Chapter 1-12: Cragmaw Castle

General Summary

The party started in the common room of the Yawning Noble in Neverwinter. The agreement was to strike out south, to the location of Cragmaw Castle Reidoth had marked on your map. The party travelled south for a little over 25 miles, and set up camp in the fringes of Neverwinter Wood. During the night, Aetilius spotted movement at the fringes of the camp. He woke the party, who discovered a lone, lost dragonborn monk. They introduced themselves, and asked how she's come to be there. Apparently she had been walking through a city, gone through a door and found herself trapped in a strange forest. The group - bipolar as always - offered her food, threatened to kill her, and agreed to help her get home after she'd spilled some sweet goblin blood with them. The party went back to sleep.
The next morning the group pushed on and came to Cragmaw Castle - an overly ostentatious name for a crumbing manor house. The entrance appeared to be through a ruined archway into a courtyard, which was guarded by two goblins more interested in arguing amongst themselves than watching for intruders.
Miaug shot one, but it wasn't as lethal as the party hoped and it started to run to raise the alarm. Aetilius flew at it, trying to tackle it, but flew into the lip of the wall and ended up on his face. The goblin took a cheeky stab at him before bolting away. Ryoko grabbed the other goblin with a thorny tendril from her staff and dragged him off the wall, knocking him out. Ramas then dashed after the first goblin and slit his throat. The group interrogated the unconscious goblin - pretty brutally - Ramas cut off one finger before they even asked any questions. The mysterious monk seemed to pale slightly. The goblin told them most of the inhabitants were out on a raiding party, the rest were probably in the dining hall. The south entrance was trapped, the north entrance was blocked off because of some sort of creature infestation. The King was speaking to an emissary from the Black Spider, and had a pet Displacer Beast. After he had helpfully provided all the information he could, Ramas coldly slit his throat. The mysterious monk was aghast at the slaughter. Ryoko then cast Pass Without Trace on the party and they moved into the building.
Identifying the tripwire across the two columns either side of the south passage, rigged to collapse the columns and drop a section of roof, they managed to avoid it and moved into the south corridor. In here they identified another tripwire, connected this time to an alarm made of skulls. The group bypassed this trap and took up positions behind the door. They sent Ramas's raven familiar through a hole in the wall up In the rafters. Looking through the raven's eyes, Ramas scoped out the room. Inside were 6 goblins (including Droop), 2 hobgoblins and a bugbear, sat at tables eating and chatting. Many of the creatures were facing the door, rendering surprise difficult. Miaug climbed up into the rafters, and hoisted Clootie up. Together they crawled through the hole into the rafters of the next room. The rest of the group arranged themselves behind the door. Clootie leapt into the group of goblins, smashing Kulog against the ground and causing a blast of deafening thunder. A couple of goblins tried to respond but in their panic missed her. The hobgoblins were more disciplined in their response, kicking over their table to serve as cover. Ramas kicked the door in, and Ryoko cast Heat Metal on one of the hobgoblins chainmail, cooking him alive in his vest. Ramas rushed in and engaged the bugbear. Another goblin tackled Clootie, pushing her off the table. The battle was then joined. The party managed to wipe out the goblins (except Droop, who ran away at the beginning, and another who ran away to raise the alarm). Highlights included Aetilius using Thunderous Smite to kill one goblin and blast him backwards into one of his companions, killing him. After the battle, the party elected to chase the runaway goblin and come back for Droop.
They went through the doorway and found themselves in a narrow makeshift larder. Investigating some strange burn marks on the barrels they came across a odd looking puddle. As Ryoko sniffed it, the puddle formed a tendril and struck at Ryoko. She dodged and tore at it with her teeth. Its acidic mass burned her mouth, but it died.
Aetilius then kicked open one of the double doors. Inside he found the throne room. King Grol sat on a throne on a raised dias, with his pet Displacer Beast curled up at his feet, talking to a dark elf. Another hobgoblin stood nearby, and the goblin who had escaped to raise the alarm. The Displacer Beast leapt at Aetilius and striking him twice with its tentacles. Ryoko darted across the floor and sank her teeth into the beast's flesh. At this, King Grol charged down the steps and swing his greatsword at Aetilius, narrowly missing him. Highlights of this battle included Clootie hitting the King with a Shining Wizard, followed up with a Hurricanrana, the mysterious monk dancing across the battlefield to administer a strange healing tea to a grievously wounded Clootie, and Badger landing the killing blow on the Displacer Beast. During the fight the dark elf disappeared.
After all of the remaining enemies were defeated, the party noticed the grisly totem around the Displacer Beast's neck - it appeared to be some form of canine skull. As Ryoko approached it, she felt her heckles rise and she sensed the flow of magical energy emanating from the emblem.