Dok had no time for celebration as there were still more Goblins to decapitate!

The Hill Dwarf Cleric of Helm focused his attention to direct the Axe (that had appeared in answer to his Spiritual Weapon spell) against the remaining Goblins who now had bows in hand, alerted by the unexpected ambush that had befallen them!

“And if their intent is a night-time raid

“They shall taste the wrath of my battle axe blade!”

Dok continued repeating this prayer as he directed the Ghostly Axe for another round of attacks against his Goblin foes!

Soledad smiled cruelly as group of stinking goblins succumbed to the hex and feel into a slumber. The witch hoped dearly that the hex sent them painful dreams from which they never woke. Still, a number of the little twits still stood. It was time to change that. Soledad struck again, hurling the sleeping spell at the remaining goblins. 

 

((OOC: Casts Sleep, first level slot))

As the goblins reacted to their comrades falling asleep, Hornet was already sending another crossbow bolt winging towards the group.  This one took a goblin full in the throat just as it was looking up from its fallen comrades.  With barely a gurgle it joined the others on the ground, but this one would certainly never awaken. (dead)

Two of the goblins already had their bows out and sent shots flying towards the location where the crossbow bolt had come from, but with so much cover they were almost firing blind.  Neither shot presented any real danger to Hornet.  After shooting, the two goblins darted to the side of the road and took cover behind trees and bushes.

Dok, seeing another goblin fall, grinned to himself as he prayed to his god and manipulated his spiritual weapon.  In a replay of his first swings, Dok was frustrated when his first attack failed to strike a goblin.  But bringing the weapon up again he swung at one of the other goblins.  Even though the mystical weapon was nearly 80 feet away he imagined that he could feel the solid thunk of contact as the glowing axe struck right through the creature’s bow and into its chest.  Its chest took the blow no better than had the bow and the creature was flung backwards and into the bushes with its chest split open.  (dead)

At this point there were three goblins left standing – two of them in the bushes to the side of the road and one standing alone in the middle.  That one looked around with wide eyes and a sharp squeal.  It reached down to a sleeping goblin at its feet and quickly slapped it a couple of times attempting to wake it – tugging at it and beginning to drag it back up the road.  But it obviously determined the movement too slow and immediately dropped his rousing companion and sprinted away – heading at an angle back and away – quickly moving into the brush and rocks on the downhill slope of the road.  (The other two were on the uphill side of the road.) 

Soledad, smiling cruelly at the crumpling goblins, recast the same hex.  It had been extremely effective the first time, but this time the goblins were more scattered.  Aiming the target close to the uphill side of the road she attempted to get as many goblins as possible within the spells 20’ radius.  It worked – to an extent.  The goblin in the middle of the road that had been partially roused by its companion slumped back to the ground.  On the side of the road it seemed that one of the two had succumbed to the spell as it appeared to crumple to the ground, as evidenced by a booted leg sticking out into the road where it lay – the rest of the body being hidden by the bushes.  The other one on that side was a mystery – Soledad was sure it was within the area of the spells effect, but as it was hidden by the terrain she could not identify with any confidence if it had succumbed to the spell’s effects or not. 

The rest of the party held their positions in case any of the goblins came closer.

Goblin update:

Dead:  4

Asleep:  1 injured – on the road

          4 healthy – on the road

          1 partially visible in the bushes – apparently prone

Unknown:  Hidden on the uphill side of the road, maybe hit by sleep.

Alive:  One running on the downhill side of the road.  No longer visible. 

Dok maintained his position without exposing himself to the sight-line of the Goblins, as there was possibly two Goblins left standing, unhindered by the hex attacks.

The Hill Dwarf Cleric of Helm prayed and concentrated to maintain his focus, looking for any sign of a Goblin on either the uphill or downhill side of the road.

Dok waited patiently to strike with his Spiritual Weapon at the first sign of a confirmed Goblin target.

