The enemies were at the gate(a palisade yes)

The sound of heavy footsteps came from outside of the walls, and then, silence. Hopkins climbed up to the parapet running along the perimeter of the palisade, and got the his first look at the enemy; or rather his first look in three days. The rider from the fateful encounter was leading a company of men, who stood behind in a mob like fashion. These men were clad in fancy looking leather armour that had metal plates in their more exposed places, with some being more armoured than others. They all carried a variety of weapons, from swords to pikes to maces and shields, and from the looks of it appeared to be mercenaries. They looked tired from having to be up so late at night, as if they've marched all day. {if ditches = true}Some of them looked to be already weathered and muddy; it seemed that the ditches did their work at slowing them down.{endif}{if caltrops = true}The caltrops probably helped with that as well.{endif} The rider came before the gate in such a way that they were perpendicullar with it, their steed trotting to a stop with a huff.

"Goblins!" The yell echoed in the silence. The villagers cowered, holding their breaths as to not break it. The pause was deliberate as if to intimidate them. Hopkins however was unphased. "You have something of mine!" the rider continued, "I don't know why you even keep her captive; I heard that you goblins like to eat your prey still alive! Return her, and I will spare your miserable lives!"

"Feck off!" Hopkins retorted, slinging a rock at them. The rock bounced off with a thunderingly loud 'pting!', but the message went through.

The rider reared, holding their sword aloft. "Kill them all!

The men let out a war cry as they charged at the palisade. The goblins let loose their arrows, with some actually finding their mark, yet they were not enough to slow the advance. They began chopping away at the door with their swords and axes, but the quality of the construction made sure that by the time they even put a dent into it they had suffered some losses. They screamed as a pot of boiling water was poured from atop the gate; not enough to kill or knock out anyone; but it was enough to cause some of the men to hesitate. Bodies began to pile against the palisade.

"Enough of this! What am I even paying you all for!"The rider swung their sword over their head in circles; tiny little embers began to appear from thin air and gathered against the edge, with each pass gathering more and more, until the air grew staticky and they finally swung it forwards, unleashing a ball of flames that crashed against the gate. Hopkins managed to jump out the way, but some of the other goblins were not as lucky; they disappeared, their bodies dematerialising into ashen silhouettes, their heart piercing shrieks cut off before their end. The logs crumbled into a heap of broken pieces, and the mercenaries charged in once more.