–Heyday 5th 216 gp (offered 3000 gp for recovery of Orb of Dread. Unsplit loot: 4 gp, 1 ep, 65 cp, 241 lead coins, keg of brandy (80 gp) (6 +1 Arrows, Potion of Invisibility, Scroll of Hold Person and Cure Wounds)).
The next morning, I am on my way into down when I red haired youth I’ve never seen before is suddenly sprinting towards me. I hear Khalid the Trader crying out, “Stop! Thief!” I dive at the kid, but he nimbly slips away, jumping over me as I crash into the ground with a loud thud! The lad’s footsteps echo in my ear as he races towards the gates. He is through them before the guards can even react, as they are used to watching for intruders rather than escapees! Khalid is cursing up a storm, and I realize, this is not going to be a day to get any sort of bargains out of the man. But i must try.
Khalid sells me the two healing potions that he’d purchased from a caravaner, and I sell him the keg of brandy. I then head over to the tavern to see if I can recruit some additional men. Unfortunately, there are none about. Just the usual mix of farmers, traders and watchmen, and paid caravan guards who have no need to risk their necks for a big score.
That evening, Adwin, Kentai and I are at dinner, and the men are boasting of their good fortune. I smile in amusement as Adwin tries to get a card game going with some of the other patrons. Soon, cards are being shuffled and coins are changing hands with every wager and fresh hand dealt.
A slender, fair haired man sits down at my table, and calling the girl over for a couple of drinks, asks, “Your newfound wealth? Your foes? What’d you have to kill to get it? Dragon slayers are ya?” he kind of smirks with a strange glint in his eyes.
I look him over. He’s the sort of snide mocker who always seeks to tell you the way he would have done better. Fought better, been braver, been wiser, and so forth. “Goblins, and an ogre. You any good with a sword?” I ask, getting to the point. I don’t need to like a man to hire him.
“Yeah, goblins.” he kind of snickers, “I thought it must have been something fiercer from the coin your friend is throwing around. I’ve fought stronger, hobgoblins, bugbears, in the war you know!” I look him over again, perhaps I missed something. He’s certainly old enough, a decade older than me perhaps.
“Well, if that’s the case, perhaps you should join us. I could use a good sword who can show us how it’s done,” I offer. He laughs, and then considers for a moment, offering that it all depends on what I’ll pay him. I change up my offer, “One share for each man and two crowns per day as wages, a double share for me as captain…since I am paying wages and supplies.”
“Well, supply the weapons and armor, I’ll supply the arm and the courage.” he sneers.
Just then, Helmod enters the tavern. I see him and Adwin exchange icy looks as the sellsword approaches my table, “Berick, sign me back up. Wellan told me what happened. I should have had his back, and I want my revenge…and my chance to make it rich!”
I look over at Adwin, who is shaking his head No, but I tell him yes anyway. I need the men. “We set off after we pick up some supplies in the morning.
–Heyday 6th 156 gp
I draw the money from the bank, and purchase supplies for Feran, and for Helmod, having lost gear when Tasset ran off with Ralphye and Fennilor. I’ve no money to hire anymore, and am eager to return to the caves before the enemy can fully regroup. Though that might be a forlorn hope! We spend the rest of the day marching back towards the cave. I want to wait for Wellan, and he does seem to be recovering well, but the battle goes to the swift.
The journey is an easy one, the route familiar, and even the camp site now well used to us. And even the night passes without note.
–Heyday 7th 148 gp
We arrive at the ravine, and things are just as quiet as before. “Ogre cave”, I suggest, and my men follow me forward. “Adwin, you, Feran and Kentai take the goblin entrance. Helmod and I will take the ogre entrance. Try to pinch any new guards. Stay sharp and listen carefully!” Adwin nods, though it is clear that he and Feran are both eager for battle. But so is Helmod, these are men of action!
Entering the Ogre cave, I pause, hearing nothing. Then in the light of my torch, i notice a tripwire, and see there is a net stretched overhead. “Step lightly!” I warn, and Helmod and I easily bypass the trap. “Someone is taking precautions.”
I notice that the skins have all been taken, as has the firewood. Someone has fully plundered the place. My guess would be goblins or some other inhabitant of the caves, given the rotten condition of the animal skins.
I head over towards the secret door, and find it is properly closed now. Whether I can push it into the goblin caves has yet to be seen!
Listening intently, I hear the sound of goblin voices. I put my hand on what appears to be the lever to open it, and wait for the sound of an alarm…some indication that Adwin is in position.
