Oleg, Gronk, and Triben, still armed, were escorted into the hobgoblin camp. It was huge, and they estimated it held somewhere between five hundred and a thousand hobgoblins. Large communal meal fires were dotted about the camp. Groups of guards kept up patrols. As their captor led them to a tent, he thanked them for capturing some slaves for the hobgoblins. When the party expressed confusion, their garrulous captor jerked a thumb at the githyanki, who were led towards the slave pens. The trio got escorted to a large, fairly opulent tent. Once there, all the other hobgoblins left, and their captor introduced himself as Nygraag, chief of the tribe.
Nygraag began by inviting them to dine, which quickly turned to a discussion of the taste of various humanoid flesh, and then on to how a tribe of hobgoblins was like a plague of locusts. His attention shifted rapidly back and forth between the individual party members; at times he was in the middle of a conversation with each of them. Eventually he got down to business, asking them why they'd come. The party explained they'd been sent to "open negotiations," but foolishly revealed the weakness of their hand by admitting they didn't know what they were negotiating for.
During this conversation, they also revealed their connection to Tebur. Nygraag asked after his "old friend," claiming they had a storied history. He explained that he ran into Tebur about once every five years or so. Nygraag gave just enough detail to tease the party, but in the end appeared to convince them that there was at least a working relationship between them. This disturbed the group, but they tried not to show it.
After some further scattered discussion, the party started trying to convince Nygraag to point his tribe in some other direction. Gronk pushed hard for the hobgoblins to bypass Irongate entirely and head southeast towards Idee, but Nygraag firmly dismissed that notion. "There's just no way to move that many hobgoblins that far without them cutting a swath of destruction," he said. "And if I tried to stop them, they'd replace me and keep going."
They eventually settled on terms. The party handed over the magical githyanki sword. They also promised to deliver quality weapons of dwarven manufacture, to help the hobgoblins stand up to the armies of the Scarlet Brotherhood, who had chased them out of Onnwal. Also, Gronk agreed to deliver the weapons personally, and assist the hobgoblins. Gronk also hoped to subtly influence the actions of the tribe, making them more of a hobgoblin resistance movement and less of a scourge of the common man. In return, Nygraag agreed to turn his tribe around and lead them back to Onnwal once Gronk arrived with the weapons.
Once negotiations were complete, the party hastily departed, not wanting to spend any more time than necessary in the company of the hobgoblins. Since Sionaas' mining camp was on the way, they decided to stop there enroute to Irongate. From a distance, they got concerned when they saw no movement. As they got closer, they realized the camp had been ravaged. Already weakened from fending off the githyanki, the party rested a short distance away rather than risk a hostile encounter in the camp.
The next morning, they approched the camp. It had been razed, and all the inhabitants lie bloody on the ground. Tents had been pulled down, the posts smashed randomly, and some had been rent apart. Most of the bodies had evidence of claw and bite wounds, while the rest had been bludgeoned. Interestingly, none of the bodies had been disturbed or searched after the battle. A more careful search revealed the wizard, Sionaas, was indeed slain, but there was a lone survivor. Under a pile of bodies, barely hanging onto life, a dwarven miner lay unconscious.
Under Triben's magical minstrations, he quickly recovered. Although still suffering from shock, he painted a frightening tale. Two nights prior, as the sun set, a handful of grey pantherlike creatures set upon the camp. Although there were only five, they tore the camp apart. A quarter of the miners were slain in the initial onslaught, and the rest were felled quickly thereafter. The creatures appeared to be everywhere, ripping into the men with tooth, fang, and great tentacles sprouting from their backs. Even the surest blows never managed to connect with the beasts. Given the description, the party recognized these as the same creature they had encountered a month prior on the other side of Irongate.
The miner also mentioned an apparently unrelated event -- a red dragon had been spotted the night before the attack, possibly bearing a rider. It flew overhead to the west, not showing any interest in the camp. This was taken as a bad omen, as dragons hadn't been seen locally in quite a few years, and dwarves have long memories.
Gronk decided to return Sionaas to town in the hopes of getting him raised. The rest of the miners were placed together in one large pyre and cremated. With heavy hearts they departed for Irongate. The lone miner accompanied them, seeking the safety of the city walls. Most of the morning had been spent in camp, so they only made it halfway to Irongate. Noon of the next day brought them to the city walls, much to the relief of their traveling companion. He thanked them profusely and departed. The group requested a meeting with Tebur, and went on to handle some personal business.
Gronk went to a local church and attempted to get Sionaas raised, but he wasn't willing to pay up front, and the church didn't want to risk him being unable to compensate them. Eventually Gronk was forced to resign Sionaas to his fate. Meanwhile, Oleg and Triben headed to the library to attempt to research the magical phenomenon that had beset them.
That evening, as the party supped, a messenger arrived informing them that Tebur was able to meet with them. They were annoyed at having their meal interrupted, but left to meet Tebur. The group was led through a door into a hill, and then through a complex maze. Tebur met them in a small room at its center. The party filled him in on all they had been up to, and asked when the weapons they promised might be available. Tebur waved a hand dismissively and said they'd be available whenever the party needed them. When pressed about his relationship with Nygraag, Tebur reluctantly admitted to it, but gave no details.
They also discussed with Tebur the morality of allying with the hobgoblins. Tebur insisted that while there were issues, that his first duty must be to the citizens of Irongate. The potential suffering of Onnwalese peasants was unfortunate, but, ultimately, necessary. The emphatic way he expressed his position left the group dubious of his methods. Gronk decided that he would be very active in "advising" the hobgoblins, to minimize any damage they might do.
The next morning, the party sold off all accumulated goods and split the proceeds. After making a few purchases, Gronk headed west with the wagon. Oleg began working with the adamantine the party had recieved, while Triben buried himself in the library in the hopes of finding a way back home. Of West there was still no word.