Champions of Ostgarten
Part 1: The Job
Our young heroes—at least, we hope they’re heroes—met in a tavern in the town of Schoppendorf, in the southeast corner of the County of Middenland, in the heart of the great Empire.
Gerhardt Reinke, the would-be warrior nicknamed “Sithbane”—what a “sith” is and why he’s against them, we don’t yet know—has been making his way as a tomb robber in the year or two since leaving his blacksmith father’s home, seeking treasures and especially ancient weapons to make him a great fighter.
Self-absorbed young elf Farnoth and the orphan Otto had apprenticed with the same master, and been released at about the same time with instructions to use their skills in the world before applying with the Wizard Council for status as journeyman wizards. (Not that Farnoth is likely to even apply, frustrated as he is with his progress in the magical arts.)
Then there’s hard-drinking young Odinson, dwarf of a thousand tales. A pit fighter by trade who goes by the nickname “Bronze Man,” he wears a chainmail shirt and bristles with weapons.
They spent a good while talking over their plans and goals, and then fortune stepped in: A merchant named Werner needed experts lead the guards escorting his wagons to a town called Ostgarten, about a week’s travel north, he needed them immediately, and he offered ludicrous wages to get them—a gold crown a night per man, payable on his goods’ safe arrrival.
All four of the new friends (well, the three friends and Farnoth) arrived at daybreak at the caravan yards, where Werner had his drivers and three tall, ox-pulled wagons ready to roll, with a dozen ill-looking thugs hired to guard them. The wagons were laden with gunpowder to be delivered to Ostgarten’s baron, who was desperate for weapons and men to combat unprecedented incursions of goblins from the Howling Hills at his barony’s border.
Werner deemed Sithbane the likeliest leader, despite his youth, and put him in charge of the guards.
The caravan passed the first few days quielty enough, driving along an old highway through the thick, endless forests that coat the whole Empire. They encountered a patrol of three imperial road wardens who shared a little gossip about the Ostgarten troubles. The baron had hauled the best of his villages’ militiamen in to the city to form an army that he could field against the greenskins, they said, and hired a mercenary company on top of that. It looked like the baron would bankrupt himself even if he succeeded in driving off the raiders.
Two days later, at dusk, the caravan spotted several thin columns of smoke rising on the other side of a hill. Sithbane had the caravan stop and asked for a few volunteers to investigate. His three drinking buddies jumped at the chance (although Farnoth was surly about it), and they left the rest of the guards to watch the wagons.
Around the bend, a small village spread out between two
high hills, beside a narrow creek in a broad break in the
woods. Crops grew up in neat rows beyond the creek. The smoke
rose from several huts set afire: The village was under attack
by goblins!
At least a dozen of the greenskins were immediately visible,
including a cluster of them gathered around a small cave-mouth
in the far hill, where villagers had set up a makeshift barricade
of upturned carts.
Closer at hand, a young woman screamed and ran from one
of the nearest huts with a pair of squat, leering goblins
in pursuit.
That was too much for lovelorn Sithbane, and he set off after
them, charging straight toward the village at a sprint with
his companions following. Farnoth was fastest, and when he
got within 20 yards of the goblins he stopped and loosed an
arrow from his longbow. It skewered one of the two goblins.
The other turned, alarmed, as Farnoth’s companions caught
up. Another arrow wounded the other goblin, then Odinson dropped
it with a blow from his whirling flail.
Now the heroes were in the heart of the village, and they spotted at least a dozen other goblins nearby and a massive black orc that was obviously the leader. The orc roared a challenge—and Farnoth put an arrow straight through its knee, crippling it.
The others charged. Odinson’s flail knocked the orc leader out, then he and Otto took on a clump of goblins armed with spears and knives. A goblin archer rushed around a hut to shoot at Farnoth. Sithbane took on a pair of goblins near the cave.
The fight was tough; Sithbane took a shallow but bloody knife-wound to the face, a spear cut Otto’s arm and Odinson shrugged off a couple of grazing arrows.
Farnoth traded arrows with the orc bowman pursuing him, until it finally had enough (“Elveses is scary!”) and ran back to help fight Otto and Odinson.
Sithbane fought his two goblins to a standstill until Farnoth got close enough to put an arrow in one and it ran off. The other tried to flee but Sithbane angrily ran it down and killed it.
Odinson and Otto brawled with their pack of goblins. Odinson broke bones with his crashing flail; Otto chopped a goblin’s hand clean off with his father’s trusty shortsword. Then the fight split them up. Facing four goblins by himself, Otto chanted a spell that maimed one in a flash of light. Surprised by the unexpected magic and terrified that they faced a deadly wizard, the others ran for it.
The villagers came out of the cave cheering, and promised the heroes and the merchant’s team a night of revelry and gifts to celebrate their rescue.