On the trails of the Heroes

Our Heroes spent the following day spying on the Keep, trying to figure out their numbers, who are the leaders, what are they up to? Acane and Fylikiel, again the best suited for the task, went forward using the trees and hills as cover from the keep. They spent that day counting the bugbears working at digging trenches or cutting trees, the goblins guards watching over the workers, and the hobgoblins commanding from the keep and walls. They could see a few week spots, like the fact that the gates' doors  were not up yet, but it wouldn't be long as they were collecting a large amount of timber. During their patrol, they were also seen by a group of goblins, and they barely escaped them after a few minutes of running through the hills.

That evening, they went back to set their camp close to where they had first met a clan of wood elves from Trollbark Forest. During this second meeting, our heroes described the situation, which alarmed the wood elves and prompted them into acting. If the weather was on their side, they would attack the keep from the East using fog, rain and the woods as cover. The signal would be their eagles circling the keep.

Our Heroes woke up to a cold foggy morning, soon followed with glacial northern rain as they made their way back to the keep. But after a few hours of raining lightly, the rain stopped and gave place to warm breeze, rising a light mist in the foothills. Soon after they had their signal: Eagles.

On they went, going for the western walls. They waited for the elves to start the attack and attract groups of bugbears out of the keep. After a few minutes they lost track of the bugbears and goblins in the eastern woods. Then the wolves started howling, dozens of them. To that dreadful sound, the Hobgoblins sent most of the remaining bugbears to fight. The heroes picked that time to move. Entering through the western gate, they decided to make their way to the tower up the hill, but on their way, they had to face the last few Bugbears guards with goblins slingers manning the eastern wall.

That skirmish almost turned to disaster as our heroes experienced with much surprise the strenght and violence of the bugbears. Thinking them fools and believing the bugbears would make quick work of them, the Hobgoblin commander kept the goblins shooting in the woods at hidden elves. Sheer perseverence and a few healing potions saved our heroes as Aishar and Auburn nearly lost their lives. But the bugbears were eventually overwhelmed, and with Fylikiel's bold magical prowesses along with Acane's fine bow, they easily dispatched the goblins, and almost killed all their opponents. A bugbear, nearly dead, made it to the mine entrance, and closed the gates behind him.

Taking cover from the tower's hobgoblin archers, the heroes rested a few minutes and counted their potions, sharing between them what little they had left. Then they made it to the tower. Covered from two archers by Acane and Fylikiel, Auburn and Aishar broke the door open, and they were met with hobgoblins in phalanx formation, supported by a Warcaster.

Not losing a second, they charged their ranks and made quick work of the few untrained hobgoblins, killed the elite soliders and survived the warcaster's nasty magical tricks. The rest of the tower showed little resistance. At the top, the heroes were surprised to meet a surrendering hobgoblin, and even more surprised when Acane met his surrender with 2 arrows at point blank. "Don't let these wicked creatures deceive you. Goblins can not be endured.", she explained as Auburn washed the blood off his warhammer.

The shook what little they could from the bodies of the Hobgoblins and waved their War Banner at the top of the tower, to signal the elves that the walls and keep were taken. An eagle seemed to understand and set off.

Then they gathered their wits and set down into the tower, down the spiraling stairs and in the hills. At the bottem, after Aishar opened silently a locked door, they ended into a brick antechamber. The next door led them into a much larger room.

And there, fighting amongs them, a pack of bugbears were busy bashing at the wounded bugbear who had fled the battle earlier.

Will our heroes be able to surprise these fierce opponents. One thing is almost certain, in this complex under the tower lurk the leaders of this keep of goblins.