(004) Raid on Goblintown

[bruce.desertrat]

Valerin climbs up to the roof where he shot the first orc and collects his ears, then finds Callista for a little light healing...

"Okay," the odd cleric says with her usual lack of noticeable emotion, and gives him the healing that he needs.

Valerin bows slightly, "Thank you, Callista"

[Eris]

King Bosco frowns for a second, then says with a grin, "Yes, yes! Two gold pieces for each ear is what I said."

Looking at your expressions, he laughs and says, "You have excellent memory, don't you? Yes, yes, it was 20 per ear."

He waves at the Goblin in the dark red robes and says to you, "Hand them to Leonis and he will deal with your payment."

Leonis accepts the ears and counts them out, "Twenty four, that's twelve Orcs you took down. So, you are owed 480 gold pieces, yes?"

"I, of course, don't have that sort of gold on me at the moment, but if you come to the Palace before you leave I'll have your bounty for you." says Leonis, he hands Darian a piece of leather with some sort of writing on it and says, "Show this to the Guards and they will admit you and inform me."

"Well, if the Orc's are gone, I suppose I'll return to the Palace. I'll be receiving Master Ross this evening." says Bosco.

[joertexas]

King Bosco frowns for a second, then says with a grin, "Yes, yes! Two gold pieces for each ear is what I said."

Looking at your expressions, he laughs and says, "You have excellent memory, don't you? Yes, yes, it was 20 per ear."

He waves at the Goblin in the dark red robes and says to you, "Hand them to Leonis and he will deal with your payment."

Leonis accepts the ears and counts them out, "Twenty four, that's twelve Orcs you took down. So, you are owed 480 gold pieces, yes?"

"I, of course, don't have that sort of gold on me at the moment, but if you come to the Palace before you leave I'll have your bounty for you." says Leonis, he hands Darian a piece of leather with some sort of writing on it and says, "Show this to the Guards and they will admit you and inform me."

"Well, if the Orc's are gone, I suppose I'll return to the Palace. I'll be receiving Master Ross this evening." says Bosco.

Eodrien watches the king and his assistants leave, and then she turns to Des. "I wonder if the orcs will try to come back for more?"

[bobk2323]

Valerin bows slightly, "Thank you, Callista"

"You're welcome," she says with her usual lack of inflection, then gets back to what she was doing.

--
Bob K.

[Eris]

So, what now? Go find the caravan, which is supposed to be just south of the city, by riding through the town? Something else?

[joertexas]

So, what now? Go find the caravan, which is supposed to be just south of the city, by riding through the town? Something else?

Eodrien is trying to determine how prepared the village is if the orcs return.

[terrymixon]

So, what now? Go find the caravan, which is supposed to be just south of the city, by riding through the town? Something else?

Eodrien is trying to determine how prepared the village is if the orcs return.

Des won't leave until the rest are ready.

[joertexas]

Des won't leave until the rest are ready.

"Do you think the orcs will come back," Eodrien asks as she looks in the direction they left.

[Eris]

Des won't leave until the rest are ready.

"Do you think the orcs will come back," Eodrien asks as she looks in the direction they left.

The Goblins look like they were undermanned when the Orcs attacked. Asking around confirms this as two of the four companies of the Goblin Guard are currently out of the town. That's half their force away at one time! Missing the roughly 50 men that normally would be here allowed the Orcs to penetrate into the town. Usually, raids are stopped outside the town itself with only a few losses of sheep and goats from outlying herds. This time, though, they were able to enter the town and burn and loot a few buildings as well as taking some of the flocks grazing north of the town.

This time one company was heading up the road toward the mountain pass...you met them on the road. They told you that they had been ordered up to guard the pass because King Bosco had been told by Red Cap representatives that your caravan had been destroyed and no more caravans or travellers would be allowed to go through the pass. Their mission was to prevent the pass from being closed.

The other company is on a normal patrol south along the road toward Elsburg and the Elsmere Lake. That's not unusual, but what is unusual is for 2 of the 4 companies to be out of town at the same time. It is usually one along the south road to "The Old Tower" and then return, then one along the north road to the mountain pass and then return and then repeat.

In the past, the Orcs have never raided twice in one year. The general view is that they won't this year, either. However, they have never been this successful before, so there is some worry.

