Operation: Graystone #26

[GM Mad]

Operation: Graystone #26

April 15th, CR 569

The fighting around the enemy caravan grows more intense as the two groups converge on each other. Erisciana targets the archers on top the next to last wagon with a Hold Person spell. The magic is partially successful as one of the two archers freezes up while the other looks around very confused.

Seeing the freed ogre from wagon 6 closing in on Kaylessa, Gerett, Vardra, Vernar and Sann rush to defend their comrade. Vernar reaches the ogre first and drives his shortsword into the hulking brute. Vardra comes and finishes the ogre off with his bastard sword.

However, more of the enemy continues to advance down the right-hand side of the caravan. Two more ogres rush in, one takes a swing at Vardra but misses the private. Vernar and Vardra both engage this ogre (O14), wounding it, but leaving it very much alive.

The other ogre (O16) charges towards Gerett and Sann. Already having his halberd in hand, Gerett sets the butt of the weapon into the ground, holding the point towards the rapidly advancing ogre. The simple-minded beast impales himself, the halberd erupting through his back. The ogre is barely alive and Sann quickly takes care of that.

The hobgoblins advance in behind the ogres. One spots Kaylessa and fires an arrow into her for minor damage. In response Kaylessa drills two arrows into the hobgoblin slaying it. The other hobgoblins spot the elf and rain arrows down on their hated enemy. Kaylessa ducks for cover behind the boulder to avoid being struck.

In the nearby forest, Sorvani and Wimzy advance a little more. Sorvani tries to shoot the hobgoblin behind the one Kaylessa just killed, but misses with his arrows.


On the left side of the caravan, an ogre (O11) is bearing down on Flare. The ten-foot tall beast takes a wild swing at the archer but misses. Flare tries to fire a pair of arrows back at the ogre, but is so rattled that they just miss even at this close range. One of the hobgoblin (HG21) a bit further behind draws a bead on Flare and connects with an arrow, wounding him.

Before anything else can happen, Erisciana casts a Improved Phantasmal Force spell. In response a small army of dwarves appear on the edge of the forest and into the rocky area! The enemy forces are stunned by this and move to attack the dwarves while the hobgoblins fire their arrows at this new target.

Kendell rushes up and gets on good hit on the ogre chasing Flare, wounding it. Butternut adds a crossbow bolt, but it is not enough to down this menace. Lucyus follows Kendell in and his axe settles the issue.

Ren lights one of his containers of Alchemist fire with a short fuse and throws at a pair of nearby ogres. The missile explodes on contact, showering fiery liquid onto the two ogres! The fire does not kill them, but they sure are very angry now!

Behind everyone, Laurel has made her way to the next group of sleeping hobgoblins and starts to make it a permanent condition.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

Everyone is now in the same combat round.

Hit Points:

Butternut – 18 of 21
Erisciana – 17 of 19
Flare – 20 of 25
Kaylessa – 12 of 14
Kendell – 35 of 41
Wimzy – 12 of 14

Here's the combat map:

graystone051.jpg (234.84 KiB) Viewed 11028 times

The yellow I had been using for defeated enemies did not show up very well in the rocky area, so those foes are the light blue in color. Enemies in white or red are active. Those who are yellow or blue have been defeated. The magenta wall is the area of the Improved Phantasmal Force spell.

I shrunk the map enough to make it just 1 graphic. The last wagon, W10, is off the top of the map. There are two archers on top of it.

Now what?

[Lucyus]

Lucyus

Kendell rushes up and gets on good hit on the ogre chasing Flare, wounding it. Butternut adds a crossbow bolt, but it is not enough to down this menace. Lucyus follows Kendell in and his axe settles the issue.

Lucyus looks down momentarily at the ogre's body then to the ranger. “We might find some grog, when this is over. If you can stomach it,” he says with mirth in his blue eyes as he looks back to see a force of dwarves. The Hobgoblin and Ogres seem scared and turn to face the new threat.

“Hit them with everything you got while they are distracted!” The Paladin cleric calls out as he turns and sees Erisciana by herself, an Ogre not far from her. Taking a deep breath he moves to O-13 with axe and shield in hand!

[Gerett]

The team assigned to Gerett worked with as much efficiency as he could possibly expect. He was glad to see they could work in conjunction while still operating independently. The situation was changing too quickly to expect every decision to be preceded by an order--and the others were in sync with him and the overall team on what needed to be done.

With a barrage of ranged attacks, Flare, Kaylessa, Vardra, and Gerett brought down an ogre before it could reach them. Sann wisely stayed in cover while waiting for the enemy to close rather than trying to rush forward with his axe. The line began to form up around him, all the while the party pelted the enemy with ranged fire to reduce their numerical advantage.

They could only bombard the enemy so long, however, and the remaining enemy began to advance. Vardra perceived an ogre moving toward Kaylessa and charged it to intercept. With Sann and Vernar nearby Gerett was not concerned--it was necessary to deploy a little wider. Anything attacking him would get flanked by the other dwarves and brought down quickly.

For a moment Gerett had flashbacks to his last posting, with two other dwarves fighting alongside him. The irony would only increase, as suddenly a flanking army of dwarves appeared from the woods. Must be why the lady was sizing me up so, he thought wryly to himself. Gerett was no actor, but he couldn't resist getting swept up in the show.

In Dwarvish Gerett yelled to his "brothers": "Forward, warriors of the stone! Wipe this green stain off our earth!"

Even as he spoke, he dropped his crossbow to its sling and lifted his halberd. The enemy was getting close--but perhaps with the "flanking maneuver" the goblins would think he was readying for a charge rather than switching to melee out of necessity. In any case, he got out his halberd just in time, planting it in the same moment as a lumbering brute leapt right onto it. Sann ended the creature's life as Gerett extracted his weapon.

For now it looked like the left side needed more help than his current position, but he knew Lucyus and Kendall could handle themselves, especially with an army of dwarves beside him! Instead, he turned to flank the nearest ogre (O-14) and help Vardra bring it down so they could start to shift their focus to Hobgoblins.

[Erisciana]

Erisciana, priestess of Ishtar -

Lucyus and Kendall had just reduced the number of enemy ogres to six. Ren had dropped the six hobgoblins with his Sleep spell. The enemy was falling fast. The archers might still cause some trouble for them so the priestess of Ishtar did what she could to counter them. Unfortunately the Hold spell only affected one archer, but his partner was delayed and confused enough that he paused in firing. "That is acceptable," the priestess says to herself, making a satisfied face.

The plan had been working to beyond perfection. Local superiority was a tactic she had studied under her mentor. It served her well in struggles against those raucous pirates on the Savage Coast and it worked here as well. The members of this team also performed magnificently. With some truly remarkable blade strikes and archery, the enemy was falling like wheat to a scythe at harvest.

As Erisci moved towards Lucyus, the paladin caught her words about Flare being isolated and he and Kendall rushed over that way. “Not for long, " the paladin calls back. “Kendell, let us see to the next Ogre!” Vernar and Vardra intercept one ugly brute moving towards Kaylessa. Their strikes leave five ogres remaining. Lucyus and Kendall strike down their newest foe; four.

Erisciana stops in the midst of the chaos. The enemy was crashing like a wave upon the stone breakwall back home. She decides to switch to the left side again as their are more of the group to the right. Turning her attention back that way, she casts her Phantasm spell and a small army of dwarves appears in the rocks and trees further up along the caravan. Seeing the hobgoblins react in surprise and alarm brings a smile to the priestess' beautiful features and she waits a brief second to see the results of her diversion. Gerett gets in on the deception, cheering on the new "arrivals" with some dwarven encouragement.

Nearby another ogre charges and Gerett takes the charge on his polearm. He and Sann the historian finish it off leaving only three ogres. A nearby explosion of fire wounds two of the remaining brutes. There is not much left to this fight.

She concentrates for a moment on the illusion, causing a few of the dwarves to fall to the attacks of the hobgoblins, with more rising up from the rocks and trees. Satisfied that it will keep some of the hobgoblins attention diverted, she will raise her fist in the air and shout, "To Victory!" Moving slightly she will try to use wagon seven as cover from the archers, which still gives her a view of the battle on the left. If either of the two ogres survives the coming attacks from Kendall and Lucyus and the ranged attackers, she will hit it with her remaining Magickal Missile spell. Otherwise, direct it at one of the hobgoblins (HG21 or 25).

[Vardra]

Vardra Marcus, PFC:

Though he charges toward the ogre advancing toward Kaylessa's position, Vernar beats him there and carves a bloody furrow in the beast's leg. With the ogre distracted, Vardra chops down into its chest and the beast drops like a stone. "Thanks for setting him up, Vernar," he says. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees another fall before Gerett and Sann. These dwarves truly are fearsome warriors.

Before he can say much more, another ogre steps up and takes a swipe at him. Ducking, Vardra pivots and steps forward to confront the oversized creature. He hears a noise that sounds like a bunch of dwarves shouting coming from the other side of the wagon train. 'Where on earth did they come from?' he wonders. 'Hope they're on our side...' Trying not to let himself get too distracted, he steps over the dead ogre at his feet and brings his sword in a whistling arc toward the live one.

