Happy to be out of the scorching sun and off the dusty road, the party finds accommodations at the Old Bridge Inn. Upon entering town and the inn specifically, even less astute party members can sense a fear in the town. They are just settling into their rooms at the Old Bridge Inn when a knock comes at the door. Outside in the hallway stand a tall, balding man of about fifty and a capable-looking swordswoman, Captain Soranna Anitah. She nods at each adventure in turn.

"Sorry to trouble you, travelers, but I'd like a few minutes of your time," the man says.

"My name is Norro Wiston, and I am the Town Speaker for Drellin Ferry. You've already met Captain Soranna, our guard captain, or so I am told," he says.

"I'll get right to the point. We're in a lot of trouble, and I was hoping I could persuade you to help us out."

"Our town has been under attack," the speaker begins. "Hobgoblin raiders have been harrying our lands for several days now. They've attacked and killed people in the outlying homesteads, and they've been waylaying travelers along the Dawn Way."

Captain Soranna adds, "We've had some trouble with them before--a quick raid on homesteads on the west side of the river, usually not that bad--but this is different. It looks like a large, aggressive tribe has moved down out of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. Frankly, I fear they might be numerous enough to sack the town."

"Beyond the immediate threat to our homes, the road is our lifeblood," the Speaker continues. "If the hobgoblins make the Dawn Way impassable to the west, trade won't come this way, and we'll be ruined. Not only do we need to repel the raiders from our town, but we've got to keep the road open. Can you help us do it?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:18, Sun 23 July 2017.

 All Marklin wanted, was a bath, drink, and a woman, not necessarily in that order.  When the knock on the door came, he answered with a frown, but the words of “bugger off” died in  his throat, when he took the measure of the two. Marklin knew an officer when he saw one, and she was definitely of that ilk.

 When the man spoke his piece, Marklin smiled. “ A proper enemy to face, for once. Nice change o’ pace from fungus and bloody flaming bears.  How much?”

This message was last edited by the player at 00:45, Sun 23 July 2017.

Valthur grunts in agreement when Marklin describes Hobgoblins as a worthy foe. "When do we start?"

 Marklin grinned to the two locals. " I am sure we can help ye,but what be in it for us?"

Speaker Wiston seems to have either not full understood Marklin's first question or chose to redirect. "We're not sure how many of them there are. A hundred warriors maybe?"

Captain Soranna adds, "There have been at least three different warbands around our lands at the same time, each about fifteen to twenty strong, so fifty at the minimum."

The Speaker's face brightens when Valthur eagerly pledges his support and responds, "I would hope as soon as possible. I hear you came in with a large caravan this morning. They'd be fools to head north along the road until this problem has been dealt with, to say nothing of returning caravans coming southward. They won't even know what's waiting for them..."

In response to Marklin's more direct question, the Speaker replies in a guarded tone, "You'd be helping a lot of people and have the thanks of the town, if you could deal with this problem." The Town Speaker grips the ornate gold-tipped handle of his walking cane with both hands, tilts his head slightly to the left and smiles nervously.

"We like helping people, especially if they be helping us fill our purses. We nay be greedy, but we deserve something, if ye want me and me mates ta bleed and mayhap die. It be only fair." Said Marklin in a most serious tone of voice.

Sarah shrinks away, stands far away and out of the guests' view (by situating herself so that she is behind her compatriots) and is very quiet.

Speaker Wiston chews on his lower lip a bit before responding to Marklin's plea for monetary recompense for the sake of fairness.

"You speak true enough. We are asking you fine folk to put your life on the line..."

"We could pay you as much as 300 pieces of gold each, from our coffers, if you can drive off the hobgoblins."

The sum of money Speaker Wiston is offering is not inconsequential. A person could live a modest lifestyle for nearly a year on such an amount of gold. The risk must be quite grave indeed for the Speaker of Drellin's Ferry to offer such a handsome bounty.

Eoni held her tongue while Marklin pushed the Speaker for payment.  She knew they would help the people of Drellin's Ferry in the end and it would bolster the mercenary armsman's resolve if gold was involved.

Even so, the Captain's estimate of their numbers gave her pause.  How could just the five of them take on such a task?

Marklin was handling negotiations with the officers well, and Aldara was confident in her ability to aid in the handling of the likely small army-sized group of bandits even better.  Still, she appeared to be calculating something in her mind, even as three hundred gold coins came into the equation.  She was as opportunistic as some of her other companions, yes, but valued survival just as much as they did.  From the back of the group, but in front of Sarah, she nods her own assent.

"What exactly are you asking of us?" Eoni asked.  "Bolster your forces or tackle them on our own?

