Eyre 2nd - 6th, 998 Y.K.
Eyre 2nd - 5th
Eyre 2nd - 5th
The group set out on the Sharn road after a relaxing night in the "Nymph and Unicorn" inn. Their next objective is to head to the lighthouse at Bluescar and, hopefully, restore it to working order. They are also keeping an eye out for any sign of Zametiro ir’Dheren's daughter, Evylyn, who has not been heard of in several weeks as the silk caravan she was travelling with to Gullsnest went missing.
The journey along the King's road is uneventful with regular patrols of the Crown's militia encountered. They inform the group that they have increased their patrols due to the increase in lizardman raids on travellers.
Eyre 6th - Far
As the day draws to a close the group reach the old and weathered sign that states "Gullsnest 154 miles", an arrow points down a much less travelled track to the south.
The terrain becomes much more barren as the group head south through the Silln Highlands.
The Silln Highlands
This stony plateau occupies most of Breland’s southern-most peninsula, separating the eastern crosspiece of The Hilt from the sea. Much of the area is rocky and barren, except where emerald oases of ferns and juniper trees spring up seemingly at random. Thousands of underground springs feed the small pools at the heart of these oases. What could be dangerous countryside is instead somewhat park-like, with the largest oases linked by the remnants of old Dhakaani roads. The stark contrast between grey-white stone and vivid green plant life has made the region popular with wealthy travellers willing to make the crossing from Sharn.
Even with patrols from Flint Keep on the alert, monsters still wander the region, often coming up from the caverns that wind throughout the massive plateau. Worst of all, a Dhakaani clan, hobgoblins who retreated underground after the Daelkyr Wars, took refuge under Silln. Most of their energies are turned toward breaking the curse of Yarkuun Draal, but they still make time for the occasional kidnap and ransom of a wealthy tourist or raid on Flint Keep. Were Yarkuun Draal to be restored, they would make themselves known in force, claiming all of Silln as their own nation.
Eyre 7th - 8th
The Journey south through the sun-baked highlands is uneventful for the first couple of days. The group rest at the occasional oasis where it is apparent that others have rested before, judging by the blackened fire-pits and the occasional sign of camping.
Eyre 9th
12.00 p.m.
As the sun reaches it's zentith in the bright sky, it's heat can be felt as the wheel of the year gradually turns from winter to summer. The air keeps some of its chill as a gentle breeze blows north from the sea.
1.30 p.m.
The road gradually declines into a ravine with the edges rising some 100 feet on either side.
Katerina carefully informs the group that she can see figures moving on either side of the canyon's edge above them, once she has pointed them out Lorric with a beaming smile shouts "Hello" at them with a friendly wave. The figures quickly vanish from the edge of the ravine.
The group press on with care.
2.00 p.m.
Ahead the group can see that the road winds between two wooded areas, they are aware that they are in a prime ambush situation and move forward with caution.
The trees and undergrowth here are a breath of fresh air in this arid and barren terrain. The trees are filled with fruit and berries. Beyond the woods to the west a small waterfall can be seen cascading down the cliff face and the sound of it crashing into a pool at its base can be heard in the distance.
The trees and undergrowth here are a breath of fresh air in this arid and barren terrain. The trees are filled with fruit and berries. Beyond the woods to the west a small waterfall can be seen cascading down the cliff face and the sound of it crashing into a pool at its base can be heard in the distance.
The group reach the midpoint between the woods behind (1) them and the mesa (4) in front of them when they see figures on the pillar of rock ahead. With his usual cheek Lorric offers them a smile and a wave, they open fire immediately.
Anvil had already imbued his shield with the arrow catching property in preparation for trouble so any arrows targetted at the group bounced harmlessly of either his sheild or his adamantine plating.
As they prepare to enter battle the group are surprised as a scree slope (3) ahead of them at the base of the mesa bursts into life and five goblins leap from the loose stones thrwoing javelins at the party as they advance.
Remaining close together, to gain the full advantage of the arrow catching shield. the party await the approach of the goblins ahead.
As they wait with baited breath a sound from behind disturbs some of the party, a startled flock of parrots takes to the air from the woods behind them (1) and to the east a second scree slope (2) bursts into life with five more goblins emerging from the loose rock.
A large group of goblins rush from the woods (1) behind them and the ambush is now in full swing.
The group of ten goblins from behind them has a shaman amongst their ranks and also a lieutenant who seeks to drive his troops to further bloodshed. The shaman initially drops a web spell on the group which hinders them greatly for the first few seconds, the rest of the goblins charge at the group.
With dismay the group see that from the south another group is emerging from the trees beyond the mesa (5), there are four worg riders bounding towards them.