[Kaylessa]

Kaylessa

The hobgoblins advance in behind the ogres. One spots Kaylessa and fires an arrow into her for minor damage. In response Kaylessa drills two arrows into the hobgoblin slaying it. The other hobgoblins spot the elf and rain arrows down on their hated enemy. Kaylessa ducks for cover behind the boulder to avoid being struck.

A whistling sound is heard then the sharpness of metal rakes her arm causing a stinging sensation. She looks down at her arm and see the crimson color of her blood begin to saturate her upper sleeve where a gash now resides in the fabric.
Knocking an arrow she finds the culprit and aims an arrow then another into the hobgoblin. The Hobgoblin’s lifeless body falls from sight as other Hobgoblins see her and begin to train their bows upon her. Diving behind cover, she hears the thwack of arrows against stone.
Getting up she surveys her surroundings and sees HG 26. Kaylessa will wheel to the right behind the boulder to her right and target him. If he does not have a clear shot she will go into the woods and take aim at HG 26

[Butternut]

Butternut:

As she advances through the woods, an ogre gets close enough to Flare to swing at him! The archer ducks, managing to evade the brute, but his aim is off and he misses his return shots - which he blames on his sobriety! Butternut just shakes her head, glad that the ogre missed, then winces when a hobgoblin arrow arrow catches him unexpectedly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Butternut notes Erisciana casting a spell. At the end of it, a band of dwarven warriors appears along the edge of the road just ahead. A number of the enemy turn to battle this new threat, which Butternut suspects are illusory.

Kendell and her crossbow bolt connect with the ogre, but it is Lucyus' axe that finally brings it down. A pair of ogres a little further down receive a fiery greeting from Ren and one of the purloined vials of Alchemist's Fire. "Good throw, Ren," she calls to the gnome.

Seeing the nearest ogre die, Butternut moves up behind Kendall. From this position, she can clearly see that there are a number of hobgoblins nearby that are still active. She quickly estimates the distance to the furthest one, as well as how close they are together, and decides to add her magic into the mix. Setting down her crossbow and pulling a live cricket that she had caught earlier in the day from her belt pouch, Butternut utters a series of arcane words of power while gesturing with her free hand. She then crushes the cricket and blows the resulting enchanted powder toward a spot midway between the hobgoblins.

_________________________________________________________________________
Sleep centered between hobgoblins 21 and 24, with the intent to catch #s 23, 25, and 29 as well.

[Vernar]

Vernar -

Though he charges toward the ogre advancing toward Kaylessa's position, Vernar beats him there and carves a bloody furrow in the beast's leg. With the ogre distracted, Vardra chops down into its chest and the beast drops like a stone. "Thanks for setting him up, Vernar," he says.

Something that resembles a "Ha!" escapes from Vernar's lips in response. The dwarf glances quickly over his shoulder and sees Kaylessa lining up the hobgoblins to his right. One drops from her arrows. Trusting in the elf to finish off the other before it flanks him, he grins over at Vardra and the lumbering ogre moving up.

"Shall we?" he asks, and then leaps towards it without awaiting a response. He will use axe and sword against the ogre (#14).

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

The attack on the enemy caravan continues. All the ogres have been freed and they are rushing to attack backed by the hobgoblin drivers. More hobgoblin archers are on top of the last three wagons. The majority of the enemies attention is drawn to the illusionary forces of dwarves that Erisciana conjured into existence. In response to the enemy attacks some of the dwarves fall from hobgoblin arrows.

Butternut moves closer and casts a Sleep spell among the five goblins on the left side of the caravan. In response to the spell, three of the enemy slump to the ground! Only one on the ground and one archer in that area were unaffected by the magic.

Lucyus advances on one of the two ogres that Ren just hit with the Alchemists fire. That fire still burns a little in the area, but will soon fade out and can be avoided. The paladin strikes with his battle axe slaying the ogre (O13).

Flare gathers his wits and focuses on one of the hobgoblin archers unaffected by the sleep spell. Botj of his shafts hit, slaying the enemy (HG23). Kendell joins Lucyus and engages the other singed ogre. His longsword bites deep and the ogre (O15) drops.

Erisciana relaxes her control of her illusionary dwarves as the number of enemy reaches only a few. Steeping out from behind wagon 7, she sets her sights on the remaining hobgoblin drivers, the other one who wasn't affected by Butternut's Sleep spell. Casting Magic Missile, her twin enchanted missiles end the hobgoblin's (HG25) life.

Ren sprints forward, running behind the illusionary dwarves, moving towards the last of the wagons.


On the right hand side of the caravan, Vernar drives his shortsword into the last ogre. Having already been wounded, this blow is enough to finish it off (O14).

With all the ogres down, Sann dashes ahead and cleaves one of the hobgoblins (HG30) on the ground, slaying it. Vardra advances as well and the other hobgoblin in the area (HG26) is slain.

The only targets that remain are the archers on top of the last two wagons. Gerett and Kaylessa move to get better lines of fire. Gerett drives a crossbow bolt into one of the archers and Kaylessa finishes him (HG28) off with an arrow.

Sorvani advances through the woods and fires his shortbow once more. He connects this time and another hobgoblin archer (HG30) falls.

By now all that remains of the enemy forces is one archer on top of the last wagon. Kaylessa wounds him with an arrow and Flare finishes him off with another (HG29). Suddenly, the battle is over! The enemy has been defeated!

Malfamata comes trotting up from the underbrush. “The area is clear,” the cat meows to Laurel as he continues to end sleeping hobgoblins. “No other gobs in the area.”

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

The battle is over, the enemy defeated! The very first wagon continues to burn and smoke rises up from it. Time wise, its mid-afternoon. There should be 3-4 more hours of daylight left in the day. Best guess puts you about a 30 minute ride away from the old dwarven lair.

Hit Points:

Butternut – 18 of 21
Erisciana – 17 of 19
Flare – 20 of 25
Kaylessa – 12 of 14
Kendell – 35 of 41
Wimzy – 12 of 14

In the process of making this post, I did update the combat map as the fight progressed. I'm posting it as I put so much time into it and already had it numbered. Key is the same as the previous maps.

graystone052.jpg (196.46 KiB) Viewed 10959 times

Now what?

[Erisciana]

Erisciana, priestess of Ishtar -

The early part of the battle seemed to go slowly, as time stood still. The immensity of the task weighed on them all. Now as enemy fell before their combined might, it all ended very quickly. The ogres having been wounded fell first, then the remaining hobgoblins dropped one by one, after being thinned further by Butternut's Sleep sorcery.

Just like that it was over. We won! The priestess made a satisfied face and looked appreciatively toward the comrades that were nearby. "Not many among us thought we could carry the day to this extent, I would wager," she said smiling widely. The phantasmal dwarves were still carrying on their imaginary fight. While effective at the time, it was almost comical now. They would dissipate in another moment more.

Erisciana will climb up onto the wagon she is nearby and address the group. "Well done!" she will say in her most projected voice. "We have delivered a mighty blow to Hextor and his vile minions this day and you are all to be commended! We have been blessed with great success!" Looking around, no one seems to be terribly wounded so it is time to get on with tasks.

"Vernar, set up a couple ranged scouts atop the final wagon to cover the road from where the caravan came and then have your group start checking the wagon contents, starting from the back. Laurel could use a little help to finish off the sleeping hobgoblins. Gerett and Lucyus, organize the rest to start checking the wagons working from the front. And clear off any dead hobgoblins from the wagons and roadway. Flare and Kendall, come with me to retrieve our mounts. I don't want to tarry here too long. If the goblins see the smoke from the fire, they may send some to investigate. We're looking for food firstly. We'll have to make decisions on what we can take with us and what we need to destroy."

Flare, Kendall and her will jog briskly back to where the horses and mules were all kept. On the way, the priestess will ask the large warrior with the country background. "Do you think we will be able to hitch the horses to any of the wagons? The more we could move the better it would be. I would hate to destroy most everything there."

Leading that many mounts back with three people is slower going than the jog to them. Upon returning to the site of the ambush, Erisci will see how everyone is coming along and what "treasures" we may have captured.

[Vernar]

Vernar -

On the right hand side of the caravan, Vernar drives his shortsword into the last ogre. Having already been wounded, this blow is enough to finish it off.

The sounds of battle slowly grow softer, then fade completely. Only a few dying gasps from the hobgoblins remains as Vernar pulls his blade free, the thick ogre blood slow to fall from it. Looking around, he sees the carnage and quickly counts heads to make sure none of his companions fell to the enemy. Soon, Erisciana's voice rises over the area from her elevated position.

Erisciana will climb up onto the wagon she is nearby and address the group. "Well done!" she will say in her most projected voice. "We have delivered a mighty blow to Hextor and his vile minions this day and you are all to be commended! We have been blessed with great success!" Looking around, no one seems to be terribly wounded so it is time to get on with tasks.