"The numbers don't sound as if they'd fall in our favor."

She was hoping they would supplement what existing guard Captain Anitah commanded.  Perhaps scouting and skirmish rather than direct confrontation.

Certainly they wouldn't be expected to tackle so many on their own.

The Town Speaker listens to Eoni's question and answers, "Yes. Both."

He then glances back at his Captain and continues, "We already tried taking care of it on our own. Shortly after hearing the first reports of hobgoblins in the area, we sent a dozen guardsmen west on the road to find out where the hobgoblins were lairing, but they got cut to pieces a few miles inside the forest."

He pauses a moment, in deference to the deceased villagers, before continuing in a weaker voice.

"The hobgoblin warband is also said to have evil magic and fell beasts on their side, spellcasters perhaps. Until you showed up, we haven't had any heroes who could stand up to them."

Captain Anitah suggests the party scout out the area along the road west of town and try to find where the hobgoblin warband has made camp. If possible, the heroes should attempt to drive them out of the area to restore safe passage for caravans along The Dawn Way...and to secure the town's safety in the event the hobgoblins are using the woods as a staging ground for an assault against the town.

 The sum, as mentioned by the town official, made Marklin start to grin. He walked over and pumped the Town Speakers hand, then the Captains. “Done and done!”

Sarah's position has not changed -- behind everyone, with everyone facing the guests, and behind Aldara, so that the guests cannot see her readily.

"And we'll need to borrow some horses," Eoni chimed in quickly as Marklin sealed the deal with the town.  "And three men familiar with the area to ride with us.

"Preferably good with bows," she added in consideration of their current armament.

If they did run into a number greater than they could handle, having a means to flee faster than the hobgoblins would be appreciated.  The extra three men would keep them from getting lost and be able to convey any locations with greater accuracy to Captain Anitah.

Speaker Wiston offers his regrets that he has no horses to loan out to the party. "You might inquire with Delora Zann, a retired adventurer who settled down in Drellin's Ferry twenty years ago. He says she stables horses and other mounts and buys and sells animals from time to time. "She might be able to help you..."

As to the issue of men-at-arms, Captain Anitah looks Eoni over briefly, as though assessing the woman's character. Then she shifts her gaze to the rest of the party. True, they had at least notionally agreed to aid the town in its time of need, but something sat uneasy in her gut. To her mind, the assembled band before her was a motley crew if ever she saw one: a quiet wizard who said little but seemed to be calculating something, a slinky woman who sort of faded away into the background, a brash warrior who smelled and looked like a hard-drinking man of vice, a Sister of Avandra who seemed unsure of herself or her companions' abilities and a dwarf who seemed all too eager to accept the mission with no questions asked.

Would any of her regulars follow any of these into harm's way?

In the end, she ceases her inner dialogue and says, "I will survey the newly conscripted militia members and ensure three skilled archers accompany you."

"If that's acceptable," she adds in.

Eoni was disappointed that the town did not have mounts available for them but satisfied with Captain Anitah's offer of archers.

"Since horses would aid us greatly in aiding the town," she pressed, "an advance of one hundred gold for each of us to secure our own mounts would be acceptable as well."

They would probably need to rent horses for the archers but buying their own would not be a bad investment as it would bring speed and ease to their future journeys.  Though there had been nothing to be done about it, the dwarf's foreshortened stride had been vexing their daily progress.

Speaker Wiston reluctantly agrees to the advance after a private word with his captain and heads off to arrange for each party member to be provided the indicated amount of gold.

After he steps away Captain Soranna Anitah addresses the party, "About the men-at-arms. I am loathe to provide any of our regular guard to our effort, as I have trained these men and women myself and should it come to it..." She pauses for emphasis, "I would rather see them at my side if the hobgoblin warband wages an assault against the town."

"However," she continues, "I spoke with three mercenaries, such as yourselves, just last night. You might find them useful, though I suspect they may wish for a share of any treasure found...they were quite insistent on this when I spoke with them last night..."

She says the three mercenaries are led by a young man named Gaston, the band consisting of Gaston, his brother Anders, and a third named Lenny. All three are staying at the same inn. She suspects these mercenaries are more skilled than her own troops, but she doesn't know them well as they only recently arrived in town from distant parts. In the event the adventurers are insistent on taking on three town regulars, the Captain will reluctantly agree.

Finally, once the issue of mercenaries is settled she recommends scouting out the Witchwood to locate the hobgoblin camp. "If you're going to be wandering around the Witchwood, I would advise you to seek out Jorr. You can't find someone who knows the woods better. His cabin is out of the way, but it could be worth the trip. If you take the Witch Trail, go left at the first big trail crossing; Jorr's cabin is about seven miles in. Or, if you're on the Dawn Way, take a right at a trail about nine miles from the forest edge. Jorr's cabin is near the Blackwater."

