The Keep on the Borderlands 2025 Sessions - The One About Mechanics

This post is about some of the mechanics I use in Keep on the Borderlands. This module was contemporaneous with AD&D and came out just a bit before the Expert Boxed Set. No one would have had those rules at the time of B2’s publication, which creates all sorts of oddities. I personally use Old School Essentials by Necrotic Gnome over the original Basic and Expert rules because I was able to obtain them in hard copy. As of right now, the B/X rules are available in POD, so I will probably order these for nostalgic reasons. 

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Looking at the module, the map scales are poor. The Caves of Chaos combine both interior and exterior maps, but the transition between them is awkward. The interior maps are fine, yet the valley floor is a ridiculously tight space. I’ve covered these complaints elsewhere, and none of them are deal-breakers. I simply ignore what I want or come up with reasonable rules of thumb. About 99% of these adjustments favor the players, so they don’t object either.

The second issue is the wandering monsters. Every area lists specific wandering monsters, then claims that no reinforcements are possible. Elsewhere, the text mentions that new monsters will move into cleared areas of the caves. Some versions of the module even include a wandering monster table completely different from the earlier lists. What a mess! All of these ideas contradict one another.

Here’s what I do with these conflicting rules: I condense all the wandering monster lists down to creatures that actually appear in the module. Four times a day, I roll for wandering monsters: Sunrise, noon, sundown, and midnight. If the result matches a group that has been depleted, I treat it as reinforcements for that group’s location. 

If I roll a monster type that hasn’t taken losses, I use the reaction table. If the result is neutral, the newcomers move on. If it’s positive, they join the home team. Even if there are no losses to replace. They are evenly divided among all relevant locations. If the result is hostile, a fight breaks out between the newcomers and the cave’s inhabitants. I don’t bother running the combat; I simply roll damage for both sides. Nine times out of ten, the newcomers are wiped out, leaving their gear and treasure behind for the victors. Oddly, if there is a net loss of monsters, the survivors come out on top because they have better gear and treasures. 

The fun part is that the players get unpredictable new encounters without knowing where these monsters came from. Just like you. I’ve been rolling for reinforcements through all nine sessions so far, though I hadn’t mentioned it in my posts until now. 

There’s one catch to all this: you only roll while the game is in session. If a session lasts a day, that’s four rolls. If a time break occurs, for example, if the party retreats to the Keep, you don’t roll for that downtime. Rolling for every day that passes, regardless of player activity, would flood the area with monsters. Wandering monsters should be a randomized response to player action; if the players are inactive, no roll should be made.

The party has been here for 5 days, for 20 wandering monster rolls. Monsters are rolling into the area due to all the strife. Here are the results, in order of appearance: 

Giant Rats (4), Owlbear (1), Kobolds (10), More Rats (5), Goblins (3), Goblins (6), and a group of traders. 

The rats and Owlbear all gravitated to Cave G, more than restoring that area. The party saw this happen, but missed the rats. The goblins and kobolds went to their known haunts and became reinforcements; the party probably saw this, but didn't understand these were new creatures and not the remaining survivors.  

I decided to give the trader a chance to live by generating a party traveling with a high-level magic user. You can use the same generator here. I then deleted every character over the second level, leaving 6 characters. 

For this run through the Caves of Chaos, the players did something unusual. They haven’t really fought the kobolds. Kobolds are generally weak and tend to attract player aggression. I’ve played them as opportunists, striking only when the players seem weak or distracted. Since I’ve run this module half a dozen times before, I wanted to avoid another head-on clash with the kobolds. I already know how that plays out.

The next session will start with the appearance of the wander party. 

If you like the goblin and kobold figures, you can find them in your local hobby shop or perhaps on Amazon, here and here. They even have an Owlbear. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The Keep on the Borderlands 2025 - Session 9 - The Battle of Too Many Armies

Session nine starts 36 hours after the end of the last session. It is daybreak on day three of the taking of the goblin caves. 

