And so, as soon as everyone has rested up and is fully healed and healthy again, the adventurers head out for the largest of the Mountains of Mirkwood.

(Now, this is a place that Lachriel knows how to find, so officially, she's guiding, not scouting as such. This is good, because guiding is something she actually has a skill in.

11:11, Today: Lachriel rolled 7 using 2d6 with rolls of 3,4.  Guiding.

OOPS. On the other hand, she's still just an NPC, and not as good as a PC with the same skills would be...)

About halfway through the forest to the tallest Mountain of Mirkwood, you run into a patrol of five goblins!

Thhhhzpp! Olewyn gets hit with an arrow!

(Now your dice-karma from the last "chapter" is paid off, Olewyn.

Where did the arrow hit you? And is it still in you, or did it just cut you ("just a flesh wound")?)

Two goblins run toward you with short swords. Three more are in the back-- one is the archer that just hit Olewyn, the other two goblins seem undecided about if they want to draw steel or get their bows out.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:18, Mon 10 Apr 2023.

Aubree was eagerly looking around the forest, taking in the sights and seeing what plants or mushrooms might be gathered.  When her friend was hit by a goblin arrow, she gasped dramatically and aimed her bow.  She fired at one of the two goblins charging, hoping, perhaps against hope, that she might be able to scare them off with a good hit.

OOC:
18:02, Today: Aubree Farwalker rolled 7 using 2d6 with rolls of 3,4.  bow shot.

Aubree fires a few quick shots, but nothing hits.

(Aubree, lower your Ammo to 2 out of 3.)

Olewyn cries out as the arrow not only grazes her but manages to put a hole through where her legging gather at her knee. While she cannot claim to have "taken an arrow to the knee" it is still a vexing injury!

She liked these leggings too! They had lasted three years and are hard to replace just due to time. Best to take out that archer! Olewyn takes an aimed shot at him, the scoundrel!

Olewyn rolled 15 using 3d6 with rolls of 6,5,4.  Bow shot.

00:26, Today: Marthine rolled 12 using 3d6 ((6,2,4)).
 Battering the nearest goblin with Marthine's staff!

 Marthine draws her staff, bellows a challenge, and charges at the nearest, living goblin... Then, she presses on!

...and then continuing on to the Archers!

He wasn't one for charging forward, so once more, raised his Crossbow, drew back the bolt against the new Spider Silk cord, aimed at one of the 3 archers and fired.

Edit:
He saw the bolt fly and knew he had messed up, so he begged the Fates to will the Goblin to shuffle or sway sideways a little.  Inexplicably, the Goblin seemed to do just that or a fluke gust moved the bolt just enough.

(08:53, Today: Ronald R. Dodaden rolled 5 using 1d6 with rolls of 5.  Spend Fate to Roll Again.

08:49, Today: Ronald R. Dodaden rolled 1 using 1d6 with rolls of 1.  Xbow shot at Goblin Archer.)
This message was last edited by the player at 07:56, Tue 11 Apr 2023.

With one swordsman down and two of the goblins in the back down (one through sheer bad luck-- or good luck on the part of the human), the two remaining goblins panic and start to run for it.

Lachriel, her bow out, hesitates for a moment, looking at the rest of you, clearly thinking will we let them flee, or no?

In reply to The GM (msg # 7):

"There might be others! We cannot let them warn them!"

Olewyn takes one more aimed shot at the goblins! She does not think that trying to follow them back to a camp they may have is wise or safe.

Olewyn rolled <orange>11 using <orange>3d6 ((1,5,5)).</orange>
This message was last edited by the player at 17:10, Tue 11 Apr 2023.

Aubree hears her friends warming and hurriedly tried to fire bow again

OOC:11:57, Today: Aubree Farwalker rolled 2 using 2d6 with rolls of 1,1.  Bow shot
Yikes!!

(Aubree's Ammo goes down again-- to 1/3.

13:51, Today: Tirien rolled 3 using 2d6 with rolls of 1,2.

13:52, Today: Lachriel rolled 5 using 1d6 with rolls of 5.)


Olewyn takes down #4... Aubree and Tirien fire and miss, but it is, surprisingly, Lachriel whose arrow brings down the last of the goblins.

"Huh. Good shot," says someone. You turn and look.

There is a badger, a little under three feet tall, walking on its hind legs. It's wearing a brown cloak and has a pack on its back, and wears a belt with various pouches on it.

It's also got a large leather sack. It goes to the nearest fallen goblin, sniffs at it, and starts taking its weapons, and putting them in its sack, muttering to itself.

"Ah... greetings, master badger," says Tirien. "I had never thought to meet one of your sort east of the Misty Mountains."

"Mm, well, well met, walker-under-stars," says the badger, a little grumpily, but it keeps doing what it's doing.

Tirien looks at the rest of you, as if to suggest anyone else want to try talking to this amazing being?

In reply to Tirien (msg # 10):

Ronald is rather astounded that adter the last episode to kill Gobl8ns, albeit with giant Spiders, that the Goblins fell so fast. And then!!!!

Wow, a giant talking Badger! With it stood on it'shind legs, could see the sex of the creature. "Oh, hello master Badger, well met. What brings you this way on your own? As you can see, it's dangerous here. Anything of interest there? I thought the spoils went to the victors first! Maybe I heard wrong."

He wasn't sure but the Badger was taking their Treasures and thought nothing of it.

 Marthine calms down once she sees the goblins fall.  When The Badger makes themselves known, she pauses for a beat and then follows the source of their voice.  She gasps in amazement at the sight of them.

 "Hello..." She lowers herself to a knee, as a show that she is willing to meet them eye-to-eye, and not look down at them from her intimidating* height.  She pauses, and then says, "... How go things?"

* - Who in Sam Scratch am I kidding, she's probably 5'1"!  TOPS!

"Huh! Dangerous. These goblins couldn't find their noses with both hands, especially not in th' daytime like this. And you don't want these goblin-weapons, do ye? Yer own are all much better, especially since none of you's goblins. Ye can take whatever ye want, but I'm tired of these goblins tromping around, cuttin' marks on trees t' find their way, or jus' f'r fun, or t'mark what they think's their territory. I say, th' best way t'get rid of 'em is t' take their weapons. Bad enough t'have all these spiders aroun' here. An' if y'leave th' weapons where they fall, why! Then other goblins come along, and then they've got twice the swords an' bows as before, in case one breaks! So I steal when I can, an' take from battlegrounds like this here. When they're all without their swords and bows, I reckon they'll go back home, right enough. For a'while, at least." He puts his forepaws on his hips. "An' who might ye be, mister smells-like-magic?" he asks Ronald.

"...Humph. Too many goblins. No respecters of nature, them. How go things with ye? Ye folk here t'get rid'a th' goblins, too?"

Aubree blinked in surprise and smiled at the badger.  She was totally enchanted by the creature.
"It's an honor to meet you, sir.  Thank you for trusting us enough to show yourself. I know that these are dangerous times.  We've even heard rumors of a possible alliance between the spiders and goblins, thouigh we've gotten a few different versions of the story.  Do you know anything about the land ahead?  We're scouting the area, hoping to tell the good people who live nearby what to expect, as they try to make trade routes through here"