Keep on the Shadowfell: Session 11

While Jia muttered to herself about the unfairness of the whole thing, the others readied themselves for further explorations. The passageway to the west soon led to a room with a number of closed doors. From behind one came the sounds of conversation, goblin voices muffled by the thick wood.

“We'll set a trap for them.” Bakaan outlined the plan. “We will hide round the corner of the passageway, while Jia approaches the door. She opens the door, surprises the goblins, and flees back to us here. They will chase after her, and we ambush them.” Approving nods greeted this suggestion.

The plan worked flawlessly. Almost.

Jia approached the door while the others made ready for the coming combat. She flung open the door to the room, surprising the goblins inside. A quick glance revealed that the room was a torture chamber, with rack, cage, firepit, half a dozen goblins and a hobgoblin torturer with a red hot poker that he was using to demonstrate his butt-stroke technique.

Feigning a shocked face, Jia fled as fast as her little legs could carry her. She reached the safety of her companions and drew her weapons for combat.

At this point the plan fell apart. Not being quite as stupid as kobolds or as mindlessly aggressive as orcs, the hobgoblin torturer sent a couple of the goblins out to scout for traps. As soon as one of them spotted the party round the corner, they fled back to the relative safety of the torture chamber, leaving the adventurers with only the dangerous “frontal assault without mercy” tactic.

A battle swiftly broke out at the door of the torture chamber, but Jia's sword and strength pushed the goblins back into the room. Goblin sharpshooters opened fire on the party. Doomgrad was able to push into the room and attack the torturer, getting his attention and allowing Jia to get behind him and plant both her blades in his back.

“Jia! Hit him again!” shouted Bakaan. She did, and the torturer dropped dead with her dagger buried in his ear.

Gilee pursued one of the sharpshooters who retreated into a large cage in the corner of the room. Thinking she had him trapped, she followed behind him. However, the goblin darted past her through the bars, and slammed the door shut. With an ominous click, the lock shut fast. The goblin laughed at her in the cage, but was surprised when she thrust her longsword through the bars at him and skewered him. She pushed the dead goblin off the blade, and with a quick flex of her shoulders, pushed the door open, shattering the lock.

Doomgrad, meanwhile, was pushing two more sharpshooters down a passageway lined with cells. Although he was slowly whittling them down, their technique of stepping back each time he approached and shooting him was taking it's toll. It was only when additional magical aid arrived, in the form of Kaza and Eilonwy, that the outcome of the fight was finally decided.

A swift search of the room turned up a couple of interesting discoveries. Firstly, the hobgoblin torturer had been wearing a suit of magical hide armour, which the party soon took possession of.

And secondly, one of the cells was occupied.