Ambushed Merchant Cart

The cart lies overturned on the roadside, wheel gouged in the mud and sacks torn open. Goblin footprints and hastily scattered wares show the attackers were more interested in quick picks than careful looting. You find the merchant slumped but alive a short distance away; he points at the cart and mutters about spices and a ledger he will pay to recover. Among the scattered goods are small coin reserves, a useful healing vial taken from the merchant's satchel, a few tradeable gems and spices, the scales used for daily trade, and a dagger the merchant kept for self-defense. Tucked in the wreckage is a torn ledger with a crude map that might lead to the caravan's next stop or a stash the goblins missed.