My time with the bandit tribe was not what one would call, 'mutually beneficial'. I was treated well enough. Most of them were afraid of me due to the milky white orb of my left eye, the tusks I inherited from my father, or my massive build, well muscled and towering over most humans. Or perhaps it is the combination of all these things. Either way, it is an attitude I actively encouraged. The rest respected the way I could inspire the men during a fight. The rhyme and rhythm of my warchants urging them on to victories not possible before I joined.
I could not, however, continue to ignore the slave trade they engaged in. Even my influence was not enough to change the minds of those who profited most. And the memory of the childhood years I spent in chains made it to uncomfortable for me to stay, watching the same fate forced on others. So, I gathered what was mine and took leave. Not giving the bandit lord time to consider what he was losing, for if he had time to think, he would surely have tried to stop me.
~~~
I passed through Oleg's trading post some weeks ago on my way to Restov. I had been thinking to seek my fortune in Brevoy. Had even started a good client base amongst the better tavern-owners. Then those damn local boys had to prove how tough they were by picking on the 'blind' Half-orc. Ha, they'll mend soon enough. I actually have to hand it to them, not many have the will to assault me. Even with my dead eye. But, a large, intimidating half-orc rarely inspires sympathy when he's still a stranger in town. After paying a considerable fine for damages to the market stalls, I found myself no longer welcome in some of the most lucrative establishments, they seemed to have no stage space for my performances.
So, after taking the best employment opportunity I could find, I now return to Oleg's with a commission from the Swordlords of Restov to explore, map and tame the wilderness known as the Greenbelt on behalf of the Dragonscale Throne. I'll be meeting others there. We'll be a regular 'company of adventurers'. Then we set out for the wilderness. Ah, hells. A soft, civilized existence never would have satisfied me anyway.
~~~
~~~
As we sat to a fine stew served by Svetlana, the wife of the trader, both she and Oleg seemed nervous. Pressing for details I learned that they have been victimized by bandits, extorting protection fees from the couple. When we offered to meet the brigands with force, Oleg was very grateful and made offer of a generous reward. Although our new paladin friend encouraged us to take care of the problem as a favor. After some discussion, we agreed that it would be the right thing for all concerned.
The next morning, before dawn we prepared an ambush in hopes that they would be arriving soon and were not disappointed. As the thieves began to load some of Oleg's valuable good on pack horses, we struck. Even though most of us have been acquainted a mere day or two, we quickly worked together to dispatch the thieves. Their leader managed to get out of the open gate, along with most of the spooked horses, but the strange creature that the old man had summoned forth was able to chase him down and retrieve the corpse. One was saved, who had fallen to my enchantment of slumber and he gave us much information of the camp from which they came. We have agreed that if his information holds true, he will be set free. If it is false, he will join his fellows whom Oleg has set to decorate the outer walls of the old fort. A harsh judgment, but we face a difficult task if we are to bring civilization to this wild land.
We were able to recover all of the mounts that were brought in by the bandits, once they have been fed and fattened up a bit and cared for properly, they should bring a good price. We have agreed to pay Oleg a small commission to handle the sale of our spoils. Assuming he treats us fairly, as I am sure he will, we may be entering a long term relationship that will be lucrative for all involved.
~~~
~~~
Our prisoner told up that his leader had been named Happs, and that he in turn, answered to a woman called Kressle. Kressle's superior seems to be the 'Stag Lord' that is rumored to be a powerful bandit in the area. Though this may be superstition, as he is described as actually having the head of a stag. Unlikely, I think.
We were also told the location and basic layout of the bandits camp, this is where we head now. Fearing heavy snowfall, we at first stayed close to the outpost, exploring the terrain and getting to know it. The weather held so, when we broke camp the next morning we decided to head to the bandits before they sent someone to find out what happened to their fellows.
It is nearing dark now, and we are continuing on foot. The horses have been tied off and fed and if all is well we should return before midwatch and can trek back to Oleg's tomorrow.
Preparing to set off on foot, I chuckle once more at the writing on Zhairiel's armor, I recall the events of last night and think I should write them down. We were beset by odd events as we rested. Searos' boot laces were tied together as we shared a watch, and others swear they heard footsteps outside the camp, though no foot prints but ours were found this morning when we looked. I suspect these woods are 'haunted' by fey creatures. I left an offering of food as we broke camp, and declared our intent was not to harm the wood. I am fairly certain the pranks will remain light hearted and not turn hostile. I smile to myself again as I read the misspelled, 'Kik me' drawn on the paladin's back. I suppose someone should say something...
me too!
4 Pharast, 4700 AR
Well, that went... not as planned. Though over all, I'd have to call it a win.
We decided that lacking in stealth over all as a group, trying to sneak into camp would be a wasted effort. So, we walked right up the path until we were seen and challenged. At which point I demanded to see Kressle, stating that we were 'men of opportunity' as well. Kressle didn't seem to be buying it however, so I dropped my name on the off chance that word had spread about my success with the outlaws far to the south. My gamble paid off, she had heard of me. I was rather proud of my fame in the moment, though in hindsight... well I'll get to that.
We were welcomed into camp, or at least into a clearing very close to it, for the night. With more to be decided in the morning light. As we set up camp, lit a small fire and began to set watches, we could hear Kressle arguing with a gnome by their larger fire. She began to raise her voice, saying that she, 'wanted them back now', so he 'better do it'! I wasn't left wondering what 'it' was for long. The gnome stepped away from the fire and cast a spell to put a signal light into the sky above the forest. Not knowing if the signal was for the overdue Happ or for other nearby bandits it was time to act. I caught one of our guards with a slumbering spell and Shaggoz called forth the nearby underbrush to grow and hinder the movements of the bandits while the rest of our companions moved to engage the enemy as they tried to run in several different directions. The fight was over quickly. Zhairie and Roach brought Kressle down, I quickly caught the fleeing gnome and gave him the end of my bladed whip, while Seros flung several magical darts into the brush, Morvis and Shaggoz worked with their cat and... creature to end the flight of several of the fleeing brigands. As I saw the final bandit surrender to the paladin and fighter, I heard Sevros curse. One of the sentries had slipped away in the confusion. Before we could make hasty plans to track him down, we heard the sound of several horses galloping away to the west. The bastard had circled the camp and was making a run for it, and our horses were an hour away at the edge of the forest.
I'm certain the bastard was close enough to have heard my name when we tricked our way into camp. Now the locals will most certainly know of me, but it is unlikely that any will fall for the same ruse again.
