Val shrugs. "They looked small whoever they are. These are definitely not the same arrows used by the goblin army, that much I can tell you."

"That's it?..." the dwarf looks about incredulously, "I'd feel better either tuckin' tail fast or gettin' up there an' make sure they're gone."

Jex shrugs. "I could see no sign of them, but you are welcome to try to follow Brundir. For now we should be extra vigilant. I will scout ahead again, perhaps someone should try to cover our movements, I'm sure they will still be watching."

"Then they will behold our might!" replies Thurston, winking an eye to his friends. "This will be something to deal, perhaps later, but we should continue. This.. people will know their place... in time..." 

Jex is already gone, moving stealthily ahead down the path, keeping an eye out to both sides for observers. He is so fixated on the edges, he almost misses the trap laid before him. Cleverly hidden, the road has been cut away. It is still supported enough that a person could pass along it, but something as large as his wagon would certainly collapse it, leaving the precious transport destroyed, the group vulnerable to attack, and worst of all, his pets may be injured. He scowls up at the mountainside before turning and running back to the group.

"Whoever they are, they have laid a trap for the wagon ahead, be careful on the road, it has been fixed to crumble beneath the wheels and wreck my wagon."

"By Thor's beard!" says Thurston. " Do you think we can fix it? I don't see any alternative path... " 

Jex shrugs "Ask our miners here." He waves at Hurrig and Brundir, "They must need to stabilise paths in the mines often, for the carts." Jex paces around the wagon, lips pursed, clearly fuming over what he has discovered. His cloak whisps out behind him as he turns, hand on his chin as he ponders. "I should like to lure them out and kill them. But not at the expense of my wagon."

"M-maybe I could soak the dirt and stone with water and then freeze it solid... maybe the ice would strengthen it?" Vark offers.

Jex nods. "Good. Excellent idea Vark. But then how do we hurt them for trying to take my wagon?" He catches himself. "I mean, when your ice melts, other carriages, our traders for example, might still be at risk."

Inspecting the ground ahead on the trail, Hurrig returns to the party. "We just need to shore up the road over there, give it a little extra support to get the wagon across. We will have to cut a few of these pines and strip them down. Once we get back though, we should send a team out this way to make more permanent repairs to the road." The dwarf is quickly off to mark a few good pine trees for use and begins chopping away. The busy work is relief to take his mind off of traveling home.

Jex keeps his bow drawn as Hurrig works.

"They are bound to be watching" He hisses. "Keep moving, see if we can hunt them down while they try to spy on the work being done."

Thurston nods to Hurrig and takes an axe to help chopping down the trees the expert dwarf has ponited. He says to the great barbarian when he crosses her. 

"What do you say? Do you think you can beat me cutting down one of those trees? " 

She smiles back and replies 

"You are going to bite the dust Norscan " 

"Less talk and more chop savage..." he replies starting to cut down one of the trees. 

As the others opt for a slightly more permanent reinforcement of the road, Vark turns his eyes to the rocky incline above them. Whatever lurks there has a significant advantage to their concealment due to their elevation, but the sorcerer can easily level the playing field. A primordial word slips from his lips, the exhaled breath accelerating spiraling around him. Before long Vark is floating upwards, wisps of dark clouds around him. He continues his ascent until he is about 60 feet up in the air and scans the rocks and brush from above.

Slowly but surely, Vark drifts up into the air, levitating above the sabotaged section of road until he has a vantage point overlooking a wide portion of the winding pass. Immediately, the young half-orc spies motion amongst the bluffs. The tell-tale tones of goblin skin are all too familiar to Vark by now, but it's not the goblins lurking on the mountainside that make his breath catch in his throat. Concealed to those below from behind a tall, rocky outcroppping, a leather-clad hobgoblin crouches besides a a gigantic humanoid monster. The enormous, muscular creature must be nine or ten feet tell when stands upright, and a black hood has been placed over its large head. Two bugbears lie in wait nearby, making for a total of eight goblinoids hidden on the slopes.

The hobgoblin starts as he sees Vark rise past them, calling out orders and whipping the hood from his pet monster's head as the ambush commences!

The monstrous giant creature lets out a booming roar that reverberates about the canyon. Lumbering out from behind the rocky bluffs, it snarls and hefts a boulder from the ground, before hurling it at Thurston. The large rock slams into the Norscan's torso with a clunk, but only staggers him slightly.

Thurston takes 10 bludgeoning damage to vigour, reduced to 2 by DR -> 38/40 Vigour.

The powerful giant is quickly followed by a bugbear, which rushes out from behind its cover, crossing the uneven terrain to seek shelter behind a conifer. The goblinoid skirmisher hurls a javelin at Thurston and, against all odds, finds a spot unprotected by the paladin's gleaming armour. The sharpened spike pierces deep, drawing blood.

Thurston takes 23 piercing damage to vigour, reduced to 15 by DR, and 2 piercing damage to wounds -> 23/40 Vigour, 16/18 Wounds, 2 Bleed.

