Recap Shortly after dispatching the rest of his brethren, the party interrogated the lone survivor – a chef by the name of Yegg. Yegg informs the party that King Grol holds a dwarf hostage at the other end of the castle and also warns them to stay away from the south-eastern tower which currently houses an owlbear that the hobgoblins trapped and have been feeding. Though the decision wasn't unanimous the party eventually decides to let Yegg go and they watch as he flees out the doors to the west. The party has but a minute to pause before Garad kicks down the door to the east that Handsy had previously heard commotion behind and several of the party members are eventually attacked by a grick. The battle rages on with not just the grick, but also a host of goblins and hobgoblins that are pulled into the fight. As they slay the grick one of the goblins nearly manages to escape but does succeed in warning a band of hobgoblins in the eastern end of the castle before he is slain. Those two hobgoblins split – one runs off to warn King Grol while the other sets loose the owlbear they've held captive the last few days. A bloody fight with the owlbear results in a narrow victory for our party. Steve attempts to purify the defiled altar in the chapel but his magical ritual does not seem to result in the success he sought after. He does not have enough time to investigate the cause for the ritual's malfunction, however, as a hobgoblin and King Grol both storm out of the eastern room – with King Grol holding a dwarf (who all assume to be Gundren Rockseeker) hostage. A dart to the hand by Recto causes King Grol to drop both the dwarf and the dagger he held to his throat. Recto steps aside to let the dwarf run past and nobody notices as the "dwarf" reverts to his actual form – a doppelganger! With Steve's back turned to the doppelganger he has no time to notice the doppelganger preparing to strike. A moment later Steve is on the ground, unconscious – and that is where we'll pick up next week.
