Week 3: Not dead, but not for lack of trying

Jan 15, Monday; Light snowfall

• Deciding that approaching the bandits would be preferable to being spotted from afar and that we would stand out on the snow-white plains like a sore thumb, we instead opted to skirt the forest north of the temple. (#2.12)
• It was a decision of mixed results. On the one hand, we haven't run int anybody all day long. On the other hand, we were still in the damned forest come evening, because Nissa insisted on bringing the cart with us, in case we need to transport injured Sabatha or some loot back to town. Forcing a mule to get a cart through a snow-drowned forest is not an easy task.
• On the third hand, the cart was half-full of firewood, so we didn't need to scavenge the snowbanks for wood.
• There were one too many of us to fit into the tent, which was great, because someone had to keep watch anyway. Brenna suggested that foreigners are well-known for their lack of a need for sleep, but before Menja could clock her in the face, we agreed to take turns.
• The night was freezing and calm.

Jan 16, Tuesday; Light snowfall

• In the morning, we started off briskly to finally get out of the forest. Once we were on the open plains again (#1.13), Menja quickly found the location of their ill-fated attempt at camaraderie with bandits, but unfortunately the unrelenting snowfall has long buried any tracks we could've followed. Undeterred, we made for the mountains (#1.14), reasoning that a lair of such ne'er-do-wells would surely be hidden in a cavern or a forgotten mountain fort.
• Soon, though, we were forced to admit that the cart will simply not make it over these rocky slopes. Maera and Nissa were charged with preparing and holding a base camp, while me, Cori and Menja went to find a lookout place.
• I would have never guessed how hard it is to climb a mountain in the middle of a winter. We got lost so fast.
• On the other hand, we saw a tiny village hidden in a crook of a valley. This could very well be the bandit hideout we were looking for, even if it's a bit bigger than expected.
• On the third hand, we were still lost and unwilling to burn through our limited lantern oil bungling through the dark were we could oh so easily slip to our deaths. Even trying to sleep behind a rocky outcropping while the wind is freezing your butt off is better than suddenly having your leg be at an obtuse angle. Maera and Nissa will have to worry for us tonight; we can find them in the morning.

Suddenly, an encounter with Men, Merchant with a reaction of "Offers food and shelter." Because of course.

• On the fourth hand, we did not end up sleeping in the snow after all. Just as we were snugly tucked into a freaking rock crevice, a light shone from above and some confused questions and explanations later, we joined a group of completely legitimate mechants - they quickly and repeatedly emphasised that part - who just happened to be crossing the mountains in the middle of the night. They did know the way down to the village, though, and really there was no way how to explain any unwillingness to accompany them, after we told them that the night took us by surprise and we got lost.
• Soon after midnight, we arrived to Eklo, the bandit village, and were shown to the local "House of Joy" where a room for us could be arranged. We were so spent we actually fell asleep nearly immediately, circumstances be damned. Let paying our dues be tomorrow's problem.

 

• In the meantime, Maera and Nissa were worried sick. They were also startled by a pterodactyl circling and screeching above their camp, but it opted for an easier prey in the end and left them alone. Still, they barely slept.