~~~
Not knowing how far away reinforcements were, we didn't stop to rest. After stripping the bodies of weapons and armor, we quickly searched the camp and found a small stash of goods. Furs and liquor mostly, along with a few trinkets. We loaded the lot of it onto a battle worn and broken wagon which we were able to get mobile after working on it through the night. Setting off in the gray morning light and increasing snow fall, we headed back to Oleg's. A journey which took all day and well into the night.
~~~
~~~
Dark had already fallen as we passed the woods where we had camped on the journey to the bandit camp and we saw a strange glowing light amongst the trees. It seemed to follow us, but did not approach. Tired as we were, no one was ready to investigate it, so we hurried on to the trading post. The mercenaries from Brevoy had arrived in our absence and now manned the walls. A very welcome sight, after the initial shock. Business is also picking up for Oleg, trappers are coming in and he is well on his way to having a flourishing establishment once more. We plan to spend the next few days recovering and exploring the area close by the trading post. I think all agree that this will be a fine base to operate out of as we move forward.
In fact, many of the growing number of folk here wish to hire our services for some small task or other. And Oleg is making a trip to town in the next day or so to buy and sell goods. He will be taking our spoils with him and acting as intermediary for us as well. We should be quite flush when he returns in a few days.
~~~
6 Pharast, 4700 AR
After questioning the second prisoner, we have learned that the Stag Lord is apparently quite good with a bow and that he can reportedly crush a mans skull with his fist. I have my doubts about that, but we'll see eventually, I'm sure. He is also apparently quite fond of drink. Overly fond as the prisoner put it, a fact that may be turned to our advantage. In fact, I have the beginnings of a plan already.
That will have to wait, however. His fort is in the forest some 70 miles south of us and we need to focus on the more immediate area for now.
We had agreed to release the prisoners if they provided us with useful information. We held to that, though I was not about to arm them to do more harm to travelers. If they were smart they would have gone east to Restov and hoped to find shelter there until the winter lifts. Of course they both immediately ran to the west.
That night we saw the same glowing light we had seen in the woods. As we followed it over the hill we heard a scream just before we came upon a pitiful camp that had to belong to our friends. It was empty and we saw separate footprints going both north and south. Following the southern trail we soon found one of the released prisoners. He had fallen down a steep muddy hill and was being stalked by some large beast. Before anyone could act, and quite honestly before I had decided if it was worth the effort, the beast pounced and the man was at it's mercy. We turned to head back to Oleg's. There was some concern about the other man who was fleeing to the north, but having finally realized that the yellow light that was pursuing him was in fact a will o' wisp, we decided his fate was his own.
A harsh judgment to be sure, but such is the result of marking yourself an outlaw in the wilds.
Gwynbar resents that you say he doesn't have a name. He just might see you as lunch.
Didn't say he didn't have one, I said I didn't know it. As for lunch, I'm not too concerned about myself, but if Gwynbar doesn't stop eying my crow like that, we're gonna have an issue.
Just don't let the crow get too close when Gwynbar is hungry and there won't be a problem.
7 Pharast, 4700 AR
We met the old hermit, Boken. He seems to be a bit off his nut. Decent enough fellow, but he was rambling on about his 'crazy evil half-brother', who roams the forest. We'll have to keep an eye out, I suppose but I have my doubts. In any case, the old man brews potions and has offered us a discount if we supply him with some fangberries. I hope the druid knows what these are, because I've never heard of them.
~~~
We've begun exploring the wilds in earnest now. We decided on a three day trip that would take us south through the woods, east into the hills and back north to Oleg's.
While combing the woods, we came across a patch of radishes, the very thing Svetlana had asked us to look for. Kobolds had also found them, however and attacked as we approached, demanding that we leave 'their' radishes alone. We were able to quickly defeat the little buggers. Two who had succumbed to my slumbering charm, woke and under questioning told us many things of interest. They are, indeed of the Sootscale tribe and I was able to fool them into telling us where their lair is, in a cave to the south near the Strike River. They claimed that Sootscale and Tartuk, a shaman with purple skin, have a huge horde of kobolds. Of course they were lying through their teeth. They told us they have enemies nearby, small blue skinned fey, that I believe must be Mites. We think this Tartuk and the strife with these mites may be the reason the kobolds have been more of a nuisance than they normally are.
For some reason, Searos thought it would be advisable to make a deal with these creatures. They take Sootscale the offer that if we eliminate the mites, we will be offered a reward. Though what kind of reward these stupid small dragon wannabes could offer remains to be seen. More likely we can use it as an excuse to get into the lair and take care of the problem in a more permanent fashion.
~~~
Making camp that night, Roach had a bit of an upset. He claimed to have seen a 'pink rabbit' while gathering fire wood. The rabbit picked a flower and offered it to Roach, who let out a yell and ran back to camp. After having a good laugh at his expense, I told him it was probably the same fey creatures we encountered before. We are in the same stretch of woods, after all.
Later that night, while Roach and Shaggoz were on watch, we woke to a loud explosion as the campfire erupted with a flash and went out. Listening, we heard the sounds of wild boar approaching the camp. The sorcerer tossed a light out into the woods and we were able to see two swine approaching. Awake and alert, we were able to put the animals to a quick end. For which, I sincerely thanked the fey, whom I am certain caused the flare in order to alert us to the approaching danger. In the morning I was sure to leave a haunch of roast pork for their efforts.
~~~
Yesterday, we left the woods and began to explore a bit of the hill country that stretches to the south. The day was rather uneventful, with the exception of the chance discovery of a shallow cave that seems to hold a vein of gold! None of us have any practical experience with mining, but having taken some time to carefully study the small sample we dug out, I am certain that it is genuinely gold. We did what we could to assure no one else would stumble upon our discovery and continued on our way, each dreaming of the untold riches we will soon have at our disposal.
~~~
That afternoon, Roach was again visited by an oddly colored beast. We heard a shout from the rear and turning we all saw a blue lion leap upon him, of course the illusion was dispelled as soon as it 'hit' Roach passing through him unhindered. It seems apparent that the fey are following us and have singled out Roach as their prime target. I advised him to make peace before the pranks become much less playful.
Though in general they seem to have our best interests in heart. We were woken again last night... by a greased pig that was charging our camp and making quite a racket. As we dealt with this menace we heard a group of bandits that had positioned themselves to flank us as we slept. With the help of our sneaky friends, we were able to quickly bring the bandits down. Once more capturing one during the fight. Questioning the prisoner about Svetlana's missing ring, which had not been among the spoils at Kressel's camp, revealed that some mites had stolen a bag of loot from the bandits. So, we seem to have a second reason for finding these blue menaces.
