Milo Windby's Collected Story Hour

[Milo Windby]

Hello everyone.

Here's the new home for Milo and friends. I'm just going to lump all of the current story posts into one thread. I'm sorry that the flavorful comments won't be included between posts, but I urge you to start anew once the posting is done!

Enjoy, all!

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part one

Keep of the Borderlands -part one
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Milo Windby made some new friends. He's not too sure where they all hail from, nor what brought this motley crew together. He does know that they all seem to get along in their own way and there is strength in numbers. He met Mazithra Liadon at the gate on his way into the dismal keep in northern Karameikos. The willowy elf had a battle-hard edge to her that belied her age, not easily determined at first glance among elven-kind, much less to a halfling. Milo was always the observant type though, he had no trouble noticing those small signs of age. A weary look to the eyes at an unguarded moment, a regal grace that hearkened back to days when elves were the paramount of civilization, the odd twist of the wrist that only serious sword masters seemed to display. There was something else about her too though, a mystical quality that was a little hard to define. No matter, he would discover those secrets in time, he always did. It was a skill that served him well in his home shire and then in the courts of Darokin. But that was another time, now he had purpose and goals, and every scrap of information he obtained would bring him that much closer to his objective. The two of them hit things off immediately, she seemed to think of Milo as a little brother, someone to watch after in this "big" world full of "big" people. He never did think of other's size unless it was to exploit any weaknesses that were inherent in those of large stature. He was naturally drawn to her obvious strength as a warrior and her easy attitude. "Big" people do have their advantages after all.

The next to join this ragtag party was Brigit of the Deeperdown clan. Pity to the hapless soul that finds humor in that clan name. Brigit has settled many a dispute in and out of the tavern over her name, or her beard, or her table manners, or the perceived color of the sky. In fact that's how Milo and Mazi met her, she had just finished mopping up a "debate" on the origins of her clan name right outside the tavern. They were so impressed with her skills at getting her point across that they offered to buy a nice pint of dwarven ale and sit down to discuss some of the finer details in the world of street politics. "Aye, never one to pass up a good pint O ale, dwarven at that! Don't know how anyone kin stand anything but, unless supposin nuthin else be onhand." Her colorful manner of speech was as delightful to hear as it was to watch her down one pint after another.

Inside the tavern they met her traveling companion, one Jeremiah Tansden. A wild looking young man that obviously hailed from the lands of the plateau. He had well-tanned skin and a giant greatsword strapped to his back. Other than his pack he didn't carry much, and he said even less. Quiet and brooding, he'd put back as much ale as Brigit could, well almost as many. Brigit invariably had him passed out under the table before the faint rays of dawn made there way into the smoky interior of the common room. She was quick to comment on his prowess in the field though. Seems she found him on her way to the keep, hacking away at some recently deceased goblin corpses. He was in a rage and had obviously quickly dispatched both goblins with one blow. Very impressive, if a little moody. If time went on too long between hacking and slashing, Jeremiah would get a little antsy. It just happened to be one of those dry periods and they all decided it was time to find out what was amiss at the Keep.

Tall tales abound in outposts on frontiers and in the wilderness. Castellan Keep was no exception. Milo and his friends heard many while nursing (or guzzling in the case of Brigit and Jeremiah) their ale in the common room of the tavern. Stories of haunted caves to the northwest, full of little beasties and the occasional undead, hungry for the brains of the living. Undead always gave Milo the creeps, he hated them with a passion. Probably due to his strict religious upbringing. Some of that still stayed with him, not quite worn off by the dust of the open road or the blisters that it granted. Still other stories told of masses of goblinoid creatures raiding the occasional caravan. Most of these could be discounted outright due to the amount of obvious exaggeration that seems to accompany all such tales.

One in particular had a ring of truth to it though. It seemed that a much loved and much respected caravan owner had recently gone missing. Victim of the goblinoids or the hungry undead no doubt. The tragic turn to the tale was the loss of his lovely wife who traveled with him. Even worse still to Milo was the thought of the vast unclaimed wealth that a caravan of that size must have carried. He was curious to say the least. Any Darokinian worth his blood would be, one of his nature even more so. He wasn't sure, but he could swear that he was slightly in tune with Brigit on that line of thought. After a few well placed questions and decidedly hard-earned copper Milo and Mazi tracked down a little more of the truth. There was indeed a caravan that was taken over recently, suspiciously near the trail that leads up to the haunted caves. The caravan leader's wife was also with him, even if the tales of her beauty were a tad overstated.

There was word also of a traveling priest, known and loved in these parts, that was willing to assist any brave souls that might venture forth to save the doomed caravan. The four of them discussed the information they found and after obtaining a map decided to pursue this story a little deeper into the wilderness. Perhaps the caravan was salvageable, the drivers, leader and wife too, he supposed. Milo, Mazi and Brigit, trailing a slightly inebriated Jeremiah behind, found there way to the traveling priest's quarters. A dour young man answered their knock, not a word uttered. The group had heard of him and his peer, two disciples of the priest. Not talkative at all and rather suspicious in their manner for their age and position. After a polite request to meet with the priest they were led into the small dwelling. A kindly middle-aged man warmly greeted them. He was fit from his travels and had a ruddy glow to his face, whether this was from a little early evening partaking of sacramental wine or just his cheery demeanor it was hard to say. His name was Bordamere and he traveled the road spreading the good word and good cheer where he could. Mazi had a hard time believing in him right from the start and conveyed this to Milo through a subtle gesture and look. Milo, unusually unobservant, blithely ignored the unspoken warning and engaged the priest in a discussion about the caravan and the possibility of rescuing any survivors or leftover goods. The priest was willing enough, even going as far as donating some holy water to the cause at Milo's request. Milo hated undead, really. Bordamere also recommended two stout mercenaries that could be found and enlisted at the tavern. One Sir Paul and one Sir Charles. ('Barkley?' Milo asked. 'No, Berkley. Why do you ask?' answers Bordamere) Milo was shocked to hear of two knights of the realm selling their services for coin. That is until Bordamere displayed a particularly annoying speech pattern. Apparently everyone in his eyes was "sir" or "lady". Thus it was that Sirs Milo and Jeremiah, and Ladies Mazi and Brigit found themselves on their way back to the tavern, after arranging to meet with the priest near the gate at 6:00am the following morning.

A quick discussion later and very little persuasion it was decided Milo and Mazi would arrange matters with the hired swords while Brigit helped to keep Jeremiah entertained at the bar. It seemed Jeremiah was getting a little antsy again. A few pints of ale were preferable to a few broken jaws and a night in the stocks. A couple of the frequent guest to the tavern pointed the two towards Sir Paul and Sir Charles. The pair were slowly drifting towards the floor during a drinking game that had obviously started much earlier in the day. After introducing themselves to the wavering eyes of the mercenaries ('No, there's only one halfling, one elf') Milo dived right into the proposition. He hoped that some coherent dealing could be done before the two of them became a little too personal with the floor.

"We have need of aid in retrieving, er, rescuing the members of the caravan that was recently waylaid near the keep. We have it on good word that you two stout individuals would be willing to assist us for a price," Milo started.

"Yesh?" came the soggy reply from Sir Paul.

"Yes, the priest Bordamere sent us your way," said Milo.

"Ahhhhhh! Good ole ::hic:: Bordy! Boy kin he put away ale like nobody!"

"Yes, that's the man. So, what do you say?"

"You would be outfittin ush with materialsh, eh?"

Ahh! That's is what Milo was looking forward to, a good haggle! "Well we assumed, you being old war veterans and all, that you would have your own sturdy arms and armor."

The warrior gave him a look that would curdle milk, had it not been watered down by untold pints of ale. Paul answered back, "That'sh true. Ya will be provishnn-provishnn-givin ush food an the like?"

"Of course, standard procedure in this sort of arrangement I gather."

"An a share O' the booty too?"

"Ah well, a share of the booty would imply that you were partners, not hired hands. Perhaps if you'd like to come along without the fee we could come to a different arrangement?" Milo warmed up to the bargaining. Just then Mazi seemed to need to speak with Milo rather urgently, "Hang on a sec lads." The two of them retreated a ways from the table,

"We don't know these two, can they even be trusted?" Mazi asked.

"The priest recommended them, and everyone loves him around here. I don't think there will be a problem." Milo responded. Mazi seemed to accept this reasoning.

They approached the table again, noticing that a new round of pints had been delivered to the soldier's table in their absence. 'Ah, this should make things even easier,' thought Milo. "So, what is your going rate for employment, boys? We'll plan on a journey of four days, two out, two back."

"Hmmm, four daysh you shay? ::hic!::" Paul paused, whether to choke down some ale coming back for a visit or to consider the price it's hard to say. "10 gold pieshes for the two of ush."

"Ten gold for four days! Are you mad?" Milo was in his element now, these two inebriated swordsmen had no idea what was about to hit em. "2 gold along with a weapon and/or piece of armor from the loot, if we find any. That doesn't include any magical items we may find."

"2 gold? Bah! We'd make more shovelin dung fer the local farmersh. Make it 8 and you have a deal"

"6 gold, no more. Imagine how much ale that can buy you." Milo replied.

"Fine then, but we demand payment up front." Again Mazi signaled Milo to step back for a little conference.

"I don't think we should pay these two in advance, look at them! We probably won't even see them tomorrow morning, either they'll be too drunk to show up or they'll be who knows where with our gold!"

"Good point Mazi, how about we give them half before we leave tomorrow and half when we get back?"

"Agreeable." Mazi agreed.

"Well then gentlemen," as they once again approached the table, "We'll give you half tomorrow morning when you show up for the trip and half when we get back to the keep."

"How about half now and half after inshtead?"

Milo gave them another look-over. 3 gold would certainly be enough to rot what was left of their livers and put them in a comatose, if not permanent rest. "I think 5 silver now, 2 gold and 5 silver in the morning, then 3 gold when we get back. That way you can drink your silver tonight and still have some left over for your victory celebration when we get back."

"Fair enough little one, hand over the shilver and ya've got yershelf a deal. ::hic!::"

"It's a deal then, here's your shil-silver." Milo handed them five silver. "See you at six o'clock tomorrow. Near the gate. The priest will be with us as well."

"SHIX O'CLOCK!?" There was that look again. Milo had to bite his lip to keep from grinning. He partook of the drink here and there, but he preferred to have his fun with those that were more liberal with the libations. It never failed to amuse him when they were delivered a little shock to the system after a good bout of drunkenness. Yes, he could see he'd have a little fun with this group after all.

Milo and Mazi made their way back to the bar. Funny, they couldn't see Jeremiah anywhere near Brigit at the bar. Upon wending there way past tables, chairs, and wandering servers they discovered Jeremiah hadn't strayed far. He was slumped against the feet of his stool, reeking of cheap ale. Ah, youth. Brigit just looked at him and giggled. "Ya big boys never kin drink a dwarven lass down. Well here's to ya lad, on account of ya tryin!" She tipped another pint back, from the frothy top to the very bottom of the tin stein, slamming it down onto the bar afterwards. "Barkeep, another rou-"

"Actually, it may be time to call it a night Brigit," Mazi interjected, "We've got a long way to walk tomorrow and it'll be a little easier without having to drag two of you halfway there."

"Ach, yer always tryin ta spoil ma fun, elfie. Ah well, Jer here couldna keep up wi' me. I spose I'm done fer tha night." Brigit answered and then, "Any luck wi' them boyos at the table?"

"Not a problem at all, 6 gold for four days of service and a piece of weaponry and armor from any loot we find." Milo said.

"Weapons and armor! They'll be gettin nuthin magical from me loot, I kin tell ya that!"

"Not to worry, only mundane equipment that may still be of use."

"Aye, ya be right there little-un. Very well, let's drag Jerry here up to the room," Brigit hiccupped.

With that they heaved Jer's rather large frame up the stairs to our room. That is to say Brigit and Mazi dragged his rather large frame. Milo dragged his boots up after. Somehow the heavy leather boots had made there way to the other side of the bar during their carousing. Milo didn't want to know.

In the morning they approached the gate, seeing that the priest and his disciples were there waiting. Thank goodness those two wouldn't be coming along. Nothing like a couple of melancholy youth to bring down an entire adventure. Bordamere informed them that he was sending a couple of letters with his associates to bring to the high priest if they didn't return within a week. With that he dismissed the two and cheerily looked on at our little party. Brigit had recovered rather well from the night's festivities. She was chipper as ever, all trussed up in her shiny breastplate with her stout dwarven axe strapped to her back. I'll never cease to be amazed by the bottomless stamina of dwarves when it comes to alcohol. Even their women could drink an orc into a stupor. Not that you'd ever catch a dwarf celebrating anything with an orc. Poor Jer didn't fare so well. His eyes were bleary and he kept smacking his lips, as if trying to get rid of a bad taste in his mouth. That couldn't have anything to do with his rather hasty rush to the window that morning, could it? Mazi and Milo were composed and ready for anything. Mazi with her longsword and finely crafted elven bow, one in the scabbard at her side, the other lashed to her pack. Milo with his light crossbow stowed at his waist, almost hanging to the ground. His short sword at his side and his dagger in his belt. It was another half-hour before Sir Charles and Sir Paul made their appearance. They looked much like poor Jeremiah, pasty faced and watery eyed.
"WELL," Milo said, just under a parade ground shout, "Shall we be on our way gentlemen and gentleladies?" He grinned as Jer, Paul, and Charles all winced in unison. Yes, it was going to be a very good day.

They started out on the winding mountain path out of the keep. They made good time on the well-traveled road. Milo noticed the wheel ruts from the many caravans that came this way. After they passed the marshlands the road started to show its wear. Sir Paul mentioned the long abandoned moathouse, former seat of power in this small region. It had been overrun by the local beasties long ago, before the Keep was built. Some parts of the road were a little soggy from the swampy residue of the marsh and other parts were overgrown. Since they were on foot and had no wagon wheels to worry about, the party made it through these areas with a minimum of difficulty. As evening approached they found a large clearing up on a hill, just north of the road. Figuring the clearing to be a good place to camp they all set about finding a comfortable place to rest. Being a half-day from the caves they figured a little fire couldn't hurt either. 'Especially if it kept the undead at bay,' thought Milo. He hated undead, really. Milo and Bordamere took the first watch, discussing the merits of ale, mead, wine, and other drinks on the road. Mazi and Paul took the next watch, discussing very little. Mazi's distaste for the mercenaries wasn't outright evident, but she made no show of being friendly towards them. Jeremiah and the equally quiet Charles took third watch with Brigit taking a lone watch during the early morning hours. Not a soul, or soulless thing, disturbed their sleep that night. This oddly set Milo on edge, rather than relaxing him.

