Chapter 3: Thistletop

Grimwulf rushes forward and demolishes the druid’s animal companion. The hammer hitting it over the back so hard, that it splits in two from the force.

Chigaru can barely see a few more goblin dogs through the small openings in the wall of tangles.

Once the animal companion is taken care of, the freed goblin dogs are easy to deal with. And the chained up ones are even easier.

Looking over the goblin corpse you find that his leather armor is magical. You also find a couple of potions of minor healing and a wand of bolt with 15 charges left.

Spying to the north, they don't seem to have picked up on the noise. They are two squads of 2 goblins and 2 goblin dogs patrolling. Though there is hard to tell any sytem to it. They are chaotic and easily distracted. At one point the team on the front of the building starts playing fetch with the dogs. Eventually the team on the back of the keep arrives in a huff, irritated that they are taking too long and it is time to switch position.

Ironically both squads goes towards the back until they realize no one is guarding the front. The original squad returns to the front, changing nothing. A couple of minutes they grow bored and head to the back, leaving the front open. But for how long this time?

As you get closer, you realize that sneaking in while they are distracted may be harder than you first thought. You see movement in the eastern watchtower guarding the stockade's southern facade. In the western watchtower you see no sign of life.

The rope bridge is made of hairy rope and thick wooden planks; the whole thing creaks and sways in the wind above the churning surf seventy five feet below. And you are skeptical that all of you can move across it at once, possibly leaving one of you to cross at a time while avoiding the patrol and the watchtower's eye.

Though it is hard to tell, you can't inspect the rope bridge properly without risking being seen.

It don't take a lot of effort to find the druid's lair. To the south of your current position and away from the keep. First you come to a small den that served the cougar's nest. Though following the thistle hallway deeper inside lead to another chamber in thistles.

A tangle of vines hang from the thorny ceiling of this chamber, each suspending a clattering collection of bird skulls, rib bones, teeth, and other bits of gruesome decor. In a few places the vines droop all the way to the floor. A large nest of nettles and thorny vines sits to the south, a halo of half-eaten dead birds and rats indicating that whatever sleeps there eats in its bed.

You find no other exit from the "room". Seems the druid have been staying on the outside of the keep for a long time, based on the remains.