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<blockquote data-quote="Galfridus" data-source="post: 1118" data-attributes="member: 119"><p><strong>Hobgoblin assault</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Hullashfjord, October 22, LE 653</strong></p><p></p><p>The strange wind blows steadily for several seconds, as the party looks around nervously, but then fades away. The party is alert for an attack, but nothing comes. They finalize their assault plan and retire for the night. Morning is spent in preparation, until Kalenthas receives his spells at noon. Leilen and Magnimiliar form the first scouting group. Concealed with <em>Invisibility</em> and a <em>Cloak of Elvenkind</em>, they scale the steep ridge on opposite sides and take up positions behind the two hobgoblin scouts manning the ramparts. One of the hobgoblins senses something is amiss and tosses two pebbles toward Magnimiliar, but both miss and the hobgoblin seems to lose interest.</p><p></p><p>As Magnimiliar moves away from the ramparts, he notices a small mound of dirt, covered in ferns and bushes, that seems out of place. He moves closer, and discovers a one-man bunker behind it, and a hobgoblin inside who is watching the other sentries closely. </p><p></p><p>After a half hour of waiting, the two scouts spot a patrol of three hobgoblins and a giant rat approaching from the north. The rat pauses, sniffing at Magnimiliar's trail, and then begins tracking, leading the hobgoblins slowly toward Magnimiliar. The lead hobgoblin barks an order, sending one of the others dashing up the road. Magnimilar backs slowly away, easily keeping his distance, and begins leading the patrol in a large circle, hoping to cover his own scent. That trick fails - but the patrol continues to follow him for several minutes, growing visibly frustrated as the trail circles back on itself time after time. During this time, Mystarion and Thorald (both <em>Invisible</em>) climb the ridge and take positions closer to the ramparts, undetected. They are just in the nick of time - moments later, twenty or more hobgoblins march down the road. Most are armed with swords and glaives, many carrying shortbows as well. The largest hobgoblin calls the group to a halt, then gives a series of commands, sending several hobgoblins to man each ridge and leaving a reserve of about half his troops standing around him, spread out but ready for trouble. The rat patrol continues to track Magnimiliar; otherwise, everyone waits.</p><p></p><p>Soon, shouting rises from below (Kanavin teaches everyone the Goblin for "Your mother was a kobold"). The party advances up the road slowly, taking care to remain behind their tower shields. The hobgoblins wait until they are within close range, then the rampart commander shouts, and a volley of arrows flies forth (only Jonetello is hit). No further order to shoot is given - the hobgoblins sneer confidently as the small group approaches their mighty fortifications. Then Jonetello gives the signal, and the attack begins.</p><p></p><p>From behind the tower shields, Kalenthas casts <em>Summon Monster</em>. Four celestial hounds appear on the southern rampart, barking merrily before sinking their teeth into the started hobgoblins. Mystarion, standing nearby, unleases a <em>Lightning Bolt</em> which crosses through the reserve force, catching five hobgoblins including the leader and his priest before stopping just short of the invisible Magnimiliar. Two hobgoblins fall down dead, and the leader is badly wounded. From the other side, Thorald lets loose a <em>Mind Blast</em>, stunning the leader and the remainder of the reserve force. Jonetello, Kanavin, Elbryn, and Zook drop their shields and rush the ridge - the archers are too distracted to fire at them as they climb. Magnimiliar hears the sounds of casting from nearby - but there is no hobgoblin there. Loading up his <em>Crossbow of Ventriloquism</em>, he shoots a bolt near the source of the sounds. "Invisible hobgoblin spellcaster right here!" Leilen hears this and moves toward the sounds, casting <em>Detect Magic</em> from his wand. Sure enough, there is magic directly ahead.</p><p></p><p>Finally, the hobgoblins have a chance to respond - their priest dead, their leader stunned, their wizard being hunted down. To the north, Thorald stands along between a half-dozen hobgoblins - and pays for it when he is struck by three arrows. A glaive-armed hobgoblin rushes him, but barely misses. To the south, most of the archers have their hands full fending off the dogs. One, however, tumbles nimbly past the glowing hounds and tosses a Tanglefoot bag at Mystarion. Mystarion tries to duck out of the way, but is rooted in place, unable to move. Unused to this level of distraction when casting, he flubs a spell and decides that using a wand would be a better idea.