Session 10: War in the Halls

Foreword

Played on 01.13.21.

My play report and thoughts will be a bit more sparse this time as this session was played a month ago. I took a break after this session and didn't have the drive to write up the report quickly, as such. 

I do recall my prep for this session including some calculations on what sort of defenses the hobgoblins would add to their lair. The party entered their lair the following week but  then departed without pressing into a battle. Since the hobs only had one apparent entrance to their section of the dungeon I had them fortify and guard it pretty well, in preparation for the party returning to harass them. My intention was to have their discipline about this become more lax each week as they'd resolve the party less of a threat.

But the party attempted to go straight for the hobs the following week and thus the beasts were ready! Kinda...
Read on!

Session Report

The party gathered in Turos Tem and departed on what would become their MO: stopping by Inthorn's Brigand camp on the trek towards the dungeon (the blister of doom). Both points of interest in the midst of the Viaspen forest so the party often uses the brigands as a waypoint. 

For reasons unknown the chaotic brigands have taken a liking to the party of adventurers. Daria (PC Bladedancer Level 1) requested permission from the brigand warlord, Inthorn, to hire some of his men as mercenaries for a week or less. I think the PC hired about 4 brigands which play as Bowmen mercs as per the ACKS wargaming rules. 

The high level Chaotic Mage and Lady-Cleric who make their home among the camp didn't treat with the party this session, if I remember correctly.

The next day the group approached the dungeon and had Puru (PC Mystic Level 1) approach and scout the entrance. No problems. In they go.

They went directly through the dungeon towards the door into the hob lair they discovered the previous week. It was spiked shut from the other side. Mandonio (PC Fighter Level 1) attempted to force it open to no avail. Puru's alert monk ears heard chains rattling on the other side of the door each time Mandonio forced his shoulder against it. An alert system, of sorts? 

The party gave up on breaking the door down and decided the muscular goblins would be too prepared for them to enter from that location. So Mandonio pulled out his map and they decided they may be able to come into that section of the dungeon from a different direction. Unfortunately, said direction would take them past an obelisk pyramid thing they believed a great beast may make his home in.

At the walls surrounding the base of the weirdly glowing pyramid were some doors along the eastern wall. The party certain one would enter the hob lair from that direction they had Puru go along the wall and listen at each one. It wasn't until the last that they found anything beyond except an empty room.

Some chihuahua-men were torturing a human prisoner by poking him with spears to make him run about a dirty old chamber. Some more human prisoners called out for help in a room beyond. The party made short work of the disgusting little beastmen except one who fled to try and hold one of the human's captive with a knife at his throat. 

Kagan Booklearner (PC Dwarven Craftpriest L1) was able to communicate with the vile creature and quickly discussed options. The creature wanted to leave the room and flee towards the pyramid. After such time it promised to release the human prisoner it had held in a (mexican) standoff situation. 

Kagan's player was open to this but, as a whole, most of the Players were convinced the beast wouldn't keep his end of the bargain. Also, after having learned a dragon lived atop the pyramid, they were scared the chihuahua-man would bring the dragon down on them in short order. They decided to try and save the prisoner in 80s action flick style by killing it before it could slit the throat of its prisoner.

Puru, being exceedingly fast, was the only one with any chance of accomplishing this. He pulled out a ninja star and tossed it perfectly at the chihuahua-man's pug nosed little face, killing him before it could kill the human prisoner.

I arbitrated this by using a surprise roll to see who would act before the knife could slit the prisoner's throat. Puru was not surprised, everyone else was. Then I had the chihuahua-man and Puru roll initiative. If Puru rolled a worse initiative it he would be too late. He rolled very good. He succeeded at an attack roll at -4 (due to prisoner in the way) and did enough damage to finish off the 1-1HD enemy.

The party rescued two human laborer prisoners who revealed they had been trapped for weeks and the chihuahua-men had fed man of their friends to the nearby dragon. They were terrified and malnourished. 