 Marklin left the details of things to come, to Captain Eoni and others. All he was concerned with, was, there as coin in the offering, and a foe to fight. He was content.

Sarah continues staying in the periphery, and has said nothing.

"If this Jorr knows the territory," Eoni conceded, "then Gaston and his men will do.

"We just needed someone familiar with the region to keep us on track."

With the two armsmen satisfied and Aldara's assent, Eoni concluded their arrangements with Captain Anitah.

"We'll contact Gaston and arrange to set out in the morning," she summarized.  "Get horses and provisions at first light, then seek out Jorr."

After completing their conversation with Captain Anitah, the party approaches the three mercenaries, all three of which are also quartered at the inn.

Gaston is a well-built, handsome young man with what could be described as a winning smile. His younger brother Anders bears a strong family resemblance and is similarly easy on the eyes, albeit with a much leaner physique. Their companion, Lenny is a tall and rangy fellow with dull, far-off eyes.

Gaston does most of the talking for the trio, though his younger brother occasionally pitches in here or there. Lenny hardly says anything, except completely random sentences that seem to have no connection to anything happening at the present. Both Gaston and Lenny dismiss these ramblings the first few times with statements such, "Don't mind him, he wouldn't hurt a fly," and the like. It takes little time with the trio to conclude Lenny may be mentally   challenged.

In any event, Gaston claims all three are skilled with all manner of weaponry, to include bows. They also have their own gear. Gaston and Lenny are outfitted with chainmail, shield, sword, spear, and bows. Anders wears leather armor and primarily uses a bow, though he says he can wield a club or dagger in a pinch.

After reviewing their abilities and gear, Gaston says, "What is on offer for joining your brave band?"

Not Sarah.

 Marklin might be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he was not the dullest either. When Gaston asked what was in it for them, the Warrior had to speak up. “I wanna see what ye can do with them bows, afore we talk wages. Mayhap even abit of sparing with me and me mate, Vulthar ta test yer mettle."

Gaston smirks, shrugs his shoulders and replies, "Right you are. Let us see if we meet muster..."

Gaston leads his band out to the Green, a broad grassy field near the center of town. Moments later, the sparring and exhibition ensues as curious onlookers watch from underneath nearby eaves.

Thirty minutes or so later, Marklin and Valthur assess the mercenaries abilities as follows:

Lenny is perhaps the most skilled melee combatant of the three. He is a rangy, defensive fighter and does not tire easily.

Gaston is capable in melee and possess great vitality. He sometimes lets his guard down, allowing his opponent to get the better of him.

Anders is not very skilled in close combat, but where he lacks in skill he makes up for in stamina.

In terms of skill with bow, Lenny is a crack shot, Anders is average and Gaston...well, he's better served sticking to sword or spear.

All three are experienced mercenaries, though perhaps not quite the equal of Marklin or Valthur.

Barely sweating from the exertion, his hair still immaculately coifed, Gaston says, "Well?"

 Marklin only knew what he had made as a Man at arms,and a brief stint as a merc. " What say ye to twenty five pieces o' gold each, and a share in the spoils?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:13, Tue 25 July 2017.

Gaston agrees to Marklin's terms and says, "Right then. Looks like we have the makings a great merry band of mercenaries here."

"Of course, we'll need the 75 gold up front, standard rules of engagement to be sure..."

Gaston and company are ready to depart at a moment's notice and will sort of hang out at the inn until such time the group is leaving. None of them have mounts and have no interest in acquiring them. "Far too much work and coin involved in that game. There's a reason behind the saying eats like a horse. Eat you out of house and home!" Anders comments.

***

At the stables, the party is greeted by Delora Zann, herself once a member of the famed Golden Drake Company. She is a plain-speaking, no nonsense sort of woman, tall and broad shouldered, who wears her blonde-gray hair pulled back in a single bread. Delora currently has one warhorse, one riding and one pony available for sale. The other animals in her stables belong to the trading coster that brought the adventurers into town.

In the event the party wishes to purchase any, they cost 250, 75 and 35 gp respectively.

Eoni looked over the horses in disappointment.  Not based on any assessment of their quality, just their quantity.  If they needed to outrun a hundred strong war band, two horses and a pony weren't going to save everyone.

She wasn't expecting anyone to fight from horseback, just to flee on horseback.

"I was hoping to mount us all," she admitted grimly, "but three aren't enough."

She looked longingly at the other horses before turning back to Delora with an idea.

