Date: 11/05/08

XP Awarded: 1038

Start: Thistletop, about three weeks after the goblin raid.

The party cautiously explores the cramped, twisting, muddy tunnels. Under the thick vines and branches of the giant brambles, they find an enlarged opening where Deivon and Kiria can stand fully upright. Following more tunnels, they come into another opening full of miserable, wet-looking goblins. Upon spying Deivon, they shried with excitement and rush to attack.

Deivon backpedals to get clear of the low ceiling of giant thistles, creating an opening that the goblins swarm through to attack the rest of the party. As Deivon cuts down goblins left and right, the other party members struggle against the others in vicious hand-to-hand combat. Gob manages to summon a giant scorpion to deal with the goblin archers that are laying down deadly covering fire from the rear. Eventually the goblins are driven back, and the party sweeps into the room to destroy the last of the cowering goblins.

Exploring the tunnels further, the party comes across a large hole in the ground, from which echoes the sound of waves sloshing. Passing a large boulder protruding from the earth, the party enters another cleared area in the thistle patch where they see four goblin dogs tied to stakes by fraying ropes. Upon seeing the party, the rat-like goblins dogs erupt in a fit of squealing and barking, and pull the stakes out of the ground or snap the ropes as they lunge to attack. The group makes quick work of the creatures, but almost as soon as the last one drops, a firepelt leaps to attack from a nearby tunnel entrance.

The black cat with fiery red stripes mauls Signore before he backpedals out of the way. Gob summons another giant scorpion to flank the creature, as Deivon maneuvers to get into striking distance without having to squeeze under the low roof of thorns. Meanwhile, the party can hear a goblin casting a spell from the tunnel the firepelt attacked from, and spot another exit tunnel suddenly grow closed with thick, thorny vines. Gob rounds the corner to have a look, and spots a goblin with a rod of fire in one hand, and a ball of fire in the other. Before he can dive for cover, the goblin hurls the ball of fire, engulfing Gob in a burning inferno. Badly burned, Gob quickly retreats to a nearby tunnel when he sees another ball of fire grow into the goblin's hand.

Signore disguises himself among the overgrown thistles and sneaks into the small, dark tunnel. The goblin spellcaster apparently doesn't notice him, and as he moves past Signore towards the rest of the party, the gnome approaches from behind and drives a spear through the goblin's heart. The flames die out in the goblin's hand as Deivon deals the deathblow to the injured firepelt.

Searching the rest of the thistle tunnels, the adventurers don't find any more goblins, but in the area of the tunnels that the goblin spellcaster summoned vines to cover, they find another trapdoor made of matted thistles. Beyond they see a rickety-looking wood and rope bridge connecting a curiously round island to the shore, far above the churning surf below. On the island is a wooden structure of some type, with more giant thickets of thistles growing around it. They decide to return to Sandpoint for badly needed healing before returning to investigate further.