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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 1321521" data-attributes="member: 6294">Kull's 10th Report - Part 2Arranging passage out to the ruins on the island proved a simple task, and I set out before dawn the next morning, stepping ashore just as the sky began to lighten in the east.  Raven's stronghold sat at the end of a high spur of rock, granting it a clear range of vision over many miles.  Despite this, there was no sign of movement or alarm to be seen: either the darkness had covered my arrival, or these goblins were as inefficient as most of their kind, and had mounted no competent watch.Leading the way to the building, I entered through the front door.  This led to a narrow, looping corridor, overlooked by a broad stone ledge.  Suspicious that ambushers might lurk there, I immediately scaled the wall.My suspicions were well-founded: four goblins hid at the top, armed with nets and poisoned daggers.  In truth, I cannot fault their choice of tactics: it offered them a strong defensive position, from which they could easily snare and defeat most intruders.  My immediate investigation of their ledge caught them off guard, however, and their ambush set awry.I managed to wound one of the creatures before they could react, but two others cast down their net, entangling Ulfgar and Dargim.  The two dwarves soon cut their way free, however, and moved down the corridor in search of another way up.  They quickly found one, and we crushed the goblins between us.  The creatures were unusually fierce for their kind.  I believe we faced elite troops – at least by the standards of the goblin race – possibly sent to the island on some business of the humanoid armies.Moving on, we entered what appeared to be a disused room.  Ulfgar too readily accepted this appearance, and moved forward, finding himself the target of a hail of arrows from hidden archers.  Their barbs were well-aimed, and all of us took wounds, though none were felled.  No doubt, if they could, the goblins would have fled at this time, but they had chosen a position without a line of retreat, and were butchered in swift order: without the advantage of surprise, they fell easily beneath my flail.The next area of the fortress proved to be the prison cells.  The first cell contained a kobold prisoner, but it would not co-operate, and made laughable threats against me, so I slew it.  Only one other cell was occupied, with a pair of skeletons that had been manacled to the wall.  Bidding the others stand back, I entered the cell alone.  Ruins such as these are endlessly infested with minor undead irritants, and this proved to be the case here, as the skeletons rushed forward to attack me.Before they had crossed even half the room, Hextor's Will had consumed them, and turned them to my service.  It would have been well if Gnorric had seen this, and learned the folly of his fascination with such creatures.  But this lesson will have to wait.Further exploration caused me to once more reduce my opinion of the goblin defenders.  I had thought them foolish at the outset, for they had not set a guard on the island, but the two ambushes I had so far faced had been as well executed as could be expected for such weak and disorganised creatures.  Deeper within the stronghold, however, their discipline was negligible once more.  We faced and swiftly slew two wolf-riders, though they destroyed one of the skeletons before they fell.  The fight they gave was better than most goblins could offer, but it was only through their own indolence that they met us alone.  Their location meant that they must surely have heard our battles with the earlier groups, but they had made no effort to investigate, nor even to sound the alarm.  Any man under my command who showed such negligence would be executed as an example to his fellows.The wolf-riders had made their quarters in the dining hall.  Beyond this lay the kitchen, but this contained only rats and some tattered spider webs, so I led the way down another hall, into what appeared to be a small drawing room.  I had barely stepped inside, however, before the skeleton that walked before me suddenly vanished through the solid flagstones of the floor.Investigation quickly showed that these flagstones were nothing more than an illusion, placed over an open pit trap.  The skeleton had been shattered by the drop, and so I left it, and we continued into the next room.  There, we faced and quickly slew a pair of hobgoblins, with only Ulfgar being hurt in the fight..There were two doors leading from this chamber, which appeared to be the true drawing room, and was rather larger than the false one.  There was little to distinguish the two doors, and no enemies had issued forth from either, despite the commotion of our battle.  In the end I chose that we would head to the right, for that door stood slightly ajar, suggesting that it might have been used more recently.In this supposition, I was correct, for the door opened into a chamber some twenty feet to a side, in which stood an array of enemies.  There were five goblins amongst the foe, but these were not the true challenge to be faced: behind them stood a pair of hobgoblins, proud and tall, and I knew we had found the leaders of this band.The first of the two was close to seven feet in height, and dressed in a mighty suit of plate armour.  He clasped a massive greatsword in his hands.  His compatriot was less tall, though still taller than most men, and bore no armour or weapons.  Instead, he wore the robes of a wizard or scholar, and he quickly proved he was the former, as he spoke words of arcane power, and hurled a mighty bolt of lightning against us.</blockquote>

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