The previous night, the party's watch saw a pair of kobolds leaving the hobgoblin cave. They were surprised as they didn't detect them entering the hobgoblin cave. This was concerning. It was now pretty obvious there was a connection between cave A and F. 

I need a mule as a mascot.

The whole party awoke to the braying of a mule in the valley. The mule was cropping the grass in the middle of the valley. 

"Perhaps a tunnel," Rety said. 

This isn't true; the party simply didn't see them creep around the perimeter of the valley.  

As they decide what to do about the mule, the kobolds, and the giant rats emerge from their cave. A couple of goblins and hobgoblins also exit their cave but turn back quickly. The mule evades the kobolds by loping west, near cave G. The kobolds retreat before gathering reinforcements with ropes and set off after the mule. 

While the party watches, Norin makes himself busy in room 17. After much swearing and hammering, he asked the fighters to help him. He removed the treads from the stairs and wanted them stacked by the secret door to the ogre cave. This left a ragged slope instead of proper stairs at the bottom of the stairway, and allowed the party to block up the secret door as needed. The fighters struggled to move the heavy stone treads into place. 

In the meantime, the mule has attracted too much attention. A full dozen kobolds were stalking the mule. It seemed that the goblinoids decided they wanted it more and came out with an equal force of crossbow-armed troops. 

Rety decided to pull the sniper card and had the party ready bows and slings in the mouth of cave E. Before the party could act, two more groups appeared. A full 22 orcs appear, in two equal groups. Each was led by a particularly large and nasty leader. The party backed into the gloom of their cave to study the situation. 

They knew there were caves on the north face of the valley, but couldn't see them due to the trees. Rety cursed herself for not investigating those, but also knew she didn't have the manpower. She should have used the Eyes of the Eagle. In fact, she forgot who had them, so she asked for one to get a better look.

The goblinoid gave a challenging war cry before rushing the kobolds. Midcharge, the orcs gave a challenging war cry and charged the goblinoid horde. The noise of imminent battle brought the stirges out of their lair. 

This is the Cave of Chaos at its finest. 

Rety redeploys the party to guard the entrances. Punch, Thomas, and Slammer took cave E, while Lefty, Solvo, and Dorian took the back of the hallway from cave D. Sybil, Celia, and Jake the Dog were sent to room 17, and Bel and Norin guarded room 21. Norin had rigged a rope to the middle of the chain of cart wheels so the party could lift them a bit to make passage less difficult. 

Why is the dog named Jake? Name another famous magic dog? Sure, Joshua is cheating, though. 

Barrels make everything better.

Rety left herself the task of running between the groups. If worse came to worst, they would seal up cave E with the stone treads and maybe a Wizard Lock, then defend only the mouth of cave D. She began dragging crossbows to the intersection of cave D's tunnel. Next, she brought spears, then a barrel of water, and some rations. She wanted to ask Celia to help, but she didn't want the wily Sybil on her own. 

In fact, Sybil was anxiously flipping through her spellbook, deciding if she wanted to magically defend one of the entrances instead of following orders. Celia wisely offered her a cup of wine to settle her down. Bel had an easier time, as Norin just wanted to double-check his work. Norin muttered about not knowing there was a tunnel between the hobgoblin cave and the kobolds' cave. He was pretty sure that it had to be an underground river, as the rock was too tough to mine through. 

Again, Norin was also wrong, but trusted Rety's insight. Which happens to be very wrong in this case. 

The party watched the orc and goblinoid formations close and decided to wait rather than engage in combat. They can't help but notice that there are very few goblins left, and some have been replaced by women. The warrior-women are much better armored and armed than the traditional goblinoid troops. They wore chainmail and shields, plus they carried both axes and crossbows. The shields have ground spikes; the women prop them up when using the crossbows.  

The mule galloped off to the western end of the valley. 

This is not a stirge.

