"The Hills Over Hlintar"

Session Date - October 21, 2000

DM - Rusty

Synopsis - The session begins with the group in Thall.  After the discussion in the Sheltering Stones, Asher runs across four goblin thieves stealing from Lui Shan's shop.  He catches them at the town wall and after a brief battle, in which one goblin turned into a bird and flew away with a stolen book, Asher manages to take a captive.  Asher goes to speak with Lui Shan about the nature of the stolen tome while the rest of the group interrogates the captive goblin.  Lui Shan reveals the tome was being made for a priest of Gond named Gurgon.  The captive goblin reveals that it was a goblin shaman that made off with the book.  The group also learns that there is a goblin encampment nearby.  Collan takes the goblin as a servant with an eye towards civilizing him.  The goblins loyalty is bought with the immediate payment of a mule and the promise of "many mules" in the future. 

The next morning the group heads for the goblin encampment with the intention of retrieving the book.  The goblins are not there, but evidence points towards them returning soon.  The group decides to wait and intimidate the goblins into returning the book.  The goblins do return but take cover behind some rocks after noticing the group at their camp.  Raethe and Asher go down to spy on them but have to fight when they are noticed.  They defeat four goblins and the rest flee.  A tied up dwarf is rescued from the goblins at that time.  The dwarf reveals that his group was attacked by the goblins and after receiving healing, leaves to discover their fate. 

The next morning the group returns to Thall empty handed.  It is decided that a trip to the tollbooth is in order to see what type of operation the humanoids are running.  Bolts of cloth are bought to make the group seem like merchants traveling to Hlintar.  The goblin Ong is left behind and told to beat it because he proves too surly and unwilling to abide by his agreement of servitude.  Unfortunately, the toll station is heavily manned with "several score" of humanoids and a human who tries to stay out of sight.  The Seven are shaken down for a horse and fifty gold to pass. 

After paying, the group heads to Hlintar to find the city under siege by a bombard operated by more humanoids.  The merchant prince is unwilling to help with any plan to run off the humanoids, so the Seven take matters into their own hands.  Collan makes a speech about heroism in the keeps courtyard as the soldiers watch the merchant prince make a deal with the humanoids.

The Seven leave the keep to recon the area where the bombard is set.  A group of ten young soldiers with no battle experience join the group to help.  The group sets fire to the stockade the humanoids are using on the hill and fights them as they run out of it.  A large portion of the monsters escape via a tunnel under the stockade.  The bombard is pushed down the hill and destroyed. 

The leaders of Hlintar throw a large celebration for the Seven and the ten young soldiers.  After two days of feasting, the merchant prince tells the group that he cannot pay them for saving the city.  Each member of the group instead receives a letter of credit for 200 gold, to be redeemed no sooner than one year from the current date.  The Seven skirt the humanoid toll station and return to Thall.

Experience Award - 700

Extra Award for Single Action - 100, Jeremy

No Quote of the Week or individual roleplaying award for this session.