IDROTF C1E4: Between an ingot and a hard place Report

General Summary

After surviving the harrowing experience of a blizzard on the open tundra, the party dug themselves out and continued the search for the lost shipment of Clan Battlehammer iron. They didn't have far to go before they came upon the scene of the yeti attack. The dismembered and partially eaten remains of poor Oobok could be seen sticking out of the snow where the winds had swept the lighter, fresh-fallen snow away. The dead dwarf was surrounded by tracks much smaller (and fresher) than those of a yeti. These tracks milled all about the area and then led back off south with the distinctive trail of a heavily laden sled behind them. The party was able to discern that these were goblin tracks and quickly chose to follow them before the trail grew literally cold.   It only took them about half an hour to catch up to the goblins, burdened as they were with pulling the sled. Coming to the top of a rise in the drifted snow, the party spotted the sled and goblins about 250 feet ahead. Another 200 feet or so beyond was a large, two-story wagon pulled by two surly looking polar bears.   Taking advantage of the element of surprise, the party opened up on the trailing goblins with ranged attacks while Kadgrith and Andove Littlefoot tried to close the distance as quickly as they could through the drifted snow.   After the initial panic caused by the sudden ambush, those goblins that were not killed in the opening salvo hid behind the sled and returned fire with their short bows. As shots were exchanged, the party noted a solitary figure climb up out of the wagon further ahead and observe them while holding a torch aloft in one hand and a falcon on the other, gloved, hand.   The party outmatched these poor, starving, and half-frozen goblins by quite a lot and in short order two, three, four, five goblins lay dead around the sled. Upon seeing her forces overwhelmed, the goblin atop the wagon ahead threw her torch down into the wagon (where two other goblin archers began to scream as the straw mattresses inside quickly caught and spread the flame. It seemed for a few moments that the goblin may manage to escape, having such a large lead in the deep snow; but, the misused polar bears had other ideas as they broke from their leads in a rage and ran her down.   After ripping her limb from limb, the polar bears lumbered off east, while the party regrouped around the sled and began preparations to haul it, slowly, back to Bryn Shander.   Travelling as far as they could while pulling the sled behind them, they made use of what remained of the day. Exhausted to a man, they decided not to set a watch and instead rely on the Alarm spell of Saryeras to alert them to any danger as they slept. Sadly, that danger arrived in the form of a mated pair of perytons diving from above; so the 20 foot warning did not provide much benefit and Andove Littlefoot fell to the initial dive-bomb attack.   This battle was much harder fought than the one with the goblins, but Tymora was smiling upon the party that day and they eventually persevered...