Karnz and the Goblin Warband - Intro Quest

General Summary

The members of the organization bustle about, mostly human, but even some Half-Elf and many uncommon races find themselves in the mix. The party finds themselves in this cause that is bigger than race; one which Richard's Rule has garnered much hatred in it's few decades, and some wonder if the barbarians truly were the villains as the history books suggest... gloved fighters carry in the frozen Salochin from another entrance, one which they had not been prepared to share.
In any case, three individuals stand out among their present leadership, first and foremost there is Alexi Galhurst - a Half-Elf Bard of the College of Valor, trained in FairHaven, and a classmate of Winslow, even, during his earlier years before choosing his college. Alexi serves as the leader of these renegades and uses his education to inspire folks to keep up the cause; Fiona Hayle - a run of the mill looking Human with a penchant for thievery. She puts her talents to use as a sort of spymaster, gathering intel and keeping an ever open ear to the ground for Richard and his happenings; finally, there was James Moore, another Human whose talents do not extend beyond his quartermaster-like capabilities, but there is a lot to say about those who know how to supply a garrison, secretly, in a town the enemy owns, without any negative side effects - yet.
These three prove to be valuable members of Salochin's Renegades. Although, it seems it was not started by Salochin - only that he became the public face and took on that risk for the movement, honorable a Kensei Monk he has ever been. Frozen solid now, presumed dead, Alexi and the others see only one option. They needed a diamond. A large diamond, something that could act as a catalyst for a spell that would raise Salochin back from whatever cold grasp would hold him under after being thawed. Time was of the essence though, as with all things the party is asked to undertake, and within a little less than a fortnight the diamond had to be here, in Haven's Landing, ready to be sacrificed.
Salochin had been caught on purpose, taken while in the prisons of FairHaven to break into FairHaven on High, it's namesake keep, and make way with valuable intel about Richard's fleet of ships. It's the reason the prison transport had left in the first place. The face of the resistance - caught! Trade, coin, and magic flow through Richards routes, and if the rebels are able to quell their passage through guile or force, then Richard will be greatly weakened. That and Salochin's role within the rebels is too important to pass on to another. Alexi may be the leader, but without Salochin and his efforts, this pack of renegades would be nothing more than some local organizers too afraid to hold their ground.
Winslow stayed there for the day. He had found the spirits, though not a surplus, and nursed them as he had not drank alcohol in over a month since his incarceration and subsequent torture. He was long past feeling the shakes. So, April, Xanbjorn, Elric and Oko all made way, map in hand from Fiona, and followed it's winding trails to the mountainous hillside to the north of Haven's Landing where they hiked into the trees and upward. Fiona and Alexi indicated that there was a local group of unknown raiders had been attacking merchants and Richard's men alike as they travel down the North/South Road to Rule - they said that the party should offer them an alliance with the rebels, or at the very least see if they have the diamond to barter with.
Walking North, the party comes across a stumbling Goodwill, The Tiefling joins the familiar faces, his memory lost or at least fuzzy of the last month since FairHaven on High's heist - curious, April tells herself she will investigate that later. The journey upwards, with Goodwill in tow, was met with discourse as a few traps had been placed to protect the approach to the camp near the mountain's peak. Xanbjorn helped to guide folks through these hazards, but Elric's Steel Bear falls into a pungee trap - the spikes ripping holes through the composite body of steel and stone. The party stops to pull out the bear, and Elric mends it as they walk upwards once more.
The final approach up the hillside echoes the voices of a bellowing creature near the peak, moving carefully, the party heads up evermore. As part of their caution, they are able to spot the growths of Razorvine, intertwined within the bushes that surround the encampment near the hill's peak. Several other voices are heard as they creep up to the edge of the bushes and they finally see - a lone Tabaxi Barbarian trying to goad an entire encampment of goblins to fight him. Specifically uttering, "You are all babies, come out and fight Karnz" but the barbarian's patience could not be held any longer - unbeknownst to the party, these goblins had raided Karnz' group, whose camp is made up to the Southeast of where they are now. The fiery Berserker Rage ignited within Karnz, and his fury became real as he ran headfirst into the squad of Goblins.
The party members each diverge into different actions and after several rounds of combat, a resounding horn echoes from a cave that serves as part of the encampment. Outside the cave, inside of the slightly more well-made building, 3 Wargs jump into action and their fearsome size served as another wave of enemies as arrows from the other goblins rained down on all sides. Eventually, Karnz and his newfound allies, at least for this battle, began approaching the cave mouth after the wargs had been slain or fallen back into the tunnel. An iron gate falls, keeping the party from the inside, but with a quick peek into the darkness and a deft use of Mage Hand, Goodwill is able to reach into the hallway therein and pop the lever for the gate to open. He remains outside with Elric as the others charge into the cave to finish off this Goblin menace.
Inside the cave, however, there are not more goblins, there are creatures far more sinister and worse, Hobgoblins. Hobgoblin treachery runs as deep as any of Maglubiyet's children, but still not as deep as a Bugbear...
Combat within the cave just intensified as the Hobgoblin leader cut with excessive force, luckily he did not carry a magical blade else Xanbjorn and Karnz might have had a harder time dispatching him and his other Hobgoblin leaders. Outside the cave, another horn is heard, several other goblins dash up the hill and position themselves ready to flank, but are met by Goodwill and Elric - guarding the rears of those within the cave. Goodwill makes quick work of most with a dazzling display of Melfs Minute Meteors, and Elric ensures they are met with additional strain as his bear charges and he shoots magical bolts from his crossbow - the shots repeating without pause. The Goblins stand no chance.
In the end, the party finds a key and uses it to open a locked door within the cave, only to find an immense hoard. These Goblins had indeed raided many travelers, but between the plague and the war with the renegades, Richard and others had not been able to stop them. A massive trove of over 8000 silver, much gold, and a handful of platinum was found amongst a mass of gemstones. A few tasteful pieces had been secured as well, art and the like, and after taking their own haul, and none being too greedy, they said their goodbyes to Karnz, who indicated his fellow camp mates would be moving into this place and would join in the cause against Richard.
The rest of the party returns to Haven's Landing and Salochin is revived with Alexi's bardic magic, and the diamond is consumed in the process, disipating into the ether that Salochin had returned from. Unfrozen and revived, he shares some of his intel, namely that Haven's Flagship The Forlorn Distant will be in the harbor within the next 2 weeks. He departs to a back room and the party, minus Winslow and Karnz are inducted into the rebellion as full members by Alexi.
Karnz makes it back to his camp and begins the process of moving folks. By the end of the next day they had moved up, and set aside much of the trove for the others to gather soon.

Report Date

17 Sep 2022