Arvien, screaming a battle cry, dashed off toward a cliff face in the distance. She seemed to be headed on a tack to run head on into the stone wall. The rest of the party looked on agape as their demure magic user let out another bellow.
After being momentarily stunned the group headed after Arvien. As they approached the cliff face they could make out the black opening of a cave mouth in the face of the cliff. Varrid and Seglun neared cautiously and Varrid stuck her head into the hole. Inside was a cave with stone columns in various areas, rising from floor to ceiling. There were a number of goblyn bodies lying around the pillars. Checking for tracks it appeared that Arvien had moved between to pillars to the left. Varrid led the way, moving between two pillars, when two scythe blades spun out of the pillars and sliced into her. So that was why there were Goblyn bodies lying around. Varrid looked back and perceived a plate in the stone floor. She warned the rest of the group about its placement and then moved cautiously through a passage to the northwest. Seglun, following, marked the plate in the floor. Then Baru, Grunyar and Drovic followed Varrid into the passage. Seglun came next followed by a slowly moving Ralom.
Varrid then entered into a large chamber choked with stalactites and stalagmites that had grown together to form a forest of columns, most of them no more than one foot apart. Again Varrid found Arvien's tracks led to the west between the forest of columns. She moved in and became wedged between two limestone pillars. Baru and Seglun moved up to help pull/push Varrid free, Grunyar started attacking the pillars with his hammer, successfully opening a wider path to follow. Drovic turned into a bat and flew ahead to a passage that led to the southwest. Then the group heard howls of delight, recognized as Goblyn, echoing from further in the cavern, then the sound of battle erupted.
Arvien had entered the caverns, took a left between two pillars at a full run. She was struck by a scythe blade, the other flashed above her head and entered the forest of columns. Arvien found herself stuck once between two columns but wonder of wonders, pulled herself free. She then fled into a larger cavern with several niches in the walls, but she was only interested in the northern passage. Up the passage she raced right at two goblyns. At the sight of the Goblyns, a voice in Arvien's head whispered: "I feed upon terror and violence. Attack the creatures you see before you, or I shall let them hurt you --- like this. . ."
Arvien drew her dagger, dropped it on the floor, and fell to her knees with her hands behind her back, stretched further and further. The goblyns howled with delight and one leapt to attack, the other dancing and whooping in celebration. Arvien grabbed her knife and tried to defend herself.
Varrid and Baru led the way into the chamber filled with niches, Drovic flew north along the passage, Seglun hied her way there also, while Grunyar and Ralom headed up the rear guard. Spying the sight of the tiny Arvien battling a Goblyn enraged Seglun who raced forward to attack, Baru and Varrid dodged spears thrown at them from behind a cluster of stalagmites and stalactites. Drovic flew past the cluster and landed turning back into a humanoid form. Now bolstered by her allies, Arvien stepped back and cast a stinking cloud on the clusterd area, catching most of the Goblyns in the green haze. One monster came out of the cloud on its knees, retching and coughing toward Drovic, who attacked with a fury. As he did so he heard a great whoosh of water come from behind him. A whistling sound came from that direction along with white vapor. Soon the Goblyns were falling as Grunyar added arrows to the mix. Arvien started stalking the edge of the stinking cloud looking for the Goblyns still lost within. Finally all of the enemy were dispatched. Arvien stood quietly as the white mist left her body and entered Ralom, Baru and Seglun but didn't remain in any of them. The mist then fled out of the chamber.
Arvien explained what the presence felt like, "It made me attack and would hurt me if I didn't," she exclaimed. Again a whistling, whoosing sound came from the chamber to the north. Ralom and Drovic entered the room to the north where the floor was wet and fine-meshed metal grate was constructed atop a sinkhole. The air was filled with the smell of cooked meat. A goblyn corpse lay on top of the grate, skin hanging the threads and the flesh cooked. Ralom surmised that the sinkhole was really a geyser and Arvien entered the room and searched for a chimney, which she found in the western end. It was only one foot wide and led up to the light.
Retracing their steps the group looked at the large niched chamber. In each niche was a collection of bones, skulls in one corner, thigh bones in another. Another chamber had rib cages and shin bones, another arm bones and spines. The skulls were obviously Goblyn.
With no further ado the party moved out to the entry chamber and back outside, whereupon a heavy metal net was dropped from the trees. It captured all the party except Grunyar, who managed to leap out of the way. Then a whole cadre of Goblyns dropped from the trees and surrounded the party.
DM's Notes: The party earned 1,885 XP for the last two sessions and now have 39,442 XP. They require an additional 13,558 XP to reach 7th level.
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