IC VI

[thirdkingdom]

After Lanny recovers he examines the courtyard -- and specifically the area around the door leading into the castle proper -- for tracks. Although it is difficult to tell, as the courtyard has been paved with ancient flagstones, Lanny only sees two sets of tracks leading into and out of the castle. One set is obviously those of a gnoll, as the beasts eschew footwear, whilst the other set is those of a being wearing heavy, iron-shod boots, likely similar to those worn by the frozen hobgoblin.

Borrowing Bregalad's rope, Marodin sets to restraining the held hobgoblin. The monster's muscles are taut and unyielding, and it is difficult to tie the rope in such a manner than once freed from the effects of the spell and able to move the rope will still hold. After almost half an hour the beast's muscular arms begin to twitch and its mouth draws back into a snarl. Eyes darting from person to person, the hobgoblin is clearly free of the spell's influence yet does not speak.

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

Lanny finishes studying the tracks by the main door to the castle proper.

"Not many tracks near the door... I see the boot marks of the hobgoblin, and the feet marks of one other gnoll, perhaps the shaman... So I would venture to guess that no one dashed inside the castle to warn others before we finally arrived on the scene... I would also venture to guess that the bulk of the gnolls have never been inside the castle. Their makeshift encampment of sleeping mats right here in the courtyard supports this theory. Who knows, the castle may even be locked to prevent unauthorized persons from getting in. Speaking of which..."

Lanny looks through the assortment of items found on the gnoll shaman and the hobgoblin chieftain. He picks up the key found on the hobgoblin and walks over to his bound enemy. He waits patiently for Marodin to finish his questioning and then addresses the hobgoblin.

"Tell me, my friend, what door does this key unlock? And this large pit in the ground that is covered up by the fallen doors of the main outer gate... What is in it?"

Even if the hobgoblin does not speak Common, Lanny will hold up the key and will point to the hole in the ground to make the meaning of his questions obvious.

[Bouv]

Tratiln will repeat any of the questions in goblin as well

[thirdkingdom]

Captive Hobgoblin

"I will tell you nothing, elfish scum!" the hobgoblin clearly speaks Common, "I spit in your faces, cowards!"

Pretty bad reaction roll.

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

Lanny nods his head in acceptance of the chieftain's gruff reply, and he returns to his companions.

"An quick execution is certainly fitting at this point, but I still wonder why this hobgoblin is here hob-nobbing with gnolls. Did the gnolls hire him to train them in the martial arts, in preparation for a planned attack? I have never known gnolls to be very disciplined, as most of their attacks tend to be improvised ambushes. It might be worth bringing him back to Threshold... if we are going there. A Charm spell might produce better answers..."

Lanny requests that those with rowan shields do a quick scan of the items found on the shaman and chieftain (including the chieftain's armor and weapons) to see if they contain magical properties.

In addition to the opportunity to bury Saul near civilization (one of the requests in his will), the other benefit of going back to Threshold is the ability to rest and heal for one full day in a safe place. There are currently 3 PCs who are one sword strike away from death (Bregalad, Lanny, Rhys), and while we do have those 3 healing potions, we are completely out of healing spells and sleep spells, so I think we would need to rest anyway before entering the castle. If we spend a full day in Threshold before returning to the castle, it would give us the chance to get 3 CLWs and also to charm the hobgoblin to try to get more information. My understanding is that Threshold is only a couple of hours away. I do not think we are in a rush to complete this mission, as we still have one week before our silver weapons and extra potions will be ready for pickup. Therefore, Lanny favors returning to Threshold with the hobgoblin prisoner and the body of Saul.

[Alethan]

Rhys the Traveler

Rhys nods at the suggestion to return to Threshold. "It is good karma to honor a dead man's burial request if we have the means at our disposal..."

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

Once the exterior of the castle is deemed secure and all horses are retrieved, Lanny speaks again to his companions.

"I am keen to leave this place as soon as possible. If there are more gnolls in the area, we are in no condition to fight them at this time. Let us gather our strength in Threshold and see what we can find out by charming this hobgoblin. He may know something about this medallion and its connection to Elwyn's cult... He may also know something about the castle's interior and the number of gnolls in the area, which will aid us when we return."

I counted 5 votes to return to Threshold. The shaman's items should not be touched by anyone but rather should be shoveled inside a sack for a safe keeping.

[Bouv]

Tratiln will retrieve the shovel from his horse and help load any of the shaman's gear into a sack. "I'm sure Father Varis would probably recommend this gear be destroyed but any information we can glean from it will be benefical. Does the big brute have anything that might be of value?"

[sulldawga]

Marodin will put his rowan shield to work examining the items scavenged from the battle.

[Finglas]

Lanny the elf

In addition to the opportunity to bury Saul near civilization (one of the requests in his will), the other benefit of going back to Threshold is the ability to rest and heal for one full day in a safe place. There are currently 3 PCs who are one sword strike away from death (Bregalad, Lanny, Rhys), and while we do have those 3 healing potions, we are completely out of healing spells and sleep spells, so I think we would need to rest anyway before entering the castle. If we spend a full day in Threshold before returning to the castle, it would give us the chance to get 3 CLWs and also to charm the hobgoblin to try to get more information. My understanding is that Threshold is only a couple of hours away. I do not think we are in a rush to complete this mission, as we still have one week before our silver weapons and extra potions will be ready for pickup. Therefore, Lanny favors returning to Threshold with the hobgoblin prisoner and the body of Saul.

