The enraged goblin warrior Duyal is leaping to attack Gûltar. His twin cleavers are swinging wildly in the air hoping to find purchase in the flesh of the dwarf. As he lands, Gûltar blocks the rapid blades with his ax. The metal-on-metal clangs send sparks in the air. Gûltar delivers a counter-attack but is blocked by the skilled goblin. Duyal flurries again, yet each of his blades is thwarted by the ax.
Kotyka takes up position behind the goblin. Duyal’s demeanor grows dark. His anger inflamed by the appearance of another, taller opponent. The teamwork of sword and ax prove Duyal’s undoing. With a final, powerful swing, Gûltar removes the little goblin’s head from his armored body. With his left hand, Gûltar snatches the bleeding head from the ground and raises it up.
Looking down at the mighty dwarf, Kotyka decides to take the head from his hand and raise it higher. Like a banner in the wind, the sight of the goblin leader’s death sends the few remaining goblins into a panic. Both the goblins and their mounts flee the field. Bandric shoots a few arrows into the fleeing goblins, taking another two down with his skills. “That’ll teach them to mess with us again.”
Bandric removes his hood. He scans the area for hidden enemies or the source of his suspicion. “Over there! Someone is hiding in the bushes.”
A simply dressed human rises from behind a thick bush. He waves his hands frantically. “Whoa. No need to shoot me. I’m not a goblin. See I’m human.”
The archer nocks his bow, ready for a surprise attack. Chalándril walks over to Bandric and speaks to the townsman, “Explain yourself quickly, human. Or you will die, hesitating.”
He gulps loudly. “I heard the goblins coming so I hid. That’s when they ambushed you. I wasn’t about to come out during the fight. I’m only a simple farmer. Please don’t kill me.”
Chalándril puts her hand on Bandric’s arm. He lowers the bow. “Where are you from?”
“I’m from a nearby town. It’s really close, honest.” The townsman sees the bloody ax and goblin head. “Please don’t hurt me.”
-
The town market is bustling with activity. Bandric dodges running children and matronly women trying to get the best deal from the merchants. “I lost the trail outside of town. I don’t know where the Harbinger is or where it’s headed.”
Chalándril adds, “If it came near this town, I’m sure we would hear of it. Humans are a gossipy bunch. News like that would be the talk of the market.”
Merimonwë’s eyes drift from shiny object to shiny object among the merchant booths. She is half listening to the discussion of her companions regarding the rather annoying and dangerous Harbinger. Her gaze drifts to the peasants and townsfolk walking around. The elf thinks, “These humans are so dirty. Yuck!”
Then her eyes widen and ears perk up. With her body tense, she looks side to side. Catching sight of something familiar, her eyes narrow. Merimonwë’s mouth opens as she strains to recognize the familiar image. The sorceress’s hand rises and points. In a burst, she blurts out, “That’s the guy!”
The others turn towards Merimonwë. “Hey, I remember him. He’s the guy who sold us the information about the dungeon holding Mr. Ugly.” Her finger stabs the air repeatedly. “That’s the guy. Him. Over there!”
Bandric starts taking steps towards the man. He draws his bow in one fluid motion. “Gûltar, watch the others. Catch up when you can. We’ll get the informant. Come on Tolok, Kotyka.”
By the last word, Bandric has hit his stride. Most of the others begin running after the mysterious man. Chalándril and Gûltar are caught off guard and attempt to follow as quickly as they can. The others, including a floating Tolok, dash through the crowded streets and plazas. Weaving and jumping through the crowds, Bandric gains on the surprised man. Tolok, however, is floating above head height and gets a clear view. The man ducks into an alley only to discover it is a dead end. He frantically looks for a door or ladder. When Tolok turns the corner he casts his spell. Black tentacles emerge from the space around the human, entangling him in a tight grip. He falls to the ground. In a vain attempt to wiggle free the man tries to shake. Bandric approaches and aims an arrow at his head. “I suggest you stay still, my friend. We have some questions to ask you.”
The green-skinned Kotyka stands next to Bandric. Kotyka tilts her head to the side, then knocks him out with her sap.
When the man wakes up, he sees the alley and market streets above. His head is flush and his hair is on end. Looking down she sees a muscular dwarf holding his leg over the edge of a building. The dwarf wiggles his leg. “Good morning sunshine. Talk or else I’ll drop you.”
