“If I may examine it?” Elisile takes the bow and waves her hand above it, examining the aura.
“It is … quite a bow,” the elf says, describing its properties.
"Check upstairs. Then we burn the place down."
"Aye...up we go."
Elisile leads the way back upstairs, and then up the stairs to the upper floor, moving slowly and quietly and keeping an eye and ear out for danger.
fine by me.
The upstairs is empty of habitation, but includes more evidence of Graul depravity. In particular, a chest is in fact booby-trapped to cut off the hands of the unwary - fortunately, Elisile is able to wanr Hudak in time. Another room contains five flasks of acid and three sets of masterwork thieves' tools - illicit treasure, but nonetheless valuable. Other than that, there is little else to keep the farmhouse from the flames.
Other than that, there is little else to keep the farmhouse from the flames.
Once the party is outside , Vethran takes a deep breath of fresh outdoor air before looking back to the farmhouse with scorn. "Shall I do the honors?"
"Light it up. The house, the barn and the dead ogres. Normally I'd leave the bodies for the crows, but it would do the carrion birds a disservice tis time. Just be careful not to set the whole forest ablaze."
Vethran flits about, applying generous helpings of arson to the entire body of structures, aiming particularly for flammable curtains, upholstery and rotten wood.
The farmhouse and barn are soon twin pyres, cleansing the squalid clearing of the horror of the Grauls once and for all. After watching the flames for a few minutes, the group turn and leave.
Looooooooot:
Spear +1 (sell)
Belt of Giant Strength +2 (Alwyn)
Ogrehook +1 (sell)
Ring of Protection +1(Illes)
Amulet of Natural Armour +1 (Hudak)
Belt of Mighty Constitution +2 (Elisile)
2 Varisian idols (Elisile and/or Alwyn)
3 wands (Vethran)
Scroll of Animate Dead
Mammy Graul’s spellbook (contents on game thread page 122) (Elisile and Vethran)
Magic whip (Illes)
From Two-face:
Ogrehook +1 (sell)
Hide shirt +1 (sell)
Amulet of natural armour +1 (Elisile)
Potion of CMW (Hudak)
From the Salad of doom:
210gp, 452sp, 108cp
Magic gloves
Magic bow
I'll do a final distribution after we get back to Turtleback Ferry.
Hudak pees on th' fire.
Heh heh...that'll put it out.
got my amulet and my potion.
Elisile leads the way back to Turtleback Ferry, following the tracks of the freed prisoners (if possible) in case they have run into trouble on the way back.
The party makes it back to Turtleback Ferry without further incident. The rangers have made it back and are recuperating at the town hall.
I'll head over there; have a parley with the rangers.
"Whelp, we put those Grauls to the sword.....so, what's going on up there to the Fort?"
Oh; can I get healed of this strength damage from this damn spider, somebody?
There is considerable rejoicing in town at the news that the Graul menace has been eliminated once and for all. However, it is tempered by the fact that Fort Rannick has fallen to the ogres. The mayor calls a council and the surviving three rangers and the party are invited to discuss options.
The three rangers introduce themselves, thanking the group for their resue. Their nominal leader, inasmuch as he is the most senior survivor, is Jakardros. He is a grizzled, tough-looking man and the townsfolk clearly know him well and respect him. The other two are younger: a towering, dark-skinned man called Vale, silent and seething, with a touch of Shoanti in his blood; and a handsome, dark-haired man called Kaven. They explain that they had not been in the fort for the initial attack but had arrived as it was being sacked. Their attempt to intervene got most of their patrol killed, and they were captured by the Grauls as they attempted to flee for town.
"It's certain that anyone you sent to the fort is dead by now," Jakardros explains bluntly to the gathering. A few townfolk at the packed meeting throw up their hands in horror and grief, realising that loved ones must now have fallen to the ogres, while others shake their heads sadly. "And there's nothing now between the fort and Turtleback Ferry."
"Nothing save this sword.....we're going up there.
We should leave swiftly. Once we're rested, wounds tended.
I've been poisoned by a spider; mayor....if I could bother you for healing.
Aye, we'll re equip, and soon be headed up there.
What say you, comrades?"
"Certainly. Magnimar charged us with aiding the fort, and that's what we'll do. It also sounds like we will be given an opportunity to show the giants the might of Gorum. Now, how many ogres would you say there were? Do they have competent leadership?"
“Yes, we will do our best to defeat these ogres,” says Elisile. “We will need at least a night to rest and prepare spells though. Longer would be better. Jakardos,” she says, turning to the ranger , “can you tell us anything, not only of the ogres, but of the fort itself? A description or map of its layout, and any weaknesses, ways in and out, the lay of the terrain about – all this will help us. Also, we discovered some equipment within the Graul homestead – this bow and gloves amongst them – which may have belonged to you or your companions. You are welcome to their return, although they would benefit us against the ogres, if you are willing to accept their return upon ours.”
"Certainly. Magnimar charged us with aiding the fort, and that's what we'll do. It also sounds like we will be given an opportunity to show the giants the might of Gorum. Now, how many ogres would you say there were? Do they have competent leadership?"
