"Welcome to the Old World" (Session 4)

The trio set about following the goblins’ tracks into the forest, having little difficulty as the goblins clearly feared no men so far from town or village. At the edge of the treeline, they heard shouts and Bargrimm crept ahead to scout. In a clearing down the hill from the treeline, he spied the goblin camp. There were nine of them, all gathered ‘round a bonfire over which roasted the corpse of the bandits’ horse. Their weapons were piled nearby, and a lone wolf gnawed at the remains of a bandit. Nearby, a path led between two hills, but more importantly, the terrified Bianka was bound to the standard of the tribe: a banner of flayed human skin bearing the mark of the cracked skull.

Bargrimm returned and the party set to planning on how to divide the goblins and better their odds. As they spoke, they heard one of the goblins addressing the others, but couldn’t make out his words. Shortly thereafter, they took cover when they heard goblins approaching. It was a group of three of them, their purpose unknown as they seemed unaware of the party until poor Brunhilda was sent out to distract them. It worked – partially – and the group was able to descend on the goblins with only a single shout getting out. Luckily the celebrating goblins below seemed not to hear it, and so the three were dispatched in secrecy. One Bargrimm hit so hard with his pick that its head tore completely off, impaled on it. He thought to kick the head down the hill, sending the goblins scurrying off to investigate, but mining it seems doesn’t make for accurate kicking skills - the head rolled directly into the encampment where the wolf began chewing on it. Still, several goblins left the weapons mound to investigate, partially accomplishing the intent to divide them.

Then, the heroes struck. One goblin died immediately, fatally injured by Nicodemus’ deadly crossbow. Meanwhile Kameena mounted Gildiril and sent slingshots flying at the camp as she kept to the cover of the treeline. Bargrimm put himself the most at risk, charging wildly into the camp and engaging multiple goblins, including one who’d mounted the wolf. Bargrimm sustained several nasty slashes, but gave better than he got, notably killing the wolfrider with a pick through its leg that nearly finished its wolf-mount as well. Near the treeline, a goblin archer faced off with Nicodemus, and when the pair found themselves face to face – neither weapon nocked – they took to bludgeoning each other with their bows. Nicodemus emerged the victor, cracking the goblin’s skull, even as Kameena and her pony were set upon by another pair of goblins. During the melee, Kameena was thrown from her pony, who took a nasty gash, but arose, sling in hand, to finish off the pair. The last of them was struck with a shot as accurate and deadly as the shot that had brought down Gaffin, but at point blank ranged it splattered the goblin’s brains as sure as a black powder pistol.

In the wake of the battle, no reinforecements seemed to be forthcoming, so Kameena patched up Bargrimm and Gildiril. The group freed Bianka, who was mostly in shock from the events of the last few days. Between crying fits, she took to Kameena as a surrogate mother.

While Kameena calmed Bianka down, Bargrimm found himself drawn to the lair of the goblins with Nicodemus close behind. The trail between the two hills led to a small cave, and after triggering the rockslide defense set above it, the pair crept in. Bargrimm, alas, walked right into a stalactite and wandered around in a daze while Nicodemus turned up a small sack of loot from the goblins. Amongst the squallid blankets, worn knucklebone dice, and other trappings of the goblins, Nicodemus also found a true prize: buried in the dirt was a jeweled Estalian dueling dagger. Though its precise worth eluded him, it was surely the most balanced dagger he’d ever hefted and he added it to his growing collection of them.

Hoping to make the town of Ossino (itself a few days from Hermsdorf) before nightfall, the group set out. Along the way, they carefully avoided the scene of the slaughter of Bianka’s foster parents. She was apparently unaware of their deaths, but was in too much of a state of shock for interrogation.

The party reached the town gates just as dusk was falling and a light rain was beginning, but despite a hurried ride from Kameena, the party wasn’t fast enough to get in before the gate to the walled town was locked. They parlayed with the sentry who didn’t think much of such a motley crew, but he grudgingly summoned the village headman, Hergard Brauer. Hergard believed their story, and with an offer to buy him a drink (they’d interrupted his meal), he even took the party to the Crowned Swan Inn himself. Bargrimm ordered him the best drink in the house and the party sat down for their first comfortable meal – the house specialty, boiled crawfish – in many days. Afterwards, everyone even sprung for a warm bath to cleanse the accumulated grit of their travels and fighting.

