Ambush! (Date: 1/2/20)

Hot on the trail for a night and a day, Giada and Lex let their guard slip, and what was thought to be yet-another-snare-trap turned out to be a goblin bomb which exploded in Giada's face. She fell to the ground still burning. Lex ran to aid her, smothering the flames with his cloak just before arrows shot out of the trees dropping him as well. Then the party arrived in force and the tide turned quickly. Marty saved Lex and Giada with the power of Strom, allowing Giada to make two heroic shots, each felling a goblin, before being taken down again by others. The fighters took their share of scratches, but in the end, only a pair of goblins lived to flee into the woods. Justice summoned his trusty steed, Atlas, and gave chase!

Galloping through the thick tree cover and brush was a challenge, but with his mounted speed advantage and reckless disregard for his own safety, Justice was able to keep the goblin firestarter in sight, chasing him into a clearing where a horde of goblins waited. Their leader was Longlegs, a goblin who - true to reports - stood as tall as a man, though his torso was slightly truncated in comparison to his legs. Other goblins stood out including a red-eye alchemist and a white-skinned female with eyes of power and toad riding on her shoulder. Longlegs professed he wanted nothing but peace with humans and gave the traitor over to be killed. Euwyn professed - on Marty's suggestion - that peace would reign as long as Longlegs was in charge.

The party retreated to town. Malwan claimed another hex. Justice agreed to keep an eye on Giada. Giada was talked out of leaving by Euwyn who convinced her to lead the party to the old fort.