D&D Encounters – Session 4

Well… we started out in town. My goblin’s companions this week were an elderly woman named Boushka, a warrior named Quynn, and a pixie sorcerer named Pixi.

I sold my bucket to Boushka for 2 gp and a hot meal. Sold my “sled” to the owner of the pawn shop, Neera, who has two drakes. Boushka asked for charity, and was denied– also, she’s missing her keys. Poor woman. I have offered to buy one of the drake’s spawn, perhaps. She says it’ll cost 100 gp. Maybe after I adventure enough, I will be able to afford it. If not, I might steal one of the drakes. Her guard, Errol, was sad but would not tell us why. I bought a handful of keys and bells and things.

We went to the Slumbering Serpent Tavern, where Boushka shared a meal of cold soup with me (this isn’t a hot meal!) Then we spoke to Elmo, whose brother Otis has been missing for 3 weeks after he went to the Caves of Chaos to investigate some goblin attacks. Elmo directed us to a sheep herder, whose wife and daughter were killed or taken by the goblins and hobgoblins.

I paid a visit to the temple, where I spoke to Sister Phylla about the paladin we brought in. My traps caught 6 mice and rats– I collected them and reset the traps.

We went to the caves, and were attacked by the ghost of Haffron Hommel, the founder of the town! He told us there’s a terrible power here, some binding magic in the Chaos Blade. He identified my scroll as one of the other binding artifacts, and said there is one more item as well. The blade is in the cave. If we take the three items to the Chaos Mote, a cracked silver sphere, we may be able to heal the breech.

Most importantly, though, we need to get in, get the blade, and get out before the tribes overwhelm us– there are many of them!

The symbol of the local tribe is a red wolf. I made up myself to look like one of them using rat blood and some mud, and my companions dressed in the cultists’ robes. I sneaked ahead, disarming an alarm trap. I tried to disarm a ceiling trap, but it triggered and fell anyway! Just in case we might buy a few seconds with a bluff, I threw my remaining rats down, hoping it would look like the rats had triggered the trap, instead of a band of stalwart adventurers!

I got my friends to come further into the cave and we found Otis, the chaos blade sticking up through his chest. Pixi did some of her magic to make it safe to withdraw, and she and Quynn pulled the sword free while Boushka gave Otis some healing gruel. He perked right up, and we made to leave.

Meanwhile, I knew the trap we triggered would alert the tribes, so I hastily set up a trap of my own in the other tunnel. Caught a trio of kobolds in it! The last kobold tried to strike at me, but I’m too dodgy for him, and I bit him before slipping away and back out of the tunnel. Outside, Quynn was dancing with a trio of kobolds of his own! Quynn and I held the line while Pixi, Boushka, and Otis made their escape!

And it was an easy escape. Once we cleared the kobolds, we bolted for the woods, helping Otis along the way.

We made it back to town, reunited Otis and Elmo at the Slumbering Serpent, and let Elmo buy us all pancakes in thanks for our heroic deeds. I gave Boushka a ring of keys I’d put together on the travel home, and set up her bucket with a strap and a lid, so she doesn’t have to lose anything.