Re: Boss Fight - The King of Cragmaw Castle
Those who had more energy than the rest helped to clear away bodies of the fallen goblinoids to make room for a comfortable recovery. As comfortable as you could get in a crumbling ruin, at least. Though the work of clearing a space took no more than five or ten minutes, full darkness had set in by the time they were finished.
Throughout the night, the group did their best to rest and recover in the ruins of Cragmaw Castle. Watches were set for those who had the energy to do so, with Bharkel filling in for more than half of them thanks to her elven heritage gifting her with no need for sleep. More than once, she got up to go an investigate sounds, but each time it was revealed to be nothing of importance. Things shifted here as time and weather continued to take its toll.
In the early morning hours a light rain blew through the area, lasting only a few short minutes and doing barely more than a sprinkle, but it brought a welcome coolness to the air and helped to clean away some of the dusty air. It wasn't much, but it actually helped things to tangibly feel renewed and provided a little elevating boost to the overall mood as well.
When morning's light came, everyone was back in working order. Wounds had healed well enough through a combination of medicinal tending, natural healing, and even a touch of prayer. (full rest achieved)
Then it was time to find Gundren and Don-Jon. The group pushed on through the remainder of the castle, looking for signs of their friends and employers.
Pavel calls a halt when the group goes near the door where the grick had entered the kitchen, noting odd markings in the dirt and rocks. When the grick had come through, it had skirted around a section of flooring and then up the walls to come through the door from above. Testing the floor in that area, the stones crumble away to reveal a pit trap.
In the northwest portion of the castle, the group found the goblin's storeroom. The food was beyond what any of you would be willing to eat under normal circumstances, but there was a small cask of dwarven brandy that seemed to be intact. You also found the weapons and armor that you know belonged to Gundren and Don-Jon. You can tell from looking at the armor that they had definitely taken some arrows during the ambush, but nothing stood out as particularly life-threatening, giving you hope.
In another room you find what was likely the hobgoblins' barracks, with larger beds than those of the goblins you'd found during your initial clash with the goblins. Brackets on the walls of the room held a number of weapons. The floors were kept clean despite obvious damage to the walls, showing that the hobgoblins were much more disciplined than their smaller cousins.
Contents: 5 spears, 4 longswords, 3 morningstars, and 2 greatswords all as listed in the PHB. BonThot finds a staff made out of glass. Ariadne finds a lantern.
The northern section reveals a high, narrow hall that looks as if it might have once been part of a chapel or shrine. Angelic figures are sculpted along the room's upper reaches, looking down on the floor below. To the north, heavy curtains block a matching pair of archways, and between them is a cracked but ornately carved stone brazier. Akyra notes that carvings on the doors and walls depict images of human gods; Oghma, god of knowledge, Mystra, goddess of magic, Lathandar, god of the dawn, and Tymora, goddess of luck.
Sakamoto's short stature allows him to notice a glint of something buried beneath coal in the brazier. Moving the coal aside reveals a golden statue of a sun elf, wrapped in a crimson cloth.
Pavel notices more of the grick's markings now that he's seen what kind the creature leaves, and is able to determine that this is the room the Grick had called its lair. There are signs that it would climb the walls and then nestle into the crevices of the carvings up above. It seemed a perfect spot for a grick and goblin ambush if someone were to wander into this room. Pavel finds a small rod embedded in one of the images, pressing a button makes it come away in his hand.
On the other side of those twin curtains, you see that goblins had no use for humanoid gods, so here they had erected a shrine to their own. A stone alter stood in the middle of the room, covered with bloodstained black cloth. Golden ritual implements - a chalice, knife, and censer - are carefully arranged on top of the alter. Bharkel and Akyra are both able to determine the shrine as being dedicated to Maglubiyet, the patron deity of goblins and hobgoblins. The cloth covered the entire alter, but moving it to have a look, you see that it too was covered with images of the human's gods before the goblins chose to defile it.
In the southeast portion, you find the corpse of a hobgoblin with injuries from large claws and a beak. It doesn't take long to figure out this is where the owlbear had been kept prisoner, and once King Grul had called for its release, hoping it would attack all of you, the beast had killed the hobgoblin who set it free on its way to finding you. Near the door is a broken section of stone and wood that you can see is fresh. Inside is a small alcove with a wooden chest. The chest had no lock and the sounds of coin were heard within as BonThot pulled it out. Inside the chest are a number of coins, a potion, and a pair of scrolls.
Contents: 90 electrum pieces (2 ep = 1 gp), 120 gp, a potion of healing, a scroll of silence, and a scroll of revivify. Sakamoto finds a dull gray cloak.
At last, in the northeastern section of Cragmaw Castle, you find a chamber set up as a crude living space with thick furs thrown on the floor to serve as carpets, old trophies hanging on the walls, a large bed to the north, and a brazier of coal ash giving off the faintest remains of heat from having burned last night. A round table of chairs stands to the south near the door. Near the table, on the floor, are Gundren and Don-Jon. They are bound and badly beaten, but alive.
Sitting on the table is a map and three more potions of healing.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:18, Wed 21 July 2021.
