I guess there’s bigger things than goblins in these woods, it will be good to get out of here.
-2hp
The day's journey is difficult as it seems like every stream, culvert, and canyon in the land is attempting to stand between you and wherever the road lies. You attempt to navigate your march as best as possible, using the sun as a guide and keeping the outline of the woods behind you, but eventually darkness sets in and you make camp once more.
Hopefully tomorrow Desna will guide your steps.
The night passes without event and you wake the next day, more rested than you have felt since entering the Mistwood.
Detail any actions you want to take and give me a survival roll for the day.
It didn't take this long to go into the woods, which means my trail has wandered trying to get out. At least the ribs feel better.
Ang takes a knee and offers a prayer: Torag, thank you for letting me find the proper wood for the forge and for lending strength to my arm in battle against the goblins. I humbly asks that you set me on the right path today.
Either you are starting to figure out how to navigate in the wilderness or Torag responds to your prayers, as it does not take more than half a day to find the road.
It appears that you wandered a bit north of where you first left it to head towards the forest, but you don't mind as the path ahead appears quite clear.
You move with new vim in your step and by the end of the day have found yourself back in areas of the road that you have passed before. As night begins to set in you move off the road a bit and prepare your camp.
The next day you continue your journey and a little before lunch your eyes make out some smoke in the distance that most certainly comes from the path of the road.
Bandits? Better take a look, someone may need help.
Move towards the smoke trying to pick up the pace a bit.
Less than half an hour later you make it to a sad scene-a burnt out cart and the scorched bodies of two humanoids. It looks like there was a brief struggle, testified to by about a half dozen broken arrows.
Looks like the work of lawless bandits.
Is Ang aware of any authorities that patrol this area?
Ang looks around to see if he can find any sign of where the bandits went.
If he is able he will bury the two bodies in simple graves by the road. Otherwise he will push on.
Ang knows that there is little law outside of the major cities and trade routes. It is said that the Steward is more interested in protecting the coins that flow to his coffers than the people of his land and the armies numbers were significantly reduced after the Goblinblood wars and have not been improved in the five years since it ended.
You spend a few moments trying to determine what direction the attackers may have moved off in, but all you succeed in doing is destroying any tracks that may have provided you clues. You take the time to bury the charred corpses and say a few words before moving on. You skip lunch, as your appetite seems to have been lost during the burial.
You make camp that night, keeping the fire low in case more bandits are about.
That night Torag's blessings and your keeping the fire low pay off, as you are awakened by what sounds like a group of men passing by on the road. Why on earth would people be travelling at night?
Your action.
Seems a bit suspicious, maybe these are the bandits...
Can I see the road from my current position? (dark vision 60')
If not, move closer to take a look.
If Ang is not wearing armor cause it is middle of the night then +4 to that result.
You spend a few moments getting your armor on, just in case, and move towards where you heard the noise from the road. You see a group of 6 man-sized figures headed North on the road (the opposite direction you are travelling). They don't seem very organized or well armed/armored.
Your divine senses tell you that they are evil, although a few might be more neutral than evil.
This evil should be ended. But to attack six, even if they aren't well organized, seems reckless and foolish. If I do nothing, what chaos will they unleash and what innocents will suffer? Perhaps if I was able to kill the evil ones the others would break and run. Damn!
Ang agonizes for what seems like hours over what action to take.
Torag, guide me.
If no guidance is forthcoming, Ang will trail the group at the maximum distance at which he can still be sure of being able to follow them. Perhaps something will happen that will clarify the situation.
As the band of presumed bandits slowly pulls away Ang finally shakes himself into action and follows behind the motley group of men about 50' behind the last member.
After several hundred feet, the last man in the group pauses and turns around, squinting into the night as if he heard something. He picks up a loose rock from the road and throws it in your general direction as the remaining five men continue on, unaware that one of their companions has paused in the journey.
I guess this is my sign.
Rapidly close the distance to the last man and attack.
You see the man's squinting eyes slowly open wide as he finally picks you up running towards him in the darkness. You run him through with your blade and cover his mouth as you slowly lower him to the ground.
The other five continue forward, unaware that one of their party has been dispatched.
Thank you Torag.
Continue following.
The group continues for the better part of what you estimate to be a mile or so before finally noticing one of their members is missing. The five come together and talk, rather animatedly you notice, for several minutes before it appears that the leader 'convinces' three of the others to head back and see what is keeping their sixth member. It looks like the leader and his favorite will wait for the other three to come back with answers.
You have a few moments before the three return and will be able to see where you are currently positioned.
Ang will back off. He wants to put more room between the two groups, enough that it would take at least a minute for the group of two to move up to support the group of three.
If the group of three doesn't go that far in search of their friend then attack when they turn back.
You stay in front of the group for almost half a mile. They seem quite determined to find their missing member and you think it likely that they are more afraid to return to the leader empty handed than anything else.
As they come to a small bend in the road, the group stops and has an intense conversation at the end of which they draw their weapons. They are armed with a club, morningstar, and mace.
They continue to move forward, but much more slowly and cautiously, clearly looking for something. The forward one calls out-Fryd, is that you? Come on man; quit screwing around.
Torag watch over me, here we go.
Attack the one with the morningstar.
You step out of the darkness and hack the man wielding the club, sending him spinning lifeless to the ground.
The other two men move in and swing at you:
Hold it together, two more.
Attack morningstar man.
You slash down the man attacking with the morningstar. The surprise on his face clearly shows he did not think his end would come like this.
The surviving man turns and runs away towards where the remaining two men waited.
