22 - Hobgoblin Hunting

by lichbrush

## Cast

Greg Hansen - Dungeon Master

ColdLikeBryce - Arlo

JonDungeonMaster - Kreature

ManticoreRiderForHire - Albert

Travis:Deadeye Jimmy

> Everything went better than expected, until it didn't.
>
> Kreature

DC 10: Navigation Passed

*ENTERS Howling Field*

Foraging Not needed

DC 10: Navigation failed

#### Encounter 1: Return to the Monastery[unrand]

The party sees the monastery on the horizon and they examine for any changes to the monastery, there appears to be no change. They place two barrels with water on the inside of the monastery. Arlo prays in the monastery to the lady above to bless their journey. He seeks an answer for why he was allowed by his god to cast inflict wounds, a spell of destruction, when he is a life cleric. The bodies of the bandits are notably absent from the monastery, though the group that had cleared them out left them there. Albert pulls out his portable battering ram and bashes down the metal door to the crypt and looks for any signs of what might have been happening out here finding no possessions and only the empty pedestals.

#### Encounter 2: Kreature and Arlo

Kreature approaches Arlo saying that he looks a bit heartbroken. He talks about their mutual friend Murdock, snakes and other things winding his way to talk about the horned ring Arlo has. He talks about it being used to open doors and what might be behind them. Kreature says he'd like to keep the doors closes because what is beyond them is terrifying. Kreature points to the powerful magic items the party has, and asks, what if we had one of these that could do everything and kill everyone. Arlo replies then I hope we wouldn't use it to kill everyone. Kreature says whatever is behind the door wants to get out and kill everyone and he's having visions about a deer undead giant that wants to kill everyone with a pole weapon. Kreature asks for the ring so he can bury it so no one will be able to access those super powerful magic items because he doesn't trust the people. Arlo wants to believe in the people as Kreature tries to sew doubt in people.

Foraging Not needed

#### Encounter 3: The Great Horned Tower[unrand]

As the party travels north for the day as they come over a rise they see a great black tower with hornlike appendages coming out of it. The plains dip down into a valley around it. The grounds are lumpy, making barrows. The tower rising 60 to 80 feet into the air. The party makes their way down into the valley. The grass is dry and brittle as they enter the valley, as they approach the mounds, the winds seem to pick up around them picking up dust and begin to take the shape of humanoids and shades appear in the dust. There is eight of these shades. As the party cautiously prepares themselves the shades stand stationary. Albert approaches the shades pulling out his symbol of rank with the king's guard. Arlo asks for their permission to pass but the creatures make no response.

#### Encounter 4: Fighting the Shadowy Figures

Albert strikes the first of the shades his sword passing through but his godly powers smite it. Kreature casts a beam of moonlight down on one of the ghostly figures as Arlo casts holy light at it and swinging a spiritual mace at it, Jimmy's arrow passes straight through it doing nothing, but this is still enough to dissipate the first of the creatures and no more engage. The party retreats away as they see many of these barrows between where they are and the door. The party moves a couple of miles going through the night.

Foraging DC 15 2 pass 2 fail

#### Encounter 4: Wolves in the Grasses

Arlo notices shapes in the long grasses of 9 wolf-like beasts that appear to be hunting. Kreature casts a spike growth between the party and wolves. Jimmy runs back and pulls out his bow firing a shot as Kreature casts an acrid shield on himself turns into a bear and stands between Jimmy and danger. Arlo steps up challenging the wolves as three surround him, one taking a bite out of him, two rush past him to fight Albert and another two go to engage the bear as they get ripped to shreds moving through the spike growth, one dying completely to the tears at its flesh. Kreatbear tears its claws into another felling it. Albert retreats back to the bear, dodging, as a 4th goes to fight Arlo, one rushes around the bear and Albert and takes a bite out of Jimmy. Albert moves in to defend Jimmy taking a bite from a wolf. Arlo summons another spirit mace to strike the creatures surrounding him and continues to try to defend himself. The wolves take bites out of the bear and Jimmy as Albert bravely smites the one with his teeth in the sharpshooter. The bear strikes down another and the power of the spiritual mace finishes one surrounding Arlo. One of the ones around Arlo chooses to instead rush at Albert missing its bite. The wolf attacking the bear nearly bring that form down as Albert runs it through with his sword. Arlo's mace of light takes down another as the last one facing him turns to his teammates looking for easier prey, biting into the bear reverting Kreature to his normal form, as Albert imposes his shield in front of Jimmy holding off the wolf's bite. Jimmy runs the one attacking him through with his scimitar as Kreature turns himself back into a dire wolf. Arlo rushes to help his friends and casts the light of his god down on the one remaining wolf, who turns and bites into Albert knocking him unconscious, Albert wakes from his brief loss of consciousness and lunges his sword forward at the creature as an arrow from Jimmy strikes it, between them slaying the beast. The party rests as they have slain the beasts.