"Vernar, set up a couple ranged scouts atop the final wagon to cover the road from where the caravan came and then have your group start checking the wagon contents, starting from the back. Laurel could use a little help to finish off the sleeping hobgoblins. Gerett and Lucyus, organize the rest to start checking the wagons working from the front. And clear off any dead hobgoblins from the wagons and roadway. Flare and Kendall, come with me to retrieve our mounts. I don't want to tarry here too long. If the goblins see the smoke from the fire, they may send some to investigate. We're looking for food firstly. We'll have to make decisions on what we can take with us and what we need to destroy."

"Aye," the dwarf replies and turns towards the scouts. "Butternut, you 'n Kaylessa set up t' be coverin' us while we rummage through all these abandoned goods. Since the enemy not be wantin' t' protect 'em no more, we might as well be usin' what we can. Ren, if you want t' be joinin' me."

Vernar will move towards the final wagon and start searching through, mindful of anything that might be trapped. He and Ren will start moving to each wagon further up the column once they determine what each one is carrying.

[Laurel]

Laurel sees the next group of hobgoblins fall, and she quickly moves forward to do her task. Then to her side she hears a battle cry rise from a small army of dwarves! The hobgoblins also see this and move to engage. Laurel squints at the illusion, not sure if this is salvation or a joke. In very short time the battle is over and the dead bodies of the greenskins lie all over the road and the dwarves fade out of existence. Laurel is once again shocked by the amount of death their small group was able to bestow upon the Hextorites for a second time today. Erisciana climbs to the top of a wagon and delivers her address:

Well done! We have delivered a mighty blow to Hextor and his vile minions this day and you are all to be commended! We have been blessed with great success! Vernar, set up a couple ranged scouts atop the final wagon to cover the road from where the caravan came and then have your group start checking the wagon contents, starting from the back. Laurel could use a little help to finish off the sleeping hobgoblins. Gerett and Lucyus, organize the rest to start checking the wagons working from the front. And clear off any dead hobgoblins from the wagons and roadway. Flare and Kendall, come with me to retrieve our mounts. I don't want to tarry here too long. If the goblins see the smoke from the fire, they may send some to investigate. We're looking for food firstly. We'll have to make decisions on what we can take with us and what we need to destroy."

The young woman sees that nobody in the group is in need of any healing, so she helps them go over the bodies - making sure that their existence is well and truly ended and their pockets emptied.

[Kaylessa]

Kaylessa
The shouting, ringing of steel upon steel and the familiar sounds of arrows whistling through the air begins to subside to be replaced by that of the dying and the approaching carrion birds squawking loudly.
She looks about seeing the dead Hobgoblin she had killed and moves to it. She looks about before she puts her hand on the shaft and rips them from the dead, the blood pooling then spilling from the wounds.

"Aye," the dwarf replies and turns towards the scouts. "Butternut, you 'n Kaylessa set up t' be coverin' us while we rummage all these abandoned goods. Since the enemy not be wantin' t' protect 'em no more, we might as well be usin' what we can. Ren, if you want t' be joinin' me."

“Let me refill my quiver and I will do so, But you will not find me in the archer platforms. To be there is to invite death.” Kaylessa replies, “Check for orders, perhaps we can get an idea to where they were expected.”
Kaylessa will go to the hobgoblins, check to make sure their dead, kill them if need to then, liberate their quivers. ( I know she can carry 20 arrows. If she feels the need she will grab a second quiver as long as her weight limit is still good.
Kaylessa will take up position by the furthest dwarf illusion, then find a shady point to hide and watch the road and area.

[Lucyus]

Lucyus

Erisciana will climb up onto the wagon she is nearby and address the group. "Well done!" she will say in her most projected voice. "We have delivered a mighty blow to Hextor and his vile minions this day and you are all to be commended! We have been blessed with great success!" Looking around, no one seems to be terribly wounded so it is time to get on with tasks.

Looking about, Lucyus cannot help but to smile and let’s out a laugh. It is a laugh of being thankful of being alive. He cannot but be thankful for surviving the battle and he looks up to the skies to do just that.
He reaches down and wipes his butterfly blade on dead Hobgoblin’s cloak then rises looking in the Priestesses’direction.

"Vernar, set up a couple ranged scouts atop the final wagon to cover the road from where the caravan came and then have your group start checking the wagon contents, starting from the back. Laurel could use a little help to finish off the sleeping hobgoblins. Gerett and Lucyus, organize the rest to start checking the wagons working from the front. And clear off any dead hobgoblins from the wagons and roadway. Flare and Kendall, come with me to retrieve our mounts. I don't want to tarry here too long. If the goblins see the smoke from the fire, they may send some to investigate. We're looking for food firstly. We'll have to make decisions on what we can take with us and what we need to destroy."

“No rest for the weary.” He simply states sheathing his axe upon his back. “Wimzy, It may be best if you help Vernar and the others look about. Sorvani, Vardra, Gerret and I can see to moving the bodies from the carts and roadway.” There is a part of him that wouldn’t mind putting their heads on spears, That if the goblins do come. Let them see their comrades and more dominating Ogres demise rattle their moral and nerves. “Let us see to this quickly.”

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

April 15th, CR 569

The attack on the enemy caravan has been a complete and total victory. All enemy forces have been slain and only several of the attackers have light wounds. But there is not time to rest as there is still much to do this day. The squads break into smaller groups to carry out a variety of tasks.

The scouts move towards the rear of the caravan, slaying any sleeping hobgoblins they find along the way. Kaylessa grabs arrows from the fallen hobgoblins along the way, filling up her own quiver and then grabbing a second one and filing that up. She takes a position behind the illusionary dwarves and keeps watch. Eventually the phantom dwarves fade back into nothing.

Butternut moves along the caravan but does not see anyone using a crossbow among the dead. The halfling scout climbs up the last of the wagons to the archery platform overhead to get a better view of the road leading back to the ancient dwarven lair. Its all clear for now. Stored among the top of the wagon are several crates of flight arrows. A couple are open for easy access, while others are still sealed shut. There's probably over 100 arrows on top of this wagon alone.

Vernar, Ren and Wimzy start to search the enemy wagons, starting with the last one. The inside of the wagon is filled with small barrels, the kind that usually carry liquids such as water or ale. A few smaller crates are placed here and there, where ever any room could be found. There is writing on the crates and barrels, but no one understands the language. The writing varies among the crates while the barrels are consistent.

The next two wagons, (8 & 9) are pretty much the same as the last one. The main difference is that wagon #8 has hobgoblin sized suits of studded leather armor laying on top of everything. Wagons 5-7 do not have barrels in them, they are just loaded up with crates of various sizes. Those three wagons also only had one ogre pulling them instead of two like the larger wagons with the archery platforms. The next group of wagons, 2-4, are much like the wagons 8-10. Mostly barrels with some crates mixed in. Crates holding flight arrows are stored on the roof with the archers.

The very first wagon continues to burn until it finally happens. The fire burns through the barrels and their continents start to fall out! It's some kind of foul odorous liquid that is nauseating to smell! It does help put out some of the fire.

“Ugh! Its as horrid as tae foul bottom o' Hextor!” Sann cries out as the smell reaches him. “That be Goblin Spit! What goblinoids think passes fer ale!”


Elsewhere, Lucyus, Gerett, Vardra, Sorvani and Sann work to clear the dead bodies from the road. The hobgoblins are easy enough to move, but it takes two or three to move an ogre. They must weight over three hundred pounds! The area around the front of the caravan becomes very uncomfortable as the stench of the burnt Goblin Spit fills the air. It combines the smell of bodily waste and rancid garbage into its own unique aroma.


While all that is going on, Erisciana, Flare and Kendell jog back to retrieve the horses and mules.

Flare, Kendall and her will jog briskly back to where the horses and mules were all kept. On the way, the priestess will ask the large warrior with the country background. "Do you think we will be able to hitch the horses to any of the wagons? The more we could move the better it would be. I would hate to destroy most everything there."

“I reckon I can come up with something, little lady,” Kendell drawls as he easily runs along. “Might be a tad more difficult getting them around the burning wagon. Road ain't that wide.”

The mounts are where the group left them. It takes time to set up a convoy of mounts to be led back the caravan. The situation is unchanged when the mounts are returned. There has been no sightings of goblins or hobgoblin coming from the dwarven lair.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

What crates and/or barrels do you want to open? The writing on the barrels and crates are consistent, so for instance, all barrels of Goblin Spit have the same writing on them. Unfortunately, no one here can read goblin and/or hobgoblin text.

Looting the bodies gives the group a total of 140 gold. The ogres had no weapons on them while the hobgoblins were armed like before: studded leather, long swords, longbows, and arrow quivers. Arrow users can refill their quivers and carry several spares if they wish. Full quivers of arrows are not all that heavy, weight less than five pounds.

The wagons that needed two ogres to pull are obviously heavier than the ones that had one ogre. Of course, if those wagons are filled with Goblin Spit you probably don't want them anyway!

For the curious, I will update XP's once the group settles in for the night.

Now what looters?

