With the timely destruction of the Seven Snakes at the hands of Gurrash’s orcs, and the timely retreat of Gurrash and his orcs, it is time for a timely breather. Adrik loots the Seven Snakes for 60 gp of pocket change. Grund, awakened by the epic battle, rejoins the party and takes a gold serpent insignia ring off Xolkin [25 gp] settling the new “take over Nightstone and wake up Grund with a dying ruckus” grudge.
The party finds a 20’ board to cross the boulder-smashed keep bridge. Harry pushes the keep’s untrapped, unlocked, heavy wooden front doors open. Inside, four guards, Torem, Sydiri, Alara, and Kaelel, stand around the recently deceased Lady Velrosa Nandar. Baergar offers to use his “medical” training to see whether she might be revived and slips her wedding ring off her finger. Nope, definitely dead. Grund makes some pointed inquiries why these guards are loitering around inside Nandar Keep instead of protecting the town from giants, goblins, snakes, and orcs? Broken bridge. Where did the nightstone itself go? Four giants snatched it and absconded up four giant ropes to a giant sky castle. That explanation checks out.
The party offers to check upstairs for survivors while the guards continue protecting Lady Nandar’s remains. The second floor serves primarily as Lady Nandar’s bedroom. Baergar looks around for chest-like objects and finds a chest. When he opens it, a sword hanging above the doorway comes to life and zips at Baergar. Mel steps in the way and knocks it aside with her warhammer. The sword attacks Mel while Baergar surreptitiously relieves Lady Nandar’s chest of four gems. Adrik grapples the sword for Grund to hammer lifelessly crooked. The guards yell up the ladder stairs, concerned about the ruckus. Just a sword falling off the wall, loosened by boulders, why not.
The party moves to the roof for a bird’s-eye view of Nightstone, but it doesn’t look any better from up here. Off in the northwest distance they can see the hills that host the dripping cave, presumed destination of the surviving townsfolk. Adrik hears the name as tripping cave.
The party takes leave of the keep guards. Luckily, the seven horses for the Seven Snakes mostly survived the battle. Baergar chooses a black horse, Harry chooses a dun roan, and Grund chooses the stoutest horse of any color to carry his formidable gravitas. They ride uneventfully for the dripping cave.
…
Inside the dripping cave, the adventurers see an ogre bathing in a mud pit. Baergar sneaks in along the wall and counts four goblins hanging around the cavern of stalagmites. Grund and goblin-speaking Mel hatch a plan to tease out one goblin at a time.
Mel declares in loud goblin that they have a heavy bag of gold just outside the cave to carry in! Send one goblin, only one, to help drag the gold. Other goblins are ordered to remain behind to guard the prisoners, but Gleek is strong! Gleek shows up to help with the gold, but he finds only Grund’s mordenkrad, the judge, full of angular momentum. Gleek’s life ends abruptly.
Mel declares in loud goblin that Gleek is weak! Send one more goblin, only one more, to help with the heavy gold! Lop is stronger! But when Lop shows up to help with the gold, he finds only Adrik’s axe, Gold. Lop yells, Bree-Yark! for surrender, but Mel can’t conjugate whether Lop is surrendering or requesting surrender. Either way, Judge lops Lop’s head off.
Mel declares in loud goblin that the interlopers have surrendered! Victory! Send one more goblin, only one more, to help drag in the new prisoners! Nitch will help with that, ten times the goblin that Slidderdabber is! But when Nitch shows up to help with the prisoners, he finds only Harry’s firebolts. Nitch is scratched.
Mel declares in loud goblin that the prisoners have more loot than they can carry! Send one more goblin, only one more, to help haul the loot! Pox will help with all that loot! Adrik and Grund both miss nimble Pox. Bree-Yark! Bree-Yark!
The mudding ogre, Lob, charges Mel and clobbers her. Lob invites another ogre, Thog, to share the tasty morsels. Pox hits Mel within an inch of her dwindling life. Baergar runs by Pox with a sneaky pierce and Pox is down. Harry’s magic missiles and Adrik’s dueling hand axe begin working on Lob as Grund charges in with the judge and a hearty DAL STOK GROM DAWI! [Good meal, brave dwarf!] Lob smacks Grund in return and a javelin sails over from Thog into Adrik. Slidderdabber scoots around from behind Lob and impales himself dead on Baergar’s offhand sword. Harry winds up Melf’s acid arrow but splashes acid all over himself. Grund declares the party is krunk! [Disasterous!]. Adrik and Mel take up Harry’s slack and finish off Lob. Mel channels a Moradin’s curing on Adrik.
Grund points menacingly at Thog, marking him as the next target. Grund scoops some of Lob’s blood and slowly draws bloody warpaint across his face. Thog must yield or Grund will wear his blood next. Thog excuses himself to some remote stalagmites. Adrik is equally terrified. The party gives Grund and Judge a little extra room while he glares at cowering Thog. They take a quick rest to patch wounds and clean weapons.
The party follows the murmur of prisoners to the right. Adrik sees the townsfolk crowded into a cavern chamber around a pit. Baergar dashes past Adrik and finds his guardian, Destiny Agganor in the crowd. He shoves Grin out of the way to get to Destiny. Destiny implores Baergar to settle down lest he rouse the bats from the pit.
The party leads Morak and the other townsfolk out of the dripping cave while Grund keeps Thog pinned with ample glowering. The town’s able fighters arm themselves with dropped goblin scimitars for what should be an easy walk back to Nightstone. Baergar slips the four gems liberated from Lady Nandar’s chest to Destiny [100 gp each]. Before departing, Morak pleads for the party to rescue citizen Daphne who was separated and taken to a back part of the dripping cave.
Now that Morak is safe, Baergar inquires about the empty bag of payment issued by Fidacius Crumpot. Grund tosses the bag to Baergar who counts out 300 gp and splits it five ways to the party.