Nebulous
Legend
Adventure #11: Balgron’s Bargain
We picked up where we ended last time; the PCs have initiative, but Merric is still in a tight spot. He has been blinded by the devious goblin hexer and surrounded by foes all eager to make a pincushion out of him. Merric pushes his back to the pillar, trying to minimize flanking, but the goblins swarm around him regardless, following the orders of their leader: kill! Blades hack into the rogue, and within seconds he is painfully bloodied.
The others are still dealing with the worg rider under the gate arch. It has been severely wounded, but it still attacks through the opening, balancing on the boulder and swinging its axe in frenzied arcs. Douvan counters several blows with his twin weapons and slashes the goblin across the forehead. It reels back in the saddle, barely hanging on, but then Raven transforms into a wolf and pounces, slams into the rider and rips his throat out; the wounded mount retreats with its tail between its legs.
But howls, drums and war cries still echo throughout the cavern. Grishog is out of sight, and dozens upon dozens goblins watch the conflict from the other half of the room. Merric is getting slaughtered all by himself, so Douvan instantly rushes out of the gate to help his friend…and is charged by an enormous worg. Grishog screams with rage and delight as the worg’s jaws snap on Douvan’s arm and pull him down, and then both worg, rider and victim shift four squares away while Grishog follows up with a brutal blow from his glowing sword. The ranger scrambles to his feet, even as more goblin minions move to surround him, and Douvan cuts and runs, stabbing Grishog first and then burying his blade in the worg’s haunch. Fortunately, Nari-lana is hot on his heels and provides a distraction for the goblin leader. In addition, Jolen sends his Spectral Warrior floating slowly across the battlefield, a haunting apparition of doom.
Lightning crackles from Nari-lana’s bond-blade and an arc of energy surges into Grishog. Both goblin and worg howl in agony and are knocked prone by the blast, but they’re still very much alive. But the sword mage is not done, and she critically strikes the downed Grishog, burying her blade deep into his shoulder. Grishog struggles up, but his Split the Herd power recharges and the worg latches onto Nari-lana, dragging her away from the battle where the goblin leader viciously assaults her.
Around that time, a new belligerent worg joins the battle, but this one is different, for strapped to its hairy back is a fat goblin who is NONE too happy about being there.
“HELP! HELP ME! GET ME OFF!”
It is the fat prisoner Balgron (aka “Boss Fatty” to the Winterhaven party). Douvan blinks in surprise as the worg gallops in circles, apparently not too happy about having the fat goblin lashed to its back either. Balgron continues screaming and crying, his blubbery jowls jiggling with every step.
But Douvan ducks as five arrows whistle past his ears. Goblins on the boulders have targeted him out in the open, and they’re quickly notching new arrows to send another volley his direction. Fortunately, their chance to hit is pretty abysmal [and it’s not until later we remember he’s wearing a Cloak of Distortion that gives him Predator-like camouflage].
Back in the tunnel, Jolen the Cleric has been maneuvering the Spectral Warrior closer to Grishog. The priest sees archers on the hill, and then spies a few more jogging toward previously unnoticed pits. Suspiciously, the goblins have thrown a rope ladder down the pit…
But then Jolen feels hands latch to his shoulders, followed by needle-like teeth tearing through hi skin! It is Blackjack’s prisoner, incidentally still tethered to the dead warrior, who has shown some balls and attacked Jolen. Thrashing, Jolen throws the goblin off, and then conjures a Lance of Faith, angling Tempus’s wrath straight into the goblin’s chest. Holy light explodes amid a shrill scream and the goblin is tossed into the wall, finally dead.
Meanwhile, Merric the halfing is having a wee bit of trouble trying to stay alive.
He fails saving throw after saving throw against the hexer’s blindness spell, granting combat advantage to all foes around him. He oscillates between full defense and lashing at anyone he can. The worg rider is the most dangerous by far, and his keen axe sends the rogue perilously close to death. Raven, in wolf form, charges into battle, trying to take the heat off their small ally, but she too is targeted by the blindness spell, and a powerful whip of psychic energy pounds inside her head.
Merric gulps a healing potion, averting death by a narrow margin, but he still cannot see his foes, only hear them moving and snarling.
