09.11.21
Taking Advantage of a Wrecked Back Door.
September 11th, 2021
When we last joined our adventurers, the week long festival called the Phandalin games had reached its end and the group of adventurers have joined with their orc scouts Victor and Rictor in a journey to Cragmaw Castle. Along the way, they encountered and confronted the Fallen Aasimar scholar Evelyn who joined their party. They set up an impromtu camp out of earshot of the castle getting to know each other and their powers increased.
The castle is made of stone, and has seven overlaping towers, many have collapsed. The party hopes that inside that they can finally recover Gundren Rockseeker... with luck, alive.
The party attempts to look into arrow holes but sees nothing. The group decides to scout the exterior first. Finding a large open entrance to the west, but the party finds it suspicous. They then find a collapsed wall along the north face of the castle.
The party slowly slides into the back entrance, finding a round room filled with rotting sacks of goods, crates, and barrels. They explore several chambers within the castle maintaining stealth. All doors they encounter are barracaded from the other side.
As the party approaches the final door, they see light and hear voices in the other room. As they consider opening it, Ekxikas sneaks in behind the party and reveals he has been following the party. He explains that he can help but the group must formally accept him.
Lever a door open using a rapier and exkikas's horns as a folcrum they manage to lever the door's barring open. they manage to do it carefully.
Meanwhile Dripp antagonizes Evelyn attempting to deface the ruins
Entering Exkikas reveals himself to hobgoblins. Who immediately scream out "Intruders, In..." Immediately falling to Keras who cast Sleep.
loud streak in another room. Lillian's magical ability lets her know the scream origin. Its a
Keras, Billie and Exkikas tie up the hobgoblins.
Someone shouts from the other room, did they say intruders? dripp mimics a goblin as he is versed in their language. Flse lrm, he convinces the voice on the other side.
Keras manages to gag the goblins ans whispers to Dripp to get the rest of the party into the room and blockade the door.
More hobgoblins brek through and see Demna and begin shouting out "Intruder, Intruder" again. Evelyn enter the other room. Exkikas sees the unconscious hobgoblins as too tempting and tries to slit ones throat. He instead, beheads the goblinoid.
Demna casts Tasha's Caustic Brew, melting one of the hobgoblins where he stands, and attempts to escape to the other side of the door and baracade it.
With everyone on the other side, someone is clearly trying to get into the room from further into the tower. Dripp on the other side of the door, decides to emulate the door trick he saw Keras and Exikas try earlier. Sticking his sword through the door crack, he hits something and heres a whine, and the sword comes out slicked in blood. Dripp remains bracing the door where someone or something is clearly trying to get out. He struggles but manages to hold it closed.
With yet another door. Lillian prepares burning hands. Calling to keras he opens the door and a hobgoblin bursts through, nearly falling into the brazier he takes only a second to see his situation before Lillian unleashes her burning hands an immolates the hobgoblin into a pile of ash. the next hobgoblin follows quickly behind, swinging his sword at Lillian and mildly cutting her.
A flood of over a dozen goblins join their hobgoblin allies in the ajoining hall. The Owlbear continues to slam against the door. Billie puts a heavy bed against the door holding back the owl bear as a iron beam across the door bursts.
Exkikas, casts darkness over nearly all of the goblin hoard and then hides himself. Demna runs in and casts her acid breath weapon directly into the darkened goblin hoard. Killing a hobgoblin and several goblins, although bathed in darkness only the cries of terror as they liquify under the harsh acid attack. She attempts to also cast a chromatic orb into the group, but it misses all of the remaining goblins.
Evelyn attempts to join the fray casting a reluctant eldrich blast into the dark pool of goblins. Dripp encourages them on as they potentially damage the ruin they are so fond of. Dripp steps away from the door he is bracing, as a giant grey wolf emerges from the door and attempts to bite at him. Dripp sees another Drow inside. "Call of your dog" he shouts in undercommon. Recognition sweeps his face as Dripp prepares to attack the wolf again.
Lillian casts a Tidal wave into the darkened mass of goblins. Sloshing and burbling sounds out as the hoard drowns. She warns folks away from the door. Keras runs to Dripp's aid. Seeing Gundren possibly dead and unconsious on the ground. He casts a powerful Healing Word bringing the dwarf back from the brink. Keras tosses him his Bident shouting "defend yourself!"
Meanwhile near the killing ground where the mass of goblin and hobgoblin coarpses litter the ground. The last remaining Hobgoblin runs through the darkness into the room with the party falling into the brazier, catching flame. Billie uses this opportunity to strike the hobgoblin with his staff and grinds his head into the flames, cooking their now pulpy grey matter to a crisp. From there, Billie flees to the aid of Dripp and Keras, as Lillian prepares "something big" for the Owlbear.
Exkikias runs out from his hidden position and quickly dispatches the wolf with Psycic Blade, severing its spine and leaving its unblemished coarpse to the floor. Turning he manifests another psycic blade and chucks it into the drow in the chamber with Gundren, severly wounding him.
Demna seeing her chance to inflict some damage, rushes into the room with gundren, casting twinned Chromatic Orbs at the Drow and elderly Bugbear in the room. The Drow unnaturally dodges the orb, but the bugbear takes a powerful orb to the chest. As she steps away, the drow tries to strike her, but she deftly avoids it.