010512

01.05.12: Goblins!
"When last we left our band of heroes they had awoken from an uneasy night's rest on the road to Colebeth. The winds were chilly, and the goblin ambush the day before had each of them clutching their weapons with all their might.

"They gathered their things in the early morning gloom and continued their journey along the road, all the while unable to shake the feeling that they were being watched.

"It wasn't long though before someone asked the question, "where is <>?".

"With a rush, the party returned to their camp and examined the ground that everyone had slept on. Svana was the most adept at tracking and noticed that <> had somehow vanished from the very spot he had been sleeping in the night before. No tracks or signs of struggle could be found. The only oddity was a ring sized hole in the ground.

"This led to a heated debate between the party members of their next course of action. Some argued they should leave the area before what got <> got them as well. Others insisted that they find <> before doing so or they would not get paid. And still others argued both points but for different reasons.

"During this discussion, the assorted spell casters of the party made sure to survey the area with their detect magic abilities. The landscape was covered in deer trails that glimmered with the tracks of mystical beasts, but nothing beyond what could be considered the usual amount.

"But then, someones eyes fell upon a set of eyes staring back at them. Nearly three hundred yards away, across the roaring Chillwater river, up the steep embankment of the other side, and atop the canyon wall, there stood a beast with evil eyes.

"It stared, with the head of a dog, the wings of a bat, and the body of a lion. A chimera. This amalgamate of creatures was instantly recognized by the learned mages of our heroes as a wizard's construct. This was not a thing that exists in nature, but is manufactured for a purpose.

"While our heroes stared at this new threat, each with their own ideas of what to do about it, they were suddenly attacked!

"From the skies came a screech and a volley of gray dusty air. Varius and Xain were caught square in the line of this breath attack while our other heroes dove this way and that, assuming various positions of combat.

"The gray dust clung at their flesh, a curse of stone trying desperately to gain foothold on their bodies. It was an act of tremendous willpower and fortitude to withstand the effects as their bodies resisted the urge to become stone. Portions of their saddlebags were not so lucky.

"A shadow passed over all their heads, the source of the attack. A second chimera swooped above, screeching in frustration at the resisted assault. This one bore the head of a vulture, the wings of an eagle, and the body of a bear, or so it is remembered in the retelling.

"Each beast stretched fifteen feet from head to tail, and stood about five feet high.

"Xain was quick to retaliate, and sent a wave of magic from his fingertips. A rainbow of colors flew from his hand and into the face of the swooping chimera. Much to his dismay, the beast completely ignored the assault. These creatures were of a greater durability than our heroes had previously encountered.

"It was at this point most heroes would flee. Perhaps make a run for shelter in some way or another. But not our heroes. For glory or folly, they stood their ground. Ebiwen dismounted, bared his burly, fuzzy haflling chest, and commanded the beast to approach him. Glathkin vanished into the shadows, his weapons at the ready. Svana brandished her own blades, ready for the coming conflict.

"the Druid made a break further down the road looking for a more defendable position. They quickly found they were only a few short strides from an ancient cave that had been carved into the mountainside. Varius slowly began to follow them, unleashing a volley or two from his crossbow at the chimera.

"And then the beasts were upon them.

"One chimera landed near Xain where he sat on his horse, a growl escaping its mouth.

"'Give us the ring, mortal,' it spat in a guttural voice.

"It had little time to continue the conversation as Glathkin emerged from the shadows and stabbed the creature in its flank. Svana lunged from her horse and landed square on the beasts neck, grabbing on in a powerful combat maneuver.

"The second chimera landed square in front of Ebiwen, roaring with a mouth twice the halfling's size. Jaw agape, the creature tried to swallow the halfling in a single bite.

"Our little champion was too dextrous however, and narrowly avoided the attack by dancing sideways. He then followed through with a devastating series of counter-attacks.

"Xain, face to face with a beast immune to his magics, reconsidered his strategy and kicked his horse in to gear. With the speed that would defy even the most lenient of storytellers, he caught up to the Druid as she began to venture into the newly discovered cave.

"The chimeras fought with a ferocity our heroes had yet to face. But in the end they were no match for these champions. As a team, they worked the angles on these two creatures, attacking blind spots, assaulting weaknesses, and avoiding counter attacks.

"In no time at all, the beasts were defeated, their bodies disintegrated into the magical dust from which they had been created.

"After our heroes regained their bearings, they joined the Druid and Xain in the cave they had found. Ebiwen and Svana were both familiar with the area, and knew well the old tunnels that once belonged to the goblins many hundreds of years ago. They were all but abandoned now, and often used as a quick passage from the ground to the high mountain roads. They were also often used as shelter by a traveler now and again.

"The tunnels were not without their dangers. It was known that the occasional dryder would find its way into the tunnels looking for prey. Some beasts fond of dark places were also known to frequent the tunnels.

"After their victory over the chimera however the party decided to follow these tunnels. There was a mix of emboldened courage to face the darkness as well as a sense of caution over their previous trail that was apparently being tracked.

"Svana was extra nervous traveling through the tunnels, and was the first to notice something off. The journey was taking too long. The surface should have come much sooner than it did. Examining the tunnel walls and floor, she noticed that what they took for abandoned caves were actually freshly mortared tunnels.

"And with that, the silence of the tunnel was shattered as a ceiling tile gave way and a goblin fell out of the roof. Within seconds it had an arrow in its knee from Glathkin. Shortly after it found its neck in Svana's hand and the arrow being twisted.

"The creature screamed but relented. It claimed they should go see the goblin king. It also insisted the goblins were trying to retake these ancient tunnels they had built a long time ago.

"Now on their guard, our heroes surveyed the tunnel for any sign of traps, and found an array of destruction just waiting for them only a few yards ahead. Glathkin, skilled in such devices, disabled the large trap door and assorted spikes while their goblin prisoner wasn't looking.

"the Druid tied a rope to their prisoner and insisted he go first across the trapped floor. The critter almost gleefully acknowledged, crossing without any issue. The party started to follow, and then the rest of the ambush was triggered.

"In front and behind, ceiling tiles crashed to the ground, each with a pair of goblin archers loosing arrows. From behind our heroes two more tiles crashed to the ground, and the floor gave way, revealing a stairwell that goblins were now swarming up along.

"The battle was brutal. Our heroes unleashed every spell, arrow, and weapon they had at their attackers. They even resorted to tossing bottles of oil and igniting them with cantrips.

"Varius found himself in battle with one of the luckiest goblin soldiers who ever lived. The spell blade swung this way and that with his family sword in one hand, and waves of magically conjured acid flung from the other hand. Yet each blow failed to fall on its target as the goblin ducked this way and that.

"The stairwell was being filled with bodies of dead and magically sleeping goblins and yet the onslaught continued, with more of the creatures swarming up over their fallen friends. They seemed to have a violent passion for trying to kill Svana, with her Fenris sigils.

"the Druid began to shout for the party to get on the other side of the trap from the unending wave of goblins. Glathkin moved to re-enable the trap he had so cleverly disarmed.

"The goblin champion laughed as he ducked aside another of Varius's attacks but then was brought up short as Ebiwen slammed his weapon into the creatures chest killing him in a single blow.

"Each of our heroes turned to face the swarming goblin horde charging them from the direction of the tunnel they had just come from. Each with weapon drawn, and what few spells remained them at the ready. As the goblins were just coming within melee, Glathkin tripped the trap the goblins were unwittingly standing on.

"That was when things got... interesting."