The stirges were the deciding factor in what happened next. They swept over the orcs before descending on the goblinoids. The two fighting formations focus on the stirges, a bane to all who live in the valley. Being monsters, they do occasionally take potshots at each other, but not as much as they would have liked and enjoyed. Both sides want to rid the Caves of Chaos of the vermin that harass them. 

The order of priority was the stirges, then the tricky party, and finally, perhaps the kobolds. The kobolds used to be everyone's main annoyance, but the party changed that by stirring up the Caves.  

As the final stirge falls, an odd thing happens. The goblins broke into two groups. One group left with the hobgoblins, and the other, led by the chieftain and his guards, went with the orcs. 

Rety has taken a count. Her party could take any one group of monsters with difficulty, but all of them together were overwhelming. It turns out that Solvo, Celia, and Norin could identify the function of the forces arrayed against them than Rety could. Those three also speak some of the languages they heard, making them excellent observers. She assigned the Knights to guard them as they spied from the cave mouth. She did this because she didn't want one of her archers or mages attacking, as they were wont to do.  

Rety tasked Slammer with inventorying their weapons and ammunition stores, and he took to the task with gusto. The Clerics patrol the cave network, looking for any problem they might have missed. The two Magic-Users took care of the mules and cooking tasks, while Rety used Norin's tools to disassemble what was left of the cart and sorted the lumber and gear they brought. 

Just before dinner, Jake barked at the contingent of goblins exiting the orc lair. Ominously, they entered the kobold's den. Before dinner was over, a group of kobolds crept to cave G and disappeared. Not long after, the gobin chieftain and his guard carefully walked upslope back to the hobgoblin caves. 

No one slept well that night. They knew they were 3 days from resupply and possible escape. 

That evening, a great white form moved from the mouth of the valley to Cave G. Solvo swore it looked like a white bear. 

Although there was no combat, I assigned 150 exp to each character for their efforts in planning, cooperation, and defense. 

The Keep on the Borderlands 2025 - Session 8 - Chaotic Assault

The next session or three will be a little bit different. In the last post, I only explained what the party could see. This will continue for a while. 

At sundown, Rety had Sybil cast a spell for her before the Magic-User went to bed. Belaphon, Rety, and Solvo crept out of the cave mout
h and up to the overwatch post that the goblinoids used to the party's cave. Finding no one about, Rety placed a pot against a tree and tied a string to the lid. They unwound the string 40 feet to the east before retreating. Lefty and Punch traded places with them, lying in the brush with the end of the string.   

In the meantime, Norin, Thomas, and Doian placed a heavy spike in the ground at the mouth of cave D. Norin attached a heavy chain to the spike, and the Cleric dismantled the carts' four wheels. They strung the wheels on the chain and affixed the chain to the ceiling of the cave, 30 feet back from the entrance. While not an impenetrable barrier, the wheels and chain will slow any attackers. 

The Knights took turns resting and watching for enemies in the brush. Back at the cave, Solvo, Slammer, and Sybil slept. A couple of hours into the Knight's watch, 6 goblins ventured into view and did their best to hide themselves from the cave mouth. Unfortunately for them, that was done in full view of the Knights. 

At midnight, Rety, Celia, and Belaphon took Slammer and Solvo's place. The dog followed Celia rather than Sybil, as he knew where the food came from. Thomas, Dorian, and the Dwarf were taking turns resting between the mule's makeshift stable and the hall leading to the mouth of cave D.  The Elf and Fighter crept to the mouth of the Ogre's cave. After a moment, they strolled out in plain view. The goblins spotted them immediately and gave a warning call like a strige, the only bird-like thing they've heard in a while. 

The six hobgoblins with crossbows readied their weapons and exited their cave. 

Lefty pulled the string, lifting the lid off the pot. The Sybil had cast continual light on its interior. The goblins spun around and were dazzled by the bright light. They were also silhouetted by the spell. Two of them were struck by arrows and fell dead. The Knights charged and took another goblin down. 

