It's the question on everyone's mind, though none of us are asking
it out loud. Looking around the campfire it's easy to see why
everyone's keeping quiet, and the wet walls of our "cave away from
home" aren't doing much to lift everyone's spirits. We need to see if
we can come to grips with our enemy, otherwise we're at too much of a
disadvantage out here.
"Hey everyone, what's up with these goblins?
I mean, I have no idea what they want with all the paraphenalia of
civilized living. What use do goblins have for sewing needles? window
panes? brass door knobs?!?!? Much of it can be recast as weapons or
tools or whatnot, but not all of it, and the arms & armor they have
seem to be more than enough to get the job done so far! And I can't
see them selling for any real gain, either. Maybe someone's directing
them? And is going to try and sell this stuff back to the townsfolk
or something?
But their tactics, I think we need to talk about those. I've been
trying to figure out some of their overall strategy. I think I may
have some insight into their organization, militarily-speaking.
Our first couple encounters were along the roadside (before we got
transported by that damn hill!). I'm not sure if we got jumped by
patrols, goblins actually guarding the road, goblins returning from a
farm raid, or what, but I don't think it really matters. Their
tactics were the same: hit and run, multiple sides, spread us out and
take us out one at a time. That's something we'll have to watch for,
but I'll get to that later.
The next group is the one with the farm animals and stuff. That was
more of a permanent stockpile, or mini-base, I think. I'm not sure,
but I wonder if we just managed to stumble upon that and they weren't
ready for us. That was the one battle where we seemed to upset them
and were able to overcome them pretty effectively. They started out
all attacking from one side, and then tried to flank us a bit, but
our spells & weapons turned the tide a bit too quickly for them.
After that I think we started meeting either patrols that knew we
were headed in their direction, or hunting parties specifically sent
out to find us. That's when the ambushes started. If Tieran hadn't
recognized the danger over the slope back there, Riva would've been
porcupined after reaching the top, directly in the line of fire
of...what?...a good dozen of the buggers? Even he would've fallen
under that onslaught after a couple barrages! These last couple
groups have taken the time to find good, defensible positions in the
foliage which has made it tough for us to effectively root them out.
Their spellcasters have quite a few tricks as well. In those
battles along the road, Riva and I couldn't land a single blow! Their
magic turned aside every thrust and swing we aimed their way.
Thankfully since then their mages have seemed easier to hit. Though
they have the means to increase their speed and even make themselves
invisible, the worst they've thrown at us magically is that sleeping
magic that hit Lissia & Rowan awhile back. Still, their pretty fair
shots with their bows, and I'm sure they've got other tricks we've
yet to see.
Finally, that marksman from this latest battle is a sign to me that
we're making them nervous. That was a well-laid ambush, one that we
walked right into again! He was invisible to start with (by his own
magic or a potion I'm not sure), drank a potion to become invisible
again, then was moving very fast as he skidaddled. He was a
crackshot, so I'm not sure he was a mage, and with the quickness of
his arrows I'm wondering if he was one of their trackers. Obviously
the goblins are a bit worried as they seem to be throwing more and
more resources to take care of their problem -- us!
I wouldn't be surprised if we find even more organized resistance
as we head to the top. I'm wondering if they think we've gone, since
our path to this cave led a bit down the mountain. Though I wouldn't
be surprised if they are on their guard for the next couple days or
so, or even if one of their trackers is trying to tail us to this
cave right now. If we try some guerilla tactics we'll be at a severe
disadvantage without a wilderness ranger of our own.
So what options do we have?
Well, for starters, I think we need to keep ourselves protected. I
know all of the casters have some magic to help them with that, and
all of us can make a point of Fighting Defensively or moving Totally
Defensively to ward off as many blows as possible. The magic we have
available is far better wielded against the goblins than it is to
heal ourselves against their well-laid ambushes.
And that's the next thing. Rowan, are there any creatures of the
forest that can help us? Let us know when some goblins are up ahead,
laying in wait? Or that you could have fly over head and scout a bit
for us? I'm sure their evil presence disturbs the animals and natural
balance of the area. Perhaps we can try to listen for a lack of
natural bird calls and such to let us know we're near them? This is
your area, so please share your thoughts, but I'd be surprised to
hear the goblins are treating the area with respect.
As far as our own tactics:
- Protect yourselves, either with magic, trees, bushes, or by keeping your guard up. Also, if you're being targeted by ranged fire, drop to the ground behind something.
- Keep your eyes open for goblins trying flanking maneuvers.
- Let's not try to cover the entire battlefield at once. Riva and I both have done a bit of reckless charging, usually in completely opposite directions, and often Kytum-Up in a third. That usually just means each of has found themselves getting fired upon by half a dozen goblins, and none of us is in a good position to take any of them out! I think we should work at sticking together so we can set up flanking positions and covering each other's backs. We'd probably do best to charge the leaders, either the marksman or the spellcasters, and leave the goblin troops to ranged fire or magic.
- I think we'll do a lot better if we all work together to take down a single foe as quickly as possible. Anyone with ranged weapons can focus all their attacks on a single goblin or two until he's down or flees the battle. Riva, Kytum-Up & I can gang up on a marksman, spellcaster or wolf.
- Try to take out the wolves when possible! A lot of the leader's maneuverability seems to come from those blasted wolf mounts. If we can take them out it should be easier to take out the leaders (barring their use of magic to speed themselves up, which is likely given what we've seen, still, how many trained wolves can they have?)
- Tieran, your magical webs have done a great job of covering a good chunk of the battlefield for us. Keep it up, and try to web the leaders when you can; even if they aren't caught in the web, they spend valuable time working their way out rather than casting spells and causing us troubles.
- Rowan, I think your entangling magic could do the same. I know you have some misgivings about using it after what happened on the road to Three Oaks, but you could literally take out half the goblins with your powers. I would ask that you do it early if you're going to do it at all, so we don't go charging into the area you want to affect, spoiling your chance at a safe casting. Because your magic affects a much larger area, I think you're better off trying to affect as many goblins as possible rather than aiming for leaders. If you can place it such that 2 or 3 leaders are affected, all the better, but I'd rather keep our group safe. Any goblins you catch in the area will be less effective at firing their bows and easier for us to hit. Even if they aren't caught they'll be fleeing the area and not firing at us.
- Our spell resources are limited, we'll probably only have enough magical power on a daily basis for one or two big battles, so we'll have to make our way to the kobold's area pretty quickly.
- Save our potions when you can! We can usually count on our spells being replenished each morning, but we only have a handful of potions. Remember, both Kytum-Up and I can heal a bit as well.
Given all that, do people think we should rest all day to give
ourselves a better chance of making it to the top the first time out?
And Rowan time to see if she can find a companion in the forest? Or
do we want to see if we can push through today?
I'm not sure if they think we've fled or not. If we went down a
ways to get to this cave, they may not send out a hunting party until
later tomorrow, as I'm betting they're on the defensive tonite and
tomorrow morning, expecting us to attack. I'm guessing they've put 2
and 2 together, and because of Kytum-Up's presence with us, that
we're trying to reach the old Kobold area. If they have any decent
trackers in their ranks, I'd imagine we've left quite a trail for
them to follow us here, though the wandering we did getting here may
make it a bit tough for them.
So who's next?"
<Turns expectantly to everyone else around the campfire.>
