Goblin Hunting North of Amalite

8th of Brynholm, 28 AoR - The adventure was successfully completed by Aezrah, Daisy, Naomi, Spiders, and Xanaster.

Spiders, Aezrah, Xanaster, Daisy, and I (Naomi) set out to take down some goblin bandits who have been harassing and attacking people north of Amalite. Before leaving town, we asked Gomble for some information on how many goblins we might find and what to expect, so he pointed us toward Captain Broomfield, who issued the official bounty. So we found Broomfield in the barracks to the Northwest of town, who told us that there have been increasing numbers of goblin attacks even on the main roads, making it more difficult to track them. He was unsure of how many goblins to expect, but warned us there many be up to several dozen, and that we should be careful. With that information, the five of us set out to leave town to the North. On the way, we all talked and got to know each other better, including an absolutely riveting conversation about coastal living. Xanaster also dazzled us with his incredible story-telling and narrated a bit of the tale of Benny the Dwarf.
As we travelled into the woods and diverged from the path, we heard voices and the sounds of a camp about half a mile from the road. We stealthily spied on the camp, surprised to see a group of three to four dozen Orcs. We briefly debated whether to approach them, and Aezrah decided to walk up to them from the direction of the road and attempt to peacefully call out to them. He wanted to see if they could tell us anything about the goblin bandits, you see. When he waved and called out to them, most of them pointed their weapons at him and yelled that there was an enemy approaching. But their leader calmed them down and introduced himself to Aezrah. His name was Gildorf, and his demeanor was very fair and hospitable. After some conversation (that was perhaps slightly misleading as to the whereabouts of the rest of the party), Gildorf invited us to eat dinner (roasted boar) with them to discuss terms for trading information on goblins. Aezrah came and fetched us, and we had a lovely meal (if a bit gamy) with the "Bronze Tusks" merry band of Orcs. While we ate, Gildorf told us what we could do for him in exchange for some information on goblins. He was looking for a half-brother, a half-orc known as Ralshimar, whom he had been separated from as they journeyed in different directions. Gildorf said he owed Ralshimar his life and wanted to find him again. He was last seen with a scholar and someone descibed as a "seedy wizard," at which point Daisy chimed in. She described a scene of decaying orc and potential half-orc corpses she had seen South of Amalite, though she admitted she couldn't be sure of any of their identities as they were pretty rotted. Gildorf's manner dropped, and I could tell he was worried about his companion. But, for this information and the promise of further information should we learn more, he told us what he knew about the goblins. His party had come upon six goblins a bit north of here, whom they swiftly took care of, but there were likely more since goblin bandits rarely come in groups as small as six. After exchanging information, Gildorf invited us to sleep in their camp for the night, and we accepted. The following morning, before our new Orc companions departed, Gildorf told us that we were welcome to visit if we were ever in Fraed.
After the Orcs left, Daisy and I made a breakfast fit for kings, and we all ate well. Then we set out again, looking for evidence of goblins. As we went, we found the corpses of the goblins the Orcs had killed, and we took all twelve of their ears for the bounty (though I protested a bit since we didn't kill those goblins). A little bit further, and I saw some tracks going eastward into the forest. We followed the tracks up a hill, and though we attempted to be stealthy, I'm sure my loud armor did us no favors. Then, we heard what could only be a wolf and some goblins ahead of us. Hiding behind (and in/on) a tree, we saw a wolf and several goblin bandits at the mouth of a cave. They hadn't spotted us yet, but the wolf must've smelled us, because he approached the tree. He tried to attack Daisy, who was in the tree, but he did not succeed. At this point, the goblins became aware of our presence and moved in to attack as well. As combat ensued, I found a chance to sneak around to the other side of the tree and attack a goblin there who had tried to set the tree ablaze. Without thinking, I smashed his head in with my mace, instantly killing him. I shuddered and felt almost sick to my stomach, having never killed a sentient being before. But I knew what I signed up for, and I rationalized the kill because it prevented that goblin from terrorizing future innocents. My companions started taking out goblins, and we killed the wolves (because of course, there couldn't have been just one) as well. As we began to make our way to the cave, I took a hit from a goblin I had been attacking, and Aezrah was knocked unconscious. Thankfully, Xanaster was able to heal him with a spell, and we all began to go deeper into the cave. In a blind rage, Daisy did a lot of damage to the bandits, but she took quite a bit as well. So, I healed her with one of my spells, though I could tell I did not have much magic left in me after that, so I was very careful with how I used magic from then on. When we were close to the heart of the cave, where the goblins were camping, we heard a pained voice call out to us in Daelish, saying that he was a hostage of the goblins; and they had instructed him to say that if we were to come any further, they would kill him. After some back and forth with the man, we ran in to rescue him, rather than just leave him there to die. Spiders cast a spell that filled much of the room with fog, helping obscure us from our enemies. I ran toward the direction the voice of the hostage had come from, but not before a goblin could stab him and knock him unconscious. When I reached the hostage, I saw a male red dragonborn on the ground with his hands bound. I stabilized him but waited to heal him any further lest I use up the last of my magic, then I pulled him into the fog with me so we were hidden from the goblins. As my party continued to fight (and I continued to miss with my crossbow), Aezrah was knocked unconscious again, and again Xanaster healed him. But then, Xanaster took a blow that knocked him unconscious, and no one else could heal him. I was immediately grateful that I had not yet used the last of my magic, and as soon as I could get to him (at which point there were only one or two goblins left), I healed him as much as I could. Though the dragonborn was still unconscious, he was at least in a stable condition, and I felt relieved that we had been able to come save him. After Daisy took care of the last goblin (poor thing begged for its life, though, now that I think of it, it did try to kill me), we searched the cave for any loot we could find. After opening what must've been a trap, releasing toxic gas into the air, we did eventually find a chest full of money and what appeared to be a healing potion. As we exited the cave, we collected the goblins' ears as proof for the bounty; and for some reason, Daisy collected squares of fabric from the goblins' clothing.
As we headed back toward Amalite, a little battered but alive and carrying more loot than we expected to find, we came upon a single goblin who had escaped. I'm not sure what my companions plan to do to it, but they mentioned questioning it for information. It was pretty wounded, though, so I stabilized it with the little magic I could muster. Around the same time, the dragonborn awoke, a little startled at first, but glad not to be in that cave anymore. I introduced myself, asked if he was all right, and asked for his name. His name was Gerald Cinderskin, and he explained that he had been kidnapped when goblins attacked the party he had been travelling with. For rescuing him, he gave us 20 silver pieces, a very kind offer; and as we walked, he told us about himself. He was a lingusist, looking for a teaching position, which intrigued both Xanaster and I. I have gathered that Xanaster is a very learned man who enjoys growing in more knowledge, so I was not surprised when he asked if Gerald might teach him Draconic. As an intermediate linguist myself, I was pleased to meet someone who knows so many dialects and languages. Twelve, can you believe it! After a long day of fighting and travelling, we finally arrived back in Amalite, where we bid our fairwells to Gerald for the time being, and everyone split the loot and went home to rest and recover for a few days. For my first "real" adventure, I'd say this one went pretty well. I look forward to doing this more.