“Why are you doing this?” squawks the man.
Bandric answers. “Well, we tried this on the ground but the dwarf is short than you. It didn’t seem as intimidating, so we decided to hang you over the edge to compensate for his stature.” The man realizes that the back of his head is throbbing. He reaches behind and feels a fresh mat of dried blood. “Oh, I forgot to mention, Gûltar had to drag you up the stairs. Sorry about that.”
“Alright! Please don’t drop me…or drag me. Just bring me in. I’ll tell you everything I know. It’s not much. I was paid to tell you about the dungeon and feed you the story. That’s it. I swear. Please!” The con man starts to cry, tears rolling down his forehead.
Bandric asks, “What do you mean you were paid to tell us about the dungeon?”
“A goblin paid me real gold to find adventurers to go into the dungeon. Not copper or silver—real gold and lots of it. You guys looked tough enough, eh? You’re here aren’t you so you must have survived?” Gûltar brings the man on the roof.
Bandric slaps him in the face. ‟Keep talking!”
“Goblins are fairly common around these parts. It’s not that usual to see one in town—really.”
“You idiot! It was a setup. That dungeon held a great evil, which killed dozens of people so far. You helped the goblins use us. More people may die because of you!”
The crying man continues, “I didn’t know. It all seemed legit, more or less. A little bit of coin, a little bit of information…” He looks over to Chalándril. “Priestess, please don’t kill me.”
She slaps his hands away and says angrily, “You led us to the dungeon and we released that …that evil upon everyone. We were trying to find few things to sell not put people in harm’s way. We must find this goblin and kill him. Whatever his plans are, they can not be good. Killing him will at least bring justice to those already slain.”
Merimonwë leans in. “How do we know he’s not a she? Or even what this goblin looks like?”
Gûltar kicks the con man. “As long as I get the killing blow, I’m in.”
“Does anyone listen to me?” Merimonwë asks. The other Knights are deep in thought. The con man begins to inch away. “Hello? I’m making a point here.”
Bandric puts his foot on the fleeing con man. ‟Hold on there, my friend. Not so fast.”
Pulling on his beard, the gnome wizard adds, “Let us return to our rooms and plan the next phase of our investigation.”
-
In the dark goblin lair surrounded by his goblin and wolf troops, Yorgeth Mar emerges from his trance. The glowing symbol on his forehead begins to fade. “Duyal has failed. These mercenaries are more resilient than the Master anticipated—and possibly more powerful too. It’s time for a more successful visit.” He motions towards some dark-masked goblins. “They’re in the town. Go! Kill them all.”
-
The large moon Chana is full in the clear night sky. The smaller Shirak shines about three-quarters full. A bluish light shines around the dark silhouette of the town’s buildings. Only a few rats squeak break the deafening silence of the still night. The light pounding of small supple feet is barely audible. Small, black-clothed figures leap from roof top to rooftop. Their motions are nimble and swift. They move with a singular purpose wasting neither time nor effort to reach their target.
Elsewhere in the sleepy town in an average inn, Gûltar removes his shirt. His thick chest hair and fair stomach are exposed to the lantern light. Tolok has already made room on the bed he shares with the equally short dwarf. Bandric takes his armor off and leans it against the wall. “This is a welcome change, sleeping indoors rather than outside at the mercy of roving bands of brigands or worse.”
Outside their window, three hooded heads peer upside down into the lit room watching the men chat before bed. As one they raise their heads back to toward the roof. Sargeth, the leader, makes a hand gesture. In moments, Sargeth leaps into the window shattering the glass onto the floor. He lands with a gentle thud. Other dark-clad figures stream into the room landing catlike grace. They draw their short swords.
Gûltar, still scratching his chest, looks shocked at the arrival of uninvited guests. Bandric sighs and says, “We really need to stay at better places.”
“Just give me my ax so I can pay for room service.”
Sharp darts whiz by Bandric’s head. “Damn, don’t they know I don’t have my armor on yet?”
Gûltar punches the black-clothed intruder in the face. The bone-cracking sound echoes. “Hey, they smell like goblins.”
Two of the goblin assassins leap into the air with their swords drawn. Gûltar leaps to meet them in the air, throwing his meaty shoulder into their thin bodies. He lands smashing their bodies into the wall. “They bleed like goblins too!”
Several other goblin ninjas swarm over Gûltar, attempting to restrain the strong warrior. Moments later, the goblins fly off the enraged, bare-chested dwarf. “Arrrh!”