</p><p></p><p>Jonetello, Elbryn, and Kanavin climb the rampart and assault the hobgoblins, felling two in their first rush. Kalenthas and Zook, being shorter, are having a much harder time climbing the steep earthen barrier. Across the field, Thorald strikes at one of the hobgoblins surrounding him, but the hobgoblin just grins through the pain and advances. The archers fire a second volley, but only one strikes home - still, at this point Thorald cannot afford any additional wounds.</p><p></p><p>Then, the invisible wizard's chanting slows for a moment. A giant dire bat appears mid-air above the battle, then swoops to attack Mystarion. Its bite, glowing with fell power, nearly knocks the wizard unconscious. The hobgoblin rogue tumbles to the other side of Mystarion and tries to finish him off, but misses. Things are not looking good for the elf wizard.</p><p></p><p>Magnimiliar decides that the hobgoblin in the bunker, sniping at Thorald, needs to be dealt with. He fires his crossbow once again and hits the hobgoblin square in the chest. "I am a sucking chest wound!" cries the bolt, and it is not mistaken. The hobgoblin still stands, however, and it draws a sword and charges toward Magnimiliar. </p><p></p><p>Leilen continues to focus on the spellcaster's aura, seeking his exact location. </p><p></p><p>Thorald finally gets his bearings long enough to manifest <em>Control Body</em>, directing one hobgoblin to attack his companion.</p><p></p><p>Mystarion draws his <em>Wand of Shocking Grasp</em> and stabs at the bat, but misses. Kanavin comes over and begins cutting away the tanglefoot strands. Two of the dogs leap at the bat, eager to engage a fiendish foe, while the other two attack the remaining archers. With their help, Jonetello slays one archer. Elbryn dashed toward the bat and deals it a vicious stroke with his bastard sword. The bat is not slain, however, and bites Mystarion a second time. As unconsciousness looms, Mystarion feels cold power emanating from the <em>Medallion of Twilight</em>, and he disappears.</p><p></p><p>Zook and Kalenthas are still stuck at the base of the rampart.</p><p></p><p>A second bat appears, this time over Thorald, but it and the archers attacking the psion all miss.</p><p></p><p>Mystarion finds himself in a strange, shadowed land, devoid of color and silent despite the cold wind that blows across the pale grass. The landscape is similar in appearance to the ridgetop battlefield, but the hobgoblin ramparts are absent -- as are the hobgoblins, and Mystarion's companions. The shadows begin to lengthen as if night is falling, and Mystarion feels a chill closing in around his heart. He invokes the medallion with its command word "Obilon". He reappears, barely conscious, in the battle, free of the tanglefoot strands. He steps back and finishes the nearest hobgoblin with a pair of <em>Magic Missiles</em>, then falls unconscious. The medallion does not save him this time.</p><p></p><p>Leilen continues to concentrate, receiving a definite location where several auras including an Illusion spell are at work. He readies his bow for a surprise attack. </p><p></p><p>Thorald shifts his <em>Control Body</em> to the bat, forcing it to slay a hobgoblin. (DM Note: You can't do this, since <em>Control Body</em> only works on humanoids - but we forgot until after the battle was over. Lucky for Thorald...though it all works out in the end.)</p><p></p><p>Elbryn, Jonetello, and the dogs take all but the rogue and one of the archers down on their side of the battlefield. The rogue manages a telling blow against Kanavin, wounding him badly in the leg. Kalenthas gives up on climbing and starts to assist Zook instead. Zook makes it about halfway up. </p><p></p><p>A third bat appears, heading directly toward Thorald. The archers fire another volley at Thorald, but once again they all miss. Jonetello breaks free from the southern skirmish and runs across the battlefield toward Thorald. </p><p></p><p>Leilen looses two shots at the heart of the spell auras, but strikes nothing. His curse echoes off the mountains as his form becomes visible. </p><p></p><p>A <em>Summoned</em> wolf appears near Magnimiliar and bites him in the leg. He screams in pain, but the wound is quite minor. (That's Magnimiliar for you.)