Adrian: Baldur's Gate

They encountered a pair of Ogrillons shortly after leaving Beregost the next day, but with their ranged attacks and Kagain's battle axe, they were no problem. Adrian noted with real interest that Kagain's wounds slowly closed without the aid of healing spells.

"Always been tough, even for a Dwarf," Kagain said when asked, and shrugged.

Shortly after that, another idiot Flaming Fist accused them of being bandits, and attacked them. Adrian had the great personal satisfaction of finishing that one off himself, in a sword duel. The battle ended when the Flaming Fist's weapon broke in half; proof of the iron crisis. Adrian gave the Fist's armor to Kagain.

They camped under the stars that night. It was the first time Adrian had properly slept under the stars, since he hadn't slept at all the night he'd hidden in the trees from the armored figure. They spent several hours chatting around the fire. Viconia's tales of Menzoberranzan were spine-tingling, and even Imoen seemed to cheer up at bit at Xzar's antics. Adrian had finally realized that Xzar was a complete nutjob, and made a mental note to deal with that pairing through Montaron from now on. They went to sleep, Viconia taking the first watch, whispering with wonder as she stared into the starry night sky, "There is no roof to this world."

The next day they were closing in on Nashkel, when they heard the grunts and shouts of Hobgoblins in the middle distance. They sent Montaron to scout on ahead.

Minutes later he was back, reporting, "Aye, there be a half-dozen Hobgoblins holdin' the pass through the foothills. It be a regular camp."

"Could they be working with these bandits we've heard about?" Adrian asked.

Kagain shrugged. "Makes no difference, we can't go around."

Adrian found himself slightly nervous. Not afraid, but cautious and wary. This would, after all, be his first large-scale battle. He didn't yet really care about any of his companions except Imoen, but neither was he prepared to lose the resources and skills any of them represented. Right now, he needed all the help he could get.

He didn't want to just charge in blindly, so he brought the group around him in a circle and explained his plan. Then he, Imoen, and Xzar crept up to the rock outcropping just before the path turned into the bend where the Hobgoblins were, the others not far behind.

At his signal, he and Imoen popped up from behind the rocks and started firing arrows and crossbow bolts, and Xzar hurled a magic missile into the nearest of the foe.

By the times the hobgoblins had noticed them and started shooting back, two had gone down.

"Now!" Adrian said to the others, dropping his hand in pre-arranged gesture. Viconia, Kagain, and Montaron bolted around the outcropping and charged.

"Lil Alurl! For Shar!" Viconia cried, as she led Montaron and Kagain into the enemy.

"For the love o' money," Kagain mumbled as his axe connected with a Hobgoblin's head. Viconia began dueling another of the Hobgoblins, and Montaron started dancing around the feet of a third, poking his sword in where he could.

Adrian came around the outcropping and joined them, charging the Hobgoblin furthest off, their last archer, leaving Imoen to keep shooting. Xzar crouched behind her, giggling as each Hobgoblin fell.

The battle took less than five minutes, with no serous injuries to their side. Kagain took a cut under one eye, which healed quickly. Montaron's chain mail deflected an arrow, but the force of the impact bruised his skin beneath.

The sky clouded up as they looted the corpses, Imoen getting more arrows as they went. Adrian was well pleased with how the battle had gone, and made a note to himself to continue honing his tactics in future.

A gentle rain began to fall as they came out of the foothills and looked down at Nashkel, northernmost garrison of Amn.