The hobgoblins were expecting enemies on the valley floor, but were distracted by the melee to their east and missed seeing the Elf and Fighter. They advanced toward the obvious fight. Punch took down another goblin as Lefty danced back and forth with the last two. Slammer and Solvo unleashed another pair of arrows, this time at the hobgoblins for 3 and 5 points of damage. The two struck hobgoblins shot back, hitting Slammer for 4 points of damage and Solvo for one. 

There are six targets.

Lefty was hit for 3 points of damage but downed his opponent. Punch and the last goblin exchanged a series of parries and feints. The four hobgoblins continued their advance on the Knights while the other two exchanged missile fire with the bowmen below. All four missiles hit. The hobgoblins struck first for 2 and 3 points against the Elf and Fighter, but died moments later. 

Lefty covered the pot, plunging everyone into darkness again. Punch splits the last goblin in two. Confused, the hobgoblins open fire. Lefty was hit, but the other three bolts found nothing but air. Solvo injured one, but a second was killed. 

Punch dropped the pot on the ground, freeing himself to melee the hobgoblins. Again, the hobgoblins are dazzled and confused, and they drew swords. Punch and Lefy slew two, and Solvo got the third. Unfortunately, Slammer's arrow whistled by Lefty's head, nearly hitting him. Slammer rolled 5 against the hob and a 9 against Lefty, which was also a miss. 

If you read the comment from Ruprecht, (here) this is how I handle missile fire in melee. First, all even-numbered misses occur because the shooters held their fire, knowing they would miss. They are that good. Since the roll was 5, Slammer loosed an arrow. He was then forced to roll against Lefty's AC of 3. The arrow was already in the air, no even number roll would protect the second target in this case. I played this up a bit for drama, as 9 isn't remotely close to a hit. 

In the next round, Lefty and Punch overwhelmed the last hobgoblin standing. The four fighting men beat a quick retreat back to their respective hiding places. 

An hour or so later, a lone goblin was sent to check on the guards. The hobgoblins can only surmise that something went horribly wrong, as no one reported back in. Concerned, they sent 2 more crossbow-armed hobgoblins as overwatch for the lone goblin. The pot trick works again. Solvo and Slammer dispatched the three guards while the Knights stayed out of sight. This time, Lefty and Punch collect the pot, weapons, and change purses before retreating with Solvo and Slammer into the ogre cave. 

The party heard a ruckus from the hobgoblin caves as the two chieftains exchanged words and maybe blows. In response to the noise, 4 kobolds and 4 rats ventured outside to see what was happening. Solvo and Slammer took a shot at them. They missed by a mile, but the kobold heard the arrows go by and dropped to the ground. Over the next three rounds, a pair of kobolds and one rat were killed as they first advanced on the fighter's location, then fled on their bellies back to the cave. 

At dawn, all four fighting men and Clerics retired. Celia and Norin set about their daily tasks with strict instructions not to expose themselves to the enemy. As the others ate and slept, Sybil and Belaphon took to silently studying in room 21. They heard the guards on the other side of the secret door moving about. Sybil silently pointed to two spells Belaphon should study for the day. 

If I painted these,
I'd have proper pictures for you. 

Once they were done learning their spells for the day, Sybil stood up and let out a theatrical yawn, right in front of the secret door. It looks like Sybil is way more chaotic than the party. The shuffling of gob and hob feet stopped. 

She cast a spell on the door, making it turn invisible. Her dog barked at the goblinoids. The four hobgoblin crossbowmen fired on her, but the bolts stopped dead as they hit the invisible, but still stone door. Sybil lifted the digitus impudicus at them. The goblin spearmen charged. The invisible door shook, as dust roiled from the edges with the impact. 

The Magic-Users laughed at the guards. "Bel, goblins. Just goblins." 

He nodded at her. 

It took the four stunned goblins two rounds to get reorganized, and by that time, all four were charmed. The Magic-Users gave the dread signal of finger to throat, as Sybil released the invisibility spell and the door faded back into view. 

