Zander runs up to the prone Vondal and places his hand on the dwarf's forehead, pumping healing magic through his body. Vondal's body jerks, then his eyes fly open.

Cure wounds:11

As he watches Zander run towards Vondal, Karl mutters to himself "well he may be an arrogant an' ungrateful sod but tall dark and not handsome may not be completely useless after all!"

OOC: I'll put Zander at M9. Vondal is conscious, but prone.

Karl, you're up!

Karl moves to N11 and not so gently taps the Hobgoblin on its head with his mace (Attack: 22 Damage: 11).

Karl swings his new mace at the hobgoblin and clocks it, knocking it out in one. All three foes have been defeated.

OOC: Everyone gets 80 XP. Nif is finally able to restring his crossbow.

Vondal shoots up before long, only to grimace and clutch at his injury. A few moments of panicked looking around later, Vondal lets out a long, calming breathe. "Heheh… Hold them off I said." He mutters with a sardonic grin. "I s'pose I have you to thank again, Zander." He flashes a toothy grin up to the man, and then shuffles his way back to his feet. "Thanks. You leave any of them alive?" He asks as he goes to look over the hobgoblins closer at hands. Though as a caution, he makes a point of pulling any weapons on hand away from the first before looking them over.

Medicine: 7 (if needed to check them out).

"These are 'obs! What in the nine--" Then Vondal grows suddenly silent, and gets a real pensive look about them. "This business with our friend is a lot more serious than I thought if they got 'obs work'n for them."

Vondal quickly looks over the two hobgoblins. They are not breathing, and they appear to have died from dwarf-inflicted wounds.

Sildar shakes his head. "It must be that Black Spider they were going on about. He or she seems to be rallying the races together for something related to the Wave Echo Cave."

Karl gives one of the bodies a kick and says "well this lot wont be much good to it then, will they?"

"I was afraid ya say that." Vondal stops tugging at his beard to start looking over their gear more thoroughly. Any metal shields are passed off to Karl or Sildar, same for their swords, and spare weapons too. Though at least one longbow(?) -- the broken string one -- he keeps for himself before turning to their proverbial pockets. "Better to not brag about it though in town when we get there. Word will reach bosses eventually of failure. But longer that is, easier it is for us to move for friend's sake for at least while, eh?" He says during the process with the hobs. 

"See if Klarg have anything interesting on him as well. When done, we boot them into deep brush and carry on. Agreed?" 

Karl picks up the Longsword and starts swinging it fairly ineptly trying to get an idea of its balance. In frustration he turns to Sildar and says "mate you look to be pretty good with these, reckon you can teach me some simple moves?"

The hobgoblins are each dressed in chainmail and carry a longsword, longbow (one with a slipped string), shield, and fourteen arrows. Neither has any personal items or gold. Klarg has a morningstar, two javelins, three pieces of dried meat, and a purse containing 19 gold pieces.

Sildar smiles at Karl and slaps him on the shoulder. "I'd love to, friend dwarf," he says. "We can talk about it on the walk to Phandalin."

Karl thinks for a minute and says "I get the idea that these sword things are designed for subtlety which aint something I do well. I was always a believer and practitioner of the approach  in that a square peg can fit in a round 'ole if the 'ammer's big enuff and you 'it the peg (or whatever) 'ard enuff!" 

"There's some versatility in that style of fighting, Uncle. Can't quite hammer a door down with a sword, after all." Vondal chuckles but continues to take care of the bodies. If either Nif, Vander, or Einar hadn't already gotten to Klarg, he will eventually. Otherwise, what arms and armor that can be stripped from the hobgoblin is either put on the cart if it can handle it, or passed around for folk to at least hold on to till they reach town.

Of the goblinoid bodies, Vondal calls over Einar to help pull them off the road. Karl too, once it looks like his conversation with Sildar has ended. "At the rate we're going, we should retire as arms dealers!" He jests loud enough for all to hear.

