GM
"I am happy to hear he was happy and i share your hopes for it to be as efficient as intended.
Regarding your question;
In need not persé, however with among us me and another were fighting up front, seeing the fallen on our trek, had me thinking i could perhaps train in the use of something more sturdy than my current outfit."
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Forfax stands there with a very confused look on his face. But then where did Scout come from, it couldn't have been a dream because here he is right here and everyone else can see him. I need to think this through. He then looks at the stable owner and says "I have some things I need to work out, please take good care of Scout Scout. I'll be back for him early tomorrow for a mission." With that Forfax walks back to the inn still very confused.
"If so, I might have a piece of banded mail for you."
On the way you see the town is rather busy, people calling out to another and carts rolling around the many sideways. There is a lot of distraction, but as soon as you turn a corner you think you hear movement behind you and have the feeling you are being watched.
For a second time in one week's time a small caravan goes out the north gate of Heartham. Their mission to gather the weapons and armour of the fallen goblins. Six wagons and five bodyguards, 17 men in total ride forth across the green fields.
You point out the way you came from and where the first battlefield was, then Brand points out the large battlefield lies somewhat to the east and should be the closest.
In this pace you get there somewhat after noon and still be able to salvage most if not all of the iron scraps.
Your small caravan sees an hour or so before arriving there the most clear indication of a battlefield, crows and ravens flocking in the air and descending down. When you finally see the site of the skirmish, you can see hundreds of dead goblins lying around, crows and ravens feasting on their flesh.
As you get closer the sight gets slightly more disturbing, as insects crawl over the bodies and fester in almost every wound. Some of the drivers don't want to get too close as this is the first time they see the aftermath of battle and they feel sick.
The ground is still damp from the slight drizzle that fell last night and the ground is in some places muddy. The tress nearby rustle in the small breeze coming from west, besides that everything looks calm.
Elenzar frowns and wraps a scarf around his mouth, "This is nasty business. Lets go for our own dead first I believe our metalurgy is better. If that fills the wagons what's the use with the Gobber gear. Is there water near here. Some of these items might need a good rinsing." He steps closer to the scene and turns to the side vomitting. He comes back to the wagon and gets a drink of water.
"This is going to be an unpleaant day. I and I just bought new clothes. Lets get a few sentrys posted and work in a team. A large group of us will keep the vultures away."
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David will look around the battlefield, stomach churning in the process. When he gets closer to the carnage, David throws up a bit, his lunch exiting his stomach. After he composes himself, he turns to Elenzar when he mentions water and gives a nod,
If only I had that spell memorized, unfortunately I don't friend.
David looks around the battlefield, trying to spot any unwanted scavengers.
You see a red cat with white sides scurrying away into an alley and a few sparrows and pigeons flying from roof to roof. As you looked around nobody was standing there, though you could have sworn you heard light footsteps in the dirt.
David sees no sign of scavengers besides the ordinary birds and insects. He does however see signs of weapons and equipment that have been carried away. He concludes this as the number of weapons and equipment doesn't match the total number of bodies that lay in the proximity.
Whoever picked through this battlefield is already gone though.
Brand nods in agreement with Elenzar.
"There's not really any bodies of water close by, there might be some puddles in holes in this area though. Thing is, it hasn't rained much for a while so they might have dried up. I've spoken with the lieutenant whom we met as we came back to Heartham, he told me our fallen friends were carried away by them and given proper burial near Heartham. If any of our soldiers remain, would be because they were buried under a pile of goblins."
The quicker we get to work the faster we can leave. If we need water i can find us a solution for tomorrow.
Elenzar asks a question of Brand but loud enough for all to hear, "So most salvage will come from fallen foes not fallen allies seeing as they were buried?"
"Aye Elenzar, most of the salvage will be 'low quality iron' as Gerome put it. He said he could smelt it to our standards. There is a chance we might still find some of our fallen allies here, so please look out for them."
GM
"Still fine enough. For now i guess it'll suffice, it's unlikely we'll be plunged into a pit of giants, sort to speak."
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Guys, I have noticed we are not the first ones to be here after the battle were decided. I think others, probably goblins, came through and scavenged their own goods are what was useful. I don't see any signs of them still being here, but maybe that is the source of their current weaponry and the use of the forge.
As the sentries take their place to watch over your salvaging operation, the rest of you go to work on the grisly salvage of the goblins. A lot of weapons are found and some tools need to be used to get the armour off, but all in all the salvage of iron scraps goes well.
Taliesin looks to the ground and sees a few footprints in a muddy area as he walks along picking up weapons. As he follows the footsteps around a pile of dead goblins he sees a white hand among the green skins of goblins.
Elenzar at the same time notices also a set of prints in the mud, but he can see two different sets of prints, certainly not from the same creature. One going south, the other east. When he stops to look at the footsteps he looks around and sees, two plated boots sticking out of a heap of goblins, a small stripe of white flesh visible.
Talisin will "dig" around it and if he needs to will cal for others to assist
Taliesin manages to clear the dead goblins away from the soldier underneath them. It takes some time to do so, but eventually he 'digs' up a soldier in his mid-thirties. The cause of death is pretty apparent, multiple slashing wounds in his chest. He looks like he put up a fight to go down.
Forfax searches for good pieces of iron and steel, in contrast with some of the drivers who seem to pick up anything they could carry. Forfax looks for the specific gleam of better weapons and finds a few axes that look like more refined steel and masterwork craftsmanship. Looking at some goblins, there is a sign of sorts on a few of them, perhaps sergeants or lieutenants he thinks. The weapons and armour they wear match this idea. He finds two more battleaxes and a masterwork chain shirt.