Bandric reaches over and finds his sword. With a graceful draw, he slices into an attacking goblin. Gûltar shouts, “That’s not my ax! Get my ax!”
“At least I have a weapon in my hand. Where’d you put it?”
“Under the bed, so I can grab it while I sleep.” Retorts Gûltar. He puts a goblin in a headlock and snaps his neck with a loud pop. “This reminds me of my youth as a bar fighter.”
“You mean bouncer, right?”
“No lad, I started fights in bars. The bouncers tried to drum me out of the pub.” Gûltar dodges another flying dart. Then he kicks a goblin in the stomach.
“Good thing you’re their height. If I kicked any of them, I might kick over their heads.” Bandric’s blade is parried by the goblin’s sword. He twists his hand and lunges piercing the goblin’s head. Leaning down, he retrieves the ax from his hiding place. He tosses the ax to Gûltar. “Looking for this short stuff?”
With the ease of well-trained soldier, Gûltar snatches the ax out of the air and swings fluidly. The strike hews a goblin in half. Continuing his swing, rotating it into a downward strike, he drives the pick end into the head of the next goblin. The remaining goblins square off against the bare-chested Gûltar. He grins, “Now this is a fight!”
From the safety of his bed, Tolok points, “That is the leader, there in the shadowy corner.” The gnome then casts his magic bolt nearly knocking Sargeth to the ground.
Bandric glares at him, “I’m sorry if we disturbed your sleep, m’lord. We’ll shoo these cretins out of our chambers right away.”
The archer steps forward to engage the leader, while Gûltar hews through several more goblins. Finally, Bandric and Gûltar have Sargeth cornered. With a great swing, Gûltar slashes Sargeth across the face sending blood spraying onto the door.
The door opens and Chalándril peeks her head into the room. “Tell me you didn’t kill all of them? We need to interrogate one of them and find their lair.”
Bandric looks at Gûltar sheepishly. He returns the look. Bandric replies, “Uh well, you see…”
-
The outcroppings and ledges of the cavern are filled with goblin warriors standing casually. A large worm-like creature squirms its way into the cavern, using its tentacles to propel itself across the rough terrain. The spear-armed goblins watch the horrible monster as it slides deeper into their lair. Near the center of the large chamber stands the gaunt and scarred witchdoctor Yorgeth Mar. The goblin lord blows gently into a small steel whistle.
The goblin warriors surrounding Yorgeth Mar back up creating a large clear area for the Harbinger to move into. It stops in front of Yorgeth and bows to the small figure. Yorgeth pats the monster on the rough, stony skin. “Very good my pet, you have done well.”
The Harbinger clicks and gurgles its acknowledgment. Yorgeth tosses down a large slab of meat onto the ground. A long tube extends from the Harbinger and sprays acid onto the meat. Moments later, the gooey soup of liquefied meat puddles in a steamy bath. The tube lowers even further and begins to slurp up the fleshy soup. “I have great plans for you my pet.”
-
In the morning, the Knights have eaten a small meal and dressed in their armor. Bandric looks puzzled, “Someone sent two goblin hit teams after us. Others may get lucky and kill us. Maybe we should stop chasing this Harbinger thing and do something else? Something like killing the mysterious someone.”
Gûltar stops cleaning his ax and leans on the handle, “Ya know I’m not built for chasing. I’m more of a close-quarters fighter.”
Kotyka just stands near the shadowy corner and stares. Merimonwë adds, “What will we do when we find the Harbinger? It nearly killed us last time. Hold on, is anyone...”
Merimonwë’s last sentence is interrupted by Chalándril, “We released that horror. We must slay the Harbinger. There are no other options. Take a vote if you like but this is what we are doing. Any questions?”
The others nod.
-
A few days later at the goblin lair, the cloaked master checks the lashings on the covered wagon. He turns to Yorgeth and says, “Lagoch has summoned me. Keep the Harbinger safe from harm.”
“Yes Master Ithayek, as you command. It seems the Harbinger provided the objects you sought.”
Ithayek’s fangs appear in his toothy grin. “Yes, exactly what I needed. Once you finish with these distractions, join me so we can check on my special children and the pups. It’s been a long time since you’ve seen your handy work.”
The one-eyed Yorgeth bows, “Yes master.”
