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Session 27, Into Nordain Hold

Paldegora 

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Session 27 – 2023-08-12

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==== Summary ====

After doing a little healing, the Company Clandestine rested the remainder of the evening and exited in the morning. Gop led them to the western gate of the cemetery. As they neared the gate, they were set upon by a couple of the large skeletons from the north. While they were fighting that, Eryn stayed back to keep Gop from becoming so scared that he'd flee. While they fought the two large skeletons, another creature, an undead with red eyes came from the south and attacked Eryn. It was a Wight. The others finished off the two large skeletons and then turned to help fight the wight. Eryn had gone into full defensive mode to avoid being hit. She was successful and they killed the Wight without anyone being injured by it.

Simon had made his way through the fence and suggested that the rest of them do so quickly. He thought their presence in this place may be spawning the attacks. They followed Gop out of the cemetery and north, keeping trees between themselves and the town. After about half a day, they had made their way about two thirds of the way to the hold when a sudden hush fell over the valley. Gop looked back and forth, in all directions, apparently searching for the cause. Before anyone could ask about it, Gop dove under a bush to hide. That's when all of them felt a sudden fear and trembling come over them. The whole company dropped in fear and trembled, unable to look up, to catch even a glimpse of whatever was causing this feeling. All they could do was cower on the ground. If not for the trees, they would have likely been seen. Eyes down, as they trembled in terror, they saw a great shadow move over the area and they heard the occasional flap of great wings. After a moment, the fear started to slowly subside. Then, they heard an uproar from Nordain Hold. There was cheering and at the same time screams of terror. With the fear subsiding, they looked up to see what they could see but the trees that had protected them also blocked their view of the hold. They stayed still and listened. Eryn worked to calm little Gop who was little more than a puddle at this point.

They heard a conversation between Grish-ta-nak and Grizzolo. It rang out over most of the valley. Grish-ta-nak offered a tribute to Grizzolo. Grizzolo was very angry at the pitiful amount being offered. He made his displeasure known throughout the whole valley, as you would have had to be deaf not to hear him. Grish-ta-nak explained that they had trouble with some of the goblins and that was the reason for the small amount. He told him that a tribe of goblins had tried to escape and that they had been captured and were waiting for his justice. Grizzolo was angry at their defiance. He exclaimed that he wished they would work harder and then, shouting at Grish-ta-nak.  He told him he'd better not offer such a tribute again or he'd suffer the consequences for it. Grish-ta-nak explained that the Draconians had rounded up two more tribes of goblins and were bringing them there now. He would step up the work and the tribute would be more next time. Grizzolo said, "See that you do!". He then turned and blew fire over the condemned goblins, creating a lot of screams and cheers. After burning the condemned, he turned back to Grish-ta-nak and told him to send more of his forces to the south and to kill anything that got in their way. I said he needed more for his plans. Grish-ta-nak said it would be done. There was a beating of wings and then the sound of eating. That produced more cheers and sounds of wailing. They then heard the flapping of great wings as the wind grew. The sound rose slowly and moved off to the northeast. Grish-ta-nak, in trying to reassert his role as leader here, ordered everyone to work triple shifts from now on. Then it sounded as though he blew fire, though it sounded more like steam being let out of it's confines. The commotion died down and everything seemed to return to normal.

Symon questioned Gop, who was only barely coherent. Gop confirmed that the tribute was gold and jewels that the goblins had dug out of the mines. He confirmed that Grizzolo comes about once every two weeks, or half a month. They moved northwest again and finally came to a tree line and could see the hold close by. To the east of the hold was a large burned out area. On the northeast side of the hold there were gnolls and draconians making goblins remove the dead and throw them into a mass grave. Gop headed northwest staying inside the tree line. He picked a spot, looked up to make sure now one was watching and then darted across the open area to the base of the hold. The rest did the same. He showed them the opening. They thanked him and Symon gave hm two gold pieces, some rations, and a simple dagger. Gop thanked him and darted off.