Then we hear the yelling, and we burst through the door behind one group of guards, while Adwin’s team hits the others. The fighting is fast and vicious, and I see Kentai go down in the thick of it with multiple wounds. Hobgoblins are leading the goblin guards, and they are relentless, and heavily armored! It seems to take an eternity before the first of them goes down and Adwin is free to tend to Kentai. But the wounds are too numerous and he yells out that he cannot staunch the bleeding. He works frantically while the rest of us try to deal with the hobgoblins. Then two more fall, and Helmod can come to Adwin’s aid. Though the men hate each other, Adwin steps aside to let his rival take over. As we finish our foes, Helmod reports that the bleeding is under control.
“Alright then, you keep watch over him in the ogre’s cave, while Feran, Adwin and I push forward.” Helmod nods in agreement. Feran is searching the bodies already and tosses several small pouches of coins into a larger sack for our plunder.
We then investigate a few side tunnels. The stone here is simiilar to what we saw in Quasquaton, black with red veins…something unique to the area, or unique to the whatever vile force resides here? One can see in the walls, the gouge marks of ancient picks that dug these stone passages. Was their some sort of valuable ore here? Or perhaps, this was to be a storage area for a great wooden city build over the entire ravine? I ask Adwin if elves once inhabited this area, but he says he’d never heard of that. Dwarves once lived in High Hollow, and Halflings are common west of Kleinhold, but he’s never heard of elves in the Whispering Woods. When I explain why I asked, he laughs, “Elves don’t dig! I’d bet it was gnomes!”
“Like the ones at Quasquaton? Perhaps,” I muse.
As we continue our search, we hear voices up ahead, goblin voices, but higher pitched than normal warriors. A wicked grin spreads across Feran’s face, “This will be easy,” he mutters darkly.
“Hold up!” I warn Feran, and nod of Adwin to go forward, following closely behind.
There is an audible gasp, as we step into a cluttered room filled with goblin women and whelps. The females look at is with fear in their eyes, while a couple of the children start to cry. One of the older boys grabs a stick, jumping up on an overturned bucket, he yells out, “I’m not afraid of you!” brandishing it like a blade. A wench grabs him, and covers his mouth, watching us warily.
Feran walks in, lazily twirling his blade, “Best time to kill a weed is before it takes root!” and he starts to push past me.
“Stand down, soldier,” I warn.
In goblin, I demand to know how many warriors the tribe has, how many hobgoblins, and if there is a sealed cave nearby, or perhaps an old altar. (My intimidation roll is poor). Instead of answering, the women curl up pushing the children back against the wall behind them, cowering, whimpering in fear.
“Leave them be,” I tell Feran. Adwin nods in agreement, saying there is no glory in killing women and children.
Feran snorts derisively, “Suit yourselves. You’ll just have to kill the lads later when they are killing and raping your wives and kids”
He’s not entirely wrong, since we can’t herd them back to the heartlands where they might be broken of their base instincts and devotion to their dark gods, but a good ends does not justify a vile deed.
“Flee this place,” I warn the women, as I look down a long hallway and see a door at its end. “What’s beyond the door?”
The women are silent, watching…
Adwin and I step down the hall, Feran lingers, watching the women behind us.
As we reach the door, I glance back to see the goblin women staring at us, eager looks in their eyes. A couple of the children seem to be giggling almost. “Champion?” I whisper to Adwin. He nods. I kick the door open, throwing it open full force and slamming against the wall like thunder! A large, fat goblin, scarred from battles long past, looks up in rage, as two goblin women slink away from his bed. There stout looking (for goblins) warriors, rise from where they sit with their food and women, grabbing weapons and shields while my companions and I surge into the room.
The fighting is fierce and the goblin chieftain and his bodyguards quickly surround us, while his two women grab bows and shoot at us over the heads of the warriors. The other three goblin women cower in fear, as one might expect. Adwin bears the brunt of the enemy’s rage, as he is at the center of our formation. When he goes down, there is nothing Feran or I can do as we are still pressed from all sides!
But the discipline of soldiers wins wars, and though his women die trying to protect him, the chief is soon kneeling before my blade and begging for his life. “Treasures I give you! Secrets I say!” he pleads, trembling in fear.
“Feran, check on Adwin.” I command.
Feran kneels down, starting to pull bandages from his pouch, and then stops. “He’s gone, Captain. Throat’s cut.”
I glance back, the large pool of blood tells the tale. I turn my attention to the goblin. “The sealed cave? The altar of Null? The sphere of dread? Where can I find these things?”
“The black altar you seek? Guarded by the dead? And the priests of Null? It is in the highest cave!” He cackles, “You need an army! They have an army! All of my warriors, and my ogre! They take them as offerings, and raise them up once more!” He points at Adwin, “Your friend too! All will serve! If not in this life, then for eternity!”