The bandit was executed for his crimes in the area, under authority of our lawful charter from Brevoy.
The fight with the bandits showed me something. It takes too long to put hide armor on in a hurry. I think when we get back to Oleg's I will have him look for me a set of Quilted Cloth armor. That way I can sleep in it and not be facing opponents "naked". Or maybe I will see if someone can make me a Hide Shirt out of the Boar hides we killed.
Yeah, being restricted to light armor has it's advantages. I <3 my hide shirt. :)
(Mental image of Shagozz in his 'jammies'. Hehe.)
Hey, I am not used to being around people so I am trying to not sleep au naturale.
I think I'll leave that part out of the Epic when I compose it...
Hey we did remember to skin the third Boar didn't we? I plan on getting one of the Trappers at Oleg's to tan it for me and teach me how to tan hides. Then I'll get Oleg to take the hides with him on his next trip and get a set of Masterwork Hide Shirt armor created for me and I won't have to sleep au naturale anymore. Nor let others fight while I put on armor.
7 Pharast, 4700 AR
Shaggoz and Senwick spotted a grisly thing today. A field of bones. Strewn about as if many creatures had met their end in the area. Some careful scouting revealed a trio of burrowing spiders, which we quite efficiently slew. We are working very well as a team as we get to know each others abilities. In one of the spider's holes, we discovered the body of a Bandit. He bore a silver stag head amulet, so I assume he was someone of some rank in the Stag Lord's hierarchy. He had among his possessions a crudely drawn map marking a place he either wanted to remember or find. A lone tree, somewhere on these plans? This could be a fruitful discovery.
In another spider hole we found a three small garnets. They were worth a small bit of coin, and Roach decided to take two of them as part of his share, to make a peace offering to the fey which have been plaguing him with pranks. And it worked! After we set up camp a beautiful little faerie dragon came and introduced himself as Perlivash his shy companion, a grig called Tyg, took a bit of coaxing to come out, but she is fond of my singing.
Our new acquaintances told us a bit about the forest they call home, There seems to be an area filled with traps from some trapper. Perhaps someone trying to catch Tuskgutter, though they have no knowledge of the beast himself. When we asked about the abandoned temple of Erastil, they told us of an old structure to the east. They said a large mean bear makes it's home in the ruins. I think Shaggoz is eager to look into this.
~~~
8 Pharast, 4700 AR
We made it back to Oleg's. He had all of our purchases, including the needed materials to repair our wagon. Much of today was spent in getting the transportation in working order. We won't be taking it on our explorations, but it will be useful should we have need of moving large amounts of recovered goods from the bandits, or if anyone of us gets injured beyond our ability to heal here in the wilds.
Svetlana was quite pleased that we had found her moonradishes so quickly and I must say, the stew she made with them was incredibly delicious.
We have planned our next foray into the forest. We will be heading towards the abandoned building that must be Erastil's temple to the west. Swinging back to the north and returning to Oleg's in a week or so.
~~~
9 Pharast, 4700 AR
Sevral people heard whispering noises as we traveled south towards the bandit camp, where we plan to start our explorations. I didn't hear it myself, but Senwick was able to mimic what I believe must have been the language shared by those creatures who dwell mostly underground. Searching the area tracks were found that led in the direction we were heading. Small humanoid tracks. We proceeded with a bit of caution.
By nightfall we were closing in on our target, but decided to rest rather than confront them when we were tired from the days march. During the last watch, we were attacked by several of the mites that are at 'war' with the kobolds. Being somewhat protected once again by our fey allies and a well placed spell of entanglement we were able to defeat them with the only serious injuries coming to the cat which travels with Shaggoz.
~~~
11 Pharast, 4700 AR
Yesterday was rather uneventful. After healing our few wounds from the mite attack, we continued on to the camp where we had fought the bandits. I had feared more outlaws may have moved in, but we saw only signs that several shod horses had passed through and left. If the Stag Lord didn't know he has foes here, he must surely by now.
Today was considerably more interesting. Moving west along a trail we spied two tall weathered columns, which I recognized as being of Taldoran origin. Perhaps hundreds of years old, we had found the temple of Erastil. Entering the clearing we saw that it was ringed by several similar columns, the far side was dominated by a great rock ridge, which was carved in the shape of a majestic elk. An obvioulsy man-made pool of stagnent water dominated the central area of the clearing, and a cave opening was visible beneath the stone elk.
Before any plans for dealing with the bear could be made, the beast was upon us. He came roaring out of the cave, barreling straight for us... then an odd thing. He barreled right past Senwick, even ignoring two powerful blows dealt by the dwarf's axe so intent he was on reaching his target, Shaggoz. In no small part due to his single-minded rage, we were able to bring him down quickly.
And as he fell, a change could be felt in the very air around us. His body transformed before our eyes, to that of an elderly man before decaying to naught but a pile of bones in less time than it takes to write of it and the pool of water suddenly sparkled fresh and clean with not a trace of the algae which had thickened it's depths just moments before. Whatever happened here, this old man was clearly cursed and the shrine tainted by his presence, his death seems to have satisfied whatever power was angry with him and the place is holy once more.
We were amazed to find that the waters even have healing properties. Though sadly Searos' experiments determined that once the water leaves the pool it is holds no more power than any other source of refreshment.
This should be a fine place to rest before continuing on to the north and east before returning again to Oleg's.
11 Pharast, 4700 AR.
Hmmmmm, I have no idea what to write. So many things have happened that I can't even begin to go into detail about them. One things for sure though, I finally made peace with those fey. I can only recall the name of the little one, Tyg. She delights in the candy I bought for her and the faerie dragon (cannot, for the life of me, remember his name...something with a P). I realize that I should be a good sport about the pranks, but they just seem to strike a nerve that drives me to rage. Anyway, maybe now there won't be as many pranks now that I've made peace with them... hopefully.
We encountered a rather odd thing today... a cursed man. Well, I suppose that isn't so odd, what was odd was that we didn't discover he was human until after we defeated him. The curse must have forced him to take the form of a large bear... and what's more, once he began his attack, he focused solely on Shaggoz, allowing the rest of the team to make quick work of the beast. I wasn't able to land a blow in, as I had made a mis-judgement in the bear's intentions and tried to circle around it... Hopefully I will be able to use my blade on something else, and soon.
