Just keep Busy

Much of this adventuring life is about keeping busy. Busy means coin, coin means better gear, better gear means better jobs and more coin. We are all new to these happenings. I am guessing my past gives me an edge on the experience ruler. After completing our first side quest, we decide to continue w1th the main mission and maybe complete a side quest.
 
Our two goals are to
 
1: Retrieve lives stock and return to the farmer who lost it.
2: Find the lost supplies and the guild member who is missing.
 
Our first night camping, on my watch, I experience a disturbing event. I cannot tell if it was fatigue, a spirit or someone with powerful illusionary magic. While on watch, I saw..... I saw Isalea Rockford. This alone wouldn't be worrisome, except for the fact that I killed her years ag0, along her parents, her siblings and her grandparent's for assassinating my father, before I was forced to leave Entemoch Boon. Who would know about her up here, and if this is her spirit, and I being followed by my past somehow?
 
It appears she wants me to follow. I am not falling for that divide and conquer tactic! They attacked my family once before, never again, I made sure of that! In the morning, I share with the party the even in general terms. They seem defensive, but I reiterate, this is just a report for you to keep on your guard and to not be drawn away from the party. We break camp and continue on our way.
 
On our way, we discover a group of kobolds with some livestock. What makes this situation odd is how they are just waiting in an area somewhat secluded. We approach and Westing trying to converse with them.
 
Kobolds pretty much present on one of two ways. Either they swarm you and defeat you by death thousand paper cuts, or they serve a greater master, usually a Dragon or dragonkin.
 
There were only 6 here. This has me worried. I keep looking to the sky. Expecting a powerful enemy, I move to a position that provide cover from above. The other thing that disturbs me is there complete over confidence.
.
My dad once told me, "Confidence is the tool of the skilled. Over confidence is the tool of a fool." We are in for a rude surprise. Combat begins. Drawing my crossbow, I shoot a kobold who was standing on a hill with the advantage of height. He falls off the hill to his death. We easily handle the first 3 kobolds, but they still laugh at us as they make a high-pitched shrill sound. Crap!!! They are calling their patron. I, glad I positioned under cover! We drop two more when as I expect, what appears to be a dragon approaches. We are fucked! The final kobold begins to laugh at all of us. As the wurm approaches, I notice the tail has a stinger. WOOT! it isn't a dragon! It is just a Wyvern. I pause and genuflect, when has a party been happy to see a wyvern of all things? The iron y isn't lost on me. That being said, we are GROSSLY!!!!!! overmatched.
 
As the wurm descends, Westin makes a brave stand preparing to receive the onslaught. At that moment, another party intervenes and engages the wyvern. One of them literally grabs the wurm by the tail and holds it to the ground. That leader turns to us and says, RUN YOU FOOLS! The rest of our party turns to retreat. The last kobold is pointing and laughing at the sight. I am not going to allow this thing the pleasure of watching its patron defeat the rest of the party. I snap a crossbow shot off. As the kobold is laughing, the bolt pierces its right through the ears. His eyes grow large; he turns to look at me. I give a quick middle finger, fuck you salute, and he falls to the ground. The fool apparently fell victim of his tool. I call out to our benefactors, "The last kobold is dead, you can focus on the wyvern" and I join the group.
 
Our benefactors defeat the wurm. Westin asks who they are and they laugh at us. We do not have a group name; the Guild was just messing with you, you do not need a party name. We are members of the Guild, and this wyvern was a quest. Westin requests that we return the livestock as that is our quest. They agree and wish us well.
 
We return the livestock and continue to head south to Phandalin in hopes to discover where the missing supplies are and the missing guild member. We travel down the road for a day or so, and we come across a group of goblins looting commoners. I immediately stealth and make my way up to the embankment expecting combat. Aelar begins to pay them for our passage. I am dumbfounded. I get Aelars strategy, it is typical of a rogue to pay for quiet passage, but the only experience I have had with Paladins has been Justice and Law. Here, we have a scene where Goblins have massacred commoners and are looting the bodies, and the Paladin is completely ignoring the crimes, furthermore, he is watching a party member compensating them for our passage! I wonder what fealty he serves, "Each to his Own"?
 
We come to a fork in the road. Aelar asks me to scout ahead. It seems he has chosen my skill set for observation above Ahis own, or he is just playing it safe by asking me to take the risk. I need to build confidence and trust in not only Westin, but this group and the Guild. If they indeed know my past, this will be tough to overcome. Killing 22 men, women, children and elderly can negatively color people's opinion of you, even if it was a retalitory strike. I discover 3 traps along the path, but they are not tripped. They seem to be unset, nit tripped I look back to the group surmising that the goblins live around here. They disarmed the traps to come through to raid wagons and then reset them when they return. I try and signal silently, but I just get dumb looks, even from Aelar and he is a rogue!!!!!! How the hell does he communicate when silent?
 
My suspicions are confirmed when I find a cave. I return to Westin, report my findings and suggest we kill these goblins. We don't want to be attacked from behind. The party agrees. Aelar and I take up stealthed positions. The fight goes well. In fact, Westin laments that Aelar and I kill our opponents so fast, he cannot even get into combat. I wondered if this complaint would continue in the future when he gets his ass kicked. I wonder if Westin knows what tool he is wielding right now?
 
We get ambushed at the entrance because of my ineptitude. Damnit, I got complacent. That was my fault for wielding Over Confidence. At least if was not a difficult fight, but one goblin was definitely stronger than the others, but he died just as well. Can't be lackadaisical, other lives depend on me. We drop a couple of wolves as we enter. Aelar sees a cubby on the ledge. He climbs to use the elevation as an advantage. Just one thing, there was a snake in there and he didn't check. The snake's maw engulfed his face. Aelar dropped from the ledge. Westin immediately applied his Paladin healing saving Aelar from deaths door. Aster also applied some healing skill. Lesson learned. We learned a lot over these days. My father's words of wisdom echo in my mind.
 
We enter the next chamber; it appears to be a family chamber. Aelar speaks with them. They tell us their boss is waiting for us. I'm stealthed just in case. The rest enter the cavern where the boss is. Klarg is his name. Aelar and Westin negotiate a partnership. Again, I am dumbfounded. They have a prisoner, and we end up buying their prisoner for 22 gold. What kind of Paladin is Westin? Buying prisoners? The prisoner is beaten, bloodied and unconscious. We leave unharmed with who we think is the missing guild member.
 
We retrieve our wagon, but I notice things out of place. Footprints, not ours, around the wagon, and two potions in the back. We look around, but we see nothing. Westin suggests we take our leave while the getting is good. We find a camp and revive the prisoner we bought. It is the missing guild member. He reimburses us the gold that literally saved his life. He remains with us, as we head to Phandalin.
 
As we arrive, I look back over the last few days. Probably learned more on this trip then on any other adventure I have participated in. But I have no peace. I cannot relax; my past haunts me. I need peace. I check Phandalin, there is a Monastery. I stand at its gates and just stare. A monk approaches me,. "Can I help you my child?"
 
Maybe, just maybe, I can find peace........