Session 16 Report

General Summary

The party travels towards the bridge and discuss disguising the dwarves again. They decide to make the disguises again, and Katerina makes them perfectly seem like backpacks on the group's backs. As they approach the bridge, they notice a squad of goblinoids travelling down the hill from the bridge. They try to act casual as they walk up and the goblinoids fan out and stop them, saying they require searching. The party questions why they have to be searched and the hobgoblin sergeant tells them that bad people were seen up in the area. Katerina bluffs that the cargo they carry is for the human king and that it was stated that the cargo must not be opened for anyone but him. The hobgoblin says that relations with the humans are tense and that they don't care for the king. Katerina asks if there's anything they can do to get through without having to be searched and the hobgoblin says 3 gp would suffice. The party agrees to pay the fee and they move on their way.   Once they cross the bridge and travel down the mountain pass, they drop the dwarves and set forth for Hartgar, arriving after an hour walk to find a large band of tents filled with soldiers that they would estimate to be around a thousand. As they approach further, they remember their arrangement to meet Gorgol at Kane and send him a telepathic message to not go to Kane and to meet them at Hartgar instead. The party walks into Hartgar and Goodman goes to the tavern while the rest of the party decide to brief the war council. They make their way into the castle and the soldiers escort them to the war room where they see Duke Fractun, Duke Gorwin, Count Gollin, a few other humans, Nilak, and Prince Khalan (the nephew and last surviving kin of the previous prince of the nearby dwarven stronghold of Kragmithrek) standing around a large table.   The party brief the council on what's transpired and the new information they've attained and deduced from Venthi, them having found the secret northern entrance and that the goblinoids know they found it, and that there are still several hundred dwarves hiding inside Kragmithrek being led by a dwarf named Igom. They attempt to have the vulpine tell the council as well, but he speaks gibberish and no one understands him, so the party asks that he be thrown into a secure room and kept for later interrogation. Khalan is furious with the party for suggesting that war with the goblinoids should be avoided since they weren't responsible for anything, and also furious that others refer to Kazrik as Master Dwarf. After a long argument between the party and Khalan, finalised by Duke Fractun agreeing to call off the war, Khalan declares the dwarves will fight the goblinoids themselves if they have to, and he calls on Khigad and the other dwarves to follow him to take back their home. Khigad, upset with Kazrik about not suggesting they go to war, still reluctantly agrees with Kazrik on the issue and refuses to leave. The other dwarves stay as well. Goodman, who arrived halfway through the argument, walks up to Khalan and tells him that if he leads to dwarves to their deaths, he's make sure to personally find and kill Khalan. Khalan, taken aback, takes insult that Goodman would say such a thing and so he leaves. The party give the final part of their debrief and then also take their leave.   The party comes out of the castle and finds a large gathering of dwarves with Khalan standing in the middle on a box. He tells them that the humans have decided to abandon their cause and refused to give aid and so the dwarves must rely on only themselves to fight back. Kazrik interrupts the rant and begins arguing with Khalan again, eventually the party turns the dwarves on their own prince after convincing the crowd that he's a coward and a traitor. Katerina starts a chant for Master Dwarf to which the dwarves join in and subsequently pull Khalan off of his box and start beating him. Kazrik pushes his way to him and calls for the dwarves to stop, to which they do. As Khalan lies unconscious on the ground, Kazrik gets on the box he stood on and tells them everything about the vulpine and the situation in the war room. He tells them that the dwarves will have their home back, but that their numbers are too small and that they have to be careful or else they'll end up just getting themselves killed. He promises to lead the dwarves to get their home back without getting them killed. In the back, thanks to spurring from Katerina, one of the dwarves starts chanting "Prince Kazrik" and the rest of them soon join in.   THE END