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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Pedestrian" data-source="post: 3619744" data-attributes="member: 40208">Session 3: Marduk Scouts, and the assault on Vraath KeepNot-being-seen was strange. He was sure that touching things would break the spell, but that made moving in a forest hard, with all the branches. He decided it would be best to crawl along on his belly. Would that count as touching? It helped that being low meant he wouldn’t be spotted. Wait, he was not-seen, so that didn’t matter. Couldn’t stand up though. Might bang something, and then he would be seen. The earth here smelt of old and new death and fires and goblin piss. That was new. He wasn’t sure if the spell made him quiet too, so he held his breath as long as he could. There, ahead. He entered a clearing, and on a low hill the stone-house. He could stand, but no, they might see him. Of course not. He was not-seen. He craned his neck upwards to look at the building. The highest part pointed up above the rest like a finger, green fire shining from a window making a nail. A finger, pointing up at the sky. Only stars and black there. A piercing shriek echoed down from the finger, and he fought the urge to whimper. If he was heard, that might break the spell. He rose off his belly, risked a quick sprint. There, an entryway and bones. Big bones. Bigger than him. That was where the old death smell came from. It looked like the doors had been bashed in. Good, he wouldn’t have to touch them, and could look more. Inside. It stank of goblins here. Goblin dung, wolfs too. And a cat maybe? Over the broken door and into the house. Lots of little buildings in the big building, lots of doors, but they were closed. The inside was filled with big rocks, and more big bones. Still low, glad it was night and his fur was black. But no, he was not-seen, so it did not matter. Inwards. One of the little-buildings-inside-the-big-building was connected to the green finger. Like a fist. There were voices from inside, the stink of goblins and something else, something furry. Another Marsh Dog? One of the walls was bashed in, with more bones. He crept over the rocks. Quiet. Don’t breathe. Four goblins around a fire, and a hairy creature with horns. Not a marsh dog. The hairy-horned-thing looked at him, and he froze. Did it see him? No, he was not-seen. Good. Across the stones. Another building, it’s door nearly off its hinges. Smells of maybe a cat wafted out. He snuck through. The slightly swinging door brushed his shoulder. Panic! But worse, glowing green cat-eyes the size of plates opened, and the not-cat breathed in deep, looking at his direction. He froze. What to do? But the magic held. He was not-seen. But the not-cat sniffed in his direction. Too much! He ran, over the rubble and past the big bones and down the hill. Only when he was in the forest did he slow.*Marduk burst into the camp site, shocking Marcus, who had been on guard as he materialised after nearly tripping over the seated mage. The ruckus woke Tom and Sir Tarnus, and the three tried to calm the Gnoll as he babbled about green-fingers and not-cats. Slowly, he calmed, and the rest of the group got a picture of what went on at the keep. It seemed that the  goblinoids were quite lax at this time, content that the superstitious fear of the keep would stop any investigators. Knowing something of the habits of goblins, it was decided that they would attempt a daylight assault, where the night-sighted creatures would have less of an advantage, and would be tired from their nocturnal activities. Jorr stated firmly that he would remain here at the camp site and wait for them. Tom looked disgusted, but Sir Tarnus nodded his assent. Given Tom and Sir Tarnus’ reliance on heavy armour, stealth was out of the question. Instead, a frontal assault would be used. They set off through the forest, Marduk leading the way.Sir Tarnus was astonished at the sight of the giant bones – Marduk’s description of “big bones” had not impressed itself upon his mind – while Tom muttered a swift prayer to Kade, hoping that the bones were just that, and not unholy minions of the curse on the keep. Luck was with them as they hustled over the broken gatehouse, the goblins having not set guards.The quartet gained the advantage of surprise over the main body of the hobgoblins and their minotaur commander. Sir Tarnus challenged the beast to face him, quelling the bestial creature with his steely devotion. Marcus used arcane energy to engorge his gnoll ally, swelling him to Ogrish proportions. Tom called upon Kade’s beneficence, uplifting his allies and cursing his enemies. Two hobgoblins bolted, one out the hole in the wall, the other through a door that undoubtedly led to the haunted tower. Sir Tarnus engaged the minotaur, slaying the beast as it attempted to flee, and Marduk and Tom hewed down hobgoblins left and right. Marcus attempted to blast the hobgoblin that was now rushing across the courtyard, but was too late as it battered its fists upon the stable door, alerting the worg riders within, who burst out in short order.From within a broken down building emerged the “not-cat” Marduk had spoken of, a brutish, bat-winged creature with a spiked tail. “Manticore” murmured Marcus to no one in particular as he blasted a goblin off of its worg. It seemed content to watch the carnage, however, as the adventurers battled its “allies”. Marduk chased the last worg rider down, cleaving the snapping devil-wolf in two, letting the panicked goblin flee.“Looks like one got away to warn the ghost.” Stated Tom. The others nodded. They waited a few minutes, then formed up before the door, Marduk in the lead. With a careless foot, he opened it, to be confronted by a bow-wielding hobgoblin and a hulking, hairy bugbear.“Friend, protect me.” The bugbear seized the initiative, entrapping Marduk’s mind. The massive Gnoll smiled at his new friend, and strode through the door to stand beside him. Marcus flung bolts of arcane force at the hobgoblin, while Tom invoked the power of Kade once more – with the exception that he now designated Marduk as “foe”. Sir Tarnus attempted to charge into the chamber, at which point the waiting hobgoblin slammed the door in his face. Irritated the templar shoved the door open.Marcus last sight was of the bugbear pointing a hooked claw at him, whispering in goblin. “Shadows milky, eyes rot.” His confusion lasted only a second, as darkness clouded his vision. He was blind. Sir Tarnus rushed the hobgoblin, slamming him aside to gain entry, while Tom moved more cautiously inward. It was not certain whether Marduk would lash out unprovoked, or seek only to protect his new master. Struggling to decide what to do, he opted to call down Kade’s wrath on the bugbear, but the creature’s will was so strong that it shrugged off the effect. Tom was relieved to note that this did not seem to provoke his friend.The bugbear called out to Sir Tarnus, once more in the Common tongue, “Friend, protect me”. He was shocked to see the warrior shrug off his enchantment through the strength of his conviction “My faith shield me from your black magic, monster” cried the human as he finished off the remaining hobgoblin. Seeing how the battle was turning, the bugbear swallowed a potion, levitating a few feet in the air. As he tried to fly away, Sir Tarnus lashed out with his sword in an over-head lunge, wounding the bugbear.This pushed the ensorcelled gnoll over the edge. Bellowing fury, Marduk leapt at Sir Tarnus, hacking madly with his great-axe, cleaving a bloody arc across his flesh. For a scant moment, the templar’s knees shook and it looked as if he might buckled under the force of the blow. “Heironeus!” Sir Tarnus called, his eyes shining with fervour. He span around and impaled Marduk on his great sword. It seemed that even this killing strike would not stop Marduk, who lashed and spat at the human, screaming in a rage. Then, the terrible impact of the wound took it’s toll, and Marduk slumped, sliding off the end of Sir Tarnus’ blade.The knight had already turned once more to face the bugbear, but too late, as the evil sorcerer flew up and out of the tower.Tom rushed forward, pulling a scroll from his pouch to dispel what curse the bugbear had placed upon Marduk, then urgently set to restoring the gnoll’s health. He found that, despite the severity of Sir Tarnus’ sword blow, his friend yet lived, and channelling the divine energy of Kade, he soon revived him. The gnoll favoured Tom a doggy grin, but would not look at Sir Tarnus.</blockquote>

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