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Addermarch Campaign - Session 4

Goblin Lair Assault: in which the party confronts goblins and traps

Featuring: Yvan, Drou, Fazoth
In Taelgar: May 05, 1715 DR to May 08, 1715 DR
On Earth: Sunday Oct 13, 2024
Roscombe and the Highmoor

The adventurers prepare in Roscombe, attend a manor dinner, and then successfully infiltrate and defeat some Goblins at their lair.

Timeline

  • May 05, 1715 DR: In Roscombe, the party sells the vial of magical weapon-oil looted from Torvaine Watch and purchases extra healing potions at the bustling market square.
  • May 06, 1715 DR, morning: At the Temple of the Sibyl in Roscombe, the party confers with Owen Tavish about the Serpentine Dagger, and sell him an ancient Sibylline holy symbol.
  • May 06, 1715 DR, afternoon: At Caradoc’s cottage near Brantor, the party commissions a dose of Trueflame to aid in destroying the Serpentine Dagger, and accepts a contract to recover a stolen “glowing poison” recipe from local Goblins.
  • May 07, 1715 DR, evening: Over dinner in Lady Elowen Duval’s hall—complete with Drou’s performance, Yvan’s live painting, and Fazoth’s fireworks—they learn from Captain Gareth Howell of a goblin hideout and his missing squire; the party vows to investigate.
  • May 08, 1715 DR, morning: Trekking north into the hills they reach a cave entrance, trigger a collapsing-floor trap, and rout the first wave of goblin sentries with chromatic orbs, invisibility, and misty step.
  • May 08, 1715 DR, afternoon: Following tracks to a hidden trapdoor they descend, dodge another pit alarm, burst into the goblin living-quarters, and—after a brutal melee of cloud-of-daggers, fist-flurries, and arcane blasts—slay the bandits and seize the room.

Cast of Characters

Places

Narrative

Wednesday, May 5th, 2 Robert I

We begin in Roscombe, at The Traveler’s Rest, where Drou, Fazoth, and Yvan are staying. Having returned with gold from the cockatrice lair, the party spends the day at the market, selling the magic weapon oil found in Torvaine Watch, and buying healing potions.

Thursday, May 6th, 2 Robert I

The next day, Owen Tavish has returned from laying the ghost of Einrik Arpaad to rest at Torvaine Watch, and the party goes to the Temple of the Sibyl in Roscombe to speak with Owen. At the temple – one of the larger buildings in Roscombe, and clearly the center of the religious life of the town – they meet Isolde, the temple steward, who brings them to speak with Owen. Fazoth and Owen discuss the Serpentine Dagger, with Owen suggesting that the alchemical substance Trueflamemight be useful for destroying it, as it allows forge fires to get exceptionally hot. After speaking about the dagger, the party shows Owen the old holy symbol of the Sibyl recovered from the cockatrice lair, which Owen offers to buy. The meeting ends with Fazoth and Owen exchanging Thaumaturgy effects and playing a game of chess.

After speaking with Owen, the party walks to Caradoc’s house outside of the small village of Brantor, to ask about Trueflame. Caradoc is curious, and agrees to make it for them, but requires expensive ingredients, especially mercury ash. After giving a 50 gold down payment, he agrees to start, with another 100 gold to be paid when the Trueflame is ready in a few days.

Caradoc also tells the party he wants to recover a recipe for a Glowing Poison that some Goblins stole from a messenger a few months ago, and he will pay 200 gold for it if they bring it back to him.

After speaking with Caradoc, the party returns to town.

Friday, May 7th, 2 Robert I

The next morning, the party is invited to dine at the manor with Elowen Duval and her courtiers, including Gareth Howell, the leader of her household guard. Elowen has asked Drou to perform, and she spends the day preparing her pieces. Eager to also contribute, Yvan works on a painting, and Fazoth uses his alchemical skills to make fireworks.

The dinner is interesting. Yvan’s live painting is a bit of a strange show as he paints by just splashing paint haphazardly on the sheet, somehow a form emerging from the chaos, but the final product is not amazing. Grumpy at the result, Yvan makes the food too salty with Prestidigitation. However, Drou saves the evening with her stellar performance, entertaining the crowd and setting up Fazoth’s small fireworks show.

During the dinner, the party speaks with Gareth Howell, who tells them that the Goblins have not been much of a nuisance, but a young squire in his employ decided to go handle them anyway a few week’s ago, and hasn’t been seen since. He tells the party where to find the lair, and asks if they are going that way, if they can look for his missing squire.

Saturday, May 8th, 2 Robert I

The next day, the party leaves Roscombe early for the goblin lair, walking north into the hills. After a half-day of walking, they reach a rocky outcropping where they find a trail, and a cave. Drou speaks to a nearby bird, who tells them that no one goes into the cave, but that sometimes a giant spider comes past. Deciding to explore the cave despite Drou’s concerns about a possible trap, the party does indeed trigger a trap, with the floor of the cave collapsing into a pit trap, the noise of which summons some nearby guards. However, the party easily defeats the Goblins, aided largely by Yvan using seeking spell to help his Chromatic Orb spell bounce from one goblin to another. Drou casts Invisibility to remain unseen as she climbs out of the pit, and Fazoth uses his Misty Step to teleport.

Sneaking from the cave, along the goblin tracks, the party finds an empty clearing, and another tunnel full of spider webs. After briefly investigating the spider tunnel, the party finds a hidden trap door in the middle of the clearing, where the goblin trail stops. The party discusses and decides it is probably better to investigate the trapdoor than the spider tunnel, and ties a rope to a branch to climb down.

At the bottom of the trapdoor is a dirt tunnel leading to a door. The party proceeds down the tunnel, triggering another pit trap but managing to avoid landing with a loud bang on the iron pots at the bottom that serve as an alarm. The party then barges through the door into the apparent living quarters of the goblin bandits. A fight ensues, during which Fazoth uses Cloud of Daggers to great effect, while Drou wades into combat with flying fists and bardic inspiration. The session ends as the party defeats the Goblins.