Red Hand of Doom 5e (IC)

[Bobthewizard]

Zuri

Zuri points to several holes she dug in the woods just out of sight of the entrances to the keep. "Here are the graves, Beorn. Just help me move the bodies into them and they should be hidden."

She wanders back into the keep and looks at the map with the others. "We could either take the map back to Drellin's Ferry ourselves or we could send them the map and move on to Skull Gorge Bridge to disrupt the invaders' plans. I'll need to sleep first to change my spells, but in the morning, I could have an owl or a hawk take the map and a short message to Norrow or Soranna. We could even move forward today and just send the message in the morning. We wouldn't need to wait here. If you think we would be better used to help in the defense of Drellin's Ferry, that's fine with me too."

She looks at the prisoner, "Why is he still alive? I assume he's being helpful, then. Let me know if he stops cooperating and I'll have the snakes eat him." The flying snakes are perched up in the rafters, watching the scene below.

Spoiler: OOC

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With a long rest, she could change a spell to animal messenger, tie the map to an owl's leg and send it to Drellin's ferry, giving the map and a message to the first guard it sees.

[ProudGrognard]

Aetus

Aetus helps with the graves, making sure to choose places that they will be hard to find. When they find the map, his face grows very grave.

"A hobgoblin army, especially one that has spellslingers and monstrous allies, is a serious matter. I find the fact that specific leaders, who can hold bridges and forts on their own, are named here, very disturbing. This is no roving band. This is serious.

If we leave here, the fort will be populated again by the next patrol. But we cannot hole up here for ever. Also, the towns must be warned. The Captain is right. But can they hold? They need allies. And we cannot be everywhere at once.

So. We need information. What kind of leaders are these. When are they attacking the town. And then we must decide what to do"

[Xihirli]

Gaks looked askance at Aetus at his implication that this regimented, organized military was uncharacteristic of hobgoblins, but she said nothing.

[WhismurWanders]

Roswyn tends to the task of gathering her javelins before aiding Freya with the interrogation. She makes a show of wiping her javelins clean in front of their captive.

She then attempts to talk to the prisoner. "You are very loyal, yes? Do not wish to talk to us about what your war band is doing, but come now-- everyone has their price, yes? You share what you were doing here, we treat you well." Freya is attempting to play the good role of Good-Guard/Bad-Guard. She assumes someone is going to pick up the other role.

"As well as we treat people who try to invade peaceful kingdoms and kill innocent people for no reason."

Spoiler

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Intimidation:(1d20+4)[16]

[stack]

"Sending the map and a letter by bird in the morning seems a good plan. Let us sketch a copy of the map in the meantime, so as to have our own. Perhaps sending more than one bird, to be safe. Gathering further intelligence on the forces opposing us will be essential. As this Skull Gorge bridge is a significant choke point, it seems the logical place to scout."

[Amnestic]

The hob sniffs at Freya and Roswyn. Its Common is crude, but easily understandable. After a long silent moment of unbroken eye contact, he seems to come to a decision. "Understood. Guarantee my release and safety from the keep and I will answer as best I can." He doesn't necessarily seem defeated or cowed by the situation, but equally he doesn't give off the air of a liar. He's bargaining earnestly, from what you can tell.

With the main rooms searched through, attention is turned to the tower. The circular chamber has been outfitted with a mix of furniture and a large desk, an overstuffed chair, a massive four-poster bed and a large easel that holds a sizable canvas covered with a sheet. A flight of stairs arcs up along the south wall to the upper floor, and a fair amount of rubble from the hole in the ceiling lies heaped on the base of the stairs. Heading up the stairs, your noses are immediately assailed by the stench of rotting flesh. The roof of the chamber is partially collapsed with massive timbers slumped against the floor. Three large boulders lie in cracked indentations, signalling the cause of the hole. Mounted in line of sight of the wall is a corpse of what was probably a human or an elf, lashed to a framework of wooden beams, arms upraised. A glow from beneath it illuminates the figure in a pale light - it was this glow that you saw in the distance when you watched the Keep at night. There's little else in the upstairs, but as Aetus descends back into the main chamber, he notices a slight depression as he walks.

