2: Return to the Monastery of the Iron God

Day Seven. Early morning. Somewhere in the Eastreach Province.

After some negotiating and sizing up one another, the newly-formed party hired Gillaug, Gilsbead, and Wardhall for a set fee rather than a future share of treasure. They agreed, also, to give Czespecem a few days to recover his battered body, during which the remainder of the party was able to take upon themselves whatever activities they wished. Those four days were rather boring for the treasure-hungry adventurers, but necessary. At the beginning of the final day, the dwarf finally feels that crick in his back pop during his morning stretch, and he is prepared to go. The rest are already waiting for him, and rather antsy.

Halfway through the day, as the sun is high in the sky, you come across a series of guards escorting a wagon full of prisoners. Horse thiefs from Rorikstead? No, and not political prisoners either, by the looks of them. The men inside the wagon are dressed in hunting leathers. A sergeant on horseback leads his three foot soldiers, and the driver says something to the rest in a quiet tone. The sergeant approaches. "You need to clear the way, our vehicles are too wide and my cargo too important. Move aside now."

"What have you got there? Poached some poachers maybe?" Czespecem has a hand on the mule's bridle, trying to guide her and the cart to a solid patch of roadside.

The sergeant sees you trying to move, ad he calls over his shoulder while steering his horse back to his retinue, "Aye, poachers indeed. Let them be a lesson to you all."

The two guards you hired look with contempt upon the prisoners, while Wardhall turns away. He seems frustrated by the situation, though it was well known that sailors had a penchant for losing freedom.

The druid follows the dwarf's example and takes his own mule away from the road, not commenting on the situation. This is not why they are here, and he is happy to let the group go and then continue on their journey.

Nin clears the road without protest. "Poor sots. But, better them than any of us," he says under his breath after the last of the wagons pass."

Being Halfling Wilric as well turns his head away from the caravan as it passes, "I bet my last gold these are not poachers." he says quietly almost to himself.

With the guards and prisoners passing by and then gone, the new group continues along the path to the ruined monastery. Around sunset do they cross soldiers on patrol, a welcome sight on an often dangerous road. They, too, pass by without incident. Soon, you find yourself standing in the dark with the monastery looming before you. Your weary legs beg for you to rest, but the promise of treasure is a powerful siren calling to you. What do you do?

Day Seven. Late evening. Somewhere in the Eastreach Province.

Horace looks upon the monastery with determination.
"Well, we have finally arrived. Let us not waste time and enter now."
He pauses briefly to consider something before continuing.
"We should steel ourselves before entering though. I will lead a short time of prayer to the gods to strengthen our wills. That will give us the edge we need to slay the vile beasts that lay within.

You can practically hear Wilric roll his eyes, but he does admire the man’s enthusiasm. "Any little bit of help is always welcomed." the Halfling says as he sits on a rock not to far away and waits, he does raise an eyebrow as Wardhall shows huge amounts of exuberant energy during the prayer. ‘Sailors!’ he thinks with a sign.

Eagerwish is not that eager to continue on without rest, however he also refuses to get kicked out of another group. He thus binds his mule's bridle nearby and checks through his gear.

The guards and sailor, despite having been hired by other members, look between Horace and Czespecem. On the one hand, the knight had energy ad charisma. On the other, the dwarf had survived the crypt once before. They wait to move on until they know what the plan is.

"With our numbers, we should be able to best the goblins that beset my prior party," Czespecem ventures. "And with them slain, we'll be able to remove the valuable tapestries unbothered. That will be a start to cleaning out the complex, and the tapestries can fund a bigger expedition."

Wilric shrugged at the dwarf’s plan it seemed as good as any, though he doubted what some mouldy tapestries would fetch on the market. "Who knows what these goblins Maybe horsing as well." he said simple to show agreement with the said plan.

The the group in more or less agreement, the enter the complex and Czespecem finds it undisturbed at first glance. Who knows what reinforcements may have come in the week he had been gone from the place?

You find yourselves in the entrance hall, with two doors and one secret passage through the statue's jar. What do you do?

"Do you think we can get in and get the drop on them" Nim asks Czespecem. "We are many, but I would just as soon sneak in quietly and take them out one at a time, if we can."

"Or perhaps lure one or two out and then fall upon them when it's to our advantage," he teases with a smile.

He then relates a ploy to send a single person forward, the fastest, and then flee as soon as the goblins notice them. Meanwhile, the rest of the party awaits in an area where they can capitalize on sneak and rear attacks.

Eagerwish strokes his stubble as he hears out Nim's plan.
"You think they are still going to be here?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Nim asks. To Czespecem, "Wait, did it look like they lived here or we're just passing through?"

Eagerwish shrugs his shoulders.
"Dunno, it's hard to imagine someone living in a place like that. You got nowhere to farm, and I'd say you have about the same chance of hunting something as becoming the hunted thing... Actually I think the second chance is greater."

"Really, I'm not sure," Czespecem demurs. "It's true that they may merely have been looking for loot, as we were." He pauses a moment. "I don't think I mentioned this, but in a room near the tapestries, I had a vision from the Iron God. He appeared as a moving statue all of iron ... he wants the catacombs cleansed of evil, and will reward whoever does the task. It would be ironic if the goblins already had accomplished it!"