The next morning he was ready to start into the caves and see some action. He and Jeremiah shared that feeling a little more than usual this day. The winding trail meandered north, closer to the gorge where the caves started. As they neared their goal the party noticed that the trees took on an especially gnarled appearance. Twisted and haggard, their branches pointed like the bony fingers of skeletons towards the gray sky. Milo hated the undead, really. "So what say you, priest? Any feelings for this place, can you tell if anything may be close by?" Milo asked.

"Only that things appear worse than we feared," Bordamere responded gravely.

They reached the caves after a slightly more difficult hike up the rest of the road, then more of a trail. The trail petered out into a depression, almost a small valley, dotted with cave mouths all the way to the top. Unsalvageable wreckage and skeletons littered the ground. It indeed appeared that the caravan had been taken here before the drivers and their kin were slaughtered by the evil denizens of the caves. There appeared to be 6 or more entrances, plus the brush may have hid more that. The party decided to handle the caves in a more-or-less organized manner, starting at the bottom to the East and working their way around, then up. That way they left no caves empty behind them. All of them readied their weapons as they approached the first cavern. Slowly Milo crept into the dim recess, able to see now, but he knew he'd have to break out his lantern before they got too deep. The rest of the group followed about 10 feet behind. First Jer and Brigit, then Mazi and Bordamere, followed by Paul and Charles bringing up the rear. Milo would work as a scout, using his keen powers of observation and experience with dangerous traps to rout out any danger to the party. When and if any beasties reared their ugly heads he would retreat back into the midst of the party, letting Jer and Brigit rush up to the front lines.

[Edited for emphasis]

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part two (session one)

Keep of the Borderlands -part two (session one)
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Milo crept forward, not trying to be too quiet. As he ventured into the cave Milo noticed stonework on the walls. This was not a natural cave, at least farther in. Not ten feet into the cave he happened upon it's inhabitants. Goblins! Luckily they were just as shocked as Milo. "Bree Yark!" the lead goblin shouted when he spied Milo.
With a startled "Eep!" Milo raced back the ten feet to the rest of the group and warned them of what lie directly ahead. The goblins seemed very unorganized as they all tried to ready their lances and get a formation going. The narrowness of the tunnel prevented the six beasties from charging en masse. They had trouble deciding who would go first. Goblins were a cowardly lot when it came to even numbers.

In the rear of the group Charles was the first to react to Milo's return. He noticed the goblins but was unable to reach them through the party members before him. Not wasting a moment Jeremiah let loose a great battle cry and rushed forward to hack away at the nearest goblin. It didn't stand a chance, his greatsword cleaved the miserable beast in two and almost did the same to his companion, had it not ducked at the last moment. Unfortunately for it Brigit was right behind Jeremiah, charging forward with her mighty dwarven waraxe and chopping the hated goblinoid nearly in half. Mazi was next to act, firing an arrow from her elven bow right past Jer and Brigit into the shoulder of the next goblin in line. Meanwhile, the priest Bordamere had been chanting a strange, ominous litany. Milo, suspecting something amiss, barely avoided the priest's touch. As he moved he could see a deep, glowing, black discharge from Bordamere's hand right where he stood moments ago. "Bree Yark!" the cleric shouted.
"He's one of them! Get the priest!" Milo shouted.
Sir Paul, though surprised at this turn of events, noticed the evil chanting and discharge of energy as well. He pressed his attack behind the priest but was still off balance from the sudden turn of events. The cleric heard him behind and ducked out of the way. Just then Brigit spied some movement down the right passage, four more goblins were rounding the corner. She shouted a warning to her companions before returning her attention to the fray.

Recovering from the near miss of the evil priest's attack Milo attempted to fire his crossbow pointblank at the turncoat. He found that firing on a moving target up close is harder than he thought as his bolt flew past Bordamere to bounce uselessly off the cave wall. Charles, following his friend's example, engaged the priest in combat. With three attackers the priest was hard pressed to avoid the next attack and groaned in pain as Charles' longsword finds its mark. The goblins finally got organized after watching two of their own fall under the mighty charge of the barbarian and fierce dwarven warrior. The goblin closest to Mazi thrust his javelin in her general direction but Mazi easily sidestepped the clumsy attack. The goblin next to him attempted to pierce Jeremiah through but was similarly avoided. The other two goblins moved closer but were unable to attack due to the narrow passage. Jeremiah swung his greatsword in a huge, diagonal arc once again slicing clean through another green beast. His sword bounced off the cavern floor before he could complete the arc through the goblin standing next to him. Brigit followed Jer's attack with another of her own, easily dispatching her racial enemy with a snarl. She paused long enough to spit on the twitching corpse. Mazi, ignoring the danger of the goblins near her took aim with her trusty bow at the evil Bordamere. Whispering a silent prayer to the powers that be she let the arrow fly. Her aim never more true, the flying missile found its mark, the evil priest's head. The arrow sunk to the flights, right between his eyes. The traitorous cleric didn't even have a chance to cry out before he fell to the floor, dead. Mazi recognized the true nature of the priest and his evil spells. She put his murderous actions to rest with one blow. While the party shouted in victory over the amazing shot of Mazi, the group of four goblins move up the hall, closer to the melee. Just then another group of six more goblins appeared in the left passage, moving towards the battle as fast as their stumpy legs could carry them.

Not being near the action and holding an empty crossbow, Milo decided to take a few moments to reload another bolt into the weapon. Charles, his way free now that the battle had spread out and the priest had fallen, moved forward to attack the two remaining goblins. His attack swung wide and the goblin that was his target laughed cruelly. The two goblins in front of Charles pulled back simultaneously before thrusting their lances directly into his groin. The poor mercenary cried out before he fell silent to the ground, beyond help. Paul, seeing his best friend dying in front of him began to look a little green around the gills. He let out a sob and started toward the goblins responsible for his friend's death. Jeremiah also saw the fighter fall. He heaved his bulk behind a mighty blow of his sword as both goblins virtually explode on contact. Brigit moved next to Jeremiah, sealing off the way they came so the two goblin parties couldn't flank the group. Mazi fired another arrow into the approaching group from the right corridor. She's rewarded with a shout and groan as her arrow finds its mark. By that time the two groups of goblins had made their way down the hall and clashed futilely into the stalwart defense of Jeremiah and Brigit. Their blows easily avoided by Jer and glancing off of Brigit's shield.

Seeing no easy target Milo quickly searched the cleric's body after a prompting from Mazi. She and he thought alike, what kind of loot might an evil cleric hide? He found a rolled parchment on the body along with the priest's mace and full plate armor. Milo decided to leave the loot until the battle was over. Jeremiah, rage in his eyes, once again brought his weapon to bear. This time the goblins were wearier and stayed clear of his swinging blade. Brigit attacked the third group of goblins from the left hall and killed the first to reach her easily. As Jer and Brigit fended off the hordes of goblins, Paul, Milo, and Mazi heard a clatter coming from the mouth of the cave. Milo was the first to see the huge ogre stomp up the corridor, followed by two more goblins. Mazi, fearing that the ogre might squash Milo in his charge, switched to her longsword. In the meantime Paul stabbed forward with his longsword at the nearest goblin, missing by the breadth of a hair. Once again the mass of goblins pressed against the two warriors. Again Jeremiah danced away from the lances while Brigit stood steadfast in the rain of blows that bounced harmlessly off her armor and shield.

Milo fired his crossbow at the approaching bulk of the ogre. He watched it sink into its thick hide as a slow smile spread from one side of the ugly beast's face to the other. On the other side of the hallway Jeremiah was slightly off balance from dodging the lances of his enemies and missed with the next swing of his greatsword. Fighting behind him Brigit sunk her ax into yet another hapless goblin with a satisfyingly meaty thud. Mazi, noticing the size of the ogre and his equally huge club, decided to cast a protective spell upon her. A faint glow surrounded her briefly and her skin seemed to harden. Paul rose to the challenge of the new threat and moved to block the ogre's path to his newfound, and only, friends. Unfortunately the brave action was to be his last. The ogre, with one mighty downward thrust of his club, drove Paul down to the earth. Never to rise again, Paul gave his life to defend those to whom he pledged his service. Milo looked on in horror as the ogre laughed at the broken body at his feet. Back at the other front Jeremiah, still dodging blows from the goblins, made a slight misstep and was brought up short by the tip of a lance. He groaned as it sunk into his arm, temporarily thrown off by the wound. Brigit was busy fending off the other group of goblins that were still attempting to get past her seemingly invincible armor.

Milo took a moment to switch to his shortsword as he shook his head sadly at the loss of first Charles, then Paul. Truly these foul creatures will pay. The pain in his arm distracted Jer and his next attack fell short of its mark. The goblins cried out thinking to take advantage of his lapse. Brigit swung her ax down on the latest foolish goblin that braved her reach. She laughed as she mowed through the goblins like so much wheat in the field. Mazi took a moment to find an opening in which to attack the ogre to the best advantage, readying her longsword to dispatch the beast. She heard a shout of triumph from the goblins behind her as both sides managed to sneak their lances through Jeremiah and Brigit's defense. Their cries are cut off short however when they notice what small effect their lances seemed to have on the pair. Mazi's attention was brought back to the fight near her when she heard Milo cry out from a near miss of the ogre's club. He felt the club whiz by his head as he rolled out of the way.

Mazi felt this was her best chance for an opening and drew back her sword a little too quickly. She began to lose her footing on the bloody ground and has to take a few moments to right herself. Her opening lost, she must wait until another opportunity presents itself. Meanwhile, Milo decided to put some of his training to use as he tumbled behind the ogre. The ogre took a swing at the flying halfling but slammed his club so hard against the ground that the vibrations from the impact shook him. If it were another time and place Milo would probably find humor in the comical expression on the ogre's face. At that moment he was more concerned with coming out of the battle in his own skin. He turned quickly and swiped his longsword across the ogre's ankle, bringing a roar of rage from the monster. It'll think twice before it assumes the smallest of them is the weakest. Back in the tunnel Jeremiah's hands slipped on his hilt. The sword had become thick with blood, mingled with his own, its grip had become slick. He took some time to find a firmer hold on the weapon. Brigit was unaware of Jer's predicament as she turned another goblin into minced meat. "That's six of ya scum!" She spat out to the remaining forces. A fury in her eyes glowed with fuel beyond that of the normal dwarven hatred of goblinoids. The goblins seemed shaken and failed to mount an effective counterattack. Perhaps fearing that the tide was turning against them, regardless of the presence of the great ogre. While the ogre was regaining his composure from his fumble with the club his cohorts attacked the halfling that rolled into their midst. One of them tagged the nimble rogue with his lance, drawing a small amount of blood.

Heedless of the wound Milo took a stab at the ogre in the back, right near his spine. His shortsword sunk in almost to the hilt before he twisted it and slid it back out of the great beast's hide. The ogre reared his head back and roared in pain. Mazi, seeing her opening, slashed the monster's neck, giving him a second, more permanent smile. She sighed in relief before refocusing her attack at the remaining goblin cohorts. Brigit attacked and missed for the first time against the goblins. The cowards had moved back a little from her deadly ax. The goblins' weak jabs with their lances failed to connect even with her armor from their safe positions. Jer was wounded once more by the lance of the nearest goblin. Though he is still fighting bravely Brigit notices that his strength is lagging. He had taken a lot of damage since the battle was joined. Both of the ogre's cohorts converged on Milo, intent on trapping him between them. He leapt out of the way, but not before a goblin lance pierced his flesh once again.

Angered by the wounds and his inability to dodge the clumsy goblins Milo jumped at the offending goblin. With perfect aim he impaled the goblin straight through its heart. The goblin died with a shocked look on his face. It didn't even have the chance to groan as the sword slid out of its body. The goblin's companion was still distracted by Milo's critical blow when Mazi's sword tip appeared through his leather jerkin. He too died with a look of surprise on his misshapen features. Jeremiah fought on bravely, but it was apparent to his friends that he was in dire need of aid. He looked a little dizzy as he swung his sword wildly. Behind him Brigit scored a glancing blow on one of the remaining goblins. The goblin turned tail and ran down the tunnel. "Coward!" She shouted after it. Just then she heard Jer cry out as another lance created a jagged hole in his thigh. Near death, Jer was persuaded to move back a little to let the others finish off the goblins. He rests for a moment. The remaining goblins in front of Brigit surged forward at the sight of Jeremiah retreating but they were still unable to pierce Brigit's defenses.

Milo sneaked over to the corner of the forked passage from where Jeremiah retreated. In the partial concealment he took careful aim and once again found the perfect mark for his shortsword. His arm snaked out and his sword traced a deep gash across the throat of the goblin, felling it instantly with another critical blow. Mazi also came to the aid of her barbarian friend, finding her target's heart with her longsword. Many goblins have died between she and Milo's carefully aimed attacks. She dispatched the goblin without a sound. Leaving one goblin out of the original four that attacked Jeremiah. Brigit swung her ax again but was unable to land a blow on the pitiful goblins. The final goblin that attacked from the right passage made a pitiful attempt to injure Mazi but his blow bounced harmlessly off her magically strengthened skin. The final goblin from the other hallway made a similarly pitiful attempt to attack Brigit. She batted its lance aside with her shield and swung her ax in the opening, killing the goblin with one mighty blow.

Milo, taking advantage of the lull in combat, tumbled past the last goblin to flank it. He turned too slowly to land an attack but was able to watch with satisfaction as Mazi inflicted the final blow. The goblins were no more.

After conferring quickly over the mass of bodies the party decided to loot what they could and run back to safety. In the distant halls they could hear the angry noises of reinforcements on their way. They would have to return and clean out these warrens another day. Milo shook his head sadly over the bodies of the mercenaries. He felt somewhat responsible for their deaths, being the one that persuaded them to come along. Still, they're gold is no good where they are now. He searched their bodies for the payment he gave them that morning but left all of their other valuables as they were. The rest of the group rummaged about the goblin bodies, finding copper and silver pieces on each. They had another hurried discussion over the matter of the evil priest's full plate armor. It would fetch a good price at the market, no damage was evident since Mazi's arrow pierced the shirt in-between plates. Still, the time it would take to divest the cleric of the armor was more than they had. With another sad shake of his head Milo agreed with the rest that it wasn't worth dying for. The group made their way out of the cave and moved down the trail at a steady pace. Eventually they reached their camp and stopped for the night. The excitement of the battle had since worn off and they all seem to be in a melancholy mood. Not only did the seemingly good-natured priest betray them, but they lost the two young mercenaries to the horde as well. They all vowed that their new friends' lives and the murderous priest's betrayal would be repaid in the blood of the goblins. With that they settled down for the night. Milo, Brigit, and Mazi taking turns at watch. They let Jeremiah rest, he was near death by the time they reached the camp anyway.

