Kendall moves to engage the last nuisance, switching to his ranged option. The shot is at about maximum range, so he rears up his mount, hefting forward in the saddle to give it a bit extra momentum.
Minor: sheath craghammer
Minor: draw throwing hammer
Standard: RBA vs Goblin 5
for
Varis moves away from the nearest tree goblin, a little further into the brush, just before he shoots. His aim is solid, but the interposing foliage slows some of his arrow's momentum. He continues moving toward the next nearest tree goblin, seeing that hitting the elevated critters may prove difficult for the dwarven horseman.
As Varis and Kendall get to work on the snipers, the goblins come to the simultaneous conclusion that staying here will be had for their health.
G2 falls to Varis before he can flee, but the remainder are more fortunate and shift clear of their foes before vanishing into the trees.
Sigvard attempts to pull himself free from the webs. "A good fight gets the blood pumping in the morning."
No longer threatened by bloodsucking vines, Sigvard has no difficulty breaking away from the webs.
Caine also kicks aside spider webs.
Luce watches the goblin run away; [i]'git outta 'ere, ya little rapscallion.' She thinks then realises reinforcements and information could be useful so she lopes after him and tries to wrap her arms around the goblin. Swinging through the trees, her long limbs catching branches Luce uses her momentum to enable her become a blur of movement.
Vondal kills one of the goblins, but Luce misses her prey. Two of the little monsters are still on the loose.
Kendall charges the one farthest away (and hopefully forces those about him to provoke to get past his aura.), and tramples the critter underneath his mount's hooves.
MBA
for
Ka-Rit!
Now only one goblin remains, crouching trembling in the trees as doom advances on it.
Varis glides through the brush, keeping to the cover it provides. He slips forward as he fires, driving an arrow clean through the goblin.
The goblin collapses gulping, an arrow buried deep in its body.
Luce swings her ways down from the bows of the tree. Her form shimmers and shifts, landing upon the soft damp moss of the forest floor is the pretty druidess (at least in comparison to the large ape). She looks around her flashing eyes searching for the beastie, however the dark shadowy shape has disappeared.
"Sorry, about that. But I t'were not standing about like a lummox, I were getting int' position." Luce shrugs here voice having an apologetic tone but with a strong undercurrent of Northern pride. "What t'were t' goblins doing? Waiting?....for us?" moving back to the clearing she grabs a cutting of the bloodthorns and sticks it into her leather pouch. "Ain't heard of t' plants moving like that. Interesting."
The demise of the last goblin brings hostilities to a close. As Luce takes a cutting from the treacherous vine, she notices a webwrapped figure hanging from the trees not far from the initial trap. It seems that someone has not been as fortunate as the party.
Trying to hold down the rising gorge, she looks to the dead goblin with Varis arrow in it and to the man hanging from the tree. 'Why? When I get t' talk to 'em I'll find out why t' Goblin King is ambush people and burnin' 'omesteads.'
Luce draws her knife and places the hilt in her mouth between pointed teeth and climbs the tree to cut down what remains of the man. If she can she tries to gently lower the body to the ground. 'I hope he's not too fetid'
To Luce's relief, the corpse is a dessicated husk, long sucked dry by the spider population. There mortal remains are still wearing leather armour, with a longsword clutched in a bony hand. Neither is particularly interesting, but the leather pouch containing 170gp is.
"He's long dead." she calls to the others; her words being absorbed after a time in the forest. Her knife cutting and hacking through the hoary webs, Luce sets her mind away from the grim task. Slowly she lays the body out to rest in the clearing; "Must of been a hunter? Or an outlaw."
She checks the corpse softly for any evidence of it's identity. "He had a lot o' seed money! Armour of sword t'weren't magic were it?" she asks. "Should probably lay 'im to rest properly. 'Tis bad for t' spirit to leave 'em here anchor-less."
Kendall trots up on his mount, wiping the blood from his hammer. "It is the least we can do, to inter him properly. I'll get to work on it." He dismounts, and surveys his horse's wounds. "This however will not do, a sturdy beast must have proper barding. I will not let him venture into combat again today, a shame, but one of necessity."
