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A group of ragtag adventurers arrived in the small southern village of Opal Town, gathering at the Splintered Cask where much revelry was had. Those good times were suddenly cut short when goblin raiders set fire to the tavern. The party barely escaped with their lives, hiding in an abandoned shop where Pelor, the Dawnfather, came to each of them and helped unlock some of their hidden potential. From there, they followed the sounds of screams and fought several more bands of goblins, rescuing many prisoners, including a tiefling bard named Rose who proceeded to join them on their journey.

Upon defeating the lead raider, the rest of the goblin forces signaled a full retreat, dispersing in a chaotic scramble back to the woods. Once the goblins fled, the mayor called for a town meeting to help everyone determine their next steps. Some suggested fleeing to the nearby village of Handal, but that was struck down by others saying they’d be picked off in the woods and protests that they didn’t want to abandon everything they’d worked so hard for. Still others feared staying meant leaving themselves open to further attacks. There was some distrust aimed at our adventurers as well, especially with a half-orc and a tiefling among their ranks, but Uther and Benhum spoke on their behalf.

In the midst of all this chaos and arguing, a man suddenly burst in carrying his unconscious boy. He was wild-eyed and frantic, begging everyone he came across for help. Rose stepped up and was able to save the child with a healing song. When they questioned the boy, they learned he’d fallen unconscious after playing with a little trinket he’d found in the woods outside of town. It was a figure made of onyx and depicted a sneering goblin wearing chainmail and rearing a whip back, ready to strike. The party deduced this must be what the goblins were after.

The party used the boy’s description to find what appeared to be an old goblin camp just outside the town. They laid a trap, suspending the goblin totem from a tree, drawing 3 more goblins on patrol with a dire wolf out of the woods. They managed to defeat the scouts, albeit barely stopping one of the goblins from making off with the figure.

In the meantime, the people of Opal Town decided the risk of relocating an entire town was too great, instead choosing to remain and create a volunteer town guard to monitor for further trouble. As the party returned, they saw this new task force stationed in strategic areas around the outskirts of the town. With this small comfort im place, the town voted to move forward with their plans for the apple festival.

That evening, Rose worked out a deal with the proprietor of a local inn that she would perform during the festival for free lodging for herself and her friends throughout the week.

After everyone went to their rooms, Shelby did some reading on goblin culture and discovered the onyx figure is actually a statue of Khurgorbaeyag, the goblin deity of oppression and slavery.

Meanwhile, as Shump prepared for bed, he heard a strange whispering that seemed to come from the totem itself. There was a moment of temptation to take the totem and use it somehow…but he shook the feeling off, the voice soon fading. He proceeded to sleep through the night untroubled.

The next day they prepared to set off for their adventures, but before doing so, they decided they needed a nomme de plume. They decided on “The A-Team.”

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So yeah. The A-Team. Not the most original, but hey, it’s their group, ha ha. I really want to press them and find out what the A stands for. Maybe a future session.

This week Oscar had to miss because of some family stuff. This is the first time I’ve had to deal with a missing player at the table. The way I’ve basically decided to handle it is the “fade into the background” approach. Namely, the character is still present, but for the most part doesn’t engage unless they absolutely need to–such as during combat, or if something specifically pertains to them.

I was thankful that Danae had Cure Wounds and Healing Song, and so she was able to fill in the role of Brottor without me having to step in and puppet his character. I don’t want to give them answers if I can help it–I’d rather see what decisions they can come up with on their own.

I didn’t plan for them to go hunting through the woods for more goblin clues, and the goblin patrol party was honestly a spur-of-the-moment idea. I wanted to imply that the goblins had been travelling in the area, but not make it clear whether they were scoping the town out, or if their attack was purely based on the totem being missing. As the party learns more about the totem, I think that’ll become more clear.

As it stands, my one concern story wise is that if the goblins had a party on patrol still searching for the figure, them going missing should honestly cause more of an uproar, but I can probably handwave that away with the goblins being dealt with by the town patrol now that there is one. They wouldn’t necessarily try another full raid so soon after their last unsuccessful one. Plus, the fallout of that raid may not even happen while the PCs are in town–I want them to move out pretty soon and get on the road to adventure.

But first, I’m super stoked about this Apple Festival. I have a lot of fun activities planned. I think they’re going to have a lot of fun. It’s been pretty combat heavy for a couple of weeks, and this will be a nice break.

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