[GM Note: Jeff, I should mention that I forgot a few goblin powers that might have changed the way the encounter played out. Essentially, if you miss a melee attack, a goblin can shift away; if a goblin within 10 squares shifts away, the hexer can order him to shift back immediately and attack. I love that little mean green hexing machine…]
Things are hairy for the rogue, but he lashes out with his dagger, the blade digging deep into goblin flesh, and he feels hot blood on his hands. The goblin crumples, but there are still more to fill in the gap.
Douvan is desperate to help him, and launches Split the Tree, killing an adjacent minion before the hexer can misdirect the attack. The second arrow catches the hexer in the throat, blood pouring out in a fountain, and it falls against the pillar, finally vanquished. However, its demise does not end the magical effect on Merric, who is still just as blind as before (and will stay blinded for about 5 or 6 rounds).
Raven the Wolf saves against her blindness and lines up a charge on the worg rider before it plants an axe in Merric’s skull. Her teeth rip into the thing, and the worg rider spins on her, but one action point later and the goblin is torn down from his seat, the axe dropping from lifeless fingers. The halfing has backed up to the wall now, trying his best to keep enemies at bay. There’s one minion and one warrior still trying to kill him, and then several arrows whiz by from the archers on the hill, but those attacks miss.
Merric is down to 1 hp.
Boss Fatty’s worg finally attacks Douvan, but the ranger is swift on his feet and able to dodge its slavering jaws. Jolen wants to help, but then he hears a faint sound from the Green Slime Refuse Room. He keeps an ear open as he steps out into the chaotic arena, wary of enemies sneaking up behind them.
Meanwhile, Nari-lana reaches into the Bag of Tricks, and lo-and-behold, what does she pull to replace the Rat Swarm…a Deadly Bear! The ursine beast grows larger before their eyes, immediately trundling toward Grishog and wraps its mighty paws around the worg in a crushing bear hug (its encounter power).
By now, Grishog has been nailed many times by various powers and he’s on the backend of his health. Enemies are closing in, so he risks three opportunity attacks and flees, trying to regroup and launch a fresh assault. Nari-lana and her bear follow after them, even as more arrows whistle down at her from an archer on the stalagmite above.
Jolen feels an arrow puncture his back as well, and finds that he has been flanked by two archers who appeared from nowhere, seemingly out of the Green Slime room (there was a secret door from the pit).
Merric finally makes a saving throw vs. the hexer’s magic, and blinking his eyes, he sees the bloody battlefield around him. And literally, there is blood everywhere. About fifty dead goblins are scattered about, some smoldering and burning still, lying among dead worgs and wolves and archers and a plethora of hewn limbs and heads and steaming viscera. But Grishog is alive, and there is a worg with Balgron strapped to its back, and there are about eight archers still firing from three different fronts, and overlooking everything are dozens and dozens of enemies who are only anxious spectators.
But fate finally comes for the Great Grishog. Nari-lana has been hounding him, and as he attempts to escape again, risking that opportunity attack, she slashes the goblin commander across his throat. Crimson blood spews out, his hands clutching the grievous wound as fluid pumps between his fingers. Grishog’s eyes roll up into his head, and he topples off the back of his mount.
A sudden hush falls over the entire arena.
The drums stop pounding.
Heartbeats quicken.
And then there is a MASS shriek of terror as every goblin alive tries to flee at once! The archers scamper into the darkness, and the party hears hundreds of feet pattering through an unseen exit. Only the worg carrying Balgron continues to fight, but Douvan finally chops a leg out from beneath it and slays the beast. Moaning and whining, Balgron is a blubbering mess of a goblin begging for freedom…
There is a solitary goblin archer atop the stalagmite, but when the Spectral Warrior is sent up, slowly rising higher, higher higher to demand its surrender, the goblin flings itself off the precipice and shatters on the rocks below. So much for that.
This essentially ends combat. The heroes pick through the battlefield and eventually find another archway. A wide tunnel leads to an armory and treasury which they liberally scavenge [The exact treasure will be determined later]. They still need to get out of this miserable cavern though, so dragging their new prisoner Balgron (who is fat enough to maybe count as two goblins for Balthazar and his enchanted stew) they follow the tunnel down to Maglubiyet’s shrine.
