Your stop in Galduria was brief but productive, but it's time to get back on the road the next day. Some of the children of the town come out to watch you leave, somewhat disappointed that you weren't a traveling entertainment caravan, but you have more important business to deal with!
As you head north along the coast, the road winds through lots of open land with small, scrubby brush here and there, and the occasional sparse tree. It's pleasant countryside, albeit somewhat bare.
Shortly after lunch, Shalelu and Lyraesel return from one of their scouting forays with some unhappy news. "The road passes through a low hilly area ahead. It's a bit rocky, but it looks like travelers have cleared away some of the worst obstacles over the years. That's the good news. The bad news is that it means that there's no easy way to go around some of the terrain, and we've spotted some movement off on the hillsides -- creatures keeping an eye on the road for travelers like us, no doubt. So, weapons ready," Shalelu says. "We won't know exactly where they might intercept us so it may be difficult to prepare in advance with spells or defensive formations."
Sure enough, as you are forging through a rocky area between two close hills, you hear bellows on the wind, and the sound of heavy footfalls and angry laughter. Coming across the hill from both sides are tremendous humanoids -- perhaps small giants -- with stumpy legs, long overmuscled arms, and tremendous, slavering mouths.
You are able to bring the caravan to a halt in order to defend yourselves, as the creatures come stomping down the hillsides.
(For simplicity, this lumps together Ameiko, Shalelu, Sandru, Koya, Deborah, Vankor, and Bevelek)
Knowing that the impending attack was on its way, Magnauk prepared multiple weapons.
Preying upon helpless travelers is wrong. Good for us we are not helpless
The hulking figures may be stalking out around rocks and from behind scrubby trees, but Magnauk doesn't let that dissuade him. As they approach, shouting excitedly in their own language, he lets fly with a true arrow from his bow, and it sinks to the feathers into the meaty leg of one of the attackers.
Seeing the enemy approaching Lyraesel begins a druidic chant, calling to the natrural growth to restrain the creatures.
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Lyraesel calls out to nature, and nature responds.
Writhing grass and crawling roots reach out and snare, snag, and grab at the stumpy legs of the ogres.
Both of the ogres find themselves bound up, caught in the weeds - literally! They start shouting and growling again in their guttural language (Giant), though they never really stopped before.
Round One:
Trusting Lyraesel's spell to detain the two ogres to the south, Hiro turns his attention to the ogre to the north. The samurai nocks an arrow to his bowstring and fires at the ogre before leaping down from the wagon in anticipation of the creature's approach.
Kenji moves to position himself between the ogres and the wagons, and takes a full defensive action.
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Hiro's arrow makes a wsss-THUNK sound as it gashes the ogre to the north. The ogre lets out an angry roar in reply.
Great work Lyraesel! Let's hit them from here why they are slowed.
Jinda remains in the wagon near Ameiko, standing guard in case anything shows up that could cause new problems.
Ameiko picks up her samisen and the haunting melodies of its plucked strings bring out a resurgence of magical invigoration.
Deborah says to Kenji, "What's going on out there? What is it?"
Koya slips past Kenji and hobbles outside. "Best way to find out is to see for yourself, girl!" she says with a near-cackle.
Vankor hunches down in his seat.
The two ogres snared in the vines snarl and growl and try to break free!
Ogre #1 is able to break loose and stomps -- slowly -- through the difficult writhing vines a short distance. He is unable to make it to Lyraesel, but he does make some progress. Likewise, the other ogre, even though it is stuck, does its best to throw a large javelin at the druidess, infuriated at her magic.
The druidess takes a nasty gash that spins her about as an enormous javelin crashes by her and tears a chunk out of her armor and her side!
The ogre to the north bellows and jumps down from the rocky ledge.
He shakes off the fall, scrambles back to his feet, and stomps toward Shalelu.
The lithe elf warrior tries to twist away but the greatclub catches her at the last second with a sudden twist.
Shalelu is clobbered badly. She spits blood from her mouth as the greatclub crashes across her head and her shoulder. With a grunt she pushes herself back to her feet and resumes her guard.
Round Two:
Still holding his bow, Hiro jogs to the north of the ogre that attacked Shalelu. The samurai moves carefully to stay just beyond the reach of the creature's greatclub before stopping and taking a defensive stance just within the creature's reach. "Come and fight ME, brute!" he shouts at the ogre, motioning with his empty hand for the creature to take a swing at him.
