Mini 8: The Great Plan Report

General Summary

3rd of Keltier 1524 continued

  It's just after 9pm. The party has been fighting some of the goblins that have taken over this town. They have successfully knocked one out, but the goblins on the wall and at the gate, have brought out a ballista to try and deal with the party. The party, having gotten one captive to interrogate, they make a run for it.   They head for the woods in a South Westerly direction. They hope to find a good house to hide in, but they are far too destroyed to serve as shelter. They make to the forest and a safe distance away at 10pm. They discuss how to communicate with the goblin, since none of them speak Goblin. Balthazar can use a spell to understand it and can probe it's mind. He spends time doing a ritual to understand languages. Meanwhile Isabelle ties the goblin to a tree and Nobu moves to the edge of the tree line in hopes the goblins will be dumb enough to have followed or chased them. Galanith is also on watch.   Isabelle conjures some Goodberries for everyone and to use to wake the Goblin. It starts off squeaking in a language they don't understand normally, but Balthazar has completed the ritual, so he understands the Goblin's complaint on the taste of the berry. Balthazar tries to intimidate the Goblin with his infernal nature and language, but the whole party is shocked to learn the Goblin also speaks infernal. The interrogation continues with Balthazar leading it and acting as translator to the group. He learns:

• The goblin is quick to insult Balthazar.
• They apparently went in through the front door.

Going weary of the Goblin, Balthazar casts detect thoughts. He now learns:

• They worship the stone statue the group destroyed previously.
• Druidic magic was used to help the Goblins get in, with vines on the walls of the fortified city.
• When enough goblins had gotten in, the gate was raised which is how this goblin entered the town.
• This goblin can't count, but Balthazar gets a rough idea there is likely 30 - 60 goblins in his clan.
• The people in the town have either been enslaved or sacrificed on the altar to the stone god.
• The world warped around them to ensure a short trip for this sacrifice, so it was working with them unlike how the party experienced it.

Balthazar relays all this and believes if they can prove the stone god is destroyed that it will break this goblin's spirits. They get Nobu to sketch the statue. Meanwhile Isabelle catches the Goblin working itself free. She stops him and reties him up. They try to use the picture as proof of what they did to the statue. This doesn't seem to have the desired effect. Balthazar rips up the picture, which only upsets Nobu. So they decide to kill the Goblin and get a good nights rest since they grow weary of him. Brienda is shocked when they suddenly behead the Goblin.   They start to consider a few plans for how to take on the goblins. Possible plans: • Wait them out and take off their patrols little by little. • Pretend to be the stone god statue (disguised Balthazar) and take the rest of the party as their "prisoners" • Use the stone god statue (disguised Balthazar) as a distraction while the rest of the party climbs the walls.   They bury the goblin before getting some rest for the night at 11pm where they have to start their long rest again. Brienda is to stay with Killi and Leolen in the forest while the group does this. They will act as a rear guard. They can either man a rescue if the group fails or go get help.

4th of Keltier 1524

  At 7:40am the group is ambused by a pack of 11 wolves during Nobu's watch for the final section of rest. Nobu's alert nature allows him to notify the party before it is too late. Due to this the wolves numbers are quickly cut down, but not without many of the group getting bitten and hurt.   The group relaxes for a short while to finish their long rest. However, as they do so there is a blood burst of inky black tendrils from the Alpha wolf. It turns out this wolf was a minor Awnshegh. The burst rolls over Nobu to no effect and then hits Brienda before having the last of it being absorbed by Isabelle.   At 8am the group finishes their long rest. They get ready for the day quickly before heading back towards the town. As they move, they confirm the plan. Dead Wolf Grove is deemed to be the meet up spot should anything go awry. Balthazar is ready to do something stupid as they sneak back to the town, leaving Brienda, Killi and Leolen behind. They travel somewhat separately with Balthazar in the Stone God Statue magical disguise and the other three heading around to the side.   Balthazar does not convince the goblins he is the god and they attack him, quickly bringing him down. The Stealth team has slightly more success with getting up to the wall and taking out a small group of goblins before assaulting the gatehouse when they realise something has gone wrong for Balthazar. The goblin lackies aren't too challenging, but one of them is a magic user and is proving to make this fight far more challenging for them as Balthazar is slowly being dragged deeper into the city.