Thistletop, part 2 (Wednesday-Thursday, Lamashan 10-11, 4707 AR)

The heroes didn't learn much from interrogating the goblin raiders, but they let onw go with false information on when they would attack Thistletop. They then reached the Thistle River crossing relatively quickly - it was only a 6-mile journey from Sandpoint (2 hours on horseback), and they didn't run into any more trouble along the way.

Thistletop was located on the Varisian coast - approaching by land was difficult since the tangles of Nettlewood were in the way. North of Mosswood lay Nettlewood, a frustratingly tangled forest. Whereas the trees of Mosswood grew tall and stately, those north of the Lost Coast Road in Nettlewood were lower and shared their forest floor with snarls of nettles and thorny underbrush. Urtrigor found a route through the woods. It took 4 hours of wandering in the woods, and the heroes stumbled into patches of poisonous plants twice, either stinging nettles or a goblinberry patch.

Hidden Entrance. The briars and thistles that grew so rampantly in Nettlewood were even more dense and tangled here, close to the shore. Although not quite dense enough to block the sound of waves crashing on the unseen shores to the west, the undergrowth was certainly thick enough to block sight and access to the coast. Few trees grew this close to the edge of the sea, but the briars themselves often reached heights to rival them; here, the patch was nearly twenty feet high.

The thorns that comprised the "walls" here were quite damp; the fog every morning and evening ensured that.

The heroes discovered a small network of tunnels and chambers in the briars and used them. A cleverly constructed rigid mat of thistles and nettles hid the entrance to the tunnels. The heroes noticed that the briars here could be lifted aside to reveal a 4-foot-high tunnel leading into the briars. Opening a thistle door as fast as a normal door required the heroes to take care not to be scratched and jabbed by thorns. Thurden, who wore gauntlets, had no problems with that.

Thistle Tunnels. A four-foot-high tunnel winded through the dense briars and nettles. The floor was hard-packed earth, with patches of wiry plants growing stubbornly here and there.

The heroes could navigate the thistle tunnels by stooping over and hunkering down, effectively squeezing to move. Tsela's dog could move about normally (as could goblins and goblin dogs). The larger chambers within all had higher ceilings, wherein the heroes could move normally. Although the ceilings and walls of these tunnels consisted of tangled, thorny vines, heroes who brushed against them needed not worry about damage.

It was possible to hack a new path through the briars with any slashing weapon. Hacking at briars bore the risk of taking damage from the nettles and thorns.

Tsela searched for tracks in the thistle tunnels and automatically saw the countless goblin and goblin dog prints in the soft earth. He also noticed that a large object was recently dragged through the tunnels. These drag marks led through or near the following areas.

The Howling Hole. Three thistle tunnels opened into a large cavelike chamber. Above, the thorny canopy grew thin enough that tiny slivers of the sky above could be seen, while below, the ground consisted of trampled dirt. To the west, the distant sound of sloshing waves echoed up from a hole. The hole dropped down beyond Thurden and Urtrigor's darkvision.

Goblin Dog Kennel. The floor and walls of this musty-smelling chamber were covered with matted, wiry fur. Well-gnawed bones lay scattered about the floor, and a dozen wooden stakes had been driven into the ground near the walls.

The Thistletop goblins kenneled their goblin dogs here, keeping them tied to the stakes via leashes of hairy, fraying rope. Four goblin dogs were here when the heroes passed through, which they promptly killed.

Tangletooth's Den. A cloying musky scent lay heavy in the air here. A matted nest of red and black hair sat to the east.

Goblin Lair. A tangle of vines hung from the thorny ceiling of this chamber, each suspending a clattering collection of bird skulls, rib bones, teeth, and other bits of gruesome decor. In a few places the vines drooped all the way to the floor. A large nest of nettles and thorny vines sat to the south, a halo of half-eaten birds and rats indicating that whatever slept here ate in its bed.

A goblin reacted swiftly to defend this area once he heard intruders. He had incredible mobility in this area; he could step through the thorny walls with ease during the fight. He used this ability to great effect when defending the area.

The goblin used speak with animals and cast flame blade, then used his wand of produce flame before investigating the heroes' arrival. He called Tangletooth to his side and directed her in combat using speak with animals. He cast entangle on the first round of combat, taking care to place the spell so that it blocked access further in Thistletop but didn't block his own possible escape routes. He then fought with his flame blade in one hand, throwing fire from produce flame with the other when he needed to make ranged attacks. As soon as he was moderately injured, he retreated by fleeing into the brambles, healed himself as best he could, and then returned to ambush the heroes from behind by summoning a poisonous fog. When he was severely injured and had no healing left, he fled.

During this fight Shalelu showed up to help the heroes. She preferred to fight with her bow. 

The heroes and Shalelu managed to slay Tangletooth, the goblin's firepelt. A firepelt is a cougar native to the region, its silky fur a mix of red and black stripes.

After this very difficult fight, the heroes decided to return to Sandpoint. On their way back, Shalelu came across one of several narrow goblin trails that eventually led to the Thistle River crossing. This trail took them 3 hours, and it still wasn't free of poisonous plants. The heroes used this time to discuss whether to take up Shalelu's offer to become their ally and join them in their efforts against the goblins.