An investigation of this reveals the stone was concealing a hidden shaft, maybe 40' deep with a rusty-but-sound ladder leading into the darkness. You have found the vault. Descending into the darkness you arrive in a a small room of worked stone. The air is thick, stale, and slightly smoky. Three alcoves have been cut into the walls, two to the north and one to the east. Each alcove is sealed by an iron gate and locked with chains and a large padlock. In one alcove sit several shelves bearing no less than ten small iron coffers. In another, a small desk and chair, desk piled high with papers and books. In the third, a single large trunk. A human skeleton lies slumped against the eastern alcove's gates, still dressed in chattered chainmail and a sparkling longsword. The skeleton has a single massive arrow protruding from its ribs.

Spoiler: OOC

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So uh...I don't think anyone has thieves tools (or the proficiency)? If no one has a magical solution to the locks, I'm guessing you're gonna bash your way through, but gonna hold off on that in case there's a clever spell/skill I've overlooked.

Magic item identification is still being held off for just a little bit longer, but I have not forgotten.

Edit: Also to clarify, it's still barely after dawn (at the moment - bashing open the vaults could take some time). I'm not against you spending a day to fortify/watch for straggling patrols/etc., if that's the plan! Just want to remind of the time of day since a long rest is quite a few hours away in case it got lost in the rest of narration.

[Xihirli]

Gaakach approached the alcoves as soon as she heard of this. She went to the eastern alcove and gripped the chains with her crippled hand, biting down on her teeth in response to the pain. In her grip, one of the iron chain links bent, twisted until it was wooden. Gaks lifted her hand and used a bolt of fire to burn through the now wood link, leaving the gate open. "Go ahead and search this one while I open the others," she said before moving on to do just that.

Spoiler: OOC

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Minor Alchemy to transform an iron object into wood, Firebolt to burn it.

[Amnestic]

It takes Gaks a bit of time to unlock each one chain in turn, but soon enough, all three gates are swung open. The trunk in the eastern alcove, the one the skeleton died in front of contains a potion, a staff, and a Huge spiked gauntlet. Gaks immediately detects the magic on them.

The books/papers alcove seems to mostly hold historical documents, but there is a journal kept by Amery - the previous master of the keep. Most of it is just a first person retelling of information you'd picked up or knew previously, though somewhat ironically the last entry in the journal has him gloating about having 'permanently solved' the giant problem.

The coffers in the shelf alcove are all locked. Now closer to them, you can see they bear the crest of Vraath Keep (a stylized 'V') and are made of iron. When you shake some, you can hear coins jingling back and forth, and with others it sounds like...paper perhaps? Or it could just be the wind passing through the gaps, it's hard to tell.

Spoiler: Magic Items

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With the trunk open the last of the magic items in Vraath has been discovered and Gaks can set about confirming their details. In order of discovery

Spoiler: Wand of Magic Missiles

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Requires attunement. (7 charges): For one charge, casts the 1st-level version of the magic missile spell; increase the spell slot level by one for each additional charge expended. The wand regains 1d6+1 expended charges daily at dawn. If the user expends the wand's last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the wand crumbles into ashes and is destroyed.

Spoiler: Potion of Invisibility

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This potion's container looks empty but feels as though it holds liquid. When you drink it, you become Invisible for 1 hour. Anything you wear or carry is Invisible with you. The effect ends early if you Attack or Cast a Spell.

Spoiler: Frost Brand Longsword

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Requires attunement.

When you hit with an Attack using this magic sword, the target takes an extra 1d6 cold damage. In addition, while you hold the sword, you have Resistance to fire damage.

When wielded, it flares up with soft blue light equivalent to that of a torch.

When you draw this weapon, you can choose to extinguish all nonmagical flames within 30 feet of you. This property can be used no more than once per hour.

Spoiler: Staff of Healing

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Requires attunement by a druid, bard or cleric.

This white oak staff is carved to resemble braided bands of holly and oak boughs, twisted around a unicorn's horn at the end. It holds seven charges that do not replenish, and can cast Heal (1 charge) or Raise Dead (5 charges) without material components. Once the charges are fully expended the staff loses its magic, but remains intact.

Spoiler: Potion of Speed

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When you drink this potion, you gain the effect of the haste spell for 1 minute (no Concentration required). The potion’s yellow fluid is streaked with black and swirls on its own.

Spoiler: Huge Spiked Gauntlet +1

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Likely wielded by a giant at some point and taken as a trophy, this Huge spiked gauntlet is far too large to be wielded by any of the party, but still pulses with magic. It's primitively made, using what looks from bulette's teeth and claws for spikes. Embossed on the back of the gauntlet is a distinctive symbol that looks like a frowning tusked mouth.