   Once more Hornet's bolt found its mark and a goblin fell never to rise again.  Moments later most of the remaining golins dropped as well, snoring away.  One lone goblin appeared to have a bit of sense as it turned and fled.  Slinging his crossbow, Hornet dashed to the sleeping goblins on the road.  They needed a prisoner to question but not four.  Quickly he cut the throat of the wounded goblin and one of the others before binding the hands of the remaining two goblins.  "Kill the others, I have two here as prisoners" 

Thäoran's saphire cat-like eyes pierced through the gloom of the night, revealing to the elf the victory they had secured. A small smile of satisfaction tugged at the corner of his sculptured lips as he surveyed the scene. Never again will these maleficent fiends plague this fine lands, devouring all that came before them like so many gluttinous locusts.

Every one of these despicable wretches I fell by my bow or blade, I dedicate to my father, he thought solemnly. May we meet again soon. He swallowed past the painful knot that always tightened his throat whenever he thought of his absent father.

Hornet's voice cut through the crisp night air and into Thäoran's muddled thoughts, stirring the elf from his wayward mind. He must focus on the task at hand, lest he be caught unawares due to his distraction. He remembered how his father always used to berate him about it...

'Kill the others, I have two here as prisoners.' Hornet called.

Thäoran stepped from his refuge of the thick, gnarled fir and swiftly approached the slumbering goblins drawing his dagger as he went. With quick, fluid motions, the elf slit the throats of those they had no need for. Despite his loathing for these foul monsters, he still felt a little uncomfortable snuffing out their light. Elves were taught that all life is sacred, no matter how dark and twisted.

'The deed is done,' the elf announced to Hornet, green ((OOC: I imagine goblin blood to be green. Sorry if it's not!)) goblin blood slick on the gleaming blade of his hunting dagger. He'd have to clean the metal as soon as possible, lest the foul substance rust the elf-steel. Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you, was one of his father's favourite phrases. His words had proved true many times over.

Reaching into his pack, Thäoran produced a cleaning rag and proceeded to wipe the grime off his dagger, the green liquid now staining the cloth. When next they make camp near a source of water, he would have to hope he could wash out at least some of the blood from his rag. He sighed a little. So much to do. Well, life on the road was far from leisure-another thing his father enjoyed drumming into his son's head, and, again, had proven true.

When he was satisfied his blade was well polished, he scanned the surrounding area for Dok. Upon spotting the stout dwarf, he made his way over to his friend.

'Grim work,' the elf frowned.

Soledad let the others spend their time killing the nasty little goblins. She'd already done her part in putting the little snits to sleep, and besides, they had much better weapons to get the job done. Instead, the fey witch focused on searching the growing mass of goblin corpses for any signs of valuables or clues they might put to use. Of course she didn't want to actually touch the wretched things herself, and that was where magic came in. 

Ritually summoning an invisible force into existence, Soledad set the mindless creature to the task of going through every pocket, bag, shoe, and hat in search of any items, notes, or signs that might be hidden among the dead goblins. It was a very, very dirty task and she was more than happy to have the help. 

((OOC: Ritual Casting of Unseen Servant))

Hornet dashed forward and saw a bloody scene.  Multiple goblins lay dead on the road while others snored away, dreaming grim dreams from which they would never awake.  The elf called to his teammates as he moved quickly forward, “Kill the others, I have two here as prisoners.”  Before binding his chosen two he slid his knife blade across the throat of one already sprouting an arrow, finishing the task Thaoran had earlier begun.  Binding two of the goblins proved easy as they snored away.  One of them awoke by the time he was finished, but was already safely bound. 

Thaoran responded to Hornets call and moved forward to dispatch the rest.  Looking into the bushes on the uphill side of the road he saw 2 goblins snoozing away – the bushes had hidden them from the group’s arrows, but not from the effects of Soledad’s hex.  A moment after their discovery their spirits had left this world curtesy of the elf’s blade.  Very quickly the rest of those napping followed suit.  All that remained were two bound goblins and some green blood (sure, why not?) needing to be cleaned off of blades. 

As Thaoran wiped his blade and Hornet watched his prisoners, Soledad moved forward to search the bodies.  She cast the spell as a ritual since no threats appeared to remain.  There wasn’t a lot to be found.  For coins the total came to 5 gp. 25 Sp and 40 CP.  Whatever else they had been, they hadn’t been rich.  Beyond that there were several foul smelling wine skins and a collection of short swords and bows.  The most interesting item was probably a lone battle axe – overall it seemed like a very normal weapon, but for an engraving of a tree on the blade and the fact that it was clearly not of goblin make. 

