The story So far Episode Eleven

Episode XIII – A victory the goblins defeated at least for now 

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- Fhokki Human Fighter
Sondan – Brandobian, Human Fighter
Fawlit – Half Ork Fighter

Violet – Half Demon Paladin of the Free

Nyassor- Elven, Fighter from Elsewhere

Americ – Human Cleric form Elsewhere

Liamar – Kalamarian Human Cleric of the free from the Hidden Dell

Nyasse - Kalamarian Human girl from the Hidden Dell

Location

In the caves of the goblin raiders, their camp outside and the Ancient Dwarf hold, the woods back to the Hidden Dell and the Holdfast and  A’Rakham Manor

Events

(Starting shortly after the end of the previous session) The company found itself in the morning though more rested and healed than they had been the night before in much the same situation. They and the released villagers where in the caves and safe especially if they took refuge in the dwarf hold behind the magical defense system which seemed not to like goblins as much as it did elves. However they had very limited supplies and would be trapped by the goblins that they knew still to be in the caves who whilst they where more than likely quite demoralized by the companies victories so far where still there and a potential threat. The same applied if the Company returned to the Hidden Dell especially with the villagers live stock as there was only one way to do that which was along the route the goblins had used getting them and the captives here and the company and those it had released where very aware that there where a pack of dogs and several goblins, with bows, almost certainly waiting in ambush some where along that path. The villagers alone could reach the safety of the holdfast by several routes and this was why at least in part Violet was pressing for the company to escort the animals down the only feasible path whilst she lead the villagers to the holdfast by a different route.  The general opinion of the company seemed to be that Violet was sending the company into an ambush, which she admitted she was but she was doing so in order to try to protect the lives of the villagers who where ill equipped to deal with the goblins in a fight where as the company was even if wounded from previous fights. There was something of an impasse especially when it was also pointed out rather unhelpfully that the goblins remaining in the caves could also sally forth and attack them as they left.  After some period of rather circular argument Telec suggested that they clear the caves of the remaining goblins whilst the villagers remained behind the ancient Dwarven defenses. Rather amazingly to all present given the increasing heat of the argument every one seemed to think this was a good plan and agreed.

The villager returned to the ancient dwarf inn where every one had spent the night to wait whilst the company pressed on.  The company with Violet and the two strangers then regrouped in the chamber that the captives had been held in to continue. This chamber had two as yet unexplored exits down both of which the goblins had fled when routed the previous day. Both of these headed generally north though one was to the fest of the other. The one heading almost due north seemed to be the main channel of the river which had made the caves and the other which sloped up noticeably more steeply a tributary stream.  It was quickly decided that the western exit should be checked first.  There was some discussion as to who should scout it but that ended when it was pointed out by Thans that dwarves would be better at this as he could see in the near dark. Violet omitted to say she could see in total darkness deciding she would be better set to rescue the damned fool dwarf if he should get into trouble than any other way round.

This being decided the rest to the company split to give Thans cover as well as to prevent a goblin attack from any of the other two ways in to the cave and refurbished and then relit some of the goblin torches which had burned out over night. 

Cave the Captives where held in

As normal there was some discussion as to how best to proceed but in the end it was decided that Thans was the best scout given the relative lack of light in the caves, but he was rather less than enthusiastic as in this case with all the torches blazing in the cave where the captives had been held he would be heavily back lit and an easy target therefore foe any lurking goblin with a bow. Even so he pressed on and advancing a short way up the North West exit he found that there was a torch bobbing about just out of sight round a corner. Thans returned to the rest of the company who where covering the other exits from the cave incase goblins some how managed to sneak around behind them. He reported the presence of the torch but was sent back to see if he could find out more and even by Aetlred somewhat upbraided for coming back too soon. In return Thans pointedly told Aetlred that his former complaint about him not reporting back regularly enough was the reason he had done so, so soon. With that barbed comment Thans retuned to his task. Going further up the passage this time Thans was unable to spot the carrier of the torch and would have gone further except the toe of his boot suddenly seemed to be over an edge of some sort.  

Thans took a step back and carefully searched for the edge with his foot. The hole went all the way across the passage from wall to wall and was wider than he cared to probe with his foot lest he lose his balance. Ahead the torch moved back further out of sight probably round a corner and the light dimmed.   

Deeper in side one

Thans went to fetch help and several of the others came forward with a torch at which point the true nature of the hole Tans had found was revealed. It was a shallow, about five feet deep pit blocking the passage and about five feet deep so a bit difficult for a standing jump if not a running one. However the mud and rock rubble that had been dug out of the pit had been piled in a crude low rampart on the other side of the thing such that any one taking a running jump at it would almost certainly either trip and fall forward or missing their footing on the slip and fall back into the pit they had just tried to jump over.