Most of the group struggle free from the web, however Katerina and Kapek remain stuck fast, taking full advantage of this the shaman invokes a spell, casting a scorching ray at Kapek, luckily for Kapek he misses, however the webs burst into flames injuring both the halfling and Katerina.
The shaman is quickly taken out, but unfortunately one of the worg riders from the south is also a shaman and in moments a mist rises from the ground around the feet of the party obscuring vision greatly. The lieutent yells at his men "Get in there!", gesturing at the billowing cloud of mist and the hesitant goblins on the borders of the spells area charge in without question.
The goblins fall to the weapons of the Crimson Fist slowly, and many wounds are taken, however the worg-rider shaman unwittingly helps the group as he charges into the mist and blasts an area with a burning hands spell, unfortunately killing two of his own men.
The battle rages on with the party targetting the spell-casters first followed by the worgs. They are eventually left with a handful of goblins which quickly fall to the superior weapon skills of the party. One goblin flees to the south-west, screaming "RETREAT!!!!".
Peering from the mist the group see him running and take a few shots at him, they also see the archers from the mesa have retreated.
As they follow to the south-west they can see that they goblins are headed for a cave entrance some thirty feet up the cliff face. A rickety rope bridge connects the mesa to the canyon's edge and stairs lead down to the cave entrance from there. On these stairs the party can see the archers from the mesa in full retreat, most of them do not make it to the safety of the cave, falling under the ranged assault of Anvil, Lorric and Kapek.
They approach the cave entrance.
The Outer Entrance
Just outside the entrance are several wagons and caravans. Many are partially burned and broken with moss and other greenery growing over their remains as though they have been here some time. One of the most recent wagons bears the crest of a noble family.
The entrance also has a refuse pile at the foot of the cliff; it contains many old and gnawed bones, and personal items that the goblins have no need for.
Anvil had already imbued his shield with the arrow catching property in preparation for trouble so any arrows targetted at the group bounced harmlessly of either his sheild or his adamantine plating.
As they prepare to enter battle the group are surprised as a scree slope (3) ahead of them at the base of the mesa bursts into life and five goblins leap from the loose stones thrwoing javelins at the party as they advance.
Remaining close together, to gain the full advantage of the arrow catching shield. the party await the approach of the goblins ahead.
As they wait with baited breath a sound from behind disturbs some of the party, a startled flock of parrots takes to the air from the woods behind them (1) and to the east a second scree slope (2) bursts into life with five more goblins emerging from the loose rock.
A large group of goblins rush from the woods (1) behind them and the ambush is now in full swing.
The group of ten goblins from behind them has a shaman amongst their ranks and also a lieutenant who seeks to drive his troops to further bloodshed. The shaman initially drops a web spell on the group which hinders them greatly for the first few seconds, the rest of the goblins charge at the group.
With dismay the group see that from the south another group is emerging from the trees beyond the mesa (5), there are four worg riders bounding towards them.
Most of the group struggle free from the web, however Katerina and Kapek remain stuck fast, taking full advantage of this the shaman invokes a spell, casting a scorching ray at Kapek, luckily for Kapek he misses, however the webs burst into flames injuring both the halfling and Katerina.
The shaman is quickly taken out, but unfortunately one of the worg riders from the south is also a shaman and in moments a mist rises from the ground around the feet of the party obscuring vision greatly. The lieutent yells at his men "Get in there!", gesturing at the billowing cloud of mist and the hesitant goblins on the borders of the spells area charge in without question.
The goblins fall to the weapons of the Crimson Fist slowly, and many wounds are taken, however the worg-rider shaman unwittingly helps the group as he charges into the mist and blasts an area with a burning hands spell, unfortunately killing two of his own men.
The battle rages on with the party targetting the spell-casters first followed by the worgs. They are eventually left with a handful of goblins which quickly fall to the superior weapon skills of the party. One goblin flees to the south-west, screaming "RETREAT!!!!".
Peering from the mist the group see him running and take a few shots at him, they also see the archers from the mesa have retreated.
As they follow to the south-west they can see that they goblins are headed for a cave entrance some thirty feet up the cliff face. A rickety rope bridge connects the mesa to the canyon's edge and stairs lead down to the cave entrance from there. On these stairs the party can see the archers from the mesa in full retreat, most of them do not make it to the safety of the cave, falling under the ranged assault of Anvil, Lorric and Kapek.
They approach the cave entrance.
The Outer Entrance
Just outside the entrance are several wagons and caravans. Many are partially burned and broken with moss and other greenery growing over their remains as though they have been here some time. One of the most recent wagons bears the crest of a noble family.
The entrance also has a refuse pile at the foot of the cliff; it contains many old and gnawed bones, and personal items that the goblins have no need for.