[Edited for emphasis]

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part three

Keep of the Borderlands -part three
------------------------
The night passed without incident. The morning broke, finding the group in much better shape. Jeremiah could walk on his own, though he was still a little shaky. The rest of the party were physically fit if not still saddened by the loss of the mercenaries. Their journey back to the Keep was uneventful. Conversation was limited as all four were lost in their own thoughts.

Upon arriving at the Keep Milo noticed the gate was shut and the portcullis down. Fearing the worst, the group approached with caution.

"Hallo!" Milo called to the guards. Two haggard men appeared at the gate and eyed the crew suspiciously.

"What business do you have here?" One guard asked.

"We have returned from the haunted caves with bad news. The traveling priest betrayed us to the goblins, we barely escaped with our lives. There are more in the caves, we've come to warn the Keep and recover from our wounds." Milo responded.

Still wary, the guards open the gate. The party was greeted on the other side by more armed guards, all look pale and gaunt.

"Please come with us. The priest of the Keep would like a word with you," said the captain. It sounded like a request, but Milo heard the unspoken command and warning. They could decline and risk death at the hands of the guards or they could go peacefully. "Your weapons, please," prompted the captain, pointing to a large sack one of his subordinates was holding.

"Now wait just a minute!" started Brigit. She was never one to give up her ax. Jeremiah looked defiant as well.

"Hang on Brigit, I think it would be a good idea to cooperate right now." Milo interrupted.

"I agree," said Mazi, "as much as we don't trust priests now it would be foolhardy to risk death over this. Justice will be done once the truth has been told."

Grumbling all the while Brigit handed over her ax and bow, Jeremiah likewise with his greatsword. Mazi placed her longsword and beloved Elven bow in the sack as Milo divested himself of his dagger, shortsword, and light crossbow.

"Very well, follow me," stated the captain.
The party trooped after the sickly man, surrounded by over half dozen guards. Milo notices that very few people are about the grounds of the Keep. Those that are look much like the guards, worse for wear and not long for this world.

They're taken to the Keep's church, a fair sized functional building. Nothing fancy this far out in the hinterlands. The interior is well kept with the main chapel lit brightly. The pews are all polished and gleaming and the altar is covered in worn velvet. Nothing special, thinks Milo. His father's church was much more impressive. The group is led to a medium sized office where behind a huge oak desk sits a decidedly unfriendly priest. He was getting on in years but still looked strong, thought Milo, unlike many of the unadventurous priests he had met before. The priest muttered something under his breath before addressing the party.

"I know who you are by descriptions given at the tavern. Where is the cleric and what have you been doing for the past three days?" he asks brusquely.

Milo was taken aback by his direct manner. He related their journey and travails to the priest, leaving nothing out of the story. After his tale was done the priest leans back in his oversized chair and lets out a deep sigh.

"Your story rings true. You should know that I cast a truth spell upon you before you shared your experiences," After a pause the priest finally said, "I regret that you did not come to me before you ventured to the caves. I have had my suspicions about the traveling cleric for some time now. What do you know of his disciples?"

"Only that they're quiet and depressing. He gave them a letter to pass on to the high priest if we did not return by the end of a week." Milo told him.

"They have disappeared, and shortly after this plague fell upon the Keep. As you can see many of our inhabitants are ill," the priest states. Milo thought back on the odd absence of people on the Keep grounds. "I appreciate your honesty and we mourn the loss of the adventures that traveled with you. They will be missed. However they knew the risks when they agreed to join you," the priest said sadly. "I must ask for your further cooperation in this matter. Please remain at the inn until we can discover more about this issue. You will be sent for when we have completed our investigations and have contacted the duke."

"And our gear?" Milo prompted.

"You may have your weapons, we only ask you to keep them stowed while at the inn. We don't need to lose any more residents than this plague has already claimed. You may go now," the priest finished.

"Before we leave we'd like you to examine this 'holy water' Bordamere gave us. Can you tell if it is indeed blessed?" Milo said hurriedly.

"Let me see," answered the priest. Milo dug the holy water out of his pack. The priest took one look at it before making a sound of utter disgust. "This is far from blessed, my halfling friend. This water is cursed. It would do you no good against undead or anything evil. I suggest you dispose of it immediately."

"Perhaps you, being a man of faith, could find a way to dispose of it safely?" Milo asked, "Might you be able to provide us with replacements as well, real holy water of course?"

The priest took on a pious look, "The church's funds are limited and blessing holy water is a taxing process. Perhaps if a donation to our faith was made we could oblige you."

This was one time when Milo had no problem forking over a few coins. Milo hated undead, really. The priest sent an acolyte off with a written note requesting four vials of holy water. He dismissed the party after the acolyte returned with the promised bottles.

The guards led them out of the church and their gear was returned to them. They were then escorted back to the inn and given a room to share for the duration. Brigit and Jeremiah wasted no time making their way to the common room. As soon as their gear was stowed they were at the bar, reveling in their survival of the goblin ordeal. Milo and Mazi even joined in. Mazi regaled the locals in the inn with the tale of their adventure in the haunted caves. Not one of the party members complained when she exaggerated the number of goblins or the size of the ogre. Her retelling of the arrow that felled the priest may have been slightly over dramatic, but Milo figured she earned it. Besides, it was his skin she likely saved. Her stories seemed to lift the people's lagging spirits. Mazi was quite the spinner of tales.

After three days the priest sent his acolyte to the tavern. He brought with him a short letter that stated the party was free to go. The duke had been notified and their names cleared. The four of them discussed their choices. It was unanimously decided that they would return to the caves and finish off the goblin threat. Milo wanted to retrieve the evil cleric's full plate and any other goodies those monsters might be hiding from the caravan.

They all prepared to leave for the caves once more. Milo brought the ring and the parchment he found on the cleric to the priest. After another 'donation' the priest identified the ring as mind shielding device and the scroll contained the divine spells 'hold person' and 'silence 15' radius'. "So this is why I could never really figure out the cleric," the priest said, holding up the ring, "Whoever wears this ring is protected from mind reading and the like." Hmm, thought Milo, not something he could use offhand. The scroll he would keep though, divine spells always fascinated him. Mazi decided to wear the ring, she said you can never tell when it might come in handy.

With that they left the relative safety of the Keep once again. The road to the caves was empty and they met no resistance. The party camped at the same site they had before the fateful day of the battle. This time Milo slept much better than before. He trusted his companions with his life. The next morning, after Mazi finished preparing her spells and they all had a bite of cold rations, they continued on their way. (Milo knew he'd figure out her mystical quality, he'd heard that all elves had a magical affinity.) They reached the gorge and noticed something a bit different. Not too far from the cave they entered before they could see trampled brush and huge tracks. Obviously the ogre and his goblin entourage came from there. Upon further inspection they found a cave mouth that was hidden by more brush. They all readied their weapons, Milo with his crossbow, Mazi with her Elven longbow, Brigit and Jeremiah with their ax and sword, respectively. Milo decided to do things a little differently this time. For once he tried being quiet as he moved into the cave.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part four (session one)

Keep of the Borderlands -part four (session one)
-------------------------
Not that it mattered how quietly Milo was treading. The scene that was spread about before him wasn't completely unexpected. There was a huge pallet in the corner of the small natural cave. Milo could see it went deeper into the side of the gorge to the East. Rags were strewn all about. On one side of the room was a pile of bare bones, mostly human sized. A couple leg bones had been snapped in two, the jagged edges perfect for an ogre toothpick. No big thing, Milo thought, that's one ogre that won't be doing much bone crunching anymore. He motioned a thumbs up to the others outside the cave mouth. As the rest of the party trooped in Milo did a little more of a search and asked the others to do likewise. Though Milo didn't uncover anything but more smelly rags and bones. Brigit on the other hand turned over the sleeping pallet and found some arrows, a small vial full of an unidentifiable liquid, and a rolled up parchment.
Brigit handed the parchment to Mazi, "I kin read, but I've no truck wi' this magik stuff. It's all yer's."

Mazi examined the scroll but was unable to make much sense of it, "It's not of arcane origin, that's for sure."

"Mind if I hold on to it then?" Milo said quickly, "Just for safekeeping of course." He finished as he snatched the scroll out of Mazi's grasp and stowed it with the other he held before Mazi could utter another syllable. If it wasn't arcane, he theorized to himself, it must be divine. That might come in handy, especially if it had anything to do with killing undead. Milo hated undead, really.

Satisfied that there was nothing more of value in the room they headed out into the hallway. Milo once again led, treading quietly with his hooded lantern lighting the way. Well, he thought wryly to himself, if the rest of the beasties in here are blind I'll have no trouble sneaking up on them. The passage opened back up into a smaller cavern, completely empty.

"There's something odd about this wall," Mazi said.

"Aye, I feel it too Elfie," Brigit agreed, running her hands along the rough stone wall.

Milo sprung up to the wall, peering closely at it. "Uh yeah, something, uh, odd." Mazi and Brigit both gave him a look, then each other, and finally a up, as if to say 'halflings!'

Brigit was the first to find the secret catch. She refrained from triggering the mechanism, their past experiences taught them a little healthy paranoia. "Come on up here, Milo, do yer thing on this here catch. Trapped, ya think?"

Milo looked closely at the catch, examining it as best he could without triggering it. Not finding anything obvious, he shrugged and pushed in on it.

"Wha!? Are ye daft boy?" Brigit sputtered. The door swung open with the sound of stone grating on stone. Milo just stood back and grinned ear to ear. He then bowed and motioned his hands from Brigit to the door.

"After you, milady."

"Harrumph," harrumphed Brigit, shaking her head. "Healthy paranoia indeed."

The door opened into a small room with passages leading in two directions, east and west. Both branched off not too far from the room. Figuring that the passage to the East would take them near the entrance they used during their last visit, the group moved that way first. The extra branch off the East tunnel led around a corner as the cavern walls slowly closed in. It eventually just turned into a dead end. As the party trooped back the hallway they noticed a distressing lack of bodies in the passage they came through originally. No goblins, no ogre.

"Someone likes their warrens tidy, that's all" Milo said, "Something big, or a lot of little somethings. I hope that ogre didn't have a friend-or a mate." He shuddered.

With that heartening thought they headed the opposite direction, down the western passage. The branch off that passage turned left and ended as the other one, the walls closing into a dead end. They could tell these walls hadn't been worked, this was just the natural cave structure, with crevasses and cracks like any normal cavern would have. Milo just hoped the rest of the cave turned out to be "normal". The main passage led further west, with an opening to the South. The group moved together, not wishing to split up with the thought of more ogres about. Jeremiah and Brigit led the way around the corner, walking right into a large room. Besides crude beds and furniture there were live occupants in this room, goblins, and tons of em. Milo could just make out a couple in front of Jer and Brigit. Here we go again, he thought before yelling, "Incoming!" With that he loosed his crossbow bolt at the nearest green ghastly, and so the battle was joined.

Milo's bolt sunk into the shoulder of the goblin in the front. They were waiting and ready for the group of adventurers though. Could it have been the pile of bodies they left a few days before? Jeremiah wasted no time, and raced towards the goblin Milo had wounded. His initial swing neatly chopping the ugly little head off of the beast and finished up in the belly of the goblin standing beside it.

"They may have been ready for us, but that isn't going to help them any!" Mazi said to Milo after she pegged another goblin in the leg with her bow.

Brigit moved up past the Jeremiah's kills, slipping a little in the fresh carnage, she missed her first attack. The goblins in the second rank, outraged by the invasion of their home and the death of their many comrades, moved forward and attacked both Jeremiah and Brigit. Neither blow landed its mark though, the human and dwarf easily sidestepped the lances. With the rest of the group farther in the cavern Milo could make out the remainder of its inhabitants. There must have been over a dozen more of the monsters with weapons, and in the far corner of the room were three human sized female and three large male goblins carrying longswords. Just behind them Milo could make out a bigger, bulkier goblin in chainmail, looking none too happy. In addition to the fighting goblins he could see some startled goblin women and their spawn in another corner of the room.

His attention drawn back to the battle at hand, Milo took some time to reload his crossbow. Jeremiah attempted to fell another goblin but swung a little too high and wide. There was a great "CLANG!" of metal hitting stone as his sword bounced off the wall. The vibrations of the quivering sword stunned Jeremiah, looking much like the ogre with the club from their previous battle. Trying not to laugh at the comical sight, Mazi took the opportunity to cast her mage armor spell and target Jer. His skin shimmered with the mystical energy. Near him Brigit's attack barely missed her target as the goblin ducked down to all fours and scurried to the side. It made an attack of its own but it bounced off her armor harmlessly, as did the blow of its companion off of Jeremiah's hardened skin.

Milo attempted to shoot a goblin through the melee but missed the wildly moving form of the goblin. Jeremiah, his composure regained, slashed at the next goblin. His sword cut through the beast like a hot knife through butter but it failed to connect with the other goblin close by. Mazi stood back and completed some more arcane gestures, her skin shimmering much like Jer's had a few moments before. Brigit, tired of the dancing goblin in front of her, put all her force behind a vicious blow of her waraxe. The goblin all but exploded, "No more dancin fer ya, little beastie!" she crowed. The other goblins were startled by the attacks of the front-line fighters and drew back to regroup and give their leader time to enter the fight. By that time the cavern's occupants were crowded around the entrance, the bigger goblins in the rear jostling for an attack position.

As the goblins moved back Milo took careful aim and fired another bolt. Bulls eye! Goblins eye, rather, he thinks as he watched the corpse fall with the end of the bolt protruding from it's left eye socket. Jeremiah pressed farther into the room but got a little too close to the goblins to bring his sword to bear. Mazi took advantage of the opening he created though, shooting another arrow into the shoulder of a goblin, wounding but not killing it. Brigit moved forward as well, leaving more room for Mazi and Milo to attack, she easily sliced through the goblin in front of her. Three goblins then converged on Jeremiah, he was able to avoid two attacks and his magically thickened skin absorbed the third. Two goblins attempted to breach Brigit's defense, neither was successful. Their blows harmlessly bounced off her expertly wielded shield.