The hideous idol to the goblin god looms before them.
It is an ugly thing, stained with blood from old sacrifices, and its eyes seem to stare at them with almost palpable malevolence.
Still, there’s no arguing that those jewel eyes are worth a coin or two, and Merric has no qualms about stealing them. He clambers up the statue, dagger in hand, and gently pries them loose…
…only to feel a debilitating wave of nausea and despair wash over him as the second ruby leaves its socket. Merric gasps and stumbles away, sick to his stomach, clammy and cold and suddenly shaking all over. He has just suffered the Curse of Maglubiyet, and all Defenses are reduced by 4. There is no saving throw to end the condition.
Helping Merric limp along, they continue down the tunnel, past the last iron portcullis until they finally see daylight filtering from a hole in the wall. They walk through the wolf den, which is now empty, climb up the rubble and bones, and finally emerge outside in a patch of green ferns for the first time in what seems like forever. They’re standing on a hillside a hundred yards from where they first entered Tallow’s Deep. The secret entrance through the worg den was here all this time, albeit expertly hidden. Obviously, this was one place Blackjack never found.
“What are ya gonna do with me?” their fat goblin prisoner asks. “Lemme go, come on! I didn’t do nuthin’ to you!”
Well, what exactly ARE they going to do with the goblin? And what about Balthazar and his need for fresh meat? They failed their mission and did not reach the minimum quota of gobber meat, but they did not expect to fight for lives against a thousand of the little buggers either.
Everlund is not far away, and it is only the second day of Burger Fest, so maybe they can still salvage something. In fact, they decide to give Balthazar one of the ruby eyes. It is easily worth 1000 gold, and that should at least make up for some of the revenue the wizard is losing from the Burger Palace and Horace’s kickbacks for solving the bugbear problem.
The group is actually faced with a moral dilemma: do they turn Balthazar in by telling everyone that they’ve been eating goblins, or do they let Balthazar continue his slightly unpleasant “service” to the community by keeping the bloodthirsty bugbear clan sedated? They decide to try and find the wizard as soon as possible, explain their situation and offer their sincerest apologies so as not to make a powerful enemy. Hopefully he will listen to reason.
They find the Burgerfest banners still flapping in the wind, but the line outside of Burger’s Palace is not so much happy patrons as a pissed off mob. Good citizens who have a mild addition to the tasty burgers and have been denied for too long can get very rowdy. Mayor Horace Burger is there, fat and red and sweating profusely, trying to calm the crowd that has gathered outside of his restaurant. The heroes don’t see Balthazar, not in either his normal form or his blond-bearded guise, but that’s not surprising as he could probably appear as anyone.
They’re not sure what to do, but they end up getting rooms that night at the Sleepy Centaur, in hopes that they can track down the elusive mage the next day, maybe at Blackjack’s Pig Farm. Merric tries to find a healer who can remove Maglubiyet’s curse, and is able to find the same old witch who helped Jolen in Adventure #2. For the right price she is able to heal the halfling.
But that night, Balthazar finds THEM.
“You fools! I give you a simple task, and here you are a day late with what? With what? A SINGLE fat goblin? And where in the hells is Blackjack?”
Balthazar’s ornery red pseudodragon is hissing and spitting, coiled in its customary position around the wizard’s shoulders. The group quickly explains what happened, from the trapped goblin warren, how their escape route was cut off, and ultimately how they nearly died multiple times at the hands of the goblins and endless traps. They hand the wizard the ruby eye of Maglubiyet (without telling him what it is) and his features soften.
“A ruby, eh? Well, at least you didn’t come back completely empty-handed.”
“Do you still want this goblin?” they ask him, and Balgron by now has deduced what they’re up to. He quivers in abject terror.
“NO! No! I’m…I’m a wanted gob! Dangerous I am! In…in…in Winterhaven! Big reward on my head. Take me der, yep. I’ll make you a bargain. Just take me der and…and…you get big reward!”
Balthazar sniffs. “Cowardly dog,” he mutters. “No matter though. Despite his corpulent girth, even he is not enough satiate the bugbears at this point. No, I’m afraid that the magical compulsion will wear off very soon, and the bugbears are likely to retaliate.”