[Butternut]

Butternut:

Casting her spell in amongst the hobgobs, Butternut is disappointed that it only puts three of the five into la-la land. She grumbles angrily for a moment, but the battle is not yet over and there is more yet to do. Lucyus and Kendell slay the remaining two ogres, while Flare and Erisciana finish off the hobgoblins. Hopefully, things are going as well on the other side, as it is hard to see from here.

Moments later, the battle well and truly ends. At Vernar's request, the halfling tunnelrat moves up the wagon train to watch for enemy coming from Bollo's Shield. Kaylessa moves into the woods on the left side of the road, so Butternut starts moving to the right. As she passes, she checks a few of the hobgobs, but none of them have crossbow bolts to refill her quiver.

Reaching the last wagon, Butternut climbs to the top for a better view down the road. Quickly making sure the hobgoblins up there are dead, she finds a sizable stash of arrows. The crates have writing on them, but it is not in a language that she recognizes. Hearing movement and looking over the side, she sees Vernar, Ren, and Wimzy below her investigating the inside of the wagon. "Plenty of arrows up here for anyone who wants them," she calls down to them. "Probably a hundred of more."

After taking a moment to gaze down the road, she checks the bodies of the two hobgoblins for anything of use or value, though she doesn't really expect to find much.

“Ugh! Its as horrid as tae foul bottom o' Hextor!” Sann cries out as the smell reaches him. “That be Goblin Spit! What goblinoids think passes fer ale!”

Off in the distance, Butternut can just hear the dwarven historian bemoaning the smell of Goblin Spit. Butternut's mind flits back to the time when she and Gavin's rangers raided a goblin camp in the foothills northeast of the Shires. The fight was over quickly, as many of the gobbos had been drinking that abhorrent muck and were in no shape for combat. After the battle, she had sniffed a pitcher of the stuff, which resulted in emptying her stomach right there on the spot. 'That's one fetid odor I'll never forget,' she muses.

Butternut leans over the edge of the wagon once again. "Hey Vernar -- make sure all that Goblin Spit stuff is disposed of. No sane being is gonna drink that garbage. What else did you find down there?" If asked, she'll recommend that they open one crate of each of the different markings to see what they contain.

[Vardra]

Vardra Marcus, PFC:

"Shall we?" he asks, and then leaps towards it without awaiting a response.

Before he can respond, the dwarf leaps forward and plunges his sword into the other ogre. That blow, combined with the arrows already prickling its hide, is enough to fell the beast. "Way to cut him down, my friend."

With the last of the ogres neutralized, Vardra turns his attention to the hobgoblins. Almost immediately, Sann the historian cleaves one of them. With a leap and a yell, Vardra drives his sword clear through the remaining hobgoblin.

Wrenching his sword free from the lifeless body, he looks around to assess the situation. There appear to be four remaining hobgoblins, all on top of the last two wagons. That changes quickly as they are all brought down by arrows and spells.

A strange quiet descends on the roadway through the woods. "Is it over?" he asks Vernar and Sann. Erisciana climbs on one of the wagons, makes a little speech, then leaves with Kendell and Flare to retrieve the mounts. Hopefully, they'll be able to pull the wagons. Fortunately, no one is badly hurt.

Vardra joins Sorvani, Lucyus and Gerett in moving the bodies off the road. The ogres are quite heavy, and more than once he wishes that Kendell were there to help. Nevertheless, the work gets done.

Eventually, discussion turns to what to do with the goods the wagons were carrying. "Can anyone read any of the markings on these crates?" he asks, but it soon becomes clear that no one can. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the barrels are full of some horrid goblin beverage.

Based on what he has heard, Vardra puts forth his idea. "I recommend that we pull all of the barrels off the wagons, split them open, and drain out this 'Goblin Spit' junk so the goblins can't drink it. Then, we should be able to combine all of the small crates from the larger wagons onto just one of them so that we have fewer to haul back to the Eagle's Nest. The smaller wagons seem to just have crates, so they can travel as-is. The other larger wagons can be disabled or burned, which will prevent them from being used again."

"Of course, we could open some of the crates to see what's in them. It was mentioned that they seem to be marked in a fairly consistent manner. If there's anything we don't want or need, we could get rid of those crates too, which might reduce the number of wagons required even further." Vardra looks to the others to see what they think.

[Gerett]

The dust had settled. Not only did they not have to retreat, they had fully destroyed the enemy. They had come to stop the flow of resources to the enemy and had wound up dealing a much more severe blow. These were goblins, ogres, and supplies that would not be brought to bear against the defenders of Fort Greystone.

"Not many among us thought we could carry the day to this extent, I would wager,"
"Well done! We have delivered a mighty blow to Hextor and his vile minions this day and you are all to be commended! We have been blessed with great success!"
"Gerett and Lucyus, organize the rest to start checking the wagons working from the front. And clear off any dead hobgoblins from the wagons and roadway."

"Aye," Gerett replied, generally to the group. "Far more successful than I thought. This'll turn the tide of the battle at Greystone, no mistake."

Gerett began to assist in dragging the corpses off the road and checking what was in the wagons. The tables truly had turned--not only would these supplies not be used in the siege, but their group could now make use of them.

"I recommend that we pull all of the barrels off the wagons, split them open, and drain out this 'Goblin Spit' junk so the goblins can't drink it. Then, we should be able to combine all of the small crates from the larger wagons onto just one of them so that we have fewer to haul back to the Eagle's Nest. The smaller wagons seem to just have crates, so they can travel as-is. The other larger wagons can be disabled or burned, which will prevent them from being used again."

"Of course, we could open some of the crates to see what's in them. It was mentioned that they seem to be marked in a fairly consistent manner. If there's anything we don't want or need, we could get rid of those crates too, which might reduce the number of wagons required even further."

"I agree. If we can rule out crates of junk it'll be less we have ta carry back. Who knows what detritus these wretches drag around with 'em. But anythin' we can remotely use, we should take. We might need ta' hole up in Eagle's Nest awhile, and no one is going ta' be resupplyin' us like these gobbos have done. We clearly have the fight in us ta' fend any enemies off o' the Nest, and ta' stem the tide of enemy reinforcements heading ta' Greystone. All we've lacked is supplies--if we've got that here, then suddenly our little group and our watchpost become more than a little thorn in tha' enemy's side. Of course that means they'll take notice and divert more troops ta' root us out, but we can clearly handle that."

[Erisciana]

Erisciana, priestess of Ishtar -

The battle was ended and now began the collecting of the spoils. "Aye," Gerett replied, generally to the group. "Far more successful than I thought. This'll turn the tide of the battle at Greystone, no mistake."

Erisci smiles at the dwarf. "We've struck a decisive blow indeed."

The group sets about on tasks: slaying the sleeping hobgoblins, clearing the dead bodies, checking the wagons, watching the road for more enemies, and retrieving the mounts. The priestess asks their large warrior if he can manage to rig up a means for the horses to pull a few wagons.

“I reckon I can come up with something, little lady,” Kendell drawls as he easily runs along. “Might be a tad more difficult getting them around the burning wagon. Road ain't that wide.”

"See what you can find when we get back. I'd like to move the food supplies back to Eagles Nest and I don't want us to tarry too long at the battle site in case we have more enemies come upon us."

Erisciana, Kendall and Flare return with the caravan of horses and mules. By now, most of the bodies of the dead enemy have been moved away from the road and the wagons are being searched. However they found something less than palatable in the burning wagon.

"Ewwwwh! What is that horrible smell?" the priestess will ask, as she wrinkles her nose in disgust. It appears to be coming from the burning barrels. Sann reiterated for the returning trio that it was some sort of humanoid ale: Goblin Spit. "An appropriate name, it appears," she says, still revulsed by the idea that anything could imbibe such a horrible concoction.

There is some discussion about what to do with the contents of the wagons. There seems to be arrows, barrels and crates."We don't need to empty out the wagons with that foul liquid in it. Except for perhaps one wagon's load. Leave them intact on the road behind the caravan. If the goblins do strike out to examine the smoke from the fire, perhaps they will be satisfactorily cowed with seeing the caravan slaughtered and collect up their remaining goods and return to their lair."

"Check for food crates specifically. I am certain this is nothing more than field rations, but they will still provide sustenance. The clerics of Hextor would make their own food for themselves and their underlings. Kendell is going to check how many wagons we can satisfactorily hitch up with our horses. We may need to move some of these larger ones aside before we fire them. Let's try to get as many crates of arrows as we can as well. The fort is likely low on ammunition from the seige. But let us be quick. I do not want to tarry here any longer than necessary. We are technically in enemy territory at the moment."

"I agree. If we can rule out crates of junk it'll be less we have ta carry back. Who knows what detritus these wretches drag around with 'em. But anythin' we can remotely use, we should take. We might need ta' hole up in Eagle's Nest awhile, and no one is going ta' be resupplyin' us like these gobbos have done. We clearly have the fight in us ta' fend any enemies off o' the Nest, and ta' stem the tide of enemy reinforcements heading ta' Greystone. All we've lacked is supplies--if we've got that here, then suddenly our little group and our watchpost become more than a little thorn in tha' enemy's side. Of course that means they'll take notice and divert more troops ta' root us out, but we can clearly handle that."