Milo, who thought he could get up close and personal to a goblin's back, switched weapons and waited for an opening to spring through. Jeremiah moved back a half step and swung his greatsword through yet another ex-goblin, his follow through barely missed the next one in line. Mazi, unable to take a direct shot, fired another arrow into the melee. She scored a hit into the side of one of the goblins attacking Jer. It crumpled to the ground, ichor oozing out of the wound. Brigit made good use out of her dwarven ax and slashed a vertical line head to toe in one of the beasties attacking her. Both of the two remaining goblins attacking Jeremiah managed to tag him with their lances. Luckily for him the mage armor Mazi cast held true and he escaped damage once again. Another goblin moved along side the one attacking Brigit, but neither was able to get past her whirling ax.

Milo sensed his opportunity and somersaulted forward, right past one of the goblins attacking Jer. He sprung up in the corner of the cavern, turned around, and plunged his shortsword deep into the back of the goblin. He smiled in grim satisfaction as it slid off his blade to the ground. Jeremiah, intending to attack the goblin Milo just dispatched, instead swung his sword around and just missed the next nearest creature. Brigit tried to sink her waraxe into another goblin, but they both leapt back. They were wary of this dwarven fighter, she fought as ferociously as the barbarian did! Mazi again shot an arrow into the fight, wounding another monster but not dropping it. Her bow got quite a workout during the battle. Milo rethought about his acrobatic display, he was then in range of one of the bigger goblins. He ducked the blow coming his way and mentally kicked himself for not sticking to the back with his crossbow. One of the goblins in front of Jeremiah started to gibber, seemingly unable to fight any longer. Its larger companion had no such problems as it swung its longsword right into Jer's arm. The sword managed to cut through his magically strengthened skin, wounding him slightly. The two goblins fighting Brigit missed again. They were visibly distraught over their inability to land a blow on the dwarf.

Milo attempted to stab the large goblin with his sword but was unable to pierce its armor. Jeremiah spotted the gibbering goblin and put it out of its misery with a left to right slash clean through. The blood from his recent wound had once again made his grip slick though. He almost lost hold completely, grabbing onto the hilt as the sword nearly flew out of his hands from the mighty swing. Mazi took aim again and planted a feathered arrow into the throat of one of the few remaining average goblins. Brigit drove her ax through the shoulder of another goblin, the ax head sinking fully into its body. In the corner two goblins had reached Milo's position. He deftly avoided one blow but moved a little too close to the other. He was rewarded with a prick of its lance, opening a small wound on his upper arm. Jeremiah was similarly wounded with a thrust of a longsword. The blade barely pierced his toughened skin and only a small amount of blood appeared from the wound. By then two of the large goblin females had engaged Brigit but both missed with their initial attacks. The one remaining small goblin facing Brigit weakly poked its lance at her, not coming anywhere near.

Milo landed a blow with his shortsword on the small goblin that wounded him, puncturing a vital organ and felling the beast. Jeremiah had a much better grip on his sword as it swung at his assailant. The goblin fighter was cleaved through from his groin to his head, falling neatly in two. Jer was unable to follow through with the attack though, since the next goblin moved just past his reach. Mazi targeted the furthest female, hoping to take her out before she reached one of her friends. Her arrow flew wide, clattering to the floor near a group of screaming goblin young. Near her Brigit attempted to follow her last kill with another but overextended herself. She pulled back before reaching far enough to drop her ax, thankful for her training as a fighter that kept her from fumbling the attack. The largest of the goblins, apparently their leader, reached and engaged Jeremiah. His first swing missed the angry barbarian, the other goblin made contact and drew more blood through his augmented armor. The remaining female and its companion also missed their target, Milo, as he ducked and moved as fast as he could to avoid the multiple attacks. The two females attacking Brigit managed to distract her enough for the small goblin at her feet to plant his lance through a chink in her armor, wounding her for the first time that battle.

Milo, still weaving and bobbing to avoid his attackers, dropped his shortsword. He cursed under his breath at his luck and moved around, looking for a way to pick it up without being hit. Jeremiah recognized the threat of the stronger goblin leader and took a swing at him, the tip of his greatsword causing tiny sparks to fly off the goblin's chain shirt. Mazi attempted to fire a shot at the leader as well, but missed while it was recovering from the close shave of Jer's sword. Brigit ignored the smaller goblin and took another swing at the nearest female. She missed by mere millimeters as the creature hopped back a scant couple of inches. The female and large goblin focused on Milo were unable to land an attack as he reached out and snagged his sword, lightning-quick. The leader of the goblins couldn't recover completely from the two near misses and his opportunity to attack Jeremiah passed by. On the other side of the cavern all three goblins pressed against Brigit were unable to make a dent on her newly wary defense.

Milo paused another moment to ensure his grip on the shortsword wouldn't slip again. Jer swung against the leader again, as he missed he realized that this huge goblin was a more formidable opponent than the rest of the beasties he'd been used to mowing through. Mazi decided it was time to put away her bow and wade in against the leader, coming to the aid of her human friend with her longsword. Brigit, concentrating on defending herself from the three goblins facing her, was unable to make contact with her waraxe. In an amazing display of almost simultaneous attacks and nearly acrobatic dodging, all seven goblins attacking the intrepid adventures missed! This heartened the four of them and they attacked with renewed vigor.

Still concentrating on hanging onto his sword, Milo missed with his stab and pulled back to watch for another chance. Jeremiah's greatsword at last hit the leader, slicing through the chainmail and inflicting a mighty wound on the monster. It was still standing, though not nearly as hale and hearty as before. Mazi spied her chance and snaked her longsword towards the leader, piercing through the gap Jer's sword opened in its armor and killing the huge goblin. She winked at Jer as she pulled her sword out of the body, ready for the next goblin to attack. Meanwhile Brigit landed a blow on one of the females, wounding it severely but not enough to drop it. The large goblin and the female were still after Milo, not realizing their leader had fallen. One made contact and drew a little more blood from the wounded halfling. One of the goblins that had been concentrating on Brigit switched focus along with his large companion as they both charge toward Mazi. They had seen her kill their beloved leader and wished for revenge. Mazi was ready for them both and avoided their blows. The two in front of Brigit, distracted by the death of the large goblin, made half-hearted attempts to hit her.

Feeling a little light headed from the loss of blood, Milo missed his next attack and concentrated a little more on avoiding further blows. Jeremiah swung his greatsword past the two goblins that charged Mazi but was unable to hit either. Mazi on the other hand brought her longsword down on the goblin that she sidestepped moments ago, easily running the wounded beast through. Brigit also landed her attack, killing one of the females that had been taunting her. Regardless of Milo's attempt at avoidance, one of the goblins tagged him with his sword, drawing more blood. Jer avoided a blow from the other goblin that previously charged Mazi. Close by Brigit is wounded very lightly from the other female goblin. The group could see they had the upper hand, even with the wounds they had taken so far.

Milo's vision went a little fuzzy as he thrust his sword at the nearest goblin, missing its mark. Near him, Jeremiah dispatched one of the bigger male goblins with a mighty swing of the greatsword. He looked around for another to attack with the follow through but none were near. Mazi aimed at one of Milo's attackers, unable to hit but hopefully drawing its attention away from the beleaguered halfling. Brigit made contact with her ax again, wounding the large goblin badly but not killing it. The female still focused on Milo easily slashed him through his weakened defense. He felt a little more faint, feeling the blood draining from the wound. He wasn't going to last much longer if this kept up, he thought as he staggered from the blow. The other female swung at Mazi, hitting her but unable to cut through her magicked skin. The wounded goblin attacking Brigit thrust his longsword into her shield feebly, she grinned evilly at it. It would fall with her next attack, she thought to herself, or she weren't a dwarf.

Not thinking straight, Milo attacked and missed the female who then proceeded to mock him in its guttural tongue. Jeremiah moved up to protect Milo with Mazi but wasn't able to attack before Mazi beheaded the creature. She once again turned to wink at him, a grim smile on her elven features. Brigit swung her dwarven ax at the last goblin near her, but the wary beast hung back from her range. She nearly overextended herself again, chiding her over-eagerness to dispatch the hated goblin.

Milo, his loss of blood clouding his mind, nearly fumbled his attack and almost dropped his sword again. Jer and Mazi both attempted to pin the last goblin female to the wall but it avoided their attacks again. They feared another blow to Milo would be his last. Brigit recovered from her swing and jumped the half step between her and the goblin to plunge her ax deep into its chest. It died with a croak. The female, then the last fighting goblin standing, was hard pressed by the elf and human. It missed its attack on the nearly unconscious Milo.

That would be its last, as Milo feebly slashed at it with his sword, Jer roared and ran the female through with a mighty thrust of his huge greatsword. The goblins were at last vanquished, with only the crying spawn and their dames surviving. The group considered them from a distance. All of them were exhausted but exhilarated by their victory. They had won against incredible odds and extremely tough opponents. Even including the cleric and ogre Milo figured this battle was much more of a challenge. He loved challenges, unless they almost got him killed.

After a rest to catch his breath and clear his head Milo said, "They need to die." as he motioned to the mewling ilk in the corner.

"Aye, that they do, they be evil spawn and will do nothing but plague us if we let em live," Brigit agreed wholeheartedly.

"Do what you will," Mazi stated, "I won't stop you, but I won't join you."

Milo shrugged, looked at Brigit and nodded, "It's gruesome work, but it needs to be done."

The two of them set about the grisly work of dispatching the brood. Milo was in a foul mood as they made certain none would grow up to pester the Keep or the adventurers again. Meanwhile Mazi and Jeremiah had searched the bodies of the goblins. They found some coins on each, but nothing else of worth. Their weapons were old and notched and the best armor in the place was the damaged chainmail the leader wore. After searching the room for any hidden caches of goods they discussed their options.

"I'm willing to continue, as long as I can stay in the back," Milo told the group. He appeared to be in a better mood after clearing away the remaining living monsters.

"If you're certain, then I'm up for some more exploring. I'm curious as to what happened to the bodies of the others we killed." Mazi responded.

"Yeah, that and the full plate on that twice cursed cleric," said Milo.

"Yer as hardy as many a dwarven lad I know, little halfling," grinned Brigit, as she pounded Milo on the back. "Ya make me proud. What say you, Jeremiah? Press our good fortune and see if we can roust out any more gobbies?" Jeremiah just nodded his agreement.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part five (session two)

Keep of the Borderlands -part five (session two)
---------------------------------------

"This time you guys go first," Milo said as he held his hand to one of his wounds. "I don't feel all that good."

The four of them started down the southern passage, moving as quietly as possible. Considering one of them was a dwarf in a breastplate, it wasn't too quiet. Brigit and Jeremiah led the way with Mazi and Milo a short pace behind. They were all battle ready, with weapons drawn. No way they were going to be taken by surprise. If there were any goblins left, they were making themselves scarce. The party met no resistance as they explored the passages out of the room. Eventually they came to a large cavern stacked to the ceiling with boxes and barrels, large sacks lay strewn about. Milo's jaw dropped.

"What I wouldn't give for a couple of packhorses right now," he said. "Imagine how much in goods there is here!"

"Beer, beer, beer. Ain't there any good dwarven ale in these barrels?" Brigit could be heard to say while looking over the stacked barrels in one corner.

Mazi just shook her head at the two of them while Jeremiah headed over to where Brigit was running her hands over some smaller casks of alcohol. "Beer?" was the only word he uttered.

They had found what became of the caravan. The caravan's goods at least, still no sign of the drivers and the leader or his wife. Milo turned to his companions and began to discuss how they would search the room for the more valuable goods to haul back to the keep. As the four of them considered the finer points of a nice orderly search they heard a small rumbling. A piece of the wall they were facing opened outward and four equally surprised hobgoblins stood before them.

"Get em guys!" Milo shouted as Brigit and Mazi surged forward to engage the startled monsters.

Brigit reached them first, her short legs propelling her forward with her ax raised high. Her attack barely missed the leading hobgoblin's shoulder, bringing a smile from its lips and a curse from hers. The hobgoblin attempted to return the favor but missed its mark as well, that time the smile was Brigit's as she avoided next blow from the other creature. The two remaining beasts had no more luck than their allies did when they swung wildly at the nimble elf, Mazi. She easily dodged their blows with a mocking grace. Unfortunately She failed to connect with her longsword as well. Milo stood back and fired his crossbow at one of the ugly brutes, pegging him square in the shoulder. The beast grunted as it was pushed back a bit, but continued to press its attack. Behind Brigit and Mazi, still wounded from the previous battle, Jeremiah made a surprisingly wise decision and drew his bow rather than joining the sword fight.

Brigit completed another fruitless arc with her waraxe, again barely missing her target. The two hobgoblins arrayed against her grinned again as they attacked. Both swords bounced harmlessly off her shield and a grim smile reappeared on her face. Mazi spun her sword through the air, dazzling her opponent before running it through. She danced away from the falling body as she withdrew her weapon from its body. Meanwhile Milo had reloaded his light crossbow and thunked another arrow into the same hobgoblin he hit before. This time he pierced a vital organ and was rewarded with the sight of another fallen enemy. He crowed victory as he reloaded his crossbow, preparing for another strike. Next to him Jeremiah knocked his first arrow to the bow and let it fly. The close melee made it hard to find a mark and his arrow flew wide.

By that time Brigit had grown frustrated with her inability to slay one of these goblinoid creatures. She let loose a warcry and nearly hacked one of the two remaining hobgoblins nearly in twain. Its lone companion realized its plight a moment too late. It attempted to strike Brigit before turning to flee, the beast's sword bouncing off her armor. It never had a chance to turn around before Mazi's longsword came down in a diagonal slice, cutting its body open from shoulder to hip.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," said Milo as he lowered his crossbow. "Goblins, hobgoblins, ogres, whatever! Let em come, we can take em!" This time all three of his companions shook their head at the diminutive halfling.

"What?" Milo said loudly, "I'm serious!" He paused as he seemed to think about things a little longer. "Then again, Jeremiah and I probably couldn't take much more punishment."

"Why don't we block this door off and find out what's in the other room we saw on the way over here?" Mazi suggested.

"Alright, I guess we can pile up some of this stuff in front of the door. Some of those crates are pretty heavy, it should keep whoever else from that side of the door out." Milo said.

don't think they might break through then?" replied Brigit. Milo couldn't be sure, but there might have been a hopeful tone to her voice.

"With the amount of goods we can pile in front of that thing, they'd have to be pretty dang big to push through." Answered Milo.

"Ach, I guess so." Brigit sounded disappointed.

The four of them set about the room, finding the heaviest things they could carry to stack in the way of the swing-out wall. Brigit could be seen shoving a huge box of pewter pots and dishes, Jeremiah strained at heaving a crate of horseshoes and pot metal. Mazi rolled a few barrels of fish and beer to stack on top of the boxes and crates Brigit and Jer hauled over. Milo did his best, hauling a couple of casks of wine to place neatly on top of the pile.