But the wizard muses, tapping a finger to his chin. “Unless…unless you were to work for me again. Next month. I still need goblins. They’re out there somewhere, and you know their den in and out. Work for me in private and secrecy and perhaps we can salvage something from this fiasco. Are we in agreement?”
You know, that deal doesn’t sound half bad to the heroes, so they tentatively agree to help the “evil” Balthazar. As for Merple the Moneylender in Silverymoon who hired them originally to investigate Balthazar, they’ll probably tell him the truth and let Merple do what he wants with the information. But they aren’t returning straight away to Silverymoon.
No, as the fat goblin Balgron said, he’s a wanted man in Winterhaven, so they’ll take him there. It is a small town a few days due west of Everlund. And just to make sure the goblin doesn’t try to escape after his so-called “bargain,” Merric asks Balthazar to polymorph him into a toad. The illusionist laughs and complies, and a fat, squealing goblin is suddenly transformed into a fat, croaking reptile. The effect will wear off, but at least they won’t have to worry about Balgron escaping for a while, which was probably his intent anyway. And they’ll see if it is true or not if anyone in Winterhaven gives a damn about him.
They doubt it.
They leave the next morning, marching down the dusty road, just glad to be in the sunshine and out of the miserable goblin caves known as Tallow’s Deep, a place they actually might return to one day to scoop up all the remaining goblins they possibly can. There is still a stew to be brewed, burgers to be flipped, and magic--powerful magic--to be cast by a strange wizard with a flair for the unusual…
And there we stopped.
[GM Note: Well, that module took a helluva long time to get through, but it was fun! So, kicking off Thunderspire, your two groups will actually cross paths in Winterhaven. That was a good idea you guys had, I hadn’t thought about that. Erevan, Xenoseth, Jolen, Merric, Raven, Brandis, Splug, Boss Fatty, Helga, Irann, Douvan and Kerric all in one place, even if only briefly. You should be 6th level, but we’re going to keep the campaign going at 5th so the numbers won’t be thrown off too bad].
We picked up where we ended last time; the PCs have initiative, but Merric is still in a tight spot. He has been blinded by the devious goblin hexer and surrounded by foes all eager to make a pincushion out of him. Merric pushes his back to the pillar, trying to minimize flanking, but the goblins swarm around him regardless, following the orders of their leader: kill! Blades hack into the rogue, and within seconds he is painfully bloodied.
The others are still dealing with the worg rider under the gate arch. It has been severely wounded, but it still attacks through the opening, balancing on the boulder and swinging its axe in frenzied arcs. Douvan counters several blows with his twin weapons and slashes the goblin across the forehead. It reels back in the saddle, barely hanging on, but then Raven transforms into a wolf and pounces, slams into the rider and rips his throat out; the wounded mount retreats with its tail between its legs.
But howls, drums and war cries still echo throughout the cavern. Grishog is out of sight, and dozens upon dozens goblins watch the conflict from the other half of the room. Merric is getting slaughtered all by himself, so Douvan instantly rushes out of the gate to help his friend…and is charged by an enormous worg. Grishog screams with rage and delight as the worg’s jaws snap on Douvan’s arm and pull him down, and then both worg, rider and victim shift four squares away while Grishog follows up with a brutal blow from his glowing sword. The ranger scrambles to his feet, even as more goblin minions move to surround him, and Douvan cuts and runs, stabbing Grishog first and then burying his blade in the worg’s haunch. Fortunately, Nari-lana is hot on his heels and provides a distraction for the goblin leader. In addition, Jolen sends his Spectral Warrior floating slowly across the battlefield, a haunting apparition of doom.
Lightning crackles from Nari-lana’s bond-blade and an arc of energy surges into Grishog. Both goblin and worg howl in agony and are knocked prone by the blast, but they’re still very much alive. But the sword mage is not done, and she critically strikes the downed Grishog, burying her blade deep into his shoulder. Grishog struggles up, but his Split the Herd power recharges and the worg latches onto Nari-lana, dragging her away from the battle where the goblin leader viciously assaults her.