Taliesin will signal for some help
I have found the body of one our ours we need to bring him back to town in order to be burried.
It is exactly as i said last night during the diner. The goblin have know the knowledge to mass produce quality armor and weapons. says taliesin helping forfax
Elezar searches more intently at the sight of white flesh, hoping to find one a fallen solgier of Heartham. He begins digging out the body and investigating the find.
Elenzar manages to pull off some of the goblins covering the man, though removing the man takes great effort and Elenzar is soon helped by one of the drivers. Together they pull out a heavily armoured human, Elenzar thinks he could be a knight of sorts. Clad in broken full plate, the man in his forties still had his weapon tied to his hand; a very heavy mace.
The man however looks unfamiliar to Elenzar.
Forfax and Taliesin lift the poor soldier's body and issue one cart to be arranged for the transport of the dead. Nathaniel and David looks over and under the dead as well and find two more dead soldiers of Heartham.
Lets bring these bodies with up, there are a few more others to "dig" up
Nathaniel looks at the knight. Then he notices the emblem on the knight's breastplate.
What the.....
He turns towards the others.
"Guys, this knight, he's no ordinary knight. This man was from the church. He was one of the guards whom i've spoken to when i first visited the place. .....
Maybe they thought the situation bad enough to send some of their own along."
I'll have to ask when we get back.
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David, seeing the coast is clear will help to gather gear, though he only gathers a weapon or two at a time. He centers his thoughts and casts a cantrip every now and again to help clean the blood, dirt, and grime from the salvaged goods.
When he hears Nathaniel, he stops for a moment and walks over.
Hmm, this cannot be a good sign. He fought bravely, and his sacrifice will not go in vein. May he be watched over in the afterlife. David says with a somber and sorrowful tone in his voice while looking over his wounds for any signs of cause/length of death.
After seeing about the mans wounds, he looks around.
Is there a bucket somewhere, I need something that can hold a sizable amount of water.
Once and/if provided with a suitable container, David will cast create water, and proceed to "clean" up the man and make his more presentable. No sense in a man of his stature being muddied and dirty, even if deceased.
One team of drivers had a bucket with them, David can use that one.
After cleaning the fallen knight's body, he looks more presentable, having gotten rid of the dried up blood, though the gashes on his face and arms are still visible.
It takes some time to load up all the iron onto the carts and the bodies on the last. In the end you almost get 4 crtaloads of iron plus one cart with five dead bodies after having found another as you all cleared a heap of discarded crude goblin armour. Another man was buried underneath.
After a long day's work you take the carts away with you, slightly north of the battlefield and set up camp there, away from the stench of such rot and decay.
That night most of the men are agreeing they did good work, but more than that remain silent. The wacthes are held that night with one of you and two drivers.
Taliesin will take last shift
Elenzar volunteers for a middle watch, "I will take a shift."
Taliesin will use a prestidigitation: clean in order to clean everyone's cloth etc... before going to bed.
Forfax takes first watch and has a pretty easy time, brushing off the mud from Scout doesn't interfere with him paying attention.
Elenzar notices a slight gleam to the south and then sees a small pair of eyes, dark eyes looking back in his direction. The eyes are very close to the ground and seem to move quickly.
Nathaniel sees the same beady eyes Elenzar has told him about, but he sees two pair glisteningin the little moonlight there is. They are not so close as to determine what they are.
Taliesin also see the beady eyed creatures moving about in the distance, closer to the battlefield, after watching them go about for a while he notices several larger shapes move closer from the nearby wooded area. The shapes have eyes slightly higher and seem to bolt quickly after the lower ones. Several squels can be heard and some time later the large beady eyed creatures vanish to the east.
Still there is one even larger beady eyed creature watching him a while later, before a low growl can be heard and it turns and moves to the south.
The next morning you all feel quite rested, though some drivers had restless sleep thanks to what they saw the day before. Forfax also had a slightly fitful sleep because an image of a certain woman still troubles him.
anyone good at tracking and reading prints besides my and my little practice of it?
is anyone responds yes taliesin will try to find the location where the beady eyes creature was standing
Taliesin finds small prints and gnawing signs at the dead goblins, prints he can recognise as being from rats. The rat droppings next to them also seem to indicate the same.
There are several larger prints close by the rats and Taliesin finds one dead rat as well. The prints look like dog prints but much more slender.
Since we are heading back to town, it doesn't matter. he replies
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David will wake, and help the final preparations with the cart loading before they depart back to town with the salvaged goods.
Forfax, are you okay, you seem as if you had a rough nights sleep? We are headed back to town, so you could always sleep on the way back he says with a slight chuckle.
I kid tough friend, why the need of more sleep?
taliesin will put a gentle hand on david's shoulder.
The refugee's caravan made it, so we can all hope that our relatives and friends are ok
Yes we are heading back to town with our load
"Hopefully this'll provide them with enough materials for a little while longer."
The drivers are up and about to check the fastening of the loads of iron and the fallen soldiers. After you are done talking Brand approaches you all.
"I beg your pardon, we could make time to deliver this load to Heartham, but there is another battlefield we have to check and we have one wagon less than half loaded. If you bring us within the outskirts of Heartham you could split from us there and make better time."
No, we all left the city and we shall all return to it. There will be no splitting up. Lead you're wagons to that other place and we will stay with you all until its time to head back
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Well, anything I could do to help, perhaps a sleep spell? But all joking aside, let me know if there is anything I can do. I wonder every night about my folks, so I know what ya mean, he says as he rests a hand on Forfax's shoulder.
Upon hearing David's words a twinge of guilt sprout up in Forfax's head I've hardly thought of my parents since we left Heartham. What kind of horrible son am I.