The first mile in the atmosphere of the forest was strangely silent, the canopy of trees closing in upon the adventurers with a stifling embrace that seemed to cut them off from any trace of civilization in the direction of the City of Lasch.

They searched further into the interior until they could hear off in the distance through the denseness of the trees the muffled sounds of a grisly celebration of sorts.

Huddling together to draw up a plan of strategies, the four Avengers nodded their silent agreement as to a plan of action, before cautiously proceeding any further into the interior of the Forest of Frie.

The muffled sounds drew ever clearer, as did the tell tale stench of butchered horse flesh that invaded their nostrils, but there were no signs of any Goblin sentries.

Pushing onward for another quarter mile, the Avengers paused to regroup and refine their plan of action, as it was determined that a large company of Goblins were within a half mile of where the Avengers were stalking their unsuspecting prey.

The foursome nodded their agreement once again, then pressed on as silently as they were able, until they came to the outskirts of a deceptively enormous clearing, where dozens of Goblin Raiders encircled the treasure wagon, boasting to one another and gorging themselves with horse flesh.

A few moments later the Avengers breathed a collective (but momentary) sigh of relief, as they spotted Drog and Seg Kargar at the furthest point of the clearing, holding each other close with calm smiles on their faces, as another 3 dozen Goblins surrounded them, threatening to eat them alive!
The journey into the interior of the Forest of Frie had been a bit unnerving for Rextugenous. Death seemed to be the silent predator lurking beyond his range of sight, judging from the lack of animal life, especially without the sounds of birds that Rex enjoyed listening to whenever on a wilderness journey.

This lack of life and sounds stirred memories of the last time he had communicated with his former Leather Coats companions, when they whispered of the unknown dangers stalking the land to the north, before Rex was compelled to put an end to their lifeless state of undead monstrosities.

When the stench of horse flesh assailed his nostrils, along with the muffled sounds of a grisly goblin celebration, Rex and his companions took council together before proceeding further. He was glad he was in the company of such stout hearted companions!

They were able to draw near the clearing that sloped down into a miniature valley from their vantage point, secluded among the oaks and cedars, shrubs and briars, where nearly 150 goblins were gathered in a clearing about 150 feet wide and 50 feet across.

Goblin guards were all but shirking their duty as they were focused upon the Halflings, who were in danger of becoming their desert after the main course of horse flesh, but Drog and Seg Kargar had a mysterious smile on their faces, as if they were in no imminent danger, in spite of the goblins who were threatening to kill them in a matter of minutes!

Once the four Avengers had agreed upon a plan of action, limited to merely spying out the situation, before charging headlong into an attack that would probably endanger the lives of Drog and Seg; each Avenger set about doing his part to prepare for rescuing the Halflings and recovering the Treasure Wagon, without losing their own lives in the process.

Rex made his way towards the wagon, working his way carefully through the underbrush, a few yards to the left of the wagon trail that led into the clearing. He needed to determine exactly the best way to recapture the wagon, without endangering Drog and Seg, or the rest of his companions.

Once again the the four walked into the forest. Nothing about the forest had change any since the day before, no sound of birds or and other living creature, not even rabbit or squirrel. It was as if what ever lived here fled. Orion started to get a little skittish the further into the forest and Cal had to reassure the stallion by rubbing his neck and speaking in high elf words of comfort. Beside the unnatural silences the smell of horse flesh would make any horse uncomfortable.


It was here about a quarter mile out from the noise and smell that the team council together about there next move. It was decided that they should move as close but as silently as possible. It was here that Cal decided to leave Orion. “You would be to easy to spot my friend” Cal said with a sadness in his voice. “There have been no guards posted this far in so you will be fine. Just be ready when I call for you and stay out of trouble.” The horse snorted a bit, dug his hoof into the ground and shook his head as if he was arguing with his master. To Orion this was not a normal action for his master but not an uncommon one. He did not enjoy this duty, he would rather be with the knight, but he would obey like always and listen for his call. Then Cal secured his lance and shield to the saddle, strapped on his sword and short sword and as the others started off Cal lingered with his friend and smiled. “ I will be back, you just again stay out of trouble and listen for my call.”

They reached the edge of the clearing and saw the horde of goblins, many many goblins. Cal looked as did the others and saw the wagon and the half ling couple. Ah good they are alive, But is that a smile on their faces? Assuming the group saw what he saw Cal spoke “Maybe the goblins have a bard in there mist and is telling some jokes.” trying to lighten the mood a little. He knew the score and it was over 3 two 1 in favor of there enemies so they needed to come up with a plan that saved the couple and the wagon.

Danamar commented that he was going around to the left to see if there were more and and disappeared into the brush and Rex went off to see how to rescue the wagon. Cal looked at Toraad who started to get out his weapons of war. He spoke to the dwarf “ I will wait here with you for there return.” Then Cal looked into one of his pouches and pulled out a turtle dragon scale and held it in his hand.

Leather Coats Avengers
Cast & Characters Rextugenous [played by Hammer] a level 5 (Human) Paladin, Wizard, Bard who worships Brigit
Danamar Maeleneill [played by Raven] a level 5 (Elf) Druid, Ranger who worships Oercus
Toraad Ovmek [played by Tuned_Out] a level 5 (Dwarf) Cleric, Monk who worships Steel
Sir Calmindon Jorralan [played by Ziklag] a level 5 (Half Elf) Knight, Illusionist who worships Araulin

Previously in Leather Coats Avengers After a confrontation with the Hobgoblin Shaman named Shargnaz ended with their new foe flying away, while spouting threats for another day; the LC Avengers took small consolation by destroying the ten skeletons that Shargnaz had commanded to attack the wagons.

Fredrico and Lars Fortunato had safely arrived in the City of Lasch with their cargo of virgin maidens, who were betrothed to some men of importance, but when the LC Avengers arrived at the Dragon Claw Inn to receive their promised reward for safely guarding the wagons, they were stunned to learn that the Treasure Wagon driven by the Halflings named Drog and Seg Kargar had disappeared into the Forest of Frie for some unknown reason.

