Instead of carrying on, we decided to set up camp and rest for the night. Using my water skin, I took the edge of my cloak, poured out a small amount of water, and used it to wipe as much of the blood off my hands and face as I could. I feared that the cloak was ruined, though, in light of recent events, I considered it a small price to pay. At some point in the near future, I hoped to have a chance to bathe and remove the rest of the gore.
After thoroughly searching Jarbrax’s body for anything of value, while the others argued over how said valuables should be divided up, I took great joy in consecrating his remains. Robbing the mad god of a follower’s soul brought me immense satisfaction. Completing the ritual, I dragged the body off into the underbrush. The wildlife would deal with the remains, though, I mused, the dragonborn scales might provide some initial protection. Having now divvied up his possessions to the group’s satisfaction, we each finished setting out our bedrolls and began cooking the evening meal. The night passed without incident.
The next morning, now rested, we returned to our places on the wagon. Vanieros took up the reins and we were underway. We remained alert for signs of trouble; however, the morning past without incident and we turned from the High Road onto the Triboar Trail, which would lead us to Phanadlin by the end of the day. While the High Road was worthy of its name, as it was well maintained, the road we now traveled was no more than fifteen feet across at any given point, and rutted with the passage of countless caravans. I knew that now we would be at more of a risk for attack, as the trail was more isolated.
We had been traveling for most of the morning when I suddenly heard Vanieros call out for the horses to halt. I managed to grab ahold of the edge of the wagon, preventing myself from falling backwards. The wagon come to an abrupt stop. Annoyed, I turned my head towards the front of the wagon but the covered cargo prevented me from seeing the road ahead. Vitarri called out, “Why did we stop?”
“You should probably come up here,” Vanieros replied. “The road ahead is blocked.”
Vitarri and I climbed down and we made our way forward. We were at a bend in the road. To either side, thick forest encroached; the trees pushed in at the edges of the road, providing a great deal of cover for attacking bandits. Ahead lay two large horses in the middle of the road, each riddled with arrows. They effectively blocked us from passing.
“Ambush”, Scuttle remarked as he slid from the wagon bench to the ground and stealthily made his way to the side of the road, almost disappearing from view.
“Do you see anything?” I asked Vanieros. He stood up, the height of the wagon giving him a clear view of the surrounding countryside.
“Nothing”, he replied. “I will cast Faerie Fire. It will reveal anyone who may be hiding in the nearby woods.
“Good idea”, I replied, as I readied my mace. Vitarri just nodded and gripped his great sword.
Vanieros began muttering under his breath and suddenly, two humanoid shapes appeared to the left of the dead horses in the thick underbrush, now outlined in a glowing blue light.
As they appeared, Scuttle raised his crossbow and fired a bolt into the underbrush towards a glowing figure. A startled cry rang out but abruptly ended. The outlined individual winked out of view. As the scream faded, three goblins burst out of the underbrush and on to the trail, one still glowing with faerie fire, the other two coming from the opposite side of the road. They were small, about four feet tall but they moved quickly. Goblins! Scuttle once more raised his crossbow and a second shot rang out, catching the glowing goblin in the face. It dropped to the ground, dead.
With a howl, the two remaining goblins raised their scimitars and charged. Vanieros raised his longbow and fired, striking the closest goblin in the shoulder. It staggered back from the impact but regained its balance and pressed on. Redium muttered under his breath and cast fire bolt. The goblin with the arrow jutting from its shoulder burst into flame as the magical bolt slammed into its face. It fell to the ground, screeching in agony. Within moments, it lay dead.
The last remaining goblin swung its scimitar as it closed on Vitarri. Distracted by the flash of the fire bolt, his parry was off and the blow struck him in the ribs. Blood began to leak from under his scale mail as he put a hand over the wound. Muttering under his breath, he said, “I’m going to need healing for this.”
While the goblin was still recovering from its attack, I stepped forward and with all my might, brought my mace down on its head. The force of the blow shattered its skull and dislodged the creature’s eyes. Gore splashed Vitarri’s face and with a sound of disgust, he wiped it away.
Stepping back, I looked around, ready for the next attack, but none came. The three goblins lay dead. After a moment, Scuttle appeared, dragging the fourth goblin from the woods. He dropped the body beside its companions and with a yank, pulled the bolt from its throat. He placed it back in his quiver and set to work searching the bodies. Vitarri went over to help. The goblins didn’t possess much of value. Each only had a scimitar, armor and short bow. We scavenged what we could and decided to toss the gear on the wagon, thinking that we might be able to sell it for a profit once we reached Phanadlin.
As Vitarri and I were loading the goblin’s gear onto the wagon, Vanieros and Scuttle examined the surrounding area. Scuttle located a small trail that ran back into the woods.
Scuttle called out, “Anders, come here please.” I walked over to where they stood and knelt down to get a better look at what they had found. Various footprints were visible in the dirt, showing that this was a well-traveled path. Bending down, I identified the footprints as those belonging to goblins.
Straightening up, I said, “Gundren has lost other caravans to attack. I suspect these are the culprits. What do you want to do?”
Vanieros glanced at Scuttle and said, “Scuttle and I will follow this path a ways and see what we can learn. Wait for us here. We won’t be long.” I nodded and returned to the wagon and conveyed the message to Redium and Vitarri. We went to work dragging the horses from the road, waiting for Scuttles and Vanieros. After thirty minutes, they still hadn’t returned.