5th day of Tarsakh

After a desultory overnight stay in Phandalin, we awake and get ready to leave.  I find the shrine of Tymora and meet Sister Garaele, who turns out to be a fellow elf.  She knows nothing of my quest, although she shares a desire to rid Cragmaw Castle of goblins.  However, she has a more pressing need to find out some information from a banshee, and wants my help with this.  Nervous of distraction while Sildar and Gundrun are still in goblin hands, I promise to return when we have freed Sildar.

Garrett has been buying pitons or iron spikes or something, but the transaction is soon finished and we set off back down the track.  We encounter no problems and camp for the night near the place where we were ambushed.  Next morning we find the ambush site, and see no disturbance.  We scout around, but find no other ambush.  We then proceed cautiously up the goblin track and our caution is rewarded when I spot a snare trap, and then a pit.  They are obviously expecting pursuit.

After a few hours, we reach a low bluff that matches the description that the goblin gave.  There is a cave mouth with a small stream issuing from it.  There are briar patches that approach the cave mouth, so Garrett and I cross the stream to sneak up through one set that go closest to the cave mouth, while the other two advance along the foot of the cliff in the bushes there.  Our fieldcraft is rewarded as we find a watchpost with two goblins who are completely unaware of our progress past them in the bushes.  We leap out and each dispatch a goblin with a single stroke, soundlessly disposing of the guards.  Emboldened, we enter the cave entrance.  Immediately on our right are steps up to a larger cave with two chained wolves that snarl and strain to reach up.  We rapidly dispatch them with arrows and examine the cave beyond.  At the far end is a narrow chimney which has been used as a midden, presumably from a cave above.  We consider climbing up, but decide we would be too vulnerable while making the ascent, and decide to continue up the main passage along the stream.

Turning the corner, we see a branching corridor on the far side of the stream, and a rickety bridge crossing the passageway about 20′ ahead, and 20′ above us.  There is movement on the bridge – a goblin sentry has spotted us.  I loose an arrow and hit him, but he scampers off.  Worried that he will raise the alarm, we jump across the stream to the branching corridor.  As we are half crossed though, a surge of water comes down the stream.  We are buffeted, but all just manage to hang on to the cave walls and prevent ourselves being swept away.  Cunningly, Garrett casts a minor magical illusion of the sound of us being swept down the stream to try and convince any goblins listening that we are gone.

We continue up the corridor, which slopes up in a series of rough ledges, before intersecting another corridor.  To the left, this opens out to a large cave, where we see five goblins preparing a meal.  So far we have not been spotted.  Garrett uses another spell to cause a magical slumber to fall on them, and I kill the last one with an arrow.  Aramil and Elaina rush into the cave – there is a high ledge on one side, and a larger than normal goblin has leaped up.  He holds a scimitar in one hand and the hair of a bedraggled human captive in the other, and threatens to kill him if we do not negotiate with him.  I, being the only one who understands goblin, shout at the others to stop and tell him that if he releases the captive, who I assume is Sildar, we will spare his life.  He says that he will give us the captive if we bring him the head of the bugbear Klarg.  The captive raises his bruised and bloody face and says in a weak voice ‘Don’t trust him!’.  I make an instant judgement and let fly with my nocked arrow, wounding him, but not preventing him from pushing the captive forward off the low cliff.  He falls ten feet to the cave floor and lies in a crumpled heap.  Aramil rushes forward and pronounces a benediction on him to try and stop him dying. Elaina leaps up the stone steps and strikes the great goblin, but misses. Garrett tries for another incantation but it has no effect.  I shoot another arrow but it misses wildly.  The great goblin swings at Elaina and catches her a heavy blow on her shoulder which renders her shield arm numb, but despite this she swings her sword round and under the blocking swing from his scimitar; it catches him across his stomach just below his leather jerkin and carves deep through his belly, almost reaching his spine.  He looks astonished as he sees his guts slide out in front of him before he topples forward, dead.

Elaina rests on her sword and massages feeling back into her shield arm.  Garrett quickly dispatches the sleeping goblins.  Aramil is now able to use one of his healing incantations to restore the captive to consciousness, and indeed heal many of the wounds he has suffered during his captivity.  It turns out that he is indeed Sildar, and is most grateful to be rescued.  We offer him the great goblin’s scimitar as a weapon, which he accepts, but are unable to find any armour for him to wear.  He is enthusiastic to accompany us to wreak his revenge on these goblins and clear out these caves from this scourge.  We clean our weapons, retrieve unbroken arrows and have a quick drink before turning to continue our quest.