Choosing to rest overnight before foolishly rushing to the rescue in the dead of night, the LC Avengers set out before dawn to find the Treasure Wagon and bring it back to Fredrico and Lars, so they could collect their promised reward.

Hopefully, they would be able to rescue Drog and Seg, who were currently in a clearing deep inside the Forest of Frie, surrounded by dozens of Goblin Raiders that were slowly closing in upon them, threatening to kill the Halflings!

But why were Drog and Seg so calm as they held each other, with broad smiles beaming from their faces in the jaws of certain death, as the Goblins drew ever closer?

Incident in the Clearing
Mid Morning on Thursday
March 15, 212awd (After Winter Dark)
Sir Cal had decided to leave his faithful steed Orion about a quarter mile from the clearing, where they were now devising a plan of action to rescue Drog and Seg Kargar. Orion had become increasingly skittish as the foul odor of slaughtered horse flesh wafted through the Forest of Frie, along with the unnerving sounds of the Goblin celebration.

Kneeling down close to each other the foursome started to go through their options. One idea was to lure the goblins, or at least the most, away from their captives meanwhile one or two of the group would sneak in to set the halflings free. It sounded like a good plan to Danamar. Using a decoy would be their best chance to rescue Drog and Seg. But then Rex reminded them of something, something that felt very much unimportant to the elf. They were supposed to to bring back the treasure wagon as well. Damned, he thought, Aren't their lives more important than gold? Disgusted about the idea, but knowing Rex would not leave the wagon behind, Danamar turned his eyes back at the camp of the goblins.

The ranger's gaze carried across the clearing taking in all the details. He quickly counted an estimate of the goblins coming close to 150 beasts. That was tens times more than their little group could take on in a direct combat. Even if they could cut down the numbers with bows and arrows first, there would still be some ten dozens of the ugly little things to kill. That was not going to happen.

There was a beautiful little spring nearby the treasure wagon on the somewhat rectangular shaped clearing. Or it would've been beautiful, but the elf was fairly sure the goblins had defiled its water beyond drinkable. Most of the goblins were gathered around the wagon and watching at someone or something who Danamar was not quite able to see. A leader perhaps? We need to know more before we do anything though the halflings may not have much time left.

Looking back his companions, the elf spoke softly: "I will go around quietly to take a closer look at the side of the wagon. Let us meet here in a short while." He waited for any objections for a couple of seconds before nodding to the decision and started down back the way they had come to the camp.

Moving slowly and silently for a hundred yards or so, the ranger turned to the left to circle around the miniature valley. He moved now faster and with more confidence as he was alone in his environment without having to worry about the noise the dwarf and the knight were making. Having gone around far enough, Danamar began to head back towards the goblin camp. He crouched down for the first 50 or 60 yards, but as he got closer to the ridge, the elf automatically dropped down on his stomach and started crawling to make himself less visible.
Time was running out for Drog and Seg, but it was necessary for the LC Avengers to spy out the situation before acting rashly and possibly getting them all killed for a lack of patience. Besides, the endangered Halflings were still confidently smiling as their tormentors slowly advanced towards them.

Rex made his way towards the wagon, working his way carefully through the underbrush, a few yards to the left of the wagon trail that led into the clearing. He needed to determine exactly the best way to recapture the wagon, without endangering Drog and Seg, or the rest of his companions.
As the Halflings continued their mysterious, but confident exchange of smiles to one another, the horde of Goblin Raiders hesitated, not quite sure what to make of these Halflings, who should have been quaking in fear, begging for their lives to be spared.

Toraad nodded, though his gaze was still fixed upon the horde. As his companions began to seek answers by scouting Toraad remained behind; he was not stealthy, and knew his armour would jepordize the situation.

No, the Dwarven Cleric would wait until his companions returned with their plan, all the while preparing his own.

Dropping his pack next to a tree he retrieved his whetstone and began sharpening the points of the few javelins he had brought with him.

Staring at the horde as he worked Toraad built up his resolve.

They would save the halflings.

He would ensure the saftey of his companions, no matter how many goblins got in his way.

By Steel, he would not fail again.
Rex found a protected place of concealment with a straight line of sight towards the wagon. From his vantage point, he was able to determine that the Goblins had moved away from behind the wagon and were crowding ever closer with their companions towards the calmly smiling Halflings.

There were at least two horses still alive, for Rex could plainly see that they were still harnessed to the wagon and had not been among the slaughtered horse flesh that had assailed their nostrils earlier that morning, as they had followed the wagon trail deep into the Forest of Frie.

Meanwhile, the stealthy Danamar had also found a secluded vantage point, but his view was blocked by dozens of Goblin Raiders crowding towards Drog and Seg Kargar.

Danamar commented that he was going around to the left to see if there were more and and disappeard into the brush and Rex went off to see how to rescue the wagon. Cal looked at Toraad who started to get out his weapons of war. He spoke to the Dwarf "I will wait here with you for there return." Then Cal looked into one of his pouches and pulled out a turtle dragon scale and held it in his hand.
Danamar waited patiently for an opportunity to see clearly through the crowd of Goblin Raiders, but it was obvious that each Goblin was seeking a piece of their prey before the others could devour the Halflings and leave nothing for the majority to feast upon!

"Get Your Filthy Drool Away From My Prisoners!"
Danamar could hear the frightened grunts of "Yes Skraggnarr" or "As you command Skraggnarr" and other assorted comments in response to their leader; as the Goblins moved away from the Halflings to reveal a Goblin Shaman flanked by his two Acolytes, approaching Drog and Seg Kargar from their previously concealed location behind the wagon.

Skraggnarr the Goblin Shaman stood head and shoulders above the other Goblin Raiders, clad in a filthy hide armor and brandishing a quarterstaff. His acolytes were shorter than their leader, but were attired in the same manner, also taller than the other Goblins in the horde.

