"I ain't never been good with people, missus Lydia, so I'm gonna help out the guardy people at the gate!" Swiper squawks out, getting out his crossbow. 

Init: 18

Lydia follows Swiper into battle!

Initiative:12

The trio of Nirzeg, Lydia, and Swiper join the dozens of milita members rushing to the east gate. It is then that they realize it's not boulders that are raining down on the town, but goblins in spiked helmets! One of them lands not ten feet from you, from high up in the air. It flails and screams as it falls, but obviously dies when it hits the ground with a sickening crunch.   

From up on the ramparts, one of the militia leaders yells, "Bearded blue giant at long range! Five ogres with him, and damn near 50 goblins. Plus some armored ones, look like hobgoblins. The ogres are throwing the goblins at the walls! Archers, at the ready! Footmen, take cover. Bolster that gate!"

As he speaks, a flying goblin collides with one of the archers on the wall, killing the archer and the goblin. Both go tumbling down off the rampart.

If you climb the rampart to look, you'll see that the giant, ogres, hobgoblins, and goblins are all standing at the extreme end of longbow range. The ogres are using mechanical contraptions to launch the goblins almost 500 feet towards the town walls.

Quote from Persuasion >>

Persuasion: 8

Derrikoth turns to Zeek, speaking dismissively, “Yes, yes, giants, I know.”

 The boy begins to saddle up the horse. He looks over to the side. "Hey, Master Larg, could you throw give me a hand with this?" 

A dwarf, who looks like he was about to steal out of the stables, turns around and hurries back. "Ah...yer, sure." He doesn't make eye contact with Derrikoth, but the dwarf looks like a dead ringer for your target, "The Weevil."

The two seem to be having quite a lot of trouble putting the saddle on, given how short they both are, and plus the horse seems plenty spooked with all the ruckus. But finally, they get it hooked up. The dwarf backs away, without a word, and bows to Derrikoth. He still doesn't make eye contact. 

While not technically an archer, seeing as he favored both close combat and far, Nirzeg opted to loosely follow instructions by climbing up the ramparts. Once he saw what awaited across the divide, the Githyanki almost visibly paled on the spot. ".... By Umberlee Salty Tits... What the **** did he do?" He muttered under his breath. Then the call came out, stirring him from troubled thoughts, but not nearly shocking him so freely from them then in seeing one Archer fall from the wall; a victim to goblin cruelty and machinations.

"Shitshitshit -- Where's a ****'n-..." And on he went as he search the rampart for a longbow he might yet put to work. Short of such, he'll leap down to an unoccupied spot, deploying the feather fall ballistics if necessary, but intent all the same to joining the footmen in proper cover.

The captain on the ramparts tells his archers to "FIRE!" The arrows largely fall well short of the small army, peppering the stretch of unoccupied landscape. 

The barrage of goblins continues, yet the giant and his party make no advance.

Nirzeg, meanwhile, is able to leap comfortably from the ramparts under the effect of his jump transmutation, a feat which impresses several of the militia. 

 "FIRE!" Another volley of arrows. A couple of arrows seem to score hits on the giantkin, but the larger creatures just shrug off the puny missiles. Still, they do not advance, and continue to let loose flying goblins. 

// Nirzeg, Lydia, and Swiper, please make a Dexterity saving throw! If you're under cover, you can make the roll with advantage. //

7

Dex Save(DC ???): 11.

Derrikoth absentmindedly takes a few (5 or so? D&D money is weird. However much an extremely rich noble would tip, kind of like tipping $100 for a $40 meal) gold pieces, pressing them into Definitely Not The Weevil’s hand.

”And double that, when you tend to this horse after we return. It wouldn’t do for such a beast to be left in the muck after a battle.”

If Definitely Not The Weevil seems inclined to stay, Derrikoth will ride off towards the sound of combat as soon as the horse is ready. Otherwise, he’ll... do something else. Something dumb, perhaps.

Persuasion: 25

Insight: 17

Swiper squawks loudly!

Dex: 15 | forgot adv here's another roll! 9

(REALLY)

[Insight] Derrikoth can tell that the dwarf is getting ready to run and make an escape, though he manages a smile, another bow, and a mumbled, "Many thanks, m'lord." 

Lydia is hit with a falling goblin, and takes 10 piercing damage from its spiked helmet. The goblin dies on impact. 

Still the giant doesn't advance, and only sends goblins by way of hucker. Goblin after goblins flies through the air, screaming, and smacking dead on the keep walls.

