The Story So far Part Eight

Episode X – An unexpected change of direction

Dramatis Personae
Telec - Kalamarian Human Priest of the Wanderer
Aetlred - Half Elf Ranger
Lalia - Halfling Thief
Thans – Dwarf fighter thief
Heradin- Dwarf fighter mage
Dvorn the Axe- Folokkii Human Fighter
Sondan – Brandobian, Human Fighter
Fawlit – Half Ork Fighter

Location
The caves and encampment of the goblin raiders the woods along the ridge line and a very old and abandoned dwarf hold adjacent to it.

Events
(the action starts in the ancient dwarf hold following on directly from the conclusion of the previous episode it is early afternoon and its been a long day, and every one is feeling more than a little hungry and morale is ebbing especially as the Dwarf hold continues to provide far more questions than answers)

The company after some discussion decided to leave the tribute hall and seek the more commonplace parts of the hold and see if they could find any more gear of the like of the mail Telec was now wearing.  The company turned out of the great hall of tribute and retraced their route east until they came to the cross roads again.

The rest of the Dwarf hold

Moving north the Company moved up a broad passage way of the type the Company was familiar with and they soon came into a large hall with buildings around the edge rather like a square in a surface town. This square was larger than the previous ones of a similar kind that they had previously explored and featured a large fountain and central garden. The fountain was dry and the surrounded beds where as the other ones they had found just bare earth with not even a trace of any plants which might once have grown in them

The buildings around the square where in good order and appeared to be a mixture of shops and houses with an inn in the south west corner and what might have once been a library in the south east if the stone racking and pidgin holes where any guide. However as before it seemed the buildings had been striped of any fixture and fitting which they had once had leaving only marks on the stone to give any suggestion there had been something removed. Most importantly there was no sign of any more gear and the impression of long abandonment was driven home

Growing increasingly convinced that the ancient dwarf hold had been stripped of every thing else of either value or use, and finding that there scant supply of torches had dwindled to the point where the two they where using where the last of them, the company resolved to return to the matter of the goblins and retracing their steps soon found themselves in the entrance chamber and then in the sink hole despite, Heradin’s protests that he was not going in there again even he was there. Moving as swiftly as one may in such a narrow way they made there way to the first chamber and where relieved to find that the rope was still in place.  A short discussion followed as to the best plan of attack. It was decided that a stout branch should be cut long enough to cross the hole into the kitchen cave below so as to be able to support two people climbing down on a rope at the same time.   

The company returns to the Sink hole

Aetlred volunteers Fawlit as he has an axe to help in this task, the half ork always more than eager to please agrees. Aetlred climbs first tugging the rope to make sure it is still secure. He fails to hear the tinkle of the cowbells the goblins have attached to it. He pulls again and prepares to climb. Thunk, a bag of crudely but tightly stitched rawhide hits him on the head and bursts. Filling the chamber with a scatter of sharp stones, fortunately harming none of the others who are sheltering in the passage still. Cursing to him self Aetlred climbs up the swinging rope as Fawlit takes his place at the bottom, with him holding the rope Aetlred gains the surface finally noting the jingle of cow bells, to late however as the goblin guard they where meant to alert is already in place and swinging his mallet. Thunk and thunk again as poor bruised Aetlred is struck twice before he manages to scrabble free of the hole. Dodging desperately he draws the goblin away from the hole and Fawlit gains the surface. After that the fight is short for Fawlit’s axe will hew goblin just as well as wood.

Aetlred picks a suitable tree to provide the stout beam and whilst the obliging half ork plies his axe in this endeavour, he applies his first aid skills to his injuries, cursing all the while internally the foul luck he has had so far. By the time he has finished this Fawlit has the beam cut and trimmed.

From then on the plan is quickly put into effect with the stout but rough beam being emplaced over the hole which leads down to the kitchen cavern a rope tied firmly around it to allow Thans and Fawlit to descend, both being chosen as they can see best in the ill lit cave below.  Thans and Fawlit both descend into the cave and scouting around find that it is empty save for the dying embers of the great cooking fire and lit only by them and the last couple of troches both in the throws of burning out entirely. The place reeks of goblin, spilt beer and the remains of likely more than one whole animal roast. To the north the cave narrows to about twenty feet before opining out into another deeper cavern. Whilst to the south it does the same and apparently opens into the back of the mouth cave as the last vestiges of failing daylight can be seen dimly in that direction.

The rest of the company descended the rope and Thans and Lalia went off to scout. Lalia to the south confirming that the kitchen cave opened into the mouth cave. Thans moving to the north found a similar if smaller cave and found it to be full of sleeping goblins. Thans and Lalia having scouted retuned to where the rest of the company waited at the base of the rope in the glow of the cook fires embers.

