Summer Campaign 2013 [Part 9]

Just as the adventurers and their goblin allies were preparing to dispatch the sleeping wolves and hobgoblins, 3 more hobgoblins emerge from the mine.

These three look really dangerous!

Two have swords and look battle hardened and one looks like the leader!

My memory of the blow by blow action here is really fuzzy, so I will summarize --

• The goblin wolves both died at the hands of the hobgoblins
• The goblin wizard was killed by the hobgoblins
• Gork avenged his wolves by killing one of the hobgoblins! (the wolves had gotten a few bites in to soften him up before they died)
• The cleric and Halfdan kill the two sleeping wolves before they wake up
• The fighter dies of his arrow wounds.  Phantom Darkblade will fight no more.
• Halfdan deals the final blow to the hobgoblin leader screaming about avenging his brother

The party bandages their wounds and regroups.  Their numbers are now much smaller.

• Goblin leader
• Gork - the goblin wolf-handler
• Lump - the goblin archer
• Cleric, known as Tom
• Hobbit fighter, known as Boss
• Halfdan the Axe, dwarf NPC

With the defeat of the hobgoblin leader, the group decides to enter the mine.  They feel that they might have cleared it out and that the dangers within may be minimal.

They set a marching order and head into the mine. 

They quickly determine that the wolf den near the entrance is empty.  The fire is still going in the main room and the ogre's body is laying on his bed, covered in rags and furs.

Halfdan explains that of the three exits from this chamber, he only knows of two.  The hobgoblins must have excavated one on their own.  

The adventurers decide to head that way to explore --

So they headed toward 13, up some crude stone stairs.

Once there, they searched the area and listened.  They thought that they heard a tapping noise coming from the area of 12.  Cautiously, they moved forward.

In 12, in the dark, they found an emaciated goblin, clad only in tattered rags, tapping away with a small pick at a silver vein.  He was placing the tiny nuggets he dug out of the wall into a wooden bucket.

He turned at the sight of torchlight from behind him and there was a moment of stunned silence between the adventurers and the goblin slave.  Then the goblin leader burst forward and embraced the newfound goblin.

He had once been a member of their tribe but was captured many months ago and pressed into servitude.

They spoke for awhile and it was determined that there were 4 more goblins to be found nearby.  He knew the way.

The group pressed on to 11.  Once there, they found two more goblins and there was another happy reunion.  Some further discussion amongst the goblins led to a warning from the goblin leader.

He crossed his arms in an X in front of his body and motioned toward the tunnel to 17.  "No go!" he exclaimed.  He was animated and emphatic.  The goblins looked seriously scared.  

The party decided to head down the tunnel to 7.  Upon arriving there, they climbed up through a hole in the floor and found the remaining two goblin slaves.  

Halfdan explained that he knew this area.  Go west toward the chasm, or east toward his old room.  There was also a "switchback" on the way but that wasn't fully developed when he and his brother were here.

The party headed east and then up the switchback into the unknown...