new hex traversed = 10 XP
feature found = 50 XP

Jan 17, Wednesday; Light snowfall

• In the morning, we were taken from the House of Joy and presented to the elder of the village, a truly elderly and frail Amazon named Sìneag. Her granddaughter and likely successor, hauberk-clad Beathag, was also there.
• Sìneag did not really care much for us and dismissed us quite promptly, but Beathag took the time to explain their problem: The village is currently at war with the Feather-and-Claw people that live in a temple on a nearby mountain.
• After some careful prodding, Beathag revealed that Sabatha is in the village, but of her own free will. We can apparently just go and visit her if we so wish. However, we may not leave the village for now. Beathag refused to elaborate, but for at least a few days, the gates of the town are closed.
• That is a problem we need to address, and quickly. Maera and Nissa are still probably in the camp and we have not returned for nearly a day.
• But first things first - we went to find Sabatha. Thankfully, Menja was not recognised as having been robbed by the locals just a few days ago.
• Anyway, we found Sabatha in the house of her cousin. She was quite surprised to see us and apologises for leaving without telling anyone anything - she was fearing for her life. Now, though, she claims that she is alright.
• It took some prodding, but we got her to talk. Sabatha found out that Ali-ilil the apothecary, our master, is in truth a Chaotic sorcerer. By mistake and coincidence, she uncovered some books of dark rituals he hides in his room and took the first opportunity to run away, thinking that she will otherwise slip up and he will silence her. Being sent to gather herbs in the wilds was a perfect chance to just disappear.
• Well, as far as I know, Ali-ilil really thinks that Sabatha just got lost, but she was not convinced. What if he wants to get her back only to sacrifice her, she asked.
• She claimed to not know anything about his plans, but surely a sorcerer of Chaos cannot be up to no good. She pleaded with us to never return to Odawara as well. Her cousin would let us stay here for now and then we would see.
• I frankly think that that is a decision for the morrow and the whole group. We will sleep at Sabatha's place and see what can be done about leaving this town. We need some way to contact Maera and Nissa.
• Menja tried to push for us to sneak out of the village in the night, but then we would be back where we started - lost in the mountains in the dark.
• I hope the two are alright.

• Maera and Nissa spend the day trying to find the others. They put Úlfi the dog and Pinkybone the puppy to work, but even with their noses the fresh snow has covered the tracks too well.
• They eventually returned to camp, determined to try again tomorrow. Hopefully the others are still alive up in the mountains.

Jan 18, Thursday; Light snowfall

• None of us slept well and eventually, we just decided to have a drink together and plot our escape. We could not lose another day with Maera and Nissa none the wiser about our fates and staying in the village until sunrise would only see any attempt at leaving thwarted. We decided to leave right now.
• We left a note to Sabatha, explaining ourselves and offering apologies for any trouble, but also reassuring her that we will not tell Ali-ilil about her whereabouts. We also took our bed sheets, to make a makeshift rope.
• We snuck out of the house and through the streets - there were still several hours left before sunrise - until we were standing before the village walls. Unfortunately, there were guards patrolling every stretch of the walls.
• Still, we pressed our luck and tried to sneak up on the rampart. We were discovered nearly immediately.
• While surprised, the guards didn't seem hostile. Instead, they shouted at us to go back into safety as an alarm was raised elsewhere on the ramparts. We have quickly learned of the likely reason that Beathag didn't want to let us leave the village - the village was under attack.
• Before we could move, something vast and darker than the night sky flew overhead.

The Many-Winged Herald, servant of Shadow-that-Hungers
HD 6, AC 9, AT beak (+1, 2 dmg) or breath, MV crow, ML +1
Reaction: Uninterested. Ignores you unless bothered.

If that was an aggressive reaction, it would be a one-hit TPK with its breath weapon. The party continues to be saved by good Reaction rolls.

• Whatever it was, it ignored us completely, flying over the village and breathing down shadows that shattered houses.
• We legged it.
• There was no time to properly rappel with the bedsheet-rope. We all more or less tumbled down the wall, getting bruised and winded, but we pushed ourselves to a run.
• With no light save the stars above and unfamiliar mountain slopes to run through, our escape was rather perilous, but we glimpsed the black-feathered warriors converging on the village and dared not risk being spotted. Somehow, we have found the path we had lost two days ago.
• Maera and Nissa were still in the camp when we got there, just breaking fast before they would look for us again. All together once again, we shared the meal and exchanged stories of our time apart.
• Not wanting to risk whatever the aftermath of the attack on the village will be, we packed up and retreated out of mountains. Though we have found the bandits we set out to dispose of, that situation is far more complicated than it seemed.

• By mid-morning, we were already down in the grasslands (#1.13), when Pinkybone the puppy caught scent of something that had it all atwitch.
• We went over a hill and saw a huge, horrid humanoid sitting by some poor bastard's wagon and devouring an ox, while the bastard in question was huddling beneath the wagon.