"Is Sal around?" she asked brightly.  "The coster from the Five Marks?"

She turned back to the others to explain what she'd surmised.

"He'll be hard pressed to leave with the roads as they are.  Perhaps we could strike a deal to borrow a few of them.  They're of no use to him until the raiders have been dealt with.  I'm sure he'd be interested in anything that would secure his earliest departure."

Valthur looks at the assortment of steads and snorts. "I know what you're thinking. Let the dwarf ride the pony. They're both small. Hah. I'd rather walk then ride that little thing."

Delora says the caravanmaster is staying at the Old Bridge Inn, but his head drover, Gorth, is on site. Presumably, a short while later the party talks to the head drover about their proposal. Gorth is not compelled to loan any of the caravan's draft horses to the party and says the master is considering other routes, perhaps heading back to the east to do business in Dennovar.

Likewise, if Sal is approached, he says the same. It's far too risky to let his draft horses get used to scout out a marauding warband and it takes away his option to flee, with his valuable merchandise, in the opposite direction should it all go south.

"Sorry, it's a lose, lose for me and my interests," he admits.

In disappointment, Eoni finally gave up on acquiring horses for their scouting.

"It's no use for just a few of us to have horses," she admitted.  "I'm going to deliver the translation to Sertieren.

"It should be quick but anyone's welcome to join me."

Sarah returns to the inn.  Anyone who is there would see her.  Those there observe the following:

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Sarah gets a drink from the bartender, then finds a seat.  In a corner, or at least an edge.  Alone.  She sits there, staring straight ahead with eyes seemingly focused on nothing in particular.  Occasionally, she takes a drink from her mug, but she does so mechanically.

She does have a crossbow.  That's new.

---

This message was last edited by the player at 18:48, Thu 27 July 2017.

Following her business at the stables, Eoni goes to see Sertieren the Wise. Once there, she provides the translated documents and he thanks the party for their help and refunds half the money, 50 gold pieces, for the previously identified item. Additionally, if the party has any new items they want to have identified, he agrees to waive the identification fees, seeing as the Speaker has already notified him of their service to town.

Finally, Sertieren offers two wizard scrolls which might prove useful to the party: a scroll of Protection from Evil and a scroll of Mirror Image.

"For the good of the town," he offers with a kindly expression. "Go safely," he says in farewell.

Following their visit with Sertieren, the party is approached by Ologeon, who likewise was contacted by Speaker Wiston. Ologeon provides the party four potions of healing.

"May they serve you well!"

After negotiating with Speaker Wiston and Captain Anitah (in other words standing back with arms folded and observing Eoni as she negotiated with them), looking for horses, and sparring with the three newly acquired men-at-arms, Valthur departs from his companions and pays a visit to the blacksmith to see if his beloved Darna Coalhewer is on site.

Aldara accompanied Eoni to see Sertieren.  She found the priestess to be sensible enough, but, well, what if they said something too wizardly for her to comprehend!  Or, more importantly, what if there was something that needed the mage's immediate attention and she wasn't around?

Fortunately, no such thing occurred, although scrolls of arcane lore entered the equation.  She gave an appreciative nod.  Much the same is done with Ologeon's gracious provision of potions.

With whatever spare time is left, Aldara buys three more daggers to throw, and "tops off" her regular supplies.

Finances will be adjusted when I get home from work.

Valthur pays a visit to the local blacksmith, Morlin Coalhewer where is happily received by the dwarven blacksmith's daughter, Darna.

Less joyous are the judging looks Morlin flashes at the two as he hammers away at the forge. Clang, a particularly loud metal-on-metal strikes punctuates his uneasy thoughts on his daughter being swept up by a traveling mercenary. Or maybe it's not that, for Morlin himself is a seasoned veteran of goblin wars long past. Maybe it's just the thought of losing his daughter? In any event, Morlin is too busy to give it much thought and continues pounding away at his tasks.

Eoni returned to the inn for dinner.  It had been a long day traveling from Terrelton and it was well past dark when she'd finished the errands she'd wanted to run.  Some fruitful, others not.

She just hoped they wouldn't regret getting any of the horses that were available.

The Sister of Avandra almost missed seeing Sarah in the corner and went over to join her.

"No horses," she said, sitting down across from the girl.  "Well, there were horses, but only three.

"I did run into Ologeon on my way back from Sertieren's," she added, rummaging around in her pack.  She produced a small bottle and counted out ten gold.

"The gold is for returning with the translation and a healing potion for helping with the town.  I have three more bottles but I didn't think you had one.

"Sertieren also gave us a pair of scrolls to help in defending the town.  Aldara has those."

