Harsh grunting voices argue with high-pitched voices in broken Common about guard duties and patrol rosters. A voice squeaks, "You stupid. Like a big, stupid, hairy, stupid hobgoblin. Stupid! Me and Niim guard that passage last time. Scare everything away. Now your turn." A deep voice bellows with barely controlled fury, "You couldn't scare my mother's mother, and she has no teeth. Ba1ook and me guarded that passage last time. I remember. We watched the last patrol go there, and we heard their screams. Remember that, Balook?"
So Kel and Asphodel broke down the door and completely surprised the hobgoblins and kobolds and the party took full advantage of that. Asphodel was able to take down one of the hobgoblins during the first round of combat. Kel also charged in and engaged one of the kobolds. The rest of the party also advanced into the large chamber and began attacking using missile weapons. All but one kobold and one hobgoblin went down within only a couple rounds and the last remaining two began retreating and yelling for reinforcements. Asphodel was able to cut the hobgoblin down before he ran outside of this room, but the kobold was able to get out and down the hall before he was brought down.
Reinforcements, however, were already on their way and met part of the party just at the end of the hallway, which had opened into a large guard post. Here, another two kobolds, two hobgoblins, and three goblins came after the party. The goblins rushed the hallway and engaged with Kel and one even landed an incredibly good hit, burying its short sword deep into Kel's side, fortunately not killing her, but unfortunately stunning her for a while. Asphodel raced into the room to help engage the hobgoblins and others, trying to keep them busy so they wouldn't keep going after Kel. But the kobolds turned out to be wizards and began using spells on our heroes! First a couple of fireballs landed in the hallway and caused a lot of damage to Kel, Zola, Jobi, Zerak, and even a little to Blackwell. After that they were using scorching rays and acid arrows against the closest targets, trying in vain to bring the party members down.
Once Zola, Zerak, and AsSphodel were able to reduce the numbers of the enemy in the guard room, Jobi, Zola, and Blackwell backed away from the room and started to go back to the large chamber where they first encountered the arguing monsters. But just as soon as they started back down the hallway, they saw two more goblins riding goblin dogs hurtling towards them from the opposite end of the hallway and were closing fast. Both Zola and Jobi set themselves up defensively to receive the charging marauders, with Blackwell readying his bow to shoot at them when they got into range, concentrating on the rider headed toward Jobi. He was able to take the rider down, but the goblin dog still attacked Jobi, and Zola took out the other rider with her attack. The two dogs were made short work of.
After the battle, the group gathered up all items and treasure that was worth anything and decided to take their spoils (green dragon included) back to the surface. So they made their way to elevator that led up to the Yawning Portal tavern and called up for Durnam to lower the platform. They loaded up the dead female half-orc's body along with the dead green dragon and made the minute ride up to the surface. They gave Durnam a short report about the fate of the remaining members of the last group - assuming they were also dead by now. Blackwell asked Stannoc for his winnings only to be told to read the fine print on the sigh. It stated that the adventurer's ahd to stay a minimum of 24 hours down in Undermountain before returning to the surface befopre any payment of winnings would be made. But Stannoc said that since they did return because of the previous party, that he would not keep their money and would apply the time to their next trip down.
And so our heroes went about selling their current spoils (including green dragon parts and pieces), and stocking up on healing potions and whatever else they thought they may need. And after a good night's sleep at the inn, they ventured down into Undermountain once again, right after breakfast that is.
They returned to the large chamber and started to investigate the southern portion where there were two ancient looking human warrior statues flanking a pair of large double doors. There was some blood splattered on the floor in front of these doors. No sound could be heard from the other side, but the doors were barred from this side and a sign reading, "Do Not Enter. Let Groog and Jibble Be Your Warning" hung on the doors. The group carefully removed the bar and opened one of the doors to peer inside. Kel moved in cautiously and looked around the edge of the wall to see a large cavern with a lot of very life-like stone stone statues in all sorts of poses. Fearing the worst, Kel slowly backed out of the room and the group closed the door and replaced the bar.
The next place they saw a blood trail was down a hallway a bit further down from the intersection of the hall and guard room they previously fought in before. The did note that all the bodies were still as they had left them the day before, indicating that it was possible that nothing was through this area of Undermountain since they had ventured here the day before. The corridor narrowed down to only five feet wide and had only three closed doors, one each on the north and south walls and a little further down at the end of the hallway. Blackwell checked all three doors for traps and found none. They also listened at each door and heard nothing from beyond any of them.
They first opened the northern door and found an old storage room filled with various boxes, barrels, a few tables and chairs, all of which is in various states fo disrepair. A quick search of the room reveals nothing useful. The southern room reveals some old kennels containing nothing more that old, dirty straw and miscellaneous debris. The third door also had a sign on it written in Draconic and some other language the heroes aren't familiar with. The words in draconic said "Move Quickly." So they cautiously opened the door to look inside:
This expansive chamber echoes with sound as the door scrapes open. A 5 foot-wide stone path cuts through the room, taking a ninety-degree turn before ending at another door. Empty air surrounds the stone path. Dark water can be glimpsed 50 feet below the open areas. It is too murky to know its depth. A large, rough-surfaced ledge juts out of the room's northern section. It is level with the stone path. Three bulky chests sit near its center. The most easterly chest is partially open with what appears to be gold spilling out of it. The chamber's walls are riddled with countless holes, each about a foot in diameter.
So Kel threw a couple of bodies into the room to see how deep the water was on each side of the walkway as well as one onto the walkway for checking for traps. The water was not deep, maybe only a couple feet on each side, and the walkway appeared to be safe as well. Kel had the idea of using a table she had seen to bridge the gap from the walkway to the ledge where the treasure chests were located. Blackwell next proceeded into the chamber checking for traps. At the treasure chests, he found 2 out of the three were trapped. But when he went to disarm the middle chest of its trap, he discovered the hard way that it was coated in Sovereign Glue and his hands became stuck fast to the chest. That's when a stirge popped out of one of the holes in the chamber walls. It came at the party and was crushed by Asphodel. The next round, two more stirges flew out into the room; then three more; then six more; then twelve more...
Our heroes started battling the stirges as they appeared. Zerak and Jobi both ended up with a stirge attached to them, draining blood for a couple rounds each. Kel, Asphodel, and Zola were taking out numerous stiges each round. Blackwell finally realized that he was wearing gloves and managed to slip his hands out of them so that now he was able to help concentrate on killing the stirges. But it was slowly dawning on our intrepid band that the stirges may just keep coming as long as they were in the room.
Unfortunately the real world intruded and we ran out of time to conclude this battle so we'll have to pick it up from here next week...
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