The ugly features of the Goblin Shaman were obscured once again from the view of Danamar, as the Goblins began crowding together once more, albeit from a much further distance in obedience to their leader, who now drew closer to his captives with a murderous gleam in his beady eyes.

Suddenly an ungodly outburst of terrified snarls and shrieks resounded throughout the Forest of Frie, as the seemingly helpless Halflings transformed themselves into their true identities!

Drog and Seg Kargar stood momentarily revealed as Halfling Dragons, both about the size of large ponies. Their scaly flesh seemed to blend into the color of the forest; small wings upon their backs and two vicious claws that swiftly claimed the lives of those Goblin Raiders who had crowded closer, even as Skraggnarr had approached the smiling Halflings.

Skraggnar was surprised, but not frozen in terror as were many of his Goblin Raider lackeys. He cast a Dragon Mount spell that created the grisly form of a flying Dragon. The caster and his two acolytes quickly mounted the flying Dragon illusion, making a swift escape in a northeasterly direction over the treetops of the Forest of Frie.

Vicious stinger tails claimed more Goblin lives as Drog and Seg quickly turned the tables on their captives! Then as Danamar watched in horror, he noticed a curious ring on the claw of each of the Halfling Dragons, then watched in fascination as the rings glowed, causing Drog and Seg to momentarily shimmer, then disappear, as a few more Goblins died under the onslaught of the now invisible Halfling Dragons.

Pandemonium broke loose as the terrified Goblins fled for their lives under the onslaught of the Halfling Dragon predators!

A couple of dozen Goblins were fleeing for their lives, directly in the path of the secluded Danamar; while the majority of the Goblins were running in the direction where Toraad and Sir Cal were waiting for their two comrades to return!

The remaining Goblin horde were running to either the left or the right of the secluded Rextugenous, on either side of the now abandoned Treasure Wagon!

More blood curdling screams resounded throughout the Forest of Frie, as another handful of Goblins were slain under the vicious onslaught of the now invisible Halfling Dragons!

Pandemonium broke loose as the terrified Goblins fled for their lives under the onslaught of the Halfling Dragon predators!

A couple of dozen Goblins were fleeing for their lives, directly in the path of the secluded Danamar; while the majority of the Goblins were running in the direction where Toraad and Sir Cal were waiting for their two comrades to return!

The remaining Goblin horde were running to either the left or the right of the secluded Rextugenous, on either side of the now abandoned Treasure Wagon!

More blood curdling screams resounded throughout the Forest of Frie, as another handful of Goblins were slain under the vicious onslaught of the now invisible Halfling Dragons!
Rextugenous had seen many strange things the past several years, but the transformation of Drog and Seg Kargar into Halfling Dragons, turning the tables on their Goblin Raider captives, ranked as one of the most unexpected experiences he had ever encountered as a member of the Leather Coats.

His training and experience in service to his deity Brigit served him well in the midst of these present chaotic circumstances. Rex was able to remain secluded, while the terrified Goblins ran for their lives on either side of him.

He suppressed an impulse to chase after them, trusting that his fellow LC Avengers would be able to protect themselves from the stampede of terrified Goblins that was heading towards them. His first priority was to recapture the abandoned Treasure Wagon, before the Halfling Dragons turned their attention away from the Goblins and to the treasure they had played in each night of the journey to the City of Lasch.

Apparently, the horses were not spooked by the transformation of Drog and Seg Kargar, probably because of their familiar scent reasoned the Paladin/Wizard/Bard, nor should they be spooked by Rextugenous, whose scent they should be familiar with since he was the one assigned to guard the wagon during their journey to the City of Lasch.

Rex headed toward the front of the wagon, intent upon climbing aboard and guiding the horses back in the direction of the City of Lasch, along the wagon trail they had followed that morning. He was ready to use either an appropriate spell, or appropriate weapon, should any of the Goblins, or the Halfling Dragons, decide to try to seize the Treasure Wagon that he had been hired to guard.

Danamar blinked his eyes once, then another time and then once more just to be sure. Even then it was hard to believe what he was seeing. Seg and Drog weren't the first dragons he had seen, but they certainly were the strangest ones. Try as he may the elf could not remember having ever read anything about halflings turning into tiny dragons in any of lore books in his home town library. And although he'd long time ago heard something about the most the powerful drakes being able to walk amongst the men in disguise, even those had been just stories. But halfling dragons? And to make things worse, they'd just turned invisible. Danamar could only hope they were on his side.

The pony-sized dragons were causing mayhem and terror in the goblin horde. Battered and torn little bodies were tossed this way and that as none of the goblins even tried to defend himself. For a heartbeat or three Danamar almost felt sorry for the screaming humanoids, but the feeling passed as quickly as it had come. They'd brought their fate upon themselves and had to now suffer the consequences… And so would he by the looks of it, as twenty and some of the little monsters were running for their lives directly towards him.

There wasn't much time to think let alone plan for some kind of action, so the ranger did what came easiest to him. He let his hatred towards all things goblinoid rise to the surface. Drawing his brother's slim, beautiful sword Danamar waited for the goblins to come closer. The dark-haired elf knew he was playing a gamble with his life, but he wasn't going to step aside and let anyone think he was afraid of the greenskins, for he wasn't. Ever since his family and friends had died at the hands of the orc war party, Danamar had known he would one day meet his doom in mortal combat against some evil monster. He really had nothing to lose. No one would miss him.

So as the panicking goblins made their way to the top of the slope, Danamar let the first few pass his hiding place before jumping up. Towering over the creatures half his size, the ranger gave the already startled goblins his most terrifying roar of hatred and rage and charged through them towards the wagon striking at anything that came within his reach. There was no concern for his own life left. There was no mercy in his gleaming emerald eyes. He only wanted the goblins dead.

---

OOC: Danamar will not pursue any goblins or even try to stop their escape. He will simply cut his way through the lot of them unless they suddenly summon courage from the backbone they don't have.

