Session 5 – The Fall of Lord Espada
Campaign II, session 5. Previous: Session 4. Next: Session 6.
After an uneventful night of rest, the party went back in for another delve. Exploring further north, they opened a door behind a spiked-open pit trap into a room with an enormous, bloated rat that seemed to perhaps be the lord over the existing rats. Some fire, some oil, Snorri fell into the pit and broke both legs.
After defeating the rat queen, the party gathered some treasure including a ring engraved with the name “Karakas” and a masterwork suit of leather armor. They returned to town, bringing Snorri and the ring to the mercenary chapterhouse for a reward – Karakas and Snorri were both members and thus eligible for death/disability payouts. The party also learned the names of the missing Hucrele twins, Sharwyn the mage and Talgen the fighter. The group debated talking to Kerowyn, but decided against, as they had no good news to bring her.
On their following expedition, the party went back through the goblin areas. This time they encountered no resistance in the initial choke points and reached a locked door. Battering it down, they stumbled onto a slightly dazed dragon spawn (just woken by their loud noises), which they were able to slay within a few rounds. The party collected some additional treasure here (including the horns of the dragon) and battered down the next locked door, bringing them back into the hazy hallway they had discovered before, but this time a gang of goblins was traversing to the other end.
Fighting broke out, and the goblins dropped Orrin and Migs quickly. Terminos was able to revive them, but Orrin is unable to continue fighting. The goblins continue their fighting withdrawal, opening the doors at the opposite end of the hall and revealing further goblins!
(session break)
A well-placed tenebrosity from Vierath confused the goblins and bought the party some breathing time – but not much. A trio of goblins flanked the group from another side door – and were easily dispatched. Vierath started shouting threats in Goblin, insinuating that their souls would be forfeit if they didn’t surrender. He could hear them sounding an evacuation order, and the squeals of young whelps beyond. Most of the party, led by Espada, tried to counterflank the goblins, but ended up encountering several more gangs from two directions.
Ren was engaged by several goblins with spears; Migs tried to help by flinging another flask of oil but caught Ren in the splash; Ren collapsed with a yelp. Terminos grabbed Ren and pulled her back; her left pinky had burned off. Espada was stuck in an adjacent melee and unable to help as Migs, Ren, and Terminos all went down screaming.
Espada shouted for the others to flee. Fenmyra immediately obliged; Vierath hesitated but then ran past Fenmyra. The pair were able to escape the dungeon without further incident. Exhausted and traumatized, they made their way back towards Bastion. On their way back to town they encountered a merchant caravan, but the merchants were suspicious of these obvious outlanders with crazed looks on their faces, ragged and armed. The following day, they encountered a swarm of bats, which left Vierath bruised and scratched before flying on.