Kameena retired early to their room with Bianka and Bargrimm managed to rustle up a tavern wench for the night. Nicodemus, meanwhile, confronted a mysterious patron he caught stealing glances at him. The rough-looking man claimed only a natural curiousity in strangers arriving in town and asked Nicodemus about his travels. Word of goblins seemed to particularly pique the man’s interest, and shortly thereafter he asked a very curious question: whether the little girl accompanying them had been rescued from those same goblins. Nicodemus fumbled for an answer, but the man was able to read the truth and shortly thereafter excused himself from the conversation.

While Nicodemus contemplated the matter, he headed upstairs for bed even as Bargrimm found an enthusiastic strumpet to spend a few hours with in the room down the hall. Nicodemus found himself explaining to Bianka that her foster parents were indeed dead, which didn’t go over well at all. She began to cry, and before he or Kameena could figure out how to calm her, there came a knock at the door. Nicodemus opened it, only to find a sword at his throat. It was his “friend” from the bar, backed by two other scoundrels bearing cudgels. The man was wild-eyed and determined that Bianka was his daughter, gone missing years ago while picking berries. He was certain she’d been taken by goblins, but had apparently clung to the hope that she was alive even as his sanity had slowly slipped away over the years.

The man directed one of his friends – the both of them convinced he was in the right – to take Bianka while he watched over Nicodemus. Suddenly Nicodemus lunged, grappling with his captor and hauling him to the window. With a mighty heave, he sent the man shattering through the glass and down to the ground where he landed with a thump and fell unconscious. During the confusion, Kameena managed to wrest Bianka from the thug making off with her and Nicodemus faced off with his Estallian dagger against the other. He was shortly aided and abetted by Bargrimm, who’d heard the shattering window and come running with only sword in hand and a sheet around his waist.

When one of the thugs became seriously injured, he fled the room with Kameena close behind. She lost him outside, but took time to look in on the unconscious leader of the rogues. Using her medical skills, she brought him to consciousness. His name was Moritz Hausier, and touched by Kameena’s mercy, the error of his delusions came crashing down on him. He broke down, begged Kameena’s forgiveness, and raced off into the darkness of the town. His remaining friend fared worse, however, taking a fatal jab from Nicodemus’s dagger.

The party regrouped in their room, but shortly had to deal with the innkeeper who’d been roused by the commotion. Kameena’s charm plus a few gold crowns from Bargrimm managed to convince him of their righteousness. He called up his son with a blanket, wrapped the body of the thug in it, and promised to “take care of it” as long as the three left town the next day and never came back. They were only too happy to oblige.

After several days of pleasantly danger-free travel, the trio found their way to the town of Hermsdorf. It took little time to find the well-appointed home of Herr Wilhelm Liebniz, the steward of Baron von Radische. With the official seal of the Baron as proof of their story, the adventurers had little trouble convincing Herr Liebniz of their story. However, his response was not what they wanted to hear: the Baron has been dead for several days. The victim of a suspicious hunting accident while in the company of the Grand Duke and the Baron's rival, Baron Waldemar von Zutzen. Waldemar had already positioned Waldemar in Radische's role, as Radische had no recognized heir at the time of the accident. In a cruel twist of irony, Herr Liebniz explains, it was fears over such bloody rivalry that had led Radische to send Bianka away in the first place. He'd thought his position secure enough to bring her back, but clearly this was not the case...

Herr Liebniz explains that he will assume the care of Bianka to raise her in accordance with her station. He offered the adventurers a relatively measly 10 Gold Crowns apiece, explaining that they would be expected to keep Bianka's true identity a secret lest she become a victim of treachery like her father. Bargrimm balked at the paltry reward, but ultimately kept his tongue. As the adventurers left, Liebniz advised them that they would probably do better to seek their fortunes elsewhere...