Around that time, a new belligerent worg joins the battle, but this one is different, for strapped to its hairy back is a fat goblin who is NONE too happy about being there.
“HELP! HELP ME! GET ME OFF!”
It is the fat prisoner Balgron (aka “Boss Fatty” to the Winterhaven party). Douvan blinks in surprise as the worg gallops in circles, apparently not too happy about having the fat goblin lashed to its back either. Balgron continues screaming and crying, his blubbery jowls jiggling with every step.
But Douvan ducks as five arrows whistle past his ears. Goblins on the boulders have targeted him out in the open, and they’re quickly notching new arrows to send another volley his direction. Fortunately, their chance to hit is pretty abysmal [and it’s not until later we remember he’s wearing a Cloak of Distortion that gives him Predator-like camouflage].
Back in the tunnel, Jolen the Cleric has been maneuvering the Spectral Warrior closer to Grishog. The priest sees archers on the hill, and then spies a few more jogging toward previously unnoticed pits. Suspiciously, the goblins have thrown a rope ladder down the pit…
But then Jolen feels hands latch to his shoulders, followed by needle-like teeth tearing through hi skin! It is Blackjack’s prisoner, incidentally still tethered to the dead warrior, who has shown some balls and attacked Jolen. Thrashing, Jolen throws the goblin off, and then conjures a Lance of Faith, angling Tempus’s wrath straight into the goblin’s chest. Holy light explodes amid a shrill scream and the goblin is tossed into the wall, finally dead.
Meanwhile, Merric the halfing is having a wee bit of trouble trying to stay alive.
He fails saving throw after saving throw against the hexer’s blindness spell, granting combat advantage to all foes around him. He oscillates between full defense and lashing at anyone he can. The worg rider is the most dangerous by far, and his keen axe sends the rogue perilously close to death. Raven, in wolf form, charges into battle, trying to take the heat off their small ally, but she too is targeted by the blindness spell, and a powerful whip of psychic energy pounds inside her head.
Merric gulps a healing potion, averting death by a narrow margin, but he still cannot see his foes, only hear them moving and snarling.
[GM Note: Jeff, I should mention that I forgot a few goblin powers that might have changed the way the encounter played out. Essentially, if you miss a melee attack, a goblin can shift away; if a goblin within 10 squares shifts away, the hexer can order him to shift back immediately and attack. I love that little mean green hexing machine…]
Things are hairy for the rogue, but he lashes out with his dagger, the blade digging deep into goblin flesh, and he feels hot blood on his hands. The goblin crumples, but there are still more to fill in the gap.
Douvan is desperate to help him, and launches Split the Tree, killing an adjacent minion before the hexer can misdirect the attack. The second arrow catches the hexer in the throat, blood pouring out in a fountain, and it falls against the pillar, finally vanquished. However, its demise does not end the magical effect on Merric, who is still just as blind as before (and will stay blinded for about 5 or 6 rounds).
Raven the Wolf saves against her blindness and lines up a charge on the worg rider before it plants an axe in Merric’s skull. Her teeth rip into the thing, and the worg rider spins on her, but one action point later and the goblin is torn down from his seat, the axe dropping from lifeless fingers. The halfing has backed up to the wall now, trying his best to keep enemies at bay. There’s one minion and one warrior still trying to kill him, and then several arrows whiz by from the archers on the hill, but those attacks miss.
Merric is down to 1 hp.
Boss Fatty’s worg finally attacks Douvan, but the ranger is swift on his feet and able to dodge its slavering jaws. Jolen wants to help, but then he hears a faint sound from the Green Slime Refuse Room. He keeps an ear open as he steps out into the chaotic arena, wary of enemies sneaking up behind them.
Meanwhile, Nari-lana reaches into the Bag of Tricks, and lo-and-behold, what does she pull to replace the Rat Swarm…a Deadly Bear! The ursine beast grows larger before their eyes, immediately trundling toward Grishog and wraps its mighty paws around the worg in a crushing bear hug (its encounter power).
By now, Grishog has been nailed many times by various powers and he’s on the backend of his health. Enemies are closing in, so he risks three opportunity attacks and flees, trying to regroup and launch a fresh assault. Nari-lana and her bear follow after them, even as more arrows whistle down at her from an archer on the stalagmite above.
