Dungeons & Drogans: Session XXV

Session XXV Summary

With Dave absent, Nick volunteers to control Rekoj.

The Drogans descend to the second level of Shadowfell Keep into a chamber filled with hobgoblins. One yells out a challenge phrase, "Shadow seeks shadow!"

Coltaine responds with the passphrase retrieved from Ninaran's corpse, "From the ground, some magic was found."

The hobgoblin shouts, "It's the false pass phrase; intruders!"

Stephen thinks Balgron is to blame for the pass phrase not working--however, if that were the case, the hobgoblin would have shouted, "It's the old pass phrase," not, "It's the FALSE pass phrase," implying the pass phrase they had was a fake and would have never worked regardless of what happened with Balgron.

Combat begins. By the end of round 1, 7 hobgoblins have engaged the Drogans, while two are unlocking a cage to release a giant spider.

Zook incinerates three hobgoblins with flame seeds as Coltaine and Autumn are beaten into single-digit Hit Points.

By the end of Round 6, 4 hobgoblins and the spider remain.

With 6 HP left and 0 healing surges, Autumn teleports behind a wall of menacing hobgoblins, separating herself from her allies. She is quickly knocked unconscious.

As Round 9 begins, the spider and 4 hobgoblins remain; 2 are bloodied. One Drogan is down, 2 are bloodied.

A hobgoblin shouts, "Surrender now and we'll spare your lives; otherwise our spider will eat you."

Rekoj and Coltaine surrender, but the hobgoblins continue to beat them, ordering them to drop all of their weapons.

Zook and Rekoj are beat into unconsciousness, but Coltaine, with 1 HP, escapes up the staircase.

Session XXV - Part 1 Summary

With Dave absent, Nick volunteers to control Rekoj.

The Drogans descend to the second level of Shadowfell Keep into a large, torch-lit chamber filled with hobgoblins. One yells out a challenge phrase, "Shadow seeks shadow!"

Coltaine responds with the passphrase retrieved from Ninaran's corpse, "From the ground, some magic was found."

The hobgoblin shouts, "It's the false pass phrase; intruders!"

Initiative is rolled.

Stephen thinks Balgron is to blame for the pass phrase not working--however, if that were the case, the hobgoblin would have shouted, "It's the old pass phrase," not, "It's the FALSE pass phrase," implying the pass phrase they had was a fake and would have never worked regardless of what happened with Balgron.

The Drogans have entered a large room that measures 40 feet by 50 feet, with a well sitting in its center. Exits are to the north, east, and a door to the west. The northern exit leads into a room with a cage in it, in which a creature is lurking.

Round 1 begins.

Another hobgoblin rushes in from the east.

Session XXV - Part 2 Summary

The door to the west opens and a hobgoblin stands in the doorway.

Rekoj, Coltaine and autumn wade into battle.

A hobgoblin surges out of the room to the west and charges Coltaine. He winds up his flail and bashes the warlord down to 18/35 HP.

Another hobgoblin enters from the east.

One hobgoblin runs north toward cage. Stephen senses a disturbance in the force.

A hobgoblin beats Autumn down to 11/29 HP.

Another hobgoblin issues form western door.

Two types of hobgoblins engage the Drogans. One type wears scale armor and wields a heavy shield and a flail. The other wears leather armor and wields a light shield and a longsword.

Zook, staying on the staircase, hurls fire seeds.

A second hobgoblin rushes into northern room.

Round 1 ends. 9 hobgoblins engage the Drogans.

The hobgoblins fight in phalanx formation, holding up their shields to protect each other.

Session XXV - Part 3 Summary

Autumn strikes a hobgoblin, knocking him back.

Coltaine speaks inspiring words to Autumn and she heals to 22/29 HP.

The Drogans form a defensive wall in front of the staircase, protecting Zook on the stairs.

A hobgoblin hits Autumn down to 13/29 HP.

The hobgoblins near the cage are releasing the ties keeping the cage closed. Who knows what horror lies within.

A hobgoblin flails Coltaine down to 6/35 HP.

Zook hurls a seed infused with primal energy. It explodes in a fiery burst, incinerating a hobgoblin.

Round 2 ends. 8 hobgoblins remain.

Session XXV - Part 4 Summary

Rekoj chops into a hobgoblin that fumbled.

Coltaine is slashed down to 1 HP. The warlord uses his armor's power to heal, then he calls upon his second wind, to bring him back up to 17/35 HP. Stephen calls shenanigans.

Hobgoblins burn from Zook's magic.

John rolls a critical hit on Zook's flame seed, wounding one hobgoblin and burning two others to a crisp.

The hobgoblins finish opening the cage.

Round 3 ends. 6 hobgoblin remain.

Session XXV - Part 5 Summary

Autumn stabs a hobgoblin.

Out of the cage issues a man-sized spider. Stephen points out that he's afraid of spiders.

A hobgoblin clonks Rekoj on the head for 14 damage with flail. It roars in victory as the goliath drops to 32/52 HP.

The hobgoblins that opened the cage join the battle.

A flail hits Autumn down to 6/29 HP.

John falls asleep. Stephen says that the one thing he learned is that when John falls asleep, all things go to hell. Nick will control Zook until John awakes.

Stephen really has a bad feeling about this now.

Zook hurls a flame seed and chars a few hobgoblins.

Round 4 ends.  6 hobgoblins and the spider remain.

Rekoj bloodies a hobgoblin.

Autumn is still at 6 HP, and has no healing surges left from other activities of the day, such as drowning.