She caught the barmaid's eye and motioned for something to eat and drink.

"Oh," she added finally, "Sertieren said that he'd identify anything we bring him for free since we're helping out the town.  I'm pretty sure he meant while we're helping out, not forever."

OOC: Everyone write down 10 gold on your character sheet from Sertieren.

Sarah shakes her head.

"Not fighting hobgoblins.  Too many."

"I think we'll try to just scout them out first," Eoni explained.  "Then see if we can get them split up into smaller groups.

"I agree that more than a half dozen at a time would be too many."

She took a deep breath and looked around the room.

"That's why I was hoping to get horses so we could run if there were more than we could handle.  I'm afraid we're going to lose Valthur if it comes to that.

"I pray that we can get Jorr to lead us along less traveled routes.  Ones they won't have set for an ambush.  That's what I think happened to the town's first foray.

"We need to catch them by surprise, not the other way around."

Sarah keeps shaking her head.  "Not worth risk."

Valthur does his best to give Morlin a reassuring "I'm a respectable citizen and not a sleezeball" kind of look, but he fears it is only somewhat effective. He has to admit that the clangs seem to increase in volume as he gets closer to Darna.

Intimidating as the father's hammering is, Valthur approaches Darna and tells her more tales of his adventures at Barren Hill. The savant, the bears, the gnome, the boulder, all with some level of accuracy (and a bit of added heroism, of course). He tells her they plan to move on in 2 days time, but asks her to dinner tomorrow, hoping that the others don't plan to leave early.

"How many would be worth the risk?" Eoni asked.  It would give them a solid starting point when deciding whether to engage or avoid.

Ideally, Eoni would like to negotiate with them to form some kind of truce or boundaries, but she didn't think it was feasible.  From what she'd heard of hobgoblins and her experience with the Howler Tribe, they would always be pushing for more if they sensed an advantage.  They would need a significant show of force in order to keep them at bay.

Aldara had mentioned that she was working on something new.  The Sister wondered if it could be used to intimidate the raiders.

Sarah cocks her head to the side, reminiscent of her reaction in the cave when Eoni questioned the girl about the club.  As before, Sarah's look appears to be one of puzzlement  -- but as before, she doesnt say anything so there's no confirmation as to what the girl is thinking.

She picks up her mug as if to drink but leaves it there much longer than necessary for that purpose, holding it in place as it covers the lower part of her face.

"We do also have Gaston and the other two," she reminded the girl.  "Not quite as burly as Valthur, but perhaps as good as Marklin."

She thought to amend her last comparison but decided to be generous and give Marklin the benefit of the doubt.

"So we do have more brute strength available than we're used to."

Aldara returned to the inn alongside Eoni, and ordered a drink and meal for herself in the form of heavier fare, and an ale.  She agrees with everything that the priestess says, but can't help but notice Sarah's trepidation.  "Come, now, Sarah... We've all seen what I'm capable of doing with my magic.  If I can charm a kobold or knock out a family of bears, I'll have no problem doing the same with hobgoblin rabble!  I've a new trick I've been working on, too: illusions!"

Turning to Eoni, she says, "This illusion is just that, however: an illusion.  An advanced parlour trick, made more convincing only by magic.  I was thinking of perhaps tricking these brutes into thinking I've summoned a cloud of angry bees or wasps, or called up a storm of magical fire.  Our company will also no doubt be of great use."

Sarah doesn't respond to Aldara.  She does put her drink down.  She isn't smiling -- but that's the norm.

While the adventurers are preparing to scout out the surrounding countryside for any sign of the marauding hobgoblin warband, several party members cannot help but perceive a general tension that hangs over the small town. Hushed whispers here or there as the adventurers go about their business make it quite clear how quickly word has spread through the town that Town Speaker Wiston has hired the mercenaries for the job. Cautiously hopeful faces peer from curtained windows and shadowed doorways, eager to get a look at the brave adventurers who will stand up to the hobgoblin army lurking in the Witchwood.

 Marklin would flat out refuse to ride anything with four legs. He was trained to be infantry, and marching is what he intended to do.

  If there was time, Marklin would carouse with the three new hires. A few drinks here, some gambling there, he had to try and get back some of the seventy five gold they fronted.

 When the time of their departure was at hand, they would find Marklin marching proud and tall, every inch a fighting man in appearance. Boots polished and leather armor oiled. His helmet and spear point gleamed in the early morning sunlight.

Valthur spends 25 gold on the fanciest bracelet he can find for Darna, explaining that he'll be back in a few days and will treat her to dinner upon her return.

As for plans, he leaves that to the others, offering that any plan where he can axe a bunch of hobgoblins is one he favors.