The Coast Way

With one hobgoblin on either side, Wirrow fights them each off simultaneously. Still, for all her speed and cunning, the ranger faces two skilled soldiers. One feints forward, drawing her attention just before the other launches a brutal attack (Wirrow takes 13 slashing dmg). But before they can press the advantage, one of the hobgoblins takes an arrow to the throat as Imoen appears. With only one opponent now to occupy her attention, Wirrow eagerly savages it.

The remaining hobgoblin pumps its legs and charges at Dieter, longsword sweeping for his head. The young warrior blocks with his own serpentine greatsword, then slams that weapon into the hobgoblin's shield, jarring it momentarily. Aiwe's attack nearly gets through the lone goblinoid soldier's armor, and a stream of curses fly from the hobgoblin's mouth. Beset upon as it is, it has no defense against the burning radiance of Stella's starfall of arrows.

The hobgoblin, badly wounded and aware of the five enemies surrounding it, pulls a hunting knife from its belt and slashes its own throat. It falls with a gurgle.

Thinking on the hobgoblins, Stella considers their martial skill. Clearly they were used to fighting as a group, more like a squad of soldiers than ragtag brigands. There's no possibility that hobgoblins could be here in force, however. An army of the goblinoids would surely draw the attention of both Baldur's Gate and Amn!

But perhaps a smaller, organized force, such as a band of mercenaries? That would likely be closer to the truth.

Meanwhile, Aiwe searches around for clues as to their missing blacksmith's whereabouts. She easily finds the hobgoblins' camp just a little further into the woods. There are but a handful of sleeping bags around the ashes of a firepit, all of them empty. And just far enough away so as to keep an eye on, she finds Sheemish, bound and unconscious.

Aiwe finds little on the bodies of the hobgoblins, but within their sleeping rolls and bags she finds some gold and several patches. The patches look as though they've been removed from clothing, and there are similarly-sized holes on the shoulders of the hobgoblins' tunics. Each patch bears the same symbol: a dark blue fist surrounded by a light blue nimbus.