Shaggoz finds a carefully folded note stuffed in the door to his room one morning after the party stays overnight at Oleg's:
Shaggoz’s response to Svetlana’s letter.
I was thinking of the problems of having Gwynbar in the compound with me some time ago. I think what I will do when we get back is have him stay outside the compound to allow him to hunt on his own. I would appreciate a few leaves of Catmint to give him as a reward when we are out exploring though. I hope this settles the concerns. I am also considering creating my own shelter somewhere west of the compound if I can find a suitable spot. Maybe within about a half days journey in a nice wooded area with plenty of game for Gwynbar. I will see you in about a week and we can discuss this more then.
Erastil’s blessing,
Shaggoz
13 Pharast, 4700 AR
It has been rather quiet today. We have only seen Tyg here and there as we explore this section of forest. She seems to be keeping a close eye on us. I suspect that she and Perlivash may live nearby.
Yesterday, we made a grim discovery. A good bit west of here, there was the body of an old trapper. We found him underneath a pile of logs. As if he was setting a kind of dead-fall, when the ropes holding back the logs was cut trapping him in his own snare. I suspect our small fairy friends may have had a hand... or claw in this happening. They can certainly have a vicious streak, for all of their playfulness.
Last night our camp was attacked by worgs. There were only two of them, but the fight was brutal, and I took severe injuries. I'll have a nice new worg skin cloak out of the experience, so who has the last laugh now?
~~~
15 Pharast, 4700 AR
The last two days have been... eventful. We moved into the area where the crazy old trapper had been working. We found 25 bear traps set in the area! We took an extra day to locate and remove all of the traps we could locate. I hope we got all of them. There was much discussion about what to do with the taps, I think we will keep them. They aren't worth a great amount of money, and y9ou never know when they may come in handy defending our camp, or even Oleg's if the bandits become aggressive again.
I brought down a large elk this afternoon. I'm no great hunter, but the advantage of magic against unintelligent creatures is huge.
~~~
16 Pharast, 4700 AR
Exploring the edge of the woods to the west of Oleg's we came across a novice trapped named Alan. He was being chased down by half a dozen angry boar. He had wounded one without noticing the others. And they were certainly on the verge of running the man down and ending his career in the wilds. After slaughtering the pigs and talking the man out of the tree, we decided it would be best if we escorted him back to Oleg's where he will, hopefully apprentice himself to someone who actually knows what he's doing so as not to go out and get himself killed. The fool can't even tell east from west...
~~~
18 Pharast, 4700 AR
We Returned to Oleg's late last night and found that a bounty has been issued for the Stag lord. So, we are making plans to deal with him. First, however we are going to end this 'war' between the kobolds and mites. We set out towards the south after stopping to see the old hermit. Still need to find his damned berries. Haven't seen any sign of them so far.
Mid day, we met a trapper I recognized from the fort. George, his name is. We shared a bite and talked for a bit. He told us that there are dead 'critters' to the west. Mites and kobolds from his description. So we should find the mite's tree lair soon. He also told a disturbing tale of an undead creature that wanders the river banks around 'Nettle's Crossing'. It sounds like some kind of zombie like beast. We'll need to take care of that after we see to the mites.
~~~
19 Pharast, 4700 AR
South into the hills today. We came across the bodies George had mentioned, but otherwise the day was uneventful until we found a cave to shelter from the snows we expect to see tonight or tomorrow. The camp site we choose was, of course, occupied by a gigantic insect. A centipede of such size as to give anyone nightmares. We were able to bring the bug down and now are setting up camp for the evening. Some of the others roll their eyes each night as I tend to now light our evening fires with a quick snap of my fingers. But it's the little things that bring enjoyment.
Now, how to compose a heroic song about the death of an insect the size of a horse. No, the size of a wagon. Yes, that's a much better tale.
We have 5 Boar hides. If no one wants to have something created I think I might see about having a cloak made and get it "magicked". Then again I might go for a big Elk hide.
We have 5 Boar hides. If no one wants to have something created I think I might see about having a cloak made and get it "magicked". Then again I might go for a big Elk hide.
You could treat the hides with masterful care and curing, preparing them for later enchantments pertaining to the the traits of the animals from whence they came.
If the attempt is botched, you might channel more of the spirit of the creature(s) than intended ...
We have 5 Boar hides. If no one wants to have something created I think I might see about having a cloak made and get it "magicked". Then again I might go for a big Elk hide.
Do what you like with the boar skins. I'm having a masterwork worg skin cloak made for future enchantment.
Can I trade you 5 Boar hides for one Elk hide?
Can I trade you 5 Boar hides for one Elk hide?
Won't that mean that Your Furriness smells like ... dinner?
"The blue ones pay! Big ones crush their heads and smash their pets! Mikmek kills one too! Big ones save the idol. Mikmek will return home with big ones and idol! Be next chief! Master big one frees Mikmek, likes Mikmek. Master big one smells good. Master big one will help."
[]
"Biiiig creatures - 'hursis' run with big ones on them. Very fast - past moon radish grove even! Entered big one cave with no ceiling. Very strange. But much food! Warm! Soft bed! Master big one trusts Mikmek, feeds Mikmek. Mikmek only takes a little thing - loyal Mikmek. Big ones have many, will not miss what Mikmek has. Soft ground is good for digging. Clever Mikmek."
[]
"Moving again on hursis. Following big ones...humens...path. Humens must be nearly blind - they need a very big path to find their way. We fight, kill other humens. Very strong master! Very strong friends! Very strong Mikmek! Did not kill all other humens, did not make slaves. A little strange. Kept ear metal - looks like gold! Very valuable. Trinket for new Chief Mikmek!"
[]
Ah König, what pray tell are we planning on doing with the Kobolds' statue? Will we be giving it back to them or selling it for loot?
Nevermind, I see we did sell it.
While trying to gather Bokken's Fangberries I was attacked by a swarm of Wasps. Thankfully I was able to escape from them before they were obliterated.
Prior to this we defeated Tuskgutter. I placed his head in my waterproof bag on the way to Oleg's for the reward.
We finally managed to reduce the Pugwampi's at the Rickety Bridge to ashes, and managed to eliminate another Will'o'Wisp. That took some doing but it was accomplished by mutual effort.
We took Tuskgutter's head to Oleg's and got the reward of 6 +1 Animal Bane arrows, and a +1 Longbow. We decided to sell the +1 Longbow as no one actually wanted it and we could use the money to get other item's we needed more. We divided up the Animal Bane arrows between, Fenwick, Roach, and myself, each taking two arrows. We took Bekkon his Fangberries and he offered to create some potions at half-price for us.