</p><p></p><p>Thorald continues to control one bat, forcing it to fight the other. The second bat, rather than interfere with the archers' sightlines, defends itself. Batfight! The archers loose another volley, but all the arrows miss.</p><p></p><p>Zook reaches the top of the rampart and heads toward the nearest hobgoblin. Elbryn and Kanavin finish off the bat and the rogue, as Leilen gives up on the spellcaster and instead fires two arrows into the stunned goblin leader. Thorald, meanwhile, has had enough of summoned monsters. He manifests <em>Dispel Psionics</em> toward the cluster of summoned creatures. The wolf and one bat vanish. Magnimiliar, standing too close, loses his <em>Shield</em>. And a hobgoblin, in the midst of casting a spell, becomes visible just behind Magnimiliar. Jonetello seizes the opportunity and charges, giving the wizard a nasty wound but failing to disrupt the spell in progress.</p><p></p><p>Kalenthas, climbing with only the aid of Pelor, reaches the top of the ridge just in time to see the stunned hobgoblins begin to recover. Close by, Zook lays hands on Mystarion, bringing him back into the fight as well.</p><p></p><p>Another wolf appears near Jonetello, but missed with its bite. The hobgoblin wizard, now visible, steps away from Jonetello to cast a spell: Thorald feels a pair of invisible hands appear at his neck, choking the life out of him. Thorald retreats and attempts to manifest <em>Concussion</em>, but loses his concentration.</p><p></p><p>Leilen and Elbryn attack the leader, staggering him back before he can act. Jonetello engages one of the leader's escort, as Mystarion sends a <em>Magic Missile</em> against another. Kalenthas runs toward the battle as quickly as his little legs will carry him, not even noticing the brilliant flash of light as Pelor calls his hounds home.</p><p></p><p>The hobgoblin leader snarls an order, then slashes Elbryn's shoulder with a nasty swing of his long sword. Elbryn falls back in pain, but the stress of the attack was too much for the hobgoblin, who collapses at Elbryn's feet. Seeing this, the other hobgoblins begin to fall back, firing arrows wildly as they move. The spellcaster retreats as well, but Elbryn recovers enough to charge after him.</p><p></p><p>As Jonetello, Kanavin, Zook, Mystarion and Leilen fell most of the remaining hobgoblins, Thorald is choked unconscious. Elbryn chases down the spellcaster and cuts him down with one stroke. A lone hobgoblin, trapped between Leilen and Kanavin, throws down his weapon and demands quarter. The battle is won.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Galfridus, post: 1118, member: 119"] [b]Hobgoblin assault[/b] [b]Hullashfjord, October 22, LE 653[/b] The strange wind blows steadily for several seconds, as the party looks around nervously, but then fades away. The party is alert for an attack, but nothing comes. They finalize their assault plan and retire for the night. Morning is spent in preparation, until Kalenthas receives his spells at noon. Leilen and Magnimiliar form the first scouting group. Concealed with [i]Invisibility[/i] and a [i]Cloak of Elvenkind[/i], they scale the steep ridge on opposite sides and take up positions behind the two hobgoblin scouts manning the ramparts. One of the hobgoblins senses something is amiss and tosses two pebbles toward Magnimiliar, but both miss and the hobgoblin seems to lose interest. As Magnimiliar moves away from the ramparts, he notices a small mound of dirt, covered in ferns and bushes, that seems out of place. He moves closer, and discovers a one-man bunker behind it, and a hobgoblin inside who is watching the other sentries closely. After a half hour of waiting, the two scouts spot a patrol of three hobgoblins and a giant rat approaching from the north. The rat pauses, sniffing at Magnimiliar's trail, and then begins tracking, leading the hobgoblins slowly toward Magnimiliar. The lead hobgoblin barks an order, sending one of the others dashing up the road. Magnimilar backs slowly away, easily keeping his distance, and begins leading the patrol in a large circle, hoping to cover his own scent. That trick fails - but the patrol continues to follow him for several minutes, growing visibly frustrated as the trail circles back on itself time after time. During this time, Mystarion and Thorald (both [i]Invisible[/i]) climb the ridge and take positions closer to the ramparts, undetected. They are just in the nick of time - moments later, twenty or more hobgoblins march down the road. Most are armed with swords and glaives, many carrying shortbows as well. The largest hobgoblin calls