With a shriek of agony and rage, Lyraesel staggers backward, moving away from the advancing ogre, leaving a trail of blood as she does.
With a snarl she utters a quick chant, a jagged javelin appearing in her hand.
Kenji curses. "Deborah!" he shouts as he surges forward. "We're gonna need medical help!"
He moves up to interpose himself between the ogre and Lyraesel.
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Deborah hitches up her skirts and exits the wagon, but it hesitant to get to close to the ogre. "Kenji!" she shouts. "I can't use magic if I'm too close, it'll hit me while I'm concentrating on the spells!"
As if in response, Kenji slams a flaming punch into the ogre...
...which catches fire. The ogre bellows horridly, angry and burning!
Jinda bustles down the steps at the back of his wagon and launches an elevated magic missile at the ogre...
(Spent 1 point from arcane pool)
...which slams home and doesn't quite finish it but certainly leaves it reeling and bleeding from multiple impacts.
Magnauk reloads the bow and lets fly again.
Magnauk's arrow thwacks off the heavy hide worn by the ogre nearby to the south. The ogre barely seems to notice, even though the shot is on target.
Ameiko bounds out of the wagon, and she continues weaving magical song as she goes, though she leaves the samisen behind. She hurls a dagger at the badly-injured ogre.
Her dagger hits the ogre's club and sticks in the wood.
Shalelu gets up and backs off slightly. She takes a shot at the ogre that just clobbered her.
(rapid shot)
She fumbles the arrow and fires a second one.
(rapid shot)
The second arrow deflects off a thick piece of leathery animal hide wrapped around the ogre's neck.
Koya moves up by where Magnauk sits in the driver's seat of the fortune-teller's caravan, and she utters a quick prayer of supplication.
Deborah moves over by Lyraesel and takes up a position that stays out of the elf's line of fire, but prepares to use her healing magic to help.
The ogre that previously broke out of some of the vines struggles against the ongoing spell.
The plants grip and grasp at it again, holding it fast. It tries to break free!
It succeeds, but due to the delay can only manage to barely stomp out of the vines toward Magnauk, spooking the horses.
The other ogre in the vines is still held fast and struggles to break out.
It remains entangled!
The badly-wounded ogre takes a swing at Hiro.
KABAMM! Even on guard, the samurai is rattled and pushed back a few inches, leaving furrows in the ground, but he somehow shakes it off.
Focusing on the freed ogre approaching Magnauk, Lyraesel lets fly with the thorny javelin watching it sink deep into the ogre's hide, even as another one materializes in her hand.
Kenji attempts to strike down the burning ogre before he clobbers anyone else.
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Magnauk understanding that the foul creature has moved to close to safely use the bow draws his longsword and steps towards the beast.
May the gods take your soul
At that Magnauk swings his weapon.
Lyraesel's thorn javelin slams into the ogre just in time to give Magnauk cover to hop off the driver's seat of the wagon and drag out his longsword for a mighty swing. The ogre howls in disapproval at the pair of damaging blows that strike it.
The ogre manages to shake off the toxic barbs of the thorn javelin, but it is still sorely wounded. (Ogre #1)
Kenji leaps up and slams a burning fist into the ogre's solar plexus and the creature wobbles on its feet for a few seconds before it falls over, still burning! (Ogre #2)
Deborah murmurs arcane phrases and makes an odd sort of gathering motion with her hands, almost as if she's plucking threads out of the air and wrapping them together into a ball. Small motes of blue light accompany the motion of her fingers and then a cool sensation floods Lyraesel, causing her muscles to uncramp and the fatigue of battle to flood away from her body.
Shalelu turns her bow toward the ogre trapped in the vines to the south.
One of her arrows finds its mark!
... barely.
Round Three:
"Great job, Kenji!" Hiro praises his young companion for bringing down the brutish ogre. "Now let's see if we can take some of the pressure off of Magnauk."
The samurai nocks an arrow to his bow as he moves to gain a clear vantage of the ogre threatening Magnauk. Skidding to a stop next to Lyraesel and Deborah, he fires at the ogre battling the half-orc.
Hiro's well-placed shot crashes into the ogre near Magnauk, leaving it with a neat, puckered hole in its chest that prevents it from breathing. in short order the ogre crashes to the ground (#1).