Toraad had finished sharpening his javelins and had moved on to ensuring the blades of his hand axes were sharp when the resounding screeches of the Goblins reached his position.

Briefly sharing an unknowing glance with Sir Cal, who had been making his own preparations, Toraad witnessed a portion of the greenskin horde headed their way.

The Dwarven Cleric cursed under his breath as he took in the terrain once again; what he wouldn't give to be in a stone tunnel, a funnel that forced the goblins to face well prepared Dwarven defences. Warping the Goblins' footing as stone turned to sand, and watching them trample over each other in an effort to attack; but that was neither here nor now. And there was no time for true preperations.

Quick thinking would have to do. Moving between two trees Toraad dragged his axes across the ground to open up the soil, then pointed to his Javelins for the Knight to help.

"Secure 'dem in da groun as best ye can." The Cleric-merc was improvising at this point, spinning to detach shrubs and briars from their roots to toss over the Knights handiwork; a small obstacle, one goblins would likely go through rather then around, especially when they were charging.

Patting the Knight on the shoulder and indicating to the tree to the left, Toraad gave a final word before securing his own position, dropping his axes and drawing his warhammer.

"Seems our friends 'ave stirred dem up. May ye God grant ye protection lad."

With a final look out towards the oncoming horde, Toraad began chanting the words of a Shield of Faith spell, gripping his warhammer hard with anticipation.

Cal was taking his cue from his dwarfish companion. He made sure that his weapons were ready and went over the dragon armor spell so he could activate it as quickly as possible. After Cal finished he sat and gathered his thoughts and was getting ready to speak to Toraad when chaos descended upon the goblin camp.


Cal looked at cleric and believed that if he could see himself that they both shared the same expression that said “ What are Rex and Danamar doing?” No sooner after that they saw a large group of goblins head in their direction.


The knight shook of the shock quickly as did the dwarf with some cursing and he started to setup a defense. As Toraad started making his plan in to reality, Cal turned toward the forest in the direction of were he left his friend and made a call to Orion to come out of hiding to him. Cal hoped and prayed he would hear, he never failed him in the past. Orion always obey Cal's instructions except when it came to this one. He always seemed to follow him at a distance out of site. “Lord Araulin I pray that Orion is his usual self and is close.” Cal thought to himself as he helped Toraad with placing the javelins in the line he pointed too on the ground.

.

After helping with the make shift trap, Cal went the tree to the left then Toraad spoke "Seems our friends 'ave stirred dem up. May ye God grant ye protection lad." The elven knight took the dragon scale, spoke the words and as power of the magic flowed thru him, he then drew Aarien his bastard sword. The beautiful blade sung as it came out. Cal looked at Toraad and his axes and said “ and may yours give you arms that never tire.”




OOC I am using the dragon toughtness spell to add to my armor class, use my bastard sword and activate my special ability Embolden to increase Toraad abilities and help in dealing with the goblins. When Orion arrives I will get in the saddle and do more damage or if need be get all of us out of there. Have to see how the dice fall.

Goblin Gore
Late Morning on Thursday
March 15, 212awd (After Winter Dark)
The pony-sized dragons were causing mayhem and terror in the goblin horde. Battered and torn little bodies were tossed this way and that as none of the goblins even tried to defend himself. For a heartbeat or three Danamar almost felt sorry for the screaming humanoids, but the feeling passed as quickly as it had come. They'd brought their fate upon themselves and had to now suffer the consequences… And so would he by the looks of it, as twenty and some of the little monsters were running for their lives directly towards him.

There wasn't much time to think let alone plan for some kind of action, so the ranger did what came easiest to him. He let his hatred towards all things goblinoid rise to the surface. Drawing his brother's slim, beautiful sword Danamar waited for the goblins to come closer. The dark-haired elf knew he was playing a gamble with his life, but he wasn't going to step aside and let anyone think he was afraid of the greenskins, for he wasn't. Ever since his family and friends had died at the hands of the orc war party, Danamar had known he would one day meet his doom in mortal combat against some evil monster. He really had nothing to lose. No one would miss him.

So as the panicking goblins made their way to the top of the slope, Danamar let the first few pass his hiding place before jumping up. Towering over the creatures half his size, the ranger gave the already startled goblins his most terrifying roar of hatred and rage and charged through them towards the wagon striking at anything that came within his reach. There was no concern for his own life left. There was no mercy in his gleaming emerald eyes. He only wanted the goblins dead.
Throwing caution to the wind, Danamar made his move towards the wagon, swinging his sword with two hands, while unleashing a terrifying roar born from the forest where he learned to wage a relentless war against the Orcs that had slain his family and friends!

He cut a bloody swath of Goblin gore as he charged forward. Limbs, heads and entrails were not spared from his thirsting blade, as 11 Goblins met their death by the vengeful blade of Danamar.

So terrified were the Goblins, they offered no resistance as they fled to escape the Halfling Dragons who had suddenly turned the tables against their captors.

Meanwhile, Toraad and Sir Cal had no clue as to what had transpired in the clearing. When the commotion of the terrified Goblin screams reached their ears, they merely presumed that Danamar and Rextugenous had found a way to spring a trap against the Goblins, while finding a way to rescue the Halfling captives, Drog and Seg Kargar.

Toraad had little time to prepare a suitable trap of his own, but with the help of Sir Cal, they positioned the 5 sharpened Javelins in the ground between 2 stout trees. Then Toraad took a position behind the tree to his right, while Sir Cal did likewise behind the tree to his left.

Mere moments before the terrified Goblins came crashing through the trees, running for their lives, Toraad cast a Shield of Faith spell with an unknown Dwarven chant, as the Cleric Mercenary Fighter gripped the handle of his War Hammer, prepared to even the odds that had been set against them.

As for Sir Cal, the Knight Illusionist had sent out a call to his faithful steed Orion, praying that his horse was true to form, sneaking closer to where his master had gone, not heeding his instructions to remain behind where it would be much safer.