One the far side of the damaged portion of road another bugbear comes sliding down a slope. It too hurls a javelin at Hurrig with wicked aim, but what looks like a devastating strike turns out only to find the thick adamantine plating of Karakaklad.

Hurrig takes 10 piercing damage to vigour, reduced to 2 by DR -> 33/35 Vigour.

A smaller goblin comes scurrying up between the legs of the larger monster and looses an arrow at Valaith, but it merely plinks off of her breastplate without so much as a scratch.

Valaith takes 3 piercing damage to vigour, reduced to 0 by DR.

Vark is met by a hail of arrows from across the pass, the first of which merely glances off of his pristine new chain shirt. However, the next strikes true, shattering his protective icy shell and drawing blood from beneath. The remaining two arrows knock the half-orc about in the air, but fail to significantly wound him. Just as it seems the wave of attacks is over, the hobgoblin pops out, shooting an arrow up at Vark from below, but the dwarven forged chain protects him from harm.

Vark takes 9, 7 and 4 piercing damage to vigour, reduced to 6, 4 and 1 by DR, and 2 piercing damage to wounds -> 27/33 Vigour, 15/17 Wounds, 2 Bleed.

Vark's action.

"Goblins!" screams Vark from his aerial position, but it is too late as the enemies launch their assault immediately upon being discovered. The half-orc growls as he is harried by arrows, and in his fury he sweeps Path Maker through the air. The dark clouds that surround him echo the sweeping motion and rush towards the row of goblin archers, whipping up into a cyclone as they travel. By the time it reaches the foes the whirlwind has sucked up the loose gravel and rocks which pelt the goblins as the buffeting winds toss two of them around on the slope. Vark drifts to the ground as his attention shifts to maintaining the storm, but he rides the anger and unleashes a bolt of pure arcane force. The garnet missile smashes into the stone where one of the goblins had just been before Vark shifts his gaze to the hobgoblin below.

At Vark's words Jex rolls off the back of his wagon. Bow still in hand he peaks from around the side, seeing Thurston caught between 3 goblinoids he lets an arrow loos into the fray, taking the hobgoblin in the chest. The armour absorbs most of the blow though and he just grunts and carries on. Jex doesn't stop moving though, leaping up onto the mountainside to try to support his friend. He disappears into the trees, out of sight of everyone. 

The paladin takes the hits of the sudden attack and groans when the bugbear finds its mark. 
He grabs the shaft of the javelin breaks it and pulls it out. Blood sprouts from it but he covers it with the other hand and immediately feels Thor’s energy sparkling and the wound is cauterized by small bits of electrical energy. 
Thurston grabs his hammer and runs towards the Teo bugbears and the huge creature that hurled a stone towards him. He runs up the hill and leaps into the air the last feet and smashed the ground in front of the attackers with strength. A thunderous rumble breaks when Rikkazarik hits the ground, it’s force staggering the goblinoids. Still, Thurston didn’t take in consideration the steep hill and most of the thunder force passed over them instead of making them fall. 
Cursing in his language he mocks them anyway knowing that now they cannot get to his friends without facing him. 
“You cowards! We got you now. You are going to die” 

The little goblin between the ogre's legs dashes forwards, skittering around Thurston and slashing at him with its jagged sword, but the wicked blade is deflected by the paladin's armour plating. The ogre lumbers forward tearing a nearby tree out of the ground and swinging it at Thurston's chest with an audible thwack that sends the Norscan staggering, even as the bugbear comes up behind to smash him in the side with its morning star.

Thurston takes 3 slashing damage, 12 piercing damage and 13 bludgeoning damage, reduced to 0, 4, and 6 by DR -> 13/40 Vigour.

The rest of the goblins converge on Vark. The bugbear closest to him readies another javelin, advancing steadily on the half-orc as he hurls it, but the sharpened stake flies wide, clattering down into the ravine. The hobgoblin also steps around the corner, skidding down the mountain slope onto the road and loosing a second arrow at Vark. This shot finds purchase, although the sorcerer's chain shirt protects him from any real harm. Across the way, the goblins screech as they flee from the dust devil, and all but one, who holds tight to his cover, slide down the mountainside, heading towards Vark as they pepper him with arrows. Two of the shots fly far overhead and one merely glances off of Vark's armour, but he is once more glad of his new protection when he feels the last punch hard against his torso.

Vark takes 8, 3 and 7 points of piercing damage, reduced to 5, 0 and 4 by DR -> 16/33 Vigour, 15/17 Wounds, 2 Bleed.

Vark's action.

This is the first time that Vark has really let loose with his new powers, and the adrenaline surge brought on by that combined with the pain and fury of combat is almost overwhelming. He whirls, trying to keep track of the multiple groups of enemies bearing down on them while getting a handle on his new abilities. He stops as he notices Thurston being brutalized by the massive goblinoid below and immediately fires off several blasts at the smaller enemies at the paladin's back. The goblin is battered by the arcane force, and the concussive force causes his wounds to seep blood. Meanwhile, Vark's cyclone tears down the mountainside in pursuit of the goblin archers.