Endur's Return to TOEE part 2

Xaod says to Craven,
"Redithidoor, may he rest in peace, taught me a song. How did it go... oh yes ... here it is

Well, you know you make me wanna
(Smite) Get my sword up
(Smite) Push the evil back
(Smite) Throw my smackdown
(Smite) Come on now (Smite)
Don't forget to say you will
(Smite, Smite) Don't forget to say
(Smite) Yeah yeah yeah yeah, come on
(Say you will) Say it right now, baby
(Say you will) Come on, come on
(Say you will) Say it right now, baby
(Say you will)
I still remember
When I used to be nine years old yeah, yeah
An' now that I’m grown up
I'm old enough to know
An' I wanna serve thee
You want me ta smite the foe
I want you to know
I said I want you to know right now
You've been good to me, Lord
Better than I've been to myself
And if you ever leave me
I don't want nobody else
I said I want you to know
I said I want you to know right no
You know you make me wanna
(Smite) Get my sword up
(Smite) Push the evil back
(Smite) Throw my smackdown
(Smite) Come on now
(Smite) Don't forget to say you will
(Smite, Smite) Don't forget to say
(Smite) Yeah yeah yeah yeah, come on
(Say you will) Say it right now, baby
(Say you will)
(Say) I know that I love thee
(Say) I know that I need thee
(Say) I know that I want thee
(Say) I’ll never leave thee
(Smite) Come on now
(Smite) Come on now
(Smite) Come on now
(Smite) Come on now
(Smite) A little bit softer now [repeats]
(Smite) A little bit harder now [repeats]
Hey (Hey) Hey (Hey)
Yeah (Yeah) Yeah (Yeah)
Smite now
A little Smite now
Jump up and Smite now
A little Smite now
Come on (Smite now)
Come on now (Smite now)
Come on now (Smite now)
Come on now (Smite now)
Come on jump up and Smite now
A little Smite now
Jump up and Smite now
A little Smite now
Jump up and Smite now
A little Smite now
Jump up and Smite now
A little Smite now, yeah


Good little song, don't you think?"

The party leaves Nulb to the Haunts and Crazies.

The party presses on to the legendary Temple of Elemental Evil.

Even with its forces twice defeated, the remnants of the Temple of Elemental Evil remain a sinister and disturbing pockmark on the territory. The ruins are mostly quiet, although people still tell stories of strange lights or creatures moving about the old place. Elmo told you that a band of marauding hobgoblins moved into the ruins about two years ago. The evil creatures have been driven out at least once before, but they enjoy using the terrible reputation of the place to their advantage, so they keep coming back.

The area around the old Temple of Elemental Evil is weed-choked scrub, full of gnarled trees and twisted vegetation. It is not uncommon to stumble on a skull or a skeleton of a humanoid creature amid this dark growth, for this is a place well-accustomed to violence.

The Temple of Elemental Evil: Its name befits its hideous appearance. The huge charcoal gray building, with its arched buttresses and obscene designs, stands a mute testament to the darker side of history. Every surface of the structure teems with leering faces and twisted forms of demons and monstrosities unlike anything previously imagined. The massive main doors are crowned with winged beasts and disgusting figures that chill a viewer to the very soul. The place is huge. It extends over 450 feet north and south, and is nearly 450 feet across at its widest. The walls rise about thirty feet, and the roof peak is about twenty feet higher, making it 50 feet tall at the highest point. The narrow windows are barred and the only entrance is to the south.

The surrounding compound is equally terrifying. Vermiculated growth, covered in dark thorns, twists amid rubble from what was once a high curtain wall. Shadows dance along the blackened trees whose branches claw at the air around them like desperate, dying men.

It need not be said aloud, being obvious immediately. This is an evil place.

Kerwyn (seeking treasure) and Toriah (seeking to protect Kerwyn) scout out the Temple of Elemental Evil, while the rest of the party wait.

The old curtain wall surrounding the compound is mostly collapsed rubble. But the thorny growth makes it an effective obstacle nonetheless. The gatehouse was destroyed and the party will be able to walk right on through to the Temple. Kerwyn and Toriah don’t enter the compound because they hear several goblins talking right inside the compound entrance, probably guards waiting to ambush the unwary.

Kerwyn and Toriah also see that one tower still stands attached to the curtain wall, in the northeast of the compound, and they hear goblins talking in that tower. Finally, they hear the sounds of dogs barking in the compound.

Lenya

“This place is even darker than I had imagined,” Lenya says, as the temple comes within view. Everything, the whole area is a display of the terrible evil, which inhabited the old temple. “If the canoness was right, then we should expect more than just hobgoblins here.”

Belaver casts Lesser Restoration on Lenya (healing 3 points of con damage). Kerwyn and Toriah report that it is possible that there are other things besides goblins here, but they didn't see any signs of other creatures.

Craven was perfectly astounded by the scarred barbarian man, and thoroughly frightened by Xaod's strange song. This world gets stranger and stranger all the time... he muses as they ride onward. He gives Courage a pat on the shoulder. Though he had not known the horse for long, he already felt as if he were a friend.

When the group reached the temple, Craven's grip on his warhammer tightened involuntarily. This place was worse, in some respects, than the obelisk below the moathouse. He looked around the place warily, and prepared himself for an attack.

"So, there are goblins inside which will attack us. How do we turn the tables on them? Launch an attack into the tower in the dead of night? Spring their trap with illusions? Charge in for gods and glory?"

Xaod jumps on his horse and draws his sword after Belaver mentions charging in for Gods and Glory. He holds the reins of his horse in his teeth, his shield on his left arm, and his sword outstretched (like he is posing for a painting).

Xaod looks expectantly at Craven.

Craven restrains an impulse to put a hand to his forehead, and another to look to the sky to beg the gods for patience. Xaod, while a good mentor, occasionally could be a very trying man. "Are goblins known to build traps?" he asks the group. "Because if they are, charging it could result in great injury to all."

Kerwyn and Toriah did not see any obvious traps when they scouted the outskirts of the compound. Kerwyn and Toriah are generally familiar with the reputation of goblins and hobgoblins (thanks to high Knowledge Local rolls). They know that goblins prefer to either ambush their enemies or flee. Kerwyn and Toriah know that hobgoblins prefer to win fights through tactics and might and are quite willing to fight in melee.

Xaod drops the reins out of his mouth, lowers his outstretched sword arm, and leans over to talk to Craven.
"Craven, I admit I have not always been the best of mentors. I wasn't there for you when you went off to the Moathouse.
"But we're not talking about charging demons or gargoyles. The gargoyles on yonder Temple are statues. They don't move. And the demons were banished years ago. All we're talking about are goblins and hobgoblins.
"I've ridden inside the compound once before, with Elmo about a year ago.
"Unless the goblinoids have made changes recently, we should be able to ride right in to the compound and ride the guards down. The only fortified defenses they had last time were the tower on the far side and the temple doors.
"One of us on a horse is worth a dozen goblins. The two of us should be able to handle the guards without difficulty.
"The rest of the party could follow behind our charge. And we'd definitely need the help of fearless Raner and powerful Lylamwyn and wise Belaver when the rest of the hobgoblin tribe counter-attacks."