the group to a halt, then gives a series of commands, sending several hobgoblins to man each ridge and leaving a reserve of about half his troops standing around him, spread out but ready for trouble. The rat patrol continues to track Magnimiliar; otherwise, everyone waits. Soon, shouting rises from below (Kanavin teaches everyone the Goblin for "Your mother was a kobold"). The party advances up the road slowly, taking care to remain behind their tower shields. The hobgoblins wait until they are within close range, then the rampart commander shouts, and a volley of arrows flies forth (only Jonetello is hit). No further order to shoot is given - the hobgoblins sneer confidently as the small group approaches their mighty fortifications. Then Jonetello gives the signal, and the attack begins. From behind the tower shields, Kalenthas casts [i]Summon Monster[/i]. Four celestial hounds appear on the southern rampart, barking merrily before sinking their teeth into the started hobgoblins. Mystarion, standing nearby, unleases a [i]Lightning Bolt[/i] which crosses through the reserve force, catching five hobgoblins including the leader and his priest before stopping just short of the invisible Magnimiliar. Two hobgoblins fall down dead, and the leader is badly wounded. From the other side, Thorald lets loose a [i]Mind Blast[/i], stunning the leader and the remainder of the reserve force. Jonetello, Kanavin, Elbryn, and Zook drop their shields and rush the ridge - the archers are too distracted to fire at them as they climb. Magnimiliar hears the sounds of casting from nearby - but there is no hobgoblin there. Loading up his [i]Crossbow of Ventriloquism[/i], he shoots a bolt near the source of the sounds. "Invisible hobgoblin spellcaster right here!" Leilen hears this and moves toward the sounds, casting [i]Detect Magic[/i] from his wand. Sure enough, there is magic directly ahead. Finally, the hobgoblins have a chance to respond - their priest dead, their leader stunned, their wizard being hunted down. To the north, Thorald stands along between a half-dozen hobgoblins - and pays for it when he is struck by three arrows. A glaive-armed hobgoblin rushes him, but barely misses. To the south, most of the archers have their hands full fending off the dogs. One, however, tumbles nimbly past the glowing hounds and tosses a Tanglefoot bag at Mystarion. Mystarion tries to duck out of the way, but is rooted in place, unable to move. Unused to this level of distraction when casting, he flubs a spell and decides that using a wand would be a better idea. Jonetello, Elbryn, and Kanavin climb the rampart and assault the hobgoblins, felling two in their first rush. Kalenthas and Zook, being shorter, are having a much harder time climbing the steep earthen barrier. Across the field, Thorald strikes at one of the hobgoblins surrounding him, but the hobgoblin just grins through the pain and advances. The archers fire a second volley, but only one strikes home - still, at this point Thorald cannot afford any additional wounds. Then, the invisible wizard's chanting slows for a moment. A giant dire bat appears mid-air above the battle, then swoops to attack Mystarion. Its bite, glowing with fell power, nearly knocks the wizard unconscious. The hobgoblin rogue tumbles to the other side of Mystarion and tries to finish him off, but misses. Things are not looking good for the elf wizard. Magnimiliar decides that the hobgoblin in the bunker, sniping at Thorald, needs to be dealt with. He fires his crossbow once again and hits the hobgoblin square in the chest. "I am a sucking chest wound!" cries the bolt, and it is not mistaken. The hobgoblin still stands, however, and it draws a sword and charges toward Magnimiliar. Leilen continues to focus on the spellcaster's aura, seeking his exact location. Thorald finally gets his bearings long enough to manifest [i]Control Body[/i], directing one hobgoblin to attack his companion. Mystarion draws his [i]Wand of Shocking Grasp[/i] and stabs at the bat, but misses. Kanavin comes over and begins cutting away the tanglefoot strands. Two of the dogs leap at the bat, eager to engage a fiendish foe, while the other two attack the remaining archers. With their help, Jonetello slays one archer. Elbryn dashed toward the bat and deals it a vicious stroke with his bastard sword. The bat is not slain, however, and bites Mystarion a second time. As unconsciousness looms, Mystarion feels cold power emanating from the [i]Medallion of Twilight[/i], and he disappears. Zook and Kalenthas are still stuck at the base of