The party made their way through the tunnel to a room well inside the walls of the hold. The room was full of empty cells. There was a room to the west with tools, shackles, and a workbench. They moved to the east and up stairs. Eryn heard talking from the other side of a closed door. They moved back down to the basement to discuss how to proceed. They decided to go in as a group and try to find the throne room. They moved back upstairs and Eryn mapped out the first few hallways. There was a hallway outside the door that led north to a "T" intersection. The hallway continued west and east. She east to a hallway going north. She went down this hallway first, and found a room at the other end. She also looked into the windows on the western wall and saw the big section in the middle was a courtyard. The room at the other end was empty but there were dishes on a table in there, indicating someone had been there recently. She returned and moved to the western end of the main hallway and look up the hallway going north from there. At the other end of the hallway  there was a small opening and two Bozz draconians standing there talking. They worked out a plan. Angelique cast Bless on everyone. Symon cast Alter Self to make himself appear to be a Bozz draconian that was a little beaten up. Eryn and Cal-El waited back by the corner as Symon, the Bozz, rounded the corner, stumbling and feigning needing help. The draconians, who had been moving up the hallway already, simply laughed and said something about him being beaten up by a bug bear. They kept walking his way though, and as they entered range, Symon cast Color Spray. It worked and the two draconians fell unconscious. Cal-El and Eryn took the bodies down the stairs and into the basement. Eryn ended them there. They returned up top.

Symon , the Bozz version, while waiting on Eryn and Cal-El opened a door on the south wall of the cross hallway. He looked inside and saw nothing. He decided to make better use of his disguise and return to the end of the north hallway. As he started moving down the north hallway, Eryn went up the newly discovered hallway to the end to peak around the corner. She ran head on into two Draconians. A fight ensued where she backed out of the room and Cal-El and the others engaged them. Fearing the noise would attract the attention of the Bozack's at the other end of the north hallway, Symon moved to the south end of that hallway and drew his sword. He watched, and when the Bozaks did come to investigate the noise, Symon did his best to laugh as he had seen the other draconians do, pointing toward the fight that the bozaks couldn't see. The bozaks appeared annoyed at the whole thing and went back to their station. The company finished these two off and everything calmed down again.

Symon decided to go look at what the Bozak were guarding. He rounded the corner and they started yelling at him. He lowered his head and slowly backed away. He did however see that they were in front of a set of very ornate double doors with the image of a wolfs head and a mountain scene. Symon returned to the others and they suggested that he try that door in the room at the end of the eastern hallway. He went there and into the room and opened the door. It led to a dining hall with three Bozz sitting there talking. He closed the door and returned. They decided that whatever was beyond the ornate double doors may be what they were looking for so they all returned to the end of the north hallway on the western side. They lined up and when they were ready, charged around the corner and attacked the Bozaks. They were unable to prevent the dreaded Stinking Cloud spell but they were still victorious. They tried to open the doors but were unable to. They appeared to be magically sealed. Eryn searched the walls on either side of the door for hidden panels or switches. She found none. She also searched the southern wall of the broom closet next to them but found no secret doors. Symon had Angelique try but it wouldn't open for her either. Symon tried a couple of phrases, "In the name of the King!" and "In the name of King Nordain!". That didn't work either. They decided that maybe there would be an entrance upstairs.

That's where the session ended. Start the recorder. 

==== Detail ====

After doing a little healing, the Company Clandestine rested the remainder of the evening and exited in the morning. Gop led them to the western gate of the cemetery. As they neared the gate, they were set upon by a couple of the large skeletons from the north. While they were fighting that, Eryn stayed back to keep Gop from becoming so scared that he’d flee. While they fought the two large skeletons, another creature, an undead with red eyes came from the south and attacked Eryn. It was a Wight. The others finished off the two large skeletons and then turned to help fight the wight. Eryn had gone into full defensive mode to avoid being hit. She was successful and they killed the Wight without anyone being injured by it.

Simon had made his way through the fence and suggested that the rest of them do so quickly. He thought their presence in this place may be spawning the attacks. They followed Gop out of the cemetery and north, keeping trees between themselves and the town. After about half a day, they had made their way about two thirds of the way to the hold when a sudden hush fell over the valley. Gop looked back and forth, in all directions, apparently searching for the cause. Before anyone could ask about it, Gop dove under a bush to hide. That's when all of them felt a sudden fear and trembling come over them. The whole company dropped in fear and trembled, unable to look up, to catch even a glimpse of whatever was causing this feeling. All they could do was cower on the ground. If not for the trees, they would have likely been seen. Eyes down, as they trembled in terror, they saw a great shadow move over the area and they heard the occasional flap of great wings. After a moment, the fear started to slowly subside. Then they heard an uproar from Nordain Hold. There was cheering and at the same time screams of terror. With the fear subsiding, they looked up to see what they could see but the trees that had protected them also blocked their view of the hold. They stayed still and listened. Eryn worked to calm little Gop who was little more than a puddle at this point.

