Beskar has just kicked down the door to the Caves of Chaos. Niaelo has commanded a large group of armored hobgoblins to halt and recognize her authority. They’ve ignored her and charge the group, weapons ready.
Elliya Lolthu, Lolth test me! These hobgoblins must be enchanted by the same traitor elf magic that cursed the beast men we encountered earlier. That or they have had their brains addled by time on the surface and no longer recognize their betters? Despicable either way; they’ll be punished for their disobedience. I keep finding that things here are different than the underdark, and mostly for the worse. The sunlight and sky are oppressive, the inhabitants are naive, and the villainous surface elves and their influence abound. Put simply, everyone around here has their priorities completely backwards. Defending the weak? Friendship? Trust? I bet it won’t be long before I hear someone whining about love.
These differences are hard to understand, and it’s causing dangerous situations. The Spider Queen tests me. Knowing your enemy is strength, and these weaknesses are something I must start to recognize. It’s not all alien though, Beskar is on my side. Watching him twist that blade into the back of that beast man was simply beautiful. The creature had just dropped its guard after C’Nut’s spell and was defenseless, maybe even thinking we could be all friends. Ha!
Perhaps we could have learned something of the fey and their curse by speaking to the thing, but it's no great loss. The mad hermit certainly appeared to be correct about the curse taking a grip on his men. We found him to the south of the Border Keep, where Oneus’ map indicated, but in a giant treehouse of sorts. The smell of cedars and flowers was almost pleasant. Chet did an excellent job lulling the hermit into a false sense of security, placating him with good berries like some forest creature. I heard Chet promise to return and that the man was once called Lord Chalice. The fallen lord was cautious, and perhaps dangerous, but I was impressed with Chet’s deception - it nearly fooled even me with its sincerity. Having a magic wielding thrall defending the south of the keep would be excellent. From the evidence in the Keep, he was clearly manipulated by Lady Lockburn. Once a fool, always a fool.
Back to these hobgoblins… If only I hadn’t sent that ogre we found back to the keep. It would have been useful putting these under creatures in their rightful place. Perhaps C’Nut has a spell that can delay them so we can regroup. Failing that, perhaps Martique would slow them if a poisoned dagger dropped her unconscious at their feet? Hmm… What would Lolth do?