(I dislike low-level spells that give a permanent effect. I have no particular answer to them, other than to allow the spell caster to end them at will. The first link is to the SRD for OSE. Old School Essentials is by Necrotic Gnome. They have a wide array of products. You can view and purchase them here.) 

Although they didn't know it, everything happened simultaneously on the other side of the door. Over the next 3 rounds, they heard the deathrattle of 4 hobgoblins and 2 goblins. The bewitched goblins killed one more goblin and injured several others before they fell. 

Rety was peeved when she learned her spellcasters had used up almost all of their spells in one go, but couldn't complain about the results. In her mind, the Fighters combined were as strong as the Magic-Users, and the Clerics plus Rety formed a third powerful group. Now, with the fighting men sleeping and the magic users out of spells, it was only Rety, the heirlings, the Clerics, and a dog to defend them for a whole day. 

For the rest of the day, they heard alternating bouts of activity and silence from the hobgoblin caves. At nightfall, the goblinoids recovered their dead. Rety quietly watched them from the mouth of the cave. They saw her, too, but had no response. 

For this session, the party killed or caused the deaths of 12 goblins, 12 hobgoblins, 2 kobolds, and 1 giant rat. This, with the treasure and a 10% bonus, equals 651 total experience. I also give each a bonus of 150 exp for planning and creativity. 

At this point, several characters level up again. I should scan their sheets in and walk thru who has what. 

The Keep on the Borderlands 2025 - Session 7 - Divide and Conquer

It's session 7, and the party is ready for a fight. They left the Keep before sunrise, leaving the drovers behind. In six days, the drovers will come to see what befell the party. 

Rety and the Knights lead the group, followed by the mule-drawn wagon and everyone else strung out behind them. They used the Eyes of the Eagle from the treeline and spotted some changes in the valley of the caves. 

From Session 4.5 and Session 5, the kobolds completed their improved defenses. Good-sized mounts for the giant rats ring their cave entrance while spear-armed guards patrolled the slope. Also, several kobolds were working with axes to clear away the debris of the burned trees. A new barrier of brush covered the approach to the kobold cave. 

Rety wasn't worried. Originally, her plan was to hit the kobolds' cave, as they were the weakest creatures in the caves. Now that the goblins have been swept out of several rooms of their cave complex, Rety believes they are weaker. She was unaware that the goblins and hobgoblins were in cahoots. 

Solvo the Elf reported seeing motion up the slope above cave B and cave F. On further inspection and a couple of die rolls with OSR Solo, the party decides that everyone in front of cave F has moved to the slope above cave B. They were totally wrong. There were two separate groups of watchers.  

The party makes a dash to cave D. They were immediately spotted by the combined group of goblins and hobgoblins, but the hobgoblins waited for the goblins to return from the slope above cave B before doing anything. The kobolds retreated inside their warren. 

The cart entered the caves, and the mules refused to move more than 30 feet down the hall. Norin the dwarf, and Celia wedged the wheels while the party split up. Belaphon, the two clerics, and Solvo drag timbers to the east. Sybil, Slammer, and Rety ran ahead of Punch and Lefty, who escorted Norin. Rety and Slammer readied their bows. Punch and Lefty marched with polearms. 

There was a hell of a racket throughout the Caves of Chaos. The goblins and hobgoblins raced through the halls. In the confusion, the other guards rushed to the entrance, where a heated conversation ensued. 

The eastern party reached room 17 and discovered the barricade. Flommox, they dropped their lumber and ran westward, screaming their alarm. 

Rety's team had the goal of finding and blocking the hidden door in room 21. In their last foray, they saw too many goblins disappear in that direction, so they correctly guessed there must be a door. They just didn't know where. They set out 4 lanterns to assist them in the search.

The western team heard the ruckus behind them from Solvo's team, but didn't know what it meant, as it was not a part of the plan. The goblins and hobgoblins also heard the yells of alarm and quickly came to the conclusion that the party was in room 21 searching for the secret door. The six spearmen and the 8 crossbow-armed guards run for the secret door in a disorganized horde. 

