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?"