The Entrance
The cave entrance is 30 feet up the cliff face and is accessed by a stairway carved into the face of the rock.
At the foot of the steps are two marker stones inscribed with the Yellowtooth Clan symbol, an upper and lower incisor beside each other.
The original cave entrance is about 7 feet wide by 10 feet deep; the rear of the cave has been excavated to reveal the complex behind.
Just beyond the entrance is a wicker screen, it is assumed that this helps keep the winds out whilst preventing light from escaping and revealing the caves location.
The Meeting Hall
The entrance opens out into a great natural cavern, 30 feet wide by 60 feet long with a ceiling some 50 feet high. The far end of the cavern bears slightly to the right and another smaller, yet still large, cavern heads into the dark.
A large fire pit dominates the room, its embers glowing gently a few feet from the entrance.
Ahead a side cave produces a soft blue light.
The Group enter the cavern, all except Lorric keeping to the eastern wall, Lorric sneakes along the western wall and notices two narrow cracks, one in the ceiling directly above where the others are standing and one a few feet ahead of him in the side wall, from each he can see the steely tips of arrows taking aim at the group. With a swift movement he takes a few soft steps forward and thrusts his fist through the crack making contact with the wielder of the bow and shouting a warning to the rest of the group.
Ajax and Kapek move to Lorric's location and begin throwing boomerangs and jabbing their swords into the darkness beyond. Anvil pulls his wand of Summon Monster I from his pack and conjures a dire badger into the darkness beyond the crack above him, content with the resulting yells of surprise and pain he then conjures a second.
Ajax moves forward intent on heading down the western tunnel to confront any combatants, as he does so his eyes adjust to the dim light and further down the hall he can make out figures in the great hall ahead.
This elongated cavern is 15 feet wide by 30 feet long and it opens out into the throne room.
These fungi are between 1 and 6 feet tall and they emit a faint blue light, the water in the room reflects and intensifies this light causing ripples to dance across the walls and ceiling.
The Animal Pen
The floor in this enclosure is scattered with straw, excrement and old gnawed bones.
The Great Hall
Down either side of the Hall on the wall are crudely painted scenes of battle, bloodshed, carnage, torture and self-mutilation. However it is difficult to make these paintings out due to the hanging corpses of Yellowtooth Clan’s victims. Many are mutilated beyond recognition by flaying, amputation and general torture. They hang in a row of ten down each side of the hall.
He can make out diminuative goblin figures, all facing north, filling the cavern. With a hushed alarm call he alerts the others who begin to move forward into an attack formation. With well practised tactics they begin to plough their way through the scarred, tattooed, pierced and partially flayed goblin warriors, ahead they see the throne room with three figures seated on three thrones moving into action. The Hobgoblin chieftan begins throwing javelins at the group, while the shaman begins throwing spells into the fray and the bugbear war-leader pushes his way past the smaller goblins intent on violence and filled with anger.
In the ensuing melee Ajax falls to the will of the shaman's magic and flees the caverns in fear, the rest of the group continue pushing forward, one by one the goblins fall. Lorric and Kapek head for the shaman and chieftan while Anvil confronts the war-leader. They soon fall to the might of the Crimson Fist.
The bodies are quickly looted and the throne room is searched.
A large trapdoor is discovered infront of the thrones, some 10 feet square, Anvil manages to open the trapdoor revealing a spiked pit some 25 feet deep. Rotten and decomposing corpses lie among the debris below.
On the central throne, where the chieftan sat, a small lever is found on one arm, when pulled the trapdoor on the pit begins to close once more, but the mechanism is damaged from Anvil's tampering and the latch does not catch, leaving the door to swing back down.
On the arm of the chair they find a secret compartment that contains a Bead of Force.
In the wall behind the thrones a secret door is found, the tunnel beyond is only 2 1/2 feet wide. It is decided that Kapek's small size makes him the ideal candidate to investigate further, so he dismounts Reaver (his clawfoot mount) and heads into the darkness beyond.
This crevass slopes downward quite steeply as it spirals into the solid rock, the walls are unhewn and as the tunnel descends the height of the walls seems to increase as though this crack in the earth is a natural phenomenon.
Kapek becomes unsure of what lies ahead, and without the aid of the others close at hand he decides that it is best to return.The group decide to head down the eastern tunnel from the throne room.
The tunnel ends in a door that is neither locked nor trapped. Anvil opens the door.
The Chieftan's Room
The smell is the first thing that becomes apparent, somewhat like stale urine, a small candle illuminates what looks like a boudoir crossed with a stable. Straw lines the floor and is piled thicker in one corner with thick furs which you presume to be a bed. The walls at first seem to be painted red, but on further inspection the entire cavern walls are hung with skins, a crudely made table has a lit candle on it along with several small weapons.