The militia captain orders his archers to take cover. "Gods know what this giant is thinking, but we can weather this assault if this is all they're throwing at us. Keep it tight men, shields up!" 

// What do you do? //

Derrikoth mounts his new horse, giving the dwarf a nod of acknowledgment, ”In fact, why don’t you come with me. You’ll get a good chance to observe a hero in action.”

If the dwarf is willing to go along with it, Derrikoth will haul him into the saddle. If he tries to make excuses, he’ll say, “Nonsense! Come here!” and try to drag him up forcefully. If he makes a break for it, Derrikoth will chase him down and knock him unconscious with the flat of his sword.

The dwarf tries to object, "I am not so sure if..."

But even as the words are coming from his mouth, the young stable hand next to him lurches forward and spits blood. He falls. A javelin is in his back. 

To Derrikoth's left, a muscular, furred creature darts from the shadows. To his right, another! You are set upon.

// Derrikoth please make an initiative check! You can take an immediate turn if you roll higher than 10 //

(Rolling... 9) 

Lydia ducks under cover and will wait until the giants run out of goblins.

Ahaha I am initiate: 0

Swiper is right with Lydia, but keeps his crossbow and eyes out for any enemies looking like they're coming their way!

Three bugbears come out of the shadows and attempt to grab the dwarf. One of them has a sack that he’s obviously trying to put over the dwarf’s head.

The dwarf, for his part, fights back with two hand axes drawn from under his tunic. He slashes viciously across the belly of one of the bugbears.

Two more bugbears rush up to attack Derrikoth, just as he’s managed to mount his horse.

Attack: 22 Damage: 14 bludgeoning

Attack: 15 Damage: 20 bludgeoning

A couple more bugbears keep watch from either end of the stables. They speak urgently to each other in the goblin language.

 Meanwhile, the giant continues to launch goblins. He doesn’t have an endless supply—this must be at least 30 goblins he’s sent flying to their deaths so far.

 Still the giant’s small army holds their position.

// Players up! Nirzeg, Lydia, and Swiper, you can each make a Wisdom (Insight) check, if you would like to do so! //

Swiper will keep to cover, and if possible, move up closer to where the giant is, hoping to maybe get a better shot at him when he runs out of gobbies to throw.

Insighty: 6

After the comment from the leader, it got Nirzeg to thinking and to thinking hard on the subject. It would've been one thing if the goblins actually survived their landings more, as they could cause a great deal more havoc. And hobgoblins were not so foolish as to throw away lives needlessly, even if they were of lesser kin variety. "Something... is not right here." As the thought occurs, he starts to try signaling Zeek.

But is soon cursing under his breath. "Barnacles! Too far.... wait... Hobs and a giant...." He frowned, and after some thought began to rub the side of his temple, sending delightful charges of carefully manipulated electricity and magic from his gauntlet into the brain to help 'tweak' his focus. While not enough to put together the pieces, the worry remained steadfast in his heart.  So much so, that he guzzled his Acceleration Draught in preparation for some cross town running in the event Zeek  went with the fall back plan.

Meanwhile, said Tressym is wincing from the rafters in the stable after seeing Derrikoth get decked, or at least nearly so! As it stood up gearing to aid the dragonborn at the very least, realizing the dangers of the scenario and its meaning to the master, he flew outside, disengaging if need be, but otherwise flying as fast possible for the gates of the master's whereabouts. (Fly speed is 60ft, 120ft if able to dash. But still likely to take him a couple turns to get within max range)

Derrikoth sneers as the bugbears attack him, knocking away the first one's with his shield (Warding Maneuver, just need +1 to cause it to miss, so no damage there), though he keeps an eye on The Weevil, lest the monsters get away with his prize. He lays about himself with his longsword, swinging once at each bugbear, shouting mockeries at them, "Come on! Is that the best you mutts can do? Fear me!"

Attack: 21 Damage: 9

Attack: 20 Damage: 7

(If he has a Shadow Blade from Nirzeg, he'll use that instead, but I think he only has the 2 charges of Shield remaining)

Derrikoth cuts into the bugbears, wounding each of them. Surprised at the capability of their opponent, the bugbears are forced to regroup. They each grab at you, trying to pull you off the horse!

Opposed Strength Double Grab: 17, Derrikoth needs to meet it or beat it to stay mounted. 

The dwarf, meanwhile; lodges both of his handaxes into one of the bugbears, straight in the gut. The bugbear falls, unfortunately taking the dwarf’s axes with it! Over the dwarf’s head goes the bag, and over his torso and most of his legs, too.