On his initiative Tyler moves and shoots at the Green goblin again.
Lorelei runs off after the other nearby goblin while leon stays and fights the one beside him
Úlf gives a raucous laugh as the enemies show themselves and he lifts his large axe from off his shoulder, keeping one hand on the end of the haft and one hand about midway down the weapon's length before rushing forward, eager to join the fray!
Round 2
Leon / Lorelei - The druid and his animal companion attack the remaining goblins. Lorelei is fended off by the little creature, but Leon manages to put one of them down for good.
goblin - The last goblin draws its short sword and swings at its wolf opponent! The wolf is more agile than that, though, and easily side-steps the blow.
Tyler - Tyler shifts his aim at the last second to attack the last goblin, but the quick motion makes him miss.
Kyrus
Amelleane
Portia / Kai
orc
Brynderie
Ulf
Kyrus moves forward, getting in better range for his next shot. "Right then. Let's finish this up quickly then..." He notches his arrow and takes aim at the last goblin before firing off a shot.
Kyrus drops the last goblin with a perfectly placed shot in the middle of its thick skull!!
Amelleanne reloads and fires another shot at the Orc (unless there is a risk of hitting a companion?)
and her aim is off again...
(if she can't fire without risk, she will instead stow her xbow and move closer while drawing her longsword)
Round 2 (con't)
Amelleanne's bolt goes wide, missing the orc and impacting a tree several feet beyond...
Portia / Kai
orc - Drawing his falchion, the orc steps in to attack Leon, but the druid easily avoids the clumsy swing!
Brynderie
Ulf
Round 3
Leon / Lorelei
Taking aim at the orc, Portia releases another arrow.
Attack-ranged:
Damage:
Brynderie circles the orc, then brandishing her writing quill and a vial of colorful ink, she flicks some of the ink into the air in the orc's direction. To her utter amazement, the ink takes on a life of its own, expanding into a color-filled burst of energy, washing over the orc.
Round 2 (con't)
Portia Lands one of her arrows into the orc's tough hide!
Bryn sends a rainbow of swirling colors at the orc...but he just shakes his head and laughs maniacally!
Ulf? Ulf?!
Round 3
Leon / Lorelei
goblin
Tyler
Kyrus
Amelleane
Portia / Kai
orc
Brynderie
Ulf
Leon steps to the side of the orc, looking to stab him with his spear.
Úlf moves as quickly as possible in the direction of the goblin, trying to reach it in time enough to get a swing in before the others bring the thing down!
Leon and Lorelei prove to be deadly pair, finishing off the orc and last goblin in a flourish of bloody attacks.
Searching the bodies, you find the orc carried two javelins and a crude falchion, and the goblins each had a small sword and bow - more like children's toys to all except perhaps Portia! The orc also had 15 gold pieces in a bag made from some kind of leather...
You eventually make your way back to the road and your mounts. The rest of the afternoon passes quietly, although everyone is a bit jumpy after the encounter. You reach a campsite late in the afternoon, leaving you enough light to care for the horses and set up camp.
"So that happened," Kyrus says, slinging his bow over his shoulder again. He glances up at the sky with a small frown. "And it's starting to get late too. Perhaps it's time to set up camp and turn in for the night. Someone may want to go bring the horses here. I'm going to set-up my tent and get a fire going."
The warrior huffs out a breath when the final goblin is felled...and not by his axe. He recovers from the disappointment quickly, though, looking back to the others.
"Ulf will take first or last watch. Is better for those with night-eyes to take middle watches I think."
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"I like being up early." Tyler agrees, "I'll take the last watch. Not having 'night-eyes' as such.'
He makes sure his horse is wiped down, feed and watered before setting up his bedroll.
"Are we pairing up for watches, I'll take first watch with Ulf - if no-one has objections."
"I can see pretty well in the dusk or dawn, so I will take the morning watch. Who will join me?"
Portia removes the special saddle and harness from Kai and lets him go out hunting with orders not to go too far away and to return before it is dark!
Lorelei and i will take second, I expect no problems to ariseHe looks down to Lorelei speaking in growls and yips briefly before turning back to the group Everyone is okay yes?
"I'll get up early with Kyrus. I'm pretty sleepy now and need a good night's rest to be at my best tomorrow."
"Sounds like a plan Bryn," Kyrus says with a smile. "I'll make sure I'm up bright and early."
With watches set, mounts cared for, and dinner prepared, the group settles in for the night. Whether through luck, the fire, the watch or the season, you enjoy a quiet night with no disturbances.
After a couple of uneventful hours on the Trade Way the next morning, you notice the traffic is a little heavier, much the same as it is on the road near Daggerford. About midday, you reach the small hamlet of Bowshot. If you want, you have time to stop at the small tavern in Bowshot for a meal before continuing on to The Way Inn, your final destination.