"Very likely the lack of supplies and destruction of these wagons will help the siege on the fort to waver. Much as the deprivation of manpower. Our next step will likely be to fortify our defenses. And scout the situation with the enemy. We need to know if there are reinforcements coming. Flare, can you have your companion check if the enemy remains outside the fort and also if there are more enemy coming up the road, please?"

"We need to be prepared for the fact that the enemy leaders may come for us once their attack is blunted and they retreat. They may very well be looking for revenge and retribution."

Erisci will check on the horses that have been wounded the worst and use her remaining healing spells upon them. We will need them to move these wagons. “Kendell will be in charge of getting those wagons cleared and moved. Once that’s done we put to fire everything that’s left.”

[Kendell]

Kendell:

Another ogre is struck and falls before our steel. Kendell looks around for another foe to attack, but they all seem to be down.

“Is that it?” Kendell wonders aloud. “Did we really beat them? Wow!”

Kendell pauses to sheath his sword and catch his breath. All this running around and fighting has taken its toll. He will celebrate with those around him.

“Good shootin' there, Squash!” Kendell will tells the Squash Halfling.

He'll grasp hands with the Holy Warrior over our victory. “That was some mighty fine smitin', Holy Man!”

The next thing Kendell knows, is that he is following the leather priestess and the drunk woodsman back towards the horses.

Flare, Kendall and her will jog briskly back to where the horses and mules were all kept. On the way, the priestess will ask the large warrior with the country background. "Do you think we will be able to hitch the horses to any of the wagons? The more we could move the better it would be. I would hate to destroy most everything there."

“I reckon I can come up with something, little lady,” Kendell drawls as he easily runs along. “Might be a tad more difficult getting them around the burning wagon. Road ain't that wide.”

"See what you can find when we get back. I'd like to move the food supplies back to Eagles Nest and I don't want us to tarry too long at the battle site in case we have more enemies come upon us."

The horses are soon reached and their reigns are attached to each other to make a train of the mounts. As Kendell works, a thought does come into his mind.

“Ma'am, this might be more difficult than I first reckoned,” Kendell tells the leather priestess. “This here are what are called ridin' horses. What we need to pull the wagons are draft horses. They are bigger and stronger, slower as well, but they're bred for this sort of thing. We might need three of four of our horses to pull a wagon and you can bet your bottom copper that they won't be likin' it! This might be plum harder than we suspect.”


Once back with the others, the offending odor from the burning wagon is smelled. “Whoa!” Kendell remarks. “That's a might powerful smell!”

Kendell ignores the others and moves to the first of the smaller wagons. If the riding horses are going to be able to pull a wagon, it will be one of these smaller ones. With the horses hitched nearby, Kendell tries to figure out how to connect them to the wagon by using the harness' worn by the ogres.

[Lucyus]

Lucyus

He'll grasp hands with the Holy Warrior over our victory. “That was some mighty fine smitin', Holy Man!”

“Well done, Kendell. Indeed Heironous is with us this day! I would not wish to cross blades with you upon seeing you on the battlefield.” Lucyus cannot help but notice the big man is slightly wounded. I can see to your wounds if you wish.” If Kendell allows him he will lay hands on the big man.

As he looks about the wreckage of the battlefield. He can’t help but be relieved. No one had perished, only a few minor wounds were inflicted upon them. It was all in all a good day. That was until they had to move the dead bodies of their foes.

Moving the hobogoblins is simple enough. The Ogres not so much. Their sheer girth and weight takes almost all of them to move to the wayside. As they begin their movement of the bodies. “Strip them of their arms and arrows.” Wanting to be thorough that their weapons could not be used against them if the goblins did come a calling. “Place them upon a wagon we can move easily."

Soon it is heard that there are many crates and barrels upon the wagons. The barrels are marked a certain way and soon it is discovered by Sann that it is a wretched Ale called Goblin spit! The fiery smell of goblin’s spit takes to the air and Lucyus does not deal with the smell at all. Going as far to rip cloth and stick it up his nose.

The others begin to work on a plan to see what is held on the caravan. Lucyus will go to the far back wagon, where Butternut and Kaylessa are near.

Vernar, Ren and Wimzy start to search the enemy wagons, starting with the last one. The inside of the wagon is filled with small barrels, the kind that usually carry liquids such as water or ale. A few smaller crates are placed here and there, where ever any room could be found. There is writing on the crates and barrels, but no one understands the language. The writing varies among the crates while the barrels are consistent.

Lucyus will start there pulling the smaller crates and arranging them on the ground so the writing is on the side. Once situated, Lucyus will pry them open whether with axe or dagger would work better. Once open he will reveal the symbol to the others as a save or nah depending on the contents.

[Kaylessa]

Kaylessa

Kaylessa will continue to look for trouble. If she does she will call out to the others, then turn her bow upon the new comers.

[Sorvani]

Sorvani:

Not being particularly skilled in hand to hand combat, Sorvani sticks to attacking at range with his longbow. Unfortunately he's not particularly skilled at the longbow either, but does manage to hit a few of the targets.

“I should stick to magic,” Sorvani mutters to himself as it is clear that his skill in ranged combat is sketchy at best.

The battle is suddenly over with and we somehow won! Sighing in relief, Sorvani emerges from the woods and pitches in where he can.

Reaching the last wagon, Butternut climbs to the top for a better view down the road. Quickly making sure the hobgoblins up there are dead, she finds a sizable stash of arrows. The crates have writing on them, but it is not in a language that she recognizes. Hearing movement and looking over the side, she sees Vernar, Ren, and Wimzy below her investigating the inside of the wagon. "Plenty of arrows up here for anyone who wants them," she calls down to them. "Probably a hundred of more."

'Toss them down,” Sorvani will suggest. “We can use all the arrows we can carry.”

Moving the dead away from the wagons comes, but then something occurs to the mage. “We should move the bodies off to one side, so that we leave the other side open to pull wagons out. Same with the crates. Obviously we are going to have to go around that burning wagon, so why make more work for ourselves?”

Eventually, discussion turns to what to do with the goods the wagons we're carrying. "Can anyone read any of the markings on these crates?" he asks, but it soon becomes clear that no one can. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the barrels are full of some horrid goblin beverage.

“I'm no linguist,” Sorvani reports. “But once we know what's inside a crate, that gibberish that passes for writing should be the same for all crates of that kind. Butternut tossed down some crates of arrows. We can use that to find other such crates. Have one person look for one particular crate. That will make it easier to find what we are looking for.”

Based on what he has heard, Vardra puts forth his idea. "I recommend that we pull all of the barrels off the wagons, split them open, and drain out this 'Goblin Spit' junk so the goblins can't drink it. Then, we should be able to combine all of the small crates from the larger wagons onto just one of them so that we have fewer to haul back to the Eagle's Nest. The smaller wagons seem to just have crates, so they can travel as-is. The other larger wagons can be disabled or burned, which will prevent them from being used again."

“Why go to all that work?” Sorvani will wonder. “I mean there appears to be a lot of crates of that horrible liquid and doing what you suggest will take a lot of time. I'd just leave them myself and put our efforts into things that benefit us. We did not see any type of pack animals when we left the goblin lair a few days ago, so they may not even have anything to pull these wagons with. We could sabotage the wagons so that they break if they do try to pull them. Perhaps take out a few of them in the process. That would be nice.”

Eventually the others return with the horses. Erisciana expounds more on what our course of action should be.

There is some discussion about what to do with the contents of the wagons. There seems to be arrows, barrels and crates."We don't need to empty out the wagons with that foul liquid in it. Except for perhaps one wagon's load. Leave them intact on the road behind the caravan. If the goblins do strike out to examine the smoke from the fire, perhaps they will be satisfactorily cowed with seeing the caravan slaughtered and collect up their remaining goods and return to their lair."

"Check for food crates specifically. I am certain this is nothing more than field rations, but they will still provide sustenance. The clerics of Hextor would make their own food for themselves and their underlings. Kendell is going to check how many wagons we can satisfactorily hitch up with our horses. We may need to move some of these larger ones aside before we fire them. Let's try to get as many crates of arrows as we can as well. The fort is likely low on ammunition from the siege. But let us be quick. I do not want to tarry here any longer than necessary. We are technically in enemy territory at the moment."

“Agreed,” Sorvani states. “Let's grab what we need, destroy or sabotage the rest, and get to safety. I don't want to be pulling a wagon up that hill in the dark.”

[Erisciana]

Erisciana, priestess of Ishtar -

Kendall goes to work on coming up with the means to hitch several horses to one of the wagons. It doesn't sound like they'll be able to take more than one with them. “Ma'am, this might be more difficult than I first reckoned,” Kendell tells the leather priestess. “This here are what are called ridin' horses. What we need to pull the wagons are draft horses. They are bigger and stronger, slower as well, but they're bred for this sort of thing. We might need three of four of our horses to pull a wagon and you can bet your bottom copper that they won't be likin' it! This might be plum harder than we suspect.”

"Understood," the priestess responds, a look of disappointment on her face. "Do what you can. Anything we can take with us is a victory."