"We didn't really have time to assess their generals, we were too busy running. Certainly the ogres we met seemed the usual run of the mill barbarians and sadists you expect. But the Kreeg ogres can muster a decent-sized force - I'd say there might be upwards of twenty ogres in the fort."
“Yes, we will do our best to defeat these ogres,” says Elisile. “We will need at least a night to rest and prepare spells though. Longer would be better. Jakardos,” she says, turning to the ranger , “can you tell us anything, not only of the ogres, but of the fort itself? A description or map of its layout, and any weaknesses, ways in and out, the lay of the terrain about – all this will help us. Also, we discovered some equipment within the Graul homestead – this bow and gloves amongst them – which may have belonged to you or your companions. You are welcome to their return, although they would benefit us against the ogres, if you are willing to accept their return upon ours.”
"Those items are mine. But I think my days as a Black Arrows Ranger are behind me. I want you to use them to defeat the ogres and avenge my brethren." The other rangers nod in agreement.
"The fort is built against a cliff - Vale can draw you a map, this sort of thing interests him. There a probably a few ways in, and the ogres are pretty stupid and disorganised which might make it easier to expoit them.
"There are two gates, north and south, but they will likely be guarded. There's also the sluice gate on the south wall, which carries the run-off from the latrines. It's small and fairly unpleasant, and close to the south gate, but could be doable. The fort is also built over some tunnels which can be accessed from behind the waterfall to the south-west, but they are infested with lizards. Or if you can fly there's the eagle's aerie, which is on a ledge above the fort and leads in by a path down the cliff and through a tunnel."
"You should rest. We are probably safe here for the moment, though those ogres won't wait forever."
"There are two gates, north and south, but they will likely be guarded. There's also the sluice gate on the south wall, which carries the run-off from the latrines. It's small and fairly unpleasant, and close to the south gate, but could be doable. The fort is also built over some tunnels which can be accessed from behind the waterfall to the south-west, but they are infested with lizards. Or if you can fly there's the eagle's aerie, which is on a ledge above the fort and leads in by a path down the cliff and through a tunnel."
"Well..." Vethran glances up and looks to Elisile, then to his own spellbook before scratching his chin. "The power of flight is not beyond the ken of Elisile and myself, I don't believe. With the ogre woman's spellbook, we could easily fill our mind with enough magic to get us all airborne. The issue with that, though, is that it would require a considerable amount of our arcane resources. Third circle magic is all I've managed to master thus far, and flight falls within that designation... specifically of a school in which I am not well-versed."
The mage coughs slightly into his hand and brushes it off on his robe afterwards. "It seems to me that the more practical options are the sluice gate or the tunnels. I believe the tunnels would be the best means of entry to avoid detection if that is our intent, though the lizards would have to be dealt with." He looks to the Black Arrow ranger. "When you say 'lizards' do you mean actual lizards or lizardfolk? If the former, what KIND of lizards?"
“I am not as well versed in the arcane arts as you Vethran,” Elisile says, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes, “and have not yet had opportunity to successfully cast a spell from the third circle. However, as we battled the Grauls, something crystallised within my mind, and I believe I can now master such magic. Spells of flight are well within my specialty, and given time to research and scribe scrolls, I may be able to give us all the power of flight. Of course, having the ability to fly does not necessarily confer the talent to fly well…”
Gloves of Dex +2
Gloves of Dex +2
Here's the final loot distribution:
Ring of Protection +1(Illes)
Amulet of Natural Armour +1 (Hudak)
Belt of Mighty Constitution +2 (Elisile)
Belt of Giant Strength +2 (Alwyn)
2 Varisian idols (one each for Elisile and Alwyn)
3 wands (Vethran)
Scroll of Animate Dead (Vethran)
Mammy Graul’s spellbook (contents on game thread page 122) (Elisile and Vethran)
Magic whip (Illes)
Amulet of natural armour +1 (Alwyn
Potion of CMW (Hudak)
Gloves of DEX +2 (Elisile)
Badass bow (Elisile)
Spear +1
Ogrehook +1
Ogrehook +1
Hide shirt +1
These sell for a total of 8020/2=4010 gp, plus, from the Salad of doom: 210gp, 452sp, 108cp
Of this, each of us get 853 gold, 3 silver and 2 copper. Don't spend it all at once!
“I believe I have mastered the spell of flying described in the spell book we recovered from the horrible ogre woman,” Elisile announces. “If we wish to attempt an aerial approach, I can prepare some scrolls of the spell. I admit, I do not much like the idea of crawling through refuse. Lizard infested tunnels may be more approachable, although I am not as versed at calming wild animals as Dravite. If we assume that these lizards are dangerous.”
"The lizards give off blasts like lightning. They are pretty harmless most of the time but they can get territorial if disturbed. We have never really used the tunnels for anything so we just let them get on with it."
"The lizards give off blasts like lightning. They are pretty harmless most of the time but they can get territorial if disturbed. We have never really used the tunnels for anything so we just let them get on with it."
"I could scribe us scrolls to protect us from their electrical attacks, if anyone should think it better to approach from beneath rather than above."