Your watch comes and goes without incident. There were a couple of branches breaking in the distance, but nothing every comes of it. Happy, roll perception for me, please.

Perception: 2

Taking your turn on watch, you're able to see nothing more than a pair of deer skirting the edge of your ability to see in the dark.

Catherine and Sieghart, both make your perception rolls each for your watch.

Perception: 15

Perception: 23 

(added x2 proficiency)

Catherine, your watch drags on silently with the growing annoyance of having to sit still and keep quiet in the darkness. Thankfully though, the moon is close to full and the clouds are sparse enough that you could see in the dim, bluish light. When you feel like your share of the watch is complete, you nudge Sieghart awake.

Sieghart, the first 45 minutes of your watch is like any other time you would have spent in the forest at night with the sounds you'd expect of bugs and distant animal noises. The next 15 minutes, however, things began to feel off. The noises have faded... You feel watched. Suddenly you hear a sneeze behind you. You spin to see the head of a small, pointy eared figure peaking their head out from a tree covering their mouth after the outburst. Your eyes dart around and (with your high roll) you spot 7 other creatures all around you all (8 total). They range from 25 to 40 feet away, and half of them begin to draw arrows at the sudden break in the groups silence. Looks like some goblins have tracked you all down for some revenge.

Roll initiative!

Nox: 4

Helio: 1

Initiative: 22
Sieghart jumps to his feet and yells out "Get up everyone! We’ve got company!"

Arlo’s groggy, but he’s up and reaching for his axes.

initiative 13

Catherine is sluggish for only a moment until she realizes what is happening, at which point she snaps awake, grabbing her axe from beside her bedroll. She'd been silently hoping that they'd try something..... just a shame they hadn't done it on her watch.

Initiative: 20

Happy jumps up and says: “Seems like it was a mistake not to track down our friends here right away”

Initiative: 3

Initiative order:

Sieghart

Catherine

Arlo

Goblins

Nox

Happy

Helio

(I recently did some reading on the surprise condition and how this should technically work per the PHB. You all may already know this, but in case you are like me in thinking that since Sieghart called attention to the threat that everyone acts normally, I'll write what I read/understood it.

"The DM determines who might be surprised. If neither side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each other. Otherwise, the DM compares the Dexterity (Stealth) checks of anyone hiding with the passive Wisdom (Perception) score of each creature on the opposing side. Any character or monster that doesn’t notice a threat is surprised at the start of the encounter. If you’re surprised, you can’t move or take an action nor bonus action on your first turn of the combat, and you can’t take a reaction until that turn ends. A member of a group can be surprised even if the other members aren’t."

With that said, Sieghart is not surprised by the goblins, but everyone else is. On Sieghart's first turn he will call everyone to attention/do whatever he wishes for the rest of his turn. The first turn for everyone in the party will be waking up, stand up, and prepare for the fight. Because of the initiative order, the goblins will be taking their turn before Nox, Happy, and Helio which could result in attacks with advantage (from melee attacks) because you all would still be on the ground. If they attack Catherine or Arlo, then it will be a regular attack but only if your passive perception beat their stealth rolls. Otherwise attacks are at advantage due to them being an unseen threat. The second round of combat will allow everyone to act however they wish.

Again, if you didn't realize this is how it worked, now you.)

Sieghart, you and that party are surrounded. Without a thought, you shout to wake the others while you quickly scan the area. There are two perimeters of goblins. About 25 ft out is the first encroaching line, consisting of four goblins charging in with spears. The second circle is between 35 and 40 ft away and consist of archers with arrows drawn and ready to fire. The goblins in both lines are equidistant from the others in their line and staggered so the archers have a direct line on the majority of the party. What do you do, Sieghart?

(See discord if you'd like a visual representation)

(We have a discord???)

Sieghart notices that the group is in a precarious position. They are outnumbered and unprepared.

Sieghart grabs his bow and quickly nocks an arrow. Taking out the archers would help reduce their range support. As such, Sieghart takes a step to his right to get a better view at the goblin hiding behind the tree and releases the arrow.

