Our grand quest begins with three adventurers.
Holmgeirr was a dwarven ranger, specializing in beastmastery and traveling with his boar companion, Petunia. He had been traveling alone, seeking a new place to settle since the destruction of his secluded home village by sudden onset of plague. At some point during these travels, he came into combat with a group of slavers and was able to free Breena, a gnomish bard particularly skilled in arts and wordplay.
Breena, as it happened, was on a quest to recover her stolen masterpiece: a painting indescribable in beauty and priceless in value; she believed there would be some clues in the nearby town of Duskhaven. Holmgeirr agreed to accompany her on this quest.
Some time later, Holmgeirr and Breena encountered Damos, a shifter rogue with a penchant for stealth. The initial circumstances of their meeting were less than fortuitous: Holmgeirr apprehended Damos while he attempted to pick Breena's pocket. The rogue was also on the lookout for Breena's missing art piece, though for his own material gain. Damos convinced the other two adventurers that he would help them reacquire the painting; either he would gain worthwhile companions, or he would swindle them after all was said and done.
Still on their way to Duskhaven, the three adventurers encountered a band of five goblin bandits in the forest. Breena applied both skill and ritual to convince the goblins that the party was both destitute and deathly sick with contagious leprosy; the goblins lost interest and moved back down a heavily tracked trail, and the adventurers followed.
With Damos unusually winded, Holmgeirr and Breena were forced to tail the goblins more closely. Unfortunately, Holmgeirr clumsily attracted the goblins' attention shortly after; in a desperate bid to avoid blowing the party's cover, he sent Petunia charging through the goblin formation, hoping they would mistake her for a simple wild animal. The gambit was successful, but exposed Petunia to considerable risk, as the goblins gave chase.
Damos caught up to the party, and took a hurried but careful reconnaissance forward. He was able to see the goblins surrounding Petunia near some rock formations, and launched a surprise attack just as they prepared to slay her. The move exposed him to a considerable counter-attack from the goblins, but barely paid off: both he and Petunia were nearly downed before the rest of the party arrived. Holmgeirr called Petunia to his side; Damos took cover behind his allies and accepted some much-needed healing from Breena. With reinforcements in play, the battle quickly turned to the adventurers' favor... until two of the goblins ran back toward their home base, to call in their comrades. Breena and Damos were barely able to take them down in time.
Additional scouting determined that the goblin base camp was built into a cave, thus calling for a more robust plan of attack. Damos would scout ahead and secure a flanking position, while Breena would pose as a local regent, riding Petunia as a mount and with Holmgeirr acting as bodyguard, approaching the camp from the front to distract attention and lure goblins away from the cave entrance.
The goblins saw the "noble" as an easy target and attacked, only to be taken apart by the ensuing pincer strike from the three adventurers. This time, the party was ready for goblins fleeing a lost cause; they were able to take one prisoner, when Petunia tackled him into unconsciousness.
When the bound prisoner woke, Damos attempted to interrogate him; when he faltered, Breena stepped forward to initiate an infamous "good sentry, bad sentry" routine. She discovered that the goblin's name was Shimshock (the party nicknamed him "Gobby"), and offered him his life and a share of loot if he answered the party's questions and helped them fight any remaining bandits. When Gobby stonewalled, asking to know what the party could offer him, Damos intervened, stating simply, "We've got bolts," with a menacing wave of his crossbow. That got the goblin talking some more.
As it turned out, there was only one bandit left: the goblin leader, an apparently magically inclined fellow. Breena armed Gobby with a short sword and some javelins, and volunteered to tether herself and Gobby together with the ropes that had bound him.
Using Gobby as a grudging "scout", the party advanced into a cave; the stock rooms proved uneventful, and Gobby nearly raised the party's ire when he attempted to sneakily pocket some coin, but he proved his value when he warned the party about a trap outside his master's lair.
Upon reaching the makeshift door to the goblin master's lair (essentially a wedged in plank), the party could make out a humanoid figure working over a bubbling cauldron filled with unknown substance. They quickly formed and executed a battle plan: Damos would kick open the door, Holmgeirr would shove Gobby in first, and from there they'd need only make sure the room's only exit was blocked.
Apparently the master had been trained in some magical arts: he immediately cast a spell which filled the room with black smoke, offering himself concealment against the adventurers' attacks. Shortly after, he used a magic rod to temporarily blind Breena. It was to no avail, though: the party took some damage but made quick work of him.
Breena investigated the substance in the cauldron, but was unable to determine its nature. She and Holmgeirr wanted Gobby to try some of the substance, but Damos disagreed, citing his able contribution in the fight and his loyalty thus far. Gobby was unimpressed, but Breena agreed to instead try the potion herself, with no ill effects.
Resolving to spend the night in the caves formerly occupied by goblin bandits, the party offered Gobby some bonus coin if he stuck around until morning. Still, they kept a watch on him.
