Session 6 - 15JUN2024

Attendees

• Tim ✅
• Walter ✅
• Erica ✅
• Jin ✅
  
• Nick ✅
  
• Alex ❌
  

Copy/Paste Source: ✅ ❌

Recap to Current Situation

•  We got a VARDIS from a powerful being, traveled to Wudu, put out some fires, saved some folks
  

Session Notes

 We decide to investigate where the other mercenary party and the hobgoblin ran off to We figure out that the hobgoblin proceeds West while the mercenary trail heads back East We look for the local Council of the Few to inform them what we have learned about the direction of travel for the party of mercenaries The local chapter of the Council of the Few building remains standing, completely unscathed in a sea of ashes It is just a single room with a single caretaker He explains that he employed the protocol and folded the building into a pocket dimension to protect the building The caretaker is named Udo We relay our story of the other mercenary group to Udo He relays that message back to HQ We decide to head west in pursuit of the hobgoblin We manage to find a recently used campsite

Investigating, we can tell that there is more than a single set of footprintes Somebody has left behind a crude, mundane iron dagger We are able to figure out that the trail went to the Northwest The footprints are hobgoblin made, maybe ~6 of them We are confronted by a single hobgoblin that threatens us.

After some acrobatic intimidation by Nick and Jin, the single hobgoblin surrenders to us After some gentle (extremely violent) persuasion, the hobgoblin is amenable to providing information

We ask about Eknon the Vex:

There is a hobgoblin camp ~1 hour north where the other hobgoblins are We will find Eknon the Vex there We leave him tied up with a little bit of food We learn his name is Klankec

However, we learn his real name is Krokkak the Razor We set back out on our journey and Nick decides to wear Krokkak as a backpack Krokkak helps us avoid a couple traps on our journey north We eventually reach a hillside with some conspicuous bushes at its base Nick disguises himself as Krokkak and enters the hobgoblin warren

Erica sneaks along behind Upon entering, Nick is challenged with a question by somebody in a language that he doesn't understand Nick decides to try to commune with the roots of a tree nearby and have the roots smack him in the face He is confused about what is going on and is disoriented, allowing Nick to proceed past him, Erica decides to duck out and return to the rest of the party We have now split the party: Nick's series of events:

He decides to head further in and enters a side room to see what was in it Nick finds something that seems unusual upon investigating It is a dark wood buckler (worth 175 gold) Nick takes the buckler with him and heads back into the warren Nick is able to hear 6 different hobgoblin voices as he is sneaking around Nick decides to cast shatter in the middle of the group, then use Hidden Step to escape out of the warren

Two hobgoblins die and the rest are injured The rest of the party, waiting for Nick:

We hear a loud boom as we see the bushes part at the base of the hill and Nick (invisibly) leaves the Warren We are 30 feet from the entrance

Roll Initiative

We decide to fight like insane monkeys that have had too much opium
Nick sets up a powerful wind blast at the entrance, keeping the hobgoblins pinned into the cave Jin sets down Hunger of Hadar zone at the entrance where the hobgoblins that we see are Walter beheads the one hobgoblin with a thrown handaxe Erica lights a fire near the source of Nick's wind The fire is fed by the wind to blow smoke and CO2 into the cave As hobgoblins enter the cave, we knock them back into Jin's crazy tentacles Flaming barrels roll down the hill as six hobgoblins crest the hill and are coming towards us After some fighting, we are able to finish combat

End Initiative

Jin and Walter are able to see some hobgoblin women and children hobgoblins leaving from another exit We ask Krokkak the Razor to ID the hobgoblin bodies and figure out that Eknon is not among the dead Nick and Erica charge into the warren while Jin and Walter hang out at the rear entrance to make sure nobody escapes out the back Nick and Erica:

Charging into the warren, they find Eknon the Vex wearing the dragon scale necklace Eknon claims his actions were done for a greater purpose

Eknon claims that the Firbolg were protecting people that wanted to exterminate the hobgoblins He claims the firbolg were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time Eknon offers to duel Nick 1:1 and Nick accepts While Nick is preparing himself for combat, Erica decides to ask Eknon for more information

Eknon claims that there has been a systematic genocide waged against the hobgoblins This extermination was perpretrated by a familiar sounding band of high level mercenaries These mercenaries seem to have originated from the same place as the Firbolg village Nick shows a picture of his wife and kids to Eknon

Eknon understands his actions have hurt other and surrenders his sword, offering his life as penance Nick picks up his sword and cuts off Eknon's head

RIP Eknon

Erica grabs the dragon scale necklace that Eknon had been wearing while she comforts Nick

As Erica touches the necklace, she is overcome by feelings of sadness and loneliness Glimpses of the past flood her memory A dimly lit room comes into view, scrolls lining the walls A humanoid figure in a tattered cloak lurches up from a desk and looks at Erica The face under a cloak was heavily bandaged End Memory!

The group is now level 4!