Goblin Wars Session Three: Horror on the Hill

The first thought of the players was to investigate the locked door they had found in Castle Caldwell. Unfortunately, there were no mages available to cast knock (and it would have been difficult for them to afford, in any case). But, there were rumors of hobgoblins near Solove, so the party went that way to see if they couldn't find some fame or fortune. They thought they should try and take some trade goods with them, but sadly, no merchants had goods they wanted to trade. Perhaps if Threshold were a bit bigger.

The only meaningful encounter along the way was an encounter with some thirty bandits. Thanks to their great skill at diplomacy, and some lucky rolls, they were able to negotiate the paying of a 100 gp 'toll'. They arrive in Solove, and spend the day looking around the town and hearing rumors. They are a bit worried at the prospect of running into some sort of hobgoblin god, but assume he'd be a pushover if they did find him.

The next day they climb the hill to the ruins on top, where the hobgoblins are supposed to be. They manage to surprise three ghouls gnawing on some unidentifiable remains, and dispatch them before they can react. Reaching the top of the hill, they tentatively explore the ruins. They easily deal with three giant centipedes and approach a tomb. Inside the tomb, the door swings shut, and they are attacked by 12 skeletons. The party is starting to hope the cleric reaches level one soon! Nevertheless, the skeletons prove to not be much of a threat either, and they seize the eyes from some pagan idol and make their way to the monastery.

Inside the monastery, they chase a troupe of giant rats from the ruined kitchen and excavate the library before coming across a larger room. There they find a fountain, from which Ieho and Bolyai drink. Ieho is fortunate, and feels a bit more dextrous, but Bolyai finds himself generally less competent of a human being. After managing to spend a (luckily) eventless night, they find the main door to the monastery. Before they can open it, a dozen goblins charge them from the nearby garden. Geoff is quickly bashed across the face with the business end of a short sword. Thanks to quick intervention from Reginald, he is brought back to consciousness, but has some minor scarring. After Reginald dispatches the goblins, taking a minor wound in the process, the party decides to go back to town to lick their wounds before entering the monastery proper.