As Dok, Hornet and Steel stood guard while the bodies were searched, Thaoran reached down and picked up a red cap that had come off the head of one of the goblins.  Glancing around he realized that all of the goblins had been wearing the red caps.  One could never be sure what passed for fashion amongst goblins, but red hats were a new one.  Except that they tickled a memory.  Twirling the hat slowly on his finger he could almost hear his father talking about a group of goblins called “red caps.”  He didn’t know much about them because they weren’t from anywhere where he had been.  His momentary excitement quelled as he realized that any link between these goblins and his father’s disappearance was unlikely.  They were from nowhere near his homeland.  But it still raised a question.  He was sure his father had described the red caps as being based far to the south of the Blacktooth Ridge.  If that was true, what were they doing here?  Or were red caps now just a general goblin fashion statement? 

 

General Notes:

Thaoran made a very nice role on history.

9 goblins are dead, 2 are awake and bound and one disappeared down-slope.  The fight is over. 

"Well, these two are bound.  Who speaks goblin and wants to question them?  Not that I would trust a word that spills from a goblin mouth.  I'll keep watch in case the one that got away brings friends."  Hornet loaded another bolt in his crossbow and once more slipped into cover to serve as overwatch for the others.  

“I Speak Goblin,” muttered Dok as he withdrew his knife and advanced purposefully towards the fallen Goblins, making sure that the two live Goblins were aware of what he was doing!

Dok remembered his conversation with the sheriff Aaron von Beddering and quickly reminded his comrades that the sheriff had stated that each Goblin ear was worth 2gp, but that there was no double-dipping, as the Goblin ears must only be the right ears!

The Hill Dwarf Cleric pulled two sacks from his backpack and inserted one inside the other, before he began collecting 9 right ears that were worth 18gp back in Botkinburg.

Once he had finished his sordid business, the Cleric of Helm stood in front of the two remaining live Goblins, shaking the double-lined bags rather vigorously, before speaking to the captives:

“Now That I Have Your Undivided Attention … “ Doc allowed his voice to trail off with a menacing grin as he brandished his green-stained knife by slowly pointing the knife in a slow arc beneath each of the right ears of the captive living Goblins … for added effect as he glared at his hated enemies.

Dok momentarily turned to his companions and asked no one in particular, “Any of You Have Any Burning Questions You Would Like Me to Ask Our Captives?”

"Why have they started raiding recently?  Has something changed that forced them to raid?  Why the red hats?"

As Steel listened as Dok and Hornet talked he wondered what had happened to the goblin that had gotten away from them.

“I think you need question Goblin on where his friend run off too so we go there and kill them before he bring back more.”

Moving closer to the two prisoners he gave them his best smile and started playing with a dagger.

“Or I can just play Stabs and Cuts to see how much pain they can take before I kill them.”

Leaning in close, another scary smile, Steel held the gaze of the lead Goblin prisoner, making sure he was getting his point across.

Thäoran, mind drifting back into his dispairing past, examined the rather filthy red material he held in his hands, his thoughts lingering on his father's words. Raising his head, the elf stepped closer to Dok and their goblin prisoner. Would today finally be the day he would get some clue as to his father's disappearance? He had to hope. Even a glimmer of hope. He needed to believe he was heading in the right direction.
'I, too, have a question I would like to pose to our little friend,' he said to Dok. 'If I may. What significance, if any, do these red caps of yours have? And did a group of you venture close to Tharündil, the elves' homeland in the South? What business did you have there?'

“Now That I Have Your Undivided Attention … “ Doc allowed his voice to trail off with a menacing grin as he brandished his green-stained knife by slowly pointing the knife in a slow arc beneath each of the right ears of the captive living Goblins … for added effect as he glared at his hated enemies.

Dok momentarily turned to his companions and asked no one in particular, “Any of You Have Any Burning Questions You Would Like Me to Ask Our Captives?”

