Leading his donkey, the two guards, and nudging Eawald toward the town, Tortetart says,My best guess would be the town was wrecked by giants, and the goblins have been looting. We haven’t seen any sign of villagers yet. But, they could easily be in the keep, or just anywhere else but here.

Tortetart moves as much of his full 60ft Dash as possible

Ealwald out of a combination of fear for his own life and a strange desire to help, follows Tortetart and does a full 60ft dash as well. Let's hope things in there are much less shitty now than how we found it.

Summary:
Marcon has succeeded in looting himself some fine Nightstone goods before leaving the general store. The most readily apparent party member being Anchor, who is steadily heading South down the road while shouting at no one in particular, even as Galen and Theren hurry along to catch up.

As you are heading South along the road, there is one final field to the left of the road from where you are facing. Beyond the fence, you can see the forms of two small figures frolicking around. Though one might assume they would have reacted to Anchor's shouts, the reason the pair of goblins did not notice becomes quickly apparent- this field is full of smashed pumpkins and squash and both of the goblins are wearing hollowed-out pumpkins over their head and seeming to be playing some sort of game that involves a lot of blundering blindly around and shoving one another over.

In the meantime, Tortetart and Ealwald are just passing the town gates, with only a couple of their party members still in sight leaving the town square and heading South. The guards are still taking their time packing things before they intend to move into town.

@Diablodil

Theren spots the goblins in the field, but decides to learn from his previous mistake and let a more heavily armored ally lead this time. He does make sure that Anchor is aware of the goblins though. "Anchor, 2 more goblins in that field over there."



@JohnnyWeird

Finishing his snack, Marcon moves toward Anchor and his entourage - a mother duck and her ducklings, he chuckles to imagine. As he moves, he keeps his bow to hand, eyes out for trouble, evidence, or easy loot.



@ynnek7

After Theren tells Anchor of the two goblins in the field, he silently curses at himself for shouting a moment ago. Luckily, it seems neither of the goblins heard him or any of the other commotion his group had been causing.

"I will try to subdue one of them. Maybe this one will stick around long enough to let us know what is going on."

Anchor moves through the gate to the pumpkin field and reaches out to grab the first goblin he can get to.



@GRMBRN, you're up!

Galen continued walking down the path, wondering what everyone was making such a fuss about. Upon seeing the goblins, he moved again to place himself right next to one of them.

@KermitKing

Tortetarte continues his dash back into the town square, and if there is any movement left, he moves toward the rest of the party.

Ealwald once again follows Tortetarte's lead, having another magic missile at the ready. Because you never know what kind of scary shit is around the corner.

Summary:
Theren, fearing the tender care of further goblins, refrains from approaching in favor of allowing Anchor the honors. Marcon follows, keeping watch for anything interesting. To Marcon, the town seems fairly still for the moment, with the main source of movement coming from the flag atop the keep waving slightly in the breeze- a stylized head of a golden fox with a rose clenched in its teeth on a purple background. Though, looking in that direction, it seems that you might have caught a brief flicker of movement in one of the windows of the keep.

Galen and Anchor have decided it is time to make best of friends with one of the goblins and approach one of the pair in the field. When Anchor grabs it, the creature lets out a panicked shriek. The second goblin, finally seeming to become aware of the fact that their cheerful game of blind pumpkin tag has been rudely interrupted, wrenches the pumpkin off of it's own head with some difficulty. Letting out a shriek to mirror that of the first goblin, it hurriedly pulls out a scimitar.

Tortetarte and Ealwald have returned to the town, crossed the town square and are just starting out on the Southern path towards where the rest of the group is having some sort of party in a pumpkin field.

@Diablodil

Seeing that Anchor managed to grab one of the goblins, and has it well in hand, Theren decides its time to move in and attack the other one that is drawing it's weapon. Moving to stand next to it, he swings his sword once and then follows it up with a fist strike.



@JohnnyWeird

Marcon stands on the verge of the pumpkin patch, shaking his head at Theren's boldness. Apropos of nothing, the limerick a mercenary lancer taught him years ago resurfaces.

The Thayan evoker named Bryce
Was gripped by a curious vice
As the berserker's fist
Struck his groin, he'd insist
"There's no way this could happen twice!"

Unsure if help will be needed, or wanted, he observes the situation, smiling distractedly.

@Ynnek7

Seeing Theren take down the remaining goblin, Anchor takes his hand off of the pumpkin atop his goblins head and begins to reach into his backpack for his rope.

"It's just you now, small one. Listen to us and you may get to leave this town alive."



@GRMBRN is up!

Seeing one goblin well taken care of by the elf, and the other being bound by Anchor, Galen decided to assist in dealing with the goblin currently being bound, assisting in holding it down where necessary, and assisting with tying the rope when necessary.

"Ya'd better not squirm too much, else ya might find yerself hurt more'n what needs be," he taunted, while making sure not to let the thing up.

@KermitKing

Tortetarte finishes his dash to the rest of the party, staopping at Marcon, bends a little to catch his breath, an asks "Why are they molesting that poor Goblin? Oh, and the caravan has left us to whatever fate has befallen this poor town, save a couple brave souls" and points back to the two soldiers and their gear.

"They seek answers, Master Torletarte. The goblins may know something of what happened here, and Messrs. Anchor and Wormwood are, like the learned Nzegwu before them, 'drawing answers from any source that speaks its truth to them.'"

"Myself, I think we'll have the full story from whoever stalks yonder keep." The Tumari youth points to a window high in the tower. "I know not if whoever flies the fox and rose is a friend, though, and so would hear the goblin's tale myself."

Turning back to the guards, Marcon spies his own rucksack among the baggage carried. He grins widely as he takes it, shouldering his bow.

"My thanks, gentlemen, for your bravery and your encumbrance. You were wise to hold back, for there was some violence." He gestures to the arrow wound in his shoulder.

Ealwald arrives with Tortetarte. "So has the goblin said anything yet? Let's make this scum talk!" Ealwald is surprised by his own boldness, while simultaneously trying to not to soil his own pants.

While the rest of the crew has occupied themselves terrorizing their goblin prisoner, only one seems disinclined to join in the festivities. Marcon, having apparently noticed the single lonely wagon wheeling into the town square, has gone to recover his belongings.



MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE FARM...

Day was good. Was good until nasty invisible creatures attack poor Blik. Hold poor Blik still and threaten to do cruel things to Blik. All Blik is doing is having fun in empty town goblins take for their own. Nothing mean, nothing hurting. Now big mean invisible people want to cut off Blik hands and feet like nasty big people always do.

Though the goblin had initially thrashed a little to get free, now it had gone quite rigid. When a slew of voices all began to speaking in rapid succession, Blik did her best to try and keep up with the confusion. "No! Yes! No! No! YES! NO!" the goblin sputtered wildly as one after another different voice bombards her, muffled and distorted by the presence of the pumpkin still obscuring poor Blik's senses.

@Diablodil

Returning with his things to the others, Marcon returns to Torletart's side.

"Elis Incarnate, the great scryer, wrote that people talk most when they are listened to. I say we let this goblin tell its story."

The Tumari warrior sets down his rucksack on a clear spot and uses it as a cushion while he observes the situation.

Anchor plucks the pumpkin off of their prisoners head with a satisfying pop.

"You heard the man. How about you tell us your story, small one? Starting with what you know happened here."

Anchor finishes tying his rope into a knot around the goblin, keeping the goblins arms strapped to its body.