After three days, Fenwick and Zhairiel fashioned a +1 Spear for me from the broken one we had found on our last trip out. Morvius fashioned an Efficient Quiver for me to carry all the arrows and spears that we have come across without weighing me down.
We acquired 25 gallons of ale and made our way toward the StagLord's Fort. We offered to join and as proof of our intentions brought a bottle of Whiskey for the Stag Lord himself. After getting most of the underlings drunk we tried taking them out.
Neither Fenwick nor I took our animal companions inside the fort. That would have been a little too obvious.
There was one big ugly fellow that threatened to beat Morvius if he touched his toys. Morvius said he wouldn't and came back downstairs. Auchs (Ox) followed him down and tried to attack Morvius' Eidelon. With a couple of critical hits Auchs hit the floor like a ton of bricks.
One of the others went over to cut the ropes holding the cage door to the Owlbear (named Beaky) to let him out to get at us. A couple of the guards were passed out drunk so we left them alone and concentrated on the ones still standing.
König got some to sleep and others to laughing their guts out. One turned invisible and escaped on a horse. I tried to entangle the horse but the escapee flagged the poor animal til it escaped the entangle. Darn it!
Our intrepid Paladin accepted the surrender of one of the bandits that turned out to be a fallen Paladin. She accepted his surrender and his offer to help take down the Stag Lord. Zhairiel charged into the Stag Lords' room and got quite a surprise when he delivered a strong hit with an arrow. She had to back out for recovery of health. Fenwick and Roach tried to hide and wait for the Stag Lord to come out, but he didn't and we had to go in after him. It took some doing but he finally fell to our blades.
Akiros (the fallen Paladin) decided that he didn't want any more to do with the life of a bandit and told us about the surrounding area. How the undead rose and attacked anyone who left the main trail to walk around the hilltop. He also told us about an old man that lived under the fort and that sometimes would heal the bandits of an injuries.
Roach went down for a look around, but didn't see anything. When Zhairiel, Fenwick, and the Eidelon went down there they spotted a Badger on the ceiling in the upper corner of one of the chambers. The Badger wriggled his front paws and poof a Spider swarm appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Most of us tried passing through the swarm until we could get it dispersed. Then the Badger cast another spell, turned out to be stinking Cloud. Again most of us were nauseated. I left the area, and so did Searos and Morvius. The badger tried walking on the ceiling to escape. When he reached ground level he tried to shapechange into an eagle and fly away. Between Morvius and Searos they brought the Eagle down but when he hit the ground it was an old man that landed.
We loaded up some of the lead trade bars, the clothes, and jewelry that we found and left Akiros to watch the fort with a warning of if he left when we saw him next he would not get a second chance to surrender. We left for the ford across the river and went toward Nettle's Crossing. We threw the Stag Lord's body into the river and saw Nettle's rise from the river grab the body and drag it under. A +1 Ranseur washed up on the shore. We traveled on toward Oleg's with the Stag Lord's head in a waterproof bag to try keeping the stink down. At Oleg's we unloaded the wagon, gathered up Jhod for the trip back to the fort. We had asked Jhod to prepare to consecrate the area around the fort to try removing the undead. We got back to see three new bodies hanging along the road. It seems they tried to enter the fort and Akiros eliminated them. Jhod did his consecrating and did remove the undead menace from the hilltop fort.
One thing that was sort of unexpected was the commission to create a kingdom in the Stolen Lands. As we were traveling back to Oleg’s we discussed what were we to call our kingdom and who would do what job. The kingdom name is Vlast. Our first city and temporary capital is the old Stag Lord’s fort which will be called Ferskur. Our permanent capital will probably be called Endurunin, we haven’t figured out where that will be. The Swordlord’s gave us craftsman and supplies to begin construction of our kingdom.
As far as the job’s went, König is willing to take on the job of Ruler. Here are the other Jobs:
Counselor = Morvious
General = Zhairiel
Grand Diplomat = Akiros
High Priest = Jhod
Magister = Searos
Marshal = Shaggoz
Treasurer = Oleg
Warden = Fenwick
We had to talk Akiros, Jhod, and Oleg into taking the job’s. They were finally willing to take an attempt to try doing the jobs. We started the craftsman getting the fort ready for conversion. It will take them about a month to complete the transition, so we are doing some more exploring.
Just after leaving the fort we ran across an expedition of Gnomes who were having trouble getting across a river. We helped them get set up. Then we went on and ran across a Dryad that asked for our help in keeping an evil tree from destroying the area. It turned out that the tree was something called a Scythe Tree. It was semi-immune to slashing weapons, but took bludgeoning and piercing damage. I used a spell that did some Bludgeoning damage and made the terrain difficult to travel through. We did manage to take it down. Now maybe we can travel to the area that supposedly has some Tatzelwurm’s in it. We have been diverted lately, but we are taking actions to continue on. I’ll post more later.
After the episode with the Scythe Tree we went back to see the Dryad and were given 6 Feather Tokens of Tree. We don't know where or how they will be used but we will keep them. We traveled on and began to hear some noise similar to whining and barks. It turns out a Brush Thylacine had fallen into a pit. I stepped to the edge to try calming it and fell in. Luckily I had managed to calm it. I had a Feather Tree Token and used it to create an Oak tree and we climbed out. The Thylacine went its own way and we went ours.
We finally arrived in the area of the Tatzlwurms. That was a very frustrating fight. The Tatzlwurms had 4 little ones that tried to help take us down. But it didn't help. We finished them off and took one adult head to Oleg's for the reward, sold the little ones.
On our arrival back at Ferskur we checked on the progress of rebuilding the fort. The actual site of our capital is still being talked about. We traveled around to the southwest along the shore of the Tuskwater lake. We came upon a hut that had several gardens around it and a couple of scarecrows. One had a Crow sitting on it. The hut belonged to an old lady named Old Beldame. She said she can enhance armor and weapons and other things. She asked if we ran across any Black Rattlecap mushrooms to gather some for her, and she would pay us for them. We went on arounjd the lake and found a mud pit that had several patches of Black Rattlecap mushrooms. When we tried to get to the mushrooms two Tendriculos. As they moved to attack they crushed several of the mushrooms that we needed. we tried several attack methods but discovered that swords didn't do much damage. Between the Scorching Hands spells, Magic Missile, and my few +1 Flaming arrows we managed to take them down and gathered the mushrooms.