The group has been arranging and sorting the crates from the wagons. “Agreed,” Sorvani states. “Let's grab what we need, destroy or sabotage the rest, and get to safety. I don't want to be pulling a wagon up that hill in the dark.”

"That is my feeling. We don't need to be lingering out here." The priestess will work to helping those sorting coordinate their efforts. "We want food firstly. If a wagon is empty of crates, then light it on fire and move on to the next one. Once we have an idea of what our options are, we won't need to unload all the wagons. Only enough to fill one of the smaller ones. Unless Kendell thinks we can harness up a second team, but he seems to doubt it. As Sorvani said, collect up the things that are most useful to us and let's get back to our base."

She will check on those opening some of the crates. "What have we found?" Once food is found, she will help sort those crates as well, focusing on the first small wagon, where Kendell is working on the hitch.

[Vernar]

Vernar -

As suspected, there isn't a lot on the wagons that would be considered "spoils" and Vernar makes sure to steer clear of getting too big a whiff of whatever putrid goblin liquid the others are gagging over. Vernar will gather up whatever arrows, quivers, and if any of the swords or armor are in decent shape to restock the defenses. He will also take one of the lesser hobgoblin blades and pry open one of the crates should he not be able to with his bare hands. He will be prepared to leave quickly if the crates hold anything with as much stench as the "Goblin Spit."

Once the contents are discovered, he will start stacking crates if it turns out to be food in any decent condition. As far as what to do about the rest, he offers, "I say we be takin' the axe an' torch t' the lot o' it. Let it burn with a few heads on poles t' scare off the rest o' 'em."

Vernar will assist wherever needed, either to hitch horses up to wagons if we take any or to simply load up weapons and prepare to move out. There is no need to strain our good fortune by lingering here much longer, he muses.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

April 15th, CR 569

With the forces of the enemy caravan dealt with, the Squads look to uncover the spoils of war. The vast majority of the cargo being carried by the caravan is barrels of the retched Goblin Spit. There are hundreds of these barrels and they are the main cargo of the 7 wagons with archer platforms.

Digging into the other cargo is a much more pleasant experience. Crates of flight arrows are on top of the 7 large wagons. There are 37 crates of arrows in total, each crate holding 100 flight arrows.

Suits of hobgoblin-sized studded leather are scattered among the caravan and they have to be pulled out to get to the other cargo.

The next most common cargo is a large crate filled with iron rations. Basically types of jerky and hard bread. There are hundreds of these crates. Weapons and ammo are the next largest groups. There are crates of longswords, longbows and daggers. A few crates of light crossbow bolts are found as well.

The cargo that brings a smile to Ren's face is a crate of Alchemist's Fire! This crate has 10 containers inside it nestled in hay. A few other crates of Alchemist's Fire are found.

Kendell works to refit the ogre harnesses to the riding horses with Ren's help. The pair think they can salvage enough to fit six horses with pulling gear. Now it's just a matter of what you want to put on what wagon.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

Time for some math! Here is a break down of what was found.

The Goblin Spit was the most common item with around 400 barrels of the stuff. These are half-sized barrels and weight around 50 lbs each.

There are 250 crates of Iron Rations. These weight around 60 lbs each. Each crate holds 40 servings of Iron Rations. Without these rations, the group had 153 servings of food left.

There are 9 crates of longsword to be had. Each crate holds 10 longswords and weights 60 lbs.

There are 37 crates of flight arrows. Each crate holds 100 arrows and weights a mere 20 lbs.

4 crates hold Alchemist's Fire. There are 10 containers per crate and each weights 30 lbs.

11 crates of longbows are found. There are 10 bows per crate and they weight 30 lbs.

There are 7 crates of daggers. Each crate holds 20 daggers and weights 25 lbs.

Lastly, there is 4 crates of light crossbow bolts. Each crate holds 100 bolts and weights 20 lbs.

So, now its time to figure out what you are going to take and where you are going to put it. The smaller wagons can hold less cargo than the larger wagons. Each wagon has a maximum on how much weight it can safely carry. Likewise, the horses can only pull so much weight as well.

The smaller wagons are mostly already filled with the crates of the iron rations. The other crates, except the arrows, are scattered among all the wagons. All the arrows were up in the archers nests.

Time to go shopping D&D style!

Now what?

[Erisciana]

Erisciana, priestess of Ishtar -

While Kendell works on figuring out a method for hitching the horses to the wagons with Ren's help, the priestess will use her remaining healing spells as needed to help the injured horses. Once that's done, she will help bring down the arrow crates from the tops of the war wagons. Before long there is a reasonable account of the available "spoils".

Once the contents are discovered, Vernar will start stacking crates if it turns out to be food in any decent condition. As far as what to do about the rest, he offers, "I say we be takin' the axe an' torch t' the lot o' it. Let it burn with a few heads on poles t' scare off the rest o' 'em."

"After thinking on it a bit, I think we should not destroy any of the disgusting goblin ale. Vernar and Sorvani have the right idea. Cripple the wagons. We can damage them and then light the wheels on fire, so they collapse under the weight, making the wagons unusable. But if the goblins have something to keep them occupied, then they won't be after us. Sorvani is right that there seemed to be no beasts of burden and if there were, they wouldn't have needed the ogres to pull the wagons."

Kendell and Ren seem to think that they can pull the three smaller wagons with a pair of horses each. "That makes sense, as I would imagine the horses' strength to be an par with one of those massive ogres. Get the horses ready and we will start to adjust the loads as needed."

With the counts of the various crates available, Erisci removes her metal facemask and kneels down in the dirt alongside the road. Using a discarded arrow, the priestess begins making marks in the ground. She talks more to herself than to anyone else at first. "250 crates. That's a little over 80 per small wagon then. And the weapons. 46, 50 , 60, 72." She pauses to consider for a moment, swiping her hair back from her face. She does another quick count in her head. "14 times 3 is 42. So 30 days is 1260. How many packs of rations are in a box?" she asks one of the group opening up their contents.

She makes a few more scratches in the dirt while the count is made. "40? Okay. So, what? 32? 32." A few more calculations and Erisci makes a satisfied smile to herself and anyone else who has gathered around to see what she is figuring. (Anyone feel free to add in role-playing comments in the post to help her with the calculations and figuring.)

"Field rations have a reasonable longevity of about thirty days. So there's no reason for us to need to take more than a thirty day supply with us. That should be about 32 crates approximately. All of the arms and missiles is a total of about 72 crates. As each of the small wagons held a little more than 80 crates each, we can easily take 32 crates of food on one wagon and spread the weapons on the other two wagons. We can load up a little more ration crates onto the wagons with the weapons if it seems like the weight will not be more than the food wagon. This way we will not be as slow as the ogres were travelling. As Sorvani noted, I'd rather not be taking the wagons up the winding road in the dark."

"Let's get to work loading or unloading as need. Kendall will need help clearing the area alongside the road where the burning wagon is, to eliminate any rocks that we can, to make passing easier. We'll light any of the food crates we don't take with us on fire and make the remaining war wagons unusable. Then we will have truly earned our supper and our sleep!"

Erisci will help load the weapons and make sure the crates with Alchemist's Fire are loaded on top of the rest and in a safe and unmovable position. "Much like a crate of eggs, we don't want anything crushing these."

[Laurel]

Once Laurel is done searching the goblins pockets and helping to move bodies she will try to put herself to work doing something more suited to her skill set. The first thing she will do is help to identify the markings on the boxes and then sort them accordingly. After that work is done she will help load the wagons that will be taken back to Eagles Nest. The whole time she is working she is quiet and stone faced, taking orders as they are given.

[Kaylessa]

Kaylessa
Kaylessa will continue to keep an eyes on the road and surrounding area for trouble.

[Vardra]

Vardra Marcus, PFC:

The battle is over and the weary victors begin assessing their situation.

"Aye," Gerett replied, generally to the group. "Far more successful than I thought. This'll turn the tide of the battle at Greystone, no mistake."

"It'll certainly help," Vardra adds. "I'm sure thankful that the ogres were trussed up the way they were."

“I'm no linguist,” Sorvani reports. “But once we know what's inside a crate, that gibberish that passes for writing should be the same for all crates of that kind. Butternut tossed down some crates of arrows. We can use that to find other such crates. Have one person look for one particular crate. That will make it easier to find what we are looking for.”

"Okay," Vardra says, "that seems a good way to organize the stuff. Hopefully the markings are consistent that way."

Moving the hobogoblins is simple enough. The Ogres not so much. Their sheer girth and weight takes almost all of them to move to the wayside. As they begin their movement of the bodies. “Strip them of their arms and arrows.” Wanting to be thorough that their weapons could not be used against them if the goblins did come a calling. “Place them upon a wagon we can move easily."

"Seems reasonable to me," Vardra replies. He strips down the various bodies as he moves them, and adds their gear to the collection of spoils.

There is some discussion about what to do with the contents of the wagons. There seems to be arrows, barrels and crates."We don't need to empty out the wagons with that foul liquid in it. Except for perhaps one wagon's load. Leave them intact on the road behind the caravan. If the goblins do strike out to examine the smoke from the fire, perhaps they will be satisfactorily cowed with seeing the caravan slaughtered and collect up their remaining goods and return to their lair."

