Session 4: The Battle Continues

The battle to take Castle Calaelen continues and the Adventurers gain the upper hand.

Written by Kay with edits by myself. It is based on our May 3, 2023 session.  Since our group is scattered around the country, we used Discord for our voice communication and Roll20 for our virtual tabletop.

Continued from The Castle Calaelen Tower Battle

Date: April 29, 3517 I.R.  
Location: Castle Calaelen, Upper Floor

One of the gnolls that had been guarding the gate aimed an arrow at Blaze, who was standing in the arrow slit; it missed, hitting the wall near her.  Blaze returned fire with acid splash and hit it.

Meanwhile, Artie at the open hatch dropped a rope to Elron below on the first floor (Elron had fallen down the rotten ladder earlier). Breena ran over next to Artie to assist. Paraselene moved over next to Blaze. Alain looked out an arrow slit to the east, saw no movement outside, and then moved to the door.

Elron got up off the floor where he had fallen next to the dead goblin and ran to the open door and looked out to the north; he could see a short hallway to the north with two doors, one was a metal door, the other one was banded wood like the rest we had seen. Looking west down the other hallway, he could see a small barricade with two arrows nocked and with a string set to shoot anyone coming in on the left through the open door to the outside courtyard. Elron set his sword aside to bar the door. He noted that the floor was spongy, rotten like the ladder. Preparing for trouble, he nocked an arrow. He could see light come into the hall from the left as one of the gnolls outside opened the front door.

Beneddar, siting through the arrow slit, hit the second gnoll with an arrow, and Sinis hit it with acid splash, before all of the gnolls went through the front door and out of range of the tower arrow slits.

Following Alain, Artie ran into the hall upstairs.

Elron heard footsteps and readied his bow. Three gnolls came around the corner from the front door, and Elron aimed at the first gnoll in line, missed, and hit one of the other two gnolls in the back, as it turned left at the corner and was going toward the west tower.

Meanwhile, Beneddar caught up to Artie and Alain, who were also heading to the west tower.

Sinis looked at the books on the table where the goblins were tearing out pages with drawings on them. Apparently, they’re children’s books. He passed them by.

Blaze pulled up the rope at the smaller hatch near her position so the hostiles downstairs couldn’t use it to climb up.

Alain got to the west tower and ran through the room with the hanging canoe. He then ran over to that room’s hatch and pulled up its ladder.

Elron closed the door to the east tower and barred it with his sword, then stepped back and nocked another arrow.

He could hear the gnoll on the other side of the door trying to force it open, but the sword held. The wood cracked a little; it was only a matter of time before the gnoll would break through.

Blaze ran across the room and started to climb down the rope, but lost her grip, falling to the floor below. Fortunately she landed on the dead goblin, which kept her from being hurt worse than she was.

Breena and Rocky climbed down the rope, bouncing off Blaze and the dead goblin, followed by Paraselene, who helped her back to her feet.

Alain closed the hatch to the first floor; then he and Benaddar carried the sturdy ladder back to the east tower.

Elron swapped his short sword as the bar to the door and retrieved his great sword.

The gnoll groaned after failing to break down the door again.

Some of the party heard the sound of rattling chains down the first floor hallway. Artie heard the sound at the closed hatch and told Benaddar and Alain. Sinis climbed down the rope to the first floor after the others.

Blaze positioned herself to the side of the door and suggested that they all get into position; she planned to pull the sword out that bars the door, just when the gnoll hits it again; he’ll run through the open door and we will all take a shot. Breena, Paraselene, Elron, and Sinis got into position.

Alain, Benaddar and Artie took the ladder into the goblin’s room and put it down the hatch to replace the rope the rest of the party used to go to the first floor. Artie heard faint cursing in gnollish when they discovered their ladder in the west tower was missing.

Blaze removed the sword and opened the door; the gnoll rushed in; Breena hit its leg with her dagger; Elron hit it with his great sword; Sinis and Blaze both hit with acid splash. It’s dead.

The other two gnolls were in the west tower on the first floor without a ladder to the second floor. Paraselene heard angry footsteps as they rushed back toward the east tower.

Blaze looked out into the north hallway but couldn’t see very far past the range of her light; but heard angry feet coming. Breena moved to the door and held position with Paraselene who can see the trap with arrows ahead.

Sinis heard the ladder coming down with Alain and Benaddar. Elron re-positioned with his bow ready.

Three gnolls came toward the door; Blaze cast acid splash on the first gnoll, but missed.

Artie came down the ladder and rejoined the rest of the party. Breena cast lightning lure. Elron hit the first gnoll with an arrow. Sinis hit with acid splash and the first gnoll died, but not before it hit Breena.

Blaze hit the second and third gnolls with acid splash. Breena cast blade ward on herself. Elron’s arrow missed.

The two gnolls retreated and turned left toward the open door to the courtyard. Benaddar ran to pursue them. Blaze ran flat-out to the front door and saw them running across the courtyard ahead of her.

 

Continued in Finding Mortimer.