"Let's keep it up! These ugly brutes will fall in no time!" Jinda says as he clambers down the steps past Ameiko and toward the battle. "जादूची क्षेपणास्त्र!" he intones and launches another pair of magical missiles toward the ogre.
The ogre howls and bellows and yanks at the roots and vines that hold it in place.
It finally tears its legs free and stomps toward the group, but this takes up all of its efforts.
Breathing a sigh of relief as the ogre that harmed Shalelu drops at Kenji's hand, Lyraesel gives Deborah a nod of gratitude as her wounds heal before turning to face the last ogre and hurling another thorn javelin.
Round Four:
Hiro drops his bow and draws his katana as he moves to stand defensively between the ogre and Lyraesel and Jinda.
Magnauk moves to stand next to Hiro and stands ready for a blow if the Ogre attacks.
Drawing her bow, Lyreasel nocks one of the serrated arrows to her bowstring and fires at the advancing ogre.
The ogre bellows again as Lyraesel's arrow hits it. Shalelu follows with two arrows of her own.
(rapid shot)
(rapid shot)
Both arrows land in soft spots!
The ogre staggers, swings its club at Hiro...
... and hits!
(Hiro's DR already included)
The ogre then wobbles slightly and falls over, bleeding from its many wounds.
Deborah tends to the wounded, as does Koya.
You also discover a rocky knoll where the ogres have their smelly encampment. There's a large fire ring with charred bits of wood in it, and broken fragments of bone all about, along with smelly furs and the occasional trinket. You find a few small pieces of jewelry, odd lots of coins, and even a small bag of nails.
Ameiko wipes the sweat from her brow and says, "That was a close one. Great work keeping the ogres tied up with your magic, Lyraesel! You did pretty all right too, little brother." She smiles cheekily at Kenji as only a proud big sister can.
Shalelu nods and says, "We are fortunate that ogres do not get along, so they only tend to camp in small bands. If we had fought one or two more, we likely would have taken casualties. But now this road will be a little safer." She frowns and adds, "I keep having trouble with my bow. I need to adjust it, clearly. Something seems to be off when I first draw it. Perhaps there's an invisible warp in the wood near the end, and it's putting a twist into the string...."
"Is everyone all right?" asks Koya in her creaky voice. "Magnauk, my boy, that was a well-organized defense. You stood up to an ogre and didn't back down! You just keep showing what it really means to be strong."
"Thank you for your healing, Deborah. Mistress Koya. Even on its last legs that ogre packed quite a punch," Hiro thanks the two healers.
"At least we netted some goods to sell when we reach Wolf's Ear."
Kenji rolls his shoulders, gives his sister a grin and nods in thanks, then goes to check on Deborah.
"Are you all right?" he asks. "Ogres got a little bit closer to home than I hoped, but we are all alive, at the least."
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"It is good that everyone is alright, thank you for your efforts Deborah." Lyreasel says quietly. "It looks as if they hit as hard as they throw."
Looking over as Shalelu studies her bow she speaks to her elven companion."I could help you look at your bow if you like," she offers, "I'm glad you're ok."
Shalelu gratefully accepts Lyraesel's offer to help with her bow. "I don't know what's been going on with it lately," she says, annoyed. "Normally the aim of this bow is superlative. I wonder if the strings accidentally got wet before we left Sandpoint?"
Deborah breathes heavily, clearly shocked and still wide-eyed from the experience. She holds one hand over the base of her throat. "I... it's... I didn't get hit but... well." Then suddenly she sits down hard, flopping in the grass. "I feel dizzy!"
Kenji will drop down to sit on his heels next to Deborah. "It's the rush of battle, I think. Once the fight's over you can crash from it."
He scratched his nose, "I went through that a little bit ago." he admits. "You did great, though!"
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Deborah leans against Kenji as she catches her breath, one hand resting on his arm for support. "I never imagined they could be that big and fierce! It just... it's so real," she finally says.
Ameiko takes a quick accounting of the group, but Koya frowns and says, "We should keep going! There may not be more ogres here, but the longer we stay in one place, the greater chance that something else will find us." She bustles back up into her fortune-teller's wagon.
Sandru nods in agreement and starts the process of herding the caravan back into traveling shape.
From the ogre ambush it's another 22 miles to Wolf's Ear -- easily done in about a day and a half.
You arrive at Wolf's Ear in the morning, not too long after breakfast. As before, Sandru makes a small encampment outside of the town proper.
