Ch.2 Goblins, why did it have to be Goblins?

No muscle moves no emotion reflects in monk's face - only his mouth opens enough to answer Caldra with another question Do we rush now or do we catch breath and you tell me what you know of that krogg and it's whereabouts before we seek it?
But you could realize his one sentence just told you
- he will join you unconditionally
- which should mean his business in the village is related to repeal goblin attacks
- he don't know nothing about krogg
- he suggest (even insists) to Catch Breath (both literary and mechanically)

As you gather in the plaza considering your options, you here a tine voice from somewhere up above. "Are they gone? Is it safe to come out?" Moonblossom, the town faerie, peeks her head out of a large knothole in the trunk of the great oak looking very relieved to see her rescuers but still trepidatious after the events of the last several days.

Meanwhile, off in the near distance, the smoke plume from the Ritter farm seems to be weakening a bit - perhaps the townsfolk are getting a handle on it.

How do you proceed?

GM Notes: You know you will be moving slower than the ratriders, not only because you're on foot, but also because you'll either need to track them, or hope that you can follow the strange and somewhat vague map to their lair. Either way, you're chasing the clock again. You have ample supplies left over from the last excursion, so unless there are specific things you didn't get last time that you think you might need for this venture, you should be travel ready.

A number of the party are wounded and could use some healing. Vilde also suffered a Wound from that last encounter, but healing that will take a Safe Rest.

This last attack was coordinated, strategically planned, and cost the Goblins pretty heavily in terms of commitment of resources and losses. These things combined may tell you something....

Glancing to the monk Caldra pauses only a moment before turning to talk with the fearie. Perhaps that discussion will answer the monks questions as well as her own.
"Moonblosom, it seems that the goblins were not intent on you but may be after sources of magical power as this time they took a holy relic. Likely they will continue harassing the region unless they are cleared from the area. We were considering a bit of a mystery we found when we rescued you when this latest attack occurred.

We have a rough map and possibly a name of one of their leaders. Who would best be albe to help us to both decipher the crude goblin map and perhaps give clues on their leader who goes by 'KROGG' "

Moonblossom flutters down from her tree, eyes warily scanning in all directions for signs of Goblins. When she's convinced they have truly gone, she comes to hover in front of Caldra. She looks at you thoughtfully for a moment and rubs her tiny chin, then says, "Well..., I'm not sure specifically, but I'd start with Marla at the Inn and Mayor Tills. When it comes to who's whos, Marla knows pretty much *everybody* - or knows someone who does." she pauses for a second with a slight giggle. "Or knows someone who knows someone who does. Or knows someone who knows someone who knows someone.... Anyway, when it comes to like places and maps, Mayor Tills is probably your best bet. He's been here almost as long as any mortal, and has access to all the city records. I know they do some treefelling in the woods," her face gets sad for a moment, and then she continues, "and the townsfolk used to do some mining up in hills of the Elderwild. But that pretty much stopped after the Goblins moved in. But he might have maps and things like that."

Thorne can't explain why, but he feels they'll need the monk's help.

So, he briefly explains to Naut what he knows about the goblins and what has happened in the last few days.

Over the next several minutes, the plume of smoke on the horizon continues to weaken, and people begin to trickle back into town from the Ritter farm. It's not long before you see the familiar forms of Marla Homebrew and her two daughters, Ruby and Pearl, rounding the bend and heading towards the plaza and the inn. They look a little sweaty and dirty, but seem to be in good spirits and are chatting amongst themselves as they walk.

Naut bows low to Thorne for the information and suggest Talk villagers - they trust you. I will check surroundings and tracks
Naut rise and in direction he seen ratriders disappear. Checking along the way any damage they have done that needs immediate attention (broken fence that allows animals to run away or alike). And he is going to check the direction in which ratriders moved.

Naut, you have no trouble picking out the giant rodent tracks amidst the boot and hoofprints of the town's residents. You only saw two riders, but they were moderately heavily loaded and moving fast, so the claws really dug in for the first dozen yards or so. They get slightly more difficult to make out once the animals reached a comfortable rat-gallop, but you are able to follow them to where they cut north from the main road and lead off into the brush. When you cast your eyes in their direction of travel, you can make out the undulations of the Bramblecrag foothills, and beyond that, cloaked in a perpetual mist, the eaves of the Elderwild.