Nightmare Spawn
HD 8, AC 8, AT giant sword (2 dmg), ML +1
Reaction: Distracted.

• It did not seem to care about our presence as long as it had other food at hand, but a hushed discussion later, we decided to intervene anyway. We primarily wanted to help the woman under the wagon, obviously, but we also noticed the inhumanly massive sword the creature had lying at its side. While impossible to use as a weapon for any of us, the sword was an evident artifact of Chaos and as such could win us a handsome bounty from the temple.
• Thus, a plan was born.
• Cori hid behind the cart to dip a few of her arrows into Nissa's yellow lotus poison, which causes spasms and paralysis. We can only hope it will work even on this oversized monstrosity.
• With a deep breath, we count to three and then scatter from the cart, hollering for the creature's attention, while Cori nocks an arrow and rises to shoot over the side planks. She misses and the spawn screeches - a cutting sound that leaves ringing in your ears - grabs its sword and charges her.
• We were ready for this, though, and strike at its flanks as it gets closer. Unfortunately, only Nissa manages to nick its spongy hide with her knife, splattering the ground with silvery ichor.
• It strikes back at her and while she dodges the sword's edge, its bulk still collides with her ribs. A wet sound and Nissa collapses.
• And then it swing again, unnaturally swift with its overlarge weapon. Both Brenna and Maera scramble out of the way as it flips the cart, shattering it and nearly crushing Cori into the ground. She falls down and crawls away, wide-eyed.

I had to redo this first round, as I miscalculated and instead of only Nissa ending on the brink of death, I had Nissa, Cori and Maera die immediately...

• Menja runs to where Cori dropped her bow and snatches it. She shoots at one of the abomination's eyes, but the arrow goes wide. She immediately shoots again and this time, the arrow finds its mark.
• The spawn goes to retaliate, but it stumbles and then collapses to the ground, twitching and unable to control its muscles.
• Maera and Cori pick themselves off the ground and have at it, bludgeoning it with staff and flail. Meanwhile, Brenna runs to the crumpled Nissa to see to her wounds.
• Yet to our absolute horror, though the abomination is bleeding profusely, it is also already getting its limbs under control and dragging itself up, still gripping the colossal sword.
• Menja shoots it again with the poison-tipped arrows, but this time it powers through the poison.
• Cursing, Maera pushes Brenna away from the unconscious Nissa and pats her down, pulling a small vial from her pocket - yellow lotus powder, a more concentrated version of the poison. Brefore the monstrosity has a chance to get its head too high, Maera throws a handful of the powder at its face.
• It collapses.
• While Nissa still needs care, we also have to finish this thing before it shakes off even the nightmares of yellow lotus overdose and smears us on the ground, so everyone puts their back to it together and we smash its bones and cut its flesh.
• It is Cori who finally kills it, caving in its head with her flail.
• Brenna finishes Nissa's bandages as well as possible and helps her sit up when she wakes up.

650 XP
That was so close. Even with their rather lucky starting equipment, the party was nearly destroyed, because the spawn kept throwing off the effects of the poisons.

• We cut off the remains of its head, just to be sure, and take the sword.
• Cori then does some further butchery, cutting the corpse open. From its stomach, she retrieves two gem-like bezoars worth maybe 60 silver, but she also keeps one of its shattered ribs as a trophy.

• The woman from under the wagon also deigns to climb out of there and join us. Her name is Cerys and she is an armourer on her way to Odawara, where she hopes to open a smithy. Maera half-heartedly grumbles that had she known that, she would not risk her life for a future competitor.
• We have to gather our animals again, as both the donkey and the mule did not take to the spawn's presence well, then hitch them to Cerys' wagon. Nissa will ride on the wagon and we also get our things from the destroyed cart.
• We bicker a bit whether to break camp as soon as possible and lick our wounds, even though it's still barely noon, or whether to get moving and get to the temple of C'ro before sundown, to rest in safety and let Nissa be treated by healers. In the end, we set off towards the temple.
• We are jittery the whole way, but we get to the temple with no further trouble. (#2.13, #3.12)
• Nissa is immediately handed off to the healers while the rest of us head to the high priestess to present her the spawn's sword.
• She seems quite pleased with both our story and souvenir. We have to master our greedy grins when she pays us a staggering bounty of 5 000 silver for it.

bounty = 5000 SP and XP

• Though only Nissa is half-dead from fighting, the rest of us are just as half-dead from exhaustion, so we quickly wash off and fall sleep as soon as our heads touch the pillows.

