6 - Letter Home [Story]

Dearest Clarice,

I hope this letter finds you well. Please do not be mad at your little sister, for though I am often a tad reckless, I only have the best of intentions for both you and all of our family. Included in this letter please find eighty gold coins, which is the lion's share of my portion of a reward for our having rid the town of Winterhaven from a predatory band of kobolds.

Naruel took but a couple of days before we found the kobolds. They had made camp behind a small waterfall southwest of Winterhaven. We reached them in the mid-morning. There was a small river that ran from the mouth of waterfall that was shielded on both sides by light pine trees, still green despite the onset of fall. Through the trees you could see little rust-colored scaly humanoids with lizard-like heads and tails -- kobolds. There were maybe a dozen or so outside, scattered in groups of two or three, clad in basic hide armor and with spears in hand or by their side and quivers of javelins. We came in from the northeast of the waterfall, in formation so that if the kobolds charged us the most armored of us would reach them first.

It was a most rousing battle. Naruel was covered in head to toe in brown and green ranger gear, only her eyes visible, and cut a menacing figure. She moved so quietly you could barely notice her. Farad's platemail had been cleaned and though he wrapped it in a cloak while we snuck upon them to avoid the refection giving us away, once battle was joined, he tossed it away and it was quite a sight -- snarling dragonshead, seven feet of gleaming armor, an immense warhammer in one hand, a shield in the other. I too had my chainmail hidden under a dark grey cloak but it was polished and repaired, and I had my trusty warblade slung over my shoulder. Wing tells me I cut quite a figure. He looked fine too -- his traveler's clothes are not particularly impressive and his staff is rather plain, but his spells have helped us out many a time. We had the dwarf Torin sent us too -- I've always thought of dwarves wielding axes like Torin does, but this doughty young one wields a giant hammer and though you'd think creatures so squat and short would be slow -- like Torin he is remarkably spry -- even in scale armor.

I don't know whether it was the noise of the waterfall or that they were not expecting an attack in the morning, or maybe even in Farad's plate and my chainmail we were quieter than I thought, but the little lizardfolk were scarcely moving and made easy targets at first, despite the fact that there were trees in between us and many of them. Five or six fell in moments as we launched crossbow bolt, arrows, javelins and arcane missiles at them.

The remaining creatures let loose a terrible cry and charged toward us. Even after the ones we slew they outnumbered us. Javelins flew through the air. One of them came close to me as I reloaded my crossbow and another one glanced off of the dwarf's shoulder. We returned fire, but the little creatures are fast as the devil and we didn't really winnow their numbers down much that way, though Wing blew one creature's head. It burst like an overripe melon falling off the top of a wagon -- you would have fainted!

I am certain that just as in other societies there are different kinds of kobolds -- some more accomplished than others. While most of them simply carried simple spears and javelins, there were some fierce swordsmen with wicked swords and dragonscale shields. One of those charged Farad from the south -- big reptilian against little -- who was standing next to me. Another, slightly bigger kobold attacked from the east, but before he could reach Naruel and Wing Bailyn stepped in his way, maul at the ready.

The kobold fighting Farad was not without talent, but you should have seen me! When it fell for one of my feints and I slashed it deep across the leg and as its attention was diverted, it gave my paladin an opening and he administered two heavy blows to its leg and chest. I could not understanding its language but its cries were recognizable by anyone -- anger and fear.

Wing has a spell in which a giant fan of flames leaps out from his hands after he speads them out like a fan. He's really got an impressive array of spells. Facing the creatures pressing on us from the eastern side, he used it. We had pretty much reached the woods that partially obscured the mouth of the waterfall from the surrounding terrain and the air was filled with the scent of burning wood and flesh. It was spectacular and he slew a couple more outright.

Wing turned and hit the burly kobold fighting Bailyn with an icy bolt that pierced its chest. Whether or not that would have killed it, it gave the dwarf an opening and he knocked the creature's guts clean out of his body.

The dragonshield, hurt, drew back. The things are hard to fight hand to hand if they are not willing to engage. Farad blew fire all over both that creature and the kobold behind it that was throwing its remaining javelins at us. When the cloud of fire disappeared, the Dragonshield still stood, but barely. Naruel and Wing shot it with missiles arcane and ordinary and it went down, a fletched arrow in its chest and a burning hole in its head.

One sort of nasty kobold carries a sling and has a bandolier running down its chest in which it keeps a variety of unusual ceramic slingstones. In an earlier fight one had really roasted me bad with one that had burst into flame upon hitting me. The watchgroup outside had one such kobold and though Wing had scorched it with his fan of flames and Naruel had shot it, it was still alive and it was fast. It disappeared out of sight behind the waterfall, yelling in its alien tongue. Farad warned us it was going to warn the others, so we took but a moment to collect ourselves and we charged through the mist and roar of the waterfall into the darkness of the hollow behind. We entered from a space north of the waterfall.

It took a moment to adjust from the early morning sunlight to the dim illumination of the hollow behind the waterfall, which stretched south below. There were inhuman shouts and screams and we could see more than a dozen kobolds scurrying in and out of sight throughout the natural rooms of the cave, which was lit by crude torches on the walls. It was a confusing melee -- a nimble brown-red kobold charged me and thrust a spear that grazed me right after I shot one down with a crossbow. Naruel and Wing were firing at ones further out. Bailyn struck down two with one mighty blow and Farad attacked the one trying to stab me, ignoring the fact that javelins were raining down at him.

