Editing Session 116

#### Campaign: Corsairs 
#### Session date: 28 June 2024
#### Game date: Afternoon, CY627

# Synopsis:  The party makes it across the chasm and does battle with a group of goblins en-route to the secret dock.

[[Ricfire Teabridge]] attempts to climb across the rope and like the rest of the party looks down instead of across - he loses his grip and plummets 80' towards certain death. [[[Aldran Stormheart]]] hearing his scream steps forward to make a bold catch of the unfortunate halting. He manages to break his fall by re-directing Rickfire into a pile of soft garbage (1/2 damage). After cleaning himself off he leaps to the wall and begins climbing back up the dark slippery rock. He slips but does not immediately fall and takes a moment to gather his wits. 

Aldran now quite tired of waiting for someone to toss down a line, and not wanting to miss out on a possible fight (or be shown up by a mere halfling) leaps to the wall clambering up 5' past Ricfire in his first attempt!
#### What's that noise over yonder?

While Aldran and Ricfire try to out climb each other [[Nail]] investigates the opening the ghouls came through. Lighting his torch in the dim light he finds the ghouls treasure. Most of it a bits of half eaten people, goblins, dwarves - its a disgusting mess of body parts and their belongings scattered about in a putrid mess of rotted materials. His torchlight  catches the glint of a gems, gold, silver, and copper spilling from a moldy bag that he quickly picks up. Feeling a slight breeze of fresh air he moves through another small/tight passageway to the east wiggling his way through a series of muddy/rocky crevasses.
#### Advance you worthless curs!
Above the party, the goblins continue a steady march from deeper in the mine into the dimly lit area where Balmaris and Egon are hiding in the shadows just above the crevasse. Sensing something amiss as they round the curve, two goblins stop to sniff the air but fail to detect [[Balmaris]] and [[Egon]]. As they slowly advance Balmaris and Egon spy an ore cart loaded with gems behind them being pushed by two gnome slaves followed by another group of goblins along with two hobgoblin leaders. 

Aldran and Ricfire continue their race to the top, with Ricfire overtaking the barbarian in their race to the top of the cliff edge. Not before Aldarn attempts to tea bag Ricfire, who leaps over him in a mix of disgust and pity. Peering over the top Ricfire sees the procession moving towards his location. As he attempts to climb over and attack he slips and falls, but still suspended from the rope attached to Durmen hits the wall hard, blood spraying out in a fine cloud. The noise sends the goblins charging towards the parties location.
#### Hunted by a ghoul
Nail is continues his clambering up the narrow passageway as the ghoul rushes up upon him. Unable to use his sword within the confines of the passageway he pauses to cast channel divinity on the ghoul stopping it in his tracks as the power of the holy word permeates the air. Satisfied his pursuer will trouble him no longer he continues forward and upward towards the cool fresh air.
#### Durmen's gambit
Hanging from the cliff edge, [[Durmen]] throws an ice knife that misses its chosen target, but explodes nearly killing one goblin and startling the others. The goblins scream in terror and a few run back up the mines while the hobgoblins keep the rest from running off. In the process of climbing over the edge, Durmen slips (crit fail) and knocks himself out suspended from his rope. Egon ignores Durmens final plea for help before unconsciousness takes him. With a indifferent shrug to Durmen's need for aid, he moves quickly back into the shadows across from Balmaris. Both remain hidden as the goblins advance to the cliff edge then with the hobgoblins retreat in good order back whence they came. 
#### Deeper into the crevasse
The passage opens up both in width and height allowing Nail to stand up. A short passage dead ends to the north while the passage east changes from rough stone to semi-finished stone with a well built dwarven brick wall running along its north side. A small gap with very narrow and steep stairs appears to lead up to another hallway where he can see a doorway.  Nail decides to follow the passage east as the passageway winds its way upward and appears to turn a corner of the stone/brick wall.
#### The barricade
The hobgoblins are making a large ruckus from around the corner out of site of both Balmaris and Egon. They move forward slowly to get a better look and Balmaris sees they have made a blockade and taken cover behind the overturned carts waiting in ambush for the party. 

Ricfire completes his climb back up the wall and leaping over the edge he lands in a three point superhero pose before hiding behind the ore cart tracks.

Nail continues to follow along the stone and brick wall and finds it outlines what's likely a room built directly into the cavern walls. No windows are present though the passage ends at a concealed doorway. Pushing it open he see's a dimly lit intersection. The opposite wall is the narrow stir he passed earlier while to the east is a reinforced door, while the west leads off to the west and north. The breeze is stronger here.

Aldran is now 3/4 way up the 80' wall and secures himself to Durmens rope. He continues his climb up and is finally within sight of the edge he has longed to attain.
#### The Goblins make their move
As Balmaris sneaks forward the Goblins pepper Balmaris with arrows. Durmen climbs up and secures the rope to the rail, taking the load off his rope and enabling Aldran to climb up without having all his weight tied to him directly. Egon moves forward to where he can see the hobgoblins in the dim light (20') and attempts to charm them.

He succeeds and they tell their comrade to cease fire. Balmaris takes a moment to throw his rope to Durmen to help pull the remainder of the party up. Aldran slips (crit fail) and though the rope keeps him from falling, though the impact with the wall hurts! 

Nail continues his exploration of the intersection and door. He decides to ignore the passage to the north and we. 

Durmen, Balmaris, and Ricfire joins forces to pull the unconscious Aldran up the wall but fails to roll a 16 to pull Aldran up the cliff wall. (15 needed a 16). Finally atop the wall Balmaris observes the sailors he saw before appear to have left the dock. Nail finds the door and barges through. 
#### The goblins unload on Egon
Sensing something is amiss with their hobgoblin leaders the goblins hiding behind the overturned cart finally gather their courage and in a smoothly coordinated action unleash a volley of arrows on Egon. Durmen takes aim at what he suspects is the center of the mass of goblins and returns fire with an exploding ice knife. His knife kills its target and the shrapnel takes out the tightly clustered goblins. (Killing 2 the two wounded hobgoblins and the 5 goblins outright.)

Silence falls across the passageway. Balmaris is the first to rush in to unhook the gnomes from the overturned cart and start scooping up the gems. The tolling of the bell has ceased but Balmaris hears the sounds of more footsteps hastily approaching. After taking a moment to grab what they can the party runs towards the docks looking for a place to hide and take a short rest. 

Meanwhile Nail moves through the concealed door and out to the NW passage. He tries to open the door to his left but its locked and stoutly built. So he moves to the west as quietly as he can and finds evidence of recent mining in a large cavern to the north (footprints, rubble, small spoil piles, etc). His torch cant light the entire cavern but it seems like the entire room glitters with gems rather than the silver they were told to expect in this mine. 
#### Down at the docks
They note the cargo isn't fully unloaded and appears to have been left on the dock in great haste. The south side of the dock is completely enclosed in stoutly built wooden walls that run all the way to the cavern ceiling. The building looks like a warehouse of sorts and and the door is locked with a heavy padlock that opens easily in Ricfires hands. 

The party places Aldran on watch as they all enter the  warehouse room to find its actually makeshift living quarters. Balmaris suggests they make the lock look like its locked from the outside in the hopes they wont be discovered. In the meantime they barricade the door from the inside and try to settle in for a short rest.

Hidden stealth roll.. 
Noting disturbed. 
Aldran takes a 4 hour watch/short rest.
Check to see of hobgoblins notice the lock.
   
[[Gaylor Steel Foot]]