"There," he said, wiping off his hands. "That should keep em out," he finished with satisfaction.

They filed out of the room as Mazi and Brigit once again took point. Back in the warrens they decided to head west. One dead end and another non-trapped door later they made their way into a medium sized, well-furnished room. There was actually a bed here, along with a chair and a table. Hmmm, thought Milo, single bed and nice furniture, this has got to be the leader's room. After expressing this theory Milo went into search mode. He looked all over the room, finding a bag full of copper, silver, and gold. Eagerly opening another bag they discovered, Milo's senses were assaulted by a foul stench. Inside was a half eaten, moldy piece of cheese.

"Ugh, no thanks," he said, moving on to look under the bed.

He struck gold there, or rather silver, as he pulled a beautifully crafted silver cup from under the unkempt bed. Just looking at it he could tell it would be worth right around another ninety gold pieces. His eyes glinted with something more than the reflection of silver. In the chair Brigit found a secret drawer under the cushion. She called Milo over to check it for any traps or locks. After looking over the hidden space carefully he declared that it was just a normal secret compartment and it could be opened without worry. Inside was a richly woven tapestry, gold and silver thread interwoven throughout material. Milo glanced once at it and declared it practically worthless. Before Brigit tossed it away Jeremiah broke his usual silence and asked to see. Exhibiting an amazing eye for detail, especially for one such as he, Jer pointed out the gold and silver filaments in the cloth. He finished by saying it had to be worth at least another hundred gold.

"Worth more than the cup? Not likely," Milo scoffed, "you can hang onto it if you like, I'm not hauling it out of here." He was never all that interested in wall hangings or the like.

They determined that all of value had been found and trooped out of the goblin leader's room. Besides the secret door they had blocked, this end of the cavern had been completely investigated. The four of them decided to find out what was at the other end of the long passage. They passed the cavern entrance where they vanquished the ogre days ago and continued up the diagonal passage towards the Southeast. After one dead-end branch they came to a widening of the passage that ended in another room. All they found here was a barrel of spears, 3 score or so, Milo guessed. Jeremiah grabbed one of them, figuring it might come in handy. They decided to leave the rest on move on.

Another passage branched out from the opposite end of the room. It began to lead up a sloping ramp. After a corner and more upwards climbing they spied a closed door. The party conferred about the wisdom of continuing on past the door. With Milo still bleeding through the crude bandages he patched together with rags and Jeremiah feeling just about as bad, they all decided to head back to the keep for a well deserved rest. The caves weren't going anywhere after all.

Milo and his friends trooped out of the caverns in good spirits. They saw no more goblins or hobgoblins on their way and they were feeling pretty confident, despite the wounds they were dealt. They had come out on top this foray and not one of them was lost to the goblinoid buggers. The four made their way back to the crest of the hill they camped at the night before. Mazi volunteered to take first watch, then Brigit, Jeremiah, and finally Milo. They went this night without a fire, still aware that more creatures may venture from the caves and realizing that the top of a hill is not the best place to light a fire when you're trying to be inconspicuous.

The night fell and Milo drifted off to sleep. He slept deeper than usual that night, so deep his normally edgy reflexes relaxed and he started to dream:

Your eyes have been closed for what seems to be only a moment when you feel surrounded by a bright light. A portly halfling appears before you, smile on his face, glowing radiantly. "My boy, I have been watching you and you have something that I like. Spunk. So I have decided to take you under my wing." A serious look overcomes his face. He reaches over and touches you on the forehead with his finger, "You now have My Mark...I have chosen you to be My hands in this matter...do not fail Me. Have faith and courage and you shall succeed. Beware the Evil, it shall attempt to enslave you My boy." The light fades and the halfling disappears.

Milo awoke with a start. He realized that it was morning now, somehow one of his friends on watch fell asleep as well. "So much for elves not having to sleep," he joked to Mazi. She had fallen asleep as soon as the rest of the group drifted off. "You know, I had the weirdest dream."

"So did I!" said Mazi.

"Was there a halfling in yours?" Milo asked, half jokingly, half hopefully. He didn't recognize the halfling in his dream, though he was obviously important, even holy. He felt uplifted, bolstered in spirit. It was as if a part of him that had been dormant, sleeping, had awakened. He remembered many of his father's teachings, they came flooding back to him in a staggering burst. He also realized that he could remember things that he never even knew. Divine spells, their somatic and verbal components leaping to mind. He felt stronger in body as well as in spirit.

"No," replied Mazi, looking at him funny. "No halflings." She muttered something about "darn trees" under her breath though. Odd, another mystery for Milo to figure out. There seemed to be a lot of those cropping up lately.

"I dreamt too," Brigit said, she seemed a little shaky. "Don't think I wanna talk about it."

"Do I have a mark on my forehead?" Milo asked Brigit as he held up the hair above his brow.

"No, ya don't. Yer actin strange, Milo." she responded.

Milo masked his surprise over the newfound knowledge and strength by changing the subject. "And you, our savage friend, did you have any dreams last night?" he said as he turned to Jeremiah.

"Yes, I dreamt that I fought a giant ogre and killed him with my sword, then I fought a man with a bull's head-" Jeremiah started.

"Ah! A minotaur." Milo said sagely.

Jeremiah glanced at him for a moment after the interruption. He continued, "but I didn't beat him, I woke up first."

"Very strange goings on here. Do either of you want to talk about your dreams?" Milo asked Brigit and Mazi.

"Nah." said Brigit, still looking a little shaken.

"No, I don't." answered Mazi.

"Well, I feel different. I think that's all I'll say about mine right now. I have some things to figure out. Shall we head out to the Keep then?" he asked while gathering up his bedroll.

The four broke camp in relative silence. Each of them reflected on what they dreamt the night before. Milo was in a good mood though, and he tried to cheer up the rest of the group as best he could. They struck out about an hour after dawn and made it back to the keep by evening. Again they noticed the lack of people on the roads, no other travelers, no caravans, no brigands or bandits. Not even the animals of the woods crossed their path.

They met the guard and were let in without a challenge, they were recognized from their last return trip. Their first destination was the church and the priest's quarters. An acolyte ushered them in almost immediately. The priest stood to meet them, a grave expression on his face.

"Welcome adventurers. I have news." he started in a low, strained voice. "This disease that has plagued our Keep is beyond my powers to abolish. I have sent word to the duke of our plight, but it is unlikely that help will arrive in time." He shook his head sadly. "The people are dying, and I must ask for your aid. Last night I had a vision-"

"You too?" Milo interrupted with a startled glance to his compatriots.

"I know not of what dreams you may have had. In my vision I beheld a cup, crusted with blood. It was a thing of great evil. It was revealed to me as the source of this plague. You, halfling, filled the cup with blessed water. You, dwarf, destroyed the cup with a bright hammer. This vision must come to pass or the people of this Keep are doomed. Will you help us?"

The four of them spoke briefly, coming to a unanimous decision quickly. "We will aid you in this. What is it we should do, where is this cup?" Milo spoke for the others.

"The cup is in the caves you have already visited. Take this scroll, halfling, it contains on it a blessing that you must confer upon the cup after it is filled with holy water." the old priest said as he handed a rolled parchment to Milo. "A warning though, do not touch the cup, it is evil and will corrupt you completely. You must not touch the cup."

"Got it, don't touch the cup. Okay, no cup touching here, understood." Milo answered, a little excited at the role he was to play in this new quest.

"Now you, brave dwarf, you must destroy the cup with the blessed hammer of my dreams. Even now I have the Keep's blacksmith crafting the hammer. It will be for this one purpose only and we will invoke the gods' blessing upon it when it is completed." He said to Brigit. "Now, I have good news. You will not be alone in this quest. Two of our men-at-arms will aid you." He called to his acolyte and spoke to him briefly. The young robed man rushed from the room and returned shortly, followed by two armored men. "This is Maruf," the priest said as he pointed to a swarthy man in a blue surcoat. "And this is Thorgrim," he finished as he pointed to the other, more fair skinned warrior in chain.

After greetings were exchanged Milo asked the two fighters, "That's great, but we found that the last two hired hands we brought with us were pretty inexperienced in melee. Have you two seen battle?"

Maruf answered by pulling a longsword and a dagger from their sheaths and dazzling them all with a graceful display in the cramped office.

"Aye, he can swing a sword." Brigit said as she ducked instinctively. Her breastplate and shield might protect her well in active combat but she wasn't too keen on the swords swinging near her in this packed office. "I'm willin ta bet ya can fight too, no need ta whip yer weapons out too." she mentioned to Thorgrim. He just smiled.

"Well, friends, it will be another day before the hammer is completed and it grows late. Please return to the inn and come here in the morning. We will impart to you the hammer and any other help we can give." the priest said as he dismissed the party.

They headed off to the inn above the tavern, had a light dinner and retired for the evening. The next morning found the four adventurers with their two new members at the front of the chapel. The priest came outside to the morning light to greet the group. "Well met, friends. We are about to start the ceremony to bless the hammer." He said. "We also blessed these vials with healing spells, there is enough for each of you to carry two," he stated as he handed eight potions to the group, each of them stowing two into their packs. "They will strengthen you when you are wounded. Now I must return and begin the rites."

"Um, excuse me," Milo started before the priest could turn to enter the chapel. "I'd like to spend some time in your library. I have some-ER-religious questions that I'd like to have answered."

"You are welcome to any knowledge we have to impart." the priest answered kindly, "I'm afraid our library is rather limited. You are welcome to any aid my acolytes and scribe can give you."

Milo spent the day poring over the few books the priest had in his library, searching for any mention of the halfling from his dream. Neither the books nor the scribe could aid him though. Even the priest admitted he was unfamiliar with the figure after he emerged from the room where the rite was being held. He requested that Milo fetch his friends, the hammer was ready.

When the others arrived he presented Brigit with a glowing hammer. It was of normal size and shape for a carpenter's hammer but it was metal from haft to head. The smooth surface glowed with a warm light. Brigit smiled as she picked up the hammer from the priest's open hands.

"Remember, you must not touch the cups. First fill it with the holy water you have, bless the cup Milo, and then destroy it with the hammer, Brigit." he said as he made a religious sign with his hands. "Now I bid you farewell, please do not fail us."

It was afternoon when the six set out for the caves once again. Milo found on the way that Jeremiah was indeed right about the tapestry, they managed to sell it for nine hundred gold! Live and learn, he thought, maybe there is something to tapestries and wall hangings. The silver cup did garner the group ninety more gold. Mazi had exchanged the gold for platinum and the four of them split the earnings on the way to the caves. They left a few platinum and gold in a 'party fund' for unforeseen expenses and the like.

The group made good time and arrived at their campsite as dusk deepened into dark. All six of the party members took a turn at watch, none slept past their allotted time, and no one dreamed anything out of the ordinary.

The next morning Milo felt refreshed. He said a short mental prayer to powers that be. "I don't know who you are, but you've awakened something in me. Whatever it is has already changed my life. I hope you know what you're doing, because I sure don't. Anyway, keep my friends safe and allow me to aid them as I can. Well, um, what do you want, I'm new to this holy thing. Oh, and don't let our new companions die this time, please?" Milo felt a little silly, he hadn't prayed since he left home, and then they were the memorized prayers of his father's.

Well, he thought, it can't hurt, right?

With that the adventurers headed the rest of the way to the caves, pausing at the mouth near the ogre's den to group. "Once more into the warrens, right guys?" Milo said as he readied his crossbow and headed in, taking the scouting position again.

Brigit and Jeremiah followed with Mazi close behind. Maruf and Thorgrim brought up the rear, keeping their guards up.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part six (session 2)

Keep of the Borderlands -part six (session 2)
--------------------------
They decided to check out the secret door in the room of caravan goods first. Milo lit his lantern once again and the group moved down the tunnels. When they arrived in the goblin warrens they noticed that once again the bodies had been removed. While this didn't really surprise any of them, Milo heightened his senses even more, tensing in preparation for any action that might come their way. They continued down the hall to the storage room and the secret door that waited there. The group was treated to a minor shock when they entered the room, all of the goods were gone. Not even a single cask of wine or bolt of cloth was left behind. Milo rushed to the door, checking for any newly laid traps. After he found none he tried to open it, and discovered that it was bolted from the other side.

"Well, I think we know who's been cleaning up after us now," he said. "Looks like the hobgoblins have more than one way into the warrens. Let's keep on guard."

The only other unexplored area was the door they left on the other end of the cavern, up the ramps.

So up the ramps they went after a non-eventful trip back through the tunnels. If the hobgoblins were out and about they weren't making themselves known. Milo reached the door and listened in. He heard faint scuffling noises and guttural grunts from through the thick, heavy door. Before doing anything else he decided it'd be best to check for traps. There was obviously someone behind there, he thought, and they were probably waiting for the adventurers. He motioned back to the others to hold off and keep quiet while he ran his hands over the rough wood door and its frame. His keen eyes picked up no sign of tampering or treachery, but he did notice that the door was locked. Ahh! Finally a chance to use his shiny new lock picks.

He rifled through his pack and produced the small leather pouch with the delicate tools inside. Milo peered at the crude lock on the door and chose the sturdiest of the picks. He carefully pushed the pins of the tumbler until he heard the familiar 'click' of an open lock. Just as he was about to flip the last tumbler his grip slipped and all of them snapped back to place. Milo started again, and hoped that the creatures on the other side of the door didn't overhear the small noise he made. That time he easily moved the pins and the door opened just a little bit. Milo leapt back, fearing a charge by whoever was in the room. He gave the go ahead signal to Brigit and Jeremiah then pressed himself against the wall as they ran past him.

Jeremiah booted the door and paused for a split second at the sight that met him a few feet into the room. Over a dozen hobgoblins stood arrayed in the large room, they growled and snarled and were obviously intent on taking a chunk out of the infidels that invaded their caverns. They had been waiting for the group. There was another passage leading away on the opposite end of the room. As soon as the door had been kicked open Mazi let the arrow from her bow fly. It whizzed by the head of a particularly ugly hobgoblin near the front of the mass. It didn't stand long though, as Jeremiah's slight pause came to an end and his greatsword met its neck. Through one hobgoblin and the next it went, one clean arc as if there weren't two thick creatures in its way. As he swung Jeremiah let loose a loud battle cry, his ferocity startled the closer hobgoblins.

