On The Wonders of Ironpeak: Chapter 17

Further exploration of the marshland surroundings ensued, including a small chapel. In there, we encountered two goblins, with which Orin and Malekai succcessfully negotiated a meeting with their leader. Before the leader was available for us though, we first were allowed to accomodate ourselves in their holding. Getting a good look, I discovered these pests managed to capture a prisoner, and a literal heap of gold from the merchants on the main road. Also among their possessions was a a small forge which was burning without any fuel being supplied to it.
 
We intended to rest after expending our strength on the Barbstrikers, but were denied that opportunity. Instead Rigirik, the leader of the encampment, demanded a duel between us and some of their crew in order to please their deity, the war god Tempus. Without much of a choice, we agreed to the show fight. They proved to be formidable opponents, but we managed to persevere.
 
In the aftermath of the fights, my friends quickly figured out that not all of the goblins in the camp were so convinced of the new spiritual alignment, rather remaining loyal to the goblin god Maglubiyet.
Eager to do something against the danger these beasts pose on the roads of Nophadin, Malekai used his persuasiveness and trickery to get one of the old believers to attack the newly converted shaman of the group. A fight broke out, without much of our involvement, which wiped out almost the whole encampment. After clearing out the last stragglers we freed the imprisoned halfling merchant Ilena Swiftwood and secured the perimeter. In conversation we found out that her guild recently handled the sale of a gemstone in Fiverton that matches one of Bean's visions. Certainly it is of crucial interest to our witch, so this adds yet another strand to the thread our story.
 
We now can recover from a very busy day, get some rest, and make plans for tomorrow and what to do with the stack of valuables we acquired. I think Master Lankas' almanac mentioned something about pocket dimensions in leather bags...?