[Xihirli]

The gates opened, Gaks moved on to repeat the process on the ten iron coffers that were still out of reach, weakening and breaking the locks with the power of transmutation.

[DigoDragon]

Freya

Freya considers the goblin's opening offer. "Safety from the keep? Were you a prisoner here? Forced to fight for the hobgoblins and minotaur?"

She turns to Roswyn and whispers, "Goblin is a forced conscript to army, maybe?"

Spoiler: OOC

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So uh...I don't think anyone has thieves tools (or the proficiency)?

Freya has tools, but no proficiency. However, she still gets a small bonus to use them thanks to Jack of All Trades.

[Amnestic]

The hobgoblin seems a little confused at your inquiry. "I serve willingly. I want guaranteed safety from you. I won't surrender information only to get a knife in the back."

[stack]

Beorn stays with Gak, sorting through the various items. He spends some time reading the historical accounts. "It would be worth sending these to local scholars for safekeeping, once matters are settled. I suppose the chests will keep them safe enough for the time being."

Once the looting investigation is complete and everyone gathers to plan, he will propose a course of action, "When we are done here, we can cover some of the ground toward the bridge today. No need to press hard, but I am loathe to spend time that we would wish for later."

Re: Prisoner
When the captive speaks common, Beorn will listen. He will speak to the others out of earshot, "If we give our word, we ought keep it. Will his knowledge, even if shared honestly, which is not certain, be worth his returning to give warning to his masters?"

[Bobthewizard]

Zuri

"I can bury the chests and documents if you want to keep them safer. Probably the giant gauntlet too. It seems a bit cumbersome to just carry around. As far as the staff, I'm fine with Freya taking it.

For the prisoner, if we give him our word, we should keep it. He asks only for safety, though, not freedom. So if we agree to that, we will need to take him to Drellin's Ferry so they can keep him in custody. Otherwise, we should kill him now."

If the others agree, she uses her magic to dig another hole and buries any treasure and information, noting its location so we can find it later.

[WhismurWanders]

The hobgoblin seems a little confused at your inquiry. "I serve willingly. I want guaranteed safety from you. I won't surrender information only to get a knife in the back."

When the captive speaks common, Beorn will listen. He will speak to the others out of earshot, "If we give our word, we ought keep it. Will his knowledge, even if shared honestly, which is not certain, be worth his returning to give warning to his masters?"

"Might make their plans less organized if they hear there's already stormy waters ahead. I'm sure they're counting on the town being unprepared. Even if I don't like letting someone slink away just to come fight me later, he can probably tell some good stories to his captain about how badly we thrashed their little outfit here."

[DigoDragon]

Freya considers the party discussion.

She whispers to them, "Would rather not reveal our hand too soon."

[ProudGrognard]

Aetus

Aetus also approaches the goblin. He gives him an unfriendly stare.

"So, let us buy your life now, goblin.

Talk to us about your chain of command. Talk to us about Kharn, Koth and Ozurrendion. Tell us about Turgarun and the Ghostlord. Describe Saarvith.

And of course: When is the attack on Drellin's Ferry to happen?"

[Amnestic]

"I want to hear the words from your mouth - that once I have relinquished my information I will be set free and allowed to leave unharmed. I want it clear, explicit." He takes a breath, before adding, "The gods punish those who go back on their word." while locking eyes with Aetus.

[Amnestic]

With your word given, though not necessarily in full truth, the hob takes a short breath before beginning.

"Wyrmlord Koth you already know - he was the spellcaster who was leading us. Our task to pave the way for the horde at large - gather information, test defenses and scout terrain. Wyrmlord Kharn leads the army itself, usually from the front lines. Ozyrrandion is a dragon. He visited the keep a few times but spoke only with Wyrmlord Koth. Where he came from or what they talked about I don't know."

"I'm not familiar with any Tyrgarun or 'Ghostlord'. Sounds like some stupid human superstition. Saarvith is another Wyrmlord - a goblin. I don't know much about him, or his orders."

"The horde is due to reach Drellin's Ferry in..." he takes a moment to think to himselfm "nine days, if the plan we were told is still the same."

He looks between the members of the party in turn, awaiting more questions, or for one to remove his bonds so he can leave.

[Bobthewizard]

Zuri

Zuri walks back in after burying the treasure, shocked to see the others contemplating freeing the prisoner.