-
For several days, the Knights track the Harbinger’s trail through the wilderness. The trail leads to the goblin camp within the wooded hills. Attempting to remain quiet and unseen, the Knights work their way through a thick section of the forest underbrush. There they see a camp nestled closely to a hillside cave. Kotyka whispers, “I should scout the perimeter.”
“You go left.” Bandric adds, “And I’ll take the right.”
Kotyka silently moves around to the left side of the camp checking for defenses, guards, and other vital information. As she sits observing, an unaware goblin guard walks over to her location. He stands half-heatedly watching for danger. Kotyka slowly unsheathes her sword and inches towards the ineffectual guard. With a well-placed thrust, the guard’s dead body collapses into the brush. Kotyka drags his bleeding carcass deeper into the woods and tucks it into the hollow of a tree.
After a few minutes, Bandric returns to his group. “There are some sentries near the main entrance. However, the outside camp appears empty.” His acute senses are distracted, causing him to look to around. “Did any of you see that?”
He spots three armored goblin warriors. A rather large goblin in the center holds up his spear and yells, “Mi nomiĝas Turgach Fen, preparas morti!”
Gûltar whips out his ax. “Well, I must hand it to the guy he’s direct and over-confident.”
‟Gultar, what did he say?”
Chalándril draws her mace and stands up authoritatively. She commands, “By the holy might of the Great Mother, lay down your weapons and surrender.”
Bandric whispers to Gûltar, “I wouldn’t have gone with that play.” Gûltar just shrugs.
One of the goblin warriors responds, “Elf, you and your motley crew are clearly overmatched. Our leader will gut you like fishes.”
Bandric again whispers, this time to Merimonwë, “Did he just speak our language?”
Merimonwë replies, “I think he did.”
Chalándril points her mace towards the humanish-speaking goblin. “This is your last chance or my wrath will be relentless.”
The goblin warrior Kalach chuckles, “Ha! Obviously, Elven eyes are not as k…” An arrow pierces his neck. The goblin’s eyes widen as he slumps in his saddle.
“…as ugly as goblin eyes. That’s what he was going to say. Chal, your eyes are beautiful.”
“Thank you and nice shot Bandric.”
“I aim to please Priestess.” A small spear hits Bandric in the shoulder knocking him to the ground. “Eeow!”
Turgach Fen draws a morning star and says, “Sufiĉe babilanta! Ĝi estas fojon ke vi mortas.”
The great warrior charges forward, hitting Merimonwe with a forceful blow. The elven sorceress collapses onto the ground. Turgach Fen swings his weapon around to the other side blocking a mighty blow from Gûltar. The small, skilled warriors begin to trade blows in a vicious melee.
The third goblin Tuvach warrior pounces onto Chalándril. Tuvach blocks her attacks skillfully and counters with a solid blow to her ribs. The priestess falls to the ground unconscious. Bandric’s arrow clips the goblin, causing the warrior to spin towards the wounded archer. Tuvach rushes towards Bandric and knocks Bandric out with a lucky blow to the head. The goblin asks his leader, “Kie estas la gnomo?”
“Mi ne sciias, jus helpas min!”
Tuvach moves to flank the dwarf. Gûltar says, “Oh, no you don’t!”
Gûltar steps back and cleaves into the goblin’s head. The lifeless body slides off his ax. But the pommel of the morning star connects with the dwarf’s face knocking him unconscious. Turgach Fen places his foot on Gûltar’s body and says proudly, “Enano, vi batalis bone. Ve, mi ne estas ŝvitanta ĉar cia lerteco estas malbonega.”
“Summon Monster!”
Turgach Fen readies his morning star. “Kiu parolas?”
Three mean-looking badgers appear surrounding the mighty goblin warrior. They attack him with their claws and teeth. “Ne hodiaŭ, bestojn!”
A sword point emerges from his chest. His lifeless body slides off the metal blade. Kotyka looks around at the badgers. “That’ll do badger friends. That’ll do.”
Chalándril’s head rises off the ground. A small vial appears next to her mouth and pours liquid between her lips. The voice of Tolok says, “Quickly, I found where they are hiding the monster.”