Then he called upon a Dragon Toughness spell, in an unfamiliar Elven tongue, as he pulled his Bastard Sword from its sheathe, anticipating the battle that was soon to come. He just had time to utilize his Embolden ability to aid his friend Toraad, before the maniacal horde of terrified Goblins rushed headlong into their hastily prepared defenses!

Five Goblins impaled themselves upon the 5 Javelins, closely followed by 5 more, a double skewer that claimed their miserable lives! They were immediately trampled by an untold number of Goblins, who were not slowed by the bloody corpses underneath their feet.

More Goblins were running past the trees where the two LC Avengers were hidden. Toraad sprang into action with his War Hammer, crushing skulls and bodies. The Dwarf was determined to redeem himself in the eyes of his deity Steel. He succeeded in slaying 6 Goblins, before the remainder rushed past the Dwarf, fleeing for their lives!

As for Sir Cal, his Bastard Sword sliced through the body of 1 Goblin, but the Knight had the misfortune of imbedding his blade in the trunk of the tree, unable to jerk the blade loose, while more Goblins threatened to trample him in their mad rush for freedom!

Fortunately, his faithful steed Orion arrived in answer to his call, stomping 3 Goblins to death, before they could harm his master! The remainder of the onrushing horde, mistaking the horse for the horrors they were so desperately trying to escape from, dispersed in several directions to avoid the horse.

Both Toraad and Sir Cal turned to watch the fleeing Goblins, when a wondrous sight greeted their amazed eyes!

Several of the Goblins that had rushed past them were suddenly slashed to ribbons by some unseen force! As they stood seemingly frozen in amazement, there was a shimmering of colors in the air, as two odd looking Dragons materialized before their eyes!

The Dragon to their left claimed the lives of 3 Goblins, while further away to the right, the other Dragon savagely ended the lives of 10 more Goblins!

There was another shimmer of colors, as the Dragons shape shifted into the forms of Drog Kargar on their left and Seg Kargar to their far right side!

Drog and Seg glared at their former companions momentarily, before shape shifting back into their Halfling Dragon forms. Toraad and Sir Cal watched in amazement, as Drog and Seg each grabbed two more Goblins with their Dragon claws, then flew above the tree tops, before releasing their captives!

Orion stomped the ground in agitation, but held his ground next to Sir Cal, as the 4 Goblin captives hurtled to the ground in a crumpled mess, staining the forest floor with their gore!

The Halfling Dragons disappeared from sight over the tree tops, in the direction of the clearing, as Toraad and Sir Cal cast inquisitive looks towards one another, wanting to know if the other companion had truly seen what the other combatant had just witnessed, as the sounds of fleeing Goblins faded away in the dense forest expanse.

Meanwhile, back in the clearing, Rextugenous had succeeded in persuading the horses to turn the wagon around in the direction of the trail leading back to the City of Lasch. Rex was the only LC Avenger who had not encountered any fleeing Goblins.

Danamar had made his way to the wagon without a scratch, although the blood and gore streaming from his blade had splattered upon his arms, legs, chest and face. He assured Rex that he was unharmed, lending a hand in calming the horses.

Suddenly, the Halfling Dragons appeared in their path, growling an unintelligible sound in defiance of the two adventurers. Then just as suddenly, their forms shimmered into the more familiar sight of Drog and Seg Kargar.

The Halfling couple glared at Danamar and Rex, then spoke to the duo in Common:

"You both showed us kindness along the trail to the City of Lasch. We will do the same! You may keep the wagon and its treasure ... save for these Rings of Invisibility!"

"Fredrico and Lars were kind to us ... they saved our lives ... not knowing our true forms! We will find other treasure! By following the Goblin Shaman and his Acolytes!"

"You may leave this clearing in peace! We will do the same!"
Then without another word, Drog and Seg Kargar shifted themselves back into their true forms, before flying off above the tree tops, in the direction the Goblin Shaman and his Acolytes had taken earlier that morning.

The fight (Danamar knew he couldn't really call it such) was over in a very short while. As the rage and hatred finally let go of the blood-covered elven ranger, he let his sword arm relax and the blade's tip sink a couple of inches into the ground. Leaning down on the pommel of his brother's slim sword with his hands and forehead, Danamar took in a lungful of air. The raven colored long hair fell over his head hiding his grim face onto which a slight smile crept as he realized he must've held his breath all the while he had been cutting his way through the horde of goblins. The smile was quickly washed away however by a feeling of guilt and self-loathing that hit Danamar like a two-handed maul.

He didn't mind killing the goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, kobolds and whatnots in fair combat. But what he had just done could only be described as massacre and murder. It was not what he believed in. No. All things deserved to live, even the evil ones, as long as they didn't hurt anyone else. He knew such thinking was not logical or probably not even wise, but it was how he felt inside. Killing never made him feel good. Not even when it was for nourishment's sake. With a sigh and a shake of his head the druid stood up and wiped some of the blood away from his pale face.

It was then that he noticed the look on Rex's face. It was both wonder and worry. The elf knew he had now revealed another side of himself to his companions. The hatred was buried deep inside of him and very rarely got out, but there were times when he was unable to suppress it and keep it hidden. Those times were like this or like what he'd imagined this had been. He had felt fear for the lives of the nice halfling couple, he had seen the fate of his home town pass before his green eyes again. He would never let it happen to anyone else if he had even the slightest of sayings in the matter.

With a weak smile Danamar assured Rextugenous he was fine and that the blood was all from the goblins he'd slaughtered. He moved in to help the bard to calm down the horses. Handling animals came easily to the elf. Somehow he felt more safe and at home in the wilds with only animals around him. An animal would never betray him in anyway. It either feared him or didn't, but it never turned around and stabbed him in the back when he expected it the least. This time however soothing the horses was somewhat harder than it should've been for even for the druid. They could smell the fresh blood all around them and it was probably only the fear of the dragons that kept them frozen still. Speaking softly in elven Danamar held the rains of the mare with one hand, patted its neck and shoulder softly and smoothed down the hair of its nose with the other. Slowly the animal's breathing slowed down a little and the fear left its wide-open eyes.