As they recovered from the initial terror, a voice range out over the area. It came from the hold. It was nasally and evil sounding. It said, "Welcome Lord! We have your tribute ready!". Another voice range out over the whole valley. It was a great booming voice, deep and foreboding. The fear that had subsided now returned, if only slightly, as a reminder of the terror they had just felt. The voice said, "What is this! Oh no, this is not enough!". That voice suddenly jumped in volume as it shouted, "HOW DARE YOU OFFER ME SUCH A PITTIFUL AMOUNT!". The smaller voice spoke up saying, "I beg your forgiveness Lord. We had trouble with some of the goblin tribes. We captured a group trying to escape again!". The greater voice, that of Grizzolo, responded, "Why do they do that? They know what will happen!". That voice shifted in tone to that of great rage shouting, "HOW DARE THEY DEFY ME! THEY WILL ALL DIE TOGETHER LIKE THE OTHERS BEFORE THEM!". The smaller voice, that they determined to be that of Grish-ta-nak responded, "Yes Lord! They are all gathered below and awaiting your justice Lord!". Grizzolo was heard saying, "Please make them work harder!". The rage returns as he shouts, "YOU WILL NOT OFFER ME SUCH A TRIUBUTE AGAIN GRISH-TA-NAK, OR YOU WILL SUFFER THE CONSIQUENCES YOURSELF!". Grish-ta-nak responded in a rattled voice answering, "ah..oh..Lord! We have two more goblin tribes being brought to us by the dracons. They will arrive soon and we will increase the next offering!". Grizzolo responded, "See that you do!". "NOW TO DEAL WITH THOSE TRAITORS! Not again!", the company heard him shout!. 

With that statement, they heard a great intake of air being sucked into massive lungs as they imagined Grizzolo inhaling. There was a slight pause and then a deafening roar, unlike anything they had ever heard. Along with the roar were cheers mixed with terrifying screams. The screams died off quickly leaving only the cheers of the monstrous creatures now in possession of the hold. After the roaring died down, Grizzolo shouted in rage, "BEGIN SENDING MORE OF YOUR FORCES SOUTH! KILL ANY THAT STAND IN YOUR WAY! I NEED MORE FOR MY PLANS!". Grish-ta-nak responded, "It will be done Lord Grizzolo!". They heard the sound of great wings beating the air and then the sound of eating. That produced more cheers and sounds of wailing before dying off. The winds began to pick up again and the flapping of great wings slowly lifted into the air. The company sensed that the dragon had gone airborne again and began moving off to the northeast. They never saw him! As-soon-as the wind and flapping died down, they heard the now small voice of Grish-ta-nak above all of the rest of the cheering as it shouted, " BACK TO WORK! TRIPLE THE SHIFTS!". With that, there was a smaller intake of air and a sound that sounded like steam rushing out of it's confines. There was more hollering and wailing before the noise level died down and everything became quiet again.  

Eryn continued to console Gop who was a small mass of sobbing and weeping. Symon asked him, "What was there not enough of?". Gop responded "Gold and jewels!". "From the mines?" Symon asked. Gop nodded saying, "Yes!". Symon asked, "How often does Grizzolo come? When will he come again?". Gop told him in half of the cycle of the moon which they knew to be in a couple of weeks. Symon asked Gop if he wanted revenge on Grizzolo and Grish-ta-nak for what they had done to him? Gop lightly nodded his head. After he composed himself, Gop said, "I can show you now!". He began moving northwest again through the trees. The party followed. They reached a break in the trees and could see a smoldering area below the mound that the hold rested on, southeast of the structure. There were smoldering remains. To the northeast of the hold, there were gnolls and draconian task masters hollering at goblins, forcing them to haul the dead bodies of goblins to a pit and chuck them in.

Looking up at the hold, they could just see a couple of figures moving around the walls but none looking specifically in their direction. Eryn thought to herself, "Why would they be looking for anyone out here. Who in their right mind would be moving toward a place like this right now, after that display!". They followed Gop around to the western side of the mound that the hold rested on. Gop came to a clearing and motioned toward an area at the base of the mound. He looked up at the walls and feeling that the way was clear, he moved across the open area quickly. Everyone followed behind, one at a time, making sure no one appeared to be looking over the wall in their direction. Eryn asked Gop if he wanted to come with them. He indicated that he wanted nothing to do with this place. Symon gave Gop a couple of gold pieces, a little rations, and a simple dagger, and thanked him for helping them. Gop darted off and ran away. 

