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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wicht" data-source="post: 1170970" data-attributes="member: 221">Chill Winds - Part 3    There was little in the way of cheer following the disquieting episode of the bizarre plant-man encounter.  The night was well and dark and it was generally agreed that it was time to get some rest so that their journey could resume at the first light of day.  The goblins were not forgotten, and the five companions prudently decided to keep a two man watch throughout the night.  After some discussion, they settled on a system by which each of them would take two watches, though not with the same person each time.      And so, as the chill winds continued to blow around them, they settled in to sleep.  Minlion and Hulmar drew the first watch.  They sat quietly near the fire, watching the flames lick the air.  Nothing stirred beyond the fire for some time.  The only sound was the constant wind.      But the peace did not last forever.  “Listen,” said Hulmar suddenly, his eyes suddenly alert, “I thought I heard something.”Minlion was instantly wide awake, his sword in his hand.  He listened intently and then he heard it too – footsteps moving quickly.  Only the footsteps were moving away from them.They woke the others and then began to scan the area.  It did not take Durunak long to find and analyze the tracks.  “Goblins, snooping around us.  They probably ran back to their holes, but they will be back I bet.”“What can we do?” asked Minlion.“We have to make sure they don’t come out,” said Hulmar.“We could fill in the pit,” suggested Durunak brashly.Further consideration convinced them however that of the two who stayed awake, one should stay where they could see the pit and notice anything trying to get out.  This seemed reasonable to everybody.  It was clear that of all of them Minlion was least suited to keeping watch in the dark and so Hulmar sat down upon a stone within sight of the smelly pit, bundled himself up and proceeded to watch it carefully.  The others returned to the fire.Below the earth there was a dispute amongst the goblins.  A small, but vocal minority was in favor of a direct assault upon the encroachers.  Others were of a more defensive mind.  At an impasse, the group turned to their chief for direction.  The goblins had known about the intruders upon their territory all evening.  The dwarfs (and the halfling) had not tried to be quiet whilst examining the pit and the guards posted at the bottom had heard every word.  It had been too early though to do anything and so the chief had advised them to be on their guard but continue their daily rest.  Now however night had truly come and something had to be done.  The chief was a coward at heart and hoped mainly that the above-grounders would simply leave.  But he did not want to appear weak to his tribe.  Vargush in particular was eyeing him funny lately, as if trying to size him up against himself.  The scouts, having crept close to the camp to observe and then back to the warren unseen, had reported the exact number of intruders and the chief knew the goblins outnumbered their foes ten to one.  But he preferred better odds still.  Pondering he sent one of the younger lads up the pit to take a look out.A few minutes later the lad returned, nonplussed that an elf, sitting near the pit had fired at him with an arrow.  Over the next few hours the chief continued to send up a looker every ten minutes or so.  Most of the times the looker wasn’t seen.  The few times that they were, they had managed to duck fast enough to avoid being killed.  The elf had been followed by a dwarf and then by the elf again.  It seemed they were keeping one person at a time on lookout.  Slowly but surely a plan began to form in the mind of the goblin chief.  A way to get rid of a problem one way or the other.  Fortunately for the goblins it seemed like the intruders had not thought of the possibility of the back door.  “Get me Vargush,” croaked the chief, a wicked smile on his flat face, “I gotta job fer ‘im.”Overhead, Durunak was watching the pit opening.  A few hundred yards away, Zurmak was on guard near the fire.  Durunak cradled his great ax in one arm and his crossbow lay loaded and cocked against his leg.  He had seen one furtive goblin trying to peer over the top of the pit in the last hour but the ugly face had disappeared before he could get a shot at it.  Now he rocked back and forth, staring intently at the pit, trying to keep warm and hoping for a chance to kill one goblin before the night was out.  So intently was he focused on the pit that it was not until the last moment that he heard the sound of someone behind him.  He turned just in time to see a goblin crouched about twenty feet away, a crude short bow, drawn and aimed at him.  Just in time Durunak rolled to the side and hefted his axe.  The arrow struck forcefully at the spot he had just been occupying.  Wasting no time Durunak bellowed loudly and then rushed to attack.Back at the fire Zurmak heard his cousin’s battle cry and leaped to his feet.  He rushed over to Minlion and kicked him awake.“Somethings attacking Durunak,” said Zurmak and then he rushed out into the darkness.  Minlion struggled awake and, moving to awaken the other two, he began to put on his armor.Durunak dodged aside as the goblin drew a sword and tried to gut him and then with a ferocious bellow he swung his great axe over and down into the goblins small unprotected head.  Though Vergush’s head was hard, there was no real contest.  The axe won.  Vergush slumped to the ground dead.  Exultant, Durunak rejoiced loudly.  Unfortunately Vergush had not been sent alone.  The four goblins hiding a short distance away fired.Zurmak was in time to see the two arrows land in his cousin.  One struck Durunak in the thigh, but the other struck him in the back.  With a look of anger and bewilderment on his face, Durunak collapsed forward.  About fifteen feet away from Durunak Zurmak saw the four goblins, bows in hand.“NO!” screamed Zurmak as he charged mindlessly toward the goblins.  Rage at the thought of his cousin’s demise filled him.  In the space of three heartbeats he was amongst them, his axe swinging.  One of the goblins fell immediately, his skull cleaved open.  The other three goblins dropped their bows and went for the wooden clubs at their sides.  Zurmak turned aside their attempts to hit him with his shield and then cut open the throat of a second goblin.  He twisted away from a club swing, blocked the other club with his shield and then backhanded his axe into the chest of the one that was now behind him.  A third goblin fell to the ground, it’s life-blood spilling away.  The remaining goblin desperately tried to defend himself but, in seconds, he too lay on the ground.  Still filled with rage, Zurmak hacked at the prone bodies, making sure they were dead.  Only then did he turn to examine Durunak.To Zurmak’s surprise, his cousin still breathed, though shallowly.  Mustering all that he knew about tending to the wounding Zurmak removed the arrows and worked to stop the bleeding.  About that time the other three arrived.  They had each taken the time to put their armor on and so had arrived too late.  All they could do was help carry Durunak back to the warmth of the fire.The goblins did not attack again that night.By morning Durunak was awake, though weak.  The others carried his pack for him and slowly they left behind the camp and the fire that had kept them warm through the cold night.About a half mile to their west, the freshly fallen body of a once fair maiden lay unmoving upon the ground.  Near her open skull a fresh yellow flower opened its petals to the morning sun and moved gently in the chill wind that blew across the steppes.</blockquote>

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