After a summer of hard work, exploring the terrain between their township and the Brevoy (in particular Oleg’s Trading Post) and the founding of Hillsdale, our heroes were in a town meeting when a local tanner approached the council and told of goblins–and their kidnapping of his son.
We return to the action already in progress. Our heroes are:
Bryan is our fearless GM
Marc plays our warrior Stannis, skilled with a bow. Did you see that shot?
Hudson plays Sonja, who fights with savage fury, hewing foes with a greatsword
Brian plays Ambario, whose mastery of armor cements his bold advances
I play Arndor, a sorcerer with a fey talent for hypnosis
Paul played Egg Shen, a monk of unusual disposition from distant eastern lands. He’s taking a break for now.
As the game resumed, the PCs told the tanner that they’d investigate his son’s disappearance. As he’d reached us late in the day, we decided to set off in the morning. That night we gathered gear and arranged for the council to handle matters while we were away. Egg Shen decided to remain behind and continue keeping the town free from spies.
We set off first thing in the morning, shortly before dawn. We rode with the tanner to his rough cottage at the forest’s edge, stabled the horses, and continued on to the clearing where his son had been taken. Time had ravaged the site; it took hours of searching to find a trail that didn’t immediately fade into a game trail. Finally, Stannis found painted rocks marked with goblin runes. We followed the faint trail that led from that point; as we expected, it headed south. We followed the trail for what little daylight remained, then set up camp.
After a hard tack meal, we settled in for the night. On Sonja’s watch, snapping twigs brought her to full alert. She woke her companions, then began prowling the clearing. Suddenly, a scaly shape slithered around Sonja’s tree and attacked… its wings unfurled and its tail whipped forward and slashed her, leaving a shallow cut that glistened with poison.
As Sonja fell back, Ambario charged forward, but even with momentum was unable to penetrate the wyvern’s scales. Arndor used magic to score the beast; magic darts angered it, but did little harm.
Ambario continued to dance with the wyvern, unable to penetrate the lithe reptilian scales that slid over each other so quickly. Sonja maneuvered to support Ambario and caught the wyvern with a heavy sword blow. While it reeled, Stannis’ arrows found their mark. Its tail slashed through Ambario’s heavy defenses and drew blood, but the might warrior threw off the poison’s effects. Instantly, it launched itself into the air–we thought, in retreat. Only a moment later, it dove over the combatants and snatched Stannis in its jaws, lifting him into the air and trying to lumber back to safety with its prize.
Arndor’s mystical darts lashed it again, but so hearty a beast is difficult to dissuade. In the wyvern’s jaws, Stannis tried to wriggle free, but the beast knew how to keep dinner secure in its maw. His struggles distracted the wyvern, who took heavy blows from Sonja and Ambario before it could rise out of reach. The beast dropped Stannis and pumped its wings, trying to escape its impending death… but Ambario’s quickly thrown dagger gashed something critical and it fell to the ground.
After some quick butchery, wyvern steaks were added to the fire. We feasted on our foe that night, and cooked much of its easily accessible meat to vary our meals.
The next morning, we kept to the trail, which was easier to follow. We were surprised to see it turn back north–back towards Brevoy; the trail paralleled the Skunk River for the rest of the morning. That afternoon, the trail we’d been following merged with a larger band–and evidence of more kidnapped children. We followed as long as light remained to see, but our poor tracking skills encouraged us to settle for the night and set off just after dawn.
The path remained clear due to the numbers we were tracking; a large patrol of goblins and several captives by the trail sign. At noon we came across confirmation that we were on the right path: a goblin banner. A few minutes later, we came across six skulls on sticks–a typically crude warning by our foes. Ambario gathered the skulls to bring back to civilization, for the gods to lay to rest.
We wandered through goblin territory for several more hours without incident. Suddenly we heard “Aieee!” and a wave of arrows lashed into the heroes. Arndor in particular took several.
Ambario reacted quickly, breaking left and dashing into the brush, stabbing a foe. They engaged him, using tactics to worry at him from all sides; Ambario and his goblins occupied each other for twenty or thirty seconds while the fight developed along the road. Arrows rocked the remaining PCs; Stannis returned fire with deadly precision, but it was Sonja’s charge along the right flank, ending in a quick decapitation that rocked the goblins. Arndor tried to ensorcell the goblins, but only two were caught by the hypnotic images he wove. He quickly sought cover…
Sonja raced to a second goblin and killed him, prompting their boss to blow a whistle. At that signal, they fell back… but couldn’t outrun Stannis’s arrows. Arndor called upon the trees and shrubs, who slowed their retreat… Ambario now made short work of his flank, while Sonja continued to embody their death, and Stannis killed those who were furthest away, dropping them one by one with precise arrows. After the battle ended, the heroes gathered and covered the captured weapons, creating a cache. We took one goblin’s abyssal holy symbol, and the chief’s whistle, and continued deeper into the goblin controlled woods.
An hour later the sun began to set and the companions decided that stumbling around the woods would be too advantageous to their foes; goblin’s keen night vision, traps, and tricks made continuing through their familiar territory in the dark seem foolish. Camp was established; a few hours later, on Sonja’s watch, an owlbear snuffled toward us, but Sonja met the beast with a slashing charge. A breath later, Arndor caught the beast’s simple mind with fae distractions, allowing the heroes to position themselves while it was distracted, then strike almost simultaneously from all sides. Blows from everyone struck true, followed by a final flash of magic as missiles struck and felled the foe.