The reappearance of the two dragons, however small compared to the ones Danamar had seen before, startled the elf enough to make his hand drop on the sheathed sword's handle. He witnessed the power of the halfling-dragons and knew it would be hopeless to do battle against them. But Danamar Maeleneill would not go down without a fight. Holding his breath unconsciously again he waited for the immortal creatures to make their move.

Without a word the strange duo turned back into Drog and Seg with the same shimmer he'd first seen only a couple of minutes ago which now felt like a much longer period. The look on their faces was not a happy one Danamar had been hoping for. It appeared there was no going back to the way things had been before the fight. The avengers now knew their true identity and would never be able to imagine them as a jolly halfling couple anymore. Fortunately the draconic duo didn't lust for more blood that day. What they said made the elf let out a sigh of relief and relax:

"You both showed us kindness along the trail to the City of Lasch. We will do the same! You may keep the wagon and its treasure ... save for these Rings of Invisibility!"

"Fredrico and Lars were kind to us ... they saved our lives ... not knowing our true forms! We will find other treasure! By following the Goblin Shaman and his Acolytes!"

"You may leave this clearing in peace! We will do the same!"

For the last time Danamar and Rex got to witness the magical wonder of the transformation from halflings to small dragons and their eyes followed the departure of the magnificent creatures until they could no longer be seen. Then without saying a word the human and the elf first turned to face each other, nodded in unison and finally turned to look expectantly in the direction their remaining companions should be coming from.

“Come soon my friend.” The knight whispered as he waited unseen behind the tree left of Toraad and his trap. The dragon toughness spell had already done its work and with the scream of the goblins getting closer, Cal thought he could increase the two warrior’s chances by using his Embolden ability to help Toraad. Then the horde was upon them.


Toraad trap skewered five of the green devils right off and then to his surprise five more were right after. The site surprised the knight as more goblins trampled the dead without thought. “Their terrified not attacking” Cal quickly thought to himself. Rex and Danamar have put a real good scare into them.” This now was the opportunity for the two to rid the area of their evil. Cal saw Toraad start into action with his war hammer hitting many of the beasts. Cal with two hands on his sword swung at the first goblin he met. The blade worked like it should. Cal felt it strike true, the blade moving thru the goblin as if Cal was cutting a slab of butter for his bread. Clean, smooth “Yes” Cal thought as Aarien did its job then THUD!


The sudden stop surprised the knight. “What?” ran in his head as he saw his sword lodge deep in the tree. Cal scanned the area goblins everywhere screaming, running in all directions and most at him. Instinct said just pull it out but it did not move. “Crap” was the outburst from the knight. The sword did not move and there was no time as more goblins bore down on his position. Quickly Cal went for his short sword hoping to draw it out in time.

The goblins were almost upon the knight. There were too many to count and in a terrified state they probably didn't even care he was there, all they wanted was to getaway from the nightmare that was chasing them. But for Cal it was going to be too late to find out. The amount of goblins that were racing toward him would not kill him in armed combat, they would just trample him to death and never notice. Cal said a quick prayer to his god for help as the foe got closer.

As the goblins got close to Cal, Orion was the answer to his quick but very heartfelt prayer. He came out from behind Cal and attacked three of the closest goblins stomping them to death with great fury. Cal was right again his steed followed him and was near enough to hear is call. The attack was so quick and devastating that the goblins scattered away from the two. Cal quickly went to Orion and as he got to him some of the goblins that were running away was cut down by an invisible force. Then two dragons materialized. “By the gods” was the only thing Cal could say as the two dragons cut down more of the goblins. “This was what caused them to flee from their camp.” Cal said out loud watching in awl. Then the dragons took the appearance of the Half-ling couple for a brief moment. By this time Cal knew Toraad was standing near him watching the same event. Then the dragons picked up some goblins, took them to the treetops and then dropped them to their deaths. He was not sure if they were going to be next but as he held to Orion’s reigns the two flew off out of the tree coverage out of site.

The knight stood there for a moment still taking in what happened. Then turned to his dwarf companion who looked as if he could not believe what had happened either. An unknown amount of time pasted. It could have been second or minutes, but finally Cal spoke to Toraad “We need to check on Rex and Danamar and see what has happened to them. “ Believing that the goblins were going to put as much distance from the dragons and there camp, Cal saddled up and made mental note of the area and said to Toraad “We'll come back for your javelins and when we do can you help me get my sword unstuck” As he pointed to the tree with a whimsical smile.

A grim smile crossed the Dwarven Cleric's face as he heard the satisfying gasp of shock emitted by the terrified goblin, though it was quickly drowned out by many more. As the gasps faded away and the snapping of brambles and bones resounded from the Goblins charging over their fallen companions, Toraad knew it was time to strike.

Leaping into action, the Dwarven mercenary blind-sided the first goblin across the face with his warhammer, sending the creature stumbling backwards before following through with a bone-shattering blow to the chest. No sooner had it been dispatched than two more greenskins trampled over it's crumpled form. Buffeting one aside with his buckler he brought his hammer to bare down upon the other, knocking the life from it. Toraad continued in this manner, bringing about the demise of more of his lifelong enemies, before making the realization that they were making no effort to fight back; indeed, the goblins were fleeing in pure desperation.

Indeed, upon this realization the Dwarven Cleric stopped his assaut; there was no honor in this fight, and even Steel could respect that these enemies were not engaging in battle as a true foe should. In his pause, the terrified goblins buffeted him aside, and Toraad soon found himself back next to his tree, watching and waiting for the wave of green to pass. Though what occurred he would never have expected.

Several of the Goblins that had rushed past them were suddenly slashed to ribbons by some unseen force! As they stood seemingly frozen in amazement, there was a shimmering of colors in the air, as two odd looking Dragons materialized before their eyes, dispatching more goblins.

