MC1S8

## The Fate of the Cragmaws

The Miners storm Cragmaw Castle with the BiteAxe orc tribe.

“
*"Gog Smash!"*
”
—  Gog in battle.
**The Fate of the Cragmaws** was the 8th session of the Lost Mines of Colmanth mini-campaign.

## Summary

The Miners regroup with the BiteAxes at Wyvern Tor and begin the two-day trek to Cragmaw Castle, having learned of its whereabouts through the eccentric L'aiq. The miners plan with the orcs while Herbie attempts to infiltrate the Cragmaw lair to sow chaos amidst their ranks. The BiteAxes storm the castle head-on, with Gog the Ogre clearing the way. Meanwhile, the Miners attack from a side, dividing the overwhelming goblin numbers and defeating them in detail. However, King Grol, mounting his owlbear, charges into the fray, with the wizard Vyerith and his faithful hound Snarl at his side. With the aid of the orcs, however, the Miners defeat the King, and Vyerith takes advantage of the situation to dispatch most of the Miners--and King Grol--and dash deeper into the bowels of the castle, his mind clearly set on something.

## NPCs

* **Brughor BiteAxe:** Leads his orcs to attack Cragmaw Castle. Died in the attempt.
* **Gog the Ogre:** Batters down the door to Cragmaw Castle. Killed in battle.
* **King Grol:** Leader of the Cragmaws. Killed in the fighting.
* **Vyerith:** A strange and sinister looking type. Escaped from the fighting after nuking all the combatants with a fireball.

## Quests

### Ongoing

* **The Missing Dwarf (Everyone):** Find Gundren's whereabouts. Discover the exact location of Cragmaw Castle. Question the captive Goblin for information about Cragmaw Castle's location. Find out what happened to Gundren.
* **For the Glory of doG (Herbie and Sofiel):** Return to Sister Garaele once she has fully healed from her recent misadventure.
* **Ascending to doGhood (Herbie):** Acquire Divinity by freeing 1000 dogs or wolves. 3 / 1,000
* **The Village Squirrel (Sofiel):** Rescue Reidroth from Thundertree.

### Completed

* **Orc Trouble (Everyone):** Learn more of the bounty on the Orc Raiders. Defeat the Orcs at Wyvern Tor to receive 100 GP. I don't even know at this point. Help the orcs storm Cragmaw Castle?.

## Reflections

* **Herbie**: "Ow, ow... Not again! Pollen, if you'd stayed just a few more hours, you'd have seen what adventurers get up to. You'd have seen what we're made of! Not that it wasn't good to see you, and the gift was a blast. Maybe I should use it on myself, cause I'm not smiling... Those poor orcs. Maybe I did charm Brughor, but they were really nice to us, offering us their meat, even teaching me how to be a man! Wherever you are Brughor, I won't forget, I'll make your proud, I'll carry on like you taught me till I can drink and stand as a warrior like you. Maybe Gundren too, see I can match a dwarf like him. And there's the doggy... I'm so sorry. Ceros forgive me, I failed you. I couldn't save you. All because of... the *fire*. Such magnificent fire, why must you tempt me? Even stronger as we are now it took us out in one blow. Just you wait, I will figure out its secret, just like I'm learning more of what mom does, even if it means I have to discover new magics to do so. The fire will not stay out of my reach forever!"
* Genevieve: "I'm not entirely sure how this all came to be, but the Battle of Cragmaw could have made for an epic song. The orcs of the BiteAxe clan and their ogre ally Gog broke down the Cragmaw's front gate and set upon any Cragmaw they could see. But the Cragmaws were dug in and fought back tooth and nail until only the leaders remained, Brughor and Gog against the bugbear King Grol, mounted on his bugbear. We only got to see what happened because we attacked a side entrance and tried a pincer movement - not exactly the stuff of legend. The bravery of Brughor and Gog, and the enmity between orc and goblin carried out to its final conclusion, now that's worthy of an epic. But the story may never get told - the drow mage behind Grol got off a fireball, and I can feel my life slipping away from me. This isn't how it was supposed to end! Did any of us make it? Herbie, Sofiel? Godric, are you alright? I should never have let Mama force him to accompany me. This can't be how it ends..."
* Sofiel: "So bright. I'm lucky my reflexes kicked in, and I used that ward from the book. That blast still burned me through the barrier though. I can only imagine what it would have done without it. Oh what did those old soldiers say. The carnage wizards could inflict with similar spells on the battlefield. I'm glad I never had to experience such a thing, but those poor souls they could describe and remember it in such detail. And to think it was the work of a single wizard. How much could a group of them do? Such power used in a terrible way and what good can come from that kind of magic anyway. Oh but Enough thinking Sofiel. Once this dust and smoke dissipate, I need to figure out who's still able to be brought back. I pray that everyone is still in one piece."

## Appendix

Lost Mines of Colmanth Sessions
**Chapter 1: The Frontier**. Session 1 · Session 2 · Session 3 · Session 4 · Session 5 · Session 6 · Session 7
 **Session 8** · Session 9 · Session 10 · Session 11 · Session 12