After eating and collecting their
items the group break camp and head south west.
Amongst a small clearing the
group stumble across a small cave entrance protruding from a small rocky
outcropping, an closer inspection of the cave reveals it to be a lair of sorts
and Natalia spotting tracks was able to ascertain that the creature was an owlbear but the tracks were weeks old at best.
With nothing of interest to
keep them near the cave the group continue the exploration of surrounding area,
after another hour of travelling the group come across a small lake. The lakes
waters crystal clear and fresh they take the chance to refill their water skins,
Miro then notices the corpse of a white horse on the far side of the lake.
As the group approach the
fallen steed it soon becomes apparent that the corpse is actually a dead
unicorn, the once majestic creature was lying on the lake shore in a pool of its own
blood, felled by a number of arrows. Taking a look at it's status, Vaneer could tell that it had been dead for several days. Not only had someone killed
a unicorn but the person or persons responsible had also removed its horn as well. Saddened at the sight before them, the group agree to
build a burial mound for the unicorn and promise to try and track down the
culprits and bring them to justice (wilderness style justice!)
After a short rest the group
continue their journey and head east, eventually finding themselves standing at a forge
along the river skunk. Protruding from the river were two small islands that were closer in appearance to sand banks, with debris or rocks and wood from a collapsed bridge in between the islands, making it possible to cross. Kyrander's keen eyesight also notices a body laying face first in the sand of the second island and typically Miro
notices next to the body is a small coin purse with several coins having spilled out of it and glinting temptingly in the sunlight.
Hungry to investigate the pouch, Miro went to rush across to
the coin purse only to be stopped by Kyrander’s forearm, who told the half
pint miscreant to wait, as something didn't feel right... a fresh corpse would be a temptation for a hungry carnivore, whilst the money pouch was certainly a good draw for two-legged beasts. Suspecting a trap Kyrander
drew an arrow and shot at the body, the arrow landed close to the body and the
group waited in anticipation... but nothing happened...
After a short period of
standing around and waiting for nothing to happen, both Vaneer and Miro make
their way across to the first island and then over to the second island with the slumped body; the debris serving as a solid place to cross between islands without the cartographers getting wet. As they approached the body an explosion
of water erupted from the river followed by a fierce roar -yep, it's a trap, baited for various types of prey-
Standing before the two
adventurers was a Tatzlywrym, a less intelligent flightless dragon, 8-feet long, with teeth and claws, capable of setting up ambushes and handily able to breath in water as well as on land. The creature plunged downwards towards them on the attack, only just missing Miro but inches. Not wasting a second Miro races back towards the river
bank where the others stood in amazement leaving Vaneer to face the creature
alone.
Just as Miro runs over the bridging sand banks two more Tatzlywyrms appear out of the water and debris and attempt to chew
the rogue but with his turn of speed and acrobatic skills the halfling was agile enough to avoid both their gaping jaws.
Otto tries to help by firing
off a couple of magic missiles at the middle wrym.
Vaneer attempts to command
the first wrym, only to fail at the casting as he slowly tries to make his way
back to the group.
Kyrander sensing an
opportunity pulls out a Dragonbane arrow and shots at the third wrym (which is only 15 feet away from the rest of the group), hitting it
in the chest and doing it a hefty amount of damage
The third wrym once again attempts to
bite the halfling's head off but misses whilst the first wrym dives back
under the water leaving Vaneer to try and move back towards the group, but he is cut off by the second creature although he successfully fend off its attacks.
The next minute of combat blurred past as neither adventurer nor Tatzlywrym were able to land a
blow on each other, each missing or dodging. Meanwhile our heroes readjust their positions to try and get closer to Vaneer, with most moving from the river's edge on to the first island.
Moving closer Miro finally manages to land
a crippling blow on the second wrym, leaving the creature seriously injured, just as
the first wrym re-erupts from the river after swimming between islands and manages to bite a chunk out of Otto! Keeping the focus on taking down the most injured creature, the injured sorcerer casts a
spell at the second Tatzlywrym and succeeds in causing it to laugh uncontrollably. Seizing the opportunity, Veneer smacks the laughing wrym with his mace, killing the chuckling creature
instantly.