Eryn entered first and made her way through some unstable tunnels. There was a moment where they thought It might collapse but it didn't. They made their way a good distance before they exited into a dark room with cells. There was no life in the cells and it appeared to have been abandoned for quite some time. There were double doors to the east and stairs leading up to the west. The stairs had some light beyond them but it was dim. Eryn moved to the double doors with the others behind her. She checked it for traps and finding none, opened them. They were old and rusty and hard to push open but she managed to get it opened enough to get a look inside. She saw a small room with tools, shackles, and a workbench but nothing of any use. She turned and they made their way to the stairs to the east. Eryn moved up to the top of the stairs where there was a closed door. She listened and heard voices. She went back down to tell the others what she heard. In discussing why they were here and what they were after, Eryn asked if they wanted to try making her invisible and letting her retrieve the map. They were unsure how many enemy were in the hold. They decided that being invisible is good but that doesn't prevent them from smelling her. After a bit more thought, and additional clues from the DM, they decided that maybe the Hold was being under manned. They thought that maybe a large portion of the contingent were off collecting and bringing back the two goblin tribes that are being brought here. This may be the best time to move around in here. They decided to move as a group.

The party made their way up the stairs and lined up ready to exit. Eryn listened at the door again and this time heard nothing. She cracked open the door and saw no one so she opened it and stepped out. There was the curved wall of the tower to her south with a closed door. To the north, the hallway continued to a "T" intersection. She moved up to the intersection and looked both east and west. There was no one in sight. She moved east to the corner where the hallway turned north. She looked down that hallway and saw no one, There were two sets of double doors about half way down the hallway leading both east and west. There was an open door at the end of the hallway but no persons in sight. She darted off to the west to the end of the hallway where it turned north. She heard voices as she peaked around the corner. There were two of the Bozz draconian's having as discussion at the other end of the hallway, in front of an opening. She returned to the group and told them what she had seen. Symon reminded her that the goal is the throne room. The center area appeared to be a courtyard as there was a lot of light coming through the windows.

Eryn returned to the eastern turn north and moved down that hallway to the end. As she reached the far end, there was a turn to the west. Directly across from her was a room. It had a table and chairs and some drinks  and plates on the table. There was no one in there. She looked out a window to her west saw a courtyard as she had thought it was. There was no good place to hide in there and anyone in there would be visible to anyone looking down from above. As she looked down the hallway to the west, she saw two Bozak dracon's talking at the far end. Just past where the other hallway would come out. They were not looking so she darted across the hallway into the little room. There was no one there but there was a single door on the western wall of that room. It lead to another room which might have actually been the throne room but as she listened at the door, she heard voices. She didn't want to alert anyone to her presence so she backed out of that room, making sure the Bozak didn't spot her, and made her way back to the group. She filled them all in and they discussed how to proceed.  

They discussed using the Alter Self spell to change Symon into either a goblin or a Bozz draconian. As a goblin, he could speak and maybe get them to chase him downstairs where we could battle them in silence. The other option was to appear to be an injured Bozz draconian and make his way toward them slowly, hopefully attracting them in his direction. When they got close enough, he would use a Color Spray spell to stun them and they could move them downstairs and kill them. If it goes bad, Symon would make his way out and we would all make our way back to the woods and meet up. Angelique would cast Bless on everyone right before they start this for additional help. They decide to go that route. Eryn checked the eastern side hallway going north and it was still empty. With that, they set their plan in motion. Angelique cast the Bless and then Symon moved near the end of the western hallway and cast an Alter Self to make himself appear to be an injured, a little bit bloody Bozz draconian. Eryn and Cal-El made it to the end of the hallway but remained back a little, staying out of sight.

Dracon Symon rounded the corner appearing to stumble and being weakened and injured. He was surprised to see the two draconians were headed in his direction already. He leaned into the wall and made grunting sounds. He fell to his knees and the two guards started laughing. They said, "What happened to you? Did you run into some kind of wild bugbear?". Thanks to the helm of understanding, he was able to understand that. He continued to look injured, like he needed help and they continued moving toward him. When they got within range, he cast his Color Spray and waited to see the effects. The two dracons collapsed. Eryn an Cal-El moved quickly around the corner and Cal-El picked up both of them, dragging them back around the corner. They drag the bodies down the stairs into the cells below. He went back upstairs. Eryn pauses until he is out of sight and then she cut the corroded arteries, killing them quickly. She rejoined the others upstairs.