There was another shimmer of colors, as the Dragons shape shifted into the forms of Drog Kargar on their left and Seg Kargar to their far right side! Drog and Seg glared at their former companions momentarily, before shape shifting back into their Halfling Dragon forms. Toraad could only stare in shock; it seemed the wee ones needed no saving.

The Halfling Dragons then took off from the area, seizing and slaying additional goblins in their wake, until the cries of terror became but a distant din. The area was safe for now, but what of their companions.

An unknown amount of time past, but finally Cal spoke to Toraad “We need to check on Rex and Danamar and see what has happened to them. We'll come back for your javelins and when we do can you help me get my sword unstuck” As he pointed to the tree with a whimsical smile.

Toraad shook off his amazement and looked first to the trampled remnants of his Javelins, and the goblins that were pinned together about them. The Dwarf arched an eyebrow at the strange knight before letting out his first laugh in many days. "They be sticks lad" he chuckled as he collected his axes and pack "but, aye, we'd bes see 'bout the others."

Before they began the trek towards the clearing, Toraad couldn't help himself and gave a joking 'attempt' at freeing Cal's sword.

"Mayhaps noble Rextugenous will 'ave a tale 'o 'bout Knights pullin swords from trees"

With a weak smile Danamar assured Rextugenous he was fine and that the blood was all from the goblins he'd slaughtered. He moved in to help the bard to calm down the horses. Handling animals came easily to the elf. Somehow he felt more safe and at home in the wilds with only animals around him. An animal would never betray him in anyway. It either feared him or didn't, but it never turned around and stabbed him in the back when he expected it the least. This time however soothing the horses was somewhat harder than it should've been for even for the druid. They could smell the fresh blood all around them and it was probably only the fear of the dragons that kept them frozen still. Speaking softly in elven Danamar held the rains of the mare with one hand, patted its neck and shoulder softly and smoothed down the hair of its nose with the other. Slowly the animal's breathing slowed down a little and the fear left its wide-open eyes.

The reappearance of the two dragons, however small compared to the ones Danamar had seen before, startled the elf enough to make his hand drop on the sheathed sword's handle. He witnessed the power of the halfling-dragons and knew it would be hopeless to do battle against them. But Danamar Maeleneill would not go down without a fight. Holding his breath unconsciously again he waited for the immortal creatures to make their move.

Without a word the strange duo turned back into Drog and Seg with the same shimmer he'd first seen only a couple of minutes ago which now felt like a much longer period. The look on their faces was not a happy one Danamar had been hoping for. It appeared there was no going back to the way things had been before the fight. The avengers now knew their true identity and would never be able to imagine them as a jolly halfling couple anymore. Fortunately the draconic duo didn't lust for more blood that day. What they said made the elf let out a sigh of relief and relax:

"You both showed us kindness along the trail to the City of Lasch. We will do the same! You may keep the wagon and its treasure ... save for these Rings of Invisibility!"

"Fredrico and Lars were kind to us ... they saved our lives ... not knowing our true forms! We will find other treasure! By following the Goblin Shaman and his Acolytes!"

"You may leave this clearing in peace! We will do the same!"

For the last time Danamar and Rex got to witness the magical wonder of the transformation from halflings to small dragons and their eyes followed the departure of the magnificent creatures until they could no longer be seen. Then without saying a word the human and the elf first turned to face each other, nodded in unison and finally turned to look expectantly in the direction their remaining companions should be coming from.
Rex waited a few moments longer, before urging the horses forward. They could ill afford to remain much longer within the Forest of Frie, for there was no telling what other unexpected dangers may be lurking about in these forsaken woods?

He was glad to have the company of the Elf, but it was imperative that they learn the fate of their companions! Besides, the Goblins were too unpredictable to assume that they would just vanish away without ever coming back to claim their ill gotten gains!

Both the Dwarf and the Half Elf would be able to hear the horses pulling the wagon along the trail back to the City of Lasch, so Rex was content to keep an eye on both sides of the wagon trail, alert for anything amiss that might endanger their journey back to the city to receive their just reward.

Besides, he had the Elf Druid/Ranger by his side, who was even now scanning the dark forest far better than the Paladin/Wizard/Bard was able to do with his own particular gifts and talents for the task at hand this day!

Leather Coats Avengers
Cast & Characters Rextugenous [played by Hammer] a level 5 (Human) Paladin, Wizard, Bard who worships Brigit
Danamar Maeleneill [played by Raven] a level 5 (Elf) Druid, Ranger who worships Oercus
Toraad Ovmek [played by Tuned_Out] a level 5 (Dwarf) Cleric, Monk who worships Steel
Sir Calmindon Jorralan [played by Ziklag] a level 5 (Half Elf) Knight, Illusionist who worships Araulin

Previously in Leather Coats Avengers The answer as to why Drog and Seg Kargar had seemed to be so calm as they held each other, with broad smiles beaming from their faces in the jaws of certain death, as the Goblins drew ever closer?

The answer (dear reader) was because these were not mere Halflings, but rather Halfling Dragons!

They had slaughtered dozens of the Goblins, while at intervals transforming themselves and sparing the lives of Danamar, Rex, Toraad and Sir Cal; before flying off in pursuit of the fleeing Goblin Shaman (named Skraggnarr) and his Acolytes.

Now on to our adventure!

Out of the Woods?
Mid Day on Thursday
March 15, 212awd (After Winter Dark)
Several of the Goblins that had rushed past them were suddenly slashed to ribbons by some unseen force! As they stood seemingly frozen in amazement, there was a shimmering of colors in the air, as two odd looking Dragons materialized before their eyes, dispatching more goblins.

There was another shimmer of colors, as the Dragons shape shifted into the forms of Drog Kargar on their left and Seg Kargar to their far right side! Drog and Seg glared at their former companions momentarily, before shape shifting back into their Halfling Dragon forms. Toraad could only stare in shock; it seemed the wee ones needed no saving.

The Halfling Dragons then took off from the area, seizing and slaying additional goblins in their wake, until the cries of terror became but a distant din. The area was safe for now, but what of their companions.

