The party met weekly at the Inn sharing information and news from the area that they’d each picked up. This particular evening the inn was particularly busy; the din was high and constant. As the party greeted each other, Rowlie offered to order up the first round of drinks. As he passed a small band of dwarfs, he overheard them mentioning that they had just come from Bree. Remembering that Dodi’s cousin Dendi should have be returning from the Shire with some good pipe weed, Rowlie asked if the cousin and the wonderful pipeweed had arrived with the dwarves. He had not.
Dendi was overdue. As was the pipeweed.
Dodi wouldn't admit it to the party, but he was actually getting quite nervous about his cousin’s fate. According to Dodi’s estimations, Dendi should have returned weeks ago. The arrival of the dwarves party only lent more to his anxieties. But as any good innkeeper would attest, keeping your nerves under control while serving your guest was a paramount skill to have. But the party was able to read through this facade.
After a brief discussion with Dodi, and some small encouragement from Rowlie about an opportunity to see his homeland, the party decided that a trip to Bree to look for Dendi would be a nice excursion. Rambler was willing to pay for the opportunity to go, but there was no way the Dwarf was going to pay money for the “Opportunity” to travel...he could travel without that expense and decided in order to keep a little reign on the expense expectation, Brackrog himself would guide this journey. Rambler would scout, Galanon would hunt, and as usual Rowlie and Ladee would provide lookout for the journey.
The start of the journey couldn't have gone better. The weather was so nice that the party opted to travel by foot to the Old Ford and forgo the small southbound raft traveling that direction. This choice was just fine for Rambler; an opportunity to stay out on the road a bit longer suited his personality just fine. The travel was light and comfortable. Rowlie kept spirits up by providing some light music during the travel and telling stories at camp in the evenings. On the second night, the team met a northbound group, describing safety of the road ahead, while exchanging some jerky for some mead from the visiting party's supplies.
The next morning while gathering food, the party happened upon a giant eagle circling a sheep. Massive in size, the giant eagle swooped down and grabbed the sheep in a single talon, screeching at the party in thanks for not poaching its meal. Smiling at each other sharing the awe of the sight, the party continued south to Old Ford.
On the evening of the fourth day the party arrived at Old Ford. A guard, Eberulf, took a toll from each passer (5 silver each to help maintain the roads). Not a bad fee to support the Beorning troup considering it provided some sense of relief that some of the miles of roads ahead would be maintained and reasonably free of rabble and ne’er do wells. News that the high pass may have some goblin troubles was dismissed as rumor unless you were going to travel into the extreme northern areas. There may be some small parties in the High North Pass, but nothing an experienced party like this shouldn't be able to handle. The Guard obviously couldn't completely guarantee hassle free travels, but the party should be critter free for a few miles into their travels.
The next morning, the party continued their journey, heading west through the High Pass. After several miles, the road started to deteriorate. It was obvious the Beornings were trying to maintain the road, but nature was winning the battle over time. Loamy soil was eating up the road work only a few months completed.
On the second night, the party found a small ruined area. Wondering if Dendi may have stopped there on his was east, the party investigated. The ruins were obviously quite old, but probably not Númenórean. After unsuccessfully searching the area for signs of the eastbound Hobbits party, the party decided to stay in the ruins for protection from the incoming weather. The evenings fire and meal was accompanied with stories from Rowlies' seemingly endless supply of tales. As everyone turned in, Brackrog had an uneventfully watch, then woke Rowlie. As time passed on Rowlies' watch, he heard something or someone sneaking around the camp. Rowlie slipped into the shadows while searching the camp, noticing Rambler was missing from his sleeping spot, his dog undisturbed in it slumber.
As Rowlie looked around he noticed a creature moving toward Brackrog, placing its hand over the dwarf’s heart. Quickly the Breelander fired his bow, striking the creature but doing little more than distracting it from its immediate prey. The screech of frustration from the creature and the yell from Rowlie woke the camp. Galanon quickly rolled from his bed to grab a firebrand out of the campfire. The dwarf awoke in confusion before scrambling away from the creature searching for anything he could use as a weapon. Rambler's dog was now alert and desperately searching for his master.
Rowlie fired another arrow, hitting the creature squarely in the chest, but again for no damage. As Galanon stuck the creature with the firebrand, the wight screeched in pain and fear. Noticing this, the dwarf followed suit grabbing a firebrand and struck the creature, which howled in pain before trying to escape the fires’ light. Galanon and Brackrog followed suit, striking the creature with their makeshift flaming weapons. Rowlie took notice of the fire damage and let fly an arrow lit from the camp's fire. The arrow struck hard wounding the creature. In pain and frustration the wight waived its hand sending a chill through the battle area. Unphased by the wight’s fear, Galanon struck again. Despite his fear, Brackrog stood his ground and struck again, hitting the eerie creature which now attempted to flee the area. Galanon struck the final time, sending the beast back to the heather realm from where it came. As the battle, during a brief search, the party found the dog scratching at a patch of bog where Rambler lay buried up to his nose and mouth. Quickly the party dug out their teammate.