[bruce.desertrat]

King Bosco frowns for a second, then says with a grin, "Yes, yes! Two gold pieces for each ear is what I said."

Looking at your expressions, he laughs and says, "You have excellent memory, don't you? Yes, yes, it was 20 per ear."

He waves at the Goblin in the dark red robes and says to you, "Hand them to Leonis and he will deal with your payment."

Leonis accepts the ears and counts them out, "Twenty four, that's twelve Orcs you took down. So, you are owed 480 gold pieces, yes?"

"I, of course, don't have that sort of gold on me at the moment, but if you come to the Palace before you leave I'll have your bounty for you." says Leonis, he hands Darian a piece of leather with some sort of writing on it and says, "Show this to the Guards and they will admit you and inform me."

"Well, if the Orc's are gone, I suppose I'll return to the Palace. I'll be receiving Master Ross this evening." says Bosco.

Eodrien watches the king and his assistants leave, and then she turns to Des. "I wonder if the orcs will try to come back for more?"

Valerin says, "They will be. This was a successful raid; they'll do it again. They got away with a lot of goods at a relatively small loss."

[bruce.desertrat]

Valerin will seek out someplace to clean up after the battle, then join up with wherever the caravan is set up, and see what gossip is to be had. He'll also see of there's someplace he can upgrade his bow to a good composite one.

[joertexas]

Valerin says, "They will be. This was a successful raid; they'll do it again. They got away with a lot of goods at a relatively small loss."

Eodrien sighs and absently rubs the scar on her left cheek as she thinks. "As much as I hate to say this, it really isn't our problem. We need to get the caravan out of this area before the orcs regroup. We are a much fatter target than a defended town."

[bruce.desertrat]

Valerin says, "They will be. This was a successful raid; they'll do it again. They got away with a lot of goods at a relatively small loss."

Eodrien sighs and absently rubs the scar on her left cheek as she thinks. "As much as I hate to say this, it really isn't our problem. We need to get the caravan out of this area before the orcs regroup. We are a much fatter target than a defended town."

Valerin says "You're right, though lopping off orc ears at 20 gold per pair could turn into a lucrative calling!" He laughs, rubbing his healing scar slightly "Though painful at times"

He gazes pensively at the Kings palace. "Although a king with that kind of money to throw about is either fat with treasure, or feeling nervous about the crown he wears."

[ateno]

"The timing is to good, the Orcs had a insider. This city has to hold."

Darian

[bobk2323]

"The timing is to good, the Orcs had a insider. This city has to hold."

Darian

Callista nods in agreement, looking disinterested as almost always, but saying, "Yeah. This place is important. (pause) To a lot of people."

--
Bob K.

[Eris]

"The timing is to good, the Orcs had a insider. This city has to hold."

Darian

Callista nods in agreement, looking disinterested as almost always, but saying, "Yeah. This place is important. (pause) To a lot of people."

Frank wanders over and nods hearing Darian and Callista's conversation, "Yeah, somebody here had to have tipped the Orcs off that most of the local warriors were out of town. They didn't try to hit US on the trail, you notice. We would have been an easier target than a town with a passel of trained soldiers, Goblin or not."

"It's like they either didn't know we were out there, or thought we'd already been 'dealt with', huh? Didn't that Goblin leading the troop we met tell Ross some Orcish Red Caps had told Bosco our caravan had been destroyed already?" Frank spits on the ground near an Orc corpse, "There's your inside leak, right there!"

"I don't know how much trade goes along this road between Hurst and Elsburg, but it does keep a line of communication open between two, no three...the only three...civilized areas up this way."

"There is Hurst on the river and I've heard that there are several towns around the Elsmere Lake, and we ran into those Halflings that are traveling with us from the hills west of the Lake." Frank rubs his healing wounds through the gaps in his leather armor, "From talking to a couple of them it looks like they have several villages up in those hills, but they are isolated. This route is their only way to get to Hurst and the easiest way from there to the Elsmere towns."

"It strikes me that it's in the Red Caps best interest to control this town and if they can't do that, to destroy it and the road passing through it."

"I think we ought to get back to the Caravan and report all this to Master Ross." Frank says, "Knowing a little about Goblins, I doubt they'll give our boss the straight skinny on this raid...or on the situation here either."