Kyrander, using another Dragonbane arrow, scores a critical shot to the third wrym's eye, killing it outright.
Seeing that it is last one remaining, the first wrym dives back
under the water out of sight, so both Miro and Otto prepare themselves for when the wrym
reappears by keeping a close eye on the water and readying their actions. Vaneer casts a Bless spell
over the party hoping that it will aid his comrades with dealing with the
remaining Wrym.
After a tense few seconds the wrym erupts from the
water once again near Miro and attempts to bite him, succeeding and successfully grapples
the Halfling in its mouth.
Kyrander takes his time to
draw another of his Dragonbane arrows and aims carefully so not to hit Miro. The arrow flies through the air hitting the wrym and kills it; the beast collapses on the sandy island with Miro still between its jaws, who soon manages to pry his way out and makes his way over to snatch his prize, the pouch of gold!
As the group recuperates
from the fight, Vaneer moves amongst the group healing what wounds there are.
Once all the wounds are healed up and the group feel ready to continue exploring they severed the heads
off the wryms as proof (and to fulfill a quest, asking for them to bring the head of a Tatzlywym to be hung up in an inn as a talking point) and head easterly.
As the group travel east
they can hear the sound of a dog yapping in the distance and upon investigating it they soon learn that the noise was emanating from within a 20 foot deep pit. Within the pit a
single Thylacine hound (a marsupial creature the size and shape of a hyena with distinct red stripes across its chest) could be seen staring up from the bottom of the pit
yapping and whining as it unsuccessfully tries to climb out.
Not wanting to risk another
encounter the group decide to push a large fallen branch into the pit to give
the Thylacine a way to get out off the pit.
After a tiring day, the
group decide to head back towards Oleg’s with the Wrym heads so they don’t have
to keep lugging them around with them.
The trip back to Oleg’s was
going to take another day at least so along the way the group set up camp and
get ready for an evening of rest when a shadowy figure approached the camp with
his hands in the air shouting “I come as a friend with an information you seek
and an offer of aid!”.
Cautiously the group stood
as the stranger approached their hands twitching on the hilt of their weapons
ready for what the fates bring them next.
The stranger slowly sits
down on front of the group’s camp fire and begins to talk. He introduces
himself as Akiros the right hand man to the Stag lord! The group instantly
becomes edgy and restless,
Akiros quickly tries to
convince them that he means no harm and he is here to talk to the adventurers
as he wishes to no longer work for the Stag lord and needs help to do so.
Akiros tells the group that
he was a poet once a many moons ago but got bored and thought that banditing
would be a romantic ideal but in reality it was a horrible choice. Akiros no
longer wants to be a bandit but the only way out of the Stag lords group is
death unless the Stag lord himself can be killed and he wants to ask the group
for their aid in dispatching the bandit tyrant.
The bandit and the group
spend a couple of hours talking between them discussing the layout out of the stag
lord’s fort and the men stationed there. Akiros in painstaking detail went
through the Stag lord’s daily movements and the men that are kept at the fort,
apart from himself there are two other lieutenants Auchs and Dovan.
Then there are the general
bandits Topper Red, Jex the Snitch, Fat Norry (who always eating something),
Jeb Megesen, Cragger Kench and Ayles Megesen. Out of the bandits 2 are always
in two of the three watchtowers whilst the Stag lord gets drunk through out the
day.
There is a path leading up
to the fort and the group are warned to keep to the path for anyone that
ventures off the path the undead surrounding the fort will soon make short work
of them.
The group decided that they
would head back to Oleg’s as planned and then return to the fort in 2 days time
with some “stolen loot” to pose as bandits looking to join the Stag lord’s crew
and when Akiros gives the signal they’ll attack from the inside.
Happy with the plan Akiros
stood up and began to make his way out of the camp only to stop in the dim
firelight, “Oh!! Before I forget I best give you the pass phrase to get in,
when you get to the gate shout.. By the Bloody Bones of St. Gilmorg, who wants to
know?”
And then the shadowy figure
disappears from the fire light, and then his voice rings out from the darkness
“And brings plenty of booze!”
After that the night returns
to quietness and the group rests uneventfully before heading back to Oleg’s the
next morning.