Uncertain why they would want to leave the goblins their favorite beverage, Vardra's look turns questioning for a moment and then he just shrugs.

"I agree. If we can rule out crates of junk it'll be less we have ta carry back. Who knows what detritus these wretches drag around with 'em. But anythin' we can remotely use, we should take. We might need ta' hole up in Eagle's Nest awhile, and no one is going ta' be resupplyin' us like these gobbos have done. We clearly have the fight in us ta' fend any enemies off o' the Nest, and ta' stem the tide of enemy reinforcements heading ta' Greystone. All we've lacked is supplies--if we've got that here, then suddenly our little group and our watchpost become more than a little thorn in tha' enemy's side. Of course that means they'll take notice and divert more troops ta' root us out, but we can clearly handle that."

Vardra nods in agreement. He's not entirely sold on the 'any enemies' bit, but agrees otherwise. "The watch-post should be pretty defensible, and gives us a good staging area for our other actions in the area."

Erisciana talks about the enemy possibly withdrawing from their attack on the fort. That seems unlikely to Vardra; if what they've fought the last couple of days is more than a tiny fraction of the entire enemy force, then he suspects that they didn't have much chance of taking the fort to begin with.

It takes a while, but they eventually have a good tally of what the cargo consists of. Other than the putrid Goblin Spit, there are weapons, armor, some Alchemist's Fire, and a huge amount of food. Quite a haul, really.

Erisciana starts scratching out calculations in the dirt regarding the cargo and how much food they need. Vardra watches for a few moments, then speaks up. "There may be an easier way to approach it. The rations are already mostly on the three smaller wagons. We can pull out crates of food equivalent to the weight of anything we want to add from the other wagons. The swords weigh about the same as the food crates, so that's nine crates. The arrow and bolt crates are about one-third as heavy, so that's another fourteen crates-worth. The rest of the stuff runs around half the weight of the food, so those twenty-two crates are about the weight of eleven of the food. All together, that's roughly thirty-five crates."

"After that, it's just a matter of removing food crates until the wagons are light enough for the horses to pull with reasonable ease. If we get down to your minimum 30 crates of food, Erisciana, that's when we'll have to start making tough decisions about what to keep. Speaking of which, do we want any of these suits of studded leather? Can they be adjusted to fit any of us that need better armor? Some good leather might be useful in building the defenses back at the Eagle's Nest."

[Lucyus]

Lucyus
After some time opening up some crates, Lucyus heads to the front of the column where he hears Erisciana speak about the Digusting ale and disabling the wagons.

"After thinking on it a bit, I think we should not destroy any of the disgusting goblin ale. Vernar and Sorvani have the right idea. Cripple the wagons. We can damage them and then light the wheels on fire, so they collapse under the weight, making the wagons unusable. But if the goblins have something to keep them occupied, then they won't be after us. Sorvani is right that there seemed to be no beasts of burden and if there were, they wouldn't have needed the ogres to pull the wagons."

“Simple enough to strike at the spokes of the wagon, or even the axle. The axle might be better as they would not see the damage till it cracks.” The Paladin says simply.

With the counts of the various crates available, Erisci removes her metal facemask and kneels down in the dirt alongside the road. Using a discarded arrow, the priestess begins making marks in the ground. She talks more to herself than to anyone else at first. "250 crates. That's a little over 80 per small wagon then. And the weapons. 46, 50 , 60, 72." She pauses to consider for a moment, swiping her hair back from her face. She does another quick count in her head. "14 times 3 is 42. So 30 days is 1260. How many packs of rations are in a box?" she asks one of the group opening up their contents.

Lucyus watches as the priestess begins to go through the numbers. She then asks about rations, from the one that he saw, “About 40 if I counted correctly. Numbers were not my strong suit.”
The debate arises as to what to take and then what not too.
“If we are able to uses two horses per wagon as Kendell Suggested food is the most valuable weapon here. I’d say Take one wagon of Iron Rations and top it off with the alchemists fire minus a few to be used. That would give the first wagon of, 1280, 120….. so 1400lbs. of what 5000? Perhaps bring it up to 2500 lbs by adding the arrows, bolts.
The next I would take all the long swords and dagger crates with perhaps 5 of the longbow crates. This would Leave several longbow crates, a lot of food crates and the remainder of the goblin spits.” He says looking around t the others. “We can have Ren set a charge to the remaining weapons with the Alchemist’s fire, even damaging the wagon before lighting the fuse. When the wagons we take are well enough away light the fuses and leave the weapons to their fate to explode upon the ground, perhaps taking a few goblins with them."

"As far as taking the leather armor? I don't think any humans or dwarves would be able to fit in it without modifications. Seeing as we are not by civilization nor how to work leather or have the time to do so. it be best to destroy it with the remainder of the food." he says simply to the fighter.

[Butternut]

Butternut:

“Good shootin' there, Squash!” Kendell will tells the Squash Halfling.

After the battle, Butternut grins up at the big warrior. "Thank you, Kendell. You did some fine work yourself."

'Toss them down,” Sorvani will suggest. “We can use all the arrows we can carry.”

Soon, Butternut and some of the others begin exploring the contents of the wagons. There are crates of arrows on top of the wagon nearest to Bollo's Shield. "Here you go, Sorvani. I hope we find some crossbow bolts as well."

After handing down the crates of arrows from the roof of the last wagon, Butternut gazes down the road toward the dwarven fort. "Still no sign of goblins coming to investigate," she calls out. She then moves with the collection team to the next wagon and repeats the procedure. They continue in this way until all of the wagons have been checked and the loot identified. Butternut then returns to the last wagon to resume her post. While the others tally up the goods and decide what and how to take them back, she maintains her vigil watching the road.

“We can have Ren set a charge to the remaining weapons with the Alchemist’s fire, even damaging the wagon before lighting the fuse. When the wagons we take are well enough away light the fuses and leave the weapons to their fate to explode upon the ground, perhaps taking a few goblins with them."

Hearing the paladin's suggestion, an evil smile crawls across Butternut's face. "I can help Ren set up some 'presents' to leave for the goblins..." Her voice trails off, already thinking through some of the traps and surprises that they can rig up.

[Erisciana]

Erisciana, priestess of Ishtar -

The group assesses the spoils of the wagons and gets a hard count of what's left. There's much more food than they can use and a decent amount of weapons and missiles. Kaylessa and Butternut keep watch for any incoming enemy from the goblin hideout.

Vardra gives Erisci a questioning look at the idea of not destroying the goblin ale. "Taking or destroying the weapons and food directly affect us. Leaving the ale does not gain them any real benefit and should occupy them for quite some time." The soldier just shrugs in response, so she does not comment further, the matter settled.

"I agree. If we can rule out crates of junk it'll be less we have ta carry back. Who knows what detritus these wretches drag around with 'em. But anythin' we can remotely use, we should take. We might need ta' hole up in Eagle's Nest awhile, and no one is going ta' be resupplyin' us like these gobbos have done. We clearly have the fight in us ta' fend any enemies off o' the Nest, and ta' stem the tide of enemy reinforcements heading ta' Greystone. All we've lacked is supplies--if we've got that here, then suddenly our little group and our watchpost become more than a little thorn in tha' enemy's side. Of course that means they'll take notice and divert more troops ta' root us out, but we can clearly handle that."

Vardra nods in agreement. He's not entirely sold on the 'any enemies' bit, but agrees otherwise. "The watch-post should be pretty defensible, and gives us a good staging area for our other actions in the area."

"I agree, Vardra. And now that we know about the secret door and stairs, that gives us a further advantage. It is difficult to say how long Eagle's Nest will be our base. We should make sure that no reinforcements are coming and also get some idea of how the attack is going at the fort. We have made ourselves an even bigger target with this day's successes."

While calculating the cargo that exists and what they need to take, Vardra and Lucyus offer some suggestions. "Neither of you are wrong in your suggestions. However, it seems you are trying to take the most crates that we can. I think we are best served by taking the very minimum. The horses are not bred nor trained for pulling wagons and the approach to Eagles Nest is very steep and long. Plus remember how slow the ogres trudged along under their burden. The lightest load possible will make our departure much more speedy."

"There is no reason to take more than 32 crates of food as we cannot eat more than that before it spoils and 32 is probably too many. Rather than having to keep track of weight balancing, we just dump all the food off the second and third wagons and load the weapons on those in equal numbers. And then reduce the first wagon to about 30 crates and we have all the food on one wagon. It will then not require later sorting."

"As far as taking the leather armor? I don't think any humans or dwarves would be able to fit in it without modifications. Seeing as we are not by civilization nor how to work leather or have the time to do so. it be best to destroy it with the remainder of the food." he says simply to the fighter.

"Agreed, Lucyus. Those hobgoblins are quite large. Even taller than our man, Kendell. He might be the only one able to make use of them and he is wearing chain mail already. We can burn those with the excess food."

