Events+of+Zarantyr+12+998YK

**Continuation of the Events of 11 Zarantyr 998:**
As the Earth Sled pulled into sight of New Cyre, the party saw the fiery ring of an airship also approaching the town from the southwest. The airship flew Breland's colors, and had come straight from Wroat (capital of Breland) at the request of Prince Oargev, who had sent word via //speaking stone// as soon as the Murnie Homestead massacre was found to be the work of Goblinoids.

House Orien rebuked Colden for damaging the Earth Sled, failing to reach Kennrun and allowing one of the sacks of post to be cut open. Even though it was not his fault (except for the driving into battle with it portion), the House is not happy. Fortunately they didn't fire him.

The airship carried a reinforced squad of 20 Brelish Army soldiers, led by a female, Captain Narcy Kemble, as well as Professor Grig Wunsin of Morgrave University and his field researcher and assistant, a Gnome called Meedill. Professor Grigg Wunsin, a scholar well-versed in the history of the Dhakaani Empire and its descendants (the current Goblinoid nation of Darguun), proved a valuable -- and nigh-inexhaustible -- source of exposition, explaining many things to the party:
 * The Dark Hands are not a current tribe of Goblinoids in Darguun;
 * The fact that the Goblins, Hobgoblins and now Bugbears are working together indicates that they are of the Dhakaani tribes, self-proclaimed descendants of the ancient Dhakaani rulers and opposed to the current ruler of Darguun, the Lhesh Haruuc of the Ghaal'dar tribes.
 * Dhakaani Goblinoids often travel in search of lost artifacts of the ancient empire -- and Guurgaal qualifies.
 * Guurgaal, in Goblinoid lore, was a spear with a long head made of byeshk and a shaft made of bronzewood and inscribed with runes. It was made in the latter days of the Dhakaani Empire, when they had been greatly weakened by repeated assaults by the Lords of Madness, the Daelkyr from Xoriat -- about 75-76 centuries ago.
 * This particular time in Goblinoid history, a dynasty rose up that attempted to embrace the madness, while at the same time controlling it with traditional Hobgoblin discipline and efficiency. Artifacts from that era include oddly-weighted coinage in geometric shapes, and the imposition of base-12 numbering. Deviating from standard rigidly-organized armies of cohorts and phalanxes, they instead encouraged individual heroism and small group, guerilla-style tactics ("inherently chaotic"). Forced breeding of Goblins, using magic and captured Daelkyr breeding creches, was an attempt to create creatures that could fight the foul Dolgrims and Dolgaunts created by the Daelkyr. These so-called "Dekanter Goblins" were short-lived and prone to rages, and the breeding program was later deemed a failure. The magical formulas for their creation were lost when the dynasty fell before yet another Daelkyr invasion.
 * The Daelkyr invasion of 7,500 years ago was, if legends are correct, led by three Daelkyr called the Ravers, The Three, or The Triplets -- although it is impossible to know if such creatures were related by blood or even had parents. The Triplets ravaged the Dhakaani lands in what is now madern-day Darguun and Breland, sweeping aside organized resistance. Small groups of Goblinoids, using guerrilla tactics, were more successful, but did nothing to prevent the rise of anarchy and chaos in Dhakaani lands. Finally, Emperor Geshla Ku'un, second and last of his line, took Guurgaal and somehow used it to raise a horde of varied races (Goblinoids, Orcs, Dwarves, Halflings, even some Gnomes and Lizardfolk), somewhere in the Seven Caves area of the northeastern Seawall Mountains. The horde swept over the mountains and into the grasslands of modern-day eastern Breland, intending to strike the Daelkyr camped at what's now called Dragon's Crown. The Ravers, warned of the horde's advance, sent their forces east.
 * The two armies met west of modern-day New Cyre. Losses were great on both sides, but the Ku'un Horde was driven back towards the mountains. In their arrogance, one of the Ravers, known as //Turiya// in the Goblinoid tongue, and "Kinslaughterer" to the Gatekeepers, challenged Geshla Ku'un. The two fought on a foothill near the mountains, and Geshla, mortally wounded, drove Guurgaal straight through the Daelkyr's body. The spear broke, //Turiya// fell and Geshla Ku'un died, along with his dynasty. Centuries later, one of the last Hobgoblin dynasties to rule a significant portion of Khorvaire, known colloquially as The Monument Builders, erected a stone obelisk on the hilltop where this mighty battle supposedly took place.
 * If the legends are true, then it is possible Guurgaal's Shaft, part of that great legacy weapon, was incorporated into the monument or sank into the earth underneath where it was built. Without the head of the spear, however, it is just an old piece of wood, of academic and historical value only. Even if the //byeshk// head were found, the shaft probably cannot be used to remake the weapon...perhaps the runes could be inscribed on a fresh piece of gnarled bronzewood to achieve a similar effect. But that's just an old academic's ramblings, as there are no signs or evidence that the spearhead even exists anymore. It probably was destroyed, or dragged into Khyber with Kinslaughterer and his Raver "siblings" when the Daelkyr were bound by Gatekeeper magic.