Damn, catch him before he gets back to the others fool!
Chase him down if possible.
Unfortunately the man is clad in simple leather and is able to quickly outpace you. You hear him begin to scream a warning as he approaches the remaining two men-MURDER! MURDER! A devil is upon us!
Three left, including the leader, he's probably tougher than the others, put aside your doubts, steel your resolve, time to finish this.
Shouting: "YES, I AM COMING FOR YOU ALL!"
Continue following.
You come upon the running man frantically trying to explain himself to the other two.
The leader of the group is quicker on the draw than anyone else and fires off an arrow from his short bow as you charge in.
Attack the leader.
You land a good cut on him as he drops his bow and unlimbers a massive great axe swinging back at you, while he directs the rest of his crew-Get to his sides and flank him you louts. He's no devil, just a man, and men we can kill!
Leader:
Henchmen 5' step and get closer to flanking position:
Kill the leader the others will break.
-4hp
You were at least half right as your blade cuts down the man with the massive axe.
His henchmen fight on desperately:
Take on long sword man next.
Long sword man goes down!
Broken mace man swings away hopelessly:
Just one more, finish the job.
There is a flicker of hope in the man's eyes that maybe you are not an indestructible devil after all.
What are you doing, remember yourself, remember all the days spent in the practice yard.
That man's confidence picks up with each miss from his opponent.
Thank Torag.
After several moments of tension filled battle you manage to chop down the last remaining opponent.
The silence of the night is deafening and yet you can barely hear it over the thundering of your own heart.
Search the bodies for anything of value, will take the greataxe and longsword.
-4hp
You recover from the corpses:
4 sets of leather armor
1 chain shirt
1 MW great axe
1 long sword
1 morningstar
1 club
1 broken mace
1 short bow
13 arrows
3 daggers
90 cp
60 sp
28 gp
90 gp worth of small gems a jewelry
Gather the loot. Continue to the Halls of Steel.
After several days of challenging travel, loaded down by loot and wood, you are thrilled to see the Halls of Steel in the distance. It surprises you somewhat how much you have learned to call this sacred place home and even more how much you have missed its inhabitants, even the ones that have not always been kind to you.
Seek out Korim to show him the wood gathered for the forge.
Can Ang convert loot to gold? Percentage of book cost?
After a few moments getting settled you seek out Korim and find him at the forge hard at work. He appears to be putting the final touches on roughing out a masterfully crafted breastplate; a set of pauldrons and greaves lies already in a rack waiting for finishing work.
He says nothing as you enter and if you didn't know him better you would think you were invisible to him, but you recognize a certain look in his eyes that betrays happiness at your return.
Almost an hour after you enter the room he gives the breastplate a final quenching and begins to rub it down with a finely oiled towel, his massive rough hands slowly polishing it in a counter-clockwise motion.
As he works his gruff steady voice utters-I assume you have found the object of your quest?
Be patient, watch, you might learn something.
"Yes, as instructed I traveled to the Mistwood forest and found wood for the forging. Would you like to examine it? Are there other preparations I must make?"
Korin lets out a hearty chuckle-Instructed is it? Remember Ang, it is always a choice you make; always. If a king order his subject to commit an evil and the subject complies, who has committed the greater wrong?
You must learn to listen to your heart and the whispers of Torag that will stir in it; THAT is where your truth will be found. Though the entire world shout out direction that will lead you to your doom, if you can but catch those whispers and bend yourself to their will, you will find salvation.
There is a legend of the forge about a black sword crafted from sky metal that was filled with evil by the elf that fashioned it. The blade drank blood like desert sand sucks down water and many high deeds were done with it. As well, many dark deeds were performed with the deadly steel.
Of the things done with this deadly blade who was responsible? The dark elf that crafted it with malice, the blade itself, or the hand that wielded it?
There is more to that story and some day, if Torag will it, I will tell you the rest.
Look at my carfting, do you like it? He motions to the set of full plate that rests in the cooling cradles behind him.
"Instructed by you Elder Korim, but yes the choice was mine and I hope in line with what Torag would will. I will rely upon you to finish the story of the black blade when the time is right, somehow it sounds familiar to my ears. Your love of the craft shows in the armor, I have not seen its equal."
Did you just pick up on the name now, or were you waiting for the opportune time to comment?
Korim flashes a rare smile-I'm glad you like it...I made it for you. It's not ready yet, but it will be soon enough. Let me wash up a bit and then I'll need to go get something to eat. Forging is hard work.
Korim cleans himself up and takes a deep drink of water before heading to the kitchens where he grabs a loaf of dark bread, a hunk of cheese, a few apples, and joint of beef. He leads you to a table and a young acolyte brings jars of ale. He eyes you judiciously-Come, sit. Have you eaten? If not, share this with me and tell me of your journey.
"Thank you Korim, I will endeavor to be worthy of your gift. The journey to the forest was rather uneventful, though I ran into a couple with a broken wagon wheel on the road and was able to help them, they repaid my help threefold with healing roots. After that I encountered goblins a couple of times and had to best their champion in order to leave the forest. Back on the road I found a couple and their wagon burned by bandits, I fear it was the kind folks that I previously met, I buried them as best as I could by the roadside. In the night I was awoken by men passing on the road, they were evil and they live no more. The journey after that was quiet."
If Abe and Mildred reside with you now Torag, please watch over them and thank them for their kindness to me.
So +5 Dwarven Mithral Full Plate of Speed?
Korim looks thoughtful-What did you learn from all of this? Do you think Torag was pleased with your conduct?