The goblins didn’t look pleased with the cleric’s ministrations.  Still, they didn’t look terrified either.  One of them spat in Dok’s direction. 

Hornet shouted over, “Why have they started raiding recently?  Has something changed that forced them to raid?  Why the red hats?”

Dok listened to his companion and then carefully lifted the goblin’s spittle off of his boot with the dagger and wiped it on the goblins long nose.  Smiling, he translated Hornet’s first question.  The goblin grinned a wicked grin back at the dwarf and said, “We were hungry.  Gottsta have food!”  He seemed to think his words amusing and he chuckled a bit despite his biting bindings. 

Dok looked them both in the eye and started measuring their ears while he followed up with the second question.  “Food!  Good food!  Caravans and fat farmers!”  The goblin smiled slyly, “We could share some in you wish . . .”

Before he could finish Dok threw the third and final question at the other goblin which had remained quiet until this point.  “Hats?  Hats?  We are the Red Caps.  That is our crew.  Many more then us here.  If you were wise you would not threaten us.  But run.  If you release us, we will give you a head start before the rest of the caps come after you.  Everyone in the South knows of the Red Caps.  I saw your companion – the elf over there.  Hah!  Dwarves and elves desperate enough to be together!  That elf knew the Cap.  I saw the fear in his eyes.  We are the Red Caps.”  Dok could hear the capitalization of Red Caps as the goblin spoke.  Clearly he was proud of his tribe and hoped it would be a potent enough threat to earn their release.

At this point Steel leaned in with his blade and added another threat to the mix.  It was hard to tell if the goblins were further intimidated by the blade or not – it was hard to imagine one more dagger making their situation worse.   It seemed the mechanical man itself was more confusing than the blade.  His question about the one who left got a response.

“Course he ran!  Not afraid of metal man and friends.  Just went for more Caps.  The Red Caps will be back.  They will track you all over Ridge or back into Woods.  Think ‘Burg safe?  Not safe.  Poke head out and Caps will get.  Only if we speak for you have chance.  Caps will return.”  The second goblin gave an evil grin and the first goblin spat again, this time on the feet of Steel. 

At this point Thaoran joined the conversation.   'I, too, have a question I would like to pose to our little friend,' he said to Dok. 'If I may. What significance, if any, do these red caps of yours have? And did a group of you venture close to Tharündil, the elves' homeland in the South? What business did you have there?”

The goblins eyed the dirty cap and the second one spoke up again.  “Caps.  Caps point of pride.  I am Red Cap.  All should know it.  You beat a few of us, but nobody beats all Caps.  They warn and they brag, the Caps.  They let you know you are foolish if you try to threaten one who wears a Red Cap!”  Again, all could hear as the goblin spoke the capitalization of Red Caps.  He sneered at Thaoran.  “Tharundil.  Few hear of it.  Only if study those less than Caps.  Someday we take it down.  Stupid elves.  But it not near Capland.  So stupid elves escape so far.  No business there.”  He paused and glanced at Thaoran.  “No business for Red Caps there.”  He paused again and grinned.  “Yet.  Maybe you let us go I keep Caps from elvish barrow.  Maybe. If grovel and pay.”

Dok translated the words where needed as he toyed with his knife and the collected ears. 

As Dok translated the foul little creature's smug and taunting words, Thäoran could feel the heat under his skin start to rise as rage began to smother him, but he knew he needed to, as difficult as it was, to not let the goblin effect him so much, lest his anger get the better of him and clouds his mind. The fiendish little creature thinks the noble and wise race of elves will fall to them? Clearly the goblin's mind had been muddled by whatever foul concoction was in its wineskin.
The elf rased his sword, but then, with effort, lowered it and inhaled deeply through his slender nose, trying his utmost to calm himself. He then pondered the goblin's words. These...Red Caps had no business in Tharündil? Then why had his father been taken by them? If they had no business in the elves' homeland, then why be there at all? The tricky monster was lying. He must be.
He spoke to Dok once more.
'Please ask this filth why, if the Red Caps had no business in the elves' homeland, they were there at all and what do they want of my father whom they took prisoner and hauled him off to parts unknown.'