(Shooting at GA2)

Attack: 25 Damage: 11

(OoC: Also, I have no problem with the surprise thing)

(Edit: I made an error while writing the equation for the dice roll. At first, it placed the roll before the beginning of my text. I tried to move at the end, but it didn’t work. It’s like I had two rolls. So I deleted the first one which was the crit in hope that it would leave the other roll untouched, but it did the opposite. I’m sorry for the trouble. The real roll would have been a 16 to hit with 9 damage)

Your arrow flies through the air, strikes the goblin in the forehead, and continues on a few more feet, leaving a hole in the its head. The goblin collapses on the ground. Catherine and Arlo, you're both awaken by the sound of Sieghart yelling that the goblins are back accompanied by the shrill battle cries of your assailants.

Goblins turn:

The four with spears rush in from all around and attempt to impale Sieghart, Catherine, Arlo, and Happy (advantage on you, because you are still lying on the ground). The three archers take shots at Arlo, Nox, and Helio.

Sieghart:

GS2 attack: 9 damage: 3

Catherine:

GS2 attack: damage: attack: 24 damage: 5

Arlo:

GA1 (Goblin Archer 1) attack: 17 damage: 4

GS4 (Goblin Spearman 4) attack: 9 damage: 3

Nox:

GA4 attack: 5 damage: 7

Happy:

GS3 attack: 12 damage: 7

Helio

GA3 attack: 10 damage: 7

Nox and Helio are awoken to the sound of the fighting and brandish their weapons.

Happy, you are awoken to the sudden white hot pain of a spear being driven into your side. Your eye burst open to see a grinning goblin looking into your eyes.

Back to the top with Sieghart's turn, and continuing with normal combat.

(nschrock: I mentioned making one a while back, which you agreed would be useful, but I failed to acknowledge on here that it was up. That was my fault and I apologize. The only thing of significance that has happened on it was a map I just uploaded. PM your discord username and I'll add you to it.)

Sieghart dodges the goblin’s spear with relative ease. Though more adept at range fighting, he was still capable of fighting in close quarters. He lets go of his bow and unsheaths a short curved blade and swings it in the direction of the goblin.

Attack: 17 Damage: 8

(Edit: Sorry for the long wait. Yesterday was a bit crazy)

Your swing connects and the blade leaves a fatally deep laceration. The goblin falls holding his wound in a failed attempt to stop the bleeding.

Catherine, your go.

(Dito on Savage's edit. Been busy today)

Catherine yowls in pain as the goblin's spear stabs into her side. The wound is serious, but not enough to incapacitate her, and it sends her immediately into a furious rage.

(Bonus Action: Rage

As a bonus action enter a rage for up to 1 minute (10 rounds).

You gain advantage on STR checks and saving throws (not attacks), +2 melee damage with STR weapons, resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, slashing damage. You can't cast or concentrate on spells while raging.)

She brings her battleaxe up in a vicious arc as she takes her feet, intending to pay the goblin back tenfold for its strike.

Attack: 7
Damage: 7

(Catherine's HP is 8/14 and I believe she is now at 9/10 rounds of Rage.)

The goblin leans back as you accidently project your swing. Your axe swooshes inches in front of his face.

Arlo, you're up!

You have a goblin with a spear assaulting you while another is taking shots at you with a bow. 

Arlo starts swinging a hand axe at the spearman that stabbed him.

Attack: 16 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll.

 He follows up with a swing from the offhand axe

Attack: 17 Damage: 7

The goblin jukes left, dodging the first attack but was caught off gaurd by the second. Your axe buries itself into the goblin's side. It pushes on the axe handle with pole of his spear until it's out of him. He's looking rough, but grits his teeth with determination.

The goblin to the south fires at Sieghart after seeing him cut down one of his kin.

GA3 attack: 17 damage: 5

The goblin on Catherine continues his attack on her.

GS1 attack: 9 damage: 6

The goblin archer to the north takes another shot at Arlo in tandem with the spearmen making his strike. The spearman makes the thrust with his spear before taking a bonus action to make a nimble escape (disengage from Arlo to avoid an attack of opportunity) and then backing off 25 ft to a safe distance from Arlo.

GA1 attack: 16 damage: 6

GS4 attack: 13 damage: 5

The goblin archer takes another shot at Nox.

GA4 attack: 23 damage: 7

The goblin spearman takes another stab at Happy.

GS3 attack: 5 damage: 7

Nox takes the damage from the arrow, turns to the goblin attacking Happy, and bears down on it with her daggers.

Attack: 16 damage: 6

Attack: 8 damage: 1

The first dagger glances off of the goblin's primitive leather armor, while the second just barely hits. The goblin gives a quick yelp of pain.

Happy, your turn!