A Dungeons and Dragons one shot summary from December 10th
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One such adventure was the curious case of Jasper the missing dwarf trader, lost along the Sword Coast and hailing from the town of Port Llast. The evils that orcs and goblins can do became highly evident to him.
Responding to a wanted poster while passing near the town, Gilglind partied up with Zebrious the dwarf cleric, Antonio a rather odd human singer, Arjhan the dwarf cousin of Jasper and fighter, and the ranger Enjar, a fellow elf from Neverwinter Wood. The team set out to follow some recently discovered hobgoblin tracks that fit suspiciously with Jasper's last planned route.
The tracks were easy enough to follow and indeed led them to the hollow cave entrance of what was believed to be a place of great danger and recent despair. Most of the tracks, as discovered by Enjar, were heavy enough to be hobgoblins and showed traces of dragging something behind them. The group only assumed that it was poor Jasper and indeed the townsfolk had merit to be scared if hobgoblins had moved into the area. The entrance was poorly hidden but deep in the bowels of a hill. Distant light from within showed it to be inhabited for sure. The party did not hesitate to enter and steel themselves for eventual conflict.
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Inside the lair the investigative team strode, slowly to avoid detection. Not 80 feet in they came upon a room with the sound of scuffling and movement emanating from it. Readying weapons, Enjar saw it first: a thin tripwire across the entrance to the room that spelled out the hobgoblins were not dumb and did have early detection devices scattered about. Closer now the voices could be heard clearly even though most the parties knew not what they said. Hobgoblins were a flutter and scurrying about not noticing the party. Hobgoblins always know one thing: attack first ask questions later.
"Here we go lads....hang tight."
Leaping the tripwire Enjar struck first, the silver sheen of his scimitar immediately ruined as it dug into the shoulder blade of the closest of two hobgoblins, shattering bone and sinew. The ranger, quite resplendent with his earthy toned intricately carved leather armor, made for a frightful site as he unleashed a second swing with his off hand, slicing the hobgoblins chest.
Despite his rather unassuming nature the human bard Antonio pushed his way into the room and pulled forth a oaken carved lute, hoisted it to his shoulder and strummed a ear splitting tune that reverberated across the room, sending shockwaves into the second hobgoblin that was still shocked he was beset upon by intruders. The hobgoblin flew backwards and smashed into some crates in the corner. He was still alert and sprung up, drawing his sickly coated bastard sword and uttering a warcry as he charged at the bard.
Gilglind stepped forward and felt the weight of the javelin he had produced and noted how well balanced it was. True elven crafting would make sure it flew straight and narrow. He flung the javelin at the charger, meeting it square in the chest. A small "yeeep" was gasped by the assailant and the hobgoblin dropped, dead as a evergreen tree in the stark harshness of winter.
The final hobgoblins, reeling and bleeding from Enjar's assault, ran for a door at the north end of the room. By this time Arjhan had already made the door, cutting off the beasts retreat and sinking his longsword straight into the chest of the vile denizen.
Zerbious rounded the corner and strode into the room. The cleric looked surprised that the hobgoblins were already dead and seemed out of breath.
"Well apparently we are on the right track and I missed the fun. I need to move up in the group ranks I think!" he bellowed, twirling his stubby fingers through his mangy blonde beard.
The room turned out to be empty, but drag marks through the door to the north led the team to think that Jasper was deeper into trouble than they figured.
"Arjhan...wait!" Enjar screamed as Jasper's cousin bashed the door down and ran into the hallway. Abruptly Arjhan stopped, slapping a palm to his neck after a loud click resounded once he turned the corner. Staggering back Arjhan yanked a object out of his neck as his knees folded under him , a woozy look overcoming his eyes. Poison dart traps...and they had found their mark.
"Everyone back out!" screamed Gilglind. More darts flew down the hallway and snapped into the back wall, breaking harmlessly on the dirt floor.
It took almost 2 hours to negate the traps the hobgoblins had set, wasting this kind of time worried the group and by the point that Arjhan had recovered and was ready to go again the party feared for Jasper's well being. It had been well over a day since his vanishing and time was running short. Hobgoblins rarely kept prey alive without torture and desecration.
A scream from far in told the party that their fears were true, and in an attempt to move deeper in the hobgoblins had the group where they wanted them to stall their progression.