#### Encounter 5: Finding the Steppes

As the party continues to press on they see the fields around them slowly change to a rusty colored dirt with low grasses lower than the ankles of the party and very few trees. Jimmy identifies this as a steppe. Kreature says that they probably already misses the hobgoblins and they should turn around. In response Albert mentions the information came from goblins as Kreature looks on incredulously. Why trust the goblin Kreature asks as he has an existential crisis. The steppe is very flat dry and featureless. The party argues whether to push on into the steppes or turn back. After a while Jimmy points west and says lets go this way as the party agrees.

#### Encounter 6: Bullette Bullette

The party begins to notice the ground smoke in front of them, they pause for a moment confused before they realize something is burrowing their way kicking up dirt dust and grass. The party prepares as a bullette leaps out of the ground scattering earth on Arlo bashing him. Kreature fires a lightning bolt from his staff electrocuting the bullette as he changes his form into a dire wolf. Albert bashes his sword against his shield and begs Jimmy to retreat, which Jimmy does, firing a shot and missing, the Bullette burrows down taking attacks from the paladin and the wolf as he does then bursts back up underneath them scattering them and knocking out the Paladin. Arlo scrambles forward bringing Albert back from the brink and spread out to avoid the bullette erupting up into more than one of them. The wolf tears at the thing with its jaws as Jimmy lands a solid hit with the bow and Albert dodges the Bullette's next bite that could have crushed his body. Jimmy continues to retreat as Arlo calls down magical light on it and the bullette bites through the wolf reverting Kreature to his mundane form as he calls down a moon beam and turns back into a wolf. Jimmy fires a couple more arrows into its tough hide as the bullette attempts to reposition optimally as the cleric's armor of faith holds off the creature's bite. The bullette goes to retreat as the wolf strikes a final bite and it goes limp. Kreature eats some of the creature's flesh the party speculates on how to harvest the hard shell of the Bullette. Albert begins to hack off its plates but ruins all of the armor pieces except the head (str survival 5). The head can not be used in crafting, but can be used as a shield giving an additional 1 AC as well as 45 gold of valuables.

The party begins to head south back into the Howling Fields

Foraging DC 15 4 successes

### Day 5

Slow straight south

DC 10 navigation PASS

#### Encounter 7: The Elk Ambush

Kreature notices out in the howling fields to the west there are a number of large elk dead on the ground splayed open. The party approaches because Kreature thinks this is some sign about the Elk barbarian of legend. As they make their way forward 5 hobgoblins pop out in front of them and fire their bows, landing two into Jimmy. Arlo and Albert charge forward as Jimmy returns fire slaying the first of the hobgoblins. Kreature turns into a dire wolf and charges, The party easily handles the hobgoblins knocking two unconscious to interrogate. The first hobgoblin refuses to cooperate with Albert as Kreature tries talking to him in many forms including his own trying to convince him his life is valuable, but the creature holds strong. Kreature slays him.

In an attempt to have the hobgoblin lead him back to his camp he transforms himself into a goblin before the other hobgoblin comes back awake. The hobgoblin wishes to slay the party while they are distration but GobKreature convinces him to run away. They follow the hobgoblin back to a cave where he wishes to rest but Kreature puts him to sleep and slays him. Kreature then recognizes this is a cave he's been to already when following the centaur. Kreature finds many many tracks leading to and from the cave the most heading west to east.

The party then heads back towards farfield keep.

Foraging DC 15 3 successes 1 failure

### Day 6

Fast pace to Farfield keep

DC 10 navigation Fail

### Day 7

To Farfield keep

No navigation needed

#### Encounter 8: Hunting Displacer Dogs

As the party reaches the edge of the howling fields Albert notices 5 displacer dogs lying in wait in the grasses in front of them. As the dogs spring to life Kreature fires a lightning bolt through 2 of them, but one of them isn't where he expected and takes no damage. Albert smites one of the dog creatures as Arlo rushes to protect Deadeye Jimmy and Kreature turns into a dire wolf. As two of the displacer dogs go after Arlo he is crushed into the ground falling unconscious, as Albert is also felled. Kreature takes a big bite out of one and begins to run, getting knocked out of his wolf form before changing again with extra speed kiting two away. One of the displacer dogs is grievously wounded but Jimmy is struck down leaving 3 party members unconscious and Kreature fleeing for his life.