After cleaning muck off Rambler, the team explained what had happened as they searched the area for signs of the creatures' origins. Light prints in the surrounding area led the team to a partially buried coffin. Digging the coffin out of the bog and opening it, the party found a skeletal form of someone who was obviously a official from the ruined township, but apparently not well liked. The bare minimum was taken to secure this poor wretchs' place in the afterlife. Two items were buried with the man, a gold torc and a bag of gems.
With the chance to get any rest from this location gone, the party decided to break camp and continue on their way.
Late in the afternoon of the next day the party heard the bray and clomping of a donkey somewhere ahead of them on the trail. Rambler moved ahead of the party to investigate, returning after a short while leading a wounded mule. And arrow protruded from its hind quarters, the pack bags strapped to its back sliced open and empty. The arrow was of goblin construction and fortunately for the mule, did not have any poisons on it. Ladee took a moment to tend the mules injuries, as none of them were life threatening. It was apparent from the injuries the poor beast had only recently encountered the goblins.
Quickening their pace, the team headed up the trail. As dusk crept across the trail, the party came upon a circle fort on the path ahead. A band of travelers was throwing wood onto a fire in the middle of the fort. “Don't Shoot us” Rowlie yelled, “We have your mule”.
“Oh Thank all that be, please say you're here to help, the goblins will be here soon,” replied one of the forts' occupants.
“We are. We are also looking for a Hobbit. Goes by Dendi. Would he be in your party?”
“Dendi was a member of our party yes, but the goblins took him, You’d best get up here and help, they’ll be back soon."
The party quickly made it way to the fort and took assessment of the situation. There were four men, two injured, one severely. The other two were building a fire prepping from the incoming assault.
The party tented to the wounded, and started to prepare for in incoming assault. Within minutes a craggily voice roared out from the darkness.
“I am Urabas, you are surrounded by my minions. Drop your weapons and send out two of your party for us to feast upon and we will let the rest of you go!” The beast taunted from the shadows.
“I have a better idea Urabas,” Rowlie replied from the fort, “You return the hobbit to us, and leave the area. It will save your minions from slaughter!”
“Ha, Ha, Ha, Puny men, you are completely surrounded,” the creature yelled back. “And beside, I like my little cook. He’ll soon season your meat well while it stews in our pot. FIRE!”
The first volley of arrows flew in from the darkness striking one of the original occupants squarely in the throat dropping him instantly. Goblin foot troops attacked from the east and the west, heading to the entrances to the fort. Brackrog with sword and shield in hand, blocked the East entrance, swinging at goblins as they bounced furtively against his shield. Rowlie filled the west entrance with a fire bomb from his oil skin, burning any of the foot troops trying to pass through. Galanon and Rambler fueled the fire with dead goblin bodies as the little beasts tried to pass the flaming threshold.
As the west team dropped the sixth goblin trying to breach the threshold, Brackrog continued to plug the eastern entrance with his body and shield. He was uable to get firm strikes on the encroaching beasts, but did well enough to keep them bottlenecked in the pathway. A powerful swing of Brackrogs' hammer at one of the goblins went astray, striking the stone square jolting the hammer from the dwarf’s grasp. Weaponless, the dwarf concentrated solely on holding the inbound creatures back with his shield.
“That's 10, Urabas,” Rowlie lied, but the taunt was only meant to enrage the leader into attacking on his own. “Perhaps you should give us our Hobbit and take your wounded.”
The orc Urabas grew frustrated by the taunts and the delay in his evening meal. Rushing the eastern entrance, knocking his goblin from the path, Urabas bull rushed the dwarf.
Brackrogs' strength was on par with the large orc, taking the brunt of the rush and only sliding back 5 feet, bringing Urabas into the fort, but effectively blocking anyone behind him from entering. The orc became an easy target for the rest of the party with Galanon and Rambler filling the orc with arrows dropping him in seconds. The now leaderless goblins had no desire to taste steel and arrow from the defending parties. It would be easier to find prey with less fight; thus, they immediately began their hasty retreat. The party followed the creatures into the darkness, running the foul beasts to their lair.
The party, now knowing the location of the goblins lair decided to return to the circle fort and gather themselves and come up with a plan to rescue the Hobbit, which they could only assume was in the goblins cave.
Ladee collected goblin gear and clothing for disguise in case he needed to sneak into their camp. And he also considered starting a campfire to stew a treat that might draw some out for ambush.
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