I dropped my crossbow and unsheathed my warblade. A little reptile swung at me but I sidestepped and ran it through, sending its guts onto the floor. Bailyn struck down another. Farad and I had formed a wall to protect Wing and Naruel from attackers streaming up north from the cave with Bailyn further east, to my left.

We had managed to down most but not all of the littler kobolds, but there were three or four hardier ones among us. Then, even further east than where Bailyn we saw a group of 3 kobolds, watching and waiting for their time to strike. One was of the type we had seen before, wearing a skull mask crafted to look like a dragon and clothed in crimson armor -- I kept the mask and will show you when I return. Two were the dragonshields I described earlier. And with them was Irontooth -- though at the time I did not know his name.

He was a burly, battle scared goblin. Even at the distance in the dim torchlight you could see a crude tattoo all across his face -- a skeletal ram's head. He wore a wolf fur cloak and you could see the glint of chainmail. A battleaxe was clasped in his hands. And though we were making short work of his men, I could tell that he did not care and did not fear. I warned that a charge was coming and for us to redouble our efforts. Farad's warhammer, Bailyn's maul, my warblade and Naruel's arrows found their mark and two more kobolds fell, but even as they did the skull-masked kobold had hurled a magical orb, which exploded in magical fire on Bailyn and Irontooth charged into our midst. Bailyn engaged him, the dwarf bravely interposing himself between Irontooth and the rest of us.

Farad, wearied and wounded from javelins, sword slashes and spear wounds, finally fell to a vicious spear thrust from a kobold. Enraged, I struck it, but it partially deflected my blows with its shield. Knowing that we would be exposed the longer the smaller kobolds distracted us I urged us to take the goblin last. Bailyn said something too crude to repeat as he was trying to survive Irontooth's whirling axe but he mustered himself. He administered a brutal strike to a dragonshield seeking to flank him. shattering armor and bone right as Naruel shot it, and one of the two dragonshields was down.

Wing had slipped behind me and right next to me sent his fan of flames through the cavern. For a moment it was like the sun had broken through the cascading water in the falls and then it was gone. The dragonshield and Irontooth were in our midst and unharmed but the remaining kobolds to the south were charred wrecks -- I imagine it smelled terrible but honestly I could only taste the blood in my mouth and smell the metal and sweat of battle.

One dragonshield, one of the burly kobolds and Irontooth were among us, meleeing, and the skull-masked kobold was still back hurling burning globes of fire at us. We focused on the dragonshield and the burly kobold. Wing fired a mystical bolt into the dragonshield and it hit him square in the chest, but the kobold just roared in fury and slashed at us. Naruel used one of her ranger tricks and fired two arrows, seemingly at once. While both found their mark, the burly kobold fell but the dragonshield refused to go down. I urged us to have heart, because the atmosphere was getting desperate. Bailyn narrowly missed being beheaded by Irontooth's battle-axe but, inspired by my words (I know you are rolling your eyes, dear sister, but the dwarf told me so later himself -- my leadership enabled him to believe and continue fighting as long as he did) he administered a wicked blow to the dragonshield that left it a bloody heap.

Now it was just Irontooth and skull-mask. I seized the opportunity and swung around Irontooth, who was still viciously attacking Bailyn in a frenzy of sharp edged steel. Both hands clung tight around the hilt I plunged the blade deep into his side as I cried out that victory was upon us. Irontooth roared, his ugly visage even more grotesque as he howled in pain. Following my lead Bailyn struck the tattooed goblin from the other side. Enraged, Irontooth almost seemed to swell in size and he continued to fight. We outnumbered them two to one by now, but it seemed to me that our victory teetered on a precipice of defeat.

Arrows flew by me as Nary brought the Wympriest down in a flurry of arrows. Irontooth screamed as a yellowish acid bolt from Wing hit him, his face so close to me that I could smell his rank breath. We had struck him with sword and maul and magical bolt; he bled a dark thick red blood from deep wounds and you could smell the charnel scent as his flesh burned from the acid, but he only seemed to draw strength from his wounds.

He seemed so strong and we were so tired. Almost as if it were slow motion I saw him turn and strike a blow that caught Bailyn right across the left side. The dwarf crumpled in a heap, blood streaming from a gash in his scale armor. My arms and legs felt like lead -- I tried to raise my warblade -- but the goblin, covered in blood from his wounds, was so fast. The battle-axs slammed down into my chest, driving me to my knees. I'd be dead if it were not for my mail, but even with it, the pain was indescribable. As I blacked out, I still had enough presence of mind to call out for Nary and Wing to take him down from a distance.

I awoke with Wing bandaging my wounds and Farad calling upon Bahamut to heal me. Wing had braved a charge from Irontooth to fire bolt after icey bolt at the goblin as Nary peppered him with arrows. Wing sustained a nasty gash on his leg, but my plan worked and the wounded goblin, chilled and slowed by Wing's spells, was finally taken down by Naruel's relentless arrows.

We rested in the hollow for a day, recuperating from our wounds and searching throughout their lair. The gold I have sent is partially from the hoard that we found in a corner of the kobold's den, locked in a chest kept by Irontooth. There was also a beatiful set of chain mail that Wing sensed was magically forged -- but it was made for the short, stout frame of a dwarf so Bailyn took it.

Lord Padraig has rewarded us and has written me a letter of commendation. Though this amount is still small, Clarice, I hope you and mama put it to good use. I will restore our house to glory. I can feel it. I will not be home for a while yet -- in addition to the gold we found a very troubling note that leads us to believe there is evil afoot in Winterhaven that must be dealt with. I can not leave my companions behind, and I believe I have been called to help lead them in battle. Please take care of mama and give everyone my best. I will see you soon.