The Stinking Bugbear Cave (Intro)

[Scott308]

Kermut

Curiosity sated for the time being, the gnoll will drop down from the ladder. As he approaches Shozbot, he will mutter in Orcish, Animals, don't smell like horses. Lots of shit. Door didn't want to open, didn't want to push hard and have someone hear noise. Don't think it's been used for long time. Nobody will expect someone coming through.

[Urson]

Horsefly
The old goblin looks around the room. Is there a stairway or hatch leading down?

Dis maybes a good place to sneak in. We needs to look-see if we can get onna rock pile from outside.

[Pulpatoon]

Thamansa: "Sure enough, let's go poke around—but be sure not to close any doors behind us. If we need to escape, I want a direct line out a window. And I still want to get to that other blue tower before we wrap up, tonight."

[OGRE MAGE]

At The Tunnel
2 Days Left
Evening, Dark, Clear, Quiet

Kermit tells Shozbot that the trap door at the top of the ladder will be the perfect spot to enter the keep without being seen. The two of them then notice the three giant sized members of the group staring at them from outside the narrow tunnel. They look rather bored at the moment.

Thamansa and Horsefly check the lower levels of the tower under construction. It appears that the only occupied area is the top of the place, as no light shines out from any of the lower levels. Entering the window at the top of the rubble pile outside, they see a ladder up to an access hatch that must lead up to the battlememnts above. There is also a long narrow gap in the stone floor against one wall. A rickety wooden temporary stairway leads down to another empty level of this tower. They can see the bottom floor through a similar area below that one. It has a single wooden door that leads out into the main courtyard. It seems that the permanent stone stairways haven’t been added to this empty tower yet.

Thamansa fixates on the larger central tower with dull blue light. It’s roof is made up of sloped slate tiles, similar to the narrow tower in the front corner. The topmost level of that tower is not the same as the other stone construction. It’s walls appear to be partially transparent, with a dull blue light shining out from them that lights up the entire area. To fly anywhere near the central tower she would need to travel through that blue shroud of light.

Actions?

map:

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Horsefly (goblin) 8/8 [3/3/1]
Shozbot (orc) 12/18
Kermut (gnoll) 11/16
Thamansa (bugbear) 20/20 [3/3/0] Fly:? (a good long while)
Othrod (bugbear) 30/30
Horny Carl (minotaur) 40/40
Ondrake (hill giant) 50/50

[Scott308]

Kermut

Found dead lady. She not dead, attack us. Now she dead again. Maybe. Found trap door, go to stable. Good place to sneak in, the gnoll tells the larger party members, in Orcish, as he claps Ondrake on the back, attempting to subtly wipe excrement off his hand in the process.

[Rex]

Othrod

"We may need to kill her for good when we try to attack, she could mess up this way in."

[Urson]

Horsefly
The old goblin leaves the tower room as quickly as possible. I don' see any way to get to the big tower without we go through the light. Can you?

[Pulpatoon]

Thamansa follows Horsefly out. Her fur is bristling with frustration. "What are we doing? Jsut a pair o' danglin' teats onna bull, you and me. We haven't learned nothin' of any use t' nobody, and I ain't gotten my hands on one sparkly bit of lovely magic!

"Let's go look at the big blue tower, and then git back to th'others. If you see anything I can set on fire without arousin' suspicion, lemme know."

[OGRE MAGE]

At The Tunnel
2 Days Left
Evening, Dark, Clear, Quiet

Kermut wipes the shit from the ladder onto the giants back as he tells the others about the hatch he found inside the narrow tunnel. Othrod doesn't like the sound of a dead woman possibly reappearing once they return.

Horsefly and Thamansa regroup in the upper level of the tower under construction, finding only empty rooms inside. The single door they found on the ground level that opens up into the courtyard will be difficult to access with no stairs built inside the tower yet, but not impossible.

The pair looks over the tall central tower again, with its blue light glowing softly all around its upper levels. The goblin warns the bugbear witchdoctor that getting too close will surely alert the guards to their presence, so all they can do is look upon it from high above. Seeing plenty of wooden buildings in the outer baily below, Thamansa ponders lighting the place up before leaving. The gangly female scoffs as she heads back towards the others again, thinking that her flying magic is sure to wear off sooner or later.

Once everyone is reassembled again, it doesn't appear to her that anyone has done much while she was away, and there is still no sign whatsoever of the flying kobold who accompanied the group here.

Actions?

Horsefly (goblin) 8/8 [3/3/1]
Shozbot (orc) 12/18
Kermut (gnoll) 11/16
Thamansa (bugbear) 20/20 [3/3/0] Fly:?
Othrod (bugbear) 30/30
Horny Carl (minotaur) 40/40
Ondrake (hill giant) 50/50

[ravenn4544]

Ondrake sniffs at kermut and goes on looking bored.