Jan 19, Friday; Light snowfall, aurora

• Fenja, Chani and Saoirse from Menja's group had already left the temple for Odawara, so we pack our stuff and follow them.
• We are accompanied by Cerys the armourer. Nissa is immediately interested in her wares and buys herself some heavy armour, a cuirass and hauberk, to Maera's disbelieving scoffs:

"First you basically beg me for a maille, then you just go and buy from someone else. I see how it is, then."

"You've had your shot, Maera, and you missed it. Now all you can do is sulk and weep as I will strut around in this new, shiny armour of mine."

"If I overstepped somehow, I'm sorry," Cerys says. "I didn't mean to do... whatever I did."

"Don't mind 'em," Cori winked, "this is what we here call a foreplay."

• Otherwise, the travel to Odawara (#3.12, #2.11, #3.10, #2.9, #3.8, #2.7, #3.6) is uneventful.

Jan 20, Saturday; Sleet

• The weather is awful and we spend half the day sitting in a tavern, planning and plotting. All eight of us - Fenja, Menja, Chani, Saoirse, Maera, Cori, Brenna and Nissa - agree to band together and go to the temple of the Feather-and-Claw people we have heard about in Eklo, the bandit village. According to what we've heard from Beathag and Sabatha, it should hold a lot of treasure. Plus if we time it right, the war between the bandits and the Feather-and-Claw people should see their temple with a limited garrison.
• Maera surprises everyone by telling us that she sold her smithy to Cerys. She had apparently talked to her yesterday and they sealed the deal. Unbeknownst to us, she has been struggling for some time and got deep in debt. With the smithy sold, she can repay her debts and go on an adventure before deciding what to do next.
• The whole afternoon is spent shopping. In the end, we need to purchase two carts to carry all of our newly acquired stuff: better weapons and armour for everyone, blankets and tents, crowbar, shovel and other tools, grappling hook and ropes, lanterns and torches, oil, tinderbox, water- and wineskins, bandages and other medicinal supplies - even one bezoar for countering poisons, though at an outrageous price - rations and cooking tools, some soap, paper, ink and quills, plus a large wooden chest to carry the most vulnerable things.
• Brenna gets back her ring from the pawn shop. Then she and Nissa also pay a visit to Ali-ilil, telling him that Sabatha is still lost and that they are going on another venture, holding onto the hope of finding her. They talk him into selling them one of his under the counter potions, a highly concentrated poultice of orange lotus. In a pinch, it can grant a person unnatural strength.
• In the evening, we visit some more pubs and gather us a gaggle of henchwomen: a cart driver named Deryn and four heavy footwomen, Glynn, Aerea, Gwen and Bronwyn.

Jan 21, Sunday; Light snowfall

• When we all gathered in the morning, we formed a nice little caravan - thirteen people in total, most of them heavily armed and armoured. As we marched out of Odawara, we were accompanied by many an interested look and a few worried, as well.
• With so many people and two overflowing carts, the journey was somewhat slow-going when compared to our travel with a single half-filled cart. (#3.6, #2.7, #3.8, #2.9, #2.10)
• Thus, we travelled a few hours into the night, when Brenna noticed something moving in the darkness beyond the light of our lanterns.
• Cori on her horse went to investigate, but she only caught sight of several lizard riders in garish robes quickly disappearing northwards.
• When the rest of us caught up, we decided that a pursuit would make no sense. Rather than returning to the road, we made camp then and there.
• The night was quiet, only the snow still softly falling.