Caldra takes the map from the goblins and heads to find the Mayor or Marla. She will ask both about Krogg, mentioning it was a name learned from the encounters with the goblins and asks if anything is known of Krogg or any goblin leaders or reasons they may have had for moving into the region.

When she finds the mayor she will briefly explain what transpired in town and suggest that for the next while the town may want to organize a small militia with guards and patrols. She also point out the goblins seem to be collecting items and people with magical ties so perhaps those should be a place to keep special watch. She will show the goblin map to the mayor and ask about adding details to it or getting a copy of anything the town has that covers the same area and ask about who is most familiar with those lands to give additional details and suggestion.

Thorne goes with Caldra and listens to the conversation.

No one seems to have any familiarity with anyone named Krogg, but they all agree that sounds like a Goblin name. As to why they moved into the region, no one knows, however the Mayor suspects they may have pushed out of the Iceforge Mountains by something bigger and nastier.

Insofar as the map is concerned, Mayor Tills takes you to a woman named Audette who is one of the few people remaining in town who used to mine the hills before the Goblin problem made it untenable.

She stares at the map for a goodly amount of time, and then nods. "I reckon I know the place, if I'm readin' these Goblin chickenscratches right as landmarks. It's a good 2, maybe three days trek from here through the Elderwild, but there may still be a bit of a path. There's a hump of hills that had a whole bunch o' exploratory mines started in 'em. Never got too deep, though. Didn't seem to pan out, and then when the Gobbos came, well we all just closed up shop and called it quits."

Naut finds another tree to sit down in the shadows of. Monk meditate with a look toward the hills and makes sure no second wave of attack happens.

Caldra asks the if there are maps of the area that Audette mentioned as well as how to get there. She also asks if anything strange had be noticed by Audette or the other miners before the goblins arrived.

"This seems perhaps the best alternative. I say we try and follow the goblins as we are able. If we lose their tracks then we can shift toward those hills and the mines there as a secondary objective. If it proves that the goblins path heads in that same direction then it will confirm that those mines are tied to all of this., "

As no life is currently at risk Caldra is less rushed to leave the town this time but still makes haste. Thinking of reaching and possibly entering the mins she will consult with Audette on what equipment the miner recommends, thinking to purchase at the least some rope and a lantern or some torches.

Audette thinks for a moment. "I don't think you'll be able to find the mines, much less this specific one without a guide, and I may be the only person left in town that knows the area well enough. I'm not an adventurer, by any means, but if you can put a stop to these Goblin raids, I could lend a hand. Although I'd lose several days of work. For equipment, except for food, torches, some rope, and spikes and a hammer just in case, I can't think of anything else one would need. At least when we were workin' 'em, the mines didn't go very deep."

Thorne studies the map in silence while Audette speaks, tracing the sketched hills and scratched symbols with a callused finger. He listens more than he talks, weighing her words the way he would wind or weather. When she finishes, he gives a small nod.

"A guide makes sense," he says plainly. "Tracks fade. Hills don’t. If the goblins came from somewhere bigger, they’ll have a place to hole up—and old mines are good for that."

He looks up at Audette then, meeting her eyes.

"We’d be better off with someone who knows the land than guessing our way through the Elderwild. If you’re willing to come, Audette, we’ll see you safe. And if those mines are tied to this… better we find out sooner than let Merivale wonder what’s still watching from the hills."

He turns to Vilde.

"Do you need some time to rest and recover before we travel?"

Vilde was so caught up in everything that she almost forgot about the wound dealt earlier. She places a hand to her side, and while there's some pain Caldra's healing seems to have helped enough. She feels for the magical energy within her and feels there's enough there as well. "Spending the night resting in a comfortable bed would be nice, but I don't think we have the time to do so, not with whatever evil deeds these goblins are planning. I'm ready to move on if the rest of you are."

@ctme2000: I hope everything and everybody is ok! Family comes first. :) Also, I've been perusing the books and I don't see any mention of Mana Potions, so either they don't exist or they're so rare that you'd be unlikely to find one in a small town like Merivale.

In case they end up racing the mines Caldra asks Audette the best place to get the suggested supplies and heads there to get them quickly as the others prepare to leave.