Thistletop Assault part 2
It is mid-afternoon, and the party is tired, out of spells and (for some of them) moderately injured. Perhaps now is a good time to have a rest, or return to Sandpoint? But a conversation with their prisoner Ripnugget - former chief of this goblin tribe - makes them realize there are still mysteries - and villains - left to defeat in the dungeons below the goblin tribe's dwelling.
Ripnugget seems neither cowed nor remorseful about his actions, and actually seems to think the Party's either weak, or stupid, or both, for not putting him to the sword. Our heroes might not be aware of how goblin children are raised, or perhaps they are, as Ripnugget assumes, soft in both heart and head. He is only tied up - in hempen rope, no less! - and not hobbled or crippled or just dropped in the ocean. Longshanks like Our Heroes are weird and it is hard to understand how their tribes are as spread out and pernicious as they are. Perhaps showing affection to children makes, in some strange and mysterious way, for a stronger tribe of adults? But that is clearly insanity, bred from being alone with his thoughts, gagged and bound and waiting to see if this 'trial' thing the Longshanks practice is really what Tsuto said it was like.
Meanwhile, the party frees and, eventually, befriends Shadowmere the Warhorse. Shadowmere is pissed, enormous, and intelligent, and he and Nelson agree to be respectfully aloof. Besides, that little one has some grain and a brush and FINALLY that bit is out of his mouth!
Then the party rests. Spells are relearned, wounds are healed, and a meal of oats and sausage is procured for all of the dwarves.
At midnight, feeling antsy, Vig and Torvan decide to explore the basement, which is dark. With his orc-blood eyes Torvan is able to see the chamber at the foot of the stairs, and hears a strange noise at one of the doors - a noise of... oh. Umm. Goblin lovemaking elicits cries and bellows of what might be best described as 'disgusting love', or perhaps 'brutal romantic conquest'. What better time to attack!
And so that is the plan enacted by the party - but first, to secure Ripnugget, the former goblin chief is tied to Shadowmere the horse. And now Ripnugget sees. Oh the truth is laid bare to him, to his eyes in what he is sure is his last moment - it is not weakness at all but the most unbridled cruelty, of a kind to rival demons themselves - the party left him tied up instead of dead, to make his certain demise all the more ... well, Ripnugget is not sure if 'demiseful' is a word but that seems like what is sure to happen to him.
But we need not think on this goblin any longer for Our Heroes burst in on a scene of sexual depravity! Bruthasmus the Hobgoblin and Shalelu the elf spot each other at once - each is the others' nemesis!
It is refreshing when your nemesis also has you as their nemesis - how disappointing to have a nemesis who is indifferent to you! I would think that to be worse in some ways than what is currently happening to Ripnugget.
Combat begins! Bruthasmus and his four goblin concubines draw weapons and attack - Bruthasmus with arrows which cause grievous harm to Shalelu, and the goblins with dogslicers which are significantly less harmful. At one point Kand closes the door to the trysting room, protecting Shalelu from further harm....
Just in time for several more goblins to rush in, drawn by Bruthasmus' bellows! Bruthasmus is wounded and starts to flee from the scene, with Vig and Antwon in hot pursuit, as the rest of the party shows the lessons they've learned from fighting goblins in the last several days. The lessons are ones of pain, and the goblins are the subjects in question, but I do not think the question is very interesting because the answer is... well, this metaphor has gotten away from us so let's just conclude that the goblins all die with little trouble to the party.
Except for Antwon and Vig, who pursue Bruthasmus into a kind of chapel, where two twisted and evil extra-dimensional monsters emerge from corners of the room - they are Yeth Hounds, and their visage is terrible and their cries more terrible still. Bruthasmus falls, and Vig and Antwon are almost overcome before the rest of the party arrives, killing one hound and driving the other off.
Shalelu drives her dagger into Bruthasmus' eye and leaves it there, satisfied that her enemy has been slain. The party looks at each other, shrugs, and nods - there are times for prisoners and justice, and perhaps other times for a rougher, more immediate sort of 'justice'.
More exploration finds a second barracks, jail cells, and torture room, all of which are empty, and a room that we might describe as the 'sacrisity' except this room has a basin of unholy water (with a decaying Nutria for extra nastiness) and the chapel has a sacrificial altar, and shrines to both Lamashtu and Deskari.
