SKT: Session 3

The session started with the group having woken up from a long rest - in which Jumbo Toad had made mushroom stew and fallen out of a window... somehow teaching himself how to jump really well - and deciding it was time to see if they could find the villagers hiding out in the caves. Cei Besk decided to stay back to keep an eye on the Xentarim band that were left in the village, who were happy for her to stay as it was good collateral ensuring that the group returned.

There was a lot of discussion started by Jumbo before the group left about potentially building a Trebuchet to help rescue the villagers. Paavu is a bit skeptical about the idea.

"Tell me one scenario where a trebuchet *wouldn't* work!" inquired Jumbo.

"Well the villagers are probably underground in a cave for one" replied Paavu.

"Then we'll build a really small one!" Jumbo retorted!

"Yeah you could use it to launch small mushrooms at them!" Interjected Kayder

"You know, I'm actually really coming around to this idea" Abathia added

"Yeah, actually you could haul the trebuchet on your back like a war elephant!" suggested Paavu

Despite all this discussion, they came to the conclusion that they probably didn't have the time seeing as the villagers were stuck in the caves, so they set off. The group discovered sets of tracks leading towards the hills, both human and goblin sized, with goblin and warg sized tracks leading down towards the town, which they correctly surmised were the goblins they dispatched earlier on.

They also find a selection of poisonous mushrooms that Jumbo picks, and suggests that Sev eats one in order to get stronger! They obliged and ended up poisoned!

After following the tracks the group come across a giant cave mouth. Abathia decides to use her Thaumaturgy to escalate the volume of her voice, calling into the cave. They here thumping before an Ogre named Nob erupts from the cave mouth and starts attacking them!

Paavu jumps into action, shooting beams of radiant light at the Nob, causing considerable damage before Kayder tells a joke - "What do you call a less than average Ogre? Mediogre!" - his words laced with magic causing the Ogre to double over in laughter. Paavu takes advantage of this and uses his quarterstaff to not only strike the ogre, but use him as a pivot to deftly leap over his body to the other side.

There is much fighting, Sev enshrouds themselves in a 15ft radius cone of darkness emanating from their sword, causing Nob to lose all sense of direction and miss practically every attack as the rest of the group continue to fight him, Kayder at one point lashing out with a vile insult: "You're a terrible ogre! You don't even have any layers!"

Midway through the fight, Nob's wife, Thog runs out of the cave to his aid but is distraught to find him dead. She does however take a good look at Paavu who can undestand her talking in Giant, and asks if he wants to have a mud bath with her, and that he was the most handsome ogre she'd ever seen!

However, she to gets caught in the darkness and Jumbo killed her by tapping her with his quarterstaff, causing Thog to erupt in mushrooms.

“You’re gonna make a nice stew baby” Jumbo remarked, before putting on his shades and walking off.

A number of goblins: Pox, Lop, Nitch, Yelk and Slibberdabber attempt to help the Ogres, but are also easily struck down!

The party left the fight relatively unscathed, save for Sev who, despite the darkness took the brunt of the damage from not only the goblins arrows, but a stray fire bolt launched by Abathia!

Jumbo wonders if he could use the bones and sinews from the dead ogres to build a trebuchet

After the fight, Paavu calls into the cave to see if there are any remaining people inside, but hears only silence in response. The proceed into a wide open cavern with a number of small 7ft high, 2ft wide corridors dotted around the side, and a giant fissure to the north. They decide to rest for an hour by a pool of water on the side of the cave while Jumbo decided to have a mud bath.

They travel one passage and call out, getting a terrified goblin mother responding, begging them to leave and that there are only children, mothers and non-combatants living down here, that they're beholden to Hark, the goblin boss. They inform the group that the humans are being held in a cavern that they want to avoid at all costs, but a few are being stored in Hark's larder.

Jumbo and Kayder ponder killing the goblin children, and wonder if it would be classified as a net good as they may grow into goblin warriors or bosses. Jumbo asks one of the children if they have any experience in mechanical engineering and wanders off aghast when they say they don't even know what a trebuchet is!

They proceed down another passage way and find a small goblin standing guard that Kayder attempts to slit the throat of, but is thwarted by a strategically placed neck guard (Ret-con I know :p). He introduces himself as Treble and wants the party to kill Hark so he can lead the goblins instead! He promises to let the Villagers go and will leave the village of Nightstone alone!

He leads them to Hark who also pleads with the adventurers, but Paavu nonchalantly picks him up after clonking him on the head with a quarterstaff! his bodyguards lead the group to the Bat cave that the rest of the villagers are in (after releasing the villagers in Hark's Larder), and after ferrying the villagers out of the cave Paavu throws Hark in and the cave is suddenly aflood with thousands upon thousands of bats, practically pitch blackness as the bats tear up the body of Hark before the body guards are thrown in after.

Paavu promises Treble that if he does not keep his promise, the same fate will await him.

Meanwhile Abathia found a small treasure cove containing approximately 12 1/2 gold and some boots which, after donning, made her feel extremely light. She managed to catch up with the party before they pushed Hark to the bats.

The group leave the cave with the villagers and journey back towards nightstone.