A whispered planning session followed and it was decided that Thans should use his superior night vision and stealth to sneak into the north cave and to dispatch as many goblins as he could. The rest of the company would more as quietly as they may to the choke point to be ready to render assistance if need be. Aetlred decided that he was better at the top of the rope in the sink hole ready to drop arrows onto any goblins and Heradin had already decided to leave the hole to guard the rope at the top, and indeed had become quite truculent at the prospect of going into any more confined spaces.

So Thans drew his dagger and snuck into the northern chamber hugging the walls as there the goblins seemed to have concentrated sleeping in little knots of three or four. He snuck up on the first group of gently snoring goblins and with dwarven skill silenced each of their snores in turn. He moved to the next knot of four and dealt with them similarly. He moved further in towards a third knot of snoring goblins. Crack, Thans foot caught a piece of bone and it snapped rousing the goblins who scrambled to their feet drawing knives.

Thans fell back fighting from the three goblins he had disturbed whilst trying to cut their throats in their sleep lashing out as he did so with his dagger as much to dissuade them of the pursuit than to actually injure them. His companions waited for him at the choke point, for the most part not able to see what was going on in the dim cave lit as it was only by a scatter of failing torches and not having the superior night sight of dwarves. However the goblins where defiantly trying to kill Thans and just before he reached the relative safety of the rest of the company a goblin knife struck true and he fell.

At that Fawlit, the only one present who could see in the dark as well as the goblins gave a wild cry in orkish and charged the perusing goblins who where going to do unto Thans as he had intended to do unto them and indeed had already done unto several of their companions if the did but know it recoiled. Then backed away as Fawlit was joined by Dvorn, Sondan and Telec the former swinging his great axe in killing arcs and shouting for all he was worth. The goblins fled noisily further rousing their companions and Fawlit picked up the wounded dwarf and all fell back to the choke point. Where Thans roused himself and every one else wondered what they should do next as the goblins where now alerted.

Mean while Heradin who had refused to go back down the sink hole was sitting on the surface ostensibly guarding the rope, though in fact he was reading his spell book something which ha had not had the time to do for several days whilst the company had been gallivanting about in the wilds. It probably was not the right thing to be doing just now but it was just the thing to settle his nerves after being dragged up and down narrow holes repeatedly.

Aetlred, was crouched in the sink hole peering down into the kitchen cave trying to see what was going on down there and finding he was just unable to get a decent line of sight of what ever was just kicking off, given quite how much he currently hurt, cursed goblins cursed bags of gravel & their thrice cursed mallets he was disinclined to get closer for a better look.  

In the cave below Dvorn came up with a battle plan as the now well awake goblins assembled in the half darkness. They he proposed should hold the choke point as if the goblins charged it would give them least use of there advantage in numbers, Fawlit who could see just how many goblins there where most clearly resolved to sell his life as dearly as he could and muttered a quiet prayer to the gods of good and honour to accept him into their halls after his death. That he could do with a strong drink also crossed his mind.

Inside the caves

The Goblins milled round sort out and picked up their scattered weapons, and some of them even their shields and a couple of the more cunning and cowardly bows and handfuls of arrows, none however acted. They where further discouraged because Fawlit had begun a blood curdling battle chant in orkish and had been joined first by Dvorn and then by the rest who added curses in as many languages as they could muster. The milling mass of goblins could understand little detail of this but quickly formed the idea that they where facing a group of confident warriors who where prepared to stand and fight. Goblins as a kind don’t like that sort of fight and it was not what they where here for, preferring raiding undefended settlements and then feasting royally off the stolen live stock. However all the noise the intruders where making filtered deeper into the caverns and shortly Akakabul the sub chief and a couple of his bullies arrived. He first ordered the bowmen to lose which they did at the mailed knight leading the foe.

Two arrows came out of the darkness and the milling goblins and struck Telec, thunk, thunk as each slammed into his newly obtained dwarf mail and being common goblin made arrows shot from weak short bows the arrows skittered off it leaving him unscathed.  In return Lalia wound up her sling and loosed a stone into the dark in reply but no goblin squealed to indicate it had hit any thing that mattered. 

Akakabul grew angry and started shouting at the goblins even more, and  setting his bullies on them to drive them forward, the common goblins being more scares of Akakabul and his bullies surged forward in a wild charge hoping to over run the company of at least send it fleeing

The line stood in the choke point and received the charge, Dvorn’s axe swung and a goblin fell, even before it had a chance to fight. Telec’s staff broke a nose on another and instants later both Sondan and Fawlit joined in and two more goblins fell. However there where a lot of goblins and the initial crush cared the charge home despite this and goblin blades struck home, the company’s blood also flowed and mingled with that of the goblins.

Hearing sounds of battle but unable to see to intervene Aetlred left his post to go and fetch Heradin and below a slightly recovered Thans and Lalia, prepared to add their missiles to the fight.