Kendall starts work on the makeshift but proper grave, "Which reminds me, young Luce...You and I need to have a timely meeting about proper combat procedures." He casts a stern eye to the druid. "What your rushing about amounted to was grief and blood, had you followed the established plan, I would have expected less of both." He motions back to Sigvard, "I am quite thankful that Sigvard there was a more capable man than I gave him credit for, else he'd be dead by your recklessness."
His voice drops, his stern, tempered frustration ebbs out, "I was in best position to suffer those arrows, and I will not let others die needlessly. Try to remember than in military procedures you are to be a subordinate..." He adds before returning to his digging, "not an INsubordinate."
Varis silently pops back up from out of the shadows of the brush. He moves to stand beside Luce, addressing the newcomer. "These aren't military procedures. We're locals defending our homes from predators."
Luce turns her head to face the elf; a warm and thankful smile crosses it. "Aye, Mr Knight. I did try t' follow plan. I guess I'm just a bit of a clod, thought I could follow Wolfsbane in t' scouting." Luce replies abashed; "I'm sure we'll talk later as well, but, I flushed 'em out....Else they'd have t' drop on us an if they had fire-pots!" She makes a whooshing motion.
Kicking her heels she adds chastened; "Tho' thee plan was a good 'un. Sorry for ruining it."
Luce helps with the interrment; saying a few words over the dead body before laying it to rest.
Vondal shrugs at the suggestion that the sword and armour have any magical properties.
"Nothing."
The former ambush site seems more peaceful now that the body is laid to rest. Judging from the amount of cash he carried, it seems more likely that he was an opportunistic bandit, but for now he must remain nameless. Even so, it is possible that his ghost will do something to defend the place.
Caine maintains his own counsel as he consider it not his place to force upon the others his beliefs.
Luce says some words over the bandits body, hoping to ease him across the great void. So that he can meet his ancestors and be at peace. Once she ahs done that she looks to Varis and the others; "Shall we see where these blighters came from and have a little look to see if t' were they were going to?"
She looks to Varis and plucks the arrows where they have stuck in her armour and moves into the undergrowth checking for signs of goblins and their passage.
The she moves back and brings Betsy through the clearing, avoiding the worst of the carnage.
"We know which way there were heading at least. If tracks are impossible now, there will be surely sign later."
"True enough that." Luce says with a hint of concern at Kendall's charger; however she can see by the hand on it's heavy neck that he cares for his mount greatly. She looks to him; "Mr Steelshod, sir, what's her name? Your mount? And is it a her?"
Varis moves close to the ground, walking in a sort of crouch as he inspects the scene. His eyes try to piece together each footprint he comes acroos, attempting to turn the puzzle into a picture.
Luce takes a breather and makes a start. With a nod to the Commander for his stalwart presence.
Kendall pats his mount's flank. "His name's Wrought..." He looks over to Luce, " That's as in forging of metal, not as in carrion...Ebistel in the native tongue...." He tends to the wounds as best he can, which is to say not much. With a touch of worry he adds, "He's not meant for these sort of excursions. I hope to send him back to the stablemaster, after I find a more tempered mount for battle."
Luce moves over to the pony; she puts a hand on it's shaggy flank. "Don't thee worry, Ebis-t'l know much tha' cares. He'll be alreet." Luce tends to the mounts wounds whilst bandaging and applying an ointment.
Luce sets off into the underbrush.
Wandering through the undergrowth Luce looks back to the others. 'That spiritt, what were it. One of me ancestors? Or summat that my gran has sent to protect me?'
Va L
W& Ken
║Bet ║
╟-----╢
║S Vo║
╚═══╝
Caine
Duty done, and wounds bound up, Varis and Luce head onwards. The track is easy to follow and a scant few minutes brings the party to another clearing. It contains a large hole, sloping steeply into the ground some 200 feet and matted with spider webs.