The priestess heals her team. They regroup and move towards the camp. The Knights quickly search the tents for goblins. None of the remaining guards put up sufficient resistance to slow the Knights’ progress towards the mysterious cavern. Cautiously, they enter the dark cave mouth and work their way towards the large chamber in the back. The chamber is filled with make-shift nests filled with branches, mud, and leaves. Each nest has deep, melon-sized depressions. Confused, the Knights move in to inspect the nests. That’s when Bandric notes, “Is it bad that these look like weird nests or bad that they’re empty?”
-
A thin, bare-chested goblin with a thick scar across his right eye stands in front of a large serpentine creature with large tentacles. His skin looks like fleshy bark. Yorgeth Mar says calmly, “I’m so glad you could join us. Unfortunately, now you must die.”
“Yes,” Gûltar retorts as he readies his ax, “We’ve heard that before.”
Bandric adds, “Hey, he found the Harbinger for us.”
The archer shoots one of the beam tentacles with an arrow. It falls limp, dangling at the Harbinger’s side. The Harbinger shoots his other beams at Merimonwë. This time, they fizzle against her magical shield. Tolok unleashes magic bolts of energy against the Harbinger. Now visible, he scoots behind Chalándril for cover.
Yorgeth Mar grows angry. “Your usefulness to us is at an end. Via utileco al ni finas. Rraaa!!!”
The bark-skinned goblin grows fur, fangs, and claws. Now transformed into a bestial wolf, he jumps onto Gûltar using his claws to rip his helmet off. “Vian koron mi voros, stultulo.”
Merimonwë creates magical grease underneath the Harbinger, but its tentacles don’t slip. “Damn!”
“Bless this weapon, Great Mother!” Chalándril’s glowing hand touches Gûltar’s ax, transferring her magical boon onto the weapon. The savage wolf-goblin swings at the priestess, snarling and gnashing his teeth. Bandric continues to shoot the Harbinger, peppering its body with arrows. Finally, Tolok moves over to Gûltar and uses his magic to grow the dwarf to human size.
Gûltar pulls the canine goblin off and flings him to the ground. “Enough!”
With his other hand, he brings the ax down with a mighty swing. Yorgeth nimbly dodges the blow of the now larger dwarf. The Harbinger changes targets and begins to shoot at Kotyka. One of its rays hits her and forces her to fall to the ground.
“Kotyka!” yells Gûltar. He steps away from the feral goblin and chops a tentacle from monster’s body. Foul smelling liquid spurts out of the stump. The Harbinger uses its other tentacle to wrap around Gûltar’s ax arm. “By the Maker’s beard, not again! The monster has too many tentacles. Focus your weapons and spells on its trunk. Stay clear of its tentacles. I’ll take care of them.”
Gûltar pulls his arm free of the tentacles and chops another tentacle. Yorgeth Mar continues slashing away at Gûltar leaving gashes in his armor and flesh. The witchdoctor gets his arm around Gûltar’s neck and starts to choke the dwarf. Bandric unloads his arrows into the thick body of the Harbinger. Chalándril uses her mace to knock the wolf-goblin off of Gûltar.
Spinning towards Yorgeth Mar, Gûltar swings his ax decapitating the feral goblin. The goblin’s head rolls along the cavern floor. Gûltar wheezes, “That should make him stop.”
Bandric smiles, “What was that about focusing damage on the Harbinger?”
“Beh! I don’t follow orders well.” Gûltar turns and cleaves into the Harbinger’s body, hewing it in two. A wave of brackish liquid and squishy organs sprays over Gûltar. He stands triumphantly dripping. “At least we know it can die.”
-
In a distant location, a hooded Ithayek Mar holds a melon-sized egg in his hands. The room is filled with similar eggs nestled in makeshift nests. A goblin warrior enters the nest room. “What is it Shachten Mar?”
“Master, Yorgeth Mar is dead.”
The hooded goblin-lord turns back to admire the room. “We have what we really need. Eh, send a team to retrieve his body, if they can. I may have a use for him yet.”
What does Ithayek Mar want with the eggs? Only he knows. Next issue, the Dungeon Knights tackle a new problem hatched by the deeds of the goblins.
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Location: The Goblin Hills
Location: The Goblin Hills
Dungeon Knight Roster:
Bandric (Human Ranger 5)
Chalándril (Half-human Cleric 5)
Gûltar (Dwarf Fighter 5)
Kotyka (Half-ork Rogue 5)
Merimonwë (Elf Sorcerer 5)
Tolok (Gnome Wizard/Conjurist 5)
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“You'd think there'd be less goblins with the number we've killed.” – Bandric
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