the rampart. A second bat appears, this time over Thorald, but it and the archers attacking the psion all miss. Mystarion finds himself in a strange, shadowed land, devoid of color and silent despite the cold wind that blows across the pale grass. The landscape is similar in appearance to the ridgetop battlefield, but the hobgoblin ramparts are absent -- as are the hobgoblins, and Mystarion's companions. The shadows begin to lengthen as if night is falling, and Mystarion feels a chill closing in around his heart. He invokes the medallion with its command word "Obilon". He reappears, barely conscious, in the battle, free of the tanglefoot strands. He steps back and finishes the nearest hobgoblin with a pair of [i]Magic Missiles[/i], then falls unconscious. The medallion does not save him this time. Leilen continues to concentrate, receiving a definite location where several auras including an Illusion spell are at work. He readies his bow for a surprise attack. Thorald shifts his [i]Control Body[/i] to the bat, forcing it to slay a hobgoblin. (DM Note: You can't do this, since [i]Control Body[/i] only works on humanoids - but we forgot until after the battle was over. Lucky for Thorald...though it all works out in the end.) Elbryn, Jonetello, and the dogs take all but the rogue and one of the archers down on their side of the battlefield. The rogue manages a telling blow against Kanavin, wounding him badly in the leg. Kalenthas gives up on climbing and starts to assist Zook instead. Zook makes it about halfway up. A third bat appears, heading directly toward Thorald. The archers fire another volley at Thorald, but once again they all miss. Jonetello breaks free from the southern skirmish and runs across the battlefield toward Thorald. Leilen looses two shots at the heart of the spell auras, but strikes nothing. His curse echoes off the mountains as his form becomes visible. A [i]Summoned[/i] wolf appears near Magnimiliar and bites him in the leg. He screams in pain, but the wound is quite minor. (That's Magnimiliar for you.) Thorald continues to control one bat, forcing it to fight the other. The second bat, rather than interfere with the archers' sightlines, defends itself. Batfight! The archers loose another volley, but all the arrows miss. Zook reaches the top of the rampart and heads toward the nearest hobgoblin. Elbryn and Kanavin finish off the bat and the rogue, as Leilen gives up on the spellcaster and instead fires two arrows into the stunned goblin leader. Thorald, meanwhile, has had enough of summoned monsters. He manifests [i]Dispel Psionics[/i] toward the cluster of summoned creatures. The wolf and one bat vanish. Magnimiliar, standing too close, loses his [i]Shield[/i]. And a hobgoblin, in the midst of casting a spell, becomes visible just behind Magnimiliar. Jonetello seizes the opportunity and charges, giving the wizard a nasty wound but failing to disrupt the spell in progress. Kalenthas, climbing with only the aid of Pelor, reaches the top of the ridge just in time to see the stunned hobgoblins begin to recover. Close by, Zook lays hands on Mystarion, bringing him back into the fight as well. Another wolf appears near Jonetello, but missed with its bite. The hobgoblin wizard, now visible, steps away from Jonetello to cast a spell: Thorald feels a pair of invisible hands appear at his neck, choking the life out of him. Thorald retreats and attempts to manifest [i]Concussion[/i], but loses his concentration. Leilen and Elbryn attack the leader, staggering him back before he can act. Jonetello engages one of the leader's escort, as Mystarion sends a [i]Magic Missile[/i] against another. Kalenthas runs toward the battle as quickly as his little legs will carry him, not even noticing the brilliant flash of light as Pelor calls his hounds home. The hobgoblin leader snarls an order, then slashes Elbryn's shoulder with a nasty swing of his long sword. Elbryn falls back in pain, but the stress of the attack was too much for the hobgoblin, who collapses at Elbryn's feet. Seeing this, the other hobgoblins begin to fall back, firing arrows wildly as they move. The spellcaster retreats as well, but Elbryn recovers enough to charge after him. As Jonetello, Kanavin, Zook, Mystarion and Leilen fell most of the remaining hobgoblins, Thorald is choked unconscious. Elbryn chases down the spellcaster and cuts him down with one stroke. A lone hobgoblin, trapped between Leilen and Kanavin, throws down his weapon and demands quarter. The battle is won. [/QUOTE]
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