**Session 7 Recap** Following their harrowing escape from the [[Location - Goblin Fortress (Malwood)|goblin fortress]], [[Party - Elvensong]] retreated deep into the woodland, seeking refuge in a hidden cove. Though goblin reinforcements had given chase, [[NPC - Martha Greenroot]] used her druidic magic to transport the party through an ancient tree, spiriting them far enough away to lose their pursuers. The tactical gambit had worked, though not without cost: [[PC - Trinxis Staciadour|Trinxis]] had dropped their traveler's cape during the flight, which a goblin warg rider later recovered to track them. During the night watch, [[PC - Mannfred Huem|Mannfred]] spotted the tracker approaching their camp—a goblin mounted on a warg, bearing Trinxis's cape. In his attempt to alert the party, Mannfred tumbled from his perch in a tree and was set upon by the enemy, falling unconscious before his companions could intervene. The ensuing skirmish left the party victorious, and [[PC - Trinxis Staciadour|Trinxis]] recovered the cape, though it was now in a filthy state and desperately needed washing. With the immediate danger passed, the party rested in the forest. During this respite, [[PC - Mannfred Huem|Mannfred]] and [[NPC - Richard Ambrose]] shared a conversation. Richard revealed he hailed from [[Region - Whitefang]], south of [[Region - Silvaria]], and had been adventuring for five years, though he mentioned having little family. When Richard discovered a wanted poster bearing Mannfred's likeness, he chose to burn it rather than act upon it—a gesture that spoke to a growing, if unspoken, respect between the rival parties. The [[Party - Elvensong]] and [[Party - White Pine Heroes]] eventually formulated a tactical plan: they would lay false evidence of another goblin group attacking in the forest, drawing the fortress's defenders out into an ambush. As the trap was set, [[NPC - Martha Greenroot]] seemed to be distancing herself from [[PC - Trinxis Staciadour|Trinxis]], though the reason remained unspoken. When a huge goblin army poured into the woods to investigate the ruse, Martha once again used her tree-teleportation magic to slip the adventurers back inside the now lightly defended fortress. Within the fortress walls, the party discovered a massive goblin—dark runes carved down his sides, metal plates wrapped around his neck—standing vigil. The battle was brief but intense, and though the details of the encounter were chaotic, the party emerged victorious once more. Seeking a safe place to recover, they chose to rest in the tall tower of the fortress, a defensible position with a commanding view of the surrounding area. As the party settled in for a well-deserved rest, [[PC - Aelar Thaelond|Aelar]] spent time poring over two books he had acquired, eager to learn more about the local area beyond his homeland. [[PC - Trinxis Staciadour|Trinxis]] approached him and handed over the retrieved cape. It was then that the party noticed a change: Trinxis had awakened in their Autumnal aspect, their appearance now marked by fiery red curly hair and a scattering of freckles. During their rest, Aelar also attuned to a sword, a flask, and the cape—artifacts that would prove useful in the trials to come. When the party finally departed the fortress, they began the journey back toward [[City - Treston]]. Their route took them through [[Location - Gundrak's Forgehold]] in [[Continent - Auken]], a dwarven mining settlement on [[Location - Grey Rock Isle]]. A young companion, Little Jeffen, joined them with a cart from [[City - Shafthield]], assisting in the transport of goods and gear. As they travelled, talk turned to [[City - Silverwall]], an ancient and rigid city filled with noble houses, silver mines, and the king's court and castle—a place of power and old traditions. [[PC - Trinxis Staciadour|Trinxis]] pondered whether they might have passed through Silverwall during their earlier travels from [[Continent - Iros]], though the memory remained uncertain. With the [[Topic - Witch of Malwood (Bounty)|Witch of Malwood bounty]] still unresolved and the road ahead long, [[Party - Elvensong]] pressed onward, the weight of their recent battles tempered by the promise of rest and respite in [[City - Treston]]. NEW RECAP NOTES FROM DM: **Session 7 recap** Somewhere far off, the sounds of more goblins could be heard, their numbers still vast despite the dozens already felled. The heroes, panting and battered, regrouped amidst the carnage. Trinxis, his cosmic armour slick with a mixture of blood and rain, looked pale from the exhaustion of repeatedly falling and healing himself throughout the fray. With the sun setting behind the fortress walls, the party debated their next move. Though the ear-collecting competition with the White Pine Heroes had provided some grim amusement, the reality of the goblin stronghold's depth was now clear. Richard Ambrose, cleaning his rapier, suggested a tactical retreat to regroup. Jeffen, the young human of the White Pine Heroes, revealed they had entered by climbing the west wall, providing a potential escape route. The party made a hurried ascent up a spiral tower to reach the ramparts, hearing the swarming hordes of goblins arrive in the courtyard below. In the desperate scramble to descend the forty-foot outer wall, a poorly tied knot gave way, sending Aelar plummeting. Trinxis, showing remarkable strength, dove to catch his companion, the heavy clatter of their armoured collision echoing through the night air. The rest of the group, aided by the Balok’s Feather Fall reached the ground and fled into the dense woodlands. Sheltered within a gnarled cubby of roots half a kilometre into the woodland, the two bands of adventurers shared whiskey and forged a plan for the next day. They resolved to lure the horde out with a grand distraction before infiltrating the heart of the stronghold to slay the goblin warlord, Izitt Badd. During the watch, a lone goblin scout on a warg nearly discovered their position, having tracked them by Aelar’s dropped traveling cloak. Mannfred was badly wounded in the ensuing skirmish but was stabilized by the party’s quick intervention. Martha Greenroot then used her ancient magic to open a tree-portal, skipping the group further north to a safer clearing. The following day, their plan was set in motion. Using minor illusions of war-drums and trumpets, they drew the goblin army out into the forest, where the heroes had spent the day preparing snares and pits. As the fortress emptied, the party teleported across the forest, stealthily ran across the open field from the other side, slipped through the front gates and descended into the orange-lit caverns beneath the fort. There they found Izitt Badd, an enormous goblin who wielded a stone pillar as a mace. A brutal battle followed in the subterranean throne room. Izitt Badd proved to be a physically formidable foe, using his immense strength to bring many of the heroes to the brink of death. However, the combined magic and steel of Elvensong and the White Pine Heroes eventually overwhelmed the tyrant. Balok delivered the final blow, launching a volley of magic missiles that tore through the warlord’s throat. With Izitt Badd's head mounted on a spike, the heroes marched back into the courtyard and intimidated the returning scouts into a full-scale rout. After a quick search of the grimy hall, yielding a few historical texts for Aelar and a mysterious white cloak for Trinxis, the party departed the ruined fortress of Utozgal. As they travelled back toward Treston in a gnome-driven wagon, the two parties reflected on their narrow survival and the strange, decaying magic of Martha Greenroot, whose dark omens of winter and death lingered in Trinxis’ mind long after the fires of battle had ended.