"NO! We can't let him go. He will tell the entire army of our presence. And we can't take him back to Drellin's Ferry. It would take too long and we'd lose the element of surprise." She pauses only for a split second, points at him, "Kill him." she says softly and matter factly, with a touch of sorrow.

As the flying snakes repeatedly bite and poison the hobgoblin, she looks at the others, "I'm sorry. We had no choice. We should bury him too before we move on."

She goes out to dig another grave.

[Xihirli]

Gaks's eyes widened in surprise at Zuri's actions, and then she returned to her identification of the magic items, matter-of-factly informing the others of the properties.

[Amnestic]

The captured hobgoblin takes his death with dignity. He doesn't retaliate or fight back, seemingly accepting his fate stoically. "Ker." is his last word before the poison overtakes him and he convulses into death.

Spoiler: Goblinoid

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Literally "Liars", though it usually has stronger connotations akin to vow/oathbreakers. Usually considered a grave insult among hobgoblins...and sometimes a mark of pride among goblins.

Spoiler: OOC

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It looks like consensus is moving on and not staying the day here, I'll shift along tomorrow, probably around midday my time.

[DigoDragon]

Freya

Freya winces at the snakes' slaying of the prisoner. She lets out a little squeak of discomfort behind sealed lips. She takes a deep breath. "Zuri, are you okay? I... well, no. You made a good point. We need the element of surprise if we are to make further attacks successful against this horde. Taking him back to Drellin Ferry would take much time away from our advantage. I should have gave him a quick death instead of idea to negotiate with me.."

[WhismurWanders]

Roswyn shrugs at the death of the goblin they were interrogating. "Soldiers know what they signed up for." Hearing about the fancy sword Gaks had found among the items, the halfling asks the group, "Don't suppose my mateys would mind if I take this to use? I'll make sure some goblins regret letting it fall into our hands."

[Xihirli]

Gkas passed over the sword, then distributed the other items. The staff of healing went to Freya, the Wand of Magic Missiles to Zuri, the invisibility potion to Roswyn, and the Potion of Speed to Aetus.
"None of us can use this gauntlet. It likely belonged to one of the giant skeletons we found here. Perhaps we can give it to the giants as a gift to help form an alliance," she mentioned.

[DigoDragon]

Freya looks the staff over and gives it a short wave to feel it's balance. She nods in acceptance.

"To have giants on our side... Would make a great story!"

[stack]

"If there are any left in the area. And they aren't already on the side of the enemy. Still, worth bringing." Beorn says, preparing to depart.

[Amnestic]

With the hostage taken care of, the keep looted, items identified and dished out, and bodies suitably buried, the party strikes back onto the road again. It's not clear if it's luck, skill, or the destruction of their goals at Vraath Keep you meet no more patrols, and any wild animals seem suitably put off by the armed group walking up the road. You continue unassailed. Excepting a brief lunch, you make good time on the path, albeit not necessarily comfortably. The sun's still beating down on you.

Mid-afternoon, maybe 2-3 o'clock, where the sun has just started to allow shade on one side of the road again, you notice that the forest has grown more ominous as you wend deeper into the woods. Despite the bright sunshine, it seems oddly quiet and forboding, the feeling only growing as you progress. You come to a spot where a wide track leads away from the road, heading west. A massive effigy of some kind stands here, a fifteen foot-tall humanoid shape made from a sagging, moss-covered frame. The thing looks almost like a crude giant-sized skeleton. Birds look to have nested in the massive barrel that serves the effigy as a head, but the nest is quiet and empty, despite the season. Gaks identifies it as a territorial marker of some sort of tribe of giants. It's not in the direction of your intended goal though - the fork leading east is your destination of Skull Gorge Bridge.

[Bobthewizard]

Zuri

Realizing she may have been rash eliminating the prisoner, Zuri holds her tongue here and allows the others to decide which direction we should go. She examines the statue to see if it might be missing a gauntlet, but otherwise waits for the others' input.

[DigoDragon]

Freya

"And there it stood, a forgotten sentinel of the forest. Silently at attention forevermore," Freya says in an epic manner. She is definitely working towards a new story to tell when next time the party returns to town.

[WhismurWanders]

"Anyone up for a slight detour? If we can make some friends with giants by giving them a possibly-stolen gauntlet back, we should take the chance, aye?"