Maruf worked his way up to the front lines, he looked eager for battle. He missed as his initial attack was a far space from the first hobgoblin. Milo took advantage of the gap between Maruf and the beast as he fired off a bolt into the hobgoblin. It lurched back, wounded. Brigit, Jeremiah, and Maruf blocked Thorgrim from reaching the front lines so he held back a bit, waiting for his chance to enter the fray.

As Milo watched, Brigit swung her mighty dwarven axe at the goblinoid in front of her. The axe head made an even uglier mark on the shocked looking hobgoblin as it fell to the floor. Three more hobgoblins moved up to the front line to fill the space and attacked Brigit and Maruf. One of the monsters facing Maruf made contact with its weapon, inflicting some minor damage on the man-at-arms. The other three hobgoblins' attacks were far too clumsy to hit the front line fighters.

Mazi, who was still in the back, let another arrow fly into the battle, grazing the face of one of the monsters near Jeremiah. The beast howled with pain. Jeremiah moved in to attack it but was brought up short by the next hobgoblin, snarling and baring its fangs. Nearby, Maruf regained his composure and expertly sliced the beast that attacked him previously, he wounded the creature badly.

Milo took a moment to survey the scene before him, including the three that were down he counted thirteen hobgoblins in all. He hoped it wouldn't be an unlucky number as he pulled the trigger on his crossbow. He cursed as the mechanism jammed and crouched down to work on the jammed string. Ahead Brigit had worked herself into a frenzy, swinging her ax from one side to the next. The pathetic hobgoblin in front of her didn't even see the blow coming as the waraxe sliced through its belly, spilling its innards to the floor. The body followed soon after as the dwarf snarled her distaste of the vermin before her.

Meanwhile, the hobgoblin that blocked Jeremiah's attack countered with its own, slicing its longsword along his exposed arm. Jer hissed at the wound and drew back his sword to retaliate. Near him one of the hobgoblins attacking Maruf actually swung its weapon back too far and bashed its companion in the head, it was temporarily stunned. The following swing was successful though, as the blade cut Maruf through his chain armor. He groaned, heavy on his feet.

Mazithra again fired an arrow into the fray, wounding another hobgoblin with her expert aim. She had enough time to see Jeremiah finish his back swing and slice through not only the hobgoblin that wounded him, but clean through the one next to it. His greatsword was shiny with the creatures' blood and his face had a feral look to it.

Maruf was already weakened by the wounds he had taken before he made his next attack. His sword was unable to land a blow on the hobgoblins before him. They grinned as they pressed their advantage. Thorgrim finally reached the battle next to his fellow man-at-arms. His weapon also fell short of the mark but he hoped to at least draw some of the goblinoids' attention.

Brigit hacked away at any hobgoblin stupid enough to get near her. Her swinging blows felled another as more of the monsters moved up to the front of the fight. The four that were engaged failed to hit any of the adventurers at the forefront.

Another arrow flew from Mazi's bow as she took careful aim. Not careful enough though, her target moved at the last moment. Jer had no such problem, dodging or no, the next two in front of the 'Hobgoblin Killer' went down in a spray of blood as his huge weapon sliced through the air. Maruf didn't fare so well, he swung his sword hard at the hobgoblin attacking him and overextended himself. Just as the hobgoblin's blow was about to land, Milo sprang into action, rolling along the floor to stop behind the attacker. He was too late though, the creature moved with uncharacteristic swiftness and delivered the crushing blow that knocked Maruf to the ground. Thor shouted as he saw his friend fall, he swung his sword wildly to fend off any hobgoblins that might try to finish Maruf off.

Milo began to prepare a spell to aid the fallen Maruf but was pierced by a longsword before he could get the first words out of his mouth. The hobgoblin grinned as it withdrew its sword from his side. Milo ignored the pain and began the mantra that sprang to his mind, determined to use his newfound power to save his newfound friend.

Brigit dispatched her latest victim as she had the others, with another vicious blow of her axe. She grinned to herself as she realized that not one of the hobgoblins had made it past her defense.

Determined to finish off the beasts, Mazi fired another arrow, this time exclaiming in satisfaction as she saw that it pierced the throat of her target. The hobgoblin loosed a breathy sound as it tried to scream its death cry.

Up ahead Jeremiah moved behind the hobgoblin that mortally wounded Maruf, intent on finishing it off. Near the floor Milo crouched down as he finished his chanting and placed his hands on Maruf's wounds. A warm tingling sensation traveled from his spine down his arms and through his small fingers. He watched in amazement as Maruf's wounds stopped bleeding and the skin stitched itself closed. 'So this is what the healers feel', he thought, 'I could get used to this.' The sensation left him before the wounds were completely healed, but Maruf's eyes fluttered open and he had the strength to stand.

Just as the hobgoblin near Maruf and Milo was about to strike the woozy Maruf down again, Brigit's thirsty axe found its mark again. The last beast fell, nearly on top of the still crouching Milo. He scarcely noticed, still thinking about the amazing feeling he just had. 'I'll have to figure out how to make the healing more effective', he thought absentmindedly to himself.

Maruf thanked Milo profusely. He told him that he could feel himself slipping farther away from life before the halfling brought him back. Milo, feeling a little self-conscious from everyone's attention, played it off.

"It was nothing, I did what I had to do. We're just glad you're still alive, right everyone? Hey, is that a money pouch I see on that hobgoblin?" Milo swooped down on the corpse that Brigit created and pulled up a little bag of silver. "See, money! I bet the rest of them have some too!" He started industriously searching the rest of the bodies lying about the room.

Eventually the rest of the group joined in and they pooled the various coins they found together. They would split the loot later.

Satisfied that attention was sufficiently distracted away from him, Milo handed Maruf one of the potions that the priest had given him. He told the man-at-arms to gulp it down before anything else happened. He gratefully complied and the rest of his wounds were soon healed. Milo couldn't find anything else of interest in the room besides the money they found on the bodies. The adventurers readied themselves to continue on through the passage leading out of the room and into unknown danger ahead.

The tunnels were extremely dark this far in. Milo, Jeremiah, Maruf, and Thorgrim were unable to see anything past Milo's lantern. They decided that Brigit, being the only one of them with the ability to see in complete darkness, should go ahead to scout out the way. She moved up a bit, her armor jangling. 'It's either me blind and silent or Brigit loud and aware', Milo thought to himself, 'we can't win.'

After some slanting passageways and a couple of straight tunnels the group found themselves at a fork. The passage continued west and the side passage veered south. They decided to head down the left passage and headed south together. After a couple of curves the passage opened into another cavern.

Two large and very surprised hobgoblins stood in the middle of a grisly scene. One had a sword and a whip, the other just a longsword. Across the room, chained to a wall were three human men and one woman as well as an orc and a gnoll. Before anyone could react Milo started rummaging through his pack.

"Ahah!" he shouted as he found one of the divine scrolls he carried. He quickly chanted the contents of the scroll and pointed his finger at the hobgoblin carrying the whip. The creature made to move, but was frozen in place. A look of surprise crept across its dull features.

The other hobgoblin jumped into action. It lunged at Brigit, its hated enemy. She easily fended off the blow as the other four adventurers closed in. Attack after attack rained down on the hapless hobgoblin. Thorgrim finished off the beast with a stab of his longsword to its chest, right through the chainmail. Milo sauntered over to the frozen hobgoblin and pulled out his dagger. He walked behind the straining monster and took aim, right through the thin muscles in the back to the monster's black heart.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part seven (session two)

Milo found a ring of keys on the corpse and handed them to Mazi. She immediately let down the four humans. One was slightly older and pudgier than the rest, Milo astutely guessed that this would be the caravan leader. The other two men immediately armed themselves with the hobgoblins' weapons and chainmail. The woman stood slightly behind the caravan leader almost in a deferring manner, he guessed she was the leader's wife. Milo noticed that she wasn't quite as beautiful as the stories told, but he was never that good of a judge of human attractiveness.

The leader introduced himself and his wife, thanking the party over and over. His two guards were introduced as Charles and Gerwin. Another Charles, thought Milo to himself, here we go again! The caravan leader explained that he was a very wealthy individual and he would pay the party well if they helped him escape back to the Keep. The four looked at each other, an unspoken conversation seemed to take place. All of them wanted to see the hobgoblins dead and they didn't fancy leaving their backs exposed to the enemy as they turned tail and fled.

Milo explained the situation to the caravan leader thusly, "See it's like this, we have to finish taking out these beasties or they're just going to get to you or someone else again. Now you could leave here the way we came in and take your chances on meeting a roving pack of slavering goblins and hobgoblins-" he let that statement hang in the air, his voice dripped with implied violence and danger. "Or you can follow us as we abolish the rest of the vermin in this cavern and rid you of future threat." Milo wanted any reward the man was offering but he wanted the hobgoblins dead even more. This seemed to be the best way to get both.

The pudgy man considered the offer for an extremely short amount of time before he emphatically agreed that the best course was to stick together. Smiling with satisfaction Milo surveyed the rest of the room, his eyes finally resting on the orc and gnoll chained to the wall.

"What of these two? Anyone here speak orc or gnoll?"

Brigit stepped near the orc, her racial hatred made her eyes glint like steel. "I speak this vermin's tongue," she spat out with obvious distaste. "But I'd rather gut tha pig than ask 'im about tha weather."

"Um, hang on to that thought for a moment, Brig. How about the gnoll? Anyone speak its language?" Milo asked. He was answered with shakes of the head from the rest of his travelling companions. "Okay then. Brigit, I know you're eager to take out the orc, but maybe you can get some information from it first?"

"Aye, but I canna promise ya anything," she said.

She then uttered some guttural syllables at the chained orc. It answered her back in the same guttural sounds but with a wheedling tone.

"It says it will help us if we help it. I'm fixin ta help it to me waraxe tho. Orcs canna be trusted, they're all lyin vermin."

"Mayhap, what do you think guys, can it be trusted?" Milo asked the rest of the group.

Jeremiah and Mazi studied the orc while Brigit spoke with it. As far as either of them could gather from the orc's mannerisms it had been as honest as they could tell. Neither of them thought that the thing would help them as soon as it became convenient for it to do otherwise. They all discussed the matter and voted to leave the orc chained for the time being, perhaps coming back to free it when they were done killing hobgoblins.

Milo walked up to the gnoll, "You, do you speak common?" All he was able to get out of the jackal headed creature was a whimper and a lost puppy dog look. "I guess not. I say we leave the gnoll here too, at least until we clean out the rest of the non-chained beasts."

The party agreed and they all prepared to continue on. Milo told the caravan leader that he should stay in the back with his two guards in front. They looked eager to fight after their harsh imprisonment and torture.

Brigit and Jeremiah rounded the corner of the hallway leading out, directly into a barrage of crossbow bolts. Big crossbow bolts. The two heavy bolts skimmed past Jeremiah, they missed him by the breadth of a hair. The hobgoblins holding the crossbows cursed in their throaty language and started to reload the heavy weapons.

Jeremiah raised his sword and charged with a scream. Behind him Mazi quickly fired and arrow at the evil beasts down the hallway. She was unable to take aim with Jer charging down the tunnel in front of her. Milo had a similar problem when Brigit stumped off ahead of him. His bolt flew too high and ricocheted off the ceiling, it hurt nothing more than some loose stone that fell to the floor with a rattle.

The hobgoblins saw their previous target looming before him and decided against reloading in favor of drawing their swords. Nearly oblivious, Maruf and Thorgrim hadn't turned the corner yet, but they glanced at each other as the sounds of battle echoed down the tunnel.

Right as Jeremiah reached the T-intersection of the passage four more heavy bolts flew, two from each side. Three missed their mark but one sunk deep into his shoulder, breaking his stride. Milo groaned as he watched Jeremiah run right into the trap. He started to tumble forward, intent on using his divine power to protect the barbarian.

Mazi fired another arrow at the hobgoblins, frustrated at her line of sight to her targets. Her arrow flew wide again. Jeremiah paused to pull the bolt from his shoulder and quaff one of the potions he was given. Milo reached Jeremiah and placed his hand on the shoulder that so recently bore the wound. He chanted quickly and a faint glow passed from his hand to Jeremiah, spreading out over his body before fading away.

"You'll find the evil beasts have a harder time hitting you now, Jer," Milo said as he turned to see who fired from the other hallway.

By then Brigit had reached the hobgoblins and laid waste to one with her axe, splitting its skull. The other original ambusher attempted to strike Jeremiah but was repelled by an unseen force just as its sword was about to hit. A look of perplexion crossed its porcine features.

Down the two passages the other four hobgoblins dropped their crossbows and prepared to attack the adventurers. Up the other passageway Maruf and Thorgrim strived to reach the fight.

Mazi and Milo both fired their weapons simultaneously. The arrow from Mazi's bow missed its target, but Milo's bolt found its mark in one of the approaching hobgoblins down the hallway. Jeremiah, bolstered by the potion, sliced the one in front of him, finishing off the original ambushers.

Thorgrim and Maruf had made it to the fray by then, Maruf sidling up to Milo and Thorgrim protecting Brigit's flank on the other side. Just as they reached their positions the other four hobgoblins attacked. The one with Milo's crossbow bolt sticking from its shoulder smashed its longsword through Milo's defense, wounding him badly. Thorgrim also felt the sting of the enemy's weapon, equally wounded.

Brigit swung her axe at the beast that attacked Thorgrim after she dodged a blow herself. The axe head met home as it smote the goblinoid creature. Down the hall Charles and Gerwin stood guard while the caravan leader and his wife peeked around the corner frightfully.

Once again Mazi fired her bow at the melee, still unable to enter the fray directly. Once again her arrow missed the hobgoblin of her aim. Milo quickly downed a potion of his own, he felt its restorative powers as they coursed through his veins.

Brigit swung her axe at the next monster, sending it to its maker with the rest of the vermin she'd dispatched. Standing besider her, Jeremiah looked around for a target, he prepared himself to lunge at the hobgoblin Maruf fought in case the man-at-arms fell. Maruf nimbly dodged an attack and countered with his longsword. The blow wounded the hobgoblin in the leg, drawing blood and causing it to snarl in pain. The hobgoblin made to attack again, ignoring the gash caused by the longsword. Its companion attempted to hit Milo but the newly restored halfling dodged the sword with ease.

Mazi moved closer, hoping the proximity would improve her chances of shooting one of the beasts. The distance didn't help as her arrow was thrown off course at the last moment as she refocused her aim when one of her companions moved in the way. That companion was Jeremiah, seeing an opening in the fight between Maruf and the hobgoblin, he shoved his greatsword tip-first at the creature. It died with a gurgle as it slid off the huge blade.

Milo moved a half-step away from the last hobgoblin and fired his bolt pointblank into the monster's chest. It too fell to the ground while a gurgle escaped its lips.

