Ash gets up from prone, an angry scowl on his face, then swings at Klarg with his shortsword (6 to hit (nat 1!)) and dagger (18 to hit, 11 piercing damage (+sneak attack)).

K continues to fight with the remaining goblin. Quarterstaff attack (13 to hit), punch bonus attack (16 to hit, 7 bludgeoning damage).

He then rushes to flank the wolf with Ash (and possibly Klarg with Badger?)

Goblin 1 is dead.

Klarg bellows again, "Oh! Magic healing? Klarg eat magic for breakfast. And Ripper eat you!"

Ripper's attention was on Badger after Ash went down and Badger made an aggressive move towards his master. So when Ash came back up, it returned to Ash instead of turning to K. Ripper bites at Ash again (20 to hit, 9 piercing damage).

Ash is Unconscious.

Klarg let's out another laugh. "Klarg eat little human breakfast!" He attacks Badger with his morningstar (19 to hit, 13 piercing damage).

Badger yells in frustration. "Neither of those make for balanced meals!" He steps into the fire to avoid an opportunity attack and to still be able to lay his hands on Ash, who gets 9 HP from the Lay on Hands Pool.

Badger takes 1 fire damage, but Ash is back up.

Ash stands again and shakes the metaphorical cobwebs from his head.

He sees K flanking and the wolf's attention now divided, and take another shortsword attack (25 to hit (crit! without flank advantage), 9 piercing damage (+sneak attack)) and dagger attack (25 to hit (crit! with flank advantage), 10 piercing damage) on the wolf.

In his exuberance and anger, he spits on the dead wolf and immediately regrets the disrespect.

Kristofferson sweeps his quarterstaff across the back of Klarg (20 to hit (flank advantage), 7 bludgeoning damage) then kicks at his legs (19 to hit (flank advantage), 5 bludgeoning damage).

The final kick was enough to drop the bugbear. Klarg and Ripper are both dead; combat has ended.

Ash stands for a minute not moving or speaking, just breathing heavily and staring at the wolf. Finally he says, "That thing almost killed me!"

K: "Twice, in fact, if I was keeping count well."

Ash glowers at K. "Yes. Well. I thank you both for saving me."

Before they can respond, he continues, "Badger that was crazy just running in like that. And you said it was for me; or like me, my way; my strategy. And you're right in a way. I've been careless and impatient a few times now. And I'm not saying I can change. But gods don't you two be like me. I need your steadiness to, well, stay alive."

K immediately looks sheepish when his jab offends Ash. But he responds, "Well that's not... exactly fair, but... I get what you mean."

Badger: "That's part of what makes us a great team—different strengths. I can't hit for a damn, but I can get Ash back on his feet. And Ash can poke and slash with the best of them. K, you're calm in battle and kicks keep us on top, too."

After a moment, Ash says, "Well, let's loot this place, get Sildar home, get paid... and then go shopping."

There are piles of sacks and crates in Klarg's chamber, most of which are marked with a blue lion emblem. There is also an unlocked treasure chest; inside is 117 sp, two potions of healing, and a jade statuette of a frog with tiny golden orbs for eyes. The stolen provisions are bulky; you'll need a wagon to transport them.

K: "Let's get Sildar and our delivery to Barthen's Provisions, and we can point the town watch to the cave to recover these stolen goods on their own."

Ash: "If there's a bounty for it, we should request half or something. And we get to keep these, right?" He gestures to the chest contents.

Badger: "That seems fair, unless we find the original owners."

Badger is ready to carry out K's plan—take Sildar and the original delivery to Phandalin.

You all get Sildar back to the wagon, which sits where you left it undisturbed. You have a half day trek to Phandalin, and will get in soon after sunset.

On the way, Sildar returns Ash's dagger and shares the following:

• The three Rockseeker brothers—Gundren, Tharden, and Nundro—recently located an entrance to the long-lost Wave Echo Cave, site of the mines of the Phandelver’s Pact. More than five hundred years ago, clans of dwarves and gnomes made an agreement known as the Phandelver’s Pact, by which they would share a rich mine in a wondrous cavern known as Wave Echo Cave. In addition to its mineral wealth, the mine contained great magical power. Human spellcasters allied themselves with the dwarves and gnomes to channel and bind that energy into a great forge, called the Forge of Spells, where magic items could be crafted. Times were good, and Phandalin prospered as well. But then disaster struck when orcs swept through the North and laid waste to all in their path. A powerful force of orcs reinforced by evil mercenary wizards attacked Wave Echo Cave to seize its riches and magic treasures. Human wizards fought alongside their dwarf and gnome allies to defend the Forge of Spells, and the ensuing spell battle destroyed much of the cavern. Few survived the cave-ins and tremors, and the location of Wave Echo Cave was lost.
• Klarg had orders to waylay Gundren. Sildar heard from the goblins that the Black Spider sent word that the dwarf was to be brought to him. Sildar doesn’t know who or what the Black Spider is.
• Gundren had a map showing the secret location of Wave Echo Cave, but the goblins took it when they captured him. Sildar believes that Klarg sent the map and the dwarf to the chief of the Cragmaws at a place called Cragmaw Castle. Sildar doesn’t know where that might be, but he suggests someone in Phandalin might know.
• Sildar has a contact in Phandalin: a human wizard named Iarno Albrek. The wizard traveled to the town two months ago to establish order there. After the Lords’ Alliance received no word from Iarno, Sildar decided to investigate.

OOC: Lore drop!

Ash: "So we need to find this castle and rescue Gundren to get paid? I mean, to like, save him mostly?"