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Chapter 4 - The No-Longer-Hidden Grove

After their short rest, the party once more set out to explore the region. As they went, Zriek flew overhead to provide reconnaissance. It wasn't long before he came swooping down, making it obvious to Ryth-Shan that something was happening. Ryth-Shan used his last spell slot to cast Speak with Animals, and he said to Zriek, "What is it? Should we be concerned?"

"A group of adventurers is fleeing from a pack of goblins," Zriek reported. "They're headed towards the Druid's Grove, I think, just to the north of us. Well, that's the direction they're headed in, anyway. They look like they're in big trouble. The goblins aren't super close to them, but they are close enough."

"This could be big trouble for us," said Ryth-Shan. "If those adventurers lure the goblins towards us..." He then turned to his companions. "We've got trouble," he told them. "Goblins chasing adventurers. According to Zriek, they're making their way towards the Druid's Grove to the north. Even if they lose them, it could spell trouble for us."

"Best to find a good hiding place, then," said Shadowheart. "We could always duck back into the crypt and lock the doors. I doubt a bunch of goblins could figure out how to get in."

"You wanna go back into the crypt with that Guardian of Tombs?" asked Vexir. "I'd almost rather hide in the nautiloid."

Everyone considered that a moment. They really didn't have a lot of choices. Hiding in the Dank Crypt or the nautiloid was not appealing in the slightest. "Well, what would you suggest?" asked Shadowheart. She was obviously not sure what else to say.

Vexir took a moment to ponder. "We could set up an ambush. Maybe. How many enemies are we talking?"

Ryth-Shan looked at Zriek who was perched on his hand. The raven said, "Two goblin captains, two bugbears, a worg, a goblin shaman, and maybe a dozen others." Ryth-Shan looked at Vexir and reported this.

"If we get to a good high ground position and focus on the shaman, then the bugbears, and then the worg, that would significantly increase our chances of success," she told them. "Does Zriek know of a place where we could perch where it would be difficult for the worg especially to climb up to it? We could launch arrows and spells at the shaman and bugbears, say, from a cliff or ridge, and we could maybe take cover."

He spoke with Zriek again and replied, "Sounds like the closest thing would be a hill. They could still get up to us, but it would be more difficult. The hill overlooks the hidden gate to the grove, so if the adventurers are heading for the grove, it might be the perfect spot."

"How much time do we have?" asked Vexir. "Can we make it to the hill without them spotting us?"

Again, he spoke with Zriek and replied, "Sounds like it. If we hurry, we might just make it."

"Sounds like our best choice," said Vexir. "Otherwise, we'll potentially have them to deal with later. If things start going poorly, we fall back to the crypt. Agreed?"

Lae'zel shrugged as if indifferent, but everyone else seemed to be ready to follow her lead. Thus, the group followed Zriek to the hill and crested it as they crouched into position to avoid detection. There were only a few bushes on the hilltop. Nothing substantial. Nevertheless, no one spotted them. They had arrived just as the adventurers reached what they could only assume was the main gate of the grove. All eyes were focused on the adventurers, not on the party. The goblins, they could see, were not far behind. They would be there in moments. The party prepared themselves.

The Druid's Grove was surrounded by ridges and almost unscalable cliffs on three sides. The river was the fourth barrier that prevented invasion. This was on the grove's east side. The grove was well hidden by nature. Even on the east side, there was a buffer of hills and ridges that obscured the grove from view. One could traverse those hills and ridges to get into the grove, but it couldn't be seen from that direction. If one did wander onto the shores on the east side, the animals were ever vigilant. Long before someone would enter nature's sanctuary, the beasts of the land would alert one of the druids to ensure that the matter was attended to.

And flying overhead was of no use either. The grove was obscured from view by treetops and hilltops, for the most part. After all, many portions of the place were carved into the stone itself. So while there were open areas, many chambers existed inside tunnels and caves. The only area that could be potentially spotted from the sky was the central altar to Silvanus. No trees or cliffs barred the main sanctuary from the open skies. The idol of Silvanus was set on a raised circular platform surrounded by pillars; all open and free to be bathed in nature. But what very few realized was that Silvanus' power shielded any outsiders from being able to see the entire area. No matter who flew overhead, they could only see more trees and cliffs. Silvanus' power there was strong, and he ensured that an illusion was upheld at all times; shielding against any outsiders so they could not detect its location.

This was true of the main gate as well. It was set into a recess. A pulley mechanism was set up at the top of the ridge to raise and lower the gate at will. Vines and brambles and moss completely obscured the wooden doorway from view. A stone lip ran along the top of the cliff. This acted like natural battlements, shielding the pulley mechanism from view from the ground below, and those who kept watch could also remain hidden if they were careful enough.

But the divine magic of Silvanus aided the grove even there. If any creature that was not welcome in the grove flew up above the ridge, all they would see was more nature beyond. They would not be able to spot any mechanisms or people or anything unless they drew close enough to be shot down by the guardians on the wall.

And so, though hosts of goblins had recently been prowling the area, searching for the grove's location, none had found it. They had passed by the gates more times than anyone could count, but they didn't even remotely detect the grove's presence. The druids even mocked them periodically within the safety of their own sanctuary, laughing about how the goblins had set up their main base not too far away, and they were still unable to find them.

All that was about to change. The adventurers that the goblins were chasing ran right up to the main gate. As they approached, their leader cried, "Open the bloody gate!"

Without warning, a Tiefling male appeared just to the left of the gate on top of the ridge. He had white hair, yellowish skin tone, twin horns, and he wore a wizard's robe. "Nobody gets in, Aradin. Zevlor's orders," the Tiefling called back. "You were warned when you left."

The man called Aradin, a curly, brown-haired human male in his early twenties, was desperate. "That pack of goblins will be on us any second!"

"What's going on!" came another voice. A second Tiefling appeared. This one wore Scale Mail armor, probably magically enhanced. He had red skin and wore what looked like maybe a two-handed sword on his back. It was hard to tell from where the adventurers were crouched.

Aradin called up to him as he pulled an arrow out of his companion's shield. "Goblins are on our tail. Open the gate, Zevlor. Now!" He brandished the arrow as proof of his claims.

"You led goblins here? Where is the druid?" said Zevlor.

"Please! There's no time!" Aradin fired back.

Zevlor then spotted the first of the goblins coming around the bend. "By the Nine Hells. Kanon. Open the gate!"

The mage Tiefling, Kanon, responded by grabbing the wooden pulley mechanism. He started to hoist it with all his strength. The invisible gate began to lift into the air, creating a small opening beneath. The adventurers rushed up to it and worked as hard as they could to try to help force it up.

But goblin archers came within range. Before anyone could respond, they fired at Kanon, and several arrows struck true. Kanon gurgled in pain and staggered away from the mechanism, bloody arrows sticking out through his back. Upon his release of it, the gate dropped, nearly pinning the adventurers beneath.

"Kanon! No!" Zevlor cried with intense grief.

Aradin swore and turned away from the gate. He drew out his great club. "Form a line!" he told his two companions; a blonde male, possibly elf or half-elf with sword and shield, and a short brown-haired human female who carried a bow.

And with that, the goblins charged, surging right into Vexir's ambush zone. "We're missing some," observed Ryth-Shan in hushed tones. "I only count six goblins, the worg, and one bugbear."

"The rest branched off. Looked like they chased a Gnome into some bushes just to the west," Zriek explained."

"No time to worry about that now," said Vexir. "Just keep your eyes peeled, everyone, for reinforcements."

And with that, the battle began.