Flush with victory the group quickly assessed the situation. Milo and Mazi's sensitive ears picked up the sound of more hobgoblin footsteps approaching from the northwest corridor. The six combatants conferred and decided to set up an ambush of their own.

Milo motioned the body guards to stay down the hall. All of the party members with range weapons readied their ammo, three bows and one crossbow aimed down the hallway, waiting for the first hobgoblin to appear. Maruf and Thorgrim, both still wounded slightly from the battle so far, stayed to the rear.

All four strings were released as the first of the approaching mob made their way around the corner. Mazi and Jeremiah's arrows barely missed. Brigit's missile winged one of the surprised hobgoblins. Milo's dead aim led his crossbow bolt straight into the eye of his target. The beast fell straight back onto the floor, the only noise it made was the sound of its sword clattering against the stone.

The hobgoblins didn't take long to recover from their shock and the remaining three charged at the group. Milo was overconfident with his critical shot to the previous hobgoblin and misloaded his bolt. He cursed quietly when the string snapped past the bolt, damaging it and causing him take time to reload.

Since she was in front and preferred her waraxe to the bow, Brigit took a moment to switch weapons. Mazi took the difficult shot and tried to hit the hobgoblin that approached her. The beast was too close and her arrow missed as the hobgoblin shuffled to the side quickly.

Jeremiah was behind Brigit and attempted to fire his arrow into one of the approaching enemies. The arrow skittered across the wall as he was nudged by Brigit trying to draw her axe.

Maruf was able to move past the crowd and attacked one of the hobgoblins that had reached the front. His swing failed to connect though. Behind the others Thorgrim waited impatiently, unable to find a way into the fight in the tight passageway.

Brigit released her axe from its holster on her belt and brought it up into the face of her enemy, splitting the head vertically from chin to skull. Mazi and Jeremiah released their arrows once again, Mazi's missing her opponent as the unusually nimble hobgoblin danced out of the way. Jeremiah's arrow sunk deep into the chest of one of the hobgoblins approaching Brigit. Brigit laughed as the beast fell before her, unable to raise its spear in time to attack before the arrow robbed it of life.

Next to Mazithra, Maruf snaked out his longsword at the nimble hobgoblin, ending its threat to the elf. She glanced over to the man-at-arms, a quick expression of gratitude on her face before turning to aim at the next beast. The hobgoblins kept filing around the corner, an unending flow it seemed to Milo. Luckily not one had connected with the deadly short spears they carried.

One approached Mazi, hampering her aim again as she fired her arrow wide. Another distracted Maruf, its spear deflecting his sword as he attacked. The third hobgoblin approached Brigit carefully, avoiding her waraxe but not making any headway with its own weapon.

Milo and Jeremiah were unable to hit any of the beasts as they engaged the party in a swirling melee. They both quickly reloaded, looking for another opening.

Milo found one and let his bolt fly. It sunk into the hobgoblin facing Mazi. The bolt pierced a vital organ and the beast dropped to the ground.

Brigit swung her axe past the longer reach of the hobgoblins spear to slice it right across the chest. A spray of blood followed the axe's trail before the goblinoid dropped dead.

The opening allowed Jeremiah to target one of the beasts farther back and his arrow sunk into its leg. The hobgoblin howled with rage and charged towards the fight. Unable to reach Jer, the monster lunged at Maruf, piercing his armor and dropping the man-at-arms to the ground for a second time that day.

Milo saw his friend drop and prepared another incantation. His new powers were coming in more than handy, he thought. Mazithra shot her arrow point blank at the monster that stabbed Maruf. The yew bow she carried snapped straight, propelling the arrow into the hobgoblin, the tip emerged from the other side of its shoulder.

His incantation finished, Milo touched his hands to Maruf's wound. The ugly gash closed and the man-at-arm's eyes opened. Milo could tell that the spell didn't heal the Maruf's wounds completely though. Milo helped Maruf up and they retreated a few feet carefully.

Mazi and Jer both aimed at different hobgoblins, ones they had wounded before. Both arrows flew true, wounding the beasts fatally. The one remaining hobgoblin turned to flee just as Brigit's axe fell. The beast didn't even have a chance to turn down the hall.

The six adventurers stood over the bodies of their vanquished foes, breathing heavily. Maruf was still wounded badly and Milo was out of spells. The caravan leader approached them and expressed his deep desire to see the light of day again. They all decided that the rest of the hobgoblins, if there were any, could wait a few days more.

Milo and the rest searched the bodies, coming up with more coins. Brigit carried the 'burden' of copper, silver, and gold. Their stash of currency was getting hefty and she was about the only one of them that didn't mind the extra weight in her pack. Nothing else of interest lay with the bodies.

"Well, let's get out of here and regroup guys, that cursed cup isn't getting any closer with us standing around," Milo said as the group headed down the eastern passage.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part eight (session two)

The group, then inflated to ten strong, filed their way outof the caverns. They were constantly onguard for any more ambushes, but the trip out was uneventful. The caravan leader seemed shocked at thecarnage that lay in the group's wake. Milosmirked, we don't mess around, he thought to himself while glancing over at thepudgy, frightened man. The going was alittle slower to the hill this time due to the leader and his wife. The group stuck together on the way up,deciding strength in numbers was more important than scouting ahead to theirold camping grounds.

After setting up another cold camp the party slept. Two stood watch at any given moment exceptfor the caravan leader and his wife. Noone complained. The night passedquickly and no dreams were mentioned the next morning. The caravan leader was anxious to make it tothe Keep that day so they headed out as soon as their camp was struck. They made good time on the road back to thekeep. Milo again noticed the lack ofpeople along the roads, the plague seemed to be taking its toll.

They reached the Keep by early evening and were greeted bygaunt looking guards. The guardsrecognized the caravan leader immediately and ushered the ten of them throughthe gate. Charles and Gerwin led the wayto the caravan leader's home, setting a fast pace. They seemed more than relieved to be home. Milo didn't have the heart to tell them ofwhat was happening in the Keep currently, or that they would most likely bepressed into service as guardsmen. Oncethey reached the ostentatious home of the caravan leader he turned and beckonedthem inside.
As a gesture of gratitude he handed the group a hefty bag ofcoins. He also handed each a signetring. "For saving my life and thelife of my wife and men-at-arms I present to you this money and theserings. Those rings you hold will markyou as exempt from taxes and fees for one year. The moneychangers will not charge you for their services and themerchants will not charge you taxes. This is just a small token of our appreciation. Please accept these gifts," the caravanleader gushed to the adventurers. Theyaccepted the rings and money graciously, thanking the leader for thereward.

Before they left to check in with the priest the wife pulledMazithra aside. "Please take this dagger, it's been in my family foryears," she said as she pressed the hilt of a large dagger into Mazi'shand. "It's magically sharp andwill serve you well. Thank you so muchfor saving us, I thought I would die in that horrible place." Mazi thanked her and asked if there wasanything in particular she knew about the knife. "Only that it cuts meat and cheeses well. I've always used it in the kitchen,"the woman answered, turning slightly red. "I was told by my mother and grandmother that it had an enchantmentplaced on it, that's as much as I know." Mazi thanked her once again and the party headed to the temple.

Milo was eager to see what the woman had imparted to hiselven friend. He practically stood onhis tiptoes to get a glance at what was in her hands. Mazi shook her head in amusement as she held out the dagger. "Here you go, Milo. I don't think I have a use for this. It seems more your style anyway. The Goodwife said it was enchanted. It should be better than that little knifeyou carry around anyway." She saidas she handed the magic dagger to Milo.
"Really? Youmean it? Thanks Mazi! You're the best!" Milo said as helooked over the well-crafted weapon. Hecould feel a slight tingle as she handed it to him. Yes, this would serve him well, he thought as he stashed it inhis belt, removing the mundane blade that was in its place. I'll just have to sell this one I guess.

The group made their way to the chapel to meet with thepriest. The elderly man met them,eagerly awaiting news of the cups and their quest. Milo related to him their battles in the caves and the rescue ofthe caravan leader, his wife, and his guards. He also related that there was no sign of the cups from the priest'sdream. The old man looked crestfallen.
"I am very disappointed and saddened that you have notfound the cups yet. The people of theKeep grow weaker day by day, some have died from the plague already. I fear that if the cups are not destroyedsoon then the guards will not be able to fend off any attacks from the denizensof the caves or the hills." Thepriest told them. "We will ofcourse heal your wounds and provide you with more healing draughts. I beg of you to find those cups. The Keep's safety and our very lives dependon it!" He left them to theacolytes then. Once the six of themwere healed and given more potions they decided to restock their provisions andhead out in the morning.

While Milo was changing in the coins they found Maziinquired of the banker about higher valued coins that may be easier tocarry. Though the banker did not carryanything worth more than platinum, nor had he ever heard of any coin mintedthat was more rare, he was able to point her in the direction of the Keep'sjeweler. At the mention of jewelsMazi's pointed ears seemed to perk up. With a glint in her eye she headed over to the aforementioned shop. The next time Milo saw her he noticed aconsiderable decrease of the size of her money pouch. He also noticed a small blue gem set in gold, hanging from herear. It was hard to miss, she had herhair swept away from that ear as if to showcase the beautiful gem. Milo guessed at its value to be somewherearound 500 gold. A hefty bit of changeto be wearing on your ear, he shrugged. "Women," he thought.

The party spent a restful night in their rooms above thetavern after a refreshing dinner. Brigit and Jeremiah went easy on the drink that night. Perhaps they felt as Milo did, that theworst was ahead of them yet. They got anearly start the next morning, heading towards their favorite campsite atop thehill. It was past dusk by the time theyreached it. They once again set threewatches of two. The night passedwithout event, each of the watches struggled to stay awake. They spoke of their homelands to each other,getting to know Maruf and Thorgrim a little better. The dawn found the six adventurers already heading towards thecursed gorge and its deadly caves.

The gorge was still uninhabited when they arrived. The cave mouths hanging open like hungrymouths, ready to swallow unprepared victims to the center of the earth. Milo was feeling a little dramatic thatmorning. They started into the cavescautiously, on the watch for any more ambushes like the last. The party made their way to the hallway thatthey fought the ambush and reinforcements in. Once again the bodies were gone, no trace of the carnage or the clean upcould be found. Again Milo attributedthe lack of bodies to the denizens of the caves. He figured that he wouldn't want dead people lying about thestreets where he lived either. Carefully they moved past the intersection and around the corner of thenext corridor. No heavy bolts shot outof the darkness, not even a sound echoed through the abandoned tunnels. They came to an opening on the left of thepassage, a small room with some poorly kept weapons. Probably where the reinforcements were waiting. Milo tread softly down the corridor, henoticed a thin string suspended at human knee level. Along the string were tiny bells, a lot of them. It was a primitive alarm, buteffective. If any of them had trippedover it they would have made quite a noise. Milo quieted his friends down while he studied the simple trap. Well, he thought, here I go. He carefully cut the string at one end ofthe line with his new dagger, keeping it as still as possible as he lowered itto the floor. Unfortunately he couldn'tstop some minor tinkling from the bells as they reached the ground. He winced, knowing that someone waslistening for that precise sound. Hehoped that the noise did not carry as far as he feared it would.
"Alright, if anyone was listening for the bells thenthey're probably ready for us. Howabout we get the big ones up front, just in case?" Milo whispered as he turned to thegroup. He almost laughed when he caughtsight of them. They were holding theircollective breath, to the last one. Heshook his head a little and motioned for Jeremiah and Brigit to lead theway. Milo and Mazi followed with Marufand Thorgrim bringing up the rear again.

As they came around the next corner they could see thehallway ended in a wooden door. AfterMilo quickly checked for traps, finding none, Jeremiah kicked it in. The six of them charged into the room,hoping to catch the occupants somewhat unaware. They plowed into a large room, filled with hobgoblins. There were two tables turned on their edges,feet away from the party, with two hobgoblins behind each. Behind them Milo could see another dozen orso hobgoblins, including a very large, particularly mean looking one to theback. Thorgrim and Brigit wasted notime, they ran towards the tables while dodging all four crossbow bolts flyingtheir way. The hobgoblins seemed verysurprised at this tactic, they had assumed that their cover put them at anadvantage. Jeremiah gleefully strodeinto their midst after Brigit and Thorgrim yanked the tables down, leaving thelegs standing straight in the air. Jerswung his greatsword as he walked forward, slicing through one, then another ofthe surprised crossbowmen. Milo andMazi let their own missiles fly, the bolt finding the shoulder of one of theremaining crossbowmen. Mazi's arrowflew past the other hobgoblin as it leaned down to hurriedly reload its weapon. Maruf didn't give the beast time as hecharged towards him, he missed with his swing but distracted the hobgoblin fora moment.

Brigit and Jeremiah were proving their prowess against thehobgoblins once again, each dispatching one of the ugly brutes. A look of fear spread among the assortedhobgoblins. One of the remainingcrossbowmen managed to fire another bolt off before falling to Brigit's ax. The bolt struck home in a chink through herarmor, wounding her in the side. Shegrimaced through the pain as she hacked through the monster. Milo and Mazi loosed another volley at theenemy, Milo's shot finding a target in one of the dumbstruck hobgoblins. Mazi's arrow flew wide again, she cursed asit clattered off the wall. Three morehobgoblins moved up to engage Jeremiah, Brigit, Maruf and Thorgrim. One of them made contact through Jeremiah'sthin armor, causing him to wince in pain. The wound was at the cost of its compatriot's attack as it stepped onthe beast’s foot, bringing a roar of pain from its mouth. The other attackers were unable to make adent in the adventurer's defense. Thecrossbowmen slowly retreated as they reloaded their weapons, allowing the otherhobgoblins to move in front.

Mazi pulled her bowstring back again, taking careful aim atthe nearest hobgoblin. She fired thearrow straight at the beast and pierced its lung, felling it instantly. It gasped for air past the blood that wasnow filling its lung. Milo's boltwounded another hobgoblin, grazing its arm as it raised its sword to attackMaruf. Disregarding the wound, thehobgoblin slashed at the man-at-arms. Maruf received the blow on his own arm and was unable to complete hisown attack. Near him Brigit andJeremiah fought on. Brigit missed withher next swing but looked on as Jer took out the second to last crossbowmen,two with one stroke. She admired hisability to cleave through the goblinoids so easily and tried to study histechnique as the battle raged on. Onthe other side of their fighting Thorgrim was engaged in a near even battlewith the hobgoblin in front. They bothswung at the same time, their swords grating as they slid to the hilts. Both pivoted their blades simultaneously,choosing to accept a wound in order to inflict one. Thorgrim's blade bit deeper than the hobgoblins, killing thecreature as it did its damage to the brave man-at-arms.