Jolen feels an arrow puncture his back as well, and finds that he has been flanked by two archers who appeared from nowhere, seemingly out of the Green Slime room (there was a secret door from the pit).
Merric finally makes a saving throw vs. the hexer’s magic, and blinking his eyes, he sees the bloody battlefield around him. And literally, there is blood everywhere. About fifty dead goblins are scattered about, some smoldering and burning still, lying among dead worgs and wolves and archers and a plethora of hewn limbs and heads and steaming viscera. But Grishog is alive, and there is a worg with Balgron strapped to its back, and there are about eight archers still firing from three different fronts, and overlooking everything are dozens and dozens of enemies who are only anxious spectators.
But fate finally comes for the Great Grishog. Nari-lana has been hounding him, and as he attempts to escape again, risking that opportunity attack, she slashes the goblin commander across his throat. Crimson blood spews out, his hands clutching the grievous wound as fluid pumps between his fingers. Grishog’s eyes roll up into his head, and he topples off the back of his mount.
A sudden hush falls over the entire arena.
The drums stop pounding.
Heartbeats quicken.
And then there is a MASS shriek of terror as every goblin alive tries to flee at once! The archers scamper into the darkness, and the party hears hundreds of feet pattering through an unseen exit. Only the worg carrying Balgron continues to fight, but Douvan finally chops a leg out from beneath it and slays the beast. Moaning and whining, Balgron is a blubbering mess of a goblin begging for freedom…
There is a solitary goblin archer atop the stalagmite, but when the Spectral Warrior is sent up, slowly rising higher, higher higher to demand its surrender, the goblin flings itself off the precipice and shatters on the rocks below. So much for that.
This essentially ends combat. The heroes pick through the battlefield and eventually find another archway. A wide tunnel leads to an armory and treasury which they liberally scavenge [The exact treasure will be determined later]. They still need to get out of this miserable cavern though, so dragging their new prisoner Balgron (who is fat enough to maybe count as two goblins for Balthazar and his enchanted stew) they follow the tunnel down to Maglubiyet’s shrine.
The hideous idol to the goblin god looms before them.
It is an ugly thing, stained with blood from old sacrifices, and its eyes seem to stare at them with almost palpable malevolence.
Still, there’s no arguing that those jewel eyes are worth a coin or two, and Merric has no qualms about stealing them. He clambers up the statue, dagger in hand, and gently pries them loose…
…only to feel a debilitating wave of nausea and despair wash over him as the second ruby leaves its socket. Merric gasps and stumbles away, sick to his stomach, clammy and cold and suddenly shaking all over. He has just suffered the Curse of Maglubiyet, and all Defenses are reduced by 4. There is no saving throw to end the condition.
Helping Merric limp along, they continue down the tunnel, past the last iron portcullis until they finally see daylight filtering from a hole in the wall. They walk through the wolf den, which is now empty, climb up the rubble and bones, and finally emerge outside in a patch of green ferns for the first time in what seems like forever. They’re standing on a hillside a hundred yards from where they first entered Tallow’s Deep. The secret entrance through the worg den was here all this time, albeit expertly hidden. Obviously, this was one place Blackjack never found.
“What are ya gonna do with me?” their fat goblin prisoner asks. “Lemme go, come on! I didn’t do nuthin’ to you!”
Well, what exactly ARE they going to do with the goblin? And what about Balthazar and his need for fresh meat? They failed their mission and did not reach the minimum quota of gobber meat, but they did not expect to fight for lives against a thousand of the little buggers either.
Everlund is not far away, and it is only the second day of Burger Fest, so maybe they can still salvage something. In fact, they decide to give Balthazar one of the ruby eyes. It is easily worth 1000 gold, and that should at least make up for some of the revenue the wizard is losing from the Burger Palace and Horace’s kickbacks for solving the bugbear problem.
The group is actually faced with a moral dilemma: do they turn Balthazar in by telling everyone that they’ve been eating goblins, or do they let Balthazar continue his slightly unpleasant “service” to the community by keeping the bloodthirsty bugbear clan sedated? They decide to try and find the wizard as soon as possible, explain their situation and offer their sincerest apologies so as not to make a powerful enemy. Hopefully he will listen to reason.