Rhys the Traveler

Rhys nods at the suggestion to return to Threshold. "It is good karma to honor a dead man's burial request if we have the means at our disposal..."

Bregalad the elf

Bregalad agrees with Rhys and Lanny. He wishes to honor Saul's burial request and bring him home.

[Innana]

Innana the Fighter:

Innana listens to the hobgoblins response, and studies him. "Is there going to be any information that we would be able to get in another way, other than lug this guy back to Threshold? I say we dispose of him here." She squints her eyes at the hobgoblin, "This guy has trouble written all over him. Innana whispered in hushed tones to the group," Plus, I would feel better if anyone here who had anything to do with Saul's death, get the same."

Innana walks away towards the big gaping hole in the ground. "I don't feel like we have much time before all hell breaks loose here." She stops, and points towards the hole, "Who knows what horrors lay hidden here. I say we get Saul, and Kill this fat Hobgoblin, and depart to Threshold as soon as we can."

[Bouv]

Innana the Fighter:

Innana listens to the hobgoblins response, and studies him. "Is there going to be any information that we would be able to get in another way, other than lug this guy back to Threshold? I say we dispose of him here." She squints her eyes at the hobgoblin, "This guy has trouble written all over him. Innana whispered in hushed tones to the group," Plus, I would feel better if anyone here who had anything to do with Saul's death, get the same."

Innana walks away towards the big gaping hole in the ground. "I don't feel like we have much time before all hell breaks loose here." She stops, and points towards the hole, "Who knows what horrors lay hidden here. I say we get Saul, and Kill this fat Hobgoblin, and depart to Threshold as soon as we can."

Tratiln replies, "Works for me."

[Finglas]

Innana the Fighter:

Innana listens to the hobgoblins response, and studies him. "Is there going to be any information that we would be able to get in another way, other than lug this guy back to Threshold? I say we dispose of him here." She squints her eyes at the hobgoblin, "This guy has trouble written all over him. Innana whispered in hushed tones to the group," Plus, I would feel better if anyone here who had anything to do with Saul's death, get the same."

Innana walks away towards the big gaping hole in the ground. "I don't feel like we have much time before all hell breaks loose here." She stops, and points towards the hole, "Who knows what horrors lay hidden here. I say we get Saul, and Kill this fat Hobgoblin, and depart to Threshold as soon as we can."

Tratiln replies, "Works for me."

Bregalad the elf

His eyes focused upon the hobgoblin, Bregalad weighs the warrioress' words -- then unsheathes his sword.

"Alright....." Bregalad intends to finish the hobgoblin quickly, careful not to cut his bonds.

[thirdkingdom]

The shaman's club and unholy symbol both cause the shield to vibrate. Nothing else does.

So, am I correct that you guys want to kill the hobgoblin and head back to town? Also, uh, Innana, how close to the hole did you get? Just for purely academic reasons, of course.

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

Lanny urges his companions not to act too quickly on killing the hobgoblin.

"Not every creature that we fight and capture will have valuable information... But I believe that this hobgoblin does. There is something going on here, something that is much larger than we might initially expect. It really appears as if the gnolls were preparing for an attack or raid on some unsuspecting foe... perhaps even on Threshold. This hobgoblin is the only one left alive who might know anything about it. We should try to find the answer before it is too late... And though he may not volunteer much information willingly, I find that the magical Charm spell has ways of making even the most hardened foes loose in the lips..."

Lanny urges patience, but he is not going to stand between the hobgoblin and a friend's sword thrust either.

By the way, I think it is not a bad idea for at least one spellcaster in the group to prepare Charm Person as a default spell... just in case we ever fight and capture a humanoid foe from whom we really need to obtain vital information immediately.

[Bouv]

Tratiln nods, "Yes, you are right Lanny. Perhaps we can use the cells in Threshold to hold him while we prepare those spells.

[Finglas]

Lanny the elf

Lanny urges his companions not to act too quickly on killing the hobgoblin.

Tratiln nods, "Yes, you are right Lanny. Perhaps we can use the cells in Threshold to hold him while we prepare those spells.

Bregalad the elf

Bregalad stays his hand, responding to Lanny in elvish. "Taking him as prisoner does not feel right to me, Lantharios. I hope that we do not come to regret this."

[sulldawga]

While the party debates what to do with the hobgoblin, Marodin will examine the grounds to see if there are any tracks leading to or from the hole.

Tracking 2

[Innana]

The shaman's club and unholy symbol both cause the shield to vibrate. Nothing else does.

So, am I correct that you guys want to kill the hobgoblin and head back to town? Also, uh, Innana, how close to the hole did you get? Just for purely academic reasons, of course.

Oh. Ummm. Not that close. hehehe.

[Innana]

Innana the Fighter:

My vote changed. Innana will listen to Lanny's advice since he seems to think this hobgoblin may have some valuable information. She will trust Lanny's reasoning, but does not like the idea of traveling with this hobgoblin.

Innana lets out a deep breath. "Alright Lanny", but if this hobgoblin gives us any trouble, I will not waste any time in killing him. Let us get out of this place quickly."

Innana picks up one side of the stretcher. "Who wants to help carry Saul's body to his horse?"