Thans abandoned his exploration of the north western passage; leaving it guarded by the others of the company Thans redirected his efforts to the northern one. More careful here as it was he found lit by the occasional flickering half burned out torch, but still more than enough light for even a goblin’s night sight. The passage curved slowly to the right and he passed out of the dim illumination of the torches plunging even a Dwarf into darkness exempt there where three no four spots of light ahead, they might be more torches. Thans followed the left hand wall with his hand and then just as he got close enough to see that they where indeed distant torches the passage opened out into another very large cave. Thans could see little as he scanned the cave to the left and the right slowly hardly breathing except there was breathing heavy breathing off to the left in the darkness. Thans could not see its source at first so he moved slowly so as to see if the light of the distant torches might reveal any detail. Briefly he caught a glimpse of a large hunched humanoid figure and drew back as fast as stealth would allow him.

Once he was he guessed far enough away form the hulking brute Thans quickened his pace to return to report what he had found.  The company gathered quickly and there was a discussion as to what to do next and in the end it was decided to abandon all attempts at stealth and once again use the Table fort as a mobile defense against whatever the huge hulking thing might be. There was discussion of what that might be but all that could be said for certain was that it was far bigger than any goblin they had met or heard tell of. Lugging the table fort from where it had been left at the front of the mouth cave took half the company the better part of an hour whilst the other half covered both the exits form the cave where the captive villagers had been held in case of a goblin attack. No such attack came but further time was spent by Sondan and Lalia tightening the bindings which held the thing together, repositioning the goblin shields and adding a couple torch mountings to the front.

With the Table fort in place the company split into an attack group and a shooting group again, with the mailed strangers staying at the back of the shooting group just incase the goblins being sneak as they are managed to outflank the Company every one was well aware that there might well be goblins up the passage behind the hastily dug pit. It was apparent that they had both got crossbows, something which outflanking goblins might find a salutatory surprise in its self and seemed to be able to use the curved blade and the spiked mace they carried respectively as close combat weapons. The attack group lifted the table fort and went forward putting it down just inside the room. The twisted and hideously fanged form of an ogre was immediately to be seen to the left and it charged as the table rounded the last corner its great axe swinging in lethal arcs. Across the room could be dimly seen a locked and rather professional shield wall of around a score of armoured goblins, but seemingly no archers. The attack group put the table down and readied itself to face the ogre drawing weapons and unslinging shields.  However the ogres strides was to long and before they could the heavy axe blade was in range and its first swing would have cut Sondan in half had he not swayed back causing it to miss him by a mere fraction

The ogre swing ended and reversed, the foul thing knew how to use an axe thought Dvorn a little queasily as he brought his own axe up into a fighting position. Then before the Ogres reverse swing threatened any one Telec whose weapon was easiest to ready and fast as he was safe behind Sondan swung his staff out and caught the ogre of guard, the butt of the staff striking hard into the beast’s groin. The monster doubled over and staggered hack half a step in agony. Its great axe’s swing striking the ground prematurely and thought with savage force harmlessly. Seeing the great beast discommoded Thans had the presence of mind to vault the table fort and drawing his trusty dagger ran it across the creature’s throat. There was a gout of dark blood and it fell back lifeless.  Across the room the goblins shield wall wavered there plan had gone awry. Seizing the opportunity Telec raised his staff and shouted out to them in Kalamarian that they where the next to be cut down and this wavering teetered on the edge of rout, it all rested on Akakabul, who at that crucial moment seeing all his plans in apparent ruin and only the future image of that mailed behemoth smashing him down with that staff as easily as it had the ogre also gave way to panic and the ordered shield wall became a mob of running goblins desperate to escape. The Attack group started to clamber over the edge of the table fort and Fawlit’s orkish war howl split the air. At the lead of the shooting group Lalia and Aetlred loosed one shot into the backs of the routing goblins one of whom was struck by stone or arrow, stumbled and fell briefly before rising again and following his already fled comrades into the dark tunnel beyond. Telec shouted for every one to halt and let the goblins run for now lest in blind pursuit the pursuers run heedlessly into a goblin trap.

Every one halted, drew breath and it was again over at least for now. Looking around the large cave it was soon apparent that this was where the goblins had stowed the majority of the loot form the Hidden Dell though none of the villager’s soft goods seemed to be present as there where no clothes bedding or the like just tools, farm implements and cooking pots all jumbled together in a heap. The chests where still locked and as usual Lalia fairly rushed to check both for traps and open the locks. Whist they where found not to be trapped the locks on both of them defeated her with the lock on the second breaking one of her lock picks and requiring the Village black smith to finally open it, the first fell at the second attempt but it was a bit shaming to some one who took a pride in no lock ever beating her. The chests where both found to contain only the villagers goods one containing a selection of medicines and the second the one Lalia failed to open parchment ink and book binder’s tools.