Rage boils within me, and I cut him down. Feran laughs, “Well, seems you don’t mind killing helpless foes after all.” I glare at him. “Take these women back to the others.
I check on Adwin, who I nursed through illness on the road to Estkap, and who has been a stalwart companion through many fights. “Glory is yours! It was not courage or a noble heart that you lacked.” I draw his eyes down. Then turn to the business of searching the room.
If collect the purses of the fallen enemy, a silver coup, an engraved pewter bowl, and from inside a secret panel within a long padded bench, I find a carefully folded tapestry woven with gold and silver threads. I don’t unroll it, but instead carry it out to the room where Feran is watching the captives. “You two!” I point at two of the goblin women, “you carry this.” I hand them the tapestry. “Don’t let it get dirty, or I’ll let Feran kill you.” Then I gesture to four more, “You four, you’ll carry my companion,” and I have them wrap Adwin in his cloak, and carry him after us. We then team up with the rest of our men and start on our way back to the camp, the goblin women and children following behind.
I put Helmod in charge of guarding them, while I lead the way and Feran helps Kentai walk.
We soon reach our camp, and rig up a litter to carry Kentai. I let the goblins carry Adwin, though I transfer his armor, weapons and wealth to the litter lest anything be lost. I put his signet ring in my pouch, to take back to his family in Kleinhold.
The walk back to the keep is a long one, and I am lost in thought. Adwin was my first companion, eager to “earn his spurs” and prove his worth to his family, as eager as I was to seek a fortune for mine. I’ll miss his laughter and reckless joy. He was a good man who always had my back in a fight. He’ll be missed.
We reach the keep shortly after nightfall. The Corporal at Watch sends a detail the escort the goblin captives to holding cells in the donjon. They’ll undoubtedly be hauled off by caravan in a few weeks, to be sold off as farm labor, or into distant mines. They won’t starve to death, and with luck, they’ll strengthen our kingdom, rather than remaining a blighted threat to its people!
We take Kentai to the chapel where he joins Wellan in the infirmary. Adwin’s remains are prepared for burial. Brother Xyneg, and Dwarner, the acolyte who tends the infirmary, both attend Adwin’s remains.
“Berick,” the Curate asks, “are we to bury him here or send him back to his family?” I shrug my shoulders, unsure, “They disowned him. Forced him to give up any claims to title or inheritance. Cut him off entirely, so that he was forced to support himself by his sword, and by his share of Mearick’s smithy. I’d say he should be buried here.” Brother Xyeg nods, and says that he will speak to Lord Marisol about placing him in the Donjon’s crypt, as befits a man of noble birth, even one who’s been disowned. I thank the curate, and taking Adwin’s keys, go to the man’s apartment, carrying his arms and armor, to look for suitable clothing for the funeral.
I look over the well appointed room Adwin was renting. Far more comfortable than my mere bunk, but far from what he must have been used to growing up. I find clothing suitable for a feast, a small chest of coins, not much wealth given his station, but an unexpected reserve given his luck with cards! I laugh. There is no will, no papers indicating his properties or investments. Perhaps at the bank? I take the clothes back to the temple, and then retire for the night.
–Heyday 8th 207 gp
The next morning, there is a magnificent funeral for my friend Adwin. The heady smell of myrrh fills the air, and the curate commits Adwin’s soul into the arms of his ancestors under the patronage of the house of warriors. From the chapel, I and a few mourners, including Bumbo the tavern keeper, and Merick of Faedell, are allowed to accompany his remains into his lordship’s crypt. There I bid my friend his final farewell.
Afterwards, Lord Mariso informs me that Squire Adwin had named me as his heir, following being disowned by his family. The apartment where he was living is now mine, for Adwin had actually purchased it from his lordship. There are no deeds proving his ownership of any caravans, but arms and armor, and any coin, that is to be mine as well. Merick offers up the papers that declared Adwin half owner of the smithy, but I tear them up and say, “Perhaps Adwin wouldn’t have done this, but you were a good friend to us, better if you keep the fruits of your labor than splitting them with me.” Merick grins widely and thanks me for that gift.
That afternoon, I sell the tapestry to Khalid, it depicted a beautiful pastoral scene at sunset. I don’t want anything to do with it now. I then give Helmod, Kentai and Feran their shares of our plunder. I’ve never seen a happier man wounded and in bed than Kentai when i handed him two pounds of gold coin! “From galley slave to galley owner at this rate!” he laughs, then starts to cough for his ribs ache so badly.
I move my meager possessions, from my home with the woodcutters into Adwins apartment. That pretty much consisted of taking my extra blanket and change of clothes from my cot there and putting them inside an embarrassingly empty chest at the foot of a comfortable feathered bed.
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