Session date: October 9, 2017
Game date: Saturday, January 10, 210
PCs:
Gulleck Stonefoot, Dwarf 6, hp 37, xp 35212/70000
Caryatid, Magic-user 4, hp 19, xp 16989/20000
Simon Sackwell, Halfling 3, hp 11, xp 5819/8000
Adrien, Fighter 3, hp 9, xp 5071/8000
Retainers:
Manley "Meat" Smythe, Fighter 3, hp 17, xp 5642/8000
Brother Chase Pike, Cleric 2, hp 11, xp 2604/3000
Orin, Elf 1, hp 4, xp 405/4000
Debbi, Magic-user 1, hp 6, xp 707/2500
The Palace of the Goblin King seemed to be a tough nut to crack for the moment, so the adventurers decided to deal first with the pompous Goblin Prince. I think they were annoyed by the attack last session from the Prince's archers. Remembering their success against the orcs in the same location, the party spent 400 gold darics to buy two barrels of oil (about the size of a beer keg each). They also had their cart repaired for another 20 gp. The guards at the Rusty Lantern's trapdoor grumbled as they lowered the heavy barrels and awkward cart down into the dungeon. The adventurers grumbled as they maneuvered them down the stairs of the abandoned shop that acts as the entrance to the ruined city of Ancient Idalium. They then got the barrels loaded onto the cart and proceeded towards the street of temples, to access the shaft they had excavated down to the second level.
In the street of temples, they were confronted by a cold wind that seemed to arise from nowhere, and a chilling terror grasped their hearts. Even the magical light of Simon's sword seemed to wane and flicker. A ghostly form floated out of the darkness, a figure draped in ancient frayed robes and wearing a tarnished coronet on its hooded head. Most of the adventurers found themselves rooted to the spot in fear and could do nothing but watch as the terrifying figure floated towards them. It took a long look at the barrels of oil on their cart, and seemed to shake its head disapprovingly, before floating past them and into the narrow tunnel they had just emerged from. The cold fear released its grasp on their hearts, they found they could move again, and the light from Simon's sword grew steady and bright again.
Unnerved by their second encounter with the Wraith Lord (in the same place, even!), they resumed hauling their cargo into the temple that contained the shaft down to the second level. Caryatid's Wizard Lock spell held the door secure as ever, and everything was as they had left it within. Brother Chase descended the rope ladder first with a lit lantern, in order to guide the barrels down and receive them at the bottom. The barrels were carefully lowered down, and this time there were no mishaps with leaks. The adventurers made ready to attack the goblins, and then wheeled the barrels out into the corridor which led to the apartment complex that the Goblin Prince had taken over.
There were four goblins guarding the entrance, but they barely had time to scream out an alarm before Debbi's Sleep spell rendered them all unconscious. Four more goblins came running up the stairs in reinforcement, two with swords drawn and two with bows. Caryatid began casting her own Sleep spell, but the goblins won initiative and the archers took careful aim at Caryatid while the other two slammed into melee with Gulleck and Simon. One of the archers missed Caryatid entirely, and the other rolled a 1. This led to an interesting result. On a critical miss with ranged weapons, I require a new attack against a random target in the path of fire. This turned out to be Debbi, and a rerolled attack roll hit her and did a full 6 points of damage!
That would have been the end for Debbi, at 0 hit points, but from the start we've used a house rule (borrowed from Michael Curtis and "Beedo", among others) that lets characters heal 1d4-1 hit points after each combat, when they've had a chance to catch their breath, bind wounds, and have a drink of water. This stems from the idea that some portion of hit points represents fatigue, luck, and general "will to fight". Now, this was the first time it's interacted with the "dead at 0 hp" rule, but I thought, sure, why not allow the roll? There's still a chance that she won't heal any damage, and of course, someone could be damaged below -2 hp, making it impossible to heal back to a positive number. I like this new application of the house rule, because I always felt there ought to be some option between alive and well and stone cold dead, but I don't like the way characters pop up and down with no ill effects in newer editions like 4e. This way, there's a chance you might survive a hit that only just "kills" you, but you won't know until the end of combat.
