A Portcullis Pickle

Summary:

The party rested briefly before continuing their exploration of Shadowfell Keep's second level. Before pressing on, Taegahn and Queequeg pitched the hobgoblin and spider corpses down the initial room's well. The sound of bodies hitting a splashy bottom satisfied Taegahn greatly as he envisioned hobgoblin soldier's drinking water tainted by their very own dead.

The party didn't go far before they happened upon a turn in the passageway, double doors straight ahead of them. After Orchid scanned the doors for traps and confirmed them clean and unlocked, Gilic and Gareth burst through, surprising a hobgoblin soldier whose head peaked around a corner. The party unloaded, chasing the hobgoblin down a hallway that opened into a barracks, badly maintained tables and beds strewn haphazardly all about. Another set of double doors barred an entrance nearly directly across from the first. Gareth and Gilic pursued the fleeing hobgoblin down the narrow hallway only to be met by three of his companions. With the majority of the party crammed into the hallway, one behind the other, a hobgoblin warcaster stepped forward and bellowed forth a force pulse the ripped through the adventures, pummeling them with compressed air and knocking them back and prone. Even Gilic, the stalwart dwarf, was knocked to the floor.

Meanwhile, Orchid detected movement from somewhere deeper in the barracks. She spied the double doors and deduced reinforcement were on their way to reinforce and engage hobgoblins and flank the party. She yelled her thoughts aloud and threw herself in the fray, shurikens thudding soundly into hobgoblin flesh. Cedric watched the double doors, reading himself to unleash arcane horror upon whatever burst through. Gareth and Gilic held the line against the group of hobgoblins, a pitched battle where blows were traded for blows, a hobgoblin archer hanging in the back harassing the party with a stream of arrows. Shava blessed the party and provided supplementary fire. Taegahn took aim upon the covered archer, flushing him out first and then peppering him with a barrage of arrows, sending him sprawling into the back wall dead.

The double doors finally broke open, five hobgoblin grunts and warriors running through trying to plow into the party's side and back end. Cedric cast immediately, laying an icy sheet in front of the opening that froze all but one of the hobgoblins. Breaking the flanking charge proved the end of the battle as Gareth, Gilic, and Queequeg chopped through the initial front line. Foes vanquished, the party searched the dirty barracks but found only sour beer and crude armaments. They secured the room, barricaded the front double doors and rested for the remainder of the day.

At dawn, the party moved on. They traveled only a few yards when Orchid stopped the party, pointing to the ceiling: a raised portcullis. She examined the gateway carefully, exposing and disabling a trigger release. Nodding the all clear, Taegahn sprinted forward, entering a room with doors opposite and to the left. He strode confidently to the left door, crouching against it to press the side of his head to listen. The door suddenly opened, three growling hobgoblins attacking. At the same time, the portcullis slammed down. Only Gareth had stepped forward, the rest of the party cut-off. Orchid wasted little time. Wrapping her tiny hands around two parallel bars, she heaved. Sinewy muscles bulging, the corroded metal seemed to give, but not enough to provide an opening. Gareth tried to assist, but failed. Hearing reinforcing hobgoblins streaming out of the far doorway, he abandoned the portcullis to meet the newly arrived horde. Gilic and Shava both attempted to pull the set of bars open, but couldn't. Finally, Queequeg stepped forward. Massive in girth, scaled muscle and sinew took hold of the weakened bars, prying an opening large enough for the party to squeeze through.

The rest of the party charged into the fray. The battle was a frenzy, with adventurers and hobgoblins alike hopping on and off a central table both from necessity and for tactical advantage. Cedric belched forth a scorching torrent of fire that singed foe and ally alike, though Gareth and Queequeg were spared the brunt of it. Taking a page out of Cedric's playbook, Queequeg stepped back and breathed cracking sparks of brilliant turquoise lightning, felling two hobgoblins and narrowly missing Gareth.

After the battle, the party searched the corpses and room. They found some quality mundane armaments and a magic short blade perfectly suited for the compact rogue, Orchid.

TO BE CONTINUED

Phat Lewt:

+1 Vicious Shortsword - Orchid

Line(s) of the Night:

"Am I the only one who role plays here?" Simon, said beseechingly, with arms upraised towards God.

"You're just trying to get me to go down on James." Megan responding to Simon's request to pick up a dropped die that fell nowhere near James.