Symon was still in the draconian form and there was a door to the south, just before you got to the hallway where he had ambushed the drsconians. He opened the door and it led to a hallway that was empty but after twenty feet or so, turned eastward. Seeing no one in site and he returned to the hallway going north and headed down it. Eryn's curiosity got to her and she moved down this little hallway to the south. As she reached the corner to turn east, she ran into two Bozz draconians, they were rounding the corner heading out. They were all stunned initially. They all pulled their weapons and a fight ensued. One got an attack on Eryn and missed. She backed out of the hallway and into the main hallway, announcing they were coming out and started to run. Symon had moved to the other end of the northern hallway and looked into the little opening there. It was a staircase going up. 

One of the draconians made it out of the door and attacked Cal_El and missed. Seeing that Cal-El was now fighting the Bozz on him, Eryn turned and trapped the other Bozz at the door not letting him out. She attacked and hit it. Symon heard the commotion and was worried about the Bozak coming to investigate. He pulled out his fake sword and moved to the end of the hallway and stood facing the fight but also able to see if the Bozak came around the far corner. Cal-El attacked the Bozz and hit it. The others heard the commotion and Xor proclaimed that something was wrong. Eryn hit the Bozz again. Angelique moved to the end of the hallway to the east and looked down the hallway, making sure no one was coming from that way. Symon started laughing with a deep laugh imitating what the other Bozz did when they saw him earlier. About that time, the Bozak did appear around the corner at the far end of the hallway and seeing Symon, as a Bozz, laughing at something around the corner, that gave a look of disgust and went back out of sight. The fight continued for a moment longer and the Company finished off the two. After a moment, the two dead Bozz turned to dust. That was easy cleanup.

Everyone regrouped and tried to determine what to do next.  Symon walked down the hallway and walked up to the Bozak. They shouted at him and how he shouldn't be there. Symon the Bozz lowered his head showing deference to them and grunted as he backed away. He saw that they were standing in front of set of double doors. They were very ornate but closed. He returned to the group and then went down the eastern hallway to the room at the end and opened the door off of it to the west. It opened onto a large room with long tables and lots of chairs. Apparently it was a dining hall and there were three Bozz draconian's in there. They looked at him and then returned to their conversation. He closed the door and returned to the rest of the company. On the way back, his Bozz disguise dropped. The group moved down to the western hallway to the end, just around the corner from the Bozak's. Once in place, they all rushed around the corner and attacked the Bozak's. The Bozak's were suprised. Xor, Cal-El, and Angelique each managed to hit them. The rest missed. 

The battle ensued with one of the Bozak's actiually getting off a spell of Stinking Cloud. Angelique and Symon were not caught in that. The other Bozak tried to hit Xor but missed. Cal-El, Cassandra, and Xor were unable to fight, coughing and gagging. Angelique fired a bow shot. Eryn and Cal saved on the next round. Cal-El moved out of the cloud while Eryn stayed to confront the Bozak directly. Symon cast magic missile and sent one to each of them. Angelique cast a Hold Person which held the one on Eryn. Eryn ended the held Bozak resulting in the explosion injuring her and Cassandra. Cal-El fired on the remaining Bozak and killed it with Cassandra and Xor taking more damage from the explosion. The stinking cloud dissipated. 

The double doors in front of them were ornate with the sign of the wolf and the mountains on them. It appeared to be a very important door. They quickly discussed how they wanted to proceed. Symon made Eryn invisible for the sake of getting in the door secretively. Eryn tried the door but it held fast. She looked for a lock to pick but there were no locks. She let the others know. Symon suggested that Angelique try it but it didn't budge for her either. Eryn checked for some sort of hidden panel on either side of the door and found none. She moved to the door at the end of the hallway and opened it. It opened into a closet with cleaning supplies. She checked the wall shared by both rooms for any sort of secret entrance and found none. Eryn suggested that they might knock and see who answers. Symon said, "That's probably not a good idea!". Eryn spotted henges on the outside of the door and looked at them to see if they could be disassembled, that was not possible. Angelique suggested that going up the stairs might offer a way into it. Symon tried saying things like, "In the name of the King" and "In the name of King Nordain" but nothing happened. Angelique had a medallion with a white wolf on a green background. Shetried to use that by presenting it but nothing happened. 

The session ended there.

Start the recording!

Everyone got 1,033 experience with a 10% addon for a total of 1,136.

That put Cal within 2 points of the next level The DM graciously gave us the other 2 points.