Anyway, Caryatid finished casting her spell and put the second group of four goblins to sleep. Debbi lay on the ground, ostensibly dead, but I allowed the roll, and she got back one hit point! Debbi was alive, but barely so. Just then, three more goblin archers came running up from the other entrance to the goblin lair around the corner. They stopped some distance back from the party and fired arrows, which clattered against stone and armor. The adventurers retreated back to the room from which they had come, pushing the cart before them and dragging Debbi along with them, pulling shut the wizard locked door after them as arrows flew past them.
Brother Chase murmured healing prayers over Debbi's vicious wound and she was miraculously healed completely of her grievous injury. The group caught their breath and then emerged again into the hall with the cart of barrels. The goblins had left, and all that remained were the eight sleeping bodies at the entrance to the stairs that led down into their lair. Gulleck prepared a fuse with a flaming rag, the barrel was unstopped, and Gulleck and Meat carefully moved the barrel to the top of the stairs. Looking down, they saw a half dozen goblins marching up the stairs. The two in front were carrying a stout timber as a battering ram. A smile curled Gulleck's lips and the flaming barrel was shoved down the stairs. Goblins were knocked down like tenpins, and then the barrel exploded at the bottom of the stairs, setting the goblins on fire and splashing flaming oil everywhere.
Angry shouts in the guttural goblin language and the sound of running footsteps came from below, as the adventurers worked quickly to ready the next barrel. While Gulleck worked at the barrel, Simon and Meat were battling goblins at the top of the stairs. Simon the hobbit was fighting like an action movie hero. He kicked a goblin in the chest, sending it tumbling head over heels down the stairs, where it cracked its skull on the stone floor at the bottom. Then he drew an arrow and fired it straight into the neck of another goblin that was trying to ascend the stairs.
Gulleck got a rag stuffed into the barrel and lit, but before she and Meat could roll it down the stairs, two goblins had reached it and began attacking the barrel with their swords, trying to break the cask and prevent it from exploding like a bomb. After being hacked with swords several time, the barrel lost its integrity and split apart. Flaming oil cascaded down the stairs. Gulleck and Simon were splashed with oil and burned, but the goblins, being directly beneath the barrel, were drenched in flaming oil and died screaming.
Before any more goblins could reinforce the stairs, the adventurers moved quickly but carefully down the oil-slicked stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, they could see the courtyard, brightly lit by braziers. At least a dozen more goblins were here, with swords and bows drawn. A large wooden platform had been constructed in the center of the room, and on it sat an ornate wooden throne. The Goblin Prince stood in front of his throne, jumping in apoplectic rage and stomping his feet. Around him on the platform stood several hobgoblins and bugbears.
"Kill them! Kill them all!" roared the Goblin Prince. All of the goblins on the ground of the courtyard ran towards the party.
Then Orin spoke the mystical words of Sleep, and a majority of the goblins fell to the ground. And Meat drew his shortbow, took careful aim at the Goblin Prince, and fired an arrow. A hit! Gulleck's player chose to roll the Big Green d30 for damage. Twenty-nine points!
Meat's arrow slammed into the Goblin Prince's rotund belly. He looked down at the arrow in shock and confusion and then back up at the adventurers. He shook his fist weakly.
"My dad is going to be so p***ed at you!" And then he fell over, the arrow sticking absurdly upward.
"They have killed the Prince!" shouted one of the hobgoblins. "Avenge him! Destroy them!" The hobgoblins and bugbears all jumped down from the platform to assault the adventurers. Goblins converged on Meat, and goblin archers stationed on the balconies all combined their fire at him. Arrows rained down upon him and clattered off his armor, as he ran back to the stairway for cover.
Then Caryatid drew forth her Wand of Wonder and waved it with a flourish at the main grouping of goblins. And the random result she rolled was Fireball. Rather fittingly, because that had been the very first magic to come from this wand, and this would prove to be its last charge. The wand glowed red hot in Caryatid's hand, and then flung itself out of her grip, arcing and tumbling across the courtyard towards the goblins, and then it exploded with an almighty roar, filling the room with light and heat.
We left it there on a cliffhanger, as it was getting late and we had to break for the night!
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