Milo fired another bolt into the fray, this time sinking thequarrel into the leg of one of the hobgoblins. Maruf also made contact with his weapon, scoring a glancing blow on hisopponent. Thorgrim, flush with hisvictory but wounded by the mutual sword thrust, wavered a little. It was just enough for the next hobgoblin tomake it past his defenses. He cried outas the sword was pulled from his gut, sinking to the ground unconscious. The hobgoblin laughed as it licked the bloodfrom its blade. The wound was severeand Thorgrim's blood quickly pooled on the floor. Milo quickly moved to his side, readying his incantations. Brigit and Jeremiah pressed forward throughthe hobgoblin ranks, not landing any blows but stopping their progress towardsthe halfling and the fallen Thorgrim.

With his friend fallen, Maruf had two hobgoblins to dealwith. The clumsy beasts attacked him,one shoving the other out of the way as it slid its sword into Maruf'storso. Maruf cried out like his fallencomrade, wavering on his feet as Thorgrim had before him. Milo finished his chanting as Mazi, Brigit,and Jeremiah fought to fend off the hobgoblins. They had seen two men fall and their morale was raised as theirleader shouted in hobgoblin at the rear, struggling to move forward through thefight. Thorgrim's eyes fluttered openas the wound in his belly closed. Milocould see that the man-at-arms was still injured and he whispered to him totake it easy. The soldier nodded andgot to his feet, readying his sword for another attack. The leader had almost made its way toJeremiah, obviously intending to take out the largest threat first. Milo noticed its progress and quicklyprepared another incantation. The lastcrossbowman let out a guttural curse as its weapon jammed. It pounded on the mechanism while itscompatriots attempted to wound the standing party members.

Mazi decided her sword was needed more than her bow. She switched weapons as she moved to thefront of the battle, near Brigit and Maruf. Jeremiah roared in rage, his eyes had a crazed look in them. A bit of foamed spittle escaped his mouth ashe slashed through another hobgoblin. His muscles bunched and he seemed to grow a bit bigger as his ragecontinued. Milo had a moment to reflecton this apparent change in his friend as he finished his spell and touched thebarbarian. He would be protected fromthe vile goblinoids a little more now. Just in time, thought Milo. Hewatched as a blow fell short of Jeremiah, the hobgoblin seemed to shy away fromthe towering human as it got near enough to strike. Brigit swung her axe in a great arc, keeping the hobgoblins atbay. Maruf moved up to engage thehobgoblins near the dwarf, directly in the path of a sword intended forher. He crumpled to the ground, ashocked stare at the ragged wound the sword caused. The beast the struck down Thorgrim seemed personally insulted byhis recovery. It charged the soldierwith a shout. Thorgrim took the attackhead-on and the sword pierced his armor. He sunk to the ground from the loss of blood. The hobgoblin grinned at Milo, as if challenging him to heal theman-at-arms once again.

Jeremiah, in an inarticulate rage, swung his sword at thecowering hobgoblins before him. Theyslunk out of his range, but not out of the range of Mazi's spinninglongsword. She slashed at one of themonsters, killing it with the graceful stroke of her blade. Near them Brigit knelt to feed Maruf one ofher potions of healing. He made it tohis feet shakily, thanking the dwarf as he stood. Milo was undaunted by the challenge of the hobgoblin, he loweredhis hands over Thorgrim, healing the latest wound but not bringing his fallencomrade to consciousness. Thorgrim wasstabilized, that's all that mattered to him then. A bolt whizzed by Mazi as she danced through the melee. Maruf took another minor wound from anadvancing hobgoblin. Jeremiah felt thesting of a longsword as well. A smallslash that enraged the angry human even more.

The hulking barbarian swung his huge greatsword out awayfrom himself. It pulverized first onehobgoblin, then the next. He shoutedsomething unintelligible and cast about, looking for another victim. Mazi tried to fight her way to the remainingcrossbowman. Her sword found anotherweak point and the beast that she was fighting crumpled to the ground. Brigit moved next to Maruf, both of themswinging their weapons at any hobgoblin that dared to come near the two. Milo was out of healing spells for theprostrate Thorgrim. He took aim withhis crossbow and fired another bolt at the approaching hobgoblin leader. It grazed the huge beast, only serving tomake it angrier. The monster stabbed atJeremiah, but was unable to hit him through the magical enchantment that Milohad cast. The two other smallerhobgoblins could not penetrate the party's defense.

Mazithra was in rare form as she spun around the clumsyattack of one hobgoblin. She expertlyslid her sword into the beast's breast, stabbing it through the heart. The hobgoblin didn't even have a chance tolook shocked, its face stuck in the same grimace it wore as it attackedMazi. Brigit moved to attack thecrossbowman, her ax falling short of the beast. It let a bolt fly at the other approaching enemy, Mazi. The bolt came nowhere near the dancingelf. Jeremiah towered over theconsiderably large hobgoblin leader and swung his greatsword. The sword sliced through the creature'sarmor and traced a nasty gash through its flesh. The leader held its wound and weakly stabbed at Jer. Milo took the opportunity to fire a quarrelat it. The bolt found its home in thebeast's brainpan, forever rendering it incapable of any coherent thought, oraction for that matter. Mazi made onemore graceful pirouette before she plunged her longsword deep into the body ofthe crossbowman. It gasped out in painas it fell to the ground.

Milo raced to the fallen form of Thorgrim. He confirmed that the man-at-arms was stillstable. He channeled some minorcantrips he had prepared into a small amount of healing and the brave soldierwas once again to his feet. The two ofthem stood to look around at the carnage. Not one hobgoblin remained standing. Many died by grisly wounds dealt by all six of the party. Milo spied a shine from the waist of thehobgoblin leader. He moved aside thetattered tunic the large hobgoblin wore and found a bejeweled silver belt. Near the back of the room Brigit uncovered acache of a gem, a potion, and a wand. Mazi eagerly snatched the gem, holding it out and trying to appraiseit.
"Let's leave that for later, Mazi. I think we can find out what all this isworth back at the Keep." Milo spoke up. "Maruf and Thorgrim are looking pale from the loss of blood and Ithink we could all use a little rest after this battle."
Mazi agreed and they stowed their findings. After searching the rest of the bodies andfinding more coins on each, the group trooped out of the caverns to the lightof day once again. Though they had onlybeen in the caves for a short while this time, it felt to Milo that they hadspent days within. He felt emotionally,spiritually, and physically drained as the group made their way back to thecamp. The battle was long and taxing. He had not exercised his divine powers tothat extent before and he felt the difference. Once they made it to camp he said another little prayer to hismysterious halfling benefactor, thanking Him for helping Milo to saveThorgrim's life. Exhausted, he fell asleepand didn't wake again until it was his turn at watch. They would go back to the Keep for more healing before trying tofind the cups in the caves again.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part nine (session three)

The party made it to the Keep, hauling some of the treasurethey found in the back rooms of the hobgoblin's lair. Brigit had stumbled across two suits of full plate armor, onedwarven size and one human size. Theonly things that gave off magic after Milo and Mazi cast a couple of cantripsat the hill were the wand and their rings, as well as Milo's dagger. As soon as they made it past the gate sheheaded off to the smithy to get the suit modified to her dimensions. She mumbled something about"impenetrable" and "tank" as she stumped off. Milo and the rest took their gear to thepriest, hoping he could identify the wand and the potion they had found. The priest seemed distraught at the factthat they had not found the cups. Heunderstood their plight as he caught sight of the two men-at-arms. Though Milo had healed them to the best of hisability he could not bring them to full health that morning. The priest welcomed them in and usheredMaruf and Thorgrim off with an acolyte to receive healing. He took the potion and wand Milo offered tohim and promised to find out their nature by the next day. Mazi and Jeremiah excused themselves, theyboth wanted to spend some time meditating in their own way, Mazi in her innroom and Jer at the bar in the tavern. Milo decided to stay at the chapel until evening, spending more time inthe library. He learned from theirscribe how to commit his incantations to parchment for later use. After spending his hard earned coin on somewriting utensils and supplies Milo found that he could produce his spells onpaper, in effect storing them for later use. He had heard Mazi mention the technique but didn't realize that it wasuseful for divine spells as well as arcane. It turned out that Jeremiah and Brigit spent some time comparing notesbefore the night was through. Shelearned his peculiar technique of slicing through enemies and he learned somegeneral strategies to use in close quarters. Mazi had taken care of the party’s other loot. She sold the gem and belt for a hefty amount, doing Miloproud. Mazi also changed the group’ssmaller coin for higher denominations, easy to carry. The four split the coin evenly but left some set aside for groupexpenses.

The next morning the four met at the chapel. Maruf and Thorgrim were completely healedand carrying a short bow and longbow that they had found in the caverns. The priest saw them in his office. He handed the wand to Milo, stating that itheld multiple charges of a healing spell, though he couldn't tell how many wereleft. He had discovered the keyword forthe wand in its glyph's. Milo wouldhave to utter the word "Abernathy" in order to discharge thewand. Milo looked at the priest with anodd look in his eye. He could havesworn he'd heard that name before. Hewas certain some of the more weathered sailors told tall tales about anotherland and a powerful wizard by a name not unlike that. Odd, he thought, oh well, no matter. Milo shrugged off the thought. The priest further related that the potion they found was no potion atall. It was poison, a deadly varietythat usually resulted in death. Miloand the others asked the priest to dispose of the foul brew rather than takingit back. The priest was glad to helpthem in that manner. He also gave eachof them a healing potion if they had already used theirs. The old man excused himself for not handingout more, but the people of the Keep came first. They found that even healed by the priest's divine magic andprayers the people would fall sick shortly after. Milo also noticed the ever-present crows and vultures circlingthe Keep. They seemed to be circlingcloser than the night before. With afarewell and the promise to return with word of the destroyed cups, Milo andhis friends headed out of the chapel and through the front gate of the Keep.

The journey to the hilltop campground was uneventful, if notdismal. The sky remained graythroughout the morning and afternoon. Dark fell early that night. Bythe time camp was prepared it had been an hour after nightfall. Their watch was also uneventful. All six of them were on edge from the denseatmosphere that seemed to pervade the surrounding countryside. The next morning Mazi and Milo preparedtheir spells for the coming day and inevitable battles. Not far from the camp up the winding trailto the gorge they heard a thumping sound. The party stopped and listened, straining to make out the sound. It was definitely drums, their deep rhythmicpounding only deepening the ominous feelings that were shared by thegroup. It was decided that Milo shouldsneak up the path and scout out the source of the drums while the rest of theadventurers hid themselves among the trees and brush. Milo took a deep breath and worked his way quietly towards thegorge, careful to stay off the trail. He arrived at the upper parameter of the small valley after a littlehike through the wooded area. Peeringdown into the cauldron of the gorge he could make out little lizard men liningthe sides of the hills, beating on taught skins stretched across primitiveframes. Well there was the source ofthe pounding, he thought. At the end ofthe narrow valley he spied a robed figure, holding up a cup and shouting incoherently. Milo sensed that the being near the top ofthe gorge was a powerful enemy. Withthe knowledge he had gleaned Milo made his way back to the concealed party.

They discussed possible approaches and decided to use Milo'spath. Remarkably enough the six of themmade it to his vantage point without calling down an alarm. Perhaps it wasn't so remarkable, they couldsee that the lizard men were in a frenzy. They were oblivious to everything as they pounded away at theirmakeshift drums, the man in robes whipping them up into a religious fervor ofsome kind. The group watched as the manraised up a cup, all six of them recognized it from the description the priestgave them. That was one in the set thatmust be destroyed, thought Milo, if only we could get to him. They started to discuss the best way to takeon the man in robes, not too worried about the small lizard men along the hillsof the gorge. As they talked the tempoof the drums increased and the man's shouting became harder to hear. Then a deep rumbling emanated from theground of the gorge, felt all the way up where the group was hiding. Milo watched in horror as the groundchurned, clumps of dirt rising like molehills. As they looked on fingers clawed their way out of the mounds of raisedearth. Skeletal and partiallydecomposed hands, arms, and then heads followed the fingers, as a mass ofundead broke the surface. Milo hatedundead, really. He shuddered as theunholy figures shambled from their shallow graves. The group recognized many of the walking corpses as the enemiesof the past few days, goblins and hobgoblins made up a large portion of theundead army. Two giant skeletal figuresappeared from the rear of the undead. The huge skeletons had a moving mass suspended in their breastcages. Straining his vision, Milo madeout the forms of the two disciples of Bordamere inside. He couldn't tell if they were controllingthe giant mass of bones or if they were merely hosts powering the unholyconstructs. Milo shuddered again, wrenchinghis eyes from the massive force of undead. He looked up to the man in robes to see the figure motion with the cup,towards the mouth of the gorge. Thedrums stopped and the undead army began to shamble out of the clearing, towardsthe Keep. Just as Milo was about tosuggest that he down the potion of invisibility and sneak up on the robed manhe noticed movement on the top of the hill. The shrouded man then turned towards the group. He can see us, thought Milo. Before they could do anything else a hugepillar of blinding light struck the earth near them, miraculously missingall.

By the time they made it to their feet and cleared theringing from their heads the man had fled. They could see the lizard men filing back into the caverns. Milo, Mazi, and Brigit conferredquickly. They couldn't let the undeadarmy march on the Keep without warning. Milo asked Maruf and Thorgrim if they would brave the journey back tothe Keep to warn their fellows. Thatwas all the men-at-arms needed to hear. They turned to rush out of their concealment after a brief warningto stay off the trail and roads and to make it to the Keep as fast as humanlypossible. As the two men made their wayback down the hills the group spotted a huge shape detach itself from the wallof the gorge. Wings unfurled and agiant vulture clawed its way to the sky, intent on following the soldiers. All four adventurers drew their bows andcrossbow and took aim. After oneunsuccessful volley all four hit the grotesque bird. Each missile finding the bird in the air as it seemed to sprout afew more feathers. With a wounded crythe vulture wheeled in the sky and headed the opposite way. The bird was too far away for any morepotshots, but the group felt that they had accomplished something.

The four of them conferred briefly on the best course ofaction. They decided they had done allthey could for the people of the Keep in sending Maruf and Thorgrim to warnthem. Milo suggested that if they foundand destroyed the cups first that the army might never reach the Keep. Mazi agreed and they decided they'd headinto the caverns that they had seen the lizard men file through. After preparing themselves as much as theycould the four intrepid friends ventured into the caverns once again.