Once again, stopping and getting any news would be a good idea.
"Úlf agrees! Is always good idea to check with locals and see if any troubles are being had."
"Indeed," Kyrus agrees. "This is the last stop before the end of our little trip anyway. Let's not waste the chance for some friendly conversation."
As you walk in the tavern, the human behind the bar smiles and waves to the empty tables. "Welcome to Bowshot, travelers! Sit anywhere you like. What can I get for you this fine afternoon?"
It is a clean, small establishment, similar to the hamlet it serves.
"Good afternoon good sir," Kyrus says with a smile. "We're going to need rooms for the night and dinner for the lot of us."
Amelleane leaves Kyrus to talk, since he was first to open his mouth and casts her eyes around the establishment, see if she can get a feel for the local mood.
"Lunch sounds like a good idea! Úlf is hungry, though is certainly not from fighting. Maybe next time my axe will see orc or goblin neck."
The barkeep overhears Ulf's comment (heck, the people outside could probably hear the big man!) and says to the constable, "Are ya that eager to meet up with the creatures? I'm happy to never see their shadows, if'n ya ask me. But forgive me, let me get you some short pulls for a dry throat and a bit of cheese, sausage and bread from this morning." He sets about the business of pouring your drinks and bringing a cold, but tasty, lunch. As the only people in the tavern, you have his undivided attention.
A little while after setting out your meal, he asks conversationally, "So where do ya hail from and to where are ya heading this fine day? Any news from the road? All's been quiet here, with the harvest in and the loggers come back for the season..."
"I'd rather just have a nice quiet patrol myself," Kyrus agrees as he takes a seat. "We're the militia patrol out of Daggerford you see. And unfortunately, we weren't so lucky. We found a small camp a bit up the trail where an orc was leading a small band of goblins. They attacked us and well... we cleared the road. Nothing else to report though. Hopefully with them gone, things will be nice and quiet along the Way."
Brynderie thanks the barkeep for the hot lunch and proceeds to attack it voraciously. "Quite delicious! Thank you..." Washing down her meal, with a long drought of honey mead, she continues. "Where do all the loggers hole-up for the winter?" I imagine they'd get a little stir crazy being cooped up for such a long, cold spell."
Finishing her meal, Portia go around to the other's plates and scrapes them clean of any leftovers. Once finished, she heads out to where she has left Kai and feeds him the scraps.
Once complete, she heads back into the tavern.
Leon quietly eats his food, sharing bits with his companion. guy's we should get a move on soon, were on a time limit i believe.
"Aye, is true, is true. Is maybe rude to eat and run, especially after such a fine meal, but we must soon be on our way."
Still, Úlf is suspicious of how quiet things seem to be, even if it is a small outpost, and so while the others are finishing their repast he makes a careful observation of his surroundings.
The bartender happily responds to your inquiries. "Ah, yes - those buggers are never too far from the lands. I'll make sure our hunters and law-folk know because where there are a few there are probably more! As for the loggers, some have their homes here, others hail from the farming homesteads around, and a few of the rougher sorts just stay in the logging cabins year-round. To each their own, I suppose!"
No one perceives anything out of the ordinary here - just a small logging town on the Trade Way. After you complete your meal and pay the tab, you set off on the last couple of hours of riding to reach The Way Inn.
===============
As you ride into the little village built around The Way Inn, you notice that most of the citizens are wearing armor and are carrying weapons. Approaching the entrance to the village, you are challenged by an armed patrol of six spearmen. The spearmen are covered by four archers on a nearby rooftop. The patrol leader steps forward and says, "Halt and identify yourselves!"
Kyrus pulls up on the reins, stopping his mount. "Hold, we're friends!" he calls back. "We're the militia down from Daggerford, clearing the Trade Way. We mean no harm!" He looks around. "Has something happened? Why is the village up in arms?"
"Ah, Daggerford militia. Welcome to The Way Inn. Can't be too cautious these days! You may pass."
The village is unfortified, but the inn looks like it could withstand a siege, and has the marks to prove it has! Most of the other buildings in town look like they have been damaged and recently repaired. Having suffered extensively from some assault in the not too distant past, the local citizens are understandably nervous...
The Way Inn is a small village of about 100 souls. More live in dependent hamlets nearby. The village is dominated by a large inn. Both the inn and the village share the same name.
Keep an eye out, we had a run in with some orcs and goblins in the area Leon says to the guardsman in passing
"Kyrus has asked good question! Why is village preparing so much for battle? Has there been some trouble?"
Amelleanne looks around nervously, as the others ask their questions.
"Thought you folks in Daggerford would remember the Dragonspear Castle incursion from a few years back...must not have reached that far north...or you're younger than you look!" the guard says with a grin.