Meanwhile, the people of New Cyre are grumbling about the Brelish troops marching through their streets, and rumors are flying. No way this would happen if King Boranel was well...this squad is just the first...Breland intends to revoke the Cyrans' autonomy...the Flying Fortress, Argonth, is on its way...much of this is hyperbole, but the anxiety is very real.

**Events of 12 Zarantyr 998 YK:**
On the 12th, the Brelish troops secured horses -- most of the available non-Vadalis-owned horses in town, as a matter of fact -- with the intent of setting out to investigate and stop the Goblinoids at the Murnie homestead, the old monument site and the suspected dragonshard mine underneath both. They were accompanied by Tanar d'Tharashk, whose dragonmark would help determine if the mine still had dragonshards or was played out centuries ago. At this point a confluence of events involving the party played out:
 * The Nameless human female in the jail, located out by the airship docking towers (both of them!), managed to escape with no equipment, using obscuring mist and the captive Goblin's ferocity (Goblin's got a shiv and knows how to use it...) to get past the amateur jailers. This was the night before, but she found a rooftop vantage point and watched....
 * The equally nameless (at the moment) Gnome assistant to Professor Wunsin, decided to go off on his own and follow the Brelish soldiers. He ran into **Plow**, who was also interested in following the soldiers to the homestead where he had lived until his adopted family was slaughtered.
 * Draco, always interested in killing Goblinoids, managed to convince Corwin and Colden to join the Brelish force, offering their services as guides and extra muscle. With a little persuasion, Captain Kemble agreed, and three more horses were secured. Meedill secured a riding dog and followed. Nameless used her superior land speed to follow them on foot. And Plow, burdened by his adamantine body, lumbered along behind. For the record, Corwin and Colden agreed to be hired for 6 silver pieces per day, whereas Draco asked for and got first pick of any treasure found.

So it was that the entire party found themselves once again at the Murnie Homestead, three stone-framed log cottages (one unfinished) with a couple of sheds and some garden plots, surrounding a well. Captain Kemble dispatched teams of five soldiers to investage other homesteads along the way, leaving only hersefl and four soldiers at the destination. It was decided that the Brelanders and Tanar would go down the well and investigate the earthen mine where the party had first encountered Goblins, while Draco, Corwin, Colden, Meedill and Nameless would go on to the monument hill where the Murnies (and Plow) had found the stones to build their cottages. A short time later a tree stump was found that hid a trap door leading down. The party made a lot of noise deciding what the do about it, until the gnome bravely(?) jumped into the shaft leading down. The bottom was padded, but was also another trapdoor leading to a spiked pit. The plucky Gnome avoided most of the damage. Using a magic item to change form to a Goblin, he climbed up and confronted a Hobgoblin sentry.