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Dacys – Noble Dragonborn Monk (Amiee)
Urthez – Folk Hero Rogue (Charles)
Twig – Soldier Barbarian (Jake)
Zelona – Noble Paladin (Tam)
Kai – Sage Bard (Sami)
Brolimir – Sage Druid (Matt)
Nursing their wounds, the party continues to explore the goblin caverns; running into trouble, scattered throughout the caverns. One noticeable encounter was some “living vines” known as Blight Vines. Kai is able to recall hearing a story at the tavern, by some patrons, about how long ago, a vampire was thrown from his castle, while weakened, impaling himself upon a treant down below. The vampire’s blood seeped into the treant’s roots, and infected it, causing the offspring of this ancient treant to spawn evil, vile, woodland creatures known as The Blight. There was undoubtedly more to the story to be told; but that was all that Kai could remember hearing.
As the party continued through the cavern, they found a room, whose door had a large sabre-tooth tiger skull hanging above it; and from within heard chanting. Making their way inside, they fought a powerful goblin shaman, who was worshiping an evil, forbidding statue; of what appeared to be be a large goblin, made of limestone, holding up two axes, which had an unusual “red liquid” that seemed to drip, magically from the two axes it held. Urthez searched around the statue, and found at the back, there was a compartment that held a unusual dagger.
The Goblin Shaman, while powerful, was clearly not the leader of the goblin attacks. The party continued to move through the cavern, when they came upon the prisoner’s cells. It was there, a ghost rode up, and recognized the eyes of Zelona; saying that it knew her Elven mother; and that she, too, long ago had been a prisoner of these goblins. But that she had managed to escape. The adventurers asked how they might be able to release her spirit so that she could find peace; and the ghost explained that the sacrificial dagger that was used to kill her must be destroyed; but it can only be destroyed by stabbing the heart of evil. The party knew that this had to be the Shaman’s dagger that had been hidden in the base of the statue. They returned to the statue, and plunged into the statue and broke the blade there, freeing the spirit.
The party encountered a few others dangers within the goblin caverns, and continued, beaten and cut up until they found a room, where none other than the man who had gone missing – Varick – was there. Varick made no move to fight them, and explained that the goblins had abducted his children and forced him to lead the raids; as he had successfully repelled the goblin attacks on the farm, time and time again. Varick agreed to assist the goblins, if they promised to leave his family and farms alone. Varick explained that under his leadership, he successfully led goblin attacks, but prevented them from killing as many people as he could; preferring instead to capture the people, and let them go after a short while. It had been Varick who killed the goblin from the hill side as they were going to question the wounded goblin. The party arrested him, and he came peacefully. They returned to Varick’s home to explain to his wife, that they had found him, and what he had done. Taleena, Varick’s wife, and his two children were thankful to see their father; but as the party began to take him to stand trial at the Ivory Coast, the children began to cry, and the party decided to let Varick stay with his family; and that they’d return back to the Ivory Vale, and explain that the goblins should no longer be a threat.
As Twig opened a barrel he had taken from the goblin’s loot, and celebrated on the streets, with Kai playing in the streets; Twig’s brother, Urthez found some markings of Thieves Cant, and followed them, until it led down into the sewers where he met several Thieves of the Shadow Pact, who explain that their “brothers and sisters” in the town of Ridge Crest have mysteriously gone silent. Ridge Crest, being four days away, was a dangerous voyage, between the marauding goblins and the rabid wolves.