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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 5402402" data-attributes="member: 16069">This from Rogar's diary...<session 02>Day 2)After a plain and pleasant breakfast (I helped, but Treona didn’t consider my help worthy of an extra share), and a little embarrassment involving Drake and Treona’s cleavage (a) don’t ask, b) we really to watch out for the boy) … we set off.  I suppose this is it, our first quest.  I hope we all make it back.  I hope we all have the stomach for the work.Gorrizzbad (I prefer this name to Kiris Dahn, more playful and easier to laugh at) is one long-day’s walk from Treona’s tower.  There is a little dithering at the start, but me and Resolute led the way and the rest followed.It was an uneventful trip, and the weather stayed good for most of it.  We tried to keep close enough to the path to travel quickly, but not blunder down the middle, in case of trouble.  We did take a couple of short breaks as we went, and I spotted a small deer during one of the breaks!  Cute little thing, but also tasty and nutritious.  I warned the group and tried to take it down with a sling-stone, but got a little excited and missed.  The deer startled, but Neb used his magics to blast the thing with an unerring shot.  Cute trick, almost cheating.  Still, teamwork and all that; at least he didn’t try to poach it from me before I struck out.By the time we got to Gorrizzbad, the fog was starting to close in, made things easier.The main entrance to the place was via the bridge we saw on Treona’s map.  That was a no-go, but not defended like I would expect, with patrols or scouts.  Anyway, we filtered through the woods to the south/east, looking for developments and an easier place to cross.  Treona had mentioned a Kobold ‘ghetto’ in the middle and that was easier to spot.  The Kobolds seemed to be working much more than the Goblins where, that’s for sure.  Maldor showed off his Elvish tree-affinity (just kidding) by climbing a tree and having a good look around, didn’t tell us much extra, but did prove that we where not being followed.  It was so going, with Drake showing surprising knowledge of the woods, Resolute trail-blazing, Maldor keeping watch and myself sneaking ahead to make sure the way was clear.  As the fog really started rolling in, we found a section where the river was narrow and shallow, making it easier to cross, as long as you are taller than a barstool.  Still, this is where we crossed... and where things went a little wrong.We tied off a rope on the south side of the river, I tied it about myself and braved the waters!…It was a tad nippy (I lie, it was DAMNED COLD) and the current was fast, but I’m accustomed to the waters and made it across fine.  I crept about a little and made sure I was alone, then tossed the rope back into the water and waved for my allies to follow.  Resolute went f1st and had no problems... then Drake tried to cross and I say tried!  Those robe don’t half gather water and he was pulled off his feet and into the water.  I didn’t want to leap back into the river myself, given my own lack of rope and small size, but as Drake tried and failed and tried and failed to make his way, I had to go and help.  Luckily Resolute had the same idea and together it was no problem to pull him and the rope safely across.  Neb when next and made it okay, said he was helping Drake with his magic.  Didn’t see it myself, but it’s good that we are in this together.  Jeb went last, reclaiming the rope and doing an impressive jump/teleport combo to get himself most of the way over the river.This left me and Drake triple-wet, with everyone else just wet.  We had to get out of the cold, but can’t just stroll into Gorrizzbad inn and ring the bell.  There was a farmhouse surrounded by fields, looks like the Goblins where actually planting and working them... more foresight than I expected.  The farmhouse was ruined, but the barn was in a workable condition, so we snuck in there, had a careful look out of every door, window and hole-in-the-wall, before building a low-fire (at the time, I thought Resolute was disturbingly well prepared... now I just think it’s a little disturbing) with wood and dry dung.  This dried us out and gave us time for respite.  I feel we should have pressed on as soon as we where dry, but the Kobolds do see so well in the dark... we would never see them coming.  At least in the daytime we are on even footing.Rogar’s note: 3rd watchHa, we are setting watches.  So professional.  Turns out to be useful too; we don’t have any trouble, but I did spot a strange procession in the fog at night.  A whole bunch of creatures (Goblins, I guess from the torches) moves in a big lump from the north-east (the manor house?) to the south-west (the bridge).  When this happens, all the Kobolds stop their work and rush inside their huts.  We can use this, if it ever happens again, the Kobolds will be hiding and the Goblins (if it’s them) will mistake our movement for scaredy-rat Kobolds!  