Extract from Gelert's Diary..
Becoming increasingly bothered by the recurrent goblin attacks on the road, Master merchant Gaylen’s nerves break and he decides to press on through the night in an effort to escape the Dark Forest by morning.
In the first wagon, there is Gaylen, his bodyguard and his driver at the front. Behind them, riding shotgun, is Dimble on the right, Keller in the centre, Gelert on the left. Perched on top of the the canvas is Dorian, equipped with his bow. The three mercenaries are riding the rear wagon. Everybody is tired, but no one sleeps, because Gaylen has threatened to set his bodyguard on anybody who dares to do so.
It’s almost dawn, when, In due course, they find themselves in a portion of the forest where the trees have got so overgrown that they overhang the road.
Gelert cries out “Watch out! There could be goblin……”
Twang, Whizz, Thud, Aaargh!
“…….snipers hiding up there!”
Black-feathered Goblin arrows sprout from each of the three lads in the rear wagon. At the same time, a ferocious hobgoblin warrior, up until this point hiding in a covered pit at the side of the road, leaps aboard the rear wagon, and before anybody has the chance to do anything about it, despatches all of the wounded mercenaries.
A frost bolt from Gelert, and an arrow from Dorian quickly eliminate the hobgoblin threat, but then Gelert hears arcane chanting from the side of the road – a Sleep Spell. It’s that pesky goblin shaman again. Dimble slumps forward, suddenly a-slumber, but as his head drops down, he luckily bashes it on a wooden rail at the front of the wagon, which wakes him up, even if he is mildly concussed (nobody else notices any difference).
Keller lets go with his own sleep spell up into the canopy, and two goblin archers fall like over-ripe fruit from the trees, and land on the road, each with a sickening crunch. Dimble leaps onto the rear wagon in the hope of being able to loot the body of the dead hobgoblin warrior.
Gelert spots some motion from the side of the road, and lets loose a sleep spell of his own, the movement stops. “That pesky goblin shaman is mine!” He screams. He leaps off the cart into the Dark Forest. Meanwhile, the remaining arboreal goblin archers have come under fire from Dorian, and have left the trees in an effort to keep up with the moving wagon. Gelert encounters one of these, but with a deft stroke from his rapier severs both his carotid arteries. The goblin slumps down, ichor fountaining from his neck. Soon he finds the sleeping shaman, and delivers the Coup de Grace. He slings the body over his shoulder, but sensing other goblins approaching, runs back to the wagons and leaps aboard. He wastes no time in looting the body.
The Caravan arrives in Umbria. The team are paid for their efforts. It is revealed that a secret cargo of herbs was concealed beneath one of the wagons. Keller sells his own stash of herbs for a meagre profit. Dimble makes contact with the local thieves.
To be continued..................