Run 1: Goblins at the Ford of the Tears

Game Date: 4/3/10

Loshdain, Thaumon 6

The three travellers are walking the North Road, heading towards Keep where they’ve heard there is good work available for caravan guards willing to brave the wilderness.

They’re only a few miles short of the keep when they hear someone screaming for help and see an elderly man tumble down a steep slope north of the road. He’s being pursued by mangy goblin dogs, but the rat-like creatures quickly fall prey to arrow-fire, magic missile, and the efficiency of Varis’ glaive.

The old man introduces himself as Tarlach, a fisherman native to Kendall Keep who was attacked by the goblin dogs while fishing one of his favourite spots. His wounds are quickly healed, but there is an irritated rash spreading across his skin that neither their magic nor conventional healing arts can cure. Tarlach tells them a little about the Keep – the original lord of the area, Macsen, was killed during the Marilnev rebellion during the foundation of the Grand Duchy, leaving the keep under the command of several stubborn retainers who decided to keep the place open. It’s currently ruled by a Castellan, Deverau, but Tarlach believes that the young militia captain, Jadale, will be running thing before too long.

Tarlach’s path is retraced to the fishing hole where he recovers a particularly well-made fishing line and the party discovers several goblin corpses buried in the snow. All three of the goblins were killed before the recent snows, bludgeoned to death by an unarmed force of considerable strength. Tarlach notes that the goblins aren’t usually active this early into spring, one of the reasons he ventured out this far from the keep, and speculates that something is forcing them to move earlier than expected.

The group heads cross-country, following the stream that Tarlach refers to as the Hunter’s Run. They eventually reconnect with the Northern Road at a ford across the stream, encountering a group of goblins merrily looting a merchant’s wagon. Shadareal and Elariah exchange fire with a goblin sniper hiding beneath the wagon while Varis charges in and proves very handy with the glaive. The wagon is searched, unearthing a range of alchemical supplies, a pair of dead horses, and two very dead merchants.

A quick examination reveals that all were dead before the goblins arrived, killed by the same unarmed creature that defeated the goblins back at Tarlach’s fishing hole. Varis blesses the bodies and drags them out of the elements, planning on sending someone from the keep back to claim them, but the group packs the merchants most valuable goods to take with them and return to the proper authorities at the keep.

They arrive at Kendall Keep not long after. They’re briefly questioned by the guardsmen Larl and Charl as they stand at the gate, but Tarlach crossly tells the youths to stop horsing around. The Gatekeeper, Sabine, isn’t so easily dissuaded by the old man. She’s middled-aged, steely, and demands to know what the party’s business is with the keep. After being satisfied of their good nature, Sabine welcomes them and thanks them for helping Tarlach. She also directs them to put any weapons in the town warehouse or peace-bond them while in town. Everyone follows Varis’ lead and houses their weapons.

Sabine then assigns a third guardsman, Wort, to lead them to the merchant’s hall. There they meet with the Guild Butler, Dreeve, who thanks them for returning the goods. He identifies the mark on the goods; they were the wares of a merchant from the trading kingdom of Darokin to the north, part of one of the larger mercantile Trading Families that operate in its capital city. Dreeve informs the party that there is likely to be a reward for their good deed once he contacts the heads of the Trading House. He also recommends dealing with Darokin traders when possible, claiming that they’re tough negotiators but scrupulously fair in their dealings.

From there the party head over to The Green Man Inn and rent a room from the innkeeper, Wilf. They rent a private room – one of the few remaining since there’s a caravan in town whose owner isn’t welcome at the Merchants Guild’s quarters – and Wilf makes some suggestion that he isn’t particularly pleased by the presence of the merchant Golstag and his two vaguely-inhuman guard captains.

The group retires to the Tavern of the One-Eyed Cat, an establishment attached to the Green Man and also run by Wilf and his wife, and plans their next move...