I woke up Maldor so he could spot anything I missed, but we didn’t spot anything else.  About 10-15min later, this group of torches moved back to the north-east and the Kobolds started to come out again.Nothing else of note, but after my watch, I just couldn’t get completely to sleep.  I saw Drake writing something during his watch.  I wonder if it’s a diary too?Day 3)In the twilight of dawn, we where all awake and ready.  A small breakfast of slow-roast venison (you make do with what you’ve got on the road) and a sip of the wineskin for the cold, and we made our move.  We headed for the library, as the others said Treona had some type of lab in the basement and we had to look for something?  I’m a little confused, as I don’t remember that part.  Also, someone said that they saw a couple of figures with torches heading into the library during the night.  We sneak across the road into the ruins...well, I don’t sneak that well, but the rest of them are terrible!  Drake and Neb collide and prat-fall in the middle of the street.  Still, we got our timing right and (apparently) no one noticed.The library... it was terrible.  I’ve never been addicted to books like Maggie or Michelle from the monastery... I still think they are important and to be treated carefully.  This library had not been treated well though.  The entire main floor had been burned!  reduced to ash some time ago ####.  Observe -> plan -> act.  There is a clear trail here, as small figures have walked through the ash.  It leads to a lower level.  The trail suggests they didn’t return.Time to thin the herd, time to pay respects, maybe even time to ask some questions.The basement is thankfully undamaged, although the way Neb hurls around fire-magic means that not all of it survives the combat.  For combat it is.  I sneak in and see two goblins randomly rooting through the papers.  Unfortunately I fluff the 1st sling-shot and they get to see their death coming.Not much to say about the fight.  I easily hold my own versus these ruffians, dropping four of the weakest ones in a single exchange: one crushed to the wall, one struck with my sling, two more rush out of side rooms and bash their faces against my feet and fists.The only threat here is a Goblin in robes-over-leather, a strange one who is... eating paper from books?  A magic user indeed, not learned like a wizard or inspired like a cleric, but leaking magic like a warlock.  He spits wads of paper at his feet to summon oozes of some type.  Both strange and terrible, but don’t worry, he gets what is coming to him.With his allies burnt/crushed/cut, the magic-goblin retreats.  I rush past the oozes to punch the Goblin, deftly avoiding them while Resolute gets to crush them again; the Goblin attempts to blast me for this, but I make an awesome low-slide down the corridor to avoid it.  We harry him down the corridor, then, when it looks like he has a good position to hold us off, both me and resolute acrobatically leap off the walls above our allies to get behind the goblin and strike him down.  After I give him a solid beating from behind Resolute (because I can!) he surrenders... to Neb, odd.  Maybe he thought this was his best chance of survival?This magic-goblin is named Rort.  I don’t care for it or him.  He jabbers uselessly for a while and we learn over a few things:The goblin leader his named Hu-jat, he owns an attack-drake of some type <large size?>Someone/something/somegroup raided the library last night!.  They included something large with claws; they found a secret vault and took something.His armour was magical leathers, claimed by Neb... hope he washes them 1st.There is an even lower level to the library, which was through the door we had already seen.  Rort mumbled something quietly about there being ‘fart demons’ and while I am no demonoligist... I call <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> on that.While Rort seemed to capitulate, he was only biding time until he could escape.  Pleading with all of us for clemency.  Drake fell for this, hard (I worry for him), so we had to tell him a mistruth.  Maldor and Resolute did the job, while me and Jeb kept Drake busy with discussing the challenge ahead.  With the loose ends tied up (wish we had thought to hide all the bodies and point Neb at the bloodstains) we descended even deeper.  The area below was curious circular room (there was a bed there... and the circular staircase from above... how does that work?) with as strange glowing orb and two doors.  Jeb, Neb and Drake investigated the orb and said it was some type of power source, but it was suppressed or depleted.  Me, Resolute and Maldor had a look at the doors and where none too surprised when they burst open to reveal something more pathetic, more broken, more worthless and Goblins and Kobolds put together...Bullywugs!Actually Jeb got the armour, the fields were being tended (a little) by the Kobolds- not the much lazier Goblins, other than that- pretty much spot on.</blockquote>

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