Session XXV - Part 6 Summary

The spider remains on the other side of the well, seemingly flummoxed by this obstacle in its path.

A hobgoblin strikes Rekoj down to 18/52 HP.

Zook burns more hobgoblins with his flame seed and incinerates one.

Round 5 ends. 6 hobgoblins and the spider remain.

Rekoj calls upon his second wind to heal to 31/52 HP.

Coltaine swings his halberd over the head of the hobgoblin before him and crushes the skull of one ten feet away.

Session XXV - Part 7 Summary

Rekoj struck down to 20/52 HP.

Round 6 ends. 4 hobgoblins left--the 4 tougher ones with flails--as well as the spider, which has yet to do anything.

Rekoj slams the ground with an AoE attack, wounding two hobgoblins, but fumbles as he tries to strike a third.

Autumn throws a dagger, striking a hobgoblin.

Coltaine heals Rekoj up to 39/52 HP with inspiring words.

A hobgoblin turns to the spider and shouts out something in a foreign language, then points at Coltaine. The spider pounces twenty feet through the air onto Coltaine. The warlord dodges aside just in time.

Hobgoblins bash Rekoj down to 27/52 HP.

John wakes up, shifts into lynx form, and goes into the melee, but fumbles.

Round 7 ends. The spider and 4 hobgoblins remain, with 2 bloodied.

Session XXV - Part 8 Summary

With 6 HP, Autumn teleports behind a wall of menacing hobgoblins. In a horrible twist of fate, she is the third Drogan to fumble this battle.

Coltaine is smashed down to 11/35 HP.

The spider suddenly looks at Zook, a tasty little animal. It bites Zook for 9 damage and ongoing 5 poison damage from its venomous bite.

A hobgoblin raises his shield and bashes Autumn in the face, knocking her out. She's unconscious, but not dying.

Zook, at 17/35 HP after the venom starts to take effect, rends and tears at a hobgoblin, wounding it.

Round 9 begins. The spider and 4 hobgoblins remain; 2 are bloodied. One Drogan is down, 2 are bloodied.

Rekoj assumes the Form of Winter's Herald before chopping into a hobgoblin.

Session XXV - Part 9 Summary

Zook continues to tear at a hobgoblin's legs, leaving it on the brink of collapse. Venom drops Zook to 12/35 HP.

A hobgoblin shouts, "Surrender now and we'll spare your lives; otherwise our spider will eat you."

Rekoj says, "I surrender. And I'm stupid."

Coltaine stops attacking and agrees that Rekoj is stupid.

Another hobgoblin says, "Drop your weapons!"

A hobgoblin hits Rekoj down to 18/52 HP before ordering, "Weapons down or you're dead."

Round 10 ends. The Drogans are accepting the offer of surrender, but the hobgoblins keep attacking and demanding that they drop their weapons.

Rekoj says, "I still wet the bed sometimes." Rekoj dropped his axe, but is still holding his shield, and still has his fifty thousand other weapons strapped to his back.

Coltaine drops his halberd. "And sometimes he cries in his sleep, too. He really is an annoying party member. I surrender."

Stephen is happy that Autumn is not the annoying one.

A hobgoblin says, "Drop ALL of your weapons. And the cat; turn back into whatever you were. And drop your shield, too."

Another hobgoblin says, "You heard him. All your weapons--down!"

Session XXV - Part 10 Summary

The spider bites Zook down to 1 HP, and the venom makes him collapse. He fails his save vs the venom, but rolls a 20 on his death save, spends a healing surge and awakens.

Round 11 ends. Zook is conscious but prone, fighting off death. Autumn is unconscious, Rekoj and Coltaine and being beaten as they drop their weapons, but the hobgoblins keep missing.

Rekoj drops his shield. "I have too many weapons to drop all at once," the goliath moans. So he turns around and lies down on the floor. And sniffles and whimpers.

Coltaine says, "You know it's going to take me a while to drop all my weapons." He drops his short sword, his javelins, and his crossbow--all his weapons, contradicting his statement.

The severely wounded hobgoblin bashes Rekoj down to 4 HP and says, "That's for nearly killing me."

A hobgoblin makes a gesture at the spider, and the giant arachnid stops attacking Zook. "Don't get smart with me," he says to Coltaine, then tries to hit the man but misses as his flail gets stuck in the wall.

Nick regrets surrendering now that the hobgoblins have turned into a bunch of bumbling buffoons.

Hobgoblins try to bash Rekoj, but the goliath keeps squirming around, avoiding the blow. "Stop squirming and this'll be easier!" the hobgoblin shouts.

Zook is down to 3 HP from venom. He gets up, returns to lynx form, and pounces on the nearly dead hobgoblin, but misses.

Round 12 ends.

Hobgoblins keep missing Rekoj. "Why won't you die?!"

Rekoj enters total defense on the ground and cries for his mommy.

Coltaine picks up his halberd and runs back up the staircase. A hobgoblin hits the man for 10 damage from an Opportunity Attack, dropping Coltaine down to 1 HP.

The nearly-dead hobgoblin looks down at Rekoj and says, "Your friend is getting away," then smashes the warden in the face with his shield, knocking him out.

A hobgoblin bashes Zook over the head, knocking him out. The session ends, with everyone but Coltaine knocked out, and the warlord at 1 HP and escaping.

Stephen hopes that Coltaine trips and dies.

John expresses his concern about the venom killing Zook and having to roll a new character.