Whilst waiting for the blacksmith Lalia and Thans had looked for other traps and found a deep covered pit in the area between the torches on poles, quite possibly they where there as a reminder to the goblins that the pit was there as well as to provide the dim illumination which would aid the night sighted goblins and disadvantage those with out. This pit had been covered by a light wicker lid which had in turn been carefully covered with the mud from the cave floor so that it was to the eye very difficult to distinguish form the undisturbed floor especially if distracted as one would be mid fight. This lid would in no way even support the weight of a goblin let alone a man or a dwarf and seemed to be designed to collapse if stepped on. The pit was shear sided and a good ten feet deep with short sharpened fire hardened wooden stakes driven into its base pointing up to further injure any who fell into it. Searching the Ogres corpse the company found that its belt was decorated with a stet of some fourteen very old worn gold coins pierced and wired together probably by the goblins and its axe was interesting being the warriors attested of no unusual quality but likely of giant work, possibly originally as a hand axe or hatchet for one of the larger kinds.  Fawlit it has to be said took quite a shine to this weapon and it was decided he should have it and he was so happy tears came to his little piggy orkish eyes, people did not give him gifts and he was some what over whelmed.

Deeper in Side two

Investigation on the exits quickly discovered that the one to the east narrowed to the point of impassibility with in a few feet of leaving the chamber, but that the one the goblins had routed down, apparently the main channel continued on a fair eight to ten feet floor to ceiling and a similar width. With the recent lesson of the cunningly concealed pit in mind the company explored this one gingerly. The passage turned a little east as it went north and the soft mud and silt covering the rock of the floor was marked with the boot prints of goblins running pell mell along it. There where no traps, but the passage was lit every thirty or forty feet by a guttering torch. After about three torches the passage began to narrow from its starting width to one of less than a foot thought the height remained almost the same and the passage now resembled a wide water worn crack more than a passage. The Goblin boot prints had not come this far, indeed when the company retraced its steps Aetlred noticed that the boot marks stopped just before the last torch and here they appeared to have rallied at least partly as the boot prints told the story of a milling group of goblins in the passage and that a rope end had partly obliterated the marks in the mud and silt of the tunnel floor. Looking up Thans saw a sink hole in the roof and all became clear the goblins had fled to here and then escaped further by climbing up a rope into a passage above. They boosted Lalia up through the hole with a torch and she saw more goblin boot prints and scramble marks up there but being no tracker she could add no more detail.

Thans realised that the passage that the escaping goblins had climbed into might be the same one as that which lead from the cave where the captives where. After a brief discussion and leaving a guard to stop any goblins coming back and stealing the villager’s goods form the pile in the goblin leader’s lair cave, Thans Lalia and Aetlred doubled back with Fawlit and several borrowed shovels filled in the hastily dug pit and crossing it discovered that Thans guess had been right. Further searching along this upper passage showed that the goblins had escaped onto the surface not far from the scarp of the next ridge.

There had been two groups one, had left last night and might well have been the archers who escaped from the cave the captives where held in after fleeing the fight there and the other larger group had climbed the scarp an hour or two ago and both Violet and Aetlred agreed where the booted group thought tracking them across the scree of the scarp proved rather difficult.  

Now it was apparent that the caves where clear of goblins and would remain so at least for the moment the company returned to the problem of firs thing this morning that of getting the captives their goods and live stock back to the Dell and thence to the Holdfast without getting ambushed given that they where sure there where goblins and worse dogs in the woods along the one practical path to the destination waiting to do just that.  On consideration it was thought best to assume that they would be ambushed in the woods some where along the route and therefore best to organise so as to minimise the casualties caused by an ambush and allow a quick counter when it happened.  Being the most wood wise this task fell to Violet and Aetlred who split the company the villagers and the live stock into groups who would move through the woods far enough apart that any ambush could only target one of them, yet close enough together to allow the rest of the company especially those in adjacent groups to come to the aid of the one ambushed very quickly.