The party searched the east wall of the room, finding a secret door into the hobgoblin's section of the dungeon just as they hoped. They passed by a weird bas-relief of a multi armed demon before coming to another chamber scattered with rubble, two doors on the south wall to what the party assumed was the main chamber of the hobgoblins.

While instestigating the doors the lights went out. A darkness spell cast by an evil enchanted doom-spider hidden in the ceiling above. The creature, being possessed by demonic forces, was pre-disposed to attack the party's Lawful cleric's first. I flipped a coin and it went straight for Kagan, felling him in the magical darkness, gnawing off the Dwarf's leg. The party fought blindly in the dark but was able to kill the demonic insect. They healed Kagan and he survived but would need a week of rest to adventure again. Kagan's player began rolling up yet another backup PC.

After the skirmish the party went back to investigating the doors and found them jammed as well. Enough! They broke them down, finding an obvious quarters of some beastmen, but abandoned. Arrows flew from across the large chamber from doors on the opposite wall. 

What followed was a long and complicated battle with some hobgoblins who had set up a trap to try and tempt the PCs into a murder-hole of sorts with wooden barriers in front of an open room where the hobs would lay arrow fire down while holding a front line. The party didn't really fall for it and instead sent an away team to run around the dungeon to come the hobs from behind. They weren't able to get to the battle in time to make a difference from a flanking position (4 rounds of movement but the battle was over in 3) but they did stumble upon Marn the Mage (PC Mage Level 1), the new PC for Kagan's player. The mage appeared to have astral projected into the dungeon near the weirding statue the party passed before. Appeared just in time to get his XP cut for the hobgoblin horde!

During the extended battle the beastmen fought extremely organized, similar to the Auran legions, and were able to fell Daria and Daria's new henchman. She can't seem to keep one. 

The hob's shaman escaped with a handful of beastmen who weren't killed, fleeing to parts of the dungeon unknown. Future villain?

Yllmeeton (PC Shaman Level 1) was able to heal and get Daria back to her feet but she took a major mortal wound and would need a week of bed rest. 

I hand waved the rest of the night as it was late and simply told the party they found a major stash of cash, jewels, and trade goods. Their trek home to Turos Tem, though I did roll for random encounters, went without incident.

Surviving PCs Present XP Gained:

Daria, Bladedancer Level 1 (0% bonus): 459 xp. Total: 1,710 [LEVEL UP!] 

Kagan, Dwarven Craftpriest, Level 1 (5% bonus): 42 xp. Total: 840 

Gaius, Fighter Level 2 (10% bonus): 505 xp. Total: 3,182 

Mandonio, Fighter Level 2 (10% bonus): 505 xp. Total: 2,336 [LEVEL UP TO TWO!] 

Marn, Mage Level 1 (10% bonus): 461 XP. Total: 461 

Puru, Mystic Level 1 (5% bonus): 482 XP. Total: 1,167 

Yllmeeton, Shaman Level 1 (10% bonus): 505 XP. Total: 1,156

Surviving Henchmen: 

Marina: 229 gained

Yasema: 229 gained

Deceased:

Dama (L1 Venturer) played by RR.  Current total xp: 75. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.

Darius LeVay (L1 Assassin) played by JB. Current Total XP:451. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.

Donald the Guardsman (L1 Fighter) played by MP. Current Total XP:570. DECEASED. Intra-party justice in Session 3.

Felix (L1 Thief) played by Nicholas. Current Total XP:431. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.

Hektor (L1 Paladin) played by Moai. DECEASED. Cause of Death: goblin warg rider throat removal surgery in Session 2

Leonidas the Inquisitor (L1 Cleric) played by RR.Current Total XP:498  DECEASED. Frozen undead blistering cold aura left his skin frostbitten and broken in Session 6. Body not recovered.

Mard the Mage (L1 Mage) played by Nicholas. DECEASED. Frozen undead blistering cold aura left his skin frostbitten and broken in Session 6. Body not recovered.

Alexa this is so sad play "despacito"