Leading the defenses was Garg the Bloodhanded, a notorious vile Hobgoblin leader that had been rallying the forces in the hills about him. Gilglind saw him first, but Arjhan reacted too fast and charged in. The final showdown had begun as the hobgoblins commander rallied his forces in front of a rather ornate door to the north of his chambers it was obvious he wanted no one opening.
"Arjhan...wait!" Enjar screamed as Jasper's cousin bashed the door down and ran into the hallway. Abruptly Arjhan stopped, slapping a palm to his neck after a loud click resounded once he turned the corner. Staggering back Arjhan yanked a object out of his neck as his knees folded under him , a woozy look overcoming his eyes. Poison dart traps...and they had found their mark.
"Everyone back out!" screamed Gilglind. More darts flew down the hallway and snapped into the back wall, breaking harmlessly on the dirt floor.
It took almost 2 hours to negate the traps the hobgoblins had set, wasting this kind of time worried the group and by the point that Arjhan had recovered and was ready to go again the party feared for Jasper's well being. It had been well over a day since his vanishing and time was running short. Hobgoblins rarely kept prey alive without torture and desecration.
A scream from far in told the party that their fears were true, and in an attempt to move deeper in the hobgoblins had the group where they wanted them to stall their progression.
Leading the defenses was Garg the Bloodhanded, a notorious vile Hobgoblin leader that had been rallying the forces in the hills about him. Gilglind saw him first, but Arjhan reacted too fast and charged in. The final showdown had begun as the hobgoblins commander rallied his forces in front of a rather ornate door to the north of his chambers it was obvious he wanted no one opening.
"Our weary maggots have shown up to free their fodder! Welcome to Skorgun Hollow!" Garg snorted, hefting his club and wading into the fight with his minions. The battle ebbed to and fro with hobgoblins falling by the wayside until at last Enjar and Gilglind buried their swords up to the hilt in the chest of Garg.
"You....are...too late....meat sacks....." he murmured, sliding over dead, tongue rolling out of his mouth.
The door to the north of the commanders room swung open as Zerbious stopped short of entering what he saw beyond.
"What do you see Zerbious?? WHAT!" Arjhan screamed.
"Do not approach my friend....stay your anger.." Zerbious warned.
Antonio and Gilglind attempted to hold Arjhan back but the strength of a determined dwarf is not to be reckoned with. Storming from his friend's grasps he strode past the dwarf cleric blocking the door and stood aghast at what he beheld.
There, at the far end, was his cousin. Long missing now...limp and lifeless on the floor to the north of what appeared to be some sacrificial altar. Sconces still burned in four alcoves about the chamber, the ceremony just ending. In the center of the chamber was some great portal filled with a swirling mist. A portal opened by some evil witchcraft set forth by the ritual slaying of Arjhan's cousin. The perpetrators of the unworldly ceremony were nowhere to be found but later that night Enjar figured that the tracks disappearing into the foggy portal were no doubt the summoners. They had arrived hours late and to no avail.
Moments like those, thinking back and pondering on the horrible things he had seen, only served to drive Gilglind forward and stoke the fires of his hate for all things orcish. These encounters and countless visions of death and destruction the offshoot races of orcs and goblins brought to the land of Faerun shaped his future goal to eradicate them.
"You....are...too late....meat sacks....." he murmured, sliding over dead, tongue rolling out of his mouth.
The door to the north of the commanders room swung open as Zerbious stopped short of entering what he saw beyond.
"What do you see Zerbious?? WHAT!" Arjhan screamed.
"Do not approach my friend....stay your anger.." Zerbious warned.
Antonio and Gilglind attempted to hold Arjhan back but the strength of a determined dwarf is not to be reckoned with. Storming from his friend's grasps he strode past the dwarf cleric blocking the door and stood aghast at what he beheld.
There, at the far end, was his cousin. Long missing now...limp and lifeless on the floor to the north of what appeared to be some sacrificial altar. Sconces still burned in four alcoves about the chamber, the ceremony just ending. In the center of the chamber was some great portal filled with a swirling mist. A portal opened by some evil witchcraft set forth by the ritual slaying of Arjhan's cousin. The perpetrators of the unworldly ceremony were nowhere to be found but later that night Enjar figured that the tracks disappearing into the foggy portal were no doubt the summoners. They had arrived hours late and to no avail.
Moments like those, thinking back and pondering on the horrible things he had seen, only served to drive Gilglind forward and stoke the fires of his hate for all things orcish. These encounters and countless visions of death and destruction the offshoot races of orcs and goblins brought to the land of Faerun shaped his future goal to eradicate them.
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