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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 5418692" data-attributes="member: 16069">Rogar's diary for the above session-<session 05>They came from the north, south and west.  I took the west door, Jeb went south and Resolute went north (although Maldor pushed past him and into the goblins).  I was hoping the goblins would juat change into our fists/feet/axes, but half of them had crappy shortbows as well.  Still, took down two of them quickly and think I heard another one or two squeak out to the north.Three more goblins assiled me, but I got away with just scratches, they where not so lucky; got close to the 1st two and the third thought he was safe at the back.  No more comming from that direction, so I moved down to assist Jeb.The goblin leader (who we later learned was named 'Triffick' or similar) had snuck out of one of the broken windows; and now snuck back in, to try and backstab Jeb!This is where things went from bad to worse.  Hoyt was clearly angry and scared by the sudden attack, the exposure to the goblins he had hid from... but turns out there was more to Hoyt's secrets.  Hoyt schreeched (squeaked?) and shifted into a man-sized human/rat hybrid!  To make matters worse he lost his mind in the change, stabbing both Neb and Drake before trying to escape.I still hate rats.I say trying to escape, as both Resolute and Maldor broke off from the goblins and chased Hoyt down.Me and Jeb take on Triffick and the remaining goblins, cracking skulls and blasting with waves of force.  The goblins do prove to be shifty foes and it takes longer than we hoped to mop them up.  This means we can't help with Hoyt, who manages to scuttle past Maldor and Resolute, and try to run again, this time squeezing out of a broken window.  Maldor can't let anyone get away from him (he's like a terrier) but Resolute can't keep up, so he helps us pummel goblins.  It looked like Hoyt was going to get away, but there was a timely and strange distraction as the 'Inn of the Tallest Fir', the town's central tavern... exploded.How and why are completly unknown!  Just BOOM! then debris and goblins flying everywhere.  Luckily, two tallfolk rushing about was small potatoes compared to this, and Maldor/Neb are able to stop Hoyt from running with a combination of illusion magic, battlefield diplomacy and the flat of an axe(!) they manage to keep Hoyt from running, get him humanish again and get inside before they get spotted.Inside, I drop Triffick with a sharp blow to the solar plexus (so we can talk to him later), grab his shiny silver dagger before it hits the floor (didn't I mention that?  impressivly silver) and the last goblin meets resolute a moment later.All in all, a very eventful couple of minutes!  Could have gone horribly wrong if the tavern hadn't exploded (there's a line I never thought I would write!), but the big chaos from that hid the little chaos from your fight.Resolute puts the fear of Resolute into Triffick and he quickly becomes quite responsive to our questions, we learn:- The procession at night was the arrival of the "Severed Eye Orcs" a known group of extra-evil Orcish mercs.  Not known why they are here, but we do know that they take severed eyes as trophies, both from their enemies and weak allies!- Hu-Jat met the Orcs, is he still in change?- No sightings or even rumors of dragons- Hoyt is a … Wererat!   We figured that, but not that Rat-Hoyt has been stealing and eating goblin children.  Eww.  Hoyt, crying, confirmed this- Wolf-Goblins (just Goblins who ride wolves, phew) have claimed the stablesWe can’t think of anything else to ask Triffick and Hoyt points out that there is a heavy sarcoghicous stone coffin here, the Goblin has no chance to lift that on his own.  We stow him there, in case we think up any more questions.Hoyt wants to talk, but only really has a couple of useful things to say.- He is a Wererat, infected by a big rat in the other temple (didn’t say it’s size, guessing ‘tiny’/cat sized).  He hasn’t fully turned yet and wants to be free of the condition.- He lacks full control in his hybrid form, and has done terrible things.- He hasn’t seen it directly, but has seen clear signs that... A Dragon (Brass or Gold?) is active in the area.  I want to disbelive it... but he says he found Dragonscales.  He thinks the Dragon might be at the old baths or somewhere grand.Hoyt seemed to think that we would leave him here to his fate, that we would hate him for his curse.  He was pleased when we said we would do whatever we could to help him, and how Treona may know a cure.  As we kept a close watch and rested for a little while, I split some of my rations and the last of my slow-roast deer with Hoyt.Still think you should know someone before you eat with them.  But what do I know?  My response to giant spiders is to punch them.Hoyt stays at the temple and we sneak off the baths!  The snow is still present, but not falling.  There is more activity due to the exploded inn (how will be find out what happened?  maybe we can explore it at night?  Why would they guard it?) but luckly that was also a persistant distraction.  Anyway, just a couple of quick hops between buildings, then across the street; easy right?  … How do you write a ‘sigh’ anyway?The first part goes well, although ?Maldor/Drake? slips and Resolute steps up to carry him to cover.  I act as rear-guard and sweep the snow to keep out path hidden.  The road has isn’t own problems; again Maldor slips in the worst possible place, right in the middle of the road and this time it’s in sight of a small building.  A Kobold-occupied building!  There is little time to act, so I try something risky.  I make sure my hood is up, then rush out to Maldor and speak loudly in Goblin, then Common, acting like I’m a Goblin leader and Maldor is a slave.  I figured that the Kobolds wouldn’t want to mess with a Goblin powerful enough to keep slaves and it seemed to work, they left us alone as we traveled the rest of the way to the baths...Forgot something before, Triffick’s dagger!  Oh it’s a shiny one all right; silver plated blade, crossguard and pommel, full tang, fine braid on the grip.  This weapon in the hands of a goblin was a crime.  Still, it’s not a great use to us either.  Only me, Jeb and Resolute can use it, but Jeb prefers his well-practiced longsword, Resolute prefers his gauntlets for grabbing and I prefer my sling for the range.  Jeb takes it for now, but I think it’s something we will try and sell later date.So, the bathes.  Quite a sight!  A large pond pool of clear-ish water, surrounded by artful stone walls and apparently fed by hot underground springs.  I’m sure how that works, but’s now isn’t the time to be asking about odd geology.  There is still the danger of being spotted, so we keep low and head to a small ruined tower that stands at the edge of the pool.  It provides some good cover and an unknown prize:  Maldor notices a well hidden trapdoor, concealed within the stones!  It took a lucky moment, trained eyes and that special elven something, but he spotted it.  Now, lets see what’s down the hole...<notes>Jeb hangs back, get bullywugged and flees to follow.face-to-face with...</notes></blockquote>

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