Game Date: May 23, 2009
Heroes: Persephone, Bagheera, Lysandros, Laertes, Thorgan, Rhinox, and Dashiell; Kebi Dabu joined late
The investigation into how the goblins got into the village continues. The Stone and the Fort is still locked tight and are not letting people in or out. So far things have been quiet and most are simply waiting for this trouble to blow over. It has actually been beneficial to many of the establishments around the Stone because of the stranded adventurers still in the village. Though, not all the adventurers caught in this confusing time are just laying low and waiting it out.
A band of adventurers, thrown together through this strife, has begun their own investigation. They gained entrance into the sewers and began searching for a likely place goblins would hide. Many of the goblins escaped after the failed assault on the guards and the sewers turned out to be a good place to look for them. The adventurers found a group of goblins hold up in a small chamber on the western side of the sewers.
After a difficult battle with the goblins, the group decided to keep alive of them alive to try and get some answers. After a short interrogation they came out with no more answers than when they entered. They decided the Sheriff might do better and handed them over to the authorities.
After a much needed rest they decided to return to the sewers in hopes there would be more of the goblins down there. They did not find the attackers but they did find something very interesting. It seems a cult dedicated to the darker side of the Raven Queen was driven out of Skulldrop and secretly had taken up residence in the sewers. The party found an altar to the Raven Queen, or Dark Queen they call her, where blood sacrifices were performed. In a nearby alcove was a twisted statue made up in her honor.
A close examination of the Dark Queen’s statue showed evidence the statue and the dais it rested on could move. The heroes pushed and pulled, poked and prodded the statue but to no avail. It would not move. With very little effort the swordsman Laertes got the statue to move and reveal its secret passage beneath. Almost as if he knew its machinations from the start.
The heroes proceeded down the stairway under the statue looking for more answers to the goblin assault, or at least some clues. The passage led to a set of double doors with the markings of a red spear painted on each one. Waiting beyond the doors was the answer to at least one question, where were the goblins coming from? The heroes threw open the doors and surprised a small group of goblins supposedly on guard.
After dispatching the weak guards and the entrance, the heroes continued deeper into this strange Goblin Hold. They found a large chamber with a makeshift tower standing in its center. This room wasn’t like the last encounter, it was heavily guarded, and with the forewarning from an asked guard, they were prepared. Something was very wrong with this picture though, a human was standing with the goblins on the top of the tower, working with them.
The adventurers proved victorious after a heavy battle against the human and his goblin allies. In fact, the human surrendered to the heroes after he became surrounded. When the battle was over there was evidence these heroes weren’t the first to encounter the goblins down here in the sewers. Hidden inside the tower was a large sack bundled and thrown in the corner. It appeared that a human wizard by the name of Kebi Dabu had been caught by the attack like many others and got stranded in the village. He decided to find out for himself where these goblins came from but got caught in the process. He was found tied up and stuffed in this sack.
The band of heroes found a new ally in their search for answers, but the conversation went on a bit too long. An escaped goblin found reinforcements in another area and brought them back with him. This time it was the heroes that were caught off guard. While talking to the strange, badly scarred wizard, the goblins slipped into the chamber and launched their attack. The adventurers were already beaten and weary from the fight at the tower, the newcomers were more dangerous than necessary. After another brief confrontation with the goblins, the heroes worse off than before with more wounds and tired sword arms, but they managed to survive.
The adventuring band went back to the surface to mend their wounds and report their findings to the Sheriff, this time with a new addition to their numbers. The Sheriff knew of the cult but it was suppose to be an abandoned altar. He told the adventurers if the Commander gets involved he will want to take over the investigation. It might be the last time they are allowed in the sewers. If they want to see this to the end, they will have to do it quick. The Sheriff decided to give them 36 hours before he reports these findings to the Commander of the Fort. After 14 hours of recuperation, that leaves them with 22 hours to find the answers they seek, to find out what they can about this strange alliance between the humans and the goblins.
Our heroes returned to the underground lair, the wizard saying it is newly built, with few answers and more questions than they need right now. Fighting through more goblins, as well as a small number of humans wearing similar red clothing with a strange V marking, they reached some sort of inner part of the complex. This area was guarded by a pair of portcullis gates that threatened to trap them as they were attacked by the guardians. With some form of mechanical knowledge, once again the swordsman gets them through the trap while the others dispatched the guardians.
They made it through to the dorms of the complex and searching through the belongings they found more of the red uniforms with the V marking. In the last room, a suite of some sort, they found the inhabitants still at home. They fought through the goblins as well as a trio of spellcasters, two of which were human. Finally they found a real clue to this mystery. A letter was found among the personal belongings of whoever stayed here. Finally they have something to go on, it isn’t much but it could lead to more answers.
What is the next move for our heroes? Do they take this information back to the Sheriff or do they continue on in hopes of finding more clues to the puzzle? How will the Sheriff react to this new development? Will the adventurers still have time to return to the sewers and finish what they started? The next session will either reveal more answers or bring up more questions, or maybe both.