We took the mushrooms to the Old Beldame and got her reward. we went back to Ferskur to spend some time building our kingdom and improving some lands for roads and farm land. Our kingdom is growing slowly but surely. We are working toward Oleg's for the trade and ease of travel.
We received a message from King Sootscale that we wished to see us. On the way there we were attacked by Howl-of-the-Wind with some tag along Worgs. We managed to reduce the other Worgs and Winter Wolves while Zhairiel challenged Howl. The two of them ran off into the forest as0Awl tried to evade us.
Morvious had created a pit when we were originally attacked by the Winter Wolves and the Dire Wolves prior to Howl-of-the-North-Wind attacking. Once Howl ran off with Zhairiel in close pursuit the pit ended with the Winter Wolf being brought to ground level and we made short work of him. Then we all got on our horses and gave quick pursuit of Howl and Zhairiel. We found Zhairiel sitting on the ground beside her horse. We took a few minutes to heal Zhairiel, her horse, and König before continuing on after Howl.
Along the way we almost ran our horses into exhaustion, so we took a break and I took time to cast a spell. It was Eagle Eyes that allowed me to send a sensor above me to about 600 feet and look all around to see what I could see. I looked along the trail we were following that had a faint blood trail in it. I noticed a couple of Worgs and a Winter Wolf waiting to surprise us, but we turned the tables on them.
As we approached König and Morvious called out in an intimidating voice, “Howl-of-the-North-Wind is running from us. Do you really want to tangle with us?” After taking a few minutes to think about that there were about 6-8 Worgs that left the Winter Wolf standing there blocking our way forward. We moved to engage and another Winter Wolf appeared. After the first one was taken down, König moved to attack the second Winter Wolf. That one decided that König was an easier target than any of the rest of us. Morvious called some glowing Leopards to attack the Winter Wolf. Just as soon as one faded away another glowing Leopard appeared. We ended that threat and continued on.
My sensor still couldn’t find anything more than the faint blood trail, but we began hearing the howl of Howl-of-the-North-Wind and some answering howls. Roach and I had to slow down as our horses were getting tired. The rest ran on and found Howl loping forward. Howl turned and attacked Zhairiel, but failed to survive. König skinned Howl to have his hide made into a rug for the throne room.
We went back to Ferskur to rest up for one night before going to see King Sootscale of the Kobolds. As we approached Mikmak came to meet us and led us into the caverns to see King Sootscale. When we got to the King, we noticed 5 newcomers were attempting to talk to the King. He didn’t look too comfortable in their presence. There were one Half-orc, a Kobold in robes, a Satyr, and two Trolls. It turns out that they were emissaries for a group called the Stronghold. They were offering the Sootscales the opportunity to join their group. We countered their offer and King Sootscale seemed very appreciative of that fact. I wonder if we will see them again. I think it might be almost definite, because I recall Howl-of-the-North-Wind mentioning something about the Stronghold.
Before we went to see King Sootscale, while we were in town we heard about some butchered sheep and a couple of missing villagers. After some checking around we heard about a stranger in town that practically stays in his room at night but gets blind drunk before going to bed. Normally that doesn’t raise much attention, but with the missing people and nerves on edge anything out of the ordinary is suspicious. We went to have a talk with him but he wasn’t around. We got in his room and found a piece of an ear with an earring in it, and tracks leading out the window.
It was decided that we were possibly dealing with someone that was a lycanthrope. So Morvious went down to the Old Beldame's hut asking for some Wolfbane. We figured that if we found the guy and he had been afflicted earlier that the Wolfbane might counteract the curse. It was worth a try anyway.
When Morvious got back we managed to track the guy down sitting under a tree outside of town with a jug. We talked and found out he had been bitten by a wolf a few weeks earlier. Morvious created a tea of the Wolfbane and gave it to the man. After he drank it he convulsed in pain and thrashed around for a bit. But we stayed with him during the last night of the full moon and he didn’t change. So the Wolfbane did the track.
After seeing the Sootscale tribe, we continued to create a road to Oleg’s and added his uniqueness to our collective. We spent some time on the northern border claiming land for the kingdom and building some buildings at Oleg’s.
We were on the way back to Ferskur when we ran across a local ranch near the river ford that had been attacked. We took a look to see what had happened. The cattle had been torn apart and the bodies of the family had been dragged into the yard. We spotted some movement in the house. When we approached three trolls came out and attacked. Roach had Searos cast the Greater Invisibility spell on him and he went searching. We had taken a couple of Trolls down when 4 more joined the melee. I forgot I was not a front line fighter and wound up falling unconscious a couple of times. I should remember I am our only divine caster with full access to spells. I had not figured to deal with Trolls this far north so I was not prepared. I will be from now on. We did manage to destroy the Trolls and found a few items that are very interesting. We continued on our way home.
When we got home we heard about a young man from Oleg's that was on his way to Ferskur to begin his apprenticeship as blacksmith. Apparently he didn't make it and his parents were very worried. So we went out again to try to find him. We followed his trail which led to a small island in the middle of the Murque River just as it entered the Candlemere Lake. The entire island was surrounded by a pallisade. I cast Water Breathing on the party and we walked across the bottom of the river while Zhairien rode around on the surface of the water to draw attention. We went over the wall and took on the tribe of Lizardfolk. We found Tyg the young man in one of the huts guarded by two monitor lizards and a Will'o'Wisp. Fenwick and Zhairiel, and König took down the Lizard King. Roach and I got attacked by other Lizardfolk and we finally drove off the Will'O'Wisp to rescue Tyg. We got back to Ferskur and worked toward adding to the size of the Kingdom. We added in a couple of areas that had something that would help expand our treasury. I'll keep you posted as our adventures continue.
As we were off exploring some new territory we ran across a couple of Wyverns. They were pretty nasty but not nasty enough. We saw a cave opening and went to maybe rest up there, but it had some previous tenants, a couple of Hodags. One was REALLY BIG! That one gave us some trouble. When the littler one came out and was finally put down we found a spear in the cave. When we checked out the hide we found a scar from where we think the spear had lodged. We got back to Oleg’s and found the owner of the spear. He had been telling everyone he knew about the Hodag he had speared. No one believed him, but they do now. On our way to Oleg’s the trail we were on had a couple of Shambling mounds that decided we were a tempting meal of choice. We gave them some indigestion and picked up some Shambling Mound Sap for a local Alchemist with a discount on potions.
