret door, we travelled down a narrow corridor, ending in a room filled with cobwebs. We burnt off the cobwebs, causing a potion of healing to fall and shatter on the ground. Another secret door revealed a wooden chest, which E'bor opened using mage hand -- just as well, as there was a huge gout of flame that would have incinerated anyone opening the chest themselves. Inside was more treasure, including a bronze key with a dragonshard crystal.

The story so far...

The squads were deployed as part of the Armies of Thay, arriving by flying ship at the city of Threshold.

Squad 1 was tasked with clearing out an inn (the Lonesome Tankard) from the goblins that held it, so it could be used for barracks. The goblins had barricaded the building, but with some creativity, we managed to gain entry to the ground floor, engaging the five goblins (sharpshooters [level 2 artillery] and cutters [level 1 minion]). Three were killed, two fled upstairs, where a hexer [level 3 controller (leader)] leading more soldiers provided cover, making assaulting the first floor difficult.

While half the squad kept the goblins busy, Caeron and Rohar scaled the outside wall of the inn, and gained entry to the first floor via a window. The goblins were surprised by the assault in their flanks, and withdrew from the staircase to meet the threat, allowing Brad and Percil to charge up the stairs and join in the fight. The goblin hexer fled to the second floor, leaving sharpshooters, cutters, and blackblades [level 1 lurker] to die under the weapons of the party.

After clearing the first floor -- and finding some human slaves in the process -- the party followed the hexer up to the second floor, where the trail led to a ladder leading down to the kitchen on the ground floor (which had been blocked with rubble, so could not be accessed from the ground floor). Lurking in the kitchen were two shadowhunter bats [level 3 lurker], which were dispatched relatively easily. Stairs led down to a cellar, and we found the goblins had tunnelled out from it, joining it to a network they had built underneath Threshold.

Entering the tunnels, we found bodies of some humans, and another two live slaves being menaced by a cave bear [level 6 elite brute]. A fierce battle raged, and it was only with superior (if belated) tactics, that the bear was finally brought low, although Caeron and Brad were close to death.

After resting back at the inn, the party was ordered to clear out a specified section of the tunnel network. Going back down to where we fought the cave bear (the pelt of which was being made into a trophy), we encountered another group of goblin cutters and blackblades. The greenskins were defeated, and amongst the loot were bracers of healing (though someone got tongue-tied, so we refer to them as the healers of bracing).

At this point, an earthquake rocked the tunnel network, and there was the sound of an explosion.

Continuing on, we came across another squad that had been caught by a cave-in, and were being attacked by goblins from an elevated position. Swinging to the rescue, we easily dispatched the goblins, and lowered a rope to get the trapped squad out. After brief introductions, the other squad (known as Havernard's Handful, sort of a one-third size "dirty dozen") returned to the barracks, while we continued on.

We came across two more bodies -- a human male and a warforged warrior -- where the explosion appears to have occured. The warforged's chest had been ripped open, and the bodies appear to have been searched prior to the explosion. On one of the bodies, we found a note:

Claiming the Heart of Osgiliath has doomed us all. We must inform the Council and take responsibility for ...

After meeting another three humans who were guarding an entry point into the network, we continued on, finally arriving in another cavern, where the hexer we had been chasing was holed up with more blackblades, sharpshooters, and cutters. After a huge fight, we finally cleared the last of the goblins from our section, and returned to the inn.

In the meantime...

While squad 1 was spelunking, squad 2 was defending the inn from a goblin counter-attack involving cutters and warriors [level 1 skirmisher], who had decided to fire the city. We beat them back, and a messenger -- Horin Milnar, Speaker of the Mage Council -- arrived with mission for us (of the "utmost urgency", of course). We were tasked with recovering the Orb of Annata from the tower of the wizard Gutannis (a wizard who studied the Planes and the summoning of small creatures), which was about 15 miles northeast of Threshold. Annata was apparently a powerful seer who lived two centuries ago, and her Orb was a powerful farseeing item. We were also warned that another squad had been sent two days before the invasion, but had not been heard from. Our mission: recover the Orb, and find out what happened to the others if possible.

The next morning, we set off. After a few hours, we were ambushed by goblin cutters and warriors, which were easily defeated. We later came across goblin bodies, which looked like they had been torn apart (and possibly chewed on). Who had perpetrated this soon became clear, as we were confronted by four grey wolves [level 2 skirmisher], which were defeated after a difficult battle.

Introducing the Party

As part of the Armies of Thay, the party is split into two squads:

Squad #1

• Brad, Human Fighter (Tim)
• Caeron, Human Ranger (Crispin)
• Percil, Eladrin Wizard (Cam)
• Rohar, Dragonborn Warlord (Shane)

Squad #2

• Baxter Stabbins, Halfling Rogue (Cam)
• E'bor, Eladrin Wizard (Tim)
• Fardrak, Dwarf Axemage (Shane)
• Tirah, Deva Bard (Crispin)

Each squad has all four basic roles covered in 4E (defender, controller, striker, and leader), though so far Squad #2 seems to work together better than Squad #1.