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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 5438695" data-attributes="member: 16069">Session 8, Rogar's diary-<session 08>It was quiet after the fight, apart from the hagged breathing of our party and the muffled noise of the goblin.  We where all waiting, listening intently for the sound of an approaching goblin horde.  There could have been a goblin rearguard, they could have heard the fight and run, bringing the whole of Gorrizbad down on our heads... but there was no rearguard, we where safe... for now.Ha, safe!  In this place.  How about ‘not doomed’?  With the threat of doom gone for a moment, we search the bodies, disarm the survivors.  Both Drake and the goblin make sufficent puppy dog-eyes to make us swear to leave the two goblins alive, so we tie them to the remains of the bed and ask them questions.  In retrospect, it was good that the bed was already pretty broken as... we kinda forgot about them afterwards.The goblins spoke plainly, and I don’t think they lied much, but still they had little to tell us.  Hu-jat knows of our presence and has sent many groups of goblins to search for us.  When the goblins didn’t find us, he took his anger out of the Kobolds!  Many where killed, most of the rest where driven out, the ones that remain... will be dead by dawn.  Hu-Jat and the goblins are bullies.  This much is plain to see, but is there no limit to their empty violence?  We fought and killed kobolds last night afternoon, but that was honest.  That was them or us.  That was their duty and our self-defence.This ...was a slaughter; all we can do it return the favour to Hu-Jat.Outside, we see the confirmation of what the goblins said; it’s approaching dawn (5am?) yet we see clearly, considering how much of the town is aflame!  The kobold slums to the west are burnt out, but many other places still burn.  We head east, first to the temple (which we didn’t stop to check; could have learned something here) then to the road that seperates us from the temple and the stables.  A strange display is happening at the stables, it appears that the building is on fire and live kobolds are being thrown inside and kept from fleeing.  Bullies; this will not stand.We skulk across the road for the last time and move through the crumbling baths.  This place was a battlefield of a different sort; Bullywugs and goblins lie dead here.  The bullywugs appeared to have been killed by goblins swords; and the goblins killed with bullywug spears and fire.  Yes, fire, the hidden hatch down to Channona’s lair was open yet clogged with fire and smoke; at first we thought the worst, but Channona is a creature of fire, these flames whould not be enough to kill a creature like them.The last sprint, the final run we took in Gorrizbad was a simple enough thing.  The Kiris mansion, now Hu-Jat’s lair; it’s seen bad times in the occupation, with the front doors crumbled and one of it’s tower’s fallen.  A group of wolves circled the building, either magically controlled or more intelligent than you would expect from wild dogs.It’s a simple task to wait for the right time, then sprint or sneak to the back door of this dismal place.  It’s even simpler to get inside: I just bang on the door and say “Oi, let me in!” (in goblintounge of course).  What follows though, is far from easy...Starts well, door opens and I knock the first one straight down the stairs before he can act, a slingstone over his head takes down the next one.  I direct Resolute and Jeb towards the next-closest goblin, and they charge at my target.  Maldor blasts enother goblin with a bolt of cutting radiance, then holds the rearguard for a moment as the others move in.  Behind the only goblin that is currently putting up a fight, there are two cowardly-looking ones, standing confused and scared by an alarm-gong.  I rush past the already beleaguered goblin and manage to drop both of the others to keep them from raising the alarm (at least for now).  It got... complicated after this.  The outside door was closed, yet trained dogs and enslaved wolves burst through and attacked our back.  The other door in the room opened to reveal another horde of goblins (... okay just 5 of them) with javelins and small crossbows.  Resolute bravely stood at this portal, half holding it shut and half being shot by the goblins when it could not be held shut, he even got a few good hits inbetween.  Once the wolves where beaten down, Resolute and Jeb swapped places and the Swordmage’s magical shielding stood well Then came Hu-Jat, riding his horrible Rage Drake.  A giant beast, scales like dirty blood, a snapping maw not quite large enough to swallow me whole.  However between luck and skill, the beasts claws and teeth hardly touched our flesh before it fell to our our combined assault.  Hu-Jat was also an impressive figure, until he mount fell from under him and he was surrounded in the thin corridor.  In the confusion of melee, I’m not sure who took Hu-Jat down, but I do know Jeb set it up by using his magic to teleport past Hu-Jat and the drake to flank them, dispite how this left him flanked by the Goblins behind Hu-Jat!Once Hu-Jat fell though, everything changed.  Everything could have been different up to then, but afterwards the path was set.  The door to outside burst open again, but this time it wasn’t dogs and wolves or even Goblin reinforcements, it was Channoa!  The Dragon held the doorway form and breathed gouts of fire over the surprised Goblins and wolves outside, killing many and scattering the rest.  Hu-Jat was dead, and Gorizzbad... Kirish Dahn was free (although still ruined and on-fire in places).I see a lot of my teachers’s style and actions in Channoa; and, as with my teachers, I see it’s value yet worry for it’s cost.Channoa wants to see is fight, see us pushed to the limit, see the point where Iron becomes Steel.  I see the value in that, yet... our group, working with Channoa, side-by-side... we could have been so much stronger, so much safer.Channoa sees great potential in us.  Given our prowess in the fight and our stirring words afterwards, he gave up the last Slaying Stone to us (Drake carries it, as he has the least reason to use it), apparently furfilling whatever pact he was held to.  I think he was also effected by our honest intent to help Hoyt with his wererat nature, and I think this is a good thing for us.Oh yes, Hoyt.  We found him in a cage, further into the mansion.  Badly beaten, but his wererat-afflication does have some benefits and within the hour he was physically recovered!  I wonder if this affliction could be... controlled instead of removed?  Risky thoughts, but then I am an adventurer now... think of what could be gained!  Regeneration of wounds, darkvision and great climbing ability.  I must discuss this (carefully) with Hoyt and with the people we meet to cure him.So, we bid farewell to Channoa, collect Hoyt (we loosely tie him up, considering his previous loss-of-control) and loot the mansion; Hu-Jat had a decent collection of coins, but nothing interesting.  It’s all bagged up and for the 1st time, we walk freely through Gorizzbad/Kirish Dahn.I want to say it looked and felt different to the place we have been creeping and scurrying through by night and through snow... but it doesn’t.  It’s deathly quiet, but often when we traveled it was late at night or heavy with snow and the occupying forces where too lazy to act.  Hopefully we can return to this place, when it is reclaimed, when it is another light in the darkness.  I’ll still keep my sling to hand though.Oh, and the Tavern of the Tallest Fir?  Looks like the Goblins where just trying to run a still there and didn’t do well.  Disappointing, but carries a good lesson: leave the brewing and distilling to those skilled with it.We leave Gorizzbad/Kirish Dahn via the bridge where we fought Boon-tah.  Again it feels the same as we have to clamber over spiked wooden baracades, nothing to me, but an issue for Drake and Neb.</blockquote>

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