As they are searching the room a rustling movement from the bedding, startles Anvil and Kapek into action.
A humanoid figure skin red and slick with blood and wild matted hair, leaps from the sraw and furs, savage claws and teeth bared in ferocious and feral rage directed at Anvil.
With a quick swing of his shield, Anvil bashes the figure square in the face, it drops to the ground, limp. Kapek quickly check and determines that the creature, which is actually a naked young woman covered in countless wounds and lacerations, is dead. Anvil draws a scroll of Repair Flesh (a.k.a. Cure light wounds) from his pack and casts it on the girl. She once more stirs to life, for a moment lucidity crosses her face as she takes in her situation, she then has to be restrained as her feral nature once more surfaces.
The group fear that this is Evylyn, the daughter of Zametiro ir'Dheren, and wonder how they are going to tell her father of his daughter's fate. One opinion is that the girl should be put out of her misery.
Her gibbering and growling makes no sense, Anvil charms her in order to calm her and glean some information. It becomes apparent that her mind is broken and there is no real conversation, she continues lashing out at the rest of the group, trying to bite, kick and claw at them whenever the opportunity arises.
The group decide to leave her in the room for her own safety, while they explore the rest of the caves.
They close the door and wedge it shut with a dagger, as they walk away the woman pounds frantically on the door, "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!", she screams.
They open the door and let her out, all the while keeping her restrained so she cannot lash out at them, it doesn't stop her trying.
They head down the tunnel on the western side of the throne room.
The Shaman's Den
The smell of sweet incense drifts from several incense burners dotted about the room.
There are shelves and tables filled with stuffed animals, skins, body parts and jars of foul liquids. A small everbright crystal casts a dim orange glow across strange apparatus. This room has lots of spell components, partially brewed potions and many other strange concoctions, powders and unguents.
Once this room has been investigated they head into the tunnel that leads from the western wall of the great hall.
The Prison
Just off the Great Hall is a cavern roughly 20 feet in diameter. Directly opposite the entrance is a strong lattice of wood that sections off a shroud of darkness beyond.
Between the entrance and the cell stands a small “copse” of fungi and a small pool of fresh water.
As the room is entered several fungi begin to scream, with deafening intensity. Several more begin to move towards the group, poisoned tentacles thrashing about wildly. The group make short work of the fungi and as the shrieking diminshes they can hear shouts for help coming from the darkness beyond. A pale human hand reaches from the darkness through the bars, the door to the prison is opened and two humans stagger out, squinting in the dim light. The man and woman introduce themselves as Evylyn ir’Dheren, the daughter of a Sharn noble, and Alden Ghrysden, a wealthy and well spoken merchant.
Both are more than relieved at their release, they are more than aware of their potential fates and had resigned themselves to certain prolonged suffering and ultimately death weeks ago. Why they are still alive they have no idea.
The prisoners rush out into the daylight, shielding their eyes from the light that they have grown unaccustomed to and breathe the fresh air of freedom once more. They explain that they are happy to head to Gullsnest as they have contacts there, and the journey to Sharn is just too much for them to cope with at the moment.
The party head up the tunnel on the eastern wall of the meeting hall to find their passage is blocked by a makeshift barricade, Anvil hears the sound of goblin whimpers and hushed chattering beyond the blockage.
A prolonged debate on morality, belief and war ensues as each group member puts forward their case on whether or not the barricade should be broken and the occupants, which it is assumed are women, children and the old, should be killed.....
*Ajax Comments
Ajax argues from an animalistic point of view. He will kill to feed and to protect himself or his tribe, as killing the goblins serves neither purpose he considers it wrong and argues against it.
*Ajax Comments
Ajax argues from an animalistic point of view. He will kill to feed and to protect himself or his tribe, as killing the goblins serves neither purpose he considers it wrong and argues against it.
It is eventually decided that they should be left, Anvil shouts to inform them that their god is dead and they should change their ways. To enforce this point Ajax severs the head of the shaman and posts it on a spike at the tunnel entrance.
The guard rooms are search and the bodies of several badger gnawed goblins are found.
The group leave the caves, unfortunately the feral woman does not want to head into the daylight, so she is rendered unconscious by Ajax and carried out over his shoulder. The fresh afternoon air is a relief to everyone after the horrors they have just witnessed.
The Yellowtooth Caves
2. Guard Rooms
3. Meeting Hall
4. Glowing Fungi Cave
5. ???
6. The Great Hall
7. The Prison
8.The Shaman's Den
9. Throne Room
10. The Chieftan's Room
11. The Downward Pass ???
The party of adventurers and liberated prisoners head south as fast as the can, putting as much distance between themselves and the Yellowtooth territory as possible before nightfall.