That and other needful things, such as milking the cows who where in utter agony having not been milked for days, done the whole party set off cautiously the villagers in each group paying attention to driving their live stock and the escorting company scanning the woods for clues to the location of the ambush. Going was slower than it might have otherwise been because of this and they only reached the edge of the Dell by late afternoon but despite expectations and seeing both Goblin tracks and dog spoor on route they had not been ambushed nor had they seen any goblins or their hunting dogs. Once the passed the watch tree and descended into the dell every one felt safe and they where able to reach the holdfast in early evening without any encounter with goblins nor further signs of their past presence. At the sight of the overgrown and neglected paddocks outside the Holdfast every ones spirits oddly rose.

They rose all the more when they saw Nyasse’s horse grazing in one of the paddocks outside and her having at least opened the place up and aired it ready for their arrival. It was a bit disappointing that she had not got a feast waiting for the returning hero’s but then  Thans thought she was not a dwarf and found her lack of preparedness understandable on that basis, and every one else realised that the girl could not have known that they where coming let alone at what time.  However she was able to point out where all the supplies where and had laid in a supply of fire wood for the kitchen and a modest feast was soon in the preparation. Every one except Violet ate and drank the wine the last champion had laid in and stories where told over the table in the great dining room of deeds past and of the activities of recent days. Only Nyassor and Americ where excluded form that though the former joined in with the games as much as he could given he understood none of words even with Aetlred dumb show’s questionable help. Americ was more withdrawn and sort his bed rather than face the jollity he would normally have been the life and soul of Dvorn and Aetlred duelled in telling outrageous stories though Dvorn maintained all of them where true and became a bit annoyed when challenged. Telec told some traveller’s tales all the more appreciated since they where in the native Kalamarian of most of those present and Violet told of the death of Perkal in the manner of his folk even if in Kalamarian not his native tongue. In the end a good time was had by most present.

The company having spent a quite comfortable night at the Holdfast set out in the morning carrying the rather unpleasantly smelling goblin heads and the ogre head in old sacs scrounged from the least reusable ones in the Holdfasts stocks The journey was pleasant and took the company a little more than half a day during which they saw no sign of goblins.

Coming down over the last rise into the hollow the Inn at A’Rakham sat in revealed a major change the inn building where still there but they where now surrounded by a small canvas town of traders and craftsmen who serviced or wanted to trade with the caravans heading east and the camps ordered camps of the larger mercenary groups who plied their trade guarding the caravans which crossed the Laggosa range to Kalamaria and back.

The company made quite an entrance coming in along the king’s road from the west like they owned it. This attracted quite a crowd and the crowd built up even more as the Company approached the inn at the centre of the fair, scanning this growing crowd Lalia noticed the pickpockets working them and was pleased with her self.  The company passed D’rek who was working away at the smithy assisted by two apprentices one operating the bellows and one plying him with watered ale and honey cakes. He was as most smiths are working stripped to the waist in a leather apron and that was an image even his friends would not wish to see. He waved in a jovial manner and commented that his friends all looked like they where wasting away, before turning back to alternating eating and smith work.

By the time the company had reached the inn it seemed that every one in the fair with nothing better to do and quite a lot which had was gathered to watch the spectacle. Telec took charge and spoke to the inn servants who where at first a little unhelpful but such was his confidence as the ogre slayer that he swiftly reprimanded them and sent them to fetch Maragamir the lord of the manor. Maragamir shortly returned resplendent in his lordly robes attended by his body servants and chancellor. Telec spoke to him and presented him with the sacks of goblin heads saying proudly that the offense the goblins had caused to the honour of the lord of A’Rakham had been avenged. Maragamir quickly counted the thirty severed heads and agreed that it had he gestured to his Chancellor who passed him a small leather bag of coin and announced that he had offered these men indicating the company with an expansive gesture five gold to avenge the honour of the inn, however they had done it in such fine style that he felt he would be shamed if he did not double it to ten. He then rather ostentatiously counted five more gold coins from his personal money pouch into the bag before commanding that his chancellor add an extra five to the other bags he was carrying from the money chest. This was done and all saw the wealth and the magnanimity of the lord of the A’Rakham as the open money chest contained much more than the forty five extra gold coins he was handing out indeed it was fairly brimming with coin. All that is except that is Aetlred who remembered the original offer of ten gold to each man who would avenge the honour of the Lord of A’Rakham on the night of the raid and was not going to let it go, especially as the bastard was only paying what he had said he would but was making it sound like he was paying much more than he had promised.  Aetlred therefore challenged Maragamir pointing out that ten gold coins to each of the volunteers was what was promised on the night, not five and if he wanted to reward good work as he said he should really be paying over ten Maragamir shot Aetlred a filthy look, which fortunately very few else present saw and continued handing out the purses of gold to all of them even Americ, who would normally have said something if he had not been quite so despondent about the loss of contact with his god and Nyassor who took it with a meaningless smile, not at all wishing to look a gift horse in the mouth and thought Maragamir a skinflint for expecting the company to have done what they did for so very little. Telic also noticed and decided this was the time to bring out the ogres head, this drew gasps and even ragged cheers when Maragamir had his body servants lift it up to show to the crowd and had the desired effect of resetting the mood even if it did not spur Maragamir to hand over any more coin. Maragamir said it was a fine trophy and the tale of Telec’s slaying it was a fine tale indeed and he sent one of the body servants off to fetch Voldomar the taxidermist as the ogre head needed to be presented properly. It was apparent that it was beginning to decompose even if it was no where near as stinking as the goblin heads.

