Eddard Chapter Three: Raid at the Depot

We struck, as usual, at night.  Logan and I approached the depot weaving and staggering a bit, speaking with slurred words.

"Thish ya place?" Logan asked me with some pseudo-drunken trepidation.

"I don't undershtand," I said, "My housh was here this morning.."

A Hobgoblin poked his headabove the gate.

"That your wife?"

"Nahh.. my wife's uglier.  Hey!" I said staggering around a little,"who are you and what have you done with my wife?"

"You!" A human called down from the walls,"Get out of here."

"Waffor? This is my house."

"Yeah," Logan said," Who are you and what have you done with his house?"

"I want into my house! I want to speak with my wife."  I said that with all the inane billigerence of a drunken man.

"Go away," the human guard said, "you don't live here."

"Oh but I do,"  I said stumbling closer to the wall, "its my house."  And then I urinated against the wall.

"Get out of here!  Now!" and then the gate opened.

I drew my swords and jumped to the attack.  My concern was the gate.  I wanted to secure it before they could close it.  As the gate opening was the prearranged signal, the archers let fly with fire arrows.

Logan cut his man down, and I took care of the hobgoblin on the battlements.  But we had made a critical error.  We estimated about 20 enemy were here, but there was more like thirty.  Still, we carried the attack.

Garrus and Ulf charged in horseback even as the hobgoblins in the yard formed a first line.  Thoram and Azzarrak came running as fast as the could to join the fight.  Once I secured the gate, I poured oil across the front.  I didn't light it yet.

Garrus rode in and smashed the first line, I charged after him, with Ulf and Logan.  But arrows began to fall on us, as a second line was forming.  I then saw horsemen riding from the stables on the other side of the compound.

We cut down the first seven or eight quickly, but a second line of 15 was forming, egged on by human sergeants.  I took a bad arrow in the side, and fought on, hurting, and I must say not very successfully. 

About 2 minutes or so since the battle started, and 3 of us were wounded.  The battle was not going our way.  with more hobgoblins joining the archers second rank, we sounded the retreat.  And all of us pulled out of the compound.  Miracle of miracles, we didn't lose anyone during the combat.  I was the last to clear the gate, and lit the area on fire.

The party scattered, all heading back to the rendezvous point by their own ways.  It was better that way as we figured if they caught one or two of us, the others would at least get away.

And we all did eventually meet there.  No one from our side was killed.  Wren was the last to meet, but the papers she found on the leader of the fort implicated Sir Garrus' father.