Daggerford - Red Hand attack

Continuing their trip, on the morning they expected to arrive at Daggerford, they saw plumes of smoke over the trees ahead. The boat captain confirmed they rose from where Daggerford lay and he stopped at the riverbank, unwilling to continue further without any exploration of the cause.

The party agreed to scout and set off downriver to explore the situation. Approaching the village, they scouted from a nearby rise and saw a number of goblins, lurking round the ferry that allowed Trade Way traffic to cross the river. The smoke plumes rose from further south, presumably from the village itself. They approached the dock stealthily and pounced on the goblins lurking round the ferry buildings and dockside warehouses. A brief fight ensued, although one goblin ran off towards the village itself.

Not allowing it to raise an alarm to give any other raiders much advantage, they set off quickly and split up to approach the goblin force from two sides. The fleeing raider alerted the remaining force to the new arrivals and though some goblins still kept some villagers holed up in their homes, others turned to receive the fresh assault from the river. The party plowed into the goblin force and their split tactics allowed them to pick off a few stragglers before taking on the bulk of the raiders. Although a few goblin warriors proved a challenge, they defeated the raiders without too much problem.

Releasing the villagers, they aided them in putting out the few fires the raiders had started. The village leader explained the goblins had first attacked a trade caravan that had recently arrived, a larger portion of the force had taken prisoners and the wagons south after that fight, whilst those left then turned on the village. Searching round the dead, the party noticed that the goblins all had a common motif on their armour; though varied in style, each represented a crude hand applied in red pigments.

A shout from the south, alerted all to a lone figure staggering into the village. Quickly intercepting, the party found it to be a female guard who survived the attack and had managed to trail the goblin force south to a lair in the Trollbark Forest. She begged the party to assist and release the captives, assuring them that her employer would be most grateful.