Wolf's Ear is situated where the Lampblack River meets Ember Lake, and as such the town has good fishing. It is huddled along the lakeside with heavy forest all across the western side, and Sandru picks a nice clearing with woods to the north and west of your caravan to make the campsite for the day.
Unlike Galduria, the people of Wolf's Ear are a bit more suspicious and insular. Folks watch you with some curiosity and some sense of unease, then go about their business quickly. Occasionally you see people glancing in your direction as if they are looking for specific things, but nobody ever brings it up. Even shopkeepers are curt and very businesslike in their dealings with you.
As the group sets up camp, Lyraesel studies the onlookers, trying to determine if any of them pose a danger to the caravan.
"It's definitely possible, but I'm sure it's nothing that can't be fixed." Lyreasel says reassuringly.
Over the course of the next two evenings she works on the ranger's bow, putting her skills to good use and replacing the bowstring completely as well as slightly adjusting the ends.
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Kenji has a barely hidden grin when she touches his arm. He places a hand on hers reassuringly.
"Everything is gonna be fine!" he exclaims. "Anything's gotta go through me before it gets you..."
Kenji points at Hiro. "And it's gotta go through Hiro before it even gets to me..." he sighs. "So I guess I won't be doing much fighting after all."
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Magnauk keeps to himself and does not venture away from the caravan while at this new village.
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Your group mostly sticks around the caravan, with Kenji, Hiro, and Deborah taking care of food while you're encamped (Kenji cooking, Hiro making sure Kenji doesn't get in trouble, Deborah trying to get Kenji in trouble). Your stop for the day to Wolf's Ear is thus mostly quick and simple: Purchase a few bits of fresh food, double-check the wagons to make sure nothing is about to break from regular wear, spend the night outside of the town proper sleeping in your padded indoor-like wagon beds.
The next morning as you're having breakfast, you see a small crowd approaching. They stop about thirty feet from your encampment, and you note that they are talking amongst one another. At first it's about a dozen townspeople, but the number rises quickly over the next few minutes to about twenty. They are mumbling to one another, occasionally jostling each other and watching you all with a not-very-pleasant look.
Even Lyraesel's limited scrutiny of the townspeople can tell that they aren't too happy.
Sandru rolls his eyes as he finishes his cup of water and says, "Oh boy. Here we go."
Deborah leans against Kenji as she catches her breath, one hand resting on his arm for support. "I never imagined they could be that big and fierce! It just... it's so real," she finally says.
Kenji has a barely hidden grin when she touches his arm. He places a hand on hers reassuringly.
"Everything is gonna be fine!" he exclaims. "Anything's gotta go through me before it gets you..."
Kenji points at Hiro. "And it's gotta go through Hiro before it even gets to me..." he sighs. "So I guess I won't be doing much fighting after all."
"I don't know, Kenji. If you keep punching ogres like that, I may have to get you to defend me!" Hiro exclaims with a grin and a nod of approval for his young companion.
Hiro warily studies the agitated townspeople as he slowly moves to stand protectively near Ameiko and Kenji. The samurai carefully keeps his hands away from his weapons and attempts to present a non-threatening appearance.
"What the hells is this all about?" Lyraesel mutters, watching the crowd warily.
Sandru tries to explain quickly, his voice a mixture of nervousness and fatigue. "This is not uncommon," he says. "Local towns see a Varisian caravan, they assume we're all criminals because they had one bad experience ten years ago, they show up to drive us off. Most likely they'll just shout and throw rocks until we leave."
One of the men from the group of townspeople points an accusing finger and shouts, "HIM! He's the one!" The townspeople start making an angry ruckus.
Vankor, wide-eyed, says, "Me? What did I do?" He looks quite surprised at the pointing finger. The chubby caravan driver wipes his forehead with one hand and looks flabbergasted, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly.
"You killed my girl! You killed my Eloran!" shouts the angry man, and he suddenly surges forward, but two of the townsfolk grab him and hold him back. "Let me go! These drifters killed my girl!" the man shouts angrily. Spittle flecks his lips and his face is flushed red. "Let me go!"
"Just leave him and go on your way," shouts another of the townsfolk.
"Yeah, leave the killer to us and go!" shouts another voice, and there's once again an angry babble.
At this point you have an unfriendly mob on your hands, but they have not committed to violent action. Everyone can tell that the situation is extremely tense.
"Wait... Who did what now?" Kenji exclaimed, looking to the driver.
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