Mission: Trouble with Goblins

With reports of goblins to the south east, the group head out to try to find their hide out. While walking a trail they came across a dead horse blocking their passage forward. The survive a goblin ambush with Solomon putting the eye out of a goblin with a dart. They find tracks and follow the trail. With keen eyes they avoid many traps along the way. Eventually they come across a cave that appears to be where the goblins are coming out of. The cave is filled with goblins in every nook, and a stream (flooded them once). They group dispatches of the goblins with some hardship. A few in the group fall but are raised by a cooling mist (lay on hands Ryn). They capture the presumed leader, a bugbear. A human male was being held captive and was stabbed by another creature who fled after the stabbing. As Ryn came upon the seemingly lifeless body, it jolted upright, he's alive! (rolled a 20 on death save). The group (Vacant) released some captive wolves after calming them with some goblin meat and a calming demeanor. On the way back, the group and their bugbear captive, come across a new traveler..."Where am I?" he says.............................................................................................

## Trouble with Goblins (by Solomon Kinsley)

***The Personal Journal of Solomon Kinsley - Twelfth Edition***

*Entry 12.19*

Apparently I’ll be going on an adventure today. I don’t think it’s a very good idea at all, but Rowen wouldn’t leave me alone until I acquiesced. Sometimes I wish I’d just died early enough for him to move on to one of my boys. A lot of the time, actually.

Anyways. Enough mourning the dead.

Some goblins have been harassing folks in this new settlement of late, and now that I’ve joined this settlement, that affects my livelihood as well. So, we’re off to handle the problem. Alice suggested we could try diplomacy first, but I don’t see any reason to fool around with that nonsense. They’re a threat, and we’re up to the task of neutralizing them. Dispatching these villains is the only way to ensure our safety.

*Entry 12.20*

Our travels have been uneventful today. The pale-skinned unicorn man creeps me out. He reminds me of Friar Jellineaux back home, who was always out of his mind on whatever perfumes he could get his hands on. The man’s name is Vacant for gods’ sake. I’ll be keeping my eye on him.

The rest seem fine. Koristos, the centaur, looks like he could handle most anybody in a fight, though he seems more willing to fight an ogre than to have a conversation with any of us. Ryn is a triton, whatever that is. She seems almost as uncomfortable here as I do, so I sympathize. Akame seems quiet, though I’m sure I do too. I’ve probably talked more to Rowen than to the rest of them combined. He urges me on, “in pursuit of justice and glory.” He’s been particularly animated since we arrived. Lucky me.

*Entry 12.21*

Today was ridiculous.

We were traveling down a trail when we came across a dead horse. Koristos just walked right up to it, didn’t tell anyone anything. It’s as if he’s determined to meet his end, and hopes to draw the rest of us there along with him. Anywho, we were ambushed by goblins, naturally. The group was pretty effective in combat, I have to say. And thankfully there were no intentions of showing mercy on those foul creatures...at least, not yet.

Koristos found and followed a trail that led us to a cave that the goblins had inhabited. He and Ryn dispatched the sentries, then we went inside. It was basically a whirlwind of water and blades and wolves. I don’t know if I even hit anything; Rowen was just jumping around shouting “throw it here!” I think I hit a goblin or two with darts, but I couldn’t seem to punch or kick anybody. Luckily the rest of the group was more capable. Even the oddball Vacant managed to pick off a couple of the little hellions.

By the end of the fight, the goblins were all dead. There was some bigger fellow that had been knocked out; despite my protestations, they decided to capture him and bring him back to camp with us. At times I thought they were literally listening to Rowen, but it was just coincidence. Gods I hope it was just coincidence. I did manage to talk them out of trying to bring a pair of angry wolves back as well. Or at least, Vacant let them loose. Who knows why that guy does anything.

When we got back to town, some cloaked figure caught Ryn’s attention, and they chatted for a bit, but Rowen was distracting me. He kept saying stuff about connecting with this world, feeling the essence of nature, bla bla bla. It’s a pain in the ass trying to listen to two conversations at once.

I hope they keep that big fellow locked up tight, or put him out of his misery. I still think it was asking for trouble bringing him back to camp, but what do I know. I’m just the guy who survived here all alone for a year before I hitched my wagon to these folks.

Well, all alone plus Rowen. Don’t know if I’ll ever be rid of him at this point.

## Communion (by Koristos)

A Transcript of Koristos' attempt to commune with his ancestral spirits.

Pray, ancestors listen to my tale and continue to watch over me.

Goblins. For every strangeness this land presents, a familiarity follows. Their appearance, habits, stench and cruelty are just as they were at home. We moved out on words of travellers being harassed, and before too long, we find their work in the form of a dead horse. Unsurprisingly, the pests were lay in wait for us to inspect the scene. We put them down with little issue before following their obvious trail. One very strange bipedal sustained an injury and insisted on carrying one of the goblin corpses, speaking it. The strange one invokes magic, perhaps it has poisoned his mind.

The trail contained a few obvious and crude traps, and quickly led to a cave with a stream flowing out of it. I detected goblins outside, and we quickly dispatched them. Entering the cave, a flood trap caught some of the bipedals with me unaware, but I was unphased. We were soon attacked from above by the treacherous whelps, and before long we were embroiled in an all out melee. After felling many of the pests, I collapsed from the several wounds I sustained. When I awoke, the marine bipedal crouched above me, the fight was over. She apparently healed me with divine powers, perhaps she deserves some of the respect she expects. All said, we captured their apparent leader, a bugbear, and rescued a human.

We made our way back to Farhaven without issue, but did encounter the trickster, who was supposed to be dead. He seems changed, and more guarded. I will investigate this mystery.

I give humble thanks for your guidance and protection. May the day be near or far, in this strange land or on the plains of our people, I fear not my time to join you.