Shortly the Taxidermist arrived and after some negotiation with Telec said that he would be able to boil down the Ogre head and produce a trophy skull and he would do so for the honour of working for such a brave man as Telic, this rather put Dvorn’s nose out of joint as he had almost convinced himself that he was the one who had struck down the Ogre with one blow an was preparing a good tale to tell to that end at the next opportunity. The Taxidermist also agreed to buy the goblin heads off the Company as Maragamir did not want them except as proof that his honour had been avenged. Voldomar’s apprentices took the Ogre head and the Goblin heads and Voldomar advised the company that it would take a few days to boil the flesh of the Ogre skull and make it ready for display. Then Maragamir wanting to draw the attention of the slightly thinning crowd outside the inn back to him spoke up offering the company a free meal and free drinks on the house. Fawlit lead the charge and was for the first time in his life served without a quibble by the servants of any in not to mention being allowed to sit in the common room with every one else and drink it. He downed the first and ordered a second before any one else had taken more than a sip of their first.

The meal which followed was the best the house could muster and whilst it was not of the best it went down well with mugs of small beer, as the company had eaten little half as palatable or filling since the last meal Meliac’s farm in the case of the original members and even longer for the others who had been living on the inns cheapest fare whilst waiting for a caravan to come ant them to get paid employment.

First Aetlred and then the others began hearing the word Grell in the conversations around them followed by noticing pointed glances at Nyassor and the word being applied to Nyassor by both drinkers and staff The Company collectively sensing the atmosphere in the common room beginning to grow hostile decided that it might be best if they got up and left even Fawlit, not the most perceptive or the brightest caught on to the need dispute the free ale and him being well into his second mug of it as a half ork he was no stranger to this sort of thing from others who would judge a man by his  looks and then curse him or cast stones or blows because of them.

Nyassor had sat and eaten quietly and drank as he usually did slowly had not being able to understand the conversation did not properly understand why they drank up quickly and left in a such a hurry it was as far as he was concerned just a foreign inn and he had been in lots and this one was not so different form the ones he had been in before. That Aetlred had tried to explain after they got clear of the fair in dumb show only told him that something too dangerous to deal with was about to happen and that he was some how the cause of it. Americ lost in the misery of his abandonment by his god did not even notice this.

After leaving the fair at A’Rakham in something of a hurry the Company quickly returned to the Holdfast where they found the rescued villagers had been starting the process of settling in to the place.

The original description of the Holdfast had been accurate it was eminently defensible dry and almost invisible from the outside but very cramped with fifty people living in it and the paddocks outside where too small for the number of live stock the community now had even with the damage the goblins feasting had done to the numbers and the shelters had also long fallen into disrepair having been replaced long since by the ones the goblins burnt in the village.

That said it was adequately supplied to allow the villagers to survive until they could reinstate the village and gather in the harvest which having not long bee planted had not been disturbed by the goblins and was as Violet had said a definite improvement on living in a sink hole as captives of the goblins or camping out in a village none of whose buildings had a roof to its name.

The company spent the next couple of weeks catching up on the practice of the skills they had not had a chance to do owing to the frantic pace of life. Americ took over one of the smaller animal sheds by the paddocks repaired its leaking roof and converted it into a chapel where he spent the rest of his time praying to his goddess in his  own language. He was largely left to his own devices except by Nyassor who it would appear was a worshiper of the same deity and Aetlred who between his other activities was trying to get a feel for the strangers languages and by the end of it could or felt he could manage that a bit.  Nyassor when he was not joining his comrade in prayer spent his time exploring the Dell and the surrounding area apparently trying to learn the lie of the land. Violet, Nyasse and Liamar the latter after he had recovered from the migraine which had struck him down on the night of the company’s arrival fell to various tasks along side the villagers putting the Holdfast into good order and working out how to do the much larger task of doing the same to the Village.

Heradin spent his time sitting under a tree with bill his pony grazing on the lush meadow reading and re reading Zildor’s scroll and then using the last of his precious inks to copy the spells into his spell book