Session XLIV: Rainy Days

Resting for the evening at the Hacky Shack, a friendly tavern in the town of Berkenstoke, Arvin's Avenger overhear the cynical one year anniversary celebration of the appearance and subsequent disappearance of Fumark The Foul as he and his band of soldiers were in search of the unguarded treasure of Medora the dragon.  They have not been heard from again since they had passed through Berkenstoke exactly one year ago.  Apparently, the 'unguarded' treasure wasn't so unguarded after all!  The last to see them alive was Abner the ferryman who ferried the band across the Blackmoor River and into the Howling Hills.

But the night wanes on and Sgt Lucius of Blackmoor stationed in Berkenstoke escorts Arvin's Avengers to Blackmoor early the next morning.

Meeting with Baron Blackmoor late that evening, they discuss the invasion of Kushanna's troops into the land of Eir'ian and that the Stygian wizard Zadir now rules Caladan.  Televon, priest of Morpheus, wants to return to Caladan and rescue it from the usurpers, mostly to just get his tower back.  Baron Blackmoor is more concerned with the growing strength of the Cult of the Black Sun in the Valley of Skulls and of a broken truce with the Hobgoblin King.

In exchange for the weaponry to help retake Caladan, Arvin's Avengers agree to spy on the Hobgoblin King to see if he is indeed planning on breaking he truce with Blackmoor and is building an army.

The next morning, the Avengers head out into the wild to spy on the Hobgoblin King.  They travel throughout the rainy day and arrive at the wooded hills in the evening, spending the night just inside the forest.

Early the next morning, the Avengers explore the forest trail heading deeper into the wooded hills.  As the rain continues to fall, Gnarly sends Tuk the owl out above the forest to scout ahead.  Eventually they come upon an intersection in the path with a giant horned chameleon  munching on some trees.  Gnarly takes the opportunity to chat with the beast and finds that there are Hobgoblins nearby but that is all he learns from the large peaceful reptile.

Again sending Tuk above the forest canopy, they spy a Hobgoblin camp.  While Gnarly cuts through the tangled forest to take a closer look at the camp, Arvin's Avengers and a pair of Hobgoblins stumble upon each other.  Arg quickly and aggressively skewers the first one causing the other to high-tail it out of there but he is cut short by a spell cast by Televon.

The Hobgoblin is captured and Arg question's him (with a little persuasion of missing fingers) about the nearby camp and the whereabouts of the Hobgoblin King.  Wanting to just see his family again the Hobgoblin tells the party all he can about the outpost camp and the ruined monastery beneath which lives the Hobgoblin King with the only path leading there through the Hobgoblin camp...