Before we begin, just be aware I am adding a few role-playing elements of my own invention to spice this up. Said elements do not occur in the actual game, but I'm doing it to flesh out some of the otherwise flat story. Now that I've got that out of the way...
It's time to hunt some goblins!
The first step is to have Cate cast the spell Wizard Eye. An Air Magic spell, Wizard Eye reveals the location of wandering NP Cs and monsters on the minimap. Expert and Master allow it to reveal more, but we're obviously not at that point yet.
The spell reveals there are enemies to the north, at the Self Guild. We head up there to investigate. We head up there, and discover a small group of goblins have set up shop (so to speak) and the second floor balcony. However, the goblins have made some key errors.
- There is a hill next to the guild, allowing us to climb up and see them.
- These goblins have no ability to cast spells or used ranged attacks.
- These goblins lack the intelligence (bad AI strikes again!) to take the backdoor ramp down to ground level.
End result: Party 1, Goblins -2.
We head up to the balcony and loot their bodies for gold. We need the gold after all. Occasionally enemies drop items, but these goblins aren't exactly big on material wealth.
We then head over to the local docks to the east of town, because I somehow have psychic powers and know there will be goblins there (either that, or I have done this before, which obviously could never be the case). We polish off the goblins quite easily with arrows, then we investigate the docks.
Near the docks is a crate and four barrels. Toblerone is the Designated Chest Opener due to his disarm trap skill, so he opens it. Inside is an assortment of loot. Of most importance is a suit of chain armor (which is given to Cate) and a potion of cure poison. We will need a lot of said potions in the future.
Nearby is an herb known as phirna root (hereafter referred to as the blue herb. There are three kinds of herbs in the game, and they are used in the brewing of potions (which, oddly enough, is not skill based). Brewing potions being very important, we go and collect said herb.
Unfortunately, we have attracted the attention of a different set of locals...the mages. They seem determined to pelt us with spells. It's too bad there happen to be hills between said mages (who are to the south) and us. Nonetheless, there's a few too many to deal with at the moment, so we retreat back to the town.
Next stop is the southwestern bridge, which connects New Sorpigal with Castle Ironfist. Along the way, we stop to pick fruit from the local orchard, increasing our food supplies. Mysteriously, no one complains about us stealing the food of the village.
The bridge is slightly more heavily guarded by goblins, and also happens to have a "Goblin King". These bigger, badder, and redder goblins can shoot Fire Bolt spells in addition to hitting us with swords. Going toe-to-toe with these goblins, we emerge victorious, but not unscathed. Eno and Huaryu chip in with the First Aid spell (Body Magic), so we can heal.
There are two more crates at the bridge. One contains nothing but gold, while the other has the usual mixed loot. This includes a healing potion and a pair of shields. We give one shield to Huaryu, and the other will be sold.
Next stop is Goblinwatch itself. We need to clear the outer keep of goblins before entering its depths. However, this is easier said than done, as the goblins have taken up positions around the keep. We don't have a choice except to take them head-on.
The outer defenses are apparently under the command of a Goblin Shaman. While not as physically robust as Goblin Kings, a shaman can still shoot you with fire bolts. Fortunately, the goblin defense is very poorly organized, and we are able to take on the goblins a few at a time.
Having killed or driven off all the goblins that surrounded the fort, now we must ascend to the ramparts of Goblinwatch and finish off the remaining defenders. This is where it will get hard, because the goblins have access to a bottleneck and beat you off. Luckily, none of the goblins on the walls are very strong, and thus we are able to defeat them.
We now come face to face with Urok, the apparent leader of the goblins. Rather than fight us, he wants to talk, so we oblige. As we had previously found out from Janice, Goblinwatch was built to fend off the goblins, then abandoned due to costs and a lack of actual goblin attacks. Urok tells us that the goblins took control of the keep (or "castle" as he calls it) in order to keep watch on the humans. Oh, Irony, thy touch is unsubtle...
We decide to spare Urok, so long as he leaves. He agrees, but before he departs, he reveals that he was only in charge of the outer defenses. Ergo, goblins still inside the keep will try and fight tooth and nail for it. Fine by us, we can handle it.
As Urok heads off and night falls, we prepare to enter the inner keep and recover the scroll.