An unknown amount of time past, but finally Cal spoke to Toraad “We need to check on Rex and Danamar and see what has happened to them. We'll come back for your javelins and when we do can you help me get my sword unstuck” As he pointed to the tree with a whimsical smile.

Toraad shook off his amazement and looked first to the trampled remnants of his Javelins, and the goblins that were pinned together about them. The Dwarf arched an eyebrow at the strange knight before letting out his first laugh in many days. "They be sticks lad" he chuckled as he collected his axes and pack "but, aye, we'd bes see 'bout the others."

Before they began the trek towards the clearing, Toraad couldn't help himself and gave a joking 'attempt' at freeing Cal's sword.

"Mayhaps noble Rextugenous will 'ave a tale 'o 'bout Knights pullin swords from trees"
The two Leather Coats Avengers grinned at each other as they headed off through the trampled terrain left in the wake of the fleeing Goblins, in hope that Danamar and Rex were as healthy as they were.

"They be sticks he says!"
A soft breeze carried the muffled voice far away from the ear shot of Toraad and Sir Cal, who were engaged in much animated conversation about the sword in the tree, regarding what to say and what not to say to their Elf and Human companions.

They were soon reunited as they easily heard the distant sound of the wagon making its way along the wagon trail back towards the City of Lasch.

However, the conversation between themselves, Danamar and Rextugenous understandably centered around the strange happenings of the morning and the true guise of Drog and Seg Kargar.

As they made their way along the wagon trail, each LC Avenger recounted what had transpired earlier that morning, but the fate of the sword was not yet mentioned.

Toraad took up a position to the left of the front of the wagon, while Sir Cal chose to ride alongside the wagon to the right of Danamar, mustering up a plausible explanation as to what had happened to his prized sword during their brief battle against the Goblins.

If either Rex or Danamar had noticed the absence of his sword, neither said a word, much to the uncomfortable relief of Sir Cal; who was thankful that for all the teasing he had endured from Toraad, the Dwarf had not mentioned his embarrassment of the sword imbedded in the tree.

However, they were drawing near to where Sir Cal would have to mention the fact that he needed some help to retrieve his sword. In fact, it was just around the next bend in the wagon trail, that Sir Cal would have to speak up and swallow his pride, in favor of regaining his precious sword.

Time seemed to stand still for Sir Cal as they slowly rounded the bend, but before he was able to muster up the courage to admit that his sword was stuck in a tree, the adventurers were confronted by a roadblock that had not been in evidence earlier that morning.

There in their path stood what appeared to be an old gnarled tree, blocking the wagon trail, with no possible way around it.

Curiously, in its branches were not only the remains of Toraad's Javelins, but the precious sword of Sir Cal, that when last seen by the Dwarf and the Half Elf, had been deeply imbedded in a tree!

Rex pulled at the reins to stop the horses, as Danamar lightly touched the right shoulder of the Paladin/Wizard/Bard, before leaping from the wagon for a closer look.

Toraad and Sir Cal were completely befuddled at the odd sight of this out of place tree, clutching not only the remains of the Javelins, but the seemingly undamaged Sword that Sir Cal so desperately wanted to retrieve from the battle site.

Suddenly, the branches made a sweeping gesture, casting the weapons in the direction of the somewhat astonished LC Avengers!

"They be sticks he says!"

The appearance of an old, gnarled tree upon the wagon trail left Toraad confused. It had not been there when he and Sir Cal had departed the location where they had ambushed some goblins, though surely it looked real enough. What truly stumped the Dwarf was what he saw ensnared within its branches: there lay his splintered javelins and the prized sword of his companion.

However, the Cleric had little time to contemplate how said items had removed themselves from goblin corpses and solid wood, for no sooner had the adventurers come to a halt than the branches suddenly cast the weapons in their direction.

Caught off guard by this display, Toraad barely caught the words: "They be sticks he says!" The Dwarf felt a distinct uneasiness having his words thrown back at him under such circumstances; he was unsure what exactly it was they were encountering.

In his travels Toraad had heard many tales strange creatures that lived amid forests, living trees and trickster sprites that melded with wood. Often times however he completely disregarded such tales. Some times the tales were clearly fables. and other times they seemed as mere surfacer pranks trying to fool a Dwarf long-since away from home. Now facing a situation similar to such stories Toraad was simply unsure what to do.

A dumbfounded "Er...." was all that came when he tried to find his voice, sharing a sidelong glance with the equally confused Sir Cal as the pair realized the Elf Danamar had moved in to investigate further. Toraad hoped he knew what he was doing.

Cal stared at the tree that was in the middle of the trail. “That wasn’t there before!” He said to himself. Then Cal thought again “Maybe it was?” With all of the action with the goblins, the little dragons maybe he and Toraad just didn’t see it.

After getting back to the wagon and swapping stories with Rex and Danamar about what happened (leaving out the part of the stuck sword) Cal started trying to come up a way to save face in asking Rex about getting the sword out of the tree. He was very thankful that Toraad did not embarrass him and telling the others of his little mishap. This left Cal some time to think up some kind of excuse on why they would need to stop near the area the cleric and knight left awhile ago to retrieve his sword. Cal reflected on what had transpired after the battle and still could not remember a tree in the road.

Cal studied the tree more and saw Toraad’s javelins and his beloved sword!! Then tree moved its arms Cal thought were arms and thru the weapons toward the group. The knight was overjoyed inside until he heard "They be sticks he says!" He knew who said that and who was there to hear it and all of them were near Cal. “By the gods” was the only thing Cal could say after hearing the tree speak. He has seen a lot of amazing things in his short life but a talking tree this was a first.

Now Cal sword was returned but he wondered what the creature was going to do next. He knew Toraad used some branches to make the javelins and he got his sword stuck in “it”. “So what was it going to do next”. Cal raced these thoughts thru his mind as he saw Danamar to his left get up and slowly started toward the creature.