They find the Burgerfest banners still flapping in the wind, but the line outside of Burger’s Palace is not so much happy patrons as a pissed off mob. Good citizens who have a mild addition to the tasty burgers and have been denied for too long can get very rowdy. Mayor Horace Burger is there, fat and red and sweating profusely, trying to calm the crowd that has gathered outside of his restaurant. The heroes don’t see Balthazar, not in either his normal form or his blond-bearded guise, but that’s not surprising as he could probably appear as anyone.
They’re not sure what to do, but they end up getting rooms that night at the Sleepy Centaur, in hopes that they can track down the elusive mage the next day, maybe at Blackjack’s Pig Farm. Merric tries to find a healer who can remove Maglubiyet’s curse, and is able to find the same old witch who helped Jolen in Adventure #2. For the right price she is able to heal the halfling.
But that night, Balthazar finds THEM.
“You fools! I give you a simple task, and here you are a day late with what? With what? A SINGLE fat goblin? And where in the hells is Blackjack?”
Balthazar’s ornery red pseudodragon is hissing and spitting, coiled in its customary position around the wizard’s shoulders. The group quickly explains what happened, from the trapped goblin warren, how their escape route was cut off, and ultimately how they nearly died multiple times at the hands of the goblins and endless traps. They hand the wizard the ruby eye of Maglubiyet (without telling him what it is) and his features soften.
“A ruby, eh? Well, at least you didn’t come back completely empty-handed.”
“Do you still want this goblin?” they ask him, and Balgron by now has deduced what they’re up to. He quivers in abject terror.
“NO! No! I’m…I’m a wanted gob! Dangerous I am! In…in…in Winterhaven! Big reward on my head. Take me der, yep. I’ll make you a bargain. Just take me der and…and…you get big reward!”
Balthazar sniffs. “Cowardly dog,” he mutters. “No matter though. Despite his corpulent girth, even he is not enough satiate the bugbears at this point. No, I’m afraid that the magical compulsion will wear off very soon, and the bugbears are likely to retaliate.”
But the wizard muses, tapping a finger to his chin. “Unless…unless you were to work for me again. Next month. I still need goblins. They’re out there somewhere, and you know their den in and out. Work for me in private and secrecy and perhaps we can salvage something from this fiasco. Are we in agreement?”
You know, that deal doesn’t sound half bad to the heroes, so they tentatively agree to help the “evil” Balthazar. As for Merple the Moneylender in Silverymoon who hired them originally to investigate Balthazar, they’ll probably tell him the truth and let Merple do what he wants with the information. But they aren’t returning straight away to Silverymoon.
No, as the fat goblin Balgron said, he’s a wanted man in Winterhaven, so they’ll take him there. It is a small town a few days due west of Everlund. And just to make sure the goblin doesn’t try to escape after his so-called “bargain,” Merric asks Balthazar to polymorph him into a toad. The illusionist laughs and complies, and a fat, squealing goblin is suddenly transformed into a fat, croaking reptile. The effect will wear off, but at least they won’t have to worry about Balgron escaping for a while, which was probably his intent anyway. And they’ll see if it is true or not if anyone in Winterhaven gives a damn about him.
They doubt it.
They leave the next morning, marching down the dusty road, just glad to be in the sunshine and out of the miserable goblin caves known as Tallow’s Deep, a place they actually might return to one day to scoop up all the remaining goblins they possibly can. There is still a stew to be brewed, burgers to be flipped, and magic--powerful magic--to be cast by a strange wizard with a flair for the unusual…
And there we stopped.
[GM Note: Well, that module took a helluva long time to get through, but it was fun! So, kicking off Thunderspire, your two groups will actually cross paths in Winterhaven. That was a good idea you guys had, I hadn’t thought about that. Erevan, Xenoseth, Jolen, Merric, Raven, Brandis, Splug, Boss Fatty, Helga, Irann, Douvan and Kerric all in one place, even if only briefly. You should be 6th level, but we’re going to keep the campaign going at 5th so the numbers won’t be thrown off too bad].