The mixed bag of travelers — four dwarf friends and two former prisoners — continue their journey to Phandalin. For about half the trip, Sildar attempts to give Karl pointers on how to fight with a longsword. The old warrior is patient with the heavy-handed barbarian. He laughs easily, but never makes Karl feel ashamed or like he's being made fun of. The experience is pleasant and rewarding overall, though Karl still feels the weapon is unwieldy when the two decide Karl has learned enough for one day.

The second half of the short trip, Sildar tells the group what he knows about Phandalin: The frontier town is built on the ruins of a much older settlement. Hundreds of years ago, the old Phandalin was a thriving human town whose people were firmly allied with the dwarves and gnomes of the Phandelver’s Pact. However, the same orc horde that sacked the mines at Wave Echo Cave laid waste to the settlement, and Phandalin was abandoned for centuries. In the last three or four years, settlers have begun the hard work of reclaiming the ruins of Phandalin. The new settlement is home now to farmers, woodcutters, fur traders, and prospectors drawn by stories of gold and platinum in the foothills of the Sword Mountains.

Sildar goes on to say he had agreed to escort Gundren to the town because he wants to investigate the fate of Iarno Albrek, a fellow member of the Lords’ Alliance who disappeared shortly after arriving in Phandalin. "I had planned to learn what happened to Iarno, assist Gundren in reopening the old mine, and help restore Phandalin to a civilized center of wealth and prosperity," the aged warrior says with regret. "Hopefully someone in Phandalin will know where Cragmaw Castle is located. I'm sure that's where they've taken our dwarf friend."

About two hours following their run-in with Klarg, the rutted track emerges from a wooded hillside, and the group catches its first glimpse of Phandalin. The town consists of 40 or 50 simple log buildings, some built on old field stone foundations. More old ruins — crumbling stone walls covered in ivy and briers — surround the newer houses and shops — evidence of the much larger town that used to be here. Most of the newer buildings are set on the sides of the cart track, which widens into a muddy main street of sorts as it climbs toward a ruined manor house on a hillside at the east side of town.

As the wagon approaches, the group sees children playing on the town green and townsfolk tending to chores or running errands at shops. Many people look up as they approach, but all return to their business as the party goes by. Sildar says, “My friends, let us secure lodgings. I’m told the local inn is very quaint.”

"I don't care how quaint the Inn is, the more important question is, is the ale good?" Karl says to Sildar.

Vondal had listened with rapt attention, in so much he could while walking alongside the cart. Seeking the history of places was never far from the Dwarf's mind. And for a while, hearing the story brought back a sense of normalcy that fighting a small army of goblins had thus far made elusive. His expression only brightens more seeing the children at play in the streets. Though thinking of them made him grimace, reminding him of the pregnancy looming in the background for their other dear friend.

"Or if they have proper baths. The rivers were nice and all, but having something warm for once tickles my fancy juuuust right." Vondal chuckles. "Tho' you know of one, Sildar, that fits those bills? If so, let's hurry then if all possible. Sooner we get checked in, the sooner we can off-load most of this crap. Tho'.. hmm..." Vondal starts to look around for any local guards or the closest equivalent, as well as for a smithee. 

The first building on the left has a hand-painted, yet tasteful sign hanging out front identifying it as Barthen's Provisions (6). Vondal spots, following the tell-tale sounds of hammer on anvil, a smithy just a little further down on the right (5).

Karl looks at the sign of building '6' and says "provisions equals ale to my mind!" He steps up and opens the door looking over his shoulder at Sildar he says '"the first round is on me, I owe you at least that for the sword lessons." 

Vondal goes from nodding along at the sites, to squinting at the lack of townguards. Before he can too much further on that though...

"Uncle, I don't that's a--" Is about as much as Vondal gets out before the door is already open. He facepalms and shakes his head. As he goes to drag the hand down across his face, he'll look to Sildar too. "So, what was the name of that Inn? 

Nif will follow Karl to the Inn. Once he gets inside, and sits down he will start to divide up the money that he has found over the last few days into equal shares for the dwarves.

When Karl joins him at the table he will hand a little bag of coins.

 As he hands the bag to Karl, he whispers, "There is a little more, I just need to try and sell some of those items I found, so I can divide the rest."