Syler Entry 3
Woke up hog-tied to the rest of the group with a couple kobolds watching us. Balasar tested his bonds and one of the kobolds hit him on the nose. Ethol’s eyes were covered and he kept asking what was going on. Finally, a kobold in charge came over and Morthos and Ethol started chatting him up while Tolis-Va and I attempted to free ourselves from our restraints. Tolis-Va had more luck than I and eventually broke free just as Morthos and the kobold came to an arrangement. We were to stop the goblins that were holding the kobolds’ families hostage and they’d leave the area. I’d prefer just to kill the kobolds, but the others were fine taking the wuss way out.
We found a note on Irontooth’s body from some jerk named Kalasar or something. The note claimed there was a spy in Winterhaven that had given Irontooth a heads up about us. The note also said the goblins were close to opening a rift which Orcus would be sending all sorts of nasties through. Wonderful. The kobolds let us move about their lair unhindered and we found some coin and a chain shirt that one of the others took. I wanted to go back to Winterhaven and replenish supplies and spend some coin, but the others wanted to go straight to Shadowfell Keep. I was out-voted and we traveled the three and a half miles to the keep.
There were no guards about, and the keep was little more than a ruin with a dark passageway down. Ethol used his magic to light up Balasar’s armor and we headed down. I pointed out that this tactic would make Balasar a target and give away our position, but was out-voted… again. Bulls in a china shop. We saw lights ahead and Tolis-Va and I moved into a room with four pillars. There were goblins ahead of us down a narrow passageway and we got their attention with a few arrows and crossbow bolts. The rest of the group fired on the goblins and I attempted to cross the room, falling into a pit. I landed in the pit with a somersault, but found some nasty rats at the bottom. I hacked at the rats best that I could, but a few latched onto me and started gnawing away. Balasar threw a rope down and I grabbed on and was quickly hauled back up. I moved to a corner and we finished off the goblins and rats.
We left one goblin alive to question and hauled him outside. As always, he spouted off and I threatened his manhood(?). He wept like a babe, snot running down his nose, and told us there were 40 goblins down there on 2 floors. He also told us the name of their leader, but I didn’t care to much. They were all dead, they just didn’t know it. Morthos let the goblin go. I wanted to throw a shuriken in his back as he ran off, but Morthos wouldn’t have it. Fine…for now.
We searched the rest of the floor and Tolis-Va and I scouted ahead of the rest of the group. We came to a room where the sound of pick-axes could be heard. I could see a goblin on the far side of the room leaning on his ax. Tolis-Va and I shot arrows and bolts his way and killed him before he knew what was happening. I fired another bolt at a goblin and he went to cover. Tolis-Va went into the excavation pit and a guard drake closed on him. I flanked the drake and unleashed a flurry of pain, while Ethol aided me by shooting a ray at the drake, which weakened it. I was being shot at by a couple of cowardly goblins, but they were lousy shots. I killed one of the drakes and followed Tolis-Va towards a goblin. I slid under the goblins guard and ended his attachment to the mortal coil. Balasar and Morthos took care of the other goblin and we searched the room. A few coins and some orb was found, which Ethol took. We took a short rest before moving on.