Despite the adrenaline, the heroes bedded down and rotated through the rest of the night watchers… without further disturbance. Soon after dawn, the heroes were back on the trail. The forest grew steadily more dense–it was a relief to approach a clearing. But Sonja’s keen eyes noted shapes in the distance, on the far side of the clearing–an ambush!
These foes were goblinoid, but much larger and stouter than the goblins we’d faced before. Eight hobgoblins threw javelins and tried to whittle down the PCs. Ambario strode forward in his heavy armor, moving steadily but keeping his defenses near perfectly optimized, turning aside javelins with his shield and letting them slide off his armor with a bang. While Ambario kept their attention, Stannis dropped two with well placed arrows, and Arndor’s enchantment snared another three. By the time Ambario completed crossing the clearing, the remaining foes began to fall back… leaving their ensorcelled three in the PCs’ hands.
The captured foes were secured and questioned; Ambario took the lead in squeezing information from them. They spoke of their leader, Crag, who was collecting the children to give to the goddess. He lay another day’s journey ahead, claimed our prisoner.
We marched for several hours, escorting the three prisoners, until the darkness deepened under the trees with day’s end.
This deep in enemy territory, we agreed that doubled watches were in order. It is good that stiffer watches were set; Arndor and Ambario heard a twig snap and caught a glimpse of red eyes. They barely had time to call out an alarm before seven hobgoblins crashed into their camp. The large logs we’d used for shelter provided little security; Arndor and Ambario were driven back to the logs and pinned–Ambario turning aside most of the blows with trained sword work and his shield, but Arndor proved less adept. Blow after blow struck him and left him reeling. The ends of the hobgoblin line began wrapping around the edges of the camp, denying Stannis the room he needed to fire carefully; he’d fire a shot, get rushed, fall back enough for a shot, and fall back… until he was tripping over the prisoners who cried encouragement to their rescuers in the center of the camp.
It was looking bleak; Arndor’s allies coudn’t carve a space clear of foes. Struggling against blood loss, Arndor whispered words of enchantment while dodging a terrifying hobgoblin’s mace… and caught five foes in fey trickery. The battle momentum shifted in an instant; Sonja and Ambario quickly killed the foes who resisted the enchantment… then the remainder, quickly, before they could escape Arndor’s hypnotic world.
Stannis booted the prisoners for cheering the wrong side, while the remaining heroes caught their breath and kept an eye out for more. Healing potions were drunk, the dwindling inventory was lamented, and a watch vigilant and keyed up kept the campsite secure.
The heroes groaned as light announced dawn and another march. They prisoners were lined up and forced into motion; following the path they described, the heroes reached the river a few hours later. As they approached the river, they noticed a pair of cages laden with children hanging over the river. A ferry swayed on pulleyed lines at the far side of the river; Crag, a large Bugbear was joined by three hobgoblins and as many goblins.
They strode forward to exchange taunts. After some insults and bargaining, it was agreed that the children would be traded for the three warriors… and “the she”. The cages were lowered and the first group of 4 children were sent across the river on the ferry to the heroes. Sonja and the three prisoners stepped onto the ferry and were hauled back across the river. About halfway across the river, Crag seemed to realize that Sonja showed no dread at all. She gave a feral smile as Crag lowered his spear to warn her of her fate. She leaped the last few feet, taking a small gash, but driving her sword halfway through his abdomen. In a blink, Stannis’s arrows found his throat, and Crag fell to the ground.
“Kill the She!” cried Crag’s lieutenant; Arndor snared three minds, Ambario hauled the barge to our side of the river by main force. Those who had shrugged off Arndor’s enchantment combined to try to tackle Sonja, but she hip checked a goblin into the lieutenant’s path, tangling his legs and fouling their attempt. Sonja’s blade dipped and struck, flashing like a hummingbird, wet with blood. Stannis’s arrows killed the foes closest to the remaining children, and Ambario drew closer, hauling the barge by main force across the river.
Imminent death shattered the goblinoid resolve; they turned and fled to a waiting oxcart. Sonja raced after them as they fled; Ambario launched his armored form into motion, just reaching the wagon as the oxen started into motion, spurred by a goblin snapping the reins. His sword took the driver, the ox stumbled to a halt. The fleeing foes realized that escape was denied them and died with their backs to the cart. Meanwhile, Arndor spoke with the children they’d saved, calming them and explaining their rescue. Arndor’s attention was divided, maintaining the enchantment while he spoke reassurance.
One of the enchanted hobgoblins was spared to speak. He bragged about his goddess; they sent her four children a week. The children spoke of other prisoners, loaded into a cart a few days ago. Eight children had been sent deeper… including the tanner’s son.
We debated what to do; sending the children back unescorted through woods containing goblin and hobgoblin patrols and wandering owlbears was judged unlikely to see them safely alive and back to civilization. The certainty of losing more children if they escorted their charges back to civilization spurred the others to convince Ambario to embrace fate, to continue immediately into the enemy stronghold and confront the goddess if need be!
Reluctantly, the heroes loaded the children on the oxcart, armed them with weapons from the fallen goblins, and decided to take them deeper into the woods on the rescue mission. It was a dangerous ploy–more dangerous by far than taking the already rescued children back to civilization–but it’s the only hope of rescuing all of the children.