[Scott308]

Kermut

In Orcish:

Shozbot and me found sneaky way in. Just hope dead lady not bother us again.

[Rex]

Othrod

"Time to return and make plan."

[Pulpatoon]

Thamansa {in Orcish}:

"Dead lady? What kinda dead lady?"

{To all}: "We lost th' little bat. Probably got caught in a wind, and blown out into the wilderness. Won't be much more than a porridge of broken bones and sweetmeats in a kobold-skin sack, I reckon. Stupid teeny kobold wings is meant for flittin' around caverns, and can't hold up to open air. This little bugger, however," she pats the baby-bjorned Horesfly on the head, "showed some remarkable decent sense for a goblin."

[Urson]

Horsefly

Horsefly scowls up at Thamansa and elbows her hard in the ribs.

Thanks. An' youse don' smell near so bad as most bugbears. Lemme outta dis!

Once he's back on the ground: Okay. Ever'body gots some news, I guess. How 'bout we go round da cave an' tell all- den we adds it to the map. Once we's all got all the news, we kin start figgerin' out how ta do dis.

[Pulpatoon]

Thamansa: "Hold yer water, half-pint. Let's get our furry behinds back t' th' Caves. Everybody ready?"

If everyone is ready, she activates the amulet and returns the party home.

[Scott308]

Kermut

After regaining his bearings upon being teleported back to the cave, the gnoll answers Thamansa's question. In Orcish,

I don't know what kind. I guess the kind that gets up and walks around. There was a dead lady on the floor, then next thing we know she was attacking us. We killed her again, I think, although she was already dead once so I don't know if killing her again will do anything.

[OGRE MAGE]

Back To The Caves
1.5 Days Left
Midnight, Dark, Clear

Not really sure what they encountered in the tunnel, Kermut tells the others as much as he knows about the apparition they discovered. Othrod still seems concerned about it, but since he cant fit into the tunnel anyway, he dismisses the thought.

Thamansa gathers everyone together so they can teleport back to the caves to make their final preparations while they wait for the supposed gift from the orc tribes. She grumbles about the disappearing kobold, but actually pays the old goblin she has been carrying around a compliment. Rather unorthodox sure, but a nice gesture all the same. Horsefly suddenly becomes very suspicious, giving her a friendly little elbow as she releases him from her harness.

As promised, the magical instant trip back to the caves isn't nearly as bad as their arrival, although Ondrake does reappear about 5 feet off of the ground, landing hard with a loud thud in the clearing outside the bugbear cave. He gets to his feet again and glares at Thamansa, as if she did it on purpose.

The orcs don't appear to have arrived yet with the weapon they promised, giving the others time to regroup with the bugbear chieftain to address their plan of attack upon the Keep. Horsefly notices that some in the group have new injuries that might need to be dealt with as well.

Nardgrog stands in the opening of his cave, urging the returned group to accompany him back to his war table to make up all of their battle plans. "Come! Tell me all about what you've discovered! What happened to the little flying rat?"

Actions?

Horsefly (goblin) 8/8 [3/3/1]
Shozbot (orc) 12/18
Kermut (gnoll) 11/16
Thamansa (bugbear) 20/20 [3/3/0]
Othrod (bugbear) 30/30
Horny Carl (minotaur) 40/40
Ondrake (hill giant) 50/50

[Pulpatoon]

Thamansa: "I reckon the lil' bat got blowed off course, and is probably tangled up in a tree with a broken neck. Can't trust a kobold to do bugbear-work.

"We found a bunch of wooden buildings, just like I said. Load me up with enough gourds of flammable oil, and I can fly over and set it all on fire. That'll kill plenty of 'em, and should provide some mighty fine cover for the rest of these lunks. But, boss, they got some kinda big magic underway. I dunno what it is, yet, but two of their towers are pouring out blue light. That can't be good.

"Oh, and y'see this tower here? It's under construction. Mostly empty. So, if'n there's any advantage to be had in a blindspot, that there's the one."

[Scott308]

Kermut

In Orcish, the gnoll gives a quick accounting of what they found.

We find sneaky way in. Looks like not used for long time. Big guys don't fit, but some of us can get in that way. End up in stables.

[Urson]

Horsefly

I am assuming we're using spell slots...

Horsefly chants over Shozbot, then over Kermut.

Cure light wounds
[1d8] = 1 Shozbot.
[1d8] = 4 Kermut.

Da gods don' think you deserve healin', I guess. he says to Shozbot.