It's unpleasant all around and the most ugly-feeling place Our Heroes have ever been. I suspect as their adventures continue they will find less pleasant, less holy, and more horrible places, but one never forgets their first.
Continuing their explorations the party finds a library, of sorts, with a woman sitting behind a desk, looking at the party, who says, "You appear to be a heavily armed band of adventurers, I would like to negotiate for safe escape from this place."
A conversation is had. Some of Our Heroes - Kand, for instance - are more interested in the research and translation of Thassilonian runes that this woman is working on. Some of our heroes - Vig, for instance - might prefer the situation to be resolved swiftly with a blade applied to soft places. But the conversation with Lyrie (the Thassilonian translator) and her bodyguard Orik progresses from High Tension through Slightly Less Tension to Maybe You Should Help Us Out.
Lyrie has discovered some secrets that she does not want to reveal to Nualia - for that is who hired her and Orik - because of the Lamashtu worship, and the sacrifices, and the attack on Sandpoint. The secrets she knows, once an agreement for her life has been secured, are:
Lyrie and Orik just want to leave and escape, but agree to help Our Heroes finish their explorations of this complex, and to destroy the Sinpool - or Runepool - which the party found under the glassworks two days ago.
Was it only two days ago? Well, perhaps three since it is now two hours past midnight. Being tired, and sorely wounded, and again out of spells the party sets watch and begins to rest. Whew! It has certainly been an invigorating day, we think, as the lights are dimmed and the party settles in...
And another Yeth Hound bays! Many people (and wolves) are sorely frightened and routed, while Kand, Antwon, Kendra, Shalelu, and Lyrie are left to hold the line; following the Hound is Nualia, filled with fervor and fury and here to cause pain and death.
But instead she finds only her own pain - her hound dispatched, she attempts to flee but Vig and Antwon put paid to that plan, dropping her and taking her captive.
And so now, in the dead of night, sorely wounded the party sets themselves to rest again - and so now we draw the curtain again to see what adventures will be had upon the morrow, as the remaining caverns under Thistletop are explored!
Ripnugget seems neither cowed nor remorseful about his actions, and actually seems to think the Party's either weak, or stupid, or both, for not putting him to the sword. Our heroes might not be aware of how goblin children are raised, or perhaps they are, as Ripnugget assumes, soft in both heart and head. He is only tied up - in hempen rope, no less! - and not hobbled or crippled or just dropped in the ocean. Longshanks like Our Heroes are weird and it is hard to understand how their tribes are as spread out and pernicious as they are. Perhaps showing affection to children makes, in some strange and mysterious way, for a stronger tribe of adults? But that is clearly insanity, bred from being alone with his thoughts, gagged and bound and waiting to see if this 'trial' thing the Longshanks practice is really what Tsuto said it was like.
Meanwhile, the party frees and, eventually, befriends Shadowmere the Warhorse. Shadowmere is pissed, enormous, and intelligent, and he and Nelson agree to be respectfully aloof. Besides, that little one has some grain and a brush and FINALLY that bit is out of his mouth!
Then the party rests. Spells are relearned, wounds are healed, and a meal of oats and sausage is procured for all of the dwarves.
At midnight, feeling antsy, Vig and Torvan decide to explore the basement, which is dark. With his orc-blood eyes Torvan is able to see the chamber at the foot of the stairs, and hears a strange noise at one of the doors - a noise of... oh. Umm. Goblin lovemaking elicits cries and bellows of what might be best described as 'disgusting love', or perhaps 'brutal romantic conquest'. What better time to attack!
And so that is the plan enacted by the party - but first, to secure Ripnugget, the former goblin chief is tied to Shadowmere the horse. And now Ripnugget sees. Oh the truth is laid bare to him, to his eyes in what he is sure is his last moment - it is not weakness at all but the most unbridled cruelty, of a kind to rival demons themselves - the party left him tied up instead of dead, to make his certain demise all the more ... well, Ripnugget is not sure if 'demiseful' is a word but that seems like what is sure to happen to him.