The next month during our regular exploration time we ran across an old abandoned Elven Keep. It was infested with rats until we found a way to rid ourselves of them. We met Wraith again, but he didn’t last too long after we talked to him rather harshly. König told me about a creature we had never seen before. He called it a Faloreen (?). It seems he gave her a suggestion to remove herself from combat. She did, all the way away. Zhairiel had an encounter with an unseen opponent that would hit her but couldn’t be seen. Morvious tried a spell to help him see invisible objects or people, but he couldn’t even see anything. We found some really nice Elven made furniture and a nice Elven statue, which were too heavy to carry. So we went back to Ferskur to get our wagon. There were a couple of mouthy individuals trying to stir up our people. I wanted to shoot them with Sleep arrows, but König stopped me. So I just stood behind the crowd looking mean and waited for something to give me an excuse. You know it’s better to seek forgiveness than to ask for permission. We took both troublemakers into custody. Questioned them to find out who sent them and why, then had a closed trial and publicly hung them. Some people didn’t like that we didn’t try them in open court. But we had figured out that they were Bards and didn’t want to have them able to use their Bardic influence on the judges or the jury.
We got the wagon and went back to the keep. The one tower that had small scale furniture in it looked like a tornado had gone through it and smashed everything. Whatever it was has a mean temper. We loaded up the statue and furniture and as we were traveling back we felt that we were being watched. It turned out to be true. A very old man who seemed a little out of sorts was following us. He offered Morvious some berries. Morvious was going to try some but König stopped him from trying any of the offered Blue Whinnis berries. Morvious had already had an encounter with them during our first visit to the Elven Keep. He got himself a good little nap. A later encounter with the Hermit as we started referring to him introduced us to Cat, a rather large Mountain Lion. Finally I guess the Hermit had had enough and he attacked us. Roach was going for Cat when I yelled at him to not kill Cat. I had been without Gwynbar long enough to want to find another companion. So he moved to attack the Hermit and that left Searos open to Cat’s attack. I am sure Searos had heard me ask Roach not to kill the cat, but he had been hurt and was very angry. I don’t like Searos when he gets angry. Anyway, the Hermit was taken out and Searos reduced the cat to unconsciousness. I went to stabilize it and tie it up. I’ll spend some time trying to gain his trust and see if he is amiable to join me as my companion.
We explored some more territory and got ready to claim more area for the Kingdom. I think we will go up toward Oleg’s and get some more farmland to help support our Kingdom. I keep you posted.
After we dealt with the Hermit as we were searching his camp we found a map of an old cairn of a Barbarian noble. There was a mention of a miraculous sword that might still be in the cairn. So we went back to the capital. While we were sorting out the gear we had found we returned the spear and gave the statue to a noble woman who was looking for something similar. Morvious went to the marketplace to pick up some supplies and was attacked by an assassin. The rest of us were doing other things so we all didn't come to help. I heard that the Assassin had taken Morvious to near death. Roach was near by and went to give him a potion to stabilize and cure him. She got away but Searos and Roach got fairly good looks at her. One thing they recognized was a symbol of Asmodeous. That led to some questions directed toward Morvious. It seemed rather strange that two Chelaxian's had recognized or attacked Morvious. We went back to the castle and had a talk. We heard that Morvious had been a Hellknight of the Rack. He had had a crisis of faith that had led to him leaving the order. We found out that Hellknight's don't accept resignations and will be continuing to track him down and eliminate him. We will deal with that when it comes.
The next day we left the city to journey to the cairn in the east. We found one that looked similar to the one west of Oleg's. There was a small hole in the mound over the cairn. König looked in and didn't see anything but some statues in a central area. Searos tossed a pebble with light on it into the passageway, and Roach entered.
Roach entered after Searos threw a lit pebble into the hallway. He got about 20 feet in with Zhairiel and Searos right behind him when he suddenly disappeared along with Zhairiel. That left Searos in front and he saw some skeletal creatures that had been standing in alcoves begin moving toward him. I and Gwynbar II tried to get around him but couldn’t because by then one of the creatures was right in front of Searos. König made a guess that these were Crypt Things that had a onetime use of teleport. We saw only two until we got closer to the chamber then noticed there were 4 of them. So we guessed that we had two more teleports to deal with. That proved correct as Searos disappeared. I had Gwynbar II retreat as he couldn’t get passed the Crypt Thing blocking the hallway, which by the way was only 5 feet wide. König and Fenwick got teleported away also. Morvious and I managed to take out the remaining Crypt Things and then we started looking for our companions. It had been a fearsome fight and in the midst we forgot about the Whisper Scarf pieces we shared. As we were fighting the last of the Crypt Things König came into the central area and helped finish them off. There were two chambers off of each side of the central chamber that held sarcophagi. We went into the other chamber from the one König had entered from and started checking for secret tunnels. We found one and thought to try the Whisper scarf. We got answer from Searos who told us he had found Roach’s body. It seems Roach had neglected to arm himself with either Sunrods or a bludgeoning weapon. I tried to suggest to him earlier that he needed to carry a weapon of each type of damage just in case. I think I will be more persuasive with whoever takes his place. We might even get him raised. I don’t know yet.
Searos joined us and we then managed to contact Zhairiel and find out which way to go to get to them. We had to swim through water. Morvious summoned a Squid and I summoned a Crocodile to go before us to take out any threats. Searos helped Morvious swim, but I couldn’t keep up. We finally found Zhairiel, Fenwick, and Gwynbar II in what could only be said to be the treasure room. We rested and got ready to return to daylight.
We continued exploring the tomb and found the final chamber. It was an awful fight. But we prevailed and returned to Ferskur.
In the meantime König's wizard,Berek Ornholdt, had made a discovery of his own. He had managed to find out the source of poison in our own kingdom. A certain disreputable character named Synthy. We found where he held his meetings and tried infiltrating the place, but when Gwynbar and I walked in the jig was up. König had disguised himself as a different race altogether and acted as a well to do merchant wanting to rid himself of some competition. Synthy got nervous but agreed to meet again in 4 hours. So we went a had König place disguises on most of the others. I wild-shaped into a house cat and wandered into the tavern. König was met but not by Synthy. A new meet was arranged down by the Witches Hut near the waterfront. König and Fenwick went to meet, with me as a cat trailing along. The others were hidden nearby. Synthy's companions were very present but moved off at a signal from him. I followed them but tried to stay hidden. When our agreed oon signal was given Synthy was attacked, and I cast a spell on his companion's taking out 3 of them at once. We captured Synthy and took him back to the castle where we charmed him for information about the Stronghold. For he was the information gatherer we had heard about.