Norin, Sybil, and Rety spread out to search for the door, under the cover of the Knights and Slammer's bow. To everybody's horror, but no one's surprise, the secret door went "Clunk!" and swung open. 

I rolled for which way the door opened against the table in OSR Solo. I asked myself, "Does this door open outward?" The result was "no and..." The next question I asked was, "Does the guard's order make sense?" The answer was "no", so I determined that 4 crossbow men are in front of and behind the spearmen. 

I took this scenario from real life. I used to work in a hardware store, and you'd be surprised how many people purchase doors without considering which way they open and swing. Nothing is more funny than seeing someone mount the hinges on the same side of the door as the doorknob. Extensive consumer testing has shown this does not work. 

I rolled initiative. Since the party won, I determined that Rety could pull her bow, which is the "no and..." result. One of the crossbowmen takes an arrow to the face and drops. Slammer hits a second one for 3 points of damage. Sybil unleashes charm on an exposed spearman. One crossbow bolt whistles over Slammer's head, and a second bounces off Punch's armor for just a single point of damage. Punch and Lefty can't or won't advance due to the missile fire as Norin stays out of sight in the corner, ending the combat round. 

Two things happen at nearly the same time. The guards lose their morale check and decide to close the door. They missed by one, so they are fairly sensible and reasonably choose to close the door. The party wins initiative. 

Rety shouts, "Lantern!" and Lefty and Punch look around, confused. 

Slammer was not confused and picked up a lantern and hurled it into the crowd of monsters. I decided that two of the crossbowmen are unhitable because of the door, but the third was spattered, as was the dead one. They fall into room 21, very dead. I forgot oil does 1d8 until it burns out. 

Through the crack of the closing door, the charmed goblin saw Sybil make a slashing gesture across her throat and smiled. 

Sybil doesn't speak goblin or hobgoblin, but the message was heard, loud and clear. The charmed goblin killed one of the hobgoblins holding the door in his surprise round. He managed to wound the other hobgoblin at the door before a flurry of spearpoints dropped him. 

The five remaining goblins held the door closed, conveniently helping Norin and Rety hammer in spikes. As they worked, Sybil Wizard Locked the door. Norin complained as he thought he would be securing a door that swung the other way. He returns to the wagon for more lumber and tools. 

He grumbled, "Magic is good, but mechanics is better." 

The eastern party explained the blocked stairway, which raised eyebrows. The two Clerics returned to Celia and set watch on the cave mouth, while Rety plans a formal search of the complex. Solvo, Slammer, Punch, and Lefty are ordered to guard Norin's back as he works his dwarven skills on the first secret door, then the second secret door leading to the Ogre's lair. 

The party is tired, and it is not even midday. Rety pushed on, with the Magic-Users and Elf in tow, searching every wall for more secret doors. Celia served a cold lunch. Rety asked the rest of the party to help with the search, and after about 10 minutes, determined the Knights were unsuited for the job and sent them to secure the mules in one of the dead-end tunnels. 

This presented a few problems for Punch and Lefty. One mule refused to calm down, and the decision was made to run it out of the cave. Slammer wanted to eat it, but EVERYONE ELSE objected. The mule delivered a couple of bites and one brutal kick to the Knights before galloping off in the direction of the road and presumably the Keep. 

By nightfall, the party convinced itself that there were no more secret doors or traps in the area they claimed. 

Norin declared, "Those stairs are blocked, well and completely. Nothing short of dragon fire or prune juice can unblock that!" 

Everyone had a good chuckle. They set their quarters in the Chieftain's quarters. It was nicely appointed, although slightly smelly. The party rested in shifts as they knew the night would be long and the coming days longer. 

The Keep on the Borderlands 2025 - Session 6.5 - Book Keeping, Guards, and Wards

Session 6 went sideways. Hardly anything was said about the party. So we have session 6.5. The party spends the week in the Keep. Hender and Sonny depart the party. They both had near-death experiences, plus Hender can get his job at the tavern back, and Sonny can court the drover girls. Who wouldn't want that? 