During the unloading and reloading of the wagons, Erisci notices that the priestess of Felix is rather stoic and silent. She will lightly place her hand on Laurel's shoulder and ask, "Is everything alright? We just completed a rather glorious victory this day. What seems to be bothering you?"

There is much loading and unloading still do do, as well as destroying the food crates and armor and damaging and trapping or destroying the wagons.

[Kendell]

Kendell:

After the battle:

“Well done, Kendell. Indeed Heironeous is with us this day! I would not wish to cross blades with you upon seeing you on the battlefield.” Lucyus cannot help but notice the big man is slightly wounded. I can see to your wounds if you wish.” If Kendell allows him he will lay hands on the big man.

“Thanks,” Kendall drawls when the Holy Warrior offers to heal him.

After the battle, Butternut grins up at the big warrior. "Thank you, Kendell. You did some fine work yourself."

“Thank ya kindly, ma'am,” Kendell responds.


While retrieving the mounts:

"Understood," the priestess responds, a look of disappointment on her face. "Do what you can. Anything we can take with us is a victory."

“Don't worry your pretty little head there, little lady,” Kendell answers. “We'll figure out something.”


While working on getting the horses to pull the wagons.

“I think we can get two horses to pull each of the smaller wagons,” Kendell calls out. “Ren here had some ideas on how to hitch them up and it seems to have worked. These wagons are much larger and sturdier than anything I seen back home. Probably can hold more weight but are heavier too. So what I'm thinkin' is that we'll get the first pair of horses attached to the wagon and then see if they can pull it or not. Might need to lighten the load a bit if'n its too heavy as is.”

Kendell and Ren seem to think that they can pull the three smaller wagons with a pair of horses each. "That makes sense, as I would imagine the horses' strength to be an par with one of those massive ogres. Get the horses ready and we will start to adjust the loads as needed."

“I reckon we're ready to give it a try,” Kendell announces. He'll gently try to get the horses to work as a team and pull the wagon forward.

[Sorvani]

Sorvani:

Soon, Butternut and some of the others begin exploring the contents of the wagons. There are crates of arrows on top of the wagon nearest to Bollo's Shield. "Here you go, Sorvani. I hope we find some crossbow bolts as well."

“Thanks,” Sorvani calls out. “I'll keep my eyes open for crossbow bolts.”

"Okay," Vardra says, "that seems a good way to organize the stuff. Hopefully the markings are consistent that way."

“That is an assumption,” Sorvani agrees. “My own personal philosophy is work smarter, not harder.”


A conversation about how much can be taken and how much the horses can pull comes up.

Erisciana starts scratching out calculations in the dirt regarding the cargo and how much food they need. Vardra watches for a few moments, then speaks up. "There may be an easier way to approach it. The rations are already mostly on the three smaller wagons. We can pull out crates of food equivalent to the weight of anything we want to add from the other wagons. The swords weigh about the same as the food crates, so that's nine crates. The arrow and bolt crates are about one-third as heavy, so that's another fourteen crates-worth. The rest of the stuff runs around half the weight of the food, so those twenty-two crates are about the weight of eleven of the food. All together, that's roughly thirty-five crates."

“I don't believe I am going to say this, but I agree with Kendell,” Sorvani states. “Let's see if the horses can pull the wagons with what's on them now and adjust from there. We seem to be assuming that they can. Let's find out for sure.”

"After that, it's just a matter of removing food crates until the wagons are light enough for the horses to pull with reasonable ease. If we get down to your minimum 30 crates of food, Erisciana, that's when we'll have to start making tough decisions about what to keep. Speaking of which, do we want any of these suits of studded leather? Can they be adjusted to fit any of us that need better armor? Some good leather might be useful in building the defenses back at the Eagle's Nest."

"As far as taking the leather armor? I don't think any humans or dwarves would be able to fit in it without modifications. Seeing as we are not by civilization nor how to work leather or have the time to do so. it be best to destroy it with the remainder of the food." he says simply to the fighter.

"Agreed, Lucyus. Those hobgoblins are quite large. Even taller than our man, Kendell. He might be the only one able to make use of them and he is wearing chain mail already. We can burn those with the excess food."

“While no one here can make use of that armor, there is other uses for it,” Sorvani will speak up. “Padding for example. If we set up some archer stations back at the base of Eagle's Nest, we can put some of those tower shields they were so fond of up for protection. Plus throw those armors on top of the shields for even more protection. It can protect us without anyone actually wearing it.”

While calculating the cargo that exists and what they need to take, Vardra and Lucyus offer some suggestions. "Neither of you are wrong in your suggestions. However, it seems you are trying to take the most crates that we can. I think we are best served by taking the very minimum. The horses are not bred nor trained for pulling wagons and the approach to Eagles Nest is very steep and long. Plus remember how slow the ogres trudged along under their burden. The lightest load possible will make our departure much more speedy."

"There is no reason to take more than 32 crates of food as we cannot eat more than that before it spoils and 32 is probably too many. Rather than having to keep track of weight balancing, we just dump all the food off the second and third wagons and load the weapons on those in equal numbers. And then reduce the first wagon to about 30 crates and we have all the food on one wagon. It will then not require later sorting."

“While there is a certain logic to what you are suggesting,” Sorvani adds, “I was under the impression that such rations would last for months. Not that any of us would want to eat them that long. Plus, could they not be purified if they go bad making them last even longer?”

Sorvani keeps an eye on Kendell and Ren as they plan to see how much the horses can actually pull.

[Erisciana]

Erisciana, priestess of Ishtar -

While retrieving the mounts:
"Understood," the priestess responds, a look of disappointment on her face. "Do what you can. Anything we can take with us is a victory."

“Don't worry your pretty little head there, little lady,” Kendell answers. “We'll figure out something.”

The priestess smiles briefly. "You have my utmost confidence. If we cannot make it work, we'll be on the lookout for food all the sooner."

“I think we can get two horses to pull each of the smaller wagons,” Kendell calls out. “Ren here had some ideas on how to hitch them up and it seems to have worked. These wagons are much larger and sturdier than anything I seen back home. Probably can hold more weight but are heavier too. So what I'm thinkin' is that we'll get the first pair of horses attached to the wagon and then see if they can pull it or not. Might need to lighten the load a bit if'n its too heavy as is.”

“I don't believe I am going to say this, but I agree with Kendell,” Sorvani states. “Let's see if the horses can pull the wagons with what's on them now and adjust from there. We seem to be assuming that they can. Let's find out for sure.”

"I'd rather not do that," Erisciana will interject. "I am NOT assuming that they can pull the full weight and it will be much more difficult going up that incline to the Nest than simply pulling along the road. We underestimated the weight of the bar blocking the door near the Stone Dwarf and the sword broke. If you are going to rig a pair of harnesses and they break because of too much weight, then we lose out on the opportunity to move a wagon. No, we will empty one of the wagons of food entirely and make sure that the harness will hold on pulling an empty wagon. Then we can load half of the weapons and check it again. We need to be looking at pulling the minimum needed for speed and safety. Not the maximum. What if the horses can pull the wagon on level ground and part way up the slopes, the wagon weight pulls the team over an embankment? Those turns are rather tight."

--------------------------------------
“While no one here can make use of that armor, there is other uses for it,” Sorvani will speak up. “Padding for example. If we set up some archer stations back at the base of Eagle's Nest, we can put some of those tower shields they were so fond of up for protection. Plus throw those armors on top of the shields for even more protection. It can protect us without anyone actually wearing it.”

"It's possible. Their weight should not increase the two wagons of weapons to be heavier than the wagon of food. We do need to think about defensive protections back at the Nest, once we finish with this task and get some rest from today's battles."

-------------------------------------
“While there is a certain logic to what you are suggesting,” Sorvani adds, “I was under the impression that such rations would last for months. Not that any of us would want to eat them that long. Plus, could they not be purified if they go bad making them last even longer?”

"Yes, that is technically correct. But do we really want to drag along a wagon full of field rations for several months? We hardly need 80 some crates which will feed us for more than 2 months, much less 250. Plus we need to eat other food. Field rations eaten for too long start to cause negative reactions in the soldiers' health. I do not feel we should jeopardize the ability to recover some of these spoils by trying to take more than we need."

Erisci will go to the first wagon that Ren and Kendell hitched the horses to and start removing crates of food, even if no one else does. While she is the weakest of those here, except Wimzy and perhaps Ren, she is able to lift a crate, one at a time, set it on the rim of the wagon and with a tipping push let gravity take it down to the ground. "One," she says with a shove and a grunt. Lift, set, shove. "Two...."

[Vernar]

Vernar -

Vernar does not have anything to add while some of the others discuss exactly how much food to take and how heavy to make the wagons. He silently agrees that we should not max out the load because of the strain on horses not used to pulling and that we are not traveling down a level road on the way to market.

Vernar sets about stacking crates as needed without too much fuss. While he would rather be skulking in the shadows somewhere, he is perfectly accustomed to doing repetitive work as is currently required. He hears Butternut call out that nobody has come to investigate the explosion or battle, and likely there will not be anyone for some time. Still, the sooner they are done here, the better.

[GM Mad]

Post Closed