Herron pockets the map case, suprised to see it empty  not often do folks carry empty containers for no reason. Slowly standing back up seeing the others focus on investigations as opposed to watching for additional enemies. "Well goblins are like bandits, we there are some, there are more about in another grouping. Keep you guard ups. That said, I'm getting the sense folks are thinking of going after thise tracks Clara's found. What should we do with the haul? I'm sure even Gundren prefers his life over his supplies. Anyone who comes acrossed these horses will look around and find the wagon if we hide it. Thoughts?"

Chretien approached.  "You seem hurt as well, friend. There isn't much else I can do today, but I could certainly take care of that, if you'd like."

Throg gave a low grunt — not quite yes, not quite no — but didn’t stop the cleric. He leaned forward slightly, bracing his elbows on his knees to give the cleric room to work.

"They were waiting for us."  The orc growled. "And I missed it."

He glanced toward where Clara and the others searched the underbrush, then back at Chretien.

"Next time, I’ll be ready."  A pause, then quieter. "Thanks."

Ellora Tumbehill

Ellora stands as the group announces what they found. Thankfully, it didn’t seem her hunch had been proven correct. She turns to Herron “Hmm… does anyone have any fire cantrips? We could just burn the corpses and hide the supplies in the woods.”

 As the suggestion of going after going after Gundren came up, Ellora looked around at the rest of the group. They all seemed so capable and strong. So experienced and tough. Well she was all those things too. 

“Throg, I can take point in case we run into trouble. It seems a good idea if we don’t just let one person take all the beating” she says, hefting her sword and shield, and giving the blade a little twirl, almost accidentally decapitating Magnus in the process. “Sorry…”

"We'll simply have to risk losing the supplies - rescuing Gundren is immeasurably more important." Clara insists with a fretful look on her face. "We can steer the wagon into the tree-line and pray it remains undisturbed."

She falters briefly as Ellora speaks. "Burning goblins and horses with cantrips? Dearest, I can conjure a bit of fire, but I'm not ready to give up the stage life to serve as a roving crematorium." She says sceptically but then shrugs, launching a barrage of flame into the nearest goblin corpse. "Take that, you little zit." Clara snaps, with venom in her voice. 

After a minute or two, she takes a brief breather. 

"Maybe while I give this a try, you can drag some of the other bodies into the forest. And those who took the brunt of the ambush take the time to recuperate. The oxen can probably drag the heavier stuff like the horse carcasses... Sound fair?"

Magnus looks off to the side of the road. “With a bit of doing, we could probably hide the wagon and our oxen in the foliage. Keep it out of sight from the road, at least. Maybe a nice patch of grass where these old boys can catch their breath, fill their stomachs. They have four of them, you know! Just like I will once we finally get to Phandalin, I’m guessing.”

It's not too difficult to lead the oxen into the forest, pulling the wagon behind them. It takes about half an hour to drag the goblin bodies and the horse carcasses off the road with the help of the oxen. Once that is complete, the road looks relatively unblemished, save for a few bloodstains in the dirt. 

As you begin to travel down the trail left by the goblins, what is your marching order? 

Ellora Tumbehill

After moving the cart and oxen to a safe spot, Ellora hefted her gear and took the point position “That way, if anything comes at us, I can deal with it head on” She explains, sword and shield in hand.

As they set off down the trail, Ellora tries to keep her wits about her. though the excitement of something actually happening on the trip (even if it did catch her off guard) is distracting, she manages to keep on the lookout for danger.

Perception: 17

Spear in hand, Throg will act as rear guard. 

During the 30 minutes of dragging goblins and horse carcasses from the trail, I would like to use two instances of Adrenaline Rush  (gaining 4 temporary hit points).

Herron will stick towards the back but infront of Throg.

Clara spends the time trying to roast up a few goblins, but gradually tires of casting the same cantrip over and over again. To amuse herself during her admittedly macabre task, the bard tries tossing flame from a variety of poses - balletic leaps, blowing kisses of fire, even firing off a few bursts of flame from between her legs.

In the end, she is only partially successful in reducing a single of their slain foes to ash. She kicks dirt over his remains, and ends up helping the rest of the party drag the remaining goblins out into the woods. 

When the company end up on the move again, the bard's thoughts turn to her friend and the plight that appears to have befallen him. "Poor Gundren." Clara laments as she trudges ahead of Herron, in the middle of the pack. "All he ever wants is to do is explore and do right by people. A kinder soul, there never was." 

She sighs and wipes a few tears from her eyes, trying to keep an eye out ahead despite being distracted by nasty thoughts of her dwarven friend boiling in some goblin cook-pot.

Magnus falls in behind Ellora, doing his best to put the image of Clara roasting the goblins from his mind. He wasn't quite sure what possessed her to do that, but burning the bodies is as good a way as any to cover their trail if more goblins were coming, he supposed. The veteran warrior keeps pace with his junior and whispers as they move. "Keep your eyes peeled, young Ellora. You'll often hear goblins before you see them. Old uncle Magnus has got himself on the lookout, so you'd best keep yourself wary, too! Helm willing, we'll guide our allies safely to wherever this goblin trail leads."