Rety takes 3 days to interview several replacements for Hender and Sonny and brings on Sybil for a fair cut of the treasure. Rety also makes sure she is good with the drover team, Hender, and Sonny, distributing a few more silvers to all. She charges the drovers with obtaining 2 or 4 mules and a long, slim cart. 

Using OSR Solo, the drovers can get the cart and mules, but it takes an extra day. Rety obtains some mundane but odd material for the cart. She has water barrels and tons of food, plus lumber and tools packed into it. Unfortunately, the party is not able to obtain more healing potions. 

Rety advances Sybil and Belaphon some coins to do herself and them a favor. They spend the next couple of days examining each other's spellbooks. This means the party spends the full week in the Keep.  

Let's take a "My Table Tradition" detour. I have special rules for spell casters with spellbooks. Each Magic-User can memorize a specific number of spells per day. In OSE, the MU sleeps for 8 hours and studies their spells for 1 hour. That seems fair and easy. 

In a scenario like what we have here, the party retreated to town early and has tons of free time. I have a special rule for this non-combat case. 

What if Belophon, with two 1st-level spells, studied Magic Missile twice but really needs Detect Magic today? Since he has access to his spellbook and is not in combat, he can spend 1d6 rounds reviewing the spell in his book and swap the memorized spell for one they have in their book. Having cast that new spell, he does not get to study again. That daily spell is spent. This is only good for non-combat situations, like the example of sitting in town for a week. 

This scenario doesn't really matter much. It saves time and paperwork. 

There is a second scenario that is much less friendly. Let's say you have access to an enemy's spellbook. A Magic-User can use Read Magic to decipher a spell and cast it right from the spellbook. This works just like a scroll, meaning the Magic-User doesn't use his memorized spells. It also means the spell is deleted from the book. This cannot be done with one's own spellbook. 

What Rety has asked both mages to do is share spells. Sybil has both first and second-level spells; Belophon can only copy the ones he can cast. He knows what the second-level spells are because Sybil can explain them, but can't scribe them. Sybil could scribe a second-level spell into her book, but not in Belophon's book. Sybil can scribe any spell from Belophon's spellbook as they are all 1st-level. 

Rety also hires two additional heirlings. OSR Solo provided the yes-no answers. I simply rolled 2 twenty-siders, comparing each roll to the NPC chart in B2. She hires one Dwarf and one Halfling. They are 1st-level characters. Norin the Dwarf is brought on as a mining and construction advisor, while Celia the Halfling will cook. They do not receive a share of the treasure, only a salary. They are not expected to undertake dangerous or combat duties.

Back in the Caves, the agents of Chaos are also taking action because they have a week to prepare for the next invasion. The hobgoblins and goblins have integrated. Room 27, the Storeroom, has been consolidated with the Armory in room 28. The goblins are now using Room 27 as quarters for the 10 males and 14 females. Six guards with spears, shields, and daggers are in the hallway to cover the stairs and secret door. 

The stairs leading to Room 23 have been completely clogged up with whatever trash and rubble the goblins and hobgoblins could find. The one section of stairs is packed floor to ceiling, with only a ten-foot area outside the door so spear-armed goblins can get in to defend the entryway.  

Outside, just north of Room 23, sit 3 goblins. They are instructed to quietly watch the entrance to D. They are not to engage in a fight; instead, they are to report any intruders. These are some of the adult golbins who are not included in the guard. They are not inclined to fight, but they do have spears. 

Near cave entrance F, 6 hobgoblins patrol outside. Two of the six have moved down to the floor of the valley to watch entrance E, while the other 4 stand watch. All of them are armed with crossbows. Even though the ogre is dead, they will not enter his abandoned cave. Why tempt fate?  

When the party returns, the denizens of the Caves will have some surprises for them.