After some planning we talked about taking out the Stronghold's food source, then taking out the other bandit gang near by.
We went toward where the Green Kobolds were supposed to be farming for the Stronghold. Lynx went up to the edge of the ridge to see what he could see in the area. He saw a few apparently Half-orcs and one Giant with several Kobolds working in adjacent fields.
König and I went running around the hill yelling that there was a group of fighters from the Baron on the way. That allowed us to get close without being too obvious. When we got close I stopped by the gate and there was a Half-orc that entered the building then came out with a Silver Raven in hand. König saw him and called out that he had more information before the Silver Raven is sent off. So the other Half-orc held off and König cast cacophonous call and the other Half-orc couldn’t do anything but gag. About the time König cast his spell the giant, Munguk that we had met before came around the building with a great big rock in hand. In his barely understandable dialect he said, “Me save you.” That’s when the rest of our party came around the other side of the hill and charged in to help take out the other Half-orcs. Munguk threw a rock at Fenwick, König cast Hold Person on the giant and it worked. I tried taking out the Half-orc I was standing behind. Gwynbar came up to give me a flank and to help. Lynx came in and began trying to take down some of the Half-orcs, Morvious and his Eidolon took out a few, and Zhairiel came riding in to attack Munguk. The Kobolds were called into some caves by an older looking Kobold, and there was a landslide that closed up one of the entrances into what we guessed was their lair. After taking out the Half-orcs, Lynx took a powder keg up to the landslide and was setting it to explode when it went off in his hands nearly. It appeared that the Kobolds had a way of knowing where he was. Morvious cast Black Tentacles into the other entrance so we didn’t need to worry about being blindsided.
We finished off all the Kobolds and Half-orcs and were gathering up their supplies when Morvious heard a loud roar from the direction of the east. But it appeared to be moving toward the Northwest, toward Ferskur. We mounted our horses and went to see if we could track the creature. We found the trail. It was a set of large footprints and there were trees, saplings really, that had been knocked over.
After following for a while we arrived in town to see some damage had been done to one house, the Guildhall, The Monument, and the Castle. Then the trail went back southeast. So we followed it. It appeared to lead in a direction that we were going to go in anyway. Into the vicinity of where we thought Vurn’s camp was. When we arrived we found several dead bodies and tracks that led to a cave entrance. Lynx went into the cave and found a huge Shambling Mound that attacked him. We tried to enter the cave by another entrance that we had found to try surrounding the Shambling Mound. While all of that was happening the huge Owlbear attacked. Strangely enough it was wearing barding of some type, and was extremely agitated.
It took all we had to take out the Owlbear. As we explored the rest of the cave we found Vurn hiding in a small nook. Fenwick and König took care of him. Lynx found a baby Owlbear by its mother. The mother was dead. We found a nest of large spiders and burned them out. We got a fair haul from this camp.
We went back to our capital with the baby Owlbear. We are having a tough time keeping it calm enough to handle it. We are thinking of offering to sell it to someone that wants one for a zoo or to train. We don’t have to time or inclination to try training it.
While we were out this time we did some more exploring of our area. We haven’t claimed much territory yet, but are getting familiar with surrounding areas.
When we got back to the capital we heard about some disturbing news from Oleg’s. Berek told us about a group of women that were causing an uproar at Oleg’s. So we went up there and König used his disguise ability to appear as a woman, and went in search of this group. He found it and discovered that they were led by a Cleric of Gyronna. Turns out that Gyronna is the Goddess of discord. He got invited to a meeting and was told where and when to be. We all went to the location and found a small group in a cellar under a barn. They weren’t too thrilled to see all of us and tried to harm us. I went sort of ballistic on them and used a Flame Strike on the group. Turns out there were only three that really needed to be taken out. Zhairiel got to most of the ones that I had harmed and brought them back. So it turns out that I overreacted to what I perceived as a threat. Have to watch what I do from now on. We decided to let the members go free. Now we will just have to see if they return to start another group.
It has been a busy few months what with trying to explore all of our granted territory and trying to maintain a kingdom. During our explorations we have encountered some Barghests, a Hydra, some raging bears, confronted the Will’O’Wisps nest on Candlemere Island, some more Shambling Mounds, and a Green Dragon.
The raging bears turned out to be that way because a ring we had found earlier and sold turned out to be cursed. Seems it worked as an Animal Friendship ring but wound up turning the animals against the one wearing the ring. We found the body of the Ranger who had bought the ring somewhere. We finally put an end to the ring by burning it. Once we cleared Candlemere Island of the Will’O’Wisps we found an altar dedicated to older gods that weren’t very nice. Our plan is to possibly reconsecrate the temple but we cannot accomplish that yet. So for now the island is off limits to anyone.
We finally got around to exploring the area around the Stronghold. I wild shaped into a hawk and took a look around. The main entrance is carved into a cliffside and above the entrance is a tower with no entrance on top or from outside. Lynx did some checking and found a small entrance. He went through it to find there were some Kobolds waiting for him. He escaped and we went in what turned out to be the back door into the Stronghold. It was a terrific fight and we lost Lynx. Morvious’ pits helped a great deal in evening the score. By going in the back way we avoided the many traps that had been set up in the main entrance. Now we can approach the Lycanthropes we encountered up north and offer them a place away from other humans and that they can control access to. Yes it will be good for the kingdom too in that we will have a fortress on our southern boundary manned by lycanthropes.
We finished out exploring the rest of the area to just north of Mivon which is our southern boundary. We found a nest of Tatzelwyrms and a couple of rather large Hydras. König helped out by Glitterdusting one of the Hydras so that made the fight easier some what. We also ran across a group of Winter Wolves with some Worgs. After Searos dropped a Fireball in the midst of the group the Worgs decided they didn’t want any part of our group. Gwynbar and the Eidelon were dropped to seriously hurt before we were able to overcome the Winter Wolves.
We have finally reached the point where we can visit our neighbors to the easterly direction. König and I were not amused when they sent us some Centaur skins as a gift. I think he plans to have a rather serious discussion with their leader about the appropriateness of their gift.
It's them man-eatin' centaurs! They started it when they ate George - alive, feet first!! KILL 'EM! KILL 'EM ALL!!
Scurries off to rouse some rabble, grab pitchforks and torches and matches.
FOR GEORGE!!