Session 6: Lair of the Toadstool Goblins

Session date: 12 July 2011

Game date: Wed 07 Sep 4711 A.R.
[continuing immediately following previous session]

With the destruction of the Toadstool Goblins, the group first examined the black metal scimitar that had been Chieftain Kneecrusher's. MacGreggor determined that it was made of the mystical metal called cold iron, a metal particularly effective against fey creatures. The scimitar was finely crafted, and the black metal blade was etched with unfamiliar runes. Aside from the runes, the blade completely lacked any decorative touches. It was finely crafted and perfectly balanced, but was not a piece of beauty-- indeed the weapon seemed built for one purpose: brutal efficiency. Shalelu said that the blade appeared to be of Orcish manufacture, and that the runes could be Orcish writing, although she did not know how to read them. Declan claimed the blade.

Shalelu stayed behind to guard the prisoners, and the rest of the group went to the open gate. It was easy to see inside the goblin compound, as the rail fence surrounding the ruined temple did not impede vision. Inside were about a dozen goblin tents and several unattended campfires. An inner fence formed an animal pen to the east of the temple ruins. The ruins were quite overgrown by bushes and vines, but still stood about twelve feet above the ground. The roof had collapsed, but still remained more-or-less in one piece, held up now by broken columns.

The main staircase of the temple was passable, and led to an opening in the rubble that formed the outer walls of the temple. Larissa entered the passage, and found it to be a small 10-foot round chamber, with no visible means of exit other than the entryway. The stench of carrion was overwhelming, and flies buzzed everywhere. She saw what looked to be an animal ribcage in the corner. That part of the room was also covered with sickly-looking purple-capped mushrooms with white stems. While examining the walls for a possible hidden door, Larissa suddenly realized that several much-taller mushrooms had seemingly appeared between her and the exit. When she turned toward these fungi, one of them shot a fist-sized glob at her, striking her squarely in the chest! The liquid burned like acid, and she felt momentarily weaker, but shook off that effect. She ran out of the room, and the mass of fungi oozed after her, firing a second glob, which missed. Back in the sunlight, the rest of the group shot, chopped, and burned the mass of fungi, eventually destroying it.

Halfred found a goblin path through the bushes on the northern wall of the temple, and saw that the path entered the ruins through a gap in the wall. The group entered the ruins through that opening, finding the interior to be mostly goblin-sized, with a ceiling barely five feet tall. The temple ruins had apparently been turned into the goblin command center: the party found the chieftain's room, two storage areas, and the shaman's alchemy lab. One of the storage rooms was covered in green slime, but McGreggor recognized it for what it was and successfully destroyed it before it could affect anyone. They discovered a wooden chest containing valuable spices; two stone coffers, one full of silver and gold coins, the other full of gems and jewelry; a cache of mostly useless goblin weapons; an alchemical silver dagger; two magic potions; and several alchemical items.

After looting the ruins of the temple, the party gathered the goblin corpses, the remains of the fungus creature, and just about all of the goblin gear and burned it all in a large bonfire.

Turning their attention to the prisoners, they were able to piece together the following story: Several weeks ago, Ripnugget, the leader of the Thistletop Goblins, paid a visit to Gugmurt, the leader of the Mosswood Goblins. Ripnugget offered an alliance to gather all of the local tribes under his banner to attack Sandpoint-- he said that the humans who lived there were not warriors, and that most would run away from an attack, leaving the goblins to loot what they wanted after the hmans left. After a while, Gugmurt agreed, but his rival Kneecrusher warned against the plan, saying that Ripnugget just wanted the Mosswood goblins out of the way so he could take over their hunting grounds. Kneecrusher, Firewind (the shaman) and about a dozen goblins who supported them eventually lost the argument, and were kicked out of the Mosswood tribe. Cut off from their hunting grounds, the new Toadstool goblins were forced to raid the human farms.

The prisoners were brought back to Sandpoint, after a brief stop in Ulmsford to let the farmers know that the goblins had been defeated. The party returned to Sandpoint early that evening, depositing their prisoners with the town guardsmen to be locked up at the garrison.