Kythorn 20 - 22, 1491
The next day passed by, wet and dreary: 9-18 celcius. Mostly Cloudy with Steady Rain of about 1 mm. Light air, 1-3 mph out of the NW. Still soaking from the day before, they trudged forward, eyes cast at the muddy ground in front of them. The day was uneventful as they travelled with the rain finally stopping in the afternoon. They made camp and just as they were setting up, they noticed the flickering of a fire on a distant hill. Soon they realized that the light seemed to be approaching.
Nash and Keeper moved stealthily forward to investigate while the rest of the party took cover. What the scouts found would send them rushing back to camp to warn their comrades. A dark, armoured figure sat upon a mighty black warhorse whose hooves, mane and tail were wreathed in flame. The helmed figure moved at a walk directly towards their camp, his head turning now and again to regard the ground in front of him.
The PC's decided to set up a hurried ambush and hid themselves in the terrain directly around their camp, with Farooq standing out in the open, ready to meet the intent of the stranger. The dark knight slowly approached and Farooq tensed for battle, but the being did not seem to see or even acknowledge him. Farooq gave a challenge and the black helmed head slowly swivelled to look at him, and for a moment, looking into the deep blackness of that helm, he felt as if a fire were rushing through his veins and his very soul was being prodded and probed.
The PCs all stared at the being and it's flaming horse as it again began a slow walk around Farooq and through the camp. About 20 ft. beyond their camp the dark rider dismounted and started swinging a large chain around his head forming a sort of fiery vortex and when he slammed it down, a trail of fire raced off in a southward direction. This rider was hunting something, or someone. The PCs watched as he continued on, following the fiery trail. The rest of the night was uneventful, except for Farooq's troubled dreams of the mysterious rider.
The next day was thankfully rain free and sunny with temps ranging from 7-21 celcius. They followed the directions of Reidoth and soon were passing the Cragmaw Hideout, where they rescued Sildar from the clutches of his goblin captors. By Afternoon they realized that they would not likely reach Cragmaw Castle by the end of the day and would likely arrive by midday tomorrow. They decided to camp outside of the foreboding looking Neverwinter Wood, and travel through the forest all day the next day to reach the castle.
An early start the next day saw them trekking through the dense Neverwinter Forest. It was slightly drizzly for a short time in the morning (0.3 mm rain) with temps of 10-19 celcius. They soon found what they thought was a humanoid trail which they followed. It eventually became a barely noticeable track through the woods. They followed it and soon saw landmarks that Reidoth had pointed out to them.
In the late afternoon they saw their first sightings of goblins. They came upon an area with 2 tree stand platforms with goblin sentries. The goblins fired arrows down upon the group and the PC's returned fire with great effect. Farooq rushed one of the platforms and climbed up to do battle. It was over quickly and they kept their eyes open for future guard posts.
Soon Gragmaw castle was within sight. The ruined castle sat squarely in the middle of an open area of terrain, sitting upon a mound. No movement could be seen around the castle. They waited to ambush any goblins who would be coming or going along the track but after time they saw some figures moving about outside the castle the odd time, but none came to their trail. They decided to hug the edge of the treeline and view the keep from every side.
It seemed to mostly be a one story structure now, having all of its upper walls crumbled to ruin ages ago. It had many squat round towers taking up most of its outer walls. They waited until it was dusk and sent forth their scouts. Ara turned into a giant spider and was able to peek in most of the arrow slits to find a large garrison of goblins, and a few Hobgoblins. Many of which were eating in their feast hall.
Much discussion was had as to how to approach the situation. There was a sally port on the south and Keeper moved up to see if its lock could be picked or it could be used as an entrance to attack and it was determined that it was barred from the inside. Ara turned into a spider and crept up the walls of the north eastern tower and peered inside. It soon looked as if he had found his target. Standing in the room was a large armoured bugbear, and sitting at a table was a dark elf with her outstretched legs resting upon GUNDREN who was laying on the floor. He was Alive!
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