But we need not think on this goblin any longer for Our Heroes burst in on a scene of sexual depravity! Bruthasmus the Hobgoblin and Shalelu the elf spot each other at once - each is the others' nemesis!
It is refreshing when your nemesis also has you as their nemesis - how disappointing to have a nemesis who is indifferent to you! I would think that to be worse in some ways than what is currently happening to Ripnugget.
Combat begins! Bruthasmus and his four goblin concubines draw weapons and attack - Bruthasmus with arrows which cause grievous harm to Shalelu, and the goblins with dogslicers which are significantly less harmful. At one point Kand closes the door to the trysting room, protecting Shalelu from further harm....
Just in time for several more goblins to rush in, drawn by Bruthasmus' bellows! Bruthasmus is wounded and starts to flee from the scene, with Vig and Antwon in hot pursuit, as the rest of the party shows the lessons they've learned from fighting goblins in the last several days. The lessons are ones of pain, and the goblins are the subjects in question, but I do not think the question is very interesting because the answer is... well, this metaphor has gotten away from us so let's just conclude that the goblins all die with little trouble to the party.
Except for Antwon and Vig, who pursue Bruthasmus into a kind of chapel, where two twisted and evil extra-dimensional monsters emerge from corners of the room - they are Yeth Hounds, and their visage is terrible and their cries more terrible still. Bruthasmus falls, and Vig and Antwon are almost overcome before the rest of the party arrives, killing one hound and driving the other off.
Shalelu drives her dagger into Bruthasmus' eye and leaves it there, satisfied that her enemy has been slain. The party looks at each other, shrugs, and nods - there are times for prisoners and justice, and perhaps other times for a rougher, more immediate sort of 'justice'.
More exploration finds a second barracks, jail cells, and torture room, all of which are empty, and a room that we might describe as the 'sacrisity' except this room has a basin of unholy water (with a decaying Nutria for extra nastiness) and the chapel has a sacrificial altar, and shrines to both Lamashtu and Deskari.
It's unpleasant all around and the most ugly-feeling place Our Heroes have ever been. I suspect as their adventures continue they will find less pleasant, less holy, and more horrible places, but one never forgets their first.
Continuing their explorations the party finds a library, of sorts, with a woman sitting behind a desk, looking at the party, who says, "You appear to be a heavily armed band of adventurers, I would like to negotiate for safe escape from this place."
A conversation is had. Some of Our Heroes - Kand, for instance - are more interested in the research and translation of Thassilonian runes that this woman is working on. Some of our heroes - Vig, for instance - might prefer the situation to be resolved swiftly with a blade applied to soft places. But the conversation with Lyrie (the Thassilonian translator) and her bodyguard Orik progresses from High Tension through Slightly Less Tension to Maybe You Should Help Us Out.
Lyrie has discovered some secrets that she does not want to reveal to Nualia - for that is who hired her and Orik - because of the Lamashtu worship, and the sacrifices, and the attack on Sandpoint. The secrets she knows, once an agreement for her life has been secured, are:
- the True Name of the demon Malfeshnekor;
- the way to discharge, recharge, and destroy sinpools;
- some secrets about the Old Light (an ancient ruin outside of Sandpoint, believed to be an ancient lighthouse).
Lyrie and Orik just want to leave and escape, but agree to help Our Heroes finish their explorations of this complex, and to destroy the Sinpool - or Runepool - which the party found under the glassworks two days ago.
Was it only two days ago? Well, perhaps three since it is now two hours past midnight. Being tired, and sorely wounded, and again out of spells the party sets watch and begins to rest. Whew! It has certainly been an invigorating day, we think, as the lights are dimmed and the party settles in...
And another Yeth Hound bays! Many people (and wolves) are sorely frightened and routed, while Kand, Antwon, Kendra, Shalelu, and Lyrie are left to hold the line; following the Hound is Nualia, filled with fervor and fury and here to cause pain and death.
But instead she finds only her own pain - her hound dispatched, she attempts to flee but Vig and Antwon put paid to that plan, dropping her and taking her captive.
And so now, in the dead of night, sorely wounded the party sets themselves to rest again - and so now we draw the curtain again to see what adventures will be had upon the morrow, as the remaining caverns under Thistletop are explored!
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