[terrymixon]

"The timing is to good, the Orcs had a insider. This city has to hold."

Darian

Callista nods in agreement, looking disinterested as almost always, but saying, "Yeah. This place is important. (pause) To a lot of people."

Frank wanders over and nods hearing Darian and Callista's conversation, "Yeah, somebody here had to have tipped the Orcs off that most of the local warriors were out of town. They didn't try to hit US on the trail, you notice. We would have been an easier target than a town with a passel of trained soldiers, Goblin or not."

"It's like they either didn't know we were out there, or thought we'd already been 'dealt with', huh? Didn't that Goblin leading the troop we met tell Ross some Orcish Red Caps had told Bosco our caravan had been destroyed already?" Frank spits on the ground near an Orc corpse, "There's your inside leak, right there!"

"I don't know how much trade goes along this road between Hurst and Elsburg, but it does keep a line of communication open between two, no three...the only three...civilized areas up this way."

"There is Hurst on the river and I've heard that there are several towns around the Elsmere Lake, and we ran into those Halflings that are traveling with us from the hills west of the Lake." Frank rubs his healing wounds through the gaps in his leather armor, "From talking to a couple of them it looks like they have several villages up in those hills, but they are isolated. This route is their only way to get to Hurst and the easiest way from there to the Elsmere towns."

"It strikes me that it's in the Red Caps best interest to control this town and if they can't do that, to destroy it and the road passing through it."

"I think we ought to get back to the Caravan and report all this to Master Ross." Frank says, "Knowing a little about Goblins, I doubt they'll give our boss the straight skinny on this raid...or on the situation here either."

Des nodded and hefted his axe. "The rumor that the caravan had been destroyed. Do you think it was to draw troops from here to make the attack easier?"

[bruce.desertrat]

Callista nods in agreement, looking disinterested as almost always, but saying, "Yeah. This place is important. (pause) To a lot of people."

Frank wanders over and nods hearing Darian and Callista's conversation, "Yeah, somebody here had to have tipped the Orcs off that most of the local warriors were out of town. They didn't try to hit US on the trail, you notice. We would have been an easier target than a town with a passel of trained soldiers, Goblin or not."

"It's like they either didn't know we were out there, or thought we'd already been 'dealt with', huh? Didn't that Goblin leading the troop we met tell Ross some Orcish Red Caps had told Bosco our caravan had been destroyed already?" Frank spits on the ground near an Orc corpse, "There's your inside leak, right there!"

"I don't know how much trade goes along this road between Hurst and Elsburg, but it does keep a line of communication open between two, no three...the only three...civilized areas up this way."

"There is Hurst on the river and I've heard that there are several towns around the Elsmere Lake, and we ran into those Halflings that are traveling with us from the hills west of the Lake." Frank rubs his healing wounds through the gaps in his leather armor, "From talking to a couple of them it looks like they have several villages up in those hills, but they are isolated. This route is their only way to get to Hurst and the easiest way from there to the Elsmere towns."

"It strikes me that it's in the Red Caps best interest to control this town and if they can't do that, to destroy it and the road passing through it."

"I think we ought to get back to the Caravan and report all this to Master Ross." Frank says, "Knowing a little about Goblins, I doubt they'll give our boss the straight skinny on this raid...or on the situation here either."

Des nodded and hefted his axe. "The rumor that the caravan had been destroyed. Do you think it was to draw troops from here to make the attack easier?"

Valerin nods "If I were planning this, I would have done something like that. It's a tell, though. The Orcs aren't strong enough, to face the town with it's troops here. " He thinks a moment, then adds grimly "Yet."

[joertexas]

Valerin nods "If I were planning this, I would have done something like that. It's a tell, though. The Orcs aren't strong enough, to face the town with it's troops here. " He thinks a moment, then adds grimly "Yet."

"We can't do much about it right now, although the caravan master will have to consider his next trip through here," Eodrien observes.

[ateno]

Valerin nods "If I were planning this, I would have done something like that. It's a tell, though. The Orcs aren't strong enough, to face the town with it's troops here. " He thinks a moment, then adds grimly "Yet."

"We can't do much about it right now, although the caravan master will have to consider his next trip through here," Eodrien observes.

"Well, we should get back to the caravan and tell the master the findings and let him work on it."

Darrian