After walking about ten minutes along the trail, Ellora notices something unusual in the trail ahead. Her keen eyes are able to make out a well-hidden snare trap set across the middle of the trail. From what she can tell, this trap is designed to snare someone by the foot and suspend them upside down from a tree branch. The trap can be easily disarmed with a knife or dagger.

Another ten minutes down the trail and Ellora notices another cleverly hidden trap. This one is a hidden pit dug into the trail with large spikes at the bottom. It has been concealed with underbrush. The underbrush can be cleared away to make the pit easier for others to see.

Continuing to follow the goblins’ trail, you come across a large cave in a hillside five miles from the scene of the ambush. A shallow stream flows out of the cave mouth, which is screened by dense briar thickets. A narrow dry path leads into the cave on the right-hand side of the stream.

Chretien finishes casting Cure Wounds on Throg (to max HP I think, for 19), nodding to the orc. "You did wonderfully, there's no accounting for bad luck. We all have each others' backs, that much is clear already," He follows Throg's gaze out to the rest of the group as they examine the area.

As the group moves on he sticks to the middle, just in front of Clara and quickly finds himself grateful for Ellora's skill in discovering the traps and Magnus' watchful eye.

Ellora Tumbehill

As the group marched through the brush, Ellora managed to take Magnus’s advice to heart, keeping a keen eye out for danger. Her efforts paid off, as she spotted two dangerous traps. Thankfully, she wasn’t caught in them. 

As they reach the mouth of the cave, Ellora looks back at her companions, who are now most likely covered in brush and leaves from the narrow game trail. Was it a game trail? Or a goblin trail? Were they hunting goblins?

“Should we approach with stealth? Or charge right in?” Ellora whispers, crouching in the brush, looking at the cave entrance. She fidgets with the handle of her blade, rubbing a finger over the rough leather that has not yet truly conformed to the touch of her hand

"Allow me to take the lead." Clara murmurs, huddled behind Chretien. The frissons of excitement that tingle up her spine can almost be gleaned from her bold, daring expression. "I have been known to move with remarkable discretion when the occasion demands."

The thespian skips to the front, and unless there are any objections, she begins gliding across the grass with a dancer's gait, dodging around brittle twigs or piles of leaves that might rustle or give away her position. 

"Keep a modest distance behind me, and watch for my hand-signals." She whispers, crossing the stream to drift onto the dry path. Crouching gracefully and keeping her senses alert to trouble, she advances in the direction of the cave.

Stealth: 21
Perception: 10 

"If I may," Herron speaks up from the back. "These goblins are clearly well positioned here and plan to be here for a whike based on those traps we pasted. So I doubt they would leave the main entrance without any protection. That being said, you can't trap the only way in, otherwise you yourself couldn't come and go. Perhaps there more then meets the eye to enter. I see no guards so they must have other means to keep unwelcome guests out. Possibly a trick to entering or side entrance"

A nod of thanks toward the elf, and then Throg crept along with Clara toward the mouth of the cavern, spear at the ready.

[Stealth 23]

“Hm, stealth isn’t exactly my strong suit,” Magnus grumbles, adjusting his chain mail slightly with a bashful chuckle. “Perhaps it would be best if I hang back and approach once you quieter folk have taken point. I’ll remain ever watchful for threats from the rear, of course.” 

Clara and Throg approach the cave slowly and quietly, their feet barely making any noise, while everyone else hangs back a bit. There's a dense thicket on the other side of the stream. As Clara and Throg get closer they can hear two voices talking and laughing animatedly in what sounds like the goblin language. 

On closer inspection, a small area in the briar thickets has been hollowed out to form a lookout post or blind. Wooden planks flatten out the briars and provide room for guards to lie hidden and watch the area—including a pair of goblins lurking there right now.

(With such high Stealth rolls, Clara and Throg may make a surprise attack if they'd like!) 

Clara mimes pointy ears and bares her teeth in a cutely monstrous fashion, signalling to the remainder of the party trailing behind. She turns to Throg, mouthing a silent countdown.

Ready?

Okay.

3... 2... 1... 

Summoning everything she learned from Herron about cantrips on the road from Neverwinter, Clara weaves together arcane energies and funnels them into a spike of hot searing light. A bolt of fire flies from the palm of her hand, aimed through the thickets at the nearest goblin. "Tell us where Gundren is, and we'll let you live!" She growls like a furious pup, before sprinting back behind the rest of the party for cover. 

"They're through there! Two of them, beyond the briar."

ACTION: Firebolt. To hit: 9. Damage: 3.
BONUS ACTION: None.
MOVEMENT: 30ft back, trying to duck behind the oncoming group.